Below are notes to a sermon preached Sunday evening, July 20, 2003, at Gospel Light Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia. For more outlines, including a zipped file of all of my 1999, 2000, and 2001 sermon outlines, click on the link at the bottom of this note, and go to our website:

THE INVITATION TO SALVATION

By Michael D. O'Neal                   Pastor, Gospel Light Baptist Church                    Albany, Georgia

Scripture Reading: Genesis 7:1-7

Text: Genesis 7:1

Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Introduction: Last Sunday morning I pointed out to you that the account of Noah's ark is not only a perfectly accurate record of God's dealings with men in the destruction of the earth by the flood, but that it is also a wonderful picture of New Testament salvation in several particulars.

This is one of those places in the Old Testament, hidden from the lost and from the carnal-minded believer, that testifies of the Lord Jesus Christ, even as He said:

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

It was probably one of the things Jesus talked about when He met with two of his discouraged disciples:

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Before we leave the beautiful pictures of our Lord in the study of Noah's ark, I want to focus on one aspect of it, found in our text. Tonight's message is titled,

THE INVITATION TO SALVATION

The second half of our text verse doesn't typify New Testament salvation, as we are made righteous after coming, not before we come to Christ. However, no Spirit-filled student of the New Testament scriptures can miss seeing that the invitation to Noah to come into the ark is much like the invitation to sinners to come to Jesus for salvation.

Observe four things about this invitation that are pictures of the invitation in the New Testament to come to the Savior for salvation, and let us rejoice once more in JESUS, the Ark of our Salvation!

I. THE INVITATION WAS UNIVERSAL

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

A. To the religious as well as to the pagan

B. To the rich as well as to the poor

C. To the respectable as well as to the pitiful

Much like this point, is another that I desire to make:

II. THE INVITATION WAS UNQUALIFIED

John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. (to a despised Samaritan woman)

John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

You did not have to pass a test. You did not have to prove you were qualified. All you had to do was to come!

A. It was a general call

B. It was a genuine call

C. It was a gracious call

  • "Just as I am, without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bid'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. I come!"
  • No price to pay
  • No plan to follow
  • No promises to make

III. THE INVITATION WAS UNDERSTANDABLE

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such isthe kingdom of heaven.

It's so understandable that little children can come.

A. It was clear

B. It was concise

C. It was a choice

IV. THE INVITATION WAS UNHEEDED

John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Genesis 7:7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

A. Because of pride

B. Because of pleasure

  • John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

C. Because of procrastination

  • Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix  trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
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