NO MATTER WHAT
Daniel 6:10
S: Prayer—Persistence
Th: Live a Prayer Life (Prayer: A Passion for His Presence)
Pr: GOD’S PEOPLE KEEP PRAYING (NO MATTER WHAT).
?: Why?
KW: Reasons
TS: Since the example of Daniel demonstrates a determination to pray no matter what the circumstances, we will find three reasons why God’s people are to keep praying.
The ____ reason is to keep praying is…
I. COMPLIANCE
II. CAMARADERIE
III. CARE
Version: ESV
RMBC 08 September 02 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if God were like an answering machine?
It might sound like this…
ILL Notebook: Answer (God’s answering machine)
If you would like to speak with Gabriel, press 1.
For Michael, press 2.
For any other angel, press 3.
If you want King David to sing you a psalm, press 4.
To find out if a relative or friend is here, enter his or her date of death and listen for the list that follows.
For reservations at the Father’s House, simply press the letters J-O-H-N on the key pad, followed by the numbers 3-1-6.
For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah’s ark is… you have to wait until you get here.
The truth is, is that God is always available.
We never get a busy signal.
We can always come to Him freely.
TRANSITION:
This month is discipleship month, and it is during this time we give special attention to our theme for the year and how it relates to growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.
Our theme this month is “Live a Prayer Life.”
You can’t miss it—the signs are all about the church.
Throughout this month, we are studying the prophet Daniel.
We are doing this because…
1. Daniel is our example of a “man of prayer.”
Last week, when we considered the story in Daniel 2, we saw that when Nebuchadnezzar was having trouble with understanding his dreams and decided to kill all the wise men for not knowing the dream or its meaning (which ended up including Daniel), Daniel called for a prayer meeting.
He knew there was strength in numbers when it came to prayer.
He knew it was time to get together.
And God answered them.
God gave Daniel knowledge of the dream and its meaning.
Today, we come to the 6th chapter:
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
When we come to chapter 6, Daniel is an old man.
He has managed to make a positive impression on succeeding empires in Babylon, which included the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus and Darius.
Obviously…
2. He was a man of influence.
Under Darius, he has been a top official that has grown in his influence.
Now, even in his old age, he is up for a promotion, for the king has in mind to make him number two in the kingdom.
He was an influential man because he was an honest man…
ILL Notebook: Integrity (letter to IRS)
Daniel was not like the man who sent this letter to the IRS…
“Dear Sirs, Last year when I filed my income tax return, I deliberately misrepresented my income. Now I cannot sleep. Enclosed is a check for $150 for taxes. If I still can’t sleep, I will send the rest.”
Well, Daniel could sleep at night because…
3. He lived a life of integrity.
The text tells us that he distinguished himself above the rest.
It also tells us that he was excellent in spirit.
He was a man of integrity because honoring God was his priority.
He had a heart for God.
But with success came trouble.
For the king’s desire to make him number two was not making everyone happy!
This was a cutthroat business, for some of the “homegrown” Babylonians are not too happy with the success of this Hebrew transplant.
So they decided to “get some dirt” on Daniel.
The text shows us that Daniel…
4. He was set up.
“Getting some dirt” was more than a difficult task for these jealous types.
Dirt is hard to find when you are dealing with a man of impeccable integrity like Daniel.
Since there was no dirt to be had, they schemed to trip him up on his faith.
They counted on the fact that Daniel would not give up on his prayer time.
And they were right.
So…when Daniel finds out that it is illegal to pray to anyone except Darius, what does Daniel do?
He opens up the window, just like he always has, and prays.
Now, I ask you…
5. Why didn’t Daniel just close the window?
What would be wrong with being a bit more discreet?
Go ahead and pray, but don’t make a big deal about it.
But to Daniel, it mattered.
If he was accused before the king, he was going to answer truthfully.
So if the king was going to find out anyway, why change?
Why compromise?
Be bold about what you believe.
So, the text tells us, he opens the window to pray, to demonstrate an open and humble heart before God.
He demonstrates a desire to honor an infinite God over honoring finite men.
Daniel gives us the example that…
6. GOD’S PEOPLE KEEP PRAYING (NO MATTER WHAT).
No matter what the circumstances are, or how impossible it seems, God’s people keep praying.
So…
7. Since the example of Daniel demonstrates a determination to pray no matter what the circumstances, we will find three reasons why God’s people are to keep praying.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason is to keep praying is COMPLIANCE.
In the book of I Samuel, we discover that…
1. Prayerlessness is a sin (I Samuel 12:23).
It is Samuel who says…
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.”
Samuel believes it is a sin to not pray.
It is such an absolute essential to our lives, to not do it is a sin.
Jesus also set for us the ultimate example of prayer.
He had a regular pattern of withdrawal from the tasks of the day.
And he would go off to pray.
Sometimes it was early morning.
At other times, it could be all day.
So, when we follow the example of Jesus, we learn that…
2. We are to never stop praying (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).
As the apostle Paul says…
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Those are all encompassing commands, aren’t they?
I mean, can we really obey them all the time?
I believe these commands speak to the state of our mind.
We need to possess an attitude that acknowledges dependence on God.
We need to constantly realize and desire God’s presence.
When we do this, we will never stop praying.
There is good reason to never stop praying.
The old Puritan, John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress said:
“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, as sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”
Another way of saying this is…
3. “It’s hard to stumble when you’re down on your knees.”
When we are not praying, in effect, we leave the door open for all other sins.
This is something, I believe, that Daniel understood.
He needed this order in his life, so when he was called to compromise his faith, he chose the discipline of prayer.
He demonstrates that it is better to honor God than honor man.
II. The second reason is to keep praying is CAMARADERIE.
You know…
1. When we are in love with someone, we desire his or her companionship.
We are willing to spend hours with them without interruption.
We just like being in their presence.
In the same way, God needs to be first in our lives.
If we truly love God, we will desire that intimate, personal communication that is available to us.
We will enjoy talking to Him, and perhaps even more, we will enjoy listening.
ILL Marriage in general
Consider with me for a moment the subject of marriage, because there is a correlation worth making.
God insists that marriage be a lifetime commitment. When we get married, we make vows. We make vows that obligate us to persevere. If God didn’t design it that way, we would be unlikely to stick it out, weather the storms and persevere through the pain.
But when you do persevere, you learn to forgive, learn to repent, learn to serve instead of being served, and learn to bear with one another’s weakness. Sometimes, you go through a lot of difficult, painful, and unpleasant stuff. But you do it in order to get to the really good stuff.
2. Relationships that persevere experience the really good stuff.
Is it easy?
Of course not!
Is it worth it?
Absolutely!
And this is why we persevere in prayer.
We persevere so we can experience the really good stuff.
This is exactly what Daniel did.
Daniel chose love over life.
He chose his love for God over his own life.
And you know what happened?
Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
The Lions were shut out!
And Daniel experienced the really good stuff.
He experienced firsthand God’s power and God’s grace.
He experienced the stuff that is worth waiting for!
III. The third reason is to keep praying is CARE.
Because we sometimes need to settle down and stop our moving in order to pray, we might perceive that prayer is a passive activity.
But that is a misperception, because…
1. Prayer is activity, not inactivity.
In fact, prayer is an aggressive, active ministry.
It is not something we do when there is nothing else to do.
No, it is our first line of attack, not our last.
It is an aggressive statement of our faith and dependence.
Not only that…
2. Prayer is a demonstration of love (cf. Philippians 1:3-11).
If I love someone, the best thing I can do for them is pray.
This is something that Paul demonstrates consistently in his letters.
He keeps praying for the churches.
ILL Notebook: Prayer (deer)
The Wednesday night church service coincided with the last day of hunting season. So the pastor asked who had bagged a deer. No one raised a hand.
Puzzled, the pastor said, "I don’t get it. Last Sunday many of you said you would be missing because of hunting season. I had the whole congregation pray for your deer."
One hunter groaned, "Well, it worked. They’re all safe."
Maybe that isn’t the best example of what I mean!
But you know, there are some of you in this congregation that are going through difficult times.
In fact, many of you have problems and pain that is so personal and so distressing that we cannot even put it in the prayer bulletin.
And for many of you, I am so often at a loss for words.
I don’t even know how to counsel you.
I don’t know what to say.
But I do know how to pray.
And I know how important it is to pray persistently.
I keep praying, because I know that God’s people keep praying, no matter what.
APPLICATION:
So let me encourage you with this simple exhortation…
1. Talk to God.
Sometimes, we think prayer is only for the “holy” people.
Do you know what I mean?
It seems it is for those that lower their voices and talk in beautiful and poetic phrases.
But I don’t want you to worry about that (and I am not trying to offend anyone here).
Set aside the formalities, and just talk to God.
It is meant to be that simple.
It is meant to be that simple, so you can keep praying no matter what.
So keep praying when you are devastated and discouraged.
Keep praying when it seems that your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and God isn’t listening.
Keep praying when you feel your faith is weak.
Keep praying when you want toss it all in and give up.
Keep praying when it seems that it is hopeless.
Don’t stop!
Don’t stop and push!
2. P.U.S.H.
Push means “Pray Until Something Happens.”
Pray
Until
Something
Happens
ILL Notebook: Prayer (Out of Africa)
The book and the movie “Out of Africa” features the true story of a Danish noblewoman named Baroness Karen Blixen. She lived in Kenya as an owner of a large coffee plantation.
There was a tribe known as Kikuyu that Blixen had grown to love. And some of the Kikuyu lived on a part of her plantation.
As a result of financial obstacles that followed World War I, Blixen lost the plantation including the part where the Kikuyu lived. The new landowner demonstrated no concern for the Kikuyu, only the land. This lack of concern meant that the Kikuyu would be a tribe without a home.
Blixen lacked the money to buy back the land she had lost. So she tried to take her cause before the government agencies, but they demonstrated the same lack of concern for the Kikuyu as the new landowner.
Blixen did not give up though. At a reception for the new governor of Kenya, she disregarded protocol by bypassing others in the crowd and going straight to the governor himself. Shamelessly, she fell to her knees, grabbing the governor’s hand and pleaded for the Kikuyu. Many around her were embarrassed by her actions and tried to get her up, but she just kept persisting that the governor look into the matter. Persistently, she pleaded that he give her his word. It was then that the governor’s wife stood, and said, “You have mine.”
And because Blixen was persistent, she succeeded.
So I encourage you today…
3. Don’t give up, no matter what (cf. Luke 18:1).
Jesus told his disciples that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
So we keep praying…
Not because God is hard of hearing.
Not because God needs to be pestered into answering our request.
Not because God doesn’t want to answer us.
We keep praying because God loves to hear from His children.
We keep praying because God wants to know if we really mean it.
We keep pushing in prayer because our prayers carry weight before God.
He desires to be moved by them!
So let us not discount their importance!
For prayer has divided seas.
It has rolled up flowing rivers.
It has made rocks gush into fountains.
It has quenched flames of fire.
It has disarmed vipers.
It has stopped the course of the moon and arrested the sun in its race.
It has burst open iron gates.
It has conquered the strongest devils and commanded legions of angels down from heaven.
It has bridled the raging passions of men and destroyed vast armies.
And it has muzzled starving lions!
People of God!
Keep praying…no matter what!
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Keep praying no matter what…because when we don’t pray, we lose perspective and open ourselves up to sin; so rejoice always; pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.
Keep praying no matter what…because we demonstrate our friendship and our passion for God when we pray; make it your one desire to hold on to God, and rejoice that He lives in your heart, for when we persevere in this, we get to experience the really good stuff.
Keep praying no matter what…because we love one another when we pray; so keep pushing—pray until something happens—and watch God work.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
