Overcoming Fear: “Don’t Let The Lions Lick You”

Overcoming Fear:

“Don’t Let The Lions Lick You”

Opening Illustration:

Have you ever heard the statement defining character? Character is what you do and who you are when no one is looking. Think about it like this, character is who we are in private when we think that no one can see our actions. Our character is revealed in our hidden thoughts, our private monologues that no one hears or sees. Godly character is when private commitment and devotion meets public display.

Ponder the Pharisees for a moment. The Pharisees were holy, pious, and righteous men on the outside. They prayed in public and performed acts of religious fervor for anyone and everyone to see. They wanted to be regarded as being close to God, keeping all of God’s commandments. However, the Pharisees had a big problem. Their private lives did not match their public persona. John the Baptist called them “snakes” and Jesus called them “white washed tombs”. Why? Why were Jesus and His cousin so hard on these religious leaders? They were hard on them because their private lives did not match their public displays of faith. They were hard on them because they had what we call today a “character flaw”.

If character is what we do when no one else is looking, then what is the opposite of character? The opposite of character is hypocrisy or it is to be a hypocrite. Saying one thing and doing the other. That’s hypocrisy. This morning we are going to look at a Bible character of great integrity, a Bible character of great character. His name is Daniel. Oddly enough Daniel, this man of great character, became entangled a spiritual conflict with hypocrites. One of the lessons that we can learn from Daniel’s life is that “true believers honor God publicly and private, no matter the cost”.

Wait just a second there preacher. Are you saying that there is a cost to having character and integrity? As our Senior Adult Pastor from Washington state would say, “you betcha”. There is always a cost to character. Character can cost popularity. It can cost friendships and relationships. In Daniel’s case, it almost cost him his very life.

Point:

In studying for this message I read a book entitled “The Gospel According To Daniel: A Christ Centered Approach” by Bryan Chapell. In his book, he relays the point that character cannot be determined by good ro bad circumstances. Meaning this, people of great Christian character do not trade their faith for fame, or an easier road, or for the promise of earthly wealth. Our character cannot be determined by the storms of life or canceled out by trails. That is when we hold to our faith even more. It is in difficult times where we lean on the promises of God even more than we do when things are going well. When Daniel was charged with crimes against the King, he did not toss his faith out the window and cower in the corner. No way! Daniel held tightly to his faith even if it cost him his life. Bryan Chappel states, “We do not have faith because all is going well; we do not lose faith because something goes poorly. Our faith is not in what circumstances might indicate but in God’s greater purposes.”

Background and Context:

Before we read from Daniel 6 this morning, Id like to set up the scene for you. Daniel was a young Jewish man. His name actually means “God is my judge”. He was taken from his homeland by the Babylonians. Specifically Daniel was born in Jerusalem. He was intelligent, handsome, and filled with potential. When the Babylonians took captive Israel, they took back to their homeland the best and the brightest to serve the Babylonian government. Daniel became a high-ranking official in court of the King. As Daniel’s fame grew, so did his favor with the King. King Darius showered Daniel with praise and gave him more responsibilities. Daniel’s rise in the King’s court fueled deep resentment and even hatred by his colleagues. When we read Daniel 6, a plot has been created that would set Daniel’s faith against his commitment to the King. The plot was simple, an edict was created by the King that when people prayed, they were to only pray to him. Daniel, a man of great character and faith, disregarded the edict and prayed all the more to Yahweh. When Daniel was discovered praying to his God, he was brought to the King. The King was forced by his own law to take Daniel and throw him into the lion’s den.

Point:

How many of you have faced the Lion’s Den? No not the actual Lion’s Den. Imagine being Daniel as the door were opened to the Lion’s Den. We often say when we enter into a difficult situation, brought with danger, that we are entering the Lion’s Den. Your Lion’s Den is an addiction. You want to put down the bottle, you want to throw away the pills, you want to avert your eyes from the computer screen, but you can’t. These sins have power over you and you feel helpless. Maybe your Lion’s Den is the fear and anxiety of a financial situation. Your rent is due and you don’t have the money. You need therapy but you do not possess the finances. Your Lion’s Den is an uncertain future, a hard discussion with a superior or a boss, or talk with a wayward friend rebelling against God. Either way, no one looks forward to the Lion’s Den. The Lion’s Den is uncertain. Scary. Painful. No one wants to go there but it seems that God continues to put us there over and over again. So, let’s read this morning what happens to Daniel after he has been found out. Starting in Daniel 6:15-24 from the English Standard Version.

Today’s Thought:

True Believers Honor God Publicly and Privately, No Matter The Price!

Today’s Quote:

“We do not have faith because all is going well; we do not lose faith because something goes poorly. Our faith is not in what circumstances might indicate but in God’s greater purposes.”

“The Gospel According To Daniel: A Christ Centered Approach”

-Bryan Chapell

Today’s Scripture:

Daniel 6:15-24 ESV

15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,
enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be to the end.

27 He delivers and rescues;
    he works signs and wonders
    in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Lesson’s From Daniel’s Den

Lesson One: Daniel’s Principles vs.4

Daniel 6:4 ESV

Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.

Point:

Question for all of you this morning, “do you know your principles”? Let me put it another way, “what are your priorities”? Our principles are the things that are most important to us. Our principles are things or people that we will not compromise over, no matter the cost, no matter what is offered. There is a game that my roommates and I used to play in college to test our principles. It is called the “million dollar game”. What principle would you compromise for a million, for 10 million, for a billion dollars. We would ask silly questions like:

-Would you run over a stranger for a million dollars?

-Would you burn down a building for 10 million dollars?

-Would you renounce your citizenship for a billion dollars?

What can I say, my friends were weird. The game was important because inevitably someone was always willing to compromise an important principle for money.

Point:

One thing that you could say about Daniel is that he was a principled man. He had priorities. There was one priority, one principle that he could not compromise. Daniel was a servant of the one true living God. Daniel was given a legal order to pray to the King and only the King. Daniel had a choice. Does he follow the legal command of the King or does he obey the number one law of God commanding him that “there should be no other gods before me”? The answer is simple. Christians are to obey human law except where human law violates God’s Law. Our supreme duty is to obey God. Since God tells us to also obey human law, we should. But when they come in conflict, we are to “obey God rather than men”.

Point:

Daniel knew God’s Word. Daniel was not merely informed by God’s Word, he was transformed by it. Daniel did not fear the King, He feared God and when we fear God, Holy Scripture tells us that we have knowledge.

Point:

Daniel was the real deal. He was not fake. He was not contrived. What he was in private matched his public persona and what he was in public matched his private life. Even Daniel’s enemies knew that he would not keep this evil command which is why they created it in the first place. They knew that Daniel would pray to his God. It was Daniel’s creditability as a person that opened the door for his persecution.

Point:

It reminds me of the old question that I heard growing up as a kid. The question centered around my faith in Christ. The question was asked of me if I was standing before a court room and on trail was my faith in Christ, would there be enough evidence to convict me of being a Christian? Daniel was so real, so authentic, so true, even his persecutors knew how to convict him in the eyes of an earthy King. Daniel lived out Romans 12:9.

Romans 12:9 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Lesson’s From Daniel’s Den

Lesson One: Daniel’s Principles vs.4

Lesson Two: Daniels Prayers vs.10

Daniel 6:10 ESV

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Point:

Daniel was a man of great faith but know this church, Daniel’s faith was fueled by prayer. Daniel had to know that he was going to be found out. He had to know that his enemies knew where he was going to pray, what time he would be praying, and how he would be praying. He had to know that he would be caught red handed praying to Yahweh. Still Daniel prayed. Even though it would land him in the den of lions, Daniel prayed.

Play the game with me this morning. Would you stop praying for a million dollars?

10 million dollars?

A billion dollars?

If you knew that prayer would get you thrown into the Lion’s Den, would you continue to pray?

Ive got to be honest, a lot of Christians would have stopped praying. But not Daniel. Prayer was like breathing for Daniel and taking prayer from Daniel was like taking his very breath away.

Martin Luther once said this of prayer, "I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day."

3 hours a day! How many of you struggle to pray for 10 minutes of uninterrupted prayer? How many of you struggle with praying daily? How many of you struggle with praying at all?

Daniel would rather be eaten alive by lions than to have given up prayer.

Point:

Clearly prayer was of great importance to Daniel. Why? Why was Daniel willing to bargain his life just so that he could pray to God? Brothers and sisters, why do you pray? We pray because prayer reminds us that we are entirely dependent on the grace and mercy of God. We pray because it reminds us that we are not in control and that He is in control. We pray because we have faith that God listens to us, that He is aware of our needs, and that God will come through in the clutch. We pray because prayer is the conduit through which we hear the voice of God. We pray because prayer gives us strength. We pray because God offers direction for our day, clarity in every circumstance, and options for obstacles.

Point:

The big question for us today is not the importance of prayer. We know the why but most people lack the how. How are we supposed to pray? Daniel certainly modeled prayer in verse 10. We see that Daniel had a designated place. He prayed in his home. He prayed in a particular room, a prayer room if you will and that prayer room gave him an object to focus. He prayed in the direction of Jerusalem. He had a designated prayer time. Scripture tells us that he prayed 3 times daily. He prayed in the morning. No doubt asking God to help him with His day. He prayed in the afternoon to refuel. He needed God to sustain him as he faced challenges, difficulties and obstacles. He prayed at the end of the day. He most likely used that time to worship God, thanking Him for His faithfulness. Daniel had a designed purpose for his prayers. Again Scripture tells us that Daniel prayed in order to offer thanks.

For the record, isn’t it fascinating that Daniel is knowingly defying a direct order from the King. This defiance is done with the knowledge that if he is caught, and he is obviously not trying to hide, that he will be killed. He defies this order with gratefulness and thankfulness.

Daniel may have been prayerful but he was certainly not fearful.

Point:

For anyone that believes that Jesus did not take seriously the Old Testament, this story is among many which offers us a small glimpse that Jesus not only read the Old Testament but practiced it in His own life. If you flip forward in your Bibles to Mark 1:35-39, you will see that, like Daniel, Jesus was also devoted to daily prayer. The text states that Jesus arose early. He had a designated time to pray. It says that He went out to a desolate place. He had a designated place…just like Daniel. It says that after He prayed, He went out preaching and teaching. Jesus understood that His daily prayer fueled His mission. Jesus prayed with purpose.

Point:

So, what’s the application? If you are facing the Lion’s Den today, pray. Find a place where you can focus on God, His Word, and where you can worship Him. Make prayer your daily habit. Pray multiple times a day and try journaling your prayers. Lastly, get down to business with God. Tell Him what you need and allow Him time to speak to you.

Know this church family, prayer overcomes fear!

Mark 11:24 ESV

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Daniel Had A Designated…

A. Place

B. Time

C. Purpose

Lesson’s From Daniel’s Den

Lesson One: Daniel’s Principles vs.4

Lesson Two: Daniels Prayers vs.10

Lesson Three: Daniel’s Peril vs. 16

Daniel 6:16 ESV

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”

Point:

So Daniel has been found out. It appears that the dastardly plan of Daniel’s enemies has worked. They have succeeded in removing him from the governmental equation. After the King heard about Daniel breaking the law, Scripture tells us that he was greatly distressed. Darius was so upset that he did everything that he could to find a loophole. He spent hours, no doubt searching through every book of the law that he could find. Nothing. Apparently the King could not break an order that he himself had created. Daniel was doomed.

By the way, have you ever wondered why in the world did the King have a den of lions. After all that is not a normal thing for people to have. No one just keeps a den of lions around. Oddly enough I was curious about this and I believe that I found an answer. Archeologists have discovered that it was fairly common for Near Eastern monarchs to keep lions. These lions were caught not to maintain them, like an ancient zoo. Rather, these Kings would use them for sport. They would release them into the wild and hunt them. In the ancient world, killing a lion was proof of royal power. These ancient kings loved to depict themselves with lions as a symbol of royalty.

Darius did not just have a lion. A lion was not good enough for him. He had to have a den of lions. These lions are symbolic of Darius’ pride and arrogance. He arrogantly created this horrible law, believing that everyone would pray to him, believing that everyone would recognize his pseudo deity. He just knew that everyone would follow the decree. He did not have a single thought that the law would be defied. Until it was. Until it was Daniel. Now the very thing that represents his pride, his arrogance, and his vanity is going to be the very thing that kills his best man.

Point:

Darius is broken over Daniel’s plight. His pride is broken and his arrogance is shattered. How do I know this to be true? Listen to what he tells Daniel. “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” Darius in this moment realizes that he has no real power to close the mouths of the lions. He realizes that even though people have prayed to him, he has no ability to answer their prayers. It is time to reach out to another God. A real God. Yahweh himself.

Point:

Let’s stop for a second and look at what is happening with Daniel. Where is the complaining? Where is the accusation from Daniel to God where Daniel accuses God of forsaking him? Why has Daniel not hired a lawyer of his own to try to overturn the law?

Not.

One.

Word.

Nothing. Nothing from Daniel. He just goes with the flow. Daniel is about to be lion food but he is as calm as a cucumber. He is cooler than the other side of the pillow. Not one drop of sweat. How is this possible?

Point:

People that know me well know this about me…I hate conflict. I hate confrontation. When conflict happens in my life I have a visceral physical reaction. My heart races. My palms get clammy. I sweat. My mouth gets dry. I know that there are some people out there that love to stir the pot but that is not me. Im at my happiest when everyone is happy and the waters are peaceful. As I have been studying for this message I have put myself in Daniel’s position and I cannot relate to how utterly calm and confident he is in this situation. Just like Elijah, Daniel seems at peace.

I get the feeling that if Daniel lived or died, Daniel felt that he was all good. If he lived, great he would live for God. If he died, no problem, his life just improved. After reading this over and over again I believe that we have titled this passage of Scripture incorrectly for all these years. We have always called this Daniel and the Lion’s Den. It should be called the Lions in Daniel’s den.

You know when I think about my den, my den is a place of haven. A refuge. It is relaxing. It is a place where my family gathers. We eat. We watch football. We have friends over. I have never really stopped long enough because there is nothing very relaxing about Daniel’s den as it is filled with hungry blood thirsty lions. Still Daniel was as relaxed in his den as I am in mine. Maybe that is because there was something else in that den with Daniel and those lions that gave him confidence. At Daniel’s greatest moment of peril, he sees God’s power on display.

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Lesson’s From Daniel’s Den

Lesson One: Daniel’s Principles vs.4

Lesson Two: Daniels Prayers vs.10

Lesson Three: Daniel’s Peril vs. 16

Lesson Four: Daniel’s Praise vs. 23

Daniel 6:23 ESV

23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Point:

Well we know the rest of the story. Darius had the longest night of his life. When the sun arises, he races down to the tomb…I mean lions den, and has the stone rolled away…is this reminding anyone of anything? He begs the question, “Daniel are you alive? Did you God save you?” Daniel responds with affirmation. God during the night sent an angel of the Lord to save him from the lions. As far as Darius is concerned, Daniel is happy, healthy and whole.

The lion’s time in Daniel’s den is really just a pale foreshadowing of things to come with Jesus.

Point:

Brothers and sisters, again, maybe you are in the lion’s den today. Your enemies are surrounding you. Maybe you are facing the enemy of greed, materialism, and gluttony. Maybe your enemy is addiction, alcohol, drugs, pornography. Maybe you are facing the enemy of abuse, abandonment, divorce. You feel that your enemies have you in their grasp and you are wondering, where is your angel. Where is God?

Notice that God did not save Daniel from the lion’s den. Daniel had to endure the ridicule and scorn of his enemies. He had to stand as he was accused by the servants of the King. He had to look at the eyes of the lions as he was tossed in the den and locked inside. He felt the darkness and smelled the hot breath of the blood thirsty animals. No God did not spare him from the den. He didnt spare him from the lions because He wanted to deliver Daniel out of it.

What a contrast between Darius in his palace and Daniel in the lions’ den. Darius had no peace, yet Daniel was perfectly at peace with himself, the Lord, and the lions. Daniel was in a place of perfect safety, for God was there. Darius could have been slain by some enemy right in his bedroom. Darius had labored all the previous day to save Daniel from judgment, yet he could not break his own laws. Daniel simply talked to the God of the universe and received all the power he needed. In every way, Daniel was reigning as king while Darius was a slave.

Christians today face many temptations to compromise, and it often appears that the “safest” course is to go with the crowd. But this is the most dangerous course. The only really safe place is in the will of God. Daniel knew that it was wrong to worship the king and pray to him, because Daniel knew God’s Word. He would rather die obeying God’s Word than live outside of God’s will. Satan comes as a roaring lion and uses our enemies to try to devour us, but God can deliver us if it is for His glory. It is not always God’s will to deliver His children from danger; but it is always His will to faithfully stand when us when we faithfully stand with Him.

Closing Illustration:

Charles Stanley tells of a time when he was struggling with much opposition. In the midst of the turmoil, an elderly member of his church invited him to her apartment for lunch. He hesitated because he was busy and did not want to listen to some lecture, but he finally agreed. He met her downstairs at the retirement community where she lived. They had lunch together, and then she explained there was something she wanted to show him in her apartment. She assured Charles that it would not take long and it would be fine. She took him to a picture hanging on her living room, a picture of Daniel in the lions’ den. “Preacher,” she said, “look at this picture and tell me what you see.” Stanley looked at the picture and saw that all the lions had their mouths closed. Some were lying down and some were standing. Daniel was standing with his hands behind him looking up at a ray of light coming into the den. Stanley pointed out every detail he could think of. “Is there anything else?” she asked. He could think of nothing. She put her arm on his shoulder and said, “Preacher, what I want you to see is that Daniel doesn’t have his eyes on the lions, but on Christ.”

Point:

Daniel kept his eyes on his God. If you are in the den today, if you are facing the lions, keep your eyes on your God. Follow Daniel’s model and learn the lessons that he has taught us to day to overcome fear. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Stand on Godly principles. Pray. Pray as if your very life depended on it. Find a time, a place, and a purpose for your prayers. In life you will face difficulty. No Christian is spared from hardship but the good news today is that you have an angel with you. You may have to walk through a den of lions, but God will be with you. Always. Worship Him always!

Psalm 95:6 ESV

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Learn Today From Daniel’s Devotion!

Bibliography:

Commentaries:

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

The Teacher’s Commentary

Old Testament Survey Series-Smith, James E. (1992)

The Bible Reader’s Companion

Web-Sites:

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-to-know-about-daniel-in-the-lions-den.html

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+6&version=ESV