Crazy Man on a Dry Hill:

Seventh-day Adventists in the End-Time

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Larry Kirkpatrick  Preached at Mentone, CA Joint Meeting of the Price, Moab, and Castle Valley Seventh-day Adventist Churches at Moab.OH: 229 All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name * Scripture Reading: Genesis 6:9 * CH: 595 Let Every Lamp be Burning

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Genesis 6:9

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God

All do not hail the power of Jesus name. They don't in our day, they didn't in Jesus' own day, nor did they in Noah's day. But angels did; they fell prostrate in worship to Him, bowing knees in glory, declaring "holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:3). What have these angels seen that provoke the acceptance of His Kingship and cause the poured-out praises? And why does the end linger? Why hasn't Jesus come for the grand finale? The answers that the Bible proposes to these questions are very worthy of our attention this morning. Please turn along with me, to Genesis six. There is a reason why we open the doors of our churches in every corner of the world. there is a reason why we set up schools and evagnelistic centers, and why we don't throw in with just any generic religious group.

The Flood in Noah's Day Previewed Events in Ours

God is in the habit of giving previews to His people. Amos 3:7 informs us of God's operating procedure: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets." That is, first He reveals what's coming, and then it comes. Sometimes these are explicit prophetic predictions. Other times they are types, or previews of what is coming. When we consider the story of the flood, we see one of these previews: an event was then foretold when "probation" would close for the world, the gospel would to be preached to a planet under judgment, the world was then to be as good as destroyed, and God's people were to be saved. Today it is the same. Therefore, we can learn from the examples and stories in the Bible that describe what has happened before us. In fact, the story of Noah, in particular from among all of the stories in the book of Genesis, parallels our time, and contains some of the strongest insights into our own position, dangers, conflicts, and final deliverance. In the story of the flood, we have a true record of what then happened, and a preview of what is yet to come. Here we find a situation that must have been pretty appalling to God. He had offered to humankind a tremendous world and a totally fulfilling life; but He watched it all come to a grinding halt at the tree. In the garden of Eden man fell into a hole so deep only God could ever lift him back out. The Creator then promised a Redeemer. He would send His Son to die for fallen man. But as He looked on He saw men turned away, seeking to make for themselves a name, to make themselves a world, even to make for themselves a religion—apart from Him. Now He purposes to wash it all away. It looks bleak, almost hopeless. Satan must have thought that he was doing pretty well in his conflict with God. What was heaven's analysis? Genesis 6:5 tells: "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." The devil must have thought, "If He would end this thing right now, I would win." And we would have to admit, the evidence seemed to be stacking up all on Satan's side. He had urged that his way was the best way to run the universe. He had, after the fall, exploited to the hilt the then-weakened nature of man. With but a tiny push from Satan and his demon horde, soon the human race could almost be imagined as his own private army of anti-witnesses against God. Could it be that God was on the verge of loosing the great controversy right there? But then, when everything looked its darkest, something different happened. Verse 8: "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Now some would have us to believe that in His desperation God high-handedly forked over an emergency barrel full grace to Noah—that He somehow counted or "imputed" to Noah qualities that Noah didn't really have; or that God just arbitrarily chose Noah (you know, eenie-meenie-minie-mo) and slapped an emergency patch onto His leaking plan of salvation. But it isn't so. Read the description of Noah with me in Genesis 6:9. What does it say there? "Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

A Just Man

Now let's be clear. Noah was a fallen human being, just like everyone else—just like you and I. Yet God does not attribute here a make-believe—"I sure wish Noah was really this way"—quality to him. No. But God says plainly, "Noah was a just man." That is, Noah was truly different than the rest of the crowd who were wicked and whose thoughts were only evil continually. But he had their nature. How was he different? God's grace has power to overrule our nature. Remember Romans 7:25? If we let the fleshly nature rule us, we will live in opposition to God, because "to be carnally minded is death" (Romans 8:6). But if we let God abide with us, then our mind can serve the law of God. And that's just what Noah did. Listen to this from Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 90:

Amid the corruption of that degenerate age, Noah was a pleasure to his Creator . . . We are living in the last days of this earth's history, in an age of sin and corruption, and like Noah we are to so live that we shall be a pleasure to God. . .

Does it seem bizarre that somehow God could look down upon your life and mine and say to Himself, "Amid all the wickedness that covers the earth, it sure gives Me pleasure that ______ is truly living for Me."

Perfect in His Generations

In fact, the biblical description gets even more politically-incorrect, when it says not only that Noah was a just man, but that he was "perfect in his generations." Now to go over all of that would take more time than we have today. But we can surely say this: whatever it means, we mustn't just throw it out because the mention of "perfection" is out of vogue; the term is altogether biblical. Noah was "perfect in his generations." Your marginal reference will say "blameless." That's interesting, because when the 144,000 are described in Revelation 14:5, it says that they are "without fault" before the throne of God. Now, that is "without fault" in reference to the throne of God. That's also to be blameless, isn't it? Because this is talking about being without fault in reference to morality, and God's throne involves His government which is preeminently moral. Friends, which is which: being blameless, or being without fault before the throne of God? Is there really much difference? Certainly, someone who is blameless is without fault. Noah pleased God. Oh, yes, Noah had a ruined human nature just like we do, but because he lived God's way, He was able to please him in spite of his weakened humanity. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit, and he took hold of God's strength through the Holy Spirit. It can be the same for us.

Walking With God

Again, Noah is described as a person who "walked with God." And isn't that the essence of what being a Christian is about, both then and now? In the end-time, God has a people who walk with Him. He describes them in Revelation 14:4 as those who "Follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth." They are people who set everything that hinders aside, and walk with God. Yes. That makes them like Noah. See, the flood was a preview; it was the great controversy in miniature. The world came to an abrupt end, so to speak. The lost were lost; the followers of God were preserved. What did the angels see? They saw God glorified in His people. Noah and a tiny handful of humanity stood up on God's side. They were willing to be identified by the jeering crowds with "a crazy man on a dry hill." But that crazy man was not crazy, and the hill did not stay dry. Not indefinitely. Oh, they must have laughed for almost the full 120 years. But when the ripping roar of thunder split the sky, and dark clouds whipped into view from out of nowhere, and the first giant splotches of rain broke on the ground, it was too late. The crazy man on the dry hill was safely enfolded in the ark with his family. And with God.

Then and Now

But what's interesting, friends, is that God didn't close the great controversy right there, did He? No! Yes, the angels had seen God glorified in His people, but there weren't very many of them. A handful of people living God's way might be nothing more than a fluke. Noah's obedience, his life of walking with God might just be a strange blip, a mere fact of genetic mutation, in a pattern that otherwise seemed to show that humankind preferred Satan's ways. You see, God wasn't finished with His demonstration. He was just beginning. And so 4000 more years have followed. For 4000 years Satan and God have—through their people—demonstrated what their governments are like to an intently watching universe. And for those millenia the battle has ebbed and flowed back and forth. And shifting now, to the end-times—to our times—we find God, raising up a people. Because He insists on demonstrating to the universe through a whole family of last-day people, what His grace and His gospel can do. And although, like Israel, we are the least of all peoples, still, we are His people for this time. Listen to this, from Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 102:

Before the flood, God sent Noah to warn the world, that the people might be led to repentance, and thus escape the threatened destruction. As the time of Christ's second appearing draws near, the Lord sends His servants with a warning to the world to prepare for that great event. Multitudes have been living in transgression of God's law, and now He in mercy calls them to obey its sacred precepts. All who will put away their sins by repentance toward God and faith in Christ are offered pardon.

Did you catch that? "As the time of Christ's second appearing draws near, the Lord sends His servants with a warning to the world to prepare for that great event." He doesn't send just His "missionaries," or just His "pastors"—He sends His servants all. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but just about all of us in this sanctuary have asked for Jesus to be our personal Savior. And that means that just about all of us in this sanctuary have also identified ourselves as His servants. And that has giant consequences. But Noah wasn't the only crazy man on a dry hill. You see, because along came Jesus...

Along Came Jesus

Jesus and Noah shared a variety of similarities. Jesus was a striking, stark figure. He amazed everyone who He came into contact with. They either melted in His presence, or hardened, but there were no half-way opinions about Him in Jerusalem, from the early part of His ministry to its very end. And what an end! Because, unlike Noah or any of us, Jesus was also God. He came with all the riches of His divine character, entered broken humanity, endured temptation, reset the truths of God and returned them to freshness and purity. He reintroduced God's truth in all its beauty such that itcondemned and condemned and condemns all false religion. But above all, He went up on the hill Golgotha. For us. "He saved others; Himself He cannot save." Matthew 27:42. So said the chief priests, scribes, and elders. Remember, they had come to Him and would have made Him king. But Jesus' kingdom? It was not of this world. To them, He was only a crazy man. The idea that he was insane was mentioned more than once (Mark 3:21; John 10:20). But if He was crazy, He was crazy like Noah. He poured out His soul to reach others. Up on the hill Golgotha He poured out more than Noah or any of us could ever pour out. He had more He could to pour out. He was God. He gave His life for our lives. Aren't you glad He did? And when He comes at last, He will see of the reward of His suffering, the purchase of His blood, and He will be satisfied. He will see His people, in large churches and small, in the highways and in the byways. And He will be pleased. Because like Noah, you and I—by His grace—turned to Him, and served Him, and walked with Him; we joined His family. How glad He will be to welcome us home! And how glad we will be to be there at last! Jesus was faithful. He fully and completely lived the law. He never sinned. But again, Satan has an argument that he can pull out of his hat. Remember, he doesn't have to present clear evidence—he just has to present arguments that are plausible. And he has one even for Jesus. Don't you think he could say, "Oh, yes. Jesus obeyed. But He was God. What did you expect?" Jesus certainly proved that man can obey. But God is going to remove every possible wrinkle of doubt so that sin will never rise up again in this universe.

Heaven's Attention is Now Centered On Us

And that, incredible as it may sound, is where we come in. God wants to finish off the whole conflict by presenting before the universe a people who are crazy like Noah: who have become just, blameless, and walkers-with-God. This message is more than a fascinating set of truths. Inspiration says that these messages "are to ripen the harvest of the earth, either as sheaves for the heavenly garner or as fagots for the fires of destruction" (Great Controversy, 341-342). The effect of "the closing message" is to "to ripen the harvest of the earth." While some hear and are hardened, others hear and receive the messages. They invite and receive the work of the Holy Spirit into their hearts and in the battle with evil they are victorious. Sin is put away at last. You see, in his day, Noah lived for God. In consequence, he was viewed as a crazy man on a dry hill. That is, until the rains came, and the end for the those who refused to recognize the God of heaven. And in Jesus day, He was viewed as a crazy Man on a dry hill—a shooting-star who died a needless death on a pointless cross. That is, until He rose from the dead, and the early Christians rejoiced day by day in the temple about it (Luke 24:52-53). He had opened the door of salvation for them and for us and for a doomed world. And finally, here we stand, at the end of time, at the nexus of all history and meaning, and to some of our friends and to some of our relatives, and maybe to some of our immediate family members, it is as if we are like a crazy man on a dry hill—a group of hyper-religious zealots taking spiritual things too seriously. But it will all end sometime, won't it? And we know that the end is here. It has been hanging-fire (as it were) for 150 years. No, now is not the time to step down from God's high mission and decide that we are just another grey option—just another generic church among all other generic churches. We have a mission, here, right here in Southern California. Our mission is to let our God make us "just" people, "perfect" or "blameless" if you will; in essence, to make us into "walkers-with-God." Then the angels will not only see God glorified in His people, but finally, the end will come. Some people don't think that smaller churches matter. But I believe that of all the places where the Spirit of God can catch fire in our soul and change us most quickly, it is in smaller, closer-knit church families like this. And you know what's interesting? We become more like Jesus by reaching out, and working for the salvation of others. That's how we'll become walkers-with-God. That's the hard, clear, practical, bottom line. And so we are asked to share the goodness of God toward us, with others; and there are practical ways. What better time than now to renew our efforts to share with others the love that God has shared with us? Look here at just a handful of our options. We can:

• Pray for specific persons
• Live justly before our friends and relatives and watch for ripening opportunities to share our faith
• Keep literature with us in our cars and give it out as we have opportunity
• Invite people to church
• Open our homes for small, informal Bible-study meetings
• Support the meetings of the church
• Study God's last message of mercy to the world and become clearer in how to give it

Those are just a few things we can do. Our lights may brighten their burning, and you and I can be ready for our Lord's returning. May Mentone church so let its lights shine, so that those in our area can discover Jesus, and we can soon all go home to glory. And if, friends, we are identified as being crazy along the way, that's O.K. We are standing in good company.