'The Golden Statue' - Daniel 3:1-7

On Sunday we were in Daniel 3:1-7 ‘The Golden Statute’ where King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden image and requires that all those at the dedication bow down and worship it. We made a number points of application which included that Bible prophecy does not take place in a vacuum. This accounts clearly points to what will take place in Revelation 13 concerning the mark of the beast and worship of the beast’s image being required. And so, in Daniel as in Revelation, certain infrastructure is needed to be in place for these things to happen. It took time for Nebuchadnezzar to have the statue built, it took time to gather the dignitaries, and it took time to get the band together and well-practiced. But then Bible prophecy can suddenly take a turn and speed up. Attendance at a dedication quickly become a compulsory worship service upon pain of death. Certain end times infrastructure will similarly be in place before the switch is hit and things which seemed innocuous to many will be turned to nefarious purposes. A key application for us from all of this is to “discern the signs of the times” (Mt 16:3). Be aware of the different threads of Bible prophecy and see how they are coming together today so that you can be prepared spiritually and be about the Lord’s business while you wait for His return.

 

We spoke also about how fear is a powerful conforming tool. To be told, as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were, that they must bow or burn was surely a fearful thing. And likely there were some, if it not many, who bowed for fear of death. Likewise, there are those who will take the mark and worship the beast because of fear of exclusion from the coming economic system and for fear of death. Fear is a powerful conforming tool. But we, as Christians, are not to fear man bur rather to fear God. As Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” Perhaps not safe in this life but safe ultimately in the hands of the God who loves us and cares for our souls. A final point of application was that music is a powerful tool to elicit worship. As soon as the music played, the people were falling down. Music has a way of moving the human soul. We see this with concerts, with music used in the worship of false religions, and for Christians too. It’s important therefore to listen to worship music centered in the truth of God’s word and of the gospel. The final encouragement I left us with was to be worshipers and to give our all in worship. Not just on a Sunday – though it is wonderful to worship together from the heart – but throughout the course of the week.

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'Weighty Matter' - Daniel 2:31-49

King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a mighty metallic statute, now interpreted by Daniel, was weighty matter indeed. It concerned four kingdoms or empires which, as we talked about, correspond with the period we know as “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:23) as they relate to God’s dealing with the Jews, Israel and Jerusalem. Beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC, he and the Babylonian Empire were the golden head. The Medo-Persian Empire, under King Cyrus the Great who the Lord used to return the Jews from captivity, is the silver chest and arms. The Greek Empire, under Alexander the Goat, is the bronze belly and thighs. Finally, the Roman Empire is the legs of iron. It was during the time of the Romans that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world. He was crucified by Roman soldiers though all in accordance with the Father’s plan to save the world. We spoke also of the final – yet future – Revived Roman Empire which is the feet mixed of iron and clay. This final empire, under the dominion of the Antichrist, will be “partly strong and partly fragile”. The fragility is because “they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” Diverse national and ethnic elements within the empire will, in some way, weaken it. Cracks in the dam will show.

 

The dream concludes with a stone that struck the image and “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” All the splendour and glory of men – the gold down to the iron – and all the power and might of men – the iron up to the gold – will in a moment be destroyed, crushed to rubble and blown away. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who will do the crushing and destroying and He will fill the earth with the knowledge of and glory of God. As we consider these things, we should all be reminded that this earth is on borrowed time. We are not to put our trust in this world, or in its kingdoms or princes, because it will all crumble and fall. The only sure thing, the only rock, is the Lord. And so, like Daniel and friends who advanced Babylon, we are to live in the world but not be of it. We should excel in our work, be a light in our homes, lead, serve, build and do. We are each called, as Christians, to “redeem the time” and to be about the Father’s business. We must not be caught up in deeds of darkness but, rather, walk in the light of the Lord’s return. Be active in sharing your faith and be praying often “Your kingdom come”.

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'Thanking God and Giving Glory' - Daniel 2:20-30

Daniel and his friends faced a dire situation – their lives hung in the balance. The execution order had been paused, grating them a brief window to seek God in prayer. Failure meant certain death. So, when God revealed the mystery of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and it’s meaning, you might forgive Daniel if he’d rushed straight to the king’s court, breathlessly, to declare the dream. But Daniel doesn’t do that. Instead, he stopped to bless, praise and thank God. Daniel’s prayer overflows with awe for who God is: sovereign over all “He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings”. He is mighty, the source of wisdom, the One who “reveals deep and secret things”. And He answered Daniel’s prayer. An important application for us from this is to stop and thank God for answered prayer. No answer to prayer should be regarded as a right or a gimme but as a blessing and a gift. Cultivating a heart of gratefulness towards God for all His goodness to us is something we all should do.

 

When Daniel later stood before the king, he was quick to give God the glory for revealing the secret. The wise men could uncover the secret, he said, “But there is a God in heaven” who could. It wasn’t Danie’s brilliance or wisdom that brought the revelation. Rather, God purposed to save Daniel and his friends and to speak to King Nebuchadnezzar. Another important application for us from this is to give glory to God for what He has done in your life and for how He uses you. You and I have nothing to boast in. As the Apostle Paul said, “And what do you have that you did not receive?” All our boast is in the Lord, is in the cross of Christ, and in all the blessings that God pours out on our lives. So be encouraged to take the time to thank God in private and to glorify God in public.

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'Keep Calm and Pray On' - Daniel 2:1-19

We all face pressures situations and times of crisis in our lives. Perhaps it’s financial, medical, relational or spiritual. Times when your blindsided by life or where a hard decision is required. We all face such situations, but we do not all respond to them the same. Daniel and his friends faced a most pressured and life-threatening crisis when King Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that all the wise men of Babylon be killed for failing to tell and interpret his dream. With his back against the wall, we see Daniel offer up a masterclass in how to respond to pressure situations and times of crisis. We have much to learn from him.

 

Daniel kept calm. He did not allow the charged emotion of the situation to get the better of him but instead, with “counsel and wisdom”, it’s clear that he stopped and thought about what to do next. Daniel didn’t yet know what was going on any why so he cut out the middleman and went straight to the source – Arioch the captain of the king’s guard – to understand what was happening. It sounds obvious when you say but going to, and asking questions of, others directly involved in a situation is a really important thing to do. Much confusion and misunderstanding can occur through partial information, half-truths, speculation or rumour. In contrast, much clarity and certainty – ultimately leading to greater peace – can happen when we go straight to the source. Now understanding the situation, Danuel asked for time from the king. Again, a simple step, but so often useful is to ask for time to think and pray. When caught up in pressure situations, it’s easy to feel like you to give a response, make a decision, or take action there and then. But oftentimes take a bit of time is a wise move. Daniel told his friends about the situation and so it is important for us to confide with godly individuals. But by far away the most important thing that Daniel did was to pray. Together Daniel and his three friends, sought “mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret”. At all times and concerning all matters – great or small – we are to pray. But especially in times of need, peril, stress, anxiety, distress, pressure and crisis we should pray. Daniel did and God answered his prayer. Finally, and we’ll look at this in greater detail this coming Sunday, Daniel thanked God for answered prayer. So, how should we respond to times of crisis and pressure situations? In short, like Daniel did!

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'How Did I Get Here?' - Daniel 1:9-21

Daniel, like the other captives of Judah, was faced with a compromising conundrum when presented with the king’s non-kosher delicacies. He could partake and defile himself or make a stand. Daniel made a stand. But in so doing, he showed tact, discretion and reasonableness by making an appealing argument to the steward. Daniel proposed an experiment of sorts whereby he and his three friends would be the non-meat-eating kosher experimental group, and the other captives of Judah would be the control group who ate the king’s food. What followed was a meatless miracle where, despite their lack of protein, in a short space of time Daniel et al were stronger and healthier looking. What resulted was an outstanding outcome! They were able to keep eating their new diet without compromising and God blessed them with “knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” They proved to be a wonderful acquisition for the king as they were ten times better than all other of their contemporaries. And it all started by refusing to compromise!

 

A key point that Greg made concerning compromise is that is usually states small. Seldom does a Christian blow-out into some significant disqualifying sin that leaves others shocked at the suddenness of it all. No, compromise is a slippery slope that usually begins hidden, unseen, and in areas where the person might excuse or justify their sin. ‘It’s not that big a deal’, ‘Everyone else is doing it’, ‘I’ll only do it once’, ‘It’s not hurting anyone’, ‘No one will ever know’. These are all self-justifications that might be made. But even a ship that is one degree of course will soon be miles astray from it’s intended destination, so too a little compromise in seemingly insignificant areas can soon result in disaster and shipwreck. In 1 Timothy 1:19, the Apostle Paul spoke of “having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected , concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck”. Inevitably, those who make shipwreck of their faith, along the way, ignored their God-given conscience and slipped into compromise. That was the other captives of Judah. Surely, they knew what was right and what was wrong, but they made their excuses and compromised. They compromised over the king’s food and after not too long they would be found bowing down to the king’s statue. Compromise begets more compromise. Daniel on other hand, made his stand over the seemingly small matter of food and was blessed by God and went from strength to strength because of it. Be like Daniel.   

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'Living With Purpose' - Daniel 1:1-8

On Sunday we were in Daniel 1:1-8 ‘Living with Purpose’. We spoke about the extent of the pressure to compromise that Daniel, and the other captives from Jerusalem, experienced. They were 1,000kms from home, away from family, in Babylon. Their location, the food they were given to eat, and the fact that even their names were changed to the names of Babylonian gods all speak of an intense pressure to conform and compromise. And yet, despite all this, we read, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies…”

 

A key encouragement for us all from this book is that it is possible to withstand temptations to compromise and to conform when living in a godless society. Daniel did. Important to Daniel’s ability to withstand, was that he knew his purpose. He knew that, as an Israelite follower of Yahweh, we was called to live a different life – set apart and undefiled – even in Babylon. So too, you must know your purpose in order to purpose. God has called to live for His glory, to know Him and to live for Him, to honour Him in all that you do. We emphasised also how Daniel “purposed in his heart” and that purposing begins in the heart. There is a world of difference between compliance – doing what you do because others say that you should – and inner conviction. Daniel was a man of great conviction how knew what pleased, and what would not please, God. And he would not compromise on those convictions. What we’ll see with Daniel in the weeks ahead is how purposing today affects tomorrow. What you purpose to do today, and how you determined to live God, by His grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit within, will shape the person you become and all that the Lord will use you for.

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'Against the Tide' - Daniel Overview

Daniel has always been a favourite book of mine, in large part because of what we learn about Bible prophecy from it, but also because of its main character, the man Daniel. There are lessons to learn from every Bible character, but Daniel stands out as someone special. We saw how: 1. Daniel went against the tide; 2. Daniel was a man of conviction; 3. Daniel was a man of prayer; 4. Daniel gave glory to God; 5. Daniel was a holy man in whom was the Spirit of the Holy God; 6. Daniel was courageous; 7. Daniel was faithful; 8. Daniel knew the word; Daniel understood Bible prophecy; and 10. Daniel’s star shines bright.  

 

Perhaps what impresses me most about Daniel is that he was a man who started well, “purpos[ing] in his heart that he would not defiled himself”, and he ended well too. He lived as a captive in Babylon, synonymous with compromise, and yet he was able, decade after decade, king after king, across empires, to faithfully serve and minister as a follower of God. Starting well is important and, having started well, you want to continue well also. But even more important than starting well is finishing well. Sadly, many don’t. We all know Christians who were once on fire for the Lord but have since lost their zeal, petered out, fallen by the wayside. That wasn’t Daniel. He continued on and on and, in this regard, as well as many others, we have a lot to learn from him. May we all, like the Apostle Paul, have the attitude, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press forward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12 – 14).