C'mere, Watch This!

Darwin Awards

Have you heard of the Darwin awards?

We hate to laugh at the expense of others, but sometimes you just can’t help it.

The Darwin awards are given posthumously to people who did humankind a favor by removing their genes from the gene pool.

They passed from this life into the next by a less than genius means.

I looked up a few 2022 award winning occurrences.

These episodes of ingenuity bring to mind what is commonly referred to as the last words of a redneck:

“Hey, c’mere, watch this. Hold my beer!”

To those a little higher on the IQ scale, some of this might obvious. By reading these stories, or at least hearing them now, would probably educate most enough to know not to try them themselves.

Bringing to mind one of Will Rogers’ more famous quotes:

“There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to {void their bladder} on the electric fence for themselves.”

And, yes, myth-busters proved this to be legitimately dangerous.

Ladies it’s a wonder any of us men live long enough to be grand parents with you.

I’m wrapping up a series today. Genesis 1-11, Why it’s true and why it matters. So many issues are addressed in these chapters that we are dealing w/ today.

But, it is possible, the precursor to the Darwin Awards first appeared in Genesis 11.

Be careful about bragging about what you think you are capable of. Inviting people, even God, to come and see what you can do.

Especially when it’s something either God told you specifically not to do. Or, it’s only something God is capable of doing Himself.

If God said not to do something, do not brag about doing it or invite people, even God, to come and watch you do it.

It will not end well.

This is the story of the tower of Babel and God scrambling the language of the people to get them to do what He told them to do, which was spread out and populate the entire earth.

The outline of these first 9 verses lays out pretty easily.

The people said, Hey, C’mere. Watch this.

God came their to watch that.

Then, God said, C’mere. Watch what I can do.

C’Mere, Watch This

Genesis 11:1–4 NIV

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people 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; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Look at what we can do. And, to their credit and for their time, what they did was an architectural marvel.

They didn’t build w/ stones. They made bricks. Stacked them. Cemented them in place. It was genius.

The timeline. Assuming a young earth, about 6,000 years old, total. There is a good case t/b made. Even using carbon dating as its accuracy drops off dramatically after a few thousand years.

Creation happened about 4,000 BC

The flood occurred about 2348 BC

Babel happened only about 100 years after the flood.

God called Abraham about 1922 BC

Moses got the law about 1500 BC

David became king about 1000 BC.

In Babel, only 100 years after Noah and his family came out of the Ark. Estimates are there would have been about 1000 people. Simple, reproductive math.

God had instructed Noah, and everyone who came after him, to spread out and populate the entire earth. But, what they did was, all stay in one place.

Blatant disobedience. Why? What would have motivated them to do what they did?

Security in numbers.

Multiplication of strength.

Peace if everyone gathered under the same city gov’t.

The bottom line is, they defied the decree.

Something similar happened in the Book of Acts. Just before Jesus ascended, He charged the founding members of this new org to go. Go throughout the city of Jerusalem, around the states of Judea and Samaria, and all the way to the end of the earth.

But, what they did was, stay in Jerusalem and build the first mega-church. Thousands joined. There was an energy. Momentum. Powerful miracles. Life-changing teaching by the men who personally learned from Jesus.

But, God had said, Go. Then came Acts 6 and 7. Stephen was arrested and stoned. Severe persecution against the new org and young believers.

God didn’t make the persecution happen. He knew it would. It hurt him to see His ppl get hurt. But, like our tough situations, He used it to accomplish His plan.

As the believers scattered around the region, they took their faith with them and planted churches in all the little towns and villages where they settled.

Eventually, a small group of Xians settled here in MP and here we are.

Anyway, in Babel, they wanted to make a name for themselves. They wanted t/b famous. Elevate and exalt themselves.

Arrogance, pride, leads to attempts to try to control what we cannot control. Independence from God and disobedience to Him.

Humility leads to trust God. We know our lives are out of our control. But, we trust God, who is in control and faithful obedience, even in tough situations is our best option.

Come and see what we can do! Implied: not even God can stop us! Watch this!

Are these the earliest BC Bubbas, or what?

They believed if they didn’t do this then they would be scattered. What?

They were afraid. They wanted security b/c deep inside what they felt was insecurity.

They wanted peace. B/C deep inside they were anxious.

They wanted to be strong. B/C they felt weak.

These are all things God promises to provide if we turn to Him. It’s okay. We have to admit we’re insecure, admit we’re afraid, admit we’re too weak.

But, when we do that, God makes us strong, takes away our fear, and secures us in Him.

Proverbs 10:24 NIV

What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.

Irony, their greatest fear, the reason they disobeyed God and tried on their own, ended up happening anyway.

We can be afraid that we will be all alone late in life so we might consider a relationship w/ someone we otherwise shouldn’t. Then, they don’t pay the attention we hoped.

We can be afraid we’ll die penniless. So we buy lottery tickets and risky investments that don’t pay off. We end up broke.

We’re afraid no one listens to us. No one appreciates the genius that is us so we tell them, all the time, over and over. Only to discover they stopped listening to us brag long ago.

The thing we fear the most, may overtake us and characterize our life.

God came down to watch them try. And sure enough, what they feared, what they thought they were guarding against, actually came to pass.

God Came to Watch

Genesis 11:5–6 NIV

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people 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.

They didn’t even try to hide it. At least Adam and Eve tried to hide when they directly disobeyed God.

They blamed each other, blamed God, and Satan.

These people just bragged and did it out in the open. They dared God to do something about it.

Openly thumbing their collective noses at God.

Once again, the same tempting line Satan used against Eve is used here.

W/ Eve it was, you can be a wise as God. You won’t need God for your decisions. You can do it on your own.

In Babel, it was strength, unity, security.

You can be as strong as God. Stronger. You unite, work together, your collective unity will add up to more than God can deal w/.

Sara’s cousin has twin boys. They are adults now. But, when they were infants, toddlers, children, then teens; what her cousin said to her was, “What one can’t think of, the other can.”

These boys, young men, are very athletic and coordinated.

They climbed out of their cribs at a very early age at the encouragement of each other.

It’s a wonder they survived to adulthood.

Just b/c they thought of it, didn’t mean they should try it.

That’s what God is saying here. Not that these ppl are all powerful and wise. They are pretty smart. They will think of lots of things to do.

But, just b/c we think it, doesn’t mean we should try it.

Bubba, watch this!

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who were dealing with the transition from a religion of rules to a religion of a relationship.

1500 years, Judaism focused on the rules of the law thinking that made them right w/ God and brought them security in the kingdom. It didn’t. But they were afraid to give it all up.

From rules to a relationship, legalism to grace is like walking on a high wire w/out a net after the security for so long.

In grace, a personal relationship w/ the Creator of the Universe is possible w/ few rules.

So, Paul told the Corinthians, “All things are permissible. But not all things are beneficial.”

You might think of it. It might not break any rules. But it might break your body. So probably a abad idea to try.

God knew so long ago that all the people in the world, in one place, speaking the same language, they will think of many new things to try.

They are foolish enough to try the things that will break their bodies.

So, He broke them up before they broke too much.

God intervened before it got as bad as it was before the flood.

And, what they feared the most, came to be.

But, sometimes God does that. He takes away what we are looking to, to get what only He can provide, forcing us to look to Him. As we should have from the beginning.

God said, C’mere. Watch what I can do.

God: C’mere. Watch Me

Genesis 11:7–9 NIV

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.

God forced them into what they feared the most.

They thought they could avoid scattering by unifying in one city. They were wrong.

It was only 100 years after the flood. Maybe 1000 people. It’s estimated God scattered them into 70 different language groups.

15 ppl each. Moved away to their own region, creating their own village.

They left the city they built. In the center of that city was a tower. No one had ever been able to stack rocks that high.

But then, they were making bricks w/ flat sides. The tower fo babel was stories high. We don’t know how high.

3 stories, 5, more? Don’t know.

But, the top floor was their sanctuary, worship center.

They bragged they had created a place close to heaven and the gods.

The tallest building in the world right now is in Dubai, 163 floors, 2,717’ high. It doesn’t come close to heaven.

The bragging builders in Babel are laughable considering our architecture today.

Like me bragging that I am the pastor, not only of the biggest church in MP, but also the only church in MP that has a satellite venue!

Pastors in the valley would say, Who are you?

When it’s just us, we think we’re somebody special and no one has done what we’ve done ever before.

God’s like, Who are you? You created something?

I created something, too. Have you seen the latest Nebula Hubble found? Even that’s nothing.

As the language groups scattered, no doubt they began to compare themselves to each other and the things they were able to accomplish.

We are competitive by nature. Men love to compete.

I hope someday to get back to potlucks b/c so many women who don’t have a competitive bone in their body, until they’re going to a potluck. They would rather die than bring the second best casserole or dessert to a church or Fire Aux potluck.

One of the modern issues these chapters address is racism.

How many races are there, really? Only 1.

We are all descendants of Adam thru Noah.

Some who settled near the Equator developed darker skin to protect against the sun’s rays that are so intense there.

Some who settled nearer the poles, Norther Europeans, have fairer skin b/c the sun shines so little there. A little sun goes a long way for someone w/ little pigment in their skin color.

Racism is a product of Darwinian thinking. Darwin was an atheist. He isn’t any more. There are no atheists in Hell.

Imagine standing before God after a life of atheism.

You’re not real. I never believed in you.

Well, what you believed really doesn’t matter. Just b/c you believed it, didn’t make it true. Sorry. See ya.

Anyway, Darwinism, survival of the fittest and death to the weak. What determines weakness. Physical strength? Intelligence? Skin color? Nation of origin? Accent? Education? Who has the biggest stick?

It’s a short step from, let the weak die. To, we should help them die. Hitler and the Nazis.

These early villages would have had varying degrees of success in building their homes, farms and businesses. Villages could group together to eliminate those they thought less desirable.

Racism is not an issue for those who understand we are all from the same ancestors. Our predecessors settled in different parts of the world creating different looks and different sounds. But we are all part of the same family.

Reality is, however, in order to get past racism, a renewed mind is required.

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Only then will we be able to get beyond evaluating each other according to our external differences and be able to accept each other based on the same insides.

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

In choosing a king, Israel first chose Saul. He looked the part. He was head and shoulders taller than everyone else.

The day Samuel came to anoint him king, they couldn’t find him. He was hiding among the baggage.

A real lion-heart! He turned out to be a disaster of king.

When God led Samuel to David, he did not look the part. But God could see what the ppl could not, David’s heart.

Romans 15:7 NIV

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

A renewed mind is required to accept ea other the same way Jesus accepts us. It’s still not easy. Our culture makes it hard.

Naturally, we divide by what we see and hear.

Supernaturally, Jesus unifies us by what He sees.

If more ppl believed and applied the truths of Genesis 1-11, we’d be a better society. We might put the Darwin Awards ppl out of business.

You can climb up on the roof and jump off. The entire time you are in the air you may think you are stronger than gravity.

You know it’s not the fall that hurts you. It’s that sudden stop at the end.

We can choose to live our lives as if there is not God. We are the result of a cosmic accident, or alien insemination.

And for a long time we may think we are getting away with it.

C’mere, watch this!

But, Genesis 1-11 are true. Along w/ racism, they address the power and wisdom of God, marriage, faithfulness to God and our marriage, climate change, gun violence, abortion, the value of human life, and Satan’s constant attempts to take over our lives and all creation.

If we can’t trust the first 5 words, then we can trust any of the words in the bible.

“In the beginning, God created...”

We we can’t trust the first 5 verses, we can’t trust any of the rest of the verses.

“There was light, there was dark, first day.”

These words, verses, and chapters are true with their promises and warnings. So is the rest.

These are the foundation to what we believe today. Trust it. Believe it. Apply it.

You’re much less likely to win a Darwin Award.

Applications

Pride

Number 1 sin that leads to almost every other sin. Believing you are smarter than God, more powerful, and a better decision-maker for your life will lead to trouble.

Pride leads us to try to control what we cannot control and trying to live independent from God.

Humility leads us to trust God, who is in control, even in our toughest situations. He created us. We cannot make it apart from Him.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less and others more.

Check your pride and stay out of trouble w/ God.

Security

From time to time, God will take away whatever you are looking to for your security, if it’s not Him.

Job, people, money, health, whatever we may think is providing the comfort and security we think we need that only God can provide, he will remove.

That will force us to look to Him as we should have already.

Is there something God has taken away, should take away, so that you have to look to Him to provide your security, control, and strength?

Go there now. Don’t wait till he takes anything away.

Roof

Are you thinking about jumping off the roof?

The entire time you’re in the air you might think you’re winning. But, there is a sudden stop coming.

God has warned about the consequences of living independent of Him. Unhealthy practices will result in unhealthy living.

Stay faithful and obedient to God’s word to the best of your ability.

Stay off the roof and avoid the consequences of quoting rednecks’ famous last words.

Be careful about bragging about what you think you are capable of. Inviting people, even God, to come and see what you can do.

Especially when it’s something either God told you specifically not to do. Or, it’s only something God is capable of doing Himself.

If God said not to do something, do not brag about doing it or invite people, even God, to come and watch you do it.

It will not end well.