Daniel #7 - The Lions' Den (Oct 25, 2020)

Daniel 6:1-28

Introduction: We are continuing our series in Daniel to learn from his example of exile in Babylon and how it can serve as a model for us today. After King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and ransacked Jerusalem, Daniel was taken away from his home and brought into a strange land. The Bible, in fact, teaches that every person is an exile – when Adam and Eve chose independence from God, humanity was exiled from Eden, away from the presence of God and life as he created it to be. The Bible also teaches that to be a Christian is to be an exile; to be a citizen of the kingdom of Jesus means that we are never fully home in any earthly kingdom, nation or place. The story of the Lions’ Den raises and answers 3 questions about life in exile to guide us in remaining faithful to God - no matter what - and helping us to remember that God will be faithful to us, even in most challenging and terrifying of circumstances.

1. What’s the Real Threat? 

That’s easy – the hungry, ferocious creature with huge, sharp teeth and claws! But notice how the story doesn’t emphasize any particular fear of the lions on the part of Daniel? On the other hand, King Darius – the one who made (or ultimately agreed to) the decree – is a mess.  He spent the night fasting, unable to sleep, while Daniel is calm and composed throughout. This sounds incredible, but Daniel was able to identify the real threat – and once he dealt with this, he was able to handle the lesser (though very real!) threat of the lions’ den.

The real threat was not about losing his life in the lion’s den; it was that he might lose his trust in God because of the lion’s den. Here at 80+ years old, Daniel was faced again with what the Bible presents as the greatest threat to a human being: to trust anything other than God with our lives, security and destiny. That is the greatest danger and threat; the bible tells us all sin stems from unbelief, not trusting God to be who He is and do what he said he will do.

Throughout his life in exile, Daniel faced this threat: do I trust and obey God when it is safe and comfortable and makes sense to me? OR do I trust and obey God - period, no matter what?  This question is of central importance at all times but especially important in seasons of exile. When we face challenges, disruption and trials, can we identify the real threat?

2. How Should We Respond?

Daniel saw the real threat. So what was his response? v10 says he did “just as he had done before”. Daniel acted like nothing changed! When a new ruler, a new kingdom, a new threat and vicious attack were directed at him, Daniel went to his house to pray, with windows open to Jerusalem, down on his knees, praying and giving thanks to God – as he always had.

The story is very careful to make sure we know that Daniel didn’t pray because of the decree that would put his very life in danger. He prayed because that is what he always did. Prayer was what trained him to see the real threats to his faith and how to handle them – calmly.

Thus, this is not a case for SOS/emergency prayer (although God certainly hears those too!) but rather a case for regular, habitual, everyday prayer as the most powerful response to threats we know and threats that we don’t know about yet. What does a rhythm of prayer like this accomplish?

• ·It puts us back in our place – a seemingly small detail is that Daniel got down on his knees; but as CS Lewis wrote, the body ought to pray as the soul. Another commentator said: “[Kneeling] reminds you of your true position. It’s as if you say, ‘I am a servant. He is the King. I do not live in a democracy but under a monarchy… I am always a beggar at the throne of grace, and though it a throne of grace, I never forget it is a throne’”. Remember that Daniel was already a very powerful man in the Persian government, but he knew his place before the Almighty God.

• It puts everything else back into place – literally the entire government has lined up against Daniel – and his response is to pray. Which is proven more powerful in the end? An important learning from this is that prayer is political. The very act of true prayer is politically subversive because by kneeling before God as King you are saying NOTHING has more authority/power than God and his law. And yet, which side was doing more good to their country and its people?Let this be a reminder that our goal is not to defeat an opponent or win a culture war, but rather – by our lives, words and actions – to follow and bear witness to our true King and his kingdom.

3. What Result Can We Expect?

So when we respond to threats by trusting in God, what result can we expect?  The story of the Lions’ Den tells us: God will overrule all threats and evil intentions to rescue all who trust in Him. But this does NOT mean:

• If we are faithful, trust and obey Him, God won’t allow us to face the lions’ den

• If we are faithful, trust and obey Him, God won’t let us go into the lions’ den

• If we are faithful, trust and obey Him, God must deliver us from the lion’s den

In Daniel’s case, God’s rescue comes in and through the lions’ den – Daniel had to enter, and God brought him out and accomplished his will through this trial. God promises us that he will stand with us and never desert us. He will overrule even death itself for the one who trusts in Him. Don’t be afraid of the lion’s mouth. The worst that can happen is that we would be safely brought into his heavenly kingdom. (see 2 Tim. 4:16-18).

The person who believes this will be bold and calm, no matter how serious the threat may seem. In order to have this kind of bold, calm trust – we have to see that Daniel points us to an even greater Daniel who faced an even greater threat. Like Daniel, Jesus was innocent of any and all charges yet framed by the jealous leaders of his day, arrested while on his knees in prayer, pronounced guilty even though innocent, put in a tomb cut out of rock and sealed away.  But unlike Daniel, who escaped unscathed, Jesus was whipped, beaten, nailed to a cross, suffered and died. When the stone was rolled over his tomb, He was dead. But on the first light of the 3rd day – he rose in an even greater triumph and vindication than Daniel.

If Jesus is alive, then for the one who trusts Him and boldly obeys him, death is not to be feared. If Jesus is alive and risen, you are loved by the sovereign king of the universe, and nothing is more powerful than this sovereign God who loves you; even death is not the end. This means no matter what threat we are facing – you can trust in Jesus. He promises to overrule all threats and evil against us and work it for our ultimate good.

REFLECT OR DISCUSS

1. What about the message is most relevant to you today? What questions did it raise?

2. What do you see as the greatest threat in your life right now? Why? How might this story help you reframe this threat in light of the greater threat to trust something other than God for your rescue, security and destiny? What are you tempted to trust in other than God to deal with this threat?

3. What is your reaction to Daniel’s response to the threat he faced – to continue his practice of everyday regular kneeling prayer? How would this help him face the terrifying threat of death in a lions den? How might this practice help you face your threats?

4. What is your current practice of prayer? How can you take steps toward a more regular rhythm of prayer? How can other people help make this happen?

5. Read Psalm 22 and look for the references to the lion’s mouth. This Psalm was the Psalm in Jesus’ heart and on his lips as he was dying. What difference does it make when we believe Jesus went into the greater Lion’s mouth of the cross for us? What difference does it make as we face threats to know he was victorious over death and is alive? \

6. Below are the two results we can expect from the person who trusts in Jesus no matter what threat they are facing. Which do you most need right now?

   • Uncompromising boldness: If Jesus gave it all for me, I can be bold and risk it all for Him. When I do, he will be with me. Like Daniel in the den, I will never be alone.

   • Unflinching calm: Since Jesus is alive, I don’t need to rely on human wisdom, power and strength. Nothing is stronger than the power of quiet faithfulness to God. As Daniel faced the lions calmly on his knees, I can calmly trust God no matter what.

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Daniel #6 - The Writing on the Wall (Oct 18, 2020)

Daniel 5:1-30

Introduction: We are continuing our series in Daniel to learn from his example of exile in Babylon and understand how it can be significant for us today. After King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and ransacked Jerusalem, life as normal was gone for Daniel. He couldn’t worship at the temple. He was taken captive to Babylon, and he was called to serve in a tense political and cultural climate. In exile, Daniel had to wrestle with core questions of faith like never before. There is a profound application for our lives as we are also living in a kind of exile: a post-Christian, politically toxic, painfully divided, pandemic-centered world, where everything has changed. The hopeful truth we can learn from Daniel is that his life in exile shaped his faith and character for the better. Even when the future seems unclear, God is still in control, and He calls us to humble ourselves and draw near to Him.

A Tale of Two Kings | A contrast between two kings set the tone for God’s final judgment on Babylon as witnessed by Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had built Babylon into a great empire. He was a conqueror, a strong ruler, and a terror to anyone who opposed him. King Belshazzar was the opposite: a partier and a drunkard who built nothing. He held a feast and desecrated gold and silver vessels originally taken from the temple in Jerusalem to commemorate his idols. Nebuchadnezzar had eventually humbled himself before God, but Belshazzar refused to do the same even though he knew of God’s sovereignty. The writing on the wall, interpreted by Daniel, is a stark reminder of what will come of those who do not humble themselves before an almighty God. After Daniel interpreted the message, King Belshazzar was killed, and his kingdom was divided and given into the hands of the Medes. At the movement of a finger, the great kingdom of Babylon was no more.

1. A Comedy 

The story of King Belshazzar is one of comedy. The circumstances of his fear and his mother’s consolation of him are certainly comedic, but what is more laughable is when earthly rulers lift themselves up to the place of God. Our proud claims, attempts at glory, and illusions of power are laughable to God. God is characteristically opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (Ps 2:4, Jam 4:6). We must not take this to mean that all human affairs are so far beneath Him that He does not consider us and our suffering. God always wants to reorient us to Himself, and He does so in a variety of ways. The writing on the wall can help us clear up our thinking, take a lighter stance toward our circumstances, and redirect us to what is most important. Consider today. If God is real and Jesus is at His right hand, then anyone who acts like this isn’t true, especially politicians and leaders, are themselves part of a comedy. The writing is on the wall for every human kingdom, every Tower of Babel, and every Babylon, so let us not join in Belshazzar’s feast!

2. A Tragedy

The story of King Belshazzar is one of tragedy. It is about what happens when a person does not humble their heart before God. The writing is on the wall for all human pride. The tragedy is when we know this but don’t humble our hearts

1. The Tragedy of Prideful Knowledge - King Belshazzar did not humble himself even though he “knew” about God and what had happened with Nebuchadnezzar before him (5:22). King Belshazzar did not allow his head knowledge to impact his heart. Knowledge alone won’t change us until we humble our hearts. Daniel’s words to Belshazzar are equally true for us: “But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life” (5:23). The writing on the wall is not just for someone else. It is for us, and our hearts must embrace it.

2. The Tragedy of Distraction - King Belshazzar was feasting when he should have been mourning and grieving his sin. We know that Belshazzar did not humble his heart before God, but a good question is: how do we humble our heartsw? The book of James helps us here: The gap between the head and the heart is the gap of grieving. James reminds us that humbling ourselves is mourning, and drawing near to God is grieving (Jam 4:7-10). He is not saying to live in perpetual gloom but to mourn and grieve when necessary. Let us not forget that even in a pandemic, it is possible to feast and miss the writing on the wall. Anything we build apart from God in pride is opposed by God and will fall

3. A Victory

The story of King Belshazzar is not merely a comedy about when people try to play God, nor a tragedy of living in pride, but also a victory for the kingdom of God. When God seemed most absent and weak, mocked by Belshazzar’s idolatrous feast, He was working out a victory that no one in Babylon could stop. God took out Babylon by the movement of a finger, and it points to something much greater: God is always in control. The writing is on the wall for all sin, all idolatry, all injustice, evil, and even death itself.

Even though the future is often unclear, and everything can seem like a fog around us, this story tells us that some things remain clear and apparent. The writing is on the wall for all human pride and arrogance. God’s kingdom has come to us in Jesus Christ. God is in control, and He is working things together for good. Just when it seemed like God was absent and mocked, He was working a victory over Babylon that would bring down the prideful kingdom forever. When Jesus was being mocked and ridiculed on the cross, he was bringing an end to all sin, suffering and death. He was opening up his kingdom to the humble. In Jesus, we have something better than a finger writing on a wall to remind us. His victory over sin, evil and human pride, assure us that, even when we can’t see it – He is at work and will never forsake the humble who take refuge in Him.

REFLECT OR DISCUSS

1. What about the message is most relevant to you today? What encouraged you? Challenged you?

2. Have you ever experienced a time in life in which the “writing was on the wall”? How did your realization impact your behavior?

3. Read Psalm 2. How does God’s laughter help us return to reason?

4. Can you think of any other biblical examples in which a character’s pride gets in the way of their relationship with God? What are ways in which your pride gets in the way of your relationship with God?

5. Which tragedy - prideful knowledge or distraction - is most relevant to you? Have you ever acted like Belshazzar? How? How did it turn out?

6. Read James 4:7-10. What about this passage challenges you as you humble yourself and “draw near to God?” What place does morning and grieving have in humbling our hearts and keeping us from pride? What are ways we can learn to lament and mourn over all the challenges we are facing currently?

7. How could God be working in your life today to remind you of your victory in Christ? Is there some head knowledge that has yet to sink into your heart?

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Daniel #5 - The One in Charge (Oct 11, 2020)

Daniel 4:1-37

Introduction: We are continuing our series in Daniel to learn from his example of exile in Babylon and understand how it can be significant for us today. After King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and ransacked Jerusalem, life as normal was gone for Daniel – he couldn’t worship at the temple, he was taken captive to Babylon; he was called to live (and serve!) in a political and cultural climate that put immense pressure on him to fear or compromise. In exile, Daniel had to wrestle with core questions of faith like he never had before. There is profound application for our lives as we are also living in a kind of exile: a post-Christian, politically toxic, painfully divided, pandemic-centered world, where everything has changed. But the hopeful truth about Daniel is that his life in exile formed his faith and character in a way that would not have happened had life remained “normal” for him. Daniel was written to give us hope that this can be true of us too.

The Deep Question | When we are living through hard times, trials, a pandemic, or political upheaval (or all of the above), there is a question underneath all the other questions, a question underneath all our fears, anxieties and anger: Who’s in charge? Are political leaders in charge? Scientists? The pandemic itself? Am I in charge? What about my personal rights, my desires, my fears? Or is a good, wise and loving God still in control and at work? This passage was written to show us the power of knowing in the core of our hearts that God is in control – even when it doesn’t seem like it to us.

1. Who’s in Charge? 

Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most powerful rulers in history – and he knew it (v4). But he experiences yet another dream that eludes his wise men and greatly frightens him. Only Daniel is able to provide the explanation that he seeks.  In this dream, a giant and splendid tree – which in the Ancient Near East was a common symbol for a great kingdom – is chopped down by an order from heaven.  But why?

v17 tells us: This is so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and give[s] it to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over it. In other words, to show Nebuchadnezzar (and everyone else) who is in charge. The purpose of the dream is to inform those who think 1) ‘I am in charge’ that God is in charge – not you. 2) ‘Those with power and influence over my life are in charge’ that God is in charge – not them; God rules over all.

Although it looks like Nebuchadnezzar has the upper hand on Daniel and the Jewish people, this is not the case. God is Most High! God can reduce the mightiest ruler to a beast – crawling around and eating grass. God is saying ‘don’t be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar; don’t live in anxiety as if your life depended on political powers, cultural forces, or personal challenges… I am Most High. I am in charge’.  This is a truth we need to believe deeply into our core. But did Nebuchadnezzar himself learn it?  And how do we do it today?

2. How We Learn Who’s in Charge

If we’re being honest, the interpretation (and solution) to the dream is fairly obvious. But how did Nebuchadnezzar miss it? He was simply too prideful to admit that he wasn’t actually in charge. He only learned the truth when he was chopped down; humbled like a wild beast. Most of the time, that is truly the only way for us let go of our pride: to have it completely and utterly taken away – or, in other words, have our tree chopped down.

But Nebuchadnezzar had a chance – Daniel advised (and perhaps even desired?) that he humble himself before God. Of course, the Bible tells us that Nebuchadnezzar did not take this advice. But what might be the most humbling thing of all is the great lengths to which we will go in order to avoid humility (particularly in times of comfort or success), even when we intellectually understand the truth.  Our hope is the great lengths that God will go in order to teach us who is in charge – not because He is hating us, but because He loves us and wants to save us from ourselves.

The best thing that can happen to us is whatever it takes for us to realize that God is in charge. Nebuchadnezzar was looking down on high from his palace. He then suddenly found himself in the grass looking down (humbled). But in v34 we see how he finally learned - “I looked up to heaven and my sanity was restored”.

• Humility in the Bible is not learned by looking down on ourselves; that is another form of self-obsession. True humility is learned by looking up – to heaven.

The gospel is that the Most High King humbled himself to save us. He didn’t just humble himself to experience what man experienced, to come down to walk on the earth and feel the grass between his toes; He went down much further than that. Far more shocking, more unbelievable than a man becoming a beast, is God becoming a man to die. It’s the only way anyone could be saved. This is the most humbling message of all – in our sin we can do nothing to save itself, God must do everything. In his love, seeing we can do nothing, Jesus willingly humbled himself for us.

3. What Happens When We Learn This

Did Nebuchadnezzar truly learn humility? Archaeologists have found inscriptions on buildings where he claimed to be a just, meek and humble man. While we may never get an answer about Nebuchadnezzar, but from this story, we can see what happens to the person who truly learns humility.

1. (The end of) Vanity: We are no longer the center of the world; rather the focus is on God and others. ‘True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue.’  

2. Sanity: If God is indeed Most High, then pride in ourselves is the greatest insanity – that is, thinking that we are in charge, or living as if any other human being or leader has control of the outcome. Sanity in this sense leads to praying (as we were meant to) that God will give us whatever will teach us humility.

3. Humanity: Humility humanizes us. Humble people humanize others. Pride separates and dehumanizes. So much in our culture today can only be described as savage – physical attacks, demeaning and degrading words, violence – pride makes us beasts not human beings.

 Christianity as a belief system, when understood and lived correctly, is more humbling than any other BUT IS ALSO more humanizing than any other belief system.  The logical end of secularism concludes that we are merely the most accomplished of beasts, while other religious-based belief systems feed human pride based on our personal piety and good works (the good are in, the bad are out; the moral are above the immoral). The Gospel, though, says that the humble are in and the proud are out. Everyone is in equal need of Jesus. To be a Christian is to believe that our only hope in life is that the Most High God humbled himself to save us. A lack of humility in a sinner saved by grace is a slap in the face of the Most High God – the one who is in charge who humbled himself to save us.

REFLECT OR DISCUSS

1. What about the message is most relevant to you today? What encouraged you? Challenged you?

2. Do you agree that the question underneath our anxiety, fear and anger in troubling times is the question “Who’s in charge?” Why or why not?

3. What difference would it have made for the Jewish exile to know that Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t really in charge over them? What difference would it make for you to believe that God is in charge over your most challenging circumstance right now? How can we remember God is in charge when it seems like other things are ruling over our lives?

4. How did Nebuchadnezzar learn that he wasn’t in charge? Why do most of us have to be “chopped down” in order to finally look up to God in humility.

5. How does the gospel humble us more than any other belief system? How does the gospel humanize us more than any other belief system?

6. How can humility help with our sanity, our mental health, in such challenging times?

7. Where are you most struggling with pride? How is this affecting your life and relationships? What might a step toward humility look like for you?

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Daniel #4 - The Fire (Oct 4, 2020)

Daniel 3:1-30

Introduction: We are continuing our series in Daniel to learn from his example of exile in Babylon and understand how it can be significant for us today. The book of Daniel has a lot to say about going through tough times but remaining faithful to God at all costs. Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and ransacked Jerusalem. Though they faced temptations to fully assimilate into Babylonian culture, Daniel and his friends actually experienced a strengthening of their faith in God and their witness for him during their time of exile. That is why this book is so important for us right now – exile meant that Daniel and his friends had lost their “normal lives”, including their normal structure of worship. Their faith was tested in every way possible – mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual – in what can be called a “crucible” of faith. BUT God reveals that he is in control over the crucible and is at work in it.. The fire of exile, which feels like it might consume our faith, can actually deepen and strengthen it.

Definition: a Crucible of Faith | A “crucible” is a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change and/or development. In simpler terms, it is a vessel used to burn something in a fire at an extremely high temperature. In this passage, the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shows us 3 things about living in a time of exile and experiencing a crucible of faith.

1. The Pressure to Worship is Intense

The first thing this passage shows us about life in the crucible of exile is that we will feel intense pressure to worship whatever we think will get us through. Worship in the Bible is not simply about singing songs or attending Sunday service. It’s what is at the core of everything we do. Here are some thoughts to consider:

1. Every person worships. We don’t choose if we worship, we chose what we worship. Every human being has a controlling center – what we value, seek and serve before anything else. When we dig deep down to the core of what drives us, it is worship (what we were made of). Perhaps this is why the very first Commandment is “You shall not have any other gods before me”. Obeying all the other commands hinges on this 1st Commandment because everything else hinges on worship.

2. Every person & every culture/nation sets up gods to replace God. The most repeated word in this passage is the one translated in English as “set up”, which is repeated 10 times! People are worshipping something set up (ie. man-made). We all – collectively and individually – set up other gods to replace God; even when these are “good” things, the problem arises when we make them ultimate things.

3. In exile, the pressure to worship (ie to idolatry) is intense. For many of us, the things we have most valued, served and sought are lost, gone, threatened, or simply not coming through for us; things that we have feared and dreaded are happening, or the fear of them happening is paralyzing us. And we are perhaps realizing for the first time that these weren’t just good things we wanted, but actually things that we worship (safety, control, comfort, security); gods that we have set up, good things made into ultimate things.

2. The Nature of Our Faith Is Revealed

In the intense pressure of Babylonian exile – the pressure to worship and bow down before the statute or face the fiery furnace – one of the most famous and powerful declarations of true faith in the whole Bible is produced (vv.16-18):

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

These three young men are declaring their belief that God can deliver them (and us!). They are trusting him to deliver them from the furnace and EVEN IF he does not, they are still going to worship and trust Him alone. Their faith reveals something so important about the nature of genuine faith:

Genuine faith means serving and seeking God for God; it is NOT serving and seeking God for what we get/expect from Him, or serving and seeking as long as He comes through for us in the way we demand.

When the crucible comes, fire comes in the form of suffering and hardship and the nature of our faith is revealed. Are we trusting God? Or are we trusting God + our idea of what God should give us/do for us?

3. The Promises of God Are Our Hope (in the Fire)

How can we have a faith in God like this? This passage not only shows us what faith is, it builds and forms our faith by showing us what God promises to us when the fire comes and what he does not. This is the difference between faith that is consumed and faith that is refined in the fire/crucible of suffering/pressure of exile:

1. God doesn’t promise to deliver us from the fire.. 1 Peter 4:12: Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. The Bible tells us that there is no way to fire-proof our lives – suffering will consume our faith if we falsely believe that God will fire-proof our lives if we accomplish specific things, live a certain way, believe hard enough, and pray fervently enough.

2. God promises to deliver us through the fire. Even though it would have made for an incredible story, God did not send mighty angels to strike down the king’s soldiers and deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to safety (and glory). They went into the furnace. BUT this is where we find out what our faith is truly in.

3. God promises to be with us in the fire. Although only 3 went in, the king sees 4 men in the furnace! This is the angel of the Lord, the presence of God in human form, saying: in the fire I will be with you in the most personal way possible – you will not be alone, ever. This is the promise of the passage.

4. God promises to deliver us from the greatest fire. This story also points us to another time when God entered a furnace to deliver his people And because of that, a day is coming when the final furnace will remove all of the brokenness, idolatry and troubles in our fallen world (Malachi 4:1-2, Matthew 13:42, 50). – and that is a furnace that no person’s life would make it through, except for Jesus. Jesus went through the greatest furnace for us and for our healing; He will not let the crucible harm us but will use it for our good, and He is the one entirely deserving of our worship and our trust!

REFLECT OR DISCUSS

1. What about the message is most relevant to you? How do you feel the challenge of the “new normal” is impacting you most right now? Do you relate (or not) to the image of a crucible for the times we are living in?

2. How are you feeling the pressure to worship (serve, seek and trust) whatever will get your through this crucible? Are their good things in your life that you have come to realize that you have “set up” as an idol to worship?

3. The bible says suffering relates to our faith as fire relates to gold. The fire reveals what our faith is in; it reveals the genuineness of our faith. It can also lead to a refined faith. What do you notice about the 3 men’s profession of faith in 3:16-18? What would it look like for you to make this kind of profession in the fire we are currently experiencing?

4. What enables us to trust God even when he doesn’t carry out our agenda, doesn’t answer our prayers and doesn’t come through for us in the way we expect Him to?

5. Of the 4 points under “The Promises of God” above, which do you think you most need to remember? How have you learned to find hope in God’s promises? How does knowing that Jesus went into the greater furnace for us give us hope that he will deliver us through this (smaller yet real) furnaces we face?

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Daniel #3 - The Dream of a Kingdom (Sep 27, 2020)

Daniel 2:31-49

Introduction: We are continuing our series in Daniel to learn from his example of exile in Babylon and understand how it can be significant for us today. The book of Daniel has a lot to say about going through tough times but remaining faithful to God at all costs. Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and ransacked Jerusalem. Though they faced temptations to fully assimilate into Babylonian culture, Daniel and his friends persisted in seeking the kingdom of God over the kingdom of man. This was not easy because it meant adjusting to a new normal. Not only did this new normal result in a political and spiritual crisis, but also a personal crisis. Like Daniel, we are exiles today adjusting to a new normal. The temptation for us is to trust in earthly kingdoms, but God reveals to us in the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar that it is his kingdom that we should ultimately place our trust in.

The Vision of a Kingdom Crushed

Dreams in Scripture can often be confusing and draw upon numerous themes that leave even the brightest scholars puzzled. Yet, we have seen in Daniel chapter two that God granted divine wisdom to Daniel to reveal and interpret a recurring dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel reveals this dream as a magnificent statue of different metals and clay that gets smashed to pieces by a stone. The terrifying interpretation of this dream is related to the dismal future of the Babylonian kingdom, and for King Nebuchadnezzar it tied directly to his legacy. We can only imagine how troubled we would have felt if we would have experienced a similar recurring dream in 2019 of how our aspirations for 2020 were to be crushed. The significance of this passage for us is that God wants to reorient us from living for a dream of a kingdom that won’t last to a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

1. The Kingdoms We Live In

First, the dream reveals to us the truth about the kingdoms we live in. We cannot escape the obvious political nature of the dream’s interpretation. Daniel reveals to King Nebuchadnezzar that the kingdom of Babylon relates to the head, and that after Babylon, numerous kingdoms will come. One temptation for us is to focus solely on decoding the dream in relation to a chronology of earthly kingdoms. Rather, the dream and its interpretation challenges us to take on a new perspective:

1. God is sovereign over the kingdoms we live in - Though this concept is difficult for us to comprehend, it nevertheless resolves one of our most fundamental questions: Is history (and my life) in the hands of the leaders and kingdoms of the world, or in the hands of a sovereign God? If it is in the hands of God then we have an ultimate answer to panic, despair, division, and the new normal. This is not to diminish our genuine struggles and concerns; it is to reorient us from placing our ultimate hope in the kingdoms we live in. 

2. God’s purpose does not depend on the kingdoms we live in - The kingdoms of the world come and go, but God’s purpose will prevail beyond their existence. Our temptation is to trust in the politics of worldly kingdoms. Many Christians claim loyalty to the purposes of particular political parties and celebrate this as if it is equal to the purpose of God. Daniel’s interpretation gives us a new vantage point. In politically tumultuous times we must step back and reacquire our perspective on the vantage point of the existence of earthly kingdoms from the perspective of heaven.

2. The Kingdom That Will Last

The king’s dream shows us the difference between the kingdoms humans build and the kingdoms that God builds. The stone in the dream contrasts with the dazzling statue in a way that shows how we perceive earthly kingdoms in contrast to God’s kingdom. Earthly kingdoms often seem dazzling, glorious, and strong, but God’s kingdom can seem small, weak, and unremarkable - like a stone. For Daniel, this was good news because God was in control and at work to establish his kingdom – even though it didn’t look like it to Daniel and the exiles. For us, it is even better news because we know what the stone means today. Jesus relates the stone in this dream with the rejection he faced from his people. In Luke 20:17-18 Jesus says “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” The significance is astounding! Jesus is the stone that comes to crush human dreams of kingdoms that we make so that we might build our lives on the kingdom that lasts. We can often feel like our dreams are shattered and our hope is diminished based on the kingdoms and situations we see around us. But a gospel lens will help us see that, even in exile, the kingdom of God alluded to in Daniel has come to us in Jesus Christ, and it will one day come again to stand alone forever.

3. How God Gives Us Wisdom

There are certainly macro-level implications for kingdoms and nations of the world evident in the king’s dream, but what about for the individuals involved, like King Nebuchadnezzar himself? This was his dream after all. Following Daniel’s correct interpretation, he fell face down and worshipped Daniel. The immediate question is whether this was sincere or not. Sadly, the context makes it clear that it was not. In the very next chapter, we see King Nebuchadnezzar at work on building another statue. It was as if he was thinking that he could still do something differently in spite of his confrontation with the kingdom that lasts. The fact that he reacted this way may seem silly, but what do we do today when our dreams for the future are shattered unexpectedly? Don’t we often do the same thing as King Nebuchadnezzar? Though we see our own dreams for the future crushed we hold onto them anyway, sometimes in outright defiance and anger. Like the king, this is building upon the kingdom of self. God invites us to live not for the kingdom of self, but for His kingdom: the kingdom that lasts. This kingdom is not established by human effort alone and it may seem insignificant to us at the moment, but it is more powerful than any human kingdom. The kingdom of God lives on forever.

REFLECT OR DISCUSS

1. What about the message is most relevant to you today? How do you feel the challenge of the “new normal” has impacted you most?

2. Do you understand the political nature of the king’s dream? How does Daniel’s interpretation spark tension in how we think about earthly kingdoms and American politics?

3. Have you ever felt the need to question your loyalty to politics in light of God’s revelation of His own kingdom as revealed in Scripture?

4. Read Daniel 2:44-45. How might this picture of God’s kingdom inform how we think about the future of America and role as exiles in America?

5. The stone compared to a mighty statue seems small and insignificant. How does the kingdom of God share these qualities? Does it give you hope to reflect on how God chooses to use small things to accomplish great things? How does this give us hope in these hard times?

6. Read Luke 20:9-18. How does this parable of Jesus and his response to the chief priests relate to Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream?

7. How have your dreams been broken or shattered in 2020? How does this passage give hope and perspective for us when this happens? What would it look like to seek first His kingdom when dreams of our kingdom are crushed?

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