Grace In the Face of Judgment

Posted on July 29, 2007

 

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Genesis 6:1-8; Matthew 24:36-44

ONE GREAT TRUTH: God will certainly judge the world for sin but there is always salvation by grace through faith in His Savior.

TECHNICAL ERROR CORRECTED!: We had originally lost this week’s sermon but have managed to recover the data!

I. The Days of Noah.

A. People were multiplying. Most scholars agree that the population of the earth in Noah’s day may have reached into the millions, or at least the hundreds of thousands.

B. People were imagining. From Cain’s line came the first tools and the first musical instruments. People kept imagining and using their God-given creativity for evil purposes, to create a world that was sufficient without God – just as they are today.

C. People were ignoring God.

II. The Judgment of God.

God judges sin. It’s one of the dominating principles of Scripture. It’s not a popular message, but God really doesn’t like what’s happening in the world today. And He will set things right. There is coming upon the earth a seven-year long period of time known as the tribulation. That tribulation is not designed to test God’s people, but to pour out the wrath of God upon the world. The flood was a judgment, the captivities of the Jewish people were judgments, some natural disasters are judgments, and one day, the whole world will stand before the Judge.

III. The Offer of Grace.

A. God is extending time. (2 Peter 3:9) Noah was five hundred when his sons were born and they spent one hundred years working on the ark. From the time of God’s pronouncement of judgment, He gave the earth 120 years before fulfilling it. God is, today, extending time for us as well!

B. God is extending His message. (2 Peter 2:5) God has always sent prophets before any impending judgment. Noah preached repentance in his day. Isaiah preached about the coming captivity. In the tribulation period, God will send forth two witnesses and 144,000 Jewish evangelists. Today, we are His message-bearers.

C. God is extending grace. This is the theme of all of Scripture. We saw the theme of grace begin in the garden of Eden after the fall of Adam and Eve. Now we see it continue in the life of Noah.

Judgment is coming today. It’s been pronounced and prophesied. The evidence of it is written down. You can ignore it, but what if you’re wrong? You must be saved today! God is offering His grace to you!