Genesis 6:11-8:19 - ”Final Judgment?” - Who Are We Series

good morning our Old Testament reading

comes from or starts at Genesis 6: 11

and then we're going to be hopping

around now the Earth was corrupt in

God's sight and the Earth was filled

with violence and God saw the Earth and

behold it was corrupt for all had all

flesh had corrupted their way on the

Earth

and God said to Noah I have determined

to make an End of All Flesh for the

Earth is filled with violence through

them behold I will destroy them with the

earth now we're going to hop over to

chapter 7 verse 1 then the Lord said to

Noah go into the ark you and all your

household for I have seen that you are

righteous before me in this

generation take with you seven pairs of

all clean animals the male and the and

its mate and a pair of the animals that

are not clean the male and its mate and

seven pairs of the birds of the heavens

also male and female to keep their

offspring alive on the face of all the

Earth for in seven days I will send rain

on the earth 40 days and 40 nights and

every living thing that I have made I

will blot out from the face of the

ground and Noah did all that the Lord

had commanded him now verse 10 and after

7 Days the Waters of the flood Came Upon

the

earth now chapter 8 verse

1 but God remembered Noah and all the

beasts and all the livestock that were

with him in the ark and God made a wind

blow over the earth and the waters

subsided The Fountains of the deep and

the windows of the heavens were closed

the rain from the heavens was restrained

now

verse um verse

six at the end of 40 days Noah opened

the window of the ark that he had made

and sent forth a raven it went to and

fro until the waters were dried up from

the earth then he sent forth a dove from

him to see if the waters had subsided

from the face of the ground but the dove

found no place to set her foot and she

returned to him to the ark for the

waters were still on the face of the

whole earth so he put out his hand and

took her and brought her into the ark

with him he waited another seven days

and again he sent forth the dove out of

the

Ark and the Dove came back to him in the

evening and behold in her mouth was a

freshly plucked olive leaf so Noah knew

that the waters had subsided from the

earth then he waited another 7 days and

went forth the Dove and she did not

return to him

anymore now verse

15 then God said to Noah go out from the

ark you and your wife and your sons and

your sons wives with you bring out with

you every living thing that is with you

of All

Flesh birds and animals and every

creeping thing that creeps on the earth

that they may swarm on the earth and be

fruitful and multiply on the earth so

Noah went out and his sons and his wife

and his sons wives with him every Beast

every creeping thing and every bird

everything that moves on the earth went

out by families from the

ark our new New Testament reading comes

from 2 Peter 3:

1-10 this is now the second letter that

I am writing to you beloved in both of

them I am stirring up your sincere Mind

by way of reminder that you should

remember the predictions of the Holy

prophets and the Commandment of the Lord

and Savior through your Apostles knowing

this first of all that scoffers will

come in the in the last days with

scoffing following their own sinful

desires they will say where is the

promise of his coming for ever since the

fathers fell asleep all things are

continuing as they were from the

beginning of

creation for they deliberately overlook

this fact that the heavens existed long

ago and the earth was formed out of the

water and through the Water by the word

of

God and that by means of the saint of

these the

world that then existed was

deluged with water and

perished but by the same word the

heavens and earth that now exist are

stored up for fire being kept until the

day of judgment and destruction of the

ungodly but do not overlook this one

fact beloved that with the Lord one day

is as a thousand years and a thousand

years as one day the Lord is not slow to

fulfill his promise as some counts

slowness but is patient toward you not

wishing that any should perish but that

all should reach

repentance but the day of the Lord will

come like a thief and then the heavens

will pass away with a Roar and the

heavenly bodies will be burned up and

dissolved and the earth and the works

that are done in it will be

exposed this is the word of the Lord

thanks be to

God and by the way good job she was

bedridden most of the week so we got to

give her a little LS

faithfulness so next time you guys are

sick I don't want any

excuses well isn't this fun we get to

preach

Noah I was nice I didn't give you all

the verses and I'll tell you what I've

been stressed i' in fact I was I was

telling Jason I have had a sinking

feeling about this

sermon thank you very

much I play all

week the funny part about this text is

people don't really get it and don't

hear me the wrong way I'm sure you guys

do but there are a lot of people who

really don't understand the purpose of

this text they read it as if it's an

Enlightenment historical narrative and

it is

not this text this story predates Israel

by thousand years at

least this is an ancient document about

an ancient event that happened and even

the reason they're writing it is not the

most of the reasons we think we should

go to the Bible it is not prescriptive

in other words we'd like to go to the

Bible and get a verse that gives us

something for ourselves that we can

prescribe into our

life this is really none of that

in fact the main player in it Noah he's

as flat as they come he does not talk

did you know that doesn't talk at all he

just does what he's told the only one

talking the only one making the point is

our God this is his

story well how do you approach this well

one of the things that people want to

ask is is this just wiping out the

planet so I go back to a a book that I

read many years ago called why do bad

things happen to good people have any of

you read that book it was a rabbi

Kushner was wrote it and it was years

and years ago and he went on and he gave

some answers of why that might

happen that's called a theodicy by the

way if you want to go home and make more

friends at your dinner parties there's

another word for you a theoy simply

means a defense of evil in light of a

good God okay

and a lot of people come to this and say

how could this evil have been allowed to

happen well guess what nothing is new in

the

world I mean Kushner is writing about

whether you got a stub toe or you lost

your job or got a cancer

diagnosis but this event which was a

real event okay let me hear me out this

was a real event something catastrophic

happened that predated all of the empire

that are going to write about it some

event was the equivalent of the world

being destroyed to them okay you hear me

now the questions that people ask is

well could it have been as dramatic as

he says did it cover the whole earth all

of those things the thing I'm going to

invite you to do is not think like an

Enlightenment

historian their main concern hear me out

is why not how they never cared about

the how there were not

scientists they were ancient people who

wanted to know why an event like this

happened all right and so anyone who

says well it was a localized flood or if

it was a great flood or whatever my

argument to it is that's not the

point now there's undoubtedly hyperbole

because that's what the genre uses but

what we're supposed to Listen to If we

were the original audience they didn't

sit there and worry about how this could

have happened or this couldn't have

happened something happened in Antiquity

and the question the why question was

why did God or the gods let it happen

Okay how do we know this because this is

one of 67 flood stories in the ancient

world 67

exist around the world they're very

different from one another but there's

one in particular particular that out of

this place called Mesopotamia

where where our young friend Abraham

comes from remember he comes from ER 's

in Mesopotamia so they have a flood

story and it's called the Gilgamesh

epic and they're telling in the

Gilgamesh epic their main point isn't

about the

details but who the gods are and who

they are and when they wrote this story

these ancient pagans they said that the

reason this event happened that people

flooded was cuz human beings were

getting too darn noisy and we Gods

couldn't

sleep that's what they

said so one of the Gods said what are we

going to do with this well let's do

population control let's have a flood

you see so the main issue in their story

and it tells us about who God is to them

is that they're very self- centered and

they don't like to be disturbed when

they're having their afternoon

nap that's really what it is and so what

do they do they set off the floods well

there's another guy who becomes the hero

who builds the ark because a minor God

comes to him and says hey the bad Gods

up there are going to wipe you guys all

out but I know that we won't have food

if you all get wiped out I want you to

hear that the reason that this hero in

the guil pges epic gets picked is

because the gods need to eat and our

sacrifices feed the gods so this smart

little God said if we wipe them all out

who's going to make our

dinners that's the reason there's the

ark and then he and his family survive

and they have a big bash at the end and

then the gods go oh well I guess it

wasn't that noisy and I'm glad we can

eat That's How It Ends

that's the story being told around the

fireplaces the fire

pits now come in these guys called the

Jews and one thing we know about the

Jews is they are the ones that God has

been the real God has been talking to

right everybody

agree I hope

so or I'm in

trouble and in the midst of this they

tell the same story as the Gilgamesh

Epic

but they tell it very

different 17 places it's word for word

the Gilgamesh epic and the Noah story

just want to show you how tight these

were but in every case they're telling a

different story about who the real God

is the real reason the flood happened

and the real reason somebody got rescued

okay so listen to the difference from

the gods who were it was too noisy so we

had we had to kill him oh we better save

one for food and then we all have a

party because well now we can continue

to get fed listen to the difference in

Noah's story because it's radically

different let's

pray Heavenly Father we thank you for

your goodness and your amazing

Mercy we ask you to open our eyes and

her ears so we can understand this text

amen so it starts off now the Earth was

corrupt that's our first thing we want

to remember he created it it was chaos

then he he blew on the Wind on the

ground and the ground came up and Chaos

was taken care of and good good good

happened remember order order order and

then what's happened is we have the fall

of Eve and Adam and they try and be like

God and we see the slow violence and the

taking of women and the destruction and

the domination of leaders to the point

now where the whole world is corrupt

in God's sight in other words this is

about righteousness and

sin it's not about noise level that's

the first

difference God's story in Noah is about

goodness and

evil and the Earth was filled in God's

sight and the Earth was filled with

violence and God saw the Earth and

behold it was corrupt for All Flesh had

corrupted their way on the earth and God

said to Noah I've just decided I've

determined to make an End of All Flesh

by the way it said corrupt three times

corrupt means

chaos so the whole world has gone back

even though I made it in order and good

it has gone back to

chaos and three times that's the main

point I have determined to make an End

of All Flesh for the Earth is filled

with violence through them behold I will

destroy them with the Earth what's

happened here at least according to our

story is nothing to do with the noise

level of humans but the character of

humans you

see they are living in such ways that

they're dehumanizing themselves and

others to ways that we can't

imagine the whole things Fallen

apart then the Lord said to Noah all of

a sudden Noah shows up one thing you're

going to notice about the God of

scripture is he says he's going to wipe

everything out he says Cain you deserve

to

die but I'm going to let you live

there's something that always happens

within these texts even of the greatest

tragedies Where Mercy is

shown you notice

that something's going to happen and

this will be very deep in Israelites

theology but God really doesn't destroy

everything does he because he has Noah

he says go into the ark you and all your

household for I have seen that that

you're righteous before me now I want

you to note this in my in this

generation means at least according to

this generation so this doesn't mean he

was

perfect he was graded on a

curve and he just wasn't as bad as the

rest which will explain why Noah has

such a fascinating incident what we'll

talk about next week I'll let you look

forward to that you can read

ahead take with you he says seven pair

of clean animals why clean animals cuz

they have to sacrifice Why seven I mean

not two because the clean animals are

sacrificed so they're already a

sacrificial

system the male and his mate and a pair

of the animals that are not clean they

don't sacrifice those they only need two

the male and its mate and you're going

to start seeing seven show up again and

again because it's highly

stylized and seven pairs of the birds of

the heavens also male and female to keep

their offspring alive on the face of all

the Earth could you imagine if that was

asked of a contemporary Progressive

University

student male and female

anyways for in seven days I will say

rain rain on the earth 40 days and 40

nights these numers 40 number seven they

have far greater meaning than a literal

person with a clicker seven means

perfect or complete he wants the

complete number of animals he wants the

complete and 40 represents the right

time and every living thing that I have

made I will blot out from the face of

the ground and Noah did all that the

Lord had commanded him that's all Noah

does he just he just does it okay then

it goes on and after seven do you see

that that's number five we've seen the

number seven you think he's trying to

say something do you see why you at

least have to recognize that there's

something

ized in this that they didn't write like

we

did they were writing to try and say

something different and F seven means

complete it was the right time the

amount of days the water of the flood

came on the Earth was the perfect time

seven days they didn't care whether it

was really seven days then none of them

were alive when this happened they had

heard the story of this event a thousand

years later they were telling it okay

but they're telling a story about who

God is and God is doing everything in

the complete and right way do you see

that that's the

seven but

God the floods have come he remembers

Noah and all the beasts and all the

livestocks that that were with him in

the ark and then we see something

profound the chaos Waters at the

beginning do you remember that and then

the mighty breath at the beginning of

Genesis 1 cleaned out the water so the

land could come out what happens here

and God Made A

Mighty Wind blow or breath over the

Earth what he's done is he's allowed the

creation Waters to come in and now he's

recreating you see that and he's doing

it like he did in the first creation

he's taking that breath just like he did

at the beginning and he's beginning a

new opportunity just like the first

creation and the land is going to be

there for them to live on and God made

the wind blow on the earth and the

waters subsided The Fountains of the

deep and the windows of the heavens were

closed and the rain from the heavens

were restored God is bringing order

again out of chaos he judged the chaos

of humanity by releasing chaos do you

see that but now he's decided to

recreate to start

over at the end of the 40 days

40 Noah opened the window of the Ark and

he had made it set forth a raven now why

is this important because in that other

story about the gods being upset about

the noise level they also sent out Birds

but the first one they sent out was a

dove and the heroic bird in the end is a

raven do you think that our writer knew

what he did he flipped it on its

head do you see that so the first one he

sends oh there's a raven it went up to

and fro and the waters were dried up the

Earth and he The Raven doesn't help him

or he does the other guy then he sent

forth a dove from him to see if the

waters had subsided from the face of the

ground and oh my gosh we're going to get

a number again but the dove found no

place to set her foot and she returned

to the ark for the waters were still on

the face of the whole earth so he put

out his hand and took her and brought

her into the ark with her he waited

another seven I I don't know I think

he's trying to say

something and again he sent forth the

dove out of the Ark and the Dove came

back to him in the evening and behold in

her mouth was a freshly plucked olive

leaf so here we got the story as the

dove begins to bring truth that God has

recreated do you see

that so Noah knew that the waters had

subsided from the earth and he waited

another I don't know I know I'm pretty

sure he's doing

something and sent forth the Dove and

she did not return anymore

the exact opposite of the Gilgamesh

epic and then what's going to

happen well God's going to recreate just

like he did at the beginning he's

already separated the waters and the

land right but what does he have to do

now in the original creation story after

he separates the water and the land he

puts forth animals and human beings

right well what happens right after we

find Land once chaos has gone by then

God said to Noah go out from the ark you

and your wife and your sons and your

sons wives with you do you see what he's

doing new

Humanity renewed Humanity Recreation

just like the first one bring out with

you every living thing that's within you

all flesh birds and animals and every

creeping thing that creeps amongst the

Earth that's right out of word for word

the first Genesis story he creates these

things and there they go They're with

you again so you've got the first first

creation story all of again you got

Humanity

procreating uh Genesis 1 and you've got

all these animals there on the earth

Genesis 1 that they may swarm the Earth

and then he says and be fruitful and

multiply on the earth which is the end

of Genesis 1 and the challenge to

humanity what's happening here why is he

writing it this to us why do we care

he's saying this is the more important

Point God was just the world was not it

was chaos he hates chaos he hates sin he

hates evil he let chaos dominate it but

he didn't give up and now he's starting

to bring new creation and Noah

represents that

Recreation you see

that this is a recreation and it isn't

we note so that they might survive so

that they can feed Yahweh cuz Yahweh is

never

hungry the other gods were saved because

they could do the sacrifice is right and

feed the

gods but this righteous man cuz it's

about righteousness right and Chaos he

is there and why is he there while he's

brought sacrificial thing the only

reason he's kept alive the only reason I

can see is God's wants to not give up on

the people made in His

image it's the only

reason it's his Mercy alone cuz he

doesn't need

him how

right so Noah went out with his sons and

his wives and his sons wives and with

him every Beast every creeping thing

every bird everything that moves on the

earth went out by the familyes art he

repeats the same creation language from

the first

one and then we start on our

way now we've dealt with it and we've

got this new creation or Recreation out

of it that's the point of this story the

point of the story once you get get rid

of the how the why is this that this God

is

just this God will not allow Humanity to

mistreat people forever he will allow

the chaos they chose in chapter 3 and it

will eventually dominate them to the

point where everyone is corrupt it's all

chaos he's not going to let that live

forever because he's

good now people say how is that how can

it be good if you destroy everything

well what if you lived in a world where

were people being raped murdered abused

ens

slavery would it be good for God to say

well let's keep this

going do we agree

no is that

good would it be

good if God didn't do something about

aitz what if you lived in a world of

aitz no this is a good god and unlike

every other flood story this what makes

our God profound every other flood story

all 67 not one God does this because of

goodness every other God does it because

they get something out of it and the

other ones in our one that's closest

they were having a party

downstairs and instead of calling the

cops they said ah let's just flood them

out and then they kept him alive what

for what reason so that they could get

fed and then this story comes alongside

and the writers the storytellers are

looking at these other people who no

doubt are sitting at fireplaces these

are nomadic peoples right and no doubt

sitting at a fireplace and one says oh

yeah God wiped out the Earth the gods

because we were so noisy and then the

Jewish guy could say no that's not

true you know why he really wiped out

the Earth cuz we were so

evil that's very different

story and then you can see at that same

fire pit them saying well we yeah but we

got saved because they needed us we

needed to feed them you can see that

same Jew in that fire pit looking over

at his worshipper of Baal and saying no

no no God saved Humanity because he was

merciful and he makes us in His

image that's what the Noah story is

about it's in cont text Ian proven I

think says it the best so look read this

closely so what do we have in Genesis 69

to 929 it seems likely that we have a

very particular and a very Hebrew

version of something that already

existed in the Mesopotamian literacy

literary tradition an Old Testament

retelling of an ancient

story designed to reframe what was

already known about the

pass so that it conformed to what the

ancient Hebrews believed to be true

about God the world human beings and

Human Society that's why Noah's Ark was

written the way it

was to say that is not what God is

that's not what it means to be human

this is what it means to be

human that's its main

point it doesn't though solve our

problem

about why do bad things happen to good

people I mean its answer is there are no

good people right I mean that's really

the answer of this story but it doesn't

really resolve the tension of why would

God wipe

out H well let's look at the question of

justice and I want to ask you a question

because in our society we do not do not

like to talk about this I saw a quote

I'm going to read this right

away we must preach about both God's

anger at Injustice and God's

faithfulness which comes from God's

grace sadly some preachers never talk

about sin because that topic leaves

people unhappy and

uncomfortable yeah this is uh why I was

having that sinking

feeling there is no happy ending here

a lot of people this is why it's so odd

that we give our three-year-olds no

assets when you think about it why don't

we just give them a serial killer set

like there's so many people that died

here and we go and we hand them these

little boats and

stuff this is not a happy happy let the

kid sit there and Drool on a little

giraffe this is a tragedy you

guys that's what what this is about this

is about human evil this is about

darkness and God had mercy and saved one

but it is a

tragedy and then we can't help but ask

ourselves how is God good and just if he

made us in it's good how could he have

done

this what could ever motivate him isn't

he just a mean Angry God I hear from

people and that's where you get the Old

Testament God is bad you have ever heard

that the Old Testament God's angry you

get that from this well I'm going to

tell you that I actually think he's much

more patient than you or I

are and I'm going to give you an example

if I can I was watching a show called

dat line has anybody else watched a DAT

line okay there are a couple more

Psychopaths like

me it's a story about murder and how

they catch the guy I quite enjoy it more

for the stupidity of the people that do

it and the enjoyment of watching them

get

caught but in every

story you have real human beings this is

a true story where real events happen

and these two young

girls you see them they were 12 and 13

they were playing Barbies in their room

and then they decided to get up and go

for a walk down the trails and they got

to a a bridge and they were playing on

the bridge and the monst monster came

under the

bridge and he destroyed them he did

things to them that are

unspeakable and he killed

them now they had set me up in this

show about the quality of these kids and

I'm going to tell you how how do you

think I felt after I saw

that I wanted

blood because that's Justice

I wanted those people destroyed and they

interviewed the people that knew this

these girls in this town and they wanted

blood they

wanted

Justice because such an evil had

happened something that would dehumanize

and destroy their family for Generations

through this

event and when they caught the guy oh he

was a slimy as they

come and they're doing the courtroom and

all they want is the death penalty and I

could relate cuz I wanted it deep inside

because I hated what I

saw and then it hit

me if I see Injustice of someone I don't

know in an hourlong program and it

drives that out in me what if

you what if

you were the one who made those children

what if you were the one who loved them

more than I would ever do even their

parents

do what if you were the one who saw the

good that could come out of

this how might you feel if this

happened do you not think you might want

Vengeance if you were their parents'

kids if they were your kids do you not

think you want that why do we think that

we can want Vengeance when we see that

level of evil and God who created these

little girls who made them in His image

and love them more than we do that he

didn't have any

right to act out in

Vengeance we got to get this

fluffy I don't know what it is like

little God out of our heads

wearing a tutu or

whatever the god of Heaven and Earth is

good but he is just and he's full of

love and that's a dangerous thing my

friend if you're going to mistreat

people and the whole world had fallen

apart because they were doing the same

kind of stuff as happened to these

girls does God have a right to say

enough I'm going to let you know

something the Bible says he

does the Bible says he has every right

to say

no to the evil of our

world did you know

that you say he's an old testament thing

really well let's talk about Paul out of

Romans for the wrath of God is revealed

from Heaven against all ungodliness and

unrighteousness of men who suppress the

truth in

unrighteousness that's a new testament

text

H what if I told you that God is just

and has every right to destroy

Humanity every

right well that kind of Pops at us cuz

we think we're pretty nice

people are

we we hear of a virus that has even come

here and no one can buy toilet

paper because we're hoarding it from

each other

you know why we're so nice and we can

fake it right now is because we have

food on our

table our lives are

ordered the reality is God has every

right the next thing I'm going to tell

you is God is going to destroy evil in

this world did you know

that how many ever thought about that

because God is good he's not tolerating

evil

and it's used as the Bible as a

warning the flood is a warning in the

Bible so in other words what happened in

the flood

somehow is a pointer to what God's going

to do with all corruption and evil and

all of those things that you

hate

right listen to Jesus he's in Jerusalem

it's the all ofet discourse

uh was

working there we

go and the Jews are going to kill him

and he knows it and here was God at

their Gates and they're abusing the weak

and the broken they're destroying all of

the all of the

um widows and

orphans and Jesus comes and they want to

kill him and what does he say to them

when they're living in such Injustice

just as in the days of Noah so also will

it be in the days of the son of man

people were eating drinking marrying and

being given in marriage up to the day

Noah entered the Ark then the flood came

and destroyed them

all here was his warning to Israel I've

come this is your day of the Lord

receive me or you will be

destroyed if you choose evil and

violence I don't keep put up with that

I'm come here I've told you who God is

I've lived here in the flesh and what do

they do with

them they kill him on a

cross and what happens in 70 AD

Jerusalem not a stone is left in

place the Judgment

came God let chaos the Romans destroy

chaos the

Jews but that was God's warning but then

Peter has a warning we read today too

doesn't he and he uses the flood again

but this time he's talking about the end

of our

days Jesus was talking about the end of

Israel this guy's talking about the end

of our days listen to what he says

here knowing first this first of all

that scoffers will come in the last days

with scoffing following their own sinful

desires he's speaking to our age and all

ages after does that sound

familiar they will say where This

Promise of his

coming for ever since the fathers fell

asleep all things have been continuing

as they were from the very

beginning for they have deliberately

overlooked the fact says Peter that the

heavens existed long ago and the earth

was formed out of water and through

Water by the word of God and th that

means of these the world that then

existed was deluged with water and

perished what he's saying is you're

mocking and saying when's this going to

come he goes go back to your history

hisory

book it happened

before but by the same word the heavens

and the Earth that are exists are stored

up for fire being kept until the day of

judgment the destruction of the all all

Mighty ungodly why doesn't he use water

this time because remember in Noah

Waters will never be released again he

uses the fire metaphor this time but

there is in both cases a judgment that

God is going to deal with

evil that God doesn't talk tolerate evil

and that you and I tolerate it way more

than he

does do you know

why cuz he loves

us that's

why I want you to hear this right now

the biggest lie is Justice Means anger

no it isn't Justice equals

Mercy when God brings his Justice down

do not kid yourself he's having Mercy on

his creation that's being destroyed he's

having Mercy on those who are being

abused and destroyed he is having

mercy and on that day when he destroys

Evil all who have

suffered under the great evil will

receive

Mercy Revelation written all about this

those poor Martyrs underneath the the

metaphorical

um offering

table how how long oh Lord just a little

while longer cuz Mercy's

coming Mercy is Justice that's why he

does

it you see God knows one thing that

without him we end up destroying each

other okay without him we don't do good

we will do evil without him we have no

hope Genesis 3 we will try and be God

and we will try and Destroy themselves I

like how CS Lewis says it here there is

but one good that is God everything else

is good when it looks to him and bad

when it turns from

him and that's what the whole point of

the Genesis story is and when it's bad

he will only let it be bad so long at

some point he looks at the victim and

says

enough do you see

it enough and one day all the people

have been Abus and mistreated God's

going to say

enough and that's the day of the

Lord and it's

coming now our world has its own

creation story doesn't it their world

had silliness about Gods making noise

and and gods needing to be fed what does

our God say to these people in our

world well there is no

God everything happened by

chance right that's what our world

believes in folks that's why they do

whatever they want they'll be whatever

gender they want they'll do whatever

sexuality they want because there is no

God and how do they treat each

other everybody watched the

news let me tell you something I read

today that in Syria right now the is

radical islamics are killing 1,000

Christians a day 1,000 Christians a day

day because they

can that's happening right

now I'm not talking

Holocaust and you look around the world

at the murder The Strife the rape the uh

350,000 children have been lost crossing

the border where do you think they all

went to a happy place do you think they

went to Disneyland

I'm trying to tell you guys there's such

great evil in our world has gods that

don't exist so nobody

cares that will be

judged but it doesn't have to

be you see one thing that we cannot

forget is that yes I have been pushing

and you know I've been pushing the know

of God the judgment's coming I have been

I have to because that's what the text

is about

but here's the

thing you and I know a

secret the yes of

God there is the know of God and it's

coming but we also have the yes of

God did you know that our God is Not

Longing To

Destroy do you know what Peter says

about why he hasn't done it yet because

he's waiting for someone to repent cuz

he doesn't want to see anyone destroyed

that's his

heart I'm going to quote my friend John

Piper here God loves to show Mercy this

is biblically

true his anger must be released by a

stiff Safety Lock I love the

metaphor but his Mercy has a hair

trigger yes God's not going to put up

with it he is not but he is

good he is patient and he is

amazing he's so amazing my

friends that he stepped in so he didn't

have to destroy us all do you know that

that's what the cross is

about costly

Redemption until you understand the

first three quarters of this sermon you

will not get the last one Carl Bart used

to say nobody understands in the church

the great no of God or the great yes of

God cuz they have figured out the know

of

God you had to hear those first things

about who what God's going to do before

you could really grasp the scripture and

the

cross you see because though he should

destroy he says yes to us and how does

he do

it well first Jonathan Edward says never

did God so manifest his hatred of sin as

in the death and sufferings of his only

begotten son Jonathan Edwards you must

understand whatever the cross is he is

sick of

sin but what does he

do he takes it upon

himself that which should destroy you

and me that which is the right just

response to who we

are the flood comes on

him that amazing

at the cross God wrapped his heart in

flesh and blood and let it be nailed to

the cross for our

Redemption people say well Jesus isn't

necessarily the way he's absolutely the

way cuz he's the only God that carried a

cross he's the only God that paid for

our

sin he's the only God that's going to

keep you from

destruction because he took it upon

himself if that can't inspire you to

gratitude I don't know what

can I'm going to tell you right now that

book asked the

question why the good things happen to

or bad things happen to good people

Jesus was the only good person and why

did it bad things happen to him cuz he

loved

us because there's no other good people

that bad things happen

to sorry deep a little

deep another flood

joke so here's what we're looking

forward to The God Who every right had

every right to do the know a thing and

has every right to bring judgment to

evil has offered us a way out a way onto

the metaphorical Ark because he's died

for us he took it all upon

himself and that's the only reason you

and I get to stand there one day

amen but it doesn't end

there he's going to redeem

everything and I need to read this quote

from n WR cuz when I say redemption

people get all messed

up Redemption is is not simply making

creation a bit better you see a lot of

people if I become a Christian things

will get a little nicer as the

optimistic evolutionist would try to

suggest nor rescuing our spirits and

souls from the evil material world as

the gnostics might want to say these

people are like oh well God just wants

to get us off so we can float in heaven

it's not what it's

about it is listen to this the remaking

of creation having dealt

having dealt with the evil that is

defacing and distorting

it and it is accomp accomplished by the

same God now known in Jesus Christ

through whom it was made in the first

place my friends I have good news for

you if you believe in Jesus Christ as

your lord and savior guess what the

flood ain't going to hit

you and you will be part of Resurrection

cuz he has already paid for what you

deserved and I have some even better

news especially for my friends who were

dying by the thousands in

Syria evil

ends it will be

destroyed and God

wins and on that

day the world would be changed forever

so you have a choice today just like

me who am I going to

choose the way of this

world or the king who died for our

sins

amen let's

pray heavenly father I thank you for

this text I thank you that is

difficult I thank you that it challenges

us and I thank you that you are the

character that you are in this that you

are intolerant of evil that you will

destroy it I thank you that you're

patient for all of us and all those

people who are still walking in it cuz

you want to see us come you want you

want everyone to be there we thank you

for

that we pray Lord that you'll continue

to keep us

faithful and that we will look upon the

Judgment that is to come with with

happiness because evil has been

destroyed in jesus' name amen