All right, let's take our Bibles and turn this morning to the book of Daniel, chapter number one, starting a new series this morning that'll last two to three weeks, maybe four. The series is going to be Living Faithfully in Troubled Times. And we're going to see Daniel living as a stranger in a strange land. Around the beginning of October, I read through the book of Daniel in my daily Bible reading. And while I was reading through Daniel, I saw how Daniel had to stand strong and firm, even though he was a captive in the nation of Babylon. Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael were strangers in a strange land. And as I read about that, I thought about how that their situation really is sort of true for us today as Christians. We live in a country that had a Christian founding. It was founded upon biblical principles. As a matter of fact, in the early days in the colonies, most of the colonists would have considered themselves to be Christians. As a matter of fact, we know the state governments of those colonies had a state church recognized by the state government. But today, we know that's not the case, right? Today, we know most of the citizens of the United States would not consider themselves to be Christian. And those who do consider themselves to be Christians, that number is shrinking daily. And we know the states would not ratify a state church today because we know they want to remove the church from the public square as much as possible. As a matter of fact, we know that the liberties that we enjoy in this country are fading away. Tocqueville said when he come to look at the nation of America and to study our democracy, he said this, liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith. And so Tocqueville understood the importance of faith in the establishing of America. But as we look out into the world we live today, we know the Christian fabric of our nation is fraying. And because of the severity with which it is fraying, this nation is far from being a Christian nation. Because of that, I think if you would ask most Christians, they would say that as they live in these United States, they feel like they're living as a stranger in a strange land. This is not the same United States that the greatest generation fought to preserve. So, knowing that's reality, how should we as Christians respond to that? Well, we know we're living in troubled times, but we should live faithfully even though we are living in troubled times. We should continue to fight to preserve the truth as we know it, stand firm against the decay of morality, and live as strangers in a strange land. So for the next few weeks, we'll dig into the book of Daniel to see if we can glean some instruction to help us live faithfully in troubled times. Our discussion in the book of Daniel today will follow this path. We'll first look at Daniel's circumstances, then we'll look at Daniel's purposes, and finally, we'll look at Daniel's excellencies. We'll spend the majority of the time on the first point, Daniel's circumstances. But one point to consider before we get into this study is Daniel chose to be faithful. Why would he choose to be faithful? What was there about Daniel? What is there that caused him to be faithful to God? And I think it is that Daniel knows the glory of God and the glory of God's kingdom. Daniel has learned to recite the Shema Daniel Deuteronomy 6, 4, and 5, I believe it is. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul, and with all thy might. And his understanding of who God is and the Shema inspired his love for God. That's why he was faithful, because he loved the Lord. And so as we consider that today, Daniel had an understanding of the Old Testament, and he was looking forward to the coming Messiah. But you and I, we're not looking forward to the coming Messiah. We've seen Him come. We've seen Him come and live and die and be raised again. And if Daniel could love God in the Old Testament, looking forward to the coming Messiah, surely we can love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, knowing that Messiah has come and He has defeated death. So Daniel's love for God is what inspired him to be faithful. And our love for Jesus Christ should inspire us to be faithful. Let's read verses 1 through 7. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar, to the house of his God. And he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the prince's. Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. You might know them as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names, for he gave unto Daniel the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abednego. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we open your word and we look into your word, we look at the faithfulness of Daniel and we see how he loved you and was faithful to you. And we pray, Lord, that as we open your word, that we will be inspired to love you in the same way, to live as strangers in a strange land, and always be faithful to the one who loved us. We thank you for this opportunity we have to worship with you today. In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen. So we see Daniel's circumstances, first of all, And we see that it says that Nebuchadnezzar laid siege against Jerusalem and Nebuchadnezzar, he takes the city captive. Just some background history on the nation of Israel. Israel was once a great kingdom. David, the king, ruled over it, and Solomon, his son, ruled over the nation of Israel. And it was a great kingdom, but we know that after Solomon, his son became king, and there was a division in the nation of Israel. There was the nation that was known as Israel to the north, and there was the nation that was known as Judah to the south. At this point, Israel has already been defeated by the Assyrians, and they have been taken captive. But now the king of Babylon is coming against the southern kingdom of Judah, and he wants to fight against the kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar is the leader of the one world power at that time. Nebuchadnezzar is the king of Babylon. He ruled the greatest empire and he lays siege against the city. And why would the city, why would he lay siege against the city? Why is the city of Jerusalem going to be defeated? The city of Jerusalem is going to be defeated because of the sin that is in the nation of Israel and in the nation of Judah. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah tells us, he prophesies or foretells that it's going to happen in Jeremiah 25 11. He says, and this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment. And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. And so it's no surprise that Nebuchadnezzar is coming down. It's been prophesied it's going to happen and they're going to go into captivity. But here, Nebuchadnezzar lays a siege against the city of Jerusalem. Now, you may not know what a siege is, but in this day, a siege was when they would take their armies and they would surround the city completely, and they would not allow anyone in or anyone out, and supply lines would be cut off, and famine often resulted from that. As a matter of fact, in the city of Jerusalem, people even resulted to cannibalism. That's how great the famine was and how little food supply was present. So it tells us in verse number two, and the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand. God gave his people, his land into the hand of this wicked king, Nebuchadnezzar. Why? Why would God allow this city, this city where His temple was, this place where His glory was supposed to be, why would God allow that city to be defeated? And the answer is simple. It's because of sin. The children of Israel have forsaken God. God has said, Thou shalt have no other gods before me, and they have begun to incorporate the gods of the lands into their worship, and they have hearts that are divided. They're not wholeheartedly following after God, and God says that He'll not give His honor, His glory to any other and the children of Israel have tried to serve God and serve their selves and serve God and serve the gods of this world and they tried to divide up the worship of God and they wanted to worship God on their own terms? That's sin. God won't have it. You know, sometimes we forget that the consequences for sin are real. We cannot live in direct rebellion against the Word of God and not expect God to bring that sin into judgment. Israel didn't see the need to follow the Word of God. They felt like they could serve God on their own terms. God will not have that. God is a jealous God and He will not allow His people to serve Him and other things. It just doesn't work. And if God would not listen to that and would not have divided worship, divided allegiances, divided loyalty back in those days, He'll not have it today. Sin brought the judgment of God in those days and sin will bring the judgment of God today. But one thing we can always look forward to and one thing we can always understand is we can see Christ upon the cross and recognize that Christ upon the cross is the answer for sin. We can see and love God and know that He has provided the sacrifice for our sins. When we look at the cross, we see Jesus hanging there and we recognize the love that God has for us and that love that God has for us by sending Jesus on the cross should cause us to love Him and want to serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. But we see here the children of Israel had departed from following God wholeheartedly. And it tells us the treasures of the house of God are taken. And if you read in verses 3 and 4, it tells us the best and the brightest are taken to the land of Babylon. They're taken captives. Verse 3 says, certain of the children of Israel, the king's seed, and of the princes. The best and the brightest are taken captive and taken to Babylon. So we think about this. Here we find Daniel's one of those. Daniel finds himself in some difficult circumstances. I mean, I don't know about you all, but I wouldn't look forward to being, my city being besieged and my city destroyed and me being taken as a captive to a foreign land to live. But there Daniel finds himself through no fault of his own. It's not his own sin that has put him into these circumstances. It's the sins of others. Daniel's, the sins of others affect Daniel and his life. You know, we always want to look at life and say, well, life's not fair. Why is this happening to me? Daniel can say that too, right? We need to understand that sometimes the decisions of others affect our lives. And sometimes we may realize negative circumstances because of what someone else has done. So how are we going to respond to that? We might find difficulty in our life. We might find difficulty in this country not through any fault of our own. You see, we may have to live faithfully because we are being affected by the sins of someone else. And that's exactly where Daniel found himself. Daniel did nothing wrong. We see Daniel was faithful to God. We see that Daniel had a heart to love God, but here he is, he's been taken captive, and life in this instance was not fair. But did that mean that Daniel could lay over in a corner and say, oh no, life's not fair, and I'm being affected because of what someone else did, and it's not fair? No. Daniel lived faithfully even though life was not fair. Listen, life is not fair. We need to realize that. If anyone, if we begin to think, well, life's not fair, the first thing we need to look to is look to the cross. because if anyone was treated unfairly, it was Jesus Christ, a man in whom was no sin, and yet he died the death of one that is cursed. So when you begin to think, well, life's not being fair to me, just look to the cross, and you can see that life is a lot more fair to you than it is or was to Jesus. And you see, sometimes it's not only the actions of someone else that affects us, but sometimes nature affects us. You know, it may be a natural disaster that comes our way. And, you know, I'm talking to someone who's going to lose their home because of the new road that's going between here and Prestonsburg, and they've worked their whole life, and they have a business, and they're going to lose their home. And can you think about it? I mean, you just think about a person who would be in their 60s and have their house paid to things. The rest of the life, the rest of my life, you know, it's going to be good. I'm going to, I got my house paid for, and life's going to be good. I got a business. And then all of a sudden, Imminent domain comes and takes your house away, and you've got to sort of start over in your 60s. Think about how difficult that would be. I mean, life's not fair sometimes, right? Listen, much of life is not about what happens to us. Much of life is how we respond to it. That's where we find Daniel. taken captive. Why does the king take them captive and bring them down to the city? It tells us at the end of verse number four, whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. They want to teach them the culture of the Chaldeans. They want them to learn how to be Babylonians. The Babylonians knew the value of influencers. And so they sent these young men down to learn the culture of the Chaldeans so they could send them back out into the population of the Israelites and begin to influence them after the culture of the Chaldeans. Well, you know, that's the way it works, right? The Babylonians knew the value of influencers and definitely our culture today knows the value of the influencers. The entertainment industry recognizes that the people who want to bring about moral change in our society knows that the way to do that is through the entertainment industry. You begin to put it into movies, into songs, and before long, that thought or that idea that they want to promote is a part of the natural psyche. They have influencers that go on social media and they promote their points because they recognize that if you can get into the hearts and the minds of the young people, you can change a culture by changing the hearts and minds of the young people. So they send their influencers out through social media and through video games and through movies and music and all of that. And listen, all of those things, they're affecting our mindset. And listen, sometimes by living faithfully, For God, as a stranger in a strange land, you have to remove those things from your life because you know how much they're going to influence you and especially how much they're going to influence your kids. And so the Babylonians knew the importance of influencers, and we need to understand the power that influencers have in our lives and in our culture and how much they push and promote for values to change. And they begin by pushing for tolerance. We just want to be, you know, we want you to tolerate us, but we know they're not satisfied with tolerance. Before long, they're going to demand acceptance That's the culture that we live in. But what we have to be aware of as we are living as strangers in a strange land is we need to know that there are social influencers out there who want to change our minds about morality and the Word of God and what is right. And so we need to stand against those knowing how they're going to influence us. What happens? Daniel understands. I mean, that's why they're there. They're there to be trained as influencers. And so Daniel sort of recognizes this, and it tells us the king appointed them a daily provision in verse number five. So the king, whatever he was given, he took part of what he was given and given to these young men. The provision would be there to tempt them. Think about these young men who were taken captive. They had been living in the city of Jerusalem, in the surrounding area, and it had been underneath siege, and there was famine in the land, and no doubt they were hungry, and poor health maybe, and so the king is going to provide them with things to to help them overcome the effects of the siege that was on them. He would heal them, but also to make them indebted to him. No, look, I gave you that meat. Now you need to learn what I'm teaching you. I'm taking care of your health, so you need to do what I'm telling you to do. You need to learn what I'm telling you to learn. See, again, culture's going to offer you some things to try and make you indebted to them. And that's what Daniel was able to recognize. And think about how tempting it would be for them to come to this provision knowing that they have been starving and knowing the difficulty that they had been facing and now they have this huge spread put out in front of them. No doubt it would be tempting to them. And besides, who's the only ones that's standing against this provision? We're gonna find out. It's just Daniel, Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael. What about all the others? There's all kinds of others who are, they're going and taking the provision, right? You just have Daniel, Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael, and these four young men, by the way, are probably about 12 to 15 years old when they're taken captive. These four young men standing against what everyone else is doing. And you know the mindset had to be, well, everyone else is doing it, we might as well do it too. You ever come across that temptation? That's what everybody else is doing. That's what culture says is acceptable. Why not do it? That had to be where Daniel, Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael were. So here you have Daniel and his three friends standing alone. You know, as you're living as a stranger in a strange land, sometimes those who stand with you will probably be few. This is gonna be a challenge for Daniel and his friends. So we find ourselves in those circumstances today, often. We find ourselves standing alone. But when you are standing alone, and everyone else is going after what the culture has to offer, and here you are with a biblical morality, and a biblical mindset, and a biblical worldview, and you're choosing to look at the world through the lens of the scripture, and it's different than what everyone else is doing. Listen, don't be discouraged. Daniel and his friends weren't discouraged. They were determined. They purposed in their heart not to be defiled with the king's knee. And so all the world may be going after the things of the world. Don't be discouraged. Recognize that God is pleased with those who walk faithfully after Him. Recognize that God is going to reward those who walk faithfully after Him. And so don't be discouraged. Be determined that you'll not be defiled. You see, again, 12 to 15 years old. Think about that. Think about where you are in your life. Think about how old you are. And if you were put in these situations, these circumstances, as a 12 to 15-year-old, how would you respond? Think about the 12 to 15-year-olds that we have that are out in the middle of the world being influenced by culture. How was Daniel, Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael able to stand against the influence of culture? How could they stand strong at such a young age? Well, it has to be because of what they were taught. It has to be that they were trained. Deuteronomy 6, 7 says, And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. You see, the things of God were to be taught to the children of Israel at a young age. So that they would be able to stand when they face difficulties and circumstances. The reason it's important is because Daniel 4.9 says, Now you know why we're asking the question. Now you know why the catechism is so important. We're establishing principles in these young people's minds so that when they are confronted with the culture, they'll know the answers. They'll know who God is, and they will be faithful to follow him. That's why every one of us should be concerned about something like a catechism in our own hearts, in our own minds, and hiding the word in our hearts. Because if we don't have the Word of God established in our hearts, we're going to fail when it comes to stand against the call of the culture. The call of the culture is so strong. The influencers are so many. If we don't have it in our hearts, and if we're not determined in our hearts, we will be influenced by the culture. The only answer to how Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael could stand is because of what had already been hidden in their hearts before they came into this situation. Parents, I can't stress to you enough how important it is for you to train your children in these things. I can't stress with you enough, those of you who are young adults, how important it is for you to be in your word and to know these things so that when the culture comes, you can stand for the truth. Adults, no matter what your age is, I can't stress to you enough how important it is to have the Word of God. hidden in your heart, determined to have a biblical worldview and a biblical mindset and have your morality established by the Word of God. Because there is no doubt the culture of this world is going to try to influence you to follow the ways of the world and follow the ways of Satan. And if you don't already have it determined in your heart that you're not going to sin against God, that you're going to follow the ways of God no matter what when the influencers come. you'll be persuaded to turn away from God and turn away from the things of God. So listen, the faithfulness of Daniel and his friends show us the value of young people. They can make an impact. They may be called to make a stand for righteousness. Because who's going to stand in the future? It's not gonna be me. One of these days, I'll be pushing up daisies. And who's gonna be left? Those who come behind us. There is a value. So how are we to live as a stranger in a strange land? We're to live knowing in whom we would believe and to be dedicated to him. And to know his ways and be faithful to them. Let me say it again. How are we to live as strangers in a strange land? To know in whom we believe and to be dedicated to him, and to know his ways, and to be faithful to him. And so next we find Daniel and his purposes. Verse number 8, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Thereof he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink. For why should he see your faces worsened like then the children which are of your short? Then shall you make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had sent over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days, and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and accountants of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat, and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in the matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days the accountants appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pause." So Daniel purposed in his heart. Daniel resolved not to be defiled. So here we come again. Living as a stranger in a strange land and being faithful to God will require resolve. It will not happen without a dedication to and a commitment to God. It doesn't happen by chance. You must be purposed in your heart. So if you want to live faithfully, in troubled times, determine in your heart, resolve in your heart that you will not be defiled with the things of the world. Defiled means to be unclean or impure. Now, this food that the king offered to them, could they have eaten it? I don't know. What made them defiled by eating it? It could have been contrary to the law, or maybe it was because they thought about it being offered to idols. It was the king's meat, so no doubt it had already been offered to idols. Daniel might just think about, well, if I eat this meat, then I'm going to be indebted to the king. Whatever it is, Daniel determined that he was not going to eat what the king had provided for him. And so he made the request, listen, don't give us meat, give us a separate diet from the meat, give us pasta. He wanted something different. Living as a stranger in a strange land will require us to live a different lifestyle. What is okay for society probably will not be okay for us. When we are living separated unto God, there are many things that the world says is okay that we have to say, no, that's off limits. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to dishonor God by taking part in that. So living as a stranger in a strange land and being faithful to God in troubled times will require you to live wholly separated lives unto God. But what we find out here is that God is at work in these circumstances. Verse number nine, it says, God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. You know, it's often we find that the case is people are facing difficulties in life that in the scripture we find how God brings them into favor with others. What we see here is God working behind the scenes. Daniel's life. This is that place where we learn about the eminence of God. We studied that a few weeks ago, what that means, God involved in the intricate details of our lives. You know, we may not always understand what God is doing, but we do know that he's working all things according to his purposes in this world. So God is working in the circumstances of Daniel, and Daniel is unaware of So living as a stranger in a strange land, we will need to understand that God is always working in our lives. He's always working in our lives, both the will and the do of His good pleasure to bring about His purpose. So we need to understand that we're not just free agents just sort of going out here about life. No, God is working in us, and He has a plan and a purpose, and He has a reason for why He has saved us, and He's gonna work through us to accomplish His purpose, and we just need to grasp that. Daniel presents that challenge. He goes to Melzar and says, give us pulse to eat and prove us and see what it looks like. And if we appear like we're in poorer health, then fine, we'll take the king's meat. But I think that you'll find out that we'll be stronger than those who take the king's meat. And he put himself in that situation. Again, verse 12, he says, prove thy servants. Living as a stranger in a strange land may require that your faith be tested or proved. Daniel allowed himself to be proven. His faith in God proved to be strong. Their faith was rewarded, and the king's portion was removed. So Daniel determined and purposed in his heart. He was resolved and committed to God, and that affected the decisions that he made in his life. Your commitment to God is going to affect the decisions you make in your life. Lastly, Daniel's excellencies, verses 17 through 21. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill, and all learning and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he would bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, and the king communed with them. And among them all was found none like Dana, Hanani, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king required of them, He found them ten times better than all the musicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. And Daniel continued even unto the first year of King Cyrus. God gave Daniel and his friends, it says, knowledge and wisdom. Here's what we know in looking at their lives, is that God had called them for such a time as this. Living as a stranger in a strange land, you need to recognize that God has called you for today. You're alive today because God chose for you to be alive. He called you unto Himself and saved you because He has a purpose for you. He has called you for such a time as this. Today is not the day for Daniel to stand. Daniel had his day. Today is not the time for the apostles or the martyrs of the past to stand. This is your time. You're called today to live as a stranger in a strange land, to be faithful to God. Today, this is your moment in history for you to be God's witness, and you need to stand that. We cannot rely upon the witnesses of the past, even though they are beneficial to us because we see the way they stand. But today is our day. Today is your day. This is our time. It's our time to stand for God. It's our time to stand for truth. It's our time to be God's people, to live faithfully in middle of troubled times. Now, you may not be called to stand in the king's court. You may not be called to stand to burn at the stake. Your stand may be in the voting booth. Your stand may be in the grocery line or on the assembly line. Your stand may be in the classroom. Your stand may take place at the bedside of one who is suffering sickness. Your stand may be to take my place in the pulpit one day or standing for the truth of the Word of God wherever you are. No matter where your stand takes place, just know this. Today is your day. This is your time. You're being called to faithfulness. You're being called to stand faithfully in the midst of troubled times. And there are so many people that are going astray. There are so many people that are turning away from God. There are so many people that have no thought about standing faithfully in the land today. There are some that have no care about God at all, but you do! You've been called. You've been saved. God has drawn you unto himself. And so you know you have a purpose and today is your day. Be the person like Daniel, Anani, Nazariah, and Mishael, who stood faithfully in the midst of troubled times. God's gifts to Daniel's of knowledge and wisdom were to further his purposes. And God's gifts to you are the same. God gives each of us gifts and He gives them to us so we might utilize them for His glory. Recognize God never wastes His grace. His grace is on purpose and with a purpose. And the grace that He has given you is for a purpose. Use it for His glory. Daniel received this understanding The king communes with them, and can you imagine? Here you are, 12 to 15 years old, maybe at the end of three years or so, you may be pushing 18 years old, but here is the most ruthless king in the world. The most famous man in the world. He's a wicked, ruthless king. Come on in, sit down, let's have a talk. Can you imagine what that was like? The fierce king. Come on in. I want to sit down and have a talk with you. Young people, what are you going to do if you're in that situation? 12 to 15 years old, called to go and stand before the president. 12 to 15 years old and called to stand before someone. No doubt these circumstances caused fear in the hearts of these young men. Think about it. Living faithfully for God as a stranger in a strange land for Christ may put you in some fearful circumstances. Realize it going in. You may find yourself in a difficult situation, but how are you going to respond? It tells us about Daniel, Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael that there was none found like them in the kingdom. They were ten times better than all the musicians. God is setting these four young men up to be his witnesses, to stand for him in the midst of difficult times. Now, living as a stranger in a strange land does not necessarily mean that you will always find yourself superior to those in the world, but you may. But just know that God is working in your life to set you up so that you can be a witness for Him to stand faithfully in troubled times. And it tells us that Daniel continued, even under the first year of King Cyrus. He persevered. One who's living as a stranger in a strange land will persevere. Here's what we know. If you are a child of God, you will be faithful in the face of troubled times. You will persevere because God is carrying you through. You will not fail. You will not quit. You will not give up because you are a child of God and he will lead you through. Children of God, persevere. That's what you do because you are a child of God and God is working in you. So recognize that as you're living as a stranger in the midst of troubled times, just know that God is going to be with you so that you can persevere. So, there is no doubt that we're living in troubled times. Evil seems to be growing and love for God seems to be just diminishing. But are the days in which we are living as difficult as the days that Daniel and his friends found themselves in? I think not. Yeah, we're living in difficult times, but we're not prisoners and captives in a foreign land. We're not trying to be influenced the way that Daniel and his friends were. But just because they're not as dark as what Daniel experienced, that doesn't mean that they won't be just as dark in the future. And it doesn't mean that they don't seem dark to you. Here's what we know. If Daniel and his friends could remain faithful in the face of difficult circumstances, we can too. We know the risen Lord. We know His coming kingdom. And if Daniel was committed to God because of what he knew about God, we should be likewise. We know the forgiveness of sins. We have experienced grace. We have the presence of the Spirit within us. And we know Jesus is worthy of all of our faithfulness to Him. Now, as we look at our lives, we might see that we've not been as faithful as we should be. Okay, that's fine. God is a God of grace. What do we do moving forward? forgetting those things which are behind, we press towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We've determined that from today, from this point forward on, we're going to move forward for Christ and we're going to live faithfully to Him no matter what the world throws at us. We're going to be faithful because Jesus is worthy. But maybe you don't know Jesus today. I want you to see Jesus hanging on a cross. I want you to hear the words, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, Paul said. I want you to recognize that today's the day to recognize that you're a sinner, recognize that Christ Jesus got on a cross to pay for sins, and for you to turn from your sins and turn to Christ in repentance and faith. Today's the day, because it's your time to live faithfully for God in troubled times. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. Thank you for the opportunity we had to meet together and to worship you in spirit and truth.