I want you to know before I'm done teaching here that things that you haven't experienced yet, challenges that you haven't faced yet, troubles that haven't come upon you yet, God has already equipped you to handle them. Hello and welcome to Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard. Wherever you are, however, you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day.
Well, this week we're exploring the book of Daniel, a beautiful story of perseverance in the face of persecution. Today, we come to Daniel chapter 2. Israel is in captivity in Babylon, being ruled by a king that is openly hostile to God and who tries to force the Israelites to abandon their faith. But God knew in advance the trouble that Israel would be in, and that's where Pastor Paul picks up his message today. Remember, come see us at pastorpaul.net to listen to any recent message on demand, including the one you're about to hear.
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Now, with today's Destiny for Victory message, I'm equipped for this. Here's Pastor Paul. Daniel chapter two. Beginning with verse 1. In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, his mind was troubled, and he could not sleep.
So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, He said to them, I have had a dream that troubles me, and I want to know what it means. Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream and we will interpret it. The king replied to the astrologers, This is what I have firmly decided.
If you do not tell me what the dream was, and interpret it. I will have you cut into pieces. and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.
So tell me the dream and interpret it for me. In the interest of time, skip down to verse ten. The astrologers answered the king, There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks. No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult.
No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men. This made the king so angry and furious. that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.
So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. When Ariok, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king's officer Why did the king issue such a harsh decree? Ariach been explained. the matter to Daniel.
At this Daniel went in to the king and asked for time.
so that he might interpret the dream for him. We'll pause at that point. In the opening message of this series, we began looking at and learning from the experience of four young Hebrew men in Babylon. We saw that they made up their minds to honor God, even though. They were captives in this pagan society.
And in the last message, we discussed how in order to be in this world but not of it, we had to learn to do three things that I pointed out. First was to be decisive rather than double minded. Secondly, I talked about being diplomatic rather than disrespectful. And we ended the last message talking about being disciplined rather than detached. Don't have time to do any more review than that, but that message is available.
Now, before we jump into this chapter two, let me just make sure you understand, coming out of chapter one, what we're looking at. We're doing a case study of men who, though they were taken captive from their land and taken to Babylon, they're now living in a pagan society. And they are going to be influenced by pagans all the time because they can't live in their homeland. But they decided, as we said in the last message, to be in this world, but not of this world. And before we move on to this message, which I'm entitling, I'm Equipped for This.
With an exclamation point at the end of it. I want you to know before I'm done teaching here that things that you haven't experienced yet, challenges that you haven't faced yet, troubles that haven't come upon you yet, God has already equipped you to handle them. I want somebody to leave here knowing that you've got some challenges coming your way, but be of good cheer because God has equipped you for what you're going to go through. And I want you to understand before I really delve into that, I want you to understand that we're talking about principles that only take place in the lives of who I call kingdom first. People.
I want to talk to you about how important it is to be kingdom first. I've used that language for years and years as a preacher, and I want you to grasp it. God is looking for people who will practice kingdom first living. Kingdom first living. When I say that, I'm talking about what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6, verse 33.
Remember, he said, but seek ye first. What? The kingdom of God and His righteousness. And if you do that, all these things will be given to you as well. I want to challenge you before I move you into chapter two.
I want to make sure you have the resolve these men showed in chapter one, which is: even though I'm not where I want to be, even though they were in captivity, they still know God, they still love God, they're still going to honor God. And I came to tell you: you haven't started your adventure in God until you make up in your mind you're going to be kingdom first in your living. We need kingdom first folk. We don't need any more folk who just show up at church every now and then. We don't need people who have this little element of Jesus, little element of Christianity, little element of church tucked into some side area of your life.
To be kingdom first is to do what Jesus said. I seek first, I seek as my highest priority the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And Jesus made me a promise. If I live like that, everything I need for every area of my life, God will give it to me. I came to challenge somebody who is still a brill cream Christian.
To move on in the kingdom first living. What is a brilli cream Christian? All heads can tell you. If you're sitting there, somebody over 50, they'll tell you what brilli cream was. Back when we were watching black and white TVs.
There was a commercial. about this little tube of gel. That was designed for you to put it in your hair. Come on, brilli cream, folk. Y'all remember Brill Cream.
And their slogan, you old heads said with me, their TV slogan was. On Look at that. A little dab or do you? That was the slogan that when you bought grilled cream, you didn't have to squirt a whole bunch in your hand. The commercial would show somebody putting just a little dab out of the tube and into a finger, and then he just rolled that around between the two palms and then slick your hair, and you were looking good.
Because you didn't need a whole lot of brilli cream, a little dabble, do you?
Well, that was good for brilliant cream, but that's poor for living. You have no business being a little dabble, do you Christian?
Well, you know, you don't have to be a fanatic. Yes, you do. You got to serve somebody. You gotta have some priority in your life. You gotta have something that you will live for and die for.
And the only thing that makes sense to live for and die for is the one who lived for and died for you. Jesus showed you who he was. He came into this world. He came down through 40 and two generations, came down into the womb of a Virgin Mary, lived 30 years before he started his ministry, and then stayed another 30 years showing us what kingdom first living looked like. Finally, he went to the cross and died for your sins and mine.
And three days later, he rose again, proclaiming that all power has been given to me in heaven and in earth. Gave us the commandment that we were to go into the world and preach the gospel and baptize people and tell them who Jesus was. And he said, I'll be with you to the very end of the age. He got on a cloud and headed back to glory. As he was approaching, somebody got on a loudspeaker in heaven and said, Lift up your heads, O ye gates.
Be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors. And the king of glory is coming on back home.
Somebody said, Who is the king of glory? They replied, The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, He is the King of glory. And he went on into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the majesty, and he's there interceding for you and for me, saying, Father, make them kingdom first so I can bless their lives real good. Please don't go away. We have more of today's Destined for Victory message coming up next.
But we want to thank all of you who support Destined for Victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help us keep this media ministry going. And if you'd like to join us in our mission to take the gospel to all corners of the globe, please consider making a safe and secure donation at our website, pastorpaul.net, or give us a call at 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Even in the midst of Israel's captivity in Babylon, God had Daniel right where he wanted him, in much the same way he would bring Esther to Persia a century later. God had placed Daniel in Babylon for such a time as this.
Now, with the rest of today's Destined for Victory message, I'm equipped for this. Here once again is Pastor Paul Shepard. Jesus is looking for some more kingdom first, folk. We got plenty of brilliant cream. We need some sold out, sanctified, set apart.
For Christ, I'll live. For Christ, I'll die. I'm in it to win it. Man. We're looking for folk who will practice kingdom first living.
And God knows I've decided I'm going to be one of them. How about you? No need of going to the party and being a wall flower. No need of going to the party and being on the wall, just holding up the wall with your back. Got your little drink in your hand, swirling it around, and everybody else is doing the partying.
You might as well jump on out there. And say party off. here be in the thick of what's going on.
Some of y'all did that in the world, so all you gotta do is learn to do it in the kingdom. I'm going to be in the thick of what God is doing. Not going to be standing around being in the Tater family. You know the Tater family, there's commie in the Tater family, got a comment on life while they see other people live it. There's aggy in the Tater family.
Somebody always agitating and stirring something up. There's Dick in the Tater family dictating to other people how they ought to live instead of worrying about how you ought to live. You might as well jump out and be in the thick of whatever it is. And so we need to be kingdom first. I'm in it all the way, I'm sold out.
This is me. This is my life. When you see me, you'll see me living for Christ and doing His will. That's when Christianity really gets interesting. That's when you join God's special forces.
He can send you into special assignments because he knows you're sold out for him. And that's what these guys showed us from the very beginning when we saw that they would not defile themselves with the king's food. And they used wisdom and tact, and God allowed them to be who they were, even in a foreign environment.
So you got to learn to seek first the kingdom. Paul put it this way in Colossians chapter 3, verse 2. He said, Set your mind. King James said, Your affections are on things above, not on earthly things. That's a decision you make.
How do you get to be a sold-out Christian? You decide to be one. I've told you in many different messages. How'd you come to be a fan of the team you love? You decided.
You made up your mind one day. That's my team.
Some of y'all grew up in a family that already had adopted a team, and you were in the family, so you just joined in.
So here in the Bay Area, we got 49ers fans, we got Raiders fans. They picked their team.
Sometimes I don't know why they picked a certain team. But they pick their team. That's my team.
How do you get to have a team you decide? You decide. We got people in California who love teams in other parts of the country. I'm not going into the specifics because I preach in those cities and I don't want people mad at me. Made a mistake years ago and went into a town and proclaimed how much I didn't like their team.
And it was hard preaching from there on out. And I promise God, if you get me out of this building, I will never do that again. Because one man yelled out in the audience, there were about 1,500 people there that night. In the audience, a man yelled out and said, Pastor Paul, we love you because of your radio show, but that can change. And I got the message.
Haven't said anything about them since. Except where it's not being recorded. But we decide, we decide, and you got to make. A decision that you're going to make God's will the highest priority by which you live your life. That's what it means.
It simply means the first question I'm going to ask about anything is: what's God's will in this matter? How do you become a tither instead of a casual giver? I decide I'm going to put the principles and the precepts of the kingdom to work in my life. When the Bible calls me as an act of worship to give a tithe, 10% of all that God puts in my hand, all I got to do is move the decimal. God puts $1,000 in my hand.
I move the decimal. $100 of this says, Thank you, Lord. I acknowledge that you're the source. I practice spiritual warfare by declaring to the enemy that this is blessed. This whole thousand is blessed.
I give 10% of it to the kingdom, and the other 90% I believe God to release and to multiply and to use for his glory. And how many know? If you dare to do what God says, his word works. His word works. Being faithful in the matter of giving will get you out of debt.
That you should have never got in in the first place. The word works.
Some of us know we got people sitting in this church testifying: God got me out of debt because I honored him first. The word works in every area. The word works in your love life. That's why you got such a jacked-up love life. You never gave it to Jesus.
Ooh, I just hit something. That's why it's jacked up. You never gave it to the Lord. I dare you to say, God, I'm going to stop dating these knuckleheads and crazy people. Cause it's like driving down a dead-end street.
You already know it's going nowhere. You dating somebody who has no common sense, has no ability to live with restraint. Trying to get you out the will of God every chance they get. What are you praying about? I'm praying to see if we're supposed to break up.
You don't have to pray. You're trying to please God, they're trying to please themselves. You got your answer. Just go ahead and go on after, yeah, but you know, sometimes having something is better than having nothing. That's not in the Bible?
What verse you get that out of? No, no, better to be alone and at peace. Then the B t. Hi, with crazy folk. When you see crazy coming down the street, Cross the street.
You know cray cray when you see it.
Some of us grew up with it. All in your family, you are very familiar with Cray.
So, choose not to participate. This is good, you just don't know it. Trying to get you to see, before we take a look at chapter 2 and get some inspiration and a word from God out of there, I want you to make up in your mind, I'm going to be kingdom first. Don't be lukewarm. Even in Revelation, you were told to be hot or cold.
God said to the church, I wish you were hot. or cold, my problem is you're lukewarm. There are benefits to hot water. They assist with cleaning, and you know the benefits of hot water can help you prepare some foods. If it's good and hot, you can use it.
If it's real cold, you can use it. On a hot day, some cold water is anointed. Isn't that the truth? And so he said, I wish you were hot where you could get the benefits of heat, or cold, you can get the benefits of cold, but y'all are lukewarm. Who wants lukewarm water?
What you gonna do with lukewarm water? And so we've got to learn to get out of the trend of being that little dabble-dooya right in the middle. Don't be a fanatic. No, no, go on and be a fanatic for Jesus because there's a life. Filled with adventure and impact, if you'll do that.
These young men decided that they were going to live like that.
Now, when we move here into this text, you see what's happening.
Now, Nebuchadnezzar the king there in Babylon has a dream that troubles. Notice that word. Look at verse 3. He has a dream and he's troubled by it. You ever been troubled?
Have you ever had trouble come into your life uninvited? King just laying down going to sleep, trying to get a good night's rest. And he has a dream that troubles him. Let's think about trouble as it comes into your life. Trouble usually does not come as a result of what you want.
None of us are looking for man. I haven't had any trouble in a while I wish some trouble would come. kind of stir things up. None of us want trouble to show up. But how many know, just like trouble came uninvited into the king's experience, some of us are finding ourselves in situations where trouble just seems to be finding you.
Anybody ever been in a season like that? Trouble just seems to be finding you. You're not looking for it. You're not asking it. You don't want it.
Trouble just finds you. You're living your life, minding your business. If you're kingdom first, you're doing God's will very intentionally, very consistently, doing the will of God. And trouble just pulls up in your driveway. Trouble opens the trunk and grabs bags.
Then trouble walks up on your doorstep and rings your doorbell. Anyone ever looked out the window of your life and saw this car that wasn't familiar to you pull up in your driveway and trouble got out, got badge, meaning I'm not going anywhere. And then rang your bell. In fact, some of us, having seen the car pull up, wonder who that is. And then you went on back into the house of your life and kept on living.
You didn't hear the bell ring, you heard a key in your door. And next thing you know, you walk back in that area of the house where the door is, and trouble is standing there grinning. You wondering how did you get a key? To this house. But trouble found a way into your life.
This part of the series is for people who need to understand that when you are kingdom first, God equips you in advance for the stuff you don't want to have to deal with, for the things you would rather not have to experience in your life. They come uninvited, they come unwelcome. But the good news I came to share with you from the Lord is that you don't have to worry about it because God said, Because you love me and are called according to my purpose, I've already fixed you for the trouble that's coming your way. I came to tell somebody, you don't have to sweat what happens that you don't invite, because just like it happened to the king, it will happen to you. But God said, I got it covered.
Now, look again at this text. Look at, for instance, verse 5. The king replied to the astrologers, I have decided that as I need to deal with this thing that's troubling me, I need you all to put up or shut up. He said, I'm tired of having quote unquote wise men who I have to give you information before you can give me a word. He said, no more days like that.
I decided, this is a firm decision, he said. If you don't tell me what my dream was, And interpret it. I'm gonna have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. Yeah. Thanks so much for being here for Pastor Paul Shepard's message.
I'm equipped for this. I hope you've been encouraged to expect the unexpected, because in Christ all things are possible, and you are destined for victory.
Well, the Fourth of July means we are now fully into summer vacation season. It also means we've entered a time of year where donations to ministries like Destined for Victory often decline. Knowing this, if this ministry has been a blessing to you, we hope you will prayerfully consider giving a generous donation to day. When you do, we've got a very special resource to share with you. It's our latest booklet, Overcoming Bitterness.
Based on some of Pastor Paul Shepard's best sermons, this message will show you some key strategies for removing bitterness from your heart once and for all. As you follow along, you'll gain strategic insight into the ways to cultivate hope and reclaim the joy of the Lord's salvation. Again, that's Overcoming Bitterness, a helpful booklet for anyone who still struggles to let go of past wounds and press on toward his or her victory in Christ. Request your copy today for a generous gift to Destined for Victory. Give that gift by phone by calling 855-339-5500.
855-339-5500. Or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, post office box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. And I came to tell you that sometimes in our lives, we need something that cannot be produced from the human mind or spirit. Every now and then, you get to a place in your life where you need God to intervene.
And that's Monday in our continuing message. I'm Equipped for this. Until then, enjoy your July 4th holiday. And remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
