From His Heart

Speaker 1

Do you know anyone who claims to be a Christian, but from what you can see, acts like they don't trust in God at all? Here's Pastor Jeff Shreve.

Speaker 2

An atheist lives only for this life. Live life so people know you believe there's a God in heaven who cares about you, cares about them, wants to make a difference and will make a difference. A God who's true to his word.

Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you don't know. God who wants to use you and use me to stand before a lost and dying world and say, this is the way Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

My life is given over to him and I trust him no matter what.

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There is truth, there is blessing, there is hope that you always dream. Love. He can heal every scar.

Speaker 1

When someone describes themselves as a Christian, but there's no evidence that you can see in their life, they are what Pastor Jeff Shreve calls a practical atheist, living their life as if there is no God. This is from his heart. The preaching and teaching ministry of pastor, teacher, and author Dr. Jeff Shreve welcomes you to a new week of programs designed to help us shine for Christ.

Today, we're about to hear how to stand in and through difficulties as we trust in the God who is there for his children. The message is called "Practical Atheism," and it's from Pastor Jeff's series, "How to Live the Christian Life in an Unchristian World."

Remember now, if you miss any of today's broadcast, you can listen again online or download a free MP3 of this program. When you go to fromisheart.org, just click the Listen tab.

Now, though, open your Bible to the second chapter of the Book of Daniel. Here's Pastor Jeff to begin part two of the lesson "Practical Atheism."

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Have you ever had the experience? I know I've had this where you find out that someone's a Christian and you've known this person for a long time, and it's like, wow, I didn't know you were a Christian. It's really bad when it's you, right? And they look at you, they're shocked. I've known you for years. You're a Christian. I didn't know you were a Christian. Why? Because I thought you were a practical atheist. Because I look at your life and I don't see any difference. I don't see you trust God, and I don't see any kind of fruit of the Spirit. So I didn't think you really believed that there is a God in heaven.

Well, let's look today from Daniel, chapter two, about what God has to say about how to move from being a practical atheist to being a practicing Christian. Daniel and his friends had just graduated at the end of chapter one from the three-year Babylonian graduate school. They were still kind of apprentices because they're young now, they're 18 years old, but they're in this group of the wise men of Babylon. Because Nebuchadnezzar got mad at the wise men of Babylon because they couldn't interpret his dream, they couldn't tell the dream and its interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar is just like, you guys are done. And you know, back in those days when the king said you die, you died. I mean, that's just the way it was.

So they go to kill all the wise men of Babylon, and that includes Daniel. Daniel's like, whoa, this is a bad deal, right? I'm getting killed. In chapter one, he stood up because he wasn't going to defile himself with the king's choice food. He stood up and trusted God. God does not want me to eat this food sacrificed to idols. He doesn't want me to eat, you know, ham and cheese sandwiches. I just can't do that. I'm a good Jewish boy. I'm going to honor the Lord. And the Lord backed him up on that. He had vegetables and water, and God made him strong with the vegetables and water.

So chapter one was dicey. In chapter two, now he's going to die, and the decree is firm. The king has said all the wise men of Babylon are going to die. He's in a bad situation, but he knows something. He knows that there is a God in heaven. Now I want to give you three encouragements from this story that will help you, that will help me to live out our Christianity.

Encouragement number one: Because there's a God in heaven, we don't have to worry or fear. See, one of the biggest things that we do to show people that we don't really believe there's a God in heaven is when bad news comes our way, we freak out. Now remember this: Because there's a God in heaven, we can be calm and confident because God is in control. Daniel heard the news. Hey, Ariok, the guy that Nebuchadnezzar sent, the captain of the king's bodyguard, is coming, and he finds Daniel and he says, oh, Dan, I'm glad I found you. Where are your friends? Because I'm going to kill you. Now I gotta kill you.

Daniel's like, hey, Jack, time out. Run that by me again. What did I do? I just graduated summa cum laude from Babylonian graduate school. I mean, they were throwing me a party at the end of chapter one, and now you're getting ready to kill me. The scripture says in verse 14, then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Ariok, the captain of the king's bodyguard who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon. He answered and said to Ariok, the king's commander, for what reason is the decree from the king so urgent, so harsh? Then Ariok informed Daniel about the matter.

Notice Daniel is not freaking out with the news. He's got discretion, he's got discernment, he's got wisdom, he's got prudence, he's got a calmness about him. How in the world does he have that? He knows there's a God in heaven. He knows that God has him in the palm of his hand. He knows that he doesn't have to fear because the Lord has said to him in an Old Testament kind of way, hey, don't be afraid, little flock. I'm going to take care of you. So that's the first encouragement: hey, there's a God in heaven, so we don't have to worry or fear.

Secondly, because there's a God in heaven, we can pray, and that God will answer us. Daniel gets the news from Ariok, hey, I gotta kill you and your three buddies because you're part of the Babylonian brain trust. Nebuchadnezzar says, you guys are worthless, and so he's wiping you all out. Daniel said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out, time out. He said, let me go into the king and request some time because we need to pray. He had such power about his life because the favor of God was upon him. That's God. He's going to show us things. He promises, I will answer you. I will show you things you don't know. He's on the throne, and his ear is turned toward you. It's inclined toward you. He wants to hear from you.

And they prayed, and you and I can pray, and we can be confident as we pray and as we request his compassion. Look what it says about this. It says in verse 17, then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter in order that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that Daniel and his friends might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. They requested compassion. Interesting word, compassion. That word comes from a root which means the womb. It means to cherish the baby in the womb. That's the picture that that word has. Compassion is translated mercy and pity. But it's a picture of a woman who has a baby. She cherishes that baby and loves that baby and gets excited every time that baby kicks.

God has compassion for you and me and Daniel and his three friends. You can request compassion from God. Why? Because he sees you and treats you and feels about you like a woman who loves her unborn baby. That's the way God is with us: tender love and protection. Now you think about why people don't pray. Let me tell you, one of the reasons why people don't pray is the devil will fight you to keep you from praying. The warfare is prayer. The devil doesn't want you to pray. He doesn't want me to pray. He doesn't want us, as a church, to pray. Because there's power in prayer. So lots of times we don't pray because the devil is working against us.

So we don't pray. Lots of times we don't pray because we don't think it does any good. And we, by our lack of prayer, say, well, I don't really believe there's a God in heaven who's going to answer my prayer. I don't believe Jeremiah 33:3, where God says, call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you don't know. Another reason why we don't pray is because we tend to not think God really has compassion for us. That God really loves us. That is such a lie. The scripture says this. It says in Isaiah, chapter 49, it says, but Zion, the people of God, have said, the Lord has forsaken me and the Lord has forgotten me. The Lord says, can a mother forget her nursing child or forget the son of her womb? Well, of course not. A mother wouldn't forget her nursing child. She wouldn't forget the son of her womb.

And then he goes on to say, even these, as rare as that would be, even these may forget, but I will not forget you. God says, behold, I've inscribed you on the palms of my hands. Nail scars in his hands that show us how much he loves us. You can come before the Lord with confidence and request compassion from the God who has compassion for you, who loves you no matter what you've done, no matter how badly you've messed up, no matter what kind of mess you've created for yourself. You can pray to a God who loves you. He doesn't wipe away all the consequences of our bad actions most of the time, but he intervenes in that. He raises you up, gives you strength, and gives you courage. But, hey, you gotta always remember, the Lord loves you. You can request compassion from Him.

And when we pray, not only can we request compassion, but we can be confident that he will help us. Daniel prayed, and it says, then the mystery was revealed to Daniel as he requested compassion from God. As they prayed together. And what did they need? They needed God's compassion. They needed God to tell him the dream and the interpretation of the dream. Because if you didn't tell Nebuchadnezzar the dream that he had and the interpretation, he was going to kill you. So, God, this is what we need. They're very specific. This is what we need, God, and God answered their prayer. And God helped them. God is a helper. One of my favorite verses is in Hebrews, chapter 13. It says this: Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For He Himself has said, now watch what he says. He Himself has said, I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.

And because he has said that, the Scripture says in verse 6, therefore we may confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What shall man do to me? The Lord is my helper. And so when I pray, I'm praying to a God who loves me, who promises to help me. Man, we would be foolish, so foolish to not pray, because he has inclined his ear to me. Therefore I will call upon him as long as I live. And then we can be joyful as we give thanks and bless his name. God answered Daniel. The Scripture goes on to say, in verse 19, then Daniel blessed the God of heaven, and he praised the God of heaven. He thanked the God of heaven. You remember the story of the ten lepers? Jesus healed the ten lepers. Only one came back to praise his name. He was a Samaritan. He was a foreigner. Jesus said, where are the other nine? How come they're not here thanking me and praising me?

When God answers your prayer, you need to be quick to thank him. You need to be quick to praise Him. And even before he answers your prayer, you need to be quick to thank him and praise him. Psalm 22 says, verse 3 says that God inhabits the praises of his people. If you are struggling today with depression and discouragement, let me tell you, the best way out of that is to begin to praise the Lord. God works through those who praise him. So praise the Lord. And Daniel praised the Lord. He says in verse 23, to thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for thou hast given me wisdom and power. Even now thou hast made known to me what we requested of Thee, for thou hast made known to us the king's matter.

There's a God in heaven, so we don't need to fear. There's a God in heaven, number two, so we can pray and have confidence when we pray. And there's a God in heaven, encouragement number three, so that we can stand boldly for the Lord before a lost world. Stand boldly for the Lord before a lost world. Here's the story. Daniel. God gives the vision, the dream, and the interpretation to Daniel. Daniel goes to Ariok, who's captain of the king's bodyguard, who's getting ready to kill everybody. He says, hey, take me to the king. Don't kill the wise men of Babylon. I have the dream and its interpretation. It says in verse 25, then Ariok hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows: I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king. No, you didn't. He found you, you know. But he took the credit. Oh, well.

It says in verse 26, the king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen in its interpretation? Daniel answered before the king and said, as for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. Daniel stood before a pagan king who was angry and getting ready to kill everybody and turn the houses into a rubber sheep. Not just kill him. I mean, it'll rip you limb from limb and turn your houses into a rubber sheep. It's like, aren't you going a little overboard, Nebuchadnezzar? I mean, if you don't like me, just kill me, but don't do all that.

Anyway, he's upset. He stands before him, he is confident, he is bold, and he's humble, and he speaks for the Lord. We've entitled this series "Shine: How to Live the Christian Life in an Unchristian World." Our world is becoming increasingly unchristian and anti-Christian. As it gets harder and harder and more and more pressure, there's going to come a time where folks are going to have to decide, am I going to stand up and be counted for Jesus? Am I going to rise and shine, or am I going to run and whine? Daniel stood up for the Lord. He stood up before the King with confidence.

Because Daniel knew something that you and I need to know. We're put on this earth to be his ambassadors. That's our purpose for being here. God wants to use us in that capacity as his ambassadors. Paul said, therefore we are ambassadors for Christ. What's an ambassador do? He represents. We represent the Kingdom of God. The Bible says that we are strangers and aliens in this earth. Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who's going to come and get us. And so while we're here on this earth, our job before the Lord is to let our light so shine among men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

God wants to use you in that capacity, and as he uses you in that capacity, you remain humble and you remain dependent. Daniel was humble. God is opposed to the proud. He gives grace to the humble. Daniel was so humble that when Nebuchadnezzar said, are you able to reveal this to me? He said, I'm not able to reveal this to you. Verse 30: But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man. Hey, it's the God of Heaven who revealed this to me. I'm not any great sheikhs, Nebuchadnezzar. I'm just a man. But God is the God of Heaven. He's the one piloting this ship called the universe. He's the one that revealed this to me.

And so we need to stay humble before people. But we have to stand up. Hey, there are issues that are hitting us right and left. Moral issues. Abortion is a big moral issue. We can't cave in on that. Marriage is between a man and a woman. You can't cave in on that. And you don't need to be arrogant about it. You just need to stand up for it. Homes are being destroyed. Why? Because of sexual immorality and drugs and all that. That's why. Especially for the students. You gotta make up your mind like Daniel did. I'm not going to defile myself with that stuff. People have wrecked and ruined their life with sexual immorality, with drugs, with alcohol, with all sorts of things, with gambling. Just don't go there. It's not worth it.

Hey, God says, I want you to be my ambassador. And God wants to reveal himself through you and through me. Here's the really cool thing. Now he interprets the dream for Nebuchadnezzar. And here's the dream. Nebuchadnezzar saw a big statue, head of gold. It had arms of silver, it had a belly and thighs of bronze. Then it had legs of iron. And then its toes, feet were iron and clay mixed together. Then he saw this big rock that was out of the mountain, that wasn't hewn with human hands, and it destroyed the statue. Then it set up its kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar is like, I don't know. What in the world does this mean? It's a freaky dream.

Well, Daniel told him, hey, all those things that you saw, this statue, the different parts of the statue, their kingdoms coming. Your kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar, is the kingdom of gold. Then he went down through Medo-Persia, through Greece, and through Rome. The stone is the kingdom of God that comes and destroys everything. That kingdom lasts forever and ever and ever and ever. When Nebuchadnezzar heard that from Daniel, then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense.

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And.

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And the king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery." Such a contrast. The conjurers, the magicians, the soothsayers, the fortune tellers, the Chaldeans, the Babylonian brain trust, they worship Marduk. Marduk is nothing. Yahweh is everything. And Nebuchadnezzar worshiped Marduk. Marduk can't do anything. Just like when they went up on Mount Carmel in First Kings, chapter 18, to decide who was God, is it Baal or is it Yahweh? They called on Baal for six hours. Baal didn't answer because Baal's not God and Marduk's not God. But Jehovah, he is God. Yahweh, he is God. He's the only God.

And there's a God in heaven, and there's only one. And that God answers prayer, and that God makes a difference. And that God wants to reveal himself, and through Daniel, and through Daniel's prayer and through Daniel's faith, he revealed himself to Nebuchadnezzar. And Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel, before his God. "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of Kings and a revealer of mysteries." Wow.

And you'll find that theme throughout the book of Daniel as these guys are in a dark, pagan place. God is given the glory, and God wants to do that in your life and in my life, to reveal himself through us. And then he wants to bless us as we shine for him to bless us. Daniel was blessed, and he was given gifts and he was promoted. He became ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

And Daniel remembered his friends. "Hey, I didn't do this by myself. I had three friends that helped me: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Mishael." And he told Nebuchadnezzar, "Hey, they were part of this too." So he promoted those guys too. And man, chapter one ended on a high note. Chapter two ends on a huge high note as the Lord used Daniel to save the day.

I just want to challenge you again. Let your light shine. Live life so people know that you believe there's a God in heaven who cares about you and cares about them, wants to make a difference, and will make a difference. A God who's true to his word: "Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you don't know." A God who wants to use you and use me to stand before a lost and dying world and say, "This is the way. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. My life is given over to him, and I trust him no matter what."

Speaker 1

Are you living the life of a practical atheist or of a trusting child of the one true God? You've been listening to the message "Practical Atheism Part 2" from Pastor Jeff's six-lesson series, "How to Live the Christian Life in an Unchristian World." Pastor Jeff taught this series because living the Christian life in today's world is just plain tough. And it's going to get even tougher. The reality is we are at war. A real battle is the enemy winning your thought life. You can learn how to tear down the strongholds that hold you back, and you can be victorious when you discover how to stand strong in this spiritual warfare.

Earlier this month, we aired Pastor Jeff Shreve's new six-message series, "This is War: Overcoming the World, the Flesh, and the Devil." In it, he shares from the heart, acknowledging that many people feel under attack but don't realize they're in a spiritual war. God's Word equips believers for victory, and we want to encourage you to find that victory.

This month, we're offering the "This is War" series as our gift of thanks to you for your support of any amount. You can get it in the format of your choice: on a USB, CDs, DVDs, or MP3 download. To get "This is War: Overcoming the World, the Flesh, and the Devil," a new six-message series, call 866-40-BIBLE (866-40-24253) or go online to fromhisheart.org. Touch more lives with real truth from the heart of God and help us share victory around the world.

Be back here next time for part two of the message "Practical Atheism." I'm Larry Nobles, inviting you to be here when Pastor Jeff will open up God's Word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from God's heart, here on From His Heart.

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There is tremendous truth. There is hope that you always dream about. He can heal me. Every spirit.

Speaker 1

From His Heart is the listener-supported broadcast ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve, speaking the truth in love to a lost and hurting world.

Remember, no matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

Find out more at fromhisheart.org.