Reaching Babylon

INTRODUCTION

OPENING STORY: IN THE SPRING OF EVERY YEAR WE SEE BEES GOING TO WORK EXTRACTING POLLEN. POLLEN IS THEIR MAJOR PROTEIN SOURCE BY WHICH THEY FEED THEMSELVES, THEIR COLONY AND THEIR YOUNG. WITHOUT POLLEN THEY DIE. SO IN ONE SENSE THEY WORK FOR VERY PRAGMATIC PURPOSES- TO LIVE. BUT YOU KNOW THERE’S MORE. IN THE PROCESS OF COLLECTING POLLEN THEY WILL INEVITABLY ENCOUNTER SOME FLOWERS THAT CANNOT SELF POLLINATE. NO PROBLEM, THE BEE WHICH IS ATTRACTED TO THE NECTAR WILL INADVERTANTLY LEAVE THE POLLEN RESIDUE FROM ANOTHER FLOWER ONTO THE CURRENT FLOWER CAUSING IT TO FLOURISH. EXPERTS WILL TELL YOU THAT BEES ARE A VITAL PART OF THE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM. FOR THEY ARE NOT JUST CONSUMERS, FEEDING THEMSELVES, BUT THEY PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE FLOURISHING OF FLOWERS AND OUR WORLD.

THE GIFT OF WORK:

THIS MORNING I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WORK.

WORK IS NOT TO BE A NECESSARY EVIL WE ENDURE IN ORDER TO PAY OUR BILLS, AND THEN SAVE ENOUGH MONEY WHERE WE NO LONGER HAVE TO DO IT ANY MORE. BUT IT IS A PRECIOUS GIFT OF GOD THAT NOT ONLY HELPS US TO LIVE, BUT CONTRIBUTES TO THE FLOURISHING OF SOCIETY.

WORK WAS INSTITUTED BY GOD BEFORE THE FALL- . WHAT’S MORE, EVEN BEFORE THEN, WE SEE GOD WORKING BY CREATING OUT OF NOTHING... I GOT BAD NEWS FOR SOME OF YOU…IT’S NOT A STRETCH TO SAY THAT THERE WILL BE WORK IN HEAVEN!

“The fact that God put work in paradise is startling to us because we so often think of work as a necessary evil or even punishment. Yet we do not see work brought into our human story after the fall of Adam, as part of the resulting brokenness and curse; it is part of the blessedness of the garden of God. Work is as much a basic human need as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer, and sexuality; it is not simply medicine but food for our soul. Without meaningful work we sense significant inner loss and emptiness. People who are cut off from work because of physical or other reasons quickly discover how much they need work to thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually”- Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavor.

APPLICATION: IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME WHAT ARE THOSE MOMENTS WHEN I’VE MOST FELT ALIVE, USEFUL AND MEANINGFUL, MANY OF THOSE MOMENTS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO WORK. PLANTING FELLOWSHIP MEMPHIS…SO HARD. IN COLUMBIA THIS PAST WEEK AND PEOPLE SAID THEY ORDERED 400 COPIES OF MY BOOK THAT I POURED MY SOUL INTO AND IT’S SHAPING LIVES…WHAT ABOUT YOU? GRADUATING…ETC…MAKE THESE QUICK

BUT THERE’S MORE TO WORK, AND THAT IS GOD HAS CREATED WORK FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE WORLD. MAN CALLED TO CULTIVATE THE GARDEN. MEANS TO BRING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. THIS IS WHAT GOD DID. EX NIHILO, OUT OF NOTHING. ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. HUMAN FLOURISHING.

APPLICATIONS. IF YOU’RE IN THE MEDICAL FIELD GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO TAKE THE CHAOS OF BROKEN AND SICK BODIES BECAUSE OF THE FALL AND RESTORE ORDER AND BEAUTY TO IT. IF YOU ARE AN EDUCATOR, GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO TAKE THE RAW MATERIAL OF MINDS AND TO BRING ORDER AND BEAUTY BY FILLING THEM WITH KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WORLD AND TRUTH. IF YOU ARE A MUSICIAN GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO TAKE THE CHAOS OF ALL KINDS OF NOTES AND TO SO ARRANGE THEM THAT ORDER AND BEAUTY COME OUT OF IT. IF YOU ARE IN TECH, GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO TAKE TAKE THE CHAOS OF NO PROCESSES OR SLOWER PROCESSES AND TO AID HUMAN FLOURISHING BY BRINGING HIGHER LEVELS OF EFFICIENCY TO OUR WORLD.

THE SETTING- BABYLON;

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: YEARS OF REBELLION HAS NOW LEAD TO THE BABYLONIAN EXILE. . A TIME OF WEEPING. BABYLON WAS A REVERED WORLD POWER OF THE TIME HEADED UP BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR, ONE OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED AND FEARED LEADERS IN WORLD HISTORY. HE WAS A CRAZY MAN AND NOBODY TO BE FOOLED WITH. IT’S HERE WHERE HE DOES SOMETHING INTERESTING. HE DOESN’T KILL ALL THE JEWS, BUT HAS CHOSEN TO TAKE SOME OF THE BEST OF THE JEWS AND ENROLL THEM INTO A THREE YEAR TRAINING PROGRAM WITH THE RESULT BEING GIVING THEM JOBS IN THE GOVERNMENT OF BABYLON. IT’S HERE WHERE WE MEET DANIEL. DANIEL IS NOT A PREACHER OR FULL TIME CLERGY, HE’S A CORPORATE MAN WHO WORKS IN THE SECULAR SOCIETY OF BABYLON AND LATER ON IN PERSIA. DANIEL KILLS IT…DANIEL 6...STUDY DANIEL LONG ENOUGH AND WE WILL SEE HIM CONTRIBUTING TO HUMAN FLOURISHING BY HELPING TO LEAD N AND DARIUS TO FAITH IN GOD WHICH WOULD IMPACT THEIR SOCIETIES.

POINT: DANIEL WORKS IN BABYLON. BABYLON IS A METAPHOR IN THE BIBLE FOR THE WORLD. .

APPLICATION. AND THAT’S MOST OF YOU. YOU WORK IN BABYLON. YOU WILL ROLL OUT OF BED AND WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN YOUR GOD…GIVE EXAMPLES.

POINT: WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT GOD DOESN’T JUST WANT TO SEE THE LOCAL CHURCH FLOURISH, HE WANTS TO SEE BABYLON/THE WORLD/THE BAY REACHED, AND ONE OF HIS INSTRUMENTS IN REACHING IT IS THROUGH THE NEXT GENERATION OF DANIEL’S AND DANIELLE’S WHO WILL JUST DO WORK WELL! WHO WILL KILL IT IN THE CLASSROOM AND MARKETPLACE FOR HIS GLORY!

POINT: WHAT THIS MEANS IS WE HAVE TO KILL THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR. ABRAHAM KUYPER ONCE SAID THAT GOD LOOKS AT ALL OF CREATION AND DECLARES MINE.

ILLUSTRATION: WILBERFORCE ALMOST QUIT HIS POST IN PARLIAMENT TO BECOME A PASTOR BECAUSE OF THE SACRED/SECULAR DIVIDE. HIS MENTOR JOHN NEWTON TOLD HIM HE DIDN’T HAVE TO, BUT THAT THIS MEANT SEEING HIS WORK AS FAR MORE THAN A PAYCHECK. HE NEEDED TO SEE IT AS AN INSTRUMENT OF HUMAN FLOURISHING. WILBERFORCE AGREED TO STAY IN PARLIAMENT AND TO USE IT FOR GOOD. HE WROTE IN HIS JOURNAL, “My walk is a public one. My business is in the world; and I must mis in the assemblies of men, or quit the post which Providence seems to have assigned me”- William Wilberforce, Journal Entry, 1788. Slavery ends.

APPLICATION: CALLING. THE LIGHT GOES OFF FOR WILBERFORCE AND HE GOES, HMM…I’M CALLED TO THIS. THIS IS BIBLICAL. DANIEL JUST DOESN’T WORK IN BABYLON, HE’S ACTUALLY CALLED THERE. DOMINANT THEME IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. VERSE 2…Lord…points to him being in control and his Sovereignty. VERSE 9. DANIEL GETS FAVOR FROM GOD WHILE IN BABYLON. ALL THIS POINTS TO THE FACT THAT DANIEL IS ASSIGNED AND CALLED TO DANIEL. IT’S HIS ASSIGNMENT. VOCATION/JOB. TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE JOB’S NOT ASSIGNMENTS.

APPLICATION 2: THE BAY IS HARD. EXPENSIVE. BUT WHAT IF WE SAW IT AS AN ASSIGNMENT A CALLING. THAT’S WHY I CAME TO ALCF AND THERE’S NO SACRED/SECULAR. IF YOU SAW IT AS A CALL YOU’LL STAY LONGER.

IF WE ARE GOING TO REACH BABYLON WE MUST WORK IN BABYLON LIKE DANIEL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

HOW TO REACH BABYLON

EXPLANATION: BUT EXACTLY HOW DO WE REACH BABYLON? THREE WAYS. COMPETENCY, CONVICTION AND CHRIST. COMPETENCY EXPLANATION. A THREE YEAR TRAINING PROGRAM. PLATO SAYS STARTED AT THE AGE OF 14. VERSES 4-5. AN EXTREMELY EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM THAT WAS HARD TO GET INTO. HAD TO BE INTELLIGENT, PICK UP THINGS QUICK, GOOD LOOKING (HR COMPLAINT), AND JUST HAVE AN AIR ABOUT YOU TO STAND IN THE KING’S PALACE. DANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS ARE NO SLOUCH. THEY ARE SKILLED AND HIGHLY COMPETENT.

ADAM ILLUSTRATION AND BEING ON A TV SHOW THAT HAD VERY DIFFERENT VALUES…BABYLON. HAD A STRATEGY. DIDN’T WANT TO TELL THEM HE WAS A CHRISTIAN AT FIRST BECAUSE “CHRISTIAN ARTIST” MEANS SUB PAR. WANTED TO WOW THEM WITH HIS WORK FIRST. AND HE DID AND ENDED UP HAVING A PHENOMENAL WITNESS AND WAS WITH THE SHOW FOR YEARS.

POINT- YOUR WITNESS RISES AND FALLS ON YOUR COMPETENCE.

CONVICTION EXPLANATION: VERSE 8. THIS DOES RAISE THE QUESTION OF WHEN DO WE DRAW THE LINE WORKING IN BABYLON. BABYLON WILL PUT US IN POSITIONS OF COMPROMISE. N HAS A PLAN. WANTS TO TOTALLY DEPROGRAM THE GOD OUT OF THEM AND MAKE THEM COMPLETELY BABYLONIAN/WORLDLY. CHANGES THEIR NAMES TO PAGAN ONES. CHANGES THEIR EDUCATION. NO PROBLEM. BUT HE CHANGES THEIR DIET AND THERE’S A PROBLEM. BOY IS THIS TOUGH. REMEMBER, N IS CRAZY, SO HE COULD KILL THEM. AT THE LEAST THIS COULD BE THE END OF ANY HOPES OF CAREER ADVANCEMENT. THIS IS TOUGH. BUT THEY RESOLVED. WHY? VIOLATED THE WORD OF GOD.

MCLEAN HOTEL PORNOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATION. OUT 10K.

APPLICATION: WHERE’S YOUR LINE?

CHRIST EXPLANATION: AS WE STUDY DANIEL THERE’S GOING TO BE A THEME TO HIS WORK THAT WILL EMERGE, AND THAT IS EVERYTHING FLOWS FROM HIS WALK WITH GOD. WHEN FACED WITH HARD CHALLENGES AND STARING DEATH IN THE FACE WE FIND DANIEL PRAYING. WHEN BABYLON IS ON THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION THEY CALL DANIEL BECAUSE THE QUEEN MOTHER SAYS HE HAS A SPIRIT OF ONE OF THE gods IN HIM. AND IN DANIEL SIX WHEN HIS COWORKERS CONSPIRE AGAINST HIM THE ONLY THING THEY CAN COME UP WITH IS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. FOR DANIEL IT’S NOT ABOUT HIS WORK, BUT ABOUT GOD. HIS WORK IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

KITE ILLUSTRATION: I LOVE KITES. WE KNOW HOW KITES WORK. THEY DONT’ WORK BY LETTING THEM BE AUTONOMOUS AND INDEPENDENT AND LETTING THEM DO THEIR OWN THING. NO, THEY COME WITH A STRING AND WHILE THEY ARE WAY UP IN THE SKY THEY ARE TETHERED TO THE PERSON ON THE GROUND. THIS IS WHAT MAKES THEM WORK. IN THE SAME WAY WORK WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE AN ENTITY UNTO ITSELF DISCONNECTED FROM GOD. NO, BUT OUR WORK FLOURISHES AND CONTRIBUTES TO HUMAN FLOURISHING WHEN IT IS TIED TO GOD, WHEN IT BECOMES AN EXTENSION OF OUR WALK WITH GOD.

THAT’S WHY I TOLD A GROUP OF NFL PLAYERS- YOU’RE NOT A FOOTBALL PLAYER WHO HAPPENS TO BE A CHRISTIAN, BUT A CHRISTIAN WHO HAPPENS TO BE A FOOTBALL PLAYER. YOU’RE NOT A STUDENT WHO HAPPENS TO BE A CHRISTIAN… GOSPEL CONCLUSION