Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: Daniel is a hero because Daniel experienced God even in the midst of pressure and opposition and challenge, and he was true to his commitment to his God.

Greg: Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the senior pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and a professor in biblical studies at Biola University. Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled Heroes. Let’s listen as JP gives us part one of Daniel.

JP Jones: If you have your Bibles, would you open to the book of Daniel, chapter 1? The book of Daniel is a very profound and powerful book in the Bible. You could probably say that about every one of them, but Daniel is the story not only of a man of integrity and a man who lived as an example in a foreign land, but it’s filled with all these dynamic prophecies that unravel some of the mysteries of God’s kingdom plan.

Daniel has many of the prophetic words that speak not only to the days that Daniel lived but to the days that were to come, the days that have been fulfilled already, and the days that are in the future. In fact, Jesus quotes from the book of Daniel in Matthew chapter 24 when he speaks about the signs of his second coming. The book of Revelation alludes to Daniel when it speaks and reveals to us the plan that God has for the ages, especially the end of the age, the apocalypse, and the final consummation of his kingdom plan.

Daniel is filled with those prophetic visions and dreams and messages to us. And so many people study the book of Daniel and become, appropriately so, enamored in that study. And yet there is also in the book of Daniel the testimony of a godly man who lived in a pagan culture.

And what I want to talk about this morning isn’t so much the mysteries and apocalyptic revelations of Daniel, but the example that Daniel himself gives to us as someone who lived as a stranger in a strange land. Someone who lived as a follower of his God in the midst of a pagan culture and yet was contagious in his faith so that he influenced a whole nation because of his love for God and his faithfulness.

Daniel is a hero because Daniel experienced God even in the midst of pressure and opposition and challenge, and he was true to his commitment to his God. Daniel is a hero because, like all the other guys that we’ve been looking at, the primary character in the story of Daniel is God himself.

Daniel chapter 1 tells us kind of a brief introduction of what is to come in the rest of the book. Around 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, who was the ruler of the Babylonian Chaldean Empire, the dominant culture at the time, invades Israel and Judah and Jerusalem. And he begins a series of attacks to totally displace the Jewish culture.

First of all, he comes in and he takes away all the choice young men who were to be the future rulers of the country. And then that’s followed by a second invasion and thirdly by a complete destruction of the city. Daniel was part of that group of exiles that was taken when Nebuchadnezzar first came in in 605 BC and brought back a whole bunch of captives into Babylon.

And because he was one of the leading outstanding youths of his culture, he was assimilated, or the effort was to seek to assimilate him, into the Babylonian culture. And so he, along with some of his friends, were trained in all the wisdom and culture and literature and customs of Babylon.

And in Daniel chapter 1, what we’re introduced to right away is the integrity of this young man. And the first thing that I want us to see as we learn from Daniel’s example is this: Daniel did not compromise with the world. Daniel did not compromise with the world.

See, Romans chapter 12:2 says this, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Did you know that the world has a mold that it wants to squeeze every one of us into? I remember as a kid when I used to play with Play-Doh and it had those plastic molds. There was one of them where you take all this Play-Doh and you put it into this mold and you turn this crank, and then out would come this form of the dough that had been pressured by going through this plastic crank, right?

It’s as if we are Play-Doh and the culture is the crank that tries to make every one of us shape to its pattern. And the Bible says, "Do not be conformed to this world." Well, Daniel is an example of a guy who took that to heart because part of the training program of these Jewish exiles was to not only teach them the culture and wisdom and literature of Babylon, but to feed them all the food of Babylon.

Now, I don’t know what they ate, but if you’ve ever done any exotic traveling, by the way, when I travel, when I go on mission trips, I’m kind of like, "Hey, when in Rome do as the Romans do." I just commit my life into the hands of the living God and I eat whatever they put in front of me and pray that I don’t get sick.

One time I was served in Mexico on a mission trip, because I was the guest teacher and speaker, the delicacy of this particular village, which was the intestines of a goat with all the stuff that was in the intestines when they killed the goat and they cooked it. And they served it to me, and they had smiles on their faces and wanted to see how I would respond. So I prayed to be protected and I ate it.

Daniel said, "You know what? The diet that the Babylonians had was a violation of the dietary laws that were revealed in the scriptures." And for him to eat those foods wouldn't just be, "Man, this is going to make me sick." It would mean he would have to compromise what God had commanded him as a faithful follower of his law.

And so Daniel determined in his heart not to compromise and he came up with an alternative and he appealed to the official and he found grace in the eyes of the official. And Daniel’s alternative was accepted and so Daniel was able to eat vegetables and drink water and not defile himself with the king’s choice food because Daniel was committed not to compromise even in the area of what he ate.

Later on in the book of Daniel, in Daniel chapter 6, Daniel had risen to a place of prominence because of his spiritual wisdom and insight and the counsel that he gave to the various kings. He was put in a place of rulership. And there was jealousy among the astrologers and wise men of Babylon over how this Israelite had come into their culture and yet had risen to a place of prominence.

And so they plotted among themselves to figure out how they could get Daniel. And it says in Daniel 6 that they knew they weren’t going to be able to come up with anything related to his character because he was a person of absolute integrity. And so they said, "The only way we’re going to be able to trip him up is in reference to his worship of his God."

So they went to the king behind Daniel’s back and said, "You know what, O King, we think you are the incarnation of God on earth. So we think you ought to set up a law that says you are the only one to be worshipped, and no one can worship any other god but you." And that appealed to the pride of the king, so he said, "Sounds good."

And they had a law, the law of the Medes and the Persians, which said once you enacted a law it had to stay the way it was. So he wrote it into the books. And see, they did it because they knew Daniel wouldn’t worship him. And sure enough, Daniel continued the worship of the one true God.

In fact, it says that Daniel went up into his room on a regular basis and would bow his knees toward Jerusalem and would pray to the God of heaven and earth. And visibly through the window, they could see Daniel continue to worship the one true God in violation of the edict of the king. And it was because of that that Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den.

And the king, who loved Daniel, realized the mistake that he made. He said, "Daniel, I pray that your God will deliver you from the lions." And Daniel was thrown into the lions' den. It says the king couldn’t sleep at all, couldn't experience any kind of entertainment. He was up all night worrying about Daniel.

The next morning, he got up as early as he could, he ran to the mouth of the cave where Daniel was thrown in and said, "Daniel, has your God saved you?" And Daniel spoke back and said, "God sent an angel and shut the mouths of the lions, and I am still here, O King, so don't worry yourself." And the king had Daniel taken out and all of those wise men and astrologers thrown into the lions' den.

And it says before they even reached the ground, the lions jumped up and consumed them and crushed their bones. Because Daniel, you see, even when threatened with death, would not compromise his love for God and his worship of God. Daniel was a man of spiritual integrity. He did not compromise with the world.

See, the Bible tells us this in 1 John 2:15 to 17: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, is not of the Father, but it’s of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust is passing away. But he who does the will of God abides forever."

John says don’t love the world or the things in the world. And then he says let me tell you what they are: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life. It’s the top three. It’s the enemy’s top three that trip us up all the time. In fact, it’s a great strategy because it works.

You go all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 when the serpent appears in the garden with Eve. They’re in perfect fellowship with God, perfect relationship with God. Clear commandment from God: "Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." That’s it. Other than that, enjoy me, love me, enjoy my commandment, enjoy my creation, steward what I’ve given to you, enjoy each other.

Perfect environment. Serpent comes in and says, "Did God really say that? Did God really say you shouldn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?" Adam’s standing there like a dummy and doesn't say anything. Eve says, "Well, God said we can't eat from it or touch it or we'll die." Well, God never said don't touch it.

So the fact that she gets into this mind game and conversation with Satan shows that she’s already losing the discussion. Note to self: don’t ever get into a conversation with Satan. You’ll lose. Just say, "I rebuke you in the name of the Lord." She gets into the conversation, she’s already down the road of being deceived.

And then it says she starts looking at it and goes, "Wow, that’s going to taste really good." Lust of the flesh. "You know, I love the way that appears. It really has a great appearance." Lust of the eyes. "You know, if I eat, it’s going to make me wise." Pride of life. And she ate it, and spiritually that day they died.

Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, boastful pride of life. That’s what Satan tried to do with Jesus, only Jesus resisted. Lust of the flesh: "Turn these stones to bread." Lust of the eyes: "I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the earth." Boastful pride of life: "Jump off the temple and the angels will come gather you and everybody will worship you."

Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, boastful pride of life. John says, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. For all that’s in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, it’s not from the Father, it’s from the world. And the world is passing away and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever."

Daniel would not compromise with the world. We need to learn from his example by not allowing ourselves to have pockets of our lives where we love the world via the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6: "No one can serve two masters, for either you will hate the one and love the other, or else you will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon."

"Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

"Therefore, do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

You’ve got enough stuff today to be occupied with. Don't be thinking about tomorrow, next week, next year, 20 years from now. Because Jesus says when you get worried about that stuff it consumes you because it reveals that your love is for something other than him. It’s the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the boastful pride of life because that’s the stuff that we worry about.

It’s the world, and it’s a compromise with the world, which will always mess us up. Always. So we learn from Daniel not to compromise with the world. Here’s a second thing we learn from Daniel: Daniel sought the Lord for wisdom and spiritual understanding. Daniel sought the Lord for wisdom and understanding.

See, that’s the feature that jumps out when you read the book of Daniel: how he was able to interpret dreams, understand revelations, give counsel to kings, understand God speaking to himself. Daniel was a person who had tremendous wisdom, tremendous spiritual understanding, tremendous insight. And yet the Bible clearly reveals in the book of Daniel that Daniel received that from God.

And Daniel received that because he sought it from God. It wasn’t that Daniel was a member of Mensa and had a PhD from Harvard, and that’s why he was able to just give these wise insights. No, it was because Daniel sought the Lord and the Holy Spirit revealed wisdom and understanding to him, just like any of us can seek the Lord, and God will respond and give us spiritual wisdom and understanding.

It says, here’s an example of this in Daniel chapter 2. The king had a dream and he was perplexed because he didn’t understand the meaning of the dream. And so he got all of his wise astrologers and counselors and said, "I want you to interpret the dream." And they said, "Okay, tell us the dream so we can interpret it." He says, "No, it’s not going to work that way. You tell me the dream, and then you tell me what it means."

And they all said, "Who could tell you the dream first and then interpret it for you?" And he said, "Well, if you can’t tell me the dream and then interpret it, your heads are going to get chopped off." And then one of the guys said, "Hey, there’s a guy Daniel, one of the Jewish exiles, who has the spirit of God in him. And God speaks to him and reveals things to him. Maybe he can understand the dream."

So they went and got Daniel. And in Daniel chapter 2 it says: So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—we know them as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—that they might seek mercies from God, the God of heaven, concerning this secret so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. And Daniel said, "Blessed be the name of the God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his, and he changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and he raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him."

"I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might and you have made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s demand." And therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king’s servant had appointed to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And he went and said to him, "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation."

And Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said thus to him: "I have found a man of the captives of Judah who will make known to you, the king, the interpretation." The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I've seen and its interpretation?"

Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these."

And then he revealed to him the dream and then he gave him the interpretation. And over and over and over again in the book of Daniel, Daniel acknowledges that it’s the God of heaven who makes these things known. And he appeals to the God of heaven through prayer and fasting and confession and asks God to give him wisdom and understanding and spiritual discernment.

You see, the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Wow. In fact, I want you to repeat that with me. So repeat after me: The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Greg: What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we’d like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today's date. We’ll send it your way for just $5. Or if you’d like to support this ministry, you can write us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653.

Or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That’s 949-916-0250. For your gift of $25 or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP’s new book, Facing Goliath. Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or check us out on the web at crosslinechurch.com. We're going to get to the address and phone number again in a minute, but before we do that, Pastor JP, do you have any insight from today's message?

JP Jones: Thanks, Greg. We're in a series entitled Heroes. We're looking at people from the Old Testament who had a strong faith and surrendered life to God. They weren't heroes because there was something extraordinary about their life. They didn't have a special anointing that the rest of us don't have access to. They were normal human beings, but their lives were surrendered to God.

They had a strong faith in God. They asked God to do something great in their life, and God chose them to be ambassadors of his kingdom message for their generation. And you know, God's looking for men and women like that today. He's looking for people who will stand up for him and give their whole lives to him and be used by him to serve his kingdom purpose.

We live in a world that’s in desperate need of salvation, that’s in desperate need of the love of God, that’s in desperate need of God’s truth, and we get to be the kind of people who represent that and serve the King of kings. Daniel was a person like that in his generation. Daniel was taken into captivity from Israel into Babylon. He was a youth, a choice youth. He was one of the young leaders that was going to be groomed for leadership over God's people.

And he was taken into captivity and he was made to be a servant within the Babylonian captivity. But Daniel had set it in his heart to serve the Lord and to obey the commands of God and was unwilling to compromise his commitment to God. And because of Daniel's strong faith and unwillingness to compromise, he stood out as an example to a pagan world.

In fact, the whole book of Daniel in one respect tells us how to live as strangers in a strange land. How to live as kingdom citizens in the world's kingdom. And that’s what we need to know as followers of Christ because we live in a fallen world and we live in a world system that is controlled by the evil one.

But we are children of God, we're children of light, we're children of Christ's kingdom. And so Daniel’s example tells us how to live as examples and witnesses in a world that is turned against God. And how to become people who advance God’s kingdom in enemy territory. Daniel was a person who gave his whole life to God because he understood that his source of wisdom and his source of understanding came from God.

In fact, that’s what the Bible says. The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. You know, some of us may have a higher IQ than others. That tells us that we’ve been given by God a greater potential to learn and understand facts. But true wisdom and true knowledge isn't just about facts.

It’s about perspective, it’s about spiritual truth, it’s about understanding right from wrong, it’s about having a moral perspective. That comes from God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. And Daniel was a person who feared the Lord, and so he was used by God in his generation.

We can be people who fear the Lord and gain from God his wisdom and his understanding so that we can stand out as lights in a dark world. Would you be willing to surrender your whole life to God, to fear the Lord, so that he might give you his wisdom and his understanding and you might be used to be his representative in this generation?

That’s the issue. Let’s talk to God. Father, I pray that we would be like Daniel and fear the Lord. I pray that you would put it in our hearts to surrender our lives to you, to have a huge view of you, to be your servants, to be people who receive your wisdom and your understanding and who stand up for God in our generation. Use us for that, I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Greg: We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or call us at 949-916-0250. That’s 949-916-0250. On the internet you will find us at crosslinechurch.com.

We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to crosslinechurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.