DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon, chapter 2 // Sunday, March 7, 2021
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Sunday, March 7, 2021
Daniel: Being A Christian in Babylon
Daniel 2
“The time of the Gentiles.” Luke 21: 24 (ESV)
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Daniel 2: 1 (NLT)
One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep.
Numbers 12: 6 (NLT)
…the LORD said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the LORD, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.
Daniel 2: 2 & 3 (NLT)
He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers (Chaldeans), and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, 3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”
Daniel 2: 4 - 9 (NLT)
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” 5 But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble! 6 But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!” 7 They said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” 8 The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say 9 ‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.”
Daniel 2: 10 - 21 (NLT)
10 The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! 11 The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.” 12 The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. 13 And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. 14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. 15 He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. 16 Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. 17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. 19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then 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.
Daniel 7: 25 (NASB)
The little horn: He will speak out against the Most High…and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law…
Daniel 2: 22 – 24 (NLT)
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.”
Dreams & Visions
Acts 2: 16 & 17 (ESV)
… this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
2 Peter 1: 20 & 21 (NLT)
…you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon wk 2 // February 14, 2021
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Sunday, February 14, 2021
Daniel: Being A Christian in Babylon
Daniel 1
Daniel 1: 1 (NLT)
During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Jeremiah 25: 1 (NLT)
This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from the Lord
during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah. This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began his reign.
Daniel 1: 2 (NLT)
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 (Shinar) and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
Genesis 10: 10 & 11 (ESV)
The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh.
Daniel 1: 3 (NLT)
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, 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.
Daniel 1: 4 (NLT)
“Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.”
Daniel 1: 5 (NLT)
The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.
Daniel 1: 6 & 7 (NLT)
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: God is judge; my judge is God; God has judged
Belteshazzar: May Bel protect his life
Hananiah: YHWH is gracious, YHWY has been gracious
Shadrach: command of AKU
Mishael: Who is He that is God, Who is what God is
Meshach: Who is what Aku is
Azariah: The Lord helps, YHWH has helped
Abednego: Servant of Nebo
Daniel 1: 8 (NLT)
But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
Deuteronomy 8: 3 (NLT)
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 10: 31 (NLT)
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Daniel 1: 9 & 10 (NLT)
Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.
10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
Daniel 1: 11 - 20 (NLT)
Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king.
15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 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.
Acts 7: 22 (NLT)
Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.
Daniel 1: 21 (NLT)
Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.
DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon introduction // Sunday, January 31, 2021
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Being A Christian in Babylon
Daniel: Introduction
1. Israel neglected Sabbath Day & Year.
Jeremiah 24: 12 – 22 (NLT) So the Lord gave them this message through Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt. 14 I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But your ancestors paid no attention to me. 15 Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in the Temple that bears my name. 16 But now you have shrugged off your oath and women you had freed, forcing them to be slaves once again. 17 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, disease, and famine. You will be an object of horror to all the nations of the earth. 18 Because you have broken the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows. 19 Yes, I will cut you apart, whether you are officials of Judah or Jerusalem, court officials, priests, or common people—for you have broken your oath. 20 I will give you to your enemies, and they will kill you. Your bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals. 21 “I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to the army of the king of Babylon. And although they have left Jerusalem for a while, 22 I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture it and burn it down. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed, with no one living there.
Hebrews 9: 27 (NLT) …each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…
2. Israel also committed Idolatry.
Jeremiah 7: 21 – 26; 30 & 31 (NLT) This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! 22 When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. 23 This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ 24 “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. 25 From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. 26 But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors… 30 “The people of Judah have sinned before my very eyes,” says the Lord. “They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple that bears my name, defiling it. 31 They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! … 34 I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah. The land will lie in complete desolation.
3. Israel’s moral apostacy.
Isaiah 1: 4 & 5 (NLT) Oh, what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. 5 Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.
Jeremiah 17: 9 (NLT) The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
Proverbs 12: 15 (NLT) Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
Proverbs 14: 12 (NLT) There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
1 Peter 4: 17 (ESV) For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
The Next Time... // Sunday, December 27, 2020
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Sunday, December 27, 2020
The Next Time
John 14: 1 - 3 (ESV) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Some physical differences the Next Time?
1. His first arrival happened slowly…The Next Time he’ come suddenly.
1 Corinthians 15: 52 (ESV) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 (ESV) For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
2. His first arrival was quiet…The Next Time will be LOUD!
1 Thessalonians 4: 16 (ESV) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
3. His first arrival was revealed by a single star…The Next Time the entire sky will light up!
Matthew 24: 27 (ESV) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 25: 31 (ESV) When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
4. The first time very few people worshipped Him…The Next Time, the whole world will worship Him!
Romans 14: 11 (ESV) For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”
Some purpose differences the Next Time?
1. The first time Jesus came to save world, the Next Time He’s coming to judge the world.
John 3: 16 & 17 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Acts 17: 31 (NLT) For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
Romans 2: 6 - 8 (NLT) He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.
2. The first time Jesus came to die for our sins, the Next Time He’ll come to gather God’s family!
Ephesians 1: 5 (NLT) God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
Matthew 24: 31 (NLT) And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world[a]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
3. The first time Jesus came humbly, the Next Time He’ll come as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
Philippians 2: 2 - 8 (NLT) Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2: 9 - 11 (NLT) Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
*How to ready for The Next Time…
Titus 2: 12 & 13 (NLT) And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
Christmas Worship // Sunday, December 20, 2020
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Sunday, December 20, 2020
Christmas Worship
Worship: Declaring the worth and greatness of God
3 examples of Christmas worship:
1. Singing (Angels)
Luke 2: 8 - 14 (NKJV) Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
2. Sharing the Good News (Shepherds)
Luke 2: 15 - 20 (NKJV) So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
3. Giving (Wisemen)
Matthew 2: 1 - 11 (NKJV) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
·Gold represents Jesus’ royalty (2 Chronicles 9:1, 9, 14, 24)
·Frankincense represents Jesus’ divinity (Exodus 30:8; 1 Kings 9:25; 2 Chronicles 2:4; Malachi 1:11)
Myrrh represents Jesus’ humanity (John 19:39 & 4)
*The wisemen offered themselves, then they offered their gifts.
Isaiah 29: 13 (NLT) And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
Mark 12: 30 (NLT) …you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
*What God wants most from me, is ME…
Christmas Wisdom // Sunday, December 13, 2020
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Sunday, December 13, 2020
Christmas Wisdom
3 Examples of people who overcame: Disillusionment, Change and Loss
Trust God’s plan. (Elizabeth)
Luke 1: 5 - 7 (NLT) When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.
7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
The story of John the Baptist – Luke: 5 - 27 & 56 – 66
NEVER stop praying!
Luke 1: 13 (NLT) …the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
Be patient.
Luke 1: 20 (NLT) …since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.
Luke 1: 24 & 25 (NLT) …Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
Elizabeth was BLESSED, because she didn’t get BITTER…She trusted God’s plan
Believe God’s Word (Mary)
Luke 1: 26 - 29 (NLT) In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
The immaculate conception – Luke 1: 26 – 56
Luke 1: 29 (NLT) Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
Luke 1: 37 (NLT) …the word of God will never fail.
Luke 1: 39 (NLT) Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1: 45 (NLT) You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.
Mary was BLESSED because she BELIEVED God’s Word and dint’ allow her fear to overwhelm her.
Focus on God’s presence. (Anna)
Luke 2: 22 & 23 (NLT) Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.”
