1. Belief in Real Life Daniel 1-3
Sorry we were gone – Sally and I were celebrating turning 40
Had a great time – very rejuvenating
Glad to be home and certainly missed being here
This message came as I was riding down the road not feeling what I thought I was going to be preaching about – Tithing – God getting in our space – address some real life stuff
Daniel 1-3

2. Belief in real life begins with a daily decision to serve Him first!
Sorry we were gone – Sally and I were celebrating turning 40
Had a great time – very rejuvenating
Glad to be home and certainly missed being here
This message came as I was riding down the road not feeling what I thought I was going to be preaching about – Tithing – God getting in our space – address some real life stuff

3. Brother Lawrence – The Practice of the Presence of God
“I do not pray that you may be delivered from your pains, but I pray God earnestly that He would give you strength and patience to bear them as long as He pleases.”
So let me begin with this thought – life is hard. It catches us off guard. This Christian life is even harder. In regular life we can run to whatever the world says is ok to medicate our troubles. The Christian life says don’t medicate, face it through the power of the Holy Spirit – all things are allowed by Him both good and bad. Instead of praying away from it, pray through it in order to experience God and to grow in His grace.
Here is a great qoute
Brother Lawrence – The Practice of the Presence of God

4. Real Life History Babylon invades Jerusalem – takes captives
Treated well in order to serve the king
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah move up in the ranks
Daniel interprets a dream, further movement
Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah stand for God
Here is a quick run down of where we are at with this great Historical story

5. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  
Daniel 3:21-23

6.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O King.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
Daniel 3:24-25

7. What were they thinking?
Belief in Real Life
What were they thinking?
So how do we get to the place where we find ourselves in the midst of our own fiery furnace but instead of being consumed by the obvious – by what the world would deem as an impossible situation, what would consume most everyone else? How do we get to the place where we can experience truly something absolutely wonderful.

8.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Here is the answer – these guys are truly reserved in the truth of what God can do and resigned to the fact that it is God’s choice as to what happens to them – but either way they win and they do not care
Daniel 3:16-18

9. …is total resignation to trusting in God’s plan.
Belief in Real Life …
…is total resignation to trusting in God’s plan.
I am not talking to the non believers this morning, although this is the best place to start. I am however talking to the believers, the true followers of God. This is not a fence riding relationship, we don’t get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Our enjoyment comes from our service to the King – sacrifice, suffering, blessings at the hand of a gracious and loving heavenly Father.
We don’t get to decide what is fair, just and right – that is His and His alone.

10.  The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
This is the king who took them captive, the guy who doesn’t like the Jews but now he has turned to support Daniel’s God all because Daniel interpreted a dream. All of his other guys couldn’t do it and almost lost their lives for it. And yet, Daniel on his first shot interprets it correctly for the king and moves them up in the rankings.
Daniel 2:47

11. How did this happen? Belief in Real Life
Again, how did we get to this place. Daniel was placed in a position of impossibility – and yet he did something to help him. God had already blessed him with the ability to interpret dreams but what he did when he offered to interpret the dream was astounding.

12. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Look at this –
Immediately he goes to his closest friends – ones who think like him, friends who seek God as well, guys who know truth and seek to serve God
He then asks for them to pray with him.
And then they wait
Daniel 2:17-19

13. Belief in Real Life … …is total resignation to trusting in God’s plan.
… is praying and waiting on the Lord.
I am not talking to the non believers this morning, although this is the best place to start. I am however talking to the believers, the true followers of God. This is not a fence riding relationship, we don’t get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Our enjoyment comes from our service to the King – sacrifice, suffering, blessings at the hand of a gracious and loving heavenly Father.
We don’t get to decide what is fair, just and right – that is His and His alone.

14.  As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.  Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
Now we are almost back to the beginning Here we see God doing some great things in these 4 boys lives. We find their learning ability, understanding and wisdom was 10X better than the other guys.
Again we have to ask our selves the wonderful question?
Daniel 1:17-18

15. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
Now we are almost back to the beginning Here we see God doing some great things in these 4 boys lives. We find their learning ability, understanding and wisdom was 10X better than the other guys.
Again we have to ask our selves the wonderful question?
Daniel 1:19-20

16. Why were they able to excel?
Belief in Real Life
Why were they able to excel?

17.  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
The king had ordered the boys to eat the best meats and drink the kings wine. Daniel had a different plan. His idea was to eat vegetables and drink water. Because of this they were far better looking, sharper and used by God in service to the King.
But it wasn’t because of the vegetables, but look at the first part of that verse.
Daniel 1:8

18. Belief in Real Life … …is total resignation to trusting God’s plan.
… is praying and waiting on the Lord.
… begins by daily purposing to live for Him and not ourselves.
I am not talking to the non believers this morning, although this is the best place to start. I am however talking to the believers, the true followers of God. This is not a fence riding relationship, we don’t get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Our enjoyment comes from our service to the King – sacrifice, suffering, blessings at the hand of a gracious and loving heavenly Father.
We don’t get to decide what is fair, just and right – that is His and His alone.

19. Belief in real life begins with a daily decision to serve Him first!
Sorry we were gone – Sally and I were celebrating turning 40
Had a great time – very rejuvenating
Glad to be home and certainly missed being here
This message came as I was riding down the road not feeling what I thought I was going to be preaching about – Tithing – God getting in our space – address some real life stuff