The Power of One

Happy Sunday. Today we continue our series on truth. Last week we were in Genesis 3. Today we'll look at Genesis 6.

I pick up the story at verse 5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth and that every inclination of their thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humans on the earth. And it grieved him to his heart.

So the Lord said, "I'll blot out from the earth the humans I have created, people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." This is a sad section of scripture. Sin had so separated creation from the creator that God was ready to wipe the slate clean. Approximately 1650 years after Adam was given breath, this world was in verge of on the verge of collapse of being wiped out.

Thank God for verse 8 of Genesis 6. It says, "But Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord." Now, this is this is the first time we find the word grace in scripture. Why did Noah find grace from the Lord?

We find that answer in verse 9. We're told Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. If this description reminds you of Enoch, it should.

Enoch was Noah's greatgrandfather. Enoch, as you may recall, never died. As an aside, let's briefly look at the story told in Genesis 5:21-24. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.

Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah, 300 years, and had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God and then he was no more because God took him. We read of Enoch's son Methuselah.

He was Noah's grandfather. Methuselah had a son named Lamek and he was Noah's father. It's not unusual to see faith run in a family. Thank God it has in mind.

If you're a believer from a long line of believers, you should thank God for your family. If you're a first generation Christian, you should strive to change your family tree to a lineage of faithful followers. Thank God for Noah. The truth that I want you to see today is that one person can make a big difference and Noah did.

I believe that even today, God is looking for us to walk with him so that we may influence others for eternity. That's our job. It's been close to a decade now. My daughter worked for an organization that granted wishes to terminally ill children.

Some wanted to take a trip somewhere, maybe Disney. Others wanted to meet a celebrity. One particular boy, Carson, had a big dream. He was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and his dying wish was to throw out the first pitch at a Dodgers game.

Ellen, my daughter, called the Dodgers and it was getting nowhere fast. She just couldn't get a hold of the right person. My wife in those days worked at a school and there was a child there that was always talking about the Dodgers, always wearing Dodger gear. In fact, often on weekends, the child would be at a Dodger game in Los Angeles, far from Braves country in our hometown of Atlanta.

Jeanie asked the young boy why he was at Dodgers games so often. He replied, "My grandfather is part owner of the Dodgers." "How about that?" My wife talked with the family and they reached out to my daughter and on Carson's 14th birthday, he threw out the first pitch at a Dodgers game.

My point, one person can make a big difference. And more importantly, you can make a big difference in someone's eternal life. Today, it's my prayer that each of us walked with God. That each of us makes a big difference in the lives of others for eternity.

Pray with me. Lord Jesus, as we pray to you, you have made the difference. You came for us. You died for us.

You rose for us. And today, you live for us. We ask that we would live for you. that we would make a difference in Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Thanks for being with me today.