Sermon Tone Analysis

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Introduction

We’re back in our series on the Acts of the Apostles, or, as I said a few weeks ago - the Acts of the Holy Spirit THROUGH the apostles.

And today we see the event that kickstarted the growth the church - the coming of the promise Holy Spirit.

But today I want us to look at this event through the lens of the Old Testament…because, don’t forget, the bible is one big story…one BIG story of God working to redeem the world - to FIX the world, and we need the Old Testament to understand a lot of what is in the New Testament.

In fact, the Old Testament is critical in our understanding of the New Testament.

And so we go back to Genesis and chapter 11, which we read earlier…because this story of the tower of Babel is kinda instrumental to our chapter in Acts.

Let’s read the passage again.

It’s only 9 verses, but pay attention to verses 4 and 6...

Now, like I said, look at verse 4...

And notice what the text says…these people settle and build a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens.

Now, when I was told this story as a child, I though that they wanted to build a tower TO GET TO heaven.

That’s not what the text says, they want to build a BIG tower…but the POINT of this is that they wanted to make a name for themselves.

As if they were building a tower to heaven so that they could Kick God out of heaven and replace God with themselves.

It’s like they were saying, ‘we are GREAT - let’s make this tower to show everyone how GREAT we are so that people worship US for being so great.’

Which is idolatry in the highest degree.

It’s not even that they were worshipping another God - they were putting THEMSELVES in the place of God, which is a major no no…and YET it’s done today all the time.

People are under the illusion that they are in control of their lives, that THEY are important, and so people live thinking that THEY are the centre of their lives and in essence say, ‘I want to make a name for myself.

I don’t need God.’ That’s what the world thinks.

And so, in the story of Babel, God gives these people different languages so that they can’t understand each other and not only that, he scattered them all over the earth (verse 8) preventing them from doing this blasphemous act.

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