WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.359 Now, can we turn again in our Bibles, this time to the book of Genesis, page 12, if you're using a church Bible. 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:16.640 We're going to read a couple of sections from Genesis 11. 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:25.780 Over the next four Sundays, we're going to be looking at different scenes from the life of Abraham to help us answer some important questions. 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:31.120 Now, this time our question is, what's gone wrong with the world? 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:36.380 And to help us to answer that, we're going to be in Genesis 11, beginning at verse 1. 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:41.579 Now, the whole world had one language and a common speech. 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:47.340 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:52.420 They said to each other, come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly. 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:56.240 They used brick instead of stone and bitumen for mortar. 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:05.820 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. 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:09.540 Otherwise, we'll be scattered over the face of the whole earth. 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:13.939 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:22.819 The Lord said, if as one people speaking the same language, they've begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:28.500 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:34.280 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth and they stopped building the city. 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:40.060 That is why it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. 00:01:40.060 --> 00:01:44.579 From there, the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:50.379 And then from verse 10 to 26, we get a family tree of Shem. 00:01:50.620 --> 00:01:57.719 But we're going to pick up in verse 27, where we're introduced to the account of Tira's family line. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.200 Tira became the father of Abraham, Nahor and Haran. 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:04.540 And Haran became the father of Lot. 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:10.240 While his father Tira was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans in the land of his birth. 00:02:10.819 --> 00:02:12.420 Abraham and Nahor both married. 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:16.819 The name of Abraham's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah. 00:02:17.140 --> 00:02:20.860 She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:25.159 Now Sarai was childless, because she was not able to conceive. 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:29.280 Tira took his son Abraham, his grandson Lot, son of Haran, 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:32.340 and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abraham. 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:36.819 And together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. 00:02:37.200 --> 00:02:40.219 But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 00:02:40.659 --> 00:02:44.060 Tira lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:46.520 Amen. This is God's word. 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:51.400 So as I said, we're thinking about this question, what's gone wrong with the world? 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:57.620 In 2025, so just last week, there was a global concerns report. 00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:02.379 It was a survey done, 30 different countries across all continents, 00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:07.640 asking people to reflect on what concerns them most about the world. 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:10.080 And the top four answers were these. 00:03:10.920 --> 00:03:17.560 Inflation, immigration, corruption, and conflict. 00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:20.200 Now as you think about what's gone wrong with the world, 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:26.759 I wonder if you would agree with those, or what else would you add? 00:03:27.239 --> 00:03:30.139 There is probably a lengthy list that we would each have. 00:03:30.859 --> 00:03:33.819 When we come to the message of Genesis 11, 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:35.679 and indeed the message of the whole Bible, 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:40.039 we see that there are visible problems in society. 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:41.479 We are aware of them. 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:43.739 Crime, abuse, injustice, war. 00:03:43.740 --> 00:03:49.400 But all of those problems, they stem from a deeper source. 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:52.620 The Bible helps us to see what's gone wrong, 00:03:52.700 --> 00:03:55.980 that when people act as if they are God, 00:03:56.620 --> 00:04:00.140 or when we live rejecting God, what the Bible calls sin, 00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:04.420 that is what the Bible says is what's gone wrong with the world. 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:09.360 To think about the classic G.K. Chesterton anecdote you may have heard, 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:13.520 when the Times newspaper back in the late 1910s, 00:04:13.540 --> 00:04:16.520 invited people to write in and respond to this question, 00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:17.819 what's gone wrong with the world, 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:19.080 he simply wrote, 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:22.680 Dear Sirs, I am yours sincerely, G.K. Chesterton. 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:26.199 That people are the source of the world's problems, 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:27.720 was Chesterton's observation, 00:04:27.840 --> 00:04:30.840 and I think it's the observation we see in Genesis 11. 00:04:31.220 --> 00:04:36.199 So we're going to explore today the problem of a failed human project. 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:40.560 To recognize it as a monument to self, this Tower of Babel, 00:04:40.939 --> 00:04:44.180 and then we need to see God's responses to it. 00:04:45.159 --> 00:04:46.879 So over the next four weeks, as I said, 00:04:46.939 --> 00:04:48.659 we're going to be meeting Abraham. 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:51.819 Abraham described in the Bible as the father of faith, 00:04:52.259 --> 00:04:54.480 and we know he's a key figure within Christianity, 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:56.899 also within Judaism and Islam, 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:59.379 a huge figure to consider. 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.779 Today he's kind of in the background, we will meet him. 00:05:02.779 --> 00:05:06.419 I guess it's an invitation to come back and find out some more next week. 00:05:07.219 --> 00:05:08.819 He lived an amazing life. 00:05:09.739 --> 00:05:11.279 If you want to do any homework, 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:16.239 read Genesis 12 to 22 over this week or the coming weeks. 00:05:16.619 --> 00:05:20.599 And you see a man where God is working in his life in remarkable ways, 00:05:20.679 --> 00:05:22.119 getting involved in his story. 00:05:22.719 --> 00:05:26.000 We are going to hear some really rich and wonderful promises 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.259 that God gives Abraham, which are good news for everybody. 00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:34.099 We also see real challenges, which are a challenge and enable his faith to grow. 00:05:35.219 --> 00:05:39.199 And the story of Abraham is also going to help us to answer some key questions. 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:41.560 It's going to help us to answer questions like, 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:42.399 who is God? 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:44.240 How can I know God? 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:46.219 What does faith in God look like? 00:05:46.779 --> 00:05:49.360 And today, what's gone wrong with the world? 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.620 And what Genesis 11 does for us is, 00:05:52.780 --> 00:05:57.180 while it reveals that the world has walked away from God, 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:04.639 it also offers hope that God will send Jesus to bring us back to himself. 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:07.620 So we're going to look, first of all, at the human problem, 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:10.060 and then we're going to look at God's answer. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:18.360 And the human problem can be summarized here as pride and personal glory. 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:25.240 In the early 1900s, cruise liners, those big old ships, 00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:27.240 they were the way to travel. 00:06:27.960 --> 00:06:30.759 And in the early 1900s, there was a great race on 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:34.759 to see who could build the fastest ship to cross the ocean. 00:06:34.900 --> 00:06:36.920 Or other companies were interested, 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:41.020 who could build the most luxurious ship to cross the ocean. 00:06:41.139 --> 00:06:44.660 And the White Star Company, they went down the luxury line, 00:06:44.660 --> 00:06:48.340 leading them to build and then launch the Titanic. 00:06:49.840 --> 00:06:54.880 Incredible design and incredible luxury came together. 00:06:55.880 --> 00:06:59.200 But the Titanic also came with a boast. 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.740 There was the claim that this boat was unsinkable. 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:06.240 And so when the first voyage began, 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:09.660 there was the expectation that Titanic was on the route 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:13.660 to bringing the boat and the company great fame and great glory. 00:07:15.280 --> 00:07:16.720 But we know what happens, don't we? 00:07:16.760 --> 00:07:18.420 In 1912, it sank. 00:07:19.400 --> 00:07:22.000 And tragically, over 1,500 lives were lost. 00:07:22.380 --> 00:07:23.500 It wanted a name. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:24.620 It wanted glory. 00:07:24.960 --> 00:07:27.920 But that name is associated with tragic failure. 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:34.860 The story of the Tower of Babel is its own Titanic building project. 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:40.240 And this is about making much more than just a grand city and a high tower. 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:43.580 It's a people wanting to make a name for themselves. 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.680 That Babel was a building project aimed at personal security 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:50.800 and personal glory 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:54.680 and people becoming godlike in their ambition. 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.780 And the outcome of that building project, 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:02.100 a name associated with shame and confusion, 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:05.319 a monument to human folly. 00:08:06.540 --> 00:08:09.780 So the author of Genesis 11 wants to tell us that story 00:08:09.780 --> 00:08:13.319 and he uses language and he picks up themes to support his point. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.480 So look with me at our text. 00:08:16.019 --> 00:08:17.600 And it begins in the first couple of verses 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:20.000 with the people of the world on the move. 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:23.319 Now the whole world had one language 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:24.680 and a common speech. 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:27.639 As people moved east, they found a plane and they settled there. 00:08:27.779 --> 00:08:30.839 So notice that at this time in history, 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:32.379 humanity is united. 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:33.299 They share a language. 00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:34.279 They share a culture. 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:37.860 Think about how different that is from our experience today. 00:08:37.939 --> 00:08:39.799 We just have to look around this building 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:41.759 and we recognize different languages and cultures. 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.360 And we go outside into the festival 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:48.200 and we recognize that there's an incredible diversity. 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:49.379 And that's a great thing. 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:50.559 And we celebrate that. 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:53.319 But at this point in history, unity, 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:57.639 the first danger sign for this united people 00:08:57.639 --> 00:09:01.339 is here in the idea that they are moving east 00:09:01.339 --> 00:09:02.799 and they are settling. 00:09:02.959 --> 00:09:04.839 And we might think, well, what's the problem with moving east? 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:07.679 Well, if we go back earlier in Genesis, 00:09:07.839 --> 00:09:09.839 we discover whenever people are moving east, 00:09:10.199 --> 00:09:12.519 they're moving away from God. 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:16.019 So after Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:18.939 eat the forbidden fruit and God sends them out, 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:20.960 they are sent east. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.559 After Cain commits the first murder 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:25.879 and kills his brother Abel, 00:09:26.079 --> 00:09:28.500 he is sent to wander east. 00:09:29.199 --> 00:09:32.539 So when we discover that all the people are moving east, 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:36.500 this is a sign that the world is walking away from God. 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:37.879 And the fact they're settling 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:40.779 reminds us they are comfortable in this position. 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:44.240 So the people of the world, they're on the move 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:47.059 and they're also a people on a mission. 00:09:47.139 --> 00:09:48.720 That's there in verses three and four, isn't it? 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:52.480 They're working together on this epic construction project. 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:54.959 And remember, they have no machinery. 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:57.620 They have very basic tools, 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:00.779 but they're taking the best of modern tech that they had. 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:03.139 They've got brick and bitumen 00:10:03.139 --> 00:10:06.079 and they use it for this great building project. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:09.320 Now we are familiar, aren't we, 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:10.860 with the competition to build big. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:13.300 I guess last century, 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:16.560 all the big buildings were probably situated in America, 00:10:16.680 --> 00:10:19.860 but now it's moved towards the Middle East, hasn't it? 00:10:20.340 --> 00:10:21.540 And those great towers, 00:10:21.660 --> 00:10:25.860 those skyscrapers are a sign of ambition and power, 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:28.780 a way of placing one's stamp on the world. 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:31.820 So the biggest at the moment is the Burj Khalifa, 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:35.460 but there's competition from Jeddah and Riah 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:36.879 wanting to build bigger, 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:38.300 that they are known as the place 00:10:38.300 --> 00:10:39.980 with the highest skyscraper. 00:10:40.940 --> 00:10:44.379 Well, on this original building site of Babel, 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:47.800 you can hear the personal pride, 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:49.620 the sense of ambition, 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:51.920 the drive for glory. 00:10:52.020 --> 00:10:53.620 It's there in the language, verse three and four. 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:55.040 How many times do we find them saying, 00:10:55.580 --> 00:10:58.080 let us build ourselves so that we may make a name, 00:10:58.160 --> 00:10:59.380 otherwise we'll be scattered. 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:01.080 Here are a people, 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:03.240 and the Bible tells us, 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:05.240 they have been made in God's image, 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:06.919 because everybody is, including us, 00:11:07.419 --> 00:11:09.659 but they are not interested 00:11:09.659 --> 00:11:12.000 in getting God's opinion, 00:11:12.179 --> 00:11:13.019 getting God's input, 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:14.279 or seeking God's glory. 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:17.820 Look at the reason why they're building the tower. 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:19.559 They want to build the tower 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:21.259 to avoid being scattered. 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:23.039 And we may instinctively think, 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:24.659 well, that's okay, security's a good thing. 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:27.399 But not when we go back in the Bible 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:29.419 and we discover God has said to people, 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:31.039 fill the earth, 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:33.360 spread out, 00:11:33.819 --> 00:11:35.259 so that the glory of God 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:36.539 would fill the earth. 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:38.939 God says, scatter, 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.139 and they say, gather. 00:11:42.079 --> 00:11:44.799 God says, spread my glory, 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:45.679 and they say, 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:46.879 no, we want our own glory, 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:47.620 thanks very much. 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:50.220 Because the text tells us 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:52.759 they want to make a name for themselves. 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:56.059 We are made to worship God, 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:57.559 but personal glory is clearly 00:11:57.559 --> 00:11:58.899 their number one priority 00:11:58.899 --> 00:12:00.840 in this new city. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:02.919 They are not honoring God, 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:04.639 wanting to make his name great, 00:12:04.939 --> 00:12:05.879 and they're not trusting 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:07.539 that God will make a name for them. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.279 They want to make a name for themselves. 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:10.580 And notice too, 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:13.179 they want to make a tower 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:14.580 that reaches to the heavens. 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:16.879 And that's not simply saying 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:18.460 we want to build up and build high. 00:12:18.460 --> 00:12:19.720 And that's saying 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:21.680 we want to reach God's level. 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:25.639 We want to become like God. 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:27.139 So here is a people, 00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:28.680 and they're using the technology 00:12:28.680 --> 00:12:29.740 that's available to them, 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:31.259 and they're all working together 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:32.900 effectively to get rid 00:12:32.900 --> 00:12:34.340 of the need of God. 00:12:35.420 --> 00:12:36.040 And so we're given, 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:37.259 just in a few short verses, 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:39.639 here is a snapshot of a people 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:41.480 who are walking away from God, 00:12:42.040 --> 00:12:43.660 working to get rid 00:12:43.660 --> 00:12:45.320 of the need of him. 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:48.300 And so Babel functions 00:12:48.300 --> 00:12:50.160 as a giant monument to the cell. 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:53.260 If anybody has been on holiday 00:12:53.260 --> 00:12:55.360 in any of the ancient Roman sites, 00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:56.680 or maybe you've been 00:12:56.680 --> 00:12:58.080 to a place like Vietnam, 00:12:58.540 --> 00:13:00.040 you are going to have seen 00:13:00.040 --> 00:13:02.140 monuments and images 00:13:02.140 --> 00:13:03.640 all over the place. 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:05.740 And those were used 00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:07.920 to claim personal glory 00:13:07.920 --> 00:13:09.220 and authority 00:13:09.220 --> 00:13:12.160 for the person who is depicted. 00:13:12.680 --> 00:13:13.580 Babel is like that. 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:15.560 And we can also say 00:13:15.560 --> 00:13:16.560 that Babel is the first 00:13:16.560 --> 00:13:18.220 truly secular society. 00:13:19.100 --> 00:13:20.340 You know, the idea of secular, 00:13:20.660 --> 00:13:22.320 removing God from the picture. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:24.400 That's exactly what they're doing. 00:13:24.540 --> 00:13:26.240 It's the foundation of Babel, 00:13:26.540 --> 00:13:27.840 the sense of what progress 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:29.000 looks like in Babel. 00:13:29.160 --> 00:13:30.460 It's all built on self 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:32.100 with no word of God at all. 00:13:32.940 --> 00:13:34.740 The dream of these Babel builders 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:36.639 is we can provide the security 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:37.400 and the status 00:13:37.400 --> 00:13:38.180 and the good life 00:13:38.180 --> 00:13:39.259 that we are looking for, 00:13:39.560 --> 00:13:40.500 and we don't need 00:13:40.500 --> 00:13:42.040 to concern ourselves with God. 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:45.420 Back to our question, 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:46.540 if we ask Genesis 11, 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:47.800 what's gone wrong with the world? 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:50.280 The answer is 00:13:50.280 --> 00:13:51.280 that we as people 00:13:51.280 --> 00:13:52.500 have walked away from God 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:53.280 and his ways. 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:56.120 The problem is human pride. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:57.980 The problem is when 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:00.300 we seek personal glory 00:14:00.300 --> 00:14:01.680 at the expense of God 00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:03.180 and his design for our lives. 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:05.379 I wonder if we thought 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:07.020 about life in those terms. 00:14:07.139 --> 00:14:08.640 I wonder if we've asked ourselves 00:14:08.640 --> 00:14:09.080 the question, 00:14:09.140 --> 00:14:10.140 or can we see why 00:14:10.140 --> 00:14:12.000 Genesis gives that answer? 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.799 A brief look through history 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:15.759 might help us. 00:14:16.299 --> 00:14:18.200 Think about the world empires, 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:18.600 you know, 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.100 the desire for expansion. 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:21.740 What are they built on so often? 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:23.419 Look at your history books, 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:24.240 you'll find greed, 00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:25.340 injustice, 00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:26.600 slavery, 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:27.960 exploitation, 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:29.159 racism, 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:30.840 and the desire 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:31.960 for personal glory. 00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:34.940 Think about the world wars. 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:36.320 At 20th century, 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:37.320 people were celebrating, 00:14:37.779 --> 00:14:39.159 oh, look how technologically 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:39.980 advanced we are. 00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:41.580 Look at all our scientific progress. 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:43.160 How is the progress used 00:14:43.160 --> 00:14:45.520 to create weapons of destruction 00:14:45.520 --> 00:14:46.520 and mass destruction? 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:49.560 Or look around 00:14:49.560 --> 00:14:50.840 at contemporary society. 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:51.800 What are some of the things 00:14:51.800 --> 00:14:52.840 that worry us? 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.100 What makes the headlines 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:55.800 or what gives us 00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:56.560 sleepless nights? 00:14:56.800 --> 00:14:58.300 Think about migrants 00:14:58.300 --> 00:14:59.100 and the realities 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:00.139 of human trafficking. 00:15:00.900 --> 00:15:01.840 Think about the hate 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:02.639 and the violence 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:03.740 that we're confronted with 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:04.980 in our news headlines 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:06.040 day after day. 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:08.600 Maybe it's the race 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:09.700 of the companies 00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:11.000 to build powerful AI 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:12.640 and we have that fear. 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:13.520 Well, what if it becomes 00:15:13.520 --> 00:15:15.600 untethered and on the loose? 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:17.280 What if people are asking, 00:15:17.800 --> 00:15:18.480 not should we, 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:19.740 but simply can we? 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:22.020 Maybe our anxiety 00:15:22.020 --> 00:15:23.840 is to do with social media, 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:25.340 social media platforms 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:26.900 or social media influencers 00:15:26.900 --> 00:15:27.860 and maybe the impact 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:28.420 that it has 00:15:28.420 --> 00:15:30.040 on a younger generation. 00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:32.600 Go to the roots 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:33.500 of all of those things 00:15:33.500 --> 00:15:34.019 and we're going to see 00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:35.240 elements of human pride, 00:15:36.019 --> 00:15:36.639 human ambition, 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:37.500 human self-interest, 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:38.800 seeking personal glory 00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:40.700 and not seeking God. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:42.279 And the Bible says 00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:43.580 that's a recipe for chaos 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:44.100 and suffering 00:15:44.100 --> 00:15:45.220 in so many ways. 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:48.440 And then instead 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:49.279 of just looking out, 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:50.040 if we look in, 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:51.720 if we're brave enough 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:52.620 to turn the spotlight 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:53.379 on ourselves, 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:54.440 what do we find? 00:15:56.420 --> 00:15:57.279 Isn't it true 00:15:57.279 --> 00:15:59.040 that our own personal pride 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:01.319 and our desire for glory 00:16:01.319 --> 00:16:03.439 that that can produce harm 00:16:03.439 --> 00:16:05.279 in our relationships? 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:09.360 Isn't it our seeking status 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:11.079 and glory that leads us 00:16:11.079 --> 00:16:13.019 to perhaps tear others down 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:15.159 so that we can build ourselves up? 00:16:17.319 --> 00:16:19.539 Because if I want to be number one 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:22.559 and if I want my name to be great 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:24.379 and then you also want 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:25.199 your name to be great, 00:16:25.259 --> 00:16:26.039 well, what happens? 00:16:26.139 --> 00:16:27.259 Well, now we've got clash 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:27.799 and conflict 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:28.919 and something has to give 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:29.699 and there's going to be winners 00:16:29.699 --> 00:16:30.759 and there's going to be losers 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:31.620 and there's conflict. 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:35.620 But maybe we also find this. 00:16:36.319 --> 00:16:37.620 Maybe we also can identify 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:38.919 with Babel in this way. 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:41.439 When we remove ourselves 00:16:41.439 --> 00:16:42.579 from God's story, 00:16:44.199 --> 00:16:45.939 when a society or a person 00:16:45.939 --> 00:16:46.979 removes oneself 00:16:46.979 --> 00:16:48.139 from God's plan 00:16:48.139 --> 00:16:49.759 for how life is supposed to be, 00:16:50.139 --> 00:16:51.419 we're still trying to build 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:52.360 a life for ourselves 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:53.099 and we're still trying 00:16:53.099 --> 00:16:54.339 to make progress, 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:56.639 but maybe we're not sure 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:58.019 exactly what that's supposed 00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:58.779 to look like. 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:00.360 What is progress 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:01.000 supposed to be? 00:17:01.199 --> 00:17:02.339 What does the good life 00:17:02.339 --> 00:17:03.319 really look like? 00:17:04.899 --> 00:17:05.980 And for many people, 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:06.759 it leads to a feeling 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:07.579 of being anxious 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:08.819 and frantic and hopeless 00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:10.460 because we can't figure it out 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:11.259 by ourselves. 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:14.759 There is something within us 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:15.299 that as people, 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:16.139 we often dream 00:17:16.139 --> 00:17:17.359 that we have the answers, 00:17:18.139 --> 00:17:19.440 but we're not so good 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:20.299 at seeing that often 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:21.440 we're part of the problem. 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:25.180 I came across the beginning 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.340 of the UN Charter 00:17:27.340 --> 00:17:29.519 in 1948 this week. 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:31.160 So after the Second World War, 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:31.920 that determination 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:33.120 that the nations would work 00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:34.100 together for peace. 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:36.140 And even to just read 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:36.860 the preamble, 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:39.240 you discover what big claims, 00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:39.600 I mean, 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:41.000 great ambitions, 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:43.580 but big claims 00:17:43.580 --> 00:17:44.299 that we can make 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:45.000 for ourselves. 00:17:45.120 --> 00:17:45.860 Listen to how 00:17:45.860 --> 00:17:46.880 the Charter begins. 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:47.360 We, 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:48.820 the peoples 00:17:48.820 --> 00:17:50.360 of the United Nations, 00:17:50.860 --> 00:17:52.160 will succeed 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:53.780 in getting rid 00:17:53.780 --> 00:17:55.320 of the scourge of war. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:57.180 We will promote 00:17:57.180 --> 00:17:58.580 social progress 00:17:58.580 --> 00:18:00.280 and better standards 00:18:00.280 --> 00:18:00.860 of life 00:18:00.860 --> 00:18:02.640 in larger freedom. 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:03.880 You know, 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:04.540 that sounds wonderful, 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:05.040 doesn't it? 00:18:05.100 --> 00:18:06.560 But what's the reality? 00:18:08.320 --> 00:18:08.980 There is still 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:10.200 the horrors of war. 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:11.560 There is still 00:18:11.560 --> 00:18:12.980 the reality of oppression. 00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:14.660 Millions of people 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:15.740 are still being bought 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:16.360 and sold 00:18:16.360 --> 00:18:17.600 by people traffickers. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.540 The heart 00:18:19.540 --> 00:18:20.880 of the Babel problem 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:22.860 is the problem 00:18:22.860 --> 00:18:23.860 of the human heart. 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:26.279 So we left to ourselves 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:27.220 are not going to fix it. 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:28.880 When we reject 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:29.759 and remove God 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:30.540 and His design, 00:18:30.800 --> 00:18:32.040 when we replace God 00:18:32.040 --> 00:18:32.860 with self 00:18:32.860 --> 00:18:33.640 at the center, 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:35.860 when a life 00:18:35.860 --> 00:18:36.500 or a society 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:37.540 is driven by pride 00:18:37.540 --> 00:18:38.160 and a desire 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:39.279 for personal glory, 00:18:40.060 --> 00:18:40.759 Genesis 11 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:41.320 reminds us 00:18:41.320 --> 00:18:41.779 it creates 00:18:41.779 --> 00:18:44.040 so many problems. 00:18:44.660 --> 00:18:46.740 Some of you 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:47.519 might remember 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:48.700 the episode 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:49.779 of the sitcom 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:50.400 Friends 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:52.140 where Rachel 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:52.860 wants to make 00:18:52.860 --> 00:18:54.140 an English recipe. 00:18:54.860 --> 00:18:55.660 So she decides 00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:56.440 she's going to make 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:57.640 an English trifle. 00:18:58.460 --> 00:18:59.759 But the problem is 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:01.140 that her cookbook 00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:02.100 has got two pages 00:19:02.100 --> 00:19:02.720 stuck together. 00:19:02.800 --> 00:19:03.240 So she's trying 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:03.880 to make trifle, 00:19:04.120 --> 00:19:05.080 she turns the page 00:19:05.080 --> 00:19:06.120 and she's reading 00:19:06.120 --> 00:19:07.080 the instructions 00:19:07.080 --> 00:19:07.680 for making 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:08.500 a shepherd's pie. 00:19:09.100 --> 00:19:09.960 You try and make 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:11.140 a trifle 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:13.279 with the ingredients 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:14.200 for a shepherd's pie 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.240 and the result 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:15.559 is obviously 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:15.840 going to be 00:19:15.840 --> 00:19:16.400 a disaster. 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:18.720 Now far more seriously 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:19.539 Genesis 11 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:20.240 is telling us 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:21.180 as people 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:22.080 we have taken 00:19:22.080 --> 00:19:23.140 God's good idea 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:24.100 of progress 00:19:24.100 --> 00:19:25.860 but we're following 00:19:25.860 --> 00:19:27.039 entirely the wrong 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:27.620 direction 00:19:27.620 --> 00:19:28.559 because we're rejecting 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:30.100 God in favor of self 00:19:30.100 --> 00:19:31.360 and it leads to chaos 00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:32.019 and confusion. 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:33.840 And so what we need 00:19:33.840 --> 00:19:34.480 to see next 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:36.440 is God's responses 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:38.720 to see as their hope. 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.380 So if that was 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:42.519 the problem 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:44.339 pride and seeking 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:44.940 personal glory 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:45.660 let's see God's 00:19:45.660 --> 00:19:46.100 responses 00:19:46.100 --> 00:19:46.519 because there's 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:47.180 two responses 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:48.339 the first response 00:19:48.339 --> 00:19:49.319 that we need to 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:49.980 recognize is the 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:51.200 response of judgment. 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:53.039 So look at verse 5 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.980 and notice the irony. 00:19:56.120 --> 00:19:56.900 So here's these 00:19:56.900 --> 00:19:57.819 people that are 00:19:57.819 --> 00:19:58.279 trying to make 00:19:58.279 --> 00:19:59.680 a tower that reaches 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:00.299 to the heavens 00:20:00.299 --> 00:20:01.640 but the Lord 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:02.319 came down 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:03.200 to see the city 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:03.720 and the tower 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:04.259 that people were 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:04.600 building. 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:06.359 And I think 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:07.500 the author of Genesis 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.379 is inviting us 00:20:08.379 --> 00:20:09.419 to imagine God 00:20:09.419 --> 00:20:10.079 as it were 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:11.759 stooping down 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:13.259 and squinting 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:13.759 maybe he's getting 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:14.939 his magnifying glass 00:20:14.939 --> 00:20:15.500 out if you've seen 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:16.299 Honey I Shrunk the Kids 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:17.339 trying to see 00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:18.459 this tiny speck 00:20:18.459 --> 00:20:19.119 of a tower 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:20.179 that the people 00:20:20.179 --> 00:20:20.719 thought was so 00:20:20.719 --> 00:20:21.559 grand and glorious. 00:20:21.719 --> 00:20:23.539 God is so much 00:20:23.539 --> 00:20:23.959 greater. 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:25.599 And so it's full 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:26.000 of irony 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.659 but verse 6 00:20:26.659 --> 00:20:27.079 reminds us 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:28.319 this is no joke. 00:20:29.659 --> 00:20:30.439 The Lord said 00:20:30.439 --> 00:20:31.259 if as one people 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.019 speaking the same 00:20:32.019 --> 00:20:32.399 language 00:20:32.399 --> 00:20:32.859 they've begun 00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:33.459 to do this 00:20:33.459 --> 00:20:34.359 then nothing 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:35.240 they plan to do 00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:36.019 will be impossible 00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:36.559 for them. 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:37.699 Notice God knows 00:20:37.699 --> 00:20:38.379 the human heart 00:20:38.379 --> 00:20:39.259 and he recognizes 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:40.619 that the Tower of Babel 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:41.319 is really only 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:42.039 phase one. 00:20:42.959 --> 00:20:43.719 This is a people 00:20:43.719 --> 00:20:44.559 who are entirely 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:45.339 set on 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:46.240 I'm going to 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:46.979 build a life 00:20:46.979 --> 00:20:48.099 without God. 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:50.000 And so what happens 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:50.799 is that the creator 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:51.639 of the universe 00:20:51.639 --> 00:20:53.219 the designer 00:20:53.219 --> 00:20:54.379 who tells us 00:20:54.379 --> 00:20:55.399 how life should go 00:20:55.399 --> 00:20:57.359 he intervenes. 00:20:58.379 --> 00:20:59.619 He has been 00:20:59.619 --> 00:21:00.539 insulted 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:02.339 and rejected 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:03.079 and rebelled 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:03.699 against 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:04.840 and so God 00:21:04.840 --> 00:21:05.640 gets involved. 00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:08.420 Some of us 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:09.059 will likely 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:09.580 have been 00:21:09.580 --> 00:21:10.120 or will go 00:21:10.120 --> 00:21:10.700 to the cinema 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:11.420 to watch 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:12.559 The Odyssey 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:13.279 Homer's 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:14.100 kind of epic 00:21:14.100 --> 00:21:14.580 poem 00:21:14.580 --> 00:21:15.680 on screen 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:16.500 7th century 00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:16.880 or so 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:18.140 Greek poem. 00:21:18.140 --> 00:21:19.580 It has loads 00:21:19.580 --> 00:21:21.059 of weird stuff 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:21.259 in it 00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:21.920 but one thing 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:22.700 that I think 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:23.680 Homer gets right 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:23.960 is 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:25.299 it is a bad 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:25.880 thing 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:27.240 to insult 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:28.660 the God. 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:30.940 the story 00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:31.400 is full of 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:32.960 even more 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:33.460 so 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:35.540 it is a 00:21:35.540 --> 00:21:36.240 serious thing 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.240 to insult 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:37.800 and to ignore 00:21:37.800 --> 00:21:38.500 the one true 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:39.240 and living God. 00:21:40.040 --> 00:21:40.500 And so God 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:41.040 comes 00:21:41.040 --> 00:21:42.080 and he confuses 00:21:42.080 --> 00:21:42.580 language 00:21:42.580 --> 00:21:43.900 and he scatters 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:44.200 people 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:45.220 and we can just 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:46.400 imagine the chaos 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:47.540 you imagine 00:21:47.540 --> 00:21:48.560 any project 00:21:48.560 --> 00:21:49.540 where nobody 00:21:49.540 --> 00:21:50.320 can communicate 00:21:50.320 --> 00:21:50.700 because there's 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:51.500 culture barrier 00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:51.980 and there's 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:52.900 language barrier 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:54.080 and what happens 00:21:54.080 --> 00:21:54.519 here is that 00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:55.540 God will not 00:21:55.540 --> 00:21:56.940 allow the people 00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:57.440 of the world 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:58.460 to continue 00:21:58.460 --> 00:21:59.480 on their own 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:00.040 merry way 00:22:00.040 --> 00:22:00.920 in rebellion 00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:01.960 against him. 00:22:03.220 --> 00:22:03.820 And so this is 00:22:03.820 --> 00:22:04.240 judgment 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:06.120 on sin 00:22:06.120 --> 00:22:06.920 that rejects 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:07.380 God 00:22:07.380 --> 00:22:09.160 on hearts 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:09.759 that are turned 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.340 inwards 00:22:10.340 --> 00:22:11.200 in human pride. 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:12.940 They wanted 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:13.540 a life 00:22:13.540 --> 00:22:14.460 and a world 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:15.600 and progress 00:22:15.600 --> 00:22:16.480 without God 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:18.040 but in the 00:22:18.040 --> 00:22:18.800 Lord's judgment 00:22:18.800 --> 00:22:19.900 it all comes 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:20.780 crashing down 00:22:20.780 --> 00:22:21.620 and it will 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:22.979 come crashing 00:22:22.979 --> 00:22:23.279 down. 00:22:23.379 --> 00:22:23.839 And so there is 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:24.919 that warning 00:22:24.919 --> 00:22:25.500 of a God 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:26.439 who judges 00:22:26.439 --> 00:22:27.559 rebellion. 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:28.719 But that's only 00:22:28.719 --> 00:22:29.459 one of God's 00:22:29.459 --> 00:22:30.019 responses. 00:22:30.179 --> 00:22:30.699 The second 00:22:30.699 --> 00:22:31.339 response 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:33.099 is the promise 00:22:33.099 --> 00:22:33.979 of rescue 00:22:33.979 --> 00:22:34.779 and reconciliation. 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:36.359 So, so far 00:22:36.359 --> 00:22:37.279 I think we've 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:37.759 been dealing 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:38.899 with the bad 00:22:38.899 --> 00:22:39.539 news of what's 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:40.079 gone wrong 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:41.639 and hopefully 00:22:41.639 --> 00:22:42.059 we're seeing 00:22:42.059 --> 00:22:43.059 that it's honest 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:46.159 but it's not 00:22:46.159 --> 00:22:46.739 yet hopeful. 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:48.979 To find hope 00:22:48.979 --> 00:22:50.179 we need to turn 00:22:50.179 --> 00:22:50.839 to that second 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:51.539 passage that we 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:51.879 looked at. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:52.279 We need to 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:53.000 turn to that 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:54.440 family tree 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:55.099 and you might 00:22:55.099 --> 00:22:55.920 be thinking 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:56.440 well what on 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:56.839 earth has a 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:57.460 family tree 00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:57.940 got to do 00:22:57.940 --> 00:22:58.899 with hope 00:22:58.899 --> 00:22:59.960 and I guess 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:00.839 the next few 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:01.440 weeks will 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:02.879 unveil that 00:23:02.879 --> 00:23:04.079 so bear with 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:04.559 me in that 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:04.839 sense. 00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:05.899 But one way 00:23:05.899 --> 00:23:06.460 to think about 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:06.920 it is this. 00:23:07.139 --> 00:23:08.180 So over the 00:23:08.180 --> 00:23:08.519 summer our 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:09.079 family we did 00:23:09.079 --> 00:23:09.539 a little bit 00:23:09.539 --> 00:23:10.519 of a Spider-Man 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:11.299 movie catch-up 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:11.980 because there's 00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:12.359 a new one 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:12.779 coming out 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:14.079 and if you 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:14.399 know anything 00:23:14.399 --> 00:23:14.740 about the 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:15.599 superhero genre 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:16.079 think about 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:16.779 what you have. 00:23:16.859 --> 00:23:17.339 You have 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:19.059 often a very 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:20.419 unexpected hero 00:23:20.419 --> 00:23:22.319 who is chosen 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:23.700 in a surprising 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:25.259 way in the 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:25.960 end to save 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:26.539 a city or 00:23:26.539 --> 00:23:27.240 save a world. 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:29.379 That's a 00:23:29.379 --> 00:23:30.220 superhero trope 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:30.980 but it's also 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:31.759 in a sense a 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:32.700 biblical principle. 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:34.159 God chooses 00:23:34.159 --> 00:23:36.240 one for the 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:36.740 sake of the 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:37.019 many. 00:23:38.339 --> 00:23:38.759 And what we're 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:39.139 going to see in 00:23:39.139 --> 00:23:39.619 the coming weeks 00:23:39.619 --> 00:23:40.099 is that God 00:23:40.099 --> 00:23:41.039 chooses Abraham 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:42.279 a very old 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:43.679 man who had 00:23:43.679 --> 00:23:44.299 previously been 00:23:44.299 --> 00:23:45.039 worshipping idols 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:46.000 and he's 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:46.480 going to 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:47.240 speak to 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:47.859 him and 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:48.119 he's going 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:48.519 to save 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:49.259 him and 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:49.659 as we saw 00:23:49.659 --> 00:23:50.379 he sets 00:23:50.379 --> 00:23:50.839 him on a 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:52.619 journey and 00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:53.000 what God's 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:53.259 going to do 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:53.639 for Abraham 00:23:53.639 --> 00:23:54.139 is he's going 00:23:54.139 --> 00:23:54.539 to make a 00:23:54.539 --> 00:23:54.960 name for 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:56.440 Abraham and 00:23:56.440 --> 00:23:56.700 he's going 00:23:56.700 --> 00:23:56.899 to give 00:23:56.899 --> 00:23:57.700 Abraham wonderful 00:23:57.700 --> 00:23:59.519 promises and 00:23:59.519 --> 00:23:59.859 one of the 00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:00.359 things that he 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:00.740 says to 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:01.259 Abraham is 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:01.779 that Abraham 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:02.220 from your 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:03.480 family will 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:04.039 come a source 00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:04.500 of God's 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:05.059 blessing to 00:24:05.059 --> 00:24:05.720 all nations. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:06.059 It's there 00:24:06.059 --> 00:24:06.420 at the beginning 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:07.220 of chapter 12. 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:08.399 So through 00:24:08.399 --> 00:24:09.759 Abraham's family 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:11.039 comes a hope of 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:12.039 rescue and 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:12.680 reconciliation. 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:13.700 God's going 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:14.119 to extend 00:24:14.119 --> 00:24:14.819 salvation. 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:16.139 to the whole 00:24:16.139 --> 00:24:16.659 world. 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:18.240 And so 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:19.079 Genesis 11 00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:19.859 prepares us 00:24:19.859 --> 00:24:20.399 for the truth 00:24:20.399 --> 00:24:21.000 that there is 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:21.879 hope coming. 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:23.680 That yes, 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:24.420 the Bible is 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:24.839 very honest, 00:24:24.899 --> 00:24:25.599 the world is 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:26.700 in a mess. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:28.440 And yes, 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:29.220 God does 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.220 judge sinful 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:30.819 rebellion, 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:32.059 but wonderfully, 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:32.420 yes, 00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:33.359 also God has 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:33.960 a plan to 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:34.440 redeem and 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:34.960 rescue and 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:35.460 restore. 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:36.720 And the 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:37.099 whole Bible 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:37.779 tells us that 00:24:37.779 --> 00:24:38.339 he does that 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:39.059 wonderfully through 00:24:39.059 --> 00:24:39.639 his son, 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:40.399 the Lord Jesus, 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:41.659 who comes from 00:24:41.659 --> 00:24:42.879 Abraham's family. 00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:44.359 So let's just 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:44.899 look for a few 00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:45.700 minutes at how 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:47.580 Jesus is God's 00:24:47.580 --> 00:24:48.340 answer to the 00:24:48.340 --> 00:24:49.019 human problem. 00:24:50.060 --> 00:24:50.700 That while we 00:24:50.700 --> 00:24:52.300 as people have 00:24:52.300 --> 00:24:53.140 walked away from 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:53.620 God, 00:24:54.580 --> 00:24:56.340 God comes to 00:24:56.340 --> 00:24:56.800 bring people 00:24:56.800 --> 00:24:57.620 back to himself. 00:24:58.680 --> 00:24:59.519 So first of all, 00:24:59.580 --> 00:25:00.300 who is Jesus? 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:00.940 Well, we know 00:25:00.940 --> 00:25:02.460 that Jesus is the 00:25:02.460 --> 00:25:03.960 eternal son of God, 00:25:04.780 --> 00:25:05.740 glory of heaven, 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:06.580 worshipped by 00:25:06.580 --> 00:25:07.360 hundreds of 00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:07.840 thousands of 00:25:07.840 --> 00:25:08.100 angels, 00:25:08.100 --> 00:25:08.840 but he is the 00:25:08.840 --> 00:25:10.259 God who came 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:11.940 down to us 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:12.560 to become one 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:13.019 of us. 00:25:14.379 --> 00:25:15.339 Fast forward to 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:15.980 the New Testament. 00:25:16.119 --> 00:25:16.740 First book of the 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:17.319 New Testament is 00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:17.659 the book of 00:25:17.659 --> 00:25:18.079 Matthew. 00:25:18.679 --> 00:25:19.419 Matthew begins 00:25:19.419 --> 00:25:20.119 his story of 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:20.579 the life of 00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:21.619 Jesus in a way 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:22.419 that I think we 00:25:22.419 --> 00:25:23.039 find as modern 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:23.759 people surprising. 00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:24.319 It starts with 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:25.119 a family tree. 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:27.039 Why start an 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:27.759 exciting story 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:28.220 with a family 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:28.440 tree? 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:29.639 Because Matthew 00:25:29.639 --> 00:25:30.200 wants us to 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:31.679 know Jesus is 00:25:31.679 --> 00:25:32.500 the one from 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:33.279 Abraham's family 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:33.879 who is the 00:25:33.879 --> 00:25:34.500 promised one. 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:35.519 He is God's 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:35.859 redeemer. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:36.539 He is the way 00:25:36.539 --> 00:25:37.720 God will reconcile 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:38.759 people to himself. 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:40.460 So God the 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:41.140 Father sends 00:25:41.140 --> 00:25:41.799 God the Son 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:42.559 into a world 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:42.940 that needs 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:43.480 rescue. 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:46.359 And Jesus, 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:46.940 the Son of 00:25:46.940 --> 00:25:47.599 God, he comes 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:48.220 and he lives 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:49.000 a perfect life. 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:49.859 So different 00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:50.420 from the people 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:50.859 of Babel, 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:51.319 so different 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:51.980 often from us. 00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:53.119 Full of 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:53.859 humility. 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:56.819 Serving others, 00:25:57.140 --> 00:25:57.740 taking upon 00:25:57.740 --> 00:25:58.539 himself the 00:25:58.539 --> 00:25:59.519 title of a 00:25:59.519 --> 00:25:59.900 servant, 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:01.700 washing his 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:02.079 disciples' 00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:02.379 feet. 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:03.460 He lives 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:04.319 always and 00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:05.059 only for his 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:05.779 Father's glory, 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:06.279 not trying to 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:06.720 make a name 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:07.259 for himself. 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:09.259 And he comes 00:26:09.259 --> 00:26:09.980 with an amazing 00:26:09.980 --> 00:26:10.440 message. 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:11.360 I am the way 00:26:11.360 --> 00:26:12.279 back to God. 00:26:13.100 --> 00:26:13.640 He has come 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:13.980 from the 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:14.620 Father so we 00:26:14.620 --> 00:26:14.900 could know 00:26:14.900 --> 00:26:15.380 God as 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:15.759 Father. 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:19.880 And then as 00:26:19.880 --> 00:26:20.180 we come 00:26:20.180 --> 00:26:21.839 towards Jesus' 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:22.600 death, we 00:26:22.600 --> 00:26:23.200 discover that 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:24.180 he dies, 00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:24.819 this perfect 00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:25.039 one. 00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:25.880 He dies on 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:26.460 a cross. 00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:27.000 And the Bible 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:27.720 tells us why. 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:28.680 In 1 Peter 3 00:26:28.680 --> 00:26:29.539 verse 18, 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:31.279 we are told 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:32.420 Christ died, 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:33.720 the righteous 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:35.460 for the 00:26:35.460 --> 00:26:36.380 unrighteous, 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:37.940 to bring 00:26:37.940 --> 00:26:38.279 us to 00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:38.660 God. 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:40.839 Do you 00:26:40.839 --> 00:26:41.180 know that's 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:41.960 the goal of 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:42.640 Jesus coming 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:43.079 into the 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:43.360 world? 00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:44.360 That's the 00:26:44.360 --> 00:26:45.339 greatest good 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:45.920 that Jesus 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:46.900 brings so 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:47.319 that you 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:47.700 and I, 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:48.400 by trusting 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:48.960 in Jesus, 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:50.039 we can 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:50.860 know life 00:26:50.860 --> 00:26:51.539 with God. 00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:53.000 God gives 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:53.660 us himself 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:55.740 to restore 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:57.000 what sin 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:58.160 has ruined. 00:26:59.360 --> 00:26:59.779 And then 00:26:59.779 --> 00:27:00.339 after his 00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:00.980 resurrection, 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:01.500 so Jesus 00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:01.980 dies three 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:02.400 days later, 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:03.380 he's risen, 00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:04.420 he returns 00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:05.100 to heaven, 00:27:05.099 --> 00:27:07.299 because Jesus 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:08.439 belongs there, 00:27:09.099 --> 00:27:09.759 and from 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:10.240 heaven he 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:10.819 sends his 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:11.159 spirit. 00:27:12.219 --> 00:27:12.579 And we 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:13.079 read about 00:27:13.079 --> 00:27:13.519 it in Acts 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:14.019 chapter 2. 00:27:14.179 --> 00:27:14.639 And did you 00:27:14.639 --> 00:27:15.039 notice what 00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:15.539 happened in 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:16.099 the book of 00:27:16.099 --> 00:27:16.500 Acts? 00:27:17.379 --> 00:27:17.839 There are 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:18.299 nations, 00:27:18.439 --> 00:27:18.719 people from 00:27:18.719 --> 00:27:19.359 different languages 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:19.859 and places, 00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:21.219 and together 00:27:21.219 --> 00:27:22.399 they hear the 00:27:22.399 --> 00:27:22.899 good news of 00:27:22.899 --> 00:27:23.159 Jesus. 00:27:23.939 --> 00:27:25.099 So here's a 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:25.679 new people 00:27:25.679 --> 00:27:26.240 united, 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:27.819 different 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:28.199 languages, 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:28.539 different 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:29.000 cultures, 00:27:29.439 --> 00:27:30.099 worshipping, 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:30.980 celebrating the 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:31.480 good news of 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:31.759 Jesus. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:31.920 Jesus. 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:33.859 And we 00:27:33.859 --> 00:27:34.200 can go to 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:34.460 the very 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:34.900 end of 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:35.220 the Bible, 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:35.759 Revelation 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:36.440 chapter 7, 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:37.160 you get this 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:37.680 vision of 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:38.099 what's life 00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:38.400 going to be 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:39.539 like in 00:27:39.539 --> 00:27:39.980 the new 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:40.640 creation. 00:27:41.799 --> 00:27:42.339 And we 00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:42.779 find people 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:43.160 from all 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:43.759 nations and 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:44.259 tribes and 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:44.879 peoples and 00:27:44.879 --> 00:27:45.319 languages, 00:27:45.740 --> 00:27:46.379 and they're 00:27:46.379 --> 00:27:47.180 worshipping, 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:47.680 and right at 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:48.420 the centre, 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:49.539 the source of 00:27:49.539 --> 00:27:49.960 their word is 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:50.379 Jesus. 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:52.859 So do we 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:53.539 see what God 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.799 has in store 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:55.599 to do through 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:56.359 his son Jesus? 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:57.740 He is uniting 00:27:57.740 --> 00:27:58.539 people together 00:27:58.539 --> 00:27:58.940 again. 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:01.359 Not in pride, 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:02.000 because pride 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:02.559 separates, 00:28:02.959 --> 00:28:04.159 in worship. 00:28:05.939 --> 00:28:06.799 A group of 00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:07.259 people no 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:07.959 longer thinking 00:28:07.959 --> 00:28:08.399 about our 00:28:08.399 --> 00:28:09.259 own glory, 00:28:10.459 --> 00:28:11.139 but now 00:28:11.139 --> 00:28:11.759 captured by 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:12.539 God's glory. 00:28:14.459 --> 00:28:14.879 And what the 00:28:14.879 --> 00:28:16.039 Bible tells us 00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:17.039 is that history 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:18.279 is progressing 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.519 in a great 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:20.479 building project, 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:20.959 but it's not 00:28:20.959 --> 00:28:21.459 ours, 00:28:21.899 --> 00:28:22.859 it's God's. 00:28:23.139 --> 00:28:23.740 And Jesus is 00:28:23.740 --> 00:28:24.219 the master 00:28:24.219 --> 00:28:24.599 builder, 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:25.379 and he's also 00:28:25.379 --> 00:28:26.099 the foundation. 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:27.740 And what Jesus 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:28.379 is doing right 00:28:28.379 --> 00:28:29.919 now is Jesus 00:28:29.919 --> 00:28:31.079 is calling people 00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:31.919 from different 00:28:31.919 --> 00:28:33.079 places and 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:34.019 different backgrounds. 00:28:34.919 --> 00:28:35.480 And he's 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:36.099 giving people 00:28:36.099 --> 00:28:37.019 the faith to 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:37.359 believe. 00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:39.259 So people are 00:28:39.259 --> 00:28:39.919 being united 00:28:39.919 --> 00:28:40.559 to Jesus, 00:28:41.199 --> 00:28:41.779 and they've 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:42.279 been brought 00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:43.119 together into 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:43.980 the church of 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:44.299 Jesus. 00:28:46.059 --> 00:28:46.939 And that takes 00:28:46.939 --> 00:28:47.359 us to the 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:47.960 mission of the 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:48.359 church. 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:49.679 Why are we 00:28:49.679 --> 00:28:50.439 here as a 00:28:50.439 --> 00:28:51.119 local church? 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:51.899 We have a 00:28:51.899 --> 00:28:52.159 mission. 00:28:52.679 --> 00:28:53.519 We are workers 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:54.220 together on 00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:54.519 Jesus' 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.460 building projects. 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:55.879 So what do 00:28:55.879 --> 00:28:56.259 we do? 00:28:56.460 --> 00:28:57.439 We tell people 00:28:57.439 --> 00:28:58.199 about Jesus, 00:28:58.200 --> 00:28:59.039 we put the 00:28:59.039 --> 00:28:59.620 love and 00:28:59.620 --> 00:29:00.100 the grace 00:29:00.100 --> 00:29:00.559 of God 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:01.200 on display 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:01.900 so that 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:02.400 others can 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:02.900 be restored 00:29:02.900 --> 00:29:03.360 to life 00:29:03.360 --> 00:29:03.720 with God 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:04.059 too. 00:29:04.900 --> 00:29:05.580 We are to 00:29:05.580 --> 00:29:06.200 help people 00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:06.620 to both 00:29:06.620 --> 00:29:07.340 see and 00:29:07.340 --> 00:29:08.220 to feel 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:09.519 that Jesus 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:10.200 is God's 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:10.779 great answer 00:29:10.779 --> 00:29:11.240 to our 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:12.059 human problems 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:13.080 in the way 00:29:13.080 --> 00:29:13.340 that we 00:29:13.340 --> 00:29:14.340 practice unity 00:29:14.340 --> 00:29:15.660 and peace 00:29:15.660 --> 00:29:16.180 and love, 00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:16.799 in the 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:17.580 welcome that 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:18.380 we extend, 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:19.299 in the 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:19.980 kindness that 00:29:19.980 --> 00:29:20.580 we offer 00:29:20.580 --> 00:29:21.220 across 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:22.279 difference. 00:29:22.279 --> 00:29:25.119 So we 00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:25.599 have here 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:26.039 in Genesis 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:27.019 11 both 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:28.940 the indication 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:29.359 of what's 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:29.839 gone wrong 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:30.200 with the 00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:30.579 world, 00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:32.079 our walking 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:32.500 away, 00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:33.940 our sinful 00:29:33.940 --> 00:29:34.460 pride, 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:35.399 but it 00:29:35.399 --> 00:29:36.220 also offers 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:37.779 hope that 00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:38.359 the God of 00:29:38.359 --> 00:29:38.799 grace and 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:39.259 love is not 00:29:39.259 --> 00:29:39.879 done with 00:29:39.879 --> 00:29:42.240 people and 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:42.639 that rather 00:29:42.639 --> 00:29:43.559 he will come 00:29:43.559 --> 00:29:44.500 in Jesus to 00:29:44.500 --> 00:29:44.899 bring us 00:29:44.899 --> 00:29:46.200 back into 00:29:46.200 --> 00:29:46.920 relationship 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:47.599 with God. 00:29:48.299 --> 00:29:48.519 And so 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:49.639 Jesus today 00:29:49.639 --> 00:29:50.680 invites us to 00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:51.339 come to 00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:51.579 him. 00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:53.099 for rescue 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:54.119 and 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:54.759 reconciliation. 00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:56.200 Let me 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:56.940 pray for us. 00:29:57.720 --> 00:29:58.220 Our God 00:29:58.220 --> 00:29:58.619 and Father, 00:29:58.720 --> 00:29:59.119 we thank 00:29:59.119 --> 00:29:59.500 you that 00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:00.319 the Bible 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:01.299 tells one 00:30:01.299 --> 00:30:02.599 great story 00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:03.559 of redemption, 00:30:04.220 --> 00:30:04.879 that while it 00:30:04.879 --> 00:30:05.279 is very 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:06.920 honest about 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:07.579 the reality 00:30:07.579 --> 00:30:08.440 of the sin 00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:09.039 in our hearts 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:09.519 and lives, 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:09.839 our own 00:30:09.839 --> 00:30:10.379 pride and 00:30:10.379 --> 00:30:11.660 our seeking 00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:12.319 glory for 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:12.879 ourselves, 00:30:13.339 --> 00:30:13.779 it also 00:30:13.779 --> 00:30:14.399 shows us 00:30:14.399 --> 00:30:15.019 your grace 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:15.359 and your 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:15.839 salvation, 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:16.259 that you 00:30:16.259 --> 00:30:17.180 sent Jesus 00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:18.539 to our 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:18.940 people who 00:30:18.940 --> 00:30:19.399 are walking 00:30:19.399 --> 00:30:20.079 far away 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:20.559 from you 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:21.539 to bring 00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:22.019 us back 00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:22.539 home so 00:30:22.539 --> 00:30:22.720 that we 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:23.200 could call 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:23.519 you our 00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:23.899 father, 00:30:24.399 --> 00:30:24.819 so that we 00:30:24.819 --> 00:30:25.339 could live 00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:25.899 for the 00:30:25.899 --> 00:30:26.339 glory of 00:30:26.339 --> 00:30:26.859 Jesus and 00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:27.240 not for 00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:27.659 our own 00:30:27.659 --> 00:30:27.980 glory. 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.259 And so 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:28.659 we pray 00:30:28.659 --> 00:30:28.879 that you 00:30:28.879 --> 00:30:29.159 would help 00:30:29.159 --> 00:30:29.480 us to 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:30.619 wrestle with 00:30:30.619 --> 00:30:31.519 these realities, 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:32.940 to bow our 00:30:32.940 --> 00:30:33.379 knee to 00:30:33.379 --> 00:30:34.399 Jesus and 00:30:34.399 --> 00:30:34.879 to be so 00:30:34.879 --> 00:30:36.279 glad to live 00:30:36.279 --> 00:30:36.899 to make him 00:30:36.899 --> 00:30:37.500 known and to 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:38.099 enjoy his 00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:38.500 glory. 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:39.200 And we 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:39.680 pray in his 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:39.980 name. 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:40.579 Amen.