Sermon Tone Analysis

Faced Any “Lions” this week?

Any one here this morning a cat person?

I personally do not like cats, I am allergic to them for one thing…but there is just something about cats that just disturbs me…they can stare you down for hours with this evil look (show picture of evil cat)...I just don’t like them…I think they know that too…because they come up to me and want to get in my face like “I know you are allergic to meeow…so here take that…achoo!”…I then have to go and take a shower…burn my clothes, etc. cats are just mean to do that to me.

Even though I do not like Fluffy the House cat, I do marvel at the majesty and raw power of lions…and I am so glad when we go to the zoo they are on the other side of the fence with a mote and a wall between us...if I had to face one of those beasts in the wild I would probably scream like a school girl…I would venture to say that every person here this morning would probably do the same thing…you would scream, cry, shout, faint, etc. if you ever stood face to face with a lion with nothing in between you...

Facing a real lion or a den of lions with nothing in between you and them to protect you from them would be terrifying…I would venture to say that not many of us in here this morning have ever or will ever encounter lions like that…but I do believe that at one point or another, perhaps even yet today, there are some here who are facing “lions” in their life and are terrified and trapped in a den of them...

Of course, we all did.

We all did.

Maybe I ought to ask the question this way, what lions did you face this week?

Some of you are in a job situation right now where there is just incredible pressure from your boss…your employer is making unreasonable demands…or perhaps there is this fierce competition to get noticed…and so every day you go into work, you can almost hear the roars.

You can almost see the sharp teeth that are set to tear into you and devour you…your place of employment is much like a lion's den.

Some are facing a sinful habit that's ready to pounce.

You remember what God said to Cain?

He said, "Sin is crouching at your door ready to devour you."

You want to have victory, but the power of sin, and the power of your own lust and the power of our adversary, is incredibly strong.

It's like that lion wants to pounce on you and swipe you with its huge paws...

Some are facing a sinful habit that's ready to pounce.

You remember what God said to Cain?

He said, "Sin is crouching at your door ready to devour you."

You want to have victory, you want to get to a better place, but the power of sin, and the power of your own lust and the power of our adversary is incredibly strong.

It's like that lion wants to eat you up, and some day you may feel like the lion's winning.

Perhaps you’ve just heard an extreme diagnosis of a health concern for you or someone close to you...maybe its an addiction you just can’t break free from...Or maybe your marriage is coming apart at the seams right now…you have a rebellious child who just won’t listen to your counsel...

Perhaps you are here right now and the world around you is just this den of lions that wants to destroy you and devour you…my friend there is hope!

With that open your bible to

Historical Context

With that you might open your bible now to Daniel chapter six

Whether you are new to our study or not, it is important for us to have an historical knowledge of what transpires in the book of Daniel…the first 6 chapters are actual historical accounts that begin with the establishment of Babylon as the world power in 605 BC...Daniel was a Jewish teenager who was deported to the country of Babylon along with several other choice young people by King Nebuchadnezzar.

At the beginning of this book we discover that Daniel was a Jewish teenager who was deported to the country of Babylon along with several other choice young people by King Nebuchadnezzar around 605 BC.

The title of this series is Standing Firm and Staying Faithful in the Sovereignty of God because this book is all about how Daniel and his friends were able to live faithfully for God even though they were in a foreign land, in the midst of a corrupt culture, away from any kind of godly parental authority or influence.

They resolve in their hearts to be faithful, regardless of their circumstances, and God empowered them to do that.

By the time we get to , Daniel is nearing the end of his life and his ministry.

Seventy years have passed.

Daniel served several different Babylonian kings and now he is employed in the service of the Persian kings.

Last week we looked at and saw how Darius the Mede came in and conquered Babylon for the Medes and the Persians.

That is very significant for the simple fact that it proves the incredible accuracy of the word of God...Remember, God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a dream back in chapter two about the four kingdoms…and now here in , we see the transition from the kingdom of Babylon, the head of gold, to the kingdom of Medo-Persia, the breasts and arms of silver.

Remember, God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a dream back in chapter two about the four kingdoms…and now here in chapter 6 we see the transition from the kingdom of Babylon, the head of gold, to the kingdom of Medo-Persia, the breasts and arms of silver.

The Babylonian captivity is over…they are being allowed to return to Jerusalem…see & … you see the story of God's people beginning to go back to their homeland to rebuild the temple and rebuild the city…all in a direct fulfillment of the word of God…God uses Cyrus the king of Persia to not only send them back, but to fund that project as well.

So while the return is going on, Daniel is here in Babylon...

He is now some eighty years old, the captivity is over, and so now Daniel can rest, he did his job…time to hang up the “prophet sneakers” and exchange them for some “retirement slippers”...

No…what we will see in the most famous historical account in Daniel is God is going to use Daniel again, in the twilight of his life, to be a trophy of His glory and grace…in this actual historical record we learn a very powerful lesson...

Main Point: God Wants To Help You Face Your Lions

Daniel was a man of great faith and spiritual integrity.

He was not ashamed of his faith and did his best to serve God and the king faithfully…when life once again, took an unexpected turn for Daniel, he continued to trust God and allowed Him to work His plan...When life turns into a lion’s den…God can provide the strength you need to stand strong and stay faithful.

Daniel was a man of great faith and spiritual integrity.

He was not ashamed of his faith and did his best to serve God and the king faithfully…when life took an unexpected turn for Daniel, he continued to trust God and allowed Him to work His plan

When life turns into a lion’s den…God can provide the strength you need to stand strong and stay faithful.

Let’s look at 3 Insights to Help Us Stand Strong and Stay Faithful When Facing our “Lions”

Those who want to be counted among the faithful will maintain a consistency of faithfulness and spiritual integrity trusting God to do His work in and through them.

Pleasing God Must Be Our Highest Priority (1-9)

Even though Daniel was in a foreign land, in the middle of a corrupted culture, he spent his lifetime seeking to honor God with his life and God gave him a faith that stood the test of time.

Daniel knew God was watching…he knew there was nothing he could hide from God…so Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not allow himself to become tainted or corrupted...

Pleasing God Makes You Different In Character

Remember what Daniel purposed in his heart in chapter 1?

Read

Read — “he distinguished himself” is written as a participle stressing the fact that Daniel kept distinguishing himself” …it was his nature to be a man of integrity…his heart was purposed to not be defiled...

Read

Daniel not only had wisdom and the ability to interpret dreams, but he also possessed great skill politically…Daniel served every king with integrity regardless of how bad and evil that king may have been.

Even within a wicked government, Daniel still found reason and resolve to serve honorably…he was often in a place of high leadership… in , Neb.

found him 10x better than his own highly educated men…in , he had earned the reputation for being a problem solver...

The new king was setting up a new government and so he appointed 120 officials to help him govern (satraps — means protector of the kingdom, used loosely to designate royally appointed officials), the Persian Empire was the largest Empire the world had known at that time, and so it was divided into many smaller territories...

The new king was setting up a new government and so appointed 120 officials to help him govern (satraps — means protector of the kingdom, used loosely to designate royally appointed officials), the Persian Empire was the largest Empire the world had known at that time, and so it was divided into many smaller territories...

their job was to collect taxes and provide security in all the territories and to prevent loss of land and money…he then appointed three commissioners over the satraps, one of whom was Daniel.

the satraps were to report their activities to the three administrators to ensure the Persian kingdom would not suffer loss — the indication here is that there was an element of distrust from the king towards the satraps

Darius somehow knew about Daniel’s track record with the other kings and his plan was to promote Daniel to “president” or “prime minister”… because he had possessed the integrity that he could be trusted to keep the corrupted administrators accountable…

Daniel was made the Prime Minister because he possessed the integrity that he could be trusted to keep the corrupted administrators accountable.

Daniel was promoted to “president” or “prime minister” because he had possessed the integrity that he could be trusted to keep the corrupted administrators accountable…

Daniel’s character was different because his priority was different…pleasing God.

suffering loss — refers to both financial loss an loss incurred by security breaches

Daniel was made the Prime Minister because he possessed the integrity that he could be trusted to keep the corrupted administrators accountable.

Pleasing God Makes You Different In Your Attitude

“an extraordinary spirit...”Daniel was made Prime Minister not just because he was honest, but because everything about him exuded godliness.

“an extraordinary spirit...”Daniel was made Prime Minister not just because he was honest, but because everything about him exuded godliness.

Think about how many kings Daniel has now served under, and not all of them were good and nice, and not once we do we get the impression Daniel ever had the attitude of “what’s the use”…or having the frame of mind to cut corners and say “good enough for government work”

Not only did Daniel do his work with excellence, he had a good attitude in doing it, regardless of who was the king…it’s clear the Holy Spirit had been working in and through Daniel throughout the entire book…there were even people who did not know God who attested to this…he lived in such a way that people around him said, he is different…he has an excellent spirit about him.

Push the pause button for a moment and consider the impact that ought to have on us today…do people naturally want to be around you because you display an excellent spirit that reflects the character of your God?…at work does your boss and your co-workers look forward to seeing you and talking with you because you have an excellent spirit, in your home do you have to have your 2 pots of coffee before anyone wants to say good morning to you, kids do your parents look forward to you getting out of bed in the morning because you have an excellent spirit that is reflective of your relationship with God?

I hope, by the way, you're letting the word of God already impact you.

Like, when you go to work the attitude that you take in, the first thirty minutes of the day, "Wow, what an excellent spirit that person has."

When you get up in the morning and start navigating around.

Would your kiddies have reason to say or your hunny have reason to say, "What an excellent spirit."?

If you're a young person here, would your parent say, "What an excellent spirit that sweet son or daughter has this morning as they came down the stairs, praising God and thankful for all the opportunities of the day.

What an excellent spirit."?

Pleasing God Makes You Different In the Way You Live.

It causes you to want to be holy.

Read Daniel 6:4-5

"Lived in a way that was blameless."…the

king’s plan to elevate Daniel really honked off some of the satraps and the two other administrators…so they began to examine his governmental activities to discover some flaw in his character or professional abilities…they were looking to impeach him…(sound familiar?)…but

here is the kicker…they found nothing (yet it did not stop them…(again sound familiar?)

he was neither politically corrupt nor negligent in the performance of his work…(boy could we use some Daniel’s in our time!)…because he was driven to be holy…to live righteously...

He was faithful…there was no negligence or corruption at all in him...

They couldn't find a charge.

They couldn't find a fault because he was faithful to live a life of consistent holiness.

He was faithful…there was no negligence or corruption at all in him...

They couldn't find a charge.

They couldn't find a fault because he was faithful.

It causes you to obey God rather than man.

They concluded , there was only one area in which they might find a conflict between Daniel and the government…his religion…they looked for something in his religious beliefs that could disqualify him from serving (is history repeating itself today?)

they knew Daniel worshipped only one God…not the many gods of their culture…Daniel’s choice would be to obey God or man (laws of Medes and Persians) and they knew which one he would choose.

When Daniel prayed, what direction did he face?

The passage says, "When Daniel knew that the document was signed he entered his house.

Now, in his roof chamber he had windows opened."

Toward where?