Courage Over Conspiracy

Thank you for joining us on the CCW podcast.

Make sure you connect with us on social media to stay up to date on ministries and events happening at CCW.

We hope you're encouraged, inspired, and motivated by today's message.

To find out how to connect with us, keep listening after the message ends.

Good morning, CCW.

Happy Thanksgiving week.

I have a bone to pick with a lot of you.

You did not overeat like you were supposed to.

You came in looking good, and uh that made me feel worse.

So just pray for me.

Heather did throw away all the food yesterday, and I was a little angry, but that's okay.

It's Thanksgiving, so I got over it.

But, anyways, it was a good week.

I hope that you had a good time.

Do we have anybody here that is family, maybe from out of town or first time, just because your family, your family goes here?

Anybody like that?

I'm saying that because uh half of Heather's family is here.

Y'all want to raise your hand?

Yeah, let's put them out.

We have had a great time over at my house, and uh so I'm thankful.

Turn your Bible to Daniel chapter 6.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

Today's message is courage over conspiracy.

You know, we're gonna start in Daniel chapter 6.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

I want to read verse 4.

The first point this morning as you jump in is jealous plots.

We're jumping right in.

Verse 4, Daniel 6 says this that the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could not find any charge or fault because he was faithful, nor was there an error or fault found in him.

Jealous plots.

I have a confession.

This Thanksgiving Day, or from Thanksgiving Day, we played our second annual church turkey bowl football game.

And let me tell you what it takes to be 42 and play turkey bowl football.

So I put on everything underneath of my normal clothes that is called compression.

I put it on all the compression, not because I needed it or because I was hurting it, just because I own it.

I put on a I put on a knee brace, not because my knee is messed up, but because I own it.

And it's just smart, right?

And so I go out there for football, and this is funny.

If you see me hobbling a little bit, the only thing that I didn't have something for is my right knee, and I found out I need to buy one.

So, anyway, but my jealousy, jealous plots.

Thanksgiving Day, there we are, and we're playing, there's a uh an array of ages.

Now, listen, teenagers, I'm not jealous of the teenagers.

Teenagers, we all know they have super heroic energy, they can eat garbage and run for days, right?

Y'all take that, okay?

You have it for five or seven years, you got that now, okay?

But I'm not jealous of you because it's going, it's gonna be gone.

But there was some 30-ish year olds.

Listen to me, every play for two hours running long routes.

Where is Garrett Greater at?

Is he in here?

Garrett, every play running a lot, and I'm like, I'm just tired of seeing that.

And I was jealous.

Listen, I'm so glad this happened to my brother-in-law as well as me.

At one point in the game, we were in opposite teams.

At one point in the game, our legs went on strike.

I'm not lying.

We were playing, we were running, and my brother-in-law Kyle, he was running for a touchdown, and he dove 15 yards before the end zone without anybody there to tackle him.

His legs said, I give up.

About three minutes later, I was going to tackle a man, and he was from here to the wall.

And I dove.

My legs said, That is it.

And they gave up.

And so I spent some of Thanksgiving morning jealous of these guys that got this boundless energy.

It got me thinking about this.

Jealous, jealous plots.

I want you to understand this about jealous plots.

The Bible says, 1 Peter 5:8, to be sober, be vigilant, that your adversary, devil, walks around seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Our adversary is Satan, and he is always the adversary of right living.

Daniel in this passage is an example of right living.

And so Satan is always plotting.

These men have jealous plots.

It's we read in verse 4 that they sought to find of some charge.

Letter A is this.

There's a man, though, with an excellent spirit.

You have to go back to verse 2 and 3.

We'll read that.

A man with an excellent spirit.

There's 120 satraps over this kingdom, verse 2, and over these three governors, who are over the 120, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them so that the king would suffer no loss.

Then this Daniel, hear this, distinguished himself above the governors and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him.

Pray with me.

Father, we love you.

We need you here today.

God, we ask and invite and hope for your presence.

God, without that, Lord, this is just another service.

And we do not want another service.

We want to meet with you.

So, God, I pray that you would speak to our hearts.

Open up this book that is life-changing.

Lord, I pray for the person coming in here.

Lord, just not knowing what the next day or next week or the next thing or where to go or for direction, God, give it.

Change our hearts in Jesus' name.

Amen.

That verse said, Daniel distinguished himself because he had an excellent spirit.

Now understand this is the fifth or sixth king that Daniel has been under as a captive.

He was kidnapped as a teenager, brought to Babylon, and system after system that changed from king to king and the way that they saw government and polity.

And so all of a sudden, they cannot help king after king to promote Daniel.

They all can't help it.

He just keeps getting promoted, not because he's doing anything but what he knows to do.

And Darius divides the kingdom by 120 rulers, three heads, and over that, Daniel is one-third in charge.

He was distinguished because of that.

It said excellent spirit.

That word excellent is yatir, and it means preeminent.

It means supreme in spirit.

Excellent spirit.

The word spirit is rua, and that is wind.

Or I found this: the breath, the wind of heaven.

He had a preeminent, supreme breath of heaven.

He had this spirit of God, you could say.

Now I want to tell you, it's not the first time and only time in the Bible where it distinguishes a man for having an excellent spirit.

Caleb in Numbers 14, they said he had an excellent spirit.

In Acts 7, 55, it said Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist in the womb, it said he had an excellent spirit.

And this is what I want you to see in a practical manner.

In a world full of B's and C's, Daniel was A plus.

Y'all understand he was an A plus.

When I became the pastor of the church here, they started asking some visions, some things that I wanted to do.

And this is what I said.

I said, I want to do things with excellence.

I don't want to be the next church with a hundred ministries.

I don't want to do everything that everyone is doing.

But what we do and what we are known for, I want to do it and I want to do it with excellence.

I want to be determined to be the best at it.

I think that honors God to do that with yatir, that supremacy, that excellence.

Do we do it with excellence?

John Maxwell said four keys, this would be good for you to write down the side of your notes to excellence, is this.

Number one is consistency.

Consistency.

Aristotle said excellence is not an act, it's a habit.

Consistency, day after day.

They couldn't find a fault in Daniel.

It said, because he was faithful, he was consistent, he continued consistently.

Number two, Maxwell said, improvement.

Are you seeking to improve?

Leaders are learners, and learners are readers, and readers read with a pen.

Are you seeking to improve?

Daily, bettering yourself, bettering yourself at home as a husband or wife, bettering yourself at work, bettering yourself spiritually in God's book.

Are you seeking to be better?

Number three, Maxwell said, creativity.

I've got nothing for this.

I'm just kidding, that was a joke.

Not very creative, am I?

Creativity, thinking and trying to find a way outside the box to do something different.

Number four, we had, this was our theme for a whole year at church.

Going mile two.

Going the extra mile makes you excel.

Excellence.

Literally, the word excel means going beyond average, going beyond expectation.

If you've been given an expectation, then outdo it.

Y'all hear me?

If your work, if your job says be here at 7, get there at 6.45.

I changed the whole time of a work at a job I was at one time.

We all had to be there at 7.15.

I kept showing up at 6.45.

He was giving me an extra half hour of pay for doing stuff.

And then the man changed everybody's time to 645.

I started showing up at 6.30.

I wanted more money if they were offering it.

And so going that extra mile, if they tell you at a place to sweep, sweep and mop.

Y'all hearing me?

Outdo them.

Okay?

I've been at ministry a long time, churches, and I listen, I know.

It's volunteer work.

I understand that.

And I'm thankful that people come and they're willing to help.

But I see these things happen all the time.

There's always some guy or teenager who, when the work starts, they suddenly get a phone call.

Isn't that crazy?

I got an important phone call.

There's chairs, but I got a phone call, right?

I gotta take this.

This is very important.

Or they gotta go to the restroom.

Oh, oh, them chairs pop that pulled it on me.

Right?

That's not an excellent spirit.

That's what you call a sorry spirit.

And most of the time, if it's a guy, you see his lady over here working.

I'm like, that is so sorry.

If your lady is working and you're not doing nothing, you need to come and repent today.

An excellent spirit.

Husbands hear me, providing.

All the time we say, I'm a provider.

An excellent spirit is more than providing finances.

Yes, we have to work to provide, but your wife needs provision emotionally.

She needs provision spiritually.

She needs lead.

Talking and listening.

Beyond average, mile two.

By the way, any person that calls himself a Christian is supposed to have that excellent spirit.

The Bible calls it the Holy Spirit.

But these gentlemen, these governors, these satraps, instead of working on themselves to be better, to be above average, they sought to find a wrinkle in Daniel's finely pressed resume.

Instead of working on themselves, they got jealous.

Jealous.

Letter B as this.

We see these men with an envious spirit.

One of the most wicked phrases in this chapter is this they sought to find some charge against him.

Why?

Why are you so bored?

Why are you so average that instead of working on you, these guys are looking to find some charge?

It's a worldview issue requiring success or accumulation to feel worth.

That's what enviousness is.

It's a worldview that says, I have to, I have to move up the ladder, and it gives me a feeling of worth.

And I want to tell you, church, this may be freeing, we're all unworthy.

And we're all just stewards of an amount.

We're just stewards, we're managers of something God's given us.

God's given us talent, he's given us time, and he's given us treasure, but they're an amount.

And the amount doesn't qualify anyone for more happiness or less happiness.

Culture today tells you the amount is the success, the amount is the happiness.

And I'm here to tell you it's not.

Plenty of people with a lot of amount who are just at their wit's end.

Daniel was great with his amount.

That's what made him so faithful.

These guys kept comparing.

Hear me?

They kept comparing themselves to Daniel.

Teddy Roosevelt famously said this comparison is the thief of joy.

Somebody here today, you needed to hear this.

Stop comparing.

It's not fair.

It's not fair to you, it's not fair to them.

They are not you, and you are not them.

There's another famous doctor who made a quote.

Dr.

Seuss.

He said, You are you.

That is truer than true.

There is no one alive who is you were than you.

So be you.

These envious guys looking at Daniel.

It's kind of sickening.

Looking for an opportunity to cause him to fall.

But jealousy is riddled throughout the Bible.

Cain was jealous of his brother.

Joseph's older brothers threw him in a pit and sold him out over a technicolor dream coat, the lifesaver's coat, right?

The fruit-flavored Yep stripes coat.

Rachel and Leah had issues because of jealousy.

King Saul heard the people chanting David's name that he sent out to war, and he was jealous.

I want you to look at 2 Corinthians chapter 10 for just a second.

2 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 10.

I want you to hear something that Paul had to say about this type of way.

He's speaking to the church at Corinth, and he's instructing them on Christian behavior.

We're going to look at verse 7, 12, and 17.

Just real quick.

2 Corinthians 10 says this.

Verse 7, do you look at things according to the outward appearance?

He poses this question, right?

This is what we do.

Our jealousy comes from the look at outside things.

We look at somebody's yard, their house, their car, their things, their vacations, their whatever, and we judge ourselves based on that person's stewardship amount.

And we go, they had some unfair advantage that got them there.

So he asks that question.

Then look at verse 12.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they are measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, and they're not wise.

You heard what Paul said?

If you're playing that game, it's dumb.

It's not wise, it's not smart.

In the conclusion of that chapter, is what he says, verse 17 But he who glorifies, let him glory in the Lord.

That's your measurement, church.

How big is your God to you?

And I want to tell you to Daniel God was everything.

Those things were not.

God was everything.

You ever seen the movie or read the book, The Count of Monte Cristo?

It's a real good movie.

Good book.

In the Count of Monte Cristo, there's this scene where Fernand is hitting on his best friend Edmund's to-be wife, Mercedes.

And he's talking to Mercedes, and you can tell that he's sort of wanting of Mercedes.

And Mercedes says to Fernand, Do you remember on your birthday when Edmund got that whistle?

And you wanted his whistle, and on your birthday you got a pony, and Edmund was more happy with his whistle than you were with your pony.

And she said, Fernand, I'm not gonna be your next whistle.

Jealousy.

These jealous men were rulers like Daniel.

These satrapes, these governors, they were rulers too.

They had position, they had power and authority over a province.

They had leadership, but it was not enough.

And I want to tell you that is the road of sinfulness.

It's not enough.

It's never content.

It's never enough.

Once you look at verse 10 through 13, second point this morning is this.

So they plot together.

The second point is Jerusalem prayers.

They plot together, they go to the king, and they knew that Daniel would remain faithful to the king.

The only matter that they could find to pull against Daniel is they went against him, uh conspiring about his Hebrew God.

And so they make a decree and the king signs off on it almost flippantly.

Yes, that sounds good.

If anybody does anything against my gods or me and prays to anything other than me, and so he signs off on the prayer, and then look at verse 10 through 13.

These Jerusalem prayers.

Verse 9 said, Darius Darius signed the written decree.

Anyone that would pray or worship to any other God except for the king would be thrown into a den of lines.

Verse 10.

Now when Daniel knew, man, circle that word knew.

Circle it, underline it, highlight it.

When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home.

And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God, and they went before the king and spoke concerning the king's decree.

Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any God or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?

The king answered and said, A thing is true, according to the law of Medes and Persians, would does not alter.

So they answered and said before the king, That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.

Letter A is this prayer reveals boldness.

Prayer reveals boldness.

John Piper said this about Daniel's prayer.

He said, Daniel's prayer is the daring, defiant, disciplined prayer.

It was a statement for the glory of God and not the glory of King Darius that he prayed.

And I love this that it says, now when Daniel knew, when he knew the writing was signed, there was not a misunderstanding on Daniel's part about the writing.

He knew, therefore he was bold to pray anyway.

Proverbs 28, verse 1 says, That the wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

They're bold.

Hebrews 4.16 tells us, we come therefore boldly in prayer to the throne of grace.

The word boldness there is paresia, which describes a frankness, frankness of speech, unflinching, even in the face of opposition.

Listen to me.

Did you hear what it said?

He didn't close the window.

Don't miss that part.

It says he didn't close the window.

Now come on.

Daniel could have gone up and he could have thought to himself, you know, I'm gonna pray faithfully like I always do three times away, but let's just close the shades.

It says he did not close the window.

It says he went up as he did.

He did it boldly, unflinchingly.

He could have reasoned to himself, it's better that I'm here for the people and that I'm here to be to continue to pray another day, and I close the shades.

But he didn't close the window.

Have you ever heard the Holy Spirit just speaking to you about an open opportunity, an open window?

Pounding heart, just just beating about something that was coming.

I was so nervous.

I came home from teen camp at uh 17 and they had a testimony service.

Any of y'all ever been to the testimony service?

Pop-up testimonies, like they'd put you to the fire.

Are you gonna praise your God?

Right?

And the mic is going around, and my heart is just I never speak, didn't like to speak, didn't want to speak, but I knew God did something in my heart.

My heart just and I'm like, I know God, I know, just stop, stop.

And finally, I'm like, give me that mic.

And I said, I want to kill.

God changed me.

Yes.

So bold.

Daniel had this opportunity.

And he believed in his God, and it was another chance to show.

The writing was signed, and it was prayer time.

And he said, You know what?

I'm going to do at prayer time.

I bet he saw them shades.

I bet he swung them open even further.

Am I going to pray at prayer time?

This is why I like Daniel.

I'm a man.

They're going to say I'm going to get thrown into a den.

It's prayer time.

I get you you better believe his prayer got louder that day.

Oh Lord, pray.

I would have, probably not Daniel.

I said, I'm praying for these jealous guys.

All over the No, he didn't do that.

But Daniel swung open the window.

Why?

The whole name of this series is why.

Daniel was steadfast.

He was steadfast.

Paul said, be steadfast, 1 Corinthians 15, 58.

Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

Be steadfast.

Hear me, Christian, today.

This isn't just a mess about Daniel.

Today, be steadfast.

Don't care about what culture is going to do if you do the right thing.

Man, pray.

Pray in your jobs.

Offer prayer to people.

I'm telling you, do the right thing.

He was steadfast.

Daniel prays boldly.

Why?

Because it become a part of his temperament.

He's not bold.

Hear me, he's not bold because of that prayer that day.

It's because of the 10,000 prayers up to that day that Daniel was bold.

It wasn't his boldness that made him pray, it was his constant praying that made him bold.

There's some people here today you need to learn to pray.

As a staff, we've been reading this book called The Disciplines of Godliness.

And one of the disciplines said that you should journal.

Journaling for the reason of godliness was the name of the chapter.

And anyhow, so I got to thinking about that.

I've got a prayer journal here.

We pray together as a team on Wednesdays at noon.

Everybody's welcome.

And in that journal, there's page after page.

I meant to bring it out here to show you, page after page of prayers.

Prayers answers, some unanswers, but that journal, listen to me, your journal is a record book of the history of you and your spiritual temperament to your children, to your grandchildren.

I've got one at home.

Heather and I share one that talks about big blessings.

Just, I don't want to forget.

God has done so many things, and I gotta write one from this week.

God has done so many things, and you'll forget.

You'll forget the prayers, the things that God has done if you don't do this.

And so Daniel was bold because he'd been praying for a long time.

Have you been praying?

He'd been seeing God's answers.

In chapter one, Daniel prayed, and they put up a challenge.

He did not want to defile himself with the king's meat.

So he put up a challenge and he gathered his friends together.

And guess what they did?

You won't believe it, they prayed.

And I don't know if he had a scroll or what he had, but if he'd have written it down, he would have said, Listen, we prayed, and we came out better on the other end of eating salad for a week than those that ate the king's meat.

That was a prayer answered.

And then in chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar came to Daniel with a dream, and they said, There is a man that can answer this dream.

And Daniel said to his friend, let's pray over this dream, and God gave him the interpretation.

In chapter three, these guys would not bow or bend, they worship their God.

And so, what do you think happens by the time Daniel's in his 80s here in chapter 6?

It's prayer time.

So, you know what I do at prayer time?

I pray.

Hear me.

If you're a praying person, when trials, when a den comes, you'll pray.

If you're not a praying person, you're gonna ask someone who prays when trial or the den comes.

A great philosopher said these words.

It was MC Hammer.

You've got to pray just to make it today.

Letter B is this prayer reveals belief.

Prayer reveals belief, it reveals boldness, it reveals belief.

It says, as was his custom.

He did this as was his custom.

That word custom is quadba, and it means from antiquity, what he had done since he was young.

Your habits from a young age and your practices, hear me, parents, the practices that you instill in your children at a young age matter.

I'm not saying they won't fight you, but you keep pushing the practice.

We've taught our children since they were babies to say, yes, sir, yes, ma'am.

Sometimes we still have to remind them, yes, sir, yes, ma'am.

Since our children were old enough to understand, we've tried to have a family or devotional time.

We want it to be their custom.

For 10 years I've been saying, Weston, go brush your teeth.

I want it to be his custom.

I want him when he leaves the house to feel dirty, like his mouth is hairy if he doesn't brush his teeth.

We want it to be his custom.

Don't you feel weird if you get to work and you forgot to brush your teeth?

I'm like, oh, I can't do nothing.

I can't work today.

I gotta call off and brush my teeth.

I literally got a toothbrush and toothpaste in a drawer out there just in case I've forgotten.

Is it your custom?

Is prayer your custom?

Well, why Jerusalem prayers?

I want you to go back to 1 Kings chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

What do you mean, Pastor?

Jerusalem prayers.

That's what it says in Daniel.

That he went up open toward Jerusalem.

1 Kings chapter 8, verse 35 and 36.

1 Kings 8:35

When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, when they pray towards this place and confess your name and turn from their sin, you afflict them.

Then hear in heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people, Israel.

Look at verse 38.

Whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone or by all your people, Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart and spreads out his hands toward this temple.

It was Solomon's dedication of the temple, and he says, Hear the prayers of your people as they direct their prayers towards that temple.

The Hebrews were taught, Daniel had been taught from a young age to pray towards the temple, but why the temple?

Let me explain to you, Solomon's temple.

If you look in 1 Kings chapter 6, it was not an inconceivable structure from the outside, it was a little bit smaller than this building.

1 Kings 6 · chapter mention

But let me tell you, 1 Kings chapter 6 is an expansive and meticulous detail of what the inside of the temple looked like.

1 Kings 6 · chapter mention

The walls were lined in cedar.

There was pine flooring.

There was carvings in all the walls.

Listen to this carpenter's here.

The carvings through all the walls of palm trees and angels on all of these walls and flowers were carved into the walls.

The inner and outer rooms were overlaid with gold.

I want you to think about this place.

But inside, as you got through those corridors and you got into the inner part of the court, inside the temple was the holy of holies, and the whole place was overlaid in gold.

And inside of the holy of holies, floor to ceiling, it was covered.

And inside of that place was the Ark of the Covenant.

And they prayed their Jerusalem prayers directed.

And it wasn't to the outer structure, it wasn't to the flowers on the walls, but they wanted to get to that holy of holies in the Ark of the Covenant where the presence of God was inside that Ark of the Covenant.

I want to tell you at CCW Church, this place, there's no less than multiple ten miracles that God has provided for us to have what we have as a structure here.

If you run onto the property, there's 92 acres, there's a soccer field with$40,000 of grass, there's a pavilion over here that's used, and you keep on coming in this structure.

God blessed some men of the church to work hard at getting this gymnasium.

Paul Grader led that.

And this gymnasium came to existence.

And as you walk up on it, it's a strong building, and you walk, and now you can look as you drive through, and there's a view to 280.

Used to be an old bait barn.

And God gave us this second children's building.

And the things that have happened on this property are miraculous.

And man, does it get used.

We're about to be in the busiest season.

I can't even tell you.

There's banquets and CYC and ballgames and pickleball and basketball, and that's the vision of this church that not Wednesday and Sunday, all week long, we're a church in existence for the people, for gospel conversations.

But let me tell you, it is not the particulars on the outside of this building that make it special.

But there's something on the inside in the inner court.

And when Daniel prayed towards Jerusalem, he was posturing himself toward the presence of God.

And we commit a service here.

It's holy ground in this place.

Listen, this altar, this wooden place is not, this structure is nothing amazing.

But it symbolizes the presence of an almighty God who has changed the hearts of lives.

And people have come and tears have dropped in this place, and they've walked out, and marriages have been at odds, and God's just grabbed a hold of hearts.

And children have been prodigal, and God has grabbed a hold of hearts, and someone has been far from God, and God has just grabbed a hold of them.

And there's something special about what's on the inside.

And Daniel just believed that not missing that one time of prayer was more important than anything he could have done.

The things that you make sure that you do happen because you want them and because you believe in them.

If a particular time in prayer is not in your schedule, it's not because you're too busy.

It's because of belief.

Do you believe in it?

Wait, Pastor, no, no, no, you don't understand me.

I'm a believer.

Well, not like Daniel if you're not praying.

Look at verse 23.

I want you to hear this.

The last part of the verse.

So Daniel, when he was taken up out of the den and no injury was found on him, it was because he believed.

When Daniel was taken up, no injury is because he believed.

His prayer showed his belief.

Do you believe, church?

Are you praying, church?

The third thing I want to show you this morning is Jehovah's protection.

Jehovah's protection.

The safest place, I've heard this said over and over, the safest place for a person to be is in the center of God's will.

Now I want to tell you something.

That doesn't mean there's not pain in the center of God's will, and there's not danger in the center of God's will, but it is the safest and best place to be.

By the way, the danger is coming.

A den is coming to life.

Why do you say that, Pastor?

Because the jealousy of evil men was not going to stop.

Evil is not going to stop.

Disease in the world is not going to stop.

Therefore, your den is around the corner.

There's going to be a health need.

There's going to be an issue.

There's some people in our church.

Bless them.

I've been praying and praying.

And this Thanksgiving is going to be one that they may want to forget.

Hard, hard week.

You don't want to spend Thanksgiving week in a hospital.

They are in a den this week.

And I'm telling you, a den is coming.

But how do you spend time in the den is determined by how you are before you ever get in the den.

Are you with me, church?

You may be here today and you say, Pastor, I'm in it right now.

I am in it right now.

And I came to this place, and I really didn't.

I'm sort of at my wit's end.

I want to tell you about Jehovah's protection.

The most beautiful thing in this story is Jehovah's Protection.

Letter A is this we see a paralysis of the lion's mouth.

Let me give you some fun facts about lions.

I didn't know that I was going to become a zoologist this week, but I had a good time with it.

A paw swipe from a lion with retractable claws can produce 1,400 pounds of force.

That's better than any one of y'all's uppercuts.

I'm just telling you right now.

A lion can run up to 45 miles per hour in the wild.

I saw something good on the football field, but maybe nothing over four miles an hour.

Okay.

I don't know if it got that fast.

Hear this.

A lion in the wild prefers 10 to 25 pounds of food per day.

And some of y'all talked about your stretchy pants on Thursday.

A lion's roar can reach 114 decibels in sound, can be heard from five miles away.

And that roar, if you were standing next to it, would cause you to go deaf.

They didn't even have to bite him.

All they had to do was roar at him.

A human can produce.

Oh, I didn't even get to the bite.

Bite force of a lion, 650 to 1,000 PSI.

A human can produce a strong human about a hundred.

Daniel versus the lion was falling to certain death.

That den was no safe place.

And for us today, practically speaking, a den can look like tension in our life.

Fear, a dark place, people trying to figure out why I am depressed, uncertainty about what's next, what's to be, can feel like a den.

Life is full of dens with hungry lions.

And hear me, church.

Your protection in the den determines your direction when you're out of the den.

Do you have Jehovah's protection?

Look down at verse 16 through 18.

So here's what happened.

So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel, and they cast him into the den of lions.

But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, Your God, whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.

Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring, and with the signets of the Lord's and the purpose, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.

Now the king went to his palace.

Hear this.

The king was not happy about this.

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

He had no musicians, nothing joyful was brought before him, and all his sleep went from him.

And so Daniel was cast into this den.

And here's the thing about lions they don't care if you're a preacher or if you're a pagan, because you just smell like lunch.

Daniel doesn't fight it.

It's interesting in this passage.

Daniel doesn't fight it.

He doesn't deny it.

He doesn't ask for mercy.

He knew the penalty of praying.

And maybe he remembered what his friend said about bowing.

You think about that?

His friend said to King Nebuchadnezzar, King, our God can deliver us from a fiery furnace.

But even if he doesn't, we're not bowing, we're not bending, we're not going to burn, we're not going to pray to your God.

And I wonder if Daniel didn't have that thought.

Daniel didn't fight it.

He said, guilty.

I am praying to my God.

So he's being lowered down to his penalty.

Even if you want to lower me down as a snack for hungry lions, I'm not going to stop praying.

And the king, he was displeased.

The king probably felt duped a little bit, like he signed this decree in a hurry, didn't think too much about it, didn't think about Daniel, whom he liked, whom he had promoted.

And so while Nebuchadnezzar was infuriated that people wouldn't bow, this king was saddened that now somebody that he sort of looked to had to pay the penalty.

And this is what it said in verse 18.

The king fasted and could not sleep.

Look at verse 19 through 20.

What happens?

So the night goes by, the king never sleeps, Daniel's there, and the lion's dead, no doubt torn to pieces.

And when he came, or verse 19, and the king arose very early in the morning, maybe earlier than the decree, I don't know.

He rose very earlier than the morning.

He went in haste, he ran to the den of lions, and when he came to the den, he cried out with, hear this word, a lamenting voice to Daniel.

The king spoke, saying to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions.

Imagine his thoughts.

Says his voice changed.

Men, have you ever accidentally hurt your child close to your wife?

Anybody ever done this?

Accidentally hurt the baby, one of the children, and you were near unto your wife, near the mother, the nurturer?

So I was at teen camp and I got this grand idea to take Weston down the slip and slide, and I'm gonna run with him.

I don't remember, maybe it was four or five, and I'm gonna run with him.

And they got Dawn, dish liquid and water, and I'm gonna run, and it's gonna make us faster.

It's gonna be more fun for the kids, it's gonna be great.

Well, I run and I go to slide, and something launched him out of my arms into orbit, and I watched the baby cartwheel in the sky, and I'm like, and I'm trying to get myself up, and listen to me, miraculously I catch him, but my weight is going too much too fast with that sliver.

So I catch him and army roll the baby onto the ground and I flip over and I got him up.

And my lamenting voice came out.

I said, Weston.

I looked over and seen Heather, Weston, Weston, are you okay?

And I'm testing his limbs, his hands, and I'm pushing things.

I was like, can you walk?

He's crying, Weston, are you okay?

And I'm looking over at Heather and I'm like, no, Weston, Weston, Weston, Weston, come on, Weston.

Please walk, please walk.

And he walked in.

I'm like, oh, hallelujah.

I'm like, can you talk?

Can you Weston, do you want ice cream?

So we walked off and we went and got ice cream.

Heather's like, I didn't know where y'all went.

Well, everything's good.

We got ice cream, just being a good dad.

Oh, Darius said, Oh, my, my, ma, my, Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, please, please, please answer me.

And then I bet he heard a sound like no other.

I bet he remembered this to the day he died.

He heard this sound.

And I'm gonna paraphrase it, but this is what Daniel said.

He said, Good morning, king.

What a great night of sleep.

Why, the purring of your kitties put me right to bed.

And my was it warm.

Have you ever felt the warmth?

I don't know how many thread counts those lions have.

But that fur, oh, it was so soft.

Have you ever slept in Persian rugs, Persian lion rugs?

Oh, king, it was glorious.

And Daniel said, My God sent an angel.

Not only did your lions not eat me, hear me, church.

You want to live for God.

He said, Not even one lick.

They shut the lion's mouth, and there wasn't even a lick.

Not only was there not a bite, not only did I sleep.

I existed with ravenous lions all night and slept like a baby.

God! Woo! My God is what Daniel came out saying.

I thought about this.

Daniel slept in a lion's den.

Peter slept in prison.

Jesus slept in a storm.

No matter what your circumstances, you can take a nap.

No matter what den you're in, some of the ladies said, Amen.

After Thanksgiving, Amen.

Pastor said I could nap.

But this is what I know.

Life is full of dens.

And Jehovah's protection is your help.

Philippians 4, 6 through 7 says something that you need to take into the next den.

Before you get there, it needs to be here.

And it says this in everything, be anxious for nothing but with prayer and supplication.

This is what Daniel had going into the den with prayer and supplication.

Let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.

Even in the den with ravenous lions, he'll guard your heart and mind.

He will bring your peace.

And there's people in a den right now, and I'm telling you, in prayer and supplication, let him know.

Let him know somebody else isn't going to change it.

More money's not going to change it.

More relaxation isn't going to change it.

Another drug, listen to me, let him know.

Prayer and supplication.

And then he said, after that, he'll guard your heart and mind.

He said, But you know what?

Don't even think on it.

Don't worry on it.

He said, think so on whatsoever things are good, just, lovely, good report.

If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on good things.

So when the den is coming, he says, think the right thoughts.

It'll be your protection.

Nahum 1.7 says, the Lord is my rock, my very present help in a time of trouble.

Psalms 139 says that he goes before me.

He goes before and behind those who put their trust in him.

Dens are coming.

That was letter A.

I cut out a point today, so everyone here that is uh you're looking at your outline, you're you might be mad at me later if I don't say this.

I didn't God told me not to spend much time on it.

But one of the points of your outline is that the penalty of lowly men, and this is what I have to say about it.

It's verse 24, you can read it.

But the lions still got lunch.

The 122 satraps and governors that were involved and their families.

Now it wasn't God's command, the king.

The king was so disgusted with the jealousy of men, he turned it around and he threw them and their families.

And I'm telling you, it's sad.

The penalty of lowly men is sad.

Where does it get you living that life?

Well, let's close with letter be the prosperity of the Lord's man.

Look at verse 25 through 28.

Then King Darius wrote to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace to you.

I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God and steadfast forever.

His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed.

His dominion shall endure to the end.

He delivers and rescues and works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.

Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions?

Amen.

The king writes a decree.

So this Daniel prospered, is what it says.

Verse 28.

This Daniel prospered in the reign.

Every chapter, this Daniel prospered, he's promoted, he prospered, he's promoted, he prospered.

And I said the only thing that Daniel did was he was faithful to God and used the gift that God gave him.

Let me tell you the secret to prosperity in your life.

Be faithful to God and use the gift that he gave you.

Be faithful to God in every circumstance and use the gift that he gave you.

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and Evil Meridosh and Nergolisser and Nabonidus and whatever king that decided to come, and let me tell you, our world changes quickly.

And I said this before: the heart of the king is in the hand of God, but you be faithful.

Whoever's president, whoever's mayor, whoever's governor, whoever's at your work, whoever's your boss, the heart of the king is in the hand of God, but you be faithful.

You be faithful in your circumstance, you be faithful to God.

You continue to pray.

And here I think is the secret back to chapter 1, verse 8 and 9.

Why Daniel prospered now at 80.

Hear me, teenagers, students.

Why did Daniel prosper now at 80?

Because of Daniel 1, 8 and 9.

He prospered because he said he purposed in his heart.

It said he purposed in his heart, Daniel 1, 8 and 9.

He purposed and then he prospered later.

He purposed, on purpose, he said, I am going to be for my God.

And at a young age, he said, I'm not going to go left or right.

As a kidnapped teenager in a new land, he purposed.

Well, Daniel was.

I want to look at one more thing before we close.

Daniel had been cast in this den that was sealed by a stone.

How did that lead to prosperity?

Well, this passage has a great resemblance to another.

I want you to turn to Matthew 27.

65 and 66.

Daniel was put and cast into a den, and then that den was sealed by a stone.

Matthew 27, 65 and 66.

The men said before that, after three days, this Jesus said he'll rise.

We need to do something about the tomb and make sure it's secure.

Verse 65.

Pilate said to them, You have a guard, go your way, make it as secure as you know how.

So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

He said, Set a seal.

You see, Daniel was thrown into a den of King Darius's, and they set a seal.

He was tossed into a den, hungry, ferocious, man eating lions to his death, facing this hellacious punishment, unjustly thrown in because of the sins of men.

And after a mourning, he rose up, and the seal was removed, and Daniel was unscathed, unharmed, untouched, and it was unbelievable.

Imagine his testimony from that day forward.

Daniel wouldn't have been prideful, but I'd have had a new strut.

Lions can't even touch this.

And he was nailed on a cross and hung on a cross and he was speared at his side.

And he was placed in a den, the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, not one day, but three days in a den.

And that third morning, hear me, church, the seal was removed.

And when that seal was removed, Jesus was out of that den and he was unscathed, unharmed, untouched, and it was unbelievable.

And Jesus, church, let me tell you, he rose on that third day.

Jesus is the better Daniel.

And Jesus arose and he is on the right hand of the side of the Father, and he is living and mediating for you and for me today.

Daniel was a steadfast man.

But Jesus is a steadfast Savior.

Because of what Jesus did on the cross and three days in that grave and his resurrection, Isaiah said, By his wounds, we are healed.

By his wounds, because of his den, hear me, church, I can come out of mine.

We're excited you joined us for today's message.

Our heart is to connect with others in our community, to grow with one another, and build a bigger kingdom.

If you accepted Jesus today, we want to hear about it.

Take a moment and text CCW Connect to 94,000.

Thank you again for joining us on the CCW podcast.

We hope you'll make plans to join us in person on Sundays.