Thriving in Babylon
Daniel 1:1-1:21
Fearless Pt 1- Thriving in Babylon
Introduction
New Series- Fearless (adapted from a series by Pastor Larry Osborne from North Coast Church).
Many things to worry about and be afraid of today.
What is it that causes you to toss/turn at night
-economy, health, job,
-not having- family, oh my gosh I have a family
There is- appropriate place Biblically for fear/concern.
However there is a
-ROCK we can stand on,
-a spiritual stability we can enter into,
-that enables us to face fear properly.
Premise of what I want to share is this question
How do we survive and even thrive in a culture that is accelerating towards darkness?
Survive- to remain alive or continue to exist.
Thrive- to grow vigorously, to gain, to progress.
Daniels Story
Look at someone- thrived in a culture darker than ours
Dan 1:1
Judah- represents Gods people- (originally 12 tribes)-
-10 tribes-rebelled/carried away/never to return,
-2 tribes-faithful on/off-at this time-disobedient
Dan 1:2
Here is the picture- Gods people- were
-inconsistent in their obedience to God-
-there were God fearing Jews in the land, and
-in contrast- wicked country/King- attack/win,
-righteous suffer along w/unrighteous.
Hard fact- who delivered Jehoiakim over- the Lord.
Dan 1:3-4
Take- best young men into captivity- serve the King.
Challenge to young people- Daniel- 15/16 yr olds- had great knowledge- gave himself to learn.
The literature/language they had to learn had much to do with astrology/occult.
Babylon originated much- dark magic/occult.
Dan 1:5-8
The diet of Babylonians consisted of many things forbidden by the dietary laws of the OT
-they did not bleed their meat, and
-offered their food to their gods/idols.
Daniel asked-chief official-is there a way to avoid this
Dan 1:9-10
God gave Daniel favor- but- commander was afraid.
Does Daniel get angry/upset? How would we act?
Dan 1:11
Daniel appeals to- man- commander placed over him.
Dan 1:12-17
God gave them understanding in all areas.
Dan 1:18-21
God gave them grace even when they had to study what you and I would consider to be demonic.
Young men- had a solid foundation in OT scriptures- interpreted knowledge in light of their worldview.
As the story goes on- Daniel lived in Babylon- 70 yrs.
He rose to the highest positions of power in the nation and influenced the nation for the Lord.
He not only lived in a godless culture, he thrived in it.
Daniels Story- The Culture of Babylon
What would it be like to be 15-16 yrs old in Babylon?
Babylon is the personification of evil
Rev 18:1-24
The Lord is about to return, it has been a difficult time on the earth- just come through- Tribulation.
Angels shouting- it is over, evil will be destroyed.
Rev 18:1-2, 5, 10
Babylon is as evil and anti-God as a culture can be.
Nebuchadnezzar raided Gods temple/put the holy things on display in a demonic temple.
He was saying- your God- puny compared to our god.
Astrology and the occult was the government sponsored religion and teaching in- schools.
We get frustrated with our educational system, but it is not yet nearly as dark as Babylon was.
My children- BCC- class on world religions
My kids- able to interpret in light of their world view.
Daniels Dilemma he finds himself
kidnapped, castrated, and his name changed to honor Satan (Babylonian gods).
forced to study the occult/serve an evil king.
Daniel did not deserve any of what happened to him but he was caught in Gods judgment on his nation
As a Christian-how would we respond in this situation
It would be like you are kidnapped, taken to Iran, forced to study- 3 year curriculum on the Koran/Isalamic studies, name is changed to one- honors Allah, and you are castrated.
As Christian¡¦s- particularly for us older ones- we get the most upset about where our culture is going.
But what Daniel faced was far worse than today.
If he could not just survive, but thrive, so can we.
Secrets in Daniels Life
1. Optimism
What do I mean by optimism?
Daniel had a Biblical perspective and knew
-who was in control and
-how it was all going to end
This makes a big difference to how we respond to life.
Biblical optimism gives us a solid foundation in the-
-midst of appropriate fears and concerns
-face of the issues of life- life can be hard.
Daniel knew
even in Babylon, God is in control
God brought this about-it did not take Him by surprise
There are things God directly causes, there are things God allows, but He is not surprised.
Daniel understood
God is in control of whose in control. Osborne
Rom 13- all government authorities- raised up by God
Sometimes the short term success of the wicked is Gods will.
In- OT- false prophets who would cry out-
-peace and safety, God will not judge us
-we are Gods children, we may live like hell, but we are better than they are. But that is not how God sees it, God says
You are my children and if you are living in disobedience- I will sometimes use the wicked to judge you and then I will deal with them later.
In-OT/NT- clear-God disciplines His own. (Heb12:4)
When I went to a restaurant when my kids were young and my kids acted up- since they were my kids I dealt with it. If the kids in a couple of booths over acted up I went over and slapped them too? Not! Why? Because they were not my kids. But I did deal with my own kids.
Have you noticed how Christians get upset/angry at people/institutions that carry out- ungodly agenda?
Instead of being so angry at others we consider evil, perhaps we should take a good look in the mirror.
As Christians, we impact one another.
You might be living in obedience, but there are many waving- Christian flag who are not obeying God.
Why do we expect God to protect our nation from trouble, when many Christians are not obeying?
If we are going to live like God does not exist in certain areas of our life, we are going to experience life as if God does not exist.
Larry Osborne
Daniel understood his suffering was the result of the unbelief of his nation and Gods judgment on it.
Daniel also knew
panic and despair are not from God.
There is a place to sweat/worry/be concerned.
Even Paul writes about being anxious, discouraged, and depressed, but we do not live there.
As followers of Christ we know in the end we win.
We may not understand things in the short term or even in decades, but we know the end of the story.
Mtt 16:18 gates of hell will not overpower- church
Gates are defensive, not offensive.
Satan is not attacking us with his gates.
Jesus- saying- gates of hell will not be able to resist our advance when we live/walk in obedience.
In short term-may resist-in long term- will not prevail.
Have you ever watched an important football game- tough game, both teams are good. You are rooting for one team, it is not looking good, but in the end they win. During the game you are shouting, emotions rise/fall as the game goes good/bad for your team. You get all worked up over the game. Two years later- watch the game again. This time you can watch it/joke over the bad plays/calls, you are not yelling/shouting, you are not frustrated- why? Because you know the ending- it changes everything.
Daniel knew who was in control and how it all ended.
Armed w/this same knowledge, we can be fearless.
2. Humility
Humility is much more than being really good at something and thinking you are bad at it.
Biblical humility is
-putting- needs/interests of others above yours
-treating people with respect.
Daniel knew
everyone deserves respect, even Gods enemies.
Daniel showed respect to the Babylonian overseer who was responsible for his food.
He did not have-attitude-respectfully appealed to them
When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel interpreted it- the dream was bad for the King-
Daniel says- Oh King, I wish this was not you.
No one listens to someone who does not respect them.
Daniel was able to rise to the 2nd highest position in Babylon because he treated others with respect.
He helped Nebuchadnezzar to succeed.
People will not listen to us when we think we are morally superior because we know Jesus Christ.
It is not compromising to treat those with a godless agenda with respect.
2 Tim 2:24-26
3. Wisdom
Daniel had wisdom, he knew how to pick his battles.
He was not willing to break Gods law but he was willing to put up w/lot of things he did not like.
There is a big difference between what we do not like and what God forbids.
Often Christians do not know the difference.
I would not like being called Allahs servant, but does God forbid me from having a strange name?
There is no law against that so Daniel did not care.
There are things I would not want to study in school, but is there no command not to learn those things?
In fact the more I know about something the more intelligently I can make a good case against it.
Daniel was ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all of Babylon.
We are called to infiltrate, not isolate. Osborne
Sometimes we treat the things we do not like and the things that God forbids as if they were the same.
You may not like hearing foul language at work, but there is no law against you hearing it.
Is this a place where I want to fight a battle?
We need to distinguish between what we do not like and what God forbids.
Conclusion
Daniel thrived/had great influence in a wicked nation.
He stood his ground, he was optimistic, he was humble, and he was wise.
We do not have to worry about how dark it gets.
The darker it gets, the more the light God has given us will make a difference.
