Who Are You | Holy Holy Holy - Daniel 2 | September 15

INTRO

Hey family!

Last week we began a journey through the book of Daniel which will take us right up to the end of the year.

Daniel’s story is about a lot of things, but primarily it is about identity. Especially as the exile to Babylon which Daniel and his friends found themselves in is typically a place where people lose their identities.

And yet, what we will see is the story of four young men who maintained their identities as God’s people, they fought for them, and they fought for the peace, rest, and welfare of the society around them that was opposed to God.

Because, even though their story is one of captivity, we find that the truth is that they were not captives, but they were sent by the God who is in control of all human history. They were ones sent to seek the good of the people to which they had been sent.

Daniel firmly believed that there was a God who was in control of all human history. And that same God was in control of his little story as well. And God is in control of your story.

God is in control.

There’s this great verse in Hebrews chapter 1 which says, “3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.

“To say Jesus is sustaining all things by his powerful word is to say He is directing creation toward a desired aim… Jesus is continually active in His creation. He exercises supremacy over all things.”

God is in control. That’s what we learned about God last week. Many of us have known this to be true, but it is so easy to forget this truth as the troubles of life come.

“God is the one who causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). God is the one who feeds the birds and watches the sparrows (Matthew 6:26). God is the one in charge of everything, even the details of our lives. He isn’t making up this plan as He goes along. And He didn’t wind up the clock and walk away. The most high God rules over the kingdom of men and sets over it whom he will (Daniel 5:21).”

There is a Heavenly architect and blueprint, and His blueprint includes you. We are chosen, according to the plan of Him who works out everything for our good, according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

God is in control. He is in control of all history. He was in control of Daniel’s story. And He is in control of your story as well.

WHO ARE YOU

So, Daniel is about identity. It is about who you are. And so it is also about whose you are. If you know who God is, you will know who you are and you will know what to do. You will know your purpose.

We ended our time together last week proclaiming the truth of who we are out loud. This is a practice I hope you will adopt into your daily routine so that it sinks down deep into your bones. Repeat it. Teach it to your children. Speak it over them. Speak it over each other.

Let’s do it right now, together. Stand up and tell me who you are. Tell me what you see.

I see a child of God!

I see a beautiful creation, made in the image of the Almighty!

I see a warrior who stands firm on the truth!

I see a vessel of love, grace, and strength, filled with the Holy Spirit!

I see a citizen of Heaven who is redeemed, chosen, and set apart for God's purpose!

I see a follower of Christ who walks in victory and refuses to bow to fear!

I see a pillar of truth who doesn't take any lies from the enemy!

I see a servant, sent into the world to shine His light!

I see a messenger of hope, sent to proclaim the Good News and live out the love of Jesus!

I see an ambassador, bringing peace, justice, and mercy wherever I go!

I see a glorious expression of the King, sent to make Him known!

Daniel knew God. And so Daniel knew who he was and what his purpose was. Even in exile in Babylon he had purpose. The God who created the universe had given him great purpose, a future, and a hope.

God is in control.

In this chapter, we’ll encounter something else Daniel knew about God. He knew that there was a God in Heaven who knows and who makes known. God knows and reveals mysteries.

There is a source of knowledge that exists which the wise and learned of our time have no access to through their vast intellects or sincerest of logical pursuits. God knows all things and He chooses at times to reveal these mysteries to us.

Let me go ahead and give everything away here at the beginning. Not that there are secrets, but I’m going to give it all away anyway. I’m going to give you a peek behind the curtain so to speak.

I want to communicate three things to you today. In Daniel chapter 2 we see two identities and a reality. Not necessarily in that order. Two identities and one reality.

There is God’s identity, we learn another piece about God. The Bible is a book about God. He’s the main character. He’s the hero. We should be learning something about who He is. And we heard this one already. There is a God in Heaven who knows and reveals. What does He reveal?

That’s the reality. God reveals to us the Heavenly reality. There is a transcendent world, a truth that exists alongside the material, that is not less real than the material, but it is as real. God reveals to us the spiritual, the transcendent, the Heavenly.

Then there is our identity. Or rather how the dichotomy between the characters of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzer, and his other wise men, reveals to us how we should act as God’s people. Our actions demonstrate our identities. I believe Jake said it several weeks ago, you can say you’re a runner all you want, but at some point your life has to demonstrate it to be true. How we act should reveal whose we are because our actions reveal our identities.

Those are the three things I want to communicate to you today. Two identities and a reality.

THE REVEALER OF MYSTERIES

Let’s revisit those opening verses. So, one fateful night, sleep eluded king Nebuchadnezzar. He was tormented to his very core by fearsome visions. Unable to rest, the king summoned the wise men of his court—the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. With eyes wide and voice booming like thunder, Nebuchadnezzar declared, "I have had a dream—a dream that has unsettled my soul. And I must know its meaning, for my heart is heavy with fear."

The wise men bowed low, their faces to the floor, and one of the astrologers, trembling yet speaking in a voice of false calm, said, "Long live the king! Tell us your dream, O mighty one, and we will unveil its meaning."

But the king’s eyes narrowed, and his voice became hard as iron. "No," he said. "You will not deceive me with your empty words. If you are truly as wise as you claim, you will tell me both the dream and its meaning! Fail, and I will see your limbs torn from your bodies and your homes reduced to nothing but ash and ruin. But succeed, and I will bestow upon you treasures beyond imagining—gold, honors, all that your hearts desire. Now, tell me the dream and its meaning!"

The wise men looked at one another, their faces pale as death. Again, they pleaded, "Please, Your Majesty! Reveal to us the dream, and only then can we tell you what it means."

But Nebuchadnezzar, seeing through their tricks, grew ever more furious. "I know your schemes!" he roared. "You are buying time, hoping I will change my mind. But know this—if you do not tell me what I dreamed, you are doomed. Speak now, and I will know that your interpretation is true."

The wise men, now quaking in fear, whispered among themselves. One of the astrologers stepped forward, his voice barely above a whisper. "O great king, no man on earth can do what you ask. No one—no matter how great—has ever asked such a thing of magicians, enchanters, or astrologers. Your demand is impossible. Only the gods could reveal such a mystery, and they do not walk among us mortals."

The silence that followed was sat – heavy. The wise men trembled, for they knew the wrath of their king was a thing to be feared. What would become of them now that their wisdom had failed?

What a powerful admission these so-called-wise-men finally make when pushed, when their wisdom and discernment had failed them. Sure they could interpret dreams, but there are none who are wise or learned enough to reveal the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, the dreams we alone hold within us.

Daniel says so Himself. He repeats the same words of these wise men when he too finally gains an audience with the king. 27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret.” (Daniel 2:27)

In all of their wisdom it is impossible with man.

There are a lot of things the Bible tells us are impossible for man. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible for man to please God. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all teach us that salvation is impossible, humanly speaking. Salvation is an impossibility for man (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27).

But God…

“4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:4-8).

But God… with God all things are possible.

Changed lives are possible.

Victory in hard circumstances is possible.

Overcoming sin is possible.

Eternal salvation is possible.

“37 For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). And if that doesn’t deserve an amen, I don’t know what does.

27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future.” (Daniel 2:27-28)

And Nebuchadnezzar is confronted with the reality of the God of Heaven and can’t help but fall on his face upon encountering Him, the real God, and profess, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.” (Daniel 2:47)

All treasures of wisdom and things to be known are hidden inside His hands. We just sang that truth.

God knows all.

And in His time, He will reveal all.

There is a God in Heaven who knows and makes known.

IMMANUEL — GOD WITH US

We actually learn quite a few things about God’s identity in this chapter.

There is a false belief that persists in all the knowledge of the wise men of Babylon and even in the impeccable reasoning of our modern sophistication. If there is a god, or gods, then they do not dwell here among men. If god exists surely he is far away and unconcerned with our affairs.

“Deism says, God created the universe and then abandoned it. Pantheism says, creation has no story or purpose unto itself; it is only a part of God. Atheism says no. Not surprisingly, the philosophy that dismisses the existence of a God will, in turn, dismiss the possibility of a divine plan. Christianity, on the other hand, says, yes, there is a God. Yes this God is personally and powerfully involved in his creation.”

A friend of mine at the climbing gym gave me a book by Max Lucado called “Anxious for Nothing”. I’ve been slowly reading through it, mostly because I know he’ll ask me if I have. But I find it interesting that in the latest chapters of my reading, Lucado is correcting the same misunderstandings and our too often held false belief of an absent God.

He writes, “In the ultimate declaration of communion, God called himself, Emmanuel, which means God with us. He became flesh. He became sin. He defeated the grave. He is still with us. In the form of his spirit, he comforts, teaches, and convicts. Do not assume God is watching from a distance. Avoid the quicksand that bears the marker God has left you! Do not indulge this lie. If you do, your problem will be amplified by a sense of loneliness. It’s one thing to face a challenge, but to face it all alone? Isolation creates a downward cycle of fret. Choose instead to be the person who clutches the presence of God with both hands. The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid. What can [man] do to me? (Psalm 118:6)”

This is the God Daniel knew.

LESS LIKE THE WORLD

And because of that, we can see some very distinctive character differences between the character of Daniel and the character of Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men.

There are lots of differences.

Let’s start with the wise men, they are gripped with fear – trembling. "Please, Your Majesty! No man on earth can do what you ask. No one—no matter how great—has ever asked such a thing of magicians, enchanters, or astrologers. Your demand is impossible.”

They were afraid. They struggled to hold faith in the gods of their own making.

There are a lot of gods we build for ourselves and that people in the world place their lives on. These gods that they have fabricated. But you will not be able to stand firm on them when the foundations of your world are shaken.

The wise men were afraid. Yet Daniel is calm.

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill Daniel and his friends, Daniel reasoned.

Daniel wasn’t among the wise men first called to reveal the king's dream. Daniel didn’t even know what was happening until the men arrived to execute them. And yet we are not presented with chaos or frantic begging. We are presented with peace as Daniel quickly sought an audience with the king. Believing firmly in the God who knows and the God who shows up.

Nebuchadnezzar is presented as an unreasonable character, demanding what cannot be given. Throwing around his wealth, his power, and his position to have his desires met.

He is impatient. He meets his loyal advisors with mistrust, suspicion, and deception.

Daniel is concerned with the welfare of those who would even be considered his enemies.

We learned from Jeremiah 29 that God had ordained the presence of Daniel in Babylon to work for the peace, prosperity, and welfare of the people. To pray for them. To love them. Daniel took this to heart, and in answering the king’s request, he spared not only his life, but also the lives of all the other wise men. Probably the same men who, years later, during the age of another empire, would scheme and plot for Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s Den.

Had this future been revealed to Daniel, I do believe he would have still acted in righteousness, because how you act reveals who you are. What you do and say in this world reveals whose you are.

Do your actions match your identity?

MORE DIFFERENT

We’re supposed to be different. In becoming more like Jesus, we will be less like the world in all the ways that matter to God.

So we don’t just wake up and think about ourselves.

Romans 15 says, “1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself… [now] 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

It is for the glory of God. It can’t be about you!!!

There is an interesting dynamic in this story of Daniel’s.

Daniel at all times points to God. What you ask is impossible for man. But there is a God in Heaven. God is in control. God reveals mysteries. God answered me when I sought Him. God is near to His people. It is for the glory of God!

Daniel reveals and interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream just as God had shown him. Daniel says, “37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.”

Nebuchadnezzar responds by, in the very next chapter, making a gold statue of himself, ninety feet tall and nine feet wide. Then he sends messengers out throughout the kingdom for the people to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up and commands them to bow to the ground to worship him in all of his golden statuesque-ness.

Our lives, the way that we live, the things that we say, can say one of two things about us. Our lives can either say, we're in it for ourselves. They can say that we are glory thieves. Or they can say, “I’m here for the glory of God!” I’m in it for Him. It’s all for Him. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.

Your actions reveal who you are and who you belong to.

We shouldn’t do things like the rest of the world.

We shouldn’t be like the rest of the world. We are not of the world.

What if we were different?

Not seeking our own good. Not sharing opinions. There’s no life there. That’s what humans do, that's not what we do.

I use my lips to lift up His name and not my own.

We are those who are not of the world but whose identity is in Christ.

In 1 Corinthians we read, many months ago now, how Paul wrote, “You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”

What if we were different?

What if we stopped acting like we were merely human?

What if we stopped being limited by what we could see? By the natural?

What if we actually were filled with the Holy Spirit? Wouldn’t that be interesting?

What if we were different?

HELP MY UNBELIEF

The transcendent is here. The kingdom of God is here. Heaven is here.

Isn’t it about time we started living like it.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is revealed. This story is not really about the contents of the dream, though that seems to be what gets the most attention. Still, the dream shows the future of what will happen over the next 500 years as Babylon gives way to Medo-Persia, which gives way to Greece, which gives way to Rome.

Ultimately pointing to the supremacy of God’s kingdom leading us up to Jesus. The "rock" of Israel, Zion, the city of God as a mountain rising above all others, and God's glory filling the whole world. The supremacy of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of Lords.

If you combine this vision with those coming up in chapter 9, the revelations in this book are shockingly accurate. So much so that this is the number one protest by secular scholars. They discredit Daniel or say it must be written much later than believed because he gets too much stuff right. Because they do not believe there is a God in Heaven who knows.

There is a mystery that exists beyond what we can perceive with our natural bodies. A Heavenly reality that exists right now. And I must admit that I am too often blind to it. I too quickly dismiss it.

I just heard a story the other day. Some guys were talking with students or people on the street and while they were talking with one young man, they asked him, “what’s the one thing that if it happened you would believe and give your life to Jesus?” What’s stopping you?

He said, “If my mom were to call me and apologize.”

They said, “Ok, do you mind If I pray for that right now?”

He said, “Yeah, why not.”

As soon as they stopped praying the kids' phone rang. It was his mom, and the first thing she said was, “Baby, I’m sorry.”

He hung up the phone, fell to his knees and gave his life to Jesus. Then he called her back and said, sorry I hung up on you, I just gave my life to Jesus. And she said, “Baby, four days ago I met Jesus and gave my life to Him!”

Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that mind-blowing?

So why then, when I hear it, I immediately think that it is too good to be true. It must be made up or exaggerated. You can’t believe everything you hear on the internet.

Why do I immediately think? That doesn’t happen. That’s not my experience.

There is a transcendent, spiritual, Heavenly reality that exists alongside the material. It is not a delusion just because we can’t see it. It is not less real just because we cannot perceive it with our natural senses.

Daniel believed in the God of Heaven who reveals Heavenly realities.

Do you? Will you?

Daniel believed in a God who was there with him – who would show up, answer him, provide wisdom, and reveal mysteries. Daniel praised the God of heaven. “20 He said,

“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. 21 He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. 22 He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

Do you know this God?

If you can answer the question, “Who is God?”, then and only then can you answer the question, “Who are you?” If you know whose you are, you will know who you are, and you will know what to do.

Last week we ended with an exercise. Renewing our thoughts and minds with the truth of who you are.

This week I want us to take part in another exercise to ensure God gets all the glory. It’s all about Him. I don’t want to steal from His glory. I want my life, my actions, my speech, to all point to Him.

There are these visions that appear in the Bible of the throne room of Heaven. The prophet Isaiah enters into the spirit and sees the throne of Heaven. And there are fantastical creatures there that shout to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

This same vision is seen by John in Revelation 4. He reveals that all these creatures ever do all day long is sing to the Lord. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

And whenever the angels would shout this, the 24 elders would fall down and cast their crowns before the throne saying, “11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Here’s what I want us to do. Can we just take some time and repeat that phrase a bit.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the earth is full of His glory.”

Let’s say it together.

Again and again.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the earth is full of His glory.”

:end by singing Holy, Holy, Holy:

Resources (*the views expressed within the following content are solely the author's and may not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Mountainside Church):

https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Nothing-Finding-Chaotic-World/dp/0718096126

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE7bIG8tyFE

https://www.amazon.com/Against-Flow-Inspiration-Daniel-Relativism/dp/085721621X

Who Are You | In Not Of - Daniel 1 | September 8

INTRO

Hey Family!

Over the next 12 weeks, the next three months, taking us right up to the end of the year, we’re going to be reading through the book of Daniel. In our family groups, during our time on Sunday, throughout the week we will be reading this story together and asking one very important question.

Who are you? Who are we? Who will we choose to be? What defines us?

Who are you?

This is the fundamental question Daniel is answering.

Now the book of Daniel is about a lot of things… It’s about faithful living in the midst of a culture opposed to God. It’s about God’s comfort in the midst of oppression. And it’s about hope for God’s future restoration. But primarily it is about identity.

Daniel is a story, it is filled with fantastical apocalyptic visions. And as such it serves to strengthen and encourage the people of God to stand firm in who they are to hope for a future. That God is ultimately in control!

Past. Present. Or Future. God is in control. It’s in His hands.

Daniel passionately believed that there was a God in control of history!

Even the exile that brought Daniel and his friends to Babylon was proof that global history and Daniel’s little history was in God’s hands.

GOD IS IN CONTROL

Let’s take a step back for a moment… How did we get here?

We just heard in these opening verses, “During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.” (Daniel 1:1-3, NLT)

God is in control!

God is king over all nations and rules over all of history.

When we get to Daniel 5:21 we will read that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. He lifts one up and brings down another.

The LORD gave Nebuchadnezzar victory. God permitted it. It’s not just clever PR. This is not the first record of spin. God allowed His people to be carried off into the hands of the Babylonians. In fact, they are His method of redemption. This is what we call the exile.

It is life outside of Jerusalem – outside the promised land. Life outside of Eden. This is life in exile.

But that doesn’t mean it is life outside of God’s control. God is still in control. Future and Past, God is in control.

Second Kings chapter 24 gives us a little bit more information of how Daniel got here.

It says, “2 The Lord sent bands of Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his prophets. 3 These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord’s command. He had decided to banish Judah from his presence because of the many sins of Manasseh, 4 who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. The Lord would not forgive this”… (2 Kings 24:2-4)

God sent His prophets to speak His word to bring His people back to His covenant that He might be their God and they might be His people that they may live in peace and rest. But the people continued to rebel. They worshiped the false gods of the people around them. They turned their back on the one true God and replaced Him with images made by the hands of men and they committed the same atrocities of the people around them so God let them be taken. In fact, we read here that He sent the Babylonians to do it. God commanded it.

Daniel’s presence in Babylon was ordained by God. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a concession. Daniel was where we was for a purpose.

If you don’t know who you are, then you won’t know what to do, you won’t know your purpose. Daniel knew his identity. Daniel knew who He was, who God wanted Him to be. Daniel had a great purpose.

This is not a wild assumption. It’s not something I am making up to prove a point. Daniel was a student of God’s word. He listened to the prophets. He knew God’s heart.

The only way you can answer the question “who am I?” is if you can answer the question “who is God?” Daniel knew God and so Daniel knew himself.

LOSING OUR IDENTITY

Which is strange, because exile is normally a place where people lose their identities.

What oppressive empires normally do when running over the little guy is get rid of their national identity.

We read in Daniel 1 that “3 The king (Nebuchadnezzar) ordered his chief of staff to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives... Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon…”

6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego.” (Daniel 1:3-7)

This is social engineering at its finest, making everybody the same in terms of their identity. Removing their national differences, assimilating them fully into one homogenized culture.

Don’t be different.

Conform.

This is the way.

So Daniel and his friends were trained. They were educated in the finest universities Babylon had to offer. They were given food from the king’s rations. They were given new Babylonian names. And these names are pretty offensive to the sensibilities of any true, God-fearing Hebrew.

Daniel is a name that means “God is my judge”. And this isn’t supposed to be a fear-inducing sentiment. It is a celebration of the God of justice who makes all things right in the end. The God who doesn’t let any wrong go unpunished, but He fiercely loves and shows grace in equal measure. The God who won’t forget His people.

Daniel’s name was changed to Belteshazzar which means “Bel protects his life.” The main deity in Babylon was the god Marduk. The Babylonians wouldn’t spell out or pronounce that name, so they would often substitute the word Bel which meant something like lord. That’s a similar pattern we see in these ancient near eastern people groups. Israel did the same thing we know. This is often a practice the Bible takes in clever storytelling. It purposefully adapts a cultural trope, symbol, or practice of the neighboring cultures but changes it in a significant way to make a definitive statement about the supremacy of God. That the God of Israel is not similar to but far and above all other gods. The Bible has always been written as a story that would be heard by the nations. Daniel. God is my judge.

Hananiah, which means “the Lord shows grace”, was called Shadrach “command of Aku", the moon god.

Mishael, which means “who is like God”, was called Meshach “Who is like Shak” another Babylonian deity.

And Azariah, which means “God has helped”, was called Abednego “servant of Nebo” who was the son of Marduk.

It was as if the Babylonians took their names and as a way to mock them for their perceived ignorance changed them just slightly enough so that instead of being directed to Yahweh, the God of Israel, they made congruent statements directed toward the gods of Babylon.

Their names were changed as a way of encouraging them to forget the God and traditions of their homeland and become conformed to the ways and gods of Babylon – to erase their identities.

And for some reason all of this was fine to the young men. They didn’t protest it. Indeed, we hardly even know the names Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. For the remainder of the book it seems they are only referred to by their new, Babylonian names. And that is how we know them best.

In this first chapter of Daniel, there seems to be little exception taken by the four young men but for the food rations provided from the king’s table. Daniel protested the royal food provided to them. Which may seem strange.

I think, if this were to happen in our modern culture, we would care little about the food and a great deal about what we were called. But for them it was the other way around.

They refused to eat the King’s rations. They insisted, in this moment, to maintain their cultural identity, to fight for it, and God honored this devotion and blessed them.

So much so that “18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed… no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah… 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.” (Daniel 1:18-20)

I can’t tell you why they cared little of their names and much of their diets. God had taken special care to give many laws about what foods should and should not be eaten as a way to separate and mark His people among the nations.

What Daniel ate perhaps said more about his identity than what he was called.

I suppose they can call you what you like and you can call yourself what you like but if you have an identity in God that’s something that will never change. They were sure to preserve their national identity not as Hebrews, but as God’s set apart people. I guess that’s the point to be made. But importantly to note, is that there are times to concede and there are times to fight.

And in exile, our identity is exactly what we need to remember and fight for. Because with every decision you make, you become someone different. And you are either becoming more conformed to the patterns of the world, or you are becoming more conformed to the image of Jesus. Romans 12 teaches us that we need to be transformed into His image by allowing God to renew our mind and change what we care about so that we will know God’s will, we will know where the important battle lines are drawn. What are we going to care about and fight and what are we going to let go of?

DRAWING OUR BATTLE LINES

Because, even though this is Daniel’s story, and Daniel is telling us what he did in his day and his circumstances and not necessarily telling us what we should do in our day and our circumstances. Even though this is Daniel’s story. This is our story as well.

We haven't been taken to a new culture like Daniel. We haven’t been taken somewhere else. We’ve stayed and the culture has changed around us. Our culture is changing dramatically, so we have to know who we are. We have to know who God is so we can know who we should be. We have to know where to draw the lines.

And faithfulness will look like two things. Faithfulness will look like maintaining our devotion to God. And faithfulness will look like maintaining our witness for God.

Faithfulness will look like maintaining our devotion and witness without compromise.

We must draw the line where we are told to disobey God. We must draw the line where we are asked to compromise on matters that our conscience tells us will undermine our identity. We must draw the line when pressured to elevate man over God. We must draw the line and resist the temptation to withdraw from the world and privatize our faith. And we must also draw the line by resisting the temptation to politicize our faith.

“Some of us will be more tempted to draw lines and take on fights when faithfulness doesn’t require it. Others will be tempted to keep our heads down and make compromises when faithfulness looks like drawing a line and gently but firmly refusing to cross it. Sometimes it is straightforward to see where the line must be, but not always, and our unity depends on humbly recognizing the difference.”

IN BUT NOT OF

God is in control.

God’s throne is constant. His rule is sure.

Even when one oppressive empire is replaced by another oppressive empire. God is in control of all rule and authority. God was in control of Daniel’s little story and He is in control of your story as well.

We must know what to care about. We must know who God is so we can figure out who we are. We must live in this world, in exile, but always remember that we are not of the world. We have been called out of the world to be sent back into the world.

Have you heard this phrase “in but not of”? In the world but not of the world. It’s a bit of a Christian mantra. Maybe you’ve heard it.

It’s not exactly in the Bible. I mean you won’t find the exact phrase, but the concept is clear. It mostly comes from Jesus’ words to His disciples in John 17.

Jesus prays to the Father, “14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”

Through believing in the word of truth, placing our faith and trust in Jesus, we no longer belong to the world, to the kingdom of darkness. We now, in Jesus, belong to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of light. We, as believers, are no longer of the world—we are no longer ruled by sin. We are no longer bound by the principles of the world. We are, instead, being changed into the image of Christ, causing our interest in the things of the world to become less and less as we mature in Christ. Looking less like the world and more like Christ. We have been set free so that, Jesus goes on…

“18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world… 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:14-21)

The disciples were taken out of, not of, sanctified, and sent into to testify. To proclaim the universal reign of God and to embody Jesus to the world around.

“We are here for the world, not against the world. It’s not us vs them. It is for them.

We’re not looking for escape. The primary christian message is not a longing to be somewhere else. It’s to see Heaven come to Earth and overlap.”

It is a command to be in the world as Jesus was in the world. To do what Jesus did. Accepting the risk/guarantee of being hated as Jesus was hated, not because our actions are deserving of hate, but because our love is an unwelcome antidote to the poison of sin which still grips the hearts of mankind.

“We are meant to do as Jesus did by loving other people, which is why we are sanctified in the first place. Our salvation is for other people.”

I read an article from a disenchanted believer so convinced by the compelling love of Christ and yet so disheartened by the failures of God’s people to be like Him in any way. And even as we step more into this reality of family and the call for the family of God to exist for those who are not yet here, I see this temptation in us. The author writes…

“I do not see Christian people laser-focused on the mission God gave us of continuing to love all people on His behalf. Instead, I see holy huddles, where we become somewhat okay at loving other Christians, if we’re lucky.

I do not see Christian people knowing that they are here for a reason. Instead, I see people waiting to be taken away from here.

I do not see Christian people living in the world they are in. Instead, I see them afraid of the world, while setting up camp just outside of the scary parts of town, so they don’t get any sin on them.

I do not see Christian people concerned with what breaks God’s heart. Instead, I see people letting it break and doing nothing but feeling bad about it, while singing about it.

Jesus wants us to be here, not separate, but I see Christians doing everything they possibly can to stay separate from “the world.”

Christian bubble culture is wrong because it takes us out of the world. This is not where Jesus wanted us.

You are sent INTO the world, to make God’s love known, and to leave His mark upon it in the most Christ-like ways possible. We are called to feed the poor. Like, personally, ourselves, directly. Food into mouth. We are called to clothe the naked, with our own jackets off our backs. We are called to let other people be forceful, while refusing to be that way ourselves, even if they mistreat us because of it. We are called to show love to those who hate us and wrong us and disagree with us and want to hurt us and misunderstand us or seek to use us. We are to give, without thought of ourselves, AND without even dwelling on the decision (Matthew 6:2–4).

We are called to be Jesus in this world, as informed by writings about His life and the Holy Spirit living within us… To be like Jesus is already to be different from this world, inherently. As long as we are becoming more like Jesus, we are already becoming less like the world, in all the ways that matter to God.”

DANIEL’S PURPOSE

Daniel knew who God was. He knew who He was and He had immense purpose.

Again, this is not a guess.

Daniel tells us in chapter 9, “I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting.”

Here’s what Daniel read, “4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare… 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Daniel knew his purpose. He had a future and a hope. The God who is in control of all history, who had orchestrated their past and made way for their present, that same God had given Daniel and his friends a bright future and a spectacular hope.

And that purpose was to work for the peace and prosperity of the world into which they had been sent. Pray for them. Love them. Testify to them about the Lord. Tell them all about me, God says. And the result is redemption and rest in the presence of the living God.

This is the Gospel that changes us.

WHO ARE YOU?

“What does it look like to live as a Christian in a society that does not like what Christians believe, what we say, and how we live? It means knowing God as Daniel did — that God is in control, that he will keep his promises. He may at times deliver his people from the fire, but if not, he will always deliver us through the fire.”

So who are you?

If you don’t know who you are, then you won’t know how to act. Identity leads to action. We spent several weeks talking about the mission of God and the mission of this church. You’ll still be riding the sidelines of the mission of God if you don’t know who you are.

AFFIRMATION

You know that scene from “Cool Runnings”? You know the one I’m talking about? That’s probably a movie I can recommend. In fact, I bet you could show your kids that one. There’s the scene where the character Yule Brenner is giving a pep talk to Junior Bevil. He says, “look in the mirror and tell me what you see!? I see pride. I see power! I see a bad mother” Maybe get the edited version of that scene.

I want to end our time together with an exercise to help reshape us. I would love it if you could repeat this to yourself throughout the week. We’ll come back together next Sunday and remind each other of this truth.

Because I look out at each and everyone of you and this is what I see.

I see a child of God!

I see a beautiful creation, made in the image of the Almighty!

I see a warrior who stands firm on the truth!

I see a vessel of love, grace, and strength, filled with the Holy Spirit!

I see a citizen of Heaven who is redeemed, chosen, and set apart for God's purpose!

I see a follower of Christ who walks in victory and refuses to bow to fear!

I see a pillar of truth who doesn't take any lies from the enemy!

I see a servant, sent into the world to shine His light!

I see a messenger of hope, sent to proclaim the Good News and live out the love of Jesus!

I see an ambassador, bringing peace, justice, and mercy wherever you go!

I see a glorious expression of the King, sent to make Him known!"

Go ahead and stand up, and join me in speaking this truth and proclaiming this identity over yourself that you may know who you are, that you may know whose you are, and that you may know with confidence what you are to do as we live this life in exile not of the world, but sent into the world with great purpose.

Who are you? Stand up tall and tell me what you see.

I see a child of God!

I see a beautiful creation, made in the image of the Almighty!

I see a warrior who stands firm on the truth!

I see a vessel of love, grace, and strength, filled with the Holy Spirit!

I see a citizen of Heaven who is redeemed, chosen, and set apart for God's purpose!

I see a follower of Christ who walks in victory and refuses to bow to fear!

I see a pillar of truth who doesn't take any lies from the enemy!

I see a servant, sent into the world to shine His light!

I see a messenger of hope, sent to proclaim the Good News and live out the love of Jesus!

I see an ambassador, bringing peace, justice, and mercy wherever I go!

I see a glorious expression of the King, sent to make Him known!"