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.”
Psalm 119:105
“His word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” Daniel knew this and so should each one of us.
I don’t know what you are facing this morning But I know that your God is bigger than it
If you are worrying, you are probably not praying
Daniel is an old man at this time- between 80-90 years old.
Tragedies happen , People die , Things we hold dearly get attacked
Just like 911, it happens in an instant- Dare to be a Daniel.
While it is fresh in your mind- make a decision- no matter what, I will serve God
The point of this passage is not wisdom or bravery, it is that God is in control And we need to act accordingly.
(V16) The king said to Daniel:
“May the God , whom you serve continually, rescue you
(v18)
“The king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.”
Write these two things down
God’s test are designed to have you face your own limitations.
God’s test lead you to be dependent on God.
Some of you this morning are facing some tough stuff You are on the verge of giving up Been there, done that, and bought the tee-shirt.
People are watching you They want to see if you are walking the walk, or just talking Daniel could have stopped praying for 30days. He could have secretly worshiped God and stayed out of trouble.
Daniel by example:
I am going to keep praying.
I am going to keep serving God.
We live in a country where we can express our religious beliefs. (They are trying to take them away) But we are cowards. We make excuses of not wanting to offend anyone. We pray when noone is watching. Jesus Christ is more than just a pretty picture that hangs on a wall. The cross is more than just decoration for around your neck. People are watching. We can change their lives. More importantly- God is watching God is watching us in the lions den.
Closing:
Lets look at Daniel in the lions den. The king that put him there, didn’t really want to. Stayed up all night worrying about it. Listened to bad advice to put them there in the first place. Chaos appears to be everywhere. But what is happening to the believer who is in the lions den? God is with him
You see, it is God who is in control.
Illustration-(Sermoncentral)
Dr Madison Sarratt taught mathematics at Vanderbilt for many years. Before giving a test, he would put things in prospective for his students by admonishing his class with these words.
“Today I am giving two examinations, one in Trigonometry, and the other in honesty. I hope you will pass them both. But, if you must fail one, fail trigonometry. There are many good people in the world who cannot pass trigonometry, but there are no good people in the world who cannot pass the examination of honesty”
Daniel is in the lions den, but he refused to give up his character and integrity no matter what happens to him. No matter if God shows up to rescue him or not doesn’t change the face of who his God was. The king runs to see if Daniel survived the night.
(V19) “very early the next morning, the king hurried out to the lions den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, Daniel, servant of the living God Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?
(V21) “”Long live the king My God sent his angel to shut the lions mouths so they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, your majesty.”
D.L.Moody said that he envisioned Daniel actually using one of the lions as a pillow that night
God takes pleasure in taking the most difficult situations in life, those that seem humanly impossible to us and using those impossibilities to increase our faith.
Daniel had confidence in God that he would deliver him, one way or another.
Daniel did not know what to expect in the lions den, but he knew that God would be with him and he put his trust in him.
Illustration (Sermoncentral)
A grandfather was out walking with his grandson one day, “How far do you think we are from home? The boy said, I do not know. Well. Where are you?, again the boy said I do not know. Then the grandfather chuckled and said, “Sounds like you are lost.” The young boy looked at his grandfather and said, “I cannot be lost, I’m with you”
God doesn’t say that He will always fix it. Change it, or even protect us from troubles. He does say that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Dare to be a Daniel is trusting God before we get to the lions den, while we are in the lions den, because we have put our trust in Him to see us to the end. The God of Daniel is the same God of Twanette, the same God of Neil, the same God of Bill, the same God for us of us that call upon Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives.
Altar Call.
