THE ARK AND THE CHURCH

It is amazing how many things you can take from the Old Testament and compare to those things found in the New Testament.

Romans 15:4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

This morning we will we be comparing the similarities between the Ark of Noah and the church of the New Testament. Let us begin by reading the account of  Noah’s ark:

Genesis 6:13-22:   “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.   Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.   And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.   A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.   And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.   But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.   And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.   Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.   And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.    Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”

Genesis 6:9: “…Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”  Noah was God’s faithful servant.

Because Noah worshiped God and stood out as a faithful servant, Noah and his family were spared. Noah was the builder of the ark. He did not argue with God, but followed His commands.

In The New Testament Jesus was God’s faithful servant.

Philippians 2:8:   “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Not only was He obedient to God’s will; He was the Builder of the church.

Matthew 16:18:  “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

God told Noah to build one Ark, and there were no lifeboats or any other types of boats built.

Likewise there is only one church found in the New Testament, the church which Christ built and for which He gave His life.

Colossians 1:18: “ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

Ephesians 4:4: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.”

Noah was told to use one material to build the ark.  Genesis 6:14: " Make yourself an ark of gopher-wood.”

The church is built out of one kind of material

1 Peter 2:5: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-13:  “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”

The Ark only had one window for light.  Genesis 6:16: "You shall make a window for the ark.”

The church has only one light. 

John 8:12:  “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

 We are encouraged to walk in that light.

1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

The Ark only had one door.

Genesis 6:16: “…set the door of the ark in its side.”

There is only one way into the church.

John 10:9  "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.”

John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Within the ark, those who were saved were one family. 

Genesis 7:7  “So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.”

In the New Testament those who are being saved are one family as well.

Ephesians 3:14-15: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

Salvation, for Noah and his family, was found in the ark.

1 Peter 3:20:  “when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

Salvation is found in the church.

Ephesians 5:23: “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”

1 Corinthians 12:13: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…”

1 Peter 3:21: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Baptism is the point where you enter into the church, where salvation is found.

Genesis 7:21-23: “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:  All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.   And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.”

Notice all those found out side the ark lost their lives. 

In very similar manner, all those found outside the church, outside the ark of safety, will lose their souls to the devil.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9:  “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”