Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20020210.htm

DANIEL: HOPE FOR TODAY'S DISILLUSIONED YOUTH
Part VI: Thriving By Applying God's Word To Life In Hard Times
(Daniel 5:1-6:3)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

On a variety of fronts, we face a very threatening existence:

(1) Reverend Jerry Falwell reported on his February 2, 2002 web site that Zondervan, an well-known Evangelical publishing company that is now owned by the secular HarperCollins company has decided to produce a "gender-neutral" Bible called the "Today's New International Version." In league with the International Bible Society, this Bible will take a passage like Acts 20:30 where Paul warned Ephesus' elders of apostasy, and make it read: "From your own number some will arise'" instead of "men will arise'" opposite what the original Greek text reads [namely, aner -- an adult male]!

With pressure from feminists and gays in our culture, even BIBLE publishers will KNOWINGLY VIOLATE the Bible's original INERRANT text in translations, making it harder to INSURE FUTURE published Bibles will present God's true Word!

(2) Then, on Monday's ABC Good Morning America, a clip was shown of the New Tribes missionaries, the Burnhams, who are being held by Muslim extremists in the Philippines. The Burnhams are friends of our own missionaries to the Philippines, the Trudeaus.

With even our OWN missionaries facing increased physical threats from religious extremists, HOW are WE to get the Gospel out effectively to the world in obedience to Matthew 28:19-20?

(3) The February 5, 2002 issue of Investor's Business Daily ran a story on how the former S & P 500 company, Enron was so badly misread by Wall Street analysts. Millions have deposited retirement moneys into allegedly "safe long-term S & P 500 index funds" thinking their trust in America's 500 largest companies would be safe. However, these relatively conservative funds have taken a loss since Enron lost its listing on the S & P 500. As a result, the market has been thrashed by leery investors questioning all analyst reports.

If investors are to doubt the credibility of analyst reports on even America's 500 largest companies on its stock exchange, where and HOW are they to invest to make ends meet when they retire?

How then are we to live VIBRANTLY in the midst of threats to our emotional, mental, spiritual, physical or financial welfare in a world like ours?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "So MUCH around me can go so WRONG because of so many PITFALLS in these times that my whole WELFARE could be jeopardized! How does one stay vibrant in such circumstances?!"
  1. When Daniel was called to interpret God's "handwriting on the wall" to Belshazzar, he faced much that was humanly threatening:
    1. As Babylon's king Belshazzar held a wine banquet, the fingers of a man's hand wrote a message on the wall for the king to see, 5:1, 4-5.
    2. This terrified him, so he called Daniel to interpret it, 5:6-7, 10-12.
    3. In this, Daniel faced humanly unnerving crises on several fronts:
      1. Physically, Daniel's life was at very high risk from a human view:
        1. When Daniel was called to interpret the writing, the king held a banquet of wine apparently to boost morale over the Persian armies threatening the city, Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to Dan. 5:4.
        2. Well, Daniel had been elevated in Babylon's government (Dan. 2:48), meaning an attack on the city put Daniel's life at risk!
        3. Besides, Belshazzar promised to make the revealer of the writing on the wall the third in the kingdom (behind himself and his retired father, Nabonidus, Nebuchadnezzar's successor, Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Dan. 5:1); this meant Daniel was threatened by even greater doom were he to interpret the dream, Dan. 5:7!
      2. Spiritually, Daniel would have been shocked at the banquet:
        1. Belshazzar had ordered God's holy vessels of Israel's captured temple to be used in serving wine to hail the gods of Babylon over the God of the nation, Israel it had conquered, Daniel 5:1.
        2. Such misuse of God's vessels would have sickened Daniel, 5:3f.
      3. Emotionally, being so physically threatened and so spiritually appalled could have emotionally drained anyone, Daniel 5:13-16.
  2. Yet, Daniel THRIVED amidst such difficulty by APPLYING GOD'S WRITTEN WORD to his EXPERIENCES, Dan. 5:17-6:3:
    1. By applying God's written WORD to the EXPERIENCE he faced, Daniel DISCERNED the wall's writing spoke of God's judgment on the king and the city of Babylon, Daniel 5:17-28:
      1. When Daniel arrived at the king's hall, he would have seen and been apalled at the blasphemy being performed with God's vessels.
      2. Hence, he knew the miraculous writing on the wall had to reveal God's judgment in this SIN of desecration, Daniel 5:2.
    2. By this context, Daniel was also able to interpret the wall's message:
      1. The message's first words, "Mene, mene," lit. mean "numbered (being) numbered," implying emphatic numbering in Semitic. In its context, Daniel knew the king's apostate defilement of God's temple utensils meant God was going to judge this king!
      2. The second line, "tekel" means "weighed," an idiomatic reference to one's being evaluated. As Belshazzar was then involved in deep sin, Daniel knew God saw him as evil! (5:27)
      3. "Peres" is the singular of "parsin" that appeared on the wall, and means "Persia;" in the context, Daniel knew Babylon was to fall to the Persians then besieging it, 5:28, B.K.C.,O.T., p. 1346.
    3. Then, APPLYING God's Word on the wall re: His sovereignty over world empires, Daniel knew HOW to FUNCTION with BLESSING:
      1. He knew he must boldly decline the king's reward for interpreting the handwriting, for any promotion by such a doomed king was worthless and not desirable for one's safety, Daniel 5:17a.
      2. He was able bodly to denounce king Belshazzar's sin, realizing God had assigned him to be God's messenger of that fact, 5:17b.
      3. Knowing the supernatural message dealt with God's control over Babylon and the invading Persians, Daniel realized his physical welfare was in God's supernatural hands, so he could RELAX!
    4. Hence, that night Belshazzar was slain in the invastion, but Daniel FLOURISHED under the NEXT, Persian government, 5:30-6:1-3!
Application: As the GOD of HEAVEN is FULLY SOVEREIGN over ALL affairs of ALL that goes on around us, to FUNCTION ABLY in HUMANLY OVERWHELMING times as DANIEL, (1) we must be RIGHT with GOD by trusting in His Son, Jesus Christ for salvation from sin, Acts 17:29-31; Jn. 3:16. (2) Then, we rely upon His indwelling Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-23) and obey His Word applied to life as did Daniel (1 Jn. 2:3-6 with Dan. 1:8, 11). (3) Then, as in Daniel's case, even if all about us humanly threatens us, we will discern GOD'S DIRECTION in ALL we experience (John 14:21, 23) so that we can simply ADJUST to His REVEALED INTENTIONS in order to THRIVE!

Lesson: By (1) trusting God's faithful LEADING in his EXPERIENCE that was (2) in accord with His revealed WORD regarding what that was going on around him, no matter how threatening things HUMANLY appeared to be, DANIEL was able (3) to KNOW God's plan and (4) thus ADJUST to it for blessing. (5) Accordingly, he could afford to REST in God's sovereign works no matter WHAT was about to happen! >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Last Tuesday, a man in our Church read the 2/5/02 Investor's Business Daily lead article, "Why Bother With Stock Analysts If They Liked Enron As It Died?" It revealed Enron was recently dropped from the S & P 500, a list of America's largest and safest companies!

Well, OPPOSITE the natural fear to invest in VIEW of such unnerving news, (1) the man recalled an Eccles. 11:1-6 lesson I wrote urging him to invest (a) aggressively (b) with a diversified portfolio (c) on a regular basis (d) over the long-term for good results, and that ESPECIALLY in view of an UNCERTAIN future!

(2) Then, in the SAME paper he read another article on the wisdom of investing in SMALL company stocks. It revealed small caps (a) "often have lean operations and (b) are growing sales rapidly. (c) Falling costs and (d) rising operating margins let them ramp up profit" in contrast to large companies. It told how small company stocks (e) "hold promise" as "Mutual funds likely have only begun to notice these stocks' potential" to create "a raft of potential buyers" opposite large company stocks!

(3) He recalled God had ALREADY let him be convinced to invest with a firm SPECIALIZING in AGGRESSIVE, SMALL to MEDIUM cap DIVERSIFIED stocks in view of Eccles. 11:1-6!

(4) He also remembered 2 Timothy 3:14 told him to STAY with what God had BEFORE let him be ASSURED was TRUE.

(5) THEN he read in ANOTHER reputable magazine, the March, 2002 Kiplinger's (p. 43-44) how a mutual fund with a good record (a) BOLDLY invests in SMALL company stocks that (b) excel in EARNINGS (c) without heeding traditional measures of value. (6) This ALSO happens to be the SAME practice of the firm this man has used for several years, and with good results!

(7) Two days later he read in the February 7, 02 IBD paper in the article, "Long View" how SMALL cap GROWTH funds have bested SMALL VALUE funds over the last 15 years!

(8) So, he concluded God wanted him to STAY the course!