Well, thank you very much for that. It would be great if you have that passage open in front of you.
As has already been mentioned, my name is Alistair. The privilege of being the assistant here at Brunsfield
and the privilege of taking us through this wonderful passage of Scripture.
And this morning we come to a topic that runs deep in every single human heart.
But I wonder if you can guess what it is by listening to these three quotes that I'm just about to put on the screen.
So the first one is,
My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.
The second quote,
I am so credible, so influential and so relevant that I will change things.
Or the last quote,
I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it.
Now what do all of those quotes have in common?
Shout out a few answers.
Pride. There you go. No more answers. That's it.
That is exactly what we come to this morning.
Pride.
Now I doubt any of us are going to say these kinds of things about ourselves.
But we all, to different degrees, suffer with the issue of pride, don't we?
We like the thrill of being recognized.
We like to be seen, to be acknowledged, applauded and praised.
We might wear a particular brand of clothing to stand out in the crowd.
We might buy the flashiest car or the biggest house so that people notice us.
And these are the material outworkings of pride, but it runs much deeper than that, doesn't it?
We might be annoyed if someone gets the credit for the work that we do.
Because we wanted the attention.
Or maybe it's in a prayer point that we share at small group or in the prayer meeting
that focuses more on our apparent holiness than the work of God.
Or maybe it's thinking that we don't need God's help.
And we only go to Him once we've exhausted our own resources and energy.
All of these different things are different appearances of the same issue.
Pride.
It's the idea that the whole world revolves around you,
that you are the most important person in the world.
And the root of it all is that the natural state of every single human heart is full of pride.
Because we naturally say, no God, I don't want you.
I want to be you.
That's what we're going to see this morning as we turn to Genesis chapter 11.
The pride of man.
And we're going to see the downward spiral of humanity.
And the depths of depravity that we're capable of reaching.
But most importantly, we're going to see that despite human failings,
despite our rebellion, despite humanity proudly walking away from God
and deviating more and more from His plan,
despite all of that, and despite God having every reason to,
He does not cast us off.
But He shows us amazing faithfulness.
An abundant grace to a sinful world.
So the first thing that we see in this passage is the pride of man.
Verses 1 to 9, the pride of man.
Now we get our first indication that things are not going well in verse 2.
Look with me.
It says,
As people moved eastward,
they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
Now anytime we've heard the language of east in Genesis or people moving east,
we're to understand that they are moving away from God's plan
and God's good design for the world.
Remember how in Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve, when sin entered into the world
and they rebelled against God, they were cast out of the garden to the east.
And when Cain, in Genesis 4, when it says that he went out from the Lord's presence,
he went east of Eden.
The language of going east should draw our attention to the fact that something is not right in this picture.
Something is about to go horribly wrong.
And we see exactly what that is in verses 3 and 4.
Read with me.
They said to each other,
Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.
They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar.
Then they said,
Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens
so that we may make a name for ourselves.
Otherwise we'll be scattered over the face of the earth.
Now this is the prime example of the pride of man.
They are disobeying God's commands to go out into the world and fill it by congregating in one place
and they're trying to make a name for themselves.
Do you see similar language that we've seen before in verse 3?
Humanity is saying,
Come, let us make.
People are using their God-given ability
and gift of being creative.
But they're not using it for good.
This is the same language, isn't it, that we heard in Genesis chapter 1.
As God says,
Come, let us make man in our image.
And here we see those image bearers of God.
We see a corrupt, broken, sinful humanity using their identity
and God-given gift to create for evil and sin.
And do you see that repetition in verse 4?
How five times in that very short verse,
the people's attention is always on themselves.
They are the center of their own universe.
In their pride, they're puffing themselves up,
gladly bearing their sin on their chest for everyone to see,
parading it to show how great they are.
They want to be noticed.
They want to stand out.
They want to make a name for themselves.
And when people make a name for themselves,
it means that they've stopped making God's name great.
They've turned from God
and are focusing on themselves.
Now, I doubt that any of us are going to go away this morning
and build a tower or a city from our pride
so that people can see how great we are.
But isn't it just as easy to build a social media empire
where we strive to have thousands of friends on Facebook
or the most likes on Twitter and Instagram we possibly can?
We create this perfect life on the surface.
But is that really the case
or are we just building our own tower?
What about when we came into church this morning?
How many of us were honest and open
when we were asked, how are you?
It's so easy to put on a mask,
to pretend that we're okay
and we have it all together even though we don't.
That's pride.
That's us focusing more on how others view us
than how we're really doing
and being open and honest with our brothers and sisters.
Friends, this same spirit of Babel,
this same pride lives in each and every one of us.
We all want some form of recognition.
We all want to be seen, to be liked.
We live in a world where sin is paraded around
and celebrated as something good.
But the reality is that we live in a world
that is seeking glory instead of seeking God.
By trying to make our name for ourselves,
we're forgetting the one
whose name should be lifted above every other name.
Humanity is doing the same thing Adam and Eve did
in Genesis 3, saying,
no God, I don't want you.
I want to be you.
And so humanity, in all of its depravity,
tries to reach the heights of God.
They want to enter into His domain
and become like Him.
But as Proverbs 16, verse 18 says,
pride goes before destruction
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
All of this is motivated by pride.
They want to make a name for themselves to be seen
and they don't want to be scattered.
But do you see the irony in verse 5?
So these people are wanting to build a statement
of their own fame and glory
to show off their ability.
But verse 5 says,
The Lord came down to see the city
and the tower the people were building.
Even man's greatest attempts to reach God
will always, always fail.
Man's attempt to achieve glory,
honour, praise, recognition,
which belongs only to God,
will always fall pitifully short.
God comes down to inspect
the result of human pride.
And this teaches us something
about God's judgment,
which is just about to come,
and God's judgment in general.
God's judgment is never erratic.
He doesn't just fly off the handle,
He doesn't lose it at the people,
but God's judgment is always
according to truth.
God sees all things,
God knows all things,
and He will judge accordingly.
And so God says in verse 6,
If as one people speaking the same language
they've begun to do this,
then nothing they plan
will be impossible for them.
Now we aren't to take this literally,
and I think that we're capable
of doing everything we set our minds to.
This isn't the kind of message
that's being pushed in schools and society
that you can do and be whatever you want.
But this means
that the depravity of man is so far gone
that nothing will stop
the act of evil
when left unchecked.
We saw this, didn't we,
in Genesis 6,
how the thoughts
of the hearts of mankind
are described as evil
all the time.
And then add into that mix
the whole community
of sinful people
whose desire is to rebel
against God.
The outcome is not a good one.
Their pride,
their rejection of God
means that God must judge
because he is holy
and he is a just God.
And so God intervenes
in verses 7 to 9
and in his mercy
disperses the people
of Babel,
confuses their language
and scatters them
over the face
of the whole earth.
The people of Babel
wanted significance,
but they got alienation.
But do you see
how gracious God is
in all of this?
He could have delivered
the final judgment
because yet again
in just 11 chapters
the people have,
humanity have rebelled
against God
and said,
we don't want you.
We want to be you.
We want to be king
of our lives.
But God doesn't destroy them.
Instead,
he shows grace
by dispersing them.
And by dispersing them,
God is doing two things.
One,
he is preventing
any further
large-scale evil acts.
And two,
he is fulfilling
his own repeated command
for humanity
to multiply
and fill the earth.
So God is being faithful
to his promises
even in judgment.
Now we might look
at this text
and think how foolish
the people of Babel are.
They're trying to become
like God
and reaching for
his heights
of glory and honor.
But the reality is
that this same spirit
of Babel,
that this same pride,
the same ideas
and desires
live within
every single one of us.
We live in a world
that's proud of sin.
A world
that glory's in it.
We neglect
to submit
to the Bible
because it maybe
makes us feel
uncomfortable
or we think
that it will spoil
our fun.
But the problem
and the reality
is that our
continuous pride,
in it,
we are neglecting God.
We're taking God
off the throne
of our hearts
and putting ourselves
in his place.
We're rejecting him
as King and Lord
and running our own way,
building our own idols,
building our own cities,
our own towers
of Babel,
all in defiance
of God.
But the wonderful news
that we cling to
is that despite
our pride,
despite our sinfulness
and despite the fact
that humanity
is naturally deserving
of judgment,
God is gracious
and that he is faithful
to his promises.
And that is the second thing
that we see
in this passage,
is the promise
of God
in verses 10
to 32.
The promise
of God.
Now if you remember
back to Genesis 3
verse 15,
God promised
that he would send
the serpent crusher,
the one who would
put an end
to sin,
who would defeat
the work of Satan
and who would make
it possible
for a sinful humanity
to be made right
with God.
God.
And as we've journeyed
through this short series
on the beginning
of Genesis,
we've seen glimmers
of hope.
Could this be
the serpent crusher?
Could this be
our rescuer?
But each one
has failed.
Each of them
have proved
that sin dwells
in the depths
of the human heart
and that no one
born in the cycle
of man
can break it.
And so why do I say
in these verses
we see the promise
of God?
Well as you've probably
already noticed,
this is the repetition
of the family line
of Shem.
So the list
of Shem's descendants
come first
in Genesis chapter 10
verses 21 to 31
and then it's repeated
here in Genesis 11
verses 10 to 26.
Why?
Well it's the author's
way of drawing
our attention
to this particular line.
If you've ever
looked at a family tree
they can be
often be very extensive
with lines
and names everywhere.
So the genealogy
of chapter 10
is kind of like that.
It's big picture stuff.
All of the descendants
of Noah's sons.
The genealogy
in chapter 11
is very specific.
It is all focusing
in on the line
of Shem
and it's the author's
way of telling us
to keep an eye
on this particular line.
Something is going
to happen
through this family
that we should
be waiting for.
The author is saying
this is the line
of the serpent crusher.
And we see that
as we jump into
the beginning
of chapter 12.
We're in the land
of Ur
of the Chaldeans
a pagan land.
We're introduced
to a man named
Abram
who would later
become Abraham.
A pagan man
who's had no
previous interactions
with God
and suddenly
Genesis chapter 12
verse 1
the Lord said
to Abram.
God in his abundant
grace and kindness
chooses to reveal
himself to Abram.
He spoke to him
and commanded him
to leave his home
and family
to go to a distant
land that God
would show him.
He wasn't given
a clue where he
was going.
He wasn't given
a postcode
that he could
put in his sat-nav
to see how long
it would take.
He was just
told to go.
But he was given
amazing promises
on the way.
Genesis 12
verses 2 and 3
say this
I will make you
into a great nation
and I will bless you.
I will make
your name great
and you will be
a blessing.
I will bless
those who bless you
and whoever curses
you I will curse
and all peoples
on earth
will be blessed
through you.
God is promising
Abram a land
a people
and that he will
be a blessing
to the world.
The pride of mankind
the spirit of Babel
tells us to make
a name for ourselves
do more
work harder
be better
but God says
don't listen to
that nonsense
trust in my promises
trust in me
I alone
am the one
who can make
your name
great
and it is for
my glory
not yours.
Do you see that
contrast?
God is the one
who elevates people
and gives them
his glory
any attempt
to do it
on our own
will fail.
Listen to
and put your trust
in the promise
of God
because it doesn't
stop here
in Genesis 11
with the descendants
of Shem
because that whole
line
is just full
of more people
who are just
as sinful
and full
of just
as much pride
but there is
one descendant
that this whole
book is pointing
towards
there is one
serpent crusher
who dealt
with the problems
of the spirit
of Babel
and who appears
on the scene
thousands of years
after the events
mentioned in this
chapter
Matthew chapter
one
we read
Jesus is a
descendant
of Abraham
not born
of a man
not born
into that
cycle
of sin
and pride
but he is
conceived of
the Holy Spirit
born
to a virgin
he is God
in the flesh
come down
into a broken
sinful humanity
and his message
was not that
of a personal
trainer
to do more
to be better
to make a name
for ourselves
or to
attempt to reach
some heights
of glory
but his message
was repent
and believe
the good news
for the kingdom
of God
is at hand
Jesus is this
promised
descendant
of Abraham
through whom
the whole world
will be blessed
he is the
fulfillment
of these promises
in Genesis
and he is the
one who came
to deal with
the spirit
of Babel
that is alive
and well
in our hearts
today
Jesus said
repent
recognize
your sin
and rebellion
against God
recognize
your pride
that is being
an obstacle
for you
turning to God
and turn
from it
turn the other
way
and come
and follow
me
Jesus says
don't try
make a name
for yourself
but Jesus
says
instead
take my
name
and become
a son
and daughter
of the living
God
Jesus teaches
us to take
our eyes
off the spirit
and tower
of Babel
and to focus
our minds
on an even
greater goal
on an even
greater home
and an even
greater dwelling
place
in Matthew
chapter 5
verse 3
Jesus says
blessed are the
poor in spirit
for theirs
is not a
tower of Babel
but is the
kingdom
of God
pride
the spirit
of Babel
says
do more
be better
build your
own tower
play God
Jesus
says
the promise
of God
says
humble
yourself
that's what
it means
to be poor
in spirit
humble
yourself
and you
will inherit
far more
than a
failed attempt
at a
tower
humble
yourself
and yours
is the
kingdom
of God
humble
yourself
and submit
to Jesus
and the
promise
is not
a comfortable
life where
you're loved
and recognized
by everyone
but you're
promised
eternal life
with the
God who
made you
with the
God who
knows
you
and with
the God
who died
so you
can be
there
friends the
fulfillment of
this promise
of God
in the book
of Genesis
is Jesus
Christ
he is the
perfect example
of humility
as he took
on flesh
and became
one of us
living the
perfect life
without sin
without pride
that we never
could
dying the
death that
we all
deserve
and rising
triumphant
from the
grave
defeating
sin
conquering
death
and making
the way
for a
proud
sinful
humanity
like you
and me
to be
forgiven
and made
right with
God
that is
what we're
here to
celebrate
this morning
the elements
on this
table are
not just
reminders of
a fairy
tale
they're not
reminders of
a good
guy who
died a
tragic
death
these are
elements that
get to the
very heart
of the
Christian
message
that each
of us
is sinful
suffering the
effects of
the fallen
living out
a babel
lifestyle in
pride and
rejection of
God but
through Jesus
Christ
through his
broken body
through his
shed blood
we are being
taken from
being children
of pride
and deserving
of judgment
to being sons
and daughters
of the living
God
who is faithful
to his promises
and sent his
son to die
if you're here
this morning
and you are a
Christian
do not be
tricked
do not fall
back into
the spirit of
babel but
trust fully
and live out
your faith in
Jesus Christ
in all humility
live
not making
a name for
yourself
but making
his name
great
because the
reality is
that if we're
full of
ourselves
there is
no more
room for
God
our goal
should be
to see
him glorified
and to see
his name
lifted above
every other
name
and if you're
not a Christian
this morning
I want you to
consider where
you stand
before this
holy God
the day is
approaching
when God
will come
down and
in his
final act
of judgment
those who've
trusted in
Jesus he
will take
to be with
him in his
presence forever
and those
who continue
in their
pride and
rebellion he
will cast
off into
eternal
judgment
please don't
let pride
be the thing
that stops
you turning
to God
but listen
to the words
of Jesus
as he calls
you to
repent
believe in
and follow
him
would you
humble
yourself
and see
the brokenness
of your
own heart
and humbly
come before
Jesus the
servant king
who died
so that you
may live
this passage
is summarized
wonderfully by
the lyrics
we're just
about to
sing
how people
can go
from living
in their
sin
glorying
in pride
and rejecting
God to
being brought
into his
family
being made
right with
him
because of
the promised
one
Jesus Christ
and with
these words
I'll end
I once was
lost
in darkest
night
yet thought
I knew
the way
the sin
that promised
joy and
life
had led
me to
the grave
I had
no hope
that you
would own
a rebel
to your
will
and if
you had
not loved
me first
I would
refuse you
still
hallelujah
all I
have is
Christ
hallelujah
Jesus
is my
life
let's
pray
together
and just
in the
quietness
of our
hearts
let's
spend a
moment
reflecting
on how
we stand
before a
holy God
and give
him thanks
for what
he has
done
for us
how deep
the father's
love for
us
that he
would send
his only
son to
make a
wretch
his
treasure
father we
thank you
that you
have come
that you
have sent
your son
that you
have been
faithful to
your promise
and you
have rescued
a people
you've
brought us
and taken
us out
of pride
you've
taken us
out of
the path
that we
were on
to destruction
and you
have stopped
us from
making a
name for
ourselves
but you
have given
us an
even greater
name
that you
have given
us your
name
and that we
can now
say that we
are sons and
daughters of
the living
God
Jesus we
thank you
amen
and
we
amen