1. Dunlap church of Christ Welcome to our worship service.
Sunday, September 22, 2013

3. Genesis 11:5
5) But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

11. Genesis 10:32
“These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.”

12. You know the story
Genesis 11:1-9 is an event pulled out of Genesis 10:9-10. Nimrod, their leader, leads them in the building of the tower that is then left unfinished.

13. Genesis 11:5
“But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.”

14. When God Inspected Their Tower

15. He Saw An Arrogant Attitude

16. He Saw An Arrogant Attitude
Question: Is building a massive structure sinful?

17. He Saw An Arrogant Attitude
Not the Action, but the Attitude
Genesis 11:4
Let us make a name
Lest we be scattered abroad

18. He Saw An Arrogant Attitude
Lest we be scattered abroad
Irony, anyone?
Self-supportive? (Jeremiah 10:23)
A defense against another flood?

19. He Saw An Arrogant Attitude
Let us make a name
Gideon (Judges 7)
David (II Samuel 24)
Jesus (Matthew 20:26)

20. He Saw An Arrogant Attitude
Bottom Line: What would the benefit be in this tower?

21. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception

22. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
There are many “modern-day” misconceptions that actually aren’t “modern-day” at all!

23. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
“God doesn’t really mean what He says.”
What about the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2)?

24. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
“God doesn’t care about the little things.”
What about Cain and Abel (Genesis 4)?

25. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
“God doesn’t care how I worship Him.”
What about Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10)?

26. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
“God desires unity and peace at all costs.”

27. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
God proved at the site of this abandoned construction zone that division is always better than apostasy.

28. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
God proved at the site of this abandoned construction zone that division is always better than apostasy.

29. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
God proved at the site of this abandoned construction zone that division is always better than apostasy.

30. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
God proved at the site of this abandoned construction zone that division is always better than apostasy.

31. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
It is true that God desires unity.
John 17
I Corinthians 1:10 ff
Psalm 133:1

32. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
Yet some twist verses to teach that unity is to be had even if God’s direct commands have to be compromised.

33. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
Mechanical Instruments in Worship
Morality (Drinking, Dancing, etc)
Marriage and Divorce
Distinctiveness of the Lord’s church
Essential Nature of Baptism
Homosexuality

34. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
Friends and Brethren, such ideas are nothing but the brick and mortar that helped build the tower of self-promotion and stubborn disobedience.

35. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception
Let us remember that the same One who prayed for unity also spoke the words that are recorded by Luke in Luke 12:49-53.

36. He Saw A Distant Deliverance

37. He Saw A Distant Deliverance
One question we should always ask ourselves when studying the OT is: How does this connect/relate to the story of redemption in Christ?

38. He Saw A Distant Deliverance
Question: How did these actions (Genesis 11:6-9) contribute to and result in the coming of Christ?

39. He Saw A Distant Deliverance
God would give to Abraham what the people wanted – A Great Name
God would bless these same nations with a great name. But through Abraham and not their arrogant attitudes.

40. He Saw A Distant Deliverance
Zephaniah 3:9
“For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.”

41. He Saw A Distant Deliverance
Acts 2:6
“Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”

42. He Saw A Distant Deliverance
The same God that had confused the languages in order to scatter them, had unified their language through the miracle at Pentecost that He might unite them together in Christ.

43. History
History tells us that this piece of land has been fought for many times through the centuries.

44. History
Supposedly, Alexander the Great planned a complete restoration of the city and the tower.

45. History
According to archeologists, brick by brick has been moved until only a pit remains.

46. History
If these reports are true, what started as a monument to human accomplishment and achievement…

47. History
Truth be told, any accomplishment or achievement without God is worthless.

48. One day God will inspect your tower? What would he decide?
Future
One day God will inspect your tower? What would he decide?

49. What about when God inspects our tower? Will he find you faithful?
What About You?
What about when God inspects our tower? Will he find you faithful?

54. He Saw A Modern-Day Misconception

55. He Saw A Distant Deliverance