1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,320 Welcome to the Islands Christian Church podcast. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,040 Subscribe to hear a new episode every week. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:14,320 Thanks for joining us. All right, well, good morning 4 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:20,200 Islands family. I'd give it a 8 out of 10. 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,120 I get this time of morning. I give it a 10 out of 10. 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,000 You all did great. For those who don't know me, I 7 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,400 am Ernie and I have the privilege of filling in here 8 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:33,120 periodically when Steven is is not able to be here. 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,920 So it is always a joy and a privilege. 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:40,000 And I know I say that every time, but I truly do mean it. 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,760 It is like coming back to family. 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,920 So if you're new here, I couldn't encourage you enough to 13 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:50,200 join the Connect event. I'm an outsider insider kind of 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,720 guy, if that makes sense. But man, when you come to a 15 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,920 place and Miss Stella gives you a hug and says, I love you, she 16 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,680 means it and it's beautiful. If you want to go ahead and turn 17 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,280 to the book of Daniel, if you have your Bibles, I'm sure 18 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:05,400 that's the place you spend a lot of time in in your your 19 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:10,680 scriptures. They're going to be in Daniel 20 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:18,920 this morning. There's a question that I hope 21 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,600 sticks with you the rest of your life that I want to ask you this 22 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,720 morning because I think it could be really helpful. 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,280 And that's my goal this morning is to offer you all hope and to 24 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,680 help you. Here's the question probably 25 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:42,400 won't make sense to the very end, but stick with me, OK here. 26 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:49,440 What if you could hear the narrator's perspective of your 27 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:55,160 life? I'll say it again, what if you 28 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,600 could hear the narrator's perspective of your life? 29 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,440 I want to tell you about a conversation I had. 30 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,080 Actually, I think it was 3 weeks ago today. 31 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,000 I have a friend that used to be part of my church when I was a 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,760 pastor and younger man younger than me, which is easier and 33 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:19,080 easier to come by these days. And we've been friends for quite 34 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,480 a while. And I know that he's been on 35 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,760 this journey. Are you guys familiar with the 36 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,160 term deconstructing your fate? Yeah. 37 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:29,440 Yeah. So he's been on that journey. 38 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,280 And I've known we've we've had some great conversations. 39 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,480 And it's not like the fiery Ernie preacher conversations 40 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:40,480 where it's like it's just asking questions, listening, trying to 41 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,560 understand. Don't ever go preacher mode on 42 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,200 people that are deconstructing their faith, by the way, I'll 43 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,760 tell you that now. Don't do that, please. 44 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:55,360 I didn't realize this. He's in the military, and he had 45 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,200 been in a part of the world where he had an NDA. 46 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:04,200 And recently that that was lifted and he was able to open 47 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,680 up more of his story. And he was very clear, Hey, 48 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:09,960 Ernie, I'm at a point now I'm no longer a Christian, OK? 49 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,360 He had been in Afghanistan and we pulled out. 50 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,480 And I know that could be a hot button topic, so forget all the 51 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,120 political whichever way you land there. 52 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:37,680 But he had seen human atrocity at a level no human being should 53 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:44,520 ever have to see. He came back to a wife who no 54 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:51,200 longer wanted to be a wife. God, if you've been married more 55 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,600 than 5 minutes, you know how complicated that discussion. 56 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:05,440 He also in the dialogue, he knows a lot of my story parts of 57 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:06,760 it. You, you all don't know, you 58 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:12,520 know, about us losing a child and particularly a part that 59 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,680 there was something I'd been praying over for like 3 years 60 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:22,880 and when the answer finally came, it unleashed the hell in 61 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,560 my life that I would not wish on to anybody. 62 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:29,280 And this guy knows it. In the course of the 63 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:35,720 conversation, this is Ernie. Why haven't you looked at God 64 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,800 and said, what the heck? But he didn't say that. 65 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,280 He didn't even say the age it was anyways. 66 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,880 Like I would tell you the acronym, but then you would 67 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:46,680 think of the word and we don't need to do that this morning, 68 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:52,280 but you get the point. The truth is I have, but he 69 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:55,920 knows. But then he got more pointed and 70 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:00,360 he said, Ernie, why are you still a Christian? 71 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:07,400 Like, I've closed that chapter in my life and I want to fully 72 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:08,920 close it. And then he told me this, he 73 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,880 says, But there's this little piece. 74 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:16,400 There's this little piece I can't snuff out. 75 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,120 He says the. Only reason why I'm still. 76 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,200 There, Ernie is you. Because you. 77 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,320 Make no sense to me. You shouldn't be a Christian 78 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:31,520 anymore. I don't say that in any way to 79 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,200 can any accolades on me. Trust me, I don't want that on 80 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,720 my back. But I promise you this look at 81 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,280 me. There are other people watching 82 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:51,960 you. So my goal today is try just to 83 00:05:51,960 --> 00:06:00,000 try and give my friend an answer as to why I'm still a Christian. 84 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:07,280 And it's not always intellectual guys, when we began to 85 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,760 deconstruct our faith. And maybe you're here and you're 86 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,960 there. And I am not in any way offering 87 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,360 the slightest bit of condemnation. 88 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:21,040 I love my friend and he knows he doesn't have to believe what I 89 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,760 believe for me to love him and maintain his our friendship. 90 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,880 But I think there's probably two groups of people here today and 91 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,960 maybe online. There are those who desperately 92 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,000 need to hear my answer and there are those who one day will. 93 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:44,240 So I'm going to do my best to try and help you, all the while 94 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:49,280 admitting you may hear this may shock you all and I hope this 95 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:51,880 doesn't happen. But a month from now, you've 96 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,640 Steven may stand up and say man already said he's no longer a 97 00:06:54,640 --> 00:07:00,160 Christian. I don't intend on that being the 98 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:07,760 case, but if I'm being gut level honest, it's a razor's edge. 99 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:18,160 Happy Sunday. So let's pray we're going to get 100 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:26,720 into this. Lord help. 101 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:42,760 Help to build the foundation of faith through Your word that is 102 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:47,000 unshakeable. Use me. 103 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:53,600 Use my story. Use Daniel to help us to begin 104 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:58,600 to earnestly ask to keep this question for the remainder of 105 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,560 our lives. What would the narrator say? 106 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:13,280 The first story was being told. Holy Spirit, we invite you to 107 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,880 speak. We pray the prayer of your 108 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:21,520 servant Samuel. Speak now for your servants are 109 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,480 listening in Christ's name, Amen. 110 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:28,640 All right, we're going to be in Daniel one. 111 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:32,679 I want to read just the intro to the book of Daniel in my ESP 112 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:34,679 Bible just so it gives you a bit of context. 113 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,880 What's going on exile to Babylon and six O 5 BC. 114 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,080 So we're just going to say roughly 3000 years ago. 115 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,760 So we're going to be learning from a young man that existed 116 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,480 3000 years ago, give or take 200 years. 117 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:49,800 Daniel was one of several young men chosen to serve in 118 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,200 Nebuchadnezzar's court. When Persia conquered Babylon in 119 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,760 539, Daniel was again given a position of power. 120 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,480 So he saw two different regimes, the Babylonian Empire and then 121 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:05,320 the Persian. 1 He remained faithful to God in both of those 122 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:10,880 hostile environments. He remained faithful to God in 123 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:12,680 both of those hostile environments. 124 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,840 From the interpretation of dreams to the familiar stories 125 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:19,040 of the fiery furnace, the lion's den, and the handwriting on the 126 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:24,960 wall to the prophetic visions, the recurrent theme in Daniel is 127 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,720 God's sovereignty over human affairs. 128 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:34,320 The recurring theme is God's sovereignty over human affairs. 129 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,000 And if you live long enough, you're going to question that 130 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,520 God is not going to feel sovereign over your affairs, and 131 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:44,600 he sure as heck isn't going to feel good over your affairs. 132 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:49,960 And Daniel is going to have every reason to question that, I 133 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,240 would venture to say more so probably than most of us in this 134 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,080 room. And that's a bold statement. 135 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,320 I don't know your story. I know mine. 136 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,560 And what we're going to see this young man go through is 137 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:06,920 incredible. And so this theme of God's 138 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,560 sovereignty is written all over the book in the historical 139 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:12,160 sections, chapters one through 6. 140 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,040 God supernaturally rescued Daniel and his friends. 141 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:18,400 The rest of the book consists of visions of the future judgment 142 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,520 and deliverance by the Messiah. Some of Daniel's prophetic 143 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,800 themes are echoed in the New Testament, especially in 144 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,680 Revelation. There we go, Daniel one in the 145 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,320 third year of the reign of Jehokim, king of Judah. 146 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,680 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged 147 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:36,960 it. And the Lord gave Jehokim, king 148 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,160 of Judah, into his hand with some of the vessels of the House 149 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,280 of God, and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the House 150 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,080 of his God, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his 151 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,400 God. Then the king commanded Ashwin 152 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,920 as his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, 153 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,920 both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without 154 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,200 blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed 155 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,720 with knowledge, understanding, learning and competent to stand 156 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,960 in the King's palace and to teach them the literature and 157 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,920 language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned to them a 158 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,480 daily portion of the food that the king ate and of the wine 159 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:16,920 that he drank. They were to be educated for 160 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:20,080 three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand 161 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,720 before the king. Among them were Daniel, 162 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,840 Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 163 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,440 And the chief of the units gave them names that I'm not even 164 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,240 going to try. Anybody want to? 165 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,280 We always call him Shadrach Meshach Nabinegas. 166 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:41,040 So there's a lot to unpack here. So who was Daniel? 167 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:45,160 Daniel was a part of either the royal family or the lead of the 168 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:48,040 lead of Jerusalem. That's who he was. 169 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,040 His nation had just been conquered by Babylon. 170 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,280 That God had been prophesied like you could read Isaiah lot, 171 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,680 some of the Old Testament prophets said this is what's 172 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:00,160 coming. Israel or Judah, excuse me, the 173 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,400 northern tribe, Israel had already been a conqueror by 174 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:04,800 Syria. Like they have rebelled against 175 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,360 me and they're going to be punished for it. 176 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,160 And Daniel just happened to get caught up in the whirlwind of 177 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:14,520 world circumstances and the sin that his nation had done and God 178 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,880 was punishing them. And there's so much here to 179 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,760 unpack, though, about what's going on. 1st off, did you 180 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,520 notice the house, the the articles that were taken from 181 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:28,480 the temple? This means, yes, you noticed it 182 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:33,880 all right. And so Nebuchadnezzar took some 183 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,840 of the articles from the temple of Yahweh, Israel's God, and put 184 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,880 them in the temple of his gods. Here's why that's important to 185 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,720 our story and understanding the culture of the ancient Near East 186 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,560 for the ancient year East where Daniel was existing, basically 187 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:53,040 gods were more like geographical, like gods of 188 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,160 certain areas and you had gods depending on who you were, gods 189 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,880 of fertility, God of like giving you far, blessing your farms and 190 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,120 all of that. But what was very significant is 191 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:05,840 when one nation conquered another, essentially that was 192 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,400 saying our God is better than your God. 193 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:16,440 Now pause for a second. You're Daniel. 194 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,600 You're meant to experience this cathartically. 195 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,480 Your nation's been conquered, and I don't have time to go into 196 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,440 the atrocities like we just get in a couple lines. 197 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,480 Let me just say it this way. Daniel was not put on a back of 198 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:37,080 a horse and carted back to Babylon and a real cushy rot. 199 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:43,960 Do some Googling if you want about what the Babylonians would 200 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:48,600 do to people they conquered and Daniel and his friends. 201 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:53,240 Their nation had been conquered, their nation had been conquered, 202 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,200 they had suffered immensely. And what's a very important 203 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:00,960 detail is they came from nobility. 204 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,320 So was Daniel blue collar or white collar? 205 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,040 White collar through and through. 206 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:16,880 Educated, smart, intelligent, and up to this point we don't 207 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:18,440 know, probably living a pretty great life. 208 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,800 When I think of nobility, I don't. 209 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:23,240 I don't. Know what that's? 210 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:27,560 Like, but I can't help but imagine you probably got 211 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:34,920 servants, you probably got a bit of ego about you, and all of a 212 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:38,080 sudden the rug just gets snatched out from underneath 213 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,360 them when it's hard enough to go through hard times. 214 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,880 But let's face it, if you kind. Of been in the coal mines your 215 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,040 whole life and you get dragged somewhere. 216 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,120 It's like, yeah, this sucks. But I mean, I know. 217 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,000 Hardship in life. Does that make sense? 218 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:52,600 So when you've been living. Here and you get dragged down 219 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:54,200 to. Here that makes the. 220 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,160 Difference of belief and trust that much. 221 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,400 Wider we're meant to understand that and then. 222 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:03,480 Who is Daniel placed? Under not his name, but what is? 223 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:10,680 What is this title? Anybody want to chief of 224 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,240 eunuchs? Do you know what that means? 225 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:15,880 That happened to Daniel and his friends. 226 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,840 It's implicitly here. Excuse me. 227 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,240 It's it's explicitly stated in Isaiah. 228 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,960 This was prophesied about that some of that king of the time, 229 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:33,000 his children, some of a seed as lineage were to be made eunuchs 230 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,760 in the House of Nebuchadnezzar. So there is no doubt that Daniel 231 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:38,600 and his three friends have been made eunuchs. 232 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:40,800 And I don't know how to say this other and just say it. 233 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,520 To be made a eunuch in the ancient Near East means for a 234 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:45,840 young man your testicles will be removed. 235 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:49,600 And they did this for various reasons. 236 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,760 Sometimes the kings would put. Eunuchs over their harem. 237 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,040 I know ladies, this is crazy. But men had kings, had harems of 238 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:57,440 women. And guess what, you don't. 239 00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,200 Have to worry about. When you put a eunuch. 240 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:09,080 Over your harem, that guy. So now imagine, imagine what are 241 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:11,120 circumstances telling Daniel at this? 242 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,520 Point. Snatched from his. 243 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:19,840 Homeland taking on a journey. Remove his manhood, his 244 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:24,360 masculinity removed from him as a young man. 245 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:29,160 I will never propagate my name. I will never. 246 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:35,600 Have children. I have every reason to turn my 247 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,360 back on God. I have every reason to say God 248 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:42,280 can't be real. Now we don't get. 249 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,080 That from Daniel, but Daniel. Was a human being just like you 250 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:46,800 and I you? Can't tell me that he. 251 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:48,760 Didn't go through that. You can't tell me that. 252 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:50,200 There weren't the guttural cries. 253 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,640 You ever done this like in your car or maybe laying out 254 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,400 prostrate in your bathroom or wherever? 255 00:16:55,560 --> 00:17:02,680 Why? God, why that type of prayer? 256 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,720 Because Daniel, I'm telling you, it doesn't say it here, but I 257 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:11,520 know we had to be saying. That or the age-old guard in 258 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:15,680 question that mankind has wrestled with it still to this 259 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,560 day. And I understand it is not an 260 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,960 easy question. How can God be all powerful and 261 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:27,640 all love him? And this happened to me and that 262 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:31,840 has been enough to catapult many of us of the deep end. 263 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,120 And let me say this, if you're here today or you're watching or 264 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:41,960 whatever, if that's you and you just, you had enough of the pain 265 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,960 and you chose to just. Show out and you chose maybe you 266 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,280 couldn't take it anymore so you. Turn to the bottle, or you turn 267 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,800 to drugs, or you turn to anything and everything. 268 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,160 That we can as human beings. You are not without hope. 269 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,800 You may not have went the way. Daniel did, but I want to. 270 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:00,640 Encourage you with something. You're not without hope. 271 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,600 You are not left aside. Like as Carl Jung once said, 272 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,440 every addiction is just a misplaced. 273 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:08,320 Prayer. You. 274 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,880 Just you. Just wanted the pain to. 275 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,760 Stop and God. Wasn't showing up in your story 276 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:14,520 the way. You thought he. 277 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:17,160 Should and so you took. Matters in your own hands. 278 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,680 Been there, done that. You are not. 279 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,960 Without hope I don't want. Daniel to discourage you. 280 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,800 I want you to walk away encouraged. 281 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,560 And I want you to believe, I believe for you that if you're 282 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,920 hearing this is because the God of the Bible, the God that Sean 283 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,840 was talking about has opened the doors wide, still has them swung 284 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,480 open for you. If you're breathing, there's 285 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,160 hope. And Daniel had every reason. 286 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:48,360 And I'm telling you. If I was. 287 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:51,960 Daniel, I'm tapping out. Do you notice what was what was 288 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,680 going on here? Nebuchadnezzar wanted to 289 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,040 assimilate these wise men into Chaldean culture. 290 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:00,400 Smart. We're going to bring him in for 291 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:02,880 three years. We're going to teach him our 292 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:04,840 books. We're going to teach him our way 293 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:06,400 of living. And what's really cool. 294 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:08,800 If you want to, I'm telling you, if you want to learn to live as 295 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,080 a modern missionary, read the book of Daniel, especially the 296 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,800 first six chapters. Watch this man's life. 297 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,400 They didn't pitch a fit. Hang new man. 298 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,320 I got no leg to stand on. You don't go to the. 299 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:29,080 King and say no. But Nebuchadnezzar was smart. 300 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:35,920 Anybody here in sales? Just me, A couple of us, man. 301 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,000 If I get somebody to go eat with me, we're in a conversation. 302 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:47,840 Food is powerful. So remember, Daniel and his 303 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,040 friends came from nobility. What do you what kind of food do 304 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:56,160 you think they were used to? Probably their King's table. 305 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:05,880 And what were they offered? The meat and wine of the King's 306 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,360 table. Uh oh. 307 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,800 There's where our conundrum begins for Daniel. 308 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,480 Why? He was Jewish. 309 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,800 Nebuchadnezzar was a Pagan king. Guess what? 310 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:32,760 Meats on the menu if you're a Pagan king, every part of the 311 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:40,040 pig. Now he knew the laws of God. 312 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,160 He'd been raised in him, the dietary laws of the Old 313 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,360 Testament. Daniel was firmly under and it 314 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:49,960 was meant to be a sign in a statement to the world of how we 315 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:54,680 are different from you. Our God says there are certain 316 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,560 things we can't eat, certain things that we can't eat. 317 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:07,760 And that's what comes into play. Now, if I'm Daniel, I'm telling 318 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:12,280 you right now, there's probably a 99 out of 100 times a chance 319 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,760 that I'm saying, forget it, My God's abandoned me. 320 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,640 I've been screaming into the night, why? 321 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,320 And I get a chance to eat like a king. 322 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,040 And all I have to do is compromise my dietary laws. 323 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,480 All I have to do basically is say, hey, God, that was a good 324 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:34,400 run. But I'm here now and I'm just 325 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,960 going to do it this way because I'm hurting. 326 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:43,080 I'm disillusioned you, I'm angry. 327 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,280 So I'm just going to go. I'm just going to do like all 328 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,960 the others. Maybe you're different. 329 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:57,400 I hope you are. I hope you're like Daniel. 330 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:59,080 I just have to be honest with myself. 331 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:04,240 It takes like this and say, if that's me, I don't know if I'm 332 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,680 landing where Daniel land. And I will say that like 333 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,520 boastfully. I just say that honest. 334 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,920 And that's what amazes me about stories like this is there was a 335 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:17,880 real human, I mean a real human being. 336 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:23,640 This is not like mythology. Daniel was a real human being, 337 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,880 like you and I completely different culture, completely 338 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:28,920 different part of the world, but he was a human being. 339 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:42,120 Look what he did verse 8. But Daniel resolved that he 340 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:45,920 would not defile himself with the King's food or with the wine 341 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,400 that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of 342 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,560 eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself, and God gave 343 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:57,960 Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the 344 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,000 eunuchs. There's your narrator, by the 345 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,680 way. Do you see it? 346 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,000 All of a sudden we get a third person perspective. 347 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:15,640 God gave Daniel favor. You know who doesn't know that, 348 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:23,160 Daniel? He doesn't know that that's the 349 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,160 narrator. And we get the benefit. 350 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:27,480 Of that now reading. Into that. 351 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:29,560 So it makes the story start to make sense. 352 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,000 To us, but not to Daniel. Daniel's in the middle. 353 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,800 Of it, he's living it. He's not getting that narration. 354 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:38,040 This is after the fact, probably long after Daniel's dead and 355 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:39,160 gone. That this is written. 356 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:41,360 Don't know all the intricacies of that for you. 357 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:43,320 I probably should have looked a little deeper, but that's OK. 358 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:51,280 You get the point. And here's the question, what 359 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,960 would you do if your life was being narrated? 360 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:58,880 Because what you're walking through right now, what you're 361 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,960 in the midst of, or what you will walk through one day, I 362 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:04,760 can't give you a lot of promises. 363 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,840 And I know how hopeless it could feel and how dark and how hard 364 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:11,680 it can feel. But do you know what? 365 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,680 God may not be with you in the way he was with Daniel, giving 366 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,720 favor to the chief of eunuchs. Hope to God you don't ever need 367 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:27,560 that kind of favor. But what would the narrator say? 368 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:32,720 That's the question for you to ask. 369 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:38,280 And it's I don't think Daniel was entirely so different or 370 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:43,200 special compared to you. And I is God is our God. 371 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,920 So let's read on. And the chief of the eunuch said 372 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,000 to Daniel, I fear, my Lord, the king, who has signed your food 373 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,800 and your drink, for why should he see that you were in worse 374 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:56,760 condition than the youths who are of your own? 375 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,840 Age so you would endanger my. Head with the king, guys. 376 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,720 That is not hyperbole. That is real. 377 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,560 The chief of the eunuchs, to which Daniel appealed, and he. 378 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:11,240 Didn't come all arrogant, he stayed humble and said hey come 379 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:12,480 on man. I can't eat this food. 380 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:13,720 He's like. You don't realize what you're 381 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:15,680 saying, Daniel. If you look worse than the 382 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,440 others and there's an investigation and the king finds 383 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,680 out I wasn't giving you the fare from his table, but I'm giving 384 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,200 you vegetables and water. Guess what happens to my? 385 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,480 Head, quite literally, it will be removed from my body. 386 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:35,280 Daniel was asking this guy to risk his life for him, and 387 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,040 because God had given him favor, he does. 388 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:42,400 Then Daniel said to the steward. Who was the chief of? 389 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,120 The eunuchs that is signed over these guys. 390 00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:47,640 Daniel. Yeah, you know the names. 391 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:51,440 Test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to 392 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:55,600 eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the 393 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,280 appearance of the youth who eat the King's food be observed by 394 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:02,000 you and deal with your servants according to what you see. 395 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,320 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 396 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,560 days. At the end of 10 days, it was 397 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:11,640 seen that they were better in appearance, in fatter in flesh 398 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,240 than all the youths who ate the King's food. 399 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,560 So the steward took away the food and the wine they were to 400 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,440 drink and gave them vegetables, which, by the way, you're 401 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,400 supposed to laugh at that, You know, every time. 402 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,400 I mean, when I read it, I just kind of laughed. 403 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,040 And I was like, man, Daniel, you talk about stepping out of the 404 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:31,320 frying pan and into the fire. What do I mean? 405 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,000 All right, so Daniel's made his choice and his three friends 406 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,160 have, right. But there are others there. 407 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,120 Can you imagine? Matt, you're getting the King's 408 00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:43,400 meat and wine. All of a sudden this sucker 409 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,760 comes up and says I want vegetables and water and it 410 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:47,360 works. And for three years. 411 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,160 Do you know what you. Get for three years vegetables 412 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:51,920 and water I. Got some stuff I want to say to. 413 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,800 Daniel, I don't care who. Your God is like why did you do 414 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:56,800 that? I guarantee. 415 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,200 You he got some blowback. For that one, for that move. 416 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:01,720 I. Guarantee you he did. 417 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,280 There were some of those people. There is like. 418 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:06,600 Come on man, we had the good stuff. 419 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:09,880 And now you're giving me. Broccoli and water. 420 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:13,760 That ain't me. That maybe. 421 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:14,360 You. That's my. 422 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:16,640 Wife, she'll take the give me the meat and. 423 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:21,120 Wine all day, like let's do it. And I just kind of laugh at that 424 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:23,440 story. And then we go on. 425 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,640 And these four years, God gave them learning and skill and all 426 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:31,080 literature, wisdom, and Daniel had understanding and all vision 427 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,760 and dreams all given from God, which is very important for the 428 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,200 narrator to tell us that. Because if you keep reading in 429 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:41,240 the very next chapter, Daniel's ability to interpret dreams and 430 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,640 visions saves not only his life and his friends lives, but the 431 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,200 lives of all the the wise men, including the magicians and 432 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,240 astrologers and Nebuchadnezzar's court. 433 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:56,160 Because the man was a madman. But the narrator tells us, he 434 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,120 set me up. You're getting a foreshadow for 435 00:27:58,120 --> 00:27:59,800 what's about to. We're not going to get into it 436 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,160 today, but I love how the story begins to unfold. 437 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:06,320 And once again, we get the narrator's perspective. 438 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:13,640 These four youths, God gave them learning and skill and all 439 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,480 literature and wisdom and the King's going to test them and 440 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:19,960 they're going to be better than all the rest. 441 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:28,320 That's how the story influence. So why am I still a Christian? 442 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:32,760 Because of stories just like this. 443 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,000 And you have to learn to root that into your story. 444 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:47,960 See, Daniel resolved long before this moment. 445 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,560 You don't resolve typically in moments like this. 446 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,760 And you know how I said I would probably eat the the meat and 447 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,480 drink the wine? But Daniel had resolved at some 448 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,640 point in his story, at some point in his life, not to defile 449 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,880 himself with the King's meat or with food that was 450 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,440 inappropriate. He took seriously the laws of 451 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,240 God and he took seriously worshipping his God through 452 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,000 them. And he had built this pattern 453 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,840 and established it. And at some point we all have to 454 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:18,280 resolve, come hell or high water, I am going to follow 455 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:20,520 Jesus. He's worth it for me and my. 456 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:21,400 Story. Here's how it. 457 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,920 Came 15 years old became a Christian Jesus kind of 458 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,840 radically stepped into my story when I wasn't even looking for 459 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:29,960 him. He had the nut the gall to 460 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:37,440 intrude on my life and save me come on Jesus and I lived like 461 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:42,400 that for about two weeks I was a sophomore in high school. 462 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:47,240 I still remember to this day, and I despise this term to this 463 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:51,440 day, Reverend, like all of a sudden, you know, because for I 464 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,760 was already pretty Pagan. And so pretty quickly it was 465 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:55,840 like, oh, do you hear about Ernie Banks? 466 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,800 And I mean, I remember having Mr. Pool wording my, my algebra 467 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,240 2 teacher, which is yet another reason why I hate algebra. 468 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,080 But he started calling me Rev in the class. 469 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,680 And, you know, not in a friendly, fun way, but in a 470 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,080 derogatory like, Oh, here's Ernie. 471 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:10,800 So that lasted for about two weeks. 472 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:21,400 I had no foundation and like discipleship and the heat was 473 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:23,360 too much for me. I didn't like it. 474 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:28,120 So you know what I did? I didn't consciously deconstruct 475 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:29,720 my faith. We didn't know any terms like 476 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,720 that back then. I just decided, hey, I'm going 477 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:35,160 to live life on my own terms, and I did. 478 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:49,120 Before the next four years, I spit at Jesus over There's no 479 00:30:50,240 --> 00:31:02,580 and over again as a young man. And at 19, he had the gall to 480 00:31:02,580 --> 00:31:07,740 come back. Not that he ever left, but he 481 00:31:07,740 --> 00:31:10,220 had the gall to kind of work some stuff in my life, like a 482 00:31:10,220 --> 00:31:12,940 chastisement. That was pretty harsh to me at 483 00:31:12,940 --> 00:31:15,020 the time. It felt terrible At 19. 484 00:31:15,020 --> 00:31:21,380 Now I let back that was nothing but it was enough to bring me to 485 00:31:21,380 --> 00:31:23,180 a place of brokenness and surrender. 486 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:31,280 It came for me to a .1 day and I had known. 487 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:39,440 There have been moments where I I knew that what I was doing was 488 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:49,720 wrong. But it came to a point and I met 489 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:59,240 Jesus and that moment, not a religion, not a baptism, not a. 490 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,480 Confession I met. Jesus. 491 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,080 And I found. Someone like so when, when, when 492 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,480 Sean or I or whoever says the the the doors are open wide. 493 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:10,880 The reason why I could tell you that. 494 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,280 Was so certainty. Is because they were for me 495 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:16,360 still they shouldn't have been. They should have been closed. 496 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,560 They should have been. You had your chance boy, I'm 497 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:20,760 done with you. And he wasn't. 498 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:25,360 And I met a Jesus and I fell in love with him and I told him if 499 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,840 you will take me back I will follow you all of my days. 500 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:32,280 And I had no idea what I was committing to as a 19. 501 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:37,240 Year old young man. No idea, but I have never gotten 502 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:38,840 over. Jesus. 503 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,720 And his love, and his grace, and his mercy. 504 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,800 And I have had the serpent on so many nights whisper. 505 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:48,600 Into my ear. Had enough? 506 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:54,680 Yet is he still worth it, Ernie? And somehow, by the grace of 507 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,240 God, I can look at my friend and say the reason I'm still a 508 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,920 Christian is because I'm a kept man. 509 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:06,320 I'm a loved man, and regardless of what life throws at me, I 510 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,760 have something historically to look back upon. 511 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,760 The cross of Jesus, the death, burial and resurrection of the 512 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,160 Son of God. And somehow, somehow, miracle of 513 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:20,560 all miracles, when I was a young man in the 1990s, yes, I lived 514 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:22,160 in a. Different century than some of. 515 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:26,320 You. Jesus came radically throughout 516 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:27,240 my. Story. 517 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,400 And there are so. Much that I don't understand. 518 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:35,560 The older I get the less. I feel like I understand. 519 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,120 But there is one. Thing that I. 520 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:46,520 Cling to. Is Jesus and his love and his 521 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,480 mercy even when it feels like the opposite. 522 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:04,120 I also have the narrators story. I have an answer. 523 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:05,360 So do you. You may not know it. 524 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,040 Can you throw Romans 15 on there? 525 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:18,400 Do we have that? This is Paul written 1000 years 526 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,800 war after Daniel. All right, 600, we'll say 1000. 527 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:28,600 Whatever was written in former days, Guess what was written in 528 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,920 former days? The book of Daniel. 529 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:36,239 He's writing to Christians. Why is Daniel there? 530 00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:43,480 It was written for your mind. Instruction that through 531 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:47,800 endurance a good people. Do you have to endure a good 532 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:53,760 meal or enjoy a good meal? You know when you need 533 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:58,720 endurance? When you're in the gym, or are 534 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:03,040 you pulling the 3rd consecutive 12 hour shift or the babies are 535 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,920 up at 2:00 in the morning to get that, You don't need endurance 536 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:10,000 for the good times, you need it for the hard times. 537 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,560 So through endurance. And through the encouragement of 538 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:19,160 the scriptures, through the encouragement of Daniel's story, 539 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,000 do you know what you and I are supposed to take away from 540 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:27,640 Daniel's story? We might have hope because you 541 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:30,080 and I are never going to have the narrator show up in our 542 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:32,080 story. But what we have to trust is the 543 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,760 same narrator who was narrating Daniel's story. 544 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:39,760 Guess what he's doing in yours? He's narrating it, which could 545 00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:42,360 be really tricky and really hard, but we have. 546 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,160 Something firm. And resolute to stand on. 547 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:49,120 I can go to the book of Daniel and I can imbibe that. 548 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,520 Into my life and say OK God, OK I don't like what? 549 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:55,360 You're doing right now. It hurts. 550 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,160 I don't want to keep. Believing, but I want. 551 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,200 To trust you. Because of this. 552 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:03,920 Story I will trust you. I will resolve like Daniel. 553 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:06,760 I will be resilient by the grace of God. 554 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:10,000 There is power. For me to believe and have hope 555 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,960 and keep going. So that's why I'm still a 556 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:17,440 Christian and all this begins to change my perspective. 557 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:25,520 The question of how could God be all powerful and all loving and 558 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,840 allow evil in the world? It's not just a something that 559 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:31,520 perplexes theologians or theists. 560 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:34,000 It's also a problem for atheists when you get on the 561 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,320 philosophical side. Here's what I want to tell you. 562 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,760 You guys know jiu jitsu? Obviously I do. 563 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,040 One of the keys to jiu jitsu that. 564 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:48,480 What I understand theoretically, not experientially, is that what 565 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:52,000 you do is you you kind of flip your opponent's power against 566 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,760 them, like you learned to kind of transfer that power against. 567 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:55,800 Them right. So wait. 568 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:57,640 Here's what I want to tell you. I want to. 569 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:01,440 Teach you how to do that because that question I've resolved in 570 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:03,240 my heart. Is a garden question. 571 00:37:03,240 --> 00:37:05,000 Here's what I mean. How could God be all? 572 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:07,680 Loving and all powerful. And allow this well. 573 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:11,720 That's the same thing that the the serpent offered Adam. 574 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:13,960 And Eve in the garden, just in a different package. 575 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,560 If you eat this tree. God knows you. 576 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:21,400 Will be like who? Him discerning good from evil. 577 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:22,880 And that's what that question is. 578 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:27,480 I get to Satan, say I Ernie, you get to be the decider of what's 579 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:31,160 good and evil. You get to be the judge of God. 580 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:34,760 And so here's how you jujitsu that question. 581 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,920 Here's how you begin to fight. Here flip it on its. 582 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,360 Head and say the same question. Whoa, whoa, whoa. 583 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:43,200 Wait a minute, snake. Wait a minute, Ernie, talk to 584 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:44,960 yourself. I mean, don't say Ernie, that'd 585 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:49,040 be weird. How about this question? 586 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,000 How? Could God be all loving and all 587 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:56,720 powerful and let someone perfect like His Son die in my place? 588 00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,160 That might be a better question to ask and answer in those 589 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:02,360 moments. And that's how you begin to flip 590 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:03,920 it. And it's not a denial. 591 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,080 Sometimes you have to live with the pain. 592 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,360 Sometimes you have to live with the why. 593 00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:11,040 You will not get the answers you want always. 594 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:14,600 But there are solid places to land, my friend. 595 00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:17,600 There's solid places to land that matter. 596 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:19,680 They're far better than where you're landing. 597 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:21,800 And deep down inside, you know it. 598 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,120 And you have to trust when life doesn't make. 599 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:31,840 Sense because Daniel did and then lastly, I'm still a 600 00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:37,520 Christian because I believe the end of the narrator story told 601 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:43,840 from a first person perspective being in this Jesus is coming 602 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:49,960 back and everything that was made wrong in the garden will be 603 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:55,240 made right and the wonder and the beauty and the mystery of 604 00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:57,040 the crosses. This is process of Romans. 605 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:02,640 God could be both just and the justifier of the ungodly. 606 00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:07,520 What does that mean? Some of you have been so wrong 607 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:11,680 in life. You have been robbed of justice 608 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,440 and you know it and I know it. And there's no way morally, 609 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:21,120 ethically or legally, you can get what should be coming to you 610 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:23,760 if you. Have a problem? 611 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,400 With God's wrath, which is what he's talking about, justice will 612 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:28,760 come. One day on the ungodly. 613 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:31,920 He's going to clean house. If you have a problem with that. 614 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:35,680 I would say you've probably never been robbed of justice. 615 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,400 Because if you ever have, then it begins to make more sense 616 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:46,320 because you long for it. It's unfair and there's nothing 617 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:49,480 you can do about it. And that robs you of authority. 618 00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:53,280 It robs you of autonomy. It just, it's infuriating to 619 00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:58,080 have someone do evil to you and not be able to respond in kind. 620 00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:00,840 And even Paul says that it drives me crazy. 621 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,720 Love your enemy. Pray for those that despitefully 622 00:40:03,720 --> 00:40:05,400 use you. And you don't want to know what 623 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:07,920 I tell Paul sometimes in secret moments about that. 624 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,200 You don't. But I bet you would too. 625 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:13,240 I bet. You do too. 626 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:16,480 And that's the beauty of it all. One day Jesus is coming back. 627 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:19,280 And listen, do you know who deserves God's wrath when he 628 00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:23,640 comes back? Every one of us. 629 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:29,400 But for all who've embraced Jesus, we get love, grace and 630 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,280 mercy. And maybe even those who've 631 00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:34,560 wronged. You it'll be settled on the. 632 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:42,200 Cross. And if not, if not, justice will 633 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:49,440 finally come in the form of a king who roots out all evil. 634 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:53,720 Believe it or not, that is good news. 635 00:40:55,360 --> 00:41:02,760 My friend who saw atrocious evil God was not black to it. 636 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:09,040 It's only a matter of time. Or for the all who've 637 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:17,200 perpetrated you, they'll either bow to Jesus now, for they'll 638 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:25,600 bow to whom. And I still think that's the the 639 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:29,560 most logical story of all of them that I hear. 640 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:33,400 All the religions, all the philosophies still just makes 641 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:41,920 the most sense to me. So I hope for you today you can 642 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,760 continue to ask the question, what? 643 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,320 What did the narrator say of my story? 644 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:53,440 And let that bring you hope through all the darkness, 645 00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:58,040 through all of the pain, through all of the suffering. 646 00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:03,480 And it won't be long. I mean, our lives are not that 647 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,960 long. It won't be long and King. 648 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:12,760 Jesus will return and we. Will walk in that victory for 649 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:13,960 the rest. Of our lives. 650 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:20,240 And all this, I don't even know if it'll be a wisp of a memory. 651 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:25,000 Just don't know. All right, let's pray. 652 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:33,400 Yeah. Father, I pray that this 653 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:40,400 question would stay with us and we would be able to honestly and 654 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:47,640 openly dialogue with you, dialogue with ourselves, and we 655 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:53,160 would keep coming back to this and say there is a narrator and 656 00:42:53,160 --> 00:43:00,320 he has good in mind. Father, thank you so much that I 657 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:04,000 still believe that is a gift for you. 658 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:09,680 I pray that for everyone of my hearers, maybe for the first 659 00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:16,160 time or maybe for the millions, how they would be able to say I 660 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:22,440 believe or I still believe. Help us, we pray in Jesus name, 661 00:43:23,280 --> 00:44:06,880 Amen. The.