Sermon 503: What A Wonderful… & Messed Up… World (Genesis 6:1-8)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Who Are The Sons of Man (v.1-2)
A. Male angels marrying human woman and having children
B. Men in line of Seth, marrying women from line of Cain
II. A Life Span or a Warning? (v.3)
III. Who Are The Nephilim & Mighty Men of Renown? (v.4)
A. Half human, half angels
B. A group of warriors (marking time)
IV. What The Lord Saw (v.5)
V. What The Lord Will Do (v.6-7)
VI. A Great But (v.8)


Genesis 6:1-8

“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

5 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. 6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.


SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
WHAT A WONDERFUL & MESSED UP WORLD: GENESIS 6:1-8

Ice Breaker: What is closest you’ve come to experiencing the flood?

Weekly Questions

  1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

  2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

  3. How can this group pray for you this week?

This Week Specific

  1. What’s the strangest part of this passage?

  2. Apart from the obscurity of some details in verses 1-5, what do you find most disturbing about the description of human corruption in verse 5? Why? What would most disturb someone who believes human nature is essentially good?

  3. Why do you think God feels the way he does about human wickedness (v. 6)?

  4. Do you think his decision in verse 7 is justified? Why or why not?

  5. What parallels between Genesis 3 and Genesis 6 help explain how sin works?

  6. One interpretation of Genesis 6:3, that man’s days shall be 120 years, is a warning of the coming flood. What warning signs do we live with today? How do we respond to those warnings?

  7. When are you most tempted to judge God’s actions? How can you right your heart/thoughts when you do?

Sermon 502: Walking With God (Genesis 5)

THis weeks Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Prelude To Ten Generations (v.1-2)
II. And He Died, And He Died And He Died… (v.3-21)
III. And He…Didn’t Die? (v.22-24)
A. The Other Enoch
B. Walked With God
C. Enoch Didn’t Die
IV. A Different Lamech In A Different Line (v.25-31)
V. A Spark of Hope (v.32)
VI. Where Is Jesus In All of This?


Genesis 5

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.

When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.

When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.

When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.

When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.

When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genealogies: Stating Age at Fatherhood and Age at Death

Another way to look at it, light color shows when they had a child in age, the dark shows how old they were when they died.

Remember The Providence of God is Good

There is a lot of frustration in the world today. We are living in a global pandemic; a virus has caused a great deal of fear and death. The economy is simply messed up, record numbers of people are without a job, schools have been canceled, graduations won’t happen, camps and sports aren’t happening, the library is no longer part of our normal life, working from home can be taxing and overwhelming, vacations have been canceled and it all just…you know…it stinks. No one enjoys frustration, but if we believe the Scriptures, and we should, then we know this virus is not a random event and our frustrations aren’t the result of some cosmic roll of the dice….

“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.”

- Psalm 33:10 

But why? Why does God do that? Why is work harder now? Why are your summer beach plans and pool days and seemingly everything else frustrated? 

Is it judgement? I don’t know. 

Is it akin to the Tower of Babel? I don’t know. 

Is it to redirect our dependence to the Lord? I don’t know. 

I don’t know the specifics of what God is doing and neither does anyone else outside of the Trinity. 

But I do know that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

You know that too… intellectually. Now is the time to know it on a deeper level, to truly believe this truth in your heart so that you can start looking at the little details of your life, start looking for how God is working this for good. Maybe in your relationship with God, maybe in redeemed time with your children or spouse or a friend or just an evening walk in creation cause the 15 car train of Zoom meetings has passed for the day and you have no place else you have to be. Start looking. You will be surprised at what you find to be thankful for. 

Be frustrated, that’s a real emotion. But start moving beyond the frustration to see how the One who has frustrated your plans would have you flourish and glorify Him as you pick up the pieces of a frustrated life and build something new that honors the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

A few Kids Resources

Below are a few ways Laura and I have found helpful for an aspect of discipling our own kids, in this case things they can do on their own like reading the Scriptures and processing what they read.

Kids- this bible (NLT Wayfinders) has been a great translation as they learn to read the Bible independently. It has three different reading plans built in so it's easy to follow (the plans range from an overview of the whole bible to an in-depth reading)! 

This devotional (Foundations for kids) has been great for Berkley (she's 10). It has a reading for the day and then an activity. It also accounts for a wide range of ages with a longer Scripture passage reading for older kids and shorter for younger ones. 

I'm a broken record with Adventures in Odyssey, but given that all three of our very different personalitied kids love it, it's worth recommending again! It has been an awesome tool in their discipleship. They have a month long free trial right now, give it a try.

From Pastor Brian

From Pastor Brian:

I hope this finds you doing well considering the circumstances (aka a global pandemic and social distancing). 

I spent the first half of this week sick (99% sure it wasn't COVID-19), but the Lord has restored me to health and I wanted to touch base with everyone.

Here's some wisdom for your day: Time is like toilet paper-- you can't buy it (somewhere only Stucky is laughing). But it's true, time is the greatest thing you have and no matter how much money you have, you simply can't buy more. This week finds some of you extremely busy while others are wondering what to do with nothing but time.

If you are in the second category, here are a few ideas...

Connect With People 
Use Zoom, MarcoPolo, Facebook Messenger or this really cool device called a phone- it has a feature that allows you to listen and talk to just about anyone in real time! :) I challenge you to call someone in the covenant community whom you don't know well (or even someone you do) and just ask how they're doing and how you can pray for them. Then pray for them- either with them right then or later. Call family members you never talk to, old friends you intended to keep up with, your neighbor, brainstorm a little. 

Nourish Instead of Numb
Do not numb yourself with entertainment. That's not to say you can't enjoy a TV show or finally watch all three extended versions of The Lord of the Rings (Hough house plans to do this one!), but don't fill in the gaps in your schedule right now with only entertainment. Instead, use this time to nurture your soul with what it really needs: more and slower time in prayer (try writing your prayers; pray for President Trump and Governor Kelly and leaders everywhere trying to make wise decisions with limited information). Reading of the Scriptures; if you're doing our year long reading plan you're in Numbers or Deuteronomy, read ahead and make some margin for later, but don't rush. Also read something in that stack of Christian books that seems to endlessly grow taller due to lack of time to read. 

Here's a random "I'm locked in my house" Rabbit Trail of books: Laura and I are currently reading together The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, it's not the most theological book, but it goes very deep in the practical and we've really appreciated. 
I'm also reading: 
On The Road with Saint Augustine by James Smith (beautifully written) 
The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges (amazing book). 
Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor by Don Carson (eh, it's ok. Joe, that's an American "eh," not a Canadian "Ehh?" despite it being about a Canadian pastor)

And at night when my brain is shutting down I'm reading a novel titled Beyond the Broken Bay (it's about a family in Manila during WWII, so far it's good)

Laura is reading Devoted by Tim Chalies. 
Raising Grateful Kids in An Entitled World by Kristen Welch
and something about laugher that she keeps reading me funny stories from. if you want to know more you'll have to call her 785-341-4069 (see what I did there??). 

Now back on track...

Be Present
As much as we should be connecting with others, we should also be mindful to connect with those very near us. Sit down and play a game or cards with your child(ren) or spouse or whoever is blessed enough to be locked away with you.

For The Love, Avoid The News
I don't mean all the news, but in times like this we seem to want to know everything and so we go to the news constantly (and remember media corporations are CORPORATIONS- they exist for profit and bad news sells). Too often we listen to people share terrifying news on social media, we watch the panic and our hearts melt with anxiety. Listen, you are not Creator, you are the creature, you were not created to be omniscient, you cannot carry the weight and pain and worries of the world. So stop. Don't. Focus on those you know and those people down the street you could know if you weren't carrying the weight of the whole world. 

Serve Others

  • If you're not in lock down and can safely run an errand for a neighbor (particularly elderly) offer to do just that.  

  • Pray for those you're concerned about, for their safety, but even more that God might work through this for their salvation. The Gospel shines in the darkest of times. 

  • If you've got a stack of 500 rolls of toilet paper you might offer a bit to those who don't have any left. 

  • Financially, consider those you know who are hourly workers and won't be getting a paycheck as things currently stand- give what you can to someone you know in need. 


A Bit of Encouragement 
One thing that has not been changed by this virus in any country around the globe is the death toll: it remains at 100%. All will die eventually from something so we can't live well if we're living in fear of death. Even more so, those who trust in Jesus have no reason to fear death. 

I know, some of you are thinking, "It's not death I fear, it's the economy." Listen, I don’t believe we’re gonna end up in poverty as a Americans, but it would be ok if we did. What a great time this is to practice living more simply in case God ever puts us in a position where we must. Our hope is not in the economy or long life, our hope is in the Lord who laid down his life for us on the cross thus securing salvation for His children. So moment by moment, remember the Lord your God. 

Let's love God well and love all our neighbors well during this time.

Below are some resources I highly recommend...

List of New Years Reflection Questions

maxresdefault.jpg

These are from Donald Whitney

1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

11. What’s the most important decision you need to make this year?

12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what’s one way you could simplify in that area?

13. What’s the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?

14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?

15. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?

16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?

17. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?

18. What’s one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?

19. What’s one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?

20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?

21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?

22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?

23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?

24. What’s the most important trip you want to take this year?

25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?

26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?

27. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?

28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?

29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?

30. What’s the most important new item you want to buy this year?

31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

These are some additional Questions to think about

  1. What books had the greatest influence on you this past year?

  2. What was the best place you traveled to in 2018?

  3. What did you waste the most time on and how’d you best spend your time best this year?

  4. Who are you most thankful to God for putting in your life? 

  5. Have you learned anything significant either through teaching or experience this year? 

  6. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?

  7. What goals seem silly, but are still goals this year? 

  8. In what area of your life do you most need to make change or to grow in and how will you pursue it this year?

  9. In what area of life do you need more of God's wisdom?