Daniel 6:1-28

We're in CFC, we're going to be in Daniel chapter 6, starting verse 1 this morning.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

!

And so we're going to begin in verse 1, picking up where we left off last week.

Daniel 6, 1 reads,

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps to be throughout the whole kingdom,

and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one,

to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss.

Then this Daniel became distinguished above all other presidents and satraps,

because an excellent spirit was in him.

And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel

with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault,

because he was faithful.

And no error or fault was found in him.

Then these men said,

We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel,

unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.

Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him,

O King Darius, live forever.

All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors,

are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction,

that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days,

except to you, O King, shall be cast into the den of lions.

Now, O King, establish the injunction and sign the document,

so that it cannot be changed according to the law of the Medes and the Persians,

which cannot be revoked.

Therefore, King Darius signed the document and injunction.

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed,

he went to his house,

where he had windows in his upper chamber,

open toward Jerusalem.

He got down on his knees three times a day

and prayed and gave thanks before his God,

as he had done previously.

Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.

Then they came near and said before the king concerning the injunction,

O King, did you not sign an injunction that anyone who makes petition to any god or man

within thirty days, except to you, O King,

shall be cast into the den of lions?

The king answered and said,

The thing stands fast according to the law of the Medes and Persians,

which cannot be revoked.

Then they answered and said before the king,

Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah,

pays no attention to you, O King,

or the injunction you have signed,

but makes his petition three times a day.

Then the king, when he heard these words,

was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel.

And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.

Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king,

Know, O King, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians

that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.

Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions.

The king declared to Daniel,

May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you.

And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den,

and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lord's,

that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting.

No diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.

As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish.

The king declared to Daniel,

O Daniel, servant of the living God,

has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?

And then Daniel said to the king,

O king, live forever.

My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths,

and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him.

And also before you, O king, I have done no harm.

Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den.

So Daniel was taken up out of the den,

and no kind of harm was found on him,

because he had trusted in his God.

And the king commanded,

and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel

were brought and cast into the den of lions,

their children and their wives.

And before they reached the bottom of the den,

the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages

that dwell in all the earth,

Peace be multiplied to you.

I make a decree that in all my royal dominion,

people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God, enduring forever.

His kingdom shall never be destroyed,

and his dominion shall be to the end.

He delivers and rescues.

He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.

He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius

and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

So, first point,

God is still working to fulfill his covenants.

I made this point last time I preached,

and I think it's worth making again,

because we see that all throughout Daniel

and really, truly all throughout the entire Bible.

But at the beginning, we're introduced to Darius.

He's taken over the kingdom, as I mentioned.

And many scholars have concluded that Darius in Daniel 6

is the same person as Cyrus.

Darius can simply mean Lord.

It can be a title.

Verse 28 makes it clear that Cyrus and Darius

were ruling the Meadow Persian Empire at the same time.

So it's for these reasons and others

that I think this is the same person.

And in verses 1 through 3,

we see Daniel prospering significantly.

He is climbing power, stature, respect, and authority

for the second time.

He already did it in Babylon.

Now he's doing it in the Meadow Persian Empire.

And because Darius sees Daniel's worth.

Verse 3, this is because an excellent spirit was within Daniel.

And I think this is the Holy Spirit empowering,

enabling Daniel to perform all the wise, sound,

and miraculous things that we've seen him do

throughout the book of Daniel.

So what does this have to do with the covenants?

And for that, you kind of have to look at the historical context.

So Cyrus is the king who allows the Hebrew people

to return to Israel and build the temple.

Ezra chapter 1 and chapter 6

Ezra 1 · chapter mention

show Cyrus paying for the rebuilt temple.

It shows Cyrus sending Jews back to Israel

to inhabit the land and to remain there.

And it also shows that the gold and silver

that Nebuchadnezzar stole was to be returned to the temple.

Significantly, Cyrus returned many of the Jews

and did all these things in his first year of ruling Babylon,

roughly 539 to 537 BC.

So this means he did this right around the time

that the lion's den occurs.

What we just read is happening amidst this work.

And it is highly likely that Daniel was the voice

and perhaps even the writer

who produced the legislation that Cyrus signed into decree

to allow Israel to do these things.

So notice God is using Daniel in this position of authority,

this position that he has with Cyrus, with Darius,

to provide safe passage for God's people

to the promised land.

And this is screaming of the Abrahamic covenant,

which again, I talked about this last time,

but three things comprise that covenant.

The people are secure in their offspring and are continuing.

They have land,

and they are a universal blessing to the nations.

So catch this.

Even though God directly used Babylon and Meadow Persia

to punish Israel for their wickedness in the exile,

God never intended to turn his back

on his covenants with them.

Turn with me real quickly to Isaiah 45.

I'm going to read the whole chapter,

so you're going to want to turn there.

And we're going there because you're going to see

that God has always intended to fulfill his covenants,

even in the midst of proclaiming his judgment

on Israel and Judah.

Isaiah 45.

Isaiah 45.

Thus says the Lord to his anointed,

to Cyrus,

whose right hand I have grasped,

to subdue nations, including Babylon,

before him and to loose the belts of kings,

including Nebuchadnezzar,

to open doors before him

that gates may not be closed,

and recall, this is interesting,

but recall what Clay said last week

about Herodotus, the Greek historian.

He recorded that the Persians took over Babylon quickly.

They snuck in through some open gates

near the water well

and were able to emerge right up in the palace.

So this verse is fascinating,

that gates may not be closed.

In other words, God opened those gates.

He made those gates left open

so that Babylon would be taken overnight.

And back in verse 2,

I will go before you

and level the exalted places.

This is God talking to Cyrus.

I will break in pieces the doors of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the hordes and secret places

that you may know that it is I,

the Lord, the God of Israel,

who call you by your name.

Verse 4.

For the sake of my servant Jacob

and Israel my chosen,

I call you by your name.

I name you though you do not know me.

So again, recall Isaiah is recording this prophecy

long before Cyrus exists.

This is before the Babylonian captivity even.

Picking back up in verse 5.

I am the Lord and there is no other.

Besides me there is no God.

I equip you though you do not know me

that people may know

from the rising of the sun from the west

that there is none besides me.

I am the Lord and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness.

I make well-being and create calamity.

I am the Lord who does all these things.

Shower, O heavens, from above

and let the clouds rain down righteousness.

Let the earth open that salvation

and righteousness may bear fruit.

Let the earth cause them both to sprout.

I, the Lord, have created it.

And woe to him who strives with him

who formed him a pot among earthen pots.

Does the clay say to him who forms it,

what are you making?

Or your work has no handles.

Woe to him who says to a father,

what are you begetting?

Or to a woman, with what are you in labor?

Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel

and the one who formed him.

Ask me of things to come.

Will you command me concerning my children

and the work of my hands?

I made the earth and created man on it.

It was my hands that stretched out the heavens

and I commanded all their hosts.

I have stirred him up in righteousness

and I will make all his ways level.

He, Cyrus, shall build my city

and set my exiles free,

not for price or reward,

says the Lord of hosts.

Thus says the Lord,

the wealth of Egypt

and the merchandise of Cush

and the Sabaeans,

men of stature,

shall come over to you and be yours.

They shall follow you.

They shall come over in chains

and bow down to you.

They will plead with you saying,

surely God is in you

and there is no other.

No God besides him.

Truly you are a God who hides himself,

O God of Israel, the Savior.

All of them are put to shame and confounded.

The makers of idols go in confusion together.

But Israel is saved by the Lord

with everlasting salvation.

You shall not be put to shame

or confounded to all eternity.

For thus says the Lord

who created the heavens,

He is God,

who formed the earth and made it.

He established it

and He did not create it empty.

He formed it to be inhabited.

I am the Lord

and there is no other.

I did not speak in secret

in a land of darkness.

I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,

seek me in vain.

I, the Lord, speak the truth.

I declare what is right.

Assemble yourselves and come.

Draw near together,

you survivors of the nations.

They have no knowledge

who carry about their wooden idols

and keep on praying to a God

that cannot save.

Declare and present your case.

Let them take counsel together.

Who told this long ago?

Who declared it of old?

Was it not I, the Lord?

And there is no other God besides me,

a righteous God and a Savior.

There is none besides me.

Turn to me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth.

For I am God and there is no other.

By myself I have sworn,

from my mouth has gone out

in righteousness,

a word that shall not return.

To me, every knee shall bow,

every tongue shall swear allegiance.

Only in the Lord it shall be said of me,

a righteousness and strength.

To him shall come and be ashamed

all who were incensed against him.

And the Lord,

all the offspring of Israel,

shall be justified and shall glory.

That's a lot.

But notice as you read that,

God calls out Cyrus long before Cyrus exists.

And God's declaring what he's going to do.

He's going to use Cyrus to bring about his covenants.

In Isaiah 45,

we see him prophesy the temple being rebuilt

in verse 13,

which implies a return to the land.

In verse 22,

we see God calling out for the salvation

of people around the world.

There's that universal blessing piece.

And in verses 4, 17 and 25,

we see God preserving his people

who will be numbered as stars in heaven.

Now, all of this in Isaiah 45

is centered on the idea of salvation

or deliverance,

and that God is the deliverer,

the savior.

God will deliver his people.

And we are going to see this in Daniel 6,

which you can now return to.

But he has set the stage.

He's,

God's already declared what's to come.

In Daniel's lifetime,

he could have heard Isaiah 45

and known what's to come.

But before we see deliverance in Daniel 6,

we have to give our attention

to something else in our main text.

In all of God's redemptive history

of working to save his people,

there has always been opposition.

And that opposition pops its head in Daniel 6,

which leads us to the next point,

point number two.

God's people will be persecuted

for their righteousness.

God's people will be persecuted

for their righteousness.

In Matthew 5, verses 10 through 11,

Matthew 5:10–11

the Sermon on the Mount,

Jesus said,

Blessed are those who are persecuted

for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you

and persecute you

and utter all kinds of evil

against you falsely on my account.

So persecution is a promise

to anyone who is truly following God.

And although persecution can mean

a variety of things,

not just death,

it is promised.

But nonetheless,

there is also a promise of blessing

or makarios,

the Greek word meaning

blessed, happy, or flourishing.

And that is not material flourishing,

but spiritual flourishing,

because the righteous have life in Christ.

The kingdom of heaven is theirs.

So looking back at Daniel,

we see that the satraps and presidents

all conspire to destroy Daniel.

Looking at verse 4,

it reads,

Then the presidents and the satraps

sought to find a ground of complaint

against Daniel with regard to the kingdom.

But they could find no ground for complaint

or any fault

because he was faithful.

So what do they do now?

They maliciously devise a scheme

to trick the king

into a position that will cost Daniel his life.

They are so determined to bring Daniel down

that these 122 men

find a way to get together

to conspire to plan against Daniel three times.

Verses 6, 11, 15, each time.

They came to agreement.

They came to agreement.

They came to agreement.

They are relentless to kill Daniel

and that is the measure of their resolve.

They hate him

for righteousness sake.

You see, the satraps and presidents

knew that the king would be swept away

by such a flattering document.

They enticed him to evil

by appealing to the idol of self,

to his pride.

But more importantly,

they knew Daniel would never worship the king.

And as a result of their scheme

and Daniel's faithfulness,

he would die in the lion's den.

That was their plan.

Now I've got to tell you,

none of this should surprise any of us,

the least bit,

especially if you've even just casually read the Bible

without much study.

It is full of this kind of language.

It's clear that the world hates Yahweh.

And his worshipers.

It is as old as Cain killing Abel

because of his righteousness.

And that continues all throughout the Bible.

Zachariah was stoned to death

for righteousness sake.

2 Chronicles chapter 24.

2 Chronicles 24 · chapter mention

John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod

for righteousness sake.

Matthew 14, 1 through 12.

Stephen was stoned to death

for righteousness sake.

Acts 6 and 7.

And James was cut down by the sword

for righteousness sake.

Acts chapter 12, verse 1.

Acts 12:1

Now Antiochus,

this one's a little tricky,

but church history testifies

that he was burned in a boiling cup.

And we know from Revelation 2, 12 through 13

that he was martyred.

And of course,

all the apostles were executed

in various forms

and at various times.

But the reason was always the same.

Righteousness sake.

And there are plenty more examples,

by the way,

not just in the Bible,

but throughout church history.

We have a whole book

that covers only a fraction of the names

called Fox's Book of the Martyrs.

And again,

they all died

for righteousness sake.

Jesus said in John 15,

John 15:18–19

verses 18 through 19,

if the world hates you,

know that it has hated me

before it hated you.

If you were of the world,

the world would love you as its own.

That's a promise.

If you're of the world,

the world will love you.

But because you are not of the world,

but I chose you out of the world,

therefore,

the world hates you.

That's a promise too.

But regardless of what the world may say or do,

we are called to righteousness.

Faith,

obedience,

worship,

into and toward God alone.

And we see that righteousness practice,

the faithfulness of Daniel,

as he prays three times to God in verse 10.

Notice the beginning of verse 10,

when Daniel knew that the document had been signed.

So clearly,

Daniel wanted everyone to know,

unmistakably,

that he worshiped God alone.

This is why he faces Jerusalem.

This is why he prays three times,

which was the custom at the time for Jews,

so that it is crystal clear.

More significantly,

he does this because this is who he is,

a worshiper of God.

The end of verse 10 tells us

that his way of praying was done

as he had done previously.

This was a way of life for Daniel.

He was simply going out

and living his life as a God follower

that he has always lived,

going back to Daniel 1.

So like me,

some of you may be reading all this

and seeing the persecution of the saints

and wondering,

where is all the justice in this?

How is this right that so many innocents

should suffer at the hands of wicked

and lawless men,

especially Daniel?

Perhaps you find yourself

thinking about the words of the martyrs

recorded in Revelation 6, 9 through 10.

John writes,

When he opened the fifth seal,

I saw under the altar

the souls of those who had been slain

for the word of God

and for the witness they had borne.

And they, those souls, the martyrs,

they cried out with a loud voice,

O sovereign Lord,

holy and true,

how long before you will avenge

and judge our blood

on those who dwell on the earth?

It is not a question of if,

it is the question of when.

God will judge all of those

who dwell on the earth.

And this leads me to the next point,

point number three.

And this is the big one.

Daniel 6 is a picture

of God's deliverance

for all true believers

and judgment of all others.

So I'll repeat that.

Daniel 6 is a picture

of God's deliverance

for all true believers.

and judgment of all others.

We see the king

is in genuine turmoil

when his men find Daniel

guilty of violating the injunction.

Verse 14,

the king is distressed

and desired to deliver Daniel.

He labored all night

to rescue Daniel,

but to no avail.

And why?

Because it was the law.

And ironically,

the king had no power

to do anything about it.

He was weak.

He was manipulated.

He could not save Daniel.

The good thing about this king

is that he was

humble enough

to recognize

his own inability

to save Daniel.

Verse 16,

the king prays to Daniel's God,

our God,

and asks him

to deliver Daniel.

And the king fasted

all night

while Daniel

was in the lion's den

in verse 18.

And there's no response

that speaks to a man's sense

of inability

and insufficiency

as much as fasting.

It is literally

the crying out

of God to help

and deliver

and do everything

because I am helpless.

That's what fasting

is saying.

Verses 14 through 18,

we see the law

is going to condemn

Daniel to death

and the king

can do nothing about it.

Now, if this is a picture

of God's deliverance

and judgment,

there has to be

a figure

or a type

of Christ.

So looking at

verse 17,

we get a glimpse

of this.

A stone,

verse 17 writes,

a stone

was brought

and laid

on the mouth

of the den.

So Daniel

is sealed

in this hole

in the ground.

The stone covers

his only exit.

He's alone

with hungry lions

surrounding him

that could devour

him in seconds.

But verse 19,

then at the break

of day,

the king arose

and went in haste

to the den of lions.

As he came near

to the den

where Daniel was,

he cried out

in a tongue of anguish.

The king declared

to Daniel,

O Daniel,

servant of the living God,

has your God,

whom you serve

continually,

been able to deliver

you from the lions?

Then Daniel

said to the king,

O king,

live forever.

My God

sent his angel

and shut

the lions' mouths,

and they have

not harmed me

because I was

found blameless

before him.

And also,

before you,

O king,

I have done

no harm.

So second half

of verse 23,

so Daniel

was taken up

out of the den

and no kind

of harm

was found

on him

because he

had trusted

in his God.

And that

should sound

very familiar

to us all.

It should

remind us

of Jesus,

of Christ.

If you recall,

Pilate,

the governor,

the Roman governor

who was in charge

during Christ's

lifetime,

Pilate

desired to

set Jesus

free the way

Cyrus desired

to set Daniel

free,

yet both

were powerless.

You see that

in Matthew 27,

Matthew 27:15–23

verses 15-23.

Daniel

prays in the

upper room

while waiting

for his captors.

Likewise,

Jesus prayed

in the garden

waiting for

his captors.

Matthew 26,

36-46.

Cyrus rolled

a stone

over to

seal Daniel

in what

would become

his tomb.

And likewise,

Joseph rolled

the stone

over Jesus'

tomb

and Pilate

sealed it.

Matthew 26,

Matthew 26:60–66

verses 60-66.

Daniel's

deliverance

from the

lion's den

becomes a

legal issue.

So in the

Meadow

Persians,

I was about

to say

Babylonians,

in their

empire,

if an

execution

didn't work

overnight,

they were

set free.

They viewed

that as

divine judgment

of sparing

the individual.

So because

Daniel survived

the night,

it was law

that he had

to be spared.

That's why

they don't

keep him

down there.

So in

other words,

his deliverance

from the

lion's den

overcame

the law.

Likewise,

Christ's

resurrection

was a

legal matter

that overcame

the power

of the law.

Colossians 2,

11-15.

I could go

on,

but I think

you get the

point.

Daniel is

a type

of Christ.

Daniel is

foreshadowing

the work

of Christ,

namely,

his death,

resurrection,

and ascension.

Daniel ascends

out of

lion's den

and then

prospers

as a ruler

at the end

of chapter

6,

verse 28.

Just as

Christ ascended

to be seated

at the right

hand of the

Father.

Mark 16,

Mark 16:9

verse 9.

I mean,

sweet Moses,

the irony

of the king's

question,

has your

God been

able to

deliver you?

And the

answer is

yes,

a thousand

times yes.

He was

able to

deliver him

and prosper

him abundantly.

And that

picture of

deliverance is

all throughout

Daniel 6,

and it was

prophesied in

Isaiah 45,

as we saw.

But so

is judgment

prevalent in

this chapter.

The opposers,

the satraps,

and presidents

were wicked

in their

schemes.

They manipulated

this entire

ordeal,

thinking it

was by their

hand that

these things

were to be.

But look at

verse 24.

And the king

commanded,

and those men

who had

maliciously

accused Daniel

were brought

and cast

into the

den of lions,

they,

their children,

and their

wives.

And before

they reached

the bottom

of the den,

the lions

overpowered

them and

broke all

their bones

in pieces.

This image

is shocking,

terrifying,

and even

hard to digest

at first

when you

picture the

families included.

On the one

hand,

you might be

relieved to

read this

and think

justice has

been paid.

They got

what they

deserve.

There's a

sense in

which this

is right.

On the other

hand,

you might

be

heartbroken

for them,

knowing that

you deserve

the same

because you

too have

lied and

manipulated and

all other

kinds of

sins have

been committed

by you,

by me.

And I

want to

suggest to

you that

on the one

hand,

you should

feel 100%

sorrow for

these people,

that you

should be

mourning their

suffering since

you know you

deserve the

same.

But even

so,

you should

also feel

100%

thankful that

God is

just.

We worship

God for

all that

he is and

all that

he does,

no exceptions.

And it is

as simple as

this,

if you do

not want

there to

be justice,

then you

do not

want God

because God

is just.

And recall

that we

come to

God only

because his

justice was

carried out

on our

sins which

Christ bore

on our

behalf.

And remember

the words of

the martyrs in

Revelation 6.10,

they were

martyred for

being a

witness to

the word.

In other

words,

these were

evangelists,

these were

missionaries,

these were

people who

sought to

see the

world saved.

And yet

these people

say,

O sovereign

Lord,

holy and

true,

how long

before you

will judge

and avenge

our blood

on those

who dwell

on the

earth?

God will

judge and

condemn every

person who

does not

repent and

place their

faith in

Jesus Christ

and then

obey him.

And that

judgment will

come quickly

and swiftly

like a

thief in

the night.

Do not

delay.

And this

leads me to

our final

point this

morning,

point number

four.

Our

response to

God's

deliverance

and judgment

is worship.

Our

response to

God's

deliverance

and judgment

is worship.

Looking at

verse 25,

in response to

seeing God

deliver Daniel

from the

lion's den,

this Darius

Cyrus guy

wrote to

all the

peoples,

nations,

and languages

that dwell on

the earth.

There's that

universal blessing

language again.

And he said,

peace be

multiplied to

you.

I make a

decree that

in all my

royal dominion

people are

to tremble

and fear

before the

God of

Daniel.

For he

is the

living God

enduring

forever.

His

kingdom

shall never

be destroyed

and his

dominion

shall be

to the

end.

He

delivers

and

rescues.

He

works

signs and

wonders

in heaven

and on

earth.

He

who

has

saved

Daniel

from the

power

of the

lions.

This

language

is all

worship,

praise,

and adoration.

And we

see this

kind of

worship

in the

final days

of God's

final

deliverance

and judgment

as well.

Revelation

19.1

reads,

and the

context of

this is

right after

that final

judgment

and that

final

deliverance.

And

Revelation

19.1

reads,

After

this,

I heard

what seemed

to be a

loud voice

of a

great

multitude

in

heaven

crying

out,

Hallelujah,

salvation

and glory

and power

belong to

our God.

For his

judgments

are true

and just.

For he

has judged

the great

prostitute

who corrupted

the earth

with her

immorality

and has

avenged

on her

the blood

of his

servants.

Once

more they

cried

out,

Hallelujah,

the smoke,

meaning the

tormenting

fires,

the smoke

from her

goes up

forever

and ever.

And this

is one

of the

reasons,

by the way,

that I

think Cyrus

was regenerate

because he

sounds an

awfully lot

like the

saints in

Revelation

19 when

he praises

God in

Daniel 6.

When people

see God's

deliverance

and judgment,

they cannot

help but

worship him

and that is

the pattern

throughout

all of

scripture.

And that

is why

every knee

shall bow

and every

tongue

confess that

Jesus Christ

is Lord

because he

will make

it so

because he

is Lord.

And I

think it's

important to

note,

though,

the deliverance.

It's easy

to get

caught up

in judgment.

It's easy

to question

it.

It's easy

to wonder

about God's

love,

his character.

Sometimes we

don't always

see how the

scales balance

out,

but the

comfort in

Revelation

19 is that

that is a

prophecy of

us praising

God and

saying that

he is

just.

That's a

prophecy of

us saying

the scales

are balanced

and now

we see

that you

are just,

you are

holy,

you are

love.

And we

see that

in Daniel

being risen

from the

lion stone,

being spared.

So I want

to close

with some

application.

The first

one being

fill yourself

with knowledge

of God's

covenants,

his promises.

If you

are faithful

to God,

then you

will face

persecution.

And if you

want to stand

strong as

Daniel did,

or better

yet,

as Christ

did perfectly,

then you

must have

something to

place your

hope in.

And that

is God

and his

promises.

The other

application is

rid yourself

of anxiety.

I mentioned

this one last

time, but I

thought it was

even more

fitting for

this text as

well, and I

couldn't help

but include

it.

Notice how

Daniel is

prospering in

the beginning

of chapter

6.

He's on the

rise, he's

about to be

set over the

whole kingdom,

then all that

stuff happens

which makes it

look like he's

going downhill

quickly, looks

like he's

going to die.

But by the

end of it all,

he is saved,

and in verse

28, we see

that he

prospered once

again.

As Christians,

we have the

unique benefit of

knowing where

everything began

and where it

all is going.

There's absolutely

no need to

fret over the

details of the

here and now.

These moments

are fleeting,

and we know

that heaven

awaits us

where God

will comfort

us as we

worship him

for all

eternity.

So anxiety

is needless,

and it is a

sin, and the

antidote to

that is to

place our

trust fully

in Christ.

Third application

is to prepare

yourself for

persecution from

a hostile

culture.

In other

words, count

the cost.

Jesus tells

us that if

we are to

follow him,

we must

first deny

ourselves,

take up

his cross,

and then

follow him

after 1624.

We have

to be willing

to die for

Christ, and

we should

expect persecution

because Christ

promises we,

the blessed,

will be

persecuted.

And if you've

never been

persecuted, perhaps

it's because you

are not practicing

righteousness.

And to be

clear, we are

not going into

the world and

trying to get

killed for being

annoying.

We are

trying to be

faithful, which

the world

hates.

So we want

to practice

righteousness.

And the

final application

is this, we

obey God, not

man.

I think it is

significant that

at no point in

Daniel 6 do we

see Daniel speak

lowly of the

king.

He never called

him weak or a

puppet, though

there were clearly

grounds to do

so.

Rather, Daniel

expressed respect

for this God-given

position.

He said in

verse 21,

O king, live

forever.

And we too

should respect

our authorities,

whether they be

government officials,

parents, employers,

coaches, or what

have you.

However, at the

end of the day,

when you get a

command from man

that conflicts

with a command

from the Lord

of the universe,

the one you

should obey is

obvious.

The chain of

command is clear.

Yes, render to

Caesar that which

is Caesar's, but

never squander or

forget to render

to God that

which is God's.

We are citizens

of the kingdom

of heaven before

anything else.

We're not

Americans, Mexicans,

Germans, or what

have you.

We are followers

of Christ.

Let's follow him

now through prayer.

Let's go.