Saga: Jesus and Noah

I love technical difficulties. See what happens. Here is all of this from here, to back there. To hear. The audio is being recorded. It's all working together seamlessly. Sometimes.

Now it's not one of those times, but that's okay cuz we will Press On In Christ. The growing up. I was a pretty good kid.

Yep, at least all the other parents around me. Love me. My parents are ever saw and knew a side of me that no one else had the opportunity to see, right. This is the very pervasive nature of sin in our life. It really is right, as kids when we have a babysitter or were around others, right? People do, when kids are great. And then we go home.

I have to tell you, Autumn and I, we were really blessed. We have really good kids. But they had their moments. And it's okay because you see. That's the reality of our stories, right? This is the very problem, though, of our story. I think that if most of the World War II evaluate the world, in which we live at the time, right? They would say they would have said that most everyone that knew that they knew we're good people, right? I think we would all say that today. Most of the people that we know are good people. Now, what we do is today, you see, we're going to look at Noah. And the time. Around Noah. And if you've listened to many Pastor speak about Noah, right? The picture we get from the scriptures that the people were murdering and stealing, and it was really bad right now. I've seen kids videos portray this time. As absolute chaos, right? I don't think that was the case. I think it look like today in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. They just didn't have cars and electricity, right? The world has changed, but people have. We are the same today as we were hers, yesterday and will be tomorrow. Write the generations before us were no different. You see, but when God looks at a society and a people in all of mankind and the he goes to hard bunch of murderers.

I would dare say that in the last. Let's go 3 months. Almost everyone in this room has committed murder.

I forgot to look at my kids faces just to see what they would do. Right? Because you see the says, if you have Hate in Your Heart, towards someone. You murdered. That's how God was looking at these people. He was looking at his creation. He was going to my goodness. You can at times be such a hate-filled people. Look at our society today. We have not changed one bit. We have a tendency to be hate-filled towards Those whom we disagree with just a disagreement. But our society today, murders constantly.

Nothing has changed. This is an important point to understand. Every single one of us deserves to be standing next to Noah's, big old boat on the day, the rain started to fall.

None of us deserves to be in the boat. That's the hard part of my story.

We all think I'd have been in the boat by not. It was Noah his wife and his kids. That's it.

Everyone else died in the flood.

We all deserve to be standing alongside that boat, but God. And today, we are going to look at this big old, but God. That we not find in our story. Because there's this pause in our story. This semicolon in our story, if you will and the semicolon, this pause in our story is Jesus. Noah was no different than anyone else around him. but, God. Unfortunately, though, like the videos I've seen practically kids videos. We do such a disservice of the story. Right? And I've heard pastors preach. Because we're going to get to Genesis, right? I'm going to really focus on chapter 9. We're going to touch on a tar. Story is Noah story is found from Genesis 6, through chapter 9. Mike and in Genesis 6, we're going to hear this phrase of Noah, said, Noah was a righteous man. And that's where most pastors start in the story because Noah deserved in essence, then is what we're saying to be in the boat. I'm telling you. No, he didn't. He had no right to be in the boat. But God will let you see that phrase know was a righteous man. That's found in Genesis chapter 6 verse 9. Well, I want to start at verse 8 because verse 8 is the core of our story and Genesis chapter 6 verse 8 reads, but Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord.

The point of our story is relationship with God. It is the story of two people.

And The Story begins with Cain and Abel and Seth.

We tend to pass through Seth completely. We don't even see the line of Seth often times yet. Seth is the berry line from which Jesus is going to be born.

Why do I say this is a murderer. Cain's offspring, are murderers. When it kills a man. And goes to his wife and says, God must now protect me. Otherwise, others will protect me cuz I've killed the young man. This is the pick. Those, who God lays out as a followers. Arcane. This is how God chooses to describe the line of Kane. Hear the phrase. As God uses of this, those who come from. Seth. It says Seth was born and then God says men began. Then to call upon the name of the Lord. We have men who walked with God, who spoke with God, none of that is ever said. Concerning the line of Cain. Only the line of Seth. Noah is going to come from Seth. Noah is said to have walked with God as one of only three. Right. Now, I would say this not only is he described as suck? We will see others who actually, physically, walk with God, Abraham, physically. Walks With God, we read this in the storage, right? We'll get there. He's never said, you have walked with God. There's only three Enoch. Got tooken, right? And Levi only three ever described in the scriptures as having been as having walked with God. No is one of them and I think it's important and it's in a very important place in our story here because you see, grace is given to those who have relationship with God. No experience. Jesus is Grace. Grace, that came from the cross. Towards Noah.

So we have these two lineages, right? That come through that are seen, right. We went through Genesis 3. The first part of four, it's found in five and six and now we find ourselves here in the story. Those who knew those who know Jesus and those who do not know Jesus are the lines that every gun. God has begun two lines. The line of Seth in the line of Cain. Are you in Christ? Or are you not? You call upon the name of the Lord. Do you walk with God? You speak with God? You have a relationship with Jesus or do you not? And if you are not God, describes you as a liar.

These are the two lines that there only two options in our story.

People say all the time. I would believe in Jesus. If only he would show himself to me, right? I see it all the time. On boards online. I like to know why, I don't know, follow often times on Facebook, these atheist for just so I can read the stuff they post against God. I'm a glutton for punishment. What I can I say, and often times I see them say it only Jesus would show himself.

Jesus walked and spoke with cake. He went to Kane, right? He had a conversation with Kaylee said, look thin is at the door seeking to have dominion over you. That conversation was with Kane. Jesus went to Kane. Can we get today?

We read that these individuals walked with God because there was a relationship Kane chose not to have a relationship with Jesus. And the end result is not good. He's a murderer because of the life. He chose apart from Christ.

So those who say all the time that around us. If only I could see God, if I could see Jesus, then I would believe. Probably not.

Jesus, I think here's the statement and he says, I've got a history with people that says otherwise,

In fact, Jesus walked before crowds who chose to crucify him.

But Grace.

Grace and favor.

Grace is this funny thing.

Because it's rarely understood. How do we get Grace?

How do we receive the grace of God? I would say that first Grace comes by faith, write those who believe in Jesus Christ and choose to live a life. With Christ will receive Christ faith. Our faith, as we call it, our faith for salvation. I do not believe is our faith. It is the Faith of Christ that's given to us. Just as Grace is given Grace in the scripture should be seen as an accounting term, the way it's used. Right? And the big word for it, that theologians use is called imputed, Grace is something that is imputed to you. So it is credited as being yours even though it isn't yours. Right, so it's credited as though you received it, even though you haven't actually physically received, it's not yours, right? It's Jesus. He owns the grace innocence and he counted as though it's yours. And that's how you become then righteous. Right? You're not really right. It's none of us are righteous. But God says your righteous. He sees you as righteous. Why? Because God's grace. Jesus is Grace, has been imputed to you. You've received his faith, his face. Now, feels you.

As some of you might be saying I have faith in God, I would say, you think you do. For what you really are. Experiencing is Jesus's face swelling up within you. It's of the Faith of Christ Jesus because all of us at cuz here's what happens if I say. My faith. My faith is what saved me? Whose work saved me. My. Campy because my faith will never reach far enough to grab. Hold the Hem of Christ.

And therefore Jesus in his grace gives to us his completely under Lee overwhelming.

And that's the story we're going to read today.

Until verse 8 begins with this idea of Grace, but Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord. Now, if you look that says, in the bottom right corner, is always the translation that I'm using. Usually, I use the English Standard Version today. It says, the new King James. Right, and the reason for that is because the English Standard Version and the NIV use the word favor. And it's a good translation of the word. That's their right found. Favor. Will you see it's the end result. Of what was received? It started with Grace, this word really means Grace, but it can transfer be translated as favors while because they're so close, right?

No, I didn't do anything. The deserve a ticket on the boat. Right? Didn't do anything deserving that and yet he got it. That was what we were seeing God's favor upon the life of Noah. That was all based upon the grace of Jesus Christ on a cross. Looking backwards from God's perspective on Noah.

And so, that's why I like this word Grace because it speaks of so much more than just a favor. It's not liking. No. God looked down and went. I'll pick Noah up since he did, right? But it was his grace that chose him. It wasn't because there was something in him, we pick what we have is favorite because of something. We like we favorite things, because of something you'd like in them, Grace chooses things because of what they don't deserve. That's why I like this word. Grace. So versus 9. Then we're going to do our story. Finally. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Now, we can say Noah was a righteous man and truly understand what that means for him. Nothing different than it means for us here. Today. We must look at these two verses correctly, right? Oftentimes. We starting verse 9 and we miss the impact of verse 8 coming forward. Now, Noah was righteous and blameless among these people because of God's grace and God's grace alone.

Now we're going to get jump forward in our story to Genesis chapter, 8 in verses 20 through 22. We read. So the floods happen, the waters have receded the boats come to a stop. They exited the boat and we will read, then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal. And some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the Altar. And when the Lord smelled, the pleasing Aroma the Lord said, in his heart, I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither. Will, I ever again, straight down every living creature, as I have done?

While the Earth remains seedtime and harvest cold and heat summer and winter day and night, shall not cease until the first thing Noah. As a righteous, man. Having experienced God's grace, through the most troubling and trying time. I could ever imagine a man with experience. He worships God.

This should be our response. Every time we go through difficulties and God carries us through his to come before him and worship. Just as Noah did it's what relationship with God looks like.

Genesis 9:1 reads. And God blessed, Noah and his sons and said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. So this sounds familiar, doesn't it? A lot of what we see in Genesis 6 through 9 is a recounting all most of what happened in creation. Even I would say the formless and void park right in the initial creation of the Earth when the Earth was formless and void. What use did it have to God's creation ultimate Creation in mankind. What could we have done? We would have died.

Right, there was no sun. There was no moon. There was no atmosphere. The Earth was formless and void. We would have perished. God needed to make it in a manner in which we could live upon this place. The Earth.

When the floods came.

There was a sense in which chaos, formlessness and void was experienced Again by the Earth. And then God blessed the Earth. He caused that to recede and the land came up again. Right, and then he took Mankind and he placed them again upon the Earth. And He blesses them here just as he did Adam and Eve and he says be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, right? This is a recounting again of Genesis chapter one. We see that verse 28, would freeze and God bless them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens. And over every living thing that moves on the earth, Genesis 9 2 doesn't sound like different than that. Next verse, we read the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish with the seat into your hand. They are delivered.

So what does this mean the fear of the Lord? Sorry Gabe to sly's. I made a mistake. I repeated Genesis 1:28 in the next one. So we can jump to the Genesis night to see. What does this mean, right. God says the fear and the dread of you. Will be upon the living things, right? Because they've been delivered into their hand. This is a new thing, right? This is something that wasn't seen in the original creation. Because God now calls Noah and he says, okay. Here's the thing. You're going to hunt animals and you're going to eat them. Right. But the word that used for these beasts, right? In verse three, every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. This phrase is every moving thing in Hebrew is a different phrase than what is used for domesticated animals. So here's the hard part. We have a tendency when we read Genesis chapter 1 and 2 and we say, people Humanity, we were all vegetarians.

But it doesn't specifically state that God puts them in the garden. Right? Which was an area and says everything in the garden, all these plants, all the seeds. All of this is for you to eat. But never does he say the animals out. There are not for you to eat. Never thought about that, did we?

It never addresses domesticated animals.

Here, it's not addressing domesticated animals. It's a dressing heard like animals. Which would be things like, dear Antelope, those types of things would have been included in this word that the Hebrews had very specifically, right? We have to use phrases for those, like, we have domesticated animals. They have a word for domesticated animals. We have a concept heard like animals, they do as well. And that's what we see in Genesis, chapter 9, verse 3. What we read every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. This every moving thing. Are these types of animals? Write the phrase isn't every moving thing. And as I gave you green plants, I give you everything so that opens up for us. Now, a lot more that will we were able to eat previously. Why? We got chores to do and we don't have those details. We would love to know. I think why did God restrict certain things and not other things? Because he gives then restrictions upon Israel, that get removed. I think a lot of it is more about. We use the phrase cuz it's what's my head food safety.

What was safe to eat and maintain? And that's a lot of what we see in the religious edicts of food. Those foods that they were restricted from eating our foods that we know for centuries were dangerous. If not deadly to eat. It's only through safe food practices that we have available to us today. That these Foods, many of them. We consider safe for to eat now. So that I think is what's Happening Here.

Genesis 1:29, we have a very similar phrase again, right? This is this restating almost of the original creation event. And in Genesis 1:29, we read and God said, behold. I have given you every plant using see that is on the face of all the Earth and every tree was seen in its fruit. You still have them for food.

Now God does give some restrictions in Genesis chapter 9 verse 4 reread but you shall not eat flesh with its life. That is its blood. Okay, so what we cannot do Is going to sound, really odd going. Catch an animal and eat it before we prepared it to be eaten. We don't. Eat it while it's alive. It's what it says, right? You shall not eat flesh with its life. That is its blood. Do the other part of this is there were common. Religious practice is ancient religious practices in which the blood from the animal was saved and consumed. All right, and God says, we don't do that. I don't drink that blood because it represents something. I've not given you dominion over. And that's life.

You have been given dominion over everything, but life here on this planet. You do not have dominion over life, and we're going to see this in the next couple versus next verse weary. And for your lifeblood. I will require a reckoning from every Beast. I will require it and from man, from his fellow man. I will require a reckoning for the life of a man. Okay, so that sounds really crazy at first, right? And so what God is saying, is, if a beast kills a man, I will bring judgment from man, kills a man. I will bring judgment. Now we're going to get in the next verse, he's going to take this and even more so narrow it down and inverse 60 rights. Whoever sheds, the blood of Man by man. Shall his blood be shed for God, made man in his own image. So we have this image in creation again, right? But there's more to it.

There's a lot more to it. This is a pronouncement of a legal system being created. Hi, this is capital punishment.

If a man kills a man by man, shall that man's blood? Be shed.

Now.

Do we have to agree with capital punishment?

What about Grace and love?

Where do those Concepts fit in? What about forgiveness?

What about Justice? What about responsibility?

Genesis 1:27 says, so God created, man in his own image. In the image of God. He created him male and female he created them.

There's a sense in which, when someone murders another individual. They are committing an atrocity, not only against that individual, but even God himself. And that's the point of the statement, right? The Reason God gives such a harsh penalty for murder is because when he sees any of us that hatred, carry through to actual physical murder, he sees the image of God murdered every time.

So, it's not only the life that being lost but the image of God that's being marred. And that's why he places such a heavy. Penalty upon it, not right. There will be a reckoning like God says that when you stand before, God. for that murder, but God says not only then but now

So, where should you stand on the idea of capital punishment?

I'm not going to answer the question for you. as much as you want me to go, but Kerry that says I know.

It in your heart right now. You're unsure, capital punishment is the right punishment because here's the hard part with capital punishment. We know our system has at times failed. And men have been men's lives have been lost. I'm wrong evidence. Happen. Right.

And I have no problem. I'll be honest. I have no problem. If you tell me, I can't trust this system enough to support it. Okay, that's your decision to me. I'll say that.

But this statement is not about a system. It's about trusting in God. Is it going to get right sometime? Most of the time. Anytime God puts in the hands of man, Allah to be carried out. The law is always used wrongly at times, and it is not always go through correctly. But in the end we have to trust God. Mike the heavy subject. It's a hard subject. And so, I would say this, if you wrestle with it in your heart, whether or not, it's right or wrong. Okay? Russell with Jesus, over there. It's okay. It's alright to be there. Right. There are never easy Clipper cut to the hard decisions made in. Never and we shouldn't expect them to be easy. And this, I believe is one of them. God gives us a command to carry out. It shouldn't be easy to carry this out because of all that went before it, right. This is the lifeblood of man. We are being called to sentence. That should be a heavy burden for us to carry. That's okay.

We can move on cuz it's heavy and we don't want heavy sometimes. Weather is beautiful, and the speakers are popping for some reason.

Yes, please.

Yep.

You live, exactly.

Yep. Do you like me, answer?

Yep, that's what we have to wrestle with. Like, what time at what point do we say grace and favor? Forgiveness? How far do they extend? At? What point, right? Here's the thing. The Mosaic law, that Jesus is said to have fulfilled, hasn't even been given yet.

Every we just dropped the whole law thing, maybe. And the point isn't the law. The point of the punishment is the image of God has the image of God changed. Do we now not bear it? Now we still do. It was the image of God. Has it changed. Right, if the reason for the punishment was that has that changed. So let's use the law right? Let's look at a piece of the law that I think it's a fun one to look at day because it gets way out there. And it's it's an easy one to look at the law through the law does say. You shall not, you shall not get tattoos. And so a lot of Christians go that Christian has tattoos and dinner. They should not go to heaven because they got a tattoo. But we would say, I think rightly. That, that part of the law. Jesus has done away with Grace. And favour know why? Why were they told? Not to get tattooed. That's an important thing to understand, right? It wasn't about the tattoo actually.

And it wasn't just the image even write that like tattooing is something that's prevalent today. I would say there are several tattoo parlors in the front of a right phrase anymore shops, whatever you want to call them. Right. Sounded weird to my mind, all of a sudden there are several places in the area. You can go get a tattoo today. Most likely, I would suspect.

Then that was not the case. Okay, who received the majority of tattoos during that time. Most of us don't understand, right? And that's the problem we faced with a lot of these laws. The Reason God said, don't be tattooed is because the majority of people who are tattooed during that time. We're Priests of false idols and the tattoos, they received their representatives representations of the idols. Right, they were those types of things and God is saying I'm creating a priesthood that looks different than the rest of the world. And so I'm going to give you some of that's why some of the laws we looked at her like Here's what does that matter? And the reason was don't be like them. Right, and that's why that law was given. so, this one I think is harder. For one, it's not part of that law that was given its prior to all of that. Israel hasn't been even no one has at this point in time. Historically even has an idea what Israel is Israel isn't even prophesied except in Genesis 3 15, right? We have this idea that there's a seat coming, a child will be born.

That's why? No, I had to be saved. People aren't upset. Right. It doesn't answer the question will well, I know cuz I don't think it's an easy answer and I don't know if there is a clear-cut answer to it.

In a degree, yeah. Right, right. Absolutely. The world around us has changed. Absolutely. Right. Even the way we interact.

A lot of those things have stayed the same. Write the idea of theft has never changed the punishment for theft has that I get, right. We don't cut people's hands off anymore.

Every little kid is thankful for that. All right, most little kids. Take a candy bar at some point in time in their lives and they walk out of the store with it. Mom, didn't catch it until later just happens.

Some of those things do change, right? I think this is a hard one. I won't tell you where I stand. I think I probably have to say that. Because it's about the image of God. And I'll say this, I'm going to get to some of this later, right? But this is how important that image to God is.

So when we look at those around us, even the unbelieving world when we interact with them, that is the image of God standing before us, right? Kane bore the image of God.

Kane faced punishment for what he did. Right.

And so we need to be careful with those things and I think it's important for us when we think about the image of God and the world around us that we see everyone. Everyone no matter which line from which they come is created in the image of God. That's why this law applies to all, I believe equally. God doesn't say well, he's not saved so I don't care. It's not there right now. Ross centers. We all bear that image and because of that God sees so much value in US the one that images Mar just touch a degree. He demands the life of the one who's smart.

I got heavy again.

Then I hope I answered those are hard once it's okay. Then Amber 7 we get the fun stuff sex. Oh wait, and you God says to Noah and his sons be fruitful and multiply increase. Greatly on the earth and multiply in it. This is a part of creation. We have been created to multiply, we have been created to make babies. God loves for us to make babies. He wants us to create new life. He wants us to be a blessing to the world around us through the creation of that new life. Anambra State weary. God said to Moses or to Noah. And to his sons with him. Behold, I establish my Covenant with you and your Offspring after you. This is an important idea, right? God's covenant is with generations to come. It's not just them. It's with everyone throughout history. This Covenant, right? Cuz a lot of the covenants we're going to see throughout the scriptures are with Israel. They're not with Canaan. They're not with the Philistines there with Israel. This one is with all of creation and all of humanity. And in that sense. It's a covenant, unlike many others.

Genesis chapter 6, verse 18, we see God first speak of this with Noah and it reads, but I will establish my Covenant with you and you shall come into the ark. You your son and your wife and your son's wives with you. Don has this idea of the Covenant, even before the floods. He's going to make a covenant. The Covenant is a legally binding treaty right between people. When marriage vows are taken. Those vows are a covenant blessing that both pronounce upon each other. That's what marriage vows are meant to be seen as you enter into a covenant relationship. That's why the valves right now. You can't leave because of you, right? When you stand there. And you say I this is what I Val right in sickness and in That's not my sickness. My health about hers.

Right matter what you experience, no matter how hard it is for you. I won't leave. She doesn't say.

It's not about me. It's all about you. Marriage is 100%. Both parties 200%. That's what marriage takes 200% not 50/50, right? If you're giving 50% and you ain't going to make it. Right, it's two hundred percent hundred percent of both parties. The words got to take anything short of that fails. That's okay first time and with everything. So he makes his Covenant with them with Noah his children with every living creature that is with you the birds, the livestock every beast of the Earth with you. As many as came out of the Ark. It is for every beast of the earth is for all of creation.

First to eleven, I establish my Covenant with you. That never again, shall All Flesh be cut off By the Waters of the flood. This is the key.

Never Again by a flood and never. Again, shall there be a flood to destroy the Earth. Might not be something else, but it won't be a flood. That's what I can guarantee you. So what's the sign of the Covenant?

Okay. A rainbow. Let's look first 12 says and God said, this is the sign of the Covenant that I made between me and you and every living creature that is with you for all future Generations. First. 13 says I have set my bow in the cloud and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the Earth.

I thought you said a rainbow.

What the heck? That says about.

Maybe the English Standard Version got wrong. King James has Bo pretty sure.

And Ivy, I think, says rainbow. New American Standard says rainbow. So, which one is it?

I put my rainbow in the clouds, filled with the sign of the Covenant between me and the Earth. Here's the hard part in Hebrew. Guess what? The word for bow is the same word for rainbow.

It is. It is now, what shape is the rainbow in? A bow. Right.

And this is a really funny one cuz we all get this. I set you guys up. I apologize, right?

Ancient Kings. Would sat behind oftentimes their Throne a bow. Imma walk to show their military might over all of that which was in their Dominion. Right. And I Think Jesus here is using this to Waze. What did he just do? He showed his kingship over his Dominion? He showed his might his progress. over those who sinned against him and he brought a flood that destroyed all Right, and he says, you look into the sky and you see that rainbow think of my bow. Remember what I did? That's the power. I hold over your lives. Remember that for the same time? Remember the Covenant of Grace that I made with you? And when you remember that Grace. Remember the source of the grace is my relationship with you.

Right. I think that both of these ideas should be seen. Every time we look at the rainbow in our minds. We look, oftentimes is Christian.

The Christian world just likes good side of God, right? We don't like the ideas of Wrath and judgment, right? We just don't I should say the good side of God cuz that somehow makes us the evil side of God. That's not it right there. Isn't there? All good? But we take that, which we find Pleasant and we say that's God, that can't be, but he destroyed the earth once he's got to do it again. He says, it's not worth what It'll be by fire this time.

We see that rainbow. We need to remember both because both are true of who God is. Every time we see the sign of his Covenant. We should see grace and here's the key, right? We often times. Look at Grace is only being for whom in the Christian church Christians. Brother storms. We see, God's grace is extended to all of humanity, right? If you're a farmer today, and you're an unbeliever. Does God skip over you when he sends rain to your crops? By God's grace, even your crops receive rain.

By God's grace is all over creation.

So verse 14, you says, when I bring clouds over the Earth, in the bow is seen in the clouds. This rainbow verse 15 says, I will. Remember my Covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of All Flesh. And the water shall never. Again, become a flood to destroy all flash. It's not the gods going to forget. He doesn't need the rainbow to remember. Right now that he forgets. But it brings it before him just like it. Does us like we forget. Hey, but at times. I need someone to say drink some water. I need to be reminded sometimes carrier. Going long text. You what time it is. Alright.

It's before him, and it's before us. This is a way of God, saying, look, don't think ever for a moment that I will forget you. It will never happen. And when the bow is in the clouds, in the next verse, we read in verse 16, when the bow is in the clouds. I will see it. And remember the Everlasting Covenant between God and every lie, every living creature of All Flesh. That is on the, it is an Everlasting Covenant. So this is the other thing we need to see this Covenant never has an expiration date. When Christ returns to recreate this Earth. This Covenant will remain in effect. He will not destroy all Flash. The line of Seth will continue. It continues enough today and it will continue through us into eternity. Number 17, weary. God said, to Noah. This is the sign of the Covenant that I have established between me and All Flesh that is on the earth. And every Covenant that God gives there is something a symbolic thing that he presents to mankind to hold onto to remember to know that he is God. And he is in control and he is the one who sets the guide for the coven and he will fulfill that Covenant. Every time we see the sign. So, what? I would say that we have something to wrestle with here in the idea of capital punishment, right? We've begun that wrestling, I believe, and I think we should continue to wrestle with it because we we do need to remember that as much as God has put it in place. It is now our responsibility, right? And so we should take that responsibility, very heavily. Very cautiously very carefully. Because here's the thing. There's a sense in which if we make the decision. And the wife is innocent, how much does this bear upon us, then?

The image of God, right? We need to focus on this idea. Not just in areas of capital punishment, though. It's front and center for us in the idea here. But what about sanctity of life? And when I use that phrase, what we almost always turn to is abortion, right? It's not just about The Unborn. It is about The Unborn from the moment of conception. I believe the image of God is born, right? The image of God is seen at the moment of conception.

That's my position. What about the elderly?

Do we see the image of God in them?

What about the disabled? Do they bear the image of God?

We have friends who have a disabled daughter. And she is the sweetest most amazing young lady. I have ever met.

She loves everyone without condition. Even if you're a jerk to her, she loves you.

What about her life? She Bears, the image of God and I believe she Bears it better than I do.

The image of God goes so far beyond what we often times think of that, I think we need to continually rethink and reapply this to our lives and the lives of those around. Right. We all bear the image of God.

What does that mean for wearing a mask? I don't care where you end up on the Spectrum. It doesn't make a difference to me, to be honest, but maybe that should be a part of how we think through these things at times, quite the image of God is seen in all those around us.

So in our passage, how do we see Jesus as a prophet?

He declares the Covenant between God and all of creation, not to destroy it because a man's sins ever, again by flood. How do we see Jesus as our King in this passage? Jesus exercises his Dominion by bringing the flood and judging mankind for their sin. He exercises his dominion over his creation by providing a rainbow or his bow within the sky, as a sign for us, as a reminder of both his grace and his wrath toward sin, not towards towards sin. What about Jesus as priest? Jesus in advance provided for Noah, that which was needed for the sacrifice that no offered.

And in the story, I believe we see Jesus and the cross because Jesus Altima Lee provided a sacrifice himself. For Noah. For his son's, for his offspring eternally.

How many animals went in the ark?

Two of each. I would say you need to read the Bible. Cuz it's not two of each. Two of every unclean.

Sticks of every claim. Man, how much of a story have we missed? I love the story of Noah. But unfortunately, the way we tell it to kids.

Just not quite fully there, right? I would say it would be a good exercise to read the story. A few chapters, all of 425 pages in your Bible. Right? Because you will see things there you've never seen before. How about that? Rainbow. That was a bow. And there's a lot more there.

The biggest thing that we need to see about Jesus, out of this passage is that Jesus Christ is active. Within creation, he has from Ben from the beginning. He is now and he always will be. Jesus is our only hope. In the midst of our sin. Amen. Let me pray for us real quick. Father, God. We thank you that you are our hope that you extend your grace and your mercy towards us. Jesus. You are the way you are the way to the father because you have revealed the one truth.

That you are God. And in you is found life. You are the way the truth, and the life that leads to the father. And you are the only way the only truth and the only life through its life might be found. Father, we love you. We praise you. We thank you. And now may the God of Peace who brought again from the dead. Our lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the Sheep, by the blood of the Eternal Covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do, his will working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to him be glory forever and ever. Amen.