The Pride of Man

Well, thank you very much for that. It would be great if you have that passage open in front of you.

As has already been mentioned, my name is Alistair. The privilege of being the assistant here at Brunsfield

and the privilege of taking us through this wonderful passage of Scripture.

And this morning we come to a topic that runs deep in every single human heart.

But I wonder if you can guess what it is by listening to these three quotes that I'm just about to put on the screen.

So the first one is,

My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.

The second quote,

I am so credible, so influential and so relevant that I will change things.

Or the last quote,

I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it.

Now what do all of those quotes have in common?

Shout out a few answers.

Pride. There you go. No more answers. That's it.

That is exactly what we come to this morning.

Pride.

Now I doubt any of us are going to say these kinds of things about ourselves.

But we all, to different degrees, suffer with the issue of pride, don't we?

We like the thrill of being recognized.

We like to be seen, to be acknowledged, applauded and praised.

We might wear a particular brand of clothing to stand out in the crowd.

We might buy the flashiest car or the biggest house so that people notice us.

And these are the material outworkings of pride, but it runs much deeper than that, doesn't it?

We might be annoyed if someone gets the credit for the work that we do.

Because we wanted the attention.

Or maybe it's in a prayer point that we share at small group or in the prayer meeting

that focuses more on our apparent holiness than the work of God.

Or maybe it's thinking that we don't need God's help.

And we only go to Him once we've exhausted our own resources and energy.

All of these different things are different appearances of the same issue.

Pride.

It's the idea that the whole world revolves around you,

that you are the most important person in the world.

And the root of it all is that the natural state of every single human heart is full of pride.

Because we naturally say, no God, I don't want you.

I want to be you.

That's what we're going to see this morning as we turn to Genesis chapter 11.

Genesis 11 · chapter mention

The pride of man.

And we're going to see the downward spiral of humanity.

And the depths of depravity that we're capable of reaching.

But most importantly, we're going to see that despite human failings,

despite our rebellion, despite humanity proudly walking away from God

and deviating more and more from His plan,

despite all of that, and despite God having every reason to,

He does not cast us off.

But He shows us amazing faithfulness.

An abundant grace to a sinful world.

So the first thing that we see in this passage is the pride of man.

Verses 1 to 9, the pride of man.

Now we get our first indication that things are not going well in verse 2.

Look with me.

It says,

As people moved eastward,

they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

Now anytime we've heard the language of east in Genesis or people moving east,

we're to understand that they are moving away from God's plan

and God's good design for the world.

Remember how in Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve, when sin entered into the world

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

and they rebelled against God, they were cast out of the garden to the east.

And when Cain, in Genesis 4, when it says that he went out from the Lord's presence,

he went east of Eden.

The language of going east should draw our attention to the fact that something is not right in this picture.

Something is about to go horribly wrong.

And we see exactly what that is in verses 3 and 4.

Read with me.

They said to each other,

Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.

They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar.

Then 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.

Otherwise we'll be scattered over the face of the earth.

Now this is the prime example of the pride of man.

They are disobeying God's commands to go out into the world and fill it by congregating in one place

and they're trying to make a name for themselves.

Do you see similar language that we've seen before in verse 3?

Humanity is saying,

Come, let us make.

People are using their God-given ability

and gift of being creative.

But they're not using it for good.

This is the same language, isn't it, that we heard in Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

As God says,

Come, let us make man in our image.

And here we see those image bearers of God.

We see a corrupt, broken, sinful humanity using their identity

and God-given gift to create for evil and sin.

And do you see that repetition in verse 4?

How five times in that very short verse,

the people's attention is always on themselves.

They are the center of their own universe.

In their pride, they're puffing themselves up,

gladly bearing their sin on their chest for everyone to see,

parading it to show how great they are.

They want to be noticed.

They want to stand out.

They want to make a name for themselves.

And when people make a name for themselves,

it means that they've stopped making God's name great.

They've turned from God

and are focusing on themselves.

Now, I doubt that any of us are going to go away this morning

and build a tower or a city from our pride

so that people can see how great we are.

But isn't it just as easy to build a social media empire

where we strive to have thousands of friends on Facebook

or the most likes on Twitter and Instagram we possibly can?

We create this perfect life on the surface.

But is that really the case

or are we just building our own tower?

What about when we came into church this morning?

How many of us were honest and open

when we were asked, how are you?

It's so easy to put on a mask,

to pretend that we're okay

and we have it all together even though we don't.

That's pride.

That's us focusing more on how others view us

than how we're really doing

and being open and honest with our brothers and sisters.

Friends, this same spirit of Babel,

this same pride lives in each and every one of us.

We all want some form of recognition.

We all want to be seen, to be liked.

We live in a world where sin is paraded around

and celebrated as something good.

But the reality is that we live in a world

that is seeking glory instead of seeking God.

By trying to make our name for ourselves,

we're forgetting the one

whose name should be lifted above every other name.

Humanity is doing the same thing Adam and Eve did

in Genesis 3, saying,

no God, I don't want you.

I want to be you.

And so humanity, in all of its depravity,

tries to reach the heights of God.

They want to enter into His domain

and become like Him.

But as Proverbs 16, verse 18 says,

Proverbs 16:18

pride goes before destruction

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

All of this is motivated by pride.

They want to make a name for themselves to be seen

and they don't want to be scattered.

But do you see the irony in verse 5?

So these people are wanting to build a statement

of their own fame and glory

to show off their ability.

But verse 5 says,

The Lord came down to see the city

and the tower the people were building.

Even man's greatest attempts to reach God

will always, always fail.

Man's attempt to achieve glory,

honour, praise, recognition,

which belongs only to God,

will always fall pitifully short.

God comes down to inspect

the result of human pride.

And this teaches us something

about God's judgment,

which is just about to come,

and God's judgment in general.

God's judgment is never erratic.

He doesn't just fly off the handle,

He doesn't lose it at the people,

but God's judgment is always

according to truth.

God sees all things,

God knows all things,

and He will judge accordingly.

And so God says in verse 6,

If as one people speaking the same language

they've begun to do this,

then nothing they plan

will be impossible for them.

Now we aren't to take this literally,

and I think that we're capable

of doing everything we set our minds to.

This isn't the kind of message

that's being pushed in schools and society

that you can do and be whatever you want.

But this means

that the depravity of man is so far gone

that nothing will stop

the act of evil

when left unchecked.

We saw this, didn't we,

in Genesis 6,

how the thoughts

of the hearts of mankind

are described as evil

all the time.

And then add into that mix

the whole community

of sinful people

whose desire is to rebel

against God.

The outcome is not a good one.

Their pride,

their rejection of God

means that God must judge

because he is holy

and he is a just God.

And so God intervenes

in verses 7 to 9

and in his mercy

disperses the people

of Babel,

confuses their language

and scatters them

over the face

of the whole earth.

The people of Babel

wanted significance,

but they got alienation.

But do you see

how gracious God is

in all of this?

He could have delivered

the final judgment

because yet again

in just 11 chapters

the people have,

humanity have rebelled

against God

and said,

we don't want you.

We want to be you.

We want to be king

of our lives.

But God doesn't destroy them.

Instead,

he shows grace

by dispersing them.

And by dispersing them,

God is doing two things.

One,

he is preventing

any further

large-scale evil acts.

And two,

he is fulfilling

his own repeated command

for humanity

to multiply

and fill the earth.

So God is being faithful

to his promises

even in judgment.

Now we might look

at this text

and think how foolish

the people of Babel are.

They're trying to become

like God

and reaching for

his heights

of glory and honor.

But the reality is

that this same spirit

of Babel,

that this same pride,

the same ideas

and desires

live within

every single one of us.

We live in a world

that's proud of sin.

A world

that glory's in it.

We neglect

to submit

to the Bible

because it maybe

makes us feel

uncomfortable

or we think

that it will spoil

our fun.

But the problem

and the reality

is that our

continuous pride,

in it,

we are neglecting God.

We're taking God

off the throne

of our hearts

and putting ourselves

in his place.

We're rejecting him

as King and Lord

and running our own way,

building our own idols,

building our own cities,

our own towers

of Babel,

all in defiance

of God.

But the wonderful news

that we cling to

is that despite

our pride,

despite our sinfulness

and despite the fact

that humanity

is naturally deserving

of judgment,

God is gracious

and that he is faithful

to his promises.

And that is the second thing

that we see

in this passage,

is the promise

of God

in verses 10

to 32.

The promise

of God.

Now if you remember

back to Genesis 3

Genesis 3:15

verse 15,

God promised

that he would send

the serpent crusher,

the one who would

put an end

to sin,

who would defeat

the work of Satan

and who would make

it possible

for a sinful humanity

to be made right

with God.

God.

And as we've journeyed

through this short series

on the beginning

of Genesis,

we've seen glimmers

of hope.

Could this be

the serpent crusher?

Could this be

our rescuer?

But each one

has failed.

Each of them

have proved

that sin dwells

in the depths

of the human heart

and that no one

born in the cycle

of man

can break it.

And so why do I say

in these verses

we see the promise

of God?

Well as you've probably

already noticed,

this is the repetition

of the family line

of Shem.

So the list

of Shem's descendants

come first

in Genesis chapter 10

Genesis 10:21–31

verses 21 to 31

and then it's repeated

here in Genesis 11

Genesis 11:10–26

verses 10 to 26.

Why?

Well it's the author's

way of drawing

our attention

to this particular line.

If you've ever

looked at a family tree

they can be

often be very extensive

with lines

and names everywhere.

So the genealogy

of chapter 10

is kind of like that.

It's big picture stuff.

All of the descendants

of Noah's sons.

The genealogy

in chapter 11

is very specific.

It is all focusing

in on the line

of Shem

and it's the author's

way of telling us

to keep an eye

on this particular line.

Something is going

to happen

through this family

that we should

be waiting for.

The author is saying

this is the line

of the serpent crusher.

And we see that

as we jump into

the beginning

of chapter 12.

We're in the land

of Ur

of the Chaldeans

a pagan land.

We're introduced

to a man named

Abram

who would later

become Abraham.

A pagan man

who's had no

previous interactions

with God

and suddenly

Genesis chapter 12

Genesis 12:1

verse 1

the Lord said

to Abram.

God in his abundant

grace and kindness

chooses to reveal

himself to Abram.

He spoke to him

and commanded him

to leave his home

and family

to go to a distant

land that God

would show him.

He wasn't given

a clue where he

was going.

He wasn't given

a postcode

that he could

put in his sat-nav

to see how long

it would take.

He was just

told to go.

But he was given

amazing promises

on the way.

Genesis 12

Genesis 12:2

verses 2 and 3

say this

I will make you

into a great nation

and I will bless you.

I will make

your name great

and you will be

a blessing.

I will bless

those who bless you

and whoever curses

you I will curse

and all peoples

on earth

will be blessed

through you.

God is promising

Abram a land

a people

and that he will

be a blessing

to the world.

The pride of mankind

the spirit of Babel

tells us to make

a name for ourselves

do more

work harder

be better

but God says

don't listen to

that nonsense

trust in my promises

trust in me

I alone

am the one

who can make

your name

great

and it is for

my glory

not yours.

Do you see that

contrast?

God is the one

who elevates people

and gives them

his glory

any attempt

to do it

on our own

will fail.

Listen to

and put your trust

in the promise

of God

because it doesn't

stop here

in Genesis 11

with the descendants

of Shem

because that whole

line

is just full

of more people

who are just

as sinful

and full

of just

as much pride

but there is

one descendant

that this whole

book is pointing

towards

there is one

serpent crusher

who dealt

with the problems

of the spirit

of Babel

and who appears

on the scene

thousands of years

after the events

mentioned in this

chapter

Matthew chapter

one

we read

Jesus is a

descendant

of Abraham

not born

of a man

not born

into that

cycle

of sin

and pride

but he is

conceived of

the Holy Spirit

born

to a virgin

he is God

in the flesh

come down

into a broken

sinful humanity

and his message

was not that

of a personal

trainer

to do more

to be better

to make a name

for ourselves

or to

attempt to reach

some heights

of glory

but his message

was repent

and believe

the good news

for the kingdom

of God

is at hand

Jesus is this

promised

descendant

of Abraham

through whom

the whole world

will be blessed

he is the

fulfillment

of these promises

in Genesis

and he is the

one who came

to deal with

the spirit

of Babel

that is alive

and well

in our hearts

today

Jesus said

repent

recognize

your sin

and rebellion

against God

recognize

your pride

that is being

an obstacle

for you

turning to God

and turn

from it

turn the other

way

and come

and follow

me

Jesus says

don't try

make a name

for yourself

but Jesus

says

instead

take my

name

and become

a son

and daughter

of the living

God

Jesus teaches

us to take

our eyes

off the spirit

and tower

of Babel

and to focus

our minds

on an even

greater goal

on an even

greater home

and an even

greater dwelling

place

in Matthew

Matthew 5:3

chapter 5

verse 3

Jesus says

blessed are the

poor in spirit

for theirs

is not a

tower of Babel

but is the

kingdom

of God

pride

the spirit

of Babel

says

do more

be better

build your

own tower

play God

Jesus

says

the promise

of God

says

humble

yourself

that's what

it means

to be poor

in spirit

humble

yourself

and you

will inherit

far more

than a

failed attempt

at a

tower

humble

yourself

and yours

is the

kingdom

of God

humble

yourself

and submit

to Jesus

and the

promise

is not

a comfortable

life where

you're loved

and recognized

by everyone

but you're

promised

eternal life

with the

God who

made you

with the

God who

knows

you

and with

the God

who died

so you

can be

there

friends the

fulfillment of

this promise

of God

in the book

of Genesis

is Jesus

Christ

he is the

perfect example

of humility

as he took

on flesh

and became

one of us

living the

perfect life

without sin

without pride

that we never

could

dying the

death that

we all

deserve

and rising

triumphant

from the

grave

defeating

sin

conquering

death

and making

the way

for a

proud

sinful

humanity

like you

and me

to be

forgiven

and made

right with

God

that is

what we're

here to

celebrate

this morning

the elements

on this

table are

not just

reminders of

a fairy

tale

they're not

reminders of

a good

guy who

died a

tragic

death

these are

elements that

get to the

very heart

of the

Christian

message

that each

of us

is sinful

suffering the

effects of

the fallen

living out

a babel

lifestyle in

pride and

rejection of

God but

through Jesus

Christ

through his

broken body

through his

shed blood

we are being

taken from

being children

of pride

and deserving

of judgment

to being sons

and daughters

of the living

God

who is faithful

to his promises

and sent his

son to die

if you're here

this morning

and you are a

Christian

do not be

tricked

do not fall

back into

the spirit of

babel but

trust fully

and live out

your faith in

Jesus Christ

in all humility

live

not making

a name for

yourself

but making

his name

great

because the

reality is

that if we're

full of

ourselves

there is

no more

room for

God

our goal

should be

to see

him glorified

and to see

his name

lifted above

every other

name

and if you're

not a Christian

this morning

I want you to

consider where

you stand

before this

holy God

the day is

approaching

when God

will come

down and

in his

final act

of judgment

those who've

trusted in

Jesus he

will take

to be with

him in his

presence forever

and those

who continue

in their

pride and

rebellion he

will cast

off into

eternal

judgment

please don't

let pride

be the thing

that stops

you turning

to God

but listen

to the words

of Jesus

as he calls

you to

repent

believe in

and follow

him

would you

humble

yourself

and see

the brokenness

of your

own heart

and humbly

come before

Jesus the

servant king

who died

so that you

may live

this passage

is summarized

wonderfully by

the lyrics

we're just

about to

sing

how people

can go

from living

in their

sin

glorying

in pride

and rejecting

God to

being brought

into his

family

being made

right with

him

because of

the promised

one

Jesus Christ

and with

these words

I'll end

I once was

lost

in darkest

night

yet thought

I knew

the way

the sin

that promised

joy and

life

had led

me to

the grave

I had

no hope

that you

would own

a rebel

to your

will

and if

you had

not loved

me first

I would

refuse you

still

hallelujah

all I

have is

Christ

hallelujah

Jesus

is my

life

let's

pray

together

and just

in the

quietness

of our

hearts

let's

spend a

moment

reflecting

on how

we stand

before a

holy God

and give

him thanks

for what

he has

done

for us

how deep

the father's

love for

us

that he

would send

his only

son to

make a

wretch

his

treasure

father we

thank you

that you

have come

that you

have sent

your son

that you

have been

faithful to

your promise

and you

have rescued

a people

you've

brought us

and taken

us out

of pride

you've

taken us

out of

the path

that we

were on

to destruction

and you

have stopped

us from

making a

name for

ourselves

but you

have given

us an

even greater

name

that you

have given

us your

name

and that we

can now

say that we

are sons and

daughters of

the living

God

Jesus we

thank you

amen

amen

and

we

amen

amen

amen

amen