The Life of Daniel | Pt. 4

Introduction

Last week, we looked at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. King Neb ordered them to be thrown into a fiery furnace for not worshiping an idol.

Through their faith we saw what submitting to God truly looks like.

True submission to God, is doing what is right even if God does not do what we want or what we expect Him to do.

Rather than living in the ‘if…’, lets start living in the ‘even if…’

God will use that same trial that we thought would take us out (kill us) as a testimony to others to deliver them from their trial.

Body

Until this point, Daniel and his squad have shaken up Babylon. A group of 13 - 17 year olds have turned the culture upside down.

Don’t ever think that because of your age, that God can not use you in a big way.

After Daniel’s friends get out of the furnace untouched, King Neb begins to thank God. We talked about this last week.

In chapter 4, King Neb has another dream or vision. He calls Daniel to explain it to him and it if God telling King Neb that if he doesn’t start humbling himself before God, it won’t end well.

Then we see that the dream came to pass. One day Nebuchadnezzar falls ill with a metal disorder where he thinks that he is a cow, removing him as king of Babylon.

The dream also said that the Babylonian Empire would be split and given to the Medes and the Persian Empires.

In chapter 5, a man named Darius the Mede takes over as the new king.

Tonight, we will be camped out in DANIEL 6.

With the new king, Daniel becomes a chief commissioner. Basically, we was the king’s inner circle.

Best friend over friend…

We know the character of Daniel at this point, right? He knew what it meant to live the Christian life.

Because of this, some of the other commissioners got jealous. They began to devise a plan to take Daniel out. The commissioners started getting frustrated because Daniel was so faithful they couldn’t find a fault.

So then the commissioners decide to write up a document that said that whoever praises another god other than King Darius, will be thrown in to the den of lions.

Daniel 6:16–18 NIV

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

Daniel and Darius had become friends. King Darius regretted throwing Daniel into the lions den to the point that he couldn’t sleep once he got back home.

Daniel is in a situation. The king himself even sealed the den, so that Daniel couldn’t escape if he wanted to.

Sports, play instrument…

We have to stop letting our circumstances define our character.

We only pray, come to youth, sing praises, read our Bibles when things are going good and then when life gets busy or life gets hard all of those things stop.

That’s backwards right. The trials of life should push us into a deeper relationship with God.

If you got back and read as soon as the decree was signed by Darius, Daniel prayed. Then now that he’s in the lions den we know that he’s praying again.

Daniel didn’t wait to start living for God once he got thrown into the lions den.

Often times we fall victim that when times are good, life is chill we don’t need God. Reality is that we need God everyday of our lives. We need the filling of His Spirit everyday.

If Daniel hadn’t been seeking and serving God before he got thrown into the lions den, imagine how fragile his faith would have been.

Compromised faith < habitual faith…

Daniel 6:20–24 NIV

When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Daniel was preserved in the lions den by his faith. In the same way, you and I get through life’s trials though our faith in Christ. No matter the outcome, God is faithful.

Conclusion

Tonight, I want to ask you are you living for Christ?

If you aren’t why not start now? Take time tonight and have a moment with God that is a line in the sand moment.

I will start living for Christ now, so that when the trials of life come I will have habitual faith in Christ to get me through.

Prayer