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Sermon #5206

God Must Punish Sin

A Sermon on Genesis 6:7-8

Originally preached Nov. 6, 1955

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Scripture

Genesis 6:7-8 ESV KJV
So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (ESV)

Sermon Description

The story of the flood as found in Genesis tells of something very important about who God is and who humanity is. In this sermon on Genesis 6:7–8 titled “God Must Punish Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the justice of God will not tolerate sin and His holiness demands the punishment of evil. This is exactly what He did in sending the flood upon the whole earth, wiping out all the inhabitants for their iniquities. He spares only Noah and his family because Noah found favor with God. Furthermore, just as God judged the world in the time of Noah, He will also come again to judge the world and punish all evildoers who do not repent and believe in Christ Jesus. Despite this clear warning, many live as if God never judges the earth. Just as those in the time of Noah scoffed at the idea that God was going to flood the earth, so today many laugh at the belief that Christ Jesus will return and bring judgment on the last day. The Bible warns that God is just and holy, and because of sin the whole world lies under the condemnation of God. It is only by believing in the gospel that any will be saved.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. All calamities are due to sin. God made the world perfect. Calamities came in as a result of sin.
  2. God sometimes brings calamity upon men as punishment for sin. God doesn't always act at once, but he will act in his own time.
  3. Every calamity is a picture of the final calamity. God will punish sin. God must punish sin.
  4. God punishes sin because of what it leads to and produces. God saw the wickedness of men was great in the earth. Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
  5. The earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence. Corrupt, polluted, foul. Violence refers to murder, theft, robbery, lust, passion. The world is becoming more violent.
  6. They lived corruptly before God, but ignored God. They thought God couldn't do anything.
  7. God warns before he strikes. God warned the people through Noah. God always warns. The Bible is a warning. God warns individuals and the whole world.
  8. God said his spirit would not always strive with men. He gave them 120 years to repent. God expresses his opinion on and abhorrence of their sin.
  9. Noah warned the people for 120 years as he built the ark. He preached righteousness and called them to repentance. But they ignored the warnings.
  10. The fact that we ignore God's warnings will not stop God's plan. God will act in his time. The flood came. Judgment will come.
  11. Only Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Noah believed God. That's what saved him.
  12. The ark is a picture of Christ. Belief in Christ saves us from the wrath to come, as the ark saved Noah from the flood.
  13. We must believe God. Our sin deserves the same punishment as those before the flood. The only escape is to believe God, acknowledge our sin, repent, and believe in Christ.
  14. If we believe God, his grace will save us. We will be safe when the world is destroyed.

Old Testament

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.