Standing Strong in Godless Society by Pastor Mark Sage

STANDING STRONG IN A GODLESS SOCIETY

Daniel 6:1-17

Daniel 6:1-17

Have you ever felt difficulty because of your walk with the Lord? Have you ever felt like this whole world was against you? A Christian who is walking forward for Christ carrying his cross with him, is going to face some hardships and some difficulties in this life, yeah, some battles.

People in the Old Testament, who followed God, encountered some difficulties, some people in the New Testament, fought some battles, and we today, also, have some confrontations to deal with, it has been part of our history in this age of Grace.

The funny thing is, that we know this, but we still act surprised when we run into trouble.

James 1:2–4 AV

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

A Christian who serves the Lord must realize that they are at odds with this world.

Friend, if you are not at odds with this world, you need to check out your position and see if you are in Christ, and then if you are pleasing Christ.

The reason some of you are not at odds with this world is because you are not a Christian. That is true. You are of the world still. Now I’m not saying that from a high judgmental place, rather I’m telling you to come on up here. I’m not going to heaven because of my goodness, but rather because of God’s goodness. And I encourage you my friend to come on up. It is a wonderful place.

If Jesus was at odds with the world then the Christian ought to be as well.

The question arises though, or your argument might be, “Bro. Sage, aren’t we living in a society that respects God and doesn’t our society serve God.”

Well, I will admit that our society is very religious, but it is not a society that is loving the Lord, we are not servants of the most high God, as a matter of fact, many times we see our politicians paying lip service to the Lord, but in reality their hearts are from the Lord.

John 15:8 AV

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 14:15 AV

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:23 AV

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

John 13:35 AV

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Without going deeply into it, if we once did, we no longer live in Christian nation. We now live in a nation that is even hostile to Christianity.

Go to the television broadcasters today, they do not promote righteousness at all, rather they say judge no one, that there is not absolute truth and that we are all diversity and inclusiveness is the only law. That is not in the Bible.

They make any religion, unless it is completely watered down, they make religious people all hypocrites and weirdos. Father’s are always portrayed as either bumbling idiots, or overbearing mean ogres.

The news is always biased against Christianity. Did you know that in the Columbine shootings, the two boys, one of their main motives was anti-God, anti-Christ, that they had referred to one of the girls they were planning to kill, Rachel Scott as a godly whore. They had video after video attacking Christ and yelling go Romans, yet in the 20 page Time magazine article never mentioned anything about their anti-Christian views.

NBC reported they had anti-religious curses, and an ABC said they were taunting Christians, but CBS and CNN never mentioned anything about their anti-Christian leaning.

That’s okay in our society, bud don’t say something about a Muslim, don’t cast any disparaging comment about the an atheist, or a homosexual, but Christianity is free game.

My point is that we live a in an ungodly society today. The question is asked as it asks in the title of the message, “How do we live for the Lord in a godless society.”

Well, in Daniel’s time, society was godless as well. They did want the real God of heaven, they wanted their own religion, they way thy wanted, they wanted to worship the way they wanted to. Friend it would be a fart better spent life for you and I not to worship God in our own way, but in his way.

So how did Daniel make it?

I. He had an excellent Spirit – v. 3

Daniel 6:3 AV

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Some of us don’t have excellent Spirits, we will never be all that we hope to be, or would like to be personality wise, but if we will commit ourselves to God, he will put an excellent Spirit in us.

He will mold us and make us useful for his service.

We know the first couple of things – we talk about them every service:

A. It will take Bible reading

2 Timothy 3:16–17 AV

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

B. It will take being filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 AV

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Luke 12:12 AV

For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

C. A dedication to learning and being teachable

Daniel 1:4 AV

Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

D. It will take a commitment to not be defiled

Daniel 1:8 AV

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

E. It will take a commitment to honoring God

Daniel 5:17 AV

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

F. A commitment to knowing God

Daniel 10:12 AV

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

II. Daniel was faithful

Daniel 6:4 AV

Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

I remember when I got things right with God over in Okinawa, and I had been living like everyone, listening to the wrong music, smoking and drinking and that life style, all my friends and especially those who were my Senior in the Marines, said, you’ll never stick with it, you’ll never make it, but by the grace of God I’m still serving the Lord.

We need:

Faithfulness to God Faithfulness to our Families

Faithfulness to our church Faithfulness to serve others

Faithfulness to win others to Christ

III. He found out what was right and stuck with it

Daniel 6:10 AV

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Many people go through life searching for what is right, and many times they will find it in the Lord, which by the way is the only place you can find it, but so many times, people get sidetracked and end up going astray after something else in life.

We need to have the attitude that now that we have found out what is right, we need to stick with it.

IV. When persecution came he continued to do right v.11, 16a

Daniel 6:11 AV

Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

Daniel 6:16 AV

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

True Christians stand strong and with determination in the face of opposition. It matters not to a Christian who is mature what this world does to him, rather stands for the Lord, for truth and for right.

The Bible is full of men and women who stood for truth and right in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

I think of Gideon who defeated the opposing army with 300 men

I think of Shadrack, Meschack, and Abednego who faced the flames rather than turn back on their God or their convictions

I think of Naboth, who stood against the King of Israel, evil Ahab and his wife Jezebel and even died for his stance for right.

I think of William Tyndale, who only wanted to print the Bible in the English language, but was burnt at the stake by the Pope and his men, he stood against the odds. I think of the Evangelist Charles Finney in the early 19th Century who fought for equal rights of all people in the United States, the college he presided over was the first one to allow blacks and whites to study coequally together in the same classroom I think of Billy Sunday, who stood against the liquor crowd in the United States in the early 20th Century, who helped bring about prohibition laws, he stood for right. It was even found that his own son became a drunkard, but Billy Sunday still stood strong for right. Friend you and I to serve the Lord with our lives, are going to have to stand strong in the face of persecution and serve the Lord uncompromisingly.

V. When a life is lived right, others became followers as well vv.18-23