The Grief of God: Finding Grace in a Fallen World

• [Genesis 6](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6&version=KJV) and the Flood 00:33:34 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces Genesis chapter 6 as the introduction to the circumstances that brought about the flood, noting it is a unique and controversial passage.
• Heroes of the Faith 00:34:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies Abel, Enoch, and Noah as heroes of the faith representing substituting, separating, and saving faith respectively.
• Salvation by Grace 00:35:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, illustrating that salvation is by grace through faith for all people.
• Universal Flood Stories 00:36:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor notes that every civilization in history has a flood story, connecting the biblical account to global cultural memory.
• The Days of Noah and the Second Coming 00:40:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor links the days of Noah to the return of Jesus, citing Matthew 24 to show that the moral conditions will be similar.
• Wickedness of Man 00:44:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor highlights the contrast between the creation in Genesis 2 and the great wickedness in Genesis 6, asking what causes this wickedness.
• The Moral Condition of the Days of Noah 00:43:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor establishes the importance of understanding the moral condition of the earth in Noah's days to comprehend the world's condition at Jesus' return, citing Genesis 6:5 regarding the great wickedness of man.
• Interpretation of 'Sons of God' in [Genesis 6](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6&version=KJV) 00:47:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor presents two views: the 'Sethite view' (godly line of Seth marrying ungodly line of Cain) and the 'Angel view' (fallen angels mating with humans), ultimately arguing for the latter based on biblical context.
• Biblical Warnings Against Unequal Yoking 00:49:08 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the Sethite interpretation to warn against believers marrying unbelievers, citing 2 Corinthians 6:14 and sharing personal testimony about praying for godly spouses for his children.
• Exegesis of 'Sons of God' in Job and Daniel 00:55:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor traces the phrase 'sons of God' through Job 1, 2, and 38, and Daniel 3 to demonstrate that it consistently refers to angels or the pre-incarnate Christ, supporting the fallen angel interpretation.
• Connection to Sodom and Gomorrah 01:01:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor links the sin of the fallen angels in Genesis 6 to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah in Jude 6-7, noting the 'similar manner' of sexual immorality and going after 'strange flesh'.
• Fallen Angels and Sodom 01:00:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses Jude 6-7 to draw a parallel between the sin of fallen angels in Genesis 6 and the sexual immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah, suggesting the men of Sodom sought to repeat the crime of Genesis 6.
• Sexual Perversion and Homosexuality 01:02:49 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies homosexuality as the sin of Sodom, stating that while believers must love the person, they must hate the sin, and notes that God calls it fornication and going after strange flesh.
• The Devil's Plan 01:07:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that sexual perversion is a 'devilishly instituted plan' designed to pollute mankind and prevent the birth of the perfect Son of God, leading to the wickedness seen in Genesis 6.
• God's Patience and Judgment 01:15:34 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that God's patience is not infinite, citing the 120-year period before the Flood as a deadline for repentance, and warns that judgment will intensify if America does not return to God's Word.
• God's Heartbreak 01:17:58 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor interprets Genesis 6:6 ('the Lord was sorry') as God being heartbroken and grieved over His creation, distinguishing between God hating the sin and loving the sinner, and inviting those with broken hearts to open their hearts to Jesus.
• God's Hatred of Sin 01:18:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that God hates sin not arbitrarily, but because of the specific damage it causes to human lives, including loss and destruction.
• God's Grief Over Sin 01:19:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes God's emotional response to sin, characterizing it as grief and heartbreak over the person affected by the sin.
• The Brokenness of the Sinner 01:19:48 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the congregation's potential feelings of guilt and the tangible consequences of sin on their lives, homes, and families.
• Divine Invitation and Repentance 01:20:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor presents God as knocking on the heart's door, inviting individuals to open their hearts, repent, and place faith in Jesus Christ.
• Altar Call and Recommitment 01:22:48 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites both new believers and those who have drifted from God to come to the altar to recommit their lives to Jesus and seek closeness with Him.

• Sermon Illustration 00:14:24 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a mission trip to Logan, Ohio, where 170 volunteers helped a church with siding and drywall, serving meals to the community, and highlights a family of 16 kept in a 14x16 room and a recent suicide in the community to illustrate the need for the gospel.
• Sermon Illustration 00:42:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the recent death of Senator Lindsey Graham to illustrate the brevity of life on earth.
• Sermon Illustration 00:50:47 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal testimony of praying for years for his children to marry believers, resulting in three children who married believers and are raising 11 grandchildren to know Jesus, contrasting this with the risk of believers being won over by unbelievers.
• Sermon Illustration 00:57:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the story of the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3) where a fourth figure, described as 'like unto the son of god,' appeared with them, identifying this figure as the pre-incarnate Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration 01:04:58 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical account of two angels visiting Lot in Sodom, where the men of the city demanded to have sexual relations with them, illustrating the depth of the city's perversion.
• Sermon Illustration 01:06:30 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the giants (Nephilim) produced in Genesis 6 as 'famous for their sin' and 'famous for their evil,' illustrating the result of the union between the sons of God and daughters of men.
• Sermon Illustration 01:19:48 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a broken heart to describe God's emotional state regarding sin, comparing the sinner's broken heart to God's broken heart to illustrate shared grief.
• Sermon Illustration 01:20:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the metaphor of God knocking on a door to describe His persistent invitation to sinners to open their hearts and let Him in.

• Pastoral Charge 00:45:19 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs note-takers to write down the point that the wickedness of man in Noah's days began with a 'demon-infested people'.
• Pastoral Charge 00:47:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to circle the phrase 'sons of God' in their notes to mark a key term for interpretation.
• Pastoral Charge 00:54:47 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor reiterates the instruction to circle the phrase 'sons of God' in their notes.
• Pastoral Charge 01:01:55 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to underline the phrase 'in a similar manner to these' in their notes.
• Pastoral Charge 01:10:51 ▶️ 📄
  > Repent and return to living according to God's word to avoid intensified judgment.
• Pastoral Charge 01:14:51 ▶️ 📄
  > Look to Jesus for salvation and hope rather than political or worldly solutions.
• Pastoral Charge 01:21:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Bow heads and close eyes in prayer.
• Pastoral Charge 01:21:21 ▶️ 📄
  > Hear God's voice and submit to His leadership.
• Pastoral Charge 01:22:30 ▶️ 📄
  > Come to the front of the sanctuary.
• Pastoral Charge 01:24:12 ▶️ 📄
  > Stand up from seated position.

[00:13:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:13:49] Thank you for visiting with us. If you're checking us out online, and we're just encouraged by your presence here today, I'd like to ask that if you're visiting with us online, if you would just, whenever we sing, if you participate with us, when we go to the Word, if you'll just go flip through the pages of your sword with us today, and be a part of everything that we've got going on at Trinity Baptist Church. It is so good to see that man right there walking in the church this morning, and it is so good.
[00:14:24] a week on mission trip and let me just say that God is on the move God is on the move we spent seven days in Logan Ohio at Ebenezer Baptist Church they've had five different buildings
[00:14:38] they've been around since 1837 and those people love the Lord and our group got to be a small part of helping them move forward it was hot but we got a lot of work done we got all the
[00:14:53] siding done on that building and about 95 of the sheet rock we had 170 volunteers and we had a kitchen crew of 20 that served three meals a day to 170 people god is good god is good and um yeah
[00:15:08] you can give him a round of applause this morning the best part of the trip is seeing people give their testimony for the first time and one of the things that we like to say is everybody has a
[00:15:24] testimony. Someone needs to hear that testimony. There is somebody in this room today that needs to hear your testimony. There's somebody in this room that doesn't know Christ and something you can say can help water that seed, help that seed to bloom. The field is white for the harvest
[00:15:45] and people are looking for a hope that only one can satisfy. When we were in Logan, I'm just going to share this real quick there was a family of set was it 16 jana 16 that were kept in a 14 by
[00:16:03] 16 foot room all their lives the kids and our pastor that was there had to go meet with the first responders um devastating types of things we had a suicide in that community that week
[00:16:18] they're looking for hope in a place where there's in places there's no hope for we have to bring the gospel amen amen um again thank you for being at trinity i'm the my name is grant stanley i'm the pastor of worship and missions here at trinity and it's such a pleasure
[00:16:34] to be with you today let's go to the lord in prayer dearly father we just thank you for today father we thank you for the opportunity that we've had to come into your house lord to worship you father you know the the scenarios that we've come out of this week
[00:16:51] and some of those have been on the on the mountaintop but Father we know that some of those have been in the valley and Father you said you would never leave us or forsake us you're with
[00:17:03] us through it all and Father we're so thankful that you're there Father help us never lose the awe of who you are and what you've done for us Father I pray that your Holy Spirit would shower upon this
[00:17:15] group this morning that you would move in a mighty way Lord that something that is said spoken or sung today would just touch us lord if there be somebody here that doesn't know you lord that you would
[00:17:28] draw them unto thee father i pray what is during the service lord that they would just speak jesus into the lives of our children lord we love you and father we want to make much of who you are
[00:17:40] in this place this morning fill us lead us guide us and direct us and it's in your most precious and holy name we pray amen if you are in preschool through third grade we're going to stand and
[00:17:52] our welcome but if you can go ahead and stand up and kind of make your way to the right the doors are staying open this morning we're having a little issue with the air so they're open for
[00:18:01] a reason but the preschool can head on out let's stand together and let's let's welcome each other

[00:18:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:18:06] here in this place this morning visitors oh see i'm out of practice good morning

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:24:43] this is the time in our service where we give back to god a portion of what he's given us and blessed us with. For those worshiping with us online, we ask that you go to trinitybaptist.com,
[00:24:58] trinitybaptist.com. Let's go to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving. Heavenly Father, as we gather together this morning to worship and to hear your word, we ask for humbleness, the humbleness to receive your word, Almighty God. We pray that you anoint our pastor this
[00:25:19] morning as he brings us your word. We pray that we not only listen, but live out the message we're about to hear. Father, we ask your grace and your mercy upon this nation, not because we deserve it,
[00:25:32] but because you're a gracious and forgiving Savior. Lord, help us to have the mind and the heart of Christ that we may grow in our relationship with you daily. Father, we pray for those in our
[00:25:44] congregation that are hurting physically and in need of healing but let us not forget those who are suffering emotionally and struggling spiritually and finally father we pray for vacation Bible school starting tomorrow that you
[00:26:00] will bring many that we may plant seeds and water because we know you give the increase. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[00:28:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:28:04] I'll say I strive, I shall. You are my shield. I strive, I shall be. I shall. Strong time in time of me.

[00:28:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:28:49] I'll sing you a new song. Join us. We're going to sing this together. Let's stand.

[00:32:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:32:07] How is everybody this morning? Well, I'll tell you, as I was walking up here, I was thinking, yes, this still fits.
[00:32:15] and I'm glad to be back and glad to be in this pulpit this morning and certainly thankful for all of your prayers and encouragement that you have continued to offer and this is my second full day of being asked and allowed
[00:32:35] to walk on this ankle and I can tell you there's still some adjustments to be done but we're going to do this They tell me for two more weeks with this walking boot, and then I'll be able to graduate to a brace,
[00:32:51] a little brace that will go on my ankle, and wear that for a couple of weeks.
[00:32:55] And I'm doing physical therapy now, and my personal trainer for the last two days has been my sweet wife, Beth.
[00:33:03] And if I thought she was a tough nurse, she is a far worse trainer.
[00:33:08] And these last couple of days, she cuts me no slack whatsoever.
[00:33:12] We were up at 6 o'clock this morning going through it to make sure that I was doing everything I was supposed to do.
[00:33:20] I don't know who was happier, that I'm going to be able to drive in two weeks, me or her, because she's ready for me to be back on my own.
[00:33:29] So turn in your Bibles, if you will, this morning to Genesis chapter 6.
[00:33:34] The sixth chapter of Genesis is where I want you to join with me this morning, and I want to just kind of remind you to where we are, because it's been a few weeks since we've
[00:33:42] been here in the book of Genesis, and just a word of warning at the outset today, this is one of the most unique, some would say controversial, some would say open for interpretation passages that
[00:33:58] you and I are ever going to study together, and I want to just state that up front, but I want to make sure you recognize where we are in Genesis chapter 6. As we've talked about before, when
[00:34:10] you're studying the opening chapters of Genesis, basically it can be studied around four general areas. There's the creation, there is the fall of man, there is the flood, and then there is the tower of Babel. The sixth chapter gives us really the introduction to the circumstances which brought
[00:34:33] about the flood on the earth and this morning you and i are going to begin to move through these opening uh verses through this chapter and you're going to find literally as we get through these
[00:34:46] chapters that there are certain men that are listed by god as heroes of the faith for instance we've already talked a little bit about abel he reminds us of a substituting faith we've already learned about Enoch. We've talked about Enoch, who was reminding us of a separating faith.
[00:35:08] And then we're going to see Noah, as we discover him in the last verse we're going to read this morning, who is known for a saving faith. In fact, what happened in the life of Noah,
[00:35:21] you and I realize is a vivid Old Testament picture of what God really desires to do in the heart of every man and every woman on the face of the earth. In fact, we notice that it
[00:35:35] says in verse 8 that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. See, the Bible says that you and I are saved by grace through faith. And the same grace that brought salvation to the man named
[00:35:53] Noah and save Noah is the same grace that'll save you, sir, and it'll save you, ma'am. It's the same grace that saved me through the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. So what I, this morning, want you to
[00:36:11] focus on in these opening verses of chapter 6 is extremely important. And the reason is because it tells us something about the circumstances that led to the flood when God wiped out the human race. How many of you have heard God sent a flood and destroyed the earth? Raise your hand.
[00:36:36] You've heard of that. In fact, all over the world, whether people believe or know or hold to the Bible, every civilization in history has had a flood story that has been part of that civilization. I imagine all of you are familiar with the event that we know of as Noah and the
[00:36:59] ark, and how God gave the command for Noah to build an ark, and that those who came into the ark would be safe from the coming storm. And these verses that you and I are going to see this
[00:37:12] morning are really the preliminaries that led to the ark. And they're the words, frankly, that unfold several things that you and I this morning really need to take note of. But keep in mind, what we're reading about here were the days just before the flood came. In the New Testament,
[00:37:37] before we even begin to read this passage, now I'll tell you what we're going to do. I want you to stand right now in honor of the reading of the word we're going to read the first eight verses
[00:37:46] and then i am going to ask you to turn over to the book of matthew for just a moment and see something else but in genesis chapter six if you don't have a copy of god's word with you
[00:37:57] i encourage you to take one from the pew in front of you i encourage you to follow along with me today because probably this is going to be most important that you see for yourself the words in
[00:38:09] the Word of God than any message I've preached in recent days. Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the
[00:38:24] daughters of men, that they were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh.
[00:38:41] Yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years. There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore
[00:38:54] children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of
[00:39:08] his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created
[00:39:23] from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air.
[00:39:31] for i am sorry that i have made them but noah found grace in the eyes of the lord let me ask you to remember now these are the days just before the flood hold your finger here and turn over to
[00:39:58] the gospel of matthew for a minute and i want you to look at chapter 24 in matthew's gospel and look down at verse 36 these are in red letters meaning jesus spoke these words and beginning in verse 36 of matthew 24 but of that day and the hour no one knows
[00:40:28] not even the angels of heaven but my father only we know that the new testament here is talking about the return of jesus the second coming and the kind of days that are going to be happening
[00:40:43] when jesus returns look what jesus himself said going on to verse 37 but as the days of noah were so also will be the coming of the son of man be for as in the days before the flood
[00:41:01] They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming
[00:41:22] of the Son of Man be. Would you pray with me? Father in heaven, we ask you to speak to our hearts this morning this is a very sobering passage of scripture in so many ways and god
[00:41:44] we just need your instruction this morning father we pray for where we find ourselves in our culture in our society in our families we pray this morning because we recognize the emergency that surrounds us in so many ways father our hearts are heavy this morning at the
[00:42:10] unbelievable news that overnight Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been a stalwart voice for a lot of years, suddenly is gone from here. To be absent from the body, to be present with the Lord for every believer who knows and walks with you. And Lord, we pray for his family this
[00:42:36] morning and the shock and all of the difficulty of that news. But Lord, it is a reminder to all of us of how brief life is on this earth. And then as we face this passage this morning,
[00:42:54] we have to deal with the realities of what sin on the earth ultimately brings. Lord, I pray that you would speak to every heart here and that we would hear your voice. And I, Lord,
[00:43:10] pray personally that you would let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Lord, let them be pleasing in your sight. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
[00:43:24] So Jesus said that before, just before he returns, that the days on the earth would be like in the days of Noah. So I just personally believe it should be pretty important that we understand
[00:43:41] what the circumstances were in the days of Noah. That we understand what the moral condition was on the earth in the days of Noah. In order to really understand the condition in the world when Jesus returns. And if you notice verse 5 that we just read there in Genesis chapter 6
[00:44:01] says, then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. Boy, that's quite a change, isn't it? From what we had seen back in Genesis chapter 2. I mean, you remember just a
[00:44:18] few chapters ago, God created man, placed him in the beautiful garden of Eden. Man had the opportunity to walk and talk with the God of this universe day in and day out and have fellowship
[00:44:30] with God. But then in chapter 3, sin entered the world. And little could they have known that when that sin entered the world, how devastating the results would be to sin entering the world. And so now we find here in the sixth chapter of Genesis,
[00:44:51] we're told that the wickedness of man was great on the earth now what causes that wickedness what causes the wickedness of man to be great upon the earth well if you're a note taker today
[00:45:19] I want you to jot something down, because it all begins with, number one, a demon-infested people.
[00:45:31] Demon-infested people.
[00:45:35] Now, let me just tell you up front, you're going to need to stay with me today, because these verses are often interpreted in different ways.
[00:45:44] And I want to be true to the Word, and I want to be true to you, and I want to make sure that everybody understands what I'm sharing. Because I'm going to say up front, godly men
[00:45:55] do differ about the interpretation of some of these verses. But let me just tell you, before you get too rattled by that, that shouldn't shock us at all. Because we're dealing here with the Word of God. We're dealing here with the mind of God. And our problem is that we have finite
[00:46:16] minds. Amen? And we, listen, we come with our limited minds and limited understanding to the infinite mind of God that is expressed in the written word of God. And I don't know about you, but I, for one, I'm looking forward to the day when we get to heaven because there's several
[00:46:36] passages I want to ask about. This is one of them that's in my top five that I really want to hear and understand from God's lips himself. What in the world does it mean when it says in verse
[00:46:53] two, read it, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful and they took wise for themselves of all whom they chose. Very important. Got to stay with me, stay focused. I know it's a little warm, but sometimes it's good to be warm in church because
[00:47:19] it makes you feel the heat a little heavier. There are basically two real positions concerning the meaning of verse 2. One of those positions, and I want you to circle the term sons of God,
[00:47:36] because one of those positions is that sons of God here represents the offspring of Seth.
[00:47:43] Now you remember we've already studied in Genesis chapter 4 and Genesis chapter 5 that there were two very different lines of people on the earth. In chapter 4, we saw the ungodly line of Cain. In chapter 5, we saw the godly line of Seth. And so there are those who believe
[00:48:06] verse 2 here in chapter 6 is really just a simple statement that the godly line of Seth married into the ungodly line of Cain, and the result was a generation of unbelievers because they had
[00:48:22] disobeyed God. That's one view. And by the way, in support of that view, we do know that the Bible says believers are not to marry unbelievers. Full stop, period.
[00:48:39] Now, I realize this morning there's some of you in this building that you married an unbeliever.
[00:48:44] And there's some of you that will tell me the story about how you prayed for their salvation, how they came to the Lord, and how you've been blessed to have a Christian home and raising Christian children.
[00:48:55] And I say to you, praise be to God.
[00:48:58] That is wonderful.
[00:49:00] That is awesome.
[00:49:01] And I celebrate with you of God's goodness and mercy in your situation.
[00:49:08] But I've been a pastor for nearly 38 years.
[00:49:10] and i'm going to tell you straight up for every one case that you're going to come and tell me that you married an unbeliever and that that unbeliever came to christ and you have a christian
[00:49:21] home and you have children that are being raised to serve christ and are now serving them for every one story that i hear like that there are hundreds hundreds of testimonies that did not go that
[00:49:37] direction. There are hundreds more testimonies that instead of winning the non-believer to the Lord, the non-believer eventually won the believer over to their lifestyle. I'm saying to you this morning. Our God knows what He's doing. And our God has said, be not unequally yoked together
[00:50:07] with non-believers. That's God's Word. That's God's command. That's God's standard. And many of you would save you and your family and generations to come a whole series of heartaches if you would simply obey the word of God some of you are here this morning and you've got a burden
[00:50:35] on your heart concerning your children you're praying that your children will marry a Christian I have to tell you that was the burden of my heart and Beth and I prayed for years that God
[00:50:47] would give our children godly spouses who knew Jesus and walked with Jesus. And then we prayed that their children would be able to grow up in a home where they would know what it means to be a
[00:51:00] blood-washed, born-again believer. And we prayed that they would be brought up to know Jesus and to love Jesus and to follow Jesus with all of their hearts. And I praise God today to tell you
[00:51:15] that we have been blessed and she knows it and i know it with three children who married believers who are raising our 11 grandchildren to know jesus and to walk with him and to grow with him
[00:51:31] because you see i've i've seen too much i've experienced too much wouldn't it be a tragedy for you to have lived for jesus brought up your children in the lord and for them to marry an
[00:51:49] unbeliever and to bring up their children not to know the jesus that you love not to know the jesus that you serve so some believers honestly believe the interpretation of this passage is to show that marriage of ungodly with godly people and what the results will be
[00:52:19] i have to tell you that interpretation fits the context that interpretation much easier to explain that interpretation is believed by a number of people you say well preacher, what's the other position? So glad you asked. The other view of this passage is the view
[00:52:53] that what you have in verse 2 of Genesis chapter 6 is a statement here concerning fallen angels who lusted after human beings and entered into a form of fornication that was so depraved so wicked, so vile, that it resulted in a flood that destroyed everything and every person
[00:53:32] on the planet. Now let me give you some insights here as to why this is an extremely credible interpretation. I don't know how many of you have heard this before or understood it, but I want to make sure you understand it today. First of all, it has to do with what we find in
[00:53:53] verse one and two. Go back here in chapter six to the first and second verse. He said, now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were
[00:54:07] born to them. Now stop right there. This seems to be a statement about the human race in general.
[00:54:19] But then in verse 2, there's a comparison drawn and an injection into this passage that you find this statement in verse 2 concerning the sons of God.
[00:54:32] It says in verse 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
[00:54:47] circle that phrase i told you a minute ago circle that phrase sons of god and here's why that's important when you trace that little phrase sons of god all the way through the scripture you find that phrase only occurs three or four times in the old testament and i want you to see
[00:55:11] it with me look over at the book of job just a minute if you will turn over to job you gotta just go over to Esther and take a right, and you'll be at the book of Job. I want you to look
[00:55:24] in Job, because here's where you're going to find several times that phrase shows up.
[00:55:31] In Job chapter 1, verse 6, look what it says. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. All right, underlying sons of God there. Turn over to chapter 2 in Job, one page over, and go to the first verse
[00:55:57] in Job chapter 2. It says again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.
[00:56:17] So on these occasions, we are told that the sons of God came into the presence of God, and Satan was among them. Now, flip a few more pages over, still in Job, but go over to Job 38,
[00:56:35] job 38 and verse 7 job 38 and verse 7 because here it says something about when god created the world look what it says when the morning stars job 38 7 sang together and all the sons of god
[00:57:02] God shouted for joy. So when God created the world, sons of God all sang in a chorus and it says they shouted for joy. Now, by the way, the only other occurrence of that phrase,
[00:57:23] sons of God is found over in Daniel chapter three. We're not going to take time to turn there, but let me just tell you the context. It's in Daniel chapter three, where those three Hebrew
[00:57:33] boys were in the fiery furnace and the king looked in and instead of seeing three he saw how many four and it says and one of them was like unto the son of god now let me just tell you in all
[00:57:50] four times that phrase sons of god is used it's very clear what the intention was i mean look in daniel 3 when it mentions the son of god it's speaking of our lord jesus christ you've heard it
[00:58:08] you know it that those three hebrew boys had a visit from the pre-incarnate jesus and that jesus got in that furnace he walked on that fire with them and i believe that with all of my heart they
[00:58:21] wouldn't bow they wouldn't bend and praise god they wouldn't burn because the lord jesus was right there in their midst very clear what it means when it says that phrase son of god in daniel chapter 3 but it's also clear that in those other three we just saw that angels
[00:58:42] are intended when it is used the phrase sons of god so it may be that this reference back here in Genesis chapter 6, verse 2, where we're studying this morning, is to fallen angels.
[00:59:05] Fallen angels desiring to have sexual relations with the human race. You say, preacher, you're going to have to help me a little bit here. Are there some other scripture that point to this interpretation? Well, as a matter of fact, there is. Again, I'm glad you asked.
[00:59:33] I want you to turn over in the New Testament to the book of Jude for just a minute. Jude is that book that is found just before you get to Revelation. And I believe Jude, which by the way
[00:59:46] is just that one chapter, and if you go down and look at verse 6 and 7, you find a statement that i think is very helpful in what's actually happening here in genesis look at it verse 6
[01:00:03] of jude and the angels did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day now it's very clear verse 6 in Jude is a reference to the angels who fell. So why is it that some angels who fell
[01:00:34] are free to roam over the earth, and we call them demons? And why is it that other angels, indicated here in verse 6 of Jude, are incarcerated in a place for the damned and the wicked?
[01:00:55] Well, I think verse 7 will help answer and say something to us here.
[01:01:01] It says in verse 7, As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire so in verse 7
[01:01:35] just think about this a minute there's a contrast in verse 6 and 7 that is drawn between this sin of these fallen angels and the sin that took place in sodom and gomorrah and when he says
[01:01:55] in verse seven i want you to underline the phrase in verse seven where it says around them in a similar manner to these underline that phrase a similar manner because he's making a comparison between the men of sodom and gomorrah and what they did and what the angels who fell did
[01:02:19] and what does he say they did here in verse 7 they gave themselves over to sexual immorality king james version uses the word fornication and all of you who are familiar with sodom and gomorrah
[01:02:36] in fact we're going to look at sodom and gomorrah in depth when we get to genesis chapter 18 and genesis night 19 but that word sodom has moved into our own vocabulary in the word sodomy and
[01:02:49] it's literally a word used to describe the sexual perversion of the men of Sodom. The more popular word in 2026 is homosexuality. The sin of homosexuality is what they were engaged in.
[01:03:12] Now, I believe that the Bible teaches us that we are to love the homosexual, but we are to absolutely hate the sin of homosexuality. Romans chapter 1 does not stutter. God tells us about the sin of homosexuality and what it brings in the judgment of God upon it. You and I both know
[01:03:45] that for the last 50 years, we are living in a society where homosexuality has become more and more accepted as an alternative lifestyle. It started with the parades. It carried over to the petitions. It turned into marriage. We granted them adoption. But no matter what we do and no
[01:04:11] matter what humanity does in the progression, God Almighty still calls it sin. Regardless, us. God calls it sin. God says it's fornication. God says it's going after strange flesh.
[01:04:31] But I ask you to roll back in your mind for a moment. What happened in the city of Sodom?
[01:04:38] What took place between these homosexual men and their lifestyle? You remember, the Bible says that two angels came to visit Lot down there in Sodom. They came specifically to warn Lot that there was going to be fire and brimstone that was going to come as a result of
[01:04:58] the judgment of Almighty God on that city. And while those two angels were in Lot's home, you remember what the men of Sodom did? They came to Lot's house. They began banging on the door
[01:05:14] and they said, bring those men out. Bring them out that we may have sexual relationship with them. Those men in Lot's house were angels, angels who had embodied themselves in human form. Could it be that the men of Sodom are so far and so deep in their perversion
[01:05:54] that they were seeking to repeat their heinous crime that was back there in Genesis chapter 6 i think it is not only altogether possible i happen to believe it is quite probable go back back in genesis chapter 6 for a minute notice the offspring that were produced in genesis
[01:06:30] chapter 6 look at verse 4 there were giants on the earth in those days and also afterward When the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
[01:06:57] In other words, the offspring were highly unusual kind of people.
[01:07:06] They were famous for their sin.
[01:07:08] they became famous for their evil that's the reason i'm telling you it all starts here with a demon infested people so if this is the correct view and again i indeed believe it's extremely credible what's the message and the takeaway of it all and that's the second
[01:07:40] thing i want you to jot down a devilishly instituted plan listen our god our creator our sustainer our almighty god has set certain guidelines around his gifts that he has given to humanity ladies and gentlemen you won't find anywhere in the bible that it says sex is wrong
[01:08:06] in fact the bible says that the sexual union between a man and a woman is a gift from god god has given it to humanity he has given it to man he has given it to woman but god the very
[01:08:23] creator of all who knows all has taken that gift and he has placed it in the appropriate arena God's setting for the sexual union is and has always been the marriage relationship inside the circle of marriage. And I will submit to you that inside that arena,
[01:08:51] inside that circle of marriage, the sexual union is beautiful. The sexual union is wonderful. The sexual union is a fulfilling experience but when you take god's gift outside his assigned circle it becomes the utmost of perversion and that is the devil's plan sexual perversion
[01:09:22] we're witnessing it always goes further and further and further it gets more and more depraved it gets more and more twisted the further it goes and i'm telling you on this july sunday in 2026
[01:09:43] i'm afraid that this is exactly where we find american culture this morning we are experiencing and have been for several decades now. A flood tide of sexual perversion.
[01:10:02] Premarital sex, that is sexual perversion. Extramarital sex, that is sexual perversion.
[01:10:10] But listen, it doesn't stop at that point. No siree. There are things taking place.
[01:10:20] There are things that are being written about and sung about in our day that are far too vulgar for me to mention in this pulpit.
[01:10:28] I promise you I would never desecrate this sacred desk where the Word of God is preached by sharing with you the things that are being written, sung, and produced in America this morning.
[01:10:41] But I will tell you this.
[01:10:44] Judgment will only intensify if we do not repent.
[01:10:51] If America does not come back to the word of God, if America does not start doing what God says in his word, if America does not start living the way God intends for a culture to focus, judgment
[01:11:05] will only become more intense and judgment will continue to increase like you really can't even imagine. You see, the devil had a plan, a devilishly instituted plan. He was trying to pollute mankind that the seed of Eve would be so perverted that Jesus could not be born.
[01:11:46] That was his devilishly instituted plan. That's what is happening. He's trying to make it so that the perfect son of God could not even be born. And that wickedness continued to grow and to grow and to grow. Look at verse 5, right here in Genesis 6.
[01:12:17] Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Circle that word thoughts.
[01:12:33] Some of your translations use the word imaginations. And by the way, you know what it means. It means images in your mind. Your imagination is simply built by images in your mind and your thoughts that you have up here are built on those images oh hear me that's why you
[01:12:57] got to be so careful what you watch sir that's why you better be so careful at what the modern media will do because they will do anything to pollute the images in your mind that's why they'll
[01:13:13] do anything in their power to feed you a constant flood tide of moral and sexual filth. We're living in a day that the more they can fill your mind with evil fantasies and with lewdness and perversion,
[01:13:35] it's nothing but the days of noah all over again you see it a demon infested people a devilishly instituted plan that brings a wickedness so perverted so profane that god's only solution was to wipe the slate clean and begin all over. That's why, frankly, I'm looking
[01:14:20] for Jesus to come any day now. Folks say to me, oh, preacher, the world's going to get better and better. No, the world's going to get worse and worse. And the only solution to the problems of
[01:14:37] this world will be the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look, I'll go back to Washington in the morning but i promise you i ain't looking to washington to solve my problems i'm not looking
[01:14:51] to the united nations to solve my problems in fact i'm really not looking around anywhere to find solutions to this world's problems i'm looking up because it's only when i look up that i've come to realize there is a savior and his name is jesus and when he comes and sets
[01:15:18] all things right then we're going to know a different place i want to give you one last thing and i promise you i'm done i want you to see a deeply impacted god there is a deeply
[01:15:34] impacted God we see here. Go back to verse three. Back in verse three, we find it reaches a point that God's patience runs out. Don't anybody ever feed you the lie or let anybody feed you the lie
[01:15:49] that God is just going to be so patient with you. He is patient, but verse three proves his patience runs out. There is a line that gets crossed. I don't know what that line is. You don't know what
[01:16:01] that line is, but there is a line that gets crossed. Don't play with it. Don't play with it.
[01:16:09] Verse 3, the Lord said, my spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh, yet his days shall be 120 years. In other words, there comes a time when God says, enough's enough. He sets up a time frame in verse 3, 120 years. I read that as God saying,
[01:16:31] I'll give man 120 years to repent I'll give man 120 years to respond to the wooing of my spirit but at the end of that time God says I will destroy the world now as you read in verse 6
[01:16:51] you run across something that has tripped a lot of people up says in verse 6 and the Lord was sorry in fact some of your translations actually says and god repented or god relented what in the
[01:17:10] world does that mean that god says i'm sorry well we know that first samuel 15 29 says that god is not a man that he should repent we know that and so we know that god doesn't have a
[01:17:31] godly sorrow that we speak of when we talk about repentance. And we know that God did not sin and is thus turning away from his sin, which we think of as a godly sorrow and repentance.
[01:17:48] So what is this? When God says, I am sorry I even made man. I'll tell you what I believe this is.
[01:17:58] this is the bible's way of explaining the heart of god in a way that you and i can understand it's the bible expressing how god literally felt in a way that we can understand you see folks god
[01:18:23] was heartbroken with the situation wasn't mad it's not what we see here in this picture god was heartbroken over the situation and it means god was grieved in his heart when he sees what is
[01:18:42] taking place with his creation you see you've always got to make the distinction between god hating the sin and god loving the sinner which by the way god hates the sin in the first place
[01:18:57] because of what it does to you and to me and god hates the sin because of the effect that it has on our lives and what it robs us of and what we lose and what we will never regain god hurts
[01:19:16] because he knows and sees the effects of the sin and he grieves because of the person maybe sitting here this morning you say well preacher i've grievously sinned preacher i've grievously sinned and it's breaking my heart this morning well guess what i want you to know it's
[01:19:48] breaking God's heart too you say preacher my sin has wrecked my life my sin right now is wrecking my home it is tearing up my family it is tearing up my children well I don't know what brought you
[01:20:09] here this morning but I do know this I'm here to tell you there's a God in heaven whose heart is broken for your situation and he's knocking he's knocking on your heart's door and he's waiting
[01:20:36] for you to open that heart and let Him come in and take control. Would you bow your heads right where you are, please? Every head bowed, every eye closed in this sanctuary. I don't know what
[01:21:03] the Lord is specifically saying to you this morning, sir, or specifically saying to you this morning, ma'am, but I do know that He is speaking to hearts right here in this place. And I'm praying
[01:21:21] that right here today that you will hear his voice and that you will say yes to his leadership will you listen to him will you listen for him we're living in a world that's hurting
[01:21:48] because we're living in a world that is lost and we have the answer in god's word we have the answer in christ today if you're here and you've never given your heart and life over to Jesus Christ I mean really
[01:22:15] repentant of your sin really place your faith in Jesus and Jesus alone that's the invitation right now come to Jesus I'm going to be right here at the front in just a moment Grant's going to lead us in a song
[01:22:30] instruments are playing right now if you want to come to know Christ please meet me right here at the front preacher I'm already a believer but I do feel like I've drifted from God and I'll tell you what I want to invite you to do
[01:22:48] i want to invite you to come and just get on this old-fashioned altar all along this altar you can just get along with god and say lord i want to be close to you like i once was lord i want to be
[01:23:00] walking with you closer than i ever have before lord i recommit my life to you this morning thank you for giving me a picture and an understanding of the world we're living in this morning the days
[01:23:15] of noah are the days that will be exactly what we face as jesus is getting ready to return and we all better make sure that we're ready it's that simple it's that clear god's leading
[01:23:40] you to join this church by letter by statement by baptism whatever way we receive members we invite you to come but right now i just want you to listen to the still small voice of the holy
[01:23:51] spirit as he speaks into your heart father in heaven guide this invitation give us your wisdom give us your discernment and father help us to step out today trusting you by faith in jesus name
[01:24:12] amen would you stand to your feet right where you are please brother greg comes to lead us

[01:24:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:24:17] i invite you to come god bless you we thank you so much for your faithfulness and thank you for

[01:27:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:27:07] joining us for worship here at Trinity Baptist Church. We're so grateful for you just joining with us to lift your voice, lift your heart before the Lord as we study His Word together and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Let me encourage you to be praying about this week. As
[01:27:23] you came in the door, you saw all the decorations. You've seen the set behind me. It's not every day I preach in front of a cow. And so that was a joy. But Vacation Bible School Emerald Crossing
[01:27:34] gets underway tomorrow many of you are volunteering many of you have been working to get ready for this week leading up to it and so we pray with hundreds of children that are going to be on this
[01:27:44] campus over the next several days we certainly ask you to continue to cover them in prayer and see the great and mighty things that God's going to do listen I'm going to miss standing back there
[01:27:55] at the back once again today if you'll excuse me this is only my second day of learning to stand on this and so it's uh swelling a little bit i can tell and so i'm going to make my way out the side
[01:28:06] and slip out but uh again it's been good to be back and to be and uh in god's word with you here in this place this morning but thank you thank you for all your prayers and your faithfulness
[01:28:17] brother brother trevor is going to come and close us out brother roberts away preaching this morning and uh we're very grateful brother trevor is going to close us out and brother grant is going to sing

[01:28:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:28:27] us out of here today. Right. Thank you, Pastor Mark, for that powerful message. And it's good to have you back in the pulpit. Church family, while our service comes to a close, maybe God's not done moving in your heart. And so, Pastor Mark, myself, Grant, any of our ministry leaders
[01:28:49] would love to pray with you, talk with you, if God is still moving in your heart. As Pastor pointed out, that VBS is this week. And so, there's a couple things. One, just want to say thank you
[01:28:59] to all our volunteers who have given of their time, energy, and resources. It couldn't happen without you guys, without our volunteers, without the giving of our church. So I just want to say thank you for all those volunteers and be praying for them. As a service project for our missions
[01:29:16] this week, the kids and families are encouraged to bring books and books. And so bring gently used books and then also books for TCA as we're trying to launch the school in August. And so I'm
[01:29:31] encouraging you guys to bring those as well if you want to support that. And then we actually need some help after service if you're willing and able to help with moving some chairs and some
[01:29:42] tables. If you mind standing out in the lobby for a little bit extra and we'll give you some instructions there. And then today for our benediction, I'm going to read the chapter that we're going to be studying together for VBS, which is Psalm 23. And while I read that, I want you guys
[01:29:55] to actively pray. Pray for the 100 plus students that will be in this church all week long hearing about a gracious Heavenly Father. So pray for them. Pray for volunteers. Whatever the Lord puts on
[01:30:08] your heart as I read this beautiful chapter of the Bible, I pray or I hope that you will join me in praying for our VBS. So Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down
[01:30:24] in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
[01:30:38] I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
[01:30:44] you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in
[01:31:00] the house of the Lord forever let's pray Lord Jesus thank you for this powerful service that we've had this morning Lord I pray that you would convict and bring those who don't know you as Lord
[01:31:11] and Savior to know you, even this morning. Lord, I pray over these hundreds of kids that are going to be here all week. Lord, I pray that they would come to know this good shepherd. Lord, I pray over
[01:31:21] our volunteers and those who have given of their time and energy and efforts. Lord, I pray that you would bless those efforts. Lord, I pray that you would just encourage them throughout the week as they share the testimonies of what you've done in their lives, Lord Jesus. We pray and ask these
[01:31:35] things in your name. Amen.