Daniel chapter 6 and we'll read the whole chapter.
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators
over them, one of whom was Daniel.
The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.
Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional
qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against
Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.
They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor
negligent.
Finally, these men said, we will never find any basis for charges against this man, Daniel,
unless it has something to do with the law of his God.
So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said, O King Darius,
live forever.
The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisors and governors have all agreed that
the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god
or man during the next thirty days except to you, O King, shall be thrown into the lion's
den.
Now, O King, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance
with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repelled.
So King Darius put the decree in writing.
Now, when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs
room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem.
Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God just as
he had done before.
Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree.
Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god
or man except to you, O King, would be thrown into the lion's den?
The king answered, The decree stands in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which
cannot be repealed.
Then they said to the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention
to you, O King, or to the decree you put in writing.
He still prays three times a day.
When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed.
He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, Remember, O King, that according
to the law of the Medes and Persians, no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.
So the king gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den.
The king said to Daniel, May your God, who you serve continually, rescue you.
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his
own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles so that Daniel's situation might not be changed.
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment
being brought to him, and he could not sleep.
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den.
When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, Daniel, servant of the
living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?
Daniel answered, O King, live forever.
My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions.
They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight, nor have I ever done any wrong
before you, O King.
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den.
And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found in him because he had trusted
in his God.
At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into
the lion's den along with their wives and children.
And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their
bones.
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language throughout
the land.
May you prosper greatly.
Issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God and he endures forever.
His kingdom will not be destroyed.
His dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves.
He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Thanks very much, Connor.
It's a long reading, but great to have it read.
Thank you for that.
Well, let's keep our Bibles open at Daniel 6 and we'll see what we can learn from it this
morning.
We're going to pray and ask for God's help to us all.
So let's just pray right now.
Amen.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but
also to suffer for him.
Father, as we look at this true story of Daniel, we pray that you will teach us something of
your amazing salvation, the way in which you rescue.
But also would you teach us today about how we should live when we face suffering because
we love you and follow you.
teach us this morning to live like Daniel lived and that our eyes would be fixed firmly on
Jesus, the one who did suffer for us so that we could have life.
So by your Holy Spirit, teach us.
Speak into our hearts.
And we ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, life seems to be on the up for Daniel.
There's a new power in place.
Look at chapter 5, verse 30, the last verse of chapter 5.
That very night, Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain and Darius the Mede took over the
kingdom at the age of 62.
So there's a new power in place.
And with that has come a new position for Daniel in verse 1 of chapter 6.
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the entire kingdom with three administrators
over them, one of whom was Daniel.
So a very high position and no doubt with a good salary too.
But not only has he got a new position, there's also the possibility of promotion, verse 3.
Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities
that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
So life seems to be on the up for Daniel.
He's climbing the promotional ladder.
But in reality, nothing has actually changed because Daniel is still living in Babylon.
Babylon was the capital city, a place where rulers stood in opposition to God and where
persecution was a reality for God's people.
In fact, so fierce was the opposition that the name Babylon throughout the Bible and into
the New Testament symbolises a place of exile and suffering for God's people.
So the first letter of Peter in the New Testament, he's writing there to Christians who've been
persecuted and he signs off that letter by talking about the church, those who are in Babylon.
It's kind of like a symbol, a sign for those who are facing struggles and suffering.
And so it is today.
Christians everywhere live in their own Babylon.
Some face discrimination, harassment and violence because of their beliefs.
Others experience various levels of contempt, rejection and hostility.
And even for us today, where we live and where we work and the colleges that we study in,
there is pressure to water down or abandon Jesus Christ altogether.
We all live in our own little Babylon.
How do we live in it?
How do we face it?
Well, there's four things that we're going to learn this morning from Daniel,
who helps us to live life in our own little Babylon.
First is this.
God promises us that we will face opposition.
If you are a Christian, you will face opposition.
Daniel was a follower of God.
He quickly gained recognition.
He was offered promotion.
But with it came opposition.
Look at verse four.
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel
in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.
Here we have a normal follower of God getting on with living for God where he's been placed.
He's not corrupt.
He's not dodging tax.
He's not making false expenses.
He's a trustworthy character, never lying and never sneaking off work early.
He's a man of integrity.
Look at the rest of verse four.
They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
But faithful living is always going to be met by opposition.
If people can't find flaws in your character, they are going to find problems with your faith.
So look at verse five.
Finally, these men said, after trolling through and trying to find some kind of misconduct with him,
finally they said, we'll never find any basis of charges against this man, Daniel,
unless it has something to do with the law of his God,
unless it's got something to do with his faith, the things that he believes in.
Everybody knew that Daniel was a follower of God.
That was obvious.
He didn't just walk the walk.
He talked the talk.
People in the office knew that he didn't gossip about other people.
He knew that he was a fair and honest kind of guy.
And in his places of management and authority, well, he treated people fairly and kindly.
He was the kind of boss you wanted to work under.
But he was at the same time just an ordinary Christian,
getting on with life, living for God where he worked,
similar to where many of you are or where you study,
being a Christian and getting on with where you work.
But people can't always tolerate this kind of living out and public faith.
Your faith is fine if you leave it compartmentalised or leave it at home.
But once you bring it into the public sphere, then we've got problems.
And so his work colleagues decided to go to the boss about it all.
Verse 7.
They got him right at the heart of where it was going to hurt Daniel.
He only prayed to God.
How could he pray to anyone else?
They got him.
This was going to get rid of Daniel.
Of course, what happened to Daniel is what happens to all God's people.
Christians should never, ever be surprised at opposition.
Jesus himself warned us of the cost involved if we're to follow him.
Let me read to you from John's Gospel, chapter 15.
This is what Jesus said to his disciples.
He said,
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
Remember the words I spoke to you?
If they persecuted me, says Jesus, they will persecute you also.
Opposition is promised.
We can't avoid it.
And we can't escape it.
Do you know every year, over 2,000 Christians across the world are killed for their faith
because of their public witness for Christ.
That doesn't include the 50,000 believers who remain in North Korea's labour camps today.
Or the hundreds of believers in Syria who are trying to escape the violence of ISIS.
The reality is, 200 million Christians, not just cultural Christians, but those who have dedicated their life to Christ,
200 million face discrimination, harassment, prison, exclusion from health care, extreme poverty,
every single day, simply because they have made their loyalty and love for God known to other people.
That's the reality for the vast majority of those who follow Christ.
Now we live in a different kind of country.
We're maybe not going to face the same kind of opposition when you go to college or work tomorrow morning.
But don't be surprised if you get overlooked in promotion or a new post because you're not going to twist the truth a little bit.
Don't be surprised if people think you're weird because you've made the decision not to play sport or play a match on a Sunday
and instead go to church.
Don't be surprised if you feel left out of the crowd at college because you don't drink copious amounts or sleep with your boyfriend or girlfriend.
And don't be surprised if you're disliked because of your views on abortion or same-sex marriage.
Opposition is promised.
People will not always like you or agree with you.
We can't escape it.
And we can't avoid it.
So God promises us that we will face opposition.
Second, God calls us to be faithful in opposition.
He calls us to be faithful.
Look at how Daniel responds to the opposition, verse 10.
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published,
He went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem.
Now why would he do that?
It seems a bit strange.
What's so special about Jerusalem and kind of praying towards Jerusalem?
Well, you can have a flick back to 1 Kings chapter 8 if you want.
If not, just listen.
1 Kings chapter 8, verse 48.
Here it's foretelling that God's people were going to end up in exile.
So this is before the exile has happened, before Daniel has been carted off to a new place.
And how and what they should do when they find themselves in opposition.
And we read in verse 48 of 1 Kings chapter 8.
If they, if that's God's people, turn back to you with all their hearts and soul,
in the land of their enemies who took them captive,
and pray to you towards the land you gave their fathers,
towards the city, that's Jerusalem,
you have chosen and the temple I have built for your name,
then from heaven, your dwelling place,
hear their prayer and their plea,
and uphold their cause.
You see, Daniel was doing what every faithful follower of God was commanded to do,
and that was to pray.
He knew God's word.
He knew what 1 Kings had said.
That when they were in the troubled times and in the difficult times,
they were to turn to God.
And this physical act of turning to Jerusalem
was not some sort of religious act that made his prayers more powerful.
No, the physical act of looking towards Jerusalem,
which was a symbol of God's presence and power,
reflected his complete dependence on God.
With his eyes, physical eyes, he was looking towards the city.
But it demonstrated of where his own heart was looking towards.
It was looking towards God.
His trust was in God.
And so his prayer for the people and for himself
was that God would come and help them to keep trusting God,
that they wouldn't turn away from God,
that they would remain faithful and strong in the opposition.
Now, Daniel's prayer was not some sort of panic prayer.
We know what panic prayers are like
when we get ourselves into trouble and in some kind of difficulty.
We suddenly shoot off an arrow prayer towards God.
That's not how it was with Daniel.
Look at the rest of verse 10.
Chapter 6, it says,
He had a discipline of prayer.
His faith was a day-to-day experience.
He lived it out every single day.
So when the opposition did come,
when trouble did come,
he kept on doing what he had always done before,
what was always his practice.
He had a relationship with God.
And so that relationship continued.
And I think there's a challenge for us here.
If we don't have a living faith with God when things are easy,
then we're not going to have a living faith when things get tough.
The point is,
we don't turn to God when opposition comes.
When opposition comes,
we run away from God
if we don't have a strong, vibrant relationship with him.
That's what happens.
When the opposition comes,
people turn away.
That is, unless
we have a good relationship
with our Father in Heaven.
Not surprisingly,
Daniel's faithfulness to God
has been found out.
Verse 13.
They've seen him
and they report it to the king.
Verse 13.
They said to the king,
Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah,
pays no attention to you, O king,
or to the decree you put in writing.
He still prays three times a day.
When the king heard this,
he was greatly distressed.
And he was determined to rescue Daniel
and made every effort until sundown to save him.
We could imagine the pressure that Daniel was facing.
The king was, to some extent, on his side.
Look, Daniel,
if you just stop praying,
maybe there's something I can do for you here.
Daniel, just promise that you won't pray again
and you'll get that promotion
that I talked to you about.
Daniel, if you just leave God out of the picture,
it's only for 30 days.
Just park God to one side,
get on with your life,
keep your head down,
keep quiet,
don't worry about your faith,
and your life will be saved.
Isn't that the pressure we face?
Just do what everybody else does
and you'll be liked.
Forget your views on sexuality for the interview,
you'll get the job.
Just leave God at home
and you'll find that life is really okay.
Just keep silent about your faith.
Don't bring it into your conversation.
If you want an easy way,
if you want to get on with everybody,
don't say anything.
It's only going to upset them.
Keep it quiet.
Daniel had a living faith.
It was a day-to-day experience
that just flowed naturally from his life.
And so when the pressure of opposition came,
he was faithful.
It was his usual practice.
As it says at the end of verse 10,
he did it just as he had done before.
So God calls his people
to be faithful
when opposition and struggles come.
But third,
God will rescue his people
in opposition.
God will rescue his people
in opposition.
Daniel's defiance,
his loyalty,
and his love towards God
means only one thing.
Breakfast
for the lions.
Verse 16.
So the king gave the order
and they brought Daniel
and threw him into the lion's den.
Verse 17.
A stone was brought
and placed over the mouth of the den
and the king sealed it
with his own signet ring
and with the rings of his nobles
so that Daniel's situation
might not be changed.
It seems like it's lights out
for Daniel, doesn't it?
No one ever walked out
of the lion's den.
But something
of Daniel's witness
has rubbed off
on this pagan king.
He's watched Daniel,
he's listened to Daniel,
and something
he's got a hold of.
Do you see what the king
said to Daniel
just before he threw him
into the lions?
It comes at the end
of verse 16.
The king said to Daniel,
may your God
whom you serve
continually
rescue you.
Now I don't think
this was a
condescending
kind of
good luck wish
to Daniel.
Kind of you're off
to the lions now.
What's your God
going to do about it?
No, this is
I think
a statement of faith
on behalf
of the king.
A pagan king
has come to realize
that God
is able
to save.
May your God
whom you serve
continually
rescue you.
And it's actually
proved to us
in verse 19.
Look at verse 19.
At the first
light of dawn
the king
got up
and hurried
to the lion's den.
Why would he do that?
When he came
near the den
he called to Daniel
in an anguished voice
Daniel
servant of the living God
has your God
whom you serve
continually
been able
to rescue you
from the lions?
Now nobody
goes to the lion's den
expecting
the lion's breakfast
to come walking out.
You just don't
do that.
That is
unless you believe
in God's power
to be able
to rescue
and that's
what Darius
has got a hold of.
He knows
that Daniel's
God can rescue
and he goes
with this
expectation
that he's
going to be
alive.
Verse 21
Daniel answered
O king
live forever
my God
sent his
angel
and he
shut the
mouths
of the lions
they have
not hurt
me
because I
was found
innocent
in his sight
nor have
I done
any wrong
before you
O king.
An amazing
story
of God
delivering
and rescuing
one of his
servants
just like
he had
rescued
his three
friends
from the
fiery
furnace.
Now here's
a question
and I'm
sure it's
all in our
minds here.
If God
is able
to rescue
his people
like Daniel
why is it
that so many
Christians
lose their
life
or end up
suffering
in labour
camps
or facing
prison
today?
Why doesn't
God rescue
them?
Has God
failed?
Has God
not got the
power to do
it?
Did Daniel
have more
faith than
everybody else?
Do we need
more faith?
Is that the
reason?
No I don't
think it
is.
I think
God promises
us that
he will
rescue us
in life
or he
will rescue
us through
death.
He will
rescue us
in life
or through
death.
Have a look
please.
Keep your
finger in
Daniel 6
and go to
Hebrews.
Hebrews
chapter 11.
Hebrews
chapter 11
is a great
chapter all
about God's
people throughout
history,
throughout time
who had
faith,
who trusted
in God.
And towards
the end of
the chapter
we get to
meet some
of those
people.
Hebrews
chapter 11
starting at
verse 32
Hebrews
11
verse 32
and what
more shall
I say?
So he's been
talking about
all these
great people
in the past
who trusted
God.
He says
I do not
have time
to tell
about
Gideon,
Barak,
Samson,
Japheth,
David,
Samuel and
the prophets
who through
faith conquered
kingdoms,
administered
justice and
gained what
it was promised,
who shut
the mouths
of lions,
quenched
the fury
of the
flames,
and escaped
the edge
of the
sword,
whose weakness
was turned
to strength,
and who
became powerful
in battle
and routed
foreign armies.
women even
received back
their dead,
raised to
life again.
God is
able to
save his
people in
the most
remarkable
and the
most amazing
of ways.
He has
done it
and he
can do it.
Whether it's
the fiery
furnace or
whether it's
the lion's
den,
God can
deliver his
people.
He even
brought people
back from
the dead.
But he
doesn't
always
rescue
in
life.
It's
not always
going to
be
victorious
for every
single
person.
Because
look at
the rest
of those
verses.
God
also
rescues
through
death.
Look at
the rest
of verse
35.
Well,
let's
read from
verse 35.
Women
receive back
their dead,
raised to
life again.
others
were
tortured
and refused
to be
released so
that they
might gain
a better
resurrection.
Some
faced
jeers and
flogging,
while still
others were
chained and
put in
prison.
They were
stoned.
They were
sawn in
two.
They were
put to
death by
the sword.
They went
about in
sheepskins and
goatskins,
destitute,
persecuted,
and ill
treated.
The world
was not
worthy of
them.
They
wandered in
deserts and
mountains and
in caves and
holes in the
grounds.
You see,
some, if not
most, faced
a violent and
brutal death,
terrible
persecution.
They were
rescued not
in life,
but they were
rescued through
death.
How can we
say that?
Well, look at
the end of
verse 35 again.
others were
tortured and
were refused to
be released so
that they might
gain a better
resurrection.
They knew that
something better
and greater
awaited them
beyond the
grave.
They knew if
they were to
lose their
life, they
weren't losing
out.
They were
gaining something
far better.
We're told what
that is, actually,
in chapter 11,
verse 16.
Just look back
a few verses.
It's what all
these people were
looking forward
to.
It says in
11, 16,
Instead, they
were longing for
a better country,
a heavenly
one.
Therefore, God
is not ashamed
to be called
their God,
for he has
prepared a
city for
them.
Those who
had lost
their life,
God rescued
them through
death, and
he brought
them into an
eternal city,
to their
eternal rest.
The ultimate
rescue for
all of God's
people is to
go from this
life into his
eternal kingdom.
Now, we as
Christians have
that same
faith.
It's not that
our faith is
better or
greater.
It's because our
faith is in the
Lord Jesus Christ,
who has defeated
death, and who
has conquered the
grave, and
gives eternal
life to all
who trust in
him.
He will
rescue us
either in
life or
through death.
And then
last, God
always works
good from
the opposition.
God always
works good from
the opposition.
It shouldn't
surprise us to
read the
ending of
this story.
It shouldn't
be a surprise,
but it should
amaze us.
Look at
verse 25.
Then King
Darius wrote
to all the
peoples,
nations and
men of
every language
throughout the
land.
May you
prosper
greatly.
I issue
a decree
that in
every part
of my
kingdom,
people must
fear and
reverence the
God of
Daniel.
For he
is the
living God.
he endures
forever.
His kingdom
will not be
destroyed.
His dominion
will never
end.
He rescues
and he
saves.
He performs
signs and
wonders in
the heavens
and on the
earth.
He has
rescued
Daniel from
the power
of the
lions.
It's an
extraordinary
turn of
events.
At the
beginning of
the story,
the kingdom
must pray
to Daniel.
By the time
we get to
the end of
the story,
all the
kingdom has
been charged
to honour
the eternal
God who
rescues and
saves.
If you've
been following
through Daniel,
it's not
going to
surprise you
because it's
happened already.
But it
should not
stop amazing
us.
What an
amazing God.
God always
works good
from opposition.
He did it
under
Nebuchadnezzar.
He did it
under
Belshazzar.
He did it
here under
Darius.
And most
of all,
he did it
under a
king called
Pilate.
Under
Pilate,
Jesus faced
opposition and
persecution.
He was
tortured and
beaten.
He faced
the flogging
and the
jeers.
He was
put to
death,
crucified
on the
cross.
But
through it
all,
God,
by his
power,
worked
salvation
for the
world.
He
rescued
people,
not from
the
lion's
den,
but from
the
claws
of
Satan
so
that
we
might
have
life
in
all
its
fullness.
God
always
works
good
from
opposition.
And it
shouldn't
surprise us
that God
continues to
work like
this through
us and
through his
church in
the world.
Some of
you may
have listened
to this
interview I
sent out a
few weeks
ago about
a man named
Victor,
who is
living and
working in
Syria and
Iraq right
now.
He told
how believers
in Christ,
pastors and
their
congregations in
Mosul are
facing terrible
opposition and
persecution.
He met with
them as ISIS
were sweeping
through that
city.
Those
Christians and
the pastors
were removed
from their
homes.
Their money
was taken,
their belongings
were taken,
their medication
was taken.
A sign was
put up on
their houses
saying,
property of
ISIS, a
big end for
Nazarene, people
of followers of
Christ, were
put on their
house, don't
return here
again, left
with all that
they had on
their backs.
Others we
know have
lost their
life, some
brutally
beheaded because
they wouldn't
convert, because
they wouldn't
stop praying to
the God that
we've just been
reading about.
Where's God?
Well, through
it all, God is
working through
the opposition.
This man,
Victor, shared
how he was
able to share
the good news
of Christ with
those who had
to leave their
town.
And 50
people, he
said, became
followers of
Christ.
What was he
promising them?
He was
promising them
salvation in
Jesus Christ.
And on the
other hand, he
said, if you
follow him, you
will suffer.
But they knew
that in their
suffering, they
would gain eternal
life with him.
Near the border
of Syria, where
there were other
Muslims fleeing to
try and get away
from the violence, he
was able to talk
to a bunch of
them, and 20
became followers
of Christ.
What did he
tell them?
salvation in
Christ.
But if you
follow Christ, you
will suffer.
But they
followed because
they knew that
whether in life
or in death, God
would rescue them
for something far
greater.
We shouldn't be
surprised at this,
but we should be
eternally amazed
at how God
works.
And it's how God
works in your
life, how he
will work through
this church.
He will work
through you in
college, in your
work situation, and
in your family, through
the opposition.
God will bring his
people to faith.
Why?
Well, look at verse
26.
He is the living
God.
He endures
forever.
His kingdom will
not be destroyed.
His dominion will
never end.
He rescues and
he saves.
He performs signs
wonders in heavens
and on the earth.
He has rescued
Daniel from the
power of the lions
and he has rescued
us from the
claws of Satan
and he will go
on rescuing his
people because
God always works
good from
opposition.
Let's pray.
for the
government.
Well, it's
good for
tę claim