Christianity and the World

“Christianity and the World” is a sermon preached from Revelation 18:1-8 by Noah Olguin, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin – a confessional Reformed Baptist church subscribing to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.

 

 

please brothers and sisters share with me in your Bibles to our text this morning which comes from The Book of

Revelation as we’ll be looking at chapter 18 and verses one to eight so Revelation chapter 18 and verses 1 to 8.

Revelation chapter 18 and verses 1 to 8.

please and brothers and sisters here with me then the reading of God’s word

after this I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great Authority

and the Earth was made bright with his glory and he called out with a mighty voice

Fallen Fallen is Babylon the Great she has become a dwelling place for

demons a hunt for every unclean Spirit a haunt

for every unclean bird a haunt for every unclean and detestable Beast

for all nations have drunk the wine of The Passion of her sexual immorality

and the kings of the Earth have committed immorality with her and the merchants of the Earth have grown Rich

from the power of her luxurious living then I heard another voice from Heaven

saying come out of her my people lest you take part in her sins lest you share in her

plagues for her sins are Heath highest heaven and God has remembered her iniquities

pay her back as she herself has paid back others and repay her double for her Deeds

mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed as she glorified herself and lived in

luxury so give her a like measure of torment and mourning since in her heart she says

I sit as Queen I am no Widow and mourning I shall never see

for this reason her plagues will come in a single day death and mourning and

famine and she will be burned up with fire for Mighty is the Lord God

who has judged her thus far as a reading of God’s word
introduction
well brothers and sisters oftentimes

are unsure I think about how they are to live when excuse me live with and in the

world right they’re unsure about how they are to to interact with the world

and many times what we see are are one of two approaches

for those who are self-professing Christians one of those approaches that we might see is what I call Total

separation right total separation the other approach that we might see

though I might call Total engulfment right or or total participation

what we need to understand is that is that both of these right total separation and total participation are

both wrong right for for one group they see everything including the world is bad

right they hear what John says in his first epistle right do not be friends with the world and so they think that

the world and everything in it is bad and as they see Sinners engaging in

certain things in the world they say well if they’re doing that we must do the the total and complete opposite of

everything we see them doing now for the other group though what they

say is they say well there isn’t anything in this world and that’s what and what the world offers to us that we

should reject or there’s nothing in this world that we are to be skeptical about and in fact we

ought to engage in everything that the world engages in in order that we might be able to relate to the world

right they say if you want to be able to reach the world right you have to be able to relate to the world

and so they might take you know Paul’s statement that he was all things to all

people so that he might reach them and they say well that’s the same thing that we’re doing here right we’re just being

all things to all people so that we can reach them but what we need to understand is that neither of these

approaches are biblical and both of them neglect to take in all

of the scriptures right holistically right they they both fail to to take in

all of the scriptures collectively and harmonize all that God’s word has to say about how the Christian is to interact

in the world right for that first group if they if they would have harmonized all of

scripture if they would have taken all the description to account they would know that God has made the world good at

creation and in fact the things of the world that he has given to man likewise are good

and they are given to be enjoyed by God in first Timothy chapter 4 verse 4 Paul

writes this for everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is

received with Thanksgiving for it is made Holy by the word of God

and prayer I mean think about brothers and sisters even that that first question to the

Westminster Shorter Catechism right what is man’s Chief end right

man’s Chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever well where is it that we do that today

right we glorify God and we enjoy him in the world on the earth and so we must

see that it’s not there the earth that is bad the world that is bad but rather it’s What man does with it right that is

what is bad that is what is evil man’s abuse and use of the Earth now for that second group that says we

have to be like the world to reach the world and so it’s okay to to curse right

into into view things as the World Views things and think like the world thinks and do like the world does right they

forget what Paul says to the church in Ephesus don’t they in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 4 he says let there be no

filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking which are out of place

in verse 11 he says to them take no part in unfruitful works of darkness but

instead what are we to do we’re to expose them in verse 11 or excuse me verse 6 let no

one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience

therefore do not become partners with them and so we need to see that full orbed

view of what God is calling scriptures what God is calling through the

scriptures Christians to to live like and so we need to see that the Christian is called to enjoy the world and in many

respects the Christian is to look like the world but it comes with limits right

it comes with limits we’re prior to conversion we once enjoyed the pleasures of the earth apart from God and with the

ends being our own enjoyment now post-conversion right we enjoy this earth and the things of the Earth in God

and with the ends being not our own pleasure but the glory of God right and so as Believers now we enjoy the things

of the earth differently than the unbeliever right this is what Paul says in First Corinthians chapter 10 verse

so whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of

God right Christians likewise are to be the the best citizens in society right we

are to be the best citizens in society what does Scripture call us to do we are

called to love our enemies we are called to pray for those who hate us we are a call to pray for our leaders

and our rulers and and our employers and all those who are who are over us whether they treat us well or mistreat

us we are called to submit to the government right we are called to live

quiet lives we are called to live lives that are at peace with all men insofar

as that is possible right we are called to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s

but unlike how prior to conversion we would have put all of our hope and

our trust into the government and we would have viewed them almost as as God here upon Earth we now recognize having

Clear Eyes having gospel lenses over our eyes that the government itself only has

limited Authority right so that now as Believers we only give them the respect and The Obedience that that office

commands by God and no more right recognizing that there is someone in authority over all people that even the

government in the ruling authorities are accountable to and subject to like this is what Peter declares next

five you remember in Acts chapter 5 Peter and the apostles are arrested they’re brought before the high priest

and what does he say to them right don’t go about preaching Christ anymore

and what was their response in verse 29 we must obey God rather than men right

this ought to be the way that the believer lives in every sphere of their life right this is how we are to live

and how we are to interact with the world right the Christian is not to reject the world and run away from the

world scared of the world but we are to live in the world and we are to look like the world in

many respects in so far as we live in obedience to the word of God right we’re not to live in isolation

right we’re not to live in a protective bubble that is not what we were created for

right God did not want to or intend to remove Christians from the Earth I mean do you remember Jesus’s High

Priestly prayer in John 17. what did he pray to the father that you would not

take these Believers from the Earth but that you would protect them from the evil one and so we need to see brothers and

sisters that we’ve been put here to to live right we’re here on Earth we we grocery

shop right we work we live amongst a whole bunch of unbelievers

right we do things unbelievers do we go to the zoo or the fair or sporting events and all of those things are fine

but when neighbor right win government when employer when friend

right tells you to do something in Disobedience to the to God that is when the believer then says no because that’s

what it means to not be friends with the world right that’s what John is talking about when he says do not become friends

with the world right that we do not take part in unrighteous Ness and rebellion of the

world right that we do not take part in the Disobedience of the world for it is

because of those things that Christ is returning to judge the inhabitants of

this world right that’s what we see here then convey to us in these opening verses in

this first Vision then uh what we see is that an angel comes to John and we’re told he calls out to John with a with a

mighty voice and he says this starting in verse 2 then fall and Fallen as Babylon the Great

she has become a dwelling place for demons a haunt for every unclean Spirit a haunt

for every unclean bird a haunt for every unclean and detestable Beast

for all nations have drunk the wine of The Passion of her sexual immorality and the kings of the Earth have committed

immorality with her and the merchants of the Earth have grown Rich from the power

of her luxurious living and so brothers and sisters of you just look at those

first two verses we see here what the issue is right we see why Christ is going to come again

and Destroy Babylon right it is because of her sin right we need to see that the message is

not directed to the Earth as if the Earth is bad but the message that the angel gives to John is directed to the sinful sinful

worldliness of the culture right this message is directed towards sinful man and what he has done

to the Earth and on the Earth right that is what is being said here
the immorality of the culture
and so I want to our first point then to

be this morning as we look at our text we’ll call it the immorality of the culture right the immorality of the

culture now the first thing then we notice as the angel declares this to to John is

that what has been said cannot be taken back right what has been said right shall

come to pass right fall and fall in his Bat is Babylon right that’s a prophecy

concerning something that God has ordained to happen that shall come to pass which is why this uh this this

verse right Fallen Fallen is Babylon is actually taken from Isaiah 21 verse 9.

we’ve we’ve said that before and why is it done why do they do that why uh for what purpose is is this Angel

drawing on Isaiah 21 verse 9. well what is Isaiah 21 verse 9 about

if you remember what Isaiah is calling the Israelites to do to to look forward

to the time in which the the Babylonians would be destroyed in which uh Cyrus would come destroy the

Babylonians free up the Israelites so they may return to Jerusalem to build the temple

and so what we see the angel doing in quoting Isaiah 21 9 is calling upon Believers then and today to look forward

to the time when not Cyrus but Christ returns and and Christ defeats Babylon once and

for all and Christ sets us free likewise another reason I think why the angel is

quoting from Isaiah 21 years to provide for the Saints who are suffering in assurance

that they might know for certain that Babylon shall fall and that the Saints

will be redeemed and how do we know that he’s that he’s doing that well because he’s he’s rooting the Prophecy in the historical

fall of Babylon right he’s quoting Isaiah 21 saying think back to that prophecy all that was said has come to

pass right God said they would be destroyed and they are destroyed right so too you can be certain that this

prophecy that I now give concerning the fall of Latter-day Babylon shall come to

pass what we also see in these opening verses is that the angel exposes babylon’s

devilish and demonic character in nature right he exposes the depravity of her

condition we see that in verse 2 she has become a dwelling place for demons

right that is what Babylon has become if you think back to Revelation chapter

16 and verses 3 and 4. how were the the dragon and the first Beast and the

second beast uh characterized for us there we read and I saw coming out of

the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean

spirits like frogs for they are demonic spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the

whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty and so we see that Babylon here is being

identified right with the dragon and the Beast and the false prophet and being

identified with their wickedness and godlessness and and sinfulness also she’s being identified with that

Unholy Trinity for this reason just as the Unholy Trinity appears attractive to

the eyes of of natural man in the world right behind them what is what what is

behind what is their nature it’s a devilish nature isn’t it it’s demonic it’s evil it’s wicked it’s destructive

and so what we need to see is that the same is true for Babylon right Babylon

looks to the eyes of man to be something that is appeasing to the eye doesn’t it

right Babylon looks to be a place where you can have great economic Prosperity that you can live well there seems to be

all this opportunity in Babylon today doesn’t there but what we need to see is that what is

outwardly true and what outwardly appears to be true to the eyes of man right it is not inwardly

true of Babylon is it right no Babylon is just like that Unholy Trinity Babylon

is a place of impurity and defilement and sin and it’s of devilish and demonic

nature right that’s what we see and on that day when Christ returns that that inner reality will be outwardly made

visible as he comes and destroys her but now this imagery

of being occupied by demons and every unclean animal on the earth what we need

to see is that this symbolizes for us what happens to a society or a culture

or a world when it turns its back on God that’s what we need to see that that is

symbolic of that word a haunt right it’s it’s a haunt of for every unclean Spirit

a haunt for every unclean bird that that word haunt means a prison or a place of confinement

and so we see Babylon has become a a a a place of defilement now right it is

confined here in Babylon all of this wickedness and unrighteousness and

ungodliness is to be found in Babylon why because they have turned their back on God

one commentator Douglas Kelly says this concerning this text he says

when a culture turns its back on God the Holy Spirit to some degree is

withdrawn leaving a vacuum guess who rushes in to fill it

the evil one and those Fallen created beings former Angels who are now demons

and I ask you here today is that not what has happened right throughout the world but I mean

just take for example our our own Society here in in the United States have have we not turned our back as a

society against God I mean just think about what we’ve done to to all of those little ones who have

been fashioned after the image of God in the womb of their mothers think about how many of those children have been

struck down and killed and destroyed as as we have turned our backs on God

I was just looking at a figure this week from 2020 approximately 630 thousand

infants were killed in the womb right that’s a nation turning their back on God

I mean think likewise about how the United States has made a mockery of that god-ordained institution of marriage

right being between one man and one woman look how they have made it a mockery and now a legalize right the the

union of man and man or woman and woman look at what’s becoming to take shape

today very recently with the uh with now we we don’t see that there are

two genders that that has been made by God right that is something likewise

very recently this this denial has come about of of this god-ordained two genders right he made them male and he

made them female and yet today what has Society done they’ve they’ve turned their back on God they they speak about

genders that you’ve been assigned at Birth as if it’s not objectively true

what you are at Birth and now every person is what they’re they’re allowed to to make up or assign

for themselves their own gender aren’t there so so theoretically we can have seven billion genders in the world and

we all are supposed to to drink up that lie or else what or else you could be

punished right you could lose your job and so brothers and sisters we need to see the the constant turning of of the

back to God in our own Society what has become of us it has become a haunt of demons a Dwelling Place of demons of of

everything impure and unclean I mean think about even what parents are doing to their own children today by putting

them on hormone blockers and taking them to to doctors to have

what they call a gender affirming surgery which is what just mutilation of the Flesh and and child abuse right

parents in this country have forsaken their role as parent which is to provide

protection right and love for their child and instead they have sacrificed them upon the altar of the society and

the perverse culture in order that they might get a pet on the back right that people might see them as Progressive and

and forward thinking and accepting and loving of of all peoples and everyone goes along with it today it

seems doesn’t it right all of society is is following along why why do they do it well because they

don’t want to be shut out of society they don’t want to to lose the ability to acquire wealth and to live lavishly

and to live luxuriously so they go along with it I mean almost every commercial now I see

whether it’s in an insurance commercial or a prescription drug commercial they the lgbtq plus communities is now always

represented in these commercials but that is strategically done right strategically done they they think

if I keep putting this in their face over and over and over again it will be normalized and they no longer will fight

against it but rather they will accept it and affirm it and receive it but that

is the moral depravity that our culture is devolved into isn’t it and it’s what we’re going to continue to see

our culture and Society devolve into there we see this in verse three all the nations have drunk the wine of depravity

and immorality why all because people worship money people worship Prosperity people worship

power people worship comfortability they don’t want to lose any of those things and so they go along with the wicked in

in impure society and culture and so brothers and sisters this ought to help the Christian then to navigate

the world shouldn’t it you have to help us to see how we are to live in this world right if Babylon represents

immorality if Babylon represents impurity and ungodlessness and unrighteousness we must never right

follow after their Footsteps in these things right we must never let them be our guide in how we are to parent right and

how we are to think how we are to act how we are to speak right brothers and sisters we are to be

guided like this world is by by feelings and emotions but rather we are to be guided by the the truth and what is the

truth the truth is God’s word which is immutably right right and perfectly true and so what does that word say that we

do
coming out from the world
well that takes us to our second point this morning then which is coming out

from the world coming out from the world

please look with me at verse 4. then I heard another voice from Heaven

saying come out of her my people lest you take part in her sins lest you share

in her plagues so what are we to do God says come out

of Babylon withdraw from Babylon leave Babylon but the question is how

because we live in Babylon so does that mean we all are to pull our

money together and take a airplane to a to a private island somewhere and live by ourselves

to escape Babylon no of course that’s not what it means what are you saying when he says come out of Babylon is to

have no part of her sin right to have no part of her sin

you see the rulers the people the merchants have allowed themselves to be infatuated with the woman to drink of

the wine of her sexual immorality and what has become of her all right she’s now going to be

destroyed this is one reason why we’re called to come out from her right why we are not

to partake of our sin because if you do what will result in it what does he say come out of her lest you take part of

her sins lest you share in her plagues are you saying come out of Babylon lest

when Christ returns you’ll be found to be in Babylon and you’ll be destroyed with her that is what he’s calling

this is what’s so sad brothers and sisters though about so many Christians or self-professing

Christians today is that they don’t know that they when Christ’s returns are

going to perish with Babylon but why is that why are so many

self-professing Christians going to perish with Babylon because they have not come out from her they have not come out from her right

they profess Christ with their mouth but their heart lies with Babylon right not with Jesus

this is why though that idea of of uh of a carnal Christian is so destructive

right why that idea that you can just say I believe Jesus with my mouth but live like the world and still be saved

is such a destructive Doctrine right scripture knows of no such thing

as a worldly Christian right scripture knows of no such thing as a carnal

Christian or a sin loving Christian right that is a lie of the Devil Himself who wants you to become secure in your

empty profession of Faith so you might be destroyed

what does Jesus say in Matthew chapter 7 verse 23 for those whose profession rang

Hollow he says and I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you

workers of lawlessness right in James chapter 1 verse 22 to 26

what does James say Don’t eat don’t just be hearers of the word

but be doers of the word but that can only be accomplished through what through the grace of God

that can only be accomplished to the grace of God when when he converts when God converts he radically transforms The

Sinner where he radically transforms The Sinner this is the promise of the New Covenant

isn’t it in Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 33 what does he say he’s going to put his

law within you right he’s going to write it upon your heart why does he do that so that you

might love his law being able to then go and do his law

right that’s not the only promise though right he’s gonna he’s gonna enable you to to follow his statutes and

Commandments isn’t he right that’s what he promises in Ezekiel 36 in verse 26 he says and I will give

you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you and I will put my spirit within you and

I will cause you to walk in my statutes and I will cause you to be careful to

obey my rules all right do you see what it is what God does

to The Sinner who has been saved by his grace right the other change that is

involved why there can be no such thing then as a worldly Christian or a carnal

Christian or a sin loving Christian right do we see that

not only does he radically change though our desires in conversion not only does he radically change our our heart not

only does he give us the ability and enable us to follow his statutes but he also gives to us a new mind

and he gives us a new mind in Romans chapter 12 verse 2 Paul says do not be conformed to this world

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by the testing you may

discern what is the will of God right what is good and acceptable and perfect

right those of you here in Christ today right you have had a radical transformation occur right you have had

your your will renewed right your affections renewed and your intellect renewed right that is a way in which you

have come out of Babylon even today and are to be separated from the world in them what you think and and how you feel

and how you act all of those things but it doesn’t stop there

right we see that through prayer and the word and worship we are to be continually Paul says being transformed

by the renewal of the mind right this is a never-ending process so that wise that

we might be able to discern the will of God so we might know what is what is right what is wrong what is of god what is of

the devil so that we might know what it is we ought to flee and run away from in this world so that we will not be

seduced by it which would lead to our own destruction William Hendrickson says this

to depart from Babylon means not to have fellowship with her sins

and to not be ensnared by her allurements and enticements right this call of Separation then in

this manner is a call that every single Christian has been given

right this isn’t just for a certain portion of Christianity this is a call for every single one of you here right

this is what Paul says in second Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14 do not be

unequally yoked with unbelievers for what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness

right what does he else go on to say what does the what does the temple of God have to do with idols

and then in verse 17 of second Corinthians chapter 6 he says listen therefore go out from their midst and

separate that from them says the Lord and so we see on on one hand

right in some sense we are to be separate from the world but what does Jesus say what did Jesus

say in his first Advent what does he call us to he says you are the light of the world he says let your light shine before

others so that they might see your good works and glorify God who is in heaven

and so we see that what is being what we are being called to is not a a total withdrawal from the world

right it’s not a call to to go be a monk or a nun right that lifestyle is is

unbiblical but we are called to be Exiles who live like Exiles in this world right that’s

what we are called to be Exiles who are to live like it and as Exiles what does

that mean then we are not to love this world because we are not citizens of this world this world is not our

permanent abode right that is what we are being called to right we are to live now for where we

are headed as Exiles in this land yet citizens of a holy city

I mean listen to what our Lord commands of the Israelites as they were living in

Babylonian captivity in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 4. if you’d like to feel free

to turn with me there but I think this provides to us another great example of how we are to live in

and with this world Jeremiah chapter 29. in Verses 4 to 7

here the Israelites are living in captivity right in Babylon they’re under Babylonian captivity and

this is what we read starting in Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 4.

thus says the Lord of hosts the god of Israel right to all the Exiles whom I have sent

into Exile from Jerusalem to Babylon right so they’re living as Exiles in

Babylon build houses and live in them plant Gardens and eat their produce

take wives and have sons and daughters take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage that they may bear

Sons and Daughters multiply there and do not decrease in verse 7 but seek the welfare of the

city where I’ve sent you into Exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf for its

welfare you will find your welfare it’s interesting there

right we see what God is calling the Israelite captives who are living in

Babylon to do right which ought to be an example to us for how we are to live in this world he

does not call them to transform Society he does not call them to transform

Society he did not call them to redeem Pagan culture did he

no because we’re living in a dying culture we’re living in a dying Society one that is perishing when Noah in

Genesis 6 was told that the world was going to be destroyed what did he do did he seek to redeem culture and

Society no Noah obeyed the Commandments of God he lived up righteously in the land and

he built his boat that is our call brothers and sisters right to to live on Earth

respecting those who are over us But ultimately being loyal to Christ and

obeying his will this is what Joseph did under Pharaoh this is what Daniel did under

Nebuchadnezzar and this is what God is calling all of us to do here is we live

in Babylon as well to live uprightly in our society to worship God and he alone to obey God and whenever culture tells

us to disobey God we resist the sin of the culture right that is what Joseph

did that is what Daniel did and that is what all of us are being called to do as well

like God is calling every single one of you here today to come out from Babylon

right he’s calling you to to withdraw from Babylon but let us see that he’s not calling you to a total withdrawal

from everyone and everything but what he is calling you all to as a total and complete withdrawal from

sin a total and complete withdrawal from all impurity and uncleanness and

unrighteousness brothers and sisters you’re to live in this world as citizens of the holy

city right you are to live in this world as citizens of the city of God all the

while your Exiles in the city of man are living amongst the ungodly who are

citizens of the city of man right the angel is calling us to to live in Purity and not physical separation

but spiritual separation from Babylon but this only comes through faith in

Christ you know I want us all to see here that that a physical change a leaving right

does nothing for you what what man so desperately needs in this world

is not a physical change a departing of from living around Sinners what we

all desperately need is a is a is a change of heart not a change of location right because only when you have a

change of heart are you able and able to to come out of Babylon and Escape that ruin that is coming to her
the payback that is coming
this leads us into our our third and our final point which is what awaits our excuse me our

third point which is the payback that is coming

here as we as we look at what awaits our sinful society and culture we’re going to look

at this third and final point which is the payback that is coming if you would then please drop your eyes to verse 5 of

chapter 18. and read along with me here for her sins are heaped highest heaven

and God has remembered her iniquities pay her back as she herself has paid

back others and repair double for her Deeds mix a double portion for her in the cup she

mixed now she glorified herself and lived in luxury so give her a like measure of

torment and Mourning since in her heart she says I sit as Queen I am no Widow

and mourning I shall never see for this reason her plagues will come in a single day death and mourning and

famine and she will be burned up with fire for Mighty is the Lord God who has judged her

the first thing that we ought to see as we look at at verse 5. these ought to draw our attention right

back to Genesis chapter 11. shouldn’t it in the fall of the Tower of Babel

how they tried to stack something up to reach the heavens right what’s going on here they’re

stacking up their works of unrighteousness to reach the heavens

and in both instances what what will happen right God just as he he undid

what those people did in Genesis 11 and their Defiance to God’s word how he

undid that he likewise is going to undo those who have been stacking up their unrighteousness to heaven

right God has not forgotten the evil of man God brothers and sisters we need to understand keeps a ledger

he keeps a ledger right he he has a book and in it is written the sin of every

single person who has fellowship with this world and he will return to pay them back for it

right this is the the law of Retribution right the The Lex talionis the the I-49

right that’s what he’s saying is coming to the ungodly in Psalm 137 verse 8 we read this o

daughter of Babylon doomed to be destroyed blessed shall he be who repays you with

what you have done to us there it is right the law of Retribution now as we read our text

it may look to contradict that law of Retribution though because it says here a double portion

right you’re to pay her back a double portion and so you might say to yourself well

that doesn’t sound like the law of Retribution because it sounds like she’s getting back more than what she deserves

right she’s getting a double punishment but I think we just need to understand

it’s just the way that the word was translated here in our ESV the same word

can likewise be translated a duplicate portion or a matching equivalent and so I think

the better way than for us to read in particular verse 6 is this pay her back as she herself has paid

back others and repay her the the duplicate or the matching equivalent of

her Deeds right mix in a an equivalent portion or a duplicate portion for her

and the cup she mixed and I think that that rendering is supported by what we read right after that right we read

there in verse seven as she glorified herself

and lived in luxury so give her what a like a measure right so give her a like

measure of torment and of warning so what what’s being communicated in both verses 6 and verse 7 is that Babylon

will receive a punishment right consistent with babylon’s Deeds right to the degree that Babylon forsook God and

persecuted his people in order they might pursue right their own glory and honor and riches right to that degree

they will be punished right that’s what’s being said here and in her pride

in her self-sufficiency likewise will be the the downfall of Babylon we see as well for at the end of verse 7 she says

in her heart I sit as a queen I am no Widow in mourning I shall never see

hear that the pride and fall of historical Babylon we see is typological

of what’s going to happen with with Latter-Day Babylon because here in our text this is

actually a an illusion back to Isaiah 47. please turn with me in your Bible’s there

Isaiah chapter 47.

what was true of of Old Testament Babylon is likewise true of of of

Latter-day Babylon we see in Isaiah chapter 47 starting in verse 7

we read this you said I shall be mistress forever so

that you did not lay these things to heart and remember their end now therefore hear this you lover of

pleasures who said securely who say in their heart I am and there is no one besides me I

shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children these two things shall come to you in a

moment in one day a loss of children in widowhood shall come upon you in full

measure in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments

you felt secure in your wickedness you said no one sees me your wisdom and your knowledge LED you

astray and you said in your heart I am and there is no one besides me but evil shall come upon you which you

will not know how to charm away disaster shall shall fall upon you for

which you will not be able to atone and ruin shall come upon you suddenly of

which you know nothing and so we see that his response to the

Old Testament Babylon right it’s typological then of what his response is going to be to to Latter-day Babylon as

well and what was his response to the arrogance of Babylon right let us see the response of God to to all sin that

is undealt with right see his response to those who who live in this world with pride

pursuing luxury and gain at the expense of their souls right everything that this world loves

is going to be engulfed in the avenging flames of Christ when he returns right this is why brothers and sisters

it’s so important to die to the world every single day why it’s so important for each and every one of us to to wean

our hearts off the world right to stop loving Earthly things so much

and so maybe see our need then to live differently in the world from the world

all right may we see our our need to live differently in the world for the sake of Christ

right may we see our need to live differently in the world for the sake of Christ why because he came and he

suffered and he died for your sins you don’t have to cause you then to want to to live for him

writing to live for for his glory recognizing that everything you have you

owe back to God may we likewise see our need to live differently in the world for our own

sake right what’s going to happen to those who become ensnared in the world they are going to be destroyed alongside

Babylon so may we see the importance of not seeking and setting our minds and our

hearts upon the things of this Earth but how important it is for us to seek out and set our minds upon all that is

lovely and all that is commendable and honorable and true and lovely and

excellent right may we set our minds and our hearts on those things and put those

things into practice in our lives for that gives evidence

you and to your fellow believer around you that the spirit of God actually lives inside of you

as you obey the law of God it demonstrates right that you are the

Temple of the Living God as he as he moves with inside of you to Will and to work after his good pleasure so that you

can know for certain that you are not one of those who have just made a Hollow an empty profession

may we also see brothers and sisters our need to live differently in this world for the sake of our children

right for the sake of our neighbor for the sake of our co-workers

what does Jesus say to his disciples you are the the salt of the world

right if you lose your saltiness brothers and sisters what good are you to to your neighbor to your co-worker or

to your children and then lastly let us see this let us see how important it is to find

Salvation in Christ in Christ alone right as we read here today for those

who are living apart from Christ we see that God says I will remember

your sin and you will receive the the just recompense for it

but for those who by faith have been United to Christ what is the promise to

us hey what is that promise of the New Covenant he says I will be merciful towards your iniquities and I will

remember your sins no more this is why it’s so important for us to continue to

Proclaim repentance and faith in Christ for without that you will not have remission of sin and so I ask you all

here today do you have that where is the is the guilt of your sin been removed by Christ

as the punishment for your sin been exhausted upon Christ as he hung on the

cross if so brothers and sisters you can walk in confidence and you can walk in

Thanksgiving tow towards God every day of your life for his grace and for his Mercy knowing that he has cast all of

your sin behind his back and he will never bring it before you and charge it against you ever again

but he did that so that you would not live in the city of man like man but

rather he did that so you would live like a resident in the citizen of the holy city in the city of man being a

holy reflection of God and so brothers and sisters as we reflect upon this this day may we see

how it is that God is calling us to live and to interact in our lives on this

Earth and may God grant to us then the boldness and the confidence and the

courage and the wisdom and the faith to do that very thing both for his glory

and for our good let us pray Heavenly Father we are so thankful for

your words how they so feed our souls we seek to find forgiveness in Christ

for our sin in these areas Lord as we recognize that too often we have found

ourselves uh being friends with the world or we have found ourselves

separating right too far from the world you have called us to live a salt in

light amongst our neighbors and Lord we ask that you would give us a boldness and

courage to to do that very thing so that father we might rub off on our neighbors

that we might rub off on our co-workers that you might use us in the witness to

our faith to to draw Sinners to your most gracious son now Lord we ask

likewise that as we leave out of here this day that you would implant these words that we have read this morning

Upon Our Hearts may we see our need for Christ every day may we see our need for

his righteousness and for his grace and for his atoning sacrifice and man cause us to walk before him every day in our

lives in this world with great thankfulness and gratitude and we ask all these things in Christ’s name we

pray amen