Genesis 6-9 “Refuge from the Flood”

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We are going to get to the ark and the rainbow in our story this morning.

But the story of Noah and the flood begins somewhere else.

As we've been following the Bible's story from the good creation in the garden to our rebellion that broke that relationship with him,

things go from bad to worse fast.

Disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit turns to violence.

One brother killing another brother.

Women being abused.

God made these people special in his image and now they're destroying the life that he created.

They're treating it how they want, not how he wants.

We might say that these big sins are such as you look at this world in that day that everyone is going to hell in a handbasket,

we sometimes would say.

But what the Bible indicates grieves God the most is what's going on in people's hearts.

There's always a cane, a lame-ic, a big sinner to make you feel better about your own sin.

We love to follow the sagas of big sinners in the news, right?

The Epsteins, the murderers on trial, the terrorists.

There's always an Adolf Hitler, right?

At least I'm not like him.

That's one reason these big sinners are talked about a lot.

Something about them makes us feel just a little bit better about ourselves, doesn't it?

Certainly they'll get the real punishment.

I'm not so bad.

I want you to notice what God mentions leads him to wipe out the big sinners from the earth.

Yes, there's been murder.

But Genesis 6 opens talking about selfishness and lust.

And then says,

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth

and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

He was not inclined toward goodness, toward life with God, toward reflecting his image.

No, mankind wanted to be God, wanted to do things his own way,

fought about himself first and harbored evil desires in his heart.

That is our big sin.

How do our selfish hearts make God feel?

And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth

and it grieved him to his heart.

So the Lord said,

I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land,

man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens,

for I am sorry that I have made them.

Once again, man's sin so big that it impacts all of creation, right?

God designed it all to work differently.

We were to model God's good care for God's creation.

But now, murderers and decent guys who tell little white lies to get people to like them more

will be killed.

Now, rapists and nice girls who harbor jealousy toward others will be killed.

The story of the flood first shows us God's wrath

as it is poured out in just judgment due to our sin.

Listen to what our sin deserves.

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 flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

We did it.

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.

And God follows through.

Chapter 7, verse 21.

After the flood,

and all flesh died that moved on the earth.

Birds, livestock, beasts,

all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth

and all mankind.

Everything on the dry land

in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.

He blotted out every living thing

that was on the face of the ground.

Man and animals and creeping things

and birds of the heavens.

They were blotted out from the earth.

Do you understand what God is telling us

in this story?

Is what sin deserves?

The wrath and curse of God.

Death, not just for the big sinners,

sinners for all of us rebels.

Even the ones of us who keep it in our heads

and our hearts most of the time.

Even those of us who help the little old lady

across the street,

but do it so that someone else

is going to think well of me.

Or maybe she'll give me a tip.

Who do lots of right things

for lots of wrong reasons?

Sinners like us.

You with me?

That's the sinners that are being discussed here.

Mercifully, God often restrains

the judgment due to our sin in the moment.

So we don't always get this picture

of exactly what our sin deserves,

but it is also a mercy

when God allows us to see,

when he lets us see

what just punishment really looks like,

lest we think we're okay.

So that we don't minimize our sin

or minimize his justice.

May it never be.

There are times God allows

just judgment to break into

temporal history

and give us a glimpse

of what we eternally deserve.

The flood's the first big example

of that in the story.

A few generations later,

Sodom and Gomorrah

will be destroyed

by burning sulfur from heaven.

In the New Testament,

Ananias and Sapphira

make a big donation to the church,

but they lie about it

and they're struck down immediately.

Sin must be destroyed.

It incites God's just wrath.

It offends his holy purity.

It violates his divine justice

and the entire purpose of his creation

because it keeps his people

and his world

from the relationship with him

that he made them for.

So the flood comes.

The heavens literally open,

rain for 40 days

and 40 nights,

waters covering the mountain peaks,

people and animals wiped out.

Y'all, floods are always terrible, right?

And this was the flood

we've never seen the likes of again.

Chapter 7 recounts the waters rising.

It recounts the death toll

that we've already read about.

And it concludes by saying

that the waters prevailed on the earth

150 days.

But God

remembered

Noah.

But God,

always a good sign

when you're reading the Bible.

This right here

is the pinnacle

of the whole story

in these four chapters.

All of the literary techniques

are used to highlight

chapter 8, verse 1.

But God

remembered

Noah.

At the heart

of the flood account

is not merely

a God who judges sin,

but more importantly,

a God who remembers

and rescues.

God wants people

to see

that he rescues

even as he

judges

sin.

Wow.

Think about that

for a minute.

Could there be

any more

unlikely time

for a rescue

to show up

than right there

when God

is judging?

What a gracious

God

we're dealing

with here.

God

remembered

Noah.

And when God

remembers,

it's not merely

an intellectual

memory thing,

okay?

Just as in the Bible

when we talk about

God forgetting

our sin,

it doesn't just mean

that he can't think

about it anymore.

He doesn't know

what you did yesterday.

It means that God's

not holding our sin

against us.

He's not counting

it against us.

He's not using it

to beat you down.

That's forgetting.

When God remembers,

he acts

to rescue,

okay?

It's more than just

that he thinks about it.

Remember that.

When God remembers,

he acts to rescue.

It's gonna come up again.

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

and the waters

receded from the earth

continually.

At the end

of 150 days,

the waters

had abated.

rescued,

right?

Finally,

the water's gone.

Back in chapter 6,

when God

first reveals

his intent

to destroy the earth,

we get a similar

but God

interruption.

Verse 8,

but Noah

found favor

in the eyes

of the Lord.

These are the

generations of Noah.

Noah was a

righteous man,

blameless

in his generation.

Noah

walked

with God.

Let me be clear

because these are

strong words.

Noah was not

perfect.

We see that

later before you

get out of chapter 9

in big ways.

But he walked

with

God.

Isn't that

what God loves?

Isn't that

why God

made us?

That we would

walk

with him.

In contrast

to living

for self,

to being

filled with

evil thoughts,

Noah

filled up

his days

with thoughts

of God

all the time.

Don't forget

that relationship

is the reason

you exist.

Noah

walked

with

God.

God

and one

day,

I don't know,

maybe they were

actually walking.

God

had news

for Noah.

There's

bad stuff

coming,

lots of

water,

right?

So,

build an ark.

Verse 18

of chapter 6,

But I will

establish my

covenant with

you,

Noah,

and you shall

come into the ark,

you,

your sons,

your wife,

and your sons'

wives with you.

And of every living

thing of all flesh,

you shall bring two

of every sort

into the ark

to keep them

alive with you.

They shall be

male and female.

God's got plans

for the future.

But what he does

here is he makes

a covenant.

Covenant.

When you hear

that word covenant,

I want you to

think relationship.

We're gonna hear

that word a lot

in these stories

through the Old

Testament.

It's a relationship,

a special relationship

that speaks

of God's

salvation,

of his grace,

of his

creating a family.

We're gonna hear

more about it

later in this story.

But what God

has just said

is what happens

when God tells

them it's time.

Chapter 7,

verse 7,

Noah and his sons

and his wife

and his sons'

wives with him

went into the ark

to escape the waters

of the flood,

of clean animals

and of animals

that are not clean

and of birds

and of everything

that creeps on the ground.

Two and two,

male and female,

went into the ark

with Noah

as God

had commanded

Noah.

In this story,

the famous

vehicle

for God's rescue,

kids,

what rescued

Noah and his family?

The ark,

right?

The dimensions

of the ark

are really

mind-blowing.

If I hadn't been

to the replica

in Kentucky

myself,

I wouldn't

be able

to imagine it.

I recommend

that visit,

by the way.

You'll be struck

by just the

grand scale

of the whole thing.

It'll give you

a vision for

where the animals

could have fit

and what it

might have looked like.

But I want to

help you

where you're

sitting right now.

You're in a big room

with lots of people.

The ark

was a wooden boat,

solid wooden boat,

almost exactly

as wide

as this sanctuary

from wall to windows,

okay?

All of this

is ark.

In fact,

the top of the ark,

can you look up

at the ceiling?

It's a ways up there.

The top of the ark

would have just

broken through

the ceiling,

taller than this room.

But this will get you.

If I'm standing

right here

at the front of the ark,

looking over the edge

of the boat

towards the rest of it,

the ark was so big

that you'd have to go

out the back doors.

It would stretch

through the parking lot,

across Carl T. Jones Drive,

somewhere over there

in the middle

of the cow pasture

would be the end

of the ark.

That's how big

this boat is.

See,

God is providing

a refuge

refuge

for Noah,

right?

To rescue him

from the flood

that is coming.

He instructs Noah

how to build the ark

and he asks Noah

to trust him.

Why does Noah

have to trust him?

Well,

because there didn't seem

like a lot of need

for a really big boat

like that

where Noah was.

Wouldn't have made sense

to anyone,

I don't think.

but with,

I'm sure,

limited understanding

in his own heart,

with plenty of mocking

from his neighbors,

Noah trusted

and obeyed God.

Maybe you can relate

to how hard

it can be

to trust God

when you don't understand.

when life

just doesn't

make sense.

When others

mock you

and say,

you're really

going to do it

that way?

It's so stupid.

When you're tempted

to trust your own

instincts,

they make more

sense to you.

Maybe God

is saying to you

again today,

trust me.

The safe place

to live

is following

my directions.

Trust me.

So,

God

rescues

eight people,

Noah's family,

in the ark.

It's a good thing

they got on board,

the one safe

place

left,

right?

Only

Noah

was left

and those

who were with

him

in the ark.

It's also

an amazing

picture of

God's grace,

isn't it?

Even in the midst

of all of that

judgment,

he's rescuing.

There's so much

judgment here,

it's easy to think

that this

Yahweh is full

of wrath

and justice

only.

But no,

this God

is not an

either-or

deity

of our

imagination.

That's the way

some of us

make him up.

Some of us

say,

well,

he's one way

in the Old

Testament,

he's another

way in the

New Testament.

No,

he's not a

different God.

He is all

the time

full of grace

and full

of truth,

right?

Both.

The world

may be going

to hell

in a hand

basket,

but God

is always

looking

to rescue.

Like Lot

escaping Sodom.

Like the

exiles

returning

with Nehemiah

to God's

city,

God always

rescues a

remnant

when he

judges

sin.

2 Peter

says Noah

is an

example as

well.

God knows

how to

rescue

his people

when such

destruction

comes upon

sin.

Know that.

Here it's

eight people

and pairs

of animals

reminding us

this story

is not

merely about

judgment,

but even

more poignantly,

even more

powerfully for

us,

it's about

rescue in

the midst

of wrath.

See,

those who

take refuge

in the ark

and survive

the flood,

they don't

merely survive,

they become

a part of

God's

wonderful

recreation.

When Noah

and his

family get

off the ark

after the

flood,

we read

this at

chapter 8

verse 20,

then Noah

built an

altar to

the Lord

and took

some of

every clean

animal and

some of

every clean

bird and

offered burnt

offerings on

the altar.

There's a

reason they

had more.

And when

the Lord

smelled the

pleasing aroma,

the Lord

said in his

heart,

I will never

again curse

the ground

because of

man,

for the

intention of

man's

heart is

evil from

his youth,

but neither

will I ever

again strike

down every

living creature

as I have

done.

While the

earth remains,

seed time

and harvest,

cold and

heat,

summer and

winter,

day and

night,

shall not

cease.

God's

world is

going to

continue.

Sun and

moon,

plants and

animals,

seasons and

centuries.

And in

case you're

wondering about

where you

fit in,

people I

created,

God says,

flashback to

Genesis 1,

the Garden of

Eden.

We read it

just a couple

weeks ago.

And God

blessed

Noah.

You remember

that?

God

blessed.

He's

starting fresh.

What does

He start

with every

time?

Blessing.

Blessing the

way He

engages.

You're hearing

the echoes

of Genesis

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1?

Keep

listening.

Blessed

Noah and

his sons

and said

to them,

be fruitful

and multiply

and fill

the earth.

There it is,

fill.

Fill it,

it's what I

created you

to do.

Shine my

image everywhere

so it's full

of my glory.

And also,

rule.

The fear of

you and the

dread of

you shall be

upon every

beast of

the earth

and upon

every bird

of the heavens,

upon everything

that creeps

on the ground

and all the

fish of the

sea.

Into your

hand they

are delivered.

Every moving

thing that

lives shall

be food

for you.

There's

food provided

again.

As I gave

you the green

plants, I

give you

everything.

Still in

Genesis 1,

look at

verse 6 of

chapter 9.

Whoever sheds

the blood

of man,

by man

shall his

blood be

shed.

For God

made man

in his

own

image.

That highest

of all

blessings that

were given,

right?

Made in

the image

of the

one who

made us.

As we

fill,

you be

fruitful and

multiply,

team on

the earth

and multiply

in it.

God is

doing

something new

again,

isn't he?

There's

a

recreation

and now

here comes

the covenant

again.

Relationship,

remember?

Relationship.

What will

Noah have

to do

to be

good enough

for God

this time?

That's not

how this

Yahweh

works,

is it?

Listen to

this one-sided

covenant.

God said to

Noah and his

sons with him,

behold,

I establish

my covenant

with you

and your

offspring

after you

and with

every living

creature that's

with you,

birds,

livestock,

every beast

of the earth

with you,

as many as

came out

of the ark,

it's for

every beast

of the earth.

I establish

my covenant

with you

that never

again shall

all flesh

be cut off

by the waters

of the flood

and never

again shall

there be a

flood

to destroy

the earth.

a covenant

with all

of creation.

Beautiful.

Established

and upheld

by whom?

By the

creator

single-handedly.

Seven times

in this story

we hear about

the covenant

that will

carry the new

creation forward

in relationship

with its

creator.

No matter

what,

no matter

what they

do,

God will

not destroy

the earth

like this

again.

Even though

his judgment

is real,

he is making

all things

new and

there's a

new path

going forward.

Are you

ever discouraged

by the

wickedness

around you?

Do you

sometimes feel

like,

don't raise

your hand,

America is

going to

hell in a

handbasket?

Do you

think God's

people receiving

this book

the first

time,

remembering

Egyptian

oppressors

for years

and years

and generations

witnessing

their own

selfishness

and idolatry,

disobedience

to God's

commands that

didn't make

sense to

them,

grumbling

against God's

leaders who

just seem to

be taking

them towards

more danger,

right?

You think

they might

have been

easily discouraged

at living

in a world

like this?

What's God's

message to

them and to

us then

through Noah's

story?

Isn't it

God saying,

trust me,

follow me

because I'm

restoring this

world in the

midst of sinful

rescued people.

All the time

that's what he's

doing.

Noah blows it

big time in the

next story.

But God is

committed to

remaking things

the way he

wants them.

I don't know

if you're blowing

it big time right

now or if you

think you never

have.

But you might

look around you

and think

somebody's blowing

it big time.

Everything's out

of control.

There is no

hope and God

says that's

exactly where I

show.

Those are the

kinds of people

I use.

I rescue them

and I recreate

with them.

How do you

know that that's

what God's doing?

Kids, how do we

remember that God

keeps his

promises?

What does God

give us in the

sky?

It's the

rainbow, right?

Verse 13.

I have set my

bow in the

cloud, God

says, and it

shall be a sign

of the covenant

between me and

the earth.

When I bring

clouds over the

earth and the

bow is seen in

the clouds, I

will remember my

covenant that is

between me and

you and every

living creature of

all flesh.

And the waters

shall never again

become a flood to

destroy all flesh.

when the bow is

in the clouds, I

will see it and

remember the

everlasting covenant

between God and

every living creature

of all flesh that is

on the earth.

Don't you love that

the bow is in the

clouds?

The darkness still

lingering from the

storm of God's

judgment that has

come.

And the word

for rainbow, the

reason we read

bow here, it's the

same word as for a

war bow that you

would use to, you

know, shoot an

arrow.

God, see, is

hanging up his

bow, isn't he?

He's not coming to

attack his creation,

rather he's coming to

restore his

creation.

Kids, I told you

when you see a

rainbow, I want you

to remember what?

God keeps his

promises.

You want to know

something really cool

about that, kids?

It's not just there

when you see the

rainbow, it's not

just that you're

supposed to remember

that God keeps his

promises.

You know who else

sees a rainbow and

remembers that God

keeps his promises?

God does.

Look at this.

I will see it.

I will remember the

everlasting covenant,

God says.

That means a

covenant that's still

going on today.

God still sees the

rainbow and he still

remembers his

commitment to you.

When you see a

rainbow, you can also

remember God

remembers.

And when God

remembers, what does

he do?

He acts to rescue,

remember?

Remember?

So you, you who

survived the flood

have a purpose then,

don't you?

Don't lose sight of

being an image bearer

blessed to live in

relationship with the

creator because he's

still rescuing, he's

still recreating, he's

still restoring and he's

calling you to fill the

earth with his glory as

he restores you so that

his glory shines

everywhere.

The reason you exist is

relationship.

It's a relationship he

remembers to restore.

He promises.

Don't lose sight of God's

promise.

You, even you, even me

can be rescued from

wrath, can be repurposed

for restoration in

relationship with him.

But to be part of that,

you must be in the ark

to survive the flood.

This may be patently

obvious as you read the

story, but those who are

a part of the recreation

in chapter 9 have all

been in the ark

through the flood.

Friends, please, please

don't miss this, okay?

Simple reality, but really

important for us.

Don't miss what this is

telling us.

There is another flood

coming.

When the heavens will

open and the justice and

wrath of God will be poured

out on sin.

A day, the Bible says, of

terror and destruction, of

weeping and wailing.

Big sinners on the news and

in prison and everyday

day sinners with selfish

desires and evil thoughts,

both types going to hell

in a handbasket.

And this is the only

warning we get.

Jesus says this flood will

come on a day when we are

eating and drinking,

getting married,

going to work.

So many of us pursuing our

normal lives, going to

school, spending money,

scrolling on our phones to

see if there's anything of

significance going on in the

world.

Just living for ourselves,

and we won't know it,

but there's another flood

coming.

And another ark has been

built.

Dear people, please, please

listen.

Don't laugh.

Don't mock this.

Don't ignore it because you

live in a world where it

doesn't seem like you need

rescuing.

There is another flood

coming.

There is another ark that

has been built.

And you don't have to build

it, but you must come

aboard.

You must.

See, there was another day

in God's story when His

judgment broke into temporal

history and was poured out

against sin without restraint

on a man hanging on a cross.

for people who mocked the one

obeying God.

For them, the nails were

driven into His hands and

into His feet.

For people who just live for

their own comfort, the crown

of thorns was excruciatingly

pressed into His head.

For people who are big, evil

murderers and idolaters and

everyday normal covetors and

selfish people, God poured out

His wrath and His curse while

turning away His face of love

and blessing.

Jesus suffered so that when the

flood of God's wrath comes

against sin, people like us

deserving to be destroyed and

wiped out can be safe in the

ark in Jesus.

Jesus, that's why He hung there.

Remember, when God judges sin, He

always rescues a remnant.

And if this little ark right

here is only a small model of

that really huge ark, then Noah's

really huge ark that goes across

the street is only a small model of

the ark of Christ in whom we're

safe from the flood.

The ark of Christ in whom there is

room for our friends and our

neighbors and people from every

tribe and tongue and nation, no

matter how big of sinners they may

be.

The ark of Christ in whom on the

darkest nights, in the strongest

storms, there shines a bow pointed

at heaven where God takes the arrow

for sinners, where God suffers to

rescue us, to bring us back into

relationship with Him, to welcome

us into His new creation.

Friends, flee the wrath to come.

It is real and we have been warned

and run to the ark of Jesus.

Only Noah and those in the ark were

left and friends, everyone in the ark

is safe.

Trust the promises of God and the God

of the promises who still hangs

rainbows in the clouds so that we

remember that He remembers us.

Let's pray.

Father, how good you are to remind us.

But more importantly, how amazingly

gracious you are to remember us.

Thank you.

Thank you for the call today that we

can turn from our sin and run to

Jesus and there's safety for us.

Father, would no one in the sound of

my voice be left outside that ark?

Might you so work, Holy Spirit, that

though we see our sin bigger and bigger

this morning, we see a Savior who's

more than enough, whose mercy is more,

and whose love will never let us go.

Work in us for the sake of eternity

and for today, we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

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Thank you.