Genesis 7:11-24 The Gospel Certainty: The Will of God

The Introduction

Make no mistake: everybody who has a opinion of God is a theologian. The question remains are you a good or bad theologian.

"God doesn't exist." - that's a bad theologian. God does exist, he has made his eternal power obvious and divine nature obvious--or as the Apostle Paul puts it, "have been clearly seen" since the beginning of creation but you choose to suppress the truth so you can go your own way and not respond to the gospel commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bad theology, if left unchecked, might led you straight to hell.

Then you might be asking, "Wait, is there bad theology that doesn't lead straight to hell?" There are some nuance within all of theology--the study of nature of God--which I think do not make you hellbound.

Take for example--those who sit under false preaching and teaching similarly to those in word of faith movements. The false pastor proclaims, "You can control the will of God with your lips." Go on and try that. Let me know how that goes.

Spoiler alert: it won't go well.

Dive a little bit more into theology and then you are going to have to deal with the will--both the will of man and the will of God.

On the surface, we could say, "God desires all men to be saved"--which is emphatically true:

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (CSB) First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior,who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

But what is also true is that God's will in his kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. (Romans 2:4)

Every thing in the Old Testament is a foreshadow to Christ in the New Testament. Oft quoted:

Old Testament is Christ concealed. New Testament is Christ revealed.

And throughout the annuals of history, you have seen the will of man--under the barrage of temptation, the hubris of the soul, and the sin infection of the heart--will fool themselves into thinking that they can take on the will of God. And man does so by altering and twisting right theology so that mankind can do what is right in their own eyes.

One thing to note: in literature, you will almost never see the hero show their hand so quickly in the book. We are but seven chapters into the first book and already the Lord God Almighty will show the fullest extend of his will--to those who would breath his air without thanks and to those who would praise his name with every breath they draw in and all peoples in-between.

The Text

Genesis 7:11–24 (CSB)
¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the vast watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened,

¹² and the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, entered the ark, along with Noah’s wife and his three sons’ wives.

¹⁴ They entered it with all the wildlife according to their kinds, all livestock according to their kinds, all the creatures that crawl on the earth according to their kinds, every flying creature—all the birds and every winged creature—according to their kinds.

¹⁵ Two of every creature that has the breath of life in it came to Noah and entered the ark.

¹⁶ Those that entered, male and female of every creature, entered just as God had commanded him. Then the LORD shut him in.

¹⁷ The flood continued for forty days on the earth; the water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth.

¹⁸ The water surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.

¹⁹ Then the water surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.

²⁰ The mountains were covered as the water surged above them more than twenty feet.

²¹ Every creature perished—those that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and those that swarm on the earth, as well as all mankind.

²² Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils—everything on dry land died.

²³ He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the earth, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.

²⁴ And the water surged on the earth 150 days.

God

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the vast watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened, ¹² and the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

The will of God: promises are made and promises are kept

Basic facts: God is not a liar and does not possess the ability to lie

Titus 1:1-2 (CSB) Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

Numbers 23:19 (CSB) God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

Hebrews 6:17-19a (CSB) Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath,so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

More so, when God promises he will do something, rest assure it will be done in the way he said it would.

To the unbeliever, that is frightening.

To the believer, it is our only hope and stay.

See the difference? What is the drive behind perspective?

The unbeliever does not have the Triune God within them and fears everyone but God.

For the believer, the possess the heart of God, the Spirit of God, the Son of God and Father God within them--they fear nothing but God.

2 Corinthians 1:20 (CSB) For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God.

The unbeliever foolishly hopes that this Bible is not real, that God is not real, and God will not do what he says he will do.

The believer hopes and knows that God is real, his word is real, because he really sent His Spirit to us because His Son perfectly live and innocently died so that what?

He would save his people from there sins.

¹³ On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, entered the ark, along with Noah’s wife and his three sons’ wives.

The will of God: to save his people from their sins

I have preached over and over again that I think that Noah and his family were as wicked as the people of his time. Why? Not only does Genesis 6 says so but the rest of Scriptures says so. Since Genesis 3, God has proclaimed to the world that we are far from him and if we do not turn from our sin, we will surely perish.

But God has made a way and provision to turn away from yourself and your sin: trust in God. In that spectacular moment, God rescued you and redeemed you. He has forgiven you and cleansed you from all unrighteousness. Why? Because you trusted God to give him your sin--not just a one time thing but every day, you must repent.

¹⁴ They entered it with all the wildlife according to their kinds, all livestock according to their kinds, all the creatures that crawl on the earth according to their kinds, every flying creature—all the birds and every winged creature—according to their kinds.

The will of God: to provide all you need and all you actually need

Matthew 6:31-34 (CSB) So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Christ is sustainer of life

John 6:35-37 (CSB) “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again. But as I told you, you’ve seen me, and yet you do not believe. Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

Christ is the light of life

John 8:12 (CSB) Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

Christ is the narrow gate to life

John 10:7-10 (CSB) Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

Christ is the shepherd of life

John 10:11-15 (CSB) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

Christ is the way, true, and life

John 14:6-7 (CSB) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Psalms 16:11 (CSB) You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Christ is the connection to life

John 15:1-3 (CSB) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

Christ is the resurrection to new life

John 11:25 (CSB) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.

God has provided everything that you will need to fully and truly live--he has done so perfectly.

¹⁵ Two of every creature that has the breath of life in it came to Noah and entered the ark.

The will of God: all those who believe and trust will God will live

John 3:14-17 (CSB) “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Romans 10:11-13 (CSB) For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

¹⁶ Those that entered, male and female of every creature, entered just as God had commanded him. Then the LORD shut him in.

The will of God is the judgment of God

¹⁷ The flood continued for forty days on the earth; the water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth. ¹⁸ The water surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ Then the water surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered. ²⁰ The mountains were covered as the water surged above them more than twenty feet.

Luke 23:29-31 (CSB) Look, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the women without children, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Revelation 6:15-17 (CSB) hen the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,because the great day of their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”

The will of God is the wrath of God

²¹ Every creature perished—those that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and those that swarm on the earth, as well as all mankind.

John 3:36 (CSB) The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

The will of God: The will of God is final

²² Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils—everything on dry land died.

Revelation 20:11-15 (CSB) Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Gospel

²³ He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the earth, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.

The will of God is the salvation of mankind

Matthew 1:21 (CSB) She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Our Response

²⁴ And the water surged on the earth 150 days.

The will of God is coming

What is your decision right now? Do not mull over and think it through? This is not a decision that you go home and think about it some more.

Too many people want to argue and debate about the supposed free will of mankind and whether or not mankind can choose to follow and obey and believe in God.

This is not a decision over what to eat for breakfast.

This is not about who is your favorite college basketball team.

This is not even about what business you go to work for.

This is not about who is going to be your spouse.

This is about your eternal existence. Leave now, go your own way, and end up under the active burning wrath of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Choose on this day on whom you will serve. God is calling you-gospel commanding--to come trust your Son.

If you have never trusted Jesus Christ before, you can do so now. If you have been in church all of your life and you just now realize you never trusted Christ, what about now. Now is the best time.

You don't have to get out of your seat. Sit still. Call upon the name of the Lord to save you. Call upon God and pray to God to ask God for God. If you do these things, you will get God.

That is the only guarantee I have for you and it doesn't come from me, it comes from God.