1 Genesis 6 (Noah):Preaching/Teachhing

The Favor of God!

Name: Nathan Law

Assignment: Noah

Date Due: 10/17/2021

When I was a freshman in college a man shared the good news of Jesus with me. He shared how God had a plan for my life and that he loved me and that I could have a relationship with Him because of who he was and what he did, died and defeated death. As a freshman in college I bowed my had and received God’s gift of eternal life.

Right then and there my standing with God changed.

Ephesians 1:3 NAS

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Now instead of being under the curse of sin,

I now had the favor of God.

This is true of every person who has accepted Jesus Christ into their life. When God looks at a believer He does not see our sin he sees his son. We are completely accepted by him because of what Jesus Christ has done.

But what I soon found out is their is a different between having the favor of God and experiencing and living out the favor of God.

Christ Followers are not immune from and struggle, and sometimes we struggle just as much if not more than those who are not believers.

There are stats that Christians lives look like lives in the world. The culture has affected us more than we have affected the culture. States that say we divorce as much as non Christians, we could list a lot of other sins that we struggle with, but the reality is that from what I have seen not many Christians live and experience the favor of God in a way that sticks out and brings glory to God.

But should this not be one of our greatest passions and desires not only to have the favor of God positionally but to experience it in a powerful way.

“I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on our behalf.”

Quote from Brooklyn Tabernacle: Jim Cymbala

Are you living out the favor of God in your life right now?

Are you seeing God moving mightily in your life right now?

What is keeping you from walking in the favor of God?

I want to live my life in the favor of God. I want God to move mightily on my behalf.

Today we are going to see a man that walked and experienced the favor of God. There are sone non negotiables that we can take from his life if we want to experience his favor here and now.

If we want to experience this favor we need to make these two things non-negotiable.

The first non negotiable to living in the favor of God is we must:

1. We focus on the savior not the situation (6:1-7).

God has not called us to walk in his favor just when things are favorable he calls us to walk in his favor regardless of our circumstances.

The circumstances Noah was living in were not very favorable.

Circumstances on this earth will never be ideal

Genesis 6:1 NASB95

Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Man was doing what God had blessed him todo, to be fruitful and multiply.

There was one problem now instead of multiplying goodness that God had created sin was now multiplying. Think about how long they were living and they were multiplying.

Genesis 6:2 NAS

that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

Who are the sons of God in this passage has been a highly debated topic.

Three most common interpretations

Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update Genesis 6

6:2 the sons of God. Possibly (1) the godly line of Seth, (2) ungodly kings and kinglets of that day, or, more likely, (3) a group of fallen angels who, because of this unique sin, were confined.

I do not think this is the Godly line of seth because as we are about to see in a moment this is not a good situation.

As one commentator says:

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible The sins of the sons of God 6:1–4

“What does he [Moses] mean? I do not know, and I do not believe anyone knows. So far as I am concerned, this passage is unintelligible.”

Then we jump in to

Genesis 6:3 NASB95

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

What I want us to see in these first passages is that this is not a good ideal situation.

Another passage with different interpretations. Some interpret this passage to mean that man will only live for 120 years others interpret it to mean the flood would be coming in 120 years.

Genesis 6:4 NASB95

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Big picture we have to see that this is not a good situation;

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:1–4

The incident is one of hubris, the proud overstepping of bounds. Here it applies to “the sons of God,” a lusty, powerful lot striving for fame and fertility. They were probably powerful rulers who were controlled (indwelt) by fallen angels. It may be that fallen angels left their habitation and inhabited bodies of human despots and warriors, the mighty ones of the earth.

Just like Satan started good and overstepped his bounds these people were trying to take the very place of God.

MINI APPLICATION

In this setting would it not be easy to say: God I would walk with you but don’t you understand how difficult it is.

God I would walk in your favor: [BUT]

But..My family life is too difficult right now

I have too much going on at work right now

I have too much in my past

And it is precisely in this very moment that we are called to walk in the favor of God.

But it is right here and right now that we are called to walk with God.

I have a real problem: Sinful Nature

Genesis 6:5 NASB95

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Without God you are wicked

Without God I am wicked.

Just think for a second if I could get some tape on you and watch five minutes of your ugliest history, the times you steal, lie, cheat, make yourself look better. It would not be pretty.

Christianity is not about God making bad man good it is about God bringing the dead to life. We are spiritually dead.

Original sin -The fact that we have original sin does not mean that we are as bad as we could be it means that there is nothing we can do on our own strength that will please God.

We Need Rescue.

Jeremiah 17:9 NASB95

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

The setting was not ideal to walk with God.

Contrast God’s heart to Evil

Genesis 6:6–7 NASB95

The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Pain came from Sin as we saw in Genesis chapter 3.

God still brought comfort to Adam and Eve, he brought them coverings.

Genesis 5:29 NASB95

Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”

God is both just and gracious.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:5–8

(“Repented” does not suggest that God changed His mind, for He is changeless [Mal. 3:6]. Instead, it means that God was sorrowful.)

Even though swift judgment would fall because God’s Spirit would not always shield (dûn; “shield” is better than NIV‘s “contend with,” Gen. 6:3) mankind, the judgment would be delayed 120 years (v. 3). During this time Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).

Application:

Isn’t it crazy to think how at times our difficulties draw us closer to God and are the times that prepare us for greater things.

Kurt Warner-I love his story there is actually a movie that is coming out about it but he wanted to make the NFL and had a few shots but was not breaking through. He played in leagues other than the NFL and at one point he was actually stocking shelves at a grocery story. It would have been easy for him to give up and not trust God but he continued to walk by faith in a very difficult situation.

Maybe share how this is the perfect time to start a church.

Are you allowing your circumstances to keep you from living out and experiencing the favor of God?

The next non negotiable to living in the favor of God is we must:

2. Prioritize our walk with God (6:8).

Genesis 6:8 NASB95

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

But is a strong word because many times we use but as an excuse.

Noah used this BUT as an opportunity.

As a matter of fact one of my favorite {BUT’S] is in the Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

One word changes everything

Noah was far from perfect but one thing about Noah was is that he had a heart that was given over to God completely.

2 Chronicles 16:9 ““For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.””

God had found his man in Noah, what if you were that man whose heart was completely his.

If you will give your life to God he will change your life, the lives of those around, the lives that will come after you.

How do we know Noah found the favor of God. It was evidenced by the fact that he walked with God.

Genesis 6:9 NASB95

These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

Noah’s walk with God

Revealed that he was:

Righteous

Why was Noah Righteous:

The New Testament tells us in Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Today we know from the Bible that we have to put our faith in the finished work of God.

Noah did not have that specific revelation. But he did have revelation of God and instead of going after the things of the world he put his faith in what God had revealed to mankind.

A non negotiable of the Bible is that we are saved by faith, and that we want to walk by faith.

How is someone made righteous with God, but putting their faith in God. The fact that he had a relationship with God revealed that he walked with God.

Jesus defines eternal life this way in John 17:3 ““This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Noah knew God not just like I know about you but Noah really knew God.

Do you really walk with God? I mean have a relationship with him. This week in Bible study we were talking about hearing from God and praying to God and specifically meditating on God’s word. The times I have really connected with God have been those times that I have thought of him regularly and meditated on him consistently. Where I am in line with his will for my life.

Blameless-

When we put our faith in the lord Jesus Christ when God looks at us he does not see our sin he sees the blood of Christ. He literally passes over our sins and forgives us and we go to heaven.

But again Noah did not just have this he experienced living a blameless life in front of the world to see.

Genesis 6:10–13 NASB95

Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

The Justice of God

The last non negotiable to living in the favor of God is we must:

3. We obey the call of God on our life

Genesis 6:14–22 NASB95

“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. “Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. “As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Sheet with who you are in Christ.

As a new believer I had people try and show me what this meant

If this analysis is correct, then we have in the story an explanation of how corrupt the world got when this unparalleled violation took place.—Ross

III.

1.

2.

Conclusion

1. Nothing [Including Sin] can stop the plan of God

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Conditions and events before the Flood 6:9–7:10

“Noah is depicted as Adam redivivus (revived). He is the sole survivor and successor to Adam; both ‘walk’ with God; both are the recipients of the promissory blessing; both are caretakers of the lower creatures; both father three sons; both are workers of the soil; both sin through the fruit of a tree; and both father a wicked son who is under a curse.”

2.

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