God’s Judgment And Salvation (Genesis 6:9-8:18)
Here is the sermon video from YouTube if you’d like to watch it. Below is the text.
In the opening pages of Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is reading a book. As he reads the book, he becomes burdened by his own sin and what is to come. He runs into Evangelist and they begin to talk.
“Sir, I perceive by the Book in my hand, that I am condemned to die, and after to come to Judgment; and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second.
Then said Evangelism, Why not willing to die, since this life is attended with so many evils? The man answered, “Because, I fear that this burden that is upon my back, will sink me lower than the grave; and I shall fall into Tophet (Hell). And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit to go to Judgment and from thence to Execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry.
Then said Evangelist, If this be your condition, Why do you stand still? He answered, “Because I know not whither to go. Then he gave him a Parchment Roll, and there was written within, “Fly from the wrath to come.”[1] (I changed some of the language to remove antiquated language.)—John Bunyan
That is the message that we receive today from God’s Word. We are human beings condemned to death and judgment.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27 ESV)
And in the story of Noah’s Ark we see this message declared to a different people in a different time period. We also see what happened when God’s judgment was poured out upon all the Earth. And what we see is that God brings judgment, but also gives salvation.
God Is Holy And The World Is Judged (Genesis 6:9-13)
We are quickly reminded that this is a genealogy in the first words of our text today. There was a pause in the faithful lineage of Seth to discuss the wickedness of Noah’s age. And Noah had “three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (Genesis 6:10 ESV). There were more people than that, for we find out later that there were eight people who made it upon the ark (1 Peter 3:20). And the reason that these people were discussed because they were different than everyone else. More specifically, Noah was different than everyone else that existed upon the Earth.
Noah walked with God while all the rest of the world was walking in rebellion against God. Noah was already described as having “found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8 ESV). And the rest of the earth was “corrupt in God’s sight” and “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:12 ESV).
Noah was very peculiar in his day as is oftentimes the case with God’s people. They march to the beat of a far different drummer. The entirety of the rest of the world had rejected God’s ways, but “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9 ESV). It is safe to assume that Noah was like Enoch who also “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24 ESV). Though there isn’t a lot of information about the nature of Noah’s life, it is safe to attribute those characteristics of Enoch to Noah as well.
“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:5-7 ESV)
Noah pleased God by faith throughout his entire life and especially in the events that would happen in the days to come. And he lived in fellowship with God. But this was not characteristic of the world. The world was “corrupt in God’s sight” (Romans 6:11 ESV).
Because of the corruption of the world God would wipe life off the face of the Earth. God is holy. He is completely righteous. God does not tolerate sin. And now the Earth was corrupt and “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13 ESV). So God told Noah that He was about to bring judgment. God was about to destroy the Earth with a flood.
The message that God gave Noah in his day is also delivered to us in our own. But the same thing that happened in Noah’s day is happening in our own.
Peter helps us to apply this to our own day and time
“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 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.” 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, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 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.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:1-13 ESV)
People scoff in our day, just as those in Noah’s day. Those people were proven wrong, and God’s Word was proven true when He flooded the world in judgment. The waters broke forth and their mockery was soon silenced in the deluge.
All people are sinners. We all stand condemned before our Holy God, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV) There is coming a day in which God will judge the world in righteousness, this time with fire instead of water. And so, like Christian in the introduction, we must flee the wrath that is to come. This world and everything in it will be destroyed except for those who do not belong to Christ.
The Promise Of God (Genesis 6:14-22)
But this message does not come to the believer as a warning. It comes as a promise of salvation from the judgment to come. And that is what happened here with Noah and his family.
All the world was to be judged. Even while the rest of the world was plunged under the waters of judgment, God promised to rescue his family from that same fate. Rather than judgment, God promised to Noah a covenant relationship. Noah was to build an ark to God’s description and take his family and some animals with him. The rest of the world would drown in the flood, but Noah would have fellowship with God, and he and his family would be safe from the wrath that would soon fall upon the world.
What is the promise that is delivered to us today?
We have seen that judgment is coming and that the world is condemned to death, but what is the promise delivered to us today.
The promise that is delivered to us is eternal life. In the most often quoted passage of Scripture we read,
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)
God is holy, righteous, and just. He does not tolerate sin. That is seen clearly in the flood account. But it is also seen clearly throughout the pages of Scripture. He is so pure that He cannot look upon, that is tolerate evil (Habakkuk 1:13). And rather than destroy everyone in judgment, God made a way of salvation. He sent His Son.
God the Son took on human flesh and lived on this Earth. He walked among us perfectly, accomplishing all righteousness and was Himself without sin. He did all that He was supposed to do and never broke God’s Law. He then went to the cross and paid the punishment for our sin. He bore the wrath of God in place of sinners. And three days later, He rose from the grave having completely accomplished the justification of all who would believe. Justification is a legal declaration in which God declares the sinner to be righteous on the basis of the finished work of Christ. And all who trust in Christ have fellowship with God. Their sins are cleansed by the work of Christ. And they are credited with the righteousness of Christ. Because of the work of Christ the sinner is declared righteous. And they have eternal life.
The Response To God’s Promise Of Salvation (Genesis 6:22-7:15)
God gave to Noah a list of things to do in preparation for this coming judgment. And Noah’s response was simply to do all of it. Noah responded by faith and did everything that God commanded him to do (Genesis 6:22, 7:15).
Consider all of the obstacles to faith that Noah had to work with. Consider all the questions that had to be running through his mind when God told him to build this ark.
How many trees did Noah have to cut down to make this happen?
How much ridicule did he undergo while this happened?
How would he get the animals to go into the ark?
How would he shut that massive door?
And what was Noah’s response?
“Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22 ESV)
“And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.” (Genesis 7:5 ESV)
Noah’s response was that he trusted that God would do what He said that He would do. He trusted that God would bury the world in a deluge. And He trusted that God would save he and his family in the ark. As Hebrews says of Noah,
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7 ESV)
God has told us that judgment is coming. And He made a way for salvation through the finished work of Christ. Our response to that is faith. We trust in the great and glorious salvation that Christ has accomplished. Like Noah, we trust that God will do all that He has said we will do.
As our society grows darker and darker, the ridicule of Christianity grows more and more. The question for you now is this, do you believe the word that God has here given?
Do you believe that death is coming?
Do you believe that judgment is coming?
Do you believe that God will save you through faith in His Son?
Have you trusted in Christ? Have you turned from ruling your own life and turned in faith to the One who saves?
God Saves From Wrath And Justice (Genesis 7:16-7:24)
The rain began to fall and the fountains of the Earth gave up their water. It was time to get in the ark. Noah, his family, and all the animals got into the ark and God shut them in (Genesis 7:16).
God ensured the safety and security of His people when He shut the door. God, who had promised to save them from the wrath to come ensured that would take place. And the ark held up through it all just as God said that it would. Everyone in the ark was safe.
Those outside the ark felt the deluge of God’s wrath. God wiped out the entire Earth. It was destroyed. And only those who trusted the Lord were saved.
There is coming a Day of Judgment. God will judge the world in righteousness. Only those who abandon their self-salvation and self-lordship will be saved from the wrath to come, just as in Noah’s day.
God told Noah that His wrath was going to fall and that all those in the ark would be saved. Noah believed and they got into the ark. We know that judgment is coming again and that all those who are in Christ will be saved.
The message here is clear. Trust in Christ. Turn to Him.
God Is Faithful To Keep His Promises (Genesis 8:1-19)
The flood rose and rose and rose to heights unimaginable and unbelievable if it weren’t for the power of God. Many today deny that the flood could have risen to as far as it did or encompassed the area it says that it did in Scripture. But this flood is not a natural occurrence. There are a few things in it that let us know this is an incredibly supernatural event. And one of those is the height to which it rose. The other is that God caused a wind to take the water away. He didn’t just let it recede. He made it go down.
And it’s in the middle of this outpouring that we read that
“God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” (Genesis 8:1 ESV)
“God remembered” is not a statement of forgetfulness. God always remembers. He knows everything (1 John 3:20). It is a statement of God’s moving into action. Here, God remembered Noah and made the wind to blow that lowered the waters. God remembered Rachel and blessed her with a child (Genesis 30:22). And later, God remembered His people who were enslaved in Egypt and would get them out (Exodus 2:24). And when God moved into action, He made a wind to blow over the Earth and the waters began to recede (Genesis 8:1).
Noah, his family, and the animals found dry ground again (Genesis 8:18). God had kept His promise. God had kept them safe from the wrath that fell on the rest of the Earth.
God is faithful. And we will one day find that He has done everything that He said He would do.
Those who trust in Christ will find their feet stepping onto a land where there is no more mourning, death, or pain. They will see the beauty of the Lord that they have loved so long. And those who reject Christ will find that God has been faithful to do what He has said He would do as well. And they will pay for their sins, on their own.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:1-8 ESV)
Conclusion
God’s wrath and judgment fell upon the Earth. But we also see in this account, God’s salvation that is found only in Christ.
I want to end in the way that I began, with John Bunyan and the beginning of the book Pilgrim’s Progress.
“Sir, I perceive by the Book in my hand, that I am condemned to die, and after to come to Judgment; and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second.
Then said Evangelism, Why not willing to die, since this life is attended with so many evils? The man answered, “Because, I fear that this burden that is upon my back, will sink me lower than the grave; and I shall fall into Tophet (Hell). And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit to go to Judgment and from thence to Execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry.
Then said Evangelist, If this be your condition, Why do you stand still? He answered, “Because I know not whither to go. Then he gave him a Parchment Roll, and there was written within, “Fly from the wrath to come.”[2] (I changed some of the language to remove antiquated language.)—John Bunyan
If you are reading this and don’t know Christ, I want to ask the question that Evangelist asked. Why do you stand still?
God the Son made a way for us to be saved from the wrath to come through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. Why do you stand still?
R. Dwain Minor
[1] John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World To That Which Is To Come, The Christian Library, 1984, Pp. 2-3.
[2] John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World To That Which Is To Come, The Christian Library, 1984, Pp. 2-3.