Have you ever noticed how the cereal companies market their cereals. First of all theirs pictures on the box that tells you who their target audience is. If the target audience is young children you without a doubt know that somewhere on the box a little blurb has been written especially for moms. This little blurb shouts out "A source of 9 or 8 essential vitamins". What they don’t mention in such big words is that their cereal is 50% sugar as well.
The bottom line is this: there are vitamins that you I need to daily put into our bodies if we are going to remain healthy and strong. In our health conscious day and age we are all more than aware that our bodies require a regular input of foods that contain all the essential vitamins and minerals that a human body needs. If we don’t get these essentials into us then we weaken and become susceptible to sickness.
Just as there is a list of essential vitamins that we need to take in to be physically healthy the same is true spiritually. For you and I to be strong in the Lord and strong as Christians there are some essential practices that must a part of our daily lives.
Over the next two months we are going to consider as our topic "Spiritual disciplines that make for a strong Christians". The disciplines we examine are essential, non negotiable disciplines that make for strong Christians.
Last week we kicked this series off by considering Isaiah 26:8. Our topic was "The kind of person I want to be". The kind of person I want to be is one who is completely submitted to God and his ways. I also want to be a person who is passionate for God and filled zeal for Him.
Have you noticed that there is a connection between strong Christians and passionate for God Christians. The fact is that they are one and the same. Strong Christians are passionate about God. The result of truly giving oneself to the pursuit of godliness and the spiritual disciplines is that ones heart becomes inflamed for God and filled by Him and his glory.
If you said Yes last week to wanting to be a passionate for and about God kind of person, then this series is for you: for as we discipline ourselves to be godly our hearts will be set afire for God.
In I Timothy 4:7b-8 it says "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
This is a good verse for us to memorize for it reminds us that godliness doesn’t come naturally, it takes effort, discipline, perseverance, commitment, hard work. Also held out for us is this: such training benefits us in this life and in the life to come.
FOR YOU AND ME TO BE STRONG CHRISTIANS. FOR YOU AND ME WHO ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A PASSIONATE FOR AND ABOUT GOD KIND OF CHRISTIAN….PRAYER IS A DISCIPLINE THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TRAIN OURSELVES IN.
On several occasions this past week it was confirmed to me that my talking about the discipline of prayer today is right. (Magazines I received in the mail, radio sermons I listened to)
The topic of prayer is an immense one and I could preach dozens of sermons on the subject, but here’s the bottom line. If you and me are going to be strong Christians then we are going to have to train and discipline ourselves in the area of prayer.
That we might be encouraged to take up this discipline and so reap untold benefits let us consider the account of Daniel in Daniel 6.
READ
The lions aside, our focus today will be upon Daniel as a man of prayer.
When he was just a young teen Daniel was taken into the land of Babylon as a captive of war. God was punishing Israel for her sins. God’s decree was that for 70 years Israel would be captives of Babylon.
At this point in our text Daniel is approximately 85 years old. He’s an old man—but he’s a godly old man.
For most of his life he has been a top official in the Babylonian kingdom. Amazing really. He’s a Jew, not a native. Yet God saw to it that he was elevated to an extremely influential position in the Babylonian kingdom: a kingdom noted for idol worship and sin.
Here’s a great verse that you need to memorize. In I Samuel 2:30 God says "Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained"
What was the secret to Daniel’s "success" and place of honor in the kingdom of Babylon? Honoring God was his priority. He had a heart for God. He was sold out for God and because of that he was blessed: God says to you and me "Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise will be disdained."
In our text we are made aware that Daniel is up for a big promotion. Here he is in this vast empire and the king has in mind to make him the #2 guy over the whole thing.
The reason: it’s not because of favoritism or anything else but the fact that Daniel is the most qualified guy for the job. He had all the tools. He had all the skills (of course we ought to be reminded that according to Daniel 1:17 that all of these abilities came from God)
Problem: Daniel’s co workers were not to happy about this.
At times you I will hear the phrase "This is a cut throat business". Well, that’s what Daniel’s co workers fancied doing –except that had some lions in mind to do the actual business.
With a guy like Daniel in place they wouldn’t be able to get away with anything. They wouldn’t be able to secretly line their pockets. With a man of integrity like Daniel around they would have to run a clean ship.
Another factor most certainly at work here is racism. How was it was that they "home grown Babylonians" were being shut out of the top job by some conquered Jewish guy?
Plan hatched: Get some dirt on Daniel so that he is at the very least disqualified from the job.
Problem: they couldn’t find anything to nail him on. They sifted their way through Daniel’s present and past job records and in spite of all their digging: nothing
Daniel was a man of impeccable integrity. He was found to be trustworthy, he was free from any hints of corruption, he was in not one iota negligent in the carrying out of his duties.
Q When it comes to your place of work can that be said of you and me? Are you completely trustworthy, are you free of any hint of corruption. Are you in any way negligent in your duties?
I dare say there is work to be done to being this kind of person in the workplace—that we might be "above board" in all our dealings: Issues: Extended break times, the stealing of office supplies, the cutting of corners, the office politics and back stabbing that takes place, the giving of yourself 100% to the job, etc
Because of the kind of person Daniel was and the record that he had it was determined that the only way to get him would be as it related to his walk and allegiance to God.
This is sort of neat. Imagine having an opponent who says of you. The only way I’m going to be able to get you is to somehow come after you through your faith in God. The only way to get you is on some religious grounds.
If you’ll note v.5 you will see the phrase "Law of his God"
As you I consider the topic of prayer and Daniel as a man of prayer we must understand that prayer is not an option. Prayer is not an option for us. It is a command of God.
When we do not pray we in effect find ourselves in sin.
As Daniel’s opponents said "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."
The plan:
Approached king and said "we would like you to be sole object of peoples prayers for the next month". Sign this into law, and by the way if anyone breaks this law the penalty is that they are thrown into the lions den (that was there way of executing criminals in those days)
King fell for it.
Who knows why? Most likely his sense of pride……. The king’s actions show us how a persons failure to think carefully regarding important decisions can have disastrous consequences.
It turned out to be that this foolhardy decision was one that the king sorely regretted and repented over. It is thought by the wording of our text that perhaps this king to became a follower of God.
DANIEL AND HIS RESPONSE
If a law was passed that for the next 30 days you and I could not pray, upon the pain of death what would you do?
Would a law like that be a problem for you?
It may be that you look at this text and say to yourself. Why did Daniel pray in such a way that he allowed himself to be caught praying? Why didn’t Daniel change his prayer habits and the location of his praying.
Our text tells us that upon hearing of the king’s command that Daniel went home to his upstairs room, the room that had windows open and facing toward Jerusalem and he got down on his knees as he had done for his whole life, 3 times a day and he prayed, as he had always done.
You see Daniel no doubt lived by the following "Those who honor me I will honor".
He no doubt lived by his code and the same words his 3 friends uttered to Nebuchadnezzar years before "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king, But even is he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18
In the NT Peter and John are recorded as saying to the Sanhredin who had forbidden them from speaking of Jesus "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God" Acts 4:19
You see, to Daniel, daily prayer with the windows open towards Jerusalem was a matter of obedience to the law of God (see I Kings 8). Daniel was not going to change his ways in the matter of prayer to obey some law made by man. He had faith that God could deliver him. We must understand in our lives today that prayer is a matter of God’s law, not that we pray to legalistically satisfy God but because prayer is a vital act for a strong Christian. In and by true prayer we are blessed and heaven and earth move. In and by prayer we are strengthened, others are lifted up and sweet communion is had with God.
As a young man Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. (Daniel 1:8) His resolve to honor, serve, and obey God to the full continued through his whole life. More than 70 years later he still full of conviction and godly fire. He will not compromise himself for the sake of man. He will honor God to the end no matter the personal cost.
Some of you may be wondering: why was it so important for Daniel to pray by a window that faced Jerusalem.
Firstly note this: just because praying at a window it doesn’t mean that he doing it publicly. He’s in his own home in a room of his home. Perhaps he was visible from the street or another home but that matters little. His prayers in such a fashion were not for show.
I Kings 8:22-53 answers for us why Daniel faced Jerusalem in an unimpeded way (windows open) when he prayed. Listen to v. 46-51 "When they sin against you- for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly;’ and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their father, toward the city you have chosen and temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron smelting furnace.
WHAT KIND OF MAN WAS DANIEL WHEN IT CAME TO PRAYER
1. He was obedient
2. He was earnest and committed
3. He was unswerving in his resolve to honor and obey God and not ‘cow tow’ to man
4. He was uncompromised. To alter his prayer life and the way he prayed was to compromise and Daniel was not a man of compromise.
5. He was disciplined
6. His prayers were regular, planned, they were intentional
7. He was faithful
He did not fear those who could harm his body but rather he feared God. Consider Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell"
CONCLUSION
Today the issue for us is not about whether or not we pray at on open window that faces Jerusalem. The issue is not about whether you pray in public—yet shameful it is if you deny your Lord in public.
The issue at hand is this: prayer is not an option for us. To pray is the command of God.
Prayer takes discipline and commitment. It’s about being faithful.
You want to be a strong Christian? Pray
You want to be a person who has a fire in your heart for God? Pray
Also, are you 100% committed to taking up your cross for Christ? This text suggests that Christians who would live holy lives should expect persecution. A heart for God is going to mean that you and I pay for a price—and its worth it for there is a reward that far outweighs the light and momentary troubles that we will face.
When you give yourself to holiness and its pursuit. When you and discipline and apply ourselves to godly living, the world is going to notice. Some will be saved, others will hate us and we will suffer for righteousness sake.
Daniel stands as our example, an old man who could have compromised, but who didn’t. He was a man of God who understood the importance of being obedient in prayer.
