This we reflect on Sunday’s 6pm sermon from Genesis 8:1-19.
Judgement is coming, are you safe? One of the questions raised in last Sunday’s sermon.
My first reaction to that question is to shoot back and say: “‘Yeah I am safe’...but wait…’Judgement is coming?’...uhoh...Why?...I’ve been good.” As I write that last chain of thought, I’m shaking my head at myself and a saddened at how wrong (and unbiblical) my thinking is. I pray that God would help me in changing the way I think and act to be more appreciative of what Jesus has done for me. Below are a few of my thoughts on how God is changing my thinking...
At 6pm we’ve recently seen what God’s view of our sin is, and it’s pretty damning (Gen 6:5 ‘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.’) Then we saw God’s righteous ‘cataclysmic judgement’ on that sin through the flood as well has his grace by saving Noah. So how does this early Old Testament story apply to me when thinking about the question ‘Judgement is coming, are you safe?’
Now when contemplating my ‘safety’, I think it’s helpful to consider both God's judgement of my terrible sin together with God’s saving grace, the latter of which William described as ‘God’s unmerited, undeserved, kindness’. To me, this definition of God’s grace makes the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection feel all the more precious in-light of how sinfully I continually think and act, and also makes me think about how much God must have loved me to save a wretch like me.
Conversely, when considering God's judgement and grace separately, I find myself preferring God's 'gracious' and 'kind' New Testament nature over his 'judgy', 'fire and brimstone' Old Testament nature. But I've been reminded that these truths about God are inseparable and we have to consider them together, as he’s the same God! This has helped me realise that this is in fact great news. That our God has both these characteristics simultaneously means even sinners like me have a chance of being saved by having faith in Christ.
But thankfully it is much more than 'a chance'. When we consider who is doing the saving, it's all God! Not me or Noah! I am incredibly thankful that God is the one that achieved my safety from judgement, just like God graciously saved Noah from the flood. So given the almighty God (the one who floods the earth and dries it again) has already demonstrated both his judgement and grace in Noah and Jesus, I can be confident in my safety.
So I ask you now, judgement is coming, are you safe?
