Jun 28, 2015 - The Bible even specifies that the man in charge of his training was the âchief ... thing that will stan
1
Living in Babylon
Living in Babylon
Dr. Dr.Brandon BrandonPark Park || June June28, 28,2015 2015 How to Thrive in America’s Post-‐Christian Culture
It’s obvious that the America we once knew is much different than the America we now know. We are now living in a “post-‐Christian” culture, meaning that Judeo-‐Christian religious beliefs and values are no longer at the center of American culture. We are facing some important decisions as to who we are going to be and how are we to address the changing culture around us. • Some churches try to ____________________ the culture. They think that they can still change culture through harder preaching, bigger boycotts, and larger picketing rallies. They expect the church to be heard and respected and for c ulture to fall in line with the teachings of God’s Word. The problem is that culture is no longer listening. • Some churches try to _____________________ the culture. They adopt an “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” mindset and embrace all aspects of the culture regardless of whether it agrees with Biblical principle or not ( homosexual marriage). As a result, they have lost their spiritual power and the mainline denominations are shrinking and dying off. • We must learn as a church to ______________________ our culture. We must re-‐learn how to engage our culture from the edges instead of the center. Why? Because Christianity is no longer the epicenter of political and social circles. Don’t let any of this discourage you… This is a wonderful opportunity for those who are true disciples of Jesus Christ! Persecution of the church always produces a greater unity of the Body of Christ. More importantly, Christianity grows faster in places where their faith is marginalized and persecuted rather than in the center of society. Is Christianity dying in America? The short answer is no. It is not dying – rather it is being “re-‐ defined.” Under the umbrella of all of those who call themselves “Christian” are two categories: • __________________________ Christians: Those who call themselves followers of Christ and take it very seriously – it governs how they live each day and they are actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since 2007 those numbers h ave grown from 59 million to 62 million. • __________________________ Christians: This group is in a steep decline. Nominal means “in name only.” These are people who would identify themselves as “Christian,” but they don’t really live out or practice their faith on a daily basis. They may attend church sporadically on special occasions or h olidays, but they don’t h ave a relationship with God. Jesus compared these two groups of people to the “wheat and the tares.” What’s happening is that the Nominals are becoming the Nones. Before, these people said, “I ascribe to the Christian faith.” Now they say, “I ascribe to no faith.” Yet, Convictional Christians remain a stable minority. So Christianity in America is becoming less nominal, more defined, and more outside the mainstream of American culture. Genuine Christianity is not declining in America – but no one can deny that Christianity h as lost its h ome field advantage. It’s no easy thing to live a godly life in the midst of an increasingly godless society. But it can be done… and DANIEL shows us how. While Daniel was living in Babylon – he didn’t just survive…he THRIVED and he changed an entire empire while he was at it. BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL. God’s people in Israel were living in wicked sin. The prophets of God warned them that if they continued to live this way, God would remove his hand of protection over them and allow them to be captured by the Babylonians. This happened around 586 BC. Daniel and his friends were part of the group that was exiled to Babylon. What made Babylon so bad? 1. A Godless _____________. Nebuchadnezzar was an egomaniac known to be hotheaded, murderous, v ain, unreasonable, and cruel. After conquering Jerusalem and destroying the Temple, he took a number of holy items from God’s Temple and put them on display in the temple of his demonic god, Marduk. 2. A Godless religious and _____________________ system. The state-‐sponsored religion of Babylon was satanic, and the core curriculum in the schools of higher learning included a large dose of astrology and the occult. In order to prepare for service to the King, Daniel was forced to complete a three-‐year study program in learning the language and literature of the Chaldeans designed to certify him as an enchanter and expert in the dark practices of the occult. 3. Spiritually ___________________ environment. Babylon hated the spiritual values that Daniel
and his friends held dear. They changed their Hebrew names to pagan names. Daniel means “God is my Judge.” They changed his name to Belteshazzar, which means “Bel’s Prince.” It would be like having your name changed from “Christian” to “Satan’s Prince.” 4. Daniel would suffer ___________________. He and his friends would have suffered the indignity of castration and turned into eunuchs. In order to serve in the Kings court, history tells us that the men would be castrated because the King would not want those kinds of men hanging around his harem. The Bible even specifies that the man in charge of his training was the “chief of eunuchs.” We can learn a lot from Daniel about h ow we can thrive in a pagan, secular environment. Here are three traits that must be true of us in order to engage our culture. 1. We must be people of ____________________. Read Daniel 1:3-‐4; 6-‐7. Every effort was being made to indoctrinate Daniel and h is friends into a pagan way of thinking and a pagan way of living. From the v ery beginning of his time in Babylon, Daniel was tempted to compromise everything he had learned and everything he had lived from the time he was born. They tried to morph Daniel into their own image and get him to compromise to their standards – but that had no effect on him because he knew what he believed. His first moment of decision c ame in Daniel 1:5. The meat Daniel was being offered to eat from the King’s table would have been sacrificed as a part of worship to the god Marduk. Daniel and his friends refused to compromise their convictions to eat the king’s meat and the king’s wine (both representing the sinful pleasures of this world) – See vs. 8. Every day, you will be hit with the hammer of compromise. The only thing that will stand against it is the wall of convictions you h ave placed in your h eart. What convictions are you going to have that will differentiate you as a follower of Christ? The four m ost popular “gods” in America today: 1.) The god of ______________, 2.) The god of _________, 3.) The god of _________________, 4.) The god of ____________________. We need to understand something about the devil. He is not interested in trying to stop you from worshipping. He wants you to worship the wrong thing. He knows he cannot stop it, so he wants to redirect it. 2. We must be people of _________________________. Notice that each of these characteristics flow from the other one. Once you have c onvictions that govern what you ________________, that will determine how you __________________. Daniel 1:8 says that “Daniel purposed in h is heart.” Character is all about the heart. You are the person you are today, because of the character you became yesterday. The person you will be tomorrow is determined by the character that you h ave today. Choices don’t _____________ character; choices ______________ character. Character is the will to do what is right as God defines what is right, regardless of the consequences or the costs. Listen to that definition and see two things in it. The best way to handle temptation is not to make a decision when you are tempted, but to make a decision of what you will do before you face that temptation. 3. We must be people of _____________________. Daniel was able to say “No” to the world because he had already said “Yes” to God. Even though it was the right decision, it was not an easy decision. It took great courage to say “No.” (Read vs. 8-‐10). To refuse to eat from the King’s table would have been a great insult to the king. Furthermore, to refuse a direct order would carry the penalty of death. When people think of Daniel’s courage, most think of the story of the Lion’s Den. Daniels’ courage and faithfulness was shown in the way he lived that got h im thrown into the Lion’s Den. When his enemies were looking for a way to accuse him, they could not find any fault in his life. So they had to make up a law forbidding prayer – yet Daniel still continued to pray (which resulted in him being thrown into the Lion’s Den). It was that courage that became the setup for God’s display of faithfulness. Most people want a “Lion’s Den” experience. They want to see God do huge things in their life and come through in big ways. Most people will never have the opportunity to prove God’s ______________________ in the lion’s den because they have not proved their ______________ in everyday life. 4. We must be people of ____________________. Even though Daniel stood his ground, h e didn't do it arrogantly or rudely. He did it courteously. R ead vs. 11-‐13. He didn't stage a protest. He didn't firebomb the banquet hall. He didn't threaten the king or the eunuch. He just very quietly and graciously proposed an alternative. Daniel c ontinued to respect authority. Daniel teaches us the importance of living a life of character that is distinct and differentiates you from the rest of the world. Daniel is a great example of someone who saw his job as a ministry assignment. He and h is friends consistently viewed themselves as servants of God. Maintaining a similar perspective is one of the keys to influence. We also need to remember that God is in control of who is in control! We don’t h ave to fear culture; we need to engage it with the gospel and our godly example.
1
Living in Babylon
Living in Babylon
Dr. Dr.Brandon BrandonPark Park || June June28, 28,2015 2015 How to Thrive in America’s Post-‐Christian Culture
It’s obvious that the America we once knew is much different than the America we now know. We are now living in a “post-‐Christian” culture, meaning that Judeo-‐Christian religious beliefs and values are no longer at the center of American culture. We are facing some important decisions as to who we are going to be and how are we to address the changing culture around us. eradicate • Some churches try to ____________________ the culture. They think that they can still change culture through harder preaching, bigger boycotts, and larger picketing rallies. They expect the church to be heard and respected and for c ulture to fall in line with the teachings of God’s Word. The problem is that culture is no longer listening. embrace • Some churches try to _____________________ the culture. They adopt an “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” mindset and embrace all aspects of the culture regardless of whether it agrees with Biblical principle or not ( homosexual marriage). As a result, they have lost their spiritual power and the mainline denominations are shrinking and dying off. engage • We must learn as a church to ______________________ our culture. We must re-‐learn how to engage our culture from the edges instead of the center. Why? Because Christianity is no longer the epicenter of political and social circles. Don’t let any of this discourage you… This is a wonderful opportunity for those who are true disciples of Jesus Christ! Persecution of the church always produces a greater unity of the Body of Christ. More importantly, Christianity grows faster in places where their faith is marginalized and persecuted rather than in the center of society. Is Christianity dying in America? The short answer is no. It is not dying – rather it is being “re-‐ defined.” Under the umbrella of all of those who call themselves “Christian” are two categories: Nominal • __________________________ Christians: Those who call themselves followers of Christ and take it very seriously – it governs how they live each day and they are actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since 2007 those numbers h ave grown from 59 million to 62 million. Convictional • __________________________ Christians: This group is in a steep decline. Nominal means “in name only.” These are people who would identify themselves as “Christian,” but they don’t really live out or practice their faith on a daily basis. They may attend church sporadically on special occasions or h olidays, but they don’t h ave a relationship with God. Jesus compared these two groups of people to the “wheat and the tares.” What’s happening is that the Nominals are becoming the Nones. Before, these people said, “I ascribe to the Christian faith.” Now they say, “I ascribe to no faith.” Yet, Convictional Christians remain a stable minority. So Christianity in America is becoming less nominal, more defined, and more outside the mainstream of American culture. Genuine Christianity is not declining in America – but no one can deny that Christianity h as lost its h ome field advantage. It’s no easy thing to live a godly life in the midst of an increasingly godless society. But it can be done… and DANIEL shows us how. While Daniel was living in Babylon – he didn’t just survive…he THRIVED and he changed an entire empire while he was at it. BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL. God’s people in Israel were living in wicked sin. The prophets of God warned them that if they continued to live this way, God would remove his hand of protection over them and allow them to be captured by the Babylonians. This happened around 586 BC. Daniel and his friends were part of the group that was exiled to Babylon. What made Babylon so bad? king 1. A Godless _____________. Nebuchadnezzar was an egomaniac known to be hotheaded, murderous, v ain, unreasonable, and cruel. After conquering Jerusalem and destroying the Temple, he took a number of holy items from God’s Temple and put them on display in the temple of his demonic god, Marduk. educational 2. A Godless religious and _____________________ system. The state-‐sponsored religion of Babylon was satanic, and the core curriculum in the schools of higher learning included a large dose of astrology and the occult. In order to prepare for service to the King, Daniel was forced to complete a three-‐year study program in learning the language and literature of the Chaldeans designed to certify him as an enchanter and expert in the dark practices of the occult. hostile 3. Spiritually ___________________ environment. Babylon hated the spiritual values that Daniel
and his friends held dear. They changed their Hebrew names to pagan names. Daniel means “God is my Judge.” They changed his name to Belteshazzar, which means “Bel’s Prince.” It would be like having your name changed from “Christian” to “Satan’s Prince.” indignity 4. Daniel would suffer ___________________. He and his friends would have suffered the indignity of castration and turned into eunuchs. In order to serve in the Kings court, history tells us that the men would be castrated because the King would not want those kinds of men hanging around his harem. The Bible even specifies that the man in charge of his training was the “chief of eunuchs.” We can learn a lot from Daniel about h ow we can thrive in a pagan, secular environment. Here are three traits that must be true of us in order to engage our culture. conviction 1. We must be people of ____________________. Read Daniel 1:3-‐4; 6-‐7. Every effort was being made to indoctrinate Daniel and h is friends into a pagan way of thinking and a pagan way of living. From the v ery beginning of his time in Babylon, Daniel was tempted to compromise everything he had learned and everything he had lived from the time he was born. They tried to morph Daniel into their own image and get him to compromise to their standards – but that had no effect on him because he knew what he believed. His first moment of decision c ame in Daniel 1:5. The meat Daniel was being offered to eat from the King’s table would have been sacrificed as a part of worship to the god Marduk. Daniel and his friends refused to compromise their convictions to eat the king’s meat and the king’s wine (both representing the sinful pleasures of this world) – See vs. 8. Every day, you will be hit with the hammer of compromise. The only thing that will stand against it is the wall of convictions you h ave placed in your h eart. What convictions are you going to have that will differentiate you as a follower of Christ? self The four m ost popular “gods” in America today: 1.) The god of ______________, 2.) The god of sex sports success _________, 3.) The god of _________________, 4.) The god of ____________________. We need to understand something about the devil. He is not interested in trying to stop you from worshipping. He wants you to worship the wrong thing. He knows he cannot stop it, so he wants to redirect it. character 2. We must be people of _________________________. Notice that each of these characteristics believe flow from the other one. Once you have c onvictions that govern what you ________________, behave that will determine how you __________________. Daniel 1:8 says that “Daniel purposed in h is heart.” Character is all about the heart. You are the person you are today, because of the character you became yesterday. The person you will be tomorrow is determined by the make character that you h ave today. Choices don’t _____________ character; choices reveal ______________ character. Character is the will to do what is right as God defines what is right, regardless of the consequences or the costs. Listen to that definition and see two things in it. The best way to handle temptation is not to make a decision when you are tempted, but to make a decision of what you will do before you face that temptation. courage 3. We must be people of _____________________. Daniel was able to say “No” to the world because he had already said “Yes” to God. Even though it was the right decision, it was not an easy decision. It took great courage to say “No.” (Read vs. 8-‐10). To refuse to eat from the King’s table would have been a great insult to the king. Furthermore, to refuse a direct order would carry the penalty of death. When people think of Daniel’s courage, most think of the story of the Lion’s Den. Daniels’ courage and faithfulness was shown in the way he lived that got h im thrown into the Lion’s Den. When his enemies were looking for a way to accuse him, they could not find any fault in his life. So they had to make up a law forbidding prayer – yet Daniel still continued to pray (which resulted in him being thrown into the Lion’s Den). It was that courage that became the setup for God’s display of faithfulness. Most people want a “Lion’s Den” experience. They want to see God do huge things in their life and come through in big ways. faithfulness Most people will never have the opportunity to prove God’s ______________________ in the faith lion’s den because they have not proved their ______________ in everyday life. courtesy 4. We must be people of ____________________. Even though Daniel stood his ground, h e didn't do it arrogantly or rudely. He did it courteously. R ead vs. 11-‐13. He didn't stage a protest. He didn't firebomb the banquet hall. He didn't threaten the king or the eunuch. He just very quietly and graciously proposed an alternative. Daniel c ontinued to respect authority. Daniel teaches us the importance of living a life of character that is distinct and differentiates you from the rest of the world. Daniel is a great example of someone who saw his job as a ministry assignment. He and h is friends consistently viewed themselves as servants of God. Maintaining a similar perspective is one of the keys to influence. We also need to remember that God is in control of who is in control! We don’t h ave to fear culture; we need to engage it with the gospel and our godly example.
