Participants: Pr. Chris Holland
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201513A
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00:00 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN
00:05 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:10 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:16 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:23 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:30 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:37 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:43 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 00:48 IT IS WRITTEN PAH-HOPE IN A LIONS DEN 01:31 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time. 01:34 God's book, The Bible 01:38 Still relevant in today's complex world 01:44 It Is Written 01:46 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 01:58 One of the great questions of life, is are we alone? Here's what I mean, is our very 02:05 existence the just the chance coming together of the right amino acids.or is there 02:12 something more? Is there a god? If there is a God, then who is He? You know, over the last 02:19 several weeks, we have seen, demonstrated over and over again that God is real and He does 02:28 exist. Even more we have seen that He is very personal and that he cares for you and for me 02:39 and desires to enter into a meaningful relationship with each and every one of us. We 02:47 have seen that as we have studied the book of Daniel. As we study the book of Daniel, 02:57 it's important to note, thatit is roughly divided into two major sections: chapters 1-6 is 03:06 the first section and chapters 7-12 which make up that second section. The first section of 03:13 chapters 1-6 is primarily the historical section. Here's what I mean, it mostly contains the 03:24 stories and events that occurred in Babylon during the lifetime of Daniel. The second section 03:31 places more emphasis on prophecy. And as we study, we will see some of the most 03:38 amazing and precise prophecies in all of the Bible. 03:46 Today, in our time together, we will focus on the very last chapter of the historical 03:51 section, chapter 6.It seems with each chapter if Daniel that we have studied, we have found test 04:00 after test of probability, and each of those tests being passed by God with flying colours. Each 04:10 of those tests demonstrate certainty in the Bible and point to the certainty of the Old and 04:19 New Testament as books that can be trusted as the infallible word of God. As we turn our 04:27 attention to Daniel 6, we will highlight, once again, a number of highly unusual or improbable 04:36 events, and these events will once again demonstrate that we can have certainty in God's 04:44 word. Let's begin by reading the first three verses of Daniel 6. 05:34 Now, this is a fascinating situation. You'll remember that the Babylonians were defeated by 05:39 the Medo-Persians. At that time, Daniel was a resident of Babylon. And now Darius, the 05:47 leader of the Medo-Persians, chose Daniel as the chief governor over the entire realm 05:54 of the Medo-Persian empire. This, in and of itself, is an extraordinarily improbable turn 06:02 of events. Why, might you ask? Well, because Daniel already had three strikes against him in 06:12 being chosen for this very important position. Number one was his age; number two he 06:19 belonged to a captive race; and number three, the usual practice that occurred when one nation 06:26 took over another was to eliminate the previous nations leaders. But let's take a closer 06:34 look at each of these factors. You'll remember that when Daniel was deported to Babylon in 605 06:41 BC he was approximately 18 years old. Now this appointment to be chief governor, here in Daniel 06:49 6, must have taken place in either in 539 BC or in 538 BC after the Medo-Persians defeated 06:58 Babylon. So all of this means that Daniel was somewhere around 85 years old when Darius 07:08 appointed him as chief governor. Now, I don't want to offend any of my 85 year old viewers out 07:15 there, but in ancient times, most 85 year olds were thought to have lost the mental edge 07:24 they once had, and were thought to have had their physical abilities deteriorated. In fact, 07:31 the reality is, that many 80 something year olds would rather that younger men take up 07:38 responsibilities that a high pressure job like the head of state requires. Daniel, however, 07:46 was no ordinary man. As you'll remember, the secret to Daniel's amazing mental and physical 07:54 abilities were revealed in Dan 1. You'll remember, Daniel refused the intoxicating effects 08:02 of alcohol and the heavy meat diet that the rest of the Babylonian nobility were 08:08 enjoying from the king's table. Instead he requested a vegetable diet with plenty of water to 08:16 drink. The result was that he and his friends were 10 times wiser than the rest of the 08:24 students enrolled at the University of Babylon.You know, it probably would do us well to 08:32 practice the diet of Daniel ourselves. Now, as a side note, Daniel's diet was actually God's 08:40 original planned diet for the human race. In Genesis 1:29, in giving the original diet God 08:48 said, 09:05 So, Daniel treated his body as God had outlined it should be treated. In addition to his 09:12 diet, we see other things that were different about Daniel Daniel 6 records that Daniel 09:18 prayed regularly to the God of heaven, a relationship that he carried on since he was a young 09:25 man. It's in a relationship with God through prayer and the study of His Word that Daniel was 09:33 given grace and strength to meet each day's duties, and to be God's representative in the 09:44 kingly courts of Babylon and Medo-Persia. 09:50 At the age of about 85 Daniel believed that the Scriptures were authoritative and inspired. 09:59 This was because he saw the fulfillment of prophecy after prophecy, even in the most 10:06 unlikely possibilities. He even lived to see part of the prophecy of Dan 2 fulfilled, in 10:15 his life, when Babylon fell to Medo-Persia. This is why he could trust the Bible's 10:21 recommendation for the health and lifestyle, which went contrary to the best 10:29 recommendations of Babylon, the most powerful and influential nation on the face of the earth 10:36 at the time. So, as a result, although it is highly unlikely for 85 year olds to function as 10:47 heads of state, Daniel's belief in Scripture and his relationship with his God gives 10:53 us a view into what God can do in the lives of those who trust His Word. The second 11:02 strikeagainst Daniel was that he belonged to a captive and conqueredrace. Later in Daniel 11:10 6, when the administrators of the Medo-Persian empire accused Daniel of breaking the law, they 11:17 referred to him as "that Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah" (Dan 6:13). It is not 11:25 exactly flattering to either the king or the rest of the administrators of Medo-Persia to 11:32 select as chief governor someone who comes from an inferior race. The third strike against Daniel 11:44 was that it is extremely rare for someone like Daniel who held a high office in Babylon to now 11:53 be chosen as the chief governor of the Medo-Persian realm, who conquered the Babylonians. 11:59 Although the Persians, on occasion, left indigenous rulers and officials of conquered 12:06 territories in place, they did not extend this privilege to Babylon. Belshazzar, the co-king 12:14 of Babylon, was slain the very night the city was taken and Nabonidus, the other co-king, 12:24 was exiled to the far away province of Carmania. 12:34 So startling was this turn of events, that one writer compared placing Daniel as chief governor 12:41 to the British people asking Herman Goring, the first minister of their mortal enemy 12:49 Germany, to become prime minister of Britain after the collapse of the Nazis. However, 12:57 in spite of these three strikes against Daniel, Darius discerned something special in this man. 13:05 The Bible says that Daniel possessed an excellent spirit that resulted in him 13:12 distinguishing himself from the other leaders in the empire. This was not the first time that 13:19 royalty had noticed that Daniel had an excellent spirit. In Dan 4:8, king Nebuchadnezzar 13:26 recognized that the Spirit of God was at work in Daniel. In Dan 5:12, the queen mother 13:34 reminded Belshazzar that Daniel was filled with the Spirit of God. And in both of those 13:42 instances, the best of the wise of men of Babylon could not solve the pressing problems at 13:49 hand. Possessing an excellent spirit meant that Daniel had extraordinary abilities. 13:58 According to Daniel 5:12, it meant that he had, and I am quoting, "knowledge, 14:07 understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas." In addition 14:15 Daniel 4:9 emphasizes that this excellent spirit enabled Daniel to reveal secrets. However, 14:24 having an excellent spirit also meant that Daniel was the epitome of diplomacy, wisdom and 14:33 tact.And all of these qualities were the direct result of his trust in the Scriptures and 14:43 relationship with God. 14:48 And so it was, with credentials like those, that Darius quickly saw that Daniel's age, the 14:53 inferiority of his race, and the custom of executing or not using previous prime ministers would 15:00 not stand in the way of him appointing Daniel chief governor. Yet, there was still 15:10 another highly improbable event that ismentioned in Dan 6:4. The test says, 15:37 I want you to think about it for a moment, it was certainly understandable and natural for 15:44 those Medo-Persian princes to be jealous of Daniel. However how improbable is it that they would 15:52 band all of their investigative powers together and find nothing to discredit Daniel? Friends, 16:02 that is virtually impossible. We see it today in elections, that candidate or candidates that 16:09 appear trustworthy and above reproach, only to have something found on their record. But with 16:22 Daniel, there was nothing. It's very unusual to find no fault in the administrative practices of 16:30 one who is being highly scrutinized by others who would love to have his job. But it 16:39 was not only Daniel's administrative practices that were above board, these men 16:45 could not even find any fault in the man himself. There was nothing, Daniel didn't have an 16:52 attitude problem, he wasn't disrespectful, lazy, arrogant, mean spirited, bigoted or holier 16:59 than thou. Now think about it, it's one thing for your friends and supporters to speak well of 17:06 you, but it's quite another when your enemies are forced to declare that they can neither 17:13 find fault with your administration of the affairs of the kingdom, nor with you as a 17:23 person. You see, Daniel not only believed that the Scriptures were the truth, he was willing 17:28 to put everything they recommended into practice. He not only talked the talk, but he 17:37 walked the walk. That was the very essence of his life. 17:46 There was another, a third, highly improbable event that occurred. This third event 17:52 revolves around the scheme to entrap Daniel. Because Daniel was above reproach, the princes 17:59 of the realm attempted to bring Daniel down. The only way they could do so.was to make illegal 18:08 Daniel's religious practice. And so these princes tricked the kick into signing a decree that 18:17 no one could worship any other god except the king, for thirty days. Daniel 6:10 says, 18:51 Daniel was willing to continue to pray to the God of heaven despite the certainty of death 18:59 penalty which involved being devoured by lions. If there was ever a time for Daniel to give 19:11 up on a belief that he always suspected was a lie, that was the time. The reality is, that 19:22 history demonstrates that there are very few people who are willing to die for something 19:29 that they know is untrue. This is why in the face of impending death many confess to crimes 19:38 that they committed many years ago, on their deathbed they have nothing more to fear from an 19:44 earthly court, but many of them do not want to face a heavenly tribunal while still hiding 19:51 terrible secrets that took place many years before. In the same manner, that time was Daniel's 20:01 perfect opportunity to declare that his belief was nothing more than a hoax, it would have 20:06 spared his life. But there is no record of Daniel forsaking his relationship with God. Why? 20:13 Because His God was real and the relationship was real, very real. And that continues today. 20:25 But for Daniel then, in unbending integrity in the face of certain death, his life 20:36 testified to the truth of what he believed. And so for Daniel, even if all of the princes, even 20:45 if all the people in the realm believed that his religion was inferior and a lie, Daniel still 20:56 stood fast for what he believed. And in the aftermath of that decision to be unwavering in his 21:04 belief, a fourth highly improbable event occurred. What was that fourth event, Daniel 21:12 was thrown into a den of hungry lions and he was not eaten, not even touched. How is that 21:23 possible? Friends, you can be certain that the scheming princes made sure that those 21:31 lions were hungry. They did not want to see any possibility of failure in their attempt to get 21:37 rid of Daniel. Yet, the morning after Daniel had been thrown into the lions den, the Bible 21:46 records that king Darius arose very early in the morning to see what had happened. Daniel 21:54 6:20-22 records the amazing interaction, Darius crying out, 22:36 Absolutely astonishing, Daniel was rescued from the lions. This was truly miraculous. The lions 22:45 were indeed hungry because in the aftermath, the king knew of the scheme of the princes and he 22:55 had them cast into the den of lions and Daniel records there sad fate, Daniel 6:24 23:16 My dear friend, this event in the life of Daniel is a testimony to two distinct 23:24 realities. First, those who decide to place their trust in God's Word and enter into a 23:32 relationship with him experience many highly improbable things in their lives that others do not. 23:43 Second, is the demonstration that God doesn't always deliver us from our trials, problems and 23:52 challenges in life, but rather He walks through them with us. He gives us the strength to make 24:02 it through no matter what happens. 24:09 All of that would be enough, but there is a fifth highly improbable event that occurred 24:16 in the events of Daniel 6. It is connected to the fourth. I want you to listen carefully, Daniel 24:24 was miraculously delivered without changing in any way the unalterable decree that sealed 24:33 his fate. Now follow me here. There was absolutely no earthly way in which Daniel could 24:42 escape. The king had signed the decree, which according to the law of the Medes and Persians is 24:47 unalterable. This prevented any legal attempt at rescuing Daniel, which the king himself 24:56 tried to do, but was unsuccessful. In addition, a stone was also brought and laid 25:04 at the mouth of the den, and the the king sealed the entrance with his own signet ring and 25:10 with the signets of his lords, "that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed." 25:21 According to Daniel 6:17. Those wily princes obviously did not trust the king, fearing that he 25:28 might engineer a rescue so they insisted that their seals should also be placed on the stone. And 25:38 in the end, although Darius saw a lot of excellent qualities in Daniel, he was not ready nor was 25:47 he willing to exalt Daniel's God by breaking the laws and saving him. And thus demonstrating to 25:53 all of the subjects of his kingdom that Daniel's God was supreme. However, after it was 26:00 all said and done, ultimately the true God of heaven was exalted. Because my dear 26:10 friends, just as the highly improbable nature of the prophecies and their fulfillment 26:18 speak to the certainty and reliability of the Scriptures, so does and individual's 26:27 Spirit-filled life, and living according to Biblical principles no matter what the cost. Darius 26:35 saw that in Daniel. He observed the outworking of God's providence and the amazing way 26:41 that Daniel's stood for principle and His God delivered him though an impossible 26:47 situation. What about you friend? Where are you in your walk with the Lord? Chapter 26:57 after chapter demonstrate that God is real, that He cares for you, and He wants to be in 27:06 relationship with you. You know, the promise of scripture is not that you will be rich, that 27:15 you'll never get sick, that bad things won't happen. But God's promise is in Philippians 4:19 27:29 is, 27:38 He will take care of us. He will walk with us through the trials of life. Joshua 1:9 promises, 28:01 Today friend, why not reach out your hand, clasp his hand, and trust Him.He is trustworthy. 28:14 Let's pray 28:18 Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are trustworthy and that You have given us a 28:23 trustworthy map of Your scriptures. May we embrace that and embrace a relationship with 28:30 You. We pray in Jesus name, amen. 28:44 Friend, do you want to pursue that relationship with God? Today I want to offer you the 28:48 book "Steps to Christ". Here is the information you need for today's offer. 29:44 Friend, thank you so much for joining us. If you'd like more resources, go to our website, 29:48 ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. Please join us again next week. Until then remember, It Is Written, 29:57 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 30:04 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2015-12-18