Courage to Influence

Connecting with the world with out compromising your faith.

Good morning church, it is so wonderful to be in the house of the Lord once again! So, this is our last sermon on this series of In the world. This month we have been learning on how we can connect with the world around us, without compromising our faith. And we have been reading and studying on the book of Daniel that shows us such a great example of this. The story of Daniel and his friends being taken to a foreign land in Babylon. Remember everything around Daniels life was going wrong. God’s people were exiled from Jerusalem and conquered by the Babylon empire. He was living in a very hostile place, hostile toward His God. Yet he was succeeding, not only according to our view, because he was not compromising his faith, but also in the worlds view because he was moving up in the corporate ladder. He was one of three administrators overseeing the whole operation! And King Nebuchadnezzar was really fond of Daniel!

Our first week we learned how Daniel “resolved”to follow God. He made a conscience choice to keep following and worshipping his God. And the way he was able to do this, was by knowing and keeping his identity solid. Even though his name was changed and even though he was in a foreign land, he was not going to lose who he was and especially who God said he was.

As we followed Daniels story into our 2nd week, we learned how Daniel did not “defile” himself by eating from the Kings table. He chose to stay “pure”. We learned how purity is us being set apart and it is not saying no to the things of the world but actually saying yes to the things of God. In doing this we can stay pure and stay committed to our faith.

Last week our word was “empowered”, We seen how when Daniel was put in a dilemma, when a decree was put in place that no one can worship anyone or anything else but the King. We see that Daniel knew he could go to God for help, through prayer. We learned that our prayers are mighty and we have a gift that Jesus promised us and that is the Holy Spirit. Our source of power in our prayers and in our lives.

This week is our conclusion, and I know a lot of know this story that Mr. Billy Glass so graciously read for us this morning. But lets take a deeper look and see how this applies to us today.

This morning our word is going to be courage, more specifically courage in our faith.

Cou

Courage in our faith makes people want to watch

Because

When we go against the standard. When we go against the “norm” it gets people’s attention. We call it Kingdom living, when we live life the way God intended us to here on earth. Kingdom come, thy WILL be done, here on earth, just like it is in heaven.

When we go against the standard. When we go against the “norm” it gets people’s attention. We call it Kingdom living, when we live life the way God intended us to here on earth. Kingdom come, thy WILL be done, here on earth, just like it is in heaven.

it is when you forgive something that is unforgivable.

When we say no, I can’t do that because it is going to hurt someone.

When it is not about being right, but more about the big picture of the situation.

These are not normal things in the world.

People move up in the corporate ladder by stepping on everyone else

If you do something horrible to someone and they forgive you, that is seen as weak.

When we debate and I am proving my point, I am going to prove to you that my way is right and your way is wrong.

this is what we are taught from a very young age. So when we go against that natural nature , we draw attention and people want to see what happens.

The word courage is a noun, it comes from the Latin word cor which means heart.

Like we have been talking about, who we are, our identity and everything we do, it stems from our heart, its always a heart issue.

Courage is the willingness to act in the Spirit of fear. Regardless of norm we are going to do the will of God, even if it means being thrown in the lions den.

Illustration:

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ...

When we are moved by our compassion for others in our very core, courage in our faithfulness, will allow us to act , even if it is scary. The Samaritan in this story from Luke, didn’t really think about anything else but seeing a person in need and being moved in his heart to help them.

1 People may not like our beliefs or our different lifestyles, but they are still drawn to watch. If we walk with courage and integrity, we will be walking miracles, testimonies of the reality of God, because those qualities are truly rare in our pagan society. We don’t have to seek out positions of influence in order to evangelize; we just live our lives faithfully day in and day out as citizens of another Kingdom, and people will notice. They may even come to know our God as their own.

People may not like our beliefs or our different lifestyles, but they are still drawn to watch. If we walk with courage and integrity, we will be walking miracles, testimonies of the reality of God, because those qualities are truly rare in our society. We don’t have to seek out positions of influence in order to evangelize; we just live our lives faithfully day in and day out as citizens of another Kingdom, and people will notice. They may even come to know our God as their own.

listen to this verse in Galatians.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 6:10–18 NLT

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Ephesians 6:10–18 NLT

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ...

Our faithfulness will influence the faith of those around us.

I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

Daniel courageously obeyed God in spite of being different and being persecuted for it. When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den as a punishment for continuing to pray to the God of Israel, the king of Babylon, king Darius, expressed his sincere hope that Daniel’s God would save him since Daniel had been faithful.

King Darius cared about Daniel, the Bible says that the king didn’t eat or sleep that night. In fact before he ordered Daniel be put in the lions den, he tried everything in his power to save Daniel from getting put in there. When he came to the conclusion that it had to be done, the king said to Daniel, “may your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you”

King Darius cared about Daniel, the Bible says that the king didn’t eat or sleep that night. In fact before he ordered Daniel be put in the lions den, he tried everything in his power to save Daniel from getting put in there. When he came to the conclusion that it had to be done, the king said to Daniel, “may your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you”

After many years of seeing Daniel consistently live out his beliefs, the pagan king was starting to soften toward the idea that Daniel’s God was the “living God”

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

All Daniel had to do to evangelize was trust God and remain faithful. He didn’t need a long or articulate speech. He just needed obedience.

Daniel’s faith influenced a whole nation:

Read Daniel 6:25-27

How can we apply this to us today? How can you apply this to you personally?

I thought of our influence in this circle and how we take it out in our community.

Let me ask you, what if we focused on just one commandment this week, one thing jesus said to us. Seems doable, no?

What if we obeyed just one commandment?

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

what would it look like in your world?

to have the courage in your faith to love everyone around you, the way Jesus loves you? think about that?

Now this is not going to fix any of your problems. Remember Daniel still was thrown in the lions den, and Jesus, He was crucified!

You are not going to come back next week and say, Lt I loved my wife all week and she is a changed women! This is not a fix it thing, this is a kingdom thing!

we can’t change people, but imagine if we all loved others and each other, the way Jesus loves us?

people we hang out with

people we serve in our social services

people we work with

mother in laws

people in our communities............they would take notice, they would say “look at how they treat other”

I am not sure I believe, but I would like to be apart of that!

the way he respects my daughter and my wife, I know when I was his age I sure didn’t respect women like that.

she is not perfect, but when she messes up, she is the first one in my office telling me “I messed up”

You know sometimes when I hang out with them and I see how the manage life and struggles, I feel kinda guilty, but I don’t feel commended, I feel guilty because I don’t manage stuff like that. I want to learn how they do that.

even when they fight or argue in their marriage, it is like they are fighting for each other, not fighting each other.

think about how you where first introduced to God, it was probably because someone loved you, their life influenced you, you were not coerced into believing......You were won! Their faith influenced you and that won you over to Christ!