MESSAGE
FROM THE
WORD
MARKS OF A GODLY MAN
Daniel 6:1-28
SERIES: DANIEL Message # 9
Sexual misconduct, political cronyism, and financial scandals are nothing new in national politics. Whether it is Thomas Jefferson and Grover Cleveland’s illegitimate children, The “Tea Pot” Dome scandal under U. S. Grant, Whitewater under Clinton, or Watergate under Nixon, it is essential that we remind ourselves that God is much more interested in what takes place in His house than in the White House. While God does call the king to righteousness, He demands it of His people. In the Old Testament, God spared the nation of
As we come to our study in Daniel we are face to face with the lions in Daniel’s den. This is a story that even unbelievers are familiar with. It is one of the first stories we teach our children in Sunday School. However, we miss out on the real story if we concentrate only on the lion’s den. The story is not about the lions, it is about Daniel. The lion’s are simply the result of the topic we want to contemplate over the next few weeks. In Ezekiel 14, Daniel is called by God one of the three most righteous men in the Bible. Daniel 6 gives us the characteristics that reveal his godliness. We are going to take our time moving through this passage and we are going to come face to face with a holy God. As I read through this passage and then began to study its ramifications, the Lord once again reminded me of how ungodly I often am.
A pastor had a dream of dying and going to Heaven. As he stood in the proverbial line at St. Peter’s gate, everyone was talking about what was going to take place once they arrived at the front of the line. When his time came, the pastor came to the front desk and was handed a box of white chalk. He was told to walk up a set of stairs off to the left, find a chalkboard and begin to write down all of the sins they could remember ever committing. The pastor, thinking he was a pretty righteous individual wrote down a few and then couldn’t think of any more. Then the Holy Spirit showed him a picture of his life from God’s perspective. A little while later, the pastor was walking down the stairs and happened to pass one of his pastor friends. “All done”, he was asked? “No”, he replied, “going down for more chalk.” I hope all of us can relate to that story. In a survey taken several years ago, people were asked questions concerning how properly they behaved and whether they lived better lives than those people around them. Very few thought they were among the top 1% in morally superior lives. However, 90% of those surveyed thought they were in the top 60%. The reason they thought that was because they did not have a holy standard. If they did, they would all confess with Paul that they were among the chiefs of sinners. The problem with truly being righteous is that you understand how totally sinful you really are. Daniel was a righteous man, but he understood his sinful condition. God had used him in a mighty way and was going to do so again in this chapter. As we examine Daniel before his critics we need to remind ourselves that godliness can only be manifested under pressure. Satan was right in his observation of Job, that God’s blessings on Job’s life was not a proper proving ground for Job’s faith. It had to work under pressure. If your faith only works when things are going well, it isn’t much of a faith. It must work in adversity as well. We will see Daniel under the heat lamp.
FIRST, GODLINESS IS NOT AFFECTED BY WEALTH. You may think to yourself, “I don’t remember money being a part of the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den.” If you thought that, you would be right, it isn’t there. However, it is in the previous chapter and since we are looking at Daniel’s godly characteristics, I thought I would at least include this point. You will remember that when the handwriting appeared on the wall, Belshazzar offered a reward to the individual who could translate and interpret the words. In Dan. 5: 16 we read, Daniel 5:16, 17 How would you like the shot at being given wealth beyond your wildest dreams? If most of us were honest, we would confess that while we appreciate what we have, we wish we would have just a little more. Did you notice Daniel’s response? He basically told Belshazzar to keep his stuff. Daniel did not change his message to either appeal to the rich, or to gain wealth for himself. The tragedy of church history is that there have been times when those who were recognized as the leaders of the church did sell out the word of God for the stuff of this world.
I need to say something here that is very important, lest I be misunderstood. Daniel is not advocating poverty. He is not teaching that those who walk with God should never accept anything nice. The reason I know that is because of how Daniel acted when all this was finished. After he translated the writing on the wall, we read in verse 29, Daniel After the work was done, Belshazzar gave Daniel the wealth that was promised and Daniel accepted it. The issue was not whether Daniel accepted the wealth offered to him. The issue was what Daniel had to do to have the wealth given to Him. Daniel ended up wealthy because he obeyed God and spoke exactly what God wanted him to speak. The conclusion is that Daniel obtained his wealth in a godly way.
Throughout the scriptures God gives us principles on how to handle our finances. We are told to give a good portion of it to the work of God and to the needy. We are also told to meet the needs of our family, to save, to pay taxes and to have fun with our wealth. It can all be summed up by Solomon’s advice to his son, Proverbs 3:9, 10 Being poor is not a sign of spirituality. Being rich is not a sign of spirituality, either. How we use our wealth is a sign of godliness.
SECOND, GODLINESS SEEKS THE WELL BEING OF THOSE IN AUTHORITY. One of the primary responsibilities of a servant is to seek the well-being of those in authority. The best example of this principle is Joseph in the book of Genesis. When placed in Polisher’s house, he brought wealth to his boss. After being released from jail, he ministered to Pharaoh and blessed him greatly. How is this seen in Daniel? We read Daniel 6:1, 2 The reason the king placed Daniel in charge of his kingdom was because he knew the prophet would not cause him financial loss. He would do that which was in the king’s best interest. That is the sign of a good servant. He seeks to bless his master.
God even commands His people to be a blessing to their culture in the midst of God’s discipline. We read Jeremiah 29:4-12 Even in captivity, God’s people are to “Seek the welfare of the city…” We are spoiled in our country, because we have so many rights and privileges. However, there are times when this becomes very practical. When Bill Clinton was president, many believers had a hard time praying for him and wishing him well. That was a totally political choice, not a godly one. We do not know who the president will be after the 2008 election, but we have seen a major change in Congress recently because of the 2006 elections. As believers, we have the right and responsibility to address sinful violations of God’s will in government. As Americans, we have the right to speak freely and petition the government. However, when all is said and done, our responsibility as believers is to pray for our political leaders regardless of their parties and to seek their well being. We are to be a blessing to them. Some might take issue, but remember that Darius was a brutal dictator when Daniel was a blessing to him.
THIRD, GODLINESS IS CHARACTERIZED BY WISDOM. There is a big difference between being smart and being wise. We have seen in our lifetime individuals making incredible amounts of wealth through inventions they created or through means of their intellectual abilities. Computers, software, pharmaceuticals, finances, entertainment, the space industry, travel and a host of other items have made people wealthy because of ideas they developed. Many of those people are geniuses in their fields. That is different than wisdom. Wisdom is the capacity to see life from God’s perspective. It is the ability to understand situations and to come to the same conclusions Jesus would come to. Daniel was a man of wisdom. We read in 6:1-3, verses 1-3 The king could care less that Daniel was religious. He did notice that Daniel was wise.
Having taken over the Babylonian Empire, Darius decided to divide the Medo-Persian Empire into 120 districts. Over those 120 districts were individuals known as Satraps. We would probably refer to them as governors. Ruling over the Satraps were three commissioners. Out of those three commissioners, Daniel was selected to be the king’s right hand man. In today’s political world, this guy would be referred to as the chief of staff. Daniel was the chief of all the chiefs and it was solely because Daniel demonstrated to the king a spirit of wisdom.
How do we develop this in our lives? It is not as difficult as it might seem. It begins as the psalmist states, Psalm 111:10 Wisdom begins when we walk in the fear of God. This is an idea that is foreign to our culture today. A generation ago, parents and schools talked about putting the fear of God in young people. What that meant was that children learned that they had better behave or there was a price to pay. The idea of “the fear of the Lord” was a common idea in our culture. A politician who was “a god-fearing man” was respected. The concept of the fear of the Lord is one that is seen throughout the scriptures. It is the understanding that God sees and hears every thought and action and holds us accountable for them. Fearing God is not being paranoid or having a phobia. In Acts we are told, Acts Notice that walking in a proper fear of the Lord resulted in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
In addition to fearing God, wisdom is developed by spending time with wise people. This sounds very simplistic, but it really isn’t. If you want to become really good at something, hang around those who are good in that same area. Where can we accomplish this? Certainly this would involve time with God. Can you think of anyone who has more wisdom than God? When you read His word, you glean His wisdom. When you pray, you open yourself up to His insight and to being directed by His Spirit. This is what Paul was referring to when he pleaded with the Roman Christians to be “Transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
The psalmist had this same idea. Becoming wise requires that we reject fools and stick with wise people. Psalm 1 opens by stating, Psalm 1 Those who wish to become wise don’t hang around scoffers or the ungodly. They desire to be with the people of God and with those who are demonstrating the Spirit’s work in their life. This is a good reminder to remind you to watch who your children hang out with.
Another means of becoming wise is found in the New Testament. How do you gain wisdom if you don’t have it? James tells us, James 1:5 That seems pretty easy to understand. If you lack wisdom, you need to go to God and ask Him to give you a special dose of the wisdom that is from above.
FOURTH, GODLINESS IS DEMONSTRATED BY A GOOD REPUTATION AMONG UNBELIEVERS. This is not to say that pagans will want to be your best friend. The heathen may hate you. But they will not be able to dig up any dirt on you. There are no skeletons in your closet. Daniel had no skeletons in his closet. When Daniel was appointed as the head commissioner, the rest of the commissioners and Satraps sought to remove Daniel from office. They had a problem, though; they could find no dirt of Daniel. In verse 4 we read, Daniel 6:4 Daniel had lived a life that was free from scandal. This is a mark of a godly individual.
When Paul discussed church leaders in 1 Tim. 3 he mentioned that the first characteristic is that an elder must be “above reproach”. That is, there are no blemishes on his record. This is a real issue in the church today especially over the problem of restoring pastors to leadership who have fallen into immorality. On one hand you have those who want to demonstrate compassion and forgiveness by bringing the repentant sinner back into the ministry. On the other hand, you have people who feel burned and who would just like to turn the “Benedict Arnold” over to the world. What is a proper response when a pastor falls into immorality?
It is important to remember that this is not our decision, but God’s. It is He who has established the standards, not the church and not the culture. Maybe I could illustrate it this way. Let’s say that an individual of immense brilliance and charisma came on the political scene and swayed a nation to follow him. There was a wave of excitement as the 30-year-old man announced his plans to run for president in the year 2008. There is only one problem with that and it is the fact that the Constitution sets an age requirement of being at least 35 years of age. People could go on talk shows, op-ed pieces could be written and specials on television could be run on how the young people of today are being turned off to the political scene because of the discrimination against this young man. All that could be done and he still could not run because he did not meet the qualifications.
The first qualification of a pastor is to be “above reproach.” That means that no one can point his finger at him and accuse him of inappropriate behavior. When a pastor falls into immorality what is the first thing that happens? The fingers of the unbelievers begin to be pointed. Can he ever be brought back? Certainly the sinner can be reconciled to God. Galatians 6:1 tells us that a sinner is to be reconciled to the church. The question generally has to do with whether he should be brought back into spiritual leadership? I think it is possible. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the heroine, Hester Pryne, was branded with the letter A for being an adulteress. However, by the end of the book her granddaughter believed the A stood for angel. But, look at the time lapse. It took a lifetime to overcome the stain of her sin. It is also important to remember that our standard is God’s word and not Nathaniel Hawthorne.
You might think that this sounds harsh and judgmental. Let me remind you of a few things. For whatever reason, God judges sexual sin harsher than other sins. It resulted in the death penalty in the Old Testament and is one of only two sins that are to result in excommunication in the New Testament. Removal from spiritual office for sexual sin was an act of God’s grace because the alternative was death.
The other fact is this; the office of the pastor is not about the pastor it is about God. The pastor is there to represent God and to do it in a way that reflects God’s holiness. When a pastor falls into immorality, even when forgiven, he is no longer able to reflect to the world a holy God. God forgives and God restores back to fellowship with His people and God can also use that individual in mighty ways to talk about the consequences of sin and of the need for holiness in God’s service. But, it is very difficult to make that individual the focal point of the church because his sin gets in the way of confronting the world with the reality of their sinfulness and God’s holiness. This is not legalism, it is simply the realization that God requires that His leaders be known for their holiness, not for their carnality. The issue in the church should never be talent or ability. The issue should always be God’s holiness.
Paul addressed this issue from a positive direction in his discussion with Timothy on the role of the pastor in the church. We read 1 Timothy 4:12-16 Paul reminded his protégé that the pastor only has two weapons at his disposal. He has a godly life and he has the power of the scriptures. If he blemishes his godly example or rejects God’s word, he no longer has a God blessed ministry.
This is why removing a pastor is essential for the welfare of the church. It is also why it is so traumatic and the most difficult decision to face. Many feel that restoring a sinning pastor to leadership helps in the church’s outreach to the world. This is false. It is false, because it is based on the erroneous assumption that our attraction to the world is based on our being able to identify with their sinfulness and manifest our mercy. If we have a pastor who has a major blemish on his record, then we will be able to understand the sinfulness that the unbelievers are going through. We won’t be so hard on them. We will lower our standards so more people will want to be a part of our church. Did you pick up on the false assumption? The false assumption is that our attraction to the world is that we must identify with their sin. Our attraction with the world has always been and must be today that we can help them overcome their sin. In Acts 5 we read Acts 5:1-11 There is no church growth expert in the world who would use this as a “Church Growth Principle”. What the church needs to do is pray that God would strike more people dead. Somehow we don’t see that as being an effective strategy. The church today is far more into conversion by therapy than it is conversion by repentance. The church allows sin in its leadership, tells the world “We are just like you”, and then wonders why we don’t have people coming our way. We do not need to be mean, we need to be loving. However, part of being loving is telling the truth about sin and holiness.
If people are attracted to us because we are just like them, they will join and stay just like they are. If our attraction to the world is our sinful past, then Jesus was a terrible Savior. If you must practice gross behavior in order to relate to sinners, Jesus would not be able to relate to anyone. The attraction of the church is not that we are sinners, but that God is holy and He has reached us so that we can be holy, too. This is why an often repeated command in Leviticus is, “You shall be holy for I am holy…” Does this mean sinners can’t come into the church? The only people we can reach out to are sinners. We read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 The church is filled with people with bags of crud in their background. However, the leaders must be those who have been faithful to their calling since their conversion. The major blemishes in the lives of those in Spiritual Leadership occurred before coming to Christ. Chuck Colson is a good example of this.
Let me also add, that this relates to each of our schedules at work. A member of God’s family should have a good reputation on the job. Darius chose Daniel for a very selfish reason, it would give him a higher profit margin. This is not to say that believers should participate in illegal actions if the boss asks, but it does mean that the believer should be known as a hard worker who arrives on time and doesn’t spend time griping and complaining. You should be enjoyable to work with. As a believer, you are to be righteous, but not belligerent.
FIFTH, GODLINESS IS MARKED BY OCCASIONAL OPPOSITION. Godliness is not a means of escaping problems. In fact, godliness is often the means of getting into problems. The list of godly men and women who have walked with God and were persecuted is quite long. In fact, Jesus even included this as a part of the Sermon on the Mount. He stated, Matthew 5:10-12 It is also interesting that this appears right after “Blessed are the peace makers…” Those who seek to bring the peace of God to a wicked world will be opposed by those who oppose God. We see this in Daniel’s life. Beginning in verse 5 we read, Daniel 6:5-9 These were the king’s trusted advisers. You will remember that these men were appointed by the king, “that the king might not suffer loss…” It never entered the king’s mind that these men would ask him to do something that was not in his best interest. Even though Daniel was not present at this time, with so many of his advisers there and all in agreement, the king must have assumed that Daniel was in on the discussion. Was he in for a rude awakening!
We see this happening even in our own nation. For decades, church attendance and belief in the Bible was almost mandatory for someone to get elected to a national political office. That is no longer true. In fact, believing in the Bible can often be a liability in your campaign. Organizations such as the Catholic Church, Family Research Council and Christian Coalition are routinely attacked for being intolerant, mean-spirited and lacking compassion. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For instance, the largest provider of AIDS hospices in the
You see this throughout the book of Acts, as the church called its culture to repent of their sin, but also provided for the needs of the poor and those caught in the midst of a sinful lifestyle. Jude told us graphically in verses 20-23, Jude 20-23 This is the life that pleases God. God is not pleased if we just confront sin but don’t tend to the needs of the hurting. That is the picture of the legalistic wing of the church. God is not pleased if we provide for the needy, but don’t call them to turn from their sin to a holy God. That is the social gospel wing of the church. We as the true church must do both. We preach against sin and we provide for the hurting. The Apostle Paul taught this same truth. He wrote to his friend, Timothy, II TIMOTHY 2:23-26 That is also the example Jesus left us to follow.
In speaking out against sin, persecution will sometimes follow. Daniel lived a godly life and those who were jealous of his success, sought to remove him by any way possible. Peter dealt with this same issue in the early church. We read 1 Peter 3:14-16 Just as with the example of Daniel, the believer needs to avoid being intimidated by the ungodly world. The House of Representatives is currently debating a measure which would add speaking out against homosexual behavior a hate crime. That means that a sermon addressing homosexual behavior as a sin would be considered a crime. I do not believe this bill will pass, but the idea that it would even be presented causes one to take a long breath. What should be the response of the Church? Peter lays out five steps for the church to embrace. The first response should be to reject fear. He writes, “Do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled…” The second response is to be in submission to Christ. He writes, “Sanctify Christ as Lord…” The third response is preparation. We are to, “Always being ready…” A fourth response is a proper attitude. We are to oppose sin, “with gentleness and reverence…” This was Daniel’s example. There is no anger or hostility in his response. He simply entrusted himself to God. The fifth response is a holy life. We are warned to, “Keep a clear conscience…” This is why the church must address sin in the body and sin at the top. If those who are leaders in God’s work have sin in their behavior, God’s power will be short circuited. Again, we do not require perfection, but God does require a godly example.
SIXTH, GODLINESS IS MARKED BY A CONSISTENT WALK WITH GOD. As I reviewed this principle, the Lord really brought conviction to my heart. All of us go through phases where we feel certain activities are more important than others. I can remember about 30 years ago, I began to read the New Testament through systematically every month. Then about twenty years ago, God lead me to change my emphasis and I began to pray one hour every morning. About ten years ago, God led me to begin spending time in the morning talking and praying with my wife. Others spend vast amounts of time in evangelism or in a hospital ministry ministering to the hurting. The Lord leads all of us to various forms of spiritual disciplines. We all need to be students of the Bible, spend time in prayer, share our faith and minister to the hurting. However, the Lord will lead each of you to emphasize one area as a priority over others. It is easy to allow these disciplines to become legalistic, just as it is easy to allow these disciplines to fall off. God does not want us to slacken our spiritual disciplines; He wants us to develop them.
Let’s see how this worked in Daniel’s life. Remember, this is 60 years after Daniel had been brought to
This shows how important spiritual disciplines need to be. Every believer needs to be actively involved in a systematic approach to prayer, Bible Study, fellowship, and community penetration. The example of this is Jesus Himself. We read Mark 1:35; Acts 3:1 This was not a legalistic action, but one that had become a part of their lives. We pray, study God’s word and join together on a regular basis because we understand that is how we are strengthened in our walk with God.
SEVENTH, GODLINESS IS MARKED BY A WILLINGNESS TO SUFFER FOR GOD. Everything has a price. You stop by the 7-11 stores, fill up a coke cup, pay $1.50 and think you got a good deal. You go to the Dodgers game, stand in line for 30 minutes order a small coke, give the worker $5.00 and think you got a good deal. Everything has a price.
Several years ago I asked my mother what she wanted to do for her 75th birthday and she said that she wanted to have lunch at the Hotel Del Coronado in
Everything has a cost. You buy a house and there is a price tag attached to the home. After negotiations are completed, you have to decide if that property is worth the cost. This is true on what kind of insurance we secure, the college we send our children to, the restaurants we choose, and the clothes we buy. This also affects the church we attend and the relationship we have with God. If the only time our congregation could meet was on Thursday morning, how many visitors would attend? How many of our members would come? If it was illegal to read the Bible or pray, how would that affect your walk with God? One of the biggest problems in the church today is the idea that God’s will is for His people to have an easy life. Jesus promised John Life is not simple. Life is not easy. However, as a follower of Jesus Christ life is purposeful and filled with joy and meaning. This is why Jesus stated, “…I have come that you might have life…”
There is a price to pay for being a Christian. However, there is also a price for not being a Christian. The reason God implanted the Holy Spirit into our souls is because life can be difficult. That is why we need to develop an intimate walk with Him, so that during difficult times of life we will get through them. Daniel, like his three friends in the furnace, Jesus on the cross, the early church or millions since then understood the truth that Paul revealed in Romans 8. We read Romans Daniel understood that remarkable truth. Suffering in this life was the price paid for being a child of God. As Elizabeth Elliot has stated, “Suffering is not without purpose”. We read Daniel 6:11-13 The trap had been set and the opposition thought they had Daniel. One of the most difficult issues we deal with is the reality that God allows suffering. Why doesn’t He just end it? He will, one day. However, Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would be “A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief…” When we suffer, we come into an identification experience with Jesus.
When our oldest daughter was four, she was with a baby sitter, fell while running around a table and ended up with a big gash on her forehead. We took her into the doctor and she required four stitches. As I held her during this ordeal, I have never heard her yell as loud as she did. She did not understand how I could allow this doctor to hurt her in this way. I knew it was for her good, but she had a hard time believing me. She had to trust me. When we go through trials, God has already scoped out the future and knows what is best.
EIGHTH, GODLINESS IS SEEN IN GETTING OTHERS TO TRUST GOD. There is an adage in our culture that states, “My religion is a private matter”. There is an aspect of our walk with God that is a private matter. We do not come to the Lord as a group. Even if you came to Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade, you came alone. We are filled with the Holy Spirit as individuals. Our walk with God is an individual matter. However, God never intended for our walk with Him to be remain a private matter. We read Matt. 5:13-16 There is something about light and salt, it is that they permeate and influence everything they touch. When we talk with God, we do need to go into our closets and meet with Him in private. However, when we leave our closets, we need to get out into the world and influence those we come into contact with.
We never know the impact we make on people’s lives until we face a climactic event and they see how we react. We read Daniel 6:14-20 There is such an interesting interaction going on between each of these various groups. You have the conspirator’s relationship with Daniel, their relationship between themselves and the king, and the relationship between Daniel and the king.
The dynamics between the conspirator’s and the king is truly fascinating. While the king was a dictator and tyrant, the Medes had developed a political system where even the king was accountable to the law. In normal dictatorships, the law is whatever the dictator says it is. This king, similar to our political system, could not change a law he didn’t like. The conspirators knew that the king liked Daniel. They also knew that passing a law that would eliminate Daniel could not be overturned by the king. What they did not consider, amazingly, is that after Daniel had been eliminated the king would probably have eliminated them as well.
We are not told when this event took place, but we know it was towards the end of Daniel’s life. The Babylonians had been defeated and the Medes and Persians were now in control. When one nation takes over another, the transfer of power is usually quite arbitrary. In some situations, the former leaders are all executed or taken into slavery. In some cases, they are kept in power as puppet leaders. We have to assume that Belshazzar and his family, maybe even the entire 1000 leaders who were at Belshazzar’s banquet in chapter 5 were executed or enslaved. For whatever reason, Daniel was not removed from his place of influence. Rather, he became the chief confidant of the new king. How he did influence the king.
There is no discussion concerning the king’s relationship to Daniel before this event. However, Daniel made an incredible impression on him. There must have been discussions about the Exodus, David and Goliath, Joshua, and creation. The reason I know this is because the first response of the king after realizing that he had sentenced Daniel to the lions was to say, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you”. Daniel had so lived his life honoring God’s power and so had proclaimed God’s word that when a miracle was needed the unbeliever simply said, “Daniel, your God is really going to do something huge here”.
How does this relate to us? It relates to us in a very big way. Let me apply this by asking a question. Based on the way you live your life, the way you talk to people, and the expectations you have about God’s working in your life; what do those around you expect God to do in your life when a crisis takes place? If you complain about your lot in life, never talk about God’s power, and rarely discuss God’s word to those around you, it is highly unlikely that those around you will expect God to do anything. After all, He hasn’t done anything in your life up to now. At least, that is what you are communicating. A bigger question than that, is what do your children expect God to do when a crisis arises?
One of the great names of God in the Old Testament is Jehovah-Jireh. It is most often translated as “The God who is our provider” We read Genesis 22:5-14 If you are at all familiar with the Bible, this is a well known story. Abraham had been selected by God to be the father of the nation of
This is why parents do their children tremendous harm when they bail out their children from any and all problems. Parents need to provide for their children, however, children need to see God as their provider, not their parents. When we have a problem, when we fall into a pit, there are two ways out. Someone can help us, or God can deliver us. If we see someone else as our deliverer (parent, child, rich friend, government) they are to us “Jehovah-Jireh”. They are our provider. If we see God as our deliver, He will be our Jehovah-Jireh. There are two absolutely essential responses necessary to remember as we live this out. First, if God uses someone to deliver you, gratitude is not only nice, it is essential. Because you believe God prompted them, does not lessen their involvement. Second, because God is your deliverer, that does not mean you do not need people. Counselors, bosses, police/firefighters, doctors, and neighbors are all a part of God’s means of delivery. Don’t become arrogant and assume that only God is qualified to help you out. God almost always uses a means we are not expecting to accomplish His will. As your children grow up, you will still want to do things to bless them, but you need to help them see God as their provider, not you.
All of that is so that I can say this. When the people of God see God providing all of their needs, the unbelieving world takes notice. When they see a need in your life, and they see God do a mighty deed to provide for you, they begin to assume that God will meet that next need. Even though they are not in the faith, by watching you, they have learned how God works. This is why a lack of faith is so disastrous for the community. When the church does not believe God will do a great work, why should the unbelieving community expect God to do anything great? What is your testimony among the unbelievers with whom you associate? When a need arises, do they come to you and say, “I know your God will ‘See to it…’” Because Daniel had trusted God and shared that with the king, the king believed God would do a miracle.
Daniel is not the only one through whom we see this take place. In Acts 27, Paul was on his way to
` When God moved, the people experienced hope and they were built up. This is what Jude meant when he wrote JUDE 20 It is only as we find ourselves in difficult situations that we can see God do the impossible and our faith is built up.
NINTH, GODLINESS IS CONFIRMED BY A CLEAR CONSCIENCE. There is no more powerful instrument than an individual with a clear conscience in the hands of a living God. Daniel had one. We read Daniel The power of a clear conscience is seen. When we discuss the issue of a clear conscience, it is important that we understand we are not merely talking about a lack of guilt. Romans 1 tells us that people can sear their conscience. Many people do great evil while feeling no guilt, because they have seared their conscience. In Philippians 3, Paul stated that he killed believers without guilt. A clear conscience means that we have nothing for which anyone can hold us accountable before God or men. We are told 1 Timothy 1:5 Developing people with a clear conscience is the task of the church. This is why the seeker friendly mentality is dangerous. We obviously want people to have a good experience when they attend our fellowship, but we need to present them with the truth. This is why our task is two-fold. We are to proclaim a perfect standard and we are told to proclaim total forgiveness. Both the standard is God’s and the forgiveness is God’s. This is why Paul wrote Romans ; ; II Corinthians A holy standard leads people to understand they are sinners. A perfect forgiveness leads people to understand that the only solution is God’s solution, coming to Christ for redemption.
It is important to understand how this works out in people’s lives. If the church tells people “Come to Christ and you will be happy, healthy, wealthy, etc” what happens when things go bad? They conclude that Christianity doesn’t work. On the other hand, when the church teaches people they are sinners in need of forgiveness, they come to Christ to deal with their sin. What happens when things don’t go well? If you have a life threatening disease, go into the hospital to have surgery, and are told when you wake up that you have lost your job, do you resent having the surgery? You realize that one thing has nothing to do with the other. However, if I tell you that the surgery will make your life so great that you will never have any problems, you will feel deceived if you woke up and had lost your job.
A clear conscience does not mean you have no problems. A clear conscience means that when problems arise you are not the cause. Because of that reality, you can be sure that God’s grace will be evident as you go through the trial. How does a clear conscience help our Christian life?
First, a clear conscience keeps our faith strong. We read 1 Timothy , 19 How many people do you know who were involved in a sinful relationship and fell away from God? These two men were probably elders in the church. When sin popped up, they refused to deal with it and their faith was shipwrecked. That is a great picture isn’t it? None of us are immune from sin. When it comes, we can hide it, or we can confess it. When we confess it, we regain a clear conscience.
David was involved in gross sin. He committed theft, coveting, adultery, murder, and bore false witness all in the same day. For a year he hid his sin from the world. However, he was being consumed by guilt. We read Psalm 51:1-4 Finally, God was merciful and sent Nathan to confront David’s sin. When he repented, we read Psalm 51:7-19 A clear conscience doesn’t mean you don’t sin. It means the sin has been dealt with. How do we deal with sin? John wrote 1 John 1:9 David saw that same truth is Psalm 51.
Second, a clear conscience aids our witness before the world. What happens to the reputation of the church when scandals are announced? What happens to your reputation and your witness when you sin? The power of God is negated. We read 1 Peter , 16 Did you notice how a clear conscience affects our witness before the world? If a television program did an expose on some televangelist and his multi-million dollar home, a scandal might break out. If that same program accused Mother Teresa of being in it for the money, people would laugh. When it came to money, she had a clear conscience and everyone knew that.
Third, a clear conscience leads to physical health. I need to be very careful in this area. I do not want to imply that someone with a clear conscience will never get sick. Nor am I saying that an illness is proof of sin in your life. However, a clear conscience creates things in your body which fight off disease and guilt destroys things in your body which fight off disease. David wrote Psalm 32:3, 4 Guilt leads to stress, a lack of sleep, and dozens of other unhealthy activities. A clear conscience brings sleep, peace, and other positives to the body. James even brings this out. We read James The medical community that 75% of all illnesses are related to guilt. If you are being afflicted with physical ailments, you might want to check with others just to see if there is someone in your life or in some cases many, to whom you need to confess some sin.
TENTH, GODLINESS CAN BRING JUDGMENT ON A CULTURE. As soon as the king realized that the other leaders were setting Daniel up, he was going to get revenge. He saw their jealousy of Daniel. They did not see the king’s affection for this godly, old man. After learning that Daniel was safe, he did the logical thing, he destroyed his enemies. We read Daniel 6:24 We are not told, but I have a feeling the king was going to throw these guys to the lions regardless of what happened to Daniel.
Throughout history, God’s people have been persecuted with the result that the nation doing the persecution has suffered great financial damage. When a group or a nation seeks to oppress God’s people, destruction will come their way. A perfect contemporary illustration of this is the Middle East. In 1948 the United Nations divided up the area known as Palestine and gave the Jewish people their own nation, called Israel. If agreed upon, there would have also been a Palestinian state. The day after the British left the area, five Arab nations declared war on Israel. There was no refugee issue and there was no occupation, only a Jewish nation. That was unacceptable. The date of the creation of the Jewish nation was May 15, 1948. That date is called Israel Independence Day. In the Palestinian region, that day is called “Nakba” which is Arabic for “Catastrophe”. There has been conflict in the region ever since. The very fact that a Jewish nation exists is seen as a catastrophe. Until the Arab world can make room for the existence of a Jewish state, their people will be in poverty and moral darkness.
What have the consequences of that decision been in the Arab community? It can be summed up in many ways, but most accurately stated as, “The Arab world would rather have their children dead than to allow a Jewish nation to exist”. When the number one goal of a people is to hate another group, it affects everything in that group negatively. You might remember that several years ago the Israeli government removed thousands of settlers from the Gaza Strip. This is a little sliver of land between Israel and Egypt right on the Mediterranean Sea. The Jewish settlers created a system of green houses to grow fruits and vegetables. By the time the settlers were removed, 10% of the produce in Israel was grown in these hot houses. When the decision was made to remove the settlers, they decided to destroy the hot houses rather than give them to the Palestinians so they could destroy them as P.R. tools. Several Arab-friendly organizations in the U.S. raised millions of dollars to purchase the hot houses and donate them to the Palestinian Authority. The day the Jewish settler’s left; Arab thugs came into the communities and destroyed most of the hot houses. It was better to let their children go hungry than to use buildings that had Israeli sweat mixed in.
Just prior to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Czar demanded that every citizen take up arms to defend the regime. A large group of Mennonites refused to take up weapons because they were pacifists. They grew their crops, lived godly lives and paid their taxes. However, they refused to fight for the Czar. The result was they were kicked out of Russia. Because of the price of land, the Mennonites moved to Kansas and brought their wheat seeds with them. During the Depression, the only grain to survive the drought was a strain called “Red Wheat”, brought from Russia by the Mennonites. Since the Czar drove out the Mennonites and they came to America, Russia has never had a successful wheat crop and the Mennonites have thrived in our nation.
Guillermo Gonzalez is an astronomer from Iowa State University. He is very highly regarded in his area of expertise and has published nearly 75 peer-revued articles in various scientific periodicals. He is also the author of the book, The Privileged Planet. Because his book advocates Intelligent Design, Professor Gonzalez has been refused tenure. Even though the average tenured professor need only have 15 articles published, Gonzalez was turned down for even believing the possibility that God might be involved in the process of bringing about the universe.
If you ask the Palestinians if they want their children to starve they would answer in the negative. If you asked the Czar if he wanted to destroy the Russian wheat harvest, he would have replied in the negative. If you asked sexually permissive parents if they wanted their children to contract an STD, they would answer in the negative. If you asked college professors if they want animalistic behavior on campus, they would answer in the negative. Pagans don’t want bad things to happen; they just want to get rid of God’s influence in the culture. They just don’t see the connection between God’s influence in a culture and prosperity. This is where the church comes in.
It is the church’s responsibility to show how God’s influence blesses a community. The most effective means of accomplishing this is simple prayer. That is simple, it is not simplistic. Paul wrote 1 TIMOTHY 2:1, 2 Did you see how we can live a “”Quite life…” When we pray for our governmental officials, God moves in their life and peace permeates a culture. You can trace the incredible rise in social dysfunction back to the removal of prayer and the Bible from our schools. Our courts did not want social pathology to run rampant; they just didn’t see God as a part of the solution.
These enemies of Daniel didn’t want to be thrown to the lions; they just wanted to get rid of Daniel. Remember our verses from Peter on a clear conscience? He wrote 1 Peter 3:15, 16 It is the role of the church to give a reason for why they should have access to the city square. This is what Jesus called “Letting your light shine…” A part of God’s judgment on a culture is to allow the culture to have its way. By allowing the culture to remove godly influences, evil has a free reign and terrible consequences result. This is why the church needs to stand against the tide, seek to influence the culture and pray for God’s hand of mercy and blessings, not his judgment.
ELEVENTH, GODLINESS LEADS TO GOD BEING SEEN AS STRONG. What happens when the church stands strong and blesses a nation? We read Daniel 6:25-28 What would it be like if the Church of Jesus lived out II Chronicles 7:14 and allowed God to heal our land? What is the promise of God? So often we blame the liberals, feminists, homosexuals, adulterers, and druggies, when in fact it is the church that is responsible for the welfare of the community. Isn’t that what we saw in Jeremiah 29? When God’s people trust God, He does amazing things through them. The result is that the world takes notice. Sometimes, the world attacks the church. Sometimes the world wants to get in on God’s blessings.
This is how we become salt and light in the world. As you look throughout the Bible, God was constantly pleading with His people to act in such a way that He would be allowed to manifest His power in the world. Certainly, Moses and the confrontation with Pharaoh is a perfect illustration. Moses simply spoke what God told Him to say and God went to work. God wants to demonstrate His power to the world. We see this taking place in the Middle East today. When the planes destroyed the towers in New York, the Islamic world rejoiced and claimed that Allah had given them the victory. When Hezbollah held out against the Israeli army last summer, it was seen in the Islamic world as a victory. Our nation does not see Iraq as a holy war. However, the Islamic terrorists do. This is why suicide bombers cry out “Allah Akbar” before they blow themselves up. That is Arabic for “Allah is great”. The terrorists see this struggle as a war between Allah, who they believe is the true god, and the pagan God of the Jews and Christians. They see Iraq as a battle to the death, even if the west does not.
While many in our nation fear this struggle, God doesn’t. God welcomes a war between Himself and any pagan deity. This was the whole purpose of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. The psalmist wrote Psalm 115 There is only one God and that is Jehovah. His sole desire is that the entire universe would acknowledge His glory. That means He is willing to put you in situations where only He can bail you out. In other words, He will put you in a lion’s den to show the king how great He is. I believe He has placed our nation in this same situation in our war with Islamic terrorists. If we cry out to God, we will win. If we try to be diverse for fear of offending anyone, we will face serious problems. Recently Tony Blair stepped down as the Prime Minister of Great Britain. His replacement, Gordon Brown, has ordered his Cabinet Ministers never to use the word terrorist and Moslem together. This is not a good sign. In San Diego, an elementary school with more than 100 Somali Moslem students has banned pork from the lunch menu, offered separate gender classes, and gives the Moslem students 15 minutes from their instruction time to pray. This is the same city that insists that a cross be removed from a cemetery. This is not a good sign, either.
There are many places in the Bible where we can see this, but let me just go to Joshua and see it work out in one instance. If you remember your Old Testament, you will recall that the Hebrews had moved into Egypt where they were enslaved. God called Moses to go and tell Pharaoh to let His people go. After a series of judgments, God brought His people to the Red Sea where He showed His power by dividing the water and allowing His people to walk through to dry land. After a short stop to worship and receive the law, the people came to the Jordan River, sent spies in to check out the land, decided to panic, and rejected God’s will. The result was a wandering journey of forty years through the wilderness, which saw all of that generation die off except Joshua and Caleb.
God then called Joshua to lead the Jews into the Promised Land. Their first step was to spy out the city of Jericho. We read Joshua 2:1-14 Did you notice what the pagans believed about the God of the Bible? They feared Him because they heard what He had done. This is the same response that the king had in Daniel 6. He wasn’t a believer, but he saw God work and He wanted to give Him all the room necessary. He knew that his gods were powerless and he had seen the power of the true God in action.
Examples such as this are many in the Bible. In II Chronicles 32, King Hezekiah was surrounded by King Sennacherib and threatened with extinction. We read II CHRON. 32:1-21 In his fear, Hezekiah sought God and asked Him to do His work even if it was impossible.
In 2001, nearly forty pastors and their wives spent ten days in the Holy Land. In preparation for our trip, we spent a day in London visiting the British Museum of History. In one of the rooms in that museum is an ancient carving discussing the military exploits of Sennacherib. As he entered the land of Israel, he accomplished four consecutive victories. His battle with Hezekiah was the fifth battle. The carving discusses his first four victories, but leaves out the fifth battle mentioned in our passage. Since history is written by the victors, it is no wonder that this battle is left off of his resume. He was totally humiliated.
God wants to show Himself to be strong in our life and in our world. Whether it is a military conflict our nation is forced into, a personal issue known only to the family, or a financial crunch you are facing, God wants to show Himself strong. Paul wrote II CORINTHIANS 4:7-11 One of the reasons God allows you to go through difficulties is to give Him an opportunity to show Himself to be strong on your behalf. We read in II Chronicles 16:9, “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the whole Earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His…” Are you in a difficulty today? God has allowed you in that situation to show you His power. Might I add that He will rarely deliver you in the way you think best!
This is one of the reasons God often allows us to experience financial challenges. Financial bondage because of over spending is a part of God’s judgment on greed and on a lack of contentment. However, we have all experienced the water heater breaking, kids needing braces, car stops working and a dozen other issues. How do we deal with those problems? In today’s economy, we just whip out our credit card and the problem is solved. The problem is, that is how we got into our financial crisis in the first place. How much better it is to wait on God and watch how He shows Himself to be strong.
Many years ago, our congregation had moved into new facilities, purchased a Christian School, added staff and found ourselves in over our heads financially. We felt that we were in the center of God’s will, but issues in the school threw us into a financial tail spin and we were heading for a possible bankruptcy. Over a period of months, we prayed and things only got worse. Our ministry was short $5000 per month and that would be true for the next six months. We had a leadership meeting and a proposal was made that we stop sending money to our missionaries until we were in better financial shape. One person read from Malachi which reads, Malachi 3:8-11 Our church tithes by giving 10% of our offerings to the various missions programs we support. We do not stress tithing, which is 10% of your income to the work of God, because the New Testament does not command it. What the New Testament does command is generous, sacrificial stewardship where God owns everything and we are simply caretakers of His wealth. 10% doesn’t sound so bad, does it? You need to give generously to the work of God, not give what is left over. It may be through this ministry, or through other works of God. The individual who read that passage then asked, “Which of you wants to rob God”? We went to plan B, which was to wait.
I took a voluntary 10% pay cut and seriously considered resigning. I had no answer to the overwhelming financial crunch we were in. I prayed with a friend and simply stated “God if you want our ministry to end, you don’t need to do anything. If you want it to continue, you need to provide for us”. Our congregation took a special offering and $5000 was given. Up to that date, it was the largest offering in our congregation’s history. A few days later, I received a phone call from a man who said he represented an individual who gave money to Christian organizations. I told him we could not pay back a loan and he said they only gave money, they didn’t loan. We met, explained our situation, and the individual offered to give us half of our need if we would raise the other half. When I informed him that we had just raised $5000, he got out his checkbook and wrote out a matching check. Don’t you love it when God provides.
That still left us $20,000 short. I mentioned the need in our service the next Sunday, challenged everyone to pray and then give what God directed. The next day there was a check in the mailbox for $1000 which had been mailed the previous week from a foreign country. In the next two weeks, $10,000 was raised. Its amount was matched and our ministry continued. Eventually, we had to close the school. We took five years, but every individual and every debt was paid what they were owed.
You may listen to that and think “Wow, you raised a lot of money”. If you think that, you have missed the point of the whole story, and you have missed the point of the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. Not one person in our fellowship said, “Look how much money we raised”! Everyone said “WOW! Look what God did”. God does not get excited about sending money to people. God does not get all that thrilled about stopping wild animals from biting humans. What God gets thrilled about is doing something in the lives of people so that they conclude, “God did something really big here”. Like Hezekiah, God wants to put us in a situation where His deliverance causes us to say “WOW”! and for us to fall on our face in praise knowing that only God could do something that big.
When you say “”We are financially strapped, we can’t give to God”, you stifle God’s power. You prevent God from doing something spectacular. When we chose to continue giving to missions knowing we were going bankrupt, it was the seed God used to open the windows of Heaven and pour out His blessings on our work. God does not need our money. However, we need to give financially because that is how we tell God we are serious about Him, are willing to trust Him with the rest of our income, and demonstrate that we love Him and His work. What we love, we invest in. God wants you to invest in His work and watch as He provides the rest of your needs.
Let me read again the last part of the king’s edict. He wrote, “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in Heaven and Earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions”. Let me ask you a heart searching question. What issues are you facing that you are seeking God to deliver you from, and in which you are faithful to obey His word? Let me ask another question. What issue are you facing and need God’s deliverance, but know that you are violating some command of God? Obedience to the commands of God are the seeds we plant to grow God’s miracles. God not only wants to show Himself strong to you. He wants to work in your life so that those around you will observe and say, “WOW! Isn’t God great”!
Glen Jackson is the pastor of the Faith Christian Church in Simi Valley, CA. All rights are reserved.
CYCLE OF THE PITS
It doesn’t matter how big the pit is, when you are in it you have a hard time getting out. Often we become fatalistic and just choose to live there. We decorate it & make the best.
Daniel refused to live in the pits
Stolen from his family
Sexually abused
Falsely accused
Attempted murder
Action against you
Belief about yourself inferiority complex “I’m no one
Pride & arrogance
“World revolves around me”
Character The process by which I decide
What I will do
Destiny This is what I will always be
Cannot change
Escape Perversion
Rebellion
Politics Marx Dad converted
Futility Will try anything Rom. -23
Grace God gives power to change
Holiness Titus 2:12-15
Individuality Eph. God does not
Reproduce, He recreates
Joy Gal. 5:22, 233
