The High Cost of Sin -- Loyal OK Peace UCC

The Choice Is Yours!

Matthew 7:13, 14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

SERIOUS QUESTION!

Where will you spend eternity? Heaven or Hell? The choice is yours, you know! The people in Babylon were so busy doing their own thing that they completely missed out on the things of God! Don’t you do that!

Revelation 18

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted:

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

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."

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

"Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

"'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'

"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more -- cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth. Every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble. Cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.

"They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out:

"'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!

In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:

"'Woe! Woe, O Great City, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!

Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:

"With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.

In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."

Exodus 34:6, 7

"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Seven times in seven verses the Lord tells us that God is slow to anger. However, the scripture also says, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal” (Genesis 6:3). It appears that by Revelation 18, God has had enough of sin and it is time for the downfall and destruction of the mystical Babylon. “Another angel comes from heaven.” This angel appears to be Christ Himself, coming to destroy His enemies, and to shed the light of His gospel through all nations. Babylon’s wickedness was very great. She had forsaken the true God, set up idols, and had drawn all sorts of men and women into spiritual adultery. Once caught in spiritual adultery, money held them there. Money and power are great to have, but not something to love. Love of money and power will get you in trouble every time!

God’s Word consistently warns us that to expect mercy from God, we need to come out of Babylon… meaning the world system. In fact we are to help others overcome the power of the world on their lives. However, we are not called to be monks. John 15:19 says, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

Those who mourned had shared Babylon's sensual pleasures, and gained by her wealth and trade. The kings of the earth, whom she led into idolatry, were allowed to be tyrannical over their subjects, while obedient to her also mourned, as did the merchants who gained from her sinfulness. Babylon's friends indulged in her sinful pleasures and profits, but are they were not willing to share her plagues.

The spirit of antichrist is a worldly spirit, which has a worldly sorrow. We need to develop a godly sorrow and understand what hurts God. God’s Word teaches that we have “The mind of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:14-16 - The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

The power and riches of the ungodly will eventually be of no value to them. But the riches that we gain through godly living will not be the cause of pain. Luke 18:29, 30

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.

Verse 20 of Rev 18: Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.

Some people believe that Babylon represents a literal city or nation that embodies the ungodly aspects of the city. Others believe it represents the whole ungodly world system brought under the antichrist’s rule. Obviously, we do not know for sure.

Whatever the case, saints, apostles and prophets will rejoice because of the punishment that God pours out on Babylon. Yes, we hate to see death of anyone – saint or sinner – but to know that the destruction the satanic powers has had is finally coming to an end will be a cause for rejoicing. The fall of Babylon will be an act of God's justice. And because it was a final ruin, this enemy can never molest them again!

"Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes." (Revelation 18:4)

2 Corinthians 6:17 echoes this: “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” The Scofield Study Bible note says,

1. Separation in Scripture is twofold:

(a) from whatever is contrary to the mind of God

(b) unto God himself

The underlying principle is that in a moral universe it is impossible for God fully to bless and use His children who compromise or in complicity with evil.

2. Separation from evil implies

(a) separation in desire, motive, and act, from the world, in the ethically bad sense of this present world system

(b) separation from false teachers, who are described as being “ignoble” persons

3. Separation is not from contact with evil in the world or the church, but

(a) Separation from complicity or conformity to the world

4. The reward of separation

(a) The full manifestation of the divine fatherhood

(b) Unhindered communion and worship, and fruitful service.

Always use Christ as your role model. He was “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26), and yet He was in such contact with them for their salvation that the Pharisees, who represent legalized separation, judged Him as having lost his Nazirite character.

Where are you spiritually this morning? Have you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? I f not, He is knocking at your heart’s door today. May I encourage you to let Him in? You will discover that He is the best friend you can ever have!

Heaven or Hell… the answer is not found in good works, but in your personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Also, may I encourage us to always walk in a spirit of humility as we deal with those outside the church. Sometimes we are tempted to get a little too “religious” and we act more spiritual than we really are. The story is told of a man who stomped out of a discussion group - letting his anger show. As he walked out he slammed the door. One person, trying to relieve the tension, remarked, "Well, he's gone." The hostess replied, "No, he isn't. That's a closet!"

It behooves us to always be sensitive to God and those around us. As you read this, please allow God to speak to you.