Genesis 7:11 (8:14)
Unrestrained outpouring – burst forth
The first and last dates given make the flood last exactly one year and eleven days (Gordon Wenham). Talk about Mrs. Marie’s comments about the flood lasting so long and for God taking so long to let the waters subside (God’s timing). “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake His way, and the unrighteous man His thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-9).
Notice what is repeated, “the waters prevailed” (vv. 18, 19, 20, 24). The word “prevailed” is a military word for succeeding in battle. “So Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose for us men and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’ So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed” (Exodus 17:9-11). “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5b; James 4:6). “Opposes” is pronounced “antitasso,” which means “to rage in battle against.”
Not only is it repeated, but gets progressively worse: greatly; greatly greatly.
The Hebrew expression indicates action based on a previous commitment (9:15; 19:29; 30:22; Exodus 2:24; 6:5; Luke 1:72-73) – referring back to the covenant.
This is the hinge of the narrative (turning point). This passage reminds me of Ephesians 2:1-10 with the hinge of v. 4a.
- How hard were the winds blowing to cause the waters to subside? We often cry out for God to rescue us from hardship, when our hardship is designed to rescue us from us.
- The Ark “rested.” This is a play on Noah’s name and what Noah’s father hoped for “rest.”Notice that rest came through toil. Hebrews 4:11a, “Strive therefore to enter into rest.”
THE DAY FOR WHICH ALL OTHER DAYS WERE MADE is what William S. Plumer (1802-1880) called the Day of Judgment.
I do not see how any pastor could neglect this theme in Scripture with a clear conscience (John Piper).
One reason I preach on this theme is that for some people the fear of judgment may be the only motivation to consider trusting Christ as Savior. Now, to be sure, there are better reasons to come to God than to escape hell. But if fear is the only thing that will shake a person loose from his bondage to sin and cause him to consider Christ, then, for love's sake, so be it. There are better reasons for a child to obey his daddy than the fear of a spanking. But if that fear is the only thing that will keep him out of the street, then, for love's sake, so be it. I am not as hesitant as some to let people feel fear, for I have ringing in my ears the words of Jesus:
Do not fear those who can kill the body and afterwards have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him. (Luke 12:4-5).
Jude 14-24 -Three thousand years after Enoch, Jude found no fitter words by which to warn daring sinners of their coming doom than those just quoted from the prophet.
The doctrine of a judgment is a familiar theme among inspired writers of both testaments. It is taught in the Law, in the Prophets, in the Psalms, in the Gospels, and in the Epistles.
The Day of Judgment is a fixed day. The time for it is set by God Himself: “He hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Act 17:31).
It is unchangeably determined by God.
We seem more interested as to how or when it will happen than convinced and affected by its certainty.
It will also be a day when secrets are exposed. Read 1 Timothy 5:23-25. “For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
The Day of Judgment will also be a day of separation and sentencing. Read Matthew 13:30 and Matthew 25:31-34, 41.
To many of those separated, it will be a surprise: See that Matthew 7:21-22; Matthew 13:30; Matthew 24-25; Luke 13:22-30 point out that many who think God is their Father are mistaken.
Edwards:
IT WAS PROPER THAT HE WHO IS APPOINTED KING OF THE CHURCH SHOULD RULE UNTIL HE SHOULD HAVE PUT ALL HIS ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET (1Co 15:24-25).
Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God. For those outside Christ, who live their lives as mini-kings of their own kingdom, they are enemies of Christ. In the pursuit of your individual kingdom and purposes, you make war against the Kingdom of God.
IT IS FOR THE ABUNDANT COMFORT OF THE SAINTS THAT CHRIST IS APPOINTED THEIR JUDGE.
The works of both righteous and wicked will be rehearsed.
Though the righteous are justified by faith and not by their works, yet they shall be judged according to their works (Matthew 12:36-37; Romans 14:12; Revelation 20:12-13). Works shall be brought forth as the evidence of their faith. Their faith on that Great Day shall be tried by its fruits.
“I am he who searches the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works” (Rev 2:23). Nor will only positive sins be brought into judgment, but also omissions of duty, as is manifest by “For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink” (Mat 25:42-45).
If His love is so great, think of how fierce His wrath must be.
Use Piper’s Illustration of being in the Ark: Reverence and Awe
Romans 1:28-2:11, and the first question we should try to answer from this text concerning final judgment is, who will be judged? Paul gives the answer in verses 5 and 6, "According to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and the righteous judgment of God who will render to each person according to his deeds." The simple answer is: everybody will be judged.
Which brings us to our second question: On what basis will the final judgment be made? What are the real issues of life? Paul sums it up in Romans 2:6, "God will render to every man according to his deeds." Verses 9 and 10 are more precise about what sort of deeds: "There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil ... but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good."
But wait a minute. Is that the way Christianity talks? What about the promise: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved"? What about grace and mercy and the justification of the ungodly? Didn't Paul say in Titus 3:5 "God saved us not on the basis of works done by us in righteousness, but he saved us according to His mercy through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit"? And in Ephesians 2:8, "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." How can it be that we are saved by grace, through faith, not by deeds, and yet will be judged according to our deeds in the final judgment?
Let's take one more example from Jesus because this one gives the clue to our problem how we can be saved by grace through faith and yet final judgment still be according to works. In Matthew 12:34-37 Jesus says to the Pharisees:
You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil speak what is good? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks; the good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. And I say to you that for every careless word that men speak, they shall render an account in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned.
Here is the crucial clue: on judgment day we will be judged according to our deeds, including the acts of our tongue, because deeds are the infallible sign of what fills the heart. "From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." You can judge a tree by its fruit and you can judge a heart by its deed. The issue is not really, are we saved by faith in Christ or by good deeds? The issue is, on the judgment day how will God make manifest that His judgment is just? And the answer is, He will certify to the world that we have saving faith by calling our deeds to attest to its reality.
Our deeds do not earn, they exhibit our salvation. Our deeds are not the merit of our righteousness; they are the mark of our new life in Christ. Our deeds are not sufficient to deserve God's favor, but they do demonstrate our faith (John Piper).
Noah lived for later.
John Cotton (1693-1757)
"My flesh trembleth for fear of Thee; and I am afraid of Thy judgments"
"The Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth" (Psalm 9:16).
"They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth" (Isaiah 2:19).
This should make us serious about killing our sin.
This should make us aware of the character of God.
This should make us evangelistic.
This should cause us to better understand the love of Christ towards us.
This should cause us to cherish holiness above all things.
We should not be discouraged when the wicked prosper.
We should not become bitter or seek revenge. All public and private injustice will be made right on The Day of the Lord.
It is interesting to note that the Prophets and Christ talked about Judgment to people that the Holy Spirit knew would not live to see it (to see Revelation 14 before their death). This is to show that the Doctrine of Judgment should shape our lives and thinking today (not just the announcement of a coming event).
If you are here and outside of Christ and leave without severe conviction, this is reason for great distress.
“Men may refuse subjection to God as a lawgiver. They may shake off the yoke of his laws by rebellion. Yet they cannot withdraw themselves from his judgment. Although they will not have God for their lawgiver, yet they shall have him for their judge (Jonathan Edwards).
“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?” (Job 9:4).
Closing
Seriously consider, if you live in the ways of sin, and appear at that day with the guilt of it upon you, how you will be able to endure the sight or the hearing of these things, and whether horror and amazement will not be likely to seize you, when you shall see the judge descending, and hear the trump of God. What account will you be able to give, when it shall be inquired of you, why you led such a sinful, wicked life? What will you be able to say for yourselves, when it shall be asked, why you neglected such and such particular duties, as the duty of secret prayer, for instance? Or why you have habitually practiced such and such particular sins or lusts? Although you are so careless of your conduct and manner of life, make so light of sin, and proceed in it so freely, with little or no dread or remorse; yet you must give an account of every sin that you commit, of every idle word that you speak, and of every sinful thought of your hearts. Every time you deviate from the rules of justice, of temperance, or of charity; every time you indulge any lust, whether secretly or openly, you must give an account of it. It will never be forgotten, it stands written in that book which will be opened on that day.
Let such consider that for all these things God will bring them into judgment. Secrecy is your temptation. Promising yourselves this, you practice many things, you indulge many lusts, under the cover of darkness, and in secret corners, which you would be ashamed to do in the light of the sun, and before the world. But this temptation is entirely groundless. All your secret abominations are even now perfectly known to God, and will also hereafter be made known both to angels and men. Luke 12:2, 3, “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light: and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets, shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops.”
God has, in his word, forbidden all deceit and fraud in our dealings one with another, Lev. 11:13. He has forbidden us to oppress one another, Lev. 25:14. But how frequent are practices contrary to those rules, and which will not bear to be tried by them! How common are fraud and trickiness in trade! How will men endeavor to lead on those with whom they trade in the dark, that so they may make their advantage! Yea, lying in trading is too common a thing among us. How common are such things as that mentioned, Prov. 20:14, “It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.”
Many men will take the advantage of another’s ignorance to advance their own gain, to his wrong.
Wherefore let everyone take heed that he be not deceived concerning himself.
Also frequently beg of God, the judge, that he would search you, try you now, and discover you to yourselves, that you may see if you be insincere in religion. And that he would lead you in the way everlasting. Beg of God, that if you be not upon a good foundation, he would unsettle you, and fix you upon the sure foundation. The example of the psalmist in this is worthy of imitation. Psa. 26:1, 2, “Judge me, O Lord, examine me, and prove me; try my reins and mine heart.” And Psa. 139:23, 24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God will search us hereafter, and discover what we are, both to ourselves and to all the world. Let us pray that he would search us, and discover our hearts to us now. We have need of divine help in this matter; for the heart is deceitful above all things (Edwards).
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