And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

While The world is crying let’s recreate, let’s create a society of pleasure, pride, power and wealth to enjoy, to conquer, to maximize mankind and her ability to do good and be self-righteous without God, The Lord is saying get out of her. Not literally go find another place but live differently.

“Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the Lord’s vengeance; he will pay her what she deserves.

NIV

 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

• Daniel was a teenager and withstood and changed the powerful Nebudcaneezar.

 

PROFILE: DANIEL 3 KEYS TO HIS CONSECRATION

1. He controlled his appetites Dan 1:8

• Cajuns have very carnal appetites for sin. Now that we are saved we need to develop new appetites for things of god and lose our old appetites ie; cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, rambling & gambling, adultery uncleanness, TV etc.
• When we control our carnal appetites we can also control and regulate our spiritual disciplines

2. He kept his integrity Dan 6:3-4

• Even when falsely accused by the satraps and governors Daniel stood in his integrity.   He had already withstood the wrath of Nebucanezzar on several occasions. These guys would not push him off his integrity. In the end it blew back in their face. Daniel was found with an excellent spirit and no fault found in him. We need that same integrity for the storms that are ahead.

3. He Maintained his Habit of Prayer Dan 6:10

• Even the threat of the Lions den could not keep Daniel from his commitment to prayer. God did deliver him from the Lion’s mouth. If we develop early in our walk with him to pray, he will be with us in every situation.

 

Friendship with the World Makes Us Enemies With God

James 4:1-11 (NKJV)
¹ Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
¹¹ Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

• Better to Be Friend of God than Friend of the World

Excuses Of The Called

Luke 14:17-24 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

Complacency of The Called

Luke 12:16-20 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Lordship Is A Matter OF The Heart!

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

 

Finally Jesus is coming back soon! Is our heart for Him? Is He Lord of all?, or are you still in Babylon?

Additional Notes

18:2-3 Merchants in the Roman empire grew rich by exploiting the sinful pleasures of their society. Many business people today do the same thing. Businesses and governments are often based on greed, money, and power. Many bright individuals are tempted to take advantage of an evil system to enrich themselves. Christians are warned to stay free from the lure of money, status, and the good life. We are to live according to the values Christ exemplified: service, giving, self-sacrifice, obedience, and truth. 

The people of Babylon had lived in luxury and pleasure. The city boasted, “I sit as queen. . . and I will never mourn.” The powerful, wealthy people of this world are susceptible to this same attitude. A person who is financially comfortable often feels invulnerable, secure, and in control, feeling no need for God or anyone else 

Notes on Daniel Our first hint of Daniel’s greatness comes in his quiet refusal to give up his convictions. He had applied God’s will to his own life, and he resisted changing the good habits he had formed. Both his physical and spiritual diets were an important part of his relationship with God. He ate carefully and lived prayerfully. One of the benefits of being in training for royal service was eating food from the king’s table. Daniel tactfully chose a simpler menu and proved it was a healthy choice. As with Daniel, mealtimes are obvious and regular tests of our efforts to control our appetites.

While Daniel limited his food intake, he indulged in prayer. He was able to communicate with God because he made it a habit. He put into practice his convictions, even when that meant being thrown into a den of hungry lions. His life proved he made the right choice. 

Do you hold so strongly to your faith in God that whatever happens you will do what God says? Such conviction keeps you a step ahead of temptation; such conviction gives you wisdom and stability in changing circumstances. Prayerfully live out your convictions in everyday life and trust God for the results.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• Although young when deported, remained true to his faith
• Served as an adviser to two Babylonian kings and two Medo-Persian kings
• Was a man of prayer and a statesman with the gift of prophecy
• Survived the lions’ den