A New Beginning

All right. Well, thank you, guys, for the song. By the way, that's part of our band. We also have the Palmer part of our band. So if you want to come and hear us live and in concert, you can September 7th, Sunday night at Simmons Grove Baptist Church. They're doing a series of Sunday evening meetings, and we get to be the band. So we're going on the road, or across the holler at least. So we will have the full band.

All right, guys, we're back in the book of Genesis this morning. Just to catch you up—last week, I had a special sermon on my heart, and we looked at John chapter three. But we're back in our series as we explore the book of Genesis.

So just to recap, chapter six. God sees the wickedness of man on the earth. Their numbers have multiplied, and so has their wickedness. And God says, "My spirit shall not always strive with men. His days shall be 120 years."

And we talked about how the wickedness of man was great in the earth, that every thought and intention of his heart was only evil continually. And so God will destroy man whom He created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, with a flood. But Noah finds grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah fears God. Noah walks with God. Noah is a righteous man. Noah moves with fear and builds an ark to the saving of his family. And we talked about how that ark represents the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one door in the ark, just as there is one way to heaven, one way to safety and salvation. And we looked at several other facts of the ark that are very interesting. So if you didn't get to listen to that sermon, I highly encourage you to go back and listen to it.

But now we come to chapter seven. Verse 22 of chapter six says that Noah did according to all that He commanded. So he did. Noah built the ark according to God's blueprints, according to the specifications. And now it's time to enter the ark.

Chapter seven, verse one. And the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. You shall take with you seven of each of every clean animal, a male and his female; to each of the animals that are unclean, a male and his female, also seven each of the birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." Keep that point in mind. And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. So Noah, along with his wives and his sons’ wives, entered the ark because of the waters of the flood. He brought all the animals. In verse 11, the Bible says, "In the 600th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the 17th day of the month, on that day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." So we have water coming from above and water coming from below, and the rain was on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. On the very same day, Noah and Noah’s sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark. They and every beast after its kind, all of them, were brought into the ark. All the cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind.

The Bible says that they went into the ark, two by two, of all flesh—the breath of life. So they entered, male and female, of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. Underline this in your Bibles. And the Lord shut him in. The Lord shut him in.

And now we read that God warned Noah of this coming flood. But Noah still had to respond. Noah still had to believe. Noah still had to build the ark. Noah still had to enter into the ark. It was not enough just to know that judgment was coming. It was not enough just to have the blueprints of the ark. He had to obey. He had to build the ark. He had to step into the ark with his family and the animals.

In the same way, friends, salvation is God's work alone. He is sovereign over our salvation. You know my doctrine of salvation. You know I hold firmly to the doctrines of grace. God is sovereign in His election. God is sovereign in His choosing and in His drawing. But friends, we are also responsible to repent and to believe the gospel. Amen?

God's sovereignty and human responsibility are two sides of the same coin. God doesn't drag us into the ark of salvation, kicking and screaming against our wills. We still have to respond in obedience. We must repent. We must believe. We must obey His call to enter into the ark of salvation.

Now, God drew Noah and his family. And somehow God drew the animals. The details are sparse, and we don't really know. But God, in His infinite wisdom, knows how to fill the ark with animals. They come in. That's where verse 16 comes in. God shut him in.

Noah and his family, they've obeyed. They've entered the ark. The animals have come in, two and two. Seven pairs of clean animals, just as God commanded. One pair of the unclean animals. Everything is ready. The stage is set.

But think about what's going on outside of the ark. Outside the ark, the people are mocking. They're jeering. Who is this old man? He's 600 years old. The cheese is done, slid off the cracker. And to top it off, he's brought his family and all these animals. Where on earth are these animals coming from? And they're in this big wooden box. They laugh in disbelief, shake their heads, and think, what on earth is going on?

That is until... Who shuts the door? Did Noah shut the door? Was there a rope on that thing? No. God shut the door. God shut the door. This massive door—likely weighing hundreds of pounds—slams shut. Not by Noah's hands, but by God's hands. It is sealed. It is final. They can't leave—not that they would want to—and no one else can get in.

The time of repentance is over. The day of salvation has passed. The day of judgment has come. And now the rains begin. It begins slowly, as a sprinkle. The skies darken. The clouds roll in. The drops become sheets of rain. Then it becomes a downpour. The ground becomes saturated.

And suddenly, fountains of the deep burst forth. Massive geysers erupt from the earth. The canopy over the atmosphere opens up, dumping vast amounts of water upon the earth. And so, a deluge descends from above and below.

That's when the panic starts to set in. That's when the scoffers begin to run. Some rush to higher ground. Others scramble up trees and rooftops. The waters continue to rise. Some of them think this crazy old man was right. He's been building this thing 120 years. We thought he was a fool. And they begin to pound on the door. But the door won't open. They plead. They scream. They scratch at the wood. It won't budge. Because God has shut the door.

The thunder roars in the heavens. The lightning flashes across the sky. Screams pierce the heavens. These mighty men, renowned kings and giants, climb the mountains. But the floodwaters just continue to chase them upward and upward. Some people are clinging to trees and floating debris. But they're too weak to hold on. Mudslides swallow most people instantly. Others are drowned.

But inside the ark, there's Noah and his family. They are safe and secure. But there's no doubt—the screams of panic and fear haunt them. They can feel the boat start to shift, rock, and sway back and forth. They can hear the pounding on the door. But now they just hear the muddled screams of drowning people. And pretty soon they're going to see floating corpses. And they're going to smell the stench of death.

But they're in the ark. There's plenty of room for other people. But they mocked and jeered, marrying and giving in marriage, eating and drinking, going about their day-to-day lives, thinking a flood won't come. God won't punish us. The door was open for 120 years, but they refused to enter.

Friends, this isn't just history. This is prophecy. Remember, God promised never to destroy the earth with a flood. But in 2 Peter 3, which we read a couple weeks ago, He promises to destroy the earth with fire. And there are people who mock the coming of the Lord, saying God won't bring judgment. You've been saying He's going to return for nearly 2,000 years now. Where is He?

There's another judgment coming and another door will close. Today the door of salvation is open for whosoever will enter in. But one day it will close. And only those who are in the ark of safety will be spared. Because this ark of safety, which is Christ, is not only flood-proof. It is fire-proof as well.

Let's talk about the flood rising. Look at verse 17. The flood had been on the earth for 40 days. And the waters increased and lifted the ark. And it rose high above the earth. And the waters prevailed and greatly increased over the earth. And the ark moved across the surface of the waters. Remember, it was built with precision—engineers have even said that it is seaworthy by today's standards.

Notice verse 19. The waters prevailed exceedingly high on the earth. And all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. That means every single mountain on the face of the earth was covered with water. The reason why we believe in the global flood. The waters prevailed 15 cubits upward. And the mountains were covered.

And all flesh. All that moved on the earth, and the birds, and the cattle, and the beasts, and every creeping thing that crept on the earth, and every man—all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life that God gave him, by the way—died. And He destroyed all living things that were on the face of the ground. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days.

Now, why do we, as creationists, believe in the global flood? Well, number one: I believe in the global flood because the Bible says it's a global flood. I believe in the plain rendering of the scriptures. Notice that we read that all the high hills under the heavens were covered, and that the waters prevailed 15 cubits—over 20 feet—above the highest peak.

Also in chapter 6, verses 13 and 17, God says, "I'm about to destroy all life on the earth. I will bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy how much? A few? Some? No. All of life under the heavens. All of life." This is a universal judgment, affecting all land-dwelling, air-breathing life. Now people ask, what about marine life and invertebrates? Well, they would be safe in the water—they wouldn't need to be in the ark to survive.

Also, we're going to look at chapter 8 verse 5 through 9 in a moment. Noah sends out birds, and they could find no dry land. This indicates a total inundation of the earth—not merely a localized flood. We'll also discuss the duration of the flood. It lasted over a year. This is far longer than would be necessary for a centralized regional flood.

Also, we've got to take into account the size of the ark. Remember its dimensions? 450 by 45 by 75. It was huge, built to preserve all kinds of animals—not just the local ones. And this makes sense only in the context of a global flood.

But did you know there's also geological evidence for a global flood? Now, I've done some studying and figuring, as the old people would say. And let me tell you, we are just scratching the surface. Once again, go home and read Answers in Genesis. They give you all kinds of articles.

But here are some cool things I found. There are fossil layers across continents—sedimentary rock layers that span continents and even oceans. There's also evidence of rapid burial, with mass fossil graveyards such as the Morrison Formation and the Green River Formation. These conditions indicate rapid watery burial—precisely what would be expected during a global flood.

There's also a lack of erosion between layers of sedimentary rock. They lack signs of long-term erosion between them, suggesting rapid deposition. And then there's also some polystrate fossils, which means that trees and other fossils extend vertically—not horizontally, but vertically—through multiple rock layers. And this suggests that these layers of sediment were laid down quickly, not over millions of years.

Think about that. You have trees standing straight up. You have multiple sedimentary layers. Supposedly it takes millions of years for each layer. Well, why is the tree present in all of them? Because it happened quickly—instantly.

Do you know they've also found dinosaurs? Paleontologists have discovered fossilized dinosaurs in strikingly lifelike positions. For example, there's a Pythagosaurus buried mid-meal with the last food still active in its mouth. It got buried while it was eating. There's an Oviraptor fossilized while brooding over her eggs and still giving birth. Something happened instantaneously while these creatures were just existing. Also, there's dinosaur trackways that abruptly end. This suggests these animals were overtaken suddenly.

There's also these global sedimentary layers—these very rock layers found in North America, Europe, and North Africa. Marine fossils are present on mountains, such as Mount Everest in the Himalayas, the Alps, and the Rockies. They all contain marine fossils. What does this tell us? That they were once submerged underwater, just as the Bible said. How did these sea creatures end up on top of these mountains, hundreds of miles from any large body of water? I suggest the easiest conclusion would be a global flood.

And also, we've talked about these mass fossil graveyards. There are huge collections of jumbled, mixed species fossils. Especially in places like Wyoming and the Karoo Basin in South Africa and some in China. Also, there are over 270 cultures around the globe that have flood legends. Think about that. 270 cultures around the globe that have flood legends. And there are striking parallels. They get kind of differ on some of the minute details. But they all share a common theme. There's a divine judgment. There's a righteous man and his family who are spared. There's a large boat or vessel. The animals are saved. And the rainbow is given as a covenant.

Here are some of those. There's the Epic of Gilgamesh. It's similar to Noah's account. Of course, it's a mythological fabrication. There's also a Sumerian tale of gods flooding the earth to control a population. Even in Native American culture, the Hopi, Apache, and other tribes recount flood stories involving a man and his family being saved in a canoe and arriving on top of a mountain. In China, there's a tale of Nuwa repairing the heavens and a flood covering the land. In Greek, he is known as Nui. In Hinduism, the god Vishnu warns Manu, whose name translates to water. Or Noah, who survived a flood by building a large boat.

And we see Noah's name reflected in various languages. In Latin and Greek, he is known as Nui. In Hawaiian, he is Nuu. In Chinese, he is Nuwa. Now how on earth did all these cultures end up with a similar story of a man with a similar name?

They must have all come from one family. Whose family would that have been? I wonder. Probably Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, if I were a betting man. Noah's name is remembered across cultures, and this would not be possible if the flood were only a localized event affecting only a limited population. Rather, the flood was global; it impacted all of humanity. And as Shem, Ham, and Japheth had kids and children and grandchildren, they spread out, they repopulated the earth, they would carry the memory and the story with them, and of course they spread over the whole globe. Here's my strongest argument: Jesus and his apostles affirm the flood. And if you can't trust the words of Jesus, what are we even doing here?

Jesus says in Matthew 24:37-39, "Just as it was in the days of Noah, men were eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage until the day the flood came and took them all away." And we've already studied 2 Peter 3, wherein Peter describes this global judgment—men perishing in the flood—and he draws a parallel with the coming judgment by fire. Now, here are some critiques I have of a local flood theory: if it's only a local flood, why would God tell Noah 120 years in advance to build an ark?

Why wouldn't he just migrate somewhere else? Makes sense: the lake's gonna flood—let's move somewhere else. But the earth is gonna flood—let's build a boat. Also, there's God's promise in Genesis 9–11 never to flood the entire earth again. If it was a localized flood, then God lied, because there have been many floods—devastating floods. You go to western North Carolina; you still see the mess it's made. It's not talking about a localized flood. This is a global flood. And also, the universal death of all creatures outside the ark makes no sense in the local context. How did this happen?

The Bible tells us that the floodwaters and the windows of heaven were opened. And the windows of heaven—rain pours down from the sky for 40 days and 40 nights. We see that number 40 come up in Scripture multiple times as a symbol of judgment, of trial, and testing. Forty days and forty nights, without stopping—heavy rain flooding the land. And then the springs of the great deep. These are massive underground water sources, or ocean springs, breaking forth. And together, these sources create an overwhelming flood that covers the entire earth.

Did you know that today we have enough water to cover the entire earth if the earth was relatively smooth without large mountains? Think about the erosion that washes away the soil, rocks, and plants. This would explain many of the deep canyons and sediment layers we find today. Also, there would be topological changes. Mountains would have been pushed up or worn down. And valleys carved deeper. And coastlines rearranged as the waters moved over the earth.

There would also be massive shifting of the tectonic plates, uplifting mountains like Ararat on which the ark finally rested. Remember Coley's reading, Psalm 104:6-9? I'll read it again for you: "You, as God, covered the earth with the deep as with a garment. The waters stood above the mountains. But notice the power of God: at your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took flight. The mountains rose, and the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary—they may not pass, so that they may not cover the earth again."

Friends, that is a global flood. This psalm echoes the flood story. It shows how God's sovereign voice controls the waters—both in bringing judgment and in restraining the flood when the time comes. Let’s consider this now. How long were Noah and his family in the ark? Genesis 7:11 says the floodwaters began on the seventeenth day of the second month—this is day one inside the ark. Genesis 7:12 records the rain falling for forty days and forty nights. The waters rise, covering the highest mountain. Then the waters prevail, and the ark floats.

Chapter 7:24, the waters continue to rise for an additional one hundred and fifty days. About five months. Because the water comes from the fountain of the great deep. But then the waters begin to recede. Look in Genesis 8:1. "Then God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days, the waters decreased."

After a hundred and fifty days, the waters begin to recede. In verse 5, on the first day of the tenth month, the waters rest on the mountains—the tops of the mountains become visible. Then Noah waits for the earth to dry. In verses 6–7, Noah first sends out a raven, then he sends out a dove multiple times. Over the next several weeks, he sends the dove out, testing whether the earth is dry. Finally, the dove returns with an olive leaf on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, Year two. God then tells Noah to leave the ark. That is the short, condensed version of chapter 8.

So let's break it down. The flood began on the seventeenth day of the second month, first year. On that day, the rains came. Then, after a year of being inside the ark, the waters receded, and on the first day of the tenth month, first year, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. Finally, on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, second year, Noah and his family left the ark. This means they spent three hundred and seventy days inside the ark—three hundred and seventy days of judgment, followed by a new beginning.

Could you imagine being in that ark? For more than a year, with your family. And no one else. And all these smelly animals. This is hard work. There's chores to be done. There's animals to be fed. There's poop to clean up. There's all of this going on inside the ark. And you have no way to steer this vessel. Remember, there's no steering wheel in it. You are trusting God to take care of you. To see you safely through this flood. To put you on some mountain somewhere. Noah doesn't really know what's going on. He trusts the sovereign hand of God.

The good news is, chapter 8, verse 1: God remembers Noah. Now this doesn't mean that God had forgotten about him. Oh yeah, I forgot. There's eight people in this floating box. Three hundred and seventy days later. Oh, my bad. Sorry, I forgot about you. No. It's the same kind of remembering we see when God remembers his people, suffering in the land of Egypt. It's the same remembering that God does with Hannah. When she prays for a baby and he gives her Samuel. It's the same remembering that Jesus does with the thief on the cross. When he says, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom."

It is God acting on behalf of his promise and bringing salvation. Friends, God remembers his people. God never forgets you. He has far too much invested in you to ever leave you or forsake you. He remembers his promise and is faithful to his covenant. He never forgets. Praise God for his faithfulness.

Now imagine this. You're Noah. Three hundred days—or two hundred and fifty-five days. You've been rocking back and forth. You hear a big sound. And, whoa. You landed. We hit something. I hadn't felt this move in a long time. Perhaps the water is decreasing. But, man. Lord, we've only got so much food. These animals are growing restless. Quite frankly, I am too. Lord, have you forgotten about us? Have you trapped us in here? Sealed us in to die? But, no. No. Noah trusted. He trusted that God had not forgotten him. God would not forsake him.

Friends, let me tell you. Even in your time of waiting, God has not forgotten you. In times when your life feels like it's rocking back and forth, Lord, what is going on? Are you in control? Do you see me? Do you understand? Yes, He does. His eye has never left you. In your weariness. In your weakness. Even in your failing. God remembers you. He remembers the eternal covenant He's made with you through His Son. The Bible says He numbers the very hair of our head. He collects our tears in a bottle. So, even in our wondering and waiting and in our pain, God knows us. God remembers us. When we are going through the storms of life, God remembers us. And we can be sure that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. Praise God for that.

The waters abate in Genesis 8:1–14. Now, we’ve read some of that passage. You can read it at home, but for brevity, I’ll share a condensed version. The waters begin to recede. But in chapter 8, we notice something profound: the pattern of this narrative mirrors the creation story in Genesis 1. How so? Because the Spirit of God hovered over the waters in the beginning. Everybody remember that? And now God causes the wind. Remember the same word? The wind. Remember the same word for spirit and wind. To pass over the earth. And the earth begins to dry. The waters begin to subside. Then light emerges. The clouds break. Dry land appears. Vegetation starts to grow again. Does that not follow the creation pattern? Pretty awesome, isn’t it?

This is God almost recreating the earth using the old materials. This is God giving humanity a new beginning. A new start. And then eventually the animals and humans step onto the earth to fill it once more. Friends, this is not just a reset. This is a re-creation. God is making something new out of the chaos. Now yes, the flood was an act of judgment, but here we see His grace restores what has been corrupted. This earth that had been filled with violence is now being cleansed, and a new beginning is given to humanity.

And then God commands him to come out of the ark. Verse 15: "God spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living creature of all flesh—birds, cattle, and every creeping thing that crawls on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth and be fruitful and multiply.'" Noah steps out on the dry ground and receives the same command that Adam did—this creation mandate: "Be fruitful and multiply."

What does this teach us? Even though the fall and the flood have come, God is not done with His creation or with us. God is doing something new. He offers humanity a new start—but friends, in Christ, humanity is offered the ultimate new start. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone. Behold, the new has come. Amen.

Friends, it's Jesus Christ who brings us safely through the waters of death and gives us new life. Regardless of your past, regardless of your sins, He can forgive you. He can make you new. You can have a new start. You can have a new beginning. You can be born again. You were born a sinner in Adam. You can be reborn as a child of God. He can give you a new nature with a new heart and a new identity as sons and daughters of the Most High.

Now, I just want to go through and pick up some really cool details here in chapter 8, some details that we don't need to miss. Verse 4 says, "The ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat." Now, here's a question. Do you guys think that the ark has been discovered? I think there's a strong possibility. And I think we have a photo, if y'all can pull it up and put it on the screen.

In 1959, there was a Turkish army captain named Durupinar who identified a boat-shaped formation approximately 18 miles south of Mount Ararat. The dimensions of this structure are very similar to the dimensions of Noah's ark given in the book of Genesis. They've also used ground-penetrating radar analysis. In 2025—so this year—researchers from Noah's Ark Scans Project reported discovering angular structures, a central tunnel, and multiple layers—three layers, to be exact—resembling the decks of a ship within this formation. How about that?

They've done soil analysis, and these tests reveal higher organic content and higher potassium levels, suggesting the presence of decayed wood. Vegetation patterns also show distinct grass coloration within the formation, indicating this was possibly a man-made structure. It's also noteworthy that this is Mount Ararat, the exact mountain where the Bible states the ark came to rest.

Now, due to the mountain's remote location, harsh weather conditions, and political sensitivities, as always, they don't want people poking around up there. But of course, when you tell people, "Don't cross this line," guess what? Someone's going to cross it. And they even dived into it, and guess what they found? Beams and decking and a central hole, much like a ship. Researchers from the Mount Ararat and Noah's Ark research team reported finding marine deposits, shellfish remnants, and clay-like materials dating between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago. Guess what? That aligns with the timing of Noah's flood. It's pretty cool.

Let's talk about the ark's landing. Now, when did it come to rest? Verse 4: the 17th day of the month. 17th day of the month. Now, you might think, big deal. 17th day of the month. Did you know that this calendar date has high significance in the Bible? And I'm going to give you some events that happened on this calendar day. Not this year—obviously—but the calendar day itself: the 17th day of the month.

Well, in Exodus 12, verse 1, God changes the Israelite calendar so that what was the 7th month became their first month. The Jews today still use two calendars—not at all confusing. So, what's the big deal? Well, that's the Jewish feast of firstfruits that symbolizes new life. It's celebrated on the first Sunday after Passover—remember, Passover commemorates their deliverance from Egypt. Three days later, they celebrate new life—symbolizing the beginning of God's promises fulfilled.

Also, Israel crossed the Red Sea on the 17th day of this month. They left behind slavery and death, the drowned Egyptians, and they stepped into the new life—the life God has for them. Manna ceased on the 16th day of this month, and on the 17th day, Israel ate the new grain of the promised land 40 years later.

Well, fast forward hundreds of years from that, we come to the book of Esther. Esther proclaims a fast on the 14th, 15th, and 16th day. And on the 17th day, Esther approaches the king, and God overturns the plot of the enemy Haman to destroy the Jews. This leads to the greatest 17th of all. Now, if Jesus died on the 14th, on Passover, he was crucified as the perfect Passover lamb, that means he rose on the 17th day.

All these 17th days—before the flood, humanity had grown so corrupt that God sent a flood. It looked like the serpent had won; God brings judgment, but humanity is spared and given a new start through Noah and his family. Before crossing the Red Sea years later, Israel seemed trapped and doomed, but God brings resurrection life to His people and death to His enemies. Before Esther approached the king on the 17th, it looked like the Jews would be destroyed by Haman, but Haman was instead defeated. And when Jesus died on the 14th, it looked like all hope was lost. Until the 17th day—until Easter Sunday morning—he rises from the grave. He defeats death, hell, sin, and Satan, and He brings new life and a new beginning to God’s people.

Is this a coincidence that all of these events happen on the same 17th? I think not. God is far too wise and far too organized to do that.

Now, Noah leaves the ark. He sends out a dove, and the dove eventually returns with an olive leaf, meaning that life has returned to the earth. But who descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove at His baptism? It's the Holy Spirit. So what is Jesus doing? He is the better and greater Noah. And this Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove announces the arrival of one who brings true and lasting rest, hope, and new life.

And then when the Lord gives the word, Noah and his family step out onto a new earth. And God reaffirms the same creation mandate he gave to Adam. Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth. Friend, this is not just the dawning of a new day for Noah. This is the dawning of a new day for all of humanity. This was mercy for all of us. Judgment has passed. Mercy and grace have triumphed. And a new beginning has come.

Now let's look at verse 20 and finish up. Chapter 8, verse 20. "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took from every clean animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. And the Lord said in his heart, I will never again curse the ground for man's sake. Although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."

What's the very first thing Noah does when he exits the ark? Does he get a rock and hold it in his hand? Does he kiss the dirt like, "Oh, I missed you, land, earth"? No. He doesn't do something practical like plow a field and plant a garden or build a house or somehow forage for food. Even though the entire human race's existence rests upon his family, no, he does what matters most. He builds an altar and worships the God who spared him and his family's life.

Noah's priority is worship—his priority is God. God is always first. Worship is always first. And he leads his family in corporate worship. Friends, what is first in your life? Is God number one? Have you praised him and thanked him for saving you? Are you leading your family in corporate worship? Are the things of God—and the things of eternity—a priority to you?

So Noah offers these clean animals to God. This is long before the Mosaic Law. But he understands that we give God our first and our best. He is worthy of reverence and worship. The Bible says God was pleased. He smelled the aroma and received it. God's acceptance of the sacrifice indicates that judgment had passed. Judgment has passed. But it points us forward to the greater sacrifice that God would make in giving us his Son, Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish, who offered himself, as Ephesians 5 says, as a sacrifice that's pleasing to God.

And because of his ultimate sacrifice, judgment has passed. We are no longer under condemnation. Judgment has fallen upon another in our place. Isaiah 53:11 says, "God will see the travail of his soul and be satisfied." So what happened at the cross? At the cross, Christ bore the full weight of your sin and mine and endured the wrath of God in our place as our substitute. And his suffering accomplished exactly what it intended, the salvation of all his elect.

Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to God. And it is through his atoning death that justice was satisfied and mercy was poured out on undeserving sinners. The anguish of his soul was not meaningless, friends. It was the price of our redemption. And it satisfied God. And it brings many sons to glory.

And then, after Noah, the sacrifice—God makes a covenant. He promises never again to destroy the earth in this way. Never again to wipe humanity from the face of the earth. This is a new beginning. This is what I'm going to end with: Noah in this family steps out of the ark. This is a new chapter in human history. This is a new chance for humanity.

And I asked you last week, but I'm going to ask you again. Do you ever wish that you could start over? Do you ever wish that you could start over? Have you ever wished that you could take back all your mistakes and they would be erased? Have you ever said something that you wish you could take back? Have you ever longed for a new beginning?

Friends, the good news of the gospel is that a new beginning is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of your sin can be washed away. The curse of sin and its condemnation is undone. And our sins can be removed from us forever—cast as far away as the east is from the west. And He justifies us, and He makes us right in the eyes of a holy God.

I love what Spurgeon said. "If our sins be like mountains, His love shall be like Noah's flood." I don't know about you, but I have a mountain of sin that I need leveled and washed away. Praise God that His blood washes away every sin, removes every stain, removes even the guilt of our conscience. And He gives us a new heart. He gives us a new beginning. We call this being born again.

As they come and give us a hymn of invitation this morning, perhaps you need this new beginning. Christ has suffered and died in your place. When He cried, "it is finished," that means it is finished. There is nothing for you to add to or take away from the work of God. You repent of your sins. You place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And He makes you a child of God. He gives you new life, eternal life. This altar is open.