FLOOD

amen So we've been in this series on Genesis and leading up to the story of the flood in a couple weeks ago. I began to touch on it, but this week I want us to think about the narrative as a whole and in order to do that. I'm going to I want to read the whole thing, and it's it's 3 chapter. So it's a long text to read that. It's designed to be read as a whole and in order for us to really grasp what it's saying. We need we need to hear it as a whole. So if you got your Bibles, you can follow along. If not, it'll be on the screen if you just want to sit back and listen, that's fine, too.

Beginning of Genesis chapter 6 verse 5 says this this is the word of the Lord 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 God regretted that he 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. These are the generations of know I know it was a righteous man blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God know I had three sons Shem ham and japheth. Now the Earth was corrupt in God's sight in the Earth was filled with violence. Saw the Earth and behold it was corrupt for All Flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. God said to Noah I have determined to make an End of All Flesh for the Earth is filled with violin. Through them behold, I will destroy them with the Earth make yourself an ark of gopher wood make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you would have make it the length of the arc 300 cubits. Its breath 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits make a roof for the ark and finish it a cubit above and set the door of the Ark and its side make it with lower second and third X4 behold. I will bring a flood of waters upon the Earth To Destroy All Flesh in which is the Breath of Life under Heaven everything that is on the Earth shall die. But I will establish my Covenant with you and you should come into the ark you and your son's your wife and your son's wives with you and of every living thing of All Flesh. You should bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female of the birds according to their kind of the animals according to their kind of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind to of every sort she'll come into to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten in stored up its Social Service food for you. And for them Noah did this he did all that God had commanded him in the Lord said to Noah go into the ark you and all your household for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation take with you seven pairs of all clean animals the mail and his mate and a pair of the animals that are not clean the mail and his mate 7 pairs of the birds of the heavens also male and female to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the Earth for in 7 days. I will send rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights and every living thing that I made all the blood out from the face of the ground Noah did all that. The Lord had commanded him know was 600 years old when the flood of waters Came Upon the Earth. No one is Sons of his wife and his sons wives with him went into the ark to escape the Waters of the flood of clean animals and of animals that are not cleaning a burden of everything that creeps on the ground too and two male and When is the ark with Noah as God had commanded Noah after 7 Days the Waters of flood Came Upon the Earth in the 600 year of Noah's life in the second month on the 17th day of the month on that. They all The Fountains of the great deep and rain fell upon the Earth 40 days and 40 nights on the very same day and Noah and his sons Shem ham and japheth and Noah's wife and three wives of the sun's with them entered the Ark they and every Beast according to its kind in all the lights. According to their kind and every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth according to its kind and every bird according to its tied every winged creature. They went into the ark with Noah to into of All Flesh in which there was the breath of life and those that entered male and female Ash Wednesday and is God had commanded him and the Lord shut him in the flood continued 40 days on the earth. The water is increased and bore up the ark and it Rose high above the Earth. The water is prevailed and increased greatly on the earth and the Ark floated on the face of the waters and the water's prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole Heaven were covered the waters prevailed above the mountains covering them fifteen cubits D on the earth birds and creatures that swim on the earth and all mankind everything on the dry land and whose nostrils was the breath of life. He bought it out. Every living thing that was on the face of the ground man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heaven. They were blotted out from the earth only know is left and those who were with him in the ark and the water's prevails on the earth 150 days. But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the Arcane. God made a wind blow over the earth and the waters subsided The Fountains of the deep in the windows of the heavens were closed the rain from the heavens was restrained and the waters receded from the earth continually at the end of 150 days. The waters had abated and in the seven month on the 17th day of the month the ark came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat and the water's continue to Abate until the tenth month in the tenth month on the first day of the month the tops of the mountains were seen. At the end of 40 days no open the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven and went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth that he sent forth a dub from him to see if the water subsided from the face of the ground but the deaf found no place to set her foot and she returned to him to the arc for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So we put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another 7 days then again sent forth the dove out of the Ark and the Dove came back to him in the evening in the hole in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So no one knew that the waters had subsided from the earth wait another seven days and sent for that job and she did not return to him anymore in the six hundred and first year in the first month. The first day of the month of waters word ride from off the Earth and Noah remove the covering of the Ark and looked and behold the face of the ground was dry. In the second month on the 27th day of the month the Earth had dried out then God said to Noah go out from the sons wives with you ring out with you. Every living thing that is with you. I'll flash birds and animals and creeping things that creep on the earth that they may swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth. So Noah went out and his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him every Beast every creeping thing every bird everything that moves on the earth went out by families from the ark When Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some a very clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. I want the Lord to smell the pleasing Aroma of the Lord said in his heart. I will never again curse the ground because of man for the attention of man's heart is evil from his youth me. Neither. Will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done while the Earth remains seedtime and harvest cold and heat summer and winter day and night she'll not see this is the word of the Lord.

repetitious

it's intriguing. It's a story that has caused many in our damage. to doubt the veracity and trustworthiness of the scriptures a story that causes many to doubt the idea of a loving God. How could a loving God destroy the world with a flat? How do we reconcile a creator that is good and generous and wise with a creator that would enact such judgments upon his creation. Emotionally it's a difficult. But there's other challenges at scientifically. What how do we reconcile the Bible's of pound of this flood with? The scientific evidence that we have today at hand. It is a significant challenge. Let me say it this way Genesis 628 declares that there was a universal or Global flood at the time that no concept that the Earth was round or Globe. So it's a little anachronistic to say that that's what it's describing its describing a universal Global flood. Yours was a challenge because scientific evidence does not demonstrate a universal Global flood. Not let me be clear. I'm not a scientist. I don't play one on TV. My training's in history and philosophy and biblical study. Not a geologist even though my wife thinks I'm a rocket. Let me be clear on that. but I I've read widely and deeply and I know that you can find Scholars and scientists that will claim that that the evidence supports a universal Global flood. They are few and far between they are definitely outliers and science is not determined by a boat. I know it's not that's not how it works, but Let me be clear. We as God's image bearers have been gifted with Incredible Ingenuity and wisdom and intelligence. We have the ability to discover and learning and growing process intestine and an overwhelming consensus by those that have invested their lives studying natural phenomenon geology and how this works to the absolute majority.

Will clearly tell you that the evidence that we have does not support a universal Global flood.

And I know there's people out there and so don't send me their books. I've seen their stuff.

I don't want to get into the scientific debate this morning. I'm not a scientist and most of the summer. I want us to think about this theologically and biblically and it's a reality that we have to wrestle with because people are wrestling with it. I've met many people in my almost 30 years of ministry. Why don't you believe why why'd you walk away from the church? Why why can you not take Jesus seriously? Many people will point to accounts like the flood and the challenges they're so what do we do with this what we got a couple option one we can say that the Bible is wrong and science is right. That's where many if not most outside of the church got what we know science says this is true. So therefore this account that we find in Genesis can't be sure the Bible is wrong and science is right. I don't want to go there. I also don't want to go hear the Bible is right and science is wrong. And unfortunately, this is where many especially in the Evangelical Church have gone no know the Bible is right and science is wrong. So now we're making science an enemy. And and if God said it, I believe it that settles it and I'm just I'm going to I'm going to ignore or oppose or pretend that that this battle isn't happening and let me just tell you sticking our head in the sand and say well the Bible says it that settles it. Doesn't work. It's not what God is calling us to do and unfortunately, it seems like that's the two options that were presented by either. The Bible is wrong in science is right or the Bible is right and science is wrong. I want to suggest to you that if we approach the text. With a a reasonable intelligence hermeneutic and that's just a fancy theological word for how we study and understand and interpret the scripture if we approach the scripture the way the scriptures. Demands to be approached and I've been saying this every week the Bible is written for you, but not to you. The challenge that both of these positions bring us is that they they come from a position of reading the Bible from our cultural perspective. So we're reading the Bible as if it's a scientific text church. I've been saying this through this whole series Genesis is not a scientific text its scientific now that does not mean. Science and Truth are not necessarily equal in and of themselves. What it does mean is that the Bible is written in a cultural contact by authors and to readers who did not think the way that we think about the material world. It's what we want to do justice to the text that was inspired by the spirit in those cultural context. We've got the sink like they thought we've got to hear it like they heard it and when we do that

We find more than just these two options when rightly understood there actually both rights. Or at least they can be imma do my best to try to show you that this morning.

And before I proceed let me say this. I'm not going to pick a fight. I'm not here to say I'm right and if you don't agree with me, you're absolutely wrong. I'm here to say we need to look to the word of God to be our God. And we can disagree on what we think that word says and still love each other really really well. Alright, and and if I have if I'm approaching the flood narrative from a different perspective than you you don't have to doubt my ability to love Jesus. And I won't do the same to you. Is it can we make that deal I can we can we just

avoid the mistakes that our culture is making so radically. I'm not listening to each other not talking to each other not hearing each other living in our Echo Chambers only hearing what makes us feel good what we already agree with. Tween agree that God is bigger and better and whatever it is. We already know or think we know.

The Bible is a fee logical document that describes real historical events in theological ways. Do we have? genres of literature We have scientific literature. Objective reporting when we read a historical document we expect it to be precise. We want facts and figures that lineup. We want a chronological timeline that moves only in One Direction This is how we write historical literature. And if you deviate from that if he comes what bad history if you give the wrong numbers, it's inaccurate. And therefore untrue if you take the storyline and adjust it to fit your What we call that fake news.

is our approach not then we also have philosophical theological writings and Reporting sand and we're okay with with those being different because we have these clearly separated genres. The ancient world did not think that way. When Moses was inspired by the spirit to write Genesis, he wasn't he wasn't thinking like a reporter for the New York Times. He wasn't sitting down going to happen first in this time. He's writing. The nation of Israel who has just been freed from slavery in Egypt brought out by the mighty hand of God covenanted with at the mountain of Sinai and now we're being sent into the promised land writing to them to give them a sense of understanding of who they are and where they come from. And Spoon is God is that is just so dramatically rescued them. He's riding to give them a feel logical understanding of who God is and who they are and what this world is that they're living in To do that. He's leaning upon the wisdom and inspiration of the spirit. He is obviously using text that were written before him because he wasn't around when there was a flood he wasn't there when you came slaughtered able he wasn't in the garden with Adam and Eve. You're with me on this. Yes.

The Bible is a theological document describes real historical events now. So when I say that it's a theological thing. I'm not saying that he's not talking about the events that didn't happen.

Do you have talking about real historical events, but he's doing it interpretively.

The Bible is not written to inform of History. As much as it's given to interpret history. There's an agenda. There is a theological agenda in the Scripture. It is not pure scientific history. It is a theological interpretation of History. And as such it uses the normal conventions of literature and communication of the day. So the Bible uses similes the Bible uses figures of speech the Bible uses hyperbole some of your like it's been a long time since I took an English class. Some of you were going I don't have to go to school for 3 weeks. I don't want to think about hyperbole. Hyperbole is a figurative language to Lorex prescient that uses exaggeration in order to produce a desired effect or make a point hyperbole. We use it all the time. I just do the last week. My wife and I were packing up to go to Oregon for a wedding I go and I pick up her suitcase night time. Know if you heard that conversation, none of you would think that I actually thought it weighed a literal ton weight if I mean, I know I'm boss but I'm not picking up a time didn't weigh a ton. It's hyperboles exaggeration like to forget the kitchen sink write a hyperbole.

We use it all the time. I just used it right there all the time.

That's how hyperbole would exaggerate to make a point to draw a tension. Tell something. The Bible uses hyperbole a lot and that may make you uncomfortable because many of us have been raised with this idea that the Bible is the words of the text are absolutely inspired inspiration. Not just about the words. It's about the meaning. Inspiration is about what the Holy Spirit wanted to reveal.

words have to be interpreted in context and words have to be interpreted in jonron words have to be understood the way that they were meant to be used. It's sometimes but just doing a word study or looking at the word by itself is not going to tell you anything. If I told you this morning that this was going to be a a sermon that's full of a lot of hot potatoes. You don't know what I'm talking about, right but imagine a historian gets a copy of this sermon 3000 years from now and they're listening to it and it's going to be a bunch of hot potatoes. That means they're Look up the word hot. They're Look up the word potato. I better see what it meant in Germanic language. You can do all of that work. You can look at the origin of the word the root of the word that you'll never understand what I'm saying. Just by the word some self context figurative language understanding the bigger picture. We have to read the scriptures and we have to read Genesis and we have to read the flood account. with this understanding the Bible uses hyperbole looked let me give you a few examples Jeremiah Wright's the book of Lamentations after the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and in chapter 222. He says he says you summon this to a festival they might errors on every side and on the day of the anger of the Lord no one escapes or survive. Those who my health and raise my enemy destroy. Jerusalem fell on a day that God you raised up the enemy to come against us no one escapes or survived really, how are you in this then? And who are you riding at 2?

right Do you understand? It's using hyperbole. Let me give you another one the conquest narratives and in Joshua and judges, they're full of hyperbolic language because they're full of battles and victories and defeats and and and man we use hyperbolic language so off in anytime there's competition anytime. There's there's two opponents don't we do it in sports? We do it on war with a hyperbole just comes out. Look at this Joshua. It's counting by Joshua led the people in and and their battles and it says this so Joshua took the whole land. According to all of the Lord has spoken to Moses and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments and the land had rest from war. Well, that's a great statement that if you just read that you would expect like the rest of the Book of Joshua is just like farming techniques and trade management and also let you know what I mean like you just said but it's funny cuz the chapter 12 just keep going with like all the Great accomplishments of Joshua, but I love I love Joshua 13, Joshua was old and advanced in years. So that's nice. Right and the Lord said to him you are old and advanced in years.

That's funny.

You're about to die. So you kind of done. And then listen to What God Says. And there remains yet very much Lance possess.

Listen, this is why I know yet remains all those regions of the Philistines. All those of The Guess Who writes from the sci-fi horror, which is east of Egypt northward to the boundary background is counted as pain night there five rulers the Philistines those of God by Astrid Ashkelon gas in ekron and those of the Avene in the South all the land of the Canaanites and Mira which belongs to the city to Diane's to a fax to the boundary of the amorites and the land of the gecko lights and all Lebanon for the sunrise from Baal Gad blow Mount Hermon tool Evan Hammes. All the inhabitants of the Hill Country from Lebanon to miss Redbox name even all the sidonians. I myself will drive them out before the people of Israel only allowed only a lot of land Israel for narratives as I have commanded you. If you if you take a Bible Atlas and you look up all this right you got Joshua Levin took all the way I did but now God comes in and says half of it you still haven't completely taken over. There's still work to be done. This is that make one of those correct in one of those false. Only if you adopt a wooden literalism. But if you allow the normal natural conventions of language figures of speech. There's no conflict between the two. Chapter 11 is describing the end of Joshua's leadership in the transition to the next thing and so it's giving us a big broad pictures and much was accomplished. He brought them to

not untrue not precise. Not the way we do Precision, but that doesn't mean it's in a cure. This is the way.

This is the way language works and it's no different in ancient near East than it is here.

I want to suggest you this morning that much. If it's not the entirety of the flood narrative as a whole is employing hyperbole to make a point. Not saying it's not true. I am saying it's true under the conventions of figures of speech is full of hyperbole. It starts the first verse I read to Genesis 6 by the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

definition of hyperbole every thought every intention only evil always cuts. It's making a point but it weighs a ton.

How do I know if hyperbole cuz I keep reading because it's in six nine we get this now. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Which one is it? Was everyone evil only always constantly or was Noah righteous, man? The answer is yes.

Because it's using hyperbole. Are you with me here to this is what the text is laying out for it. Once you understand it's saying I'm going to put it in the context of Genesis has a hole there is a good powerful wise Creator who made all that exists to be getting them and in that Kingdom. He created all that exists within it and he created mankind to live and function with him to participate in his Sovereign and wise rule over his kingdom and Mankind chose to reject the authority of this wise and loving Creator and go their own way and the result was that they separated themselves from the blessing and Grace and kindness of that Creator and experience the opposite they moved from order to chaos from life to death from blessing to cursing And the fruits of those choices over time grew and intensify and escalated to the point that evil was dominating evil was winning that the very goodness of God's creation was under attack to the point that you even was ready to cast out good of mankind had let the proliferation of evil to a point that it was winning the day.

Very much hyperbole in this look at Genesis 6:15. the ark this is how you to make it the length of the arc 300 cubits. Its breadth 50 cubits. Its height 30 cubits 9. I know many of you forgot your Cubit to feet translator. So let me do that for you.

This description of the Ark has it at 450 ft long. By 75 ft wide and 45 feet high.

That's a big boat. That's a really big boat in the ancient world. It's a really big boat today. the dimensions themselves lead us to believe that their hyperbolic numbers and other words perfect purposely exaggerated for rhetorical effect. They're making a theological point. It's a really big boat.

Boats in the ancient world history the earliest boats rarely more than 10 feet in length. Rarely win advanced technology moves Beyond boats use for fishing sailing vessels that could navigate the Mediterranean began of here Egyptian arts and venetians that you can read a faith-based boats after maximum 170 ft long.

Des Arc What's 4 times bigger than anything the ancient world had seen thousands of years after the flood. right

Even even by the time we get to Rome the largest of the Rome had was about 180 ft by 45 ft less than a quarter the size of the Ark. We go to modern times right modern are there's a handful of 300 + foot wooden boats. The USS. Dunderberg is often listed as the longest at 377 ft but 50 feet of that length is a ram jib-boom actually surrendered 29 ft. These modern long wooden boats are also built with iron bolts and steel supports something not available to Noah even so these modern wooden boats are notoriously unstable in the water, which is why we don't build them out of wood anymore.

Am I saying the Bible is not true? No, absolutely not. I raise these issues not to deny the Bible, but try to understand the truth as the ancient reader would have understood the original readers would have realized that we are dealing with a figurative description of the flood as intended by the author of the story.

I know just saying. Okay. What about Ken Ham and they built the ark in, Kentucky.

01 watch the videos when building it you can see a lot of cranes consume a lot of metal and see a lot of technology and see a lot of stuff. It was not available. They built it in, Kentucky.

Nobody knows what that thing's going to float or not. It's not the points. It's a wonderful exercise and missing the point when we read hyperbolic language as precise scientific message. We missed the point. If a if I show you my wife man this thing weighs a ton and she like it's on the phone and she starts calling equipment rental places. Yeah. I need a jack that can lift up a ton.

Using hyperbolic language to make a point. The point is evil got really really bad. So God was going to judge it and yet even though God was going to judge it and bring destruction upon the Earth. God was going to preserve in a really really big boat is creation. This is what the story is communicating.

Genesis 68 describe a flood event in Universal Global language to make a theological point.

I can believe in the flood account in Genesis 6 to 8. And at the same time I can believe that geologists say it's not shown in the strata. And I'm good. My face does not demand something of the text, but the text is not actually offering.

Making a theological Point. Here's the point. or one of them God Is a god of order and life? That that's what we seen in Genesis the creation account in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 is a God that takes disorder and brings order. That takes chaos and brings Harmony a guy that gives blessing and is generous is overflowing with life. That is who God is God loves order and life and how he intends his creation to function back to the rule the Earth and subdue it. We're invited enjoy the life that God has given it and to perpetuate it weird to reproduce ourselves. There's more life and we are to share in God's Sovereign rule by bringing order to his creation. This is who God is this is what God wants. This is who we are supposed to be So when we get to and think this is an escalating text, it starts with a fruit and we have the murder of a brother and we got the murder of an innocent then we've got Mass casualties and warfare and hatred we have the escalation of evil over. The face of the Earth. God is a god of order and life. Will not allow that to stand. So what he does is brilliant from a rhetorical literary perspective. God uses non order. Which is different from disorder. God uses non order the floods. the waters, where did we see this way back in Genesis 1:2 Disorder the floods the water's boiling and royally disorder God takes those Waters makes Land come out and creates an orders in. Now God takes that same water the disorder of the fly the non order the fudge led to judge disorder sin. in order had to say it that way to restore order. and life

God

so much bigger and we so often make him to be. It's so much more complex in a good way. We live in a day and age that wants to simplify God to wonder. To really comfortable attributes. God is loving. God is good. Yeah, he is. God is Holy.

Goddess judge. Yes, he is. Grace yes, he is see the story of the flood is revealing the nature and the character in the heart of God for his creation.

What story does it tell us that tells us that God is loving? It wouldn't have existed without his love that is loving. There's no love without God. We want to Stan's today and Judgment of God. We want stand say I understand what love is and if God did that then God's not loving. You wouldn't exist without the generous. Love of God that created you in the first place.

The pot doesn't get to say to the Potter. You should have made me a little bit different.

God is loving but God is also just God is also right.

we see in the flood of God who is both loving and can execute judgment against evil at the same time weed and Brace the line of thinking in our world today that says if you're loving you cannot be just And I'll make the argument all day long. I think the scripture makes it that you can only be just if you're loving and you can only really love if you're just

More than that we see in the story that God is gracious. The God is gracious. He's loving. And yes, he's a just judge and if that's all we know about him. We're all in trouble. every single one of us every single one of us if if all we know is that God is a good and loving and wise Creator but he's also a just judge every single one of us is in trouble. Because we've all fallen short.

So the flood rather than destroying my faith strengthen. The flood rather than discouraging me to trust in God makes me trust and love him even more in the midst of him exercising judgments. He exercises Grace.

God is loving God is just and God is gracious. This is how

this is the meaning of what and this is the meaning that at least the writers of the New Testament understood about the flood. I think about Peter and I use this text several weeks ago. I'm talking about in this feeling. 2nd Peter chapter 2 starts this way false prophets also arose among. The people is looking back to ancient Israel or false prophets all the time. Does just as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly secretly bringing destructive heresies even denying the master who bought them bring it upon themselves with destruction many will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of truth will be blasting and in their greed they will exploit you with false Words Their condemnation from long ago was not idle and their destruction is not asleep. So here's the setup Peter saying there's going to be there going to be false teachers is going to be bad motives is going to be abused as going to be all sorts of evil and wickedness even within the church It says this but if God did not spare Angels when they send. The cast them into hell and committed them 2 Chainz of gloomy Darkness to be kept until the judgment.

If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah a Herald of righteousness with seven others when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.

Peter's writing to them help them understand the reality of false teaching and wrong thinking and wrong motives and evil people within the church and he says listen you don't have to be afraid because God is loving and God is just and God is gracious. She says listen, this is how God is always been. How does he how does he teach them if he says think back to the flood think back to how God brought judgment upon the angels that violated their Spear and did something they weren't supposed to do remember how God's destroyed the Earth. What did he do? You rescued Noah family. Because if I turn in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he can lend them to Extinction making them example of what is going to happen to the ungodly if you rescued righteous lot greatly distressed by the central contact of the wicked for the righteous man with the month and day after day. He was tormenting his righteous Soul over there Lawless Deeds that he saw and heard

Much like watching the news at lunch time. Then the Lord knows how to rescue The Godly from trial. And to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement. Why does the evil prosper and the wicked go unpunished or they won't?

How can we hope and stand firm in times of uncertainty and pain and evil because our God is a loving and just and gracious God.

first John chapter 1 says this this is the message we've heard from him. And Proclaim to you. God is light. And in him is no Darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us.

from all sin If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth. is not in a If however we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I said it two weeks ago. I say this morning. Jesus is our Ark. Jesus is our rescue Jesus Is Our Savior Jesus is God's love God's justice. And God's grace. If you want to see how the love and the justice and the grace of God come together. Look no farther than the cross for on the cross the love of God compels. Jesus to willingly sacrifice himself across the raft the judgment and the justice of God is poured out for our sins upon him. There is the grace of God. This is why Johnson, right if we confess our sins, he's not only faithful, but he's just

To forgive us of our sins. Why because they've already been paid for on the cross.

Our God is a god of order and life and blessing and because of that. He reacts in judgment and Justice against evil. AR If that is a gracious God. Who in his kindness while we were yet dead in our sins? Christ died 4