"AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN"

GENESIS 7:1

A. THE BIBLE STORY OF THE FLOOD EMBODIES A NUMBER OF GOSPEL TRUTHS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS
  1. Our text expresses one of these thought provoking truths, "And the Lord shut him in":
    1. The time of God's waiting and long-suffering had finally run out - 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Pet. 3:20
    2. That shows that there is a limit even to the forbearance of a merciful and compassionate God - Ex. 34:6, 7
    3. Said the Lord, "My Spirit shall not always strive with men." Gen. 6:3
  2. That the forbearance of God has its limits is easily seen:
    1. In the experience of Sodom and Gomorrah - Gen. 19:23
    2. That was true of ancient Israel - Matt. 21:43
B. THE MESSAGE OF OUR TEXT AS IT APPLIES TO OUR DAY
  1. When God shut the door of the ark:
    1. He shut Noah and his family in. That gave Noah and his family full security against the waters of the flood.
    2. But He who shut Noah in, shut the sinners, in the days of Noah, out; that meant eternal doom for all outside the ark - Matt. 24:37-39
  2. "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" - Matt. 24:37
    1. Soon, very soon, the long-suffering God will shut the door of mercy.
    2. The words in Rev. 22:10, 11 will be fulfilled, "the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still."
    3. It means that, as it was in the days of Noah, they that were ready entered the ark; but they that were not ready were shut out; they were subjects of destruction by the waters of the flood.
    4. The door of mercy will close, and that means that probation will have ended forever for all who have not entered the ark of salvation - Matt. 25:1-12; Luke 13:25-29; Amos 8:11-14
  3. The story of the flood shows further that God is not a respecter of person:
    1. He gave the sinners in the days of Noah one hundred and twenty years to make up their mind - Gen. 6:3
    2. The message of righteousness by faith, preached by Noah, left them without excuse - Luke 17:26, 27
    3. We have already learned that Christ makes the experience of the antediluvians an object lesson for the people that live just prior to his second coming.
    4. The door of mercy, now wide open, will close some day and thus all who reject salvation through Christ will be without excuse.
C. PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LESSON IS FOUND IN THESE FACTS
  1. God honored the faith of Noah:
    1. Noah believed God.
    2. He proved it when he built the ark for salvation of his family - Heb. 11:7
    3. Those who perished in the flood made no provision for the safety of their own selves, nor for their families.
  2. A most solemn question to all of us:
    1. When the door of mercy closes forever, will it shut us in or will it shut us out?
    2. Learn a lesson from the study of Matt. 7:13, 14
    3. Think of the wedding feast and the ten virgins - Matt. 25:1-12
    4. Or attempt to understand the words of our Lord as recorded in Luke 13:22-29
  3. The answer to our question is very simple:
    1. They that were ready went in before the door was closed.
    2. They who were not ready came too late, and were left in outer darkness.
    3. Our Saviour, knowing the end from the beginning, warns us in these words, "be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" - Matt. 24:44
    4. How many of us do want to make sure that when the door of mercy is shut, that we are in and not out!


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