Great Sin; Greater Grace

Psalm 104:1-9,31-33

Psalm 104:1–9 NIV

1 Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. 2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent 3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. 4 He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. 5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. 6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; 8 they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. 9 You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

Psalm 104:31–33 NIV

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— 32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Isaiah 24:1–13 NIV

1 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— 2 it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. 4 The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. 5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. 7 The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. 8 The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. 9 No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. 10 The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred. 11 In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth. 12 The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces. 13 So will it be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.

2 Peter 3:1–9 NIV

1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Sermon Intro:

One of the most fascinating Bible events is the account of the flood. It is an event that has many fascinated and others infuriated. The flood account is a stumbling block for the evolutionists because it explains all scientific findings, but it also then strips away their theory of an old earth. (BTW, it was evolutionists defenders that I was addressing last week when talking about our education system. I by no means meant to implicate innocent teachers. There are many Christians in our public schools and I am thankful for them. They are in a difficult position, but God can use them there). The conflict created by the flood account is not a battle of science, but a spiritual battle. To believe there was a worldwide flood with only one family to survive, as well as enough animals to repopulate the species, you have to accept that there is a God. To accept that there is a God is to accept that we are sinful and headed for hell unless we repent. Pride, sin and Satanic forces are all at work to prevent people from accepting that fact.

The truth is, that science in on the side of the Bible. There is lots of evidence of this yet there is no evidence for the other side. Oh, there are some good arguments, but when it gets down to it, there just is not the evidence. I have lots of books and videos on this subject. Ask me and I can provide you with materials that give the true evidence.

Some years ago. during a trip to the Smoky Mountains, the editor of Manners and Customs of the Bible Commentary and his family visited the Sequoia Caverns in northern Georgia, just across the border from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Inside the caverns, the guide pointed out fish bones of all sizes that were pressed into the ceiling of a passageway between two caverns. He said the same kind of fossils could be seen in the ceiling of the main cavern, which was about 50 feet high. Among the fish fossils in the passageway was the imprint of the bottom of a human foot. The guide, a strong Christian who used the tour to proclaim Christ, said that nothing could have pressed the fish and the human foot into the ceiling except the pressure of a tremendous flood of unprecedented depth. That flood, he said, could only have been Noah’s flood.

There are over 300 stories of a flood accounts with one surviving family, throughout various cultures. Why so many stories of a flood? Because they are built on a true account.

Many would tell you this account is about divine judgment. Others will tell you this is about one man’s righteousness. However, the truth is, this is about God’s grace and faithfulness to His creation. He promised a coming savior in Genesis 3:15. This savior would come through a woman, but there had to be people left on earth for this to be fulfilled.

So, what is grace? The Hebrew definition of grace is “the favor of a superior to another.” Pastor and well-known author, Kent Hughes says, “Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to freely bestow blessings on undeserving people.”

We see the action of God’s grace in Noah’s life. Stand with me as we read a portion of the flood account.

Genesis 6:9–14 NIV

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Genesis 6:17–22a NIV

17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Genesis 9:8–13 NIV

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

Pray

I. Great Sin

We have been a bit derailed from our initial start, but where we left off was the account of the brothers, Cain and Abel. Abel loved God and honored Him by bringing the first and choicest parts of his sheep herd for a sacrifice to God. Cain was not so loyal and brought just “some” of his crop harvest as a sacrifice. “Some” is not much of an endorsement and makes clear that Cain really did not give his best. When God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but then refused Cain’s, Cain became jealous and murdered his brother Abel in a cold, premeditated style. Sin obviously did not stop with Adam and Eve, it was now obvious in their family. But it did not stop there. The first sin was like a snow ball rolling down hill and we see...

A. Sin Escalates Among Humanity Genesis 6:1-7

Genesis 6:5 NIV

5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Cain sinned. Then Cain’s son Lamech sins greater and brags about it. Now we see the human race has escalated to great wickedness. But what made this wickedness so great that God would feel the need to destroy everything and begin again. I believe it is found in the first 4 verses of Genesis 6.

Genesis 6:1–4 NIV

1 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

This has been a portion of scripture greatly debated because it is a difficult thought to swallow. The “sons of God” in scripture, typically refers to angels. There are many who like to twist this to mean, “the kings of the world” but it just doesn’t fit. For one reason, the progeny of these sons of God and daughters of man are unusually large. They were even given a name. “Nephilim.” The meaning of Nephilim is debated but either way it reveals something supernatural about these beings. It can either mean “giant” or it can mean “the fallen ones.” These men were celebrated as champions because they were merciless and violent. They are referred to as “heroes of old, men of renown.”

Many believe these were the angels that were condemned to hell early on as noted by Peter.

2 Peter 2:4–5 NIV

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

These Nephilim did make a comeback after the flood, but I do not believe it was through more fallen angels procreating after the flood, but more likely were in the gene pool of Noah’s sons. There is massive debate on this subject that I do not have time to expound on here, but I do believe there is sufficient evidence that this is true.

We often think of fallen angels/demons as being some invisible creature tempting us to do wrong. But who is to say they aren’t more visible than we realize. We are told from scripture that angels can visit us unaware, who is to say Satan’s angels do not do the same.

In Genesis 6:11, God refers to the earth as being “corrupt.” The word translated corrupt literally means, “ruined, spoiled, or twisted.”

So, we find that there is great wickedness on the earth spoiling the earth to which God responds and we find...

B. Divine Judgment Declared Genesis 6:11-13, 17; 7:17-24

Genesis 6:11–12 NIV

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

Genesis 6:17 NIV

17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

Essentially, God is going to wipe out a portion of His creation and start over. It you read the account of creation and then the account of the flood, you find similar verbiage.

Genesis 1:2 NIV

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 7:11 NIV

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

The word “deep” here refers to darkness and chaos. In the beginning we get the visual picture of dark waters and chaotic force over the entire earth and now there is a return to that state. Look further at Genesis 7:17-23.

Genesis 7:17–23a NIV

17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits., 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Except for the ark, the earth has returned to the state from which it began, a dark swirling mass of chaotic water. However, as the flood waters recede, it is like the earth is re-created to its original beauty, though not completely the same. Before I get into those differences, let me touch some on God here. One of the things I feel reveals the truth of scripture is its consistency, even in the things God does. Or perhaps I should say in the “ways” that God does.

Experts can tell the legitimacy of a painting by familiar characteristics of the artist. Familiar brush stroke patterns, use of color, use of canvas, etc…, all help to identify the artist. I think we see the same thing about God.

In the creation and what I will term, re-creation of the earth, we see familiar patterns. God identifies Himself through patterns all through the Bible. For example, there are a couple patterns found in the Noah/flood account. I do not have time to take you through them, but they are in your notes where we see the events mirror each other. It is like the events build to a peak and then reverse in the same order.

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Chapter 15: De-Creation: The Biblical Flood

Title: “These are the generations of Noah.”

Introduction: Noah’s righteousness and Noah’s sons (6:9–10).

A God resolves to destroy the corrupt race (6:11–13).

B Noah builds an ark according to God’s instructions (6:14–22).

C The Lord commands the remnant to enter the ark (7:1–9).

D The flood begins (7:10–16).

E The flood prevails 150 days, and the mountains are covered (7:17–24).

F God remembers Noah (8:1a)

E1 The flood recedes 150 days, and the mountains are visible (8:1b–5).

D1 The earth dries (8:6–14).

C1 God commands the remnant to leave the ark (8:15–19).

B1 Noah builds an altar (8:20).

A1 The Lord resolves not to destroy humankind (8:21–22).

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Chapter 16: Re-Creation: The World Restored

7 days of waiting for flood (7:4)

7 days of waiting for flood (7:10)

40 days of flood (7:17a)

150 days of water triumphing (7:24)

150 days of water waning (8:3)

40 days of waiting (8:6)

7 days of waiting (8:10)

7 days of waiting (8:12)

And here is another tidbit of trivia for you. According to the Jewish midrash, the 7 day waiting period noted in verse 10 was a time of mourning for the death of Methuselah. Methuselah was the oldest man ever to live. He was son of Enoch who walked so closely with God, that after 365 years, God took him away to be with Him. The Jewish midrash is like a Jewish commentary of sorts. Some of what it contains comes down by verbal tradition.

Anyway, back to my main subject. You may have noticed that I have yet to address Noah. Well, I am about to do so now as we turn from the “Great Sin” to...

II. Greater Grace

Sin was great but God’s grace was greater. Adam had sinned bringing a separation between humanity and their Creator, God. But God had promised Adam and Eve a means of redemption as seen in Genesis 3:15. (Do not read verse)

Genesis 3:15 NIV

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

An offspring of the woman, not yet born, was to provide the means for that redemption. So, if all peoples were destroyed, how could that happen. And here is where Noah comes in.

A. God Preserves His Promised Salvation Through Noah’s Bloodline Genesis 6:8, 9b, 18-22; 7:23; 8:1, 15-22

Genesis 6:8, 9b

Genesis 6:8 NIV

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

If you are an old fan of Tennessee Ernie Ford, you probably want to break into song right about now. I always do. :-)

Genesis 6:9b NIV

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Among all this evil corruption, there was a man who like his forefather Enoch, “walked with God.” Verse 9 is the first mention of “righteousness” in the Bible. It is important to note that Noah was not righteous because he was perfect. In fact, shortly we will see that is far from the truth. Noah was righteous because he believed God. It is our faith in God that makes us righteous.

Now God was pleased with Noah and chose Noah to provide the bloodline through which the promise to Adam and Eve could still be fulfilled.

God gives Noah detailed instructions on how to build a boat to house himself and his family as well as one pair of each kind of animal. Of the clean animals used for sacrifices to God, God would provide 7 pairs. (There are ancient dwellings everywhere that prove that men had the knowledge to build large amazing structures in those days. How much more so Noah with God’s instruction and help?) So, what does Noah do?

Genesis 6:22 NIV

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Hebrews 11:7 NRSV

7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

It took 100 - 120 years for Noah and his sons to build that ark. But they never gave up. They lived in violent times. Yet we are told that God “protected” them as they built this ark. There are so many fascinating facts that I would like to relate here. Details related to how they fit all those animals on the ark. Just what was included and how. The fact that dinosaurs were among them. However, I do not have time and those details are not essential to this sermon. Come to my Sunday school class as we are covering those details. :-)

Not only do we see Noah’s patience while building the ark, but it continues afterwards. The flood lasted over 12 months. Noah and his family were in the ark for over a year. I imagine the waiting was easier when the boat was rocking to and fro on the waves, but there were nearly two months of waiting for it to dry out after they had settled back on ground. That would be really hard!

However, in the story of Noah, we see again the masterful work of God in the details. Not only does God provide patterns in the details of creation or the things He does, but we see patterns even in people’s lives. (NOTES ONLY FOR SAKE OF TIME)

Look at the parallels between Adam and Noah.

Both walked with God

Both are recipients of the promised blessing

Both are caretakers of lower creatures

Both are fathers of 3 sons

Both work the soil

Both sin through the fruit of a tree (will talk about shortly)

Both father a wicked son who then lives under a curse.

Now look at the parallels between Noah and Moses.

Ark-pitch covered basket saved both from water

Both saw floodwaters destroy their enemies

Both were given specific instructions to construct

Both experienced 40 days of judgment (rain/wandering)

There is one final parallel:

Noah’s family was saved because of his righteousness. All humanity’s salvation is found through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

But the story isn’t over. God’s grace is yet to move once again. Look with me at...

B. An Established Covenant Confirmed; A New Covenant Added Genesis 8:20-21; 9:1-17

Genesis 8:20–21 NIV

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

In Hebrew, there are two terms used when referencing covenants. One literally means, “to cut a covenant.” This is referring to establishing a covenant. It is usually established between two people who have some sort of relationship to each other already. The other term means, “to affirm (verbally) the continued validity of a prior covenant.” This is the term used in these passages. You see, God is affirming the covenant he had with Adam. (Consider referring to notes only).

Table 3.1 Comparison of Covenant with Noah and Covenant with Creation

Covenant with Noah Covenant with Adam

be fruitful and increase in number Gen 9:1 Gen. 1:28: be fruitful …

fear of you Gen 9:2 Gen. 1:28: rule over fish, birds, animals

animals given for food Gen 9:3 Gen. 1:29: plants given for food

don’t eat meat with blood Gen 9:4

your blood … his brother’s life Gen 9:5 Gen. 4:8–24

in the image of God Gen 9:6 Gen. 1:27: in his own image[1]

[1] Gentry, P. J., & Wellum, S. J. (2015). God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology (p. 64). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

The covenant that God had established with Adam in the beginning has now been established with Noah.

To this God adds a new universal, unconditional and everlasting covenantal promise.

Genesis 9:11 NIV

11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God seals it with His signature. A rainbow will be evident in the clouds. This is God’s sign of the covenant. And even today, we admire that beautiful sign of God’s promise.

Now most stories would end here. “And they lived happily ever after!” But most stories are fairy tales. This is real life. The chapter continues because...

C. Man Continues to Fail (Genesis 9:18-29; Romans 3:9-18; Luke 17:26-30)

Noah, this righteous man who did everything God asked, quickly shows he is not perfect. The man quickly grows a vineyard. The first thing he does with the crop is make wine and become shamefully drunk. In his drunken state, he shames himself by shedding his clothes. Maybe it was a hot day. Maybe he just wasn’t aware of what he was doing. However, he is pretty sadly disgraced. Sin is in all of us.

Romans 3:23 NIV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Noah’s disgraceful deed then leads to his son’s sin. His son, seems to think this disgraceful behavior funny and he brings a curse down upon himself. Canaan apparently made no effort to change. His disgraceful and evil behavior is seen through his bloodline. The Canaanites were a violent, lustful lot who associated with Nephilim.

Once again, we see this evil spiral out of control. In Genesis 10 we find the people are not spreading out and filling the earth as God directed. Instead, they are plotting together to try to reach heaven on their own. Essentially, they are still trying to be like God or to replace God.

Conclusion:

Things have not gotten any better. They continue to get worse. Just as the Nephilim were idolized in days of old, too often those we admire are just as evil. Mike Tyson once bragged he could do anything because he was a convicted rapist! It is a sick world we live in. But we cannot point at others without pointing at ourselves. Look at Romans 3:9-18.

Romans 3:9–18 NIV

9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

None of us is perfect. We all have sinful shortcomings in our life. If I asked each of you, I am sure you could tell at least one issue you struggle with. However, we need not despair. We can look at Noah and many more we will see in the next few weeks. They were not righteous because their was no sin within them. They were counted righteous because they believed in God and chose to follow Him and when they failed, they got back up and continued following Him.

Hebrews 13:11–14 NIV

11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

But we need to act in faith now! We mustn’t wait. The warning of Noah is over us even today.

Luke 17:26–30 NIV

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

We need to remember that this is not our home. Too many are just living their life with no real thought of God. Or they think they have time before they have to put things right with God. Others are like Cain, doing just some for God thinking it will be good enough. Their heart is not really in it.

Matthew 24:37 NIV

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Look around you. Days like the days of Noah are here!

Psalm 139:23–24 NIV

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

May this ever by our heart’s prayer. I am thankful for God’s grace, for without it, we all would have no hope. However, God’s grace assures us of something better despite ourselves. What a blessing!

Lamentations 3:22–23 NIV

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Pray