“Firm Convictions” - FBC Morning Light (11/22/2023)

Well, a good Wednesday morning. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and perhaps today you're in the thick of preparations for the holiday and gathering together with some family and friends. I hope that's the case, and I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow.

The Hope of Christ’s Coming and Our Future Transformation

But today, we want to consider Daniel chapters 1 and 2 in our Bible reading plan, and 1 John 3. Each morning this week, I've been wanting to especially point out something to be thankful for, and we discover in 1 John 3 something really to be grateful for, and that is Jesus is coming again, and when he comes, we will be like him.

That's what those verses say at the beginning of chapter 3 verses 1 and 2. John says, Beloved, now are we the children of God, but it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

What a wonderful promise and a wonderful truth of hope that we have for in Christ Jesus. I'm grateful for that today. I want to go back to Daniel chapters 1 and 2, and there's so much in these couple of chapters that I just debated, what do I center on?

Humble Conviction in Daniel’s Refusal of the King’s Food

Normally I just focus on one thing and that's all, but today I hope you'll indulge me and allow a little extra time today to look at a couple of other things. First of all, in Daniel chapter 1, I want us to get the principle that being resolved to live by your convictions does not mean that you have to behave arrogantly or display a stubborn defiance, as if you are just mad at the world.

Not at all. How did Daniel deal with his convictions? Here he was, an exile from home, and he's brought into the king's service, and in preparation for that service he's supposed to eat the food that the king sets before him, but he determines that that's not what he's going to do.

He's got this conviction against eating the king's food and drinking the king's wine. How does he handle that? In verse 8 of chapter 1, we read that he humbly requests to be accommodated. It says he purposed in his heart he wouldn't defile himself with the portions of the king's delicacies or the wine which he drank, therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

He made a humble request, and furthermore, he offered a reasonable alternative. You see that in verse 12. He says, please, notice the humility here and the kindness, please test your servants for 10 days and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink and let's see how things turn out.

And then in verse 13, notice how he is willing to accept the consequences. He says in verse 13, then let our appearance be examined before you and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies, and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.

So again, there is a gracious humility in the way Daniel expresses his convictions and his desire and determination to live by those convictions. I'm challenged by that and encouraged to live out my convictions with humility and grace and not with arrogance and defiance.

God Reveals the Dream and Demonstrates His Sovereign Power

We move into chapter 2. In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar has had this dream and it troubles him greatly. We read of that right in the first verse. He has this dream, it troubles him greatly, and he wants to know, what does this dream mean?

So he calls together all of his astrologers, his soothsayers, his Chaldeans. These people are supposed to have insight into these things and to be able to interpret his dream. So he calls them all together and he says, I want you to tell me what my dream meant.

And they say, okay, what did you dream? And the king says, no, no, no, no, no, not so fast. And you can see the wisdom in what the king's doing here, right? Because he's like, if he tells them in the dream, then they could come up with anything.

And how will he know whether they really know what they're talking about? So he proposes a test. He says, no, you tell me what I dreamt and then tell me the interpretation of what I dreamt. Well, they said, we can't do it.

Nobody can do that. We can't do that. The king says, okay, you're all dead. I'm going to have you all executed. If you can't do this, then you're worthless to me. And that's a pretty severe consequence, capital punishment, because you can't tell a man what he dreamt and tell him what it means.

But hey, he's the king, he can do whatever he wants. Daniel catches wind of this, and Daniel really is in that category of individuals along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that are subject to this capital punishment.

So Daniel hears about this and he says, give me a little time and let me see if I can come up with an answer. Again, you see the humility of Daniel. And so when the time is granted, I want you to notice what he did in verse 17.

Daniel went to his house, he made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men in Babylon.

What strikes me here is that it doesn't matter what your role in life is, what your vocational calling, you are going to face challenges in that role, in that calling, that demand utter dependence upon the Lord for answers and resolutions.

And if you're wise, if you and I are wise, we will express humble trust and dependence upon the Lord, and he blesses that, he blesses that. So Daniel, we see in verse 19, received the secret, it was revealed to him.

God Raises Up Kings and Rules the Affairs of Nations

A third idea I want to point out here is in verse 21, just in the middle of Daniel's praise to the Lord for revealing a secret, he says this in the middle of verse 21, he says, he, the Lord, removes kings and raises up kings.

Important principle for us to remember always, may that be an underlying, just an underlying truth that serves as a grid through which we interpret the affairs of this world. I was encouraged a few weeks ago when the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, gave his initial speech, and he referred to this very idea.

I can't quote him exactly right now, but he said to his colleagues in the House of Representatives, he said, listen, I believe the Bible, and I believe that according to the Bible, that you and I, speaking to his colleagues, are in the positions we hold because God has put us here.

We are here by divine appointment. He goes on to emphasize, we therefore have a stewardship. We are responsible. I was delighted to hear him say that. I don't remember ever hearing a politician affirm the fact that it's God who establishes those in positions of governmental authority.

He establishes them, and he can also take them out. All right, and then the last thing I wanted to just mention is just, I think it's kind of humorous. Can you imagine the king, Nebuchadnezzar, as Daniel goes back, goes into the king's presence, and he says, I've got it.

I've got your dream, and I've got your interpretation, and you can imagine Nebuchadnezzar is probably a little bit skeptical and thinks, you know, this guy is going to try to pull the wool over my eyes just to save his skin, but then Daniel starts to tell him the dream.

I can imagine Nebuchadnezzar, as soon as he hears Daniel tell him what his dream was, just the very opening scene of his dream, I can imagine Nebuchadnezzar leaning forward, his eyes widening, his hand on his chin, his mouth opening in awe, and it hitting him.

He's got it. He knows. What a great tribute to the God of heaven that he would leave this king in such utter amazement and astonishment. Well, we're going to find in Daniel that God is not done with Nebuchadnezzar and dealing with him, and what a great blessing that will be.

All right, let's have a word of prayer. Father, thank you for the hope that we have of the second coming, of Christ's coming, and the perfection of the saints. Also, thank you, Father, for these lessons from Daniel today, and pray that we would be encouraged and challenged by them.

We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, have a great rest of your Wednesday, and hope that you get all your cooking and stuff done, so you can have a good day tomorrow. Good day. God bless.