THE LORD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS (Outline)
May 31, 2009 --
PENTECOST --
Genesis 11:1-9
INTRO: Today’s verses describe God’s confusion of language at Babel. On this day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit provided a way to clearly understand different languages. What does our Lord really want? Confusion or clarity? We are also reminded that our thoughts and ways are not always the thoughts and ways of the Lord our God Almighty. "’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’" (ISAIAH 55:8,9). We consider:
THE LORD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS.
I. Man’s works are selfish.
II. God’s word is success.
I. MAN’S WORKS ARE SELFISH
A. In Genesis God creates the world. It is perfect. Adam and Eve sinned. Evil flourishes.
1. Cain kills Abel. Noah and his family (8) survive a worldwide flood.
2. Our verses follow all of this world history. Verse 1. A common language unites mankind.
B. Verse 2. Man is on the move to repopulate the earth.
1. The hearts of men are still evil, verse 3. These bricks are strong – baked, not sun-dried.
a. Brick instead of stone – to last longer. b. Tar for mortar – they wanted their work to last.
2. Mankind was doing all of this for their own glory, not God’s. It was blind ambition, pride.
C. Verse 4. The city would give them a place to settle. The tower would reach up to God himself.
1. They wanted a name for themselves rather than worship the name of the Lord.
2. They did not want to be scattered though the Lord wanted them to populate the entire earth.
D. We want to think that we are not as blinded by such selfish ambition at these people were. Make no mistake evil is always lurking in the hearts of every person. Adam and Eve first sinned because of blind ambition and pride. Jesus used an example to describe the man who trusted in the success worked by his own hands. God blessed him with an abundant harvest. The man decided to build bigger barns. "And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’" (LUKE 12:19). All too often we may have this same attitude. We have so much that we think every success belongs to us. All of God’s blessings are not our doings. The Lord’s ways are higher.
E. Our society, the world in which we live, contributes to that need to please our sinful nature. We are daily bombarded with the philosophy that money is the solution to any problem that we might face. Our media reminds us constantly of disasters we face all because of money, or the lack of it. Visit with some wealthy people. They are always striving for more because they feel they never have enough. Contentment is one of God’s gifts to believers. We are not exempt from sinful desires and distractions that this world offers. "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless" (ECCLESIASTES 5:10). The Lord’s ways are higher.
F. How often do we stop to think how much the Lord is involved in our lives? Many times we rush and hurry around in this life to get everything done that we can in one day. As believers we come back to our senses. We are reminded that our success does not depend on our selfish motives or prideful ambition. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those he loves" (PSALM 127:1,2). Truly, the Lord does grant sleep to those he loves. The ways of the Lord are much higher than our sinful nature.
THE LORD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS.
Our works and ways are selfish.
II. GOD’S WORD IS SUCCESS
A. In these verses mankind is once again on a track of self-centered destruction. God intervenes.
1. Verse 5. The Lord is concerned and intimately involved in all the details of his creation.
2. Verse 6. Man was beginning to think of himself with too much self-importance.
3. Man might think everything is possible. Jesus used this term later to describe God’s work.
B. Verse 7. Note God’s irony here. Verse 3 and 4 man said: “Let us” make bricks and build.
1. The Lord God Almighty uses the very same words that mankind used for himself.
2. “Let us” reminds us that the Lord is triune: three persons yet one God.
C. Not only does the Lord plan to confuse their language he confuses their lives, verse 8. God scatters.
1. The city and tower still stood as a testimony to man’s disobedience and failure.
2. Verse 9. Confuse and Babel are words closely related in Hebrew. Here is God’s irony.
D. Our world emphasis wealth, glory, and power as the ultimate goal in one’s life. So it is that some have pierced their own souls with many griefs because of the pursuit of riches. The ways of the Lord are higher than the ways of man. By grace we have come to see what is truly important in this life. What is important, the things most valuable are not those things that moth and rust destroy. "Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps" (PROVERBS 16:8,9). To have enough and know it is God’s gift to believers.
E. What is success? The values that one holds near and dear to his or her heart determine success. It is God’s word that works success. God’s word reminds us of the values that are important. Success is not measured by all of the stuff that one possesses. Success is knowing God’s will and seeing God’s hand in our lives. "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (JOSHUA 1:8). We tend to put the events of our lives into different categories. We feel some events are bad and others are good. God is the one who works all things for our good. The early church was persecuted and driven out of Jerusalem. That seemed bad. It was good. Believers took God’s word into the world.
F. Kingdoms have come and gone. Plans and ideas have come and gone. God’s word is still the same yesterday, today, and forever. By the power of the spoken word the Lord God Almighty created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. It is this very same powerful, living, and active word that is vital to every success in our lives. "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God…. (For)‘the word of the Lord stands forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you" (1 PETER 1:23,25). Yes, we have been given a new birth through the word of God. It is this word that we hear and believe – only and alone by the grace of God.
CONC.: Rejoice and be thankful that the ways of the Lord are higher than our ways. We are too limited by our sinful flesh in our earthly thinking. Too often are actions, ways, and works are only self-serving and very, very selfish. God’s word is able to change all of that. God’s word and God’s word alone works success. Look at your plans. Consider God’s plans. The Lord’s ways are higher than our ways. "’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’" (JEREMIAH 29:11). God wants us to be successful. God gives us his Son to be our Savior. Our sins are forgiven. Heaven is our home. This is hope. This is our future – guaranteed. All of this in spite of our sinfulness. THE LORD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS!
Our ways are selfish. God’s word brings success. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
SERVICES: 1:00pm @ NCF Min.(Sat) / 12:00pm @ NCF Medium (Sun) / 9:30am @ Redeemer (Sun)
BIBLE STUDIES: TUES. -- 6:00pm (Min) + 7:30pm (Med) @ NCF / 10:55am @ Redeemer (Sun)
/ Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM
PENTECOST readings:
EZEKIEL 37:1-14;
ACTS 2:1-21;
JOHN 14:25-27;
(PSALM 51)
