Dare To Be Different

Dare to be a Different

Daniel chapter 6:15-27

Some thoughts are taken from Sermoncentral sermons and will be referenced from the pulpit where appropiate.

This morning we are going to talk about being different, about daring to stand firm when you are persecuted or made fun of for your faith. About standing firm when someone falsely accuses you. When your integrity appears to be destroyed by people around you. Turn to Daniel chapter 6:15-27. We will get there in a minute. 9 years ago next Saturday an event happened that changed the life of every American. Most everyone of us can remember what we were doing September 11th, 2001 at about 8:45 a.m. in the morning as a plane struck the Towers in New York. Each one of us remembers the horror we felt when we realized it was not just a bad accident but was intentionally done as an act of terrorism to our country. The United States realized that day we faced a crisis that was bigger than each one individually, and that we had to unite if we were going to survive it.

•There was unity in this country.

• There was compassion.

• There was a returned reverence for God Almighty.

• We got past all kinds of barriers.

- Color of our skin didn’t matter

- Economic barriers came down

- Social barriers came down.

That day we knew who the enemy was, and it was not each other.

When we saw the Catholic fire/police chaplain carried out of the building dead on a stretcher, we sensed the urgency of what happened.

When we saw people covered in soot fleeing the buildings, we had compassion and hurt for one another.

We were not African Americans, we were not White Americans, Polish Americans, We were just Americans

The Statue of Liberty setting on the Hudson and behind it the Towers were burning made you mad and concerned that you were Americans.

This morning’s message is about standing firm when sometimes the world seems to crumble around you. Today, lets look at the example of Daniel living in a foreign land, a Nation under captivity, trying to hang unto the promises of God.

Daniel Chapter 6 (Lets me set this up)

King Darius has 120 leaders who look over divisions of his kingdom and he has 3 overseeing supervisors who govern them. Daniel is one of the overseers. Israel is still under captivity, but Daniel has been given favor by God. King Darius is ready to make Daniel the head honcho of all this and the others are jealous and plot to bring him down.

Daniel chapter 6: 4-5

“ They could not find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy, and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, we will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

Doesn’t that sound like today? If they cannot attack you personally, they will attack your beliefs, the laws of your God.

They get the king to decree a law that doesn’t allow people to worship God or any other person other than the king for 30 days.

The king likes Daniel and never pays any mind to Daniel as he signs this ridiculous law into effect. The king was on a ego trip and thought it was nice to be the center of attention for 30 days.

There comes a point in our lives that we must make a conscious decision that no-matter what, we will follow God and His teachings.

Crisis is not the time to begin building faith. In crisis, you live your faith

V10

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem” Daniel gets down on his knees 3 times a day and prayed and gave God thanks. (Just like he always did)

Text- (V15-27) Read

We live in a shaky world and it has shaky people doing shaky things

When you are living for God and doing what is right, there will always be people who do not like you. They may even accuse you of things that you did not do. They can’t attack your character, so they attack your faith.

Are you standing on the foundation of the Rock- Jesus Christ, or are you standing in sand. Because when the waves and trials come, the Rock will stand and the sand will be washed away.

Illustration-(Sermoncentral)

Corrie Ten Boom- at a Nazi death camp at Ravenbruck gathered the women together, who were often abused and tortured and read from Romans 8.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, famine, nakedness, or sword? In all these things we are more than conquers through Him who loved us.”