[0:00] The New Testament The New Testament The New Testament The New Testament The New Testament Let us turn now to the chapter which we read.
[0:16] Daniel Chapter 6 And as our connecting link we'll read the last part of verse 23.
[0:36] So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no manner of hurt was found upon him because he believed in his God.
[0:54] We continue our studies in this book by looking at probably one of the best known chapters in all the Bible.
[1:12] Well known to many of the children of all the children here tonight. There's a chapter often referred to as Daniel in the lion's den. It is reckoned that at the time when the Babylonian Empire was overthrown by the Persians that Daniel was about 80 years of age and the Jewish the Jews in the exile in Babylon were nearing the end of that period.
[1:52] Indeed under the Persian rule they began to enjoy far greater religious freedom.
[2:04] And they were allowed and they were allowed gradually to return to their homeland and to begin the rebuilding of the temple and of the city of Jerusalem itself.
[2:22] It is obvious as you read this chapter that the Persian invaders recognized the worth and the character of this great man Daniel.
[2:38] And before long he was promoted promoted to a position probably akin in our day to that of if not a chief secretary of state if not a prime minister then certainly a chief secretary of state under whom the other 120 secretaries state in that country exercised their authority.
[3:12] He and his like-minded Jewish believers had been sustained during all those years of exile in a pagan society by their faith in God and the practice of the religion of their fathers.
[3:32] someone has said of Daniel that he possessed an extraordinary charismatic plus an endowment from the spirit of God under whose inspiration he was able to undertake his extraordinary work.
[3:52] In short he was a fine man a great example of consistent believing conduct and the fact that he was such a good citizen and such a consistent and able administrator brought him to the attention of the the Persian authorities.
[4:20] It also brought him more and more to the attention of his enemies. And the first thing I want to look with you at tonight as I have done with all the chapters in this book look at it very generally.
[4:40] Look first of all at the opposition which he encountered. the opposition and the hatred of his enemies was cool and determined and they were bent on his destruction.
[5:00] Now the great question is why? Why should they have adopted such an attitude towards this man?
[5:18] Well, let them answer that question. they readily considered that there was nothing in his administration that could be faulted.
[5:36] They couldn't level the finger of accusation against him for any misdemeanor on his own part or indeed of that of his department.
[5:48] And so they testified to the fact that they couldn't lay a finger upon him.
[6:00] But what they did know was this. That if there was any way at all which they could bring this man down it would be on the basis of his religious beliefs and his religious practices.
[6:15] for they themselves acknowledged that that we find can't find nothing against him unless it be against him concerning the law of his God.
[6:30] And so he was hounded persecuted he was spied on so that they could find some reason for getting rid of him.
[6:45] He was in short the object of their envy and their malice and hatred because of what he was.
[6:57] Now as you read the Bible you will discover that there was nothing new in that attitude towards a man of God.
[7:09] Pharaoh hated Moses. Moses because Moses represented God. Cain hated Abel because he was accepted of God.
[7:23] Esau hated Jacob because he had the favour of God. Joseph's brothers hated him because he had the particular and peculiar blessing of God resting upon him.
[7:38] Saul for years sought to kill David for the very same reason. In the New Testament the first century church authorities and those who represented several governments sought to kill Paul.
[8:01] they were successful in a killing Stephen. And of course in the New Testament the very beginning of the Christian era the world crucified Christ because of who he was. and of course in the New Testament the very beginning of the Christian era the world crucified Christ because of who he was.
[8:22] And so it is right through the centuries down to our own day. People will always suffer for their faith. their faith.
[8:33] It is true in Stornoway. It is true throughout Scotland and Britain right across the whole world. If anyone is going to be ridiculed at all if anyone is going to be poked fun at it will be the believer.
[8:47] And people will always find something to level against the believer just because he is a believer.
[9:00] I am not in any way condoning the irresponsible and the silly attitudes and practices of people that bring the finger of accusation against them.
[9:12] In many respects they get what they deserve for that. But I am talking about men and women boys and girls whose lives are consistent whose hope whose trust whose faith is in the Lord and who because of what they are bring this spirit to bear this spirit is brought to bear upon them.
[9:40] You know that Daniel for example was eminently consistent. He stood before Nebuchadnezzar and he challenged him. He stood on the basis of principle.
[9:53] He refused to succumb. He dared to stand alone on one notable occasion. He came to the assistance not only of Nebuchadnezzar but of Belshazzar.
[10:07] He comes across a very firm man of great biblical convictions but at the same time extremely courteous.
[10:18] A thorough gentleman who was consistent in all that he said and in all that he did. But that did not give him immunity to a persecution and to trouble and to difficulties.
[10:36] There are many people who think that once you become a Christian that's the end of all your problems and the end of all your difficulties. There are people who inflated with their own ego write articles in newspapers and magazines and they speak of the Christian who becomes a Christian at the age of 40 because well he's got enough troubles and he's going to end he's going to begin a life of ease and contentment now.
[11:02] He'll cast in his law to the people of God he'll become a believer and hey presto that's the end of all his troubles. What they don't realize is this. That that may very well herald the beginning of problems and difficulties for him that he never encountered in his life before.
[11:23] Some of us may have thought when we became Christians that from then on it was going to be a life with a bed of roses. No problems whatsoever.
[11:35] But what many people have discovered is this. They've discovered that it was then that they had to face difficulties the likes of which they never had to face before.
[11:49] And people will always be prejudiced as I said against the believer. People will choose to refuse the clear evidence of a consistent witness and of a believing commitment to the Lord.
[12:10] And they become for reasons better known to themselves spiteful hateful abusive offensive and difficult.
[12:23] I could bring up this pulpit tonight. Husbands in this congregation who turned like that against their wives when they were converted. I could bring up here wives who turned like that against their husbands when they were converted.
[12:40] Parents who turned like that against their children. children against their parents. And it all stems from what the Bible says and what Jesus himself said of the people of his own generation.
[12:55] Ye will not come to the light in case your deeds be reproved by the light. And in case you see that your attitude stem from a hatred of light and a love of darkness.
[13:13] And that's what happened in Daniel to Daniel. These people hated him and they made life as difficult for him as they possibly could. And there are people who will tell you today that that's exactly how they reacted themselves when someone close to them was converted to Christ.
[13:38] Perhaps you're here tonight and for all I know you may be adopting that attitude right now towards someone or some people making life as difficult for them as possible just because they happen to be like Daniel believers in the Lord.
[14:06] Well, he made that kind of opposition. And this, these people their spineless enmity and malice found expression through someone else.
[14:23] They didn't have the backbone of it into the open themselves. They got someone else to do the dirty work for them. Very often this is the case as well. People who are opposed to Christians and the Christian faith they will stand behind someone else push him or push her forward get them to fire the bullets.
[14:42] Get them to do the dirty work for them. And that's what these people did. They got a hold of their eyes. They went to. And they duped that poor man into believing that was a good idea.
[14:54] To make this decree so that during thirty days no one was allowed to express any spiritual petition to God.
[15:08] Of course in their case to any God. They belong to a pagan society. To any God except through him. And for reasons better known to himself reasons that he bitterly regretted and he regretted afterwards he acceded to this request which was after all nothing short of a violation of basic human rights and of religious freedom and of religious toleration.
[15:43] That's what it was. Don't allow anybody to make a request to any deity for thirty days but to thee.
[15:56] And it's not the Bible doesn't tell us why Darius succumbed to the request all we're told is that he did. But what the Bible does tell us is that he regretted it bitterly afterwards.
[16:09] And again, the Bible is focusing attention for us as in what happens in the lives of many people. They agree to something. They do something without knowing why they do it.
[16:21] And then they regret bitterly the action that they've taken. The second thing I want to deal with here tonight generally again is Daniel's reaction to this offensive decree.
[16:36] And quite simply he continued to live as he had always done. And verse 10 puts it for us so wonderfully. When Daniel heard of this, he went to his own house and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks for his before his God as he did aforetime.
[17:02] Now the difference between Daniel here, the man of consistent faith and the person who becomes religious in a crisis is this. A person can become very religious in a crisis.
[17:17] It's the beginning of religion for him. Or perhaps he reverts to this religion of his inner crisis.
[17:29] People who are ill. People who are confronted with serious illness. People who are confronted with difficult poverty in their families at work and so on. These people can become very religious while the crisis exists.
[17:43] But once it passes, so they can become religious while the crisis exists. But once it passes, so does their religion. But Daniel, and this is true, surely, of every person who has true faith in God, he prayed as he did aforetime.
[18:04] He just continued to do what he always did. You know, there are people who ask the question, if Jesus were going to come tonight, if the Lord was going to return tonight, what would you do?
[18:18] Perhaps some of us would think, well, I would start praying, I would start reading my Bible, I would start repenting, I would amend my life, reform it, do something.
[18:30] But the person who awaits the return of the Lord can say, what would I do? I would just continue living as I am. And that's what Daniel did when he heard of this ridiculous decree.
[18:45] the decree realized that on pain of being thrown to the lions and being torn to pieces, he wasn't allowed to pray for 30 days unless he prayed to Darius.
[18:58] Well, for Daniel, there was no way in which he was going to compromise his religious convictions for that kind of ridiculous decree. So he prayed as he always did.
[19:11] Now this, as you know, is the hallmark, one of the hallmarks of a believer of a Christian. I think it would tend to be a bit a scathing perhaps of people who had fellowship meetings here at communion.
[19:26] And by the way, we're going to have two of them in the congregation in 10 days time. I'm going to refer to that later on tonight in the intimations. People give marks, they tell, you know what a fellowship meeting is, it's not a testimony meeting.
[19:39] It's a meeting at which people stand and they tell people how they know that they themselves are Christians. The evidences that they have in their own lives that God has saved them by His grace.
[19:54] And one of the evidences in Vary of Prey is this. God made me pray. And God has given me the spirit of prayer.
[20:05] And God continues to make me aware of my need of Himself. And that's what brings a person to pray. That he realizes that he is nothing himself, that he needs spiritual blessings, benefits, grace, mercy, forgiveness.
[20:24] He is in need. And the only one who can meet his need is God. And that's why people come in prayer to God. And as someone said here, I believe it was Principal Graham who said here during the Evangelistic service some years ago, a man never begins to pray till he prays first for himself.
[20:46] So it's quite true that the hallmark of a believer is that he prays. One of the hallmarks is that he prays. He must. He seeks the favour of God, the blessing of God.
[20:59] And I said the mercy of God. And Daniel just continued to do what he always did because he had no option. He couldn't throw his religion overboard.
[21:10] If that's the kind of religion that you have, well you might as well throw it overboard. If you can do without the things that constitute the very life of religion, if you can do without them, well you might as well do without them.
[21:26] Throw them away. Perhaps may I say. Perhaps what you and I need most of all here tonight as individuals.
[21:39] Is to get back into this attitude of prayer. This spirit of prayer. The form of prayer.
[21:51] To kneel before our God. To ask and to thank him. When you think at this time of the year. The amount of time you and I spend.
[22:04] In front of the television. In front of the video recorder. Without MIDI systems. No personal stereo. And so on.
[22:15] And oh how little time we spend in prayer. It applies I'm sure to every one of us. I think that you would agree with me. That as you read the history of the Christian church.
[22:28] One of the things that characterized the church. In days gone by. Was the time spent in prayer. And when it says here three times. I don't think we're led to believe that this is the only time.
[22:41] These are the only times that he prayed. But he had set times obviously. When he went to his own home. And knelt towards Jerusalem and prayed. There was a practice which emanated.
[22:54] They reckon from the time that Solomon dedicated the temple. And he prayed like that of people. He says pray towards this holy place. And many of the Jews adopted this position.
[23:05] As many Muslims today. Pray towards Mecca. So the Jews in those days. Pray towards Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Jerusalem meant so much to them. Jerusalem.
[23:16] Jerusalem. Which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The temple raised to the ground. The vessels carried away and used for the sport of kings. In Babylon itself.
[23:28] But yet Jerusalem had a place in the heart of a man like Daniel. He loved Jerusalem. God had given special promises of the wrath of Jerusalem.
[23:40] He had established his worship in Jerusalem. His altar had been there. The temple had been there. There was no temple in Babylon. But there was in Jerusalem.
[23:51] His heart would go out to Jerusalem. It was a part of his very being. Of every fiber in his being. He wanted the good of Jerusalem. He wanted to see it restored.
[24:03] Rebuilt. He wanted to see it thronging with life and vitality. In the same way as the person of the day of praise to God. Praise for the Jerusalem.
[24:15] For God's Jerusalem on earth. For the church of Jesus Christ. Wants to see the church extended. Wants to see the church filled with spiritual life.
[24:26] And vitality. Wants to see the purpose of God fulfilled for his church. Wants to see the gospel proclaimed in the church.
[24:39] Prospering. Being blessed. By the Spirit of God. Is that at the heart of your own prayer life. As you look at it tonight. Are these some of the things that you pray for?
[24:51] Oh God. Come with the breath of heaven into my soul. Into our midst as a people. Into our island. Throughout our land and across the world.
[25:04] Do you pray for things like that? Do you pray for forgiveness? For mercy? For the favor and the presence of God? For light in your own darkness?
[25:15] Strength to resist temptation? Grace to persevere? Do you pray for these things? Do you pray for these things? My friend, you can't survive as a believer.
[25:26] Unless you do that. And maybe of you life tonight is lacking. Maybe you ought to consider that it is lacking. Because you have neglected.
[25:37] This most essential of all. Christian practices. You can't live without it. Daniel couldn't.
[25:48] They could sign as many decrees as they wished. But his faith had to find expression. And this was one way in which it found expression.
[26:01] Remember what the psalmist said. Speaking of the Jerusalem which had been raised to the ground. Thy saints take pleasure in her stones. Her very dust to them is dear.
[26:14] So it is that all that God has said concerning his people. Concerning his church. Concerning his cause. Is dear to the people of God.
[26:25] Now, Daniel over a period of nearly 60 years at least. Had never lost his beliefs. And had never sold them.
[26:37] And had never abandoned them. He lived in a pagan society. And he never allowed himself to be submerged by the habits. And the practices. And the beliefs of that society.
[26:50] Nor was he going to submerge now under the persecution. Of that society. Exposed, though he may be, to ridicule.
[27:02] To enmity and to opposition. He valued persistent, consistent, habitual prayer. And so, in this crisis.
[27:16] He just continued to live. As he always did. Well, my friend. What about your own life tonight and mine?
[27:29] Fortunately. We live in a society. Where there are no barriers put. To the worship of our God.
[27:42] But having said that. You yourself as an individual. May live in a situation at home. At work. In study. Or wherever you are.
[27:54] You may be in a situation where there are people. Who will make it extremely difficult for you. To express your faith in this way. Who will make life miserable for you.
[28:08] And for you. And for you. The easy way out would be. To throw in the towel. Abandon it all. And if you can't beat them.
[28:19] Join them. But my friend. That is not the attitude. That the believer. Is allowed. To adopt. If said someone.
[28:32] If your acts of prayer. Are the most regular thing in your life. I think you will find. That this regulates.
[28:44] Everything else. In your life. Well, that was how Daniel reacted to this crisis. And because of it.
[28:57] Darius found himself thoroughly. Placed in an awful dilemma. They came to him. They spied on Daniel. I think the idea given to us here.
[29:08] Is that they burst in on him. In the room. When he was praying. Found him. Exactly as they wanted him. Went to the king. And said. Look. You've signed a decree. Haven't you?
[29:19] That any person who worships. Anyone except you. For 30 cents. Yes. He said I have. Well. We found someone. We found Daniel. And of course. He was filled. As I said earlier.
[29:30] With bitter regret. Because of what he had done. But the point I want to mention. Is this. Three or four times. This chapter makes reference. To the laws. And the means. And the Persians. And they said to him. Look.
[29:41] There is a law. And a revocable law. By which this man. Must be thrown to the land. Darius the meat. Wrestled with his. With his conscience. All night. He tried. Every possible.
[29:52] A way. Of delivering Daniel. But he failed. Because the law. Of the means. And the Persians. Was an author. And so. Under that law. Daniel. Was thrown.
[30:03] To the lions. Now. It seems. As though. The society. Over which. This man. Darius. Reigned. A well. Disciplined.
[30:14] A well. Disciplined. Society. Because. It was. It was. Governed. Under such. Laws. But it also. Seems.
[30:25] That in that society. The law. Of rule. And order. Was the be all. And the end all. It had in effect. Become. The god. Of the society. Itself.
[30:36] Nothing. But nothing. Was allowed. To alter. These laws. No matter. How ridiculous. The thing was. Made to look. In the like.
[30:47] Of the law. Or no matter. How ridiculous. The law. Was made to look. Rather. As a result. Of. What happened. And you know. That.
[30:58] The legalism. And the traditionalism. Which has crept. Into the Christian church. Can very often. Act like that. In the church. You know. There are things. That. Some try.
[31:09] To change. Within the church. Itself. And they can't. Change it. And very often. We say. Of the church. In that kind of situation. Oh you might as well. Try to alter.
[31:20] The laws. And the means. Of the persons. Has changed that. Particular. Attitude. Or what not. You know. That. Legalism. And traditionalism.
[31:31] Can very often. Become. A god. That particular law. And that particular. A tradition. Just as. Daniel himself. With all.
[31:42] His godliness. Was made. To bow. Before. And beneath. The law. Of the Medes. And. The Persians.
[31:53] Daniel. Now. Became. The victim. Of this mania. For bringing. Everything. As someone said it. Under the strict. And harsh.
[32:05] Regulation. Of. The land. The system. Was sacred. And even. The king's efforts. Couldn't interfere. With. That.
[32:17] System. Now. My friend. There are times. That. Let me. That. For a well-ordered. Society.
[32:28] In the same way. As for a well-ordered. Church. There must be law. There must be discipline. There must be a system. But. There are times. When the system. Which is.
[32:39] Good in itself. Can be made. To look. An ass. As you've heard. Often enough. And if there was. No other version. In all the Bible. But the one.
[32:50] I'm going to quote. To you. Sufficient. To prove that. When the Jews. Came. To pilot. With Jesus. And that man. Said of Jesus. I find.
[33:01] Nothing. Wrong. With them. There is no way. In which I. Can. In which I. Can. Find that man. Guilty.
[33:12] In the light of the law. They replied. We. Have a law. And by. Our law. He. Ought. To die.
[33:24] It was the law. That was wrong. And there are instances as well. In which. That. Which.
[33:35] Governs. Our thinking. And our acting. Often. In the church. I shouldn't say often. At times. In the church. Is. Also.
[33:46] Wrong. And we ought. To have the courage. And the conviction. To face it. And to change it. In the interests. Of Christian. Progress.
[33:57] And liberty. And. And. And. In this dilemma. Because. Of the law. Of the means. And the Perseans. Which was.
[34:08] Unauthorable. And finally. This chapter. Referring to. Daniel's. Deliverance. From the lion's den. Now. This is one of the miracles. In the book of Daniel.
[34:19] Don't. Pour scar on the miracle. My friend. Don't. Pour scar on the supernatural. There are many people. As an estranged. Who believe in the supernatural. They will look at.
[34:30] Films in the cinema. And on television. Based upon it. But when it comes to Bible. Oh no. Don't accept that. Well you see. It was by these miracles.
[34:41] That God was proving. To the. To the. To the heathen nations. And to the Jewish. Exiles. That he was omnipotent. Miracles still happen. Plenty of them in his church night.
[34:54] The greatest miracle of all. That a person who is an enemy of Christ. Should by the grace of God. Become a friend of Christ. What a miracle that is.
[35:05] You can't deny it. So here. This man was thrown into this particular den. And we are told that. As he himself said.
[35:16] That the king expressed the wish. That he would be delivered there. There is a great regard. And a great respect for Daniel. He rested as we saw. To try to deliver him. But he was trapped.
[35:28] By his own stupidity. And by his own law. No one did he respect. For this man. In every situation. He had proved himself a good citizen.
[35:39] And a very. Upright man. You know. What a blessing it is. To have that reputation. The reputation of being a good citizen.
[35:50] Of being an upright individual. An honest. Uncommitted. Christian. Daniel. Daniel. Daniel. Had that reputation. And he was delivered.
[36:02] From. The lions. He himself said. That the Lord. Had sent his angel. And the angel. Had kept the lions. From tearing him.
[36:15] To pieces. Now we don't know. Perhaps this was the angel. Of the covenant. Referred to often. In the Old Testament. Perhaps this was the Lord. Himself. In person.
[36:26] Perhaps it was. One angel. But whatever it was. It was sufficient. To deliver him. From.
[36:37] That. Particular danger. Now there are people. In this church. Tonight. Who will tell you this. That they've. Met opposition. Because they're Christians.
[36:48] They've been placed. In very. Very. Difficult. And trying. Circumstances. There are people. Who have feared. For their lives. Because of their.
[36:59] Christian commitment. And confession. Not in Eastern Europe. But in Scotland. And in Stornoway. There are people. Who have been abused.
[37:10] Because of their commitment. To God. And to Christ. There are people. Who have found it difficult. To live within the four walls.
[37:22] Of their own home. Because. Of this opposition. That they've met. There are many lions. In inverted commas.
[37:34] In the way. For every Christian. The devil is at work. Don't let us forget this. That behind. Every attempt. To destroy. The believer.
[37:45] Lies the devil. And there are many ways. That the devil. Will use. To destroy. A Christian faith. Many means. That he will employ. He might even employ.
[37:56] He might even employ. Other Christians. He may even do that. You and I. Aren't aware. As fully aware. As we are to be. Of the power. And the machinations. Of the devil.
[38:07] He goes about. Says James. In the New Testament. Like a roaring lion. Seeking. Whom. He may devour. And as I said earlier. Because you are a Christian.
[38:19] Doesn't give you immunity. From that kind of. Opposition. And assault. And attack. Because you are a Christian.
[38:30] Doesn't mean. That the difficulties. Are going to be. Disappear overnight. The lions. Did not disappear. They were with them. In the den. And he was with them.
[38:41] In the den. But the angels. Shut their mouths. So they couldn't. Get a daniel. You and I. Can't realize. Can't even imagine. What kind of night.
[38:52] He passed. In that situation. Perhaps. You may be tempted. To think. That he found it. Who knows. Do you think.
[39:05] If you had been there. What would you have been like. Would you have quivered. All night. Shaking in your boots. All night. All night. Well.
[39:16] I think the impression. Is given to us here. That Daniel. Spent a very quiet. A very calm night. And you know. There are people. Who will tell you that. That situation. That they were afraid of.
[39:28] When they confronted them. When they found themselves. In these situations. They found them. The most blessed situations. They've ever had. On the face of this earth. Times of great blessing.
[39:41] Times of great blessing. Under stresses. And strains. And trials. In this world. It is true. You know. What the Bible says.
[39:52] My grace. Says the Lord. Is sufficient for you. And my strength. Is made perfect. In weakness. Is this. The problem with us. Is that we don't believe God. We just don't believe him.
[40:03] We don't believe. That God. Could be with us. In certain situations. But he is. He approves it. Time and time again. In the experience.
[40:15] Of his people. We are not told. That we can circumnavigate. These difficulties. But what he tells. That he will be with us in them. When they pass us through the waters.
[40:26] I will be with thee. And through the fires. I will be with thee. The rivers will not overwhelm thee. Because I am with you.
[40:38] There was Jesus sending eleven. Eleven. Men. Out with the gospel. To confront the hostile world. They had nothing. But a gospel to proclaim.
[40:51] Not a thing. A message for the lost. And as they thought of the enormity of the task. What did he say to them? Lo, I am with you always.
[41:05] Even unto the end of the world. That's all that you and I will ever need. The presence of the Lord with us. In whatever situation may confront us.
[41:17] And if I were going to ask people here tonight. To stand up. And testify to the fact. That God was with them. In the time of trial and distress. In the time of sorrow and loss.
[41:29] Of course. There are many who would stand up and say. Yes. That's how I found the Lord. That's how he was with me.
[41:40] I was there. But he delivered me out of it. Just as the Bible says. The troubles that afflict the just. A number many be.
[41:51] But yet at length. Out of them all. The Lord. Doth set him. Free. My God. He said.
[42:03] My God. He has delivered me. Forasmuch. Forasmuch. God hath sent his angels. Hath shut the lions mouths. That they have not. Hurt.
[42:14] Me. No man was. No man of hurt was found upon him. Because he believed. In his God.
[42:25] How about yourself here tonight. Coming to the end of another year. And facing a new one. Are you encouraged in your own heart.
[42:37] That the Lord is with you. And that your trust. And your hope. Is in him. Knowing the difficulties that you.
[42:49] Have to confront. Because of your faith in Christ. Knowing the divisions. This has brought. Into your family. Into your work. Into.
[43:01] Your relationships. With colleagues. And so on. Knowing all that. Can you testify tonight. To the delivering grace. Of God.
[43:15] And even though you may be finding the way. Difficult. And the path. Rough. And the opposition. Any more intense. And more fierce. Are you buoyed up.
[43:26] By the hope. Well. If that's what life. Is going to be like. From now. To the very end. I bless his name. That the gospel. Comes to me.
[43:37] With hope. That there will be deliverance. Complete deliverance. At the end. For says Paul. All. I am persuaded.
[43:48] That no matter. The nature. Of the opposition. No matter. The frequency. Of the opposition. No matter. The numerical.
[43:59] Strength. Of the opposition. I am persuaded. That we are more. Than conquerors. Through. Him. That loved us.
[44:10] God. You know. He said. At one stage. The Romans. To the Roman church. God. Is with us. God.
[44:21] Has shown. That he's with us. Because he has given. A son for us. And that's not all. God. Is also with us. Working in us.
[44:32] Even in our tribulations. Even in our. Difficulties. Even in our. Sorrows. And our trials. Because as we. Pass through. These things. They work in us.
[44:44] A hope. That will not be ashamed. A hope. That there is deliverance. Awaiting us. At the end. Of the road.
[44:57] But there's one other thing. I want to mention. As I close. And it is this. Daniel was delivered. From the lion's den. But the men. Who plotted against him.
[45:08] Were not delivered. Those who were his enemies. They themselves. Their wives. Their children. Were cast. To the lions. And they were torn. To pieces.
[45:19] And that again. Is a great. Biblical. Teaching. A great biblical principle. It is this. Those who oppose. God.
[45:30] And all that he stands for. Will one day. One day. Fill the. The destruct. The destroying. Power of God. In their own lives. That's the first point.
[45:41] But I think. There's something. Far more solemn. Than that. It is this. That. That not only. That not only. Do men. Do men. Bring the judgment. Of God.
[45:51] Upon themselves. But they bring. The judgment. Of God. Upon those. Who belong to them. Achan. Brought it upon himself. Upon his family.
[46:02] And upon his tribe. And you know. My friend. It's a sad. And a solemn thought. That parents. Particularly.
[46:12] Who live lives. In which. God. Does not matter. In which. They are. Without. The realizing. It may be.
[46:23] Enemies. Of God. And of Christ. In their. Stubborn. Disbelief. Unbelief. Rather. That these people. Are bringing. The judgment. Of God.
[46:34] Not only. Upon themselves. But upon those. Whom God. Has given. With. Has given. To them. You remember this. You are not.
[46:45] On your own. In this matter. In many respects. You are. Responsible. For all. Whom he has given. To you. And that's a question.
[46:55] I would like. To leave you with. This night. As Daniel. Was. Honored. By Darius. Because of his. Obedience. To the Lord.
[47:06] Them. That. Honored. Me. I will honor. So remember. That there were others. Who were cast. Into judgment.
[47:17] Because. Of their opposition. To God. And his cause. Where do you stand. Tonight. Do you honor God.
[47:31] Or do you disobey him. Are you with him. Or against him. Do you pray. Or do you not.
[47:44] Do you pray. For yourself. And for all. Whom you love. And for those. Who are the enemies. Of Christ. Oh my friend.
[47:55] You. Who are his enemies. Tonight. If you only knew. How much you owe. To those. Who pray for you. That God.
[48:06] Would save your soul. Won't you join. That throng. Who are not ashamed. To bow the knee. Before their God.
[48:16] And the presence. Of their enemies. And to seek his blessing. Upon themselves. Upon themselves. And upon all. Who are connected.
[48:27] With them. Let us pray. Have mercy upon us. And bless to us. Thy word. Do thou apply it.
[48:38] With conviction. And with power. And with meaning. To our hearts. Forgive us. For our sins. And holy things. And the praise. Should be thine. In Christ.
[48:49] Amen.