thank you pastor what a joy to see this great crowd tonight excellent uh... attendance every night and yet uh... tonight i think uh... probably our best attendance and uh... what a credit that is to this church and each one of you that have been faithful and also inviting others to come with you how many of you have been to every service starting sunday morning all the way through tonight that's wonderful great percentage of folks and uh... what a joy it is to see others that have come early in the week and have kept coming since you started coming. And that's a blessing and just a joy to know that God is working in your heart. And I know others of you have had conflicts, perhaps with a schedule, a night or two, and yet you've been here when the Lord has allowed. And God will bless that. The Bible says the faithful man shall abound with blessing. And you can bank on God's blessing when you're faithful. And I appreciate so much the faithfulness of this church. And I want to thank those that have behind the scenes in many ways, helped us to have these meetings, folks that have served in the nursery and in the sound booth and preparing meals before the service and cleaning the church each day, making it suitable for our meeting and just a number of things, people on the instruments and the choir and just a lot of things that sometimes we just kind of take for granted. But thank you to those that have had a part And I know that God will bless you for that. And I trust that you'll continue on in these days ahead. And while the meetings would end tonight, the revival doesn't have to end. And we're gonna see that even in the scripture tonight. So take your Bible, let's go to the book of Daniel chapter one. And thank you for those that are here for the very first time tonight. We're honored that you'd come on this Wednesday night. Daniel chapter one, and I'd like to read the first seven verses and then if you would keep your Bible open to this chapter as we will look at a few of the verses following chapter seven as we get into the message. Daniel chapter one and beginning with verse one. In verse 1 of Daniel 1, it says, In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar, to the house of his God. And he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes, children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning in the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names. For he gave unto Daniel the name Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abednego. You could describe the condition in America over the past year in one word. It would be the word change. A lot of things today in our world are changing greatly. Sometimes it's almost hard to describe, isn't it? Sometimes it's hard to keep up. We hear of things every day, economically and politically, and we think, wow, where did that come from? And we have a hard time keeping up with some of the changes. And it leaves us fearful. It leaves us skeptical. It leaves us hopeful. And we might ask the question, is this the end? Is this the end of America as we've known it? Obviously, some of our freedoms are being eroded. Some changes are taking place and laws being passed. And we wonder, are we gonna have the freedoms that we've enjoyed as a country, religiously and politically? We might wonder from a biblical standpoint, is this the end? Is the Lord Jesus going to come back soon and end this thing? What's going to happen? Is there hope for a return to righteousness? Is there hope for revival? How do we live in these days? God has commanded us to be faithful regardless of our circumstances. God has commanded us to live victoriously and triumphantly irregardless of our circumstances. So how do we do that? When everything around us is unsettled and uncertain and we're really not sure what's going to take place next, how do we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord? God commands us to not be weary in well-doing. He says, be thou faithful unto death and I'll give thee the crown of life. You know, God has a way of using devastating changes to bring about dynamic champions. God has a way of in the most unlikely and perhaps negative circumstances to produce some amazing characters who live for God. And I want you to follow tonight the steps of a champion in the midst of change. I see first of all, the end of revival. In verse number one, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim. Now, that name is not a common name, Jehoiakim. It's not a common Bible name. Where does this man fit? Where does he come from? Who is Jehoiakim? If you go back in the book of 2 Chronicles, you find there was a time during that era where the children of Judah, the children of God, had turned away from God. The Bible tells us under King Manasseh and King Ammon, the nation of Judah had turned their back on God. And the nation for 57 years was an idolatrous nation. They had set up idols to Baal. They had worshiped all kinds of strange gods, molten images, carved works, groves. And so God was completely forgotten about. In fact, the house of the Lord hadn't been used for years. But in 2 Chronicles chapter 34, upon the death of Ammon, his son takes the throne. His son is a young boy by the name of Josiah. What's interesting about Josiah is he becomes king at the age of eight. Do you know any eight year olds? I have a granddaughter who's eight. I don't think I would vote for her for president. Although I think about it, considering some of the candidates that are placed on the ballot, but we don't normally think of an eight year old as being a leader or knowing anything about a nation or the leading of people and certainly politics. And yet God in his unique design there allows upon the death of his father, Josiah at a very young age to come to the throne. And Josiah, if you go back later tonight and read 2 Chronicles 34, you'll find that early in his reign, while he was yet young, he begins to seek after the God of David, his father. He realizes that his physical father and grandfather had led the nation away from God, and he looks around his nation and he says, man, we are in trouble. Things aren't going well. We don't have blessing in this nation. And so he begins to seek after the God of David, his father, in reference to the God of heaven. And in his 20th year, he begins to pull down the false worship. He begins to tear down the groves and he breaks the idols and he crushes the molten images and he takes the priests who had been sacrificing to them and he kills them and he takes their bones and burns them and strews them upon their altars. I mean, he goes through Judah and cleanses the land of everything that's been anti-God. By the way, that's kind of what revival does. I've appreciated this week. As God has shown you certain things in your life that aren't supposed to be there, you've purged your heart. One came up to me tonight and said, hey, I appreciate the message. Last night while you were preaching, God was showing me things in my life that I needed to deal with. That's what revival does, doesn't it? It shows us some of the idols, some of the things that have gotten in the way of our God. And so Josiah, he cleanses the land. As he does that, he sees that the house of God hasn't been used, it's in terrible repair. And so he takes some money and he appoints some men and they repair the house of the Lord. While they're repairing it, they find a book. They don't even know what it is. So they take it to the scribe, Shaphan, and he opens the book, and he begins to read it, and he discovers that it's the law of God. It's the Old Testament Bible, the law, the first five books. And so Shaphan takes this book of the law to Josiah the king, and he reads it to him. And when Josiah hears the word of God, he rends his clothes. which again in the Bible is symbolic of humility, of a realization that I have sinned. And Josiah says, this is the reason our nation's in trouble. Our fathers have forgotten the word of God. By the way, that's always when we get in trouble. is when we remove ourselves from the Word of God. Look, you want to keep revival going? Tomorrow morning, get up 10 minutes before you need to be somewhere and get in the Word of God. Every day of your life, you're going to have to come back to the book if you're going to stay right with God. So Josiah, he says, this is why we're in trouble. We've forgotten the Word of God. And so he calls the nation of Judah together and he makes them all stand and they read the Word of God. And when they read the word of God, Josiah stands and he says, folks, what you just heard, I'm going to live. He makes a public decision as king to live the word of God. And he commands the people to stand to it. And the people gladly follow Josiah. They follow God. And for 31 years, the nation of Judah experiences perhaps the greatest revival on the record of history. Jehoiakim is Josiah's son. And we read of a departure in 2 Chronicles 36 and verse five, it says, Jehoiakim was 20 and five years old when he began to reign. And he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. A departure, an end of revival. Could I plead with you tonight not to let what God is doing in your heart this week to end tonight? Jehoiakim, he has grown up in a home where he has heard his father talk about this change that has taken place in his country as they've come back to God and the tremendous blessing of God. He's heard the story of revival and yet as he takes the throne, he departs from what is right. Someone has said, one thing we never learn from history is to learn from history. And we need to understand the fact that when God does something in our life, look, God wants to do that over and over and over again. And yet Jehoiakim departs from God. But not only do we see a departure, we see a devastation. In verse number one, it says, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem and besieged it. Again, the record of this is in 2 Chronicles 36, and verse six, against him, Jehoiakim came up Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and bound him, Jehoiakim, in fetters to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was no doubt the most powerful king this world has ever seen. In Daniel chapter 5, Daniel is speaking to Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, a man by the name of Belshazzar. And he says, O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom and a majesty and glory and honor. All nations and languages trembled and feared before him, whom he woody slew, whom he woody kept alive, whom he woody set up, whom he woody put down. Here was Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. When people heard his name, they began to tremble because of the tremendous power that Nebuchadnezzar had. If he said, you die, you were dead. No judge, no jury, no lawyers. Nebuchadnezzar had tremendous power. Now it's Nebuchadnezzar that comes into Jerusalem while Jehoiakim is king and he besieges that land and he carries Jehoiakim away captive. Every person, every nation has a choice to obey or disobey God. And when we choose, as Jehoiakim did, to depart from God, look, nobody's gonna force you to live the decisions God's helped you to make this week. Nobody can force you to be in church Sunday. Nobody can force you to read your Bible. That's your choice. And every individual has to choose, I'm gonna serve God or I'm not gonna serve God, but understand the fact that when we depart from God, there's gonna be devastation in our life. because whoso rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judges him. The word that I've spoken, the same shall be his judge in the last day." Sometimes people look at our country tonight and they say, when is God gonna judge America for our sins? When is God going to judge America for all these abortions? When is God going to judge America for all this immorality and same-sex marriages and all this kind of stuff? Folks, go home and read Romans chapter 1 and you'll discover that what we are experiencing today in America is God's judgment. God's not going to judge America for our homosexuality. Homosexuality is the judgment. See, in Romans 1, that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Did you know there is no such thing as an atheist? People say to me sometimes, you try to witness to them, oh, I'm an atheist. I always say, God doesn't believe you. By the way, that's fair, they don't believe in Him, He doesn't believe in them. I mean, he says in Romans chapter one, that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God has showed it unto them, even as eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. There is no such thing as an atheist. God has revealed himself to every person that's ever lived. And if you read Romans 2, it says he's revealed his word unto them. He's written it on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness. But in Romans chapter one, man decides he doesn't want God. He knows who God is, but in verse 20, it goes on to say, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Hey, we know who God is in America. His name's still on our currency. In God we trust, that was taken off the Mayflower sales. It was inscribed on the sails of the Mayflowers that sailed to this country in God we trust. We took that phrase, we put it on our currency. We still pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, one nation under God. We know who God is in this country. But you see, as a nation tonight, as a whole generally, we've decided we don't want God. We said, we'll go it alone. Back in the 60s, we decided we don't need the 10 commandments in our schools. We don't need to pray and read the Bible publicly. And now it's against the law to pray in Jesus' name in a public setting. I mean, we've made all kinds of rules against God, but God goes on in Romans 1 and says, and so God gave them up to vile affections, to their own uncleanness, to their own lusts. Men with men, working, that was just unseemly. Likewise, the women, leaving the natural use of the man, burned in their lust, one toward another. You see, the judgment has already taken place when man rejects God. So here was a departure, here's a devastation. Notice also, here's a desecration. In verse number two, the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand, Nebuchadnezzar's hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried in the land of Shinar to the house of his God. They took the vessels of God's house that had been used to serve God And they took those things back to Babylon, a heathen nation, and they used those same vessels to use in their worship to their God. There was a desecration of that which belonged to God. Boy, you know, we're seeing this today in our nation. The vessels that God has created, that God has instituted today are being desecrated. I think of the home. The home is God's institution. Marriage is not man's idea, it's God's idea. Way back in the Garden of Eden, God made man. He saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he made the woman, and he said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. God instituted marriage. But boy, the home today in marriage is being desecrated. We can't even define it in this country. And even in places like California where I live, we vote against same-sex marriages, and then the court overturns our vote. We live in a nation today that's desecrating the vessel of marriage and the home. We live in a nation tonight that's desecrating government. Look, government is God's idea. God knew that man, when he sinned, would not only need accountability to God, but he would need accountability to one another. So he created government so that it would provide laws so that we could live peaceably. But today, government is a mess. When people control government, you have liberty. When you have government controlling people, you have tyranny. I didn't make that up. That's a statement from Thomas Jefferson. We're living in a day today where government is being messed up to the point where government wants to control everything about our lives. That's not what God intended. Study the Bible and see what God created government for. I think of the church. Another one of God's vessels is institutions. And the church is being desecrated today. Do you know that there are laws that are about to be passed that would say that what I've just preached five minutes ago is a hate crime? Folks, if telling somebody who is living in a sinful lifestyle that the way they're living is sin, but God loves them and has died on a cross for that sin so that their sin could be forgiven and they could go to heaven when they die, how is that a hate crime? If you're gonna build prisons for preachers who preach against certain sins, you better make a prison big enough for God Because God says, 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9, what knowingly not the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, be not deceived by the fornicators, that's all sex sin, nor idolaters, that's anything ahead of God, nor adulterers, that's sex outside of marriage, nor effeminate, that's opposite gender like in appearance, man or woman, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, look that up, that's the gay crowd, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. But, verse 11, such were some of you. But you're washed, you're sanctified, you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Aren't you glad that God can save a thief? He can save a murderer. He can save a homosexual. He can save an extortioner. And He does. He gives them eternal life. How is that a hate crime? I don't see the world telling these people any solutions, but leaving them in their bondage. Look, the things of God are today being desecrated because of a departure from revival, the end of revival. But notice now, so far, this has been a little pessimistic, hasn't it? This is kind of depressing. This is negative. But notice secondly tonight, not only an end of revival, but I see an emerging remnant. Years ago, I was preaching in Lander, Wyoming. I was just there for a Sunday. I was preaching some teen camps in Wyoming, and a church in Landers said, why don't you come over to our church on Sunday and preach the services? So I did. The pastor had been in Vietnam. He was one of these just gung-ho kind of guys. And after lunch, after the morning service, he said, Brother Getsha, I know you like to get some exercise. You love the outdoors. He said, would you like to go on a hike? He said, we have a beautiful canyon. And he said, we can hike for miles. We can go as far as you want. We can stay out all afternoon. He said, what do you think? I said, man, sounds good. So boy, we changed clothes and we started hiking. And this guy, I mean, like I said, he was physically ready to go. And we started hiking and we hiked through this beautiful canyon. And as we started out of town, we're hiking along, he's leading the way, and we're hiking along this river, beautiful river. And of course the canyon walls and just gorgeous, beautiful day. We're hiking along, we hiked about two miles. And all of a sudden I noticed that the river was gone. And I thought, no, wait a minute. I'm thinking to myself, we were hiking along the river. There's no way the river just dries up. It was flowing the direction we were going. And there's no way that thing could have just dried up. It was a huge river. And I didn't see any outlets. I mean, we're hiking through this canyon. It sure didn't jump out of this thing. So we hiked about a half mile. I didn't see any river. And finally I said, hey, pastor, When we left town, we were hiking along a river, but I haven't seen the river for almost a mile. He said, oh, we'll see it again. We kept hiking. We hiked about another half mile, and all of a sudden, I realized the river was back. And I said, now, pastor, explain this to me, because there was a river, and then there isn't a river, and now there is a river, and I know this isn't an illusion, okay? He said, well, I guess the river was there all the time, but it goes underground for about a mile and a half there. You just can't see it. Boy, you know, I learned something about God that day. Sometimes you can't see all that God is doing, but you can mark it down, He's still doing. Sometimes God's greatest work is being done when we can't see it. You've experienced things like that in your life, because some of you are saying amen, some of you are agreeing with that. There were times in your life, and maybe this is one of those times where you're saying, where's God? I mean, if God is so powerful, and God is on the throne, and God is sovereign, and God can do anything, where is He when we need Him? He may be underground for a while, but you can mark it down, His power is still flowing in full force. and you will see him again. And we're seeing here an emerging remnant. Notice the purpose of God in verse 3. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes. Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? God's always got a plan going. God's always got a purpose. As for God, His way is perfect. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works. I love Jeremiah 29 11. I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not evil to bring you to an expected end. God has a design for your life. He has designs for what's going to take place in your life. And God wants those good things to come to pass. And He has it all figured out. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose. Brother Steve over here, he would not have chosen to go through what he's gone through in the last few months. But those of you that know Brother Steve and his wife, you know that God's been doing some things through that. His mom got saved last night. That's pretty neat, isn't it? See, God always has a plan. God has a purpose. And we can't always see God. We wonder, what happened to God? He was so close to me. He was so real to me. I was serving Him. I was being obedient. And all of a sudden, it seems like God's disappeared. Don't worry. Don't fret. God's still working. There's the purpose of God. And notice the preparation of the godly. In verse number four, children in whom was no blemish but well favored and skillful in all wisdom and cunning in knowledge and understanding science and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace and whom they might teach the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans. Boy, here were some balanced young men. We could say they had beauty, brains, and behavior. They had the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. They were exercised in body, educated in mind, and excellent in spirit. Are you allowing God during these times of somewhat uncertainty and chaos to prepare you for what He wants to do in your life later? Esther was a young lady who found herself in a kingdom where all of a sudden a law was made that all the Jews were to die. One problem, Esther was a Jew. If you've studied her story, you know that Esther was fearful. She was afraid. She could not approach the king without permission. And she was told, Esther, you've got to say something. This is a wicked plot. You're the only one that can mediate here. You're the only one that can get to the king. You've got access to the king. And don't you understand that God put you in the palace for such a time as this? My friend, why did God save you? Have you ever thought about that? He saved you for such a time as this. These are chaotic times. These are times of uncertainty. We don't know what's going on. But why did God raise up Liberty Baptist Church for such a time as this? Why did God put you at that job for such a time as this? Why did God put you in that school classroom for such a time as this. You see, God has a purpose, and God now is preparing the godly for this time. And we see the provision of godlessness. In verse number 5, the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. The king was trying to provide for these godly young men. It's interesting, the world tries to influence God's people. Now, again, there's a little background here. We might think, well, what's the big deal? The king wanted to eat some meat and he wanted him to drink some wine. This meat here was forbidden for God's people to eat because it had been offered to idols. And so it was against God's law for these young Hebrew men to eat this kind of meat. It would have been against God, a violation of God for them to drink this wine. But the king, the world, tried to provide for these who were God's people. The devil, the world, wants to make us think we are dependent upon them. You know, the king changed Daniel's name, but he couldn't change Daniel's nature. And the world may try to change you, they may try to influence you, but they can't change what God has done in your heart. That's why God says it's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men. It's better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in princes. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. I'll lift up my eyes under the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord. So here was the end of revival, but here was an emerging remnant. Now notice thirdly in the emphatic resistance. They wanted them to eat this meat, to drink this wine, but notice verse eight, but Daniel. Boy, I like that. I don't have to hardly read any further there in that verse, but Daniel. Here's what the world wanted them to do. Here's what the world was trying to influence them to do, but Daniel. An emphatic resistance. Notice a purposed heart, but Daniel purposed in his heart. Say, we talked about the heart last night, didn't we? It's important to keep our heart with all diligence. And here was a purposed heart. Good habits are produced from grounded hearts. My friend, the tests will come in your life. The devil's gonna make sure your faith is tested. Someone said a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. And the devil will test your faith. You get saved, the devil's gonna see if you really wanna live this Christian life. He'll put you to the test. And the test will come. And your testimony in those tests will be determined by the template of right and wrong in your heart. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. Proverbs says, my son, keep thy father's commandment. Forsake not the law of thy mother. Bind them continually upon thine heart. Write them upon, tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee. When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee. When thou wakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Here was a purposed heart. Daniel purposed in his heart. But not only was there a purposed heart here, there was a pure hand. Look at verse nine. The Bible says, now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. No one respects the purpose in your heart if it's not backed up by a pure hand. You can say you believe in God, you can say you're saved, you can say you're godly, you can say you wanna live righteously, but no one's gonna respect that unless they see it acted out in your life every day. The world looks for a pure hand. People don't respect our talk if they can't respect our walk. That's why Peter said, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak evil among you as evildoers, they may by your good works glorify God in the day of visitation. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. So here was a purposed heart, here was a pure hand. So we see an emphatic resistance. Notice fourthly, an earnest request. I see a cordial resolve in verse 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat or the wine which he drank. Therefore, notice this, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. He requested. Here was a cordial resolve. No hatred here. No anger. Folks, our disposition is as important as our position. It's important to take the right position. Whether it's with your family, whether it's at work, whether it's in your neighborhood, when things are wrong around you, it's important that you take your stand. Just like we heard sung tonight in several songs, take your stand, stand up for Christ. It's important to take the right position, but let's have the right disposition. Remember what I said the other night about Jesus being full of grace and truth? And that's why Paul said, speak the truth in love. That's one thing I appreciate about your pastor. You can't be around Pastor Tice very long without realizing he loves people. But at the same time, in the city of Las Vegas, he has led a church that has taken a stand. In a day when it's easy to compromise and let down some standards and just kind of have church the way people want it, he has founded this church and led this church for 32 years on the truth of God's word, but he's done it with a loving heart. And that's the balance that God wants us to have in our Christian life. Here was a cordial resolve. Let's have the right spirit in these days. I believe it'll go a long way for our testimony. But not only was there a cordial resolve, there was a clean resume. In verse nine, he was brought into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. Look over Daniel chapter six, a few chapters later, as they tried to bring accusation against Daniel. In verse number three, Daniel chapter six, then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him. and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find none occasion or fault. For as much as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him." What a testimony. Here were his enemies trying to bring a false accusation, and they said, there's no sense even trying. This guy lives a righteous life. This guy has character. This guy has integrity. You see, he had a clean resume. Our testimony out here in this city needs to give people the right opinion about God. Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. When people see how you live and they understand that you're a Christian, they ought to say, wow, Christ must be worth knowing. Wow, God must be something worth having. Look at their life. Look at how wonderful they are. Look at their countenance. Look at how happy they are. Look at the joy they have. Look at the peace they have, even in spite of the circumstances. You see, our testimony, our behavior needs to give a right opinion about our God. And we see with this cordial resolve and this clean resume, we see a concerned reluctance on the part of the Prince of the eunuchs. Look at verse 10. And the Prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my Lord, the King, who hath appointed your meat and your drink, for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which rub your sword? Then shall it make me endanger my head to the King. This guy said, hey, Daniel, I like you, and I'd like to do what you're asking me to do, but you don't understand. If I don't obey the King, I'm gonna lose my head. I like you, and I'd like to give in your request, but hey, I got a job here, I get paid by the king, and there's no way that I can do what you're asking. Folks, don't be surprised by the skepticism of lost people toward your testimony. Don't be surprised when you get saved and when you try to live for God that people begin to question that and maybe even ridicule that and say, are you sure you're gonna become a religious nut? I mean, come on. See, the natural man, talking about the person that's not saved, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. They're foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because he's spiritually discerned, he's spiritually blinded. Don't, look, Lost people act lost. Unsaved people act unsaved. It doesn't surprise God that lost people act lost. What frustrates God is when saved people act lost. But don't be surprised if you try to witness to somebody and they cuss you out. They're lost. They don't understand why you would love God and why you're serving God. And that's why we've got to pray for those people, and that's why we've got to be a good testimony, to show them the love of Christ through our lives. So here was a concerned reluctance, but notice a confident risk. I love verse 11. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hamaniah, Mishael, and Azariah, prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days, and let them give us pulse. Pulse was vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat the portion of the king's meat. And as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter and proved them 10 days. Daniel realized that this prince was reluctant to just not feed them what the king had commanded. So Daniel said, tell you what, we're supposed to eat this stuff for three years. It's against our convictions to eat it, to drink this stuff for 10 days, prove us. You feed all those other guys the finest of the meat and the stuff, the proteins and the carbs and all that that's supposed to make them strong and healthy, and you just give us vegetables and water. And at the end of 10 days, let's see what happens. Here was a confident risk. You say, brother Gets, the word confidence and risk don't go together. How can you say a confident risk? That's a paradox of terms. all of the what's and the where's and the how's are a risk until you know the who. Let me say that again. All the what's of life and the how's of life and the where's of life and the why's of life are a risk until you know the who. And then when you know the who, you can take a confident risk. It made no sense humanly to eat vegetables and water and expect that you would be healthier at the end of 10 days than those eating just the finest of foods that would build their muscles and build their countenance. It made no sense. But faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It wasn't the diet, but the divine that made the difference. My friend, be careful. Some of you say, well, you know, I'd like to be a good Christian like my pastor, but my background, I grew up in a broken home where I live in a terrible circumstance. Look, it's not the diet. It's not the circumstances. It's not your background. It's not about that that makes you usable to God. It's God in you that makes the difference. Don't say, well, I can't serve God because of this, or I have this baggage in my life, or I used to be this, and so how could I ever serve God? Listen, it's not the diet that makes the difference, it's the divine. These men were trusting God. We walk by faith, not by sight. So we see the end of a revival, we see an emerging remnant, we see an emphatic resistance, we see an earnest request, and finally tonight, we see an effectual resilience. Through this tumultuous change comes a triumphant champion. Notice a pleasing faith. In verse 15, at the end of ten days, their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which eat the portion of the king's meat. God honored their faith. As I said a moment ago, The faithful man shall abound with blessing. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, His righteousness, all these things shall be added unto you. Delight thyself also in the Lord, He'll give you the desires of thine heart." Look, when you trust God by faith, when you walk by faith, you can mark it down. You are pleasing God and God will provide. Here was a pleasing faith, here was a promoted favor. In verse 16, Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine which they should drink, and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge, and skill in all learning, and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days, that would be three years, that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, this wicked king. And the king communed with them, and among them all was found none like unto Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." Wow! It was a promoted favor. Folks, I don't know what the days ahead hold. I don't know what we're gonna go through in the days coming up because there's a lot of changes taking place and it would be difficult to predict what will happen in America to our freedoms, our religious liberties, and so on. But while we're going through this, could I challenge you to read over and over again in the Bible the stories of Joseph and Daniel. They were men that went through tremendous times of change in their society. They were misunderstood. They were rejected. They were hated. They were forgotten. I mean, everything that could go wrong went wrong in both of these men's lives. And yet God, allowing them to be faithful, raised them up to be deliverers to their nation. And I just have a belief that in churches like Liberty Baptist Church, as people are faithful in the times of change and uncertainty and chaos, God is preparing a remnant for such a time as this. And if you will be faithful, God will promote you to a place of leadership, where you will lead your loved ones to Christ, and you will lead your neighborhoods to Christ, and you will make a difference, and you will make changes in your society, because God will bless you. He promises he's done it before, and he'll do it in this age. And we finally see a preserved finish. I love verse 21. Daniel continued even in the first year of King Cyrus. Hey, he outlived Nebuchadnezzar. Now, Daniel could have been killed anywhere along the line. In fact, I have a feeling Daniel's parents were killed at the captivity. When Nebuchadnezzar came in and besieged the city, I think Daniel, the rest of his family was probably killed. Daniel could have been killed then. He certainly could have been killed as he took his stand of not eating the meat and the wine. I mean, Nebuchadnezzar could have spoke the word, he was gone. And yet God preserved him and made him a deliverer. triumph in the midst of turmoil. Being calm for this very thing, He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Why? Because greater is He that's in you than he that's in the world. As the world calls for change, God's calling for champions, not chameleons. A lot of people in our society today, as the world changes, they change with it. A lot of churches changing with it. God's not looking for chameleons. He's looking for champions. I remember when I met my first champion. It was 1977. I was preaching at team camp. There was a boy at that team camp, his name was Bobby. He was 13. Bobby had a rough speech impediment. He stuttered, he stammered, probably the worst I've ever heard. He literally had a hard time saying your name or hi. He would get all uptight and he would stutter. And as a result, he had no friends, kind of a loner kid, all by himself. He tried to latch on to counselors, but they would get weary trying to deal with him when they had so many other kids to deal with. And so Bobby basically just, he was always by himself. One day he decided I would be his friend. And everywhere I went, Bobby went. And I tried, I tried to love him, I tried to care about him, and he latched on to me. I mean, if I went down to the swimming hole, he went with me. If I went to play ball, he went to play ball. One day I went in my trailer to change clothes, I turned around and he was standing there. I said, Bobby, could you wait outside? Every service, Bobby would sit right here, front row, all by himself. And every time I'd extend an invitation to come forward and do business with God, Bobby would come and he'd kneel at the altar. And at first during that week, counselors would come and kneel beside him and try to help him, but he was difficult to understand. You had to take enormous amounts of time to understand what he was trying to communicate because of his speech impediment. It was tough. And counselors got weary. On a Wednesday night, Bobby came forward and the counselors were all kind of looking the other way, like, I really don't want to talk to him. And the director of the camp, his name was Roger, and Roger looked up at me, and he said, do you wanna talk to him? And I said, I will. He said, have him sit down. So Bobby sat down in the front row, and we waited till everybody had gone out, and I went down, sat beside him, and I said, Bobby, how can I help you? And Bobby began to share some things about his life, and he said, Brother Goetsch, I'm not allowed to have a Bible in my home. He said, if my dad finds my Bible, he burns it. I'm not allowed to have a Bible. He said, I'm not allowed to say the name Jesus in my home. He said, if I say the name Jesus, my dad makes me take off my shirt and he takes off his belt and he beats my back with the buckle end of his belt. Now, this was back in the 70s. We didn't have mandatory reporting laws. We didn't have that kind of stuff. A lot of the domestic violence, stuff like that, it was just kind of, you know, you didn't talk about it. So he tells me this, and I'll never forget what I did. I turned around in that seat. I faced Bobby. I grabbed him by the head, and I looked right in his eye, and I said, Bobby, don't you lie to me. You don't have to make up some story about your dad to get me to like you. I'll be your friend. Now you tell the truth about your dad. I scolded him. And I'll never forget as those tears began to just roll down his cheek and he turned around in his seat and he pulled his shirt up. And I tell you, I never saw anything like that. Every night Bobby would come and make decisions in spite of what he knew he would face at home. The week ended and I prayed for Bobby but I had no contact with him. About six, seven, eight months, maybe at the most, I was preaching about a hundred miles from the camp in a church plant. They were renting an elementary school, meeting in the school cafeteria. I came in one night and I was standing right down here talking with a couple of folks before the service, but I was facing the crowd, kind of watching to see who was coming in for that service. A new church, you kind of got to know everybody. The entrance door was over here, and I was standing kind of facing that way. And to my total surprise and shock, about five minutes to seven, Bobby came through that door. I don't know where he lived. I don't know if he lived in that town or close. I don't know how he heard about the meeting, but he's coming through that door. And he sees me. Now he's over there and I'm over here and he starts running across the back of that cafeteria. He is excited to see me. And I'm thinking, oh no. It's five to seven. The service starts in five minutes. We don't have time to say hi. He came about halfway down the aisle and he said, br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br-br At camp he had hair down his shoulders and he made a decision one night he was going to cut his hair and look like a man. And he cut his hair. I said, Bobby looks great. Tears came. My dad beat me for it. He said, brother, do you remember that night I gave up my rock music? I said, yeah, Bobby, I remember that. He said, my dad doesn't know about it yet. I met a champion. And folks, we need some champions today. It may not be easy. It may require us to stand. It may require some character and fortitude to get saved. There may be those who would resist you getting saved. Those who would resist you taking your stand for the Bible, godliness. But I'm telling you, these times are calling for champions. And I just have a hunch that God's preparing them right here in this room for such a time as this. Let's bow for prayer. I thank You for the great example of Daniel. As we search the Scriptures, we can't find anything negative about his life or things in his life that were contrary to Your Word and to Your will for his life. We know he wasn't perfect. We know he was a sinner, just like us. But Lord, we're thankful that his testimony, his integrity, his character is excellent. And Lord, because of it, You used him in such an outstanding way. in the midst of tremendous changes all around him. Wickedness and ungodliness all around him and yet he did right. God give us teenagers in this room tonight. Give us moms and dads. Give us single adults and single parents and grandparents and Lord just give us people at Liberty Baptist Church that'll decide in spite of the surroundings, in spite of the chaotic conditions of our day that we would Dare to be a Daniel. Dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm. Dare to make it known. Lord, help us to be Daniels. Lord, I pray if there's someone here perhaps fearful to get saved or intimidated by what someone might think or do because they would trust Christ, Lord, help them to realize that you love them and you'll bless them and you'll forgive them tonight of their sin and give them eternal life. And Lord, then you'll use them to reach those very people that may oppose them. I pray to be so. As heads are bowed and eyes are closed tonight is God speaking to you. His heads are bowed and eyes are closed. Perhaps you're here tonight and you'd say, Billy Gatch, I live in some circumstances. I live in a home environment. I work at a job environment. I go to a school environment. I'm around people that are kind of like you described and they're not on my side, so to speak. And there are some challenges in my life. And yet God has convicted me tonight to be a Daniel, to stand firm, to have integrity, to have character, to do right. God is speaking to my heart. I want to be that Daniel that will stand in these chaotic times and be a champion for the Lord Jesus Christ. If that's you, would you just lift up a hand for a moment and we'll pray together that God will use you for such a time as this. God bless you. Let me slip it down. Thank God for you. If God shows you something in your life that would prohibit you from being that champion, ask God to help you with it tonight. heads are still bowed and eyes are closed, perhaps you're here and you'd say, Mr. Goetsch, if my life ended tonight, I do not know for sure that I would go to heaven. I do not sure I know this God you're talking about. I do not know this Jesus Christ that you're speaking of. And I don't understand what I need to do to go to heaven, but if there's a way to heaven, I'd like to know what that is. If Jesus Christ has provided a way for me to get to heaven when my life is over, I'd like to know what that way is. If that's you tonight and you'd say, pray for me, would you just slip up your hand for a moment that I might see it and have prayer for you tonight? God bless you. If there's someone else tonight, pray for me, God bless you. God bless you, ma'am, and God bless you over here on my right. Say, pray for me. Boy, if there's a way to heaven, if there's a way for my sin to be forgiven, if there's a way for me to be pleasing to God like Daniel was with his life, I want to know what that answer is. I want to know how to live that kind of a life. My friend, it starts with being saved. It starts by letting God save you. And if you'd like me to pray for you, that you'll understand that, make that decision, just lift a hand. Let me see it and pray for you with these others. Anyone else tonight, pray for me. Pray for me. If you can, will you stand with me?