Even If 1

Introduction

How many of you have ever been on a boat in the middle of a storm? Storms can be frightening even in the comfort of our own homes, but on a boat in the middle of a lake or in the ocean with no protection from the wind and waves? That is a moment that can be absolutely terrifying! To make matters worse, these types of storms can seemingly appear out of thin air. One minute you’re inner tubing or wakeboarding or kayaking and the next minute you’re paddling for your life in order to avoid the coming storm. We have the benefit of having boats that have motors and can travel 40-50 miles per hour to avoid such storms… That hasn’t always been the case, though.

In Mark 4, we read of the disciples being with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been teaching his followers and others in parables and sharing with them the importance of having faith and letting their faith impact their entire life! We read in Mark 4 that Jesus had explained these parables in detail to his followers. He shared the truth with them - they knew that they could trust in Him… But what happens at the end of Mark 4? The disciples are out on a boat and Jesus is asleep. A storm comes up and the disciples get afraid - just like we would! Yet, Jesus continues to sleep. The waves were forcing water into the boat. Yet, Jesus continues to sleep. The disciples think the boat is about to break, yet Jesus continues to sleep. They run to Jesus and tell him that they’re about to die! What does Jesus do? He immediately stood up and commanded the storm to cease. What happened? The wind and waves stopped. Jesus looked to His disciples and said, “Why are you afraid - do you still have no faith?”

These men were with Jesus. They heard His teachings. They saw His power… Yet, in the moment where the rubber met the road, they didn’t have faith in Him to provide. Even if you’ve been a Christian your entire life, isn’t this a temptation at times? Whenever times are going well, whenever you’re comfortable, things are good and you have all the faith in the world! But what about whenever push comes to shove and you’re in a storm and you feel as though the wind and waves of this life are going to destroy your life and bring you under? In that moment, is your faith as strong in the Lord as it is in the good times?

Some people have a conditional faith - a faith that is predicated on their circumstances. When times are good, then I’ll trust in God. But when things aren’t good, I’m going to trust in myself and my ability. In Scripture we see that this isn’t the type of faith that we are called to have. We see that we aren’t supposed to have a conditional faith - we’re supposed to have an “Even-If” type faith.

In the book of Daniel, we see this type of faith demonstrated in 3 separate scenes: Daniel 1, Daniel 3, and Daniel 6. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to examine these stories and see how this type of faith in God stands out in this world and brings us to a place of peace before our God as we trust in His kindness, goodness, sovereignty, and grace even in difficult times. Do you have this type of faith today? I pray that whenever you’re in the storm, you know that He is with you and that He will provide exactly what you need, when you need it.

Let’s read this morning from Daniel 1 as we find this

Daniel 1:1–7 CSB

1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. 5 The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king. 6 Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.

In this introductory section, we read that the Babylonians, under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem in 605 BC and took Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as well as many others into captivity. Today, as we examine this entire chapter, we’re going to specifically look at how these 4 Hebrews teenagers demonstrate faith in their God, how God delivers them, and how we are called to trust in the Lord today as well.

Trust in God Regardless of your Location (1-3)

Babylon was the world power in the 500s BC as they had just defeated the Egyptians in an epic show down and were now exercising their dominance by taking the youth of various places to their home so that they could indoctrinate them in Babylonian culture. This is a smart military decision by the Babylonians. Who is the future of any nation? Your children. If you want to change the direction of a nation what should you do? Change their children. As the expression goes, “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present, controls the past.” If you have control in the present, you want to rewrite the past in such a way that you control what people think so that you, then, control the future. The Babylonians captured Jerusalem and brought with them these Hebrew teenagers and others from various places that were captured.

Consider, though, why were the Jewish people in this situation in the first place? The Jews were God’s chosen people and God promised to guide them and protect them. Why, then, were they being captured by Babylon? In the ancient world there was this idea that whenever 2 nations were fighting one another, the winning nation won because their god was more powerful than the opposing nation’s god. In other words, if the Babylonians beat the Egyptians, it would be because they fought well but primarily because the Babylonian gods were stronger than the Egyptian gods. Why, then, would Israel be defeated by Babylon? Was it because the Babylonian gods were greater than the God of Israel? Certainly not.

Look at what God promised the people back in Deuteronomy 28:15

Deuteronomy 28:15 CSB

15 “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:

In Deuteronomy 28 you read of covenantal blessings and covenantal curses. If Israel obeyed God’s commands then they would be blessed… But if they disobeyed, they would be cursed. Some of these curses included military defeats and deportation to foreign land. What had been going on in the nation of Israel during this time? Idolatry. False worship. Pagan practices. Sexual immorality. A failure to worship the One true God! Therefore, God delivered them into the hands of the Babylonians. Look at verse 2 of Daniel 1. Some people don’t like this idea, but we clearly read that God is in control - this is one of the principle themes in the book of Daniel. God is sovereign! God allows the nation of Israel to be brought into Babylonian exile.

Why would God allow this to happen? Why send His people to a foreign land as exiles and servants? So that, in part, His truth would be spread far and wide. We see that some of the best and brightest in Israel were taken to Babylon - likely these were teenagers - the future of the nation! Yet, God is working out His perfect plan because as these young children were taken, they would remain faithful in exile. They would share of the truth of their God to a pagan empire. They would bring the king to his knees and even the star watching astronomers would come to know the God of the Israelites! Even in punishment, even in defeat, God is at work!

Maybe you’re thinking that this is a great story for a group of people thousands of years ago… How does it impact you? It impacts you simply because God is always at work in your life in the good and in the bad. Sometimes something “bad” happens so that God’s name is made known to the lost. Sometimes something bad happens so that the name of God can permeate the darkness and the lost can be evangelized.

Consider the example of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph was imprisoned and sold into slavery. Joseph continued to trust in the Lord, though. Joseph eventually is promoted due to God’s blessing in his life and is able to save his family and the Egyptian empire… He says this at the end of Genesis

Genesis 50:20 CSB

20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.

Even in Egypt, Joseph trusted in God. Even in Babylon, these Hebrew teenagers would trust in God. Even in the valley of despair or the in the sea of sorrow, you too can trust in God. You can trust that God is still at work and that He is still with you even though your location might be in flux.

Trust in God Regardless of your Situation (4-7)

The situation in Daniel 1 goes from bad to worse for these teenagers. Not only would they be taken away from their homeland and families, they would be taken to the kings palace, renamed, and taught things contrary to what they were told growing up. On the surface, being a servant in the king’s palace sounds like a good deal! Consider, though, what these boys would have been taught along the way. They would have been taught my the leading experts in mathematics, astronomy, science, and even religion. They would have been taught that instead of Yahweh being the Creator, the chief of the many gods was Marduk. They would have been instructed on interpreting dreams, as was custom in Babylonian culture, and they would have had to completely change their lifestyle. They were indoctrinated. They went to school with native Babylonians. They were supposed to eat and drink like the Babylonians. Further, they were given names like the Babylonians as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were no more.

It’s one thing to trust in God whenever other people are experiencing suffering, it’s another whenever suffering and change arrive on your front door and take you with them. It’s one thing to smile when things are going your way… It’s another to smile and mean it whenever the life has been sucked out of your lungs. How can we trust in God regardless of the situation? Many churchgoers believe something along the lines of this, “God will never give me more than I can handle” or “God will turn this around and I claim it for myself.” In Scripture we see two truths:

God gives us way more than we can handle by ourselves

Why would God do this? To get us to trust in His plan, in His power, and rely on His timing. These boys were in a foreign land, away from family and all they had ever known. To a normal person, that would be more than we could handle on our own… Yet, we see that these 4 will continue to trust in the Lord. We must as well!

God is not obligated to answer how we want Him to

There has been a growing movement in recent years that has always existed on the outskirts of Christendom that says that you can speak things into existence. The idea is simply that you and I have the creative ability to claim things for ourselves and those whom we love. If life is hard, claim victory. If you’re suffering, claim victory. If you’re alone, claim victory. There’s a truth to this and the truth is simply that as a Christian, you can have victory at all times because you’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and sin and death have no eternal claim on you! But… You and I will always be impacted by sin and death on this side of eternity. You can claim victory all you want but it doesn’t mean that God is obligated to answer your prayer in the way that you want Him to.

Friend, trust in God regardless of your situation! We often think that we know best, and the prosperity Gospel states that the best for us is a life free from suffering, sickness, and sorrow. The prosperity Gospel states that we rebuke those things and we claim victory, health, and love. As we read our BIble’s, though, we see that God’s people always experience difficulty.

2 Corinthians 4:7–11 CSB

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh.

Wherever you’re at today, church, know that you will experience persecution, affliction, and opposition. God allows those things to happen in our lives so that, in turn, we trust in His power, presence, and plan all the more! Whatever the situation, trust in Him today.

The situation in Babylon begins to play itself out and Daniel and his friends are commanded to eat the king’s food. Let’s read how things proceed in the coming verses.

Daniel 1:8–16 CSB

8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself. 9 God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch, 10 yet he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and drink. What if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men your age? You would endanger my life with the king.” 11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. 16 So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

Trust in God Regardless of your Obligation (8-16)

Daniel, in verse 8, determined to not defile himself with the king’s food. Was this a decision that Daniel randomly arrived at by chance in the moment? As we’ve been examining, faith is something that grows over time. Daniel knew what was right, Daniel maintained his faith in God despite being far away from home. He had determined in his heart that he would worship the true God. This decision was the culmination of years and years of study, worship, teaching, and choices. Children, hear me this morning, if you want to “dare to be a Daniel” start that right now! While you are young, determine in your heart that you will worship God. Determine that you will share the Gospel. Determine that you will attend church and serve in the church! Determine these things now in your heart so that whenever temptation arises or whenever you are invited to do something different, you have a foundation that you can go back to that reminds you of what matters and what is the most important thing. Daniel had this type of foundation during his teenage years and it served him well - it will serve all of us well to develop this type of faith in our God that we can trust in Him even in difficult moments. But we must settle it in your heart to worship God now and do not wait until the moment of decision arrives.

Look at what they were refusing… They weren’t refusing bad food that was expired, they were refusing meat and wine that the king himself would eat - this was the cream of the crop! They had a choice between a t-bone steak and a salad and they chose the salad! This was a crazy decision! Yet, it was the right decision as they sought to obey God and His commands. See, even in a foreign land, away from their families, they weren’t going to sell their souls to Babylon. They might be in Babylon, but they would never be of Babylon. Is there a message in there for us? Their conscience was going through a battle - it’s just a steak. It’s just one lesson. It’s just one opinion. No one will know what you did. Conform. Go with the flow. You need to get on the King’s good side.

We experience the same thing every day. It’s just one lie. It’s not a big deal. No one will know what you did. It’s just cheating. You’re not a bad person, everyone does it. It’s so easy to get caught up and go with the flow and conform to the ways of this world, but this stands diametrically opposed to God’s Word

Romans 12:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

The only hope that you and I have to stand against the powers of this world is by being renewed by God and through His Word. These teenagers knew that conformity was not even an option. They had settled it in their heart. They had made up their mind and they stood their ground. Are we willing to do the same whenever our faith comes under fire?

Martin Luther, the Father of the Protestant Reformation, stood on trial at the Diet of Worms some 500 years ago and was asked to recant his teachings that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. He replied with this, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience would be neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand, I can do no other.”

Is your conscience captive to the Word of God? Holiness is risky business - it will cost you something to follow Jesus and it will certainly get you outside of your comfort zone… But church, trusting in Jesus and abiding in His will is like being in the eye of the storm. There’s chaos all around you - but in the center of God’s will there is a peace that surpasses all understanding. Stand with confidence upon His Word!

Daniel 1:17–21 CSB

17 God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. 18 At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to attend the king. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Be Faithful and Leave the Results to God (17-21)

We have to understand that being faithful to God doesn’t always mean that you are given an earthly reward from God. Some of the greatest and most faithful Christian warriors experienced opposition, defeat, and even death. Take Jim Elliot and his missionary companions for instance. They were faithful to God’s call on their lives to share the Gospel with an unreached village. They did their job! And it cost them their life. Read the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 as many were faithful yet they met terrible endings. Take the disciples of Jesus. In the book of Acts, they give a defense of the Gospel time and time again - they were faithful to their task and what happened to them? Stephen was stoned. Paul was beheaded. Peter, as church tradition tells us, was crucified upside down. Being faithful to Jesus will cost you something. There’s a danger in the American church to equate the outcome with the level of faith. If you’re sick, just have more faith and you won’t be sick any more! Guys, that’s a lie from hell. Our level of faith doesn’t move us higher up the priority list for God to act in the way we want Him to. We must be faithful and leave the results up to Him.

For Daniel and the 3 others, God rewards their faith in Babylon as they are blessed with intelligence and understanding. They are blessed socially and spiritually. Daniel is blessed in chapter 2 with the ability to interpret dreams - something that the Babylonians desperately desired to do. Just as God blessed and gifted these 4, does God bless and gift His children today? Yes He does! If you’re a Christian, you’ve received a spiritual gift and God expects you to be faithful and obedient to use that gift in serving in the local church.

These 4 were stuck between a rock and a hard place in many respects, yet they chose to stay true to their God. Even though they were tempted, they remained faithful. Daniel was in hostile territory and surrounded by false teachers, pagan emperors, and magicians who sought to use demonic power for their selfish gain. Daniel, though, remained faithful to God and is a living testimony to God’s grace and kind providence. Consider how Jesus is the greater Daniel - like Daniel, Jesus was in hostile territory and surrounded by enemy forces on all sides. He was tempted in the wilderness, yet He too remained faithful. He bore the punishment for His people at the hands of a pagan leader. Daniel was a faithful witness before the king and promoted. Jesus was a faithful witness before the king and was persecuted.

Earthly results will vary dramatically - the point is simply this: Remain faithful to God!

Even if the worst thing imaginable happens - trust in the Lord!

Even in exile, God was at work. God was still in control. He raised Babylon up and in time He would bring Babylon down to the ground. God is still in control today, church. Even in modern Babylon - God is still sovereign. No virus, person, or idea can usurp His control or catch Him off guard. Is your faith placed in Him? Do you trust that God is still faithful and at work today?

Like Daniel, we find ourselves in Babylon - in a culture that hates God. In order to have faith in God like Daniel, first we must know God. As we grow in our understanding of God we will be opposed. Pushback will come. They will reveal what we believe on the inside. What we have determined in our heart.

Is Jesus worth it? The wind and the waves still obey Him - we must as well. The line has been drawn and the sides are clear - settle it in your heart that you will not give an inch.