A Monument To Greatness

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>A Monument To Greatness</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id381.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gods Memorial To The Value Of Life"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"A Monument to Greatness" Genesis 11:1-9</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, June 1, 2003am</B></div> <bR> <div>      It is graduation time. What one piece of advice would you give to a graduate who wants to be successful? In fact, what if you had it to do over again, graduating from high school, in the so-called "prime of life"? What would you do differently? Would you live by a different set of principles? </div> <div>      Maybe you have done exactly what you wanted to do, but you still feel you have missed something. As an older person, you may have great memories but have a deep sense of sadness that the good times are over. What advice would you give to someone just starting out?  It's never too late to go in a new direction. Whether you are just starting out, you're in the middle of the road, or toward the end of your journey, you can start today with a fresh set of principles to live by. In your pursuit of your goals, consider the following counsel from God's word.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. God resists selfish, prideful ambition.</B></div> <div> A. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+11:1-4" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 11:1-4</U></A>: The people arrogantly sought to make a unified name for themselves.</div> <div>      They were building a name for themselves in the construction of a monument to their own greatness. There are many ways in which we have selfish, prideful ambitions. Humans try to "achieve immortality" (make a name for ourselves) through writing a best-selling book, being a success in sports or on a sports team, gaining wealth, achieving success in business or success through your children, having a musical or acting talent, controlling others (such as in small town and city politics), pursuing fitness and good health (looking for that fountain of youth). There is nothing wrong with success, with fitness, with achieving excellence in music, etc. But when arrogance and selfish pride is at the heart of it, something is wrong.</div> <div> B. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+11:5-9" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 11:5-9</U></A>: God humbled the people. </div> <div>      He let them know they were not independent of him. He brought about the exact opposite of their intentions. He thwarted their work by confusing their language and causing them to separate from one another. James 4:6 says, "God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble." When we are arrogant and pursue our own ambition, seeking to be independent from God, we can be sure God will humble us. But God is not against names being great - but he will not tolerate being excluded from the process. He is our Creator, we are what he created. In Genesis 12:1-3, God told Abram, "<I>I will make</I> your name great, I will bless you . . ." God will lift up those who humble themselves before him.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Align your life with God's ambitions.</B></div> <div>      Brad Pitt was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine after the movie "Fight Club" came out.  Brad said this: "The emphasis now is on success and personal gain. [smiles] I'm sitting in it, and I'm telling you, that's not it. I'm the guy who's got everything. I know. But I'm telling you, once you've got everything, then you're just left with yourself. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it doesn't help you sleep any better, and you don't wake up any better because of it." If you thought being as successful as Brad Pitt would provide all the answers and meet all your needs and wants, you are wrong. Instead, align your life with God's ambitions. When things are aligned, everything is moving in the same direction in cooperation. </div> <div> A. Develop increasing humility. </div> <div>      Deal with pride: Quit comparing yourself to others. Serve people in humbling ways. Be thankful for everything. Pray (prayer expresses dependence on a higher power). Muhummed Ali didn't want to put his seatbelt on during a flight. He said to the flight attendant, "Superman don't need no seatbelt." She replied, "Superman don't need no airplane either." No matter how "good" we are compared to others, we are still human beings, created by God in his image. We have no cause for human pride.</div> <div> B. Fix your eyes on what is eternal.</div> <div>      Distinguish between what lasts and what is temporary. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:14-18, "...we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."</div> <div> C. Use the time and abilities and resources God has loaned to you for him.</div> <div>      God has provide you with whatever abilities you have so that you can serve him and serve people. Let him have control of what you do with your gifts, your money, and your time. If you are working on his agenda, it will show up in these basic areas of life.</div> <div>      If you work in a dead-end job, pay attention to this counsel to slaves (the ultimate dead-end job?) from Colossians 3:22-24: "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." God may want you to stay in your dead-end job, but it still can be used for eternal purposes when you commit yourself and your work to him.</div> <bR> <div>      The cross of Jesus Christ is God's true monument to greatness, that he served the humanity that he created by becoming one of us to die for us. Revelation 5:9-10 identifies God' primary ambition for the human race. It says, "And they [the heavenly crowd] sang a new song: `You [Jesus Christ, the Lamb] are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.'" Whatever stage of life you are in, align your life with God's ambitions. Become <A HREF="http://www.evantell.org/question/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.evantell.org/question/"><U>a follower of Jesus Christ</U></A> and live for him.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2003, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>