Genesis 32 - The Ark

The word of God we will examine together today is from Genesis chapter 6, verses 13 to 22.

 

“And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” Amen.  

 

Noah's Grace: Identity and the Ark

You and I are continuing to examine the words of Genesis chapter 6. The most crucial verse for correctly interpreting Genesis 6 is likely verse 8: ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.’ Centered on this verse, the preceding verses showed the corruption of humans who had left God and lived according to their own desires, and from verse 8 onwards, it shows the meaning of God's grace bestowed upon us.

 

This grace of God first manifested through the person Noah. This clearly shows us what kind of person Noah was, and who he was. And, as explained in the previous sermon, this story also reveals Noah as a shadow showing Jesus Christ within Noah. And that identity of Noah, revealed through Christ, is identically shown in our appearance today, who are in Christ. God's declaration that Noah was righteous and blameless was fulfilled for us too through Jesus Christ.

 

Biblical Self-Esteem: Sinner, Yet Righteous

We confirmed together this truly amazing and gracious declaration in the words of Genesis. And this is the appearance God tells us is ours. We struggle greatly with the question 'Who am I?'. And we live making great efforts to build self-esteem in the world. We strive to acknowledge to ourselves that I am a decent being and a precious person in this world. Because we think that many problems we experience in this world stem from our existence not being properly valued.

Of course, there is some truth to this thought. However, thinking more deeply, such efforts cannot fundamentally solve the problem. By continuously thinking that I can be a precious existence, we might be able to brainwash ourselves, but it cannot fundamentally change the value of our existence.

 

However, the Bible declares about our existence with a premise that seems somewhat surprising to us. The Bible's proclamation starting with the words ‘You are a sinner’ is therefore sufficient to surprise us. Why does God speak of us as such worthless beings, and why does He continuously condemn us, whom He made and created in His image, as sinners? Because of such issues, we probably have often rebelled and disliked it.

 

But friends, we must remember this. The Bible says we do not end as sinners. The Bible declares that we sinners have become beings with the greatest self-esteem through Christ Jesus. So we no longer need to prove the value or meaning of our existence ourselves. We no longer need to brainwash ourselves. Because God acknowledges us, and God calls us righteous. Because we have obtained the designation of being perfect from God. That is the truth the Bible speaks.

However, reality is often not like that. Every time we look at ourselves, we get angry daily. Every time we look at ourselves, we are disappointed. Because we continue to fall into sin, and because we feel we could live our lives more splendidly and beautifully but fail to do so, we are upset. That is the appearance we see with our eyes. But the Bible continuously says that our lives do not end with what is visible. Because what is unseen, not what is visible, actually speaks the true truth. This is the amazing fact God has declared to you. We possess precisely that identity. That is the truth shown to us through Noah in today's passage.

 

The Structure of the Ark Story: Salvation Amidst Judgment

Then today, let us talk about another story where this appearance of receiving grace manifests. It is the ark. God shows us the grace bestowed upon us through this ark. However, we can see that today's passage talking about the ark has two structures.

 

First, the words of verse 13 end with the message of judgment: ‘I will destroy them with the earth.’ It means God will judge because He knows the sins of humans. But right in the next verse, He gives the blueprint for the ark. He explains directly how the ark should be built. And then again in verse 17, He repeats the same words. God says He will now destroy all flesh from under heaven and everything on earth will die. God's repeated declaration of judgment follows. And after that declaration, we can see the content of the covenant appearing again. God says He will establish His covenant with Noah, and all who enter the ark to escape will live.

 

Therefore, the structure of today's passage is that God's judgment is declared on both sides, and between them, God's salvation and grace are simultaneously explained. In other words, it's a structure like a deep valley between two large mountains. This is the Bible's way of explaining the ark.

 

Focus Beyond the Flood: The Meaning of the Ark Itself

Today, with the question of why God explained the ark in this manner, we intend to focus primarily on the story of the ark. In fact, our interest naturally gravitates more towards the word flood. The flood in Hebrew is ‘Mabbul (מַבּוּל, H3999)’. It's easy to remember. It's a word with a pronunciation similar to the title of a superhero movie these days.

 

However, the word flood is actually not used that frequently in the Bible. Nevertheless, it's true that this flood attracts our attention greatly. 'How exactly did the flood submerge the entire earth, and how did that flood proceed, or what happened to the earth covered in water for a whole year, and what kind of divine providence existed during this flood period?' – we have many such questions. Perhaps because of this, we can easily encounter numerous legends or myths about the flood in this world.

 

Deferring such detailed stories to the next time, today I would like to share with you the story about the ark itself. The fact that the declaration of judgment is repeated in today's passage shows how serious the sin was, and also simultaneously shows us how that judgment is overcome through the ark. The first ark story in today's passage should find its meaning within the content of the recipient of grace building the ark as commanded by God. It's not about building an ark to escape the flood and getting inside it, but we must find the hidden grace of God within all the methods and contents by which the ark was made. And afterwards, in the preservation of life for all creatures that entered the ark, we can also find another evidence of God's grace. Today's sermon will examine these two works of God's grace together.

 

Building the Ark: God's Plan and Companionship

First, when Noah began to build this ark, God had him plan the entire process from the very beginning, one step at a time, and we can see Him telling Noah the detailed contents and sequence meticulously. Thus, God was with Noah throughout the entire process of making the ark. When we read the Bible, we readily confess that God oversees everything, becoming the beginning and the end of all things.

 

However, just as the statement that Jesus had to bear the cross sometimes sounds too obvious, this is often accepted too easily by us, so we often fail to properly feel its deep meaning. Because it seems too obvious and predictable. But grace is always easy to feel that way. Grace becomes grace because God started and finished the entire journey. It means it did not come from me.

 

The Most Important Thing in Life: Salvation Before Death

What is the most necessary and important thing in our lives? For some, it might be their bank balance. For others, it could be health. For those who are sick and struggling, health would be very crucial. Some might be pursuing power to dominate others or pleasure that delights oneself. You too probably have many things you think, 'If only I had this, I could be happy.'

 

But for us, when is the most important moment of our lives, the moment when everything in life is decided? Although there might be slight differences among individuals, it would probably be the moment we breathe our last. When we reach the moment of concluding our lives, when we face death, what wish will we express? It would naturally be the wish to be saved. Am I the only one? Would you calmly face the end on this earth because after death, you will go to the Lord's side and live forever in heaven? If so, it would be because you have received the faith God gave us, that death is not the end, and we can be with God forever.

 

However, if death is the end, and after that there is nothing, if truly everything about me vanishes, we would all inevitably wish to live a little longer, whether on this earth or in some other way. But at that final moment, all those things we considered important offer no help at all. Neither money nor power, nor all the things we liked, can solve the problem of our death. At that final moment, the only one who can save us is God, the Lord of all life. At that moment, we realize what we truly need.

 

The Ark That Saves Us: Jesus Christ

What is the answer? What saves us from judgment and death was the ark, something the people living in Noah's time could not even imagine. At the most important final moment of their lives, what could save them was the ark. But they couldn't think of it at all. This fact is similar today. What saves us is Jesus Christ, yet it seems not many of us live our days thinking of Him.

 

The Benefit of Suffering: Seeking God

Of course, some might wake up early in the morning and give thanks to the Lord for granting another day. Some might start their day thinking of God who is the master of my life, of my everything. However, most of us probably, from the moment we wake up, think about how to live well through the day that has started again, 'Who should I meet today and what should I say?'. Some people exercise in the morning to maintain their health. But how many times a day do we truly think of God or Jesus sincerely?

 

As we live swept up in the affairs of the world, it's true that it's hard to have much time for that. That's why suffering and tribulation are sometimes necessary for us. When such hard times hit, only then do we acknowledge our weakness ourselves, approach God, and plead with Jesus.

 

True Blessing: A Life That Cannot Live Without Jesus

Then, who is a blessed person? Do you think a person whose life unfolds very well in all worldly matters, is materially abundant, and has no health or children's problems, thus can live without thinking of God even once, is truly blessed? Or is a life blessed where one cannot live even a moment without Jesus' help, thus goes before the Lord every day pleading?

 

The best would be to live a life combining the first and second lives. Many would want such a life where those two are combined. But we can never live possessing both simultaneously. That's why the Bible asks us which life is truly the blessed life.

 

God's Unrequited Love: The One Who Loved Us First

And the answer is Jesus Christ, whom we hadn't even considered. We love money. I too like having a lot of money. But the problem is, as much as I love money, money doesn't love me back. I love health and wish I were healthy. But health doesn't love me.

 

The work Satan does is like this. Many things Satan gives us are all like this. We love them, but we receive no love from them. They don't even think of it. But friends, when we live seeing nothing but ourselves like this, one person loved us, giving everything including His life. There is someone who loves me first, even though I don't love Him. He is the Creator of the universe, the one who made us.

 

The Ark: Evidence of God's Love

This ark is evidence that God started first for us and loved us. Therefore, the ark is not just a boat but God's love. Thus, this ark inevitably bears the marks of God's loving and guiding hand, His traces, and through them, we realize God's grace. Therefore, the story of building the ark in today's passage does not end as an event of Noah's time facing the flood, but it has meaning for us living today, and the story of this ark appears as the word of grace in our lives.

 

When we think of the ark, we can first think of God's saving hand through this vessel, and recall it as a wonderful gift God gave us. However, the Bible seems to have a slightly different thought about this ark story than we do. The Bible does not speak of the ark as a wonderful gift God prepared.

 

Role of the Ark (1): Condemning the World

Let's read Hebrews 11:7. It's a passage we know well. "By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." It records that Noah prepared the ark by faith in response to God's warning. But by this, meaning by building the ark and overcoming the flood, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.  

 

Therefore, the ark is condemning the world. In our view, the ark is first thought of as saving Noah, but the Bible says that the ark which saved Noah actually performed the role of condemning the world. Then when did that condemnation begin? Its beginning was precisely from the time the ark was being built. Preparing the ark meant starting to condemn the world.

 

Ark Construction Period: 120 Years? Its Meaning?

The Bible does not clearly record when Noah began to build the ark. There is mention of 120 years, but two interpretations are possible regarding this. One is that these 120 years represent the remaining period until God would judge. So many speculate that Noah built the ark over 120 years.

 

However, this interpretation doesn't quite fit calculation-wise. Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born when Noah was 500 years old, and the flood occurred when he was 600. But according to today's passage, it seems God told Noah to build the ark after all three of Noah's sons were born. Considering the mention of daughters-in-law, we can infer it was at least after the sons became adults. Therefore, the time taken to build the ark might have been much shorter than 120 years.

Another interpretation is that human lifespan, which was close to a thousand years before the flood, was reduced to 120 years afterwards. However, for both interpretation methods regarding these 120 years, there isn't enough clear evidence to definitively confirm which one is correct. Therefore, this can be taken to mean that arriving at a precise interpretation of this is not critically important for understanding this passage. It means the interpretation of this 120-year period does not play a role significant enough to alter the meaning of the entire flood story. Because God does not prevent us from understanding His clear truth through things that are unclear.

 

In this sense, you can understand the meaning of the 120 years, the period taken to build the ark, in Noah's story. However, we can sufficiently know that the boat was built over a long period. Considering the technology of that time, having to build a boat with large trees, thinking about the 모습 (appearance/figure) of building that ark, we can know that the work proceeded through great toil over a very long period, and the act of building this ark over that long period itself was condemning the world. Why is that? Because Noah's ark itself was declaring, 'If you continue to live in sin like this, judgment will come.' Because Noah's ark itself is the gospel. God was continuously saying, 'Look at this ark and return, I will save you,' but people still only did what they had to do and did not turn back from their self-centered lives.

 

What is the result? The world begins to receive condemnation. The ark is condemning the world, saying, 'You are wrong, you are not right, you are sinning.'

 

Life Without Condemnation: Grace, Repentance, Forgiveness

Then, from Noah's perspective, who is building the ark, what is happening to him? While the world is being condemned during the construction of the ark, he lived day by day without being condemned. In his daily life, Noah lived the life of God's people, and his life without such condemnation was grace itself.

 

Then what about you and me? It seems we often live forgetting what it means in our lives not to be condemned. You are those commanded by the Lord to repent. So we must constantly live a life of repentance, but in reality, our lives are often not like that. Because even for a small mistake, we should repent, but we postpone it, and as time passes, we forget it, or often end it with a resolution like 'I'll do better next time.'

 

Friends, do you know the most desirable way to have a marital quarrel? Of course, there can be no desirable marital quarrel, but the wise way for us to dispute between spouses is to have a dispute with repentance. Because then we can forgive each other, strive not to commit the same mistake again, and through that, we can together enjoy the joy of forgiving sins before God.

 

However, our marital quarrels usually end with 'Since I was wrong anyway, let's just bury it and move on,' rather than forgiving the other person. Because we are not accustomed to forgiving others. We think, 'I am a sinner, how dare I forgive anyone?' However, such thinking is not biblical. You are those declared righteous through Christ Jesus and called to forgive others as well. Therefore, you must forgive clearly.

 

If we just gloss over things without forgiving the other person, instead of bearing the fruit of repentance, only passing time remains. And later, when the same thing happens, we blame the other person. In this aspect, our memory is excellent. We tend to accurately remember all the wrongs done to us by others in the past. And when such a thing happens again, disputes naturally arise. When we face difficulties, have disputes, or friction with someone, we tend to just move on rather than resolving it clearly. Because it's easier.

 

But the Bible tells us to forgive each other, receive forgiveness, repent, and enjoy the peace and comfort God gives in the Lord. It's not establishing this as an official rule, suggesting we must have a time of repentance, followed by a time of forgiving and being forgiven every time such things happen, but rather, the Bible is speaking to us about the importance of relationships between neighbors. This forgiveness and repentance are desperately needed in our relationships. Because we treat this precious truth too lightly. This is precisely why Noah, without being condemned, could forgive people on this earth, could reach repentance, and as a result, could live a life approaching the Lord.

 

The Power of a Life Without Condemnation

That indeed was the life of a perfect righteous man. Noah shows us the 모습 (appearance/figure) of living according to the word. It's not a life of committing no sin at all. Although weak and prone to fall, God does not condemn us, but urges us not to sin again and to turn back and repent. The Lord says He will forgive us even seventy times seven.

This is completely different from sinning again knowing you will be forgiven. Rather, knowing the depth of that forgiveness, we repent even more deeply. The more we know that love, the more sincerely we approach God. That is the life of a person living without condemnation. "I will never condemn you again, I will never call you sinners again, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."

 

This is the word of truth. That is the word that truly makes us live. Please do not just gloss over things before God. Do not live a life of just getting by with the shallow thought, 'God is kind-hearted, so He will forgive all my sins too,' but live with the heart, 'Since I received God's grace that forgives my black sins like white snow, I am no longer the previous me, but I will rise again with the appearance befitting one not condemned.' So even if I again sprinkle black sin on that white snow of forgiveness, believe that the Lord will make it white again, and rise again. Rise again and resolve once more to live according to the Lord's will, for the Lord's kingdom. This is the path we who are not condemned must live. It is rising up.

 

Swimming While Touching the Bottom: Freedom in Grace

When I was young, I had the experience of nearly drowning terribly in water about twice. So even now, I absolutely do not go into water deeper than my chest in a swimming pool. This remains unchanged even when I go swimming with my family. Once I get into the water, I become anxious, and when the water reaches my chest, that anxiety starts to grow.

To overcome this phobia of mine, my mother took me to the children's center and had me learn swimming. Among the things the swimming instructor taught me then, the words I remember most were to relax. He told me that if I relax in the water, my body will float. However, as you well know, this truth absolutely does not happen in water. Because beginners like me cannot help but tense up in the water. So I kept swallowing water.

 

Another lesson learned then was that if you swim while touching the bottom, you will never drown. But friends, this word that there is absolutely no condemnation for us who believe in Jesus might be somewhat similar to swimming while touching the bottom. If we swim with our heads out of the water while touching the bottom, we will never drown. Likewise, nothing exists in this world that can destroy us. There is nothing in this world that can make us despair, frustrate us, and finish us off. Even Satan cannot touch us. We have received that guarantee from the Lord. We are like swimming in water while touching the bottom.

 

So it means we are people who can splash around in that water, and also stylishly raise a hand once, enjoying that swim. Does anything more fun exist in this world than swimming without the possibility of drowning? Nothing in the world is as fun as surfing without getting hurt by the water at all. Even sports like mountain cliff climbing, which seem the most dangerous in the world, would offer the world's best thrill if only there were a guarantee of absolutely not getting hurt and absolutely not falling.

 

Loving Freely Within Freedom

But you have become people who enjoy such pleasure. Why do you hesitate so much even while believing in Jesus? Why can't you let your freedom blossom? Why, despite all the things you can do, and despite having so much joy you can experience in God, do you live as if bound by sin?

 

You have become people who can love freely. You have become people who can give freely to the homeless and still give more. Because even if everything we have disappears, we are still joyful and happy, we are people who can share everything I have with beloved brothers and sisters and neighbors. Why do you try to block that yourselves? You are people for whom the value of this universe, Jesus, still remains even after pouring everything out. What do you fear, and what do you want to leave behind?

 

There is nothing you need to leave behind on this earth. Even if you pour everything out, your life is still full. Eternally full with Christ. In that condemnation, you get to enjoy the grace that overcomes that condemnation daily.

 

Ark (Tevah): The 'Box' Connected to Moses

When thinking of the word ark (방주, bangju), since the Chinese character 'ju' (舟) for boat is used, one naturally thinks of a boat. That's right, because it floats on water. However, the word ark (bangju) originally does not contain the meaning of a boat. In Hebrew, the word is ‘tevah (תֵּבָה, H8392)’, which means box or chest.

 

This word 'tevah' appears exactly twice in the Old Testament, one of which is today's passage. Then where is the other instance? Yes, it's in the story of Moses. The very place where Moses as a baby could escape death was a 'tevah'. He could escape death by getting into a basket made of reeds.

 

Do you perhaps remember watching an old movie called 'The Ten Commandments'? In it, baby Moses smiles brightly while floating down the Nile in a basket, Miriam follows along the riverbank watching that scene, and the box eventually reaches the Egyptian princess, and Moses ends up in her arms. However, this differs slightly from historical fact. That basket of reeds was not an open basket but a box with a lid. Likewise, the ark is also a box sealed at the top.

 

The reason the top of the ark is filled and sealed with wood and pitch means that within this ark, under any circumstances, the contents inside will not be harmed. If the top were open, rain would pour in or if it capsized, everything would fall into the water, but within this ark, everything is a box where complete protection can be received. In other words, no matter how much the water shakes and batters the ark, the ark will never collapse.

 

Ark and Baptism: Salvation Through Water

Regarding this ark that will absolutely not be shaken nor swallowed by water, the Apostle Peter says this. 1 Peter 3:20: "because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." He is talking about the spirit of Christ preaching the gospel through Noah to those who did not obey God in Noah's time, mentioned in the verse before today's passage. But he says that only a few, just eight people, were saved through water in the ark.  

 

It seems like a simple verse, but reading it carefully, you can see it's a very strange statement. He is saying that 8 people were saved from the water, people who were bound to die because of the water. But in this verse, he says they obtained salvation through the judging water. That is, they were saved by means of the water.

 

In today's passage, the water was God's wrath, judgment, and the punishment God gave. But the water pouring from the sky and rising from the earth, which swept the ark, shook it violently, and was God's curse and judgment trying to make it collapse, yet precisely through that water, Noah and the eight people obtained salvation, he says.

 

Let's continue looking at verse 21: "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." The Apostle Peter now reveals that water is baptism. Truly a strange statement. Initially, the water was God's judgment. But He calls that water baptism. It means the baptism you received was that water. Then according to this word of the Bible, when you were baptized with water, God's wrath fell upon you. Is this correct? Didn't you receive baptism as a sign of salvation, as God's children, not as a sign of wrath?  

 

Yet this expression is correct.

 

Cross and Baptism: Saved by the Water of Judgment

Looking at the Gospel of Luke, there is a part where Jesus says He received baptism in His life. When was that? It was precisely when He was hung on the cross. Before His death, Jesus pointed to the cross and said, ‘This is the baptism I am to receive.’ Then what happened on Jesus' cross? When Jesus was hung on the cross, did God rescue His beloved Son Jesus and take Him to heaven?

 

He did not. Jesus died on the cross. Why did Jesus have to die on that cross? It was because God's wrath, God's wrath against sin, was poured out not on us but on Jesus Christ. And Jesus expresses that as ‘receiving baptism’. Although that wrath was poured out, God's children who believe in Jesus Christ were in Christ, so when Jesus Christ died by God's wrath, we received new life in Jesus.

 

That's why this becomes baptism. When you are baptized with water, the water is simultaneously a symbol cleansing you, and it means you have received new life in Jesus who died under God's wrath. This is precisely the meaning of the story of Noah's ark that today's passage intends to show us. It's a very important expression. We were not saved from the water, but we are beings saved through the water.

 

Therefore, what the ark testifies to us is the fact that the judgment and condemnation we should have received have disappeared. The ark received that water on our behalf. The ark received all those waves on our behalf. And because of that, our lives were saved inside the ark. When the world was being condemned, we were not condemned.

 

Role of the Ark (2): Showing the Process of Salvation

Another hidden meaning the ark shows is this. We who survived the world's condemnation produce descendants who live according to that faith, the Bible says. In other words, God calls the entire process of following faith the ark, and says that ark is grace.

 

When Noah built the ark, God had him cut trees, erect the frame, trim and join the cut wood, and apply pitch. But isn't that whole process quite strange? What if it were like this? Wouldn't a cooler and grander picture have been created if God Himself had wonderfully built the ark completely, and then guided Noah and the animals into that ark?

But God had Noah build that ark over a very long time. Yet, couldn't the almighty God, who planned this ark, have built the ark Himself? It took Noah decades, but God is someone who can create this ark with just His word. But God did not do it that way. Therefore, this naturally means there is a reason.

 

The Process of Grace: Revelation Through Old Testament History

Friends, what is true grace? Please think about Jesus for a moment. If Jesus had come immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, would the situation have been resolved right there on the spot? So if Jesus had immediately been hung on the cross and died, and had saved Adam and Eve right there, wouldn't the whole situation have concluded?

To our thinking, that seems quite easy and simple. But that is not true grace. Adam and Eve too, after bearing their first child, thought of him as the seed of the woman and even named him accordingly. Noah's name too is evidence of the hope that, as the seed of the woman, he would bring comfort and rest to people. People wanted to resolve that sin quickly.

 

However, the Bible makes us directly know, through the entire process and history of salvation, how terrifying this sin is and what God's grace is like, and directly shows us the grace of God revealed in that entire process. Jesus didn't just come to us immediately; there was Noah, then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, then Moses and David, then the prophets, the tabernacle, and the temple. Through all those things, God explained and showed us through time and history who Jesus Christ is and what the blessing of God we should enjoy is.

 

The entire process of building the ark actually speaks of the history of salvation, and that history of salvation is the true grace that you and I should enjoy.

 

True Faith: Joy, Not Solemnity

The moment of believing in Jesus, the moment of confessing belief in Jesus, is not the entirety of salvation we can enjoy. The moment of believing in Jesus, enjoying joy and being happy, is not the entirety of salvation. Such joy not only doesn't last long, but it's merely a joy that constantly pushes us. It means it only leads us in the direction of 'Since God saved me like this, from now on I will dedicate my one life for the Lord.' It means it makes us believe in Jesus solemnly.

 

However, the faith the Bible wants from you is not believing in Jesus solemnly, but faith that rejoices in the Lord. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice," He says. But in that solemn belief in Jesus, it's very hard to find joy. Instead of being joyful, we often flounder in a sense of responsibility, an obligation not to miss worship, and the responsibility that comes with the position held.

 

The Bible desires us to rejoice, and says that all those works must stem from that joy. We should be extremely happy. Truly being in the Lord is so joyful, worshiping together with fellow believers is so happy, being able to call on the Lord's name, and the fact of walking with Jesus Christ being so delightful – this indeed should be the life of a true believer, yet have we not lost all that joy and instead feel burdened by the Sunday that has come around again? We can lose the most precious thing like this.

 

That is why the Lord calls us, teaching us the fact that the entire process is our blessing.

 

Life in the Ark: Immanuel, Foretaste of God's Kingdom

That's why the ark has no helm or rudder to steer the boat. In this ark, God Himself became the navigator of everything. Fighting against the waves, He protected us, made the sun shine daily, the moon rise, guarded and guided us. Let's think for a moment about what Noah's life might have been like.

 

Living inside a boat for a year might, in some ways, not seem so extraordinary. Waking up in the morning and looking outside, only water was visible everywhere. Would such a life have been that interesting? But that's only seeing a small facet of Noah's life. Think about who else was inside the ark besides Noah's family. Male and female pairs of animals all entered. Lions entered, sheep were there too. Wouldn't the lion have eaten the sheep?

 

Friends, think about it. What kind of world was this inside the ark? Perhaps it was a place where Eden manifested once again. The world was corrupt and undergoing judgment. The world was corrupt and heading towards death. Everything was collapsing, everything was meeting death. The world was truly rushing towards its end. Today's world might not be different. Can we say the final destination we are currently rushing towards is better than Noah's time? Probably not. We too are currently seeing and experiencing that judgment, that misery, and that death.

 

But within that, please try to imagine the amazing life of grace of God's people and God's creatures inside God's ark. Because this was a place where God's kingdom had come. You know the lyrics from a hymn we like, ‘Where Jesus is, 'tis heaven there’. If the place where the Lord is present is heaven anywhere, we can't live grumbling in heaven.

 

Now, inside this ark, Noah and all the animals must have had to live in an environment where they could get irritated and fight while living together uncomfortably and arduously. Because it wasn't yet heaven. This ark, in fact, was not perfect heaven, but amidst a fallen world, temporarily, in God's presence, they were only tasting that kingdom of God. Yet with just that, they lived inside it for a year. No one died, everyone was happy. They rejoiced.

 

Although we are not yet living entered into heaven, we know more clearly and distinctly than in Noah's time the fact that Jesus Christ is our ark, we live inside that ark, God walks with me, and the Lord's presence, the Holy Spirit God, is within me. Therefore, naturally, we have come to be able to enjoy the amazing joy and glory of God's kingdom that God gives. And that is precisely grace. Grace you cannot give up. Grace we must never give up.

 

The Church: Community Inside the Ark

We can live as if denying it. It might not work well in a church where similar people gather. That's right. We often get irritated. Just like lions and sheep meet, we might meet like enemies even within the church. People might arise who make you angry just by mixing words with them. Things that offend the heart and offend the eye can happen all too often even within the church. Do complaints arise like, ‘Shouldn't the church at least be like this?’

 

But in today's passage of Noah's story, we see the 모습 (appearance/figure) of creating God's kingdom within that uncomfortable ark. Inside that ark, there were only 8 people. How many animals might there have been? Probably thousands upon thousands. In this harsh environment where 8 people had to take care of these many animals, they were able to create God's kingdom amidst each other's weaknesses and frailties, rather than through strife and resentment.

 

The Church Building God's Kingdom

Friends, what kind of place is the church? The church is not a place that is joyful because everything is perfect, but a place joyful because God is present. Therefore, do not give up, and if you encounter things that offend your heart, think once more that this is precisely God building the temple, the tabernacle, the ark from me, and even if you fail and fall, remember again 'swimming while touching the bottom,' and even if you encounter someone who makes you really struggle, remember again that this is the work of establishing God's kingdom within the ark, that I can rejoice in it, and that it is the work of revealing God's glory.

 

So establish God's kingdom within your hearts. That is precisely the church community. And that is precisely what God has permitted. How can we miss this? Can we overturn this because of my personal feeling of hatred? Can we overturn all of this just as I wish? We cannot. I have no choice but to bow down and prostrate myself. Because God's truth is stronger than I am.

 

Friends, we all surely desire a truly happy, beautiful, and whole church. But do you know that you are that church? We are all lacking, all insufficient, but do you know how glorious it is that we can confess like this by faith? We are God's community, bound together as one by the Holy Spirit God. Therefore, endure, love, and start again. If you failed even until last week, start again from today. If you lived forgetting until last week, let's take care of God's people again starting today.

Beloved friends. In this world where, amidst a fallen life, people kill each other, snarl at each other, try to protect only what's mine, and fight to get more, the church must create this. God's kingdom, this salvation being accomplished in me – I wish we could enjoy it. Friends, we are people building the ark. And we are people becoming the ark. I hope we can all rejoice together and encourage each other every time one piece is made. If we meet people who have failed, let's encourage them and rejoice together. In his life and in my life, the ark of Jesus is being built.

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Thank you, God. Thank you for letting us know that we are at the place where the ark is being built, that we are its witnesses, and that because of it, our lives have meaning. Thank you for making us realize again that this is the work You have called us to. Lord, thank you that weaknesses of others are visible to our eyes. Thank you that things happen that upset my heart. Because we know that through all these things, the ark is being built. Lord, grant us grace to build it in our lives. Help us remember that while the world receives condemnation, we are not condemned, and that I too do not condemn my neighbor but enjoy the true freedom given by the Lord in the Lord. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!