Faith like Daniel
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Faith - I want to talk about what faith is, and when to have it when everything seems really hard.
Faithfullness is the concept of remaining loyal to someone or something, and putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of what is going on around them.
It is trusting - Regardless of what’s going on.
*Joke about trusting our Guide to get us here*
If Honest - Sometimes - Hard to put trust in God, all the time!! Sometimes, I feel like I am in back of the cab, and I have no idea where I’m going and I’m just trusting the driver.
Sometimes I ask myself - Am I going in the right direction? Am I doing the right thing for God?
Sometimes God will put us in situations, and we just need to trust Him.
My Hope today is that we will walk away with a definition of Faith and some steps to build our faith in God so that we can trust Him, no matter where we are going.
**Pray**
What I want to do today - Talk about what Faith is - Then go to a story about someone that had a lot of Faith and find out HOW he got that way and offer 2 prayers to finish.
If you have Bibles - Turn to Hebrews 10 - 35.
Context - This was written to New Christians - Just met Lord - About to throw away Faith - About to Quit.
Sometimes, When The Lord asks us to step into our Calling - It gets Hard - Really Hard - This is what he says to them;
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Writer Urging them to ENDURE | “Little while” - Write is saying, Jesus coming back soon - Have reward - What God Promises you is True - It is saying that you can Trust God.
The writer here Saying - we shall LIVE BY FAITH | So what ever Faith is - It’s something we live by, not something we create.
If faith is something we live by - What is it?
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Assurance of things HOPED for.
HOPE = Is something that I am expecting to happen in the future.
Faith then - Has to have a substance - Has to be tied to something.
I love Spicy Food | Where I live, we have “Spicy” and in this country there is “Spicy” - Very different. Here - HOT HOT HOT
Before I eat here - I say “I HOPE it is not too SPICY” I have faith in the COOK when I say “Make it little bit SPICY.
If you have faith in something that is not strong - Doesn’t matter how much faith you have - The cahnces are low that it will work otu well.
If car is broken - I can not drive - Doesn’t matter how much faith I have if object is broken.
Like Cricket - When Australia cricket team plays here - We play bad - India play good cricket here - I don’t have much faith in Austalia team - doesn’t matter how much faith I have if team is bad.
Now - What do we have Faith in as a believer? JESUS CHRIST.
What is faith?
Knowing + Trusting = Faith - I know Jesus - I know what He has done and I am going to TRUST this step - We can have MORE FAITH, by taking more steps that God asks us to step.
**Maybe 2 chairs**
There is a story in Old testament | Go to Daniel 6 in Old testament.
Context - Daniel was taken away from Homeland | Captured | But worked very hard | He was in his 80’s and served under 4 different kings.
Was in Captivity for 70 years | Shared his faith with each of the 4 kings | He loved to share His faith in God to them - He Influenced these kings without going against God.
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.
Distinguished - To stand out - To Prevail - Distinquish. In Colossians we are encouraged in that WHATEVER WE DO, DO IT FOR THE LORD.
The Light of Christ shines brighter when there is Darkness. In a place where no one wanted God, Daniel still stood out.
Then What happened? Didn’t make the other leaders happy.
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.
They tried to find fault | There was no fault in him - Because he was FAITHFUL.
They then went to the king - To ask for a Law to be passed that no one can pray to anyone other than the King. If anyone prays to any other God - They would be thrown into the Lions Den.
What do you do?
This is what Daniel did;
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.
Daniel is risking His own life to do this. What is so great about this is the Bible tells us that He gave tahnks before His God - As he had ALWAYS DONE.
Daniel had FAITH in GOD when He didn’t know what was going to happen.
Daniel KNEW GOD and TRUSTED GOD - Which is our recipe for FAITH.
KNOWING + TRUSTING = GOD.
DANIEL KNEW GOD WAS GOOD and TRUSTED GOD WITH THE OUTCOME, which gave Him FAITH.
Faith is not build when we get in trouble | Faith is built on our knees every day.
To have a great relationship with God - We have to seek God all the time.
What I want you to notice - Daniel is under attack and his first response is to PRAY. When ever you feel as though you are in trouble - Don’t Panic - PRAY!!
We don’t have to panic, because Jesus is in control. The Bible Says that Jesus is holding all things together.
Daniel could stand strong because he had been on His Knees!!!
What Happened to Daniel?
Read Daniel 6:11-15
THe king liked daniel - Had to follow the Law - Had to get thrown in the Lions Den -
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!”
Even at this point - Daniel was known by His Faith in God.
80 years God had been faithful to Daniel and in this moment - Daniel chooses to be faithful to God.
The king gets up next morning - and yells out - Has your God who you Serve Continually saved you?!!??!
My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
Daniel was saved - What a Miracle - and what a miracle it was that Daniel had Faith in our Lord!!
Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up 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.
because He TRUSTED IN HIS GOD. HE KNEW GOD AND TRUSTED GOD AND GOD DELIVERED HIM.
No matter what you’re going through - If you KNOW the living GOD and you TRUST THE LIVING GOD, you can have FAITH that He is working ALL THINGS FOR GOOD. It might not seem like it at the time, but Jesus is in control and Jesus is good, and so the outcome will be good!!
Now take notice of this amazing Miracle. Because of 1 Man’s faith - The King was inspired.
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all 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 has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.” So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
How can you KNOW AND TRUST our GOD?
Because HE IS THE LIVING GOD.
HE ENDURES FOREVER
HIS KINGDOM SHALL NEVER BE DESTROYED
HIS DOMINION SHALL BE TO THE END
HE DELIVERS AND RESCUES
HE WORKS SIGNS AND WONDERS IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.
CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!
What is FAITH?
KNOWING + TRUSTING OUR GOD WILL COME THROUGH IN ANY SITUATION.
Faith is not tied to how MUCH OF IT YOU HAVE. FAITH IS TIED TO HOW CLOSE YOU GET TO GOD.
Sometimes when God asks us to do something, it makes no sense - But we must trust him.
Let me give you 2 prayers to finish and to take away with!
Lord Jesus Christ, Help me to stay close and follow you, even when I don’t understand
Daniel didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to pray - And yet, He chose to stay close to God - Praying 3 times every single day, as he has always done.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Acknowledge = Know = Know Him when it’s Easy | Know Him when it’s Hard.
Prayer 2;
Help me to surrender what I can not control.
You can’t control how someone might respond to the message of Jesus | You can’t control what might be happening around you | You might not be able to control how spicy the Curry is;
You don’t always have the power to control - but you always have the power to Surrender.
There is a prophet in the Bible - And everything was going wrong - No food, No Animals, no trees where blossoming and yet he writes this
yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
What is Faith; Know + Trust.
Faith is acting like God is telling the truht - I encourage you to LIVE BY FAITH.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
We Trust in a loving God who is in TOTAL CONTROL. We trust ONE DAY, Jesus will come down and God will right every wrong.
He will wipe out all EVil - Sin and Sickness off the face of this earth | Restore the whole earth to Peace and Harmony - No more crying no more pain and no more heartache.
Right now - I am going to KNOW and TRUST my God.
2 Prayrers
Help me to stay close and follow you, even when I don’t understand.
Help me to surrender what I can not control.
I want to encourage you to LIVE BY FAITH - SHARE THE GOSPEL BY FAITH and WE WILL HAVE FAITHFULLNESS
**Prayer**
