Sermon Outline:

​¹ Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ² And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ⁶ And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” ⁸ So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:1-9

I. Initial Situation (v. 1)

¹ “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.”

II. The Thoughts and Actions of Man (vv. 2-4)

a. Human Progression (v. 2)
² “And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.”

b. Human Ingenuity (v. 3)
³ “And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.”

c. Human Desire (v. 4)
⁴ “Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.””

III. The Thoughts and Actions of God (vv. 5-8)

a. God’s Entrance (v. 5)
⁵ “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.”

b. God’s Evaluation (v. 6)
⁶ “And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”

c. God’s Solution (.v 7)
⁷ “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.””

d. God’s Dispersion (v. 8)
⁸ “So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.”

IV. Concluding Situation (v. 9)

⁹ “Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

Lessons to draw from the city builders:

• Recognize your tendency to desire autonomy
• Recognize God’s Amazing Grace

Questions for Meditation:

• The city builders of Babel were looking to their accomplishments (building the big city) for their personal significance. What difference does having faith in Christ make with regard to identifying your personal significance?
• The city builders of Babel were also looking to the city they had built to provide security for themselves. How does faith in Christ make a difference with regard to you response to the COVID 19 pandemic