NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD
(By Emerson Blythe)

TEXT: GEN. 6:8
(Gen 6:1-9)  "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, {2} That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. {3} And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. {4} There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. {5} And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. {6} And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. {7} And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. {8} But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. {9} These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

Why did Noah find GRACE in the eyes of the Lord?  

Was it anything he did, or was it all of the Lord?

We sometimes define "grace" as the "unmerited fovor of God." 

Then we conclude that finding "grace" (unmerited fovor) in God's sight has nothing to do with who we are, what kind of lives we live, or how we have acted.

But that introduces a great problem:
How many people were there on earth during the time of Noah?  Maybe not as many as the population of the earth now, but there were multitudes. Scholars estimate that over 3 billion people could easily have been on the earth at the time of Noah

And only Noah and his family found grace in the eyes of the Lord!

If that had nothing to do with the people involved, what they did, or how they acted, then how do you explain the fact that a few people found grace in the eyes of the Lord, while numerous others didn't?

If it had nothing to do with with the lives the people lived, or how they acted, then the only other conclusion is that God was just picking favorites.  Ye the Bible plainly declares, (Rom 2:11)  "...There is no respect of persons with God."

If  there is no respect of persons with God, and Noah found grace in His sight while others didn't, then there must have been something about the way Noah lived, or what he did, that invoked God's favor.

And the Bible plainly declares: "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the  generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

Do you suppose the fact that "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" had something to do with his finding favor (or, Grace) in the eyes of the Lord?

(Gen 6:22)  "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

(Gen 7:5)  "And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him."

(Heb 11:7)  "By 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."

Instead of the word "grace," which sometimes confuses us, many other translations use the word "FAVOR."  E.g. N.I.V. (Gen 6:8)  "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD."

And the truth of the matter is, How much favor we find in the sight of God depends heavily on the kind of people we are, what we do, and the lives we live!

(Acts 10:34-35)  "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: {35} But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

N.I.V. (Acts 10:34-35)  "Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism {35} but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."

Notice the story of Cain & Abel:
(Gen 4:3-7)  "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. {4} And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: {5} But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. {6} And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? {7} If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."

(Heb 11:4)  "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh."

(2 Cor 6:17-18)  "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, {18} And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

(Rom 2:6-11)  "Who will render to every man according to his deeds: {7} To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: {8} But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, {9} Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; {10} But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: {11} For there is no respect of persons with God."

(Rom 14:17-18)  "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. {18} For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men."

(Isa 1:18-20)  "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. {19} If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: {20} But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."

(John 15:9-10)  "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. {10} If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."

(John 15:14)  "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

(John 14:21)  "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

(John 14:23)  "...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

CONCLUSION:

When Noah found grace or favor in the eyes of God, it was not just because God was whimsical, and Noah happened to be the lucky one.

It was not that God just liked the way Noah looked, or the way he wore his hair.

It was not that God just liked Noah's name, or chose it at random.

NOAH FOUND FAVOR IN THE EYES OF THE LORD BECAUSE THE REST OF THE WORLD WAS SO WICKED THAT EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHT OF THEIR HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY, AND NOAH WAS NOT THAT WAY.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he was a righteous man, a man of faith, and a man who would take God at His word.

AND IF YOU AND I ARE TO FIND FAVOR IN THE EYES OF THE LORD TODAY, WE MUST BE THE SAME KIND PEOPLE THAT NOAH WAS!

	Do you move with fear when God speaks?
	Do you do according to all that God commands?
	Do you take Him at His word?

Let me show you something about Noah.

Do you know that it is very likely that when God foretold the flood, no-one had even seen it rain before?

(Gen 2:5,6)  "...the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. {6} But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."

Again, in Gen. 9, the rainbow is introduced after the flood as some new thing.  We would assume that as long as there has been rain, there has been the rainbow.  And thus, Rain, too, would have been something new.

So, evidently when mankind had never seen rain, God told Noah not only that it was going to rain, but that it was going to keep on raining and flood the earth. The rest of the world laughed at such an idea. Noah took God at His word and built a boat.  And so Noah found favor (or, Grace) in the eyes of the Lord.

Will you be like Noah, today?