God s Redemptive Grace # 9 His Story Genesis 8-9 Introduction * Last Week - 1. Sinfulness of the Human Heart 2. Holiness of God - Sin grieves the holy heart of God 3. Sin demands the just Wrath of God 4. God s Grace - displayed to Noah and the Ark * Note The Literary Structure Of Gen. 6-9 A God resolves to destroy the corrupt race (6:11-13) B Noah build the ark (6:14-22) C God commands the remnant to enter the ark (7:1-9) D The flood begins (7:10-16) E The flood prevails 150 days, covers Mountains (7:17-24) F God remember Noah (8:1a) GRACE (central) E The flood recedes 150 days, Mountains visible (8:1b-5) D The earth dries (8:6-14) C God commands the remnant to exit the ark (8:15-19) B Noah builds an altar (8:20 A God resolves not to destroy mankind (8:21-22) * CENTRAL THING WANTS US TO NOTICE IS GOD S GRACE - God s Redemptive Grace * BUT - You Can t Really Appreciate The Concept Of Grace Unless You Get It In The Context Of God s Awful Judgment. * Noah + Ark - Type of Christ - 2 Expressions of Truth Here i) God s Judgment and Grace In The Days Of Noah ii) God s Future Judgment And God s Grace Demonstrated In Death + Resurrection of Christ I. The Awfulness Of Judgement ** Not to appreciate the awfulness of judgement will diminish your appreciation of God`s Redemptive Grace Whole Context of God s Story = Entrance of Sin And God s Redemptive Grace Creation - Man - Fall - Flood * Some don t want to talk about judgment or talk about sin.
- turn people off * If you don t understand Judgment - gut the gospel of its significance - gut the cross and the resurrection of its purpose * Never understand how important it is to become a follower of Christ if you don t understand why you need to be redeemed. 1. Judgment Is The Result Of Sin Separation From God 1. Physical Death 2. Spiritual Death 3. Eternal Death - Hell - Eternal Torment 2. Jesus Spoke Volumes About Judgment * Jesus on judgement: Matthew 5:20; 12:36-37; 13:41-43; 18:23-35; 25:31-46; 7:21; 10:32-33; 18:3-4 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:20) The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 13:41-42) When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. (Matt 25:31-33) So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matt 10:32-33) 3. The Holy Spirit`s Ministry Includes Convicting And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: (John 16:8) i) convict the world concerning sin - our sin ii) convict the world concerning righteousness - perfect righteousness of Christ -God iii) convict the world of judgment - domain of Satan under judgment Turn and Read Revelation 20:11-20 * If We Don`t Tell People About Sin And Judgment - they won t see their need bow their knee to Him who is King and Lord and Saviour. - at best they will see Him as a nice guy who lived a good life and taught some good things. BUT - they will not see Him as Redeemer And King
* As a result we will produce an anaemic powerless Christianity void of the life changing power of the gospel. *** MAX LUCADO VIDEO 2 min. **** II. The Awesomeness Of Grace But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8) But God remembered Noah... (Gen 8:1) * It s not about Judgement it s about Grace. But you will never understand How Awesome Grace is until you understand how awful judgment is. Grace -God's unmerited favour. God doing good for us that we do not deserve. 6:8 grace - Heb. Cheen - grace or favour ** IN CHRIST WE RECEIVE GRACE ETERNAL LIFE - reconciliation with God - promise of heaven though we don t deserve it 1. Grace Is What The Bible Is All About All of the Bible is about God s story. His Story of reconciling lost sinners to a right relationship with Him through the awesome demonstration of His Grace. Demonstrate In The Ark - last week Ark - type of Christ - our Ark of Safety Demonstrated At The Cross * God s Ultimate Demonstration Of His Grace Was The Atoning Sacrifice And Resurrection Of His Son But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ( Rom 5:8) - Paid the price for our sins rose for our justification - imputed the to us the righteousness of Christ so that we have a right standing with God - sees us as He sees His Son Perfect 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8-9) * By Grace Through Faith - in finished work of faith - Noah had to believe God and by faith enter the Ark Christ 2. Grace Is Appropriated By Faith By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Heb 11:7) (Eph. 2:8)
* Saved By Grace - right standing with God not on our merits Faith in Christ - the merit of Christ which has been reckoned to our account ** LEAVING THE ARK = NEW LIFE. - God gives us new life - life of the eternal one *BUT GRACE IS NOT JUST FOR SALVATION IT IS ALSO FOR DAILY LIFE. When God by His grace saves you and comes into your life through faith, He causes you to be Born Again and makes you a new person. if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor 5:17) * GOD TRANSFORMS YOUR LIFE 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, (Eph 2:8-10) III. The Actuality Of Transformation * Not just religious talk Transformation From The Inside Out. * Noah - Ch. 8-9 New Beginning For Humanity - restates Be fruitful and multiply etc. * Salvation - Grace - Is Demonstrated In A New Life Receiving The Gospel - Cross Living The Gospel - Resurrection - Incarnational Living As you are going, make disciples - Matthew 28:19 as you live your life - incarnational life your life as a disciple of Jesus Christ You go about making disicples CENTRALITY OF THE GOSPEL cross & evangelism + Legalism + +Liberalism - convert - social - ignore social - minimize repentance & conversion Evangelism Social Concern - conversion - cup of cold water ** Major Emphasis Of Bible GOD S REDEMPTIVE PURPOSE TO JUSTIFY SINNERS.
- As those go about their daily business they make disciples and give a cup of cold water in Jesus name.