Today is the finale of our two series on Daniel: Big God in a Chaotic World and Big God in an Uncertain Future. We are opening our eyes to the God who is bigger than all our chaos. Even though the present and the future may appear to be out of control, the Big God is in charge and will win in the end. As I mentioned last week, I have compiled the first six sermons into a book that will be available soon.

Most of us want to know what will happen in the end times. Who is the Antichrist? Are we going to suffer through a great tribulation? When is it all going down?

What if we could know? I believe it would change how we live our daily lives. Practically, today, how should we live in light of biblical prophecy? How can we live these days well in light of what is happening and what is coming? Daniel tells us how.

Today we come to Daniel’s final vision in the last two chapters, 11 and 12. This vision comes in answer to Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9, even though the answer was delayed because of battles between angels and demons that we saw in chapter 10.

The details of the final vision are so specific and so amazingly accurate that it has astounded historical scholars. Any reputable history of the last few centuries before Christ will give you the names and military campaigns that correspond exactly with what Daniel records in chapter 11. Those who doubt the Bible insist that chapter 11 must have been written after the events happened because the vision is so accurate down to specific detail, but the evidence shows that Daniel was written before the events happened. The Bible is true and God can reveal what will happen in the future.

Unlike some of the previous visions, this one is more verbal than symbolic. There are no wild beasts. Even still, some of it remains mysterious. Before we jump into the individual pieces I want to show you the picture on the back of the puzzle box. Some of you may remember this chart from a few weeks ago. Using the chart, let’s put together all of Daniel’s visions. In chapter 2, Daniel interpreted the giant metal statue predicting four empires: the gold, Babylon; silver, Medo-Persia; the bronze, Greece; and the iron, Rome. Then the toes are mixed iron and clay, a future evil kingdom. Finally a Stone not cut by human hands will smash the statue and expand to be an everlasting kingdom that covers the earth. In chapter 7, the beasts parallel the four kingdoms with the lion, bear, leopard and fourth terrible beast. Then one has ten horns matching the ten toes of the statue. But now out of the beast comes a little horn who is the Antichrist. After time, times and half a time, the Son of Man comes from the clouds.

14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (7:14).

In chapter 8 Daniel focuses on the Ram who is Medo-Persia and the Goat with four horns, which is Greece and the four generals of Alexander the Great. But then there is one horn who represents both Antiochus and the future Antichrist who will be destroyed, but not by human power (8:25). In Chapter 9, we learned about the 69 sevens that take us to the first coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Then in the seventieth seven the Antichrist will come who will cut off sacrifices and put up the abomination of desolation until his decreed end. In chapter 11 we will be reminded about Persia and Greece and learn much more about the kings following Alexander, especially Antiochus Epiphanes who foreshadows the Antichrist, who will be called “the king” and create havoc in the time of the end, waging war and abusing the Jews until his end comes suddenly.

Since chapters 11 and 12 are quite long, we will not read the entire section, but leave that to you at home. Today we are going to do something a bit different. I am going to read through the text pausing to give interpretation as I read and skipping some parts to highlight other parts.

Open your Bible to Daniel chapter 11. Chapter 11 surveys some of the same history that was covered in chapters 2, 7 and 8 with Persia and Greece. Then it focuses on two of the generals who followed Alexander the Great. But the real emphasis is on Antiochus and the Antichrist, the former foreshadowing the latter. We will start in chapter 11, verse 2.

2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

The fourth wealthy king of Persia is Xerxes who invaded Greece, which made them really angry, driving the mighty Alexander to invade Persia. Keep reading with verse 3.

3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

Alexander the Great of Greece rapidly conquered Persia, but then died early at the age of thirty-two. As the vision predicted, none of his descendants took over. He only had three: a half brother, Philip, who was mentally handicapped; a son, Alexander…. and an illegitimate son, Hercules All three were murdered in a two-year period. Then as we learned from earlier visions, Alexander’s kingdom was divided up among four generals along the four points of the compass, the four winds of heaven. But as the vision said, none of them had anything like the power of Greece.

At this point in the vision, in verses 5 to 20, the angel focuses on two of the divisions: the Syrian division lying just north of Palestine, over which the Seleucid line of kings would rule; and the Egyptian division, lying just south. These were important because they fought over control of Palestine where Israel was located. Secondly, they were important because Antiochus, the “little horn” of chapter eight, came from the Seleucids in Syria and he waged war against the Ptolemies in Egypt. It is in this section that we see some of the most incredible historical detail. Check out the Christ Fellowship Study Guide for more detail, including a chart of all the rulers and the verses in Daniel that correspond to them. You can get the study guide on our website.

Antiochus foreshadows the future Antichrist. Turn to verse 21 where Antiochus is introduced as a “contemptible person.”

21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.

He called himself “Epiphanes,” meaning “the revealed one” but others gave him the nickname “Epimanes,” meaning “madman.” He was an evil, lying ruler who hated the Jews, the Hitler of his day as you can see from scanning the next verses. He will act deceitfully, rise to power, and give wealth to his cronies, but only for a time. God brought him to an abrupt end in 164 BC after a reign of only twelve years. Notice in verse 30 that he will vent his fury against the holy covenant. This phrase “holy covenant” refers to Jewish religion. We know that Antiochus declared Jewish ceremonies illegal and burned copies of the Torah. According to verse 31, he will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up an abomination of desolation. Historically, we know he set up an altar to Zeus in the Jewish temple and sacrificed pigs on it. Let’s pick up the story in verse 32.

32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. 33 “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Here we get some insight into how we should live. People who know their God resist evil. We will come back to this later in the message, but clearly our call is to know God and resist evil. He references “the wise” who instruct many, but for a time are seriously persecuted. The wise may stumble, but in the process are being refined for the time of the end. We are to be the wise today.

The reference to the time of the end hints at a shift from the historical Antiochus to the future Antichrist. Starting in verse 36, we see exaggerated language that cannot describe Antiochus, but someone even more evil. For instance, Antiochus was not a king, but the Antichrist will be. This Antichrist is the ruler who will come mentioned in Chapter 9. He is the “little horn” of Daniel chapter 7. Listen to Daniel’s description of the Antichrist starting in verse 36.

36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. . . . skip to verse 45

45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

The Antichrist will be the worst example of arrogance and blasphemy who ever walked the earth. He will be full of himself. Sadly, this antichrist pattern is common in humanity. A smart, skilled, proud person gets power and then arrogantly uses his power ruthlessly to smash anyone who opposes him. Self-exaltation goes all the way back to Eden and Babel. We must always be on guard against Anti-God, poisonous pride. But just like with Antiochus, the Antichrist’s end will come suddenly.

Chapter 12 continues chapter 11 without a break in subject matter. Pick up the story in chapter 12, verse 1:

At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.

Remember from chapter 10, that Michael is the angelic chief prince who watches over the Jewish people. This great war, in which we are involved today, is not merely human, but cosmic, involving angels and demons as well. The text continues:

There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

Toward the end of history as we know it will come a brief time of severe distress often called the great tribulation. At that time everyone whose name is found written in the Book of Life will be delivered. The image is that of an ancient city census list. Here’s the important question for each of us: is your name in the Book?

The next two verses are among the most theologically significant in Daniel. Read verse two carefully.

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Sleep is a figure of speech for death. We will all awake from the sleep of death. We will all be raised from the dead. This is the first use of the phrase “everlasting life” in the Bible. We will all exist forever. There are only two destinies: everlasting life and everlasting contempt. The word “contempt” means something abhorrent. When we put this passage in the overall context of the Bible, we realize he is talking about hell and heaven, about eternal death or eternal life. Every human will either awake to everlasting life or to everlasting contempt and shame. Those who have not embraced salvation in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will not have their names written in the Book of Life. They will be ashamed before the Lord on judgment day and go to everlasting contempt. In contrast, those whose names are in the Book will experience everlasting life, further described in verse 3.

3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Just as stars display their beauty and glory in the sky, a bright future and a great reward awaits those who were wise. Notice what the wise do: lead many to righteousness, and it is Christ who is the righteous One. Then the angel gives instruction to Daniel in verse 4.

4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.”

People living in the time of the end will be helped by Daniel’s vision as it all starts to happen.

As chapter 12 continues Daniel sees a vision of two angelic figures on the banks of the river and a figure like a man above the water. He asked how long and what the outcome will be. In verse 9 we hear the answer.

9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

Basically the angel tells Daniel “You are not going to understand it at this point, but go your way, faithfully serve God knowing many will be refined during hard times. Wicked people will continue to be wicked, not understanding that the end is coming. Wise people understand.” Some Christians desperately seek more prophetic details than God has given us. Our calling is not to figure out all the details and timing, but to obey God faithfully today, knowing the end is coming and when it does the Big God wins.

In verse 11 the angel gives some very specific timing.

11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

Frankly, even the best scholars are unsure of exactly of how to read the specific numbers, but they approximate three and half years which correlates with time, times and half a time. Toward the end of history a brief time of great distress will come lead by the evil Antichrist. But then God will bring an end to him and all evil. The Big God will set up his kingdom.

Listen to the final words to Daniel in the great last verse of the book:

13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

Your job is to go your way serving God. Then you will rest, meaning you will die, but then at the end of time as we know it, you will rise from the dead to your divine inheritance. Your eternal reward is coming. We can have confidence today to serve God in the face of suffering and evil because we know how it ends. The Big God wins and we win with him.

Now, having walked through the vision of chapters 11 and 12, let’s turn to the sermon outline asking and answering three questions. How can we understand the end times? How can we live wisely in these times before the end? And how can we win in the end?

How to understand “the end times”

Let’s go back to that amazing chart. You know what was revealed in chapters 2, 7, 8, 9 and 11. Finally in chapter 12 we learn that there will be a resurrection of all people. Each person will awake from death either to everlasting contempt or to everlasting life. Those who are wise, who have trusted in Jesus Christ, will shine like the stars receiving their divine eternal inheritance. The Big God wins and we win with him. Wow! With a better understanding of the end times from Daniel, how are we to live wisely today? How can we be like the wise ones that Daniel describes in chapters 11 and 12?

How to be wise in these times before the End

Several times in chapters 11 and 12 Daniel mentions “the wise.” Who are they and how can we follow their example? The wise are the heroes during the time of distress who honor God. As we approach the end, times will become more difficult so we will need courage, but also wisdom. From these two chapters I see three characteristics of the wise.

Understand the Big God and eternity

First, the wise understand the Big God and eternity. In chapter 11, verse 33 Daniel describes people “who know their God.” In chapter 12 we hear that it is the wise who understand. What do they understand? I believe they understand eternity, the truths we have just covered about the resurrection of all people to everlasting death or everlasting life. What do they know about the Big God?

Let’s review what we have learned about the Big God from the book of Daniel. Chapter 1, the Big God honors convictions; chapter 2, the Big God controls nations; chapter 3, the Big God delivers through the fire; chapter 4, the Big God humbles the proud; chapter 5, the Big God has the last word with the writing on the wall; chapter 6, the Big God tames lions; then in part two; chapter 7, the Big God sends the Son of Man to rule the world; chapter 8, the Big God destroys evil in the end; chapter 9, the Big God sets the timing of the future; chapter 10, the Big God controls the unseen world; chapter 11, the Big God will crush the Antichrist; and finally chapter 12 the Big God will win and we will win with him. Even though evil appears to be unchecked, the Big God is in charge and in the end he wins.

Wise people understand God and eternity. What else does Daniel tell us about the wise? The wise firmly resist evil.

Firmly resist evil

If you truly know God and see eternity, today you will firmly resist evil. You will stand for righteousness and justice. Even in the dark period of Antiochus, there were true believers, wise people who firmly resisted evil. The ancient book First Maccabees 1:62-63 speaks of them: “Many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die”. Throughout history godly men and women have risked their lives to resist evil. I think of those who joined the resistance movement against Hitler during World War II. Today in northern Nigeria Christians are standing again Boko Haram, the terrorist group killing Christians and burning churches. Today bold Christians are courageously standing against the global sex trade, especially the slavery of children. What could we do to resist evil in our cities today, in our neighborhoods? How about in how we raise our kids? What about in what we put into our bodies or in what we allow our eyes to see? Our call is to stand for the oppressed, the poor and the orphans. I love what Paul says at the end of First Corinthians after he has fully explained the truth of our future resurrection. He charges:

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58.

In these times before the end the wise are characterized by understanding God and eternity, and by firmly resisting evil. They also lead many to Christ.

Lead many to Christ

In chapter 11 Daniel says the wise “will instruct many” (33). In chapter 12 he says they “lead many to righteousness” (3). The picture is not of formal teaching in a classroom, but informal conversation in daily life. The wise help other people become wise by helping people understand the Big God and eternity. Essentially Daniel is expressing our mission: to be people helping people find and follow Christ. In these hard times before the end, we are to be discipling the nations, being witnesses to Jesus Christ. We are ambassadors of the King, announcing that the King has come and is returning. We are inviting people to join the winning side. This is how to be wise in these times: more and more come to understand God and eternity; firmly resist evil and lead many to Christ.

So now we come to our final question: how can we win in the end?

How to win in the End

In the last verse of the book, the angel tells Daniel that he is to go his way, then he will rest, then at the end he will rise and receive his allotted inheritance. In the end Daniel wins. We only win in the end by joining the winning side. We only rise to everlasting life if our names are in the Book of Life. How can that happen? The New Testament is clear: if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. Then your name is written in the Book of Life. In John 3:16, Jesus refers to Daniel chapter 12, when he says,

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Whoever believes in Jesus Christ will rise to everlasting life. Whoever does not trust in Jesus Christ will rise to suffer everlasting contempt, death, hell. I do not want any one to be there. If you have never done so, I urge you to trust in Jesus Christ today. Make sure of your eternal destiny. Make sure you are on the winning side. Let us know your decision on your Care Card so someone can help you take the next step on the path.

Then today God will give you wisdom and strength to live for him in a difficult, evil world. In light of the coming increase in evil, you can be wise by understanding God and eternity; by firmly resisting evil; and by leading many to Christ; because even though for a time evil people will create distress making us suffer (which will refine us), God will bring them to end, but we will be delivered to everlasting life where we will shine like the brightest stars, as we receive our eternal inheritance.

In the sixth-century BC it looked as if Babylon was in control. But it wasn’t. In second-century Palestine it looked as if Antiochus was in control, but he wasn’t. In the first century of Paul, it looked as if Rome was in control, but it wasn’t. Today, it may look as if Satan is in control, but he isn’t. God is in charge, and because of that we can have boundless courage, peace and joy in the midst of our struggles. We know how it all ends. The Big God wins and we win with him. He is the great I AM. Today we can faithfully honor God in the face of any chaos because we know the Big God wins and we win with him. He is great I AM. Our God is an awesome God. He is the Big God!

It’s great to be back! I missed you guys. Thank you for all your prayers. I feel great. In fact, I felt great last week, but a tough lady named Tamara put me under house arrest to enforce rest. Even though I complained about it, I thank God for my wife Tamara. I did join you in worship on CF online the last two weeks. Thanks to Rafe for two fantastic messages on Daniel chapter nine! While I was under house arrest, God enabled me to take the first six sermons on Daniel and turn them into a book. If you are interested, later this month I hope to have this book available to you.

The book of Daniel is so enlightening. It’s been great this week to dive back into our study: The Big God in an Uncertain Future. Our chapter today talks about angels and demons. Many people are confused about angels and demons. Most of our information comes from popular culture in books, movies and TV shows. Dan Brown wrote the best seller titled Angels and Demons, which was later turned into a movie by the same title. Most of can do the motions to “Angels in the Outfield.”

What do you really know about angels and demons? Are they real? Do they have any impact in our world today? What if you could have a better understanding of the unseen world? Sadly, even by Christians, there is so much kooky, weird teaching on this topic. Daniel chapter 10 gives us solid insight. In this message I hope to open our eyes to see what we do know and warn us against speculating on what we don’t know. For instance, do our prayers have any impact on the unseen world?

It’s common to hear someone say life is a battle. From moms with little kids on the playground, to executives in the corporate world, to drivers in traffic on 635, it’s a war out there. The Bible also describes this life as a war. What do we mean when we use war metaphors to describe our daily lives? Life is hard. On the simplest level, we feel like we have to fight just to get through corporate voice mail hell to get help. We have to fight to get our insurance company to pay for our obvious medical needs. We do battle with our kids and spouses. Business is a war zone where espionage, sabotage and sneak attacks are normal. We even battle with ourselves: we battle losing weight; we battle a quick temper; and we battle addictions. Sometimes the evil around us makes us wonder about the demonic. When a local chiropractor is convicted of sexually abusing teenage patients and a man who lived blocks from this church building kills his wife and then jumps off a bridge to his death, you wonder what role supernatural evil plays in our world.

No wonder we feel weak, exhausted, and at times, terrified when it seems like we are losing the battle. We will see in our text today that Daniel himself felt weak, anguished and terrified. He was deathly pale and even fainted. He knows what it feels like to face life’s battles and get overwhelmed in the war. But what if you could find peace and get strength for the battle? In the end, Daniel is strengthened. Six times in the last few verses we will read about being strong. Here’s my big question for us today: How can we prepare for the war? I want us all to have more peace, insight and strength for life’s battles.

For us to get there, we must first understand the war. We need to open our eyes to what is really going on in the unseen world. The great war is more than human; it is cosmic. Daniel chapter 10 pulls back the curtain on the unseen world, giving us fresh understanding of the vast war that we are involved in whether we realize it or not.

Open your Bibles to Daniel chapter 10. Daniel is now about 85 years old when he sees the final vision of the book. He gives us the exact time and place where he saw the vision. We are going to read right through the entire chapter. Listen closely to identify the angels and demons. Let’s pray, “Lord, help us to understand your Word. We humbly seek spiritual understanding from you, our Big God, as we study your book. Amen.” Daniel chapter 10, verse 1.

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.

2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” 18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” 20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) Daniel 10:1–11:1

Wow, Daniel was overwhelmed and so are we. Let’s go back and walk through what happened in chapter 10 in chronological order. It is the third year of Cyrus, also called Darius, who is the human king of Persia. Daniel is given a message concerning a great war, but we never hear the message in this chapter. Rather, chapter 10 is the story behind the vision. We will see the vision next week when we enter the last two chapters of the book.

First Daniel mourns for three weeks doing a partial fast where he denied himself “choice foods,” meat, wine and lotions. During this time we know from verse 12 that he was setting his mind to gain understanding and he was humbling himself before God.

At the end of three weeks on the 24th day of the first month on the banks of the Tigris River, Daniel sees an amazing man dressed in linen with a belt of fine gold, a body like topaz, a face like lightning and arms and legs like gleaming bronze with a voice like the sound of a huge crowd. Daniel is the only one who saw the vision, but those with him were so overwhelmed with terror they ran and hid. Daniel felt helpless, turned deathly pale and fainted in a deep sleep.

A hand touches him. Now a new figure enters the story, and gets him up, as he is trembling. This is the first of three times that an angelic being physically touches Daniel and brings him assurance. The angel calls Daniel, “highly esteemed,” which means “one in whom God takes delight”. You might remember that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also called highly favored by an angel. The angel said this again in verse 19. Can you imagine an angel calling you “highly esteemed?” Daniel is an amazing guy. We would do well to follow his example.

The angel tells Daniel not to be afraid and then opens the curtain on the unseen world. He reveals that he started coming in answer to Daniel’s prayer three weeks ago, but he was detained by someone called the “prince of Persia” who resisted him until another individual named Michael, called one of the chief princes, came to help him. We will dig into this later. For now, we just want to get an overview of the basic flow of events. The angel says he will explain what’s going to happen in the future.

For the second time Daniel’s face hits the ground as he bows down, speechless. Then for second time the angel touches Daniel. Daniel says he is overcome with anguish and very weak; he can hardly breathe. Then in verse 18 for a third time the angel touches him, giving him strength, encouraging him not to be afraid, reminding him that he is highly esteemed. He encourages him to be at peace and be strong.

In the final scene of the chapter the angel says he will soon return to fight the prince of Persia and then the prince of Greece will come, but first he will tell Daniel what is in the Book of Truth. The section ends with the note that no one supports this angel except Michael, your prince, and this angel in fact supported and protected Michael two years earlier.

This is some wild stuff. The chapter reads like a modern day novel about the supernatural, except that this is true. So let’s unpack what Daniel calls in verse 1, “the Great War.” After we get some understanding of the war, specifically how angels and demons are involved, then we will consider how we can prepare for the war.

The Great War

The Hebrew word for “war” in verse 1 describes a military conflict. But, as the chapter makes clear, this war is more than human. Since this is a topic on which some people tend to go to weird extremes seeing demons everywhere, it is easy to swing the pendulum the other way and dismiss angels and demons as unreal. But that is as big a mistake as the other. We must neither obsess over angels and demons nor dismiss them as fake. Instead, we want to see sober biblical truth. Let’s avoid the temptation to speculate beyond the limited information the Bible gives us, but let’s learn what the Bible teaches us about the unseen world. Obviously, there is a lot going on that we don’t see and often don’t think about.

So let’s dive into chapter 10 to understand what God reveals to us about the unseen world. Who are some of the characters in the chapter? First, who is this man-figure who appears to Daniel in verse 5? If you read your Christ Fellowship study guide, which I hope you did, then you may remember that this appears to be a vision of the pre-incarnate Christ. However, is this the same person who touches Daniel in verse 10? Here’s the problem. This individual says he was detained for 21 days by the prince of the Persia. It seems highly unlikely that Christ would need an angel to help him. In verse 11, this new unnamed figure says he has “now been sent.” So it appears that the pre-incarnate Christ appeared and then sent an angel to bring Daniel the message.

Now who is the “prince of the Persian kingdom” who resists the unnamed angel? What do we know from the text? He has some relation to the kingdom of Persia. He has the rank of prince. He is powerful enough to resist an angel for 21 days. Therefore, when you bring the rest of biblical truth to bear, this prince of Persia is a fallen angel, a demon. He appears to have been assigned to Persia for a continuing period of time since this unnamed angel will return to fight him according to verse twenty. He is paralleled by another figure called the prince of Greece. So some demons and angels are assigned to influence specific nations.

Angels obviously have rank since we are introduced to another angelic figure named Michael who carries the rank of Chief Prince. He is called “your prince” in verse 21, so Michael is assigned to the Jewish people. Angels coordinate efforts to fight demons since Michael came to help this unnamed angel, and he supported and protected Michael.

Why did the demonic prince of Persia detain the angel coming to bring the message to Daniel? We are not told. We do know that Persia ruled the world at that time, including the land of Israel. We do know that the 70 years of captivity were up, so Cyrus was helping the Jews return to their land and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple against serious opposition as you can read about in Nehemiah, Ezra and Esther, where there was a Hitler-like plot to exterminate the Jews.

So what do we know about angels and demons from Daniel chapter 10? First, angels and demons are real, have ranks, names and coordinate their activity. They are not made up fantasies. Second, angels and demons specifically influence governments and their leaders. Third, there is an unseen war going on where angels and demons are fighting each other. Fourth, our prayers impact the unseen world and answers to our prayers can be delayed by demons.

Let me address a topic you might encounter from this chapter. Some Christians teach the concept of territorial spirits. They believe territories such as the United States, Collin County, or neighborhoods such as Stonebridge have specific territorial demons assigned to them. They advocate spiritual mapping of these demons and praying against them. This is speculation beyond what Daniel teaches. Clearly there is a relationship between certain demons and specific geo-political entities. However, nowhere does the Bible instruct us to map demons or to engage territorial spirits. Rather, we are told to pray for governmental leaders with a fresh understanding of what they face.

From the rest of the Bible we know that at the center of this cosmic war is Yahweh, the divine warrior. God fights on his people’s behalf to give them the victory. Daniel has been teaching us that the Big God rules. He is in charge of world affairs now and into the future. While he can, of course, override the united forces of hell or any human king, no matter how powerful, God allows demons and humans to make their own choices, but only for a limited time. We know how the war ends. We know who wins.

But today we fight battles. So how can we prepare to fight well in this great cosmic war that we are in? These days, especially in the spring time, physical workout apps are popular. If you follow the plan, you can go from couch to 5K in a matter of weeks. We are involved in something so much bigger and more serious than physical fitness. But by way of analogy, what could you do to go from spiritual couch potato to godly warrior? The Bible describes life as a war. You need to be prepared to fight. Are you willing to work as hard as for spiritual fitness as you do for physical fitness? You can prepare for the Great War in three intentional ways: seek spiritual understanding; humble yourself before the Big God; and study God’s Book. Daniel exemplifies these ways to prepare for the war. We will do well to follow the example of the man “high esteemed.” The first way to prepare is to seek spiritual understanding.

Seek spiritual understanding

Remember what Daniel did. He took three weeks to gain understanding of spiritual realities. He was a busy man with important responsibilities in the Babylonian empire, but he took three weeks off to seek God. In fact, he left his home and his office to go to an area by the Tigris River. There were people with him, so maybe he and some friends took a spiritual retreat together to seek spiritual understanding.

In June every year I take a three to four day spiritual retreat alone with God, during which I fast to seek spiritual understanding. Over the last decade, those have been some of the most significant days in my year. On our Christ Fellowship staff, we require each full-time person to take a quarterly day with God for spiritual strength.

What about you? Have you ever taken a vacation day just to seek God? Have you ever dedicated an entire Sunday to seek God? Have you ever left your home and office to go get alone for several hours to seek spiritual understanding? Try it. It’s worth it.

Verse 12 says Daniel set his mind to gain understanding. To set your mind means to exercise your willpower to an intentional end. You will not spend extended time with God unless you are very intentional and determined. Even though it is required and paid for, our team finds it challenging to take a quarterly day with God. The author of Proverbs says if you will, call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, (Proverbs 2:3–4), then you will find spiritual understanding. Daniel didn’t sit back and wait for understanding. He sought it with all his might.

His seeking was done by humbling himself before God. The second way to prepare yourself to fight in the great war is to humble yourself before the Big God.

Humble yourself before the Big God

Pride is an anti-God state of mind. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So if you really want to seek God and be a godly warrior, you will humble yourself. You can humble yourself by becoming increasingly aware of God’s holiness and your sin; of God’s bigness and your humanity. Often in Scripture, fasting is connected with humbling yourself before God.

Daniel did a partial fast for three weeks. He ate no meat and did not drink wine. In addition he ate no “choice” food. I think he essentially he fasted from chocolate; maybe no desserts. He limited himself to a basic diet; something like rice and beans. The point is to increase focus on seeking God. In the process of finding a new worship pastor for Christ Fellowship, this Spring, I did a 40-day partial fast to seek God’s guidance. I will tell you that one of my choice foods is bread, along with chips and salsa, which I did without for 40 days. As a result of the fast, I feel increased confidence in our decision.

Daniel also did not use lotion, which was common in a hot, dry climate. That would be like ladies not wearing make-up or guys not shaving for three weeks.

The decision to fast communicates your seriousness about humbling yourself and seeking God to prepare to be a warrior for him. Having two sons in the military, I can guarantee you that during their training they endured rigorous discipline to prepare to serve our country. We are preparing to serve our God. We might need some rigorous discipline. The cosmic war is going on today and we have a role to play in it. We are in it whether we like that or not. There are ways we can prepare. We can seek spiritual understanding and humble ourselves before the Big God. Daniel shows us a third way. We can study God’s Book.

Study God’s Book

Take a look at verse 11 where the angel tells Daniel to “consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you.” To consider carefully means to be mentally alert. The angel said he would tell Daniel what is written in the Book of Truth. We are not told exactly what that book is. It may refer to God’s written Word, the Bible, or to a book of what God will do in the future.

But for us today, the implication is that we should consider carefully the written revelation of God in the Bible, which is God’s book of truth for us today. To what extent are you studying God’s Word? Each of us is in different places along the path to knowing God. Let’s start near the beginning and move up the path of knowing the Scriptures. Do you have a Bible in a modern translation? Do you have a study Bible? Do you continually read the Bible on a daily basis? Do you have a Bible app on your smart device? Have you accessed Bible study web sites? Have you read the entire Bible? Have you memorized any verses in the Bible? Have you gone beyond reading the Bible to studying the Bible? As a comparison, have you studied the Bible as hard as you have studied anything else in your life: engineering, sales, finance, whatever you are interested in? Have you read other books about the Bible? Have you gone to a seminar or conference about the Bible? Have you been in a small group Bible study with other people? Do you use the Christ Fellowship Study Guide? You get the point. Daniel did not just close his eyes and hope God’s truth entered his mind; he studied it carefully. Today we have so many wonderful tools and resources available. Get into training. Prepare yourself to be a godly warrior by studying God’s Book.

This life is hard. It is appropriate to call it a battle, a war. It often feels that way, and yet rarely do we consider the unseen dimensions of the war. This is a great cosmic war that we are part of. As Daniel did, at times we feel weak and terrified. But we can find God’s peace and strength by following Daniel’s model.

Today, the battle is not with physical weapons, but spiritual ones. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10–20)

Our weapons are prayer, bold faith and deep love. The irony of the gospel is that the battle is won, not through killing, but rather by dying. Jesus, the divine warrior, accomplished his great victory by dying on the cross. While we are in a tremendous war, the outcome is sure. The victory was secured on the cross and by the empty tomb. Today we join the winning side by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. If you have not done so, I urge to trust in Jesus or perhaps you need to renew your commitment to Christ. Once we are following Jesus, then we start helping other people find and follow Christ.

We should not underestimate or ignore our enemy. Neither should we fixate on angels and demons. Rather, Daniel calls us to prepare for the great war in three intentional ways: seek spiritual understanding; humble yourself before the Big God and Study God’s Book. When we take time, as Daniel did, to seriously seek God, we will find God’s peace, insight and strength. God gave peace and spiritual insight to Daniel. He strengthened Daniel when he felt so weak.

Life is a battle. We are called be warriors in a world at war so we need to be prepared. Prayer is our great communication channel with the Commander-in-Chief. In answer to prayer, sometimes God sends angels to help us. When we share the gospel we are participating in the mission of God. When we help others, as many of you did during Go and Be, we are carrying out missions for our Big God. Be aware of the cosmic war and remember how it will all end. The Big God wins.

As a direct application of this message, I believe it would be appropriate to pray for our leaders. On your sermon outline in your worship guide I have listed the Christ Fellowship elders and wives so you can pray for them. They face demonic attacks. Then I have listed a few of our political leaders. Based on Daniel 10, we know that angels and demons fight over geo-political entities. Not only do our governmental leaders have to deal with the economy and everything else we can see, but they also face unseen influences they might not even be aware of. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote these instructions:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. (1 Timothy 2:1–6)

Please take a moment right now to pray for our church leaders and our political leaders. You can pray silently or pray out loud. In Uganda and in China I experienced all the believers praying loudly all at one time. At first it unsettled me, then I realized it was no problem for God. So let’s all pray for our leaders either silently or out loud, then I will close us.

Christ Fellowship Elders and wives
Don and Deanne Closson
Nick and Shanna Ganter
David and Kandice Hancock
Dave and Pam Lewis
Bruce and Tamara Miller
Ron and Yolanda Ryan
Mark and Sally Wilson

National, State, County and City leaders
President Obama
Governor Perry
County Commissioners, such as Chris Hill
Mayor Loughmiller

 
Here in America physical torture and serious persecution are not realities. We only encounter them in movies and reports from other parts of the world. From the vantage point of world history we live in a time and place of unusual peace and prosperity. Most human beings have lived through harder times. It is likely that we, or our children, will face more difficult days ahead. How will we handle harder times? Today we will gain insight on how to do that by seeing our Big God.

News reports of persecution against Christians by evil people can seem so distant, until it happens to someone you know personally. One of my long-time friends is Musa Asake who is from Nigeria. We met when I was teaching at Dallas Seminary and became good friends. He has been in my home many times. I’ve visited him in Jos, Nigeria and been to his mom’s home in his village.

Musa currently leads the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), an umbrella organization over most churches in Nigeria. In December Musa was in Washington DC meeting with people from the State Department to make the case that the American Government should declare Boko Haram a terrorist organization. Boko Haram is a violent Islamic sect that attacks Christians on a weekly basis including bombs in churches. A few days ago I received an email from Musa,

“Greetings to you and your family and happy Easter. I want to thank God and to also thank you for your partnership with us in this great ministry. . . .The challenge for the church in Nigeria now is very critical. The Muslim extremist group are busy killing innocent people and burning down places of worship. We Christians in Northern Nigeria are very helpless now. We are crying to our God on a daily basis but also bearing in mind that His timing is different from ours and so we will continue to wait on Him hoping and trusting that this merciless kind of killing will one day stop to His glory. Pray for special protection from above for me and my family as we serve God in this dangerous position of being the spoke person for the church in Nigeria at this time. Pray for the families that have lost their loved ones in this continued crisis. Examples: Mrs Deborah Shettima from Borno watched her husband killed by the insurgents, they took away her two daughters ages 7 and nine and she has not heard of them to date. Three months later they came back and killed her remaining sixteen year old son leaving her alone with no place to stay. Hannatu Andrew also lost her husband and four children. In one day their house burnt to ashes and many others. Pray for pastor Sarna Chindo in Kano who lost eight of his members the evening of 23 of February 2013 to these senseless killers. Yesterday there was a mass burial of 28 people that were brutally murdered at the early hours of Sunday at Attakar. I am visiting the scene tomorrow. Pray for my safety as I don’t have any protection from the government but from God for sure. Pray that we continue to have the spirit of forgiveness in the midst of these difficult and trying times.” Yours in His service, Musa and Tabitha Asake

How do we process this kind of violence? How can Musa have so much faith and courage and love? With such terrible things happening people wonder what God is doing? You might find yourself questioning whether god is powerful and good? Is he involved in this chaotic world? You would not be the first one to ask questions like these. There are important questions. While we will not give full answers today, we do get perspective from the book of Daniel, which we are studying in our new series: Big God in an uncertain future. Certainly one response is to pray. In fact, let’s take a moment to pray for Musa and his wife Tabitha. One of their kids and several of their grand kids live here in the Dallas area.

PRAYER

Today we are moving into Daniel chapter eight where we gain insight into how to trust God in an uncertain future. You can turn to Daniel chapter eight in your Bible. Daniel has been a favorite book of mine for a long time. When I went through my files to prepare for this message, I found a personal study I had forgotten about. You have to understand that I have been pretty fanatically devoted to God since I was a kid so I know this is unusual. At 18 years old in the Spring of my freshman year at The University of Texas in Austin, out of my personal study I wrote a 108 page typed commentary on Daniel entitled “Daniel: a holy man and a sovereign God.” Reading it now, I can’t believe how much I have forgotten and was surprised that much of it is pretty good. Students, do not underestimate what you can do today. Get involved in serious study of God’s Word and God will give you spiritual insight and wisdom.

In chapter eight it is about 550 BC. In his vision Daniel sees himself in the citadel of Susa. Susa was about 220 miles east of Babylon and 150 miles north of the Persian Gulf. In 1901 archaeologists discovered the famous Code of Hammurabi in Susa. The Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian law code, is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world, dating to over a 1000 years before Daniel. The biblical characters Esther and Nehmiah lived in Susa where Esther served as queen. We must never forget that we are not dealing with myth and legend but with concrete history of real people in real places.

As we prepare to read chapter eight, get ready to hear about more animals: a Ram and a Goat and we meet another horn. Is it the same horn as the one in chapter seven? The political references of the Ram and the Goat will be clear, but the horn is more mysterious. Who is this character? As we did last week, we are going to read the entire chapter to get a sense of the whole. We believe the Bible is God’s Word, but you do not have to believe that to get something out of the Bible. I encourage you to give full attention to Daniel chapter eight.

In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great. 5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. 7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power. 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the LORD; it took away the daily sacrifice from the LORD, and his sanctuary was thrown down. 12 Because of rebellion, the LORD’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the LORD’s people?” 14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” 18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. 19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. 23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” 27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. Daniel 8:1–27

How would you have felt? At first Daniel was terrified and fell on his face. This was likely God’s voice echoing through the canal. Before the Big God we sense our smallness and our sinfulness. An angel named Gabriel gives Daniel the interpretation. This is the first time in the Bible where a holy angel is called by name. It is Gabriel who appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and to Mary, the mother of Jesus. By the end of the interpretation Daniel is exhausted and appalled by the vision. And yet he went about the king’s business even though he did not understand all that he saw.

Before we unpack the truth in this chapter, let’s go back to a 50,000 foot level and see how this chapter fits with what we have learned from the visions in chapters two and seven.

In chapter two we saw the statue with four kinds of metal representing four empires, then ten toes and then a massive Stone that crushed the statue, representing the future kingdom of God. In chapter seven we saw four animals representing the same empires, then ten horns and little horn, then the Son of Man defeats the horn and he rules with his people forever. Now in chapter eight we meet a ram and a goat that correspond to the second and third of the four empires: Medo-Persia and Greece, followed by a horn that seems similar to the little horn from chapter seven. In each case we are looking at historical empires followed by a gap of time in which we are living now followed by the end of history, and the eternal earthly kingdom of God.

The Ram and the Goat

Now let’s look at the Ram and the Goat. If we’re not careful, we can start reading Daniel like a history book. Remember, these visions were prophetic! Everything Daniel envisioned was future to him. Moore, Pp 158. We know the Ram represents Medo-Persia. According to a fourth century writer, the Persian ruler carried the gold head of a ram when he marched before his army. One of the ram’s horns was larger than another because Persia although smaller at the start, grew to be the dominate of the two powers.

Although the Ram was powerful, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes shattered the Ram in great rage as it charged at high speed. The Goat is Greece lead by Alexander the Great, the prominent horn. Alexander was educated under Aristotle and become one of the great military strategists of history. He was only twenty years old when he succeeded his dad as king. With about 35,000 troops, Alexander crossed the Hellespont, and conquered the entire Medo-Persian Empire in a short three years. He died on June 13, 323 B.C., at a mere 32 years of age. After his death his kingdom was divided among four generals roughly according to the four directions of the compass; these are the four horns growing up toward the four winds. Cassander received Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus, Thrace and much of Asia Minor; Seleucus, Syria and vast regions to the east; and Ptolemy, Egypt.

What’s remarkable is that Daniel wrote this chapter two hundred years before Alexander was born. There is no way a human could predict this. In fact, these prophecies are so accurate that scholars who do not believe that the Bible is God’s Word, suggest that Daniel must have written this book hundreds of years later. For them that is the only explanation for the accuracy of Daniel. God’s Word is true. You can trust it.

The description of the ram and the goat are simply a prelude to the focus of the passage, which centers on a small horn that grows out of one of the four.This horn will destroy God’s people.

The Horn will destroy God’s people

Who is this horn? Unlike the ram and goat, identifying the horn is not so clear. Let’s talk about interpretation. Often an event or symbol in the Old Testament finds fuller meaning or fulfillment in the New Testament. For instance the lamb’s blood on the doors at Passover in Egypt saved the Jews from the angel of death killing the first born, but that blood represents the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, poured over the cross, which provides salvation from eternal death for all humanity by receiving his gift in faith. When the Israelites wandered in the desert God provided them with water and manna to sustain their lives. Later we learn that Jesus is the water of life and the bread of life. Sometimes prophecies will have a partial near fulfillment and a later complete fulfillment. For instance God promised a righteous king and he did provide David and Solomon as kings over Israel, but they are only small examples of the King of Kings to come, Jesus Christ who will rule over the entire world.

The horn refers partially to a ruler named Antiochus IV, the eighth ruler of the Seleucid Empire, one of the four divisions of Greece. He ruled for about nine years from 175 to 164 BC and did horrible things to the Jews. However, Antiochus IV prefigures a much more evil ruler to come, the Antichrist. Through history there have been many antichrist figures who give us a terrible pattern of what the ultimate Antichrist will be like.

Now I want you to know that some scholars think Daniel is only referring to Antiochus IV; others think that he is referring to both Antiochus and the Antichrist but exactly how is debated. Is the Antichrist described directly or only Antiochus who then functions as an historical type of the Antichrist to come. My view is that Antiochus is referenced in verse nine as the one who comes from one of the four horns, but that most of the description in the vision and its interpretation directly depicts the future Antichrist. I base that on the exaggerated language such as that the horn grew until it reached the host of heaven and secondly on the time references such as the vision concerns the time of the end, the distant future.

Historically we know about Antiochus the IV, also called Antiochus Epiphanies, from First and Second Maccabees, books contained in the Apocrypha, which describe the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus, and the Jews astonishing revolt against him led by the Macabees and celebrated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah every December. Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the temple by the Maccabees. Antiochus assassinated the high priest and slaughtered about 80,000 people including children. He erected an altar to Zeus in the Jewish temple area desecrating it by offering pigs as sacrifices on it. He burned copies of the Torah scrolls. I will not give detail, but he grossly tortured people

All of this anticipates the ultimate Antichrist who will do these things and worse. Let’s look at antichrist’s character. How is the horn described? He is arrogant; he considers himself superior setting himself up to be as great as the commander of the Lord’s army. He is a liar who throws truth to the ground. He is deceiver, a master of intrigue, which means he is good at twisting truth. He will make deceit prosper. And he becomes very strong but not by his own power implying his connection to black arts, the demonic world. Frankly we all deal with people who to a lesser degree exhibit antichrist-like behavior: arrogance, lying, deception and darkly supernatural interests. Frankly we too can be tempted to live this way; to see that the way to power and success is through arrogance and deception. We must resist the ways of this world and instead embrace the way of Jesus in humility and truth.

This Horn will take away religious practices such as the daily sacrifice and cause astounding devastation destroying many of God’s people. Finally he will take his stand against the Prince of princes. Then we read the climactic line in verse twenty-five: “Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” Daniel 7:25. God allows evil to have its day, but then he will destroy it.

The Big God will destroy the Horn

Here’s the deal. God and evil are not equal. Good and evil are not equal powers and we do not have to worry over who will win in the end. No, God wins. The Big God will destroy the horn and all evil once and for all. The Book of Revelation gives us a sneak peek in John’s vision:

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11–21.

The Big God wins. The Stone crushes the statue. The Son of Man will rule over an eternal kingdom. The Ancient of Days will throw the beasts into the lake of fire. And we will rule with the King of Kings forever.

Notice how Daniel responded. He was exhausted and appalled. He did not understand all that he saw, but after he rested he got up and went about the king’s business. That’s what we are to do. The point is not to understand all the details, but rather to confidently serve God in the face of terrible evil because while God allows evil to have its day, in the end he will destroy it. The Bible is realistic. There is terrible evil especially by evil dictators and it is going to get worse. Another dictator is coming who will be the worst of all. But Daniel eight teaches us that even though powerful evil people talk big and cause great suffering, in the end they will be defeated. Daniel eight builds our faith and hope. History is not out of control. Life is not out of control. God is in control.

The reason Musa Asake can live with faith in Nigeria in the face of the brutality of the Boko Haram is because he knows the Big God wins and we win with him. Whatever suffering we experience here is short-term. It’s what we tell our kids when they scrape their elbow. It’s going to hurt for a little while, but you will feel better soon. In hard times, it helps to know how it all ends. You will feel better soon. One key insight helps us prevail in difficult times: while evil appears to be winning, God will defeat it.

Confidently serve God in the face of terrible evil because while God allows evil to have its day, in the end he will destroy it. While evil rules today, God will end it one day.

To help us solidify the truth of Daniel in our hearts and minds, I have written a Daniel Declaration. You could call it a Daniel creed. We can all say it together. It is on the screens and written on your Program. This is a declaration you can memorize. You could say it each morning during the rest of our Daniel series. Let me read it once and then let’s all affirm it together.

Daniel Declaration
Praise God forever and ever.
For he is the living God and endures forever.
All rulers will worship him.
His kingdom is everlasting.
Wisdom and power are his.
He gives wisdom.
He rescues and he saves.
He is the great and awesome Big God!

 
We live in a crazy world. If you follow world news at all, it is incredibly unsettling. Sometimes I frankly don’t like to think about all the international threats, but then in sober moments I know it does no good to hide my head in the sand. Let’s go on a quick tour of terror.

The civil war in Syria devastates average citizens in regular neighborhoods bombed by both sides. Most scary in Syria is the huge stash of biological and chemical weapons that some rebel group could get access to and unleash on the world.

Iran, in spite of public denials, seems to be trying to build nuclear weapons that they may very well use.

North Korea is rattling their sword, breaking the decades old armistice and threatening to bomb America as well as South Korea.

Right next door to us Mexican drug cartels are raping and cutting off heads. Our fear is that the cartels are crossing the border into Texas. How would you like to be the next district attorney of Kaufman County?

Africa is filled with craziness from Joseph Kony’s child soldiers and unimaginable horror, to famine, to civil wars.

In our longer-term future the world worries about China as an emerging super-power. They are building up their military and recently launched cyber-attacks on American interests. What is going to happen in the decades to come?

The world is a scary place. And we have not even talked about the fragile global economy or the ecological dangers from massive pollution over centuries. How do we deal with our fear of the future? Some people hesitate to bring children into the world because of how scary it is out there. If the world is such a scary place, where is God? If there is a good and all-powerful God, why does it not do something about all the evil and suffering? Why does he let the “Hitlers” and “Konys” of this world hurt so many people?

How is it all going to end? What is going to happen to our world?
Television shows reflect our concern. A recent CNN report said post-apocalyptic scenarios are popping up everywhere, from a zombie apocalypse in “The Walking Dead” to “Falling Skies” to “Revolution,” a series about what happens after the loss of all advanced technology.

Religious people talk about a coming “antichrist.” Is this just crazy talk by nut jobs or is there something to it? What does the Bible really say about the future, the antichrist and the end of the world?

The book of Daniel gives us insights into the future. Daniel provides background for the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. Today we are going to see into the future. Daniel gives us insights that will help us deal with our fears in this scary world. If you missed our previous series, “Big God in a Chaotic World,” let me catch you up. Today we are starting into Daniel chapter seven. The book divides into two even halves: chapters one to six are historical stories, then chapters seven to twelve share four visions of the future. Let me share where we are in history. It is the sixth century BC. Babylon conquered the Jews and deported some of them. Daniel was one of the exiles who were deported. In the first part of the book we learn that he is a deeply spiritual man of impeccable character and exceptional quality to the point that he is made COO of the entire empire. God gave this amazing man visions from the future that he shares with us.

Let me warn you the second half of Daniel gets crazy. If you have been using your study guide as I hope you have, then you have encountered grotesque beasts, a river of fire and little horn with a big mouth. In the second half of the book we come to a different genre, kind of literature. We all intuitively know how to interpret different media genres. You have different expectations for what you see in an animated cartoon vs. an ad on Craig’s list vs. an editorial blog vs. Saturday Night Live skit vs. color commentary for a basketball game.

The second part of Daniel is called apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic writing uses symbols and exaggerated metaphors to communicate by analogy. Images are truthful, but not precise. Many people make outlandish and foolish claims from misreading this kind of literature in an overly literal way. Imagine taking animation or Steven Colbert literally. We need to become more sophisticated and common sense readers. Rather than reading the Bible over-literally, we need to read it seriously and skillfully according to the type of literature we are reading.

It kills me to see billboards such as this one: “Three days until judgment day.” I’m embarrassed by outlandish claims from supposedly Christian teachers saying the world is going to end on a certain day or identifying a current political figure with the antichrist. Some of this gets as foolish as last year’s 2012 Mayan calendar silliness.

So let’s jump into Daniel chapter seven to see what we can learn about the future and about God. For a variety of reasons, “modern commentators are generally agreed that chapter 7 is the single most important chapter of the Book of Daniel.” It is the turning point of the book and has enormous significance prophetically. It is the most frequently quoted chapter in the New Testament.

The first vision occurs during the first year of Belshazzar, King of Babylon, likely 553 B.C., when Daniel was about sixty-seven years old. Everything in the vision is on a world-wide scale. It gives keys to understanding history and the future in an international scope. Let me say upfront that the complexity of the images has led to varying interpretations. I encourage you to study the text yourself. Despite differences in views of the details, the main point is clear and greatly helps us deal with our fears in this scary world. You are about to meet a few major characters, which we will identify in the message: the beasts, the little horn, the ancient of days and the Son of Man. Be prepared; the vision is emotionally disturbing.

Open your Bible to Daniel chapter seven. Get ready to pay close attention. We are going to read straight through the entire chapter, which will take about five minutes. If it helps, close your eyes or read along with me. Imagine you were Daniel seeing this vision. Don’t be discouraged. It will not be clear to you at first. It was not to Daniel.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. 5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ 6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. 7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.
8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. 11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. 15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’ 19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. 26 “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’ 28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.

The vision rocked Daniel. Let’s unpack the dream and its interpretation by identifying the four main characters and what we learn about God and the future from each. What do the beasts represent? Four historical empires.

The beasts = four historical empires

Emotionally the four beasts are scary. Four grotesque, cruel beasts come up out of the stormy sea. They are mutants. One follows the other, giving us a pattern of evil empire following evil empire.

The first beast was like a lion with the wings of an eagle. Archaeology has uncovered statues of winged lions in the ruins of Babylon and we know lions decorated the famous Ishtar Gate. The lion is Babylon.

Then comes the one like a bear raised on one side with three ribs between its teeth. This symbolizes Media and Persia with the higher side symbolizing Persia, which rose to dominance in the alliance. The bear is Media-Persia.

The third mutant beast is like a leopard with four wings and four heads. A leopard is fast and has an insatiable thirst for blood. The leopard stands for Greece. Alexander the Great invaded in 334 B.C. and within 10 short years (by the age of thirty-two) had conquered the entire Medo-Persian Empire to the borders of India

After Alexander died in 323 B.C., his generals carved the kingdom into four parts. The leopard is Greece with its four heads.

The fourth beast defies any analogy to a known animal. It is terrifying and very powerful with large iron teeth. It crushed and devoured its victims. The fourth beast is Rome who took over the Mediterranean world and much more.

But this fourth beast is different from the others. It has ten horns. The three horns are uprooted by an eleventh little horn that rose up with eyes like a human and a boastful mouth. This image depicts a future version of the fourth beast in a new configuration. We will share more in the next section when we move to the future, but for now let’s consider what we learn from the four beasts representing four historical empires.

For those of you who were here for the message on Daniel chapter two, some of this may sound familiar. In chapter two Daniel interpreted a dream by Nebuchadnezzar of a giant statue made of four metals that correspond directly to the animals in this vision. The gold head matches the lion; the silver chest the bear; the bronze waist the leopard and the iron legs the fourth terrifying beast with iron teeth.

Here’s what’s amazing. Daniel predicted three empires that would follow the one in which he was living. He did this in 553 BC hundreds of years before Persia, Greece or Rome existed. Some people argue Daniel must have been written much later because it is impossible for him to have known so much in advance, but the evidence shows the book was really written in the 500s BC. Here’s the truth we learn about God. The big God controls history.

TBG controls history

What Daniel predicted about empires came true in detail. It happened. You can trust a God with this kind of power. If these prophecies came true in the past, then we can expect that Daniel’s predictions about the future will also happen.

The good news is that God controls history, but there is some bad news. Life is not a picnic. The world is not going to get progressively better. The next character in the dream is the little horn. What do we know about this little horn? It uproots three of the ten horns. It has human eyes, which communicates that it is very intelligent. It is more imposing that all the other horns. It has a mouth that speaks boastfully. It wages war against God’s people and appears to be defeating them. It will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. It will speak against the Most High and oppress his people. It will try to change the set times and the laws. For a brief time God’s people will be delivered into his hands. The little horn is the Antichrist.

Little Horn = The Antichrist

Nothing is more dangerous than an evil genius. We know this from Megamind and Pinky and the Brain. Seriously, this little horn, who we can identify from other biblical texts as the Antichrist, will lead a federation of nations that may have some connection back to the Roman empire. He will be brilliant and arrogant. Great evil arises when a charismatic leader rallies a people to hate the “other,” the enemy.

The word for “oppress” literally means “to wear out.” He will try to eliminate set times which probably refers to religious holidays. And he will try to change moral laws. Our enemy tries to wear us down by harassing us even today. Exhaustion and discouragement block many Christians from living all in for God. Don’t give up. You will quickly come to the end of your human strength, but God’s power never ends. You can stand and move forward in God’s strength.

What do we learn about our Big God from the little horn? Our Big God allows evil, but only for a time.

TBG allows evil only for a time

The Bible is realistic. It’s going to get worse out there. We live in a fallen world where evil people do terrible things. That’s the bad news. Would you like the good news?

I love the massive scene shift in verse nine from the raging sea to a heavenly courtroom. We meet our next character, The Ancient of Days. And who is the Ancient of Days? He is God the Father, God almighty.

Ancient of Days = God the Father

Starting in verse nine, Daniel shifts to poetry to describe his vision of the future in heaven. This Ancient of Days takes his seat on the throne. His clothing is white, symbolizing purity; his head is white like wool, symbolizing wisdom. His throne is a blazing fire with a river of fire flowing from before him, symbolizing righteous judgment. God wins.

The court is seated and the books are opened. Judgment is about to begin. The great judge, the Chief Justice of the universe, will judge the beast and all humanity.

Suddenly the terrifying fourth beast will be slain. He will be done. His power will be taken away and he will be completely destroyed forever. It will look like the little horn, the antichrist, is winning, when suddenly the Ancient of Days ends it. What do we learn about the Big God? The Big God will judge and destroy evil once and for all.

TBG will judge and destroy evil once and for all

The little horn with a big mouth is spewing out hatred toward God when suddenly God’s judgment silences him forever. How does this truth impact us today? Here is one of the major answers to evil. God is allowing evil to have its day, but only for a time. We know how it will end. God wins. He totally defeats evil once and for all. When you know how it ends, you can deal with minor defeats and set backs today.

I’m sure you remember the greatest college football game of all time, the 2006 Rose Bowl where the mighty Texas Longhorns defeated the highly-touted USC Trojans, who had been called by ESPN the greatest team ever to play college football, until that game. Riding a 34-game winning streak, USC featured two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield – quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush. I’m not saying Matt Leinart is the antichrist, but hang with me. With about five minutes to go, USC was ahead 38 to 26. At USC’s last touchdown, two UT players were hurt; one broke his arm. The announcer said “there is the dagger.” It looked like it was over. The bad guys had won. Until UT scored two touchdowns and with 19 seconds to go Vince Young scored a two-point conversion, giving UT the 41–38 victory. Watching the game was nerve-wracking, especially if you were watching it with my son Jimmy, a fanatical UT fan. But now Jimmy has the DVD of the game and while re-watching it over and over is still exciting, most of the fear is gone. Because we know how it ends. Even the setbacks are exciting because they just make the victory all the sweeter. UT wins the game every time.

Let me tell you how the world ends: God wins. In eternity we may just want to re-watch the DVD of the end of history as we know it over and over again.

Now at the judgment when the books are open and our lives are reviewed by the Great Judge, how will we fare? We know what happens to the Antichrist and he deserves it. What about you and me? When God reviews everything we have done and not done; everything we have thought; our motivations for what we have done; how will our book read? Not good. It is only the last character in the vision that gives us hope of surviving judgment day.

The last character is the Son of Man. Who is the Son of Man? Look back at verses thirteen and fourteen. What do we know about him? He comes on the clouds. He is given all authority and all people will worship him. He will rule an eternal kingdom. The Son of Man is Jesus Christ.

Son of Man = Jesus Christ

Clouds are associated with the appearance of God. The Psalms say he makes the clouds his chariot. Verse 13 is the verse of Daniel most often quoted in the New Testament Let’s re-read verses thirteen and fourteen:

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Jewish readers would have been surprised to see one like a Son of Man on clouds. This is a divine figure. Ancient Jewish writers identified the Son of Man as the Messiah. Now let’s listen with new ears to what Jesus said in his mock trial before the high priest, because Jesus quotes Daniel 7:13.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. Mark 14:60–64.

The high priest understood that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, even God himself. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, will rule over the entire earth as the King of Kings in an eternal kingdom just as real as Babylon, Greece or Rome. What do we learn about the Big God from the Son of Man? The Big God will rule over the whole world forever.

TBG will rule over the whole world forever

We know how it ends. God rules the world forever. He is the victor. Whose side do you want to be on? Notice in Daniel seven that the people of the Most High will possess the kingdom forever. God’s holy people will reign with Jesus Christ. This is frankly amazing, outrageous. It’s one thing to play on a winning football team, but what about playing on the team that wins the victory over the whole world and then reigns forever in a kingdom of peace? Wow!

How do we get to be part of that?! The answer is that the Son of Man came to rescue humanity oppressed by evil, humanity destroying ourselves with our own selfishness and greed. He came once and won the decisive battle on Golgotha at Easter on the cross and with the empty tomb. He rose from the dead. So today he offers eternal life to those who will repent and believe in him, to give him allegiance. If you never have done so, I urge you to trust in Jesus today. I want you to be on the eternally winning team.

This is a heavy vision. Look at Daniel. He turned pale. The Bible is realistic and sober. Yes, evil is real and it is going to get worse. But deeper still is the confidence we can have in facing the future because we trust the Big God. You can trust the Big God with the future because he controlled history and while today he allows evil for a time, soon he will destroy evil once and for all, and will personally rule over the whole world forever. Although it may look for a while like evil has the upper hand, do not be confused, God has it all in his hands. There is no question who wins. I love the famous true saying: “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.” If you are a believer, then the proper response to Daniel seven is worship, so we are going to sing. The book of Hebrews says:

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28–29.

We want to sing to our King. He is coming to reign. He is the victor. Jesus Christ is the risen King. Evil may have its day, but its day is about to be done. Jesus is King!

Welcome to Christ Fellowship! I’m Bruce Miller, the senior pastor. I’m glad you are here today. In churches around the world, one person announces, “He is Risen!” To which the response comes, “He is risen indeed!” Let’s try it. He is risen! (He is risen indeed!) He is risen! (He is risen indeed). Today we celebrate the Risen One and the beautiful things he brings into our lives.

I’m ready to start wearing shorts again. I’m ready for some spring sunshine. How about you? One morning last week I put on shorts and sandals because, hey it’s spring, and I had to go back and put on a jacket- I was shivering. Come on! A friend of mine put down his weed and feed on dirt, just hoping for some grass. I want to see flowers blooming and trees blossoming. It’s time for winter to end.

During the winter, could you imagine how you might feel if you did not know spring was coming? Imagine a little child unaware of the seasons. Why are all the leaves falling? Is the tree dying? Why is everything brown? In my backyard, the ground under our big pecan trees turns to dirt over the winter. If I did not know spring was coming, I could get really depressed. I could get stuck in the dirt.

That’s the way some of us are in our personal lives. It’s winter. You are stuck in brown dirt. Your life is not beautiful. But there is hope for all of us because of Easter. I love what God says in the last book of the Bible. In Revelation chapter twenty-one, verse five, the apostle John sees a vision of heaven and hears this:

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5.

The basis for God making everything new is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection turns our world from winter to spring, from dark to light, from dirt to beauty. You see God’s declaration is not just about the future. Today God is making things new. The story of Easter tells us that you can experience divinely beautiful things by trusting in the Risen One.

How can the winter of your life thaw into spring? How can your dirt be transformed into beauty? The answer is Jesus. He alone has the power to transform you. He has that power because he rose from the dead. We are going to take a fresh look at the story of Easter through the eyes of John in his Gospel, the fourth book in the New Testament. Open your Bible to the gospel of John chapter nineteen. Later in the service I will invite you to give your dirt to Jesus and receive from him the gift of beautiful life that only he can give. The Spirit of God can change you. Your life is not hopeless. I invite you to pray that God will touch your life today; silently in your own heart ask God for what you would like him to do in your life today.

Prayer

Let’s walk through the Easter story in the gospel of John. Jesus is the key. In chapter nineteen we see Jesus’ crucifixion. The Romans put him on trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate had him flogged, put a mocking crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe on his bleeding back, but after talking to him, Pilate declared Jesus innocent. Then Pilate who was on shaky political ground himself heard the crowds yelling, “Crucify! Crucify!” and he caved to the political pressure. So Jesus was wrongly condemned to execution. He carried his own cross to Golgotha, the place of the skull. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. The Jews wanted him to take the notice down, but Pilate refused. Ironically, Jesus was the King of the Jews and even more, the King of Kings.

In total the four Gospels record seven sayings of Jesus from the cross. John has two of them. Jesus simply says, “I am thirsty.” Hear these words on multiple levels. On the physical level, scourged, bleeding, and hanging on a cross, he would be desperately dehydrated. Jesus’ thirst shows his mortality, his humanity. He is fully human. He thirsts.

On a deeper level, water is a major theme in John’s Gospel. Jesus promised living water to the woman at the well. In chapter seven, verse 37, we read;

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ John 7:37-38.

It is highly ironic that Jesus himself, the source of living water, thirsts.

He is taking on the sin, the thirst, of humanity. He thirsts so that we will never thirst again. Jesus thirsts so he can quench the deepest thirst in your soul.

The second saying John records is Jesus saying, “It is finished.” John 19:30. This should not be heard as the last gasp of a defeated martyr, but as the shout of a triumphant victor. “It is finished” in Greek is one word, tetelestai, a rich word. It means completed, accomplished, finished. In this case tetelestai is in the perfect tense indicating an action finished in the past with continuing effects in the present. The cross is not a defeat, but a victory. Jesus finished paying for our sins.

At that point John records: he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Notice that Jesus is in control. Jesus voluntarily gives up his life for us. Normally with human beings, a person struggles with final breaths, dies and then their head drops down. Jesus first bows his head, and only then does he give up his spirit. The Greek language here is unusual for communicating death; it highlights that Jesus is in control of his death. He chose to die.

After his death, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. He and another disciple named Nicodemus buried Jesus in a tomb covering the entrance with a stone.

Then in John chapter twenty the whole universe changed. The history of our world shifted. A lady named Mary Magdalene who Jesus had greatly helped, came to visit his body and found the tomb empty. In great grief she gasped;

“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” John 20:2.

She did not understand yet, but he has not been hidden. He is risen. She thought it was still winter, but spring has come. The brown dirt of death has been transformed by the beauty of resurrected life. Easter is his story, and you can be part of his story. You can experience divinely beautiful things by trusting in the Risen One. Because he is risen, he can transform you.

To give you hope, let me briefly share four people’s dirt transformed into four divinely beautiful things. We will see a woman weeping in grief, men cowering in fear, one stubbornly doubting and another paralyzed with guilt. The Risen One transformed Mary’s grief into beautiful joy.

Mary’s grief transformed into beautiful joy

Follow with me in John chapter twenty, verse eleven.

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). . . . 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” John 20:11–18

Grief, loss, crying outside in the garden; Mary has lost the person who meant so much to her. Maybe you identify with Mary. You are emotional. You find yourself crying a lot. You lost a marriage, a career, a dream. Life has not turned out the way you thought. You are stuck in the dirt of grief.

Jesus is so gentle with her. He asks her, “Woman, why are you crying?” Then he asks, “Who is it you are looking for?” which is a form of invitation. To reveal his identify, he simply calls her name, “Mary”. Immediately she recognizes his voice calling her name and responds in Aramaic, with deep affection, “Rabboni!” Can you hear God calling your name?

Her grief is swallowed up by beautiful joy. She believes in the Risen One. Jesus turns her grief to joy. Jesus promised his followers;

You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. John 16:20.

Mary then went to tell the disciples the news, but they did not believe her. We see their story in verse nineteen as they are hiding in fear behind locked doors. The Risen One transforms the disciples’ fear into beautiful peace.

Disciples’ fear transformed into beautiful peace

Follow with me in the next verses in John chapter twenty.

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!” John 20:19–21

In what dirt are they stuck? Fear. They are hiding behind locked doors. Fear paralyzes us, preventing us from moving out of the dirt into the beauty God has for us in Christ. We face real fears in our lives.

But Jesus appears, having walked through the closed doors in his new resurrection body. In his first words he extends peace. Jesus offers to replace their fear with peace. Peace, in Hebrew, Shalom, is the ultimate blessing which means being at peace in everyway: peace personally, peace with God, peace with others and peace with the world. Salvation is peace, Shalom. Shalom is a supreme Easter blessing.

The disciples believe. And they are filled with beautiful peace. True peace comes from the Risen One, the only one who can give peace that passes all understanding. You can experience beautiful peace.

Now one disciple was not present. It is to his story we turn next. In verse twenty-four, see the story of Thomas. Thomas was stuck in the dirt of doubt. But the Risen One transformed Thomas’ doubt into beautiful faith.

Thomas’ doubt transformed into beautiful faith

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24–29

What dirt holds Thomas back? Doubt. He was alone, not with the others. It is easy to doubt when you are alone in your own head. Maybe you can identify with Thomas. You too have doubts. You want confirmation. You want facts. You want proof. Christianity rests on the resurrection. Don’t let doubts about secondary issues such as evolution stand in your way. The issue is Jesus.

Jesus shows up, transforming Thomas’ doubt into faith. Jesus gives Thomas undeniable evidence of his resurrection. This is no hallucination, no impersonation. This is the real Jesus and he is alive. Jesus is very direct. He says, Stop doubting and believe.

The most determined doubter then gives the greatest confession of Jesus’ identity. Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” The personal pronouns are important. Thomas does not just assent to the facts – “ok Jesus did rise from the dead.” He commits himself to Jesus. He embraces Jesus as my Lord and my God. Jesus is God in the flesh, and therefore his claims cannot be ignored. God is calling us to serious, deep faith – a conviction on which we will stake our lives and orient our actions.

Then after the story of Thomas, John tells us the reason he wrote his Gospel in verse thirty-one:

31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31.

This is the Easter invitation from God. God offers you beautiful life by believing in the Risen One, Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. Have you believed in Jesus in this way?

We have one more story, Peter, the man stuck in the paralyzing dirt of guilt. Guilt dirt keeps us in the dark cold winter of a dead life, a life without the beauty of Christ’s resurrection life. As we will see, the Risen One transforms Peter’s guilt into beautiful forgiveness.

Peter’s guilt transformed into beautiful forgiveness

Jesus had told Peter the sad truth that before a rooster crowed Peter would deny him three times. Peter insisted he would never do that. But at Jesus’ trials Peter was in the courtyard around a fire where three times he denied that he even knew Jesus. The last denial he underlined with curse words. The rooster crowed and Peter wept bitterly.

Now it is a few days after the resurrection. Peter is fishing with the guys in a boat when they see Jesus on the shore. After they eat some fish, Jesus takes Peter aside for an amazing restorative conversation overcoming Peter’s three denials. Let’s pick it up in John chapter twenty-one, verse fifteen.

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. . . .Then he said to him, “Follow me!” John 21:15–19.

Peter was stuck in the dirt of guilt. He denied Jesus, three times. But in the power of the resurrection Jesus transforms Peter’s guilt into beautiful forgiveness. Most of our guilt is real. We have sinned. In many ways we have denied Jesus Christ. Who has the authority to forgive sin? On what basis? We talk about forgiving ourselves, but you don’t have that authority. Only God can forgive sin based on Easter, based on what Jesus did in dying on the cross and rising from the dead. You can experience the beauty of forgiveness by believing in the Risen One, Jesus Christ.

We all have dirt in our lives. And we want beautiful things in our lives. You can experience divinely beautiful things by trusting in the Risen One. During this next powerful song, “Beautiful Things,” reflect on the message today, on the Scripture; meditate on Jesus. What dirt in your life do you want Christ to turn into beauty? He can. He is offering. Trust in Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

(Song) Beautiful Things

God makes beautiful things out of the dust, out of us. To help you this Easter we have a simple action step for those of you for whom this will be meaningful. Inside your Worship Guide is a black slip. During the next song, on the black slip, you can write your “dirt” that you want God to transform into beautiful things.

We will invite you to come forward and bury your crumpled paper in the dirt in one of the planters expressing that you are giving it to God. In response you will receive the gift of a bookmark with an image of the beautiful things God has for you, from the painting before you done by a member of our church with the declaration from Revelation: “You make all things new.” This bookmark can be a reminder of this moment for you.

This is a time of confession, a time of being unburdened, a time of
beautiful things through Jesus Christ. The words in the planters were taken from a testimony written by Jennifer Griffin who has trusted in the Risen One. She has believed in Jesus and received the beautiful life he promises. She will be up front and available to talk and we have copies of her full testimony. Take time with God right now to write your stuff you want to bury in the dirt.

Easter is a time of new beginnings, new life. For living things to grow you must first bury the seeds. When this next song begins, I invite you to come forward, wad up your black paper and bury it in the dirt, symbolizing that you are giving it to God; to God who can make beautiful things out of our messes. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, spring has come.

In Video Café, you have you have small receptacles of dirt for this same response. If you are participating online, you can write your dirt on whatever you want and then wad it up and throw it away or shred it. In the Worship Center, for the sake of order, I want everyone to come up the center aisle and then exit down the side aisles back to your seat.

Please stand. Let me pray for you.

PRAYER

Come forward. Bury your junk in the dirt and trust in Jesus Christ to experience beautiful things. Receive the beautiful life that God offers you.

(Song) When Love Sees you Jesus

(Song) Jesus Paid it All

Today you have an opportunity to respond to God using the Care Card in your Worship Guide or online. Take the Care Card out of your Worship Guide. If you have made a spiritual decision today, let us know. We want to celebrate with you and support you. When the offering bag comes by, place your Care Card inside.

If you would like someone to contact you, then write down a phone number or email. If you want us to pray for you, we would be happy to do so. At Christ Fellowship we see giving not as an obligation, but as an act of worship out of gratitude. God has given us his only Son. He has given us life, beautiful things. So we give in grateful worship. God does not need our money, but he asks for our worship. He is the great I AM. He is God.

PRAYER

(Song) Great I Am

Welcome to Christ Fellowship! Today is a special day. Today is our 16th anniversary! We held our first services at Faubion Middle School on March 16, 1997. God has been so good! These have been the best 16 years of my life! What a blast to serve Jesus with you at Christ Fellowship. Later in the service, I will share the personal story of how we got started in the earliest days. We did not start this Jesus-movement, but it is our turn to be part of God’s great Movement on earth.

Let me ask you a deeper question. What is life all about? What are we doing here on planet earth? Many of us ignore these kinds of questions for several different fears. Some of us fear getting a headache, banging our head against philosophical questions. Deeper still, we fear there is no answer. There is no purpose to life. Or we fear there is a good answer and we are far off track. We might have to make major changes to get our life aligned with the real point of life before God. But what if you did really get clear on what life is all about? What if, on purpose, you were living a life that truly matters? Could you imagine living a significant life of great meaning and purpose? What a difference that would make to your attitude, to your energy, to your life! Today we are going to explore what life is about in terms of what I am calling the Movement. There are lots of movements out there, but this Movement I’m talking about today refers to the Movement of God and his kingdom.

In one of the most famous prayers of all time, Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9b-10 Say this with me: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9b-10

In the Lord’s Prayer, what does it mean to pray for “your kingdom” to come? Of course the kingdom is the Lord’s, but what is it?

The kingdom is the reign of God through his people in the world.

It is not a political entity or a geographic region but the reign of God through his people. It has taken different forms through history and will be complete in the future when Christ returns. One way of understanding the kingdom of God is to see it as the Movement of God. The Movement of God is his work through history to establish his reign on earth through his people. This is an important thread that ties together the entire Bible and all of history. Some would argue that it is the primary theme of the Bible.

Jesus is the One who makes the Movement happen on earth. To really live is to embrace the Movement because Jesus was promised, came, is here and is returning! When you see the Movement through time, you can find your place in history and in this world; you can see the purpose of life. I love seeing how the whole Bible and all of history fits together. Let’s take a high-level tour through the Bible seeing the Movement from the beginning through the end in the future. Then we will come back to us today to see how you can be part of what really matters.

This is God’s Movement. He is the Movement-maker, the King.
He is the eternal, universal King. We sang this truth: “God you reign, forever and ever.” In our study of Daniel last week, we studied the awesome decree by King Darius:

26 I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom [Movement] will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end. Daniel 6:26

Let me suggest that you replace the word “kingdom” with the word “Movement.” God is the eternal Movement-Maker. Now let’s start our tour. Jesus is the scarlet thread that ties the Bible together. I wish I could have been there on the Emmaus Road after Jesus rose from the dead. As he walked with a couple of guys, Jesus explained to them how all the Scriptures speak of him. That was better than any TED talks. Would that not have been amazing to hear Jesus share how it all points to him? We will walk through four stages of the Movement: it begins, escalates, spreads and finishes. Each stage springs from Jesus and has a focus on one of his titles. It starts in the Old Testament with the promise of Jesus, the Messiah.

Jesus promised: Messiah

The Movement begins– Old Testament

At creation God made us in his image. As his image-bearers, we are to represent him on earth. God said to them:

Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Genesis 1: 28b

In the Garden of Eden, we experienced the presence of God in a paradise in which we were given authority and told to multiply and fill the earth with image-bearers. Together we were to rule for God on the earth carrying his eternal Movement to this planet.

Fall

But then we messed it all up. In Genesis 3-11, we read about the horrible Fall, our rebellion against our Maker. An evil influence represented as the serpent enticed us to reject the Maker’s authority; to doubt his word to us, “Did God really say?” to make our own way; rather than carrying out his Movement, his way. As a result, our work was frustrated with thorns; our multiplication was frustrated with pain and our beautiful paradise was cursed. We were banished from the Maker’s presence. In our nakedness, we hid from our Maker in the trees.

Promise

But there was a beam of light in the darkness. In the midst of the consequences for our rebellion, God gave the first promise of his Movement to right our wrong; to save us from our self-destruction; to redeem our rebellion. The first promise came in Genesis 3:15 in a curse to the serpent. This promise has been called by theologians the proto-evangelium, the first Gospel.

Eve – son; Genesis 3:15

Eve will give birth to a son who will crush the serpent’s head. God says, he will crush your head, Genesis 3:15b. Who is this son? Her first son Abel was killed by his other brother Cain, but then God gave her Seth, from whom the ultimate Son would come many years later. The promise continued through the Old Testament, most notably with Abraham.

Abraham – bless all nations, Genesis 12

In Genesis 12, God promised that he would bless the entire world through Abraham.

2 I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:2-3

The channel of this blessing would be the great Son of Abraham to come. Hundreds of years later after Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God raised up Moses to deliver his people.

Moses – Deliverer

Moses pictures the ultimate Deliverer to come. God’s Movement would not be stopped by the Pharaoh of Egypt nor anyone else. In the Book of Exodus God promised:

Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom [Movement] of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:5b-6a

God’s people will be a kingdom or Movement of priests. Israel’s rescue from Egypt prefigures humanity’s rescue from sin. Then the nation of Israel grew and kings emerged. David was the best earthly king.

David – King

God’s Movement continued through David and the nation of Israel, but God promised even more.

12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 2 Samuel 7:12–13

David’s son’s rule grew to picture one who defeated all God’s enemies and established his rule over all nations forever. A king is coming who will escalate the Movement.

Daniel – the Rock, Daniel 2

Prophets such as Daniel give us more detail in their promises of a Messiah to come, a deliverer like Moses, a king like David who will establish this Movement over the earth. Daniel described a Rock that will crush all other kingdoms.

It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. Daniel 2:44b

The Movement will outlast every other movement and will cover the earth.

Isaiah – Servant-King Isaiah 9, 53

The prophet Isaiah tells us even more. He prophesied of a son to come, the ultimate son of Eve and David:

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The Movement-Maker is sending a Son who will re-establish his Movement on earth once and for all. However in Isaiah 53, we learn that this Movement would come at a great price. It would require sacrifice by this Son to come. Isaiah wrote:

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

This Messiah to come would be crushed for us so that by his wounds we could be healed from our rebellion. He would carry our sin on his shoulders. Then it happened. In the second stage of the Movement, Jesus came, Immanuel, God with us. The Movement escalates in the Gospels.

Jesus came: Immanuel

The Movement escalates – Gospels

In the Bible’s four Gospels, we see Jesus’ incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and commission. He is the Son who crushed the serpent’s head; the deliverer who led the ultimate exodus; and the eternal Davidic King; the Rock who would crush all kingdoms; the suffering servant who paid for our sins with his death. He is the Messiah. He is God with us, Immanuel. Let’s trace Jesus using just the Gospel of John.

Incarnation – John 1

John tells us that the Word, the Logos, became flesh. God became human to save humanity.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jesus lived a perfect life during which he declared the message of the Movement which we call the Gospel. Jesus said, I must preach the good news of the kingdom [Movement] of God. Luke 4:43b. He lived it and he shared it. So must we, but that comes later. Jesus allowed himself to be crucified for our sakes.

Crucifixion – John 19

John tells us that Jesus was crucified on a wooden cross with a notice fastened to the cross that read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Jesus is the King of the Movement. On the cross Jesus said, It is finished. John 19:30b He finished his work of paying for our sins. But Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the dead to give us life.

Resurrection – John 20

Jesus’ resurrection gives the power for new life. John tells us why his Gospel was written,

31 That you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31b.

The way to life is through Jesus Christ. The way to a life worth living is by believing in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. This is the way to join the Movement. If you have never done so, I urge you to trust in Jesus Christ. This is the only way to a significant life. This is the only way to find forgiveness and escape eternal death. God promises us life in Jesus. You can have it, as a gift from God. After his resurrection, Jesus gave us a commission. We find his commission in all four Gospels and in the Book of Acts.

Commission – John 20:21

Here is how John shared Jesus’ commission in his Gospel,

21Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. John 20:21b

As God the Father sent Jesus into the world to carry out the Movement, so Jesus is sending us into the world to carry on the cause; to live and speak the message of the Movement. We are to embrace the Movement because Jesus came, died, rose and commissioned us.

The next stage of the Movement is our time. We are to spread the Movement in the power of the Spirit, as we see in the Book of Acts and the Epistles and the New Testament letters. Jesus ascended back to the throne of God as the Savior of the world.

Jesus ascended: Savior

Not only is Jesus Messiah and Immanuel, but he is also Savior. Just before he ascended he said we, as his followers, would do greater works in the power of the Spirit whom he would send. What did Jesus mean? He was talking about spreading the Movement all over the world.

The Movement spreads – Acts and Epistles

The power that would enable the Movement to spread is the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus said he would send.

The Spirit – Acts 1-2 (Pentecost)

In Acts 1, Jesus promised;

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

In the power of the Spirit, we are to witness to Jesus to the ends of the earth. Notice the global nature of the Movement that echoes back to a kingdom that will cover the earth in Daniel, to a blessing to the whole earth in Abraham and to filling the whole earth at creation. The Movement is global, worldwide.

With Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost there is a major shift in the way the Movement is carried out. God is no longer working primarily through one nation; rather he creates a new entity, actually a network of small multi-ethnic Movement communities. He calls them ecclesias, in English, churches.

The Church – Ephesians 2-4

Today churches are the primary expression of the Movement. Churches are manifestations of the body of Christ. They are Spirit-empowered communities showing the world the love and power of Jesus Christ. We live and communicate the Movement together as we incarnate Jesus in our words and deeds. We make the invisible God visible in our love, holiness and works of mercy and justice.

The Book of Ephesians lays out the plan for the multi-ethnic Movement communities who are described as the body of Christ and the temple of the Spirit. We are to represent God to the world, by giving our lives to his Movement. In an amazing statement, Paul said;

10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 3:10

Churches are much more than simply volunteer organizations that humans decided to create. God made churches like he made marriage and family. The church is like an embassy from God’s future kingdom where God’s people gather under his rule to affirm each other and commit together to his Movement. In American embassies in foreign countries, American law holds true. Churches are embassies of heaven in a foreign world where God’s Word rules. We are to show God’s Movement to the world. We rally together to multiply Movement communities all over the world baptizing people into the Movement and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands. What does this have to do with you? What is your role?

We are Movement Ambassadors

We are Movement Ambassadors. God has saved us. He rescued us from darkness and brought us into his awesome Movement. Paul said in Colossians;

13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom [Movement] of the Son he loves. Colossians 1:13, NET

In the last book of the Bible John said;

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom [Movement] and priests to serve his God and Father. Revelation 1:5b-6a

We are the Movement of God today. And so like Paul, we are to live and share the Movement boldly, to the whole world. In 2 Corinthians, Paul said we are ambassadors of the Movement;

20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

What a high calling! What a significant life. Imagine reading about yourself in heaven’s daily Twitter feed, “A new ambassador has just been appointed in McKinney, Texas. Sergio will be representing our Movement in Eldorado Heights and at Hewlett Packard. He has a wife, Selma, and three kids to whom he will be a personal ambassador on a daily basis.” You see, husbands are to love their wives as the head of our Movement loves us. And Dads, we are to bring up our children in the ways of the Movement. At work, we are to serve our companies as if were serving the Movement-Maker, knowing we will answer to him one day for how we represented him on the job as an employee and as an employer.

Today we are Movement ambassadors representing the Movement in our families, in our work, and in the community. We will do this until the next stage of the Movement, which will happen when Jesus returns as the King. He will finish the Movement as is described in the book of Revelation. The Messiah, Immanuel, the Savior, is the King.

Jesus is returning: King

The Old Testament prophets did not see that the Messiah would come twice. To them the two comings looked like one – as from a distance two mountain peaks look when they are right next to each other, until you get closer and realize they are miles apart. Jesus came first as a silent Lamb, but he is returning as the roaring Lion. When Jesus returns as the King of Kings, he will finish the Movement.

The Movement finishes – Revelation

All the Old Testament prophecies not yet fulfilled will be fulfilled when Jesus returns. We see the return of the King described in Revelation 19.

Return of the King- Revelation 19

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. . . . He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16

Two Comings of the Christ King
Silent Lamb Roaring Lion
Crown of thorns Crown of glory
On a donkey On a white horse

When he comes, Jesus will crush all rebellion and establish the Movement over the entire earth in power and peace. He will form a new world, a new earth.

New world – Revelation 20-22

We see the new world described in the last chapters of Revelation.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 21:1-4a

You are part of this trans-historical, global Movement that one day will cover the earth. We get to be a part today and will be a part in the future. This is real life, a significant life that really matters.

We did not start the Movement, but we can be part of it. After Jesus ascended and sent the Spirit to form the church, followers of Jesus spread the Movement all around the world. Often at great cost, even at the sacrifice of their own lives, men and women have carried the Movement to dark places and needy people. For 2000 years, the Movement has spread to every country in the world. Now it is our turn.

Christ Fellowship is part of the story, part of the Movement. I said I would tell you some of our very personal early story. In August of 1995 during a normal prayer time, I sensed with utter clarity that God was calling me to start a church in McKinney. Now I’m a rational guy who analyzes pros and cons of decisions until it drives my wife, Tamara, nuts. But I felt no need to analyze. It was clear. So I went to Tamara to tell her. Bear in mind that we were living in Plano in a great house, great neighborhood; kids adjusted in good schools. We loved serving on staff at Chase Oaks Church where I was respected and had secure salary with a great future, so I was hesitant. I said with a question in my eyes, “Tamara, I believe God is calling us to start a church in McKinney.” My eyes were asking, and what do you think? With no hesitation she said, “Then let’s go.” I wondered if I heard correctly. She said she had never heard me talk like that and if God was calling, then we were going.

But I did not have the blessing of my boss, pastor and life-mentor, Gene Getz, who had turned down most everyone else who wanted to leave and start a church nearby. I went into a time of intense prayer and fasting. On a flip chart in my office I wrote: “We live by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 Prayer and faith have characterized our church from the very start. I took a prayer drive by myself through McKinney and felt a huge love for the people as I prayed for each one I saw. I stopped at a gas station and felt this huge pull to come bring the Gospel to this region. I cannot explain the feeling. I knew God was sending me as a missionary to the McKinney region. I studied the history and geography of the city, learning it was built exactly 30 miles on the compass from Dallas, Sherman, Denton and Greenville. God gave me a vision of bringing the Gospel to the region from McKinney.

Weeks later, Tamara and I took Gene and his wife Elaine to dinner at August Moon in Plano. I was scared to death. We had never invited them to dinner. I did not know how he would respond. I could not get the words out until near the end of the dinner when I just blurted out the whole vision and my heart. When I finished he simply said, “Yes. You are ready and the church is ready.” God confirmed the vision. Gene said let’s take the time to plan it, pray it and build it well. So it was 18 months later when we opened the doors for the first service on March 16, 1997 with hearts full of faith and love, with great anticipation for what God would do, to use us in the power of the Spirit to bring his Movement to this region. And look what God has done.

We started at Faubion Middle School, then moved to Reuben Johnson Elementary, then bought this land and built a first building. We worshiped in the gym starting in June of 2000. Then we took a leap of faith to raise a million dollars in cash in nine weeks to ignite the building of this worship center. We moved in ten years ago in January of 2003.

Then two years ago, God birthed a larger vision in our hearts. We realized that the original dream of McKinney Fellowship Bible Church as a regional church was not all that he had for us. We dreamed of reaching more people by being in more places than just 2801 Orchid Drive. We realized at a deeper level that the church is not an institution but a Movement. And so the Movement to Multiply was birthed in our souls. In October of 2010 on 10-10-10, we announced the new vision, which entailed a name change from McKinney Fellowship to Christ Fellowship since we are more about the Savior than the city.

Then we decided to put our money where our mouth is, so we launched a capital campaign to ignite the vision. We did not start the Movement, but we are part of it now. We call it M2X, Movement to Multiply. Almost two years ago, many of you pledged to give just over three million dollars to pay down our mortgage freeing us to multiply; to plant new churches and to fund compassion projects locally and globally. We are doing it. We have started Christ Fellowship Preston, going strong with over 100 people every week; Christ Fellowship online is reaching people through the Internet; we have helped to start 11 churches in Uganda and funded many projects to bless people in our community as well as in China. Let me tell you what you have done with your mortgage. We have two mortgages. We are intently focused on one of them. About two years ago, the balance of our loan was 1.8 million dollars. Because of your giving we have paid off about 1.3 million dollars. Guys, we only have 571,000 left to go to totally pay it off!!!! This means that thousands of dollars have been freed up every month.

For M2X as a whole, you have given 2.2 million, so to hit our total goal of 3.1 million we have just under one million to go. We are on the home stretch.

Personally Tamara and I pledged a larger number than we thought was possible. We thought certain financial things might happen to allow us to do it, but none did. Last August we did not think we would pay our pledge off by May of this year, but figured we would eventually. Then we decided to get serious with Gazelle intensity as Dave Ramsey says. Guys, somehow in the power of God, three weeks ago Tamara and I wrote a final check that finished our pledge. It was an awesome feeling! And I know God does not always reward financially, but days later two things happened that we do not see as coincidence: my literary agent called about a book project and our home refinance closed that had been hanging for six months to the point that our appraisal had expired. God is good. I challenge you to go to God in prayer and ask him to enable you to fulfill your pledge by the end of May. And for those who have not pledged or were not here two years ago, I challenge you to jump in and be a part of this Movement.

Contribute. Obviously in these two years some have lost jobs and others have moved to other cities but at the same time, God has brought you here, so I invite you to join the Movement. Write M2X on the memo line of your check or give online.

I started the message with a famous prayer: 10 Your kingdom come. Will we pray for the Movement to go forward around the world? Jesus said to seek first the kingdom, the Movement. Jesus said it is like the finest pearl worth more than a fortune. It is worth giving up everything else in your life to give yourself to the Movement. We did not start the Movement but we get to be part of it. Embrace the Movement because Jesus was promised, came, is here and is returning! None of us imagined 16 years ago what God would do though Christ Fellowship, but he has done it. By faith, dream with me about what God has for us in the years ahead. Where will we be on our 25th anniversary? How will you be part of it? Embrace the Movement. Give your life to this Jesus Movement. That is a significant life, a life well-lived! I shared that Christ Fellowship has been founded on prayer from the start. Let’s pray now. Let’s get on our knees if you are physically able and let’s pray for God’s kingdom to come, for the Movement to flourish. May God bring revival to North Texas and may we be right in the middle of it. May God multiply his church through us for his glory.

In a moment we will give our offering to God, before we do that; let’s pray.

Prayer

How can we live faithfully for God in Babylon? Babylon represents this chaotic, fallen world with its allures, pressures and evil. Most of us do not work in a Christian environment. You work in Babylon. We do business in Babylon as we go about our lives buying groceries at Kroger and arranging for the plumber to fix our leaks. We play in Babylon at the Ranch Country Club, LA Fitness or the YMCA. Students, you go to school in Babylon whether it is Evans Middle School or Boyd High School. You play sports in Babylon whether it is your school team or a select soccer club. So let me ask again: how can we live faithfully for God in Babylon? We need a model. Thankfully, we have one. Daniel shows us how to live faithfully for God in Babylon. He models three character traits that we can emulate.

Today we are concluding our series: Big God in a Chaotic World, a study of the first six chapters of Daniel. Right after Easter we will begin the second half of Daniel in our new series: Big God in an Uncertain Future. We will see outrageous visions of the future, the end times. Before we get there, we need to understand Daniel’s model for how to live for God as an exile in a foreign place.

These first six chapters all take place in Babylon. Daniel and others were deported from Judah by the Babylonians. They are not at home in the Promised Land, but living as exiles. So are we. We are not at home, but living for God as exiles in this strange and difficult world.

In our study, we have seen Daniel hold to his convictions in chapter one as he resisted eating the king’s choice food. Then we’ve seen him respectfully serve King Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two by interpreting the vision of the giant statue. Our chapter today, chapter six, parallels chapter three where Daniel’s three friends resisted an order of the king to worship a false god and were thrown in a furnace to be burned alive, but were rescued by God. In contrast, in chapter six Daniel resisted an order to stop praying to the true God and was thrown to lions to be eaten alive. In chapter four Daniel respectfully confronted King Nebuchadnezzar and then in chapter five confronted King Belshazzar. Now in chapter six we meet a third king, Darius the Mede, also known as Cyrus, his Persian name.

Let’s step into this famous story. In chapter six Daniel was an old man, then in his early 80s and he still served in a high position in the government. This guy was in shape; Daniel must have played racquetball! Seriously, we sometimes drastically underestimate the contribution of our 80-something men and women. Seniors, let Daniel challenge you – you are not done serving God until you see Jesus face to face. I hope I can be like Daniel when I am in my 80s.

Open your Bible to Daniel chapter six where we find a major conflict: God’s law versus the law of the Medes and Persians. Daniel had to choose between the two laws with horrific consequences. Political adversaries created a trap using a legal apparatus that seemed foolproof. How did Daniel handle it? If we want to know how to live faithfully for God in Babylon, we need to study Daniel’s example. We are going to see three Danielic character traits that we can develop to live faithfully in Babylon. We are going to unpack the story scene by scene. In this first scene we will see the first character trait: exceptional quality.

Daniel’s exceptional quality represents the Big God

Who is bigger than political enemies

In Babylon, Daniel’s exceptional quality represents the Big God who is bigger than political enemies. Look for this character trait as we read the opening scene starting in Daniel chapter six, verse one.

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

Daniel demonstrated such exceptional quality in his work that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. He was that good. Daniel’s peers were not excited about his promotion. Their jealousy led to seeking grounds for charges against Daniel. They started scheming about how they could undermine Daniel. By the way, a “satrap” is an official governmental position. Have you ever experienced something like this? I talked to a lady at our church this week who said, “This goes on all the time at my workplace. Most everyone is jockeying for position; undermining others; spreading gossip; buttering up important people.” For most people it is difficult not to get pulled into this kind of junk. You wonder if you will survive if you don’t get a bit dirty yourself. It’s really tough when they throw you under the bus. I’ve had false accusations thrown against me several times and it hurts.

This little group put out their spy network to get dirt on Daniel. The private investigator can’t find anything. Nothing shows up on the wiretaps or phone records. A computer guru can’t find anything suspicious in his digital footprint; nothing on Babylonian Facebook, Twitter or email. There is no porn on his hard drive; no Google searches for bad stuff. He is clean. If a group of people determined to get rid of you, what would they find on you?

So these guys decided to go after Daniel for his devotion to God. They came up with a clever trap. Playing on the vanity of the king, they got King Darius to establish an unbreakable law that would trap Daniel. They lied, saying that everyone had agreed to this new law. In those times people often approached a god through a priest. So they suggested that for 30 days King Darius make a law that no one could approach any god except through Darius. They manipulated the king to set a law they knew Daniel couldn’t keep. They knew that the Medes and the Persians set up a system where a law put in writing by the King could not be changed. This is like the Pope being infallible ex cathedra. They did not want to admit they could ever be wrong and perhaps wanted to avoid fickleness, so once a law was officially enacted by the king, no one could change it, even the king. Evil people through time often use the law unjustly to get their way, cleverly manipulating the system for selfish gain.

What about Daniel? What do we learn about him in scene one? The quality of his work was so exceptional that the king intended to make him COO of the entire kingdom. Specifically, we learn that he had no corruption in him. He had integrity. Then we learn that he had no negligence. He was a hard worker. Fundamentally he was trustworthy, faithful. How would you like an employee like Daniel? How about a boss like Daniel? In fact, this could be your new hiring practice: we will only hire Daniel-like people. In our work we should all be like Daniel.

A key way that we live faithfully to God in Babylon is by developing exceptional quality. You should be the best student you can be at McKinney High. You should be an exceptional employee at Best Buy. I hope Christ Fellowship people regularly are recognized as employee of the month and number one sales person because you do excellent work. That exceptional quality extends to your attitude and your integrity. You live faithfully to God in Babylon by emulating Daniel in exceptional quality because God is bigger than your political enemies.

Notice that these other guys knew about Daniel’s spiritual commitment and habits. What does this tell you? Daniel did not hide his faith. He was not a secret believer. Do people at work or school know you follow Jesus? If I interviewed people at your work, would they tell me that you follow Jesus? How would they know? Secondly, how did these guys know their trap would work? What made them think that Daniel would not compromise his faith? You see, Daniel led such a model life of commitment to God that these guys were sure Daniel would hold to his spiritual commitments. Is that true of you? Would the people you work with know this is true about you?

Daniel is an amazing model of how to live faithfully for God in Babylon. In the next scene we see a second Danielic character trait we can emulate. Not only did Daniel show exceptional quality, but he also regularly prayed to the Big God who is bigger than unjust laws.

Daniel regularly prayed to the Big God

Who is bigger than unjust laws

Follow with me as we unpack the next scene that begins in verse ten where we see how Daniel responds to the trap they have set.

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. 15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

It would not surprise me if Daniel had become aware that this group was spying on him and plotting against him. You don’t live to your 80s through multiple political administrations without being deeply connected and aware. Of course, once the decree was published, Daniel clearly understood the implications. He knew the law. So would he now continue to pray, and so seem to fall into their trap? Or would he be wiser to cease praying for the thirty days? What about trying to pray secretly so no one would see him? Or he could have flaunted his beliefs by going out in the middle of the public square to pray. Daniel neither hid nor flaunted his devotion. He simply continued his normal practice. What about you? Have you struggled with either showing off your spiritual devotion or with hiding it?

We hear no tension from Daniel, no angst or anxiety or fear. He simply continued his prayers to the Big God. He refused to stop praying to Yahweh, the true God of Israel. He would not pray through Darius, even though he is the king and even though that was now the law. Daniel was captive to a higher law, to a greater King. In a word, Daniel would rather be eaten by lions than stop praying to God.

Wow. Talk about a strong model to follow. Will we trust God to that level? To live faithfully in Babylon we must follow Daniel in regular prayer to the Big God who is bigger than unjust laws. We must stay faithful in prayer in the face of legal manipulation, in the face of death threats.

Three verbs are used of Daniel and they are all participles indicating continuing action: bowing, praying and thanking. This is not an emergency prayer by Daniel, but his daily habit. And Daniel was praising God. How amazing that he was giving thanks in light of a soon, certain meeting with hungry lions. And this was no joke as we have seen this week with the tragedy of the young lady whose neck was broken by the lion when she was cleaning the cage. Daniel is confident in the living God. His giving thanks reminds me of Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18,

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Daniel modeled regular prayer and praise in the face of opposition and trouble. What a model for us. No matter what your circumstance, give thanks in prayer.

In our lives there may come times when we must make a choice between obeying human laws or obeying God. It happened to the early Christians. In Acts chapter five, we read the story of Peter who was falsely accused by Jewish leaders. In a court setting they said,

28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:28–29).

Will we show this Daniel-like courageous faith when we must choose?

Now we must be careful in applying this truth because the example of Daniel has been co-opted to support American culture wars. Remember there is no such thing as a Christian nation. Daniel did not try to make Babylon Christian; rather he worked with exceptional quality for Babylon and demonstrated spiritual commitment to the true God as he served in the royal palace. He did not advocate prayer before Babylonian council meetings or for prayer in Babylonian public schools. I’m not saying those are wrong in America, but that we must be careful about how we apply the biblical text. We are not to go to war for Christ. He will do that just fine himself when he returns. For instance, we are opposed to abortion, but that does not mean we bomb abortion clinics or withhold a portion of our federal taxes that may go to support abortion. However, if a government official legislated that you have an abortion (as has happened in China), then you must obey God instead and courageously refuse to do it. Daniel was forbidden to pray at all. If we were forbidden to have Bibles, we should refuse to give up our Bibles. This can get very personal in our homes. Sometimes a spouse or a parent tries to control your faith. They do not like your devotion to Jesus. In these situations you need great wisdom. If your husband demands you not go to a Bible study on Thursday night because he wants to spend time with you, you might agree to that. If he demands that you quit praying or reading the Bible, you must refuse. To live faithfully for God in Babylon we regularly pray to the Big God even against unjust laws.

Now the corrupt officials were delighted. Their trap worked. So they went to the king as a group. Before they said a word about Daniel, because they knew the king liked him, they got King Darius to reaffirm the decree and that it was unalterable. Then they sprung the trap, called Daniel a Jewish exile, tried to pull the race card. He was a Jew, not really one of them.

King Darius was distressed. We are not told why. Perhaps he was mad that he was manipulated; angry that his top guy Daniel might be killed; maybe he was worried that he might be getting into trouble with the big God over this. So he tried everything he could to get out of the situation, but no clever lawyer could find a way out. It was a good trap. So at sunset the group came back, since laws were to be carried out that day, and reminded the king that this decree couldn’t be changed. So Darius did it. But as he did, he gave a wish or a prayer: Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” He had a shred of faith. The soldiers put a stone over the mouth of the lion’s den, which was likely a huge pit or cave. Then they sealed it with the king’s own signet ring and the rings of the nobles. Daniel seemed doomed, but don’t count out the Big God.

In the next scene we see the third Danielic character trait. Not only did Daniel show exceptional quality and pray regularly, but he also confidently trusted in the Big God who is bigger than hungry lions.

Daniel confidently trusted in the Big God

Who is bigger than hungry lions

Open your Bible to verse nineteen where we see what happened to Daniel in the lion’s den.

19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

As Daniel’s friends were not preserved from the furnace, Daniel was not preserved from the lion pit. Daniel was actually thrown into the lion’s den. God often does not deliver us from the pit, but in the pit, he joins us in the lion’s den and protects us there. As he did in the fiery furnace, God sent an angel to be with Daniel. No matter what pit you are in, God is with you. If you are in the pit right now, if you hear roaring today, know that God is with you in the pit. You are not alone.

Amazingly King Darius called Daniel “the servant of the Living God.” The word puts God in contrast to the dead idols of Babylon. And he knew that Daniel served him continually. Do people know that about you? Would they say that you serve God continually? Even from the lion’s den Daniel spoke respectfully to the king and assured King Darius that he was innocent and had never done wrong to his majesty. From deep distress, King Darius shifted to being overjoyed. Daniel was lifted from the den with no wounds. Why? I love the last line of verse twenty-three: “Because he had trusted in his God.” Here is the third character trait of Daniel that we should emulate. Daniel confidently trusted in the Big God who is bigger than hungry lions. No matter what hungry lions are threatening to eat you, trust God to shut their mouths.

These corrupt officials who set a trap, in the end, were caught in their own trap. According to Persian custom, their wives and children were punished with them. Moms and dads, the principle is that our choices affect our children. Whether we are faithful or unfaithful to God will have an impact on our children.

The last scene of the story reminds us of Nebuchadnezzar’s response after God’s deliverance from the fiery furnace. He made a decree to the whole kingdom. Darius does the same, but it is even stronger. Nebuchadnezzar decreed that no one should speak against the true God; Darius commanded everyone to fear and revere the Big God. In the final scene of the first six chapters we hit the crescendo. Our living eternal Big God deserves worship because he rescues his people.

The living, eternal Big God deserves our worship
Because he rescues his people

Follow with me starting in verse twenty-five as we read the stirring conclusion to the story in the final scene.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! 26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Worship the Big God because he is the living God who endures forever. His kingdom will never end. He rescues and he saves. This is our Big God. Can you see him? As a result of living faithfully for the Big God in Babylon, Daniel prospered. God honors those who honor him, either here on earth or for sure in eternity.

We began today by asking how we could live faithfully in Babylon. What has Daniel showed us? You can live faithfully by developing three Danielic character traits: exceptional quality, regular prayer and confident trust. You can faithfully live for God in a chaotic world by representing the Big God with exceptional quality, even in the face of political pressure because God is bigger than political enemies; by regularly praying to the Big God with steady discipline, even against legal pressure, because God is bigger than unjust laws; by confidently trusting the Big God with quiet confidence, even when facing lions, because God is bigger than hungry lions. Fundamentally, we can live faithfully because we worship the living, eternal Big God who rescues his people.

We worship God through Jesus Christ. I want to show you something amazing that I saw this week: a connection between Daniel and another man hundreds of years after Daniel. Daniel, an innocent man, was set up by political opponents who spied on him. Many years later, spies were sent to catch another man in something he said, but they could not do it because he was innocent. So they set him up by using the law against him. Another political ruler thought the man was innocent and tried to free him, but the official was trapped, so he condemned him to death. The man was arrested while he was praying in a private location, where he often prayed. After he was executed, he was put into a grave with a stone rolled over the entrance and a seal to secure it. Three days later he rose alive on Easter Sunday. The Big God is amazing and so is his book.

On the basis of his death and resurrection, Jesus offers life to every person on earth. He promises to free us from the eternal pit, which we all deserve because of our sin. Trust in Jesus to forgive you and give you life eternally. The only way to a relationship with the Big God as your Father is by trusting in Jesus Christ. If you have never made that step, I urge you to do so today. Let us know your decision on your Care Card, the most important decision you could ever make. We want to support you and encourage you. In fact, I would love for you to come up and talk with me about it after the service.

Despite the apparent chaos in our world, the Big God is in control. He is bigger than political enemies, unjust laws and hungry lions. When we worship the Big God we realize that all is well with our souls.

Over the last few weeks we have put sticky notes on our worry walls, giving our chaos to God. It has been a moving experience to me to read many of your notes, feel your pain and know that God is bigger still. God is bigger than all your chaos. God is bigger than all our chaos put together. He is the Big God!

Our faith in the Big God gives us the courage to live faithfully in Babylon no matter the consequences. Open your eyes to our amazing Big God! We need to end this series the way King Darius ends chapter six with a powerful declaration of who the Big God is. Let’s affirm our faith in the Big God. Let’s declare that he is the living God who endures forever. He rescues and he saves. Stand to your feet and let’s worship our Big God with big voices filled with faith in him, the Big God! Our Great God! Let’s praise him!

Have you ever been warned? Maybe a friend warned you not to get involved with a certain guy. Your mom warned you not to touch the hot stove. A boss or teacher warns you that if you kept doing what you are doing, you are going to fail or be fired. Warnings by nature are not fun. They are meant to be taken seriously, and yet as human beings we often ignore them. I have to admit that I am a bit of an aggressive driver, so when I see a yellow warning light, my instinct is to not to hit the brake and slow down, but to hit the gas and make it through just before it turns red.

Some warnings come from the example of other people’s lives. Growing up you heard your dad say, “See what happened to that guy? He was drinking and driving and he wrecked his car. Don’t drink and drive.” Why is it hard to learn from others’ examples? Some of us seem determined to learn the hard way. For some strange reason, we want to touch the hot stove ourselves. The apostle Paul said Old Testament stories are given to us as examples so we will not get in the same messes as those characters did.

Today we enter a story with a wild party and see the example of a man full of pride. This guy mistreated God’s holy things. Can we identify at all with this kind of behavior? At some time in your life have you had too much alcohol to drink? Have you gone to a party to lose yourself in the music and chaos of the night? Have you ever treated God and his church with disregard? We can identify. Pride and pleasure tempt all of us.

But what if we took the warning of the Big God’s judgment seriously? How might we live differently if we really understood how Big God is and the seriousness of his judgment? Have you ever seen someone else face such severe consequences for their behavior that you determined never to do what they did? What decisions might you make today if you had a clear, vivid image of the Big God’s judgment right in front of you?

Our text today brings us a warning; the Big God has the last word. Open your Bibles to Daniel chapter five where we will continue our series, “Big God in a Chaotic World.” Chapter five stands in contrast with chapter four. Each chapter presents an arrogant king, but one repents and one does not. The results are dramatically different.

By the time we get to Daniel chapter five, our favorite King Nebuchadnezzar has died in 562 B.C. None of his successors could match his achievements, and Babylon’s glory soon began to fade. Daniel has become an old man of about eighty-one years, largely forgotten by the new generation ruling in the palace. The new King is Belshazzar. For years scholars who did not see the Bible as God’s Word said that no such person as Belshazzar existed. But there is now ample historical evidence that he did exist. In fact, this entire chapter is heavily substantiated by ancient documents. In Daniel chapter five we will read how Babylon was defeated by the Medes and Persians. This fact is attested by other historical records. According to the ancient historians Herodotus (1.190–91) and Xenophon, the Persians killed the Babylonian king, a riotous, indulgent, cruel and godless young man. And that entrance to the city was made while the Babylonians were partying.

As you turn to Daniel chapter five, let’s unpack the story scene by scene. We will see that the main point is to humbly repent of your arrogant, blasphemous sin because the Big God will judge you. Try to imagine the scene with a wild party in the palace. People drinking, wearing party clothes, loud music and general craziness are interrupted in a terrifying way: drinking wine is halted by fingers writing.

Wild party, drinking wine, terror, fingers writing

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

This great banquet or wild party was likely held in the largest room in the palace complex, a room that has been excavated by archaeologists. Why did Belshazzar throw this wild party? By the way, we are going to nickname him Shaz for short. So what was this drinking party about? We do not know for sure. It could have been a holiday like New Year’s Eve. What did you do on New Year’s Eve? A few of you, I’m aware, got hammered. Why? Sometimes a party is designed to build morale for the business. Sometimes it is just to show off your money and power. Sometimes it is to distract you from dealing with the serious matters of life. Why do people go to “Happy Hour”? (Not the Sonic kind.) For some, it is their way to deal with the stress of work or to avoid the stress of home. It’s an escape.

Notice how many times in the story it mentions drinking. The word for drinking carries the idea of feeling the effects. Often in those times the King was hidden from his guests, but here Shaz is leading the way in drinking. Drinking and music go together. They were praising gods of gold, silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, the stuff of the creation, of nature. Picture drunk people loudly singing Babylonian karaoke. They were partying hard.

Then it got worse. Shaz called for the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. What was he thinking? Even pagan people would have seen these goblets as sacred, not to be messed with. Likely they had not been touched, but kept in secure storage. This was like shaking your fist at God. Maybe Shaz is trying to show he is greater than Nebuchadnezzar, even though he was not near as great a king. Maybe he was trying to show his power over the Jews and their God. Or maybe he was just being a drunken idiot. This was like spitting on an American flag.

In our home we have memory box that is really precious to us. My wife Tamara’s uncle Tom gave his life at Pearl Harbor. He was awarded a Purple Heart medal. We have that medal in this glass memory case hanging on a wall in our home. Can you imagine if a drunk person broke the glass and took out the purple heart to play with? How do you think we would feel if he tried to pin it on his shirt? He would be desecrating something sacred to us. Shaz is taking the holy gold goblets that had been dedicated to worship the one true God and filling them with alcohol to toast false gods of other religions. This is blasphemy, sacrilege. Perhaps he is saying to God, “You may have humbled Nebuchadnezzar, but not me.”

Shaz is defying the third commandment of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”. How do we do anything like this? What today could be analogous to the holy gold goblets from the temple? We know that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and members of Christ, so to use our bodies immorally is to use what was designed for worship and give them to gods of sexuality, gluttony or abuse. We know that the church is the body of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit, so how do we disregard the church as if it did not matter? How do we approach the Word of God, the Lord’s Supper and baptism and coming to worship services? Some people casually skip worship because they stayed up late the night before or because it is raining. Do we honor the holy Big God or do we ignore him?

When we do that deliberately, sometimes God stops us in our tracks as he did Shaz in Daniel chapter five. The room which had been drowned in noise now became deathly silent, with fear gripping everyone. When divine fingers appeared and wrote a message on the wall for all to see, evidently Belshazzar screamed for his “wise men”. All the laughing was sucked out of the room. Have you ever received a spiritual or supernatural message that scared you? Maybe right in the midst of major sin, you suddenly felt massive conviction or knew that you were in danger from God himself. Let’s see what happens next in our story. The king is getting no help from his wise men. They can’t read the message or figure out what it means which makes Shaz ever more terrified. Then his grandmother steps in to endorse Daniel and the king inquires about him.

The queen endorses, the king inquires

Look with me at verse ten:

10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” 13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

The Queen was most likely not Shaz’s wife, but his mother. She is the queen mother who knows Daniel and has courage. Do not underestimate the power of grandmothers. She knew all about Daniel and possibly herself had converted as Nebuchadnezzar her husband had to worship the true God.

This is now about twenty-three years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death and still Daniel’s reputation lives on. He has been faithful to the Big God all his life. I want to be like Daniel. What a model of lifelong faithfulness. What’s his secret? He knows and worships the Big God. He sees how big God is and so he can stay faithful through multiple kings and empires. How will you stay faithful to God through changing bosses, companies, teachers and locations?

Meanwhile Shaz treats Daniel with a condescending attitude. He calls him one of the exiles, uses his Jewish name and says he has heard that Daniel has some ability. He has badly misjudged Daniel. The next scene is the center of the story. Daniel confronts Shaz. He tells him essentially that he has messed up badly.

Daniel confronts Shaz – you messed up badly

Daniel confronts Shaz in two parts. First, he tells Shaz he should have learned from Neb, then he lays out his five-fold failure. Let’s start with part one in verse seventeen.

Learn from Neb

17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means. 18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.

Daniel rejects Shaz’s condescending attitude by refusing all his gifts. Keep them for yourself. By the way your majesty, although king Nebuchadnezzar was much greater than you are, he received all his power and greatness as a gift from the most high God. As great as he was, when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, God humbled him, stripping him of everything until he acknowledged that the most High God rules over all kingdoms. The implied point is clear: Shaz, did you not learn anything from Neb’s example? Or will you have to learn it the hard way? Next Daniel courageously and directly lays out the five-fold failure by Shaz.

Five-fold failure by Shaz

Turn with me to verse twenty-two:

22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

Did you see the five-fold failure? What did Shaz do?
• Did not humble himself although he knew better
• Set himself up against the Lord of heaven
• Drank wine from temple goblets
• Praised the gods of silver and gold who are nothing and
• Did not honor the God who holds his life in His hands.

Daniel is blunt. Would you dare to be a Daniel by confronting a person in sin? Would you warn a person of God’s coming judgment? How would you respond if you were Shaz being confronted? Recently I showed up at the door of a friend of mine who is considering leaving his wife. With two other friends, we warned him that he is setting himself up against God. He knows it is wrong, but just doesn’t care anymore. He’s tired of life and marriage the way it is. He knows better, but refuses to humble himself under God’s Word.

Blasphemy is the act of dishonoring God through speech or actions. When you deliberately go against God, even though you know better, you are putting yourself in serious danger. My friend told me he was sorry he was disappointing me; I replied that I was scared for him.

Gods of this world are nothing. They can’t see, hear or understand and yet we bow to them, worshipping the creation over the Creator. When we give ourselves to wine, parties and pride, we bow down to false gods. We dishonor the one most high Big God who gives us our very breath, who holds our lives in his hands. When you willfully and knowingly turn against God, you put yourself in grave danger.

We see the danger for Shaz in the last scene of the story where Daniel interprets the words. Essentially he tells Shaz, “You are doomed.” And Daniel was right.
Daniel interprets the words – you are doomed
They come true

Let’s see the end of the story starting in verse twenty-five:

25 “This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN
26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

The message literally read, “Numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided”. Mene means your kingdom’s reign has been numbered. It has been determined that it is now ending. Tekel: you have been weighed on the scales and found too light. You do not have enough righteousness, moral good. So Peres, your kingdom will be divided, taken away from you.

The inscription announces divine judgment. You are doomed. It is over. Your arrogant, blasphemous partying is done. That very night Shaz died and his kingdom was defeated by the Medes and the Persians. That night shifted rapidly from drunken laughter to terror to death.

According to an historical document called the Nabonidus Chronicle, the date was the sixteenth of the month Tishri, which most scholars agree would have been October 12, 539 B.C. The banquet may have been held on the night before, October 11, 539 B.C. According to ancient historians Herodotus and Xenophon, the soldiers diverted the Euphrates River and were able to wade the river under the walls to enter the city. Xenophon says the city was invaded while the Babylonians were partying.

The Persian enemy armies must have been making their way into the city even as the party was going on. Little did the partiers know, their fun was about to end horribly. Our English expressions “Your days are numbered!” and “The handwriting is on the wall!” come from this chapter. Often these are expressions of fate rather than the hand of God. Does God judge today as he judged Shaz in Daniel chapter five? God is the same holy God. He does not tolerate prideful sin any more today than he did back then.

The prophet Isaiah wrote a warning to Babylon that could apply directly to us today:

8 “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. . .
..10 You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ 11 Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. Isaiah 47:8–11 (NIV)

God does judge. We do not. And we cannot know with certainly when suffering or death is God’s judgment and when it is not. We are not God. Not all suffering and death come from God’s judgment, but some does. Our role is not to judge, but to warn people of God’s judgment, starting with ourselves.

The biblical principle is clear; if you set yourself up against God, he will bring you down, no matter how powerful or wealthy you are. If you sin against the holy God, you will be weighed and found wanting. The ultimate consequence is death. Sin leads to death. Hell is eternal death, final separation from the Life Giver. We have all sinned, obviously, and a holy, righteous God cannot and should not overlook sin, so what are we do to?

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. That is why God sent Jesus Christ. Only God can save us from our mess. God became one of us to save us from ourselves. Jesus Christ paid the penalty. He died the death we deserve, in our place as our substitute. No one made him do it. We did not ask him to do it. He came and died out of love. It was not nails, but love that held him to that cross. We cannot earn our salvation; we cannot forgive ourselves, but God can, based on the high price Jesus paid.

So the call to us is clear in the striking contrast between Daniel chapter four and chapter five. Both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar were arrogant, sinful men. Both were confronted with a message from God. One humbled himself and the other did not. So one was saved and the other was destroyed. The point of Daniel chapter five is a clear warning: humbly repent of your arrogant, blasphemous sin because the Big God will judge you. Apart from Jesus Christ, you will be weighed and found too light. You cannot live a righteous enough life to earn forgiveness. Trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sin. And he will.

As Christians who have trusted in Jesus Christ, we must continually heed the warning to humble ourselves. We must resist the temptation to go back to partying and wine, to pridefully set ourselves against the Lord of heaven. As those keenly aware of the Big God, we must live to honor Him.

Prayer

Set up Lord’s Supper:

In First Corinthians chapter eleven Paul gives us a warning about how we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We are to eat and drink in a worthy manner. The cup and the bread are holy, similar to the gold goblets that Shaz misused. Paul says:

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 1 Corinthians 11:26–29.

The phrase that grabs most of us is “in an unworthy manner.” None of us wants to do that, especially if it means sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. So what does it mean? The Greek word for “unworthy” refers to doing something that does not square with the character or nature of something. Our way of conducting the Lord’s Supper should fit with what it means.

Here is where many people get tripped up. You see, Paul is not talking about being worthy, but about worthy conduct of the supper. He is not warning those living unworthy lives not to eat. A while back when on this topic, my wife Tamara shared something personal she used to struggle with that she gave me freedom to share with you. She said, “Every month I struggled on Lord’s Supper Sunday. I fought the urge not to come to church at all because I felt so unworthy to take communion. I struggled every time with whether or not my heart was right, or my mind was in the right place, whether I was worthy. It is now so freeing to realize that I am not worthy, and that is the point of communion. I cannot be worthy outside of Christ’s sacrifice.”

We eat and drink not because we are worthy, but because he is worthy and we are worthy in him. The Lord’s Supper reminds us that we have forgiveness in Christ who came to die for us while we were still sinners. When we recognize who we are and who the body of Christ is, we will act with grace and compassion toward every brother and sister in Christ, especially to those who are different from us.

In a moment we will sing two songs. During these songs I invite you to prepare your heart for the Lord’s Supper, then when you are ready, move to one of the stations to receive the cup and the bread. The bread is under the top cup. Whenever you are ready during the songs, eat and drink on your own.

Who here is super-humble? I mean really humble. We want to applaud all the super-humble people. I hate pride because it keeps sneaking back into my heart. All my life I have struggled with pride. Of course, I know not all pride is sinful. Mom told me to be proud of my first crayon artworks, as sad as they were. There is something healthy about satisfaction in doing well. But most of time the serpent of pride whispers that we are great. We think we deserve more credit. In fact, more people should recognize what we have done. Our families sure don’t give us the recognition we deserve for what we do around the house nor do the people at work give us enough credit for what we do.

How can we grow in humility? The point, of course, is not to aim for low self-esteem, to talk about what pathetic worms we are. Rather the key to humility is not found in who we are at all. The secret to humility is found in who God is. A proper view of us comes from a proper view of God. When you can see how big God is, then you can see yourself and discover humility.

In our series, Big God in a Chaotic World, we are discovering how big God really is as we learn from the book of Daniel. Today we will see how God is bigger than the chaos in our own souls, the pride that distorts our hearts and twists our minds. To different degrees we all view ourselves at the center of the universe. As a little child the entire world revolves around you. Some of us have grown a bit beyond that, but we still think we are pretty important. Little children are so proud of their sand castles, dollhouses, and tree forts that they built and so proud of their school awards. We grown up children, too, are proud of our beautiful homes, our awards at work and accomplishments in our circles. In my circles, I have been proud of early success. In 1989, at 28 years old I was the youngest professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, and I looked really young. In the first session of every class, a brave student would raise his hand and ask, “How old are you?!” The question both irritated me and fed my pride.

In suburban American many of us live in brick houses or apartments, drive nice cars and buy whatever we want at the grocery store. It is easy to ignore God. We are managing life on our own. We are making it. We work hard and provide for our families. And we are proud of it. What will it take for us to recognize that God is really big so we can become more humble?

God helps us in Daniel chapter four. Daniel lived in a chaotic world. He served in the Babylonian government under the great King Nebuchadnezzar as a foreigner. After several decades, I imagine that the Jews could have wondered if God was really in charge. He is, as he proves once again in Chapter four. By this time Daniel is probably
forty-five to fifty years old, having served for 30 years in Babylon.

Daniel chapter four is utterly unique in the Bible. Remarkably, it is written in first person by King Nebuchadnezzar as his confession. It is the only chapter in the Bible written by a pagan king. The chapter begins and ends with doxologies of praise to God by Nebuchadnezzar. The opening stirs our curiosity to wonder how King Nebuchadnezzar got to this point in his heart. He has experienced a conversion, a major leap forward with God. And the story of how he got there is not pretty. He looks like an idiot in the story, and yet he tells it. Are we as willing to take the risk of looking foolish to share a powerful testimony? Are you willing to tell the story of your life in which you look pretty foolish, but God is clearly big?

As we unpack the story scene by scene, consider what God is saying to you. In speaking of the Old Testament, Paul says in the New Testament:

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 1 Corinthians 10:6.

The point from our story today is this: Renounce prideful sin and acknowledge the big God, because he rules eternally over all kingdoms and humbles the proud. This point is clearly stated three times, in verses seventeen, twenty-five and thirty-two. Let’s start into our amazing story with the introduction in which we hear that the most high God is big!

Introduction: The most high God is big!

Nebuchadenzzar makes an official address to all the empire. Follow with me in chapter four verse one:

King Nebuchadnezzar, To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! 2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Notice that this is a proclamation to everyone in the whole earth. The Babylonian kings thought of themselves as ruling the known world. In verse two Neb says it is “his pleasure” to tell this story. It is such a joy to tell stories of the great wonders God does in our lives. I never get tired of hearing the stories of what God has done. Since I had to be here last Sunday I missed the sharing Sunday morning at the Men’s Retreat, but I was told that so many guys shared what God did in their lives that the time which was scheduled for one hour went for nearly two hours. We need to tell more stories of our big God, even when we look dumb in the story. Nebuchadnezzar’s story is about another dream, a terrifying dream.

The Terrifying Dream

Let’s look at the next scene starting at verse four in the royal palace:

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. 5 I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. 6 So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. 7 When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. 8 Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)
9 I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. 10 These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
13 In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. 14 He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.
‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.
17 ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’
18 This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.

Look back at verse four. How was Neb feeling? “contented and prosperous.” He is living in Stonebridge, kids swimming in the community pool, bills are paid, working out at Lifetime Fitness; all is well. He is living in a better palace than his parents had. He is in great danger and does not know it. What about us?

Then he has a dream that scares him to death. He is terrified. At first, none of the other wise men can interpret it or they don’t want to tell the king what it likely means. Then Daniel walks in, also called Belteshazzar, which is his Babylonian name. Notice Neb knows that Daniel has “the spirit of the holy gods.” He knew there was something special about Daniel, something spiritual, even supernatural. Do people know that about you? Do they sense something different about you, something spiritual? Do they ask you to pray for them? Or to help them with issues in their lives that scare them?

In Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare, a holy one, a messenger, comes from heaven and gives an announcement in a loud voice that the tree will be cut down. The word for messenger means to watch. These are supernatural watchmen. There is an unseen supernatural spiritual world. Angels are watching us.

Pay attention to verse seventeen because it expresses the theme of the chapter:

17 so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.

This line is repeated in verses twenty-five and thirty-two. We must come to know that the Most High is sovereign. What does it mean to be “sovereign?” The original word means to have authority, rule or power over. So we must come to know that the Big God rules over all kingdoms and gives authority to anyone he wishes. Nebuchadnezzar lost sight of who is really The King. Notice one more detail in verse seventeen. This verdict is not just for Neb, but “so that the living may know.” God is always concerned about more than just us. The world did not revolve around Nebuchadnezzar and it does not revolve around me or you. God works in us not just for our sake, but for the sake of others as well. He wants all the living to know who he is.

Daniel is in the delicate spot of giving the king the alarming interpretation of the terrifying dream.

The Alarming Interpretation

Let’s unpack the alarming interpretation starting in verse nineteen:

19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! 20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, 21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds—22 Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. 23 “Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’ 24 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

Why is Daniel alarmed? Apparently he has grown to love King Nebuchadnezzar. He is concerned for him. Do we have similar concern for those in authority over us even if they are egomaniacs? Daniel shows courage in being remarkably direct: “Your Majesty, you are that tree!” This is probably what Nebuchadnezzar feared.

Notice that in verse twenty-five we see the point which repeats in verse seventeen: to acknowledge that the Most High rules over all. After sharing the interpretation as it applies personally to Neb, Daniel dares to offer him advice. What is Daniel’s advice? Look at verse twenty-seven:

“Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

The word for “renounce” means to break with, tear away or break off. This is the first step in getting help – recognize that you have a problem. This is the first step in recovery whether in AA or in our Christ-centered recovery ministry Celebrate Recovery. This is the first step to salvation: repent. This requires humility, to admit you have been wrong. Neb needed to face that he had not done right nor been kind to the oppressed. Are you willing to take this step? Have you ever repented of your sin and turned to trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you? Today, as a Christian, are you stubbornly remaining in pride or are you willing to renounce your sin and acknowledge that the big God rules?

Have you ever sensed that God has been trying to get your attention? Have you felt convicted that what you were doing is wrong? What happens if you do not listen? God often gives you time, but then if you don’t respond, he speaks louder to get your attention. That’s what happened to Nebuchadnezzar as the dream happens in real life.

The dream happens in real life

Follow with me as we unpack the next scene starting in verse twenty-eight. God often gives us a long time to repent, but when we don’t, the discipline can be swift:

28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.” 33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

Twelve months later Nebuchadnezzar has apparently not listened well to Daniel’s warning. Being on his roof would have been normal. They often had flat roofs that functioned as a huge balcony. At this point Babylon was at the height of its glory. It was surrounded by a system of double walls, the outer one of which was seventeen miles long and wide enough for chariots to pass on its top. Of the cities’ eight gates, the most celebrated was the Ishtar Gate. The main processional street was about 1,000 yards long, and it was decorated on either side by enameled bricks, showing 120 lions (Ishtar symbol) and 575 dragons and bulls (Marduk and Bel symbols). More than fifty temples crowded within the city walls at the time. The Greeks considered the “hanging gardens” within the city one of the seven wonders of the world.

I don’t know about you, but I cringe when I read verse thirty: “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” You want you to scream “no,” “stop.” Can’t you identify? Our accomplishments are smaller than a massive empire, but we are proud. I planted some St. Augustine grass in my back yard in a 12 foot by 12 foot square that I nursed back to life after the drought. I would sit on my back porch and say, “Look at that grass I grew.” I’ve written a few books and I am tempted to be proud of it. Christ Fellowship has grown to be a fairly large church. I’d be lying not to confess that over the years I have struggled with the evil thought: I did this. I built this amazing church. Idiot. Some of you know I play racquetball in a local league at the LA Fitness here in McKinney. We have a small tournament at the end of the league. Do I ever dare wear this shirt? If I wear it, what will be happening under the shirt in my heart? Where does pride trip you?

Before the words were still on his lips, judgment came from God. Nebuchadnezzar’s royal authority was removed in a day until he acknowledged that the Most High rules. We don’t know exactly what happened to Neb. Did he lose his mind? Literally go mentally insane? Possible. Was this a disease sent from God? Possible. We know he was banished from human society. The one who had authority over the animals now eats like an ox. We don’t know how long seven times is. It could be seven months or seven years. It was long enough for his nails to grow into claws like those of a bird.

In a sense, he was already insane in that he was acting like he was the eternal king and no God exists. His outward mental disease manifests the delusion of which he was already a victim. I found a nice quote by Danna Fewell: “A man who thinks he is like a god must become a beast to learn that he is only a human being.” It was only in the later years of his life that Neb got it. It is not too late for you. However old you are, it is not too late to bow before the Big God.

In our suburban prosperity and measures of earthly success we can ignore God. In our pride we think that we can handle life ourselves. Our superficial happiness and security delude us into thinking we can ignore the big God. In a moment, your whole life can get turned upside down. You can be eating grass like a cow. I shared that at twenty-eight years old I was the youngest professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. But two years later, after being assured that my job was secure, I was released, let go, fired and it was not done well. I’ll never forget having a fellow professor stop me in the hallway and say, “I am so sorry.” He did not know that I did not know. That was awkward. At the seminary enrollment and income were down, so last hired, first fired. For a while my world shattered. I was furious, embarrassed, ashamed, confused. When God reminds you that you are not in charge; when he humbles you, it usually hurts; but it is a good hurt for which later you are thankful. As a parent of adult kids, you realize at a deeper level that you have no control over what your kids do when they leave home. It’s a very helpless feeling. If you try to exercise control, it backfires, so I am learning to trust God more and am so glad that he is in control.

The end of the story is awesome as we see Nebuchadnezzar transformed by the power of God. He praises the eternal big God!

Conclusion: praise the eternal big God!

Look with me at the amazing conclusion starting in verse thirty-four:

34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration begins with the simple gesture of looking to heaven – a cry for help and the recognition of God’s supremacy. Will you take that step? It takes humility. If God is speaking to you, don’t wait for the nightmare to come true like it did for Neb. Renounce your sin and acknowledge the big God who rules all kingdoms and humbles the proud. If you have never done so, repent of your sin and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The Bible says if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. I urge you today to humble yourself before God; renounce your sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone as your king.
As a Christian, chapter four calls us to surrender our pride and humbly acknowledge that God is big because he rules all the kingdoms of the world and humbles the proud. We need to take the next step in renouncing our prideful sin. What pride do you need to renounce? We need to acknowledge and praise our Big God. Twice Nebuchadnezzar uses three words for emphasis: he says he praises, honors and glorifies God in verse thirty-four and then in verse thirty-seven, he praises, exalts and glorifies. These are on-going actions that we need to do as well. Do we honor God as Nebuchadnezzar does in these last verses? Have you ever said anything like this?

In the end, Neb realizes that everything God does is right and just, even his period of insanity. God rules. He is fully capable of humbling those who walk in pride. In the end, Nebuchadnezzar found someone bigger than himself to live for, bigger than his mighty empire. In Jesus’ terms, he found life in the Life Giver. God’s desire is to bring us to repentance, not to hurt us, but to free us from the rotting disease of pride so in humility we acknowledge the big God who rules eternally over all kingdoms. God is Big. Can you see him? God is Big.

Prayer

Segue to Big God moment

Tim Keller has said, “Pride ultimately is cosmic plagiarism. We try to take credit for a gift that has been given to us.”

The cure for prideful sin is to acknowledge our big God.

During the next two songs, I want you to do just that. During this time you can take your sticky notes and add to our worry walls. You may want to write down what you have been proud of and give it to God. You may want to write down what you have wrongly taken credit for. Or perhaps you want to give to God your insanity time. Perhaps you have ben reduced to an ox eating grass and you want to give that to God.
During this time we are going to acknowledge the bigness of our God.

We will sing two songs: We all Bow Down and Bless the Lord.
Princes and paupers will all bow down before God one day. Let’s start now. During the songs, you are welcome to come forward and use the kneelers; pray, praise, bow before the big God.
Let’s start on our knees. If you physically able, let’s pray together on our knees. And then we will all stand.

Get on knees

Prayer

Now I invite you to acknowledge the Big God. Sing, Pray, come put your chaos on the worry walls, come kneel up front on the kneelers.

Let’s echo Nebuchadnezzar in acknowledging our big God.

In this study, we are learning just how big our God really is, bigger than all our chaos. We are learning from the Book of Daniel that in spite of apparent chaos, we can trust our Big God to be in control. We will study Daniel 3 where we see that God is bigger than the fire. Can you imagine how your life might be different if you could really grasp the bigness of God?

What kinds of fires do we face today? What do we fear? Let’s get a bit more specific. What pressures do we face to honor other gods? To answer that question, we have to consider what other gods exist today and then what it can look like to honor them. So let’s ask both. First what “gods” or “idols” exist today? Idols can be mental as well as metal. You can define a “god “as what is most important to you.” We make ourselves into little gods. Sex is a god, money, pleasure, success, sports and movie stars. There is a fairly popular show called American Idol. Anything you place above God in your affections can be an idol. So, next question, how do we honor our modern day gods or idols? We spend money on them. We dress like them. We buy symbols to represent them. We go to events, scream, jump up and down, and buy their merchandise.

Let’s increase the temperature. We know we have idols today and we can picture a bit of what it looks like to honor them. Now, what are possible consequences of not honoring them? What pressures do we face today that push us to honor other gods? Peer pressure is huge. When our son, Jimmy, was in high school, we were excited that he was nominated to the homecoming court because neither I nor my wife, Tamara, came anything close to the homecoming court; in fact we had nothing to do with that part of high school, but we were happy for Jimmy. As part of that, he was invited to a float-making party for the homecoming parade, but he did not want to go. Tamara gave him a really hard time because she wanted him to enjoy high school and she had never been invited to such a party. It sounded really wholesome to be making parade floats. Jimmy told us that was not what was going to happen at that party. Everyone would be getting drunk. He insisted on not going. Since we had received a notice about the party from the school, Tamara thought this was certainly not the case, so she called. They told her that since it was an off-campus event, they had no idea what would be going on and no control. Jimmy did not go to the party. He was right. Everyone got drunk. What pressure do you imagine Jimmy faced to go to that party? He might have been the only homecoming nominee who did not attend.

What if you resist pressure at work? What if you refuse to wear short shorts and tight shirts? I’ve talked with ladies who were fired because they refused to dress a certain way. What if you resist pressure to buy everything that the neighbors are buying for their kids because you want to avoid honoring the god of consumerism? What if you resist the digital god with her powers of instant, always-on, always-connected communication and entertainment? What pressure do you face not to turn off her devices?

Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced incredible pressure to honor a false god with terrible consequences if they refused. It is about 600 years before Christ in the greatest empire of the world, Babylon. Daniel and three friends have been deported to Babylon where they were re-educated and were serving in the Babylonian government. The Book of Daniel gives us courage and confidence as we see that our God is bigger than our chaos, bigger than the fire. Recently a text has been found listing more than 50 officials during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, which seems to include the names of these three men with different spellings.

Daniel 3 presents a dramatic conflict, amazing courage and huge faith in the face of dire threats. It puts us in the position of the three men: what would we do if we were in their situation? Would we stand or would we bow? We will read through the chapter a section at a time beginning with the order to worship the image in the first seven verses.

The order to worship the image, verses 1-7

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up (Daniel 3:1-7).

In chapter 2, God gave Nebuchadnezzar a vision of a statue with a gold head. Perhaps the king distorted that vision into a desire to create a gold plated statue to his own honor. The statue was massive — 90 feet, about nine stories high, probably set on a massive base. In the area where the plain of Dura may have been, archaeologist Julius Oppert found a large brick square, 45 feet on a side and 20 feet high, which he believes was the foundation for this very image. Most pictures depict the statue as being of Nebuchadnezzar and that is possible, but look again at the text. It never says what the image depicted. It could have been a statue of a Babylonian god such as Marduk or an image of Nebuchadnezzar himself. In any case, religion and politics were united in a huge state affair full of pomp and circumstance. Where was Daniel?

We are not told, possibly he was in another part of the empire on business or he was ill.

How do people today do what Nebuchadnezzar did with the image? How do we create images of our idol? What about trophies? Could a certain house or a car become a symbol, an image that honors the god of consumerism, success or excess? Could certain clothes honor a designer, or the god of popularity, the god of beauty or the god of fashion or the seductive god of self? How do we draw attention to ourselves and get people to see how great we are? Here is the heart of much sin. We want praise for ourselves. In many subtle ways, we want people to think well of us. I get frustrated with myself around the house. I’ll do something simple like taking out the trash and I mention it to Tamara so she will know what an awesome husband I am. Hey, did you notice, I changed the light bulbs. That was me. And I swept off the porch. That was me. I did that. I can be such a little boy. Look I trimmed the trees. Did you notice? Don’t they look good? I mean that was probably as good or better than a professional, right? Affirm me. Tell me I am great. We too build our statues, our images that draw attention to us and invite people to honor us.

The two repeated lists of kinds of officials who were present and the kinds of musical instruments used heightens the tension as it signals the importance of the ceremony. Probably this was the royal orchestra decked out in colorful, elaborate costumes. This was like the swearing-in ceremony or the opening of the Olympics. It was a really big deal, a spectacle. Music was a big part of it. In most cultures, music draws attention to religious and political ceremony and worship. In our time, where do you see music connected with honoring gods of our day? How about music and sexuality? You do not have a party without music. Every parade, convention, and huge event has music. Politicians recruit famous bands to play at their events. At musical concerts, people throw themselves at their idols, the stars of the day. Religions use music from chanting to organs. Music itself is neither positive nor negative. The issue is, what god are you worshipping? What idol is this music honoring — the god of revenge, pleasure, racism, greed or love? In fact, during Valentine’s week, we probably all hear more than our share of
sappy love songs. I confess I like some of them, but you can even make an idol out of your valentine if you put them above God in your affections.

Apparently, near by the amazing royal orchestra was a massive blazing furnace. We don’t usually have those at the opening of the Olympics, just a burning torch. Nebuchadnezzar used his power to coerce; many dictators have done that. He said, when you hear the music, bow down and worship or I will throw you into a blazing furnace. Hitler was not the first one to burn people. Likely this furnace was a massive kiln that had been used to smelt metal for the gold plating and perhaps to fire the bricks used to build the base for the statue. We know it was big enough for four people to walk around in it. Honor the idol or die in the fire. That’s pressure. But it got worse. In the next section, we see the accusation and the rage.

The accusation and the rage, verses 8-15

At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:8-15).

If the astrologers had not accused them, then the three guys might have just gone on with their day, no problem. I imagine it was a massive event spread out over a huge area. The fact that they did not bow might have been missed. These guys really didn’t like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Notice their language: “There are some Jews” (verse 12). They addressed them racially, not by their titles or names. Have you ever had someone address you by your race? “There are some white guys over here; some black men; some Asians.” Then they said to the king, the men “whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon” (verse 12). These guys were jealous. Maybe the three guys were promoted over them or had a higher salary or a better office. Have you ever had someone in your workplace be jealous of you and then try to undermine you? That hurts. The word “denounced” in verse 8 literally means to “eat the pieces of.” They ripped apart Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then they exaggerated by accusing the guys of not paying any attention to Nebuchadnezzar. Where did that come from? The truth is that they did not bow to the statue when the music played, but the accusation was much more than that. Have you ever had that happen to you? People exaggerated against you or just flat made up stuff on top of a little bit of truth?

The accusers appealed to Nebuchadnezzar’s vanity and it worked. He was furious with rage. He could not believe they would not bow so he gave them one more chance. His own pride was attacked and he was publicly embarrassed because the accusers had made it a public issue. Nebuchadnezzar ended his speech with a challenge: “Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (verse 15). We have our versions of this challenge today: “Your soul may belong to God, but …” People obsessed with power want to believe that they can control you. Nebuchadnezzar was about to learn the surprise answer to what he thought was an angry rhetorical retort. The next section is the turning point of the story as we see the courageous stand.

The courageous stand, verses 16-23

Next we see the three guys respond to the king and make an amazing faith-filled courageous stand:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace (Daniel 3:16-23).

We are not told if any others resisted honoring the image. These three may have stood alone. That is hard. It would have been so much easier just to rationalize and bow down with everyone else. Imagine the kinds of pressure they faced. Their leader, Daniel, was not there. It’s harder when your spiritual leader is not present. They were in the vast minority. Everyone else was doing it. Obviously they were facing a horrifying punishment. They were killing any career advancement. It could look like their jealous accusers were getting what they wanted.

Notice their first response to the king. They did not defend themselves. It’s hard not to get defensive when you are accused, especially falsely. Then they make their famous amazing declaration in verse 17. Could you imagine saying this?

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (Daniel 3:17-18).

They resisted honoring the idol because they knew God was able to deliver them; because they knew he would ultimately deliver them; and because they knew that even if he chose not to deliver them from this particular fire, God is The God so they would not serve any other god or honor the image of gold. Period. This is a high place to get to in our devotion to God — to get to the place where we trust and honor God whether he protects us or not. Our honor of him is not dependent on what he does for us. These three guys knew that God is the Big God. He is bigger than the fire so they would not bow down.

The threat of idolatry today is often more subtle and thus potentially more seductive. Will you refuse to honor the gods of power, materialism, sex, pleasure, sports or money? If your boss demands you to work on Sunday, what will you do? If your team is all taking the client to a gentlemen’s club, what do you do? If everyone else in the office is wearing certain clothes; if the other parents are buying their kids certain toys; if everyone else is seeing the movie or the show, will you too honor that god by watching their show or wearing their clothes? I am not really talking about external actions alone, but God is driving to our hearts. What we do with our money and our time expresses what we worship. For one person watching a certain movie or wearing certain clothing may mean something different than it does for another person. In our community, some people worship sports by putting playing or watching them above church and family.

Are you willing to courageously stand when all the crowd is bowing down? Will you refuse to honor other gods? Will you honor God whether he delivers you from the furnace or not? For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego they worshipped and obeyed God because he is The Big God, not because of what he would do for them. While God does honor those who honor him, we must resist the distortion of truth that says if you obey God that you will always be rescued from the fire, you will get the job, get more money, be healed and everything will go great for you. Not true on this earth, however true in eternity. We can courageously stand, refusing to honor other gods, because God can deliver us, will ultimately deliver us and the bottom line: he is The God.

At this point, Nebuchadnezzar totally lost it. He went ballistic. The text says his attitude changed which means his face got red and his eyes flashed with fire. He became irrationally angry, ordering the fire as hot as they could make it and getting the strongest soldiers to throw the guys into the fire with all their clothes. This cost him some good soldiers who were burned up in their haste to obey angry orders. The next section brings the amazing divine rescue.

The amazing divine rescue, verses 24-27

Nebuchadnezzar shifted from furious rage to utter amazement:

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them (Daniel 3:24-27).

Rather than delivering the three from the fire, God delivered them through the fire. In our own lives, sometimes God does not stop us from being thrown into the fire, but he joins us in the fire and protects us right in the furnace. This huge group which Nebuchadnezzar assembled to witness his greatness symbolized by his statue were treated to being witnesses of the Big God’s greatness. God is bigger than the fire. We would prefer not to be thrown in the fire, but that is often where God does his greatest work. He forms our character, shows us he can be trusted and shows everyone watching that he is greater than the fire. The prophet Isaiah says:

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:2–3).

God came to be with his people in the fire. This is his way. The fourth person was either an angel or the pre-incarnate Christ. But in any case, the point is that God was present with them in the fire. God is with us in every fire in our lives. No matter what you are going through right now, no matter how hot the fire; God is with you.

When you face fires, sometimes God delivers you from the fire thus building your faith; other times God delivers you through the fire thus refining your faith and sometimes God delivers you by the fire into his arms, thus perfecting your faith. God can and will rescue you from any and every fire because God is bigger than the fire.

This amazing divine rescue led to the new declaration and decree in the conclusion of the story.

The new declaration and decree, verses 28-30

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

The king who commanded all to honor the statue then commanded all to honor The God. These three guys faced a rough situation. They were denounced by their peers, interrogated by the king and then thrown in the fire. But the Big God gave them courage, delivered them and promoted them. The arrogant king was humbled and the faithful Jews were exalted. They made a huge impression on the king. Imagine your boss or CEO saying about you, “Bob, Mary and Jose trusted in God and defied my orders and were willing to give up their lives rather than honor any god except their own God.” People may not share your faith, but they often respect people with the courage to take a stand for their God.

So what is God saying to us in Daniel 3? Courageously refuse to honor other gods even against a direct command, even if it costs your life; because The Big God is able to deliver you; because The Big God will deliver you; and because God is THE God Most High.

When situations seem utterly hopeless, you can trust God to vindicate you and to rescue you one way or the other. So courageously refuse to honor other gods even at great cost because God is bigger than the fire.