The Funeral of a Wicked City | Revelation 18:9-24 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (6/21/26)

Good morning church and happy Father's Day. Let's begin by looking at God's Word, Luke chapter 15. Let's read from verse 11. Luke 15 beginning in verse 11. The Lord Jesus Christ is speaking.

And He said, there was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, father give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country and there he squandered his property in a reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

And he was longing to be fed with the pots that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread but I perish here with hunger? I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.

And he arose and came to his father but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. That the Father said to His servants, Bring quickly the best robe and put on Him. Put a ring on His hand and a shoot on His feet and bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and is found, and they began to celebrate. This is the Father's heart. Our Heavenly Father's heart. You might not have had an earthly father so loving but remember, our earthly Father is loving, forgiving and always faithful. Stand up to worship our God

Are you weary? Everything come and lay your burdens down. Jesus calls you. Jesus draws you. Rest in him.

Pray with me. Lord, we thank you that you've allowed us to come to this place because we believe that it is in your church that we get to week after week behold something of your glory and your majesty. And thank you, Lord, that we are also reminded that this world as we know it will one day come come to an end, and that we will stand face to face with the living Christ. Until then, Lord, use this service and every meeting that we have here at Maranatha to embolden and enable us to live for your glory, to live with eternity in mind, and to be unashamed of the gospel in order to win others into this glorious truth. We thank You and praise You for this Lord's day.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Well, before you're seated, why don't you turn to somebody and say happy Father's Day. God bless you.

Another happy Father's Day to all the fathers of the house, all the aspiring fathers, all the new fathers, all the seasoned fathers. We're so grateful that God has raised up men who love the Lord here at MBC, and we trust that He is going to continue to do that as long as we remain a church. A special welcome to all our visitors. You know, one of the joys of moving here is being able to see new faces virtually every single week. And so we're so glad that you can join us, and we pray that you'd be blessed as we come together to glorify Christ.

That is our chief ambition here at Maranatha. And one of the ways that we worship the Lord is in our giving, and so the ushers will help us in that. If it's on your heart to contribute to the ministry here at Maranatha, ultimately to the advancement of the gospel, we are so grateful and we are so thankful how the Lord has used so much of the partnership here of the people at MBC to make what we have here possible and everything else that we do for His name's sake. And as that's taking place, allow me to make a few announcements. Many of you already know that our conference, our Yulee Conference out in Michigan, is at the end of the month of August, August 27 to the thirtieth, and all are welcome.

It started out as a youth young adults conference, but then all the youth and young adults start having babies and families. And so it's open to all, and we're so excited to know that since last week, we have close to 200 registrants, and we haven't made it public yet. This is just from those who know of us here who may watch us online. But we are planning to go public with the registration this week. And so if you're a member here or you're you're somebody who, is, a part of MBC in one way or another, and you haven't registered yet, we're capping it at 03:20, 03:30 for those who can stay on-site.

It's it can host much more, but you would have to find a different place to launch if you do want to come. So don't hesitate, don't wait, because registration, will fill up quite quickly. So there's a QR code there that you can scan. You don't you don't have to fill it up now, but you can do it later on today. We also have our VBS for our children here, and the registration for that is also open.

And you can find all the other information and details there as you register, and we're excited to be able to bless your children. And you can be free to invite as many children as you'd like for that, even those who are not part of MBC directly. And we pray all the time for this yearly VBS that people would be blessed, that children will receive something special from the Lord directly. We also have our picnic here at the church, our first official picnic on June 28, one of many. And, we're looking forward to that.

It'll be immediately after the Sunday service, and just bring a change of clothes, bring some activities, and we're gonna find some grass. There's a lot of grass around here that we can just, plant ourselves and enjoy a time of extended fellowship. You know this, that every week we have fellowship, we have food, but in the summertime, we kind of, pull back so that we can give our hospitality team a little bit of rest. But we do have picnics instead, and, we will take advantage of the warm weather to do just that. So please join us on June 28.

Also, we have a cancellation for one of our services on July 3, which is our Bible study every week. And so Bible study on July 3, there will be no service here. It just gives you an opportunity to be with your friends and your family for that July 4 weekend, and we've been doing this, for the longest time. But if you didn't know, we have three services here on a regular basis. We meet here every single Wednesday at 7PM to pray, and we pray downstairs in one of the rooms, and it is one of the most special times every week.

If you've never been to a church prayer meeting, I invite you to come, and you will be blessed. And you will learn how to pray, and you will be highly encouraged to know that there are people here in your neighborhood who enjoy and take great delight in bringing the needs of God's people before the throne of grace. If you can't join us in person, you can always send a prayer request. And it can be anonymous, because we find, again, great joy in bringing the requests of people before the Lord Jesus, and you can do that through our website. We have our Old Testament study.

Every Friday in this very sanctuary, we go through books of the Bible, and we are currently through the book of Nehemiah, and it has been extremely instructive and insightful for us as a church in this season. There's so much to learn. We're still in chapter four. Sometimes people hesitate to come to Bible study because they realize you're so far ahead. I can't catch up.

You can catch up. And I can also tell you this, that no matter what Bible study you enter into, you don't need to have started with us in order to be blessed by it. You can always receive something from the Lord, no matter what book of the Scriptures or how far we are into it. So please join us on Fridays at seven p. M.

And as you know, Sundays, we're here at 10:30 a. M. Every single week. Well, last week, we had our first baby dedication, and today, we have another one. And so I invite, Andrew and Crystal Lazar to bring up baby Jonathan, and the rest of the crew.

Please come on up, and let's welcome them, can we? I'm not sure if you know this, but I've had the privilege to pray for each of these baby boys. Yes, and it started with Elijah around eight and a half years ago. We were in our first building as a ministry, and I remember on that day, I'll never forget it, I preached on Elijah the prophet. And now we have Joshua, we have Joseph, and Jonathan, the newest addition.

I mean these mighty names. And so I get to hold you now. Are you ready? Alright. Oh, yes.

Look at this. Say hi. This is your new church. Your brothers, they went through different churches, but now we're here on our official new home. And these are all the people who love you.

And we do this because we believe in the power of prayer. Amen? We believe that even as Jesus received children and He blessed them, those children were really blessed. And so at this time, Andrew and Crystal, I'm gonna ask you a few questions. Do you believe that this baby boy is a gift from Jesus Christ to you?

And do you promise, as stewards of this wonderful gift, to disciple this boy, to be unashamed to teach him the things of God in the scriptures, to pray with him, to show Him the absolute privilege and honor it is to serve Christ in the local church? And do you promise also to indirectly disciple Him through your own example, through your own walk with Christ in your marriage, that as he watches you closely and at a distance, he would see by the grace of God what it means to love Christ with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength. Yes. Amen. Let's pray for Jonathan.

Can we? Lord, we thank you for Jonathan, whose name means God has given. Jehovah has given this gift, and we recognize that today as Your church, and we pray, Lord, just like his brothers, that Your hand would be upon his life. I do pray, Lord, with my friends, with my brothers and sisters in Christ, that You would use this boy for Your glory. I pray that You would set him apart, and that he would be a light in this dark world.

I pray that You keep him from all evil, all danger, all disease, all demonic attack, and that You would be a shield about him. I pray that at the earliest age as possible, he would recognize the beauty of the gospel. He would see the preciousness of Christ, and he would serve you with all of his heart. I pray, Lord, with my brothers and sisters for Andrew and Crystal, that you would empower them to raise this new boy with the other boys. That you would give them the energy and the stamina, and that you would give them the grace to be able to know how to do it in your help, in your wisdom, and in your love.

We thank you for Jonathan. We thank you for this family and how they've been a blessing to this church family. May they leave here knowing your pleasure and knowing your grace, especially with Jonathan. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. Let's give it up for the baby boy Jonathan and God's faithfulness.

Thank you, guys. I'm aware that many of you have plans to celebrate your father leaving this service. And though there's no Father's Day message necessarily, I I wanna let you know that today, we prayed for the dads of this church, and the future fathers, and the aspiring fathers of this church. We need strong men in this day and age. Not strength in muscle, not strength in in might or in abilities necessarily, but men who fear the Lord, men who love God with everything.

My prayer this morning for the men of this church is that if you do have children, if you are married, that you would be remembered as such. My husband, my daddy loved God. That if you would be remembered for anything, is that you would be remembered for a man who had a walk with God. And one of my prayers was from Psalm one twenty eight, and I wanna read it in your presence, in your hearing, and I hope that it encourages you. Psalm one twenty eight reads, the song of ascents.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands. You shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house. Your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel.

You know what I love about this Psalm? It's a song of a sense, meaning this is one of the Psalms that the pilgrims would sing as they made their way toward Jerusalem. And what moves me about this text is that as they made their way to the temple, they had the interest of their own personal houses in mind. There's a connection between how you view and how you experience God's house in your house. And the way that you can ultimately be blessed is when you put great priority in God's house.

But there's also a call of responsibility to fear the Lord for ourselves. When you and I fear God, it has generational impact. When you and I fear God, it makes your living room experience different. When you and I fear the Lord, it can touch people beyond what you thought was possible. There is so much that is dependent upon men who take it upon themselves to be in awe of God.

And my desire I know that being a father carries enough crushing responsibilities naturally, but, oh, don't forget the main thing, that so much of what you do will ultimately be blessed when you fear the Lord. Lord, we ask you in this place today that you would use the means of this service to encourage and empower the men of this place, that we would all leave here with this insatiable ambition to walk in awe of you. Only you can translate that desire by the power of your Holy Spirit, and we pray, Lord, that the men especially here would be built up, that they would be moved, that they would see what an honor it is that we can be invited into a relationship with the living God, and the blessings from that trickle down to our wives and our children and our workplaces. So, Lord, we pray that in this new chapter here at MBC, we would, by your grace, see more and more men raised up who fear the Lord. We thank you and we praise you for the men who do fear you in this place.

May they continue to do so by your help. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Church, let's stand.

Let's sing to the living God who blesses those who fear Him.

Your name is a strong and mighty tower. Your Heavenly, we thank you for this morning that we can gather together the freedom we have, not only to gather together, but the freedom we have in Christ. We thank you, father, for all your many good gifts, your mercies that are new this morning. And with all of our hearts, with all of our being Lord, we wanna worship you and give you all the glory. We ask that you would give us the grace today to lift up Christ and may his name be exalted alone in this place.

We wanna make much of Christ. It is his gospel. It's him that we proclaim today, Lord. And in everything that we do, in the songs that we sing, in the word that is about to be preached, in everything, Lord, may Christ be exalted. May his image just grow brighter and brighter in this place.

May we leave with a stronger fragrance of Christ on us, Lord. We give you all the glory and honor. In Jesus name, amen.

Well, today in the service, we will be attending a funeral. And it will be unlike any funeral you have ever been part of because it is not a memorial service of an individual, but that of an entire city. Moreover, what will make this time unique and what I am preparing us for is not the recognition and the remembrance of a city that exists today, but that one that will come in the future. The city that I am referring to is named Babylon. And Babylon, according to the book of Revelation, will be the end times commercial empire shortly before the return of Christ.

You see, the scriptures not only foretells the rise of this incredible powerhouse of a city, but it also depicts its downfall. And more than just its downfall, this city that will be controlled by the Antichrist will also be mourned when it collapses. And the scriptures provide for us the response of those who have prospered through their association with Babylon. And this is precisely what we will be looking at together in the book of Revelation chapter 18, and I invite you to turn there with me as we look at the second half of this incredible prophecy. Now hopefully you remember that the first eight verses of Revelation 18 document a prophecy concerning Babylon, a literal city that will function as the financial crossroads of the nations in the last days.

It will be a system, the Bible tells us, that will distract, that will derail, and that will deceive the nations, all the while God is trying to gain the attention of the world through unprecedented judgments in the final moments of human history. The Bible tells us that Babylon will exert an intoxicating influence upon the masses through its exciting opportunities, its export of luxury, its economic draw. And this will be very appealing in the tribulation period because there will be so much destruction, so much loss of hope, so much tragedy that Babylon will seem to be a beacon of light. It will be the source of of hope that perhaps not all is lost. Even though the Lord himself is the one who is bringing everything down to its knees, Babylon will be a spiritual endeavor from hell itself to try to convince the world that it's not really ending, and that there is still a future, and that there's still money to be made, and there's still enterprises to be explored, and there's still innovation to be experienced.

And because of this, the Lord will judge Babylon. And I find it interesting that rather than just merely informing us of Babylon's demise, we actually have been granted the reaction of the world when it happens. And it is given to us interestingly in the form of an ancient funeral dirge. A dirge is a short song or a hymn that is formulated in order to help people express grief at someone's loss. It's usually performed at a memorial or a funeral rite.

In fact, Jesus made a brief reference to dirges in Matthew 11 verse 17. And yet we find it here in this prophetic book. And the reason why we can be so confident to claim that the format of the text that we're about to explore is in the form of a dirge is because there is clear structure. There is this repetitive rhythm. There is this shared lament between these different groups of people who would look upon the destruction of Babylon and can't help but in a state of shock, mourn.

There are three groups of people that are identified in what we're about to look at, who express their sorrow when all is lost in Babylon. We're gonna see it in a moment, but let me tell you who they are. The first group will be the kings of the nations, the political elite. The second party or choir if you will, will be the merchants of the earth. And lastly, we will see the mariners of the earth, the ship masters, and the sailors who manage the trade routes for Babylon.

And in our time together, I believe it will be most helpful if we explore by the help of the Holy Spirit each of these responses and see what the Lord would teach us through them. But before we do that, I want to convey to you right from the outset one thing that these groups share together in their response to Babylon's fall. Let's pray and ask for God's help. Lord, we understand that for many, prophecy is very intimidating, and sometimes it can be confusing. But we pray with all sincerity and humility that you would help us as you have helped us throughout this book.

We pray, Lord, that everything else in our mind and our heart would be muted, and it would prepare the way for your truth to be instilled in the depths of who we are. We pray for unction. We pray for power. We pray for clarity. We pray that you alone would be heard in this moment, and that we would be transformed by it.

Would you give us the ears to hear what the spirit says to this church through your word? In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. If you were here with us last week, we looked at Babylon, what that is according to the book of Revelation, but now we're looking at the response of Babylon's fall. And I want us to look at three places because we're looking at what these groups of people in the world at that time will do, what they will say, and how it reveals something about us.

Let's begin here in Revelation 18 verse nine. And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, alas, alas, you great city, you mighty city Babylon, for in a single hour your judgment has come. Scroll down to verse 15 now of Revelation 18. The merchants of these wares who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud.

Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls. Finally, verse 17. For in a single hour, all this wealth has been laid waste, and all shipmasters and sea fearing men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried as they saw the smoke of her burning. What city was like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned crying out, alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth, for in a single hour she has been laid waste.

We see the similarities. Do we not? And it has that dear drink to it. Alas. Alas.

For the great city. But there are significant differences between these responses. And the main one I wanna bring to your attention is how each of these cries of sorrow are expressing the grief of how each of them are personally affected by the fall of Babylon. In other words, if you look carefully, though they are sharing in the pain, though they are weeping and wailing together, each of them are concerned about how the fall of Babylon has impacted their own interests. With the kings who would be clearly concerned about political stability and seats of power, how do they identify Babylon?

The mighty Babylon. The mighty Babylon has fallen. The merchants don't say that. The ship masters don't say that. What are the merchants concerned about?

Those who are in control of the commercial enterprise and the international industries that are connected to Babylon? Fine linen, materials, precious stones, the merchandise that has been lost because of the fall of Babylon. And what about the ship masters? Those who have been employed from the distribution center of Babylon. What what are they concerned about?

How their wealth is now lost because the trade network has been decimated. What does this say about these people in the tribulation period? I'll tell you what it says. It exposes how deeply lodged selfishness is in each of us. Consider this, don't miss it.

They're not mourning the loss of the people in that city that will be judged by God. They're not concerned about the devastation. They're expressing how bothered they are because of their personal wants and needs that have now vanished because of Babylon's disappearance. This is selfish. This is hideous.

This is human nature. Does it surprise us at all that as we're studying the last days, selfishness will be prevalent? It shouldn't. Do you remember what Paul said when he told his spiritual son what the world and what the church can expect as we advance towards the end of all things? Let me remind you in second Timothy chapter three, turn there with me, and look at verse one of second Timothy chapter three.

Oh, we're gonna see how the Bible is in harmony, how these truths are in concert with one another. Look at this. In second Timothy three one, Paul says, but understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty. Full stop. Now if you're a first time reader or if you've seen this passage before, I want you to imagine what would a first time reader think Paul would say next after saying that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty.

What would be the reason for the last days being so hard to endure? Natural disasters nuclear war pestilences economic collapse. What would you think Paul would say following this after he's telling timothy and us that there will be times of difficulty in the last days? None of those things. Look at what is at the top of the list and Paul's understanding by the spirit of what will make the last days so challenging.

Verse two. For people will be lovers of self. Lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents. Can you imagine that? That's one of the signs of the last days.

Disobedient children. They will not honor authority. They will not fear those who have been placed above them. Ungrateful, unholy, verse three. Heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.

Notice that in this catalog of ugly characteristics that will intensify in humanity the more we get close to the return of Christ, self love is at the top of the list. That's contrary to modern psychology, by the way, that's pushing this, we all need to love ourselves and we all need this intense idea of encouraging our ourselves. Encouragement is wonderful. Understanding your value in Christ is great, but that's not what the world is pushing. The main message of the Bible is not love yourself.

It's crucify yourself. And Paul wants to let us know that lovers of self is the first thing that we should expect when we approach the return of Christ. And why is it at the top of the list to communicate that all the other vices that follow stem from self love. Everything else that we read in that list is connected to self love. In other words, in Paul's understanding, and it should be ours as well, self love is the mother that births all these other iniquities and transgressions.

And if you think that's an exaggeration or we're looking too much into Paul's words here, can I remind you what James said about selfish ambition? He says in James three sixteen, for wherever jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. Staggering. Staggering. You understand what James is saying by the spirit?

You only need two things to exist in any setting, any environment, any organization for there to be disorder and abominable actions and attitudes to be cultivated. Two things, jealousy and selfish ambition. Here's what that means. If there is selfish ambition in a church, in a local body, you can expect chaos to ensue in that local church. You can expect unimaginable things and behaviors to flow, especially if that selfish ambition is harbored by somebody who possesses some level of authority in that local church.

If selfish ambition exists in a marriage and all you need is one party to harbor that selfish ambition. You can expect devastation and even more than that, generational decay if children are in the mix. You think preacher, you're exaggerating here. Am I? This is what James is saying.

If there's selfish ambition in any professional relationship, any friendship, then you are opening yourself up to a force that will suck the life out of you. Oh, may God deliver us from the spiritual disease that erodes everything that it comes into contact with. Selfish ambition. And if we have any ounce of the fear of God in us, then at this point in this message, we should be asking ourselves, oh God, is there anything of that in me? And to what degree?

And I'm here so thrilled to let you know that the Bible is incredibly simple and clear. We can know if we have selfish ambition. It's very easy to identify, but you have to go to a book of the bible to see it. In Philippians chapter two, Paul was appealing for the unity of the church in Philippi. And in order to do this, he calls them directly to a selfless kind of Christianity.

And in Philippians chapter two, I want you to see what he says here in verse three because in these two verses, you are going to understand how selfish ambition works. In Philippians two verse three, Paul says, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. And here it is in verse four. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. That's how you know.

How do I know if I'm infected with selfish ambition? He tells us in verse four, you know if you look for the interest of others or not. Now notice how careful Paul is with his words in verse four. He doesn't say that we shouldn't look for our self interest at all. Does he say that?

Read your bible slowly. Let each of you look not only to his own interest. We all have needs, and we're human. There's a part of us that needs to receive absolutely, but a person who is polluted with selfish ambition is only concerned with their needs. Paul says a Christ like attitude of mind goes beyond that.

You're also thinking about the interest of others. So to the degree that you think about how this decision will affect my wife, how this decision will affect my children, how this kind of mindset or attitude may impact my church, will reveal whether or not we are corrupted with selfish ambition or not. And the reality is for Paul to say this to Christians means that it's even possible for Christians to be so self absorbed, to make everything in their life revolve around them. And when you do that, according to James, you are inviting hell on earth. Hell on earth in your marriage, hell on earth in your ministry, hell on earth in your business, but I love to reverse James's thought there in James three sixteen.

If all it takes is jealousy and selfish ambition to invite dysfunction and other practices because selfish ambition is the breeding ground for all these other things that harm, then what would it look like if there was no jealousy and instead of selfish ambition, there was a desire and ambition to look for the interests of others. Can you imagine what a marriage would look like if you had husband and wife who had at their top priority to say, how can I serve her? How can I serve him? What would it look like in a church if every single ministry with their ministry team leaders and those who are volunteering had that kind of heart, how can I bless others? How can I encourage them?

How can I build them up? You'll have heaven on earth. Heaven on earth. Because our Christ, our savior is a selfless savior. You know, sometimes we we memorize verses and we say things, and and we we lose the sense of power of that truth.

For example, this even before I was preparing for this message, this came to me while I was driving on my own. Jesus tells us that the son of man came not to be served, but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many. And then it hit me. I don't know why. It may be simple to you, but allow me to just be a little transparent here this Sunday morning.

Jesus Christ is God who took on flesh, who entered into our world in such a way, and you would think that such an entrance, such a wonderful spectacle would demand the service of others, would demand the praise and demand the attention of others, And yet Jesus, God in the flesh, took on humanity for the sole goal of serving others. How can we fathom this? Does it not move us? That's my God. And here I am a creature infected by Adam's sin and I dare justify my selfishness?

I dare think that it's about me. It's about you serving my needs. It's about you revolving your schedule, your resources, your time, your attention for me. Listen, you can't be spirit filled and be selfish. It's impossible.

It's impossible Because Christ is not selfish. And when Christ abides in that heart, and you nurture the truth of who he is, and you take the truth of scripture and you spend time in his presence, one of the things that you'll recognize is that you begin to care about others. You actually develop compassion. I love my Jesus. That after healing and preaching for days, he finally tells his disciples who were sent on a preaching circuit, let's go and relax for a little bit.

And they hop on that boat and they they go across the sea. And as they get to the retreat center, what do they find? A crowd of people that heard in the grapevine, Jesus of Nazareth is coming here. So he sees this multitude of people, and you read there in the gospel so frequently that whenever Christ saw a crowd, he had what? Compassion on them.

Compassion. I want to be like that. I need that. I can't do to my own strength. I know what it's like to preach multiple messages in a day.

I know what it's like to be bone tired but it's not enough to preach about Jesus. If I wanna be like Jesus, by his help, I should be able to do that and see people in their need. And though I am tired to the bone, I feel compassion for them. He will help us do it. We can't do it in our own power.

We are all lost cause if we try to do this in our own strength. But perhaps as we're studying you know, people say, why study prophecy? It's not very practical. I think it's pretty practical. What do you think?

If there's any takeaway here, if there's anything that you can apply leaving this as we look at these different groups of people in Revelation 18 who interpret listen how crazy this is. They're interpreting calamity and disaster through the filter of my own needs. Oh mighty Babylon, what's this gonna what's this gonna do to my position? What's this gonna do for my elections? What's this gonna do for the voting?

Whatever is going through their minds, The merchants. Oh, look. There's all the products that we could have sold this year. We're gonna miss the budget. The Mariners.

Oh, there goes my income. There goes my job. Now I gotta submit all these resumes. I haven't done an interview in years. This is ugly.

And this is what it looks like to be so far away from Christ. And if we're not careful, we can make this whole message about selflessness and selfishness, so we have to come back to our main text because we're still looking at these three distinct groups of people and what we can learn from them in this prophecy. Let's come back to Revelation 18 verse nine. And the kings of the earth we studied verses one through eight last week, verse nine. And the kings of the earth who commit sexual or committed sexual morality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

They will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, alas, alas, you great city, you mighty city Babylon, for in a single hour, your judgment has come. The one thing that stands out about the kings in comparison to the merchants and the mariners is how they seem to be the only group who are able to discern or at least express that the fall of Babylon is the result of divine judgment. Look at the last part of verse 10 again. For in a single hour, your judgment has come. The merchants don't use that language.

The mariners don't employ judgment or infer judgment, but the kings do. And there's much that we can say about this, but the main thing that it teaches us is that though they interpreted this being an act of God, the tears that they shed and the wailing that they expressed was not that of repentance. Is it? Is this contrition? Is this brokenness for their own sin?

Is this a realization that God hates iniquity, that he is holy and we are unholy, so let's come broken before him? No. This is sadness over their own loss in this tragedy. This is yet another reminder that undeniable manifestations of God do not promise salvation. Over and over in Revelation, we see illustration after illustration of just how stubborn humanity can be in their sin.

And I believe this truth can prepare us as we seek to reach out to others that we love and care about with the gospel, even the stranger. And we wonder from time to time whether the salvation of those around us depends on the strength of our arguments or the persuasion of our presentation. These kings perceive that God was the one judging Babylon, and it didn't move them any closer to repentance. You and I do carry a level of responsibility of how we witness with our lives and with our words. At the same time, you have to understand, as difficult as it is, that there will be some who will deny God's gift even though they are confronted with an unmistakable revelation of God's power and presence.

These kings remind us of that. But we come now to the merchants, which make up the largest part of this whole collective lament. Let's read about it again and read the verses that we didn't explore earlier. Verse 11. And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their cargo anymore.

Cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silks, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles and costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is human souls. The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you never to be found again. The merchants of these warriors who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud. Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls, for in a single hour, all this wealth has been laid waste. The most unique characteristic among the merchants, I would say, though there is again a lot of echo here, is how the Holy Spirit gives us a list of the materials that they were broken about.

Did you notice that? The Holy Spirit could have easily just summarized how they were shattered because all of their supply has been squandered and has evaporated before them. Whenever you see something like this, you always have to ask the question why. Why not summarize it? Why instead draw it out in great detail for me to read the names of all these different lists?

And I believe it's for us to pay close attention to what the world under the Antichrist power is going to be like. Did you notice what is at the end of this list? Maybe some of you caught it as we read it, but let's revisit it here in verse 13. Cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves. That is human souls.

What do we do with this? Here's what we do with it. Apparently, when Babylon, this economic empire, will reach its peak success, people will be treated like commodities. People will be bought and sold like a piece of furniture. Meaning, the dignity and the identity of individuals will be severely devalued when the Antichrist rules and reigns.

And some look at this and they think, does this mean that we're gonna see slavery practice again? Well, let me remind you, slavery is being practiced today in different parts of the world, and it's also being practiced in the West in ways people don't think. People, according to this prophecy, will be treated as objects of consumption. Can I tell you what modern slavery looks like in our day to day? Pornography, human trafficking.

And I can give you example after example after example of how people's bodies are being bought and sold for the pleasure of another. What does this tell us about the spirit of Babylon? Because we're looking at an actual city. This is what we believe in our interpretation of the book of Revelation. A handful of times, Babylon is referred to an actual city.

In the world of the Antichrist, one of the things that will transpire is that people will be treated like products for different experiences and different services. And that is one way that you and I know if the spirit of Babylon is at work in our culture or even in our own lives. Can I ask you a simple question this Sunday morning? How do you see people? How do you view people?

Do you see a dollar sign floating above their head when you meet them? Is every relationship that you develop about personal profit? How you can use that person, how you can partner with that person just for your own advantage and your own prosperity? This might sting, but we need to say it. I can tell you one way that a Christian is closer to Babylon than they are the kingdom of God.

I mentioned it earlier. The indulgence of pornography. Getting on an app and meeting a stranger in person for a sexual rendezvous. That's Babylon. That's treating people as objects of your own consumption for your own pleasure.

And it's possible for a Christian to be under that kind of Babylonian influence and still name the name of Christ. You're saying, how dare you? I didn't say it. Look back here in Revelation 18 in verse four. Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, lest you part take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.

Who is he speaking about? God's people. Yes. Perhaps calling them out of the actual city of Babylon before she shares in her judgment, but there's a spiritual truth behind this. Is there not?

Come out of her mind. Don't think like Babylon. Don't live under the influence of the philosophies of Babylon. And one of the ways that you and I know that we are being duped and seduced is that we look at people as products. We look at a woman's body as a product.

We look at a man and his money as a product. This is Babylon. And perhaps the word for somebody today is come out of her. Get out. Flee.

Run. Because the spirit of Babylon will be judged as will the actual city of Babylon be judged one day. So these merchants remind us that human souls, slaves, will be treated as transactional. In fact, did you notice that that people are mentioned at the bottom of the list? Before people came what?

Gold and silver and jewels. Do you think people love gold and silver and jewels more than people? Yeah. They do. They do today and that will become more prevalent as we approach the end.

But now we come to the final group of people who are mourning, and that is the shipmasters. Let's look at the second part of verse 17. And all shipmasters and sea fearing men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, what city was like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, alas, alas, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth. For in a single hour, she had been laid waste.

What stands out about the shipmasters? Again, there's a lot of similarities, but you have to read carefully to see what stands out. Here's what stands out about the shipmasters. It's not so much their words, but their actions. They do something that the kings and the merchants don't do.

What is it? Look at verse 19. And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned. That's not an insignificant detail. To throw dust on one's head was an ancient expression of extreme grief, and it usually occurs in the Bible when there was great loss, namely someone's death.

In other words, you would throw dust on your head when the news came to your front step that someone you knew or a city that you knew is no more. So with that description in mind, with that background, you would think then that the reason why these shipmasters are throwing dust on their head is because they are so broken over the casualties in Babylon after God has judged this city. Is that why they're broken? Look again at verse 19. And they threw dust on their heads, and they wept them more crying out, alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth.

For in a single hour, she has been laid waste. The showering of dust on their heads was not because of the loss of people. It was because of the loss of their wealth. This is shocking, and it's a vivid picture of just how much materialism can envelop the human heart, and how tragic it is when one sets his hopes on the uncertainty of riches. Does anybody else here stand aloof at the realization that these people are mourning the loss of their income in the same way someone mourns the loss of a loved one?

Does this shock anybody else? I had my jaw open here reading this and studying it and understand the implications of it. To the mature Christian, it should be shocking, but perhaps it's not to the one who inwardly has the chief ambition of prospering in this world. But if you and I are actually in Christ and growing in Christ, then we're supposed to look at something like this and think to ourselves, I can't relate to that at all. This is alien to me.

This is foreign to me. I can't imagine being so emotionally invested and tied to materialism. Unfortunately, there are many who are. And if you think that's a stretch in interpreting this text here, consider the call of action right after verse 19, which creates a contrast between the dwellers of the earth and those who are heavenly minded. Look at verse 20.

Another voice now interjects. We're done with the dirges. And now this other voice crashes in in verse 20 and it says, rejoice over her, oh heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her. This is amazing. So up to this point, we've been seeing the king's weep and wail, the merchants doing the same, the ship masters throwing dust on their faces, and all of a sudden you have this voice coming in saying, but you believers rejoice.

This does not demonstrate to us how as Christians we must think and be leave differently than the world. Certainly. What the world weeps about, we don't. What the world celebrates, we don't. What the world mourns after, we don't.

We're a different breed. Rejoice? Rejoice at what? Well, the result of this judgment means the establishment of Christ's kingdom on the earth. The result of this judgment also means that God has not forgotten those who have been harmed and harassed by this Babylonian system in the tribulation period.

You gotta remember in the tribulation period, many many many Christians will be slaughtered. I know that's hard for us to imagine here. It's happening as we speak, as we sit here in these wonderful padded chairs, there are people who are having services underground whispering their sermons, and we dare complain about what? But once we get to the tribulation period, it's gonna be a universal experience. There will be no nation to hide in to say we're safe here to practice our faith.

That's what the Bible predicts. And what this part of this prophecy shows is that God has not forgotten one drop of blood that has been poured out because of Babylon and the Antichrist is in control of her. He will vindicate the church. And he says, rejoice, I have not forgotten about you. Now I am I am aware that there are some who see this even as believers who hold to the truth of this whole book being God's word, struggling perhaps, God is calling us to rejoice at the downfall of of this system and even those who are connected to it.

If you struggle with that, you have to come next week because this rejoicing is gonna take place in heaven, and the content of the rejoicing is quite staggering. How is it that we are going to rejoice at the condemnation of evil and evildoers? Hopefully, that'll be clarified when we come together next week. But for now, as we look at this, we we consider the final verses of this of this chapter. Let's read about it together in verse 21.

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea saying, so will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence and will be found no more. And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters will be heard in you no more. And a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more. And the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more. And the light of a lamp will shine in you no more.

And the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of the prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been slain on earth. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but this angel here in its declaration about Babylon is actually showing us the ultimate fulfillment of a prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. We haven't gone to the Old Testament today yet, which is kind of surprising, isn't it?

Well, we're going there now. I want you to see Jeremiah chapter 51. What Jeremiah told somebody to do as they were transported to exile in Babylon, and what this meant for ancient Babylon, but more importantly, how it would be totally and completely realized with future Babylon. Look at Jeremiah 51, and I want you to see here beginning in verse 60 what the Bible tells us. Keep in mind what this mighty angel did.

He took up a stone and threw it violently into the sea. Now notice what Jeremiah does here in Jeremiah 51 verse 60. Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon. All these words are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Sariah, when you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words and say, oh Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and they shall be desolate forever.

When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates. And say, thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. So you read this in Jeremiah, then you continue reading your bibles, and you come to the last book of this divine library, and you discover that there's this angel who will take a stone and throw it into the sea and say something very similar to what Jeremiah said. Showing us what?

That Jeremiah's words here will be ultimately realized in the end. Babylon will make a comeback. I'm aware that there's debate. Is it gonna be literally a city called Babylon? Is it depict Rome?

There are some who say it's The United States. I think we'll talk about that another time. So you have all these theories. Right? But you can't deny here that there is this correlation.

We have this connection. But what I find amazing about the angels description and declaration is that it is much more thorough than Jeremiah's. Jeremiah says, Babylon will be laid desolate. Nothing will inhabit it. But then you come to the angel and in great detail describes what will come to an end when God judges the system.

Six times in the passage that we read in Revelation 18, the phrase no more appears. And every time it does appear, it communicates the end of things you and I experience on a daily basis. Social activity, more than just business and and trade, interactions with others, entertainment, and even milestones like marriage. And the reason for that is for us to feel it. To feel it.

No more weddings. No more concerts. No more hearing the sounds of people enjoying their family time in the backyard. No more. No more.

You're thinking, why no more? Is there anything inherently evil about these things? Absolutely not. None of the things that are listed here that will come to us to an end, that will be that will be silenced forever is wrong. So what does God have against it?

Here's the explanation. These things that were enjoyed by those in that time and even in this day were enjoyed apart from God. And one of the great offenses of humanity is relishing the gifts of God and ignoring the giver. And so the Lord promises, whatever Babylon enjoyed apart from God will one day come to an eternal end. This is sobering, isn't it?

And it should be. Sometimes you go out on vacation, as I have, and you go to these beautiful downtown places and all these restaurants are open, and you hear live music, and you hear people laughing and enjoying their meal, and it's wonderful, it's beautiful. And then Revelation reminds you that there's a time coming where all of that will stop. All these sporting events that fill arenas, that people say, I've waited my whole life for this. I'm willing to pay anything for this.

Yeah? Sound familiar? When is that gonna come to an end? It will be no more. But for the redeemed, any drop of joy that we've enjoyed in this life is a small preview of an eternal feast and wedding that awaits us.

And any suffering that we may have to endure, according to the New Testament, is light and momentary, and it's not even worth comparing to the eternal weight of glory that's on the other side of death. And so there's this great contrast here. No more. No more. No more.

The tryst and the pleasures and the experiences of the wicked has an expiration date, and then we're about to crack open chapter 19, get a glimpse into heaven, and realize that all of this pales in comparison to what awaits us in glory. And that is precisely what we're going to see next. The party in Babylon is going to come to an end, but there is a marriage and feast prepared for those who are saved that will endure for endless ages. Can I ask you this simple question as we closed? Is your life about what the Bible says will one day be no more?

Is your whole identity wrapped up on things that has an expiration date set by God himself? Where's your joy today? Really? Where's the source of your satisfaction? You're saying, what are you saying that a Christian should have no delight in anything in this life?

I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you're supposed to enjoy it with God in mind. And every gift that comes to you, and every gift that you experience should be another reason for you to glorify him. You didn't show up into this world on your own, and anything that is added to your life is also something that has been granted by God himself. And to go on in this life and not think and not pause and not become a worshiper because of it is an offense to a holy God.

It's all gonna come to an end one day. And the only thing that's going to matter in that day, what did you do with Jesus Christ? I see many young people in this place, and that brings me great joy. But I understand what it's like sitting there as a person who thinks that they're gonna live forever. So pay attention if you haven't paid attention up to this point.

Your life is so short. I'm not gonna tell you how old I am, but I can tell you that I'm shocked how I got here after many years of walking with Christ. I was talking about it with a few on Friday night. I just I blinked and here I am. And I know it.

I I know it that I'm gonna blink and then another fifteen years are gonna go by. And I remember when I was young, there was a Christian program on the TV. My my my mom and my dad used to play that when we were young. And I forgot a lot, but I remember that there was this one skit that was being played on the screen. I don't remember how old I was.

And it was this man interviewing a younger man, and this this man looked at this young, I think he was college age, and asked him, what do you plan to do next? Well, I plan to finish my college education. And the question was, and then what? Well, I plan to hopefully find a job and pay off my debt and hopefully get married. And then what?

Well, I plan to have children and, you know, be able to supply for their needs and be able to save up for their education and their future. And then what? Well, I hope to be a grandparent one day, and I hope to get this nice house that I've saved up for and live comfortably. And then what? Well, will I hope to, you know, do this hobby and accomplish that task if I still have the strength?

And then what? Well, I guess it's over for me. Can't live forever. And then that interviewer asked the same question. And then what?

That's my question for you. And then what? Now you're distracted. Now you have so many goals and plans, and then what? And then what?

And then what? One day, you and including this preacher will be no more. And what Babylon does is distract you from that question. Don't think about it then. Well, think about now.

Eat, drink, and be merry, but it's the preacher's job in love to remind you. There will be a time when it is no more. And what you do with Christ will determine if that will be the beginning of a bliss that you can never fathom on this side of heaven or the beginning of sorrows that you didn't think was possible, and that will last for an eternity. If you don't know Jesus Christ today, make today the day where you know how to answer and then what. I want you to be able to answer when somebody looks at you, and then what?

Well, I will die if Christ doesn't come back, and I will come onto those shores of eternity and be welcomed by his grace. That's the answer for the Christian. And today you have the invitation by God himself to know it for yourself. Don't delay. Don't delay.

The spirit of Babylon is at work to cause you to delay, but here you are at a church service to make a difference for your tomorrow. Let's pray and thank him for it. We thank you, Lord, that even as we look into the future through your word, you speak to us here today. And we ask Lord that if there's even one person in this place who does not know with absolute certainty that they belong to you, that they've been forgiven, that they have redemption, that they would not leave this place until they know it. For the believer here who might be in Babylon, we ask, Lord, that you do what only you can do and that is convict the heart.

If we are living selfishly, if we are looking at people as products for our own benefit, Lord, cleanse us, forgive us, Deliver us. In this place, Lord, we stand to give you glory because you have told us what's to come, and you have prepared us through your word, and so we stand in awe of your word. May it come alive in our lives, leaving this place in a new way. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Let's stand together. If you need to stay seated for whatever reason so that you can be more focused to speak to God, you stay seated. You stay there and you speak to the Lord and you ask him to cleanse you and to renew you. But if you want to stand and give glory to God in song, join us now as we do that. Amen.

We serve the living king. He's coming back soon and every kingdom will fall. It's going to happen. The Bible says so. But oh, when all things do fall, will you stand?

Will you stand unashamed at the sight of Christ? Will you stand confident in knowing that you've been purchased by his blood? If you don't know if you're saved today, the pastors will stay here as long as we need to to answer any questions and to pray any prayer for you to come to Christ. We will be at the door to greet you, but if you stay and you're willing to stay, to say I need help, we will stay. There is some fellowship and treats waiting for us downstairs.

I know that many of you probably have to go. You have plans for your dads, which is wonderful, but allow me to say one final prayer before we conclude this service. Lord, we thank you that you've spoken so loud and clear. Thank you for fueling our faith. Thank you for the members at NBC.

Thank you for all the visitors who are here. Lord, your word tells us to set our minds on things above. Help us do that, not just in this moment, but leaving this place throughout this week, lord. May we be more and more aware of eternity than ever. Bless our fathers.

Answer the prayers of those who desire to be fathers, Lord. Empower our dads to be the spiritual priests and prophets in the home, and, Lord, we pray that you would raise strong men in this church, strong men and women in this church. Lord, we love you. We love your word. Help us obey it for the sake of the name of your son, Jesus Christ.

Amen and amen. Happy Father's Day. We'll see you next week if the Lord wills.