Feb 11, 2024
Faith Under Fire
Series: Daniel
A belief may be strong and intense and yet still be a preference if it can be changed under certain circumstances. A belief becomes a conviction when it cannot be changed under any circumstances. True faith in God is a conviction, not merely a preference. We see this distinction in the lives of Daniel’s three associates.
In Daniel 3:8-18 we get a close look at 1) The Firm Faith of Daniel’s Friends. This, then, leads us to define 2) What Biblical Faith is Not; and 3) What Biblical Faith Is.
Hold firmly to your faith, even when facing hard times.
Daniel 3:8-18
Feb. 11, 2024
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- Feb 11, 2024Faith Under Fire
Feb 11, 2024Faith Under FireSeries: DanielA belief may be strong and intense and yet still be a preference if it can be changed under certain circumstances. A belief becomes a conviction when it cannot be changed under any circumstances. True faith in God is a conviction, not merely a preference. We see this distinction in the lives of Daniel’s three associates.In Daniel 3:8-18 we get a close look at 1) The Firm Faith of Daniel’s Friends. This, then, leads us to define 2) What Biblical Faith is Not; and 3) What Biblical Faith Is.Hold firmly to your faith, even when facing hard times.Daniel 3:8-18Feb. 11, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Feb 4, 2024Pressure’s On
Feb 4, 2024Pressure’s OnSeries: DanielEvery one of us has experienced the weight of peer pressure at various points in our lives. It probably is most noticeable during our teenage years. There is enormous pressure to conform, or at least a great fear of standing out.As we open Daniel 3 this morning, we see the setup for an extremely trying time in the life of Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We won’t look at their response to the pressure they were under yet, just the details of the situation.There are two cautions we can see in this paragraph: 1) We need to not forget what God has done in our lives; 2) The culture’s call on us is different than God’s call on us. After considering these two cautions, we’ll finish up by focusing on the fact that 3) What God calls us to do is always right, because God is always right.We can face enormous pressure to conform to the culture, rather than obey God.Daniel 3:1-7Feb. 4, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Jan 28, 2024Faith or Fiction?
Jan 28, 2024Faith or Fiction?Series: DanielHow can we tell if faith is real? Is it a matter of sincerity? Not by itself, because a person can be sincerely wrong. This morning as we finish up Daniel 2, we finally see Nebuchadnezzar’s response to Daniel’s miraculous recounting and interpreting of the king’s dream.Nebuchadnezzar displays 4 responses that, by themselves, do not mean he truly believed in God alone: 1) An Emotional Response By Itself is Not a Sign of Sincere Faith; 2) Worship Alone is Not a Sign of Sincere Faith; 3) Simply Acknowledging God as the Greatest Authority is Not a Sign of Sincere Faith; 4) Giving Generously is Not a Sure Sign of Sincere Faith.We'll finish up by discussing where sincere faith is found: 5) Sincere Faith is Found in Fully Trusting Christ.God wants our sincere faith, not just an outward show of favor.Daniel 2:46-49Jan. 28, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Jan 14, 2024God’s on the Job
Jan 14, 2024God’s on the JobSeries: DanielGod is sovereignly at work in people and on the future.Daniel 2:31-45Jan. 14, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Jan 7, 2024Praise God!
Jan 7, 2024Praise God!Series: DanielGive God the praise He deserves, in private prayers and public testimony.Daniel 2:19-30Jan. 7, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Nov 26, 2023What to Do When the Bottom Falls Out
Nov 26, 2023What to Do When the Bottom Falls OutSeries: DanielWe’ve all had days when things just seemed to go from bad to worse; times when it may have felt like the bottom dropped out of our lives. Things like serious injuries & illnesses, loss of possessions due to fire, tough struggles at work, financial issues, relational issues, and more. Our challenge in those moments is to remember that God is greater than the problems we face. Prayer needs to be our first line of defense when facing problems.When the bottom dropped out of the lives of Daniel and his companions, they turned to God, and they give us some wonderful examples to learn from: 1) We Must Make Prayer Our Priority; 2) We Should Avoid Seeking Alternatives to Prayer; 3) Prayer Acknowledges Our Need for God’s Provision.When the bottom falls out of our lives, we need to fall to our knees in prayer.Daniel 2:1-18Nov. 26, 2023To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Nov 19, 2023Standing Out By Standing Up
Nov 19, 2023Standing Out By Standing UpSeries: DanielIt doesn’t really matter where you work, or what you do, stress and burnout can come to all of us. It can be hard to give our best to what we do, whether at work, at school, at home, or anywhere else. In fact, those who consistently give their best efforts tend to stand out from the crowd. Sometimes it's just a matter of standing up and doing what God has called us to do.That’s the attitude we find in Daniel and his three companions in Daniel 1:17-21. They stood out as they stood up for God. There are two truths that we find illustrated in these verses: 1) God is the Giver of All the Gifts and Good in Our Lives; and 2) We Should Give Our Best Wherever God Has Us and As Long As He Has Us There.Do your best with the gifts God has given you, seeking to give Him glory.Daniel 1:17-21Nov. 19, 2023To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Nov 12, 2023Unwavering or Unwilling?
Nov 12, 2023Unwavering or Unwilling?Series: DanielDaniel and his friends found themselves faced with a difficult choice right at the beginning of their training in Babylon. They sought permission to avoid eating the king’s choice food, in order not to defile themselves.It’s a fairly straightforward account in which we learn a few things from Daniel’s example: 1) Daniel Wanted to Honor God; 2) Daniel Cultivated a Good Relationship with His Captors; 3) Daniel Was Creative in Pursuing His Goal of Godly Obedience.These examples should find a place in our lives as well: 1) We Should Honor God with What We Do; 2) We Should Cultivate a Godly Relationship with the Culture Around Us; 3) We Should Be Creative in Our Goal of Godly Obedience.Obeying God may risk our acceptance by the world, but it is always the right thing to do.Daniel 1:8-16Nov. 12, 2023To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Nov 5, 2023Trusting God in Trying Times
Nov 5, 2023Trusting God in Trying TimesSeries: DanielAs a Christian, it’s hard to look at our world and not feel like things are going downhill, especially in our western culture. Things that would have seemed unthinkable a few short years ago are now celebrated as sources of pride and encouraged. Can we possibly thrive as believers in Christ in a culture that is as seemingly godless as ours?God answered this question for us 2,500 years ago, and I believe His answer is the same today as it was then. In the Old Testament book of Daniel we discover that the Babylonian culture Daniel was forced to live in wasn’t all that different from the culture we live in today in many ways. As we begin this study we'll do a little 1) Digging in to the Background of Daniel. From there we'll look at 2 things which show up in the short introduction: 2) God is Still in Control When Things Seem Out of Control; and 3) Christ Followers Will Face Cultural Conflict.Because God has complete control, we can trust Him completely.Daniel 1:1-7Nov. 5, 2023To watch the video of this message, click here.
