Calvary Grace Assembly of God
Oct 30 – Nov 6, 2016
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THRIVING IN A GODLESS CULTURE
It seems the world is falling apart a warp speed! But are all these things unique to our time? The truth is NO! In fact, things were worse in Daniel’s day, and Daniel lived an exemplerary life.
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Daniel 1:1-4
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the kingʼs service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the kingʼs palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.
Series: SURVIVING IN A GODLESS CULTURE
Message: “Caught in the Backwash”
Daniel 1:1-4
Pastor Tom Cogle
Sunday, October 30, 2016
It seems the world is falling apart a warp speed! But are all these things unique to our time? The truth is NO! In fact, things were worse in Daniel’s day.
I. A MAN NAMED DANIEL
1. Daniel is not an adventure story.
There will be times when God chooses to be with us IN our trials rather than delivering us FROM our trials.
2. Daniel is not a prophecy manual.
We don’t want to turn the bulk of our attention to deciphering the OBSCURE and miss the OBVIOUS.
3. Godliness in a world gone haywire
Daniel found a way, in a culture far more wicked than anything we face, to glorify and serve God with such integrity and power that kings, peasants, and an entire nation turned to acknowledge the splendor of the living God.
Which raises a question: “How did he do it?”
II. CAUGHT IN THE BACKWASH
1. Daniel’s dilemma
Daniel suffered because of other people’s sin.
2. When the Lord is behind everything, it changes everything
God is in control of wo is in control!
III. HOW BAD CAN IT GET?
1. The good old days
The past days of evil have now become our good old days.
2. It’s never been easy
it’s never been easy to live a godly life. Our challenges we face today are nothing new.
3. Something my Sunday school teacher forgot to tell me
Daniel and his friends were turned into eunuchs. Daniel had no sons.
In the midst of Daniel’s nightmare, God showed up. He gave Daniel a plan and path to follow. By following it, Daniel thrived in the most unlikely of places.
I want you to be able to thrive like Daniel did in our godless culture.
(Be sure to continue to follow us in this series of messages each Sunday and Wednesday during the month of November.)