In this lesson we will study a hero of faith who achieved a great feat for both God, himself and humanity but it did not entail him calling fire or doing what men may call a spectacular miracle yet what he achieved was great. Hebrews 11:7
Why was Noah a hero of faith?
1.He lived in the dispensation when men where controlled by conscience. Despite the difficulty and seemingly impossibility in living righteous in these times, Noah still lived so righteously that he caught God's attention and he found grace in God's sight. The scripture says "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD". Genesis 6:8. Standing out from the crowd makes one unique and different and this also attracts the attention of God
2. He was Righteous- The people of Noah's time were so evil that only him could be righteous. It meant that righteousness was almost extinct in his time and God in His righteousness and justice had to extinct these unrighteous generation and leave the righteous before they extinct righteousness. This makes us understand that God always wants to preserve righteousness.
3. He was Obedient- Noah walked with God. Noah didn’t just listen to God, he obeyed. He obeyed whatever God told him to do, no matter how difficult it was. God didn't just give him a difficult task to do, it was also a WIERD task but he did it all the same. Hence, the proof of obedience is not in accomplishing seemingly difficult tasks but in accomplishing wierd task.
4. He was a man of Faith - His task needed immense faith to complete. From the very beginning, when he agreed all through to the very end of entering the ark and then even leaving the ark again. This is why Noah is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11:7. There is no record of Noah arguing or doubting or asking questions. He simply obeyed because of his faith.
5. He was a Preacher – 2 Peter 2:5 reveals that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Building the ark certainly gave Noah many opportunities to tell people why he was doing it and the doom that was coming. He likely preached just like many other Old Testament prophets. It is likely that Noah’s project was famous.
6. He was Diligent- There are a lot of things Noah would have had to think about and plan for in the course of building the ark. Its not only the actual construction, but also the acquiring of materials, providing for his family during this time period, security from vandalism or theft, getting/purchasing food to stock the ark, creating ways for waste removal and food dispersion, etc. If he neglected any one of these areas, disaster would have been waiting. Noah did it all. He did it well and he didn’t slack off.
7. He was Worshipful - After the whole episode was done with, Noah’s first recorded action was what? Build and alter and offer a sacrifice to God. He didn’t have a bitter or angry heart. He was grateful God spared Him and made this covenant with him. Noah showed his gratitude to God by an act of worship, sacrificing of every clean animal. This was actually quite a sacrifice. There were very few animals at that time and it would have been easy for Noah to rationalize and think that he needed to save them so that they could repopulate the earth. Yet he demonstrated faith in God. He wanted to worship this great God that he had come to know even better.
The above seven seemingly unspectacular reasons are the exploits of Noah that enlisted him in the Hall of Fame of the Heroes of Faith. These can be achieved by every follower of Jesus who depends on God's grace in recent times.
Grace to you.
Jesus is Lord.
Ps:Listen to this teaching, God has something in it for you
