What is your relationship with God worth?

Sermon Title: IS IT WORTH IT?

Scripture Text: 2 CHRONICLES 26:16-21

Sermon Notes:

2 CHRONICLES 26:16-21 NIV

16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in.18 They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.”19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house --leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

1 JOHN 4:10 NIV

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

What is your relationship with God worth?

ECCLESIASTES 2:24-25 NLT

24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?

I. UZZIAH’S ASCENT

2 CHRONICLES 26:1-5 NIV

1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.2 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.

seek | Hebrew: darash

“to trample under foot”

“We are to seek after true success that comes from seeking God.”

2 CHRONICLES 26:5 NIV

5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.

PROVERBS 19:21 NIV

21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

PROVERBS 16:9 NIV

9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

“God is pleased when we seek him.”

“What we do matters to God.”

II. UZZIAH’S DESCENT

2 CHRONICLES 26:15 NIV

15 In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

2 CHRONICLES 26:16 NIV

16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

“The seemingly sudden fall is really not a sudden fall.”

PROVERBS 16:18 NIV

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:12 NIV

12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

2 CHRONICLES 26:17-21 NIV

17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in.18 They confronted him and said, “It is not

“What do you do when you don’t know what to do?”

Sermon : LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT

Scripture Text: 2 Kings 4:1-7

Sermon Notes:

2 KINGS 4:1-7 NIV

1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”5 She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

HEBREWS 11:6 NIV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

CRY. ERASE. GIVE.

I. CRY OUT TO GOD

2 KINGS 4:1 NIV

1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

“To cry out to Elisha was not a substitute for crying out to God. Rather, because Elisha was clearly called by God to serve as His divinely-appointed spokesman to the people of Israel, crying out to him was a vital part of crying out to God Himself.” –Greg Allen

EPHESIANS 2:18-20 NIV

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

“When you don’t know what to do, cry out to God.”

PSALMS 34:4 NIV

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

“Our needs are never unknown to our sovereign Lord.”

II. ERASE FAITH IN YOURSELF.

2 KINGS 4:2 NIV

2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”

“Often God will use the trials, heartaches and frustrations to bring us to the place where we can honestly see our need and our own inability to meet those needs.”

“…when we stop and honestly answer [this question] … we will realize that we need more than we will ever be able to supply by ourselves. God does this to erase our faith. He isn’t trying to erase our faith in Him; He is trying to erase our faith in ourselves. As long as we think we can, He won’t!” — Allan Carr

ROMANS 12:3 NIV

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

ROMANS 12:3b MESSAGE

3 “…The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.”

“When you don’t know what to do, erase your faith in yourself.”

III. GIVE GOD OUR EXCEPTIONS.

2 KINGS 4:2 NIV

2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”

2 KINGS 4:3-7 NIV

3 Elisha said

“Happiness is not found by direct pursuit. Rather, it is a by-product of a different pursuit.”

Sermon #5: HAPPINESS: THE BY-PRODUCT OF A DIFFERENT PURSUIT

Sermon Series: SOUL SHIFTS

Scripture Text: Psalm 1

Sermon Notes:

PSALMS 1:1-6 NIV

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

PSALMS 1:1 NIV

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

“Happiness is not found by direct pursuit. Rather it is a by-product of a different pursuit.”

I. WHAT THE HAPPY PERSON DECLINES

PSALMS 1:1 NIV

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

Thinking (counsel) – Walking

Behaving (lifestyle) – Standing

Belonging (fellowship) – Sitting

“You don’t win the lost by living like the lost.”

“It is a good thing when the boat is in the water; it’s a bad thing when the water is in the boat.”

a. SOURCE OF INFLUENCE: PEOPLE

PROVERBS 12:26 NIV

26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

PROVERBS 22:24-25 NIV

24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, 25 or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:33 NIV

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

“The friends you choose, the company you keep determines to some extent the way that you live, your lifestyle, your behavior.”

b. SOURCE OF INFLUENCE: CULTURE

PSALMS 1:1 NIV

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

“The happy man of Psalm 1 stands apart. And if necessary, he stands alone.”

II. WHAT THE HAPPY PERSON DELIGHTS

PSALMS 1:2 NIV

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

“The only hope against the pleasures of the world is the pleasures of the Word.”

PSALMS 1:2 NIV

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

“The picture of meditation is not just on reading the Scripture but on being fed by Scripture.”

JEREMIAH 15:16 NIV

16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.

“The evidence that we belong to God, that we have been made righteous through faith in Christ, is that we have an appetite for God’s Word.”

“delighted devotion”

“The happy person’s priorities are known in what he/she DECLINES and in what he/she DELIGHTS.”

SHIFT #1. UNPLUG & REST.

“When you don’t get rest where you should, you’ll look for it where you shouldn’t.”

GENESIS 2:2-3 NIV

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

“Rest is more than just a day like the Sabbath. It’s a way of being.”

FOUR REMINDERS WHEN YOU REST – (from Pete Scazzero)

1. Stop.

2. Rest.

3. Delight.

4. Contemplate.

SHIFT #2. PRACTICE BIBLICAL MEDITATION.

“The sad truth is, m

What if the uncertainty of life could be one of the best things to happen in our lives?

Sermon #4: UNCERTAINTY: AN INVITATION TO LEAN ON A STEADY GOD

Sermon Series: SOUL SHIFTS

Scripture Text: Exodus 13, 16

Sermon Notes:

EXODUS 13:17-22 NIV

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”20 After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

What if the uncertainty of life could be one of the best things to happen in our lives?

OBSERVATION #1. GOD’S GUIDANCE

EXODUS 13:17-22 NIV

18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

“God does not always take us through the efficient route.”

“The assignment of God is not a task to be accomplished more than a life to be aligned with him.”

EXODUS 13:17-22 NIV

20 After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

“In our journey of life, God does not give us a map or a schedule, but himself as a guide.”

“Living by faith means stepping out for God and leaving the results to him.

OBSERVATION #2. GOD’S PROVISION

EXODUS 16:1-5 NIV

1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

EXODUS 16:8-15 NIV

8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.”9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.’”10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.11 The LORD said to Moses,12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the

We are so busy with so much pursuits that we don’t even notice the most important things slipping us by.

Sermon #3: “BUSYNESS: THE PATHWAY TO A TRIVIAL LIFE”

Sermon Series: SOUL SHIFTS

Scripture Text: Mark 1:32-38

Sermon Notes:

MARK 1:32-38 NIV

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.

33 The whole town gathered at the door,

34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

36 Simon and his companions went to look for him,

37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

CRAZY BUSY by Kevin Deyoung

1 KINGS 20:39-40 NIV

39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” “That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”

We are so busy with so much pursuits that we don’t even notice the most important things slipping us by.

Telltale sign of a busy-hectic life:

A joyless life that has robbed our hearts and overwhelmed our souls.

To experience the life of Jesus, we have to adopt the way of life of Jesus.

…the secret involves living as [Jesus] lived in the entirety of his life – adopting his overall life-style … — Dallas Willard

Following Jesus is something we do.

To experience the life of Jesus, we have to adopt the way of life of Jesus.

I. JESUS’ PACE: BUSY NOT HURRIED

MARK 5:32 NIV

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

MARK 5:33-34 NIV

33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

JOHN 11:4-7 NIV

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Jesus was busy but always present to the moment.

Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. There is almost nothing you can do that reflect life in the kingdom that you can do in a hurried way. You can’t listen to someone in a hurry. You can’t love someone in a hurry. You can’t follow Jesus in a hurry. — John Ortberg

II. JESUS’ PERSPECTIVE: DISCERNING YET ALWAYS PRESENT

MARK 1:35-38 NIV

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.36 Simon and his companions went to look for him,37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Jesus knew his why and he never lost his way.

Jesus knew what to do and he knew what not to do.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:11 NASB

11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.

We are to use technology and not be used by technology.

To experience the life of Jesus, we have to adopt the way of life of Jesus.

SHIFT #1: SET BOUNDARIES.

God is able to do greater through our surrender than we could ever do through our control.

Sermon #2: “FRUSTRATIONS: THE STRUGGLE TO BE IN CHARGE”

Sermon Series: SOUL SHIFTS

Scripture Text: Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Notes:

LUKE 1:26-38 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

At the root of our frustrations is our struggle to be in control.

We are not called to try harder but to trust deeper.

OBSERVATION #1: MARY HAD DREAMS

LUKE 1:26-27 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

OBSERVATION #2: MARY WAS DISTURBED

LUKE 1:26-29 ESV

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

troubled | Greek: diatarassó

intensely going back-and-forth (to-and-fro) between inner thoughts and emotions.

LUKE 1:30 ESV

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

OBSERVATION #3: MARY HAD DOUBTS

LUKE 1:34 ESV

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

LUKE 1:38 ESV

38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

To surrender means to surrender completely.

Surrender is a daily choice.

LUKE 9:23 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

God is able to do greater through our surrender than we could ever do through our control.

1 PETER 5:7 NIV

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

SHIFT #1. PAUSE FOR ONE MINUTE.

MATTHEW 11:28-30 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

MATTHEW 11:28-30 ESV

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

PSALMS 131:2 ESV

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

SHIFT #2. RELEASE & SURRENDER.

LUKE 22:42 ESV

42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

LUKE 23:46 ESV

46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Fat

Your life is too precious, your calling too great, and your God too good to waste your life distracted on things that do not matter.

Sermon #1: DISTRACTIONS: THE ASSAULT ON OUR ATTENTION.

Sermon Series: SOUL SHIFTS

Scripture Text: Nehemiah 6

Sermon Notes:

NEHEMIAH 6:1-3 ESV

1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm.3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

distraction | \ di-ˈstrak-shən \

a pulling apart, separating, a drawing of the mind in different directions.

Your life is too precious, your calling too great, and your God too good to waste your life distracted on things that do not matter.

I. DISTRACTIONS WILL MAKE YOU THINK IT’S OKAY.

NEHEMIAH 6:1-2 ESV

1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm.

The promise of distractions:

If you pay attention to me, I promise you’ll stop thinking about whatever you were thinking about.

NEHEMIAH 6:3 ESV

3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

II. DISTRACTIONS ARE RELENTLESS

NEHEMIAH 6:4 ESV

4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

THE SHALLOWS: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember. –Nicholas Carr

TL;DR

too long; didn’t read

We live at the depth of the text, the swipe, and the thumbs up.

We are in love with distraction and it affects our very relationship with God.

You can’t give God your attention when your attention is constantly being targeted and taken captive … and you’re cooperating. – John Eldredge

III. DISTRACTIONS WILL DRAW YOU AWAY FROM GOD’S PURPOSE.

NEHEMIAH 6:5-9 ESV

5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand.

6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king.

7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.”

8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.”

9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

NEHEMIAH 6:3 ESV

3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

NEHEMIAH 6:15 ESV

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

Nehemiah said “no” to the lesser, because he was saying “yes” to the greater work of God.

NEHEMIAH 6:16 ESV

16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

SHIFT #1. BE AWARE OF YOU

Our trust in God will tell a watching world that He is real.

Sermon #6: DANIEL UNHARMED IN THE LIONS’ DEN!

Sermon Series: IN EXILE: Living With Purpose In The Days of Daniel

Scripture Text: Daniel 6

Sermon Notes:

DANIEL 6:16-23 NIV

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ 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.”23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Where is your God?

The rise of the “nones”

Ours is an offended generation. Everybody is offended by something, and they believe they have a right to not be offended. — Erwin W. Lutzer

The message of the cross is still the message that we are called to herald.

Daniel’s situation in chapter 6.

Daniel is now an old man.

He is now serving under a new king named Darius.

He is still in Babylon.

DANIEL 6:3 NIV

3 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.

DANIEL 6:6-8 NIV

6 So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live forever!7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.8 Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered-- in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

DANIEL 6:23 NIV

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Our trust in God will tell a watching world that he is real.

Our integrity shows to the world our trust in God.

Daniel’s trust in God was evidenced in his INTEGRITY

DANIEL 6:4 NIV

4 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.

A godly man in authority is a threat to every ungodly man under his authority.

The world is looking for Christians who are people of integrity.

Daniel’s trust in God was evidenced in his RESPONSE TO PERSECUTION

DANIEL 6:10 NIV

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.

Submission to authority is the primary principle above all else.

ROMANS 13:1-2 NIV

1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no aut

A celebration symbolizes what we live for, what is central to us, what we deem as the kind of life we long for.

Sermon #5: BELSHAZZAR DEAD! Darius Takes Throne.

Sermon Series: In Exile: Living with purpose in the days of Daniel

Scripture Text: Daniel 5

Sermon Notes:

DANIEL 5:25-31 ESV

25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

What makes for a great celebration?

celebration | sel-uh-brey-shuh n

A celebration is a social event with an abundant supply of food and drink.

celebration | sel-uh-brey-shuh n

It commemorates an important event or celebrates an accomplishment.

“A celebration symbolizes what we live for, what is central to us, what we deem as the kind of life we long for.”

Nebuchadnezzar – 605-562 BC

Amel-Marduk – 562-560 BC – Son, assassinated

Neriglissar – 560-556 BC – Brother-in-law

Labashi-Marduk – 556 BC – Son, assassinated

Nabonidus – 555-538 BC – Co-regent with Belshazzar

3 POINTS:

1. The CARNAL Celebration

2. The “CUT SHORT” Celebration

3. The CONCLUDED Celebration

THE CARNAL CELEBRATION

DANIEL 5:1-2 ESV

1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.

DANIEL 5:3-4 ESV

3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

“We dishonor God when we lose sight of him in our celebrations.”

THE “CUT SHORT” CELEBRATION

DANIEL 5:5-6 ESV

5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.

DANIEL 5:7 ESV

7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon,“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

PSALMS 8:3 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

EXODUS 31:18 ESV

18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

“God is present, whether invited or not, in our celebrations.”

PSALMS 139:1-4 ESV

1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, you have searched me and known me!2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

“Remember God!”

“It is wise for us to be mindful

Pride is ultimately an issue of worship because it leads to self-worship.

Sermon #4: King Releases Autobiography of Personal Exile Experience!

Sermon Series: In Exile: Living with purpose in the days of Daniel

Scripture Text: Daniel 4

Sermon Notes:

DANIEL 4:34-37 NIV

34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

DANIEL 4:1-3 NIV

1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly!2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.

“Success is as much a test in life as suffering is.”

“Pride is ultimately an issue of worship because it leads to self-worship.”

DANIEL 4:22 NIV

22 you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.

DANIEL 4:25-27 NIV

25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.27 Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

DANIEL 4:29-31NIV

29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”31 The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.

DANIEL 4:33 NIV

33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

“You can expect to be tested in your success.”

3 POINTS:

THE MARKS OF PRIDE

THE CURE OF PRIDE

THE LESSONS OF PRIDE

THE MARKS OF PRIDE

1. COMPLACENCY

DANIEL 4:4 NIV

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.

“DON’T LET COMPLACENCY GET THE BETTER OF YOU!”

THE MARKS OF PRIDE

1. COMPLACENCY

2. NEGLECT

DANIEL 4:27 NIV

27 Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

Humility is a choice.

Humility is others-centered.