Exiles: | Ps Miles Paludan

So this series is called exiles

the way of Jesus in the age of Babylon.

Let me give you the context. In 605 BC,

605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar, he'd

conquered Judah and deported many of the

Jews to Babylon. Now this was their

strategy. When Babylon would conquer a

nation, it would take captives the best,

the brightest, and would basically

indoctrinate them with the ways of

Babylon to follow their values, their

culture, and ultimately follow their

God. But

it's God's plan to send his people into

these nations to transform them from the

inside out. So, Babylon thought they

were winning, but God always wins.

Jeremiah 29:4. This is what the Lord of

Jeremiah 29:4

heaven's armies, the God of Israel and

our God says to all captives that he,

this is God, has exiled them to Babylon.

They weren't just captured and taken.

God had a plan. God God sent them there

uh from Babylon uh to from Jerusalem to

Babylon. So Babylon in today's day and

age is often used to give an example of

the world we live in, the worldly ways,

the ways of the world that oppose the

ways of God. That that's what Babylon

is. And here's what the Lord says. Build

homes. Plan to stay. Plant gardens. Eat

food they produce. Marry. Have children.

Find spouses for them so that you may

have grandchildren. Multiply. Don't

dwindle away and work for peace and

prosperity of the city where I sent you

into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for

its welfare will determine your welfare.

Uh, as these exiles were sent into

Babylon, they were to flourish. They

were to work for peace and prosperity.

They're to build houses, plant some

gardens, cook some food, uh enlarge,

multiply, expand, find some wives. I'm

looking for some wives for my four boys.

I believe in arranged marriages. I do.

Let's have a chat after. I may not bring

much to the table, but you might be able

to bring something to the table. Uh and

improve the lives of people around you.

God didn't send his people to Babylon to

survive. Here's the theme. God sent them

to transform it. Word meant to flourish,

prosper, influence those around us. Did

you know that you are an exile? You're

an exile. You're an illegal alien.

You're a foreigner. You're not of this

land. You're actually, if you're a

follower of Christ, you're a citizen of

heaven. Now, you may feel outnumbered,

but you're never outpowered.

You may feel like an outsider, despised.

everyone's against you. They don't

understand you. Your family kind of

doesn't get this whole church thing or

God thing. You may feel alone. Uh you

may feel on the wrong side of

popularity. Uh you you may feel rejected

and even persecuted, uh looked down

upon, seen as weak. But God has sent you

as an exile into the world to make a

difference. We don't escape Babylon. We

shine in Babylon. So when I was a

teenager, I got saved uh radically. And

after that moment of surrendering my

life to Jesus Christ, I went back to my

mates and I went back to school and

suddenly it wasn't the same.

I had changed.

They hadn't. Do you remember that day

when you got saved and suddenly your

values changed, your dreams changed,

your your your future changed, yet

everyone else stayed the same. And

people couldn't understand it. My family

couldn't understand it. My mates

couldn't understand it and and I

couldn't understand what had just

happened. I thought we could all be

friends and just do the things we were

doing. But all of a sudden, I realized I

was different. I struggled cuz I

desperately wanted to be liked and

loved. I desperately wanted to fit in. I

desperately wanted to be accepted and go

with the crowd. But suddenly, I

couldn't. I was different. And I learned

you don't have to fit in when you know

where you belong. And the moment you

said yes to Jesus, you became a citizen

of heaven. You're different. You're

serving a different God. You're serving

the God of Jesus Christ of the universe.

I I was in exile. I didn't know I was an

illegal alien. Suddenly, not only that,

but I was at war with an enemy. His name

is Satan. And his plan was to rob, kill,

and destroy. He wasn't my enemy prec

knowing Christ. But after I found

Christ, he became my enemy. I became

marked. And Satan wants to try to

capture my faith and indoctrinate me

with his beliefs to make me blend into

the world to bow down to his values. But

God had called me to stand for him. And

what we have to understand is we have a

weapon, a supernatural power to help us

be in exile, to help us stand. And his

name is Jesus. He doesn't leave us. He

is with us. In fact, the Holy Spirit

lives inside of us, correcting and

encouraging us. Not to mention, Satan is

defeated.

He may be the God of this world, but

he's a loser. He lost his authority when

Jesus died and rose again. He lost all

power over you when you accept Jesus

Christ as your Lord and your Savior. And

I had to learn to stand on my own, but I

never stood alone. That Christ was with

me. Maybe the same is for you. You're a

Christian, but your family kind of don't

get it. They're kind of waiting for this

cult to wear off. [laughter]

They say, "You're still doing that

church thing." And you kind of don't

talk about it much because, you know,

they're all sort of antie and so you

kind of keep it quiet. you're a bit of a

silent Christian and and you don't want

to rock the boat. But we're called to

stand firm, not to shout and be

obnoxious, but we're called to be bold

in our faith and to be confident in who

we are and what we do. Really, that's

what water baptism is today. Water

baptism is going public with your faith

by saying, "I'm telling the world and my

family and everyone, I'm I'm following

Jesus." We're not forcing everyone else

to follow our belief, but we are

standing firm on what we believe. CS

Lewis said, "When I find in myself a

desire which no experience of this world

can satisfy."

I think we can all relate to that. Even

before Christ, this world will not

satisfy. No amount of money or fame or

drugs or no nothing we can do on this

earth is going to satisfy that Godfilled

void in our hearts. No religion, no

enlightenment, no amount of works. Only

a relationship with Jesus can fill that

void. The most probable explanation is

that I was made for another world. Yes,

we were made for the kingdom of God. We

were made destined to be a citizen of

heaven. And the great news is if you're

a follower of a Christ, we are citizens

of heaven through Christ. And even the

greater news, if you haven't made a

decision to follow Christ, you can be.

It's just believing and he'll change you

and forgive you and you'll have an

opportunity at the end of this service.

Every week we do this to allow people to

be saved. You are not made of this

world. You are not for this world. This

world cannot satisfy you. Only Jesus. So

in a letter from Peter, an apostle of

Jesus, he writes to God's chosen people.

And they're living as what? They're

living as foreigners in one Peter 1.

They're living as foreigners and they're

kind of exiled into these other areas

and God's chosen people. They're they're

Christians. They chose to follow and

they've been sent and dispersed to these

nations. Verse two, God the Father knew

you and chose you long ago and his

spirit has made you holy. As a result,

you have obeyed him and chosen to be

cleansed by the blood of Jesus. May God

give you more and more grace and peace.

So Peter's writing to the believers.

They'd been scattered across the Roman

Empire in modern day Turkey. And he

tells these Christians, "You're a

foreigner.

You're an exile.

You're an alien."

Referring to their Christian living is

different to the way of the world. And I

want to remind you today, you're an

exile.

You're a foreigner.

You're an a living illegal alien. We're

not living on this earth. This is not

our home. This is temporary. Your

mission isn't just the church. Your

actual mission starts when the church

ends.

You are more than just serving in the

car park and owning a business. You're

an exile changing the culture of those

who work for you and around you. You're

more than just singing on the worship

team or parenting children. You're

raising exiles in the way of the Lord

that can stand for him for the glory of

our God. You're not just leading a life

group. You're not just a doctor or a

lawyer or a truck driver or a nurse. No,

you're bringing faith and prayer into

your world view, into your workplace. Uh

you're more than just on the welcome

team or managing a warehouse. You're

taking spiritual authority over that

piece of property, over those square

meters in that warehouse. You are

claiming that for Jesus. You're setting

the culture in that warehouse. You're

standing for godliness and righteousness

with love and integrity.

You're more than just on the prayer

team, more than just selling real

estate, more than just working in

retail. No, no, far more than that.

You're ministering to people literally

every day because you have the light.

You are salt. You are a child of God.

Now, don't be surprised if you don't fit

in. It's not a problem not to fit in. In

fact, if we don't fit in, that's a

problem. We should be different. People

should like, I don't know what's going

on with that guy, but there's something

different about him. I'm not sure what

he's up to, but he's always smiling.

Like, even on Monday morning of the big

bender or the night before, he's still

smiling. You know, we're all hung over,

but he's there smiling and doing his

Bible thing. We should be different. We

should act different. We should look

different. We should smell different.

We're not obnoxious. We're not rude.

We're loving. We're kind. But we stand

strong for our beliefs. So in my early

20s, I was in the building industry as a

bricks laborer and my mates just thought

I was from another planet, honestly. And

so in Smokco, every Smoker, we'd sit

down and here we go again. Uh, Miles, do

do you smoke? I don't smoke. I don't

drink.

I I I I don't swear. Um, I don't have

sex before marriage. Um, I give money to

the church. And And they're like, "Hang

on, let's just every smoker,

is it true that that that you don't

drink?" Yeah, I I don't drink. And And I

actually didn't have a TV. I didn't want

to be part of didn't have a TV. And do

you not have a TV? No, I don't have a

TV, mate. I don't I just love God. And

every it was like every smoker they they

thought I was from another planet. And

and the truck drivers would come up with

deliveries and they I got to find this

Miles kid. I got to find Mate. Is it

true you're a virgin? Yeah. Yeah. I'm a

And is it true you're a virgin by

choice? Yeah, I'm a virgin by choice.

And and and and you still you know

you're all right, mate. You know, yeah,

absolutely. You know, I want to get

married one day. They just were shocked

every day. It was relentless. They just

could not believe I didn't have a TV.

They they couldn't believe that I gave

money to the church. That was probably

bigger than being a virgin. They're

like, "What? You give money to that

place?"

They just couldn't They couldn't

comprehend. And it was always Billy and

Mick and Shaq and just the crew just

like, "Guys, here's the deal. I don't

drink, smoke, swear. I don't have a TV

and I'm a virgin. Can we get to work?

Can Can we just get some work done? I'm

not getting paid if we don't get this

contract done." and and and it was just

relentless every day. As a Christian,

you should stand out. You should be

different. You you should have the joy,

the peace, the love of the Lord. Why?

Because you have the peace, the love in

you. His name is God through Jesus

Christ. So, how do we stand up for

Jesus? How do we be bold? How do we live

as foreigners, as exiles in this crazy

world that we live in? Number one,

exiles serve a different king. We have

to understand we serve a different king.

Our king is not this world. We don't

serve self. We don't serve a government.

We don't serve a person. We serve Jesus

Christ. So there's an a great example of

exiles in scripture. It's in Daniel 3:1

Daniel 3:1

where King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold

statue 90t tall and 90 9 ft wide and set

it up on the plain of Jura in the

province of Babylon. And when you hear

the sound of horn, flute, ziah, liar,

harp, pipes, and other musical

instruments, bow to the ground to

worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden

statue. Anyone who refuses immediately

thrown into the blazing furnace. What do

you do when something comes down from

HR? Something happens in uni where

you're supposed to celebrate something

you don't value. You're supposed to

celebrate something that's opposing

God's word. that you're called to wear a

rainbow, that you're called to celebrate

same-sex marriage, or you're called to

support transgender when your values as

a Christian from the go the scripture

oppose.

What do you do? H how do you respond to

that? Well, the these Jews, Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego, whom you put in

charge of the province of Babylon, they

were kind of in charge at the time. They

paid no attention to you, your majesty.

They were getting tattletailed on,

ratted on. One thing in our family, my

boys, they don't rat. They They don't

chat. They don't Who did that? They

never say into lips are sealed, mate.

Abby, she's good. She tells me. But the

boys, I can't get anything out of them.

They refuse to serve your gods and do

not worship the gold statue you've set

up. Sometimes you got to stand. Doesn't

mean you got to be loud and make a big

scene, but sometimes you just got to

stand for what you believe is right.

Sometimes you've just got to say no. You

got to hold your ground. Be true to your

God even if it costs you. You see, we

don't run from culture. We don't bow to

culture. We influence culture for our

King Jesus. This doesn't mean you're

boisterous and make arguments and fist

fights, but but we stand with love. We

stand with strength. That can be

standing in silence. That's okay. You

stand for what you believe in. You don't

bow down or follow what others are

telling you. Our reward comes from

heaven, not from this world. Therefore,

we must ask ourselves, is our life

centered on pleasing God or pleasing

man?

Now, here's where we actually bow. Not

so much in our beliefs, but can I share

where we often bow as exiles and aliens?

Have you bowed to alcohol?

It's become something you run to before

you run to God. It's your comfort. It's

your daily escape.

Has pornography captured your heart,

distanced you from intimacy with God?

Has anger made you mean? You're kind of

justified. Well, I'm just telling the

truth. I'm just my personality. They No,

you're mean. You're rude.

Has money caused you to tell yourself

what I have is mine?

And there's this fear and control stops

you from giving, being obedient to the

Lord. Are you tithing? Do you give over

and above?

Is God the Lord of every area or just

the Lord of the areas you choose?

Maybe it's bowing to gossip,

pride,

unforgiveness.

I I can't forgive that. You don't know

what they've done. Well, Jesus commands

us to forgive and that leads to

bitterness. Or maybe we're just envious.

We're controlling.

The issue isn't always what we're doing.

The issue is what we are bowing to in

our heart. Because whatever you bow to

becomes what shapes you.

And we're called to live for Christ, to

live for him as parents. We just don't

flow with the culture and cave in

whatever our kids want to please them.

My kids always everyone else is doing

well. We're not everyone else, mate.

for me in my house. We'll serve the

Lord. If if you don't like it, you know,

find someone else to live with. I said

that once. And he said, "Okay." So, he

packed up his backpack and he put he put

his little uh uh Cocoa Pops in there and

uh I'm telling him, you know, and and

and next thing he actually walks out the

door. I He's 12 or something. And

Bonnie's like crying. No, no, [laughter]

go get him. Okay, we'll bend.

Go get him. Uh he did come back and he's

still with us. So he he loves the Lord.

But sometimes you got to make a stand,

right? I made a stand for about 20

minutes and then I'm driving to the bus

stop looking for him. Come back. Come

back. Come back. [laughter]

Have you bowed to your screens

where you're spending more time

scrolling than worshiping.

I just want to tell the world how bad it

is. So, how about we just stand for God

first with our relationship with him and

live it and then God will make a way for

you to have influence on others. Craig

Rashelle says, "I can't please everyone,

but I can please God." At the end of the

day, as exiles, that's what we're called

to do. [snorts] We don't allow the

crowd, we don't follow the crowd because

we're already following a king and his

name is Jesus. We have a tough message

this morning. Hey, does anybody want to

take [snorts] a breath there? Just want

to be bold. And I just wanted to just

share the scriptures. Now I I I

[laughter] am I'm a little bit

conflicted because we do have some

beautiful families that are just coming

to support uh those being baptized like

man I don't know want to be part of this

church. There is no pressure obligation

to join this church. I just want to

share God's word clearly and boldly and

we love you and we care about you but it

would be wrong for me not to share the

truth of Jesus Christ. But this is

between you and God at the end of the

day. Number one, exiles we serve a

different king. His name is Jesus.

Number two, exiles were better together.

We're better together. So Babylon

isolates,

whereas the kingdom connects.

And Babylon in the world, it looks like

they're all together.

They're not. Oh, they're getting blind

together. They're partying together,

hitting the nightclub. They're there's

no intimacy there. Come on. It's all

fake. They're pretending. There's no

heart. You can't even hear yourself in

the club. How you going to have a

intimate heartto-heart? the Babylon. Not

that I would know, but that's what I've

been told. Uh Babylon isolates and the

kingdom connect. So, I grew up on the

Goldie and I was this mate. I was

like 5' 10 in grade 11 and uh I don't

even think I hit 5 foot in grade 12 and

I looked like I was 6 years old and they

never let me in the clubs. I was so mad,

but it was okay. God had protected me

from not getting into puberty. He

protected me. God's good. He watches

over us. Daniel 3:14, Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 3:14

said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abedneo, that you refuse to

serve my gods or to worship the gold

statue I've set up? I'll give you one

more chance to bow down and worship the

statue I've made when you hear the sound

of the musical instruments. But if you

refuse here, it's going to make it clear

to you. You are going to be thrown

immediately into the blazing furnace."

And then what God is able to rescue you

from my power. So verse 16, Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego said, "Oh

Nebuchadnezzar,

we do not need to defend ourselves

before you." You know, often in life, we

think we got to argue. We think we got

to. We don't need to defend. We just

need to believe what we believe and we

just need to stand firm in our beliefs

and not change our beliefs, but to stand

firm in our beliefs based on scripture.

Uh if we are thrown into the blazing

furnace, the God whom we serve,

he's able to save us. He will rescue us

from your power, oh majesty. Uh God is a

God of miracles. He can do anything.

He's a good God. He can show up. He can

defend you. He can fight for you. But

this has been my verse my whole life.

Verse 18. But even if he doesn't, I'm

not bowing. Even if he doesn't, I'm not

quitting on my God because he didn't

quit on me. Even if he doesn't come

through and answer my prayer request or

do what I want or see the breakthrough,

I'm still going to follow my God. I'm

still going to serve my Lord. Even if he

doesn't, we want to make it clear to

you, your majesty, that we will never

serve your gods. Wow. Or worship the

gold statue you've set up. What we find

in this scripture is they're not alone.

There's three together. And Ecclesiastes

says in 4:10, "If one person falls, the

other can reach and help." But someone

who falls alone,

you're in real trouble. Too many

Christians are in real trouble. Because

they're trying to do this thing alone.

We We weren't created to be exiles

alone. We're created to be brothers and

sisters in Christ, to build each other

up, cone, partnership, community, do

life together. Don't be too insecure or

too proud not to build deep

relationships with other believers. It

was so interesting through my working

life as a builder. I would always find

Christians just dotted around. I would

drawn to them. We would stand together.

We would pray. I didn't grow up in

church or in a Christian home. So when I

got saved as a teenager, it was real

weird. It was strange. There was flags.

There was tambourines. There's all these

languages. I thought I was in the United

Nations or something. There was this

different languages. I didn't understand

any of the it was the people falling

down. They're laughing. I didn't know

the joke. I I I I the only thing I liked

was the matinea halfway. We got food.

They had this big loaf that was passed

around. I'd just pull half of it off and

start munching on it. They'd give me

some drink to have. And so I didn't

understand how the whole church thing

went. But what I found were believers

who had my values. I found believers

that cared for me that would stand with

me. I found [music] youth group. I I I

found young adult. I found life groups.

I found people, my people. Now, they're

a little bit weird, let's be honest, but

they had the same values as me. They

They love the Lord.

Daniel 3:25, "Look, Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 3:25

shouted, I see four men unbound, walking

around in the fire unharmed."

So, they got thrown in the furnace,

[music] right? But guess what? There's a

fourth.

And the fourth looked like a god. Many

scholars believe that was Jesus.

God doesn't always keep us out of the

fire, but he always joins us in the

fire. Being in exile is not easy. Not

for the faint-hearted. You're going

against the stream. You're not following

the gray mass of mediocrity. You're just

not doing what's popular and everyone

else. You're just not saying yes and

agreeing and nodding your head like a

dumb sheep. No. No. You're following the

Lord your God.

And it's hard. But you're not alone.

There is a supernatural power of God

that can be released in your life where

a lawsuit can be overturned. A boss can

change his heart. A deal that was dead

can come back to life. A doctor's report

can be reversed because we're not alone.

[snorts] We're not alone as exiles. We

have the Almighty God fighting with us

and for us.

Verse [music] 27, not a hair on their

head was singed,

and their clothing was not scorched.

They didn't even smell of smoke.

We are exiles.

We're not hiding from Babylon. We're not

becoming Babylon, but we are changing

Babylon through the power of Jesus

Christ. Father, we pray today for the

spirit of God that sends us into the

world will back us, support us, and

strengthen us

so that we can see your power released

[music] in our workplace, in our

universities, in our families. The power

of God, the supernatural power of God.

Still praying today with eyes closed and

heads bowed. To be in exile, you have to

accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and

your Savior. In fact, that's what you

were born to do. That's the reason

you're on earth is to make a decision to

follow Jesus. And that will determine

your eternity, your destiny, because

there is a heaven and a hell. The only

way we can go to heaven. The only way we

can be saved is through Jesus Christ. No

other religion, no works, nothing. Only

Jesus. He's the way, the truth, and the

life. But the Bible says when you call

on the name of Jesus, when you believe

in your heart, you will be saved. In

fact, the Bible calls it born [music]

again. You're a new person. And that's

why you're here today. That's why you

are here is to make this decision to be

an exile to jump from the world to the

kingdom of God by accepting Jesus as

your Lord and your Savior. Eyes closed

and heads bowed. That's you. That's why

you're here. Would you raise your hand

boldly on the count of three? 1 2 3.

Lift it up high. Just say, "Yeah, that's

me. Thank you. I see your hand." Well

done. You can put it down. Others of

you, just keep it up high so I can see

someone else up the back there. I see

your hand. You can put it down. Anyone

else? Just raise your hand. We love

seeing people join us as exiles

[laughter]

that we're not doing this alone. Just

raise your hand. Let me recognize that

decision. Thank you. I see your hand.

Well done. Thank you. Others of you,

just give me a little wave. I won't

embarrass you. This is between you and

God. But this decision is powerful. This

decision is life-changing.

Really, it's bowing to the King of Kings

and the Lord of Lords. Did you know that

every person will bow one day? The Bible

says we'll all die. We'll all face

Jesus. We either get to bow on our terms

and receive the benefit of forgiveness

or we're forced to bow and it's too

late. I know that's harsh and I don't

understand it, but it's God's way. And

the truth is he loves you. He wants no

one to perish. That's why Jesus died the

ultimate price and rose again so you

could be saved. Anyone else just raise

your hand. You want to be in exile.

[music] You want to follow him. You know

you're born for something greater, for

something more. And that's why you're

here. Church, let's pray with those who

raise their hands. Let's all [music]

pray together. Jesus, I'm a sinner. I

need a savior. Save me. Be my Lord and

help me to follow you all the days of my

life in Jesus name. Everyone said,