God Does Not Dwell in Chaos: Gen. 11:1-9; Acts 2: 1-21
A couple of years ago, I had a friend getting ready to marry a guy she had fallen head over heels in love with. They had dated for a bit, and now they believed it was time to tie the knot. She loved him dearly. I thought he was a tool. I was tasked with marrying them, and I assumed their marriage would have all the lasting power of a generic brand Glade plug-in. I would like to tell you that I was completely wrong and there was a story of a happily ever after, but unfortunately, I was quite prophetic. A year into the marriage, she called me to talk and said, “It’s awful. Every single day is like living in a world of confusion and chaos.” And so, the truth came out.
We are all going to live with and project difficulties and struggles. The trick is to know the difference between people and situations which need a little extra help but have God’s love and the Holy Spirit working in and through them versus people and situations who bring a toxic chaos into our lives. This sermon doesn’t apply to people who have medical conditions and personal struggles. It does apply to those who take a sense of glee in causing pain and suffering to other people. God is the master of peace, the Creator who put the whole world in order, the one who created a plan of redemption and reconciliation, and the one who gives us the Spirit to guide us. God is not the author of a toxic level of chaos and confusion.
Now, when we read together this scripture on the Tower of Babel, it is easy to look at this and think that God actually is the author of confusion. After all, isn’t God the one who confused their languages and ruined their project to build a great, unified city? The answer is no. God is not the author of their confusion. God had created and designed the people in all ways to be unified, together, and of one mind, spirit, and voice. But they were disobedient and created chaos with God’s authority. They wanted to build this Tower to compete in prestige and might with God. They did not want to follow God’s command to go and live throughout the world. They did not want to follow and listen to God. They craved power and might, and in doing so, they forgot their relationship with the Holy One. They embraced toxic beliefs in power which in turn brought them to chaos and confusion.
We read in the Acts that God brings hope and unity of mind and spirit. As the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, they found a new sense of strength and purpose in God’s will. They spoke the Gospel so that all could understand, and they overcame this reigning power of confusion and chaos throughout the whole world. God made a way for this message of hope and redemption to spread throughout the whole world, to every language, every people, and bring grace in Christ to all. At the Tower of Babel, the people wanted power in order to spite or compete with God. In Acts 2, the disciples received power through God, and they were emboldened to use this power for good and for God’s will.
That is because the Spirit of God speaks above the noise of this life. All throughout life there are instances and people who bring us chaos and confusion. I remember a friend whose boss at work was horrible. Over and over again the boss took great delight in creating confusion, impossible situations, belittling them, and making it impossible for them to grow and develop as a skilled worker. Don’t stay in friendships, relationships, jobs, groups where the very Spirit of God and the love of Christ is drained right out of your heart and soul, and where people take joy in causing you harm.
This mindset even creeps into our houses of worship. There are folks who have no qualms about creating and sustaining conflict and chaos in the church and robbing it of that holy presence of God. Send them on their way. There was a prominent prosperity gospel televangelist the other day, who I listened to for a minute or two on the computer. He said, “I really believe Jesus hasn’t come because people are not giving the way they ought to.” He meant specifically giving to him and his ministry. That was followed up with him talking about getting criticism for being a millionaire. He replied, “That’s not true!” I’m a multi-millionaire. Get it right. God does not dwell in chaos, confusion, and manipulation of what is meant to be holy. Anyone who believes that they should get rich quick from preaching the Gospel must not have actually read the Gospel. You do not need a $2 million jet to tell of Christ’s love.
I Corinthians 14:33 tells us, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” God’s call for us is to be kind, tenderhearted, loving, encouraging, and united in God’s work and mission. Pentecost is often considered the birthday of the church. It was a joint venture between us and God with God providing the Holy Spirit, the grace, and guidance. Our job was to do the work of God’s kingdom here on earth as God leads us by the Holy Spirit. Those who take delight in creating chaos, confusion, disorder, and a toxic presence allegedly in the name of God should be loved and prayed for, but from a safe distance. It’s like having a carton of strawberries and one at the bottom has grown rotten and moldy. It doesn’t take long before your whole carton of strawberries is spoiled because the rottenness of one was not addressed.
We are told in the scripture about the peace of God which passes all understanding here on Earth. Our God is a God of peace, hope, and a simple mission to share the good news while lifting others up. As people of God, we should flee from situations, people, and houses of worship which seek to ruin us, cause suffering, chaos, and pain in our lives, for that is not of God. Instead, we must embrace God through our faith in Christ, help those in need, love those who are hurting, and make peace in a troubled world. Surround yourself with God’s presence and Spirit as well as those who seek to encourage you to grow in your relationship to God and walk of faith. God does not dwell in chaos, but God does live in us and works through us to bring hope into this often-chaotic world.
Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/523379722783739