Derek Smith, Lead Pastor LHBC
Genesis 6:5-9, 18
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. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 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.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord….Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Do you have any regrets in life? Of course you do…and so do I. We speak and act in ways at times that we wish we could take back, but we just can’t. Ok, are you ready for this? So, does God! Scripture says right here that God had a deep regret in the days of Noah; that regret was that he had made mankind on the earth. Wrap your theology around that one for just a minute! Now, before you call me crazy let’s get the right context. What He’s not saying here is that He made a mistake. God is sovereign, holy, and infinitely perfect in an indescribable way. He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Everything He does is perfect and right. The regret He speaks of here is not some error in His making of man, it’s regret over what man had made of himself. The regrettable actions are always ours, never the Lord’s. We all have lived regrettable lives before God because Scripture says we have all sinned and fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23). In the midst of this regrettable world steps a man named Noah. While the rest of mankind was living a regrettable life, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Through his testimony we learn how to live a life without regret.
It says Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Favor speaks of the grace of God that was shown toward Noah. Don’t miss the point today; I am not saying we earn God’s favor by doing what’s right. The opposite is true! We cannot earn God’s favor, we must receive it by simple childlike faith. It is by grace we are saved through faith, not by our good works. Without the grace of God we are hopelessly and helplessly lost! What did this favor lead to in Noah’s life? Righteousness. It says here that Noah was a righteous man. This means Noah met God’s standard. In 2 Cor. 5:21 Paul writes that the He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Righteousness is the imputed gift of God to us when we repent of sin and trust in Christ Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. It is God commuting our sentence of death due to our sin and giving us the righteousness of Christ through His precious blood shed on the cross. It says here that Noah was also blameless. Now, this is where Noah put God’s gracious righteousness to work. He chose to walk in obedience to the Lord daily in His life. That’s a life without regret! It’s a daily disciplined life choosing to rest in the grace God has shown me and live out the righteousness He has given me. Today, choose to live above reproach. If you’re a Child of God, and have turned from your sin to Jesus Christ, you have all the grace necessary to walk in blamelessness.
Finally, don’t miss the imagery of Jesus. Noah was a real guy who built a real ark that really floated on the water after a catastrophic flood which radically altered the course of human history and the form of the earth. However, Noah is also a picture of Christ. Mankind is hopelessly lost, headed for the judgment of God because of our regrettable disobedience. But there is one who found favor in the eyes of God, stepped into our regrettable world, and through his death on the cross and glorious resurrection we can be saved from the flood of judgment to come. Just get into the ark with Jesus and be saved! A life without regret is life on the ark. The world may rage around us, the floods and storms may come, but it’s always calm in the ark with Christ!
Child of God, get in the ark and stay in the ark. Choose to be with Jesus when the rest of the world rages. Choose to rest in His grace and righteousness. Call blessed what He calls blessed and call cursed what He calls cursed. Choose to obey His Word even when those right around you choose sin, selfishness, violence, and immorality like those in Noah’s day. You may feel like the only one at times, but it is eternally worth it!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, You are Yahweh Tsidkenu (Sid-ka-new), the Lord our righteousness. Thank you for sending Jesus to the cross so I could be made right with You. I choose today to obey you. I choose to stay in the ark with you Lord. No matter how the world rages or what storms come my way I will rest in You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
MEMORY VERSE FOR THE WEEK:
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.