1. Presentation 22

3. In recent days a tremendous degree of uncertainty has been produced in people’s lives by the fragility of the money markets. Men and women have expressed concern about the security of their jobs, their pensions, their houses… and so the list goes on. Security is often looked for in the wrong places and it is this that makes the passage before us so relevant. Introduction Presentation 22

4. Security was the big issue facing men and women in the days after Noah. The recent flood was constantly on their mind. Disasters of any kind on such a colossal scale always prompt men and women to think about their own safety. And in answer to the question, ‘How can we find a place of safety, and prevent a similar disaster from striking our lives?' They replied, ‘We’ll establish a building consortium and in the Plain of Shinar, [present day Iraq] we will build a great tower - the tallest building in the world! If there is another flood we’ll run up to the top and be safe’. Introduction Presentation 22

5. This response indicates their failure to trust God’s promise to Noah that mankind need never fear another universal flood. God gave his word but after a few generations it was doubted. God had said, “Trust my covenant promise.” They replied, “Not likely! We intend to produce our own scheme to preserve us from danger and we will trust in that”. Clearly, these tower builders were not men and women of faith despite being descendants of Noah. But faith is not inherited. They may have inherited Noah’s nose, ears, eyes etc. but not his faith. Faith is something that each new generation must discover for itself. Someone has said, “God has many children but no grandchildren”. The children of Christians do not automatically become Christians. They do not inherit faith. They will either develop a personal faith in God or like these tower builders look elsewhere for their security. The Tower Builders Presentation 22

6. Each new generation must be persuaded that there are certain things only God can do for them. The tower builder’s response indicated that they didn't trust God’s promise to Noah that never again would a great flood to cover the world. God had said, "trust my covenant promise." "No”, was their reply, “our building scheme will preserve us from danger, we will trust in that." The Tower Builders Presentation 22

7. Secondly, unbelief is not neural but a defiant rebellion against God. This structure on the plains of Shinar was like a defiant clenched fist raised to heaven that said to God, 'We can live independently of you. We can establish our own place of safety'. Not much has changed today. Men still think they are expert shelter builders. They trust in the building blocks of science, economics, politics and technology. Men still say, ‘We can make ourselves safe’. The Tower Builders Presentation 22

8. Thirdly, unbelief is characterised by disobedience. In 9.1ff God commanded Noah’s descendants to spread out over the earth. But they chose to crowd into one place. Did they think there was safety in numbers! Often when people say that they have difficulty with faith and believing, they really mean they have difficulty with obedience. Bonhoeffer writes: Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes… When people complain that they find it hard to believe, it is a sign of deliberate or unconscious obedience to the Devil who says, "Keep on posing problems [of faith] and you will escape the necessity of obedience." The Tower Builders Presentation 22

9. Fourthly, unbelief is often tied to ambition. We read in v4 that they wanted to make a ‘name for themselves’. Ambition is not always bad. But these people wanted to be remembered as those, who had solved the problem of security without reference to God. Nothing was allowed to thwart that ambition! There was no local stone to quarry. Did that discourage them? No! They used baked bricks instead. They built, what is thought to be the first ziggurat, a pyramid shaped structure reaching up to heaven from where they could give God a defiant wave and say, “We got here without your help”. The Tower Builders Presentation 22

10. How did God respond to the tower builders? He entered the construction site and brought the work to a standstill. The reason given for confusing their language is found in v7, "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them". What does that mean? If God did nothing to halt their overweening self confidence, they would continue to build towers, which created an illusion of safety. They would fool themselves into thinking they could do anything without God. God loves us too much to allow us to buy into an illusion. His intervention is therefore one of both judgement and mercy. Are there times when you think God has dealt with you severely, denying you a cherished ambition? Has he put insurmountable barriers across your path? Then you may have become the object of God’s, “Severe Mercy”. God’s Inspection Presentation 22

11. Think back to Paul’s description of his early life. He was happily building his little tower of human righteousness. God came down and stopped him on the Damascus Road. His building work was brought to an end. His eyes were opened and he saw human effort for the illusion that it was. Phil 3.7-9 “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith”. Paul is saying, ‘I walked away from that tower, not only was it an illusion it was rubbish’. God’s Inspection Presentation 22

12. God’s judgement brought confusion to the work at Babel. "Babel" means ‘confusion’ in Hebrew but in the Babylonian tongue, it means, "the gate of God". Interestingly, in scripture the word "Babylon" derived from ‘Babel’ became a symbol of the pride of man and his inevitable fall. Babylon says, “We are the gate of God- a place of safety!" The Bible answers, "No! You are confusion – an illusion of safety!" Babylon says, “The solution to human insecurity is learning to trust in your own efforts.” The Bible answers, “No! Real security comes from trusting in the promise and provision of God”. It is no accident that immediately after the Babel narrative we are introduced to Abram. Abram trusted in God for eternal security and not in his own efforts. God held before Abram a shelter promise. God’s Inspection Presentation 22

13. God's shelter-promise to Abram is framed in covenant language. Unlike human covenants, like marriage, which involve two people making promises to one another's advantage, God took upon himself the total responsibility of the covenant. God does all the promising in 12v2-3, ‘I will.. I will... I will’.. All Abram has to do is enter the covenant shelter by faith. The most important part of the shelter promise is found in v3 'all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you'. What then is this unique blessing? Peter on the day of Pentecost makes it quite clear cf. Acts 3.24ff “Indeed, all the prophets …, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant [Jesus], he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” A Call to Blessing Presentation 22

14. Peter teaches that the safe hiding place, promised to Abram has been constructed as a result of Jesus’ death. Did Abram realise that God had promised him such a shelter? Yes! He did! How do we know? Cf. Gal 3.6-8. “Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” A Call to Blessing Presentation 22

15. We all face the same choice that faced Abram. Will we trust in human accomplishment for our security [like the builders of Babel] or will we trust in the promise of God. Abram pointed to the promise of God and said, 'I will run in there! I will rest there' Where are you sheltering at present? Is it in a shelter of your own construction or is in Christ’s atoning death? Only God’s shelter provides safety. Ah” you say, “I don’t know how to get into that shelter”. It is not difficult! Faith is the key! A Response to God’s Provision Presentation 22

16. We need to say to God, “All of my best efforts can never construct a safe tower. I believe Christ’s death has constructed a place of safety. I thought my sin would disqualify me from your blessing. But you are gracious. You do not ask, if I am worthy, you ask me to turn my back on sin and to trust you and with your help and empowering to obey you. I choose to enter into the safe tower of Christ’s salvation”. And when we do that then, like Abram, we will be able to say, 'we have here no continuing city but we seek one to come.’Heb.13.14 A Response to God’s Provision Presentation 22