Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

Wise Servants of God: Noaha character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionAs we begin this series of lessons on the wise servants of God, our first subject this evening presents uswith an important principle that will be evident throughout the series. God's approval and selection ofthese servants was far from arbitrary; they were men of high character and accomplishment, examplesunto every generation of Bible-lover. Hebrews 11:7 says about Noah ("By faith Noah, being divinelywarned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, bywhich he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."Thousands of years after the time of Noah, he is remembered as an example of wise service because hewas such a lone voice of salvation among the dying. Today's Christian is thrust into a world in which mostare rushing headlong toward condemnation and he or she cries out as a rare voice of reason andrighteousness.DiscussionI. Wisdom in Finding God's Grace (Genesis 6:1-8)A. Godly Fear1. Noah lived in a place that rivaled Sodom for its immorality and in a time that matches our ownin incivilitya. so few years since the creation of man and already Adam's and Eve's error in the gardenhas thoroughly corrupted mankindb. God had made man and called his work "good," but with knowledge of good and evilspreading by the generation, both men and women were seeking out every available sinful devicec. the Eden utopia had been closed to man and instead of longing to return, man was drivingin the opposite direction entirely2. the accusations of verses 5 and 6 are generalizations, indicting the majority of mankind withbeing satisfied by sin and antipathetic toward old-fashioned holiness3. finally, God was openly sorry that he had even made man and prepared to cleanse the planetaltogether, except, that in the face of overwhelming destruction, one man stood apart4. Noah found grace in God's eyes and was marked out for something other than destructiona. it was not that Noah had earned grace, for grace is "unmerited favor" and thus, bydefinition cannot be earned (cf. Romans 4:5)b. yet, even though he sinned, Noah was different in character from the rest of the world(Genesis 6:9)1. he was a just man, in an age in which every man looked out for number one andtrampled on the rights of the powerless2. he was a blameless man, in that he identified his shortcomings, made correction, stroveto do better and constantly found himself thrown on God's mercy3. he walked with God, seeking to know and to do his willB. Finding Grace1. as good a man as Noah was, we know that he was not sinlessly perfect, for "all men sin and fallshort of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of such sin is death (cf. Romans 6:23)2. for this reason, Noah had earned no better fate than the rest of mankind and yet he found God'sgrace because his character was different, his attitude was penitent3. I am not sure that Noah could have known enough about God's grace to have been seeking itactively, but he found it on purpose nonethelessa. today, we are blessed to have the message of grace around us every day, but the standard ofNoah's day has not changed all that much–the majority is still bound for eternal loss, while a preciousremnant will actually enter through the narrow gate, walk the strait way and find God's grace (cf.Matthew 7:13-14)b. what sets apart the saved from the lost?1. it is not sinless perfection, for all mature and accountable individuals eventually sin2. it is not any partiality on the part of God, for God is no respecter of persons and desiresthat all be savedCharacter Studies! 57