In Genesis  8:21-22, after the ark lands on Mount Ararat and Noah offers the pleasing sacrifices to God, God speaks in his heart:

I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

In other words, if He continued the pattern of wiping out the earth for the profusion of the evil in man’s heart from a young age, He would send flood after flood after flood–and ark after ark after ark.  Where’s our rescue?

I spoke to a fellow musician in our church  who always wants to play well for Christ, but never seems to believe he’s giving his best.  He then quoted Romans 7:24-25, emphasizing the first sentence:

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

He saw his wretchedness in trying to offer pleasing music to Christ during our times of worship.  We had to remind him that, right after Romans 7 is Romans 8:1:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Outside of Christ and the covenant, every intention of our heart is evil continually from our youth.  We are wretched.  Where’s the ‘ark’ that shall come to deliver.  “Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!”  “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”

Christ is our Ark in the deluge of our sin.  Christ is our rescue.

From Genesis 8 to Romans 8!  Thank you, Jesus!