Building Babel Gen. 11

East of Eden Traveling East in Genesis means moving away from the presence of God Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:24) Cain (Gen. 4:16) Lot (Gen. 13:10-13) Babel Cursed Made through man’s efforts East By and For sinful man

What about our “building”?

NEW TESTAMENT LOCAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST 1. An Organization—Phil. 1:1; Acts 14:23; I Tim. 3: 1ff; Titus 1:5ff. 2. An Assembly—Heb. 10:25; I Cor. 11:18 3. Taught—Acts 20:7; I Cor. 14:15 4. Prayed—Acts 12:5; I Cor. 14:19 5. Sang—Heb. 2:12; I Cor. 14:15 6. Lord’s Supper on 1st Day—Acts 20:7; I Cor. 11:20 7. Gave on 1st Day—I Cor. 16:1,2; Acts 2:44-45 8. Treasury—Acts 5:1-4 9. Relieved Needy Saints—Acts 4:34-35; 11:29-30; I Cor. 16:1; II Cor. 8 and 9 10. Supported Preaching—II Cor. 11:8; Phil. 4:15-16 11. Disciplined Unruly Members—I Cor. 5:1-5 12. Discussed Congregational Activities—Acts 6:1-5 The New Testament local Church of Christ is a structure that was built BY God FOR his glory. When cursed man (for whatever reason) becomes restless / malcontent with God’s way and tries to “to build for himself a city, and a tower whose top will reach into the heaven” his efforts are inevitably doomed to failure

God’s Promise to Abraham was a response to Babel

Genesis 11:1–4 1 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 12:1–3 1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Noah Ham Shem Japheth Eber Joktan Babel Peleg Abram

Away from the presence of god Involves God at every step Man’s Way God’s Way Curse Promise Away from the presence of god Involves God at every step Scattering, division, destruction All the families of the earth come together for blessing Doesn’t Work! This Way Works!

Daniel 4:29–31 29 “Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31 “While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you,

Away from the presence of god Involves God at every step Man’s Way God’s Way Curse Promise Away from the presence of god Involves God at every step Scattering, division, destruction All the families of the earth come together for blessing Doesn’t Work! This Way Works!