The Babylonian Blind Spot

Well, happy Sabbath, everyone! How about that music? Wow! Beautiful! Haven't heard that song for a little while, and it is such a rousing, fantastic, inspiring song that just tells it all right to the very end. New Jerusalem really sets that picture. In fact, I'm always interested in that middle section where you've got this jubilant song, and then it turns, and the hosannas. It's always remarkable to think that the people were saying, Hosanna, save Jesus as He comes into the city, and a couple of days later, they're yelling, Crucify Him. And there was the Savior right there the whole time, right in front of their eyes. I think maybe that applies to us in a way. Have you ever been in a situation that you knew you were absolutely right? Well, then something comes up that was there all the time, and you realize, I'm wrong. Now, that never happens to you, right? That only happens to me, I guess. It's like, how could I have missed that? That seems so obvious.

And yeah, it can be embarrassing, but I think at the same time it's revealing, because we all have blind spots. And the trouble is, we rarely recognize them ourselves. You know, like those Jews didn't recognize the Savior right in front of them. And it seems that sometimes when you're very familiar with things, that that might be the time that you miss something. We miss something that's there in the things that sometimes we're the most familiar with, because that's the time we're probably less likely to ask a question about it or look deeply into it. And of course, that matters spiritually speaking. We can know the truth, and we can miss what it ought to reveal about us. Knowing the truth, but not recognizing what it reveals about us. Because knowing the answer is not the same as allowing God to change us. Okay, with that in mind, let's go to the back of the book, all the way back to the book of Revelation. Revelation 17, we can take a look at this section of Scripture where it's describing this huge prophetic event that is just on the horizon from where we're at today. It's describing this beast, this huge political power that is going to take over the world, and it's being ridden by this scarlet woman, this false church. So we have a political system that's designated and directed by this false church. And as John is inspired to describe this coming beast power, it's interesting what he says is written on this woman. We skip down to verse 5 of Revelation 17. It says, On her forehead a name was written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth. And this woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Now you read that, okay, we're familiar about this power that's coming. We're familiar with this false church that's going to ride that beast. But you can't help but wonder, why pick Babylon? Where did that come from? Of all the names that God could have used, you ever wondered, why Babylon?

By the time John received this vision, where was Babylon? Long gone. Long gone. It wasn't any dominant world empire any longer. Rome was the power at that time, and there were so many other powers that had risen and had fallen over time to this point where Rome is dominant. And yet here we are at the end of the Bible, and God inspires the name Babylon.

Babylon the Great. You ever wondered why that name is significant? Not just here in Revelation, but all the way back at the beginning of the Bible. You can find these connections significant related to this name from the beginning of the Bible all the way to the end. And that may speak to the fact that, hey, there's more here that have some meaning to me personally than I might have otherwise thought.

So as we think about this this afternoon, let's consider something that I'm calling the Babylonian blind spot. And as we go through the Bible, let's try to keep one question in mind. What is God trying to show me that I might have overlooked in the past? What's God trying to show me that I've really never stopped and took some time to really recognize? So let's begin. Go back to the beginning. Let's go back to the book of Genesis. And we'll notice this first Babylonian system. It's in Genesis chapter 11. In fact, this is a very familiar story to almost all of us. Anyone ever heard of the Tower of Babel?

The Tower of Babel, right? Okay, we've probably heard. We know this story, don't we? Most do. All right, all the people have gotten together. They have one language. They have this amazing city. And what do they do? They build this huge tower. God takes care of them. He mixes up the languages, and the people are scattered. And so we think about this story, and sometimes we might think, yeah, that tower, that was really a problem, wasn't it?

It wasn't the tower. Was that the problem? The problem was this huge, high tower? No, not really. The problem was the purpose behind the tower. And so when we look at what Scripture says here, notice verse 4. As the people are getting together, notice what they say. Genesis 11.4. They say, Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. A name for ourselves. What did they want? They wanted greatness. They wanted security. They wanted control. That's what they wanted.

They wanted it on their terms. Now, what did God expect? Well, if we look back just to a page or two in chapter 9. Chapter 9, we have Noah coming through the flood, and God commands Noah and his family, what? He tells them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

But at Babel, they resisted this direction from God. They sought their own name. They sought their own security. They wanted their plan that was contrary to what God directed. Now, of course, they were building something amazing. I mean, this was impressive if you could imagine standing there in these ancient times. And here's this huge structure. That was probably amazing to see that.

But the problem was it went the wrong direction. It went the wrong direction because the construction wasn't necessarily evil of itself. The achievement wasn't necessarily wrong, per se. But it's whether or not God directs it. Now, isn't that true in our life as well? Is it possible for me to accomplish something that could be impressive, but actually is moving in the wrong spiritual direction? Is that possible?

A blind spot might be that, well, God, I ask you to guide me and lead me in my life. But make sure you do it this way because this is what I really want. Do we have those thoughts come to mind? I've already decided, God, what I think is best.

And here's the answer that I'll accept. Or do we only trust God when plans work out for the way I want? I mean, is it possible to have, well, in this society, possible to have a successful life and yet still resist surrendering your life to God? I think that's part of the lesson as we read through this tower synapses here. And it's also interesting that if we compare that to what comes next, there's an interesting contrast here. Look at chapter 12. Genesis 12, here we have Abram, who becomes Abraham. And it's quite a difference in what God tells Abram.

Notice verse 2. This is Genesis 12. God tells Abram, I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. And so the contrast. Babel, let us make a name for ourselves. To Abram, God says, I will make a name, your name great.

God would take care of that. And so Abraham's future rested on the promises of God, not his own design, not his own direction. And it's interesting to see that God says that purpose, I mean, it wasn't just for any old reason, he says it's a purpose that would be a blessing. Abraham's life was to be a blessing. So we have this amazing contrast. God-given greatness, as Abraham certainly achieved, given by God, that kind of God-given greatness serves others.

You shall be a blessing. It certainly doesn't promote self. And so we see that contrast. In fact, if you think about the way that it's described in the faith chapter, in Hebrews 11, there's an amazing picture that's given there about Abraham. And when you think about this city of Babel and this tower that they built and this name that they wanted, to contrast that with what's said about Abraham, in Hebrews 11, it said, Abraham waited for the city.

He waited for the city whose builder and maker is God. And it's such an amazing difference. Babel built what they could see and what they could control and what they wanted. Abraham, on the other hand, trusted God. He trusted God's promises. And the most amazing part? He couldn't see this big city. He couldn't imagine it in that sense. He couldn't see it right in front of his eyes. But he trusted that God was going to do that. And so here we have this confidence in human achievement at Babel.

And on the other hand, confidence in what God can do. So for us, what about me? Am I building around God's promise? Or asking God to bless the plans that I want, the plans that I've already chosen? You see, sometimes the real obstacle is that, well, I want to direct my own life. That's the good old American way. Choose your way, make it happen. It's up to you. Well, that's opposite of yielding ourselves to God. I mean, can I make the mistake of thinking that I'm in control and that's where my security is?

Or do I find that security in God and His promises? And that's certainly what Babel's blind spot was. Trusting their own design for their life, more than trusting what God's direction was all about. Now, it's interesting, a little later in Babylon, the story continues. If you go to the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 1, here we are in Babylon.

Now, we're about 1,600 years or so after the tower, and we meet Daniel. He is now in Babylon. We recognize the fact that Nebuchadnezzar had basically taken captive, the best and the brightest, removed them from Jerusalem, carried him off as captives to Babylon. And it's a pretty amazing story when you see what happens. Now, another story we're familiar with. The story, Daniel and his friends. What happens? The king takes them in chapter 1 and puts them in a program, I suppose you could say.

What's this program? Well, let's read a little. Let's remind ourselves a little about this. Well, it says, these were the best of the best, these young men. There was no blemish in verse 4, good-looking, gifted in all wisdom. And then verse 5, the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies, of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.

Of course, it tells us who they are, and Daniel was among them. So we see this isn't just a nice educational program. What's happening here? Could we say they're brainwashing them? Could we say that they're, okay, not just educating, they're reorienting them. They're changing their whole perspective. They're changing who's in control. Oh, you're going to learn the language. This is what you're going to do. You're going to learn our language. You're going to eat like we eat. You're going to be trained to serve the king, not your king, our king. And so we're going to give you royal food. We're going to train you.

We're going to give you this opportunity. We're going to give you status. And of course, all of that comes with conforming. You've got to do what we tell you. And in fact, you're going to be one of us. That's what they're doing here. And yeah, what a contrast that must have been for poor Daniel. His name means, God is my judge. That's what Daniel means. So can you imagine? As we read here in verse 6, Daniel, well, they even changed his name.

They changed his name to Belteshazzar, which points to a pagan God is going to protect me. Can you imagine that? God is my judge. Daniel, every day, called to be reminded of this pagan deity who they're saying is going to provide for him. I mean, can you imagine how degrading that must have been? Especially that name that's... Hey, I reject that whole thing. Now, the interesting part then in verse 8, it says, Daniel purposed in his heart he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacy, nor with the wine which he drank. And I'm sure all the other things would have went right along with that.

He's not going to defile himself. So Babylon could assign the menu. They could, you know, make sure that he has a different name. They could control the circumstances that he lived in.

But what couldn't they do? They couldn't change his allegiance. They couldn't change his allegiance. And it's interesting here when we think about what Daniel did. He had purposed. He had decided. That purposed word really takes on the connotation of he predetermined what he would... He didn't wait till the last second when he was faced with a trial to decide what he's going to do. He had already decided, no matter what, I am following God. I will do His will. I will honor Him in all circumstances. He'd already decided that. So no matter what Babylon could do, he was locked in to honoring God in every way he could. And of course, as we think about how this impacts us, you know, what is it that shapes my thoughts? What shapes my thinking? My desires? The ideas of that I have for what true success really is? You know, what do I absorb from the world around me? What do I absorb from what I watch? From what I like? What do I absorb from the things that I go after, that I work towards, or that I pursue? I might keep the Sabbath, but most of the day, what do I do? Do I just fill it with the things I want? My own priorities? Well, I might teach my children God's way, but what do I model in front of their eyes? Do they see God's way lived before them, or is there some disconnect from what I say to what I do? Oh, I might speak of love and all the wonderful attributes, but how much patience do I show toward anybody that might get in my way or inconvenience me? You see, that's the amazing thing when we begin to apply this familiar story to our lives. It's also interesting what Daniel did. You know, did he just defy those Babylonian authorities? No. He didn't. What did he do? He respectfully asked for an alternative. Well, rather than the king's delicacies, can I just be a vegetarian for a while? Yeah, he was respectful. So here's a man, a young man, who had conviction but not arrogance. Not arrogance. Can we approach God's way with that same attitude? Now, if we fast forward just a little bit, hold your place here in Daniel. We're going to come back. In Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah talks about this same timeframe that Daniel is captive in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. Over in Jeremiah 29, if you go to Jeremiah chapter 29, it's interesting that Jeremiah writes to the captives, to those who are in exile in Babylon. This is a few years after the account we just read in Daniel, but that same timeframe. So Daniel's still there. God's people are held captive in Babylon. They tried to mold them and shape them in the way that they wanted them. And it's interesting what God's instructions to his people are in Babylon. What does God instruct them to do? What are they supposed to act like? Well, in Jeremiah 29 verse 5, we have the inspired words that Jeremiah recorded from God. Here's what he says. "'Build houses and dwell in them.'" Wait a second, God. You know I'm in Babylon, right? No, he says, "'Build houses, dwell in them, plant gardens, eat their fruit, take wives, beget sons and daughters, take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be increased there and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I've caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it. For in its peace you will have peace.'" Pray for Babylon? Are you kidding me? That's what I'm supposed to do. They carried us away. I'm supposed to be peaceful? Yeah, these are the captives that worship these pagan gods. But what does God instruct them? Contribute to society. Help. Be constructive. Now don't accept their beliefs. Don't fall for that. Don't take their women. No, don't do that.

You seek peace while you're loyal to God. And so God instructed them. Live in Babylon, but don't allow Babylon to decide how you live. And that's the key. Live there, but don't let it dictate how you live. And it applies directly to us in this world that we live in today. You know, with society around us, what are we called to do?

Be a living, breathing example of God's way. Have integrity. Have compassion. Serve others. Don't put down those people out there. They don't know God's way. They don't have a disdain for them. Here's what God told them to do. Imagine Daniel serving in this government of a kingdom that had conquered his nation.

But he served. I mean, he became a trusted advisor. He became high up in the government through his obedience to God, his ability, his integrity. And he worked diligently to treat people respectfully. And all that time, he never gave up his love for God. He never gave up his faithfulness to God. So I have to ask myself, you know, does my Christianity make me a better person to be around?

Am I really a better person for it? Because I think it's pointing out a blind spot we've got to be careful about.

I mean, I can become so focused on everything that's bad out. Is there bad things out there? Yeah, let's go on. Take the rest of the afternoon. It's easy to see the bad things. We're surrounded by it. It's easy to see all of those things that are contrary to God's way.

It's easy to see all the things we oppose. Absolutely. But I could be so focused on that that I fail to show what I really stand for.

Isn't that what counts? Because we could separate ourselves from society. We could separate ourselves from sin. But it's not a separation from kindness. It's not a separation from compassion. It's not a separation from serving.

That was Daniel's example. And that was genuine. Genuine. And so if we're to be genuine Christians, it has to be seen not in just what we refuse to do, but it's seen in what we actively do in our actions. And so it's one thing to hold those convictions, but do we act like it? Do we exhibit it?

And so we actually see an example of that very thing. Because when the pressure's on, that's when the going gets tough.

And so we see an example of that back in Daniel. So let's head back to Daniel chapter 3 as the Babylon story continues here.

Daniel chapter 3, another familiar section of Scripture. Probably most of us know this section of Scripture where Nebuchadnezzar builds this huge giant statue. And everybody has to bow down and worship it, or he's going to throw him in the prison. Oh no, throw him where? The furnace! Yeah, see, I knew you knew the story. Throw him in the furnace! Okay, maybe... Well, you remember that. This is the bunny. The bunny. Yeah, okay, if you laugh, you know... you know veggie tales. Yeah, this is the bunny story. Alright, you're going to worship this or you die.

Of course, we've got Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... Wait a second, that's not their names. What was their names? Their real names?

Hananiah, Mishiel, Azariah. That was their identity. That was their God-given names. What do they say? We're going to bow down? No, like Daniel.

They had already decided they would not compromise. So we look down to verse 17. Daniel 3, 17.

They said, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. And He will deliver us from your hand, O King.

So they had confidence in God's promise, ultimately to save. Then they say, But if not, if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you've set up.

And so, interesting, we know the story. They survived. Wow! Miraculously, they survived. This is amazing. They trusted God, and God came through and saved them.

But they didn't know that was going to happen. Right? They said very clearly, God can save us, but if He doesn't, it doesn't change a thing. So what does that tell us? Their obedience did not depend on a guaranteed rescue. It didn't depend on... Their faith rested on who God is. They didn't know how the story would end. So it wasn't like, Well, God will obey you if you save us from this furnace.

Of course, we never do that, do we? We never, you know, kind of compromise in that way. We never bargain with God, do we?

Well, God, you know I'd forgive them if they'd just apologize.

Well, I'll tithe. When my finances approve, you know, when they get better, then I'll give a tenth to you.

You see, and that's the challenge here in this example. We recognize the fact God is worthy. God is worthy of obedience, even when we don't know what the outcome will be.

Because our furnace? Not so fiery hot, right? Our furnace isn't. You know, it's that, I could take this shortcut at work and nobody will know the difference, and we kind of hedge on our integrity.

Well, I'm in this conversation, and they're all gossiping about things, and boy, it's easier to stand there than to actually say, you know, we probably should talk about something else.

That doesn't feel like a fiery furnace, but you know, I really don't want my kids to feel like they're weird or something, so, you know, maybe that's okay.

You know, when we think about that, then, of course, we're alone. We're in private. Nobody's going to know, and I can just feed my mind with all kinds of things that, if you were there, you would, I would be just embarrassed.

Different kind of fiery furnace. None of those look like some gigantic image that we're supposed to bow down to, but they certainly reveal who rules our decisions, who is our guide.

And, of course, that crucial moment comes before that weird text that if, oh, click here for whatever. No, the decision has to already have been made.

You know, when do you decide that following God's Word is an absolute conviction, or it's just a preference? I can negotiate with that a little bit.

That's a danger. That's a danger. Now, if we turn the page here, go to Daniel 4. We're still at that same time, and we come to another very familiar story.

But have you ever noticed this about this particular story? Daniel 4, here is Nebuchadnezzar. He is king of Babylon, all powerful.

And he's just surveying the city. Is this not great Babylon, he says in verse 30? Daniel 4.30.

This is great Babylon that I have built. I did it by my power and for the honor of my majesty.

Not egotistical at all, right? Wow. It is...it would be something. Could you imagine standing there at ancient Babylon?

If you ever have an opportunity to go to the Pergamum Museum in Germany, they have reconstructed the Ishtar Gate that was there at Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon.

And just that one gate is...it's astounding. It is absolutely amazing to stand in front of that gate and look at all the mosaics on that building. And this is just a teeny little piece of Babylon. And so it's interesting. Yeah, that was a real achievement. No doubt about that.

But Nebuchadnezzar's blind spot? Yeah, he took that accomplishment and could only see how important he was. That's what it meant to him.

Now that would probably never, never would happen to us, would it? We'd never be caught with that.

You know, we're working hard. We're trying to do our best. You know, I'm serving. And nobody notices. Nobody recognized me.

Well, what happens inside when that occurs? Or how do we feel when somebody else might even get the credit for what...can I rejoice over that?

They got the credit and I should have, but they did. Is it possible for us to rejoice? And that's the...boy, that is the subtle thing about pride. It can hide behind hurt feelings. It can hide behind defensiveness. It can hide behind this need. I have to be right.

How is it possible for me to encourage someone if I'm secretly resenting the fact that they're successful? I can't do it.

Do I use the things I understand in God's Word, the spiritual understanding? Do I use it just to show how much knowledge I have? Or do I use it to help and serve and care for others?

I mean, we know the story here. Of course, God humbles Nebuchadnezzar, turns him into like an animal, takes his human spirit away from him, it seems. And he's just like an animal for years.

And Nebuchadnezzar finally comes to recognize the most high God rules in the kingdom of men. God's in charge.

In fact, yeah, we find ourselves with some of these types of attitudes. I mean, that is a positive thing here, that God humbled Nebuchadnezzar.

And as he exposed this pride in him, Nebuchadnezzar could change. I think God does that with us as well. When he exposes our pride, he gives us an opportunity to repent and to change.

That's also interesting in this same story that as Nebuchadnezzar fades from the picture, some things kind of stay the same.

If you look to chapter 5, look to Daniel chapter 5, and here we come to the next king. We come to Belshazzar. And in chapter 5, another familiar story.

This is the story about the handwriting on the wall. Okay, I remember that story.

Well, let's dig in just a little bit. Here's Belshazzar chapter 5. He's having a party. He's having a party, and he's using the vessels that were stolen from the temple in Jerusalem.

I guess you could say for spring break. Right? They're drinking. They're having a party. It's everybody for themselves.

Wow, interesting that desecrating God's items as well as God himself, just indulging himself in defiance of the true God.

And that's when ultimately this handwriting appears, and they're trying to figure out what does this mean. What does this mean?

And as they figure it out, oh, uh-oh, Belshazzar, your time's done. You're over. You know, too late now.

And it's interesting what Daniel says to him, what God inspired him to say.

If you look all the way down, after describing what Nebuchadnezzar went through and all of his experiences, he comes all the way down and gets to this point in verse 22 where he says, You, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart. Uh-oh, you saw your dad. He was humbled. And he recognized God. You haven't.

And the next line kind of takes your breath away.

You have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this.

I mean, his problem was not a lack of information, was it? He had saw all these wrong things live right before his eyes, but he was unwilling to act humbly, to respond in humility.

All right, what's that got to do with us? Well, what about this? Although you knew all this, how long have you been around?

Some of us, maybe more than 60 years. 50 years. 30 years. The United Church of God has been around 30 years.

You grew up in the church. You knew all this. You knew all this. This precious knowledge that God has given us.

We've got the Sabbath, the Holy Days. We understand God's plan. We know his kingdom will be established on this earth. We can be great at explaining what all this is about, and yet resist the work of God in our own life.

Not do anything about that temper that gets away from us. Not do anything about the things that come out of my mouth.

Not do anything about the things that I prioritize in my life. Not do anything about the relationships that I face every single day.

Because the question is not, well, can I explain this? How much do I understand the truth in this way?

Really comes down to the fact is, what has the knowledge of the truth changed in me?

What is the knowledge of the truth have... How has it changed me? Although I knew all of this.

Would my spouse say, yeah, for the last few years he's gotten a lot more patient.

Do my children, well, do they see me genuinely repent when I mishandled the situation with them?

Have I demonstrated that before them? Do people that I disagree with, they hate me?

Or can we respectfully disagree on an opinion? Am I more teachable than I was a few years ago?

Do I take time to seek out those people that are so often overlooked?

You see, that may be one of the deepest blind spots. Knowing what God is all about. Knowing what God says and then excusing ourselves when we fail to obey.

Yeah, that Babylon can be within. But we sure don't want to defend it when it starts to come to light.

That ties us back to the end of the book again. Revelation, if you'll turn there with me. Revelation chapter 18 cites an interesting perspective when we talk about the Babylon within, our Babylonian blind spot.

Here in Revelation 18, yes, it's right after that section that we began talking about this coming political power, the beast, this coming false religious system, the woman that rides the beast.

After all of this description, it gives this wonderful promise that that is not going to last.

I mean, you probably heard about this at the feast just a few weeks ago. That system, man's government's all coming to an end. Babylon the Great is going down.

It's not going to last. It's fallen. It is fallen. Revelation 18 reminds us of that.

But it's also interesting. That's not the biggest story that we'd better take from that scenario.

Because after going through all of these amazing prophecies, recognizing what's to come, this huge power, this false system that's not going to last, what was John inspired to write?

Well, God's words. What does God say? Revelation 18 verse 4.

You might think that's a little hot after describing this whole thing.

Why aren't you warning those people because they're the bad ones that are going to set up this system? No. He warns us, my people. That kind of takes us back to Daniel. What's shaping our thinking?

What's shaping our thoughts and what we want most? What is it that constantly takes my time? It takes my attention.

You see, God's not just saying Babylon's going down. Yeah, He's also pointing out the fact there's going to be a better world.

The kingdom is coming where reliability and integrity and authority is going to use properly. It's going to protect people.

Families are going to heal. There will be true justice. And so it's important to recognize what God's saying here is His kingdom is not just the end of man's corrupt government.

It's about right relationships and peace and perfect government. And in fact, it's about the opportunity that we're going to have.

Chapter 20 tells us we can rule with Him. We can reign and rule with Christ.

And when we think about the kind of servants that will be there helping and serving, what kind of servants will they be?

Well, the opposite of the ones that are molded and shaped by Babylon. It's those who tell the truth even when it's tough.

It's those that can carry responsibility and not have to get the big head or the pad on the back.

It's those who go unnoticed when they serve and they help and they give despite of any difficulty.

So it's those that reach out to others and when they're wrong, they apologize and they stand for the truth because they recognize those are all the things that help us in the future.

These are opportunities that God uses to shape us in His way.

And so all of this in Revelation, we're not told this just because, wow, we can look forward to escaping.

We can get away from all the world's problems. No, that's not what it's talking about here.

It's about being a part of the answer to those problems. That's really what it's about.

And so as we think about our own Babylonian blind spot, what can we do? What can we do?

I'd like to give you a challenge. Just one challenge. Something that you could begin today. Something that could make a difference today.

First, pray to God. You get home tonight? Pray and ask God to show you, to show me one thing, one attitude, one influence, one way I've compromised.

Maybe one thing that I've kind of put on the back burner or haven't prioritized or I've learned to excuse it. It might be pride. It might be refusing to apologize. It might be wasting my time or getting distracted.

Well, bring it before God. That one thing. Bring it before God and don't defend it. Don't excuse it. Don't postpone it.

Tell God about it. God, I'm having this issue and I just struggle with it. I've ignored it. It's been a blind spot for me. Help me to recognize that.

Now, of course, once we do that, it doesn't help to recognize the blind spot unless we respond, unless we do something about it, unless we take action.

So the one challenge then is, all right, let's ask God and show us or admit this blind spot. And then, then take one step. Take one step of obedience. There's a compromise. Something, yeah, I've justified that for a long time.

Well, quit making excuses. Don't make excuses about it. If you've hurt someone, you know you're wrong. Seek them out and apologize. Take responsibility.

Seems nobody takes responsibility these days. It's always somebody else's fault. No, take responsibility for it. If you push aside your relationship with God, it's not where it's supposed to be. Tell them about it.

Ask Him to help you. Change that priority. Ask Him to help you. But never let the difficulty of changing become an excuse. We don't want to do that. Don't allow that to say, well, God is so hard, it's like I'll just stay the same. You see, it tells us about the biggest danger. The biggest danger is not discovering, oh, I've got Babylon within me. Because we all fall short.

The problem is becoming comfortable with it, especially after we recognize it. And so, we never want to forget, we've been given such a blessing.

We have an amazing blessing because we recognize that I can't do this on my own. I can't do it by myself. I don't have the means, I don't have the willpower. I'm not spiritual enough to do this on my own.

But the great blessing is God's given us His Spirit. He's given us the power over sin. And so, submitting to that power gives us the ability to repent, gives us the ability to persevere, gives us the ability, the God-given ability to change and to grow.

And what a difference that is. It's not about making a name for ourselves like Babylon did. I mean, whatever happened to that tower at Babel, not around today, it's gone.

What happened to the empire? It's gone. What happened to the great name that they sought? It's gone.

And it reminds us God's offered us something infinitely better. Something we could never build for ourselves. Something this world could never give us.

And maybe the best part, this world could never take it away from us either. Because in the very end, you get to the very end of the book.

Revelation 22 talks about this fact, the people of God. It says, they shall see His face and His name will be upon their foreheads. His name.

And what a great reminder that God is preparing us. He's preparing His people for His name, to bear His name, to stand for His way.

That's our identity. That's who we are. That's our calling. That's our future.

And so when we think about that, we know. We know Babylon is not going to last. It is coming to an end. But God's kingdom will never end. It will never end. And with His mercy and His grace, the best possible thing is that we can be a part of it forever.