Revelation 18. I'd like to look
at a few verses. Let's have a word
of prayer. Our Father, we thank You for
the day. The day You've made. A good day. A day of hope and peace. A day of blessing. because you've
allowed us to come together in worship. We ask you this morning
to bless the Word to the comfort of your people, to the calling
out of your elect, to the establishment of your justice and mercy. And we ask these things for Christ's
sake. Amen. The judgment of God is sure. The Scripture says in Romans
14, 10, For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. All men will stand before God. There is no doubt about that
either. for the confirmation and the
setting forth of one's acquittal based on the righteousness of
Christ, or for the confirmation of God's justice and wrath to
all men who would not hear of Christ. at this issue of the judgment of God.
About the last 7 or 8 weeks, we've been looking at a little
series here, and I've entitled it, False Salvation for Sale. Now, the reason that I wanted
to make a very methodical setting forth of this truth. It's because everybody in this
congregation this morning, everybody that's ever walked on this earth,
and everybody that'll ever walk on this earth is going to be
involved with this. It's not a joke. This is so. The Scripture sets
forth that the absolute Kingdoms of this earth. Denominations. Break them down. Now listen. Everybody has got a thought on
what it is to worship God. Everybody's got a thought about
that. Now the issue is not what I think or what you think. The
issue is what saith the Scriptures. Man or woman stands before God
Almighty and the issue is not going to be what you thought
or think you of Christ. So listen, this is serious. All the kingdoms, the denominations are going to be stood or standing
before God. All the merchants of the earth,
false preachers. I heard a man this morning on television,
a local fellow. I don't know who he is. And he made this statement. He said, I know of men that at
one time stood and preached the truth. Men that at one time were seeking
God. Men that at one time were born-again
Christians. And he said, and they started
listening to another spirit. And he said, they strayed away
and now they are not They're not born again anymore, not preaching
the truth anymore. That's a lie. That's a lie. When God Almighty saves a man
or a woman, God keeps them. Anybody tells you that you can
lose your salvation, I'm telling you that is a slur on the character
and the power and the purpose of Almighty God. That is a lie. All the merchants of this world
are those hucksters that are selling a bill of goods. So you
understand what I'm saying. Take any denomination. Every
denomination has got their preachers. The denomination is called the
kingdoms of this world. the preachers of that denomination,
whatever it is, are called the merchants of this world. All
the denominations has got their spokesmen. But this last group,
and we'll start this this morning, it's actually going to begin
in verse 17, and they are actually called the ship masters, all
that in the company of ships and the sailors, and as many
as trade by sea, they stood afar off." Verse 17, in one hour,
so great riches has come to nothing. I want you to turn with me to
Mark 4. Mark 4. This is the Master speaking. The Lord Jesus Christ in Mark
4, verse 21. He said unto them, Is a candle
brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be
set on a candlestick? There's a light of hope. The preaching of the gospel is
a candlestick of light. I know, I'm convinced that there's a lot of things
that are being said. I know that. I understand that. There's a lot of, listen to me, Without Christ, you're going
to perish. It's a candle. You light a candle and stick
it under a bed. You put it under a basket, a
bushel. Verse 22, There is nothing hid which shall not be manifested,
neither Was anything kept secret but that it should come abroad?
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear." And these next words of our Lord is a warning to every person
that's ever walked on this earth. He said unto them, take heed
what you hear. Be careful what you hear. Be careful what you hear. with what measure you meet in the light that you measure
what you hear. It's what he just said. It will be measured to you. Unto
you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath to him shall
be given. And he that hath not from him
shall be taken even that which he hath. If you hear this morning,
now listen, It's a sad truth that many hear. They hear with this ear, and
I understand that many will hear, and this is not a big deal to
them. I understand that. Listen, if this is not a big deal to
you, God have mercy on your soul. Be careful what you hear. The Scripture says back in Revelation
19, in one hour, so great riches. What riches is he talking about? It's the riches that a man thinks
he spiritually has. If every man, every woman thought
in this world that they were bankrupt before God, you couldn't
handle that. If you thought you were. But
the reason that we so easily do what we do or don't do what
we do is because we don't believe God. In one hour, everything that
men think that they possess that entitles them to stand before
God safely is going to come to nothing.
Absolutely nothing. The ship masters and the sailors,
the first group we looked at was the denominations. And every
denomination has got the spokesman, the merchants. But the shipmasters
and the sailors are those that hear them. I'm going to show
you that in just a minute. I'm going to read a passage of
Scripture and we're going to be done. These shipmasters, what
is it? I looked at that word shipmaster. It means the governor, the rudder. The rudder is what it is. The
shipmaster. Every shipmaster and the sailors,
and as many as trade by the sea, and we'll read in Ezekiel in
just a second, and I'll show you what that's talking about
right there. All the shipmasters, you know a ship is governed by
a rudder. And the bottom line is those
that are under the judgment of God are those that think that
they're the ones that's ordering the course of where they go.
I'm my own man. I handle this. If I want to go
this way, I go this way. If I want to do this, I do this.
The shipmasters, the governors, and all of the sailors, 18 and
19, says, they cried when they saw the smoke of her burning,
saying, what city is likened to this great city? And they
cast dust on their heads and they cried, weeping and wailing,
saying, alas, alas, that great city wherein were made rich all
that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness, for
in one hour she is made desolate." Now you think to yourself, now
that sounded real biblical. But what did he say? What in
the world is John talking about? I know it's somebody under the
judgment of God. It's something that's happening.
So that you'll understand, I want you to take your Bibles and turn
to Ezekiel 27. Ezekiel 27. And I'm going to tell you what
we're getting ready to read. And I'm going to read this passage
of Scripture. And we're going to stop. Alright, let me tell
you. We're going to read the whole
chapter of Ezekiel 27. And let me tell you what to be
looking for. so that when we read it, Lord
willing, it makes sense. We're going to read a story about
a city named Tyrus. Tyrus actually means the rock. And Tyrus is a picture. It's a city. And this city, Tyrus,
a rock, that which this world thinks is the foundation of all
hope and the source of all luxury. But it's a picture of false religion. Tyrus. And Tyrus in this 27th
chapter of Ezekiel is doing business with different countries all
over the world. And Tyrus, a picture of false
Religion gets all of her stuff from these different areas. I
get a little bit here, and I get a little bit there, and I got
this over here, and I get... And what we do is we're going
to get all of our stuff together. False religion. And we're going
to build us a ship. Now, back in Revelation, we were
looking at the shipmasters and the sailors and all that do their
business in the sea, in this world. You know, we've been looking
at this long enough. You know what the sea represents.
It's the world, this world. So Tyrus, the rock of false security,
those that think that she's stable. She gets her stuff and she builds
her people some ships. And those ships, the good ship
lollipops that go out, you know, they're going to sail in this
world and safely reach the other shore. That's what they're sailing.
Now let me tell you why, before I read this chapter, why these
ships are not going to make it. It's because the foundation of
their building was not Almighty God in the person of Christ.
It was not based upon a sovereign, set, determined counsel based
on God's will, God's mercy, God's compassion. It was what they
did. And listen. If this is the last
time I ever preach to you, listen to me. If there's anything that
you think your salvation is built on that you did, I made a profession
of faith, therefore. I was baptized, therefore I'm
saved. I spoke in tongues, therefore
I'm saved. I'm a member of this particular
church, therefore, I'm saved. If there's anything that you
think that you've done to merit a righteousness before God, this
ship is what's talking about you. Okay? These ships. Now, that's the story here. Ezekiel 27. The Word of the Lord
came again unto me, saying, thou son of man, take up a lamentation
for Tyrus, and say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the
entrance of the entry of the sea into the world, which art
a merchant of the people for many isles, thus saith the Lord
God, O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. Thy borders are in the midst
of the sea, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They have
made all thy shipboards of fir-trees, of sea-near. They have taken
cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. Of the oaks of Bashan
have they made thine oars. The company of the Asherites
have made thy benches of ivory brought out of the isles of Shittim. Fine linen of broidered work
from Egypt Was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail,
blue and purple, from the isles of Elisha? Was that which covered
thee? The habitants of Zidon and Arvad
were thy mariners, thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee were
thy pilots. The ancients of Gilbaul and the
wise men thereof were in thee thy caulkers." You know what
caulking is. It fills in all the cracks. You've
got a few cracks in there. Don't worry. All the ships of
the sea were their mariners, were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. They of Persia, blood, foot,
were in thine army, thy men of war. They hanged the shield and
helmet in thee. They set forth thy comeliness.
The men of Arvad with thine army were upon the walls round about,
Gamma dens were in thy towers. They hang their shields upon
thy walls round about. They have made thy beauty perfect.
Tarsius was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds
of riches with silver, iron, tin, and lead. They traded in
thy fares. Javan, Tubal, Meshach, they were
thy merchants. They traded the persons of men
and vessels of brass in thy market. They of the house of Togoma traded
in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. The men of
Dedan were thy merchants. Many isles were the merchandise
of thy hand. They brought thee for a present
horns of ivory and ebony. Syria was thy merchant by reason
of the multitude of the wares of thy making. They occupied
in thy fairs with emeralds and purple and brooded work and fine
linen, coral and agate. Judah in the land of Israel,
they were thy merchants. They traded in thy market wheat,
of minneth, and panag, and honey, and oil, and balm. Damascus was
thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for
the multitude of all riches in wine, of helban, and white wool. Dan also, and Javan, going to
and fro, occupied in thy fares bright iron, cassia, calamus,
were in thy market. Dedan was thy merchant in precious
clothes for chariots, Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar. They occupied with thee in lambs,
and rams, and goats. In these were they thy merchants,
the merchants of Sheba and Ramah. They were thy merchants. They
occupied in thy affairs with chief of all spices, and all
precious stones, and gold, and harem, and canna, Eden, merchants
of Sheba, Asher, Chilmah, thy merchants. These were thy merchants
in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, embroidered work, and
chest of rich apparel bound with cords and made of cedar among
thy merchandise. The ships of Tarshish did sing
of thee in thy market, and thou was replenished and made very
glorious in the midst of the seas." Now, I'm going to stop
right there for just a moment and just tell you, knowing what
I told you, how this city of Tyrus, how could she not be beautiful? How could she not be glorious?
She had the best of everything. I mean, she got some of it all. Looking at this place, at her
ships, how could it not be beautiful in the sight of this world? She
had the best. She had the best. Verse 26, have brought thee into great
waters. The east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.
Thy riches, thy fares, thy merchandise, thy mariners, thy pilots, thy
caulkers, the occupiers of the merchandise, and all thy men
of war that are in thee, and all thy company which is in the
midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the
day of thy ruin. The suburbs shall shake at the
sound of the cry of thy pilots, and all that handle the The mariners
and all the pilots in the sea shall come down from their ships.
They shall stand upon the land and shall cause their voice to
be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly and shall cast up
dust on their heads. They shall wallow themselves
in the ashes. They shall make themselves utterly
bald for thee and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep
for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing. And in their
wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee and lament over thee,
saying, What city? is like Tyrus, like the destroyed
in the midst of the sea. When thy wares went forth out
of the seas, thou fillest many people. Thou didst enrich the
kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and thy merchandise.
In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas and the depths
of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst
of thee shall fall. All the inhabitants of the isles
shall be astonished at thee and their kings. shall be sore afraid
and shall be troubled in their countenance. The merchants among
the people shall hiss at thee. Thou shalt be a terror and never
shalt be any more." Be careful what you hear. Let's
take a break and we'll come back in a few minutes.