Tough as Nails Part 5

Tough as Nails Part 5 This episode was made possible by resources through Life Church Open Network, who provides free resources for churches around the world. A special thanks goes to Church of the Valley for making their discussion questions available. Background music is URL Melt by Unicorn Heads. Icebreaker: What is your favorite candy? Daniel and the Lion’s Den How do you thrive when culture is in crisis? Darius set up 120 leaders throughout the whole kingdom, and over those he had 3 officials, and Daniel was one of them, and these leaders would have to give an account to Daniel. Daniel became distinguished above all the other officials because of an “excellent spirit was in him.” So the administrators and satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel for his conduct in his governmental affairs, but they couldn’t find anything. They couldn’t find any corruption in him because he was trustworthy. He was neither corrupt nor negligent. They said among themselves “We will never find any basis for charges against Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” Quote from St. Francis “Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words” Daniel is a good example of this. What are some of Daniel’s character traits that resulted in his jealous peers not being able to dig up dirt on Daniel? Four characteristics 1. Integrity Do what’s right, even when no one is looking 2. Consistency Live your values over a long period of time. 3. Authenticity People know when you are real. No one likes hypocrites or fakers, and even if you can fool all your friends and family, God knows where your heart is in all you do. 4. Humility So these high officials come to the king and say “All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.” The king thinks this is a pretty good idea and signs it into law. Low and behold, Daniel hears about this law, but he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Daniel didn’t go out of his way to disobey the king, but he didn’t buckle under pressure either. How easy would it have been for Daniel to change his daily routine just a tiny bit, so that no one would see him pray during this 30 day timeframe? Well the leaders who had conjured up this plan went and ran to the king saying “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” and he said “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” This law could not be changed, even by the king. They said “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” But when the king heard this, he was much distressed, and set in his mind to deliver Daniel. He worked all day until the sun wen down to rescue him, but the men said “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” So the king had Daniel thrown in the lion’s den with a message. “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you. They sealed the den with a stone, the king sealed it with his signet that nothing should be changed concerning Daniel. But the king was not happy. He didn’t eat, he refused the evening entertainment, and he couldn’t sleep. At the break of day, the king went in haste and cried out to Daniel in a voice of anguish. “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to de