Alright, brethren, let's turn
in our Bibles to Daniel chapter 6. Daniel chapter 6. Everyone here has probably heard
the story of Daniel and the lion's den. And usually you hear sermons
that are about Daniel's faithfulness, about Daniel's morality, about
Daniel standing up against the king and the law of the land
and what have you. And I remember I think one time
hearing a message or maybe there's a song called Dare to be a Daniel. And it's good to be faithful. It's good to be moral. But God
strengthens our inner man to faithfulness and to live morally
before Him through the message of Christ and Him crucified.
So I want to preach Christ to you. using Daniel as a type of
Christ. Now, every picture in the Bible
is not a perfect picture. Sometimes you have to look at
the opposite of what a text says to see the truth of God in it.
What we want to do is look at the Scriptures and see Christ
in it. Look at the Scriptures and see
the glory of God in the face of Christ in it. So that's what
we're going to do here today. Now the first thing, and I'm
going to read the Scripture as we go because it's just too much. I'm going to preach this whole
chapter. So first of all, God's choice above all is the Lord
Jesus Christ. God's choice above all is Christ
the Son of God. That's what we see here first.
Verse 1, It pleased Darius, he's the king, to set over the kingdom
a hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole
kingdom, and over these three presidents, of whom Daniel was
first, that the princes might give accounts unto them, and
the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred
above the presidents and the princes, because an excellent
spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole
realm. God the Father prefers Christ
above all. Just like Torah has preferred
Daniel above all. God chose Christ, and He's first
before God, and He's first above all men. The Scripture says,
he spoke from the cloud and he said, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased. There's an excellent spirit in
our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Darius set Daniel forth
to be a mediator between him and these men of the earth, so
that they had to answer to Daniel, come to Daniel before they could
come to him. God set Christ forth to be the mediator between him
and his people. has raised Christ. He's made
Him first. He's made Him above all. He has
an excellent spirit, full of grace and truth. He said, This
is my servant, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. My spirit
shall be upon him. and He's raised Him, and He's
given Him all power in heaven and earth. Ephesians 1, 20 said,
He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand
in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and
might and dominion in every name that's named, not only in this
world but in the world to come. And He's put all things under
Christ's feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to
the church. Christ is first. Now, secondly, But Christ is
despised and rejected of men. Look at verse 4. Then the presidents
and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the
kingdom. Now, these men are like all sinners
left in our natural born state. They hated Daniel. They hated the king's mediator. They hated Daniel. We by nature
say this, we will not have this man reign over us. That's the
nature of all sinners. He's despised and he's rejected
of men. You realize this, when we sit,
when men sit and they hear the gospel, men today are doing the
exact same thing that men were doing when Christ walked this
earth. Men try to find a reason to justify themselves for not
believing on Christ, for not bowing to Christ. And the reason
they try to find is by finding some fault in Christ, in His
gospel, in His preacher, in His people. That's true. That's true. That's why we're exhorted in
the scriptures to be steadfast, to be faithful to God, to walk
faithfully before God. Because men are looking for a
reason. Men are looking for a reason to justify themselves for not
bowing to Christ. Well, the third thing we see
here is, there is no reason why you should not believe and bow
to Christ. There is no fault in Him. Look
at verse 4. It says, But they could find
none occasion nor fault forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was
there any error or fault found in him. Sinner, you won't find
an occasion to not believe Christ. You won't find any fault in Christ.
There's no fault in Him. Christ, He was and He is faithful. There's no error. There's no
fault found in Christ. Such a high priest became us
who is harmless, holy, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher
than the heavens. He had to be the Holy One. He
had to be. He's the only holy man, only
righteous man. that was made under the law.
He's the only one. He had to be in order to redeem
his people from all iniquity. Now here's the fourth thing.
God is just and his law cannot be altered. Now read verse 5. Then said these men, we shall
not find any occasion against Daniel except we find it against
him concerning the law of his God. Verse 6 says, Then these
presidents and princes assembled together to the king and said
thus unto him, King Darius live forever. They're appealing to
Darius' pride here. Listen to what they say now.
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes,
the counselors and the captains have consulted together to establish
a royal statute and to make a firm decree. that whosoever shall
ask a petition of any God, whosoever shall ask a petition of any God
or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, whoever ask
a petition, whoever prays to God or ask a petition of a man,
save of you, O king." Whoever does not come to you, king, and
make a petition. Whoever does not come to you
alone, O king, he says, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing that it
be not changed according to the law of the Medes and Persians
which altereth not, which cannot be altered. Wherefore King Darius
signed the writing and the decree. Now these men were doing this
simply because they wanted to entrap Daniel. That's the only
reason they were doing this. This was a silly law. It should
have been rejected by a faithful believer because it was against
God. It was a foolish law. But get
the spiritual lesson here. The law of God cannot be changed. It cannot be changed. Like the
law of the Medes and Persians, the law of God altereth not. Unlike Darius' law, God's holy
law is holy, just, and good. This law was foolish. God's law
is holy, it's just, and it's good. It's a revelation of the
holiness and the righteousness of God himself. God's law is
spiritual. Now listen to me, it's spiritual.
It's not just in the letter. It's spiritual. If it was only
in the letter, you and I might could keep it. But it's spiritual. What do I mean by that? I mean
it requires inward perfection. It requires perfection of the
heart, perfection of the thoughts, perfection in the mind. Paul
said, we know that the law is spiritual. Here's the opposite.
But I'm carnal. sold under sin. I'm fleshly and
I'm sold under sin. So then I can't fulfill a spiritual
law. I can't fulfill a law that requires
a heart that's perfect. The Lord Jesus said, you've heard
it said of old time, thou shall not kill. That's the letter.
And men taught that. They said, you shall not kill.
They said, this is what the law says, you shall not kill. So
if they didn't literally go out and kill somebody, they thought
they had fulfilled the law. Christ said, but I say unto you,
and whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in
danger of the judgment. You ever been angry with somebody
without a cause? You see, that's the law. That's
the spirit of the law. It reaches to our heart and it
says, we're guilty. We're guilty. The Lord Jesus
said, best thing for you to do is lay down your gift. Lay down
your sacrifices. Lay down everything you're trying
to bring to God and turn from all that and go to the one who
has all against you. Go to your adversary right now
and be reconciled to your adversary. Who is it that's got all against
you? God does. Christ does. Lay down every sacrifice. Lay down all your works and all
your doings and everything you're doing to try to make yourself
righteous before God. Go to God, bow at the feet of
Christ, and confess your sin. That's what he's saying. There
are no loopholes in this law. There can't be any compromise
in God's law. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things written in the law to do them. We don't
do the law, we're going to meet God. I was talking to a lady
yesterday and she was telling me about her son. She said, I
try my best to talk to him about God. He's just about to meet
God. He's right about to meet God.
And I try to talk to him about God and all he says is, oh, don't
talk to me about that. Like it's not real, like it's
not coming to pass, just in the blink of an eye. You're going
to stand before God. And cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things which are written in the law to do them. If you
don't do everything written in this law, God will, God must
punish you in justice. He must. Yet we've broken this
law. We've broken it. We've broken
God's holy law. The law of King Darius was a
wicked law. It should have been disregarded.
But God's commandments are pure. God's commandments are holy.
God's commandments are just. But we have not, we do not and
we cannot fulfill that law. We just don't do it. Sin is the
transgression of God's law and we have transgressed God's law
and all we do is iniquity. That's all. Look at Romans chapter
3. I want you to see this. I know
you don't believe this. A man doesn't believe this until
God gives him a heart to see. This is you that it's talking
about. God has to give us a heart to
see. This is me this is talking about. Me and my flesh. Look at Romans 3.10. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth,
there's none that seeketh after God, they're all gone out of
the way, they together become unprofitable, there is none that
doeth good, no, not one. Now look at where this sin comes
from. Their throat. It comes from within. It's an
open sepulchre, an open grave. With their tongues they've used
deceit. The poison of asp is under their lips. Their mouths
full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way
of peace they have not known. There's no fear of God before
their eyes. The fear of God is an inward
thing. The fear of God is a matter of the heart, brethren. And he
says there's no fear of God before their eyes. We know what things
soever the law saith. It saith to them who are under
the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
may become guilty before God. Now that's our case. So here's
the question. How then can we be just with
God? How can we be just with God?
Here's a question. How can God be just and yet justify
you and me? How can God be just and show
us mercy. How can that be? Here's the fifth
thing. The only way that God can be
just in the Justifier is through the faithfulness of Christ Jesus
who took the place of His people and put away our sin. Look at
verse 10. Now when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, Daniel knew that this law was in place. It
says he went into his house and his windows being opened in his
chamber toward Jerusalem. Everybody could see it. Everybody
could see it. He kneeled upon his knees three
times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did
aforetime. Then these men assembled and
found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Then they came near and they spake before the king concerning
the king's decree. This is what they said. Has thou
not signed a decree that every man that shall ask a petition
of any god or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall
be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The
thing is true according to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which altereth not. Then answered they and said before
the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity
of Judah. He's of Judah. He regardeth not
thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but he
maketh his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he
heard these words, was sore displeased within himself. Remember, he
preferred Daniel above all. And he was so displeased within
himself, he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him. He wanted
to show him mercy. He wanted to deliver him. But
he's got this law that says, he can't be delivered and you
still be just. And he labored to the going down
of the sun to deliver him. He tried and he tried and he
tried to think, how can I deliver Daniel and still be just? Then
these men assembled unto the king, and they said unto the
king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and the Persians
is, that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may
be changed. Then the king commanded, and
they brought Daniel, and they cast him into the den of lions.
Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God, whom thou service
continually, he will deliver thee And a stone was brought
and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with
his own signet, and with the signet of his lord's, that the
purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king
went to his palace and passed the night fasting. Neither were
instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went
from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and
he went in haste into the den of lions. And when he came to
the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel. And the king
spake, and he said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living
God, is thy God whom thou servest continually able to deliver thee
from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king,
O king, live forever. Can't you just picture Neriah
standing there, and he can't see down into the den of lions,
and he says, O Daniel, is your King able? Is your God able?
And he waits. When he hears Daniel say, O King,
live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and
hath shut the lion's mouths, that they have not hurt me. For
as much as before him innocency was found in me, and also before
thee, O King, have I done no hurt. Now, Darius' dilemma was
how could he save the one he loved and yet remain just. That
was his dilemma. How could he show mercy to Daniel
without it being at the expense of his justice? Now, you and
I could labor all our lives. We could walk the floor all our
lives like Darius labored all night, but we cannot establish
a righteousness. We cannot appease a holy God. We cannot escape just condemnation
which is due to us. We can't do it. God must carry
out the sentence and judgment of His law upon us. He must do
it, and He shall do it. Everybody under the sound of
my voice right here will suffer eternal hell. You'll either suffer
it yourself or you'll suffer it in the substitute who took
your place. Now that's certain. That's true.
God's law will be upheld. It will be upheld. The soul that
sinneth it shall die. Now here's the glory of God.
He says He keeps mercy for thousands. He forgives iniquity, passes
by transgressions. But He will by no means clear
the guilty. How can God be just and show
His people mercy? The answers found in that text
I just read to you. Darius said to Daniel, Thy God
will deliver thee. That's the answer. Our God must
deliver us. Our God must deliver us. Darius
couldn't find a way. He could not find a way to deliver
Daniel from his law. But our God found a way. He found
a way. to deliver His people from the
law of God and yet remain just. Here's how He did it. God sent
His only begotten Son. He sent His only Son. And God
our Savior delivered His people by going into the den of lions
Himself. My God hath sent His angel. That's how. My God hath sent
His angel. In Daniel, we see a shadow of
Christ. Christ is the spotless one, just
like Daniel was. He's spotless. And yet, He willingly
became guilty in place of His people in order that He might
remain faithful unto His God. That's what Christ did. Look
at verse 10. When Daniel knew that the writing
was signed, he went to his house, and his windows being opened
in the chamber, everybody being able to see, he prayed and gave
thanks before his God just like he did before. You see, Daniel
knew he would become guilty when he did this. He knew he would
become guilty when he did this. And he knew the law couldn't
be changed, and he knew Darius would have to pour out judgment
upon him when this happened. And yet, because he served his
God, and because he served his God faithfully, he was willing
to become guilty in order to remain faithful to God. That's
what Christ did. Christ came to this earth and
He knew, this spotless One knew, that if He was to deliver His
people from all our transgressions, that He would have to be made
sin for us and become guilty before the God He loved. And
yet, before the whole world, He willingly gave Himself in
faithfulness to His God. Because He would rather be faithful
to God and see that law satisfied. That's what Christ did. That's
exactly what He did. He hath made Him sin for us who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. Did God just lay no sin of anybody on Him? Just random
sin upon Him? No, God, it said, the Lord hath
laid on Him the iniquity of us all. All those that are justified. All those whose sins are put
away. All those who are eternally redeemed by God. That's whose
sins were laid on Christ, because Christ accomplished that for
them. He did that. And because God's law couldn't
be changed, when the sin of His people was found upon Christ,
God delivered Christ to the justice, to the teeth of justice, just
like Darius delivered Daniel to the mouth of the lions. And just like Darius turned his
back and went back into his palace, and engaged that solemn night
waiting. God forsook God. God turned His
back on His own Son and waited and the world went dark for three
hours while Christ bore the death that never dies on the cross.
While Christ bore the eternal condemnation and judgment of
His people on the cross. And yet Christ satisfied the
eternal demands of the law because He is God eternal. Everything
He did had an eternal efficacy because He's God eternal. By
His faithfulness to God, by bearing the wrath of God's justice in
the room instead of His people, Christ, verse 23 says, hath shut
the lion's mouths. He shut the lion's mouths. For as much as before God, innocency
was found in Christ. Now, God's justice is satisfied
toward His people. God's justice is satisfied and
He proved it by raising Christ from the dead. Look at verse
23. Then was the king exceeding glad for him and commanded that
they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken
up out of the den and no manner of hurt was found upon him because
he believed in his God. You see, Christ didn't come to
destroy the law. Christ didn't come to try to
find a way around the law. Christ came to fulfill the law. And Christ went into the teeth
of justice and fulfilled the law for everyone that He represented. And because He did so, brethren,
bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, He satisfied the
law. He magnified the law and made
it honorable. And in Christ the Lord, God calls
sinners to repentance and faith in Christ. And He does so justly
because justice has been satisfied for all those that God calls.
Justice has been satisfied. So now Christ is risen. God said,
behold, I've satisfied my justice. Behold, I've delivered my people.
The Scripture says, when He arose, we arose in Him. And He says,
behold, I've accomplished the work. The work's finished. And
now, those that He calls, robed in Christ's righteousness, born
of His Spirit, brought to believe on Christ, can say this with
Daniel. We can say what he said right
there when he said, Before God, innocency was found in me. In you, in your flesh? No, no,
no, no, no, no. In my head, in my representative. And because innocence was found
in him, it's the same as innocence being found in me. God counts
Christ to be me. God counts my Redeemer to be
me. He counts my substitute to be me. And what He did, I did.
So, I'm righteous and holy in Him, brethren. And then verse
23 says, Daniel was taken up out of the den and no manner
of hurt was found upon him because he believed in his God. Every
believer is delivered from the pit of corruption. Every believer
is delivered in Christ, raised when he was raised, and now we're
just waiting to be raised fully and completely. But all who reject
Christ, all who are prepared to stand before God on their
own, without a substitute, without faith in Christ, what's going
to be the case with them? Verse 24, the king commanded,
And they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they
cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their
wives. And the lions had the mastery
of them, and break all their bones in pieces wherever they
came at the bottom of the den. As soon as they hit the mouth
of justice, they were consumed. That's what shall be the case
with everybody that meets God outside of a substitute. Now,
why did God deliver His Son to the den of lions? Why did God
deliver Christ to the teeth of justice? To declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness. That He might be just, having
satisfied His own law. And that He might be the justifier,
having been the very one who did the justifying. And so He's
just and He's the justifier of everyone that believes on Christ.
Only those who believe on Christ. Do you believe on Christ? This
is the true and living God. Look at what Darius wrote after
this. This is the decree he made throughout
all the land. Now God's sending forth His Gospel. And this is the decree God's
made throughout all the land. Now hear it, hear it and listen.
Verse 25, Then King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and
languages that dwell in all the earth. This is what God said.
He's sending forth this Gospel to all people and languages that
dwell upon the earth. And he says this, peace be multiplied
unto you. How can I have peace with God
in this one who is the peacemaker in Christ? He says, I make a
decree that every dominion of my kingdom, in every dominion
of my kingdom, men tremble in fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and
steadfast forever. and His kingdom that which shall
not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and
He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth. This
is the God who has delivered Daniel from the power of the
lions. And so this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in
the reign of Cyrus the Persian. And so it is, brethren, that
Christ attained eternal redemption for His people. Christ is risen
now, and He reigns. His kingdom shall be forever. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you'll be saved. Amen.