Daniel: Unavoidable Opposition

Daniel chapter 6 and we'll read the whole chapter.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators

over them, one of whom was Daniel.

The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.

Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional

qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against

Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.

They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor

negligent.

Finally, these men said, we will never find any basis for charges against this man, Daniel,

unless it has something to do with the law of his God.

So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said, O King Darius,

live forever.

The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisors and governors have all agreed that

the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god

or man during the next thirty days except to you, O King, shall be thrown into the lion's

den.

Now, O King, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance

with the laws of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repelled.

So King Darius put the decree in writing.

Now, when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs

room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem.

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God just as

he had done before.

Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.

So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree.

Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god

or man except to you, O King, would be thrown into the lion's den?

The king answered, The decree stands in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which

cannot be repealed.

Then they said to the king, Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention

to you, O King, or to the decree you put in writing.

He still prays three times a day.

When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed.

He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, Remember, O King, that according

to the law of the Medes and Persians, no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.

So the king gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den.

The king said to Daniel, May your God, who you serve continually, rescue you.

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his

own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles so that Daniel's situation might not be changed.

Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment

being brought to him, and he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion's den.

When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, Daniel, servant of the

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

Daniel answered, O King, live forever.

My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions.

They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight, nor have I ever done any wrong

before you, O King.

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den.

And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found in him because he had trusted

in his God.

At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into

the lion's den along with their wives and children.

And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their

bones.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language throughout

the land.

May you prosper greatly.

Issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God and he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed.

His dominion will never end.

He rescues and he saves.

He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Thanks very much, Connor.

It's a long reading, but great to have it read.

Thank you for that.

Well, let's keep our Bibles open at Daniel 6 and we'll see what we can learn from it this

morning.

We're going to pray and ask for God's help to us all.

So let's just pray right now.

Amen.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but

also to suffer for him.

Father, as we look at this true story of Daniel, we pray that you will teach us something of

your amazing salvation, the way in which you rescue.

But also would you teach us today about how we should live when we face suffering because

we love you and follow you.

teach us this morning to live like Daniel lived and that our eyes would be fixed firmly on

Jesus, the one who did suffer for us so that we could have life.

So by your Holy Spirit, teach us.

Speak into our hearts.

And we ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, life seems to be on the up for Daniel.

There's a new power in place.

Look at chapter 5, verse 30, the last verse of chapter 5.

That very night, Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain and Darius the Mede took over the

kingdom at the age of 62.

So there's a new power in place.

And with that has come a new position for Daniel in verse 1 of chapter 6.

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the entire kingdom with three administrators

over them, one of whom was Daniel.

So a very high position and no doubt with a good salary too.

But not only has he got a new position, there's also the possibility of promotion, verse 3.

Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities

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

So life seems to be on the up for Daniel.

He's climbing the promotional ladder.

But in reality, nothing has actually changed because Daniel is still living in Babylon.

Babylon was the capital city, a place where rulers stood in opposition to God and where

persecution was a reality for God's people.

In fact, so fierce was the opposition that the name Babylon throughout the Bible and into

the New Testament symbolises a place of exile and suffering for God's people.

So the first letter of Peter in the New Testament, he's writing there to Christians who've been

persecuted and he signs off that letter by talking about the church, those who are in Babylon.

It's kind of like a symbol, a sign for those who are facing struggles and suffering.

And so it is today.

Christians everywhere live in their own Babylon.

Some face discrimination, harassment and violence because of their beliefs.

Others experience various levels of contempt, rejection and hostility.

And even for us today, where we live and where we work and the colleges that we study in,

there is pressure to water down or abandon Jesus Christ altogether.

We all live in our own little Babylon.

How do we live in it?

How do we face it?

Well, there's four things that we're going to learn this morning from Daniel,

who helps us to live life in our own little Babylon.

First is this.

God promises us that we will face opposition.

If you are a Christian, you will face opposition.

Daniel was a follower of God.

He quickly gained recognition.

He was offered promotion.

But with it came opposition.

Look at verse four.

At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel

in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.

Here we have a normal follower of God getting on with living for God where he's been placed.

He's not corrupt.

He's not dodging tax.

He's not making false expenses.

He's a trustworthy character, never lying and never sneaking off work early.

He's a man of integrity.

Look at the rest of verse four.

They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

But faithful living is always going to be met by opposition.

If people can't find flaws in your character, they are going to find problems with your faith.

So look at verse five.

Finally, these men said, after trolling through and trying to find some kind of misconduct with him,

finally they said, we'll never find any basis of charges against this man, Daniel,

unless it has something to do with the law of his God,

unless it's got something to do with his faith, the things that he believes in.

Everybody knew that Daniel was a follower of God.

That was obvious.

He didn't just walk the walk.

He talked the talk.

People in the office knew that he didn't gossip about other people.

He knew that he was a fair and honest kind of guy.

And in his places of management and authority, well, he treated people fairly and kindly.

He was the kind of boss you wanted to work under.

But he was at the same time just an ordinary Christian,

getting on with life, living for God where he worked,

similar to where many of you are or where you study,

being a Christian and getting on with where you work.

But people can't always tolerate this kind of living out and public faith.

Your faith is fine if you leave it compartmentalised or leave it at home.

But once you bring it into the public sphere, then we've got problems.

And so his work colleagues decided to go to the boss about it all.

Verse 7.

They got him right at the heart of where it was going to hurt Daniel.

He only prayed to God.

How could he pray to anyone else?

They got him.

This was going to get rid of Daniel.

Of course, what happened to Daniel is what happens to all God's people.

Christians should never, ever be surprised at opposition.

Jesus himself warned us of the cost involved if we're to follow him.

Let me read to you from John's Gospel, chapter 15.

This is what Jesus said to his disciples.

He said,

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

Remember the words I spoke to you?

If they persecuted me, says Jesus, they will persecute you also.

Opposition is promised.

We can't avoid it.

And we can't escape it.

Do you know every year, over 2,000 Christians across the world are killed for their faith

because of their public witness for Christ.

That doesn't include the 50,000 believers who remain in North Korea's labour camps today.

Or the hundreds of believers in Syria who are trying to escape the violence of ISIS.

The reality is, 200 million Christians, not just cultural Christians, but those who have dedicated their life to Christ,

200 million face discrimination, harassment, prison, exclusion from health care, extreme poverty,

every single day, simply because they have made their loyalty and love for God known to other people.

That's the reality for the vast majority of those who follow Christ.

Now we live in a different kind of country.

We're maybe not going to face the same kind of opposition when you go to college or work tomorrow morning.

But don't be surprised if you get overlooked in promotion or a new post because you're not going to twist the truth a little bit.

Don't be surprised if people think you're weird because you've made the decision not to play sport or play a match on a Sunday

and instead go to church.

Don't be surprised if you feel left out of the crowd at college because you don't drink copious amounts or sleep with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

And don't be surprised if you're disliked because of your views on abortion or same-sex marriage.

Opposition is promised.

People will not always like you or agree with you.

We can't escape it.

And we can't avoid it.

So God promises us that we will face opposition.

Second, God calls us to be faithful in opposition.

He calls us to be faithful.

Look at how Daniel responds to the opposition, verse 10.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published,

He went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem.

Now why would he do that?

It seems a bit strange.

What's so special about Jerusalem and kind of praying towards Jerusalem?

Well, you can have a flick back to 1 Kings chapter 8 if you want.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

If not, just listen.

1 Kings chapter 8, verse 48.

1 Kings 8:48

Here it's foretelling that God's people were going to end up in exile.

So this is before the exile has happened, before Daniel has been carted off to a new place.

And how and what they should do when they find themselves in opposition.

And we read in verse 48 of 1 Kings chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

If they, if that's God's people, turn back to you with all their hearts and soul,

in the land of their enemies who took them captive,

and pray to you towards the land you gave their fathers,

towards the city, that's Jerusalem,

you have chosen and the temple I have built for your name,

then from heaven, your dwelling place,

hear their prayer and their plea,

and uphold their cause.

You see, Daniel was doing what every faithful follower of God was commanded to do,

and that was to pray.

He knew God's word.

He knew what 1 Kings had said.

That when they were in the troubled times and in the difficult times,

they were to turn to God.

And this physical act of turning to Jerusalem

was not some sort of religious act that made his prayers more powerful.

No, the physical act of looking towards Jerusalem,

which was a symbol of God's presence and power,

reflected his complete dependence on God.

With his eyes, physical eyes, he was looking towards the city.

But it demonstrated of where his own heart was looking towards.

It was looking towards God.

His trust was in God.

And so his prayer for the people and for himself

was that God would come and help them to keep trusting God,

that they wouldn't turn away from God,

that they would remain faithful and strong in the opposition.

Now, Daniel's prayer was not some sort of panic prayer.

We know what panic prayers are like

when we get ourselves into trouble and in some kind of difficulty.

We suddenly shoot off an arrow prayer towards God.

That's not how it was with Daniel.

Look at the rest of verse 10.

Chapter 6, it says,

He had a discipline of prayer.

His faith was a day-to-day experience.

He lived it out every single day.

So when the opposition did come,

when trouble did come,

he kept on doing what he had always done before,

what was always his practice.

He had a relationship with God.

And so that relationship continued.

And I think there's a challenge for us here.

If we don't have a living faith with God when things are easy,

then we're not going to have a living faith when things get tough.

The point is,

we don't turn to God when opposition comes.

When opposition comes,

we run away from God

if we don't have a strong, vibrant relationship with him.

That's what happens.

When the opposition comes,

people turn away.

That is, unless

we have a good relationship

with our Father in Heaven.

Not surprisingly,

Daniel's faithfulness to God

has been found out.

Verse 13.

They've seen him

and they report it to the king.

Verse 13.

They said to the king,

Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah,

pays no attention to you, O king,

or to the decree you put in writing.

He still prays three times a day.

When the king heard this,

he was greatly distressed.

And he was determined to rescue Daniel

and made every effort until sundown to save him.

We could imagine the pressure that Daniel was facing.

The king was, to some extent, on his side.

Look, Daniel,

if you just stop praying,

maybe there's something I can do for you here.

Daniel, just promise that you won't pray again

and you'll get that promotion

that I talked to you about.

Daniel, if you just leave God out of the picture,

it's only for 30 days.

Just park God to one side,

get on with your life,

keep your head down,

keep quiet,

don't worry about your faith,

and your life will be saved.

Isn't that the pressure we face?

Just do what everybody else does

and you'll be liked.

Forget your views on sexuality for the interview,

you'll get the job.

Just leave God at home

and you'll find that life is really okay.

Just keep silent about your faith.

Don't bring it into your conversation.

If you want an easy way,

if you want to get on with everybody,

don't say anything.

It's only going to upset them.

Keep it quiet.

Daniel had a living faith.

It was a day-to-day experience

that just flowed naturally from his life.

And so when the pressure of opposition came,

he was faithful.

It was his usual practice.

As it says at the end of verse 10,

he did it just as he had done before.

So God calls his people

to be faithful

when opposition and struggles come.

But third,

God will rescue his people

in opposition.

God will rescue his people

in opposition.

Daniel's defiance,

his loyalty,

and his love towards God

means only one thing.

Breakfast

for the lions.

Verse 16.

So the king gave the order

and they brought Daniel

and threw him into the lion's den.

Verse 17.

A stone was brought

and placed over the mouth of the den

and the king sealed it

with his own signet ring

and with the rings of his nobles

so that Daniel's situation

might not be changed.

It seems like it's lights out

for Daniel, doesn't it?

No one ever walked out

of the lion's den.

But something

of Daniel's witness

has rubbed off

on this pagan king.

He's watched Daniel,

he's listened to Daniel,

and something

he's got a hold of.

Do you see what the king

said to Daniel

just before he threw him

into the lions?

It comes at the end

of verse 16.

The king said to Daniel,

may your God

whom you serve

continually

rescue you.

Now I don't think

this was a

condescending

kind of

good luck wish

to Daniel.

Kind of you're off

to the lions now.

What's your God

going to do about it?

No, this is

I think

a statement of faith

on behalf

of the king.

A pagan king

has come to realize

that God

is able

to save.

May your God

whom you serve

continually

rescue you.

And it's actually

proved to us

in verse 19.

Look at verse 19.

At the first

light of dawn

the king

got up

and hurried

to the lion's den.

Why would he do that?

When he came

near the den

he called to Daniel

in an anguished voice

Daniel

servant of the living God

has your God

whom you serve

continually

been able

to rescue you

from the lions?

Now nobody

goes to the lion's den

expecting

the lion's breakfast

to come walking out.

You just don't

do that.

That is

unless you believe

in God's power

to be able

to rescue

and that's

what Darius

has got a hold of.

He knows

that Daniel's

God can rescue

and he goes

with this

expectation

that he's

going to be

alive.

Verse 21

Daniel answered

O king

live forever

my God

sent his

angel

and he

shut the

mouths

of the lions

they have

not hurt

me

because I

was found

innocent

in his sight

nor have

I done

any wrong

before you

O king.

An amazing

story

of God

delivering

and rescuing

one of his

servants

just like

he had

rescued

his three

friends

from the

fiery

furnace.

Now here's

a question

and I'm

sure it's

all in our

minds here.

If God

is able

to rescue

his people

like Daniel

why is it

that so many

Christians

lose their

life

or end up

suffering

in labour

camps

or facing

prison

today?

Why doesn't

God rescue

them?

Has God

failed?

Has God

not got the

power to do

it?

Did Daniel

have more

faith than

everybody else?

Do we need

more faith?

Is that the

reason?

No I don't

think it

is.

I think

God promises

us that

he will

rescue us

in life

or he

will rescue

us through

death.

He will

rescue us

in life

or through

death.

Have a look

please.

Keep your

finger in

Daniel 6

and go to

Hebrews.

Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

is a great

chapter all

about God's

people throughout

history,

throughout time

who had

faith,

who trusted

in God.

And towards

the end of

the chapter

we get to

meet some

of those

people.

Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

starting at

verse 32

Hebrews

Hebrews 11:32

11

verse 32

and what

more shall

I say?

So he's been

talking about

all these

great people

in the past

who trusted

God.

He says

I do not

have time

to tell

about

Gideon,

Barak,

Samson,

Japheth,

David,

Samuel and

the prophets

who through

faith conquered

kingdoms,

administered

justice and

gained what

it was promised,

who shut

the mouths

of lions,

quenched

the fury

of the

flames,

and escaped

the edge

of the

sword,

whose weakness

was turned

to strength,

and who

became powerful

in battle

and routed

foreign armies.

women even

received back

their dead,

raised to

life again.

God is

able to

save his

people in

the most

remarkable

and the

most amazing

of ways.

He has

done it

and he

can do it.

Whether it's

the fiery

furnace or

whether it's

the lion's

den,

God can

deliver his

people.

He even

brought people

back from

the dead.

But he

doesn't

always

rescue

in

life.

It's

not always

going to

be

victorious

for every

single

person.

Because

look at

the rest

of those

verses.

God

also

rescues

through

death.

Look at

the rest

of verse

35.

Well,

let's

read from

verse 35.

Women

receive back

their dead,

raised to

life again.

others

were

tortured

and refused

to be

released so

that they

might gain

a better

resurrection.

Some

faced

jeers and

flogging,

while still

others were

chained and

put in

prison.

They were

stoned.

They were

sawn in

two.

They were

put to

death by

the sword.

They went

about in

sheepskins and

goatskins,

destitute,

persecuted,

and ill

treated.

The world

was not

worthy of

them.

They

wandered in

deserts and

mountains and

in caves and

holes in the

grounds.

You see,

some, if not

most, faced

a violent and

brutal death,

terrible

persecution.

They were

rescued not

in life,

but they were

rescued through

death.

How can we

say that?

Well, look at

the end of

verse 35 again.

others were

tortured and

were refused to

be released so

that they might

gain a better

resurrection.

They knew that

something better

and greater

awaited them

beyond the

grave.

They knew if

they were to

lose their

life, they

weren't losing

out.

They were

gaining something

far better.

We're told what

that is, actually,

in chapter 11,

verse 16.

Just look back

a few verses.

It's what all

these people were

looking forward

to.

It says in

11, 16,

Instead, they

were longing for

a better country,

a heavenly

one.

Therefore, God

is not ashamed

to be called

their God,

for he has

prepared a

city for

them.

Those who

had lost

their life,

God rescued

them through

death, and

he brought

them into an

eternal city,

to their

eternal rest.

The ultimate

rescue for

all of God's

people is to

go from this

life into his

eternal kingdom.

Now, we as

Christians have

that same

faith.

It's not that

our faith is

better or

greater.

It's because our

faith is in the

Lord Jesus Christ,

who has defeated

death, and who

has conquered the

grave, and

gives eternal

life to all

who trust in

him.

He will

rescue us

either in

life or

through death.

And then

last, God

always works

good from

the opposition.

God always

works good from

the opposition.

It shouldn't

surprise us to

read the

ending of

this story.

It shouldn't

be a surprise,

but it should

amaze us.

Look at

verse 25.

Then King

Darius wrote

to all the

peoples,

nations and

men of

every language

throughout the

land.

May you

prosper

greatly.

I issue

a decree

that in

every part

of my

kingdom,

people must

fear and

reverence the

God of

Daniel.

For he

is the

living God.

he endures

forever.

His kingdom

will not be

destroyed.

His dominion

will never

end.

He rescues

and he

saves.

He performs

signs and

wonders in

the heavens

and on the

earth.

He has

rescued

Daniel from

the power

of the

lions.

It's an

extraordinary

turn of

events.

At the

beginning of

the story,

the kingdom

must pray

to Daniel.

By the time

we get to

the end of

the story,

all the

kingdom has

been charged

to honour

the eternal

God who

rescues and

saves.

If you've

been following

through Daniel,

it's not

going to

surprise you

because it's

happened already.

But it

should not

stop amazing

us.

What an

amazing God.

God always

works good

from opposition.

He did it

under

Nebuchadnezzar.

He did it

under

Belshazzar.

He did it

here under

Darius.

And most

of all,

he did it

under a

king called

Pilate.

Under

Pilate,

Jesus faced

opposition and

persecution.

He was

tortured and

beaten.

He faced

the flogging

and the

jeers.

He was

put to

death,

crucified

on the

cross.

But

through it

all,

God,

by his

power,

worked

salvation

for the

world.

He

rescued

people,

not from

the

lion's

den,

but from

the

claws

of

Satan

so

that

we

might

have

life

in

all

its

fullness.

God

always

works

good

from

opposition.

And it

shouldn't

surprise us

that God

continues to

work like

this through

us and

through his

church in

the world.

Some of

you may

have listened

to this

interview I

sent out a

few weeks

ago about

a man named

Victor,

who is

living and

working in

Syria and

Iraq right

now.

He told

how believers

in Christ,

pastors and

their

congregations in

Mosul are

facing terrible

opposition and

persecution.

He met with

them as ISIS

were sweeping

through that

city.

Those

Christians and

the pastors

were removed

from their

homes.

Their money

was taken,

their belongings

were taken,

their medication

was taken.

A sign was

put up on

their houses

saying,

property of

ISIS, a

big end for

Nazarene, people

of followers of

Christ, were

put on their

house, don't

return here

again, left

with all that

they had on

their backs.

Others we

know have

lost their

life, some

brutally

beheaded because

they wouldn't

convert, because

they wouldn't

stop praying to

the God that

we've just been

reading about.

Where's God?

Well, through

it all, God is

working through

the opposition.

This man,

Victor, shared

how he was

able to share

the good news

of Christ with

those who had

to leave their

town.

And 50

people, he

said, became

followers of

Christ.

What was he

promising them?

He was

promising them

salvation in

Jesus Christ.

And on the

other hand, he

said, if you

follow him, you

will suffer.

But they knew

that in their

suffering, they

would gain eternal

life with him.

Near the border

of Syria, where

there were other

Muslims fleeing to

try and get away

from the violence, he

was able to talk

to a bunch of

them, and 20

became followers

of Christ.

What did he

tell them?

salvation in

Christ.

But if you

follow Christ, you

will suffer.

But they

followed because

they knew that

whether in life

or in death, God

would rescue them

for something far

greater.

We shouldn't be

surprised at this,

but we should be

eternally amazed

at how God

works.

And it's how God

works in your

life, how he

will work through

this church.

He will work

through you in

college, in your

work situation, and

in your family, through

the opposition.

God will bring his

people to faith.

Why?

Well, look at verse

26.

He is the living

God.

He endures

forever.

His kingdom will

not be destroyed.

His dominion will

never end.

He rescues and

he saves.

He performs signs

wonders in heavens

and on the earth.

He has rescued

Daniel from the

power of the lions

and he has rescued

us from the

claws of Satan

and he will go

on rescuing his

people because

God always works

good from

opposition.

Let's pray.

for the

government.

Well, it's

good for

tę claim