Talk about faith in action and you’re talking about Noah. In a world that was imploding because “the wickedness of man was great in the earth” . . . during an era when “every intention of the thoughts of man’s hearts was only evil continually” . . . at that point in history when “the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart” (Gen. 6:5-6) . . . it says that “Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD” (6:8). And I think it’s because Noah was a man who believed . . . for Noah was declared a righteous man (6:9a) . . . and God imputes righteousness to those of faith (Gen. 15:6). As such, Noah’s faith had feet as “Noah walked with God” (6:9b). And that walk turned into work . . . a lot of work. By faith Noah, believing God’s revelation concerning events never before experienced on earth, “in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household” . . . becoming “an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Heb. 11:7).

Noah the believer was Noah the builder. As I read the “blueprint” for the ark in Genesis this morning, I can’t help but be amazed at this “human” undertaking. Noah’s “favor in the sight of the LORD” turned into a fulltime job. Building the ark was a ton of work . . . work to prepare for something that was without precedence . . . an event that had never occurred before. And then to collect all the animals as God directed . . . that couldn’t have been any simple task. But repeated you read in the Genesis account that Noah did “as God commanded him.” Faith . . . resulting in favor. Imputed righteousness . . . bearing the fruit of obedience.

You gotta get jazzed, even if just a bit, by Noah.

But here’s the thing that grabbed me this morning . . . for all that Noah could do . . . for all the obedient effort he could put forth . . . it really amounted to nothing because there’s one thing he couldn’t do . . .

They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in.   (Genesis 7:15-16 ESV)

Noah could build the ark . . . Noah could fill the ark . . . Noah could get in the ark . . . but the ark would have just been a big glass of water had the LORD not closed the door to the ark.

I wonder if sometimes we can do all the right stuff . . . founded on the right beliefs . . . driven by the right motives . . . but somehow, at the end of the day, not give the right glory because we think we’re the ones who “closed the door.” If sometimes we can find favor . . . and then think we’re the ones who keep ourselves afloat. If sometimes we can faithfully steward the gift but lose sight that it was a gift and fail to give honor to the Giver.

Whatever I am by the grace of God this morning . . . whatever effort I have put forth in seeking to be obedient to His calling . . . it is because I am “in Christ” . . . and it is God alone who has “shut me in” in Christ. He did the calling . . . He did the regenerating . . . He devised the plan . . . He enabled the response . . . and by His grace alone, and for His glory alone, He shut me in.

Moreover, whatever failures I have had along the way . . . if I confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9) . . . because I am in Christ . . . the blood of Christ eternally sufficient to cleanse from all sin . . . the unfading righteousness of Christ placed as a garment upon me . . . the eternal grace of God surrounding me . . . because “the LORD shut him in.”

Praise be to God who has shut us in! Amen?