"God's reign over Wild Beasts"

Are you a good person? There’s an easy way to tell, according to the Internet at least. It’s based on what you do with a shopping cart when you are done with it. If you put it in the designated shopping cart collection area in the parking lot, you’re good. If you leave it to drift off into parking spots, you’re bad.

The test has been discussed on Reddit and Twitter. On Reddit, a user laid out a very detailed description of the theory that essentially claims: The shopping cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society. Objectively, the correct action to take is to put the shopping cart where it’s supposed to go. It’s not illegal to abandon the cart, so you can do that without consequence. … Therefore the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you … or fine you … you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do

Today, you are going to hear about the courage of Daniel to do the right thing even when no one is looking. What do you do when no one is looking.

Daniel 6:1–15 ESV

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

Introduction

Anytime someone mentions the name of Daniel the first thing that comes to people mind is the night with Lions in their den of sure death. However, this is actually a culmination of all that Daniel has been through in his 70 plus years of life. This is actually an act of the final confession of Daniel and a life of faithfulness lived out before a pagan world and a Holy God.

Daniel has stood in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and now king Darius the Mede of Persia. And Daniel is still serving the King of Kings.

King Darius the Mede has given scholars difficult because other places in the Old Testament we are lead to believe that it is King Cyrus the Persian that God chooses to use. Additionally no records of King Darius appear during this time.

However in two different places in Daniel he affirms that it was Darius who was king of the Persians. I believe that we must take Daniel at his word by identifying Darius as king of the Medes and Persians.

BIG IDEA: Unshakable faith comes from being Unmistakably Shaken.

1. We are in a perpetual Kingdom against Kingdom battle.

Certainly the powers of darkness had endeavored to wear out Daniel since the beginning of his captivity by wave upon wave of attacks on his faithfulness to God.

One final effort now occurs in this chapter. It serves as a salutary reminder to us that temptations to compromise are never isolated incidents in our spiritual life but are part of a larger strategy of Satan against us.

*The Kingdom of Darkness seeks to wear down the Kingdom of Light.

We see this vividly lived out in Jesus ministry.

Everywhere Jesus went the kingdom of darkness sought to wear on Jesus. Satan assaulted him in the wilderness. When Satan had been repelled at every turn he only retreated to look for an opportune time to attack again.

Satan would continue to try to no avail to compromise Jesus ministry.

Many Christians mistaken one fight for the whole war. Many times at this point assuming the war is over they lower their shields and miss the onslaught that is coming. We tend to assume that the greatest test comes at the beginning of our spiritual journey.

However, the greatest test for Jesus came towards the end of his life here on earth.

Note: We are strengthened through out a life of successful resistance and then enables us to even have greater resistance. All heroes of the faith experience early levels of resistance to prepare them the even greater battle ahead.

Some falter at points in their Journey (Peter’s denial, Davids infidelity, Abraham’s faith) However they were all strengthened again and went on to give greater glory to God.

*The Kingdom of Darkness seeks to attack the Character of the Kingdom of light.

In the manner of modern day character assassinations the governors and satraps attempted to find fault with Daniel to trap him. Find something flaw in Daniels life or work to disqualify him.

However, their attempt to outline his weaknesses only highlighted his outstanding qualifications for high honor.

“Because they could not find no charge of fault, because he was faithful, nor was there any error or fault found in him.”

In all relationships he had been faithful, in relationship to the law he had been faultless.

They realized that the only way to get rid of Daniel was to manufacture a conflict between the law of God and the law of their land.

Note: While Daniels colleagues had come to hate him they could not help but recognize his integrity.

vs. 7 “The all is no slip of the tongue” it’s interesting that Darius agreed to the edict without finding out if Daniel whom he trusted approved.

Darius didn’t have enough sense to say, “hey wait a minute there is someone missing from this equation.”

Note: 2nd ploy, they knew that there was a price that Daniel would not play in loyalty to the king, he would not lay aside his loyalty to God.

2 Lessons from this situation:

1). Opposition to God will never be honest, it will always have an element of deceit.

2). We should not lose sight of the fact that the conflict in Daniels life which is to take him to the den of lions is really a conflict between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.

2. Surrendered praying moves the pretender to a contender

The forces of hell had assaulted the city of God and from all appearances had succeeded. Daniel was in a “Catch–22” situation. Yet the temptation to compromise was objectively a very great one

Darius’s decree had an expiration of only 30 days. It was not as if Daniel was asked to deny his faith or bow to a pagan idol. Darius’s decree made no such demands.

Simply refrain from worshiping God for one month out of the year, one month out of an entire lifetime. This would have seemed like a small sacrifice to those who left Jerusalem for Babylon, those who had lost heart.

Would it make any difference in our Churches if prayer were banned for the next 30 days. Perhaps the answer would be both embarrassing and startling. Prayer has become one of the greatest missing components.

We have seen the deadly prayerlessness in our Churches, in our Homes, and in our lives. could it be that Satan no longer calls for Darius like legislation in western culture because he no longer needs to do so. Only in places where people are praying like Daniel does his seek to take aim.

*Surrendered praying shows a surrendered life

Note: Daniel was not fearful of what could happen to his life. Perhaps he was modeling the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who can kill the body and not the soul, rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went into his chamber with his window opened to Jerusalem where he had routinely prayed three times a day and got on his knee’s before his God.

Surrendering is a term used in battle it implies giving up all rights to the conqueror. When an opposing army lays down their arms the winner takes complete control.

Surrendering to God works the same way, He has a plan for your life and surrendering to Him means we set aside our own plans and agenda’s and wholeheartedly pursue His. The good news is that God’s plan for us is always the best plan unlike our own plan’s that lead to death and destruction.

To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.

Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?

-Oswald Chambers “My utmost for His Highest”

*Surrendered praying shows a surrendered Love.

Daniel loved God more than he loved his own life.

We know that the love for God is the most important thing in all the earth.

We can have lot’s of other virtues but if we do not have love we have nothing. 1 Cor. 13. “We are just a clanging gong or a sounding symbol”

Prayer should show what we love the most. It should show a disregard for self-love and exalt a God Love above anything else. It shows that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and might.

*Surrendered praying shows a surrendered Learning.

Daniel had learned to pray, “not my will but thine be done.” Until we learn this prayer we will never be effective in our prayers. Daniel was willing to face the circumstances and do God’s will not matter what the cost. Can you pray this way?

When we pray God’s will be done we are praying:

God’s right to rule and reign.

It is a statement of God’s ways not our own.

We are asking that our will be conformed to His own.

We are to model prayer for those weaker in the faith:

How do we model prayer for our Children?

How do we model prayer for the Church?

How do we model prayer for the World?

We are praying that God would rend the heavens and come down bringing his new heaven and new earth with Him. (Revelation 21).

Revelation 6:10 the saints are asking the Father how much longer we he delay in coming to avenge the blood of the saints that have suffered and gone before.

1). It was his custom way to pray.

Notice that it was Daniels custom to pray three times a day. What should we do when we feel sluggish in our prayer life? I think we must go back to the reason we pray in the first place. We should echo the words of Psalm 42 “As a deer pants for flowing stream of water so my soul thirsts for you oh Lord.”

All of us should be able to say like David that our soul’s deepest desire is to know and thirst for God. Our deepest longing for the manifestation of God in our lives.

One of God’s promises that never changes is that he will dwell with His people and make Himself known. Through the centuries He had done this in Jerusalem; His Holy Hill was there. It was also the city to which He once more would bring His people.

Note: Whenever Daniel knelt to pray it was an automatic muscle memory thing for Him to kneel towards Jerusalem. His mind, his emotions, his passions were directed towards the city of Jerusalem.

2). Daniel’s prayer life was characterized by discipline and regularity.

Note: Why are regular seasons of prayer necessary for our spiritual growth.

We are called to pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17

1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV

17 pray without ceasing,

We are called to pray at all times Ephesians 6:18

Ephesians 6:18 ESV

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

We are called to pray daily Matthew 6:11

Matthew 6:11 ESV

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

We are called to pray alone in secret Matthew 6:6

Matthew 6:6 ESV

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Why does the Bible speak so much about prayer? Prayer is not a religious exercise or gymnastics we put ourselves through each day. Our prayer life flows out of a life spent with the Father. It is something we learn and grow in greater depth and frequency as we grow in Christ.

“There is no such thing as a Christian who does not pray. If you claim to follow Christ but refuse to pray you cannot call yourself a follower of Christ.” Prayer marks a relationship with the Father, without it there is no relationship.

You cannot have a silent relationship with God......

The following psalm would have been a great representation possibly, of what Daniel was praying.

Psalm 92:5–10 ESV

5 How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! 6 The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: 7 that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; 8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever. 9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered. 10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.

Note: If we have no stomach for this heart of prayer could it possibly be that the severity of our sins is greater than we want to admit.

Daniel 6:18–28 ESV

18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

3. God shuts the mouth of the enemy and opens the door to Eternity.

Note: Darius is in great despair as he place his signet rings seal on the tomb. Notice the foreboding of the stone being rolled on the mouth of Jesus tomb. The king had a sleepless night and at the break of day could not get to the lions den fast enough.

It is not surprising that the early church saw in this event a foretaste of the resurrection of Christ. Daniel’s life story is intended to illustrate in Old Testament terms the meaning of faith in the promised Messiah. It means being conformed to His image. Through Daniel’s experience God gave hints of what would occur when Christ came to deal with the powers of darkness. By exposing Himself to the power of death, He conquered all His and our enemies.

The chaos and disharmony of the Universe are seen in the jaws of the Lions

In the promised age, the chaos of creation will be restored to order and harmony so that all the creatures of nature will live together in peace

Isaiah 11:6–7 ESV

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

Daniel’s deliverance in the lions den is a foretaste of the promised universal renovation.

The story of Daniel is a picture of the full power of the Kingdom of god on display. No injury whatsoever was found on Daniel. Because he believed in God. The power of God insured that not a bone on Christ’s body would be broken.

This whole scene is moving towards the eternal perspective. In a fallen and sinful world the deliverance of Eve’s see is always followed by the bruising of the head of the serpent.

Notice that the dark side of Daniel’s deliverance is the judgement on those who sought to destroy him along with their entire family immediately being cast into the lions den and devoured.

The Answer to the Question is a resounding YES!

Darius Question: Has your God been able to deliver you from the mouth of the lions? To the amazement of King Darius the answer was a resounding YES!

Hebrews 11:33 ESV

33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

vs.25 “Whatever the ultimate spiritual condition of Darius he confessed the supreme authority of Daniel’s God.”

All kingdoms and all God’s of this world fall at the feet of the only true God who holds all of the Universe in His hands.

What Darius learns about Daniel’s God.

He is the living God (Daniel’s God is not inactive in his prayers, He is living and active Heb. 12:2, continually piercing through the division of bone and marrow to the heart of humanity.)

He is the Saving God (Daniel’s God is a saving God, and under His hand Daniel continued to prosper).

CLOSING

Letter from Slain Missionary

This letter was written by Southern Baptist Missionary to Iraq, Karen Watson, prior to leaving for the Middle East. The letter was dated March 7, 2003. Karen was killed, along with four other missionaries, on March 15, 2004. Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger: You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death. When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn't called to a place. I was called to him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, his glory my reward, his glory my reward.

One of the most important things to remember right now is to preserve the work….I am writing this as if I am still working with my people group. I thank you all so much for your prayers and support. Surely your reward in heaven will be great. Thank you for investing in my life and spiritual well-being. Keep sending missionaries out. Keep raising up fine young pastors. In regards to any service, keep it small and simple. Yes, simply, just preach the gospel….Be bold and preach the life-saving, life-changing, forever-eternal gospel.

Give glory and honor to our Father. The Missionary Heart:

Care more than some think is wise.

Risk more than some think is safe.

Dream more than some think is practical.

Expect more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or success but to obedience….There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving him. I love you two and my church family.