HopeLives365

Mark Finley: We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance. We drift toward disobedience and call it freedom. We drift toward superstition and call it faith. My friend, by the grace of God, stand firm. By the grace of God, bow low. By the grace of God, hang on. By the grace of God, never give up.

Guest (Male): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: Standing Tall. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: A number of years ago, Nikita Khrushchev, premier of the former Soviet Union, gave a major address on the state of Soviet affairs before the Supreme Soviet in Moscow. During his presentation, Khrushchev was highly critical of Stalin. While Khrushchev was speaking, someone from the audience sent up an embarrassing note. "Premier Khrushchev, where were you when Stalin was doing and committing all these atrocities?"

Khrushchev angrily shouted, "Who sent up this note?" Not a person stirred. "I'll give you a minute to stand up. Who sent up this note?" The seconds ticked off; still, no one moved. "All right, I'll tell you what I was doing. I was doing exactly what the writer of this note was doing: exactly nothing." He was afraid, of course, to be counted. Afraid for his convictions, afraid to stand tall.

It seems to me if there ever was a time in history when God is calling us to stand tall, it's today. We do not believe if we do not stand for the thing we say we believed. If you don't stand for something, you're going to fall for anything. If you don't stand for something, your beliefs are worth nothing. If you don't stand for something, if there's nothing worth dying for, there's little worth living for.

If there's nothing you're passionate about, if nothing really matters, if everything is a spiritual blur on the radar screen of your mind, your faith is of little value. God is calling us to stand tall. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 30. Deuteronomy, the fourth chapter, the 30th verse. The scripture puts it this way: "When you are in distress and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice."

The Bible says that in the last days, these challenges are going to come upon us, but we are to turn to the Lord. We are to stand for Jesus in these last days of earth's history. We're living at the climax of history. Everything is lining up for the coming of Jesus. Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 19: "I call heaven and earth as a witness today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." God invites us to choose life.

We're going to study the life of one who stood tall. We'll let his courage and faith speak to us. He is one of history's greatest giants, one of history's courageous men. He served under at least five heads of state. He began his diplomatic service shortly after he graduated from university around the age of 20. His work in government continued for approximately 66 years.

Kings valued his counsel, politicians treasured his judgment, and statesmen sought out his wisdom. When his nation fell to a foreign power, this valued Secretary of State was amazingly appointed to another term by the foreign conquering power. Daniel's incredible courage speaks to us of three vital elements of standing tall in a world of moral compromise: stand firm, bow low, and look beyond.

You cannot stand tall unless you are willing to stand firm. You cannot stand tall unless you're willing to bow low. And you cannot stand tall unless you're willing to look beyond. We discover this trio in the life of Daniel. Still in his teens, Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians. When Nebuchadnezzar overthrew Babylon, he took a number of Hebrews captive. Some of them he planned to educate in the principles and policies of Babylon and then send them back as puppet rulers to rule in his stead over Jerusalem.

Suddenly, gradually, cunningly, Nebuchadnezzar plotted to change their thinking. His goal was to shift their allegiance from the God of Israel to the gods of Babylon. There was a victory celebration in the great palace banquet hall of Bel-Marduk in Babylon for the captives and for the celebration of victory over Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Early in his captivity, Daniel was ushered into Babylon's banquet hall to eat from the king's table at a lavish feast thrown in honor of Bel-Marduk, the chief Babylonian god.

Evidently, the feast was a victory celebration celebrating the triumph of Babylon over Jerusalem. The food was offered to idols; to eat it would be to accept idolatry. Some of the food was unclean; for Daniel to eat it would be to reject his Hebrew heritage and disobey God's word. Also, there was the issue of health. Daniel quickly realized that the rich, unhealthful food would rapidly destroy his health and reduce his physical powers.

Listen to the divine commentary in Daniel chapter 1, verse 8. Daniel here, the scripture speaks of the courage and the faith that Daniel had. It speaks of the true decision that Daniel would make then and the decision-making that he would make all of his life. Daniel chapter 1, we're looking here at verse 8. And the scripture says of this young man, still in his teens, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

Daniel purposes in his heart. In the citadel of his mind, he chose. In the depths of his being, he determined. In the deepest recesses of his soul, he decided. Daniel stood tall because he stood firm. Remember in Proverbs 4:23 it says, "Keep your heart, for out of it are the issues of life." To the ancient Hebrews, the heart represented the thinking process, the mind. The battle between good and evil, then and now, is the battle for our mind. Daniel stood tall because he stood firm. He refused to compromise his integrity to gain the king's favor.

Daniel's decision was not an isolated instance. Standing firm was part of his character. It was deeply embedded within the fabric of his being. Now fast-forward 39 years. Daniel is now in his mid-50s. God gives him an incredible dream, and after Nebuchadnezzar's demise, as difficult as it is, Daniel delivers this message to the Babylonian king.

Daniel 4:27 says, "O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity." You see, what happened is the king had a great dream. Nebuchadnezzar has this dream of a tree that has deep roots, that grows up to the heavens, and then Nebuchadnezzar sees all the birds come under the tree. He sees the fruits on the tree, but then he hears a divine voice that says, "Go chop down the tree."

So the tree is chopped down. There's a stump left with the band of iron and brass. Daniel is called in to interpret the king's dream. He had interpreted his previous dream about the great image that revealed the history of the nations of the world, so Nebuchadnezzar had some confidence in him. So Nebuchadnezzar calls him in. Daniel has this moral courage. He doesn't equivocate. He doesn't beat around the bush.

He says, "King, you are the tree, and judgment's going to come upon you. Your kingdom is going to be overthrown. Your kingship is going to be overthrown, and you're going to go out and wander among the beasts for seven years. You'll wander around like an animal during that period of time. Your hair will grow long, your nails will be like fangs, you'll be drooling at the mouth, you'll be walking on all fours. But king, be faithful to God. Turn to heaven, and God will restore your mind."

There's something called lycanthropic insanity. Lycanthropic insanity occurs when a person perceives they are an animal and walks on all fours. It strikes suddenly. That exactly happened to Nebuchadnezzar. But yet, Daniel had the courage to stand firm and tell him that and appeal to him to repent. Fast-forward another 30 years. Daniel is now in his late 80s. He's still standing firm. He refuses to compromise.

Evil men have plotted against him; they've laid a trap. They've influenced King Darius to pass a decree that it is unlawful to pray to any other power except the king. This is in direct violation of the first commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." As an old man, Daniel stands tall because Daniel stands firm. The scripture says in Daniel 6, verse 10, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open to Jerusalem, he knelt down and prayed three times a day."

You see, the decree went forth: if anybody prays to any god except King Darius, if anybody prays to any other person except Darius, who's considered to be a god, then they will be thrown into the den of lions. Daniel knew that, but Daniel stood firm. As the result of this singular commitment to God, Daniel was thrown into the lions' den in the face of death. Daniel stood tall because Daniel stood firm. At 17, he refused to compromise by eating of the king's meat. In his mid-50s, he refused to compromise; he told the king exactly what the dream said. In his 80s, he refused to compromise; he prayed when it could mean death.

Daniel recognized that compromise is fatal to vibrant spiritual life. As Samuel Johnson wrote, "The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they're too strong to be broken." C.S. Lewis added in his *Screwtape Letters*, "The safest road to hell is the gradual one: the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turns, without milestones, without signposts." C.S. Lewis indeed was right. It is the daily compromises which gradually erode our faith, so that we then fail to discern right from wrong. They're so destructive, these compromises, to the Christian life.

Guest (Male): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence His life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Commenting on Daniel's firmness of purpose, there's wonderful insight in a book called *Patriarchs and Prophets*, which is a commentary on the Old Testament. On page 43, it says this: "The approval of God was dearer to him," that is to Daniel, "than the favor of the most powerful earthly potentate—dearer than life itself. He determined to stand firm in his integrity, let the result be what it may."

Speaking of Daniel and his friends, this book goes on: "Should they compromise with wrong in this instance by yielding the pressure of the circumstances, their departure from principle would weaken their sense of right and wrong. The first wrong step would lead to others, until their connection with heaven severed, they would be swept away by temptation."

Echoing and re-echoing down the corridors of time is the example of the life of Daniel. He passes the torch into your hands. To this generation, God speaks again: compromise is deadly. To compromise your integrity, to compromise your conscience, to compromise and sell out cheap will only leave you barren and desolate inside. It'll leave you with a lack of peace. You'll be filled with guilt and shame. Compromise is deadly. We begin to compromise, and there's no end.

You know, I remember back in 1992, we were in Moscow. We had held evangelistic meetings in Bohanya University. Then we held them in the Congress Hall, the Palace of Communism in the Kremlin. And after holding meetings in the Kremlin, we were negotiating for the Olympic Stadium. And as we did that, the manager said, "Yes, this is a fair price that you're offering. We can make this work in the contract. But in fact, I'll make the contract 25,000 less, but I want you to pay me the 25,000."

In other words, he was asking for a bribe. He would make the contract less, but we would bribe him. We said to him, "Sir, we can't do that. What is written in the contract we will accept. It's a fair price. But we are not going to pay you an additional 25,000." We refused based on moral principles, even if we wouldn't get the stadium. We didn't know what was going to happen; we'd home that night in prayer, but finally he relented and rented the stadium to us.

Look, my friend, God honors honesty. God rewards integrity. God blesses us when we approach Him with ethical, moral values. See, if you're going to stand tall, you've got to stand firm in these areas. People who stand tall are not blown away by every wind of compromise that comes along. The winds of compromise don't have to blow them over because they, like Daniel, have purposed in their heart to serve God. They have settled it; obedience matters.

They also learned how to bow low. You can never stand tall until you bow low. The strength to stand tall is not some mental toughness. It's not some human determination. It's not some extraordinary willpower. It's strength of character rooted in a relationship with God through prayer. Daniel had it. He stood tall because he bowed low. At each crossroad in his life, we see him bowing low.

Join me as we journey through Daniel's prayer life. In his teens, Daniel 2:18, the Bible says that Daniel, when he was faced with that choice of interpreting the king's dream, the Bible says in Daniel 2:18 that Daniel prays and he seeks mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret, and Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

So Daniel goes home and he prays. It says in verse 17, Daniel makes known what's going to happen to Mishael, Azariah, Hananiah; he shares that with them. He says, "Look, the king's had a dream. If we don't interpret the dream, we will be put to death." And they enter into earnest heartfelt prayer. So Daniel is a man of prayer.

In his 80s, in Daniel 6:10, the Bible says Daniel opens his window and seeks the God of heaven. This verse tells us three things about Daniel's prayer life. Daniel 6, verse 10. Notice what we can learn about Daniel's prayer life from this Bible passage. "When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home, and in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since the early days."

What do we learn? He prayed frequently, three times a day. He prayed joyfully; he gave thanks. He prayed regularly; it was his custom. If you look, for example, at Daniel 9, verses 3 and 4, it says this: "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." So he says, "I prayed to the Lord my God and said, 'O Lord, great and awesome God.'"

Daniel's life was saturated with prayer. He bowed low so he could stand tall. I've read that when mountain climbers reach the summit of some of the world's greatest peaks, like Mount Everest or Mount McKinley, if the winds are fierce, the only way for to keep from getting blown away is to get on their knees on the top. There are some strong winds that are blowing today. So strong that you and I can never, ever stand tall unless we bow low.

When Daniel was brought into exile, he prayed to the God of heaven as a youth. When Daniel was brought into the banquet hall as a young student, he prayed to the God of heaven. When persecuted with the king's delicacies, when Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, he prayed to the God of heaven. When Daniel's, when empires collapsed, Daniel prayed to the God of heaven and the kingdoms crumbled.

In that book *Prophets and Kings* again, I read on page 46, "Constantly praying, conscientiously studying, keeping in touch with the unseen, these Bible characters walked with God as did Enoch. If we as a people, if we as Christians, would pray as Daniel prayed, wrestle as he wrestled, humbling our souls before God, we should realize as marked answers to our petitions as were granted to Daniel." God will answer our prayers, too.

I recall a trip to India, and it really reinforced the power of prayer in my own life. I met with Samuel Shadrack, my Indian translator. He fasted one month before our gospel meetings. I saw evil spirits cast out of demon-possessed men and women through prayer. I saw Hindus' hearts converted through prayer. I saw poverty-stricken, uneducated Christian laypeople become courageous through prayer. I saw illiterate village people become warriors for Christ and stand tall through prayer.

You see, the crisis ahead in this world is far too great to face in our own strength. If you'd stand tall, you must first bow low. Saturate your mind with the word of God. Meditate upon God's word. Bow before Him on your knees and let the Holy Spirit strengthen your soul. The winds of crisis we face every day are too strong to face in our own strength. They'll blow us over, they'll blow us away, they'll blow us down. To stand tall, you must bow low.

Stand firm, bow low, and lastly, hang on. You can't stand tall unless you're willing to look beyond to catch the vision. Daniel hung on. Daniel persevered. Daniel never gave up in the tough times. Daniel didn't hang on to something; he hung on to someone. He was a captive in a foreign land, and Daniel hung on. Separated from home and family, Daniel hung on.

In the midst of heathen culture, Daniel hung on. In a sex-centered, thrill-jaded, morally twisted, corrupt society, Daniel hung on in Babylon. With his life on the line, Daniel hung on. Betrayed by working associates, lied about, ridiculed in the midst of jealousy and envy, Daniel hung on. Facing his greatest trial in old age, Daniel hung on.

The story is told of an old woman dying of cancer. Her life is ebbing away, her strength is gone, her energy is spent, her mind is mush. She can hardly remember a thing. True, she's been a Christian all her life. She memorized hundreds of Bible passages. Her favorite: 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 12. "I know whom I've believed, and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed to him until that day."

As her sickness progressed, she could only remember one phrase: "He's able to keep that which I have committed to him." Her memory faltered. She couldn't remember much more. "Committed to him. Committed to him." On her deathbed, the entire passage faded from memory except one word: "Him." She kept repeating it over and over. She was hanging on to Him. She was clinging to Him, and that's enough, my friend.

Through his life, Daniel stood tall because he stood firm. He would not compromise his integrity. He stood tall because he bowed low. He realized his spiritual strength came from the God of heaven. He stood tall because in all the circumstances of life, he hung on to Him, to Jesus Christ. Every time we see him in the book of Daniel, he's still standing.

At the banquet hall of the king in chapter 1, he's still standing. At the University of Babylon in chapter 2, he's still standing. In Belshazzar's banquet hall in chapter 5, he's still standing. Faced with the threat of the lions' den, he's still standing in chapter 6. Kingdoms rise and fall, but Daniel is still standing. Babylon gives way to Medo-Persia, but Daniel is still standing.

Kings ascend and descend on their thrones. There's Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus, Darius, but Daniel succeeds them all. He's still standing. Empires collapse, decades pass, kings die, but Daniel is still standing. D.A. Carson, in his book *For the Love of God*, says, "People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord."

We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance. We drift toward disobedience and call it freedom. We drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation. We slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we've escaped legalism. We slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we've been liberated. My friend, by the grace of God, stand firm.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at HopeLives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: By the grace of God, stand firm. By the grace of God, bow low. By the grace of God, hang on. By the grace of God, never give up. By the grace of God, catch the vision of a better land. And in the end time, you too will be standing. I'll never give up; Jesus is coming. I love the song "It's Darkest Just Before Dawn". I'll never give up; Jesus is coming. I'll keep holding on.

Friend of mine, let me pray for you right now that God will help you to hold on, and by His grace, through His strength and in His power, never give up. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for the call of Jesus, the call to hang on, the call never to give up, the call to trust you completely. Lord, may compromise not be part of our lives. May we not go down the slippery slope of compromise, but keep us faithful to you today and forever. In Jesus' name, Amen.