In this passage, we see that sin is alive and well in the new world. But we also see the hope of Jesus Christ. Though we are all by nature like Noah and Ham, by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, God regards us as righteous.
God promises to sovereignly preserve the earth and to never again destroy the world with a flood. But what does God require of His creatures in return? In this sermon, we look at God's unconditional and universal and everlasting covenant, and how it points us to a new and better covenant through Jesus Christ.
In the flood account, we see how infinitely holy God is and how breathtakingly offensive our sin is to Him. Yet even though God judges sin and wickedness, in His grace, He always saves a remnant to continue His kingdom on the earth.
In this passage, we see just how far mankind has plummeted from their privileged position, as “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” But we also see how, in the midst of all the wickedness on the earth, there is hope: “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah points forward to Jesus who absorbed the floodwaters of God’s wrath, so that, by faith in Jesus Christ, it is not we who are blotted out, but rather, it is our sin that is blotted out.
In this genealogy of the godly line of the offspring of the woman, we see the faithfulness of God, the sting of death, and the hope of eternal life. When we receive the good news of Jesus Christ by faith, then one day we will be no more, for God will take us to be with Him forever.
How are Christians to engage and relate to the surrounding culture, the culture of Cain, a culture with a disposition toward leaving God out? We proclaim the good news that God sent His Son into the world, in the Person of Jesus Christ, that all who "call upon the name of the Lord" will be saved.
In the narrative of Cain and Abel, we see the battle between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman on full display. But we also see God's grace on full display. Even though we are rebels against the King of the universe like Cain, through faith in Jesus Christ, we don't get what we deserve, but rather, we get grace. And even though the battle against the serpent will be fierce and bloody, we can be assured that Christ is building His Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The judgment of God against human sin explains every problem we face in the world. But in the judgment of God against human sin, we also see the answer to all the wrong in the world. For those who put their hope in Jesus, we do not get the judgment we deserve. Instead, we get grace. But there remains judgment for those who do not put their hope in Jesus. Will we believe the good news of Jesus Christ?
In Genesis 3, in the midst of God’s judgment against human sin, we see God’s grace in the promise of One who would crush the head of the serpent by being crushed for us. And His name is Jesus.
In Genesis 3, we come to the saddest moment in human history. When Adam and Eve sinned, we all sinned. In this passage, we find the explanation for why the world is the way it is, but we also find hope in Jesus Christ who offers us something better than the fruit of the garden; He offers us Himself.