Thriving in Babylon- Week 3- Sermon Notes
May 12, 2023

I just love how God works! It’s interesting to me that God can take something simple that we have in ordinary life and use it as a way to guide us into where or who he wants us to be.

Before camera phones we had just regular cameras and here’s how the process works.
It’s funny how we admire the final product but never put much thought into the process that it took for us to see this picture.

We often see people’s lives, success, accolades, and admire them as well as desiring them without really understanding the process it took for that person to become who you see them as now.

People must be developed in “darkroom seasons” in order to develop into who God has called them to be.

The life you live is predicated on what type of faith you possess.

Today we’ll talk about how your faith determines your outcome.

Daniel 6:7-16
7 We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. 8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9 So King Darius signed the law. 10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” 14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” 16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

Daniel truly has no reason to believe in God.
Any time something starts to go well it turns bad really fast!
He’s only heard of the great things God has done and yet his faith remains intact.
The tests were just as important as the outcome.

Your Faith Will Be Developed

Counterfeit faith & Genuine faith

Counterfeit faith is a faith that checks a box “path of least resistance”.
Genuine faith is a life that embraces the hardships that will test it & develop it.

“Those who walk away from God in anger in disillusionment in the midst of their suffering never do so, because their test was too hard. They do so, because their faith was not genuine.”

God’s not neglecting you,

He’s actually protecting you.

The same way if a picture is exposed to light in the dark room it will ruin the picture,

God knows if you don’t properly develop the thing that should be a blessing will turn into a burden.

To develop film, the film is put into a film tank, then a developer mixture is poured into the tank.

While the mixture is in the tank, it is REQUIRED to agitate the film by shaking the tank, putting it through stress, and pressure to help the film develop.

Your Faith Will Be Developed
Your Faith will Be Agitated

Daniel 6:16-17
16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” “17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel.”

In order for you to develop genuine faith you must be put in refining situations (testing). Faith is only faith when your actions match what you believe.

There are various tests that you will have to pass to develop genuine faith.

Trust: Do you trust God even when it doesn’t make sense.

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Perspective: The only way you will be able to pass the test is if you gain God’s perspective.
Daniel 6:10 tells us that Daniel prayed 3x’s a day. It’s the only way he could remain positive in this season because God was consistently giving him a kingdom perspective in the midst of the struggle.

Endurance: Daniel had the ability to keep fighting even when it got tough. Even when they were setting him up for failure or believing he would compromise he never stopped trusting God.

Confidence: God can do more than you can ask or imagine. It’s amazing how when you have confidence in God how that transfers because even the king had a belief in hope in God.

Courage: if you step out in faith he’ll meet you there. Courage is putting action by your belief.

We have to understand that when we have genuine faith in God that despite the circumstance God is always with you.

Your Faith Will Be Developed
Your Faith will Be Agitated
3. Your Faith Will Protect You

Daniel 6:19-23
“19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

Even in the face of death his faith protected him from what should have killed him.

There are some things that should’ve killed you, but God brought you unscathed.

ARMOR OF GOD! shield of faith (our faith protects us)

A pack of lions is called a pride so Daniel’s faith protected him from being devoured by pride.

All of us have endured, or are enduring, dark seasons/in a pit season where it seems to be over for us.

We may feel there is no redemption for us, but I encourage you to not give up on God.

I encourage you to not run away, but to run towards Him.

The tests may be hard, but he’s the answer.

I’m sure even in the lion’s den Daniel had some moments that the doubt may have creeped in as he’s feeling the lions breath on his neck, but his faith kept him.

If you’re in a dark season you can trust the Photographer, the Artist, the Creator- He’s developing you.

There is a picture that he is ready to show in your life, but if you shortcut it you’ll ruin the picture.

How do we thrive in Babylon?
We have to remind ourselves that God is still in control.

We can’t quit because not only is God developing you but also the outcome is you leading people to the kingdom.

Daniel 6:25-27
25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you! 26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. 27 He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth.