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Chuck Smith :: Sermon Notes for Genesis 4:1-4

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"BUILDING TOWERS TO HEAVEN"
I. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MAN'S FALSE RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS.
A. All religious systems have a base, man's attempt to reach heaven.
1. There is a universal awareness of God.
2. Universal desire to worship God.
a. Woman at the well.
B. There are many attempts to localize God.
1. Establishing of sacred places.
2. Creating magic sticks, lucky charms.
3. Carving of idols.
4. We must be careful in building churches.
a. Not to get our eyes on building.
b. Not to think the building is sacred.
c. Not to equate building with presence of God.
1. It is true that God's presence is in this building, and in the service station and liquor store across the street.
5. God's presence is everywhere.
a. We often lose consciousness of this fact.
b. We carve idols, carry charms to remind us.
II. THE PROBLEM WITH BUILDING TOWERS.
A. We are starting with a finite base attempting to reach infinity.
1. The gulf between the finite and infinity is too great to be bridged by earth-born endeavors.
2. Man is reaching for the star.
a. Stretch as high as you can.
b. Try jumping.
c. Stand on Mt. Everest and jump.
3. Starting with an earth base, you will never make it.
4. The current philosophical concepts of existentialism talk of the leap of faith.
5. Every religious system is man reaching for God.
B. They always end in babel, confusion.
1. Rather than finding peace with God, there is a striving within.
2. Rather than rest, a struggle.
3. Notice how religious systems lead to fears, superstitions, oddity.
a. Odd modes of dress.
b. Odd practices.
4. Many attempts to make a religion of Christianity.
a. To equate godliness with a form or style of dress.
b. To create holy orders, spiritual hierarchy.
c. To equate Christianity with anything other than life in Christ is wrong.
III. IN CHRIST GOD BUILT A TOWER TO REACH MAN.
A. Here is infinity reaching down to the finite.
1. I see no problem here.
a. How impossible for man to touch God.
b. How easy it is for God to touch man.
2. In Christ God became touchable.
a. I read the words, "And Jesus reached forth and touched him - my heart thrills."
B. Man's attempts to touch God lead to weird abnormal practices.
1. Running through fire, mutilating bodies, kissing poisonous snakes.
C. God's touch on man restores to normalcy.
1. "And as many as touched Him were made whole."
2. He came to restore fallen man back into the image of God.
Sermon Notes for Genesis 3:21 ← Prior Section
Sermon Notes for Genesis 6:1 Next Section →
Sermon Notes for Revelation 1 ← Prior Book
Sermon Notes for Exodus 3:1-4 Next Book →
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