Genesis 40 - Our Names

God's word is from Genesis chapter 11, verses 1 through 9.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Amen.

Beginning of the Tower of Babel Story: One Language, Movement Eastward

Among the scripture passages, Genesis 11:1 will be the verse that determines the overall direction of the text we will examine today. The reason today's text begins with the phrase ‘Now the whole world had one language and a common speech’ is to explain how the history of humanity, which will now be discussed, became confused. Noah's descendants are now beginning the history of humanity anew for the first time. The population is increasing, and they are gradually moving and spreading out into the world.

Meaning of Moving East: Distancing from God

However, observing their movement, we can notice through their intended direction that some problem is arising among them. At the beginning of verse 2, the phrase ‘As people moved eastward’ appears. We remember that this term 'eastward' also appeared in the early parts of Genesis. We previously discussed the story of Adam and Eve moving east of the Garden of Eden after they sinned. They were driven out eastward from the Garden of Eden. Based on this story, the famous movie 'East of Eden' starring James Dean was also made. It was a movie showing the protagonist rebelling against the world. The writer who penned the screenplay for this movie likely had a basic knowledge of Genesis, and based on that, seems to have completed the screenplay for this excellent film. Thus, we can see that in the Bible, this 'eastward' is continuously used throughout the Old Testament to signify the image of people moving away from God. And this fact serves as a hint for understanding today's text. The direction Noah's descendants moved was east.

Plain of Shinar: Place of Babylon's Rise

Starting from the vicinity of Turkey where Mount Ararat is located, they are moving down to the land of Mesopotamia between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, where the plain of Shinar is. The plain of Shinar is also the place where the later Babylonian Empire rose. Thus, they are moving in an eastward direction, and this is the beginning of the problem.

Building a City and Tower: Misunderstanding the Tower of Babel Story

The first thing they did upon settling in the plain of Shinar was to build a city and a tower. This is the story of the Tower of Babel that we know well. Probably no one is unfamiliar with this content. It's a story heard countless times in Sunday school. Sunday school often taught and learned the story that people were carrying bricks to build a tower high enough to reach the heavens, but God confused their language, preventing the bricks from being transported properly, thus the tower was not built properly. However, examining this text more closely reveals that it is recorded they stopped not only the work of building the tower but also the entire process of building the city. That is, the tower and the city were one body, and they stopped this entire process. This story is about the city of Babel and the Tower of Babel, but we remember it only as the story of the Tower of Babel. This is like going on a trip to Gyeongju, remembering only Bulguksa Temple, and forgetting Gyeongju itself. Therefore, when reading this story, we tend to focus a lot on how high they built the tower.

Meaning of the Tower: Ziggurat and Human Pride

We try to imagine how high it must have been to reach the heavens. However, the Bible's expression actually does not emphasize how high they built the tower, but rather focuses on the fact that they were trying to connect the human earth and the heavens by building a tower that reaches the heavens. The Sumerian people call this Tower of Babel or city of Babel a 'ziggurat'. They intended to continuously build a very high tower with stairs, and through those stairs, make the tower connect to the heavens, thereby making it a place where they could meet God. That is why in Babylon, the name of this tower was also called the “Gate of God”. That is, it was considered a place where one could meet God at this location called the Gate of God, and where sacrifices or worship were performed for them.

Through this tower, humans tried to meet God. At the same time, by positioning themselves on the tower built high into the sky, they also had the intention of confirming that they were in the same position as God. In any case, this place was such a religious site.

Then, could the act of people building that city or tower itself be a problem? If it was built as a place to meet God, is that itself a problem? Does anyone know where the highest place was in the Bible where people met God? The Israelites always worshipped God at that place. Yes, it is Mount Zion, also called Mount Moriah, where Jerusalem was located. The temple was there, and God's presence resided in that temple. Therefore, building a structure on a high place itself cannot be any problem.

Problem of the Tower of Babel (1): Human Method (Brick vs. Stone)

Then what problem was there with this Tower of Babel? For what reason did God scatter all of Noah's descendants because of this tower? Through this text today, we intend to examine the reason in detail.

The first reason. It is the content of verse 3. ‘They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.’ This is the story about the appearance of making bricks. Practically, in the Babylonian region where the plain of Shinar is located, there was so much clay that baking bricks from it and building structures was a very common form of architecture. Therefore, traces of enormous towers, thought to be like the Tower of Babel, are frequently discovered in this region. Through such archaeological excavations, we can easily imagine the processes by which many city structures or temples built in this era were made. That's why I think I learned it this way in Sunday school too. Thus, people of this era could make very perfect buildings using the technology of making bricks, not hewn stone, and applying tar to them.  

However, it seems very important to understand the meaning behind the Bible describing the process of making bricks in such detail in this text. Ultimately, they made bricks to replace stone, and used tar to replace mortar. While reading about this brick-making technology, we can easily interpret this as a new scientific development.

God's Method vs. Human Best

But do you perhaps remember what the Jerusalem temple was made of? Were bricks used? No. It was made by quarrying large stones whole. Moreover, because the site of the Jerusalem temple shouldn't be too noisy, the stones were all quarried and shaped far away, then transported to the temple site to build it. That is why, when describing the destruction of the temple, the phrase ‘not one stone here will be left on another’ came about. Thus, the Jerusalem temple was built of stone. This Jerusalem temple was built much later than the Tower of Babel. However, with purpose, God had them build the temple with stone. Of course, it could be because the stone in the Canaan region where Jerusalem is located was better for building the temple, but more than that, it shows that God did not want it built by human methods, baking bricks which humans considered the best technology, but rather that doing the work according to what God wanted and the way He wanted was right. Today's text points out that humans, rather than God's method, tried to serve, worship, and revere God using the method they thought was best. The people of that era thought it would be better to use the technology they created of baking bricks rather than using stone.

Trap of Religion of Works

Speaking in today's terms, when we approach God through worship, we too easily and naturally assume that God, like us, will delight in the methods we like, can enjoy, and think are acceptable. In fact, looking closely, such cases are very numerous among us. There are many things we have created throughout Christian history, and among those things that seem so natural and are regarded as Christian tradition, it is true that there are very many committing this error. In a way, these could be called dead traditions. For this reason, a correct understanding of God's word is extremely necessary for us. Because we are beings who can easily commit such mistakes.

All attempts to approach God or sit in God's place using one's own methods are, in reality, the same as the fundamental form of all pagan gods and religions created by humans. That is why in New Testament terms, it is described as ‘approaching God based on the strength and ability we possess’, and this is called the ‘religion of works’. Ultimately, trying to meet God through one's own path using methods one created, or trying to reach God's place oneself, ultimately creates a false religion. The reason this false religion is frightening is that devotion and zeal are invested in it. Nevertheless, because this false religion tries to approach God based on self-reliance, using what one possesses, all such actions or intentions ultimately result in Jesus saying, ‘I never knew you,’ rendering all these things unacceptable.

Standard of True Faith: Reliance on Grace (Cross)

In truth, we make many mistakes while living. Being unfamiliar with everything and immature, we can commit wrongs in certain matters. For example, the mistake of calling a church building a temple could be included. Anyone can make a slip of the tongue a few times. However, there is one truly important thing, the one thing that determines if that person is a Christian. There is only one thing where mistakes absolutely must not be made, and that is what we rely on when we approach God. It is deciding whether to rely on one's own righteousness, or solely on the cross of Jesus Christ. This is like a matter of life and death.

Misunderstanding Grace: Faith Without Works?

We can express the act of departing from relying on ourselves as ‘grace’. This word 'grace' is so familiar to us that when we hear it, we recall the fact that God saved us with sovereign and glorious power. That is 100% correct. However, what happens when such grace is well understood is that, ultimately, there is nothing we can do, nothing we need to accomplish in the future, and God alone will take responsibility for my path ahead, making it easy for me to end up living a life of faith just talking the talk in church. Believing in Jesus, but only with words. Singing hymns, giving thanks, and living a life of faith by pointing out the faults of those beside us comes to be thought of as believing in Jesus well. It means trying to substitute my life of faith with how correctly I know things, how correctly and detailedly I understand God's word.

Reformed Faith and the Importance of Prayer Life

When you talk about true reformed faith, what comes to mind? From this perspective, we need to re-examine our life of faith. Do you truly have a thirst for God's word? Have you ever felt that your life and existence are meaningless without hearing that word? Another thing, as the most basic aspect of reformed faith, how much do you pray? Historically, there has never been a time when people following the reformed faith prayed as little as today. Unprecedentedly, the sound of prayer has diminished in the reformed church now. How can people who think they hold the reformed faith correctly as true belief neglect prayer, having no prayer life other than the Sunday worship service and the three mealtime prayers a day, yet claim we are believing in Jesus correctly? In a way, thinking we are living a life of faith without dedicating our time to prayer like this can be a very dangerous thing.

Relationship Between God's Sovereignty and Prayer

Does the thought arise in your heart, 'God knows everything, and He works sovereignly, so even if we don't pray so hard, He will take care of everything'? That is not so. If you truly believe in God's sovereignty, we cannot help but pray with much more fervor than now. Because my entire life does not depend on my hands. The real reason we must pray is that our lives depend on God's sovereignty. Do you not understand well? The true meaning of believing in God's sovereignty is believing that my life belongs to God. If we know that my entire future depends entirely on God's hands, we cannot help but cling to God. We must confess to God that we are truly pitiful sinners and implore God's grace. That is prayer. Therefore, a faith that does not pray cannot be called correct.

Are there among you those who want to pray, but find it hard to have such prayer time, and prayer does not come easily? Then you must pray to God even more. You must ask God for help, asking Him to help you approach Him a little more. You must pray asking Him to hear the sound of our groaning.

Relationship Between Salvation and Works: Evidence of Love

God is not interested in how wonderfully you pray. God rejoices when we realize how much we must rely on God and approach Him as beings who must do so. And realizing this properly is precisely correct faith. Therefore, people with correct faith are those who realize that our entire lives are before the Lord, and thus realize the fact that we must cling to the Lord even more. Only then do we confess that God is my everything, the source of all my blessings, and He alone is my blessing.

Therefore, we must keep this in mind. The fact is that offering our zeal to God is entirely useless for my salvation. We must remember that all acts of faith, such as diligently serving God, praying, and reading the Bible, provide no help whatsoever in achieving my salvation. However, at the same time, we must not forget the fact that all these actions of ours clearly reveal how much we love God.

Story of Mother and Glass Ring (What God Receives)

This is an illustration I have mentioned before. It happened when I was in the second grade of elementary school. While I was busy playing on the horizontal bar, I once found a sparkling sapphire ring in the sandbox. In my eyes, it was definitely sapphire. To my second-grade eyes, that glass ring, sparkling like a diamond and emitting a blue light, was undoubtedly a sapphire ring. I quickly picked it up and took it to my mother. I ran to my mother, gave her what I found, and put this pretty ring on her finger. If my memory serves me right, my mother always wore that ring until I entered university. By then, I knew. The fact that it was a common glass bead ring. It wasn't a jewel. But my mother always wore the glass ring I gave her, even taking off the wedding ring my father had given her. Because it was a gift her son gave thinking of his mom. Its value probably wasn't even 10 won (a very small amount). Yet, to my mother, it was the jewel of highest value.

Our 'Gestures' That Please God

Likewise. Every groan you utter while relying on the Lord is an incredibly precious sound to God. You must know this. The moment you kneel before God because you are sick and struggling is an immensely joyous moment for the Father. Because although everything you do may be of no benefit to your salvation, all of it is love to God. To God, those actions are immense joy. That is why we put such effort into this work that might be nothing. Not hoping for any glory while living on this earth, but because we know God's love, we try to live according to God's word today as well. When you live according to God's word, there are many instances where you suffer loss. Still, we try to love our enemies, strive to obey God's word, go before the Lord, kneel down, and make an effort to read the Lord's word. All these gestures are the struggle saying, ‘I love you, Lord’. Because my Father, who loves me so dearly, is with me forever.

People Building the Temple, Not the Tower of Babel

Therefore, you and I are not people building this Tower of Babel. We are people building the temple, not this Tower of Babel. When you worship according to God's word and will, you are being built into a temple. When you praise, you are being built into a temple; when you listen to the word, you are also being built into a temple; and when you pray, we also become a temple. You are building that temple.

Problem of the Tower of Babel (2): Making a Name for Themselves

However, there is something else we must be careful about here. Let's continue examining verse 4 of today's text. “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves;’” This is important. We should not try to make a name for ourselves. That is something we all know well. We should give glory to God, not our name. However, I want to trace this text a bit more closely. The word ‘name’ appearing here is a word that also appears in the story of the Nephilim from chapter 6. In chapter 6, when describing the Nephilim, the verse says, ‘they were the heroes of old, men of renown.’ The renown in ‘men of renown’ used here is the same word as this name. That is why the English Bible expressed this as ‘men of names’. Literally translated, it would be something like ‘people of name’. They were people who lived by their name. They were people whose everything was swayed by their name. They were people who determined the value of their entire lives by their name.  

Meaning of 'Making a Name' (Nephilim, Nimrod)

Of course, they would have been famous and well-known people. But at the same time, those names actually became representative of themselves like the names of gods, names holding the desire to ascend to God's place. Thus, as you examined, even after the flood, the first mighty warrior to appear was Nimrod, and the main thing they did was precisely building cities. They built cities. The extent of this is well recorded in verses 10:10-12. ‘The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is a great city.’ The place names appearing here are all names of cities, and these later came to be used as names of nations. Therefore, many scholars think that perhaps this Nimrod was the protagonist who built the Tower of Babel. It is an interpretation with sufficient grounds.  

God's Name vs. One's Own Name

Making a name, that is, the purpose is not just to become famous, but the intention is to build a tower and create a meeting place with God. And the intention is to engrave one's own name together in that place. In other words, by engraving one's own name together with God's name on that ziggurat, one wants to place oneself in the same position as God. Interpreting it more broadly, it means wanting one's own name to be called in that place instead of calling on the name of the Lord anymore. It is wanting to discard the name of the Lord and make one's own name known. It is an act of disregarding the name of the Lord.

Problem of the Tower of Babel (3): Avoiding Scattering (Disobeying God's Command)

But the reason for thinking that way is interesting. People thought that by doing this, people could avoid being scattered. You can easily understand this statement if you think about Egypt or the Roman Empire. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, called himself the son of the sun, or the son of god. And this statement ultimately means saying that he himself is a being who becomes god. In the Roman Empire too, emperors had themselves called god. And through that, they could maintain their power, protect what they had, and rule all nations as they pleased.

The meaning of the phrase 'not be scattered' in today's text is this: First, this phrase contains the meaning of directly challenging God's word. After Noah's flood ended, God blessed Noah. That blessing was precisely for Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. In English, ‘Fill the earth’, meaning to spread out in this world and fill those lands. This was precisely the command and blessing God gave them. Therefore, to enjoy the blessing received from God, humans had to multiply and spread out over the earth. However, humans did the exact opposite, meaning they would stick together in one place so as not to be scattered.

Fear of Scattering: Evidence of Broken Relationship

Everyone, this becomes an important clue that helps us understand what problem Noah's descendants on this plain of Shinar had. What kind of problem was it? Their problem was related to serious relational issues. The clue that reveals this is precisely this: People were now trying to scatter. Ham, Shem, and Japheth, who were like one family, one people using one language, were constantly trying to scatter, and because of that, they were anxious, and so instead of scattering, they were constantly trying to go upwards. If they were living well now, there would have been no need to build this tower, but now they were constantly trying to scatter.

The reason they were afraid of scattering like this was because their relationship with God was shaken. Therefore, they needed a god to replace God. They no longer served God and called on the name of the Lord. And they needed another god instead of God. A new god was needed. As a result, even among humans, they began to hate each other and started fighting. Because this is precisely the result of sin. Consequently, among the people who were like one family, various nations began to emerge, each claiming to be superior, and within that people who were like one family, voices continuously claiming that they were the true descendants of Noah would surely have arisen. And they finally began to attempt scattering.

When they first tried to separate, it was when their language was not different. Since we already know the outcome, we know that God made their languages different and caused them to scatter, but in reality, the reason they tried to scatter was because of their sin. That is why a situation inevitably leading to scattering began to appear. They were trying to discard God's blessing. Originally, this scattering had a good meaning. God intended for them to scatter throughout the world, live according to God's word, and live unfolding God's will within the boundaries God had set for them; that was the blessing God gave them. But now, it was no longer a blessing. Rather, it became a judgment. Because they intended to go the way of destruction. Rejecting the boundaries God set, they continuously tried to expand their own boundaries everywhere as they pleased.

God's Coming Down: Futility of Human Effort and God's Concern

The Bible records that God saw it and came down. God did not come closer to the place where the Tower of Babel was being built because the things humans were doing were not clearly visible. The meaning of today's text is that although the work humans are doing now might seem great to them, it reveals that it holds no meaning whatsoever to God. You have probably heard that the Great Wall of China is so enormous and long that it is visible even from outer space. However, this is not true. The Great Wall absolutely does not appear in photos taken from artificial satellites. In fact, no structure built by humans, no matter how large, is visible from space. No matter how high the Tower of Babel was built, in God's sight, it is nothing. That is why the Bible expresses it in a way that suggests it was so insignificant that God had to come down Himself to see it.

Simultaneously, the second point is that it shows how much interest God has in our history and lives. Therefore, seeing what they, as one people speaking one language, were building, God ultimately confused their language.

Confusion of Language: Breakdown of Communication (God's Judgment)

Then, did Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc., arise at this time? You might think so, but it is more correct to interpret it as meaning that the languages which became the root of all those languages arose at this time. English did not arise then. Rather, the ancestor of English arose. The approximately 7,000 languages said to exist on Earth today did not suddenly arise at this time. What God intended to do now was to confuse human language, making communication between them impossible. God judged the 모습 (appearance/state) of Babel where they consulted and communicated with each other to sit in God's place, so now they became beings who could no longer communicate with each other.

They are one people descended from the same father. Although it is unclear how many generations had passed since Noah, the language used among them became confused, and thus they could no longer build the city. They could no longer erect the tower. And as the confused language began, humans gradually scattered and began to become even more confused. That is how the Korean language came into being. Hebrew, the language in which the Bible was recorded, was also created that way. This is how the many diverse languages of humanity came into existence. According to linguists, all human languages are said to derive from a few major language families. The Korean and Japanese languages were inevitably influenced by Chinese. All this happened as these humans scattered.

What consequences did this judgment of God, this confusion of communication, bring upon humanity? You and I use the same language. We are using Korean now, and you understand this. However, although you nod as if you understand all of my sermon now and respond with 'Amen', if I approach you one-on-one after this sermon and ask about the sermon's content, you will probably give slightly different answers. Although you might all understand the main theme of the sermon well, the understanding of the detailed parts will surely differ greatly. Such things happen not far away, but even between married couples. Most marital disputes are due to this communication problem. The ability to understand each other's words falls short.

Pentecost Event: Reversal of Babel (Restoration of Communication in the Spirit)

Thus, communication is important. This imperfection in communication is not a problem arising from using different languages. Even when using the same language, many problems occur because we cannot accurately understand the other person. If so, did human life, resulting from this confusion of communication, this judgment of the Tower of Babel incident, end in unhappiness? Not so. The most wonderful aspect of the Bible is precisely that there is a reversal. The difficult judgment given due to our faults does not mean everything ends there. It is the fact that it does not end on the Friday the Lord died on the cross, but there is the Sunday of resurrection. Although you and I are currently in much suffering and pain, our lives and existence do not end here, and God Himself intervenes in our lives and existence.

The event that best demonstrates this is precisely what happened on Pentecost in the New Testament. Do you remember what happened when Jesus' disciples gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost in Acts? The Holy Spirit descended like tongues of fire. At that time, that appearance was described with the phrase ‘tongues of fire’. This word ‘tongue’, expressed differently, becomes ‘language’. That is, it means the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of ‘tongues of fire’, in a form that communicates. Thus, He enabled us to communicate with God. Until now, a wall existed with God, making us beings unable to approach God, but through the cross of Christ, we have now become beings who approach God. The Holy Spirit bestowed that amazing grace upon us.

What happened after the Holy Spirit, like tongues of fire, appeared? As you well know, the event of tongues occurred. What happened then? The apostles stood up and preached the gospel, proclaiming it in the tongues of various nations. Then all the diaspora of Israel, the scattered Jews who had come from all parts of the world, heard the apostles' sermons in their own native languages. This does not mean the apostles spoke Greek, English, Latin, etc., directly, but that the diaspora heard the apostles' words each in their own language. This event showed how the communication problem caused by this confusion of languages would be resolved within God's grace. Not only that, but it is a historical event showing that communication between God and humans finally began to occur.

True Meaning of Tongues: Calling on the Lord's Name with Pure Lips (Zephaniah 3:9)

The tongues in this text are different from when you and I occasionally pray, realize true grace, and pray in a language we don't even know. The tongues being spoken of now refer to a historical event, telling us that we, who could not approach God due to the lack of communication until now, have finally come to the place of communication with God. Not only this, but communication between people also occurred, and finally, the event of becoming one began to happen. What happened as a result? People laid down all their possessions and shared everything in common, meaning they communicated with each other. This is a historical event shown as a symbol. If we try to accomplish the same thing again now, it is easy to drift in the wrong direction, like the Sinangchon (Faith Village) that existed in Korea. God is not telling us to do the exact same things now. The event of Pentecostal tongues spoken of in the Bible shows the work of the Holy Spirit God and the appearance of the kingdom of God that He will accomplish, the appearance of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus Christ will bring when He comes, and therefore, it shows the 모습 (appearance/state) where we not only communicate with each other but also become beings who communicate with God.

Today, this part is amazingly foreshadowed in the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. It is a prophecy showing the events where the Holy Spirit God comes and finally overturns the Babel event. It is the word of Zephaniah 3:9. “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.” The keywords in this verse are ‘lips’, ‘the name of the Lord’, and ‘call on’.  

We examined earlier that the reversal of what happened at the Tower of Babel event occurred at the Pentecost event. However, the word in this book of Zephaniah shows that the event of tongues is different from simply the apostles preaching in various foreign languages, or us speaking words we don't even know when we pray. The real event of tongues, therefore, means that the Babel event of today's text must be completely overturned. Then what must be overturned?

First, it is not approaching God with our ability, but solely by God's grace all this is overturned, and because of that, we finally become able to communicate with God. Thus, it is not I sitting in God's place, but God must become my king, and He must become my true Savior, my everything. Next, like the word in this book of Zephaniah, our lips are purified, and we are born again as holy people of God. This shows the form where the event of tongues is perfectly fulfilled in us. We tend to easily think of these tongues merely as a miraculous event or a simple symbol, but the Bible says that the complete overturning of this Tower of Babel event is this event of tongues. All our sins committed while building the Tower of Babel are forgiven and overturned through Jesus Christ. Therefore, our mouths must speak like the holy mouth of Jesus Christ. That is why we realize that the command in James to be quick to listen is not merely a moral saying but precious gospel explaining our salvation.

Therefore, the characteristic of God's people is precisely that the Babel event is overturned, and they come to speak in true tongues. If perhaps while praying, you fall too deeply into prayer, or have a deep experience of faith, words unknown even to us might burst forth from your lips. This is good. However, although you might feel good at this time, it does not greatly help our faith. Frankly speaking, if I am speaking words I don't even know myself, it cannot have a significant impact on our faith growth.

Complete Reversal of Babel: Recording God's Name (Revelation 3)

The true tongues spoken of in the Bible refer to departing from the effort to make a name for ourselves, like the overturning of the Babel event, and coming to live for the name of Jesus. When we come to live for the name of Jesus, that is precisely the overturning of the Babel event, becoming true tongues, becoming true Pentecost, and the true kingdom of God coming. Therefore, your life cannot help but advance towards that fruit, towards the fruit of the Holy Spirit God that we think of.

Revelation chapter 3 expresses that time like this: “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it.” It means He will build you into God's temple. And God gathers us again and says He will never let us be scattered. Let's continue reading: “I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” You are now people on whom God's name is recorded. This is the true end of the Tower of Babel event and the end of the Pentecost event. “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  

Hymn: "Gracious Spirit, Dove Divine" (Guidance and Comfort of the Holy Spirit)

Everyone, the Holy Spirit who came to us builds us into a temple, not a Tower of Babel. That is why Pastor Simon Browne wrote hymn 187, which we know well. Since this hymn is one of the most frequently used praise songs for prayer, its melody is very familiar to you, but it seems we have never sung it to the end during a worship service. So today, we intend to sing this hymn during the worship service. And I intend to conclude today's sermon by briefly examining the lyrics of this hymn.

‘Gracious Spirit, Dove divine! Let Thy light within me shine; All my guilty fears remove, Fill me with Thy heav’nly love.’ This translation is excellent, but if we interpret ‘All my guilty fears remove’ more closely according to the original lyrics, we could perhaps sing it like this: ‘In all our thoughts and steps, not I, but the Lord Himself be our way and guide.’ The English text is: ‘Be Thou our guardian, Thou our guide! O’er every thought and step preside.’ And it confesses, ‘And then there is comfort and peace for us.’

Let me say again, this is precisely the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the Comforter, the Holy Spirit God. He is the one who becomes grace and comfort to us. You have with you a true Comforter that no one in the world has ever possessed, and that we could not even imagine. In your heart and spirit, within you who have become a temple, the Holy Spirit God indwells, and even now, in our roughened hearts, hearts that were scattered at will and closed, hearts that tried to establish my own kingdom like Babel, hearts that tried to live according to my own will, He touches the rough heart, becomes my guide, becomes my life, becomes my way, becomes my everything - to that Holy Spirit, we must implore, 'Be peace and comfort to me.'

‘Speak Thy pard’ning grace to me, Set the burd’ned sinner free; Lead me to the Lamb of God, Wash me in His precious blood.’ You have planted in our hearts the fear of the Lord; let us never depart from it. Let us never depart from the heart of the Holy Spirit God, the peace and comfort within me. If there is any comfort greater than God's comfort, you have no need to be here. But if you need God's comfort, here is the heavenly blessing given to you. Please enjoy the comfort and peace that the Holy Spirit God is building you into, building even today.

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Lord, let us go on a different path. Let the Holy Spirit God be our guide and let us go that way. Lord, let us walk the path of comfort. Let the Holy Spirit God comfort us, so that no matter how hard and difficult this time of pandemic is, and even if the suffering and pain we must experience in our lives threaten our very lives and existence, Holy Spirit God, be our comfort and peace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!