Chapter 3
Scripture Reading: Heb. 11:7: Gen. 7:23; Gal. 6:7
In the previous chapters we saw that there is generation that is strong and active, and this is what the Lord is seeking today. The first examples of this generation were Abel and Enoch. Abel was someone who repented when he saw his condition. He did not try to offer something from himself; he only wanted to please the Lord. Enoch walked with God. Our desire is to walk with God. In this chapter we will look at “those who are saved.”
Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, having been divinely instructed concerning things not yet seen and being moved by pious fear, prepared an ark for the salvation of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteous-ness which is according to faith.” Noah inherited righteousness. But what was it like at Noah’s time? Young person, every one of us must want to live like Noah did. What was Noah’s generation like? How did people act in his time? Let us look at this in Genesis.
In Genesis 6:2 we read, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took wives for themselves from all whom they chose.” These verses speak to us about some negative things that we want you to compare with some of the things that are happening today where you study, with your friends, on television, etc. The first characteristic of that generation was the attraction to sensuality. Today’s generation is also like this, right? Without a doubt it is like this. Verse 5 says, “And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” In the second place, it was a violent generation. And today’s generation, is it violent? Of course it is.
The third characteristic is in Luke 17:26-27, “And even as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man: They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day in which Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.” What does this mean? This kind of eating is abnormal. This is not talking about eating to satisfy one’s physiological needs. Here it refers to an evil eating that is related to carnal pleasure. People eat in this way because they do not have God. For example, on Friday after some people have eaten supper, they go out and eat again; they sit down to eat and drink. This is evil. This is an attempt to fill the emptiness that is within their being. Eating and drinking were given to us by God, but Satan has transformed them into something evil. Also, “they were marrying and were being given in marriage. This was not for the purpose of fulfilling God’s purpose but was something to satisfy the pleasure of the flesh. It would be like the engagements of today. Today it is very common to be with a person without any kind of commitment and without knowing God’s will. The couples only have the goal of passing the time. Even when we ask young Christians about it they answer, “This is nothing serious; it is just to pass the time.” Noah’s generation was also “passing the time.” Time passed until the flood came and destroyed them.
Young people, these adventures in love belong to Noah’s generation and they are evil. Is a child twelve years old who is having this kind of relationship thinking about getting married? This is evil. Don’t have any doubt about it. We hope that you will realize that the kinds of relationships that were in Noah’s generation, are also in today’s generation, but not in the generation of the young people who are strong and active.
Think a little. When these young people that are having adventures in love come to the church meetings and the young people’s conferences, are they strong and active? No, because they are strong and active in another way: in their flesh. You have to be strong and active to flee from youthful lusts and say no to the flesh even if this generation thinks you are out-of-date. People in the world think they are modern, but you must say, “The relationships that began in Noah’s generation had negative consequences. I do not want to suffer those consequences.”
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