God's Merciful Grace

Most of us have watched a Billy Graham crusade on TV and saw hundreds of people responding to the invitation to receive Jesus as their Saviour at the end of his sermon.
What do those hundreds of people do after that prayer of commitment. Their decision hopefully was based upon repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls. Not because of anything they did but by placing their faith in God's Grace.
Was their next day different? It should have been all new. 
God begins a work of Grace in a converts life. This is seen differently in different people, but all with the same ultimate goal.

2Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Grace comes before works.
Salvation is only the first step of Grace in a faith walk with Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Each day we come closer to the day that we will stand before our Lord. Until that day, we have the opportunity to learn more about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to walk in the light of His Word.
Unless you already know all there is to know about Him and His Word.
I think even Billy Graham would tell you he is still learning more about Jesus.
Our spiritual growth will depend upon our knowledge of God. Often times growth might be in baby steps.
Now there is nothing wrong with being a baby Christian except remaining a baby Christian.
I have seen many baby Christians that should already be mature or maturing.
There is a song that has a line "He's still working on me"
How do we mature in Christ?

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Let the Word of God have dominion in your life.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

We can also learn a lot by looking at some of the Saints of old. Like Noah. 
Noah found GRACE before he built the ark.

Gen.6:5    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.
Gen.6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen.6:7 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.
Gen.6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

In this age of evil we have today, we too have found Grace in the eyes of the LORD.
The Grace we have received has been through faith in Christ Jesus and what He did for us.

Ephesians 2:8    For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9    Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Noah stood alone in the world of old. He walked with God

Gen.6:9    These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Gen.6:10   And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Gen.6:11   The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Gen.6:12   And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Gen.6:13   And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Gen.6:14    Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
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God called upon Noah to be obedient. God designed the ark Noah built it.
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Gen.6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

I have wondered how did Noah find Grace in the eyes of the Lord, was he sinless, no, all have sinned
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations
He walked with God, he talked with God, he believed God, he obeyed God.
God's grace can and will see us through our daily trials as it did with Noah.
Noah's faith overcame doubts.
Noah's faith overcame temptations.
Noah's faith overcame ridicule.
Noah's faith overcame weariness.
Noah's faith overcame the burden of the task

God's grace enabled Noah to fulfill God's commands.

What if Noah said, "let someone else do it"  ( God called Noah, He gave him all he needed)
What if Noah had said this job is just too much for me to do. ( God will never give you a task without the ability to do it)

The ark of Noah was the fruit of his faith in God.
You could say the ark was God's Grace working in and through Noah.
If we walk by the Spirit of God we will demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit.
Noah's salvation was the design of God.
God used Noah's obedience to build the instrument of salvation for mankind.
Only God could design salvation for Noah and for us.

The ark that Noah built was like a type of Christ.
The ark was the only way to escape the flood.
Perhaps that ark was made of wood and nails.
Didn't our salvation come by way of a wooden cross and 3 nails?
As Noah's ark was the only hope from the flood, so Christ is the only hope and way to heaven.
Amen