Transcript:
We are facing a problem and that is that we’ve run out of time, and we have to close this thing down. I was going to preach. I’m not going to. I am going to do something else though. Barbara and Shane gave messages. I’m giving an invitation to make commitments to Christ. Of all the things that have happened these last two days, nothing is more important than what will happen in the next five minutes. Everything we hoped would point to this decision making. In the book of Revelation, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth chapter, John the Apostle tries to prepare the church for surviving in the midst of the Roman Empire. Whenever he talks about the Roman Empire, he uses a code word it’s Babylon. Whenever he’s talking about the kingdom of God and God’s people, John uses the word Jerusalem. So, the book of Revelation is a struggle between two groups of people, the citizens of Babylon, the citizens of Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem. Have you got it? There are the symbols. Babylon refers to the dominant culture. To the ancient Christians that was Rome. Today the people who live in France their dominant culture is France. If you’re from if you’re from Kenya your dominant culture is it’s Kenya. We’re from the United States of America. Our Babylon is the United States of America. I love America. It’s the best Babylon on the face of the earth. People, it is still Babylon. It is not the kingdom of God. When I saw that video, I was upset because they identified Jesus and Christianity with a particular political party. Let it not be said of the Red Letter Christians movement that we have identified Jesus Christ with the Democratic Party. Jesus transcends both political parties. Please understand that and what I’m calling you to do today is to identify yourself with the Jerusalem, with the kingdom of God. If you read those chapters in Revelation, contrary to what those people say, contrary to what we say, one of these days, Babylon is going to fall. That’s what the book of Revelation says. Every Babylon falls. Sooner or later, it falls. People talked about becoming economists. I don’t know an economist in the world that thinks the American economy is going to survive. You can’t increase the national debt two or three trillion dollars a year and survive. The people on the writer correct they they’ve got to cut the spending, but they want to cut the spending on programs for the poor. They ought to be cutting the spending on military. We’ve got we’ve got such a huge military it blows our minds. If you added the military expenses for the next eight industrialized nations, they wouldn’t even measure to half of what we’re spending. We’ve got to protect the poor, we’ve got to save the budget, we’ve got to save, but Babylon is going to fall, and here’s my question. When Babylon falls, the Bible says in those chapters there are two reactions. The one reaction, the one reaction is the merchants you read it the merchants weep because everything they’ve invested in is going down the tubes. There’s another cry however in the opening verses of the nineteenth chapter. It’s the people of God and they’re yelling hallelujah, hallelujah, Babylon is no more. That system that has seduced people, it’s the great whore. That’s what Babylon is, it says it’s the great whore. It seduces people and I don’t think it’s just them that have been seduced. We’ve all been seduced by Babylon. We all been seduced by this consumeristic culture. Most of us spend money on stuff that we don’t need. If you don’t believe me, drive around the town and see where you can rent space to store all the stuff that people don’t need. Think of the absurdity of this. I got so much stinking stuff. I can’t find room for it in my house so I’ll pay somebody just so I can store it. Store it for what? Jesus says in the tenth chapter of Mark to the rich young ruler, it’s time to sell all your stuff and give the money to the poor. We’re all seduced. We’ve all become citizens of Babylon and the time has come to reject the citizenship of Babylon and to embrace the citizenship of God’s kingdom and that’s the invitation. We’re not going to call you up here or anything like that. I am going to ask you to make a decision and it’s not an easy one. It’s not an easy one. Are you ready to say I want to commit myself without reservation to Jesus, to his kingdom, to his values, what he says in those red letters? I’m gonna live out the red letters. I’m going to be committed to the poor, I’m going to stand up for the refugee, I’m going to speak for those who feel oppressed by our society, I’m going to become a citizen of the kingdom of God. This is not my invitation. Here it is. Jesus says to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Everything else will take care of itself. I want America to survive but the truth is, whether it survives or doesn’t survive, kings and kingdoms will all pass away. There’s only one Kingdom that will last. Are you ready to say in the depths of your being, listen to this carefully because this is no easy one, this is not do you believe in Jesus. You wouldn’t be here this late if you didn’t believe in Jesus. I’m sure you believe in Jesus. That’s not the question. The Bible says Satan believes in Jesus. He is theologically Orthodox. He believes the Apostles Creed, he believes the Bible from cover to cover. He even believes the leather is genuine. If you’re looking for theological soundness Satan’s got it. We’re not calling you to believe in Jesus we’re calling you to let Jesus Christ become, listen to this, the lord of your life. That means you’re saying if you make the decision tonight, I’m gonna do in my life, insofar as I understand Jesus, I’m gonna do what he asks me to do. I’m going to be the kind of person he wants me to be. I’m willing to go where he wants me to go. I’m willing to give what I when he wants me to give. I’m going to surrender myself to Jesus. The earliest Creed in the church was not the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed. The theologians will tell you the shortest line was this. The earliest creed of the church was Jesus Christ is Lord. They weren’t even sure of their theology in those early days, but they were sure he was a resurrected Jesus, and they wanted to follow him. So, the invitation, its revival time. Are you ready to say I’ll commit myself to the lordship of Christ, I want to be a citizen of God’s kingdom, I’m going to be turning from Babylon? I could ask you to raise your hand, I could ask you to come down the aisle, I’ll make it as difficult as I can. Would you publicly, if you want to make that commitment, stand up right where you are right now? Understand what you’re doing, understand what you’re doing. This is not cheap grace, this is not easy believe-ism. This is saying Jesus Christ is my Lord. I’m going to be what he wants me to be, I’m going to do, what he wants me to do I’m going to say what he wants me to say. You say, I’m not sure I can pull it off. Of course you can’t. That’s why he will send the Holy Spirit if you are willing to make this commitment. He will pour the spirit into you and the Spirit in you will enable you to do what you could never do on your own. Thank you for standing. Will the rest of you please stand and join them as we close out this session with a prayer. And here’s the thing, when this thing’s over because we’ve run over time, I think there’s a need to do some, break down some stuff. You go in the back room there and into the vestibule, they’ll tell you what you can do to help get this stuff stored away so we can get out of here on time. And I want to say may the Lord bless you and keep you may the Lord cause his face to shine upon you, may the Lord be gracious unto you, and may the Lord give unto you his peace.