The High Cost Of Low Living Series

Intro:

1. Tozer, "The rise of a new religious spirit in recent years is marked by disturbing similarities to that earlier "revival" under Constantine.

Now as then a quasi-Christianity is achieving acceptance by compromise. It is dickering with the unregenerate world for acceptance and, as someone said recently, it is offering Christ at bargain prices to win customers.

The total result is a conglomerate religious mess that cannot but make the reverent Christian sick in his heart....

The sum of all this is that religion today is not transforming the people; rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society's own level and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender."

2. The godly line of Seth is now intermingling with the ungodly line of Cain. If Satan cannot stop the seed-line by it's Demise, then maybe he can destroy it through Compromise.

3. The High Cost of Compromise.

Trans: 6:1-7

Carson, "People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.

We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.

We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

I. FIRST, IT COST THEM THEIR SANC-TI-TY. 6:1-2

Sanctity - "The condition of being considered sacred or holy, and therefore entitled to respect and reverence."

A. There was a Population Explosion. v.1

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

1. First, because people lived longer in those days - hundreds of years! Obviously if you live that long you can have more children.

IF - a couple have just 4 kids, and lived to see his kids, have kids, within 5 generations, his family would number 96 people. In 10 generations, the population would jump to 3,070. In 20 generations, the population would soar to 3 mil, 120 thousands, and in 30 generations, you would have 3 billion, 220 mil people.

The population in Noah's day, like ours, was in the billions...

2. Add to this polygamy and immorality [sex outside of marriage] and you have a population explosion.

Thought: From the Flood, which reduced the population to just 8 people with a very limited life expectancy - it took until 1876 to reach the 1 billion mark; But, it only took from 1867 to 1935, less then 100 years to reach 2 billion; and from 1935 to 1965 to reach over 6 billion. It is estimated that by 2012 we will reach the 7 billion mark.

Trans: This vast population was divided between the Godly and the Ungodly. The godly line of Seth and the ungodly line of Cain were to remain separated - distinct. They were not to intermarry or intermingle with their beliefs.

This is an abiding principle - Israel was to be distinct from the rest of the world:

"3 "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you." Deuteronomy 7:3-4

The same is true of the church - we are to be separated from the world of unbelievers.

"A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:39 (NASB)

"14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you." 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (NASB)

The Bible warns us, "Be not conformed to this world" (Rom.12:2), but Satan seeks to make the things of this world attractive.

Many of us remember the Beatles song, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"