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But with that, we must come, however briefly, to the third creation story, and if you care to open your text to chapter five, you will see there the beginning of this third account of creation. Here we must take some pains to observe the language that the Hebrew historian uses. Chapter five verse 1 begins, this is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. Male and female created he them and blessed them and called their name Adam. In the day when they were created. And of course, immediately you see the difficult, uh, linguistic problem, don't you? He called their name Adam. Thought that was his name, and she was Eve. How comes it? Comes about simply because the Hebrew word Adam can mean two things. It can mean the name of the first male human being, Adam, we call him. But it can also be the s- term of the species, human. Man, if I may use the term without being politically incorrect. One has to watch it these days. It's all right if you talk about, uh, the foxes, you see. You can talk this about the species fox. You don't have to say the species fox and vixen, do you? But when you talk about the human species, you have to be careful. But you'll forgive an old man. I can't get used to new customs, you'll see. So do forgive me, ladies. Uh, they called their name, God did it, so I didn't do it. God did it. He called their name Adam, that is man. That is human. And therefore it is important in this third creation story to follow the usage throughout the succeeding chapter and chapters, you'll see. It is the story of man, this strange new creature, man, the like of whom there had never been before. There had been animals before, there had been angels before. What was this new creature, man? I suspect the angels were mightily interested. There's a lovely bit of poetry coming from the lips of God in the book of Job, that when God laid the foundations of the earth, the morning star sang, and the sons of God, that is the angels, clapped their hands for sheer joy. Must have been a fantastic experience to be Michael, uh, let alone, uh, uh, Gabriel, you know, to watch the creator creating, wouldn't it? Oh, I'd love to have been there. To see the creator create a buffalo, saying, what on earth is that? And then to see him create an ant, and say, just look at that, uh, nanotechnology. Ha. And here comes a giraffe, some neck. What? You know, ha. Uh, and then a butterfly. Oh, look at that for beauty. Endless teeming forms of life. And as God did it, they clap their hands for sheer joy at the ingenuity and imagination of the, the, the, uh, creator. Last there came this thing. What on earth is that? And God informed them that this was man, you see? Is he an animal? Well, partly so. He's got a lot in common with animals. He's not only an animal? No, he's spirit too. We're spirits. I wonder if Michael said that. You're, you're not putting him above us, are you? I made him a little lower than you, says God. Oh, that's all right, says Michael, heaving a sigh of relief. Wasn't it exciting to be alive in those days and to see this new creature, man. What a story it's been, man. For we who are Christians can't forget the day when the serried ranks of angels saw the Son of the Father stooping and for a little while made lower than the angels and become human. Wonder what Michael said to Gabriel then. Well, the Son of the Father lower than us. And what did he say when he saw the Son of God, the Son of Man, nailed to a cross? And God didn't obliterate the planet forthwith. That the Son of God should die for sinful man. But the angels haven't got over it yet. And what did Michael say, or the others, when they saw the man Jesus summoned, rising into glory, invited to seat at the right hand of God, far above principalities, mights, powers, and dominions? The man that the Son of God sits there is but reasonable. But for the man Jesus, raised above angels. Do you know there's a s- there's a rumor going around, and I for one feel it no- believe it's true, that you, once time sinners, human, are seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above principalities, powers, mights, and dominions. But one day, where you are already seated spiritually, you shall be literally physically seated with Christ. God's purpose for humanity redeemed through the man Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Lord. What a fantastic story the thing is. Yes. Here is the story of man's beginning, therefore. And he called their name man. And we shall have to adhere to that, um, uh, uh, in- translation of the term when we come to chapter six. It became to pass when not men began to multiply, but when man began to multiply, this strange new creature, when man began to multiply. Verses two and four talks about the daughters of man, the panot adam. The daughters of man are human females. There's a Hebrew for human females, would be the daughters of not men, not meaning some daughters of some men, but the daughters of man, human females. The sons of God saw the daughters of man, human females. And then in verse, uh, three, a ver- a key verse for the understanding of this third creation story. Let us read it together. This is chapter six and verse three. And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always... Ah, but now here comes another translational problem. The older versions, like the one from which I'm reading, the older versions say, my spirit shall not always strive with man. For that he also is flesh, yet shall his days be an hundred and twenty years. Now, this has been a verse much preached on by evangelists and others for centuries. And many a time it has been used very effectively in the preaching of the gospel to warn people that have heard the gospel and come to understand it, and have felt the Holy Spirit pleading with them to repent and trust the Savior, and have prevaricated and dallied. And the preacher using this verse, has warned them that if they persist in rejecting the overtures of the Holy Spirit, there might come a time when the Holy Spirit will no longer strive with them. And in consequence, they shall never again have the desire to repent, nor shall they believe. A solemn enough warning, and so far as it goes, true in itself, but not, perhaps, what this verse exactly means. For the preacher, you'll see, if you listen to him, will say to the unconverted man or woman that are dithering as whether to repent and trust the Savior or not, don't linger. For if you do, the Holy Spirit will cease to strive with you. Why? Because you have rejected the gospel. That's not what the verse says, is it? I mean this verse six, uh, verse three of chapter six. My spirit shall not always... whatever the verb is. Why not? Because he that is man is flesh. It's commenting on man's constitution, is what man is. He is partly flesh. The verb, translated in many versions, strive with, is, in my humble opinion, following the authorities, should not be translated strive with, but abide in. My spirit shall not always abide in man. Why not? Because he is flesh. You say, what does it mean, my spirit? Is that talking about the Holy Spirit, the sec- third person of the Trinity? Well, no, not here it isn't. It's talking about the human spirit, and every human being possesses a spirit, for that is what a human being is, part flesh, yes, but part. We shall come to that in a moment. But as for the term my spirit, would you care to turn to Psalm one hundred and four to see how that phrase is used? Psalm 104. Verse twenty nine and thirty. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled. Thou takest away their breath, they die and return to the dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the ground. Here the psalmist refers to thy spirit, because God is the source of all spirit. And human beings, in their constitution, are part flesh, part spirit. Look, will you care, to Hebrews chapter twelve for one other reading. Hebrews chapter twelve. verse nine. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits? That is that God is the author of the human spirit. And whether the man be yet converted or unconverted, as a human being, he is a compound both of flesh on the one hand and spirit on the other hand. And the writer talking to Christians says, and we know him as father who educates and trains, and if needs be, chastens us, but since he is the father of our spirit, shall we not be subject to him? Or look at one other verse, this is one Corinthians chapter two. One Corinthians chapter two. And verse eleven: Who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man which is in him. Even so, the things of God none knoweth, save the spirit of God. But we receive not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. Who knows the things of a man, say the spirit of the man that is in him. A human spirit, therefore, distinguished from an animal. I'm not being rude when I say once more you have things in common with animals, you know. You have a dog, Fido, or whatever you want to call him, Stalin or something. Uh, and if your dog should see you sitting at the table enjoying a beef steak, he knows exactly what is happening, because he has a stomach like you have a stomach, and he can sense the marvelous thrills that are tickling your palate and descending into your stomach. And because he has a stomach and knows all about that, he comes and wags his tail, if you'll let him, and he's begging to be given a piece of that steak. Okay. But you take him into your drawing room and you say, doggy, Fido Stalin, you have a look at that picture up there. So Rembrandt, you know, got it cheap. Isn't that marvelous? Look at it. And the dog looks at it. The head and the tail of it. So it tries the only techniques it knows. It licks it, no much result from that. Smells it. That's no good sitting him down and giving him lessons in art, not your dog. Why not? This is a part of you. But the dog can't understand. It doesn't have a, a human spirit. Who knows the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him? It's also true of God, of course. Who knoweth the things of God save the spirit of God? But how we come to know the things of God, those things that are deep of the character of God. We shall need the Holy Spirit imparted that the Spirit of God may witness alongside of our spirit that we are children of God. So then this third creation story, to put things in a nutshell, is concerned to discuss with us man's constitution, flesh, spirit. It tells us the sorry story, how man rebelling against God and led by the old serpent died spiritually, as Paul in Ephesians chapter two talks about it, you being dead in your trespasses and sins, alienated from God by your wicked works, alienated in your mind, spiritually dead, not physically dead, not necessarily morally dead, but spiritually dead because of the severance between the Spirit of God and the human spirit. And here was the human race after some centuries, now degenerate to such serious extent that the human race was in danger of perversion, not merely by its violence and its passions run wild, uncontrolled. Uncontrolled. By the cause of invasion of demonic forces, threatening to play havoc with the human succession. And God decided he'd had enough. I will destroy not men, but man. The whole human race. The end of all flesh is come before me, says God. Notice the term. Talking now about men who spiritually are dead. What are they? Says God, my spirit, the spirit I gave them, shall not always stay in man. Because when man has thus gone from God and is dead to God spiritually, God is not prepared to maintain him permanently as a freak. So God brought a judgment upon the world and destroyed the human race, all but eight people. The manner of the judgment is instructive, isn't it? When God destroyed man, this human race, he did not here, as he did with Sodom, burn them up. He drowned them. Now, you know, not because you practice it, but you know what happens if you put a human body underwater and keep it there for ten minutes. You say, what happens then? Oh, you haven't destroyed the person's body. When you bring it out, there it is, the body is there. But its breath is gone. And something more is gone as well. But the breath is gone. And you're left with flesh. What happens to the flesh if you leave it? Well, it goes rotten, of course. What an object lesson it was to make the punishment fit the crime. Make a death, physical death by drowning, illustrate the underlying spiritual malaise. A human made by God as flesh and spirit, that in spirit he might have fellowship with his creator, who is spirit. God is spirit. Gone from God, spiritually dead, and therefore progressively corrupt, even on the side of his constitution that is flesh. God saved the human race. The method of salvation is also very instructive. He didn't save Noah and the seven other people from the judgment. He saved them through the flood. If Noah and company had gone through the flood, they would have drowned, of course. If they'd gone through the judgment, they would have perished. But God provided an ark inside of which they could come through the judgment and out the other side. Marvelous picture of our Lord, as has been thousands of times observed by preachers and commentators galore. In Christ, we have gone through the judgment, died with him, we were buried with him. Thank God we come out the other side. We are risen with him to walk in newness of life. Time forbids my commenting upon the new earth and the new regime that God instituted. Let me just say two further things. When the flood was over and the waters were abating, there came a point when Noah wished to dis- de- learn whether it was safe to come out, whether the land was dry enough, you see. But he had only a window in the top story of the ark, so he couldn't see out of it, poor man, what was around. So he did a device that mariners in the old world used very often. When men went to sea in those world, in those days without compasses and whatnot, if they got out of sight of land and the fog came down, or dark skies, and they couldn't see where they were and how near or far the land was, they kept birds on, uh, on ship. So they would let birds fly out, homing pigeons and things, and watch where the pigeons went, for the birds, by their instinct, would go to land, you see. And they would follow the birds. So now he used the same device. He used a raven that didn't much, much good that wasn't, but he sent out a dove, and the dove returned with an olive leaf in its mouth. Noah, being guided by the dove, came out of the ark at last into the world, swept clean, to walk in newness of life. And you Christians won't help yourself, even if I try to stop you, so you'll remember it. Our Lord came to John Baptist, didn't he? Not sinful himself, but standing alongside sinners in the waters of Jordan, as one day he would go to Calvary to take the place of sinners in death. But coming out of the water, you remember what happened, don't you? There came the Holy Spirit in form as of a dove. And God said, this is my beloved Son, and straightway the Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, and as he came through triumphant, being full of the Holy Spirit, he started his public ministry. Thus is salvation through the death and burial and resurrection of Christ for us. And as we walk in newness of life, not left to ourselves, but led by the Holy Spirit. There was one further unfortunate incident. Subsequently, they're assured that God would never drown the world again in water, and will give him the covenant and the token of the bow in the clouds. Secure, but not always walking circumspectly. Noah got drunk, to his shame, and the degradation of one of his sons. And Peter, in that famous passage where he comments upon Noah and the ark, and likens it to our Lord and the salvation provided by him for us, ends by saying as follows: Now, my dear brethren, the time past should have sufficed us to walk like the world wa- wa- walks in sinful self-indulgence. Haven't we done that enough? But that surely is the time past for us, the pre-flood experience. Now we're risen with Christ, so that we shall walk in newness of life. To seek grace of God, that we sow to the Spirit and reap therefrom everlasting life. Let's be warned not to sow to the flesh, for if we sow to the flesh, though eternally secure, we shall reap the consequences. They who sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.