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[0:00] Let's turn in our Bibles to the chapter of God's Word which we read in the book of Genesis chapter 6.

[0:11] And I would like to read again verses 5 to 8. Concentrating probably on verse 8. The book of Genesis chapter 6 at verse 5.

[0:25] The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. And that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

[0:43] And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth. And it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land.

[1:02] Man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heaven. For I am sorry that I have made them.

[1:12] But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.

[1:30] It has been said that the word but is one of the most important words in the whole of the Bible. You know that famous statement in Ephesians.

[1:44] We were all children. We were all by nature children of wrath. Just as others.

[1:55] But God who is rich in mercy. We read again concerning the disobedience.

[2:06] May they stumble being disobedient to the word. But you are a chosen generation. A royal priesthood.

[2:18] A holy nation. A special people. How important. How important. That word. But. Is. And here we have.

[2:31] The same sort of thing. But Noah. Having read of the. Decadacy. The serious plight of the whole world. We still find it right. But. Noah.

[2:43] Found. Favour. In the eyes of the Lord. We find ourselves saying from time to time. Don't we. You can't possibly live a holy life.

[2:58] In today's world. Evil and wickedness is so rampant. How is it possible to live a holy life in today's world?

[3:12] But if men were always wicked. God. Was always gracious. And that's what we learn.

[3:24] From the passage. That is before us. Men were always wicked. But God. Was always gracious. As we concentrate on Noah.

[3:37] Finding favour. In the eyes of the Lord. Well first of all. Look at the background. Look at. Look at the world.

[3:47] In which he lived. Look at the awful indictment. Of verse 5. The Lord saw. That the wickedness of man.

[4:00] Was great. In the earth. And that. Listen to this. Indictment. Every. Intention. Of the thoughts. Of the thoughts. Of his heart.

[4:12] Of his heart. Was only. Evil. Continually. That. Is some. Indictment. Against.

[4:22] The human race. Isn't it? The whole race. Of human beings. Every. Intention. Of the thoughts.

[4:34] Of the heart. It's not just the odd thing. Breaking out. Every. Intention. Of the thoughts.

[4:46] Of the heart. Only. Evil. Evil. Continually. Think of that. Only. Evil. Continually.

[4:57] Do you think. You're not a bad person. Well. Not in relation. To others. What. Does. God.

[5:08] See. The Lord. Saw. It's how. The Lord. Sees. That's. What's. So. Important. Not. What's. Your opinion.

[5:19] Not. What's. My opinion. Not. What's. The church's. Opinion. What is. God's. Opinion. What is. God. Think of us.

[5:31] Every. Intention. Of the thoughts. Of the heart. Only. Evil. Continually. You could have a sermon.

[5:43] On every one of these words. This is the nature. Noah. Was born with. And it's the nature.

[5:54] I was born with. And it's the nature. You. Were born with. What. An. Indictment. Against us.

[6:06] It's got this statement. In verse five. And just. Just two pages back. Maybe. In some of your brothers. It might only be one page back.

[6:17] You read. That man. Was. Mankind. Was made. In the image. Of God. And now. God.

[6:28] Is sorry. He made. Man. He depraved himself. So. Seriously. There's the awful.

[6:39] Indictment. Of verse five. As we look at the background. But there's also. The terrible. Condition. In. In. Of society. Verse eleven.

[6:50] Now the earth. Was corrupt. In. God's. Sight. There we have it again. God's eyes. In. God's sight. The earth. Was corrupt.

[7:01] In God's sight. And the earth. Was filled. With. Violence. That's the ethos. That's the background. To Noah.

[7:13] Finding. Favor. With God. These people. The earth. They sinned. Openly. One.

[7:26] Thing. To sin. In secret. But society. Then. Sinned. Openly. Not only. Did they sin.

[7:36] Openly. But they sinned. Openly. Shamelessly. They were not ashamed. Of it. They weren't embarrassed. They had this.

[7:48] Despicable. Lifestyle. They weren't. Ashamed. Not even. Ashamed. They sinned.

[7:58] Openly. They sinned. Shamelessly. They sinned. They sinned. Resolutely. They sinned. Boldly. Without fear.

[8:10] That's the kind of age it was. That's the type of society it was. Bold. Shameless. Resolute.

[8:21] Don't you dare say we're doing wrong. The nature. Of their sin. Well. We read it there. Violent.

[8:34] Crime. Depravity. Corruption. Verse 13. And God said to know. I have determined to make an end of all flesh.

[8:47] For the earth is filled with violence through them. Because behold. I will destroy them with the earth.

[9:02] And perhaps even worse of all. Their situation. Their sin. Their sin. They were rapidly escalating in wickedness.

[9:19] You know. Sin never stands alone. It's like a fire. Seeking more to burn. It's like. It's like trying to keep water in a wooden box.

[9:32] It seeps out of the joints. Always seeking to go further. The Bible tells us. That is the way. We are now.

[9:43] By nature. Coming out of the womb. That's. The type. Of hearts. We all. Are born with. There was no different.

[9:54] No different. In Noah's. Age. And we read elsewhere. That Noah. Alone. Alone. Was the only one.

[10:06] Who. Walked before. God. But there's also. The. Frightening. Pronouncement. Of judgment. In verse 7.

[10:17] So the Lord said. I will blot out. Man. Whom I have created. From the face of the earth. Man. And animals. And creeping things.

[10:29] And birds. Of the heavens. For I am sorry. That I. Have made them. The behavior. Of the human race.

[10:40] Caused. God. Sorrow. Grief. And regret. And regret. Can we say. For the first time. For the first time.

[10:53] God. Sad. Grieved. Distressed. For.

[11:03] Fifteen. Hundred. Years. Approximately. Those who study. These things. Tell us. That's roughly. What it was. God. Was. Long. Suffering. But you know.

[11:15] We must not. Confuse. Long. Suffering. For. All. Suffering. God. Can. Be. Provoked.

[11:26] To. Anger. Verse. Seven. Which we've. Just read.

[11:36] The Lord. Said. I'll blot out. Man. Whom I've. Created. From the face. Of the land. Man. And animals. And creeping. Things. And birds. Of the heavens. Did you note. Did you note.

[11:48] What was to be. Blotted out. As well. As humankind. Humankind. Brought the curse. Into the universe. But it affected. The animals. It affected.

[11:59] The birds. Of the air. Creeping. Things. Suffer. Because of. Mankind. Humankind. Sin. C.H.

[12:13] Spurgeon. Said. No wonder. The lion. Barks. When he sees. A human being. Sorry. No wonder. The lion roars. When he sees.

[12:23] A human being. Yea. He says. No wonder. The dog. Barks. When he sees. Human beings. We've made them. Suffer.

[12:34] Our sin. Our disobedience. To our maker. Affected. The animals. As well. As the creation. That's the context.

[12:47] Then. To our verse. But. Noah. Noah. Noah. Found. Favor. In the eyes. Of the Lord. But.

[12:59] Now. Larabos. A fearful indictment. And the terrible condition. And the frightening pronouncement. Of judgment. But you know. God never. Brings. Judgment. Without.

[13:11] Three things. And they all begin. With the letter. W. God. God. Will. Sometimes. Be provoked. To bring judgment.

[13:23] But God. Never. Brings judgment. Without first. Warning. He warns. He will. Bring judgment. The second W.

[13:37] Is this. As well. As warning. God. Waits. He. Seldom. Instantly.

[13:49] Brings. The judgment. He may. Instantly. Pronounce. Judgment. But he waits. He waits. To see. If man. Will. Change. His mind.

[14:00] If man. Will. Change. His way. He waits. To see. If any. Will. Repent. If any. Will. Turn. And. Seek. God. It's God's way.

[14:11] To warn. First. Then. To wait. But there's a third double. God. Never. Judges. Without.

[14:22] Weeping. We have it here. I'm sorry. I'm broken hearted. But he's holy.

[14:33] And he must. Keep. His word. He must. He can't break his word. He has promised. He has warned. He has waited.

[14:44] And now he's weeping. He takes no delight. In the death. Of the wicked. No delight. He does not. Enjoy it.

[14:55] But because he's holy. Because he's holy. He must. He must. He must. There's.

[15:07] There's. A hundred. To a hundred. And twenty. Years. God waited. Before. The ark. You could work it out. Reading it carefully. Took a hundred. To a hundred.

[15:18] And twenty. Years. To build. Every hammer. Every. Blow. Of the hammer. Putting these. Rough nails. In the ark. Was a warning.

[15:29] From God. There's a judgment. Coming. Well that's the context. How many people. Did Noah. Get. Into the ark.

[15:40] With him. The new testament. Calls him. A preacher. Of righteousness. How successful.

[15:50] Was he. How successful. Was he. Who did he get. To go into the ark. With him. Only. His family.

[16:01] Would you call. A minister. You say now. What kind of. Ministry. Did he have. How fruitful. Was his ministry.

[16:13] Oh. No one. No members. But his own family. Would you call him. Would you call him. God said. Faithful.

[16:23] Preacher. Of righteousness. Righteousness. Noah. Noah. Found. Grace. But. Noah. Despite.

[16:34] The decadence. Of the age. Despite. No one. Else. But himself. And his family. Noah. Found. Grace. In the eyes.

[16:45] Of the Lord. He was born. In an evil generation. With a sinful heart. Like you. Like me. Born. As it were. Under judgment.

[16:55] But he found. Favor. Or. Grace. Same word. Sometimes. Translated. Grace. Sometimes. Translated. Favor.

[17:06] He found. Grace. The idea. Is this. He was. Given. Grace. My friend. You cannot. Earn. Grace.

[17:18] You cannot. Work. For. Grace. By. Definition. Grace. Means. Undeserved. Favor. Undeserved.

[17:30] Kindness. The moment. You begin. To think. Or begin. To say. Oh. Oh. They're worth it. They deserve it. At that moment. You're talking about justice.

[17:42] If you deserve. To be forgiven. That's justice. Whatever you do. Whatever you do. Do not ask.

[17:54] God. For judgment. For justice. I cringe. When you hear. And you see. In the ten o'clock news. These court cases. And coming out. All we're asking for.

[18:04] Is justice. I cringe. When I hear that. Never ask. For justice. Before an all. Seeing God. When every. Intention.

[18:14] Of the thoughts. Of the heart. Are scrutinized. By God. Don't ask. For justice. From God. But. Oh.

[18:25] Whatever you do. Ask. For grace. Ask. For mercy. Ask. For blessing. That's free. You don't need.

[18:35] You don't deserve it. That's the qualification. Very few of us. Believe that. The first time. We hear it. The qualification.

[18:46] For the grace of God. Is that you don't. Deserve it. You're not worthy. You shouldn't get it. That's a qualification.

[18:58] That's a definition. Of grace. God. Gives. Grace. Isn't that wonderful? The moment. God.

[19:09] Is obliged. To show that person. Mercy. It's no longer grace. It's no longer grace. If he deserves it. If God is under obligation.

[19:21] To do something. It's justice. Thanks be to God. The gospel. Is not about justice. The gospel. Is about. Undeserved.

[19:33] Mercy. Undeserved. Kindness. So if you're here tonight. And you're not a Christian. You cannot say. Oh but I don't deserve it. You jolly well don't.

[19:45] And neither do I. And neither do any of your elders. None of us deserve it. That's the qualification. You take God at his word. Now.

[19:59] Noah. Walked. With God. We read. Enoch. Walked. With God. Do you remember? You can only walk with God. By faith.

[20:12] By faith. Enoch. Walked. With God. And he was not. You can only walk. With God. By being. Obedient.

[20:23] To God. By being. I agree. In agreement. With God. And by. Trust. In God. Do we obey?

[20:36] Do we agree? Do we trust? Do we trust? Can we trust in his mercy? There's no hope. Of reaching the standard required.

[20:48] When it is for every intention. Of the thoughts. Of the heart. No hope of reaching that standard. But there is a hope of getting to heaven. Through grace.

[21:00] Through faith. By believing. Noah. Found. Favor. In the eyes.

[21:12] Of the Lord. As we've indicated already. The eyes. Of the Lord. The same. Eyes. That penetrate.

[21:22] To every intention. Of the thoughts. Of the heart. The eyes. That penetrate. Seeing your very thoughts.

[21:33] What you would do. If you would get off with it. These eyes. That's the only eyes that matter. That's the only eyes that are important. But Noah.

[21:44] Found grace. In the eyes. Of the Lord. The question is. Do we see things. The way.

[21:54] God's eyes. See. Things. For example. Do we see. His son. As God sees him.

[22:08] Have you ever explained. The gospel to someone. And you pointed out. Christ to them. His sacrifice. Just trusting. In him.

[22:19] To believe on him. And they. Reply to you. I'm looking for more than that. I need more than that. That's a rejection. Of Christ.

[22:30] That's not. Seeing Christ. The way. God. Sees. Christ. We're to. Have. Favor.

[22:41] We're to see things. The way. God. Sees. The way. God. Sees. His son. As the complete. Satisfactory. Sacrifice. For other people's.

[22:52] Sins. Do you see. Christ. The way. God. The father. Sees. Christ. The bible.

[23:04] Tells us. When we. Shall see him. In our natural condition. We see nothing. In him. And yet. He's the fairest. Among ten thousand. The altogether. Lovely one.

[23:14] God. And yet. There's no beauty in him. That we would desire him. As we see him. With our natural eyes. We need our eyes. Opened. So that.

[23:26] We can behold. The beauty of the land. The beauty of Christ. That we might see him. Do we see. God's promises. As God sees them. God makes promises.

[23:40] He said. Whoever. Whoever. Whoever. Will call. On the name. Of the Lord. Will be saved. Do you believe that?

[23:52] Really? Do you really believe it? Whoever. Will call. On the name. Of the Lord. Will be saved.

[24:04] That's God. That's the bible. And he's put it in writing. You and I. Need. To put our. See. The promises. As God sees them.

[24:16] It's his eyes. That are important. What does he see? We are immediately. To look. To Christ. And be well. Pleased.

[24:27] With Jesus. Now. How can we. Be seen. You and I. Today. In the 21st century. How can we be seen.

[24:39] Righteous. In God's eyes. Well. As we said already. Only. In Christ. Only. By. Faith. In Christ. You remember.

[24:50] Well. Hebrews chapter. 11. The word. Faith. The word. Faith. The word. The word. Faith. Is only. Twice. In the whole.

[25:01] Of the old testament. To the extent. Some people say. No. You know. You didn't. It wasn't. By faith. You got a heaven. In the old testament. Well. That's not. What. Hebrews chapter.

[25:11] 11. Tells us. It tells us. By faith. Abraham. By faith. Moses. By faith. Noah. By faith. Jacob. They did everything. By faith. If the word.

[25:22] Faith. Is only. Twice. The concept. Of faith. Pervades. The whole. Of the old testament. You remember.

[25:34] The bible. Says. There in the old testament. That wonderful. Account. Of. In exodus. When. I. See. The blood. I.

[25:45] Will. Pass. Over. You. You remember. The story. Of the exodus. They were. To slay a lamb. And take the blood. And put it. And. The brushes.

[25:56] They had. In these days. With hyssop. A bush. And they would. Sprinkle it. On the. Two side posts. And on the door. And that night. In Egypt. When the angel. Of death.

[26:06] Went through. To kill the firstborn. In every household. He would come. To a house. And he would see. The red paint. As it were. The blood. Painted. On the. On the.

[26:16] On the. Two. Side posts. On the lintel. And he would say. Well. I must pass by. I can't slay. Anyone. In this house. Isn't it interesting.

[26:30] What. What happens. If somebody. Said. Wait a minute. There's Egyptians. In that house. This curse. This judgment. On the Egyptians. An Egyptian. Has gone into that house. You better.

[26:40] You better. Deal with it. It didn't matter. It didn't matter. When I see. The blood. I will pass over you. My friend.

[26:52] It doesn't matter. Who you are. It doesn't matter. What you've done. If Christ. Is precious. To you. God says. When I see. The blood.

[27:02] Of my son. When I see. The death. Of my son. Is precious. In your eyes. I. Will pass. Over. You. No matter. What. No.

[27:15] Matter. What. And by the way. Do you know. That there were. Some Egyptians. In these houses. Do you know. That some Egyptians.

[27:26] Did come out. With the children. Of Israel. They were spared. You get that. From. Exodus. Chapter. Twelve. Verse. Thirty. Eight.

[27:37] Along with. Leviticus. Twenty. Four. Verse. Ten. A mixed. Multitude. Went up. And you see. In Leviticus. Twenty. Four. Speaking. About.

[27:47] The son. Of an Egyptian. There were. Egyptians. In these houses. And they escaped. Went with a mixed. Multitude.

[27:58] Your background. Doesn't matter. Your condition. Doesn't matter. Your age. Doesn't matter. Your sins. Doesn't matter. When. God. Sees. The blood.

[28:10] He will. Pass over you. When God. Sees. That Christ. Is precious. To you. You'll. Pass you by. The judgment. Has already.

[28:21] Been paid. In Christ. On the cross. Isn't that. Glorious. Isn't that. The gospel. Isn't that. Wonderful. Well.

[28:33] Our time's up. One last question. As it were. When do you think. All this began. How did all this.

[28:44] Begin. Well. I trace it. To the previous page. Chapter. Four. Verse. Twenty. Six. The last verse. Chapter four. To Seth.

[28:54] Also. A son. Was born. And he called. His name. Enosh. At. That. Time. At.

[29:05] That. Time. People. Began. To call. Upon the name. Of the Lord. My friend. That's how it begins.

[29:16] That's how it starts. Calling. On the name. Of the Lord. And you see. The context again. What's the context. Of chapter four.

[29:28] Lamech. Boasting. He killed a man. Boasting. He wasn't ashamed. He was proud. He was challenging God. As it were.

[29:40] Then. The authorised version has. Then. Men. Began. To call. On the name of the Lord. This version is quite accurate. At that time. At that time.

[29:53] Men were always wicked. Men were always wicked. But listen. God. Was always. Gracious. God. Was always.

[30:04] Always. Merciful. When he called his name. Enoch. At that time. Enoch. Means.

[30:15] Mortal. Man. I remember. He. Many years ago. Somebody who studied these things. And. He said. It. It. Could actually. Put down to this. That Enoch.

[30:26] Means. Incurable. When we come. To this stage. That we acknowledge. That we are. Incurable.

[30:38] We are. Sinners. And. Cannot. Cure. Ourselves. Then. We begin. To call. On the name.

[30:49] Of the Lord. And whoever. Whoever. Calls. On the name. Of the Lord. Will be saved. But.

[31:03] Noah. Found. Favor. In the eyes. Of the Lord. May God. The Holy Spirit. Make his word.

[31:15]  His truth. Effectual. To every one of us. Let's bow our heads. Let's bow our heads.