Then Noah Built an Altar

Genesis 8:20-22  Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination[a] of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

 Notice that the first thing that Noah does, on leaving the ark, is to build an altar, and to offer sacrifice. The first thing that he did after a grueling year floating was to pay this debt of gratitude so justly due to the God who had so wonderfully preserved him.

Noah built an altar for burnt sacrifice, to thank the Lord for His gracious protection, and pray for His mercy in time to come. This altar – מזבּח, lit., a place for the offering of slain animals,  is the first altar mentioned in history. 

Noah took his offerings from every clean beast and every clean fowl – from those animals he was commanded to bring aboard,  the seventh of every kind. “And God smelled the smell of satisfaction,” He graciously accepted the offering which rose to Him in the odor of the sacrificial flame. 

In the sacrificial flame the essence of the animal was resolved into vapor; so that when man presented a sacrifice, his heart ascended to God in the vapor, and the sacrifice brought the heart before God. This offering of gratitude for gracious protection, and of desire for further communications of grace, was well-pleasing to God. 

God “said to His heart’, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, because the thought and desire of man’s heart is evil from his youth up”. It was not because the thoughts and desires of the human heart are evil that God would not destroy any more every living thing; but because evil is innate in man, and for that very reason man needs the longsuffering mercy of God.

In the offering of Noah, not only were thanks presented for past protection, and entreaty for further care, but the desire of man was expressed, to remain in fellowship with God and a need for His guiding favor.

So God makes a promise- so long as the earth shall continue, the regular alternation of day and night and of the seasons of the year would never be interrupted again. What does this mean to us and how can we apply it?

#1 Noah built an altar

Noah stepped out of the Ark and into a desolate and unknown world, where, one might have thought, his first act would have been to build a house for himself, but he begins with building an altar for God. Think on this. 

When we started the church, we didn’t build our house until the Lord’s house was built.

Haggai 1:2-11

2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this [a]temple to lie in ruins?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough;
You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the [b]temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

 

Consider your ways.

When you look at your life and where you are at, what is going on with you, whether you have enough and your needs are met, or you are scraping the bowl for leftovers; God is telling you tonight to “consider your ways”.

You are either building His kingdom or building your own kingdom. This means- who are you putting first? Are you building around the principles and laws of God? Or according to what you want? Are you honoring the Lord?

Matthew 6:33 New King James Version

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

 

Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays in honor of the “lord’s day”

McDonald’s makes significantly more money overall than Chick-fil-A because it has a much larger number of locations and a larger total revenue. However, Chick-fil-A generates substantially more revenue per individual restaurant than McDonald’s. 

Total Revenue: McDonald’s annual revenue is much higher due to its vast number of global locations, with 2024 revenue reported at $25.92 billion. In comparison, Chick-fil-A’s 2023 systemwide sales in the United States were around $22 billion. This is only a difference of 4 billion

Revenue Per Location: Chick-fil-A’s average revenue per store is more than double that of McDonald’s, with estimates around $9.4 million per non-mall location in 2023, compared to McDonald’s average of about $4 million per location

Thus, if Chick fil A had as many locations as McDonald’s they would have a revenue of twice that of Mc D’s. 

It is clear that this company has been blessed if only because they honor the Lord’s day. This preaches a message to those who are listening. 

Honor the Lord and He will honor you. Honor the Lord’s day. Honor with the tithe. Honor His house and His servants. There is a double honor for the pastors who labor in the Word. 

If you are building His kingdom, He will take care of you. But if you are building your kingdom, you will be on your own and you will find yourself fighting God, making money only to put it into a garment with holes. Consider your ways.

It is true, we can fall on hard times- but there is difference between wilderness living and promised land living. I believe that you can live in the wilderness and if you truly have faith, you will be in heaven; but why would you want to? Promised land living is a life of victory. It is a life of overcoming the enemy, little by little. It is a life of the favor of the Lord. 

It does not mean you will be a millionaire, or that you will not suffer, or that there will not be lean times- but those who put God and His kingdom first are ALWAYS abundantly provided for. ALWAYS.

Above all, we are not in chaos, confusion and turmoil like others who bang their heads against the wall while trying to build their own kingdom.

#2 Noah built from a humble heart of gratitude

The first thing done in the new world was an act of gratitude. God had just saved Noah and his family from destruction. Noah got saved and he was grateful for his salvation. He could never repay God for keeping him through the destruction, but he could express to God how thankful he was.

I don’t think you are even saved if you are not a grateful person.

You are not where you are because you got there on your own. Not only did you have help from others along the way, He gave you life. He gave you breath. He gave you arms and legs. He gave you a brain. He gave you the ability to be successful.

1 Corinthians 4:7 New King James Version

7 For who [a]makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

 

Give Him praise! Do you know why I worship like I do? It is not for you. I never want to forget what He saved me from. I owe Him my praise and worship. Ex: TWC

He also saved you when you could never have saved yourself. 

I know many people that give God lip service-they talk good Christianese, they make some good FB posts, go on a mission trip, they like to serve and give, lift their hands in worship, even go to the altar; but their hearts are far from Him. Israel even gave God lip service, but their hearts were not connected to their praise.

Matthew 15:7-9 New King James Version

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people [a]draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

 

Like in the animal sacrifice, the heart goes up as a sweet smell to the Lord. Your heart must be connected to your worship. Otherwise, it is meaningless words we are singing. You might as well be singing Metallica. It is all the same. A clanging gong. Just noise.

He did not save you so you could live for yourself and build your own kingdom. He saved you so you would be His, you would be in fellowship with Him, you would live for Him, walk with Him, obey Him and build His kingdom. 

Philippians 1:20-21 New King James Version

20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

 

Romans 12:1 I beseech[a] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [b]reasonable service.

You have something to be grateful for! If you are alive, and HE saved you from your sins, be thankful! If you are stuck in your mind tonight and find yourself complaining, go back to the cross.

Stop looking at what you don’t have, and look at the blessings HE has given you. 

#3 God was well pleased with Noah’s sacrifice. 

God reveals that we can please Him-

God was pleased with Abel’s offering and not with Cain’s because Abel brought the “firstborn of his flock and their fat portions” with faith, while Cain’s offering was of lesser quality and he lacked faith. God favored Abel’s sacrifice because it was made with a heart of obedience and faith, whereas Cain’s was not.

Enoch pleased God by living a life of faith and walking with Him daily. His close relationship with God was characterized by faithful obedience and a life set apart from the wickedness of the world. The Bible states that he “walked with God” and that God “took him away,” signifying that he pleased God to the extent that he did not experience death

God was pleased with Job, describing him as a man who was “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil”. God even “bragged” about Job to Satan.

God was pleased with David because of his heart of repentance, his genuine devotion to God, and his willingness to obey God’s commands. Despite his sins, David consistently sought God’s forgiveness, was a dedicated and diligent servant, and demonstrated deep reverence for God’s law and Word

God was pleased with Solomon’s offerings, particularly his prayer for wisdom to rule his people justly. God responded by granting him wisdom, understanding, and also the riches and honor he did not ask for, stating that no king before or after him would compare. Years later, during the dedication of the temple, Solomon offered a vast number of sacrifices, which were also consumed by fire from heaven, indicating God’s acceptance and approval. 

Scripture reveals that our lives and actions can be well pleasing to the Lord, as long as they are motivated by faith in Him.

Hebrews 11:6 New King James Version

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

Good news! You can please God. I don’t know about you, but I long to hear the words, “well done, good and faithful servant”. My desire is to live a life pleasing to Him. That HE looks from heaven and says, “that’s my daughter!” 

 

But it is not our works that please God- it is our faith in Him, and the work then flows from a heart that trusts in Him. Noah built an altar in faith. 

 

In our life of faith and trust in Him, we act on that faith and we can expect that God will answer our prayers with good things. Why build an altar if there is no expectation of God to receive it? Faith without action is dead faith. 

WE pray expecting. Why do you pray if you do not believe that God hears and HE will answer?

WE no longer give an animal sacrifice. Christ’s blood atoned for our sins. But we still have altars of sacrifice. There is a sacrifice of praise and prayer. Our prayers are the beautiful fragrance of sacrifice that rises to the throne of God.

Revelation 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

 

 The verse emphasizes the value and significance of our prayers to God, signifying that the prayers of believers are a fragrant, acceptable offering that is heard and treasured in heaven. The scene from heaven emphasizes the direct connection between earthly prayer and heavenly response.

Prayer makes you famous only in the eyes of ONE. There is only one field of service that has no snares, and that is the field of sitting still at the Master’s feet, in humble submission and prayer. All other fields of service have the glorious but risky snare of publicity. Prayer has not. Now adays, everyone wants to be famous- Youtube, tiktok, other social media platforms, prophets, etc.

A man of God told me this- the evangelist and the old woman died and went to heaven

We limit our praying because we are not assured of our confidence in Him. 

#4 God is faithful to His Promise.

“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

And so God makes a promise to mankind because of the sacrificial actions of one man-

In His great love and mercy, God graciously declared he never would drown the world again. As long as the earth remains, God will cause the course of times and seasons to go on. And on this word we can depend. We see God’s promises to all creation made good, and we may infer that his promises to all believers shall be so.

Not all men are faithful to do what they say they will do- but not God. DO not put that on Him. He has kept the seasons for thousands of years. No matter what they say about global warming or the ice age- God has kept the seasons. He keeps everyday. The sun is faithful to rise in the morning and the moon is faithful to come out at night.

The days and seasons are constant reminders that God keeps His Word. WE can trust Him to do what HE said HE will do. As surely as the sun will rise- God will do it. WE serve a faithful God who is faithful in all His ways.