DEFINING MOMENTS
“Learning to Trust”
Daniel 6:1-22
There are events that are etched into our minds and hearts that live there forever. Because there was a moment in time when everything seemed to change. We refer to these sometimes as defining moments. Here are a few.
October 24, 1929. While there are only a couple of people here today who were alive at that time, you still may know that was the day of stock market crash. Banks were suddenly broke and the Great Depression started. And it all happened in just a moment.
August 5, 1960. The US became involved in Vietnam. Although his vice president advised him against it, Lyndon Johnson make that decision. A decision mad in a moment and that war went on for 20 years. Over 1 million lives were lost.
On a lighter note, August 17, 1977 Elvis died. In a moment, Elvis fans everywhere crushed. And believe it or not there still people believe he is still alive somewhere. And so there are Elvis sightings reported in the Memphis area still to this day.
Life is made up of a series of moments. Some good, some bad, but some of them become defining moments; moments that actually change the course of history.
Noah decided to build an ark. Abraham made the decision to go to a new country. Jesus said follow me to a man named Peter and in that moment he said yes. And then there was a day when a man named Daniel made a critical decision and that decision became a defining moment. Now if you know anything about Daniel you likely the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den.
King Darius appointed 120 men who would be accountable to keep him, as the King, from being defrauded. Over that group he placed three administrators who would answer directly to him. One of those man was Daniel. Daniel was such a capable worker that the King put him in charge of all of them. Well everyone doesn’t always like the leader, there is often jealousy; others think they should have gotten the position, so now the others, 122, went to work to try to find something Daniel was doing wrong so they could bring him down. But Daniel was different and they just couldn’t find any dirt on Daniel. So what do you do? Well you try to create some. So the 122 went to the King and said we have voted and we believe that the king should establish a rule for 30 days that anyone who would petition, make a request to any God or any man for that matter, other than the king-that individual would be thrown into the lion’s den and the King signed this into law.
Now there are times when every one of us will be faced with difficult decisions, moments, when the decision we make has the potential to change our future for the better or for the worse and there is only one person who can make that decision and guess what-it’s you. You. No one else can do it.
1. The greatest decision you will ever make is to continue to trust God even when your world is completely falling apart. Daniel grew up---- a good Jewish boy in Jerusalem. He had the word of God, went to the temple and also learned to pray. But suddenly his nation was attacked and they became a completely different culture. At that time, Daniel was only a teenager. Yet everything around him was changing.
• New culture
• new environment
• new language
• new people
And they all said the same thing. Daniel, you must become a new person. You have to change. You have to live like we do. It’s tough when you are being forced to change; to do so something against your wishes. To move to a new school-a new community. Your parents moved. My wife and I have lived in five different states since we were married. 13 different houses. Our children faced a great deal of change as well. It’s very hard. For Daniel, his whole world had come undone. His world had fallen apart. And when your world has fallen apart, what do you do? And that’s the question for us. When your whole world is coming undone, can you still trust God? Because some of you are facing a crisis right now that is on that level. It feels as though your whole life is coming undone.
So here’s a truth that we need to get hold of, hang on to never let go of. There is a God in heaven he is in control! While life may feel out of control, it is not. Someone much greater than us, much more powerful was holding it all together. There are times when it seems easy to trust God... Things are going great... All the bills are being paid, health is good, everybody loves you, kids are happy-easy to trust God the. But suddenly the bottom falls out and that’s when it’s hard. Life is made up of a series of moments; and at any given time things can change for the worse. And in those moments, the greatest decision you can make is to continue to completely trust God.
So now Daniel is in tough place. This law has been put into place that blocks anyone from praying or petitioning to anyone other than the King. And Daniel was a believer who prayer regularly. That brings us to my 2nd point
2. In those difficult times the greatest temptation you will face is to compromise. Compromise your beliefs. Your ethics. Your morality. Your convictions. What happened to Daniel 3000 years ago is happening today also. We are asked to compromise our beliefs. It’s happening today to every teenager, every college student and every young adult. To all of us actually. We live in a very secular culture that has tossed God aside and we see it at every turn. As we have said for years the times they are “a changing.” There is a battle going on in the minds and hearts of our children and Satan and the world want to capture us, you, me … and the world wants to basically brainwash us to conform to their standards. So you and I have choices we must make. 1 John 2:15-16 (HCSB) 15 Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world.
So Daniel has to make a choice. Am I going to compromise
my beliefs like everybody else or will I take a stand? And in that moment Daniel decided to take a stand. And it was his defining moment. Because taking a stand will usually cost us something. V. 9 tells us that Darius had signed the document into law. No one could pray or make a petition to anyone except the king. If they did, they would be thrown into the lion’s den. This has become a phrase today that is sometimes used when we are going into a tough meeting or a difficult situation. We say they basically have thrown me into the Lion’s den. They have thrown me to the wolves. And I didn’t see this coming. So this is drama basically when we do this. Doesn’t mean that we aren’t in a tough situation but this is not the way it was for Daniel. Daniel was not just facing a difficult situation, he was literally facing a den of lions. Now, lions do not actually live in dens. This was a pit …they had been captured and placed there for this very purpose.
America is in a crisis. Although in the 4 decades I have been preaching now, I have probably said that in every one of them. In many ways this is not new. But nonetheless we are in a crisis. I believe that it exists on three levels:
• There is a crisis of authority. A crisis of truth. This is what I mean. We no longer know what truth actually is. For most of us we grew up in homes where someone told us what to believe and what not to believe. Okay. This is right. This is wrong. This is truth. This is a lie. You come to church and are hopefully told the same thing. This is right. This is wrong. This is truth. This is untruth. But now there are forces/people out there telling you hey, this is not necessarily all true. Just because your parents told you; that doesn’t make it true. Just because your pastor said that, doesn’t make it right. His advice is outdated.
So truth has become relative. You know, probably, if you rely on a definition on Wikipedia, people are actually editing these sites. Anyone can. Truth has become relative. Something may be true for you but not for me. That’s your truth. That’s not my truth. But the Bible says there are some things are true for everybody. Some things that are right some things that are wrong. We have to decide whether we will stand with God’s word or not. Daniel had to make the same choice.
• There is also a crisis of identity. At some point all of us have to answer the question, “who am I?” Daniel’s name means “God is judge.” That was his given name. And Daniel stood for God. But in his new culture Daniel was given a new name. It was Beltashazzar. Belteshazzar means “servant of Baal.” It’s like, “Daniel, were not going to call you by your Hebrew name anymore. We’re going to give you a new name-one that represents a pagan God-not your God.” But Daniel basically says no, I like my name. I’ll just be Daniel.
Now as you probably know, I’m not a prophet but things are changing and will continue to change. Christians are often scoffed at; laughed at and our opinions are often dismissed by those who believe they are more intelligent. Phrases like “born again” and “saved” will become negative terms to our society. For many, they already have. If you take a stand at school, if you say you’re a Bible believing Christian you’re going to be labeled. As someone without a brain. Just check you brain at the door as you enter. You’re going to be looked down on.
• There is also a crisis of morality. We ask, “How will I live? How will I act?” King Nebuchadnezzar said, look I’m your new authority. Forget your God. Forget scripture. I’ll give you a new name. A new identity. Then he said, Daniel you have to eat my food, drink my wine-I’m the boss of you. And Daniel had decisions to make. Am I going to do with the King says or am I going to do what the King of Kings says?
And you think-big deal-is it really a big deal what we eat and drink? Well, yes it actually is. The OT, his Bible said he could only eat certain foods. Couldn’t have pork. No more Sonny’s. No more Pit Boss. Couldn’t eat beef if it had been offered up to idols. So Daniel finds himself in a moral crisis. We have to be willing to stand up and say... Look... This is right... This is wrong. Because we have lost our moral absolutes. And if we don’t take a stand there will be nothing for us to pass on to the next generation. CNN, in a poll given here in the US asked about the 10 Commandments showed that 64% said they would steal if they knew they wouldn’t get caught. 74% said that under certain circumstances they lie. We have decisions to make. The 10 commandments have lost their authority as a moral compass for many people. Students. Kids. Adults.
3. In the midst of your world falling apart, your greatest victory will be to simply remain pure. That’s what Daniel did. Back in chapter one Daniel had already determined that he would NOT defile himself. (1:8)
Let me tell you what will happen when you choose, in a moment, to be like Daniel.
1. It is hard. Peer pressure is real, even for adults. There will be pressure on you to do otherwise. Things you know are wrong. Everyone else was eating the food that was unclean, drinking the King’s wine but Daniel was willing to be different. He refused to eat their food, refused to use their language. He refused to be something he wasn’t. His faith in God was real and he refused to give it up. No matter what kind of pressure there was. Daniel chooses to go about his business, praying and serving God. Nothing will change for Daniel because he still has the same priorities.
2. It will be humbling and gratifying at the same time. I want you to see this the way Daniel did. He wasn’t bragging. He did this with humility. It wasn’t judgmental or critical. He just said for me, I’m not going to do it.
3. In the midst of it all, you may find that God will completely surprise you. You have faith; you’re willing to accept the difficulty that has come but God surprises you and says, “I have plans for you and you will get through this.” But then the bottom falls out. Because he continues to pray he is literally thrown into the lion’s den. But from that moment he sees God at work and God says I’m going to close the lion’s mouth. V. 22. Amazing. And Daniel’s life was spared.
3. Finally your defining moment can become a defining moment for someone else. The defining moment that Daniel had was also a defining moment for King Darius.
• Back in v.13 when they informed the king he could not break the agreement…v. 14 tells us “the king was very displeased …….. and he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to rescue him.”
• When Daniel was brought before the king, v. 16, the king said, “May your God, the one you serve, rescue you!” Now while this may sound otherwise, he actually meant it. The king had been backed into a corner.
• V. 17. He placed a stone over the pit and sealed it with is ring so that no one could change anything. Then he went to his home for the evening and began fasting. And because he was so upset he couldn’t sleep for the entire night.
• V. 19. First thing the next morning he goes to check on Daniel. And he cried out in anguish to him to see if he was alive.
• V. 23 the king was overjoyed and he ordered that Daniel be released and then ordered that those who had tricked and deceived him would now be thrown into the lion’s den. And the lions destroyed them.
• Vs. 25-28. Daniel prospered.
