From Babel to Blessing: Humble Walk of Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Babel's unity seeks self-glory, not God's.

The people at Babel gathered to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves rather than obey God's call to fill the earth; their unity became an expression of pride and self-preservation. That attempt to reach the heavens and secure their own significance led God to confuse their language and scatter them — not merely to punish, but to correct and restore God’s original intent for humanity to spread life across the earth. Consider how staying put and protecting one’s reputation can look like spiritual rebellion; leave the safety of Babylon’s comfort and move toward God’s purposes. [15:16]

Genesis 11:4 (ESV)
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

Reflection: Where in your life are you building a personal “tower” to make a name for yourself rather than obeying God’s call to go and bless others? What concrete step can you take this week to release control and move toward God’s will instead of protecting your reputation?

Day 2: Abram obeys and leaves in faith.

God’s call to Abram was simple: leave the place you know and go to the land I will show you, and Abram went — not because he had all the answers, but because he believed God would keep his promise. Obedience for Abram began with believing that God exists and rewards those who seek him, and that belief led to action: leaving comfort for the journey toward the city with foundations God would provide. The same posture is required of those who follow Jesus — faith that precedes and empowers departure from Babylon’s false securities. [18:28]

Genesis 12:1 (ESV)
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.”

Reflection: What familiar place, relationship, or comfort is God calling you to leave metaphorically so He can lead you toward the “city with foundations”? Name one practical way you will trust and act on that direction this month.

Day 3: Christ humbled himself and was exalted.

Though in the form of God, Jesus did not cling to equality with the Father but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming obedient to death on a cross; through that humility God highly exalted him. Jesus’ trajectory reverses Babel’s — where self-exaltation leads to confusion and curse, humble obedience leads to exaltation and blessing, and Christmas is the reminder that the Son left his place to save a world in rebellion. Followers are called to the same pattern: humility, service, and trust that God will lift up what He humbles. [24:34]

Philippians 2:6-11 (ESV)
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Reflection: In what area of life are you tempted to grasp for status, control, or recognition — and what would a small act of humility look like there this week that trusts God to exalt His way?

Day 4: Baptism proclaims death, new life in Christ.

Baptism is the public symbol of leaving Babylon: it identifies a believer with Christ’s humility and death and declares intention to walk in newness of life, sharing in Jesus’ death so that God’s glory may raise and remake them. It is not merely a ritual but a visible starting point of the journey toward the city whose designer and builder is God, a declaration that one will follow Jesus out of the world’s kingdoms into God’s. For those who believe and intend to follow, baptism and communion are the communal ways to say, “I am leaving; I will go.” [43:50]

Romans 6:3-4 (ESV)
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Reflection: If you have been baptized, how does that public declaration shape the everyday choices you make? If you have not been baptized, what fears or hesitations keep you from publicly beginning this journey, and what step toward baptism could you take this month?

Day 5: We are ambassadors carrying reconciliation's message.

In Christ, God reconciled the world to himself and entrusted believers with the ministry of reconciliation; Christians are thus called to be ambassadors, imploring others to be reconciled to God. The primary way the church blesses the world is by carrying and proclaiming the good news that forgiveness and new life are available through Jesus, inviting people to leave Babylon and join the city God prepares. This calling is both an invitation to personal departure and an outward mission to bring others into that blessing. [38:56]

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (ESV)
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Reflection: Who in your circle needs to hear the specific message of reconciliation this week, and what concrete, compassionate step can you take to begin a conversation that invites them to leave Babylon and consider Jesus?

Sermon Summary

The story of Babel exposes the impulse in all of us to clutch power, protect comfort, and make a name for ourselves. People gathered to secure their own glory instead of obeying God’s call to fill the earth, so the Lord mercifully disrupted their project and scattered them. That disruption wasn’t petty punishment; it was corrective love that moved humanity back toward its purpose. Into that same geography and tension God spoke to Abram, “Go,” and Abram went. Rather than grasping for greatness, Abram trusted that God Himself would give it—and that through his obedience, blessing would spill into the world.

Tracing that promise forward, every attempted path to bless the nations by force, brilliance, or moral superiority faltered. The true blessing came when the Son left glory, emptied Himself, took on flesh, and walked the path of humility all the way to the cross. Because He humbled Himself, the Father exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name. Jesus did not curate public image or gather worldly power; He sought the lowly, healed the broken, and glorified His Father. In Him, the promise to Abraham is fulfilled for every family, every nation—no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—we are one in Christ.

So we face a choice: the way of Babel or the way of Abraham. Will we cling to comfort, or will we trust God enough to leave what is familiar? Faith believes God exists and rewards those who seek Him; faith also moves its feet. That movement looks like repentance—turning from the kingdom of self and into the kingdom of God—and the surprising promise is that the humble are the ones God exalts. In Christ, we are blessed to be a blessing: not by conquering, but as ministers of reconciliation who carry the good news that forgiveness is real and a new world is coming.

Jesus gave us tangible steps to say “yes” to this journey. Baptism is our public renunciation of Babylon and our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper keeps us anchored in His finished work and future hope. Together, we walk out of Babel toward the city with foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose Abraham’s way over Babel Babel clutches control and chases self-glory; Abraham releases control and trusts the Giver of true greatness. God resists self-exaltation yet delights to pour blessing through humble obedience. Whenever we feel the pull to build our own tower, we can instead respond to God’s “Go” and let Him decide the size of our influence. He alone makes a name that lasts. [18:54]
2. Greatness follows the path of humility Jesus’ descent—into flesh, weakness, and the cross—reveals the grain of God’s kingdom. The Father exalted Him precisely because He refused to exalt Himself. Our call is not to campaign for recognition but to take the low place, serve, and trust God with outcomes. The cross, not platform, is the road to a name that endures. [24:34]
3. Faith means leaving the familiar Real faith doesn’t just nod in agreement; it moves, even when the destination is unclear. The first step is repentance—turning from the world’s patterns and our cherished self-protections. We cannot remain who we are and also enter the city God is building. Trust that what God promises is better than what comfort offers. [33:32]
4. Become ministers of reconciliation in Christ In Jesus, we are not merely inspired; we are sent. Our lives and words announce a kingdom of wholeness, forgiveness, and hope, inviting others to leave Babylon’s confusion for God’s peace. This is not moral superiority or cultural dominance; it is a cross-shaped appeal: “Be reconciled to God.” The blessing given to us is meant to flow through us. [38:20]
5. Baptism and Communion are embodied “yes” Baptism declares we’ve left Babylon’s story to be united with Jesus in His death and raised life. The Table keeps us nourished by His grace, not our resolve, reminding us it is His journey that carries us home. These practices form humility into our bones and keep our eyes on the city with foundations. They are not performance; they are surrendered trust. [41:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[15:16] - Babel’s ambition and God’s response
[17:07] - Confusion as discipline and dispersion
[18:28] - Abram hears and goes
[18:54] - God promises a great name
[22:49] - Jesus leaves glory to save
[24:34] - The Father exalts the Son
[28:28] - One family in Christ
[30:58] - Faith that leaves for a city
[33:32] - Repentance: leaving Babylon behind
[35:49] - Greatness through humility
[37:36] - Blessed to bless: ambassadors
[41:24] - Baptism and Communion as response
[48:14] - Closing prayer and hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
- Genesis 11:1–9
1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

- Genesis 12:1–3
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

- Philippians 2:5–11
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Observation questions

Read Genesis 11:1–4. What motives and fears drive the builders of Babel to say, “let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed”? How do those motives show up in ordinary life today?
In Genesis 11:5–9, God “comes down” and confuses language. How does the passage describe the effect of that action on human plans and movement?
Read Genesis 12:1–3. What contrast appears between the people at Babel and Abram’s response to God’s command to “go”? ([18:28])
Read Philippians 2:6–9. What does the sequence of Jesus emptying himself and then being exalted teach about the relationship between humility and honor? ([24:34])

Interpretation questions

How should God’s confusing of language in Genesis 11 be understood: as punitive wrath, corrective love, or both? What evidence in the text and the wider story supports that reading? ([17:07])
What does the promise “I will make your name great” (Gen 12:2) imply about the difference between human self-glorification and God-given greatness? How does that change how one understands success and reputation? ([18:54])
How does Philippians 2 reshape common definitions of “power” and “influence”? In what ways does the passage ask readers to rethink tactics for blessing the world (force, prestige, persuasion)?
Hebrews 11 describes Abraham as one who left “not knowing where he was going.” What role does believing God’s reward play in obedience, and how does that help explain the tension between risk and faith? ([30:58])

Application questions

Where in your life are you most tempted to “make a name for yourself” or hold tight to comfort and control rather than obey God’s call to move? What would the first step of leaving look like for you? ([30:21])
Repentance means turning away from the kingdom of self and toward God’s kingdom. What is one concrete habit, relationship, or comfort you need to repent of this week so that you can “move” in faith? ([33:32])
Baptism publicly proclaims union with Christ’s death and a departure from Babylon’s story. If you have not been baptized, what fears or questions keep you from taking that step? If you have been baptized, how does that shape daily choices? ([42:42])
Philippians 2 calls followers to the same mindset Jesus had: humble service rather than grasping power. Name one situation in the next month where you can choose the low place and trust God with the outcome. How will you remind yourself to do it? ([35:49])
2 Corinthians 5 describes Christians as ambassadors of reconciliation. Who in your life needs to hear — or see — the message “be reconciled to God”? What are two practical ways you can carry that message this week? ([38:20])
The Lord’s Supper remembers that forgiveness is Jesus’ work, not our performance. How does this truth change how you approach failure and restart after sin? What is one concrete way you can live into that grace this week? ([45:05])

End with a few minutes of silent reflection: invite each person to name one small step they will take this week in response to these questions.

Sermon Clips

So there's a very strong contrast here between the story. The story of the Tower of Babel and what happens with Abram, because it's no secret here. Abram listens to God. God said, get up and go. And Abram says, okay. And he goes. And so you see Abram getting up and going, versus in the Tower of Babel, where they were trying to stay together. They were trying to stay where they were. And so Abram listens to God, and he gets up and he goes. [00:18:13] (36 seconds) #ObeyAndGo

If you look at Jesus' time on earth, how much time did he spend worrying about what it was that other people were thinking about him? Was he concerned with public opinion? Was he concerned with gathering together a huge number of people? Was he concerned with amassing power or wealth or influence? Not really. Not even a little, actually. Very often he said things like, well, he said things that intentionally would drive people away because they were hard things. He was not concerned with accruing power or wealth for himself, but he humbled himself. [00:25:52] (48 seconds) #ServantNotStatus

So it is Jesus. It is because of Jesus. It is through Jesus. And it is in Jesus that God's promise to Abraham is fulfilled here. He is the blessing to every family in the world that was promised to Abraham. And the critical question that we need to deal with ourselves is, are we going to follow the way of Babel? Or are we going to follow the way of Abraham? [00:28:47] (37 seconds) #FollowAbrahamNotBabel

In the world around us? It's about hanging on to what we have. We're not going to... We got something good going on here. And so we're going to keep everybody together. And we're going to hang on to what it is that we have. The kingdom of Babel is bent on resisting and distorting God's purposes and instructions. But we are invited with a similar invitation to Abraham's to share in the blessing that is Jesus. [00:30:14] (31 seconds) #ResistBabel

And if we refuse to go, then what does that reveal? If we refuse to go, then that means that we don't actually believe God. Either we believe that he can't give us what he's promised, or that what he's promised is not as good as what it is that we have here. So we must leave. The New Testament, and this is the language that I tend to use, that leaving behind of Babel, that's repentance. To turn away from, to leave behind all of the ways of looking at the world and our life and all of the people in it that are in keeping with that kingdom of Babylon. [00:34:06] (51 seconds) #RepentAndLeave

Leave behind the place that you are and go to the place that I will show you. Because the place that we are in, Babel, Babylon, the world, our sin, is a place of death and chaos and confusion and darkness. But the place that we are being called into, the kingdom of God that is at hand, is a kingdom of life and of wholeness and of light. And if we will do this, then God will make us great. Now, not great in the eyes of the world, but great in the kingdom of heaven. [00:35:06] (43 seconds) #LeaveAndFollowGod

figured out. God, I need your help, not just to save me. God, I need your help to make it through Walmart on a Saturday afternoon. There is no part of our lives that is beyond the need for us to humble ourselves before God and say, You have got to get me through this because I am not sufficient. But when we do that, when we do that, Jesus says that we will be exalted. [00:36:49] (32 seconds) #NeedGodEveryday

Because the place where Christ is, the place where Jesus is, you remember the ladder from a few weeks ago? Well, his place at the right hand of the Father is ours as well. If, and only if, we will humble ourselves and place our faith in him. And in doing so, we become a part of the blessing to this world that Jesus is. We become a blessing to this world because we are called to love it and to serve it. Because that's what Jesus did. To bring healing, to bring peace, to bring restoration, to bring reconciliation. [00:37:22] (53 seconds) #HumbleToBless

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