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Ever feel like a doormat? People taking advantage of you? A few weeks ago I lifted the lid of the church garbage can. Somebody had filled it half full with their own personal garbage. Really? Don’t they know it costs the church something? People will take advantage of you. You will help and be met with evil. Suffering, unfair reactions, people taking advantage of you are part of the price of faithfulness to God. But the reward is refinement, purity, spotlessness.
I’ve circled Dan. 11:35 as the key verse of today’s scripture: READ. Much of this chapter speaks of a future time for Daniel which for us is the past. One person said over 100 prophecies have come to pass in Dan. 11:1-35. I would not be surprised, but I can’t verify it… What is important is for those who believe this is a refining process. Are you prepared to be a Christian? There will be challenges. What will you do when the world turns against you? Some will pay the ultimate price: READ Dan. 11:33. This is an ongoing prophecy unfolding all over the world. In the U.S. with exceptions such as Roseberg, the Christian faithful are demeaned, marginalized, trivialized, mocked… This is a refining process: some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless. God will build you up through a refinement process of fire….
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I heard a story of a man named Bobby who began his prayers everyday with the words, "Jesus, this is Bobby.” Every day it was the same: "Jesus, this is Bobby". Then came a day when Bobby was struck with illness and rushed to a hospital. In his room, as Bobby lay in a semi-conscious state unable to pray, he looked up to see a man standing at the foot of his bed. The One standing there said "Bobby, this is Jesus".
Something like that happens to Daniel in the 10th chapter. Daniel is not ill, but he is in a crisis. That is when he has a vision of Jesus Christ. Something is terribly wrong in Daniels world ~ READ Dan. 10:2-3. Daniel is in deep grief and that is when the Lord Jesus Christ comes to Daniel: READ Dan. 10:3-6. How do I know this is Jesus? Because we have the fullness of the revelation of God’s written word, and the words of Daniel sound so similar to the words of John when he first meets Jesus in the book of Revelation: READ Rev. 1:12-16. In Daniel, the brilliance of the chrysolite, the flash of lightning, flaming eyes, like one who is beyond description.  Coin of Antiochus IV Epiphanes If you are a person that wants to believe in God and his promises but have secret doubts because some of the Bible seems to promote a way of thinking that goes against logic, perhaps you are a bit like Thomas who insisted he had to see the wounds in Jesus sides and hands before he would believe he was resurrected from the dead, then pay close attention to today’s message from Dan. 8. This is a very detailed vision given to Daniel with some of it coming to pass 400 years later. For Daniel it is 400 years future. For us it is almost 2200 years past. It shows that God is the God of history, the God of time…the all knowing God.
The first part of Daniel is wonderful stories of Daniel as a poised faithful committed believer. He calmly refuses to compromise. The second half of the book are visions with crazy images of half animals, horns, and mysterious numbers. We discover Daniel has fears and confusion as he tries to understand the visions. In Dan. 8:17 Daniel says he is terrified. And the chapter ends: READ Dan. 8:26-27. This is a wonderful example of faith. Maybe we could adapt this as a motto of our church: The people of God going about our business of serving the Lord in a confusing and frightening world. Daniel 8 is a vision of the future. We will spend time looking at a specific man that tried to destroy Israel 167 years before the birth of Christ; because that man is clearly the fulfillment of the prophecy outlined in Daniel 8. Babies do not have rational thought and reasoning skills as do older children and adults ~ they learn by impressions, sensing emotions, patterns, feelings. Daniel 7 is the first chapter in Daniel of visions and wild crazy images. I believe the meaning is not found in trying to understand the meaning of every detail, but rather, the greatest meaning is found in impressions. The purpose of these visions is to give confidence, assurance and hope that no matter how evil the day may be, the Lord Almighty is Supreme ~ God is establishing a Kingdom without end. Daniel lived in a strange and foreign land, yet God blessed him to live a life of confidence. We, too, are invited to live with confidence knowing that a Day is Coming when all will be set right. The never ending Kingdom of God is coming…. READ Dan. 7:14b, 27.
As I read Daniel I have no idea about a timeline of the end (anyone who sets a date is a nut), but this I know: Jesus is coming again and the everlasting Kingdom of God will be established. These visions are preparation for living a life in Christ while we wait.  “A river cuts through a rock, not because of its power, but its persistence” (Unknown). A life centered in God, slow and persistent, is a beautiful life. At any moment perhaps it looks the same, but in time, there is something about the steadiness, the consistency. The same way that the tortoise beats the hair in a race, slow and consistent. Be a river for Christ: steady. Faithful.
Daniel’s life is rooted in God. One person told me last Sunday how much she appreciates the book of Daniel because of his example of unwavering faith. Any moment of life may not be that dramatic. The river plods on with no obvious impact, but over time, the changes are huge. In a high paced society, the world needs consistent people. In a world full of drama, you need to have a steady spirit, a consistent faith. That’s one reason I am honored to be a member of the Sumas Advent Christian Church…so many people who are faithful, consistent, honor God, love people, a witness for Christ…  The Handwriting on the Wall of Daniel 5 You know what’s coming. You know Christianity is in conflict with culture. You know there are a 1000 ways to describe how our country is falling apart such as the rate of spending vs. income, the rise of addictions, murders and terrorism. Our world is no different: Iran wants Israel destroyed, Isis is on the march, the strange alliances of countries. So many questions. We know that as long as the Lord waits there will be more wars. Those who dream of a post war world are naïve and don’t understand the nature of sin, power, conquest. The Bible confirms what our eyes tell us: things will get worse before they get better. We may not know the specifics of how a thousand issues on the local, national and international level will work out, but we know there will be tension, an erosion of values, willful blindness by our leadership, ignoring social issues ~ it is not for the good. You know what’s coming. Greater poverty. Moral confusion. Misdirections. More widespread depression, loneliness. How can anyone possibly not know what is coming? Our solutions are at best superficial, an ignoring of the real problems. You know what is coming.
The handwriting is on the wall!!!!  A huge MISTAKE people MAKE: they act as if God is to Bow down to them! No Christian would say that with their words, but it’s true. We love the story of the Fiery Furnace from last week because it is about the presence of Jesus Christ in the fires of life. God is with you. God will protect you. God will give peace in the storms of life.
Daniel 4 emphasizes the flip side of the coin of God’s character that is strikingly different. He is with you in the fires of life and the other side of the coin: God is High and Lifted Up. He is above all. He is all powerful. These two back to back chapters of Dan. 3 and 4 express the twin truths of God that describe God as the most amazing God of all. He is personal/He is All powerful. He serves us/He is to be worshipped.  There is blessing reserved for the brave that the weak never know. At the end of the day, I want to be able to hold my head high ~ I served Christ. I stood firm. I did my best with God’s guidance, by His spirit. When Jesus Christ returns and I stand before the Lord in judgment, I can imagine no greater words than to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23). That is up to God, of course. I know I am a sinner and do not deserve to hear such lofty words, but with God’s help, I will do my best to remain faithful. In Daniel 3, three young men are thrown into a blazing hot furnace for directly disobeying the command of the King, which was contrary to their faith in God. It is significant they do not escape the fire// instead// they are kept safe from the flames. I love the two words the King uses when he discovers the flames are not destroying the three men: UNBOUND and UNHARMED (Dan. 3:25).
 The Bible is the Word of God given to communicate truth and guide us through life. The Bible is living, Holy Spirit inspired, for yesterday and today.
Daniel speaks to a people living in exile, overwhelmed, confused… I have a book with a title that makes a good summary of the message to the people in Daniel’s day/our day: “Your God is Too Small.” Daniel, through visions and dreams, enlarges the truth of God…. If your God is too small, you will get discouraged, compromise, give up…. enlarge your vision of God. What happens to Daniel has parallels to us. Daniel and the Jewish people are in exile in a foreign land, taken as prisoners to Babylon. Today in the U.S, it is as if people of faith are captives. You could title Daniel, how to find freedom while in prison! Daniel was taken to a new home. In our case, we are no longer a nation seeking to uphold the values of Jewish and Christian teachings! We are exiles in our homeland.  Daniel is a captive of Babylon in a foreign land. Everything is against him. What more could possibly go wrong? In today’s Bible verses he has a death threat from a moody and unreasonable King that is demanding the humanly impossible. Yet here he is at the end of today’s scripture in Dan. 2:20-23 singing, “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever…” It’s an incredible turn of events that is directly attributable to Daniel’s faith, optimism, confidence, and determination to trust completely in God. How did this confident song of praise and thanksgiving come about?
 I graduated from Nooksack in 1979. The population of Sumas at that time was between 600 and 700. I went to WSU my first year and moved into a dorm that housed 800 students, more than the population of Sumas in one building! Wow! That’s nothing compared to the changes in Daniels world!
The Babylonians are the new superpower of the world with a mission to gain more territory and assimilate more people. That’s what nations have always done, still do, and always will!!!!!! The Babylonians overrun Jerusalem in 605 B.C. and take the best and the brightest back to the City of Babylon. Daniel, a young Jewish man from a noble family, was taken on the 500 mile trip on the standard traveling route: north along the fertile crescent and then southeast along the Euphrates to modern day Iraq. Abraham had traveled this same route in reverse 1500+ years earlier when he was called to the promised land. The area is called the cradle of civilization… There was nothing like the great city of Babylon in the ancient world. A few facts: (On Screen show images from google of what Ancient Babylon looks like today) |
 
Carl Crouse, Pastor
At SACC we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Every Sunday the worship service includes a message from the Bible. My words are an attempt to understand and apply the Bible to our daily living. I post weekly sermons and other biblical messages on this page. May you find meaning and hope as you read through each message and seek to hear God's voice. Leave a comment to ask questions or inspire others with your insights. Categories
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