Cultural Engagement — Angelina Linden, 7th July 2024 | LOVECHURCH Bournemouth
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring sermon, Angelina Lindon, the Kids Pastor, delves into the Book of Daniel, focusing on cultural engagement and the importance of being courageous witnesses in everyday life. She illustrates the challenges of maintaining faith amidst cultural pressures using the analogy of navigating London's tube system. Angelina emphasizes the need to know one's identity in Christ, to be faithful despite temptations, and to live distinctively, pointing to the everlasting kingdom. She encourages believers to stand out, share the hope of Jesus, and impact the world for Christ, drawing parallels between Daniel's experiences and the believer's mission today.
Takeaways
- 😇 The sermon focuses on cultural engagement as a Christian, drawing lessons from the Book of Daniel and his experiences in Babylon.
- 🌞 The preacher, Angelina Lindon, introduces herself as the kids pastor and shares her personal story of navigating the London tube to illustrate the courage needed to engage with culture.
- 🔑 Daniel is highlighted as a figure who knew his identity as a child of God and maintained it despite the pressures of Babylonian culture, serving as an example for believers today.
- 🙏 Daniel's decision to avoid defilement from the royal food and wine is emphasized as a demonstration of faithfulness to God, even when faced with temptation.
- 💪 The sermon encourages believers to be brave, stand out, and not conform to the world's standards, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.
- 📚 The story of Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream is used to discuss the temporal nature of worldly kingdoms compared to the everlasting kingdom of God.
- 🏆 The importance of building one's life on the foundation of Jesus Christ is underscored, as any other foundation will ultimately fail.
- 🌟 The sermon calls for Christians to live distinctively, not to fit in with the world, but to reflect the kingdom of God in their daily lives.
- 🤔 The audience is challenged to consider what they are building their lives upon, whether it be success, possessions, or their identity in Christ.
- 👫 The message includes a call to prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit for empowerment to engage with culture as a witness for Christ.
- 💖 An invitation is extended for those who feel the need for hope, healing, or a renewed sense of confidence in their role in cultural engagement to come forward for prayer.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the sermon based on the script?
-The main theme of the sermon is cultural engagement as seen through the life of Daniel, focusing on knowing one's identity in Christ, being faithful to God, and living distinctively to make a difference in the world.
Who is Angelina Lindon in the context of the script?
-Angelina Lindon is the kids pastor at the church and is the one delivering the sermon on cultural engagement based on the Book of Daniel.
Why did the chief official give Daniel and his friends new names?
-The chief official gave Daniel and his friends new names as part of the process to assimilate them into the Babylonian culture and to erase their Hebrew identity.
What was Daniel's response to the temptation of the royal food and wine?
-Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, which he saw as a violation of his faith. He requested permission to eat vegetables and drink water instead.
How did Daniel demonstrate his faithfulness to God?
-Daniel demonstrated his faithfulness to God by choosing not to eat the King's food and wine, which he believed would violate the Torah, and by relying on God's wisdom and guidance in all situations.
What was the significance of the dream in Daniel chapter 2?
-The dream in Daniel chapter 2, involving a large statue made of different metals and a rock not cut by human hands, symbolizes the rise and fall of human kingdoms and the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom.
What does the sermon suggest about the importance of maintaining one's identity in Christ?
-The sermon suggests that maintaining one's identity in Christ is crucial for engaging with culture effectively, as it provides a foundation of confidence and moral guidance.
How does the sermon relate the story of Daniel to modern-day believers?
-The sermon relates the story of Daniel to modern-day believers by drawing parallels between the challenges Daniel faced in a foreign culture and the challenges believers face in engaging with their own culture while staying true to their faith.
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer according to the sermon?
-According to the sermon, the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in transforming believers from the inside out, empowering them to engage with the world without conforming to its ways, and helping them to live a life of faithfulness to God.
What is the final call to action for the congregation presented in the sermon?
-The final call to action is for the congregation to step forward for prayer, to embrace their identity as children of God, to be faithful in their daily lives, and to live distinctively as witnesses for Christ in their culture.
Outlines
🌤 Welcoming Visitors and Introducing the Service
The speaker begins by welcoming visitors to a church service in Bournemouth, hoping for a sunny afternoon after a rainy morning. They mention the upcoming teaching by Angelina Lindon, the kids' pastor, who is married to David and has two children deeply involved in the church community. Angelina is praised for her preaching abilities and will continue the series on the Book of Daniel. Festus Adad Doan, a trustee, will read the scripture from Daniel chapter 1, verses 3 onwards, detailing the selection and training of young Israelites, including Daniel, for service in the king's palace, and Daniel's resolve to avoid defilement by royal food and wine.
📚 Cultural Engagement and Personal Witness
Angelina Lindon discusses the theme of being courageous witnesses, focusing on cultural engagement. She uses her personal experience of navigating the London tube system as a metaphor for engaging with everyday life and culture. The story illustrates the challenges of standing out by asking for directions amidst the busy crowd, which parallels the courage needed to share one's faith in a secular environment. The congregation is encouraged to reflect on their own reactions in such a situation, emphasizing the importance of being brave and seeking guidance.
🔑 Keys to Effective Cultural Engagement
The sermon continues with three key lessons from the life of Daniel for engaging with culture: understanding one's identity, being faithful to God in all situations, and living distinctively. Angelina emphasizes the importance of maintaining one's identity in Christ, resisting cultural pressures to conform, and prioritizing God in decision-making. The story of Daniel's refusal to adopt Babylonian names and practices illustrates the importance of holding onto one's faith and identity, even in the face of cultural assimilation.
🙏 The Importance of Prayer and Knowing God's Love
Angelina shares the significance of prayer and recognizing God's love in establishing a strong identity as a child of God. She recounts a personal experience with her son, Jacob, who was struggling with his identity amidst peer pressure and bullying. Through prayer and scripture, they reaffirmed their identity as beloved children of God. The sermon encourages the congregation to stand firm in their faith, knowing they are redeemed and chosen by God, which provides a foundation for engaging confidently with the world.
🛡 Setting Boundaries and Choosing Faithfulness
The sermon delves into Daniel's decision to abstain from the king's food and wine, which symbolizes the importance of setting boundaries and choosing faithfulness to God. Despite the potential consequences, Daniel's conviction led to a successful outcome, demonstrating God's favor. Angelina emphasizes that faithfulness in our lives may come with risks and challenges, but God remains faithful, even when we fail. She calls on the congregation to rely on God's spirit for transformation and to resist conforming to the world's patterns.
🌟 Living Distinctively and the Power of the Rock
Angelina explores the concept of living distinctively by examining Nebuchadnezzar's dream from Daniel chapter 2. The dream of a statue with various materials represents different kingdoms, which are all destroyed by a rock not made by human hands. This rock symbolizes the everlasting kingdom established by God, which will endure while others crumble. The sermon encourages the congregation to build their lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, living as distinctive witnesses to the world, reflecting the kingdom values that will ultimately prevail.
🕊 Embracing Our Mission as Exiles with a Calling
The sermon concludes by highlighting our calling as exiles with a mission, just as Daniel was placed in Babylon. Angelina encourages the congregation to embrace their identity as heirs to the kingdom of God and to live distinctively, pointing people to Jesus. She emphasizes the importance of prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit in guiding us to engage with culture effectively, sharing the hope and transformation that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.
🤝 Invitation for Prayer and Rediscovering Christ's Love
In the closing moments, Angelina extends an invitation for those who feel drawn to Christ or who seek to make a difference for Him to come forward for prayer. She acknowledges the struggle to fit in with the world and the desire to stand out for Jesus. The prayer team is ready to support individuals in rediscovering their identity in Christ and gaining confidence in their role to engage with culture. The sermon ends with an emphasis on the transformative power of Christ's love and the importance of sharing this love with others.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cultural Engagement
💡Identity
💡Faithfulness
💡Wisdom and Understanding
💡Assimilation
💡Convictions
💡Transformation
💡Exile
💡Kingdom of God
💡Hope
💡Prayer
Highlights
Introduction of Angelina Lindon as the kids' pastor and her role in the church.
Angelina's discussion on the importance of cultural engagement in everyday life.
The story of Daniel's resolve not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, demonstrating his commitment to his faith.
Daniel's request for a 10-day trial with a vegetarian diet, resulting in improved health and appearance.
The significance of Daniel's ability to understand visions and dreams, highlighting his spiritual gifts.
Angelina's personal experience navigating the London tube as a metaphor for cultural engagement.
The three key areas for engaging with culture as outlined by Angelina: knowing your identity, being faithful, and being different.
The importance of maintaining one's identity in Christ amidst cultural pressures.
The story of God calling Jacob by name as a reminder of divine identity and love.
Angelina's emphasis on the need for setting parameters in cultural engagement, as demonstrated by Daniel.
The transformative power of the Holy Spirit in enabling faithfulness to God.
The call to live distinctively by building one's life on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Angelina's illustration of the fragility of human kingdoms compared to the everlasting kingdom of God.
The vision of the rock cut from the mountain as a symbol of the kingdom established by God.
The challenge to not conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of one's mind.
The invitation for those who feel a calling to make a difference for Jesus to come forward for prayer and support.
Transcripts
[Music]
you're if you're a visitor with us this
morning um you're visiting Bournemouth I
hope the afternoon is going to be more
Sunny than the morning was for you so uh
you've avoided the rain by coming to
church and then you go go down at the
beach this afternoon enjoy the sun
fantastic so um yeah in a moment we have
uh Angelina Lindon who is our kids
Pastor who will be coming to uh teach uh
preach for us she's married to David
they've got two wonderful children and
uh theyve they're right at the core of
the the church and we've we love it h
Angelina is a gifted preacher as well so
we're looking forward to that she'll be
continuing at on our Daniel series many
of us will be have uh be reading through
uh Daniel and the story uh we've all
been on so that's wonderful before we do
that we've got Festus adad Doan who's
one of our trustees who's going to come
and and read the scripture for us so
let's open our hearts to What the Lord
Has for
us um I'm reading from Daniel chapter
1 from verse
three then the king ordered aspers chief
of his court officials to bring into the
King's Service some of the Israelites
from the royal family and the
nobility young men without any physical
defect handsome sh aptitude for every
kind of learning well informed quick to
understand and qualified to serve in the
king's Palace he was to teach them the
language and literature of the
Babylonians the king assigned them a
daily amount of food and wine from the
king's table they were to be trained for
3 years and after that they were to
enter the King's Service among those who
were chosen were some from Judah Daniel
hananiah Mish and
Azariah the chief official gave them new
names to Daniel the name belazza to
hananiah shedrach to Michelle mesach and
to Azariah
Abednego but Daniel resolved not to
defile himself with the Royal food and
wine and he asked the chief official for
permission not to defile himself this
way now God had caused the official to
show favor and compassion to Daniel but
the official told Daniel I am afraid of
my Lord the king who has assigned your
food and drink why should he see you
looking worse than the other young men
your age the king would have my head
because of you Daniel then said to the G
whom the chief official had appointed
over Daniel anah Michelle and Azariah
please test your servants for 10 days
give us nothing but vegetables to eat
and water to drink then compare our
appearance with that of the young men
who ate the Royal food and treat your
servants in accordance with what you
see so we agreed to to this and tested
them for 10 days at the end of 10 days
they looked healthier and better
nourished than any of the young men who
ate the Royal food so the God took away
their choice food and the wine they were
to drink and gave them vegetables
instead to these four young men God gave
knowledge and understanding of all kinds
of literature and learning and Daniel
could understand visions and dreams of
all
kinds at the end of the time set by the
king to bring bring them into his
service the chief official presented
them to
Nebuchadnezzar the king talked with them
and he found none equal to Daniel
hananiah Michel and Azariah so they
enter the King's Service in every matter
of wisdom and understanding about which
the king questioned them he found them
10 times better than all the magicians
and enchanters in his whole Kingdom and
Daniel remained there until the the
first year of King Cyrus
amen good morning um welcome everyone so
if we haven't met before I'm Angelina
and I'm the kids Pastor here so I have
the absolute privilege of teaching the
Next Generation about Jesus I'm married
to David who's busy today in kids
ministry and very much supports me in
all that I do here and I have two
children one who many of you will know
Jacob and Jessica and they are wonderful
so over the last few weeks we've been
looking at the Book of Daniel and in
particular that topic of being
courageous
Witnesses so far we have looked at
faithfulness in adversity we've looked
at engaging government prophetic vision
and this week the focus is on cultural
engagement well this topic it speaks
into how we engage in our everyday lives
in our workplace in our homes in our
universities in our use of social media
and our life
decisions I don't know about you but I
feel like sitting in church Church on a
Sunday is far easier than evangelizing
Monday to Saturday in the culture that
we live in in this
day well I was thinking of a good
example of what cultural engagement
looks like feels like for me personally
and hopefully you share that too so if
we can have the slide up here we go
we've got the tube
escalators and and I was reminded of the
day when I had to go to London and I
chose to go to London on my own and to
navigate the tube not something that
I've done before for some of you it's
probably something that you do every day
but for me it put dread in me imagining
trying to navigate where the tubes are
going and I was on my way I was starting
a course at St malius called the Peter
stream and St malius is a Bible College
in London and I had no idea where I was
going but I just said Lord I believe you
called me to do this I'm going to get on
that train this morning and tried to
navigate my way well getting on the
train from pool it was fine got all the
way to watero but then I headed down to
the tube
station and when I headed down there all
I could see is all these escalators of
people all going in different directions
and it's 9:00 a.m. and it's so so
busy and I had no idea which way to go I
was just walking around in circles
wondering I don't know I don't know
which tube I don't know which line I
don't know where I'm getting off Lord
please help me and I knew that I had
three options and the first option that
I was probably the most comfortable with
was one to freak out and head home I
definitely felt overwhelmed and I just
wanted to freak out and just get back on
that tube back to London waterl but I
knew that I would regret that decision
secondly I thought well what if I just
fit in and just follow where the other
people are going and then hopefully
they're all going the same way that I'm
going and I'll find my way there or
thirdly that I was going to be brave I
was going to be courageous and that
somehow I could go forward and find
someone to ask for dire s well I wonder
what would be your response in that
situation hands up if you and me in that
situation with my own experiences never
been on you before on my own hands up if
you would have freaked out and head home
no no one freaking out here wow I feel
alone in this I must be the only one
that's afraid of the tube number two
would you fit in and follow where
everybody else is going on those
escalators maybe ending up in the wrong
place hands up who would fit in
and last of all be courageous and ask
for direction who is courageous in this
place amazing don't think I need to do
this talk today you're very courageous
so well I decided to go for option
number three so I decided to be brave
and
courageous and I'm looking up and
there's still all these people coming
down the escalators coming towards me
they're so focused on their destination
I don't know if you've been on the tube
in like 9 am but everyone's in such a
rush even when a tube comes like they
don't want to miss it even though
there's one one minute later I cannot
understand it and me I'm just like oh
we've got all the time in the world so
basically I kept going up to people
coming down the escalator like excuse me
excuse me but nobody nobody was stopping
it so frustrating and I felt like I was
going to get trampled down or something
but eventually eventually a nice kind
person came over to me gave the
directions made that time but I tell you
what I certainly stood out because I was
the only one there stopping everyone
going in that same
direction and it definitely feels like
that doesn't it it feels like that when
we engage with culture you can feel like
a fish trying to swim in a different
direction for those of you on the school
run I don't know if you experiened this
my kids go to quite a large school
trying to navigate to get through all
the parents going in the other direction
especially when I'm running late from
church trying to pick my child up it's
like that it's like being in a Taylor
Swift concert and trying to get to the
front or trying to get out to go to the
ladi's toilets that's what it feels like
however this morning we have hope
because we have the word of God we have
the truth of God we have Jesus and this
morning we are going to look at what
Daniel teaches us about engaging with
culture
so that we just like me on that tube
that day that we can be courageous
Witnesses in the culture that we find
ourselves in imagine if we were better
able to engage in culture what
difference what difference could we make
for Jesus our faith it wouldn't be
hidden but it would be like that City on
a Hill it would have great impact and we
be more encouraged as we gain confidence
that that is what Daniel teaches us
about let's get into it this morning so
a bit of a context of Daniel a bit of a
background about him so Daniel lived in
Jerusalem and in the third year of the
reign of jeim King Judah Nebuchadnezzar
besieged
Jerusalem the Lord delivered King jeim
into his hand as well as the articles of
the the temple of God Israelites from
the royal family and nobility like
Daniel were brought into the service of
the king of
Babylon what a change for Daniel Daniel
was an exile and now he's expected to
engage in Babylonian culture that was so
so different well we're going to look
this morning at three keys there's so
much much that Daniel talks about and
I'll be honest trying to put it into
those three key areas this morning was
really hard but three things really
stood out to me so that we can engage
effectively with culture first of all be
you be who you are know your
identity number two to be faithful to
put God first in our lives and to be
faithful to him in All situations and
third to be different to live
distinctively so first of all be you
well in the first chapter of Daniel we
see that Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon wanted to assimilate him and his
friends into the Babylonian culture to
seek to AR raisee their Hebrew
identity and one of the ways that they
sought to do this was by changing their
names what better way than changing
someone's names to raise their identity
and in Daniel 1 6-7 it says among those
who were chosen some from Jud Judah
Daniel haniah Michelle and Azariah the
chief official gave them new names to
Daniel the name Bel to shazar to
hananiah Shadrach and to Michelle mesach
and to Azariah Abednego
well the Hebrew name for Daniel was
special to him it's special because it
meant God is my judge and his friends as
well their names they represented the
god that they
worship but they were replaced with
Babylonian names that were about
worshiping the gods of
Babylon Daniel's name that he was given
belisar it means Bale the God Bell will
protect well despite this one thing that
we see about Daniel is that he knew his
identity he was clear he knew who he was
and he knew whose he was do you remember
that song I know who I am I am yours I
am yours and he spent time with his
father God because God was Sovereign in
his life life he really still continued
to live out that name that God is his
judge he knew that changing his name it
would never change his identity it was
just a
word he knew God as his father as he
spent time with him daily three times a
day in prayer and no name no name could
ever change who he was
they not only changed his name but they
also sought to control the way that he
lived in what he was taught in what he
spoke the language that he spoke and
what he ate and it says in Daniel 1: 5-6
he was to teach them the language and
literature of the
Babylonians the king assigned them a
daily amount of food from the king's
table they were to be trained for three
years and after that they were to enter
the King's
Service however Daniel he knew where to
draw the line and his identity as a
child of God helped him to know that he
had the wisdom to know when it's okay to
obey and when to draw the
line and he engaged in that training he
learned the language he learned the
literature but for him he decided not to
eat the King's food and we'll look at
this later why he didn't and the Bible
even says that he excelled he excelled
at his learning at the language and it
said that they found no one greater than
Daniel and his friends no one
equal well in our culture I don't know
if you experience it but we can really
find an attack on our identity
the culture around us seeks to impact us
leaders the workplace not this workplace
because I work here social media TV
education relationships and more to try
and shape the way that we see ourselves
and therefore the way that we live our
lives because we know that the way we
see ourselves will impact the way that
we
live well as a parent raising children
and as many parents in this place
today I see it for my children I see a
culture that is trying to shape their
identity to shape who they are to shape
who they well the way that they live
their lives and through peer pressure
and bullying and social media all those
things it tries to impact the way that
they see themselves but as a parent and
as parents in this place we should seek
to help them to find their identity in
Christ alone to know that they are
children of God and I had a powerful
experience of this and the truth is as a
parent I love my kids I want them to
know their identity I don't want them to
be shaped by the world and by bullying
and by the way people treat them and I
prayed with my son who was experiencing
those kind of challenges and struggling
to know am I saved am I a child of God
who am I but people say other things
about me and I remember that day I just
sat there in the chair and I said oh
Jacob I'm just reminded of that verse
that talks about God calling us by name
and the amazing thing is is I forgot it
had the name Jacob in it and so God said
that day you may care about his identity
but I care about it even more because
I'm his father and let me remind you of
that verse but now this is what the Lord
says he who created you
Jacob he who formed you Israel do not
fear for I have redeemed you I have
summoned You by name you are mine and we
need to hold on to that this morning if
you sit here this morning and you don't
know who you are you hear all the things
that the world says about you be
reminded that God has redeemed you you
are chosen you are a child of the king
so as we engage with
culture know who you
are and who's you are wherever you go
when you step out this door you can walk
out with confidence knowing who you are
I can walk with confidence and when I'm
there at the tube station and there's
hundreds of people coming at me I can
walk in that identity no you are greatly
loved by God and this isn't about works
this isn't about I'm going to try I'm
going to try to see myself as God sees
me I'll be honest I've tried it and I
tried it when I was young and it's just
really hard but the one thing that
helped was just knowing that I'm loved
knowing that I'm loved by God receiving
that love that he has for us stand on
your
identity as loved children of God and
that's what it means to be you because
you are a child of the king secondly be
faithful when engaging with culture
Daniel knows that his identity means
that he needs to set parameters and
that's what we need to do today we need
to set parameters and the one thing the
parameter that he set in in Daniel 1 to8
was Daniel resolved not to defile
himself with the Royal food and wine he
asked the chief official for permission
not to defile himself in this way so
let's make this clear Daniel he had the
opportunity to have the King's food can
you imagine the King's food luxurious
food and wine he had that opportunity
can you imagine how tempting it would
have been to have gone with that to have
enjoyed that food to enjoy that
wine however he knew his
convictions and for him that food it
would been a violation of the Torah and
it may have been offered to the gods and
so he was not willing to eat that
food and he chose he chose to be
faithful to God whatever the cost and he
knew that by doing that there could be a
cost there could be a huge cost so what
He suggests in the story He suggests
that the official test them that they're
given vegetables and water for 10 days
and to act accordingly and so that's
what happens and because of God's
amazing favor to Daniel after those 10
days they look stronger and
well-nourished more even than the others
that eating the King's
food isn't that amazing that Daniel he
was faithful to God and we see other
examples we see other examples in Daniel
when he also chooses to be faithful when
he chooses not to bow down to the Statue
when he chooses to continue to pray to
his God and not pray to the king and
risk
that God was also faithful to
Daniel when we choose faithfulness in
our lives we also take a risk and I'd
love to say that if you're faithful that
it will all turn out really well and
really easy and for Daniel yeah we see
amazing things happen but there can be a
cost that cost can be people that reject
us it might be family that reject us but
we can still say that God is good we can
still say that despite that despite the
outcome that God is faithful and because
of his constant faithfulness to us we
can be faithful to
him well as we engage with culture today
it might not be the Temptations of the
king's amazing luxurious ious food but
there are other Temptations aren't there
to lie to deceive to cheat to commit
sexual
immorality there's so many things that
we can be tempted to do but like Daniel
we can make a choice who we serve that
we serve God a choice to be
faithful and we can stand on those
convictions
despite opposition despite temp
Temptation despite whatever it may
cost and of course we know we're human
aren't we there's times when we fail
let's not pretend that we're all perfect
and this stuff is really really easy we
will fail at times but God is faithful
to forgive
us and it's only by him that we can live
a life of
faithfulness it's not something we try
to must up up like our identity we don't
try to master up this but we instead
rely on
God Daniel we see he prayed he prayed to
God didn't he and he relied on God to
help him to help him make these
decisions and it talks in Daniel 5:1
about him having the spirit in him it
says there is a man in your kingdom who
has the spirit of the Holy gods in him
in the time of your father he was found
to have insight and intelligence and
wisdom like that of the god well the
Bible is clear that it's by the holy
spirit that we're transformed from the
inside
out and so we can engage with culture
and God wants to us to engage in the
world around us but we can resist being
squeezed into its mold and choose to be
faithful first and foremost to God and
in Romans 12:2 it sayso not conform to
the pattern of this world but be
transformed by the renewing of your
mind that you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is his good and
perfect pleasing
will amazing so
thirdly we're called to be
different we're not called to fit in
we're called to live
distinctively so we're now going to look
at the dream Nebuchadnezzar's dream in
Daniel 2 and that will give us some
insight into how to be different and it
will help us know how to engage with
culture so let's have the image up on
the screen there I hope you can all see
that this morning so I'm just going to
read what it says in Daniel 2:
31-35 your majesty looked and there
before you stood a large statue an
enormous dazzling statue awesome in
appearance the head of the statue was
made of pure gold its chest and arms of
silver its belly and thighs of bronze
its legs of iron its feet partly of iron
and
Clay while you were watching a Rock was
cut out but not by human hands it struck
the statue on its feet of iron and clay
and smashed them then the iron the clay
the bronze the silver and the gold were
all broken to pieces and became like
chaff on the freshing floor in summer
the wind swept them away not leaving a
trace but the rock that struck the
statue became a huge mountain and filled
the whole
Earth so Nebuchadnezzar had this dream
and he needed someone to interpret it
and God revealed the dream to Daniel and
he explained that Nebuchadnezzar he is
the head of gold the king of kings that
God had placed him there and he then
goes on to say that after him there'll
be another inferior Kingdom then a third
Kingdom of bronze a fourth Kingdom of
strong iron that will break and Crush um
the others the feet of the statue partly
iron and Clay demonstrating that this
Kingdom would be partly strong and
partly brittle that it would not be
United however Daniel speaks of a future
Everlasting
Kingdom in the time of those kings the
god of heaven will set up a kingdom that
will never be destroyed nor will it be
left to another people people it will
crush all those kingdoms and bring them
to an end but it himself will endure
Forever This is the meaning of the
vision of the rock cut out of the
mountain but not by human hands a rock
that will break the iron the bronze the
clay the silver and the gold to
Pieces well this dream is clear isn't it
that human kingdoms they're
fragile they are built on the wrong
foundations and they will be
overthrown in our lives what kingdom are
we building on and I've just got an
illustration if um de we can just bring
up the blocks what kingdom are we living
for thank
you so maybe we're building our lives on
success
maybe we're building our lives on our
identity the way that we look the way
that the world sees us wanting to fit in
maybe we build our lives on possessions
there's so many things that we could
build our lives upon and yet just like
that Vision it's like having feet of
clay and in that Vision we see we see a
mountain de just holding this we see a
mountain and what happens is there's a
rock cut out of the mountain not by
human
hands and what happens is that rock
comes and it
knocks that Kingdom down because it's
not built on strong thank you
foundations and this rock is the rock of
Jesus
Christ that we can build our lives upon
on that strength of Jesus Christ
everything else any other Kingdom will
come crumbling down it's just like that
story isn't it when we're taught as
children about the Rock and the sand
build your lives upon the
sand so instead we are called to live
for an
everlasting Kingdom the kingdom that
Jesus when he came that he
inaugurated we're called to build on the
foundation of Jesus
Christ he only he the Chief Cornerstone
that the builders
rejected well the incredible thing as I
was reading that we discover in Jeremiah
29
was that it was actually God's plan that
he would go there amazing isn't it that
God God would choose him to go there to
go to Babylon to engage with the
culture how amazing is that maybe God
has placed you right where you are maybe
you're saying Lord I want to work for
the church I I want to reach out to
Christian people but maybe he's placed
you where you are
so that you can reach out it was there
that he was able to live distinctively
and to point people to God just as God
sent Daniel as an exile to Babylon we
too are Exiles with a calling with a
mission he's placed us here on Mission
too let's think back to that escalator
example
that I shared at the beginning feeling
overwhelmed on the tube on the
escalators and everyone going in a
different direction and we too we feel
like we don't fit in we don't fit in
with the culture but the truth is guys
that's because we don't we don't we're
called to be different we're called to
be distinctive people will reject us
because to the world we stand up and you
know why we stand out because we are hes
to the kingdom of God we are hes that is
your identity as an heir to the kingdom
and by living distinctively we can
engage with culture but we can share the
precious lifechanging hope of Jesus and
in this time we're living in the already
and not yet but we're called to point
people to a coming Kingdom when every
knee will bow and like in Isaiah 61
we're called to reach out to the
marginalized The Outsider The Foreigner
to offer them hope and a
future how amazing what we have to
offer sometimes it can seem like we
don't have anything to offer but we do
guys we can raise rise up we can stand
with confidence because we are HS to a
kingdom that this world needs to hear
about they need to hear about the hope
of
Jesus well this morning we have
discovered the incredible way that
Daniel engaged in
culture he knew his identity as a child
of God he chose to be faithful because
he always sought God first
and he choose to live differently
because he knew that he wasn't called to
fit in because he was called to make a
difference I'm just going to call the
worship team forward and the prayer team
just as I wrap
up well the story of Daniel it points to
the greatest ever example of cultural
engagement Jesus
Christ like Daniel he had two names he
had a Heavenly name and he had a human
name but he knew his identity that he
was the son of the Living God he too he
chose he chose to be faithful as he
lived his life in full submission to his
father whilst engaging with
culture finally he lived at as an exile
but with a Heavenly Kingdom he knew he
knew the kingdom he lived for the
kingdom he brought the
kingdom and he was willing to lay down
everything whatever it would cost him he
laid down his life for
you so that we could have a relationship
with him he gave his everything let that
sink deep into your heart today if you
know Jesus as your lord and savior be
reminded that he gave everything for you
because he loved you and if you're here
today and you don't yet know him know
that you are loved that you are precious
that he would give his life just for you
so you can have
hope and today may we allow that
revelation
of what Christ has done for us lead us
as we engage with culture when we wake
up in the morning and I'll be honest
when I wake up in the morning I don't
want to get up I don't feel like I've
got everything that I need but be
reminded as you step up as you stand up
that you stand as a child of God that
can go into the world and impact the
world for Jesus Christ the world needs
to be afraid because you have got one
power ful story to tell that will bring
transformation to many lives in this
culture they need to hear the truth of
Jesus today don't hide don't fit in
Stand Out share the truth be willing to
be rejected why because Jesus loves them
he loves them and he wants to bring
transformation and bring his kingdom in
their lives and I love this
quote as Tim Keller puts it you'll never
be able to get out into the lion dens of
the world unless you realize what the
ultimate Daniel did for you remember
what Jesus Christ did for
you and as we go into the world may we
be engage with culture let's not hide
away from it may we point people to
Jesus Christ and see many many people
discover Jesus as their lord and
savior imagine what difference Jesus
could make in our world and maybe Jesus
has made a difference in your life
wouldn't you want that for the people
that you're reaching out to wouldn't you
want them to discover the greatest thing
that you have
discover so as a church let's be people
of prayer and by the power of the spirit
not relying upon ourselves but asking
always for the Lord to fill us like he
did on that day of Pentecost and let's
be
courageous Witnesses let's stand out for
Jesus in the world by the power of the
Holy Spirit living Our Lives to glorify
him amen
[Applause]
amen so
maybe this morning there may be people
here maybe you've come into this church
today maybe you don't know Christ yet as
your
rock maybe your life currently is built
on other
things well if that's you today he wants
you to know that he welcomes you that he
loves
you and do come forward for prayer and
other people that I was thinking about
as I was
praying maybe people in this place today
and and maybe if you're honest you think
I've just been drawn into the world been
drawn into the culture to try and fit in
because I want to be a nice person I
don't want to stand out
and God wants to help you and he wants
to bring hope he wants to bring healing
he wants to help you as you reach out in
the
world and there's those here today that
want to make a difference for
Jesus you want a new sense of confidence
in your role for engaging with
culture filled with the spirit maybe
that's you today and anyone else this
morning if this talk is impacted you
this morning or if you just want to come
and be prayed for I encourage you this
morning come forward the Lord this
morning he wants you to know your
identity as a child of
God he wants to help you he wants to
help you by the power of the Holy Spirit
to be
faithful and he wants to help you to be
bold and courageous and to live a life
that is
distinctive amen do come forward if you
want prayer this morning for anything
and the prayer team will be happy to
pray for you amen
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