Genesis Session 12

The flood… is coming. The flood that would wipe out all wickedness and unrighteousness on the earth was coming.

We are familiar with the story. One family is saved by God, commissioned to build a boat, and would be the only things to survive along with two of every kind of animal.

We are six chapters in Genesis. Just 3 chapters earlier, we read of creation and the original sin. A few chapters later and we find this reality recorded.

Genesis 6:6–8 NIV

6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

God regretted...

We all know what regret is and what it feels like. Regret is to feel sad or disappointed over something that has happened or something that has been done. Specifically, the original word used here means to be sorry or to console oneself.

So… what was it that caused God to feel this way? Back up one verse to find the answer. God SAW how great the wickedness of the human race had become.

His regret was not focused on humans because they were humans. His regret came for the the evil that was apparent in their hearts.

God’s regret, His disappointment, was the result of humankind’s rejection of His ways. He was not disappointed in WHO they were… how could He be? WE WERE ORIGINALLY MADE IN HIS IMAGE… AND… GOD DECLARED HIS CREATION TO BE GOOD.

God did not create us for sin. God created us for something much better… but humans made the choice to settle for option b… the option that brought sin into the world and death a part of reality.

God’s heart was troubled by the evil ways that had filled the hearts of humanity so He decides to “wipe from the face of the earth the human race.”

After making this decision BUT before sending the flood, The Bible makes mention of something important. Noah had found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah Found Favor...

We looked at regret, now lets look at favor. The original word used here means elegance, favor or grace. Noah stood out. And because of his stance, Noah received friendly regard that was given to Him by God Himself.

The Bible did not say Noah found favor in the eyes of the world…

Noah lived a life outside the cultural trends. He and his family are the ONLY ONES ON EARTH mentioned to be saved from the soon-coming flood.

Imagine that for a moment… In today’s terms, that would be one in 7.9 billion people!

Let me help you with the imagery. If we changed 7.9 billion to currency, and used 100 dollar bills, it takes 10,000 one hundred dollar bills to make a billion and when stacked, it would be 2/3 or a mile high.

7.9 billion would result in a stack roughly five and a quarter miles high or roughly the distance from Agra to Kensington! That is stacked not laid end to end!

Noah stood out for his faithfulness to God. We see this declaration made in Genesis 6:9

Genesis 6:9 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.

So… because of the sin and evil in the world, God decided to wipe out the human race… all but Noah and His family.

Had God’s love for the human race changed? No… and that is why I believe this was so emotional for God. God loved EVERY person then as He does now. But He cannot turn a blind eye to sin. He cannot ignore the evil ways of the world.

When God said to Adam and Eve do not eat of the tree or you will surely die, He meant it. It was true then, it is true today. SIN BRINGS DEATH.

But faith… faith brings something else. Faith opens the door… for favor… for grace. God could have destroyed Noah and his family with the rest but remember, God did not destroy all because of who they were, they were destroyed for the evil they had stored up in their hearts…

Tonight I want to look at the cause of the flood and the cause of Noah’s favor. The flood… is a really big deal in earth’s history.

Many ANE texts record a great flood event. Some would speculate that this means cultures robbed other cultures of their stories and myths. However, when you look at the breadth of the situation, I would conclude it only solidifies the fact the the flood did happen.

The earth was covered with water. All life perished except that which was on the ark. What we look at tonight at the days leading up to this world-wide event.

The Corruption of the World.

Genesis 6:11–13 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. 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.

Imagine being the only guy on the planet that knew… the end of the world was coming. Imagine knowing in this moment… what Noah knew.

What would you do with the information we just read?

First off, I think I would be thankful that I was still hearing from God. I don’t say this for pride sake but for the sake of faithfulness and humbleness.

Noah was hearing from God… because Noah had remained faithful to God. Just as God could not ignore the sinful nature of the world, God could not ignore the righteous position of Noah’s heart!

Therefore, God lays it out for Noah.

The world had become… corrupt.

This is a word that gets used a lot in our day. But what does it mean to be corrupt?

One definition says to change from good to bad in morals, manners, or actions.

Another definition simply says to go to ruin.

Dishonest or fraudulent conduct is yet another way to define corruption.

But there is something important to note regarding the use of this word in verse 11. In order for something to be deemed corrupt or to claim that corruption is happening… what must be present for that kind of behavior to be measured against?

A STANDARD. We cannot determine whether or not corruption is present if no standard exists to measure it against.

How does a person know if they are driving too fast? By the speed limit signs posted on the highway.

How does a person know that stealing from a store will get them in trouble? By the laws we have in our communities.

How does a person know not to enter a person’s house without permission? By the right that person has to defend his or her home.

The standard sets the bar. The standard lays out the moral code and structure for appropriate behavior.

In this case, the standard was not just a way of the world, but it was the ways of the Lord. Humankind had CORRUPTED that standard. They rejected the standard and therefore corrupted the deign and pattern of life God had established at creation.

What were the standards God set in motion?

Stewardship. Mankind were to be stewards of what God had given them. What does it mean to be a steward?

When Adam and Eve took from the forbidden tree, they were acting as owners, not stewards. It was not theirs to take.

Work. Work was a part of God’s original design.

Marriage. One man, one woman, it’s that simple.

Family. God blessed us and said to be fruitful and multiply.

Relationship. With each other but more importantly, with God.

Rest. A pattern for work… a pattern for life.

These are some of the things that God placed in motion BEFORE the fall.

When the fall came, things became more difficult because of sin and its effects.

When God looked at the world and saw corruption, the Word gives a few details regarding what God saw.

Wickedness

Evil thoughts

Evil hearts

Full of violence (mentioned twice)

GOD DID NOT CREATE HUMANKIND THIS WAY.

Their hearts and minds were FULL of evil. The human race was FULL of wickedness. The earth was FULL of violence. The ways of people were FULL of corruption.

They were FULL of the wrong stuff!

What we fill our lives with matters! And the world is trying to get us to fill ourselves with the wrong stuff! The people are not the enemy, but there exists an enemy who would influence us to go against the standards God has set forth.

The world was full of unrighteousness… corruption was its way. But Noah stood against said corruption and although he lived in it… he did not live by it. He remained righteous and blameless among the people of His time. And his faithfulness continued after God revealed the plan.

Noah Followed the Instructions

Genesis 6:14–22 NIV

14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 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.

God gave Noah instruction on how to build the ark… the vessel that would save life on earth.

The earth was about to be destroyed by something the world had never seen before. God made clear - EVERYTHING ON EARTH WILL PERISH. Everything.

But God makes a covenant - a promise with Noah - his family will survive.

What is a covenant? It is an agreement between two people or groups that involves promises on the parts of each to the other.

In the biblical sense, it implies much more than a contract or simple agreement. Where a contract looks to one skill or one part of a person, a covenant involves the whole person.

God establishes His covenant with Noah - they will not be destroyed. That is God’s end of the deal… so what is Noah to do?

Noah will have to remain faithful in his walk with God. Noah will have to follow God’s instruction if he desires to experience the promise God made him.

Think of that for a moment… We must do what God says… if we desire to experience God’s promise.

I’m rebuilding a 304 V8 in my garage… an engine I have never worked on before. Not all engines are the same and there are a lot of internal moving parts that have to be assembled correctly, torqued correctly, and timed correctly.

I could shoot from the hip and “hope” to get it right… OR I can consult the book, follow the steps, and meet the specs.

I might get lucky and the engine might run doing it my way… but chances are, it will be set up for future failure.

But going by the book gives it the best opportunity to do what it was built and designed to do.

The world had gone off on its own. It stopped consulting with the designed and it had become corrupt. It was now facing certain death for its decision to do so.

Noah remained righteous is the eyes of God… and his remaining righteous would ensure the survival of his family… but he would have to keep following the instructions.

No matter what the world said as he built this boat, he would have to follow the instructions! His continued faithfulness would result in his life being saved from the soon-coming judgement of the world.

Look at verse 22 again…

Genesis 6:22 NIV

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Application

Noah did not go off script. Noah did not cut corners. Nah did not question or mock or insert his own way of doing things. Noah… simply did what God told him to do.

Noah… probably looked pretty crazy in the eyes of those around him. Why would anyone build an ark of that size? Why would anyone fear something the world had never seen?

Noah didn’t fear the flood… Noah feared the Lord. And that’s the difference.

Noah didn’t fear what would happen if… NOAH SIMPLY FEARED THE LORD. The position of his heart and mind kept him in step with God’s standards and ways.

It didn’t matter what God said… it was the fact that… GOD said it… and that was enough for Noah.

Now don’t hear me wrong, what God says is extremely important but the fact that it is GOD who is saying it should cause us:

To drop all doubt, to not question, to not look for loo holes, to not corrupt or cheat, to not take matters into our own hands, and to not deviate from what has been said.

I’m sure the thought of building a boat was a bit out of the ordinary… I doubt Noah had given any thought to such a project before.

But Noah was an out-of-the-ordinary guy already - BECAUSE OF HIS WALK WITH THE LORD.

Noah found favor because of his faithfulness. Noah followed the instructions

WE NEED TO DO THE SAME.

God’s Word is God’s Word.

It needs to be taken to heart and lived by our lives BECAUSE it is GOD’S WORD.

And this way of life might cause us to stand out… but I would much rather stand out from sin then turn my back on faith.

We know where sin leads us… and we know the promise that comes with faith.

But more importantly… we know who sin separates us from… and to who faith leads us to.

Remain a people of faith. Follow the Words of the Lord.