Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

When you think of the book of Daniel - two things come to mind - story of moralism ; end times prophesy.

This is indeed roughtly the structure of this book.

But how are do these two parts hang together - what is the theme - the message unites them - not written simply as Dare to be Like Daniel Story, not written for 1% of Christians who will live in the very end times.

Given back then and given now, given to God’s people through ages in the form of this story -embedded inhistory -to reveal the Messiah, His very real and eternal kingdom and how we are to live for Him and His kingdom until it comes in fulness in the midst of a real big struggle - in our world too.

Particular attentionto believers living in an hostile clture, particularly young people, particular sufferers, but also those climbing social ladder in this kingdom of the world!

Key Truth: You must Live with a spiritual perspective on the present, compelled by the hope of Christ’s Kingdom-future!

compelled by the hope of Christ’s Kingdom-future!

Consider how much you need this truth, when in the present you suffer:

Pierce Pettis..

When you start to doubt if God exists.

.. confounded by the evidence… When your light burns so dim… when your chances seem so slim… and you swear you don’t believe in Him… When you rise up just to fall again.

God believe in you.

Desserted by your closest friends… when you’re betrayed with a kiss, and you turn your cheek to another fist.... when you’re so ashamed that you could die, and you can’t do right even though you try ; Blessed are the one whogireve, thoseones who morn and the ones who who bleeed, In sorrow you sow but in joy you’ll reap.. God believe in you.

Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah - lived through a holocaust - imagine a Jew surviving death camps coming out at the end of the war.

A bit like what happened in first wave of exiles in 605.

JII had rebelled and switched to Egypt - battle of Carcmesh - decive defeat, now op up operation - but doesn’t want all out war - sets up a puppet king, takes Jehoaikim, and first wave are the royal princes, welleducated … create a forced brain drain… but perhaps parents killed, temple desecrated… you can bet that they doubted there names were true:

So many like them, You are like them as live in our increasingly godless society - absorbed - name Christian really a reality … you need these stories to show how to live but what glorious hope of the kingdom even where we live from Babylon.

But there is another reason you need this message of the book of Daniel, not just when life falling off the rails personally, but when you are a social climber, when things going well for you in Babylon - how many of you in the kingdom of this world - have more than enough food, don’t worry about next month- home - even provided for children, found gainful employment - so easy to forget about Christ,vision of His kingdom and to live for that - need to know that God believes in His people - has a plan,will not only deliver them, but he will guide them, even more soveriegnly in control of all things even thee nations - to see His kingdom of grace triumph.

Can you imagine all Daniel and his three friends experienced at the hands of Neb - and in their lifetime lived to see Babylon - and its head humbled to acknowledge God’s kingdom… Believe it in your lifetime, in your family, in your reseidence at your universty, place of work, in this nation.

Even more so you and I who have the fulfillment of the Kingdom inn Christ, mustlearn how to live in our present and with an even greater hope for the future!

A. Get a big spiritual perspective on your present

The book of Daniel begins by giving dates, but not just history, theological interpretation of the times and events of our lives!

Really begs you to ask the Do you believe that God is sovereign - his providence is meticulous - both the good and the bad, every little detail - under His reign and control - doesn’t create evilis not the author of suffering; yet is in control and benseverything in response to evil to work for His good purposes!

Need a persepective on days , year and time inhistory given, that God has aplna for it - right now in oyru life andmine, and this time at Covenant church - it counts for eternity - Daniel goingto show that 7x7 = 49 x10 years before this time bringing wrath of God on nation - not keep Sabbath - Jubileee.

Since the coming out of Egypt: thence to their entering Canaan forty years, thence seven years to the dividing of the land, thence seven Jubilees to the first year of Samuel, in whom prophecy began, thence to this first year of the captivity seven seventies of years, 490 (ten Jubilees), thence to the return one seventy, thence to the death of Christ seven seventies more, thence to the destruction of Jerusalem forty years.

- going to show with eitulous mathermtiacl ability - that in the middle of last week of the 70 weeks - the Anointed one would be cut off - exactly from this date here of the third year of the reign of Jeohiakm - 486 1/2 years death of Christ.

Now that is fasicanting prpehesies some hard to interpret - but point of all three visions at the heart of this book - is the establishment of the Anointed one f Christ’s kingdom!

Do you believe that your life is also situated in this world at this time, in the Kngodmo f Christ time line!

years death of Christ

Should give you great hope if can find that vision for your life in this book.

But what will enable you to get an even bigger spiritual persepective on your present is how this prphesy situates the present life of the people fo God in the midst of a comsic real conflict.

When I was in school - had to write stories - chose a conflict - man vs. man man vs. nature, manvs.

himself.

Detrermine the story.

You know what the greatest conflict that is determining your present situation right now? Jerusalem vs. Babylon.

More ancient terms house of God vs. House of Babel/Shinar, The Kingomof God vs. the Kingdom of the World, NT-end times terminology - Jerusalem Above, Zion vs. Babylon the Harlot.

Christ vs. the Anti-Christ

That whole ancient conflict is conjured up for us as Daniel narrates that the King of Babylon

Shinar plain were the Hebrew word Babel - humanity defying God’s command (spread out) - congregataed against God - to make not His name and Kingdom famous, but to make anme for themselves.

Civilization organized to twist God’s purposees, livingin selfishness - and instead of beautiful diversity - ugly confused diversity of conflict!

And do you see the theolgical interpretation of the times.

This happened because the Lord gave him into Babylkon’s hand.

Predicted many times before - consequence to not acknowledging not worshipping God … living by his ways.

captures this perfectly - gives them over… like harending of Pharaoh’s heart - acknowledge spiritual world of godo and evil, godly, and God -ofrgetting - and God’s hand of blessing and judgment around us.

But on this eternal persepctiv on the present notice, one more thing in v.2.

With some of the vessels of the house of God.

Various containers, instruments appointed by God for worship, purification, gospel liviing of his people … valued so lightly some of the kings brought foreign gods in, others gave teh treasures of the house of the Lord as payment.

But now God says , you don’t value my means of grace, you won’t have them … threat of a famine of hearing the Word of God, word of forgiveness.

atonement.

So seemingly - Icahbod, be called not my people - seemingly as custom of ancient war, vessels brought into their gods temple - like Ark in Philistine - how Christianity shamed in the academy today - sicience, polictical correctness - are suprerior and christian symobls taken over as inferior moral story.

But on this eternal persepctiv on the present notice, one more thing in v.2.

With some of the vessels of the house of God.

Various containers, instruments appointed by God for worship, purification, gospel liviing of his people … valued so lightly some of the kings brought foreign gods in, others gave teh treasures of the house of the Lord as payment.

But now God says , you don’t value my means of grace, you won’t have them … threat of a famine of hearing the Word of God, word of forgiveness.

atonement.

So seemingly - Icahbod, be called not my people - seemingly as custom of ancient war, vessels brought into their gods temple - like Ark in Philistine - how Christianity shamed in the academy today - sicience, polictical correctness - are suprerior and christian symobls taken over as inferior moral story.

But is God still in contorl - Isaiah says he creates calamity, as wellas teh good times, he has a purpose.

Those vessels going to be at the heart of the story - the world will use them in a drunken party - but God has other purposes and His kingdom isn’t over.

Which \brings us beyond you and I getting a big spiritual perspective on the present, to how God is calling us to act in the present.

B. Keep Your Identity in the Lord

Great story of boy turned in wolf, good noble, though wild, tendencies like evil Fangs of Dang - Him and His older borther - Warden of the king, and his crippled sister Song oMaiden - sent to school bullied - but eventually respe\cted fornoble heart, and \way saved… Bullying wearing them down.

On the journey to that safe haven of an an island , green hollows, mother - ask who are you, when einstead of blue eyes of her boy - yellow , snarl , ....but he came through it with himself in tac.

Now each day go to school - geto n that wagon, her last wordss to them: remember who you are! (tried this, rolled eyes)

Great story of boy turned in wolf, good noble, though wild, tendencies like evil Fangs of Dang - Him and His older borther - Warden of the king, and his crippled sister Song oMaiden - sent to school bullied - but eventually respe\cted fornoble heart, and \way saved… Bullying wearing them down.

On the journey to that safe haven of an an island , green hollows, mother - ask who are you, when einstead of blue eyes of her boy - yellow , snarl , ....but he came through it with himself in tac.

Now each day go to school - geto n that wagon, her last wordss to them: remember who you are! (tried this, rolled eyes)

Thisi s what Martin Luther in his worst hours of despair, temptation -and in his waking hour of the day - I am a baptized Christian!

Well, it seems that Daniel and his three friends were in grave danger of the yellow glint in their eyes becomoing permanent.

Beyond the overt outward actions to absorb Israel into Babyloinain Empire, and beyond the brain drain taking the best and brightest and using them almost as ransoms by conscripting them to public service - their was much more subtle agenda of the Knigdomof Babbylon and the one behind it.

He took the means of grace, the vessels, but what he wanted even more was the youth - a compolete re-programing of them - indoctrination into the way babylon.

This was an attack not made by force, but a gentle winning over, step-by-step - a systematic procedure - too subtle and gradual to be easily recognizalbe.

And who was in charge but Ashphenaz - Does he live today - by other names - government schools - indoctrinating against the Word of God , business ethics, and personal etnertainment - slow subtle shifting of our practive, our language to the way of Babylon.

Hear is a call for young people to be aware, on your gaurd!

Heard one father put it this way raising his boys: 1.

What is true? 2. What is valuable?

What is right, ethical?

Babylon, our culture has different answers - Word of God vs. realtivism My pelasure, success vs. kingdom of God; What ever works, feels good vs.

Law of God! Paernts don’t be a sleep at the wheel , putting education on curise control!

But the crowning symbolic effort was their change of names: Each of their Hebrew names have Jah or God in them ---Daniel means ‘God is my judge’; Hananiah, ‘Yah has been gracious’; Mishael, ‘Who is what God is?’ and Azariah, ‘Yah has helped’.

But now core of their identiy God is editted out … Like kid off to university, or you are off to work - and livee in such a way that no witteness to God - nothing in your ideinty or practice - Like you off to work and nothing about way work, talk, what living for - shows your living for other kingdom, know a Saviour - there is no sign of any resistance from these four yet!

But now core of their identiy God is editted out … Like kid off to university, or you are off to work - and livee in such a way that no witteness to God - nothing in your ideinty or practice - Like you off to work and nothing about way work, talk, what living for - shows your living for other kingdom, know a Saviour - there is no sign of any resistance from these four yet!

Now imagine how much is riding on this question of identity.

What would happen if the king succeeded in turning these three sons of which tribe of Judah’s royal house into babylonians in body and spirit.

What if alientated from the religion, ethos and language of their own people.

Know what happens like rotten apple, first one in batch - exercise pagan influence on rest of jewish nation - God’s presence in His people, swallowed.

Do you recongnize that God has you and your family positioned in this conflict and your response - it effects others, and it can will be used by God or used by Satan to infuence others.

And that brings us to the good knew of not only knowing our idenity in the Lord but acting on it!

C. Know your Identity in the Lord and Act on it!

We don’t know exactly why it was on this issue that Daniel takes his stand.

levitaical laws about meat, but vegetables also from Kings hand, presumably sacrificed defile dtoo.

Nothin in Leviticus forbidding such wine.

There are numerous examples in intertestamental literature of Jews seeing the necessity of refraining from the food served by Gentiles (Tobit, Judith, Jubilees).

It is not so much something in the food that defiles as much as it is the total program of assimilation.

The king wanted them body and soul - and Daniel says - I won’t live in my body as a Babylonian, nor can you have my soul - my outlook , and i will take astand against this public education even as to how i eat!

At this point the Babylonian government is exercising control over every aspect of their lives.

They have little means to resist the forces of assimilation that are controlling them.

They seize on one of the few areas where they can still exercise choice as an opportunity to preserve their distinct identity.

aND NOW AND FOR THE REST OF THE BOOK - WE KNOW he has passed the first test for how to live in the present and hope for the future.

He is Daniel - My God is Judge, notBelshazar and he is beginnnginto act liek that in a way that will advance the kingdom and bring the LORD glory!