The Burden of Backslidden Believers
James Merritt
Psalm 137:1-4
Introduction
1. As you know, Psalms are songs. They were originally put to music. This particular song was one of the saddest songs ever composed and ever sung in the house of God.
2. This Psalm was written by a P.O.W.. But this was not just a prisoner of war, this was a prisoner of want, W-A-N-T. The songwriter here is singing of a time when believers where in Babylon. These believers in Babylon were also believers in bondage. Where once they had been overjoyed with the fresh fragrance of freedom, now the sour stench of slavery filled their nostrils.
3. Now, instead of enjoying blessings, they were enduring burdens. Fruitfulness had turned to bareness; happiness had turned to bitterness; joyfulness had turned to brokenness.
4. Now to understand the background of the story, remember that the Children of Israel had been carried away into captivity by the Babylonians. Now the reason they had been carried away was not because of their weakness but because of their wickedness. They had fallen away from the living God. God had allowed their defenses to be broken down and used a pagan nation to bring them to their knees to break them and to bring them to repentance.
5. Now that should not surprise you. Because Babylon always leads to bareness. Babylon always leads to bitterness and Babylon always leads to brokenness. That is, if you are a child of God. The only people who are happy in Babylon are Babylonians. Now there's a sermon in that sentence.
6. Babylon in the Bible is a picture of the world in all of its iniquity. It is a picture of the world in all of its idolatry. It is a picture of the world in all of its immorality.
7. The name Babylon means confusion. Now, these people were in Babylon but their hearts were in Zion. They were weeping because they "remembered Zion" (verse 1). They could not get Zion out of their minds.
8. Zion is another name ...
James Merritt
Psalm 137:1-4
Introduction
1. As you know, Psalms are songs. They were originally put to music. This particular song was one of the saddest songs ever composed and ever sung in the house of God.
2. This Psalm was written by a P.O.W.. But this was not just a prisoner of war, this was a prisoner of want, W-A-N-T. The songwriter here is singing of a time when believers where in Babylon. These believers in Babylon were also believers in bondage. Where once they had been overjoyed with the fresh fragrance of freedom, now the sour stench of slavery filled their nostrils.
3. Now, instead of enjoying blessings, they were enduring burdens. Fruitfulness had turned to bareness; happiness had turned to bitterness; joyfulness had turned to brokenness.
4. Now to understand the background of the story, remember that the Children of Israel had been carried away into captivity by the Babylonians. Now the reason they had been carried away was not because of their weakness but because of their wickedness. They had fallen away from the living God. God had allowed their defenses to be broken down and used a pagan nation to bring them to their knees to break them and to bring them to repentance.
5. Now that should not surprise you. Because Babylon always leads to bareness. Babylon always leads to bitterness and Babylon always leads to brokenness. That is, if you are a child of God. The only people who are happy in Babylon are Babylonians. Now there's a sermon in that sentence.
6. Babylon in the Bible is a picture of the world in all of its iniquity. It is a picture of the world in all of its idolatry. It is a picture of the world in all of its immorality.
7. The name Babylon means confusion. Now, these people were in Babylon but their hearts were in Zion. They were weeping because they "remembered Zion" (verse 1). They could not get Zion out of their minds.
8. Zion is another name ...
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