"A Sure Word Of Prophecy” Series

OPEN YOUR BIBLES TO Daniel 1 & 2 Peter 3:1-13

1. As you survey the world today, reading the newspapers, watching the latest news, seeing the times in which we live.

a. You’ll probably be grasped with a strong sense that Jesus may come back soon!

b. I really believe that we are the, THAT generation that will see Jesus. He could come even before this study is over!

NOTE: GUYS, The promise of Jesus stands stronger today than any other time in all recorded human history.

• And what we’re seeing is not only the fulfillment of prophecy, but also exactly what Peter wrote in his letter.

• Let’s look at 2 Peter 3:1-13

THE QUESTION in V11 burns through our hearts this morning.

• If not, it’s needs to. It’s a probing question!

• What manner of persons ought we to be?

• Seeing all these things, what are we to do?

#1 – We are to be men and women of THE BOOK.

• This book is to be in our hearts, in our minds, lived out daily.

#2 – We are to be men and women of HOLINESS & PURITY.

#3 – We are to be men & women who live with a sense of urgency for the gospel to be preached and shared.

#4 – We are to be men & women who occupy ourselves with the work of kingdom knowing God has given our lives great purpose!

NOW THAT’S where things get exciting. Because you’re here today, by God’s design and plan.

• You were born on a certain day, into a certain family, in a certain part of the world, so that you’d be where you are right now, by God’s plan, purpose and design.

• Your life is not an accident but is filled with great purpose!

• And each part of your life is designed to prepare you for today.

BUT YOU THINK, “Look, I’m not this. I’m not that. I can’t overcome this. I’ll never, no way, can’t happen… ”

• Instead of the encouraging me, the great heroes of the faith discourage me. I can’t be like them.

• But don’t forget… please understand, they were men and women just like us.

THEY FACED the same struggles, the same issues of life, the same wrestling’s with their flesh… all of it. Just like us.

James 5.17-18 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

And as we study through Daniel in the coming weeks, what made him strong, what made him overcome, was a strong faith in God, relying upon Him, trusting in Him.

DANIEL… there’s an old Sunday School song about Daniel.

• It goes like this:

“Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known.”

The world BACK THEN needed Daniels. Men, young men, who would stand for God even in the face of serious persecutions.

• OUR WORLD TODAY needs more Daniels, men and women just like you who stand strong for the things of God resisting the pressures of this world.

The BOOK OF DANIEL is one of PURITY & PROPHECY.

• Because Daniel was a man of PURITY, this book will be extremely practical to us and for us as a church family.

• As we study the life of Daniel and his friends, we see in their lives a real commitment, a real conviction, and real courage in standing up for the Lord their God in trying times.

• Our study over the next few months will inspire us and give us tremendous lessons on how live in our world today!

BUT since Daniel was also a PROPHET, the book is also very prophetic, it’s a Book of PROPHECY.

• Really, Daniel is one of the MOST IMPORTANT books in all of the Bible, if not THE most important one.

• Daniel is the key that unlocks REVELATION for us.

• Daniel is that book that inspires trust and hope because our God knows all and reveals to us those things we must know!

AND SO we find Daniel, the book, under attack today.

• NOW Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den by King Darius,.

• But today, we find Daniel being thrown into the CRITIC’S DEN.

• It confounds the critics. They don’t know what to do with it so they decide to minimize and ridicule it.

PERHAPS the largest accusation against Daniel is that he didn’t write it.

• That it really wasn’t written by him predicting the future, but rather by someone else looking back on human history.