God is merciful, but persistent sinning invites His judgement.

The book of Genesis reveals that the earliest history of humans was characterized by increasing sinfulness, producing a thoroughly evil society. And those ancient times before the flood, most humans did not pursue a life of righteousness by faith in God, but degenerated into wickedness until their lives reflected nothing of the image of God in which humans were created. This evil became so extensive, God made the decision He would stop the evil doing by destroying the sinners with a great flood. However, one man, Noah, found favor with God, and by faith in God, and following God‘s direction, he prepared an ark to the saving of his house. (Hebrews 11:7)

Golden Text: Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

If God destroyed all evil in the past, why doesn’t he get rid of every evil person today? Answer at the bottom.

1. HUMANS BECAME EXCEEDINGLY EVIL

A. Human Wickedness

Gen 6:1  And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

Gen 6:2  That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

…….The scripture here shows us that the Righteous sons of God, which were the sons of Seth, the 3rd child of Adam and Eve, began to marry the daughters of men, or the daughters of Cain. When righteous people interact with unrighteousness, it can only equal compromise and compromise results to sin. We can not be unequally yoked and still plow a straight line. 2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

…….God’s spirit is The Holy Spirit. If His Spirit will not always strive with man pre-flood, what makes us think it will continually strive with man after His greatest sacrifice provided a way out of temptation. God’s mercy is immeasurable, but what makes us think He is more merciful today than what it was then? My point is simply this: man can not get caught up in the thought of God now understanding the struggle of man because His Son Jesus experienced it and testifies that it really is heard to live righteous. Absolutely Not! Because He overcame the world, He made it possible to live a spotless life and overcome the world! God mercy is everlasting, but don’t think He won’t let us do what we chose!

Gen 6:4  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty (powerful) men which were of old, men of renown (shame).

…….These mighty men were men with power and influence, and like today, these influential men were causing more evil, and making sin seem casual.

Gen 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

…….Mankind of the pre-flood had become reprobate, with their minds completely fixed on sinning and worldly pleasures.

B. God’s Displeasure

Gen 6:6  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Gen 6:7  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

…….Could you imagine something you created that in the beginning seemed so perfect, turn out to be a tool used in the hands of a murderer that causes mass destruction?! I can only imagine that the Lord felt this very same way.

2. NOAH FOUND GOD’S GRACE

A. Noah Received God’s Grace

Gen 6:8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

…….Noah, a righteous man like Abraham, found (or received) the grace of God. Something was different about Noah, and that difference was, He loved and appreciated the presence of God.

Gen 6:9  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect (upright) in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

…….Noah’s faith and obedience was complete. The word perfect here means complete, or whole. Noah walked with God because God walked with Noah, and God walked with Noah because Noah desired His presence!

Gen 6:10  And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

…….Because Noah and his wife, and their three sons and their wives, were the only humans to survive the earth, all the nations on earth are descended from Noah and his three sons.

B. Corruption of Society

Gen 6:11  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Gen 6:12  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Gen 6:13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

…….In sharp contrast to Noah’s godly character, the world he lived in was “corrupt [rioting, decaying; spiritually, morally, and socially],” and was filled with violence (v. 11). Crimes of violence then were the same as now: assault, robbery, rape, and murder. God hates all sin, but violent crimes strongly invite God‘s judgment to stop humans from doing serious physical harm to one another and committing murder. Verse 12 says the pre-flood inhabitants of the earth had willfully, intentionally, and with determination, corrupted themselves with every imaginable evil.

3. PREPARATION FOR COMING JUDGEMENT

A. God’s Instructions for Noah

Gen 6:14  Make thee an ark (box) of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

…….God literally told Noah to build a box. This command came immediately after the Lord said He would destroy all flesh. Can you imagine the thoughts that run through Noah’s mind at this moment. He has a relationship with the Lord and knows His loving kindness, but the Lords seriousness in the command convinced Noah to do what God commanded.

Gen 6:15  And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits (450 ft.), the breadth of it fifty cubits (75 ft), and the height of it thirty cubits (45 ft).

Gen 6:16  A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; (18” overhang) and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

Gen 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

…….After giving Noah the instructions for building the ark, again God told him that He would send a flood to destroy all humans, and all the air breathing creatures on earth. If Noah was even slightly tempted to think the flood would not occur, God’s repeated warnings that the flood would occur caused Noah to believe God.

B. God’s Covenant With Noah

Gen 6:18  But with thee will I establish my covenant (separation); and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

…….By reading the last verse of the 5th chapter of Genesis, we know that Noah is at least 500 years old when the Lord commanded him to build the ark. Because Noah lived in a right relationship with God, no matter how corrupt the world around him became, and no matter how tempting it had ever been to live like his piers, the Lord rewarded Noah’s faithfulness.

Gen 6:19  And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

Gen 6:20  Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

Gen 6:21  And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

Gen 6:22  Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

……. Noah did according to all that God commanded him. This means Noah did exactly what God commanded him, not more nor less, but precisely in keeping with all that God commanded him. This kind of obedience is all God has ever wanted of any human. God does not want more or less than he commands of us. By doing more than God commands, we are in danger of thinking we can put God in our debt, so that he owes us something. By doing less than God commands, we are in danger of thinking God will grant us some special favor of not holding us accountable for disobeying him. Doing according to all God commands is all he asks.

Answer: because He would have to rid the entire human race again. He made the fix for all of our evil through His Son.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.