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KEEP ON KEEPING ON FOR GOD!
GENESIS 6:1-17
INTRODUCTION
Noah lived in some of the most wicked times that have ever been on the face of this earth.
In fact, the world had become so wicked that the Lord was determined to destroy all flesh from off of the face of the earth.
However, even in the midst of all of the wickedness and ungodliness, the Bible says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. How did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? The same way that Abel did and the same way that Enoch did and the same way that you and I do today! It was by faith!
The Bible says that Noah was a just man. Meaning that he was a lawful and righteous man.
Now we know that Noah was born a sinner just like you and I were. Why then does the Bible call him a just man. It is because he was justified by faith and made righteous by his faith!
That is the only way that an ungodly sinner can be justified and made righteous!
The Bible says that Noah was perfect in his generations. What that means is that he did not marry outside of the godly line of Seth as others had done and were doing. Also, He didn’t allow his children to marry outside of the godly line of Seth.
The Bible says that Noah walked with God. In other word’s, Noah’s faith was a living, active faith! Noah was sold out to God and he was sincere about his faith! He didn’t profess one thing and live another! His life showed that he knew God, that he belonged to God, and if you were around him you would know that he had been with God!
The Lord chose Noah to carry the message of judgment to come. God warned that His Spirit would strive with man for a time and then judgment would come.
Again, man had become very wicked. Every imagination of the heart was only evil continually. The earth was corrupt and filled with violence according to verse 11.
That ought to hit home as we think of all of the corruptness, wickedness and violence in our day. I believe that Noah’s generation was probably a lot like ours. In fact the Bible says that just before the Lord Jesus comes back it is going to get like it was in the days of Noah:
Matthew 24:37-39–“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
What should the righteous do as things keep getting worse and worse all around? Well, as we look at Noah, we can see that he just kept on keeping on for God:
I. NOAH KEPT OBEYING GOD IN SPITE OF THE DEPRAVITY!
A. The Prevailing Conduct Of Noah’s Day!
1. God said that the wickedness of man was great! (Vs 5)
People were doing things that were ungodly! That is, they were doing things that went against the very nature and character of God!
2. God said that the earth was corrupt before God! (Vs 11-12)
The word “corrupt” there means “ruined.”
It says that the earth was corrupt because people had corrupted His (i.e. God’s) way upon the earth.
What are some of the things that had been corrupted:
a. Marriage had been corrupted!
1) The Sons of God (Seth) married the daughters of men (Cain).
2) No doubt immorality flourished!
b. Faith had been corrupted!
1) A Redeemer had been promised. (Genesis 3:15)
2) The principle of the blood sacrifice had been given.
3) Preachers had proclaimed. (Enoch and Noah)
4) The Holy Spirit had been scorned. (Vs 3)
3. God said that the earth was filled with violence! (Vs 11)
When people are wicked, they will do wicked things including becoming violent in their behavior.
Where wickedness increases, violence also increases.
As many in the public arena have turned away from God, the Bible, and prayer and have instead embraced the folly of humanism and atheistic evolution, so immorality and ungodliness have increased, and having to deal with violence has become a “normal” part of our society.
Children are taught that they have evolved from a primordial soup and that they are animals like other animals–just more highly evolved than other animals. Why are we surprised when they act like animals?
There is a flood of violence which can be attributed to a flood of lawlessness in our land.
The Prevailing Conduct Of Noah’s Day!–Wickedness, Corruptness, Violence.
B. The Predominant Character Of Noah’s Day!–Evil Thoughts
Wrong conduct comes from having wrong character!
1. God said that they had wicked imaginations! (Vs 5)
a. Imagination has to do with the thinking and planning in the heart.
b. Imagination has to do with the thoughts that precede the deeds.
Matthew 15:18-19–“18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20These are the things which defile a man:
2. People do what they do because of what they are!
a. They were wicked and therefore they thought wicked thoughts and did wicked things.
b. God saw the wickedness of man was great!
Wicked men don’t seem to think they are doing wickedly, but God does!
c. Their actions (i.e. their conduct) proved their wickedness (i.e. their character)! A person’s character will expresses itself in his or her conduct– that is, the way the person walks in life.
3. God said “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually!” (v 5)
When people become slaves to their sinful desires, then they must become more wicked to find any satisfaction.
The more that a person thinks and dwells on wickedness, the more wicked they will become! That is why we need to guard our hearts and minds!
Our eyes and ears are two of the gates to our heart that we need to diligently guard!
The Prevailing Conduct Of Noah’s Day!–Wickedness, Corruptness, Violence.
The Predominant Character Of Noah’s Day!–Evil Thoughts and Imaginations.
C. The Peculiar Consecration Of Noah’s Day!–Noah and his family.
1. Noah just kept on doing what God told him to do!
a. Noah did not allow himself to be moved to do wrong by the depravity of those around him in his day!
b. He kept right on doing what God told him to do!
2. From what Noah knew of God, He knew God was angry with the wickedness and He knew that judgment was sure to come!
a. Spiritually mature people see things differently than what worldly minded people see!
b. We must consecrate ourselves to the Lord as we look upon this sinful world that displeases God and is spiraling toward judgment!
3. Though the world calls us to join in with it, we must seek to obey God!
NOAH KEPT OBEYING GOD IN SPITE OF THE DEPRAVITY!
II. NOAH KEPT OBEYING GOD IN SPITE OF THE DECEIT!
A. The Flesh Is Deceitful!
Jeremiah 17:9–“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
1. There are a lot of sinful people who feel like they are justified in their sinfulness.
2. Most people want to be told that they are doing right when they are doing wrong.
3. The sinner wants to be told that he is not to blame for his sin.
a. Call it a disease, an indiscretion, a cry for help, or something else but don’t call it sin.
b. Blame it on my environment–my neighborhood, my family, the television, my friends, my Church or anyone or anything else but don’t blame me! I am not responsible! I am the victim here!
4. The flesh must seek self-justification in sin.
5. The flesh wants to feel it is right to do wrong.
(Song title: “How Can It Be Wrong When It Feels So Right?”)
a. Talk to most anyone that is guilty of sin and they will try to give you a reason why they did it
b. Reasons that some come up with may seem somehow to make sin appear to be right, but you just can’t be right doing wrong!
Right is right and wrong is wrong. Always has been, always will be.
B. The False Are Deceitful!
1. We don’t know, but I’m sure that some probably got around where Noah was building the ark and said, “Hey Noah, God told me to tell you to quit building the ark."
2. I’m sure there were people who thought that old Noah was crazy. . . he has lost his mind. . . he is talking about water falling down out of the sky and causing a flood. (Understand they had never seen any rain!)
3. You can just imagine how the sinful nature moved men and women to say some vile things to this faithful servant of God as he labored to obey God.
4. Those who do not believe the Word of God have their ways of trying to prove that those who are doing right are doing wrong.
The Flesh Is Deceitful! The False Are Deceitful!
C. The Fake Are Deceitful!
Don’t think for one minute that there weren’t any religious people in Noah’s day.
1. Satan always tries to counteract what God does by using counterfeits.
2. The devil is in the religious business in a big way.(2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Do you know that Satan has churches and preachers who purport to promote the truth, but who oppose the truth?
1 John 4:1–“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
We are to measure what we hear and see by the Word of God!
Noah kept right on obeying God in spite of the depravity around him.
Noah kept right on obeying God in spite of the deceit and falsehood around him.
III. NOAH KEPT OBEYING GOD IN SPITE OF THE DEFIANCE!
A. Noah Proclaimed God’s Warning That Was Not Heard!–Judgment to come!
1. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5)
2. The flood came some 100 years after Noah started building the ark and preached, but his only converts were his wife, his son’s, and his son’s wives.
3. Noah warned people of God’s judgment while he was building the ark.
4. Thank God for people who are willing to obey the Lord, even when it makes them look like they have lost all of their marbles.
5. We also must preach and teach the Word of God while we are being obedient to the LORD! We must warn people of the judgment that is coming!
B. Noah Performed God’s Will That Was Not Heeded!–The Building of the Ark
(Hebrews 11:7)
1. Paul tells us to get ready for the end time generation.
He describes them in 2 Timothy 3:1-13, and it reads like the front page of our newspaper today.
2. Noah’s generation would not listen– they were depraved, deceived and defiant. They were going to live their own way in spite of the coming judgment of God.
3. Even today people are free to choose what they want to do even knowing that they will have to face God one day and give an account.
Conclusion
Nothing stopped Noah from obeying the Word of God. He just kept on keeping on for God!
He just kept building the ark and preaching righteousness!
How about us? Are we going to keep on keeping on for God in the wicked days that we live or will we quit following God and join them in their wickedness?
Will we be influenced by this world or will we be influenced by what God has revealed to us?
Let me ask you a personal question. Who is it in this story that you identify with?
Noah or those lived in his day who laughed and scoffed and continued in their wickedness?
God’s mercy is great and His grace is marvelous. This morning if you have never experienced the grace of God that brings salvation, I invite you to come and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour today.
Christian, why not come and commit yourself to a life of obedience regardless of what happens in this world around us?
1 Corinthians 15:58–“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!