Heavy Lifting 1

Intro

Tonight we’re starting a series called Heavy Lifting. The reason its called that is because right around this time as the school year starts and work starts piling up we can get into this survival mode mindset. Just doing the bare minimum to get by and it can feel like the weight of the world is on us. Theres pressure that comes from family and friends and relationships, and we’re going to address scripture and see what it can show us about these issues.

The Bible

The Bible is a living document. It applied to the people who wrote it and it applies to us reading it. This Book is truth, this book is powerful, and this book was given to us to help us navigate life. I want you all to start bringing a Bible to church with you. If you ever look at the calendar and are confused on when to bring it and when not to, if the calendar says SMN then that means we’re having a Bible study. And if you’re still unsure, then bring a Bible anyways. The point is I want you to have it with you. I want you to be able to follow along, take notes and take it with you.

The first piece of Scripture we’re going to look at is Daniel 6. The reason we’re looking at Daniel’s story is because he just like many of us has experienced pressure. He has been given weight and he had to decide what he would do with it. We will start reading in verse 1.

Daniel 6 (ESV)

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

Now pause right there, we just learned that Daniel was in a position of power. As all of us know from many movies about super heroes, with great power comes great responsibility. Daniel is someone with a job to do, people that are depending on him.

Then the high officials and the satraps 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 found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

Now here again we have learned another thing about Daniel. This is called character development. We are piecing together who he is based on what we read about him. He is a thorough person. The other people in the government were actively searching for a flaw to use against him and could find nothing.

Then these high officials and satraps 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 thirty 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.

Now here we see Daniel doing something that nobody else was doing. Regardless of the new decree that was signed, Daniel was persistent and faithful to God. Continuing to give thanks just as he had done previously.

This is the part that speaks the most to me. There was weight that was added to Daniels shoulders. This is a man that is already in a position of power, a man with a full-time job that has responsibilities every day and then he heard about a decree from the king. And yet he didn’t change anything about his routine and his relationship with God.

In fact when we reread it and look at the details. It says Daniel went to his upper chamber that had windows and looked out over jerusalem. And that is where he prayed 3 times a day, just as he had done before. I hope you’re connecting the dots here but if you’re not. Daniel could have prayed inside. He could have taken that weight on his shoulders and decided he would bare it on his own and pray inside from now on so that nobody could see him. But instead he gave it to God. He gave it to God by saying it doesn’t matter whats going on out there it only matters whats going on here, and I don’t care what anyone says about it, but I will not change the way I pray to God.

Confidence

Psalm 20:7–8 ESV

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

This is something we don’t see very often in our lives today. We don’t see people having confidence in God very often. Maybe some of you can think of someone who does have confidence in God.

Theres a few people that I can think of and those people are always older people. Most people I can think of are older people that I know and I don’t think thats a coincidence. The reason I think that is, is because those people have lived long enough to see God’s provision in their life. They have seen God’s faithfulness and how good he is over and over again so they have a confidence that no matter what happens, he’s got it in his hands, the same way he did before.

Closing

So tonight when we go to our small groups we’re going to ask that age old question. What does it mean to “give something to God”? If for the next couple weeks we’re going to keep up with this theme of heavy lifting and looking at the weights of life then we have to first establish how we give something to God. The reason this is so important is because theres no answer that I can give you that is just correct for all of us. Giving something to God can look different for all of us in our different phases of life.

Again I would encourage you to talk in your small group. Think critically about the questions that are being asked, ask your own questions. Don’t forget that nothing can grow in the darkness. Bring yourself into the light, participate, get involved, and experience true growth.