The Devastation of Sin - The Impact of the Flood
-Introduction
-quick review of this morning's lesson - Evil, Pain and Suffering
-As a youngster, one of my all-time favorite Bible stories was the flood.
-I’m afraid that we sometimes neglect that great account as adults. We need to
remember, it’s far more than a “children’s Bible story.”
-Within the account of the flood we learn of the atrocious nature of sin, the severe
consequences of sin, the mercy of God, the deliverance of the godly, God’s power,
the importance of obedience, the necessity of following God’s patterns, etc.
-It is amazing to think of the impact, yet to this very day, of the global flood that
occurred in the days of Noah!
-Global Flood
-Let me first address the fact that the flood was indeed a global flood.
-Unfortunately, some have argued that the flood was localized or regional.
-First of all, the description of the flood very clearly indicates a global flood.
-Gen 7:20-23 and other passages
-Secondly, if the flood was localized to that particular region then God has since
violated the covenant of the rainbow many times over.
-Gen 9:8-17 - If the flood in Noah’s day was a localized flood, then God promised
that there would never be localized flooding again. Yet, we all know
that there have been many instances of severe local floods around
the world. Obviously, the flood of Noah’s day was global of which
there will never be another flood like it.
-A Changed Earth
-I cannot imagine the devastation that would have been left by the global flood! We’ve
seen the destruction of a localized flood. I can’t imagine the results of a global flood.
-Yet, perhaps there were some significant changes that we don’t always take into
consideration.
-physical changes - The pre-flood earth was different than the post-flood earth.
-Ps 104:8 (NASB) - mountains raised and valleys lowered
-life-span changes - Within the scriptures we can see a significant change in the life-
spans of the Patriarchs. What event marks the beginning of that change? the flood
-climate changes
-Evidence from within scripture and outside of scripture indicates that there was, at one
time in the past, a very different climatic environment on the earth.
-It seems that there may have been a water canopy that surrounded the earth which
resulted in that very different climate - a uniform, tropical-type climate.
-Consider the evidence from within the scriptures:
-dividing of the waters - Gen 1:6 (NIV)
-The climate Adam and Eve were in allowed them
to live comfortably without
clothing - Gen 2:25, 3:7.
-When one considers the climate within the region that once contained the Garden
of Eden, one finds a very different situation - desert with a fairly harsh climate.
-heat, sand storms, etc.
-sources of the rain - Gen 7:11-12 - What were the “windows of heaven?”
-Was rain a new concept at the time of the flood?
-Gen 2:6 - A mist watered the ground, not rain.
-A rainbow naturally forms when the sunlight mixes with drops of water in the
atmosphere. Yet, it seems to me that in Gen 9, Noah had not previously seen a
rainbow. Had God miraculously prevented it or had it not rained before?
-Gen 8:22 - When Noah and his family came off of the ark, God specifically told him
that there would be “...cold and heat, and summer and winter...” Perhaps this was
an indication of a change that was taking place. (Yet, one must realize that this
does not necessitate change due to the including of “day and night.”) Yet, the
specific reference to weather variations may be another “piece of the puzzle.”
-Consider Evidence Outside of Scripture:
-National Geographic, 1963 - “The frozen and forbidden shoreline of the South Polar
continent challenges our imagination as to its former condition. The fact that it was
once warm and humid and had abundant vegetation is shown by wide-spread
discoveries of coal and petrified wood.”
-There are vast coal beds under each of the polar caps.
-What is required to produce coal? - vegetation
-In regards to oil, think about Saudia Arabia, Iraq, Iran - desert nations. What would
have been required for the production of that oil? vegetation
-Fossils of plants such as ferns have been discovered in Antarctica along with other plants.
-Animals have been found frozen in the ice with undigested plants still present in
their stomachs. Obviously, there was a drastic change that took place suddenly.
-Summary and Invitation
-It’s interesting that natural disasters are often times referred to as “acts of God.” In
reality, they are the results of sin.
-You might be saying to yourself: “Well, this is interesting. But, what’s the point?
What’s application does this have to my life?”
-The point: the devastating results of sin
-Consider New Orleans after the hurricane, OK City several years ago after the
tornado, the current flooding in the New England area
-Rom 8:22 - Sin has greatly marred this planet. We need to realize that it will also ravage
our lives if we allow it to. Let’s never underestimate the damaging effects of sin.
-Sin devastates lives.
-Therefore, let’s follow the only path of escaping sin - obedience to God’s word.
-If you haven’t obeyed the Gospel, please do so: Believe (John 3:16, 8:24), Confess
(Matt 10:32, Rom 10:9-10), Repent (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 17:30), Be Baptized (Acts 2:38,
Mark 16:16).
-If you’ve previously obeyed the Gospel but haven’t remained faithful, don’t wander
back into sin: confess your shortcomings, repent of them and pray for God’s
forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9, Acts 8:22-24).