THE GOD WHO WILL NOT GIVE UP
God's Unrelenting Love, Mercy, and Redemptive Purpose
Main Text: Genesis 6:5–8
Key Verse:
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
— Genesis 6:8
Central Truth
Human failure does not cancel God's faithfulness. God's mercy keeps working, His grace keeps preserving, and His redemptive purpose keeps moving until His ultimate purpose is fulfilled.
INTRODUCTION: THE STORY OF THE BIBLE IS THE STORY OF A PERSISTENT GOD
If we read the Bible only as the story of humanity, we might become discouraged.
Adam failed.
Cain murdered.
The world became corrupt.
Noah's generation was judged.
Babel rebelled.
Abraham had weaknesses.
Israel repeatedly failed.
David fell.
The prophets were rejected.
The disciples stumbled.
Peter denied Christ.
Yet the Bible is not ultimately the story of man's failure.
It is the story of God's faithfulness in the midst of man's failure.
Again and again, humanity moves away from God.
And again and again, God reaches toward humanity.
The great testimony of Scripture is:
God does not easily give up on what He has created in His image.
He disciplines, but He does not abandon.
He judges, but He preserves.
He exposes sin, but He offers grace.
He corrects, but He restores.
He allows consequences, but He continues His redemptive work.
And ultimately, His persistent love takes Him all the way to Calvary.
I. GOD'S MERCY DOES NOT ABANDON US WHEN WE FAIL
Genesis 3:21
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
Adam and Eve sinned.
They disobeyed God.
They hid themselves.
They were ashamed.
They deserved judgment.
But what did God do?
God came looking for them.
“Adam, Where art thou?”
This is one of the most powerful questions in Scripture.
God knew where Adam was.
The question was not for God's information.
It was an invitation for Adam to come out of hiding.
Adam had run from God.
God came after Adam.
That is grace.
The first response of fallen humanity was hiding.
The first response of divine mercy was seeking.
Jesus later said:
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
— Luke 19:10
The God of Genesis 3 is the God revealed in Christ.
God's mercy says:
“You have failed, but come out of hiding.”
“You have sinned, but do not run away from Me.”
“You are broken, but I am not finished with you.”
The Pattern Continues With Cain
Cain murdered Abel.
God confronted him.
But God did not immediately destroy Cain.
Genesis 4:15 says:
“Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain...”
Even in judgment, God demonstrated preservation.
This teaches us something profound:
God's mercy does not mean that sin has no consequences. It means that consequences do not necessarily mean abandonment.
Application
Perhaps someone listening today has failed God.
Perhaps you have fallen into sin.
Perhaps you made a terrible decision.
Perhaps you have disappointed yourself.
Perhaps you have disappointed people around you.
The enemy says:
“You are finished.”
But the Gospel says:
“God is not finished with you.”
“It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
— Lamentations 3:22
II. GOD'S GRACE PRESERVES US WHEN THE WORLD COLLAPSES
Genesis 6:5–8
The world of Noah had become desperately corrupt:
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth...”
— Genesis 6:5
But then comes one of the most beautiful words in the passage:
“But Noah found grace...”
The world was corrupt.
BUT GRACE.
Humanity was failing.
BUT GRACE.
Judgment was coming.
BUT GRACE.
God found a man who would walk with Him.
Genesis 6:9:
“Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Noah did not save himself.
God provided the ark.
Noah believed.
Noah obeyed.
And God preserved him.
The Ark Reveals God's Redemptive Pattern
God did not simply tell Noah:
“The world is going to be destroyed. Good luck.”
God said:
Build an ark.
God provided a means of salvation before judgment came.
This becomes a recurring biblical pattern.
God warns.
God provides.
God calls.
God invites.
God preserves.
Ultimately, this points us toward Christ.
Jesus is not merely God's warning about judgment.
Jesus is God's provision for salvation.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son...”
— John 3:16
The ark preserved Noah from the waters.
Christ saves us from the judgment of sin.
III. GOD'S LOVINGKINDNESS REMEMBERS US WHEN WE THINK HE HAS FORGOTTEN
After the Flood, Genesis 8:1 says:
“And God remembered Noah...”
This does not mean that God had forgotten Noah.
In Scripture, God's remembrance means that He acts according to His covenant faithfulness.
Noah had been inside the ark for a long time.
Imagine the situation.
The rain had stopped.
But the water was still there.
Noah could not yet see the new world.
He could not yet leave.
He had obeyed God.
But his circumstances had not immediately changed.
Then Scripture says:
“And God remembered Noah.”
God began moving the waters.
There Are Seasons When We Cannot See What God Is Doing
Sometimes we pray:
“Lord, where are You?”
Sometimes we obey God and still experience difficulty.
Sometimes we are faithful and circumstances become worse.
Sometimes we are in what we might call an ark season.
We are preserved, but we cannot yet see the destination.
We know God gave us a promise.
But we cannot yet see its fulfillment.
Remember:
The silence of God does not mean the absence of God.
God remembered Noah.
God was working even when Noah could not see what God was doing.
Isaiah 49:15–16 gives us a beautiful picture:
“Can a woman forget her sucking child...?”
“...yet will I not forget thee.”
Then God says:
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
What an extraordinary picture of divine remembrance.
And when we come to the New Testament, those words become even more profound.
Because the hands of Christ were pierced for us.
IV. GOD'S LOVE DOES NOT MERELY PRESERVE US—IT IS MOVING US TOWARD OUR DESTINY
This is perhaps the most important point.
God did not preserve Noah simply so Noah could continue existing.
God preserved Noah because He had a purpose for Noah.
Noah came out of the ark.
He built an altar.
God established covenant.
Humanity continued.
And eventually, the story moved to Abraham.
Genesis 12:2–3:
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee...”
“...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
God was moving history toward something.
And ultimately, history moves toward Christ.
Galatians 4:4:
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son...”
Notice the progression:
Adam → Noah → Abraham → Israel → David → Christ.
God is moving history toward redemption.
THE CROSS: THE ULTIMATE PROOF OF GOD'S UNRELENTING LOVE
Everything we have studied reaches its greatest expression at Calvary.
God's love did not stop at Eden.
It followed humanity through history.
It followed humanity through judgment.
It followed humanity through covenant.
It followed humanity through Israel.
And finally:
God's love came in the flesh.
John 1:14:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...”
Romans 5:8:
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Look at the timing.
While we were yet sinners.
Not when we became worthy.
Not when we became perfect.
Not when we had corrected everything.
While we were yet sinners.
That is unrelenting love.
THREE WORDS THAT DEFINE THIS LOVE
We can summarize God's persistent character with three biblical concepts.
1. MERCY — GOD DOES NOT GIVE US WHAT WE DESERVE
“It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed...”
— Lamentations 3:22
Mercy says:
“You deserve judgment, but I will extend compassion.”
2. GRACE — GOD GIVES WHAT WE COULD NEVER EARN
“For by grace are ye saved through faith...”
— Ephesians 2:8
Grace says:
“You cannot earn this, so I will provide it.”
3. LOVINGKINDNESS — GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL TO HIS COVENANT
Psalm 136 repeatedly declares:
“for his mercy endureth for ever.”
The Hebrew concept of ḥesed encompasses God's steadfast covenant love, mercy, kindness, and faithfulness.
It is not merely an emotion.
It is love that acts faithfully.
God's lovingkindness says:
“I have made a covenant, and I will remain faithful to My promise.”
THE CLIMAX: GOD'S LOVE IS STILL WORKING IN US
The resurrection means God's redemptive work did not end at the cross.
Christ died.
Christ was buried.
Christ rose again.
And His resurrection power is now working in those who belong to Him.
Paul prayed that believers would know:
“...what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe...”
— Ephesians 1:19
And he describes that power as:
“...the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead...”
— Ephesians 1:19–20
The same God who preserved Noah is preserving us.
The same God who raised Christ is working in us.
The same God who began the work is committed to completing it.
Philippians 1:6:
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
THE THREE GREAT ASSURANCES
Therefore, believer, remember these three things.
When you FAIL:
God's mercy is greater than your failure.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins...”
— 1 John 1:9
When you SUFFER:
God has not forgotten you.
“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
— Hebrews 13:5
When you FEEL WEAK:
God's power is still working in you.
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
CONCLUSION: THE GOD WHO WILL NOT GIVE UP
Let us return to Noah.
The world failed.
But God preserved.
Humanity rebelled.
But God continued.
Judgment came.
But grace provided an ark.
The waters rose.
But God remembered Noah.
The world began again.
And God's covenant continued.
Then Abraham came.
Then Israel.
Then David.
Then the prophets.
Then Bethlehem.
Then Calvary.
Then the empty tomb.
And now you and I are part of that continuing story of God's redemptive grace.
Perhaps you are looking at your own life and seeing failures.
God says:
“I am not finished.”
Perhaps you are looking at your family and seeing brokenness.
God says:
“I am not finished.”
Perhaps you are looking at your ministry and seeing weakness.
God says:
“I am not finished.”
Perhaps you are looking at the world and wondering whether God's purposes can still prevail.
God says:
“I am not finished.”
Because God's purposes do not rest upon man's perfection.
They rest upon God's faithfulness.
And so Paul could confidently declare:
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
— Romans 8:38–39
THE GOD WHO STARTED THE STORY WILL FINISH THE STORY.
He created us.
He sought us.
He preserved us.
He called us.
He redeemed us.
He is transforming us.
And He will ultimately glorify us.
“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Final Declaration
I may fail, but God remains faithful.
I may become weak, but His grace remains sufficient.
I may not understand His process, but He has not forgotten me.
I may walk through judgment, trials, and storms, but His mercy will preserve me.
I may not yet see the fulfillment, but God's purpose is still moving.
Because the God who loved me enough to die for me will never abandon the work He began in me.
He is the Persistent God.
His mercy endures forever.
His grace is sufficient.
His lovingkindness never fails.
And His redemptive purpose will prevail.
