Thriving In Todays World

TRANSCRIPT

All right, you know one word that freaks out a large percentage of the population?

Yeah, everyone's, well not everyone, but a large lot of you are already nodding. I know it freaks me out. Back in school days, whenever the teacher said, right, we're going to have a test or a pop quiz, my heart would start to race. All logic went out the window. I failed my high school typing test because of the test.

And my hands shook so much that I couldn't hit any of the right keys. I failed my first driving test. No one's laughing, so that's a good sign. I know you wanted to, thinking, yeah, the blonde girl. Not because of the reason that you thought. There was a guy on a crossing, and I was just coming round the corner, coming back into the testing centre, and he was on the crossing, and he waved me on.

I'm like, cool, and I just kept going. Immediate fail because what do you need to do, young people? Stop. Regardless. Fail. There are some significant tests that you really have to study for. Like, say for example, if you want to find a position in the emergency services, you have to really study up and pass some significant tests.

Say for example, if you wanted to be a police officer. Now, I have a friend of mine overseas at the time that is pursuing that exact career path and they sent me a copy of the test that they had to pass just to say, show me how crazy insane it was. And I'm going to read it for you. I've got a copy of it.

I'm going to read it for you word for word, word for word, word for word, just to see how detailed it is. A police exam read, you are on patrol in outer London, when an explosion occurs in a gas main in a nearby street. Upon investigation, you find that a large hole has been blown in the footpath and there is an overturned van lying nearby.

Inside the van, There is a strong smell of alcohol. Both occupants, a man and a woman, are trapped. You recognise the woman as the wife of your Divisional Inspector, who is currently away in the USA. A passing motorist stopped to offer you assistance and you realise that this man is wanted for armed robbery.

It's a bit intense, isn't it? Suddenly a man runs out of a nearby house shouting that his wife is expecting a baby and the shock of the explosion has made the birth imminent. Another man is crying for help, having been blown into an adjacent canal by the explosion and he cannot swim. Bearing in mind, this is the kicker, bearing in mind the provisions of the Mental Health Act, Describe in no more than two paragraphs what actions you would take.

Wowzers!

The officer thought for a moment, picked up his pen and wrote, I would take off my uniform and blend in with the crowd.

Anyone else want to lock that answer in? Fun story I know, but you know what? You can tell a lot about people with how they respond to tests. Well today we continue in our third instalment of Outlasters and today we're going to look at how to outlast an ungodly culture. And you know, you don't have to look too far around our world, or even too far around our own country for that matter, to figure out that this world and country has just become really ungodly.

And you know what, it's not a recent development over the last few years. Even in biblical times, an ungodly culture was quite prevalent. One of the books in the Old Covenant, the book of Daniel. had a rampant ungodly culture and there were some major tests for the Christians at that time to actually have to pass.

And today we can learn from some of those accounts how we should live our faith out loud in culture today looking at the life of Daniel. And it's interesting that God dedicates a whole book on these tests, and I'm sure it's because he knew that down through the ages, even in the 21st century, we too as Christ's followers would struggle to comply with tests in culture.

You see, it's how we process and manage these tests that will help us to outlast an ungodly culture. Because outlasters follow their master and they go further and faster. Let's unpack one significant test that Daniel had a front row seat to involving some of his friends. And there's a lot of scripture that I want to unpack this morning.

So if you have your Bible with you, if you just turn to the book of 10 Daniel chapter 3 verse 5. If you have your phone, pull that out and pull up YouVersion and go to the book of Daniel because we're going to march through a fair bit of scripture together this morning. The test was this. So Daniel's friends Shadrach, and Abednego, not their original names, please note, who at Daniel's request, because the king at the time, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed administrators over the province of Babylon, and they were about to be incinerated.

Now the king made a huge image of gold. 90 feet high and 9 feet wide and set it up on the main plain in Babylon, which today is actually modern day Iraq. It's approximately 50 miles south of where Baghdad is. So that's where they are. Then King Nebuchadnezzar made this decree and let's pick up the account in Daniel 3 verse 5.

As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music. You must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown firmus.

Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, now just pause there, I'm just going to call those guys the band. Okay, because we're just going to be going over and over. So as soon as I hear the band strike up, this is what's going to happen, okay? All the nations and people of every language.

fell down and worshipped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. It must have been like a game of statues, I reckon, but instead of freezing, you went immediately into action. OK, let's keep reading. At the time, some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, May the king live forever.

Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn... The band, the band, there we go, the band, must fall down and worship the image of gold. And that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. Now this is about to get the King's attention, I can tell you, let's read on.

But there are some Jews, mm hmm, who you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who pay no attention to you, your majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up. No big deal, right? Wrong. Very big deal. Let's keep reading.

Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Here we go. Now, when you hear the band, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good.

But if you do not worship it you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand? Great question. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your Majesty's hand.

Gutsy statement, boys, but here's their disclaimer. Let's read on. But even if he does not, we want you to know your majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Even if he does not. I just love that phrase. Even if the miracle protection does not happen, we will not bow to your culture, Nebuchadnezzar.

Now just note that Daniel is watching all this play out firsthand. He has no idea of the outcome of how God is about to do the miraculous, especially to the friends of his. who were unwavering in their faith amidst a most ungodly culture. Let's read on and continue. The Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and his attitude towards them changed.

He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. Here we go. and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.

The King's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace. So this furnace has taken out the King's elite soldiers. As a Christ follower, let me ask you a question. Have you ever found that the reason for your faith has been questioned and the temperature turned up?

Let's keep going. Let's learn the fate of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And these three men firmly tied together fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, certainly Your majesty.

He said, look, I see 1, 2, 3, 4 men walking around in the fire unbound and unharmed. Were they not tied up and bound together when they were thrown in the furnace? Now we can see four men unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, come here. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. Can you even wrap your head around these people this morning? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed sorry, let's, where are we up to? Can we just go back one? Came outta the fire.

Yep. Thank you. Let's move on. And the Sara Traps, which are the chief representatives, the prefects, the governors and royal advisors all crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not been, had not harmed their bodies, nor was their hair on their hedge, hair on their head, singed. Their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants. They trusted in him and defied the king's command. This is Nebuchadnezzar himself talking. And were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any God except their own God.

Therefore, I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses turned into piles of rubble, for no other God can save in this way. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

And that's how you outlast an ungodly culture. Good morning. Can you believe that? Like that is just. Next level intensity, isn't it? But it actually happened. Let's circle back to the life of Daniel and take a closer look at his life. So Daniel was one of the young men that had been deported and thrust into a really ungodly city at that time, the city of Babylon.

Very, very immoral city. So he was forcibly taken into captivity, deported 900 miles away, and thrust into a culture where they strip you of your identity, they take your name, and they give you another name. With the intention that you won't remember your past anymore, you won't remember your heritage, you won't remember where you come from.

You're gonna follow this new culture that you've been inserted to. They want you to identify with their narrative. And so. With the hope that you will no longer believe that you are told who God called you to be. It's what they tell you to be. So they thrust into this culture, Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, let me, no, three friends at the time, Azariah.

Michelle and Hananiah, who had their names changed to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Now speaking of name changes, I have a fun story that I've always remembered that passed away and himself shared and I've never forgotten it. So I thought I'd just share it here with you this morning. There was a little Indian boy who was talking to his father and his father was a brave Indian brave.

And he said, daddy. How, how did we come to get our names? Because we all have very different and a little weird names. How did you and mum decide what you would call us? And the dad said, well son, it's pretty simple really. He said, when you were born in the teepee, I said to your mother that when I go outside, the very first thing that I see is what I will name our children.

Mum said, okay. So he said, just like it is with your sister, Falling Rain. And your brother, running deer. Why do you ask, pooping dog?

That's nothing to do with the message at all, but it just tickled my fancy, I thought it was funny. Essentially, the whole book of Daniel can be summarised how to serve God faithfully and outlive an ungodly culture. How do you do? How do you do that when there are no solutions to the problems that currently lie before us?

When Daniel was being deported to Babylon, he didn't know what to do. The only thing that he knew to do was call out to his God. You know, God never will leave you alone. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He's faithful to the end. Today, in the post resurrection, God sends help in the form of the Holy Spirit that Christ's followers on a daily basis can tap into.

But back in pre Jesus days, He gave Daniel a friend too. And you know who that friend's name was? Was Jeremiah. Jeremiah wrote a book in the Old Covenant as well. Now, Jeremiah was the contemporary of Daniel. He was a little bit older than Daniel, and he was going to write some resources and some instructions to the peeps, included Daniel in that process, that are being currently deported and shipped off to Babylon.

And Daniel's thinking to himself, God, what are we going to do? Shall we strike? Shall we revolt? Shall we start a war? What should we do? And Jeremiah writes a letter to Daniel and it reads like this. We'll pick it up in the book of Jeremiah 29 4 verse 10. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Who carried them into exile? God. Who put them here in this crazy, who put you here in this crazy culture today? God. Let's read on. He tells them build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons. and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters.

Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. , yes. This is what the Lord Almighty the God of Israel says, do not let the prophets and the diviners among you, deceive you.

Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says. When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 70 years.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found in you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity.

I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile. Wow, the famous plans for your future scripture originated right there. It was right after telling Daniel to go and live in that evil land and increase in number.

Why? Because after 70 years that they would spend in exile, God was going to have a promise fulfilled for them. He has plans to prosper you and I. He has plans to keep you safe and give you a hope and a future. And you know what, those promises are still very much real and still very much current for us today.

God's ways will see his plans come to pass for our lives. How long will it take to come to pass? 70 years? I don't know. But it will eventually come to pass. But if we stand and be the people of God, his light in this ever increasing dark world, God says his promises remain. God has spectacular plans for you.

And there will be a safety and a future filled with hope. Some of you need to be reminded of that today. You need to be reminded that applies to you right where you are, regardless of what circumstances might be screaming at you. What an incredible promise and encouragement it is to us. See we must make sure that we keep our eyes on His promise.

And what is His promise? His promise is so, so So incredible. The promise that he will return in spectacular glory. The promise that he will sort out the cultural mix of this world. He'll sort it out, it's not you and I our job to sort it out, but God himself will sort it out. There will be a great sorting of the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares.

There'll be a new heaven. And there will be no more pain, and there will be no more sorrow, and there will be no more suffering, and there will be no more tears. And what a day that will be. Amen. See, God could have had you born at any point in history. You could have been born in the Great Persecution in the year 300 through to about 313, where Christian churches were destroyed.

Worship was forbidden. and those Christians that refused to recant lost their legal rights. And this still happens today in many, many parts of our world. You could have been born in 1099 during the crusade period and all the craziness that went on there. You could have been born in a reformation of 1520.

You could have been born to live out your teenage years in the 80s, the best era ever. And how blessed would you have been? Just saying. But you know what? God could have had you born at any particular point in history. But for some reason, he's had you and I born that we are alive and well in 2023. Just think about that for a minute.

You're here for a reason, people. We're not here by accident. We are here and positioned for a reason. There's so much crazy stuff going on in our world. It's a really crazy world full of shades of grey. It's a crazy time to be alive when the world's collective moral compass has just swung in the complete opposite direction.

But like I said before, we're positioned here in history, that means that we have to make a difference. We're here for a purpose. We're not here to suck up oxygen and take up space. We have a purpose to fulfill. We are to be lights shining on a hill as Christ's followers. And some of us need to just... that spark this morning.

Essentially Pastor Wayne always uses this example and I've never forgotten it. He says that we're chosen at this point in history. It's like a relay race and the last runner. in a relay race is actually called the anchor and I looked that up and I thought what's a bit of a strange terminology.

Typically the anchor leg is given to the fastest or the most experienced competitors on a team. This particular athlete is responsible for making up ground on the race that the leader has set. or keeping the lead that's already been secured by their teammates. So let me ask you a question. Are you ready to run anchor for Jesus today?

Just think about it. It's time for us to run. Some of us need to get out of our chairs and find where our running shoes are and put them on because we've got a job to do. We're not here just to self please ourselves. There is a whole broken Lost world out there that needs the hope of Jesus. Are you ready to run anchor for him this morning?

We have to understand that even today as Christ followers we are called to be counterculture. It's one of counterculture.

Paul sums it up in the New Covenant in the book of Philippians like this. He says, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like the stars in the sky, and you will hold firmly to the word of life. The Apostle Paul penned those words all those years ago, and it's still so relevant for us today.

We're actually supposed to stand out from the crowd, everyone. We are not meant to blend in like the police officer wanted to do in the opening story. We're meant to stand out from the crowd. People should be able to look to us for answers. We should the...

hope that we have. They should be able to see that and we should be able to easily articulate that. One of the things about an outlaster is that you have to fix your focus. Well what do you fix your focus on? On your circumstances? No. On the stock market maybe? On your bank account? On the political polls?

Maybe closing your fitness rings, you just fixated on that? On your Insta feed? No. So many things compete for our daily focus, but as Christ followers. Our focus should be on Jesus Christ and every brand new day that we open our eyes we have the opportunity to do this in our soap devotions. Hebrews 12 verse 2 says let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our face.

I just want you to read the first three words. Let us fix. What does it mean to fix our eyes on something? Have you ever heard the terminology that they're just fixated on something? It just means that you look at it and you don't lose that focus. You fix your eyes on Jesus. You don't just give a random glance.

and whatever, like you stay focused on Jesus. Not the mountain or the circumstance that might be screaming at you this morning, but you fix your eyes on Jesus because He is faithful and will carry you through to the end. Always remember that God has positioned us into this place at this time in history and our faith, don't be deceived, will be tested time and time again by the world in which we live.

But we must stand firm and trust that the God that we serve will show up for us no matter what. We really need to have the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. That even when they're threatening to throw us into the furnace, whatever that might look like today, that we will not bow. We will not do it.

We will not bend our knee because our God will come through for us. He is the one who is more than able to His arm is not too short. He is our healer. He's our provider. He's our redeemer. He's our close comforter and friend. But more importantly than that, he's a good, good father. An outlaster maintains their loyalty to God.

No matter what, no matter what circumstances scream at us, no matter what curveballs life throw at us, we maintain our loyalty as a Christ follower to God, no matter what, because Outlasters follow their master and they go further and faster. You know, life is a journey. We all know that. If you've been alive for some years, you'll eventually figure it out.

Whether you're dancing on the mountain chops, tops too. I'm not sure about the mountain chops, but the mountain tops, they're a good place to dance. Or navigating the wilderness seasons like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We must maintain our loyalty to God because it's in there that it's the anchor for our soul.

The anchor for our soul, it's not in our performance, it's in your King Jesus. Because he's the same yesterday. He's the same today, and He's the same forever. You'll stay strong, and you'll stay faithful, and as a result of that, your influence will grow. I often talk about, like, when the New Testament was finished in the book of Revelation, which is amazing, but there's a whole generation of Christians that have been born past that.

And I often wonder, when we all get to heaven, will there be chronicles of heaven that we open and read? Like, what will the Chronicles say when they say, when Josh, let's read about the life of Josh and what he achieved. And what did Talia do? What amazing exploits did she do in the year 2023? And what about Vanessa?

What did she do for... my kingdom and my purposes and her faith. Because we all have a story to share. And just think about that. What would heaven write about you today? What would it write about what you did with your life? How you shared your faith with your friends and your family? What amazing miracles came to pass because you collectively shared your faith together and made a difference for the kingdom.

I don't know about you, it blows my mind. I'm so excited. I just can't wait to hear what heaven's going to write about our church family. and what we did collectively together.

I'm just going to leave you with that thought. If you were to have a book in the Bible dedicated to you, what would it say? Will you pray with me this morning? Father, we pray and give thanks to you that you are a good, good father. And Father, I pray that each and every one of us here is Christ followers this morning.

You would give us the courage to be counterculture in our world each and every day. Father, I pray that you give us the same faith that you gave to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were thrust into that furnace. Maybe we'll be able to stand firm and not compromise, re radiating your love to a lost and a broken world.

Help us to make sure that the culture of this world does not take up residence in our minds and our hearts. And Father, may it never be the words that are written, written on the inside of our belief window. But Father, they would be your words and they would be your promises that are written on the inside of our window.

Father, we pray that your freedom and your peace and your grace rules and reigns in our hearts afresh today. In Jesus name. Amen.