I am sorry that the sermon is somewhat delayed today, we we're having a bad storm. I wanted to wait until the storm passed before I got on my phone. Thank God, the storms caused no damage. I hope you are all safe and well.
Today, we continue with our series on the life and ministry of the prophet Daniel. Last week, we saw that Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall. The message accurately foretold the fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persian Empire.
The Persian king recognized that Daniel was a knowledgeable and capable person. He promoted Daniel to a high position in the governmental administration. This didn't go over well with the Persians in the service of the king. They wanted to find a way to get rid of Daniel so that they could rise to higher positions of power.
They came to the conclusion that they had to get at Daniel at the point of his faith in God. They knew that nothing was more important to Daniel than serving his God.
The opponents of Daniel convinced the king to sign an edict that no one could pray to anyone except the king.
Of course, Daniel paid no attention to this edict. He publicly prayed three times each day as was his regular custom.
Daniel was arrested and thrown into the lion's den. The king regretted what had been done, and he hoped for Daniel's safety.
The next day, the king found Daniel safe and sound. Daniel was removed from the lion's, and the king tossed Daniel's opponents to the lion's.
This is a story that many are familiar with, but what can we learn from it for our lives today?
First of all, we find in the story that Daniel practiced and lived his faith in such a way that people knew that God and the things of God were important to him. He had a good testimony.
As followers of the Lord Jesus, we should reflect the Lord Jesus Christ and His way and values. When people see us living our lives in the public square, they should be readily able to tell that we are trying to live in imitation of Christ.
We can also learn from this story that it is better to obey God than human authorities. If earthly rulers attempt to make us go against the Lord, we must remain faithful to Jesus . The value system of a true Christian will always be at odds with this world . Our allegiance is not to a country or a political leader. Our allegiance is to Jesus.
Even though Daniel faced the lion's den, he was committed to following God no matter the cost.
Things turned out well for Daniel. He was delivered. In this life, many have faced a martyr's death for the testimony of Jesus. They too were delivered. Like Stephen, they saw the face of the Lord. Would that we would have the courage to stand for Jesus and His ways when faced with tribulation. Amen.
Prayer Requests And Other Matters.
In prayer this week, let us remember to keep praying for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Thank God, some countries aren't having much trouble now. My country, the USA, is having a mess. Leadership is sorely lacking. Please pray that those in my country will take this pandemic seriously and work together so that the virus' effects can be mitigated.
This is Independence Day weekend in my country. Please pray that people and their property won't be damaged by fireworks.
We must continue to pray for peace in this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in China and Tanzania. Pray that many will learn more about Jesus.
Next week, we will continue our study in Daniel. I will post the verses on Monday. On Wednesday, I will post a book review. May God bless you all. Amen.
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