Turn with me once again to the
book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 6. Lord, will you look at these
24 verses here, these first 24 verses of Daniel 6. The title of the message is this,
thy God, he will deliver thee. Thy God, he will deliver thee. Let's look beginning with verses
one through five here. The first thing we see is Daniel's
faithfulness. Daniel six, beginning with verse
one. It pleased Darius to set over
the kingdom 120 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 that the king
should have no damage. And this Daniel was preferred
above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was
in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Now, when these other presidents
heard this, they were not happy. Look at verse 4. Then the presidents
and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the
kingdom. But they could not find none
occasion nor fault for as much as he was faithful. Neither was there any error or
fault found in him. Even these evil men, think about
that, even they recognize this. And then said these men, verse
five, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we
find it against him concerning the law of his God. You know, Daniel, he had quite
a track record. In chapter one, we read where
he interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And then, again, in chapter
four, he interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream. As I was reading through
this book, you know, it occurred to me that Daniel was in each
of these occasions, he was addressing the king. You know, it would,
I guess it wouldn't surprise us if we told somebody in charge
of us what they wanted to hear. But that wasn't the case with
Daniel, was it? In Daniel 4, verse 24, he says
to the king, is the decree of the Most High
God concerning thee." Daniel is faithful in telling
the king and every other man what the Lord had given him to
tell, the message that he was given. He said, O king, you're going
to be driven from among men. You're going to dwell among the
beasts of the field. You're going to eat grass like
oxen. And seven years are going to
pass over you until you know that the Most High ruleth in
the kingdom of men and that he giveth it to whomsoever he will. And in just a short time, King
Nebuchadnezzar, he walked into the palace, what he thought was
his palace, and he said, is not this the great Babylon that I've
built? By the might of my power, For the honor of my majesty." And while those words were still
in his mouth, a voice from heaven fell down to him and said, Old
King, Old King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee
it is spoken. You think this is your kingdom?
It's departed from thee. Thy kingdom is departed from
thee. I wonder, I wonder if at that
very moment did he think, oh, I wished, I
wished I would have just listened to the words of Daniel. Daniel was faithful. He told
the truth. Declaring God's message even
to the king. And the king, this king would
later say, remember that after those seven years passed and
his reason returned to him, he said, I blessed the most high
and I praised and honored him that liveth forever and ever. Whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion. His kingdom from generation to
generation. And all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing. Even old King Nebuchadnezzar,
reputed as nothing. And He, who He, Almighty God,
doeth according to His will in the armies of heaven, and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or
say unto him, what doest thou? Almighty God is sovereign. He's sovereign in all things. In Daniel 5, if we were to read
on through this book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar had a son named
Belshazzar. And he's now the king in place
of his father. What's Daniel do with him? He
reproves him. He reproves him of his pride. He reproves him of his idolatry. Wouldn't you think a son could
learn something from his father's mistakes? Sin's just passed down
from one generation to the next, isn't it? Daniel even tells him, he says,
Belshazzar, you knew the things that happened to your father. You knew what happened to Nebuchadnezzar
when he was lifted up with pride, and you didn't learn anything
from him. He said, you've not humbled your
heart. despite the fact that you knew all of this. Daniel
said, you've not glorified God in whose hand your breath is. Here a while back, I never had
an asthma attack. I had an asthma attack, and for
about an hour and a half, maybe two hours, I struggled. to even
get a breath. We take it for granted, don't
we? We breathe in, we breathe out. We're in His hands. In Job we
read this, in whose hand is the soul of every living thing and
the breath of all mankind." That's a message for the king.
That's a message for us, too, isn't it? Daniel interpreted
that handwriting that appeared on the wall, and he told the
king, the king, you've been weighed into balance
and found wanting. Faithful. Faithful in declaring
the truth no matter what the cost. In 1 Corinthians 4 verse 2, Paul
wrote this. He said, it's required in stewards
that a man be found what? Faithful. Faithful. Daniel was faithful, just like
many of God's messengers. And just like many of God's messengers,
he was persecuted for that. Wouldn't it be wonderful, truly,
wouldn't it be wonderful if that which was said of Daniel could
be said of us? These men, they sought to find
occasion against Daniel. concerning the kingdom. Some
of us are probably what we would call pretty low-hanging fruit
there, right? It wouldn't be that difficult
to find fault with us. But they couldn't find any occasion.
They could not find fault for as much as he was faithful. Neither was there any error or
fault found in him. And don't you know those men
spent hours and hours and hours trying to do just that. Watched over every move he made,
everywhere he went, just waiting, just waiting to pounce on him.
They couldn't find anything. No flaws in his accounts. I bet his bookkeeping was just
right down to the penny every time. His judgment was sound. He was loyal to the king. probably
checked out his private life too just to see what was going
on, but nothing. Nothing in his character, nothing
in his conduct, nothing to entangle him, and their efforts proved
to be vain. If Christ dwells in us, isn't that what the character
and conduct of a believer should be. Ephesians 4.1 says, we're
to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he has called us, with
all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one
another in love. Daniel was faithful. Second, I got three points, okay? Second, we see man's wickedness
overruled for good. Look at beginning with verse
six. These presidents and princes
assembled together to the king and they said unto him, King
Darius, live forever. And all the presidents of the
kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, the
captains, they've consulted together to establish a royal statute
and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition
of any god or man for 30 days, save of thee, O king, 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. Wherefore,
King Darius signed the writing and the decree. And when Daniel
knew that the writing was signed, it didn't change what he did,
did it? He knew the writing was signed.
He went into his house and his windows being opened in his chamber
toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a
day and he prayed and he gave thanks before his God as he did
before time. And then these men assembled
and they found Daniel praying and making supplication before
his God And they came near, and they spake before the king concerning
the decree. They said, hast thou not signed
a decree that every man that shall ask a petition of any god
or man within 30 days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into
the den of lions? And the king answered, and he
said, this thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians. which altereth not, man's wickedness. They assembled
themselves together and they came up with a plan. Their plan was evil. Their intentions were evil. They sought nothing good. in
what they were doing here. And yet, we see that the Lord
overruled it for good. Isn't that comforting? Isn't that comforting? Romans
8, 28, I know you know this passage, but turn to Romans chapter 8. Look at verse 28 of Romans 8. And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. Consider Joseph. Joseph and his
brethren, from the time they conspired
against him, and they cast him into the pit, and they sold him
as a slave, to the time that he was put in prison, and all
those events which followed. Did his brethren, did they desire
anything but evil? Were their hearts anything but
wicked in that matter? Joseph would later tell his brethren,
he'd say this, he said, as for you, you thought evil against
me. But God, Almighty God, meant
it unto good. to bring as it to pass as it
is this day to save much people alive. Their thoughts were wicked,
their desires was wicked, their hearts were evil, their plan
was wicked. And yet God ordered all those
things and brought to pass good. All things work together
for good. Consider the cross of our Lord. Could there have ever been a
more wicked time? Acts 2.23 says this, Him being
delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Men did what they wanted to do
that day. They did what their wicked hearts
desired to do. They scourged and beat our Lord
to the point of being unrecognizable. They meant it for evil. They
spat upon Him. They plucked out his beard. They cast lots for his garments. They took that crown of thorns
and thrust it upon his head. They drove those nails, those
nails in his hands, raised up that cross and dropped it into
the ground. And that soldier He took that
sword and thrust it into the Lord's side by wicked hands. By wicked hands,
they crucified and slew the Lord of Glories. But in doing so, In doing so,
they accomplish the Lord's will in the salvation of his people. All things work together for
good. And we know that. That's what
scripture says. We know that. It's not a matter of opinion.
It's not something that we're uncertain about. We know this
as surely we know that we're redeemed by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That all things, we know that
all things. What's that include? Well, God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, angels, rulers, ministers, Good
things, right? All evil things. Even Satan himself. All good events such as peace
and prosperity and health and happiness, those things that
we enjoy. All bad things, what we would
consider bad. War, famine, sorrow, sickness. All things work together. They're not just present in us
and operate in us and towards us, but they all cooperate under
God's direction and control to fulfill His purpose. They work together for good. For good. Eternal good. No present, things in present,
those aren't comfortable, are they? No. Eternal good. Not our present comfort and ease
and joy. Our ultimate goal. Isn't our
ultimate goal to be with Christ? To be made like Christ? All things work together for
this purpose, to accomplish And who's this for? Is this for everybody? To them that love God. To them that are called to His
purpose. This promise of eternal good
and well-being, it's not a blanket promise to every son of Adam. No, it's for those who have received
Christ, those who love Christ, those who've been affectionately
called by his grace to faith. There's no mercy or grace outside
of him, outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, again, Daniel's
faithfulness. We see the wickedness, man's
wickedness overruled for good. It's going to accomplish God's
purpose, and then last, God's deliverance. Look again back
at Daniel 16, beginning with verse 13. Then answered they
and said before the king, that Daniel, which is of the children
of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not the old king, nor the decree
that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard
these words, he was sore displeased with himself and he set his heart
on Daniel to deliver him. And he labored to the going down
of the sun to do just that, to deliver him. And then these men
assembled to the king and they said to the king, no, O king,
that the law of the meads of persons is. No decree nor statute
which the king established can be changed. And the king commanded and they
brought Daniel and they cast him into the den of lions. And
the king spake and said unto Daniel, thy God whom thou servest
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. And the king went to his palace,
and he passed the night fasting. Neither were instruments of music
brought before him, and his sleep went from him. And the king arose
very early in the morning, and he went in haste to the den of
lions. And when he came to the den,
he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel. And the king spake
and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is
thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the
lions. And then said Daniel unto the
king, O king, live forever. My God has sent his angel and
has shut the lion's mouth that they've 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. Then was the king exceedingly
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. And the
king commanded, and they brought those men which accused Daniel. And they cast them into the den
of lions, them, their children, their wives, and the lions had
mastery of them, and break all their bones in pieces, wherever
they came at the bottom of the den. The law couldn't be changed. The king established a law. Now, it was a foolish law, wasn't
it? A foolish law. Psalm 119.7 says, the law of
the Lord is perfect. It's perfect. converting the
soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes. The law is perfect. This man's law was foolish. God's
law is perfect, and it requires perfection. To keep the law requires
perfection. The law says this do, this do,
and live. Over 600 commandments in the
Old Testament. How many of us would like to
get in line and just try to keep all those? Not a chance, is there? Men post the Ten Commandments
out in their front yard. I'll ask you this. Can you keep?
I know my answer. Can you keep ten of them? Adam
and Eve, they were given one. One command. Just one. Don't eat of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. That garden, everything
in that garden was perfect. Except man. Man was created in
the image of God. And yet he sinned. He disobeyed
God. One. One law. But you know what? To offend in one point. That's
what scripture says. To offend in one point is to
be guilty of all of it. It must be perfect to be accepted. The law can't deliver us. The
law can do one thing, and that is pronounce us guilty. Guilty. And we've broken the law. You
know, Daniel willingly broke this law, didn't he? We read
that, didn't we? As soon as he knew the law, he
went to his house. And you know, he didn't dispute.
Think about that. He didn't dispute that law. He didn't dispute the king's
authority. Turn to Isaiah 53. Daniel didn't say anything. Isaiah 53. Look at verse six. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his
own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed. He was afflicted. yet he opened not his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before his shears are done, so he opened
not his mouth. He had no sin of his own, but
he took upon himself our sin. You know if I'm guilty, if I'm truly guilty, you know what I have to say?
Nothing. Nothing. I have no defense. I have nothing to offer up. Job
said if I justified myself, my own mouth would what? Condemn
me. Again, I don't see anywhere in
this passage of scripture where Daniel's questioning the right
or the authority of the king to do with him as he would. I don't see anywhere where Daniel
said, remember all those things that I did for the kings before
you? Remember how faithful I was? Remember how faithful I've been
to you, okay? He was guilty. None of that was there. Not one
thing to say. Romans 3.19 says, we know that
what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world
All the world become what? Guilty. Guilty before Almighty
God. We're guilty. But listen to these
words of comfort. Thy God, he will deliver thee. Old Daniel. Servant of the living
God, is that God whom thou servest continually able to deliver thee
from the lions? I tell you who couldn't deliver
him, the king couldn't deliver him. He stayed up all night,
didn't he? We read that. He stayed up all
night trying to figure out a way to deliver Daniel. The law, could
that law deliver Daniel? All that law could do is pronounce
him guilty. How about man? Can man deliver? Could Daniel's faithfulness deliver
him? No, no. By the deeds of the law
shall no flesh be justified in his sight. The absolute best
that we can produce is filthy rags in the sight of Almighty
God. Our best works are filthy rags. Daniel said this, God sent his
angel and has shut the lion's mouth and they have not hurt
me because innocence was found in me. How can innocence be found
in us? Because God made him to be sin.
God made him, he made his son to be sin for us, who knew no
sin. That we, how can we be found
in this? We're made the very righteousness
of God in his son, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Daniel, Daniel
was delivered. Turn with me to one more passage
of Scripture. Turn to Romans chapter 7. Romans 7. We're beginning with verse 24. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me? Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? What's the reply? I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Who's
going to deliver us? The Lord Jesus Christ delivered. Delivered from the penalty of
sin. Delivered from the power of sin. Delivered from the punishment
of sin. And one day, one day delivered from even the presence
of sin. What a glorious, oh what a glorious
day that will be. Only one, only one can deliver
and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. May God be pleased to bless His
Word.