Building SIN CITY S1e65 Gen11:1

Modern people aren't the first to invent a "Sin City". That started with Babel and the Tower they built. Every generation seems to unify in wicked defiance against their Creator.  It is not a new story, but it is always new to us.

Humans cannot earn their way to God by their striving.  BUT, God has striven toward us. Similarly, He is not opposed to effort, He is opposed to trying to EARN the attentions and favor of God.  Let's stand in humble gratefulness for His reaching out toward us.

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Transcript

Building SIN CITY S1e65 Gen11:1

 A Tower in Babel 

Sinar plain between Euphrates and Tigris river. Fertile.  Good Spot

Starting to build a city with BRICKS and MORTAR

WHY build a city.  PURPOSE in city building.

         Here, purpose is sin—the first SIN CITY welcome to Babylon. Welcome to the The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.  

Humanity unified in wicked defiance against creator.

         Every generation has manifestation of sin—lets not be surprised

         Wrong attitude: I never would have done that , this is olden days.

                  DOES not apply to me.

         What would you do with resources, unified language, power?

                  A: build a ME Tower

v. 4COME LET US MAKE Gen 1:26

Displace God Glory with Our glory

Do my own destiny

Build ourselves a CITY

Build ourselves a TOWER with its top in the heavens

Let us make a name for ourselves 

(succeeded—here we are talking about em)

Lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth

Monument to pride PRIDE built this city on Rock and Roll

v.5 Lord came down to see

         Of course He did. He sees. He comes. He walks with. He hears.

         God turns toward. Adam and Eve hiding in garden. Noah’s interaction with God at/after the flood.

         If we’d only get this point, we’d not build a tower for ourselves.

         Embrace Conviction

         Embrace Correction

         The Corrective attention of God is PRECIOUS

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

         Human STRIVING toward God.  I got an idea: tower, regimen, diet, discipline, building program, activity

         Human EFFORT to EARN the attention and favor of GOD

         Rather than HUMAN EFFORT in appreciating the attention and favor of God ***************

         God has striven toward us.—BUT WE do not strive toward HIM

                  We receive. We obey. We are grateful.

                  He is Lord. We are servants.

         God has come down

         We could not “reach Him” otherwise by any of our wisdom, might

                  Schemes, habits.

NT EPH 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

         God of GRACE who moves toward us, dispite ourselves.

         Being a Christian is all full of works in appreciation and with the right heart. But not like this—trying to Earn heaven.

         God is not opposed to WORKING.  NT is full of HARD work.

                  Serving when it is inconvenient, dangerous, tiresome

         God is opposed to EARNING: work and holding God to pay up

When Moses meets God in Ex 33 He says: show me your ways; show me your glory.  BUT this is not a command to God.  It is a REQUEST: what he ACTUALLY says is PLEASE, show me your ways. PLEASE show me Your Glory.  God doesn’t owe us anything. We are the requestors, we don’t demand

How should we live in the shadow of the lessons from the Tower?

         (Gratefulness that we are out of a GENEOLOGY chapter!)

The Corrective attention of God is PRECIOUS

         Monument to pride PRIDE built

(At least have the decency to hide like adam did…)

God makes the first move toward us

         Something here about our ongoing way of relating to Him

         Less STRIVING, more worship, appreciation, receiving

         Not a lot of EARNING the favor of God

         God is not opposed to working, He is opposed to EARNING.

                  Now He can be pleased for sure.

                  We should and must RESPOND with right attitudes and actions