Sunday Morning, April 7, 2002 Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: Unpopular [#1]
HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?
Genesis 6:1-14
Introduction:
1. Popularity is extremely important to most Americans. As adults we try to make this a youth and children’s problem, but it plagues adults also. It is “human nature” for us to want to be liked and popular and there is nothing wrong with being liked, but how far are you willing to go for that popularity?
2. This is one of the things that plague our churches. We spend more time trying to please man than we do God.
3. With all that is going on in this world, I believe the end is approaching and it is time for Christians to become urgent concerning the salvation of the lost.
4. The battle of following God or man has been a struggle for thousands of years and will continue to be so until Christ comes again.
5. This new series will identify stories from the Bible of when someone had to choose whom they would follow. As you listen to these sermons ask yourself this question, “Do I lead my life to please people or God?” Who do I follow?
Person
Family Background
1. In Genesis 6 we find a man named Noah. Noah came from a very godly family. His great-grandpa, Enoch, was one of the men in the Bible that never died. His grandpa, Methuselah, holds the record for living the longest on this earth. There is not much said about his father, Lamech, which is sometimes a good thing. The Bible does not say he was evil. We would have to assume that he was a godly man because the Bible does not say otherwise.
2. Noah was kind of like what I call a “church kid”. You know the kids that have to go to church and we expect to be good because they are raised in church.
3. This man became of father of three at the age of 500. Understand he lived to be 950 years old, so he was a little past the mid point of his life.
The World Around Noah.
1. How was the world in which Noah lived in? What sort of things were going on? As we read, how does this compare to our World today?
Genesis 6:1-4
2. The earth’s population was growing quickly. The women were marrying whomever. The women apparently had found the sons of God to be just what wanted as husbands. Who were the sons of God? Most scholars would say that these were the fallen angels. The offspring from these marriages were the Nephilm, giants.
3. These giants were popular. Usually big strong men are popular, especially amongst the women. This is the world in which Noah lived in. How about today? Women are marrying whom ever they choose and much of it has to do with appearance. Why do you think fashion is so important? Women want to look their best so when opportunity arises they won’t “blow it”. Athletes are heroes. These big and strong men do things that most of us would be “put away” for life and they get away with it because this popularity means money and power.
Purpose (of Noah’s Life).
Wickedness of Man
Genesis 6:5-6
1. Man had become so wicked that God “was grieved that we had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain”.
2. Our sin hurts God. How bad are we hurting God Today? One of the reasons so many believe we are in the last days is because of the wickedness in our World.
Matthew 24:36-41.
3. You don’t have to look far to find evil in this world and it hurts God.
God’s Solution
1. What was God’s solution to this wickedness?
Genesis 6:7
2. Destroy it all!
3. There was noting worth keeping, or was there?
Genesis 6:8
Popularity (Of Noah)
With God.
1. The King James Version says, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. Grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. If it were not for the grace of God, everything would have been wiped out. Please notice that it was God giving grace.
2. With all of the wickedness on the earth, God found one man that was trying to live right. Noah was not perfect, but he was popular with God. Why?
Genesis 6:9-14
3. Here we find God giving Noah the way to his and his families Salvation. Now hear this: God came up with this plan and how to implement it, not Noah. It had never rained before. These people did not even understand what a flood would be. Noah had to do this on faith. What is faith? It is believing in something that none of your sense can pick up on. You can’t see it, taste it, smell it, or hear it, but yet you still believe.
With Man
1. Now Noah was popular with God because of God’s grace and Noah’s faith. Noah was being obedient and that is what God expects of us. But, what do you think those other people thought about Noah?
2. I can hear them now! “Hey Noah, have you lost your mind?” “We’ve never done this before! “You’re preparing for a what, a flood? I’ve never heard of that.” “Fine Noah, if you want to spend your time building this thing go ahead, but we are going to go have some fun”.
3. Does all of this sound like Noah was popular with man?
Conclusion:
1. This reminds me of when Peter and John were arrested for preaching the Gospel and they were healing a sick man brought before the Sanhedrin.
Acts 4:5-20
2. Who are you seeking to please? Man or God?
3. If you are here without Jesus as your Savior, understand that if you were to die today or Jesus come back, you would be destroyed. You may be popular on this earth but that doesn’t mean anything. Noah had faith and believed that God would save him, but he still had to get on the ark.
4. Some of you may be here this morning saying, “I believe in God, but do not know Him as your personal savior”. You must not only believe, but also surrender your life to Him.
5. Christians, our world is in the shape it’s in because we have been trying to be popular with the wrong ones. Who cares if the lost say, “Those fanatics have lost their mind”.
6. Choose today whom you will follow.
