Sermon for 6/5/22: The Feast of Pentecost

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Pride and Pentecost
Genesis 11:1-9

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

 

The Tower of Babel was raised as a monument to man’s unbelief and spiritual arrogance. The godless purpose of its builders is quite clear: “Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” They wanted to build a tower that would reach into the sky as far as the eye could see. They desired fame and a reputation of their own making. Like Adam and Eve, they wanted to be comparable to their Creator. They were very much like the great King Nebuchadnezzar, who looked around himself with an ungodly pride and said: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”

When such pride possesses man, we see no need for a Divine Provider, no need for a gracious Savior from sin. And we still haven’t learned this lesson all these centuries later. Leaders and rulers of every description, even some within the church, still try to build their own kingdoms around themselves, as if this is the answer to every need. We continue to be surrounded every day with claims that not only must we save the world, but that we can do just that if we only apply our strength and intelligence. We can even create heaven on earth, if that is what we desire, if only we put our minds to it and put in the work to make it happen. We may be fooling ourselves, but we cannot fool God.

The people of Babel were defying the will of God, and they knew it. They knew the will of God had been expressed in the command God had given to Noah following the flood to fill the earth again with a righteous, God-fearing people. Until now, God had been exceedingly patient with them. He had allowed them to go on in their sin, hoping they would turn from their folly. But now the time had come for Him to intervene. The Lord, who is always merciful, even in judgment, could see that their efforts would only strengthen them in their defiance. But if their prideful unity was destroyed, then their ability to carry out any further ungodly plans would be permanently crippled.

And as is always the case when God decides to intervene in those plans of men that would defy His will, He was completely effective. They were compelled to carry out His will, even though that was what they were trying to prevent. It takes only a little imagination to picture the hopeless confusion that resulted.

Pride is often touted as a good thing. But when it comes to matters of the spirit—and how many matters in life aren’t spiritual in nature—pride is ultimately destructive. We are proud, even arrogant, in our rebellion against God. We mock and reject His gifts of life. That was certainly the case with those building the tower. The higher they went, the farther they took themselves away from the God of grace. In order to be rescued by God from their spiritual ignorance and arrogance, they had to be put in a condition where they were absolutely helpless. And so it is with us. We refuse to see the rescuing hand of God’s mercy until we realize that we can do nothing for ourselves.

So at Pentecost, God did something only He could do. He turned what had been a curse into a great blessing. The confusion of languages now became an instrument of God’s grace. The God who confused the language of the builders now overcame that confusion by His gracious power. He took unlettered disciples and made them instruments of salvation. He gave them the ability to speak in other human languages so that they could proclaim the Gospel to those who had come from all around the known world.

And this was, indeed, a rescue of the most extraordinary kind. These people heard Peter’s Pentecost sermon in a language they could understand: that the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ is the Savior and Lord of all. He who was so shamefully treated by the authorities had actually given His own life as the redemption price for the sins of the world. Unlike the tower builders of old, those who heard Peter that day were led to repentance. They were led to see the seriousness of their sin. And they could see that God’s judgment would ultimately deal with those who refused to believe in the Savior He had sent.

And this rescue offered for their salvation made no appeal to their wisdom, to their goodness, or to their strength. The burden was placed where it must be placed: on the grace and goodness of God. Peter later told them: “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”  This remains God’s method of rescue. As extraordinary as it may seem, God has taken the salvation of the world upon Himself. He has met His own righteous demands for us. And we are blessed with a rescue that spares us from the grip of spiritual arrogance, from unbelief, and from everlasting bondage in hell. For this, we thank and praise our gracious God. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.