Maintaining Your Witness In A Hostile World 24/04/ :29

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1 Scripture: Daniel 6:1-30 Subject: Daniel s defiant public prayer-time... Complement:... leads to his miraculous deliverance, the destruction of his enemies, and God s glory. Big Idea: Our life is a public witness to Jesus Christ that will either hold Him up to shame and ridicule, or bring Him glory and honour. 10 Key Text: Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (Daniel 6:10 NIV) Introduction William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, had this to say about the moment he decided to become truly obedient to Christ: When I got the poor of London on my heart and caught a vision of what Jesus Christ, the reigning Lord, could do with those people, though I knew there were many with greater training, greater wisdom, greater intelligence, greater power than William Booth, I was determined that the living Christ would have all of William Booth that there was. All of us. That s what God wants from you and I... no more, no less. All was what God had of Daniel. He would have dreamed of giving no less of himself. Daniel was no innocent, no naïve holy man who walked around with his head in the clouds. He was a skilled politician, an accomplished bureaucrat, an astute administrator, and a man of spiritual integrity and character who never dreamed of divorcing who he was from what he believed. In short, he faithfully maintained his witness in the midst of a hostile world, knowing that at any moment, he might be called to make the ultimate sacrifice for his very public beliefs. And he was alright with that! While we may never face physical harm for our Christian faith, it is not inconceivable that we may be forced from our jobs for holding to historic and orthodox Christian teachings. So, how do we react when confronted with such a choice? More and more, our society is becoming less and less tolerant of what we believe and what we preach. So what will we do when the expression of our faith in Christ will mean a choice between, say, working and unemployment, life or death? Daniel s entire life was such a test. For him, living out his faith in God was not an academic exercise, but a daily practice that often threw him into conflict with the society around him. Yet he never backed down from his faith or his convictions. The lesson for us is plain: Our life is a public witness to Jesus Christ that will either hold Him up to shame and ridicule, or bring Him glory and honour. When people examine our lives, what will they think of God? Our text this morning is arguably the best known story in the OT, but there are elements to this story that you never heard in your Sunday School class. Notice that once again Daniel has survived the changing of monarchs. If you re keeping count, this is his third, following Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. And once again, Daniel found himself holding considerable clout and sway within the royal court, even though he began his life as a hostage and refugee! Page No. 1

2 What you may not realize is that Daniel is an old man by this time. The dating and the clues the Bible gives us places his age at this time well into his mid-eighties. This is remarkable enough in and of itself, but when you factor in Daniel s firmly held religious views and where he lives, it is a remarkable testimony. Right in the heart of a heathen empire flourishes a devout man of God, a Jew and a prophet, whose uncompromising lifestyle has overcome jealousy, power struggles, political machinations, and base paganism in any and all forms. Here is a man of faith, who made up his mind at an early age to live for God regardless of the consequences. And now here he is an old man, still witnessing for God. I have no doubt that being a bureaucrat or politician in any age is a thankless task, and yet Daniel not only did his job well enough to earn the favour and employ of three different monarchs, he also earned the grudging admiration and commendation of his enemies. Now, they didn t see it that way, but when in their jealousy they started to try and dig up some dirt on this old exile as they called him, they couldn t find anything to use against him! They tried to frame him, and wound up proving his integrity. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Dan 6:3-4 Here s a man with nearly 70 year s of public service, and they find nothing to discredit him! He exemplified what Peter would write about centuries later, concerning how we should live: 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:12-16 NIV) That was how Daniel chose to live, and that is how we must live our lives for Christ. Because it isn t our reputation at stake, but God s! Joe Couto, a columnist for Christian Week talks about the challenge believers in Canada face today: The colossal changes in our working lives two-income families, the time stresses on families, corporate "restructuring" that demand more work in less time from fewer employees feed the temptation for us to lead double lives: one among our church friends and another among our co-workers. Couto recommends that the church help people who are out in the real world:... we need to see the changing workplace as a new mission field that requires every Christian to be an evangelist in subtle, gentle ways. Friendship, not overt proselytizing, will win you both friends and respect in today's workplace.... stop wishing for the world of Leave It To Beaver where dad goes to work while mom stays home (often with time to spare to give to the church). Most women in Canada work outside the home. Finally, the church should strongly support ideas that help families deal with the pressures of work life. Where Babylon Meets Eden Page No. 2

3 We are in this world to stay, at least until Christ comes back for us! So we need to find ways to enable each other to live holistic, faithful lives at all times! Daniel s enemies lay a trap trying to use this very notion that they can make Daniel choose between his faith in God, and his commitment to serving Darius. Now, the only way that their plan will succeed is if they are absolutely certain that he will not betray his God! What a tremendous testimony! Even though they sought to use his faith against him, Daniel s enemies were in fact paying him the highest compliment. Our life is a public witness to Jesus Christ that will either hold Him up to shame and ridicule, or bring Him glory and honour. If our enemies came up with such a plan to trap us, would they succeed based on our faithfulness? Predictably, Daniel falls into their clutches. They read him like a book. He never even tried to be crafty, or somehow evade or manoeuvre around their schemes. He went home and prayed, just like they knew he would. The man of faith in Daniel s day would have prayed as he did, devoutly three times per day, and always facing Jerusalem, quite often from a rooftop or a room with shutters open. He does not disappoint them. 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. (Daniel 6:10-11 NIV) Daniel is a man of principle and great faith. Although he does not make a public spectacle of his faith, neither does he hide his actions. While he could easily have kept his head down, and even continued praying in private, he didn t. He could have prayed late at night, and perhaps in an inner room. He could have lied to save his skin, and said simply that he was praying to Darius. Given the king s horrified reaction when he realizes what s happening, I believe that he would have pardoned Daniel, or at least excused him if he had been given any reason at all. But Daniel won t give him an excuse; he refuses to compromise his faith or his God. When I look at the example of Daniel, this old man who loved his God more than life, who daily and faithfully gave devoted witness to the Almighty, I am reminded of the words of Jesus: 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38 NIV)... he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. (Luke 12:9 NIV) So Daniel changed nothing, and the plotters had all the evidence they needed. He would not recant, and the king could find no recourse to save Daniel. Daniel had made it easy for his enemies, but he went to his death knowing that his integrity and God s Name were not dishonoured. Our life is a public witness to Jesus Christ that will either hold Him up to shame and ridicule, or bring Him glory and honour. Make no mistake: people will examine our lives. Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline, has this to say: Page No. 3

4 Evangelism in America, or in the Western world today, has reached the level of diminishing returns. People do not see anything to be converted to. They look around at these Christians telling them to agree to these little statements and say the enclosed prayer. They say, But you aren t any different from anybody else. So what am I supposed to be converted to? We have to see changed lives. In Christianity Today, Oct 12, 1992 You know the rest of the story. They drag this old man to a huge rock pit with a cavern for an entrance, and they seal him in as they would later seal in Jesus, using the official signet ring to warn any potential rescuers that the state would frown displeasingly on their attempts. The king is greatly upset, knowing that in Daniel was a rare man of integrity and honesty he could ill afford to lose. After a sleepless night, the king hurries to the lion s den: 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" 21 Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." (Daniel 6:20-22 NIV) Overjoyed, the king has Daniel lifted out, and the conspirators and their entire families take his place. So that we are left with no doubt that it is God who has rescued him, we are told that before they hit the floor of the cavern, the lions have voraciously torn into their new victims with gusto!! Like his brave friends some 42 years previously, Daniel had kept his faith in God, and God had honoured his faith with a ministering angel who guarded his life. And because of his faith, and because he did not shrink from the lion s den, Daniel brought even greater glory to God, which had always been his life s goal. Daniel stood alone, against overwhelming odds, with only his faith in God to sustain him. And yet, time and again, Daniel was proved right and his attackers perished. There is a lesson for us. It is not easy to stand alone, in the face of the kind of pressure our society places on us to conform. I don t pretend that it is. We are constantly bombarded and urged both in subtle and overt ways, to give in, conform, and so in finally to deny our faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ. Amy Carmichael had this to say about taking our stand: Certain it is that the reason there is so much shallow living, much talk but little obedience, is that so few are prepared to be, like the pine on the hilltop, alone in the wind for God. Amy Carmichael (quoted in Clergy Journal, Apr 1993) Are you willing to take your stand for Christ? Are you willing to be that pine on the hilltop, alone in the wind for God? Back when I worked for Johns-Manville in North Bay 35 years ago, I used to spend my breaks gazing longingly at a huge pine tree on a ridge a long ways from the mill. I wanted badly to be where that tree was, I wanted to be that tree! The problem with being a tree on a hill is that everyone can see you. They can also see our faith or lack of it. I often think of the Beatles song The Fool on the Hill, and believe that is what we are called to be, in plain sight of our world, proclaiming a message of love and forgiveness that to most people will only be foolishness, all the while being ridiculed for what we say and how we live. Page No. 4

5 The fact is, we do not have a choice of whether or not to be a witness for Jesus Christ we are already! The only choice we have is what kind of witnesses we will be. The story is told of a young man, who was an active part in an evangelical congregation, and one Sunday night he was called upon to give his testimony in church. He did so quite eloquently, and impressed all who heard. The next morning, as he went to work, he got on the bus as was his custom, and asking for change, deposited his fare in the coin box. But when he got to his seat, he noticed that the driver had given him one dime too many. It was a busy morning, the bus was crowded, and for a moment, he was tempted to simply pocket the ten cents, and forget about it. After all, who would miss ten cents? But he swiftly dismissed the idea, made his way to the front of the bus, and said to the driver, Excuse me, but you gave me one dime too many. I m a Christian, you see, and I think it s important to be honest. I m glad you gave that dime back, said the driver, fixing him with a steady gaze. You see, I was at your church last night, and I heard you give your testimony. I gave you that extra dime on purpose, to see whether or not you would live-out what you profess to believe. Who is watching you? Who is examining our lives? Peter Kuzmic had this to say about the message we are proclaiming to our world: The problem today is not that we lack a credible message, but rather that we so often lack credible messengers, those whose lives are irrefutably in harmony with the gospel and who are thus able to carry it with authenticity and power. (quoted in Church Disciple, Wint 1993) Our world, our city, our neighbourhood is watching us, and by us will judge the God we worship. Author Sheldon Vanauken observed: The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians when they are sombre and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths. (quoted in Servant, Sep 1993) Daniel s life of constant, faithful witness impacted an empire, and proved the faithfulness and trustworthiness of the God we also claim to worship. Your life of consistent, faithful witness impacts your world, your family, your fellow-employees or students. What will they see? And when the crunch comes and you are pressured to conform, to give-in and go along to get along how will you choose? I hope that you will Dare to Be A Daniel! Our life is a public witness to Jesus Christ that will either hold Him up to shame and ridicule, or bring Him glory and honour. 19/02/ : words Page No. 5