Wisdom For Challenging Times

We're going to begin our worship now, singing first of all in Psalm 106, in the Scottish

Psalter, Psalm 106, that's on page 378.

Singing verses 1 to 5, give praise and thanks unto the Lord, for bountiful is He, His tender

mercy doth endure unto eternity. God's mighty works who can express or show forth all His

praise. Blessed are they that judgment keep and justly do always. Psalm 106, verses 1

Psalms 106:1–5

to 5, if you're able to stand, please stand. We'll stand to sing.

Give praise and thanks unto the Lord, for bountiful is He, their tender mercy doth endure.

And to eternity. God's mighty works who can express or show forth all His praise.

Blessed are they that judgment keep and justly do always.

Remember me, Lord, with the love which thou do not bear.

Remember me, Lord, with the love which thou do not bear.

Remember me, Lord, with the love which thou do not bear.

God's mighty gloriousaja das Heim hat alive.

You are the only one who's ق добnahme an devotion which thou do not bear but earn.

That thy right chosen's good mercy, and in their joy rejoice,

and may with thy inheritance triumph with cheerful voice.

Let's now join together in prayer. We're praying at this time for the Sunday School and for the Young Folks'

meeting, so we'll pray especially for them at this time.

Lord, our gracious God, we give thanks that we are able to come together of all ages to worship you today,

and we give thanks for the way that your interest in us is not confined to any particular age group,

but we give thanks, O Lord, for your grace that is extended to us all.

We thank you today for the young people and for the children that belong to us as a congregation,

and we thank you, O Lord, for the way that they give us such delight

in seeing them come to learn the things of God, coming to join together in public worship,

and coming to understand the importance as they grow up of those things that are foundational to life

from the teaching of your Word.

Bless them, we pray today, and give them as they learn more of you,

and as they learn more of your Word and its meaning and its significance.

Lord, help them today to increase in understanding and in the application of this to their lives.

Bless them in their homes, their parents and families.

We ask that you bless them in whatever else they do in life,

and as they grow up especially, we pray, they will grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Receive our prayers for them, we pray, and help us to be a means of encouragement and help to them,

and bless those who give up their time today to teach them or to look after them

in creche or tweenies and in the Sunday school and Bible class.

We thank you, Lord, for their dedication and for their commitment to these wonderful tasks

of teaching our young people.

Receive our thanks, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Well, you'll notice if you go into supermarkets these days that there's usually or almost always now

a section of free from food.

Anybody notice that?

Any of the children here?

Stick your hand up if you noticed free from food,

or if you know anything about why free from food is now important for some people.

Some people do.

Okay, well, there's always a section now on free from food.

Why is it necessary to have a section there on free from food?

What is free from food, and why is it important to some people?

Well, it's important because some people have a really bad reaction to certain things you find in some foods.

For example, in ordinary bread that's not free from, it contains gluten.

And some people have a bad reaction to gluten and can become very ill if they eat something with gluten in it.

The same with dairy products.

Those who have problems with dairy products can't eat dairy products because, again, they have a bad reaction to it.

So nowadays, you get food that's free from those types of things.

Nuts is another thing that people react badly to.

Some people do.

Don't panic if you know that there are certain things that people react to in that way.

This is really something that affects only a certain number of people.

But, of course, it's important to them that they actually can't take ordinary bread or any nuts or stuff like that.

They need free from food.

And our grandchildren, for example, a number of the boys have always had difficulty with gluten and dairy products,

and they have a bad reaction to that.

And that can actually be very dangerous if it's really quite acute.

So they always need free from food.

But their mom always has to check the jars or the tins of stuff she buys because the ingredients, the stuff that's in the food, is listed on the jars.

And she has to make sure that there's nothing in that that can really prove to be harmful or would really cause a bad reaction or be dangerous even to the children that have these allergies and intolerances, as they're called.

And the ingredients, the stuff that could be harmful nowadays, are highlighted in bold, bold letters, big black letters.

So you can see there if there's anything that's going to be harmful, obviously you put it back.

And it's important to check that.

Otherwise, it could be very dangerous for children that have these problems or for adults as well that have these problems.

Nuts, gluten, all that sort of stuff.

Now, the Bible has nothing bad in it.

Nothing in the Bible that will be harmful to you.

Nothing in the Bible that will damage you.

It's the other way about, in fact.

Everything that's in the Bible is good for you.

That's why we want to learn it.

That's why we want the young folks as well to learn it more and more and to learn its teachings for themselves.

And, oh, there's nothing bad in the Bible.

It does tell us about many things that are bad for us.

And just as you need to be careful with food if you've got allergies to nuts or whatever,

so we need to be careful about what sort of stuff, spiritually or morally, we take into our lives.

And we need to be sure that we have a free-from diet as far as possible with those matters that will harm us spiritually and morally.

The Bible tells us very specifically at times things that we are to avoid to have in our spiritual food, if you like.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, he listed a number of things that were really harmful.

Telling lies was one of them.

Always, he says, be truthful with one another.

Bad language.

Just because the world uses bad language doesn't mean it's okay.

It's bad for us.

It's not good.

The same thing with hatred, disobedience to parents.

All these things are mentioned in the Bible as harmful or bad for us and will damage our lives and will damage the lives of other people as well.

Laziness.

Laziness is mentioned in the Bible as something bad as well.

Because God didn't make us to be lazy.

He made us to work, to work hard.

He made us to actually work so that it will benefit other people as well as ourselves.

And bad company.

Getting with or being always with people who hate God, who don't love God, who say bad things about the gospel, who don't like God's church.

We want, of course, them to come to know the truth.

But the Bible says that bad company corrupts good manners, good behavior.

So free from is very important in foodstuffs.

For those who have allergies and intolerances, free from is also important spiritually for us.

Leave out of your life, young people.

All the things the Bible tells you are harmful to you and harmful to other people.

And that way we will live a life that's pleasing to God.

A life of what the Bible calls holiness of life.

A life that wants to get rid of all the harmful, sinful stuff and get God's help to enable us to do that.

Okay, so next time you see in the supermarket, look for the free from stuff.

And it reminds you of how important it is to live as far as possible free from everything that the Bible tells you is bad for you.

Well, let's now say the Lord's Prayer together.

Amen.

Amen.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.

Amen.

Let's sing again to God's praise from Psalm 12.

Psalm number 12.

Again, it's in the Scottish Psalter, page 213.

We'll sing the whole of this psalm.

Lord, help, because the godly man doth daily fade away,

and from among the sons of men the faithful do decay.

And to his neighbor everyone doth utter vanity.

They with a double heart do speak, and lips of flattery.

Here is the psalmist, times when those who believed in God were becoming few in his day,

as he saw it at least.

And he's crying out to the Lord for help, not only for himself, but for the world in which he was placed.

And that's what we too pray to God about.

Psalm 12.

Help, Lord, because the godly man doth daily fade away.

Help, Lord, because the godly man doth daily fade away.

And from among the sons of men the faithful do decay.

And to this day let everyone doth utter vanity.

God, Lord, because the godly man doth daily fade away.

God, Lord, because the godly man doth daily fade away.

And to this day let everyone doth daily fade away.

God, Lord, because the godly man doth daily fade away.

We'll with our tongue prevail our lips, our marches for your eyes.

For the open stand for the sight of me, the right will I.

Safe, fraud, and in vain safety set from such a sin he died.

The words of God are words close pure, in divine silver dry.

In heaven, by the seven times, the top finger high.

Lord, thou shalt and bring seven feet forever from this grave.

On its side walk thou wakest when I'll lend our high embrace.

Our reading today of God's Word is from the book of Daniel, the book of the prophet Daniel in the first chapter.

We'll read through the chapter from the beginning through to the end of the chapter.

The book of Daniel, it should be run about page 890, 891 in your pew Bibles.

So, reading through the first chapter.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand and some of the vessels of the house of God.

And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his God.

Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility,

youths without blemish of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning,

and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank.

They were to be educated for three years.

And at the end of that time, they were to stand before the king.

Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.

And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names.

Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank.

Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.

And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel,

I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink.

For why should he see that you are in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age?

So you would endanger my head with the king.

Then Daniel said to the steward, whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel,

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, test your servants for ten days.

Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you.

And deal with your servants according to what you see.

So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.

At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh

than all the youths who ate the king's food.

So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.

As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom.

And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

At the end of the time when the king had commanded that they should be brought in,

the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

And the king spoke with them.

And among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Therefore they stood before the king.

And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them,

he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.

And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

And we pray God will bless to us this reading again of his word.

Let's join together again in prayer.

Let's pray.

Our gracious God, our Father in heaven, we have been reading your word and singing your praises.

And as we now call upon you in prayer, we ask that we may be guided again by your Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit whose presence and power we require to enlighten our minds in the knowledge of your truth.

And also to guide our thoughts as we speak with you.

As we bring before you our petitions and our thanksgivings.

Our requests.

Lord, we thank you today for this privilege we have once again.

To gather here together to be a worshipping people.

And to be known publicly as a people whose desire it is to worship God.

And to bear testimony to him.

And to bear testimony not only to the fact that he is and exists.

But that he is our God.

That he is our creator and our redeemer.

That he is one to whom we owe our allegiance.

Our very life.

We bless you, Lord, today that as we come before you, so we bring our thanksgivings.

We thank you, Lord, for all that you have been to us since the last time we met here.

Every week that goes by, Lord, your goodness is made known to us in so many ways.

Even throughout the matters in life that we see as ordinary.

Yet we, Lord, I recognize that all the good things we do receive and are familiar with are your gifts to us.

And we thank you today that we can come together to thank you for them.

For there are many people we know in the world in which we live that have to do with so few.

Indeed, sometimes without any of these things, even our basic footsteps.

Help us, Lord, to realize that it is by your blessing that we have them.

By your will that we enjoy them.

And that we are answerable to you.

And so as to give thanks as your word requires.

Bless us, we pray, as we come here together once again round your word.

Bless your word to us and lead us into these avenues of your truth that your word contains.

Help us, we pray, to be mindful of our own native lack of understanding.

Of our need of your spirit to open our minds.

To bless your word to us.

To enable us to increase in our understanding and knowledge of it and of yourself through it.

Help us, Lord, today that we may lay to heart things which we need to know.

And need to apply in all aspects of our lives.

We bless you, Lord, today that you have taken account of all that we need to be in this world.

And all the things that we will meet with in this world.

And your word brings us counsel and teaching against them in relation to them all.

We pray today that we may be thankful that you have remembered us, Lord, in that way.

So as to provide for us this light for our path.

This lamp for our feet.

We pray today that you bless us as a congregation.

Bless us, we pray, in our services of worship.

Bless us in the activities that are related to them.

Bless the children in their Sunday school classes and Bible class.

Bless, too, those who are in tweenies and those who are in creche.

And those who look after them and care for them.

Bless us, we pray, in our homes.

Help us, Lord, there to be faithful to you.

Help us to be in public and in private the same.

And help us to realize, O Lord, that you have given us your word so that we may apply it in all of these different facets of life.

We thank you today, O Lord, for the way that you provide for us in our daily living.

We pray that you would help us to be faithful to you in whatever calling you have called us to work in this world.

And to be known to others as a people who love and value the Lord.

We pray, Lord, for those who, at this time, are anxious over their work.

For those who have lost employment during these difficult times.

We pray that you would be gracious to them and provide for them and for their families.

We pray that you would bless those today who have particular difficulties in their family circles.

Those anxieties over loved ones.

Difficulties, Lord, in coping with these issues themselves.

Those who have problems in themselves, O Lord, of mental health or other types of challenges in life that we need to face.

Lord, bless them all, we pray.

Help us to be supportive to them.

Whether they belong to us as a family or in a congregation or out with it.

Help us always, Lord, to be mindful of the needs of others.

And to bring all as we can to bear upon them in practical help and prayerful remembrance.

We pray, too, for those who mourn the passing of loved ones today in our communities.

In the congregation here, bless them, we pray.

Help them, Lord, as they express their grief.

And as they find the pain of parting.

To be so real, help them, Lord, we pray.

And be with them at this time.

And comfort them and be their portion in life.

We pray, too, Lord, for all those who serve you in public life, in public office.

Remember them before you in our local government.

Bless our local council and councillors and council officers.

Bless, we pray, those who help with the administration.

Help also those who take up responsibilities and duties.

In regard to caring for others in the medical sphere.

Remember, our hospital, our hospice, our care homes, our doctors, our nurses, and all the agencies that help them.

Macmillan nurses and all others, Lord, who go about from day to day in our community.

And seek to bring help to day in our community.

And seek to bring help to those who are in need.

We pray for the work of Crossroads.

We ask that you bless them also.

We pray, too, Lord, for those who are involved with pregnancy crisis ministry.

And we ask that you'd bless them here in our own congregation.

Bless them elsewhere as well.

In a world that takes life, Lord, so casually and many times treats life so cheaply.

Whether it be the life of the unborn or those who are old aged.

Lord, we pray for them.

And we pray for all who have different challenges with themselves.

Whether it be in mental health or other disabilities.

Lord, we ask that you'd bless them.

Bless those who don't have the same faculties as most people have.

The same abilities intellectually or otherwise.

Bless them, we pray.

Bless their families as they seek to continue to give them support and help.

And we ask, Lord, that you would bring them as they come to be.

Many of them familiar with your word.

Bless that to them.

And help them, Lord, we pray, to assimilate that in their own way of life and understanding.

We pray your blessing too for our street pastors as they go out to help those who end up in need, Lord,

at different times of the week, especially in the evenings and weekends.

We pray for our street pastors and for all who help, Lord, in that regard.

We pray that you'd keep them safe and enable them to be of help to those they meet regularly, Lord, each week.

We ask that their ministry may indeed prove to be continually beneficial to many others.

And that especially as they come with opportunities to speak about you and about their own faith.

Bless that, we pray, to those who hear them.

Those who bear witness to their desire to make Christ known, as well as being of practical help to others.

Bless, we pray, our nation at this time.

Bless, we pray, our nation at this time.

We pray, O Lord, that you'd bless our government at this time.

We ask that you'd be with them in Westminster, here in Holyrood.

We commend them to you, not merely because we are required and commanded to do that from your word,

but because, Lord, our heart is burdened that we be led in a way that would be exalting to us in righteousness

and would be pleasing to yourself.

Once again, we pray for those who are seeking office of first minister.

We pray especially for Kate Forbes and her constant Christian testimony and witness.

We pray for our Lord and her family and all the pressures that she has to meet with at this time.

Whatever our political persuasion may be, Lord, we know that we have to pray for your people

and we have to bring them before you, especially when they face such difficulties and trials as she faces in these days.

And so, Lord, whatever the outcome might be, we pray that you would continue to be with her and to assure her of your presence.

Bless us as a church, as a denomination.

Help us, Lord, we pray in all the activity that we engage in, in gospel services, in outreach, in evangelism.

And help us in all the church plants and all the other aspects of ministry that we are engaged in.

Bless those who are training for ministry.

We pray for Scott here with ourselves.

We ask that you would bless him and bless all others with him at this time, O Lord,

who are going through their period of training.

We pray that you would be with them and assure them and make them, Lord, more and more capable and endowed with your Spirit

so as to make known to others the beauty of Christ and the claims of Christ in our society.

Hear us then, we pray now, and continue with us,

pardoning all our sin and cleansing us freely for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Amen.

Once more, we're going to praise the Lord this time in Psalm 147, 147.

It's in the Sing Psalms version on page 192.

We'll sing verses 1 to 7.

O praise the Lord, how good it is to sing him songs of praise,

how pleasant to give thanks to him for all his gracious ways.

Psalm 147 and verses 1 to 7.

O praise the Lord, how good it is to sing him songs of praise,

and blessed to give thanks to him for all his gracious grace.

The Lord, how good it is to sing from ourp

The Lord, how good it is to sing him ceux- жив in the world.

Who reaches the children of Israel to bring his exiles for whole?

He heals, he heals, he heals, broken hearts, which torches to salvation.

He sets the number of persons and calls them each by name.

Great is our Lord and great in power, his wisdom is profound.

The Lord's substance can be cut out, the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with thankfulness, with joy his faithful praise.

And with the new shape of the heart, give glory to his name.

Let's turn now to the scripture we read in Daniel chapter 1.

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

Daniel chapter 1, we're looking at the chapter, especially the first seven verses of it.

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

Daniel chapter 1, which we'll call Wisdom for Challenging Times.

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

Now, the historical setting for Daniel, as I'm sure you know, as it says here, is during the days of King Nebuchadnezzar.

This passage is certainly set in that context.

Nebuchadnezzar ruled around about 605 through to 562 years before Christ.

So it's going back a long time.

But at that time, the Babylonians, over which Nebuchadnezzar was king, to which he belonged, was the superpower of the world.

It was really the great powerhouse in the known world of the time.

It had a magnificent city in Babylon.

The hanging gardens of Babylon were the envy of the world.

They were one of the seven wonders of the world at the time.

But through the Bible, Babylon is more than just a geographical location.

And the Babylonians, or Chaldeans, as sometimes they're called, are more than just a reference to an actual people who lived long ago.

Although that is, of course, true.

That's what they were.

In the Bible, Babylon represents all that is contrary to God's kingdom, to God's reign.

Babylon represents evil, corruption against God's people, against God himself, against the known church, if you like, of the time in the people of Israel, Judah.

So, all that you find in the Bible about Babylon and that way of teaching is about powers and forces that are against God and against his people.

That's all the way through until you reach the end of the Bible in Revelation chapters 18 and 19,

Revelation 18 · chapter mention

in the judgment of God bringing us right through to the end of the world,

where Babylon is judged, where Babylon has fallen, and where Babylon is judged by God.

In other words, these powers of evil and corruption and anti-God coalitions of various kinds throughout the centuries,

they are actually brought under the judgment of God at the end of it all.

And the Lamb, Jesus, and his people prevail.

They are the ones whom God shows to have the victory on their side,

because God is on their side and they have his salvation.

In other words, Daniel really is a timeless book in this sense that although it is important that we remember it is talking about history,

it's history with a purpose in the presentation of this Word of God.

It's timeless in the sense that Babylon, if you like, and the powers that Babylon represented, as we've mentioned,

they're active in every generation.

Something to do with Babylon, with the powers of Babylon, with the powers of, if you like, of worldliness,

in whatever form, that's always present to battle against God's people,

to resist the call of God in the gospel,

to try and undermine the church, to try and infiltrate the church,

to try and overthrow the teaching of the Bible,

in whatever ways that's possible for it under God.

And it seeks Babylon's powers.

Babylon seeks to take captive the minds of Christians as well.

Let's remember this.

Because the powers that are represented by Babylon,

the powers of evil and corruption and ungodliness and worldliness,

everything that's opposed to the gospel in every generation,

it wants to take your mind captive and my mind captive,

to take us away from faithfulness to God, from allegiance to God,

and throw our lot in with Babylon and its so-called values.

And it uses ideologies, different types of ideology,

to actually carry out its plan and its purpose.

Institutions, individuals, nations, churches, schools, government systems,

they're all subject to infiltration and the powers and the persuasion of Babylon

in order to try and do more to undermine the gospel of Christ.

And that's why we must see the contents of Daniel and the passage we're looking at today

in that wider perspective, in that spiritual perspective,

that spiritual and moral dimension that Babylon in the Bible represents.

The first thing, I'm going to look mainly at the first point,

which is the king's three-year program.

The three-year program mentioned here that King Nebuchadnezzar set

for these young people that he had brought captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.

This three-year program you'll find in verse 5, this was his purpose.

He assigned in verses 3 to 5 these youths that came

and were skillful in wisdom and knowledge, understanding and learning,

and it was to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

They were to be educated for three years and then they were to stand before the king.

So this was a program deliberately set up to try and educate or really re-educate

these young people that had come from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The king's three-year program.

And then more briefly, although it's not unimportant, of course,

because the rest of Daniel deals with it,

God's faithful people in Babylon, in that setting, in those circumstances.

And you can see already how up-to-date Daniel is as we're looking out over the world in which we are placed,

as we're seeing Babylon represented by all the powers and the ideologies

that actually are in conflict with the gospel.

The king's three-year program.

Well, he wanted, first of all, the ablest youths that came from Jerusalem.

He brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God.

He placed the vessels there.

And then he commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch,

to bring some of the people of Israel,

both of the royal family and of the nobility,

youths without blemish of good appearance,

and skillful in all wisdom,

endowed with knowledge, understanding, and learning.

In other words, he wanted the very best.

He wanted the very best as a potential for the service of Babylon.

He wanted the choice young people of Jerusalem, of Judah,

to come and be in the service of the king of Babylon

and to take up the values of Babylon

and the aims of Babylon and the purpose of Babylon

and, as we'll see, even to come to be identified as Babylonians.

That was his purpose.

And only the best would do to serve the kingdom,

the intentions of Babylon.

Now, you can see in verse 4 there,

youths without blemish of good appearance,

skillful in all wisdom,

endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning,

and competent to stand in the king's palace.

And that actually involves both understanding and communication.

And these two are always important.

Because to the king of Babylon, to the aims of Babylon,

understanding coupled with communication skills

was always going to be an important combination.

And it still is an important combination.

That's why he wanted the best,

those who could understand,

those who could quickly assimilate the teachings of Babylon

and also be able to cogently explain them

or communicate them to the world around them.

That is what Babylon is still aiming to do.

That's why there is today,

in this very building,

an interest in you and in your minds.

An interest on the part of these forces

that oppose the gospel

of these satanic-led powers

that really have in their mind,

even if they would never associate themselves,

of course, with Satan

and with Satan's intentions

and plans and strategies.

Well, the Bible itself tells you all about that.

But here is what is seeking

to bring your mind today captive

and lead your mind away

from the teachings of Scripture,

of the Word of God,

of these principles and values of the gospel.

So, understanding and communicating abilities

are so important to the world,

so important in the world that we live,

so important to Babylon,

so important to all the ideologies

that oppose the gospel.

But this is the thing.

They are also important

to those who support the gospel,

to those who promote the gospel.

That's why our prayer is

that God will raise up

people of understanding

and able to communicate the gospel.

That's why we have the likes of Scott

as a trainee minister in training

and others like him

in different congregations

throughout the country.

That's why we're thrilled

when God calls people

to actually come to minister the gospel

by the preaching of the gospel,

but also, like many of yourselves,

to be living witnesses to God

in your own place of work,

whether it's in education

or wherever it is.

Learning and competence

in communicating those principles

that have to do with righteousness

and truth and integrity

are so important.

They are crucial to the aims of Babylon,

but they're also crucial

in resisting and overcoming

all that Babylon wants to bring about.

That's why you must give your mind

and I must give my mind

to Christ,

to the teachings of the Bible,

to the Holy Spirit of God,

to these things

that the Bible itself tells us

are absolutely crucial

and foundational

if we are to be

the kind of people

that bear witness to God

in this world.

The world needs you

and the world needs

that particular witness,

that particular understanding

and communication

of God's truth.

But secondly,

he didn't just want

the ablest youths,

he wanted them

to be turned into Chaldeans.

And three points

under this briefly.

First of all,

you'll see in verse 4,

the end of the verse there,

to teach them

the literature

and language

of the Chaldeans.

He wanted them

to be skillful

in both the literature

and language

of the Chaldeans.

In other words,

this was a curriculum

with purpose,

a curriculum

with a specific purpose.

He wanted to turn them

from being Jews

or being associated

with Jewishness

and turn them

into Chaldeans

effectively and practically.

He wanted them

to think of themselves

no longer as a people

of Judah,

but a people of Chaldea,

of Babylon,

who had taken up

the aims and the purposes

and the intentions

of Babylon.

He wanted to erode

their Jewishness

as they developed

an allegiance

to Babylon.

See how up-to-date

that is?

You see how relevant

that is to the world

in which you and I

are placed today?

Where education

is so, so important,

but where education

sadly all too often

drifts into indoctrination

because that's what

Babylon was about.

He wasn't there

just to educate

their minds

so as to give them

different things

to compare.

He was there

to bring their minds

over to the business

and the intentions

and the identity

of Babylon.

And Babylon

is still at it.

That's why we need

to pray for our teachers.

Not just for the

Christian teachers,

but especially

our Christian teachers.

Because they are facing

from the top,

from government

intentions

and government

provided

ideologies,

they are actually

infiltrating

the education

of our children

and in some parts

of the country

at least.

Our children,

even at their youngest

years in primary,

are being subjected

to teaching

that really belongs

only in the adult

field, sadly.

That is Babylon

at work.

seeking to win

young minds

over to these

ideologies

in order to provide

very skillful

communicators

for that particular

type of ideology

or teaching

to actually spread

that throughout

the world.

Now you can see

how dangerous

that is.

You can see

how important

it is to pray

against more

infiltration

of that type

into our system

of education.

Where all kinds

of ideologies

are seen

as acceptable

and where,

for some at least,

our very youngest

children have to be

subjected to these

things even from

their youngest days.

See,

that's Babylon

at work.

That's King

Nebuchadnezzar's

three-year program

being rolled out

in our society

to take minds

captive

in order that

they then serve

the values

and the aims

of Babylon.

to erode,

to normalize,

to normalize

what the Bible

says is not

acceptable,

is ungodly,

is contrary

to righteousness,

to uprightness,

to truthfulness,

and in their

place

to put the

values of

Babylon.

Friends,

please pray

for our

teachers.

Pray for our

education authority.

Pray for that

throughout the land.

Pray for all

our schools

where there are

Christian teachers

placed

Christians

are still

concerned

at having

or being

called upon

to teach

things which

they themselves

find unacceptable.

Pray for

Christian schools

wherever they

are.

Pray for those

who sincerely

intend to

bring children

up in the

values of

Christ.

Pray for

parents.

Pray for

parents who

have to actually

face this with

their children

from day to

day.

when they

come home

from school,

even in

primary school,

and say,

the teacher

today was

teaching us

to ask

questions about

ourselves and

who we are.

Are we really

male or

female?

Are we a

boy?

Am I a

girl?

That's what's

going on in

some of our

schools throughout

our land.

That's where

children's minds

are being messed

with.

That's Babylon

at work.

We have to be

aware of that

and pray over it

and also,

as we bring it

before the

Lord, ask the

Lord to bring

a change around.

So there's the

education that

sadly sometimes

becomes

indoctrination.

There's secondly

incentives.

You see,

verse 5,

he gave them

the incentives,

he assigned

them a daily

portion of the

food that the

king ate and

the wine that

he drank.

In other words,

they were made

to feel really

special.

They were singled

out from the

others as

favorites of the

king.

They were made

to feel that

they really

should surely

serve this

very kind

king,

this person

that brought

all of these

things to them

and made them

feel so special

compared to

others.

The design was

to make them

feel advantaged,

to make them

feel special,

to make them

feel this is

really the right

way.

We're surely

not wrong in

following the

king's requirements

and taking up

this teaching

that he wants

to give us

of the things

of the

Chaldeans.

And you can

see how similar

that is to

the idea

today that

if you follow

the Christian

way, if you're

especially open

about being a

Christian, you

can't possibly

get on in the

world if that's

what you commit

yourself to.

That's the

ideology of

Babylon.

That's what

Babylon will say

to you.

That's what

worldliness will

say to you.

It will say,

if you really

want to get on

in the world

and progress

your life and

make something

of a career

of it and

get promotion

in whatever

field you're

working, you've

got to take

on the world

as of equal

validity and

equal value

to the Christian

life.

You just have

to embrace

that.

And we're

being told by

certain ideologies

today, it's

not enough

in the old

style tolerance

of just saying,

well, I don't

agree with that,

but I leave you

your freedom to

believe that and

to live that way

of life if that's

your choice.

I don't agree

with it.

But I don't

agree with

persecuting you

for it.

Now, the new

ideology, the new

tolerance really

says, I think I

mentioned this

last week, it's

not enough to

say, well, I

don't agree with

it, but you're

free to follow

it if that's

your choice.

The new

ideology says,

you must see

this as of

equal value to

your Christianity.

You must take

it and celebrate

it the way you

celebrate your

Christianity.

That's Babylon

at work.

The idea that

you really must

embrace the

world in every

facet of the

world in its

thinking and in

its behavior.

If you really

want to get on

in the world,

that's what you

have to do.

And Daniel

teaches us

otherwise.

Daniel, as we'll

see, teaches

that God has

to come first.

That God is the

one who must,

at all times,

all times must

have allegiance

to Him.

And that, of

course, doesn't

mean hating

others.

That doesn't

mean being

obsessed with

and taken up

with phobias,

the way the

world actually

presents it.

Phobic this

and phobic

that.

We're called

upon to love

people, to

love people

whatever their

ideology, to

love people

whatever difference

there may be in

their way of

life throughout

Christian life.

love.

But love is

not that sort

of wobbly

thing that the

world presents

to you.

Love is love.

Love is

primarily

faithfulness to

God.

A love for

God.

A love for

His principles.

For His truth.

For His values.

For His people.

And so we

really resist

the idea that

to get on

in the world

you have to

embrace the

world.

God and

its values.

Daniel is

going to

teach us

that.

Again,

teach us

you that as

you work

your way

through the

book of

Daniel.

And especially

these opening

chapters.

So there's

education.

There's incentives

that are given

for them to

actually throw

their lot in

with Babylon.

But there's

thirdly,

identity.

Look at

verse 7.

Among

these were

Daniel,

Hananiah,

Mishael,

and Azariah,

tribe of Judah.

And the

chief of the

eunuchs gave

them names.

Daniel he

called

Belteshazzar,

Hananiah he

called

Shadrach,

Mishael he

called

Meshach,

and Azariah

Abednego.

What's that

about?

Is that just

saying,

well,

this is just

a change of

names and

nothing more?

Of course

it's not.

It fits

into the

teaching,

the theology

of Daniel.

And what

it's saying

to us is

part of

the strategy

of Babylon

is actually

to give

you an

identity

associated

with being

a Babylonian.

This was

a deliberate

part of

the strategy

because he

was concerned

that the

more they

forgot their

own native

names given

to them as

Jews,

and you

notice these

names,

as they

often did

in Judah

and Jewish

names,

had some

element to

do with

God in

them.

Daniel,

it has

the word

El,

the same

word

Mishael,

Mishach,

Azariah,

the name

Yahweh

or Jehovah,

and built

into these

Jewish names

you have

something to

do with

God,

something to

do with

a relationship

with God,

something to

do with

what God

is or

who God

is and

what he

is to

you.

They're

substituted

by thoroughly

pagan names,

and the hope

is that as

they forget

the significance

of their

Jewish name,

their Jewish

name that's

rooted in

the name

of God

himself,

so the

more they

will take

up these

pagan names,

the more

they will

be associated

with Babylon

and being

Chaldeans.

That's the

strategy.

That's the

three-year

program the

king set

for them.

That's the

aim to

gradually

incorporate

them so

that they

come effectively

to be

Chaldeans.

That's what

the world

wants you

to be.

That's what

the world

is calling

you to

today.

That's

what

worldliness

has as

its

intentions

through

whatever

ideology

that

wants

you

to

lose

sight

of

your

identity

as

a

Christian.

Where is

the

Christian's

identity?

What is it

that identifies

the Christian?

It's not

your name

given by

baptism.

It's not

your name

given by

parents,

important though

these may

be,

precious though

these may

be.

What

identifies

you as

a

Christian

is what

you are

in

Christ.

And

what you

are in

Christ means

what you

are to

God and

what God

is to

you.

That's

your

identity.

That's

who you

are as

a

Christian.

And

that's

who the

world

must

see.

You

are.

A

person who

belongs to

God and

to whom

by grace

this God

belongs as

your

Savior,

as your

King,

and

whatever

Nebuchad

and

Ezra

arrive on

the scene.

That's

the aim

of the

three-year

program.

He wanted

the

ableist

for

himself.

He

wanted to

educate

them

with the

element

of

indoctrination.

He

wanted to

give them

incentives.

He gave

them incentives

to help

them on

that way.

And he

changed their

identity,

at least

by name,

so that

gradually

they'd

come to

see

themselves,

no longer

us people

of Judah,

but people

of Babylon.

What's the

counter to

that?

Well,

this is

our final

point.

The second

point,

briefly,

has to

do with

God's

faithful

people,

because as

the chapter

goes on,

you can

see how

God gave

Daniel

wisdom,

along with

his companions,

to actually

not just

to offset,

but to

overcome

the strategy

of Babylon

and this

three-year

program.

In other

words,

what you

really find

in the

chapter,

as throughout

the book,

in fact,

is that the

main figure,

as always

really in the

Bible,

the main

figure is

not Daniel,

it's not

his companions,

it's actually

God.

God gave

Daniel,

he resolved

that he

wouldn't defile

himself,

God gave

Daniel favor

and compassion,

verse 9,

in the sight

of the

chief of

the

eunuchs.

Where did

Daniel get

his wisdom

from?

It wasn't

from the

ideology of

the Babylonians

or of his

own ingenuity,

it was the

wisdom that

was God

given.

God gave

this to

Daniel,

he gave

him favor.

God

arranged it

that the

chief of

the eunuchs

actually went

along with

Daniel's

strategy,

counter to

the strategy

of the

king of

Babylon.

And of

course we

know how

that ended

up.

And he

showed himself

superior to

all the

rest,

to all the

people that

belonged to

Babylon who

ate the

king's food.

Daniel and

his companions

turned out to

be ten times

more superior

than they

were.

You see,

God's favor,

Joseph proved

it before,

didn't he?

Daniel proves

it here.

Many others

have proved

it down

through the

years,

that God's

favor is

of so much

more value

than the

favor of

the world.

God's

favor is

the chief

thing in

your life,

surely.

To know

that you're

living a

life that's

pleasing to

God,

not because

it's a

perfect life

though you'd

want it to

be,

not because

it's a

better life

than other

people live,

not because

you see

yourself as

superior to

others,

but because

you know

this is what

God requires

of you.

That is your

privilege to

live as a

Christian life,

as a

Christian in

life.

That is your

privilege to

serve God,

your privilege

to be openly

on His side

because there

are so many

openly against

Him.

To have

God's favor,

friends,

is the most

important thing

in the world

for you and

for me.

To know

that you

have that,

to show

openly that

you have

that.

Nothing's

more important

than that,

that you

have the

favor of

God upon

your life.

And these

were people

of principle

in other

words.

It wasn't

just the

fact that

God gave

them this

favor,

that God

opened up

the way

for them,

that God

endowed them

with all of

these abilities,

which He of

course undoubtedly

did.

But they

themselves were

people of

principle.

They were

committed to

God,

by the grace

of God,

by the blessing

of God,

yes,

but they were

still themselves

committed to

God,

to the ways

of God,

to serving

God,

to be true

to God.

And that's

why Daniel

in chapter 2,

just flick

forward for a

minute,

chapter 2,

verse 48.

As they

came to

Nebuchadnezzar

following the

interpretation

of his

dream,

which none

of his

own

mystery men

were able

to do,

then the

king gave

Daniel high

honors and

many great

gifts,

and made

him ruler

over the

whole province

of Babylon,

and chief

prefect over

all the wise

men of

Babylon.

See what's

happened?

Here's a man

who's been

faithful to

God,

who has

made known

his allegiance

to God,

who has

not stepped

back from

being a

man of

Judah in

the captivity

of Babylon.

And yet what

happens?

The king of

Babylon promotes

him.

He sees that

he has special

qualities that

none of his

own people

have.

And not

only that,

but he made

a request of

the king,

and he appointed

Shadrach,

Meshach,

and Abednego

over the

affairs of

Babylon.

But Daniel

remained in

the king's

court.

Now chapter

3 tells you

the difficulties

associated with

that.

There's the

furnace.

There's the

fiery furnace.

There's all

the intimidation,

all the

antagonism,

all the

suffering,

all the

persecution.

Nevertheless,

you'd rather be

in that fiery

furnace with

the fourth

man, the

figure of

a son of

the gods,

a figure of

God himself

with his

people through

the fires of

persecution.

You'd rather be

there than be

in the service

of the king

of Babylon,

whose only

reward is at

the end of

the day,

death,

and open

shame before

God.

One of the

commentators,

a small book,

a brief

commentary on

Daniel by

D.S.

Russell,

and he

puts it this

way when he

speaks about

these,

writing about

these young

people of

Judah as

people of

principle.

He said,

to act on

principle is

sometimes an

expression of

stubbornness and

pig-headedness,

but that is no

excuse for

denigrating the

act itself.

People of

principle find

greater favor

with God than

people of

property.

They are

prepared to

pay the

price for the

stand they

take.

They accept

the penalty

of being

the odd

man out.

They are

willing to

be counted

among the

dissenters and

the dissidents,

whatever the

outcome may

be.

When principle

ceases to

matter,

then religion,

truth,

honesty,

and integrity

are all

at risk.

People of

principle,

in other

words,

people who

are true to

God,

come what

may as

Daniel himself

and his

companions

prove to

be.

And it

does give

the lie,

doesn't it,

to the

allegation,

to the

suggestion

that

Christian

people,

people who

believe the

Bible,

will never

make suitable

leaders for

a nation.

Daniel gives

the lie to

that.

Allegiance to

God,

publicly and

openly,

does not

make a

person unsuitable

to lead a

nation,

or a

people,

or a

church.

Indeed,

put it the

other way,

surely there's

nothing more

important than

to be a

person of

integrity,

a man or

woman of

God,

who will

be true

to God,

and will

lead people

in the

right direction.

May God

bless these

thoughts on

his word to

us.

Let's now

conclude by

singing to

God's praise

from Psalm

90.

Psalm number

90,

that's in the

Sing Psalms

version of

Psalm 90,

singing the

final three

verses,

verses 13

to 17.

Return,

O Lord,

how long

will you

delay?

Have mercy

on your

servants,

Lord,

we pray.

O satisfy

us with

your love

always,

that we

may sing

rejoicing

all our

days.

Verses

13 to

17 of

Psalm 90

on page

120.

Amen.

Amen.

Lord,

not away,

suficiente

p Ajax

maken

mgreen

ide

ed оно

Have mercy on you, serenity, Lord, we pray.

O satisfy us with pure love always,

That we may sing rejoicing on our day.

When place of love, affliction with us, God,

In joy for all the years you may not die.

Till all your strength and the earth is we shown,

And to their children make their glory known.

Now may the favor of Almighty Lord,

How by God of rich blessings, O our Lord,

Establish every work of us of God,

Yes, Lord, for us, Establish every one.

I'll go to the main door after the benediction.

Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

The love of God the Father,

And the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore.

Amen.

Moses, строils so that there may talk,

And the grace of God,

As 있으eni,

Ashopabhin scripture,

In extra balance of love,

In the past fall in the past,

While desire to God,

As you may become means bigger,

In the future.

I will be able to emphasize everything.

In the whole world with power to a the Lord,