Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990718.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part II - The Source Of Calamity In Our Origins
F. Adjusting To The Awesome Accountability We Have To A Holy God
(Genesis 6:7-8:20)
  1. Introduction
    1. Everywhere we look today, it seems that man feels he can call his own shots and answer only to himself. He seeks to take advantage of others, to assert himself and generally live as though this life is all in all.
    2. The account of the Genesis Flood acts as a massive reminder that this viewpoint is in grave error. It works to cause the believer and unbeliever alike to adjust away-FROM the irresponsible lifestyles of the world:
  2. Adjusting To The Awesome Accountability We Have To A Holy God, Genesis 6:7-8:20.
    1. Though man became violently self-centered, the Creator objected to man's sin, Gen. 6:6, 11-12:
      1. Man became so self-centered that he resorted to violence in satiating his lusts, Gen. 6:11; 4:19, 23; 6:2.
        1. Lamech, Cain's descendant, lustfully took two women as his wives, Genesis 4:19.
        2. This practice spread not only to Cain's line, but eventually corrupted even Seth's godly line, Gen. 6:2.
        3. As pictured in wicked Lamech's experience, this expanse of lustful indulgence led to rights being trampled, and vengeance and violence following soon after, cf. Genesis 4:23 with Genesis 6:11-12.
      2. God reacted to this moral failure with sorrow over even creating man in the first place, Genesis 6:6.
    2. Hence, God destroyed the earth with a great, terrorizing Flood, Genesis 6:7; 7:4, 10-12, 17-24:
      1. The Lord decided to destroy the first creation because of the violence on the whole earth, Gen. 6:7.
      2. He chose to use a massive, world-wide cataclysmic flood in which it would rain for forty days and nights and the water fountains of the earth would be opened up, Genesis 7:4, 11b.
      3. This event proved to be a massive destruction that produced great terror on the earth:
        1. When the Flood began, every deep fountain was unleashed and it rained for forty solid days, 7:11-12.
        2. The waters rose until the highest land was under at least 22 1/2 feet of water, Genesis 7:18-20.
        3. In the process, every creature, including man, that had not entered the ark, died , Gen. 7:21-23.
        4. The waters prevailed over the earth this way for five months so that mass deterioration of dead plant and animal matter would occur, further obliterating the former world order, Genesis 7:24.
    3. However, God's grace provided salvation for a remnant of the former world so that it could start life anew:
      1. Noah, a man who walked in fellowship with God, found grace in God's eyes, Genesis 6:8.
      2. Accordingly, God directed him to build a large ark to save himself, his family and godly extended family of sons and their wives along with a sample of land animals along with him, Genesis 6:13-14, 17-19.
      3. God arranged for the animals to come to Noah of their own will, making this a workable project, 6:20.
      4. Finally, God directed Noah and his remnant of humanity and animal life to enter the ark seven days before the Flood, and shut the ark's door behind them, Genesis 7:1-3, 4, 16. This latter act took the burden of false guilt off of Noah as to who was excluded from being saved on the ark!
    4. This great judgment, as horrific as it must have seemed even to those who were saved on the ark, produced in Noah a deep sense of accountability to Almighty God, Genesis 8:13-20:
      1. God finally let the water abate from the earth, and let the land dry up for life to begin anew, Gen. 8:13f.
      2. Accordingly, the Lord told Noah to exit the ark to start life anew, Genesis 8:15-17.
      3. Noah left the ark, but his first official act was one of worshipping God with a burnt offering sacrifice of consecration and devotion to the Lord to Whom he felt an awesome accountability, Gen. 8:18-19, 20.
Lesson: God's Flood judgment on a morally irresponsible world left a deep impression on Noah that HE was ACCOUNTABLE to a HOLY God: thus, he consecrated himself to live within God's will!

Application: Regardless of the world's lack of accountability to God, the BIBLICAL RECORD of the Flood judgment reminds us we are ALL ACCOUNTABLE to a holy God who will once AGAIN judge the sinful world, but this time with FIRE, 2 Peter 3:1-6, 7. So, if not saved, we must (1) believe on Christ to be saved from the wrath to come, Jn. 3:16; 1 Th. 5:9! (2) As believers, we must consecrate ourselves responsibly to do God's will as we will give an account to Christ for this, 2 Cor. 5:10-11.