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Living in Hostile Territory

Daniel 1

This is a series I have been praying about for quite some time. There will not be anything new in this series. I am not going to even go past Daniel 6. I wont delve into any prophecy. I want to simply look at Daniel and his lifes example in a time when everything was in upheaval. He witnessed the shift from being in a culture that was built around the Temple and the knowledge of Yahweh to being thrust into a completely different culture. And all of this against his will. Again, anything I am saying is not new. I am only stating the obvious. But it is a conversation we need to keep in front of us, and I think the Lord is leading us here for this time to keep processing in our own lives what it means to be living in a post-Christian culture. What do I mean by post-Christian culture? All of us have had the benefit of living in a place where the majority view has been, in some way, at least influenced by Christianity. We havent really had a Christian majority for quite some time, but the reality is really starting to hit us in this time. But think of what we HAVE enjoyed in this culture. We have gone from the Christmas season to the tax season. Think of just those two things. While schools have gone to calling this winter break, when does this break happen? Around CHRISTMAS. And we still celebrate very publicly the birth of the Savior. And we have tax season. The relation here is this: Your giving to this church and to other non-profit organizations is tax deductible. That is a benefit derived from the value of being in a Christian culture at some point. There is still the recognition of Christmas and Easter. There is still the recognition of having prayer before Congressional sessions and prayer at the inaugural. But we have shifted slowly to a post-Christian culture. We are getting the keen awareness now that the culture just doesnt care about some traditional values as they have in the past. There is a boldness to make fun of Christianity in just about every venue that you would not see of just about any other religion.

Living in Hostile Territory

There are the new atheists that write books about how religion is HARMFUL. While this is not as drastic as Daniels time, in many ways we are in this generation of Daniel. We are moving from a natural inclination of the recognition of godly values to a place where those values are not upheld anymore. The question then becomes: WHAT NOW? We can take different approaches, which is why I think this look into Daniel is so crucial. Some want to legislate the U.S. back to morality. Try working from the outside in. Make laws. Appoint judges. We have the FREEDOM to do so. But, we are finding that it just isnt working. Cleaning from the outside in has just not been very effective. Some want to SUE the U.S. back into Christianity. Some want other kinds of action. What I learn from the life of Daniel is things dont always have to be that way. Daniel was thrust as a young man into something totally new. It was the result of war. Nebuchadnezzar had overthrown Jerusalem, tearing out the artifacts of the temple and bringing them to his own temple. When that happens the message is this: Our nations god is greater than YOUR nations God! It was humiliating. Israel had lost. It was like God had lost. God had a different perspective, but so often thats how we feel. We feel like God is losing. Something gets taken away and we think God lost. God needed Israel to wake up. They needed to see how far they had fallen. They had the Temple. They had all the trimmings. They had all the God-talk... but their hearts were far from him. They needed the harsh recognition that God didnt dwell in the Temple alone. He was all over the world and longing to draw people to him. He had to take Israel to a foreign land to show them his glory all over again. The Lord is trying to shake his church awake. Were not waking up very well. We think we need political action or judicial action. Were still not getting it. What we need is a Daniel generation that will realize the Spirit of God is in ANY culture and God can be glorified in his people in ANY culture.

Living in Hostile Territory

TURN IN YOUR BIBLES AND READ WITH ME Daniel 1:3-7 3 Nebuchadnezzar instructed his highest official Ashpenaz to choose royal descendants and members of the ruling class from the Israelites4 good-looking young men without defects, skilled in all wisdom, possessing knowledge, conversant with learning, and capable of serving in the kings palace. Ashpenaz was to teach them the Chaldean language and its literature. 5 The king assigned these young men daily allotments from his own food and from the royal wine. Ashpenaz was to teach them for three years so that at the end of that time they could serve before the king. 6 Among these young men from the Judeans were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 But the chief official gave them new names. He named Daniel Belteshazzar, Hananiah Shadrach, Mishael Meshach, and Azariah Abednego. One thing I want as a habit in my own life is to try and remember the three Hebrews by their HEBREW names. Daniel we remember as Daniel. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are their Babylonian names. Out of respect I want to try to remember Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Here is why: The name change was a sign of conquering the culture. So, here is the story. When the Babylonians won, they hauled the best and brightest and best looking (I might add) into the capital for re-training. This is an all out assault on their Hebrew culture. Their clothes, their language, their reading... their food... all of it... gets changed. Even their names. Daniel maintains his name better throughout the story, but still is referred to as Belteshazzar by his captors much of the time. The training program was very simple: do it or DIE. Its basically pass or fail. This was a three year program to assimilate the best and brightest into Babylonian culture and then use them for the empire. What a shift! I mean, were seeing some radical shifts in our own culture, but not THIS drastic! Not this cataclysmic.

Living in Hostile Territory

No one is putting a life-threatening issue in our path and saying, Do this or die. We have shifts. Hard ones. Just in the news this week is the shift in how the Health and Human Services Dept. is dictating to all businesses, including non-profit schools and hospitals, as to what to put into their insurance policies under the new Affordable Healthcare Act. Hobby Lobby, a Christian-run business, has fought this issue all the way to the Supreme Court. They have lost all the way and now face fines of $1.5 million per day for non-compliance. The issue is mandated contraception coverage that includes drugs that induce very early abortions. The owners are pro-life and dont believe it is right to offer that kind of coverage in their insurance plan for their employees. We are seeing what a post-Christian worldview looks like in a case like this. Before, a company or non-profit could hold to religious views and be exempt. Now... its a different case. How do we live? Daniel and the three Hebrews were thrown into the fire. Everything is upside down. They are forced to learn other languages, read other literature, and serve in a culture that has become their captors. They even had their names changed as a sign of victory for the Babylonians. They could be bitter. They could fight. Even if they died, there might be the thought they would die as heroes. They would die with their convictions. How do THEY live? Jeremiah had already given them instruction on what to do in Babylon. Jer. 29:4-7 4 The LORD of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims to all the exiles I have carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Get married and have children; then help your sons find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. Increase in number there so that you dont dwindle away. 7 Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because your future depends on its welfare. The Lord had told Israel to go into captivity and PROSPER. They were to build houses, cultivate land for gardens, get married... have a life! They were not to mope around and let their population dwindle. They were to keep growing while they were in Babylon. It is v. 7 that gets interesting. They were to promote the welfare of the city. When I was growing up, the theological stance I was taught was that if you were not FOR something, you cursed it. If something wasnt blatantly for God, it must be blatantly AGAINST God, so you spoke ill of it.

Living in Hostile Territory

I grew up in public schools, but that didnt stop me from thinking the devil had control of our public schools. It was just MINE that was somewhat godly... I guess. It was just a time when you spoke ill of public schools, government, Hollywood... all of it. You just railed at the darkness. Jeremiahs instructions to Israel is incredibly different. They were headed into ENEMY territory as captives, and Gods word to them was, Promote the good of the city. PRAY for that city. Look to BLESS... not curse. What Ive learned over the years is that seeking the welfare of a place, seeking the GOOD of a place, doesnt mean you have to AGREE with that place all the time. But you DO look to BUILD UP and not just tear down. But it also means you find what is CORE to belief and realize there are places where you decide to take a stand. You decide to demonstrate the power of God. You decide to trust God NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME. Daniel decided to make a stand in one area. vv. 8-17 8 Daniel decided that he wouldnt pollute himself with the kings rations or the royal wine, and he appealed to the chief official in hopes that he wouldnt have to do so. 9 Now God had established faithful loyalty between Daniel and the chief official; 10 but the chief official said to Daniel, Im afraid of my master, the king, who has mandated what you are to eat and drink. What will happen if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men in your group? The king will have my head because of you! 11 So Daniel spoke to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 12 Why not test your servants for ten days? You could give us a diet of vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance to the appearance of the young men who eat the kings food. Then deal with your servants according to what you see. 14 The guard decided to go along with their plan and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the kings food. 16 So the guard kept taking away their rations and the wine they were supposed to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 And God gave knowledge, mastery of all literature, and wisdom to these four men. Daniel himself gained understanding of every type of vision and dream. Daniel decided to risk a stand. He did so knowing he had to be willing to DIE on this hill.

Living in Hostile Territory

When all had been stripped away from them, Daniel picked one place he might be able to control in some way... and hopefully not raise too much suspicion. If Daniel decided to say, Hey! Im speaking Hebrew you devil-speaking Babylonians! it might not have gone over well. If Daniel decided to say, Hey! Im wearing my old clothes and using the articles of clothing that identify me as Hebrew, you weird-dressing Babylonians! it might not get very far, either. If Daniel had said, Hey! The only thing worth reading around here is the Torah... and I want it in Hebrew!... not so good. But he decides to test the waters in the matter of food. He does so quietly and respectfully, and in a way that keeps everyone safe. This was one area he could have some control back in his own life, so he took that chance. Now realize this: Daniel was willing to risk. He realized it might not go well. If he took a stand and it didnt work, it COULD mean his own life. This is where we may falter right now. We want our way... but we may not be willing to pay the price. This is something we need to think deeply about in our lives. We say well go to battle on some issue, but what if it doesnt go our way? Is it something we are willing to pay the price for? In the days of the Civil Rights battles in the south, MLK taught people non-violent resistance. That meant they were going to intentionally break laws they felt were not right. But in breaking those laws, they were also willing to suffer the consequences of breaking those laws. If the police showed up and hauled them off to jail, to jail they would go. They would not fight back. This is the place Daniel finds himself. He has favor with the chief official over them. He risks with his idea, and he is willing to take the consequences if it doesnt work. He wants to find some way to have SOME control in his life again, and find a way to demonstrate to others that God was still there. Daniel looks for some area to preserve the Hebrew identity. Some place where he can show the provision of God. The official decided to give Daniel the opportunity. After the ten day trial, Daniel and the three Hebrews looked better than those eating the best of the kings food. Daniel was allowed to keep the diet. In that encounter we have God gifting these young men with something they can use to contribute to the culture.

Living in Hostile Territory

v. 17 -- He gave them knowledge, mastery of all literature, and wisdom. Daniel was also gifted in the interpretation of dreams of visions. These were things that were useful to the culture. vv. 18-21 18 When the time came to review the young men as the king had ordered, the chief official brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 When the king spoke with them, he found no one as good as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they took their place in the kings service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them about any aspect of wisdom and understanding, he found them head and shoulders above all the dream interpreters and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21 And Daniel stayed in the kings service until the first year of King Cyrus. God shone through the gifts he gave these young men. It was what led to the longevity of Daniels life. He gets to contribute to three different empires in significant ways. These are young men who kept their heart for God AND served the culture where they lived. And it was ENEMY territory. We are living in shifting times. For many, this may seem like hostile territory now. We want our old country back. I understand that. But the issue is this: how do we live in the culture we have? Here is what I am seeing early on in Daniel: 1. We need to learn what is CORE to our faith. One way to put it is this: What hills are worth dying on? And I mean that in an almost literal sense. We have so many things we can get upset about. But what is SO CORE to us, that if things didnt go our way, we would be willing to take the legal punishment for in our culture? For the civil rights fights of the 1960s, there was the willingness to go to jail. It was the willingness to take the beatings. What is SO CORE to your faith that if the culture said, You do that again, you go to jail, you would still do it? Think about this: We still have the freedom to meet as a church. We get the building. We get it tax free. What if the government said, No more open meetings? Think about this: You give today and its tax deductible. If the government said, No more tax deductions, would you still give that same amount?

Living in Hostile Territory

There are things to THINK about. We need to evaluate our faith and ask, What is truly CORE to believing? Confession: I grew up believing that the Assemblies of God just was the right way. All them Lutherans and Episcopalians and Catholics (and especially the Catholics) were just godless. They were apostate. I wouldnt fellowship with them. If I talked to them, I would be nice, but I wasnt going to be their friend or anything! Then, when I became friends, I found people who loved Jesus. I also found out they had been brought up thinking I was weird! Can you believe THAT? We need to understand what is ESSENTIAL to our faith and realize THAT is worth holding onto in our lives. 2. We are called to BLESS, not curse. I may not AGREE with everything some entity does in this culture, but that does not give me freedom to just call it evil and live like it does no good in my own life. I have my reservations about everything in our culture, but I cannot go around just blasting away at everything in my culture. What I need to do is find ways to ADD to my culture and work to BLESS. We are called to BLOOM where we are planted, not wither up and die. There are areas of activity you may need to evaluate when it comes to living out the gospel in our community. Is there something you can do for the schools? We had the notebook drive. I know Glenna and Sheila helped with tutoring last year in the middle school. Maybe you can help coach a team or read to some kids. We are working to find ways to keep BLESSING our schools. What can we do to keep BLESSING our community? We may disagree with politics. We may disagree with certain things they pass. But that does not mean we cant find things to do to ADD to our community. Is it to serve on a city council or a city committee? Is it to serve on a neighborhood council? What are the things you can do to ADD to the life of our city?

Living in Hostile Territory

3. What gifts do you carry that can truly BLESS this culture? The gifts God gave these young men were for the good of Babylon. The gifts like dream or vision interpretation are something we too often think belong in the church. We think of spiritual gifts and we think of having them reside in our worship service. What if we saw those gifts as tools for being used in our world? Think about this. What if someone in your workplace said, I had the weirdest dream last night, and as they started telling the dream to you, the Spirit began to let you know what that meant? Do you: a. Say to yourself, Good grief, I had too much pizza last night. b. Jump up on the conference table and scream, THUS SAITH THE LORD! c. Take a leap of faith and say something like, You know, I think I have an idea of what that might mean, if you think that dreams can have meaning. We need to re-evaluate the place of spiritual gifts in our lives. We need to understand that wisdom and discernment and understanding serve a PUBLIC good as well as a CHURCH good. I think we can all agree the PUBLIC good could use a lot more wisdom and discernment! For the next several weeks I invite you to read and re-read the first six chapters of Daniel. Ask yourself, What is my role in this world? What can I learn from these stories to help me live as salt and light? How can I BLESS my community? We will be challenged by some of these stories. I think there could be times when we really stop and THINK about what God may have us do in our ever-changing world. We need to evaluate what is ESSENTIAL in our lives as believers. We need to live as salt and light for the good of our world. Keep on blessing! COMMUNION THIS is core. This has been essential to the faith since Jesus gave the instructions on the night he was betrayed. This brings us back to what is absolutely essential in our lives. CHRIST HAS DIED CHRIST HAS RISEN CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN

Living in Hostile Territory

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