Serve God Not Man, Part 2

We have been going through the study of God being on the throne. When Jerusalem was overthrown, God was in control. When Daniel and his friends went in exile to Babylon, God was in control. When king Nebuchadnezzar thought he had almighty power, God is still on the throne.

In chapter 3 we looked at Hananiah, Azariah, and Misheal obeyed until they were commanded to do something that God forbids at which point they said “No, we will not do this.”

Today we are fast forwarding to chapter 6 where Daniel is commanded to stop doing something that God commands.

v.1-3

Daniel is being elevated. This doesn’t happen when you are a person who is seeking to destroy the government from the inside out.

Keep in mind this is the third kingdom that Daniel has now lived in, the second he has lived in during exile.

Daniel is working hard for the king. Why? He is working as if he is working for the Lord. Doing all He can to honor God, by honoring the king.

v.4

To the point that they cannot find any fault with Daniel.

How many of us if the unbelieving world examined our lives, would we be found blameless?

Is the way you live for the glory of God, and all that you do is to the best of your ability to bring Him praise and honor?

v.5

Daniel lived and uncompromising life in service to God. That means that he served the king the best he could unless it was contrary to the word of God.

If someone wanted to destroy you, would they be able to do it by forbidding you to follow God?

Do you follow Him now?

What if the law was:

You cannot pray.

You cannot read the bible.

You cannot meet together.

You cannot talk about God in public.

Would your transgression be so great that you would be sent to jail?

v.10

Daniel knowingly goes and prays, just as he had done earlier.

We see no change in the obedience of Daniel. Daniel is obedient to God but now he has a decision. He can either be obedient to God or obedient to man.

We are called to be obedient to man as long as it doesn’t violate the laws of God.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were thrown into the furnace when they were told to do something that God forbids, now we see Daniel, and he is commanded to abstain from something that God commands. Both are sins and both are things we must be careful of.

Things That God Commands

Prayer

How much time do we spend in prayer? Do we bring our problems to God? Do we praise Him in trials knowing He is in control?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Families praying together.

Praying for your families

Praying for your pastor.

Praying for our nation.

Praying for our new president.

Until you know that life is war. You cannot know what prayer is for. -John Piper

Praising God

Singing praises to God, this is a hotly debated one today. Some don’t think we should be singing anymore.

Psalm 30:4

Psalm 30:4 ESV

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 47:5-7

Psalm 47:5–7 ESV

5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

As believers singing praises, singing worship to our God should be something that we are unable to contain!

Meeting Together

We stopped meeting for a short time in person because it was supposed to “slow the curve” and we were led to believe that Covid was much more deadly than it is.

Hebrews 10:23-25

Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The one who we are to hold onto, the confession of our hope, this is Jesus. We hold onto Him because He is faithful.

v.24

The way that we can hold fast our confession is to stir each other up.

Can you stir each other up if your alone? In some ways yes. But in most no.

v.25

Not neglecting to meet together. Don’t stop meeting together, why?

God has created us to be social. This is why God created Eve for Adam. We need that social interaction.

Without support our faith is more likely to grow cold and we will turn in our day of trial.

A coal left alone will quickly grow cold.

This is all the more important as we see the day drawing near.

Teaching Others about Jesus

Are you discipling?

There are people that you are influencing, you cannot help that. Are you being an influence for Jesus in their lives?

Acts 4:1-2, 18-20

Acts 4:1–2 ESV

1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 4:18–20 ESV

18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John are called together to stop teaching in the name of Jesus.

Would this be a problem in Your life?

Have you been so affected, so transformed by the power of the gospel that you cannot help but teach?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was a pastor during the rise of Hitler. He was one of the first to speak out against Hitler because he was disgusted by the racial segregation in America, and he saw the same thing happening with the Jews in Germany.

Living a Christian life is a difficult thing

To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men. A.W. Tozer

Daniel Delivered

v.16-17

Darius doesn’t want to throw Daniel in but his hands are tied.

v.19-22

We see Daniel Delivered.

I would like to say that this means that God will save us from any of our problems…but I can’t. I can say that He is able, and sometimes He chooses to, sometimes He doesn’t. We must remember that this world isn’t our home, the kingdom that we are striving for comes after death.

The same sovereign grace that delivered Daniel from the teeth of the lions, though Daniel was powerless against them.

That same grace is able to deliver us from the perils of sin and the second death that we are powerless over. Do you put your faith in Him and desire to be delivered from the power of sin. If so, His grace is sufficient.

The Kingdom of God

v.26-27

The kingdom of our God shall never end, shall never be destroyed. The God who graciously kept Daniel through the night with the lions, will keep you walking with Him, until He delivers you into His kingdom.