The Kingdom of Self
Genesis 113 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
Motive
Did you ever wonder why God opposed the building of the Tower of Babel? After all, weren't they trying to reach God?
It might seem, at first glance that what they were doing was a good thing. They were reaching for God. That is a very noble thing to do.
But apparently, God saw something evil in this. It was their motivation. Look at verse 4. "… let us make us a name…". Let us make a name for ourselves.
There was nothing of, "Let us honor God", "Let's show the world how great a God we have", "Let us draw closer to God". No! It was, "Let's make a name for ourselves", "Let's show the world and God and everyone else how great we are".
It is one thing to draw close to God. It is one thing to try to become more like God. It is quite another to try to replace God. These people of Babel, or Babylon as it later became, wanted to be their own God. Self was their motivation. Self was on the throne of their existence.
Self
Consider the fall of Satan.
Isaiah 14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Five times in this passage, Satan said, "I will…" Look at his ambitions. "I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne. I will be like the most High." His desire was not to become 'God-like', but to become 'like god', or equal with God.
Consider the difference in Jesus attitude.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Do you see the difference? Satan wanted to 'exalt my throne'. He wanted to 'make a name for himself.
But Jesus 'made himself of no reputation'. He humbled himself. He became a servant.
Servants
Now how many people really want to become servants? Not many! Oh, we may pray, "Lord, make me a servant. I want to serve you." But as soon as we start getting treated like a servant we buck up and 'are not gonna take this'. We all want to be somebody. That's natural. Or rather, that's natural for the sin-nature.
At the heart of all sin and sinfulness is self. This self-will, self-centeredness, self- promotion will get the best of us if we don't get it under control. Satan's temptations of man and of Christ were centered on self.
Deny self
Paul said:
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection . . .
The kingdom of self doesn't just exist in the hearts of the unsaved. It exists in all of our hearts until we tear it down. And, unfortunately, we have to keep tearing it down because it keeps coming back.
The kingdom of self wants to be noticed - wants credit - want its own way. The kingdom of self will sabotage the Kingdom of God if you allow it to. Self will get in the way every time God tries to do something in you or through you.
The power of unity
I want you to notice here the power of unity. God said:
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
"nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
In the day that we become truly united - of one mind, one heart, one purpose - we will possess power like you cannot imagine. Think - if God was concerned about mankind excelling in evil because or their unity, what might we accomplish for good if we can be united.
There is an ungodly unity and a godly unity.
Ac 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
Ac 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Ac 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
They conspired together. They were in unity, but for an evil purpose.
But look at this:
Mt 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Mt 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Think what we could do if we all agreed - if we all had the same purpose.
The greatest hindrance to the progress of the church and the work of the Lord today is self. If every believer, or at least every believer in one church, could just lose self and become one in the Lord, think of what we could accomplish for the Kingdom of God.
Lu 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Lu 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Lu 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
The ultimate choice is 'self' or 'God'.