THETOWEROFPOWERGENESIS11:1-9

I. TOWEROFPOWER:MAN’SPRIDEINHUMANACHIEVEMENT

• Genesis11:1-41 Nowthewholeearthhadonelanguageandthesamewords.2 Andaspeoplemigratedfromtheeast,theyfoundaplaininthelandofShinarandsettledthere.3 Andtheysaidtooneanother,“Come,letusmakebricks,andburnthemthoroughly.”Andtheyhadbrickforstone,andbitumenformortar.4 Thentheysaid,“Come,letusbuildourselvesacityandatowerwithitstopintheheavens,andletusmakeanameforourselves,lestwebedispersedoverthefaceofthewholeearth.”

A.HUMANSECURITYAPARTFROMGOD

• 1 Nowthewholeearthhadonelanguageandthesamewords.2 Andaspeoplemigratedfromtheeast,theyfoundaplaininthelandofShinarandsettledthere.

B.HUMANACHIEVEMENTAPARTFROMGOD

• 3 Andtheysaidtooneanother,“Come,letusmakebricks,andburnthemthoroughly.”Andtheyhadbrickforstone,andbitumenformortar.4a Thentheysaid,“Come,letusbuildourselvesacityandatower

C. HUMANREBELLIONAGAINSTGOD

• 4bwithitstopintheheavens,

D. HUMANRECOGNITIONAPARTFROMGOD

• 4candletusmakeanameforourselves,

E.HUMANCONTROLAPARTFROMGOD

• 4dlestwebedispersedoverthefaceofthewholeearth.”

II. BALLOFCONFUSION:GOD’SJUDGMENTOFCONFUSIONANDDISPERSION

• Genesis11:5-95 AndtheLordcamedowntoseethecityandthetower,whichthechildrenofmanhadbuilt.6 AndtheLordsaid,“Behold,theyareonepeople,andtheyhaveallonelanguage,andthisisonlythebeginningofwhattheywilldo.Andnothingthattheyproposetodowillnowbeimpossibleforthem.7 Come,letusgodownandthereconfusetheirlanguage,sothattheymaynotunderstandoneanother'sspeech.”8 SotheLorddispersedthemfromthereoverthefaceofalltheearth,andtheyleftoffbuildingthecity.9 ThereforeitsnamewascalledBabel,becausetheretheLordconfused thelanguageofalltheearth.AndfromtheretheLorddispersedthemoverthefaceofalltheearth.

A. MANCONSPIRES,GODRETIRES• 5 AndtheLordcamedowntoseethecityandthetower,whichthechildrenofmanhadbuilt.6 AndtheLordsaid,“Behold,theyareonepeople,andtheyhaveallonelanguage,andthisisonlythebeginningofwhattheywilldo.Andnothingthattheyproposetodowillnowbeimpossibleforthem.

• Proverbs19:21Manyaretheplansinthemindofaman,butitisthepurposeoftheLordthatwillstand.

B. MANMISUSES,GODCONFUSES• 7 Come,letusgodownandthereconfusetheirlanguage,sothattheymaynotunderstandoneanother'sspeech.”9a ThereforeitsnamewascalledBabel,becausetheretheLordconfused thelanguageofalltheearth.

• “confuse”=Heb.balal

LANGUAGESTODAY

• 6,900languagesspokeninourworldtoday• 94differentlanguagefamilies• 44%ofworldspeakanIndo-Europeanlanguage

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/language_families_statistics1.htm

TOP11LANGUAGESSPOKENINTHEWORLD

• Chinese– 1.2billion• Spanish– 400million• English– 360million• Hindi– mostspokenamongIndia’sofficial23languages

• Arabic– 250million

• Portuguese– 215million• Bengali– 170million• Russian– 170million• Japanese– 130million• Punjabi/Landha – 100million• German

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-languages-in-the-world

C. MANSUBVERTS,GODDISPERSES

• 8 SotheLorddispersedthemfromthereoverthefaceofalltheearth,andtheyleftoffbuildingthecity.9b AndfromtheretheLorddispersedthemoverthefaceofalltheearth.

NATIONSTHENANDNOW

• 70nationsinGenesis10• 11,489peoplegroupsinworldtoday• 6,832haveapopulationlessthan2%Christian• 3,264havenoChristianwitness

CONCLUSION

1. GODHASAGREATPLANFORTHENATIONS– TOSAVETHEMINCHRIST.

• Matthew28:18–20 Go,thereforeandmakedisciplesofallnations• Luke24:46 ThusitiswrittenthattheChristshouldsufferandonthethirddayrisefromthedead,andthatrepentanceandforgivenessofsinsshouldbeproclaimedinhisnametoallnationsbeginninginJerusalem.• Acts1:8 Youwillbemy… totheendoftheearth.

2. GODHASAGREATPURPOSEFORTHENATIONS–TOUNITEASONECHURCHINCHRIST

• Acts2:5-115 NowthereweredwellinginJerusalemJews,devoutmenfromeverynationunderheaven.• Galatians3:28 “ThereisneitherJewnorGreek,thereisneitherslavenorfree,thereisnomaleandfemale,foryouarealloneinChristJesus.”

3. GODHASAGREATROLEFORTHENATIONS– TOHAVEDOMINIONONTHEEARTHFORGOD’SGLORY.

• Revelation5:9-10 9 Andtheysanganewsong,saying,‘Worthyareyoutotakethescrollandtoopenitsseals,foryouwereslain,andbyyourblood youransomedpeopleforGodfromeverytribeandlanguageandpeopleandnation,10 andyouhavemadethemkingdomandprieststoourGod,andtheyshallreignontheearth.’”

4. GODHASAGREATFUTUREFORTHENATIONS– TOWORSHIPCHRISTTOGETHERFOREVER.