“The Lord Shut Him In” (Gen 7:16-18)

So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in” (vs16).

Our salvation is God's business, His work, and something that He secures. It is NOT the best efforts of man but the keeping work of God, whereby He who SAVED us saves us fully, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). He is the doer of the works in you, He is why you make it, and He is the reason it is sure. Be confident.

First, bless God, He is the doer of salvation in us, fulfilling His promises, because the Lamb has been exalted for earning it. Just as God saved Noah by a covenant, He has made covenant with every believer, promising us the life that Christ justifies Him to give. He says, “But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you... to keep them alive” (Gen 6:18-19). Christ is the E.F. Hutton (remember those commercials?) who EAARRRNEEED salvation with His blood, assuring us the elect shall be saved by His resurrection. God OWES you and me because of His love (covenant) and His Son's blood. He owes us the Spirit before we're born because He promised it to us FREELY and Christ died to make the promise good.

He saves us secondly, in spite of our weaknesses. God shut them in. Do you remember how the disciples had “little faith” and “no faith” on many occasions, and the Lord used the faith they had and intervened, walking on water, and quieting storms (Luke 8:24-25)? Even so, we have not lived perfectly and there are faults among us still. Yet God, even though our faith, like Noah's ark, isn't perfect, God makes up for every deficiency in us. I see Noah, building away, but he sees so many areas of improvement, so many mistakes, and so many things that should have been perfect, and they are not. Yet God, because of love and by Noah's faith SAVES Noah so that his imperfections mean nothing. His coldness, his folly, his future drunkenness, etc, none of these disqualify him. He will not stand on merit; he will stand by faith and the fruits of faith, as measly as they are, shall be remembered, like his ark, forever. Bless God imperfect Christians are safe.

Thirdly, Noah is secure. If you are in Christ, know assuredly that all shall be well with you. Storms will come in this life, even as you must face the storm of Judgment Day, but the storms shall be borne, even as the ark floated TRIUMPHANTLY above the waters, “And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters” (Gen 7:17-18). Yes, it was beaten. Yes, it suffered. Yes, it took years to make, but rest assured in all seasons that victory is yours, even as Christ prevailed, so shall you. He will not fail you now.

Bless God, believe the gospel, and know that God has shut you in, safe and secure forever (Jude 1:1-2).