WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.679 So I'm so excited you're here with us tomorrow. 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:04.879 We're continuing through the book of Genesis. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:07.040 We've spent a few weeks in the book of Genesis. 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:19.760 We're looking at these early stories in the Bible, and what we're going to see as we dive into this story is we're going to see what's clear in the passage, hopefully clear in the message, is that God is all about God. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:24.640 He is really about himself when it comes to glory. 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:28.960 He is rightfully all about himself. 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:37.119 Now he loves you and he loves me, and we talk a lot about how much he loves us, but he loves us as to bring himself glory. 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:39.039 And he rightfully is this. 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:41.119 It's not selfish, it's not self-centered. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:42.399 We talked about this before. 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:48.240 As all-knowing God, he has no option except to be all about himself. 00:00:48.719 --> 00:00:51.200 Who else is he going to be about? 00:00:51.679 --> 00:01:00.960 Because if he's about something else, somebody else, if he is giving glory to somebody, some being, something else, then we should go and be about that and not about him. 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:04.000 And it's just about him. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:10.799 Maybe you're here this morning and on some level life is not working out for you. 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:12.879 It's just not quite working. 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:14.159 It's not adding up. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:21.840 The storyline of your life, you're not sensing that grand meaning inside of your life. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:27.840 On a day-to-day basis, you're not feeling impacted by some grand meaning in life. 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:35.200 And what we see in Genesis is we see that there was a story started long before you and I were born. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:47.920 And that this story that was started in Genesis about God and his glory and him loving us and our sin and rescuing us, and this is all for his glory. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:52.400 This is the story for this world. 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:55.200 This is the story for your life. 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.239 And the Redeemer, he is still doing this. 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:02.400 So there's this current, right? 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:03.359 It's like a river. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.680 There's this current that exists in life. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:11.360 And it's sort of like when you're in the current, you have this sense of grand meaning. 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:18.639 You have this sense that life is making sense, and this is for something in my work, even if it's great or it's horrible, it's for something. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:23.039 It's producing something in me or around me or my family, my relationships. 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:24.080 It's for something. 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:33.120 But when you get out of that current, you start paddling back upstream, or you're kind of off in an eddy, you're doing your own thing, all of a sudden you start to you don't quite feel like life is working out. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:34.800 Life starts to lose its meaning. 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:50.879 And my prayer this morning is that we will get a deeper sense, a deeper, uh, a deeper connection with this redemptive story that God created, and we see it all the way back in Genesis. 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:54.400 Can we I've been I've been in bumper stickers this week. 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:59.039 I've saw a few bumper stickers, started thinking about bumper stickers, sermon started coming around bumper stickers. 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:02.479 Um is anybody anybody kicking a bumper sticker outside on their car? 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:05.039 Now let's just go ahead and rule out political bumper stickers. 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:08.319 Not because I'm not political, you're not political, we just don't want to fight in the hallway afterwards. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:10.159 So we'll rule out political bumper stickers. 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:12.479 That's not going to be fair game for this little contest. 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:16.800 But uh anybody bumper sticker on your car, you'd like to share it? 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:19.520 Well, you're you obviously you want to share it, it's on your car. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:21.759 Anyone willing to share it out loud? 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:23.280 You say I have a bumper sticker. 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:28.080 I felt so called to this bumper sticker, I put it on my car for everybody to see. 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:31.280 We're bumper sticker free. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:33.199 I'll go check the parking lot right now. 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:34.479 I will check. 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:37.520 Anyone got a Christian bumper sticker? 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:40.240 Sort of. 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:41.199 What do y'all got? 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:42.319 Young Light? 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:44.000 Supporting something. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:44.479 Right. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:49.360 Anyone else? 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:50.400 Bumper sticker? 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:52.879 Nobody? 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:53.599 You got one? 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:55.199 You don't want to share yours? 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:56.159 Okay. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:03.520 So um, I started looking at different Christian bumper stickers. 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:04.800 Uh, y'all know this one? 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:08.240 And I'll I'll start you and see if you can finish it off, okay? 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:10.080 No Jesus, no peace. 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:12.159 In O Jesus. 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:13.599 No, peace, right? 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:14.879 No Jesus, no peace. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:15.840 No Jesus. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:17.920 No Jesus, no peace, right? 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:19.120 Like K-N-O-W. 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:20.480 Y'all with me? 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:22.160 Right, that's good. 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:25.199 Alright, and then this one's sort of like like for the educated people. 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:28.720 My boss is a Jewish carpenter, right? 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:29.279 That's like under. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:34.319 I don't really want anybody to know I love Jesus, but just for educated people to know. 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:36.399 Everybody else, it's not for you. 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:41.759 Uh God is my God is my oh, that's a great one. 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:45.120 I even, yeah, God is my co-pilot, right? 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:48.160 We could argue that he should be your pilot, but you know, whatever. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:52.480 Uh history is his story. 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:53.519 His story. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:54.319 Right. 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:56.720 The space in between, his and story. 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:57.600 It's great. 00:04:57.839 --> 00:04:59.519 I so we're kind of making fun of him, right? 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:03.600 But but all actually all of those are really true, right? 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.319 I mean, we're kind of laugh at them, you see them, or whatever. 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:10.000 Maybe you have them on your car right now and you're feeling a little ashamed right now, you kind of want to leave early. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:13.600 Uh but it's they're good. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:16.319 Like, no Jesus, no peace, no Jesus, no peace. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:17.600 Like, yes. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:18.079 Right? 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.079 My boss is Jewish Carber, yes. 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:22.079 Cosmo Copilot, maybe. 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:23.199 History. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.160 History is his story. 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:27.120 Yes. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:28.399 I mean, it is. 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:30.480 Oh, Megan's still going. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.600 You're still I've started Megan off here. 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:40.720 So let's focus on the history as his story right now. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:42.639 Brad's gonna get Megan under control. 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.240 So history is his story, right? 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:51.920 Like all these bumper streaks, we laugh and stuff, but we like we kind of laugh, but they're they're also very true. 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:54.720 Uh really, often really good. 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:59.759 Um and history is not our story, it's not America's story. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.480 I mean, it's not, God bless the USA story. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:09.439 All of history is not about America, all of history is not about Europe, European history, or southern history. 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:11.839 All of history is not about Marietta. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.319 Maybe we have a history center, Marietta, I don't know. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:17.680 Um five people, if so, five people have been there, that's been it. 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:20.240 Um, because all of history is not about Marietta. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:23.360 Um, history is about him. 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.879 It is it is his story. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:31.360 And and maybe you can hear that and you go, man, you don't know me. 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:39.839 Like, you don't, you don't know that there is no way I'm going to be invited into his story because you don't know my life, you don't know the way I think, you don't know what I do, you don't know my past. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:45.920 And you're right, I don't know you, but I know me, and I also know um I we just read about Adam and Eve. 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:52.079 And Adam and Eve, I mean, they rebelled, they basically said, God, we don't need you, we just need us. 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:53.759 God pursued them. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.439 We we read about um murderous Cain. 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:01.279 God still used Cain. 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:07.360 I mean, we're gonna we're gonna read about faithless Abram, we're gonna read about stuttering uh Moses. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:16.879 We can read in the Bible about prostitutes and doubters and cowards, it's all used for God's story. 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:18.959 So you're not out of it. 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:20.319 You're not out of it at all. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:40.319 And when we're aligned with the reality that history is his story, that our lives are for his glory and our lives are meant to be lived for his glory, and that all of it matters, whether your life is extremely local and small, or whether your life is global and it's bigger, whether it's celebration or suffering, no matter what it is, it is playing out for his glory. 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:46.240 So Sam read, getting to the text this morning, Sam read the Tower of Babel story. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.040 So in this story, the whole world has one language. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:57.600 And what that means is it doesn't necessarily mean everybody only had one language, but what it means is they at least had one common language that we could all communicate with. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:00.800 And so people are spreading and they're moving east. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:04.480 And Noah's great-grandson is out that way. 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:05.759 His name's Nimrod. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:07.600 Not a great name today. 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:08.959 Don't name your son Nimrod. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:12.720 Uh back then wasn't as big of a horrible thing at this point. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:17.360 And he was a great warrior, he's a great hunter, and he comes into power. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:21.600 Somehow he comes into power, not quite sure, probably by force, and he forms a monarchy. 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:23.680 This becomes Babylon. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:28.319 This big, ruthless, great, ancient civilization. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:32.000 And Nimrod, he always wanted more. 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:33.759 Always. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:35.200 He was super ambitious. 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:36.960 He Nimrod was a Nimrod. 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:37.519 Right? 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:38.480 I couldn't resist it. 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:40.399 Even when I wrote it, I was like, I gotta say it. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:44.240 Nimrod was a, he was, he always, it was never enough. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:50.799 And so he forms his people, and he's the first king of Babylon, and this ancient civilization is there. 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:58.240 And we even, throughout the whole Old Testament, all these Old Testament prophets, you'll read, these prophets just bashing Babylon, and it's always about their pride. 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:00.639 It's always about their arrogance. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:07.039 And so here we see in this story their arrogance that they're gonna build a tower, right? 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:08.240 Wow. 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.159 They're gonna build a tower. 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:12.480 They are gonna replace God. 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:15.600 They are gonna receive all the glory and all the fame. 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:19.919 They're gonna make a name for themselves. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:25.200 So let's reread a few verses that same read for us, Genesis 11, 3 and 4. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:29.279 So they said to each other, Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly. 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:32.799 And they used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:42.399 And 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. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:47.120 Otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:49.440 So I grew up playing basketball. 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:51.200 I think some of y'all know that I've talked about this before. 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.879 I played basketball in high school, the black nights, central net black nights. 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:56.960 Uh it was a big deal for me. 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:57.919 It was a big deal, right? 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:03.039 Because you grew up in this small little town, and your whole I mean, I slept with my basketball. 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:05.600 I mean, that was the amount of infatuation going on. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:09.279 And so playing high school basketball on a Friday night to a pack gym. 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.360 I mean, this was it. 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:13.360 I had arrived. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:14.080 Right? 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:16.559 Don't peak in high school, tip kids. 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:17.759 Don't peak in high school. 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:19.440 That's always a good rule for life. 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:22.159 Um, I think that might have been going on for me for a little bit. 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.399 Um, and it was, I loved it. 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:29.120 You know, I'd be I mean, I can remember being on the basketball floor and had about a million things going around in my brain, right? 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:39.200 I mean, you'd be thinking, uh, how am I playing the you know, the plays and who's going to wear, and what am I doing, what's my role, and then who's oh, who's I then you look in the crowd, who's in the crowd? 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:40.399 What friends are here? 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:42.879 Who are, you know, is my girlfriend here? 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:48.639 And then Christy Queen, right here, turning masters, who's cheering over on the side, look over to see her over there. 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:51.679 It took me about 10 years to get her willing to marry me. 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:54.639 You know, all this going on, right? 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:57.919 And like, and I don't want to risk too much because then maybe coach is gonna pull me out. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:03.200 If he pulls me out, maybe he doesn't put me on the bench, if I'm on the bench, maybe he doesn't like remember me again, maybe I don't get back in, so I've got to play. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.960 Just you know, I'm gonna play well, but don't risk too much. 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:14.320 And at the same time, uh at the same time, you're sort of like the whole thing for me at least, um, is also just like how am I doing? 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:16.799 Like, I'm aware of the score and the time and all that. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:19.120 I'm being a team player, but like, how many points do I have? 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:19.759 How am I doing? 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.799 You know, and and how many shots did I miss, and how am I looking out here? 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:34.559 Now, when we went to away games, uh, we all met at the gym to get on the bus, and we all we all wore, and maybe you all had one of these, and I brought it. 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:36.720 I couldn't resist, I went and found it, right? 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:38.080 Um, did you have one? 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:39.759 Maybe yours wasn't this. 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:48.320 Maybe it wasn't black and gold like ours was right, it bear it it's just starting to fit, right? 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:53.039 Imagine how big this was on me when I was a skinny senior, very skinny senior high school. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.759 So uh we all wore this, the whole team. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:57.759 You know, like 12 of us, right? 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:02.159 And you go mark, you know, you go walking in another gym, threatening yourself black and gold. 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:03.519 I didn't pick the colors. 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:05.120 I didn't get to pick the colors. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:05.519 Right? 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:12.399 The colors have been picked like a hundred years before I ever came along into any of this. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.600 And I got big CG, Central Granette. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.919 Now my name made an on here, right? 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:20.960 Like over on this side, real, real small. 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:22.159 Right? 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.679 It's it's kind of the purpose. 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:26.639 Right? 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.960 You I didn't get to pick colors. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:32.080 My name's not the biggest on the jacket. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:42.960 And and nobody is taking a letter jacket, well, maybe Kanye West, but nobody besides Kanye West is taking a letter jacket and ripping off the team and putting on their initials, big RM. 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:45.120 Like nobody is doing that. 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:51.200 Because you have you have entered a story bigger than you. 00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:54.879 Right? 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:56.799 I mean, that's what you have done. 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:03.360 When you're in a school and you're playing on a team, you've entered a story bigger than yourself. 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:15.360 And it becomes about the school, and it becomes about the team, and it's not about you, and making it about you and that self-glory, it starts to it starts to taint the whole thing. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:16.639 Right? 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:22.159 I mean, this is why self-glory, I'm gonna take this off, I'm sorry, I can only worry about two minutes at a time. 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:27.440 Uh this is why self-glory projects never satisfy. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:34.159 I mean, this is why uh it's exhausting to try to build a great name for yourself. 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:40.480 This is why looking for other people's approval doesn't ever quite bring you peace. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:48.960 I mean, because it's us brick by brick trying to build a tower to make ourselves bigger than we really are. 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:52.639 And maybe you're maybe you're here, maybe you're hearing you're saying, I'm nothing like that. 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:59.600 I'm passive, I'm reserved, I'm not ambitious, I'm quiet. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:14.960 But you know, I wonder, like, uh, you know, how often perhaps you could use your children for self-word projects with your address or a title, or how many likes you get on an Instagram post. 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:17.120 Oh, it was only 15. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:19.360 Oh, it was 68. 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:26.240 Oh, look, I mean, look at this great tower of value for myself I have built. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:28.080 Right? 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:36.879 I mean, if we use any gift, any talent, any opportunity to try to get other people's approval, this is an act of self-glory. 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:43.200 Self-glorifying is the pursuit of making much of yourself with life and the people's approval. 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:47.759 It's trying and maybe even perhaps thinking that the world can orbit around yourself. 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.240 It's the sin of pride. 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:58.879 It's a sin of self-reliance, it's a sin of self-consumption, is to say to God, we don't need you, and all of this is for my good. 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:00.879 And it's from me. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:04.480 And God glorifying is the flip. 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:13.039 It's to say, all of this is from you, and it's for you, and it's for me, little me, to make much of big you. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.960 Isaiah 42, verse 8, I am the Lord. 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:21.519 Not Russ is the Lord. 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.000 Not you, not Billy Bob, Cindy Joe. 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:25.600 I am the Lord. 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:27.919 That is my name. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:33.600 I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:36.639 See, he's not going to share his glory. 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:38.559 He's not going to. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:46.879 Not with you, not with the preacher, not with the church, not with a growing big, happening church, not with a musician, not with the, not with, not with Chick-fil-A. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.879 Oh, you made the chicken sandwich. 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:49.279 Great. 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:51.519 I made photosynthesis, right? 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:53.279 I mean, that's what God's thinking. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:53.759 Right? 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:59.440 He comes into all this that we're always telling people we've created, and he's like, do you understand what I created? 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:01.039 I mean, you created the chicken sandwich. 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:02.080 I created the chicken, okay? 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:03.200 You wouldn't have had a sandwich. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:06.320 That was two pieces of bread and a piece of the chicken that I created. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:07.840 Not a big deal. 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.159 He's the maker of the heavens and the earth. 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:14.799 He created the way in which all things were created. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:19.840 He's holy, he's without blemish, he's good, he's perfectly pure. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:21.120 He is peace. 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:23.200 He is utterly peace. 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:26.559 He's the beginning of peace, he's the beginning of good. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:31.759 So the sermons sort of have one point. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:35.519 Um, and the first part's sort of depressing, and the second part starts to kind of lift us out. 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.320 And that's this we are glory thieves. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:40.960 Yet he is glorious. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:47.440 And the good news is that the glorious one gloriously chooses to love us to bring glory to himself. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.120 And that's the really good news. 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:57.039 That he chose to bring glory to himself by loving the glory thieves. 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:02.720 Verse 5, it says this, but the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, the people were building. 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:04.079 I mean, I mean, think about this. 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:07.920 People are building a tower up, he comes down, and what is he thinking, right? 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:11.599 I mean, he's looking at this tower and he's going, like, I made the dirt. 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:15.599 I made the dirt that makes the bricks, and the sun that heated up the bricks. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:20.400 And actually, the the hands, the bones, the muscles, the intellect to design the tower. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.240 I I actually created that. 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:26.000 Those brains. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:31.759 I created your energy and the food that you eat to have the energy to make the bricks, to make the tower. 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:33.119 I created all that. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:37.119 And even the gravity that's holding the tower down, it's not floating up. 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:37.920 I created the gravity. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:38.799 I mean, what is he thinking? 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:41.359 They are so proud of themselves in this little tower. 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:45.279 And he's looking at it, he's going, Do you have any idea of what I have created? 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:48.319 And that you're trying to bring glory to yourself. 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:49.279 Just look up. 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:50.559 Look at the sun. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:56.319 I was doing some little research this week about the sun and different stuff like that. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:18:00.480 So our sun is one million miles in diameter. 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:01.440 Pretty big. 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:03.440 I mean, we're pretty impressed by the sun. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:07.519 About a million earths can fit inside of our sun. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.880 Now there's this other star out there. 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:15.519 So the largest star we know about is the VY Conus Majoris. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:18.079 Anybody know about the VY Conus Majoris? 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:19.759 Nobody? 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:20.720 One person? 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:21.839 Okay, great. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.359 Well, it's exciting. 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:25.440 It's in the constellation Conus Majoris. 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:32.079 It's about 3,900 light years away, which is not that far away, by the way, in terms of our universe, which is still growing. 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:34.079 That should blow your mind a little bit. 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:43.200 It's not that far away, although 3,900 light years, so as far as light can travel in a year times 3,900 years, that's how far away it is, which is not far, is what I'm saying. 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:52.480 This thing is a billion times the size of our sun, which our earth can fit inside of our sun one million times. 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:54.480 And God created that. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:59.759 And these guys have this little tower in Babylon. 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.279 And that's self-glory. 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:13.839 I mean, this passage is just like a punch in the face because you go, oh my gosh, we are babbling, literally, this is what the passage is saying from Babel. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.480 We are babbling nimrods, is what the passage is saying. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:20.400 When we seek self-glory. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:22.799 So in case you're getting depressed, let's keep reading. 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:24.400 It gets better from this point on. 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:35.119 Verse 6, the Lord said, If as one people speak the same language, they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do would be impossible for them. 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:39.119 Come, let us go down and confuse their language, so they will not understand each other. 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:44.720 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:46.480 That is why it is called Babel. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:49.440 Because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:52.799 From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:55.519 And this is where this is good news. 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.160 Because he topples their tower and he scatters them. 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:04.559 And he does this to drive them to himself. 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:09.039 He will scatter us as to draw us. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:12.400 This is the good news because we need this. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:18.559 Because on our own, apart from his gracious move toward us, we will build towers. 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:22.400 And in his grace, he will scatter us as to draw us. 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:25.039 Less of me, more of him. 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:32.319 Just all week, as I prepared this and read this and thought about this, all week it was just, just forgive me. 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:33.519 I mean, that's just the thing. 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:37.200 As I read it and I was writing, it's forgive me, right? 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:43.839 I mean, just because I love to build towers and I love people's approval, whether it be a friend or a neighbor or people I don't know. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:44.880 I mean, just anybody. 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:49.119 Like if you approve of it, be like, sign me up for that mission, that tower. 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:53.440 And it's just like, forgive me. 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:56.960 And then slowly throughout the week, going, oh, thank you. 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.960 You have forgiven me. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:20:59.839 Amazing. 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:03.279 I mean, you have, I do this, and you forgive me. 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:11.440 See, God himself embraced a tower because we build towers, and his tower is built out of two beings. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:13.359 And he hung himself on it. 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:18.400 And he took all of our sin, all of our propensity to build these towers that we build ourselves. 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:24.799 He took all that sin, all that shame, and he hung himself on a cross, and then he gave us his righteousness. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.799 This is the act of Jesus. 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:30.960 The incarnation of love. 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:54.640 The greatness of his glory, where justice is satisfied, the wrath of God is absorbed, and his righteousness is given to us, and the heavenly Father, who could have chosen to be glorified through his wrath, chose to be glorified in his love toward us that never ends and never fails, and it's secure because of the word of Jesus. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:55.839 Remember our big point? 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.559 We are glory thieves, yet he is glory us. 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:04.480 And the glorious one chose to glorify himself by loving us. 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:07.279 Next to Jesus was a thief. 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:09.039 Remember? 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:12.960 And the thief says, Jesus, will you remember me? 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:16.240 Will you remember me when you come into paradise? 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:17.759 Will you remember me? 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:20.000 And Jesus says, Yeah, I'll tell you the truth. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:21.759 Today you will be with me in paradise. 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:22.799 Well, hold on a second. 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:26.960 I mean, the guy didn't even have time to prove that he was sincere in his faith. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.680 I mean, he didn't even have time to do any good works. 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:33.279 God, this is relieving, isn't it? 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:41.680 That somebody could be secure in the love of God just based on what Jesus did for him and not what he goes on to do. 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:53.279 The thief says the name and he comes into the grand redemptive story because of the word of Jesus, not because of his word. 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:56.720 So this morning you may be building a tower, right? 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:05.759 Like with your words, your job, or your friendship, or your praise, or what address you want, or I mean we can we can build it a million ways. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:06.960 And we do. 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:15.279 And you may feel yourself sort of babbling on in this world instead of being a part of a redemptive story. 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:19.359 And this is because you're seeking self-glory versus God's glory. 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:31.359 With your gifts and your opportunities and your talents, your life, your marriage, and your exercise, and your pals, and your cleaning, your breathing, your walking. 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:36.400 And you can stop that. 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:41.039 That's the good news is you can stop having to do that. 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.519 Because his tower was not for you. 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:45.599 And so I just close with this question. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:54.160 Would you ask him this morning to topple your tower, engage your heart, and drive you to greater dependence on him? 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:55.440 Let's pray to God. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:24:00.880 God, we thank you that though we love to build towers, that you come, you come down. 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:03.200 You come toward us. 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:07.920 And none of us, none of us are innocent of this. 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.480 We all build towers. 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:26.880 And we do it in different ways, and sometimes it looks religious, and sometimes it looks polished, or sometimes it looks dirty, and sometimes it looks worldly, or sometimes it looks ambitious, but we all build towers where we like to stand on top of them and receive approval from other people, receive glory. 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:30.240 And we say we're sorry. 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:43.920 Any gift, any opportunity, any talent, any celebration, any suffering is all for you and for your glory, for your name. 00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:47.839 We are glory thieves, and you are glorious. 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:55.599 And we thank you this morning that in your glory, you chose to glorify yourself by loving us.