Daniel 1:3-7 A Theology for Faithfulness

Daniel 1:3-5 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.

It is in these verses we start to see one of the major themes of Daniel that we are going to be looking at over the next few weeks. Living faithfully in a pagan land.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had just laid seige to Jerusalem, and was used by God to judge his people for breaking the covenant, disobeying the 10 commandments, and turning to idols.

And then Nebuchadnezzar commanded Ashpenaz, one of his high officials, to take some young men from the line of the royal family and nobility in Jerusalem, and bring them to Babylon.

And there, Nebuchadnezzar gave them a daily portion of his own food, and his own wine.

Now you might be thinking, “Well that’s nice of Nebuchadnezzar, look how kind he’s being.” But this was not out of the king’s charity or some sense of remorse for laying seige to Jerusalem as a way to make it up to these young men.

This was a calculated move to serve the purposes of the Babylonian Empire.

What kind of men did Nebuchadnezzar want?

Young men. Think 14-20. Men who could still be shaped and molded for the kingdom of Babylon and had a long bright future ahead of them.

Royal men. Handsome men.

Wise men with high intelligence who understood learning, meaning they knew how to learn and think.

Men competent to stand in the king’s palace meaning men who could serve and advise the king and help him rule the world.

The young men Nebuchadnezzar took were the kind of men the world would see as leaders.

And the reason he took them we are told was to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

In other words, to reeducate them and mold them into the image of Babylon.

To shape their gifts, talents, and lives to further the reach of the Babylonian Empire.

Now here’s where it all starts to click into place for us.

Throughout Scripture, Babylon is the epitome of the Kingdom of Darkness. It is the manifestation of the world. Wickedness. Sin. Brokenness.

It is everything against God and His Kingdom.

We just call it, the World.

So Nebuchadnezzar was wanting to take the people of God and shape them into the world. To mold them into servants of the Kingdom of Darkness.

With the hopes that if these royal men proved themselves in Babylon, they might be able to rule over Judea in Nebuchadnezzar’s stead.

These men were the best of the Israelites, and if they were sent back to rule the people of God would trust them, all the while they would be furthering the will of Babylon and lead Israel to forsake their identity as the people of God and become one with the World.

So the consequences of whether or not these men would stay faithful to God in exile had far reaching ramifications, not only for their own souls, but for the Kingdom of God.

Would the light be snuffed out by the darkness or would the Kingdom and God’s promise of salvation prevail?

This is why Nebuchadnezzar gave them choice food and drink. It was a bribe. It was the bribe of the world to get the men of God to forget their identity and their purpose, and conform to the pattern of the world and work for the Kingdom of Darkness rather than the Kingdom of God.

This is the same temptation we face today.

What kingdom will we serve? Who will we live for? Will we live for ourselves and this world or will we live for God and the advance of His Kingdom?

And just like with Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah which Kingdom we choose will have ramifications not only for ourselves but for the world.

To be friends with the world is to be at enmity with God (James 4:4).

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).

If we choose and live for the Kingdom of this World, there is no reason to believe we are forgiven by the blood of Christ.

No one can see the Kingdom unless they are born again through faith in Christ, and when you are born again you are transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13).

For the Christian, which Kingdom you live for is the evidence for God’s grace in your life.

Likewise, if we compromise with the world, if we bend over backwards to go along to get along, if we dim our light and let it, what will happen to our witness?

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 (Matthew 5:13).

How are they to hear without someone preaching? (Romans 10:14).

Next week, we are going to take a deep dive into how the world tries to press us and conform us into its image like Babylon wants to do with these young men, but before we can do that we need to get some foundational building blocks in place.

Because living faithfully as a church, as an outpost of the Kingdom of Light in the midst of the Kingdom of Darkness starts with a biblical worldview.

A worldview is how you see the world.

It is the lens through which you understand and evaluate the good you want to live for and the evil you want to avoid.

And for the Christian, that lens must be the Word of God.

That’s why Nebuchadnezzar wanted the young men to learn the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

He wanted their myths, their legends, their laws to replace the truth of Scripture as their highest source of wisdom and foundation of their worldview.

The world is trying to disciple you. To get you to think and live a certain way according to its values and its word instead of the Word of God.

That’s why our goal at this church is to disciple you and equip you to live all of your life; every single breath, every single step, every single decision according to the Word of God for the love and glory of Christ.

Because when we do that, we will be a light. When we do that we will be salt.

And that is the only way to live a life that glorifies Christ.

So How do we resist the temptation to be conformed to the pattern of this world and daily take up our cross and follow Jesus?

It all starts with God. A true theology of God is the foundational building block of a biblical worldview.

Who is God? Who does God say that He is, and then from there we order every single aspect of our life according to God’s truth.

Well what theology do we need to have for faithfulness in a pagan land?

That is what God shows us in verses 6 and 7.

Daniel 1:6-7 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

Now at first glance you might say, “That just looks like a bunch of names.”

And you’re right. But there is a theology behind those names.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s Hebrew names have theological meaning that proclaim and extol the glory of God.

Their Babylonian names, actually do the opposite and celebrate the gods of Babylon.

And Nebuchadnezzar’s goal in giving them new names is to erase their identity as the people of God and make them forget God so that they will stop living for God and His Kingdom and start living for his.

But by remembering their identity, by remembering God, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would stay faithful even when the full weight of a pagan empire was thrown against them.

So the rest of this sermon we are going to look at their names to see to see who God says that He is so that the theology that kept them faithful in Babylon can shape our worldview and equip us to live faithfully today no matter the pressure we face from the world.

How do we live for Christ and His Kingdom with all of our life and not the Kingdom of this World?

By living all of our life according to the truth that God is:

I. Judge

II. Savior

III. One

IV. And Our Deliverer

First...

I. God is Judge

Daniel 6:7 Daniel he called Belteshazzar.

Daniel’s name means “God is my Judge.”

Now when we think of Judges we think of men in black robes who sit behind a bench and hold a gavel.

But the Bible’s understanding of a Judge is a lot broader than that.

In 1 Samuel 8:5 there is a straight line from a judge to a king.

When the people of Israel asked for a king, they said “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

So a king’s job is to judge.

Think of it like this. A king establishes the law and upholds the law in his kingdom.

If he is a good king, the reason he made that law is because it is righteous and good and will bring blessing and life to the people under his rule.

But only if its followed, which is where judgment comes in.

The king upholds the law to bless his kingdom by punishing transgressors of the law as a judge.

The law brings condemnation for anyone who violates it, and its the king’s job as judge, to carry out that justice so that righteousness may rule in his kingdom.

This is why I said God is Sovereign. If He is a Judge, then He is a King. Well what’s His Kingdom? Where does He rule, reign, and judge?

Psalm 47:6-8 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

God is King over all the earth. And because He is King over all the earth, that means He will Judge all the earth.

This is one of the most countercultural things you can say.

We don’t like a God that judges because we know we are all guilty.

Contrary to what the World, the Kingdom of Darkness says, we do not exist by evolution or chance.

We exist by the design, will, and providence of God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). Everything. Everyone. No exception.

He is the Sovereign Creator, King of kings, Lord of lords, and He will judge the nations.

And when you boil it all down, here’s what that really means. Every single person is accountable to God.

Every single person will stand before the throne, give an account of their life, and be judged according to whether or not they kept the King’s Law.

Well what Law is that?

Its the 10 Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before God.

Not only that, but you will have no other gods at all.

You will not take the Lord’s Name in vain and trample it underfoot as something common or paltry. You will honor His Name as holy.

Remember the Sabbath day which under the New Covenant means resting from your works of self righteousness and trusting in Christ alone for salvation.

Honor your father and mother.

You shall not murder. Commit Adultery. Steal. Bear false witness or lie. And you shall not covet what others have.

And God will judge all men by this Law because Romans 1 tells us that his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made (Romans 1:20).

In other words The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).

And because of that, all people are without excuse.

That through natural revelation, comes natural law. Romans 2:14-15 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.

This is why those outside of Christ have a guilty conscience. The condemnation of the Law is written on their hearts.

We are all accountable to God, and we know it.

Now, on the one hand, this is why knowing God is our Sovereign Judge is so foundational to a Christian worldview to help us resist the pressure from the world and remain faithful to him.

Not because of fear, although there is plenty to be afraid about.

But because we don’t answer to the world. We answer to God, and God alone.

It doesn’t matter if the world hates us. It doesn’t matter what the world says about us. All that matters is what God says about us.

This truth can give us a boldness that cannot be put out by the world. But only if we have a clear conscience before God.

Because here’s the bad news. Because of our sin no one has a clean conscience.

Romans 3:10-12 None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

Or Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

God will judge the earth. He will judge ever person that has ever lived.

And if we die in our sin, the King will find us guilty for breaking His law and sentence us to condemnation and judgment.

And that punishment will be death. Eternal death in the lake of fire.

Everyone who dies in their sins will suffer the eternal, conscious torment of God’s wrath in Hell poured out in full strength for every sin.

And as a righteous King, God must judge every sin or else he is not holy, just, righteous, and good.

That’s bad news.

But there is good news. Not only is God judge. But point number 2, He is also Savior.

II. God is Savior

Daniel 1:7 Hananiah he called Shadrach.

Hananiah’s name means The Lord, or Yahweh, is gracious.

God’s grace.

You don’t have grace without his holiness, righteousness, and justice against sin. But you also don’t have God’s grace without his love, kindness, and mercy.

God’s grace reveals who God is.

God Himself even says so. In Exodus 34 God ties His grace to His Name. He ties it to his reputation. To who He is.

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. To give you the context, in Exodus 33, Moses asks Yahweh, “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18).

Show me the weight, magnificence, and majesty of all that you are.

And God told Moses that because of his sin, Moses could not see his face. For man shall not see me and live, God says (Exodus 33:20).

Remember God is a holy and righteous Judge.

But foreshadowing God’s grace in Christ, God said Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen (Ex 33:21–23).

And then in Exodus 34:5-7 we read this...

Exodus 34:5-7 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

The Name of the Lord. This is who God is. This is God’s answer to Moses’ prayer to see God’s glory.

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Merciful. Relenting of judgment and wrath.

Gracious. His abounding goodness and kindness.

Slow to anger. God’s patience and gentleness.

Abounding and steadfast love and faithfulness. Steadfast love is His Covenantal love. His unending, never giving up, unbreaking love.

And His faithfulness assures us of that love forever and ever and ever.

Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

Iniquity is the ground in sin. Its the stain of sin that mars all that we are.

Transgression is the transgressing of his Law. The willful disobedience to know what God says and to disobey it.

And sin is falling short. Its our missing the mark. Its not giving God the glory due to His Name.

Friends if you want to know who God is, this is Him.

Not the angry grandpa in the sky. Not the absentee Father who couldn’t care less about your life or fruitfulness.

Not the disgusted and disappointed God crossing His arms, tapping His foot saying look at all these sinners.

He is gracious God who loves His enemies and forgives all their sin.

But look what it says. Who will by no means clear the guilty.

God is Judge.

Well how can that be? How can God forgiven iniquity, transgression, and sin if He will not by any means clear the guilty?

Because remember what we said. We are all accountable to God and all of us have fallen short and broken His Law.

We’re guilty.

We deserve wrath, judgement, eternal conscious torment in Hell.

How can we be saved? The answer is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

We even see a picture of this in this story.

Moses would die for His sin if He saw the holiness of God face to face.

But what did God say? I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand.

It is God who saves us from His own judgment. He hides us in the rock of His salvation and covers us with the hand of His grace.

This story is pointing to Christ. The true Rock of our salvation. The true covering of God’s grace by His own blood.

Do you know how John summarized Exodus 34? The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness?

1 John 4:8-10 God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Remember the Problem. God is a Righteous Judge who will by no means clear the guilty. So how does He forgive iniquity and transgression and sin?

He sent Jesus Christ, the Son of God, truly and fully God and truly and fully man to be a propitiation for our sins.

A propitiation is a sacrifice that satisfies, quenches, puts the raging fires of God’s wrath. And Jesus Christ is that sacrifice.

He lived a sinless life, and suffered and died on the cross.

He was crucified. Nails driven through His hands and feet. Broken. Bloodied.

And on the cross He cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

Paul says the one who knew know sin became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). He suffered the wrath of God we deserved.

He was forsaken so that through faith in Him, His death, and resurrection, we never will be.

As Isaiah says Isaiah 53 He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6).

God is gracious. He is so gracious that He sent His own Son to die for us and save us from the judgment we deserve.

And you can be saved too if you repent of your sin and believe in Christ. Trust in Him. Die to yourself. Be clothed in His righteousness so that you will not faced the judgment of God naked and ashamed.

Do not wait another moment. Jesus says, Whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37). Come to Christ. And He will forgive you of your sins and save you from the wrath to come.

Well how does this theology answer the pressure to conform to the world?

We said God is Judge and Sovereign King means we are accountable to Him. We do not live for the approval of this world. We only live for His approval, and His approval alone.

Well God as Savior in Christ answers that pressure because we now belong to him.

He redeemed us. He purchased us out of slavery and judgment.

Peter says you were ransomed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:19).

Paul says You are not your own. Why? For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Not only are we accountable to God. But now we belong to Him. We do not belong to the world. We do not live to serve the world. We live to serve God and Him alone.

So God is Judge and Sovereign King. Two, He is Savior. And number 3, He is one.

III. God is One

Daniel 1:7 Mishael he called Meshach.

Mishael’s name is one of the more interesting ones. His name means Who is what God is? or Who is like the Lord?

The idea behind his name is that it is a rhetorical question. There is no one like God. There is no one else who is what God is.

God is One.

This slams right in the face of our culture today.

In our secular, postmodern, humanistic society there are many gods. And no one is able to say whose god is real. That any god is more valid or higher than any other.

There’s the god of Covetousness disguised as the god of Equality.

The god of Science.

God of love.

God of Sexual Freedom. Gender Freedom.

The god of Racism and Partiality both in hating other ethnicities and elevating one’s own color over every other.

The god of Government. Socialism. Red-Pills or Conservatism.

The god of Climate.

The god of Choice.

I don’t care what they say. We are not a secular society. There is no neutrality. Culture and Politics are worship externalized. And there are many gods and all of them are demanding all people to bend the knee.

But who is what God is?

Listen to Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46:1-2 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity.

Bel and Nebo are both God’s of Babylon. Bel is another name for Marduk, Babylon’s chief God. Highest God.

And here God says, Bel and Nebo say they can carry you. But they are too tired. They stoop. They bow down together.

They cannot save the burden. Every false god is a false Messiah who says they can save you from whatever your Hell is.

But Hear what God goes on to say. Isaiah 46:5, 9 To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?...I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.

There is no other go that can save. No other god that can carry you or our nation to salvation. They are strivings after the wind. They are vain idols.

We do not need to pay them the slightest bit of homage no matter how loud the world yells at us to do so.

Because we serve God who alone has the power to carry all men to salvation.

Isaiah 40:10-11 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

God is one. Not many and He alone can carry us. Every other god our culture worships, you can already tell are getting tired. You can already see how they can’t bear the weight.

Do not put your hope in horses or the chariots of men that cannot save. Put your hope in God, and Him alone and sing with the Psalmist.

Psalm 115:2-9 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

Well what does all this mean? How does this answer the pressure to conform to the world?

Well for one, we cannot bow down to their gods or worship them.

And you might say well I don’t worship other gods. But let me put it like this. Don’t pay homage to them. Don’t obey them.

Don’t give into social justice and Black Lives Matter and victim hood.

Don’t go to a gay family members or coworkers wedding and celebrate what God calls an abomination.

Don’t give exceptions for abortion and show partiality to the mother at the expense of the life of a child.

And don’t and use false pronouns even if that means HR is going to try and fire you.

And listen. Their gods will get loud and their priests and prophets will wail. That’s the idea. That’s how they are trying to press you into the mold of the world.

But what does God say? Even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy (1 Pe 3:14–15).

Secondly, God is one means all of our life and all of our obedience belongs to Him.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

If God is One, then all of our love, all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength and effort belongs to Him.

There is One God. We can not have one foot in this world, in the Kingdom of darkness and one foot in the Kingdom of God.

Because God is One, He calls us to be all in.

And what does that look like? And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Obedience to God and him alone.

For a theology of faithfulness, we must start with God is Judge.

Second, God is Savior.

Third God is One.

And finally, number 4...

IV. God is Our Deliverer

Daniel 1:7 Azariah he called Abednego.

Azariah means The Lord is my Helper.

I think this is an encouraging word, we need today as the flood we are facing in the world starts to feel overwhelming, inevitable, unstoppable.

When we talk about God being our Helper its the same idea as when you read in the Psalms The Lord is my Rock and my Refuge. My Strength. Strong Tower. Shield. Protector.

God is Our Deliverer. As the floods rise, we just looked at it! He bears us up on eagles wings.

When it looks dark and it looks like the weight of the World is about to crush us unless we cave to the pressure and give in to their demands, the people of God do not lose heart, but they put all their hope in the promises of God.

Hear Psalm 124...

Psalm 124 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Let me encourage you. What is happening in this world is not outside of God’s providence and control.

What is going on is exactly according to plan.

According to Hebrews 12, What God is doing is is shaking the heavens and the earth. He is shaking the things that can be shaken so that what cannot be shaken would remain (Hebrews 12:27-28).

God is shaking the Kingdom of darkness with all of its idols and false messiahs and bringing them to the ground so that once the shaking is done the only thing that cannot be shaken, the Kingdom of God will remain.

But when you are going through the earthquake, it can feel like you might be shaken to. But what does God say?

Hebrews 12:28-29 Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

God is our helper. He will deliver us, and we do not need to fear.

The most common command in the Bible to the people of God is what? Do not fear.

And what does God say to back that up? For I am with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.

I hope you are starting to see how this answers the pressure from the world.

When we are tempted to give up, surrender, cave in and follow the course of the world, we have a great High Priest who is able to help us in our time of need.

Jesus is our deliverer.

The overarching context of Hebrews is for Jewish believers to not give into the temptation and pressure of the world and leave Christ to go back to Judaism. And here’s what God says to them, and to us today.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Let us hold fast to our confession.

And we can have every confidence that Jesus is able to keep us and deliver us from the false gods, the principalities and powers behind all the chaos in the world because Colossians 2:15 says that through His death and resurrection, Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

We do not need to fear. We have a sympathetic High priest and a God who promises to always deliver.

Psalm 46:1-5 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river [That’s the Holy Spirit] whose streams make glad the city of God [That’s the church], the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Conclusion

How do we live for Christ and His Kingdom with all of our life and not give into the Kingdom of this World?

By living out a theology of faithfulness.

By living all of our life according to the truth that God is:

I. Judge

II. Savior

III. One

IV. And Our Deliverer

That’s the theology that can keep us faithful in Babylon.

God is Judge means we are accountable to Him and Him alone.

God is Savior means he saved us by the death and resurrection of Christ. He purchased us with His blood, and we belong to Him and Him alone.

God is One means we worship Him alone and all our obedience belongs to Him.

And because God is our deliverer, all of our hope is in Him and only Him.

In Christ is life, and the life is the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:4-5).

Let’s Pray

Scripture Reading

Psalm 96 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

6 Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts!

9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

13 before the Lord, for he comes,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

and the peoples in his faithfulness.

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