In 2 Peter 2:5 Peter’s words concerning Noah in the verses above lead us to the same FIVE APPLICATION POINTS that Peter wished to convey to these dear suffering saints in the first century church in his first letter:
•Christians looking at Noah: Must expect opposition.
•Christians looking at Noah: Must serve God by faith and not by sight.
•Christians looking at Noah: Must realize that we can have joy because the victory is certain. We do this because our identity is in God’s faithfulness and not our effort.
•Christians looking at Noah: Must understand the importance of identifying with baptism and our death to self-centeredness and trust in only God.
•Christians looking at Noah: Must realize that Jesus is the only reason we are still breathing earthly air as God wants us to be a “living hope” to everyone we meet.
The examples are meant to give invaluable instruction to the place and position of the Christian amid dark times. Church history is full of reminders that God’s people will go through difficult times that will shrink our number. God has not called us to popularity, a life of ease. He has not called us to be like the world system He has called us out of it, He has called us to be different. Peter’s words serve not only the generation that he was writing to, but to every generation and every believer that God’s spirit shall not always strive with man (Gen. 6:3) Noah was surrounded by “iniquity” a generation of billions of people where there were only 8 on the planet that walked with God. Where would those 8 souls have been if they sought to be like the world? Where would they have been if they sought to be popular with their neighbors?
For 120 years Noah’s hammer preached the gospel that the world refused to listen to and only mocked it’s knocking. We can and must expect severe testing of our faith that will alone determine if we truly believe what we say we believe.