Hi guys, Pastor Matt Chandler here. I pray that this sermon, this resource, be used by God in conjunction with you belonging to a local church to grow you and sanctify you in your faith. If these resources bless you, would you consider giving back to us here at TBC? You can do that either through the app or you can go online to TBC resources and give there. Again, I pray that this blesses you and grows you in your love for Jesus Christ.
There is a battle coming. The war has already begun. It has raged unseen for millennia, and though we often struggle to see the conflict for what it really is, all of us can feel its effects. We wrestle with the powers of sin and death on a daily basis, and sometimes in our darkest moments, it can feel like we're losing. But the word of the Lord tells a different story. Hope echoes throughout the pages of Scripture. Despite the mystery that surrounds it, the book of Revelation offers the people of God a clear message: Fear not tomorrow.
Good morning! My name is Jessica Estes. My husband and I have been members of the Village Church for 12 years, and I currently serve as a women's Bible study small group leader. Our scripture reading for today is Revelation 19:1-4.
"After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out, 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.' Once more they cried out, 'Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.' And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, 'Amen! Hallelujah!' This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God."
Thanks, Jessica. You can clap for the word, sis.
Alright, listen, I need you to grab your Bible. I gotta show you some stuff. If you already read these two chapters, they are wild. So I need you to turn there. If you have one, turn there. I just want to show you some things as we walk through the passage.
As I was building out this 12-week series, these last three weeks were the most difficult. Not because the imagery gets stranger, because it doesn't really get stranger, but he's saying one thing, or he's actually kind of laying two things in front of us across these last few chapters.
And so, really, as we've said from day one in this series, you are not neutral in all of this. There is a war that is waging on, and look at me, I love you, you are on a side. You are not Sweden or Switzerland; you have taken up arms. You are on a side. You belong to, as we're going to see over the next couple of weeks, a city.
And so what Jesus is laying before his church right now is that you are a citizen of Babylon or you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem, but you are a citizen somewhere. And so where I'm going to press today and where Jesus is going to press on his church, yes living in Rome, but yes also living in Dallas in 2021 or Boston in 2021, is that these are your two cities. You live in one of them. There are no other options.
And so that's where this passage is going to take us: that you need to be mindful. The church needs to be mindful of where she has built her home. You tracking with me?
Okay, now the imagery here is graphic. In fact, sweet Jessica, as soon as we finished praying as a staff, she walked up and she was like, "Really? I'd say prostitute from the whole church?" And I was like, "That ain't my word, sis. That's the word." You ain't gonna... I don't know why you mad. Madam is the Bible, right?
And yeah, it's graphic. The imagery is unbelievably graphic, right? And thank God we're in the ESV. I want to tell you what the words are in the NIV and the King James. I mean, I'd be just up here saying "harlot" over and over again, right?
There was... Ah, see that? Even did you cringe? I cringed. I had to say it like, right? So I prefer "prostitute." Now, with that said, he is purposefully and intentionally using graphic language to help us remember what imagery does in apocalyptic literature. He's wanting you to feel something in your guts. He's wanting you to get something more than just intellectual assent.
So if you're a guest, you've got no background in church, and we're talking about a prostitute and hearing it's like a beast, you'd be like, "These people are crazy." But hear me, we don't... Look at me. If you're not a Christian, just look. We don't really think there's some fine high-end prostitute right in the back of some dragon-like beast set out to destroy all of us. We do believe in the imagery or what's behind that imagery, and I think by the time I'm done today, you might be able to see some of that by the grace of God.
And so we've got this prostitute. She's riding this beast, and it's clear from the passage, if you've been here through this series, that she is riding the beast of the first 10 verses of Revelation 13, which, remember, Revelation doesn't say anything new; it is a reference back to Daniel 7.
And this beast that the prostitute is riding represents the state that seeks to move our affection and worship off of Jesus and put it on governmental structures and systems. So if you remember, the whole purpose of the dragon was to make war against the people of God, and he got owned on Christmas.
And so what he ends up doing is he beckons from the abyss two beasts: one from the sea, the other from the land, and they make war against the people of God. One is the state, demonically manipulated state power, and the other beast is demonically influenced religious institutions and false prophets that try to also point to the state and not King Jesus.
And gosh, coming off 2020, we saw it. We just saw pulpits that were trying to make America great and not instead point to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We saw it. And we'll get into this here in a second. For those of you who have read Revelation, like, "That's China, that's the USSR." That's not like... It's this weird kind of janky ecclesiology that I think has taken this book out of your hands and robbed you of the courage of being the people of God in difficult days.
And if there's anything I'm trying to do in preaching through this, it's to go, "Come on, guys, wake up. Let's get some..." Sorry, it's going to be like that today.
Now, here, I actually just was talking to somebody in the back. "Bro, I read it. I need you to help me. I have no idea." Great, I'm glad you said that because that was my plan today.
So let me show you this. This is what we read about Babylon. If you have your Bibles open, chapter 17, let's look at verse 5. "And on her forehead, now we've seen a lot of stuff written on people's foreheads, haven't we? Revelation, remember, anything on the forehead is ideology. So you see something written on the forehead, it's an ideology. You see something written on the hand, it's action based on that ideology, which is why you don't have to worry about the government putting a tattoo on your forehead. You do have to worry about believing their nonsense."
Right? And so we see here she has something written on her forehead. It's a mystery. Let's look at it. "And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and of the earth's abominations."
So the image of the prostitute, it's the right image for what we're dealing with today, right? She is lewd, and yet we can't take our eyes off of her. We know it's wrong, and yet we're drawn towards her. She represents the city of man. She represents what humankind can build in rebellion against God.
So Babylon, this prostitute, this picture is the picture of a human city that exalts themselves as divine rather than submitting to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's the picture we're getting. She's on the back of the beast, and she is fine. You'll see here in a second, like, this ain't some, "Oh, that's gross." This is, "Dang, look at that."
You're looking at me like, "I don't know my Bible," but we're going to do it. So when they hear this in 96 A.D., any Christian that heard this would have assumed that he's talking about Rome. Let me show you why.
Look there in verse 9. "This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated." Now, Rome is situated geographically between seven mountains. Goodness sakes, they used to have an annual festival across the empire called the Festival of the Seven Mountains.
So what do you think 96 A.D. Christians are hearing when they read, "Oh, the seven heads are the seven mountains"? They're thinking Rome. But this is bigger than Rome. Look at verses 1 and 2. "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers of the earth have become drunk.'"
So many waters isn't current Rome. Many waters is ancient Babylon. Ancient Babylon was seated among many waters, not Rome. Rome's not situated between many waters; she's situated between seven mountains. It's ancient Babylon that's seated between many waters.
So here's what we're seeing: the kings of the earth are drawn to the city. There's an opulence there, there's a beauty there, there are promises there, there are lifestyles there, and the kings of the earth are drawn to her. They look at her beauty, they look at her opulence, they look at her wealth, they look at her comfort. They certainly, if you're picking up on the text, pick up on her sexual sensuality, and they're like, "That's the good life. That's where it's at. That's where I can self-actualize and live my best life now." And they're drawn to her.
And listen to me, God, I'm trying to help us here. He is warning the church about this, not lost people about this. They're already caught up in it. So he's writing to the church: be careful. This woman's fine. Like, look at John, the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Look at the back half of verse 6. "When I saw her, I marveled greatly."
What, John? Like, so this angel... I mean, you got seven bowls of wrath; we covered that last week. And then an angel shows up and goes, "Let me show you the judgment of the great prostitute." Okay? And then he gets here, and he's like, "Dang, she's fine."
And there's this... I mean, she's got like a purple sash, got some fine... I'm just bling. I mean, she is fine. Like, John's like, "Dang, that is not what I expected." Like, the angel has to rebuke John. "Wait, what are you doing? Hey, over here! Slant it! I don't look directly at her!"
Is it too far? So listen, he's warning the church. She's a seductress, and she's better at it than you think. And if the Apostle whom Jesus loved, like rested his head on Christ's breast at the Last Supper, can look at her and marvel, you can get sucked up in it too. I can get sucked up in it too.
This is a word of warning to the church, not some nonsensical fairyland that's coming 20,000 years from now. It's right now, and we're caught in it. And she's on the back of that beast, and she's like, "This is the way to life. This is the way to meaning. This is where you'll be free. This is where you'll have comfort. This is where you'll be wealthy." And he's warning us: watch out for her. She's prettier than you think she is.
Watch out for her. She'll seduce you. Be careful. You'll feel like you got it, and you'll just take one look at her and be like, "Dang."
Look, I ain't making this stuff up. Look at verse 7. "But an angel said to me, 'Why do you marvel?'" Why are you marveling at her? "Look, I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her around."
And then he takes John and he starts to show him what she really is, what Babylon actually is, what the promise of any great city embedded into any great nation that tries to woo people away from God actually is.
And so here's what the angel begins to show him: that this is a bait and switch, that the prostitute is promising power, promising opulence, promising comfort, promising wealth, promising... It's not in the text, but this idea of self-actualization, your best life now, being fully and really you. That's the promise, right?
This is what she's doing. She is wooing, and she's like even bringing up, "Yeah, life's hard. You know what would make it better? This kind of sexual sensuality. You should give into that. You know what would make it better? Great wealth. And I have great wealth. Serve me, follow me, bow to me, worship me. I'll keep you safe. I'll keep you safe. I'll make sure your life's good. I'll make sure you're happy."
Gosh, Jesus ain't going to make you happy. Why would you go like that? How tight that dude is? You're like, "Always trying to take from you."
I'm not making a joke. Like, that's the lie. This is what the prostitute does. This is her song: life is found in me. Submit, surrender. This is the way that you should live. It's built on an illusion, right? It promises comfort and ease, sensual satisfaction, but the reality is she cannot deliver on those promises. She has no power by which to fulfill those promises.
In fact, even her beatitudes run contrary to Jesus's beatitudes. So on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, most of you know this, not all of you. He starts laying out, "This is what the kingdom of God looks like. You want to be citizens of the kingdom? Here's what it looks like." And he leads with basically, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
But she begins with, "Blessed are the wealthy and powerful." Jesus ends his beatitude with, "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake." And she ends with, "Blessed are you when you persecute."
These are two different kingdoms with two different cultural artifacts, two different cultural value systems. They are at war with one another, and we're living in one of them.
And the angel of the Lord here, Christ, is saying to you and me, "Don't get seduced by her. She's better than you think. Don't get seduced by her. She's wooing you right now."
You don't think the little flickering of your screen is a part of all this right now? You don't think our whole culture right now is what we're reading about today? And that's what I'm saying. There's janky interpretations of this book that have us believing we're outside of this, and this is happening right now, right here among us.
This way to happiness, this way to the best life possible over here for all your sensual satisfaction, wooing, calling. And then you've got all these examples. Like, this idea of building a city in opposition to God is like one of the great themes of the Bible. Like, it starts with a bang. Like, Cain murders his brother. You remember that one? Felt bored Sunday school, maybe?
And then what happens? He's sent to roam the earth all the rest of his days. But what does he do in great rebellion? He builds the city of Enoch, named after his son. Babylon itself is taken from the word Babel, which is where the people of God say, "We don't need a God. We'll be gods ourselves and build a tower up to the heavens."
So they didn't have to fear or worship God any longer but could worship themselves. We see it when Pharaoh uses the people of God to build ancient Egypt. We see it in Nebuchadnezzar, and we see it in Rome.
But like, I'm not sure. Did you know that the Roman Coliseum was actually built with the gold and silver taken from the temple in Jerusalem when they sacked it and destroyed it in 70? Right? I mean, that's where they got the money for the Coliseum.
This is our pull, our bit. Look at it. You're not bent towards righteousness. I'm not bent towards righteousness. Amen? Holiness is a fight. Not positional holiness. I got that in spades. Like, I am blameless before God because of the blood of Jesus. But growth in holiness, you might just sit back and think, "I'm going to drift towards that."
This is where we drift towards this lewd woman on the back of the state going, "I got you. It's easier over here." Amen? Nobody's going to hate you over here. Man, aren't you tired of that? Come, come here, come here, sweetheart.
Lewd, inviting, seducing. And here's another note. It's an important one: Babylon always ends in violence towards the people of God. Babylon always ends in violence to the people of God.
Let me try to explain why. Because something like, "Why would it work like that?" Well, let's look at Psalm 2. Remember, nothing in Revelation hasn't already been taught in the Bible. Seriously, nothing in Revelation hasn't already been taught in the Bible.
So this is Psalm 2, an epic psalm which ends with the King of Glory's feet on Mount Zion. But here's how it starts: "Why do the nations rage and the people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed one."
Why? Look at what they're saying they have to do concerning us: "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." What do they think about us? They think that we're trying to rob them of life. And what we're actually saying is, "No, this way to life."
So the reason that the nations rage against the people of God is that the way we live is an offense to them. One, because it calls them to something different, and two, because it shows a plausibility structure where humanity flourishes without worshiping the beast or bending the knee to this prostitute.
It's disorienting. We seem strange, aliens, and strangers, which is why I'm constantly trying to help us get over this "gotta be cool" nonsense. I just want you to embrace the awkwardness of being full-on for Jesus Christ.
I'll be seen as goofy. Bro, we are goofy, but just really powerful goofy people with the Holy Spirit inside. So you should just embrace that.
So George Eldon Ladd, who I just commend to you, his book on the kingdom, the Kingdom of God, just incredible. I just committed to it. I've used his commentary throughout this. Here's what he says: "The main thought in chapter 17 is that with the promise of wealth and luxury, the woman, or this city, entices men away from the worship of God."
And so I just want to say this over and over and over again: the game, the war that you and I are caught up in is a game of seduction that ends in destruction, where this woman and this beast is trying to get you to stop worshiping Jesus, submitting to Jesus, exalting Jesus, enjoying Jesus, instead to find your comfort and purpose in temporary, hollow, ultimately unsatisfactory things.
I can't state it more plainly than that. And some of you, you're caught right now, man, like right now. And if you can't look at our nation and go, "Dang it, we're sick. We are broken." If you can't see us in this passage, I don't know what to do, man.
Like, I am so... If another angel comes down... So that's the first angel, right? "Let me show you the judgment of Babylon." Boom! He shows up. John's like, "Dang, that girl's fine." He's like, "Stop looking directly at her! Let me show you what's going to happen."
He starts showing, exposing what she actually is versus what he sees because there's something there that's not true, but John can't see it. She just looks fine. And then he exposes, and look what happens in verse 2 of chapter 18.
"Another angel comes down, and he called out with a loud voice, 'Fallen, fallen is 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.'"
I want you to notice this. I didn't put it on the screen, but look in your Bible. Look at chapter 17, verse 16. I want you to notice that it's the ten horns that turn to destroy Babylon. That's super significant in this passage.
So 17:16, "The ten horns, the authority, the power, these other kings and kingdoms, they turn and destroy her." But the horns are a part of what? The beast. So it's the beast that kills the prostitute.
Now, why is that significant? You got to look at me because I'm trying to save your life here. The whole bait and switch. Here's what most of us in this room are not dumb people. I'm just giving some space for outliers. I don't... I'm not seeing somebody's like... So here's what I'm trying to say: our enemy is just really good at what he does.
Like, you're never going to come across some demonic compulsion that goes something like this: "Ah, I'd like to just completely destroy your marriage. I would like to leave you depressed and anxious and ruined and addicted to all sorts of perverse, grotesque stuff. You want to come?"
Like, I'm just guessing nobody's here going, "Yeah, you know, I had this dream for my life. It kind of matches up for that. I'll take some." But how many people end up there?
Now, how does that happen? Well, because it's an old bait and switch. You're being offered comfort. You're being offered pleasure. You're being offered ease. You're being offered autonomy. You're being offered reign and rule. And if you take the bait, it will turn on you and devour you.
So I listen, so many examples of this. I mean, we just... I don't have enough time to give all of them. The bait of, "You'll finally have enough money to feel safe." It's just a lie. I've never met any... I mean, I know some guys whose net worth starts with a B. You hear me? Not an M, a B.
And those dudes are as frenetically nervous as anyone else. They won't be broke for 20 generations. Like, I'm looking at this room, man. We go broke getting too much Starbucks around here, alright? But I know some guys like that ain't happening. Like, they just have some gold bars, you know, hidden in their closet, right?
Like, this... they ain't going broke. They can't rest now. Think about what you're chasing. Like, the sensuality of our day, what it's trying to promise, like what our society is telling us sex gives us is so bull. Like, it's so nonsensical, right?
Like, there's this kind of sex you can have that's going to transcend your entire existence as a human being, and there'll be no more struggles. There'll just be this epic, orgasmic, amazing... It's ridiculous. Like, I'm like, "Is anybody having sex?" That's ridiculous.
But it's the promise. And then what ends up happening? Well, yeah, man, he's like, "Well, it's obviously my spouse is the issue, or it's my technique that's off." So let me die, and then you get into all sorts... I know this is... but this is true stuff. We get all twisted and gross and perverse, and then there's all sorts of tension between our spouse because we don't love and value the soul anymore.
We're trying to get meaning for our lives out of their physical body. It's consumption. It's demonic, and it'll destroy you. But it's just the hook, right? There's a kind of sex that'll just change everything about your life, and dead gummy, we're gobbling it up.
And there's a generation gobbling it up, and the games that we've played with Gen Z and why we're going to need revival to fix the access to pornography, the unfettered access to perversity, and just a casual half-naked perception, like that is going to rot out souls.
We're going to need a move of God to heal and fix that. And some of you are already feeling that in your life. Now, you're not too far gone. There's healing power in Jesus Christ, but this is the game of the prostitute and the beast throwing out bait, making promises, letting you eat, and then it got you, and then it just destroys your life.
See, she always consumes herself. She ultimately devours because there's no end there. She is insatiable. There is no ideology that is ever fulfilled. There is never a promise that is ultimately fulfilled. She is hollow, and she keeps promising us the same stuff, and we keep buying it because she looks so beautiful.
And then look what becomes of her. There's so many things we got to talk about today that makes us uncomfortable. I'm just trying to be faithful to the Lord, and we'll let him sort me out. Look what becomes of her. She becomes the dwelling place of demons.
Now, I know, ain't got no time for that. Ain't no demons, man. Take some medicine. I have said since this has started, they're very real. And the reason some of us are getting our teeth kicked in is because we don't have any space to understand them.
And I know, here's what I know. Let's just do it. It's like, why are you going to get me? I'm a Christian. Okay, let's go. Eyeballs, look right at me. The word "demon possession" does not exist in the New Testament. The word is "demonized," not "possession."
So it's best that you think about it like this: like a tick on a dog. Can that tick possess the dog? Absolutely not. Can it get so big that the dog gets sick and weak and ultimately dies? Yes.
And this is saying, "You give in to Babylon. You give in to this seduction. You will be bound. You will be stuck. You will have given yourself over to what is demonic, and you will therefore be demonized."
But again, we don't have any category for that. It's like there's this whole enemy whipping our tails, and we don't even know we should be fighting. You know how easy it is to win a fight when the other guy doesn't know he's fighting?
Right? I mean, how easy is that fight to win? Bam, bam! I mean, you're just going to own that person. And I'm telling you, this janky theology of ours that says all of our issues are mean people has us hating the people we're meant to love and not understanding that we're fighting against principalities and powers that need to be rebuked and bound and cast out.
But we got no space for that because that's weird. But brother, if we're serious about the Bible, good Lord, where did they all go? Huh? Are they all just like in Africa, in India, in Asia? Is that where all the demons went? Not here? Good Lord, no, they ain't here. Other places.
Come on, guys, it's nonsensical. No, this is a lot. She becomes demonic. She is marked by a bent towards wickedness, and then she becomes a haunt for the unclean spirit, bird, detestable beast.
Here's what's happening: John is getting to see how awful she really is. So it starts like this: "Dang, she fine." And now it's like, "Oh, that's nasty."
Here's where Jesus is trying to help you. Look right at me. The book of Revelation is trying to save you from having to find that conclusion on your own. Look at me. The book of Revelation, Jesus right now is trying to save you, brother. He's trying to stick his head in there and say, "This is how this ends: gross, detestable, you feeling filthy. Step out from under it, sister."
This is Jesus trying to save you right now. Don't give in to her seductive loveliness. She is going to destroy you. Look, let me just help. How many of you have been like, "Man, I have sinned in such a way that I felt dirty, nasty, gross, like nauseous, gross"?
Anybody would just say, "I've sinned that way"? Okay, look around the room. Just don't be Baptist. Get those hands up.
Now look around. Hey, unbelievers, believers stuck in sin, look around. Now we're saying we've been there, and we bought into this, and we're out. We've been there. We bought into the seduction of this woman, and Jesus brought us out.
That's for you today. That's not just for us. You don't offer that to super people. He just offers it to all who will hear and repent.
What we see next is her false foundations and illusions exposed. We see her emptied a blessing in 18:6-8, and then you have all these people that start to mourn, but they don't mourn that she's burning and in smoke. They mourn that they can no longer be wealthy and comfortable because of her.
So there's no real love for Babylon. It's all usury. Nobody loves Babylon; they just want to use her. It's a sad, pathetic reality. It's a "What can you do for me?" It's the opposite of the kingdom of God.
And so with this reality in view, how are we now to live? So I want to talk to you, Christians in here. I want to clarify: those of you who are actively following Jesus. If you're a moral conservative that attends church but there's no submission to the kingship of Jesus, I'm just not sure you should count yourself among the brethren just yet.
Again, I ain't trying to shame you or drive by guilty. I'm trying to hopefully show you, "Oh man, maybe I'm not." So maybe you can be alright. But like, you're like, "I've said my yes. I'm following after him."
Look at verse 4 of chapter 18. We're almost there. "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 heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.'"
This is a call to upside-down living. This is a call to the opposite of Babylon. This is what it means to belong in the New Jerusalem, not the Old Jerusalem. The Old Jerusalem gave into this woman and the dragon.
Remember what Caiaphas said when they offered Jesus to him? Remember? He said, "We have no king but who? Caesar." What was that? Well, that was the prostitute going, "Hey, Caiaphas, there's power here. There's wealth. There's position given to Rome. Do you want Jesus or Barabbas? Barabbas isn't Jesus, your king? We have no king but Caesar."
You see how good she is? She seduced the high priest. That's crazy, man. John the Apostle, whom Jesus loved, the high priest, and you and I don't feel like we're in any danger. That is crazy.
So let's look at this. You and I are called to this upside-down way of living. So the way we've talked about this historically, if you're new to the Village, is we talk a lot about it's plausibility structure.
A plausibility structure is what any given culture goes, "Yeah, that makes sense." That's all it is. So a plausibility structure, there's one in every culture around the world. There are multiple ones here in the U.S. I was just in Chicago all of last week, and I'm telling you, a different plausibility structure in Chinatown than in Dallas.
Like, almost felt like two different countries. A plausibility structure is just like, "Yeah, that makes sense." The Church of Jesus Christ, both individually as saved persons and corporately as gathered local bodies, are to live a kind of way that presents to the world around us a different plausibility structure than the one they know and understand.
Alright, so let's talk a little bit about that. The first thing we should do, both individually and as a body here at the Village, is there should be an outright rejection of the violence of Babylon. We're to be marked by peace.
Be marked by peace. A tranquil heart that understands that despite what we might be seeing around us, Jesus is on his throne. Like, I don't think we're too far from being able to spot one another. You know what I'm saying?
Like, you just be walking through the airport like, "Wait a minute! Hey, what's the chief end of man? To glorify God!" And I knew it! I knew it, man! I knew you were one of us!
I don't think we're that far. Somebody else is all jaded. We're like, "We're going to reject it, right? We're just going to be marked by peace. We're just going to reject the violence of Babylon. Not me! I will not give into the anger of my day. I will not give in to the violence of my day. I reject it! I'm going to walk in the peace that comes from knowing I belong to the Lord and he is sovereign over all things, and we win!"
We also reject the consumption of Babylon by living lives marked by radical generosity. Right? Well, like Babylon is insatiable. "I need more! I need more money! I need a bigger house! I need a nicer car! I need..."
And there's never a point ever where we're like, "Golly, I'm unbelievably blessed! How now do I bless others generously with my money, with my time, with my gifts, with my home?"
Like, where to just stand and start contrast to the world that's insatiable? We're the people that go, "Hey, you know what? I think this is great. I think we're doing great. I think this is a big enough house. We just ride out our day in this house and take that money that we could use and really fund the kingdom and fund initiatives that keep punching Satan in the mouth over and over. I want to fund that!"
Right? Because that is more fun than a new whip, as the kids would say. I believe. Am I right? No? Am I right?
Yeah, thank you. My son's so embarrassed. Sorry.
And then here's another one. This one's going to... Again, we've had some awkward moments. Let's just finish out strong. We will reject the sexual ethic of Babylon as she tries to promise that perversity will bring the soul-level satisfaction that actually his design does.
We just reject it. We reject it, guys. And listen, I love you. You struggle with same-sex attraction? You got a home here, right? I will pray with you. We will hug you. You want to fight? You fight with us, and we'll flank you on all sides.
But we are going to happily embrace that sex has been given to a man and a woman within the confines of covenantal love so that souls are cherished and built up rather than consumed and devoured.
Now, and look at me, look at me. And we're not going to be mean about it. And this might sound crazy too because I know some of you are ready to war. Look at me. Kindness does not make you complicit.
Beware of evangelicalism and you try to be kind to something like, "Oh, you're..." I mean, some of those guys got to shut up, man. They got to move on. Kindness does not make you complicit.
We're going to have a different sexual ethic. And then here's the last one. We're going to reject the hate of Babylon by practicing radical hospitality. Just radical hospitality. Just like, "Oh, you hate me? I won't come to dinner."
I think if you get to know me, you might hate me more, might any less. Let's roll the dice. You don't break out the best wine, not that cheap stuff. You're going to get the good stuff, not the box stuff, right?
Like that stuff you got hidden from everybody. Like, you'll break that out for your enemy, and you'll get that Akaushi steak out. If you don't know what that is, I just blessed you.
And you're going to set a table for your enemies, not to lecture, not to... but just go, "Talk to me, friend. No, no, no, I don't want to talk about that. Like, tell me, where'd you grow up? What was school like when you were... What did you ever dream of? What'd you dream of being when you were little?"
Were you people who brought something? Brother, I'm trying to bless you with some wine and Akaushi.
Radical hospitality, Christian. Look at me. In this period of human history, we have got to become more like that. We've got to become more like that. Nothing's going to be easy about that. Your compulsions will never be in that direction, which is why God has sealed in you the Holy Spirit to check you and draw you unto himself and has called you unto himself so you can refuel and reorient in the presence of Jesus so you can live a way that runs contrary to your own flesh and compulsions.
He has not asked us to be what he won't empower us to be.
Unbeliever, so if you're in here, man, I know I've probably offended you 400 times today. If you're not a believer and you came here, like it always happens where your neighbor's been inviting you forever, then you show up and I'm doing something like this.
But here, let me just invite you into this because maybe what's happened... Look, just follow me. We're almost there. Maybe what's happened is for the first time in your life, by the grace of God—not my preaching, not saying—by the grace of God, you're seeing her for who she is. You tracking with me?
Like, maybe to this point in your life, you've looked at the sensuality of our day, you've looked at the anger of our day, you've let me be like, "That's it! I want that!" And you've raged and you've lusted and you've given yourself over to the lies and the temptations, and for the first time, you're no longer looking at it going, "Gosh, she fine," but you're looking at her and going, "Ugh, I can't believe I was ever with her."
Here's the great news: Christ has come to transfer you, if you want out of the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of his beloved Son. You want a different citizenship? Great! There's one on the table. You want to be washed clean from the filth of this prostitute? You want to be washed clean from the wicked lies of Babylon? You haven't out-sinned his mercy and grace.
Gosh, you gotta look at me. You got a first-class seat to the kingdom of his beloved Son. So brother or sister who right now has been living in battle, you'd feel your life starting to fall apart, and maybe in God's infinite mercy today, he said, "Hey, you ain't got to live there anymore. Like, I have got a sweet place right here for you. I've got a better citizenship for you. I got a better kingdom for you."
That invitation is on the table. So here's what we're going to do. Why don't you bow your heads and close your eyes? You not be nervous about that. Nothing weird's about to happen.
If you're a Christian, I want to talk to you first just for a moment. If you're a Christian and you would say, "Gosh, Pastor, I've got some repenting to do, man. If I'm looking at this, I have not walked in peace. I have not rejected the violence of Babylon. I have been outraged and fearful. I have not been generous. I am non-stop consuming and even now can't rest because I'm trying to get to this next thing or get this next thing or have access to this next thing."
Or, "Forgive me, I have given into the sensuality of Babylon. Maybe that's pornography. Maybe that's sexual perversion. Maybe that's some other thing." But that's where you find yourself this morning.
Or maybe you just have embraced hating your human enemies and have not practiced radical hospitality. And so here's what I want to be able to do today. I want to help you as best I can repent of those things and step into the invitation that Jesus has made today that you would have life and have it to the fullest.
So here's... If you're in and you're a Christian and you're like, "Dang it, I've got some repenting to do, man. I don't know how it happened, but like John, I saw him and I got seduced a bit. But God, in his mercy, is showing me today, Pastor."
And so I want to repent. And so if that's you, if you just raise your hand, like raise it high, just like, "I got some repenting to do today. Dead gummy, she got me. I wasn't trying to; I just glanced at her, and she sucked me. I've got some repenting to do."
Alright, praise God. Don't you put your hands down, brother. Sisters, repentance needs to be specific and actionable. So let's be mindful of what specifically we're repenting of and what it looks like to walk in an opposite direction as we leave here.
Now, if you're here today and at some point today, as we were unpacking this thing, God in his mercy made you look up at your life, look up at the decisions you've made, look up getting to this moment, and you're seeing it all for the first time with some legitimate disgust, and you just want to come out from underneath it.
You don't want to live in that, but you want a new life and a new beginning and a new story. Well, I remind you again today, friend, that is available to you.
So let me ask, if you're in this room and I just described you, like just over the last few moments, just over the last 40 minutes, you saw your life in a way that made you think it was gross rather than awesome.
Listen, that's the Spirit of God. It's not your intellect. And if that's you today and you would say, "Man, I want to get out. I want that new citizenship. I want that citizenship in the New Jerusalem. I want that citizenship in heaven."
This passage ends with a wedding supper of the Lamb, with us drinking and being filled, eating and being filled with no tears, no remembrance of former things, imperishable bodies. This ends beautifully, unlike the smoke of Babylon and the destruction of Babylon.
So if that's you today and you're like, "Gosh, this has been gross. I want what's new," just raise your hand right there where you are. Don't be nervous about that. Again, I don't like that nervousness. Just boldly go, "I got to get out of this."
Praise God. Won't you put your hands down?
I'm going to give you just this moment to pray. Christian, specific, actionable repentance. Non-Christian, there's not a magic prayer here. There's just the honesty of your heart.
So before the Lord, you just need to say, "I can see that I have given in to wickedness. Please forgive me. I submit my life to you. Help me live in this new city."
So I'm just giving you space to pray that prayer right now, wherever you are seated. Just pray those prayers. Prayers of repentance, actionable and honest prayers of salvation. "I want the new city."
You're so kind, Father, so merciful. Now, thank you even for the last two weeks of Revelation, just to gaze upon your beauty, gaze upon your rule and reign, be baffled and blown away by what is to come.
Thank you for the confrontation today. Thank you that you do it out of your love for us, that where we feel shame today, that is the enemy. That is not you. But the invitation to step into what is is from you.
And so I ask for my brothers and sisters who are repenting, actionable, honest repentance. And I pray for those many in the room that said, "Man, I want to come out from under that." They would boldly do just that.
And it's for your beautiful name I pray. Amen.
Now look at me. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to sing. We're going to celebrate the Lord's table together. And here's what I would love for you to do while we do that. If you raised your hand on that second one and you're like, "Man, I can see now that what I have given into is nasty, and I want to not give... I want that new home. I want that new citizenship."
And you prayed that prayer. Here's how we celebrate that in our faith. We baptize because what happens in that moment is you die to yourself. It's flipping amazing. Like, all of that stuff, all that you regret, all the shame, all the... What we're doing in this moment is going, "All that died with Jesus on the cross so that I don't carry any of it anymore."
That's awesome, right? Like that Matt Chandler died with Jesus on the cross. It's flipping amazing. So that the life I live now, standing here in front of you, I'm living by faith that Christ is who he says he is and that he's done what he said he did.
The way we celebrate that is through baptism. Like, we put you underwater. We don't hold you there, right? It's just like, you're dying to yourself, and then you raise to walk in what? The newness of life and your new citizenship in him.
And so if you did that today, man, we want to know. We want to celebrate. We want to baptize you. We got shorts and t-shirts and towels. Let's get it all right.
I think if you put it off, this is me, and I ain't number folk, right? You don't see me on, you know, Instagram going... I don't do that stuff. Let the Lord work all that out.
But man, you said, "I'm giving my life to him." First step of obedience is telling the community of faith, "I'm with you." And praise God you're with me because I'm going to need help.
Alright, Father, we bless your name. We praise you. We thank you. You're the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we worship you. We pray that you expose this prostitute for what she is.
Pray that you bring life where it's lacking, repentance where it's needed, and your power across this community of faith. Renew your church in our day. This nation is sick. Renew your church in this day. This nation is filled with violence. Renew your church in this day. It's filled with perversion. Renew your church. Save those far from you.
It's for your beautiful name I pray. Amen.
on Nov 05, 2023
