Thank you.
We need our text this morning, Genesis chapter 11, starting at verse 1.
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
As people moved eastward, they found plains in Shinar and settled there.
They said to each other, come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.
They used brick instead of stone and bitumen 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 will be scattered over the whole face of the earth.
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that people were building.
And the Lord said, if it's one people speaking the same language, they have begun to do this,
then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel.
Because there the Lord confused the whole language of the world.
From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Before we get stuck in, and I pray just a note in regards to the note sheet, if any of you are using that.
There's maybe some still on the table as you came in if you need one.
If you're confused with the title, go with the titles there.
There's not too much change, but just so you don't get confused.
Let's pray and ask for God's help.
Father, we thank you that you have spoken to us in a language that we can understand
and you have preserved your word for us, written in your word.
Indeed, the nations of the world today, so many, have your word, the Bible, in a language they can understand.
We thank you that you speak to us so clearly.
And we pray that we would be attentive to your word today.
That it would shape us and mould us.
And it would cause us to see your great big purposes for the world.
And how we should live in response.
So be our teacher through your word today, we ask.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, we come, don't we?
And we go.
We have gathered together and we are going to scatter.
We have congregated and then we're going to disperse.
That's what the church is all about, isn't it?
Remember Jesus' words to his disciples?
Jesus gathered his disciples together and then he scattered them.
They came to Jesus.
They came to Jesus and Jesus said to them, go and make disciples of all nations.
Now, of course, that's nothing new.
It was God's plan and then he was going to do.
It was God's plan and purpose right from the very beginning of the story of scripture.
Adam and Eve, remember, were in the garden with God.
They were with him together.
But Adam and Eve were to expand the borders of Eden.
They were to spread out.
As God's image bearers, they were to be the visible representation of the invisible God.
They were to reflect God's greatness and display his goodness throughout the whole earth.
And it was the same for Noah.
There was an opportunity for a fresh start.
Noah and his family, remember, were gathered together in the ark of salvation.
And then what does God say to them?
Well, have a look with me.
Go back to chapter 9 and verse 1.
Just turn a page back.
Chapter 9, verse 1.
Then God blessed Noah and his son, saying to them,
Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Now look at verse 7 of chapter 9.
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number.
Multiply on the earth and increase upon it.
As God began again the fresh start with Noah,
he says to Noah,
Go, scatter, disperse, fill the earth.
As God's image bearers, they were to govern the world for God's glory.
They were to honour God wherever they went.
You see, this is God's purpose for humanity.
This is why we were made.
It's why we exist.
We were created to display the glory of God.
That we would want people to see how good and how great God is.
Well, how are we getting on in that task?
How well are we at declaring God's glory and making it all about him?
Well, let's see how we are getting on.
Let's go to chapter 11.
First, building our own glory.
As Noah's family grew in number, they were united in their identity.
Look at verse 1.
The whole world had one language and a common speech.
So they were united in their identity.
And they also were united in their purpose.
Verse 2.
As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar.
That would become Babylon.
And they settled there.
You see, they were united in their purpose.
But they were united in a purpose that conflicts with God.
Do you see that at the end of verse 2?
Instead of scattering, they begin to settle.
Instead of building for God's glory, they start building their own glory.
It seems God's plans have been replaced with their own plans.
It's something that we do all the time.
We see this in two ways.
First, controlling our destiny.
Look at verse 3.
They said to each other,
Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.
And they used brick instead of stone and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, Come, let's build ourselves a city.
So forget your mobile homes.
Forget your tents.
We're going to build a permanent city.
A city that's going to last forever.
It's durable.
It's made of brick and strong bitumen.
It's not going to fall.
We say, Well, what's wrong with building a city?
Everybody needs a home to live in.
That's not such a bad thing, is it?
Well, this city would not just be a place of rest.
It would be a symbol of their defiance against God.
Look at the beginning of verse 4.
They said, Come, let's build ourselves a city.
Why?
Look at the end of verse 4.
Otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.
We're not going anywhere.
We're staying here.
God may have plans to expand and to spread out.
Well, sorry.
We're in control of our destiny now.
We're in charge.
We're not going.
Seems humanity has problems accepting directions from the top.
Just as Adam and Eve took things into their own hands, so we today take things into our own hands.
And central to this building plan was, look at verse 4 again, was the building of a tower that would reach to the heavens.
Now, these towers were very common.
Archaeologists have dug them up all over the place.
They're kind of pyramid in shape.
So maybe you're thinking of something like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, that kind of tower.
No, it was kind of more pyramid in their shape.
More of a temple type structure.
Because at the very top of these towers would be the home for their deity, for their gods.
In other words, they're saying, we're going to make our own gods and we're going to put them away up there in the heavens, out the way.
Gods who don't interfere with us.
Building this tower was a statement of independence.
We're in charge now.
We're going to make our own rules.
And we're going to live our own way.
Let's come together.
Don't go.
But they're not just content in controlling their own destiny.
They're wanting to establish a name for themselves.
Again, let's read verse 4.
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.
Rather than proclaim the name of God.
Rather than make the name of God famous.
We want to make our own name famous.
And again, through our studies in Genesis, this is nothing new either, is it?
Have a look back to chapter 4 with me.
Go back to chapter 4.
This is the account of Cain.
These are the first sons of Adam and Eve.
The account of Cain who murdered his brother Abel.
So chapter 4 verse 12.
God's response to that murder was very clear.
Verse 12.
God speaks to Cain and he says,
When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.
You're going to have a hard, difficult life.
You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.
You see, even though he had done something as awful as murder,
God's plan was still that they would wander.
That they would scatter, not settle.
Verse 17.
Cain was in no mood for taking orders.
Cain made love to his wife and she became pregnant and gave birth to their son Enoch.
Cain was then building a city.
And he named it after his son Enoch.
You see, he begins to settle down and build a city for himself.
Instead of it about reflecting God's glory,
it's now going to reflect his own glory.
He names the city after his own son Enoch.
Instead of look at what God has done,
look what I have done.
Instead of look how great God is,
look at how great I am.
Let's go back to chapter 11.
You see, what happened for Cain,
individually,
has happened to humanity corporately.
Isn't that what we say?
Come on, let's make a name for ourselves.
Let's build our own legacy.
Let's build our own reputation.
Let's display my greatness and reflect my brilliance to the world.
Aren't I wonderful?
Doesn't the world deserve me?
Let's come together and make ourselves great.
Now, a lot of time has passed since this account.
And the world's population has only increased in number.
And as time has gone on,
we've got better at building towers and buildings and structures.
But even with all the changes,
not a lot has really changed.
We're still building for our own glory.
In defiance of our creator God,
we've set about controlling our own destiny
and making a name for ourselves.
We've pushed God out
and we've made ourselves the centre of the universe.
We are the masters of our fate.
We decide how we live.
And don't we see that reflected in the cities of the world today?
Cities are places where people now gather.
The vast majority,
nearly 60% of the world's population,
now live in the cities.
And it's only going to increase.
They all gather together
and the cities in some way
are there to keep God out.
Because the cities are where we do as we please.
And great towers are built, aren't they?
The towers where we go and serve the God of money.
Where we go and serve our own purpose
and pursue my career,
what I want to do.
Striving to make a name for ourselves.
And who knows?
It mightn't be just Donald Trump who has a tower.
Maybe I could have my name in dazzling lights.
Because I'm great.
But it's not just the cities of the world, is it?
We see it in our places that we call home.
Instead of thinking beyond our four walls,
we build up our four walls.
We prioritize my comfort over God's glory.
We replace God's honour with my security.
This is my home.
My career.
My desire.
My life.
Nobody's going to tell me what to do.
Nobody's going to tell me how to live.
Rather than expand the kingdom of God,
we've built our own little mini kingdoms.
Where we live as if we're king and queen of the universe.
We build for our own glory.
Isn't that what we see happening?
It's what happened then,
and it's what's happening now.
Second,
they were confronted with God's glory.
Humanity, the story there in chapter 11,
may be all about keeping God out
and living a life of independence from him.
But, verse 5,
the Lord came down to see the city
with the tower the people were building.
It's rather an amusing scene, isn't it?
Here's man, just imagine there,
building his cities,
towering over the landscape,
heaping praise on themselves.
How great we are.
Look how wonderful we are.
Well, God in the universe
looks on
and has to come down
to see and inspect.
I mean that tiny, puny,
those little ants
crawling around building things.
What are they doing?
It's like a child with his Lego bricks,
proudly and defiantly informing his father
that I'm building a house to live in.
It's ridiculous.
It's laughable.
Well, God comes, verse 6, and says,
If as one people,
speaking the same language,
they have begun to do this,
then nothing they plan to do
will be impossible for them.
In other words,
the purpose,
the collective purpose of humanity
was to fill the world
with their own glory.
This is what man is about,
to establish how great I am.
And if mankind can do that together,
just think if they're all together,
it would defy God's purposes.
And God isn't going to stand for that.
God is the creator of all
and the Lord of all.
He will not let his glory be replaced
or be pushed out
by his creation.
A later prophet reminds us of this.
You can follow on screen.
This is what God, the Lord, says,
the creator of the heavens,
who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth
with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to his people
and life to all those who walk on it.
I am the Lord.
That is my name.
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
I'm not going to give my glory up
to someone else
because I am God
and I'm Lord.
So God confronts humanity
with his own glory
and he does it in two ways.
First,
there's a judgment
by confusion.
Verse 7.
So God comes to the people
and he says,
come,
let us go down
and confuse their language.
Remember,
it was one common speech,
one language.
Come,
let us go down
and confuse their language
so that they will not
understand each other.
You see,
by confusing their language,
they're no longer
a united force.
He's breaking that up.
What happens
if you put an Irishman,
a Chinese man
and an Indian man
and an Iranian man
in a room together?
It's not a joke,
by the way.
What happens
when you put people
of other languages together?
Nothing happens
except confusion
and frustration
because nobody understands.
And God will not allow humanity
to build for their own glory.
So God comes in judgment
and disrupts their plans
and derails their purposes.
But he comes
not just in judgment.
God also comes
in mercy.
A mercy
by scattering.
Verse 8.
So the Lord
scattered them
from there
over all the earth
and they stopped
building the city.
You see,
humanity,
they weren't
going to listen
and obey God's word.
God said,
I want you to scatter,
to fill the whole earth.
No,
we're staying here.
We're doing our own thing.
They wouldn't follow
God's vision,
his plan for the world.
So God,
in turn,
has to scatter them himself.
God disperses them
and forces them
to fill the whole earth.
You see,
it's not just a judgment,
it's a mercy.
God scatters humanity
to stop them
from uniting
around self.
Because when we build
things around ourselves
and when it's all about me
and it's all about you,
we destroy ourselves.
So God,
in his mercy,
puts a halt
to the self-serving,
self-promoting,
building projects
of self-glory.
That's what we see
going on in chapter 10.
Just flick back
to the beginning
of chapter 10.
Chapter 10 tells us
how the world is.
It describes the world
with all its different
languages and nations
and how it came about.
So chapter 10 tells us,
following on from Noah,
verse 1,
this is the account
of Shem,
Ham and Japheth.
They were the three sons,
Noah's sons,
who themselves
had sons
after the flood.
And of course,
they increase in number.
Verse 5,
we have the sons
of Japheth.
They were maritime peoples.
They were sailors.
And they spread out
into their territories
by their clans
within their nations,
each with its own language.
Then in verse 20,
we have the sons of Ham
and by their clans
and languages
in their territories
and nations.
And then we go down
to verse 31.
These are the sons
of Shem
by their clans
and languages
in their territories
and nations.
So do you see
from Noah,
the sons,
they're all spreading out.
These,
verse 32,
are the clans
of Noah's sons
according to their lines
of descent
within their nations.
From these,
the nations spread out
over the earth
after the flood.
Then we come
to chapter 11.
But it's not chronological.
Chapter 11
is telling us
how all these languages
and nations
came to be.
So in chapter 11,
verse 9,
we read there
that this is why
it was called
Babel.
It would become
called Babylon
because there
the Lord
confused the language
of the whole world
and from there
the Lord
scattered them
over the face
of the whole earth.
So chapter 10
tells us
look,
look at the world,
look at all the languages
and all the different nations.
And then chapter 11
tells us
this is why
there are so many
different languages
and nations.
And as we look out
in the world today,
don't we see
many nations
and many languages?
Just as it was then,
there's confusion
and there's division
amongst the nations.
Turn on the news,
listen to what's going on
in our world.
Nations are putting up
barriers and borders.
People groups
are fighting
with each other.
They fear each other.
Countries are now
threatening war
or they're either
at war.
The evidence
is there for us
all over the world.
Why is it like this?
Because God
in his judgment
brought confusion
and diversity.
unity.
But at the same time,
God is acting
in mercy
within the nations.
Because amidst
all the diversity,
isn't there a desire
and a longing
for unity?
Despite all the confusion,
there's a hunger
for reconciliation.
the world longs
for everybody
to be united
under a common purpose
that we could all
be one again
and living rightly
as we should.
The world is crying out
for a saviour.
Someone who will come
and rescue us
from all the division
and all the brokenness
and put things right.
You see,
God in his mercy
confused
and dispersed
the people of the world
so that they would
actually turn to him.
God brought,
if you like,
a wedge of division.
The different languages,
the different nations,
so that people
would come to him
and be united
around him.
That's what we're told
in the book of Acts.
Follow with me.
It's almost like
a commentary
on these very verses.
From one man
he made all the nations
that they should
inhabit the whole earth.
And he marked out
their appointed times
in history
and the boundaries
of their lands.
And God did this
so that they would
seek him
and perhaps
reach out for him
and find him
though he is not far
from any one of us.
Can you see
God's purpose?
His purpose
remains the same
from the very beginning
of time
that the nations
of this world,
the languages,
the people groups
from all over
our planet
would seek him,
would come to him
and would live
for his glory,
not their own.
So,
we build
for our own glory,
we're confronted
with God's glory
and we are to live
for God's glory.
You see,
despite God
confronting the peoples
of the earth,
we still remain
the stubborn
bunch of people.
We don't easily
come to God,
do we?
We persist
in controlling
our own destiny
and making
our name
for ourselves.
What will it take
to cause
the nations
of this world
to live
for his glory?
What's it going
to take?
Well,
it would take
nothing less
than God
coming to us
in person.
Have a look
at verse 5.
There we read
that the Lord
came down
to see the city.
He intervened.
It's telling us
that God
took action,
that he intervened
in what was going on
because it was
God's desire
that people
would come to him
and centuries
later,
God would come
again,
but this time
he would act
in person.
He would come
to us
by his Son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
and through
his Spirit.
And he would
come to restore
and to put
things right.
Turn with me,
please,
to Acts
in the New Testament.
Acts chapter 2.
So Matthew,
Mark,
Luke,
John,
and then Acts.
Acts chapter 2.
And in this,
we're going to read
through different parts
of it from chapter 2.
God reverses
what happened
at the building
of the city,
the building
of Babel.
Here God reverses,
he undoes
what happened.
Let's take a look.
Verse 4,
chapter 2,
verse 4.
All of them,
he's here talking
about his disciples,
followers of the
Lord Jesus Christ,
people who've
trusted in him.
It says,
all of them
were filled
with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak
in other tongues.
Or if you look
down at the bottom
of your Bible,
there's maybe a little
letter beside tongues
and if you trace
that down to the
very bottom,
it says languages.
All of them
were filled
with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak
in other languages
as the Spirit
enabled them.
Now,
they were staying
in Jerusalem,
God-fearing Jews
from every nation
under heaven.
And when they heard
this sound,
a crowd came together
in bewilderment
because each one
heard their own
language being spoken.
amazing diversity.
People from all kinds
of different nations
gathered together
but now there's
no confusion
because they all
hear the same thing
and they all
understand.
But what is it
they hear?
What was the message?
Well,
look at verse 7.
Utterly amazed,
they asked,
aren't all these
who are speaking
Galileans,
aren't they all
from the same place
and speak
just one language?
Verse 8,
then how is it
that each of us
hears them
in our native language?
End of verse 11.
We hear them
declaring the wonders
of God
in our own tongues
or languages.
They're hearing
from the disciples
the wonders
of God.
How God
had a plan
from the very
beginning.
His purpose
and plan
was that all
people would be
united together
in Jesus
and that they
would declare
his glory
and live for him.
The wonders
of how God
came to us
in the person
of Jesus
to die for us
in our place
for building
our own names
and setting
ourselves in
defiance
against God.
He came
to die
for us
and his
son was
raised to
life for us
so that we
would no longer
live in opposition
to God
but that we
would now
live for him
and with him.
They heard
the wonders
of God.
Verse 37,
chapter 2,
verse 37,
when the
people heard
this,
they were
cut to the
heart,
they were
deeply challenged
and convicted
and they said
to Peter
and the other
apostles,
brothers,
what should we
do?
What's our
response?
We want to
change,
we want to
live differently
and Peter
replied,
repent and
be baptized
every one of
you in the
name of
Jesus Christ
for the
forgiveness
of your
sins
and you
will receive
the gift
of the
Holy Spirit.
Verse 41,
those who
accepted his
message were
baptized and
about 3,000
were added to
their number
that day.
Can you see
what's going
on here?
God is
gathering the
nations of
the world
around his
son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ
so that
they become
a new
people,
the church,
the people
of God
from every
tribe,
language,
tongue and
nation all
coming together
around the
son and
as we begin
to read
through the
rest of
Acts we
see them
being scattered,
being sent
out to
the nations
as they
are filled
with the
spirit of
God.
This is
God's plan
and purpose
in action.
this is
what the
church is
all about.
This is
what we
are doing
here right
now.
Two things
as we
finish.
First,
we are
gathered
around
Christ
to see
his glory.
That's
why we're
in this
building
gathered here
this morning
to hear
about Christ,
to see
his greatness
and his
goodness,
to see
all that
the son
has done
for us.
And in
repentance,
as we
hear about
what he's
done,
we align
ourselves
to his
desires,
not our
own desires.
Instead of
trying to
control our
own destiny,
we come
and we
submit to
his commands.
Rather than
make a name
for Johnny
Grant,
we come
to live
our life
for his
glory and
to build
his kingdom.
kingdom.
We have
gathered here
today around
Christ to
see his
glory and
his greatness.
But not
only are we
gathered around
Christ, we
are now
scattered by
Christ to
declare his
glory.
We go
into all
the world
starting here
in Carigaline
and into our
families so
that others
may hear
this wonderful
news of
who Jesus
is.
To hear
about the
goodness of
God and
his saviour
Jesus Christ.
And in
faith we
obey and
are filled
with the
power of
the spirit
and we
begin to
move out.
We
prioritise
God's
glory over
our comfort.
Rather than
striving to
build our
own glory,
glory, we
go to
the nations
and declare
his glory.
We go.
So let me
ask us all,
what will it
take for us
to live for
God's glory
this week?
What will it
take for you
and for me
to live for
God's glory
this week?
What do I
need to turn
from?
What do I
need to
change in
my life,
in my
family,
so that I
am prioritising
his glory,
that I am
about making
his name
great and
not my
name?
We come
and we
go.
We congregate
and we
disperse.
We gather
and we
scatter.
The church
is God's
plan and
purpose to
unite people
around his
son and
to live
for his
glory.
Let's
pray.
Father,
we confess
that we
have so
many plans
of our
own,
things we
want to
do,
people we
want to
be,
and yet
when we
reflect on
it,
so much
of it,
has nothing
to do
with your
glory and
your honour.
So would
you help
us to
live our
life for
the glory
of God?
Help us
to use
everything we
do as we
disperse into
our families,
as we go to
our workplaces,
as we
meet up
with friends,
wherever we
are,
whatever we
do,
that in
all that
we do,
we would
go passing
on declaring
the good
news about
the Son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
so that
others may
know the
joy,
peace,
and love
of God
for themselves,
because this
is our
only purpose,
and the
only plan
that is
going to
last.
So fill us
with your
spirit,
help us
to go,
help us
to disperse,
help us
to scatter,
and to
live for
you,
and not
for our
own.
We pray
this in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Well,
to help
us and
encourage us
to do
that,
we're
going
to
sing,
and
this
song
is
all
about
going