Noah
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In the 1950’s and 60’s and a little before that, there was something in our country called segregation. In the south there were also laws called Jim crow laws that helped to reinforce the idea of segregation and keeping blacks in america and other people of color in a second class position. What this meant is that White Americans and Americans of Color were to have separate spaces and these spaces were also supposed to be equal.
In reality this was not the case. Blacks and people of color were not treated equally and were treated poorly and unjustly. For example they were to sit at the back of the bus or stand if too populated, they were not allowed to eat in restaurants many times and had to go to the back door to be served at some establishments and at times other opportunities or services were not available to people of color.
This injustice and unfair treatment of minorities in America eventually led to a movement called the civil rights movement. In the 50’s and 60’s a prominent young preacher from Georgia was passionate about fighting for the unjust and working to strive for the system to recognize and honor the equality of all people. This young minister was Martin Luther King Jr and he believed he was called to fight for the civil rights of the people of color in America.
Because he felt that he was called to fight for equality for people of color in America and he had a strong conviction for this he was able to live it out and in fighting for equality he endured many hardships. He was imprisoned several times, he was assaulted, he was stabbed, his home where he and his wife and children lived was bombed and he recieved death threats regularly.
Martin Luther King stood against inequality when it was not a popular thing to do.
eventually he was assassinated for it.
I am sharing this story to show what it looks like to have a conviction and to live for it. As believers we should have a conviction and drive to live righteously and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
Today we are going to look at someone who lived righteously, who wanted what God wanted and who did this when it was not popular. Today we will be looking at Noah in Genesis 6:1-7:1.
Big Idea- Gods people live righteously, even when those around them oppose Gods Will.
Take Aways
Gods faithfulness
Salt and Light
Do the will of God
So earlier in Genesis in Genesis one we see that God was there in the beginning and that He created everything and everything that He created was Good. God also created Adam and Eve and told them to take care of the earth and to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
However what they were supposed to be multiplying were followers of God spreading Gods reign and rule in the earth. Then in Genesis two God created a garden specific for Adam and Eve the first two humans to live in and they had everything that they needed in that garden.
He only told them not to eat of one tree. Then in chapter three Satan tempts Eve and she eats of the fruit and Adam also disobeys God and eats of the forbidden fruit.
This caused sin to enter the world and broke the relationship between man and God. But in Genesis 3:15 God had the solution, and this solution would come from the seed of the woman and would defeat Satan, this promised seed that is the solution for the problem of sin is Jesus.
After Adam and Eve find out about this promised seed they have children, they have two son’s Cane and Abel. But there is a problem, in chapter 4 Cane ends up Killing Abel and Cane was cursed and it looked like the one who was to pass on the promised seed was killed but God provided another son to Adam and Eve and this was Seth the promised seed came through Him.
Chapter 5 goes through the genealogy of Adam through Noah and Noah is a descendant of Seth. And here we are in our text at Noah in chapter 6.
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
Now this is one of the more controversial portions of the Bible, and that is the interpretation of who the Sons of God are and who the Daughters of men are.
The first view that I will go over is the view that is said to be the oldest view with the Jews back in the first century and early Christians believing this view. This is also the view that Pastor Cory Johnson holds.
This view says that the sons of God is referring to fallen angels and that the daughters of men were human women. This view says that these fallen angels came down and married human woman and produced offspring. This was an attempt from Satan to corrupt and destroy the promised seed that was to destroy him eventually.
People that hold this view also believe that Jude 1:6-7 is referring to these angels.
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
They also believe that 2 Peter 2:4-5 is referring to these angels.
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
The second view, which has gained more traction over the years is that the Sons of God is referring to the descendants of Seth or those who were supposed to be following God, and the daughters of men are the women who are not followers of God. So in this view they are essentially marrying being unequally yoked and the woman are drawing these men away from God.
But if one takes one view over the other is not as important and is not something to be divided over as believers.
What is important for us to know is that mankind was not multiplying what God had intended for them to multiply. God intended for them to multiply followers of God, but instead they were multiplying and filling the earth with enemies of God.
Just as Adam and Eve were given the commission to Be fruitful and multiply, God has given us a commission to multiply His kingdom in going out and making disciples. Matthew 28:19-20 says.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
To make disciples who make disciples is not to just tell them about Jesus and then to leave them on their own. It is to tell them about Jesus, then to come along side them helping them to understand what it is to live for Jesus and to help them to grow in Christ to the point where they are able to live for Christ and continue to make disciples.
This is something that all believers are called to do.
If you have a family and Children it should start there. Are we teaching our children about Christ and living a life of righteousness working to spread God’s reign and rule?
Or are we leaving our children to the world and to their own devices allowing the world to train them to be enemies of Christ?
Are we working towards this command, lending out our manhood or womanhood mentoring and discipling others who are not being discipled?
This was the problem here in Genesis, the multiplication of mankind was multiplying enemies of God rather than followers of God and His Kingdom.
However God is faithful and what He says will happen, will come to pass. So even though all looks lost, God is still in control and His plan will prevail. The promised seed would still prevail. This is the promise that God gave in Genesis 3:15.
Back to the text
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.”
There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
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.
So here we see the state of mankind, they were corrupted and did not follow God. It is easy to look at this scene as “those people” in the past having wicked hearts and being wicked however that is the case for all of us apart from Christ. Without Christ we will seek after our own sinful desires and work to gratify our flesh.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Because our heart has been corrupted by sin, we need Jesus to redeem us and to change our hearts from one that wants to do evil, to one that desires His will to be done in our lives and in the world.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Second Corinthians 5:17 also describes this transformation and it says.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
The world today is full of wickedness and people who do not serve God, we were once one of them. But for those of us who now follow Christ by the Grace of God He drew us in with His spirit and he changed us to wanting to live for Him and not for ourselves.
If we are professing to be Christ followers then there should be a difference in our lives that is evident because of the Change that God does in us.
Back to the text.
And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
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.”
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
So here God saw the state of mankind and He was grieved, meaning He felt a great sadness for mankind. It is not Gods desire for man kind to do poorly, and for us to suffer living sinful lives in opposition to Him. His plans are better than any plan that we have of ourselves.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
God was grieved because his desire for mankind to be fruitful and multiply followers of God is the best case scenario for mankind. But Mankind multiplied wickedness instead.
God had decided that mankind needed to be destroyed because of their wickedness.
God is a God that Cannot lie and He will accomplish all of his promises. He gave Grace to Noah and preserved mankind and the promised seed through Noah so that mankind could be redeemed and have a relationship with HIm.
Back to the text.
This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
So here we see a few things about Noah one that he was called Just and perfect in his generations, that he walked with God and that he had three sons. Noah also lived in a time where the earth was filled with corruption and violence.
So we can ask, what is the significance of these details that we are reading about Noah? And what is this about Noah being perfect? I thought all have sinned and none is perfect but Jesus?
Here in verse 9 when it is saying that Noah was a Just and perfect man it is not saying that he has never done anything wrong in his life. What it is saying is that he had a heart to serve God, he desires what God desires and seeks to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. So here when it says perfect it means a man of integrity who is a follower of God.
In verse 10 it lets us know that Noah has three sons. This is significant for later in the narrative of the story of the Bible because one of these sons, Shem would eventually be the carrier of the promised seed and the three sons and their wives would be the ones to repopulate the world after the flood.
In verse 11 the author gives us another picture of the state of the world at the time. The earth was corrupted and filled with violence.
Noah here is shown as the example of a man of God, one who follows God even in a world full of sin and corruption. Noah lived a righteously and was a light in a dark world.
We currently are living in the last days where wickedness is all around us but as believers we are to live righteously.
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Just as Noah stood for righteousness and was obedient to what God called Him to do we are to do the same.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
So you may be wondering, how do we let our lights shine? How do we allow the seasoning of our salt to permeate where we are?
This comes from living a life dedicated to the Lord. Christ must be Lord of our lives and we are to spend time with Him in prayer, reading His word and being led by his Spirit and not to be led by our fleshly desires. To be led by the spirit means that we do what God wants us to do instead of what we want to do. So it is to crucify our flesh daily doing Gods will over our own.
Back to the text.
Genesis 6:13–22 (NKJV)
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.
Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.
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.
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.
And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Here we see that God was going to destroy every living creature on the earth. But through His grace, mercy and faithfulness He saved Noah and his family from this destruction by having Noah build an Ark that would house his family along with the animals who were to be on the ark.
Noah was righteous and obedient to Gods commands and God saved Him from his wrath as He brought the flood waters all over the face of the earth to destroy every living thing.
Just as Noah was delivered from the flood in that day. Those of us who place our faith in Christ will be saved from the wrath of God when Jesus returns and Judgement happens to those who have not accepted Christ as Lord.
In saving Noah and His family God showed his faithfulness in preserving mankind and bringing the promised seed through Noah’s line. Because God showed this grace and mercy he later sent His son Jesus to die for our sins and raise again, we now have the opportunity to put our faith in Christ and dwell with Him forever in eternity.
If you have not given your life to Christ, if you have not made Him Lord of your life you can do that today. Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Take Aways
Gods faithfulness. What God says will come to pass.
Salt and Light. We are to live a righteous life no matter our surroundings
Do the will of God. We are to do Gods Will building His Kingdom.
