And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. 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.” (Genesis 6:6-7)

How sad it is that the crown of God’s creation becomes something He regrets making! Something He wants to blot out!

How great is man’s wickedness? God wants to blot out everything from the face of the earth because of it! Just as the entire world was cursed with Adam, so also everything created from the dust of the earth is condemned in the Flood.

Sin grieves God’s heart. God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). We grieve God by forsaking Him with our sin. As we will see next time, only Noah found favor in His sight. Only Noah brings a spark of light in a dark, dark world. Amen.

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. (Genesis 6:5)

Why does God send the Flood? “Every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually.” Many try to get rid of original sin from Christianity, but you can’t do it. Without original sin, why is there so much evil? You can’t answer the question.

God’s wrath comes because of man’s great wickedness. Wickedness passed down from generation to generation. Without Christ, there is no good inside you. In Christ is the only place where there is any good. We will hear in a few days that “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

Noah wasn’t without sin. He found favor because of Christ’s coming sacrifice for sin. The same sacrifice in which you find favor. Amen.

"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress" (Psalm 107:6).

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The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

The Nephilim were the “mighty men … of old, the men of renown.” These were the men who were the models for all the heroes of the world. The children of the gods and goddesses and mortals in mythology.

While our heroes are typically the “good guys,” the Nephilim were more like the archvillains of our comic books and movies. They used their size and strength to terrorize and oppress regular mortals. Their reputation was well-known throughout the world. And people feared them.

The true mighty man of history, the real man of renown, is Jesus. He is true God and true Man. He has almighty power to do whatever He wants. What does He want? Does He want to oppress you? No. He wants to save you. He has done that through His death and resurrection. Amen.

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The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

The Nephilim are one of the mysteries of the Flood. These were giant men, the product of fallen angels and women. They were well-known for their size and strength. Goliath was likely one of the Nephilim. They were around before the Flood “and also afterward.”

They were one of the root causes of the increased sinfulness that grieved God’s heart. Not only the sinfulness of their human mothers. The truly demonic influences of their fathers. These joined together with their size caused them to be a great nuisance on the earth. They were one of the things God wanted to rid the world of through the Flood.

Goliath lived many centuries after the Flood. The Nephilim may have been destroyed in the Flood, but the demonic “sons of God” started over again just as God did. Evil continues today. Amen.

Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” (Genesis 6:3)

God’s Spirit will not abide with sinful man forever. Sinful man will die. Death can be seen as a horrible punishment, but it can also be a blessing.

Death is initially a punishment and outgrowth of sin (Genesis 2:16-17; James 1:15). Death can be a horrible sight to behold. Most everything we do in medicine and science is designed to make us live longer, but a longer life isn’t necessarily a great thing.

What if you were born in 1902, 120 years ago? What would you have seen? Two World Wars. The Great Depression. Korea. Vietnam. Desert Storm and Shield. 9/11. And these are just a few things. What more is to come? Who knows!

Death also brings about a blessing. God has imposed a limit of the suffering that you will have to survive or see in this life. God’s grace has put a limit on those days. Overall, it’s 120 years or less. Your days are numbered, but they are numbered by God’s grace. Amen.

The Roman pontiff claims for himself that he is all bishops and pastors by divine right.

Second, he adds that by divine right he has both swords, that is, the authority also to enthrone and depose kings<, regulate secular dominions, and such>.

Third, he says that to believe this is necessary for salvation. For these reasons, the Roman bishop calls himself the vicar of Christ on earth.

These three articles we hold to be false, godless, tyrannical, and destructive to the Church.

(Tr 1-4)

Melanchthon goes on to use Luke 22:24-27; Matthew 18:2; John 20:21; Galatians 2:7-10 and 1 Corinthians 3 to prove this from Scripture.

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Liturgical Date: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Calendar Date: July 3, 2022

Order of Service: Divine Service 1

Hymns:

#856, "O Christ, Who Called the Twelve"

#533, "Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure"

#521, "Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken"

#673, "Jerusalem, My Happy Home"

#844, "Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace"

#830, "Spread the Reign of God the Lord"

Sermon Theme: Lambs Amidst Wolves

Sermon Text: Luke 10:1-20

Other Lectionary Readings: 

Psalm 66:1-7

Isaiah 66:10-14

Galatians 6:1-10, 14-18

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. (Genesis 6:1-2)

“There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6). The “sons of God” are the angels. As we come to the Flood, these are likely the angels who fell with Satan. That is the best description of these, especially as we will see in a few days.

But Jesus turns changes things. “For in Christ you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:26). Your sonship comes through your Baptism. Whether you are male or female, you are considered a son of God because historically only sons received the inheritance. Since Baptism gives everyone the inheritance of faith, everyone who has been baptized—whether male or female—is called a son of God.

Being a son, you receive the inheritance of Heaven. Which is what God has wanted from even the creation of man. The inheritance restored for all who look forward to everlasting life in Heaven. Amen.