1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:06,080 All right, we'll go ahead and turn to Genesis Chapter 7. 2 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:15,920 We will finish off Chapter 7 today as we talk about the 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:22,640 flood. Nearly every indigenous culture 4 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,960 has a flood story. Some of them vary quite a bit 5 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,760 from the others, but some have a number of characteristics in 6 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,600 common with the story of Noah's flood. 7 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,280 There's Erdu from Summer, Etcherhasis from Acadia, Utna 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:42,400 Pishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Hindus, Alaskans, 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,200 Greeks, Africans, Native Americans. 10 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,640 They all have flood stories as part of their origins. 11 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,920 Now of course we don't we don't read these ancient stories and 12 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,400 and give them equal credibility with the biblical flood 13 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,720 accounts. The differences between the 14 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,840 accounts in some instances are far too extensive. 15 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:10,880 But the presence of flood accounts the world over causes 16 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:15,240 us to stop and consider whether they might all be Speaking of 17 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,400 the same events. Only they view the flood through 18 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:23,320 a different lens. As people multiplied and spread 19 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:25,960 throughout the world, their remembrances and thoughts 20 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:29,880 regarding God's motive might have shifted. 21 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:35,040 They might have lost track of who God actually is and instead 22 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:40,120 chased after other false gods, gods who acted actually in a 23 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:45,760 capricious anger. And it's against this backdrop 24 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,440 that that Moses sits down to write Yahweh's accounts. 25 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:54,840 And it serves as a sort of rebuttal to these other accounts 26 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,040 that were already circulating around the ancient Near East at 27 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,920 the time. Last week, as we began the flood 28 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,880 narrative, we looked at the command that God gave Noah to 29 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,280 build an ark. He and his family took decades 30 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,840 to build it in. The day finally came when God 31 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:17,320 told them to go into it along with all the animals so the 32 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,360 earth could be repopulated after the flood. 33 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,240 So God told Noah he would he would send rain in seven days 34 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,880 and it would rain for 40 days and 40 nights. 35 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:33,080 In Chapter 7, verse 5 revealed Noah did all that the Lord 36 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,680 commanded him. That's the introduction to the 37 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,160 flood narrative. And then the chapter continues 38 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,960 to reiterate what was already stated. 39 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,120 As we look at verses 6 through 10, we see preparation for the 40 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,400 flood. Read there in your Bibles, if 41 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:56,600 you would, beginning at verse 6. Noah was 600 years old when the 42 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,320 flood of waters came upon the earth, and Noah and his sons and 43 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,760 his wife and his son's wives with him went into the ark to 44 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,320 escape the waters of the flood of clean animals and of animals 45 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,800 that are not clean, and of birds and of everything that creeps on 46 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,560 the ground. Two and two, male and female, 47 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,800 went into the ark with Noah as God had commanded Noah. 48 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,400 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the 49 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,920 earth. Now when we talk about the 50 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:28,160 flood, it's one of those things that critics of the Bible and 51 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:32,760 critics of Christianity love to mock. 52 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,840 This week I saw a video of Bill Maher mocking Christianity 53 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,080 because of our belief in the flood. 54 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,120 His assessment that was that Christians don't want real 55 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:50,840 answers that science can provide and he labeled the accounts of 56 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:56,280 Noah and the ark as childish and a made-up story. 57 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:03,360 When we read this passage, it comes across as though Moses 58 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:10,280 believed it was actually true. He used all sorts of details to 59 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:16,320 point to a historic event. He used all sorts of details to 60 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:20,040 point to a historical event that actually happened. 61 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,480 The flood was an actual event posited in an actual time and 62 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:30,000 place in history. The other creation and flood 63 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,520 stories don't communicate their events in in the same manner 64 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:41,080 that Moses does in Genesis. The text is remarkably specific. 65 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:46,000 It says Noah was 600 years old when the flood began. 66 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,640 Tells us he and his family, his sons, his wife and sons wives 67 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,240 all went into the ark. Clean animals, unclean animals, 68 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,480 birds, creeping animals, male and female pairs, they all went 69 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,160 into the ark. And then seven days after Noah 70 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:04,360 and his family went into the ark, the flood began. 71 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:11,280 Moses wrote about the flood in a very matter of fact manner. 72 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,280 The text is relaying historical events to us and this continues 73 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:17,960 through the rest of the flood narrative. 74 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:20,560 Even through the rest of the book, really. 75 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:26,960 Verse 11 references the 17th day of the second month in Noah's 76 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:33,200 600th year, a very specific date, and it rained for 40 days 77 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,440 and 40 nights. It says the extent of the 78 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,360 flooding is noted so that the reader understands how much 79 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:44,440 flooding there actually was, and that living things died as the 80 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,280 waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days. 81 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:53,320 These are all important details intended to communicate a 82 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:58,840 historical event. As we consider the factual 83 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:02,160 nature of this account, there's something that stand out that 84 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:07,040 stands out to me. For decades there was. 85 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:11,840 There was impending doom on the horizon. 86 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,800 Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth after he turned 500 87 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,840 years old. Some quite some feats, right? 88 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:24,040 But then sometime after that, God commands him to build the 89 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,960 ark. And the shortest estimate is 90 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,400 that it could have taken 75 years to build the ark, perhaps 91 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:37,720 even longer. So for at least 75 years, Noah 92 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:39,680 withstood the ridicule of the people. 93 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:45,800 For decades, the people watched. They watched Noah building the 94 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:50,520 ark for decades. And they didn't change. 95 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:56,320 They didn't repent. You see, sin is persistent. 96 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:03,200 Sin is persistent. To be honest, when I think about 97 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,920 this, I'm astounded. How could someone watch this guy 98 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:11,480 and his family build an ark for 75 years and not stop to 99 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:15,800 consider the purpose or or reason in the ark and ask 100 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:20,240 questions? I mean this guy in presumably 101 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,280 his family live differently than everyone else. 102 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,640 Noah was a beacon of light in in the midst of a dark generation. 103 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:37,640 But as far as we can tell, no one stopped to ask why are you? 104 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,280 No, why are you really doing this? 105 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:44,040 What? What do you know that we don't 106 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,160 know? Who is it that you are 107 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,240 following? Tell us about this God. 108 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:56,040 No one asked about Yahweh. The only thing sinners think 109 00:07:56,040 --> 00:08:02,600 about is self. You can't reason sinners into 110 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,480 saving themselves. Try as me we might. 111 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,440 We can't scare the sin out of people. 112 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,160 Sin is deep in the life of the unregenerate person and they 113 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,680 can't short of the Holy Spirit's working. 114 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:23,800 Sinners can't climb out of sin. Just think about the fact that 115 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:30,560 back on Page 3, conditions were perfect for humans to make the 116 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:36,799 right choices. Even then they couldn't make the 117 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:39,960 right decisions and they treated good for bad. 118 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:46,280 God's wisdom for their own redefining of right and wrong. 119 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:51,720 Sin ensnares us and getting out of its net isn't something that 120 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,680 we can do on our own. The power of sin's grip is 121 00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:59,760 persistent and is why God sent the flood. 122 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:07,600 Looking at verses 11 through 16, there we see the beginnings of 123 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,520 the flood in the 6th, 100th year of Noah's life, in the second 124 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,400 month on the 17th day of the month. 125 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,920 On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and 126 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,520 the windows of the heavens were opened, and the rain and rain 127 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,160 fell upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights. 128 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:28,600 On the very same day Noah and his Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, 129 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,920 and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, 130 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,200 entered the ark. They and every beast according 131 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,160 to its kind, all the livestock according to their kinds, and 132 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,280 every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its 133 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:45,160 kind, and every bird according to its kind, every winged 134 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:49,680 creature, they went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all 135 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:51,800 flesh, in which there was the breath of life. 136 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:56,640 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh went in as 137 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:01,080 God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in. 138 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:04,880 Now the heightened literary structure of the flood narrative 139 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,040 does a bit of bouncing back and forth between concepts and 140 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,840 themes. It says the flood started and 141 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:12,400 then it'll say Noah went into the ark. 142 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:13,960 And then it says the flood started again. 143 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,560 The scholars will tell you there's, there's a chiastic 144 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:20,640 structure here that is, that is telling us what the point a 145 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:26,360 chiasm is something where we present a theme, we'll call it 146 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,280 A. And, and as the story goes 147 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,240 along, the story will continue in that. 148 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:37,480 And at the very end, A will be mirrored with a prime and then 149 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,320 the next thing is B and then we'll see that mirrored with B 150 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:47,680 prime and then C&C prime. And it all points to what God is 151 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:51,920 trying to tell us. And we will see the the top of 152 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,200 that chiasm. We'll see that next week as we 153 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,560 enter chapter 8. But for now, everything is 154 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:03,760 building up towards that point. And so so we're, we're learning 155 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,920 more ever every little detail is coming along here in the 156 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:09,560 narrative. Now these verses drill down into 157 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:12,800 what verses 6 through 10 generalized verses 6 through 10 158 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:18,280 were we're more general, kind of like chapter 1 was a general 159 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,280 view of creation and then chapter 2 drilled down into it. 160 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,920 That's kind of a little bit of what's happening here. 161 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,600 So, as these verses do, it's important to take note of the 162 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,960 fact that this is the only spot in the flood narrative where 163 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:37,080 Noah's sons are named. Explicitly naming Shem, Ham, and 164 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,720 Japheth draws a connection between the genealogies of 165 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,320 chapter 6. If you'll remember, chapter 6 166 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:48,640 went through and this person had this person and this person, and 167 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:54,080 then it got to Noah. And it didn't just stop there. 168 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:59,440 It said Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 169 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:05,280 So naming them is a connection between, between the genealogies 170 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:11,840 and then when they will exit the ark later on in a couple 171 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:16,800 chapters now, it reminds us that this family, this particular 172 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:21,560 family that is on the ark is descended from the righteous 173 00:12:21,560 --> 00:12:26,080 line of Seth, the the right genealogy, if you will, the 174 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:28,760 right line. They're descended from that 175 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:30,480 line. And in the future of the whole 176 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:35,720 world rests with this family and these three sons who are the 177 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:40,600 progenitors of the nations. Now on the same day when no one, 178 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,280 his family entered the ark, the animals also entered the beast 179 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,000 according to their kinds, male and female. 180 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:52,160 Now, Moses language here, if you were paying attention, you, you 181 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,760 take notice of this language and you realize this is the same 182 00:12:55,760 --> 00:13:00,640 language that was used back in the creation story. 183 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:03,920 So it draws us back to creation. At the beginning of creation, 184 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,200 everything was created and reproduced according to their 185 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,680 own kinds, right? Various beasts, livestock, 186 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:13,320 creeping things and varieties of birds. 187 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:17,040 All of these, everything that had God's breath within them was 188 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:21,160 now represented on the ark by reproducing pears. 189 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:26,120 And the text explicitly calls out each of these categories. 190 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:29,760 As our minds are drawn back to the first page of creation, it 191 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:34,280 serves to remind us that all is not lost. 192 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:40,280 All is not lost. There's still hope and 193 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:50,040 opportunity. The seed of the woman is still 194 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:55,600 alive, and someday things will be made right. 195 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:01,680 This is important because as a whole, humanity had failed to 196 00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:06,320 listen to God. They were disobedient and set on 197 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:12,240 evil. But these animals, they were 198 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:16,480 obedient to God. He commanded them to enter the 199 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,520 ark, and they did. Their obedience to Yahweh excel 200 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:24,200 the rest of humanity who was not on the ark. 201 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,520 Now once all flesh chosen for deliverance obeyed, then God did 202 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,240 his part and he shut them in. He He did what Noah couldn't do 203 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,800 and he he sealed the ark by closing its door and this 204 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:40,800 signaled God's divine protection. 205 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,040 This was God's divine protection. 206 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:49,320 The inhabitants of the ark, the the humans and the animals were 207 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:55,600 all under God's protective care. He closed up the vessel in the 208 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,000 fate of these passengers was entirely in his hands. 209 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,240 They they couldn't remember. There's no rudder. 210 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,440 They they can't decide where they want to go. 211 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,680 They are entirely relying upon God. 212 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,120 The facts. The text tells us. 213 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:17,880 The precise day this happened grabs me. 214 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,320 It's doing more than just saying hey, this was a real day in 215 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,720 story. It is doing that, yes, but the 216 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,720 declaration it was on the 17th day of the second month of 217 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:33,160 Noah's 600th year reminds me of other historic moments. 218 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,200 We intuitively know when 911 happened. 219 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,080 Of course you'll say September 11th, yes, but you know that it 220 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:45,640 wasn't just September 11th. You know that it was in 2001. 221 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,040 If I asked you when Pearl Harbor was, many of you would 222 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:53,920 immediately respond that it was December 7th of 1941. 223 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:00,400 And if I asked when D-Day was many of you don't even have to 224 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:05,240 stop to think about the fact that it was on June 6th of 1944 225 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:12,920 that the Allied forces landed at Normandy and and set in motion 226 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:17,880 what would become the freedom of Western Europe from Nazis. 227 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,320 We we have these dates etched into our minds. 228 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:28,240 We don't forget about these kinds of things and surely the 229 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:32,160 flood. It's one of those dates you do 230 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,320 not forget no one. His family would always remember 231 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,680 this dates. You can't forget something like 232 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,360 this that so that is so completely unprecedented in 233 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,920 history in which unequivocally changed the world. 234 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,240 On this specific date, the 17th day of the second month of 235 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:56,480 Noah's 600 year, the heavens were opened and the fountains of 236 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:03,040 the great deep burst forth. Now we know that a heavy storm 237 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:08,680 for even a few hours can, can do tremendous damage and then let 238 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:15,960 alone a few days and then you throw in 40 days and 40 nights, 239 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:22,880 the damage can be absolutely catastrophic to the local 240 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:27,640 terrain, to the wildlife. And and in our societies, rain 241 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:31,280 can just vast amounts of water destroy buildings and 242 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:36,000 structures. So here it rains for 40 days and 243 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:41,160 40 nights, torrential rainfall. And also at the same time, water 244 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,440 is coming up from the fountains of the deep, is what it says. 245 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,000 Now this wasn't just geysers spewing scalding water into the 246 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:54,000 air or or springs bringing water up to the Earth's surface. 247 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,200 When the text speaks of the deep, it's referring 248 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:04,000 specifically to oceans. There may well have been oceanic 249 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,360 earthquakes and volcanoes that tore apart the Earth's crust in 250 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:13,160 a violent explosive upheaval, causing water to go everywhere. 251 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:21,120 The oceans were angry and they were churning for for about 5 252 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:25,400 months. As we think about their world 253 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:30,080 being inundated with water, it's good to remind ourselves of what 254 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:35,040 the their literal worldview, how they saw the world in the 255 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,400 ancient Near East. It's good to remind ourselves of 256 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:42,520 of what it was like from their perspective, the world looked 257 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:49,080 something like this picture. Here you have the earth, that is 258 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:53,200 the dry land, the the columns of the earth, the the oceans. 259 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:57,680 Remember God had God had put in place, say a firmament, 260 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:02,000 firmaments to separate so the waters above from the waters 261 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,400 below. And So what exactly that was we 262 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:10,400 don't know exactly, but this is kind of how they viewed the 263 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:15,040 earth in Moses day. They perceive the sky as being 264 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,960 this kind of Dome that stretched from one end of the sky all the 265 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:24,600 way across to the other end. We don't know what the earth was 266 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,320 actually like at this point in time. 267 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:28,840 It was. It was different than than what 268 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:33,000 it is now. It was different back in the 1st 269 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,920 chapter when God had gathered gathered all the waters together 270 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,880 into one place, and so presumably all the land is in 271 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:44,600 one place as well. It's possible some of this 272 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,960 picture was reality in the waters from both below and above 273 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:52,680 the earth all combined to create this massive flood. 274 00:19:54,560 --> 00:20:00,040 So this leads us to look at the floods extents, the culmination. 275 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,880 This is the culmination of the flood that we're going to read 276 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,520 about here in verses 17 through 24. 277 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:12,800 Verse 17, the flood continued 40 days on the earth. 278 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,600 The waters increased and bore up the ark and it rose high above 279 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,080 the earth. The waters prevailed and 280 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,800 increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face 281 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:24,640 of the waters. And the waters prevailed so 282 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,920 mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the 283 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,360 whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the 284 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:32,760 mountains, covering them 15 cubits deep. 285 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:35,720 And all flesh died that moved on the earth. 286 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,440 Birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on 287 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,160 the earth and all mankind, everything on the dry land and 288 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,000 whose nostrils was the breath of life, died. 289 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,080 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of 290 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,760 the ground. Man in animals and creeping 291 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:55,240 things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the 292 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,720 earth. Only Noah was left, and those 293 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,640 who are with him in the ark and the waters prevailed on the 294 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:09,200 earth 150 days. So here we see how bad things 295 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,960 got. Again, there's a good amount of 296 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:17,640 detail here which signals to us that this is a real event. 297 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,360 The flooding that is the the waters coming up from the deep 298 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:24,840 as well as the opening of the heavens continued for 40 days, 299 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,920 and the ark had no issue being lifted up off of the earth in 300 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,440 such a deluge. Verses 19 through 20 then tell 301 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,600 us how high the waters rose. All the high mountains under the 302 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,920 whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the 303 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,520 mountains, covering them 15 cubits deep. 304 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,600 All the mountains were were they were overwhelmed by the water, 305 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:53,360 and the water was 15 cubits or 22 1/2 feet above the mountains 306 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,560 of the effects of this were to be expected right, and in line 307 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,680 with what God had said was going to happen. 308 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:05,280 All living flesh was blotted out. 309 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,440 All living flesh was removed from the face of the earth. 310 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,880 Birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on 311 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:14,960 the earth. All mankind. 312 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:22,280 So the reboot, this, this new beginning was now contingent 313 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:27,640 entirely on those who were in the Ark. 314 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:36,440 Any conversation about the flood necessarily involves a a 315 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:39,880 discussion of its extent for this. 316 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,600 For the sake of this message, I'll distill everything down to 317 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:47,800 2 views. Some will argue for more nuanced 318 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:53,080 positions of of both views, but the argument is really between 319 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:58,400 two positions, and I suspect that in this room we may have 320 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:02,880 both positions represented. I don't know that for a fact, 321 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,400 but it's possible. So was the flood global, or was 322 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:14,120 it merely local in extent? First of all, the dominant view 323 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:18,720 in Christianity is a global flood. 324 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:24,000 This view comes from a plain, literal reading of the text. 325 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:28,720 Our text says all the high mountains under the whole heaven 326 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,080 were covered. The waters prevailed above the 327 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,200 mountains covering them 15 cubits deep. 328 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:38,720 A plain reading of this of these verses is that all the mountains 329 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,760 on the entire globe were covered under the water, and even the 330 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:46,920 highest mountains had water 22 1/2 feet above their summits. 331 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,600 That's the plain reading of the text. 332 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,200 God had ripped open these springs and geysers and and 333 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,680 other fissures to spout abnormal volumes of water from deep 334 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,720 inside the earth. This rending of the waters of 335 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,960 the deep caused cataclysmic changes in the Earth's 336 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,880 topography, which included newly formed mountains. 337 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,800 As the. As the tectonic plates shifted 338 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:18,120 and and mountains were thrust upwards, massive erosion was 339 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:21,400 seen on the earth and the continents we know today were 340 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:24,520 formed out of one single continent. 341 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,200 Those who believe in a global flood assume significant 342 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:35,560 theological, theological, geological changes after the 343 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,560 deluge. Now some will argue that there 344 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,880 was a a canopy covering the Earth and some will say there 345 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:46,040 wasn't a canopy. That's up for debate. 346 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:47,720 We know there was some sort of firmament. 347 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:53,000 What that was we don't know. But so this this canopy, some 348 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,840 will argue, prevented rain from falling. 349 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:00,920 So we had never rained before this moment as as the canopy 350 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:05,400 holds back the rain and this canopy bursts and and helps 351 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,080 supply much of the water for the flood. 352 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:14,000 Rain was now part of the Earth's water cycle. 353 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:18,840 Some other changes included sedimentary rock being quickly 354 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:23,600 laid down, as well as the creation as the mountain ranges 355 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,160 are created. We can point to the fact that 356 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:35,480 you can find marine fossils at the tops of some mountains, even 357 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:41,440 the top of the world, Mount Everest, as proof of a global 358 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,920 flood. Speaking of the fossil record, 359 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:50,320 Ken Ham, who is, I would say, the biggest advocate, the most 360 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:56,280 popular name in global flood apologetics, Ken Ham says the 361 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,840 fossil record is billions of dead things buried in rock 362 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,760 layers laid down by water all over the earth. 363 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:08,720 This, he says, is it's dramatic evidence of the historicity of 364 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:14,400 Noah's flood. So all these things point to a 365 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:19,160 catastrophic and practically instant change in the Earth and 366 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:23,200 fossil record. Obviously, the only humans to 367 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,880 survive the flood were Noah's family. 368 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:30,600 And every creature on Earth is descended from the animals that 369 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:38,400 were on the ark. Even dinosaurs are said to have 370 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:41,080 been on the ark. And everybody's always thinks, 371 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,000 oh, dinosaurs couldn't go on the ark because they always think 372 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,520 of, you know, the ones that are several stories tall. 373 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:52,000 Well, they don't start that way. They start well. 374 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:57,040 I don't, I don't know how big some of those were, but there 375 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,840 are much smaller younger versions that could have been on 376 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:04,720 the Ark. Now, the other viewpoints for 377 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:08,120 the flood is called a local flood. 378 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,280 Theologians who hold to this perspective believe in a flood, 379 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,760 and they're also trying to faithfully interpret Scripture 380 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,000 in a manner that is consistent with what Moses audience would 381 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,840 have understood. That is, that is one of their 382 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:27,240 main arguments. One writer I came across said 383 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,400 when looking at Scripture, it's very important not to just read 384 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:35,000 it with our modern perception. We need to consider the context 385 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:39,480 and point of view of the people of that era who wrote it, and 386 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,320 most importantly, try to understand God's perspective as 387 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,800 much as we possibly can. Scripture isn't the problem, 388 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,480 it's how we interpret it. That may be the cause of 389 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,320 misunderstandings. Now, the majority of those who 390 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:57,920 hold to the local flood perspective believe it was an 391 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:02,960 absolutely massive flood. However, it didn't impact all of 392 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,880 the continents of the world. It stayed localized within a 393 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:11,560 region like Mesopotamia or the Tigris and Euphrates River 394 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,480 Valley. The whole of the Earth's 395 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:18,040 population would seemingly be centered there in that region. 396 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:24,040 So the flood could still be said to have been universal, but not 397 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,480 global as in around the entire globe of the earth. 398 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:34,080 Therefore, the annihilation of sinful man only, according to 399 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,920 this view, only involved flooding the known world of 400 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:41,600 their time. This view reinterprets the 401 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,720 phrase All the high mountains under the whole heaven were 402 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,400 covered to mean that they were overwhelmed or they were 403 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,160 drenched with water. This is based on other uses of 404 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:55,240 the word Ke$ha. If you want to arrive at this 405 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,120 conclusion, you have to do a bit of research and understanding. 406 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:00,880 Hebrew. They also believe that that 407 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,560 covering them, that is covering the mountains 15 cubits deep 408 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:09,760 should actually be translated as 15 cubits upwards on the 409 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:11,680 mountain. So starting from the mountains, 410 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:16,240 15 cubits upward on the mountains due to the use of the 411 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:22,960 word maal necessitating a translation of deep instead. 412 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,800 Now when talking about the creation days and views 413 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:32,200 regarding creation, I said it's important to understand that 414 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:36,640 that godly Christ following theologians can be found on both 415 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:43,640 sides of the discussion, and that's applies here as well. 416 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:50,280 We don't judge someone as not Christian or or a liberal based 417 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:56,640 on their views of creation or on their view of the flood. 418 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,320 This is a secondary issue and not an issue of top importance. 419 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,600 Was there a flood? Yes, I would say that is an 420 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,640 issue of top importance, that there was a flood because God 421 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:13,280 was doing something and starting humanity over. 422 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:19,520 But one can hold to either a global or local flood and be 423 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,360 faithful to the words of Scripture. 424 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:27,440 Your view of the flood's extent doesn't determine your salvation 425 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:32,760 or anyone else's. Both perspectives believe in 426 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:36,160 something absolutely catastrophic and which could 427 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:43,320 have only been performed by God. They both view the flood as God 428 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:49,480 working to purge humanity, to purge the earth of its evil, and 429 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:53,440 then God vowing to never do that again. 430 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,440 I'll also add that whichever view you land on, there are 431 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:03,640 questions to address. If the flood was global, really 432 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,280 where did all the water come from and where did it go so 433 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:11,680 quickly if it was really covering all the mountains? 434 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:16,680 If you believe in a local flood, you have to consider whether 435 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,080 humanity may have moved beyond the region, whether doing so 436 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,600 would circumvent God's purpose and plan to restart everything 437 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:28,200 through this one family. Local Flood person also needs to 438 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:31,400 come to grips with the fossil record and marine fossils being 439 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:35,720 found in places where we wouldn't expect them to be, as 440 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:41,120 well as determining how does an ark come to rest on a tall 441 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:45,240 mountain. There are questions to be 442 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:49,800 navigated. So what do we do with this 443 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,920 message? I suspect nobody in here is 444 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:55,800 going to go home and build an ark. 445 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:01,640 If you do, that's really cool. I want to see it make it make it 446 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:05,880 the right the right size. Like like the one in Kentucky. 447 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:10,800 That would be awesome. But no, actually, let's build an 448 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:14,280 ark of sorts. What was the ark? 449 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:19,840 The ark was a means to preserving this family. 450 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:25,200 It was it was rescuing them from God's judgment on the earth. 451 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:30,120 The ark rescued them. So build an ark and invite 452 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:35,360 people to believe in Jesus. That's a metaphorical ark. 453 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:37,840 You can build an ark. Go ahead. 454 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:41,720 Invite people to believe in Jesus. 455 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:44,920 Share the gospel with them. Invite them to invite them to 456 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:46,920 church. That is one of the easiest steps 457 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,240 to take. This is such an awesome place to 458 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:54,080 be. We have plenty of room. 459 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,320 Invite people to come worship with us. 460 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:01,040 Come hear the truth of God's word. 461 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:05,160 Engage in spiritual conversations with people. 462 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:11,160 Ask deep questions, ask about their faith. 463 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:15,360 I love that I was talking with, with Mike Finley just yesterday 464 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:22,080 and he's talking with someone and he's always trying to where, 465 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,560 where can I squeeze this in? How, how can I move the 466 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:30,640 conversation to the gospel? So they're talking, he says, 467 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:35,000 well, what about eternity? And, and, and the person just 468 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:36,720 kind of kind of says, we'll come back to that. 469 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,160 And the conversation never got there. 470 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,560 So, so now Mike has this, this need to, we need to finish that 471 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:45,120 conversation. We need to get to talking about 472 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:51,120 eternity, work conversations towards the gospel. 473 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:56,640 It doesn't always have to be a full gospel presentation, but 474 00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:02,320 broaching issues of faith. Salvation comes only through 475 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:07,000 Jesus and we we can be that arc of sorts. 476 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:12,239 We can be the conduit to help bring deliverance to someone, to 477 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:16,000 help bring freedom from God's judgement. 478 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:22,360 Second, trust in God's protection. 479 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:30,520 Trust in God's protection. Noah and his family threw 480 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:34,320 themselves entirely on God's grace. 481 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,679 The only reason they were going to get through the storm was 482 00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:42,360 because God said He would save them from it. 483 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,360 There will be storms in our lives that are much greater than 484 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,280 anything that we can handle, and the only way we'll weather them 485 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:55,760 is if we cling to the salvation God has given us in Jesus. 486 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:06,840 So we trust in Him for eternity and we trust in Him to get 487 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:11,480 through the storms of life. Right now. 488 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:19,080 The flood is definitely not a light matter. 489 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:26,360 We've looked at some heavy stuff when you consider all the 490 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:33,320 people, all all the creatures that were destroyed in the 491 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:39,400 flood. And for some people, it might 492 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:45,560 challenge your faith. Is that is it really necessary 493 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:49,760 for that to happen? Is that really have to go that 494 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,400 way? Did he have to destroy 495 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,120 everything? Yes. 496 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:01,360 But that's not the whole picture. 497 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:08,880 God was still working in the midst of the flood. 498 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:13,920 He was saving a people who would be his own possession, a people 499 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:19,840 who would be treasured above all the others in the world and the 500 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:25,120 ones through whom rescue for humanity would come. 501 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,000 Let's bow our heads and close our eyes. 502 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:45,080 God, as we close our time this morning, some of this can can 503 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:50,600 feel a bit academic to just talk about the flood and, and what 504 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:54,600 happened and, and how how the floodgates of heaven opened up 505 00:36:54,600 --> 00:37:03,000 and and the waters of the deep came forth and how everyone and 506 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:07,480 everything that was not on the ark was destroyed. 507 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:17,320 But God, you, you were working in the midst of that moment. 508 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:28,640 You're still working, protecting your people, your people, out of 509 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:33,160 whom one day salvation would come. 510 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:43,840 So God would. Would we be diligent to to 511 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:50,640 point, perhaps as as Noah did, he, he, he tried to point people 512 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:59,600 to you, to your salvation? Would we be diligent to point 513 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:04,640 people to Jesus Christ our Savior? 514 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:13,040 We have protection. We have everything we need in 515 00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:22,680 you life. Provision, a future, a future 516 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:27,440 beyond this life that is just absolutely glorious and 517 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:33,840 wonderful. Would you give us opportunities 518 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:41,680 and give us the eyes and ears to know, to be sensitive to those 519 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:45,960 opportunities and to step into them faithfully and point people 520 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:52,040 to you? Thank you for this time. 521 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:57,800 Maybe we'll be transformed by your word. 522 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:00,720 It's in Jesus name we pray, Amen.