God of Grace and Wrath

Introduction

Disaster Video set up

Ida, disaster.

As a kid, I loved watching natural disaster videos and shows on tv. I found them awe inspiring, terrifying, and interesting.

Here are a few natural demonstration of the power of the natural world that have been caught on camera.

I wan’t to talk to you about the greatest weather disaster the world has ever experienced, The Flood.

Significant Information prior to the flood:

God’s creation corrupted with Sin

Enoch is a decedent of Seth’s lineage and great grand father of Noah,

Genesis 5:24 ESV

24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Evil spreads throughout all of humankind

Genesis 6:5 ESV

5 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.

God is grieved over humanity’s rebellion.

Genesis 6:6 ESV

6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

God determines to eradicate humanity from the planet along with the rest of creation, however, Noah finds favor with the Lord.

Genesis 6:8 ESV

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

Main take away:

God provides great grace before his wrath is cast against the unrighteous.

1) Our righteousness is from a relationship with Jesus.

Genesis 6:9 ESV

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

a) Noah wasn’t perfect.

Psalm 14:1–3 ESV

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

b) Noah’s favor and righteousness is from walking with God not himself.

Isaiah 64:6 ESV

6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

So good works, doing all the right things will not make you righteous.

Noah, like us, needed God’s righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Conclusion: Noah didn’t earn favor with God for anything he was doing other than, he had chosen to walk with the Lord.

Application: When we have a relationship with Jesus and trust him completely for our salvation and life, we can rest assured we are righteous before him because he is our righteousness.

2) The world’s corrupted nature leads to judgement.

Genesis 6:12–13 ESV

12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Genesis 6:17 ESV

17 For 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.

a) We are all sick with rebellion .

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

b) God must punish our rebellion.

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

i. Death is the cost of rebellion.

ii. Jesus paid the death penalty for our behalf.

Conclusion: Because the rebellion of humanity had grown exponentially, God knew he must punish the world.

We understand that apart from Christ, we deserve to be punished and to suffer for our rebellion against God. But, because of God’s goodness and mercy, he showers us with his righteousness when we repent and trust in Jesus.

God’s covenant of patience.

a. God promises to not flood the earth again.

Genesis 9:11–13 ESV

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

b. Judgement is coming will you be ready?

2 Peter 3:3–7 ESV

3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.