Daniel and his friends are faithful Israelites, born and raised. But they are no longer in the Promised Land where daily life is governed by biblical morality and the broader culture is shaped by and encourages their faith. Instead, they’re surrounded by a cultural reality with which they feel deeply at odds, under a great deal of pressure to conform to the ways of Babylon while the consequences for holding faith and conviction are steadily increasing. And while we’re 2 millennia away from them, the parallels are remarkable: The West is increasingly post-Christian, resulting in a rapid rise in both a liberal secularism and conservative religionism. Disciples of Jesus are waking up to the reality that America is not our true home. We are Exiles here, sojourners in a land that we’ve been sent to and called to serve, but we do not belong to the American empire any more than Daniel belonged to Babylon. This posture—in the city, for the city, but not of the city—is what makes the church both faithful and winsome, even though the position is often costly. This week we look at Daniel 3, and talk about how and when to draw hard lines of conviction, particularly as the pressure to conform increases.
03 | Know Your Lines
March 13, 2022 • Steve Hart
07 | Kingdom Come
April 10, 2022 • Steve Hart
We’ve seen so much goodness in Daniel and the Boys, watching and learning from them how to navigate life in a world that is not our home. They’ve modeled a kind of faithful presence — in the city, for the city, but not of the city — that might be one of the most helpful biblical pictures for disciples in our current cultural context. This week we look back over the lessons we’ve learned, taking notes on how to live with a winsome faithfulness in our own corrupt and corrupting Babylon. We’ll end our study in Daniel by looking at the vision Daniel receives in chapter 7. And it is apocalyptic, in the best sense of the word: The curtain is pulled back and Daniel gets let in on the behind-the-scenes realities of the cosmos, complete with terrifying beasts and heavenly judgments. And while the details of the vision are hotly debated, the main point is so very clear: Jesus wins, and his people will be vindicated forever!
06 | Abide Hard
April 3, 2022 • Jon Schuler
Another chapter brings another new king for Daniel to get to know, with another new set of rules to follow. While the satraps and officials play dirty, Daniel does the same thing he has always done: he gets down on his knees to pray. Conflict with the empire seems to be the norm for Daniel, as it is for every person living a life of “faithful presence”, but he has learned how to abide in the midst of the storm. He’s been getting his Daily Bread from the Father’s Table for decades, and that vibrant inner life with the Spirit is what empowers him to walk into the lion's den without a word of complaint. And while Daniel is praying, the world is watching... and God is working. As Exiles in our modern Babylon, we find ourselves in a similar situation with the insanity of our ever-changing social norms. Fortunately, we have access to the same power by the same Spirit.
05 | Humility and Sovereignty
March 27, 2022 • Steve Hart
One of the main themes of our Exiles series has been the sovereign working of God behind the scenes even when godless Babylon seems to be prospering unhindered, and in Daniel 5 Babylon’s self-glorying comes to a crescendo. Belshazzar throws himself a great drunken feast in mockery of God and his people. But it is the last straw, and God brings the king trembling to his knees. Daniel has been off-stage for about 30 years, working in obscurity, no longer at the center of the drama. But he’s remained faithful and ready, and when God opens a door of opportunity he’s able to step through it with boldness. Once again, humble faithfulness outlasts and overpowers the pomp and pride of godless Babylon.