OUR LORD HERE COMMANDS US TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM\nBABYLON, THE GREAT WHORE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, I stress the fact that Babylon is\nnot a literal city. And it certainly is not a literal woman. Babylon is all\nfalse religion in this world. It is the mother of all idolatry and abominable\ndoctrine of the earth. Babylon is the religion of antichrist in every age.\nBabylon is called by many names, but the most appropriate is found in Mt. 24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Our Lord describes Babylon as a dead\ncarcass around which the vultures of hell swarm \u2013 (Matt. 24:23-28).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the habitation of devils, and the\nhold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” That\nis a suitable description for the religion of this world. True it has a form of\ngodliness; signs, wonders, miracles and emotionalism. But it denies the very\npower of God. It is such a deceiving form of religion that, were it possible,\nthe very elect of God would be deceived by it. But God’s elect are not\ndeceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a. Babylon proclaims “Jesus” \u2013\nBut it is another Jesus. The Jesus of Babylon is a poor, frustrated, defeated\nJesus. He tries to redeem. But his blood is shed in vain for many. He prays for\neveryone, loves everyone, and wants to save everyone. But his prayers, his love\nand his desires are frustrated by the will of man and the works of satan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. Babylon offers men and women a god \u2013\nBut is a useless god, little more than a good-luck charm. He has a purpose. But\nhe cannot carry it out, because men won’t let him. He has a will. But it is\nsubject to the great “free-will” of man. He is gracious. But his\ngrace is nothing but a helpless, frustrated desire to save men and women, who\nwill not let poor god save them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
c. Babylon preaches much about the\nspirit \u2013 But it is another spirit, not the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of\nBabylon has signs and wonders, speaks in tongues, heals hangnails, and most\nespecially bank accounts. This spirit stirs men and women to great heights of\nemotionalism, and causes them to greatly glory in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spirit of Babylon causes men to hate\nthe sins of others. The Spirit of Christ causes men to hate their own sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Spirit of Babylon causes men to do\ngood works by which to make themselves righteous. The Spirit of Christ causes\nhelpless sinners to seek the righteousness of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spirit of Babylon causes people to\nstand up and shout. The Spirit of Christ causes sinners to fall in the dust of\nrepentance and mourn over sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spirit of Babylon tries his best to\nget sinners to come to Jesus. The Spirit of Christ effectually draws sinners to\ntheir Savior.
\nd. Babylon preaches a gospel \u2013 But it is another gospel.\nThe gospel of Babylon is a man-centered, free-will, good works gospel that is\nfull of fables. (II Tim. 4:4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(1.) God loves everybody and wants\neverybody to be saved.
\n(2.) Christ died for everybody, prays for everybody and\ngives everybody a chance to be saved.
\n(3.) The Holy Spirit calls everybody, strives with\neverybody and tries to save everybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
e. Babylon is the religion of man \u2013\nAccording to Babylon, everything ultimately depends upon man. It is my\nintention to be perfectly clear. Any religion that proclaims salvation\nconditioned upon the will of the sinner, something a sinner does, or does not do,\nis Babylonian, anti-God, anti-Christ, and damning to the souls of men. No one\never has been saved in Babylon. No one can be saved in Babylon. Babylon is\ndamned. And all who cling to Babylon shall be damned with her<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeding\nSheep or Amusing Goats<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An evil\nresides in the professed camp of the Lord so gross in its imprudence that the\nmost shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years it\nhas developed at an abnormal rate evil for evil. It has worked like leaven until\nthe whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a more clever thing than\nhinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment\nfor the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out as the Puritans\ndid, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and\nexcused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now\nshe has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My first contention is that\nproviding amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a\nfunction of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ speak of\nit? \u2018Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.\u2019 That is\nclear enough. So it would have been if He has added, \u2018and provide amusement for\nthose who do not relish the gospel\u2019 No such words, however, are to be found. It\ndid not seem to occur to Him. Then again, \u2018He gave some apostles, some\nprophets, some pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry.\u2019 Where do\nentertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the\nprophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The\nconcert has no martyr roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, providing amusement is\nin direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His apostles.\nWhat was the attitude of the Church to the world? \u2018Ye are the salt,\u2019 not sugar\ncandy\u2014something the world will spit out, not swallow. Short and sharp was the\nutterance, \u2018Let the dead bury their dead.\u2019 He was in awful earnestness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Had Christ introduced more of\nthe bright and pleasant elements into His mission, He would have been more\npopular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I\ndo not hear Him say, \u2018Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have\na different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with\nlittle preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them\nthey will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick, Peter, we must get the people\nsomehow!\u2019 Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to\namuse them. In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of the\ngospel amusement. Their message is, \u2018Come out, keep out, keep clean out!\u2019\nAnything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless\nconfidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon. After Peter and John\nwere locked up for preaching, the Church had a prayer meeting, but they did not\npray, \u2018Lord grant Thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of\ninnocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are.\u2019 If they ceased\nnot for preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments.\nScattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They\n\u2018turned the world upside down.\u2019 That is the difference! Lord, clear the Church\nof all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her and bring us back to\napostolic methods. Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to affect the end\ndesired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers,\nwho thank God because the Church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the\nheavy-laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the\ndrunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God\u2019s link in the chain of\ntheir conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement\nproduces no converts. The need of the hour for today\u2019s ministry is believing\nscholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other\nas fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt,\nthat it sets men on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charles H. Spurgeon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYOU ARE COMPLETE\nIN HIM\u201d- Todd Nibert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is nothing about me that feels\ncomplete. I always feel there is something lacking in my faith, love,\nrepentance, sincerity or anything else. But God\u2019s Word tells me I am complete\nin Him. Not I will be complete or I am in the process of being made complete,\nbut I am, right now, complete, lacking nothing, completely filled. However\ncomplete the Christ is, that is how complete I am (I John 4:17). \u201cAs He is, so\nare we in this world.\u201d We have this on the authority of God\u2019s Word. We may not\nfeel complete, but we are complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The subtlety of Satan is such that there\nare those in our day who so vehemently stress and emphasize Christ\u2019s imputed\nrighteousness as the sinner\u2019s only ground of justification before God, that\nthey fail to preach CHRIST HIMSELF who is our righteousness, CHRIST, \u201cwho of\nGod is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and\nredemption.\u201d Consequently, they may be leading men and women to trust in a\nsystem of theology, rather than in CHRIST, who is the sum and substance of all\ntheology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not opinions that man needs: it is TRUTH. It is not\ntheology; it is God. It is not religion: it is Christ. It is not literature and\nscience; but the knowledge of the free love of God in the gift of His\nonly-begotten Son. \n ~Horatius\nBonar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan today is to make the church as much like the world as\npossible, so that unregenerate people will not feel uncomfortable and will be\nattracted to its ministry! Turn the church into a theater; worship\ninto a musical display; ministers into actors and clowns to amuse and\nentertain; sermons into political, patriotic, or philosophical essays; and the\nliving God into a good buddy whose attributes are adjustable to any culture or\ncreed. This will attract the flesh and successfully quench the\nSpirit. ~Scott Richardson<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human religion speaks of Providence as an interruption of the\nnatural course of things, when in fact, Providence is the natural course of\neverything. Everything is Providential. ~John Chapman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
__<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We worship that gloriously unique\nGod-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary. He is our\nSacrifice. He is the very sum and substance of our theology, that divine truth\nwe know and love. What we call \u201cCalvinism\u201d or \u201cThe Doctrines of Grace\u201d are\nembodied in Him. One may be familiar with those doctrines and not know Him, but\none cannot know Him and have a lasting problem with those doctrines, because\n… they emanate from Him, being of the very essence of His glorious Person and\nWork. True faith (the gift of God wrought through His Word, Ephesians 2:810;\nRomans 10:17) cannot conceive of Him as being anything less than absolutely\nsovereign, nor of His work, for and in the sinner, as being anything other than\nabsolutely free and totally effectual. Thus, praise His Name! He is a real and\nsure hope for real, helpless, \u201cdead dog\u201d sinners! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus Christ, in the totality of His\nglorious person and His efficacious work, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
is the sum and substance of all that we\nhold dearest, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
and of all that we are and have in our\nrelationship with the Father. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MAURICE MONTGOMERY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\nwily devil!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a\nfoe to one’s peace is one’s own spirit! What shall I call it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is\noften an infernal spirit. Why? Because it bears the mark of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satan\nupon it. The pride of our spirit, the presumption of our<\/p>\n\n\n\n
spirit,\nthe hypocrisy of our spirit, the intense selfishness of our<\/p>\n\n\n\n
spirit,\nare often hidden from us. This wily devil, SELF, can wear<\/p>\n\n\n\n
such\nmasks and assume such forms! This serpent, SELF, can so<\/p>\n\n\n\n
creep and\ncrawl, can so twist and turn, and can disguise itself<\/p>\n\n\n\n
under\nsuch false appearances.\u2014that it is often hidden from<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is\nthe greatest enemy we have to fear? We all have our<\/p>\n\n\n\n
enemies.\nBut who is our greatest enemy? He whom you carry in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
your own\nbosom.\u2014your daily, hourly, and unmovable companion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
who\nentwines himself in nearly every thought of your heart.\u2014who<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sometimes\npuffs up with pride, sometimes inflames with lust,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sometimes\ninflates with presumption, and sometimes works under<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pretended\nhumility and fleshly holiness. God is determined to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
stain\nthe pride of human glory. He will never let SELF, (which is<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but\nanother word for the creature,) wear the crown of victory. It<\/p>\n\n\n\n
must be\ncrucified, denied, and mortified!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christians are not only to take heed\nthat they weep moderately for worldly afflictions, but they are also to take\ncare of, that they are not EXCESSIVE in their sorrows for their sins and\ncorruptions\u2026
\nSorrowing for sin is excessive, when it lays down DISCOURAGEMENTS\non the soul TO COME INTO CHRIST for pardon and remission. When a man will so\ngrieve for sin that he dares NOT venture to LOOK UP to Jesus Christ for mercy,\nand to LAY HOLD ON A PROMISE for his comfort; when a sinner does this, then he\nmourns excessively. If the children of Israel in the wilderness, when they were\nstung with fiery serpents, had not the boldness to look up to the brazen\nserpent, they could not have been healed and recovered. So when sorrow for sin\nmakes us that we cannot look up to Christ for pardon, then it is excessive.\nSorrow and tears for sin are never right until they are like floods of water to\ndrive us to Christ\u2026
\nYou that count sin your greatest burden, that every mole\nhill of sin is like a mountain on you, take heed that you do not be overwhelmed\nwith sorrow, that you cannot see comfort at all in Christ, and in the promises\nof salvation through him; but you look to the Lord Jesus Christ and see that\nthere is more in Christ to save you than there is in yourselves to condemn you.\nThough there is an abundance of corruption in you, yet there is a FULLNESS OF\nSATISFACTION in Christ, \u201cHe is able to save to the uttermost all that shall\ncome unto God by him,\u201d (Hebrews 7:25). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
– CHRISTOPHER LOVE (1618-1651)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EXPOSING GOD TO\nBE GOD. Speaking of the doctrine of election, the apostle Paul tells us in\nRomans chapter 9, verse 11 about two twin boys that had not yet been born.\nHaving not yet been born, neither of the boys had done any good or evil. This\nis to show us, teach us and reveal to us that salvation is not all by a work\nthat we do. God determined one of these two boys to be saved before they had\nany opportunity in and of themselves to do anything good or evil. Neither child\nhad done anything good to recommend himself, and neither child had committed\nany evil to hinder God\u2019s choosing of them. One was simply saved by the purpose\nof God according to election? So, what is the purpose of God according to\nelection? We know this much, it is \u201cNot of works, but of Him (of God) that\ncalleth.\u201d It is God\u2019s purpose to have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and\ncompassion on whom He will have compassion, proving that it has nothing to do\nwith what the chosen sinner does. (Romans 9:15) The original word used for\n\u201cpurpose\u201d in this verse actually means \u201cto set forth, or to expose.\u201d The\npurpose of God according to election stands true and it \u201cset\u2019s forth and\nexposes\u201d God to be God. We could just as correctly read what Paul said this\nway. \u201cThat the setting forth and exposing of God according to election might\nstand, not of works but of Him that calleth.\u201d The truth about election (God\u2019s\nchoosing of a people) is that it exposes God to be the Sovereign One who saves.\nElection reveals God to be the One who makes one sinner to differ from another.\n(1 Corinthians 4:7) No, we are not saved by election! We are saved in, by, and\nthrough the Lord Jesus Christ. But election does set forth, expose and reveal\nthe kind of God that saves. Election actually exposes the only God that saves,\nand that is a Sovereign One. DLEdemsen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OUR LORD HERE COMMANDS US TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM BABYLON, THE GREAT WHORE. Again, I stress the fact that Babylon is not a literal city. And it certainly is not a literal woman. Babylon is all false religion in this world. It is the mother of all idolatry and abominable doctrine of the earth. Babylon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5599"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5600,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5599\/revisions\/5600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}