HoHum:
There is a story about a college student who was desperately in need of a summer job. He discovered the local zoo was looking for help. He couldn’t think of a more creative way to spend the summer, but he wasn’t prepared for the job description. When he went to apply, the zookeeper explained that they had recently lost their gorilla. “You just can’t have a zoo with a gorilla,” the zookeeper said. “We are expecting a new gorilla by the end of the summer, but, in the meantime, we need someone to dress the part. We’ll pay you well.” The young student was hesitant, but he needed the money, so he agreed. After a couple of hours in the gorilla suit, he found himself almost enjoying the job. But in the awkward costume he could not always see where he was going, and he accidentally stumbled into the lion’s cage. The lion roared violently, throwing the college student into a panic. “Help!” he screamed. “Help! I’m a man in here! I’m a man in this gorilla suit!” Then he heard a voice from inside the lion whisper, “Oh shut up! You’ll get us both fired!” In reality it would be impossible for a human to imitate the roar of the king of the jungle. A lion’s roar has been heard 5 miles away! If we have ever stood near a lion when he roars, the sound will vibrate through our whole body. It is a powerful roar that is used by the lion to strike a paralyzing fear into his prey. The prey of the lion has reason to be afraid. A hungry lion can eat 30% of his body weight in one sitting. That’s like an average man eating 200 quarter pound hamburgers for lunch! If the lion is hungry enough, he is not beyond attacking a human being, and he possesses the strength of 14 men. The Old Testament story of Daniel and the lion’s den is familiar to many, but it takes on added significance when one considers the immense power of a lion. Daniel could have been expected to react with terror when he was thrown into that den, but he faced the beasts with courage. Let’s look back at story
WBTU:
Daniel was a Jewish man who was taken from his homeland at a young age and forced to live in the pagan land of Babylon. Daniel was a foreigner- he would have talked differently, behaved differently, perhaps even dressed differently, and he practiced a different faith from the pagans around him. Yet Daniel withstood the peer pressure and remained faithful to his God for many years. Daniel was probably about 90 years by the time of Daniel 6. Read Daniel 6:1-2. The Babylonian kingdom had recently been conquered by the new world ruler, Darius the Mede. Daniel had been a high ranking ruler in Babylon and King Darius liked Daniel so much that Darius decided to make him one of his 3 top advisers. Daniel was so successful that he was about to become the 2nd most powerful man in the world. Read vs. 3. The other politicians couldn’t handle Daniel’s success. They began plans for a smear campaign. Read vs. 4. Nothing about Daniel’s past, nothing about his personal life, and nothing about his work ethic was scandalous. Read vs. 5. Daniel’s only idiosyncrasies emerged from his faith. His enemies knew they would only find something wrong with Daniel if they could find something wrong with his faith. That gave someone a cunning idea. Read vs. 6-7. It is difficult to know how they could have persuaded King Darius to do such an egotistical thing. Probably made it a patriotic and loyalty thing. They convinced King Darius to put the decree in writing, which meant, according to the Law of the Medes and Persians, that even the king himself could not repeal the law. They had stroked the king’s ego, and he bit the bait. It seemed that Daniel was in a dilemma. Would he compromise his faith to maintain his political viability? Would he stop his practice of praying 3 times a day until the month had passed? Would he continue to pray, but do it in secret? No, not Daniel! Daniel did the same thing he did every day. Even though he knew his enemies would be policing his every move, he boldly continued his praying. Read vs. 10. Yes, Daniel was dragged before the king, and with much regret King Darius sent Daniel to the den of lions. Daniel should have been trembling with fright. There may have been as many as 40 lions in the pit where Daniel was thrown. When a lions’ den was used for capital punishment, the lions would be kept hungry in anticipation of an execution. Daniel did not expect to live- unless God intervened. Yet there is no hint that Daniel was afraid. He faced what seemed to be death courageously. Read vs. 18-22. King Darius was ecstatic, and immediately repented of the ungodly decree he had established. Read vs. 23-24. It is possible that all 122 of the administrators and satraps were thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children! And they were mauled before they reached the ground! That shows the awesome power of hungry lions, but what is more important, it proves the miraculous power of the Almighty God, who shut the mouths of those same lions to protect his servant Daniel. King Darius then issued a new decree, commanding that all people fear and reverence Daniel’s God. Read vs. 26-27
Most of us do not have to face a literal lion as Daniel did, but the Bible makes it clear that we have an even more formidable foe: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8, NIV. Peter compared the workings of Satan to the prowling of a hungry lion.
Thesis: Let’s look at the similarities between the dangers Satan poses and the dangers of a roaring lion
For instances:
Satan’s Greatest Asset is Fear
Just as a lion’s roar strikes fear into it’s victims, Satan will try to paralyze us with fear; so be courageous. If a person were asked to walk across an 8 inch wide board that was only 6 inches above the ground, he would probably have no problem. But if that board was 50 feet above the ground, the chances of falling would be much greater. The only difference is fear. Satan will do his best to change people’s perspective. He will roar loudly to strike fear into their heart. He wants them to experience the fear of failure, so he roars, “What if you’re not good enough?” He wants us to feel the fear of rejection, so he roars, “What if they don’t like you?” He wants us to be plagued with the fear of doubt, so he roars, “What if there really is no God? What if he doesn’t care?” Satan wants us to experience the fear of the unknown, so he roars, “What if the future is painful? What if death is lonely? What if there is nothing on the other side?” When Satan tempts us to be paralyzed with fear, we must remember God’s promises: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7, NIV. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10, NIV. Daniel, with courage, knelt and prayed 3 times a day, though he was sure it would cost him his life. He did not let fear paralyze him. When we allow fear to motivate our decisions or make us indecisive, we have become paralyzed by Satan’s roar. Zach Williams- Fear he is a liar, He will take your breath, stop you in your steps, Fear he is a liar. He will rob your rest, steal your happiness. Cast your fear in the fire, ‘Cause fear he is a liar. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”” Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV.
Satan is powerful
Dare not fight Satan and his forces alone. Just as Daniel could never have defeated the lions alone, we cannot defeat Satan without the power of God. Notice that Daniel said in Vs. 22 that God sent his angel and shut the mouths of the lions. If we try to fight Satan on our own strength, we are sure to be defeated. We have good news. There is another who is compared to a lion in the Bible- Jesus Christ, the “Lion of Judah.” The Bible makes it clear that the Lion of Judah is much more powerful than Satan. Satan is powerful but God is all powerful. We have God’s resurrection power on our side. When Christ died on the cross, then rose from the dead, he won the battle over Satan’s most powerful weapon, death. Christ emerged victorious, Satan was defeated, and we have nothing to fear if we rely on Christ’s power instead of our own. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14, 15, NIV. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Romans 8:11, NIV. Jeremy Camp- The same power that rose Jesus from the grace, the same power that commands the dead to wake, lives in us, lives in us. Must rely on God’s power, not our own. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18, NIV. Need this picture displayed for this last illustration: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/moody-daniel-lions/ Charles Stanley tells of a time when he was struggling with much opposition. In the midst of the turmoil, an elderly member of his church invited him to her apartment for lunch. He hesitated because he was busy and did not want to listen to some lecture, but he finally agreed. He met her downstairs at the retirement community where she lived. They had lunch together, and then she explained there was something she wanted to show him in her apartment. She assured Charles that it would not take long and it would be fine. She took him to a picture hanging on her living room, a picture of Daniel in the lions’ den. “Preacher,” she said, “look at this picture and tell me what you see.” Stanley looked at the picture and saw that all the lions had their mouths closed. Some were lying down and some were standing. Daniel was standing with his hands behind him looking up at a ray of light coming into the den. Stanley pointed out every detail he could think of. “Is there anything else?” she asked. He could think of nothing. She put her arm on his shoulder and said, “Preacher, what I want you to see is that Daniel doesn’t have his eyes on the lions, but on Christ.” “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV.
