God Is Not Slave to Our Desires

Genesis chapter number 11 this evening will be looking at the record of the tower of Babel. This is a passage that is no doubt very familiar to us all. Perhaps the deed truth that is hidden within its Mesopotamian context would provide us with much aid in our Christian growth and understanding of this passage. Seeing it as a Crystal citric passage and Arthur mirrored Miller's death of a salesman really Loman spent his entire life creating this this façade of success around himself. Towards the end of his life. The reality of his this deceitful façade comes to light his own son notices that his father never actually truly new himself outside of this is fake reality that he is constructed. You know there are ways in which we can, so truly sell ourselves on a lie that we become convinced that perhaps it was true all along was Austin O'Malley who said those who think it is permissible to tell why allies soon become colorblind is that the truth with the world around us. Even within our own lives, we find ourselves casually saying unfruitful things like sorry I'm just now responding. I never saw that text or put your check in the mail yesterday even though we not even put in an envelope yet or the mine hurricanes are back.

There are certain things that we begin to say that it is radically untruthful in all sincerity, though we all all the lies we speak them as though they have within themselves the, the ability to change reality as we know it. This is not really the case with things we might consider minor, such as trying to get out of a traffic ticket but it concerns the greatest things in our lives that being our view of who God is, without being true is a study through this text for this evening, I found myself confronted with this mountainous question for us today. It is this how much of what we believe about God is formulated by what we wish were so rather than what he has declared his or make it even more simple for us today just to wrestle with, to, upon receipt of this question. Have we created God in our own image of reconstructed desired characteristics or unknown God in our minds that we wish to perpetrate back on to God himself.

Have we fallen into the guilty sin of wandering into that sinful build a God workshop lacerating and I decided to take Ella to build a bear workshop and build a bear, you have the wonderful privilege of walking in and allowing your little child choose whatever little creature he or she wants, and they can choose them and hug them that their only little skin an outline of what they want to be a neck address the human choose different occupations that they'll have a name them and then right before they're going to stuff them full of fluffy to take this little heart you can let your child kiss it and embrace it or whatever they like to do and they took it away in a cavity fill it up.

All for the purpose of giving your child. This new friend and this is cute when it comes to making stuffed animals for your children. This is not so cute when it comes to the God who stands above the heavens and looks down low, God is the essence he is the origin of beauty and of honor and glory is the climax. He is the pinnacle of all that is lovely and grand he is. He is not a blemish written God leading the makeup of our own ideals smeared all over his face. As we look at Genesis 11 this evening we will find the story of humankind who is finding themselves wondering in to this sinful build of God workshop, usually from Genesis chapter 11 verse nine we read this was refresh yourself in the passage, not a whole earth had one language in one speech and it came to pass, as they journeyed from the East that they found a plane in the land should not and they dwell there.

Then they said one of the comments make bricks and bake them thoroughly.

They had brick for stone. They had asphalt for mortar and they said, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens, not you will focus on let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth before we dive further into this passage this evening. I need to set a little bit of a backdrop for us in Genesis 3 we read the horrible account of Adam and Eve sinning against the Lord is there that we find a gracious yet firm judgment of God. As a result for the sin of man. One of the results of this is that Adam and Eve are now banished from the presence of God in those hands of Adam and Eve which ones were able to hold the fruit of their sinful choices are now banished from the garden and have nothing to hold of their choices in their hands they are empty-handed and they are banished from the glory of God as they are banished from that garden, while their physical hands are empty the hands of faith within the hearts of reach forward and grabbed this curse is pregnant with promise in Genesis 315. It is this declaration that God will soon provide a surfing killer. We see Adam's faith, there is immediately as God makes this declaration that from the lineage of either will be a surfing killer. He does not name her beforehand, but immediately he looks at her and he says you are Eve, you will be the mother of all the living and we notice immediately following that in Genesis 4, they have that shop in the name of Cain meeting. I have received from God. Their faith is is explosively noted within that text yet they have been banished from the presence of God as they have previously known. Now we find ourselves here in Genesis 11 this evening and mankind is still banished from God's presence but will find first in this text is this is our first point for the night is a shameful pursuit of glory is finally vacation Bible school time again and little Benjamin finally gets to go this year throughout the week of announced there will be a competition between the boys and the girls to see which group you give the most money.

It's really which parent will give the most money, but nonetheless Ben was ecstatic he would raise home and search underneath his bed. He would look between the couch cushions and everywhere that he could think of, and in the final day comes in the end is seated with excitement as they pass the buckets around the city which side will give the most money.

And as they go by.

Ben's mom is spectating.

She decided she would like to contribute to the cause. She's got a $10 bill that is sitting within her purse that she would like to look for. But there is an issue is gone and as you make eye contact with Ben, he realizes that he is been caught with eyes focused on the glory waiting in sitting before him. That feeling of being able to triumphantly stick his tongue out at all the security Reagan written little girls the seriousness of his actions didn't seem too severe. Perhaps you and I have done something similar in our lives. Maybe you cheated on your taxes. Believing that the joy of having more of your own money will around would feel far better than following the law of the land in your mind you've justified this action, looking for the glory that you have set before yourselves. You see, we often focus on the feeling of self exaltation without ever considering that there could be negative recompense for our behaviors and this is what we find here in Genesis 11. In Genesis 91.

God gives a command you, be fruitful, and you multiply and fill the earth gives a for the second time in God's desire is that all of the earth would be riddled with these little image bearers who would who would radiate like a like a beaming glass to the world. He is glory, they would manifest his his character upon the earth and all creation. My joint, and praising the Lord not much time passes it all. Here we find ourselves in shock that that would be what we call Mesopotamia or Babylon instead of focusing on their God-given task. They decided they're going to stay in one place and not fill the earth was the bread to build a giant tower in the going to be safe in there and become forever famous for the work that they're going to do what so shameful about this as we see this in this text.

They want to build this grand name for themselves. We've seen it. Here in verse number four and they said, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens. Let us make a name shameful.

Having a good name is not shameful at all.

However, they they could have gotten a lasting name through having children they could have got a lasting name through exploring the world and doing great conquest, but instead they decided they want to directly rebel against God's commands and they want to do things their own way just for the glory of it all we need to focus on here understand this passage.

Is this a tower that they are building. This isn't just some cool always building.

This is what is called a cigarette. This is something as well attested in Mesopotamian history and this ziggurat was this massive mound they would build and it would build up as high as they could possibly go which is attested in the Bible they wanted to talk to peek into the heavens and the goal of this ziggurat is that it's peak would peak his head into the heavens, and that a passing by. God would see that and be be coerced to rest upon the top of this man. The cigarettes would have a small room on top of them were the gods could rest and they could eat and it would have a staircase down where it would have food in place from the rest of the very bottom of this mountain, there would be this temple for the God to come and rest in took to live in so that they could worship him and that they could in in exchange receive blessing for what they have manipulated this got to do this to me the whole point of the tower here is the tower, the food, the resting areas and so on. They wanted and appeased God who would benefit them and we may be thinking ourselves what's so bad about wanting God to come and dwell upon them.

They were to perform their warning and there is this what God wants all along. It's kind of the manifestation of the biblical accounts was so bad about that. There's nothing wrong with that.

The issue here is the remote they want God present with them, but not because he's glorious and beautiful, not because he spoke radiantly majestically know if they want God upon them went down because they're more interested in the blessings rather than the blaster. They want to have a reputation here of being the people who enticed God to come down to live with them so they could have what verse four caused a name for them so these people have fallen in the paganism and instead of worshiping God who made them in his image.

They created a God who is the way they like for him to be that created this easily easily manipulated idea of a God who needs food needs rests and and who yearns for pampering and a figure that they could check all these boxes also that God would come and dwell in their temple and if they check these boxes, God will give them the blessings that they want they will be large. They created a false idea of the true God in their minds and they decided they're going to use him for the purpose of their names being great and this seems insane and easy for us to laugh at resident will build towers and temples like that in the same manner anymore but is still that way today when the world that want to Christ with no confrontation world that once a God who loves with no holiness. The Savior with no judgment where the religious, who won a sovereign God is forbidden who we forbidden to display any electing love anything that would attest to his own being in charge, but this doesn't shock us were aware of this were all aware of this but my question for you and I this evening. Is this how much of what we believe about God is formulated by what we wish he was like, rather than what he is actually like how much of what we believe about God is formulated by what we wish he was like, rather than what he is actually like.

Do we have an idea of God as God hates all sin in the church is a man there will be a day where Christ will pour out his wrath and he will make all wrongs right. All the heartache I received all the people who betrayed me into a farmer made all those people will be dealt with in that last day wrongs will be made right and we all say amen that is my God. I believe in that God. Meanwhile, we think he certainly weeks in our sin. When we exploded our spouse. After a long day simply because hey it's me after all is a righteous God pours out wrath and judgment upon sin. Yet we presume upon his own grace.

And this is exactly similarity to what they have been here they are presuming upon the kindness of God. They are rebelling against what he has told them to do and expecting him to bless them anyway, on road when we think we can manipulate God by praying in Jesus's name to accomplish our own selfish purposes. Paganism is shown when we claim promises as a means of making God do what we want him to do.

Our paganism is shown will he come to think we are indispensable to God because of the money we donate the talents we have the ministries we engage in the worship we offer our paganism showing. We treat God as a child to be cajoled or a tyrant to be appeased. The Babel syndrome is surging in our veins. We want unmanageable. God liked we won't be able to harness his power for our own benefit. No strings attached church. The question I have for us this evening, as is your paganism showing is this IRS's issue.

This is Simon Magnuson in a XA who thought he could buy all of the power of God and use it to build his own name, you know it's been rightly said that what we believe about God is the most important thing about us. We are all all of you are theologians, whether you accept it or not you're a theologian.

The thing is is relatively a good one are you going to be about. You are all theologians in our theology influences every corner of our life within the lives of these people.

They didn't take God seriously.

They rebelled against him and his command, and they presumed on his grace as though they did him a favor by building this this tower to appease these boxes to make God fit into their own box to think he's controllable to get the expected rule. And because our theology affects all of our life. We better come to the Scriptures, praying for God to show us his glory, and if we have some faulty view of him that he would change it to our times in the word manifest that kind of attitude is the only times we approach the Scriptures seem to be for us to find a passage to fit the God we have built in our own mind. While God does come down but he does not come down to bless in verses five through nine, will read it together. The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built and the Lord said indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do now, nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them, let us go down and they are confused their language, that they may not understand one another's speech so the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the earth, and they ceased building the city.

Therefore, his name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the earth in these verses we find his response and it gives us our very second point. By the way, my last two points are exponentially shorter than the first one football season will be gracious and didn't dismiss you first. Is this we find a a a this serious. This seriously wicked kind of approach the glory of God. The second thing that we find is a serious punishment. God comes down, they are united, they have built this tower right here what we find in this passage. This is this is a serious account in our Bibles. This is not just there was a school tower documents for their languages and escape honesty what's happening in the New Testament.

This is this is a big account in Genesis 300 and no doubt she Leslie was talking about the bus trip that we had favorite part of the Ocean City Bible conference was that they were trapped in a bus for me to talk about the Old Testament for as many hours as I wanted to. It was wonderful, had great time in Genesis 1, God creates right in Genesis 3 we read of the fall in Genesis 6 we read of the flood and what happens here in Genesis 1 is not as God, scramble some language is not that God destroys their villainess on it.

This is man pursuing paradise with God's presence for selfish benefits and it backfires. This is God. This is important here for this passage is essentially that this is God fully disowning the people of earth. He is divorced them all.

This is what some Old Testament scholars call the Romans, one of the Old Testament were he will now fully deliver them up to their vile affections in totality. Now this should cause you and I to read our Bibles and if we are immersed in Genesis. They should cause our hearts to stop and for us to cry.

No not here, not now. The reason is because between Genesis 3 through 11.

There is this tension the strong tension that is writing what we should have our teeth gritted as we read through these passages. Why, because as the father gives that curse to the serpent is pregnant with the promise of Messiah having faith looks and even he says you will be the mother of all living things and as they named Cain Kane's name means I have received from God and this is fully in context point of the fact that they believe that Messiah was already here. They believe that God is gonna deliver them back quickly stands up as our federal and anything else so Kane's here. This is him and he murders his brother Abel Ables, David us with the Seth Genesis 6. The satellites fall into sin know he is the one who is held high above the waves, standing alone, and therefore there is this constant tension could he be the one.

It looks like he is followed by no it's not the one. And as we see mankind rapidly accelerating here. We should ask yourself, could Messiah come from this. Could Messiah come from these people look at their unity because they all share language look at them. God separates them all, confuses her tongue destroys their efforts. He's divorced them all and we should go no, no, it's hopeless. He's divorced him all this is a dark day in the history of our family. It's over it's over. It seems hopeless, but it is in this is my last point .3 we find a sweet provision. Serious punishment sweet provision look at me please. In the book of Genesis chapter 12 just adjust the next passage is the next chapter were to meet a man by the name of Abram you my norm is Abraham. God is disown everybody in Mesopotamia disown the whole world and are all wandering around in God in his pleasure calls forth the pagan by the name Abram the sleep God says to him, now the Lord said to Abram, get out of your country for your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who curse you and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed is disown them all and God is now laying up the confines the conference what we will notably Israel and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed Abram departed, as the Lord spoken to him, and Lot went with him and Abram was 75 years old when he departed from her hand and Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all the possessions that they had gathered in the people whom they had acquired her on and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abraham Pat Abram pass through the land to the place of second as far as the chair of the Terrapin history of Moret and the Canaanites were there were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your descendents I will give this land and there he built an altar to the Lord appeared to him and he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel pinched his tip with a stint with Bethel on the West and AI on the east and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed going on still toward the south. Genesis 11 we find great divorce and he refined new beginnings is to refine the beginning of what we will call the Abraham covenant is in his infantile states.

There's there's still a few more text. We would need to get a full understanding.

But why does this text matter.

Why does this covenant matter so much. I love the summation of Jenna Galatians 316 now to Abraham. Paul says into his seed singular work promises made. He does not say into seeds all right. As of many, but as of one into your seed, who is Christ. This text right here is the beginning of the nation of Israel stay with me who God sets aside the vet to be that nation that would bless the whole world because it is through these people that Christ will come, there is this constitutional tension throughout the Old Testament were great men such as Nolan, Moses and Joshua David Rison.

This idea of putting me evil Warren rises and falls and they fall over and over again, but it is through this covenant with Abraham that God begins this beautiful unfolding this beautiful pointing forward this beautiful arrow that is shining in the darkness of this Messiah that will come. This should be extremely encouraging to our hearts for here in Genesis 11 we find sinful man attempting to bring God down for their own sinful purposes, but here in Genesis 12 a holy God calms down to bring up a sinful man made Abram for his divine purposes in Genesis 11 we find man's sinful pursuit of engaging relationship with God. In Genesis 12 we find a holy God pursues his people here in Genesis 12 a holy God comes down to bring up a sinful man by the name of a river that's not all. Stay with me going somewhere. Genesis 11 we find a sinful people establishing a sacred place this this tower would not be used by then this will not be touched. This is for the gods you don't touch tower there in her building this for their selfish benefit with the Abraham outline comes the Lord who would take upon himself our sins on Calvary, he would die he would rise again, and upon his ascension, mere days later he sends forth the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost in your thinking to yourself, you just dropped a lot of Scripture what was Pentecost have to do with the Tower of Babel alive is at Pentecost that we find God is pleased to dwell with his people for their good and for his glory. He dwells within us. We are now is to pull people hold your place. Please here in Genesis chapter 11. I'll be back in turn me to the book of acts chapter 2 reverses one through one through 13, just a moment I will hurry up. I was highly caffeinated at midnight when I added new notes last night. Not a single row whole another sermon on top of this one. Reagan did not stop me. Put on her.

Scripture says is unnoticeable to highlight some things here for you when the day of Pentecost had fully come. Notice this, they will all with one accord in one place. You see the similarities there all in one accord in one place.

We just see that back at the Tower of Babel and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appear with them to them divided tongues as of fire, one set and set up on each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And there came and they are and there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven notices every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, we see the same word used back in Genesis they were confounded they worked confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to another look, are not all of these who speak Galileans and how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born Parthians and Medes element, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, GM Pavilion Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining sorry visitors of Rome, both Jews and proselytes creations and and Arabs we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God so they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another for a could this we see in this text a few things. First one they were all together in one place. In verse three we can see the language divided which is used in Deuteronomy 32 in verse six we see the word bewildered or confused, confounded just like God uses in Genesis 11. This is this is it. This is the climax of what I have been saving so what we see here is to Richford for my vocabulary can communicated with the zeal that I have in my heart to communicate what we see here is that in Christ tongues once boasting and vanity and separated by pride are now unified in their little flame to the praise of God in Christ, we see that the hands that once built the kingdoms of selfish pride are now put to work to build up the kingdom of God in Christ our minds that once drew selfish plans of selfish gain are now consumed with thoughts of how marvelously glorious he is Christ the sins that once divided us have now been atoned in Christ. The people divided of the world are brought together in that glorious kingdom we know as the family of God in Christ all that we see in Babel being I like to say that the Tower of Babel is not an accident. The stories these horrendous things that we see in the Old Testament, Pastor K.

Much of the pressures of beacon are so quick to bring forth whatever our God ordained his right. There is no accident, recorded with in Scriptures for us. God ordained this incident to revealed to us the seriousness of his glory and the proper means by which we have access to him in the failure of the Tower of Babel we find confusing nations who are separated from one another who are delivered up to the out of their hearts, but in this new covenant in Christ body and blood ran we now more fully see the spirit birthing a new people into a heavenly kingdom through the power of his gospel. We find that we will turn to the right into the left in this new people and they will all know the Lord in this covenant community that will all know the Lord in this community in Christ. In Christ, there is a wonderful kingdom whose people are closer than family. We are tied by the bonds of Christ in our wonderfully eternal language will forevermore be the raising of hallelujahs to the eternal praise of the Lamb who was slain for us is in Christ, that we may now have bold access to the presence of the most high Lamb of God most high Lord of glory. The story of the Tower of Babel is the story of both having the God of our own imagination, as well as the shameful attempt of man to find themselves into the glorious presence of God. What is most precious about this text is that it beautifully points to Christ. It beautifully points to Christ is the way we preach Old Testament text to be preached in a Jewish synagogue and no one would be offended.

You are not preaching the Old Testament correctly.

This text points to Christ. It wants to Christ in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily it points to Christ who is the way the truth and the life. It points to Christ Immanuel who God with us. It points to Christ was sent forth the Spirit to dwell within arsenic points to Christ, through whom we have bold access into the glorious presence of God.

Who do you think God is the scene is a depiction that is foreign to his word if it is, and that is an idol speaking with member earlier today and they were talking about sharing Pastor: sermon today you will hear a highly encourage you to listen to.

We began to to speak about the fact that sovereignty is a pillow that does not allow itself to be rested upon to the Christian does not know, and when we build of God in our own imagination. He, like every other idol fails and falters in the time of conflict. Dark days are coming, like, days are coming, what do you have in your mind when it comes to the God of glory challenge with the Scriptures. Does your image of God is formulated merely by what you wish were so rather than what is truly so beloved. If you are resting your work.

How do you believe that you have access to this God. But if you're resting your works in your giving in your friendships and your sorely mistaken look to Christ one reticent God freely and genuinely tells us I love you. But if we expect him to say I need you be prepared for a letdown there a few lessons for tonight we go for quite some time here a few lessons. First, we must be dedicated to having our understanding of God shape by his Scriptures second, though there will always be conflict with sin. We we should frequently check our motives in Christian service to see if they are God honoring and genuine efforts. Part though we will always struggle with sin, we should frequently check our motives in Christian service to see if there God honoring Jimmy third, we must not take the grace of God for granted. And lastly, we should rejoice at the presence of God among us is not contingent upon our but it rests wholly upon his matchless grace. Christ was not God's plan B because we could not come up with a got a good enough tower to convince him to come down and another method where the hands of sinful man cannot achieve their way to God. God in grace has come down upon sinful man to redeem forth from sin. His people, and for that, we rejoice this evening. Knowing Emmanuel, God with us and escapist resurrected for us. He has sent forth the Spirit dwell within us tabernacles amongst us for that.

May we give eternal hallelujahs amongst the church of Christ in them (father, thank you for your grace this evening we check our motives today may not rest in our efforts as to what we have done today and attending our services or are giving him or her singing dressing up that they always invited you into our presence is the you must be coerced amongst us with our work for us. Filthy rags. It is all of grace that you have saved us, and that your spirit dwells within us should we ever doubt your love. May we rest in Ephesians 113 through 14. Your spirit is that Valerie of our eternal redemption is like a ring that constantly reminds us of our Savior's love you tabernacle amongst us. Let us rejoice and follow. May we ever challenge yourselves, may we maybe anthem that old Reformation anthem simper reprimanded that we constantly be shaping our understanding of truth through the lands of the Scriptures we begin with the first production view affects everything of who we are. We give you glory in the church this evening is in Christ name we pray