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Part 5 of 16
A Cloud of Witnesses
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We're continuing a fifty-two-week series focusing on pivotal figures in Scripture to help us understand their stories and how they relate to our lives. Today we're discussing Daniel—a man whose story many know from the account of Daniel in the lion's den. While we'll touch on that, we'll explore the entire book of Daniel, moving quickly through it.
In the third year of King Jehoiakim of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord delivered Jehoiakim and some of the temple vessels into his hand, and he brought them to Babylon. King Ashpenaz, the chief eunuch, was ordered to bring some of the Israelites—young men of royal descent and nobility, without physical defect, handsome, educated in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, capable of standing in the king's palace—to be trained in Babylonian writing and language. They would receive a daily portion of the king's food and wine for three years of training before standing before the king.
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Among these captives were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The chief eunuch gave them new names: Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.
Babylon was a literal, physical place—and in Daniel's time, it was the most powerful empire on earth. Located about fifty-five miles south of modern Baghdad on the Euphrates River, Babylon controlled the primary trade route. They possessed immense wealth, the strongest military, and unparalleled engineering. Their double-walled cities and watchtowers were the most advanced of their era. They controlled everything: water, money, and power. The city seemed impenetrable and eternal.
But in Scripture, whenever you see the word Babylon, it also represents a spiritual reality: human civilization organized apart from God. Babylon represents a worldview where humanity believes it can thrive without God.
Each of us holds a worldview—a lens through which we interpret the world based on our values, beliefs, behaviors, and background. As Christians, we're meant to hold a biblical or Christian worldview, seeing the world through Scripture and understanding it through the lens of who God is.
But not everyone holds this view. The worldview of someone living in Babylon is different. It's called secular humanism, and it's a worldview still prevalent today. Here's what secular humanists believe:
When you see "Babylon" in Scripture, write down "secular humanism." It's a worldview that says we don't need God.
Babylon itself originated in Genesis 11. When people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar (the Mesopotamian plain where the Euphrates flows). They said to one another: "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly. We have brick for stone and bitumen for mortar. Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we shall be scattered all over the world."
The Lord came down to see the city and tower that humans had built. He said: "They are one people with one language for all. If this is how they have begun to act, then nothing that they may propose to do will be out of their reach. Come, let us go down and confound their language there, so that they shall not understand one another's speech." Thus the Lord scattered them over the whole earth, and they stopped building the city.
The name Babylon comes from the Hebrew word balal, meaning "to confuse." When the Lord confused their language, it sounded like ballo. Babylon means "confused." When you try to live your life alone, apart from God, it becomes confusing. Life has no meaning without God.
The people of Babylon said: "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves." The problem wasn't building a tower. The problem was their declaration: "We don't need God. We're creating our own greatness. We're establishing our own security. We're making ourselves a great name."
1 Corinthians 3:18-19 says: "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."
Daniel was likely between fifteen and twenty years old—a teenager. He was one of the captives taken to Babylon. He had grown up in Israel, believing in God, knowing God's stories from the past, and understanding the Scriptures. Now he's being pulled into a different culture.
Today, we learn from a teenager what it means to stand firm when a culture tells you that you don't need God.
The very first thing that happened when they removed Daniel from his God-centered culture and placed him in a godless one was an attempt to change his identity. This is what our culture often does: I'll take away your identity as a child of God and give you a new identity.
Names carry meaning. Daniel means "God is my judge." But Babylon said: "That name doesn't fit here. We're calling you Belteshazzar—'may Baal protect your life.'" Your purpose is to serve and protect the king.
Babylon wanted to reshape Daniel's identity, his worldview, and his loyalty. The first move wasn't demanding worship. It was simply asking him to belong to them: "Just be one of us."
This is what our culture often does. You come in saying: "I believe in God. I trust God." Then you step into another cultural space, and they say: "Just forget some of that and belong to us." Romans 12:2 addresses this: "Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
We must enter this surrounding culture—where secular humanism is the dominant worldview—without forgetting who we are. You are a child of God, designed for a purpose to do good works God prepared for you beforehand.
Someone in this congregation might be asking: "Do I even believe in God?" Let me tell you: I believe God exists. As a pastor, I don't just believe in God's existence—I know there is a God.
How can I be so confident? There are two reasons.
First: General Revelation. God has revealed Himself generally to the world. We can see God simply by looking at the world around us. Romans 1:20 says: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made." We have no excuse for not believing in God's existence.
When people see a sunset's beauty, they say: "There must be a God." When they're in the mountains, they feel certain of God's existence. For me, what astounds me is the complexity of this world and how everything works together.
Consider the basic science of our existence: We breathe in oxygen, which enters our lungs, circulates through our bloodstream, and distributes throughout our bodies—renewing cells, promoting growth, supporting organs and brain function. We need oxygen. Then we exhale carbon dioxide. If we consumed all the oxygen and exhaled all the carbon dioxide, humanity would die. It would be toxic to us.
But why hasn't this happened throughout Earth's history? Why is there still oxygen? Because plants undergo photosynthesis. The basic gas that promotes plant growth and flourishing is carbon dioxide. And the byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen. You begin to see: "This world operates in cycles." There are amazingly intricate cycles you can contemplate. The plant needs soil with nutrients. As things die, they return nutrients to soil, creating fertile ground for a seed. Then comes rain—drawn from oceans into clouds, distributed elsewhere. Water falls and nourishes the soil, creating the right environment for that seed. The sun shines, and the plant begins to grow. That plant produces oxygen and food. Suddenly you find yourself asking: "How did all this happen?" You say to yourself: "This can't be mere chance. It's too complex, even for my fourth-grade mind. There must be a God. There's no other way to explain it."
And we haven't even discussed the miracle of birth. You can't witness the miracle of human birth without saying: "My God, this is truly amazing. There must be a God."
Second: Special Revelation. God has revealed Himself specially to this world. I know God exists because I've seen Him do it in my life. I can list countless times I've seen God answer my prayers in miraculous ways. God has brought people into my life who've spoken truth and love to me, supported me, and cared for me. I've witnessed God's presence in my life.
Beyond that, God gave me His Word—trustworthy and revealing His attributes, who He is, His plan of salvation, and His plan for us on this earth. This is God revealing Himself to us specially. And His greatest special revelation: His Son, Jesus. Jesus lived on this earth a sinless life, didn't deserve death, yet willingly went to the cross and died for you and me. But He didn't stay dead—He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. He sits at the right hand of God the Father, opening the way for me and you to obtain eternal salvation with Him.
You might ask: "That's not special revelation. I only found that here. How can you claim it's additional special revelation?" Because we know of the historical Jesus outside the Bible. We have historians and archaeological evidence confirming that Jesus actually lived. These historians tell us His followers claimed Jesus rose from the dead, yet His body was never found. There are people who claimed to have seen Him personally after His resurrection. I know God has revealed Himself to this world.
So you ask: "Do you believe in God?" I say: "Yes, I believe in God."
Daniel enters a culture saying: "We don't need God," and he responds: "Hmm, I believe in God."
But here's the thing: James 2:19 says, "You believe that God is one; you do well. But even the demons believe—and shudder." Many people tell me: "Hey, I believe in God." I ask: "So you're a Christian?" They respond: "Well, yes, I mean I believe, I believe there is a God." I say: "No, I asked if you're a Christian." Many say: "I believe there is a God, but I don't live as though there is a God."
So I simplified today's message to three words—because my mind works like a fourth-grader's, right? I thought: "What if we had a two-word sermon so everyone leaves wondering: 'What's the point of this sermon?'"
Believe God.
That's it. Instead of just believing in God's existence: Believe God. Just believe God.
Daniel didn't just believe in God's existence. Daniel believed God. He trusted God amid this culture. But how?
First, Daniel believed in God's control. He believed God is sovereign. Do you believe God controls your life and this world? Even when everything around you seems out of control, do you have enough faith in God to believe His attributes can sustain you in a world that seems to lack control?
Daniel did. Daniel remained in captivity so long that he ended up serving multiple kings. Let's look at Daniel 9:2-3. Daniel writes: "In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must pass before the restoration of Jerusalem would come to an end: seventy years. I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking Him by prayer and supplication, in fasting, sackcloth, and ashes."
What does this tell us about Daniel? He knew the Scriptures well enough to know: "God already told me this would happen." Instead of panicking, worrying, and stressing about circumstances, he simply trusted that God was in control and that at some point He would restore His people. He didn't need to worry—he just continued praying to the Lord.
What about you? Do you know God well enough and His character well enough to trust Him when life feels out of control? Perhaps a difficult medical diagnosis, a collapsed relationship, or a lost dream in your life. Do you trust God enough to say: "I believe You're in control"?
There are several critically important things we must trust God about. First: Do you believe God is sovereign? Whether God caused or permitted something, He remains in control. Nothing is outside His control. Do you believe He is sovereign? Daniel did. Daniel 4:35 says: "He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth." Daniel was saying: "I trust that He is sovereign."
But you can't stop there. Second: Do you believe God is good? It's one thing if He's sovereign, but if He's not good, we'd say: "I don't know if this is good for me." But Psalm 34:8 says: "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Happy is the person who takes refuge in Him." Do you believe God is good in your life?
Third: Do you believe God is faithful? Do you believe He will continue caring for you? You can't just believe in His sovereignty. You can't just believe in His goodness. You must believe God is faithful. Lamentations 3:22-23 says: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
Fourth: Do you believe God is loving? Do you believe God loves you? 1 John 4:10 says: "This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
Daniel entered a culture trying to change his identity, make him belong to them, take away his God, and tell him life was out of control and everything he knew was gone. But Daniel believed: "No, I believe God is in control because I know my God, and there's no need to worry." Do you know your God? Do you believe God when He says He controls these things?
Daniel didn't just believe God controlled everything. Daniel also believed in God's provision—that God would care for him. In Daniel 1:5, we read that the king designated a daily portion of the king's food and wine for them during their three-year training. But look at verse 8: "Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine."
Why? Because Daniel knew God's law. There were certain foods prohibited for Israelites. Daniel said: "I won't do that." Even in this culture, I won't do it. Some of this food had been offered to idols and the king. I won't do that, even though it's the best we have.
Think about this. A young man, fifteen or twenty years old, stands in the midst of a culture saying: "Hey, I'm giving you something wonderful that you'll love—the best we have in our entire society." Daniel responds: "No." Because God said don't, I won't.
He continues: "God gave Daniel favor and compassion from the chief eunuch." But the official told Daniel: "I fear my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. If he sees you looking worse than the other young men your age, you will endanger my head with the king." Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you observe." He agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations.
Daniel believed not only in God's sovereignty and provision, but also in God's commands. He understood that God knows what is best. Daniel's famous story in the lion's den illustrates this trust, though it often overshadows the real beginning of his faithfulness.
Daniel had gained such great favor with the king that he was made the second-highest leader in all of Babylon. Other officials grew jealous and plotted to remove him. When they investigated his work, they found nothing—no corruption, no negligence, no grounds for accusation. So they devised a scheme targeting his faith.
They told the king: "Make a decree that for thirty days, anyone who prays to any god or person other than you should be thrown into the lion's den." The king, proud and unaware that Daniel would never comply, agreed. He had no idea that Daniel would refuse, but Daniel knew God's law: You shall have no other gods before Me. Do not bow down to any idol or person.
Three times daily, Daniel knelt and prayed to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When officials reported his disobedience, the king was heartbroken—he loved Daniel. But the law was the law. Daniel was thrown into the lion's den.
The king came to the den the next morning and cried out: "Daniel, has your God protected you?" Daniel answered: "O king, live forever. My God has protected me and closed the mouths of the lions."
The king brought Daniel out and cast those who had accused him—along with their wives and children—into the lion's den instead. Then he declared that everyone must worship the God of Daniel, and glory belongs to Him.
But here is the critical point: Daniel's greatest test was not the lion's den. It was the daily choices he made long before facing the lions. The real story is about a young man of fifteen or twenty years old standing firm in a culture hostile to God.
There is a crucial difference between these two kinds of faith:
We believe in God because of who He is—He is sovereign over all things. We believe in God because of what He does—He cares and provides for our needs. We believe in God because of what He says—this book can be trusted.
When discussing trust in God's provision, we must address money, because it is the primary idol of our secular humanistic culture. If you have enough money, you can be your own god. Jesus Himself spoke about money in over one-third of His parables, and in the Sermon on the Mount, He was direct:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:19-20, 24)
After speaking of the impossibility of serving God and money, Jesus said:
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:26-30)
In Malachi 3:10, God invites us to test Him:
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'" (Malachi 3:10)
This is not an investment strategy where God promises to turn ten percent into thirty percent. Rather, God says: "You bring your ten percent, and you bring yours, and you bring yours—let us gather this together and watch what happens in My kingdom."
When we do this, entire communities will be transformed. Local needs will be met. Temporary things will change, and spiritual things will be eternally altered. Children will come to know Jesus. Students will discover their purpose and passion. People will find their calling and engage in service. Missionaries will be sent throughout the world. We will actually be able to change the entire world because the local church—the body of Christ—has gathered its resources.
God says: "Watch. Test me in this." Jesus taught the same principle: live with open and generous hearts because ultimately everything belongs to God.
Daniel entered a culture and said: "I trust God. I believe Him." Through his example as a young man, he showed the world how to glorify God in a culture that opposed Him.
Here is the reality: In a world that says you don't need God, I tell you—you need a Designer. You need a Creator. You need a Savior.
If you are here today and have never placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Scripture is clear. There is a way to eternal life and salvation forever. To live with God eternally.
God created us to be in relationship with Him. But all of us have sinned and fall short of His glory. The wages of sin is death—eternal separation from God. You and I deserve death because of sin in our lives, and we are separated from Him.
But in Romans it is written: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
Jesus Christ came and lived on this earth. He never committed a single sin. He did not deserve death, but He willingly went to the cross for you and for me. He did not remain dead. He defeated the power of hell and death, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven.
The Scripture says: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
You can leave here today knowing you are going to heaven and secure in eternal safety. The Bible makes this crystal clear. This is not about us. It is not about works, so that no one can boast. It is about grace—God's love given freely to us.
Here is what is important: It is not enough to simply believe in God. We must also believe God. Believing in God means I know I am not God and that He exists. Believing God means I let God run my life and trust Him to guide me in all things.
