Man's Unending Wickedness

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 94

Psalm 94 ESV

O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Scripture Memorization: Genesis 50:19-20

Genesis 50:19–20 ESV

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Scripture Reading (Corey): Romans 1:18-23

Romans 1:18–23 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Sermon:

1

Speaker 1

00:00

Well once again, and as always, good morning church. I was glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the house of the Lord. There’s this common thing. You see it in a lot of movies where? One character foolishly says to another character. Well, at least things can’t get much worse than this.

00:26

And usually that’s a comedic break in a lot of terrible things happening because the story usually unfolds that things get much worse than whatever this position they find themselves is. Well, as we now enter into Genesis chapter 6. We might feel the need to say. Well, things can’t get much worse than this.

00:52

But differently than the way Hollywood approaches that thought. That’s probably true. When we get to Genesis 6, Genesis chapter 6 is. The low? In Mankind’s history. There was the fall and the fall was. Drug us down to the bottom. But what we will see in Genesis 6 is? I mean, really.

01:19

What we’re seeing is the fall was worse than we thought. I mean, there was the fall, and we, we thought, the fall brought us down to here, but in reality, the fall brought us down to here. And the story of Noah, Noah, and his Ark Noah and God’s favor to Noah, Noah, and all that’s going to happen in his life, shows us that that actually Humanity’s fall was as bad as it gets.

01:43

I’ve titled this sermon man’s unending. Wickedness. What we will see in The Narrative of Noah is proof, I would argue. Of the doctrine of total depravity. That man is sinful, inherently sinful, wicked, and sinful. That’s what man is apart from the grace of God. We will see the weight and the burden and the the effects of our sin.

02:14

Ultimately, we will see God’s grace and goodness. And all of this. In the life of Noah. As we start Genesis 6, we should know all of Genesis 6, 7, 8, and 9, all of those chapters. Serve. As a sort of? Interlude. To the the genealogy that we covered last week.

02:39

I mentioned this last week, I just want to show this once again, so we sort of understand what’s going on here. This thought’s been growing of like that man is growing and flourishing, but it’s not always great, and there’s some good things. There’s Enoch, we saw him last week.

02:58

But the overarching sort of thought we’re going to see in these genealogies at the beginning of Genesis, especially. It is that sin is bad, and man is sinful. Therefore, man’s pretty messed up, and so Noah. Who in and of himself? Finds favor in the eyes of the Lord, sees God’s grace and goodness.

03:19

His story is insert in this genealogy just to show us just how bad sin is. Genesis 5, 32, introduces us to Noah after Noah’s 500 years old, Noah, fathered Shem, ham, and japheth. Genesis 9, 28, gets us to the end of Noah. After the flood, Noah lived 350 years in all.

03:43

The days of Noah were 950 years. And he died. And so, all of six, seven, eight, and nine. Tell us what happened in Noah’s life, and it’s very important that we pay attention to this. Noaa’s story, The Narrative of Noah, is much more. With an acute fun Sunday school story.

04:04

That teaches us how to count to two because we look at all the animals. Good. In fact, that’s wrong. We’ll get to this next week. He took more than two of some animals. And so the sort of pictures you have in your mind are probably a little off. But this story is vital for us to understand how God works and how man works with.

04:26

That being said, let’s read our passage for today, Genesis chapter 6, starting in verse 1. We’re only going to read through verse eight. We’re going to take the introduction to Noah this week, next week. We’ll look at pretty much the bulk of what we think of as the Noah story.

04:41

And then we’ll notice for the weeks after that. There’s a lot more to his life, but Genesis 6, 1-8. The introduction to Noah? 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.

05:01

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 into the daughters of man, and they bore children to them.

05:24

These were the Mighty Men Who were of old, the men. Every now. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. And that every intention of the thought 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.

05:48

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 heaven for. I am sorry that I have made them.

06:03

But Noah. Found favor. In the eyes of the Lord. These are the words of the Lord for us this morning. Let’s open with the word of prayer.

06:17

The Lord, Our Lord, how Majestic is your name and all the Earth? The Earth proclaims your strength and power, your grace and mercy. Help us to see these things clearly. Help us to see them in your word. I pray that you would reveal yourself to us, open our eyes, give us eyes to see, and ears to hear all that you have said and done.

06:39

Help us to see your grace and mercy. You’re Justice your goodness! Help us to see all that you are and who we are as we open your word. We ask you to use this time to convict our hearts, conform us into the image of your son. For it’s in his name that we pray.

06:56

Amen.

07:01

As most of, you know, by now, I always say, every series, every book of the Bible we go through. There are texts. There are passages that I’m really looking forward to preaching. And there’s some ones that I’m like. That’s not gonna be the most fun. This passage. Is both.

07:21

If I’m gonna be honest? There are two halves of Genesis 6, 1-8, and really, it’s one through four. And five through eight. It’s the first four verses and the second four verses. And it’s important we understand sort of what’s going on in all of this. There is one picture being painted.

07:42

But the first four verses. To be frank and honest with you. It’s a mystery. We start verses one through four with a bit of a Biblical mystery. To just lay my cards on the table. What exactly is going on in Genesis 1, Genesis 6 1-4? What exactly is being said here?

08:09

I don’t know. I’m not certain. How’s that? That may be a little better. Way to say this. I have thoughts I’ve read. I’ve studied, I think there is ways that we can approach this that are better, and some that are worse. I have for today. I don’t usually never done this, right?

08:30

I made a copy of one of my commentaries. I, I copied just the chapter on those four verses. I put it in the back. It’s worthy of your time and attention. The the commentary I put in the back is largely what I agree with, though I disagree with a couple things, Dr Curett says in that book.

08:50

But we need to be honest when we come to passages like this. That there’s difficulty. And every commentary. This passage is right. This is one of the most. You’ll open up one commentary. This is one of the most difficult passages in all of Genesis. You open up the next one.

09:08

This is one of the most confusing texts in all of Genesis, you open up the next one. This passage has perplexed commentators for hundreds of years in the next one. The short answer is no one is fully certain what’s going on. You have this idea, right? Verse one’s pretty easy, Mankind’s increasing.

09:29

And men are having daughters. Great gotcha, and then verse 3 opens. The sons of God saw the daughters of men were attractive. Who are the sons of God? And who are the daughters of man that becomes the big question? And there’s children that come. And these children are not the Nephilene.

09:50

Verse 4 tells us about the Nephilim, but they exist at the time of the Nephilim and either the children or the Nephilene. It’s hard to know exactly who are these Mighty Men Who are of old, who were the Nephilim? This verse appears, or sorry, this word appears twice in scripture.

10:04

Once here and once in numbers, when they send spies into the promised land, and there are giants. That’s how we normally translate this word. But we don’t know exactly what that word means God comes in. And he says, my spirit shall not abide in man forever. We understand that, for he is flesh, we’ve covered that right.

10:25

We’re a bunch of Flesh and dirt creatures made of the dirt. But he says. His days shall be 120 years. Does this mean man will never live past 120 years? Well, doesn’t mean never. Because Noah, I read the verse, he’s going to live 950. Abraham all the way till Aaron Aaron lives 185 years, so we have extraordinarily long life even after this.

10:53

But does this mean God’s going to slowly begin to curb from 969 years in Methuselah down? To 120. Does this mean from when God says this to the time of the flood is going to be 120 years? Maybe? Are the sons of God, angels, or people or rulers, maybe?

11:15

What’s going on here? It’s all a bit of a mystery. This mystery is what we will talk about in Grace group on whatever night you go to Grace group this week. But I wanted to give you this thought that there’s a mystery to tell you this. This should not make you doubt scripture at all.

11:36

In fact, my belief is that passages like this make us trust scripture all the more? Because we don’t hide or edit out, or try to get rid of difficult passages. They’re there.

11:53

Just like any truthful thing, there’d be things that we fully understand and things. Maybe we struggle to understand, but the truth has got to be there, and so the fact that scripture gives us passages like this to me. Lend some credibility. It’s not like somewhere down the road. Subscribe at some point was like?

12:13

Yeah, this is tough. Let’s just. Let’s just edit that one out. It’s here. We don’t just come to scripture and be like, well. You know? It’s kind of hard, so we just no, it’s here. And we see it, and we read it. And then it will be full on, though we don’t fully understand it.

12:37

This much can be true. Let me, I’ll tell you what I believe. Is the the payoff of this mystery? Right, I can’t tell you all the details, but I can get you to a conclusion.

12:51

Mankind. Is doing what mankind wants. And there’s something going on here where the commands of God are being ignored and the consequences of ignoring God’s commands are dire. He will. Sovereignly rule over the lives of man so that they live only the appointed days of God. If that means 120 years till the flood comes, or that means mankind from now on will only live 120 years.

13:25

Either way, God’s in control? And so the purpose of this mystery is to get us to see something’s going on here. Something Wicked is brewing.

13:37

And God’s going to do something about it. And then the next four lessons, then teach us. Lessons. So, the side note is sure we can wrestle through sons of God, Daughters of man Nephilim, all that stuff. But let’s get to some lessons and the lessons we learn. We see them in seed form in this sort of mystery section, but they come to us very clearly.

14:04

In verses 5 through 8. And there are truly four lessons. Each verse, I think, has a thought it wants to get across to us. And as we approach each one, what we begin to see is.

14:21

Man is wicked doing what he wants. And God’s going to do something. Until the first lesson we learn is the. Of man’s sin. Genesis 6, 5. Maybe? Strangely, maybe you know me is probably one of my favorite verses in all of scripture? Because I can think of no better way to describe the state of man’s sin.

14:51

It’s so concise and so clear. When someone wants to say? Oh well, Mankind’s largely good. But you just have to trust in the goodness of man. Genesis 6:5 says, don’t ever trust in the goodness of man Genesis 6, 5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.

15:19

So, we start here. It’s ba, God looks. He’s, like, man, there’s a lot of evil wickedness brewing in man.

15:31

As we look around the world, we might think. There’s a lot of evil wickedness Brewing. In the heart of man.

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It gets worse.

15:47

Genesis 6, 5. And. Every intention in the thoughts of the thoughts of his heart. Was only. Evil. Continually. Every intention was evil. Every thought man had was self-centered and evil and wicked. Every intention of his heart, every thought, every desire everything he aimed himself at every intention of the heart of man was evil. Every intention of the heart of man. Was only evil. It was only evil. It wasn’t like. Yeah, every thought’s evil. Some are kind of neutral, but there’s a bantu. No, it’s only evil. There’s no redeeming quality, sinful, sinful man with his sinful, sinful thoughts. Every intention of his heart is only evil.

16:54

No one is righteous. No, not one, no one seeks God. Every intention was only evil continually. There’s no break from Sunrise to sunset from the moment man opens his eyes to the moment he closes his eyes and probably the dreams in between is only evil in man’s heart. Man is unendingly, unceasingly, unfathomably wicked and evil. God looks at the Earth, and this is how he sees man.

17:34

In his own strength and might. Has this? As the best he can do.

17:45

We can look around. And I think this is the worst that man can do, or sorry, this is the best man can do. At his worst. There’s thoughts of God, sort of common Grace. God restrains evil and wickedness. God has put in place things that that counteract this thought. But this thought? Shows man.

18:14

In his desperate. Wicked. Natural habitat. Every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. When I say that you may have heard me say, you can never overstate the wickedness and violeness of your sin. This is why.

18:43

Cuz this is what sin Sin begets more sin and sin, breeds more sin and sin as it festers causes more sin till you sit there, and you realize that every intention of the thoughts of this heart was only evil continually that is sinful man. And when man is at this level of sinfulness. When man has here shown how far he has fallen. We are introduced to God. Regret! Verse 6 and the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

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Now, we need to be careful here. When we think of regret, right? We think of, like, oh well, I wanted to do this, and I did it, and I probably shouldn’t have done it.

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God doesn’t ever do something he should not have done. And so. When we read regret here, be careful. God doesn’t change his mind. There is no variation or shadow of change to him. This is called. Here’s your sort of super fancy. Word. An anthropomorphism actually, technically, is anthropethis it’s slightly different anthropomorphism, that’s, that’s the word everyone knows.

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Anthropopathism is technically what this is here.

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We are using creaturely language. To give us insight into the heart of God. Right, so God doesn’t regret the way man does. But understanding man’s regret helps us see into the heart of God. And what we are being shown here. Because that God is Holy. And righteous.

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And. And those who engage in sin and those whose lives are marked by sin.

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Can have no fellowship with God.

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To say that God was grieved.

21:09

Again. Often, we look at grief, and it’s because situations and things have happened to us. That are outside of our control that cause heartache and turmoil and pain and sorrow.

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To say that God is grieved. Doesn’t mean that he’s sitting there. Wishing things weren’t the case, bemoaning his station. He was in, rather, it shows that God and his attitude towards sin is.

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You won’t stand for!

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He looks to man sinful vile Wicked evil man man, who every intention of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually.

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He thinks I’m done.

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There’s grief, there’s regrets.

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Is a wretched vile. Evil. Little creature.

22:29

So, we see God’s regrets, which moves quickly. Into God’s Wrath. See if our grief and our regret comes the things we wish we should have done differently, and things that have happened to us that maybe are outside of our control. God doesn’t experience these same things in the same way. And so God makes a declaration. Of his wrath and judgment. Upon man, we already saw his judgment a little bit with this whole man will only live 120 days here. But it’s even worse than that. It’s magnified here in Genesis chapter 7.

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So the Lord said, I will blot out man. Done. Quite literally, I will wipe him off the face of the Earth. I’m done with him. Not just him, but those things that he was called to have dominion and lordship over. I’m done with them too. The the creatures that were all created on day six, right? When I was getting ready and I was getting ready, I was planning a garden. I was working all this. I’m done with it all. Man, I’m done with creatures. I’m done with birds. I’m done with everything on the face of the Earth. I’m done with God’s Wrath, is Holy and completely holy.

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Against man. In his sinfulness, the corrupting effects of man’s sin have brought upon himself wrath and judgment, God’s justice, and his just decree that man is done.

24:12

Isn’t this a cute story to talk to our kids on Sunday school about? And paint cute little pictures. Noah’s Ark is a story about man in his most vile, Wicked, evil, sinful state, and God in his most justice and wrath and goodness, declaring that he will blot out man from the face of the Earth, I’m done.

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All of it, man animals, creeping things, birds of the heaven, I’m done. I’m sorry, I made them, and I will fix this situation.

24:50

Again, When God says, I’m sorry. This is using human language to describe something that’s going on with God, don’t. Don’t think that God actually has regrets and God’s actually sorry God owes no one. Any apologies? But this is getting across the weight of man’s sin against a holy righteous God.

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Then we see God’s grace.

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This is why it’s an appropriate story for nurseries and Sunday schools.

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But hear the grace in Genesis 6:8.

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But Noah. Found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

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God’s grace! Looks to Noah. With favor.

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I’ll ask you a question. What has Noah done?

26:09

They would earn this.

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What in Noah’s life that you know about that? We have read so far. Makes him worthy of this.

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Nothing.

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God’s grace is given to Noah.

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Before he has done anything worthy. Before he has shown himself as one who deserves this. Noah was a man. And when God looks at the Earth, every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

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But Noah found favor. But God’s grace shines upon Noah. God looks at Noah and his three sons, and he decides it is through this man and his family. That I will preserve the life of. Mankind and the animals and the creeping things and the birds of the heaven. God looks to Noah and says, I will save and I will deliver, and Noah will be the vessel that I will use to bring salvation.

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To the world.

27:32

God’s grace! Is given. When man is unworthy? Even if we look past Noah. And we just think why would God save mankind at all? This is what mankind has earned every intention of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. This is what mankind deserves. I will blot him out.

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But God looks to Noah. And in his grace decides.

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I will save.

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And his grace saves.

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Fast forward from Noah.

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All the way up to present day. Why is this story so important?

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Cuz this is how I read. Genesis, chapter 6. Verses five through eight. To be frank with you.

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The Lord saw. That the wickedness of David was great in the earth. That every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

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But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For the Son of God, Came not in the world not to condemn. But to save and redeem.

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Verse 8.

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So, David.

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Against All Odds.

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Through no strength or goodness in his own, for he had none. Found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

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This story is the same story.

29:56

God Saves according to his grace. Man’s sin is vile and wicked and evil. And though, we deserve. God’s Wrath and his judgment. Instead, he pours upon us Grace upon Grace upon Grace. The story of no is God will save and deliver. The story of Salvation is God has done this. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, that whoever believes in him will not perish.

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Though the waters rise up to swallow us. Though death and destruction Reign on every side, God will save. God will deliver. That’s the point.

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Though I was wicked and sinful. I’m now made alive together with Christ, granted his righteousness. He has taken from me, my Heart of Stone, the heart that was only intent. The only intention my heart was only evil continually and replaced it with a heart of Flesh, his law written upon it. That’s the promise we have in the New Covenant.

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God’s grace extends to Sinners.

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What’s the point of Noah? It’s truly the point of scripture. Let’s pray.