Who Are You | Circumstances - Daniel 6 | October 27

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Who Are You | Circumstances - Daniel 6 | October 27
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INTRO

Hey family!

It’s good to be back with you.

Let’s get right into it this morning.

This is Daniel chapter 6 if you’d like to follow along in your Bibles. If you don’t have a physical Bible there are some at the front ends of each row. There is a familiarity that comes with thumbing through these pages that we miss when we scroll on our phones so if you need one feel free to grab one. And if you don’t have one at home you’re more than welcome to take it with you. But if you’re a bit of a Bible collector, just leave it behind. We’ve got more Bibles than I’d care to admit, collecting dust and being eaten by silverfish. These ones are here to find their way into the hands of those who need them.

Alright, let’s get stuck into it. Daniel chapter 6…

1 Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. 2 The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. 3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

This is the quintessential story of the book of Daniel. That’s why we’ve saved it for today.

If you know anything about Daniel it’s the lion’s den. But there’s so, so much more to this story than we can remember or imagine. And as I’ve been meditating on these words and discerning what God would have for us through this chapter, I find that there are sort of two main sticky points for me. Not sticking points that are challenging, but sticky points that need to worm their way into our brains and change the way we live as we work our way section by section through these beautiful words.

So I pray. Lord, change us. May the persons we were when we walked into this room not be the same people who leave. May your living word transform us, our minds, our desires, and our behaviors so completely that what the Bible teaches about us being new creations is true in our living. Open up new levels of growth and maturity in us. May your resurrection power change our identities, who we are into who you say that we are. Amen!

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

The first sticky thought I want you to have is actually a reminder from some Sunday’s past. All the way from 1 Corinthians. And that is that you are called to be a saint.

Paul writes in chapter 1 verse 2, “2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”

“…to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord.”

As we have spent this series asking the question, “Who are you?” As we’ve been answering this question knowing that if you know who God is, you will know who you are, and you will know what to do, you will know your purpose. Even as we’ve spoken these truths to remind us of this identity that God has endowed into His beloved creation that:

You are a child of God!

You are a beautiful creation, made in the image of the Almighty!

You are a warrior who stands firm on the truth!

You are a vessel of love, grace, and strength, filled with the Holy Spirit!

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

You are a follower of Christ who walks in victory and refuses to bow to fear!

You are a pillar of truth who doesn't take any lies from the enemy!

You are a servant, sent into the world to shine His light!

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

You are an ambassador, bringing peace, justice, and mercy wherever you go!

You are a glorious expression of the King, sent to make Him known!"

Even as we are reminded of these words, these truths, this identity, there is a part of you that doesn’t believe it – doesn’t want to believe it perhaps. But perhaps even more so, especially if you’ve grown up in the church, have been programmed not to believe it.

That seems strange to say. Shouldn’t it be the opposite. Shouldn’t this be the place where we stand firm in the truth of our identity in Christ? You would think so. I hope so.

And it’s not that we are being lied to. It’s that we focus much too heavily on the fact that we are sinners, yes sinners saved by grace, but sinners nonetheless. That is our intrusive thought. And because that is what we experience in this life in exile is the brokenness of humanity. We acknowledge the truth of sainthood but we deny it to ourselves.

We are constantly reminded of our own failures. Our own sins. They are ever before us.

The mantra playing in our heads is, “I’m a sinner. I’m a sinner. I’m a sinner.”

It’s the pink elephant problem. If you try not to think about something, you're going to think about it more.

For example… Don't think about a pink elephant. Whatever you do, don't think about a pink elephant. Don't picture a pink elephant in your mind. Just don't do it.

Now, what are you thinking of?

Does this sound familiar? You often think about the things you're trying to avoid?

When you tell yourself "not" to do something, your brain just hears it as an instruction. This means you spend lots of time and energy focusing on what you want to avoid, making it more likely you'll do the very thing you don't want to do.

You can’t stop thinking about the pink elephant.

“I’ll never be good enough. I’m a sinner.”

“I can’t do anything right. I’m a sinner.”

That becomes the sum of it all. I’m a sinner. Saved by grace or not. That’s all I’ll ever be.

Don’t look. Don’t touch. Just don’t do it!

We read these passages in Daniel, and even though I’ve been telling you that these stories in the Old Testament are not to present us with heroes to be emulated, and I should say neither villains to compare ourselves with, the natural inclination is to see ourselves much more as Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar, and Darius. We are trying to be faithful Daniels. We hope to be Daniel, but we fall short.

Paul writes, “15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate... 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…”

Daniel seems unattainable.

Daniel doesn’t have a chink in his armor.

Daniel doesn't have an error in his integrity.

Daniel doesn’t have a flaw to uncover.

There are these three characters in this story. There’s Daniel. There’s Darius. Then there are the other administrators and high officials. I guess there are the lions and then God of course as well. But if we interpret these words as we are not intended to, we are left wondering if we are going to be ones who scheme, trick, and defraud to get what we want, or are we going to remain faithful? Who will you be? Who are you?

“The other officials couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn Daniel. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.”

In public and private Daniel had integrity.

What if, instead of spending all our attention focusing on not sinning. We spent the majority of our thought life reminding ourselves of the truth of our identity which does not come from within but has been bestowed upon us from the God our loving Father. Why don’t we listen to who He says we are?

Daniel was faithful to God regardless of what he faced because his integrity and reputation were not dependent upon his circumstances. In the face of difficulty he did what he always did, not something special, he remained faithful.

Circumstances don’t dictate your integrity or reputation – your identity does. And your identity doesn’t come from within yourself.

You are saints.

“The idea of the word “saints” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom.

Christians are called to be saints, to increasingly allow their daily life to more closely match their position in Christ.”

Instead of focusing on not sinning, what if you flipped it and focused on who you are. Yes your sainthood is a gift that you can’t earn, but it is yours and it is who you are.

You are a saint. Focus on that. Focus and tell yourself to act in a manner that aligns with who you are.

The beginning words of Romans has beautiful words of encouragement for us all,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:1-6)

Athenaseus, who was an early figure in Church history, some people call him Saint Athenaseus, reflected on the victory of Christ over death, the significance of the Resurrection, and the power of the Cross.

And he talked about how Jesus’ resurrection is the demonstration and sign of His victory over death which is made clearer by the observable effects held in believers’ lives.

Jesus is not dead! Jesus is alive!

Only someone alive can continue to influence and change the lives of others. Christ is active, continually persuading people from all nations to embrace Him in faith. This ongoing transformation of human lives—where sinners abandon sin and idols are overthrown—serves as further evidence that Christ is not dead but alive and working in the world.

Athenaseus asks, “How, if [Jesus] is no longer active (no longer alive), does He stay from their activity those who are active and alive, so that the adulterer no longer commits adultery, and the murderer murders no more, nor is the inflicter of wrong any longer grasping, and the profane is henceforth religious? Or how, if He be not risen but is dead, does He drive away, and pursue, and cast down those false gods said by the unbelievers to be alive, and the demons they worship? 6. For where Christ is named, and His faith, there all idolatry is deposed and all imposture of evil spirits is exposed, and any spirit is unable to endure even the name, nay even on barely hearing it flies and disappears.” (on the incarnation of the word)”

Our transformed lives are demonstrations of The power of the resurrection moving across time and space. And encountering Christ and His word lead to real changes in our lives. And it is such a profound transformation.

That is who you are.

You are a saint!

Let’s keep reading…

NEW LIFE

6 So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! 7 We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. 8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9 So King Darius signed the law.

Now, this may seem like an odd detail. Why couldn’t the king change a law he created? But we see this same dynamic in the book of Esther. I don’t know exactly how the king Esther marries relates to Darius in the book of Daniel, but it is the same empire just a few years down the road perhaps.

Esther shows on multiple occasions how the king cannot overturn a law he has passed. At the end of the book this plays a major role as the king can’t repeal his law to kill the Jews, but he can pass a new law that says the Jews are allowed to defend themselves. And so the Jewish people are preserved in the Persian empire.

Let’s keep going…

10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from Daniel in this story.

Certainly with regard to identity, it’s not merely what you do in public that determines who you are, but it must also be confirmed in your private lice. Your identity doesn’t mean a thing if it doesn’t remain true when no one is looking.

As William Shakespear wrote, “ All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”

So is your identity the character you play then? Who you show yourself to be to the world at large? Or is it the truth of who you are when no one is looking? When you’re no longer playing the part?

As we established earlier, there’s a real sense where neither of these is true because your identity does not come from within yourself. It comes from God.

And there’s also the awareness that Daniel prayed in front of an open window. He wasn’t hid in some closet. He was well aware of his visibility to the world around him. So does this really speak to our private life?

Does it not then say that we should live out our faith to be seen. We should be visible.

Surely this is a lesson for us to learn as well.

There is also the observation that Daniel was simply doing what he always did. He had built a habit of prayer these some 60 or 80 years that would not be abated under threat of death. His allegiance was to a king of a different kingdom altogether. So there too is a lesson for healthy habits that build spiritual resilience. That may be enough to fill several more weeks.

At least there will be more to talk about should we return to Daniel in the future.

For our second sticky thought, I am much more concerned with what Daniel should be praying for. What were the contents of his prayers? What are the things that we should be praying for one another?

And I know, we can’t really know what Daniel prayed for preceding the Lion’s Den. It wasn’t given to us to be known. We do have some of Daniel’s prayers which we will arrive at in not so many weeks time. But that’s a future concern.

We do have a question that can guide the remainder of our time and become a sticky thought to us. Who are you grabbing onto for dear life?

Who are you grabbing onto for dear life?

For many of us we think of prayer as crisis management. And we could continue that false belief should we not pay attention in this story. But Daniel was not turning to prayer in his time of need. Daniel continued in what he was already doing. The circumstances of the Lion’s Den were not dictating Daniel’s integrity. His identity was already driving his actions from long before Darius. When a person is doing great they need prayer just as much as when their life is threatened to pour more fuel on the fire and fan into flame the work of the Spirit.

Daniel clung to God. Daniel abided in the Lord.

I believe we can pray for the same thing. Not to be rescued from our circumstances. Although I would not fault Daniel for such a prayer. Not for a way out per se. But for a new way of life to take us captive. We can pray this for one another. We can pray for a new way of life regardless of the circumstances. To be a community living under the reign of a different king.

New Life!

Paul teaches us to pray this over one another as well in the book of Ephesians. He writes in chapter 1, “15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

You know it’s interesting. When we say we will pray for someone. When I say I’m going to pray for you. We usually mean I’m going to pray for your circumstances. I’m going to pray for a new job. An upcoming move. I’m going to pray for the things going on in your life right now and maybe those coming up.

When Paul prays for the saints he is rarely praying for people’s circumstances. Mostly what he’s praying for is God’s given wisdom so that in whatever circumstances they may draw near to Jesus.

That’s what we should be praying for one another as well. Not for circumstances and for them to change. But for a new quality of experience in our life so that we might understand God’s personal presence in every circumstance. For new life.

Paul prayed for three things for the Ephesians to know. We can pray these three things for one another as well:

The Hope of Their Calling: Paul wants them to understand the hope that comes from being called by God, which includes the future promises and eternal life in Christ.

The Riches of God's Glorious Inheritance: He prays that they would grasp the value and splendor of the inheritance they share with all the saints, which reflects God's abundant blessings and promises for His people.

And the Immeasurable Greatness of God's Power: Paul prays that they would know the vast and incredible power that God exercises on behalf of believers—the same power that raised Christ from the dead and exalted Him above all other authorities.

Hope.

Riches.

And Power.

Hope that whatever the present state of the world may be, whatever circumstances you may find yourself in, that your hope would come from and be found in Christ. That the meaning of your life is not determined by what is happening to you or around you. That the meaning of your life would be found in Jesus. The hope He has called you to.

That the eyes of your heart would be opened to the riches you are walking into. Wake up to the fact that as God's family you are unique and holy, different from the world around you, to be the witnesses to His grace and glory. This is your privilege. This is your calling. This is your election as saints.

Where we are going in the book of Daniel is about to get real weird. But it will continually show us two things. It’ll show us that the times are evil and as the saying goes it’ll only get worse before it gets better.

But it will also show us that the Son of Man will return. Jesus will come. And the saints will inherit the kingdom. Wake up to the riches of being a child of God.

And open your eyes to His power proven in the resurrection and demonstrated as His Word goes out and changes lives. As it changes your life.

This is not a power to do whatever you want. It is not a power to be free and independent as the world sees it.

There was a Caesar or someone, I can’t recall who, but when he became king he said, “now I can do whatever I want to do, whenever I want, to whomever I want to do it.”

That’s not the power to be realized.

This is the power of the One who lived overcoming the desire and pull of sin and resurrected Jesus from death to new life. The power that gives up status and influence for the sin of others to be thrust upon Him. Power to take spiritually dead sinners and turn them into life-giving spirits. Resurrection power.

It’s the power that is turning death moments in your life into something new. That is restoring patterns of death in your life and injecting within them new life. It is the power that is overcoming what Paul will go on to talk more about in Ephesians, the power to overcome the very real principalities and powers of this world who have real influence in human behavior and history that are not visible to us.

That is the power of our prayers for one another. Subversive prayers that topple empires.

One of the most influential Rabbis of the twentieth century, Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehood. The liturgical movement must become a revolutionary movement, seeking to overthrow the forces that continue to destroy the promise, the hope, and the vision.”

This is our challenge. The challenge to see prayer our prayers for one another as a force within the world rather than a mere spiritual exercise removed from it.

This is the prayer I envision Daniel praying before his open window.

Let’s go ahead and finish the chapter…

JESUS IS KING

14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” 16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. 19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

As we learn from Paul, there is an influence exploiting my thoughts and feelings and realities. There are beings and powers who have influence over whole cultures and societies exploiting the collective brokenness of humanity.

But as we know from Daniel, Jesus is the victorious king over these spiritual realities.

Jesus is king over everything, exalted over all power and authority, for the church to be this little pocket of humanity where that is actually seen to be true.

Jesus is king here where people experience their true humanity and beloved status by God.

OUTRO

21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

24 Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.

25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you!

26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. 27 He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

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

Where in your life do you profess Jesus but your lives are still controlled by other powers?

What small step can you take to have that area come under the influence of king Jesus?

So that, no matter who you thought you were when you walked into those doors. What identity you’ve been speaking over yourself all these years. You will leave changed. Forever changed.

As Athenasesu said, you used to harm others. Now you no longer act selfishly. You were once disrespectful toward God. Now you live faithfully.

Whatever it is, may you leave those doors knowing that you were once a sinner. But that description suits you no longer. You are a saint. And may we pray over the saints this new life of hope, riches, and power. The same power that brought Jesus back from the dead. The same power that is changing you today into the glorious identity God has given you.

Revelation 2:9-10, “9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.”

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.gotquestions.org/saints-Christian.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goPp4klxoTo&ab_channel=TimMackieArchives