Oct. 25, 2026

What if the story you learned as a kid about the Tower of Babel has way more depth than you ever realized?

Pastor Lance opened in Genesis 11 with the familiar story of the Tower of Babel, but he promised to take us deeper than the Sunday school version most of us grew up with. His theme was simple: there are two cities being built in this world—one centered on man and one centered on God—and every one of us has to choose which one we're pledging our loyalty to.

He started by backing up into Genesis 10 to introduce Nimrod, the founder of Babel, whose name literally means "rebel" and who is described as a "mighty hunter before the Lord"—a phrase Pastor Lance unpacked as something closer to defiance than devotion. "It's not just before God," he said, "it's more of the idea of... in your face. I'm better than You, God. I know what's going on. I can control my life and my destiny."

Bricks vs. Stones  -   One of the most memorable points was his observation that throughout Scripture, bricks symbolize slavery and oppression—from Pharaoh's Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon—while stones represent freedom, worship, and God's own building project. He reminded the congregation, "You are uniquely and wonderfully made by God... He is a plan and a purpose," encouraging everyone to embrace their calling rather than conform to someone else's mold.

Building Our Own Salvation   -   Pastor Lance connected the tower itself to ancient step-pyramids built so priests could "ascend" and meet with the gods—the same lie, he said, that still whispers to us today: that we can earn our way to God. "It would be easier for us to build a tower to the moon," he said, "than it would be for us to earn our way to salvation." Instead, he pointed to the prodigal son, who didn't climb back to the father—the father ran to him.

A Blessing in Disguise    -   He challenged the common reading that confusing the languages was purely a punishment, suggesting instead it was a mercy that broke up a system built on oppression—and noted that language was no barrier when the gospel went out at Pentecost.

Pastor Lance closed by asking which city holds our citizenship—Babel, destined for judgment, or the New Jerusalem, the city "not cut by human hands." He urged listeners not to sit on the fence: "Today is the day of decision... fence-sitting, the fence is inside the city limits of Babylon."