The Do-Over: The Wickedness of Men and The Goodness of God

Introduction: Have you ever needed a do-over? Take a moment & think about it- maybe it was something you said, something you did, a thought you had, even a wrong look that you wished you could take back.

If you don’t know what I am talking about- A do-over is “a new attempt or opportunity to do something after a previous attempt has been unsuccessful or unsatisfactory.” I know that we all need do-overs.

I need a do-over every time I try to do something handy. Change the doorknob, put it on backwards, I need a do-over. Putting up blinds, turning the bracket the wrong way, I need a do-over. I changed out the handle on my tailgate, pulled it & it wouldn’t move. Took it back off, put it back on, wouldn’t move. I finally figured out that the lock was engaged. I needed a do-over.

Even this sermon I’m preaching needed a do-over. I have the topic of God’s goodness even when the world is evil from Genesis 6-8, Noah’s ark. I studied it, prepared it, put it together, & realized it wasn’t right. I prepared a full message on 6:1-8, then I was going to walk through the rest of ch. 7 & 8. It was too long, & the message was wrong. It wasn’t what I had been asked to do, so I needed a do-over.

Have you ever considered that Every do-over we get is a witness to the goodness of God? He is a God of 2nd chances, & even 3rd & 4th chances, a God that allows us to start over, because He is a God who started over. The story of Noah’s Ark is a story about the biggest do-over in the history of the world.

I’m sure you’ve heard the story before. How God made everything & saw that it was good. The 1st people He created disobeyed Him & fell into sin. It took no time at all for sin to lead to death, literally. One son Cain murdered his brother Abel. That family line just disintegrated into violence & corruption, so much so that it invaded the whole world. It was like yeast working through a loaf of bread, it permeated it. Sin did that to the world. So much so that when God looked at it, there was so much violence, so much corruption, that He decided the world needed a do-over.

ILL: Have you ever watched a potter at the wheel shaping a bowl, vase, piece of art… You know how they work it, shaping it, forming it in their hands, but if it’s not going the way they want it to go, they smash it down & start over. They don’t start over completely; they use the same material but reform it.

That’s what God does with the world. The LORD extends grace to Noah, establishes his covenant with him, saves him from the flood, and starts over with his family. The story of the flood is the story of the greatest redo in the history of the world, and it gives us hope, because if God will start over with us, then we can start over with Him. We all need a do-over.

Genesis 6:5–8, Then the Lord SAW that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was SORRY that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord SAID, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

1. Do-overs are a witness to God’s GRACE.

When God saw the world he saw its FAILURE- extreme corruption & violence, but when God looked on Noah, he saw FAVOR. Not because of Noah’s goodness, but because of God’s. It’s true, Noah was a morally good man, especially considering the world he lived in, but he was still just a man, he was still only a sinner.

After the flood, when God was starting over with Noah & his family, the LORD promised to not curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, Gen 8:21 “...although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth...” You might also remember that in Genesis 9Noah became a farmer, & planted a vineyard, & got drunk, which led to his son Ham sinning, & Ham’s son Canaan being cursed. Noah may have been better than his contemporaries, but he was still a sinner, & like me & you “falls short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

So, God’s choice of Noah was because of God’s grace, not Noah’s goodness. That’s what makes grace- grace; you don’t deserve it, you can’t do anything to earn it, & God is the one who must give it.

So, if you are today, looking for a re-do, needing a do-over; then you need to understand that it is God who is doing that work in you, it is not of your own.

Eph 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

2. Do-overs are a witness to the GOSPEL.

Genesis 6:13–18, And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it… (about 500 feet long, 75 ft wide, & 45 ft high… made a window near the top, set a door in the side, & make 3 levels…) 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

If you haven’t made this connection yet, you need to- the ark is a type (figure, picture) of Jesus Christ. When the LORD told Noah to “make an ark of gopherwood… & cover it inside and out with pitch” He was pointing us to Jesus Christ. Gopher wood probably refers to a cypress- aka eternal tree; it is water & rot resistant. Cypress trees have been discovered that are thousands of years old.

More than that, God told Noah to cover it inside and out with pitch. Pitch= dark, heavy, sticky glue-like substance; some describe it like asphalt. Obviously, this would fill in the cracks & make the ark watertight.

Both the words pitch & cover are derived from the root word kpr (ke-perr) - smear, appease, make atonement. Yom Kipper is the Day of Atonement. This word means to cover over, to make propitiation.

Rom 3:24-25 “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood...”

The word for pitch also means ransom, in which case it means a price for a life (Exod 21:30; 30:12). Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

What we have in the ark is a picture of the atonement, & the ransom that was paid to save us.The pitch covered the ark, inside & out, sealing it, & making the instrument of their salvation watertight.

Eph 1:13-14, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealedwith the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

If you need a do-over, you only get that when you come through the Gospel.

You might say, oh, but I was saved years ago. I trusted in Jesus, I walked the aisle, prayed the prayer, got baptized, & joined the church, etc.

Then why is it that you now need a do-over? It’s because we live in this world that is full of violence & corruption, & that stuff will rub off on you.

ILL: It’s like going in a bar-b-cue joint where they’re smoking meat in the back. You’re just there for a little while, you just want the good stuff, but when you leave, you carry the stale, stench of smoked meat with you, & it doesn’t smell good after the fact, the only way to get rid of the smell is to wash your clothes.

You may already be clean because of what Jesus has done for you, but you still need to wash up.That’s what the do-over is for, & it happens through the Gospel. Do-overs are a witness to the goodness of God, the grace of God, the Gospel of God, & to the unchanging nature of God (immutability).

3. Do-overs witness to God’s UNCHANGINGNature.

I love how Moses wrote this story of the flood. 6:13, And God said to Noah; 7:1, Then the LORD said to Noah; in 8:1, Then God remembered Noah; and in 8:15, Then God spoke to Noah. Did you notice? One of these things is not like the others.

The one that is different is 7:1, “Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.” Notice that LORD is in all-caps, that means someone subbed the word LORD for God’s divine name, his relational name, His covenant name. Throughout these chapters Moses switches between God’s title (Elohim, 12x) & God’s name (YHWH, 10x).

Remember 6:18, God told Noah that he would establish His covenant with Him. God first revealed His divine, relational, covenantal name to Moses (Exod 3:14). Moses wrote Genesis, so it’s no coincidence that he connects God’s covenant with Noah to God’s covenant name. Moses would want the Israelites to know that the same God that made a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai is the same God that made a covenant with their forefather Abraham, and He is the same God that made a covenant with Noah. He is the same God that made a covenant with David, and He is the same God that made a New Covenant through Jesus to save the world. He is the same God.

Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When God gives you a do-over, it’s not because He changes, but because you change. And He is giving you the chance to change again.

4. Do-overs are a witness to God’s PATIENCE.

Noah was a fantastic boat-builder (more like a box). But he didn’t design it, he got the specs from God. Gen 6:22, Noah did according to all that God commanded him. 7:1, The LORD said to Noah, Come into the ark...

If you’re looking at your Bible, you’ll notice something between the end of ch. 6 & beginning of ch. 7. You know what it is? White space. Depending on your Bible, it might be a lot, or it might be a little, but however much white space it is- it represents 120 years. How do I know that? Gen 6:3 “And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

The word strive means contend, remain, stay. God is saying that He would only contend (i.e., put up) with them for 120 years & then He is done.

ILL: Some of you know that I have a new dog named Gus. He’s about 5 months old now, 25 lbs, full of energy & excitement. Gus thinks it’s fun to do bad things. It’s a sight when Gus gets hold of something he’s not supposed to have & we’re going round & round the coffee table trying to get it from him. Sometimes it takes a long time to get my hands on him, but when I do, I’m done, & so is he, he’s going outside. I can’t contend with him anymore.

God will only contend for so long.His Spirit will only strive with man so long, abide with man so long, protect & shield a man for so long. 1 Peter 3:20 calls it “Divine longsuffering.” God’s goodness will only contend with man’s wickedness for so long. When His Spirit is removed, His judgment will come.

Think about Noah, in that span of years when he was building that ark, that’s not all he was building.

Noah was building his faith. Hebrews 11:7 “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.”

Noah was building a case. 2 Peter 2:5 “(God) saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.” In that space between Gen 6 & 7, God was gracious, Noah built the ark, he preached about God’s righteousness, & the judgment to come, but when the time was up, the time was up. God had been good, God had been gracious, God prepared a way for salvation, & God was patient; but there was a deadline. God always keeps His appointments.

5. Do-overs are a witness to God’s PROMISES.

At the end of this story, after Noah & his family had been on the Ark for over a year, the waters receded and the ground was dry, Gen 8:15-19, Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

The command that God gave to Noah was the same command He first gave to Adam & Eve- to be fruitful & multiply. God kept His promise to start over with Noah. This was the biggest do-over the world has ever seen.

But it’s not the biggest DO-OVER the world WILL ever see. Another do-over is coming. Matt 24:37–44, But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

The LORD promised He would never again destroy the world by a flood, but He didn’t say anything about fire. The next time He does a re-do, it will be by fire. 2 Peter 3:10–13, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Do-overs are a witness to the promises of God. What He says, He will do. There will always be people who scoff at God’s promises. There will always be those caught up in their own lusts. There will always be people who question His coming. Those are the people who forget that God is a God of do-overs. They willfully forget that the flood was the biggest do-over this world has ever seen, & because of that they will be totally unprepared when the next do-over comes by fire.

Do-overs are a witness to God’s goodness & grace, they are a witness to the Gospel & to God’s unchanging nature. They are a witness to God’s patience & God’s promises. 2 Peter 3:8-9, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Genesis 8 ends with Noah building an altar to God. He didn’t just build an ark for himself; He built an altar to God. Why? Because When God gives you a do-over, you give Him what He desires. What does God desire? God desires you to be clean.

Genesis 8:20–21, 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 Lordsmelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

ILL: Have you ever had something go rotten in your fridge? What did you do? You didn’t buy a whole new fridge, did you? No, you got rid of what was rotten & you washed it out. What do you think the world smelled like to God before the flood? When the stench of sin and death permeated everything that He created? Don’t you imagine that it was a rotten smell to Him? The stench of sin & death on the earth was so bad it made God sick, & He washed it out.

But now that the flood was over, & clean sacrifices were made to Him, what did God smell?A sweet, pleasing aroma because His righteousness & justice were satisfied. Eph 5:2, “Christ has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

The do-over that God wants to do in your life is to make you smell like His Son. For you, that might be salvation- God has made a way through His Son for you to be saved. For you that might be breaking the stronghold of sin that is in your life. For you that might mean trusting God and making a sacrifice you don’t think you can make, but God desires that from you.

Do-overs are a witness to God’s goodness & grace, the Gospel & Hi unchanging nature, His patience & His promises. Today is the day of your do-over because you might not get one tomorrow.