TABLE OF CONTENTS
Genesis 6:1-4 Sermon Manuscript: “Sinful Man” .........................................................
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………
I. Natural Reproduction (Ordinary) ………………………………...
II. Sinful Rebellion (Odd) …………………………………………...
III. Divine Response (Oracle) ………………………………………..
IV. Corrupted Result (Only) ………………………………………….
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………..
Genesis 6:5-8 Sermon Manuscript: “Sorrowful God” ………………………………...
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….
I. The Lord Saw (Wickedness was Great) …………………………..
II. The Lord Sorrowed (God was Grieved) …………………………..
III. The Lord Said (Judgment was Grim) ……………………………..
IV. The Lord Saved (Noah found Grace) ……………………………..
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………...
Genesis 6:8-9 Sermon Manuscript: “Sanctified Noah” ………………………………..
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….
I. Graciousness (Made) ……………………………………………...
II. Righteousness (Obeyed) …………………………………………..
III. Blamelessness (Didn’t Fade) ……………………………………...
IV. Faithfulness (Stayed) ……………………………………………...
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………...
Genesis 6:11-22 Sermon Manuscript: “Sentenced World” …………………………...
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….
I. The Problem (God’s tolerance was breaking) …………………….
II. The Provision (An ark for the making) ……………………………
III. The Protocol (Directions for the taking) …………………………..
IV. The Pronouncement (A flood with no faking) …………………….
V. The Promise (A future with no forsaking) ………………………...
VI. The Process (A faith with no shaking) …………………………….
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………………………
Genesis 6:1-4 By Donny Varney “Sinful Man”
Proposition: The sinfulness of man eventually outlasts the patience of God.
Introduction:
How many of you have ever done something bad? I mean … REALLY bad? I mean … you did something so bad you were certain God was going to strike you dead right there on the spot. Well, I suppose we have all done things that we are ashamed of. We’ve all done things that we regret. We all have what is commonly referred to as “skeletons in the closet” (things from our past that we do not want anyone else to know about because it would be embarrassing and humiliating).
I’ve never done this before, but I am going to share with you a skeleton in my closet. No, I’m not gay. This is something that took place sometime during my junior high years. There is a small gas station/grocery store located about ½ mile from the house that I lived in growing up. From time to time I would ride my bike to that grocery store to get a candy bar or maybe a sports drink. Inside the grocery store there was a magazine rack full of all sorts of magazines including many pornographic magazines. I had no interest in reading so I usually never even bothered to walk down that aisle. However, on one particular visit, my curiosity of naked females and what I knew was right were at war. The war was so great that I remember walking down the aisle over and over again debating with myself if it was “worth it” to take a look at one of the pornographic magazines.
I’m sad to say that my sinful flesh won the war that day and I took one of those pornographic magazines off the shelf and starting looking through it. I remember my hands shaking almost uncontrollably as I began viewing things I had never seen before. I couldn’t have had the magazine in my hands more than a minute when all of a sudden I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was so scared and nervous that I was totally unaware of what was going on around me. The hand on my shoulder was the store manager. It just so happened that he had been watching me from the moment I started walking up and down the magazine aisle for 15 minutes straight (I’m sure it was a sight to see). He probably could tell within a few minutes what was going through my head. He was probably just waiting to see if I was actually going to go through with it and pick one of the magazines up. He calmly said, “Hey buddy, I can’t have you looking at those magazines”. It is hard to put into words how disgusted I felt inside when I went home that day. I knew in my heart that this was something that displeased God.
I was right. It did displease God. But did God strike me dead? Did God decide to wipe out planet earth because of this sin? What if I were to go back to the same grocery store every day for the next 10 years and pick up a pornographic magazine and look through it? Would that be the end of God’s patience? What if every man in the world did the same thing for the next 10 years? Would that be the end of God’s patience? The truth is this - - looking at pornography on a regular basis would just be the beginning of a downward spiral leading to one repulsive sin after another. Men and women alike have the capabilities of being caught up in sin to such an extent that it controls every part of their life and every decision they make. Jeremiah had it right when he said that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.
Here in Genesis 6 we get a glimpse at what it is like when God’s patience runs out. It is not a pretty picture! Yet even in the midst of some of the most heinous worldwide depravity ever known we see God’s grace and even more of God’s patience shining through. This will be a 4-part series entitled “Sinful Man, Sorrowful God, Sanctified Noah and Sentenced World”. Today, we are going to take a look at the first 4 verses of Genesis 6. The title of this message is “Sinful Man”.
If you were to do a google search and type in “most debated Bible passages” or something similar I am sure you will come across the passage before us in Genesis 6:1-4. Countless books, articles, blogs, commentaries, forums and websites have been published trying to answer the questions that are raised as a person reads these 4 verses. Who are the “sons of God”? Who are the “daughters of men”? What in the world are “Nephilim”? And there are others. As I have spent many hours reading these books, articles, blogs, commentaries, forums and websites I have come up with an even bigger question that does not seem to get addressed as frequently as some of these smaller questions. The question is “So what?” You could word it this way, “What’s the point”? I’ll try to explain what I mean by these questions as we take this passage one verse at a time.
Let’s take a look at our text in Genesis 6:1-4. “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
There are 4 points to this message: Natural Reproduction, Sinful Rebellion, Divine Response and Corrupted Result. Each point has a keyword which gives further description about the point.
I. Natural Reproduction (verse 1)
Keyword: Ordinary
What I mean by “ordinary” is simply this: What was taking place in verse 1 was normal. It was acceptable. It was blessed by God. There was nothing out of the ordinary taking place. God told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply” and that is exactly what was happening here. For the past 1,600 years that is what has been happening. Men and women were enjoying the blessing of relationships on every level (physical, emotional, companionship, etc.). This was by God’s design. There is no reason to believe that something wrong was happening in verse 1. Someone may ask the question, “Why were only daughters being born”? The answer is simple: there were boys being born, too. It probably goes without saying but in order to have any babies at all you are going to have men and women involved. So therefore, you have girls and boys being born here. The reason only daughters are mentioned is because they are going to be the focus of verse 2. It’s not because only daughters were being born, but because of what happens in verse 2 when the “sons of God” see these daughters.
II. Sinful Rebellion (verse 2)
Keyword: Odd
Now we get into the controversy. The main question that one asks when he reads this verse is “who are the sons of God and the daughters of men?” That is a fair question to ask. The list of options one has to choose from is quite extensive. However, as I have studied this passage and researched the options there are really only 3 reasonable conclusions one can come to. I will present what those 3 conclusions are and then give my opinion on what I think this verse is referring to and the reasons for why I have come to that conclusion.
Option #1 – Kings and Harems Theory
This theory suggests that the “sons of God” refers to kings. These kings (or Dynastic Rulers) primarily descended from Cain and would be considered guilty on all accounts of polygamy as they would take for themselves many members of harems (the “daughters of men”) to show off their wealth and status.
This theory is not heavily supported due to a lack of evidence. One of the main arguments to help sustain this theory rests on the meaning of “God” in the phrase “sons of God”. Supporters of this theory assert that “God” could refer to “judges”. Another possibility is that “sons of God” could simply mean a son of a well-known, powerful king who is thought of by many as almost deity. One example would be 2 Samuel 7:14 where Solomon is referred to as God’s son since he was going to succeed David as king.
Option #2 – Godly Line of Seth intermarrying ungodly line of Cain Theory
This theory suggests that the “sons of God” refers to the godly line of Seth while the “daughters of men” refers to the ungodly line of Cain. As noted in the book An Introduction to the Old Testament by Herbert Wolf, this view is preferred by most Evangelicals today. In support of this theory, the book of Genesis contains several instances where intermarriage between believers and unbelievers is strongly forbidden and taught against. (Genesis 24:3; 26:34-35; 27:46).
Another support for this theory comes from the use of the word “sons”. Usually this word in the Old Testament refers to the children of Israel or God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:1; 32:5 and Isaiah 43:6). It is interesting to note that Adam is called the “son of God” in the genealogy of Christ (Luke 3:38).
However, there are at least two problems with this theory. One problem is that the actual complete phrase “sons of God” never refers to man anywhere in the Old Testament. Another problem with this theory is that it is hard to believe that the entire line of Seth would be thought of as godly especially when you consider the fact that God is getting ready to wipe out planet earth with a flood because of the wickedness of man. If you have an entire line of godly people perhaps God would not be making preparations for a worldwide flood.
Option #3 – Demonic Invasion Theory
This theory suggests that the “sons of God” refers to fallen angels who lusted after beautiful women and then cohabitated with men in order to enter into a physical relationship with these “daughters of men”. So basically you have demon-possessed men marrying women and having children.
Probably the strongest support for this theory is the fact that the phrase “sons of God” refers exclusively to angels in the Old Testament. Both of these instances are found in Job (1:6; 38:7), which is more than likely the only book in the Bible written before Genesis. To further support this theory, every time you have angels appearing on earth they are always called “men”. In Genesis 18 and 19 you find two specific instances where angels were on earth and yet they looked like men. The angels in Genesis 19 were thought of as men so much so that the perverted men of Sodom wanted to take the angels for themselves to act out on their sexual perverted impulses.
Another argument to support the “Demonic Invasion Theory” is found in II Peter 2:4-6 where Peter talks about the sins of angels, the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. One could conclude that since two of these events occur in Genesis it is likely that the third one does as well and Genesis 6:1-4 would be the only instance that it could possibly refer to.
One final argument for this theory occurs in the book of Jude (verses 6 and 7) where the sins of angels are in connection with the sexual immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah. The implication here is that the fallen angels would have been guilty of a similarly gross sexual sin which would fit what was happening in Genesis 6 especially when you consider how God reacts to it.
One main problem that this theory has is found in several of the gospels (Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20) where Jesus teaches that after the resurrection people will not marry, but that they will be like angels in heaven. This obviously implies that angels cannot marry. One possible answer to this problem would be that perhaps angels at one time could marry but that after the flood this was no longer allowed.
So which theory is right? Who are the “sons of God”? Well, like I said earlier, I only have an opinion on which theory makes the most Biblical sense to me – and that is the “Demonic Invasion Theory”. It seems to offer the most sound, logical Biblical support. As you read the passage over and over again (which I have done, believe me) the contrast appears to be between the heavenly (sons of God) and the earthly (daughters of men). It is very hard to get around the fact that the phrase “sons of God” DOES appear elsewhere in the Old Testament and each time it refers to the angelic realm NOT to humans.
No matter which theory you decide to line up under there is a much bigger picture to look at and that is this: whatever it was that happened in verse 2, God was not happy. Let’s now take a look at His response.
III. Divine Response (verse 3)
Keyword: Oracle
I love this word “oracle”. I don’t think I’ve ever used it before this message, but in order to fit this outline I needed an “o” word that carried the idea of ‘forewarning’ or ‘foreshadowing’ or ‘prediction’. That is exactly what “oracle” means. Here is the actual definition of oracle: “An authoritative or wise statement or prediction; a command or revelation from God”. As you read verse 3 that is precisely what is happening.
The verse starts out, “And the Lord said …” and then comes the oracle. What does God say? What’s the authoritative statement or prediction or revelation from God? In a nutshell, He says that time is running out for man. He is God and so He is omniscient. He knows the future and He sees into the future. He knows how mankind has acted up to this point and He knows where it is heading and so He makes a statement: “My Spirit will not strive with man forever”. He then goes on and defines just how long His Spirit is going to strive with man …120 years.
My first response to this is absolute amazement and shock. Mankind has gotten to the point where God is so upset and so disheartened and so disappointed that He is going to blot it all out. God is going to start over. But what I’m so amazed at is the patience of God. Even in the midst of arguably the most despicable, wicked, disgraceful, depraved, corrupt, immoral and appalling condition that mankind has ever been in … God is patient. He is longsuffering. He gives man a chance. He doesn’t rip the plug out of the socket and say “lights out for man!” He doesn’t in a fit of righteous rage speak the words “Destroy it all”. That’s all it would have taken. We know that’s how the earth came into existence … just by the words of God. If He can bring the world into existence that easily He surely could take it out the same way. It brings me to tears to think of the patience of God in my life. He is a God of patience! So what is this “Divine Response” from God? You could say it this way: “Judgment is coming, but I’m going to give you 120 years to repent”. That is longsuffering.
One side note here in this verse. At first glance, a casual reading of this verse may cause someone to think that God is referring to the actual lifespan of man (120 years). There are a couple explanations for why that is not what God is referring to. The main explanation comes from the fact that man still lived well past 120 years long after God issued this statement. Another problem with Genesis 6:3 referring to man’s life span is found in the book of Psalms (90:10) where it talks about how man’s days are 70 years (as a general rule), which would seem to contradict the 120 year life span theory.
IV. Corrupted Result (verse 4)
Keyword: Only
You may be asking why I’ve chosen “only” as the keyword for this final point. Let’s take a look at verse 4. “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” So the main question that comes to everyone’s mind when they read this verse is “what in the world are Nephilim?” Nephilim is just a term that means great men or men of stature or men of power or men of influence. It is used only one other time in the Old Testament. It is the familiar story found in Numbers 13 where the spies went in to Canaan to search out the land and when they came back to give the report they said there are giants in the land. They basically said, “we can't overpower these people … they are giants and we're just like little grasshoppers”. According to John MacArthur, the reason they used the term “Nephilim” to describe the giants is because they knew the word from Genesis. It's simply a term used in Genesis to describe great men and powerful men, and it was borrowed by the spies in Numbers 13 coming out of the land of Canaan because everybody knew the Nephilim as great and powerful men. It's just a generic word for that kind of a person. So it would be reasonable to conclude that Nephilim simply means strong, warrior-like, fierce and powerful men.
Conclusion:
The emphasis I would like to make is that they were still man. They were only man as my keyword suggested. The passage says that there were men like them before this perverted union took place and there were men like them afterwards. Just like the serpent in the garden promised great things to Eve but wasn’t able to deliver… so the thought that something god-like or superhuman could come from these unions never materialized. The result: Just man. Just flesh. Just human. That is how it always is for anyone trying to become like God. You end up with a corrupted result… they were only flesh. They still died like the rest of man and in the end they didn’t achieve anything more than perhaps a status on this earth as “real strong”.
That’s how sin always leaves us doesn’t it? It leaves us feeling short-changed. It leaves us completely unsatisfied and wanting much more than sin will ever deliver. The pleasure of our sin is always temporary and it never owns up to the promises it offers up front. That’s the message of Genesis 6:1-4. God blesses man. Man rebels against God. God responds with patience. Man takes advantage of God’s grace and in the end pays dearly for it.
Genesis 6:5-8 By Donny Varney “Sorrowful God”
Proposition: Even though God grieves over man’s sin and must judge it, He is a God of grace.
Introduction:
Husbands ... have you ever done something or said something to your wife that was so hurtful that it caused her to regret the day she ever married you? Children … have you have ever said something or done something in public so embarrassing that it caused your parents to regret ever bringing you along with them? Bosses … have you ever had an employee do something so damaging to the company that it caused you to fire the employee right there on the spot?
During my high school and college years I worked for JC Penneys. I was a shoe salesman. A lot goes into being a shoe salesman. Besides just running the cash register and checking people out once they’ve decided on a shoe, you need to be incredibly familiar with all of the different lines of shoes (men’s, women’s, children, athletic, dress, boots, sandals, etc.). Probably the most daunting responsibility I had was knowing where every single shoe was located in the back stock room. There were literally thousands and thousands of shoe boxes back there.
I remember having a conversation with one of my co-workers who had worked in the shoe department for many years. She told me about an employee who worked there before I was hired. He was a pretty clever guy. For over a year he had been ringing up fake returns and taking the money he would give to his fake customer and keeping it for himself. Since there were thousands and thousands of shoe boxes in the stock room he figured no one would ever notice that none of his returned shoes were making it back on the stock shelves. When it was all said and done it was estimated that he had robbed JC Penneys of over $10,000. That’s quite a bit of money when you think about the fact that this was just one JC Penneys and it was just in the shoe department. Needless to say, the boss in our shoe department in a matter of words said, “I’m sorry I ever hired him”.
Well, on a much bigger scale that is the kind of situation we find here in Genesis 6:5-8. We find God basically saying what that JC Penney boss said. “I’m sorry I ever created man” was the gist of God’s response found in verse 6. Let’s take a look at the entire passage. Here’s what it says, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. And the Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
The title of this message is “Sorrowful God”. It is the second part of a 4-part series I’ve entitled “Sinful Man, Sorrowful God, Sanctified Noah, Sentenced World”. Those 8 words sum up the main idea of what is going on in Genesis 6. Right now I want us to focus in on 4 parts to “Sorrowful God”. Those 4 parts are: The Lord saw, The Lord sorrowed, The Lord said and the Lord saved. Each of these 4 parts has a key phrase that helps describe in a little more detail what’s taking place in that particular verse. Let’s start with verse 5.
I. The Lord Saw (verse 5)
Key Phrase: Wickedness was GREAT
Now we know that God is omniscient and that He is omnipresent and that nothing catches Him by surprise. So when we see the phrase “The Lord saw” that is simply saying that God is aware. God was fully aware before, during and after the wickedness took place. Proverbs 15:3 (a verse my mom made me right down dozens of times growing up) says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good”.
But what is so great about this verse is that not only does God see everything that’s happening on planet earth just like you or I could if we were actually located at every spot on the globe at the same time with a couple hundred built-in cameras at different vantage points per location, but He sees every intent of the thoughts of the heart. As if seeing all the “action” that takes place everywhere every second of every minute of every day wasn’t enough … God sees and knows what’s going on inside the heart and mind of every human being at every moment. He not only knows what’s going on in your mind, but he knows why you are thinking what you are thinking. He knows why you are considering going there or doing that. He knows your thoughts. He knows your heart. But He also knows the intent of the thoughts of your heart.
Nothing escapes God. It reminds me of what God said to Samuel when looking for a king: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (I Samuel 16:7).
So here in Genesis 6 we find that, indeed, “the Lord saw”. What did He see? Man’s wickedness was great. Of course, by “great” He does not mean man’s wickedness was “great” in the sense that it was good or awesome. He means that man’s wickedness was enormous. It was huge. It was mammoth. In fact, we will find it was so “great” that it had caused God to reach His breaking point. Let’s now look at how God responded to such wickedness.
II. The Lord Sorrowed (verse 6)
Key Phrase: God was GRIEVED
Verse 6 simply reads “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart”. As you read through the Bible you come across what I would call “high points” and “low points”. I think of “high points” like the incarnation of Christ or even something on a smaller scale like at the end of Genesis when Joseph is able to look his brothers in the eyes and say “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” A phrase like that has enough power behind it to bring chills down my spine almost every time I come to it when reading through Genesis. Of course, depending on how you look at it, some of the lowest points in God’s Word (like Jesus’ death on the cross) are really the highest points.
But not all low points are like that. This verse in Genesis 6 happens to be one of those low points that doesn’t really have a “high point” to it. It is perhaps the most transparent verse in all of Scripture and it has caused no end of debate among scholars as to how it is even possible for God to say such a thing. How could God be sorry? Is it possible for God to regret doing something? Didn’t God know this was how it was going to end up? These are tough questions to answer.
One way to look at verse 6 is like this: Do you ever sin? Yes. Is God sorrowful over your sin? Yes. Does He wish you had never sinned? Yes. It’s almost like a parent who finally decides to stop counseling their rebellious teenager or college-age child and let them go through with some of the things you’ve counseled against for so long. Does the parent know what’s going to happen if their child participates in this sin or that? Yes. Are they any less sorrowful after the child participates in the sin? Of course not. They are still grief-stricken and heartbroken and almost at a loss for what to do in response even though in their heart they knew this was what was going to happen.
Now I realize that illustration breaks down at various levels, but the idea is still there. The bottom line in verse 6 is that God is grief-stricken. He is heartbroken. As one commentator put it, this verse is a window into the heart of a troubled Creator. So how does God respond to man’s wickedness? What does He say next? Let’s look at verse 7.
III. The Lord Said (verse 7)
Key Phrase: Judgment was GRIM
Just like verses 5 and 6, verse 7 starts out with “The Lord”. Verse 5 says, “Then the Lord saw”. Verse 6 says, “And the Lord was sorry”. Now in verse 7 it says, “And the Lord said”. And this is what He said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” Indeed, the judgment that is about to come down on all of mankind would be considered grim by anyone’s estimation. The word “grim” has many synonyms that carry the same idea of what this judgment would be like for mankind. Depressing, miserable, severe, gloomy, depressing, uninviting and dismal are a few of those words. There is one phrase in particular that really tells the story of how grim this judgment was going to be. It’s the phrase “blot out”.
The Hebrew word for this is Machah. It’s really very graphic language being used here. The word carries with it the objective of erasing something. The literal meaning of the word is to remove something off of something else. Exodus 32:32, Numbers 5:23, Psalms 69:28, Isaiah 43:25, Isaiah 44:22, Jeremiah 18:23 are a few times where you find this word being used. In all of those instances it is used in the sense of erasing something or washing something off or removing something off of something else.
This judgment that is about to fall down on man is going to affect a whole lot more than just man. This judgment is going to literally eradicate everything that is on planet earth. This is not some minor sprinkling of rain in a local area as some have argued. The language used here and elsewhere in Genesis 7 and 8 make it clear that this a worldwide devastating flood of enormous magnitude. In Genesis 8 God said to Himself, “I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done”. II Peter 3:6 says, “Through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water”. This is, indeed, a worldwide flood that is about to rain down on earth. However, in the midst of one of the most horrendous acts of judgment recorded, we find grace. Let’s take a look at our final point.
IV. The Lord Saved (verse 8)
Key Phrase: Noah found GRACE
Verse 8 is such a beautiful verse. It is short and sweet. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” The story of Noah and the flood really portrays how God deals with man throughout all of human history. Man is always sinning. God is always just (but often times exceptionally patient). God gives grace. And through it all God is calling sinners to repentance. He is drawing men to Himself.
Conclusion:
I am going to spend an entire message on the grace of God in Noah’s life for the third part of this 4-part series. So for now, I think this is a perfect place to conclude. Even though we see God as heartbroken, grief-stricken and making preparation to wipe out everything from the face of this earth … we see God’s grace shining through it all. That’s how it always is. “But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).
Genesis 6:8-9 By Donny Varney
“Sanctified Noah”
Proposition: Noah’s righteousness, blamelessness and faithfulness were a testimony of God’s grace.
Introduction:
God’s grace is truly amazing. When you take any Christian’s life and boil it down … it always comes back to the grace of God. I received a note this past week that blew me away. I honestly could not believe what I was reading. This individual was writing an essay about someone who had influenced his life. He wanted to give me a copy of it. I will explain how this fits into the message after sharing it with you. Here’s the essay:
Donny Varney has affected my life so much that without him I would be a completely different person. Donny is my varsity soccer coach that has mentored me for three years, spiritually and physically. He not only would make sure that we grew as athletes and players, but as Christians. He would make us memorize scripture before each game, and we would recite it as a team before warm-ups. He also would give us time to be quiet and spend time praying to God, making sure everything was right spiritually. He let us know on numerous occasions that God and our testimony were much more important than winning, even though he didn’t like to lose.
Donny Varney is also the youth pastor at Cross Lanes Bible Church where I attend Wednesday night youth. He has talked to me and spent many hours asking how my life is and if I need any help. He spends time with everyone the same way. He doesn’t pick favorites and he has never met a stranger. Whether it is asking a cashier to come to a church dinner, or asking teenagers from the local public middle school to come to our youth group. Donny invites everyone to his house many times throughout the year, always making sure there isn’t a moment that is dull. He has the perfect balance between fun and devotion time for teenagers. This is probably why he is such a great testimony and witness.
He is the main reason I went to go look at Cedarville. He drove a bus hours away with just me and his family to see a college. There was originally suppose to be a whole college tour of 3 colleges, but we just went to Cedarville. I was the only one who had convenience at that time to make the tour. He stayed up there with me for a day, spending the night there and visiting the campus with me. Making sure all my questions got answered, making sure I saw everything, making sure I was taken care of. He took a chunk of a weekend out of his life to help make sure my life changing decisions were what felt best for me. I have trouble coming up with a way to express everything he has done.
I have participated in so many activities that he has planned over the past two years; trips to Cedar Point, winter retreats, soccer camps, group marathons, and anything else he could to reach out to the youth. He always finds a way to talk to me about God and teach me the Scripture. He always will find a way to have one-on-one time and make it personal rather than unimportant. I have never turned down a youth event that he has planned and I have been invited to, unless I can’t make it off work or I have something extremely important in my life. I love spending time with him and his family who are so enjoyable to be around.
He is always a coach and a youth pastor; but to me he is also a teacher, an example, and an influence. He presents me with so many opportunities to have Christian fun and enjoy what God has blessed me with. He is one of the main reasons that I want to be a youth pastor. He has influenced my life in such a huge way that I could never repay him. So many things in my life could have been different if he didn’t dedicate and spend countless hours on me. He always made sure I had an alternative Christian activity with Christian people instead of some worldly waste of time. I can only hope to do the same thing he did and affect the lives of other teens in the future. I will never forget his influence in my life and he is my greatest spiritual mentor and Godly example.
Now I promise you that the reason I share this is not for any personal accolade. This essay is a tribute to God’s grace. Every last bit of it. For the Christian to think any other way would be to totally miss it. This teenager may have mentioned my name several times in this essay, but it really had nothing to do with me and it had everything to do with what God was doing. It’s just like the lyrics to the song “Grace Alone”.
Every promise we can make
Every prayer and step of faith
Every difference we can make
Is only by His grace
Every mountain we will climb
Every ray of hope we shine
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace
Every soul we long to reach
Every heart we hope to teach
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace
Every loving word we say
Every tear we wipe away
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace
Grace alone Which God supplies
Strength unknown He will provide
Christ in us, our cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone.
Here in Genesis 6:8-9 we read about one of the greatest stories of grace ever told. Here’s the passage: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” This message is the third of a 4-part series from Genesis 6. I’ve entitled this message “Sanctified Noah”. There are 4 points to this message: Graciousness (Made), Righteousness (Obeyed), Blamelessness (Didn’t Fade) and Faithfulness (Stayed).
I. Graciousness (verse 8)
(MADE)
God’s grace is what made Noah who he was. God is the originator. God is the creator. God is the completer of grace. Noah did not do anything to earn this grace. He was a depraved sinner like any other human on the earth prior to the flood, yet Noah found God’s grace. That is what makes grace so amazing.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says it about as good as any other verse you’ll find, “For by grace are you saved through faith; not of yourselves, lest anyone should boast.” That passage reveals one definite channel to how one receives grace. FAITH. This was true of Noah. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Let’s now turn our attention to verse 9 which gives us a little more insight to the character of Noah.
II. Righteousness (verse 9)
(Obeyed)
Besides God’s obvious work of grace in Noah’s life, the thing that put Noah in the category of being “righteous” is the simple fact that he obeyed God. This may seem like a pretty simple thing to do, but God probably has never asked you to do what He asked Noah to do. I can’t imagine what was going through Noah’s mind when God was telling him about this flood that was coming. It is likely that Noah had never seen rain.
Hebrews 11:7 (a verse I just quoted) says Noah was warned by God about things not yet seen. This would be like God telling someone today to build an enormous fireproof building because 50 years from now God is going to scorch the earth and only those inside the fireproof building will be saved. It would be easy for that person to question God simply because up to this point in history we haven’t exactly seen fire come down from heaven in such a way that the earth as we know it is burnt to a crisp.
Sometimes obeying God requires quite a bit of sacrifice. I can’t think of anything I struggle sacrificing (just being transparent) more than my time. Yet God asks us to sacrifice our time in given situations, and what He expects is simple obedience. That’s what God got with Noah. Simple obedience. 120 years of simple obedience. At least on paper it seems simple, but I can imagine there were some pretty difficult days for Noah during that 120 years.
It’s hard to comprehend just how much sacrifice this took on Noah’s part, but I think it is safe to assume that Noah didn’t look at it as sacrifice. He had faith in God. He knew God meant business. He believed with every fiber in his body that in 120 years the world was going to get washed up. When you really believe something it serves as authentic motivation to do whatever it takes. And that’s what Noah did.
II Peter 2:5 says Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Because Noah had full faith that what God told him was going to happen, he had no problem day in and day out preaching righteousness to the people. Reflecting on the obedience of Noah should cause us all to examine our own life as we live each day. Are we doing “whatever it takes” (humanly speaking) to share with others what God has revealed to us like Noah did in his day?
III. Blamelessness (verse 9)
(Didn’t Fade)
Noah was blameless in his time. What that simply means is that in a time period where essentially every other human on the globe was wicked … Noah was blameless. He stood out in the crowd. He had found favor with God. He was full of faith. In the midst of a crooked, corrupt, sin-filled world, Noah didn’t weaken or fade in his walk with God. He stood out and was different. During a time in history where nearly everyone around him was rejecting God … Noah was blameless.
Being “blameless” isn’t some sort of achievement or status that one acquires. Blamelessness comes from deciding each and every day what you are going to live for. I once heard Dr. Les Ollila, chancellor of Northland International University, make a statement that to this day I have not forgotten. He said, “You are becoming what you will be ten years from now one choice at a time”. That is the truth.
It doesn’t matter what generation you are living in… it is a corrupt generation. The generation in Noah’s day was corrupt and wicked. Philippians 2:15 gives us insight into what it was like in the apostle Paul’s day. “That you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” And I think it’s safe to say that the generation we are living in isn’t any better. Oh, that God would look on us and consider us blameless in our time.
IV. Faithfulness (verse 9)
(Stayed)
Yes, Noah had faith in God. Yes, Noah obeyed God. Yes, Noah was blameless in his day. But this last point really drives home the character of Noah. He walked with God. The concept of walking with God clearly portrays the faithfulness of Noah. I can’t think of anything more rewarding than to know at the end of my life I was found faithful by God. In an address to ministers, Fred Craddock gives some practical implications of what faithfulness is really all about:
To give my life for Christ appears glorious. To pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom -- I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table-- 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.' But the reality for most of us is that He sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, 'Get lost.' Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.
Here is one more illustration that may encourage some of us who are faithfully pouring ourselves out to someone without seeing any “results”.
Norman Geisler, as a child, went to a DVBS because he was invited by some neighbor children. He went back to the same church for Sunday School classes for 400 Sundays. Each week he was faithfully picked up by a bus driver. Week after week he attended church, but never made a commitment to Christ. Finally, during his senior year in High School, after being picked up for church over 400 times, he did commit his life to Christ. What if that bus driver had given up on Geisler at 395? What if the bus driver had said, "This kid is going nowhere spiritually, why waste any more time on him?"
I Corinthians 4:1-5 is perhaps the best passage in the New Testament on the topic of faithfulness. “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.”
The truth about faithfulness is this: We are not the judge of our faithfulness to God and neither are our closest friends, family or spouse. The Lord is the one who will bring to light all the things hidden in the darkness. But (and here’s the key) we must wait. Faithfulness is not measured over a couple weeks or a couple years. It’s how we live our lives. Oh, that God would find us faithful!
Conclusion:
Even though as you read this passage you see the words Noah, Noah, Noah, Noah… I hope we all come away realizing this message is really all about God. As James 1:17 says, “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
We must have the faith to believe God and take Him at His Word just like Noah did, but ultimately it is God who is sanctifying us and conforming us to His image from one level of glory to the next. Praise God for His faithfulness as we can assure ourselves that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.
Genesis 6:11-22 By Donny Varney “Sentenced World”
Proposition: Man’s problem with sin has never been without God’s provision of salvation.
Introduction:
We now come to one of the most familiar stories in the entire Bible. Just about everyone (believers and non-believers) to one extent or another have heard about Noah’s ark. If you grew up going to church than it is likely that you were told this story several times at a very young age. I confess to you that I probably heard this story no less than thirty times before I reached junior high school. But let me confess something else … as I have studied this passage in recent days I have come to realize that there is a whole lot more to this story than what is typically taught in your average Sunday school class.
The title of this fourth and final message in my 4-part series is entitled “Sentenced World”. That is exactly what is taking place here in the latter half of Genesis 6. The world is being sentenced and the verdict has come in … guilty! The world is about to receive the death sentence, but the method of punishment is like never before - - death by flood.
Let’s take a look at Genesis 6:11-22 to get the full story. “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. "And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. "You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. "And behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark-- you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you. "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. "Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind shall come to you to keep them alive. "And as for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them." Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”
There are 6 points to this message. We are going to take a look at the Problem (God’s tolerance was breaking), the Provision (an ark for the making), the Protocol (directions for the taking), the Pronouncement (a flood with no faking), the Promise (a future with no forsaking) and the Process (a faith with no shaking). Let’s start with the problem.
I. The Problem (verses 11-13)
(God’s tolerance was breaking)
One of the greatest truths we should all come away with when we hear the account of Noah and the flood is the truth of God’s patience. God’s longsuffering with the wickedness of man had finally come to an end. And yet even when God had reached his “breaking point” He gives man another 120 years.
Now we have already spent an entire message dealing with the inconceivable wickedness of mankind. However, there is a difference here in verses 11-13 compared to verse 7. This time God is not talking to Himself. He is talking directly to Noah. He tells Noah that He has had enough. He had tolerated man’s corruption as long as His Divine righteousness would allow. As my first point states … this is a real problem. Man is going to have to answer for their sin and the price tag is high, yet God in his mercy provides a way of escape.
II. The Provision (verse 14)
(An ark for the making)
This is where the story gets good. God has just opened up to Noah and told him about what’s going on in the world. God has just unloaded some worldwide truths about the heart condition of all mankind. And now God tells Noah that He wants him to get involved in this worldwide situation at hand. He tells Noah to build a gigantic wooden box. It is worth noting that up to this point God has still not told Noah how He is planning on destroying planet earth. He just tells him to build an ark. John MacArthur gives a little insight into what exactly it was that God was telling Noah to make:
“Now you need to understand the word arc. It's the word tebahin in the Hebrew. It means a box. Make a big box. Noah knew what a boat was - boats have always been built similarly; they have sloped sides and a curved bottom. That's not what God told him to build. He said build a box. Just a big rectangular, wooden box. A chest might be another way to view it. Not shaped like a boat; not shaped like a ship. It wasn't designed to sail and it wasn't designed to be propelled. It didn't need to have a thinned bow to cut through the water when it was being propelled by oars as they were in ancient times or propelled by the wind in the sail because it wasn't going to be propelled. It was a cruise to nowhere. There wasn't anywhere to go. It was only designed to float. There were no oars, there were no sails, there was no pilot, there was no captain, there was no steering wheel, there was no rudder, there was no navigator. It was just a box.”
I am sure Noah had a few questions running around in his head at this time, but he probably knew better than to ask. God helps Noah out initially by answering some preliminary questions that may have entered Noah’s mind. God tells him “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch”. The word “pitch” would be the equivalent of some sort of substance to caulk the ark with. This would be necessary to prevent any kind of leaking once the rain came.
After telling Noah what he was to make, God gets into the details of exactly how he wants this ark to be made. This is what I’m calling “The Protocol”.
III. The Protocol (verses 15-16)
(Directions for the taking)
“And this is how you shall make it.” With those words God began to delineate exact directions for how to build this ark. Most English versions will read the dimensions in cubits, but that is not the system of measurement we are familiar with today. We measure things in feet and inches. So how big was this ark that Noah was to make? Well, when you do the conversion (1 cubit equaling 18 inches) it comes to 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. That is a massive boat!
But there are more features to this huge rectangular wooden box than just its enormous size. There was to be a window. The way it is described in verse 16 makes it seem as if there would be 18 inches of air between the window and the assumed roof at the very top of the ark. This would have been absolutely necessary for ventilation considering all the animals on board. Another feature of the ark is that it was to have 3 decks. Each deck probably had several rooms (mentioned in verse 14).
I don’t know anything about designing boats. I am not an engineer or into construction on any level, but from everything I’ve studied about this ark it seems clear that the directions God gave to Noah were about as perfect as you could get for the purpose it was going to be used for. I guess this should come as no surprise to the Christian, but this should also serve as just another piece of evidence to the integrity of Scripture. How could a “forger” make up the dimensions it would take to build just the right size ark? He couldn’t. It is interesting to note that not until the 1800’s was a boat constructed that matched the size of the ark. So the point made here is that when this book was written no one would have known what dimensions would work for the task at hand … except God.
IV. The Pronouncement (verse 17)
(A flood with no faking)
Finally, we come to the part where God lets Noah in on why it is going to be necessary to build an ark. I am sure this had to have been a sobering moment for Noah as he listened to Almighty God declare, “I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish”. My first thoughts would be to my own family and close friends. How can I relate this to them? How will they ever believe me? I am sure Noah had similar thoughts race through his head as he heard God’s words, “everything that is on the earth shall perish”. John Piper wrote a poem that, I think, beautifully tells the story of what it may have been like for Noah during those moments and then afterwards.
Old Noah stroked his beard and sat
Among his sons like stone. "What's that?"
They asked. "There in your lap, the bark."
But Noah let the evening dark
Grow thick before he said a word.
"How can I speak what I have heard!"
He thought, and looked at Ham and Shem
And Japheth. How he cherished them!
"Will they believe? Or will they say
That I am old and speak the way
My father, Lamech, did before
He died. I pray they not ignore
Their aged father now, for I
Speak words by which they live or die."
Then softly in the dark, "An ark,"
He said, "I've drawn it on the bark,
One hundred fifty paces long
And fifty cubits wide, built strong
With gopher wood, and over all
The pitch, and thirty cubits tall."
He paused as tears rolled down his beard,
"It is, my sons, as I have feared:
The patience of Almighty God
Is ended, and the awful rod
Will break itself in wrath across
Our land. O my sons, the loss!
The loss that comes with unbelief!
Doubt not, my sons. Your father's grief
Is deep as Sheol for the land
And people like the ocean sand."
He broke off, weeping at the thought.
He did not shed his tears for naught
Because: where arguments may fail
To win, the tears of love prevail.
Shem, Ham and Japheth had been stirred,
And all three sons believed his word.
The building . . . then the endless rain:
Relentless, raging tears, to drain
The eyes of heaven's justice dry.
And then the smile of cloudless sky.
The sudden thud of Ararat
And eight thin voices shout, "What's that?"
A circling dove returns no more,
And Noah passes through the door
Into a silent, lifeless world
Where wrath had done its work and swirled
Its victims to the distant sea.
Now, father Noah, what will be?
Then slowly with arthritic hands
The old man gathers stone and stands
The heavy pieces face to face,
And trembling builds a holy place,
And offers sheep and pigeons there
To worship God with fire and prayer.
Truly, God was not faking when He pronounced the coming flood. Sadly, in the end, only 8 believed Him.
V. The Promise (verses 18-21)
(A future with no forsaking)
Once again in this incredible story of Noah and the flood we see God extending His grace and mercy … not just to Noah, but to his whole family and to anyone that would believe. We see here the word “covenant” mentioned for the first time in the Bible. And what is this covenant that God is going to make with Noah? He and his family are going to have a future (as my point suggests). The rest of the world is going to perish, but Noah’s family is going to have a future.
God gives the details of the covenant in Genesis 9:8-17. “Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, "Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. "And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. "And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.”When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."
This is a remarkable promise that God made to Noah. I’m sure this must have been especially sweet for Noah to hear these words from God knowing full well that God was going to keep His promise. I mean, if there is anyone at any point in human history that would have had unusually strong faith in God it would have had to have been Noah. This guy had just gotten off the ark after being an eye witness to God following through on exactly what He said was going to do. Noah had faith before the flood, but I can only imagine how much faith (humanly speaking) he must have had after the flood. And to this day we are all able to look out at the sky on a sunny day when it begins to rain and see firsthand the symbol of promise that was made to Noah that day through the beauty of a rainbow.
VI. The Process (verses 22) (A faith with no shaking)
Genesis 6 concludes with Noah’s response to all that God told him. It simply reads, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did”. I’m calling this verse “a faith with no shaking”. What I mean by that is this: Noah listened to God. Noah believed God. Noah obeyed God. We don’t see Noah asking God a bunch of questions. We don’t see Noah making a plea bargain with God. We don’t see Noah making any appeals to God to reconsider. We don’t see Noah telling God that he is inadequate to fulfill the task at hand (though I’m sure he felt that way). Noah simply did it. It reminds of Nike’s slogan “Just Do It”. Nike would do well to have Noah be one of their key spokesmen. Even though Noah is now dead, his inspiring story has been preserved for all to read.
I chose the word “process” because that is what faith is all about. Sometimes, I think, Christians tend to view faith as a momentary thing. For example, “we are told to have faith that God will provide for this or to have faith that God will protect us from that”. These faith moments aren’t what true faith is. I believe faith to be more of a progression as we go through an experience and see God’s hand in it from start to finish. Often times, faith requires much more than initial trust in God. It requires us to step out and actively do something that we wouldn’t normally do. The action on our part may affect our entire day. It may affect us for a year. In Noah’s case … it affected him for 120 years.
Oh, may it be said of us, “Thus ________ did; according to all that God had commanded __________, so he did. God may not speak to us quite like He did to Noah, but God still speaks through His Word and through the guidance of His Holy Spirit. We just need to be sensitive to God’s leading in our lives and obey His will even when the task seems overwhelming.
Conclusion:
There are so many lessons to be learned from Genesis 6. This chapter is a wonderful piece of Scripture that tells the same story that the rest of God’s Word tells:
Man is sinful. God is Holy. God must judge. God is patient. During His patience He is calling sinners to repentance. Man must humble himself. God gives grace. God gets the glory.
That is the story of Genesis 6. Whether you are a believer or not, the question I have for you is the same: Are you taking God’s patience for granted? For me, personally, as I have studied Genesis 6, I’ve come to one main conclusion. God’s patience is amazing! But, it does eventually run out. I think many people live their lives with the feeling that God either doesn’t exist or He at least doesn’t care. And they feel this way simply because they do not see God’s holy judgment come down on people. These people who feel this way are forgetting one thing: God’s amazing patience.
Next time you start to feel like God isn’t on the throne just remember the horrific flood. The people of Noah’s day took God’s patience for granted and it cost them their life, but it took 120 years before the judgment finally came down. Perhaps, you will never see God’s judgment “rain down” on you…at least in this life. I would challenge you to remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 24.
“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexander, T. Desmond. From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch. 2nd ed.
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.
Brickner, David. Christ in the Feasts and Tabernacles. Chicago: Moody Press, 2006.
Howard, Kevin and Marvin Rosenthal. The Feasts of the Lord. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997.
MacArthur, John. “Demonic Invasion.” Grace to You. 7 January 2001. <http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-254_Demonic-
Invasion>
______. “Noah’s Ark of Faith.” Grace to You. 29 January 2001.
<http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-257_Noahs-Ark-of-Faith>
Piper, John. “Noah.” Desiring God. 27 November 1983.
<http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Poems/ByTitle/1343_Noah>
Ross, Allen P. Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1997.
Wolf, Herbert. An Introduction to the Old Testament Pentateuch. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991.