But the Lord - Nigel Beynon 3/3

But the Lord...Gen 12:10-20 (3/3 of a series)

Nigel Beynon

Genesis 12:10-20

Part three of a mini series by Nigel Beynon: God’s plan for his world and our lives.

This week: But the Lord. How God can intervene to keep his plans on track

—

Years ago I went on an ordination retreat. There were about 30 of us – 4 of us were friends. It was a silent retreat – not allowed to talk. Bloke leading the retreat seemed he was very concerned that none of his personality should come across in his talks. He did very well making sure that didn’t happen – no expression at all. 

It was meant to be a special time away – but it turned out to be rubbish – and to be honest we reacted rather badly – we got together to pray breaking the silence rule – we made up games during his talks. One bloke drew moustaches on the photos of nuns. 

I want us to think about how we react when things are difficult. Now my example is trivial – it wasn’t very difficult. But we face much harder situations – pressures at work, demands of children, the disappointment of no children, illness or bereavement, struggles in our relationships. When things are hard – things don’t turn out as planned – if we believe in Jesus – how do we react?

I can say from my own experience – it’s easy to react badly. For your faith to fail in some way. On reflection I’ve realised the weakness was always there – but the situation – the pressure – brings it out and reveals it. 

Then the question comes - when we fail – how do we react to that failure? Do we say – that wasn’t my fault - it was just the situation. Do we say – I always do this – I’m hopeless – I should give up. Do we say – failure doesn’t really matter – who cares? 

That is what we’re going to think about from this passage – how we react to pressure and failure.

We’re going to walk through the story for a while. And then I’m going to try and draw out some lessons for us. 

We heard last week how Abram had been promised blessing - 12:2 – go to the land I will show you, I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. Abraham believed God – and went to the land. 

And so v10 comes as a surprise. ‘Now there was a famine in the land.’ 

God says – leave your home, safety, comfort – travel to this strange new place – and I will bless you. Abraham gets there – miles from home – lots of dependents to look after and – famine. That’s not blessing is it – that’s not how it’s meant to be. 

Be easy for Abram to think – I should never have trusted God. Those friends who laughed, said I was mad when I left – turns out they were right. 

It becomes clear that is where Abram was – this famine meant his faith was starting to fail. 

V10 READ. 

Now we’re not told if going to Egypt was a wrong move. Later in Genesis God positively commands his people to go to Egypt because of a famine – so it’s not intrinsically wrong. God has made us to make pro active decisions, choose what seems wise and best. So Abram could be doing that. 

But – we hear nothing of Abram praying, asking God about it – so might worry. And that’s confirmed when he gets there. V11-13 READ. 

As a speech to your wife he starts well doesn’t he? – I know what a beautiful woman you are – but then it really goes down hill. He thinks he’ll be killed so someone can marry her. So he comes up with a plan – say you’re my sister – and we’ll be alright. 

Actually that was half true – Sarai was his half sister – but it’s still a lie, hiding the fact they were married.

Now we just said - God has promised Abram – a land, a blessing, descendants. 

But on the other hand we’ve got Egyptians who want to marry Sarai – and might be prepared to kill Abram. 

So for Abram it’s God’s promise versus scary Egyptians. 

And in that moment - the Egyptians win. Fear wins over faith. Maybe he was already doubting God’s promises because of the famine. So rather than trusting God and his promises - he comes up with his own plan – to save himself. 

It’s easy enough to relate to though. Maybe one morning we’re reading the Bible – God’s promise of love and care feel very real to us. Later at work – we hear some people have to be made redundant – and we’re suddenly scared we’ll lose our job, we’ve got a mortgage to pay, family to look after. Then we find ourselves exaggerating what we’ve done to our boss, and doing others down. Faith fails. 

Might be the fear of what others think of us – that makes us stay quiet about Jesus. Pressure of loneliness that leads us to drink too much. Or pain of illness or bereavement that leads to escape in fantasies.

All too often – we react to pressure badly – our faith fails in some way. That is Abram – there is famine and fears and his faith fails.

And then – things really go pear shaped for him. It’s likely Abram’s plan was to say Sarai was his sister – then when someone wanted to marry her – Abram as the brother would do negotiations which would take time – but before she’s actually married they leave. So he’s just buying some time. 

But then v14-16 READ. 

Pharaoh doesn’t need to negotiate and do due process in getting a wife – he just takes Sarai straight away into his harem in the palace. 

Now if Abram’s plan has gone wrong, God’s plan isn’t looking too good either. Remember we said last week – this is God’s plan to rescue the world – put everything right. It’s the promise of blessing - it starts with the promise of land and nation – but Abram has left the land and gone to Egypt instead. And now he’s lost his wife – so he can’t have any descendants and be a great nation. 

So Abram’s failure means God’s plan to rescue his world – is now at risk. 

And then we read V17 READ. 

Those first three words sum up this sermon – but the Lord. 

In the middle of the mess Abram has made – God intervenes - he steps in and acts. 

He sends some sort of plague on Pharaoh and his household. It becomes obvious Sarai is the issue – maybe she was the only one who didn’t get the plagues. Maybe she confesses. Anyway Pharaoh finds out the truth – she is Abram’s wife. And they are being punished by Abram’s God. 

And so v18-20 READ. 

The pagan king gives the man of faith a talking to. Abram – what were you playing at?! Why did you lie to me? How could you do this to me? 

That last sentence, here’s your wife, take her and go - literally are four words – here wife take go. You can feel the anger and outrage – how dare you behave like this.

And Abram says – well I tell you what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t say – but there was a famine – and we were really hungry – we had to come here. He doesn’t say – but the Egyptians are so scary so I had to lie or they’d kill me. It’s very tempting to blame your circumstances – very easy - maybe up until now Abram explained it to himself like that. 

But now – confronted - he says - nothing – because there’s nothing to say – his silence says – you’re right. I was wrong. I should have trusted God. But I didn’t – under pressure - I got it very wrong. 

Back on that retreat where we were misbehaving. Half way through the w/e the leader/speaker came and found us. Found us watching Wimbledon on TV actually – chatting – which we weren’t meant to be doing. 

He said – I know you’ve been mucking around in the talks. I know you’ve drawn on the photos. And now I find you doing this. 

And we didn’t have anything to say. In our little world, it wasn’t too bad, given the circumstances – it was understandable. But suddenly it was clear – the situation was no excuse – there was no excuse – it was down to us and we’d behaved terribly. 

Even more so Abram – he has no excuses – the truth was his faith failed.

But – v20 READ. 

So - he left Egypt. And he left with his wife. He left with this cattle and servants. And they go back to the promised land together. And God’s promise – God’s plan – is back on track. 

So – there’s the story – I want us to step back from it for a moment and think about what God is teaching us – about faith and famine and failure. 

I think there are two ways you could read this. You could say Abram failed – so the lesson is - don’t be like Abraham. Don’t fear and lie - instead have faith in God and obey him.

There’s something in that. Abram becomes the great example of faith in the Bible – and this was part of him learning to trust God. He would have walked home thinking – I should have trusted God – should have prayed, not lied, I should have kept God bigger than the Egyptians. And we learn that too. 

If we’re aware of how we’re failing in faith – making compromises – not trusting God – then don’t be like Abram – learn the lesson - you can trust God. 

However I think there is another way to read this which I want to focus on. Abram fails. But God intervenes – he steps in to get his plan back on track. So the lesson is - our failure – doesn’t stop God’s plan. 

This was first read by God’s people under Moses. Now it depends how good your Bible history is – but can you imagine that later generation reading this. 

They read Abram went to Egypt because of a famine. Well they’d have thought - that’s us – because years after Abraham – Jacob and his family go to Egypt because of a famine. 

They read Sarai is taken by Pharaoh. Well that’s us - as a nation we were taken captive by Pharaoh – became slaves. 

They read God sends plagues on Egyptians so Sarah is released. That’s what God did with us – sent 10 plagues so we were freed.

They read that Abram leaves Egypt taking all the animals and servants he’d been given. And they think – that’s what we did - when we left Egypt we plundered the Egyptians too. 

They couldn’t fail to hear the echoes – this is what God did with Abram. This is what God did with us. This is what God does – he is a God who steps in to terrible situations – a God who intervenes to keep his plan on track – he is if you like – a ‘but the Lord’ sort of God. That’s the big lesson from this. 

However there is a question how we apply this to us. First of all there is the big picture fulfillment – in Jesus. 

In the NT we read, 

“No one will be declared righteous…. But now, a righteousness from God has been make known.”

 “you were dead in your transgressions and sins … But, because of his great love for us God…”

“This is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son…”

We’ve all made a mess of life like Abram – we ended up imprisoned – not by Pharaoh but by sin and death. But God intervenes – as he sends Jesus who takes his judgment – so we can be forgiven. 

That is the big picture fulfillment of this – God steps in to fulfill his plan to put the world right. But the Lord. 

And as I’ve been talking we might be aware how we’ve failed in faith. Times we’ve been under pressure – and done the wrong thing. Well we should be comforted from this story – we have a - but the Lord - sort of God – we can look at Jesus and see how God has intervened to win our forgiveness and bring about his plan. 

But there is also little picture fulfillment – secondary fulfillment - in our individual lives. But here it’s a bit less clear – or a bit less black and white. 

But God intervenes with us - to bring us into his plan and keep us in his plan.

I expect most of us can look back and see how God acted – intervened - so that we put our faith in him. For me it was a friend at school who took me to his church where I heard about Jesus. God arranged that – the initial connection – the conversations – the invitation. He enabled me to realise my need of him – he intervened so I put my faith in him. 

And he continues to intervene in our lives – to keep us in his plan. Now I don’t mean that whatever mistakes we make – God will step in and make everything alright. Often we have to face the consequences of our actions. But he does act to keep us in his plan, keep his plan on track in our lives. 

Years ago I was with a couple of friends who weren’t Christians – something about Jesus came up and I didn’t say anything. But later one friend said something like – I’m surprised you didn’t say something about what you believe. I’d have thought you’d have a spiel to give. 

That made me say – well I do actually – and did a little gospel summary. 

I failed to speak – then God acted to help me do the right thing. 

I expect you can think of your own examples. We start to bend the rules at work – but our boss see what’s happening and says – we’re not doing that - overrules us. We feel rightly told off - but we’re back on track. We feel too tired or embarrassed to read the Bible and pray as a family – but one day our 4 year old innocently asks - ask why we don’t we talk to God – we are ashamed – and pushed into it. 

Now this does raise questions - why God doesn’t intervene more – why didn’t God intervene in that situation – why doesn’t he intervene in that person’s life? And we don’t know – there is some mystery here. 

But he promises to save his people – promises to intervene to bring us to believe – and keep us believing. So the people we meet, conversations we have, books, sermons, circumstances, emotions – they are God nudging us – shoving us sometimes – not to make every always fine and lovely – but to keep his plan on track in our lives. 

The other day – I found myself wondering what would be written on a plaque when I die. Probably just be name and dates. But what could it say. Well it should say something like – Nigel Beynon – he went his own way – even as a Christian he feared and failed. That would summarise a lot of my life. And then the plaque would say – ‘But the Lord’.

But the Lord – sent Jesus to die for me. But the Lord – sent me a friend to tell me the gospel. But the Lord – sent this friend into my life – and I had that conversation – and he gave me that opportunity – and that situation went wrong which taught me this lesson - and and and– God acted to keep me believing and repenting. 

That is a good caption for our lives – but the Lord. 

So let’s not be like Abram here – let’s trust God, obey him – but even if we fail – we take comfort - he’s a - but the Lord - sort of God. 

Searching for God's blessing - Nigel Beynon 2/3

Genesis 11v10-12v3 (2/3 of a series)

Nigel Beynon

Genesis 11:10-12:3

Part two of a mini series by Nigel Beynon: God’s plan for his world and our lives.

This week: Searching for God’s blessing

—

Last week we looked at Genesis 11 – and followed the theme of unity through the Bible. I felt aware there was a lot of information so was a bit unhappy about that. This week – I feel that even more. Thought I’d let you know at the start. This is a big picture sermon – covering a lot of ground in the Bible. 

At the same time – it can be very exciting to see how the Bible fits together – I think it’s very encouraging how God’s plans develop and are fulfilled and come together. And seeing that can strengthen us in keeping going as Christians. 

Maybe we feel we need a bit of that – said we haven’t appointed a vicar this week – I think a good and the right decision. But disappointing decision. We may feel a weary. Struggling to keep going in this interim time. 

And of course there can be many other things that make us feel like giving up as a Christian. Moments when you think – wouldn’t it be easier if I wasn’t a Christian. 

Well I hope this big picture – God’s big plan – how it comes together in Jesus – will encourage us to keep going with Jesus. 

Now, we heard Genesis 12 read – promise to Abram. But to get the significance of what is being said here we’ve got to appreciate the flow from the start of Genesis – we’ve got to get the run up to this – only then will we get the hit of Genesis 12. 

So here’s the run up. First of all, 

Blessing

Back in chapter 1 God made the world – he made it beautiful and bountiful. And he made humanity – and we’re told ‘he blessed them’ – told them to multiply and fill the earth, to rule it and enjoy this paradise he’s given them – and to do that with God and under God. It’s a picture is of a perfect world – as the Bible says – “God saw all he had made and it was very good.” That is God’s blessing. 

The other night I was watching TV and then an advert came on – and you got these shots of sun, sand and sea. It was beautiful. And there were lots of smiley faces. Happy families. Wonderful food. It was paradise.  It turns out paradise only costs £2000 for a week – and it’s located in Turkey.

Lots of adverts offer us that perfect world don’t they – or a part of it - a lifestyle, a relationship, a home – which will be perfect. They offer us that because that is what we were made for – and so that is what we long for.

But of course we long for that world, not just because we were made for it – but also because we haven’t got it.  

That’s the next bit of the run up. 

Curse

In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve rebel against God – put themselves in charge instead of him. And that leads to curse or what we often call, the fall.

Curse is the opposite of his blessing. Relationships are spoilt - we hurt each other. Work is hard and frustrating. Most of all, rather than live in God’s presence and eating from the tree of life, Adam and Eve are thrown out of the garden, separated from God – and now will die.

I mentioned the advert of a holiday. Have you ever been on a holiday like that? It’s never what you hoped for is it? The sand gets in your food, you get sunburnt on the first day, the swimming pool hasn’t been built. Or even if the place is really nice, that doesn’t stop you having an argument with the people you are with. And no matter how good it is - it doesn’t last.  

We were made for blessing, we long for blessing, but we often experience curse. 

Third part of the run up. 

Hope 

God says to the serpent – Satan – who tempted Adam and Eve,

I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers: he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.

An offspring of Eve – will crush the serpent. And if he crushes the serpent maybe he can do something about sin and the curse. It’s not fleshed out but there is hope here.

And so we read on looking for this serpent crusher. Chapter 4 we get Cain & Abel – Abel seems good but gets killed by Cain. Sin & the curse are winning. Then we get to Noah – the world is flooded because sin is so bad. But after the flood it’s like a new start – fresh world – only then Noah gets drunk and disgraces himself – and you realise sin and the curse are still winning. Then we get the tower of Babel – this united rejection of God and so they are scattered. Sin and the curse are definitely winning. 

Then we come to our passage tonight. 

Now I don’t know what you thought when you heard the genealogy being read? It’s fun to see if the reader can pronounce the names – you did very well Marg – but it’s easy to think, what’s the point of this – how does this help? 

• Looking for someone, 11v10-26

First thing we have to notice is that this genealogy is linear. In most family trees you get a branch structure - one person – then their 5 children – and then each of theirs etc. 

Well a linear genealogy – follows one line down that tree. So we are told v10, Shem had a son called Arpachshad – then v11, it says Shem had lots of other sons and daughters but we’re not told about them –we stick with Arpachshad – and then to one of his sons, Shelah. He had other sons and daughters too – but don’t hear about then – just follow Shelah and on from him. We follow a line down the family tree.  

I’m sure you’ve been driving with someone else is giving you instructions? You don’t know where you’re going, but they do so they say – left here, and left again. And straight on – and now right.  

If they do that – it would be safe to assume they are taking you somewhere aren’t they? I mean they might being having a laugh. But turning left and right like that - the sense is – we’re going somewhere – we’ve got a destination.  

Well that is what is happening here. This genealogy isn’t just telling us some people had some children. It’s leading us somewhere – at each generation it says – this son – not the others – now this son – left, now right.  

There is a sense of being taken somewhere – or looking for someone. We’re looking for that serpent crusher. 

And the line takes us to Abram. And we read this: 12v1-3 READ.

Now having had the run up I hope we begin to get what’s being said here. 

Abram is promised a land – well God made Adam and Eve a place to live – a land if you like. 

I’ll make you a great nation – well Adam and Eve were meant to multiply and fill the earth – be great. 

Most of all - I will bless you – that’s like Genesis 1 & 2 when God blessed them. Blessing is the opposite of the cursing that’s been going on. 

So this promise – this is massive. This is nothing less than promising Eden again. We’ve gone blessing – curse – and now God promises blessing again. God is promising to undo the curse – to take us back before the fall. He’s promising to going to put everything right – and give us a perfect world again. 

Now I want to pause for a moment on this – because Paul comments on this verse in Galatians. Galatians 3:8 says, 

“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’.”

This promise of blessing – Paul says is the gospel announced in advance. So this promise – Genesis 12 – is the gospel. 

We said last week when we think of the gospel – we usually think about Jesus bringing us forgiveness, having a relationship with God, place in heaven, that sort of thing. We said last week that’s individualistic – gospel is also God’s plan to reunite humanity. 

Now we see it’s bigger again – the gospel is nothing less than God’s plan to put the whole world right. To reverse the fall – to make everything as it was meant to be. To take us back to Genesis 1&2. 

Within that – there is forgiveness and relationship with God. Absolutely. Those things are central. But the gospel is much bigger than just me and my personal relationship with God. It’s nothing less than God’s plan to put the whole world right. For us to enjoy his blessing again. 

Question – how do we get that blessing? Because here – it’s just a promise. And Abraham doesn’t see much of this promise in reality. Then we get Isaac, he inherits the promise of blessing, then his son Jacob, then Joseph – but same goes for them. They’ve got the promise of blessing - don’t actually get the blessing. 

Then we get nation of Israel formed under Moses – so they become a great nation. Tick. 

And in time - they do get a wonderful land to live in – tick. And they become great and rich and prosperous under king David and Solomon – and you begin to think – this is good – this a bit like Eden – the blessing. 

But just as you think that - it all comes crashing down. Nation splits in two. Enemies defeat them in war.  And they end up being thrown out of the land.

Did you ever play pass the parcel as a kid? The music stops and you get the present for a moment – and you tear off as many layers as you can – until the music starts again. I always got very excited about getting the present but then got frustrated there was too much sellotape and paper - and I barely got started before the music started. Often ended in tears and I had to be sent to my room to calm down.

Imagine though if the present was totally covered in sellotape. Sealed in fact – it comes to the first person – but they can’t get anywhere. Music starts – passed on – stops at the next person - they can’t open it – and so it goes on.  

That would certainly lead to tears.

Well God promises his blessing to Abraham – and then the promise is passed on to Isaac, then Jacob - but no one can open it – and so the promise is passed on to the next generation and then the next – but no one can bring about God’s perfect world.

And the reason is – sin and the curse keep winning. We’ll see next week Abram struggles to trust God and so lies. Sin still wins. Then we see Jacob deceiving people or Moses getting angry. Sin is winning. Then king David commits adultery. Solomon worships other gods. Sin is still winning. And so the curse is thriving.

In other words we’re still looking for a serpent crusher. We’ve got the promise of blessing – but we’re looking for someone to open it – someone who can overcome sin and overcome the curse, crush the serpent. 

Let’s turn to another genealogy, Luke 3-4. 

Luke 3v23 READ – and so it goes on until we get to the people we’ve seen in Genesis – so v34 we get Jacob and Isaac and Abraham. Then v35 we get Shem, and then Noah and back to Adam. 

It’s another linear genealogy – showing us – this line to Abraham – actually goes through the OT – all the way to Jesus. 

Having identified Jesus if you like – we get straight way - Luke 4. Have a read, 4v1-2 READ.

Jesus faces temptation – like Adam and Eve – he now faces the serpent. The devil tempts him three times but Jesus responds each time by quoting the Bible – by staying true to God’s word – by putting God first. 

It’s taken me a while to realise how big this is. But this is – for the first time in ever – a human truly and fully obeys God. Ever since the garden of Eden, sin has won. Cain, Noah, Abraham, Moses, on and on – sin always wins. The serpent always wins. 

But now – for the first time in human history – someone overcomes sin – fully obeys God. 

To put this another way we could say – Christ lives for us. We’re going to say in a moment that Christ died for us. Probably more familiar with that. But Christ also lives for us – by that I mean that in his life he overcame sin – he fully obeyed God. If he gave in to temptation he would be yet another one defeated by sin. 

But he doesn’t give in – he lives a perfect life – for us. 

Not only does he overcome sin himself – he takes the curse himself. 

Back in Galatians Paul writes, 

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”

The curse our sin deserved – Jesus takes it himself – in his death. He lives the perfect life – he deserves nothing but blessing. But he then takes our curse. 

And you know Paul goes on, next sentence,

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus.”

Jesus has taken our curse – so we can get the blessing. The blessing promised in Genesis 12 to Abraham – can come to us. 

That blessing starts now. Forgiveness – relationship with God. Receiving the Spirit – being part of the church. Many good things now. 

But most of all – his blessing will come in the future when we are part of that perfect world God’s renewed creation – Revelation says – 

“there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away…. No longer will there be any curse.” 

Everything will be as it was made to be. All we ever wanted. All we could ever imagine. God’s blessing. 

I said at the start we might feel a bit weary, discouraged. Maybe about the search for a vicar. Maybe with our situation. Maybe with our work, or children, or just ourselves. It’s easy for that to crowd in on us – absorb us – and make us feel like giving up. 

An antidote to that – is to see where we are going. To have a vision of our future. Genesis 12 gives us that – as it pushes us forward to Jesus and to God’s perfect blessing. 

In 1952 a woman called Florence Chadwick tried to swim from Catilina Island to the shore of mainland California. She has already become the first women to swim the English Channel both ways. The day was cold and foggy so she cold hardly see the boats alongside her. She swam for 15 hours and was really tired. She asked to stop but her trainer urged her on. In the end she’d had enough and just stopped swimming and was pulled out. The boats carried on through the fog and found they were just ½ a mile from the shore. 

The next day at a new conference she said, I found it too hard, but I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it. 

Two months later she tried again – bright clear day – vision was perfect – she swam the whole way. 

If we are feeling tired. Feel like giving up. Let’s look ahead. Look where you’re going. God has promised – I will bless you. Jesus has lived for you, died for you, to win you that blessing. Look where you’re going – all you ever wanted, all you could imagine, all you ever live for now, complete and perfect – God’s blessing. 

Unity and division - Nigel Beynon 1/3

Genesis 10 v1 - 11 v9 (1/3 of a series)

Nigel Beynon

Genesis 10:1-11:9

Part one of a mini series by Nigel Beynon: God’s plan for his world and our lives.

This week: Unity and Division

—

While ago I read a book called The Warrior’s Honour by the journalist Michael Ignatieff. It talks about his experiences covering various ethnic conflicts. 

In one chapter he describes Serb-Croat conflict and how he sat one night with Serb soldiers in a village that has been cut in half by the conflict. He writes – “this is a village war. The men on either side of the front line once were neighbours. The Serbs on guard duty … once went to school with the Croats in the bunker close by.”

He then says – “I want to understand how neighbours go to war…. How do brothers become enemies?”

And it’s a question that multiplies as you go round the conflicts in the world – Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, we could go on and on with places where brothers have become enemies.

Why is the world like that? And what hope is there for a world like that? How can enemies become brothers? 

That is where our passage is going to take us. Let’s start by seeing how Genesis 10 describes our world, 

First of all, as fundamentally united

10v1 READ – and then he lists the descendants of the 3 sons of Noah. As he does that what he’s doing is taking us around the peoples and nations of the known world. Not all of them – but he lists 70 names – the number 70 being symbolic for wholeness – so the idea is that this represents the whole world.  

The point is – the whole world comes from these three brothers. So the whole world is related – they are family.   

As I’m sure you know the ruby world cup starts on Friday – I know you’re all very excited about that. Anyway – England are in a group with France and we play in a few weeks. England France matches are always feisty. Love to beat the French.  

But imagine if we were told – yes the French, they came from your great, great, great, great, grandfather’s brother. You’re related. You’re family. 

Well that is what is being said here. All these nations – come from these brothers – they are one big family. They are fundamentally united.

And a family that is united is a wonderful thing – loving and supportive relationships – looking after each other. Having fun together. Enjoying each other. 

Well God made humanity to be one big family – wonderful, supportive, caring unity. 

But at the same time this chapter also shows we are tragically divided.

• Tragically divided, 10v5, 20, 31

V5 READ.  

And v20, READ.

And v31, READ.

At the end of each list – we’re told they are divided by clan – their family grouping. Divided by the language they speak. The area they live. And the nation they are part of. 

As one commentator puts it – they are divided anthropologically, linguistically, geographically and politically. 

We just said that England and France are united – we are one family. But the fact is – if we’re English – we still do really want to beat the French. And they’d love to beat us. We are divided.

And while on the ruby pitch it doesn’t really matter - off the pitch these divisions lead to the fans fighting – it leads to xenophobia, and racism and bigotry. It leads to Serbs fighting Croats. 

So here is our world – made by God to be united yet tragically divided. And so we come back to our question - why? How do brothers become enemies?   

Well the answer comes in chapter 11. The order of these chapters is rather odd. Because at the start of chapter 11 we read, v1 READ. If there is one language this must be describing something before chapter 10 when there are lots of languages. But it’s put here to look back at chapter 10 and explain how the world got like that.

So chapter 11 describes how the world got divided. First part of the explanation is that, 

Humanity united against God, Genesis 11v1-4

Let’s read v2-4 READ.

Now let’s be clear there is nothing intrinsically wrong with tall buildings. I quite like the Shard, the Pinnacle and the rest of them. The problem here isn’t the height – it’s the motivation. 

They want to make a name for themselves. We could think of someone at work or school – wanting to make name for themselves. Means they want to stand out - be number one.  

And they try and make a name for themselves by building a tower that reaches to heaven - where God is. So they want to make themselves number one – instead of God. 

You can see they are against God by their other motivation - they say let’s do this to avoid being scattered. God has said in Genesis humanity should spread out – they are to fill the earth. But they are like a group of rebels who say – let’s stick together. Safety in numbers.

Together – united - we can we can rule the world – instead of God. 

I said a moment ago that unity is a good and powerful thing. But now we see it needs to be unity around the right thing. We were made to be united – under God. With him in charge. But here humanity unite against God. It’s like a family – throwing the parents out. A team kicking out the captain. Work colleagues rejecting the boss. 

And that leads to humanity divided by God,

Humanity divided by God, Genesis 11v5-9

V7-9 READ.  

God confuses their languages so they don’t understand each other. 

The name Babel in Hebrew sounds like the word for confused – the place they hoped to make a name for themselves, they only end up with the name – confusion, babble.  

And because of that – they can’t work together – and so the thing they tried to avoid happens – they are scattered. Divided. And they become what we saw in chapter 10. Different language, clans, nations and lands.  

I imagine some of us went abroad on holiday this summer. If you’re anything like me you ended up having painful conversations trying to buy a loaf of bread – usually involves a lot of pointing – sometimes acting – and you end up with a tin of something you don’t want.  

That is because of Genesis 11 – God has confused our languages and divided us. Here is the start of nations, and tribes and all the divisions in society. 

Do you remember the riots in London back in 2011? Started in Tottenham at first and then in lots of places over London including Hackney. And then in different cities. Thousands of people were rioted  - about 3000 ended up in court. It was a very strange summer wasn’t it – normal law and order and society got ripped up for a bit.

But can you imagine if the whole of Tottenham rioted? Every person, from every house, every street – started attacking police and property. And just Tottenham – Hackney – Harringay – whole of London – not a few thousand but millions – rejecting law and order – doing what they want. 

That obviously wouldn’t happen – but just the thought of it is – frightening – bewildering. Because of the numbers and the unity. Everyone united in rebellion.

That is the sense here. God says – v6 READ. The potential here is frightening. Worse than the whole of London rioting. The potential of what humanity united – against God – could achieve. It’s frightening. 

And so God acts to frustrate that unity. To divide us. 

And of course it leads to more than confusion in buying bread – it leads to violence with football fans, it leads to racism, it leads to war. 

Now we’ve got to be careful how we say this – because saying God has divided us - could sound like God has caused the wars and fights we see in the world. 

So let me try and put this carefully. God has divided us – but what we do with that – what we do with our differences is up to us. And on the one hand those differences lead to different cultures – art, music, literature – the Bible celebrates that creativity and diversity. 

But those differences also leads us to fight with each other. Not that God makes us fight. The problem is – we still want to make a name for ourselves. Still want to be in charge – wanting our way. We aren’t united in that anymore – because God has divided us – so now that sinfulness is expressed against each other – in fights and conflicts. Whether it’s miscommunication in marriage, or competitiveness at work, or nations going to war. 

So this week if we hear about friends falling out, family argument, racism, hostility to immigrants or the war in Yemen – we should think – here is Babel being worked out. God has divided us – and we turn that into a fight. 

What I want to do now is ask - where this theme of unity and division go in the Bible. What happens to this world which was meant to be united – but is so divided? Or to put it another way – can enemies become brothers?

God is reuniting humanity through Jesus, Acts 2; Revelation 5v9,10

The letter to the Ephesians talks a lot about unity. It’s written to a church made up of Jew and Gentile – the two big people groups of the ancient world – the ultimate in racial division – but Paul writes,

“For Christ himself is our peace, who has made the two one (Jew and Gentile) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two thus making peace.” 

He says, Jesus is our peace – that is, he brings us peace with God. Forgiveness and acceptance.  But that leads to peace with each other. In fact Paul says Jesus’ very purpose in dying was to create a new man – a new humanity – not Jew or Gentile but Christian. And so make peace.

There’s a story of an Australian bishop who was travelling with a group of white boys and aboriginal boys in a bus. The boys kept arguing about being light or dark skinned – in the end the bishop stopped the bus and got all the boys off. Then told them – you can only ride on this bus if you’re green. As each boy got back on the bus he asked – what colour are? Green. On you go.

They drove on and there was peace for a bit. Then a little voice said – right, dark greens on the right, light greens on the left!

The bishop tried to make unity by creating a third category. Not back or white but green. It didn’t work but he had the right idea. 

Jesus has created a new category. Not Jew or Gentile but Christian – at peace with God. And so at peace with each other. 

Paul goes on “Consequently you are no longer foreigners but fellow citizens with God’s people, members of his household.” Jesus makes us fellow citizens – we’re one nation. United. And Jesus makes us God’s household - one family – united. Of course a big image of the church is that we are one body – united.

And that unity will be completely fulfilled when Jesus returns. Listen to how John describes the scene at the end of time in Revelation. 

I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb… and they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.”

Every nation, every language is there – but they sing one song – salvation belongs to God. They are united around the throne. 

Unity is a wonderful and beautiful thing – but only if it’s unity in the right thing. Here at last - humanity will be united under God. And it will be everything we wanted – a perfect nation, a wonderful team, a united family. 

Let’s finish by thinking what this means in practice for us. I want to suggest to two things. We should spread this unity, we should live this unity.

First all we should spread this unity. By that I mean we should tell people about Jesus. But we often think of Jesus as bringing someone forgiveness. Or putting them right with God. And that’s true – but it’s very individual – very isolated. 

Actually the gospel of Jesus – isn’t just how someone gets forgiven. It’s God’s plan for world peace. It’s how God is uniting the world back together – as he intended.

I’ve got a friend called Rosanne who is missionary in Japan. She spends her time telling people about Jesus. But rather than saying she’s a missionary – I could say – she’s working for world peace. She’s part of God’s world unity project. Because as a Japanese person accepts Jesus - they become this new category of person – a Christian. They part of God’s people, his family, his body – one day will be around that throne – enjoying true peace and unity. 

And it’s not just missionaries in another country. This goes for us. 

I don’t know who you are going to meet this week. People you live with, work with, go to school with. Neighbours, friends. They might be very different to us. Different culture, different language. We might feel very different – divided even. 

But the truth is – they were once our family. We are very distantly related. And God is working to reunite his family. In Jesus. 

So sharing Jesus with someone – is how we join in with God’s world peace plan. If they accept Jesus they become part of God’s remade, united world. 

So – spread this unity. Secondly – live this unity. 

If we go back to Ephesians – having explained God’s plan of unity and peace, Paul goes on by saying, 

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There’s one body and one Spirit – one hope – one God.” 

Keep the unity of the Spirit – God has united you through Jesus – now you are to live that out. We’re to make that real in our lives. 

If someone is a bit rude to us this week – we don’t get proud and defensive – we are humble. 

When someone let’s us down – doesn’t come through - we’re gentle. 

When someone disappoints us again, yet again – we’re patient. 

When someone is hard work we bear with them in love.  

We support each other, we encourage, we’re gracious to each other, we forgive each other. 

We live out this unity. As we live that – it’s like St Barnabas will give a glimpse of that united heavenly gathering - a tantalising, appealing taste of that perfect unity we’ll one day have. 

Enemies can become brothers – because God is reuniting the whole world through Jesus Christ. 

Let’s see what God is doing and spread this unity. And live this unity. 

During the Peace

We’ve said Jesus purpose in dying is to make a new person – and so bring us to peace. We remember that now in these words. Let’s remember that as we take bread and wine. Often do it isolated – my relationship with God. Encourage us to be aware of each other – to think how Jesus died to unite us to each other. Pray for the person next to you.