COME OUT OF BABYLON – SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD
“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.” – 1 John 2:15
In the Bible, “the world” is not just a place, but a system of spirituality, values, and lifestyles that are opposed to God. Places such as Egypt, Ur of the Chaldeans, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Babylon are all types of the world in different ways:
Egypt represents the world’s sensual pleasures.
Ur of the Chaldeans represents the world’s religion.
Sodom represents sin and depravity.
Babylon is a picture of chaos, superstition, and spiritual captivity.
God saved the Israelites from Egypt by the blood of a lamb – today, He has saved us by the blood of the true Lamb, Jesus Christ. He has bought us at a great price, so we are no longer of the world.
We must definitely come out of “Egypt,” “Babylon,” and all the systems of the world.
WHAT IS THE WORLD?
Not everything in the world is blatantly sinful, but anything that cools the spiritual life, hinders our closeness to God, is “the world.”
The world is anything that stifles prayer.
It is anything that takes away the joy in God’s Word.
It is anything that makes us shy away from witnessing for God.
These are habits, relationships, or environments that cause us to hide our faith, feel empty, dry, and spiritually dead.
There are things that are “not wrong,” but when they come into contact with us, they rob us of our spiritual fire. That is the silent danger of “the world.”
CHOOSE YOUR STAND WITH CHRIST
We cannot love the world and love God at the same time. Neutrality is unacceptable in spiritual warfare. God calls us out of Babylon, to live apart from our old ways, to abandon relationships that draw us away from Him.
“The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!” – Galatians 6:14
WHAT IS THE WORLD? – SUMMARY
SymptomsDescriptionCooling down prayer lifeCausing you to have little or no conversation with God.Losing pleasure in God’s WordNo longer having the desire to read or study the Bible.Hindering witnessingNo longer boldly sharing about God or being afraid to call yourself a Christian.Social relationships that obscure your faithForcing you to “hide your lamp under a bushel”, living a double life.Causing you to feel empty, spiritually decliningCausing you to lose joy in God.
WE ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
We are citizens of Heaven, no longer belonging to this system. (Philippians 3:20)
Although we live in the world, we do not belong to it, because we belong to Christ.
“For everything in the world… is not from the Father, but from the world.” – 1 John 2:16
CONCLUSION
God calls us to come out of the world and live separate, not to distance ourselves from others, but to keep our hearts pure and walk in holiness.
Choose to be different in a world that is running after sin.
Keep your lights on, not hiding your faith under the guise of “social niceties”.
Leave relationships that pull you away from God – and build relationships that bring you closer to Him.
“Come out of Babylon!” – This is God’s call for this age. He is looking for a people set apart for Himself, ready to live holy and faithful to the end.