If you take your Bibles, if you would, turn to Daniel chapter six. Daniel chapter six. I don't have any more PowerPoint tonight, so I'm just gonna shut that off. Daniel chapter six. We are going to start in verse 10, then we'll we'll come back up to verse one in a minute.

Well, actually, let's go ahead and start in verse one. We'll read down through 10. So verse one down through verse 10, Daniel six. If a little background here. If you remember last week, what happened to Babylon?

It fell. It fell to the Medes and the Persians. So now there is a new king in town, a new ruler in town by the name of Darius. And Daniel, had been kind of put on the shelf during the reign of Belshazzar, is not on the shelf in the reign of Darius. He has been brought back in to the new administration there in Babylon and not only has he been brought back in, but he has already been very quickly exalted to a high position in the new kingdom, which is much out of the ordinary.

Someone who was involved involved in the previous kingdom and a nation came in and conquered you, he wasn't much more likely to be executed than he was to be given a position in the new government, but God does incredible things. God has a purpose and if God wills it to be done, it will be done. And so we see Daniel here, Verse one, it pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a 120 princes, which should be over the whole kingdom, over these three presidents or satraps of whom Daniel was first or one, that the princess might give accounts unto him under them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. In other words, to make him above the other presidents so that it would be Darius, Daniel, and then everybody beneath him.

Sort of like Pharaoh and who? Joseph and everybody beneath them. Verse four, then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom. But they could find none occasion nor fault for as much as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Notice the last part of that verse.

For as much as there was much as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. We'll come back to that. Then said these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king and said thus unto him, king Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, the princes, the counselors, the captains, consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask any petition, ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days save of thee, o king, he shall be cast into the lion's den.

By the way, during excavations, I've been told in the area of Babylon, they have found at least one or more of these lion den. Lion dens where they would cast people to wild animals as a form of punishment in the Medo Persian Empire. Verse eight, now, oh king, establish the decree and sign the writing that it be not changed according to the law of Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore, king Darius signed the written writing and the decree. I read another place that the king of Persian Empire was considered nigh unto a god, and therefore, his word was considered to be infallible.

Thus, if his word was infallible when he made a decree, therefore, it was only assumed that that decree could not be changed, for why would you change decree that was infallible? And so there was no way to change those decrees once it had been said because, why, Darius was infallible. So they thought. Wherefore, king Darius signed the writing decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed Ian, can you go close that door back there?

Thank you. I appreciate it. Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did a four time. We're told David in the Psalms said that he did the very same thing, three times a day. Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

Let's stop there for just a moment. So let's recap. We read in Daniel's chapter six and oftentimes when we read Daniel six, it's all focused on what part of the story? Daniel and the fill in the blank. Lion's den.

It's always focused on the lion's den. But that's really only a small part of the story. The story is about Daniel and the story is about God and the story is about a faithful man and a faithful God. It starts out in Daniel six by telling us about the faithful man. The faithful man's name was Daniel.

And we've been following his life in captivity beginning back in chapter one of the book. What an impact he had on so many people. What glory he brought to God. What a life God gave Daniel. What a legacy.

Even recording it here for us so we today might know about Daniel, might know about this faithful man and his faithful God so that we might be more faithful and that we might be more trusting in the God of Daniel who is our God also. What a testimony he had. An excellent spirit, it says here, was found in him. They could find no fault, no error, no occasion to accuse him. At the end of verse four, the presidents and princes tried to find something against him on occasion, some some wrong, some mud that they could sling at Daniel, and they couldn't find any.

He was truly faithful, faithful at his job, faithful to his superiors, faithful to his God. And there was no no error that they could find. Now Daniel wasn't perfect. Daniel was sinner. Daniel was a human being.

But Daniel did his very best as strengthened and led by the grace of his God. And his life was a shining testimony to that grace and that power that made a difference because it is Daniel's God that made a difference in him. And he stood out. Stood out so much that this new king decided to make him essentially the second highest ruler. He was already to do that And his coworkers, his fellow government officials, they weren't happy about that when they realized that they were going to be second to who?

To Daniel. When they found out they were going to be accountable to Daniel, They were not happy at all. So they they sought to find something to accuse him of, some some mud to sling. Politicians today spend a ton of money and time trying to dig up dirt on their opponent. Sad to say, most of the time, politics is much more about how much dirt you can dig up and sling at your opponent than it has anything to do with what somebody stands for, their policies, or what they actually would do in government.

It's just who can dig up the most dirt and mud and who can sling it the best. And that's what they set out to do. They were afraid they were going to have to give an account to him. They were afraid that their integrity, lack of it, was going to come back to bite them when they had to give account to Daniel. And so they needed to stop him.

And so they tried and tried to find something to use against him. Does that sound a little bit familiar? They tried and tried and find something against our Lord. They after they arrested Jesus, they brought in all these witnesses and they tried tried to find somebody credible, but there really was none. They tried for months before they even arrested him to catch him.

Remember, they sent different groups to him and and to try to catch him in in some compromising statement that they could use against him. And again and again, they failed. They decided that they would have to go to using false witnesses. In Daniel's case, they decided, well, the only thing we we know that maybe we can get him on is his love for his God because they knew that Daniel's God came what? Came first.

And they could put him in a pickle where he had to choose between being faithful to his God and faithful to his king, they knew what Daniel would choose. He would choose who? He would choose his God, and they could use that against him. If you were brought before the judge and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? There was plenty to convict Daniel, and they knew it.

I hope there would be enough to convict you of being a Christian. Enough evidence in your life, in your public life, in your testimony, statements that you've made to others that who is more important in your life? God is. Well, that was clearly the case with Daniel. When the test was given, he did not hesitate.

He passed with flying colors. How about you? Would we pass with flying colors? The only thing they could use against Daniel was his faith. Blameless otherwise, he was.

No laws broken. No ethics ethical slips. No moral problems. No issues at work. Just his faith.

And so they set out to do that. They came to the king. They said, oh, king, we love you. You are the greatest king ever. Butter up the king, distract him, and then lower the hammer.

You know, we love you so much. All of us have gathered together, and we say that nobody should pray to anybody but you for what? For thirty days. Well, they lied. They said we all have gotten together and decided.

We all didn't include who? Didn't include Daniel. Daniel would not have agreed to that. But the king, being swelled up with pride and blinded by the his arrogance and power agreed, and here we go. What made Daniel Daniel?

What made this story what it is? Three things about Daniel. Number one, we see in this passage that Daniel was faithful. He was a truly pious individual. He was genuine, and he was consistent.

He was consistent. He went into his house three times a day and he got down on his knees and he prayed to his God. Now no doubt he spoke to God at other times, but he took out those three times during the day to speak with his God. Not because he was commanded to, not because it's written in the law, thou shalt pray to God three times a day. No.

That was just what Daniel wanted to do because he wanted to talk to who? His God. And he wanted to show his God that he was worthy of him stopping whatever he was doing to spend time with his God. So three times a day, he spent time with his God. He prayed, maybe he read some of the Torah, the scripture.

He was faithful. He was consistent. This was his everyday custom. The courage to do what Daniel did doesn't just happen out of the blue. Daniel just wasn't a man who who didn't have a whole lot of concern for God or consistency in his life, who when the he heard the ruling decided all of a sudden that he was going to take a stand for God.

No. He was a man who was consistent and faithful Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday for years on end. And when the law came, there was a no brainer. Daniel was just going to keep doing what Daniel did. It wasn't a big leap of faith because it's what he had just been practicing for for so long.

He was only continuing to do what he had already committed himself to, purposed in his heart back in Daniel chapter one when he was first taken as a captive. He just continued day by day being faithful. Sure. I'm sure he had bad days. Sure.

I I know he stumbled because he was human like us. But his life was characterized by consistency. Psalm one two says this, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Who is David talking about? He's talking about the man who is blessed of the Lord.

In his law doth he meditate, what, day and night? Consistently. Luke nine twenty three, he said to them, oh, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. Matthew records a similar statement by Jesus in Matthew sixteen twenty four. His record doesn't include the word daily.

Luke's does. Daily. Take up your cross daily. In other words, that it isn't just something you come and do one time and then you just go back to your your way of life the way it was before. No.

That's not living the Christian life. That's not what God expects of his children. But he expects us to do this daily. And that's what Daniel did. Acts twenty two forty six, and they continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house that eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

Be committed to to a daily walk with the Lord, daily time with God, prayer and and Bible meditation. Be committed to faithful participation in His service, in church, in worship, in ministry to others, looking for opportunities to serve, to be a light and a testimony. That was Daniel. He was at least around 80 years old in Daniel chapter six. He was taken as a captive when he was a teenager, and now he is around 80 years old.

And his life has been characterized by faithfulness. If you're already committed to a course of life, a person, a cause, you are consistent, faithful daily in that course, it is much easier to stay the course when it is challenged because it is your your habit. It is your pattern. It is what you have stuck to. So when the law was passed, it wasn't hard for Daniel.

It was easy. James four seven, I quoted this morning, but I didn't give you the reference. Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Submit yourselves therefore to who? To God.

If you will be like Daniel, submit yourself, be faithful servant of the Lord, then when the devil attacks, you'll be what? You'll be ready and he will be defeated. So we see Daniel was a faithful man. He was also a courageous man. He knew what was going to happen when he walked in that house and he got down on his knees.

He knew two things that were going to happen. He knew, first of all, that his enemies were watching and they were going to arrest him. The second thing he knew was his father was watching and he was going to take care of him. He was a courageous man. There is an enemy.

We have an enemy, the devil. He will attack. We're told to be sober, be vigilant because our adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion, walt about seeking whom he may devour. The enemy will attack. Will you have the courage of Daniel?

John fifteen eighteen says, Jesus said, if the world hates you, know it hated me before what? Before it hated you. Don't be surprised if the world hates you for doing what is right. They're not going to applaud. Oftentimes, they're going to stand in your way because they're not serving the God of heaven.

They're serving the prince and power of the air of this world, the devil. And they're going to stand in your way, and they're not going to pat you on the back. And it's going to take courage to do what is right. We we have been so blessed here. We have suffered so little persecution over several generations, but not so in most of the world.

The little bit of persecution we complain about because somebody closed the door in our face or because somebody mocked us and made fun of us is nothing compared to Christians today who are being imprisoned and tortured and beaten and sometimes killed for their faith. And we think, oh, that's a that's a thing that happened back when. No. That's a thing that that happens right now. And it takes courage to stand up.

Daniel stood up by getting on his knees. After he knew the law was signed, he did as he always did. He wasn't deterred by the inconvenience or the danger or the peering eyes of others. God said to Joshua, have not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage? Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua had a daunting task. God said, don't don't fear. Move forward. Trust me. I will be with you.

And because I will be with you, you will not fail. Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth. In second Timothy wrote, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me as prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. In Acts five twenty nine, Peter and the other apostles said, we ought to obey God rather than men. And when the two are not directly in conflict, we need to obey those in authority over us.

But when the two are directly in conflict and we must choose, we must choose who? We must choose God. But instead, too often of hearing of courage like that of Daniel, this is what I often hear today, sorry pastor, it was raining, I couldn't make it. Or it was cold. It was cold today, wasn't it?

Now if you're from, you know, Minnesota, it wasn't cold. Or Dorla's from Ontario, so it wasn't cold, but it was cold to us. Now pastor, I have company. I'm tired. They may look at me funny.

I don't know what they're saying about me. I might stutter or mess up. I won't be popular. It will be hard. What did Jesus say?

Don't expect the world to what? To like you and to applaud you. Have some courage. Is it not worth it? Is he not worth it?

Do you trust him? Daniel was a faithful man, but he was a courageous man. Consider the words of Martin Luther. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is either right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no others, so help me, God.

Amen. Martin Luther wasn't really a troublemaker. He he wasn't a a prot ester as in getting out and stirring up people. He simply wanted people to know the what? The truth.

And when the authorities didn't want people to know the truth, they called him before the council and they said, you must be quiet. You must shut up. You must withdraw, recant your statements. And Martin Luther just simply said, I won't and I can't. That's all I can do.

You do what you must do. I will do what I must do, and that was courage. John Huss, another leader around 1400, originally like Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, I believe, who decided that he was going to make the Scripture his basis of faith and not bishops and popes and Martin Luther escaped martyrdom, but not John Huss. And at his execution, John Huss said this, I have vowed it to be my purpose to defend the truth which God has enabled me to know, and especially the truth of holy scripture, even to death, since I know the truth stands and is forever mighty and abides. My Lord Jesus Christ, on account of me, a miserable wretch, bore a more heavier and harsher crown of thorns.

Being innocent, he was deemed deserving of the most shameful death. Therefore, I, a miserable, wretched sinner, will humbly bear this much lighter, even though vilifying crown for his name and truth. They put a crown on his head to make fun of him. The Lord Jesus Christ, my redeemer and savior, was bound by a harder and heavier chain. As I, a miserable wretch, am not ashamed to bear being bound for his name by this one.

But he, looking up to heaven, replied in a loud voice, God is my witness that those things that are falsely ascribed to me and of which the false witness accused me, I have never taught or preached, but that the principal intention of my preaching and of all my other acts or writings was solely that I might turn men from sin. And in the that truth of the gospel that I wrote, taught, and preached, I will gladly die today, and he did. And they burnt him at the stake. But he didn't really die because he had everlasting life, and so do we. Jesus said, don't fear only those who can destroy the the body, but the but the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

Men can only destroy this body. They cannot affect our soul. And if we truly believe that there is a God in heaven and that there is a place that he went home to prepare for us, and as Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, then we really have nothing to fear. Have courage. Courage comes primarily from two things we see in Daniel.

Trust in the Lord. Confidence that Daniel, as John Huss, as Martin Luther, were trusting the right person and teaching the right thing and standing for the truth. And that gave them what? Courage because they were right because God is right. And I cannot fail when I put my trust in the Lord.

Number one, trust in God, and number two, love for God. For perfect love casts out what? For perfect love casts out fear. We can be courageous and we will should the test come if we trust God and we truly love God. And we see that example in Daniel.

He trusted God and he loved his God. And so he went to his house and he got on his knees and what did he do? He got on his knees and he prayed. And they found him, and they brought him before the king, and they said, king, remember what you said? We found Daniel.

Now you must follow through. And in order not to appear weak or contradictory, to save face, the king had to follow through with what he said. Daniel six verse 16, Then the king commanded. They brought Daniel and cast him into the lion's den. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, thy God whom thou serve us continually, he will deliver thee.

I don't know that Darius believed that, but he said it. I think he was sort of being wishful or hopeful, but Daniel did believe it. The stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with a signet and with the signet of his lords, and the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting, neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went from him.

Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste unto the lion's den. When he when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel, and the king spake and said to Daniel, oh, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest continually able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel and hath shut the lions' mouths that they have not hurt me. Forasmuch as before him, innocency was found in me and also before thee, o king, have I done no hurt.

Then the king exceeding was exceeding glad for him and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him. Last phrase, because he believed in his God. Because he believed in his God. Does faith matter?

Faith matters. The just shall live by faith. Daniel was faithful, was a faithful man. He was a a courageous man because he was a man of what? He was a man of faith.

Matthew seventeen twenty says, Jesus said, because of your unbelief He's speaking of his disciples who couldn't cast out this demon. He said, because of your unbelief, you couldn't do it. For verily I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of a mustard seed, which if I had one up here and I did this, you wouldn't be able to see it. That's how small a mustard seed is. If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

If you have faith as a what? As a mustard seed. Now what does that say about a lot of us? We don't even have faith as a what? As a mustard seed.

Daniel did. He didn't have a he didn't have a lot of faith, but he had faith. He had a little faith. He exercised that faith. He practiced that faith.

He practiced it every day. He lived it every day. His faith grew every day, and that's the way it should be for us. God's not walking around with a measuring stick measuring our faith, but our faith needs to be genuine and our faith needs to be growing. And that was true of Daniel.

It was genuine and it grew and God answered his prayer because of his faith. If any man need wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and abrade it not, and it shall be, what, given him. But let him ask in, what, in faith. Sometimes I think we pray and we really don't believe that God's gonna do what we're asking for. And guess what?

What happens? God doesn't do because, well, the Bible says, ask in faith. For he that is double minded, tossed back and forth like the wind, let him not expect that he will receive anything. Why were the lions' mouths shut? Why did Daniel survive?

Because of his faith and because we have a faith answering God. Daniel slept soundly that night in the lion's den while Darius walked the halls. Daniel slept on a nice pillow that night, a lion, while Darius didn't sleep at all. Daniel had faith in God, Darius didn't. God tells us in his word to believe and faint not.

He tells us to pray and not to worry. Don't be anxious for anything. But with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God that passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Trust in the Lord.

And he will bring it to pass, Psalm 37. Chap Hebrews 11 is we sometimes call the faith chapter because talking about he's going through all these different examples of these heroes of the faith in the past and how God showed himself faithful in response to the faith of all of these, and it goes through through Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham. And and we get down to verse 32, and it says, and what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah and of David, also in Samuel and the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Now who would that be talking about? His name isn't given, but obviously it's talking about about Daniel.

Faith is a powerful thing because that is if your faith isn't a powerful God. Trust in him and tell your coworker about Jesus, your neighbor, your friend. Trust in him and be faithful like Daniel, to get up and go when it's not easy, to pray when you don't feel like praying. Trust in the Lord and do his bidding. Commit to his way.

Repent of your sin. Answer his call. Trust him. He won't let you down. He will give you courage.

He will make you like Daniel. What was the end of our story? How did this all end up? Well, Daniel wasn't eaten. That's good.

Daniel was not eaten. But the chapter has a few more verses. The king commanded, verse 24, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives. And the lions had the mastery of them and break all their bones in pieces or ever they came to the bottom of the den. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied unto you.

I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom, men tremble in fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and steadfast forever. His kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed and his dominion, shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions so that Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. What resulted from Daniel's faith and his faithfulness and his courage? His God was what?

His God was glorified. Ain't this incredible? This this is the second king. This is the second kingdom in which this has happened because of a teenage boy who was taken kidnapped, taken from his family, enslaved in a foreign land, who purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. And day by day, he just did the best he could by God's grace to be what?

Faithful and to have courage because he believed in his God. And God allowed him the privilege of turning the heart of one of the most vile dictators that has ever lived on the face of the earth, Nebuchadnezzar, who became one of the greatest proponents of day of Daniel's God. And now guess what? Another kingdom, another king, no longer a teenage boy, but an 80 year old man. Same same result.

God was glorified. You don't have to be the king. Just be you. For God doesn't call many mighty and many strong and many worldly wise people. He calls the weak things, the humble things that he might be glorified in us.

So don't sell yourself short and don't sell short your God. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. That's what Daniel did and look what happened. God was glorified. Daniel prospered again, and his enemies, his enemies were slain.

His enemies were done away with. He went from being under the gun of his enemies to being murdered and killed to being made most likely that second highest ruler in the kingdom and his enemies no longer around. Reminds me of the story of Esther. Remember Esther? And a man named Haman.

Haman sought to have all of Esther's people killed, the Jews, beginning with Mordecai. He even built gallows to hang Mordecai on, And instead, who hung on those gallows? Haman did. God turned that around. In the end times, it tells us Matthew 13, the parable of the tares.

It says, as therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. The son of man shall send forth his angels. They shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Don't be afraid. Don't lose faith. Don't be a coward because you have a defender in heaven, Jesus Christ. You have an advocate before the throne, and God is still on the throne.

And whether it be today or tomorrow or next year or at Christ's return. Who's going to take care of the enemies? He is. Jesus will. We just need to be faithful.

He was faithful for us. We need to be faithful to him, And he will protect us, and he will watch over us, and he will never leave us nor forsake us. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, For Daniel and his example, Lord, thank you for recording this for us that we might know it today and be encouraged by it. Encouraged to be faithful, challenged to be courageous for the one who was courageous for us, to be people of faith and believe in our heart truly that the God of Daniel is the God of Rick Polar and the God of every one of us who know you as savior.

And as you delivered him, you will deliver us. As you were there for him, you will be there for us. We have every reason to be faithful and to trust you and to take a stand for you, for you won't fail us. Today, tomorrow, or in eternity. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.