A Message to the Nations

A MESSAGE TO THE NATIONS AND RULERS OF THIS WORLD = SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR

(Psalm 2)

"Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (Psalm 2:10-12).

We are going to go to one of our favorite Bible stories to see this at work. Guess which one it is.

Daniel 6 - is the passage. The lion's den is the setting.

These rulers (one of whom Daniel was) could find no corruption in Daniel because he was:

	Trustworthy
	Not corrupt
	Not negligent

We will never find any basis for charges against this man, they said, unless we can pit the law of his God against our law - then we will have him.

WE KNOW WHAT HE WILL DO! HE IS SO FAITHFUL. HE IS SO CONSISTENT. WE'VE GOT HIM! WE KNOW WHAT HE WILL DO!

What a strangely sophisticated trap.

The real liars, thieves, murderers, adulterers, idolaters of this world are not part-timers or temporary workers.

The real corrupt hard core workers of this world system are full time, double overtime, paid vacation, and profit sharing, rascals.

This world becomes organized in its rebellion against God (Psalm 2).

This world becomes very sophisticated in its plotting against one another.

Yes or no?

When believers in the Lord Jesus Christ sin, we have an advocate. We confess and are forgiven (I John 1 and 2).

When the hardened sinners of this world system organize and become sophisticated in their plots, it becomes a very interesting production.

Have you seen this?

Even more important, some very purposely, some unwittingly, are human instruments of dark powers (principalities, rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places - Ephesians 6). These powers fuel and empower these sophisticated plots.

Do you believe this?

Are you awake or asleep at the steering wheel concerning the working of the kingdoms of this world?

These things are not new; in fact they are as old as Psalm 2 and even quite a bit older than that.

I have good news and bad news today.

My dad said once that a doctor was talking to a patient and said, "I have good news and bad news."

The patient said, "Well let's have the good news first."

The doctor said, "You have 24 hours to live."

The patient said, "If that is the good news, what is the bad news."

The doctor said, "I should have told you yesterday."

GOOD NEWS: Our God is very alive and very awake concerning these things.

BAD NEWS: Our enemy is also alive and well; it would be a noteworthy victory if he could have a part in making the church of the Lord Jesus Christ fall asleep.

Please notice 3 parts to this great story.

I. The sophisticated plot (Daniel 6:1-9).

"As a group" (vs. 6, 11, 15); Dr. Scovil used to tell us college kids to "quit pooling your ignorance".

Darius looks dumb (he wasn't) - he was just outwitted.

II. The expected response (Daniel 6:10-14).

Daniel loved God.

Daniel feared God.

III. The unexpected ending (Daniel 6:15-25).

Have you seen an unexpected ending lately? I was watching a movie once and I was grumbling about it because I didn't like what it was showing. I actually shut the movie off because Linda was busy doing something and wasn't watching it with me. She came back out and said why aren't you watching the movie? I said I didn't like it - it was about sophisticated criminals teaching other criminals to be sophisticated. Oh you big baby, she said (or something like that) turn it back on. So I did. Guess what. The sophisticated criminal who was always conning everybody was outwitted and became the one who was conned.

It shocked me! I actually got excited! Woo, I said, that was good. The con man got conned. I want to watch this again. But I don't think it will have the same effect. It was an unexpected ending.

This account in Daniel 6 - has one of the greatest unexpected ending of all Scripture. That's why we love it.

King Darius' dilemma - he was caught in his own net (vs. 15-16).

King Darius' faith - strange though it may be, King Darius knew that he was not the ultimate authority. Darius only had a throne on earth; quite a significant one, but only on earth. Darius knew that there was a king in heaven (vs. 17-23).

King Darius' decree (vs. 24-28).

Do you see the three parts to this great story?

GOOD NEWS: Our God is very alive and very awake concerning these things.

BAD NEWS: Our enemy is also alive and well; it would be a noteworthy victory if he could have a part in making the church of the Lord Jesus Christ fall asleep.

The book of Psalms invites each of us "to come and I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Psalm 34:11).

The book of Psalms says to the nations of this world -