Apr 14, 2024
Walking Through the Minefield
Series: Daniel
Throughout his long life in Babylon Daniel faced difficult choices and the temptation to do what everyone else was doing. In spite of this, he demonstrated remarkable consistency in living rightly before the Lord. Daniel gives us an example worthy of imitation.
In Daniel 6:1-9 there are 3 things we can glean from Daniel’s life without him even saying a word: 1) Wherever God Has You, Give it Your Best; 2) Godly Character Gives No Ground of Accusation; and 3) Right Living Can Attract a Wrong Response from the World.
Be blameless as you live for the Lord.
Daniel 6:1-9
Apr. 14, 2024
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- Apr 14, 2024Walking Through the Minefield
Apr 14, 2024Walking Through the MinefieldSeries: DanielThroughout his long life in Babylon Daniel faced difficult choices and the temptation to do what everyone else was doing. In spite of this, he demonstrated remarkable consistency in living rightly before the Lord. Daniel gives us an example worthy of imitation.In Daniel 6:1-9 there are 3 things we can glean from Daniel’s life without him even saying a word: 1) Wherever God Has You, Give it Your Best; 2) Godly Character Gives No Ground of Accusation; and 3) Right Living Can Attract a Wrong Response from the World.Be blameless as you live for the Lord.Daniel 6:1-9Apr. 14, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Apr 7, 2024Lost in Translation
Apr 7, 2024Lost in TranslationSeries: DanielKing Belshazzar was partying like he didn’t have a care in the world, when suddenly a hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall. No one, not the king, nor his guests, not even his wise men could understand what it meant. Enter Daniel, who read and interpreted the message to speak of God's coming judgment on Belshazzar and his rule.There are at least three things illustrated by this passage which we would do well to understand: 1) Empty Flattery Doesn’t Fool God; 2) Pay Attention to the Warnings of God’s Judgment; 3) Daniel Proclaimed Wrath, We Are to Preach Repentance.A carefree present doesn’t guarantee a consequence free future.Daniel 5:13-31Apr. 7, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Mar 31, 2024What Are You Waiting For?
Mar 31, 2024What Are You Waiting For?Series: EasterWe hate to wait. It’s just not something we typically enjoy in our fast paced western culture, particularly not in California. Most probably feel that waiting is nothing but a waste of time.On Easter we celebrate the day the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and left the tomb empty. And, since that glorious day, we’ve been waiting… waiting for His return… waiting for the trumpet to sound and for Christ to descend with a shout and gather God’s children to Himself.In this message, we're going to talk about waiting: 1) Waiting for the Wrong Thing; 2) Waiting for the Wrong Reason; 3) Waiting in the Right Way.We need to actively wait as we anticipate our Lord’s return.Selected ScriptureMar. 31, 2024Easter SundayTo watch the video of this message, click here.
- Mar 17, 2024The Wrong Kind of Surprise Party
Mar 17, 2024The Wrong Kind of Surprise PartySeries: DanielWe usually think of surprise parties as a good or pleasant thing – surprising a loved one on their birthday, or for an anniversary, or retirement, or something worthy of celebration. However, not all surprises are a good thing. We see a sobering example of that in Daniel 5:1-12.Belshazzar, the new king of Babylon, give us an example which amounts to the ABC's of what not to do: 1) We Need to Avoid an Arrogant Attitude; 2) Beware of Blasphemous Behavior; and understand that 3) Committing Sin Carries Consequences.Don’t deny the Lord with your life, live for Him.Daniel 5:1-12Mar. 17, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Mar 10, 2024Pride Goes Before a Fall
Mar 10, 2024Pride Goes Before a FallSeries: DanielI suppose there are many things in life which happen to us that we never see coming. Still, the warning signs may be there, we just ignore them. King Nebuchadnezzar ignored the warning God had given him in a dream, a warning interpreted by Daniel. Instead of humbling himself, the king stubbornly persisted in pride, and suffered the consequences.There are 3 things to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's example to us: 1) Pride Can Pull at Us All; 2) Pride Sets Us Up for a Fall; 3) Humble Repentance Receives God's Grace.God can sovereignly humble all those who stubbornly persist in sinful pride.Daniel 4:28-37Mar. 10, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Mar 3, 2024What to Do When the Warning Light Comes On
Mar 3, 2024What to Do When the Warning Light Comes OnSeries: DanielWarning lights are a very helpful thing in most every application where you might find them. There are various warning lights on the dashboard of your car – lights that tell you the parking break is still set, the engine is running too hot, or the battery is not charging. God’s Word can also serve as an appropriate warning light in our lives. But, like other warning lights, we have to make a choice about how we will respond to the warning.In Daniel 4:10-27 we see God giving Nebuchadnezzar a warning through a dream the king had. God’s warning in this passage was specific to Nebuchadnezzar. However, there are principles here that we can see applying more generally in the rest of Scripture: 1) God Gives Ample Warning About Coming Consequences; 2) We Need to Love Others Enough to Let Them Know About the Lord’s Commands; 3) We Need to Recognize God as the Rightful Ruler of this Human Realm.Repentance is the recommended response to God’s impending judgment.Daniel 4:10-27Mar. 3, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Feb 25, 2024What Makes a Believer?
Feb 25, 2024What Makes a Believer?Series: DanielWhat makes a believer? It’s a relevant and important question. As we make our way into Dan. 4 this morning, we see pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar, giving praise to God for all He has done. Are we to understand that Nebuchadnezzar finally believes in the one true God? I’m not sure he does.There are 4 things which we can draw out of the opening verses of Daniel 4 which might indicate that Nebuchadnezzar is a believer in God. But, simply by themselves, these things do not make a person a believer. 1) Using Religious Language Does Not a Believer Make; 2) Experiencing a Miracle Does Not a Believer Make; 3) Being Impressed by God and His Actions Does Not a Believer Make; 4) Knowing True Believers Does Not a Believer Make.After we touch on each of these 4 points, we’ll finish up by seeking the right answer to what makes a believer. It’s actually pretty simple - 5) A True Believer is One Who Truly Believes.Genuine belief is rooted in a relationship.Daniel 4:1-9Feb. 25, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Feb 18, 2024Focused Faith
Feb 18, 2024Focused FaithSeries: DanielWe all face difficult times in life. There are struggles and challenges that come up which can threaten to overwhelm us. In those times we may feel like God is far away or unaware of what is taking place. We may not see His face, nor feel His hand guiding us, we may not even be able to sense His presence at all. But, God is there nonetheless. He may not move the obstacles out of our path, but He is there to support us and guide us through them.This is the truth we see so clearly illustrated in Daniel 3. As we finish up the chapter we should be encouraged by the faith of his three friends. They show us that we should 1) Trust in God When You’re Facing Fearful Times; 2) Look for God in Life’s Difficulties; and 3) Praise God for His Preserving Power.Remember that God is present with you in your problems.Daniel 3:19-30Feb. 18, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Feb 11, 2024Faith Under Fire
Feb 11, 2024Faith Under FireSeries: DanielA belief may be strong and intense and yet still be a preference if it can be changed under certain circumstances. A belief becomes a conviction when it cannot be changed under any circumstances. True faith in God is a conviction, not merely a preference. We see this distinction in the lives of Daniel’s three associates.In Daniel 3:8-18 we get a close look at 1) The Firm Faith of Daniel’s Friends. This, then, leads us to define 2) What Biblical Faith is Not; and 3) What Biblical Faith Is.Hold firmly to your faith, even when facing hard times.Daniel 3:8-18Feb. 11, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Feb 4, 2024Pressure’s On
Feb 4, 2024Pressure’s OnSeries: DanielEvery one of us has experienced the weight of peer pressure at various points in our lives. It probably is most noticeable during our teenage years. There is enormous pressure to conform, or at least a great fear of standing out.As we open Daniel 3 this morning, we see the setup for an extremely trying time in the life of Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We won’t look at their response to the pressure they were under yet, just the details of the situation.There are two cautions we can see in this paragraph: 1) We need to not forget what God has done in our lives; 2) The culture’s call on us is different than God’s call on us. After considering these two cautions, we’ll finish up by focusing on the fact that 3) What God calls us to do is always right, because God is always right.We can face enormous pressure to conform to the culture, rather than obey God.Daniel 3:1-7Feb. 4, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
