The Tower of Babel - Genesis Part 18

You know we got was greeting people in the auditorium ball just before the 1045 service and some folks brought a visitor who was from Israel.

All and immediately after meeting him. We began speaking a little bit Hebrew to one another few minutes later. Some folks brought up some visitors from South America to meet me and we did not begin speaking Spanish to one another because the only Spanish I know is I asked the lobbyist a baby and only know that because I watched Terminator. That's how I learned my Spanish stucco pay where all these languages come from, you know, anthropologists estimate there are over 3000 dialects and languages in the world today. How did this happen. Well, that's what were going to talk about today because the Bible says it happened up at the Tower of Babel. So were going to go back to Genesis chapter 11 to look and see what happened there, and were going to bring all of that forward and talk about okay so what impact should this have on my life today. Are you ready to go all right here we go. Genesis chapter 11 review member after the flood, God starts over with eight people know law is why his three sons and his three daughters.

So we see that okay were ready for Genesis 11 which as far as we know is about the hundred and 50 years after the flood, and of course everybody speaking though old l'Amour language the same language because will are all descendents of Noah. Verse one. Now the whole world had the same language and a common speech and his men moved eastward they found the plane and shin are and they settled their shin are is the area of ancient Babylonia. The area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Modern-day Iraq here. People found good land for cultivation. They found lots of water. They set up what we would think of today as an urban community verse three and they said to one another, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly and they used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar and they said come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven.

Noah stop for a moment and talk about this tower that the Bible mentions archaeology has discovered numerous towers in the area of Babylon, we call them ziggurats and the construction technique in the ziggurats we have found to be exactly as the Bible says in Genesis chapter 11.

That is, they didn't use stone they use baked mud bricks to build them and they didn't use concrete or anything else for mortar they used tar that came out of the tar pits that are all over in ancient Babylonia.

In fact, when we dug up ancient Babylon. The city itself, we found the remains of a massive single rock there in the city of Babylon. And here's an interesting factoid the name of this city garage in Babylon is Issac Eli in Babylonian, which literally means the temple, whose top is heaven that sound familiar should verse four and they said, come, let us build for ourselves a city with a tower whose top will reach into yet. I haven't cell I lost. So what are you saying that the tower they found in the city of Babylon is the Tower of Babel right here in Genesis 11. No, I can't say that but what I can say for certain is that the tower we read about here in Genesis 11. In the Bible this thing fifth with everything we've discovered in archaeology about powers, ziggurats, and ancient Babylon, and therefore there is no doubt that this tower was the first ziggurats and that it was a literal actual real structure verse four and they said, let us make a name for ourselves and let us not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. The idea of building the city in building this tower was to establish a strong centralized society for you. Okay. Was it was a problem with that of the people want to build a city want to build a tower one have a car cosmopolitan environment so I would differences that make well.

The problem here is that God after the flood is specifically told no one not to do this.

Genesis 9 verse one and God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. We don't fill the earth by coagulating all in one spot.

Furthermore, to be more specific. God said to Noah, verse seven, be fruitful and multiply and swarm a all over the earth. God wanted these people to scatter God wanted these people to disperse, but in direct defiance of what God wanted.

They decided they were going to coagulate. They said verse four. Let us not be scattered over the face of the whole or in so it's important for us to understand my friends of what we have here is more than just a few nice people getting together and deciding to build a city and a tower that's not what we have what we have here is direct disobedience to the clearly stated plan and wishes and command the of Almighty God. God said I want you to go this way and these people set we want to go this way, which leads us to another question and that is what why was it so important to God, I mean that these people scatter was so bad about the fact that they wanted to concentrate themselves together like this one. We let the Bible answer that verse five and the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building and the Lord said, because they are one people and they all have the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do not think they imagined to do will be unachievable for them so long as they speak one language, you know, when we look at the pyramids and we look at the Sphinx and we look and even though our Noah built. We realize that ancient man was not an apelike pea brain.

The subhuman ignoramus the way that evolution wants us to believe ancient man was smart ancient man was erudite ancient man was intelligent and highly skilled, and with all these busy little beavers running around working together like they were setting up an imperialistic city state like they were dedicated to their own glorification like they were God knew nothing but trouble lay ahead. Friends God knew what would happen is that they were going to pollute the world again would send just like they did before the flood which was forced God to have to do a global judgment on the world all over again like the flood and so we need to understand that it was out of mercy, God commanded these people to scatter.

He did that to protect them from themselves because they were their own worst enemies.

He did that because if they were scattered and if they were separate they would have far less chance of their sin getting out of hand again on a global level like you did before the flood, and there would be far less chance therefore of God needing to do another global judgment on the world. So how did God solve this looming problem. Simple verse seven God said, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other so the Lord scattered them from there all over the earth and they stopped building the city. This is why the place was called Babel, which means literally in Hebrew confusion, because it was here that the Lord confused the language of the whole world and from here the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth is our long time. You you believe you really believe all this literally you believe there was really this tower God came down and God scrambled all their languages supernaturally. So one day they could all understand each other. The next day was like a little LLL up and nobody can do you really believe all that happened will of course I do, don't you. The Bible says it because I believe you know what's interesting is that from scholarly research. We actually have two pieces of confirming evidence that the Bible is telling us the truth in Genesis 11 first archaeology archaeology confirms that all modern civilization had its beginnings in Mesopotamia right between the Tigris and Euphrates River right in the land of Sharon are exactly where Genesis 11 says everything spread out from, and secondly from the world of linguistics linguistics confirms that all human languages today can be traced back one common ancestor languages commonly called proto-Indo-European, something like Sanskrit but more ancient and isn't that exactly what the Bible says right here in Genesis chapter 11. Of course I believe so, to summarize, when we look around the world today and we see all the languages that are in the world today. Genesis chapter 11 tells us God did this on purpose. The fact that we as human beings can't understand each other all over the world. Naturally, the fact that we as human beings can't therefore work harmoniously with each other all over the world. Naturally, the fact that we can therefore see I do I own everything in the world. Naturally this is God's way of reducing mankind's ability to devise evil and to rebel against God on a global scale. May I remind you what is the very first official act of the antichrist of the his first official act is that he is going to unite the world with a common society and a common economy and he's going to use this uniting of the human race to maximize mankind's sinfulness exactly what God did want exactly why God told him to scatter and he's going to use that to turn it into mass rebellion against God. But before the flood where where global sin, forced God to enact global judgment and folks that's with the return of Jesus Christ to this world to deal with the antichrist and his forces are all about global rebellion against God, that God has to come in globally.

Judge all right now that the stars were going to go in our passage because it's time for us now to ask our most important question and I know you lost in our sleep last night and I understand that that has deep implications for our lives. Lisa does for me. I'll tell you that and I understand that, therefore, you might just be a tiny bit sluggish today. So are you ready okay now we go. Come on now to get that our sleep to get back in the fall.

Ready here we go down on one on Joe up because I love you guys, your amazing okay you say Launcelot say okay so so so maybe I believe that this tower existed, and maybe I believe God scrambled all the languages with the resident. He does make me yummy when I go to work on Monday morning.

Or I go to school. I understand every body.

This has nothing to do with me will wait a minute, wait a minute. Hold on folks here in Genesis chapter 11. It has everything to do with us because here in this chapter we see on display. The most basic flaw in human nature, and that flaw as Frank Sinatra saying is that we all want to do and how my way. That's right, you know, did you know that there's a national hobo festival every year there is actually it's in Britt's Iowa and I was reading about it and I was struck by the comment of one of the hobos there.

He said and I quote he said the great part about being a hobo is not having to account to anybody." Well, there you have it.

That is the human spirit on display for everybody to see. God said the same thing. He said a little differently.

Isaiah chapter 53 verse six. He said all of us like she have gone astray, each one of us has turned to say it with me his own way. Very go. This is precisely what the people at the tower battled it right and friends thousands of years later, we are all still fighting this it's important for us to understand that this is what makes us sinners in the side of Almighty God. The essence of sin in God's sight is not murder, or stealing or cheating or embezzlement, or lying. These are merely the out workings of sin there really this just the symptoms of sin. The essence of sin is this inbred instinctive unruly failures, desire to do it our way. This is what makes us sinners in the side of God in this is what exposes us to his judgment. Now praise Lord, we come to Christ. The judgment aspect of all of that's dealt with, but finished the verse Isaiah 53 six says all of us like sheep have gone astray, each one of us is turned to his own way and we go watch but the Lord laid on him the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, the judgment do us all okay.

Praise God for that and I hope that if you're here today. You know the release from judgment, freedom from judgment for sin that comes to those people who trust the work of Jesus Christ on the cross is a lawn.

I do sermon over new hello hello wait a minute. Well hello LOL term is not over yet because friends even when we trust Christ and even when the judgment aspect of our our waywardness is dealt with. This doesn't mean that this wayward spirit. This rebellious spirit inside of us goes away all know know know this spirit is still alive and well inside of every single one of us. You know the great him call come, thou fount the line at the end it says prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love is not a one of us here, as followers of Christ who doesn't have to admit that we are prone to do this we don't want to do it.

We don't like doing it. We wish we weren't this way, but I am a wandering Jew and you are wandering Gentile is just that simple friends just that simple. Just the way we wired. And here's where the rub comes because the full blessing of God only comes from full obedience to God, which is 180° in the opposite direction of where we naturally are inclined to go. Jeremiah chapter 7 verse 22 the Israelites, God said for the day when I brought your fathers out of Egypt I did not command them about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command obey me and I will be your God and you will be my people, and this is why the garden of Gethsemane Jesus said in Luke 22 father if it's possible, remove this cup from me. Yeah, that's not my will but thine be done. This is why Samuel said in first Samuel three speak Lord for your servant is listening.

And why Samuel told Saul later on.

Behold, to obey is better than the sacrifice, and why Mary said to Gabriel, Luke, chapter 1 I am the Lord, servant, let it be done to me as you have said and why Jimmy Draper, president of the Southern Baptist convention a while back said, Lord, the answer is yes.

Now what was the question that matter what the question is, the answer is yes for doing it your way.

Folks wanted all these people adopt this attitude, we just heard about will because they understood something if you don't get anything else you get this. They understood that going our own way and the full blessing of God are mutually exclusive. You I love AW toes are good to share with your quote. I think I've shared in part before, but doesn't matter we can afford to hear it again and is germane to what were talking about. He said and I quote, have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on ablated how little revival has resulted considering the volume of prayer that is ascending these days rivers of revival should be flowing the fact that no such results are in evidence should not discourage us. Rather, it should stir us to find out why our prayers are not answered closer says I believe that our problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying and it simply will not work."

He also a few years ago my wife Brenda and I had to go down to Union Station in Washington DC to pick some up and so we drove down there together and I didn't want to park in the parking garage because it's too much hassle and is too expensive when you know how out front to Union Station.

I have a few parking spaces around the circle there and so we drove up. You know Ella somebody was pulled out of the space and I pulled in and I was like hot dog.

You know, this is great, make my day Lord. This is wonderful and would not. There was no no parking signs anywhere. No meters. I was like this is awesome this is awesome so we went in.

We get what we need to do. We came back out. We did I parking ticket, a $50 parking ticket. I didn't even know they may $50 parking tickets and is one big parking ticket and I was upset because I looked around.

There's no sign anywhere. Finally I found a no parking sign was 30 yards away. I know that because I pasted off myself, but you couldn't even see it from where my car was so I got the car took the ticket were driving home and I said I'm not paying this ticket. I am not paying this ticket I never saw the sign, though they should oppose to the sidewalk and see if I'm not paying the ticket and and you know what I just won't drive this car back in Washington again and I can come to Virginia and my car. I leave this, take another car Washington I'm not paying this ticket.

Brenda never said a word sector to brown paint stick to Brenda.

I'm not paying the second never said a word without halfway home and I'm still going on and Brenda said to me she said that he lawn. She said the forget exactly where it is.

She knew she said I forget exactly where it is in the Bible, but isn't there a verse in the Bible that says says let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

Romans 13 one. She knew or was beautiful, just beautiful. Well, I paid the ticket. I want to pay the ticket. I still don't think I should pay particular general. Why pay the ticket. Only one reason friends. Trust me on this. It's because no ticket was worth jeopardizing the full blessing of God on my life and all my family. Nothing I want to do in contrariness to what God wants me to do is worth jeopardizing that and this wears all kinds of different faces in our lives, but it's the same issue that we have to deal with that. We have to battle every day. I shouldn't be dating that person. I know that but want to. I should be sleeping with my boyfriend or my girlfriend are going as far as we go on dates but I want to shouldn't be harboring unforgiveness towards this person or talking nasty like I do about that person. But I want to shouldn't be lusting over women are fudging on my taxes are going to the bar as often as I go are going to Atlantic City and or Las Vegas or online gambling and gambling.

God's money away, but I want to shouldn't be disrespecting my parents shouldn't be at this party with what's going on shouldn't be ordering paper view, the stuff order on TV are watching some of the shows I watch on Showtime or HBO but I want to I want to I want to welcome to the human disease. I want to do it my way and folks if we want the full blessing of God on our line, we must deal with this part of our human nature, nascent Milan, I know you're right and the right, but you know what sometimes I feel like I'm in a fight to the death and I just feel like I can't eat down this compulsion to my wife to do what I want to do how do I do this you know you're no good as a preacher if you don't tell me how okay I'll tell you how friends. How did the Lord Jesus do it in the garden to get some so he didn't count yes accounts yes he does this he does. He counts because he had a human nature and he said father if there's any way you can remove this cup from me remove it. Listen to his human nature wanted to go its own way.

It did not want to go to the cross. He had the same battle in the garden.

How did he. How did he defeated one of the Lord Jesus do all he did is present.

His heart to the Lord in prayer over and over and over again. He honestly admitted to God, he had the struggle he laid his heart at God's feet over and over again, and he refused to give up.

This is important until the Holy Spirit to his human resistance and replaced it with full surrender to the will of God. It took them three times to do that and he was the son of God, but he didn't stop and want because it hadn't been finished at 123 times and focus is how exactly you and I can do it.

The secretive victory is found in presenting our hearts to God in prayer over and over and over again just like the Lord Jesus did in the garden and not given up until the Holy Spirit subdues our fleshly will and supplants it with full surrender to the will of God you so Milan how exactly does God do that. I mean, what's the mechanism God uses to change our hearts and pull off this this change. No idea, no idea can't even begin to tell you. Besides, I don't care what difference does it make how God doesn't long as he doesn't. So, how long is it going to take I can answer that as long as it takes we don't give up to God does Celeste conclude some of us here. I know are sitting out there saying you know long. God bless you up there accomplishment good preacher, but this is going to work. This is not working real life and you know why it's because you want a process that you can quantify humanly.

You want to process that you can put in a test tube work or away on a scale or role or diagram on a chalk board folks, this is deep talking to deep here. This is spiritual stuff.

This is the spirit of God doing a supernatural work in our hearts that we can even define how we does it but he doesn't. And I'm telling you it's beyond our capacity to quantify this in human terms can put it on a blackboard, you can put it in the test tube. You can't weigh it on the scale but that doesn't mean it isn't real and it doesn't work does work and work for the Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and it'll work for you and me, and I know that's true because if you remember I told you before about how much I hated my mother I didn't hate my mother with a mild hatred.

I hated my mother with a visceral hatred a decades old hatred that I did everything could be changed was like Excalibur stuck in the stone. Frankly, I do anymore change for most of those years she deserved it. When I was a young pastor here McLean Bible church, God convicted me and I became apparent God convicted me that this was going to be a scourge on my life a scourge of my family are scourge of my ministry was going to inhibit the blessing of God and I had to bring my will, into conformity with his will and forgive my mother she said what you do I begin doing exactly what I just told you get on my knees and presenting my heart to God and saying God I don't think Excalibur can be pulled out of the stone on this, but if it's going to happen.

You're going to have to do if you do it, I'll forgive her but I can do it say how long did that take two years two years praying like a God did it.

By the time my mother passed away. She and I were on a relationship playing were we hugged each other.

We kissed each other we told each other we love one another. I never thought I'd see that I don't think she did even though tell me to start work. It does, but it's a spiritual process because we have a spiritual problem that needs a spiritual solution you follow this process you may have an Excalibur to in your life.

I promise you there is no sword that the Holy Spirit can't pull out the stone may take a while, so I would you give the Holy Spirit the chance refused to give up. He will so do yours. Human waywardness will and he will supplanted with surrender to the Holy Spirit he will if you and I give them that chance. I hope you will spread for Jesus as you know there are Excalibur's in our heart of all different kinds stubborn resistance way word will fall attitudes and actions habits that we on our own cannot beat. We are prone to wander, Lord, and we are prone to go our own way and leave you but I pray today that you would give us hope and give us a whole new approach.

I pray today that you would give us a whole new insight and confidence that these things can be be, but they have to be beat spiritually because they are spiritual problem and they need the power of the Holy Spirit to do that so heavenly father change the very way we approach the tough things in our life.

The very way we approach the willfulness in our life and teachers to approach it with the weapons of the Spirit which will work just like they did for the Lord Jesus father change our lives because we were here today, and because we sat under the teaching of the eternal Word of God.

We pray these things in Jesus name. What are God's people say amen