The Ark and the Will: A Warning on Salvation

• Historical Reality of the Flood [00:40:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts the factual reality of the flood based on historical and geological evidence, noting that flood stories exist in every civilization.
• Doctrine of Salvation [00:43:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies the Ark narrative as a primary illustration of salvation, defining it as the means by which sinners escape hell and are saved by grace.
• Biblical Authority [00:41:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor establishes Scripture as the sufficient basis for belief, stating he is not interested in proving the flood's existence because it is recorded in the Bible.
• The Doctrine of Salvation [00:43:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies salvation as the greatest doctrine in the Bible, centered on escaping hell and going to heaven, illustrated by the Ark as the means of safety from the flood.
• God's Initiative in Salvation [00:47:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that salvation begins with God's invitation ('Come into the ark'), emphasizing that God conceived the plan and provided the method of deliverance before man responded.
• Human Responsibility and Repentance [00:52:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts God's invitation with Noah's action ('Noah went in'), arguing that individuals must exercise their will to repent of sin and turn their back on the world to be saved.
• Faith [00:57:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines faith as trusting in God's provision (the Ark/Christ) despite unseen circumstances, noting that God gives every person a measure of faith sufficient for salvation.
• Salvation and Judgment [01:03:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the beautiful sight of entering the ark with the severe doctrine of God's judgment, citing Romans 1:18 to establish that God is both love and wrath.
• The Flood as Divine Judgment [01:05:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The flood is described as an 'abnormal judgment' involving subterranean oceans and rain, serving as an illustration of God's holy judgment upon sin, paralleled with future judgment by fire in 2 Peter 3:10.
• Security of the Believer [01:18:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues for the security of salvation, using the image of God shutting the door to explain that believers cannot lose their salvation because God Himself keeps them safe, just as Noah was secure in the ark.
• Eternal Security [01:21:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that believers cannot lose their salvation because God has shut them in, using Noah in the ark as an analogy for divine protection despite human failure.
• Salvation and Repentance [01:23:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > An urgent call to action for the unsaved to repent and place faith in Jesus before the opportunity is lost, comparing the current open door to the future shut door of judgment.

• Sermon Illustration [00:41:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a conversation with a colleague named Lewis, who recently observed solar sonar work in Turkey aimed at discovering the remains of Noah's Ark.
• Sermon Illustration [00:17:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recalls the vision shared by Carol Lee five years prior to establish the Loving Hands ministry, which reaches out to homebound individuals.
• Sermon Illustration [00:48:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a mnemonic rhyme to summarize the history of salvation: 'God thought it. Jesus brought it. Holy Spirit brought it, or wrought it. The devil fought it. Sinners caught it. Praise God, I got it.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the Prodigal Son, noting that when he returned to his father, he did not take the slop from the pigpen with him, illustrating the necessity of turning one's back on sin when repenting.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor provides a visual description of Noah, his family, and the animals (bears, snails, giraffes, kangaroos) walking up the gangplank into the Ark as the storm approaches, emphasizing the act of faith and obedience.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the visual of animals entering the ark by instinct, including bears, snails, giraffes, and kangaroos, highlighting the awe-inspiring nature of the event.
• Sermon Illustration [01:12:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > A humorous hypothetical CNN news report titled 'A New Twist in the Madness of Noah,' where anchors discuss Noah entering the ark despite experts calling it scientifically impossible, and neighbors dismissing Noah as a 'crazy religious fanatic.'
• Sermon Illustration [01:09:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > A narrative scene of Noah's grandfather Methuselah dying on his deathbed at age 969, with the name meaning 'when he is gone, it will come,' signaling the immediate start of the judgment.
• Sermon Illustration [01:16:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > A vivid description of the floodwaters rising, covering all high hills, and the strongest men climbing peaks only to be plunged into the water, leaving only the sound of waves against the ark.
• Sermon Illustration [01:21:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the biblical account of Noah in the ark to illustrate eternal security. He notes that while Noah may have stumbled or fallen inside the ark, he could not fall out because God shut the door. He contrasts this with the outside world where waves beat against the ship, but the believer remains secure within God's protection.

• Pastoral Charge [00:42:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > Take notes and identify three critical doctrines from the passage.
• Pastoral Charge [00:42:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > Take notes and identify three critical doctrines from the passage.
• Pastoral Charge [00:47:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Underline the phrase 'come into the ark' in their Bibles.
• Pastoral Charge [00:49:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > Underline the phrase 'come into the ark' in their Bibles.
• Pastoral Charge [01:17:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > Repent and come to Christ as Savior
• Pastoral Charge [01:23:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > To bow heads, close eyes, and come to Jesus if convicted by the Spirit of needing a savior.
• Pastoral Charge [01:25:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > To repent of sin and come to Jesus immediately, emphasizing the urgency before death.
• Pastoral Charge [01:26:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > A prayerful request for God to draw the lost to Himself.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:05:12] Our mission is to share God's love with our church members.
[00:05:20] Loving Hands is staffed by volunteer teams who provide visits to those isolated by their health challenges.
[00:05:27] Loving Hands is a ministry of Trinity Baptist Church.
[00:05:35] Our mission is to share God's love with our church members who are homebound or in residential care.
[00:05:40] Loving Hands is staffed by volunteer teams who provide visits to those isolated by their health challenges we share with them encouragement support and prayer please meet

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:50] some of the wonderful people we are privileged to serve loving hands is important to those of us who can no longer attend the church make us feel we are not forgotten you help us feel we're still
[00:06:03] part of the fellowship we loved and shared for so many years thank you church for the loving

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[00:06:10] hands ministry what a blessing it is to betty and i to be handicapped here at home but to be

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[00:06:19] in the appreciation of the church what a gift the loving hands ministry is just it's an incredible ministry and it has meant a lot you know the word of god tells us that we are supposed to
[00:06:32] not forsake the fellowship of one another the homebound has that opportunity to share in that scripture because they can't get out and come to church with like everybody else and it is just such a blessing it's an incredible act of kindness and love if you would like more information on how

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[00:06:49] you can get involved please pick up a loving hands brochure in the foyer thank you and god bless

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[00:06:55] a thousand reasons let's bless the lord here in this place this morning great to see you here in

[00:15:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:15:51] the house of the lord and we are so grateful that you've chosen to worship the lord with us today and we just praise his name uh 10 000 reasons and then some just to lift up our voices and praise
[00:16:04] and thanksgiving to honor and glorify the king of kings and lord of lords if you're visiting with us today we want to bid you a warm welcome in the name of the lord and on behalf of our trinity
[00:16:13] baptist family and in fact our deacons have some gift bags that they would love to put in the hands of those of you who may be our special guest today visiting with us and uh we want you to take this
[00:16:25] bag home there's some things in there that'll help remind you of your visit here with trinity today and there's a guest card in there that we want you to take a moment and fill it out
[00:16:33] placed in the offering plate when it comes by just a little bit later in the service so if you are visiting with us just lift your hand about like this as they make their way down the
[00:16:41] aisle and they'll slip this into your hand if you're joining us joining with us via live stream we want to welcome you into the sanctuary on this lord's day as we are just joining our hearts to
[00:16:53] worship him together, to sing praises unto him. And when we do, we invite you to sing along with us, to pray as we come before his throne. We invite you to pray along with us. And then when
[00:17:04] we study his word in a few moments, we hope that you will grab a copy of the Bible and will join with us as well today. So we are thankful for what God is doing here at 221 Urban Road in Mooresville.
[00:17:16] And we hope that you will take every opportunity to worship with us in person. But today we pray that you'll just participate in every aspect of it from wherever you may be joining us via live
[00:17:28] stream. Now, when you came in today, a few moments ago, you saw a video that talked about Loving Hands ministry. Many of you have heard of Loving Hands or know about it. Well, today, if you happen
[00:17:39] to read my article on Friday, as I shared with you, we are celebrating an anniversary, a five-year anniversary of loving hands ministry and i will not forget ever five years ago really when uh just
[00:17:53] before that when carol lee came and sat down in my office and began to talk about this vision for really beginning to grow and expand this ministry of reaching out to those that are homebound those
[00:18:06] that are not able to be with us in person and you know as a church we're coming up as those years pass having started in 2009 the church family as years pass you have more and more folks that
[00:18:18] reach those times in their lives that they aren't able to get here like they once were able to be here and so this ministry continues to touch those lives in so many ways uh every single month as
[00:18:31] they go and care for these people and you're going to be hearing more about them at the end of the service on your way out today they want to greet you and make you part of the celebration but i
[00:18:41] want to take a moment right now and i want to ask carol lee and her team if you would all just stand just stand wherever you are in the sanctuary today if you're a part of loving hands and you're going
[00:18:52] out and you're doing this work each and every month i want you to give these folks a hand today and listen like any good opportunity you want to find ways that you can get involved this is a
[00:19:11] phenomenal way for you to get engaged and uh in reaching out it doesn't take a lot of time but it is some of the most meaningful time that you will spend. And I hope that you'll consider learning
[00:19:24] more about this ministry, helping them celebrate their birthday, their anniversary, as we celebrate that today, and that you'll take an opportunity to be a part of that as well. Well, listen, we want to begin our service this morning, going to the Lord in prayer, asking him to speak to us. We're
[00:19:39] continuing our series through Genesis today. I thought it was awfully nice that the Lord ordered up a little rain as we're talking about the flood today uh that's a great background but uh we want
[00:19:50] you to join with me as we go to the lord this morning father thank you for just being who you are thank you for the way you work in our lives each and every day lord you remind us every day
[00:20:03] that we wake up that it's a gift from you another day to live another day to walk with you another day to fulfill your plans and your purposes you have for us father another day to draw closer to
[00:20:21] you than ever before and father as we've gathered here on this sunday this lord's day i pray that today as we have gathered here in your house that that you would speak to our hearts and that father
[00:20:34] we would hear your voice lord there's so many lessons to be learned as we study your word together there's so many truths that impact our lives and the decisions we make every day and father i just pray that this morning as we have gathered in here to sing to celebrate
[00:20:56] the resurrected christ that we also understand lord that we are here that we might be not only encouraged and inspired but lord we might be challenged and lord where our lives are not fulfilling the plans and purposes you have for us we might be rebuked and the lord that we might
[00:21:19] repent all of those things that happened in this hour happened because of your presence the work of your spirit the response of men and women across this sanctuary and those even listening in via live stream so father today we just invoke your presence and your power
[00:21:42] to be in our midst help us when we leave here in a little while to be able to say without a doubt that surely it was good to be in the presence of the lord this morning now you guide our minds and
[00:22:03] hearts to be so focused upon you in this hour and it's in jesus name i lift this prayer and all god's people said amen listen if you have children with you from preschool through third
[00:22:18] grade we want to invite them to be a part of children's church so you can go ahead and let them make their way here to the front to my right and your left miss terry is there to meet them
[00:22:28] so stand to your feet if you will all over the sanctuary shake a few hands hug a few necks make

[00:22:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:22:33] each other welcome here in the house of the lord as we've joined together to worship him morning

[00:29:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:29:32] church. It's so good to be in the house of the Lord this morning and to worship with you and to be able to do it with freedom where the walls vibrate when we sing and as the word is spoken
[00:29:46] we don't have to be afraid here but there are places right now in the recesses of this world they have to be afraid. They have to count the cost to take up their cross and folks
[00:30:03] one day we may be facing that too and but that's why we take up an offering every each and every Sunday morning to propagate the word of the Lord Jesus Christ that it goes around the world it
[00:30:17] stays here in Morrisville to to to minister here through this ministry and and if you're watching by live stream or television delayed and you wish to participate with us you can do so by going to
[00:30:34] trinitybaptist.com and find ways to participate. We wish you were here this morning so that we could love on you and that you could feel the Holy Spirit be unleashed in this place.
[00:30:48] And so let's go to the Lord in prayer and thank him for all the many blessings that we have.
[00:30:54] Gracious and mighty Heavenly Father, we're just so thankful for who you are and what you are and how you love us lord how lord oh father that you just made a way to save us from our sins that you
[00:31:07] cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness and lord that you find us acceptable in your sight because you love us you loved us first and heavenly father we just pray that you just continue to
[00:31:20] be in this place that you work a mighty work that you use our monies and our talents and our time lord that we can propagate the word of the lord jesus christ and father that others will come to
[00:31:36] know you as their lord and savior help us to not be afraid help us to take up our cross and follow you because lord we know that it costs to follow you lord there's no right there's no there's either
[00:31:51] follow jesus or let's follow satan and there's no middle ground and lord we just thank you for who you are and help us to have the courage to stand and to follow you in everything that we do
[00:32:03] and lord just be with our pastor this morning as he speak as he teaches about the the great flood and noah heavenly father just help us to listen with open hearts and minds and ears and lord that
[00:32:19] we go and that we share the word that we've heard proclaimed here with others that they may come to know you as their personal Lord and Savior. Father, just be with us continually in this
[00:32:30] service today. For these things we ask in your holy and precious name. Amen.

[00:32:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:32:36] Amen and amen. Thank you so much, choir, for blessing our hearts this morning. Turn in your

[00:36:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:36:04] Bibles, if you will, to the book of Genesis for just a few moments this morning. Genesis chapter seven is where we find ourselves today in our series uh through this great book of the bible
[00:36:17] the first book of the bible and the lord is speaking to our hearts we're going to be reading some selected verses through chapter seven to really just get us started this morning and i hope you'll have your bibles with you and uh if you don't have a bible take one from the
[00:36:33] pew rack in front of you uh certainly can go there and follow along with us as we see these important passage and verses today as we study this. Let's stand in honor of the reading of the
[00:36:47] Word of God, and I want you to pick up with me in verse 1 of chapter 7 of Genesis, and then again we'll work our way through this chapter this morning. It says in verse 1 of chapter 7,
[00:37:02] Then the Lord said to Noah, come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Drop down to verse 7 for a moment.
[00:37:19] So Noah with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives went into the ark because of the waters of the flood drop down to verse 11 in the 600th year of noah's life in the second month the 17th
[00:37:37] day of the month on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened and the rain was on the earth 40 days and 40 nights and then go to verse
[00:37:54] 15 and we'll read down through verse 19 it says and they went into the ark to noah two by two of all flesh in which is the breath of life so those that entered male and female all of all
[00:38:10] flesh went in as god had commanded him and the lord shut him in now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
[00:38:26] The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered would you pray with me please father in heaven we do just pause right now
[00:38:53] just to thank you for your word we understand and know that your word is truth and we just pray in these moments today as we study this portion of your word that you might just speak to our hearts
[00:39:08] lord we don't believe any of us have gathered here by accident but lord i believe that every individual under the sound of my voice is here in this hour by divine appointment there's something you want to say to us there's something we need to hear in this hour and so we just ask you just
[00:39:28] to move freely up and down the aisles in and out of the pews touching the hearts of men and women all over this auditorium and those that are listening from various places around the world
[00:39:39] even via live stream so lord i just ask you this morning to let your spirit do the work that only you can do and i just pray personally that you let the words of my mouth and the
[00:39:52] meditation of my heart lord let them be pleasing in your sight in jesus name i pray amen you may be seated you may remember last time we were here in genesis together we were in chapter six last
[00:40:08] week, and we saw the conditions that brought about the flood over all the earth. Now this morning we come to the seventh chapter of Genesis, and we find the account of the entrance of Noah actually
[00:40:24] into the ark and the coming of the flood that literally would cover the entire earth. Now this morning, I want you to understand there is an abundance of evidence in history and geology for the reality and the factuality behind the great flood. So I say that up front because if
[00:40:50] you understand any of that history or have studied any of it, you know that every civilization has a flood story that has been part of that, whether or not they exercise Judeo-Christian principles or even believe in the Bible. Civilizations have their flood story that goes all the way back
[00:41:13] through time. Evidence continues to pile up. In fact, Lewis was just telling me a few moments ago that he saw something even as recently as today, where Turkey is continuing using some kind of solar type of sonar work, I should say, that is trying to discover actually what may be
[00:41:33] the remains of the ark there in that part of Turkey. So I tell you all of that up front because I want you to know I'm not particularly interested this morning in proving to you that there was a
[00:41:47] flood because I just think that goes without saying this morning because it's all recorded here in the Scripture. However, what I want to do this morning is to walk through this passage, and I want to see with you the most important and perhaps critical spiritual lessons
[00:42:07] that are drawn from this story, from this account of the flood that covered the earth.
[00:42:17] and the reason that that is so important is because there are not only these spiritual truths but there are absolutely critical doctrines that are found right here in this chapter in fact if you're a note taker with me this morning i want you just to notice and when we walk out of here
[00:42:36] today i hope that you're going to be able to nail down three critical doctrines or three great doctrines of the Bible that are found in the account of Noah and the flood. And I want you
[00:42:52] to jot them down with me as we walk through this passage this morning, if you will. Number one, I want you to notice that first and foremost, you and I discover here in these verses in chapter
[00:43:04] seven, the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of salvation. There's no denying that scene right here in the Ark account. Salvation, as you may be aware, is the greatest doctrine perhaps in the whole Bible. Why do I say that? Because the whole Bible bottom line is how a man can escape hell
[00:43:28] and how a man can go to heaven. The key truth in all of the Bible is actually you're holding it in your hand and it tells you how you and I as sinners who deserve hell can be forgiven of our
[00:43:45] sin. How you and I can not only be forgiven of our sin, we can be saved by God's wonderful grace and you and I can go to heaven when we die. Listen to me carefully. The world needs to
[00:44:02] understand something today that I'm afraid they've forgotten. When you die, you don't die as a rich man or a poor man. In fact, when you die, you don't die as an educated individual or an uneducated individual. In fact, when you die, you don't die as a cultured person
[00:44:27] or an uncultured person. When you die, you die either saved or lost, period.
[00:44:42] None of that other matters. And so the doctrine of salvation is critical to every person under the sound of my voice this morning. And as you move through this chapter, there's several references that are made to the ark. In fact, I want you to notice that the first five times
[00:45:03] the ark is mentioned, it's mentioned with this phrase, into the ark. Into the ark. Into the ark. And you need to understand that this is the Old Testament equivalent to when you find in the New Testament the words, in Christ. Every time you see that phrase in the ark or into the
[00:45:36] ark, it is the Old Testament equivalent of the phrase in Christ. So what is meant for them in chapter 7 to be in the ark is the very same thing it means for you and for me when the Bible speaks
[00:45:54] of us being in Christ. To be saved for them in the midst of the flood meant one thing.
[00:46:04] They had to be in the ark. To be saved for you and me from the judgment that is coming to fall upon the earth because of sin, you and I must be in Christ Jesus. Now, if you've studied the Bible
[00:46:24] for any length of time in your life, or even if you're just starting to study the Bible, you'll quickly understand that salvation is covered from two different points of view.
[00:46:39] Some places throughout the Bible, it always seems to be the emphasis on what God has done or what God is doing. In other places, when you read about salvation, you find an emphasis on man's part in salvation. You say, what do you mean, preacher? Well, the fact is that both of
[00:47:04] these perspectives show up in Genesis chapter 7 around the ark. I want you to notice with me real quickly when we think about this doctrine of salvation, that the first verse shows us God's invitation. God's invitation. Write that down. Notice it says in verse one, then the Lord said
[00:47:26] to Noah, come into the ark, you and all your household. I want you to underline that. I want you to see God's invitation. The Bible teaches that God initiated the whole plan of salvation.
[00:47:49] That's the reason the psalmist declared salvation belongs to the Lord. It's the reason that Jonah would actually declare salvation is of the Lord. You see, in the Bible, it teaches that salvation was conceived in the very heart and in the mind of God from all eternity. And the ark, listen,
[00:48:13] the ark was conceived in the mind of God before it was ever revealed to Noah himself. I mean, listen, the ark was God's plan. The ark was God's provision. The ark was God's method of making it
[00:48:31] possible for Noah and for his family to be delivered. So please make sure you understand today from the get-go. If you're saved this morning, you are saved because God devised a great plan of salvation. I like the way somebody put it. Listen to this. God thought it. Jesus
[00:48:56] brought it. Holy Spirit brought it, or wrought it. The devil fought it. Sinners caught it. Praise God, I got it. That's a pretty good way to list it, isn't it? I mean, really and truly, at the
[00:49:10] invitation of God, right here is where I want you to focus in verse 1. The invitation is given to Noah, please underline that phrase, come into the ark. By the way, that's the very first invitation
[00:49:30] in the Bible. I think it's pretty significant. You know why? Because the first invitation in the Bible is the same as the last invitation in the Bible. Come, come. God says, come. That's the great word of the gospel invitation. That's one of the sweetest words
[00:50:00] in the entire Bible. It's one of the most meaningful words in the whole Bible. Over 600 times in your Bible, God says, come. Jesus invites us to come when he says, come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden and i'll give you rest scripture says whosoever will
[00:50:32] let him come the bible says the spirit and the bride say come what an incredible awesome invitation god says to noah come into the ark and you know what nobody else could go for noah
[00:50:57] Noah had to go himself. You see, God's invitation here to you this morning is an individual invitation. Now, you may be sitting there and you're thinking, well, preacher, my daddy was saved. Well, that's wonderful. You say my mama was saved. That's glorious. My brothers and sisters
[00:51:22] are saved. That's great. But God's invitation to you this morning is to you and you alone as an individual. He says, you come into my ark. So we quickly discover the invitation is of the
[00:51:49] lord god's invitation but the other perspective with which salvation is presented here is man responding to what god has offered you see you got to also notice noah went in the ark Look at verse 7. So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his son's wives, went into the ark.
[00:52:32] Noah went in. Noah responded. Noah obeyed the Lord. Any way you want to put it, help yourself.
[00:52:44] but the fact is noah went in it's extremely clear to me as i read this that that god didn't force noah to come in noah had a will in the matter friend noah had a decision to make noah had a
[00:53:06] choice and i want every one of us to realize sir ma'am the very same is true for you and me this morning. And I noticed that the older you get, the more able you are to exercise your choice.
[00:53:22] Now, there's some children that are sitting in here this morning. There's some young people that are in here this morning. And if they're listening to me as children and even teenagers, you're not always able to exercise your will. You don't have the full power. You say,
[00:53:38] what do you mean? I mean, some of you were brought to church this morning, whether you willed to be here or not you didn't have a choice and really when you're younger it's best not to have the power to choose everything you would choose amen and yet as
[00:53:59] you go along the way we all know that you get more and more control over your power to choose ladies and gentlemen god has given you that power of will you're here to worship this morning
[00:54:17] because you willed to come this morning you chose to come to church this morning and friend i'm here to tell you god absolutely wants you to be saved in fact please understand God has bankrupted heaven and brought the most precious jewel of heaven itself into the world
[00:54:42] to die on an old rugged cross to be your savior God's done everything a deity could do to make it possible for you to be saved but you still got to respond just think for a minute Noah
[00:55:06] Noah had to walk into the ark. And there's something you have to do to be saved.
[00:55:18] You know what it is? You've got to repent of your sin. You must repent of your sin.
[00:55:29] Don't you see when Noah walked into that ark, you see what he was doing? He was turning his back on this world. When Noah walked into that ark, he was turning his back on that wicked,
[00:55:46] sinful world jesus himself said unless you repent you will likewise perish jesus words not mine there is no salvation unless you repent of your sin and if anybody's ever tried to share with you a plan of salvation or anybody's ever tried to talk to you about how to be saved and they
[00:56:17] presented it to you and yet they haven't mentioned the importance or critical nature of repenting of your sin, do not listen to them because that's a false gospel. You can't be saved unless you repent. There is no salvation apart from turning from your sin. When the prodigal son made up his
[00:56:45] mind. He was going to his father's house. I noticed, I hope you did, he didn't pick up a couple buckets of slop from the pig pen to take it home. Now, did he? No. What did he say in that
[00:57:01] pig pen? He said, I will arise and go. He turned his back on that slop. He turned his back on that felt. He turned his back on that wickedness and he headed toward his father's house. Noah's response

[00:57:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:57:24] was a response of repentance, but also faith. You've got to trust by faith. You've got to

[00:57:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:57:41] receive Jesus as your Savior by faith. Now, don't miss this. Noah built the ark by faith. Amen?
[00:57:53] And now it's by faith that Noah is walking into the ark and accepting that ark as his safety from the coming storm that was brewing around him. I mean, if you can't see, how many of you
[00:58:09] see this as an incredible act of faith? Raise your hand. All of it was an act of faith. It had never rained before. And God says, build an ark. It took faith to build the ark and it now takes faith to
[00:58:27] walk into that ark and that ark being your place of safety. He was basing his entire future on the safety and the security and the sufficiency of that ark. Faith is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
[00:58:49] I've had people say to me, well, you know, preacher, I really would love to be saved, but I don't think I have enough faith. Well, I got some good news for you this morning.
[00:59:02] Did you know the Bible says that God has given every human a measure of faith?
[00:59:14] That's what the Bible says.
[00:59:16] And that tells me that if you're sitting here at Trinity Baptist Church this morning and what you're hearing is helping you realize that you're lost, the great news is god's placed enough faith in you to be saved this morning if you'll trust him
[00:59:41] some have said that if you really think about what faith is take it and put it in as an acrostic f a i t h and each one of those letters stands for this forsaking all i trust him
[01:00:02] forsaking all i trust him that's what you have to do to be saved and that's why god said to noah it's time to get in the ark it's time to surrender to my will in obedience i i have to think what a
[01:00:28] beautiful sight that must have been as noah got his wife and he got his boys and he got his boys wives ready and they made their way onto the ark i mean listen for a hundred listen 120 years now
[01:00:44] he's been building that ark he's been preaching faithfully he's been telling folks hoping that some of them would get saved in order to come with him and and all that time that his wife and
[01:00:57] and his son's wives they've been putting up preserves they've been getting all the food ready all of the supplies for the time that they're going to be in the ark. And now all the preparation
[01:01:07] is complete. In fact, Noah and his wife have carefully selected the wives for Noah's three sons. And now the time has come. Everything is stored up. And here comes Noah. Here comes his wife. Here comes those three boys and their wives. And they all go up that gangplank and they move
[01:01:33] into the ark. And just overhead, can you picture it? The clouds are getting dark. A rumbling of thunder can be heard in the distance. And then the most amazing thing took place. By God-given instinct animals started moving to that ark what what a beautiful sight to look down that gang
[01:02:16] plank and here come mr and mrs bear to look down that gang plank and there's mr and mrs snail you look down the gang plank and there's mr and mrs giraffe and he says now bid your head honey
[01:02:33] you wouldn't want to hurt that hit that head and hurt that pretty thing mr mrs kangaroo boing boing boing making their way up the gangplank my point is what an awesome sight that must have been when under god-given instinct these animals are making their way to the ark
[01:02:58] but i tell you an even more beautiful sight than that is i've had the privilege for more than 38 years of preaching the good news of jesus christ knowing that the clouds of judgment are gathering
[01:03:17] in this generation over this wicked world and what an awesome sight it's been for me to see men and women and boys and girls coming to faith in christ and getting in the ark the doctrine of salvation is right there the doctrine of salvation but the second doctrine
[01:03:45] that you got to see here can't miss it is the doctrine of judgment the doctrine of judgment this is the most severe and unpleasant doctrine of the bible but it's the doctrine of judgment you see noah's ark and this flood vividly portray the judgment of god's hand you and i all know
[01:04:21] that our god is a god of love that's a basic affirmation of god but the bible also teaches that this same god the god of love is a god of wrath the bible says the righteousness of god
[01:04:38] is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men in fact look over if you will over there in romans romans chapter 1 and verse 17 i think it is or 18 verse 18 of romans chapter 1 it says it clearly for the wrath of god is revealed from heaven
[01:05:02] against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
[01:05:12] So the flood, ladies and gentlemen, which poured out upon Noah's world and destroyed the sinners of Noah's world is an incredible illustration of the judgment of a holy God upon sin.
[01:05:30] and when you go back to genesis chapter six i'm seven i'm sorry and look down at verse 11 notice the details notice the details of this judgment in verse 11 of chapter 7 of genesis
[01:05:45] it says in the 600th year of noah's life the details in the second month the 17th day of the month, on that day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows
[01:06:04] of heaven were opened. You know what that means? That means the subterranean oceans literally exploded and it caused a great tidal wave. And the Bible says that the windows of heaven were open literally the floodgates of heaven opened up and sheets and floods of rain
[01:06:29] came forth you say what an abnormal judgment it sure was because as i said a moment ago it had never rained it had never rained what an abnormal judgment and did you know that the bible
[01:06:58] says God is going to judge this world again one of these days and it won't be by water this time but according to 2nd Peter chapter 3 if you want to look at it with me 2nd Peter over in the New
[01:07:14] Testament chapter 3 and verse 10 it tells about the day of judgment that is yet to come we're looking in the past at the flood, but 2 Peter 3 verse 10 says, but the day of the Lord will come
[01:07:30] as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
[01:07:50] it won't be by water this time. The fire of God will be poured out upon a wicked and ungodly world. You see the details of this judgment. Look then at the duration of this judgment,
[01:08:18] because that's in verse 12, by the way. You said the duration? Yeah. What does it say in verse 12?
[01:08:24] and the rain was on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. So the water just kept coming for 40 days and 40 nights upon the earth. By the way, 40, four zero, is a Bible number
[01:08:42] for trials and testing by God. That's a biblical number. But then I want you to notice the day of this judgment and if you go back and look again in verse 11 there's something really interesting
[01:08:58] in the very first sentence of that 11th verse it says in the 600th year of noah's life in the second month the 17th day of the month now why is that important well for 120 years noah's been
[01:09:17] preaching. For 120 years, Noah's been saying there is going to be a flood. Well, we know from biblical history that Noah had a grandfather. His grandfather, you may have heard of. He was named Methuselah. Methuselah, the name literally means when he is gone, it will come. That's what
[01:09:42] the name Methuselah means. When he is gone, it will come. So after 120 years of Noah building that ark and preaching and trying to get people saved, word came one day, Noah, you better come
[01:09:59] quickly. Granddaddy Methuselah is sick. So Noah and his sons and his little family all go over to granddaddy Methuselah's, and he's on his deathbed. Methuselah is 969 years old. God's mercy has been waiting and giving humanity more and more time and opportunity to get right.
[01:10:33] Now, Methuselah is ticking down to the last seconds of his life. The family's all gathered around him. I can almost imagine Methuselah singing, I'm going home. I'm going home. I'm

[01:10:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[01:10:53] going home to die no more. Granddaddy, granddaddy, can you say one more word to us?

[01:11:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:11:08] The only sound is of his last breath. The doctor says, he's gone. Noah looks at his wife and says it's time noah looks at his boys and he says it's time and that's when they go out
[01:11:35] and they get into the ark and the door of the ark is shut on that day the 17th of the month the door is shut can only imagine that night on the evening news when cnn reported there's been
[01:12:08] a new twist in the madness of Noah. For many years, you know, we've been following this story about Noah building this tremendous boat in his backyard. Many have scoffed and have come to refer to him as old, crazy Noah. But something's happened tonight. Something that sociologists
[01:12:32] cannot explain. Just a few hours ago, Noah and his wife, along with his three sons and their wives, eight of them now have gone into the ark and the door has been shut and there is no communication
[01:12:49] from noah noah no one can hear anything from the inside and no message can be gotten to the inside and so yes in an in an unusual twist just shortly before noah and his family made their way into the
[01:13:07] ark, we had reports that animals began to come out of the woods from everywhere. And they too have entered this massive boat. Now, folks, we're aware that Noah has been for 120 years saying that God was going to send a flood. And while we know that that is scientifically
[01:13:30] impossible, in fact, you've heard our experts right here on CNN on this very broadcast that have said, that just cannot happen. But Noah, he has shut himself in the boat. We'll keep you updated as developments warrant. Back to you, Wolf. The fellow goes over, he turns off the TV.
[01:14:08] He says to his wife, you know, there've been times that I went over and heard old Noah preach.
[01:14:17] And I got to be honest, my heart would just tremble. You think there may be anything to it?
[01:14:26] And his wife said, oh, honey, he's just one of those crazy religious fanatics.
[01:14:37] Forget about it.
[01:14:41] And the fellow says, I guess you're probably right.
[01:14:46] Now, the Bible doesn't give us a whole lot of detail of how it happened.
[01:14:57] But I imagine that when the door of that ark was shut, the moment it was shut from glory, there was dispatched a little drop of water what was that i don't know it seemed to come from the
[01:15:22] sky and the water began to come drop after drop after drop then sheet after sheet after sheet it burst forth from the earth and the levels of water began to rise higher and higher and higher
[01:15:48] and all of humanity began to try to run for high places look at verse 19 it it it describes it for you says in verse 19 of chapter 7 and the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth and all the
[01:16:08] high hills under the whole heaven were covered can you picture it the strongest and fiercest of men climb to the highest peaks of which they're capable and they cry and they beg they make their oath with such intensity that all the animals are still and then in a few moments
[01:16:41] the relentless flood gets higher and higher and higher until it reaches the highest peak and the strongest and the bravest of men are plunged into the water and not a sound

[01:17:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[01:17:07] is heard except the lapping of the waves of the water against an old ark as it sits there

[01:17:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:17:27] God says, there's coming judgment one of these days.
[01:17:36] And sir, ma'am, please hear me.
[01:17:39] He's given you every opportunity to repent and to come to Him as Savior.
[01:17:48] But one of these days, just like we see with Noah, one of these days, God will say, enough!
[01:17:59] And He will shut the door.
[01:18:02] I mean, I can only imagine how the people in Noah's neighborhood must have run to Noah's ark and beat on the door and cried, Noah, let us in!

[01:18:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[01:18:13] Let us!
[01:18:19] But it was too late.
[01:18:20] It was too late.
[01:18:26] Judgment had come.
[01:18:31] It had come.
[01:18:34] It was too late.
[01:18:43] The doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of judgment,

[01:18:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:18:49] and the last thing you've got to see as I close is the doctrine of security.
[01:18:52] because did you notice something very important in verse 17 the very waters that flooded the world were the same waters that lifted up the ark look at verse 17 now the flood was on the earth
[01:19:17] 40 days the waters increased and lifted up the ark and it rose high above the earth can i just tell you that was the same terminology that jesus used in john chapter 12 when he
[01:19:37] declared if i be lifted up i will draw all men unto myself the same waters of judgment that destroyed sinners upon the earth were the very waters that battered up against that old ark.
[01:19:57] And they remind us that Jesus as our ark took your judgment for sin.
[01:20:08] Jesus as our ark endured the wrath for you.
[01:20:15] And in the midst of all of this judgment, there was noah just as secure as he could be why verse 16 go back so when those that entered male and female of all flesh went in as god commanded him underline this last part of verse 16
[01:20:43] and the lord shut him in glory isn't that cool noah couldn't have gotten out if he wanted to someone says to me preacher can i lose my salvation you know what i'm going to tell you
[01:21:02] i'm going to tell you you can lose your salvation when the power of god is no longer the power of god anymore that's the only time you're going to lose your salvation noah may have fallen a number
[01:21:15] of times in that ark, but praise God, he couldn't fall out of the ark. Why? Because God had shut him in. God shut him in. That is so important. Listen, you and I could all probably give testimony this
[01:21:34] morning. There've been many times we failed the Lord. There've been plenty of times that you've stumbled and I've stumbled. Plenty of times that you've fallen, I've fallen. Plenty of times that the waves and the waters have beaten up against the ship but listen they have caused me to lose
[01:21:53] my balance plenty of times but every time i fall it's in the ark not out of the ark because god shut me in aren't you glad it's that way this morning it's not you and what you do that keeps
[01:22:19] you saved it's what god does because he shut him in and by the way with the same door that shut them in was the same door to those who had rejected him were shut out same door i'm going
[01:22:56] to say it one more time one of these days the door will be shut in july of 2026 that door is open you can be saved this morning if you want to be saved if you repent of your sin if you'll place
[01:23:20] your faith in jesus and jesus alone you surrender to him as lord of your life you have every opportunity right now but one millisecond after you die it will be too late one millisecond after jesus appears it will be too late you need to come this morning while you can
[01:23:54] if you're lost. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. Would you bow your heads right where you are,
[01:24:19] please? Heads are bowed and eyes are closed all over the sanctuary. Listen to me very carefully.
[01:24:25] the invitation is quite simple if in your heart of hearts right now god's spirit is convicting you that you need a savior that you've never really and truly obeyed christ and surrendered your life to him if he's making that clear to you right now then friend i'm asking you today to come to jesus
[01:25:02] i'm giving you the invitation that christ has given over and over and over again come into the ark come come come to jesus come to jesus this morning would you you don't have anything to lose
[01:25:37] but your sin you have nothing to lose but dying apart from god you have nothing to lose except in eternity in hell why would you not repent of your sin and come to jesus right now
[01:26:06] it's so clear in the bible father you know every heart under the sound of my voice you know their life you know where they stand spiritually in this very moment god it is my prayer that you would bring any man, any woman who is lost, that you would bring them to yourself
[01:26:46] this morning. Thank you. Thank you for the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, may you draw the net as only you can. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Would you stand to your feet
[01:27:08] as Brother Grant comes to lead us in our hymn of invitation. This altar is open and I invite you to

[01:27:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[01:27:16] come would you be seated just one moment please it's my pleasure to introduce to you today this

[01:31:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:31:51] is robin guyer that is standing here beside me and robin has been visiting our church here for the last six or seven months and she came today to say that she believes this is where god is
[01:32:03] leading her to be a part of of this fellowship she's already been saved and baptized she's actually coming by letter from the victory grove baptist church over in lincoln county uh saying this she believes that trinity is where god is leading her to be a part of this uh this
[01:32:19] church home so what's your pleasure in affirming ryan guyer uh robin i'm sorry robin guyer as she comes this morning motion made second all in favor lift your hands there's your friends robin god bless you dear we are thankful to welcome you today and look forward to uh serving the lord with
[01:32:37] you i think you've already gotten into choir haven't you thought i saw you up there this morning to you on their way out this morning let's all stand to your feet if you will and
[01:32:45] let me encourage you as many of you receive the newsletter this week um or not newsletter you do get the newsletter but you got a email that came out i think on friday that was sharing about um
[01:32:58] a special prayer walk event that's going on this evening at six o'clock and we want to invite our church family to participate in that if you will it's going to be they're going to actually meet
[01:33:09] at the corner of Morrison Plantation and Brawley School Road.
[01:33:13] There's a parking area there, and that's where we will meet originally.
[01:33:17] And then we will be prayer walking, particularly concerning the mosque that is planned for to be built here in Mooresville.
[01:33:26] There's been a lot of concern that's been expressed, and a lot of people have been engaged in trying to work with the planning board here in Mooresville on a number of different levels.
[01:33:36] so we want you to be here if you can to be a part of that tonight if that's something that you have been praying about join with other believers one thing about prayer walking that's so important
[01:33:46] it's not for us to walk around and tell god what we want him to do prayer walking is when we are supposed to be praying and asking god to give us his eyes so that we'll be able to see things
[01:33:58] through spiritual lives that we could not see any other way and that's why it's going to be an important opportunity, an important time for all of us together this evening. I'm so thankful for Jan Wright and the work that she's done. Jan, raise your hand. If you've got questions about
[01:34:13] it, see Jan. Stand up, Jan. Oh, I'm sorry. You are standing up. Yeah, there she is. So if you see Jan, and she can tell you more details about it tonight of what's happening, but it is an
[01:34:26] important thing that we need to be engaged with and certainly praying for in these days. It's So 6 o'clock is when that is going to get underway this evening.
[01:34:35] So Brother Roberts away on vacation, Brother Trevor stepping in today.
[01:34:39] You're going to close us out, and then Brother Grant will lead us out of here in song.

[01:34:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:34:43] Thank you, Pastor Mark, for bringing God's Word to us today.
[01:34:46] And thank you guys for battling the rain and coming to church this morning.
[01:34:50] There's many in our congregation that can't make it on a Sunday morning, and so that's what we celebrate the Loving Hands ministry for today.
[01:34:57] We're going to be celebrating afterwards.
[01:34:59] So if you want to get involved, they can answer questions about that.
[01:35:02] We're also going to have a ministry fair here in a couple weeks for other ways to get involved.
[01:35:06] And we've got Serve and See coming up.
[01:35:07] So a lot of ways that we can serve our community.
[01:35:10] And, of course, praying tonight as a group.
[01:35:14] Tonight for our benediction, or today for our benediction, we will be reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
[01:35:20] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
[01:35:24] The old has passed away.
[01:35:26] Behold, the new has come.
[01:35:28] Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
[01:35:29] Lord, thank you for showing your grace and mercy on sinners like us.
[01:35:34] Lord, thank you that you've brought salvation to us, that we know that if we are in Christ, that we are a new creation, that we have been sealed by your Holy Spirit.
[01:35:45] Lord, I pray that we would go out with boldness and share Christ with those around us.
[01:35:49] We pray and ask these things in your name.
[01:35:51] Amen.