This Memorial Day weekend we pause as a nation to honor and remember the brave service members who gave their lives in defense of our country. What we have witnessed on our college campuses lately causes one to wonder if th generation will value this important Memorial remembrance. We need a next generation that will stand up for Jesus Christ and dare to be a Daniel. We will need Christian men and women who are not afraid to stand up against the ungodly cultural trends that endanger this nation and the church.

There must be a return to our roots, to our Judeo Christian traditions. There must be accountability of our leaders to uphold the character and ethics that made America great. America is at a crossroad and these are essential truths if we are even to have an American next generation. Anything less dishonors the memories of those that suffered and died for the freedom that we all enjoy. Anything less devalues the sacrifices our soldiers who bore arms to defend this nation. This Memorial Day weekend let’s commit ourselves to this renewal.

Jedidiah Morse one of our founding fathers once said, “When-ever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican form of government, and all the blessings that flow from them, will fall with them”.

Therefore, the church must intercede for America unlike any other period in our history. Our national sensitivity to the sinfulness of evil and wickedness is virtually gone. The consequences of failing to intercede are unthinkable. We are God’s soldiers.
Christians we are fighting an invisible war and we must dare to be a Daniel. Paul says in Ephesians that we battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Our religious and political leaders today practice immoral lifestyles openly, lie, cheat and are complicit and no one seems to care. Daniel was a political leaders but he was not one who would compromise his godly character.

…. I Daniel Promoted to President. (6:1-3).

Application:
Daniel is proof that you can live a godly life amidst corruption but it takes character and morals. There has not been another time in our history when evil has gripped this nation. However, we can achieve success without compromising our value, but that depends on your definition of success. This idea that you have to cheat and steal and lie to be successful is sinful. If this concept is true, no Christian should want these allocates of society that much that – he or she would sell out their convictions for such status. –Proverbs 10: 2
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

II Daniel Faced Adversity (6:4-9)

1. Daniel honesty and integrity caused him to suffer adversity, like Robert and Harrison whom we spoke about last week faced critics and opposition. “In his remarks, Butker urged the Christian church to stand up stronger for Christian values. “We need to stop pretending that the church of nice is a winning proposition”… “The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority.” Jesus said, ye shall know the truth & the truth shall set you free. ===John 8:32

In verse 4 they sought an occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they found none! His work is such that not even his enemies can bring a charge against him. His flawless faithfulness to the king and his obedience to the laws of the land forces his enemies to pass a new law aimed directly at him and for his demise. The only fault to be found with Daniel is that he is a man of God.

2. These den of liars began their conspiracy. We will suffer adversity at the hands of the wicked, but remember God has the final say. They conspired to keep Daniel from the promotion the king planned to carry out in the near future. Daniel surpassed them in his wisdom, his character, and his standing with the king. Keeping Daniel from rising above them and ruling over them would be no easy task. They wanted him dead…that was their plan.

3. These politicians, skilled in corruption, saw an end to their positions and profits should Daniel be appointed over them. Yet, as hard as they tried to find fault for accusing Daniel to the king, they could not. Daniel was the only Jew among them & they tried to oust him from office by passing a new law forbidding anyone to pray to any god except the king for 30 days. When they couldn’t criticize the job he was doing, they attacked his faith. Sound familiar? Note what is said in verse #5 concerning the law of his God.

4. Verse 6 states. “They assemble” this is too calm of a word. The Aramaic verb “rĕgash” means to gather with a disorderly and riotous throng. These liars begins their evil work. They resort to two of the oldest weapons in the devil’s toolbox; namely falsehoods and flattery. To do this, the conspirators found it necessary to deceive the king in the first lie. Their deception led the king to conclude that Daniel too agreed with their proposal, the second lie. They were totally disingenuous. They were using flattery to distract the king…they made him a god for 30 days. They insisted the decree be a law of the Medes / Persians so it could not be revoked.

III Daniel Remain Faithful & Perseveres (6:10-14).
1) The king himself wanted to change the law, but as a law of the Medes and the Persians, it could not be revoked. Daniel knew his needs were daily need and that he should petition God daily for those needs. Petitions could not be delayed. If Daniel ceased to pray, Daniel would have sinned against his God. He would have broken God’s law in order to obey man’s laws.

2) Daniel continued praying to the Lord, despite the law against prayer. Daniel was a Jew, and as a Jew he worship and pray to the One True God, which he did, three times a day. Daniel’s character was so well established that his enemies knew he would continue praying despite the new law.

I believe Daniel consistently prayed toward Jerusalem three times a day for the more than seventy years of his sojourn in Babylon. This meant his window would be open and he would be visible when he prayed. He prayed publicly, in defiance of the law of the Medes and the Persians, because he believed there was no other choice. His prayer life was so consistent they could literally pick the time to gather outside his window to catch him in prayer.

3) When his critics saw this they ran to tell the king that Daniel had broken the law. Although it was no great accomplishment to catch Daniel in prayer, the conspirators approached the king very carefully with this news. Accusing a man of the king’s favor was dangerous. They began by asking the king about the law which had just gone into effect. He reiterated that he had indeed passed the law forbidding any petition be made except to him.

4) He further acknowledged that the penalty for breaking this law was to be cast into the lion’s den. Only at this point did the conspirators shock the king with the announcement that Daniel has been found violating this very law. No one is above the law…right? They declared he was persisting in violating this law, showing in their minds complete disregard for the king and his authority.

5) The unsuspecting king signed the decree into law never realizing its implications for Daniel. The conspirators refused to be put off by the king’s resistance. After spending the day seeking to arrange Daniel’s release, they returned and reminded the king the law Daniel had broken was a “law of the Medes and the Persians” and thus irrevocable. Essentially, they told the king he had no choice. He was bound by the law.

Conclusion:
How many good people are in jail or even dead because they were lie on? These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A false witness that speaketh lies. Proverbs 16:16,19