If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right

Introduction:

Looking at the crime in Baltimore City, it seems as though people have a one track mind, and that is to do wrong. Society leans towards the things of darkness rather than the things of light. Society has compromised the thing that God has ordained between a man and a woman, and that is “marriage.”

Marriage, which has been ordained by God has taken a shift from a man and a woman to a man and a man or a woman to another woman. Society no longer seeks to do what is right in the eyes of God. If anyone who seeks to do right in the eyes of God, they are looked upon as an “odd” ball or who does he /she think hey are? With that note, that brings me to my first point.

Development:

First Point: Integrity Comes With a Cost

Noah lived in troubled times. This was probably the most troubled times in human history. Man had become corrupt and wicked. There was great wickedness on the earth. Now great wickedness not only means that sin multiplied, it also means that sin became more and more extreme and terrible. This was so because sin became more mean and vile. Sin became more destructive and terrifying. Sin became more evil and devilish. Sin became more fleshy and carnal. Sin became more obscene and flagrant. Sin became more filthy and foul.

Since the Fall of Adam in the garden, man had become more exceedingly sinful and bolder in sin. My brothers and my sisters isn’t that what we see occurring in our society today? The gays or homosexuals are no longer just out of the closet, they’re demanding that they receive the same rights as heterosexuals when it comes to same sex marriages and benefits.

God is not pleased with this type of behavior. In Galatians 15:19-21 it says, The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

There was not a Godly person left on earth other than Noah and his family. The bible says in Genesis 6:9 that Noah was a righteous and blameless man among his people. Noah loved God, Noah believed God, and Noah walked with God. The bible even states in Hebrew 11:7 that Noah was a man of great faith.

No matter what standards society had set, Noah did not waver in his level of integrity. God honored his integrity.

Second Point: The Reward of Integrity/Faith

God saw that man’s wickedness was great upon the earth. By great is meant that man’s wickedness multiplied. Man committed more and more sin, more and more acts of wickedness.

Society was not getting better, not becoming more and more righteous and godly; but society was becoming more lawless and crime-ridden. Lawlessness and crime, immorality and corruption were increasing more and more every year, not decreasing. The wickedness of man had swept the earth—swept every place where man was. Sounds like Baltimore Maryland.

God regrets that He ever made man. Genesis 6:5 says that the great wickedness of man had multiplied and become extreme and terrible, that it was no longer bearable.

But there was one man who would remain true to God up until the day of his death. That man was Noah.

In Genesis 6:8 it says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Since Noah did not waver in his integrity and he faith in God, God was extremely pleased with Noah.

What does this mean? It means that Noah believed God’s promise concerning the godly seed, the coming Savior. Noah believed that God was going to preserve a godly people and send the Savior through that people. Therefore, God showered His grace and His favor upon Noah.

God had mercy upon Noah and chose Noah to be the person to be saved through the coming judgment. Noah’s faith in the promise of God, his faith in the coming Savior, is what saved him and his family.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says that Noah was saved by grace through faith in the coming Savior. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he believed God, believed God’s promise of salvation through the promised seed, the coming Savior.

As you study you will find that this is the first time grace or favor is mentioned in the Bible.