East Baptist Church – Denison, TX

Father’s Day A Look At the Second Father Of All Of Us

Hebrews 11:7

The Old Testament story of Noah is in Gen 6-8. The earth was so wicked that God decided that there remained nothing to do but destroy it. He told Noah His purpose of judgment and instructed him to build an ark in which he and his family and the representatives of the animal creation might be saved. With reverence and obedience Noah took God at His word and so in the destruction of the world he was preserved.

One of the saddest verses in the O.T for me is Genesis 6:6-7 (NASB77) ⁶And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷And the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

It seems to me that up until just a few years ago, at the top of the list of being any kind of father and husband at all was to protect and provide for the family. With the war on men in the last few years, we find that young men have had the lines of manhood almost erased. (The Bible makes it plain that the very essence of being a husband and father is to provide and protect the family) Ephesians 5:23 (NASB77) ²³For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

The very first thing is dad you need to be in a place and space you are able to receive a message from God. If your lifestyle is such that you can’t or refuse to hear God’s message to you, you can’t live Him. 

Second the message from God has to be believed: The act of faith was huge.  Noah had never witnessed any type of rain, nor did he live near any big body of water. The faith that had flourished even though he had no clue as to the magnitude of God’s request, he fully believed.

Third we see that Noah did not refuse to act on the message to build an ark. The action here is based on the authority of God in this father’s life to not put off or procrastinate. 

Note: I like the wording in the KJV. Hebrews 11:7 (KJV) ⁷By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. So many people in this world do not fear, not doing God’s will. A great father is very afraid to not please God as the head of the home. The Book of wisdom ends with these words:  Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV) ¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

The fourth thing we see, men, is that Noah put God first over family, friends, job, and personal pleasure. For God allowed the gifts of this father to build the very ark that was their salvation. When God is first in the heart and life of a father his family will see it and stand a much better chance of stepping in the ark of Our Lord’s gift of salvation. 

The fifth thing we glean for Noah is that it does not matter what the world thinks or how they react to a strong godly father’s faith, he stays faithful to His Lord. Matthew 24:37-39 (NASB77) ³⁷“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Let us not forget Noah’s bride, behind every great man is a greater woman. We do not know much about this mother of all of us. We have her DNA in every one of us. The fact she got on that ship with her family speaks volumes about this wife and mother. Do not forget that after they all got in the ship it did not rain a drop for seven days.