The writer of Proverbs says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Proverbs 18:23). Think about this for a moment: Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Do you have any idea what this means? It means that you and I go through life with an awesome power-like fire or electricity or nuclear energy-right under our noses, one that can produce death or life, depending upon how it is used. With this power we have the capacity for great evil, for great benefit or great harm. We can use it to create death and destruction, or we can use it to create life and building up. Let me get real personal and ask you, does your tongue bring life to those around you or death? When people leave after having a conversation with you have they been given life through your words or death? Has your speech been a positive influence upon others or a negative influence? Are people attracted to you because of your speech or repelled? Is God honored by your speech or does your speech bring reproach upon Him? Do our words draw others closer to God or away from God? Do they build others up or tear others down? Do they heal or do they destroy? Do they cause others to love more or hate more? Do they cause people to see the person you are speaking of in a favorable light or not?
Fred Smith says that there are two kinds of people in church:polluters and purifiers. Polluters are like smokestacks, belching out dirty smoke all the time. When people around them breath their toxins, they feel sicker and sicker. Purifiers, on the other hand, make everything around them better. They are like filters who take in the toxic words of polluters and filter the words before passing them on. What comes in may be gloomy, negative, and unedifying, but when it comes back out, it is fresh and clear.
So let me ask you again; when you spend time with others, do they walk away feeling better or worse? Are they built up or torn down? Have you added value to their life or diminished their life? Do you clear the air, giving fresh perspective or positive encouragement? Or do they go away feeling gloomy? Watch how people respond to you and you will know what kind of person that you are.
I have resolved in my life that i am going to be an encourager, a purifier toward other people with the words that i speak. The apostle Paul provides a wealth of understanding about our words and their God ordained goal-both what it is, and what it clearly is not: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
Notice how comprehensive this command applies to our speech: “Let no…but only…” There is a certain kind of speech that is never to come from our mouths, and another kind that should be in everything we say. That’s how extensive the reach of this command really is. Paul employs a contrast to teach us a “not that/but this” statement, clearly showing us the kinds of words that God forbids as well as the kinds of words that He requires.
What does Paul forbid? The word for unwholesome {sapros} describes what is rotten, putrid, or corrupt. It was used for rotten trees or fruit. Applied to our speech it points to words that spoil relationships, poison our influence, or corrupts another’s character. Words that spoil and bring rottenness; death giving words instead of life giving words. Among believers in the church of Jesus Christ and at the Lighthouse Christian Fellowship there is to be no decay spreading communication of any kind, in any form, at any time, by anyone.
What does Paul command? “…such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” Paul proposes a whole new way of thinking about language. Our words are to edify-they should be “good for building up”. And that goes for all of our speech. We are specifically commanded to communicate “only’ that which edifies.
What are edifying words? Truly edifying words are words that reveal the character and the promises and the activity of God. They are cross centered words. They are God glorifying words. They are words rooted in and derived form scripture, words that identify the presence of God, the heart of God, the Spirit of God, the love of God, and the character of God.
Paul gives us an example in Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” We are commanded to communicate only words like those that are good (agathos-excellent) for building up one another. What a sweet command! What a privilege! What a responsibility! And so when we obey this command we leave behind a soul that has been built up and edified.
Notice also that Paul speaks of encouragement being the effect of appropriate words-“as fits the occasion”-appropriate to the person I’m seeking to serve. It means that to effectively encourage someone, I must know something about that person, it means I must have a good attitude about someone, which comes from caring, loving, and studying that person, asking questions, and carefully listening. you cannot encourage another person if you have a bad attitude toward that person. What does that person need from me now? Counsel? Encouragement? Warning? Comfort? Forgiveness? All the above? In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Paul urges us, “brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
Mike Mason wrote a book with a play on the title of Brother Lawrence’s book, Practicing the presence of God. He called it Practicing the Presence of People. Are you aware of others? Do you care for others? Are you looking for others? Do you see others needs? Are you discerning? We must be careful and discerning here: Are people idle? Admonish them! Are they fainthearted? Encourage them! Are they weak? Help them! Wherever situation people are in life, there is something we can say to them to bring them encouragement.
Finally, Ephesians 4:29 Paul commands that our communication always be purposeful, and the right purpose is “that it may give grace to those who hear”. The biblical purpose for every conversation you have, in every personal interaction, is that the person who hears you will receive grace.
The grace that God lavishes us is the grace that is meant to pour out of our lives to grace others. Peter says in 1 Peter 4:10-11, “As each has received a gift (grace), use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God... ”
What do others need to hear from you? Let me illustrate. It’s like God has a restaurant and what is on the menu is grace. People have different needs for words of grace. It comes in a lot of different forms but its all grace on the menu. So when we say a word to someone, the key expression is the grace that comes through you to others in words. God is like the chef, cooking up loads of grace and we are privileged to be humble waiters in his restaurant presenting others with orders of words grace. We get to serve this grace to one another and have this incredible privilege of presenting each other with servings of words of grace. In his sovereignty wisdom and love He is cooking up grace and it is so good.
God is saying in our relationships: I’ve got that grace for this sister, this brother to set before them and then go give it to them through your words of grace. When you have walked in this and experienced it you know how exciting, fun and wonderful it is to serve it up in your words for others. Folks that’s God’s design. Notice it is all God working, God speaking, God doing.
In James 4:10, we read that God gives grace to the humble. We receive grace from God, we give it to others. We are all in need of much grace. There is no one you know who doesn’t need more of it. God has ordained that our church, our marriages, our families be environments where we are both giving out and receiving grace through the exchange of edifying and appropriate words. Every conversation has potential. Would you start asking God to give you discernment on what kind of grace this person needs.
To the legalist or those who feel condemned-we want to bring justifying grace into their souls. To those struggling with sin, we want to bring sanctifying grace. To those who are afflicted and suffering, we want to bring comforting grace. To those who are sick, we want to bring healing grace. To those who are thinking, feeling, or living in an unbiblical matter, we want to bring correcting grace. To those who are tired and discouraged, we want to bring sustaining grace. To those who are hopeless, we want to bring hope bringing grace. To those who are discouraged, we want to bring encouraging grace? To those who are dying, we want to bring life giving grace.
The list goes on and on. Through each and every interaction may we impart grace through our words, for that is God’s purpose in granting to us the gift of speech. And in effect we have God’s promise in this passage that when our words are edifying and appropriate, they will give grace.
So we have to ask ourselves at this moment: Is this the effect of my speech about others? Upon others? Is this people’s common experience in my conversations? Do they experience grace in and through my words? Is my mouth a means of grace? Am I meeting a need with the words that are coming out of my mouth? Am I speaking well of others? Am I building up faith into the people who hear? Before this day is done, there will be an occasion in your life that Paul calls “the need of the moment”. Someone will be positioned to benefit by your words. This is the ministry that you will be called to do at that moment-“edification according to the need of the moment”. If you are living in grace, if you are dependent upon grace, you will become a channel of grace-you will give grace to those who hear”. When you that moment comes and grace pours out through you-the satisfaction is so deep, you will know why you were created and why you were called and the air all around you will be purified instead of polluted by your words of encouragement to others.
Longing to be a purifying agent in my words,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
THE IMPORTANCE, THE POWER, AND THE BLESSINGS OF BEING A COMMITED PERSON
"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. " Daniel 1:8
What were born to do? Why did Christ redeem us? Do you feel a sense of purpose and destiny for your life? The prophet Isaiah says that we were created for God's glry. (Isaiah 43:7). The word of God says that you were predestined in order to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Jesus said that we were chosenin order to be bear fruit that lasts for the Father's glory (John 15:5,8,16). The apostle Paul said that whatevver we do we are to do it for the glory of God( 1 Corinthians 10:31). Do you beleive what God's word says about you and your future? To become that person, God wants you to be committed!
Commitment can chage your life! William Murray wrote some lines that I go back to often times in my life. "Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment one definitely commits oneself, then God moves, too, and a whole stream of events erupts. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way, begins to flow toward him."
Michelangelo was possibly the greatest artist in Western civilization. When 30 years old he was commissioned to paint a simple depiction of the twelve apostles on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. By the time he was finished four years later the project had expanded to include four hundred figures and nine scenes from Genesis. For four grueling years he lay on his back painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a work that permanently damaged his eyesight and wore him down. One day while working diligently on a dark corner of the Sistine Chapel that no one would ever see, he was asked why? Michelangelo's simple reply was, "God will see."
What words would describe commitment to you? If I could sum it up in one word I would say “alone”. Its human to stand with the crowd, its divine to stand alone; It’s human to follow the people and drift with the tide, it’s godlike to follow the truth and to stem the tide; it’s natural to compromise conscience and to follow social and religious fashion for the sake of gain and pleasure, it’s divine to sacrifice both on the alter. In 2 Timothy 4:16 the apostle Paul wrote, "At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them." These were the words of a battle-scarred apostle Paul in describing his first appearance before Nero to answer for his life. Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
I really think the word “alone” describes commitment because few people are committed to anything to anything beyond themselves. They just follow their fancy, whatever tide is flowing. When you see someone who is committed they are always doing something different than the crowd. Not because they are trying to be different but because commitment has the tendency to make us stand out. Oh for you to see the power and the reward of commitment to Christ, His work, his people, and his cause! Our society is in desperate need for Christians who are committed. “There is no limit to what God can do through a man or woman who is fully committed to him ” says John Maxwell.
Daniel was a man who knew the meaning of commitment. His life becomes an inspiration, a model, and a conviction as to what commitment means in the way we live out our lives. Daniel was being enticed with daily rations of the finest and richest of royal food and drink. By doing this, the Babylonians were figuring Daniel would feel a sense of obligation and disassociate themselves from their old Hebrew ways. It didn’t work. We read in Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." I really like the NKJV translation, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank."
Why do you think Daniel did what he did? What’s the big deal? Some answer that it must have been because of some ritual taboo. Jewish law did, of course, lay down certain dietary regulations. Did Daniel refuse to eat because the food was not kosher? That seems doubtful, for we read that he objected to the wine as much as to the meat, and there was no ceremonial prohibition on alcohol in the Law of Moses. Yet clearly Daniel's reluctance to eat the emperor's food was religious in origin, because the writer uses the word defile (1:8). This word strongly implies that he saw the issue as one of moral or spiritual pollution. It was not just that he was vegetarian or that he had trouble adjusting to a foreign diet. This was an issue of religious conscience for him. To eat of the king's food would have been, for Daniel, to compromise his personal holiness in some way.
The only conclusion we can safely draw is that Daniel judged this sharing in the king's table to be one step further than he was prepared to go in accommodating himself as a view to his new situation in a pagan world.
As a believer, surrounded by this pagan pantheon of religions that Babylonia offered, he felt he had to draw a line somewhere, and this was where he decided to draw it. Perhaps he reasoned that eating with someone, especially in the ancient world, was a sign of friendship. In a diplomatic context, eating together often implied a political alliance. The fact was that he was a hostage, a POW. But Daniel was a member of a nation that was bound by exclusive covenant to Yahweh, the only God. No other loyalty could ever be permitted to usurp the priority of that relationship in Daniel's life. He was determined on that. He seems to have felt that eating food from the king's table, even if the king was not personally present, threatened that loyalty to an unacceptable degree. It created, perhaps, a feeling of intimacy between him and his pagan master that was too close for comfort.
Notice the way the writer puts it: "Daniel resolved not to defile himself.' This was a personal decision. Literally, "he purposed in his heart." The Hebrew phrase suggests an inner wrestling with conscience that resulted in personal determination to make a stand of principle on the matter. If Daniel was to remain true to God in the face of this assault on his spirituality, it would require immense self-discipline. He simply could not allow himself to be softened up by the king's food.
What do we learn about commitment?
Commitment Is The Result Of Choice Not Conditions Or Environment
Daniel made up his own mind. He didn’t ask anyone else what he or she thought. I am not, I will not period. He did it immediately. That was a great moment. “People don’t make commitments because the conditions are right; they make commitments to do right in spite of the conditions.”
In general, people approach daily commitment in one of two ways. They focus on the external or the internal. Those who focus on the external expect conditions to determine whether or not they keep their commitments. Because their conditions change so often, their commitment level changes like the wind. not Daniel, he based his action on the decision that he had made within. Commitment must be settled before the moment arises Daniel didn’t get caught up in the emotion of the moment. He made the decision before the food was ever brought to him. “The battle is won before the battle is begun.” “The most important decision you ever make is the decision you make before you ever have to make a decision.” Daniel knew what to do and did it!
Jonathan Edwards wrote at 19 seventy resolutions. These were the principles that guided his life. Do you have principles that guide yours? We often times think we have to learn or experience things before developing convictions. Get settled! If you don’t get settled you get tossed. Get convictions, get values. Either be a Babylonian or be a Christ follower. I look at people who are still trying to settle issues they should have settled years ago. Commitment starts in the heart Daniels commitment preceded his achievement.
Your Commitment Will Be Tested Every Day
Its one thing to talk about it, its another thing to do it. Arthur Gordon, “Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is more difficult then living them day by day. What you promise today must be renewed and redecided tomorrow and each day that stretches out before you”
Your commitments will be tested! Many people see commiment as an event or something done in a moment. they say "I do" at their wedding and a few years later say "I don't". Commitment does not end with a decision, it's just getting started. And you better beleive that any time you make a commitment it will be tested! Daniel made a decision to not eat the kings food. Then he was tested with the kings food. When facing the test, Daniel did not eat the kings food. He kept his commitment going. Commitment begins with little things in our lives Luke 16:10, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."
I have learned that little commitments are the foundations for bigger ones.” No one ever makes big commitments without first making little ones. Later on in Daniel, he will face an even bigger test in whether or not he will bow down to the kings idol (Daniel 3). Before Daniel said no to the kings idol, he said no to the king’s food. When Daniel saw God helping on the food issue, it gave him courage for the idol issue. It works the opposite as well. Compromise once, it’s easier to do it the next time. Take stand once, its easier as well. We need to take stands at the front end of our lives not in the middle.
Commitment Leaves The Results To God
Daniel 1:11-20, "So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. "Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants." So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. "
Daniel seems to communicate, “If I do right, God will take care of me.” Psalm 37:5, " Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." We get this mindset that if I do the right thing, I’ll be alone, unhappy, a missionary in Barstow, I’ll be poor, unfulfilled, I’ll lose out. Jesus promised in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Something wonderful happens when we put God first. Even as Daniel was deciding and living out his commitment, God was working out His plans and purposes. All through our story God is working. Three times in the chapter we read that God gave something to someone. In 1:2, he gave Jehoiakim and Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. In 1:9, God gave the chief official sympathy toward Daniel and his friends. Now in verse 17 we read that God gave the four Judeans "knowledge and understanding." Of course, Nebuchadnezzar and those involved in their education would take credit for their brilliance, but Daniel and the others would know to whom the credit was due. After all, they had grown physically robust not because of their Babylonian diet but because of the grace of God, that is, in spite of their diet of vegetables.
The effect of the theme of "God's giving" throughout the chapter is to press home who is really in control of the events of Daniel's and our life. God provided, God protected, and God promoted. Proverbs. 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever He wishes." Proverbs. 16:7, "When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
William Murray whom I quoted at the beginning wrote, "The moment one definitely commits oneself, then divine Providience moves too. All sorts of things occur that would never otherwise would have occured. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, rising in one's favor all manner of unforseen incidents and meetings and material assistancew which no man could have dreamed would come his way."
An old hymn says, “Dare to be a Daniel; dare to stand alone; dare to have a purpose; and dare to make it known.” John Maxwell says, "The greatest days of your life are the days you sense your commitment to its highest degree. Your greatest days are not your days of leisure. Your greatest days are not even the times when you have your closest friends around you. When something has seized you and has caused you to have a high level of commitment to it, those are your greatest days. They may be your days of struggle, they may be your days of suffering, and they may be your days of your greatest battles in life, but they will be your greatest days.”
Looking ahead for your greatest days as God moves your heart to commit yourself to Him and His cause,
Pastor Bill
What were born to do? Why did Christ redeem us? Do you feel a sense of purpose and destiny for your life? The prophet Isaiah says that we were created for God's glry. (Isaiah 43:7). The word of God says that you were predestined in order to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Jesus said that we were chosenin order to be bear fruit that lasts for the Father's glory (John 15:5,8,16). The apostle Paul said that whatevver we do we are to do it for the glory of God( 1 Corinthians 10:31). Do you beleive what God's word says about you and your future? To become that person, God wants you to be committed!
Commitment can chage your life! William Murray wrote some lines that I go back to often times in my life. "Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment one definitely commits oneself, then God moves, too, and a whole stream of events erupts. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way, begins to flow toward him."
Michelangelo was possibly the greatest artist in Western civilization. When 30 years old he was commissioned to paint a simple depiction of the twelve apostles on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. By the time he was finished four years later the project had expanded to include four hundred figures and nine scenes from Genesis. For four grueling years he lay on his back painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a work that permanently damaged his eyesight and wore him down. One day while working diligently on a dark corner of the Sistine Chapel that no one would ever see, he was asked why? Michelangelo's simple reply was, "God will see."
What words would describe commitment to you? If I could sum it up in one word I would say “alone”. Its human to stand with the crowd, its divine to stand alone; It’s human to follow the people and drift with the tide, it’s godlike to follow the truth and to stem the tide; it’s natural to compromise conscience and to follow social and religious fashion for the sake of gain and pleasure, it’s divine to sacrifice both on the alter. In 2 Timothy 4:16 the apostle Paul wrote, "At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them." These were the words of a battle-scarred apostle Paul in describing his first appearance before Nero to answer for his life. Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
I really think the word “alone” describes commitment because few people are committed to anything to anything beyond themselves. They just follow their fancy, whatever tide is flowing. When you see someone who is committed they are always doing something different than the crowd. Not because they are trying to be different but because commitment has the tendency to make us stand out. Oh for you to see the power and the reward of commitment to Christ, His work, his people, and his cause! Our society is in desperate need for Christians who are committed. “There is no limit to what God can do through a man or woman who is fully committed to him ” says John Maxwell.
Daniel was a man who knew the meaning of commitment. His life becomes an inspiration, a model, and a conviction as to what commitment means in the way we live out our lives. Daniel was being enticed with daily rations of the finest and richest of royal food and drink. By doing this, the Babylonians were figuring Daniel would feel a sense of obligation and disassociate themselves from their old Hebrew ways. It didn’t work. We read in Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." I really like the NKJV translation, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank."
Why do you think Daniel did what he did? What’s the big deal? Some answer that it must have been because of some ritual taboo. Jewish law did, of course, lay down certain dietary regulations. Did Daniel refuse to eat because the food was not kosher? That seems doubtful, for we read that he objected to the wine as much as to the meat, and there was no ceremonial prohibition on alcohol in the Law of Moses. Yet clearly Daniel's reluctance to eat the emperor's food was religious in origin, because the writer uses the word defile (1:8). This word strongly implies that he saw the issue as one of moral or spiritual pollution. It was not just that he was vegetarian or that he had trouble adjusting to a foreign diet. This was an issue of religious conscience for him. To eat of the king's food would have been, for Daniel, to compromise his personal holiness in some way.
The only conclusion we can safely draw is that Daniel judged this sharing in the king's table to be one step further than he was prepared to go in accommodating himself as a view to his new situation in a pagan world.
As a believer, surrounded by this pagan pantheon of religions that Babylonia offered, he felt he had to draw a line somewhere, and this was where he decided to draw it. Perhaps he reasoned that eating with someone, especially in the ancient world, was a sign of friendship. In a diplomatic context, eating together often implied a political alliance. The fact was that he was a hostage, a POW. But Daniel was a member of a nation that was bound by exclusive covenant to Yahweh, the only God. No other loyalty could ever be permitted to usurp the priority of that relationship in Daniel's life. He was determined on that. He seems to have felt that eating food from the king's table, even if the king was not personally present, threatened that loyalty to an unacceptable degree. It created, perhaps, a feeling of intimacy between him and his pagan master that was too close for comfort.
Notice the way the writer puts it: "Daniel resolved not to defile himself.' This was a personal decision. Literally, "he purposed in his heart." The Hebrew phrase suggests an inner wrestling with conscience that resulted in personal determination to make a stand of principle on the matter. If Daniel was to remain true to God in the face of this assault on his spirituality, it would require immense self-discipline. He simply could not allow himself to be softened up by the king's food.
What do we learn about commitment?
Commitment Is The Result Of Choice Not Conditions Or Environment
Daniel made up his own mind. He didn’t ask anyone else what he or she thought. I am not, I will not period. He did it immediately. That was a great moment. “People don’t make commitments because the conditions are right; they make commitments to do right in spite of the conditions.”
In general, people approach daily commitment in one of two ways. They focus on the external or the internal. Those who focus on the external expect conditions to determine whether or not they keep their commitments. Because their conditions change so often, their commitment level changes like the wind. not Daniel, he based his action on the decision that he had made within. Commitment must be settled before the moment arises Daniel didn’t get caught up in the emotion of the moment. He made the decision before the food was ever brought to him. “The battle is won before the battle is begun.” “The most important decision you ever make is the decision you make before you ever have to make a decision.” Daniel knew what to do and did it!
Jonathan Edwards wrote at 19 seventy resolutions. These were the principles that guided his life. Do you have principles that guide yours? We often times think we have to learn or experience things before developing convictions. Get settled! If you don’t get settled you get tossed. Get convictions, get values. Either be a Babylonian or be a Christ follower. I look at people who are still trying to settle issues they should have settled years ago. Commitment starts in the heart Daniels commitment preceded his achievement.
Your Commitment Will Be Tested Every Day
Its one thing to talk about it, its another thing to do it. Arthur Gordon, “Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is more difficult then living them day by day. What you promise today must be renewed and redecided tomorrow and each day that stretches out before you”
Your commitments will be tested! Many people see commiment as an event or something done in a moment. they say "I do" at their wedding and a few years later say "I don't". Commitment does not end with a decision, it's just getting started. And you better beleive that any time you make a commitment it will be tested! Daniel made a decision to not eat the kings food. Then he was tested with the kings food. When facing the test, Daniel did not eat the kings food. He kept his commitment going. Commitment begins with little things in our lives Luke 16:10, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."
I have learned that little commitments are the foundations for bigger ones.” No one ever makes big commitments without first making little ones. Later on in Daniel, he will face an even bigger test in whether or not he will bow down to the kings idol (Daniel 3). Before Daniel said no to the kings idol, he said no to the king’s food. When Daniel saw God helping on the food issue, it gave him courage for the idol issue. It works the opposite as well. Compromise once, it’s easier to do it the next time. Take stand once, its easier as well. We need to take stands at the front end of our lives not in the middle.
Commitment Leaves The Results To God
Daniel 1:11-20, "So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. "Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants." So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. "
Daniel seems to communicate, “If I do right, God will take care of me.” Psalm 37:5, " Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." We get this mindset that if I do the right thing, I’ll be alone, unhappy, a missionary in Barstow, I’ll be poor, unfulfilled, I’ll lose out. Jesus promised in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Something wonderful happens when we put God first. Even as Daniel was deciding and living out his commitment, God was working out His plans and purposes. All through our story God is working. Three times in the chapter we read that God gave something to someone. In 1:2, he gave Jehoiakim and Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. In 1:9, God gave the chief official sympathy toward Daniel and his friends. Now in verse 17 we read that God gave the four Judeans "knowledge and understanding." Of course, Nebuchadnezzar and those involved in their education would take credit for their brilliance, but Daniel and the others would know to whom the credit was due. After all, they had grown physically robust not because of their Babylonian diet but because of the grace of God, that is, in spite of their diet of vegetables.
The effect of the theme of "God's giving" throughout the chapter is to press home who is really in control of the events of Daniel's and our life. God provided, God protected, and God promoted. Proverbs. 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever He wishes." Proverbs. 16:7, "When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
William Murray whom I quoted at the beginning wrote, "The moment one definitely commits oneself, then divine Providience moves too. All sorts of things occur that would never otherwise would have occured. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, rising in one's favor all manner of unforseen incidents and meetings and material assistancew which no man could have dreamed would come his way."
An old hymn says, “Dare to be a Daniel; dare to stand alone; dare to have a purpose; and dare to make it known.” John Maxwell says, "The greatest days of your life are the days you sense your commitment to its highest degree. Your greatest days are not your days of leisure. Your greatest days are not even the times when you have your closest friends around you. When something has seized you and has caused you to have a high level of commitment to it, those are your greatest days. They may be your days of struggle, they may be your days of suffering, and they may be your days of your greatest battles in life, but they will be your greatest days.”
Looking ahead for your greatest days as God moves your heart to commit yourself to Him and His cause,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
THREE WAYS CHRISTIANS HAVE HAD REAL INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 14 ESV)
Jesus Christ makes a profound statement about the influence of the Christian for Jesus Christ in the world. In the Sermon on the Mount. He calls us "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth". Both statements show that the presence of Christians in the world has great influence on unbeleivers understanding about the greatness of God. What shows people the greatness of God?
First, in the early church and throughout history it is well known that martyrdom shows people the greatness of the gospel.
When people are willing to die for what they beleive in and others witness their sacrifice as they see Christians considering their principles so important that they are willing to die for them, they may gain a new appreciation of the greatness of the gospel.
Because of their evangelistic activity the early Christians too were despised and persecuted. But they bore the persecution with such radiant power that their response served as a great attraction to the people as the light of the world.
Secondly, when Christians are willing to suffer with joy during difficult times.
I have been reading a book by Sociologist Rodney Stark , The Rise of Christianity, in which he describes how Christianity rose from a small group in Israel to the dominant force of the Roman Empire in such a short time. He presents factors that would have contributed to this great movement toward Christ. He shows that there were two great epidemics during those first few centuries. Quoting William McNeil, Neil Stark writes,
"Their faith made life more meaningful even amid sudden and surprising death...a shattered remenant of survivors...could find warm, immediate, and healing consolation in the vision of a heavenly existance...Christianity was, therefore, a system of thought and feeling thoroughly adapted to times of troubles in which hardship, disease, and violent death commonly prevailed."
The faith and beleifs of Christians had a powerful influence on those who's paganism could not comfort or sustain them in hard times. Ajith Fernando from Sri Lanka writes,
"Suffering brings the real issues of life to the surface. In the midst of suffering you see whether what a person has lived for has served him or her well. Most people fear suffering and do much to avoid it. What if people see that the Christians have a faith that will help them face suffering joyfully? Surely they would sit up and take note. Many would be forced to consider the claims of Christ more seriously because of that."
During the plagues if those who were affected were cared for, there was a good chance they would survive. But often when a member of the family contracted the disease, the other family members left that person uncared for and left their homes for places not affected by the epidemic. The Christians, however, did not do this. As a result the percentage of Christians who survived was higher than non-Christians. But more importantly, the Christians also cared for those non-Christians who were left behind by family members. This leads to the third great way we influence society is by the Christian moving away from the pursuit ofcomfort, ease, safety, health, wealth, and secuirty and moving towards the needs of others.
Stark points out that the willingness to suffer in order to care for the sick had a part to play in large numbers of people in the Roman Empire turning to Christ. Quoting Tertullian,
"It is our care of the helpless, our practice of loving kindnes that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponenets. 'Only look', they say, 'look how they love one another!'"
Jesus Christ makes a profound statement about the influence of the Christian for Jesus Christ in the world. In the Sermon on the Mount. He calls us "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth". Both statements show that the presence of Christians in the world has great influence on unbeleivers understanding about the greatness of God. What shows people the greatness of God?
First, in the early church and throughout history it is well known that martyrdom shows people the greatness of the gospel.
When people are willing to die for what they beleive in and others witness their sacrifice as they see Christians considering their principles so important that they are willing to die for them, they may gain a new appreciation of the greatness of the gospel.
Because of their evangelistic activity the early Christians too were despised and persecuted. But they bore the persecution with such radiant power that their response served as a great attraction to the people as the light of the world.
Secondly, when Christians are willing to suffer with joy during difficult times.
I have been reading a book by Sociologist Rodney Stark , The Rise of Christianity, in which he describes how Christianity rose from a small group in Israel to the dominant force of the Roman Empire in such a short time. He presents factors that would have contributed to this great movement toward Christ. He shows that there were two great epidemics during those first few centuries. Quoting William McNeil, Neil Stark writes,
"Their faith made life more meaningful even amid sudden and surprising death...a shattered remenant of survivors...could find warm, immediate, and healing consolation in the vision of a heavenly existance...Christianity was, therefore, a system of thought and feeling thoroughly adapted to times of troubles in which hardship, disease, and violent death commonly prevailed."
The faith and beleifs of Christians had a powerful influence on those who's paganism could not comfort or sustain them in hard times. Ajith Fernando from Sri Lanka writes,
"Suffering brings the real issues of life to the surface. In the midst of suffering you see whether what a person has lived for has served him or her well. Most people fear suffering and do much to avoid it. What if people see that the Christians have a faith that will help them face suffering joyfully? Surely they would sit up and take note. Many would be forced to consider the claims of Christ more seriously because of that."
During the plagues if those who were affected were cared for, there was a good chance they would survive. But often when a member of the family contracted the disease, the other family members left that person uncared for and left their homes for places not affected by the epidemic. The Christians, however, did not do this. As a result the percentage of Christians who survived was higher than non-Christians. But more importantly, the Christians also cared for those non-Christians who were left behind by family members. This leads to the third great way we influence society is by the Christian moving away from the pursuit ofcomfort, ease, safety, health, wealth, and secuirty and moving towards the needs of others.
Stark points out that the willingness to suffer in order to care for the sick had a part to play in large numbers of people in the Roman Empire turning to Christ. Quoting Tertullian,
"It is our care of the helpless, our practice of loving kindnes that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponenets. 'Only look', they say, 'look how they love one another!'"
Jesus says that when His people are willing to die, suffer, and sacrifice in love moving away from our selfish quest for comfort and moving instead towards others needs something extraordinary happens. The world will see our good deeds and give glory to the Father in heaven.
Longing for the church to truly be light and salt for the supremacy of Jesus Christ in and through all things,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
YOUR LIFE IS HOLY GROUND
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
Daniel 1:1-2
Long ago when Moses stood in the presence of God {Exodus 3}, God said “take off your shoes, for the place you are standing is Holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5). God implied that in that barren desert was a place where God’s presence, companionship, and power was. “When God is present every place, every situation, every circumstance, every problem, every barrier, every assignment becomes an opportunity for God to accomplish something for His glory through you!” Like Queen Esther, you have been born in the providence of God for a time like this.
“The fact is that you are needed. You are important. You are empowered by God. You can serve Him in the middle of any circumstance. God wants to enable you to see your life as holy ground- a place where He accomplishes supernatural achievements through ordinary people.” That is what the book of Daniel is all about.
Daniel begins by relating the events of the book to the deliverance of King Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hands. Daniel lived at a very crucial time in Judah's history. He lived during King Jehoiakim's reign. And he lived at a time of prophetic fulfillment in Judah's national life. It's quite likely that Daniel stood as a young man and actually listened to the "weeping prophet" - Jeremiah - warn of God's coming judgment on Judah for her wickedness and forgetfulness of God. In fact, if Daniel was as sharp and keen as the text indicates he was, he may have even known that his very circumstances were a part of the fulfillment of God's prophecy regarding the judgment of Judah. He may have had a chance to hear quoted in the temple, or somehow read, these words of the prophet Isaiah written years before the events took place: Isaiah 39:6-7 ,"Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the LORD. And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon." Hosea 13:6, "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.'
That's exactly what happened to Daniel. (Read 2 Chronicles 36:5-21; 2 Kings 24:10-25:21). When Nebuchadnezzar came and besieged Jerusalem in 605 B.C., he took about 75 young men back to Babylon. Daniel was in that crowd. So were three other men who would become famous. We know them by the new names they received in Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Historically the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem on three different occasions. These verses speak of the first invasion, which took place in 605 B.C., when the "upper crust," the nobility, the wealthy, primarily, were the people who were carted off to Babylon.
The second invasion took place in 597 B.C. when more of the middle class was captured. The final invasion came in 586, when, following a two-year siege, Jerusalem fell; the temple was utterly destroyed and their life as a nation virtually ceased.
Look at this; try to imagine the experience of Daniel. We can see and feel what Daniel and Judah went through. Not just understanding in our head, but feeling in our hearts, so we can see what is going on. This feeling perhaps is captured in Psalm 137:1-4, where a fellow captive of Babylonia writes this Psalm. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?
The Psalter is saying that we are losing the battle in a foreign land, because we have sinned before the Lord. How can I sing when the glory of God is not honored in this place? We are sitting by the rivers of Babylon, away from the temple of God. In this kind of state, how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? This is the question we should ask. Daniel will teach us.
Now before we go any farther, let us try to imagine what was Daniel's experience during this first siege of Jerusalem. You are a young Jewish boy, about 13 or 14 years old. Life has always been pretty secure in Jerusalem. Suddenly one day-you cannot believe what is happening-your city is under attack. Within a very short time you have been taken over by another people. Folks who look strange to you, who speak a language you do not understand, are now in charge. They treat you brutally. They separate you from your family. You are torn away from your parents and your 'toys and everything else that you have ever known. You are put in chains as a POW and forced to walk from Jerusalem to Babylon-a four-month hike. Finally, after all that time, you see Babylon in the distance.
Your first impression is that Babylon is a most unusual city. It is situated right on the Euphrates River, which runs north to south right through the city. Then you see that there seem to be four separate walls surrounding the city, and the main wall is an incredible 85 feet high (that's about seven stories), and 65 feet thick. Remember there were no atomic bombs, no antitank missiles and things like that back then. Armies were limited to battering-rams, swords and spears, bows and arrows, so there was no power on earth that could even come close to penetrating those 65-foot thick, solid rock walls. Herodotus tells us that on top of the wall was built a highway, which could hold up to four chariots abreast, so that if Babylon ever came under siege, men and supplies could be transported on top of the wall to the point of attack. Further, at the points where the river entered and exited the city, huge bronze gates were built underneath the walls. If the city came under attack, these doors could be shut, thus diverting the river left and right around the city in channels which had already been dug to form a huge moat-yet another line of defense.
As you come in from the north, you would probably enter through the Ishtar Gate. (Ishtar was the Babylonian goddess of love and fertility.) This was a beautiful structure, some 40 feet high, decorated with dragons and bulls in raised brick relief. These animals were the symbols of Marduk, the main Babylonian god of wind and storm, and Hadad, the storm and war god, respectively. Next you see the Processional Way, a 1,000 yard-long passageway with 85-foot high walls, 65 feet apart. The entire passageway was paved with 31/2' square stones, every one of which was inscribed with the following words: 'I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon . . . I paved the road of Babylon with mountain stone for the procession of the mighty lord Marduk. May Marduk, my lord, grant me eternal life!" As you shuffle along in your chains, reading these words over and over, you finally look up only to find the words, "To the honor of Marduk, " "To the honor of Marduk, " "To the honor of Marduk," inscribed on the towering walls. You are left in no doubt as to who is in charge here: it's Marduk, not Yahweh.
When you finally get the end of the Processional Way and turn right toward the king's palace, you catch a glimpse of the rest of the city, and you are struck by the incredible idolatry on all sides. Archaeologists have uncovered at least 53 different temples to various gods. The temple of Marduk, which had a number of buildings, occupied 60 acres. In addition, there were 180 open-air shrines to Ishtar alone, and 1,800 various niches, pedestals and sacred places for all the other gods. Finally, you see the king's palace. Nebuchadnezzar must have been a little paranoid: the walls of his palace were 135 feet thick! If you took a pickax to the outer 231/2' of the palace walls, you would find that every brick you exposed had Nebuchadnezzar's name inscribed on it. Idolatry, paranoia and egocentricity reigned supreme!
I hope you can sense the incredible, overwhelming, blatant display of everything Babylon stood for. It makes living godly lives in the midst of our pagan environment seem like a piece of cake by comparison, doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what Daniel and his friends went on to do for the next 70 years. And because they did so, we can be encouraged that we, too, have hope toward that same end.
The interesting thing about this beginning of the book is as in so many other historical situations appearances were deceiving. Actually, Jehovah was as much in charge of the overthrow of Jerusalem as he was many times earlier in its defense. In fact, it was Jehovah who had brought on the destruction, sending it as a punishment for his people's sins. It says that the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his [Nebuchadnezzar's] hand." The word used here is the word “Adonai” which speaks of god being master, owner, and in control.
That revelation should cause us to change our views about how God does things through us. We tend to focus on cultural, environmental, political, personal barriers to get anything done. Often times we focus on our own self-centered desires and when things don’t go the way we would have them, we get frustrated, depressed, confused.
GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL EVEN WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES SEEM TO ARGU OTHERWISE
Whenever events look bleak and hopeless it's always important to remember that two stories are being told at the same time in any set of circumstances. You can see this so clearly in this passage: Verse 1 - "...Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it." Verse 2 - "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand..." There's the story in front of the curtain. And there's the story behind the curtain. There's the event itself. And there's the meaning, the plan behind the event. There's what I see and feel right now. And there's what God has yet to unfold in this situation. Who you see in control of your life has everything to do with how you respond to the circumstances of life.
God is always at work behind the scenes of our lives silently and invisibly. He knows what is happening and He has it all under control even when we're not sure what's going on.
Some lessons from Daniel 1:1-2:
1. There are no interruptions for God.
Daniel discovered that there is opportunity in interruptions No matter how big the problem God's power, grace and sovereignty are bigger. Daniel moved out of the realm of interruption and walked through the door of opportunity. We can too! Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:16 to be "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
Every situation is unique Daniels was unique for his time and yours is unique as well.
2. God provides the supernatural environment for our lives
For Daniel and for us, our life situation isn’t too big for God’s power. They do not paralyze him. He is available for every situation.
3. Your circumstances have great potential
The question of my life is not how difficult things are, how many barriers there are, how many people are walking with God, ETC. Is God in control? Does He know what He is doing? Than He is using your present to glorify and show Himself.
4. Look beyond your limitations
The real question is “Are you willing to be used of God where He has planted you?” “Are you willing to believe him and depend upon him?” "There is a God in heaven..."Daniel told the king (2:28), and it was that God in heaven who sustained Daniel and the people while in captivity. Daniel could not have imagined the plans God had for him. Prime minister of the court. Interpreter of dreams. Prophet, Teacher, Ruler. A lifelong voice for God among pagan people.
5. Sink your roots where God has providentially placed you Jeremiah admonished those who were exiled in Babylon, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters-- that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
Daniel unpacked his bags where God had placed him and faithfully served him.
6. God has plans for your present and for the future as well
God’s agenda was to use Daniel in his present and for Him to proclaim to those around him the future as well.
So be encouraged, like Moses and Daniel your life is on holy ground. Today be committed to be involved in the greatest thing in the world- to be used of God. Remember that like Daniel in a strange land, God is with you as well.
A prayer
“Sovereign Lord, help me to bloom where you have planted me. My times are in Your hands. Help me to see that my life, work, church, and environment is on holy ground. Focus my outlook so that I see your presence in every setting. In Jesus precious name. Amen”
Daniel 1:1-2
Long ago when Moses stood in the presence of God {Exodus 3}, God said “take off your shoes, for the place you are standing is Holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5). God implied that in that barren desert was a place where God’s presence, companionship, and power was. “When God is present every place, every situation, every circumstance, every problem, every barrier, every assignment becomes an opportunity for God to accomplish something for His glory through you!” Like Queen Esther, you have been born in the providence of God for a time like this.
“The fact is that you are needed. You are important. You are empowered by God. You can serve Him in the middle of any circumstance. God wants to enable you to see your life as holy ground- a place where He accomplishes supernatural achievements through ordinary people.” That is what the book of Daniel is all about.
Daniel begins by relating the events of the book to the deliverance of King Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hands. Daniel lived at a very crucial time in Judah's history. He lived during King Jehoiakim's reign. And he lived at a time of prophetic fulfillment in Judah's national life. It's quite likely that Daniel stood as a young man and actually listened to the "weeping prophet" - Jeremiah - warn of God's coming judgment on Judah for her wickedness and forgetfulness of God. In fact, if Daniel was as sharp and keen as the text indicates he was, he may have even known that his very circumstances were a part of the fulfillment of God's prophecy regarding the judgment of Judah. He may have had a chance to hear quoted in the temple, or somehow read, these words of the prophet Isaiah written years before the events took place: Isaiah 39:6-7 ,"Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the LORD. And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon." Hosea 13:6, "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.'
That's exactly what happened to Daniel. (Read 2 Chronicles 36:5-21; 2 Kings 24:10-25:21). When Nebuchadnezzar came and besieged Jerusalem in 605 B.C., he took about 75 young men back to Babylon. Daniel was in that crowd. So were three other men who would become famous. We know them by the new names they received in Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Historically the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem on three different occasions. These verses speak of the first invasion, which took place in 605 B.C., when the "upper crust," the nobility, the wealthy, primarily, were the people who were carted off to Babylon.
The second invasion took place in 597 B.C. when more of the middle class was captured. The final invasion came in 586, when, following a two-year siege, Jerusalem fell; the temple was utterly destroyed and their life as a nation virtually ceased.
Look at this; try to imagine the experience of Daniel. We can see and feel what Daniel and Judah went through. Not just understanding in our head, but feeling in our hearts, so we can see what is going on. This feeling perhaps is captured in Psalm 137:1-4, where a fellow captive of Babylonia writes this Psalm. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?
The Psalter is saying that we are losing the battle in a foreign land, because we have sinned before the Lord. How can I sing when the glory of God is not honored in this place? We are sitting by the rivers of Babylon, away from the temple of God. In this kind of state, how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? This is the question we should ask. Daniel will teach us.
Now before we go any farther, let us try to imagine what was Daniel's experience during this first siege of Jerusalem. You are a young Jewish boy, about 13 or 14 years old. Life has always been pretty secure in Jerusalem. Suddenly one day-you cannot believe what is happening-your city is under attack. Within a very short time you have been taken over by another people. Folks who look strange to you, who speak a language you do not understand, are now in charge. They treat you brutally. They separate you from your family. You are torn away from your parents and your 'toys and everything else that you have ever known. You are put in chains as a POW and forced to walk from Jerusalem to Babylon-a four-month hike. Finally, after all that time, you see Babylon in the distance.
Your first impression is that Babylon is a most unusual city. It is situated right on the Euphrates River, which runs north to south right through the city. Then you see that there seem to be four separate walls surrounding the city, and the main wall is an incredible 85 feet high (that's about seven stories), and 65 feet thick. Remember there were no atomic bombs, no antitank missiles and things like that back then. Armies were limited to battering-rams, swords and spears, bows and arrows, so there was no power on earth that could even come close to penetrating those 65-foot thick, solid rock walls. Herodotus tells us that on top of the wall was built a highway, which could hold up to four chariots abreast, so that if Babylon ever came under siege, men and supplies could be transported on top of the wall to the point of attack. Further, at the points where the river entered and exited the city, huge bronze gates were built underneath the walls. If the city came under attack, these doors could be shut, thus diverting the river left and right around the city in channels which had already been dug to form a huge moat-yet another line of defense.
As you come in from the north, you would probably enter through the Ishtar Gate. (Ishtar was the Babylonian goddess of love and fertility.) This was a beautiful structure, some 40 feet high, decorated with dragons and bulls in raised brick relief. These animals were the symbols of Marduk, the main Babylonian god of wind and storm, and Hadad, the storm and war god, respectively. Next you see the Processional Way, a 1,000 yard-long passageway with 85-foot high walls, 65 feet apart. The entire passageway was paved with 31/2' square stones, every one of which was inscribed with the following words: 'I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon . . . I paved the road of Babylon with mountain stone for the procession of the mighty lord Marduk. May Marduk, my lord, grant me eternal life!" As you shuffle along in your chains, reading these words over and over, you finally look up only to find the words, "To the honor of Marduk, " "To the honor of Marduk, " "To the honor of Marduk," inscribed on the towering walls. You are left in no doubt as to who is in charge here: it's Marduk, not Yahweh.
When you finally get the end of the Processional Way and turn right toward the king's palace, you catch a glimpse of the rest of the city, and you are struck by the incredible idolatry on all sides. Archaeologists have uncovered at least 53 different temples to various gods. The temple of Marduk, which had a number of buildings, occupied 60 acres. In addition, there were 180 open-air shrines to Ishtar alone, and 1,800 various niches, pedestals and sacred places for all the other gods. Finally, you see the king's palace. Nebuchadnezzar must have been a little paranoid: the walls of his palace were 135 feet thick! If you took a pickax to the outer 231/2' of the palace walls, you would find that every brick you exposed had Nebuchadnezzar's name inscribed on it. Idolatry, paranoia and egocentricity reigned supreme!
I hope you can sense the incredible, overwhelming, blatant display of everything Babylon stood for. It makes living godly lives in the midst of our pagan environment seem like a piece of cake by comparison, doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what Daniel and his friends went on to do for the next 70 years. And because they did so, we can be encouraged that we, too, have hope toward that same end.
The interesting thing about this beginning of the book is as in so many other historical situations appearances were deceiving. Actually, Jehovah was as much in charge of the overthrow of Jerusalem as he was many times earlier in its defense. In fact, it was Jehovah who had brought on the destruction, sending it as a punishment for his people's sins. It says that the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his [Nebuchadnezzar's] hand." The word used here is the word “Adonai” which speaks of god being master, owner, and in control.
That revelation should cause us to change our views about how God does things through us. We tend to focus on cultural, environmental, political, personal barriers to get anything done. Often times we focus on our own self-centered desires and when things don’t go the way we would have them, we get frustrated, depressed, confused.
GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL EVEN WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES SEEM TO ARGU OTHERWISE
Whenever events look bleak and hopeless it's always important to remember that two stories are being told at the same time in any set of circumstances. You can see this so clearly in this passage: Verse 1 - "...Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it." Verse 2 - "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand..." There's the story in front of the curtain. And there's the story behind the curtain. There's the event itself. And there's the meaning, the plan behind the event. There's what I see and feel right now. And there's what God has yet to unfold in this situation. Who you see in control of your life has everything to do with how you respond to the circumstances of life.
God is always at work behind the scenes of our lives silently and invisibly. He knows what is happening and He has it all under control even when we're not sure what's going on.
Some lessons from Daniel 1:1-2:
1. There are no interruptions for God.
Daniel discovered that there is opportunity in interruptions No matter how big the problem God's power, grace and sovereignty are bigger. Daniel moved out of the realm of interruption and walked through the door of opportunity. We can too! Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:16 to be "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
Every situation is unique Daniels was unique for his time and yours is unique as well.
2. God provides the supernatural environment for our lives
For Daniel and for us, our life situation isn’t too big for God’s power. They do not paralyze him. He is available for every situation.
3. Your circumstances have great potential
The question of my life is not how difficult things are, how many barriers there are, how many people are walking with God, ETC. Is God in control? Does He know what He is doing? Than He is using your present to glorify and show Himself.
4. Look beyond your limitations
The real question is “Are you willing to be used of God where He has planted you?” “Are you willing to believe him and depend upon him?” "There is a God in heaven..."Daniel told the king (2:28), and it was that God in heaven who sustained Daniel and the people while in captivity. Daniel could not have imagined the plans God had for him. Prime minister of the court. Interpreter of dreams. Prophet, Teacher, Ruler. A lifelong voice for God among pagan people.
5. Sink your roots where God has providentially placed you Jeremiah admonished those who were exiled in Babylon, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters-- that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
Daniel unpacked his bags where God had placed him and faithfully served him.
6. God has plans for your present and for the future as well
God’s agenda was to use Daniel in his present and for Him to proclaim to those around him the future as well.
So be encouraged, like Moses and Daniel your life is on holy ground. Today be committed to be involved in the greatest thing in the world- to be used of God. Remember that like Daniel in a strange land, God is with you as well.
A prayer
“Sovereign Lord, help me to bloom where you have planted me. My times are in Your hands. Help me to see that my life, work, church, and environment is on holy ground. Focus my outlook so that I see your presence in every setting. In Jesus precious name. Amen”
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