A World Gone Mad

Introduction

Well, good morning! Listen, I hope you’re ready to dig into God’s Word with me! But of course, before we get started, let’s recite our mission verse together…Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 & 20…remember we wanna model this verse, we wanna internalize it and be this kind of church…a church without walls, a church that delivers, disciples, deploys. And listen, challenge each other as you see them out…kids, challenge your parents…parents, challenge your kids as you sit around the dinner table at night. Let’s build each other up in God’s Word so that we can be this kind of people together. And so, I’ll get us started, you finish us up.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer]

Alrighty…if you have a copy a God’s Word and I hope that you do, open it up with me to Genesis chapter 6…Genesis chapter 6. I think this is our 16 or 17 sermon in our walk through Genesis…and listen, I hope God’s using it to really grow you and speak to you. I know He’s certainly done that for me as I’ve studied each Sunday morning, and I’m even more excited to be able to sit under the teaching of some of our men here at FBC over the next couple of weeks as they continue through our study.

But listen, if you’ve not been with us…let me just give you a quick fly over to get you caught up to speed as we explore the beginning parts of chapter 6 together this morning.

According to Genesis chapter 1, in the beginning there was only God and in the beginning He alone created everything out of nothing…and it says that He made man (both male and female), it says He made them in His image. They were set apart, He made them differently than everything else…they were special. And then in chapter two, we saw how man was completely dependent on God, right? He instituted the idea of rest. He gave them everything pleasing to the sight…He gave them food to eat and water to drink. He gave them companionship…He gave them purpose through their individual roles. He gave them everything to find real joy and satisfaction.

But then as we got to chapter 3, man wasn’t satisfied with what God gave ‘em. They wanted more…and so they did exactly what God told them not to do, they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and immediately they feel the real shame and the real guilt of their decisions…the text says, they even hide from the presence of God. But even through their disobedience, God sought them out…He confronted them in their sin…He even comforted them by promising to send Himself…someone to come and to save them from the consequences of their actions.

And then in chapter 4, we got a glimpse at just how bad Adam and Eve’s decisions really were. Sin was passed down to the next generation and Cain (their son) he murders their other son, Abel. And of course because he was unable to master his sin and control his desires, he found himself away from the presence of God…and he builds a generation and a legacy of people that don’t walk with God or know God. It’s a perverse and wicked people.

But at the end of chapter 4 and all through chapter 5, hope shines through. God appoints Adam and Eve another son and through him, righteousness would be maintained. Through Seth and his line, people would walk with God and follow God. And all of this, it goes back to God’s promise in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15 “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Chapters 4, 5, and 6…they’re all pointing back to God’s promise and they’re showing us a faithful God.

Which gets us all the way to chapter 6 this morning. And so, if you’re there with me, let’s stand together as we read, starting in verse 1. It says this:

Genesis 6:1–8 (ESV)

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, this passage, its probably one of the most debated passages there is in Genesis. There’s two major beliefs, four total among scholars. And listen, we’ll kind of walk through some of this theology as we dissect the text together but regardless of where you stand this morning, I don’t want you to get hung up on that because the main idea doesn’t change regardless of how you interrupt this passage…Listen, the main applicational point for us as we dig into this text together, its that when we don’t respond to God’s grace, sin will overcome and distort everything that’s good.

And so listen, there’s four things I wanna us to see this morning. Number one, your sin, it’ll lead to compromise…Number two, your sin will turn into corruption…Number three, your sin will end in condemnation…and then finally, with all that being said…your sin can be forgiven.

I. Your Sin Will Lead to Compromise (vv. 1-2)

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s start with point number one…your sin will lead to compromise.

Listen, as we walk through this text together…I think it’s imperative that we pay attention to this because its these events that Jesus likens to the days just before He returns. He says the worlds gonna be very similar to what we see here in these accounts.

And so, what do we see? Look at verse 1 and 2 with me again. It says:

Genesis 6:1–2 (ESV)

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.

Now listen, before we kind of explore some of the theology surrounding this text…it’s important to understand that however you interpret this…these two verses, they’re talking about a shameful union between the daughters of man and the sons of God, right? Again, no matter the belief here, the meaning isn’t gonna change.

And so, as we start here in chapter 6, it says that the people during this day, they begin to multiply. The world’s population, it’s grown drastically. And listen, as it multiply’s, the text says daughter’s are born to them. Which is interesting…why not say sons are born to them? Why the emphasis on daughters here? Well, based on the context and everything we’ve read…its because daughters have the ability to make babies and to multiply the earth…they’re the one’s that actually allow God’s command to happen… to be fruitful and multiply. And so, Moses as he paints the picture of this world for us…he wants us to know that there were daughters and daughters and daughters that were bearing children and the world was just multiplying at a huge rate.

But then as we come to verse 2, that’s where some of the real confusion starts. It says, “The sons of God, they see that the daughters of men were beautiful…and so, they take wives for themselves.”

And so, the question for us…who are these sons of God that Moses is referencing here? Who are these daughters of men? That’s the interpretive knot that’s gonna have to be untied, right?

And so listen, as I’ve mentioned there’s two major theological positions on this text…four in total. And for that reason, I wanna explain them to you for just a second because remember I don’t want you to just take my position…I want you to explore the Word of God and allow the Spirit of God to give you the correction interpretation on your own.

And so, the first position…its that these sons of God, they’re fallen angels…demon spirits that are embodied in some human form…or just in their fallen demonic state…that have cohabitated with daughters of men that produce this hybrid offspring.

But listen, I don’t think that’s the proper interpretation of this…while the phrase “sons of God” its used three times in the Old Testament in the book of Job to describe the angels…I think that’s based more on sensationalism and not proper biblical hermeneutics or biblical context. There’s other places in the Old Testament where Israel’s describes as “God’s sons.” We see that in Deuteronomy 32:5 and Psalm 73:15…Hosea 1:10…we even see it pour over into the New Testament as we’re referred to God’s children over and over again. And even Jesus says in the New Testament that angels neither marry or are given in marriage. And of course, everything else we know about the theology of angels, its that they’re spiritual beings…they can’t reproduce or have sexual relations in that kind of way…and even if they could, as we’ve seen throughout Genesis so far, it’s that God commands creation to procreate “according to their kind”…and so for that reason, I think it’s a stretch and I think it minimizes our significance as being separated…being made in the image of God. I also think it’s made clear in verse 3 that Moses is only referencing mankind here and not two kinds of creatures.

A second interpretation of this, it’s that these are “mighty men” (powerful men…domineering men) which is attached to the Nephilim here, that force the daughters of man into submission. But again, the text just doesn’t seem to imply that meaning here.

A third option here, its that the sons of God are from the line of Seth and that the daughters of man are from the line of Cain. And that might be closer to the truth…but I think it’s this fourth option that’s the key that unlocks this mystery for us. It’s that the sons of God, they’re simply the sons of God. They’re believers that’ve been adopted into God’s family. Most often, the most plain and obvious understanding is the actual meaning, right? God’s Word wasn’t meant to be difficult for us to understand. And if its angels here then this would be the first mention of them…during a time when Israel would’ve only had Genesis to go off of. That doesn’t make sense. If it’s powerful men or domineering men, then again there’s just no context for that here. And so, naturally it would leave us with either them coming from the lines of Cain and Seth or just simply being what it says…They’re sons of God, believers who’ve followed God and trusted God (maybe some even coming from the line of Seth)…and then the daughters of men, again are just that…they’re daughters of men. They’re not daughters of God, they’re not of God…they’re daughters of men, who like those we saw in the line of Cain, only care about themselves and their pleasures and their wants…which would mean they’re unbelievers…they’re people who no longer believe or trust in God’s promise from Genesis 3:15. They’re people who don’t hope in a coming Messiah. Listen, because the world’s multiplied so greatly at this point, we certainly can’t just be talking about the lines of Cain and Seth…Adam and Eve wouldn’t had other sons and daughters as the text states and as we come to the judgement of man, God’s punishing the whole world here…not just the people from Cain and Seth.

And so listen, what we have here is believers marrying unbelievers…its the sons of God marrying whomever they choose…based on the outward, physical appearance, right? It says they saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and to be desired…on the inside there was this excitement, this attraction that drew them to these unbelievers.

Listen, if you’re familiar with your Bibles…isn’t this what God warns the Israelites against from the moment they begin to enter into the Promised Land? Doesn’t the New Testament warn believers not to be unequally yoked? Guys, this is what we’re seeing here in Genesis chapter 6. Its that those that walked with God, they didn’t care about others faith or trust or devotion in God…they only cared about what their inward desires were telling them…and listen, it caused them to begin to compromise their beliefs and their own faith.

That’s what sin does, right? It causes us to compromise what we know to be true and pure and righteous…all in order to satisfy our own wants and desires.

I mean guys, isn’t that what our culture tells us to do? To compromise for the sake of peace? And listen, isn’t that what we see happening among believers in our culture today? They’re compromising for the sake of unity? Genesis 6, it’s showing us that when we fail to walk with God and focus solely on Him, sin’ll lead us into compromise.

Listen, that’s the reason its such a big deal we keep looking at our doctrine as a church. That’s the reason we took a hard stand last summer. It’s the reason we’re looking at it again. We have to protect this church and we have to protect each other because our flesh and our sinful passions will tell us to compromise at all costs for the sake of inclusion or for the sake of unity. And that’s just not what the Bibles shows us…we have to maintain our walk…we have to keep our eyes set on righteousness. You understand? That’s why its so important to stay in God’s Word…and to stay connected to His church…so that you don’t begin to compromise.

II. Your Sin Will Turn into Corruption (vv. 3-5)

Because when you start to compromise, that’s when it’ll turn into corruption. That’s the second point.

Again, we have to make sure we don’t lose the application point here…that when we don’t respond to God’s grace, sin will overcome and distort everything that God’s deemed good. And when we allow sin to compromise truth, it’ll lead to corruption.

Look at verse 3 again with me…the sons of God, they find the daughters of men attractive and take them as wives…and so God says, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” Moses continues in verse 4, “4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

And so, what’s happened here…it’s that these relationships between the sons of God and the daughters of men, they’ve corrupted mankind. That’s why God says His Spirit won’t reside in them anymore…which is another reason why I believe this passage is solely referring to the sin of man and not that of angels. He also says in verse 5 that man’s become so wicked and so perverse that every intention of his heart, it’s only evil. This is how far sin had progressed. I mean even in verses 1 and 2, its emphasizing who the sons of God had chosen…it wasn’t who God would’ve chosen…they only cared about what they wanted at this point and it corrupted everything else.

And then, verse 4, the whole idea with the Nephilim. I don’t necessarily believe these are the offspring of the relationships that’s described here in these verses. I think Moses is just highlighting the wickedness in the world at this point in time. That’s why it says that they were present during this time and not that they were necessarily the byproduct of this relationship. But for those that do hold to the idea of this being about fallen angels, they see verse 4, the Nephilim as an offspring of the angels and of mankind. They’re giants basically…And they attach this idea to the only other time this word’s used in the Old Testament which is in Numbers 13:33 where the spies report back that there’s giants in the Promise Land, right?

But the word “Nephilim” it actually comes from the root word that means “to fall upon.” And it was typically used to describe violent men who had a reputation of falling on their enemies. It doesn’t mean they were giants in this context…but that they were vicious and that they would just as soon kill you as they would look at you. Their unchecked sin had grown so much, that it had grown into the worst kind of corruption…one that (just like we saw with Lamech in chapter 4) that disregarded the image of God.

That’s what I believe Moses is describing here. He’s describing, just how wicked the world had become. A world where God’s image wasn’t valued…where life didn’t matter…where marriage and our purpose to reflect God’s glory wasn’t our mission anymore. And so for that reason, God numbers their days to 120 years…which would mean, just as Josh Mumau’ll begin talking about next week, that it would be 120 years before God would bring judgement on the world. Which for the record, that’s also a demonstration of God’s grace. If the world was really this bad, God allowing them another 120 years is grace.

But listen, the context here…its that sin led believers to compromise and then it turned into corruption. Just as we saw in chapter 4…sin, it starts in the heart…in our thoughts…and when it goes unchecked, it’ll cause us to disregard truth…that’s what compromise looks like…and the moment we begin doing that, corruption taints everything else about us. We begin to only care about us…what we want…what makes us happy…what promotes the most blanketed unity among the people. And then before we know it, there is no foundation of truth because we’ve allowed everyone to define it for themselves and to govern themselves.

Guys, I hate to be the Debbie-downer…but again, look around at our society…is this not Genesis 6 playing out? Believers doing what they wish…determining what truths to accept and not accept…choosing who to be with and when to be with them…even how to be with them. Some even choosing things like sexuality and gender…even life. And that’s from those that claim to be believers. And then think about the powerful men and women of our day…they might not be vicious in a physical way necessarily…but those that lead in so many different capacities, they’ll willing to do anything to remain in power…even if that means stepping on everyone else to get there.

Our culture is no different than what Moses is describing here…Its one that doesn’t value God or His image…It’s one that only cares about themselves and their pleasures…and that’s exactly what corruption is…it gets us to focus on ourselves and not God…and it’s beginning to pour over into the church. Guys, whether you believe it or not, we’re getting closer and closer to the end. And we need to start caring about our legacies more than we ever have before…just as we’ve been talking about. Because the thing about sin, it doesn’t stop at corruption…it doesn’t stop until it’s ended in condemnation. That’s the third point.

III. Your Sin Will End in Condemnation (vv. 6-7)

And real quickly…I promise I’m hurrying…verse 6 and 7, “6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Guys, do you see the seriousness of sin here? When it goes unchecked, God will deal with it. And listen, this is one of those confusing passages we find in Scripture…what’s it mean that God regretted making mankind? Weren’t we special? Set a part? Some of your translations, they use the word “repented.” It says that “God repented.” Listen, neither “repent” or “regret” are really good words because of how we define them in our culture today. Guys, its not saying that God turned or changed from His eternal plan. God’s unchangeable…we see that as we go through the rest of Scripture. And so, what’s it mean here? It means that God feels sorrow for human sin. That’s why Moses adds the last part, “it grieved him.” And not just grieved him but “grieved him to his heart.” It’s a deep sorrow He feels here.

And He feels this sorrow because of the consequences human sin brings. Guys, already just in the first 5 chapters…God’s repeatedly warned and appealed to His people to turn from sin, right? And He’s done this because He knows what sin desires. It wants to destroy you. All unchecked sin ends in condemnation. And because God’s holy…which means He’s without sin, He can’t be in presence of sin…and because God’s just…which means He always has to do what’s right and just…sin will end in judgement if its not dealt with. And listen, God knows that! God doesn’t get some sadistic kick out of judgement. It brings Him sorrow. But because He’s just, when we constantly respond in rebellion, He has to judge.

And for the people during this time, it meant that He had to blot them out of existence. And listen, again…not because God’s some sadistic, mean, terrible God…but because He’s just. Guys, I’ll never understand why on one end, unbelievers questions why God allows evil in our world to occur…but then on the other end, when God does something about that evil…they call it wrong. God’s judgements are always just and deserving. And as we get into the actual flood events over the next few weeks we have to remember that. Those events, they were entirely deserving. And they were deserving because ultimately man had become so corrupt and so rooted in their sin, that it had to end in their condemnation.

And listen, just a quick application…what’s this mean for you? Well, a couple of things…depending on who you are this morning. If you’re a believer then you know the problems with sin and your struggles with it…you understand why you need Jesus so much…that He gives you to power to overcome sin. But listen, if you’re failing to find rest in Him…failing to deal with your sin, the people around you and the testimony you give off, it certainly won’t demonstrate their need for a Savior. In fact, just as we’ve been talking about, it’ll just push them closer and closer to the world…creating a society much like we see in our text today. And so, model what it means to walk with Christ…let those you care about see you deal with your sin…let them see that you’re not perfect…that you need a Savior just as much as they do.

Or listen, maybe you’re here and you’re not a believer…you need to repent and believe…you need to turn to Jesus and believe that He alone can deliver you from the consequences of your sin. Because the reality is, you’re heading down a road that will end just like this story…in condemnation.

IV. …But Your Sin Can Be Forgiven (v. 8)

But look at this last verse…there’s always hope…your sin can be forgiven. That’s the last point. It says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Guys, do you see that? That word “favor,” it means he found “acceptance or grace” from the Lord. Meaning that this favor Noah found, it’s underserving because that’s literally the definition of grace. Noah was just as much a sinner as everyone else. In fact, we’ll see that in just a few weeks when we talk about the events after the flood.

And so, what’s the difference here? Noah was willing to accept God’s view of his own sin…and he was willing to turn from that sin and turn to God, seeking His grace. And listen, the result of that…it allowed him to be considered righteous as we saw last week as we went through the line of Seth.

And what’s interesting…on the heels of one of God’s greatest acts of judgement we see in Scripture…it’s the first time the word “grace” is actually used. Of course, it’s not the first time God demonstrates grace…we saw that in the garden and with how He dealt with Cain…we saw it even in this passage with giving them another 120 years…but it’s interesting because it’s like He’s reminding us again…He wants to give us grace.

When sin was at it’s peak…we read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That should encourage us…it should give us hope. It means that in spite of the corruption…a corruption that sin leads us into…all the violence it causes, and illness, and all the immorality and disregard for life…in spite of all of that, God’s grace for us, it still shines through. That’s why Paul writes in Romans 5:20, “But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.”

Closing

Listen, as we close this morning…here’s what I want you to take away…no matter how terrible your sin is…no matter what kind of life you’ve lived…no matter what you’re walking through right now, God’s grace is even greater.

Listen, as you think about that…would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Listen, I get it…some of you, you’re sitting there and you’re thinking, “Yea, but Pastor Steven…you just don’t get it. You don’t know what I’ve done. I’m too far gone. There’s really no hope for me.” You know…that’s exactly what the entire population of Genesis chapter 6 could’ve said, right? But yet, God still gave ‘em another 120 years. Guys, with God…there’s always grace to be had. And that goes for believers and unbelievers alike.

If you’re a believer this morning…remember the life you have in Christ. Remember that He’s changed you and claimed you and set you a part…He’s made you new and He’s given you His Spirit. Find confidence in that power. Turn to that power and allow Him to cleanse and perfect you. But you have to model that…you have to constantly turn to Him and repent…you have to constantly deal with your sin…to do exactly what He’s been saying through Genesis, learn to master it. As believers we know that we do that through Jesus. And so, do that this morning…deal with your sin so that you can continue walking righteously.

Or listen, if you’re an unbeliever this morning…understand that without something taking on the penalty of your sin, you’ll experience condemnation. At the end of your earthly life, you’ll stand before Christ and your sins’ll be judged…and you’ll be cast into what the Bible describes as a “fiery pit...” separated from the goodness of God.

Guys, you have to understand that on your own, you’re sinful…you’re just like this passage describes…you have a heart that’s evil and selfish. And for that reason, you deserve punishment. But because of God’s grace, He’s still pleading with you. Turn from yourself. Turn to Him. Believe in His Son. That’s why He sent Jesus into this world. Jesus, who’s God Himself, He became just like us…He lived a perfect life…all so that He could go to a cross and take on our punishment…He transferred our sins to Him so that we could experience life. And the Bible says thats grace! And to experience that grace we just have to turn to Him and believe in Him. That’s it! Jesus does the rest! And so, if that’s you…respond to God’s grace this morning so that your life can be changed and your sins forgiven.

Listen, whoever you are this morning…believer, unbeliever…what’s God putting on your heart right now? Wendy’s gonna play…and so these next several minutes, there yours to respond to God. These steps they’re open…if you wanna humble yourself before Christ, come! If you’re convicted and you realize you need salvation this morning, come talk to me…let me pray with you.

Whatever it is, you come, pray where you’re at…talk with me down front. This is your time! You do what God’s leading you to do.

[Prayer]