Sermon Summary
“Hebrews 12:26–28 (ESV)
“26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”
Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV)
“17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams….none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.”
Pastor Chris is fired-up in this new 12-part series on the book of Daniel! In this first message, “Daniel: the Unshakable Kingdom,” he connects the experiences of young Daniel, and his three friends, in relevant ways to the shaking going on in our world and what must be our response. The emphasis is on the reminder of God’s truth and calling that are an unshakable foundation for the fellowship of believers.
Think of all that has happened in 2020, grabbing our attention. Are we distracted by what we see? The world’s response is plastered all over the news and social media – fear and anger. Our response, as children of God, is to walk in the way of Daniel – unwavering faith and love-in-action. Daniel was aware of the reality of both the physical and the spiritual – the seen and unseen. His example demonstrates how to live fully in both.
Chris challenges us to live in this awareness of both realms, like Daniel. We are first introduced to the geographical city of Babylon which sits on the same land as, and represents the demonic spirit which drove men to build, the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). This dark power is a counterfeit spirit. Our adversary, Lucifer the angel of light, uses imitation to undermine our confidence as God’s chosen people and lure us away. We must be on top of our game, not caught off-guard. We must be attentive students of God’s kingdom. Chris said, “You are either on-fire for Jesus, or you will be eaten-alive and dismantled.”
Chris also pointed out that some theologians have remarked that the book of Daniel is the key that unlocks the door of eschatology – the theology of the End Times. We have to be prepared for more shakings that many biblical prophecies warn are coming. Take a lesson from the people of Judah who rebelled against God for 490 years, and then were disciplined with His judgment.
3 Questions to Ponder for the Entire Series in Daniel
- Who or what is supreme in your life?
- Does your life portray this?
- What spirit are you following?
3 Things that the spirit of Babylon is seeking to do:
- The spirit of Babylon wants to overthrow you – evil leaders prompted to carry out his judgement, enslaving you through dependency on its kingdom instead of God’s
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Daniel 1:1–2
See: Jeremiah 25:9,Isaiah 39:6-7, Jeremiah, 36:23, Genesis 11:2, Psalm 2:8-9
- The spirit of Babylon wants to brainwash and assimilate you – through systematic education and indoctrination; a thousand small compromises that take us off God’s charted course
“3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.” Daniel 1:3–5
- The spirit of Babylon is tempting you – to take on a false name from the world and try making us believe that we are less than who God says we are; the king gave these young men of God different names based on false Gods (but, they only called each other by their birth names)
Hebrew Name Babylonian Name
Daniel “God is my judge” Belteshazzar “Bel protects his life”
Hananiah “Yahweh is gracious” Shadrach “The command of Aku”
Mishael “Who is what God is?” Meshack “Who is what Aku is?”
Azariah “Yahweh is my helper” Abed-Nego “Servant of Nebo”
3 Things that the Spirit of God does:
- The spirit of God has called and deployed you – you are a son or daughter of God to work for His Kingdom; be resolved to work daily for the Lord with integrity (complete, undivided)
8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor….12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you….At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. Daniel 1:8–16
See: Daniel 4:8, 4:18
- The spirit of God strengthens you – once you’ve resolved to walk in His way, you will be granted godly wisdom, favor, innocence, and confidence that all will notice
“17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20
- The spirit of God assists and sustains you – living by His Spirit will result in protection and longevity
21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 1:21
The spirit of Babylon deploys it’s counter-measures to God’s unshakable truth throughout the history of God’s people. It’s no different today. The world shakes, yet we remain steadfast. Chris emphasized that we must remain righteous every day to detect and repel the onslaught of the cultural counterfeits.
Discussion Questions
- What seems most astonishing to you about the calling and commitment of these four young men?
- Why do you think food was an important aspect of this account of Daniel’s service to the king?
- How might we recognize the ‘spirit of Babylon’ in today’s culture? What systems seem to be setup to deceive believers?
- What do you suppose are some examples of spiritual counterfeiting?
- What elements from Daniel 1 remind you that God has called you to a devoted life of integrity and work for His Kingdom?
Application Questions
- For the 12 weeks of this series in Daniel, keep answering these questions from Pastor Chris:
- Who or what is supreme in your life?
- Does your life portray this?
- What spirit are you following?
- Make a commitment to follow in Daniel’s footsteps in your life. Share with someone you trust a) what you plan to do, and b) how you will resolve to follow-through.