I'd like to ask that you would turn to 2 Peter. We're going to be in Daniel this morning, but I'd like us to begin our time in 2 Peter. I felt that where we're going to be in Daniel really touches on well in 2 Peter. At least, Peter touches on what we're going to be looking at. And we're going to begin with a promise for the believer that touches on the importance of growing in godly character. 2 Peter 1, verses 5-8. says this, now for this very reason also applying all diligence in your faith supply moral excellence and in your moral excellence knowledge and in your knowledge self-control and in your self-control perseverance and in your perseverance godliness and in your godliness brotherly kindness and in your brotherly kindness where if these qualities are yours and are increasing they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see this played out in Daniel's life. Daniel was a very godly man. He knew the Word. And we see that played out in his life. And for Daniel, he lived life from the base of a relationship with God. He was looking to God. He sought to praise God in what he did. He sought to worship Him in how he acted. And we're going to see the results of that played out here in Daniel this morning. But if you'll notice with me in verse 8 it says that these qualities, or if these qualities are yours and are increasing, that word for increasing in verse 8 is used in the sense that these qualities are growing in abundance. They render you neither useless nor unfruitful and I love that. I love that promise that we have in God's Word As we look to him every day. We have a choice. Are we going to serve self? Are we going to serve Christ? What's going to be my platform for this day? If I'm going to choose to serve Christ if I'm going to look to him To to seek to please him and everything these qualities are going to be increasing in my life And I'm going to be fruitful for the Lord Alright, now that we've looked at that, let's go to Daniel. We're going to go to Daniel chapter 1. Ezekiel, Daniel. And we remember the situation that Daniel had to face last week. We saw that situation that he was put in, in Daniel chapter 1. If you'll remember with me from our last lesson, Daniel's character excelled in godliness. He was faced with a deliberate choice to either eat the king's food and to drink his wine or to abstain from it. And of course, from Daniel 1, verse 8, if you'll read with me there, we see the decision that he makes, and it began with his heart. It began in his thinking, what am I going to choose to do? Am I going to choose to serve myself? I don't want to upset the king. He's offering me this food. He's offering me this wine. What am I going to do? Or am I going to be obedient to the Lord? Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food. or with the wine which he drank. So he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself." We see from verse 8 there that it was a heart's decision. He made up in his mind that he would not defile himself. God honored this. He honored this decision that Daniel made. I love that. I love that we see that here. We're going to see that trickle out throughout this passage as well. But these decisions that Daniel made stemmed from a base. It stemmed from who he was serving. Well, in our notes we find this morning that God providentially uses those who are growing in godliness. God providentially uses those who are growing in godliness. Daniel was a godly individual and God was able to use him. And what we've seen historically is that God uses godly individuals throughout history. And how He does so always changes, but the principle remains the same. I think it's kind of interesting that we're looking at this today as we're going to be in Daniel and in 1 Peter. Pastor Brad is preaching through that series in 1 Peter. In 1 Peter 1, we're going to be looking at v. 14-16. And just listen along. It says here, I just love to see how God is at work there. Alright, so Daniel made the right decision. He was faced with this situation. What was he going to do? Was he going to choose to go against God's Word, go against what he knew to be right, what God had said, what He had revealed in His Word, or would he obey God? And this revealed a great truth concerning his character. I wanted to read a quote for you this morning by Warren Wiersbe. He once wrote a book on being a servant of God. And this is what he says in that, life is built on character, but character is built on decisions. The decisions that you make, small and great, due to your life, what the sculptor's chisel does to the block of marble. You're shaping your life by your thoughts, your attitudes, your actions, becoming either more or less like Jesus Christ. Daniel found himself in a situation where he had to make a decision to either drink the king's wine and eat his food, or to abstain possibly resulting in being severely punished. And I love that picture that we have here of a sculptor chiseling away at a block of marble. This takes a lot of time, dedicated time. And every act, every effort that is given slowly accomplishes something. It slowly accomplishes a greater picture. And we see that for Daniel, this decision that he made was based off of It was based off of a constant, dedicated, time-consuming relationship that Daniel had with his God. He was coming from that base that I'm going to serve Christ, I'm going to live for the Lord in this environment that I'm living in as he was in Babylon. This was not an irrational decision. This was a well-thought-out decision on Daniel's part. And so what transpires out of that decision that Daniel made in our last lesson is going to trickle down into the verses that we see this morning. And you'll remember with me some of the concerns that the commander had for Daniel and his friends, that if they were not to eat or to drink the king's wine or his food, that they would actually become sick. Do we remember that? That they would become unhealthy if they didn't eat what the king wanted them to eat. And what did we see last week? What happened as a result? They got healthier. They got fatter, right? They did. Notice with me, verse 15, at the end of the 10 days, their appearance seemed better than they were, fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food. So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine that they were to drink and kept giving them vegetables. So the absolute opposite happened. The commander thought that he had a lot of concerns. The opposite happened. God blessed Daniel and his friends. And so we're going to pick it up in verse 17. And we're going to see here this morning from this passage four ways in which God providentially uses Daniel and his friends as they remain in the midst of an evil culture. We see this in verses 17-21. You'll read with me here. It says in verse 17, as for these four ewes, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and out of them all, not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and the conjurers who were in all this realm. And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king." Do we remember from last week what a defining moment in one's life is? I made a statement from last week. A defining moment, and this will be a refresher, a defining moment in one's life takes place when one chooses to either obey or to disobey what? the Word of God. And Daniel made a decision to obey God's Word. And from that, there was tremendous blessing. And God was able to use Daniel and his friends in some very specific ways. And we see that here in verses 17-21. So let's look at that first way in which God uses Daniel and his friends. He uses them through divine guidance. We see that in verse 17. As for these four yous, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. And so we see this principle fleshed out of this passage here that God providentially uses those who are growing in godliness. And God would guide them along from verse 17. Daniel made a conscious decision in his own heart not to defile himself by doing that which King Nebuchadnezzar desired. There was a pastor that suggested that it must have been his love for the promised Redeemer that motivated him to stand out as one who would obey the Lord, even if it cost him his life. And may I just say this, that if we're operating from that platform that I'm going to seek to serve Christ, not myself, that what will flow out of that will be a desire not to chase after the fleeting pleasures of this world, but to be to serve Him in everything that I do. And that was Daniel. I remember reading of a pastor who visited an early an elderly believer who was found in his home. I shared this at an evening service a couple weeks ago. I wanted to bring this out again. He was playing an old hymn and it was titled, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? Did anybody go and look at that song? It's a beautiful song. I mentioned this a couple weeks ago. If you haven't looked it up, I'd encourage you to. The lyrics are phenomenal. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Listen to those words. This elderly pastor had his children gathered around him and he looked at this younger pastor with tears in his eyes and he said, it was my sin that sent him to Calvary. If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, then it will be our joy to purpose in our hearts, not to chase after the things of this world, but to chase after the Lord, to pursue the things that matter to Him. And Daniel does. Daniel and his friends were given every opportunity in the book to chase after the fleeting pleasures of this world while they were in Babylon. They were excelling in their studies. They had the world at their fingertips. And yet, they stayed on course. Daniel and his friends had been seriously studying Babylonian language and literature, we remember, for about three years, which would have put them in their late teens, early twenties. And in all of their studies, they excelled. In all that they pursued, they found But God was the ultimate reason here. Notice with me what's given to them. Verse 17. What is given to them? This did not come about by studying. This did not come about by going through this program. God gave to these young men something. This starts with God. And we see God's hand throughout this passage here in verse 17. God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. Daniel is starting from that platform that I am going to seek to serve God. In the midst of a wicked culture, I'm going to seek to serve him. And God gives these things to Daniel and his friends. This challenges my heart as I as I read through this. And it challenges me. I hope it challenges us that we need to be people of the word. We need to stand as God's people on the word of God. That's where we need to be. God's Word gives us answers for everything that we're going through. Daniel had some difficult situations that he was faced with last week in our last lesson that we saw. But God had answers. In every situation that you're going through, in every difficulty, hardship, whatever it is that you're faced with, there are answers. God gives answers for everything under the sun. God's Word is complete. His Word is authoritative. He has answers for His people. God providentially guided Daniel and his friends in verse 17. It began with God. He gave to these young men what they had. He guided them. He was with them. Now there's an old age debate that goes something like this. Should believers study the things of this world when they have God's written infallible work? Tertullian from 160 to 220 AD took the stance that it was sinful for a believer to be well-versed in worldly academics. He once wrote, so then where is there any likeness between the Christian and the philosopher, between the disciple of Greece and of heaven, between the man whose object is fame and whose object is life? However, we find time and time again that God used men who had a secular education. What about Moses? What kind of an education did he have? An Egyptian education. We see that in Acts 7. He was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians. The Apostle Paul in his ministry, he would go to quote Greek poets and philosophers in order to reach others with the truth of God's Word. For instance, while in Athens, the Apostle Paul quoted Cleantheses in Acts 17-28 when he says, For we also are his children. Cleantheses was a leader of the Athenian Stoic school of philosophy and once wrote a famous poem titled, Hymn to Zeus. And Paul quoted it in Acts 17-28. It had its origins from this heathen hymn. A hymn to Zeus, according to the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. But what's more important here is what God gave to Daniel and his friends. God gave to them knowledge to be able to discern truth. And God does something here for Daniel. Notice with me verse 17. They didn't take their eyes off of the Word. They were indoctrinated. They went through this three-year program. But God gives them what they have. And in verse 17 we read, Daniel even understood all kinds of what? Visions and dreams. Daniel understands visions and dreams. There is no other prophet quite like Daniel who was able to understand with this ability the broad expanse of knowledge that Daniel had concerning the future that he would come to understand for the Gentile nations and for the program that God had specifically designed and set apart for the nation of Israel. And we're going to be looking at that in future lessons. But Daniel stands out as a remarkable major prophet. It's amazing what God allowed this man to understand and what He has written down for us to be able to study. This was a supernatural ability that God gave to Daniel, which allowed him to be able to unravel the complex dreams and events that were connected to the future. And that gives us a second way in which God providentially uses Daniel and his friends, and that was through divine preparation, verse 18. Divine preparation, we see in verse 18, then at the end of the days, of what days? The days where he went through this training, that three-year program, which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar." Alright, so we remember it was three years from Daniel 1, verse 5. Daniel and his friends would have been exposed to the religious practices of the Babylonian Empire. But as Kiel wisely noted, that Daniel needed to be deeply versed in the Chaldean wisdom as formerly Moses was in the wisdom of Egypt, so as to put to shame the wisdom of this world by the hidden wisdom of God. So again, it was God who allowed Daniel and his friends to be able to discern truth from error. And while the king believed that Daniel and his friends would have been brainwashed, and that they would have gone through this reshaping, that they would have lost everything that they had come to learn about God and about the Word, the exact opposite happened. God was actively at work behind the scenes in Daniel's life and in his friend's life. He was right there with them the entire time. And it was in this time frame that God was the one who was preparing these young men for the future. Okay, that brings us to the third way that we see God using Daniel and his friends, and that was through divine service. Verses 19-21, the king talked with them, this is what transpires from verse 18, the king talked with them and out of them all not one was found, like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, so they entered the king's personal service." And notice again verse 21 here, "...and Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king." So even though Daniel and his friends did not obey the king, that made the most logical sense to obey the king of Babylon. Daniel decided that he would make a decision based off of his relationship to God. I'm going to do what God has asked me to do from His Word. I know to be true from His Word. His Word is true. He makes that decision, and God blesses that decision. This doesn't make sense. The king should have killed Daniel right here. God is working here. He's moving in a powerful way. The king talked with them and out of them not one was found like these young men. Notice the kinds of names that are listed here of Daniel and his friends. What do we see? Do we see their Babylonian names listed? What's listed here? What does Daniel mention when he's writing this? What kinds of names does he use? Does he use their Babylonian names or their Jewish names? The Jewish names. He uses their Jewish names, and that signifies to us that they remain faithful to God throughout this three-year program. Daniel's saying, listen, we went through that three-year program, but we came out of that with a firm understanding of God and His Word. And we're still going to stand on His Word. And God bless that. On top of that, Daniel was granted special service as well. If you'll note it, the Lord added on to Daniel's ministry in Babylon many years of service, which would continue on into Cyrus the king. This is important because Cyrus was a Persian king who eventually overthrew the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC. And he allowed the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. And so Daniel would have been alive during King Cyrus' reign, which at this time he would have been much older in life. So that brings us to the fourth way in which God would providentially use Daniel and his friends. God allows Daniel and his friends to serve in that culture. but also through opportunities. Verse 20, As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and the conjurers who were in all the realm. God allowed them opportunities for His glory. That's quite the description that we have of these young men. The Bible Knowledge Commentary is quick to point out that the king consulted with the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, the astrologers, the wise men, and the diviners. These were men who were deeply involved in and practiced the occult. Yet God's wisdom stood out above all of the wisdom of this world. Every kind of wisdom that this world had was accessible to King Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel and his friends stand upon the truth of God's Word. And they stand out. and they stand out. They're found ten times better than all who are in Nebuchadnezzar's realm. I believe that one of the most important decisions we can make in this world would be that we would be serious students of God's Word as they were. So as we wrap this up this morning, we're reminded of a few truths here. We're reminded of some truths. From chapters 1, verses 1-7, a couple of lessons ago, We learn that in the worst of times, God is still on the throne doing what? Orchestrating all of the events in the world. God is orchestrating all of the events in the world. He's doing so on a world scale. The primaries that are coming up, They're not going to be a surprise to the Lord. He is behind all of it. He's pulling the strings. And He is moving this world into a direction and into a future plan that He has specifically set up and has given in His Word that we're going to see. God is sovereign. He's in control. He's in control of your life and my life. He's in control of every situation, everything that we're going through. God is in control of it. And in verses 8-16 we learned from last week that in the midst of an evil culture, God's people can shine bright for Christ. And so finally from these verses today we've learned that God providentially uses those who are growing in godliness. And so we see his hand there. We've seen it all throughout these verses in verses 17 through 21. How God would use Daniel and his friends. And even though this was a very dark time for the nation of Israel, there was still a very small, faithful remnant among God's people. And so the question that I need to ask myself and that we need to ask ourselves is this, how has God found us this past week in the church age to be? Has He found us to be faithful, looking to Him, to His Word, standing on Him and on His truth? How has He found us to be? I'd like us to look to Psalm, if you would, just for a moment to close out our time. Psalm 84. And this psalm is a psalm that just ministered to my heart as I was looking at this passage. And the psalmist here speaks of his relationship to God, how sweet it is when we stand upon the base of serving Christ rather than serving self. The psalmist has a relationship with his God. And he mentions just how beautiful this relationship is to God. Our relationship with God is everything in life. And the psalmist writes this, and we're going to read verses 1 and 2, we're going to read verse 4, and then we're going to finish up with verses 10 through 12. But I'd like us just to know the preciousness of this relationship that the psalmist has to his God. How lovely are your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. How blessed are those who dwell in your house! They are ever praising you. for a day in your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord gives grace and glory. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for this time that you've given to us to be able to look at your scripture and to be able to see the truths that are here for us. I pray that you would find us in this week to come to be individuals who are standing upon a foundation upon a heart that has a desire to Seek to serve you and to glorify you and to worship you and everything that we think say and do Throughout this week. I want to thank you for that. Thank you for the example of Daniel and his friends that we have in scripture here and for this reminder to us that You are with us that you're near to us and that you guide us. We give you praise and Pray that you would just continue to bless the rest of the service now and this week in your name. We amen