Revelation 18, 19:1-10 July 26, 2009
Summer Sermon Series on
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Part 9
“Daylight Coming”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
As we move closer to the end of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we begin to see less violence and destruction. Much has been destroyed already. This book has been a difficult read this summer. In fact, personally, I feel incredibly worn down because of having to deliver such hard words each week. Perhaps that is why the prophets of the Old Testament were such weird people – having to deliver words of God’s judgment over and over again takes a toll on a person. I feel that this summer. It’s a lot more pleasant (and faster) to take the EZ pass lane than to stop and pay the toll. But the truth is that there is no EZ pass for any person, young or old, once we get to Judgment Day. We must understand the eternal cost of the decisions we make in our lives.
There are many people in the world who are not saved for an eternity in Heaven. Now, you may say, “It’s not up to me to judge whether a person is saved or not.” That’s true. There are many people who say they believe in God, and neither you nor I have been put in authority over God to judge the condition of any person’s heart. But there are people I know who make no bones about it. “I don’t believe in God,” they say. “I gave up on God a long time ago.” “If there’s such a thing as God, and He just sits there and watches terrible things happen to people without doing anything about it, I want no part of him.”
All of us know people who have either rejected faith in God, or who have not given belief in God any obvious serious thought. Are we ultimately responsible for their salvation? No. But we do have a responsibility to tell others about Jesus and what he has done for the world. We do have a responsibility to share our own personal testimonies of God’s activity in our lives. We do have a responsibility to invite conversations about eternal things so that those who live in darkness might come to live in the light of his love.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, Jesus – Savior of the world, Ever-present Holy Spirit, we come with a heaviness in our hearts for those we know who reject your reality. We come with hope that we might be strengthened and better prepared to offer out your words of life and truth in this dark world. We know we are inadequate to the task on our own, but we also know that we must not turn away. Open our hearts and minds to your instructions now, so that we might be better equipped to be your faithful people. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Revelation 18
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. He called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt
of every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so give her a like measure of torment and grief. Since in her heart she says, ‘I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief,’ therefore her plagues will come in a single day - pestilence and mourning and famine - and she will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.”
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, slaves—and human lives. “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your dainties and your splendor are lost to you, never to be found again!” 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, clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned
with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in one hour all this wealth has been laid waste!” And all shipmasters and seafarers, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?” And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.”
Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her. Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With such violence Babylon the great city will be thrown down, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and minstrels and of flutists and trumpeters will be heard in you no more; and an artisan of any trade will be found in you no more; and the sound of the millstone will be heard in you no more; and the light of a lamp will shine in you
no more; and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more; for your merchants were the magnates of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth.”
Revelation 19:1-10
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they said, “Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great.” Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
First, let’s remember that Babylon was the place of captivity for the Israelites following the destruction and fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. The Babylonian Empire was an oppressive, controlling, pagan, evil empire in Old Testament times just as the Roman Empire was an oppressive, controlling, pagan, evil empire in the days of the New Testament. The references to Babylon in the Revelation are a not-too-veiled way of talking about Rome to the churches to whom the Revelation was originally written – but John is also talking about any super power in the world throughout all generations who put all trust in their own power, in their own rules – rather than trusting God’s power and following God’s commandments.
Notice what Babylon (or Rome, or any modern-day power) is called throughout chapter 18 by the angel coming down from heaven, this angel who had great authority, and who made the earth bright with his splendor. Notice what description is literally highlighted by the authority of truth in the following verses:
2: Babylon the great,
10: the great city, the mighty city,
16: the great city,
18: the great city,
19: the great city,
21: the great city.
What would cause a city to be called “great” in those days, or in our days? Well, when you read the rest of chapter 18, you can visualize a city rich in power and in luxury, a place of commerce, a vital place for merchants of all kinds to gain wealth, a place of ambitious trade, beautiful music, lovely artwork, and fine craftsmanship. According to such descriptions, a great city is a city filled with beautiful people, exciting entertainment, fantastic food, freely flowing wine and money, and important closed-door deals.
And yet the angel, the one who had great authority, who was so bright in himself that all darkness came under his light, this angel revealed the truth of the great city: It had become a dwelling place of demons, a place of back-room deals with the devil, a place where (v. 13) people were even willing to buy or sell other people to feed the greed that could never be satisfied.
What had happened to the “great” city? The answer is found in v. 7. “Since in her heart she says, ‘I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief.’ Listen to these same words from The New Living Translation, “She boasts, ‘I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow. I will not experience sorrow.’
What happened to the great city of Babylon, or Rome is the same thing that can and does happen to any king or kingdom, any nation, any manager or boss, any husband or wife, any pastor, any coach, any school principal, any man, woman, or child – what happened – what happens - is that we begin to think more of ourselves and less of God. What happens is the continuation of what happened way back in Genesis 3: We decide we want to be God, or at least be equal to him. We believe the lie that we can do a better job than God in making our lives successful and productive. What happens folks, is pride.
The sin of pride heads the list of the 7 deadly sins held to be fatal to spiritual progress. Psalm 138:6 tells us, “Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.” Satan began to be occupied with his own splendor & beauty, according to Ezekiel 28, and his prideful thoughts led to his expulsion from Heaven. Listen to Isaiah’s account in Isaiah 14, “You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?”
Pride. Bud Robinson wrote, “Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it.” William Barkley said, “Pride is the ground in which all other sins grow.” C.S. Lewis said, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” Listen to some ways of thinking that draw attention to the sin of pride:
having a stronger desire to do my will than God’s will,
leaning too much on my own understanding and experience rather than seeking God’s guidance,
relying on my own strengths and resources instead of depending on the power of the Holy Spirit in my life,
being more concerned about controlling others than in developing self-control,
finding it hard to admit when I am wrong,
being overly concerned about getting credit I think I deserve,
often feeling that my needs are more important than another person’s needs,
thinking I am more humble, spiritual, religious, or devoted than others.
It starts in a toddler who says, “I can do it myself.” It grows in a kid who has been bullied so many times that she determines ‘never again.’ It grows in a man promoted because of his good work, and it grows in the person passed over for the promotion. It thrives in the woman whose husband has left her for someone younger, more interesting, skinnier. She’ll show him.
Folks, we can be proud of things, proud of people. We can be proud of our children; proud of our church; proud of each other; proud of our men & women serving our country. I’m proud of the teachers & helpers who made Bible School such a wonderful, uplifting, inspiring time of teaching children about Jesus this past week. That’s okay. I’m not putting those people in the place of God in my life. I’m not worshipping them. I’m grateful they gave their time, their energy, & their love to the children. I’m proud of my own children; I’m proud of my husband for being a good and faithful partner with me in this life. That’s okay. I’m not worshipping them. I’m grateful to God for his hand in my life and in their lives. To be proud about something is okay as long as we are acknowledging that it is GOD alone who brings anything good to pass. Remember those words from Deuteronomy 8: “Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. 12For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, 14that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”
This is what happened to Babylon: they came to believe that they had become powerful by their own wisdom and strength, and sought their own glory instead of seeking to glorify God. This is what happened to the Roman Empire. Same thing. This is what happens to us when we can’t get our eyes off ourselves and our own joys and sorrows – we start doing deals with the devil, becoming full of pride, even though deep down we might not feel proud of who we are.
The angel called to the people of God still left in the grips of the ‘great city,’ “Come out of her, my people so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities.” Compare that to Psalm 130, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” The answer is: no one can stand if God chooses to remember our iniquities – and that is exactly what we see happening in chapter 18.
What we learn here is that there is a limit to how long God will restrain his wrath against sin. In chapter 18, the restraint has been lifted: This is the moment that God releases us to our own final choice. This is the moment that God gives human beings completely over to their prideful desire to be their own god - and it doesn’t take long for it to be over. One hour on one day (v. 19), and the great city was laid to waste. How long did it take for the twin towers to fall on 9/11? Think about that tsunami several years ago. Within minutes, practically everything had been stripped bare, and many people were never seen alive again.
In your life, what makes up the bricks in your wall of pride? Is it material possessions? Knowledge? Recognition? Good grades or degrees? A clean house? A gift or special ability? Your appearance? Sports accomplishments? Friends? How many hours you spend reading the Bible or praying? Do you boast about how much money you give away or what you do for others? What about unforgiveness? That’s a pride issue. What about fear? I believe it is a pride issue also – for fear is not from God. Perfect love casts out fear.
In our worship survey that we took several weeks ago, 24 people stated that they usually approach a guest God brings to worship with us. That’s good. However, 25 stated that they do not approach a guest in worship. I think that’s the sin of pride winning out – because notice that the letter ‘i’ is right in the center of the word pride. We don’t approach a guest because “I” am not comfortable doing so. “I” might make a mistake – what if this is someone who comes frequently, and I just never noticed? What if this is a long-time member and I say something like, “Welcome to our church,” and they respond by saying, “This is my church. I’ve been a member here for 42 years!” That would be awful. No it wouldn’t. You just have to respond honestly. “Wow. I don’t think we’ve ever met. My name is ______. What’s yours?”
Twenty-five of you stated that you sometimes invite people to come with you to worship, 5 reported that you invite people all the time, but 19 answered that you rarely invite others, and 5 said you never do. What keeps us from inviting others to come to church with us? I think it is pride. We allow the “I” to get in our way. I’m afraid they’ll think I’m too pushy; I’m afraid they’ll say no. I don’t want to offend or embarrass someone. I might get into a conversation that’s over my head. And in the meantime, people are literally dying without being invited.
We all struggle with pride – from the small child to the oldest adult here. Everyone, in some way or another, struggles with pride. The person who says, “I don’t have a problem with pride,” has a problem with pride. If we’re honest, and honestly asking God to show it to us: we all find the sin of pride creeping up and wrapping its tentacles around our hearts so that we are not free to worship God with new and joyful “hallelujahs!”
Thanks be to God for the gift of the fellowship of the saints on earth and the saints in heaven. Thanks be to God for the accountability we can give to one another to keep us on track. Thanks be to God for the power he gives us to break free from the places in our lives that used to imprison us to prideful thinking and behaving. Thanks be to God that even though we know we’ll struggle mightily today and tomorrow and the next day with the sin of pride, thanks be to God that because he continues to call us out from slavery to sin, we know we will one day have the ultimate victory! Thanks be to God for the blood of the Lamb that covers our iniquities and hides them forever from the holy eyes of the Father. Thanks be to God for the gift of faith that has secured for us a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb. And thanks be to God for allowing us to participate with him in extending invitations to all the people around us. Thanks be to God that daylight is coming to all who overcome.
I want to finish this morning by reading a poem written by Nathan Gwira, a teenage boy who was raised partly in Ghana, West Africa. Nathan is currently a student at Rutger’s University, studying to be a medical doctor.
There is a dim light
at the other end of the tunnel
the tunnel brightens more
as I draw closer
Fear, my worst enemy
wants me to give up.
Hope my most valuable companion
keeps me moving on.
Taking one step ahead
is not easy
but I shall overcome.
For I believe that all the suffering
is not put to waste.
For there is a dim light
at the other end of the tunnel.
I struggle and face my past.
The mistakes, I make a lesson.
I crave for a better future.
The past is already a story.
The future must be brighter.
I need to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
The world's pleasures try to slow me down.
The body becomes weak.
It releases procrastination.
Yet perseverance is my armor.
So I fall not to the challenge.
My mind is on a prize.
The present is not an issue.
The world just brings discouragement,
and claims I am not capable.
Still I walk with my head high.
Not regarding what is before me.
I believe there is a better life
when I look beyond what is before me.
The light seems brighter and...brighter.
I shall surely make it.
All life's forms of trickery and greed,
I shall not embrace it.
Love is all I have to offer
to the hatred the world has for me.
Love gives me strength beyond measure.
To fulfill the goal that I seek to achieve.
Faith replenishes my health.
Therefore I begin to walk faster.
My words make matter
and my energy brings forth life
to the lost hope and dead zombies
in the tunnel.
Therefore I do not seek the light
alone as at now.
I move with an army.
The light is our goal,
not the end of the tunnel.
For the light is our aim,
we settle not for the less.
Dazzling lights approach us.
Who said we could not do?
Impossible is just a contradictory word.
Your Faith is what is true.
Do not believe in doubt.
And pull others with you.
Let your purpose unite generations
and inform generations to come.
That your thoughts and ways of life
were examples for them to be one.
Just getting to the end of our lives on earth is not the goal. We’re all going to do that without any effort on our part at all. The goal is to get to Jesus with as many others as we possibly can. The angel is still crying out: Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues. Let us come before God’s throne, confessing, worshipping, seeking and doing his will so that we can all be one in Christ Jesus - the Lion and the Lamb, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Amen.
Summer Sermon Series on
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Part 9
“Daylight Coming”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
As we move closer to the end of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we begin to see less violence and destruction. Much has been destroyed already. This book has been a difficult read this summer. In fact, personally, I feel incredibly worn down because of having to deliver such hard words each week. Perhaps that is why the prophets of the Old Testament were such weird people – having to deliver words of God’s judgment over and over again takes a toll on a person. I feel that this summer. It’s a lot more pleasant (and faster) to take the EZ pass lane than to stop and pay the toll. But the truth is that there is no EZ pass for any person, young or old, once we get to Judgment Day. We must understand the eternal cost of the decisions we make in our lives.
There are many people in the world who are not saved for an eternity in Heaven. Now, you may say, “It’s not up to me to judge whether a person is saved or not.” That’s true. There are many people who say they believe in God, and neither you nor I have been put in authority over God to judge the condition of any person’s heart. But there are people I know who make no bones about it. “I don’t believe in God,” they say. “I gave up on God a long time ago.” “If there’s such a thing as God, and He just sits there and watches terrible things happen to people without doing anything about it, I want no part of him.”
All of us know people who have either rejected faith in God, or who have not given belief in God any obvious serious thought. Are we ultimately responsible for their salvation? No. But we do have a responsibility to tell others about Jesus and what he has done for the world. We do have a responsibility to share our own personal testimonies of God’s activity in our lives. We do have a responsibility to invite conversations about eternal things so that those who live in darkness might come to live in the light of his love.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, Jesus – Savior of the world, Ever-present Holy Spirit, we come with a heaviness in our hearts for those we know who reject your reality. We come with hope that we might be strengthened and better prepared to offer out your words of life and truth in this dark world. We know we are inadequate to the task on our own, but we also know that we must not turn away. Open our hearts and minds to your instructions now, so that we might be better equipped to be your faithful people. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Revelation 18
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. He called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt
of every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so give her a like measure of torment and grief. Since in her heart she says, ‘I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief,’ therefore her plagues will come in a single day - pestilence and mourning and famine - and she will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.”
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, slaves—and human lives. “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your dainties and your splendor are lost to you, never to be found again!” 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, clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned
with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in one hour all this wealth has been laid waste!” And all shipmasters and seafarers, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?” And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.”
Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her. Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With such violence Babylon the great city will be thrown down, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and minstrels and of flutists and trumpeters will be heard in you no more; and an artisan of any trade will be found in you no more; and the sound of the millstone will be heard in you no more; and the light of a lamp will shine in you
no more; and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more; for your merchants were the magnates of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth.”
Revelation 19:1-10
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they said, “Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great.” Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
First, let’s remember that Babylon was the place of captivity for the Israelites following the destruction and fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. The Babylonian Empire was an oppressive, controlling, pagan, evil empire in Old Testament times just as the Roman Empire was an oppressive, controlling, pagan, evil empire in the days of the New Testament. The references to Babylon in the Revelation are a not-too-veiled way of talking about Rome to the churches to whom the Revelation was originally written – but John is also talking about any super power in the world throughout all generations who put all trust in their own power, in their own rules – rather than trusting God’s power and following God’s commandments.
Notice what Babylon (or Rome, or any modern-day power) is called throughout chapter 18 by the angel coming down from heaven, this angel who had great authority, and who made the earth bright with his splendor. Notice what description is literally highlighted by the authority of truth in the following verses:
2: Babylon the great,
10: the great city, the mighty city,
16: the great city,
18: the great city,
19: the great city,
21: the great city.
What would cause a city to be called “great” in those days, or in our days? Well, when you read the rest of chapter 18, you can visualize a city rich in power and in luxury, a place of commerce, a vital place for merchants of all kinds to gain wealth, a place of ambitious trade, beautiful music, lovely artwork, and fine craftsmanship. According to such descriptions, a great city is a city filled with beautiful people, exciting entertainment, fantastic food, freely flowing wine and money, and important closed-door deals.
And yet the angel, the one who had great authority, who was so bright in himself that all darkness came under his light, this angel revealed the truth of the great city: It had become a dwelling place of demons, a place of back-room deals with the devil, a place where (v. 13) people were even willing to buy or sell other people to feed the greed that could never be satisfied.
What had happened to the “great” city? The answer is found in v. 7. “Since in her heart she says, ‘I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief.’ Listen to these same words from The New Living Translation, “She boasts, ‘I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow. I will not experience sorrow.’
What happened to the great city of Babylon, or Rome is the same thing that can and does happen to any king or kingdom, any nation, any manager or boss, any husband or wife, any pastor, any coach, any school principal, any man, woman, or child – what happened – what happens - is that we begin to think more of ourselves and less of God. What happens is the continuation of what happened way back in Genesis 3: We decide we want to be God, or at least be equal to him. We believe the lie that we can do a better job than God in making our lives successful and productive. What happens folks, is pride.
The sin of pride heads the list of the 7 deadly sins held to be fatal to spiritual progress. Psalm 138:6 tells us, “Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.” Satan began to be occupied with his own splendor & beauty, according to Ezekiel 28, and his prideful thoughts led to his expulsion from Heaven. Listen to Isaiah’s account in Isaiah 14, “You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?”
Pride. Bud Robinson wrote, “Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it.” William Barkley said, “Pride is the ground in which all other sins grow.” C.S. Lewis said, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” Listen to some ways of thinking that draw attention to the sin of pride:
having a stronger desire to do my will than God’s will,
leaning too much on my own understanding and experience rather than seeking God’s guidance,
relying on my own strengths and resources instead of depending on the power of the Holy Spirit in my life,
being more concerned about controlling others than in developing self-control,
finding it hard to admit when I am wrong,
being overly concerned about getting credit I think I deserve,
often feeling that my needs are more important than another person’s needs,
thinking I am more humble, spiritual, religious, or devoted than others.
It starts in a toddler who says, “I can do it myself.” It grows in a kid who has been bullied so many times that she determines ‘never again.’ It grows in a man promoted because of his good work, and it grows in the person passed over for the promotion. It thrives in the woman whose husband has left her for someone younger, more interesting, skinnier. She’ll show him.
Folks, we can be proud of things, proud of people. We can be proud of our children; proud of our church; proud of each other; proud of our men & women serving our country. I’m proud of the teachers & helpers who made Bible School such a wonderful, uplifting, inspiring time of teaching children about Jesus this past week. That’s okay. I’m not putting those people in the place of God in my life. I’m not worshipping them. I’m grateful they gave their time, their energy, & their love to the children. I’m proud of my own children; I’m proud of my husband for being a good and faithful partner with me in this life. That’s okay. I’m not worshipping them. I’m grateful to God for his hand in my life and in their lives. To be proud about something is okay as long as we are acknowledging that it is GOD alone who brings anything good to pass. Remember those words from Deuteronomy 8: “Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. 12For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, 14that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”
This is what happened to Babylon: they came to believe that they had become powerful by their own wisdom and strength, and sought their own glory instead of seeking to glorify God. This is what happened to the Roman Empire. Same thing. This is what happens to us when we can’t get our eyes off ourselves and our own joys and sorrows – we start doing deals with the devil, becoming full of pride, even though deep down we might not feel proud of who we are.
The angel called to the people of God still left in the grips of the ‘great city,’ “Come out of her, my people so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities.” Compare that to Psalm 130, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” The answer is: no one can stand if God chooses to remember our iniquities – and that is exactly what we see happening in chapter 18.
What we learn here is that there is a limit to how long God will restrain his wrath against sin. In chapter 18, the restraint has been lifted: This is the moment that God releases us to our own final choice. This is the moment that God gives human beings completely over to their prideful desire to be their own god - and it doesn’t take long for it to be over. One hour on one day (v. 19), and the great city was laid to waste. How long did it take for the twin towers to fall on 9/11? Think about that tsunami several years ago. Within minutes, practically everything had been stripped bare, and many people were never seen alive again.
In your life, what makes up the bricks in your wall of pride? Is it material possessions? Knowledge? Recognition? Good grades or degrees? A clean house? A gift or special ability? Your appearance? Sports accomplishments? Friends? How many hours you spend reading the Bible or praying? Do you boast about how much money you give away or what you do for others? What about unforgiveness? That’s a pride issue. What about fear? I believe it is a pride issue also – for fear is not from God. Perfect love casts out fear.
In our worship survey that we took several weeks ago, 24 people stated that they usually approach a guest God brings to worship with us. That’s good. However, 25 stated that they do not approach a guest in worship. I think that’s the sin of pride winning out – because notice that the letter ‘i’ is right in the center of the word pride. We don’t approach a guest because “I” am not comfortable doing so. “I” might make a mistake – what if this is someone who comes frequently, and I just never noticed? What if this is a long-time member and I say something like, “Welcome to our church,” and they respond by saying, “This is my church. I’ve been a member here for 42 years!” That would be awful. No it wouldn’t. You just have to respond honestly. “Wow. I don’t think we’ve ever met. My name is ______. What’s yours?”
Twenty-five of you stated that you sometimes invite people to come with you to worship, 5 reported that you invite people all the time, but 19 answered that you rarely invite others, and 5 said you never do. What keeps us from inviting others to come to church with us? I think it is pride. We allow the “I” to get in our way. I’m afraid they’ll think I’m too pushy; I’m afraid they’ll say no. I don’t want to offend or embarrass someone. I might get into a conversation that’s over my head. And in the meantime, people are literally dying without being invited.
We all struggle with pride – from the small child to the oldest adult here. Everyone, in some way or another, struggles with pride. The person who says, “I don’t have a problem with pride,” has a problem with pride. If we’re honest, and honestly asking God to show it to us: we all find the sin of pride creeping up and wrapping its tentacles around our hearts so that we are not free to worship God with new and joyful “hallelujahs!”
Thanks be to God for the gift of the fellowship of the saints on earth and the saints in heaven. Thanks be to God for the accountability we can give to one another to keep us on track. Thanks be to God for the power he gives us to break free from the places in our lives that used to imprison us to prideful thinking and behaving. Thanks be to God that even though we know we’ll struggle mightily today and tomorrow and the next day with the sin of pride, thanks be to God that because he continues to call us out from slavery to sin, we know we will one day have the ultimate victory! Thanks be to God for the blood of the Lamb that covers our iniquities and hides them forever from the holy eyes of the Father. Thanks be to God for the gift of faith that has secured for us a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb. And thanks be to God for allowing us to participate with him in extending invitations to all the people around us. Thanks be to God that daylight is coming to all who overcome.
I want to finish this morning by reading a poem written by Nathan Gwira, a teenage boy who was raised partly in Ghana, West Africa. Nathan is currently a student at Rutger’s University, studying to be a medical doctor.
There is a dim light
at the other end of the tunnel
the tunnel brightens more
as I draw closer
Fear, my worst enemy
wants me to give up.
Hope my most valuable companion
keeps me moving on.
Taking one step ahead
is not easy
but I shall overcome.
For I believe that all the suffering
is not put to waste.
For there is a dim light
at the other end of the tunnel.
I struggle and face my past.
The mistakes, I make a lesson.
I crave for a better future.
The past is already a story.
The future must be brighter.
I need to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
The world's pleasures try to slow me down.
The body becomes weak.
It releases procrastination.
Yet perseverance is my armor.
So I fall not to the challenge.
My mind is on a prize.
The present is not an issue.
The world just brings discouragement,
and claims I am not capable.
Still I walk with my head high.
Not regarding what is before me.
I believe there is a better life
when I look beyond what is before me.
The light seems brighter and...brighter.
I shall surely make it.
All life's forms of trickery and greed,
I shall not embrace it.
Love is all I have to offer
to the hatred the world has for me.
Love gives me strength beyond measure.
To fulfill the goal that I seek to achieve.
Faith replenishes my health.
Therefore I begin to walk faster.
My words make matter
and my energy brings forth life
to the lost hope and dead zombies
in the tunnel.
Therefore I do not seek the light
alone as at now.
I move with an army.
The light is our goal,
not the end of the tunnel.
For the light is our aim,
we settle not for the less.
Dazzling lights approach us.
Who said we could not do?
Impossible is just a contradictory word.
Your Faith is what is true.
Do not believe in doubt.
And pull others with you.
Let your purpose unite generations
and inform generations to come.
That your thoughts and ways of life
were examples for them to be one.
Just getting to the end of our lives on earth is not the goal. We’re all going to do that without any effort on our part at all. The goal is to get to Jesus with as many others as we possibly can. The angel is still crying out: Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues. Let us come before God’s throne, confessing, worshipping, seeking and doing his will so that we can all be one in Christ Jesus - the Lion and the Lamb, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Amen.
