Standing in Babylon

INTRODUCTION

OPENING STORY: MOST OF US ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE NAME ERIC LIDDEL. HE WAS A JESUS LOVING SPRINTER WHO COMPETED IN THE PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1924. THERE WAS JUST ONE PROBLEM- HIS EVENT, THE 100 METERS, WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE ON A SUNDAY. CONFLICT. AS A CHRIST FOLLOWER, LIDDEL HELD DEEP CONVICTIONS WHEN IT CAME TO THE SABBATH, WHICH MEANT HE DID NOT COMPETE ON THAT DAY…A CONFLICT ENSUED, YET LIDDEL WAS RESOLUTE. HE WAS TOLD THAT HE WAS LETTING HIS NATIVE COUNTRY DOWN TO WHICH HE RESPONDED THAT HE RAN FOR A HIGHER COUNTRY AND THE KING OF KINGS.

POINT:SERIES ON WORK. BABYLON IS THE WORLD. LIFE AS A CHRIST FOLLOWER IN THIS WORLD WILL INEVITABLY BRING ABOUT CONFLICT. THIS ISN’T SOMETHING WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR OR INVITE, IT’S JUST A PLAIN REALITY OF LIFE IN BABYLON. ONE OF THE VENUES TOMORROW WILL BE LIKE ERIC LIDDEL’S YOUR WORK. THERE WILL INEVITABLY BE SEASONS OF CONFLICT WITH CO-WORKERS WHO DO THINGS/BELIEVE DIFFERENTLY. THERE WILL BE CONFLICT MAYBE WITH THE COMPANY AND YOUR CORE VALUES. WHAT WILL YOU DO? CONFLICT WITH YOUR BOSS.

WE SEE ALL OF THIS WITH DANIEL’S THREE FRIENDS TODAY. ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES OUR TEXT- CONFLICT. INVITED TO A COMPANY WIDE GALA WHERE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS COME TOGETHER TO WORSHIP AN IDOL NEBUCHADNEZZAR DO. CAN’T YOU SEE THE ANGST IN THEIR FACES. WHAT WILL THESE THREE GOD-FEARING MEN DO? THEY, LIKE ERIC LIDDELL, DRAW A LINE IN THE STAND, AND WHILE EVERYONE ELSE IS BOWING THEY STAND. AND WHEN GIVEN THE CHANCE TO BOW AGAIN IN THE KING’S CHAMBERS THEY REFUSE TO GIVE INTO COMPROMISE. AND THIS SECURES THEIR LEGACY FOREVER. JUST LIKE ERIC LIDDEL, WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT THEM BECAUSE IN THE MIDST OF THE CONFLICT THEY DIDN’T BOW. THEY STOOD IN BABYLON. WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?

DR. KING WRITES, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT STANDING IN BABYLON

THE STRUGGLES IN BABYLON-

EXPLANATION: TELL THE STORY…BEGIN WITH THE IMAGE THAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR SET UP. TIE INTO THE IMAGE OF CHAPTER 2. GIVE THE DIMENSIONS. OVER 90 FEET HIGH AND OVER 9 FEET WIDE. MASSIVE. THE WHOLE KINGDOM HAS GATHERED FROM ALL ACROSS THE THEN KNOWN WORLD. PAINT THE STORY. THE REASON IT’S ALL GOLD IS BECAUSE THE HEAD WAS GOLD AND REPRESENTED THE KING AND BABYLON, IT’S HIS WAY OF SAYING, FORGET WHAT GOD SAID, MY KINGDOM WILL GO ON FOREVER. MUSIC PLAYS EVERYONE MUST BOW, AND WHOEVER DOESN’T WILL BE PLACED IN THE FIERY FURNACE WHICH WAS VISIBLE AND OMINOUS.

POINT: AT FIRST GLANCE THIS STORY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US. YOU’RE NOT BEING ASKED TO BOW DOWN TO YOUR CEO OR BOSS. BUT WHAT THIS POINTS TO IS A UNIVERSAL ISSUE THAT IS STILL VERY MUCH PREVALENT EVEN THOUGH WAY MORE SUBTLE AND INCONSPICUOUS- IDOLS.

IDOLS DEFINED: ANYTHING, EVEN A GOOD THING, THAT HAS BECOME AN ULTIMATE THING. BECAUSE OF THIS AN IDOL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ON THE PLAIN OF DURA LIKE THIS ONE IT CAN BE ANYWHERE. AND THE PRIMARY VENUE FOR OUR IDOLS, OUR PLAIN OF DURA, IS OUR HEARTS. IN FACT SAYS THIS, “And the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces”- .

TIM KELLER GOES ONTO WRITE: “An idol is whatever you look at and say, ‘in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” ‘There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.’ If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity, then it is an idol”- Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller.

APPLICATIONS: WORKPLACE IDOLS. WHEN THE BAND STRIKES AND THE MUSIC PLAYS YOU BOW AT THE ALTAR OF SUCCESS. IDOLS ARE EVERYWHERE, BUT HERE’S SOME COMMON MARKETPLACE IDOLS. SUCCESS. I HAVE TO WIN. WHEN THAT BECOMES YOUR IDOL, NOT ONLY DOES YOUR ULTIMATE SENSE OF WORTH, IDENTITY AND JOY RISE AND FALL WITH THIS, BUT YOU WILL INEVITABLY DO THINGS TO COMPROMISE YOUR INTEGRITY.

WATERGATE ILLUSTRATION: ON JUNE 17, 1972 FIVE MEN BROKEN INTO THE DNC AT THE WATERGATE HOTEL AND SET IN MOTION A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT ULTIMATELY DEVASTATED THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION. WHY WERE THEY THERE? NIXON’S IDOL OF SUCCESS. HIS WIN AT ALL COST APPROACH TO LIFE WOULD END UP COSTING HIM DEARLY, AND IT WOULD SOIL HIS NAME FOREVER.

A SUCCESS IDOL WILL CRUSH YOUR KIDS. PALO ALTO TRAIN TRACKS AND SUICIDE AMONG KIDS IN PALO ALTO DUE TO THIS.

APPLICATION: WORKPLACE IDOL IS MONEY. FOR SOME OF YOU IT’S MONEY. WHEN THE BAND STRIKES AND THE MUSIC PLAYS YOU BOW AT THE ALTAR OF MONEY. IT’S YOUR SENSE OF MEANING AND IDENTITY. CLEARLY WRONG. THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. THE IDOL OF MONEY WILL NEVER SATISFY. IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH:

AFTER THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS OF 2008 THERE WAS A RASH OF SUICIDES AMONG WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS.

CFO OF FREDDIE MAC HANGED HIMSELF IN HIS BASEMENT.

THE CEO OF SHELDON GOOD SHOT HIMSELF IN THE HEAD.

A FRENCH MONEY MANAGER WHO LOST 1.4 BILLION OF HIS CLIENTS MONEY SLIT HIS WRITS AND DIED.

ONE EXECUTIVE OVERDOSED ON DRUGS AND JUMPED OUT OF THE 29TH FLOOR OF AN OFFICE BUILDING TO HIS DEATH.

THESE TWO IDOLS, IF YOU BOW TO THEM WILL SORELY DISAPPOINT YOU. IDOLS ALWAYS OVER PROMISE AND ALWAYS UNDER DELIVER. WHAT’S MORE IS TO BOW TO THEM IS TO GO ALONG WITH THE MASSES AND RUIN YOUR WITNESS TO A DYING WORLD!

STANDING IN BABYLON-

EXPLANATION: THE PRESSURES IN BABYLON ARE INTENSE, FILLED WITH IDOLS. YOU WILL WALK INTO A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT SURE HAS GOOD PEOPLE, BUT THERE ARE IDOLS THAT WILL CALL FOR YOUR ATTENTION. GOD ONCE YOU TO STAND! YOU CAN STAND! BUT HOW! TELL THE NARRATIVE…A COMPLAINT ARISES- CERTAIN JEWS. DEAL WITH THE REALITY OF RACE IN THE MARKETPLACE. I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER SHOT…IDOLS ARE NEVER ONE SHOT DEALS, ALWAYS COME BACK AROUND. THEY REFUSE TO COMPROMISE, AND THEY STILL STAND. HOW? COMMUNITY. THEY STAND TOGETHER. I IMAGINE WHEN NEWS OF THIS BROKE THEY GOT TOGETHER AND SAID OKAY, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? THEY CAME UP WITH A GAME PLAN.

ILLUSTRATION: MEXICO CITY 1968…SHOW IMAGE OF TOMMY SMITH AND JOHN CARLOS. I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS IMAGE GRABS YOU, AND IT’S NOT ME SAYING I AGREE WITH THEIR STAND, BUT TO POINT OUT THAT THEY DID STAND, AND NOT ALONE, BUT TOGETHER.

APPLICATION: FRIEND (MATT DIAZ) FORMER BASEBALL PLAYER…HOW DID YOU MAKE IT? BASEBALL IS ESPECIALLY PRONE TO IMMORALITY…PART OF THE CULTURE SINCE 81 GAMES ARE ON THE ROAD. HE AND SOME OTHER CHRISTIANS ON THE TEAM MADE AN AGREEMENT TO NOT GO OUT ON THE ROAD ALONE, BUT WITH EACH OTHER. STANDING TOGETHER IN BABYLON.

A VISION FOR AFFINITY GROUPS...

EXPLANATION: IDENTITY. MOST IMPORTANT. VERSES 16-18. OF NOTE THEY ARE SAYING NOT ONLY DO THEY HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, BUT THAT RELATIONSHIP IS NOT BASED ON PERFORMANCE. GOD MAY OR MAY NOT SHOW UP…AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR THEM. GOD ACCEPTS THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE, NOT HOW THEY PERFORM. THIS IS THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE. .

ILLUSTRATION OF MY SON LOOKING AT ME EVERY TIME HE DOES GOOD. LONGING FOR MY ACCEPTANCE. WE DO THIS, BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT WITH GOD.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD OVER BABYLON-

EXPLANATION: TELL THE STORY. NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS FILLED WITH RAGE. INSTRUCTS IT TO BE HEATED SEVEN TIMES HOTTER. FIGURATIVE WITH NUMBER 7 FOR COMPLETION- MAKE IT AS HOT AS POSSIBLE. CRAZY. IF YOU WANT THEM TO SUFFER, SLOW COOK ROTISSERIE THOSE BAD BOYS. HE’S CRAZY. DON’T RAISE YOUR HANDS, BUT HAVE YOU EVER JUST WORKED FOR A CRAZY, NARCISSISTIC BOSS? THOSE WHO THREW THEM IN DIED (22). LET ME TAKE A PIT STOP AND SAY YOU’VE GOT CO-WORKERS ALWAYS THROWING YOU UNDER THE BUS. LET GOD HANDLE THEM. THIS TEXT TEACHES US THAT GOD IS MORE THAN CAPABLE TO HANDLE YOUR HATERS. WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU CAN’T NOBODY TAKE FROM YOU...

EXPLANATION CONTINUED: THEY GET THROWN IN, AND NEBBY AND HIS BOYS ARE WATCHING THE SCENE. THEY DO A DOUBLE TAKE…I SEE FOUR, WASN’T IT THREE? A CHRISTOPHANY. JESUS IS WITH THEM IN THE FIRE! WHY? WHAT GOD IS THERE? GOD WAS GOING TO SEND GABRIEL BUT HE SAYS HOLD UP. JESUS GO HANDLE THIS!

APPLICATION: SOME OF YOU ARE IN THE FIRE RIGHT NOW AT WORK, BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS IS WITH YOU! IN THE FIRE! .

EXPLANATION: THEN HE SAYS UNBOUND AND WALKING ABOUT. LOOSED AND WALKING ABOUT. YOU CAN BE IN THE FIRE AND ENJOY FREEDOM AND FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS IN THE FIRE…IN THE FIRE!

ILLUSTRATION: GROWING UP I USED TO LOVE PLAYING WITH YO-YO’S. YOU KNOW HOW THEY WORK. THE BEAUTY OF THE YO-YO DEMANDS BEING THROWN DOWN, AND WITH THE FLICK OF A FINGER BEING BROUGHT BACK UP. AS LONG AS THAT YO-YO IS TETHERED TO SOMEONE’S HAND, AND THAT HAND KNOWS WHAT IT’S DOING, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR THAT YO-YO TO STAY DOWN. OH YES, IT WILL GET KNOCKED DOWN. BUT IT AIN’T STAYING DOWN, BECAUSE IT’S IN THE MASTERS HAND!

THIS TEXT IS NOT ABOUT FOLLOW JESUS AND HE’LL GET YOU OUT OF CONSEQUENCES. IN FACT, FOLLOWING AND MAKING A STAND FOR GOD GOT THEM IN TROUBLE. BUT HE WILL BE WITH YOU NO MATTER WHAT!