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Judgment and Salvation for a New Beginning
Genesis 6:1-22, 9:8-17
I like to cook. And those who love creating and executing menus, hope their food tastes good. Sometimes, one dish is more disappointing than the rest. Other times everything you cook fails. Sometimes it’s not your fault. The dish calls for artisanal Australian inland salt from Lake Tyrrel, but you could only get a generic brand. Or when you’ve cooked the perfect meal, the guests are late. What happens? The food gets cold; taste and textures change. This is vexing. You timed the cooking to coincide with their arrival. And some dishes are destroyed by reheating. Or like champagne - you can only drink it in all its bubbly glory when it’s first opened. After that, it’s wasted. Yes, there are many reasons why dinners fail. Sometimes you can salvage it. Other times, all must be binned. And you have to start all over again.
God created a paradise. He pushed back the sea to reveal land; created air and vegetation to sustain life. But because of Satan and man’s sin, paradise was broken. To be clear, God’s plan is more than a dinner party. But it includes one. He has planned a wedding supper in a land where there’s no sea or chaos. And all that happens now is working towards that ultimate goal. Along the way, there’ll be false starts; many messed up dinners. But God is working towards something. He promised to destroy sin and Satan. In today’s message we see a false start and how God started again. But not because he failed, but because man did. And we’ll see it in 3 truths. Firstly, sin plunged the world into further chaos. Secondly, God promised judgment and the provision of salvation. Thirdly, God pushed back the chaos to sustain man.
Firstly, sin plunged the world into further chaos. In verses 5-6, “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. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” God saw that man’s sin was continually evil. His reactions are described in a way we can understand - in terms of grief and regret - to describe the grievousness of the sin. It was enough to bin mankind. And we see the reason. Genesis 6:11 - “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The population of mankind was corrupted - the offsprings of both Seth and Cain were corrupted. In fact, 3 times this chapter uses the word “corrupt.” Yes, we can understand for Cain why - his lineage rejected God. But didn’t Seth’s lineage seek God? Genesis 4:26 says in the days of Seth’s son, Enosh, men started to call upon the Lord’s name. And Genesis 5 says that Seth’s descendant Enoch walked with God. So what happened?! Genesis 6:1-2 reveals that when man’s population increased, the sons of God married the daughters of man. Meaning, Seth’s line married Cain’s line. There was unequal yoke. Why? The Sons of God saw that the Daughters of Men were beautiful. They were like Eve - who saw that the forbidden fruit was pleasant to the eyes. So instead of obeying God to keep a pure bloodline - they gave into lust. A godly father doesn’t always result in godly children. Beloved, we shouldn’t be surprised when this happens.
But perhaps they defended this action. Verse 4 says the offsprings of these mixed marriages were heroes of old, men of renown, and giants of their generation. Verse 11 suggests they were a warrior class - strong and successful through violence. “Hey! You wanted us to subdue and have dominion over the world - we’re doing it. We’re strong, powerful, and effective.” And maybe this became the ends that justified the means. That’s the defense of every ungodly mother whose children marry unbelievers. “Now we have smart grandchildren; successful grandchildren!” But we see these mixed marriages resulted in children who no longer called on God’s name. Verse 5 states the wickedness of man was great in the earth. They were supposed to subdue and have dominion. Instead their fruitfulness multiplied wickedness in the earth. And their thoughts? Every intention was evil. And evil not only sometimes, but continually. And it didn’t take long to reach this stage. Sin plunged paradise into chaos when Eve ate the fruit. It became worse when Cain killed and hid. It degenerated when Lamech killed and boasted. And now, that spirit filled the earth. The whole earth was corrupted, not just the land of Nod. And society was corrupt, not just the individual. Because of this, God said he’d destroy the earth and all life, verse 7. He’d start over with a new land and new people.
How? In the midst of such corrupt seed and land, God showed grace. An offspring, a seed was selected. Verse 8 says, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” As Eve saw the fruit and sinned, as God saw a corrupt people, God also saw Noah. Verse 9 says he was a just man, perfect in his generation, and walked with God. This means he trusted God. He was just - he trusted God for forgiveness. He was perfect, meaning blameless, so when he sinned, he sought forgiveness. And he walked with God. Just like Enoch. In 7:1, God said that only Noah and his family were righteous in that generation. Meaning, in the midst of chaos, he was the last remnant of Seth’s line. When everyone else was enamored by mighty warriors, this seed of the woman followed after God, called on his name, and looked for a better paradise. We even see this when the animals came to him 2 by 2. Just as 2 by 2 came to Adam, 2 by 2 came to Noah. This showed that Noah would be that new man for a new start. And this would’ve been significant for the Exodus generation. They were starting again. Freed from Egypt. There was Moses, who parted the Red Sea. The people had come out and were heading for the Promised Land. You see, Noah trusted in the promise that the truer warrior seed, a man of greater renown, would destroy sin and Satan. There was hope. And God would start over with this man. He told him to build an ark.
Why? God promised judgment and the provision of salvation. That’s the second truth. What was God’s response to the continual sinful intention of every human heart? Verse 3, God will no longer put up with mankind. He gave them a time limit. 120 years more. And when that time came, verse 13, it’ll be the end of all flesh. God said, “I’ll destroy them with the earth.” They were supposed to subdue the earth, but instead they corrupted it. So by the earth, they’d be destroyed. This points to something natural and not supernatural. But it would be cataclysmic. He’d do it by chaotic waters. Verse 17 - he’d bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh. And everything on the earth shall die. So while in the beginning, God pushed back chaotic waters when he created paradise, now he’d bring back chaotic waters to destroy this anti-paradise. But why this judgment? To be sure, God had to stop this corruption of the godly line. If he didn’t, Noah’s line would surely be corrupted. And how would the godly seed of the woman come? How would sin and Satan be crushed? But more than just that, such judgment reflected God’s justice against sinners. They rejected God. Their intentions were evil. It was continual, communal, and widespread. This was the anti-gospel. Christ told his disciples to go into all the world to preach the gospel. This anti-gospel had spread everywhere to all people.
Therefore, we should expect that kind of flood. Verses 11-12 say it rained for 40 days and 40 nights; on that day, all the underground waters erupted from the earth and rain fell in torrents from the sky. Now this was a reversal of creation. God separated the waters and created air in the beginning - the firmament, with waters beneath and waters above. He did it to sustain life, air to breathe. But we learn God was going to destroy life by bringing back the chaotic waters. Verses 17-24 say it rained for 40 days until the ark floated. And in the flood, there was so much water, even the mountains were covered over 15 cubits. And verses 21-23 say, all flesh died. In fact, verse 22 - “All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.” This was a reversal of creation, the removal of air. All flesh died. Every living substance was destroyed - man, cattle, creeping things, fowl. The words all and every emphasize the penalty for sin. It was also logical. Since God created these things for man - if man is no more, these things are of no use to dead men.
But in the midst of this destruction, there was mercy to save. Verse 24 says, “and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.” They were saved by an earthly ark. Genesis 6:14-15 says the ark was to be built out of gopher wood. A tree would save them. The delicious irony here is that Adam and Eve rejected all trees for one forbidden tree. But man’s salvation would come from a tree. And he was to cover it inside and outside with tar so the ark could float. Just as man’s shame was covered by God’s animal sacrifices, Noah and his family would be safely covered by the ark. That by it, they’d be saved through the waters. Now, we see that it was a very large vessel - 134 meters in length, 22 meters in width, and 13 meters in height. It was to be large enough to fit him, his family, and 2 of every kind of animal - male and female. To be sure, it was not 2 of every species, but 2 of every kind of animals. There were 2 canines, 2 bovines, 2 felines, 2 equines, etc, with enough food for all.
Now, Noah didn’t only build the ark. He preached mercy. Before the flood, mankind was given 120 years grace. That’s how long it took Noah to build the ark. During in that time, Noah preached. 2 Peter 2:5 called him a preacher of righteousness; 1 Peter 3 reveals that the Spirit of Christ preached through Noah to these people whose souls were imprisoned. He warned the corrupt world about judgment, called them to repent and enter the ark. So despite their wickedness, there was an offer of salvation. The ark would be their only salvation. All they needed to do was to enter it. And the ark became a powerful wordless sermon, witnessing that God was willing to save sinners. But alas, they didn’t hear. Noah entered the ark on an appointed day. Genesis 7:11 says it was in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, and the seventeenth day of the month. When he went in, verse 16 says, “the LORD shut him in.” That’s it. There was no more chance after this. After 120 years of preaching mercy, no one came. They rejected grace, as they rejected God. The Lord Jesus gives us a clue as to what they were doing - he said the people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. They hoped for tomorrow but refused to hear. Verses 23-24 say - “Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.” Noah was safe in the ark. 40 days of rain. The flood was 15 cubits above the mountains. The waters lasted for 150 days before they began to recede to ensure that life and land was destroyed. But Noah was safe in the ark throughout it all. Why? He believed.
And only when everything was binned, did God push back the chaos to once again sustain man. That’s the last point. Genesis 8:1-2 says, “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.” At the end of 40 days and nights, God remembered man and pushed back the chaos. The rain and the underground cisterns stopped. Why? God’s spirit passover the earth and the waters receded. This reminds us of the chaotic waters in Genesis 1 when God first created the earth. After the spirit hovered, God said let there be light and there was. But here, after the spirit hovered, God pushed back the waters. And this would’ve also been significant for the Exodus generation. Despite being saved from the waters of the Red Sea, because of their sin of disbelief, they couldn’t enter the Promised Land. They wandered for 40 years, until a wicked generation had passed. Now that the wicked generation had passed after 40 days and nights, God remembered Noah. And he pushed back the chaos.
We learn the waters receded, and after another 150 days, the Ark rested on the top of Mount Ararat, verse 4. And it’d take more days for the waters to dry out from the rest of the earth. As the waters receded, Noah sent out a raven and then a dove to find dry land. The raven, an unclean bird, didn’t return - probably feeding off the dead remains of all that died. Indeed, all had died. The old passed away. But the dove brought back an olive leaf. Meaning, the trees were now bearing leaves and soon, fruit. Behold, all things are made new. And eventually, Noah and family emerge. And notice the language of the new start, in Genesis 8:17 - “Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.” God told Noah, to bring out the animals that they should be fruitful and multiply. This reminds you also of Genesis 1. A new start. After the waters were pushed back, land appeared, and animals were created.
And the very first act of man was to worship. God remembered Noah and delivered him; and man remembered God and was preserved. Noah offered a sacrifice in Genesis 8:20. Whereas God had to sacrifice animals to clothe Adam and Eve; you had here a better Adam. Noah sacrificed to God. And God was pleased. Verse 21 says, “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.” Because of this, God said he’d sustain man, even though the intentions of man’s heart was evil from youth. Wait! What? I thought this was a new start with a new Adam. All the ungodly seed had been destroyed. Why would there be evil? Was this a false start again? Was Noah not the promised seed? Sin and Satan were not destroyed. Folks, there’s no paradise. There’s no perfect man. Until that man comes.
So God made a promise not to destroy mankind in such a way anymore, despite their evil. In Genesis 9:8, God’s promise even came with a sign and seal - a rainbow to show that he’d never flood to destroy again. He’d be committed to humanity. He even told Noah to be fruitful and multiply. Despite their intentions of evil from youth. Why? This was a new start, but a false start. The ingredients were still wrong. Sinful. Wicked. But he’d preserve mankind until that seed of the woman would come.
What lessons we can learn from this? Firstly, we learn the danger of sin and compromise. God told Cain - sin’s crouching at the door waiting to control you. You can’t let it control you. But he did, and so did Seth’s line. They saw and sinned. Beloved, we must know the great danger of sin. It led to chaos. What are we defending today? What dangers are we minimizing? And secondly, in what ways are we witnesses? Noah stood firm in the gospel, despite scoffers in those days. We seem to melt away in the name of inclusiveness and being nice to reach out. Perhaps my neighbors will hear me if I accept their sins. Noah was a preacher of righteousness - which means he preached against sin. How are we living patiently and steadfastly for the kingdom of God? And he offered a better way of escape. Thirdly, what Noah believed and what he preached was salvation by the ark. He preached for 120 years. Is this something we believe in? Do we trust in Christ that promised seed and better ark? If we’re in him, we escape. God pushes back the chaotic waters of sin. And because of him, we’re saved from the power of sin. Let’s learn to live in the victory he’s purchased us; to submit to him in gratitude. Let us always continue to hear and believe this gospel. And for some of us here, it’s been preached to you since youth. And for years you have heard it. Come and believe.
Fourthly, those of you who are struggling deeply with sin - and yet you trust. You hate your sin. You wish to have power over it. You think that you can never be saved. Your feelings of inadequacy rain down on you and accuse you of being unrighteous. But you have been shut in by God in Christ. Can you not take comfort in him that he’s saved you? History is full of false starts and imperfect seeds. Adam, Noah, Moses, David, and others - but they’re safe and secure in Christ through the storms of Satan’s accusations. Fifthly, we must know there’s no paradise here, not even in church. Many of us, in times of difficulties or significant change, leave true churches out of frustration because of imperfect people. We think we can start anew. But every place will be a false start - until we ourselves are renewed in Christ. God uses the world, our sin, the imperfect church to renew us and point us to a better land above, where there’s no chaotic sea of sin.
And lastly, we look only to Christ who endured all to save us. He’s the ark that endured the flood. Psalm 69:1-2 prophesied Christ’s experience at the cross - “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.” He faced God’s judgment for sin. Chaotic waters flooded him. He’s our only savior. The Jews looked to Moses - big mistake; modern evangelicals look to famous pastors - bigger mistake. We’re always looking to some singular man to lead us. But we have one. The one who died for us. Only he can give us a new beginning. In Christ the old has passed away, behold all things are become new. By him, we’ll escape fiery judgment - where he’ll destroy heaven and earth. And only then, will there be no more false starts. He’ll create the New Heavens and Earth. And only there we’ll come before Christ. “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”
1. Sin Plunged the World into Further Chaos
A. The seeds are corrupted
B. A seed is selected
2. God Promised Judgment and the Provision of Salvation
A. Judgment by chaotic waters
B. Salvation by an earthly ark
3. God Pushed Back the Chaos to Sustain Man
A. God remembered man and pushed back the chaos
B. Man remembered God and was preserved
Conversation for Change:
1. The promise of God to sustain the world was for Christ to come. In what way does God’s delay of judgment to bring in the elect motivate your own holiness to warn the lost?
2. How might a church’s desire to be more inclusive harm its call to be holy? After all, the line of Seth accepted the line of Cain. What are the fault lines in today’s church that may potentially cause chaos?
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2025, Rev. Mark Chen
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