Introduction

Revelation 18:1-24 ESV  After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory.  (2)  And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.  (3)  For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”  (4)  Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;  (5)  for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.  (6)  Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.  (7)  As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’  (8)  For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”  (9)  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.  (10)  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.”  (11)  And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,  (12)  cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,  (13)  cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.  (14)  “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!”  (15)  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,  (16)  “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!  (17)  For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off  (18)  and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”  (19)  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.  (20)  Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”  (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;  (22)  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,  (23)  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 nations were deceived by your sorcery.  (24)  And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”

• I want to start this morning by telling you a story of a hardworking man.
  • This man worked so hard to earn as much money as he could.
  • Now, He was a Christian man, born again at a young age, a little undiscipled, sure, but he loved the Lord.
  • He belonged to a good church too and even served in the church twice a month.
    • Though this man loved to earn money, he was faithful… always being sure to tithe.
    • He even gave to missions and other offerings.
  • But none-the-less, he loved money… well, not just money, this man loved GOLD.
  • He was so convinced that the American dollar would one day be worthless that he would always buy gold… gold coins, gold bars, gold chains… pure gold, heave gold, beautiful gold.
  • And he had millions of dollars worth of gold.
  • Well, as the man aged his time finally came, and the night before his death he was visited by an angel.
  • “tomorrow you will die, get your life in order and prepare to meet King Jesus”
  • The man was shocked, and truthfully excited to meet Jesus… but he had to ask the angel something…
  • “Can I bring anything with me”.
  • “No, you can not, this is a journey only your spirit can take”.
  • “But PLEASE” the man begged “Please let me bring my life’s work with me, I have strived so hard, worked so hard, fought so hard to get it…”
  • Seeing the desperation in the man’s eyes the angle finally agreed “Fine, whatever you can fit into a wheelbarrow you can bring with you”
  • So the man spent his final hours on earth not calling friends and loved ones, not preaching the gospel, not praying or worshiping… but he spent his final hours loading 400 pounds of gold into a wheelbarrow, when he was finished he slumped over his wheelbarrow exhausted, and died.
  • He woke up at heavens gates, and sure enough, there was his wheelbarrow full of gold.
  • Ecstatic he began rolling it to the gates, where saint peter meet him.
  • Saint Peter greeted him “Welcome into your rest… but I must ask… why did you bring a wheelbarrow full of pavement?!”
• You see the Bible makes it clear that New Jerusalem, our eternal heavenly home, will be paved with streets of Gold.
  • No amount of money, or gold, or diamonds, or flatscreen tvs, or whatever, is going to help you in eternity.
• Now we just read all of Revelation 18 which is about the fall of Babylon the Great.
  • We discussed last week how Babylon the Great, this great and mysterious prostitute, is almost certainly the Apostate Roman Catholic Church, but how this really applies to all Apostate Churches.
    • And I urged you to not allow Apostate ministers to speak into your life, and we talked about how to spot and avoided apostacy. Of course, Apostacy meaning “the falling away from the faith”.
  • And now as we talk about the destruction of Babylon the Great… the destruction of Apostate Christianity… we see talks of not just her sexual immorality, but also we see talks of her wealth.
  • Chapter 18 is chalk full of referenced to the wealth of Babylon the Great…
    • So that is what we are going to talk about today, how God brings the wealth of Babylon the Great to waste… and how we waste our lives chasing after the wrong kind of wealth.

• Wasted Wealth… God brings the World’s Wealth to Waste.

Point One – The World’s Wealth Will Be Destroyed

• Point one this morning is that the Worlds Wealth Will Be Destroyed…
  • The Worlds Wealth Will Be Destroyed…

Revelation 18:7-8 ESV  As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’  (8)  For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

• You will notice that I said “The Worlds Wealth will Be Destroyed”… not “Babylon the Great’s Wealth Will be Destroyed”…
  • Why do I make that distinction, isn’t this chapter and these verses about Babylon the Great?
  • And of course, these verse are about Babylon the Great… but I want you to notice the worlds reaction!

Revelation 18:9-13 ESV  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.  (10)  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.”  (11)  And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, [WHY?! Why will the weep and mourn for her?] since no one buys their cargo anymore,  (12)  cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,  (13)  cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

• The world will weep over Babylon the Great… not because her sins are so egregious that she had to be destroyed in a day…
  • Not because those in her are likely going H-E-Double-Hocky-Sticks…
  • Not because she had time to repent but refused…
• No, they are weeping over her destruction because now they can’t buy her wares… they cant horses, and gold, and fancy clothes… they cant buy cattle or sheep or food… and they can’t buy slaves from her any more…
  • They loved her because of what they could get from her! And now it is gone… So they weep.
• Let me encourage you dear Christians… YOU LIVE IN THIS WORLD… BUT YOU ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD.
  • We are temporary residents of this current world.
  • Our home is not here.
  • Our Citizenship is not here.
  • Our culture is not from here.
  • WE BELONG TO HEAVEN!
• Yes we live IN this world… but we are from a different place… we are not OF this world… we are OF the Kingdom of God!

Romans 12:2 ESV  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

John 15:18-19 ESV  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  (19)  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

John 17:15-16 ESV  I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.  (16)  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

• We are not OF this world… we are in this world… but we are not of this world.
  • Yes we are in this world.
    • We need to earn money.
    • That’s ok.
    • It’s even ok to be successful, as long as you are faithful with what God has given you.
    • It’s ok to have a nice TV and a car that won’t break down.
    • It’s ok to have a nice home in a nice neighborhood.
    • It’s ok to have investments and a nice retirement plan.
    • It’s ok to spend money on stupid stuff that makes you happy, as long as you are spending it wisely and staying faithful with what God has given you.
      • All of this is OK because we are in this world.
  • But it is NOT ok to find your contentment in money or things.
  • It’s not ok to put money before God or people.
  • It’s not ok to seek joy through finances instead of through the Fahter.
    • Momentary happiness, comfortable living… sure…
  • But our joy and contentment, our peace, our provision… for these things we trust in God.
    • And God provides some of these things through our Labor… God commands men to work and earn a living for their family.
    • BUT OUR FOCUS IS ON GOD, THE PROVIDED… NOT ON MONEY THE PROVIDED…
    • Because we are not of this world!
• And LISTEN CHURCH… The worlds wealth is going to be destroyed… Just like Babylon the Great’s…
  • So if your joy, your peace, your contentment comes from the worlds wealth… then be ready to have your joy, your peace, and your contentment destroyed!

Revelation 18:15-19 ESV  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,  (16)  “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!  (17)  For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off  (18)  and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”  (19)  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.

• Let me ask you something…
  • If in one single day Amazon, Walmart, Target, Fleet Farm, Hyvee, Aldi, JC Pennies, Lindale Mall, Burlington, Ross, Menards, Lows, Home Depot… whatever… if in one day all these stores closed for good… would you weep like these merchants wept?
  • Would you be in utter despair if you had to grow your own food, make your own clothes…
  • Would you weep and mourn?
    • Our would you push deeper into God.
    • Trusting Him more… relying on Him more… Finding joy and contentment in Him more…
• And this is a good thought experiment… because if you are a faithful born again Christian… then this idea of every store closing ever will become a reality… because we know that we MUST refuse the mark of the beast… and what happens when we refuse the mark of the beast?

Revelation 13:16-18 ESV  Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,  (17)  so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.  (18)  This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Revelation 14:9-12 ESV  And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,  (10)  he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.  (11)  And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”  (12)  Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

• So we have a choice, saints… receive the mark of the beast and be able to continue buying, selling, trading… going to Walmart, buying things on Amazon, getting groceries at Hyvee… if we get the Mark of the Beast we can still do all of those things… but when we die we will go to hell…
  • OR we can refuse the mark of the beast, never be able to buy anything every again… trust in God to provide… and when we die we get to be with Jesus on streets of gold forever!
  • I don’t know about you but I want the wealth that lasts forever… I don’t want the temporary stuff that will be destroyed!

1 John 2:15-17 ESV  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16)  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  (17)  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Point Two – Our Wealth is Eternal

• That brings me to our final point this morning… our wealth is eternal!

Revelation 18:17-18 ESV  For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off  (18)  and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”

• In a single hour the wealth of Babylon the great will be destroyed.
• At your last breath all the worldly wealth you have built up will be destroyed… worthless to you in the afterlife…
• But if you are a born again Christian you should be building eternal wealth.

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  (20)  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  (21)  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:32-34 ESV  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  (33)  Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  (34)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV  As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  (18)  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  (19)  thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

• I love verses 18 and 19 here, I am going to read it again… because it tells us how to get that eternal treasure.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 ESV  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  (19)  thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

• Saints, don’t worry about whether you are rich in money or not! BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS!
  • Love others and lead them to Christ.
  • Do you understand that you have chance to make an eternal impact while you are here on earth!
    • When you lead someone to Christ, YOU HAVE HELPED CHANGE ETERNITY!

Bring out the Rope (Long white rope with red on just two inches of one end)

• Now it has been a while since I have shared this example, but it is so good it bears repeating…
  • Imagine this rope represents your life… over here is when you were conceived in your mothers womb…
  • The rest of the rope is your life… some here on earth and some in heaven.
  • Imagine this rope goes on for miles and miles and miles… it goes around the world, and up into outer space, and goes on forever and ever and ever…
  • Imagine that this red part here, this is your life on earth… maybe 80 years… maybe more, maybe less…
  • And the white part, that goes on forever… that is your life in heaven.
  • The question we have to ask is “What are we going to do with this little red part?”
  • Some people waste this section of the red part on drugs and sex and sin… then spend this section of the red part trying to get their life back on track.
  • Some people work really hard during this section of the red part so they can retire and sit at home doing jigsaw puzzles for this section of the red part.
  • Some people spend all of this red part trying to earn as much money as possible… but that money only effects THE RED PART.
  • The question must be asked…. Is there anything we can do in the RED part that effects the WHITE part…
    • BECAUSE THE WHITE PART IS SO MUCH LONGER, INFINITLY LONGER.
    • And the answer is YES! We can store up wealth in the white part while living in the red part…
    • HOW?
    • First by being born again, if you are not born again you will have an opportunity to be born again here in a moment…
    • But after being born again, which is the most important thing you can do in the red part… there is still something else you can do..
    • EVANGILIZE… it is the one good and holy and God honoring thing that you can’t do in heaven.
    • It’s the one thing that you CAN do in the red part that you CANT do in the white part… and when you do it you effect the white part.
    • But pastor the verse says do good to store up treasures in heaven, not evangelize…
      • Of course it does! Because evangelism is the BEST good you can do for someone, but not the only good.
        • If someone is cold, give them a coat.
        • If they are hungry, feed them.
        • If they are sick, pray with them.
        • If they are in prison, visit them.
          • In so doing you show the love of Christ… but don’t stop short of preaching the Gospel
    • Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love!
      • Love is action, so we love people… we take care of widows and orphans… we feed the hungry, we visit the sick and imprisoned… we house the homeless… WE LOVE with our actions… then we SPEAK the truth of the Gospel…
      • And when we do so we change our eternity for the better… we store up treasures in heaven…
        • And if they say YES to Jesus then they CHANGE their eternity for ever too… and now you have a new eternal friend in heaven to run to the Father with!
        • That’s how we effect the white part when we are in the red part!

Conclusion

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV  He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

• Church, our satisfaction comes from Christ… when you feel unsaitisfied… it’s not because you don’t have enough money, or things, or friends… or whatever… when you feel unsatisfied it is because you do not have enough Christ in you life!
  • When your stomach is hungry, what do you do? You eat food! You don’t buy a new TV… you eat food!
  • When you are unsatisfied, that is your SPIRIT being hungry… therefore you should fill your Spirit with the things of God.
    • Read your Bible more.
    • Pray more.
    • Worship more.
    • Go out and love someone with ACTION then tell them the Gospel.
    • Preach the Word.
    • Make spiritual warfare…
    • Watch as God, time and time get’s the victory! And you will find satisfaction and eternal wealth in Christ Jesus!
• Gospel Call