The God of Daniel – part 2
Daniel 2:24-49
May 15, 2016

It has been a couple of weeks since we looked into this book of Daniel,
But certainly it won’t take much to pull you back into step.

Daniel was a young Jewish refugee who was ripped from his homeland, stuck into a Babylonian system meant to defile him and then brainwash him.

Daniel, if you will remember, stood strong.
• He simply requested permission not to defile himself.
• God granted him favor with the man in charge of him,
• Daniel came out smelling like a rose.
• After the two years of training he and his friends were found to be wiser than any other and were promoted into the king’s service.

That was the rise of Daniel.

In chapter 1 we saw how God put Daniel in position.
Ch. 2 is the story of how God gained the proper position in Daniel’s life.

There is nothing written regarding any doubts, concerns, or frustrations Daniel had with God,
But let’s not overlook the difficulty of the scenario either.

If at 15 years of age you saw
• A foreign army attack your country,
• Exile you into slavery,
• Rob God’s temple,
• Eventually burn it to the ground,
Would you be a little confused as to exactly what God was doing?

I think that is only a fair observation.
This would have been tough.

It was important for Daniel then to learn who God really was
And what God was really up to.

The events of chapter 2 are how God did exactly that for Daniel.

It looks like a message for Nebuchadnezzar, but make no mistake,
THIS IS GOD’S MEANS OF SOLIDIFYING DANIEL’S FAITH.

If we could tie it to the book of Revelation for a second.
What happened for Daniel in chapter 2
Is the equivalent of what is supposed to happen for you
When you read and study the book of the Revelation.

In a world of chaos and immorality
You are supposed to see that God is still in control.
Well that is what happened for Daniel.
He saw a revelation of God to remind him of that very thing.

TO QUICKLY PULL YOU BACK INTO THE STORY:
• We have a young Nebuchadnezzar on the throne.
• He had a dream that terrified him.
• He entreated every form of worldly and pagan wisdom for help.
• The requirement was to reveal both the dream and the interpretation.
• None could
• Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men to be torn limb from limb
• Daniel requested time to seek God and it was granted to him
• God showed Daniel the dream and its interpretation
• Daniel worshiped God

That is where we are in the story.
We still don’t know what the dream was
Nebuchadnezzar still doesn’t know what the dream meant

But by Daniel 2:23,
Daniel is encouraged and he is a full-blown worshiper of God!

Daniel 2:20-23 “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. “To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Daniel held that:
• God is the Source of Wisdom
• God is the Sovereign over everything
• God is the Giver of Wisdom

And therefore God is worthy of praise.

I don’t want to insinuate that Daniel didn’t believe in God before, He certainly did.
But it is clear that God has become real to Daniel
In a very special way.

Daniel is now a confident man.

TONIGHT we want to pick up with the story
And see why Daniel was so encouraged.

What did he see? What did he learn?

Whatever it was must have been amazing to give Daniel such hope
While living as a youth in the land of Babylon.
Last time we saw:
1) Daniel’s Dilemma
2) Daniel’s Decision
3) Daniel’s Declaration

#1 DANIEL’S APPROACH
Daniel 2:24-30

You absolutely have to love this part of the story.
Daniel is an excited, rejuvenated young man.

Moments earlier he was hoping God would see fit to answer his request,
But here he is a confident and excited young man.

He asks for permission to come to the king
(this would have been intimidating to say the least, but Daniel has encountered God)

When Daniel gets to the king we get exactly what we expected:
(26) “The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?”

• Remember the king wants the truth.
• He’s not interested in some flattering false interpretation.
• This test is the way he knows he’ll get it.

But look at Daniel’s answer!
(27-30) “Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. “However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed. “As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. “But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.”

Daniel’s answer reveals his high view of God.
• Daniel admits that the kings request is beyond human ability.
• Daniel admits that the knowledge the king wants is beyond human understanding
• Daniel admits that the interpretation that has come is only a result of God’s tremendous mercy.

In short, Daniel is pointing everything to God.
BECAUSE DANIEL HAS ENCOUNTERED GOD
AND WANTS TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE ELSE KNOWS IT.

IF I COULD CHASE A RABBIT HERE A SECOND…
This reflects a reality I see time and time again, even in the church.

Churches love to push things like evangelism and missions
And even things like door to door visitation.

Often times people don’t want to do such things because they are intimidated and yet church leaders hold Matthew 28 over their heads and sort of guilt them into doing it.
But I’ve found that this isn’t the most effective way
To produce evangelistic members.

I believe that the best way to produce missionaries
Is to lead people to encounter God.

People who have met God don’t have any trouble telling about Him.

Acts 4:18-20 “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Jesus said:
John 15:26-27 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

Those that knew Him…
Those that had encountered Him…
Had no problem testifying about Him.

And this is what we see from Daniel as well.
• He had prayed to God
• God had answered.
• God had revealed Himself to Daniel,
• Daniel had no problem declaring Him to the king.

There is absolutely no mistaking
Who deserves the glory for this coming interpretation.

Daniel’s approach is great.
#2 DANIEL’S ANSWER
Daniel 2:31-45

First Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar
Precisely what the dream was which he saw:

He saw a statue.
• A head of gold
• Breast and arms of silver
• Belly and thighs of bronze
• Legs of iron
• Feet of iron and clay
• He then saw a stone which was not cut by human hands come and crush the entire statue and then became a mountain that covered the entire earth.

(36) “This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king.”

We learn that this statue represented 5 kingdoms.

1) THE KINGDOM OF BABYLON (37-38)
“You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.”

Not only does Daniel give us insight that the various metals
Represent various kingdoms,
But he also gives us a reference point
By which we can know who they are.

He begins with Babylon.

And it is important that Nebuchadnezzar realize that
There is only one reason why his kingdom
Has obtained such success.

It is because “the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory”

God has given this kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 27:5-8 “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. “All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant. “It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the LORD, “until I have destroyed it by his hand.”

You can easily follow Daniel’s message here.
• King, I did not receive this message due to any wisdom of my own, and you did not receive this kingdom due to any power of your own.

The God of heaven reigns supreme
And He has chosen to give the things He desires.

Furthermore Nebuchadnezzar should know that regardless of the glory he obtains, HIS KINGDOM WILL NOT LAST FOREVER.

TURN TO: JEREMIAH 51:34-40

Every ruler of this world should know that
THE POWER AND THE GLORY ARE NOT THEIRS.
They exist for the glory of God.

Those who do not most certainly meet their end.
For Daniel immediately turns to the kingdom which is coming after him.

2) THE KINGDOM OF MEDIA-PERSIA (39a)

“After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you,”

The kingdom isn’t listed, but history (even the book of Daniel) tells us plainly that it was the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.

The interesting thing listed here is that this kingdom arose
Even though it was “inferior” to Babylon.

How does and inferior kingdom overthrow one that is greater?
Because such things are not a matter of human strength of ingenuity,
But are purely the prerogative of the God of heaven.

3) THE KINGDOM OF GREECE (39b)

“then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.”

This would be the kingdom of Greece, in which Alexander the Great actually claimed to have conquered the whole world.

And yet this totally mighty kingdom still won’t stand forever,
Because Daniel immediately turns to speak of a fourth kingdom.

4) THE KINGDOM OF ROME (40-43)

(40) “Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.”

It was in fact Rome which conquered Greece.
It was the nation of iron that was a war machine
That went out to conquer the world.

The Roman empire is still one of the most fierce to have ever existed.

(41-43) “In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. “As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. “And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.”

The Roman empire indeed grew large and vast,
But it had tremendous difficulty ever unifying.

It was indeed a divided kingdom.
• It never could unify the notion of a senate and a Caesar.
• It could not seem to mix democracy and imperialism

The kingdom divided and over the years saw 10 kings emerge.
Some were weak, some were strong, but never were they unified.

We’ll talk about it later in Daniel, but also foreshadowed here is the future kingdom of the anti-christ and his ten king coalition, but that point is made later.

The main thing we notice thus far is that kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall
And God is the sovereign over all of it.

Isaiah 40:21-24 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble.”

No nation arose due to their own power…
No nation fell due to their own demise…

The sovereign God of the universe sets enthroned in the heavens
And He controls all these things.

This is what Daniel had learned of God, and this is what Daniel desperately wants Nebuchadnezzar to see.

We are also meant to see that there is coming 1 kingdom to rule them all.
5) THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST (44-45)

Now this is one of those tricky prophecies
That you have to be careful how you read.
We have talked about it before,
But often times when prophets saw the events of the future
They saw them like we look on a mountain range from many miles away.

From a distance it is often difficult to see how far apart the mountains are from one another, so it is with prophecies like these.

For example:
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Isaiah saw both comings of the Lord,
But from his perspective they looked as they happened at the same time.
(Indeed that is what most of Israel expected)

But there is at least 2,000 years hidden inside that prophecy.

That is what we find here with Daniel’s as well.

I tell you that because
• Some want to see this all fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus.
• Some want to see it only fulfilled at the second coming.
• But they are both there.

Daniel just described four kingdoms in their literal and physical sense.
He ended with the nation of Rome.

And then says:
(44a) “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people…”

Obviously then this prophecy cannot be all future
Since Daniel reveals to us when this fifth kingdom begins.

It began during the days of Roman rule upon the earth.

And we also read:
(44b) “…it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

That however obviously did not happen.

This kingdom of heaven DID arrive,
But it DID NOT conquer earthly kingdoms.

We even here Jesus telling Pilate:
John 18:33-37 “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

• Did the kingdom come? Yes
• Did the kingdom conquer? No

(45) “Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

We understand this as well.
The “stone [that] was cut out of the mountain without hands” is clear to us.

It is Jesus Christ. He is the stone that the builders rejected,
Which became the chief cornerstone.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom
That will never fail to reign upon the earth.

And this kingdom DID ARRIVE in the days of Rome.
Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He later told his disciples:
Matthew 10:5-7 “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

The kingdom did in fact arrive!

Jesus taught repeatedly on “the kingdom of heaven”
• Leaven hidden in flour
• A mustard seed that started small and ended big
• Wheat where tares had been sown
• A treasure in a field
• A pearl of great value
• A dragnet cast into the sea

Jesus told us repeatedly that the kingdom had arrived.
It was a kingdom of salvation.
• And it has spread like leaven
• It is growing like a mustard seed
• It exists in the midst of a world of corruption
• And someday this kingdom will take physical form and will dominate the world, just like Jesus said.

Acts 4:11-12 “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Peter 2:4-5 “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

The kingdom is here.
I’m a part of it, and so are you.

That is why Paul could say things like:
Philippians 3:20-21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

But this kingdom is not a physical kingdom that has conquered the world.
• Jesus emphatically told Peter to put his sword away.
• We are told to submit to the governing authorities of this world.

That means that the promise of Christ’s kingdom crushing the kingdoms of this world is yet future.

But we know it is true, WHY?
Because every other part of this prophecy has been absolutely literally fulfilled.

“so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy”

When the disciples began to see that
The kingdom which had arrived was a spiritual one,
They began to ask about when the physical one was coming.

Matthew 24:3 “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

What followed was the Olivet Discourse in which Jesus preached on the end times.
• He spoke of the tribulation
• He spoke of the importance of submitting to Christ
• But He also spoke of a physical return and literal reign.

He closed that message like this:
Matthew 25:31-33 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.”

In short,
• Those who say the kingdom hasn’t come at all are wrong, it is here, I’m a part of it, and so are you. Our citizenship is in heaven.

• But those who say it already came and things like the millennium are a myth are also wrong, even Jesus spoke of that coming day.

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE THEN TO DANIEL AND TO US?
• The kingdom is real!
• The kingdom of heaven is not a myth, it is not a fairy tale.
• The first enemy the kingdom of heaven crushed was the sin of the human heart,
• But it will soon come and destroy every other physical kingdom of this world.

Can you see now why Daniel was so encouraged?
CAN YOU SEE WHY YOU SHOULD BE?

Daniel’s Approach, Daniel’s Answer
#3 DANIEL’S ASCENSION
Daniel 2:46-49

Talk about missing the point.
The whole point of the dream, and the whole point of the chapter is that
All men should worship and exalt the God of heaven
And see that His kingdom is the only kingdom that matters.

Nebuchadnezzar did not!
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel”

The glory wasn’t supposed to be Daniel’s

(47) “The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

“a” “God of gods”?
“a” “Lord of kings”?
“a” “revealer of mysteries”?

He obviously doesn’t get it.

He even then begins to honor and exalt Daniel, not God.
(48-49) “Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court.”

He was grateful, but he was grateful to the wrong person.
• It was God who had set him in power
• It was God who had upheld his kingdom
• It was God who gave him the dream
• It was God who explained it

Yet Nebuchadnezzar held no glory for God at all.

The parallels to our day our obvious.

• We live in a nation that has clearly only existed because of the mercy
and sovereign prerogative of God.

• And we live in a nation where the majority fail to recognize that fact at
all.

WE ARE DANIEL’S IN THE MIDDLE OF BABYLON.

I told you, this message wasn’t simply for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar (indeed it didn’t benefit him at all) This message was for the benefit of Daniel.

Through this vision God reminded Daniel that
He is in control and His kingdom is on its way.

And now we even have the luxury of seeing 90% of that prophecy
Already fulfilled, so we know it is true.

Take courage, and have hope.
Wicked rulers have never been an indication that God is failing.

The kingdom of heaven is here,
Its physical manifestation is coming soon.

Matthew 13:36-43 “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – part 2
Revelation 1:1-8 (4-8)
May 15, 2016

I want to begin our study this morning looking at a Psalm that I think
Best depicts our reason for studying the book of the Revelation.

If you’d turn for a moment to:
Psalm 11

If you want some context just know that David is living in the midst of a horrific situation. (If you’ve studied the life of David you know that he endured several)

We don’t know the specific situation, but we know it appeared hopeless
• Maybe it was when Saul was on the warpath
• Maybe it was when he had to flee from Absalom
• Maybe it was when the Philistines appeared too powerful

Whatever the situation, it was bad and because of the dire circumstances David was receiving some pretty depressing counsel from his advisers.

You see this counsel in the first 3 verses
And you also see that David doesn’t agree.

(1-3) “In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain; For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”

The counsel David is receiving (and doesn’t like) is simple to see:
“Flee as a bird to your mountain;”

They want David to run in fear.
WHY?
THE DANGER IS LETHAL
“the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.”

• It was a day in which wickedness seemed to be triumphing over righteousness and those who would love the truth had become a target.

THE SYSTEM IS LIBERAL
“If the foundations are destroyed”

• That is to say that we used to stand on principle. There were moral guidelines and absolutes that seemed unshakeable, but now they are all destroyed.

HOPE IS LOST
“What can the righteous do?”

You understand why David’s counselors would advise him to flee.
• Society no longer sees the difference between right and wrong.
• Truth is no longer preserved or honored or followed.
• Those who love righteousness are the minority and are under attack.
• And since this whole thing is corrupt all the way to the core, there is no hope of things getting better.

The only logical solution is to flee.
EVER FEEL THAT WAY?

Well David didn’t buy that counsel, and let me show you why.
(4-7) “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”

David listened to his friends who saw a corrupt world system.
DAVID SAID, NOW LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I SEE.

THE FOUNDATION ISN’T SHAKEN
“The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.”
• David told his counselors they were looking at the wrong throne.
• The government may be corrupt, but there is One who sits higher.
• God is still on His throne.

JUSTICE ISN’T FORSAKEN
“The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
• Just because the rulers of the land promote wickedness does not mean that wickedness is ok. God is still on the throne, and He is still jut.

JUDGMENT ISN’T FORGOTTEN
“Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”

• David wanted his counselors to look past the authorities of this world and look to the ultimate authority of the universe.

Yes, things were backward in his world,
But God was still on the throne,
And that meant that one day everything would still be set right.

That is also why we study the book of the Revelation.
It is meant to remind us that the foundation isn’t shaken,
Justice isn’t forsaken, and Judgment isn’t forgotten.

It may seem unlikely in our day and time,
But rest assured righteousness will win the day!
The book of the Revelation reminds us of that.

IN SHORT, IT IS A GOOD READ!
And if you’ll remember that is precisely what John told us last week.

We began looking at what we called “The Introduction” to this book.

Like any trip into a book store you’d look at books on the shelf and make a decision as to whether or not that particular book was worth reading.
• You’d read the title
• You’d read the author
• You’d read the credits
• You’d read the inside cover (preview)
• You’d read the introduction or forward

And based upon that information you’d make a decision
As to whether or not this book was worthy of your time and focus.

That is precisely the information John is giving you in these first 8 verses.
He is giving us 6 pieces of information regarding this book.

We already saw the first 3 last week.
#1 THE TITLE
Revelation 1:1a

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”

Don’t get confused as to what this book is really about.
This book is meant to reveal Jesus to you.

Jesus walked this earth for 33 years in virtual obscurity.
Oh, He was popular, and He was controversial, but He was still virtually unrecognized.

By in large the world totally missed Him.
You’ll remember Isaiah prophesied that this would happen way back in chapter 53. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed…He was despised and we did not esteem Him.”

• The world saw a carpenter
• The world saw a teacher
• The world saw a blasphemer
• The world saw a criminal dying on a cross

But Jesus wanted more for His followers so He prayed that
The Father would show His glory to His disciples.

The book of the Revelation is the answer to that prayer.
This book reveals the real Jesus, the glorified Jesus, the eternal Jesus.

And the title indicates that.

#2 THE AUDIENCE
Revelation 1:1b-2

“which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants…”

This message is not for the world.
The gospels are for them.

This message is for His slaves (His bond-servants),
Those who have surrendered their lives to His Lordship.

• It is a book meant to encourage the faithful.
• It is a book meant to enlighten the confused.
• It is a book meant to exhort the discouraged to press on.

This book is for the redeemed.
It is for them to see Jesus and be encouraged
To endure through the temporary hardships of this life.

So if you are a bond-servant of Jesus and you’d like to see the real Jesus
And His plan for redeeming this world, this is the book you’ll want to read.

And if that were not enough, John even gave a promise regarding this book.
#3 THE PROMISE
Revelation 1:3

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

The promise is blessing (happiness)
• Partly because this book reveals the good news that Jesus wins.
• Partly because this book gives detailed instruction of how to handle the coming temptation so that you will know how to preserve your soul and be happy for all eternity.

This is valuable information.
Knowing it and following it is the path to eternal blessing or happiness.
In short, READ THIS BOOK

This morning I want to look at the rest of this introduction.

The Title, The Audience, The Promise
#4 THE AUTHOR
Revelation 1:4-5a

This is really more than just the author, it is the complete bibliography.
Everyone who had any input in the information here is listed here for you to see.

After all, you aren’t going to read a book about baseball
From someone who never played it.
We want the authors to have credentials and we want their sources to be valid, otherwise, what is the point?
Here we find the author and his sources.

Now of course the simple answer when looking for the author is to say that “John” wrote it.

• This would have been John the Apostle.
• He was one of the sons of thunder in the gospels.
• His brother was James and together they were quite a duo.
• Famous for wanting to call down fire on the Samaritans
• Famous for having their mother ask if they could sit on the right and left

But also famous for being those who loved Jesus passionately.

They were hand-picked by Jesus to be His followers
And Jesus took the raw passion and blind ambition these men had
And literally transformed them into two of the greatest Christians
The world has ever known.

I suppose the first question should be WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO JOHN on this subject?

There are a couple of passages that indicate why.

First of all because John was an apostle. (eye witness of the resurrected Lord)

He was part of the group to whom Jesus said:
John 20:21-23 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

This didn’t indicate the power of forgiveness (no one can do that but God alone).
It did however indicate authority to announce who was and who wasn’t forgiven.

The office of the apostles was a unique office of authority
By which these men literally disseminated
The truths and judgments of God.

As they penned the New Testament and began to die,
The New Testament became our source of authority in their stead.

But John was an apostle.
Uniquely given authority to write Scripture.

Coupled with that,
We all remember the statement Jesus made regarding His plans for John.

After revealing to Peter that he would die an undesirable death, Peter asked Jesus about John’s fate. To that Jesus replied:
John 21:21-22 “So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

That didn’t indicate that John would live forever,
But in hindsight it helps us understand Jesus’ plan
For John to see the Revelation.
John was clearly the hand-picked author to write this book.

But honestly, you and I know that
A WRITER IS REALLY ONLY AS GOOD AS HIS SOURCE.

If you want to know the authenticity of any work, you really need to check out the bibliography at the back and find out where the writer got his facts.

WHO IS THE SOURCE?
That is who John lists here, and there are three of them.
Notice who John says this Revelation came “from”

“from Him who is and who was and who is to come,”

Obviously there is only One who is eternal, and that is God.
John here speaks of God in His fullness, the One who has always been.

“and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,”

This is the Holy Spirit in His fullness.
Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”

“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

And there we have Jesus in His fullness.
“faithful witness” – sinless humanity (man)
“firstborn of the dead” – savior and Son of God (God)
“ruler of the kings of the earth” – sovereign Lord of all (King)

Now pull back a second and let all of that sink in
As you look at this book and examine the authorship.

• We have here a book written by an apostle; one who was an eye-witness of
the resurrection of Jesus, and one handpicked by Jesus to reveal His perfect word.

• The sources this handpicked apostle used were none other than God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

It is a book revealed by God and recorded by an apostle.
Credible enough for you?
The point being that the author knows what he is talking about.

We just pulled a book out that is supposed to Reveal Jesus to us,
And now we find that it was written by a close follower of Jesus
Who got His information from Jesus, the Father who loves Jesus,
And the Spirit whose sole purpose is to glorify Jesus.

I don’t think you can get a more qualified bibliography than this.

If the title and the promise of the book peaks your interest,
You can rest assured that it’s accurate.

It is so accurate in fact that the end of this book even comes with a severe warning.
Revelation 22:18-19 “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

The authorship is reliable
The information is accurate

The Title, The Audience, The Promise, The Author
#4 THE DEDICATION
Revelation 1:5b-6

Often times when you open a book, before the writer begins they will often times record a small word of dedication.

Dedicated to a spouse…
Dedicated to a colleague…
Dedicated to a friend…

This book also has a dedication.
Sure this book was written TO you, but it was written FOR Jesus.

As I told you last week, it was the desire of Jesus
That His followers be allowed to see His glory.
This book is written for that purpose.

WHY?
Well namely because He deserves it!

I MEAN, LOOK AT WHAT ALL JESUS HAS DONE FOR US.
“To Him who loves us”

Well that’s obvious isn’t it?
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
“and released us from our sins by His blood”

Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE” — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

• It was Jesus who died upon a cross to pay our debt before God.
• It was Jesus who then set us free from sin’s power.

Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

“and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father”

We just studied Hebrews about how Jesus was our great high priest
Who continually intercedes for us before the throne.

But we are also reminded that Jesus also made us “priests to His God”
That is He granted us access to the Father.

John 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.”

So if you are following along, John reminds us that
It was Jesus who came and died for us that He might set us free from our sins and grant us unlimited access to God.

Don’t you think He should receive a little credit for that?
Absolutely!

That is why John says this book is for Him!
“To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

That is the dedication of the book.
• It is a book written to reveal Jesus.
• It is written to those who are His followers.
• It is written by God’s handpicked servant.
• It is a book written to make sure that Jesus receives all the glory due Him!

What a great book!
I would certainly think any and all who love Jesus
Would be chomping at the bit to read it over and over.

So, you walked into the bookstore
• You thumbed through the titles.
• You found this book that said it was about Jesus.
• It said it was only for believers and it promised to bless you if you’d read it.
• The authorship was solid
• The dedication was certainly on point
AND SO NOW THERE IS ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO.
(you know you’re going to…)

• You are going to buy one of those mocha-choca-frapa-locka’s

• Then you’re going to sit down in one of those big old arm chairs and read just a little bit of it while you wait for your wife to come back from Bath and Body Works.

Let’s take a look at this introduction…this preview
#6 THE PREVIEW
Revelation 1:7-8

So what sort of stuff am I going to read in this book?
Well obviously the book carries information about Jesus and the end,
BUT THE CENTRAL EVENT IS UNMISTAKABLE.

This is where someone should say “Spoiler Alert”
Because John is about to give you the final score right here and now.

You want to know what this book is about?

1) A PROMISED RETURN!
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds”

Many this point you want to go on a wild goose chase trying to figure out the symbolism of “clouds” here.

I hear people talk about literal clouds or a great cloud of witnesses or a symbolic angel army and go on this huge debate about exactly what that means.

TALK ABOUT MISSING THE POINT!
The point is “HE IS COMING”

And honestly, the whole clouds thing should be rather obvious.
Acts 1:9-11 “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

John saw Him ascend, and John now sees Him descend!

To the church, there is no greater word of encouragement
Or excitement or thrill or anticipation than this!

Imagine the sheer exhilaration if someone ran in the back door right now and said, “I SEE HIM, HE IS COMING!”

The church is those who have “longed for His appearing”
All throughout the New Testament
Those who served the Lord anticipated it greatly.

Non-believers have even begun to mock that it won’t ever happen.
But John here says, “O yes it will! I saw it!”

“He is coming with the clouds”
• Are you tired of our fallen world?
• Are you tired of this immoral system?
• Are you tired of the corruption and decay and struggle against the darkness?
• Are you tired of sickness and death and pain?

Well, “He is coming”
And if you want to know more about it, read this book.

A Promised Return
2) A PROMISED RECOGNITION!
“and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him;”

The first time He came (just as Isaiah said) they did not recognize Him.

Matthew 13:14-15 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”

• The first time people were blind and deaf and hard.
• They accused Him of being demon possessed.
• They accused Him of being a lunatic.

But that won’t happen the next time.
No one will miss Him the next time He comes.

• He won’t slip in the back door, hide in a virgin’s womb, and lay in a manger.
• He won’t grow up in obscurity, heralded only by a hermit in the desert.
• He won’t live in meekness, followed only by the weak and down-trodden.
• He won’t suffer in shame at the hands of the godless.
NOT THIS TIME…

This time when He comes,
He will come like you and I would have come the first time.

He will come in full glory.
Pomp and Circumstance to the hilt.

No boxer, No wrestler, No Super Bowl Champion, No Presidential Candidate ever entered a room like He’ll reenter this world.
“every eye will see Him”
He will be absolute center stage, unmissable!

And when we say “every” we mean “every”
“even those who pierced Him.”

That is to say even those who reject Him.

Hebrews 6 reminded us about people who willingly reject Jesus.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

• All those people who heard of Jesus and knew of Jesus and deemed Him unworthy of being Lord in their life.

• All those people who heard His words, and knew His truth, but decided He was not worthy to be loved and obeyed.

Everyone of those people is going to see Him in all His glory.
They are going to see what they missed.

And that leads to the third preview in this book.

A Promised Return, A Promised Recognition
3) A PROMISED RESPONSE!
“and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.”

If you’ll remember Jesus was pretty clear that mourning was important.
He taught us way back in the beatitudes.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Jesus taught us that we should be mourning over our sin before God
So that we might find forgiveness and comfort.

But there have always been those who refused to do so.
• Instead of mourning over their sin, they celebrated it.
• Instead of hating their sin, they loved it.
• Instead of reaching for Jesus, they pushed Him away.

But that response won’t last forever.
When Jesus returns those who refused to mourn over their sin
Will mourn over their fate.

There will be no doubt who is King and who is Lord
And there will be no doubt how much trouble they are in.

It is hard to be a Christian in this world.
• It is hard to love our enemies
• It is hard to pray for our persecutors
• It is hard to submit to our corrupt governing authorities
• It is hard to leave room for the wrath of God
• It is hard to turn the other cheek

We find within ourselves the groanings of the psalmists
In the Old Testament.

Psalms 90:13-17 “Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants And Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”

That has certainly been our cry.

Well here John says, He’s coming!
Those who rejected Him will see Him
And everyone will know that He alone is King!

AND IF YOU WANT THE DECLARATION, HERE IT IS.
“So it is to be. Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

That is another way of saying, it is going to happen!

This book is about the day
When King Jesus returns to punish His enemies,
Reward His followers,
Remove the curse of sin,
And to reign upon the earth.

It’s a good read!

I suppose the only question now is: Are you willing to commit yourself to hearing it and heeding it?

We’ll do the work and study this book,
But the commitment level is up to you.

All I can promise is that if you’ll commit yourself to it,
You will be blessed.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – part 1
Revelation 1:1-8 (1-3)
May 8, 2016

This morning we begin a new study together in the word of God.
It seemed fitting to me that with both our previous studies ending around the same time
That we could study Revelation and Daniel simultaneously
And probably greatly enrich both studies at the same time.

That being said, I know that some of you have already studied Revelation with us on Wednesday nights and are already experts on the end times,
So you’ll just have to bear with us a little as we walk through this.

THE MAIN MOTIVATION HOWEVER IS SIMPLE.

We live in a world where we are literally bombarded with news.
When I was a kid the paper only came on Sunday,
And the news only came on at 6 and 10.
If you missed that, you missed it all.

But today..?
• We have 24 hour news stations.
• We have the internet going nonstop.
• And even if you don’t watch those channels or go to those websites, Facebook is filled with posts about politics and tragedies and independent stories.
Whether you want to know it or not, the news gets out.

And quite frankly if you let it all sink in, it is quite TERRIFYING!
(Might I go ahead and fill you in on a little secret…THEY MAKE IT TERRIFYING ON PURPOSE!)

If you think the weather is going to be beautiful, you won’t check your weather app again for the rest of the day,
But if they can convince you that a category 27 hurcinado quake
has a 72% chance of hitting your house at 3:24pm then you will
check that app religiously until the threat is over.

(You’ll check the app, their adds will get hits, and they make money)

You’re more likely to watch the news
If they sell a story of terrible fear, or threat, or shock.
They terrify you on purpose.

THE FALL out however is that if you believe everything you hear,
You’ll become convinced that we are all doomed!

• The presidency is being hijacked by socialists, liars, and criminals…
• Our borders are being overrun by jihadists who want to behead you…
• The next super tornado should hit any minute…
• Our farmers will be bankrupt within 6 months…
• And you will soon be attacked in a Target bathroom…
Is there truth to some of it?
Sure, that’s what makes it sell.

But if you linger on it long enough
You will no doubt begin your plans for a bomb shelter
And start rationing all your food.

Now, MY POINT is most certainly NOT meant
To renew your faith in America, or in our fallen world.

If you are placing all your faith in America,
Then you need to have your reality checked.

Isaiah said:
Isaiah 24:20 “The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.”

Isaiah saw it.
You can’t set a 400lb TV on top of a TV dinner tray, the legs won’t hold it.

So it is with this world.
• The sin just keeps piling up and the legs are starting to wobble.
• This earth is going down…fast.
• It is a sinking ship.

But Isaiah saw more than just that:
Isaiah 24:20-23 “The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again. So it will happen in that day, That the LORD will punish the host of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on earth. They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.”

• This earth will be destroyed
• The rulers will be judged
• The sun and moon will be retired
• BECAUSE KING JESUS WILL BEGIN HIS REIGN

THAT IS WHERE OUR HOPE LIES.

We are under no misconception
That this world will make a dramatic recovery,
But we are under every expectation
That Jesus is on His way to set all things right!

THAT IS WHY WE STUDY THIS GREAT BOOK.
If there was ever a day when we in the church needed a little perspective,
IT IS TODAY.
This world is falling apart,
But we who belong to Jesus Christ have NO REASON TO FEAR.

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

We are studying this book for some much needed encouragement.
(Incidentally, that is also why we are studying Daniel on Sunday nights)

The goal and the aim is
The absolute encouragement of the body.

So this morning we begin our study of the book of Revelation.

We are going to begin by looking at the first 8 verses of the book because John here gives as wonderful an introduction as you can find written about any book…ever.

If you were to go to a bookstore and start picking up books off the shelf,
Undoubtedly you’d check a few things.
• You’d want to know the title
• You’d want to know the premise of the book
• You’d want to know the author
• You might read the notes on the back
• You might read the intro

In short, you’d be curious as to whether or not this book
Was going to be worth the time it would take you to read it.

Those are precisely the questions John answers
In the first 8 verses of the book of Revelation.

After 8 verses you will have a handle on whether you want to proceed.

6 things John shows us
#1 THE TITLE
Revelation 1:1a

I don’t have any doubts whatsoever that in any bookstore
Before you pull a book off the shelf, the first thing you look at is the title.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”

Boy can you learn a lot from a title!
Right off the bat we see why so many
Have had such difficulty with this book.

(If you wanted to learn about gardening you wouldn’t buy a book with the title:
“The Secret to Hitting a Golf Ball”)
But that is what many have done with the book of Revelation.
They read it in search of the wrong information.
(Namely a timeline about the end)

Then when many of those realities are hard to discern
They get confused and the book gets a bad reputation.

• There are some denominations that won’t study this book at all.
• John Calvin wouldn’t touch it.

MUCH OF THE REASON IS BECAUSE
PEOPLE HAVE IGNORED THE TITLE AND MISSED THE POINT.

Today there is more fascination surrounding this book
Than any other in the Bible.
Without a doubt it is the most book preached on television and radio.
(Adrian Rodgers preached through it twice even after he died!)

In short…it sells!
• It has inspired entire book series
• It has inspired numerous movies

People are fascinated with this book,
And yet, 90% of what I see and hear regarding this book
TOTALLY MISSES THE POINT.

• Most study this book because they want a timeline of the end.
• Many study this book because they are fascinated by things like giant scorpions and demonic armies.
• Some study this book because they enjoy a good puzzle and want to try and crack some secret code.

This book has appealed to conspiracy theorists,
Science fiction crowds, code crackers, and the like.

The sermons and theories that have been produced are both numerous and often times ridiculous.
• Is the locust in Revelation 9 a helicopter?
• Does 666 point to Hitler, or Kennedy, or the Pope, or Obama?
• Is the Harlot Catholicism?
• Is the 100 million man army China?
• And on and on and on and on…

If that’s what you are out to know
Then let me tell you how this study will play out.
• You’ll develop theories that you can argue, but you can’t prove.
• Many of your theories will most likely be wrong.
• You’ll end up more confused than when you started.
• And no one will be better off for it.

BECAUSE FILLING IN YOUR TIME LINE IS NOT THE GOAL.
The Title of this book should tell you that.

This book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”
• That means this book does not reveal the end times timeline.
• This book does not reveal every mystical secret you want to know.
• This book reveals “Jesus”

WHY?
1. Because in large part that didn’t happen in the gospels.
2. And also because Jesus asked for it.

The gospels are glorious books to be sure and we love nothing more than to camp out in those books and learn of our Savior’s earthly ministry.

But if you wanted to sum up the 4 gospels, you could do it like this.
“GLORY IGNORED”

And that should come as no surprise.
Isaiah 53:1-4 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Isaiah called it.
The Son of God was about to show up on earth,
And no one would recognize Him.

Would there be flashes of glory? Absolutely!
• Watch Him cleans the lepers…
• Watch Him open the eyes of the blind…
• Watch Him raise the dead…
• Watch Him calm the storms…
• Watch Him feed the multitudes…

Oh yeah! His glory was put on display.
So much so that when John wrote his gospel he said:
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

But most of the world failed to see that glory.
They saw Him only as One who didn’t look kingly,
And who ultimately died in shame on a Roman cross.

THEY NEVER SAW HIS GLORY.

To be honest, EVEN HIS FOLLOWERS didn’t see it well.
On the night before Jesus died, in the upper room,
He mentioned this several times.

John 13:31-32 “Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.”

Jesus proclaimed His own glory because He could see that
His disciples were not getting it.

Jesus even concluded His time with the disciples with this prayer.
John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Jesus prayed to the Father that the Father
Would allow His followers to see His glory.

Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus on this earth.
Philippians details the story.
Philippians 2:6-8 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Could you imagine being the Son of God…God made flesh and no one being able to recognize that about you?

What humiliation Jesus endured while walking on this earth.
It’s no wonder He desired to let His glory out for just a moment!

He certainly did this on the mountain when He was transfigured,
But if you’ll remember only 3 saw that and they were adamantly instructed not to tell anyone about what they saw.

“and like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

THIS BOOK SETS OUT TO REMEDY THAT PROBLEM!

This book is JESUS CHRIST REVEALED
The real Jesus, not the One you see
Hidden behind a veil of human flesh in the gospels.

This is the Jesus of all eternity.
This is the Jesus of glory.

Those 33 years when Jesus was in the form of a humble servant
Were not the norm, those 33 years were the exception.
This book is about to show us what Jesus really looks like!
That is exciting!
I think we’ll definitely want to pull this book off the shelf.

So, who is it written for?

The Title
#2 THE AUDIENCE
Revelation 1:1b-2

This book is for “His bond-servants”

Jesus asked that the Father show His glory to those who loved Him,
And that is precisely who this book is for.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants”

The Father inspired this book so that Jesus
Might be able to manifest His glory to His “bond-servants”

I realize we have covered it many times over,
But it is always worth repeating exactly what a bond-servant is.

In the Old Testament, if money was hard one of the options you had
Was to sell yourself into slavery to one of your Jewish brothers.
(Don’t think pre-civil war connotation, it wasn’t like that)

In fact, in Bible times (especially the New Testament)
A slave often times had more honor than a son.

It was a sort of agreement to help you get back on your feet,
While having your basic needs met in the service of another.

However, according to Jewish Law,
• If you bought your brother,
• You could only keep him for 6 years
• On the 7th year you had to set him free
• With one exception.

Exodus 21:2-6 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. “If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. “If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”

This was a bond-slave.

It was the title gratefully accepted by the writers of the New Testament.
Read the opening verses of the New Testament books
And see how many of them identified themselves as “bond-servants”
(literally the Greek word is “SLAVES”)

They identified themselves as willing slaves of Jesus Christ.

This is important because it helps us make a distinction
Between what Christianity is and what it isn’t.

Too many in America today claim to be Christians simply because
They are moral, or because they are “good”
Or because they are American.

Many think that if they simply agree that Jesus did in fact die and rise
That they are automatically Christian.

But that has never been the distinction.
There has always been an implied submission, and implied trust,
An expected surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.

The apostles were more than “believers” they were “bond-servants”.

And that is who this message is for.
It is given to the willing slaves of Jesus Christ.

For what purpose?
“to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place;”
• Preacher, I thought you said it was about Jesus?
• Doesn’t this verse teach that it is about the facts of the end?

Yes, so much as they pertain to the return and reign of Jesus.
• This book is meant to settle your faith.
• This book is meant to get your focus off of the lunacy of our world.
• This book is meant to cause you to quit trusting in world leaders for deliverance.
• This book is meant to fix your hope solely on King Jesus and the government He will establish.

THIS BOOK IS MEANT TO SHOW THE SLAVES OF JESUS
THAT THEIR MASTER HAS IT ALL UNDER CONTROL.

In short, it is meant to encourage you.
• It should give you hope that things won’t always be this way.
• It should give you encouragement to press on.
• It should give you motivation to live holy in light of certain judgment.
• It should give you peace that the enemy will not win.
• It should give you assurance to see that God is firmly in control.

It is so that you can see who He is and what He will do
So that your faith might be firmly established.
Let me put it to you this way.
As a Christian (a bond-servant of Jesus)
Your hope rests firmly on the truths revealed in this book.

Regardless of the turmoil and confusion around us
It is the fact that Jesus will return and set this world right
That gives us hope for tomorrow.

That is why Jesus looked at His disciples the night before the crucifixion and said:
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

That is why the Old Testament prophets continually pointed to that day.
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

The fact that Jesus is going to return
And take His rightful place on the throne of the world
Is the genuine hope of the true believer.

In fact, true believers are defined as those who long for this reality.
Paul wrote:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

This is the day we are waiting for!
This is the day we are longing for!
This is the day we are hoping in!

That one day Jesus will return just as He said,
And that when He does this world
Will finally be put the way it is supposed to be!

2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

• This message is for you who are grieved by the sin in our world…
• This message is for you who long for righteousness to dwell…

It is the lost and immoral who love the darkness
And who love the sin and who love the moral decay.

• This message is for those who are clinging to any sliver of hope that we will not forever be consigned to a sin-fallen world.

We long for sin to be removed
We long for the curse to be reversed
We long for God’s people to be redeemed

God gave this message to Jesus who communicated it to John
That He might tell it to you, that you might be encouraged!

(1-2) “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.”

That is the title and the expected audience of this book.

Let me give you one more piece of information about this book:
#3 THE PROMISE
Revelation 1:3

• How many of you have ever watched an infomercial that made a guarantee that if you’d just try their product you’d be totally satisfied?

This book makes that type of promise.
In fact, it’s the only book in the Bible that does make such a promise.

“Blessed (happy) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things written in it; for the time is near.”

That may be something you did not realize.
• The book of the Revelation was not meant to scare you.
(although it should scare those living in sin)
• The book of the Revelation was not meant to confuse you.
(although it routinely confuses those looking for the wrong thing)
• This book was written to BLESS YOU.
That is, this book was written to make you happy!

HOW DOES IT DO THAT?
• It certainly makes me happy to know that Jesus is returning in all His glory and will set this world right!

• It certainly makes me happy to know that the devil is not going to be allowed to be free forever, but will certainly be destroyed.

• It certainly makes me happy to know that regardless of the peril of this life, there is a throne and God sets upon it!

But even more than that, this book encourages behavior
That also leads to happiness or blessing.

For example:
Many times in this book you’re going to see the phrase, “To him who overcomes…”

The implication is that we are going to face obstacles
That might cause us to want to quit or give in.
This book points them out ahead of time and encourages us to overcome.

If you “read” and “heed” as John said in verse 3,
Then the outcome will most certainly be happiness and blessing.

Another example would be chapters like chapter 13.
It’s a famous chapter because that chapter talks about the infamous “666” mark of the beast.

We’ll talk about that more when we get there,
But the overwhelming point of the chapter is DON’T TAKE IT.

In fact in that chapter, John says:
Revelation 13:10 “Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”

In other words, his instruction regarding the mark of the beast
Is all about perseverance and faith.

You need to “read” and “heed” what he says
If you want to end up being blessed.

Because:
Revelation 14:9-12 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

Do you get the point then?
• John is going to tell you about the coming danger under the anti-christ.
• He’s going to tell you what to do and what not to do.
• If you listen to him, then you will be “happy” or “blessed”.
• If you don’t listen to him, you won’t like it very much.

Make sense?
This book is the ultimate form of encouragement
To prepare you for what God knows is coming.

One could easily argue that the supreme problem of humanity
Is that MAN CONTINUALLY CHOOSES TODAY OVER ETERNITY.

Jesus and every apostle warned severely against this.
They knew it would do a person little good to spend 70-80 years in comfort here if it meant an eternity of torment.

Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Luke 6:20-26 “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

Paul wrote:
Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

They understood that it would be foolish
To trade an eternity of blessing for 80 years of comfort.

The book of the Revelation spells it out for you.
• Those who forsake this world in order to follow Jesus may indeed suffer momentarily for it, but they end up being rewarded.

• Those who forsake Jesus in order to obtain comfort in this world, may receive momentary comfort for it, but they end being destroyed.

Now you know why John says:
“Blessed is he who reads…and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

We’re out of time this morning,
Next week we’ll continue looking at this introduction
To see what glorious information this book is going to reveal to us.

THIS MORNING I simply want you to be devote yourself
To being the type of person this book was written to.

• It was written for those who are “bond-servants” of Jesus.
• It was written for those who will “read” and “heed” the message.

SURRENDER TO JESUS, AND LET THIS BOOK ENCOURAGE YOU.

 2016 Tournament Bracket (pool play)

Softball Rules 2016

We wish to STRESS that this tournament is purely for recreation and enjoyment.  It was established to help raise money for the summer camps that the children and youth of First Baptist Church will be attending.  These rules are given only to preserve a fair, even, timely, and fun experience for all participants.  We appreciate you helping us keep it that way.

Sign up deadline will be June 10 or whenever the team slots are filled. (We can accomodate up to 8 teams)

Currently signed up are:

1. Holy Sox,
2. Smashers,
3. FBC Spur 2,
4. Benchwarmers,
5. Crosbyton 2,
6. Bateman Bombers,
7. Freedom Mafia,
8. Leftovers

 

UNIFORM OPTIONS:

This year we have uniform options available if you want to order through us.  The DEADLINE for uniform orders is MAY 22.

UNIFORM ORDER FORMS

 

 

 

 

The Rise of Daniel
Daniel 1:1-21
April 24, 2016

Well tonight we begin a new study in the word of God,
And it is one that presents us with a truth that we all must remember.

Almost immediately those who have ever read Daniel get excited
Because they know there is a lot of prophecy that is recorded here.

Daniel has a lot to say about the tribulation and return of Christ.
One could really argue that Daniel gives more information
About some of those things than the book of Revelation.

But unlocking the future is not the main aim of the book of Daniel.

The main point of the book of Daniel
Is to remind you who is in control of the future.

The main purpose is to remind you that God is SOVEREIGN
The Sovereignty of God literally drips out of the book of Daniel.

The book covers a time span of over 70 years,
Through two world dynasties and multiple world rulers
And the theme that emerges time and time again is that
Regardless who sits on the throne, God is still in control.

• In chapter 4 God will humble Nebuchadnezzar
• In chapter 5 He’ll humble Belshazzar
• In chapter 6 He’ll humble Darius the Mede

Through visions of prophecy God will literally spell out for Daniel
That He is in absolute control of even the smallest details
Regarding the rise and fall of kingdoms.

Nebuchadnezzar learned it.
Daniel 4:34-37 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘ What have You done?’ “At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Darius the Mede learned it:
Daniel 6:25-27 “Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: “May your peace abound! “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Those were two pagan rulers both learned that God is in control.
And hopefully by the time the book is over you’ll learn it too.

What makes this book then so important to us?

It was written in a time of national disaster for Israel.
• Their kings were dead…
• Their temple would soon be burned…
• Their people were deported…

If there was ever a time for Israel to feel like God had lost control
It would have been the 70 year exile,
And yet nothing could be further from the truth.

This book serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times
God is still on the throne perfectly accomplishing His purposes.

You may not realize this but we are currently in an election year.
And it doesn’t appear to me that anyone I know is too happy about our options.

With every passing year there seems to be
A genuine concern for where we are headed.

And then we read strange passages like this in Scripture:
Romans 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

• Could it really be true that the 4 candidates we have for President are God’s final four?
• Are we really to assume that God put Barack Obama in office?

Well according to Paul that is precisely what you are to assume.

Listen to Peter:
1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

First you tell me that it was God’s will that these leaders take office
And now you tell me that it is God’s will
That we submit to them and give them honor.

Bearing in mind of course that “the king” in Peter’s day was Nero who was harder on the church than you and I can imagine.

That was the whole “feeding Christians to the lions” day and time.

But God selected him, put him in power
And then commanded His people to submit.

This is even true right down to the ruler whom God appointed to command that His very own Son be crucified.

John 19:10-11 “So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

God gave Pilate the authority that he used to kill His own Son.

WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT PREACHER?
That just because things seem dark and bad
Does not mean that God has somehow lost control.

He is ever in control!
He is sovereign over all things.

Psalms 103:19 “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.”

1 Timothy 6:11-16 “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time — He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Paul reminded Timothy that regardless of his circumstances
He should maintain the life that pleases God,
Because whether it looks like it or not, God is still in control.

And no book in the Bible reveals that better than the book of Daniel.
God is about to use a Jewish refugee
To humble kings and show a nation that He has it all figured out.

And tonight I want you to see the rise of that young man.

The story of Daniel is not so different from the story of Joseph.
• Both were mere boys when they left their home land.
• Both failed to ever return.
• Both spent time in prison.
• Both were exalted to positions of leadership.
• Both were used to encourage their people that God was in control.

God was at work in the life of Daniel,
Much like He was through the life of Joseph.

Now you may not get visions and prophecies like Daniel and Joseph did,
But that doesn’t mean that where God has you is some sort of a mistake.

Tonight we learn that your setting and circumstances are not a mistake.
God is at work around you and seeks to work through you.
God is in control!

• I don’t care how corrupt the government becomes…
• I don’t care if the land is saturated in pagan worship…
• I don’t care if there is oppression on every side…
• I don’t care if it looks like God has been completely removed from every walk
of life…

Read the book of Daniel and learn to see who is really in control.

Tonight let’s look at this first chapter which is: The Rise of Daniel

4 points to consider
#1 DANIEL’S SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES
Daniel 1:1-7

The first chapter of Daniel is interesting to me
Because it reads very much like a missionary bio.

Daniel was a young man in a difficult situation
Who allowed himself to be used of God in a great way.

WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THAT.
I want you to see how it was God’s sovereign plan and provision
That gave Daniel this unique opportunity.

THE FIRST THING you’ll notice about these specific circumstances is that GOD SELECTED THE LOCATION.

(1-2) “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.”

You are aware that Jehoiakim was not the last King in Judah.
There would be two more arise after him.
This was not the final fall of Jerusalem.
That comes 19 years later when Zedekiah is king and Nebuchadnezzar burns the temple.

This is the first wave of deportation.
(Ezekiel’s group is going next)

What is very important for you to recognize is the phrase that begins verse 2, “The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand”

God didn’t lose here, this was God’s decision.
This was God’s plan.

And incidentally this had been God’s plan for quite some time.
• All the way back to the days when Hezekiah was king in Israel and Isaiah was the prophet, you may remember Hezekiah showed the temple treasure to some delegates from Chaldea.

Isaiah said:
Isaiah 39:3-7 “Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD. ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.'”

When you read through the Kings,
God’s decision is reiterated over and over.

• When Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became king he was exceptionally evil, and the Lord said:
2 Kings 21:10-15 “Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols; therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. ‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ‘I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.'”

• Manasseh’s grandson Josiah became king and he served the Lord, but regardless of his obedience, God still said:
2 Kings 23:26-27 “However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. The LORD said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.'”

The point is that God had decreed this.

Jeremiah 29:10 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.”

We have a tendency to want to think that
All bad things were not the will of God.

We have difficulty understanding how
God could allow a pagan nation to conquer a nation of His chosen people.
To us that seems wrong.

It certainly seemed wrong to Habakkuk.
• When God told him this would happen, he said:
Habakkuk 1:13-17 “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them? The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net And burn incense to their fishing net; Because through these things their catch is large, And their food is plentiful. Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing?”

Habakkuk just couldn’t understand that
God would bring something like this on Israel.
We tend to think the same thing.

But that is exactly what happened.
• The exile was God’s idea.
• He promised it and He delivered.

Incidentally most agree that Daniel was somewhere around the age of 15
When he was deported to Babylon.
BUT GOD SENT DANIEL TO THE LAND OF BABYLON

I ALSO WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE that God had set Daniel and his friends apart for this by reason of their NATURAL ABILITY AND STATUS.

(READ VS. 3-7)
It is highly likely that the first wave of refugees
Were the most noble and sophisticated of the land.
They took the most educated and powerful first.

And from these the king of Babylon was looking for
The cream of the crop to serve him.

He looked for “youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court;”

(I think most of us would have been safe)

The point is that Daniel certainly had no say in whether or not he was good looking or intelligent.

All of those years of prosperity and good fortune
Were not just so he could have a better life than those around him.

He was created this way for this specific purpose.
• He had to be good looking
• He had to be intelligent
• He had to be educated

In order for him to get the opportunity God had ordained for him.

You should look at your own personal situation in the same manner.
It is by no mistake that you are who you are.
It is by no mistake that you can do what you can do.

• Do you suppose one can sing and another can’t because God just liked one better than another?

• Do you suppose one can speak and another can’t because God just liked one better than another?

Of course not.
God ordained everything about you
For the purpose He in which intends to use you.

Paul wrote:
Romans 12:3-8 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

God created you like you are for His purposes.
This is seen clearly in Daniel.

Daniel was the right man at the right place at the right time.
Incidentally, so are you.
Acts 17:26 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,”

• You may wonder why you were fortunate enough to be born in America (as opposed to a third world country)

• You may wonder why you have the abilities and privileges that you do as opposed to those who do without.

It is not because God favors you more than others.
It is because this is part of how God seeks to use you.

God created you as perfect tool to accomplish His purpose.
You can see that in Daniel, learn to see that in yourself.

Daniel’s Specific Circumstances
#2 DANIEL’S SPIRITUAL CONVICTION
Daniel 1:8-16

Now the setting is only half of the equation.
It is no mistake that you are where you are at an appointed time.

That does not mean that you just need to sit back and do nothing.
YOU ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE MOST OF THAT OPPORTUNITY.

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”

In other words, God placed you where you are, now be faithful there.
• Maybe He placed you in the ministry…
• Maybe He placed you in the school…
• Maybe He placed you in your work place…
• Maybe He placed you in the NFL…
• Maybe He placed you in prison…

Now you must choose to be faithful to that calling
And make the most of that opportunity.

Daniel does, and it is so simple what he does.
(8) “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.”
This serves as a good reminder that
Faithfulness doesn’t always have to be something massive.

• Daniel didn’t start a Bible study among Chaldonian servants…
• Daniel didn’t organize a revolt among Jewish refugees…
• Daniel didn’t form an underground railroad to take Jews back home…

Daniel just decided to stay faithful to God’s commands
In the midst of a corrupt society.

And he wasn’t even unruly about it.
“he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.”

One of the truly remarkable aspects of this book is that
You are going to see people make amazing declarations of faith
And yet not one of them will do so
With an unsubmissive or disrespectful attitude.

Daniel didn’t get on facebook and blast the Babylonian government and say, “Enough is enough! I’ll eat that food when you pry it into my cold dead hand!”

He was submissive to the governing authorities.
• Later you’ll see his three friends refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol but
they aren’t disrespectful or unruly when they do it and they willingly accept
the consequences.

• You’ll see Daniel be faced with the den of lions, but there is no fight in him
against those in authority.

Sometimes our culture thinks faithfulness requires rebellion,
BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE.

The same God that told us to be faithful also told us
• To be submissive to the governing authorities,
• To pray for those in power,
• To honor the king,
• To live in peace with everyone.

There may very well come a day when we must submit to the consequences of refusing to obey godless commands,
But I never see a place where revolting and slandering is the answer.

Daniel chose faithfulness and he did so in a submissive way.
He honored the ruler while honoring his God.

AND LOOK AT THE RESULT. (We see sovereignty again)
(READ 9-14)
Did you catch that?
“God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander”

God took care of it.
Daniel proposed a test, which incidentally put all the weight on God’s back.

Daniel could control what food he ate,
But he could not control how it would affect his body.
That was totally up to God.

God came through
(15-16) “At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.”

God opened the door.
And now, because of their faithfulness,
They were a testimony to those around them.

WE MUST ALSO CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS

Now, at this point, you should know that
This is still not enough on its own.

Jesus made this clear to the disciples after He rose from the dead.
Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

• They were in the right place at the right time
• They were called to be faithful
• But they were called to wait for help that only God could supply

Daniel’s Specific Circumstances, Daniel’s Spiritual Conviction
#3 DANIEL’S SUPERNATURAL CAPABILITY
Daniel 1:17

Daniel chose faithfulness, God supplied the rest.
“God gave them…”

“knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom”

To show you how remarkable this was, we read:
“Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”

This goes well beyond simple natural ability.
God had to supply what was lacking
In order for them to accomplish His purposes.

We see the same in the New Testament:
Acts 4:13-14 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.”

Acts 6:8-10 “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

It is the reminder that Christ is the vine and we are the branches
And that apart from Him we can do nothing.

Faithfulness is important, but it is not enough.
There must still be supernatural ability which flows only from God.

You can do nothing by your own
Strength, Intelligence, and Ingenuity.
God must do it through you.

And that is what is happening here.
• Daniel is in God’s place at God’s time
• And Daniel desires to be faithful.
• Therefore God is giving Daniel all that he needs to be faithful and accomplish that purpose.

Are you afraid that where you are
You can’t accomplish what God has in store for you?

You choose faithfulness, let God do the rest.
Let Him open the doors
Let Him create the opportunities
Let Him grant the privileges

That is what he is doing for Daniel.
It is supernatural power.

Specific Circumstances, Spiritual Commitment, Supernatural Capability
#4 DANIEL’S STEADY COMMITMENT
Daniel 1:18-21

God made Nebuchadnezzar’s decision an obvious one.
Nebuchadnezzar didn’t choose these boys, God did.
God knows what He is about to do.

What we love is the last verse of this chapter.
(21) “And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.”

Somewhere around 69 years.
(Would have made Daniel around 85 years old)

That is what you call a life of faithfulness and dedication.
• Daniel will be faithful through the Babylonian reigns of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.
• Daniel will be faithful when the Medes and the Persians conquer Babylon and through the reigns of Darius and Cyrus.
• Daniel will face annihilation several times, the most famous being the lion’s den.
• Daniel will faithfully stand before kings on numerous occasions.
• And throughout his life, regardless of the way the world changes around him, Daniel remains steady.

We all agree that the story about the lion’s den is pretty amazing,
But honestly it is Daniel’s entire life that is amazing.

70 years in a pagan nation and Daniel is a steady faithful force.

One thing I’ve learned in my short time in the ministry is that
God very rarely works like a flash in the pan.
He is the gentle blowing that He revealed to Elijah.
He requires the faithful steadiness of His people.

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

• Here was a 15 year old boy,
• Who was uprooted from his comfortable home in Judah.
• He was thrown into a pagan culture where there was an attempt made to brainwash him into that sinful culture.
• This young man simply chose to be faithful to God where God has placed him
• And God used that man in mighty ways over the course of his entire life.

Who knew that a decision not to defile himself with pagan food
Would be such a big decision?

Do you understand then how important it is
That you see God’s sovereign hand in your circumstances?
• That you are where you are for a reason.
• That you are who you are for a reason.
• That those little daily decisions can in be very big decisions of faithfulness.

Daniel’s faithfulness was simple, but it was consistent for his entire life
And God would use this young refugee
To show 4 of the most powerful rulers this world has ever seen
That they really aren’t as big as they think.

And He’d use Daniel to encourage a nation
That the real Ruler is on His way.