A faith that is personal and practical

Sermon notes from Sunday 29 March 2015

Daniel 6 verses 16 – 28

“because he believed in his God”

Handling Disappointments

Daniel believed in his God.  Many will have to cope with disappointments in life.  It doesn’t always go the way we want it to go.  Here’s a young man who had to face disappointments.  The lesson he learned could be applied to our lives.  We can trust in the loving God.  Daniel believed in his God.  This young man dealt with disappointments in his life.  He believed in his God and trusted in him.  We can have disappointments in our circumstances and in the people around us but not in the God we believe in.  David in 1 Samuel 29 was not allowed to go up with the Philistines and was told to go home.  They couldn’t trust him to be one of their number and were sending him home.  When David came back to Ziklag he found the enemy had come in, burned down all the homes and taken all the women captive.  The men with David were about to slay him, they ridiculed and criticized him but “David encouraged himself in the Lord.”  There comes a time in our lives when everything else fails and lets us down.  The only one we can turn to is the God of heaven.  Look at the example set before us of this young man Daniel – “because he believed in his God.”  Let’s put his faith under the microscope and not think of it as something that happened centuries ago.  If you have problems and circumstances that are getting you down at this moment in time look to the God of Daniel.  He is the same God today as the God of Daniel.  We often tell the children about faith – Forsaking All I Trust Him. 

A faith that is personal.  The word “he” is personal to Daniel himself, “believed” means he put his activity into it, “in” not on something or someone but God who is able to do far more exceedingly abundantly than he could ever ask or think.  Is your faith personal?  Have you placed your faith in the God of heaven today?  Not on someone else’s life.  Not on your father, mother or friend but on God himself.  No matter what happened this was Daniel’s motto.  As the stone was rolled away in front of the den imagine what must he have been thinking?  Here is a man who has prospered and is high up in the government but whose career is abruptly ended through deception and lies.  Can you imagine what it was like to come down to this level?  God hadn’t forsaken him.  He was right there in that situation.  Can you imagine as he went down into that den, into the place where the lions were kept all the thoughts and imaginations of his heart and head at that moment in time?  Psalm 23 “the Lord is my shepherd.”  You and I need to come to the cross ourselves, trust him for ourselves.  The result of not doing that will be that you will leave this life without Christ, reject him with your will and power and one day he will turn his back on you and cast you into hell.  If God was to turn his back on you what a tragedy that would be.  Daniel was a man of faith.  In chapter 1 he went through a harrowing experience in his young life.  He was taken from his family, from his country, set down in Babylon at the King’s table to eat and drink of the food set before him.  The King wanted a certain number of young people who could be trained in the Chaldean tongue and become great teachers.  He was set down at the King’s table and given the best food and drink offered.  Isn’t that what the devil is still doing today?  The devil takes our young people today out into his world, sets before them his food and drink and wants to make them his ambassadors.  It is however only for a season.  Daniel was brought to the king’s table and he turned to the eunich “Sir I cannot eat of this table.  In so doing I would defile myself, I would be rejecting the God of heaven.”  Daniel had a tremendous faith even as a young man.  That is why we have Sunday School, why we reach out to young people, to tell them of Christ and his love.  Daniel could not step out beyond his conscience.  In Daniel 2 when the King had a great dream he ordered the death of his wise men unless they could interpret the dream of coming empires.  Daniel is brought before the King of Babylon and pleads with the King for time that he might go into the presence of God and seek his face – verse 16.  My good works will never satisfy God and he knew that.  That is why he sent his son to save you from your sin and make you ready for heaven and home.

A faith that is practical.  There is one thing missing from this account.  It is the basic human instinct.  There is no fear in Daniel.  He just believed in his God.  He was flanked on either side by guards and marched to the den.  He is thrown into that den.  We don’t read one cry from Daniel.  He accepted and submitted himself to the God of heaven.  Daniel rested his soul, his life, his future to the hands of God.  Is that the faith we have?  “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe and tremble” (James 2 verse 19) What do we gauge our faith by?  Are we trusting in the God of heaven?  Have we a practical faith today?  Look at Daniel’s 3 friends when a great image was raised up.  They had to bow down when the music was played.  The 3 friends didn’t bow down and were threatened with all sorts.  The King gave them another opportunity to bow down.  The answer from the 3 men was “If it e so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel chapter 3 verses 17 and 18)  They were putting their all in the hands of God.  “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.”  What have I to fear?  I am leaning on the everlasting arms.  Have we a faith that is practical? 

Daniel had his faith secured in the very presence of God.  Down in the den he had a visitor from the very throne room of God himself, in the very depths of disappointment.  It must have been the most beautiful place to be in.  Imagine the various palaces around the province Daniel lived in, he would have been in them all, sat with kings and queens.  Try to think of Daniel here in this moment of time.  Must have been the most beautiful place to be in with the lions because he had a visitor at his side.  What a tremendous place to be in.  In the depths of despair we have a tremendous visitor – one who draws close to us.  God was there in the midst of it all.  “Where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst.”  What a wonderful thought.  Elijah on Mount Carmel defied the prophets of Baal and then slipped in before the most wickedest king in Israel to bring God’s word against him.  In chapter 19 where is he?  He feared for his life and runs from the presence of God.  God didn’t desert him but sent him an angel to meet him at the point of his need.  He was lying under a juniper tree and the angel set before him food and drink to refresh his body.  The Lord will be with us in all sorts of trials and tests.  We may never be in the lions den but in a situation we do not know which way to turn in.

A faith than sees the power of God.  Daniel was a man of prayer.  He prayed 3 times a day, perhaps more.  The people all around him, his princes didn’t like the fact he prayed and Daniel knew that.  They conspired and made a law to forbid him from praying.  Even though he knew the law he got before the God of heaven and prayed.  Nothing hindered him in his prayer. He was thrown into the lions den and the lions lay down at his feet – why – because God was there.  Is our faith personal, practical?  Does it bring the presence of God?  Does it see the power of God?  Remember Jairus who came running to Jesus asking for help for his daughter.  When Jesus and Jairus arrived at his house they heard the news that his daughter had died.  Jesus turned to Jairus and told him to believe.  Jairus stepped into the house and saw the Lord go to his daughter, lift her up and tell everyone to bring her something to eat and drink.  When was the last time I saw the power of my faith in action?  In Jesus’ home city he could do not mighty works there because of the people’s unbelief (Matthew 13 verse 58).  Daniel believed in his God.

A faith that delivers praise to God.  When the King brought Daniel out of that den there was not a scratch on him.  He lifted his voice to God and praised God.  The King made a decree that the only one to be worshipped was Daniel’s God.  How is my faith?  Is it personal?  Is it practical?  Does it secure the presence of God?  Do I see the power of God in action and does my faith bring the praise of others?