Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Living in the Miraculous Pt.3

Glory to God. Amen. Well, it's nice to be back from Alaska to this cool weather.

We had a great time, a great trip. Saw a lot of very, very interesting sights in the time that we had away, and just thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We got so many gorgeous pictures. We were showing them last night, and there were people that were asking to see more. So we're thinking about putting together about a ten-minute presentation of some pictures somewhere down the road here that could be a blessing, and just in an off time when some of you might want to come and see them, we'll just share. The grandeur, the handiwork of God, just phenomenal, and so exciting things happening. We did come back to some warm weather. We stopped in Bakersfield on the way. It was 107^o and right outside Bakersfield, in Needles, it was 125^o. So it's warm everywhere, praise God.

Let's turn to the book of Acts. We want to pick up where we were on our subject of living in the supernatural. In choosing that term, we want to really communicate what we believe the Holy Spirit is saying to us, and that's that the supernatural isn't something that should be periodically experienced but should be the daily life that each of us is living in. I think one of the most important comments we made in the last teaching along this subject--and I want you to get this principle; if you don't get anything else, get this principle down--and that's that when we're talking about living in faith, living in the supernatural, we're not looking for spectacular events in our lives, but we're looking for the awareness of God's presence in our lives. Not spectacular events, but an awareness of God's presence, and it's that awareness and the confidence of God's presence that brings about the periodic spectacular events that we call miracles, the intervention of God.

So we made the comment that this life in the supernatural is a constant preparation and an expectation of God's promises being fulfilled in our lives--constant preparation and expectation of God's promises being evidenced in our lives. Let me say it this way: Are you ready for a miracle? Have you prepared? Is your life--are you a candidate for a miracle? Why would God intervene just to bail us out of our problems? God doesn't intervene to bail you out of your problems. In fact, most of the time, God will let you go through the problem to make you a better person, to build character in you. You want out? What have you done to prepare yourself?

So we were studying in the book of Acts in our last session, and you remember we were talking about Peter's deliverance and how Peter was resting as prayer was being made for him, without ceasing, by the saints. So we saw, then, that the environment for the miraculous is a without-ceasing expectation and petitioning of God to fulfill His promises. Now, in this situation with Peter, what are the promises of God? Well, the promises are very clear. They were being persecuted--you remember we went back through Acts, and we were studying what brought them to this particular place. We studied about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the empowering, the boldness of Peter to witness, how they were being persecuted for their ministry and told no longer to speak in this name and were beaten after having been threatened. And what was it that they did at that moment? They went their way rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name's sake.

How many of you count it a privilege to bear the name of Jesus in the midst of a society that despises Him, that despises you? How many of your treasures are the ridicule of your coworkers because of your stand for righteousness? And you say, Well, I'm not really receiving any persecution or ridicule. Then maybe we're not letting our light shine brightly enough. Now, it's going to come in cycles. We understand that, but what we have to also understand is [that] we're a people set apart, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, called and prepared to show forth the praises of Him that called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We're a people set apart, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood; that's what we're living for, that's who we are, that's our vocation. So if we're going to have lives that count the supernatural [as] normal, then it's going to have to be one that is based upon the pursuit of eternal things, spiritual things. That is the realm of the supernatural. Is that where your treasure is? Is that where your thoughts are? Is that what you're living for?

See, you can't live for self all week and get yourself in trouble and think God is going to come and bail you out. Some great miracle--"The angel of the Lord will come and smite me on my side, and I'll be able to get out of this mess." Why are you in the mess? Why do you need the miracle? You should need the miracle because of your obedience to God that causes you to be in this place of persecution, whether it be Satan directly, whether it be Satan's emissaries (people, society)--the kingdom of darkness. We, as a people, are being opposed by the powers of darkness because we are the children of light. We need the miraculous because of the power of sin that we face on a daily basis. Peter was in that prison because it pleased the politicians of the day--that the killing and stoning, the death of Stephen, had so much support that they took Peter also. And we talked about the fact that this is the society that we're coming into. We're a peculiar people. Are you ready for life in the supernatural? If not, then what's it going to take to prepare us for this day that's going to come on us? A changing of our treasures.

I just had the--I was telling some of the guys yesterday, I just spent some time with my grandmother, my mother, and my aunt. We were looking at some of the things that--it was kind of cool. We docked in San Francisco, and my Aunt Maxine, she said--we had docked right under the Bay Bridge and on the way out, we got to go out under the Golden Gate [Bridge]. What a beautiful sight, to be able to go under the Golden Gate and look back and see the city on the hill there. "I left my heart..." [Pastor starts singing I Left My Heart in San Francisco]. Or if you want to go back to the sixties, Little boxes made of ticky tack, and they all look the same [Pastor sings Little Boxes]. How many of you know that one? You only fully appreciated it on acid [LSD--hallucinogenic drug], but that was one of the songs out of the sixties. Beautiful city. My aunt said, "I remember when I was a kid, we came up here on the ferry, and the roadway wasn't even on the Bay Bridge yet." And as they prepared it for the World's Fair that was there on Treasure Island--it wasn't a World's Fair when I was stationed on Treasure Island when I was in the Navy, but anyway--

Old people--a boat full of old people. Cruises are--if you go especially on Princess Line or whatever; it's kind of a cut above a lot--it's old people. I was a youngster on there! All these old people. You had to watch where you were going--walkers and wheelchairs. It was kind of like the stoplight in Eldoret. But listen to these old people. Old people who weren't Christians but had different values. Things have changed in this world in which we live. The secular, the unregenerated--I want to tell you something. The unregenerate of that time were more moral and trustworthy than many professed Christians in this era, and there was a respect for "truth, justice and the American way"--able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet, and who disguised as a mild-mannered-- Anyway, sorry about that. We are hearkening back, right?

Look how things have changed. And now what is the norm? Welfare, homosexuality, chaos. And there's one group through all of this transition that hasn't changed: the church of Jesus Christ, the same for two thousand years. Same values, same goals, same message, and around us are being erected, constantly, idols of humanism, secularism, in its pursuit of the sciences, as we've talked. And there's this one little segment, who in the minds of many [have thought], If somehow we could do away with these people, we could get some type of a world peace. It's not going to happen as long as we're here. Aren't you glad we're going away pretty soon? "...he who now letteth will let," the Scripture says (2 Thessalonians 2:7), "until [we] be taken out of the way." We are the restraining force of that man of sin. But in the midst of all of this, the church is being secularized. The church's power is being robbed, and even among those of us, as we talked last time, that have the proper doctrine--many have lost it doctrinally. We have the right doctrine, but the fact of the matter is, we're losing our power because of our trust in our prosperity, in our technology, in the sciences. And it's so easy to run to the doctor; it's so easy to find "other than" [God].

I talked about it the other day. Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm not being critical, but I'm trying to show, I'm trying to identify something for us. We've just had these marriages here just recently, and these kids--this group of kids went to the Bahamas and this group of kids went on this cruise, and this group went here and they got this and they got that. And most of us that are even just my age, if you got to go anywhere, it was--I know myself, as a young person, we had a one-day honeymoon. We went to my grandmother's house. Thankfully, she left. Married on a Friday night; we finally got away from the church about two o'clock, drove four and one-half hours to Monterey, woke up Saturday and had our honeymoon trip. The next morning we went to church and after church, drove home. How many of you went to church on your honeymoon? What am I saying? We've got so much; there's so much "other" to do. Our entertainment, as young believers back then, was to fellowship with each other because we didn't have any money to do anything. And it was a sin to go to the movies, if we had money. That might not be a bad idea, to make it sin again.

What are we talking about? Living in the supernatural--again, seeing the power of God in our lives to where we look to Him first. Are we? Are we a people that don't just have the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit but the power of the Holy Spirit? When's the last time you had a word of wisdom? And I don't just mean like they do on The 700 Club: "God is telling me somebody here has a bad back." We all have bad backs! If you want to be--"Somebody here doesn't have a bad back"--that would be rare. When's the last time you had a word of wisdom that came to you, that showed you the mind of God, and said, "Conventional wisdom says this, natural circumstances dictate this, but here is what I want you to do: say this, go here, do this"? When's the last time God healed you? When's the last time you laid your hands on somebody and saw them healed? When's the last time you prayed with a brother or sister and they were baptized with the Holy Spirit? When's the last time, instead of singing a little chorus when there's a time of quiet in our worship, that out of your innermost being words came forth as rivers of living water and you brought us a word from the throne of God because you spoke as a prophet? When's the last miracle? How many of our young people that are going on cruises and--again, kids, I'm not criticizing you, but I'm trying to point out--when's the last time that you had to believe God for anything? In a generation that we're trying to bring up greater than ourselves, and the question I have to ask is: Are we? I would say greater doctrinally; I would say greater in character, but, beloved--and I'm talking to you young people--you need to be greater in faith and power. And we're proud of you, but you're missing something, man! The greatest gift of all--God did it. Without that, we're not going to stand in this hour that's coming upon us, because your credit cards aren't going get you out of it; technology is not going to get you out of it. Mom and Dad aren't going to get you out of it. The church of Jesus Christ today is the same church of the book of Acts; nothing has changed--but has it?

So we saw in Peter, after the infilling of the Holy Spirit, having been backed down by that young girl--"I don't know the man"--as he denied Jesus and the cock crew and his heart was smitten, and Jesus looked at him and he went away broken and weeping because of his denial. How many times do we deny Him in a day by choosing other than, by trusting other than? How many times, in the midst of the people that you congregate with on a daily basis, do you deny Him when you don't stand for His way of righteousness? And I'm not talking about expecting sinners to live like Christians. I'm talking about proclaiming who we are and how we live. Not saying, "You have to live this way" [but saying] "This is how I live; this is who I am. This is the truth. You're living a lie."

As the Lord spoke, having been raised, and said, "Go tell the disciples and Peter that I'm risen," he was called back. "...Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner..." (Acts 1:11). "...[Go, wait to] be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). They go, and the place that they're gathered is shaken, praise God. They pour into the streets and say, "[This same Jesus that you've crucified has God raised from the dead.] But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel [saying]...your sons...shall prophesy...your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:16-17). Thousands are added to the church. They go up to pray. The lame man is healed, praise God. They're persecuted; they count it all joy. Paul is saved; Stephen is stoned. "It's about time something is being done here." The bad guys (the Christians)--the bad guys are being wiped out. Peter is arrested; prayers made without ceasing. The angel opens his way. We said that today, so many of us would be looking for the best lawyers; we'd be picketing. It wasn't about Peter. You want to know what it was about? Chapter 4 of the books of Acts, verse 33, "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."

So we talked about the battle with the powers of darkness and the need to experience the supernatural--this baptism in the Holy Spirit that is far more than speaking with other tongues. As I was meditating on this and asking the Lord, "Lord, how can we see this thing clearly," then I realized there's no better biblical example of what I'm talking about than Daniel. The passage that we're all so familiar with, but let's look there for just a second into Daniel 6. I want to go over a couple of principles that are through the sixth chapter of Daniel that'll be a blessing to you, and I think it'll convey clearly what I'm trying to say.

Now, remember who Daniel is. He's one of the young exiles. They're a people that had been defeated, brought into slavery. Jeremiah had prophesied; the prophets had declared it, and no one ever believes it. Time and time again, whether it be in the days of Jeremiah, Daniel, the words of the prophets of the justice of God and the consequences of worldliness are usually not heeded, but there's always a remnant. If I learned one thing in the book of Daniel, I learned this--also in the life of Joseph, you see it very clearly: God's people will always prosper regardless of the intensity of the persecution. Now, when I say prosper, don't--I'm not talking about monetarily. I'm talking about becoming aware of the provision of God. That's prosperity. God is your source. That's prosperity. Having to choose between the world's system, which in every occasion, whether it was Egypt or the Medes and the Persians, the Babylonian captivity that came--here Darius, as the Medes and the Persians usurped the Babylonian dominance--no nation stands forever. The Greeks came, Alexander--the Medes and the Persians were defeated. The Romans came. America came and America will go. What are you going to be found trusting in?

Darius tried to get Daniel to look to his gods but was himself converted. So we know the story, and in the midst of this God is prospering His people. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, they're being prospered. They survive the fiery furnace. They're in positions of prominence. We know the stories, how they didn't want to be defiled with the king's bread--"Let us trust God." They were ten times wiser than those in their generation that were doing it the world's way, and here they stand. In the midst of this, one stood above them all, this young man, Daniel. The Scripture says that he was elevated, in Chapter 6, to the point where King Darius "...set over the kingdom [verse 1] an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first..." Well, as it always happens, Daniel was first and the other two guys were jealous. Man is never satisfied with his position, because in every one of them is the spirit of Lucifer: "I will ascend above. I'm special. I'm the best. My ways are right. My thoughts are truth."

So here's King Darius and the three presidents, and the Scripture says that he was first. And that seemed to be tolerable, but then the Scriptures says in verse 3, "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, [Here's where I want to begin to show you some of these aspects that I was talking about. He was preferred above others] because [say it with me] an excellent spirit..." How's your spirit? You know, we use that phrase here, don't we? We're pursing a spirit of excellence.

We're just getting ready to start something here in elementary school. We're adding another day of Physical Education (PE). Why? Because all the kids in our country are getting fat; our kids aren't. We're not going to have a bunch of little fatties. We're not going to have a bunch of little kids sitting around with computers all day. You're going to do stuff that's physical. Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and men. That's what we're after: whole people (social, physical, spiritual). And we're not going to do it the world's way. We're not going to eat the king's dainties, and we're going to be ten times wiser than anything they can produce. We're going to build, in the generations that are coming, should the Lord tarry, people with an excellent spirit! People that are diligent. People that are humble. People that are servants. People that aren't leaning to the right hand or to the left, but in all of their ways acknowledging God.

Because of that excellent spirit--and this is what's happening in our midst--and some you are getting sucked into Satan's trap because of your excellent spirit. You're going out into society, and you're head and shoulders above everybody else. You're not stealing from the register--you're showing up on time; you're doing a day's work--and because of that, you're being promoted. And because you're being promoted, you can't serve the body [of Christ] anymore, that [which] made you excellent to go get the job. Wrong choice! Wrong choice! "...because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm." Yeah, that's going to fly with these other two guys, isn't it? "Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel..." Now, I guarantee you there were two clubs here. There was the "Super Three" and the "Bad 120." And you know what? Senate, House--the 120 was a club, and the three was a club. And the 120 was a subordinate club, and, you know, they all 120 thought they should be the three. But now the king thought to set Daniel above the other two. Now the 120 and the two become one. They have one thing in common: they hate Daniel. And the world has one thing in common: they hate us. And other professed Christians have one thing in common: they hate us. You want to know why? Because we don't do it like they do, and we don't justify their sin. We don't lower the standards of perfection and the pursuit of an excellent spirit and spare for their crying. They have one thing in common. We call it the Pilate-Herod Syndrome. Can I tell you something? When God comes into your life and begins to prosper you, everybody's not going to be happy for you. Man's first response is jealousy. It's what their father has passed on to them through the genetics of sin.

Now, Daniel, being promoted here, is being opposed. Look what the Scripture goes on to say. I love this. I love this testimony about him; I wish it was my testimony. It's what I strive for, and I've experienced this to some degree. I wish more. "[They] sought to find occasion against Daniel...but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was [say it] faithful..." An excellent spirit and what? Get it in your notes. An excellent spirit and what? They could find no occasion because he was faithful. The requirement of a steward is that he be found faithful. See, this isn't our kingdom. We don't possess anything. This is all God's, and we're to be faithful over it. What are you doing with what God has blessed you with? Are you faithful in overseeing your family? Men, are you faithful in pouring time into your wife in washing her with the water of the Word? Are you teaching your children and raising them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Are you assuming the course for your household? Are you a faithful steward over what God has given you? Some of us seem to think what God has given us is our jobs and our income and we're to be faithful over that. That's not what God gave you! God gave you a family, and then God gave you a means to provide for them. It's secondary. Yes, God is the source, but it's secondary. And I'll tell you what. More of us are much more faithful to our jobs--and "I've got to be there on time"--than we are to our families. Are you as concerned about being back home to your wife on time as you are about being at work on time? Keeping the appointment with your children, spending time with them in the yard, teaching them how to play ball a little bit, teaching them how to pray?

He was a faithful man. He realized that everything that he had was a gift from God, and that it wasn't his to do with as he pleased but was faithful to Him Who had called him. So the Scripture goes on and speaks, and it says, "...neither was there any error or fault found in him." Now, you've got to stop and realize we're not talking about sinless perfection here. We're talking about a guy who's doing what God told him to do--about a man who had an excellent spirit and was faithful. You could trust him. He was consistent. He wasn't a respecter of persons. He treated everybody the same. Everybody had the same value in his sight. He pursued truth. He was jealous for God's glory. So they couldn't--politically, they couldn't find anything. He didn't make promises that he didn't intend on keeping. He wasn't immoral. So they said, "The only way we're going to be able to get this guy is to use his strengths against him." Now, stop and think. Let's say, all of sudden, there was a decree made that Christians were to be found, identified, tagged. For most of us, they would know where to find us on a Wednesday night, wouldn't they? The others would be a little tougher; they'd have to sort them out through the malls and different things. But, you know, some of us, we know where we're going to be found on a certain night, don't we? We know where we're going on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, Tuesday, second Saturday.

These guys knew exactly what to do: "We'll take his strengths and we'll use them against him. We're going to only be able to get him as it pertains to his God. He won't compromise concerning the laws of his God." So they came up with a plan, and you know what it was. They went to the king and said, "King, you're great, and everybody ought to celebrate you." The guy says, "That's not a bad idea." "There shouldn't be any other gods worshipped other than you and no prayers made other than to you and petitions made other than to you." And he said, "Yes, you're right. I deserve that; I've worked hard."

So he makes the decree, and then the Scripture goes on and it says, verse 10, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed [he thought, This is a time to lay low.]" Now, you know, there are times--and I'm not going to go there in this study; we'll talk about it at some other time--there are times, such as in Paul's life, when you allow yourself to be let down over the wall in the basket and you beat feet. There are times when you receive the counsel of those that are around you. "Paul, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to walk into that mob right now." Paul said, "I'm going to get these guys," and his counselors said, "Come on big boy [little small, wimpy Jew going to go in there], this isn't the time," and he listened to counsel, because it wasn't his time to be offered up at that moment. In listening to counsel, his life was preserved. Why? So that we could read these epistles. It wasn't about sparing him. It was about building a church. It's not about making life easy on us. It's about building the church. It's about another generation being raised up that knows the provision of God--jealous for the glory of God.

So Daniel, knowing that this had been signed--he had an excellent spirit and he was faithful, so what's he going to do? He's going to pray like he always does. Yes, but if you do that, it's going to cost you something. For some of us, it might cost us our jobs. We're talking about his life; we're not talking about an inconvenience. We're not talking about the fact that he might have to take a $50,000-a-year cut in income. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, [I want you to get this phrase; here it is--say it with me] as he did aforetime."

Are circumstances changing your pattern of pursuing God? "Well, there's an obstacle in my way. I'm being opposed." "It's not convenient." "It's not permitted. Our homeowners don't allow it. We can't pass out literature. You're not allowed to do it on this property." "...as he did aforetime..." You see, the fact of the matter is, you're going to be asked to change. No, you're going to be required to change, demanded to change. You will pay a price if you don't change. How excellent is your spirit? How faithful are you in the production of the fruit in your life? What proof do you have that you're going to make the right decision when it comes? "Well, God will be sufficient. His grace will be sufficient." Grace is not an accident. It's an expression of character. Grace is God's enabling and making sufficient what exists and needs supplement. It doesn't create character; it enhances character. The fact of the matter is that the majority that have denied Him to that point will continue to deny Him.

We don't talk about it a lot, but [of] those that know and have chosen not to obey, Thessalonians speaks very clearly. It says that God will give them over to strong delusion so that they will believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). This spirit of antichrist that's coming, this power that's coming upon the world, there's going to be the time when regardless of the doctrine that you have and what you used to know to be true, you will not see it. It will have been clear as could be yesterday, and you can't see it today because God will give over to strong delusion those that habitually refuse to be obedient until that point of God's justice being evidenced. You see, what I'm talking about here is the hand of God. This is not the devil winning; this is God's justice being met. This is God's purging and purifying of His bride. This is the beginning of the separation of sheep and goats. This is the beginning of the wisdom of God that begins to discern between wheat and tares that we don't even dare to get into. As I look across this congregation, I want you to know something. We have tares among us, but we're not given the liberty to make that decision. God makes that final determination. We deal with what we know. We deal with the obvious, but God ultimately deals with the heart issues.

We all seem to think that when it comes to crunch time we're going to make the right decision. Peter didn't until he was filled with the Spirit. The life of Daniel is so clear that when it comes to these times in our life you had to have made a lot of right decisions prior. What have you laid up in decision-making to allow God's grace to enable you? The excellent spirit, the fruit of faithfulness, the habitual life of the steward of God, and Scripture then says that he did this as aforetime. "Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God." [They] went and told the king, [and] asked the petition for these to be thrown to the lions. It was given; Daniel is identified, verse 13. "Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him..." but was bound by his own laws.

We've seen a lot of really bad decisions being made by our lawmakers. Does anybody see a trend? I don't watch--I can't tell you --I can't even remember the last time I had network TV on and watched the news. I don't get a newspaper. I hear little bits and pieces, periodically, of people talking. I already know what's going to happen. Why would I be bothered by all this stupidity on a daily basis? It just frustrates you. You want me to tell you what's going to happen? We win! Amen? There's a war being waged. We win, but there's going to be a lot of bloodshed. We're going to suffer a lot of losses. There's going to be a lot of persecution. The world is going to hate us; the religious people are going to hate us. It's going to look like we can't survive; God is going to snatch us out in the last minute. He's going to bring seven years of judgment upon the earth. We're going to come back with the Lord. He's going to rule and reign with a rod of iron. Satan will be tied up for a thousand years; he'll be loosed. Those that believe and follow him when he's loosed will be as the sands of the sea. The final judgment will come, and there'll be a new heaven and a new earth, praise God. The end.

Do you believe that scenario that I just recited could happen in a moment? It could start tonight. The countdown, tonight. How prepared are we? What kingdom are we living in--the natural or the supernatural? See, life in the supernatural isn't that spectacular occurrence. Life in the supernatural is living separate from the world's kingdom, the natural kingdom. It's looking to God; it's living for God.

So we know the rules, and let me share with you, as we close this, because there's a couple of important things that I wanted to still get here in these last couple of minutes. The machine--and here's what I want you to see--it doesn't matter who's President. It doesn't matter who's--well, the President, of course, we know doesn't have any power anymore, but the greatest thing the President can do is those that he puts into the judicial systems, and that's going to save us. Yeah, right! You want me to tell you something? I don't care who's President. I don't care who the President nominates. I don't care who's in the Supreme Court. I don't care who's in the appellate courts. The machine dictates to the players! You know the irony of the Mede and Persian laws? Listen, this is what's so cool. I thought about this. They came to him and said, "King, you want to reverse your decision, but the law says that no decree you make can be reversed." Why didn't he just make another decree? "OK, I make a decree that all lions be killed." There are always loopholes, aren't there? What am I saying? Just to make this point--I don't want to get you thinking in another direction right now. The machinery of the kingdom of darkness, the power of sin, the sovereignty of God, the proclamation of the judgment against the nations, is grinding itself out right now.

You see, many people have accused me of taking a fatalistic approach. Why aren't you concerned with politics, and why don't you vote, and why don't you do these things? I used to vote. I'm not against voting. Go ahead and vote. "It's our responsibility as Americans." It's not our responsibility. It's a privilege; it's a right. Part of where I've come in my own personal position--and I don't think it has to do with everybody; I'm not telling you this is what you're supposed to do--the reason I don't is because I've caught a glimpse. I am so confident in the sovereignty of God, and I am so confident in the American people to make the wrong decisions that they don't need my help, and [I am confident] that God's will is going to be done! My trust is beyond any natural means, and yet I believe that God uses the process to effect His will, but the process can't thwart His will.

So Daniel, the Scripture says, was at the mercy of the system. There was no appellate court; there were no means that could be pursued to deliver him. So he's brought, and the Scripture says he's to be cast into the den of lions, verse 16. And the king speaks to him and says, "...Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest [say the next word with me] continually, he will deliver thee." "Thy God whom thou servest [conveniently, periodically]." "Daniel, if this god whom you've been telling me about, this god whom you were willing to trust to put you in this position, if that god is God, He will deliver you." Now, can I say something here that we don't always like to hear? We're not all going to get delivered. These promises are not unconditionally to every individual. Can I say it in a plainer way? You're not that important in the scope of things, but you are absolutely beyond value to the heart of God and the love of God. Don't mistake God loving you with God needing you. He doesn't need us. We're not that significant. Daniel was. Moses was. Paul was. What am I saying? Many times you're going to get eaten. It's like the little t-shirts I saw when we were up there in Alaska. It said "Alaskan Fast Food," and it had a little stick figure and showed this guy just beating feet and a bear chasing him. Fast food. Sometimes you eat the bear; sometimes the bear eats you. Right?

Are you going to be faithful? Are you going to stand? Are you going to say, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, "You need to understand something. My God will deliver me!" I go into every situation believing I'm going to be delivered. I go into every situation believing I'm going to be victorious. I go into every situation believing that every weapon formed against me will not prosper but will be confounded. "But even if He doesn't, I won't service your god!" I will not bow my knee, because I don't always understand the ways of God, but I know they're right and just and His promises sure to a thousand generations. "...Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee." Oh, look! The king has faith, and he's trying to encourage Daniel. No, he's stating a fact that Daniel had recited, because the fact of the matter is, the king, verse 18, is going to pass the night fasting, and his sleep went from him. He rises up very early the next morning, and in a lamentable voice, verse 20 says, "...[cried out] O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"

And all of a sudden--you see, the king was just like those guys that were praying for Peter--"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." And he hears this voice coming out of this pit, "[Yes, He's able.] My God [verse 22] hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him [next thing I want you to write down: innocence] innocency was found in me..." I think we're losing our innocence as Christians. I think we're losing our innocence based upon the prosperity we have, all the things that we experience just because we can, the secularization, the vexing of our spirits, the using of our own liberties against ourselves.

Then there's another thing that Daniel is speaking of. When he talked about innocence, he was talking about, "I had no ambition. My ambition didn't put me here. I wasn't like these other two princes that wanted the throne. I was more than happy with the position that I had. God put me here. I wasn't seeking any more. I wouldn't compromise myself with the king's dainties. I lived off what God provided. God promoted me. God made me ten times wiser. I just want to be faithful to pray three times a day. I'll pray three times a day if I'm working down here in the outhouse or if I'm in the penthouse. Innocence was found in me. I have no personal ambition or agenda. I just want to be faithful to God." Are we a candidate for deliverance? Is there an innocence in us of not trying to manipulate our own will and our own way, promoting our own values? Are we in a position to where we can say, "I'm living for the glory of God. I'm not concerned with what people think about me. I'm not looking for any man's help"?--"It will not be said that any man has made Abraham rich. You want the valleys of Sodom? Go ahead; go on down there. You choose, and I'll take the other side, because God is with me. I don't need the natural to survive or to be prosperous." "Innocence was found in me." "...So Daniel was taken up out of the den, [verse 23] and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God." Get that in your heart--he believed in his God! "My God will deliver me, but even if He doesn't, I'm not bowing my knee. I'm not going to do it the world's way."

I'll end with this. We've already gone over a few minutes. It's amazing to me how people want to explain away the miracles of God. We've shared it with you in the past. People want to explain away--have you seen on the Discovery Channel, the Red Sea was really the Sea of Reeds, and it was only "x" number of inches wide? A strong wind came, and it blew the four inches of water back, and the children of Israel passed over on dry ground. That explains the miracle. That doesn't explain why all of Pharaoh's army drowned in it. You can't explain it away. You know what the explanation of this one is? I heard a guy say this one time: "And you know, what really took place here was that somebody mistakenly had fed the lions the night before. They were full, and lions only eat to a certain point and then they're not hunger anymore." The guys that got thrown in right after him didn't even touch the ground before they were broken and eaten. The angel of the Lord shut the lions' mouths. Amen? Are you ready for the angels of God to show up on your behalf? Is there innocence in your life? Is there another spirit in you [like that] of Joshua and Caleb--a spirit of excellence? Are we faithful men? Are we people who are living by faith and not by sight? Are we a people who are living for the glory of God and not the glory of self? That's what causes us to be candidates for the miraculous and causes us to be at peace that we are living in the supernatural.

Father, we thank You for Your Word tonight. We're a generation being lulled to sleep in our prosperity. This very book of Daniel says [that] by their prosperity they were destroyed. The wise man prayed, "Don't make me poor that I steal or so rich that I forget you." Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "We're serving the Kingdom of Light!" Amen. Go in peace; God's love go with you!

Back to Top | Audio   |   Purchase Audio   |   Bible Teachings   |   Print