Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. In today's message, we want to look at the first part of Daniel 2, and we find Two men, one of them is Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The other is a young Jewish captive. Called Daniel. We will see these two men in a crisis.
May I ask you? How do you cope when a crisis comes into your life? Welcome to the verdict. The Bible Teaching Ministry of Pastor John Monroe. When you find yourself in a crisis, how do you normally respond?
Do you become anxious and aggressive? Or are you paralyzed by doubt and fear? Today, we're continuing our study of Daniel and we're learning from his example and how to experience the very wisdom and power of God in times of crisis.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with today's message. Daniel as a young Hebrew man finds himself in a foreign land. Educated in a pagan culture, indoctrinated to be a Babylonian. But Daniel takes a stand for God. He doesn't compromise.
He's committed to God. and he's living in the fear of the Lord. The wonderful thing is that when we live in the fear of the Lord, we're not afraid of people or of situations.
So When Daniel is confronted with a crisis, he acts with clarity, with courage. and with unwavering faith in God. But Nebuchadnezzar is not a man of peace. and his dreams that make him very anxious. How do you respond to the unexpected?
Do you fear the outcome? Are you overcome by anxiety? Let's learn how to handle a crisis God's way. Let's open our Bibles. to Daniel chapter 2 first of all.
and read the first three verses where we read of Nebuchadnezzar having dreams. In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams. His spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams.
So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, I had a dream. My spirit is troubled to know. The dream. Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic.
O king, live. Forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation'. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word from me is firm. If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb.
and your houses shall be laid in ruins. Nice guy, right? But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore, show me the dream and its interpretation. And so Nebuchadnezzar thinks Are these wise men really true?
Can I depend on them? He's very, very skeptical. Of them. Verse 7, they answered a second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation. The king answered and said, I know with certainty that you're trying to gain time.
Because you see that the word from me is firm. If you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the times change. Therefore tell me the dream. And I will know that you can show me its interpretation.
Do you get the point? Where's Ten. The Chaldeans answered the king and said, There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demands. For no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Because of this, the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. And so the king. Gives orders, verse 12, to destroy all of the wise men, which would have included, remember, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In the middle of a crisis, what do we see from this great king? insecurity Anxiety.
Hostility. But now consider the contrast with Daniel. Who finds himself also in a crisis, obviously, because he's one of the wise men. and there is a sentence of death over him. We are going to learn of four qualities which characterise Daniel.
Now first of all Let's read verses thirteen through sixteen, where we will learn that Daniel is a man of faith. Verse thirteen.
So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed, and they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Ariok, the king's captain, Why is the decree of the king so urgent? Then Arik made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in.
and requested the king to appoint him a time. That he might show the interpretation. To the king.
Now think of this. There is a decree by Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel be killed. But although there is a warrant for Daniel's death Daniel is characterised By calm Courage. After getting the details of what the situation is He goes to the king. and asks for some time.
Is it not interesting That when the Babylonian wise men asked Nebuchadnezzar for more time, Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't give it to them. But Nebuchadnezzar agrees to give time To Daniel.
So that he can give him The interpretation. Why was that? I think Nebuchadnezzar From his dealings with Daniel and his friends in Daniel one knew that there was something very different. About Daniel. He meets Daniel.
He had interviewed Daniel, chapter 1, we learned. And now Daniel is brought before him. O king. Please give me more time. And I will then give you The interpretation.
Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men are in a frenzy at the crisis, but Daniel. is the calmest person. in all. of Babylon. How would you have reacted if you had had that death warrant on you?
He's been told by the king. That there's a death warrant against them. But he does not panic. Why? because his trust is in God.
God is in charge. He is a man. of faith. The Bible tells us that without faith It is impossible to please God. Oh, you've come to church for some months.
That's wonderful. But it never ever gets you into heaven. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And that comes through faith, trusting Jesus Christ. He has done it all, I now receive Christ.
And in the Gospel, all of the amazing benefits of the Gospel come to me as a gift, as an act of grace. If you've never personally trusted Christ, will you do that? Will you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? And you will be saved. But those of us who have been converted to Christ, who have been saved by His grace, are to live a life of faith.
Each day I'm to live by faith. And when the crisis comes, We are not to panic. But we're to look. to the Lord and to the Lord. Alone.
And that is what Daniel does. in the middle of a crisis. Trust God. Be a person of faith. Secondly, and of course this follows from the first, Daniel is a man of prayer, verse seventeen.
He's a man of faith, secondly, he's a man of prayer. Verse 17: Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions. and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. After requesting more time from Nebuchadnezzar and getting that time, what is the first thing that Daniel does? He calls for a prayer meeting.
with his friends. He says, We've got to ask God. For mercy. We're in the middle of a crisis. Your name's on that death warrant.
What are you going to do? Not panic. not to start Some campaign against Nebuchadnezzar? No, let's get down on our knees and ask God for his. Marseille.
Do you do that? in the crisis Get on your knees. with the people of God. You know, effectiveness of prayer is increased when we unite with others. James five sixteen, the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
And Daniel and his friends, when they get down on their knees, They come to God not on the basis of their own merits or their past experiences, but based on the compassion and mercy of God. Verse 18. He told them to seek mercy. From the God of heaven. And we see the humility of these young men.
as they get together And prayer. Daniel is a man of prayer. In Daniel 6, verse 10, he kneels three times a day praying and giving thanks before God with the windows of his house open towards Jerusalem. This is then why Daniel has a calm confidence. How is he able to think clearly in a crisis?
He's a man of prayer, he's a man who walks with God. He is a man who, as we thought of last week, who lives in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. As I thought of that, I thought, you know. I haven't always done that in crisis. What do we tend to do in a crisis?
Panic. complain and fret. Full of fear, worry. paralyzed into inaction. Or do we humbly kneel before the the Lord in prayer.
Do you get together with others and pray? We need to pray to God in the middle of this crisis. Praying. ourselves, asking others to pray for us That's what we are to do in the middle of a crisis, to be people of faith, to be people of prayer. Mary Queen of Scots said she feared the prayers of John Knox more than an army of ten thousand men.
and Satan. trembles. when he sees the weaker saint. Bond Daniel is a man of prayer, he's a man of faith. In the midst of a crisis, be a person of prayer.
There's a third one: Daniel not only is a man of faith, a man of prayer, he is a man of worship. Verse 19. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the nights. God graciously answer this prayer. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever. To whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise. For you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we ask of you, for you have made known to us the kings. matter.
When the mystery is revealed to Daniel He praises the God of heaven, verse 19. He worships God. You see, this man is God-centered in his thinking, God-centered in his living. He doesn't immediately go to Nebuchadnezzar and say, I've got the answer, King. Look how good I am.
No, he praises God. His first Could we say his instinctive reaction? It is to thank God and worship God. You see, Daniel has a very, very high view of God. He believes that God is in control.
Of his life and of the events of history. He changes times and seasons, verse 20. He removes kings and sets up kings. If he does that to the kings, he's going to take care of Daniel. And Daniel knows that it is God.
Who is giving him the wisdom? It is God who is giving him the insight. And he's also characterized by thankfulness that God answered his request. Verse 23: To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise. Thanksgiving is an essential component of worship.
Now, in the midst of the crisis, what happens? We often forget the blessings of God, don't we? God has graciously answered. Many of your prayers. You may be in a crisis at the moment.
But in your crisis in the past, you called out to God. And he answered your prayers. He brought you through that crisis. Have you thanked God? Do you thank God for who He is and Himself and for all that He has done?
Are you thankful? Like this busy mother in the middle of a seemingly chaotic day as she tries to run a home and raise four children, Lord says this mother, thank you for the sink of dirty dishes. We have plenty of food to eat. Thank you for this pile of dirty laundry. We have plenty of nice clothes to wear.
And I'd like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds. They were so warm and comfortable last night. I know that many have no bed. My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom complete with all of the splattered mirrors, soggy towels, and grimy baths. Don't you hate that?
They are so convenient. Thank you for this refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly. It has served us faithfully for many years. It's full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals. Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today.
It has baked so many things over the year. The whole family is grateful for that lawn that needs mowing and that yard that needs weeding. We will all enjoy the yard.
So much. Lord, you have richly blessed us. Thank you. Lord. A woman in the midst of a chaotic life taking time.
to thank. God. Those who respond well to crisis are people of faith. Are people of prayer, are people of worship? Finally, Daniel is a man of wisdom and power.
four. Therefore Daniel went to Arioch. Whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.
Then Ariach brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus to him, I found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation. The king said to Daniel, whose name was Beltashazar, Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and this interpretation? Daniel answered the king and said, No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven. who reveals mysteries. And he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.
Your dreams and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these. To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this. And he who reveals mysteries made known to you what it is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living. but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king.
and that you may know the thoughts of your minds. And next week we'll think of the amazing interpretation of the dream. But notice here, Daniel is a man of wisdom. And power. He recognizes, as we already saw in verse 20, that wisdom and power belong to God alone.
He recognises that God is sovereignly in control and gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding'. Verse twenty one. This wisdom comes from God. Daniel is explaining to the king. that this wisdom Is from the gods of heaven.
He gives thanks to God as God is the one who is going to reveal these mysteries. God is the one who has wisdom. And what power and what courage young Daniel has as he comes into the presence of great, mighty King Nebuchadnezzar. To speak in such a powerful, courageous way to the most powerful man. in the world who is holding his death warrant.
And Daniel is about to explain, as we will think of next week. that Babylon, for all of its greatness, one day will fall. and the heads of of that statue, that head of gold. representing Babylon. is going to fall off.
And is going to end.
Now that power. That's courage. to speak up for God. And to tell people things that they don't want to hear. We're in a crisis morally.
in our land, aren't we? Why are so many of us strangely silent? Why are we afraid to speak for God? You say people think we're foolish. People will and not hear us.
Will you be like a Daniel? in the midst of our country, The main problem is not an economic problem, the main problem in our Nation today is a moral problem and a spiritual problem. More and more, we're turning our back on God. People can talk about the increase in spirituality, but that's often a spirituality from within. It's not a spirituality based on a living personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and who rose again.
We're in a crisis. Will you speak for God in your school? Are you going to speak for God in your bank? Are you going to speak for God in your community? Why are so many of us strangely silent?
Daniel gets a revelation from God. He knows it's true, and he's going to declare it. We have the revelation from God, not in a dream, but in His inspired Word. We know the truth. Abraham Kuyper said, When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling and peace has become sin.
You must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy with all of the fire of your faith. That's what Daniel does. In crisis, we need power. and we need courage. and wisdom.
And this wisdom comes from knowing God. It comes from walking in the fear of God. It comes from knowing the word of God. Psalm 119 says that those who know God's word are wiser than our enemies. We're wiser than those who are much older.
We're wiser than those who are much better educated. We're wiser than people who are much smarter than we are. Why? Because we have the eternal truth of God's word and our society. are young people.
Artains. Couples, older people, need Yeah. of Jesus. Christ. In crisis, in testings, in the difficulties of life, we need wisdom and power.
Ask God for it, turn to His Word. How do you handle crisis in your life? Don't be like Nebuchadnezzar. Insecure, restless, frustrated, anxious, getting angry, blaming people, threatening people. Don't be like that.
Be it Annual. have a strong faith In God. Have a vibrant prayer life. Praying with others. before God.
Have a worshipful, thankful Heart. Keep your focus on God, keep your focus on Jesus Christ. Have an ear which is open to God, listening to God and His word, and so obtaining His wisdom and power. And what an impact there will be in our homes and our communities and this nation if we reacted to crisis like Daniel. Think back over the crisis in your life, brothers and sisters.
How have you acted or reacted? Jesus said, In this world you will have tribulation, you will have suffering, you will have crisis. Many of you don't need me to tell you that. You know what it is to be in a crisis. But we're not to be discouraged because our Savior has overcome the world.
Don't be so focused on this world, don't be so focused on the crisis that you don't see the big picture of what God is doing. That life is very brief. And soon all of us are going to be In the presence of the Lord, that is, all of us who love Christ and who are saved by His grace. And if you don't know Jesus Christ personally, you face the greatest crisis of your life, and that is dying without Christ. Can I remind you that our Lord Jesus Christ came, bore our sin, rose again.
So place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Then grow in your faith. Study the Word of God. Spend time on your knees. Daily ask for His wisdom and power.
And the Bible says that God granted Daniel's requests. and God will grant yours. And in the middle, of a crisis, be a person of faith. A person of prayer. A person of worship.
A person of wisdom. And power. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever.
but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry.
Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte.
We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? When a crisis comes into your life, are you more like Nebuchadnezzar or more like Daniel? How have you handled difficult situations in the past? Was it an opportunity for you to reaffirm your faith in God? to trust him with all of your heart.
Or were you overcome with self-pity or bitterness or anxiety. Join me next time. As we look towards the end of Daniel 2, And learn of the rise and fall of the kingdoms of the world and of the unstoppable kingdom of God. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies.
Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
