01-27-2019 – Keith Cozort – Babel Wasn’t All Babble (PM Sermon)

Certainly good to have you here this evening. See this number out. We appreciate you. Being here has been a beautiful first day of the week, even with the snow that we had a little bit of this morning. Certainly couldn’t tell it by the time we got finished with our worship this morning and got out, but we are certainly grateful for your presence.

Open your Bibles with me. If you will, to Genesis chapter 11, Genesis chapter 11, I want us to read the first nine verses of this chapter concerning an account that most all of us are familiar with as it relates toward the tower of Babel Genesis chapter 11, because what we’re going to see here is that Bible wasn’t all babbled, Abel, wasn’t all babble.

Notice what Moses records and the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass. As they journeyed from the East that they found a plain in the land of Shiner and dwelt there. And they said one to another, go to let us make brick and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone and slime had they for mortar.

And they said, go to let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. And let us make us a name lest we should be less. We be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children have men build it. And the Lord said,

behold, the people is one and they have all one language and this they begin to do. And now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to let us go down and their confront their language or confound their language, that they may not understand one another speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth.

And they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth and from thence, did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all these Here, we have one of the early events in the history of mankind, even though this is after the flood. And so we know from The References that we have in,

in chapter five and chapter six, that the flood comes almost 1700 years after the creation 1,696 years. I believe it is. And yet this is going to happen after that. So it’s not, when you think about the beginning, it’s not right there at the beginning, by any way, shape or form. It’s over 1700 years from the time that God created Adam and Eve to where we have the tower of Babel.

And it’s going to be considerably longer than that Because Many generations are going to come and go before we have this taking place here in chapter 11, but as peace concerning the fact that the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. Can you imagine, by the way, this is the way it’s always been from the time of Adam and Eve up until this point in time,

everybody spoke the same way language everybody was of one language we can’t imagine. I don’t believe anyway. We can’t imagine a time when there wasn’t many different languages. And yet at this time, and from here going all the way back to the beginning in the garden of Eden, everybody spoke the same language. They’re all related to one another, just as we’re all related to one another,

just not very closely. Most of us anyway, some of us are closer related than others, but we are all related. And I think that many times we don’t think about that as much as we should, that we come away with and treat one another as if what the evolution is teaches us, that we are greatly disassociated from one another and not related to one another.

And it just so happens that we just all happened to be here at the same time, as far as the different colored skin, people, then speaking the different languages and all those things at this particular time, though, everyone spoke the same language. By the way, it doesn’t say they were all the same color either by the way. And the indication is that they weren’t all the same color at this particular time.

And going back even closer to the time of the beginning to the children of Adam and Eve, the likelihood is they weren’t all the same skin color, but here it is that the whole earth, everyone that was alive spoke the one same language. And so they traveled from the East to this place called the land of Shiner and they’re they’re going to live and they decide,

well, let’s go ahead and make us a city. And let’s, let’s make a brick And burn them to where they’re strong. And we’ll go ahead and build us a city and build us a tower, a tower. That’s going to reach all the way. That’s quite a goal. Isn’t it Certainly it is, but that’s what they want to do.

They’ve got, they now have brick that Arias stone, they’ve got mortar slime that they can use to fit those bricks together. And so they determined, let us build a city and a tower, verse four, whose top may reach unto heaven and let us make us a name. Lest we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth. When you look at this,

one of the things you’re going to notice is God’s intention was for them to be scattered. He wanted them to be scattered upon the whole earth, but they don’t want to do that. And so they’re devising a plan whereby in their mind, anyway, they can override God’s intentions for mankind and keep everybody together. Well, of course, God is going to put a stop to that.

And he is going to confound their language to where they cannot understand one another. And therefore, as a result of that, the building program is going to stop and it’s going to stop immediately as a result of that. And they will then scatter. And the indication is they’re going to scatter according to their language, not according to their skin color, according to their language.

So as to be able to understand one another and communicate with one another, well from this tragic old Testament Account comes Some valuable lessons for those of us under the new Testament dispensation. And I want us to consider those things. We’ve, we’ve already looked at the account itself, as far as that, which has given to us here verses one through nine.

But what, what you notice in verse four is that when they say, let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. This is their pride that is talking about here. Let’s make us a name. Let’s build us a reputation and thereby we will not have to be scattered abroad. Well, Their pride is a false pride.

It is a pride that God does not condone. He condemns. And yet that is the reasoning that they are going to use as to why they’re going to build this city with its tower that will reach unto heaven. So God is displeased with their efforts and he confuses their language into a multiplicity of languages and brings a sudden stop to the building program. What are some of the quality We can learn even as it relates toward the subject or the idea of church,

Just growth. Did you ever thought about that? There are Three qualities, essential qualities here in this chapter, which are essential qualities for church growth as well that we see among these people Here at the city of Bayville. One is they were willing to work And you read the account here. You can’t read a single one who is recorded of being a,

a, A one Who is not involved in the work one who is willing to sit on the sidelines and watch everybody else work. One is not interested in the work. You don’t read any about anybody that is like that. They were ones who were willing to work. And so the idea was proposed as far as to build the city and to build the tower.

And so they begin the process. They begin making the bricks, making them to be strong bricks, and they begin to make the mortar. That’s going to be used to tie those bricks together. And they begin the process of actually building this city and the tower that goes along with it. I don’t know about you, but what is recorded here reminds me very much about what it’s recorded over in the book of Nehemiah.

When you go over to the book of Nehemiah and there in chapter four, and in verse six, there we read, remember, Nehemiah has gone back to Jerusalem in order to reestablish the Gates to the walls of the city of Jerusalem in order to make it a fortified city. Once more after the children of Israel have returned from Babylonian captivity by the authorization of Cyrus,

the King of Persia. And we read there in Nehemiah chapter four and in verse six. So built we the wall and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof for the people had a mind to work. They were able To finish the work that Nehemiah wanted to do the very reason as to why he got permission to leave Persia and to go back to Jerusalem.

And they were able to accomplish this work in an amazing amount of time because the people had a mind to work well. That’s exactly what we see in, in the people here in chapter 11 of the book of Genesis, they have a mind to work. They’ve got a purpose. They’ve got a goal in which they are trying to reach building this city and then building this tower,

which will reach all the way to heaven. Well, if we’re going to have church growth, then we have to have those who have a mind to work. Otherwise it’s not going to happen. It’s not going to be the result that we want. Peter tells us in first, Peter chapter three and in verse 15, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready,

always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. I don’t know about you, but I know with me, if I’m going to have to be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks me a question concerning the reason of my hope. That means I have to put some work in,

to study in the word of God and to refresh my memory and to continue going over it time and time again, it’s not something that you read or you study one time and you’ve got it for the rest of your life. Not maybe you’ve got a picture, a photographic memory, but if I do, it’s been out of film for a long in time.

And so I have to go back and to go over these things over and over again. But the point is that we have to have a mind to work. If the church is going to grow the way that God wants it to grow and the way that it can grow. But secondly, when you look at these people here at Babel, we see that they were ones who were unified.

They were union. They were, they were ones according to verse six, that the people is one, God says they are United. They all they have on language and that’s well and good. But if they don’t have, if they’re not United in purpose and in plan and in goal, then the likelihood is they’re not going to accomplish a whole lot.

And so not only did they have a mind to work, but they were ones who were United with one another in order to accomplish that goal, to accomplish that purpose. Well, when we look at the new Testament, we find that we are to be United as well. Turn over with me. If you will, to John chapter 17, John 17,

this is Jesus’s prayer before he is going to be betrayed by Judas and in John chapter 17, verses 20 and 21, Jesus says, as he is prayed to the father in heaven, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which I believe on me through their word, that they all may be one. And as thou father art in me and I indeed that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou has sent me.

Jesus prayed for unity. He prayed for unity among the apostles. He prayed for you to ne among those who would hear the apostles and be obedient to the gospel and therefore being added to the Lord church, which by the way, comes all the way up to you and I today, Jesus prayed for us. He prayed that we would be United. These at the tower of Babel are those who were United in the work that they were doing.

And if he’s in chapter four, As the apostle, Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus, and right before we get to those seven ones that we normally associate with Ephesians chapter four, Paul says verses one through three. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, but seats you, that you walk worthy of the vocation, where with your called with all lowliness and meekness with long suffering for buried one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul, in writing to the Ephesians, speed’s concerning their attitude, that they are to be ones who walk worthy of the vocation that they’ve been called. They’ve been called to be Christians in obedience of the gospel to walk worthy of that. How with lowliness and with meekness and with long suffering and with forbearing forbearance for one another. Well, why endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace Unity?

Okay. Sometimes we’ve had brethren who have promoted the idea that we should have unity at all costs that is as wrong as wrong can be, because if we’re not United on the truth, any kind of unity we would have would end up being false unity. And unfortunately, that’s the very idea that they’re promoting. We are to be those who are United.

And again, Jesus would talk about in Matthew chapter 12 and in verse 25, where there, he says, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand Jesus. His argument of course is going to be that he’s been accused of doing these miracles and cashed it out. These demons by the power of Satan.

Well, if he’s doing such by the power of Satan and Satan is the one who has brought about these Results, then he’s fighting against himself. And Jesus is making the point that every kingdom that is divided against itself is brought to desolation. It wouldn’t make sense for Jesus to be casting out demons. If he’s doing such by the power of the demons that self-defeating,

Jesus says every the city, every house divided against itself shall not stand. No, he wasn’t doing such by the power of Satan. He was doing such by the power of God, the opponent, the enemy, yes. Whom Satan is. He is the one who is trying to destroy the kingdom to come. He is the one who is trying to destroy Jesus from establishing his kingdom.

He is the one who is trying to do everything within his power to keep God’s plan from coming about, by the way we talked about this morning, how the man is not strong enough to keep God from doing what he intends to do. Satan is not strong enough to do that either. He may have several different ways that he can manipulate mankind to follow after his temptations and his diabolical schemes,

but he doesn’t have more power than God does. He didn’t have more power than Jesus did. And the fact of the matter is if we are United, we will have more power than Satan does to do the work that God has given us to do. If you go back to the book of Ecclesiastes, these, okay, Solomon, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes he’s tells us,

and Clesius GS chapter four, verses nine through 12. He says two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone. When he followed for, he has not another to help him up again, if two lie together, then they have heat,

but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him too, shall withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Solomon emphasizes unity here. He emphasizes working together and that which can be accomplished is greatly increased. When two were working together, then one person just working by himself or having two people that are just working by themselves and not working together.

The progress is going to be multiplied even more if they are United and working together. And therefore the benefits are to be greater for them. Those at the tower of Babel were ones who were willing to work and they were ones who were United. And if the church is going to grow, we have to have the same kind of individuals. We have to have those who are willing to work and those who are United.

And so with that, we need to a forfeit. We need to get rid of all grudges that we may have against one another, or opinions against one another, for whatever. The reasons may be preferences that are out of order in order to maintain and to achieve the things that God intends for us to maintain and to achieve. When you go back to the book of Ephesians again,

and fusions, chapter four, as Paul is writing to the brethren there in Ephesus, he says in verses 29 through 32, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that, which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers and grieve, not the Holy spirit of God, whereby years sealed under the day of redemption,

let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice and be kind one to another tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you here. Paul speaks concerning this idea of being United and how that we are to be those who are to get rid of all bitterness out of our hearts.

You know, bitterness ends up causing more problems to the one that’s bitter than it is to the one that they’re bitter against physical problems, let alone any other kinds of problems, but let all bitterness and all wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you. He says, along with all malice, when you look at Paul, he will many times tell us concerning those things that are not to be a part of our lives.

Those things that are not to be associated with us at all, but he will immediately thereafter tell us those things that are to be a part of our lives. And so he says, and be kind one to another tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you in order for us to be United. We have to have the attitude that Paul talks about here.

And if fusions chapter four, in order to be the kind of people in order to be the Christians that God intends for us to be Paul. Again, this writing in the book of Romans would say in Romans chapter 14, verses one through three, he says him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations for one believer that he may eat all things.

Another who is weak, Edith herbs let not him. That Edith despise him, that he is not and let not him, that he is not judge him. That Edith for God hath received him. Now here in the 14th chapter of the book of Romans, Paul was talking about those things that are inconsequential. As far as God is concerned, God hasn’t bound at one way or the other God has left it up to our own think sows,

as far as how we go about doing things. But he also brings out that if somebody else comes up with a different decision and he’s not talking about matters of doctrine here, if somebody else comes up with a different decision, such as with the eating of meats, you don’t despise them because they don’t have the same conclusion that you have. God is not binding one way or the other,

as far as these matters are concerned. And if we are going to be those who are United, we have to recognize that there are some things of which the Bible does not speak. It does not bind one way or the other. Then we have to leave open to opinion as far as whether to do them or not do them or how to do them.

And yet, so many times we are unwilling to do that. And when we are unwilling to do that, we are not United the way that God wants us to be United. So the people here at the tower of Babel were those who were willing to work. They were those who were United, but thirdly, they were also those who were able to communicate,

they were able to communicate with one another. Again, verse six of chapter 11 says, behold, and this is the Lord speaking behold, the people is one and they have all one language and this they begin to do. And now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. So that, which was a plus being able to speak the same language so where everybody could understand the instructions and everybody could understand the goal,

and everybody could understand how they were going to have to go about to do this was that which allowed them to work as one in order to try to accomplish this goal. But it brings forth the point to us that as far as the growth of the church, we have to communicate as Well. And so when you look at the new Testament, you find out that first of all,

elders must communicate with the brethren. The rest of the, as far as that is concerned, Peter says, first Peter chapter five verses one through three, the elders, which are among you, I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed, feed the flock of God,

which is among you taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly not fulfill the Luker, but have already mind, neither be Lords over God’s heritage, but being in samples to the flock. And so Peter here speaks to the elders and he speaks to them concerning the fact that, that they are to ones who are to feed the flock. That’s communicating with them.

They are to feed or to tend the flock of God, which is among them taking the oversight thereof. And so Peter calls upon the elders to communicate with the rest of the church. Well, we all We’ll find out that it’s not just the elder’s responsibility to communicate because when you turn to first Thessalonians chapter, Hi, Paul, I’m writing this time to the church that vessel Nika says in first Thessalonians,

chapter five, verses 12 and 13, he says, we beseech you brethren to know them, which labor among you. That’s referring to the elders and are over you in the Lord. And in Monish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake and be at peace among yourselves. He’s desiring Here for the church to communicate with the elders and to labor with them too,

to recognize them as the leadership in the church, working together for the goals, for the accomplishments of that, which God expects Of the church. Yeah, Of course somebody says, well, but we don’t have elders. Okay. So if we don’t have elders, therefore we don’t have to communicate, right. Why certainly not. That’s not, that’s not anywhere close to being correct,

But the leaders, the, the Interrogation, whatever it is, that is the leaders of the particular congregation or the church where it’s located are those to whom communication must be had. And it has to be a back and forth thing just as it has to be with. If there are elders in order for the work of the church to function, the way that God would have us to do.

And one of the ways we know that is when we turn back to the book of John chapter 13, Jesus here is going to make this point. And this is even before the church is established in John chapter 13, verses 34 and 35. Jesus says a new commandment. I give unto you that you love one. As I have loved you, that he also loved one another by this shall all men know that he are my disciples.

If he have loved one To another sometimes yeah. We’ve had brethren that jokingly made the statement that when they got married, they told their bride, they loved them. And went on To say, if I ever changed my mind, I’ll let you know. No. They said that because the bride, some years later is complaining. He never tells me he loves me.

Well, he said, I told you once I loved you. And if I ever changed my mind, I’ll let you know. Now, I don’t know a very many brides that are going to accept What’s that They want to hear that communication back and forth concerning. I love you. And by the way, many other things as well, Jesus here speaks concerning the fact that we are to have love for one another.

And if we truly love one another, the way that God expects us to love one another, then we’re going to communicate with one another. Sorry. That’s what God expects of us. Christians must be those who love one another, but are also willing to communicate that love for one another. Because a lack of communication is that which generally breeds distrust. And it creates a thus us and them attitude us in them.

And, you know, I never really put that much thought into us. And then them until I was working with the congregation and in Mississippi, and they asked one particular brother, if he would be willing to serve as an elder in the congregation, Believing that he was qualified And he agreed with one stipulation, okay. Stipulation was, if I ever become one of them,

as far as the congregation is concerned, meaning the elders as them, then I will step down From being an elder rather than one of us. Well, that’s not the way to look at it. He wasn’t really committed to being an elder unless everybody was in agreement with him concerning things. And it wasn’t very long before he did step down because simply by becoming an elder,

he automatically became of them. And in that congregation, there was an us and them, a battle that was taking place. And therefore I didn’t stay but S 13 months. But anyway, The work of the church does not advance when brethren have the us and them attitude. As far as the church is concerned, Label wasn’t all babbled. There were some positive things,

characteristics that are spoken of here. That can be very positive things. As far as the work of the church and the growth of the church, if we will put them into practice, we need to recognize the potential of possessing. These three qualities, having a willingness to work, to work United and to work communicating with one another. And by the way,

when you think concerning the tower of Babel here, think concerning this, there was only one thing that could stop them. And that was good. And he did okay, Because it was not in accordance with what he wanted for mankind. If we are not the people that God intends for us to be, if we do not have the attitudes that God intends for us to have,

God can put a stop to the work here. God can put a stop to anything he so chooses. If it does not meet what he wants it to be. If you’re one this evening, who’s not a member of the body of Christ. The lesson hasn’t been to you necessarily, but it is such that we have to go to the word of God in order to know what God would have us to do in order to become saved in order to become a Christian.

And when we do, and we rightly divide the word of truth and go to the new Testament under which we serve at this day in time, we find that one has to hear the word and to believe it. And one has to be willing to repent and to confess his faith in Christ and willing to be immersed in water, to be baptized in order to receive the remission of his sins.

If you’ve not done that you need to do that sooner rather than later in order to be an obedience to the gospel. And in order to put your Lord on in baptism and to be added to the body of Christ, that he shed his blood in order to purchase, if you’re already a member of the body of Christ, but you’ve wandered off, you’ve gone back into the world and brought reproach upon the church.

Will you come back and repentance, praying to God for forgiveness. And once again, begin walking in the way of righteousness. If we can help you, we plead with you to come as together. We stand and as we sing.