THE CRONICLES OF DANIEL #6: FINDING FOCUS
DANIEL 6: 1-16
SEPTEMBER 12, 2004 PM SERVICE
INTRODUCTION: Nothing that is valuable is achieved without effort. Fritz Kreisler, the famous violinist, testified to this point when he said, "Narrow is the road that leads to the life of a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were so many places I wanted to go that I had to miss if I was to master the violin. The road that I traveled was a narrow road and the way was hard."
"When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song," tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. "He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, ’Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’ "’Luciano,’ my father replied, ’if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ "I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair."
Guideposts.
TRANSITION THOUGHT: Our text for tonight is about doing one thing right. Our last two texts, Daniel 4 and 5, were not so much focused on Daniel as it was the pride of the Kings. In both instances, Daniel had an opportunity to share God¡¦s truth, but it was of no avail as both Kings had to learn the hard way. For King Belshazzar, God wasn¡¦t as lenient as with Nebuchadnezzar. They both forgot the Living God. Our text for tonight speaks of a new King and a new opportunity for God to work. This time Daniel will be the one who undergoes the penalty for faithfulness to God. He will join Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in a great time of trial because others cannot tolerate his allegience to his God. Political manuvering is nothing new. It has been occurring for literally thousands of years. Whenever there is a new political power rising to the national front, the powers that be, the status quo, will oppose vehemently.
THESIS SENTENCE: Finding clear focus is the only way to avoid the pitfalls of life.
I. THE TRAP SET (VV. 1-5/ 6-9)
A. THE CRITERION GIVEN: Daniel was a man of focus (VV. 1-5)
1. Daniel was slated by King Darius himself to be set as administrator over the whole kingdom.
2. Daniel was distinguished among the administrators
3. He was known for his exceptional qualities
4. No charges could be found against Daniel
5. No corruption could be found in Him
6. He was neither corrupt nor negligent in any of his duties.
7. His only weakness was his loyalty to God!
B. THE TRAP SET (VV. 6-8)
1. 122 against 1!
2. There is strength in #¡¦s
3. The phrase ¡§as a group¡¨ is mentioned 3 times in verses 6, 11, and 15. 4. The satraps and administrators set up King Darius as God. None other can be prayed to.
C. THE KING PERSUADED (VV. 9)
1. The King is duped?
2. Did he believe himself to be god? Was he a product of his culture?
3. Did King Darius simple know the power of Religion?
ILLUSTRATION: About 8 years ago, the Daily Bread had a story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. "Why aren¡¦t you out there fishing?" he asked.
"Because I¡¦ve caught enough fish for today," said the fisherman.
"Why don¡¦t you catch more fish than you need?¡¦ the rich man asked.
"What would I do with them?"
"You could earn more money," came the impatient reply, "and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you¡¦d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me."
The fisherman asked, "Then what would I do?"
"You could sit down and enjoy life," said the industrialist.
The fisherman said, "What do you think I¡¦m doing right now?!"
The story makes a valuable point. You don¡¦t have to have a lot of money to enjoy your life! We forget that sometimes! We fall into the trap of thinking that we¡¦ve got to have more and more! We¡¦re misled into believing that life is missing something unless we have that new toy. Contributed by: Marc Axelrod
TRUTH: THE ENEMY WILL SET TRAPS FOR US!
QUESTION: WHAT TRAP WILL WE FALL FOR?
II. THE CHALLENGE ENDURED (VV. 10-20)
A. THE FOCUS FOUND (VV. 10)
1. Daniel receives the bad news, he was not allowed to pray at school?
2. Daniel acts, but does not react!
3. Daniel continues in the pattern previously established
4. The pattern irregular X2 (note 1: 8-15)
a. Three times a day instead of morning and evening
b. On knees/prostrate instead of standing
c. Prayed in a prayer room, a sign of status
B. THE TRAP REVISITED (VV. 11-15)
1. The group spies out Daniel ¡§as a group.¡¨
2. The group tells on Daniel = small children
3. The group reminds the King of his own law
4. The Kings agrees
5. The group reveals Daniel as the culprit.
6. The King seeks a way out as the Group holds him accountable
C. PUNISHMENT RENDERED (VV. 15-20)
1. Daniel is thrown to the lions
2. The tomb is sealed
3. The King ¡§Prays and Fasts.¡¨
a. No sleep
b. No food
c. No pleasure
D. BIAS REVEALED
1. In verse 14 King Darius sought a way to get Daniel out.
2. Now King Darius affirms Daniel and his God: ¡§May your God, whom you serve continually rescue you!¡¨ and ¡§Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions (vv. 16 & 20)?¡¨
ILLUSTRATION: Dale Carnegie comments, "If you want to win ...spirited men to your way of thinking...throw down a challenge." Contributed by: Paul Fritz
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
¡X Martin Luther King Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
TRUTH: WE ARE TO BE UNWAVERING IN OUR FOCUS ON OUR GOD!
QUESTION: WHAT WOULD CAUSE YOU TO LOSE FOCUS IN THE STRUGGLES OF LIFE?
III. THE VICTORY WON (VV. 21-28)
A. THE SERVANT SAVED (VV. 21-22)
1. Daniel does not over come the Lions, God sent someone else to do it for him.
2. Daniel is affirmed by God as one innocent before God and the King.
B. THE KING FINDS FOCUS/OVERJOYED (VV. 23-24)
1. The King delivers his friend from the pit
2. The King rights the wrong. NOTE: THE LIONS WERE HUNGRY 3. Note: was Daniel falsely accused?
C. GOD EXALTED/ THE TRUE FOCUS OF LIFE (VV. 25-28)
1. The King Sends Notice
2. The King takes ownership of Daniel¡¦s God.
3. God is exalted in all the Earth!
ILLUSTRATION: Those of you who are sports fans probably remember the opening monologue to the TV sports broadcast, ¡§Wide, Wide, World of Sports.¡¨ The opening shots depicted athletes from all kinds of sports. As the footage rolled on, so came those immortal words: ¡§The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.¡¨
I guess those words don¡¦t just apply to athletes. They could apply to all of us in general. Life itself seems to be a series of victories and defeat. It has its ups and downs. The point is that no victory lasts forever. All but one, that is. There is a conquest that is eternal. It¡¦s the victory we have in Christ.
Contributed by: Edward Frey
TRUTH: VICTORY COMES TO ALL WHO FOCUS SOLELY
QUESTION: WILL WE TRUST GOD UNTIL THE FINAL VICTORY?
LESSONS LEARNED:
„Ï EVEN WHEN YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS: STUFF HAPPENS
„Ï INTEGRITY DOES NOT PROTECT US FROM ASSUALT
„Ï MALCONTENTS ARE ALWAYS A PART OF THE SCENERY
„Ï THE CROWD ¡§AS A GROUP¡¨ ARE NOT ALWAYS IN THE RIGHT
„Ï EVEN OUR FRIENDS CAN BE USED AGAINST US IN A COURT OF LAW
„Ï WHEN OPPOSITION COMES, STICK TO THE BASICS/THE ROUTINE
„Ï ROUTINE IS THE SUBSTANCE OF LIFE
„Ï SOMETIMES OUR FRIENDS CAN¡¦T GET US OUT OF TROUBLE AND IT IS A GOOD THING!
„Ï WE CAN BE IN THE CENTER OF GOD¡¦S WILL AND IN A PIT WITH HUNGRY LIONS
„Ï OUR WITNESS WILL STAND IF WE HAVE A WITNESS
„Ï GOD ALWAYS STANDS WITH HIS SERVANTS REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES
„Ï THOSE WHO OPPOSE GOD WILL ALWAYS LOSE IN THE END!
„Ï GOD WILL BE EXALTED IN ALL THE EARTH
CONCLUSION: Finding focus is the continual struggle of life. Traps will be set to get us distracted. Life will happen! Daniel found focus and it carried him through all of his life. He did not seek greatness, it found him out. Why? Daniel focused on the Lord his God and the rest was added. Where is your focus?
BENEDICTION: JUDE 24-25
