How to Live for Jesus in Babylon
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewLast week, we looked at why not to be duped by Babylon. This week, we discern how can we live so that we are not duped by Babylon. What are some practical strategies? We will also explore the city of man vs. the city of God theme in Scripture.
Notes
Transcript
Please turn to Revelation 18.
Revelation 18.
We have a pretty big group of almost 25 or so who left to serve on a mission in Maytown Kentucky. We have had several groups go and serve. They will be doing flood relief in a poor, rural area.
and here are the names—let me read them and pray. and I encourage you to pray for them. They will be there from today through Wednesday:
(read list of names)
Michael Baer, Gabe Bailey, Joyce Burke, Isaac Dee, Samantha Herman, Zach Herman, Conner Hyman, Brent
Lehman, Landry Moser, Trish Moser, Grant O’Dell, Nate Patterson, Connie Potter, Mark Smith, Ben Sprunger,
Lana Sprunger, Isaac Sprunger, Eva Sprunger, Logan Steiner, Adam Stout, Allyson Stout, Cyrus Stout, Rowan
Stout, Jeramie Watkins, Nate Wilson, Steve Haines, Penny Haines, Leah Summersett, Mya Summersett, Trevor
Summersett
So Revelation 18---
See if you can guess, what movie or book I am referring to with this opening line...
(clears throat)
This one is a musical/slash movie: “The hills are alive with the sound of music.
that was easy—Sound of Music—coming to a Swiss Days near you.
another one---
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...” That of course would be Star Wars...
This ones gets a little harder…from a book:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” Charles Dickens, a Tale of 2 Cities. We had to read that in English class in high school.
And that title—It was a Tale of 2 Cities…can actually be used to summarize the Bible’s main message.
The Bible is a big book. confusing book. hard to understand, but it is a unified message that leads to Jesus. and there are several themes that can be traced from the first book Genesis to the last book Revelation. Themes like temple, priest, sacrifice, and king.
and this theme of the 2 cities can be traced.
(on screen) If the Bible is a tale of 2 cities…there are 2 cities:
Jerusalem
Babylon
I am not just talking about the literal cities that existed—but they are symbols too...
Jerusalem—supposed to be the city of God, heavenly city where God dwells with his people
Babylon - the city of man, or the earthly city, man in rebellion against God.
so we have 2 cities—2 visions of what life is supposed to be like
We are talking about Babylon today in Revelation 17 and 18.
before I go there—let’s go on a little stroll through the Bible looking at a tale of 2 cities...
The first place we see Jerusalem show up — the concept, not the city is in the Garden of Eden. God made Adam and Eve to dwell with him in a Garden paradise—a Jerusalem city of God paradise.
but man quickly rebelled against God. Satan tempted them with the promise of Babylon-you can be like God—make a name for yourselves...
and they sinned, and were cast out of God’s city, the Garden.
The first place we see the city of man or Babylon show up is in Genesis 11. (on screen)
Humanity in rebellion against God builds a tower to make a name for themselves. Babel or Babylon represents pride, humanity combined to rebel against God; it represent the world. Ironically, God comes down to see this tower and scatters them.
that same rebellious spirit and evil is shown in the book of Exodus when Pharaoh the king of Egypt is kind of like a Babylon, They are God’s enemies, and they are oppressing and enslaving God’s people the Israelites.
so God intervenes through Moses, sends the 10 plagues, leads them out of slavery into the Promised Land, punishes Egypt.
and Israel moves into the Promised Land where they literally inhabit Jerusalem; God’s vision is that He rescues them and now they will create the city of God, where God dwells with His people again.
but the problem is you can take the people of out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the people. God’s people, the Israelites, sin, just like Adam and Eve. rebel. The city of God Jerusalem, has become like the city of man—Babylon. the kings of Israel are no better than Babylon’s kings.
and God allows foreign nations—enemies—Babylon like empires—like Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome to oppress them. God takes them into exile.
He even has Babylon destroy their city and their temple.
but amazingly, God brings them back out of exile. He returns them to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple. but it is not as glorious of a restoration as they wanted. but it points to a greater restoration.
Fast forward to the NT—Jesus comes—and He comes to seek and save the lost and die as Israel’s Messiah and King. Jesus has a passion for his city—his people—Jersualem.
but...He is crucified or killed in Jerusalem—instead of the city of God accepting Jesus, they become the city of man, and he is killed outside the city.
but he rises from the dead.
and now all of us who surrender to King Jesus, accept Him as our Savior and Lord—we are not citizens of His city—the heavenly Jerusalem—the city of God--
we are called now to live for the city of God—while living in the city of man today.
we as churches now—the body of Christ—form these mini cities of God, these outposts where we live for the city of God—our citizenship is in heaven—but we now live still on Earth in Babylon.
How do we live for Jesus as citizens of heaven while living in Babylon? What does that look like?
and that takes us now to Revelation 17-18. are you with me?
we looked at Revelation 17 last week—Babylon.
Revelation 18 continues it—God is going to judge and bring down Babylon
Babylon again stands for = the city of man, humanity in rebellion against God.
if we are called to live as citizens of the city of God—how do we do that in a world like Babylon...
Let’s stand as I read.
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
Babylon was a literal empire and city.
but the angel is talking about Babylon here is a symbol referring to all the kingdoms of man, the world’s system. it is humanity in rebellion against God. It looks attractive and seduces us from Christ—but it will fall.
and so the Apostle John who is getting this vision and the early church—their Babylon would have been Rome. It was so tempting to just go along with the city of man Rome—but God says “Don’t be duped.”
let’s keep going vs. 4
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “ ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
and this brings me to my first part—we have 2 parts.
Part 1—How do we discern when we have been caught up in Babylon?
How do we know when we are living like the world? b/c chances are if you are a Christian, you know you are not to love or be like the world. we are to be like Jesus.
but there is so much temptation and compromise to live. we may not be fully Babylonian—but we certainly are Babylonian-ish...
How to discern the symptoms of Babylon?
Examine your ego. how is your pride? (vs. 7) Babylon is saying “I sit enthroned as queen.” Look at me.
7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’
that is the spirit of this world and Babylon.
this man-centeredness.
How is your pride? Who is your life all about—is it about Jesus? Or is about the world and a substitute? or is it about you—self glorification.
how many of you would say you struggle with pride? with self?
the challenge with this—is we can often spot this in other people way sooner than we can in ourselves. some people call this narcissism. I dare you to spell it.
it can take the more obvious form and the lesser...
the more obvious—here are some symptoms—you have an inflated sense of self and entitlement—you feel like you are the best at whatever.
need constant attention, constant approval—ironically you may seem outwardly confident but are very insecure.
you expect special treament
you exaggerate your gifts and talents—embellish stories
you respond negatively to criticism — you may quick to notice and criticize others—but if someone criticizes you — your wrath will come out---or you will severely withdraw, get super depressed
though you may be super sensitive to how people treat you—you can’t put yourself in other people’s shoes
the problem is always everyone else—not me.
and chances are if you don’t think you could ever struggle with this—you probably do.
these are just a few—do you have this? chances are — the city of man has influenced you more than the city of God.
let’s keep reading:
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—
12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;
13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’
15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn
16 and cry out: “ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ “Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.
18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’
19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
now this is referring to the Day—what Scripture calls the Day of the Lord—when He will bring down and bring His full justice against Babylon and the city of Man.
John and the early church would be encouraged that Rome ultimately will not survive God’s appropriate, full justice.
and we should be encouraged and warned today—that if we are being persecuted for not following the world—the day is coming…and we should be warned—don’t get caught up with the world—and its focus on money, power, fame.
this brings me to my 2nd point...
How do we discern when we have been caught up in Babylon?
2. Examine your deep emotions. (vs. 9-20)
this passages shows all kinds of classes of people reacting to Babylon’s fall.
those in power—the kings of the earth
the merchants—business owners—economic influencers
every sea captain and those who travel by ship, the sailors, the every business people
and this is not just your average disappointment which is normal—they are depicted as wailing because Babylon has gone down.
they made their bed with the world, and now they are experiencing the world’s consequences.
and this applies to us.
God gave us these wonderful yet sometimes confusing things called emotions. Our God is depicted as showing emotion: delight, anger, sadness, grief, joy, happiness. and emotions can be a powerful tool to help us engage what is really going on in our lives.
when emotions happen in our lives—they are an opportunity to do some heart work—to get beneathe the surface—to the thing beneath the thing—to see what is really going on here at the center of my life. what do I really value or desire deeply that at my core that has triggered this emotion.
so for the people in Revelation—since Babylon fell, their security fell, their money fell, their success and economic prosperity fell. when that happened, when they lost the world, they are not just sad-which is normal—but they are wailing. showing that God was not their god—their god was the world—money, success.
what about you? think about money. there is nothing inherently wrong with money—Scripture says it’s the love of money (not money) the love of money that is the root of all evil.
if money is our God...
if we lose it—we won’t just be sad, which is normal. but you will move on. you will be down in the dumps depressed, perhaps for weeks. when the economic recession happened almost 15 years ago…reports of high powered CEO’s committing suicide increased.
if money is our God, if it is threatened or we are in danger of losing it, we won’t just concerned or worried, which is normal—we will be extremely anxious, on edge, can’t sleep, for weeks, consuming anxiety
if money is our God, and someone gets in the way of us making it, we won’t just be mad or frustrated, which is normal, but we will want to kill them, and we just might.
look at your emotions. the problem is we often struggle with this—it’s uncomfortable, and this takes some real HEART work. often it takes a good therapist/counselor/pastor, mentor/friend.
what strong emotions are you feeling right now—if you dig them up from the garden of your soul—you will see what you value clinging to them. Is it God? Or is it Babylon.
emotions can be like a check engine light going off in our soul...
look at verse 20
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
look at how they are reacting
God’s people are rejoicing that God is bringing His kingdom. Man’s kingdom will lose.
look at verses 21-24
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
God will bring down this world and its systems and what is values. it will not last for eternity.
there are other ways to discern if we have made our bed with Babylon..
such as…#3… look at your resources—what do you spend your time/energy and money on.
but I want to finish with how do we live and maybe even thrive for Jesus while living in Babylon.
How to live for Jesus in Babylon (living for Jesus in Babylon)
Do not separate from the world. God does not call us to separate (isolate) from the world. there have been many groups throughout history, who say, “If we just separate from culture, form our own group or tribe, we can keep the world out.” “we can create our own society.
While we are to be wise in what influences us—Jesus prayed this in one of his last prayers on earth:
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
that we would be in the world but not of it.
Daniel, and Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel had to literally live in Babylon, serving in the gov’t. They were citizens of heaven, trying to live for God in the city of man, and they faced danger, but faithfully lived for God.
if you are tempted to just withdraw from the world—that would be so much easier—don’t. God has called us to be protected from the evil one and from evil and its influence, but we are called to be in the world not of it. to be in our workplaces, schools, governments…where has God strategically placed you to live like a Daniel in Babylon?
Develop a life of wisdom by being with Jesus.
what do I mean by this?
what are the daily, weekly, monthly rhythms that God wants us to use to grow in our relationship with Him? to develop a life and heart of wisdom? What are they?
you see—it would be easier if I could just give you a list—here’s how you avoid Babylon. don’t get a smart phone. don’t get on the internet. don’t watch TV. withdraw. you are acting like Babylon when you buy this brand, when you engage in this form of entertainment....some of us would love a list...
but we need wisdom but the Holy Spirit of God
Revelation 17:9 (NIV)
9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom.
God doesn’t just want to give us a list. He wants us to be people formed into His image—acting and reflecting Jesus…knowing and enjoying Jesus…when you do that—it develops a life of wisdom where you know and can make decisions that reflect king Jesus.
what are some practical ways:
one is to join a group here…what kinds of groups?
we have Sunday morning Sunday School classes—far from being just information—their primary purpose in my opinion is doing life together—caring for one another, providing meals for one another, learning together. there are other groups—Wed. groups, Brianna’s Hope drug addiction group, there are various other groups that meet throughout the week. you can start a group—we publish discussion questions from the sermon every week. we need community to be the people of God…let’s talk—talk to Baer our connections pastor. talk to me.
(on screen) packet from Kate—for families she mailed out. If you did not get one families—we have some extras in the book nook. There are some daily readings for families to do together during Easter Week, and even the month of April beyond as we fill bus banks for missionaries and their educations.
are you personally in the Word and in prayer? do you have a rhythm of grace daily with Jesus. at some level. One of the best tools is the YouVersion Bible app—that’s you—but there is also no substitute for just sitting down and reading.
are you on mission? are you going out with eyes open to help people caught up in Babylon? that need Jesus? who have been duped. can you share with them the love of Christ? the good news—I guarantee if you get on the mission field in your everyday life—it will change your relationship with Jesus, make you way more dependent on Him.
you cannot do this alone—you need others to live a part of the CITY of God.
and we desperately need Jesus.
the good news is if you have miserably failed—you are following Babylon—committing spiritual adultery—there is good news. come to your senses, confess it to God, God will take you back with open arms because Jesus paid for our sin. He is a God of mercy and grace and forgiveness.
I want to invite the worship team forward--
we are going to sing a song together and then take communion together.
(I need you every hour…)
If you do not have communion elements and need them, please feel free to get them now or raise your hand and the ushers will come forward.
this is open to anyone who is a believer in Jesus—who can affirm that Jesus is their Savior and Lord and Treasure. if you cannot, we are so glad you are here and ask that you watch what is going on and consider choosing Jesus over Babylon.
Luke 22:19 says this:
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
the bread reminds us of Jesus’ body—given for us...
Babylon and the world may seem attractive—but the world won’t die for us. it will use us, abuse us, and spit us out. Jesus on the other hand, gave his entire life—his entire body—to be used, abused, and spit out on our behalf. on the cross, Jesus bore the weight of sin, it’s guilt, its punishment that we deserved, satisfying the justice and wrath of God. it’s amazing that He would do this for us…so that we would be freed from the love of Babylon
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Jesus gave us his blood—so that we can make a covenant or contract not with the world but with Him—he initiated it, and paid it all…we are bought with the precious blood of Christ.
I want to give you a moment to reflect.
Scripture encourages us to examine ourselves before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
during this time—confess—where have you compromised with the world? How are you Babylonian-ish? The good news if that Jesus offers his mercy and grace afresh—we eat and drink it in.
take a moment to confess, repent, and praise Jesus for His sacrifice for us.
Let’s pray....
take communion together...
If time— chorus of “I need thee every hour...”
if we are truly citizens of heaven, of Jesus, of Jerusalem, not the city of man of Babylon---look at this---call to bear disgrace for Jesus…yet the hope we have
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.