Making Sense of the Flood

Goal:

To making sense of the flood account in Genesis,
see how it connects with Jesus,
and how it still speaks to us today.

Making Sense of the Flood

1. The Story from Fall to Flood and the Strange Climax of Evil
2. The Flood Event
3. Where was Jesus?

1. Story from Fall to Flood

• Cain kills his brother —the first murder
• Cain has descents and sin increases
• one of them, Lamech, takes two wives
  • the first time we have heard of this
• He kills a man for bruising him
• Then writes a song about it which he sings to his wives,
  boasting how he is more than 10 times as evil as Cain.

Genesis 6:1–8 - The Strange Climax of Evil

1. When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2. the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
3. So the LORD said, “My spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.”
4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.

Genesis 6:1–8 - The Strange Climax of Evil

5. But the LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.
6. The LORD was grieved that he had made humankind on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
7. So the LORD said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”
8. But Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD.

Three hard Biblical questions

1. What was the problem that made the Flood necessary?
   • What had gone so wrong?
   • And why did God not prevent it from happening?
2. How did the Flood address the problem?
   • Did the animals need to die as well?
3. Was it solved afterwards?

Nearly Every Culture has a Tradition of a Flood

• Evidence from 200+ flood stories:
  Why Does Nearly Every Culture Have a Tradition of a Flood?

Three hard historical questions

1. Does universal flood mean global flood?
   • Does the Bible Say Noah’s Flood Was Global or Universal? reasons.org (Reasons to Believe)
2. Date? —what about the list of numbers of years?
3. If not global, why animals?

3. Where was Jesus?

A. This was about the battle between Satan and the promise descendents of Eve

• Satan launched a massive attack on God’s promise for humanity
• God did something completely unexpected, he “pressed the reset button”
• This cleared the path for the line of Jesus

B. The Ark was a “type” of Jesus

• The Flood was a picture of the final judgement
• Jesus is the ark that takes us through the storm
• Noah preached for 40 years
• The gospel was “There is a flood coming, but you can be safe in the ark”
• You have absolutely nothing to fear if you are in Jesus!

Matthew 24

35. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36. “But as for that day and hour no one knows it — not even the angels in heaven — except the Father alone.
37. For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.
38. For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.
39. And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.

1 Peter 3

• Baptism is a picture of being joined with Jesus in his death and resurrection

20. …long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
    In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
21. and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also
    —not the removal of dirt from the body but the answer of a good conscience toward God.
    It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Safe in the Storm!

• You can be 100% save in the wildest storm if you are trusting in Jesus
• How can harm possibly come to you?
• He will land you safe the other side
• Just like the disciples in the boat in the storm