Why Wait?
Genesis 1-11; Why it's true and why it matters • Sermon • Submitted
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Wait for It
Wait for It
It’s Father’s Day.
Takes me back to when my kids were young and we’re teaching them all the important things about life.
Sara taught them to tie their shoes, read books, cook, do laundry, clean bathrooms.
I taught them how to hit baseball, throw a football, shoot a basketball, and swing a golf club, mow the grass.
The boys can cook and our daughter can do yard work.
We taught them together how to drive.
We all figure out the basic educational model one way or the other. Explain it, show it, let them do it, then evaluate it.
Give them the chance to do it. We had to step back, get out of the way, way out of the way, let them try to figure it out.
Mowing the grass in IN I told them the front yard needed t/b neat, straight lines. But the back, whatever design you want to leave in the grass is fine as long as it all got cut.
Sure they make mistakes. That’s all part of the learning process.
When I was in college, many of my friends took a learning theory class. I watched them go thru the process.
First, they had to teach themselves how to juggle. The prof talked to them about the process.
They went back to their dorms and read the first unit while the prof waited till the next class to see what happened.
Would they come back knowing how to juggle?
The first exercise in learning to juggle is the drop. Drop whatever you’re trying to juggle. Keep dropping them until you’re tired of picking them up.
You have to get tired of making mistakes.
Failure is a motivator. What isn’t working.
I learned to snow ski in college.Frank Harris explained the process to me. He showed me what it’s supposed to look like.
Then, he left me on the bunny slope while he went off and skied w/ the family. He didn’t wait for me. But, He let me learn what I needed to know.
At first, falling down was kind of fun. Then, the bruise forms. And I had to keep putting my skis back on while trying to stand on a slick surface that wasn’t level. Gravity kept getting in the way. I’d slip and fall down again.
Staying upright turned out to be much more fun and less tiring.
The more you do things, the more you learn what works and what doesn’t.
Given enough chances, we should all figure out how things work and don’t work.
We all know the definition of insanity. Trying the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
As a lot, I think we’re all pretty smart to learn what doesn’t work before we figure out what does.
Experience is a great teacher. This isn’t working so change what we’re doing.
Plenty of life-lessons are written in my blood.
W/ our kids, if we jumped in right away and did it for them, they would never learn how to do it themselves.
They’d never figure out the process of how to learn, make the necessary changes so they stop failing.
Think homework, math, reading, etc. They have to learn to add to able to budget. Multiply to be able to calculate compounding interest; both earned in investments and paid on credit card balances.
They have to be able to read to be able to get a job and be trained in continuing ed. We couldn’t just show them the answer.
If we did it for them, they’d never learn.
So, we have to teach them, show them, then wait and let them do it. They will fail some, at first. But, hopefully, then figure out what they need to do to be successful.
That’s how we’re wired to learn.
Little lessons and big lessons.
Given what’s happening in the world today, many ask, why doesn’t God intervene to stop all the evil in the world? Why doesn’t He step in, fix everything, or end everything?
What is Jesus waiting for to return and stop the madness?
B/C, God is gracious and merciful.
How is He gracious and merciful allowing so many mass killings, crime, destructive behaviors and abuse?!
While He waits there is more opportunity for more evil in the world.
The longer He waits, the more opportunities more ppl have to learn that what we’re doing isn’t working, change what’s necessary, and get it right.
God is waiting so more people have the chance to choose Him, be saved, and stop the chaotic madness of a world ruined by sin.
He is waiting so more ppl you and I care about can come to know Him and be saved.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
That’s also the message of Genesis 6 leading up to the flood.
God is waiting, to give ppl that we care about the opportunity to choose Him, be saved, and stop the chaotic madness of a sinful world.
Stop the insanity. Stop trying things that don’t work.
When will we learn what we try to do on our own will not work? Leaving God out of the solution is the height of arrogance and plain dumb.
When He does intervene, it will be all over and there will be no more chances.
Why is this even an issue? Why is it necessary? What are we talking about it? Why was Genesis 6 written?
To begin w/, a little of evil.
History of Evil
History of Evil
This is a very broad overview. Some specifics may vary. But this is a general understanding of what’s going on in the spiritual realm that is causing all the problems we have today.
The bible doesn’t answer every question we have. The bible is about why we are in the situation we are, and how do we get out of it.
The rest, we have to piece together knowing there will be holes that will get filled in later.
God created the angels before He created the earth, stars, other planets, and earth’s inhabitants.
There are 2 classifications of angels, cherubim and seraphim. They all serve God in many ways and there is a lot of crossover.
Cherubim primarily are the worship servants.
Seraphim are primarily the soldiers.
Both, do both.
There were 3 angels in charge, called archangels.
Michael, the general of the army
Gabriel,, the speaker
Lucifer, the worship leader
Lucifer came to believe, he would make a better god than God. He attempted a coup w/ a third of the angels.
They are created beings. God is the Creator.
They thought they were smarter, stronger, and more capable than God.
It didn’t go well.
Just like Adam and Eve got kicked out of Eden, Lucifer and the angels that fell w/ him, got kicked out of heaven.
Lucifer became Satan, the Devil, the Enemy. The fallen angels become the demons.
When God kicked them out of Heaven, he sent them to an area in the universe far away from the center, where God exists.
Then, God created the earth, and us, and put us right in the middle of Satan’s neighborhood.
God thumbed His nose, if He had a nose to thumb, at Satan.
You think you are smarter and more powerful than me, and can reign and control the universe better than me?
I’ll create a race of humans right under your nose and you won’t even be able to control all them. Some, okay.
But I am going to protect some of them. You can’t destroy them or my plans for them. You can mess w/ them. You can control those that I let you control. But it will be clear who the one and only God is. Who is most powerful. Who is most intelligent. Who is most capable of reigning over the universe.
Needless to say, Satan was just a tad ticked off.
That is the setting w/in which God created the earth and us. Ever since, Satan has been trying to prove his power and ability to destroy God’s people and God’s plan.
First, there was Eve and the deception in Eden. If Satan could corrupt and control the first 2 people, he thought he could corrupt and control all ppl.
He was half right. We are corrupted. But not all controlled.
Able was a faithful believer. Cain was not. If Satan could get Cain to kill Abel, he believed then, he’d control everyone on earth.
Then came Seth and a line of ppl who worshipped God.
Satan was eventually able to corrupt everyone on earth, except Noah.
There was the Nephilim. I’ll talk about them in a minute.
But God sent the flood that destroyed everyone except Noah and his family.
Then the tower of Babel. But God confused their languages so they spread out and populated the earth.
God chose Abraham, thru which his descendants would bless the world.
Satan used the Egyptians. God sent Moses.
Satan used the Babylonians. God sent Ezra and Nehemiah.
Satan used the religious leaders w/in God’s chosen race. God sent Jesus.
Satan thought He’d finally won at the crux. He realized he’d never win at the resurrection.
The war is over. But there are many battles to be fought up until God sends Jesus back to end it all.
This is just a little bit, a broad overview of the history of evil. Can you begin to see and understand the depth, breadth, height of the evil problem.
One of Satan’s tactics is to get us to try beat Him w/out God. He laughs at our feeble attempts to end gun violence, control the climate, and fix the world’s problems on our own.
We are kidding ourselves if we think we can fix these problems w/out God.
PPL who demand action apart from God, don’t believe in God, don’t believe in Satan, don’t understand the root of the problem, and are playing right into Satan’s hands.
It’s really not about us. It’s a power struggle of epic proportions in the spiritual realm and we are mere pawns.
Pawns that God loves and will not allow Satan to destroy.
One of Satan’s attempts to take over God’s creation and destroy His plan involved the Nephilim.
Their story is in Genesis 6.
A Failed Attempt
A Failed Attempt
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Much has been written speculating who this race of ppl was.
Some believe angels took human women and had babies w/ them creating a powerful race of ppl that mere humans could not compete against and win.
There’s a verse in Jude that says angels left their realm and God punished them for it.
But, that’s just a reference to the angels when the fell and became demons.
Highly unlikely angels and humans could procreate.
Some think the sons of God are the descendants of Seth. The daughters of men are the descendants of Cain. But that doesn’t fit the context.
The sons of the gods, little ‘g’ gods, were powerful kings of the day.
Many believed kings were gods, worthy of their worship.
Think Greek mythology. According to myth, Hercules had a god for a father and a human for a mother.
They were all powerful warriors and brilliant strategists like generals. Genetically, they were gifted, athletic, intelligent.
They figured out the value of breeding. Recognizing what offspring they could produce if they chose athletic women as wives.
There is a spiritually evil element to them. These powerful kings, warriors were possessed by the demons making them almost unbeatable.
No human, naturally powerful could defeat them.
This kind of wickedness, powerfully controlled the governments, armies, and citizens of the earth.
Well, all but one.
One man and his family had the courage to stand up to everyone else. He was alone, on a human level.
But, God was w/ him while he faithfully went about his work building a boat bigger than anything else people had ever seen. And, for what purpose?
You had to believe in God to believe what was coming.
Once again, their belief did not determine their truth.
Noah believed what was true so he went to work.
Just b/c everyone but one believed it wouldn’t happen, didn’t stop it.
We deal w/ mass murders, ethnic cleansing, abuse, pornography, narcism, despotic tyrants who invade innocent countries, and all sorts of ugliness.
As bad as we have it, they had it worse.
This was one more attempt by Satan to supernaturally destroy God’s ppl and God’s plan and take over as the god of the earth. But, He’s only a prince.
The King was about to prove one more time His dominance over all creation.
120 years. Some see this as man’s newly established life expectancy. Prior to this, some ppl lived 1,000 years. Was God limiting our life expectancy?
No. He was announcing how long he was going to wait until he destroyed every unfaithful unbeliever on the earth.
We have never consistently lived that long.
In His grace, mercy, and patience; He told everyone they had 120 years to figure out what they were doing wasn’t working and they needed to choose a different way.
And the only way that would work to solve their societal problems was have faith in God, apologize for their arrogance, and live every day in ob to God.
120 years. How long is long enough to say God gave them every chance to be saved?
Don’t waste the opportunity or you will die.
The countdown clock has begun to God’s drop dead date.
How would they respond? God had never done anything like this before. Would they believe that He would this time?
God didn’t want it to be just 1 family, 8 ppl. The more, the better.
What’s He about to do? What would they do?
It says God regretted making them. He didn’t change his mind. He didn’t change his evaluation, good one day, bad the next.
It’s not like he was caught off guard.
He regretted the choices the ppl were making and it was time to change the course of human history. He had a plan.
For the first time ever water was going to fall from the sky. And, it will rise up from underground. And would wipe out every person on earth who had not turned to God to be saved.
Appreciate the gravity of our sin. God is not standing idly by while evil ppl kill innocents. He is preparing to deal w/ it just like He did then.
There has never been a time in history when such mass death affected the earth.
There will be again in the future, however. Just not a flood.
God had a Plan
God had a Plan
First, for judgment
First, for judgment
God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
Something catastrophic was about to happen.
Nothing like it had ever happened before.
v.17-22, 3 historical firsts are recorded.
The first time we learn God is sending a flood to judge wickedness.
The judgment has been made. Guilty. Sentence has been declared and about t/b carried out.
They weren’t guilty of some minor crime like jay-walking.
If they had at least believed in God, had faith t/b saved, but still lived abhorrent behavior, if that was even possible, this sentence would have been much lighter.
They just didn’t believe God existed. He certainly is not the authority over them. They bel’d they were their own boss.
Satan was using them, they were his puppets.
2. This is the first time the word “flood” is used. And the Hebrew construction indicates a massive flood. This would not be like Yellowstone today. You’ve probably seen video of the Yellowstone River taking houses off the banks.
This would not be a local or even regional flood. Total destruction and devastation.
It had been about 1,660 years since creation and there had never been a flood of any kind.
One of the practical issues we face today is, it has been 2000 years since Jesus was here the first time. B/C it’s takes so long maybe he’s not coming again to judge the earth. Maybe, he didn’t even come the first time.
It’s been so long. To God, time is not an issue except to give more ppl opportunities to believe.
Almost the entire fossil record we are discovering today came from this flood.
3. The first time a covenant is mentioned. God was making a promise w/ Noah that he would never destroy the earth w/ a flood ever again. Detailed in ch. 9.
Total destruction b/c of the poor choices of the ppl on earth. Consequences for mass murders, abuse, rape, and the most serious of all; arrogant unbelief in God and belief in themselves t/b able to fix their problems, run their lives, and everyone else’s w/out God.
Second, God had a plan for Salvation
Second, God had a plan for Salvation
So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
You’re going to build a boat that will save you, your family, and some animals from dying in the flood.
God gave him specific instruction on the dimensions. A cubit was the distance from fingertips to elbow. It became standardized in time to about 20 in.
The Ark was bout 510’ long, 85’ wide, and 51’ tall.
There was 1 door. Only 1 door. 1 ramp led to that door. And, when the flood came and Noah, his fam, the animals were on board, God shut and sealed the door.
There were not multiple doors just like there are not multiple ways t/b saved today.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
You have to walk thru the door t/b saved. Once it’s too late, it’s too late. The water will rise up around you.
Third, God had a plan for the animals
Third, God had a plan for the animals
You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
God brought the animals to Noah. He didn’t have to go out and round them up. God called the animals to him.
God can make it happen.
A male and female, 2 of each kind. Obviously, for reproductive purposes. They would have been younger, adolescents to have more time to repopulate.
2 of each kind, not species. Huge boat, but limited space.
Thing about the number of species of cats we have now. Lions, tigers, jaguars, bobcats, mountain lions, etc.
1 kind entered the ark. After the flood, over time, they evolved into multiple species.
Noah did all he was commanded to do.
It took him about 75 years to build the ark. W/ little help besides his sons. He got the work done on time.
He did the work b/c he believed. He didn’t work t/b saved. He bel’d, was saved, so he did the work God called him to do.
Time is not an issue for God. It’s a huge issue for us. B/C God gives us more time, we have more opportunities to choose to either good, or bad.
But, there is an end in sight. God still has a plan. A plan for judgment and a plan for our salvation. And Satan is still doing all that he can to mess up the plan.
He can’t mess up God’s plan. He can only mess up your life. And, that’s only if you let him.
Stay faithful and courageous even when no one else around you is.
Applications
Applications
Opportunity
Opportunity
Don’t waste any opportunity you have to change your course and have faith in God.
Just b/c it’s been 2000 years since we saw Jesus the first time on earth doesn’t mean He isn’t returning to judge everyone who doesn’t have faith.
The only way to avoid the coming flood, though not of water, is by walking thru the door.
If you haven’t yet, walk thru that door today.
Courage
Courage
Have the courage of Noah to stand strong and faithful even if no one else around you is.
We help ea other in that way. But you might be the only person in some situations who has faith.
It’s not like he’s asking you to build a boat.
Tap into the courage he makes available and stand strong.
Action
Action
I watched grieving parents after Sandy Hook say they didn’t want our prayers, they wanted our action on gun control.
Again, do we need more gun laws? Maybe.
But the idea that we can have total control, reign in evil, stop mass murders is just like Satan duped Eve.
We can be as powerful as God if we just eat the fruit and pass the laws.
Prayer and God’s Word are 2 powerful weapons we have in the fight against evil. We can’t make God do what we want Him to do. But what he has planned will be more effective against the forces of evil anyway.
Pray Hard. Study, know, and apply God’s word to your life to fight the evil that is crouching at your door.
Together, these actions will make a bigger difference than any of us could w/out God.
Why does He wait? B/C he is patient, gracious, merciful.
The longer he waits, the more opportunities ppl have to change their ways and be saved.
Yes, there are more chances for more evil, too. But God will put an end to all that in His time.
God is waiting, to give ppl that we care about the opportunity to choose Him, be saved, and stop the chaotic madness of a sinful world.
Stop the insanity. Stop trying things that don’t work.
When will we learn what we try to do on our own will not work? Leaving God out of the solution is the height of arrogance and plain dumb.
When He does intervene, it will be all over and there will be no more chances.