"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Hebrews 11:7).
"So the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:7-9).
IDEA: It is out of our hearts that we bring pleasure to God or the judgment of God.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand why God brought judgment upon the earth.
In the story of Noah, we are told about what is taking place on earth that brought about God's judgment on that society, "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth' " (Genesis 6:11-13).
Do you think those same conditions could happen today? The hearts of the people were wicked all the time.
I. "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5)."
When we think of "heart," what do we mean?
There is no equivalent term in English for the Hebrew word for "heart."
The "heart" is the locus of thought, feeling, volition and morality (Evangelical Dictionary, pp 498-99). "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20).
This is a vivid description of total depravity. It is an appalling description of humanity not found anywhere else in literature. Note the graphic words "Every," "only," "continually," "evil."
II. How does our "heart" relate to our actions? "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
How did the heart relate to the actions of the people of Noah's day?
How did the heart relate to actions in Noah's life, as seen in Hebrews 11:7?
Conclusion: God not only saw the evil actions in the society, but he could see the motives that prompted those actions. He could see it in the population and he could also see it in the heart of Noah.