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If you look to my right or left,
there are these two banners. They've been there since the
start in Daniel. They quote Daniel 6, 26 through
27. People are to tremble in fear
before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring
forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be to the end. And it continues on. It says, he alone delivers, he
alone rescues. He works signs and wonders in
heaven on earth. He who saved Daniel from the
power of the lions. And this is where we find ourselves
today in Daniel 6. So let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we have
just sang that we know that you are our living hope. You are
our only hope. As I deliver this message, Lord,
just prepare our hearts to receive your word well. Open our ears
to hear and give me the strength to speak clearly. In your name
we pray. Amen. Good morning, everyone. For people who It may be their
first time, welcome. Daniel 6 is a very well-known
chapter in the Bible, a book in the Bible. For a long time,
churchgoers might have heard this in their Sunday school or
bedtime story, but my hope with today's sermon is that we believers
and unbelievers alike can be pointed to the truth of the God
of Daniel. See, he's the only one that can
rescue you, and your hope must be in him alone. To give us a clearer picture
of what is currently happening in the passage, Daniel 6 takes
place around 539 BC, right after the fall of Nebuchadnezzar's
son, Belshazzar, or Belshazzar. Darius the Mede has just taken
reign, and he murders him. We saw this last week in Joe's
teaching on chapter five. Daniel predicted his demise,
this king's demise, and it came to pass that very night. So for
a little context, there's this really creative or cool creative
writing process in the book of Daniel. Even though the first
chapter is written in Hebrew and chapters eight through 12
are written in Hebrew, we get this small section in chapters
two through seven that are written in Aramaic. Daniel in these chapters
creates three pairings. The visual is up here on the
screen for you guys. But we see in this pattern in
Daniel that helps contrast these three major pairings. In chapters
2 and 7, there's these dreams. And to not spoil next week's
chapter, this mirroring of dreams is one of a king's dream in chapter
2. And in chapter 7, it's Daniel's dream. In chapter 4 and 5, it speaks
on king's pride. The pairing of 4 and 5 follows
two prideful kings who were unrepentant. But contrast a king who eventually
humbled himself and one king who stuck in his own arrogant
pride met a justful ending. And so, the last pairing, chapters
3 and 6, are stories of rescuing. This final pairing is where we
find ourselves today. Now, if you remember back to
a few weeks ago, Dan taught in chapter 3. And chapter 3 was
a story of friends who stayed faithful in the midst of trial.
And so, in chapter 6, we get this beautiful pairing of another
story. If chapter three was a story of a group of believers, chapter
six is a story of Daniel, alone, standing firm in the midst of
trial. Let's turn to the scriptures and begin in Daniel chapter six,
verse one. Before we start reading, just
for clarification, there's a word used in the passage called satraps.
All satraps means in Greek is protector of the kingdom. These
protectors would be equivalent to a modern day governor. So
for today's purpose, I'll be using satraps and governors interchangeably
as we read. So back to verse one. It pleased Darius to set over
the kingdom's 120 governors, to be throughout the whole kingdom,
and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom
these governors should give account, so that the king might suffer
no loss. Now, King Darius appointed these
governors not merely to just make his job easier as king,
but so that he might not suffer loss. This wording, to suffer
loss, in this verse, is interesting because pretty much it means
that these governors were put in these positions so that if
something negatively happened in the kingdom, he could save
face with his citizens. What a good king. So Daniel's position, on the
other hand, could be viewed like the hand of the king or his right-hand
man. These governors would report
to Daniel of dealings within the kingdom. So let's pick up
back in verse three. Then this Daniel became distinguished
above all the other high officials and governors because an excellent
spirit was with him, and the king planned to set him over
the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the
governors 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 within him. Then these men said, we shall
not find any ground or complaint against this Daniel unless we
find it in connection with the law of his God. Now we never
do find out in the book why these officials were so gung-ho on
finding fault with Daniel. It could be that he was just
a foreigner with high prestige and it was some form of simple
jealousy. But I think it's more likely that this frustration
that these governors were having to Daniel was because of Daniel's
faithfulness. and the fact that he wasn't corrupt
when it came to issues in the kingdom. So as it was mentioned
in verse four, so this probably restricted their opportunities
to enhance their income, but Daniel's character was such that
they knew they couldn't find any fault in him. And so they
go to find this fault between him and his God. So in verse
six, picking back up in verse six, Then these high officials
and governors came by agreement to the king and said to him,
O King Darius, live forever. All the high officials 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 30 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. 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 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 the
Persians, which cannot be revoked. At this point, it's probably
safe to say that King Darius was not expecting the man who
broke the law to be Daniel. After all, he was very fond of
Daniel, and he was really useful to King Darius. Then they answered
and said before the king, Daniel, who is the 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 the
law of the Medes and the Persian that no injunction or ordinance
that the king has established 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 lord's, 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 daybreak, the king arose
and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came nearer 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 continually serve, been able to deliver you
from the lions? Then Daniel said to the king,
O king, live forever. My God has sent his angels and
shut the lion's mouth, 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 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. And the king commanded,
and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and
cast into the den of lions, they, their children, and their wives.
I want to make something clear. This was not something Daniel
requested to happen. This one is not some form of
revenge, but more likely a cultural form of justice in the Persian
kingdom. In that time, if someone accused
you of doing something wrong or wrongdoing, the false accuser
would receive the same punishment, and that punishment would also
extend to their family and their kids. And before they reached
the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all
their bones in pieces. Verse 25. Then King Darius wrote
to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on this
earth, peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in
my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the
God of Daniel. For he is the living God, enduring
forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed
and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders in
heaven and on earth. He who had saved Daniel from
the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered during
the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. The end
of chapter six brings us to the end of Daniel's timeline. He's
probably about 80 years old. So what can we learn from this
famous chapter? Daniel six brings us the climactic
reality that the God of Daniel The great I am has the power
to deliver and rescue. So to summarize the main point
of Daniel 6, I would put it like this. Because the living God
alone has the power to rescue, Christians should be steadfast
in trials, even when they're alone. Because the living God
alone has the power to rescue, Christians should be steadfast
in trials, even when we're alone. So today I want to make three
applications of Daniel 6. My first application is that
God alone has the power to rescue. So live with integrity. Let's observe Daniel's integrity.
In verse three it says, then Daniel became distinguished above
all the high officials and satraps because an excellent spirit was
with him, and the king planned to set before him over the whole
kingdom. Then the high officials and satraps
sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to
the kingdom, but they could find no ground or complaint because
he was faithful and no error or fault was found in him. Before
Daniel is even in this trial, Daniel's character is already
on display. It has been on display through
the whole book of Daniel so far. These governors hated Daniel
and wanted him to fail. They could not find anything
against him. Why? Because Daniel's integrity
was rooted in scripture. Integrity refers to living consistently
and unhypocritically. It's really, really hard to get
fired from your job if you're a person who shows up on time,
who doesn't try to steal or cheat anyone, who isn't out there trying
to backstab someone for a promotion, when your motive for your work
is I'm gonna do everything in my power to serve and glorify
God in everything I do. It's really hard to find fault
in that. This is the predicament that
the Satraps have. Daniel is faithfully serving
his king and his kingdom, in verse 4, and he's not looking
to gain anything like any power or wealth. His whole point is
to be a faithful servant and living with integrity. Daniel
knew scripture. His knowledge of God's word let
him know that his feelings, the way he felt, weren't what controlled
his actions, but faith in the word of God did. Charles Spurgeon says, if you
live by feelings, you're looking for joy where it can never be
found. Joy is found only in God the
creator, the one who can rescue you from trials. Relying on your
own will will never be enough. So Daniel's integrity is kind
of a challenge for us, right? We live in a culture currently
that lacks integrity. We live with politicians who,
at any given note, constantly change their stances on certain
topics. They try to appeal to a certain
crowd. We as people ourselves have a habit to look at a person
and agree with them face to face. And then after a moment, we turn
around and stab them in the back, we gossip about them. Our culture
looks a lot more in line with that of the C traps than Daniel.
I personally struggle with this. I'm a people pleaser. I like
saying yes to everyone. And I like agreeing with everyone
for the sake of not being disliked. The problem with this, though,
is, and something I continually have to remind myself, is we
can't agree with everyone. And by doing so, we become hypocrites. Something I must remind myself
is that God is my authority and I must live like it. Meaning
my life is forever changed when I proclaim to be a Christian.
My loyalty is to Christ, not to any other person. God is my
higher authority and I am no longer living for what I feel
is right, but what is true of scripture.
So in my personal life, in my time of devotion and prayer,
it is in pursuit to reflect Christ and his word. As Daniel's heart
was to honor and obey God, so it must be for all of us. So that begs the question, right?
Does your life reflect that God is your authority and you live
with integrity? Now as you reflect, I want to
say something for unbelievers. You cannot be a faithful person
if you are the ruler of your own life. Integrity is rooted
in living for the one who died for you, your sins and mine. Jesus Christ is the only man
who truly lived a perfect life. According to God's law, you and
I are not good people. You and I are not naturally people
who can pursue Christ-like integrity. Without the precious blood of
Jesus Christ that was spilled on Calvary, you are still guilty
before God. You are found guilty and you'll
be cast into a farther, greater pit than Daniel. There's great news though. One
that Daniel foretold. Daniel said there would be a
great redeemer who would rescue his people from death, but not
just a physical death, but an eternal death. His name is Jesus. So I ask, If you have not made
Jesus your Lord and Savior, I ask, repent, ask for forgiveness of
your sins, turn from your old ways, do a 180, and pursue the
great God of Daniel. My second observation, God alone
has the power to rescue, so be faithful. The second observation, God alone
has the power to rescue, so be faithful in this world. Integrity
will lead to trials. That's a given. Now, I'd be remiss
to mention that Daniel most likely knew their intentions to find
fault in him. I'm not sure about you, but if
I had 120 governors looking for my demise, this would lead to
a lot of worry and anxiousness. Yet Daniel somehow is unaffected. about their plot. You see, right
after finding about this new decree, what does he do? Look
at verse 10. When Daniel knew that the document
had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in
his upper room or an 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. See, Daniel's response
here is to pray the same way he has done in the past, the
same way he would do that very morning. Nothing changed. No law, no political change can
change what he knows to be true. It is his faith in the midst
of this trial that he can still be at peace. I love John Newton's
quote that says, there is a peace passing understanding of which
politicians cannot deprive us. This quote comes straight from
Newton's comments on Daniel 2.21. He changes times and seasons.
He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the
wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. See, Daniel's
response here in chapter six is in reflection of the truth
in chapter two. He knows that God is sovereign,
and he knows that God is the one in control. He's in control
over kings, over principalities, and Daniel's example for us,
in the midst of persecution, his response is to continue to
grow in steadfast prayer to God the creator. giving thanks and
glory to the one who is worthy of it all. Daniel's faithfulness was fueled
by his fear of God. But it's not just Daniel that
is marked by faith and trust and obedience. Missionary history
is filled with people who trusted God to be rescued. The story
of Daniel isn't new for Christians. What is the most common response
you'll see in this missionary history in trials? It's prayer. In the book of John G. Peyton,
Missionaries to the Cannibals of the South Seas by Paul Sheelan,
he recounts when he and his family went to Vanuatu to share the
gospel with the locals. They didn't go into some forceful
manner. but went to share and proclaim
the gospel. That was their goal. Even still, the locals didn't
want them there, and one night gathered and surrounded their
houses. Their intent was to burn the houses down and kill them.
And so Paden's response was turning to his wife to pray. So they prayed all night during
that terrified night that God would deliver them from what
felt like a lion's den. When day broke, Paden recalls
that he was amazed to see that no one was left outside and every
house was untouched. Paden thanked God for delivering
them. Years later, when one of the
very own chiefs that tried to kill them was converted, Paden
asked him, what kept the chief and his men from burning down
their homes and killing them that night? The chief replied,
who were all those men you had with you there? Paden replied, there were no
men, it was just me and my wife. The chief argued, that they had
seen many men standing guard, hundreds of big men in shining
garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle
the homes, and so the natives were afraid to attack. Only in
that moment did Paden realize that God had sent his angels
to protect them. The chief agreed that there was
no other explanation Missionary history and church history is
rich with accounts of faithful men and women who prayed and
were delivered. The God of Daniel, he delivers
and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He who has saved Daniel from
the power of the lions. So, Daniel is an example of someone
who did the right thing by continuing to pray. That's the right thing
to do. And yet found himself in a lion's den. And for most
of us, we know that can happen to us too. Doing the right thing
doesn't mean life always goes easy. From Greg's many prayers, we
know that's not to be true. We know life doesn't always go
easy. In fact, often it's the opposite,
right? We can do the right thing and
end up in trials as a result, yet we are still to be faithful.
Faithfulness does not stop when trial comes. It endures. James 1, verses two through four
says, Conant all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various
kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces
steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you
may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. A Christian's
faith in God the creator does not stay stagnant but we are
called to continually grow, even in trials. So Christians, continue
to be faithful. Be faithful in your Bible reading.
Be faithful in your prayer. Give thanks to God continually.
Be faithful in your obedience, no matter what the results are.
Be faithful through the great trials of all various kinds that
God calls you to go through in life. Thirdly, God has the power alone
to rescue, so be hopeful. There's this theme found in Daniel
6 of a God who can rescue, right? We see this in verse 16 when
Darius shouts, may your God, whom you continually serve, deliver
you. In verse 20, we also see this
again. where it says, the king shouts,
oh Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve
continually been able to deliver you from the lions? We see this
again in verse 22 and even in verse 27. Daniel's God, our king
of kings, is a God who alone has the power to rescue. This
is the hope as Christians, one that I cling to every day, that
we need to live with. See, Daniel hasn't been the only
one that's been saved. And I'm sure Darius is hoping
that if God could save Daniel's friends, right, in the fiery
furnace, that he could do it again. Daniel's hope is rooted
in the rich history that God will rescue his people. This
isn't the first time God has saved Israel continually throughout
the Old Testament. and could save Daniel. So when
Darius checks to see if Daniel is still alive, what does Daniel
say? In verse 22, my God sent his
angels and shut the mouths of the lions, and they have not
harmed me, because I was found blameless before him and also
before you, king. O king, I have done no harm.
God rescued Daniel, God delivered Daniel, and God saved Daniel. That's the kind of power our
God has. Daniel hoped in the God who can
save, and he saw God save him. Hebrews 11.33 describes Daniel
as this prophet who, through faith, stopped the mouths of
the lions. But the reality is that we aren't
all Daniel. Yes, we may face trials, but
we aren't always delivered. That's the reality. Just three
verses later in Hebrews, it goes on to say that other faithful
believers will suffer in hope. See, our hope ultimately as Christians
has to be to God, our creator. Like the song we often sing here,
he is our hope in life and death. That's the reality. Here at Tri-County, we have had
wonderful champions of the faith. Over the years, God has taken
many fellow members home. But there's one great trait that
all these faithful believers share. That trait is hope. Recounting reading many of their
last words before going to meet Jesus, you can see a constant
message of how they handled these trials and how they handled the
soon departure. Their faith was tied to the truth
of scripture. the truth that showed them that
there was a hope. Hope that in the midst of their
pain and suffering, there was someone who had already, there
was someone who already set them free from their bonds. There's
nothing left to fear as Christians. And that there was no greater
hope but to look through the cross of Jesus Christ and keep
their eyes fixed on eternity. Brothers and sisters, I want
to make something clear. There will be times of dismay,
times where you feel hopeless, and times where you feel utterly
afraid. Don't lose hope because Jesus has already saved
you. After I finish, we're going to
be singing Jesus Saves. and I hope that changes the way
in which we sing it. Focus on the truth. Christians
walk this great life of endurance knowing full well that there
is a greater reward waiting for you in heaven. We must never
forget that when we are alone, and the enemy is surrounding
us, that we have nothing to fear. God is the Lord of Lords today,
tomorrow, and forever. We have to put our faith and
trust in the God who freed the men from the fiery furnace. We
have to put our faith and trust in the God who shut lion's mouths. and we have to put our faith
and trust in the God who shut the mouths of the lions and also
died for all of mankind. Our God saves and alone our God
saves. Put your hope in Christ and be
immovable. Joe, would you come up and pray
for us?
God Alone Has the Power to Rescue
Series Daniel: Trust History's Ruler
| Sermon ID | 111224155385992 |
| Duration | 32:58 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | Daniel 6 |
| Language | English |
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