Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10117 - Self-Effort or Full Surrender - Genesis 11
Transcript
- 0:04Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
- 0:08Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
- 0:11Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
- 0:14through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
- 0:17Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
- 0:21dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
- 0:25Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
- 0:30Amen. All right.
- 0:32Welcome again to our midweek Bible study.
- 0:34It's near and far. We're glad you're with us,
- 0:37studying. A different book of the Bible on
- 0:39our midweek, Bible study, where in the Book of Genesis even
- 0:43before we started praying. But during the prayer, I had a
- 0:46confirmation of a scripture and just a thought that came to mind
- 0:49that I want to share with you. If you would turn over to Second
- 0:52Corinthians, I want you to see it in your Bible before we jump
- 0:55into the word. Second Corinthians.
- 1:00And I wonder how many, of you face this, maybe you do, maybe
- 1:04it'll be the Holy Spirit, giving it to you for the future.
- 1:08But I know this hits me from time to time where especially
- 1:11with social media and I'm not on social media, all that much.
- 1:15But the time that I'm I'm on, or depending on what my mood is, or
- 1:20what my emotional makeup. Is, I can in very easily, allow
- 1:23social media to become a place where I compare myself, anybody
- 1:27else do that? Just one too.
- 1:30All right, we're gonna have a special Bible study just for you
- 1:33over here in the corner and everyone else.
- 1:36I think it's direct or indirect if you know see it already great
- 1:39maybe in the future but you begin to see I mean it could be
- 1:42something so dumb right. You're eating leftovers from
- 1:45last week and somebody posts a picture of the best hamburger
- 1:48you've ever seen in your life. And you're like, man, I just
- 1:52wish I had that hamburger or anything else, you know, the
- 1:55enemy is very slick with this. It could be someone else's
- 1:58marriage. It could be someone else's
- 2:00house, it could be someone else's clothes already.
- 2:05The world conditions us, you know, the marketing of the world
- 2:08trying to convince you. That you don't have something
- 2:11that you really should have. And everybody else has it.
- 2:14And the only thing separating you from having it is money and
- 2:18I'm sure you can come up with it and if you come up with it, you
- 2:21can be as happy as they are. And I was just, this verse came
- 2:24to mind, I just want to share it with you says, in 2nd
- 2:27Corinthians chapter 10 and beginning in, 12, I read it to
- 2:30you from the new King James and also, the NLT, I actually like
- 2:34the new King James better here, but I'll read them both to you.
- 2:37Verse 12 says, he says, we dare not class ourselves or compare
- 2:41ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they measuring
- 2:47themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among
- 2:53themselves are not wise. And what he says at the end and
- 2:59in OT says, but they are only comparing themselves with each
- 3:03other using themselves as the standard of measurement.
- 3:07And then he says, and then LT, how ignorant and I think you
- 3:12could also say how prideful because even as our
- 3:15measurements, even as we were praying today and God was taking
- 3:19us through Galatians, it is a reminder that there's a real
- 3:23comparison that God has given to us.
- 3:25There's a higher level of living, that's Available to us,
- 3:28and it's even better than what your friends have, or what your
- 3:31enemies have, or what the world is doing, or what they're into,
- 3:36it's even better. And it's just a foolish route to
- 3:39compare ourselves. We do it in our spiritual walks
- 3:41to we think, oh, we should be so much farther because look at.
- 3:44So, and so. But the problem with that is
- 3:47that your comparison is not so and so, God is doing a work in
- 3:50you, that's unique to you and you're exactly where he wants
- 3:53you. You're exactly where he's going
- 3:55to use you and The flip side of that of course is just praying
- 3:59for God to give you more contentment to have a subtle
- 4:03contentment in what God's doing in your life.
- 4:06And I know this comes up in my life it's always a constant
- 4:09Temptation and not even social media doesn't have to be social
- 4:13media. It's just a constant lack of
- 4:15contentment and and so maybe the Lord speaking to you about that
- 4:19as he was speaking to me. So let's jump in to the word and
- 4:23we'll jump in right where we left off in Genesis 11 so father
- 4:26even If the topic is contentment for many tonight, we pray that
- 4:30you would give us deposit that into our lives.
- 4:34That we would be satisfied. In you, I know there's always a
- 4:39sense of spirit like a dissatisfaction spiritually that
- 4:44can be healthy where we can grow and want to grow in our walk
- 4:48with you. But there's also this unhealthy
- 4:50comparison unwise or as Paul said ignorant where we're just
- 4:55worried about other people's lives.
- 4:57Other people's possessions what you're doing in other people's
- 5:00lives. I think of that time where Peter
- 5:03said, what about him and you said Jesus Is that to you, you
- 5:09follow me? And so just solidify that for us
- 5:12as we come to you tonight, Lord that you would say it all over
- 5:17to us, right? What does that to you?
- 5:19You follow me, we come to follow you.
- 5:23God in a very real way opening ourselves to the teaching of
- 5:25your word Jesus name. Amen.
- 5:29Hey man. Open your Bibles to Genesis
- 5:30chapter 11 Genesis chapter 11. I've entitled our Bible study
- 5:37self effort or full, Surrender self effort or full surrender
- 5:45and in our Study. Last time, we learn how God's
- 5:47heart is for all the nations. All people groups all languages,
- 5:53the entire world and it seems like something.
- 5:57We would all agree with but many within Christianity limit.
- 6:01The world in so many different ways, not allowing it to be what
- 6:06it is, and there's so many limitations that we place upon
- 6:09people. In the love of God that God is
- 6:12continuing to rest that away from us so that we will agree
- 6:16with him. His heart from the very
- 6:18beginning was for the world and we studied in depth of what's
- 6:22known as the table of Nations and that revealed some 70
- 6:26families, that repopulate, the were Earth after the worldwide
- 6:30flood and all the nations and the people we learn, if come
- 6:34from One Source, One common ancestor, Noah and his sons.
- 6:39And we learned that there. Eight, Unity of humanity, that's
- 6:43factual. There's a common link of
- 6:46Brotherhood that binds the human race together.
- 6:49And so now, let's look now what this perversion of unity can
- 6:55can? What can happen with a twisted
- 6:57nastas and a twisted. Understanding of the unity and
- 7:00verse 1 of chapter 11. It says, now the whole earth had
- 7:04one language and one speech and it came to pass as they
- 7:10journeyed. Journeyed from the East that
- 7:11they found a plain in the land of shinar and they dwelt there
- 7:16and then they said to one another come let us make bricks
- 7:20and bake them thoroughly. They had brick for stone and
- 7:24they had asphalt for Mortar and they said, come let us build
- 7:28ourselves a city and a tower. Whose top is in the heavens.
- 7:33Let us make a name for ourselves.
- 7:36Lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole Earth.
- 7:43At the time, mankind is culturally unified unified.
- 7:47In language, most likely Hebrew in thought, and and ideas, you
- 7:53could say that this was a picture here in chapter 11 of
- 7:57this one world mentality. This is a picture very early on,
- 8:02in creation, of a Oneness. And today, we have the Advent of
- 8:07the United Nations and a great emphasis upon globalism and many
- 8:12today. Leave that the whole goal of
- 8:16humanity is that the Earth be unified and that's exactly where
- 8:20we're headed now. Of course many today in
- 8:22government and those that are in leadership, those that might be
- 8:25billionaires and trillionaires think that they're coming up
- 8:28with something new as if they invented it.
- 8:32But they're actually being used by the Demonic forces to bring
- 8:36about what God has already predicted.
- 8:39The last days will look like And yet they speak about it.
- 8:42Like it's some new thing you remember a years ago they came
- 8:46together and they sing that song We are the world.
- 8:50But remember when the world is defined, there's always people
- 8:53that benefit and there are those that suffer.
- 8:57The We Are, The World Is Never for the equal benefit of all,
- 9:00there are always a one of the scriptures in Revelation.
- 9:03I should have looked it up. But one of the scriptures that
- 9:05always fascinated me from the very first time I ever read
- 9:08Revelation as a new believer. That while all of this judgment
- 9:12is coming. And while all this Rebellion is
- 9:15happening and literally, hailstones and fire and
- 9:20judgement is happening, there is a passage of scripture in
- 9:23Revelation, it speaks about the world rulers, or at least a few
- 9:26of the rural rulers. Are there with the wine and the
- 9:30oil and what it what is intended by that passage is to remind us
- 9:35that even in the midst of the worst of the worst judgment,
- 9:38there will still be those living in.
- 9:40Luxury as if nothing ever happened and this is the days of
- 9:44Noah. And this is the days.
- 9:47These are the days that we are living in right now and it's a
- 9:51popular theme. You'll hear phrases today like
- 9:54the great reset, you'll hear words like globalism, you have
- 9:58Gathering annually at the world economic Forum.
- 10:01This stuff is real and it's happening right before our eyes.
- 10:06However it is a perverted form of unity.
- 10:10And the word perverted in its original definition just means
- 10:14Twisted. It is a perverted form of unity.
- 10:18That is not the type of unity that spoken of in the scripture
- 10:22so don't be confused because they use the same language.
- 10:24Biblical Unity is found alone in Jesus Christ, the pathway to
- 10:32Unity is the pathway of discipleship and the pathway of
- 10:37discipleship was defined for us by Jesus if anyone To follow
- 10:41after me. Jesus said he must first deny
- 10:44himself that is not the unity. You see in the world today and
- 10:48it's not the unity. We see here in Genesis chapter
- 10:5111, the motivation of building, this Tower was to become God and
- 10:58to be in the place of God, the motivation of building the city
- 11:02and building the tower was against God, and it came into
- 11:07different stages. Now, let me just say here, as we
- 11:09speak about cities, He's and large populations.
- 11:12Let me be very clear. God is not against cities.
- 11:18He is an anti City, he loves cities and especially loves the
- 11:23people that live in them. In fact, in the Bible, we are
- 11:27taught that there is a New Jerusalem, the city of God, that
- 11:30will be here for all eternity cities, both large and small,
- 11:35and especially large cities, actually, become a hub of
- 11:39ministry. It becomes the very Central Hub,
- 11:43where from large cities, the spokes come out from large
- 11:47populations. Resources.
- 11:49So that the gospel goes forward from cities.
- 11:52You'll you'll see, as we study through the book of Acts that
- 11:55Paul would often his methodology was to go into a big city and
- 12:00plant a church and that church would grow and send out pastors
- 12:05and missionaries from the resources that were in the
- 12:09larger City. So he's not against cities, but
- 12:12I can say that he is against rebellion and God is against
- 12:17Pride. I'd and arrogance and we find a
- 12:21great contrast in chapter 11 and important one.
- 12:25The Tower of Babel is built. As men are gathering in cities
- 12:30building great buildings and literally creating memorials for
- 12:34themselves. But then when we get to chapter
- 12:3612, notice with me, we're going to spend a couple weeks in
- 12:40chapter 12, but for today, I want you to see the contrast
- 12:43between 11 and 12 while in Babel or later Babylon.
- 12:48Nimrod, as he's gathering together.
- 12:52They want to build something for themselves, but notice the call
- 12:55to the father of faith in verse 1.
- 12:58God speaks directly to Abraham to Abram at the time and he has
- 13:02this relational communication with him.
- 13:05And what does he tell them? I'm he wants get out of your
- 13:07country, from your Kindred, from your father's house, to a land
- 13:12that I will show you and God has something greater than cities.
- 13:16He says I'm going to make you a great It.
- 13:18Do you notice it Nation. God has a greater plan you might
- 13:22be stuck in this moment right now saying this is for me and
- 13:26this is what I want to build and this is when I want to collect
- 13:28and this is what I want to do and we're going to do it for us
- 13:31and you're so confident and you all the while God has so much
- 13:34more for you. It's sort of like the
- 13:37understanding that sometimes our children have.
- 13:39They have a limited understanding when they're
- 13:41younger. They just don't grasp the kind
- 13:43of resources and availability of things that are available to
- 13:46them through obedience and In relationship and their families.
- 13:50So because of that, they live on very limited understanding.
- 13:54And, you know, they might be crying out for a piece of candy
- 13:57piece of candy. Got to have a piece of candy and
- 13:58you're like, no, no, I don't want you to have candy in a
- 14:01night and they're just like, I can't believe it or believe in
- 14:03there throwing things out you and screaming at you and all
- 14:06because of a little piece of candy.
- 14:07You said no. No and the reason why you held
- 14:09it back from them is that tonight was the night that you
- 14:12brought back a gallon of ice cream and you just had on your
- 14:15heart of desire to let your kids eat and Till they couldn't eat
- 14:19anymore. And here, they are crying about
- 14:21a piece of candy and you have a whole gallon of ice cream that
- 14:24you were now. You were going to give it to
- 14:27them but now because of their flipping out and they don't just
- 14:31trust you and they don't just say, hey it's not good, don't
- 14:34take the piece of candy. Now they've worked themselves
- 14:36into a place of discipline and they're not getting the candy
- 14:40and you're eating the ice cream but they don't understand.
- 14:44I wonder how often that's how you are with God hears fighting
- 14:47for what's up? In your hand, fighting with its
- 14:49ever in your hand. And God says, no no, I've
- 14:51already put it in writing for you.
- 14:53I have something that's exceedingly abundantly above.
- 14:56All you can think or ask, trust me the contrast between chapter
- 15:0011 and 12, I believe God wants us to see is that realm of self
- 15:05effort or full surrender? Is it?
- 15:09Just what you can bring up and what you can build and what you
- 15:12can do? Or are you willing to answer the
- 15:15call of faith? And say I'm willing to come out,
- 15:19I don't know what's up ahead for me.
- 15:21What nation? What land do.
- 15:22I'm going to show you, just get up and go.
- 15:25You'll never experience it it to take the step of faith and
- 15:28that'll be our time next time. But God has so much for you.
- 15:32He has so much more than you can even see today.
- 15:35And in one side chapter 11, you got a group trying to build for
- 15:38themselves and you know what? The word to let you do that.
- 15:42You want to build for yourself have at it.
- 15:46Do you want to get your best life now?
- 15:48Go ahead. But God has so much more for
- 15:51you. He is so much more than you
- 15:53could think our odds. He is ready to act on your
- 15:56behalf with Abram. He doesn't want a name for
- 15:59himself and you'll see that again Abram.
- 16:01Not a perfect man, lot of mistakes, but you will see.
- 16:04He is not interested in a name for himself.
- 16:07He is willing to walk by faith on every step along the way.
- 16:11A struggle today that are many of your lives that maybe comes
- 16:16and goes or is is stagnant in your life is you are fighting
- 16:21right now between living for today or Living For Eternity.
- 16:24For some reason. You see them opposed to one
- 16:26another And because Living For Today comes first, it makes it
- 16:30very hard to see anything eternally.
- 16:33It just makes it very hard to say hi.
- 16:34I don't know how I can ever get out of this.
- 16:36Yeah, but you're looking to Too Close.
- 16:39You're blinded by the circumstance, you just looking
- 16:41to close, God has victory for you.
- 16:43He has faith for you, he has money for you.
- 16:46He has resources for you. He has helped for you.
- 16:49The bible promises, you that God will supply all of your needs
- 16:53according to his riches in Christ Jesus, God has healing
- 16:56for you. Has strength or your weakness.
- 16:59He has so much more, but when you seek to live for today, I
- 17:02mean, even bring it down a little bit more, just living to
- 17:05make a name for yourself. That that's what the world that
- 17:08is all the worlds in to get ahead.
- 17:11Make a name for yourself. Make sure no one ever forgets
- 17:14you, no one ever forgets you, you'll be immortal.
- 17:18No, you won't. It's a lie.
- 17:21And so you spend your whole life with self effort, burning out
- 17:24and tired, never really surrendering to God.
- 17:28Instead of building God's kingdom, you're building your
- 17:31own little kingdom and you might do a really good job.
- 17:34It may be the best little man's Kingdom.
- 17:36The best little woman's Kingdom better than your neighbor.
- 17:39Better than what's on Tick-Tock better than what's on Instagram,
- 17:42you man. It's a really nice little
- 17:43kingdom. But it's not eternal.
- 17:47It wasn't a life invested. You know, when you think about
- 17:51it you and I have two addresses to we live in two places.
- 17:57At the same time, we have a physical address, we have a
- 18:02body, we have a home, we have a life, we have a name but we also
- 18:05have a Heavenly address. We have been adopted into the
- 18:08family of God. We have a kingdom that God has
- 18:12building that's beyond it's not built with man it's God building
- 18:16it and on the one hand were seated with Jesus in the
- 18:20heavenly And at the same time, we're dealing with things, what
- 18:23we're praying about the battle between the spirit and the
- 18:25flesh. We live it every day.
- 18:28This is exactly the thing. The flesh build for yourself.
- 18:31Protect yourself, don't die to yourself, protect yourself, make
- 18:35sure that everything you get everything you possibly can out
- 18:37of every single situation. And yet, the struggle comes is
- 18:43when we forget we're Heavenly citizens and that this world,
- 18:47you know, Jesus said it best. I want you to see it.
- 18:50Hold your place. In Genesis.
- 18:51Would you over to Matthew chapter 6?
- 18:53This is the battle with the Tower of Babel.
- 18:56This is it. This is Jesus, would clear it.
- 18:58All notice with me and in Matthew six, pick up when you
- 19:01get there in verse 19, I mean, this is it and this applies to
- 19:07money, it applies to time. It applies to talents all of it.
- 19:12It's it is. The key is one of the keys that
- 19:16God has for our lives. Notice he says in verse 19 of
- 19:20Matthew 6, he says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures.
- 19:26And what does your Bible say on Earth?
- 19:30Because this is what happens. Moth, rust, destroy thieves
- 19:33break in and steal. Temporary fragile.
- 19:38They don't last, they wear out. If somebody doesn't steal, it,
- 19:42it wears out. And if it doesn't wear out, it
- 19:44gets all beat up and scratched. And if it doesn't get all beat
- 19:47up and scratch a brand new one comes out, three months later
- 19:51and through clever marketing techniques.
- 19:52You think you need that one, too.
- 19:55Let me just tell you. This has been a battle in my
- 19:56life when it comes to the iPhone.
- 19:58So, let me just say, This is, this is truth straight truth.
- 20:02This was the first year, I really felt like God said, don't
- 20:07get the new model. And I didn't, I'm still using
- 20:12the one-year old model now that may not be a big deal to you but
- 20:16this is an area of my life. I don't really get into too many
- 20:20things but very good. Best of the best electronics.
- 20:24Is one of the things that that I enjoy and it's a toy use.
- 20:27It it's a tool. It would be like getting a
- 20:28brand-new hammer or brand-new whatever you get whatever your
- 20:32tool is. It's a tool and I use it to its
- 20:34fullest extent but I felt like the Lord was speaking to me
- 20:37about and I can upgrade I've got ways, I got a contract and
- 20:40everything, it won't cost me hardly anything, so it's not
- 20:43even a price thing. And those of you that know, me
- 20:45know that I can be extremely Frugal and get very good deals.
- 20:49That's not even the issue. I know how to save.
- 20:52That's not the issue. The issue is the heart and I
- 20:56think I would have been able to get one without sinning.
- 20:59I think I would have been able to get one being a good Steward.
- 21:02All of the marks that you would look at in your life as unto the
- 21:06Lord, except I had a hesitancy. My heart about it and I felt
- 21:11like it was from the Lord. And what would it be?
- 21:13Like I have to say I even bought a case ahead of time for the new
- 21:19model. It's in my desk sitting there
- 21:21unused, I was already prepping and getting ready.
- 21:24I got the new cover for it, a new case for it, and it's
- 21:28sitting there as the investment for me to learn how to obey God.
- 21:33Because it's sitting there, empty.
- 21:35Because I felt like a burden. Nobody told me this, this wasn't
- 21:38some marital argument, it wasn't anything like that.
- 21:42It was the Lord speaking to me about Ed.
- 21:43This is just an area your life. I it's almost like he was
- 21:46testing me. This is an area your life are.
- 21:49You can you live with one year old model?
- 21:53Yes, Lord, I can live with it because I don't want to get
- 21:57bound to things. Nevertheless, I can be bound to
- 22:00things, but I don't want it more than I am.
- 22:02I don't want to lay up for my selves.
- 22:05Treasures on Earth. He says, in verse 20, lay up for
- 22:08yourselves, Treasures in Heaven. He says, because they are.
- 22:14Moth rust, doesn't destroy and thieves can't break in and
- 22:18steal. And the key is, is that you
- 22:22learn that, where your treasure is, your heart, follows your
- 22:27heart. Speaking of the seat of your
- 22:28emotions, speaking about your desires, speaking about your
- 22:31passions speaking about your commitments.
- 22:35You wonder why you're drawn in certain areas is because that's
- 22:37where you've deposited your Treasures.
- 22:40And you have a natural propensity to protect your
- 22:43Treasures from rust from moths and from thieves.
- 22:49So that takes a lot of energy and effort to keep up with all
- 22:51that stuff. And as you deposit things in
- 22:54heaven, you just trust the Lord to protect them.
- 22:57And think about your deposit. Some of the things you treasure
- 23:00the, most your kids, you got to commit them to the Lord, that's
- 23:04where God is going to protect them.
- 23:06That's where they won't be ripped off.
- 23:08God will never rip your kids off.
- 23:10He will strengthen them and protect them and guard them.
- 23:13The world, that's all in there. All into Ripon kids off
- 23:16confusing, kids grooming kit. Taking advantage of kids and as
- 23:21parents and grandparents, we need to walk Eyes, Wide Open to
- 23:24make sure our kids. Their hearts are deposited in
- 23:26the Lord we were once again talking about children's
- 23:30ministry, as we're moving in a New Direction, new leadership
- 23:33and just really just encouraged by the love and compassion and
- 23:37care. This couple has to take care of
- 23:41the time that we have, with your kids to deposit, the word of God
- 23:45into him, to make it creative to make it engaging.
- 23:48To to build trust in them to remind them that their
- 23:51identities in Christ and that Jesus loves them.
- 23:54It's a, it's a tall order, but God is able to include.
- 23:57He's going to make it happen through us your kids.
- 24:00But you know we can't do that more than you did.
- 24:02You know that we can't do that more than you.
- 24:05I can't parent your kids more than you.
- 24:08I can't accomplish in 90 minutes.
- 24:10What you could accomplish in two hours or 20 minutes or a
- 24:13lifestyle of living for the war, you're the ones.
- 24:18And this battle this struggle affects more than you think.
- 24:22I mean, if that's all you're into, you're going to get to the
- 24:24end of your career, 30, 40 years later.
- 24:26And you gone, okay, now what things have changed I remember
- 24:31my father. My father was a very simple Man.
- 24:36Educated into mid High School, I think and became a printer.
- 24:40That's what he did. He worked on setting up the type
- 24:43upside down and backwards so they could print newspaper
- 24:45pages, that was his career and he did very well out of it.
- 24:49And I remember as a kid thinking as I got I bought my first
- 24:52computer as a kid, my parents bought it for me and and
- 24:56eventually I got this program where you could type on the
- 24:58screen And it would print on a printer and I wasn't the
- 25:03sharpest knife in the block, but I do remember humbly going to my
- 25:07dad and saying, Dad, you need to learn this because I think this
- 25:12is the way they're going to do it in the future.
- 25:14I don't know how what that meant if I would have, we would
- 25:17probably wouldn't have met because I would have bought
- 25:19stock in a oh, well, and apple and a long time ago when it was
- 25:22Penny. So I, it's not like, I knew, but
- 25:24I did get a sense. I could see a little bit, it's
- 25:26always been how the Lord use me. I can see a little bit, but man,
- 25:30At the big picture until it comes.
- 25:31But I remember talking to my mom or my dad going.
- 25:33No, no, son. That's not, that's not going to
- 25:35happen. We, they will always have
- 25:37newspapers. Well, my dad's in heaven now,
- 25:40he's like, oh no, no, that's not true, they're not another things
- 25:43change. And of course it did change
- 25:44because the computer replace my dad's job.
- 25:50And I wonder my dad wasn't the kind of man, that invest his
- 25:52whole life on there. He just he learned a trade me,
- 25:54figured, I would be the rest of his life.
- 25:56That's all it was, but even in simply learning a trade, he hate
- 26:00come to find out that that trade was easily replaced and all the
- 26:04time. They learn in all the experienc,
- 26:06learn and everything. That one day that after he went
- 26:08from company to company that kept using that equipment until
- 26:11finally, they replaced it is. Last company said, I'm sorry,
- 26:14there's there's no need for you anymore.
- 26:17We are doing it with computers. And I wonder how many times we
- 26:21come to a realization, very similarly, where we spent our
- 26:24time. Hey, we're going to build this
- 26:26for us. We're going to build this for us
- 26:27and you might finish building and its stand back and go.
- 26:29Look at this tower that we have built.
- 26:33Look what we have done. And only come to find out that
- 26:37it was laid up on Earth, and it was ripped off and ruined.
- 26:42You see wherever God has for you in this world, whatever career
- 26:46path. He has you on whatever trade.
- 26:49He has you listen. It is solely for the purposes of
- 26:53glorifying, God. That is the value of your trade.
- 26:57It's not your paycheck, it's not your title as an important.
- 27:01As those are, those are important, you can use them, but
- 27:04your trade is to connect you with people for the glory of
- 27:08God. So that you can invest, God has
- 27:10put you in different places so you can connect with other
- 27:13people and to use mightily by him.
- 27:17So, come back to chapter 11. Now, it doesn't take long as a
- 27:21same language. Culturally connected.
- 27:25It doesn't take long for man to come together to be together and
- 27:31then there's even choices with being together, isn't there?
- 27:34There's even choices where you can gather together and let's do
- 27:37something for ourselves or what God has created in Christ, you
- 27:42know, because it's natural to Crave and desire companionship,
- 27:45and friendship, there's nothing wrong with that.
- 27:47God has made us people to connect with each other, some
- 27:50more than others. Some are just so friendly and
- 27:52hospitable. Spitter boy, and you just have
- 27:55so many friends. Why?
- 27:56Because God made you that way, we've been made for fellowship
- 28:00and connection. Not isolation.
- 28:02And so what has God done? Jesus has provided for us the
- 28:05Church Fellowship. Koinonia sharing life and common
- 28:11being brought together not to build towers for ourselves but
- 28:15to collectively come together for the glory of God.
- 28:18So that we might love God and love one another and share our
- 28:22lives and friendship too. Together.
- 28:24And so we set aside times in smaller groups activities,
- 28:27trying to create cultivate an environment for personal growth
- 28:31with others. Just like the early church.
- 28:33They continued steadfastly in the apostles Doctrine and
- 28:36fellowship breaking of bread and prayer.
- 28:38And then what do they do? That house-to-house group to
- 28:42group and here they are. They come together and
- 28:46immediately in verse 3, come let us make bricks and bake them
- 28:52thoroughly. And then notice I have these
- 28:54underlying inverse for come. Let us build ourselves a tower
- 29:01whose top is in the heavens. Let us make a name for
- 29:06ourselves. Lest we be scattered abroad
- 29:10abroad over the face of the whole earth.
- 29:13That's protect ourselves. Let's protect ourselves.
- 29:21And let's pause for a moment on this topic of bricks.
- 29:26Because you Bible students understand.
- 29:30That when God instructed the nation of Israel, when they were
- 29:33to build an altar, remember they were to build it out of stone.
- 29:38They were built it without any instruments.
- 29:41It was to be something that was used in worshiping him build it
- 29:46out of stone. But here in building something
- 29:49for themselves, they built it with bricks.
- 29:53Now practicality there is a practicality.
- 29:56They were cheap available convenient.
- 30:00But there was also a spiritual message here.
- 30:03In Deuteronomy the children of Israel.
- 30:05You going to build something to worship an altar of worship.
- 30:08You build it out of stone. And so the things that were used
- 30:11to worship God, the alter the temple built out of stone, but
- 30:16that which was used to glorify man was built out of bricks.
- 30:22Now bricks are a symbol, a symbol of man's hard work.
- 30:26A symbol of Oppression as you remember the children of Israel
- 30:30and slavery in Egypt as you'll see coming forward in the
- 30:33scriptures will be building bricks out of straw on behalf of
- 30:38others, the house of God, that's still to come will be made out
- 30:42of stone. And even as God has built a new
- 30:47Temple. Remember the, the new Temple,
- 30:50the Temple of the Holy Spirit, you and me.
- 30:54How does he describe us as living bricks?
- 31:00Right? No, we're described as what
- 31:03Living Stones built upon one another.
- 31:07The work of God compared with the work of, man.
- 31:11Think about bricks for a second, bricks are man-made.
- 31:15They're brittle and they easily fall apart.
- 31:19Bricks are made exactly. Almost the same.
- 31:24Basically, looking like the next, And here the Tower of
- 31:29Babel is a city being built of rebellion against God.
- 31:33Uniformity not Unity. The work of man's efforts.
- 31:40Obviously there's no indication here in their language of them
- 31:44asking. God, you know, you come to
- 31:46chapter 12. God is speaking to Abram here in
- 31:49chapter 11. Nobody speaking to God, They're
- 31:52just telling God there they are just displaying it.
- 31:56This is What we're going to do, we're going to do it for
- 32:00ourselves. This city, they don't want God's
- 32:04help so they make it with their own strengths and their own
- 32:07power. And there's a usurping of God
- 32:10here using men to be servants to build a tower, two nimrods own
- 32:17glorification. That he might Ascend to heaven
- 32:20and look God, in the eyes and be equal with them.
- 32:23Does that sound like anyone? Does that sound like the devil
- 32:26to you and descriptions are the double throughout?
- 32:29The scriptures? Jotted down.
- 32:30You don't need to turn there. But in Isaiah chapter 14, you
- 32:34can compare Isaiah 14 with here in Genesis 11.
- 32:39I'll read it to you in verse 12, how you are fallen from Heaven
- 32:42o, Lucifer, son of the morning, how you were cut down to the
- 32:45ground. YooHoo weakened the nation's
- 32:50this exactly what happened. In Genesis 11, they're being
- 32:53weakened under the leadership of one man.
- 32:56He's collectively and collaboratively taking all of
- 32:59their energy and effort and he's using it to build a tower for
- 33:02himself. He saying it for some everyone
- 33:05else, but it's really for himself.
- 33:07And listen to the words of Lucifer, he says, in his heart,
- 33:11I will Ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the
- 33:15stars of God. I will sit on the Mount of
- 33:17congregation. The further, the sides of the
- 33:19north I will Ascend above the heights of the clouds.
- 33:22I will be like the most high yet.
- 33:24You shall be brought down to sheol to the lowest depths of
- 33:28the pit and this warped view of Unity comes from the Devil
- 33:32Himself. He unites under false pretenses
- 33:36in order to take advantage and Destroy.
- 33:40Now, what's so wrong with building a tower, nothing in and
- 33:43of itself, or a city. But as you look at verse 4, you
- 33:47see it's all about them. Let us let us let us ourselves.
- 33:52They were developing a political unity in the city, and a
- 33:56religious. Unity with the tower without God
- 33:59in their thoughts at all. And this is something we have to
- 34:03look in the mirror from And a time.
- 34:04And just make sure they like that.
- 34:06This doesn't take control of our thoughts, but the motto, then is
- 34:09the motto. Now, we just go, let's just make
- 34:11a name for ourselves. It's just do something that
- 34:15outlasts us and make a name for ourselves.
- 34:19Today, you have people just talk after I die.
- 34:21I want to people to remember me. So buildings and streets and
- 34:27benches and museums all bear the names of people in their memory.
- 34:31But how did they get their money?
- 34:34How did their money come at the backs of other people?
- 34:38Maybe an investment here or there.
- 34:42How did they get that? Really, not from the backs of
- 34:44other people or Investments at all?
- 34:46It was the provision of God in their lives.
- 34:48And the provision of God, and our lives turned out to be just
- 34:52a name on a building. That with a simple earthquake or
- 34:56some disaster, or some thief or mouth or rust, whatever it might
- 35:00be, it'll go away Babylon. That's Tower of Babel, the
- 35:04beginning of the Babylonian City, it's all four men now, I
- 35:08know we're building this up, there's a lot to this chapter,
- 35:11we'll see how far we go. But I you've got to grasp these
- 35:13things as we launch into the rest of the Bible and kind of
- 35:17tie as chapter 12. Now we're going to be starting
- 35:20to look at people were finishing up chapter 11.
- 35:23You got to tie in what Learned already.
- 35:25I want to take you back to the Garden of Eden.
- 35:28I want you to think for a moment, back to the garden.
- 35:31To Adam and Eve every tree was available, except the one that
- 35:38provided the knowledge of Good and Evil God had prevented them
- 35:43from eating and he said everything.
- 35:45But Now, have you ever wondered why the tree was called that?
- 35:52One reason for sure is that, if Adam were to eat it, he would be
- 35:55declaring openly that now he was consciously and knowingly
- 36:01rebelling against God. That first bite was a conscious
- 36:06public Declaration of atoms independence from God, that is
- 36:13the consequence of sin independence from God.
- 36:17It's interesting. We live in a culture that values
- 36:19Independence But God he doesn't Value Independence like you do
- 36:25he values interdependence here, always reminding us.
- 36:30Stop thinking of only yourself think of others.
- 36:33Also think of others. I mean why do we need to
- 36:37constantly be reminded of that? Because this is in us the the
- 36:41sinful nature, we carry around the Battle of this flesh and the
- 36:45spirit is make a name for yourself.
- 36:50When you when that tree, that fruit of that tree was eaten.
- 36:55They now began to send against knowledge, they receive
- 37:00knowledge. And when they continue to sin,
- 37:03it was now against knowledge. But let me suggest even a deeper
- 37:06reason in light of Genesis 11 Adam and Eve.
- 37:10When they ate that fruit, they experience the consequences that
- 37:13God said they died spiritually eventually, they would die
- 37:17physically but they immediately died spiritually.
- 37:21Satan told Eve you'll recall that if Eight, at their eyes
- 37:25would be open and they would know good and evil in a twisted
- 37:29and perverse way. The devil was right.
- 37:33There would be a new existence for them.
- 37:35A new set of knowledge. God said it.
- 37:38We better to live with me and not knowledge but they were
- 37:43fake. They were fooled and tempted to
- 37:45live with knowledge and not God. And you, what was the first
- 37:49thing? They noticed their nakedness.
- 37:52They didn't know they were naked before.
- 37:54The first piece of knowledge, at least, that's recorded for us.
- 37:57Is that they were naked. And God says, who told you?
- 38:00You were naked. I quit.
- 38:02What's going on here, again, Revelation questions, not for
- 38:05God, but for them, And how did you get that knowledge?
- 38:12Before man ate from the tree, he didn't know about evil.
- 38:19He just knew about God. That was his existence.
- 38:24It's not that Adam was dumb. He was a highly intelligent man,
- 38:27so it wasn't dumb when I say that.
- 38:30God had just protected him for a whole subset of knowledge that
- 38:34he knew would ruin his life. And he protected him, as long as
- 38:38he agreed and obeyed, he lived in that protection, you know,
- 38:42what was Adams life? You know what, Adams life was,
- 38:45it was very simple. He knew God and walked with him
- 38:47in the cool of the garden. He enjoyed God, he enjoyed life.
- 38:53He didn't deal with any kind of consequences of sin.
- 38:56He didn't deal with anything in his head.
- 38:58He didn't deal with the flesh. He didn't deal with sickness
- 39:01disease. He didn't deal with anything
- 39:04that you and I currently live with.
- 39:06He just knew God. I mean, if you think about it,
- 39:09some of the deepest desires and longings of your heart is
- 39:12exactly what Adam had in the garden, you just want to know
- 39:14God and enjoy him. I mean, if you don't use the
- 39:18language, I'm sure you think the language.
- 39:19I just man, I'm tired of this is too much.
- 39:22I don't like this. I don't like that.
- 39:24I'm not. This is hard.
- 39:25Bad. De-stress day, worry days.
- 39:28Like I don't want to play games anymore.
- 39:29Drama, somebody text me today. Just all doing with all this
- 39:32drama drama. I'll tell you some drama.
- 39:34You want to serve some drama? Don't save it for your mama.
- 39:36I'll tell you right now. I'll give you all kinds of drama
- 39:39you. And that's what we're dealing
- 39:40with. We're doing all kinds are drama.
- 39:42Your drama. Everybody's Adam, before the
- 39:45fall. He just knew God.
- 39:52But it changed after eating and disobeying all of a sudden.
- 39:57What happened with Adam is there now, receiving information,
- 40:02independent of God, and this rectum, it wrecked them, they
- 40:10broke fellowship with God and marched away alone, trying to
- 40:14hide and take care of and build their own little kingdom.
- 40:19And therefore fitting of that intimacy.
- 40:22They decided to go do their own thing, their own way.
- 40:25They exchanged the love of God, for the knowledge of the world,
- 40:28and it got him in big trouble. That's what's happening here in
- 40:31Babylon. This is the heritage of the
- 40:34Garden of Eden. Independence, knowledge idolatry
- 40:40Pride, selfishness self worship, it's all here, it causes them to
- 40:46build a tower and a city that was designed in particular.
- 40:50This Tower was designed to replace the worship of the one
- 40:53true God. With the astrological zodiac
- 40:56worship of pagan idolatry. Stargazers an occultist blocking
- 41:01out, God or their lives Nimrod is the founder of this false
- 41:05Babylonian. Regis system.
- 41:07So that the Bible becomes the story of Two Cities.
- 41:11The very first Tale of Two Cities from Genesis to
- 41:16Revelation, Babylon, the city of manmade, Glory man's effort and
- 41:23Jerusalem, the city for God's glory.
- 41:26And the point is that they wanted to reach out and take
- 41:28Dominion of their Destiny from God himself, and God will allow
- 41:32you. If that's the direction you want
- 41:34to go, build your towers and build your cities and build your
- 41:37name and be miserable. Frustrated and separate living
- 41:43on knowledge. Instead of intimacy living on
- 41:47knowledge instead of intimacy. That's why people like to argue
- 41:51all the time. They live in the world of
- 41:53knowledge intimacy, intimacy uses knowledge in her proper way
- 41:58to encourage and build. One another up.
- 42:02Closeness. Babylon. well, you know, in
- 42:06Revelation chapter 17 Babylon is used as the descriptor Well let
- 42:13me read it to you. It says the room woman in
- 42:15Revelation 17 was arrayed in purple and Scarlet and adorned
- 42:19with gold and precious stones and Pearls having in her hand, a
- 42:23golden cup full of Abominations and the filthiness of her
- 42:27fornication. And on her forehead, a name was
- 42:30written mystery Babylon, the great, the mother of harlots,
- 42:34and of the Abominations of the earth.
- 42:37I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints.
- 42:40With the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
- 42:43And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
- 42:49This is where it all starts, but even back to the Garden of Eden
- 42:53and where are we? Where are we?
- 42:57When it comes to Babylon and Jerusalem, where are we?
- 43:00Exactly. I know the silly illustration of
- 43:05my phone doesn't seem like much but I've learned over the years
- 43:08that if I don't pay attention to the small things in my life,
- 43:12Then I'm definitely not going to see the big things.
- 43:16And I'm preparing to teach a Bible study, not too long from
- 43:18now to a group of men, and the heaviness that's on my heart for
- 43:24them. And for us, in general is just
- 43:26finishing. Well, I have friends that not
- 43:29only are not finishing well, but they're not finishing at all.
- 43:34And agrees my heart. I've been around now, pastoring
- 43:37in this city for many years, where I've seen, also many
- 43:41people not Finnish, not Finnish, well, not even want to finish
- 43:45anymore, and it breaks my heart. It's not God's will for you.
- 43:48He doesn't want you to run around naked with fig leaves,
- 43:50hiding from him and hiding from his love.
- 43:53Just because you desire to take a little bite that you shouldn't
- 43:57like, he desires the intimacy back with you.
- 43:59He's calling you back. Maybe you're listening and you
- 44:02have been walking with the Lord for a long time.
- 44:03Even connected to our church right now, listening on there.
- 44:06Like stop your prodigal living, and come home.
- 44:09Not because you're a bad person, but because God loves you,
- 44:13there's no need to live in guilt and shame your whole life.
- 44:17And it seems as if the things that God tells us aren't things
- 44:19that we he should. But he's going to remind us
- 44:22because we all have short memories.
- 44:25I want to finish well I want to finish even greater than I
- 44:29started. Whatever that might mean.
- 44:32I want to grow in God's grace and knowledge.
- 44:34I want to take as many people with me and it's going to
- 44:36require in deeper ways in my life and in yours a sensitivity
- 44:42to the smaller things to the still Small Voice to the
- 44:46willingness to be misunderstood by people, or to be mocked or
- 44:50laughed at or to whatever it might be, just to walk humbly
- 44:56with our God. To be broken.
- 45:00Well, notice verse 5. But the Lord came down to see
- 45:06the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built.
- 45:09And the Lord said indeed, the people are one and they have one
- 45:12language. And that's what they've, and
- 45:14this is what they begin to do now.
- 45:16Nothing they propose to do will be withheld from them come.
- 45:20Let us go down and there confuse their language that they may not
- 45:25understand one another's speech. And so the Lord scattered them
- 45:29abroad from there, over the face of the Earth and ceased building
- 45:34this City. And therefore, its name is
- 45:36called Babel because they're the Lord confused.
- 45:40The language of all the Earth and from there, the Lord
- 45:43scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
- 45:48Now, some would come here and go wait a minute.
- 45:50I thought the Bible says that God is not the author of
- 45:52confusion. That's true.
- 45:55When you're reading the Bible, you have to be careful with
- 45:57context. You simply can't take two
- 46:01English words that one in the Old Testament.
- 46:03One. In the you New Testament, and
- 46:05say there it's the same English word.
- 46:07So, here's one and here's the other, you need to understand
- 46:10each and its context. God is not the author of
- 46:13confusion, that will confuse you from understanding him.
- 46:16That will confuse you from worshiping him.
- 46:19That will confuse you from being in relationship with him.
- 46:22That will allow the his gifts. And, and the, the exercises of
- 46:27his gifts to cause all kinds of confusion where attention will
- 46:30be taken away from him. But it's certainly God's
- 46:33prerogative to switch up languages so that he will break
- 46:37up this perverse Twisted sinful Unity.
- 46:42That is ultimately hurting man and that he's coming down and
- 46:48switching things up for them so that they might now.
- 46:52As Paul would say that mankind is groping, now groping for
- 46:58meaning. They are they as he saying?
- 47:01And I think it was in Acts chapter.
- 47:02A teen will get there eventually that God has allowed this.
- 47:06Let's go over and let me because I that's on my mind, I want to
- 47:09read it to you go to Acts chapter 17, Paul is on Mars
- 47:16Hill. And he is teaching them.
- 47:20And he's talking about the unknown, God.
- 47:25And he says, in verse 24 of Acts 17, he says God who made the
- 47:29world and everything in it since he is the Lord of Heaven and
- 47:32Earth doesn't dwell in temples made with hands.
- 47:34He's not worshipped with men's hands as though he needed
- 47:37anything since he gives to all life breath and all things and
- 47:41he's made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all
- 47:44the face of the Earth and has determined their pre appointed
- 47:47times and the boundaries of their habitation.
- 47:50So that they might seek the Lord in hope that they might grope
- 47:54for him. Him and find him though.
- 47:57He is not far from each one of us for in him.
- 48:00We live and move and have our being as some of our own profits
- 48:04of our poets have said for we are also his offspring.
- 48:07Therefore since we're The Offspring of God, we ought not
- 48:09to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone
- 48:13something shaped by our demands devising.
- 48:16Truly these times of ignorance God is overlooked but now
- 48:19commands, all men everywhere to repent, this is what's happening
- 48:23in Genesis 11. God is coming in and switching
- 48:27up the languages so that they might grope for him and then
- 48:29another note verse 7 as we're running out of time.
- 48:33There's that phrase let us again.
- 48:34This enter trinitarian dialogue, And there are many today would
- 48:40say oh there is no, no such teaching as the Trinity Trinity
- 48:43and it's all throughout the scriptures and in the
- 48:46progressive revelation of God, we see the fullness describe for
- 48:49us in the New Testament, the New Covenant, but even he remember
- 48:52back in Genesis chapter 1, let us.
- 48:55So we have the hints of the Triune God.
- 48:59Even here also remember God is when reading the Bible, reading
- 49:03it from a an anthropomorphic perspective and that's just a
- 49:08fancy Word that we're trying to describe God in human terms.
- 49:12I mean, we still don't fully understand God.
- 49:14There's so much mystery God is God and we aren't so we use the
- 49:18language that we have to describe God.
- 49:21That's all that's happening here.
- 49:22We're trying to describe what God is doing from our point of
- 49:25view, even though they had imagined That God was done with
- 49:29them, he's seen it, all nothing happens apart from God.
- 49:35So what does he do? He scatters changes their
- 49:38language, scatters them and his answer to their Folly was Swift
- 49:43with lasting judgment. By the way, if you like to write
- 49:46in your Bibles you can circle the word Babble.
- 49:48It means confusion. The city of unity was actually a
- 49:53city or a tower of confusion. Notice in verse 10, we have the
- 50:00genealogy of Shem, little bit deeper the focus, on shim
- 50:04beginning with this, son are facts odd, and we kind of read
- 50:08through. And then in verse 27, it's the
- 50:11genealogy of Tara as he begat Abram nahor and haran and haran
- 50:16begat lat and we'll be getting more into the life of Abram as
- 50:22we go through. It says in verse 31.
- 50:24The Tara took his son Abram and his grandson lot.
- 50:27The son of haran. And his daughter-in-law Sarah is
- 50:30Sons Abraham's wife and they went out with them, from Ur of
- 50:33the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to
- 50:36haran and dwelt there. So, the days of Terror were two
- 50:39hundred, five years, Terah died, and her on.
- 50:43So, just a little bit of review before we leave.
- 50:45We got just a few minutes. Remember the beginning of our
- 50:48study. In Genesis, I broke down the
- 50:50book into two, halves for events and for people.
- 50:55So for events from chapters 1 through 11, Was Creation, The
- 50:59Fall the flood, and now we just finished the nations in the
- 51:04second half of the book which is the majority of Genesis verses
- 51:0712 through 50. We have four people, Abraham,
- 51:11Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. And now Abraham will take our
- 51:16attention for the next 13 chapters.
- 51:18Even it was I was looking ahead, putting together chat, the study
- 51:22for chapter 12. I decided to not just plow
- 51:24through it. We're going to do it in two
- 51:26studies because I really think there are things To draw out
- 51:29from the call of Abram, because almost any big step of Faith.
- 51:33Almost any church. Planner, almost any missionary
- 51:36Tate's back there. Step of faith, that God used a
- 51:39chapter 12 in their lives, get up and go.
- 51:43Well, where am I going? I'll show you when you get
- 51:44there. Take a big step of Faith.
- 51:46Follow me. And, and many of us when we look
- 51:49at that, no, God. Use chapter 12 in my life, to
- 51:52begin the ball rolling of, you know what?
- 51:55I'm going to take you somewhere else.
- 51:57You're going to be doing something else and just
- 52:00beginning to think and Abram will take our attention for the
- 52:04next 13. Chapters he grows up in earlier
- 52:07the cow disease which was another idolatrous city filled
- 52:11with idolatrous people a place of pleasure and wealth
- 52:15knowledge. Schooling intellectually
- 52:18Advanced worshipping, many gods, Terah Abraham's dad was a rank.
- 52:24I do Idol worshiper name. And Abram.
- 52:27They take wives, terrorize mention here.
- 52:30We're going to get to it as we get into the studies.
- 52:34But I think today, just thinking about this tower that we have a
- 52:38choice to invest our lives in that which is eternal order.
- 52:42Invest our lives in that, which is not, and Jesus was serious to
- 52:48lay up for ourselves Treasures, in Heaven, not on Earth.
- 52:51So, father, we pray as we come to the close today and just some
- 52:56some deep. Deep deep things, you know,
- 52:58we're going to build with bricks or with stones.
- 53:03Are we going to find God our satisfaction in you?
- 53:07Or are we going to find our satisfaction in others or other
- 53:12things? And it's just a battle, is such
- 53:15a great time of prayer for us. This battle of the Spirit In the
- 53:19Flesh. So true.
- 53:22And even in our best days, God, we still get it wrong.
- 53:26And even in our best decisions, we still have things skewed.
- 53:30And even in our best, you know, days of worship and adoration
- 53:35and we can end the day with going.
- 53:37What a day. It's still.
- 53:41So much less than what you have for us.
- 53:46And father, we pray for your spirit just to hang heavy upon
- 53:51us as we consider the Tower of Babel.
- 53:54We consider what we're making with our own hands.
- 53:57We consider what you're doing in our lives.
- 54:01God help us to follow you closely that we might trust you
- 54:05in the Deep times in the baron times and the challenging times
- 54:10I was thinking of that verse today to God, you said you
- 54:12brought us thus far. Yes, you have.
- 54:16And we give you the glory for bringing us this far.
- 54:19May you receive the glory from our lives that you have saved,
- 54:23you have redeemed and Continue to use for your glory in Jesus
- 54:27name. Amen.
- 54:29Amen. Okay.
- 54:29Don't stand yet. If anybody here right now Among
- 54:34Us, you guys online and on the radio will acknowledge you too.
- 54:38But if this this this theme of building with bricks or stone,
- 54:44really minister to you laying up in heaven or on Earth just like
- 54:48really minister to you and you want a little bit of extra
- 54:52prayer like just to affirm that God spoke to you tonight.
- 54:55Would you stand to your feet? Just you.
- 54:57And it may be just one and maybe all of you.
- 54:59I don't know. But like this theme of The
- 55:02battle between eternity and now building on my hands building
- 55:07with what God has given me. If that's, you, would you just
- 55:09stand? We want to pray for you.
- 55:11You just like, that's me and we're not even in Genesis 12
- 55:15yet. That'll be next.
- 55:17So just stand let it be a stent. A time of humility and we're
- 55:20going to come around and rally around a pray for you.
- 55:22All right, so anyone else before?
- 55:24Because everybody's going to get up and it'll be chaotic.
- 55:27So we want to make sure just that theme now or later.
- 55:31Now, Erna tea, anyone bricks and stone bricks, and stone bricks
- 55:36and stone. Some of you the word for God.
- 55:38For you, is you go down to Home Depot and buy a brick and you
- 55:42buy a stone and that becomes something you place prominently.
- 55:45So God will remind you of this every time you see it brick, or
- 55:49stone, brick or stone. It's your choice work on my
- 55:52hands. The work of God.
- 55:54What is it? Anyone else.
- 55:59Okay, so everyone else look around, don't get up yet, but
- 56:02just look around. Pick somebody.
- 56:04So, look around and pick somebody in your head.
- 56:07So look around, make sure nobody's missed the whiny one
- 56:10that's standing. You guys that are sitting look
- 56:12for someone. So go ahead and get up and go to
- 56:15them now, and we're going to pray for them.
- 56:18Okay. So pick the person and go to
- 56:20that person. You picked, and let's pray for
- 56:22them. And if you okay, while it's too
- 56:25late now, I'm just going to lay hands on you so it's going to be
- 56:28fine. This is something that you miss
- 56:31when we're not gathering together.
- 56:33It's something you miss, when they try to separate you from
- 56:35worshiping at something you miss, when you're fearful of
- 56:38covid, something you miss, you need the Personal Touch.
- 56:42Is there anyone on the stage? Okay, so anyone else on the
- 56:45stage. Okay, so I'm going to need some
- 56:47people up on the stage with me is my hands are not large
- 56:49enough, so a couple of people. Come on, Steven, are you?
- 56:53Come on up for your dad? Anyone else I can?
- 56:56Bear come up on the stage with Henry.
- 56:59How about on this side? Somebody, come on up.
- 57:03Come on up. I'm going to pray, of course,
- 57:08because I have the microphone on and we're on the radio, but I'm
- 57:10not the only one needs to pray. If you have a word Supernatural
- 57:14word of knowledge, a supernatural Word of Wisdom, you
- 57:17have something. You came to church with the
- 57:19prey, go ahead and prayed over them as I'm praying and just
- 57:23pray it out loud. If multiple people praying at
- 57:26the same time, that's okay, don't worry about it.
- 57:29You just get God, brought you to pray some to be prayed over and
- 57:32some to pray. So, go ahead and do that and
- 57:34obedience right now. And father, we are grateful for
- 57:38the humility in this room Lord. As we think of the brick and the
- 57:42stone God, we think of the challenge of the work of my
- 57:47hands and my mind, and my knowledge, and my expertise and
- 57:52then that simple Trust of what you have already created.
- 57:56We're not going to take all the things and put them together and
- 57:59create something, but you have already created.
- 58:02And so we just pray for the wisdom and the knowledge that
- 58:05comes from you. We don't want that broke.
- 58:07Ian relationship, it's been restored in Christ.
- 58:10We don't have to run away and cover our nakedness or cover,
- 58:12our weakness that we can come back to intimacy and strength
- 58:17and power. And I pray that over my sister
- 58:19tonight Lord, as she comes standing right here on the stage
- 58:22saying me, God has spoken to me and may your words come a lie?
- 58:28May they be powerful? May this be a Rhema word that
- 58:31speaks to the soul men and women both here and out that God, we
- 58:36are not merely Desiring a Bible study but we want to be studied
- 58:41by your spirit and change from the inside out and God is you
- 58:45hear the prayers of your Saints tonight may they be heard and
- 58:49answered according to your will and maybe great Victory and make
- 58:53great overcoming their Spirit of overcoming descend upon us and
- 58:57just great strength on the things that have been beating us
- 59:01down and worrying us and stressing us out that you would
- 59:05have the victory in In our lives by our surrender and
- 59:09collectively the church says together.
- 59:12Amen. And amen.
- 59:13We have got a victory for his goodness, and his graciousness,
- 59:18and his power and his love for you.
- 59:22It just so struck me to think what broken what the what Adam
- 59:26and Eve really lost was God. And here, we are as Christians
- 59:31in and out of church. And I wonder if what we've
- 59:34really lost is ours, All along and God is pursuing and say,
- 59:40where are you? Where are you didn't have to
- 59:42come down and go hey you know what, let's make this.
- 59:45Let's stir things up. So they don't do this in
- 59:47Rebellion anymore. You can have the voice of God in
- 59:49the garden. Say where are you?
- 59:52Where are you? Come back.
- 59:56Let the Lord do that work. Let's Stand Together.
- 59:58People will be up here to pray with you.
- 1:00:00Courage, you maybe you just met somebody maybe you want to ask
- 1:00:04the person that you prayed for you, okay?
- 1:00:07Check in on them. Get a name and email address.
- 1:00:09If you're comfortable with that and let it be the beginning.
- 1:00:13It's not a church service, come in and do my thing.
- 1:00:15I mean, some of you right now never done that before, it's the
- 1:00:17first of many times and you know what, you can pray for anyone.
- 1:00:22At any time, you don't need a pastor to tell you that.
- 1:00:26You don't need, you can ask a question.
- 1:00:28Hey did this? You can walk out to the parking
- 1:00:30lot so they did the Bible studies affect?
- 1:00:31Yeah I did. What can I pray for you?
- 1:00:35My brother is in surgery goes. Yeah, I'm Anna.
- 1:00:37I'm sober by the power of God. Well, you know, that that
- 1:00:41stopped the conversation really quick, but it didn't stop the
- 1:00:44seed of the Gospel to be deposited in a precious nurse,
- 1:00:48who has the gift of Mercy, or has a merciful heart.
- 1:00:51Really like God has used to be the church.
- 1:00:55So it's be the church church, Living Stones built upon one
- 1:00:59another. And those of you that were
- 1:01:01prayed for by faith, he received the prayer Faith that's it.
- 1:01:06Just walk out going. I received that Lord.
- 1:01:08I received that, I can't believe what she was saying.
- 1:01:11That's what I was thinking this morning.
- 1:01:13Why? Because God already knew It's
- 1:01:15not on my notes at the end. Make sure you tell everyone to
- 1:01:19pray for each other. It's not in my notes.
- 1:01:23God loves you. He wants you to connect with
- 1:01:26each other and be not building some Tower into heaven.
- 1:01:30But taking people into the heavenlies, through the power of
- 1:01:32the Holy Spirit, bless you guys. Have a great week.
- 1:01:36We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
- 1:01:38Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
- 1:01:42prayer, call us at 877 30. Grace.
- 1:01:46That's eight 77304. 703 to listen to this message in its
- 1:01:52entirety or to join us for our lives dream Services.
- 1:01:56Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
- 1:02:01free Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus
- 1:02:04this week.