The Battle Rages
Notes
Transcript
Last week we talked about a very battle for our souls. As I read the book of Revelation, we’re given warning upon warning to follow the ways of the Lord. Throughout the book we’re reminded again and again who it is that sits on the throne.
We’ve been speaking since the opening of the book that one of it’s primary purposes is to REVEAL that Jesus is Lord. That the one who was slain upon the cross and rose again is enthroned with the God Almighty.
Throughout the Bible we have watched the people of Israel swear allegiance to their God only to then become distracted by the many other gods worshiped by the various people groups around them. We often forget how many gods were worshiped around the people and even by the people of Israel throughout their history.
Anyone reading through the books of Kings or Chronicles will no doubt take note that there almost seems to be an alternating litany of Kings over Israel between good and bad kings. The good kings followed the ways of the Lord, and the bad ones polluted the sanctuary with their own gods and worshipped other gods.
Even the good kings might have walked in the way of the Lord, but they “did not take down the high places” altars to other gods in the land. For example King Asa whose heart was whollly true to the Lord, but the high places were not taken away.
The first commandment says so clearly. Ex 20:3
“You shall have no other gods before me.
and the second as well. Ex 20:4-5
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
Yet even today we have our “other gods” - money and power to name a couple.
In our passage we read Babylon has fallen - that is the cry. And like we have seen throughout the book of Revelation there are often echoes heard from familiar passages in the Old Testament. Babylon represents the great city of economic, political, and military power. In the book of Revelation it is most often used in Reference to Rome.
In verse 18:2, we read:
With a mighty voice he shouted: “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
Back in Isaiah 21:9
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’ ”
Throughout the Old Testament as various Kings seek to reform the ways of Israel and to encourage them to follow the ways of the Lord they destroy the carved images and manmade gods that the people have begun to worship. These gods represent all the same things that we might seek after in our world today - finances, power, possessions, fertility - not much has changed.
John writes in verse 18:3,
For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
How often have we all craved the things that we know God would not want for us. We give in to the addictive cravings for - in the words of Richard Foster - Money, Sex, & Power, subtitled and later titled The Challenge of the Disciplined Life.
What does it mean to have “committed adultery with her” in this context. It’s a statement of infidelity, much like we see illustrated in the command for Hosea to marry a prostitute because Israel had prostituted itself foresaking the Lord.
As Jesus is revealed in the book of Revelation, we are reminded again, and again of the high calling the Lord has on those who profess to follow. It’s a book of worship, and as we come into the light of God’s glory it shines into our lives illuminating parts of our life that we may or may not want to share with others - but God knows.
The kings are cast down, those who thought they had power have no power before the Lord. Kings both great and small are all brought into submission. There is one King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is none before Him.
Here’s the bad news:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
we’ve heard that verse before, but it’s taken out of context. It follows the statement that none of us are justified by our works of the law. Then the full sentence says:
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Let’s focus for a moment here on verse 24. We read all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and…
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
We are justified by God’s grace as a gift through redemption that is in Christ. This same Christ that is REVEALED in the book of Revelation. Let us hear the voice again:
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;
You and I are being called.
The powers we see won’t last.
What will last? Our Lord who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
The One who is on the throne.
And so as we continue this book of worship we recognize something key about worship -
Examination
Examination
Yes, there is examination of what is around us, and perhaps even more importantly it’s an examination of what is within us.
What drives you? What’s number one in your life?
We know what God says it should be, but is it? That’s a question we all have to struggle with, and it is a struggle. As we claim to walk in the light, we need to allow the light even into our darkest areas.
Our hopes and fears…
We say hope in God. Yet if we’re honest, really honest, we’d say we also doubt God. And then the self condemnation comes. Stop it.
God reigns.
God is good.
God is holy.
God loves you.
