Monday: Noah’s Evangelism
Daily Lesson for Monday 2nd of June 2025
Peter reminds us that many will be unprepared for Christ’s return because they “willfully forget” (2 Peter 3:5, NKJV) what happened at the Flood. Today, even though the world has a collective memory of a great deluge (an astonishing number of global cultures tell the story of a devastating flood, from the ancient Greeks to the Mayans), the story of Noah is today perhaps one of the most ridiculed of the Bible’s accounts. As predicted, the world is willfully setting the story aside as a myth, no matter how clearly and explicitly it is depicted in the Old Testament and referred to numerous times in the New Testament.
Jesus said that the world situation would resemble “the days of Noah” in Matthew 24:37-39. Compare this passage with Genesis 6:1-8. What were the moral conditions that led to the Flood? What parallels exist between the two times?
Image © Review and Herald Publishing Assn. Goodsalt.com
There is another important lesson for God’s last-day remnant people that emerges from careful study. Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah “prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (NKJV).
Imagine preaching for more than a century with nothing to show for it but your own family in the ark. If Noah had been a modern evangelist, we might be tempted to write him off as a failure: decades of preaching and what would appear to be no results.
Fortunately, at the moment, many parts of the world are very responsive to the three angels’ messages. Evangelistic outreach—the preaching of our unique remnant message—is proving incredibly effective in many places, and many are coming to know the Lord. We have not yet reached the point where there are no results, although we have been told the moment is coming when “probation will close, and the door of mercy will be shut. Thus in the one short sentence, ‘They that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut,’ we are carried down through the Saviour’s final ministration, to the time when the great work for man’s salvation shall be completed.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 428.
Until then, we have a work to do as a church.
|
How can we learn not to get discouraged if our personal evangelistic efforts don’t seem to be bearing much fruit for the moment? Why must we continue our efforts? (See John 4:37.) |
(14)
There is a salient message for us in the story of Noah. Despite the scoffing and the time involved, he persisted in building the Ark - a safe place for all. We sometimes overlook that and concentrate on the comparison of moral decay between then and now, but the big take-away lesson is that, like Noah, we should be concentrating on building a safe place.
In many respects our church should be a safe place in the storm of moral and spiritual indifference we are currently weathering. We spend a lot of time and money building church infrastructure, but how do we go about building a church that is an ark of safety? Where do we start?
Amen Maurice...also pray for me guys, am sick
May the Lord heal you.
If Noah were preaching today, He would be saying, get ready for Jesus second coming. He would also be saying: "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Revelation 14:6-12. He would explain what the 3 Angels Message Means. I can almost hear him say, be ready for Jesus to come. He will come as will come as a thief in the night, so always be ready. Which is living for Jesus from day to day, treating, preaching, teaching, and fellowshipping as Christ set the example some 2000 years ago.
What went tragically wrong with eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage the two blessings which were originally given at creation had become symbols of human evil and corruption during Noah’s time? Did God not create food and ordained marriage at creation? What really happened? The New Living Translation (NLT) Bible version might give us a cruel.
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:37-39, NLT).
The danger was overindulgence. Too much banqueting, parting, marrying for the sake of marrying and arranging fake marriages. Overindulgence focuses on self to the point of ignoring God. Our current generation has overindulged itself in materialism to point we worship things rather than God.
The story of Noah reminds us that faithfulness is not measured by numbers, but by obedience to God’s call. Noah preached for over a century with no visible results beyond his family, yet he fulfilled his mission and was counted righteous. In the same way, our efforts today—however small they may seem—are not in vain. As Jesus said in John 4:37, “One sows and another reaps.” Our role is to sow faithfully; the harvest belongs to God. In a world like Noah's—morally corrupt and dismissive of truth—we must not be discouraged. We press on, not because success is guaranteed in our eyes, but because faithfulness is our calling.
Amen, and amen.
In mental health therapy, this is wise counsel that is effective in motivating clients and diminishing anxiety - in many different ways, e.g., action steps toward meeting goals, for substance use clients in becoming clean or sober, to help clients push through fear of failure, to name a few. It becomes overwhelming when we focus on outcomes. It helps, instead, to do whatever small step we've been called to do today. For example, it's overwhelming to focus on being sober for 10 years, but more tolerable (and manageable) to focus on abstaining from going to the liquor store in this moment. It's often described as doing "the next right thing." It simplifies the focus, and it's less to carry.
As Christians, it's deeper. It's the truth that we do nothing of our own. We have no wisdom or intellect on our own. We breathe the breath God breathed into Adam. We can't make our hearts beat one time. We are sustained - we live by Him. We are vessels. We do not craft or order paths in life. We are in no way responsible for outcomes (as God would have them, according to His will, and His glory). Our role is to do the next right thing - whatever God has called us to do in this moment. For, the truth is, He carries it all, and us all.
Noah's faith and obedience is a shining example for all believers. The story is one outstanding ones of how unwavering faith and steadfast obedience to God's commands, in the face of ridicule, doubt, and immense challenge can enhance spiritual growth. The Bible tells us that “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22, NIV). This wasn't a half-hearted attempt at obedience or a selective obdience to God's instructions. It was complete, total, and without reservation.
In a world that had turned its back on God, Noah stood was a beacon of faith and obedience. He lived in a society that was morally corrupt and spiritually bankrupt. Yet, in the midst of this spiritual desert, Noah was an oasis of faith. He didn't allow the disbelief and wickedness around him to sway his commitment to God. Instead, he held firm, listened to God's instructions, and obeyed them to the letter.
As Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) declares: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”
And 2 Peter 2:5 (NIV) reminds us that God “did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness.
I really like the phrase "willfully forget" from 2 Peter 3:5 - another translates it as "willingly ignorant". My biggest problem is that I tend to believe that this only applies to others and not me. The skill that I/we have learned well, is the skill of rationalisation and justification of my/our actions or neglect.
One of the main points from Matthew 24:37-39 seems to suggest that life to some extent at least, continues as “normal” - indicated by people “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”.
This may be a warning to those who understand or highlight the importance of "apocalyptic interpretation" or prophecy. There may be a complacency associated with expecting certain events to take place prophetically or focusing too much on the expectation of certain events. What happens if the interpretation isn’t exactly as expected and life goes on “normally” (to whatever extent that looks like)? Is it possible that the waiting church is caught off guard? There are certainly several places that suggest as much.
"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."
Matthew 24:38 39 (NKJV)
It is reported that as the Titanic began to sink, the musicians led by Wallace Hartley continued to play.
At first, I was struck by the parallel to Christ’s words about the people in Noah’s time eating, drinking, marrying, and going about life oblivious to the coming judgment. But upon deeper reflection, I saw something more.
The musicians continued to play to bring calm and comfort to the passengers during those terrifying final hours. Among the pieces they played was the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee.” Those musicians knowing their fate still chose to serve. They used their gift to comfort others.
In many ways this is a powerful illustration of the Church’s calling in these last days. You and I are called to be like those musicians faithfully offering hope, comfort, and the message of salvation to a world unaware that it is sinking.
May we be found faithful not panicking not indifferent but ministering with courage and compassion right to the very end.
Noah is an example of steadfast faithfulness to God. In spite of the apathy toward his preaching Noah continued.
He understood that reaping belongs to God, we are called to sow the seeds of faith in the people around us -the harvesting is God's business!!
Wow, the comment section is amazing just as the lesson! Reading the various contributions in the comment section make it a lot easier to understand the lesson from a lot angles one wouldnt even think of.
thank you all for sharing
Denying oneself is not a popular message. Following in the footsteps of Someone Who lived 2.000 years ago seems out of sense. The world is modern and faster; there is no time to waste on the death of a God. The Bible is a legend, and its content is a fraud. The days of Noah, nowadays. Any similarity is a simple coincidence.