Part I
Revelation 18:1-8
Purpose: To show how God will devastate the world’s economy.
Aim: I want the listener to see materialism as idolatry.
INTRODUCTION: In chapter 17 we saw the destruction of religious Babylon. In chapter 18 we will see the destruction of commercial Babylon. Over and over John refers to Babylon as a city, so he may be referring to a specific city that will be the center of the world’s economy. If that is true then this commercial Babylon may be the same place as religious Babylon.
REVIEW:
1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past "the things which you have seen"
2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present "the things which are"
Ch.6-22 III. John’s Vision of the Future "things which will take places"
6-7; 12-14 A. Satan’s war against God’s creation: the first six seals
8-11; 13:11-18; 15-18 B. The wrath of God: the seventh seal
1. The preparation for God’s wrath
2. The desolation through God’s wrath
13:11-18 3. The object of God’s wrath: the False Prophet
10, 11a, 17-18 4. The victory of God’s wrath
10:1-11 a. God’s declares victory
11:1-13 b. Temporary defeat for Jewish messengers
17:1-18 c. Permanent defeat for religious Babylon
LESSON:
18:1-24 d. The destruction of materialism
The world’s economy, called Babylon, is like the story told about Rose Greenhow. She was a Confederate spy during the Civil War. When she was trying to avoid being captured she didn’t want to lose her fortune so she sewed her gold into the seams of her dress. The ship she boarded sank and the weight of the gold made it impossible for the life preserver to hold her up. She sank to the bottom with all of her gold. Death did to her what it does to all of us. We can’t take our possessions with us when we die, but they can destroy us.
Vs.1-3 (1) God’s view of materialism
Vs.1 An angel comes that is so bright that the earth is lit up. The glamour of this world is nothing in comparison to the glory of even an angel that comes out of the presence of God.
Vs.2 This glorious angel speaks so that everyone can hear and condemns the center of the world’s wealth. This city of wealth has become a hotbed of demon activity.
In the parable of the Sower and the Seeds, Jesus used birds as a picture of Satan’s attempts to oppose the truth of God’s Word.
John MacArthur comments: "If man creates an environment with unlimited commodities, man will destroy himself. This is a basic truth about man that must be recognized: he is ultimately and totally selfish. Selfishness related to productivity translates into one word -- greed. When the sinful heart of man is egged on by selfishness and attaches itself to products, it becomes greed, and self-destruction is the ultimate end. For example, in Revelation 18 the entire world economic system ends in total collapse. Man is on track to total self-destruction. When man continues to proliferate the potential to make money and proliferate products, he is given that which feeds the worst thing about him -- his selfishness and greed." [1]
God judged the original Tower of Babel because, left to themselves, they would gain too much power. Genesis 11:6-9 The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech." So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. (NAU)
Today we are very close again to having one universal language: English.
So, we see here in Revelation 18 what happens when man is allowed to have whatever he wants. Greed breeds great wickedness.
Vs.4-6 (2) God’s call to forsake materialism
Vs.4a One of our weaknesses is that we would rather identify with the world than identify with the Lord. Paul warns us: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.(NAU)
Since God promises to care for us as His children we must run from everything that He hates knowing that He will take care of us: 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (NAU)
We must not let the world lure us into loving luxuries.
John MacArthur said, "If you believe for one minute that you own one single possession, then that possession will govern your spiritual attitudes." A.W. Tozer talks about the blessedness of possessing nothing: "The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing."
Vs.4b-6 the phrase "sins have piled up as high as heaven" is an obvious allusion to the Tower of Babel. God will never allow sin to go unpunished. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. (NAU)
False religious teachers are often in love with luxury. 1 Timothy 6:5-10 [false teachers] suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (NAU)
Those who don’t follow Christ generally look to material things to make them happy. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. (NAU)
Vs.7 (3) The sins that lead to materialism
There are three sins that go hand in hand with materialism. It all begins with (#1) putting self first: "she glorified herself." Mankind tends to think that they can solve all of their own problems. We are either giving glory to God or we are giving that glory to ourselves.
Then notice that they (#2) "lived sensuously." It could be translated "luxuriously." The point is that they lived to satisfy their senses. What that looks like is different for different people. It can be sexual sin, it can be overeating, it can be visual like television or video games, or it could be the thrill of bungee jumping. The point isn’t that those things are always wrong; the point is that we shouldn’t long to satisfy our senses. We shouldn’t live for pleasure.
The Greek word for hedonism, which means living to satisfy natural or sinful desires, is used five times in the Bible:
Luke 8:14 "The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. (NAU)
James 4:1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? (NAU)
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. (NAU)
Peter said that "those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires "(2 Peter 2:10) 2 Peter 2:13-14 ... count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; (NAU)
It is easy to say or even act as if we are willing to serve the Lord. When serving God interferes with our pleasures then we find out which we really love more.
Solomon explained how his search for pleasure worked for him. Ecclesiastes 2:1-13 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?" I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives. I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men--many concubines. Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun. So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. (NAU)
God wants us to experience pleasure, but He wants us to find it in Him. Psalm 16:11 ... In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (NAU)
The third sin that goes with materialism is (#3) pride: "I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning."
It is prideful to think that we can outsmart God. It is so foolish to think that God will not punish our sin just because it hasn’t happened yet. It’s like someone jumping off a 100 story building and saying as he passes each floor, "So far so good."
Vs.8 (4) God’s judgment on materialism
God says, 2 Thessalonians 2:12 ... that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (NAU)
Peace comes when we fear God. Romans 3:17-18 And the path of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (NAU)
CONCLUSON: Can you guess who said this? "I sit in my house in Buffalo and sometimes I get so lonely it’s unbelievable. Life has been so good to me. I’ve got a great wife, good kids, money, my own health--and I’m lonely and bored.... I often wondered why so many rich people commit suicide. Money sure isn’t a cure-all." O.J. Simpson in People Magazine, June 12, 1978.
Ralph Barton a famous cartoonist left this as his suicide note: "I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, and from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up 24 hours of the day."
When we look to material things to make us happy, we are saying that God’s love for us is not enough.
"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess." - Martin Luther [2]
[1]Overcoming Materialism by Dr. John MacArthur. Page 37
[2]10,000 sermon illustrations. 2000 (electronic ed.). Dallas: Biblical Studies Press.
