Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Cities have sounds.
[00:00:03] In our country, we would look to every major city and find a very distinct sound of music or experience.
[00:00:16] I was talking to someone this week about Las Vegas. I've never been there. Some of you sinners have.
[00:00:25] And the lounge music of former celebrities, musicians and singers.
[00:00:32] In New Orleans, there's jazz, Nashville, there's country. Amen.
[00:00:38] Detroit, Motown, New York City, all kinds of sounds. But you also have Broadway, Carnegie hall in Memphis, there's the blues, Los Angeles, pop, Atlanta, hip hop, maybe Cleveland, rock, Miami, Latin, Seattle, grunge in Austin. Texas has become the place, the capital of live music.
[00:01:08] We get to the end of Revelation. There are two cities, Babylon and the new Jerusalem.
[00:01:15] And these two cities forever will have distinct sounds, music that we hear now that will echo throughout eternity.
[00:01:28] We talked about Babylon last week.
[00:01:32] Babylon originated at the Tower of Babel. That's where Babylon gets its name.
[00:01:39] This is where humanity rebelled against God, tried to build a city with a tower that reached up to heaven out of pride and arrogance before God.
[00:01:52] The Babylon spirit, throughout the Old Testament was personified in many cities, but specifically Babylon, this city, this empire that was built out of pride, idolatry and oppressed God's people.
[00:02:07] And from that city we see throughout the Bible many other cities that even echo today.
[00:02:13] Cities that are built on power, pleasure and provision. The provision of self centered wealth and revelation was written to people who lived around the city of Rome, who at this time personified Babylon. We get to the end of the book of Revelation and in their minds this would be the city that God is talking about, judging Rome specifically.
[00:02:44] But we know that this Babylon spirit and all Babylon builds will eventually be judged by God.
[00:02:52] And we see in chapter 18 the sound of Babylon that will echo throughout eternity. What will be left of this city?
[00:03:01] What will be left of this Babylon spirit throughout eternity? And it is chapter 18, which is a funeral dirge. It will echo throughout eternity. The sound of death, the sound of destruction, the sound of devastation.
[00:03:24] As so many have put their hope in Babylon, they will be left empty for eternity.
[00:03:33] And there's much to be said about Babylon and the wealth that Babylon produces.
[00:03:39] But we're going to focus today on three questions as we move through this song, this funeral song over Babylon. And the first question is, as you see the destruction of Babylon, as you hear the destruction of Babylon, what is it that you personally see?
[00:03:59] What do you see in her?
[00:04:01] How do you feel as she is being crushed? What does that do to you personally? And it all comes back to what you see in her.
[00:04:10] Notice verse 1 after this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven. God is issuing his final judgments on the world.
[00:04:21] And here we focus specifically on the judgment of, of Babylon. This city of Babylon that is raised up in opposition to God that we see throughout human history.
[00:04:33] There will be probably a final city or a final kingdom that is raised up in this way that will be literally destroyed.
[00:04:42] And here we're seeing the vision of these things. And as this comes to pass, there is an angel that comes from heaven. Notice with great authority.
[00:04:53] And the earth was made bright at his glory.
[00:04:57] Now the only messenger that this happens with is really Christ. And so this is either Jesus who speaks here, or it is a display of Jesus's presence. And notice what it does. The earth is made bright with his glory. And so you're going to see these, these opposite counter visions. As you see the destruction of Babylon, you're also to consider the glory and beauty of Christ and the kingdom he is about to usher in. And notice he called out with a mighty voice, fallen. Fallen. This is for emphasis.
[00:05:40] Destroyed. Destroyed is Babylon the great. And that is sarcasm. This great city who thought so much of herself.
[00:05:48] She has become a dwelling place for demons. These spirits that have been cast out of heaven, impure.
[00:05:56] They haunt her. Notice, a haunt for every unclean spirit. The word haunt just means a dwelling place that is empty but is also full of death.
[00:06:09] She will become a place full of the sights and, and sounds of death. And so in her you see death.
[00:06:18] Notice a haunt for every unclean spirit, A haunt for every unclean, detestable beast.
[00:06:25] The prophets, when they looked at literal Babylon and pronounced judgment upon her, they declared that she would be devastated in a way where no one would ever live within her again.
[00:06:39] And because there's no one to fend off all of the wildlife, it would overtake this city. And Isaiah talks about wild beasts, jackals, hyenas, goats, ostriches, which is really strange.
[00:06:56] These are strange, kind of janky, weird animals that will occupy Babylon.
[00:07:04] Jesus, she is a haunt of uncleanness.
[00:07:07] And notice why. Verse 3.
[00:07:10] For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.
[00:07:16] Now we said this is more than sexual immorality. The act of sexual immorality. Last week we talked about the way in which the world is intoxicated with pleasure, but pleasure in the now, immediate pleasure. The nations have become drunk with the now. We have to have what we want now. And so they are numb to the reality, numb to the consequences, and they have given in to her pleasure. We've Talked about Babylon being marked by pleasure, but also power. Notice the text continues. And the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her.
[00:07:59] They used her pleasure for power.
[00:08:01] They offered their people pleasure so they could remain in power.
[00:08:08] This corrupt system of Babylon. And notice in the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. And so it's not just Babylon that has become wealthy on pleasure and power.
[00:08:24] Babylon has made the world rich.
[00:08:27] And this is what Rome would have been known for, making the world rich. Rome had so much wealth that the world could become rich because of her power, because of her pleasure, because of her wealth. But notice how wealth is described here. They have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.
[00:08:52] Now wealth in and of itself is not bad.
[00:08:56] It is to be used, it is to be leveraged for the glory of Christ.
[00:09:00] But the wealth described here is self centered gratification.
[00:09:08] Because you have the means to do so luxurious living, you are able to do whatever you want. Notice how it is described as power.
[00:09:17] And this is what Babylon has provided for its people, its kings and even the world.
[00:09:26] Power and wealth. To do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. To have whatever you want in the now, and this is Babylon's to entice you with wealth in the now so that you would deny Christ in. The way to refuse her tactics is that we use wealth instead of being used by wealth. We are to use wealth for the glory of God. It is not wrong to make money.
[00:10:01] It is not wrong to have wealth and resources. But you have to train your heart not to see them as God, not to be mastered by them and to leverage them for the glory of Christ. But Babylon's desire is, is that you would deny Christ because of your wealth. And we have to check our hearts on these things.
[00:10:24] This is why we're going to ask these questions today.
[00:10:27] As you think about wealth, what do you see?
[00:10:31] As you think about stuff in your own life, what do you see? How do you see it? Do you see the possibility that one day all of the stuff, all of the resources that you have could, as Babylon does here, haunt you, speak death over you, because you gave yourself over to those things and not Christ.
[00:10:58] One of the things this passage does is it wants us to see the upside down nature of Babylon. It is a place of demons, it is a place of evil. If you allow wealth to lure you there and, and you give yourself over to it.
[00:11:17] One of the things you should do as you think about resources and stuff and acquiring things, is to constantly Envision the end of this thing.
[00:11:28] Where is this thing that I need right now going to end up?
[00:11:34] Probably in your garage somewhere, stacked somewhere. And you're never going to use it. And you know what? I meant to put that on Facebook. Marketplace. No, no, take it down to Goodwill. Hey, and you just.
[00:11:45] Where's this going to end up, this thing that my soul is drawn to in this moment? And I. My wife's whispering about something over here that wasn't directed at you, Paul. You.
[00:12:00] Where are these things going to end? She's probably talking about something I wanted.
[00:12:05] Where are these things going to end up?
[00:12:10] Just walk through a thrift store and see the things that we want it so badly. Go open your junk drawer in your house.
[00:12:21] All the old phones, all the USB cords, all the things that were new and fancy, and you had to have all of the key fobs that are there.
[00:12:33] Imagine where these things end up, the things that your heart cannot live without.
[00:12:41] What do you see when you see Babylon?
[00:12:45] And then next, where are you running? Notice, verse four.
[00:12:51] I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins.
[00:13:00] So if this is a messenger of Christ or Christ himself, as Babylon is being destroyed, he calls his people out, come away from her. Literally, it's a command to flee from her, run from her. And it's a picture of Sodom and Gomorrah as Sodom and Gomorrah is being destroyed. And you see Lot running from this place that is being destroyed. And he is not to look back or he will turn to stone.
[00:13:30] We see this with his family, his wife. The same thing's going on here. Jesus is calling his family away from this city that is being destroyed. Notice, he says, lest you take part in her sins. What are her sins? The pride of thinking this lasts forever. And I'm just going to give myself over to this now. There are no consequences. I've got to have this. I've got to live in the moment.
[00:13:56] Notice, lest you share, which we would say fellowship in her plague. So when she's judged, if you're drawn to her in this way, you live in her this way you will be judged with her. Notice, for her sins are heaped high as heaven. And God has remembered her iniquities, like Babel built this tower up to heaven.
[00:14:19] Babylon has heaped up this pile of sin and wickedness which is symbolized by the stuff she had to offer.
[00:14:28] She has heaped it up in a way, like a brush fire doused with gasoline, ready to be burned, set aflame at any moment.
[00:14:40] This is what she is heaping up.
[00:14:42] You see her and you think she's heaping up wealth, luxury, stuff that's going to last forever. No.
[00:14:50] It is a bonfire about to be set ablaze, and if you cling to it, you will go down with her.
[00:15:00] God has not forgotten her sin.
[00:15:03] He's allowing it to accumulate in the fire on the day of judgment. Of all the things that our hearts were drawn to, that were meaningless and useless will burn before our eyes.
[00:15:18] Notice verse 6.
[00:15:20] Pay her back as she herself has paid back others to the devastation that she has caused others. Repay her double for her deeds. Mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. She destroyed so many lives, luring them into the now. You have to have the now, the pleasure now, luring them to wealth that leads them away from Christ.
[00:15:47] Give her a double portion of her mixed drink of wrath. She deserves a strong drink of wrath for all the destruction she has done. Verse 7.
[00:15:59] As she glorified, that word is very important, the word for glory, which we might say she took pride in herself.
[00:16:11] This is an emphasis throughout. And this is what her luxury has done.
[00:16:15] It has caused her to think much of herself, notice herself, and lived in luxury. So she should give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says this. I said, as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see. So what's going on here? She. She is so prideful in her wealth, she thinks it will never end.
[00:16:42] I'm no widow.
[00:16:44] I will never mourn like a widow. I will always have suitors.
[00:16:49] I will always have people who are lured into my sin. And I shall never be alone in this way, and I shall never see destruction. This is what John in First John would describe as the pride of life.
[00:17:07] It is the sort of pride that says, this is going to last forever in this moment, in this thing, in this experience, in this activity that I have to have.
[00:17:20] I'm going to last forever, and it's going to last forever. It's going to give me eternal pleasure in the moment. And this is a sort of pride that has brought about Babylon's destruction.
[00:17:32] Notice for this reason, her plagues. We talked about this word meaning a blow or a strike.
[00:17:39] Same thing happened in Egypt. God sent him the plagues.
[00:17:45] He hit Egypt with plagues to wake them up, to declare my people are going to come out of Egypt. Same thing going on here would destroy Babylon so that his people will run from Babylon on the last day. But Notice this. They will come in a single day.
[00:18:05] So we've seen all these seven plagues and we think about the plagues in Egypt. Ultimately there's going to be one moment of destruction where the knocking ends and she is destroyed forever. Death and mourning and famine. She will be burned up with fire. All, all of these words are meant to give us a visual of the destruction that she will experience.
[00:18:28] For mighty is the Lord who has judged her.
[00:18:31] All of her eternal promises and eternal pleasures will come to an end in a moment.
[00:18:38] And there's no natural disaster prepping that will be able to stop God from doing will happen in all that that we have held onto as eternal life will be taken out in a moment. And if you cling to her, you would be judged with her. So what do you see?
[00:19:00] And then in light of what you see in Babylon, what is it that you are running to today as you think about the rest of your life and you think about your goals and you think about your mission, you think about career, you think about your plans and your family and those things that we are to do well and be wise in?
[00:19:23] But what is your ultimate goal? What is it that you are ultimately running to?
[00:19:29] Is it the glory of Christ and to use your life for the glory of Christ and whatever he may provide you for Jesus?
[00:19:36] Are you just running to have more of Babylon, more of Babylon's stuff?
[00:19:44] See, we live in a country where shopping is considered therapy.
[00:19:51] And we just have the means to do that. We don't really have the means. We'll go in debt to do that.
[00:19:58] But we will live as if these things are going to provide me something that Jesus cannot.
[00:20:04] And so if I'm having a bad day, I'll just walk through them all.
[00:20:08] I'll just scroll through Amazon and I'll buy something.
[00:20:13] Sometimes we only realize we're doing that. That's going to fill this void in our heart, in our soul, in our life, instead of looking to Jesus to do those things. So the question are you running to stuff? Are you running to these things?
[00:20:29] You don't have to have a lot of money to do this, by the way.
[00:20:33] But what are you running to? Even when we're bored, I don't have anything to do right now.
[00:20:40] I'll go buy some shoes on Amazon.
[00:20:45] A few months ago, I allowed one of my credit cards, which I pay off every month, to expire on Amazon.
[00:20:55] And I realized I was like, I'm just. I don't. It was laziness. I don't want to enter all that stuff again. And I just let it sit there.
[00:21:05] And I realized about two months later, you know what?
[00:21:08] I spent a lot less money on just stuff, little things that I think I need little flashlights and stuff because I couldn't click to pay so easily.
[00:21:23] But this is how we cope with life, with stuff.
[00:21:28] And we run to Babylon to save us from boredom, from depression, from anxiety, instead of Christ. So where are you running?
[00:21:41] And then next, where is your hope?
[00:21:44] We see next of all the security of Babylon that has provided hope.
[00:21:49] Notice verse 9. For the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality with her and lived in luxury with her, the whole world becomes a part of Rome's act.
[00:22:01] This idea that Caesar is Lord, you give allegiance to him and he will bless you and he will provide for you.
[00:22:10] And the whole world is willing to do this, this immorality, this spiritual adultery, but it led to luxury for the world.
[00:22:18] Notice.
[00:22:20] They will weep and well over her when they see the smoke of her burning. And so the kings of the earth, they see Rome go down and what are they going to do? Yes, this mighty power has been defeated. No, what about our economy?
[00:22:37] What's going to happen now that Rome is gone?
[00:22:41] We lose money, we lose wealth because of our allegiance to Rome.
[00:22:47] And so Rome, who may have been looked upon as a terror to the world, the world also became rich off of her.
[00:22:56] And they will stand afar off in fear of torment, saying, alas, alas, you great city, you mighty city, Babylon. For in a single hour your judgment has come. Notice, they cannot believe it.
[00:23:12] Babylon has fell so quickly. There was so much luxury, so much security, so much wealth, and she went down in a moment in destruction.
[00:23:23] Her security, the security she provided the world is gone. And notice, verse 11 begins to describe her abundance. And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore. The world has lost its economy because Babylon has been crushed and devastated.
[00:23:45] Babylon can no longer buy the best of the best from the nations. And this is what Rome was known for. The city of Rome had over a million people at this time who shopped from around the world, imported so many goods into rome.
[00:24:01] Notice verse 12.
[00:24:03] Cargo of gold and silver. This would have probably come from Spain.
[00:24:08] Jewels, pearls would have come from India, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, likely from China, scarlet cloth and all kinds of senate wood. Morocco, that area of the world, all kinds of articles of ivory. Africa, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble. Egypt, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, Somalia and Arabia Wine, Spain or Greece.
[00:24:42] Oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses. And chariots.
[00:24:49] First century luxury SUVs. Chariots.
[00:24:53] She was full of them. And they came from all over the world.
[00:24:57] And she had enough money to buy as much as she wanted. And if you were a citizen of Rome, you could have whatever you wanted from around the world.
[00:25:07] But as Babylon, just like Rome, will be crushed on the last day, we will stand around and say her abundance could not give us security, her wealth could not provide for us.
[00:25:22] God will take her out in a moment.
[00:25:25] And like the merchants and like the kings of the earth, we will weep.
[00:25:30] But notice what else Babylon was able to purchase from the world. Rome was able to purchase from the world.
[00:25:38] Slaves.
[00:25:40] That is wants to clarify here. Human souls.
[00:25:45] This is the height of her self centered wealth.
[00:25:49] That humans would be bought and sold for selfish ambition, selfish pleasure.
[00:26:00] This is the height of self centered luxury and wealth.
[00:26:05] The dehumanizing of others.
[00:26:09] This is her guilt.
[00:26:10] And before you think, well that doesn't happen in our world, consider this.
[00:26:18] The porn industry makes $15 billion a year dehumanizing of others for your own benefit.
[00:26:30] Sex related entertainment over 50 billion.
[00:26:34] And those are conservative figures. Because so much of this is hard to track because it's so private. Private and secret.
[00:26:43] But this is a mark of self centered wealth.
[00:26:48] The use of others in demeaning ways for your own benefit. And this is what Babylon was guilty of. She had it all.
[00:26:58] Whatever you want.
[00:27:01] From a piece of gold to a human being that you could buy for yourself.
[00:27:08] Notice verse 14. The fruit of which your soul longed has gone from you and from all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you and never to be found again. All these things are gone. The abundance of Babylon is gone in a moment.
[00:27:25] And consider our own country. I often can. I often think about what it is like from people from other countries who may have a lot less than we have here when they come and visit and they walk in a Buc EE's.
[00:27:42] I mean there's gas everywhere, like gas pumps everywhere.
[00:27:48] There's food everywhere.
[00:27:51] There is anything you want on the side of the interstate, Costco, Sam's club. The abundance of our country.
[00:27:59] Understand? Those things will be gone in a moment.
[00:28:02] And you will not be able to acquire enough to save yourself on the day of judgment.
[00:28:10] Notice the vanity of Babylon that will be judged.
[00:28:14] The merchants of these wares who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud. Alas, alas. The great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels and pearls. This is wealth that says, look at me.
[00:28:34] This is look, look at me. Wealth that has been flaunted by her forever.
[00:28:40] Look at all I have. Well, it all will be gone in a moment.
[00:28:44] Verse 18.
[00:28:46] For in a single hour all this wealth will be laid to waste. And all the shipmasters and seafaring men and sailors and all those who trade on sea stood afar off, all these people who benefited from her, and they cried out, and as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying what city was like this great city, there's never been another city like her. And they will throw dust on their head as they wept and mourn and cried. Alas, alas for the great city where all who had ships sea grew rich by her wealth. For in a single hour she has been laid to waste. So her abundance, her security, her vanity, it will all be wiped out in a moment. And the kings and the businessmen of the world, the rich, they will have a funeral for her because that is where their security lied, in her abundance, even in her vanity, in her luxury. And it's all gone in a moment.
[00:29:40] So what do you see? What are you running to? And where is your hope on the last day? Will you be a part of this funeral for Babylon, grieving over her?
[00:29:54] Well, is this the picture of your life? When things get a little dicey in our own country, the economy gets a little shaky and it does things to us. When you see that gas price going up and you get anxious, you get insecure, where is your ultimate hope?
[00:30:14] When there's talk of recession, we need to be wise, but we do not need to wail when Babylon is being devastated.
[00:30:26] Why? Babylon is not our hope.
[00:30:29] Jesus is our hope.
[00:30:31] Is Babylon your security?
[00:30:34] Are you worn out from working so hard to provide what Babylon has to offer?
[00:30:40] And you just can't get ahead and you can never feel secure enough, and it is like sand through your hand week after week after week because you're always insecure. Maybe it's because you're putting your hope in Babylon and not Jesus.
[00:30:56] Some of us are making really important decisions about our life because Babylon provides for us and not Jesus.
[00:31:06] You're making decisions about your career, you're making decisions about getting married, you're making decisions about having kids.
[00:31:15] You're making decisions about how many kids you have because you're trusting in Babylon and not the Lord.
[00:31:22] The Lord says these things are good and these things are right, and there is joy in your life with these things. God provides. But you're trusting Babylon, not Jesus and the Lord.
[00:31:34] How do you make decisions about your life, your career, what you're doing?
[00:31:39] Is it based on I'm going to give myself over to this because this is good and right and will bring glory to Christ. And if I give myself over to what God is calling me to do here, I can trust God will provide that he will take care of me. Why?
[00:31:55] Because that's what he tells me in the gospel.
[00:31:58] This week I want to encourage, as you think about life decisions like this. I want you to go read Matthew chapter six.
[00:32:05] It's so important. We may, when we get through a revelation, just go through Matthew chapter 6.
[00:32:12] Because it is how we flesh out our identity as kingdom citizens, as sons and daughters of the king. What is it we don't? God takes care of birds and he takes care of flowers. He's going to take care of me.
[00:32:27] My Father is good and he has given me eternal kingdom.
[00:32:32] So when I pray and ask for bread, take care of me and my family. He's not going to give me a stone. He's not going to give me a snake. He's going to take care of me if I trust him. Go to Matthew 6 this week before you begin to make these life decisions and also go to the rest of Revelation.
[00:32:54] Because what you see in the rest of Revelation is this extravagant provision of this city that comes down. Have you ever wondered why God describes heaven the way he does?
[00:33:07] It is a lab. We're talking about luxury and wealth. Have you ever looked at the new Jerusalem?
[00:33:14] All of this gold, all of this just all of this abundant provision. Why?
[00:33:22] Because the Bible is at pains to tell us God takes better care of you than Babylon and He has something better for you in the end than Babylon can give you now. So you trust him and you look to him to provide.
[00:33:38] So where is your hope? And then finally, what do you hear? Notice first of all we hear the rejoicing of heaven over the destruction of Babylon. Rejoice over her. This is also a command.
[00:33:51] So on the last day, as Babylon and her wealth is destroyed, there is the command that God and his people celebrate and rejoice and praise God.
[00:34:04] Notice Heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets, those who gave themselves over to the promises of God, to witness the Word of God. God has given judgment for you against her.
[00:34:16] It seemed as though her wealth had won the world over. No, no, no, no. It is the word of God that has won the world over. And so rejoice. 21 Then a mighty angel took Up a stone, like a great millstone, massive stones. We got some in downtown Richmond. This is a greater millstone than anything you'll see driving through our city today.
[00:34:37] And he threw it into the sea, tied to Babylon.
[00:34:42] So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence like a great millstone with the destruction of the world. And will be found no more irreversible destruction. There's no rebuilding this economy.
[00:34:56] Verse 22. And the sound of the harpists, the musicians, the flute players, the trumpeters will be heard in you no more. This is the entertainment district of Babylon.
[00:35:08] Wiped out. The French Quarter, the Broadway, Nashville Broadway, which is way more wicked.
[00:35:17] The street there, you know, will be wiped out.
[00:35:22] And a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more. This is the daily working of the city, the production of wealth that's going on. And the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more. And so these things that are building and creating wealth for Babylon will be gone.
[00:35:42] There will be silence there.
[00:35:44] No celebration, no silence or all silence. Verse 23. And the light of the lamp will shine in you no more. This is the nightlife of the city. It will go out. And the voice of the bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more. Some people think this is Jesus and the church. It's just that weddings were the height of celebration, so there's no more celebrating. So all of these sounds are gone.
[00:36:10] The sounds of music, the sound of work, the sound of celebration. Notice for your merchants were the great ones. They were like Babylon.
[00:36:19] They bought into the luxury and wealth. And they're going to be destroyed too, with Babylon. And all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
[00:36:28] Rome that propped up its wealth through idolatry.
[00:36:33] Caesar worship which led to all of this. The nations were deceived and in her was found the blood of the prophets and the saints and all who had been slain. And this is her goal.
[00:36:46] Caesar is Lord, not Jesus. That will never be hurt again.
[00:36:50] She will be judged forever. The point here is, is that Babylon's anti God party will be over on the last day.
[00:37:00] And all who cling to her will be eternally hungover.
[00:37:04] And they will only hear the echo of death forever.
[00:37:07] And so what do you see? What are you running to? And what do you want to hear?
[00:37:12] The agony and pain that Babylon city produces.
[00:37:17] You see, Jesus talks about the church being a city on a hill that counters Babylon.
[00:37:25] And what he's doing there is. He is saying as the world looks in on this city, they are to see something different that's building it. There's something behind the city, which is the church that is being built. And so you're going to hear different sounds in the city of the church.
[00:37:43] You're going to hear the sound of redemption echoing in her walls.
[00:37:48] And so as you hear Babylon sounds, which are luring you to this city, which are calling you with her songs and her work and her creativity and her false teaching, are you hearing the sound of Christ in his church? That's the decision before us. But how do you do that?
[00:38:09] Well, I have one warning for us today.
[00:38:12] I want to be very specific about this point of application as we think about hearing the sound of Christ in the church over the sound of Babylon that is being built in the culture through pride, power, pleasure, and wealth.
[00:38:30] When you consider for a moment, and we do this a lot, when you consider your phone, your phone is a little Babylon. I know y' all get tired of me talking about phones.
[00:38:43] You see, church in my day used to burn records and CDs and all that. Today we just talk about crushing phones.
[00:38:53] Think about all the power that's on your phone, the sounds and the sights.
[00:38:58] Think about even being in a major city, New York City, and look around at what people are doing.
[00:39:07] This major city cannot even lure them away from their phones.
[00:39:11] They are behind the screen, or they are using the screen to take a picture of the city.
[00:39:18] This is the Babylon in our pockets.
[00:39:23] You have power to rule over your day.
[00:39:26] The average person's use of a phone now is up to five hours a day.
[00:39:33] Using your phone to rule as a little king over your kingdom. There is power there. There's pleasure there, immediate pleasure.
[00:39:41] The entertainment, the sights and sounds, the music, the movies, the videos right in front of you. This is the power and pleasure of Babylon that we're able to carry around with us. It's a little city.
[00:39:54] And the provision that your phone provides. I know I'm being very specific today. You're like, sometimes you just throw the phone out as an illustration. No, we're zeroing in on it today.
[00:40:06] But think about the provision, the ads, the car you want, the lunch you want, the house. You want, the sink, you want. It's all right there. Babylon saying, come on, you need this. You need this right now.
[00:40:19] And think about the dehumanizing way we use our phones.
[00:40:24] You see, commerce was meant where someone builds a thing, grows a thing, and then sells a thing. And then you look that person in the eyes and. And you engage in this interaction. We don't do that anymore.
[00:40:40] We have phones and drones that bring it to our front porch and we never have to meet a person.
[00:40:47] Think about how intense the spirit of Babylon is in front of us all the time.
[00:40:54] And I'm saying this as your pastor to free you from it.
[00:40:57] It's dangerous and it's scary, and it is easy to be lured there if you're thinking about the glitz and glam of some city far away. No, we have it in front of us all the time.
[00:41:11] How are you using it?
[00:41:13] Why don't we encourage you this week to do some things? First of all, replace her noise again, we say this every week by being in the word of God every day, same time, every day, fast from your phone and be in the word of God.
[00:41:26] Replace her noise weekly with worship.
[00:41:30] Be in worship week after week.
[00:41:33] One of the things we're doing right now is we're looking at numbers and attendance across the board in our church because we're growing. We got to figure out a place, places to put everybody. And one of the things we're starting to realize is this.
[00:41:45] We are growing as a church members. You're going to see a lot of new members today.
[00:41:52] But our attendance on Sunday morning, for the most part, can be labeled inconsistent.
[00:41:59] The national average used to be that the most committed church members miss one Sunday a month of church. That's the most committed one Sunday a month.
[00:42:11] Not just a year, a semester, a month.
[00:42:14] It's growing to two Sundays a month.
[00:42:19] And then we look at our BFG numbers. About 65% folks are in BFGS now. Why do I bring this up?
[00:42:29] Because this is where we engage in real redemptive human interaction, where we leave Babylon and we look around this room and we see real flesh and blood that is drawing us to this kingdom that Jesus is giving us one day. And we need to be a part of it.
[00:42:49] You need to be a part of it.
[00:42:52] Dangerous when you're not around.
[00:42:54] For you, for me, for everybody. This gets dangerous when we don't plug in.
[00:43:00] And even as we look at our numbers, we are above average in the nation.
[00:43:08] But here's the thing. As your pastor, I don't want to be an average church, and I don't want you to be an average Christian.
[00:43:18] Because average Christianity, you will be eaten by Babylon. She's too powerful. She's there all the time. She's luring you away from Christ.
[00:43:29] You need others to pull you back. So replace her noise with worship and replace her noise with your work. You're going to go into work tomorrow and you're going to look around and you're going to see a lot of people. Long sermon today. I say it every week, but it's long again today.
[00:43:44] Building Babylon. I want you to pray this prayer as you walk into the office. Tomorrow, as you see other people lured to Babylon, they're acquiring wealth for themselves. You walk in and you pray this prayer. Lord, use me to build your city.
[00:44:01] Use the resources that I earn here to build your city. Replace her noise at your work and replace her call with your witness.
[00:44:11] Leave the phone in the car at the ball game.
[00:44:14] Just leave it there.
[00:44:16] Text somebody. I'm at the ballpark. If you don't hear from me in a few hours, this is where I'm at.
[00:44:21] Walking through the neighborhood. Leave your phone at home.
[00:44:25] Look around. Look into the eyes of other image bearers for once and begin to consider the lure of Babylon on their life. They don't have anything else to live for.
[00:44:37] And you have the witness of Christ. Make noise for Jesus. Build his city with gospel conversations.
[00:44:46] Let's be this city on a hill as the world around us is burning down. We can say in Christ, I've already been judged as a Babylonian.
[00:44:56] I was one who was bought and sold by her pleasure. And yet Jesus has freed me. Jesus, who is rich and wealthy and has everything I need. He became poor and died on the cross for my sin. He endured the destruction of Babylon. He was silenced, left in darkness and the ashes for my sin.
[00:45:20] And you're free, guys. You're free. You're free from Babylon. You don't have to live in the way everybody else around you is living. You don't have to want all these things, things you have Christ.
[00:45:33] Let's live that way.
[00:45:35] We make up this eternal city that will echo with the sounds of those who are gathered from every nation, every city. The song of the redeemed and the sounds of the city that cities that Babylon has destroyed. They will only have a funeral dirge forever.
[00:45:53] As we sing the songs of freedom in Christ.
