We Must Believe God’s Commands Series

Alpha and Omega, Part 12

We must believe God’s commands

Genesis 6:1-22

Introduction

- We’ve begun 2023 with “one purpose”: Knowing there is a God!

-- Continuing our series, “Alpha and Omega”; examining the beginning to the end

- Last week: God’s plan of redemption was not a knee-jerk reaction to our sin

-- FACT: He had ordained our rescue before the foundation of the world

-- Not only did God always plan to provide the way of redemption for man

-- He recorded it in man’s lineage to show us that His Grace was always planned

- Let’s read and unpack our scripture for today … Read Genesis 6:1-22 / Pray

Point 1 – Society will always follow its own cravings

- Six facts about how society behaves …

1st Fact: The godly ignored God, becoming part of the worldly (v1-2)

- What we see is the corruption of God’s creation, in its entirety

-- We have believers, those who followed God, marrying unbelievers

-- These unbelievers had one focus: to do whatever they wanted

- The primary driver, btw, is sex … focus on ‘beautiful women’ phrase

-- The men, who were sworn to live godly lives, did what their flesh wanted

- The result, even in 2023, is the same: faithful are pulled into sin by selfish wants

-- SEE: Sin always appears more attractive than godly obedience

2nd Fact: God became disturbed and warned man (v3)

- Remember, there was great preaching going on during this time

• No doubt Adam taught about faithfulness to God and how to live

• Enoch preached and warned the world about ungodly deeds

• Methuselah (whose name reminded them of judgment) lived during this time

• We know that Noah was a man (lived) of righteousness

- As a result, God gave two warnings:

1. He would withdraw His Spirit (this is the point of no return for humanity)

2. His grace would be limited, b/c He would remove His spirit from them

- FACT: God gave them a term of 120 years to repent …

-- Gen 6:3 (KJV): “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”

-- May it never be said of us that we willingly live without God’s grace!

3rd Fact: Man became lawless and immoral (v4)

- Nephilim: origin is word naphal; ‘giants’ Hebrew: naphal; fall upon and attack

-- This is the name of the people who lived before and after the flood

-- It refers to the strong and powerful of the Earth, i.e., those who are in control

- APP: Became corrupt because they had power (allowing it to govern them)

-- The strong and powerful rule today … and easily can become corrupt as well

• Consider: advertisements seek to govern how you feel about yourself

• Consider: some politicians waive control because they have powerful office

• Consider: movie stars/athletes have huge a platform to affect others

• Consider: even pastors can have a negative influence by teaching untruth

4th Fact: God saw man’s wickedness (v5)

- Never allow yourself to think that we live in a time that God is not aware

-- As we see in v5, God is personally invested in His creation, or our lives

-- God was (and is) paying attention, and He records what how we spend life!

5th Fact: God is grieved over man’s wickedness, condemns the Earth (v6-7)

- Terrible story to unpack here: God regrets that He ever created …

-- First, He called us ‘very good’, the pinnacle of His masterpiece (creation)

-- Now, we are a regret that He ever wasted His time, or His efforts

-- The result is swift: 120 years judgment shall fall, and man is to be destroyed

- Consider: How wicked must humanity have been that God reached this state?

-- APP: When something is created, it must fulfill its purpose (we all have this)

-- If it won’t serve God, it is to be destroyed and removed (separated from Him)

-- BIG: Thank God that He is faithful to Himself … and to His word!

6th Fact: God remembers His grace and saved Noah (v8)

- Great promise here: God remembered that He said a redeemer would come!

-- RE: Gen 3:15, “He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

-- APP: Through the lineage of man, God would send to us a redeemer

-- God would provide one who would rescue, and thus, found one faithful man

- Noah was the first ‘saved by grace/favor’ reference in the bible

-- Because He trusted/was faithful to God, He would provide the lineage of rescue

Point 2 – Who was Noah?