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Good morning. Thank you, whoever beat me to it. I appreciate that.
Hey, good morning. So whoever, what else am I going to say?
If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join us in Daniel chapter 2.
I found this funny. A couple years ago, Emma was teaching, doing a lesson with some of our
youth who were here at the church, and I had the opportunity to be there and be a part of it. And
so she's, you know, it's her first time kind of doing a lesson in front of a group of people,
and I forget exactly which passage she did. But I think as like a jab, but an encouragement to her
dad, she was like, all right, well, good afternoon, everyone. If you have your Bibles, and I hope you
do, I want you to turn to, and then she gave the passage of Scripture. You know, sometimes we just
need a good rhythm to kind of help us get going and things like that. And so that's what we have with
that. But we are glad that you're here. We are going to be looking in Daniel chapter 2 this morning.
If you don't have a Bible with you, that's okay. We want you to have a copy of God's Word. We hold
that as a value for us as a congregation. And so at the end of the service, I'll be back here at this
black table. We have some free copies of God's Word. We would love for you to stop by and get one. It is
the translation that we typically use when I preach on Sunday mornings. And so if you would like a copy of
that, whether you're a guest, whether you're a member, whether you're a believer, whether you're
not a believer, we want everyone to have a copy of God's Word. And so please come back and grab one of
those. And then also for our first-time guest, we do encourage you to scan that QR code. We would
love to know that you're here. But also at the end of the service, my wife and I will be in the back of
the auditorium at that table. And we'd love for you just to stop by. We'd love to shake your hand and to
thank you personally for being here and for worshiping with us. We'd love to learn your name. And if
there's any questions you have about us as a church, what we do, about our ministries, we would love to
be able to answer those questions for you. And again, thank you so much for being here.
It is a new season. College football season has started off. I want to share with you guys yesterday,
we went up to Spartanburg, South Carolina for a cross-country race. You know that our family does
that with our son and our daughter running. And then we decided to shoot up the mountain or up into
the mountains and going to Hendersonville and to get some apples. And so we were sitting there having
dinner outside. And I know that the hot temperatures have been around and are there, but fall is coming.
Fall is coming. God spoke. And I saw the reminder and the encouragement of that. We're sitting out eating
some barbecue in the North Carolina mountains. And I looked out across the road and there was a tree
with yellow leaves. So praise the Lord. Cooler temperatures are coming. All right. I want to
read to you guys a Bible verse. It's in Daniel 2, 27 and the first part of 28. 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. Let's go before that God.
God, we thank you so much for who you are and for your word. God, as we study your word this morning, I pray
that you would do, Lord, what you do. And through the power of your Holy Spirit, Lord, would you reveal
the truth of your word to us. God, for those of us who are sons and daughters of the living God, Lord,
who continually need to be reminded of what it looks like to draw closer to you, Lord, we pray that you
would draw closer, that we would draw closer to you and that you would pull us to you in the power of
your spirit. We pray for those who do not know you, that the truth of your word, the truth of the gospel
will be revealed and made known. Have an opportunity today to put their hope and their trust in Jesus
Christ and in him alone. And it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. I hope if you've been with us,
you've been enjoying so far, what we're working through Daniel, the study that we're working
through this fall. We're working chapter by chapter, verse by verse, word by word through the book of
Daniel. It's a book that I think for most people, you're familiar with if you've been raised in
church, you're common with. There's kind of the two big stories that we're going to get to in chapter
three and in chapter six when it comes to Daniel. But there's so much that that's leading to those.
And that's kind of where we find ourselves this morning at the end of Daniel chapter two.
There's been a lot that's been going on, man. God's been working. God's been moving. God's been
setting things and establishing things. And what we see is that God's people, Judah, from the southern
tribe, have been invaded and conquered by the Babylonians. And they've got this king, King
Nebuchadnezzar, who's a pagan, cruel, harsh king. And he draws from the people of Judah some of the best
the best so that he can incorporate them and assimilate them into Babylonian culture so that
he can use them for his benefit as he seeks to lead and to rule. And that's how Daniel comes on to the
scene. Daniel is part of the best of the best, the elite of the elite, the chosen of the chosen.
But even as a teenage boy, what we see from Daniel is that he's got a strong resolve and heart for God.
That in spite of Judah at this time, extremely rebellious. In fact, that's why God sends the
Babylonians to conquer them. And to do this is God's enacting his judgment of what he's told them about
through the prophets all the way back to Isaiah of what he's going to do. This shouldn't be a surprise.
Over and over and over again, return to me, return to me, repent, repent, repent. And God's people in
their rebellion refuse to do that. But we see that that's not all of them, that there are some who
are in there who have a heart of loyalty and dedication and obedience and love for the Lord.
And this is Daniel. And so kind of become my theme verse through here. We see in Daniel 1.8,
but Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself. And so Daniel is a man for the time. He's God's man
for the time. He's a chosen man for the time. He is a man who's going to stand coming from a culture
who's rebelling against the God who loves them and who has chosen them to be put into a missional
culture of a group of people who we're searching for, but God who wants to capture their hearts as
well. And Daniel's going to be the man who stands in resolve of who he is. So Nebuchadnezzar, the crazy
paranoid king, has this dream, a dream that he is unsure of. I think that's a safe assumption that
he's even unsure of what the dream is, much less he has no clue what the interpretation would have
been. But it's terrified him. So he's called all of the magicians, the enchanters, all of the wise men,
all of the sorcerers to come together to tell him two things. What is the dream that I dreamed?
And then secondly, what is the interpretation of it? And if you tell me what it is, I'll promote you
and bless you. But if you don't tell me what it is, I'm going to kill you. And they can't come to
an understanding of what this is. In fact, they even say that it's impossible to do what the king's
asking him to do. So the movement is made to execute all of these men. And Daniel is considered one of
them. Daniel, God's chosen. Daniel, God's servant. Daniel, whose God has given the gifts of interpreting
visions and dreams. See, Daniel wasn't in the room when Nebuchadnezzar asked. But Daniel is associated.
And so Daniel and his three friends, they're also given execution orders. And as Arioch, the executioner,
comes to do just that, Daniel appeals with him. And Daniel, a man of the favor of God, Arioch,
gives him a day. He gives him a day. And it's what we looked at last week, right? Like in the crisis.
Like, can you imagine? I don't know that I've ever been in this level of crisis. But this is the crisis
crisis that Daniel finds himself in. And in this crisis, we see the true character and nature of
who Daniel is. He trusts God. He prays to God. He seeks God. And because he's at that deep level of
trust that even in the midst of the crazy, even in the midst of the chaos, even in the midst of the
crisis, Daniel sleeps that night. Can you imagine? Like, you're going to be executed. He's like,
now God's got this. Let's sleep. Let's sleep. And God does what God does. And God reveals to Daniel
the dream. And God gives Daniel the interpretation. So let's pick up in verse 24 of chapter 2.
Verse 25,
And the king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, are you able to make known to me the dream that I have
seen and its interpretation? And Daniel answered the king and said, no wise men, enchanters, magicians,
astrologers, 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 dream 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 reveals mysteries made known to you what 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 mind. So let's look at what's kind of happening here. All, Daniel is a beautiful case
study in how the world interacts versus how those who have resolved in their obedience and their faith
in the Lord will react. It's like, like, do me the favor and just like read it through this way.
We talked about this with Nebuchadnezzar, right? Like Nebuchadnezzar last week in the crisis,
he operates in the crazy. He operates in the chaos. He operates in the anxiety. He operates in the worry.
That's how the world operates. He operates in feeling. And Daniel is operating in the trust and
the surrender to the holy sovereign God who never has nor never will he fail. And when we see this
with Daniel, we see this begin to play out. So as you see the different sides, look at him. So Ariok,
notice this, Daniel comes to Ariok. He went to him. He says, I've got the answer. Take me to the king.
So Ariok brings Daniel to the king as Daniel has requested and Ariok tries to make himself the hero of
the story. He says, look, I found the man who can help. He didn't find the man. God found the man. He didn't
find him. God did. And then Daniel in his boldness and his confidence. He went and found the man who
would execute him. He said, take me to the man who gives the order. So the king looks at Daniel and he
says, can you help me? And I want us to notice this. Daniel has a very critical moment in his life right
here. I think sometimes we can breeze over these first few verses of this and we can get down to
what the dream is in the interpretation and we will here in just a moment. But I think we can breeze past
this moment as it continues to show us the character of Daniel. Daniel in this moment has a choice of who to
leverage. The enchanters have said, the wise men of Babylon have said, the pagan leaders of Babylon have said,
this is impossible. No person can do king what you are asking to do. And then Ariok shows up and says,
no, I got a guy who can do it. No, I got a guy who can do it. And Daniel could leverage himself.
Daniel could save himself. Daniel could promote himself. Daniel could protect himself. Daniel could focus on
himself. Or Daniel could turn this moment into a gospel moment and tell the story of God.
God. We were thought about a few weeks ago, we talked about that there's only about 5% in America,
there's only about 5% of evangelicals, 5%, 5% who are looking for moments and opportunities to talk to
someone who's lost about God. And Daniel has this moment. He's a man for the hour. He's a man for the time
to leverage himself. And Daniel leverages. Daniel promotes God. God. The God that Nebuchadnezzar
doesn't follow. Not the pagan gods, not to try to blend him in, but the true God of heaven.
This is what Daniel does. Daniel says, look at all the wisdom of the world that you seek.
All of them are incapable. All of them are incapable to do what you need done. They're incapable.
It's not that they don't want to, king. It's that they can't. But there's a God in heaven who will make
known all that you desire to know. Here's what Daniel's saying. Daniel's like, look, I'm nothing.
Daniel knows about the things of God. Daniel knows about the things of God. Daniel has been gifted
with the ways of God. Daniel's been gifted and blessed with the things of God. Why?
Why? Why? Because he's got some special inner moral character that is found in him and him alone?
Because Daniel has achieved successes of life in his pursuits and in his wisdom and his capabilities?
No. Because Daniel knows God. Daniel knows God. This is how in chapter 1, a 13-year-old, a 14-year-old
stands confident before the king and says, I choose to obey God. And how now a 16, 17, 18-year-old
stands before the king and says, listen, it's not them, it's not me, it's not the gods of your temples,
but let me tell you about the God that I know. And I can stand here in confidence about the God that I
know. Not that I know about, not that I've studied, but the God that I know. I just want to ask you a
question as we look at this chapter, as we look at the ending of this saga, till we turn the page
next week in Daniel 3 and ask you this question. Do you know God? Do you know God? And if you say,
I know God, then what depth of God do you know? What pursuit of God do you have? What desire for God
is in your heart? Is your relationship with God, the casual, the infrequent, the surface level,
dependent on circumstances based off the feeling in the moment? Or do you know God
in the depth of who he is and the desire to know more and into the submission of a relationship?
Daniel's knowledge of God is sufficient both for salvation and maturity. But I find oftentimes in
the culture of the church that we've spoken about for several weeks now, when you ask someone that,
do you know God? They speak of a God whom they desire to save them, but they don't speak of a God
whom they desire to change them. And that's who God is. Do you know the God that Daniel knows?
In a relationship of intimacy. In a relationship of intimacy. In a relationship that's deep. In a
relationship that's growing. In a relationship that's in all seasons. Do you know God? So let's
read verses 31 through 45. If you're here and you've been like, I've been waiting for some of these
prophecy moments. Here we go. All right. So it gets a little crazy imagery and we'll try to explain
what's happening here. Verse 31, you saw, O king, and behold a great image.
This image mighty and of exceeding brightness stood before you. And its appearance was frightening.
The head of this image was fine gold.
Its chest and arms of silver.
Its middle and thighs of bronze.
Its legs of iron.
Its feet partly of iron
and partly of clay.
As you looked,
a stone
was cut out
by no human hand
and it struck
the image
on its feet
of iron
and clay
and broke them in pieces.
Then the iron,
the clay,
the bronze,
the silver,
and the gold
all together
were broken in pieces
and became like the chaff
of the summer threshing floors
and the wind carried
them away
so that not a trace
of them could be found.
But the stone
that struck
the image
became a great mountain
and filled
the whole earth.
That's the dream.
In verse 36,
Daniel says,
this was the dream.
Now we will tell
the king
its interpretation.
You,
O king,
the king of kings,
to whom the God of heaven
has given
the kingdom,
the power,
and the might,
and the glory,
and into whose hand
he is given
wherever they dwell,
the children of man,
the beast of the field,
the birds of the heavens,
making you rule
over them all.
You
are the head of gold.
Another kingdom
inferior to you
shall rise
after you.
And yet,
a third kingdom
of bronze
which shall rule
over all the earth.
Verse 40.
And there shall be
a fourth kingdom
strong as iron
because iron
breaks into pieces
and shatters
all things.
And like iron
that crushes,
it shall break
and crush
all these.
And as you saw
the feet
and the toes
partly of potter's clay
and partly of iron,
it shall be
a divided kingdom.
But some of the firmness
of iron
shall be in it
just as you saw
iron mixed
with the soft clay.
And as the toes
of the feet
were partly iron
and partly clay,
so the kingdom
shall be partly strong
and partly brittle.
As you saw,
the mixed iron
was soft clay
so they will mix
with one another
in marriage.
They will not
hold together
just as iron
does not mix
with clay.
And in the days
of those kings
that the God
of heaven
will set up
a kingdom
that shall never
be destroyed
nor shall the kingdom
be left
to another people.
It shall break
in pieces
all these kingdoms
and bring them
to an end
and it
shall stand
forever.
Just as you saw
that a stone
was cut from a mountain
by no human hand
and it broke
in pieces
the iron,
the bronze,
the clay,
the silver,
and the gold.
A great God
has made known
to the king
what shall be
after this.
the dream
is certain
and its
interpretation
sure.
So what
in the world
is going on here?
Let's explain
the dream.
Daniel tells
the king his dream
and gives him
the interpretation.
Here's the dream.
He said that
you've dreamed
about a statue
and this statue
is going to have
four distinct
aspects.
The first one
is a head
of gold.
The second
is a chest
and arms
of silver.
The third
is a midsection
or a stomach
and thighs
of bronze.
And then lastly
there's legs
of iron
with feet
of iron
and clay.
Now something
will happen
in this dream
to the statue.
And it says
that a stone
is broken
off
and breaks
off without
human hand
touching it
or causing it.
Part of the
interpretation
that we'll get
to here
but I want you
to understand
this.
The language
that Daniel
is using
in the
telling
Nebuchadnezzar
what the dream
is,
he goes ahead
and leads
into the
interpretation.
The words
he used
says that
this is a
divine act.
This is what
God's doing.
And it hits
the feet
of the
statue
and crushes
them
and when
this happens
the entire
statue
crumbles
becomes as dust
and disappears.
But the
stone
that struck
the statue
becomes a
great mountain
and this
mountain
fills
the entire
earth.
This is
the dream.
this is
the dream
that he
said Daniel
said at the
very beginning
it's a
frightening
dream and
Nebuchadnezzar
was scared
and he
couldn't
sleep
even though
he couldn't
remember what
the dream
was.
He couldn't
understand it.
So here's
the interpretation.
The four
parts of the
statue represent
four earthly
kingdoms.
The head
of gold
will represent
Babylon.
The Babylon
empire will
last from
605 to
539
B.C.
The next
is the chest
and the arms
of silver
will be the
Meadow Persia
empire
that lasts
from 539
B.C.
to 331
B.C.
The stomach
and the thighs
of bronze
will represent
the Greek
empire,
Greece,
that as an
empire,
we still know
that Greece
stands as a
country,
but as the
empire that
was there
will stand
from 331
B.C.
to 146
B.C.
And I hope
you're noticing
this, that
one leads
to another,
one leads
to another.
This is
also history
reinforcing
what the
Bible said
would happen,
so fulfilled
prophecy.
Legs of
iron with
feet of
iron and
clay will
be the
Roman
empire.
Roman
empire from
146
B.C.
to 1476
A.D.
This will
be what
happens.
The common
theme when we
look at the
time period of
the rule of
the world
during this
time,
these are
the great
powers
who stand
independent.
These are the
great powers
who rule
and who
dominate.
And so as we
see the
commonality of
these great
powers, but
they will
fall and
they did.
But then
there's this
fifth, there's
this fifth
part, right?
And it's the
stone that
broke away.
It's the
stone that
hit the
feet.
It's the
stone that
caused this
destruction that
will become
the great
mountain.
And this
stone is
Christ.
And this
stone is the
kingdom of
God.
And what's
beautiful about
this when we
see this, when
we talk about
fulfilled prophecy,
is that the
picture of this,
I believe, of
what we see in
this dream, I
believe in what
God is
communicating, is
it points to
the first
coming of
Christ and
the inauguration
of the kingdom
that we read
about in the
gospels, and
the second
coming of
Christ, and
the kingdom
that will be
fulfilled that
we see in
Revelation.
So see, that
in this, when
we see what
is happening, what
has taken
place in
Daniel 2, we
reinforce of
what history
said, this
has happened,
and then,
praise God, we
look forward to
the truth of
God's word,
continuing to
say, and
this is what
will happen.
And in this
interpretation of
what we find,
what God is
saying in this,
and this has
been the themes,
right?
We can go
all the way
back, and we
can look in
verse 2 of
chapter 1, and
Lord gave
Jehoiakim, king
of Judah, into
his hand.
Talk about
Nebuchadnezzar's
hand.
The establishment
of this Babylonian
empire, this pagan
empire, here's what
God's working, here's
what God's doing.
And so what God
is saying, there
will be kingdoms
of the world that
will come and
that they'll go,
and they'll come by
the hand of God,
and they'll fall by
the hand of God,
because this is
who God is, and
it happens as God
sees fit.
But there is one
kingdom, there's
one kingdom, that's
going to endure
forever.
There's one, one
kingdom, and one
kingdom alone, that
will endure
forever, and it's
the kingdom of God.
Daniel walks into a
madman's throne room
and says, your
kingdom will come
to an end.
And God will cause
it to happen, and
it'll happen by an
inferior people.
And sure enough, that's
what takes place.
And then in all
confidence, look back
at verse 45.
Daniel says to
Nebuchadnezzar, just
in case you're
wondering, just in
case you're curious,
just in case you
forgot, a great God
has made known to the
king what shall be
after this.
This dream is
certain, and its
interpretation, sure.
Daniel looks at that
king, and he says,
this is what will
happen.
Whether you believe it
or not, whether you
agree with it or not,
whether you believe in
you that this is true
or not, this is what
will take place.
And Daniel stands on
the confidence of
God's word.
17 years old.
Daniel trusted God.
My question for you,
not just do you know
God, not just do you
know God, but do you
trust God?
Do you trust God?
Can Daniel explain all
of this?
No.
He doesn't explain the
battles and the wars and
the economic pressures and
the famines and the
things that will happen
of how God will work
and move over the
course of 2,000 years
in order to fulfill
what God has said.
He can't explain it,
but he trusts it.
Daniel trusts it.
I will never tell you
that pursuing the
knowledge of God,
the knowledge of God's
word, to want to know
him more, to want to
know his ways more is a
bad thing.
I will never, ever tell
you that, but there has
to be a point in time in
your life and in my life
where we come to the
realization that my mind
can't fathom, but my life
needs to trust and to
resolve in that.
Do you ever sit in a room
sometimes and realize I'm not
the smartest person in the
room?
How many of you feel that
way?
Raise your hand with me.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
I'm not alone.
All right?
I'm going to brag on
somebody because he's quiet
and he would never say these
things about himself, so I'm
going to brag about Joel
Berger for a second.
That guy is smart.
Sometimes we'll be in
conversations and he'll use
a word and I'm like, let me
see what Google has to say
because either he just
encouraged me or critiqued
me and I'm not honestly sure
what that word even means
and I'm not even sure that it
is a word, right?
And so he's smart.
He's brilliant.
He can lead worship.
He's talented.
He's creative.
But he has like a mind to
just comprehend and
understand things that I
can't comprehend and
understand.
And one of those things is
technology.
One of my favorite comedians
is Nate Bargetsy and he
talked about one day that he
realized like how ignorant
he was when he tried to
understand how a cell phone
worked.
He was just like, I mean, I
don't know, but it just
works.
I feel like that's who I am,
right?
Like I know this iPad talks
to something somewhere and
things show up on it, but
exactly how does that
happen?
I have no clue.
So a few months ago, you
know, we've got technology
and if your church has
technology, you have
technology issues and
Berger has been put in
charge of our technology
issues.
And so a few months ago, we
had some technology issues
on a Sunday morning and on
our Tuesday morning staff
meeting.
I said, hey man, what
happened on Sunday?
And so he told me what
happened.
And then I said, are we
fixing that?
And he said, we're fixing
that.
And I said, how are we
fixing it?
And then he told me how
we're fixing it.
And I'm sitting there and I
do not understand anything
that he told me.
So I said, could you do me a
favor?
Explain that to me like I'm
five.
And he looks at me with all
sincerity in his face and he
says, I just did.
So I'm like, man, that's why
we got people like you and
that's why we got people like
me, you know?
Like, is it working?
And he's like, man, it's
working.
I got this.
But here's the thing.
At some point in time, in who
I am and what God's called me
to do and what God's called
me to focus on, that I've
just got to trust in what I've
been told.
So every morning on Sunday, I
ask him, how's the internet?
And every morning he looks at
me and gives me the thumbs up.
Right?
That's all I need.
That is the communication that
I'm looking for.
Right?
Do you trust God?
Or do you only trust God when
you get an answer that's
sufficient for you for
trusting God?
Because what we'll see through
God's word is God invites us
into a relationship to know
him that is intimate.
and it is beautiful and it is
wonderful and it is
fulfilling, but there are the
things of God on this side of
eternity that baffle my mind and
I have to trust.
And Daniel walks into that throne
room and with his statement of
what God has revealed to him, he
says, I trust God.
Church, do you trust God?
Do you trust God?
Lastly, lastly, verse 46 through 49.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face
and paid homage to Daniel and commanded
that an offering and incense be offered to him.
The king answered and said to Daniel,
Daniel, truly your God is God of gods
and Lord of kings and the revealer of mysteries.
For you have been able to reveal this mystery.
Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts
and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon
and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel made a request to the king.
He appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
over the affairs of the province of Babylon.
But Daniel remained at the king's court.
So Daniel tells the king, here's your dream.
Here's what will happen.
Know in God.
Trust in God.
And then Nebuchadnezzar reacts.
I want you to look at Nebuchadnezzar's reaction with me.
He does three things.
Number one, he falls down and he worships Daniel.
Now this would not be typically how a king responds.
We see this as a miracle of God.
We see this as a working of God.
We see this as how God is operating, how God is moving.
Nebuchadnezzar will say some things about God,
but I don't want you to confuse.
He doesn't become a believer here.
But he falls down and he worships Daniel.
Number two, he orders offering and incense
to be offered to Daniel.
And just as the king said he would,
all the way back at the beginning of this,
he promotes and he gifts Daniel.
And then Daniel says, well, I got these three buddies.
And this is his prayer circle.
This is his small group.
These are the boys who are living together,
seeking to glorify and honor God.
He says, you know him as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Would you promote them as well?
And he does.
And then as we go through this,
what we're going to see is that Daniel is a man
who has been gifted greatly by God.
And Daniel will use his gifts and his profession to serve God.
Daniel's not a pastor of the church.
Daniel is not an associate pastor.
He's not a church director.
He's not a missionary.
He's not a denominational leader.
Daniel is a government worker.
Daniel works for the federal government.
Daniel works for a federal government
who's opposed to the faith of Daniel.
You see, some things change,
but everything just stays the same.
And Daniel says,
in all that I am.
See, Daniel doesn't separate his gifting from his career.
Daniel doesn't separate calling from career.
Daniel doesn't separate the gospel from his career.
Daniel says,
but I'm going to serve God.
I'm going to serve God.
Do you know God?
Do you trust God?
Do you serve God?
I thank you.
Each and every one of you.
So many of you,
as I look out over into our congregation,
you serve here in our church faithfully and well.
You serve on Sunday mornings.
Some of you serve on different nights of the week
and different acts and different capacities.
And you serve.
And I want to thank you so much for that.
But here's a challenge for all of us.
You know,
we talk about a lot that worship is not something we just go to do,
but that worship is who we are.
We are worshipers is what the Bible talks about.
So when we're awake,
we're a worshiper.
When we're asleep,
we're a worshiper.
When we're at church,
we're a worshiper.
When we're driving through I-20 traffic,
we're a worshiper.
Is serving what you come to do
or is serving just who you are?
We got all of our elementary up through our high school students
in here with us this morning.
We always have our middle school and high school students,
and it's such a blessing
when we have our elementary students in with us as well.
And so I want to throw out this challenge to you guys.
What if that school that you're going to go into,
what if that online classroom that you're going to jump into,
what if that sports team that you're a part of,
that you approached it like Daniel
and said,
I'm going to go and serve the God of my salvation.
And folks,
if it's good enough for students,
it's good enough for us.
What if serving was not the activity
that I report and pick up a name badge to do
as important and as beautiful as that is?
But what if serving was who I am?
Who does...
Who does Daniel serve?
Daniel serves God.
And in serving God,
who does Daniel minister to?
Nebuchadnezzar.
What if this week
you found your Nebuchadnezzar
and you serve God
so you ministered to them?
This series,
man, God's been speaking and working
in my heart and in my life
in a great way.
I hope that God is working in your life.
I hope you're being receptive
to what He's leading.
He's doing through the truth of His Word.
I hope any part of this that is me,
that the Holy Spirit is filtering out
so that you're just hearing the truth of God's Word.
But when we look at the simplicity
of a faithful teenage boy,
it begins,
do you know God?
Do you trust God?
Do you serve God?
Would you pray with me?
God, I thank You for the truth of Your Word.
I thank You for the beauty of Your Word.
God, may we be a people
who are marked
by the evidence of our relationship with You.
May we seek and may we long
and may we desire above all things
to see You glorified in our life.
May we long and desire
to make Your name known
and to see You glorified.
May we look at our career.
May we look at our hobby.
May we look at our time at our home.
May we look at the time
when we're away from this place.
Lord, not as now I'm not that,
but as more time to press into this
is who I really am in Christ.
Lord, I thank You for the consistency
of the walk of Daniel.
I thank You for the resolve
of the heart of Daniel.
And God, it can seem overwhelming
that maybe I could never have that.
But that lie of Satan is defeated
in the truth of who Daniel is
because of the God he serves.
In the truth of who we are
because of Christ who saves us.
God, may our faith
not be just a faith
that we long for
to save us from hell,
but may the faith
that we long for
be the faith that saves us,
be the faith that sustains us,
to be the faith that keeps us,
to be the faith that changes us
through the power of God.
God, work and move in our hearts
as You see fit
as we glorify You.
And it's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
That's it for this week's message.
Be sure to check back next week
for a new episode.
And in the meantime,
you can visit us online
at willowridgechurch.org
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