This is our last meeting of Bible study, and we have certainly been hearing a lot from our brother Jim. As for myself, I have been sharing from the lives of some of the Old Testament saints, to show us the outworking of the Lord consecrating a life.
Remember, we consecrate ourselves in response to the Lord’s invitation. He is actually the One who makes something holy. He is the One who consecrates.
As our last evening, I want us to go back to 2 Timothy 2 and reread some of these verses again. We will begin in 2 Timothy 2:15 tonight, because we want to focus, in a sort of side way, upon this matter of study: to show yourself approved unto God.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness.
And their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.
And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.—2 Timothy 2:15-26
Already, there you have an option. You can study the Word and fellowship about things that are edifying, or you can waste a lot of time and even leak out some of your consecration through worldly and empty chatter. It leads to further ungodliness.
These vessels are not vessels of honor. Yet the firm foundation of God stands: “The Lord knows those who are His.” Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.
Father, we come again to You tonight. You are our Teacher, and You are the One who has chosen us. We pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, You would again quicken our bodies and especially give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation to understand things in the Word of God.
We depend upon You and yield to the Lord Jesus, our Lord and our King, the One who walked the way of consecration perfectly—the only One who ever did. We yield our lives unto Him right now and pray that, in this last moment, You will leave an impression upon our lives and an encouragement from the witnesses who have gone before us in the life of consecration before You.
We give You this time. We give You our alertness. We give You our lives, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Perhaps you noticed in 2 Timothy 2 that the mind is important in the things of God. The men I have brought before you are a testimony to the consecrated life, and each manifested consecration in a different way.
We remember Samuel as a young boy hearing the voice of the Lord. From his early days, he said, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” This began a life of fellowship with the Lord. He remained intimate with the Lord, always went before the Lord, and sought the Lord. Therefore, he had the word of the Lord and helped all Israel.
Samuel’s consecration was manifested in the intimacy he had with the Lord and, eventually, in his steadfastness of will. By the end of his days, not because of his own doing but by the Lord’s doing, Samuel was steadfast and immovable. He had a will set for God’s purpose.
He would not be budged, nor would he compromise. Even though he loved King Saul, he would never compromise God’s righteousness. He stood for the word of God against opposition and rejection, and he was honored because of that. Samuel was indeed a vessel of honor.
Secondly, we looked at David. As a young man, under the stars and under the influence of the Word of God, David fell in love with the Lord and developed a deep conviction that the Lord loved him.
David led a wholehearted life. He was a loving man. His emotions were so strong that he could inspire people. When he stood and gave a little speech, he inspired the soldiers. You can read in 1 Chronicles of the different heroic ventures that he and the mighty men undertook.
David was full-hearted. He was one of those charismatic leaders, you know? You could see his heart and his emotions consecrated for the Lord. David was the sweet psalmist of Israel. He loved God with all his heart, and at the drop of a hat he would sing a song. He was a real worshiper.
Now Daniel is a very different-looking man. He is a man who looks distinguished. He was prime minister through four regimes. How he survived four regimes, nobody will ever know. It was the keeping, overcoming power of God.
He was a man of great insight, an interpreter of dreams, a worshiper of God, a prayer warrior, and a prophet. But when you looked at Daniel, you saw what I want to call tonight’s message: the intelligence of consecration.
Here in 2 Timothy 2, you see the necessity of somebody studying so that he can accurately handle the word of truth. People were running about saying that the resurrection had already come. Timothy needed to stand in the truth of the Word and pursue that truth with others who called on the Lord from a pure heart.
He needed to study so that he could be fit, prepared, and ready for the Master’s use. This matter of truth is very important regarding our lives.
You should not get involved in speculation and all kinds of empty knowledge. When somebody believes some speculative lie, you need to talk to him about it, but then pray for him. It is not your argument that will turn him around. It is by praying that perhaps God will grant repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.
There are so many lies out there, so many false doctrines, so many distortions. How are you going to keep your way unless you live in the truth?
Before we go to Daniel, let us look again at Romans 12. This is our Christian passage concerning consecration.
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.—Romans 12:1-2
My translation says “spiritual service of worship.” Darby says, “intelligent service.” Others say “reasonable worship.” The Greek carries the thought of intelligent or reasonable service.
The Lord wants intelligent service—service based upon truth. A lot of people get into dumb worship. Do we want to spend all our lives as dumb worshipers?
Sometimes I hear a worship meeting that is supposedly Christian, and I think they are trying to hypnotize people. They say, “Okay, now let’s repeat for seventeen minutes: ‘I love You, I love You, I love You.’” Well, surely there has to be more substance to worship than that. I think God already knows it after we have said it once.
It is good to sing, “I love You,” but then move on. There is intelligence in worship. There is worship based on truth.
God is seeking worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth. There must be intelligence about it all.
Paul immediately goes on to say, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then you can prove out and work out the will of God in your life, discovering what is good, acceptable, and perfect. That is intelligent service—but you need a renewed mind.
Let us turn to Daniel 1. Once again, we come upon something Daniel has in common with Samuel.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court.
And he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.—Daniel 1:1-4
Among the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The commander of the officials assigned them new names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar, Hananiah was called Shadrach, Mishael was called Meshach, and Azariah was called Abednego.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
—Daniel 1:8
Daniel was a prime minister through four regimes and two empires. He began with Babylon and ended with Persia, still at the top of the heap. He was a diplomat, understood military strategies and political affairs, and knew about corruption, intrigue, and the complicated matters of the kingdom.
But although he worked there, that was not where his heart was. He was in the world, but he was not of the world.
This is an important lesson for young people. God does not say that, in order to serve Him, you have to live in a cave and come out on alternate Fridays. You do not have to be like John the Baptist, wearing something strange and eating bugs.
God calls some to be doctors, lawyers, businesspeople, and teachers. Wherever you are placed, you will be thrust into the world. But here is the good news: you can work in the world and remain unstained by the world if you set your heart to remain pure unto the Lord.
Daniel served perhaps seventy years in the greatest and most powerful government of the world. Yet he remained holy. When you looked at him, you saw no compromise. No matter what went on in the court of Babylon, Daniel was a pure man and a successful man.
You do not remain pure merely by running away from reality. You remain pure by belonging to God in the midst of reality.
Daniel’s reality was this: heaven rules.
Until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.
And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules.—Daniel 4:25-26
Daniel might have served Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, or Cyrus, but there was no mistake in Daniel’s mind: heaven rules. And in his life, heaven did rule.
Babylon is synonymous with the world. How did Daniel keep himself pure through all those years in Babylon—this religiously polluted, idolatrous world? Two things were key.
The first thing we have already read in Daniel 1:8: Daniel made up his mind. Literally, in Hebrew, it says that he set his heart.
Daniel knew the power of consecration and the power of setting your mind. Brothers and sisters, you have a free will. Will you set your mind on God’s purpose and set your heart to do God’s will?
Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.—Colossians 3:1-3
The place where your mind comes most alive is when you realize that your life is hidden with Christ and you pursue Christ with your mind. Set your mind. Can you set your mind?
We all have distractions. You try to do your homework while somebody is watching television in the next room, and you are answering all the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? questions. You get distracted. But do you know that you can set your mind?
A person who is a slave to sin cannot set his mind; he is driven by lusts, desires, and bodily appetites. But a Christian can be free to set his mind. He must know what God has done in salvation and who he is in Christ.
If a person knows who he is in Christ, he can set his mind. You have power over your mind. You can decide to set your mind on a subject.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.—Romans 8:5-6
What do you set your mind on? Do you realize that you can set your mind? It is very important.
If you set your mind toward God’s will, God’s purpose, and the study of God’s Word, God will lock it in. It is like getting a radar lock in one of those computer games. You set your mind on God’s will or the study of God’s Word, and God helps. You set it; He helps. It is always this cooperative process.
Daniel also understood the power of presentation. What happens when you present yourself to God?
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;
but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.—Romans 6:12-14
We have hands, feet, lips, mouths, ears—our members. We have a choice. We can present our members to sin, or we can present our members to God. We will become servants of the one to whom we present ourselves, because those powers are stronger than we are.
Sin is stronger than you are. But God is stronger than you are.
If you present yourself to God and say, “God, this morning I give You my hands, my feet, my lips, my mouth, and my ears,” then God takes you. When you present yourself to God, He keeps it, and He keeps you for the day.
A number of you stood up last night and said, “I want to present myself to God one hundred percent, a consecrated, living sacrifice.” Do you know what happens when you do that? He takes you. He has amazing power to keep that which has been committed unto Him.
On a daily basis, we need to give ourselves to God. Present yourself to God. You feel lust rising up; you feel the flesh grabbing hold of you—present yourself to God. He takes you, and you find great strength to serve the Lord that day.
Daniel had all the attractions of Babylon around him, but he presented himself to God. He set his heart to remain pure. When someone sets himself like that, God comes alongside, stands with him, and keeps him.
The second thing that helped Daniel survive was that he had brothers in the Lord with whom he could pray and fellowship. He had these three companions.
Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter,
so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.—Daniel 2:17-18
They got together and prayed. These three men and Daniel, throughout their years, prayed together, stayed together, and stood together.
Some of you have a problem when you go back home. You do not feel that you have a spiritual companion with whom you can stand, pray, and overcome temptation. It is very important that you flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Pray and find some companions. Even if it is your mother or father, whatever it takes, find somebody who can stand with you. It makes a lot of difference when you have someone who can pray and stand with you as you seek to remain pure and consecrated before the Lord.
Daniel remained pure because he set his heart, and God took it and kept it. Then he fellowshipped with others who truly loved the Lord.
When Daniel took this stand, he was tested. What do you discover when your consecration is tested? When you have sincerely given yourself one hundred percent and you are tested, you discover that the Lord is with you.
You discover the Lord’s strength as you make a stand through a time of testing.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
—Romans 8:31
Nothing can separate us from the love of God. If you present yourself to God, He takes you. It is tremendously powerful.
The first test was the king’s food. Daniel set his heart not to defile himself with food and wine that had been associated with Babylonian idolatry.
Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.
—Daniel 1:9
Daniel and his friends requested ten days of vegetables and water. The other youths were eating the king’s rich food, but Daniel and his friends ate simply. After ten days, they appeared better and healthier than the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food.
God stood with Daniel’s commitment. There was no natural reason why Daniel and his friends should have appeared healthier after such a test, but God was with them. God gave them radiance and health.
The world tests us with its good things, not merely with obvious evil. Are the good things of the world going to become the basis of your joy? Is that what you have to have?
Daniel knew that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He remained true to God, and God honored him.
The second test came when Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream and could not remember it. He demanded that the wise men tell him both the dream and its interpretation.
If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap.
—Daniel 2:5
The magicians and philosophers could not do it. They were supposed to be the religious experts of the day, but they had no real power. They needed the king to tell them something so that they could invent an interpretation.
This was the test: do you have living faith, or do you merely have religion?
When Daniel heard that he and his friends were going to be killed with the other wise men, he replied with discernment and discretion. Then Daniel went in before the king and asked for time so that he might declare the interpretation.
That is living faith. Daniel said, in effect, “Give me a little time, and I will tell you the interpretation.”
Then Daniel went back to his companions and said, “Boys, we have to pray.” They sought compassion from the God of heaven, and the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.
Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to Him.
It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men
and knowledge to men of understanding.
It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with Him.—Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel gave God all the glory. When the king asked whether he could tell the dream and its interpretation, Daniel answered:
As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.
However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days.—Daniel 2:27-28
Daniel stood his ground. In the time of testing, God was with him. God revealed the dream and its interpretation. God received the glory, and Daniel was vindicated.
The next test came when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down before Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.—Daniel 3:16-18
That is living faith. They said, “Throw us into the fire.” And when they stood for the Lord, the Lord stood with them. The Lord was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. They were neither scorched nor burned.
In the end, the king honored the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and gave them a place of honor. If you are willing to stand for God in the time of testing, God stands with you.
The fourth test came in Daniel 6, when Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den.
Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful.—Daniel 6:3-4
They could find nothing against Daniel unless they found it regarding the law of his God. So they devised a law that no one could pray to anyone except the king for a certain number of days.
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house—now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem—and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
—Daniel 6:10
Daniel did not change. He went to the lions’ den, and the king could not sleep. But Daniel was preserved. The angel of God shut the lions’ mouths.
Daniel was without accusation. His testimony was pure. God again stood with Daniel.
This is an important message for us, brothers and sisters. If you truly love the Lord and consecrate your heart to Him, you will be tested. I know it. But the Lord will stand with you.
Because you have committed yourself to Him, He commits Himself to you.
How did Samuel make it through all those difficult years? He committed himself to God, and God committed Himself to Samuel. How did David make it through his battles and testings? David committed his heart to God, and God committed Himself to David.
How did Daniel make it through the land of Babylon, that land of compromise? He set his heart toward God, and God set His heart toward Daniel.
Do not think that when your heart is consecrated, you are standing all alone and are going to get eaten by lions. No. The Lord is faithful. There is His presence in your life.
Paul said that he wanted to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. It is not that we do not go through testing or fire. But in those times, we discover a precious fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
Let us return to Daniel 1 and see what happened after Daniel and his three friends completed their three years of training.
As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service.
As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.—Daniel 1:17-20
When we consecrate our minds to the Lord, He gives us supercharged, ten-times intelligence. Now, this is not about getting better grades. We are not talking about grades and that kind of intelligence. We are talking about a real understanding that is profitable to you and to God.
Daniel and his friends were chosen because they were already intelligent and wise. But because they consecrated their lives, God multiplied their wisdom and intelligence.
The more I read the Gospels, the more I am absolutely blown away by the intelligence and wisdom of Jesus. Have you ever seen any man wiser than Jesus? When you read the Gospels, Jesus had a wisdom that defied description.
His mind was clear, His thoughts were clear, and His wisdom was definite because His life was wholly consecrated to the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, if you will consecrate yourself, study the Word of God, go before the Lord, and seek His ways, the Lord will give you wisdom, knowledge, and an understanding of life that will make your life fruitful, useful, and beneficial to God.
He may not make you all into academic geniuses. Some of you may still be the weakest link. But God will use you and give you far more than you would have naturally had in the world.
The first reason a consecrated mind can increase in understanding is this: our knowledge is directly influenced by the clearness of our conscience.
Whether a person is a sinner or a Christian, the amount of understanding in the mind is directly related to the conscience.
This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.—1 Timothy 1:18-19
Holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
—1 Timothy 3:9
You cannot properly understand the truth without a clear conscience. People can come to the place where their consciences are so defiled that they can no longer distinguish truth from lies.
The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!—Matthew 6:22-23
Jesus is not merely talking about the physical eye. He is speaking about the eye of the heart. Your heart has an eye. Your conscience must be clear, and then you see things as they really are.
If your conscience is defiled, you will see things corruptly and in a distorted way. But if your conscience remains clear, your mind is able to work and understand the truth.
True spiritual knowledge begins in the spirit and works through the mind. Your spirit understands things intuitively. When your conscience is clear, your spirit can influence your mind, and you understand things on a direct line, without distortion.
That is why the more the Lord sanctifies us, the more the Holy Spirit renews our minds. As Paul says in Ephesians 4, we are renewed in the spirit of our mind.
It is not merely a matter of having a brain. It is a matter of conscience and spiritual intuition working through the mind.
Is it any wonder that Daniel was said to possess an extraordinary spirit? He had an excellent spirit. There was a quality to his knowledge that was discreet and discerning. He was wise, smart, and intelligent. Something pure and excellent came out of him.
A second reason a consecrated mind can produce greater intelligence and knowledge is this: as you grasp the Word of God, it gives you a frame of reference of truth that goes beyond what can be seen.
Most people on earth try to live only on the basis of what they can see. But when your frame of reference is the Word of God, you understand that unseen things produce seen things. You understand hidden things as well as exposed things.
As you study the Word of God—types, parables, Proverbs, and the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament—your mind begins to work on another level of understanding. You begin to see connections, not only between spiritual matters, but between your life on earth and the truths presented in the Word of God.
When I was saved at the end of my sophomore year in college, something changed. Before that, I was not much of a student. But when I was saved and began to study the Word of God, suddenly philosophy and economic theory began to make sense in a new way.
There was a correspondence with the Word of God. I might read in the morning about the parable of the four kinds of soil, then go to an economics class and see a framework involving four different kinds of products. The dots began connecting.
The study of the Word of God gave me a frame of reference. I no longer had to say, “That must be all there is, because that is the external thing.” I began to understand that unseen things were also taking place.
Life is full of mystery. There are many things we cannot understand merely through what we see. But as you open up to the Word of God, you find that this is a wonderful world and that we have been created in an amazing way.
Consecration is one step at a time. It is one day at a time and one decision at a time. It is sensing the correspondence of your life with the Word of God. It brings perspective—an intelligence beyond what the world can produce.
A third reason consecration increases understanding is that revelation of Christ and the things of God enhances your study. It catapults your study because it affirms the realities of creation, humanity, and life itself.
As God reveals Himself, that revelation adds understanding to the things you study on earth.
When you understand the revelation of the cross, it affects your whole life. You understand why people are the way they are. You understand disappointment. Romans 8:28 becomes a reality because you understand that the cross precedes resurrection.
Your understanding of life changes. It is not merely that you go up, up, up, or down, down, down. You go down and die, and then you come up in His life. That is a whole new perspective.
Daniel understood the literature of the Chaldeans, their magicians, their astrology, and their astronomy. But he understood it in the light of this: God rules from heaven.
God set the stars in their places. That makes all the difference.
The Babylonian worldview was cyclical. Everything went round and round: birth, death, rebirth, and endless repetition. But when God revealed Himself to Abraham and to mankind, humanity began to understand that history is not a cycle that goes nowhere.
God has a beginning, an end, a purpose, a kingdom, a Son, a destiny, and glory. God is moving history toward His goal.
Daniel had insight into history because he knew that God was ruling in heaven. The Babylonians saw cycles, but Daniel saw the linear progression of kingdoms and the ultimate kingdom of God.
The astrologers saw the stars as controlling men’s fates. Daniel saw the stars as God’s creation. The magicians believed that man had no control and that everything was fate. Daniel knew that God ruled from heaven.
The same difference appears in the matter of sexuality. Babylonian religion treated it as a dark, religious fertility ritual. But biblical revelation shows union, love, fruitfulness, and holiness. It is meant to be clean before the Lord, within the covenant of husband and wife.
This is the purpose of God. It is completely different from Babylon and from the darkness of the world even today.
Daniel was wise, but he was not a philosopher in the worldly sense. A philosopher is one who loves wisdom. Daniel was one who loved God.
Worldly philosophy begins with questions that arise from the human mind and then seeks answers apart from God. Biblical wisdom says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.—Proverbs 3:5-6
The wisdom of the Bible is much too practical for empty philosophy. I would rather trust in God and enjoy the day in His will. Take your choice.
The world may talk about chaos, but I believe God holds the world in His hands and has a plan and purpose for every life. Nothing happens in your life by accident when you are a child of God.
When Nebuchadnezzar had the dream of the great statue, Daniel understood it because God revealed it to him. He saw the Babylonian kingdom, then the Medo-Persian kingdom, the Greek kingdom, and the Roman kingdom.
Then Daniel saw the stone cut without hands, striking the statue and becoming a great kingdom that would endure forever. That stone is the kingdom of God.
Daniel understood history because he knew that God ruled in heaven and would establish His kingdom on earth.
Later Daniel saw the vision of the four beasts. But the point was not merely the beasts. The point was the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven to receive His kingdom from the Ancient of Days.
The basic meaning is that God will bring His Son to rule upon the earth with an enduring kingdom from heaven. Daniel saw that around 600 BC. What wisdom he had.
The Jews knew from Jeremiah’s prophecy that the captivity would last seventy years. But Daniel understood that there would be seventy weeks—seventy times seven—before the coming of the kingdom in its fullness. That is exactly what happened when Jesus came.
Daniel’s mind was not cluttered with nonsense and superfluous material. His mind was consecrated.
I know there is such a barrage of media today. There is so much corruption coming through. You can hardly turn on the radio without hearing things that pollute the mind. It is difficult; you almost cannot avoid it.
May it be that every morning you say, “Lord, I consecrate my life to You. I give You my hands, my feet, my heart, my lips, and my mind. Keep me today. Sanctify my mind to think about You.”
Then, at the end of the day, say, “O Lord, wash my feet. In walking through the world, I heard things I wish I had not heard. I saw things I wish I had not seen. I do not want my mind to be full of those things.”
How often have you come to a meeting wanting to hear the Lord, but you are distracted by ungodly thoughts? Do not feel condemned. This is one of the enemy’s tools and tricks.
I remember a woman who was tormented because, when she came to worship, curse words would flood through her mind. She felt condemned and thought those thoughts meant that something was wrong with her heart.
A brother told her, “I think the devil is playing a trick on you. The next time these things flood through your mind, say, ‘Lord, You know that in my heart I love You. Do not listen to these thoughts; You know my heart.’”
She did that, and within two weeks the thoughts were gone. It was a trick to scramble her mind.
At the end of the day, say, “Lord, cleanse me. If anything has stained me this day, I want to go to sleep clean. I do not want to feel condemned. I do not want impure thoughts to rule my mind.”
Take such thoughts to the Lord.
Daniel is a testimony to the intelligence of consecration. There is a way to walk in this world with a renewed mind that understands things higher and more fully. It enables you to fulfill your obligations on earth because you understand God’s larger purpose.
Daniel survived those kings and remained faithful to the Lord because the Lord had a purpose to keep him.
Perhaps one purpose was that, when Cyrus came to the throne, Daniel could help direct Cyrus toward the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple. Daniel was there until the reign of Cyrus.
Whatever the details, Daniel was a vessel of honor. Thank God for Daniel. He remained pure.
Isn’t it wonderful to see a person in the workplace, even on a college campus, living in that kind of place while remaining pure before the Lord? Your life can be true in the same way.
Have you given yourself one hundred percent to the Lord? Perhaps some of you did not last night because there was some matter of sin to deal with. But there is nothing magical about standing up in a meeting. You can go back to your room and give yourself to the Lord one hundred percent. You can do it in the middle of the night, and again in the morning.
Father, I come before You in light of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us. Many have gone on before at great cost, but they remained faithful to You.
In this last day, we are looking for vessels of honor—vessels of gold and silver—who are willing to stand steadfast in will, who are willing to stand in wholehearted emotion, and who are willing to stand with intelligence, prepared and ready to serve You.
I thank You for my precious brothers and sisters here tonight. This is good material, but it is only raw material unless You take hold of the mind. It is not merely worldly intelligence. You can renew the mind and make that intelligence useful to Yourself.
Lord, they have hearts here: young hearts, pure hearts, naive hearts. We entrust them to Your hands. Keep our hearts, and remember the intentions of our hearts, even from last night. Keep us faithful by holding us according to Your Word.
Lord, we pray for steadfastness of will. Do not allow us to become paralyzed and neutral. Do not allow us to fall into passivity. Help us daily to present ourselves unto the living God, our members as instruments of righteousness, that we might serve You.
Lord, we look to You to stand with us as we go through testing and difficult times.
I pray for those brothers and sisters who are here and who truly want to give You one hundred percent. May they be included among those who stood last night. Lord, You know our hearts. You know those who are Yours.
It is not in outward standing up; it is in the transaction of the heart where the deed is done. May every precious one here be fully surrendered to You.
Help us exercise our minds through the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Help us set our minds and present ourselves. Lord, we give ourselves to You as an offering here tonight.
Even if there is anyone here still struggling on the borderland, let them taste and see that the Lord is good. Capture them by Your mercy. Even in their unfaithfulness, reveal how faithful You have been to them, until we all say, “Where else can we go? You alone have the words of life.”
Lord, thank You for this time. Keep that which we have committed unto You against that day. We pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.