Life in a Hostile World: foreign territory
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 2nd May 2010
Passage: Daniel 1:1-21
00:00:00 --> 00:00:13 As I said, it is good to be here. It feels like it's been a little while. A few people have already let me know that I'm a new person, which is only a half-truth. I have been here a few times before.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:25 But I'm particularly excited to be back and among the family that we have here, and particularly because we're going to start a new series today that I think is quite significant.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:32 All the Bible is significant, but this book in particular, I think, is at a really significant point in history.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:41 So I'm excited for us to unpack it and help us understand God's plan in what is a difficult situation, I think, in history.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 So how about I pray, and then we're going to get stuck into the book of Daniel.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:50 Father God, I thank you so much for the chance to be here this morning. I thank you for your word.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:59 Lord, I ask that you give us open hearts and minds this morning. I ask that you give me your words, that you'll enable me to speak your truth clearly and faithfully.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 And Lord, I pray that the result of us meeting together around your word will be that we're changed.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:11 I ask that your spirit would be shaping us as a result of this time, that we might be more like Jesus. Amen.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 Amen.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:17 Just before we do start, I want to encourage you, if it's not your habit yet, to make it your habit.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:22 We're going to work through Daniel for the next, I'm not sure, I think it's about five or six weeks.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:27 At some point in that time, actually have a read of the whole book for yourself.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 It's only 12 chapters, so it's a manageable amount.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 But reading it for yourself at home will mean that when you come here on Sunday,
00:01:34 --> 00:01:39 you'll actually have a really helpful framework for the stuff that we're going to look at in each sermon.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 Because we're about to drop in on what I think is one of the most significant points in history,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 we can't just kind of drop in there and then try and find our bearings.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:53 So we're going to do a bit of work really quickly to make sure we know where we are and what we're looking at.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:57 So this might be old news to some of you, and if so, that's great.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 But if not, this will help us as we go forward.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 So I'm going to give you a quick, very quick history of Israel up to the point that we're looking at in Daniel.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:13 So for those of you who remember, basically in Genesis 12, we've got God chooses Abraham as a unique person,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 and he makes some promises to him.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 He says he's going to make Abraham into a great nation.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 He's going to give him land, and he's going to bless him.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:26 From that point, we kind of see God looking after Abraham's kids and Abraham's grandkids and Abraham's great-grandkids.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 And progressively, this nation starts to build momentum in terms of people.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:36 We go through the whole Egypt incident, and then finally, after Moses dies,
00:02:37 --> 00:02:44 this growing nation of Israel steps into the land of Canaan, which is the land that God had promised to them.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:49 They've got to fight and kick everyone else out, but then eventually we get to King David,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 and King David is the point where they've beaten their enemies, or God's beaten their enemies.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 They're in the land that God promised.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:58 They're a great nation.
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 They're blessed.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:00 They've got the temple.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 God's with them.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:02 Everything's going fantastic.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:07 And they're all feeling pretty great, like, you know, this is the good team to be on.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:12 But along the way, the whole time from the very beginning, God has warned them
00:03:12 --> 00:03:17 that if they don't remain faithful to him, if they turn away to any other gods,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 there's going to be consequences.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:29 And after David, which is kind of the high point in Israel's history, there's this progressive slip where they start to ignore God more and more.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 They get just kind of comfortable because they've got everything.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 They've got the land.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:34 They are a nation.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:35 They feel blessed.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 They've got the temple.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 They've beaten everyone.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 And they start to take for granted God.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 They start to ignore the warnings that he's given them.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:47 And they start to think God would never take this stuff away.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 You know, we're his people.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 We're special.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 And with the book of Daniel, they are about to get a rude awakening.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 They're about to get a reminder of who God is and how God works.
00:03:58 --> 00:03:59 And so are we.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 So look with me at Daniel chapter 1, verse 1.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:10 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:17 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand along with some of the articles from the temple of God.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:23 These he carried off to the temple of his God in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his God.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:29 So I've been watching the news over the last couple of weeks, and I'm sure that you've caught at least glimpses of this.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 It's the biggest story in the world on Channel 9.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 The Melbourne Storm saga.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:37 What a fall from grace.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 I mean, I've taken a secret pleasure in this because I'm an AFL fan.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 So anything that damages rugby league is good for AFL, I figure.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 But I wonder what it would be like to be a Melbourne Storm supporter at the moment.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:59 I mean, this team that you love and that you support and that you're just so excited about, probably even a little bit cocky about, has just lost all credibility.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:06 Everything they'd achieved, everything they'd worked hard for, everything they'd sacrificed for is gone.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 The victories are gone.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 The premierships are gone.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:12 The popularity is gone.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:19 I wonder if some of the Melbourne Storm supporters are looking for a new team to support.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:26 I noticed on the news there was at least one supporter who walked up to the players' entrance at the Melbourne Storm's home ground,
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 took off his supporter jersey, threw it on the ground and walked away.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:39 His unbeatable heroes are beaten, are fallen.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:49 And I wonder if that's kind of how it would have felt for Daniel and Israel when this was happening.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:57 They're watching the youngest and brightest men being carted off to another country.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 They're watching the articles from the temple, the things they used to worship their God,
00:06:03 --> 00:06:07 being shifted off to be used for some other pagan God in another country.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 Their victorious land has been taken over.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 Their great nation is now some pathetic little province of the superpower Babylon.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:22 Their unbeatable God looks like he's been beaten.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 Looks kind of powerless.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:33 This Babylonian God and this Babylonian army seem to have overpowered what used to be an impressive God.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:41 And I wonder how many people in Israel at that time were ready to take off their God jersey and throw it on the ground.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 Were ready to find someone new to follow.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 I mean, they signed up to be a great nation.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 They signed up to get a land of their own.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 They signed up for blessing.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:58 And now it looks like that's all gone.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 Now they're going to be servants of some foreign king.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 Half the people are being sent away into exile.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:12 And you have to wonder, if God can do something, why doesn't he?
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 And maybe you know what that feels like in your own life as well.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 I mean, when you signed up to follow Jesus, it was great.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 He was offering you forgiveness and a new life.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 And there was people around you and it was exciting.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 And, you know, you wanted to go to church.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 You wanted to read the Bible and everything was fantastic.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 But it didn't stay fantastic.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 You started to realize that over time,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:39 being a Christian doesn't change how many painful circumstances you face in life.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 It doesn't change how hard life can get sometimes.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 You still have to deal with people close to you, dying.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 Maybe you've lost a job.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 Maybe someone you care about a lot has given up on following Jesus.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 And maybe you're asking the question,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 if God can do something, why doesn't he?
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 You look around at the world, even beyond your circumstances,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 you see suffering, you see poverty, you see famine.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 And you start to wonder,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 start to wonder, has God been beaten?
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 I mean, we'd never say that out loud.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 We're Christians.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 We believe that God's, you know, sovereign and in control.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 But deep down,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 where no one else knows,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 do you ever ask the question,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 is God still in control?
00:08:34 --> 00:08:42 It'd be really easy to read this story of Daniel
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 and this book that we're looking at over the next few weeks
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 and kind of just skim through it and think,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 oh, you know, oh darn, things have gone slightly amiss.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 I mean, we've heard the Lion's Den story.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 We've heard some of the stories of Daniel.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 They're great Sunday school things.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:59 But we need to understand how significant this situation is.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:03 Israel is surrounded by a foreign army
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 in a land that they thought God had given them for good.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 People would be fearing for their lives.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 Some of the soldiers might have even died.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 And now young men, as young as 12 or 15,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 are being taken from their families
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 to probably never see them again.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:24 God's people, God's nation of Israel
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 is effectively coming to an end.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 And so you can understand
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 why they would be asking the question,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 has God lost?
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 Is God beaten?
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 Is God still in control?
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 Plus, it gets even worse.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 Have a look with me at verse 3.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:45 It says,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 Then the king, once they'd taken away some of the young men,
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 it says,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 Then the king ordered Ashfenaz,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 chief of his court officials,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 to bring in some of the Israelites
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 from the royal family and the nobility.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 Young men without any physical defect.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 Handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 Well-informed, quick to understand,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 and qualified to serve in the king's palace.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 He was to teach them the language and literature
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 of the Babylonians.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 from the king's table.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 They were to be trained for three years,
00:10:16 --> 00:10:16 and after that,
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 they were to enter the king's service.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 Among these were some from Judah.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 The chief official gave them new names.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 To Daniel, the name Belshazzar.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 To Hananiah, Shadrach.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 To Mishael, Meshach.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 And to Azariah, Abednego.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 See, not only have they been removed
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 from God's country,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 not only has God's people been broken up
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 and separated,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 not only have articles from God's temple
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 used for God's worship
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 been taken somewhere else to worship other gods,
00:10:50 --> 00:10:54 these men are now going to be assimilated.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 Nebuchadnezzar is going to make them Babylonian.
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 They've got to learn the language.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 They've got to read the history books.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 They've got to know everything there is to know
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 about Babylon and its culture
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 and its religion and its spirituality.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 King Nebuchadnezzar is on a mission
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 to remove anything
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 that makes these men
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 distinctively Israelite.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 Anything that makes them stand out
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 from somewhere else,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 anything that makes them stand out
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 as belonging to God,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:24 King Nebuchadnezzar
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 is going to break it away
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 and make them Babylonian.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 And the hard part is
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 that there's something appealing
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 about what Nebuchadnezzar is doing.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 I mean, sure, these young men
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 would have been devastated
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 by what was happening to them,
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 but it's a pretty good offer
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 they're getting when you think about it.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 They're being offered education.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 They're being offered positions
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 of prestige and respect
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 in the new Babylonian kingdom.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 They'll be serving the king.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 That's not lowly public service.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 That's a place of significance in society.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 They'll be receiving the king's food,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 working in the king's palace.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 We're talking quality meat, wine, fruit and veg,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 and all they have to do
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 is give up on the God
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 who it looks like
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 has already abandoned them anyway.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 In a foreign country,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 it kind of feels to them like
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 the rules have changed.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 Success and blessing
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 apparently doesn't come from God anymore.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 It comes from doing things
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 the Babylonian way.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:31 And you know what's funny?
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 I think our world's not that dissimilar to Babylon.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 I mean, we would be forgiven
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 for thinking our world's not as hostile.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 I mean, we live in a country where,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 you know, it's fine to be a Christian.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 It's pretty religiously tolerant around here.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 As long as you don't annoy other people
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 with the fact that you believe in God,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 it's fine for you to believe it.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 In Sydney, and in Anglican Sydney,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 we're, you know, pretty proud of the fact
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 that we teach the Bible well
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 and that, you know, we're really passionate
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 about finding biblical truth.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 Here at St. Paul's,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 we're one of six congregations
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 that are going to meet here today
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 and every Sunday.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 There's a couple of other great
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 Bible-believing churches
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 within five or ten minutes from here.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 And you could be forgiven
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 for, you know, starting to feel like
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 this is home.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 This is where we belong.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 But it's not.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 The Bible makes it clear
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 from start to finish,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:22 front to back,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 all humanity
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 is at war
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 with its creator.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 We are enemies of God.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 By nature,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 we're objects of wrath.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 We deserve God's punishment.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 And if you're following Jesus,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 you need to recognise
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 that the world that you live in
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 is hostile.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 Hostile to the one you follow
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 and hostile to you.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 Whether you realise it or not,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 you're in a process
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 of being slowly assimilated
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 into the culture of the world.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 Every day you live in this culture,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 you spend time engaging with people
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 who worship gods of self,
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 gods of money,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 gods of success,
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 gods of nature,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 and the world is trying to make you
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 like them.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 Trying to remove anything
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 that makes you distinctively Christian,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 anything that makes you stand out,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 is now weird
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 and unacceptable.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 One of the most popular books
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 over the last few years at least
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 is The Da Vinci Code.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 Now, it's popular probably
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 for a couple of reasons.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 It's pretty well written.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 That's probably part of the reason
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 that it's popular.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 But I think it's also popular
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 because the whole point of the book
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 is it's built around the premise
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 that Christianity is a big sham.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 It's a big conspiracy
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 trying to trick people.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 And so people love
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 to kind of just debunk those ideas
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 and kind of see Christianity
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 as the weird sideline thing.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 So our society likes to make the norm
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 not believing in Jesus.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 As we sit here,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 there's a growing argument
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 in politics at the moment
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 as to whether or not young kids
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 should learn the Bible
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 at scripture in school.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 Every day you watch TV,
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 read magazines,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 drive past billboards
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 that make an effort
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 to display men and women
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 in a way that degrades them
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 compared to the way
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 the Bible shows them.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 There is a relentless pursuit
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 for self-satisfaction
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 in this world.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 And before you realise it,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 you start to become
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 just like the world around you.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 Before you realise it,
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 you start being less offended
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 by sexually explicit material.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:38 Think about what it's okay
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 for you to watch on TV
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 compared to what was okay
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 to watch on TV
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 five years ago,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 ten years ago.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 Before you realise it,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 you find yourself
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 rationalising the little lies
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 because that's a good way
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 to get ahead in life.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 You're not lying on a resume,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 you're just padding it out
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 so that you can get the job.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 That's what everyone else does.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 Unless you make a decision
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 to consciously fight,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 to remain distinctive,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 to stand out
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 as a follower of Jesus,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 there's a good chance
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 that slowly but surely
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 you're going to move
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 in the other direction.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 If you don't realise
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 that everything in this world
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 is working to make you
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 less like Jesus,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 then it's going to succeed.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:29 We are slowly being assimilated
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 by the culture we live in
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 and we're being convinced
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 to worship a whole bunch
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 of things that aren't God.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 And there's no denying
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 that the power of
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 what this world is doing
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 is that it's kind of appealing.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 Just like these young men
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 in Babylon had the chance
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 to be in positions of status,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 had a chance to be
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 in the king's palace,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 in our world,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 it's the people who ignore God
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 who seem to do okay.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 It's the people who lie
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 who get rich quicker.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 It's the people who are dishonest
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 and self-absorbed
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 that seem to be, you know,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 have the stuff,
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 have the things that are supposed
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 to make you happy
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 and at the same time
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 it's the good faithful Christians
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 that often seem to go
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 from hardship to hardship
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 or never get out of a cycle
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 of constant suffering.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 Yet God calls us
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 to remain distinctive.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 He doesn't call us
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 to leave a hostile world.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 He calls us to remain here
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 but remain distinctive
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 as Christians.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 In 1 Peter chapter 2,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 just after the passage
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 that was read for us
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 in verse 11,
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 Peter writes these words.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 He says,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 Dear friends,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 I urge you as aliens
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 and strangers
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 in the world
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 to abstain from sinful desires
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 which war against your soul,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 live such good lives
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 among the pagans
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 that though they accuse you
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 of doing wrong,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 they may see your good deeds
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 and glorify God
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 on the day he visits us.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 God is calling us
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 to stand out for him
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 in a world
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 that doesn't want to know him.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 And Daniel
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 is going to show us how.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 Look with me at verse 8.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 Daniel resolved
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 not to defile himself
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 with the royal food
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 and wine
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 and he asked the chief official
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 for permission
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 not to defile himself this way.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 Now God had caused the official
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 to show favour and sympathy
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 to Daniel
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 but the official told Daniel,
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 I'm afraid of my lord the king
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 who has assigned your food
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 and drink.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Why should he see you
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 looking worse
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 than the other young men
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 your age?
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 The king would then
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 have my head
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 because of you.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 Daniel then said
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 to the guard
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 whom the chief official
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 had appointed over Daniel,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 Hananiah,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 Mishael and Azariah
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 please test your servants
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 for 10 days.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 Give us nothing
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 but vegetables to eat
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 and water to drink
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 then compare our appearance
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 with that of the young men
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 who eat the royal food
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 and treat your servants
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 in accordance
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 with what you see.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 So he agreed to this
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 and tested them
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 for 10 days.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 So in spite of the appeal
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 of what Babylon
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 has to offer
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 Daniel still makes a point
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 of saying no.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 But he doesn't say no
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 to what you might expect
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 him to say no to.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 He's already accepted
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 a name change.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 He's already accepted
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 the training they've offered him.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 He's already moved
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 to a new city.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 But at this point
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 Daniel stands up
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 and says no.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 Even with everything changing,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 everything against him,
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 there's still a point
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 where Daniel says
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 I will not compromise.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 But why is it this?
00:19:29 --> 00:19:33 Why refuse meat and wine?
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 Why refuse a good feed
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 that's going to keep you healthy?
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 I mean,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 he's accepted a new name
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 which is designed
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 to make him feel
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 like he belongs to Babylon.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 He's studied
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 Babylonian literature.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 He's probably even studied
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 Babylonian religion
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 and spirituality.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 Yet food is the thing
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that he will not
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 defile himself with.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 Why?
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 Well,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 there's no such thing
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 as a free lunch.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 Have you ever been out
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 to lunch with someone
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 and, you know,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 they offer to pay,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 it's no strings attached,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 it's fine,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 they're just feeling generous
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 and you think,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 great, fantastic,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 I'll take it,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 I'm going to go back
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 and order seconds.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 But then,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 half a week later
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 you get a phone call
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 and that same friend
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 needs a favour.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 And suddenly it's harder
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 to say no
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 than it would have been
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 if you paid
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 for your own lunch.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 Or every time
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 you see them after that
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 they just kind of remind you
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 that they paid last time
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 and you owe them.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 There's no such thing
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 as a free lunch
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 and it was the same
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 for Daniel.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 Daniel knew
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 that it wasn't just food
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 that the king
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 was offering him.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 In the ancient world
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 receiving food
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 and receiving provision
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 from someone
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 like a king
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 was a way of saying
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 I'm your servant.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 It was a way
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 of declaring your allegiance
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 to someone.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 And so Daniel
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 accepted these other things.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 He accepted a name
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 that supposedly
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 transferred him
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 away from God
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 because he knew
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 who he was
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 he knew who he belonged to
00:20:57 --> 00:21:01 but he refused
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 to do anything
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 that was a willing
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 and intentional
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 step away
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 from his commitment
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 to God.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 He refused
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 to do anything
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 that would say
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 to God
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 I'm now following
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 this person.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 Daniel remains
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 distinctive as God
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 in a culture
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 that is doing
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 everything it can
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 to transform him
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 and there's two
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 things that we need
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 to grab from
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 Daniel's example
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 if we hope
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 to remain distinctive
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 in the hostile world
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 that we live in.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 Two really simple things
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 simple to say
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 but maybe a little bit
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 harder to live out.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 First thing
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 Daniel knows
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 when to say no.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 Daniel knows
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 when to say no.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 It's really interesting
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 that Daniel
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 puts up with all that stuff.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 he puts up
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 with a new country
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 he puts up
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 with a new name
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 he puts up
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 with training
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 he puts up
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 with living
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 in this new culture
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 completely
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 in fact
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 he even uses
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 the training
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 that they give him
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 to serve
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 the Babylonian kingdom
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 he becomes
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 a significant man
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 in the king's palace
00:22:08 --> 00:22:14 but there is a point
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 where he says no.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 So I think
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 sometimes
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 the temptation
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 for us as Christians
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 is to kind of
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 hide away
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 from the evil world
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 that's around us
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 you know
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 we kind of look around
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 and we don't want
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 to get contaminated
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 by the pagan people
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 and their pagan hobbies
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 and their pagan TV shows
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 and their pagan movies
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 and whatever else
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 we kind of turn up
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 our nose
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 at the people around us
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 and think they're bad
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 and we're not
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 and we just keep saying no
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 and keep saying no
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 and rejecting all these things
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 and I think
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 you know
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 as Christians
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 we're almost too good
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 at saying no
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 but I wonder
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 if we get so preoccupied
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 with saying no
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 but everything in the world
00:22:47 --> 00:22:50 that we're choosing
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 that we're missing
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 the things
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 that actually matter
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 see what we need
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 to learn from Daniel
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 is when
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 to say no
00:22:58 --> 00:23:01 Daniel immerses himself
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 in this Babylonian culture
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 he doesn't hide in a tent
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 or hide under his bed
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 and stay away from anything
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07 that might be remotely bad
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 he was happy to study
00:23:09 --> 00:23:12 so long as it didn't compromise
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 his commitment to God
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 he was happy for a new name
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 because that didn't change
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 that he still loved God
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 he was happy for a new city
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 because that didn't change
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 that he still loved God
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 but he wasn't willing
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 to eat a meal
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 that would be his way
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 of saying
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 now Nebuchadnezzar
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 comes first
00:23:30 --> 00:23:33 God is calling us
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 to be in this world
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 so that we can be a light
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 in it
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 but not of it
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 the challenge for us
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 is when do we say no
00:23:43 --> 00:23:46 I mean
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 in church
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 we're pretty good
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 at rejecting culture
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 throughout the decades
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 church has worked
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 really hard
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 to keep certain things
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 from the world
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 outside
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 you know
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 some people fought
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 tooth and nail
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 to make sure
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 that the world's music
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 never made it in here
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 and drums
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 finally got in the door
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 a few years ago
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 some people
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 are still fighting
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 tooth and nail
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 to make sure
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 that the church
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 remains a pointy building
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 with a cross on the top
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 because you know
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 we don't want to
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 engage with the world's
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 kind of fancy
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 technological
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 air conditioned
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 comfy chairs
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 you know
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 the church is supposed
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 to have a pointy roof
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 and uncomfortable chairs
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 apparently
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 and
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 we fight for these things
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 and we say no
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 to these things
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 of the world
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 but at the same time
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 we're
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 embracing
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 other aspects
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 that are pulling us
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 away from Jesus
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 we're fighting
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 for things like
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 pews and music
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 but we're
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 progressively becoming
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 more self-obsessed
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 less servant-hearted
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52 more sexually immoral
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 dishonest
00:24:53 --> 00:24:56 we're doing less
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 and less
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 about injustice
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 and suffering
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 in the world
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 but hey
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 at least we don't
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 have the world's music
00:25:03 --> 00:25:09 we need to let go
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 of what doesn't matter
00:25:10 --> 00:25:13 we need to let go
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 of the parts of culture
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 that have no impact
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 on how much we love Jesus
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 in fact
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 sometimes we can even
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 use it
00:25:21 --> 00:25:25 and that way
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 we'll be ready
00:25:26 --> 00:25:29 to recognise the things
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 that we must
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 say no to
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 to recognise
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 the things
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 that will lead us
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 away from Jesus
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 the things that
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 compromise
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 the most important
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 person
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 the first thing
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 we need to learn
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 from Daniel
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 is when to say no
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 the second thing
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 God is always
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 in control
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 trust God
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 it sounds so simple
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 trust God
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 we always say it
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 to each other
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 things are tough
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 trust God
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 trust him
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 because he's in control
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 but you'd forgive
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 Daniel for
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 asking the question
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 has God lost control
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 wouldn't you
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 all these promises
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 land
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 great nation
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 blessing
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 seem like they're
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 disappearing
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 it seems like
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 everything's going
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 wrong
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 Daniel's in a
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 foreign country
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 and it looks like
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 God's lost control
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17 but look
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 at the story
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 with me again
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 verse 2
00:26:20 --> 00:26:23 the Lord
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 delivered
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 verse 9
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 God
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 caused the
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 official
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 verse 17
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 God gave
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 knowledge and
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 understanding
00:26:32 --> 00:26:34 the single
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 most devastating
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 event in
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 Israel's history
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 was not the
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 point where
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 God lost grip
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 on the wheel
00:26:40 --> 00:26:43 but it was an
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 essential part
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 of God's plan
00:26:44 --> 00:26:46 for this world
00:26:46 --> 00:26:49 this is God
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 keeping his
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 promise to
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 punish Israel
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 for being
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 unfaithful
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 and even though
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 Daniel couldn't
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 see what God
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 was doing
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 or how God
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 was doing it
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 even though he
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 didn't know the
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 details or the
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 specifics
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 he trusted him
00:27:01 --> 00:27:05 because he knew
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 that God was
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 always in
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 control
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 someone once
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 told me that
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 my life was
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 kind of like a
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 puzzle piece
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 you know it's
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 kind of funny
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 shaped edges
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 doesn't make a
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 lot of sense
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 by itself
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 but when you
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 put it in the
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 puzzle
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 when you surround
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 it with all the
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 other pieces
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 the picture
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 becomes clear
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 and my
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 perspective in
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 life and your
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 perspective in
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 life is just
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 our little puzzle
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 piece
00:27:30 --> 00:27:32 it doesn't
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 always make
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 sense why
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 it's that way
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 it doesn't
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 always make
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 sense what's
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 happening or
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 what God's
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 doing or how
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 he's doing it
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 but God can
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 see the whole
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 picture
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 and God has
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 designed every
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 specific circumstance
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 that you face
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 every event of
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 your life
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 every person you
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 interact with
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 exactly the way
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 he needed to
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 so that your
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 piece would fit
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 perfectly within
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 his plan for
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 creation
00:27:56 --> 00:28:00 God doesn't
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 make mistakes
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 your life is
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 the detailed
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 work of a
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 master craftsman
00:28:05 --> 00:28:08 who is achieving
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 his unstoppable
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 plan in his
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 world
00:28:12 --> 00:28:15 you won't
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 always know
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 what God's
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 doing
00:28:16 --> 00:28:19 you won't
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 always know
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 how he's doing
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 it or why
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 he's doing
00:28:22 --> 00:28:24 it but you
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 can be sure
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 that whatever's
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 happening he's
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 doing it
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 he's still in
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 control
00:28:29 --> 00:28:32 over the next
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 couple of weeks
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 in Daniel we're
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 going to get to
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 see a little bit
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 more about how
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 God uses an
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 event like this
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 exile to achieve
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 his purposes
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 we're going to
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 see how this
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 monumental fall
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 from grace
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 from the heights
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 of King David
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 to exile in
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 Babylon was
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 part was an
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 essential part
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 of God's
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 plan to
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 bring salvation
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 to the world
00:28:55 --> 00:28:58 and even
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 though he
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 didn't know
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 what God
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 was doing
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 Daniel knew
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 God was doing
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 something and
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 so he trusted
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 him
00:29:04 --> 00:29:10 God has
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 left you in
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 this world
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 hostile as it
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 is
00:29:13 --> 00:29:22 God has
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 left you here
00:29:22 --> 00:29:24 the question
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 is will you
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 trust him
00:29:25 --> 00:29:28 will you
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 trust his
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 way even
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 though you
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 don't know
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 how it
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 pans out
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 God
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 our passage
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 today finishes
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 with a little
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 glimmer of
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 hope
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 well actually
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 it's more
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 than a
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 glimmer
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 it's kind
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 of like a
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 fog horn
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 for anyone
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 who hasn't
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 got it
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 yet
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 look with
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 me at
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 verse 15
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 it says
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 at the end
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 of the ten
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 days they
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 looked healthier
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 this is after
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 the test of
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 just eating
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 vegetables and
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 water
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 at the end
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 of the ten
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 days they
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 looked healthier
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 and better
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 nourished than
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 any of the
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 young men
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 who ate the
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 royal food
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 so the guard
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 took away their
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 choice food and
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 the wine they
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 were to drink
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 and gave them
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 vegetables instead
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 to these four
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 young men God
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 gave knowledge and
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 understanding of
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 all kinds of
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 literature and
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 learning and
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 Daniel could
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 understand visions
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 and dreams of
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 all kinds
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 at the end of
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 the time set by
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 the king to
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 bring them in
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 the chief official
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 presented them to
00:30:12 --> 00:30:12 Nebuchadnezzar
00:30:12 --> 00:30:14 the king talked
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 with them and
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 he found none
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 equal to Daniel
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 Hananiah
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 Mishael and
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 Azariah so
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 they entered the
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 king's service
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 in every matter
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 of wisdom and
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 understanding about
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 which the king
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 questioned them
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 he found them
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 ten times better
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 than all the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 magicians and
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 enchanters in his
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 whole kingdom
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 and Daniel remained
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 there until the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 first year of
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 king Cyrus
00:30:36 --> 00:30:40 the chapter starts
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 with us asking
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 the question
00:30:42 --> 00:30:44 is God beaten
00:30:44 --> 00:30:47 are these
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 Babylonian gods
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 suddenly more
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 powerful
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 and it ends
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 with God
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 reminding us
00:30:53 --> 00:30:55 that he is the
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 one and only
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 creator God
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 this is his
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 world and there
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 is none that
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 compares to him
00:31:01 --> 00:31:03 the wisdom he
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 gives Daniel and
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 his friends is
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 ten times better
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 than anything the
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 Babylonians can
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 muster
00:31:08 --> 00:31:12 and that little
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 verse at the
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 end
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 Daniel remained
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 there until the
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 first year of
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 king Cyrus
00:31:16 --> 00:31:19 what would have
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 felt like a
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 devastating
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 life ending
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 circumstance
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 we just get
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 reminded here
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 Daniel lasts
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 longer than
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 Babylon does
00:31:26 --> 00:31:28 this new
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 superpower
00:31:28 --> 00:31:30 Daniel's there
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 when it
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 falls
00:31:31 --> 00:31:33 Daniel gets
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 beyond this
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 disaster
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 by trusting
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 God
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 God's plan
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 never ends
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 in disaster
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 but sometimes
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 it's the path
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 by which he
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 leads us
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 to the purpose
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 he has for us
00:31:46 --> 00:31:49 God is at
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 work in this
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 world
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 he has a
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 plan and an
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 unstoppable
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 plan
00:31:53 --> 00:31:55 which culminates
00:31:55 --> 00:31:57 in rescuing
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 his people
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 with Jesus
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 God is still
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 in control
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 whether you
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 can see how
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 or not
00:32:03 --> 00:32:06 so trust
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 him
00:32:06 --> 00:32:09 know when
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 to say no
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 and resolve
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 that you
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 will not
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 defile
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 yourself
00:32:12 --> 00:32:14 that you
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 will not
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 assimilate
00:32:15 --> 00:32:17 that you
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 will not
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 become like
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 the world
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 you live
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 in
00:32:19 --> 00:32:22 God is
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 in control
00:32:22 --> 00:32:24 so trust
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 him