Outline
B
God showed Noah the true situation of the corrupt age in which he lived— Gen. 6:3, 5, 11, 13; Matt. 24:37-39; 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
C
"But Noah found favor [grace] in the sight of Jehovah"—Gen. 6:8:
１
When Satan has done his best to damage the situation, there have always been some who found grace in the eyes of God to become ones who turned the age—cf. Dan. 1:8; 9:23; 10:11, 19.
２
The main purpose of the record of Genesis is not to show the fall but to show how much God's grace can do for fallen people:
ａ
Grace is God Himself, the presence of God, enjoyed by us to be everything to us and to do everything in us, through us, and for us— John 1:14, 16-17; Rev. 22:21.
ｂ
The enjoyment of the Lord as grace is with those who love Him—Eph. 6:24; John 21:15-17.
ｃ
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as the bountiful supply of the Triune God is enjoyed by us through the exercise of our human spirit—Heb. 10:29b; Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23; Philem. 25; 2 Tim. 4:22.
ｄ
God's word is the word of grace—Acts 20:32; Col. 3:16; cf. Jer. 15:16.
ｅ
We experience the processed Triune God as the grace of life in meeting with the saints on the ground of oneness—Psa. 133:3; 1 Pet. 3:7; Acts 4:33; 11:23.
ｆ
We can experience the Lord as our increasing and all-sufficient grace in the midst of sufferings and trials—2 Cor. 12:9.
ｇ
We need to labor for the Lord in the power of His grace—1 Cor. 15:10, 58; 3:12.
ｈ
We need to be good stewards of the varied grace of God—1 Pet. 4:10; Eph. 3:2; 2 Cor. 1:15; Eph. 4:29.
ｉ
By the power of grace, the strength of grace, and the life of grace, we can be right with God and with one another; grace produces righteousness—Heb. 11:7; Rom. 5:17, 21.
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 5:17 …Much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.21 In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The matter of divorce is a great temptation to the young people today. The temptations are without, and the lusts are within. Who can stand in such an age?…Because none of us is able to stand, we need the grace to be today’s Noah. Only grace can enable you to be one with your wife or husband…None of us can do it without grace, for there is too much temptation. The tide, current, and trend of the age are too strong… How we need grace! We need God to come to us to be our strength and everything we need. This is grace. This is what Noah needed and what we also need today. Noah found it, and we also must find it. Because Noah found grace, it was easy for him to walk with God. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 375)
Today’s Reading
Parents are concerned about their children in school. The biggest temptation that the children face in the schools today is the matter of drugs… The young children cannot stand against this kind of temptation. They need grace. There is no addiction that you can overcome by yourself. You need to come to the throne of grace and find grace. Noah found grace, and he walked with God. Grace helped him to walk with God. This grace strengthened him and helped him to live a righteous life. In his daily walk righteousness was lived out of him. This kind of righteousness was not merely objective but also subjective. First, he received objective righteousness; eventually, he lived out subjective righteousness. Thus, in the eyes of God, Noah inherited righteousness.In the sixth chapter of Genesis, we see three important seeds: flesh, grace, and righteousness. God is sovereign and wise…In His sovereignty and wisdom, He leaves the flesh here, knowing that, in a sense, it is useful to us. DAY and night the flesh helps us turn to the throne of grace. When we are matured, that is, when we are raptured, we will be able to turn to the flesh and say, “Little flesh, your time is over. You may leave now.” Before the maturity of life, in a sense we need the flesh, not to damage us but to force us to come to the throne of grace.
Where the flesh is, there is grace, and where grace is, there is the issue of grace—righteousness. Romans 5:17 puts grace and righteousness together… Righteousness always accompanies grace. There is not one husband who can be right with his wife without grace, and there is not one wife who can be right with her husband without grace. There is only one kind of wife or husband who is right—the wife or husband who finds grace. Once we have found grace, grace will make us right with our husband or wife. Consider the case of a particular husband who for years has been told by others that he should treat his wife better than he does. Nevertheless, he is not convinced. One night he finds grace, and grace issues in righteousness. Immediately, he changes his attitude. It is by the power of grace, the strength of grace, and the life of grace that we can be right with God, with one another, and even with ourselves. Grace produces righteousness. Righteousness is the highest product of grace. Therefore, Romans 5:21 says that “grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life.” Thus, righteousness and grace always go together. Where the flesh is, there is grace, and where grace is, righteousness is produced.
We are not righteous because of ourselves but because of grace… God could boast of Noah’s righteousness to that crooked and perverted generation. Noah’s righteousness strengthened God’s standing to execute His judgment upon that ungodly generation. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 375-379)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 28