bpchurch Sermons

Daniel reminds us of the reality of spiritual warfare and how we can respond to spiritual opposition. Daniel’s prayer is accompanied by humility in fasting and self-denial. In the midst of grief he is strengthened by God’s word spoken through one whom God sends to help. Daniel’s prayer doesn’t change the difficult troubles his people will go through, but God’s answer to his prayer will strengthen them through those troubles.

This Sunday, Scotty W. will relate these realities of Daniel 10 to his experience serving the Lord in the Middle East. Come and be strengthened by God’s truth and this testimony of God’s faithfulness.

Daniel 9 begins with a prayer for the desolation to end, and it closes with the abomination that makes the desolate end. God’s purposes will be fulfilled and the ultimate transgression will be ended. The thing is, the ultimate transgression is seen in the Antichrist's last stand in the temple, but it is also seen elsewhere, even today, closer than we think. It’s about more than just a stature, but taking the place of God in all kinds of ways. We’ll talk about it on Sunday.

In the previous chapter, we were reminded that earthly kingdoms will rise and fall until time is full. Then God will intervene and those He has redeemed will receive God's kingdom. It is an encouraging hope that is worth waiting for. Now, in Daniel chapter 8, we get a glimpse of the kinds of trouble, oppression, and persecution God's people will endure while we wait for God's king and kingdom. Daniel 8 is intended to warn and strengthen God's saints to continue in faith while they wait in a dangerous world.

Lions, leopards, and bears, oh my! And the fourth beast is even worse than the first three. What does this vision in Daniel chapter 7 mean?

We are naturally inclined to focus on the beasts, especially the fourth beast. Many Bible teachers have focused on who these 10 kings might be and how we can recognize the one that arises after them as Antichrist. That's not surprising because Daniel himself tends that way. If we focus on that, it can lead to us missing the point, which Daniel is also redirected towards.

This could be the title of the book of Daniel, or at least the first 6 chapters. Daniel shows us how to be full of faith toward God, to follow God faithfully, and how to be faithful to others around us, showing our faith and sharing faith in the Lord with them. In Daniel chapter 6 we see Daniel as a “faithful stranger” whose citizenship is elsewhere, but he is caught up in the politics of the present hour. Among other things, we see in this episode what our response and witness can be in a time of political deception and power plays. We’ll look at what it means to finish well.

See you Sunday, onsite or online.

Belshazzar is a peculiar historical figure.

He is someone whose existence actually demonstrates the truth of God's Word while being himself a catastrophic example of someone who does not believe God's Word. This brief story of Belshazzar is both an encouragement and a warning. God is faithful and His word will be confirmed, but sooner or later, time runs out on our opportunity to respond to what God has said. This is our urgency to believe and to follow, and to share our hope with people around us before time runs out.

We live in a world right now that is in desperate need of humility. Ever since the fall we have struggled with pride. In Genesis chapter one, humans were created in the royal image of God to rule on God's behalf, but when humans rebel and make themselves God, they become beasts. We see a very literal outcome of this in Daniel chapter 4. Join us this Sunday as we look to Jesus as the ultimate example of humility.

Maybe you are afraid of spiders or snakes? How about COVID-19 or being cancelled? Or perhaps you are scared to talk about what you are afraid of...maybe we should be afraid of being afraid. Daniel 3 is a great story that connects with us in relevance across the span of 2,500 years. Then and now, current circumstances are seized upon by political opportunists to attack their enemies and advance their own agenda. But focusing on the political parallels would miss the point because their schemes set the stage for faith to be seen. This Sunday, we'll talk about why these three are not afraid and why you don't need to be afraid.

While Daniel and his friend are being taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, the Prophet Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 24, has a vision of baskets of figs, some good figs and some rotten figs. Which figs are those who are being taken into exile?

This Sunday, we will have a special guest: King Nebuchadnezzar's Chief of Staff, the Honorable Ashpenaz. He will help us to see how God still works in times of chaotic turmoil and change.