and our own sin makes finding fault in others a pure act of hypocrisy. The Holy Spirit allows believers to discern evil and good and will provide a way to escape evil.
Our sovereign God out of His love, infinite wisdom, and in His time created the heaven and the earth. He created the seas and the land and all the vegetation. And on the sixth day God created man and woman in his image and allowed them to have dominion over all living creatures.
Genesis 1:28 reads, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:31 reads, “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” God had created a perfect garden where man could exist and multiply and have dominion over all living creatures. Nothing was denied to man except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This one test of obedience and man’s love for God would have eternal consequences. God is a Holy God that cannot tolerate sin. This sin of disobedience by Adam and Eve resulted in punishment and the fall of man. Lucifer was successful in tempting Adam and Eve and allowing to them fall out of favor with God. This perfect garden would turn to a field of thorns and thistles and the ground would be cursed. Man and animals from that time forward would experience suffering and death.
Genesis 2:7 reads, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” God breathed into man life and a soul that gave man the ability to worship and commune with God’s Holy Spirit. Today man still experience death and suffering, but now has the option to save his soul by accepting God’s gift of eternal life and denying his sinful nature. God allows man to suffer the consequences of his sin and at the same time still offers eternal salvation through His Son. Man’s sinful nature creates a daily battle with sin that man needs to confront and conquer. God allows us all to suffer the consequences of our sins and the sins of a fallen world for the purpose of instruction. We need to confess all sin and ask for forgiveness for all sin. As Christians we may be singled out, discriminated against, and rejected because of our faith. God allows this type of suffering so we may appreciate the suffering that was experienced by His son, Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 30:18 reads, “And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
As we humbly pray to God we ask for the knowledge and strength to run from sin and to run to His grace and mercy. Our Lord and Savior is a God of judgment who loving and graciously longs to show His compassion for those who are faithful and obedient to His word.
It was because of Jesus Christ that we are blessed beyond measure and are now in His family. His blessings allow us to commune with our Father and experience His love and gracious Spirit that permeates our very soul. We are blessed with awareness that God is with us each day and His blessings are beyond our comprehension.
Noah’s ark and the flood
(Approximately 2894 BC)
The world had fallen into a deep state of depravity with most people being morally corrupt. Satan and his demonic angels had completely overtaken the human race creating untold violence and death. Adam and Eve‘s disobedience had a devastating impact on all of the human race then and forever. Sin changed the status of man from God’s perfect creation to a man fallen in nature. Satan and his demonic angels inflicted unspeakable perversions on man to the point where violence and corruption ruled the day. These perverted angels were chained and cast into darkness prior to the flood to await the judgment (2 Peter 2:4). Men were exceedingly wicked.
All disobedience to God’s word results in man’s suffering. Suffering is experienced as a result of living in a fallen world infested with disease and death, man’s disobedience, and living a life that is not Christ-centered.
For 600 years Noah lived as a righteous man in a society that was completely evil with no hope for salvation. God blessed Noah with incredible courage, strength and determination to complete a project that was viewed as complete folly by all.
2 Peter 3:3-7 reads, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
The Apostle Peter in these verses recalled the flood and warned those that scoff and ridicule would be judged and held accountable for every word and their actions.
Noah preached and warned the people that they needed to repent of their sins and prepare for a flood. No one took him seriously and continued with their daily rituals. The same is true today as millions of people continue with their daily lives unresponsive to the message of the Bible.
Psalm 37:9-10 reads, “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.”
King David in these verses realized that throughout history the wicked do succeed and survive for a short period of time. However, these periods are short-lived and eventually end in God’s time. As believers we place our trust and faith in a sovereign God that is the same today as yesterday, and is the same forever.
Noah was the tenth Patriarch prior to the flood that lived for several centuries. God commanded Noah to build the ark after all the people of the land rejected his message to worship the only true God. God’s patience did run out which resulted in God only saving Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. God also commanded Noah to build a massive ark and collect animals that would be saved from the flood.
God blessed Noah and his family because he was an obedient, righteous, and blameless servant throughout his entire 600 years of life. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark and during that time he preached to the people about the need to worship God. They refused to believe and responded by saying there was no God. Noah walked with God and listen to God for direction each day and God blessed Noah with safety for his family and another 350 years of life after the flood. Proverbs 8:32 reads, “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.” Listening to God’s instruction and following His direction allows us to be wise and receive His blessing. God gave Noah specific instructions (i.e., the type of wood, waterproofing materials) how to build the ark and prepare for the flood. In some ways the situation has not changed. Christians today warn the non-believer of the judgment to come, but in many cases they refuse to listen.
Noah walked in faith and feared God when he built the ark. The people of the world were given the opportunity to believe, but instead brought judgment on themselves with disbelief and dishonoring Noah’s message. Noah like all men had a fallen nature with many frailties that caused him and his family much distress.
God is a loving and gracious God who was and is offering salvation to all and is urging all to turn to real repentance. However, man exhausted God’s patience when all of man’s actions and thoughts were evil which resulted in millions being lost in the flood. God is a righteous and sovereign God who is the same God that Noah followed and is the same God that allowed the flood to occur in a decaying world of evil. We do not know the mind of God and we know that we do not understand all of His plans for us. However, there are verses that address the issue of willful sin.
Hebrews 10:26 reads, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.”
Hebrews 10:30-31 reads, “For we know him that hath said, VENGENANCE BELONGETH UNTO ME,