There's Only One Way to Reach the Heavens - May 28, 2010
There's Only One Way to Reach the Heavens - May 28, 2010
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Genesis 11:1-9
The tallest building in the world today truly "reaches to the heavens" at 2,625 feet tall. No doubt it would dwarf the Tower of Babel. The aspirations of the builders of Babel would measure up quite well, however. They haven't changed over thousands of years of history. They are to make a name for yourself, to reach for the heavens.
We don't have to build skyscrapers to do that. Every person does it by nature. They seek to be God for themselves, to reach for heaven. They trust in their own goodness or abilities. They strive at work and sometimes tread down others in their climb to the top. They seek to leave behind some kind of lasting legacy for all to see. We all do it, in different ways.
It's almost always the case, however, that our reach exceeds its grasp. It's true especially when we try to reach for the heavens, to try and be God. Those first tower-builders disregarded God's command to spread out over the whole earth. Selfishly they tried to stay in one place. The temptation to build our own great towers of selfish pride still stands today. We are tempted by money or sex or other desires to ignore God's Word and to set our own standards. The sad truth is that our sky-high towers of pride are a colossal tower of sin that fall far, far short of God. And when God comes all the way down to our level, it should be to bring judgment that scatters us like leaves on the wind.
God's Word tells us that he comes down to us with more than judgment. In Jesus, our Savior from sin, God came to be among us down here. Jesus' death at the cross paid for the sin of the world. He cut away the guilt that leaves us far below God. Jesus always lived just as God desired. He provided the lasting, perfect image God sees when he looks at those who believe. In the universal language of his love, God tells everyone there's only one way to reach the heavens. It is by receiving the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Focus your heart's desire on Jesus' heavenly tower. Make a name for yourself in his forgiving love and build on his model. You'll have no trouble reaching the heavens. You'll find that you're already there.
Jesus, forgive my sins of pride. Keep my heart from straying away from you. On you, my Savior, confidently I build my hope for heaven. Amen.
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