Noah, Daniel, and Job—Patterns of Living an Overcoming Life On the Line of Life to Fulfill the Economy of God
Message Two
The Line of Life with Noah— the Life and Work That Change the Age
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Gen. 6:8 But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah.
Gen. 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man: blameless in his generations; and Noah walked with God.
I. Noah believed in God, walked with God, pleased God, and enjoyed all that God is—Gen. 6:8: (Monday)
A. Satan corrupted man to the uttermost, and God decided to destroy the man whom He had created for His own purpose—Gen. 6:5.
B. But Noah indicated a sovereign factor that afforded God a way to continue to carry out His original purpose toward man—Gen. 6:8.
C. Through Noah’s life and work, God overcame His enemy and turned the age—Gen. 6:8.
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II. Noah’s life was a life that changed the age—Phil. 1:19-21: (Tuesday)
A. A life that changes the age is a life that inherits the way of the godliness of the forefathers—Gen. 3:15; 4:4; 5:22-24:
1. Noah inherited Adam’s way of salvation by receiving the promise of Christ as the descendant of the woman and by receiving Christ as the covering of righteousness for God’s satisfaction—Gen. 3:15, 20-21; Isa. 12:2.
2. Noah inherited Enoch’s way of walking with God, which is to take God as our center and everything and to live and do all things according to God and with God—Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5-6.
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B. God showed Noah the real situation of the corrupt age in which he was living—Gen. 6:3, 5, 11, 13; Matt. 24:37-39. (Wednesday & Thursday)
C. But Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah; grace is God Himself, God’s presence, for us to enjoy and to be our everything and to do everything in us, through us, and for us; 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 issues in righteousness—Gen. 6:8; Heb. 11:7; Rom. 5:17, 21.
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III. Noah’s work was a work that changed the age—1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1: (Friday)
A. God gave Noah an all-inclusive revelation, a further revelation, a revelation concerning the building of the ark, which was God’s way to end the corrupt generation and bring in a new age—Heb. 11:7; Gen. 6:14:
1. The ark is a type of Christ, not only of the individual Christ but also of the corporate Christ, the church, which is the Body of Christ and the new one, to be ultimately consummated in the New Jerusalem—1 Pet. 3:20-21; Matt. 16:18; Rev. 21:2.
2. The building of the ark typifies the building of the corporate Christ by the co-workers of God with the rich elements of Christ as the materials—1 Cor. 3:9-12; Eph. 4:12; 2:22.
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B. By building up the church and entering into the church life, we will be saved from God’s judgment by the great tribulation upon today’s evil generation and will be separated from that generation and ushered into a new age, the age of the Millennium—Heb. 11:7; Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27. (Saturday)
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generations; and Noah walked with God—Gen. 6:8-9.
By faith Noah, having been divinely instructed concerning things not yet seen… prepared an ark for the salvation of his house…—Heb. 11:7.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church…—Matt. 16:18.
Word of Appetizer
Satan had corrupted man to the uttermost, and God was determined to destroy the man He had created for His own purpose. Would God be defeated? Absolutely not! What then should God do?
The answer is in Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found grace in the sight of Jehovah.” Throughout the ages, this principle has remained unchanged. “But Noah” indicates a sovereign factor that provided a way for God to continue to carry out His original intention for man; through the life and work of Noah, God overcame His enemy and turned the age.
Spiritual Burden
Noah believed in God, walked with God, pleased God, and enjoyed all that God is; through the life and work of Noah, God overcame His enemy and turned the age.
We need to practice one thing—to supply the processed and ultimately consummated The Triune God into people so that He can build Himself into their inner being; we need to pray and ask the Lord to teach us to work in this way.
By building the church and entering into the church life, we will be saved from God’s judgment by a great tribulation upon today’s evil generation and will be separated from that generation and brought into a new age, the age of the Millennium.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Noah believed in God, walked with God, pleased God, and enjoyed all that God is.
The life of Noah was a life that turned the age; a life that turns the age is a life that inherits the way of godliness of the forefathers; “But Noah found grace in the sight of Jehovah.”
The work of Noah was a work that turned the age; God gave Noah an all-inclusive revelation, a further revelation, the revelation of building the ark, which was God’s way to end the corrupt generation and bring in a new age.
The Experience of Life
“But Noah found grace in the sight of Jehovah”; grace is God Himself, the presence of God, for us to enjoy, to become our everything, and to do everything in us, through us, and for us.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as the bountiful supply of the The Triune God is what we enjoy by exercising our human spirit; in hardships and trials, we can experience the Lord as our increasing and all-sufficient grace; by the power of grace, the strength of grace, and the life of grace, we can be right with God and with one another.
Practice and Application
A life that turns the age is a life that inherits the way of godliness of the forefathers. We have been saved; we can please God, we can call on His name, and we can enjoy all that He is to us; we can live with a purpose and beget for God’s increase, which is to bear fruit; and we can walk with God. We need to labor for the Lord in the power of His grace; we need to be good stewards of the varied grace of God.
We need to practice one thing—to supply the processed and ultimately consummated The Triune God into people so that He can build Himself into their inner being; we need to pray and ask the Lord to teach us to work in this way.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (Gen. 6:6-8).
(Can God be defeated? Then what should God do?)
T2 “But Noah…” and “But Daniel…” (Gen. 6:8; Dan. 1:8).
(Please illustrate that in every age, after Satan has done his best to corrupt the situation to the uttermost, there is always one person or a few persons who find grace in the sight of God and become the age-turners.)
Day 2
T1 The life of an age-turner always inherits the way of the godly forefathers (Gen. 3:20-21; 4:4).
(Please illustrate that Noah inherited Adam’s way of salvation and Abel’s way of offering sacrifices.)
T2 The life of an age-turner always inherits the way of the godly forefathers (Gen. 4:26; 5:22).
(Please illustrate that Noah inherited Enosh’s way of calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy all that the Lord is, and Enoch’s way of walking with God.)
Day 3
T1 The degradation depicted in Genesis is a background to set off a very positive picture (1 Cor. 15:10).
(Please illustrate that the main purpose of the record in Genesis is not to show the degradation but to show how much God’s grace can do for fallen man.)
T2 Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16; Gal. 6:18).
(Please illustrate that grace is not only something given by God but God Himself doing things for us.)
Day 4
T1 We need grace to be the Noahs of today (Gal. 6:18; 1 Cor. 15:10).
(Give examples to show that the tide and trend of this age are so strong, and how much we need grace!)
T2 Grace issues in righteousness, and righteousness is the highest issue of grace (Rom. 5:17).
(Please illustrate with experience that where the flesh is, there grace is also; and where grace is, there righteousness is produced.)
Day 5
T1 The vision of God’s way to terminate the corrupt age and bring in a new age (Heb. 11:7).
(Please illustrate that what God gave to Noah was an almost all-inclusive revelation, a revelation that none of his forefathers had ever seen.)
T2 God has revealed to us the need for the proper church life (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:12).
(Please illustrate that the proper church life is the ark that God needs today.)
Day 6
T1 Today in the Lord’s recovery, our work is to minister God to people (Eph. 3:17; 1 Cor. 3:12).
(Please illustrate that in every aspect of our work—to preach the gospel, to feed the believers, and to perfect the saints—the intrinsic element must be to minister the building and built-in God to people.)
T2 Noah received the revelation, believed the revelation, and carried out the revelation (Gen. 6:22; Eph. 3:17).
(Please illustrate the different aspects of Noah’s work.)
