1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:27,800 All right. We are in Daniel chapter 6. If you want to follow along, there are handouts inside the bulletins. Additionally, there are some devotional pages on the back near where the bulletins are. The first three days kind of take you through a review of what we talked about this morning, and the next three days prepare you for where we're going to be next week. I'm going to go ahead and pray, and we'll dive right into it. 2 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:45,800 Father in heaven, we thank you that you love us, that you watch over us, that you are a God of both justice and mercy. We thank you most of all for the good news of the gospel, that your son came and stood in our place. We thank you for the hope that is found therein. 3 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:55,600 I just ask that as we look at what a life of faithfulness entails this morning, that you will help us to see that it is found in your strength, in your goodness, 4 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:05,600 and your providential care in all things. And so we just ask that you would be with us, you would encourage our souls. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 5 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:18,600 So when kids asked me, specifically our oldest asked me this week, "What are you preaching on?" And I said, "Well, Daniel chapter 6, it's where Daniel ends up in the lion's den." She goes, "Oh, that's a classic." 6 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:28,600 All right, it's a story we've all heard. We're probably familiar. Even if you're not part of a church or a Christian, it's a story that you likely have heard of. 7 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:42,600 For me, growing up in the church, there are a couple things that stand out about this account. One is that we had growing up, it was called, I don't remember, it was like the Adventure Bible, or basically it was a graphic novel of the entire Bible. 8 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:52,600 And so instead of listening in church, I would read through the graphic novel of the Bible, which was genius, because I was sitting there reading the Bible in church, and I didn't even think that I was reading the Bible in church. 9 00:01:52,600 --> 00:02:06,600 And when you get to the end of Daniel chapter 6, where all Daniel's accusers take his place in the lion's den, there is that one frame from that just seared into my mind as the guards are sort of kicking them into the lion's den. 10 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:13,600 And looking back on it, I was like, well, was this really appropriate for like a seven-year-old child to be looking at? 11 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:26,600 Also, in one of the things, growing up we listened to a lot of radio dramas. It was the '80s, like not the 1940s, but I still love audiobooks and listening to those kind of things. 12 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:34,600 I remember there was an account, I think we had it on cassette tape, and it was a dramatization of the story of Daniel, but also set to music. 13 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:46,600 And I can still remember the songs that the opponents of Daniel sang, a very catchy song about how they were going to conspire to get Daniel murdered. 14 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:57,600 And so, this is a very familiar story. Most of us, if we've been in the church, have heard it, or have heard about it, or we've seen dramatizations or references to it. 15 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:14,600 And so, what we find though, and something that I had probably never ever thought about growing up, is that Daniel chapter 6 is a long time since Daniel was a bold young man standing up to the king's steward saying, 16 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:24,600 "There's a line in the sand I will not cross, I will not compromise, and I'd rather eat steamed vegetables than the food from the king's table." 17 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:31,600 It's been a long time since he boldly stood up and said, "We can interpret the king's dream." 18 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:41,600 This event takes place a long time from that golden statue. It takes place a long time from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. 19 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:48,600 Everything has changed. In fact, there's a new government. His former king has been overthrown and murdered. 20 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:57,600 Daniel now is ruled by Persia. And so even though Daniel likely at this point is in his early 80s, 21 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:06,600 maybe late 70s, but likely early 80s, his heart still worships and he still faithfully follows the same God. 22 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:13,600 Here's the tension that I think happens in our lives because after years of walking with God, 23 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:20,600 it's easy for us to sort of start easing up in regards to our faith. Maybe tell ourselves, 24 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:29,600 "I've done enough. I've endured enough. I've given enough." And faithfulness sometimes can fade quietly, 25 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:36,600 maybe under the weight of weariness, maybe under the weight of opposition, or maybe under the weight of comfort. 26 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:43,600 And so where Daniel chapter 6 meets us, it's in a surprising place. It's a place where we see 27 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:53,600 the God who reigns calls His people to remain faithful, even when they face the den of lions. 28 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,600 And not only that does He call them to remain faithful, and does He call us to remain faithful, 29 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:04,600 but He is faithfully with us during those dark moments of life. 30 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:10,600 And so I want to turn your attention first to a life of faithfulness that we see in Daniel's life. 31 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:15,600 All right, the first few verses we're going to read in just a minute tell us the story of a faithful life 32 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:24,600 that looks different than we might expect. We've seen, so far, faithfulness both demonstrated and tested. 33 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:30,600 And what I mean by that is we can see somebody in the demonstration. It looks like they're really faithful. 34 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:37,600 Ultimately, faithfulness is revealed not just in how it looks, but in how it lives. 35 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:48,600 And their faithfulness is not just a matter of words or demonstration. The faithfulness that we see happens in the tests of life. 36 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:57,600 And we've probably all experienced this yesterday. We had a little bit of time, and so we went to the Berkeley Springs Apple Butter Festival with the kids. 37 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:04,600 And we got there, and it was kind of a process and an ordeal. We were tired, and we were hot, and we were thirsty. 38 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:10,600 I may have been a little grumpy. I've been informed by some members of my family that I was a little grumpy. 39 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:19,600 I don't believe that I was grumpy, but evidently some people think that I was. And so, as we're walking down, and we meet up with some family that was there. 40 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:26,600 And we walked down, and I walked by the, I think it's the official state food of West Virginia, which is the pepperoni roll. 41 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:33,600 And there were these beautiful pepperoni rolls, and I looked at them, and I said, "You know what? I'm buying a pepperoni roll." 42 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:40,600 And so, Luke and I bought three pepperoni rolls, and I'm sitting there eating my pepperoni roll, and then I was just instantly disappointed, 43 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:46,600 because it wasn't nearly as good as it looked. And it wasn't nearly as good as other pepperoni rolls I've had. 44 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:55,600 And it was just this moment of disappointment. And here we come to Daniel, and we see faithfulness. 45 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:03,600 The question is, is this faithfulness in Daniel's life, and also in our life, going to be as good as it looks? 46 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:11,600 Because Daniel looks really faithful, but when that moment comes, when he's in his 80s, when he's tired, when he's weary, 47 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:21,600 when he has fought opposition, when he has stood for righteousness his whole life, what happens when it's not going according to plan? 48 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:30,600 You see, you want to know who you are truly, spiritually, I would say it's often not revealed in the easy times. 49 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:41,600 And we've seen faithfulness throughout this book, in the refusal to compromise, in Daniel 2, to trust God in the unknown, 50 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:49,600 in the midst of opposition, intense external pressure, three men standing alone, refusing to bow. 51 00:07:49,600 --> 00:08:01,600 We've seen faithfulness of Daniel, declaring God's message to the most powerful men in the world, confronting their pride with God's words and without hesitation. 52 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:08,600 And so far, what we find in the book of Daniel, faithfulness comes with big, big risks. 53 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:14,600 Now, there are big, big risks to faithfulness in Daniel chapter 6, but that's not how it begins. 54 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:20,600 And you and I might be tempted to think that faithfulness is only in those big things, right? 55 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:34,600 The conflicts, preventing compromise, and maybe in the darkness of uncertainty, trusting God to declare the truth and to call those in power to repentance. 56 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:40,600 And while faithfulness is true in those big moments, it's also present in the small moments. 57 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:46,600 You see, without faithfulness in the small things, we're not going to do very well when the big things come. 58 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:55,600 Jesus says it this way, that he who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. 59 00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:02,600 You see, faithfulness is simply not simply just not compromising or not doubting or standing tall or speaking the truth. 60 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:08,600 Faithfulness can also be just getting up and going to work. 61 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:13,600 I don't want you to minimize the smallness of everyday faithfulness. 62 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:20,600 Every chapter in Daniel has been one of excitement and conflict and the triumph of God. 63 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:28,600 But the reality is these chapters really only represent a small picture of what Daniel has been living. 64 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:37,600 It's likely been like 60 plus years since Daniel has been taken into captivity, and we get in these six chapters like six days. 65 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:52,600 Out of more than 60 years, you see, what we see in Daniel is the exciting highlights we don't see, except in the beginning of chapter 6, the everyday faithfulness of Daniel. 66 00:09:52,600 --> 00:10:01,600 And so we are tempted to think of faithfulness only in the big things, but the reality is that faithfulness in the small things make us faithful in the big things. 67 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:16,600 You see, most days for Daniel are not facing lion's dens, not correcting kings, not interpreting dreams. Most days for Daniel is he's just simply getting up and going to work. 68 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:25,600 And so the beginning of Daniel chapter 6 begins like this. It's the same day, new king, or new king, different day, I don't know. Listen to what it says. 69 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:37,600 "To set over the kingdom," this is a new king, "a hundred and twenty satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one." 70 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:45,600 So he's one of three who governs the hundred and twenty, "and to whom these satraps should give account, so the king may suffer no loss." 71 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:55,600 Then this Daniel, in his eighties, became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. 72 00:10:55,600 --> 00:11:05,600 And the king planned to set him over the entire kingdom, right? More than eighty years old at this time, and he hasn't stopped faithfully working where God has put him. 73 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:14,600 Daniel, as he approaches the end of his life, he doesn't coast, he doesn't simply say, "You know what? I've done enough. I'm taking a break." 74 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:24,600 He serves faithfully where God has placed him. Now, as a young man, this may not be what he imagined, but it is where he has been taken by God. 75 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:33,600 Right? And the temptation for you and I is after a time, especially when we get comfortable, to begin to drift. 76 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:45,600 Look at Daniel. He just, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, gets up and is faithful to God in the kingdom. 77 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:53,600 And it's not just that he's faithful, it's a life of integrity. It doesn't matter where he is, it doesn't matter who is watching. 78 00:11:53,600 --> 00:12:03,600 Daniel does what is right. And I think the clearest picture, and I love this about this chapter, is that Daniel, the clearest picture of Daniel's 79 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:14,600 integrity comes not from his friends giving him a glowing reveal. He's a great guy. The clearest picture of Daniel's integrity comes from his enemies. 80 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:22,600 And I want you to hear what Daniel's enemies have to say. Because just like in every situation in our life, when somebody is lifted 81 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:30,600 up, there are often those who will seek to surround and to tear down in jealousy and pride, saying, "I wish that spot was mine," 82 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:38,600 to pull Daniel down, to lift themselves up, and that's exactly what happens. He begins as one of three over the 120, and now 83 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:48,600 he's being promoted to, like, number one over those three who are over the 120, answering to the king. And so look at 84 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:56,600 the jealousy that arises in the next two verses, beginning in verse 4. "The high officials and the satraps sought 85 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:02,600 to find ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint 86 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:12,600 or for fault because he was faithful. And no error or fault was found in him, but these men said, "We shall not find any 87 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:20,600 ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection to the law of his God." They search 88 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:26,600 his life, they pull out his actions and his decisions, and they put it under a microscope, and the only 89 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:36,600 thing they can try to criticize is his obedience to God. He's too faithful in all these things. And so 90 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:44,600 here's the question that I want us to consider. How is Daniel able to live a life filled with 91 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:50,600 faithfulness and integrity? Not coasting, not taking the easy way, but faithfully, day after day, in good 92 00:13:50,600 --> 00:14:00,600 days and bad seasons, bad days, joyful seasons, and seasons full of sorrow. We get tired. We're weary. Maybe 93 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:06,600 not physically, but spiritually. Maybe we're struggling with opposition. Maybe the task ahead of us seems to 94 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:14,600 tall. Maybe we're too comfortable, and we don't want to move. Is Daniel simply a better person? Maybe he's more 95 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:20,600 disciplined. Maybe he's more hardworking. He's smarter, faster, stronger than we are. I don't think that's the 96 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:28,600 answer. Daniel's faithfulness and integrity is not found in Daniel's identity, but in the God that Daniel 97 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:35,600 serves. You see, one of the pictures we find in Scripture is that of a tree. Psalm chapter 1, those who 98 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:42,600 delight in the law of God are like a tree planted by streams of water who bear fruit, and when the desert 99 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:49,600 seasons come and the wind that's dry blows and the rain doesn't fall, those trees stand strong. 100 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:57,600 We've seen it in Daniel as a picture of the life of King Nebuchadnezzar. Jesus uses it as both positive 101 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:04,600 and negative, the tree and their fruits. And usually when we think about our life as a tree, we think 102 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:13,600 about the impact that it has. We focus on what we can see, the strength or the usefulness gives shades, the birds 103 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:20,600 have a place to rest, or the fruitfulness of this tree. But I would tell you that those big things we 104 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:26,600 think about, the strength of the tree, the endurance of the tree, the fruit of the tree, come not from 105 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:31,600 what we see but from what we don't. They come from the roots of that tree. And for Daniel it's the same way. 106 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:37,600 We see that he is faithful day after day, that he is hard-working, he makes good decisions, he stands for 107 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:45,600 what is right, but that is the fruit of the reality that his roots are anchored in the God who reigns. And 108 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:52,600 so if we look at our life and we say, "How can I be faithful like Daniel?" The answer is, "Where are your roots 109 00:15:52,600 --> 00:16:01,320 planted?" We see it throughout this book, in Daniel chapter 1, because it's a 110 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,600 planted in God, he is able to draw a line in the stand and stand for what's right. In 111 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:11,600 Daniel chapter 2, because his roots are found in the Almighty God, he is able to both pray, praise, 112 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:17,600 and proclaim God's word to the king. In Daniel chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as 113 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,600 they face the fiery furnace, are able to stand for what is right because their roots are anchored 114 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:29,600 to the rock that keeps them in the midst of the storm. In Daniel chapter 4, Daniel is able 115 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:34,600 to call the king to repent of his pride and stand in righteousness, because his roots 116 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:41,600 are dug down deep to the place where they are nourished by the goodness of God. The same is 117 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:50,600 true in Daniel chapter 5. And so what you find is Daniel's faithfulness, even though it draws 118 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:57,600 the envy of others, the administrators and the satraps, they can't in his work. This integrity 119 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:06,600 and this faithfulness of life comes because Daniel has put his trust in the Almighty God. And what we 120 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:14,600 find is that faithfulness often involves opposition rather than ease. And so in the next section, Daniel 121 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:21,600 beginning in verse 6 through verse 9, these opponents of Daniel go to the king, and they come to the king 122 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:26,600 with flowery words, and they say, "Look, here's what we think should happen because you are a great 123 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:35,600 king. You should have an injunction and enforce this ordinance and injunction that whoever makes 124 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:45,600 a petition to any God or man for 30 days except to you shall be cast into the den of lions." 125 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:51,600 And so the king, I think flattered by this, says, "You know what? It is good. I am pretty great. 126 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:55,600 I think people should pray to me." And so I think without thinking, 127 00:17:55,600 --> 00:18:07,600 he signs this injunction that anyone who prays to anyone, asks anything of anyone other than the king, 128 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:14,600 will be thrown into the den of lions, and it ends like this, "Therefore, King Darius signed the document and the injunction." 129 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,600 What might be our response to this if we're Daniel? 130 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:28,600 Wouldn't it easy to be say, "I've done enough, I've served enough, and here I am in my twilight years going, 131 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:34,600 you know what, do I really need to fight this battle?" Right, Paul knew this battle. 132 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:42,600 We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that it made us rely not on ourselves, but on the God who raises the dead. 133 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:47,600 Or a little later in 2 Corinthians, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed. 134 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:55,600 Perplexed, but not driven to despair. And what we find is opposition reveals who it is we truly trust. 135 00:18:55,600 --> 00:19:06,600 And what you find is as the world presses in, it drives us deeper, or it should drive us deeper, into our relationship with God. 136 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,600 You see, Daniel's enemies plot against him, but Daniel doesn't panic. 137 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:18,600 He didn't call in favors. He didn't compromise. Instead, he just does what he has always done. 138 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:20,600 Pick it up in verse 10. 139 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:28,600 Then Daniel knew that the document had been signed. He went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. 140 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:35,600 Notice this. He knows this document's been signed. Goes into his house. Goes upstairs in his house. 141 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:42,600 He has windows. He's aware of these windows, and he has intentionally opened these windows because they're open toward Jerusalem. 142 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:47,600 He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God. 143 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:54,600 What does he do? He thanks God as he had done previously. Faithfulness that just keeps going. 144 00:19:54,600 --> 00:20:00,600 And then these men came by agreement, found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 145 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:07,600 Daniel knows what has happened and nothing has changed. It's one thing to be faithful when it's easy. 146 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,600 It's another thing as you face certain death. 147 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,600 You know what the temptation might be for Daniel? Just simply close the windows. 148 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:22,600 Right? They're open. Close them. We're fine. I'm still praying to God. 149 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:27,600 I'm not worshiping another God. I just don't have to do it with the windows open. 150 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:32,600 He doesn't have to make a big deal about it. Just close the windows. 151 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:39,600 Or maybe pray in his mind. Maybe not with his posture, but God hears the inward thoughts of our heart. 152 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:44,600 Daniel could pray like that. Daniel knows this decree. He knows the cost. 153 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:49,600 He opens his windows. He kneels and prays exactly as he always has. 154 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:55,600 He's not making a public scene. It's just what he's always done. It's his private devotion. 155 00:20:55,600 --> 00:21:02,600 You see, faithfulness for Daniel is formed in his quiet daily habits before he's even in crisis. 156 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,600 Look at what it says, "As he had done previously." 157 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:12,600 One of the reasons Daniel is so anchored in God is because he has done so in the small ways, day after day after day. 158 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:17,600 So when he gets to the big way, he is able to continue. 159 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:23,600 The strength to stand for what is right is forged in the quiet place of communion with God. 160 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:28,600 And your weariness might whisper, "You've done enough." 161 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,600 What does faith answer with that God is worthy? 162 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:39,600 And notice that endurance isn't about running as fast as you can, it's about the direction in which you are going. 163 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:44,600 And what you practice in private will shape how you stand in public. 164 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:52,600 And what happens next is these government officials in sort of the ultimate "gotcha" moment run to the king. 165 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,600 And there's several verses where they remind the king of the decree. 166 00:21:55,600 --> 00:22:00,600 Remember you signed this? He's like, "Yep, I've signed it. We found somebody who's not doing it. Who are they?" 167 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,600 They said, "It's Daniel." 168 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:07,600 And when the king heard these words, he was much distressed. 169 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,600 He set his mind to deliver Daniel, and he will labor all day. 170 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:13,600 It's likely that Daniel wakes up the morning of the decree. 171 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,600 He prays like he always has as the sun is coming up. 172 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:20,600 They run and tell the king, and now the king has all day. 173 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,600 And he tries to rescue Daniel. He tries to find a loophole. 174 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:30,600 And finally these guys come, and they say, "No, O king, that it is the law of Medes and Persians, 175 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:35,600 no injunction or ordinance that the king established can be changed." 176 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,600 And so they remind the king of what happens next. 177 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,600 And the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions, 178 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:49,600 and the king declared to Daniel, "May the God whom you serve continually deliver you." 179 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:55,600 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own swords 180 00:22:55,600 --> 00:23:01,600 that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel." 181 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:08,600 I want you to see God's faithful presence in the darkness of the lion's den. 182 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:18,600 So the king is unable to sleep, no meals, no drink, no entertainment, and at the break of day, 183 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:23,600 the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions, and he came near to the den where Daniel was. 184 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:30,600 He cried out in a tone of anguish, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually, 185 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:34,600 there it is, the faithfulness again, has been able to deliver you from the lions." 186 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:41,600 And then Daniel answers this way, "O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouth, 187 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:47,600 and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him, and also before you, 188 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:59,600 O king, I have done no harm." What you find next is that as this continues, the king then, very gladly, 189 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:05,600 rescues Daniel from the lion's den. He will then take those who had accused Daniel 190 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:09,600 and give them the same fate that they had planned for Daniel, not just for them, 191 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:16,600 but for their families who are immediately eaten. And then Darius writes this, "To all the peoples, nations, 192 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:21,600 languages that dwell on earth, peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion 193 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:27,600 people are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever. 194 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:33,600 His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues. 195 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:39,600 He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He has saved Daniel from the power of the lions." 196 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:45,600 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 197 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:53,600 What you find, I think, for us, is the danger for us often is not in the middle of trials, 198 00:24:53,600 --> 00:25:00,600 it's what happens before we get there. What is our heart focused on? Where is our hope found? 199 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,600 It can even be found in our comfort, as we seek that above obedience. 200 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:10,600 Paul once writes this in 2 Timothy, "Demus, in love with this present world, has deserted me." 201 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:16,600 And sometimes, it's not the persecution, but it's the comfort that can draw our hearts away. 202 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:26,600 How easy would it have been for Daniel, year after year, decade after decade, to just simply say, "My hope is found here in the things that I have." 203 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:32,600 But Daniel's peace wasn't rooted in his ease, it was anchored in the living God. 204 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:37,600 Notice that the promise is not that Daniel would escape the lions, and we know he does, 205 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:41,600 but it's that God is with him in the midst of it. 206 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:50,600 And while the mouth of lions were shut, the praise of God rings throughout this nation. 207 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:56,600 Daniel's story, as we notice, doesn't end with just simply him climbing out of the lions, 208 00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:01,600 a decree declaring that the God of Daniel is a living God, enduring forever. 209 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:12,600 He delivers and he rescues. God's faithfulness is seen in the life of Daniel, and Daniel's faithfulness magnifies God's reign. 210 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:18,600 And that's the invitation for us this morning, to live in such a way that when trials come, 211 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:23,600 or comfort calls us to simply stop, our world sees that God reigns. 212 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,600 And I want to bring two things to you this morning. 213 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,600 One is that there is a danger in pride and jealousy. 214 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:37,600 We've seen it throughout this book, this group that has opposed God's people in pride and in jealousy. 215 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:42,600 And if you are living in pride and jealousy, it will fester, it will keep you from joy. 216 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:51,600 Always trying to tear down others, it ruins our contentment, and at the end it brings you to the very thing you are trying to avoid. 217 00:26:51,600 --> 00:27:00,600 But secondly, I want you to see there is hopefulness in the faithfulness of God, that He is the rock in every storm, 218 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:05,600 and that when we face the darkness of the lion's den, we are not alone. 219 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:14,600 So maybe it's the roar of opposition, or maybe it's the whispers of weariness, maybe it's the call of comfort. 220 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:24,600 We hear these words by the King, directed to the nation, that God delivers, and He rescues. 221 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:29,600 And the same thing to shut the mouths of lions, I think, still holds His people fast. 222 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:33,600 And because He reigns, we can be unshaken. 223 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:39,600 Father in heaven, we live in a shaky world, and we live sometimes shaky lives. 224 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:46,600 We ask that you would free us from pride and jealousy, and our desire to lift ourselves up, 225 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:50,600 and that you would direct us to faithfulness in you. 226 00:27:50,600 --> 00:28:00,600 That we would see your goodness and your grace and your faithfulness, especially as we walk through the difficulties of life. 227 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,600 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.