God's True Colors

Introduction

Well, good morning! Listen, I’ve been itching for the past month to get back up here…to preach God’s Word to you guys…If there’s anything that this training has shown me…it’s that God’s definitely called me to this task. I mean, as I watched these guys, it was rejuvenating for me. I don’t get the opportunity very often to be the listener and it just reminded me of the great privilege God’s given me in shepherding each of you through His Word.

But listen, with all that being said…it was awesome to sit back and just see what God’s doing here in our church. They did a great job…Amen? To have four men, in the same congregation, willing to stand up here and preach God’s Word, that’s huge. And trust me when I say this…it’s super healthy for us and it’s gonna pay huge dividends for us in the future.

Alright…before we jump back into our study of Genesis this morning, let’s start with reciting our mission verse together. I’m actually gonna put the verses back on the screen for us. I know it’s been a while since we’ve done this consistently and so I just wanna challenge you to memorize it again…place it on your hearts, so that we can be this kind of people and this kind of church. And remember why we’re reciting this…we wanna be a church without walls…and we wanna deliver, disciple, deploy…and all of our goals that we keep talking about, it all revolves around this command to “go and make disciples.” And so, if you’re ready…remember its Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 through 20. I’ll be reading from the ESV translation.

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 your Bibles and I hope that you do, open ‘em up with me to Genesis chapter 9…Genesis chapter 9. For the past several months we’ve been walking through Genesis verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter…looking at the creation accounts…the narrative of Adam and Eve and the garden…we looked at the fall of man and God’s promise to mankind…and then, most recently, Noah and the flood accounts. And of course, as we come to our passage this morning, we’re gonna see God address Noah and his family as they exit the ark and step out into this empty world.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been looking at the specifics of this story. And through that, we really saw God’s nature…we saw that He’s righteous and holy…we saw that He’s just and sovereign…and for those reasons, we got an understanding as to why He had to bring judgement to the world. It says all the way back in Genesis chapter 6, verse 5 that “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, for that reason, judgement came.

But it also says that He found favor with one man…it says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord…Not because he was perfect or without sin…but because God’s gracious and forgiving…because God’s a god a mercy. And so, God, He instructs Noah to build an ark…and over the course of 120 years, Noah’s obedient. And then it rains...Noah, his family, their wives, and two of every kind of animal, they get onto the ark. And the reason they’re able to get onto the ark…and the reason there’s this salvation provided to them…its because God’s a gracious God…and He loves mankind…He loves His creation. And over the course of that year, we saw how God was faithful to Noah and his family. He didn’t forget about ‘em. He delivered them safely past the judgement of the world…which is where we pick up the story up this morning.

You know, as we go through the flood accounts…its easy for us to see God painted in this bad light, right? To really focus solely on the judgement of God…And listen, for the record, we need to understand the judgement of God…because there’s gonna be a day Jesus comes back and there’s gonna be a day when Jesus judges this world again. But if we’re not careful, we miss the grace of God and the faithfulness of God.

As we read this passage this morning, after God’s demonstrated just how important life is…He makes a new covenant with Noah…a covenant that demonstrates His true colors…who He really is…what He really desires…which is why I’ve titled this sermon, “God’s True Colors.”

And so, if you’re there with me this morning, let’s stand together as we read, starting in verse 8. It says this:

Genesis 9:8–17 (ESV)

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, as we walk through this text together this morning, I don’t want you to lose focus on the main idea of the message…because of God’s nature, He provides everything needed for a faithful covenant. Guys, as we explore this covenant between God and Noah and all of creation…we have to see the spiritual meaning here as well. There’s huge significance here concerning our spiritual salvation.

And so listen, there’s three things about this covenant I want you to see this morning…number one, God establishes the covenant…number two, God provides the means for the covenant…and then finally, number three, God reminds us of His faithfulness to the covenant.

And so, with that, let’s dive into the text.

I. God Establishes the Covenant (vv. 8-10)

Point number one…God establishes the covenant.

Look at verse 8 with me again, God says to Noah and his sons, “I establish my covenant with you, and with all those that come after you, and with every living creature to walk on the face of the earth,” right?

Guys, pay attention to this…this is huge…God established the covenant. Listen, there’s plenty of times throughout Scripture God makes a covenant with others. We’ll see Him do it with Abraham a little later on in Genesis. He’ll do it with Moses which is referred to as the Mosaic Covenant. He’ll do it with David and his line. God makes the New Testament Covenant that promises everlasting life. There’s five major covenants that God makes throughout Scripture that impacts Him and His people. But listen, every single one of ‘em, He establishes them.

Listen, last week, when Ken walked us through the first seven verses of chapter nine, it was all about what man shouldn’t do, right? He should value life made in the image of God and not take innocent life. But listen, in contrast to what man shouldn’t do, God establishes what He will do. He’ll establish a covenant. Listen, it’s almost reminding us again of Genesis chapter two…there’s boundaries within which both man and God operate. Only God, because of His perfect nature…only God can actually establish a covenant. Because only God’s truly faithful.

That word “covenant”…it literally means “to make a stand or to erect.” God, He “erects” a covenant with Noah. He’s creating a new relationship here. It’s a new situation…a new promise. Not only is He still promising Genesis chapter 3, verse 15…to send a Savior…but now He’s showing us what He won’t do…He’ll never again flood the earth to this magnitude. And listen, when this verb’s used in this way, it doesn’t mean that God’s instituting something here…it means He’s fulfilling something…He’s carrying it out…He’s keeping His promise. You understand? There’s huge significance here…because every single time He makes a covenant, it’s the same. God’s unchanging.

Noah wasn’t responsible for establishing this covenant, he didn’t think this up. He didn’t negotiate with God…Noah’s family wasn’t responsible for establishing this covenant with God. There was no man that was…in fact, the proof that God alone establishes it, its seen in verse 10 because animals are now the recipients of this covenant and we know that animals have zero ability to establish anything. Listen, God originated this covenant and He announces its terms to Noah.

Guys, Moses, he’s showing us the true nature of God here. Listen, God loves man and creation. It brought Him sorrow having to bring judgment. And this covenant between Him and Noah and all of creation, it was a demonstration of His love. And listen, every covenant God made, it was a demonstration of His love for us. I mean think about the New Testament covenant for a moment. He sent His Son so that we could experience this love. God desires so greatly to have this relationship with man…not because He needs us…but solely because He loves us. You understand? And so, He does everything in His power to establish the covenant between us both. He wants us to see His true nature…I mean that was the purpose of this covenant here in Genesis. He wanted them to see His nature…It’s the same reason for the New Testament covenant…its why He sends Jesus to become our mediator. It’s why He sends His Son to live a perfect life and go to the cross…its so that He can establish a covenant with man. And the only way to do that on His own…because remember, salvation is all about God and only provided because of God…the only way He could establish this covenant between us and Him, it was by defeating the thing that separated us…and so He came Himself, which fulfilled His promise in Genesis 3:15…and He took on the punishment our sin brought on…and listen, through that…He purchased our salvation…with His own life.

But guys, you have to understand this…you had nothing to do with this…you didn’t negotiate with God…you didn’t think anything up about this plan to save us…in fact, you don’t do anything concerning your salvation…and listen, I know that confuses some of you guys this morning…but you’re the recipient of an announcement…an announcement of a covenant that God established.

Guys listen, we can never understand God’s nature or the work He did in our salvation until we understand that He establishes it. Guys, no one just wakes up one morning and decides they’re gonna believe in Jesus Christ. The reason that person is able to believe is because the Holy Spirit convicts him of sin…the Holy Spirit draws them to Jesus…the Holy Spirit gives that person new life…and listen, it’s the Holy Spirit that grants that person faith. Salvation belongs to the Lord…and when we understand that it’s God that establishes the covenant between us and Him…that’s where real hope comes from because we begin to understand what this covenant’s all about…it’s not something He’s initiating…it’s something He’s already fulfilled. When you repent and believe and when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, your salvation’s been fulfilled. He’s keeping His end of the bargain which is to finish the work He’s started in you.

And so, just as we can trust that God’ll never flood the earth again…we can trust that He’s secured our salvation firmly in the palm of His own hand. And the reason this is important is because the church today, its creating passionate people with empty heads who love the Jesus they don’t know very well. Part of loving Jesus, is knowing Jesus…and part of knowing Jesus, is understanding the salvation He’s purchased for you just as Paul writes about over and over again in the New Testament. The fact that He alone deemed it important to establish a covenant with you, it means you’re important to Him…meaning, no matter what you walk through…no matter how bad things seem to get, He’s gonna be faithful to the covenant He’s established with you.

That’s point number one…God establishes the covenant, He chose the recipients of this covenant. And for that reason, as the apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2…only Jesus can boast in our salvation just as He’s the only one that can boast in this covenant with Noah.

II. God Provides the Means for the Covenant (v. 11)

Point number two is that God provides the means for the covenant. He doesn’t just establish it…He’s gives us everything needed for a faithful covenant. And part of it, it’s unconditional on our end.

Look at verse 11 with me again. It says, “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all the flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Listen, this covenant that God makes with Noah and with all of creation…it’s unconditional…God doesn’t say that this promise, it’s gonna be revoked if mankind reaches the same levels of sin that they did before. We’ve already talked about the depravity of man…God’s already recognized that man’s heart thinks and acts evil continually, right? He knows what man’s gonna do…He knows sin’s not been defeated yet. In fact, the very next thing we’re gonna see next week, is Noah fall right back into sin through the fruit of the vine just like Adam. But listen, God’s covenant here is about what He’s already done and not about what man’s gonna do or not gonna do. This covenant, it’s unconditional. God provides everything needed for man and Him to remain faithful to this covenant. In fact, it solely relies on God.

And while there’s elements of the Mosaic and Davidic covenants that are conditional… they’re still ultimately unconditional in nature because God still fulfills them even when Israel fails to live up to their end of the bargain. Right? God says He’s not gonna bless them or fulfill the promises to them if they’re disobedient to the things He’s laid forth throughout the Old Testament…but the reality is, if you understand the story of the Israelites, they were constantly rebellious against God. They constantly turned from Him and turned towards idols. And yes, He did deliver them over to their enemies time and time again but guess what? Even through that, He still upheld every single promise He made. And through Jesus He fulfilled every single covenant He made, regardless of Israel’s actions.

His covenant in the New Testament, it’s also conditional and unconditional. It’s conditional because unlike the covenant here in Genesis chapter 9, it’s not extended to every living creature…It’s conditioned on faith in Jesus Christ and it’s reserved for those made in the image of God that have been drawn by the Holy Spirit.

That’s why Jesus says in John 6:40:

John 6:40 (ESV)

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

And again in John 6:44

John 6:44 (ESV)

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Guys, faith in Jesus, its the condition of the new covenant…But listen, while it’s conditional, this covenant’s also unconditional…meaning, there’s nothing we can actually do to receive this salvation…it’s not dependent on anything we can do. God provides us everything we need for a faithful covenant…just like He does with the covenant here in Genesis chapter 9.

Listen, ask yourself this question, “How do I get more faith?” Or, “How did I have faith to begin with?” Guys, faith’s not something we can just work up. If it were, we’d be able to boast in our own faith. Which goes completely against what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2. Instead, faith is something that God imparts to us as we seek Him and as we hear the truth about Him through His Word. You understand? Faith doesn’t focus on itself…it focuses on God who is totally and fully dependable.

That’s why Romans 10:17 says:

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Or Hebrews 12:2:

Hebrews 12:2 (CSB)

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

That word “pioneer” it means “author.” He created it…He initiated it. Listen, because Jesus is the author of our faith and the perfecter of our faith, only He can give you the faith you need for this New Testament covenant…only He can give you the faith you need for true salvation. And it’s this faith, that leads to genuine repentance.

Some of you still haven’t genuinely repented…you don’t feel any different than you did before you believed in Jesus because you haven’t genuinely asked Jesus for the faith you need for salvation. Your salvation, your redemption, its about recognizing that Jesus alone is the means to your eternal salvation…and that He alone can save you…It’s not just about believing…even the demons believe…it’s realizing that His work on the cross is enough and that only He can bring you into this family of believers. It’s humbling yourself and realizing the real condition of your heart…that’s its sinful and wicked and that any ounce of faith you think you might have, it doesn’t allow you to fully walk with Jesus the way He commands. You need Him to give you saving faith. And you have to reach a point in your life and in your walk where you acknowledge the person and the work of Christ…that He alone, gives everything you need to come to Him. You just simply have to trust that He’s capable…and you have to turn to Him.

Listen guys, this story, its huge in understanding our salvation. What we’re seeing here in Genesis…how God makes this covenant with Noah…He alone provides the means for a faithful covenant. Nothing God promises is contingent on anyone or anything outside of God.

Concerning our salvation…it means that when He’s genuinely given us the faith needed, it’ll show in your life because there’s gonna be fruit that comes out of you. It’s this kind of faith that leaves us speechless when we look back on our lives and when we see where God’s taken us…or when we see the change He does in others. Guys, this faith…and everything He does from that moment of drawing us to Him…He provides everything we need to have an everlasting covenant with Him. And that’s exactly why we long for the future…why we have hope…because He’s provided everything to cement our eternity.

That’s the second the point.

III. God Reminds Us of His Faithfulness to the Covenant (vv. 12-17)

The third point…it’s that God reminds us of His faithfulness to the Covenant.

Listen, as we come to a close on the flood narrative and look deeper into this rainbow covenant that He makes, it’s important to remember what everything points back to…we have to remember that everything we’ve been talking about over the past several months…it all goes back to the garden…it all goes back to God’s promise in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15…even in the midst of man’s rebellion…even in their most disgraceful moment, God promised Himself…He promised to save them from their situation…their punishment…He promised a Savior. And listen, we’ve seen this plan laid out in so many different ways in our study so far. God told ‘em directly, He even put it in the very things that brought them individual identity…He put the message in their names…and now He’s reminding them through this covenant. God wanted His people to cling to this promise. And the main purpose of this covenant here with Noah, it was to point them back to God’s promise…of what’s to come…it was to give them hope…remind them that while they can’t do anything about this problem they’ve brought on…God was faithful and loving and gracious and He would correct their failure…He would bring them salvation.

I mean, that’s the purpose of the rainbow. God says in verse 12, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

Listen, God calls this rainbow, He simply calls it “my bow.” Only twice in Scripture is this reference used…and every other time, it’s used to demonstrate the glory of God. It was used in Ezekiel 1:28 to talk about His brightness…and it’s used in Revelation 4:3 to describe the light around His throne. Every single time, its used to point to God, to describe Him…And this is important because if we miss this, we miss the point of the rainbow in Genesis chapter 9.

In verse 15, God says this rainbow, it’s gonna remind Him of His covenant…but again, we have to remember the nature of God. Larry talked about this but God isn’t some forgetful old man, right? He’s not sitting around and every time a rainbow’s formed remembering His promise. God knows what He said and He needs no reminder. The reminders for us. That word there, is less about reminder and more about recognition. God’s demonstrating His glory to us and putting it on a pedestal so that all can experience it. Every time you see a rainbow, its God’s glory on display. It’s a sign that points to Him…to remind us of His nature and to remind us that because of His nature, He provides everything needed for a faithful covenant.

And listen, let me just pause and address the culture we live in right now. The whole pride month…LGBTQ+ community…its a jab at God here. The pride flag, it was created for the gay community in 1978…and the irony of this flag, it’s painful guys. Listen, we just talked about this in Genesis chapter 6 where God says He’s gonna slaughter humanity for their pride or because of their pride…which is the very same pride that we see in this LGBTQ community. And listen, in these stories that we just dug into…God’s ammunition was rain and His weapon was His bow (which again is His glory). And God’s promise was to laid down His bow and never flood the earth again…no matter what happens. But now the gay community taunts God by boasting of their pride…all while waving a picture of the very weapon that God used to annihilate man’s pride. In fact, I’ll go on and say this, it’s possibly the most cultural abomination in modern history.

But listen, the Bible tells us…Galatians 6:7:

Galatians 6:7 (ESV)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

God is a God of justice…and the rainbow’s a sign of that as well. Any person that believes they can boast in their sin, doesn’t know God and will face the God who condemns sinners.

And so, what’s all this mean for us? It means we need to pray for those in our culture…pray that God would open doors for them to see their misguided ways…for them to see the truths of the gospel.

And guys, we need to pray for ourselves…we need to pray that pride doesn’t cloud our own judgement…because the only way to come to Christ, which is the source of our salvation, it’s to lay down all pride. By laying down our pride, we can see the rainbow for what it really is…the glory of God…demonstrating the nature of God.

You see, every covenant God makes…He gives a sign so that we can constantly be reminded of His faithfulness. In Genesis chapter 9, He gave the rainbow to remind us of His nature…but guys in our salvation, He gives us Himself, through His Spirit, to not just remind us, but to let us enter into His presence and experience the fullness of Christ.

That’s what Paul means when he writes in Ephesians chapter 1:

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Guys, the Holy Spirit was given to us, not just to sanctify us and to change us into the image of Jesus…of course, that’s a huge reason…but it was also meant to be a sign…a reminder of what God’s already done in our salvation. It’s to remind us that He will be faithful to our covenant because He’s already given us everything by giving us His Spirit. The Spirit, He’s equally God. And the Spirit, according to these inspired writings…He dwells in us as a body of believers. It’s a sign of our covenant between us and God.

Closing

Guys, as we close this morning…I wanna ask you one simple question, “What about your salvation are you willing to attribute to God? What are you willing to give God credit for?”

And listen, I ask this because until we see it for what it is He’s done…we’ll never truly know Jesus or this covenant He’s established with us…and we’ll never truly walk through life hoping for our future reunion with Him.

Every head bowed, and eye closed.

Listen, if you’re a believer here this morning…do you recognize the work Jesus did in bringing you to Himself…I mean do you really understand the gravity of the announcement you received when you heard the good news for the very first time and the faith you were given to believe it in your heart. Guys, God thought it important enough not just to come you…not just to offer a way to Him…but to even take it further and draw you and convict and change you. You were on Jesus’s mind. I mean does that impact you? Does it cause you wanna worship?

Listen, every Sunday morning…it should be like Easter for us…it should be a reminder that the tomb’s still empty and because of that, you’ve been given new life and new hope. Does your salvation change your perspective? And listen, do others around you see that? Does it motivate you? Does it encourage you? Does it carry you? Ask yourself those questions…because listen, when you’ve been given genuine faith to believe…everything about who you are, it changes…Are you different this morning?

Or listen, maybe you’re here and you recognize you don’t truly have this saving faith. Guys, the Bible, it says that we’re all sinful and that the penalty of this sin, its death. But through Jesus…who came and lived a perfect life…who died on a cross…He came to take on your punishment from that sin…and its through Jesus, we can experience this astounding grace…through Jesus and His Spirit, we have the ability to turn and to repent…we have the ability to be freed from the power of sin. And guys, it’s through Christ and Christ alone that we can be restored and experience real joy, even now.

And so, listen, Wendy’s gonna play…I want you to take the next several minutes, as we prepare the Lord’s Supper this morning, and I want you to just evaluate where you’re at with God…and guys, I want you to turn to Him…to deal with your sin. Maybe that means you need to get up and just come to the altar and lay it all at the feet of Jesus this morning…or maybe you just need to finally give your life to Him today, ask Him to grant you the faith you need to have a relationship with Him…listen, I’m here if you need me. You wanna be saved…you want me to pray with you…whatever it is, I’m here.

And so, you come as Wendy plays.

[Prayer]

Matthew 26:26 (ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Matthew 26:27–29 (ESV)

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”