We need to Stand Strong forwhat matters most in the eyes ofGod–our relationship with Him.

7 By Your favor, O LORD, You made my mountain stand strong...”

After Nebuchadnezzar reigned,follows two more Kings and wewill see Daniel still standingstrong to confront & stand forwhat matters most in the sightof God.

Belshazzar

Dariusthe Mede

God is going to confront King Belshazzar by creating a

situation to bring Daniel in.

2 Belshazzar, when he tasted thewine, commanded that thevessels of gold and of silver thatNebuchadnezzar his father hadtaken out of the temple inJerusalem be brought, that theking and his lords, his wives, andhis concubines might drink fromthem.

Belshazzar wanted to desecrate the vessels of the temple of

Israel.

In spite of Nebuchadnezzar at the end of his life commanded all Babylon empire to honor the God of Daniel, Belshazzar chooses to

desecrate the vessels of the Temple of the Lord.

Belshazzar was a picture of a rebellious son. He did not

prosper as a king.

5 Immediately the fingers of ahuman hand appeared andwrote on the plaster of the wallof the king’s palace, oppositethe lampstand. And the king sawthe hand as it wrote.6 Then the king’s color changed,and his thoughts alarmed him;his limbs gave way, and hisknees knocked together.

7 The king called loudly to bring inthe enchanters, the Chaldeans,and the astrologers. The kingdeclared to the wise men ofBabylon, “Whoever reads thiswriting, and shows me itsinterpretation, shall be clothedwith purple and have a chain ofgold around his neck and shall bethe third ruler in the kingdom.”

8 Then all the king's wise mencame in, but they could not readthe writing or make known to theking the interpretation.

14 The natural person does notaccept the things of the Spirit ofGod, for they are folly to him,and he is not able to understandthem because they are spirituallydiscerned.

11 There is a man in your kingdomin whom is the spirit of the holygods. In the days of your father,light and understanding andwisdom like the wisdom of thegods were found in him, and KingNebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made himchief of the magicians, enchanters,Chaldeans, and astrologers,

22 And you his son, Belshazzar,have not humbled your heart,though you knew all this,

23 but you have lifted up yourselfagainst the Lord of heaven. Andthe vessels of his house havebeen brought in before you, andyou and your lords, your wives,and your concubines have drunkwine from them.

And you have praised the gods ofsilver and gold, of bronze, iron,wood, and stone, which do notsee or hear or know, but the Godin whose hand is your breath,and whose are all your ways, youhave not honored.

26 This is the interpretation of thematter: MENE, God hasnumbered the days of yourkingdom and brought it to anend;27 TEKEL, you have been weighedin the balances and foundwanting;28 PERES, your kingdom is dividedand given to the Medes andPersians."

30 That very night Belshazzar theChaldean king was killed.

31 And Darius the Mede receivedthe kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Compared to his father, Nebuchadnezzar, who

receives mercy from God,he got immediate judgment.

1 It pleased Darius to set overthe kingdom 120 satraps, to bethroughout the whole kingdom;

2 and over them three highofficials, of whom Daniel wasone, to whom these satrapsshould give account, so that theking might suffer no loss.

3 Then this Daniel becamedistinguished above all the otherhigh officials and satraps,because an excellent spirit was inhim. And the king planned to sethim over the whole kingdom.

Darius knew the testimony of Daniel prophesying Belshazzar’s

fall before they took over – this is the preparation of God for Daniel

for the reign of Darius – he promoted Daniel.

—

4 Then the high officials and thesatraps sought to find a groundfor complaint against Daniel withregard to the kingdom, but theycould find no ground forcomplaint or any fault, becausehe was faithful, and no error orfault was found in him.

10 "Blessed are those who arepersecuted for righteousness'sake, for theirs is the kingdom ofheaven.

11 "Blessed are you when othersrevile you and persecute you andutter all kinds of evil against youfalsely on my account.

Today , many nations restricts religious worship, the Bible speaks

of the Anti-Christ removing the freedom to worship the Lord in

the last days.

7 All the high officials of thekingdom, the prefects and thesatraps, the counselors and thegovernors are agreed that theking should establish anordinance and enforce aninjunction, that whoever makespetition to any god or man forthirty days, except to you, O king,shall be cast into the den of lions.

God creates another opportunity to raise up Daniel in the sight of

King Darius.

Even the mind of the enemy is in the hand of God.

10 When Daniel knew that thedocument had been signed, hewent to his house where he hadwindows in his upper chamberopen toward Jerusalem. He gotdown on his knees three times aday and prayed and gave thanksbefore his God, as he had donepreviously.

Daniel will be arrested and thrown in the lions den as he continues to

pray to God. He knows it.

But what was really happeningin his prayer? What was God showing him in his prayer?

Daniel could have received a vision of God that He is the LION OF JUDAH and no harm will come

to him. He will go through the lion’s den.

He was arrested and thrown in the lion’s den.

—

22 My God sent his angel andshut the lions' mouths, and theyhave not harmed me, because Iwas found blameless before him;and also before you, O king, Ihave done no harm."

24 And the king commanded, andthose men who had maliciouslyaccused Daniel were brought andcast into the den of lions—they,their children, and their wives.And before they reached thebottom of the den, the lionsoverpowered them and broke alltheir bones in pieces.

26 I make a decree, that in all myroyal dominion people are totremble and fear before the Godof Daniel, for he is the living God,enduring forever; his kingdomshall never be destroyed, and hisdominion shall be to the end.

FAITHWORKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH GLOBAL

Presented By:

Pastor Alan EsporasFCC Main, Ampid 1, San Mateo, Rizal, PH

4PM Afternoon Service

October 16, 2016

Website: faithworkschristianchurch.com

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