Introduction

Hello, everyone. This week, I am preaching the third message in the series Imitating the Great Men of Faith. I believe imitation is especially important. Over the past years, I have been quietly learning by imitation. In truth, I have longed for a great teacher, a master, to guide me. Regrettably, life has been quite a struggle. Yet the outcome has not been too bad. I wanted a great teacher, but later I discovered that the great teachers are all in the Bible.

Some speak of returning to orthodoxy. But where exactly are we returning to? To Martin Luther? To John Calvin? To John Wesley? After hearing all this, I felt that something was not right. It was not a return to what is right; it was a return to what is crooked. Why should we go back to Martin Luther? We ought to return to Jesus Christ. That is the right course.

Therefore, to imitate Jesus Christ and to imitate the Apostle Paul—that is our vision and mission. Later, I discovered that the great men in the Bible are truly remarkable. Thus, we began this series, Imitating the Great Men of Faith.

This message is the third in the series: Noah, the great Noah. Yet some people think poorly of Noah. Those who like to pick faults will say: “Look, Noah drank wine and got drunk. He lay naked, and when he awoke, he cursed his youngest son.” If that is all you see, then there is nothing for us to imitate.

But then I thought: perhaps Noah simply felt happy one day, remembered to drink some wine, and drank too much. When people drink, they say, “Come, let us celebrate. Bottoms up!” Noah was happy too, and drank too much. But I thought further: Noah knew how to live. That is something we can imitate. A little wine in ordinary days is not a bad thing. He knew how to enjoy life. He was joyful. Surely the project had gone well, and he drank a little too much in celebration. The Bible says that wine makes glad the heart of man. That is indeed true.

So we should imitate Noah—but certainly not his drunkenness, his nakedness, and being seen by his children. Yet why does the Bible record such an unsightly matter about a great man of faith? It was not because getting drunk and lying naked made him great. He was great because he had faith. Brothers and sisters, let us imitate men of faith. People with faith are good people.

From Genesis chapter 1 to chapter 11, three entire chapters are devoted to Noah. Let me tell you: Noah was an extraordinary man. Think about it. In that age, he built a huge ship. The matter is this: he did not live by the sea. He built an enormous ship on a mountain. What kind of man was this? A very capable man.

I tell you, he was a man who got things done. When a man gets things done, God does not mind if he drinks a little wine to celebrate. God is not overly concerned about such things. For Noah was righteous in the eyes of God. Noah was blameless in the eyes of God. You may ask, “How could a blameless man still do this?” Let us put that aside for now. Let us return to Noah’s faith.

One thing has greatly puzzled me. Among the people I have served over the years, the hardest to serve are those who have accomplished nothing. They are already advanced in years, yet whatever they do, they cannot even avoid doing it wrongly. It is exhausting. Later, I discovered why they make a mess of everything. Whatever they produce looks distorted and misshapen. The reason is simple: they have no faith.

Without faith, how can one become righteous? Without faith, how can God be with him? How can he be said to walk with God? Those who accomplish nothing are particularly difficult to serve, for one simple reason: they have no faith to put things into practice. You may undertake a project, but there is no project without problems. Anyone who has done projects knows that every project produces all manner of complications. You have to deal with them.

The process will certainly be troubling. How do you resolve that trouble? Faith. With faith, you are not troubled. Without faith, you are troubled. Those who accomplish nothing are basically people without faith. Without faith, everything is ruined. If you have faith, I tell you, when you encounter a problem, you persist and keep thinking. Then—bang!—the problem is solved. Every problem solved is the fruit of faith.

Some things are being done for the first time. Noah built a great ship on a mountain. How was he going to get it to the sea? Tell me, how could he move it to the sea? It could not be moved down. Would that not have become the joke of the age? I tell you, Noah was not a shipbuilder by trade. After the flood, Noah went back to farming. Noah was a farmer, not a fisherman.

Had Noah been a fisherman living by the sea, building a boat would have been normal. But he built a huge ship. The first time, you have to get it right. That is exceedingly difficult. God told him to build an ark. It was a major crossing of professional boundaries. A farmer who had never fished went to build a ship. That was impressive—very impressive.

Noah spent 120 years building it. He made one section, one module. Then he stacked them together. One side stuck out; another side came up short. The entire thing came out crooked and mismatched. It would not fit. So he started over: measured again and made it again. Would you still have faith? Would you say, “God, why did You make me do it wrong?” Then you throw the blame up to heaven, and in an instant God becomes the one at fault. You blame others because you do not want to say, “I got it wrong. I must get it right.”

It was Noah’s first time building a ship. Was it not normal to get it wrong the first time? We do not even know where he found the materials. It was not easy. Anyone who gets things done does so by faith. A person without faith cannot persist until the job is finished.

I too have had many firsts. The first time I renovated a house, I did many foolish things. I did not know how to do them. But when it was finished, it looked quite good. Other people built cabinets without visible nails. When I built cabinets, the nail holes were all exposed. Others knew how to apply veneer; I did not. But to renovate a house until it became livable—that was the result of faith. Put some filler into the nail holes, paint over them, and it is fine. It was my first time. My expectations were not high.

Therefore, let me tell you: accomplishing nothing is not because you have a low IQ or a poor brain. It is because you have no faith. Children who do poorly in school also lack faith. Without faith, how can God be with them? Without God’s presence, demons will certainly be present. Their minds become filled with all kinds of lies, and they come to believe they are stupid.

By faith, believe that there is nothing wrong with your mind. You have no defect. Look at yourself: you look reasonably human, with one nose and two eyes; you have not lost your arms or legs. You may have put on quite a bit of flesh, but that is still an advantage. Even if you look like a gas cylinder, it does not matter. Your mind can still work.

With faith, there will always be things you do for the first time. Our God is a God who does new things. It does not matter if it is your first time. The Bible records Noah building the ark, but it does not record Noah praying about it. This has puzzled me.

Recently, our church underwent a major reform. We have no full-time co-workers. Those who do renovation should do renovation. Those who develop software should develop software. If you can sell something, sell something. If you can pitch a tent, pitch a tent. You may ask, “Then how do we serve?” I discovered that this business of praying and preaching all day long did not exist in Noah’s time.

In the days of Noah and Abraham, in the generation of great men of faith, it did not exist. Who had it? The Pharisees had it. The Pharisees prayed and preached. Later, I also discovered that if one prays and preaches all day, yet has no ability to do practical work, one cannot build the church well. Look carefully: David built the temple; Moses built the tabernacle; Solomon built his palace and the temple. They were all builders. Either they did construction or renovation.

We do not know whether Noah’s ark looked like some of the places I renovated, with nail holes everywhere. But it floated and did not leak. So why is there no record of Noah praying somewhere? Do you not find that strange? It is indeed strange. There is very little of it.

Yet when we imitate Jesus Christ, we must pray. When we imitate the Apostle Paul, we must pray. But here is the point: Jesus was the son of a carpenter, and Paul was a tentmaker. Yet they built the church extremely well. Because whenever you do things, you will certainly encounter problems. Praying and preaching may give you calluses on your knees, but they do not solve the other problems.

Therefore, when we imitate faith, prayer itself does not necessarily represent faith. Prayer that comes from faith is effective. But if you do not believe, then praying and putting on a show are meaningless. It is a remarkable thing. So we imitate faith.

Recently, a brother or sister among us wrote a testimony. He used to believe strongly in his own prayers. In fact, he was not believing in God.

He said, “Teacher, I prayed for three hours. Why did it still not work?” I asked, “Did you believe while you were praying?” He said, “Not really.” I said, “Then why did you pray for so long if you did not believe?” He replied, “I thought that if I prayed, then...” I said, “Your faith is built upon your prayer. It is not built upon the power of God. You do not believe in God’s power; you believe in your own prayer.” In the end, the whole thing went badly wrong.

Are there people among us who have gone wrong in this matter? You think, “I prayed. Why did my prayer not work?” When can faith be tested? When you build an ark. When you make an ark. You must understand: doing things is important. If you can get things done, that faith is real. Never assume that the descendants of Cain can get things done while we must make a mess of them.

Never assume that the descendants of Cain have become founders of every trade while we must be sloppy and incompetent in every trade. No. If you do according to God’s will, it is not about holding a position. It is about doing the task beautifully.

Therefore, I believe the church must once again encourage everyone to practise faith at work, practise faith in life, practise faith in projects, practise faith in sales, and practise faith in healing the sick and casting out demons. You must become a person who gets things done. If you do things carelessly but pray loudly, you may sound impressive, but when real trouble comes, you collapse at once.

When you truly need faith, you wet your pants. So prayer is not the key. Faith is the key. Jesus rarely rebuked His disciples by saying, “Why did you not pray?” He rebuked them for having no faith. Thus, imitating the great men of faith is the key.

Our church is becoming increasingly practical. This reform has not been easy. It took more than three years. When I see how the brothers and sisters work, I am greatly comforted.

In the past, they were very skilled at making mistakes. They would hammer a nail in from one side, and it would come out on the other. They would saw a board too short, and then have to saw another one. In the past, it was hard for them not to make mistakes. Now, it is becoming difficult for them to make mistakes. This comforts me greatly. More importantly, they now face challenges. Good. I have been waiting for the day when mistakes arise.

Someone said, “Teacher, you are too harsh. You knew there was a problem there. Why did you not say anything?” I said, “I will not say anything. I will watch you work and see how you respond.” In the past, doing these things trained me. Now it is time to train them. When every person faces a great challenge and is on the verge of losing control, that is the time to exercise faith.

One morning, I did not fall asleep until nearly six o’clock. At eight, someone woke me and said, “Teacher, something is wrong. The customer has all kinds of issues with this project.” I said, “Good. Very good.” As long as there is faith, the matter can be handled well and the customer can be satisfied. If God says it will collapse, then it will collapse. If God says it will not collapse, then it will not collapse. That is how we have come through.

Scripture

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

Prayer

God, enable us to act according to Your will. Reveal to us the things of the future. Let us move with godly fear, as Noah did, and prepare ourselves and prepare the ark. Let our faith please You and receive Your answer. Let us, through Jesus Christ, not only be saved, but also overcome.

Let us build an ark in this world, which is Your glorious church. Let us all receive this destiny: to build Your glorious church. Use us!

We desire to co-labour with You and walk with You. During our days on this earth, let us break through every difficulty and obstacle, and build Your glorious church. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Background of the Scripture

This passage has only one verse. The writer of Hebrews must have known Genesis thoroughly. His summary of Noah is highly condensed: Noah acted by faith. Not because of his prayer, nor because of his work, but because of faith. And surely Noah had practised this faith in small things from an early stage.

Could he suddenly begin by building such a huge ship? I suspect Noah was probably a carpenter. “Noah, make a small stool.” So he made a small stool. It turned out well, and he placed it at his door to entertain guests. “Noah, make a chair. A small stool is uncomfortable.” Noah went through much hardship and made a chair.

When the first chair was finished, he sat on it, and it collapsed. He fell hard on his backside. Did that really happen? No, I made that story up. Perhaps he injured his tailbone slightly. He stood up, dusted himself off, and said, “Next time, I will be more careful. I should not have so much confidence in the chair I made.” A small stool is unlikely to collapse, but if the joints of a chair are not done properly, it will collapse.

Brothers and sisters, when you do things, do not have too much confidence in yourself either. Measure and check first, lest you damage your tailbone. Make a table, build a house, make a large bed. Let me tell you, these things are interesting. Have you noticed? A small stool has legs and a flat surface. A chair has legs, a flat surface, and a backrest. A table has four legs and a flat surface. A bed has shorter legs and a flat surface.

Later, I discovered that they are all variations of the same thing. To build a house is to put up four supports and add a large flat surface. To build a storey is to stack another large table on top of the first. Noah acted by faith. There is something profound in that statement. By faith, he accumulated small faith until it became great faith.

Then God said, “Build an ark.” Noah said, “No problem. I have been practising since I made stools.” God told him about things to come: “I will destroy this world. You are to build an ark.” Noah was remarkable. God told him, and he began building. You may say building a large ship is no problem, but it requires money. Money alone is not enough; you also need people.

I once met a factory director during the early years of China’s reform and opening up. He worried himself sick over the factory. One day, the government gave him a major project, but the deadline was tight, so the factory had to work day and night. The director called all the department heads to a meeting and said, “I have an urgent project. Can we get all the machines running?”

The person in charge of equipment said, “No problem with the machines. But we need electricity. The factory has not paid its electricity bills, and the power has been cut off.” The director said, “Then restore the electricity.” The equipment manager said, “No problem restoring it, but we need money.” The finance officer said, “If we had money, there would be no problem. But where shall we get it? Borrow from the bank?”

The discussion went around in circles. Everyone had a problem, and only the factory director seemed to have none. He was furious. Everyone was raising problems. No one was solving problems.

The director was distressed. He thought that one day, if he could privatise the factory, he would dismiss the lot of them. Later, he really did acquire the factory and became the major shareholder. The government sold the package to him at a low price. In recent years, he sold the factory. The factory itself had declined and was worth little, but the land was valuable. Factories of that era were all located in city centres.

The transaction was completed, but the director went to prison. Why do I mention this? Did Noah hold meetings in those days? Did he gather the departmental leaders and say, “We are going to build a large ship”? Surely everyone would have said that building a ship was no problem—but then they would have raised a long list of problems. Noah would have been distressed too. But Noah began again, resolving one problem after another. That was faith. He dealt with them bit by bit.

I know this feeling well. In the early days of building the church, we had no money, no people, nothing at all. Yet there was a great dream in my heart. People laughed at me and said, “Your dream is huge.” I thought about it. Indeed, my dream was rather large. Could it be done? It seemed impossible. By every measure, we lacked the conditions. For years, there were still only a handful of people. But I had a dream. I had faith.

For more than ten years, with faith, I have attracted the precious people who also have faith. I have a dream. I want to build a church filled with God’s glory. I want to build an ark where people can escape the flood. I want to build a church filled with God’s glory—a church that is the most biblical church of this age. People said, “Why do you not look in the mirror first?” I jokingly replied, “I have. It does look somewhat like that.”

They wanted to throw cold water on me, but the water bounced back and landed on their own heads. I have faith. Let me tell you, faith is a most remarkable thing. By faith, Noah was warned by God about things not yet seen. He moved with godly fear and prepared an ark.

The writer says that Noah prepared an ark. Do you think he folded one out of paper? He prepared an ark at least two hundred metres long. Not only did he prepare the ark, he had to bring every kind of animal into it. He also had to prepare food for people and animals. It is frightening even to think about it. A year’s supply of food. And how would they deal with a year’s worth of manure? After one year, what would the ark become? It would become a rubbish dump. The stench would be unbearable. How would they manage? What would the family eat? It was exceedingly difficult.

How long did the flood last? About a year and a half. To prepare food for a year and a half would take many months. Think about the project. It was a gigantic undertaking. The writer of Hebrews made it sound simple: he prepared an ark. But one could choose not to prepare it. There were so many challenges—enormous challenges. Yet by preparing it, his whole household was saved. Either you are saved or you are not. Either you choke in the waters or you enter the ark. Without a heart of godly fear, I tell you, it is very difficult.

It was like when we began building the church. Some came and asked, “Has God called you?” I said, “It seems not.” You people have electricity running through your bodies, and when you pray, you fall down. I have none of that. It seems that I have no calling. They asked, “Then why are you doing this?” I said, “Because I have faith. Is it not enough that I believe God has called me?”

They asked whether I had confirmation or special experiences. No. I lost my job and had nothing to do, so I built the church. They asked again, “Do you have confirmation?” No. But I have faith. I told them, “Even if God has not chosen me, as I keep doing it, God will choose me.” They said, “My goodness, you are still wetting your pants. Wait a little longer.”

Noah was much the same. But later, you find that faith really is the key. “Has God chosen you?” “Yes.” “How do you know?” “I believe.” “Why do you believe?” “Because I am willing to believe.” It is like my liking durian. I am willing. That is all. The person asking the question is left bewildered. Noah was the same. “Did God truly tell you to build an ark?”

Yes, did God really say so? Do you have a recording? No. Perhaps one day, I had a dream, and God spoke to me in the dream. “And you can believe that?” Let me tell you, this cannot be explained clearly. If it could be explained clearly, that would be strange. If it is not by faith, then what is it? This is what faith is. Thus Noah moved with godly fear. With godly fear and faith, he undertook a great work.

If TikTok and social media had existed in those days, people would have come regularly to take photographs and post them online: “Noah is building a ship on top of a mountain!” It would have become headline news and spread across every platform. Noah would return home, and his wife would say, “Dear, you are in the headlines. Do you know that? Everyone says you are crazy and foolish, spending so much money to build this thing.” Noah would say, “It is all right. Keep going.” I imagine Noah’s response would have been interesting: “So what? I want to do it. It is my choice. Why are you laughing? When the time comes, you will not be laughing.”

And indeed, when Noah laughed, those people could no longer laugh. They were silenced. What else could faith in the future be? So if anyone asks you, “Why do you believe in God?” say, “Because I am willing.” See how he responds. It is like being willing to eat curry: yellow and thick, yet you enjoy it greatly. “I am willing. I like it.”

That was Noah: “I am willing. It is none of your business.” People mocked him, but Noah thought, “One day, you will not be able to laugh.” Think about it. Noah knew how to live. How could he possibly have had no friends? “Come, Noah, come to our house to play mahjong. Come have some wine with us.” Four friends would sit around a table, drink wine, and say, “Old Noah, you have become famous.” Noah would say, “Yes, I know.” “You made the headlines!”

Surely his friends made bets about him. Of course they did. I tell you, Noah endured tremendous pressure. “Old Noah!” Later, they gave him a mocking nickname. Noah walked with God. Noah was righteous. Noah was a righteous man who endured the pressure and continued believing. Everything God commanded him, he did.

The next day, he rose and went back to work. His wife followed him and asked, “Why are you doing it again?” He said, “God spoke to me again yesterday and instructed me to do this.” “My goodness, our Old Noah has gone mad.” Then it was headline news again. Everyone was losing their minds.

Noah built the ark for 120 years. That was 120 years of training in faith. When I preach about Noah, I feel it deeply. The ark Noah built—is it not like the church we are building today? The church we are building is called a church of victorious soldiers in spiritual warfare. That is what we are going to build. It is our vision. We are to imitate. We are to imitate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul.

In the future, if you return to me as your standard, people may say, “My goodness, you speak with such boldness. Old Noah, you are becoming Old Noah too.” Do not be so quick to slap your own face in disbelief. Once, I told a Singaporean friend that I was going to carry out a Reformation. His eyes grew wide. “You? Carry out a Reformation? That was Martin Luther’s work.” I said, “What is Martin Luther compared to this?”

He looked at me in astonishment. I said, “I will reform. I will imitate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Even if I do not resemble them much now, one day I will. I will become more and more like them. Just wait and see.” His eyes grew even wider. Just watch.

Let me tell you: when Noah received the command to build the ark, he had no children. The flood came when Noah was 600 years old. He began building the ark when he was 480. He had his three sons when he was 500. That was how it was. Noah was not anxious throughout his life. Do you know why? He had children at 500. Tell me, was he anxious? Of course he was. God told him to build an ark so that his entire family might be saved.

What would the headlines have said? “Old Noah is building an ark to save his family, but he has no children yet. He should hurry to the hospital and try IVF. He spends all day building that thing. How will he ever have children? He should spend more effort in bed.” How much humiliation did Noah endure? It is difficult to imagine.

Old Noah in that age and Chinese Mingding Doctrine in this age share one characteristic: we are not anxious. Why should we be anxious? God will surely accomplish according to what I believe. What if it is not accomplished before you die? After I die, God will still accomplish according to what I believe. Then I narrow my eyes and say, “So what?” It drives people mad.

This is the background of this passage about Noah. Shall we imitate him? Yes, we shall. I tell you, many among us have stories of dramatic transformation. They were once mocked.

There is one trait in me: my heart is soft. When I see the suffering endured by brothers and sisters, I feel deeply distressed. Over the years, I have seen people who were despised turn their lives around step by step. Today, they are doing outstanding work in companies. That gives me great comfort.

If you have still accomplished nothing, and you are no longer young, do not lose faith. You may have no money. You may have no branded handbags. You may not have a good father, a good teacher, a good school, or good academic qualifications. But you must not be without faith. You must not be without a dream. You must not be without someone to imitate.

You may be mocked. But I tell you, by faith, with your feet firmly on the ground, make it piece by piece—one piece of wood at a time, one room at a time, one module at a time. One day, you will build an ark. This is the testimony of our faith.

Imitating Noah’s Faith (1): Building the Ark

Building the ark was an engineering project. We do not know whether there was water or electricity in that age, but I tell you, there had to be enough water in the ark. Otherwise, what would they drink? Food had to be stored without becoming mouldy, without attracting rats and insects. Preventing insects and rats—my goodness, it was a massive systems engineering project.

As long as there were breathing creatures living in it, it was an immense biological engineering undertaking. How many problems had to be solved? Some ask, “Teacher, how did they breathe? Would they not suffocate?” Then you solve the problem of ventilation. You also solve lighting, water leakage, animal waste, and human waste.

Surely it all had to be discharged outside the ark. There were eight people in the ark. They must have been terribly busy. How could waste be discharged automatically into the floodwaters? Building the ark. I encourage everyone to become a builder.

I tell you, those whom God delights in are builders. God created heaven and earth; we build the ark. God created heaven and earth; we build the temple. God created heaven and earth and all things; we build the church.

Therefore, building and creating are great works. I earnestly hope that brothers and sisters will believe and become builders. Let me tell you, in the age of AI, white-collar workers will be the first to lose their jobs, while blue-collar workers will become increasingly valuable. Have you noticed? It is still difficult to build a robot that can renovate your house. If you want your house renovated with a distinctive style, a robot cannot do it. Therefore, we must build.

If you can make a small stool well—carpenters begin by making small stools—that is a good thing. Many people today are rather unfortunate. They work hard in blue-collar jobs, then send their children to university.

But after graduation, before their children begin working, they ask their parents for money each month. After they begin working, their fathers have to give them even more money. The father then asks, “Son, now that you are earning money, why must I give you even more?” It is strange. Why? It will become even more serious in the future. Parents think that sending their children into offices is the answer. But office work can be miserable.

Some people are looking for work. Blue-collar work can be very good. AI cannot easily replace it. It is difficult. So look at this: just as parents have managed to support their children into white-collar jobs, white-collar workers are about to lose their jobs. Yet their children cannot do practical work either. Therefore, people must learn to build. Can you make some small improvements in your own home?

Let me make a small advertisement. After some time, I will offer a course. It will teach you how to manage a renovation project. For your own home renovation, you can save half the cost, or even more, if you follow what I teach. It is simple and inexpensive. How good is that?

Building is especially important. Therefore, our church is a building church. It is a place where practical things are done. It is also a church of prayer and preaching. It is not that we do not pray, nor that we do not preach. We do. But above all, we are a church that builds and edifies people. This work is difficult. How hard it is to build such a church, to carry out so many ministries. But I have faith.

Imitating Noah’s Faith (2): He Did All That God Commanded Him

He did all that God commanded him. Never assume that if God tells you ten things and you do nine of them, that is sufficient. Consider it carefully. I have explored this in the Bible. Moses built the tabernacle entirely according to the pattern God showed him. David and Solomon built the temple entirely according to the pattern God instructed. It was difficult—truly difficult.

God told David to prepare five hundred tonnes of gold. Let me ask you: was that difficult? It was terrifying. In the end, more than one hundred tonnes of gold were prepared. He did all that God commanded him. It was difficult. This sentence is exceedingly difficult.

All who came to Jesus were healed. Do you believe this? All who come to our church are healed. Do you believe this? Will you do it? Let me tell you, the sentence itself is simple, but carrying it out is difficult. Over the years, we have learned so many lessons.

In the early days of building the church, others were healed. But why did it not work when they came to me? It did not matter. We poured time into it, even foolishly and relentlessly. It was built by time. If three hours of prayer did not work, then five hours. If five did not work, then eight. If eight did not work, then thirteen. When one shift was done, another took over. After that, people rotated and continued. That is how we did it.

That is faith. What God commands, will you do it? God says that the church is to be built this way. God wants disciples. Will you do it this way? I tell you, when we did this, the church chairs were empty. I tell you, at that time the church was far from victorious.

That was in 2012. The church was not victorious. But one day, the church would be victorious. In 2012, there were not many people who thought highly of our church. There were not many who approved of us. We had many ministries. Our healing and deliverance ministry was very effective. Our Bible study was very good.

Then we continued to move forward by faith in many areas. Attendance at prayer meetings was one hundred per cent. Very few churches are like that. Very few. They cannot do it. But we came through by faith, doing all that God commanded. Then everyone knows: this is a blameless man; this is a righteous man.

Imitating Noah’s Faith (3): Entering the Ark

Let me tell you, there may truly have been flaws in the ark Noah built. There may really have been leaks. Some places may indeed have been poorly done. Yet he entered it. The flood came. It floated.

Later, he might have discovered: “My goodness, this part was not done properly.” What then? I tell you, God can make it right. What you cannot do, God will do. God did not reject him for that.

Did Noah have doubts when it was time to enter the ark? Was there enough food? If I enter the ark, will I be saved, or am I entering a crematorium? Will I be saved, or am I entering a prison? I tell you, God shut the door. Noah did not shut it himself. God shut it, and God opened it later.

Noah entered the ark, and God shut the door. He did not know what the future would bring. He knew nothing at all. But entering the ark truly required faith. You must understand: how could so many animals be brought in? Nothing was possible apart from God’s great power.

“And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5)

It is not because I say something here that you should believe. You must know that God is mighty in power—great and awesome. What you cannot do, God can certainly do. What you cannot control, God can certainly control. We live no longer by relying on ourselves, but by relying on God. Noah relied on God to build the ark, and he still relied on God when entering the ark. Noah became the greatest testimony of his age.

Noah entered the ark seven days early. Do you know what it felt like to enter seven days in advance? He entered the ark, looked outside, and saw that there was still no flood. Home was far more comfortable. “Dear, I want to take a bath.” “You cannot. Better smell the animal manure instead.” The smell of manure can make a person very alert. If you want a bath, would you like one in horse urine?

Noah opened his phone, and the headlines said: Noah’s family has entered the ark. The sun was blazing in the sky. It was hot. There was no sign of rain. Not a drop would fall. And the weather forecast in that age was highly developed. It predicted that there would be no rain for the next fifteen days. Which is more accurate: your forecast or God’s word? The headlines called him a fool. Just days earlier, Old Noah had been drinking with his friends.

“Old Noah, come, let us drink.” He said, “No. Today I am entering the ark. Do you want to come?” “I will not. You say a flood is coming. Where is the flood? Look at the clear sky.” Then Old Noah said, “Tomorrow I will not play cards with you, and I will not drink spirits with you. I am entering the ark.” Would such a situation not require faith?

Noah’s wife had brothers and sisters. Noah’s brothers-in-law shouted, “Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law! Even the weather forecast says so!” Yet he still entered. Not only did Noah’s family enter, but tigers, lions, and all kinds of creatures lined up to enter. Everyone thought: my goodness, this is unbelievable. Noah surely had many relatives. When someone got married, there would have been hundreds of guests.

Yet no one believed. His brother-in-law said, “My goodness, my brother-in-law has gone mad. Sister, are you going too?” His wife said, “Of course I am. I married him; I follow him.” Seven days in advance. During those seven days, there was not the slightest hint of rain. Would you believe? Without faith, you could not do it.

I tell you, Methuselah died seven days before Noah entered the ark. While Methuselah was alive, he told Noah, “When I die, you must quickly enter.” Perhaps Methuselah even helped them build the ark—we do not know. Methuselah died before entering the ark. So Noah had just attended Methuselah’s funeral and then entered the ark.

For Methuselah’s name means that when he dies, God’s judgment will come. That was tremendous faith. Brothers and sisters, when nothing seems to be happening, can you quickly enter God’s glorious church?

Imitating Noah’s Faith (4): Rejoicing in Labour

You may say the Bible does not state this directly. But I infer it. Building the ark was an immense project. Do you think Noah worked overtime day and night? No. He did things according to their kinds: one room at a time, one module at a time, building bit by bit.

I suppose he had a habit of drinking a little wine. After drinking, he relaxed and relieved his fatigue. After a day’s work, after spending much money and employing many people, he returned home and drank some wine in the evening. Why do I make this guess? Because after he came out of the ark, one day he accidentally drank too much. He did not suddenly acquire the habit of drinking that day. If he could drink too much on one occasion, he must have been drinking small amounts before that.

In fact, Noah knew how to live. He rejoiced in his labour. He did not complain. He was full of joy. When I speak of this, I feel that there is something of Noah in me. It is very interesting. I know how to live well. I keep everything in order. My former bosses were all curious and asked where I found so much time.

Some pastors are extremely busy in church. Once, while having a meal with a former boss, I said that I did not understand what those full-time pastors did in church all day. I did not know what they were doing. I renovated many houses, completed many software projects, preached sermons, taught Bible studies, and taught people how to conduct themselves and do things. A person must know how to live.

Sometimes, when I worked on a project, I worked until four or five in the morning. Then I got up at seven or eight and continued. I think my physical strength is quite good. Rejoicing in labour is excellent. Practise faith in your work, then return home and live well. How good that is. I earnestly hope brothers and sisters will learn to enjoy their work.

To enjoy your work is to enjoy life every day. If you enjoy only when you travel, then you enjoy very little throughout the year. I especially enjoy working. There is an English word, workaholic, meaning someone addicted to work. But I am actually a life-aholic. I know how to live. I know how to eat, drink, work, preach, teach Bible studies, renovate, program, and shepherd people.

Imitating Noah’s Faith (5): Continue Believing Until God Accomplishes It

People have one important trait to learn: do not be anxious. Do not rush about blindly. How good it is to rejoice in labour. For example, Noah built the ark for 120 years. How do we know it was 120 years? Because earlier, God said that their days would be 120 years.

Noah had Shem, Ham, and Japheth when he was five hundred years old. Observe these great men of faith carefully: none of them had a habit of being anxious. Think about it slowly. Once you become anxious, you are in trouble. Those who want to become rich quickly will certainly be deceived. Those among us who have been deceived can surely testify to this. Continue believing. He believed until he had children at five hundred years old. Can you understand what kind of man this was?

Many people urged him, “Old Noah, hurry and try IVF.” He said, “No. God will surely give me children.” The elderly couple also made their efforts. To have children at five hundred and build an ark for 120 years was no joke. What did those 120 years feel like? For the first hundred years, no one could see an ark. They could only see scattered materials on a construction site.

To build an ark, you must prepare the tools for building it. If you work with wood, you must get your right angles right and your curves right. How many curved rulers and set squares must you prepare? Therefore, I tell you, without faith you cannot build. During the first years of our church, the days were extremely barren. If we had not persisted through them, we would not have what we have today.

Thus, I have a particularly good quality. When you interact closely with me, you will discover that I am never anxious. Each according to its kind, step by step, with proper planning. I place great emphasis on planning: reflection, planning, reflection, planning, reflection. I have drawn countless diagrams on white paper with ballpoint pens. Sometimes I use my tablet; sometimes I use plain paper.

Imitating Noah’s Faith (6): The Ability to Withstand Pressure

You must know that on this path of faith in believing God, although God is with us, although there are testimonies, although God shows us the fruits of faith in many ways, people around us will mock us. Not only will they mock us; they will also sabotage what we do.

Yesterday, you built a module. It was well done, and you applied resin or something similar. The next morning, because no one was assigned to watch over it, it was ruined. What happened? The thing you just made yesterday was destroyed. Did a fire break out at night? You can never guard against everything.

It does not matter. I will do it again. Either people will mock you, or enemies will sabotage you. Remember this: as long as you walk with God, the spiritual forces of darkness in this world will oppose you. Therefore, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. For the LORD your God is with you. He will walk with you.

We will surely see it. One day, God’s glorious church will be built. One day, we will see the ark built. One day, we will see the temple built. Many people will be saved and receive grace because of the ark, because of the church we build.

This concludes our sermon. May God bless you all.