Tag: Genesis 6

February 1st 2026 – Tom Baker

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Genesis 6: Dark days with a bright future

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The book of Genesis is essentially a large family tree with breaks in between revealing the history of certain individuals. Genesis 5 begins with a genealogy that stems from Seth, a son of Adam, and then reaches down to Noah, the son of Lamech, so that in Genesis 6 we have the beginning of Noah’s account. We are going to look at Genesis 6 specifically and will concentrate on two features: the darkness of the days, and the bright future shown within these dark days.

But before we begin let me give you an illustration of what I think is going on here. Recently we went to the aquarium in Bristol. And among the many exhibits there were on display, I was particularly struck by the Mexican blind cave fish. It is only small and pretty drab in appearance being mainly translucent. It has no eyes, only eye sockets. It lives in the cave in darkness and has no concept of light or of colour. If you were able to talk to this Mexican blind cave fish you could not really tell them about what you know because it is all outside of their experience. To such a creature, colour and light are meaningless. The Mexican blind cave fish lives within its own dark world and speaking to it about the world outside the cave would be meaningless to it. Unless they were given eyes to see!

Now this picture is something like what we observe within society in the days of Noah. The people of that age thought they had everything they wanted. They could go after forbidden fruit with freedom. They believed themselves to be enlightened. They were thoroughly independent and indulgent. But in truth as the Lord recounts here in Genesis 6 they were in darkness, in chaos, and without God in the world. They despised God, for they ignored Him and what He had to say. He did not fit into their view of life. Now such was true also of the days of Moses, although not in exactly the same details. The mention of giants and men of renown occurs not just here but in the early history of Israel under Moses and beyond. Obviously, these are not the same groups because the flood destroyed the old world. But it is clear that the outcome or fruit of such sinful and God-hating ways is demonstrated by the giant offspring of the pairing between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2,4). Now at the time of Jesus the Lord stated clearly that when He would be about to return, the world would be in very much the same way as found in these days of Noah (Matthew 24:37,38). Nothing has changed. Mankind born in sin if left without restraint will always descend into degradation and wickedness. Modern man here in out country thinks of himself as so enlightened and free, and yet is bent on the pursuit of godless wickedness.

Clearly our passage teaches that judgment is about to come and will not delay, for the flood is coming as promised. We live after this time, after the time when the Lord promised never to flood this world again, but judgement by fire is coming as promised (2Peter 3:10f). We are in the same situation as Noah. We live in a sin-sick world bent on running away from God, and judgment is about to come.

Now the great purpose of this passage in Genesis 6 is to call people to life. That is the whole point of God’s revelation to Noah, the provision of an ark within which salvation may be secured. In the book of Genesis we see at least four origins. We see the origin of the world, the origin of man, the origin of sin, and the origin of God’s chosen people and their salvation. In short the Bible is like the story of a messed-up family. It is something like the Jeremy Kyle show where all the dirty laundry of life is aired for all to see. What is the human family like? We are all Adam’s descendants and so born in sin. And yet into this dysfunctional family is born the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. He was born without sin, of course, but he was truly flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. How wonderful that in the midst of sin and rebellion we get the promise of One who will crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15)! And so within Genesis we also see one family set aside through whom would come the promised Seed (Genesis 12:7). And out of this promise all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Scripture always guides our focus to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas man was given dominion over the earth but sinned and so earned death, which we see clearly in Genesis 5 where we read repeatedly “and he died,” the Lord Jesus – the promised Seed – has come to bring life by His death. As far as man is concerned his contribution is sin out of which flows death. After Adam and Eve sinned we not only see the promise of Genesis 3:15, but the provision by the Lord of garments (slain animals whose blood was shed) to make covering for sin. And then we read of Cain’s shedding the blood of his brother and the outcome of Cain’s descendants, the pride and wickedness of Lamech of Cain. The blood of Abel cried out from the ground against Cain but the blood of Christ speaks of  “better things” (Hebrews 12:24). The promise of hope and of light can be seen in such things as the early part of Genesis 5 where there is a recollection of creation placed there in the hope of new beginning. Then also we read of Enoch walking with God which recalls the days before Genesis 3 and the fall suggestive of the possibility of being right with the Lord. So we have here in Genesis 6 an account of the reality of sin and its dreadful effects, but also of the promise of hope and life once more. Whilst there will always be darkness, there is too the promise of light shining in that darkness, a promise of a bright future.

[1] Dark days.

            Genesis 6:5 is stark. The Lord saw that man on earth was extremely wicked. The sentences are laboured. The wickedness of mankind was “great,” all the purposes and inner thoughts of mankind’s heart was exclusively wicked (“only evil” i.e. no good), and it was so “continually.”  Now this is the first time that we read of God looking at creation since Genesis 1. In Genesis 1 we read that He “saw” and that it was “good,” and “very good.” But now here in Genesis 6:5 the Lord “saw” something very different indeed. He saw that it was deeply, desperately, depressingly evil and wicked. How so? How had this come to be?

            Well, the answer to this question is that man had rejected God and had therefore gone his own way, but the outcome of such an action is always on a downward trend or spiral. I do not want us to be distracted about whom the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” may be here. This discussion will be for another time. Whichever view you take the problem really is a spiritual one. The key point to note here is that these ‘men’ (or fallen angels or demon possessed men), “saw” the women they desired, they saw that such were desirous to them, and so they “took” of any they wanted. Such language at once reminds us of Eve’s deception by the serpent:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  (Genesis 3:6a).

Boundaries have been crossed here. Eve should not have listened to the serpent. (Adam was culpable too as he should have told his wife to come away). In Genesis 6 boundaries have been crossed. Whatever our view of these two depictions of men and women may be, there is a choice being made here which is opposite to the good and the consequences are dire. Just as Eve listened to the serpent, there is a spiritual wickedness operating in Genesis 6. These people of Noah’s day were trying to engage in the spiritual realm in wickedness. How do we know this? Well listen to the Lord’s first word to the world of that time: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Genesis 6:3). The Lord was remonstrating with mankind not to do what they were doing.

            But how did the Lord view all of this intense wickedness? In Genesis 6:6 we read that “the Lord was sorry” for having made man on earth and that “He was grieved in His heart.” The Lord who made all good was now grieving on account of man’s terrible state and condition. Do we not see the Lord Jesus expressing similar depths of emotion over sin and wickedness (Matthew 23:37)? Now it is also evident that the Lord was going to bring judgment to bear upon this wicked world. But let us remember that He does not do it as a dispassionate judge who has no personal interest in those whom He rightly judges. IS this not a warning to us? Yes we must preach that judgment is coming, but do we do so out of a deep sense of compassion for those to whom we witness? We must proclaim this grief of God over sin and evil. He is grieved so much that He sent His One and Only Son to bear the judgment! Notice too how grieved He feels about the sin and evil. The only solution is to wash it all away (Genesis 6:17). Mankind had corrupted himself to the point that the only solution was to destroy him completely. The Lord saw the depth of mankind’s corruption and evil and said ‘this cannot be.’ And so He destroyed the corruption by the waters of the flood.

            But notice too the great patience of God. He does not react to things like we do but is long suffering and patient towards mankind (2Peter 3:9). Every sin committed deserved bucket loads of the water of judgment but these have come after a long time of patient waiting for man to heed Him and turn from His wickedness.

[2] The hope and promise of a bright future in dark days.

            God shines light into the darkest places. Is this not what we see when He created the world in the first place? The darkness of initial creation (Genesis 1:2) was not evil nor chaos, but simply the starting point that God had made from which He constructed our world. He made all in the beginning but such were the raw materials (unformed and not yet filled), and then His first act was to create light. This is our God. He brings light into the darkness. And there are always two responses to that. To many the light exposes their darkness and because they love their darkness they recoil. To others the light illuminates their sight to see the truth about themselves and what the Lord is bringing and they are drawn toward it in faith. Scripture is full of this idea of two peoples and two ways. We see it in the position of the line of Cain to Lamech placed beside the line of Seth to Noah. But there are many other illustrations of this division in humanity into the righteous (who are so only by faith) and the wicked.

            Look at how the Holy Spirit puts it in our text. We read about the Lord’s intention to destroy all on account of wickedness in Genesis 6:7, and this was because He was “sorry” that He had made man. And then in Genesis 6:8 we read those wonderful words “but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Hebrews 11:7 tells us that it was “by faith” that Noah was enabled to do all that God commanded him. So Noah by faith in God and all that He had revealed received the grace of God and so he “found grace.” Grace is a gift. It is not something we earn. God is gracious. Praise His name! And Noah was enabled by faith to find this grace.

            Noah’s father, Lamech thought it might be through his son that the promised Seed would come. And so he called his son “Noah” because this name means ‘rest,’ for he hoped that “this one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Genesis 5:29). It is through the grace of God that Noah listened to what the Lord had said to the whole world (Genesis 6:3,7) and was thence “divinely warned” to seek God for more and was thence “moved with godly fear” (Hebrews 11:7).

            In Genesis 6:9 we read more about Noah. He is described as a “just man, perfect in his generations,” and he is referred to as one who “walked with God.” Noah, and Noah alone is described in such a way. Obviously as a man born of Adam Noah is so by faith as we have said. But the way in which the Holy Spirit has centred our thoughts upon this one man (who was just and blameless) serves to point us towards the truly Righteous One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Noah walked with God just as Enoch had done, but Christ was One with the Father and did all that the Father willed. And so at the end of Genesis 6 we discover that “Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22). This is set in such a way to remind us that Christ did all that the Father asked of Him so that He could cry out on the cross “it is finished” (John 17:4; 19:30). Now Noah appears in the Genesis account as a type of person that we have not been presented with before. And so in some ways he is presented to us as a new Adam, and in such a way he serves as a pointer to the true second and last Adam Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 15:45,47).

            In Genesis 6:18 we have the first mention of the word “covenant” in Scripture (although this is not the first mention of the idea of covenant which we see in Genesis 2:17). But notice also that this is God’s covenant (“My covenant”). At this point Noah is told that He will go into the ark, for this is the provision of God’s covenant. But, although his family also enter the ark and so benefit too, only Noah is described as a “just man.” We are not told about what his family believed at all. But in the account of Genesis 6 it is pointedly clear that Noah stands alone as a “just man.” In this we are pointed again to the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is righteous and by His one righteous act many are saved. Noah’s family are saved as-it-were on Noah’s coat-tails. We too hang onto Christ and are included in His sacrificial death. And so our entrance into the ark Christ by faith is only on account of the righteousness work of the Lord Jesus. Notice too that this covenant of God’s was already in existence because here we read that He will “establish it” and not ‘make it’ as in other cases (Exodus 24:8; 34:27; Deuteronomy 4:32; 5:2). This is the covenant of grace. There was nothing for Noah and his family to do except hear the Lord call them to come in. This covenant was made in eternity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in eternity determined to save a people. The Father initiated this covenant, the Son carried it out, and the Spirit applies it to those who would believe.

            The answer to the world’s corruption is complete destruction by the waters of the flood (genesis 6:17). But the answer to the coming destruction (deserved as it was) is the ark (Genesis 6:14)! The ark was a box which was much larger in length than breadth or height. Noah was given precise instructions as to its construction. They were to go into the ark, Noah, his family, and all creatures whom the Lord would call, and inside there would be safety. Outside there will be nothing but destruction, but inside all is safe. There would be trials and difficulties inside the ark, of course. They would hear the rain and feel the effects as they were jostled about, and they were inside with many animals and one another. But they were safe from the outer destruction which was borne by the ark. Note too that all of life was crammed into this giant box. The Lord said that one of the purposes of His coming was to bring life in all its abundance, and in this ark we see the presence of the abundance of life that He has made (John 10:10).

Exhortation.

            I leave you with a few words of exhortation. Judgment is surely coming. Just as in Noah’s day the wickedness of the earth could only be blotted out by the judgment of God, so too in our day when wickedness abounds and is on the increase, such is ripe for judgment by fire. If we do not see that judgment is coming we are burying our heads in the sand. I am not talking about climate change and such disasters as the world may be overly concerned about. I am talking of the heavens and the earth (the universe) being destroyed and remade into a new heavens and a new earth. This is far more serious because it involves personal judgement for sin. All will be held to account, life to those who trust in Jesus and all he has done, and eternal death to those who reject Him and all that he has done. So get into the ark, which is Christ. It might not appear that judgement is close at hand, but then the rain did not fall until Noah and his family were safely shut in the ark. The Lord has made this incredible way of getting out of the coming judgment. The Lord calls all who are weary and who are labouring under sin to come to Him to receive rest (Matthew 11:28-30). So get into the ark! Come to Christ who alone brings rest.

March 19th 2021: Adrian Brake

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Genesis 6

If someone asked you, who was Noah? What would you say? He lived long ago, he was married, had 3 sons and was a ship builder. But I want to look at the most important thing about Noah, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8). That, in a sense, is Noah in a nutshell.

That’s the first time, in Genesis 6:8, that the word grace appears in the pages of scriptures. Grace is at the very heart of the message of the Bible. Grace is woven into the very fabric of scripture. The Bible is from the beginning to the end, the story of God’s grace towards human beings. The Bible is a story; one, unified, developing, growing story of God’s grace through Jesus Christ to human beings. If you’re a Christian, if you don’t get excited about grace, you need a renewing of your heart. Every hymn is a celebration of God’s grace. Every hymn is a response for us to God’s grace. Grace is the beating heart of the church’s hymnary.

What is grace?

First of all, grace is not an object. It’s an attitude. We don’t receive grace, we are shown grace. It describes the way somebody thinks about us, the way somebody relates to us and the way that somebody acts towards us. To receive grace from God means to receive something we don’t deserve, something we have no right expect. It is something we have no claim upon.  Grace is unmerited kindness, something which hasn’t been bought, something which hasn’t been worked for but has been gladly, freely, lavishly shown. That is how God dealt with Noah.

God gave Noah something he didn’t deserve, something he wasn’t entitled to, something that if God has acted purely in justice, he would never have received. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8).

God was gracious to Noah. We forget that Noah, by nature, was no different to other people that lived. We almost think here the world was in a terrible mess, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” (Genesis 8:5) but that Noah was a shining light whom God rewarded for his inherent godliness. It’s not that at all. Noah, by nature, deserved to perish with everyone in the flood, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). There’s no exception clause for Abraham, Moses, David and others. All those great men of the Bible were not great by nature. They were sinners by choice. Noah began life in the same boat as his contemporaries. He was under God’s condemnation.

How is it that Noah ended up on the ark? God was going to save Noah, “17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”.  Genesis 6:17-18).

God marks Noah out. Why? What was there about Noah that led God to treat him in this remarkable way? Nothing! “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8). There was nothing about Noah that he could bring before God and say, ‘Lord, you can’t do that to me.’ Noah found grace. He didn’t deserve it, he wasn’t entitled to it. He hadn’t bought it, he couldn’t claim it, he hadn’t worked for it, he was simply shown it.

God shows Noah grace. Why? Because He chose to. Because God, in His heart, provided a way of escape from His judgement, a way of rescue. Noah didn’t deserve it but God choose to be gracious and merciful, generous and kind to him. It’s a wonderful act of a large heart that God has.

“Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9b). Perfect means blameless, he wasn’t guilty of great public sin. He was perfect in his generation and walked with God. Hang on! Noah was a godly man, so he did deserve a place on the ark. No. He didn’t begin like that. Noah found grace – that’s the foundation (verse 8). But in verse 9 we have the fruit of grace, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9b). Noah was what he was in verse 9 because God had first shown him grace.

God’s grace to Noah is seen in two things:

  1. Before the flood waters were ever mentioned, God was gracious to Noah and gave Noah a new heart. There became a point in Noah’s life when he became a different man. When other people were hating God, he began to love God. Once Noah had shown no interest in relating to God, now he wanted to walk with God. He reaches out to God. He looks to Him. He longs for Him. He listens and speaks to Him. He fellowships with Him. Why is he so different? “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8).

  2. God gave Noah what he didn’t deserve in the form of safety from judgement. Noah’s story was a story of receiving that to which he had no claim: a new nature and a Saviour.

We are dealing with historical facts here but what happened in those days was a warning, a warning given by God to the whole of the human race. What happened in Noah’s day was a foretaste, a glimpse of a day yet to come. The flood was an expression of God’s wrath against sin and against sinners. We see the consequences of sin, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5). The destruction that comes on the Earth is a settled, judicial response to man’s sin. “And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:13). Because of sin, God is bringing this judgement, “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.” (Genesis 6:17). It was a deliberate, decisive, purposeful act of God – judgement upon Man’s sin.

God doesn’t always act in that cataclysmic way to deal with Man’s sin, but there are occasions in scripture where He does that. Sodom and Gomorrah is an example of a dramatic way in which God pours out His wrath upon sin. Sometimes, God needs to make an example of somebody, or a generation, as a warning for others.

On occasion, God, in His grace to us, shows us what sin will bring about if it is not dealt with, not repented of. The flood was God speaking to us today saying sin is serious, it’s not to be taken lightly. Sin grieves God, “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:6). God was wounded to see His creation so reject Him. It’s almost as if He wept over Man’s rebellion against Him. It brings down God’s wrath. Paul tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

In grace, God issues warnings. The warning is that what happened in those days is a glimpse of the Day ahead, the Day of the Lord. This is the day when God’s wrath will be poured out. As sinners, we store up judgement for the day of God’s wrath. God acted in Noah’s day there and then to deal with their sins.

Generally, God holds off, He waits. He has already appointed a particular day in history, which hasn’t come yet, when He will call all men and women to account. We will have to appear before Him to answer for our rejection of Him. That day is coming. The judgement poured out on that day will make the flood waters seem like a bath, when we will be cut off from the presence of God forever. We will experience throughout eternity no trace of God’s mercy, no trace of God’s grace, no trace of God’s kindness, only his righteous wrath upon us.

That day is coming. God has appointed that day. He has appointed the judge. We are moving closer and closer to it. Through a chapter like this God, in His grace, comes to us today, comes to Roch today through you bringing the message out, saying the day is coming, flee from it.

If you are a Christian, like Noah, it’s a reminder that on that day when Christ returns, when judgement comes, you will have nothing to fear. Nothing. The flood would have been an horrific experience for the people, but Noah wouldn’t have been perturbed at all because God had already, in grace, provided a way of safety for him. The day of the Lord will be a terrifying day for those who have rejected the gracious offer of God in Jesus Christ. But the astonishing thing is that although it will be terrifying, for Christians it will not be terrifying at all. It will be a day of joy and celebration. It will be a day when we will go to be with Christ.

How will it be a very different day for you than for others? Will you not be judged because you don’t deserve to be judged because you decided to turn over a new leaf? No. You will have nothing to fear for one reason, and one reason only, because you will have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. You don’t deserve that, you have no claim to it, but that will be you experience. Because just like with Noah, God graciously provided you with a way of escape in Jesus Christ, and God graciously, by His Spirit, provided you with a new nature.

Your story here today is that you are somebody who has found grace in the eyes of the Lord. People might ask, ‘Who are you? Tell me something about yourself.’ We think about where we were born, what we do for a job, what family we have, where we live and our hobbies. But friends, surely our first response should be, ‘I am somebody who has found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ That is our story. That is who we are. Our epitaph includes our name, but it would be wonderful to have engraved, “He/She found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” What do you want people to know about you? What is your legacy? What is your testimony? It is that you found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

This is our story, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Sometimes, people tell us we need to forget the past, but sometimes, as believers, it is good to remember the past. It is good to remember where we came from, how we began. Then we marvel at where we are and who has brought us there. Paul says,”Let me remind you of how you once were, “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2). You began dead to righteousness. You were under the power of Satan, a child of disobedience. In verse 3 the great apostle Paul says he was like that. By nature, we are no different to everyone else in this world. On that last day you won’t be safe because of anything you’ve done. Christians here in Roch this morning, by nature you are no different to anyone else in this world. On that last day you will not be saved because of anything you have done.

In verse 4 Paul says, ‘But.’ Something has happened, “But God.” We are immediately taken away from ourselves. Paul begins by saying this is where you were, but something happened. God! “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” (Ephesians 2-5). ‘But’ says Paul. God, who is rich in mercy and love made us alive. He raised us from the dead. By grace you have been saved. You didn’t do anything. God, in His rich mercy and great love did something. He made us alive. He raised us from the dead.

In the ages to come God is going to showcase the exceeding riches of His grace. How? “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:7-8). How is God going to show the exceeding riches of His grace? In His kindness toward us kin Christ Jesus.

If you want to know how gracious God is, look at His church. Look at how He’s dealt with sinners. Look at the transformation He’s brought about in the life of sinners. Look at what divine grace can produce. We are trophies of grace. It is all from Him. He has lavished something on us which we don’t deserve: a new nature, a Saviour, a new life, eternity. It is all from Him. Everything you have is a gracious gift from God.

Paul reminds Titus to tell the people he is pastoring now, “To be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Paul is basically saying, ‘Don’t go round condemning people, tutting and shaking your head.’ We do that as Christians. We see the government passing a new legislation, a new law, and we see the sin there is repulsive. But let’s not go condemning people about how awful they are. Paul reminds us, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)

Paul says, ‘Here we are, the church of God, this is what we like to begin with. But there’s been a change. What have we done? Nothing.“ 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 34-7). Look at what we were. Look at what we are. What produces this astonishing change? The kindness, the grace, the love, the mercy of God toward us.

“11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 3:11-14).

There, but for the grace of God, go I. It is only the grace of God that put you in the community of the redeemed today. If you have a love for the Bible, God gave it to you. If you have a love for God, God gave it to you. If you have a hatred for sin, God gave it to you. It’s all of Him.

God is most wonderfully gracious. We read of an abundant God, a lavish God, an exceedingly rich God. God, in His grace today, warns you if you do not know Him, of the day of judgement that is coming. He urges you, He pleads with you to come to Him, to climb on the ark that He has provided – the ark that is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are a believer here today, let us never forget what we have been shown. Let us never find grace to be something common. Something incredible has happened to us. God lavished upon us the riches of His kindness. That’s our story. Don’t you want to go out and tell somebody that you have found grace in the sight of the Lord? To tell them, ‘Let me tell you what I was, let me tell you what I am. Let me tell you what I would be if it wasn’t for the grace of God.’

That’s your message to Roch. We are a people who have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We are different. We are what we are because of God’s grace. We want you to experience that and enjoy it too.

We want to celebrate, we want to praise God, but remember, as Paul says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.“ (Romans 12:1b) Everything you have, devote it to the service, worship and praise of God. Lay it all on the altar before God. Serve Him. But Paul doesn’t begin there. Before that he says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,” (Romans 12:1a). In other words, Paul says first of all, before I give you any command or instruction, I encourage you to think on the mercies of God. Think of what God has done for you. Think of how God has dealt with you. Think on your salvation. This will let you offer your body as a living sacrifice, as you serve Him.