Honolulu Bible Church
Evening Worship Service
May 10, 1998

THE COVENANT OF GRACE

"I WILL BE YOUR GOD AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE"

Sermon #8 - God's Covenant of Grace with Noah - Part 2 - Genesis 6-9

INTRODUCTION - Last week we introduced some general ideas to help us understand the covenant which God makes with Noah in Genesis 6-9. We saw the formation of the two seeds since the fall of man, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. As Cain rises up to kill Abel, we see the beginning of the war between the two seeds, which will continue throughout time. In Genesis 6, the devil endeavored to infiltrate the ranks of the seed of the woman, thus bringing the entire world into apostasy and wickedness. Just before the flood, we are shown God's attitude towards the two seeds. The Lord is determined to destroy the seed of the serpent from the face of the earth, while He will show grace, mercy and deliverance to the seed of the woman. Noah is a man who finds grace, thus, he is called to walk with God. The covenantal promise "I will be your God and you will be My people" is clearly seen in God's attitude toward redeemed Noah. This evening we shall continue to study this covenant with Noah which is presented to us in three passages: Genesis 6:17-22; 8:20-22; and 9:1-17.

1) GOD'S COVENANT WITH NOAH IS A PURELY GRACIOUS COVENANT BASED UPON GOD'S DIVINE ELECTION - God does not come to Noah because of Noah's goodness, righteousness, or because Noah was seeking God. The man Noah was born just as wicked as any man in this world. It is because God chose to show grace to Noah (Genesis 6:8) that Noah is spared in the great flood. Genesis 6 emphasizes the divine election of God. It is here we see that in His sovereign grace, the Lord will choose from fallen humanity, those whom He will have a covenantal relationship with. The Lord is ready to destroy all of mankind, yet He spares Noah from the mass of fallen humanity and shows him grace. There is nothing within Noah to move God to do this. It is purely a result of divine election and grace. This is a principle which is foundational to all of God's covenantal relationships with men. God is the one who chooses His people. He is the one who renews the hearts of men so that they might fellowship with Him. Man would never choose God, for there are none who seek Him (Romans 3:10-12). Thus, all of the covenants are based upon God's divine electing grace. We will see this with Abraham, for he is a man who is called out of paganism to serve God. Later, God will tell Moses in Exodus 33:19, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." It is the prerogative of God to save those whom He pleases. David would know the divine grace of God as he proclaims that mercy in the Psalms and wonders at God's choice of him and his household over all other men (II Samuel 7:18). The people of God are also chosen in grace, for there was nothing good within them, but they are loved just because God has chosen to love them (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). This is one of the great characteristics of the Covenant of Grace. God deals with people as He pleases and chooses whom He wills. God makes covenants with whomever He decides. Thus, divine and gracious election is at the heart of all of God's covenantal dealings with men.

2) GOD'S COVENANT WITH NOAH ALSO EMPHASIZES GOD'S INTENTION TO DEAL IN GRACE WITH FAMILY UNITS - The Genesis account only tells us that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We hear nothing of the faith of his wife or children. Later, after the flood, we are shown that some of his children were actually unbelievers. We would have to stop here and ask: Why weren't these unbelieving children forbidden entrance into the ark? Aren't they the seed of the serpent? Wouldn’t they propagate this evil seed (as indeed, they did) when the flood was over? Why does God spare those who will become His enemies in the new world? In our evangelical way of thinking, we usually conclude that there is no connection between our faith and the lives of others. Modern evangelicalism is quick to impose an individualism on the Christian - we believe for ourselves and that grace has no bearing on the position of our families before God. We are told that God does not deal with families but with individuals. Yet if this is the case, we shall have a hard time explaining why God invited unbelievers into the ark for protection and grace. Instead, we find the text emphatically telling us that it was because of Noah finding grace in the eyes of the Lord and subsequently his righteous walk with God, that God spared his entire family, unbelievers included (Genesis 6:18; 7:1). The covenant of grace is established with Noah, yet this covenant has a greater connection beyond this one man. The entire family of Noah is placed under the protection and grace of the covenant. Thus, we see that Noah's family benefits from his standing before God. It is because Noah has been shown grace and is righteous before the Lord that his family will be spared. Noah stands at the head of his family as representative and because of this status, the entire family is blessed, even the unbelievers. This is another glorious principle of God's covenant of grace. We will see it more fully developed in Abraham as the promises are given to Abraham and his descendants, to a thousand generations. This promise will be renewed with Moses and Israel, then repeated again to the New Testament believers by Peter at Pentecost. Thus, the Covenant of Grace, the promises of the Gospel, should never be thought of in terms of God just dealing with individuals. The promises of grace go beyond ourselves and reach into our families, affecting both believer and unbeliever under our roofs. Thus, if you are a Christian parent, you should take heed to what is being said about Noah in this text. Assuredly you have seen the grace of God in your homes as you have lived faithfully for the Lord. Certainly you have seen your children grow in the knowledge of the Lord and come to Christ. Why has this happened? It is because God has shown grace to parents, and in this grace He not only blesses you, but that grace is extended to the entire family in covenantal promises. Yet at the same time, one must be careful with the grace which has been shown. What if we trample this grace? What if parents do not teach their children to walk with God? What if they do not provide holy examples or are too busy with their own lives to lead their children into worship and instruction? What if Christian fathers pawn off their responsibilities to the mother? What if the father is not living a life of holiness and spiritual discipline? Do not expect the grace of God to flourish in your family if this is your response to that grace! Instead, you will see that grace die in your homes as your children grow up to curse God. The line of grace will be extinguished from your offspring. Certainly being a Christian parent does not guarantee that your children will all become Christians (examples are seen in Ham, Ishmael, Esau, Absalom, Hophni, and Phineas). Yet the promise of grace is still there in the covenant, and we are to believe and trust God with that promise. Children are to be raised under the blessings of covenantal grace. They are to be told about the grace of God in Christ Jesus which is theirs as children of the covenant. Christian parents are to raise their children in godliness, and look to God to fulfill His promise of blessing the family. Children who reject that grace and mercy will be doubly judged by God, for they have received so much more than pagan children have been given. Perhaps the greatest passage in this text which confirms the covenantal blessings on the entire family (unbelievers included) is Genesis 9:8,9. Here we see that after the flood, God establishes His covenant not just with Noah, but also with his sons, and his descendants after him. God's commitment of grace to Noah will include Noah's sons and his descendants. Thus, Noah's children are not just spared through the flood, but they are given the promises of the covenant of grace for themselves. All the promises are spoken to the family. It does not mean that all will accept this grace, yet these children are still children of the covenant and are in an advantageous position of grace. This is the same thing that God does with Christian parents today. His promises are not just to individuals, but He shows mercy to a thousand generations as families are placed under His Covenant of Grace. Do you realize the great covenantal blessings on our Christian homes? Do our children realize the great grace which God has shown to them? Will we trample this grace or will we glory in it, leading our families into godliness and holy worship? Let us claim the privileges of being God's people and let us, with Noah, walk with God, thus seeing the blessings of grace pour forth to a thousand generations.

3) THE PARALLELS BETWEEN ADAM'S COVENANT AND NOAH'S COVENANT Though God comes to a variety of men with His covenants, we have said already that these are not to be seen as separate covenants, detached from one another. There is a glorious unity to all of the covenants. They all speak of the same grace, redemption, and promise of God. Noah's covenant clearly repeats the covenant which God made with Adam in the Garden before the fall. The language of Noah's covenant is taken from creation (compare Genesis 6:20 with Genesis 1:25), and the commands of Noah's covenant are the same ones spoken to Adam (compare Genesis 8:17; 9:1,7 with Genesis 1:28). Thus, God's covenant with Noah is not a new one, but is the creation covenant with added aspects and responsibilities. We also see in God's dealings with Noah the Lord's view of redemption. God is not just concerned with the saving of souls out of sin. He is also resolved to bring the entire physical world back under His sovereignty and rule. Noah, as a Christian, is told to go and subdue the world, to dominate and conquer it in the name of God. This is a mandate given to believers. Thus, we are called not just to preach the grace and mercy of God, but to effectively subdue and dominate creation for the glory of our God. This is why our jobs, our work, our callings in this world, no matter what they may be, are all holy. God intends on redeeming all of culture, society, and creation. It is through our work that this redemption process is seen as we use work to glorify the Creator. This is what we were originally created for in the Garden. Our part in the redemptive plan of God is to also bring all of life into submission to God, using all of creation for His honor and glory. This was God's charge to Adam and it is repeated again here in the Noahic Covenant.

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