First in series
“Noah”
Week of 2/9/2014
Please use this Sermon-Based Bible Study with your
Life Group, or in your personal devotions this week.
“PROLOGUE: THE RISING STORM”
He was surrounded by godless unbelievers who
scoffed at his work of building an immense boat.
Despite being a laughingstock, he maintained his
faith and toiled on year after year. Considering
his surroundings and the magnitude of the work
God called him to perform, he stands unsurpassed among all the characters of the Bible
in persistent faith. (This series will also help
prepare you to discern what is Biblically accurate
and what is “Hollywood” in the film, “Noah,” due
for theatrical release in late March).
In your group, take turns sharing a time when someone (no names,
please or something made you angry—angrier than ever before. Talk
about your feelings:
 Describe what went through your mind when you were angry
 Describe the physical sensations you experienced
Choose which of these words best describes how you experience anger,
and explain why: mad frustrated enraged upset p_____-off ticked
hot irritated annoyed bothered offended incensed wrathful
Now let’s think about God. He created a perfect world, formed the first
man and woman, and gave them “dominion” over everything, along
with complete freedom, reasoning skills, language, and creativity. He
gave them one rule about one tree. They rejected Him, chose evil, and
introduced sin with all its devastation upon God’s perfect creation.
Recalling our discussion about anger, try to describe how God must
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First in series
“Noah”
Week of 2/9/2014
have felt, especially since He already knew that this mess would cost
Him the life of His only-begotten Son:
Read Genesis 6:5-13 in order to respond to the following questions:
1. According to vs. 5, to what extent was evil the preoccupation of
people?
2. Compare this to Ecclesiastes 7:20 and Romans 3:10-12. Was this evil
inclination unique to the pre-flood world, or is it still true?
3. What does vs. 6 reveal about God’s reaction to this condition?
4. In vs. 7 God does not limit His wrath upon sin just to humans—He
decides to destroy everything that lives! (We may be thinking, Why
should all the animals suffer and die because of human sin? Why
should the earth itself get permanently scarred because of human
sin?). Read Romans 8:19-22. Does sin only corrupt human beings?
(See also Exodus 21:28). What other examples—ancient and
current—are there for all of nature suffering under the curse of sin?
5. Lutherans who memorized parts of Luther’s Small Catechism for
Confirmation instruction recall that the explanation of each of the
Commandments begins, “We should fear and love God…” Often the
word “fear” was somewhat softened to mean “respect,” “reverence,” or “awe.” But that doesn’t exclude the definition of fear as
“fright,” “being afraid” or even “terror.” Read Hebrews 10:31. What
is your reaction to this passage? Why?
6. So far in this lesson, the Law has dominated. But what Gospel is
there in Gen. 6:8?
The key to understanding Noah’s relationship with God and with the
people of his world is in vs. 9. Before we move on, we need to unpack
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First in series
“Noah”
Week of 2/9/2014
the meaning of vs. 9, which will help us apply the message of this lesson
to our own life. Three things are revealed about Noah in vs. 9:
1) Noah was a righteous man
2) [Noah was] blameless among the people
3) [Noah] walked with God
What made Noah “righteous?” The short answer is that he “walked
with God.” This righteousness cannot come about by human effort,
wisdom, or will-power. What do we learn from the following passages
about righteousness in God’s sight?
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Isaiah 64:6
Romans 3:10
Romans 3:20
Romans 4:3
Galatians 3:11
7. On the basis of these passages, what made Noah righteous?
This kind of righteousness, in Lutheran terminology, has several
different names. For our purposes we’ll stick with two of those names:
Vertical and passive. Vertical means that Noah was righteousness in
God’s sight. Passive means that he did nothing to earn it or deserve it.
God made him righteous, by grace, through faith.
8. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. How does this passage describe Noah?
The other aspect of how Gen. 6:9 describes Noah is that he was
“blameless” among the people. Once again, Lutheran theology gives us
a clear understanding of what this really means. “Blameless” is a
different Hebrew word than “righteous.” (Tzadik means righteous and
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First in series
“Noah”
Week of 2/9/2014
tamiym means blameless). Blameless, to be doctrinally accurate, means
to be a person of integrity; someone who does not cause public
scandal; a “good guy” in the eyes of other people. Lutherans have
words for this as well: It’s our horizontal or active righteousness. It’s
horizontal because it can never reach up to God. It reaches “out” to
people and to creation. Believers can choose to do the good works that
please God and serve others, not to get saved, but to show our love for
God and His creation. It’s an outward demonstration of an inward faith.
It what we are created and redeemed to do (Eph. 2:10). What do we
learn from the following passages about doing good works?
Deuteronomy 4:6-8
Matthew 12:33
Romans 12:1-2
Galatians 5:13-14
1 Peter 2:12
2 Peter 1:5-8
9. On the basis of these passages, what made Noah blameless?
10. Noah “walked with God.” The Hebrew of this passage communicates that Noah had a daily close personal relationship with God.
(Noah is called “preacher of righteousness” in 2 Pet. 2:5). This is the
basis for his vertical and horizontal righteousness. Describe how you
“walk with God.” How does your worship, devotional, and prayer life
strengthen you faith and motivate your good works?
11. Noah would probably not be considered “successful” as a
“preacher of righteousness,” since only he and his family were saved
from God’s wrath. But what can we learn from this?
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