Our Sins (Genesis 6:5-8)
I attended International Bible College with the goal of being a foreign missionary, and a classmate—a native of the country in which I planned to preach—and I decided to work together after graduation. He and I grew extremely close as we prepared to enter a foreign land. I, for many reasons, stayed in the States, but my friend went back home and established a congregation.
Ten years later, I received the shock of a lifetime. My friend had left his godly wife for another woman. When he left the church he had established, my friend helped himself to the church’s funds and accumulated a nice nest egg for himself.
Have the sins of others shocked you? Have any of you ever been devastated by a spouse’s sin? Were any of you shocked by one of your children’s sin? Were you disappointed by a neighbor’s sin? How many of you have been floored by the sin of a preacher or an elder?
God has also been devastated by sin. As Yahweh looked upon the earth, he saw great wickedness, and his heart hurt; therefore, he sent a flood to destroy the earth. Learn this lesson: “Our sins warrant punishment, for our sins wound God.”
Scripture (Genesis 6:5-8)
verse 5:
God saw that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” After the Lord created man, he looked upon creation and saw that “it was very good” (Gen 1:31); now, God saw man’s wickedness. Man may attempt to hide sin from God, but God sees your sin.
God saw “that every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually.” Even noting the hyperbole, notice that sin begins in man’s heart.
verse 6:
God regretted that he had made man on the earth. The Hebrew word translated “regret” can refer to consoling oneself. That makes sense, for man’s sins grieved God’s heart.
verse 7:
Because man’s sin hurt God’s heart, the Lord announced that he would destroy man and all animals from the earth.
Application
“Our sins warrant punishment, for our sins wound God.” God rightfully punished man’s sin with the Deluge, for sin merits judgment. “Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD” (1 Chr 10:13). At the conclusion of a chapter where he listed multiple sins, Paul wrote, “God’s righteous decree [is] that those who practice such things deserve to die” (Rom 1:32). “What fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death” (Rom 6:21).
Because your sins hurt God’s heart and because your sins deserve punishment, how should you live?
One: You must Study.
You must Study what sin is. How else could you ever know how to live? Before the Flood, God didn’t have a written covenant, but he communicated directly with the heads of families. With the evil before the Flood, you wonder how many folks listened to God.
You, on the other hand, must listen to God and understand sin. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). Scripture confronts people with their sin, corrects their sin, and trains people to stay away from sin. Therefore, Study Scripture to understand sin.
Would it not be shameful to end up in an eternal hell because you never bothered to Study and understand sin? Would it not be shameful to break God’s heart into pieces because you never bothered to Study and understand sin? Study and understand sin!
Two: You must Secure.
You must Secure your heart from sin. What if those in Noah’s day had secured their heart from sin? Would God have even destroyed the world with water?
To keep from warranting judgment because you’re wounding God, you must Secure your heart. All sin flows from your heart: Mark 7:21-23. Therefore, Secure your heart: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23).
How well do you Secure your heart? Are you cautious about what friends you have? Are you cautious about what television programs you watch or what books you read? How do you handle temptation? How often do you center your heart on God by praying? How Secure is your heart?
Three: You must feel Sorrow.
Sorrow filled God’s heart at sin. How much Sorrow fills your own heart because of your sin?
How can you not feel Sorrow because of sin? When you realize how much God loves you, how can you not feel great Sorrow because of sin? When you realize how much your sin hurts God, how can you not feel Sorrow for sin? When you look at the perfect Son of God bearing your sins in great agony, how can you not feel great Sorrow for sin?
You must feel Sorrow for sin so that you may properly turn from sin: “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. . . . For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Cor 7:9-10). Do you need to turn your Sorrow into repentance this morning?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.