Unlearning the Crowd
Unlearning the Crowd: Why Normal Isn’t Always Godly
Have you ever stopped to consider how many of your choices are influenced by the people around you?
We try restaurants because everyone is talking about them. We download popular apps, watch recommended shows, adopt new styles, and suddenly feel as though we need something we had never heard of a few weeks earlier.
Most of those choices are harmless. But the same power that shapes our preferences can also shape our values, convictions, and understanding of what is right.
When enough people celebrate, excuse, or ignore something for long enough, it can begin to feel normal—even when it is unhealthy, destructive, or contrary to the heart of God.
That is one of the central lessons of Noah’s story in Genesis 6–9:
Following God requires unlearning what the crowd has taught us to call normal.
How Does Something Broken Become Normal?
Brokenness rarely becomes normal overnight.
It usually happens gradually. A small compromise is repeated. A boundary is moved. A destructive attitude is excused. Eventually, people stop asking, “Is this right?” and begin asking, “Isn’t this what everyone is doing?”
Anger becomes normal.
Pride gets renamed as confidence.
Greed becomes ambition.
Busyness becomes importance.
Self-centeredness becomes self-care.
We are deeply shaped by what we see, hear, celebrate, and repeat. Culture teaches us what to value, and the crowd pressures us to conform.
Whether we recognize it or not, something is always forming us. What we watch, scroll through, laugh at, listen to, and admire is teaching us what to love and what to call normal.
The crowd is always trying to disciple us. The question is whether we will be shaped primarily by the crowd or by Christ.
Why Is It So Difficult to Live Differently?
The pressure to conform does not end when we graduate from middle school or high school. Adults feel it too.
We feel pressure to fit in, avoid conflict, protect our reputation, keep our faith private, and compromise when obedience becomes inconvenient.
What makes the crowd’s influence so deceptive is that it rarely sounds openly evil. It usually sounds reasonable, comfortable, and socially acceptable.
The crowd says:
“Go with the flow.”
“Follow your heart.”
“Do whatever feels right.”
“Truth is personal.”
“Comfort matters most.”
“Don’t take your faith too seriously.”
When the current of culture moves away from God, following Jesus can feel like swimming upstream. God has not changed, but the direction of the crowd has.
Every follower of Jesus must eventually answer an important question:
When everyone else appears to be moving in one direction, whom will I follow?
What Does the Story of Noah Teach Us About Culture?
Genesis 6 describes a world in which humanity had drifted far from God.
“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5).
This was not merely a handful of people making poor choices. Violence, corruption, selfishness, and rebellion had become embedded within the culture.
What was broken had become normal.
But the text reveals an important truth: humanity changed, culture changed, and public opinion changed—but God did not change.
The crowd changed. God did not.
God does not determine goodness through popularity, opinion polls, cultural trends, or social approval. Goodness flows from God’s unchanging character.
Just because a behavior becomes accepted does not mean God accepts it. Just because something becomes common does not make it good.
Normal is not always godly.
Why Was God Grieved by Humanity’s Sin?
Genesis 6:6 says humanity’s rebellion broke God’s heart.
This verse challenges the idea that God is distant, detached, or unmoved by human suffering. God’s grief shows us that sin is more than breaking a rule. Sin damages people whom God created and loves.
Violence grieves God because God loves those who are harmed.
Injustice grieves God because God cares about those who are mistreated.
Lies grieve God because they destroy trust.
Selfishness grieves God because it causes us to use people rather than love them.
Sin does not merely violate God’s commands. It breaks God’s heart because it harms the people God loves.
Yet God’s grief over sin does not mean God gives up on sinners.
Even in a world filled with darkness, God continued to move toward humanity with grace.
What Does It Mean That Noah Found Favor With God?
Genesis 6:8 introduces one of the most hopeful moments in the story:
“But Noah found favor with the Lord.”
The world was drifting, but Noah.
Corruption had become normal, but Noah.
Darkness seemed to be winning, but God was still working.
The word “favor” points to God’s gracious kindness. Noah did not rescue himself or earn God’s attention through flawless behavior. God moved toward Noah, extended mercy, and provided a way of rescue.
God’s grace came before Noah’s obedience.
Noah did not build the ark to earn God’s favor. He built the ark because he had received God’s favor.
That order matters for us too. We do not obey Jesus so that God will finally love us. We learn to obey because God has already moved toward us in love and grace.
Noah’s Faithfulness Began With a Walk
Genesis 6:9 tells us that Noah “walked in close fellowship with God.”
Before the Bible tells us that Noah built an ark, it tells us that Noah walked with God.
The ark came after the relationship.
The obedience came after the trust.
The action came after the faith.
Noah’s faithfulness did not begin with a boat. It began with a walk.
God’s invitation to us is the same. Before God asks us to accomplish something for Him, He invites us to live in relationship with Him.
Following Jesus is not simply about trying harder than everyone else. It is about walking closely enough with Jesus that His voice becomes louder than the voice of the crowd.
What Does It Mean That God Remembered Noah?
After the flood began, Genesis 8:1 says, “But God remembered Noah.”
This does not mean God had forgotten where Noah was. In Scripture, when God “remembers,” it means He acts faithfully according to His promises.
God saw Noah.
God knew Noah.
God remained faithful to Noah.
The God who called Noah into the ark was the same God who carried him through the flood.
There may be seasons when our future feels uncertain or when faithfulness feels lonely. But God does not abandon His people. He remembers His promises and remains present even when we cannot yet see what He is doing.
How Does Noah’s Story Point Us to Jesus?
The story of Noah is not ultimately about a man who survived a flood. It is about a God who provides rescue.
Humanity continually drifts away from God, yet God continues to move toward humanity.
Humanity repeatedly needs rescue, and God repeatedly provides grace.
The ark was God’s provision of rescue for Noah. Jesus is God’s provision of rescue for us.
Jesus did not wait for humanity to become worthy. He entered our brokenness while we were still sinners. He carried our sin, faced judgment on our behalf, and opened the way for us to be reconciled to God.
We are not saved because we are good enough, strong enough, or different enough. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
The deepest question in Genesis 6–9 is not simply, “Can I be more like Noah?”
The deeper question is:
Will I trust the God Noah trusted?
What Might Jesus Be Asking You to Unlearn?
Following Jesus will always require some unlearning.
You may need to unlearn the belief that your worth comes from your accomplishments.
You may need to unlearn the idea that comfort is life’s highest goal.
You may need to unlearn the assumption that everyone’s approval matters more than faithfulness to God.
You may need to unlearn the habit of fitting Jesus somewhere into your schedule rather than surrendering your whole life to Him.
A helpful prayer for this week might be:
“God, show me one place where I have accepted as normal what You never called good.”
Then ask:
“Jesus, teach me a better way.”
Following Jesus is not merely about believing different ideas. It is about becoming a different kind of person—someone whose values, relationships, habits, and choices are increasingly shaped by Christ.
Who Has the Loudest Voice in Your Life?
Every one of us is being influenced.
The question is not whether something is shaping us. The question is who has the loudest voice.
The crowd says, “Do whatever feels right.”
Jesus says, “Follow Me.”
The crowd says, “Protect your comfort.”
Jesus says, “Take up your cross.”
The crowd says, “Build your life around yourself.”
Jesus says, “Come and find your life in Me.”
The crowd was loud in Noah’s day, but God was louder.
Today, the invitation remains the same. God is not asking whether you can be different enough, strong enough, or brave enough to stand alone.
He is asking:
Will you walk with Me?
The good news is that we never have to walk alone. The God who called Noah is still calling us. The God who provided rescue for Noah has provided salvation for us through Jesus.
So instead of asking, “What is everyone else doing?” perhaps we should ask a better question:
“Whom am I following?”
Not the crowd.
Not culture.
Not comfort.
Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of Noah’s story?
The story of Noah teaches that God remains holy and faithful even when an entire culture moves away from Him. It also shows that God responds to human brokenness with both justice and gracious provision.
What does “normal isn’t always godly” mean?
It means that something can be popular, widely accepted, or culturally common without reflecting God’s character or intentions. Followers of Jesus evaluate their choices through Scripture and the life of Christ rather than public opinion alone.
How can Christians resist pressure from the crowd?
Christians resist cultural pressure by walking closely with God, studying Scripture, praying, participating in Christian community, and allowing the voice of Jesus to become louder than competing influences.
Did Noah earn God’s favor?
No. Genesis says Noah found favor with God before he built the ark. His obedience was a response to God’s grace, not a way of earning it.
How does the ark point to Jesus?
The ark was God’s gracious provision of rescue for Noah and his family. In a greater and more complete way, Jesus is God’s provision for humanity’s rescue from sin, judgment, and separation from God.
What is one practical way to apply this message?
Ask God to reveal one belief, habit, or value you have accepted because it is culturally normal rather than because it reflects His heart. Then invite Jesus to teach you a better way.
At Olathe Wesleyan Church, we want to become people who follow Jesus, become who God created us to be, and help others do the same. Join us as we continue exploring what it means to unlearn the voices that shape us and embrace the way of Jesus.
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