THE ARK OF SALVATION

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MEETING AGENDA

  1. OPENING PRAYER – Ask one person to open the meeting in prayer.
  2. GROWTH QUESTIONS – Ask everyone the Growth Questions.
  3. ATTENDANCE – Take attendance through the DG Attendance System.
  4. TODAY’S LESSON – Go over this week’s DG lesson.
  5. GIVING – Encourage everyone to give on the App.
  6. CLOSING PRAYER – Ask for prayer requests and pray.

GROWTH QUESTION #1

Who would like to share a highlight, praise report, or testimony from this week?

GROWTH QUESTION #2

What did you learn from this week’s sermon?

GROWTH QUESTION #3

What was your most important accomplishment this week?

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Genesis 6:9–22 (NLT)
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!14 “Build a large boat[a] from cypress wood[b] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[d] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper. 17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

Opening QUESTION

What stood out to you from the passage we just read?

TRUTH #1

WITHOUT GOD, WE ARE CORRUPT

  • Noah stood out because he “walked faithfully with God” while everyone else lived in corruption. This shows us that walking with God always separates us from the world.
  • The “earth was corrupt and full of violence.” This sounds like today's world: full of corruption, violence, evil, and ultimately SIN.
  • Sin doesn’t just affect individuals; it corrupts families, societies, and cultures. Without God, everything decays.
  • The root of corruption is disobedience to God’s Word. When people ignore His commands, sin multiplies and judgment follows.

Romans 1:28–29 (NLT) – “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness…”

  • We must examine our own lives and ask ourselves if we're walking with God like Noah, or drifting with culture like the rest of the world.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

What do you see in your own life? Are you walking with God, or are you drifting towards the corruption of the world?

TRUTH #2

THE ARK REPRESENTS JESUS

  • God provided a way of salvation for Noah and his family in the form of an ark. In the same way, God provides salvation today through Jesus Christ.
  • There weren’t multiple arks, there was only one. Likewise, there aren’t many ways to God, but only one way: Jesus.
  • The ark was covered inside and out with pitch (a sealing substance). The Hebrew word for pitch is related to the word for “atonement.” Just like the ark was sealed, our lives are sealed by the blood of Jesus.
  • Only those inside the ark survived. Only those who are “in Christ” will escape judgment.

Acts 4:12 (NLT) – “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

John 10:9 (NLT) – “I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.”

  • The ark wasn’t just a boat, it was a prophetic picture pointing us to Jesus. You're either hidden in Christ, or still outside, trying to survive judgment on your own.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

What does it mean to be “in Christ” today, just like Noah was “in the ark” back then?

TRUTH #3

WE MUST DIE TO LIVE

  • The flood destroyed the old, sinful world. This points to our need to die to our old lives in order to walk in new life with Christ.
  • Baptism symbolizes this truth: we go down into the water (death to sin) and rise again to new life in Christ.
  • Noah’s obedience was the difference between life and death. He built for years, even when people mocked him, because he trusted God’s word.
  • True faith shows up in obedience. It’s not enough to just hear God’s word... we must act on it.
  • Just as the ark was lifted above the waters of judgment, those who are in Christ will be saved from eternal judgment.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) – “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Romans 6:11 (NLT) – “So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

  • To truly live, we must die. Die to sin, die to self, die to the old ways and receive our new life in Christ.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

What part of your old life did you have to “die to” when you gave your life to Jesus?

CLOSING QUESTION

What did you learn today that you can apply to your life this week?

GIVING

When believers give to support the work of the gospel, it has eternal value and comes with an eternal reward.

Philippians 4:15-17 (NLT) 

15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.

Encourage everyone to give their tithes and offerings.

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PRAY

QUESTION #1

Who are you praying for to be saved?

QUESTION #2

Who can you invite to the next meeting?

QUESTION #3

What are your prayer requests?