WEBVTT 00:00:00.860 --> 00:00:03.140 Daniel chapter two is where we are together. 00:00:03.280 --> 00:00:10.300 We're exploring this new series on the "Cultural Collision" that takes place with our faith as it interacts in 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:10.720 this world. 00:00:11.280 --> 00:00:15.320 How do we stand with God knowing that culture isn't always going to align with him? 00:00:15.340 --> 00:00:19.480 How do we walk wisely in this world when faith and culture collides? 00:00:19.900 --> 00:00:22.080 And the Bible really speaks amply to that. 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:29.200 And the reason it does is because, we study scripture, the Bible tells us, that the purpose for our existence is found in our relationship with God lived out 00:00:29.200 --> 00:00:30.580 in our relationship with others. 00:00:30.580 --> 00:00:37.960 And so because the Bible knows we're going to do a lot of interaction with people, it encourages us in the way we interact with people and that's 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:39.100 what develops culture. 00:00:39.120 --> 00:00:45.710 People develop culture and so the Bible speaks amply in how we walk wisely in the world when faith in culture collide. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:52.280 But the reality that sometimes we're blind to how our culture may create some idols. 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:55.870 And I want to talk about just a few of those this morning. 00:00:56.520 --> 00:01:01.970 One of the stories that I've really appreciated in a book called "Recapture the Wonder" is written by Ravi Zacharias. 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:10.020 He talks about the degrading or the digression of our society and the way that we think and how that's happened culturally over 00:01:10.020 --> 00:01:10.940 the decades. 00:01:10.940 --> 00:01:16.450 In his book "Recapture the Wonder", he's encouraging people to go back to a life of worship. 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:19.850 One that you were more apt to do when you were a child then when you are an adult. 00:01:20.020 --> 00:01:23.960 When you're a kid, this world is your playground and you are just mesmerized by it. 00:01:24.020 --> 00:01:28.120 And everything captivates your attention and you're in wonder over it. 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:35.880 And somethings happens when you get to the age of an adult where you just kind of get worn down, maybe not as much 00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:41.780 recognition towards the things around you that you might've put recognition towards as a child and appreciation of it. 00:01:42.360 --> 00:01:49.380 And so he writes about that and he writes about the cultures, the continuation in our society and how it's caused us 00:01:49.380 --> 00:01:50.540 to think certain ways. 00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:51.190 And this is what he says. 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:56.140 He says, "In the 1950s kids lost their innocence. 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:04.560 They were liberated from their parents by well paying jobs, cars and lyrics and music that gave rise to a new term, "the generation gap." In 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.080 the 1960s kids lost their authority. 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:08.460 It was a decade of protest. 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:12.520 Church, state and parents were called into question and found wanting. 00:02:12.860 --> 00:02:16.080 Their authority was rejected, yet nothing ever replaced it. 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:18.740 In the 1970s kids lost their love. 00:02:19.140 --> 00:02:23.400 It was a decade of me-ism dominated by hyphenated words beginning with self. 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:26.060 Self-image, self-esteem and self-assertion. 00:02:26.380 --> 00:02:27.900 It made for a lonely world. 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:35.080 Kids learn everything there was to know about sex and forgot everything there was to know about love and no one had the nerve to tell them there was a difference. 00:02:35.920 --> 00:02:38.050 In the 1980s kids lost their hope. 00:02:38.200 --> 00:02:42.170 Stripped of innocence, authority in love and plagued by the horror of a nuclear nightmare. 00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:46.260 Large and growing numbers of this generation stopped believing in the future. 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:50.040 In the 1990s kids lost their power to reason. 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:57.880 Less and less they were taught the very basics of language, truth and logic, and they grew up with the irrationality of a postmodern 00:02:57.880 --> 00:02:58.230 world. 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:05.490 In the new millennium, kids woke up and found out that somewhere in the midst of all this change, they had lost their imagination. 00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:13.660 Violence and perversion entertain them, till none could talk of killing innocence since none was innocent any more." 00:03:15.640 --> 00:03:22.320 I think Ravi Zacharias does a beautiful job within the context of that, Illustrating the influence of culture. 00:03:23.720 --> 00:03:31.420 The question we just want to ask as we go through this series of Daniels, how we let our faith impact the 00:03:31.420 --> 00:03:36.380 culture around us without becoming a detractor in the identity of who Christ is. 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:45.120 We want to live our lives in such a way that God can work through us rather than despite us, or through us rather 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:46.720 than around us. 00:03:47.980 --> 00:03:50.280 You know, we talk about God working through us. 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:57.360 I think it's important just to pause before we read any further and Daniel and just say, we're not claiming that we have the solution to 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:58.280 be perfect in life. 00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:04.080 There is a sinful battle that rages in our hearts between who's going to be Lord of our lives, us or the Lord. 00:04:05.320 --> 00:04:08.120 And so we're not perfect people. 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:09.490 We're not claiming to be perfect. 00:04:10.100 --> 00:04:14.280 And I think it's also important to recognize that God still works despite our imperfections. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:20.579 In fact, when you consider the story of Daniel, Daniel and his people were taken into captivity because of their disobedience to God. 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:25.100 Yet God in their midst was not finished with them, yet God continued to work through them. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:30.820 I think even in our faults, even our sins, even in our failures, we can still give glory to God. 00:04:30.960 --> 00:04:35.200 And even in my relationship to my own children as a father figure, I can blow it before my kids. 00:04:36.380 --> 00:04:43.560 I have opportunity, even in my failures, to acknowledge before them the glory of the Lord, by pointing to them where I made my mistake and 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:49.840 how I want to better follow Jesus with my life, and it still brings glory to God even in the midst of the adversity I presented to them. 00:04:51.940 --> 00:04:58.940 Daniel is a perfect example of how we can live in faith when there's this cultural collision that takes 00:04:58.940 --> 00:05:02.800 place in the tension that builds between faith in the world around us. 00:05:03.820 --> 00:05:08.330 As we looked at last week, Daniel was one who was carried off into a Babylonian captivity. 00:05:08.520 --> 00:05:15.360 Here he is with the people of God carried on the captivity in a pagan land, pagan place, given a pagan name to worship a pagan God. 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:17.150 His name changed to Belteshazzar. 00:05:17.940 --> 00:05:24.940 And yet we see in verse nine of chapter one, Daniel resolved in his heart, before he is faced with any cultural temptation, that he will pursue 00:05:24.940 --> 00:05:25.880 God with his life. 00:05:26.900 --> 00:05:34.260 You get to the end of chapter one and you find out that Daniel in his faithfulness and pursuing God and influencing the culture around him, that he outlives 00:05:34.260 --> 00:05:36.180 the entire Babylonian Empire. 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:39.320 God continues to work through him. 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:48.280 There's no mistake made in scripture when you read in the New Testament that the theme of what happens in the life of Daniel continues into New Testament 00:05:48.280 --> 00:05:48.920 literature. 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:56.340 The Bible calls us "aliens in a foreign land" or "citizens of Heaven," and sometimes illustrates that we still live in Babylon 00:05:56.340 --> 00:05:56.980 today. 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:05.080 And so what the new testament is alluding to within the context of that story is that Daniel's story is really our story and that he becomes 00:06:05.080 --> 00:06:09.420 an example for us on how to interact with a culture that may conflict with our faith. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:12.690 How do we respond? 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:16.820 Chapter two continues on that theme for us. 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:19.950 And I want you to know this morning chapter two is 49 verses. 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:25.830 And I want to think through the idea that's created within chapter two, but I'm not going to read all 49 verses. 00:06:26.080 --> 00:06:29.280 I'm going to summarize some sections for us that we don't necessarily have to read. 00:06:29.280 --> 00:06:36.600 You can go back and read all the chapter two, because, while we are acknowledging that it's important to look at every verse in the Bible and the what's 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:42.060 the painting in this verse, it's also significant to recognize chapter two is a narrative story. 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:43.600 We looked at chapter one last week. 00:06:44.080 --> 00:06:51.080 It was less verses, but an entire narrative is told in the context of chapter one to grab one 00:06:51.080 --> 00:06:51.980 main theme. 00:06:52.460 --> 00:06:57.520 When a narrative is often told it can lead to one particular point that they want to make. 00:06:57.940 --> 00:07:04.980 In the context of chapter two this morning, looking at 49 verses, again the author's telling a narrative, but he's got one main theme that he 00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:09.100 wants for us to grab ahold of within the context of this chapter. 00:07:09.100 --> 00:07:16.120 And so rather than break it down into two sections, or more, and losing focus on what the main idea is, I'm going to summarize some 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:16.960 passages for us. 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:24.460 For us to hold to the thought that God wants us to grab hold of, as he works in the life of Daniel to teach us what to do when faith 00:07:24.460 --> 00:07:25.880 and culture collide. 00:07:27.720 --> 00:07:33.820 And so as he starts to unfold the story, it begins really with the tension dealing with the king who is Nebuchadnezzar at the time. 00:07:33.900 --> 00:07:41.330 And so it says, "Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams." So this is multiple dreams that the king is having. 00:07:41.640 --> 00:07:45.220 "And his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. 00:07:46.200 --> 00:07:53.420 Then the king gave orders to call all the magicians, the conjurers and the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. 00:07:54.080 --> 00:08:01.080 So they came in and stood before the king." Now I don't know if you like to have some visuals while you read, so for me, 00:08:01.140 --> 00:08:06.940 when I read this story, I just pictured all of the Disney cartoon characters that were all the bad people within the stories. 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:11.000 Like of Aladdin and Little Mermaid and Cinderella. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.730 Yes, all those bad sorcerers, that's here. 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:15.500 That's what's happening in this story. 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:21.260 So all that Disney characters are gathered around the king trying to give him this information about his dream. 00:08:21.280 --> 00:08:26.280 And so one of the things that I think is important to recognize that you start the context of the story, the king is certainly troubled. 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:30.060 But to look at the authority of the King really sets up the context of this narrative. 00:08:31.020 --> 00:08:33.600 Babylon is the world empire at this time. 00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:37.480 There is no one more powerful than the king. 00:08:37.520 --> 00:08:44.340 So if there is someone with the capabilities of solving every problem in life, surely it's the most interesting man in the world, right? 00:08:45.880 --> 00:08:46.600 Not the Dos Equis guy. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:48.060 Nebuchadnezzar. 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:56.120 Babylon became such a prominent empire that even in our culture today, we continue to write and sing lyrics about it. 00:08:56.580 --> 00:09:04.200 In fact, just for a nerd moment I Google'd how many lyrics in American music exists with the word Babylon. 00:09:04.520 --> 00:09:09.840 And there are over 1,400 published songs in America today that have this word Babylon in it. 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:15.300 So this empire was one of authority, one that resonated throughout history. 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.220 And this king is the most powerful individual in the world. 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:25.240 And yet, even in his power, the king still wrestles with his soul. 00:09:27.880 --> 00:09:31.430 I think this sort of levels the playing field for us to relate to the story. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:34.540 It doesn't matter who you are. 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:37.210 All of us have struggles. 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:41.620 All of us have certain things that might leave us awake at night. 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:46.480 Challenges that we may not find the power within ourselves to overcome. 00:09:48.020 --> 00:09:53.860 And here within the context of this dream, the king calls all the wise people in the world around him to help him in this moment. 00:09:55.020 --> 00:09:57.000 And then the king does something interesting in verse five. 00:09:57.140 --> 00:09:58.840 It says this, "The king replied to the Chaldeans. 00:10:00.060 --> 00:10:02.400 The command from me is firm. 00:10:03.420 --> 00:10:10.700 If you do not make known to me the dream and it's interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a 00:10:10.700 --> 00:10:15.210 rubbish heap." I think the king's probably part British, he says rubbish in this passage. 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:20.540 But this king is like, "I want you to wear this weight with me. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:26.780 So much so, I am gonna rip you to pieces if you don't solve this for me." You see the weight of the circumstance. 00:10:27.020 --> 00:10:32.760 And here's the crazy part with these individuals that are supposed to interpret the dream: the king's not even going to tell them what the dream is. 00:10:33.880 --> 00:10:38.640 The king's practicing some wisdom in this, because he knows what it means to be king. 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:42.800 Everyone else that's under him is going going to play kiss up, to try to be next to him. 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:44.840 They want to just name drop to their friends. 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:49.580 "I'm second command with the king now, because I told them everything that he wanted to hear at the time he wanted to hear it. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:56.620 And so now he considers me his best friend, making me the most second powerful individual in the world." And so the king knows this. 00:10:56.620 --> 00:10:59.680 He says to the wise men, I'm not going to tell you the dream. 00:11:00.280 --> 00:11:07.280 And I want you to interpret the dream so that when you give me the interpretation of the dream, I know that your interpretation is correct because I haven't 00:11:07.280 --> 00:11:08.720 shared what the dream is with anybody. 00:11:09.920 --> 00:11:12.640 Oh, and by the way, we'll tear you limb from limb if you don't. 00:11:13.780 --> 00:11:16.500 The story goes on that day began to delay with the king. 00:11:16.540 --> 00:11:18.320 They start to talk back and forth to the king. 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:19.690 King's like, "I know you're just delaying. 00:11:20.040 --> 00:11:27.220 Giving me the answer." And eventually he gets frustrated with them, and he says this in verse 11, "Moreover," the wise men talking here, it says, 00:11:27.400 --> 00:11:35.320 "the thing which the kingdom demands is difficult and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods who's 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:41.220 dwelling place is not with mortal flesh." So they're saying, king, you're asking the wrong people here. 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:42.630 We're just people. 00:11:43.280 --> 00:11:45.460 The only one that could possibly do what you're saying is God. 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:52.720 And so verse 12, "Because of this, the king became indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:54.380 all the wise men of Babylon. 00:11:55.040 --> 00:11:58.220 So the decree went forth that the wise man should be slain. 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:05.680 And they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them." You remember the context of the story last week that Daniel became a vegetarian and all of a 00:12:05.680 --> 00:12:08.340 sudden he became the most popular man in the kingdom, right? 00:12:08.900 --> 00:12:10.880 Not to say that being a vegetarian will do that. 00:12:11.680 --> 00:12:18.140 But to say that God's favor was on Daniel, and he used that as a means to leverage Daniel and his position in Babylon. 00:12:19.040 --> 00:12:25.880 And so when Daniel was placed in this position in Babylon with his friend, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they immediately became wise man. 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:29.940 So chapter one, the king said, I'm going to train you in my schools for three years. 00:12:30.260 --> 00:12:33.360 You're gonna have all the servants, all the great food, all the clothing, whatever you want in life. 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:36.430 Three years, you're going to be trained, then you're going to become wise men in my court. 00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:39.340 Daniel sort of got to fast track, all of that. 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:41.760 And he instantly becomes this wise man with his friends. 00:12:41.760 --> 00:12:45.040 And so now that means Daniel gets to get killed with the rest of them. 00:12:46.160 --> 00:12:53.240 And then verse 14, "Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment, Arioch, the kings 00:12:53.240 --> 00:13:00.470 bodyguards are going forth to slay the wise men of Babylon." So what it's saying, Arioch is the executioner. 00:13:03.280 --> 00:13:08.500 And Daniel, in meeting the execution face to face, he gives two words in the way that he reacts. 00:13:08.660 --> 00:13:14.120 Now I want to kind of position the king's response to Daniel's response. 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:16.960 This isn't the only adjectives they use in verse 12 for the King's response. 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:19.380 There's several things to describe it, but it's still paints the picture here. 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:22.860 That the king in verse 12 became indignant and very furious. 00:13:24.040 --> 00:13:28.480 And yet Daniel and his reaction has discretion and discernment. 00:13:28.580 --> 00:13:34.340 This discretion and discernment in Aramaic language, which it's written in literally means wise and tasteful. 00:13:35.860 --> 00:13:42.740 So Daniel not only knows what to say, but he has an approach that impacts the heart in which he's communicating it to. 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:47.480 It's like Daniel is doing something that probably Nathaniel could not do. 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:50.660 Because it would read like this, if this story was about me. 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:55.160 It would say, "Arioch came to the door and Nathaniel roundhouse kicked him to the face. 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:59.100 And he ran away and everyone else was killed but Nathaniel andeveryone's still looking for him". 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:01.590 That would have been my not godly response. 00:14:02.020 --> 00:14:03.560 The executioner's at your door, honey. 00:14:03.560 --> 00:14:06.880 After I got done peeing my pants, I would have fought for my life and ran away. 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:07.080 Right? 00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:10.220 There's something about Daniel in this story. 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:15.120 Something I think that's significant for all of us to recognize. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:23.480 And the context of this gives way to something magnificent that God is producing within his people, even in the midst of captivity. 00:14:25.610 --> 00:14:28.770 And the positioning of these two individuals can leaves us with a question. 00:14:31.160 --> 00:14:35.400 When a challenge arises in your life, who or what do you honor? 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:42.820 When adversity comes, what do you choose to recognize? 00:14:46.380 --> 00:14:53.400 In the context of this story, you see this king's character playing out and the king kind of shoots 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:58.080 off at the mouth, because honestly the king really cares just simply about the king. 00:15:00.260 --> 00:15:08.820 I mean, in our lives, if we've ever reacted to a circumstance where we attacked other people, typically 00:15:08.820 --> 00:15:15.610 in those types of situations, the individual that we're looking out for is not for the person that we're coming against, but rather just for self. 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:17.040 Right? 00:15:17.140 --> 00:15:24.080 Like if somebody irritates you and upset you, it's because they haven't honored you the way that you feel like you deserve because you're king. 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:31.100 And so because the king in this story is the most powerful man in the world, he's learned that he is the source of all things in life. 00:15:31.420 --> 00:15:36.860 And so if anyone maligns against the king, they need to be placed in their proper position because life is all about him. 00:15:37.680 --> 00:15:43.860 In fact, in chapter three, you're going to see where this king builds a statue and calls all the people of his empire to bow before him as if he's Lord. 00:15:45.900 --> 00:15:51.020 And so you see in this situation where the king, desires people to align themselves with him. 00:15:51.020 --> 00:15:56.840 And so the question then comes for us when challenges arise, who do you honor? 00:15:58.900 --> 00:16:02.160 Do you react as the king reacts or do you act as Daniel acts? 00:16:04.060 --> 00:16:09.540 And so the encouragement with this passage of scripture, as you look at the Daniel's actions, wise, tasteful. 00:16:09.560 --> 00:16:14.780 You look at the king's reactions of being indignant and very furious. 00:16:14.780 --> 00:16:22.140 The encouragement becomes for us to consider the circumstances and say, don't allow your circumstances to dictate 00:16:22.140 --> 00:16:23.580 who you are. 00:16:26.520 --> 00:16:27.240 Adversity will rise. 00:16:30.680 --> 00:16:37.780 One of the questions that we can ask ourselves in looking at this passage: even today as Christians we can say, I 00:16:37.780 --> 00:16:39.780 follow God and I honor God. 00:16:40.060 --> 00:16:44.280 And then maybe in the backdrop of that, we could ask the question, but do I really? 00:16:45.300 --> 00:16:46.140 Do I really? 00:16:47.640 --> 00:16:48.150 How do I know? 00:16:49.060 --> 00:16:50.300 I can verbally say it. 00:16:50.300 --> 00:16:52.020 It's easy to do when life's going easy. 00:16:52.020 --> 00:16:55.400 But about how do I really know, in my life, I honor God?. 00:16:55.400 --> 00:17:00.500 And I would say this, one of the greatest lessons in life, to teach us what we truly honor, that's done in adversity. 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:03.180 Where does your heart go? 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:07.339 What do you choose to honor in life? 00:17:09.020 --> 00:17:13.520 The king's self preservation, his identity. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:15.720 He was maligned against. 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:16.470 Justice for him. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:19.300 But Daniel's actions are a little different. 00:17:21.520 --> 00:17:28.880 Daniel, in the midst of the circumstance still walks with wisdom because his pursuit isn't necessarily his honor, but rather his pursuit in 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:30.240 life is God's honor. 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:35.960 And so the encouragement then through Daniel becomes don't allow circumstances to dictate who you are. 00:17:36.280 --> 00:17:38.620 Then it begs the question, who am I? 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:42.860 Who in the world am I? 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:52.560 When we ask that question sometimes I fear that the cultural inundation of our society has taught us to approach 00:17:52.560 --> 00:17:56.680 it a little bit backwards or beginning from the wrong source of origin. 00:17:58.260 --> 00:18:05.260 And I think in our culture we often influenced this idea of self esteem and looking within yourself and going on this 00:18:05.260 --> 00:18:06.520 journey of self discovery. 00:18:06.860 --> 00:18:14.020 But I just want to encourage us to think not so much in the context of what culture teaches, but maybe more of a biblical basis and answering the question, 00:18:14.340 --> 00:18:15.280 who are you? 00:18:15.280 --> 00:18:22.400 Because if you allow circumstances, or you recognize that circumstances will arise in your life and you don't have an answer to that question, then 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:26.640 you allow circumstances to dictate your response. 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:33.940 But when you have shaped your identity, regardless of the circumstance, you will act in that moment to honor the identity of 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:35.220 who you believe you are. 00:18:36.020 --> 00:18:36.500 So who are you? 00:18:38.540 --> 00:18:39.220 Ask that question. 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:48.380 Begin by saying that the thought of answering doesn't necessitate an invitation to begin that 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:50.840 quest within yourself. 00:18:52.580 --> 00:18:59.320 We don't look in ourselves to discover who we are because the purpose of our existence isn't found in ourselves. 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:04.660 The reason is because you aren't the source for your existence. 00:19:06.520 --> 00:19:06.860 God is. 00:19:08.540 --> 00:19:12.160 Therefore the purpose of your existence isn't found in you. 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:14.820 But outside of you. 00:19:16.060 --> 00:19:23.180 So we've been taught culturally to look within self, because as culture we have been taught that we are the autonomous authority for our existence. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:25.690 What do you feel? 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:26.300 What do you think? 00:19:27.040 --> 00:19:33.020 The idea of opinion becomes very important in that sort of environment because you've been taught the solution to everything is within you. 00:19:33.020 --> 00:19:35.600 And so the pursuit of life becomes all about you. 00:19:36.840 --> 00:19:42.140 And so in that what happens is adversity then tends to reveal where we find our value and identity. 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:46.700 And as people we aren't secure in ourselves. 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:50.520 We'll look for it in other people who might shape that identity for us. 00:19:50.580 --> 00:19:57.660 Or if you're in the position of a king, when someone comes against you because you see yourself as the ultimate of authority and identity, you 00:19:57.660 --> 00:19:58.740 defend yourself. 00:20:00.100 --> 00:20:05.380 But the life of Daniel, his pursue was bigger than self. 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:11.240 So rather than live in that moment for himself, he turned to God. 00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:18.120 Now, let me talk about this idea of self esteem for a moment. 00:20:18.840 --> 00:20:23.140 I'm not saying, in a counter to this thought of self esteem. 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:24.980 I'm not saying to think less of yourself. 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:30.280 Rather, what I am saying is to think of self less. 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:36.080 Because the source of our existence does not begin with us. 00:20:36.100 --> 00:20:43.340 Rather we point to the sign of the meaning of life because we have been intimately and intentionally woven. 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:52.240 So it's an unpopular thought, and a neglect thought today in our culture to say, I 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:59.480 don't think most of our problems in life are because we don't think enough 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:00.300 of ourselves. 00:21:01.660 --> 00:21:03.420 I realize that's popular in culture. 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:10.680 "We need to build your self-esteem." I don't think the source of our problem is that we don't think enough of ourselves. 00:21:13.100 --> 00:21:16.240 Rather, I tend to think the source of our problems that we think too much of ourselves. 00:21:17.840 --> 00:21:22.960 If we actually believe the foundation for life is within us, even though it wasn't created by us. 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:32.880 So I don't think the solution is to dig deeper in me because the answer for life isn't found with 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:33.140 in me. 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:40.680 And so when we think too much of ourselves, we tend to look within ourselves for the answer. 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:47.480 In sharing these thoughts, I think it's significant to say you are made beautifully. 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:49.050 You are made wonderfully. 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:50.830 You are made purposefully. 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:53.520 God has a plan for your life. 00:21:53.520 --> 00:21:54.970 That's why you exist. 00:21:55.120 --> 00:21:57.860 God knew before the foundations of the world that you would exist. 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:02.800 But the answer to that existence isn't found in digging deeper in you. 00:22:04.780 --> 00:22:05.560 But outside of you. 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:14.800 So the danger becomes, within our society, when we see ourselves as the autonomous moral value for discovering the reason 00:22:14.800 --> 00:22:15.700 for our existence. 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:18.870 The first thing that we start to do is to develop our worth that way. 00:22:19.340 --> 00:22:26.360 And so we'll start to try to identify our value in life by the talents that you have, the beauty that you carry, the wealth 00:22:26.360 --> 00:22:29.480 you possess and the power that you possess in your arms. 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:31.480 Like that becomes our basis. 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:38.610 And then the problem that arises in that as in life, as you think that your worth is found within you and then you develop your worth off of those images, 00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:41.500 at some point in your life, you're going to find that those things fade. 00:22:43.850 --> 00:22:45.480 That you're not always promised them. 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:49.380 Or that you might encounter someone who has more of them. 00:22:51.080 --> 00:22:51.760 So what does that mean? 00:22:53.340 --> 00:22:54.660 You're not worth as much as them? 00:22:56.320 --> 00:22:58.800 On a culture that looks within itself, yeah, that's what that means. 00:23:00.360 --> 00:23:01.880 Because that's where you've been taught to find your worth. 00:23:03.580 --> 00:23:09.160 But when you don't have and you can't perform, does that mean you have no worth? 00:23:11.820 --> 00:23:19.460 In addition to that, when we try to look within ourselves as the autonomous authority to life, it 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:22.480 becomes important for society for everyone to give their opinion. 00:23:22.560 --> 00:23:28.990 That's why today when you turn on the news, like they'll give you a news report and they'll have 17 panelists to give their opinion on what they think about the news report. 00:23:29.260 --> 00:23:33.780 And they'll spend the rest of the day talking about their opinion and probably the rest of the week if it's significant enough. 00:23:34.260 --> 00:23:39.260 And then we get everyone's opinion in the world about something that most of us don't care about, right? 00:23:39.260 --> 00:23:42.420 And the reason is because we see ourselves as autonomous authorities. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:46.260 And then what happens in a society like that is might begins to make right. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:54.000 Because, as autonomous authorities, what we believe matters most, because I'm the source of all things taught to look within myself to the answers of life. 00:23:54.580 --> 00:23:57.210 I don't appeal to any higher authority, but it rests within me. 00:23:57.600 --> 00:24:04.780 And the actions that you get then from individuals that feel maligned against in their behavior, because they are the ultimate authority, they act indignant and very furious. 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:07.400 Just like the king. 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:09.740 Now here comes the scary part. 00:24:11.100 --> 00:24:17.400 When a society moves in that trajectory, the tendency is that might makes right. 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:25.460 And it doesn't have to be the majority, it just has to be the group that screams the loudest, the longest. 00:24:25.460 --> 00:24:26.260 That's the one who wins. 00:24:27.540 --> 00:24:29.880 And so we never looked to the ultimate authority outside of ourselves. 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:34.000 We continue to look within the people who scream the loudest to dictate where the rest of us should go. 00:24:35.840 --> 00:24:37.690 I want to tell you that's exactly how Nazi Germany began. 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:45.460 In fact, historians, when they study Nazi Germany, they'll tell you that only about 20% of the people agree with the philosophy of the teaching. 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:48.600 That the majority remained silent. 00:24:50.200 --> 00:24:54.180 And in the opinion of the minority, might made right, because their voice shouted the loudest. 00:24:58.080 --> 00:24:58.780 Influencing your culture. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:11.420 We see here, within the context of this story, rather than appeal within himself for the solution, Daniel 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:12.200 goes outside of himself. 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:19.020 Because he understands the reason for his existence, isn't about him. 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:28.040 And that God has given him a platform, in recognizing life is about the Lord, that influenced the world around him in the way that 00:25:28.040 --> 00:25:28.740 he carried himself. 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:35.260 He had every opportunity in the midst of this moment to react exactly how I told you how I might react. 00:25:35.360 --> 00:25:38.260 I don't know that I would, but there's always that opportunity. 00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:43.020 Roundhouse kick to the face, pee your pants and run, right? 00:25:43.040 --> 00:25:47.200 But Daniel chooses to honor his Lord because we've already seen the resolution of Daniel 1:9. 00:25:48.340 --> 00:25:54.160 Resolve to honor God, and so his action then is about serving and to honor his king for the benefit of people. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:59.310 So he carries this wisdom and this tastefulness in the way that he approaches the world. 00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:00.610 And then he goes back. 00:26:00.620 --> 00:26:07.960 It tells us in the story they give Daniel time, perhaps because he built rapport with the king in chapter one, but they give Daniel time to go before his God. 00:26:08.020 --> 00:26:11.990 And Daniel prays and he tells his four friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to join him in praying. 00:26:12.300 --> 00:26:13.360 Praying for mercy from God. 00:26:13.360 --> 00:26:18.670 And then it tells us in verse 19, "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. 00:26:18.760 --> 00:26:25.880 Then Daniel blessed the God of Heaven." See Daniel again, is acknowledging, in his behavior, what his 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:27.320 life is ultimately about. 00:26:27.360 --> 00:26:30.400 Important for us to recognize, do I really honor God? 00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:33.180 I can say honor God all day. 00:26:34.820 --> 00:26:38.200 But the place of testing, it comes in challenge. 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:41.060 When I'm challenged, where do I go? 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:42.540 Me? 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:44.630 Indignant and furious. 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:46.740 Or wise and tasteful? 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:52.600 The response of the heart dictates what you choose to honor. 00:26:54.220 --> 00:26:54.640 Where are you? 00:26:56.760 --> 00:26:59.420 Daniel in these moments goes back and he prays before his God. 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:07.680 And he prays, and in this dream and God reveals in this vision at night what the dream is and the interpretation, which we'll get to in just a moment. 00:27:07.850 --> 00:27:09.740 And I just want to temper this verse for a minute. 00:27:10.620 --> 00:27:13.110 I want to remind us that this is a narrative story. 00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:18.920 And narratives in scripture does not necessitate this is what everyone should be doing, right? 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.270 I just want to say this, because we're talking about dreams. 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:26.510 And I've seen, just like we talked last week with Daniel chapter one, it talks about Daniel being a vegetarian. 00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:30.570 I've told you, I've seen people take those vegetarian passages to tell everyone else they need to be vegetarian. 00:27:31.060 --> 00:27:32.480 And that's not what Daniel Chapter one is teaching. 00:27:33.120 --> 00:27:34.480 If you want to be a vegetarian, great. 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:36.610 If you want to be a vegetarian, that's good too. 00:27:36.940 --> 00:27:37.340 Whatever. 00:27:37.600 --> 00:27:40.400 Just do everything in moderation like God encourages you to do in life. 00:27:40.740 --> 00:27:42.140 That's not what that passage is teaching. 00:27:42.360 --> 00:27:43.520 Same thing with Daniel chapter two. 00:27:43.520 --> 00:27:49.200 It's not telling you now, everyone let's go away this week, have dreams come back and we'll tell each other dreams and give interpretations. 00:27:49.580 --> 00:27:51.730 That's not what this is teaching in scripture. 00:27:52.120 --> 00:28:03.320 When you study dreams in the old New Testament, dreams aren't necessarily the norm, but the Bible records a few of them that happened in the Bible that 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:06.580 share with us what God's pursued is in dreams. 00:28:07.320 --> 00:28:14.320 And so when you study the Old and New Testament and you look at the dreams that take place in scripture, it's interesting that the dreams tend to align with the 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:15.240 furtherance of the Gospel. 00:28:16.440 --> 00:28:22.380 For example, when you study Isaac who Jacob and Esau. 00:28:22.600 --> 00:28:23.590 And Jacob had Joseph. 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:27.840 And Jacob's son, Joseph is known as this dream interpreter. 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:35.760 And he shares these dreams and the dreams he's sharing is how God's going to continue to work through Joseph to bring about the promise that was to come through the Messiah, the furtherance 00:28:35.760 --> 00:28:36.330 of the Gospel. 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:42.810 In the life of Daniel, you're going to see, at the end of this chapter, it's talking about the furtherance of the Gospel. 00:28:42.860 --> 00:28:46.760 Daniel even pinpoints the exact coming of Jesus in a dream or through a vision. 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:55.080 When you get to the New Testament, you see, Joseph, Mary's husband, who realizes he was not the one that got Mary pregnant and Mary's pregnant and 00:28:55.080 --> 00:28:56.020 he's freaking out about it. 00:28:56.020 --> 00:29:02.020 He doesn't know what he's going to do, and then God comes to him in a dream to tell him, hey, Jesus is coming for the furtherance of the Gospel. 00:29:02.360 --> 00:29:05.180 Peter, when he goes to Joppa, he's on top of roof and he's praying. 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:09.540 God comes to him in a vision to say, go to the Gentiles to share the Gospel. 00:29:09.660 --> 00:29:13.340 And so when a dream happens, it seems to be, in scripture, it's about the furtherance of the Gospel. 00:29:13.900 --> 00:29:20.920 And so when we talk in context of dreams, I would just warn you, if anyone says anything about a dream and it has nothing to do with Jesus and the furtherance of the Gospel, it 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:23.680 really doesn't align with what scripture talks about in the Gospel. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:29.460 Now I say all of that to say, I can't turn to a verse in the Bible that says, don't look at dreams, okay? 00:29:30.140 --> 00:29:36.520 But at the same time, I can't turn to the New Testament where the Apostle Paul writes a letter and says, "dreams are really important. 00:29:36.520 --> 00:29:43.680 Everyone interpret your dreams." Which says to me, if Paul's not teaching us how to it must not be significant for the Christian life, 00:29:43.780 --> 00:29:43.920 all right? 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:45.980 I'm not saying God can't use it. 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:47.620 I'm just saying it's not the norm. 00:29:48.020 --> 00:29:55.100 In fact, when you study Islamic countries, predominant Islamic countries, today that have no gospel presence, they tell you today the number one reason a Muslim 00:29:55.100 --> 00:29:57.580 comes to the Jesus are visions and dreams of Jesus. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:05.120 I have a friend named Yesuh who grew up in a foreign country in a predominantly Islamic area that shares his story of coming to Jesus, which was in a vision 00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:05.950 and dream of Jesus. 00:30:06.560 --> 00:30:08.220 I'm not saying God can't work this way. 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:09.700 I'm just saying it's not the norm. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:15.360 And so to look at a narrative to explore it as if it's the norm isn't normal to what God calls Christians to do. 00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:18.440 In fact, in Colossians 1:18 he does warn us here. 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:25.780 He says this, "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement," which is false humility," and 00:30:25.780 --> 00:30:32.920 the worship of angels taking his stand on visions he has seen." So he's saying, individuals are going to come 00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:37.860 to you and they're going to tell you these things that God told them to believe and they're going to claim that God told them in a dream. 00:30:37.960 --> 00:30:39.250 There's no way to really test that. 00:30:39.580 --> 00:30:46.580 But then he goes on to say this, "Inflated without cause by his fleshly mind and not holding fast to the head." There's no way to really 00:30:46.580 --> 00:30:53.420 test someone saying they had this dream or vision and whether or not it's accurate other than this: it's not pointing to Jesus. 00:30:54.320 --> 00:30:56.080 He's saying it's not holding fast to the head. 00:30:56.120 --> 00:30:56.750 The head is Christ. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:05.360 And so the warning in this passage is if someone comes to you and says they had this dream and it contradicts what God's Word says, it's not from God. 00:31:06.740 --> 00:31:08.460 Make sure all things align with God's Word. 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:10.620 That's the encouragement in this passage of scripture. 00:31:11.120 --> 00:31:16.780 And look at the continuation of dreams within the Old and New Testament, it was aligning and pointing to the Gospel. 00:31:19.100 --> 00:31:25.480 Which is why when I look at Muslims that say, "I came to know Jesus from vision and dream," I'm like, great, whatever it takes man! 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:28.240 If that's how it happened, just come to Jesus, right? 00:31:28.540 --> 00:31:30.360 But we want the biblical picture of Jesus. 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:36.760 And so Daniel in the story comes before the Lord. 00:31:36.860 --> 00:31:38.680 Praise God reveals it. 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:40.800 And then it tells us, Daniel Praises God. 00:31:42.100 --> 00:31:43.480 It continues to show where Daniel's heart is. 00:31:44.200 --> 00:31:45.780 When adversity comes, what comes out? 00:31:47.040 --> 00:31:51.080 And so he says in verse 20, "Daniel said, 'Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever. 00:31:52.120 --> 00:31:54.140 For wisdom and power belonged to him. 00:31:54.600 --> 00:31:56.710 It is He who changes the times and the epochs. 00:31:57.020 --> 00:32:01.560 He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men. 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:03.400 And knowledge to men of understanding. 00:32:03.580 --> 00:32:10.440 It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. 00:32:10.660 --> 00:32:18.060 To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what 00:32:18.060 --> 00:32:25.120 we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.'” So Daniel's saying 00:32:25.120 --> 00:32:28.280 in the context of the story, verse 22, I love this phrase here. 00:32:28.780 --> 00:32:31.460 He knows what's in the darkness. 00:32:33.780 --> 00:32:38.300 I can imagine how incredibly revealing this dream was for Daniel. 00:32:38.340 --> 00:32:40.570 We'll get to what the context of it was in just a minute. 00:32:40.760 --> 00:32:47.340 Here in Daniel's shoes, you just saw your people devastated. 00:32:48.940 --> 00:32:54.900 People killed in front of you, carried away from home, and having no idea where your family is. 00:32:56.920 --> 00:33:01.210 Now you're with this king and wonder if God is finished with you. 00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:04.480 God, we've come against you enough. 00:33:04.540 --> 00:33:07.740 We've maligned your name, we've sinned, we've only cared about ourselves. 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:10.210 Do you care? 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:15.360 Maybe our own heart wrestles with the same thoughts. 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:18.640 God, I've messed up. 00:33:20.680 --> 00:33:21.500 Do you still love me? 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:24.630 God, here I am fumbling through the darkness. 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:27.380 I just need to know, do you love me? 00:33:27.400 --> 00:33:34.860 And Daniel says in verse 22 for all the Jews, maybe even for us today, God knows what's in the 00:33:34.860 --> 00:33:35.040 darkness. 00:33:37.660 --> 00:33:38.900 God sang to his people. 00:33:38.940 --> 00:33:39.710 He still cares. 00:33:41.080 --> 00:33:46.460 I think even across the world right now on average, 100 million Christians are persecuted every year. 00:33:48.080 --> 00:33:49.920 God knows what's in the darkness. 00:33:51.660 --> 00:33:55.220 God, here we are struggling in our battle on as your people to follow you by faith. 00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:58.240 And God knows what's in the darkness. 00:34:00.060 --> 00:34:02.560 And then the story in these moments it slows down. 00:34:02.700 --> 00:34:08.020 Daniel, the last half of this, the story starts to slow down and just give us a little more detailed on what takes place. 00:34:08.540 --> 00:34:15.219 In verse 26 it says, "The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar," or the name that the king gave him to honor a false god. 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:19.260 "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation? 00:34:19.520 --> 00:34:26.620 And Daniel answered before the king and said, 'As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men conjurers, magicians nor 00:34:26.620 --> 00:34:31.320 diviners are able to declare it to the king." None of Disney's characters are going to do this for you. 00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:39.560 But in verse 28, "However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and 00:34:39.560 --> 00:34:43.699 He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. 00:34:44.699 --> 00:34:51.860 This was your dream and the visions in your mind, while on your bed." I love what Daniel 00:34:51.860 --> 00:34:52.260 does here. 00:34:52.560 --> 00:34:59.660 He's going to start this interpretation now and he's going to start and begin in this interpretation the same way: he gives glory 00:34:59.660 --> 00:35:00.100 to God. 00:35:01.740 --> 00:35:07.120 That's going to become important in just a moment, but when Daniel comes into this, he's recognizing no one else can do this, but God. 00:35:08.620 --> 00:35:13.800 He doesn't want to take the credit, but he wants to give it to the Lord, which is contrary to the normal tendency here. 00:35:14.180 --> 00:35:17.600 Because you see in verse 25, you see Arioch who is the executioner. 00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:19.420 He comes before the king. 00:35:19.420 --> 00:35:19.990 He's like, "I got Daniel. 00:35:20.380 --> 00:35:21.400 He can interpret the dream. 00:35:21.600 --> 00:35:22.560 Hey, I'm the one that found Daniel. 00:35:22.940 --> 00:35:23.980 Would you write that down somewhere? 00:35:24.120 --> 00:35:27.960 Everyone know I found Daniel!" That's what Arioch is trying to do before the king. 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:28.620 And Daniel comes in. 00:35:28.640 --> 00:35:29.900 He's like, no one else can do this, but God. 00:35:31.980 --> 00:35:33.140 Then Daniel interprets the dream. 00:35:33.880 --> 00:35:35.300 He shares the dream, interprets the dream. 00:35:35.660 --> 00:35:37.600 I'm going to read this entire section, scripture to you. 00:35:37.600 --> 00:35:41.500 This is probably one of the more lengthy sections I've ever read, but I want you to follow along. 00:35:41.500 --> 00:35:46.540 I'm just going to share with you what it means, but I want you to see the totality of what this dream is. 00:35:46.600 --> 00:35:53.820 And so it says in verse 29: "As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who 00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:57.460 reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. 00:35:57.820 --> 00:36:04.880 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, 00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:11.040 but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind. 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:18.520 You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, 00:36:18.840 --> 00:36:21.460 was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. 00:36:21.720 --> 00:36:29.100 The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly 00:36:29.100 --> 00:36:30.420 of iron and partly of clay. 00:36:30.720 --> 00:36:37.880 You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed 00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:38.220 them. 00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:46.500 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; 00:36:46.500 --> 00:36:50.140 and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:55.150 But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 00:36:55.420 --> 00:37:00.080 This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. 00:37:00.240 --> 00:37:07.300 You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the 00:37:07.300 --> 00:37:14.360 sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and 00:37:14.360 --> 00:37:16.900 has caused you to rule over them all. 00:37:16.900 --> 00:37:18.000 You are the head of gold. 00:37:18.260 --> 00:37:25.400 After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.Then there will be a fourth kingdom 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:32.920 as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it 00:37:32.920 --> 00:37:35.430 will crush and break all these in pieces. 00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:43.260 In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have 00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:48.820 in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. 00:37:49.240 --> 00:37:55.960 As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 00:37:56.520 --> 00:38:04.240 And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; 00:38:04.240 --> 00:38:09.020 but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. 00:38:10.100 --> 00:38:11.540 I'll share the rest of it in just a moment. 00:38:11.540 --> 00:38:15.700 The last two verses get the summation, but let me tell you about this dream. 00:38:16.660 --> 00:38:17.440 You got all that right? 00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:17.870 That was amazing. 00:38:18.920 --> 00:38:20.120 Just absorbed it? 00:38:20.920 --> 00:38:25.360 The king sees a statue, gold, silver, bronze, iron mixed with clay. 00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:27.400 And he sees the statue destroyed by this rock. 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:30.800 Daniel tells us it represents kingdoms. 00:38:31.820 --> 00:38:34.320 You see in the beginning of this story that the king is upset by this. 00:38:34.340 --> 00:38:41.340 And the reason the king's upset by this is when, you lived during the time of Babylon, even beyond this, when a statue was built, a statue 00:38:41.340 --> 00:38:42.860 was really built for one of two reasons. 00:38:43.920 --> 00:38:47.140 Either to honor a king or to honor a god. 00:38:48.660 --> 00:38:52.360 And when it honored to king, it really represented the kingdom was as well, the glory of the kingdom. 00:38:53.280 --> 00:38:59.470 And here you see in the story of this statue that would be built either honor a king or a god, and in some cases they were both. 00:38:59.700 --> 00:39:07.200 You see in chapter three, this king has built a statue to honor him and tells everyone to bow down because he sees himself as 00:39:07.200 --> 00:39:08.220 an authority of life. 00:39:08.220 --> 00:39:09.160 As Lord or God. 00:39:10.280 --> 00:39:14.100 And so when this king see the statue crumpling, he sees the destruction of himself. 00:39:14.380 --> 00:39:16.980 And so because of that, he gets concerned. 00:39:17.140 --> 00:39:20.280 So much so he starts to act indignantly towards people around him. 00:39:20.280 --> 00:39:21.960 Threatening to rip them limb from limb. 00:39:22.740 --> 00:39:23.250 Who do you trust? 00:39:25.180 --> 00:39:32.460 And as you see this story unfold, you'll find it in not only this story, but in chapter seven, chapter eight of Daniel, that this statue 00:39:32.460 --> 00:39:34.880 doesn't represent just one king in the kingdom. 00:39:35.180 --> 00:39:37.200 And it represents multiple kings and kingdoms. 00:39:38.220 --> 00:39:40.100 The gold represents Nebuchadnezzar. 00:39:41.340 --> 00:39:44.560 After Nebuchadnezzar there are other kingdoms that arise. 00:39:44.860 --> 00:39:50.740 Right after Nebuchadnezzar there are the Persians, represented in the story as well by the silver. 00:39:50.780 --> 00:39:54.140 And then there are the Greeks represented by the bronze. 00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:57.680 The Romans represented by the iron. 00:39:59.260 --> 00:40:05.680 Then there's the clay that leads to its destruction by a rock, which represents Jesus. 00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:13.720 When you read the story of Daniel unfolding, you start to see that God is using Daniel to declare the coming of the Messiah. 00:40:13.740 --> 00:40:16.900 That he's not finished with his people, and God's still working out his plan. 00:40:18.200 --> 00:40:22.020 Even to the point that Daniel shares with us the exact time in which the Messiah would exist. 00:40:23.600 --> 00:40:29.520 But here in the story, he's recognizing that these kingdoms will crumble. 00:40:31.220 --> 00:40:32.640 And there is one king that will remain. 00:40:34.600 --> 00:40:38.980 And his arrival comes when he sets up his kingdom during the reign of the Roman Empire. 00:40:40.720 --> 00:40:44.060 The king sees all of these crushed before Jesus. 00:40:46.400 --> 00:40:53.800 He goes on to tell us in verse 44 to identify that, "In those days of those kings, the God of Heaven will 00:40:53.880 --> 00:40:55.980 set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. 00:40:57.220 --> 00:40:59.520 And that kingdom will not be left for another. 00:40:59.560 --> 00:41:03.380 People will crush and put an end to all of these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 00:41:03.380 --> 00:41:10.420 And as much as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the 00:41:10.420 --> 00:41:14.680 silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future. 00:41:15.160 --> 00:41:21.220 So the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy." So Daniel's saying, "King, you've revealed this dream to no one. 00:41:22.500 --> 00:41:29.600 And so I'm able to share this dream with you because it's only an indication that God himself has revealed it, of which I am giving glory to this God." He ends the 00:41:29.600 --> 00:41:30.560 story the same way. 00:41:31.660 --> 00:41:38.740 And when Jesus shows up, I love the way the story unfolds because Jesus takes these thoughts of Daniel and he continues into the Gospel. 00:41:39.720 --> 00:41:46.820 In fact, Gabriel, when he announced the coming of Jesus to Mary, he said this, "He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his 00:41:46.820 --> 00:41:49.420 kingdom there will be no end," Luke 1:33. 00:41:50.040 --> 00:41:57.080 When Jesus began his ministry, Jesus said this, in proclaiming the good news of God and saying, "The time is fulfilled and 00:41:57.080 --> 00:42:01.240 the Kingdom of God has come near," Mark 1:14. 00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:05.200 Jesus clearly stated this, "My kingdom is not of this world," John 18:36. 00:42:06.440 --> 00:42:13.440 And Jesus said in Matthew 12:28, "If it is by the spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come 00:42:13.440 --> 00:42:20.800 to you." Maybe one of the most relative passages to Daniel chapter two and Isaiah 00:42:20.800 --> 00:42:27.880 chapter eight Jesus says this, and in Matthew 21:42-44 he said, "Did you never read 00:42:27.880 --> 00:42:31.180 in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected. 00:42:32.820 --> 00:42:33.720 This became the chief cornerstone. 00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:43.040 Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you given to people producing the fruit of it." 00:42:43.040 --> 00:42:49.160 Verse 44, "On whom ever this stone falls it will scatter him like dust. 00:42:53.360 --> 00:42:55.080 Daniel's context of the story. 00:42:56.500 --> 00:43:03.520 There's a lot of different results that you could lean into because of the story that Jesus is sharing in this passage, but the 00:43:03.620 --> 00:43:09.720 theme of chapter two: God is not finished working in this world. 00:43:11.600 --> 00:43:16.240 I think as the New Testament continues to relate to the church as being a people in Babylon. 00:43:18.600 --> 00:43:23.510 Recognizing in our lives, God is not finished working in this world. 00:43:25.200 --> 00:43:32.440 Even as Daniel looked at himself, his people as having fallen away from God, being carried into captivity because of that and wondering if God's 00:43:32.480 --> 00:43:33.360 still loved them. 00:43:33.800 --> 00:43:40.820 God shows up in the midst of this story and declaring that his kingdom is coming and he continues to deliver this message through his people as if to 00:43:40.820 --> 00:43:44.980 say, God's not finished working through you either. 00:43:47.580 --> 00:43:50.700 That his kingdom ultimately wins. 00:43:51.700 --> 00:43:52.940 Maybe there's a way of looking at ourselves. 00:43:54.740 --> 00:43:57.620 In the midst of the mess that we make, wondering if God still loves us. 00:43:59.400 --> 00:44:08.520 Though we may sin, God not, finished working with you ye.t if 00:44:08.520 --> 00:44:09.740 he were, you would not be here. 00:44:12.920 --> 00:44:19.960 One of the neat things about this story, you consider the influence Daniel, in his 00:44:19.960 --> 00:44:23.140 culture, faith and culture collide. 00:44:24.740 --> 00:44:30.740 Hebrews 11 I think it's in verse 36 I believe, tells us, it starts to tell us within that story about the faith of individuals. 00:44:30.780 --> 00:44:33.980 One of the things that says about Daniel, he wasn't impressive. 00:44:37.060 --> 00:44:38.020 Daniel wasn't powerful. 00:44:40.650 --> 00:44:43.460 Considered the story: he was carried into the Babylon as a teenager. 00:44:44.620 --> 00:44:47.160 He was dragged into Babylon against his will as a slave. 00:44:48.480 --> 00:44:55.240 He was brought into a king's court, asked to do things that he felt compromise his faith, of which he had to stand up for it and maybe even lose his life over. 00:44:57.320 --> 00:44:58.120 Daniel wasn't powerful. 00:45:00.460 --> 00:45:03.340 But one of the things that he was, he was faithful. 00:45:06.580 --> 00:45:11.040 When adversity arose in his life, his heart revealed what he stood for. 00:45:13.140 --> 00:45:17.540 When challenges arise in your life, where does your heart lean? 00:45:19.160 --> 00:45:20.860 Look to others for value and worth? 00:45:22.460 --> 00:45:26.100 Defending self or looking to God? 00:45:29.300 --> 00:45:34.120 Daniel was one that God worked through rather than around because Daniel was one simple word: he was faithful. 00:45:37.120 --> 00:45:41.600 And you consider the totality of how this story then plays out. 00:45:43.340 --> 00:45:46.180 Because when you get to the gospels, you start to read about the birth of Jesus. 00:45:48.820 --> 00:45:57.280 The birth of Jesus, in Matthew chapter two, it tells a story of wise men from the east come 00:45:57.280 --> 00:45:57.900 to visit Jesus. 00:46:00.180 --> 00:46:01.220 Where do those wise men come from? 00:46:03.480 --> 00:46:08.000 A lot of scholars will use that passage of scripture to then refer back to Daniel chapter two. 00:46:09.820 --> 00:46:11.620 The wise men before this King Nebuchadnezzar. 00:46:13.940 --> 00:46:21.000 Now I realize this is speculative to suggest this to you this morning because after the Babylonians were conquered 00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:24.230 by the Persians and then the Greeks and then Romans. 00:46:24.640 --> 00:46:29.250 And when you study the conquering of those, it's not the same wise men under Babylon anymore. 00:46:29.300 --> 00:46:34.320 But I believe the way that those empires operated, they still use the cultural context of the people that live there. 00:46:34.320 --> 00:46:40.370 Meaning, when Greece went around conquering, when they would conquer people groups, one of the things they allowed people groups to have is their own cultural influence. 00:46:40.620 --> 00:46:41.980 That was still existed within the people. 00:46:42.300 --> 00:46:48.780 So I think the Babylonian influence of wise men that still exist in the area of Babylon continued on through these cultures that came in and conquered. 00:46:48.780 --> 00:46:50.540 Or through these empires that came in and conquered. 00:46:53.420 --> 00:47:00.640 Which led to the arrival of this wise men group, coming to the birth of Jesus, which says 00:47:01.500 --> 00:47:07.000 the effects of Daniel's faithfulness carried on for centuries after Daniel. 00:47:09.420 --> 00:47:15.800 Well, it's a speculative to say, but I can imagine being Mary and Joseph, very young themselves. 00:47:17.180 --> 00:47:24.320 All of a sudden these wealthy, well-to-do individuals come, by camel or whatever they are riding in this mass 00:47:24.320 --> 00:47:24.980 of people group. 00:47:25.020 --> 00:47:25.700 It was more than three. 00:47:26.180 --> 00:47:27.740 You didn't travel in groups of three back then. 00:47:27.920 --> 00:47:28.630 You would've been killed. 00:47:29.280 --> 00:47:30.600 Especially with gold, frankincense and myrrh. 00:47:31.640 --> 00:47:32.960 It would have been a large group of individuals. 00:47:33.160 --> 00:47:37.980 The only reason they say three wise men is because they said gold, frankincense, and myrrh so think three gifts, therefore three people. 00:47:38.540 --> 00:47:39.800 But more than likely it would've been a group. 00:47:41.080 --> 00:47:42.240 They journeyed such a far distance. 00:47:42.440 --> 00:47:46.540 They come before Mary and Joseph and you look at this thinking, how in the world, why are you here? 00:47:47.660 --> 00:47:48.260 Babylon? 00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:51.100 I start to tell her story. 00:47:53.340 --> 00:48:00.560 Centuries ago there was this young boy, who showed all this incredible 00:48:00.560 --> 00:48:05.620 wisdom in the world and he always acknowledged that it never came from him, but from his God. 00:48:07.480 --> 00:48:11.340 And that young man, no matter what culture brought, he was faithful. 00:48:13.040 --> 00:48:20.240 And there was this time hundreds of years ago where our people group, the wise men were before the king and the king was 00:48:20.240 --> 00:48:22.500 going to tear us limb from limb. 00:48:23.940 --> 00:48:30.800 And this young man stood before the executioner and he gave glory to his God. 00:48:32.660 --> 00:48:37.650 And then he went before the king and he interpreted this dream that all of us found impossible. 00:48:39.260 --> 00:48:43.420 And this dream pointed to the coming of a king who would rule all kingdoms. 00:48:45.720 --> 00:48:50.020 And he gave us the exact moment in which this king would be born. 00:48:51.900 --> 00:48:59.160 And because Daniel preserved our people, the wise men, hundreds of years ago, we told ourselves 00:48:59.160 --> 00:49:06.360 at that very moment when that king comes, no matter how far the distance may be, we 00:49:06.360 --> 00:49:08.420 are going to arrive to worship him. 00:49:11.220 --> 00:49:14.960 We have no way of knowing what God can do through your influence. 00:49:17.440 --> 00:49:19.440 We do know that what God calls you to is faithfulness. 00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:29.280 When you look at the life of Daniel, it puts us in the place to recognize not only the glory of God working in the midst of adversity, 00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:31.640 but to recognize God is still working in adversity right now. 00:49:32.700 --> 00:49:35.680 But to then use his story to ask, how does that interact with my story? 00:49:37.480 --> 00:49:39.400 Do I truly honor God? 00:49:41.440 --> 00:49:43.760 Are those words that just echo off my lips? 00:49:45.020 --> 00:49:46.660 That become lost when challenged? 00:49:48.280 --> 00:49:48.760 How do you know? 00:49:50.420 --> 00:49:53.600 When adversity arises, what comes out? 00:49:55.100 --> 00:49:55.590 What do you defend? 00:49:57.640 --> 00:49:58.240 Where does the glory go? 00:50:00.780 --> 00:50:08.840 Colossians four says this, "Conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders making 00:50:08.840 --> 00:50:10.360 the most of every opportunity. 00:50:11.720 --> 00:50:19.880 Let your speech always be with grace as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." 00:50:20.060 --> 00:50:23.460 Indignant and furious or wisdom that's tasteful. 00:50:24.940 --> 00:50:25.560 Where does your heart go?