Acts 2:1-13 | Redeeming Babel

walk the [singing] valley [music] with you by our side. You will go before [singing] us. You will lead the way. We have found a refuge [music] only you can save. >> [singing] >> Sing with joy [music] now. Our God is for us. The Father's love is a strong and mighty [music and singing] fortress. Raise your voice now. No love is greater. >> [singing] >> Who can stand against us if our God is [music] for us? Even when [singing] I stumble, even when I fall, even when I turn back, still your love is [music and singing] sure. You will not abandon. forsake. You will cheer [singing] me onward with [music] a never ending grace. Sing with [music and singing] joy now. Our God is for us. The Father's [music and singing] love is a strong and mighty fortress. Raise your voice now. No love is [singing] greater. >> [music] >> Who can stand against us if our God is for us. Neither height nor >> [singing] >> depth can separate us. Hell >> [singing] >> and death will not defeat us. He >> [singing] >> who gave his son to [music] free us holds me in his love. >> [singing] >> Neither height [music] nor depth can separate [singing] us. Hell and death will not defeat

>> [music and singing] >> us. He who gave his son to free us holds me in his love. >> [singing] >> Sing [singing] with joy now. Our God [music] is for us. The Father's love is a strong and mighty [music and singing] fortress. Raise your voice now. No love [singing] is greater. Who can stand against us if our God >> [music] >> is for us? Sing [singing] with joy now. Our God is [music] for us. The Father's love is a strong [singing] and mighty fortress. Raise your voice now. >> [singing] >> No love is greater. Who can stand against us if [music] our God is for us? >> [music] >> Have you seen [singing] my Father's glory revealed [music and singing] in Jesus Christ. And the more that I behold him, the more [singing] he satisfies. [music] When I gaze upon [singing] his beauty, when I see him [music] as I should, >> [singing] >> then my heart is lifted [music] upward for his glory [singing] and my good. >> [music] >> There is hope in every [singing] trial, for I can trust [music] the Lord. He will turn my heart toward [singing and music] him and help me bear the thorn. So, in [singing and music] faith I follow Jesus on the road not [singing] understood, for I know that he is working >> [music] >> for his glory and [singing] my good. >> [music] >> To our [singing] God

be the glory. To our God [music and singing] be praise. He alone, >> [singing and music] >> the name above all names. >> [singing] [music] >> I will boast ever only in the Lord >> [music and singing] >> my God, for I know his [singing and music] glory is my good. See the [music and singing] open arms of Jesus upon the [music and singing] cross that day. What they understood as weakness >> [music] >> deserves my [singing] every praise. For the charge that was against [music] me, it was nailed to >> [singing] >> the wall. Yes, I know that He >> [music] >> has saved me for His glory and my >> [singing] >> good. >> [music] >> To our God >> [singing] >> be the glory. To our [music] God praise. He alone, >> [singing] >> the name above all names. >> [singing] [music] >> I will boast ever only >> [singing] >> in the

Lord my God. >> [music] >> For I know >> [singing] >> His glory is my good. >> [music and singing] >> Would I gladly [singing and music] be made nothing that Christ would be made [singing] more? Would I seek the only kingdom [music and singing] that far outweighs them all? I will stand before [singing] my Father >> [music] >> where the faithful saints have stood. >> [singing] >> And with joy my heart shall praise [music] Him for His glory [singing] and my good. And with joy my heart shall praise [music] Him for my glory [singing] and my good. >> [music] >> To [singing] our God be the glory. [music] To our To our be praise. He alone, alone, >> [singing] [music] >> the name above all names. I will [singing] boast ever only >> [music] >> in the Lord >> [singing] >> my God, for I know >> [music] >> His glory is my >> [singing] >> good.

To our [music] God be the glory. To our God [singing] be praise. He >> [music] >> alone, the name above all names. >> [music and singing] >> I will boast ever only in the >> [singing] >> Lord my God, for >> [music] >> I know His [singing] glory is my good. >> [music] >> Yes, I [singing] know His >> [music] >> glory is my good. >> [singing] >> Good morning. Man, it's good to sing praises and good to think about His glory is for our good right? All right, let's pray. Father God, just want to give you thanks for today. Thank you for each and every person here, God. Thank you that we can gather here to praise your name and uh just build each other up as a body of believers, God. I pray for this offering. Thank you for uh the gifts that you've bestowed upon us. Thank you for all the blessings that you give us, God. I pray that you will take this gift and use it and uh use it mightily to the furtherance of your kingdom. I ask this all in your name. Amen.

All right, so today's catechism question we are rounding out what is forbidden in the 10 Commandments. So what is forbidden in the 10th Commandment? First answer is found in 1 Corinthians 10 verses 9 and 10. We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by the serpents, nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. The next answer is in Galatians 5:26. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another or envying one another. Then in James 3:14-16 it says, but if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. Lastly, for where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there'll be disorder and every vile practice. Deuteronomy 5:21 and you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. Thank you. All stands now. All [music] creatures [singing] of our God and king, >> [singing] >> lift up your voice with us sing. >> [music] >> Oh, [singing] praise him. Hallelujah. Thou burning sun [singing] with golden [music] beam. Thou silver [singing] moon with softer gleam. >> [music] [singing] >> Oh, praise him. Hallelujah. [singing] Hallelujah.

>> [singing] >> Let all things [singing and music] their creator bless and worship [singing and music] him in humbleness. Oh, praise him. Hallelujah. >> [singing] >> Praise, praise the Father. Praise the Son. >> [singing] >> And praise [music] the Spirit, [singing] three in one. >> [music] >> Oh, praise him. praise [singing] [music] him. Hallelujah. >> [music] >> Hallelujah. >> [singing] >> Hallelujah. >> [music] >> All [singing] the redeemed washed by his blood. Come [singing] and rejoice [music] in his great love. Oh, praise him. >> [singing] [music] >> Hallelujah. Christ has defeated [singing] every sin. >> [music] >> Cast all your [singing] burdens now on [music] him. >> [singing] >> Oh, praise him. Oh, praise [music] him. Hallelujah. >> [singing] >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. [music] [singing] >> [music] >> He [music and singing] shall return in power to reign. >> [singing] >> Heaven and earth will join [music] to say, >> [singing]

>> "Oh, praise him. Hallelujah." >> [music and singing] >> Then who shall fall [music] >> [singing] >> on bended knee? All creatures of [singing] our God and [music] king. Oh, praise him. >> [singing] >> Oh, praise [music] him. Hallelujah. >> [singing] >> Hallelujah. >> [singing] >> Hallelujah. [music] >> All [singing] to Jesus >> [music] >> I surrender. >> [singing] >> All to [music] Him I freely >> [music] >> give. >> [singing] >> I will ever love and trust Him. In >> [singing] >> His presence >> [music] >> daily live. I [singing] surrender all. I [singing] surrender all. >> [music] >> All [singing] to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender [singing] all. All [singing] to Jesus [music] I surrender.

>> [singing] >> Humbly at His feet >> [music] >> I bow. Worldly >> [singing] >> pleasures all forsaken. [music] >> [singing] >> Take me, Jesus, take [music] me >> [singing] >> now. I surrender >> [singing] >> all. I [singing] surrender all. >> [music] >> All [singing] to Thee, my blessed Savior, >> [singing] >> I I surrender all. Let us pray. [music] Dear heavenly Father, we do surrender all. We do want to humbly bow at your feet, dear Lord. Take all of us. Take all of those worldly pleasures away from us, dear Lord. And just let you be the only thing that we have in sight 24/7, every single day, dear Lord. I pray to you, dear Lord, like right now that you speak through Pastor Cody. Dear Lord, anoint him. Let him speak from your word and those things that he has learned by studying your word. Dear Lord, we pray that each one of us will take all of that to heart this

morning. And that as we go throughout this week, that people will see you in us before they see anything that we do or say. Dear Lord, thank you for this opportunity to be able to worship you with this other great belief a group of believers, dear Lord. We praise you. We love you. And we do want to surrender our all to you. Amen. Well, good morning, church. Good to be together in the house of the Lord amen? Um if you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, please turn with me to Acts chapter 2. We are going to be in Acts 2 for the next 5 weeks learning all about Pentecost. Um and uh for many Baptists, this topic that we are going to discuss can be confusing. Uh if you have some uh friends or neighbors from the Springfield area, uh that's world headquarters of uh the Assemblies of God denomination. And uh and so this is going to be particularly relevant to where we're at in our local culture. It's it's a little different for me hailing from Virginia. So uh I I I grew up there and the church that I was baptized at was Win's Baptist Church. It was founded on July 4th, 1776 by John Clay who was Henry Clay's father. Uh and it was illegal to be Baptist before the founding of our nation. And so there's a deep Episcopalian influence over there on the East Coast, right? And here there's like Episcopalian like some people would think that that's like, you know, like I don't know some type of extraterrestrial Christian or something

like that. But it's it's just Church of Church of England is what Episcopalian is. And you don't have that here. You have a profound influence from from Charismatics here in y'all's area. And for some of you you don't even realize that because that's that's how Baptist are just here in this area. It's just fascinating to be able to compare some of those cultural influences here. And I think that the next few weeks are going to really bring a lot of clarity to the topic of things like speaking in tongues, the last days, things like that. Next week we're going to be looking at Peter in his actual sermon and the explanation of Pentecost using Joel 2. And so we're going to spend a significant time next week talking about what are tongues. But today I think that we need to feel the weight of the actual event before Peter explains it for us. When we look at the word of God we can see all sorts of massive important events in God's word that we really read through a very historical, like very clean, kind of lens and we kind of miss exactly what happened in redemptive history. When I use when I say redemptive history, I mean I mean God doing massive world-changing things where he deals with mankind. For For example, let's let's talk about creation. We read that through our modern lens, our modern eyes, and yet in the creation account, we see the God of all things speaking the universe into existence by his divine power. And I don't know about you, but back in January when I'm reading through, I kind of read through in the beginning was God created the heavens and the earth and you know, I I go through the

creation account, day one, day two, day three, all the way through day six. And I kind of just move past it. And God didn't speak humans into existence. No, he he chose instead to take dirt and form man in his own image. And man did not have a helpmate suitable for him and so he opened up man, took out the rib from Adam and carefully crafted a helpmate for him. And of course there's all sorts of different events if we look at the scriptures. You got You got the fall, you got the flood, you got you got the Exodus, you got the cross, you got the resurrection. And right here, we have Pentecost. One of the biggest events in all of redemptive history where Christ pours out his Holy Spirit on his disciples just as he promised that he would. And it's this this is not about the first church service. It's not what this is about at all. It is about the new covenant coming. Sealed by the power of God, the very presence of God abiding with man. Jesus, he came, he lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross for sinners, rose again in victory, he ascended into heaven, and he promised his disciples, right when he was leaving, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." And so, Pentecost is the fulfillment. It is the crescendo of his advent because the Holy Spirit of God comes and empowers believers to be his witnesses all over the world. And this is where the disciples go from waiting on the Lord to witnessing with power. And today, we're going to look at what

God has done in redemptive history, and how he is reconciling all things, not some things, all things to himself. So, let's stand together in honor of God's word as we read Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 13. God's word, it says this. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly, there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues, as of fire, appeared to them and rested on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now, there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at the sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians. We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine." And so Lord, we do ask that you would

give us understanding. Lord, we pray that your graciousness would be on us. Lord, help us to see this not through our modern eyes alone, but uh through your eyes, God. That we would understand what it is that you would have us to do with this passage. We pray Lord that uh um you would help us to rediscover the joy of uh your abiding spirit. Help us to understand the power that we have by faith uh that you have given to us, Lord. This sign and the seal that we are not left alone in this world, but that we have uh the very presence of God that we carry with us wherever we go as your ambassadors, Lord, as your representatives on earth. I pray that you would help us to live with boldness, the empowered um mission that you've given to us. Help us to go forth from here and make disciples of all the nations and teach them to observe what you have taught and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Lord, you have given that to your people, not just to preachers. So, help us to believe that, God. That it's not just for um missionaries, but for members of the body of Christ. Help us, God. In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, to understand what God is doing in Acts 2, we have to go back a few thousand years. All the way back to Genesis and the flood. It had receded and God looks at Noah and he gives them gives him a command, him and his sons. He says, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. That's your job. Go, spread out over the face of the earth."

This is just a a rehashing of the creation mandate that God gave to Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it. And it's so important to God that God he re- he's restates it just a few verses later in verse 7. "And you be fruitful and multiply and increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it." This [clears throat] is why I tell young Christian couples, "Have lots of babies. It is good to be fruitful and multiply. Amen?" We've said it before and I'll say it again. If we're not going to make disciples one way, we'll make them another. And God's faithful. This is This is the command that God has given to humanity. But instead of obeying the Lord as they should have, we don't see humanity doing that. We see humanity reproducing, but then dwelling together. They migrate together. They actually settled in a plain called Shinar. And instead of obeying God and spreading over the face of the earth, they decided to build a city and a tower to their own glory. They even said in the word, "Let us make a name for ourselves. And build a tower to heaven." And they continued to rebel against the command that God had given them. God told them, "Fill the earth." But they wanted to do their own thing because they were very comfortable. This is the Tower of Babel, humanity unifying around self-exaltation in direct defiance to what God had told them to do. And so God as a judgment divided the human race by giving them different languages. Cuz no one could understand each other, they all started to divide up into their language groups and spreading out that way. God told them to fill the earth and they

wanted to do their own thing. So God, he sent different languages and forced them to go over the the face of the earth. So that leads us to point number one is what did God do at Babel? God, he divided languages as a judgment. The nations, they were they were scattered and the wound was deep. The scar was lasting, but Babel it leaves a question hanging in the air that the rest of scripture is going to answer is is that will God ever gather what sin ultimately scattered? Will Have you ever noticed that humanity has never stopped with its own little Babels? Everyone's still trying to build up their own kingdoms, their own towers. They're all trying to exalt themselves. You got You got technology and governments and and building towers of empires and wealth and social media. Humanity, it keeps holding on and believing that if we can just unite ourselves around human greatness, human wisdom, human progress, then ultimately we'll be able to save ourselves. But every tower eventually cracks cuz sinful people cannot create heaven on earth. About 800 years later, we find Israel at Mount Sinai. God, he descends on the mountain in fire and in smoke. There's thunder and there's earthquakes. The people of Israel are terrified. They tremble before the Lord God at a distance. He said, "Do not come onto the mountain." They're not allowed. The law of God is written on stone tablets. God gives Moses specific directions on how to build a place of worship for himself. It was a lavish tent that is called the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle

was given to Moses. Here's what he says in Exodus 25, "And let them, the nation of Israel, make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst." Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the Tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. And what did the tabernacle have? It had walls, had curtains, had barriers and priests and sacrifices and separation. It communicated the presence of God without free access to it. This is what God did at Sinai. Got to activate that uh Thank you. After the tabernacle came the temple of God. And these structures they communicated that God is holy. You're not allowed near. I'm not allowed near. We can't come near to God. The fire of God's presence was not for sinners like us to approach. This is the same God at Babel who scattered the nations. And at Sinai he makes clear that the problem is not a political issue, it's not a social issue, it's a sin issue. We cannot stand in the very presence of God in our own strength. We'll be burnt up. We'll be struck down. Be smitten. We can't We can't do it. So, Sinai leaves us with its with our own question hanging. Is that how will a holy God ever dwell with a sinful and scattered people? How on earth will that happen? And the answer was given 2,000 years ago at the cross of Jesus Christ. When Christ was dying, he cried out with a loud voice to tell us die. It is finished. And he yielded up his spirit and an earthquake rocked Jerusalem and the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. That leaves us with another question. What did God DO AT THE CROSS? The fire that would have consumed God's people at Sinai had fallen on Jesus Christ. The full wrath and punishment

from God the Father came on God the Son, and he absorbed, he took on the wrath that we deserve. Charles Spurgeon said that Christ was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as he deserves. The barrier that kept Israel at the foot of the mountain was gone. The curtain that separated man from God was torn. Just think about that. This is what makes Pentecost possible. The cross it it doesn't just forgive sin. It does that. It does at least that. But it does more. It actually opens the door for God to dwell with his people in a way that he was that he never had before. So, the question now is what does that look like? What did God do at Pentecost? Well, let's take a look. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared on them and rested on each one of them. This is extraordinary. These signs are shouting the very presence of God among people, among disciples. AND IT'S SHOUTING THAT GOD IS HERE with his people. Notice that there's first this this sound that takes place. And it's the sound of mighty rushing wind. In In Genesis 1, the spirit of God in the Hebrew is ruah. And and it hovers over the waters. You see him there in creation. Ezekiel 37, the breath of God, which breathes on uh that valley of dry bones where life enters into them. That breath is is once again a ruach. It causes the dead to come to life. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that the wind, it blows wherever it wishes. In scripture, the wind of God is tied to

life itself. Movement action power creation the very breath of God. It's it's uncontrollable. It's uncontained. You can't create it. You can't manipulate God's presence. This is the wind of God, the Holy Spirit that came down on the disciples 2,000 years ago. Notice also that there's fire. Fire is consistently tied to the very presence of God in the Old Testament. Of course, we probably think firstly of Moses and the burning bush. The fire that was burning the bush didn't consume the bush because it was the very presence of God. In Genesis 15, God, he appears. He establishes a covenant with Abraham. And here he appears as it says this, "The sun had gone down and it was dark." Behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. So God, he reveals himself as that smoking firepot and this flaming torch. Or maybe we think of the pillar of fire that was with Israel in the wilderness in the evening, illuminating that dark dark desert, guiding the people of God and protecting them. Or maybe we think of Sinai and the fire that came down on that mountain with terrible shaking and thunder and fear. But something changed between Sinai and Pentecost. The fire doesn't rest on the mountain anymore. It rests on his people. In the Old Testament, God's presence would descend on holy places like mountains or the tabernacle or or the temple. But now the presence of God was coming down on you, Christian. The disciples weren't the temple. They were in an ordinary home. And this shows us that the dwelling place of God is not in a temple in Jerusalem.

Even if Israel rebuilds a temple, it is not God's dwelling place. >> [snorts] >> Because God abides with Christians. The flame and the holy presence that caused Israel to tremble at Sinai is now the source of empowerment for you, Christian. For you. Now, Pentecost, it was a it was a major feast. It it was actually better attended than the Passover. So, there's more people in Jerusalem at Pentecost here than there were at the crucifixion because it it was just easier for people to travel at this time of year than it was in the early spring. You still had those late winter storms that came across the Mediterranean and things like that. You had Jewish men from all over the Roman Empire that came to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. And the sound that fell on the disciples, there were there was a multitude that was gathered outside of this home because they heard it. This was a supernatural event. And as as that wind is there, they hear the mighty works of God being declared by Galileans. Right down the road. Like that's uneducated. That's backwards right? And yet we hear them declaring the works of God in their own language. Luke he records the nations and the people from all around Jerusalem. Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and all these different places. And what I want you to note here is they are from all over the world. Three continents. Over a dozen languages. Every corner of the Roman world. And what is amazing here is that God he's not just undoing the events of the Tower of Babel. Okay, if that were the case we'd just have one language. That would be a reversal. He didn't

reverse it. What did God do? He redeemed Babel. At Babel God he brought tongues which divided humanity in judgment and that Pentecost tongues proclaimed Christ in grace and bring the nations to Jesus. The different languages are still there. But now they all declare the same thing. The mighty works of God. I think that that's that's something that we can maybe sit on and chew on for a little bit because there's two things that really stuck out to me from him not just bringing along a unified mess like language. Um first thing is that by redeeming Babel he's telling us that we can't change our past. Like the sins that we've committed it's history. But those things are not held against us anymore when we trust in Christ and we can move forward in the grace and forgiveness of Christ. The second thing is that God he doesn't conform everyone into the same mold. He redeems diversity. The nations that were confused at Babel are now clearly hearing mighty works of God at Pentecost. The scattering is being reversed, the wound is being healed, and it's not by any kind of human programs, it's by the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, this answers that question that Babel left hanging. Will God gather what's been since scattered? Yes, absolutely he will. Through the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, he is gathering the nations together, not by erasing their differences, but by uniting them around the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In uh 1727, there was a a small Christian community in Herrnhut, uh Germany,

and uh they had been going through a lot of tension in their church uh over all sorts of different issues, people relying on their own preferences and things like that. And uh Count Zinzendorf actually led them in a revival through through prayer and unity and worship and uh uh what once was uh this church that was marked by division and arguing and and uh uh theological tension and suspicion, uh after that repentance and renewal, it became a massive source of mission work all over the world. This little little bitty town uh started doing things like round-the-clock prayer and gospel zeal and missions, and uh they started worshiping together in extraordinary ways. This became the Moravian mission movement, which went on to send missionaries all over the world to Africa and Asia and Greenland and North America, the Caribbean. What changed for them? It wasn't their the personalities. The personalities were still there. It it it wasn't the preferences because those preferences are still there. What focus was that the focus or what what changed was that that there was a focus on the spirit of God that united them. The focus was on the gospel of Jesus Christ and his mission to reach the entire world. That is Pentecost fruit. Sinclair Ferguson, he once said that the Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity because his ministry is to bring glory to Jesus Christ. And that's exactly what's happening here in Acts 2. The spirit comes and he doesn't say it's all about me. He immediately brings attention not to himself but to Jesus Christ. So, the question that we have to wrestle with today, oh, that's Zinzendorf. Okay. Will you choose Babel or Pentecost?

Notice what happens in verses 12 and 13. Some people, they are amazed. Some people, they are mocking. They are filled with new wine. I I don't know about you. I've never been around someone who when they got into some wine all of a sudden became clear focused and start speaking in really clear languages and stuff like that. No. Hard hearts call what God is doing nonsense. That's what hard hearts do. And it still happens today. The the world still mocks holiness. Still mocks a bold witness. It tries to shame biblical truth and gospel conviction. That's what the world tries to do. But, notice something else. It is the Holy Spirit of God that makes the noise and that's what draws men to himself. This supernatural working brought the disciples out of hi- hiding and it put them square in the public eye. They had been hiding for the last 50 days, gathering together in prayer, just kind of hiding out. And God says, "It's the time to stop hiding. It's time to start witnessing." It happened naturally. This is what evangelism looks like in a Christian's life when they are abiding in the Holy Spirit. They naturally witness. They naturally share the gospel. They naturally do these things. Churches, they can have programs and door-to-door ministries and all those types of things. Those might reap some fruit and they're good and they have a purpose, but they are no replacement for spirit-indwelt believers declaring the gospel of God. Remember what Babel looked like? People unified around their own goals, their own priorities, their own glory, their own desires. God divided and scattered them. Is that Is that you? Do you feel divided and alone?

Could it be that you have united around your own goals and your own purpose rather than God's mission and what he has called the church to do? The people Babel is concerned with is like the people of Babel are concerned with their own priorities, their own goals. Their own glory. The people of Pentecost are concerned with Christ being proclaimed, God being exalted, and the nations being reached. And that's where we remind ourselves of the gospel, remembering that we are a transformed people by the grace of God. We are made new. And we are called to be bold and holy, and speak truth, and exalt Christ. But you know, Pentecost is not the end of the story. Not for Christians. The mission isn't even the end. It's just the beginning of the gathering. It's just the start of what God is doing. The spirit is poured out, the nations begin to hear, the mission is launched, but God doesn't stop there. In fact, God, he gives us a glimpse of what the end goal is in Revelation chapter 7. It says, "After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb.'" This is not a vision of every single person being saved. This is a vision of God and his saving purpose being fully accomplished. Every tribe, every language, every people represented, not because all roads lead there, but because the spirit of God will not

rest until every blood-bought person from every nation stands before the lamb. Do you see the arc? Do you see God's narrative throughout all of history? And it's a thousand-plus year story. At Babel, you got diverse languages that were the instrument of judgment and God scattering the nations. You got Pentecost, diverse languages becoming the instrument of his grace. And then you see them in Revelation 7, an instrument of eternal worship, and the gathering is complete. And what began in the ordinary house of Jerusalem with ordinary men and ordinary women filled with an extraordinary Holy Spirit declaring the mighty works of God ends at the throne of the Lamb with a multitude that no one can number. From every corner of the earth, if you are burdened for people who have never heard the gospel, good. Don't let that burden drive you to theological shortcuts. Let it drive you to your knees and out your front door. That burden is the Holy Spirit doing exactly what he did in Acts 2. It's not about reassurance, the answer is Pentecost. The spirit who began in gathering the nations is still gathering him. And he does it through the words of his people. He does it through you. This is the mission of the church. This is why the Holy Spirit was poured out. That's why you're here. And so the question is this, will you be a resident of Babel or a person of Pentecost? Will you be build towers in your own name or will you declare the name that is above every name? The name that is even now gathering his

people from every corner of the earth to worship before his throne. Head, heart, hand. Head, God, he wants you to know this, that he is gathering the nations to himself through the finished work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. He wants you to know that with all of your heart. He also wants you to believe this that because Jesus poured out his spirit, God is gathering and restoring sinners through Christ. We should believe that with all of our hearts and all of our soul. But how does it impact how we are supposed to live? Here's what he wants you to do is stop building your own kingdom and instead boldly help gather people to Christ through spirit-filled witnessing. That's what we're called to do. Each of us have neighbors and family members, people in this community that God has put into our path to share the gospel with. What are you going to do about it? Let's pray. Father, we do ask that you would be with us uh as we just respond, Lord. Uh we want uh uh to be useful. And we want to be supple. Lord, there's uh so many times that we uh uh focus on our own issues that we forget that you are doing a mighty work and uh that you're doing it for your glory. And so I ask, Father, that you would please uh uh minister to our hearts today. As uh we sang before uh I preached and now as we sing uh together again, uh we surrender it, God. We surrender all. Uh that is our prayer. That is our confession God. That uh you are our savior. You are worthy of all of our surrender. Help us, God, to love and to serve you more and more each day, to live as

people of Pentecost, and to turn away from building our own desires and our own uh projects, especially if you don't want us involved in them. Lord, help us, God. In Jesus' name. Amen. Let's all stand and let's sing this song in prayer. All to Jesus >> [singing] >> I surrender. >> [music] >> All to him >> [singing] >> I freely [music] give. >> [singing] >> I will ever love and [music and singing] trust him. In his presence daily >> [singing] >> live. >> [music] >> I surrender >> [singing] >> all. I [singing] surrender all. All [singing] to thee >> [music] >> my blessed savior, >> [singing] [music] >> I surrender all. All to Jesus [singing and music] I surrender. >> [singing] >> Humbly [music] at his feet I bow. Worldly [singing and music] pleasures all forsaken. [singing and music] Take me Jesus,

take me now. >> [music] >> I >> [singing] >> surrender all. I surrender all. >> [singing] >> All [music] to thee my blessed >> [singing] [music] [singing] >> Romans 15 verses 5 through 7 it says may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. We do have a start luncheon so if you're signed up for that just get those starting steps on becoming a member of the church will be down here in the gym. I've got a finance team meeting but [clears throat] as soon as food's there you go and get started and you can bless the food okay it'll be great and then we'll get started with that church go in peace. I love you very much.