Text: Daniel 1:1-2, Title: The Everlasting Sovereign God, Date/Place: NRBC, 2/22/09, PM
A. Opening illustration: lyrics from the Matt Papa song No One Else,
B. Background to passage: we begin tonight a series through the book of Daniel. Tonight we will take up the first two verses, and really get into the first incident next week. But as we go through, let me encourage you to come to Sunday night worship having looked at the passage that we are going to preach. Sometime during your week, in your devotional time, look at the next text. Ask yourself questions about it, come having your heart prepared by the text, so that you can go deeper.
C. Main thought: In the text and message tonight, we will see the background and main theme of Daniel
A. Spiritual Decline (v. 1)
1. Jehoiakim was a terrible king of Judah. This was 110 years or so after the fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria. God had warned the people to stay faithful to Him. And there was a glimmer of hope with the young king Josiah and his reforms ushered in with the finding of the book of the law. But Jehoiakim allowed things to denigrate to similar conditions under Manasseh. People were oppressed and taxed heavily to pay off officials and Pharaoh Neco. Then he was defeated at Carchemish in 605, which is where we find our text beginning. Idolatry was rampant and true religion was cold and formalistic. Jehoiakim cut up Jeremiah’s prophecy and threw it into the fire symbolizing the nations wandering from the will of God. As the leaders go so goes their followers, and in this case the nation of Israel.
2. Jer 36:23, 2 Tim 3:1-5, Heb 2:1,
3. Illustration: “Humanly speaking, this was a time when God’s glory was discounted, and His people were not a testimony to His great Name.” –Sinclair Ferguson, "Isaac’s Storm" is a very interesting book about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. One of the main plot lines of the book is about how everyone was convinced that a hurricane could never strike Galveston, even as one approached. The author vividly describes how as the streets began to flood people went about their business as if nothing was wrong. Children played in the water, men gathered for breakfast at the local diner, and no one fled from the storm that was about to strike. Some didn’t worry because Isaac Cline, the national weather service officer in Galveston, assured them it would not be a severe storm. Other’s simply believed that Galveston was invincible. Some thought that since they had never seen a hurricane strike Galveston one never would. So for a number of reasons, people assured themselves nothing bad would happen. And as a result over 6,000 people died one September day in 1900. Today we can see storm clouds forming on the horizon. There is a moral and spiritual decline that continues to erode our national life. What happened to the great city of Ephesus? Often mentioned in the New Testament, it was one of the cultural and commercial centers of its day. Located at the mouth of the Cayster River, it was noted for its bustling harbors, its broad avenues, its gymnasiums, its baths, its huge amphitheater, and especially its magnificent Temple of Diana. What happened to bring about its gradual decline until its harbor was no longer crowded with ships and the city was no longer a flourishing metropolis? Was it smitten by plagues, destroyed by enemies, or demolished by earthquakes? No, silt was the reason for its downfall—silent and non-violent silt. Over the years, fine sedimentary particles slowly filled up the harbor, separating the city from the economic life of the sea traders. Little evil practices, little acts of disobedience may seem harmless. But let the silt of sin gradually accumulate, and we will find ourselves far from God. Life will be a spiritual ruin.
4. As I mentioned a week or so back, we are all subject to spiritual decline. And by this I don’t mean the general ups and downs of the Christian life, as if we could attain some steady state of perfect Christianity. I mean a pattern of general falling away or decline over the course of an extended time. We need benchmarks in our lives that let us know when we are in need of realignment. We need brothers and sisters in the Lord that can see evidence of spiritual unhealthiness and are willing to come to us and tell us that we are not as close to the Lord as we used to be. We must be open to their pleas. And we should be on the look out for these signs of decline in our own lives. Here are some: failure to attend church as you used to, lack of concern for unbelievers, failure to maintain a healthy devotional life, withdrawal from other strong Christian friends, ceasing to tithe/give faithfully, doing things that you had previously committed not to doing, beginning to compromise standards in business or friendships, etc. What do we do when we note it? You take aggressive steps to thwart and kill it, lest you become accustomed to the new ways and used to it and blind to it. Repent, ask forgiveness, and for the desire to return and desire for God afresh. Ask God to not let you grow comfortable with it. Get some accountability, memorize some scripture, and fight as though you life depended on it!
B. Spiritual Covert Ops (v. 2)
1. Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk all prophesied that what happened in verse one, can be interpreted by verse two. From heaven’s perspective God was fully in charge; in fact the word used in the Hebrew (explain about the language usage in Daniel) is not the covenant name Yahweh, but Adonai, which means Master or Sovereign God. God had promised the Israelites that if they forsook Him and His ways that He would discipline them by sending them into captivity, even by having the temple implements put in the house of another god. And of course, the cries would have come up from all those in Jerusalem “where is God?” This would have been a situation were not many prophets would stand and say, “I told you.” And nobody would have believed that God had caused Nebuchadnezzar to prevail upon His chosen people. So that is why the operation is covert. It is not obvious accept to the writer of Daniel and the other prophets mentioned. God was the author of this calamity in their lives! God is just as faithful in discipline as He is in the demonstration of His love. And He does it all for good and wise and merciful purposes.
2. Deut 4:23-29, 28:47, 49, 52, 58, Isa 39:6-7, 45:7, Hab 1:6, Jer 25:9, 6:19, Pro 3:12, Psalm 137:4
3. Illustration: “But it pleased God for our further chastisement, to send a great drought, insomuch, as in six weeks after the latter setting there scarce fell any rain, so that the stalk of that was first set began to send forth the ear before it came to half growth, and that which was later, not like to yield any at all, both blade and stalk hanging the head, and changing the color in such manner, as we judged It utterly dead.” - "Good News from New England" (1624) Written by Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow, If a lamb is in the habit of wandering far away from the fold, where it could nibble on poisonous weeds or encounter wild dogs, a shepherd might be forced to take drastic measures to save his wayward sheep. In many countries the wise shepherd would, with his own hands, break one of the bones in the lamb’s hind leg and then tenderly bind and splint that same leg. As the rebellious lamb heals, he becomes very dependent on and attached to the shepherd. In this way, the lamb is cured of his dangerous wanderlust. As babies, our children don’t always understand our inflicting painful pops on their hands when they pick up something that we told them not to pick up, but it is for their good.
4. You are promised discipline from your loving Heavenly Father when you stray. And He will be faithful. And like Israel, it could be something unimaginable, the worst case scenario. And even though it will not seem like it, we must remember that it is in our best interests. We can always trust our heavenly father with our discipline. And we can know that whatever terrible thing happens in our lives, we can know that God is fully in control of it and its outcome. We can further seek to understand what God is doing by receiving correction with this mentality and praying for insight from God. Turn to Him and not away from Him in trials. And with all things that happen to us, the whole reason that we are made is to make much of Jesus. Therefore, look for ways in trials to make Jesus look like the treasure that He in reality is in your life. Are you singing the songs of Zion in a foreign land? Does God have you somewhere that you don’t want to be? And remember don’t mistake God’s patience for His approval. And furthermore, if no discipline ever comes, you are not God’s child.
A. Closing illustration: Ezekiel 12:10-15 Say to them, ’Thus says the Lord God: "This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them." ’ [11] Say, ’I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’ [12] And the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes. [13] I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there. [14] I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them. [15] Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Ezekiel 36:19-23 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. [20] When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name--when they said of them, ’These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ [21] But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. [22] "Therefore say to the house of Israel, ’Thus says the Lord God: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. [23] And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord," says the Lord God, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.
B. Invitation to commitment
