Grief and Pleasure in the Heart of God

Grief and Pleasure in the Heart of God
Genesis 6: 5-8
December 4, 2022

Genesis 6:5-8
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. ⁶ So the Lord was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ Then the Lord said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

To fully understand Christmas and to fully understand the GIFT of the Lord Jesus— we must understand that Christmas was a response to ____________________ in the heart of God.

Matthew 22:36-38
Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”  ³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important command.

2 Corinthians 5:15
And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

The thing or more correctly, the person that always replaces love for God with someone or something else is _______________________.

My Problem, Your Problem, Our Problem is a __________________ Problem.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Luke 6:45b
…. out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Isaiah 59:1

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.

Amos 4:6, 8-9, 10b
I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to me.  Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water but were not satisfied, yet you did not return to me.  I struck you with blight and mildew; the locust devoured your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees, yet you did not return to me.  I caused the stench of your camp to fill your nostrils, yet you did not return to me.

We like to think that our Deepest Issues and Problems are being caused by variables OUTSIDE of me not _______________________ of me.

Isaiah 59:12-13
For our transgressions have multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: ¹³ transgression and deception against the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.

Isaiah 59:17
He put on righteousness as body armor, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

Christmas is not only a Response to what caused GRIEF in the heart of God but also what caused _________________________ —when we understand that—It will change the way we approach Christmas.