Validated

Anthemic life with Jeannie Greer were supposed to be in Babylon living in Babylon seeking the well-being of our city praying for as it drives we thrive.

Most Christians like James and Dave think the options of either assimilation or separation, but there is 1/3 option transformation. We are called, neither to assimilation nor separation. We are called transformation light. The Bible teaching ministry of Pastor Jeannie Greer. I'm your host Molly get a batch as we continue our teaching theory through the book of Daniel. Today Jenny walks us through Nebuchadnezzar's confusing dream in Daniel chapter 2. Through this wild and startling story we learn to view our culture the same way that Daniel viewed head, not through assimilation not through separation through transformation like a perfect message for today. So let's get started right now with a new message title validated Bob with you know that you brought your Bible you will take it out and put it all started on Daniel chapter 2. I have up here with me right now to pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. One of them is there one of them is a real prayer when I bought both of them I thought they were both real, but saw one of his face. I don't really know if you could tell a lot of difference between the fund for the mana imaginable. Your perspective you like you, sunglasses, I get it I'm not, but they both looked out equally dumb on me. I don't think there is any one particular one that you can say so they look very much alike.

This is the think there I ordered them from a clearance website, which should've been an occasion of the one they were probably fake. It was offering a deal that you bought at least three payer then you could buy them a $25 each. Looking back, I like how did I not see right through this. My first clue that something sinister was afoot, but this might look legit so legit and off over stuff like that so I order it took like three months to get to my house and when they arrived they were in a box that looked like it had been drugged through rural China by imbuing women dropkick across the ocean which should have been my second clue that not everything was right, but when I opened the box. They actually got it. But honestly, in some ways, I like the color in the design better than this is genuine payer but the moment that I put them on the moment that I put them on y'all. I just didn't feel right.

The metal feels really brittle of you is not as clear as you expect from a quality pair of sunglasses. I am sure that an expert could pick these up and in a millisecond.

They could tell that they are fake, but I am not an expert, so I did just a little bit of research to tell how can you tell fake Ray bans from real ones, and I found another one of the little signs is in the upper corner of non-labeled lands of Nablus is right and you will you hold it just right to the light. You can see this itty-bitty teeny tiny RB that is engraved on the guess is the right list.

It's really hard not to produce because they don't scratch the lens so it's very subtle but it's also got to be deep enough that you can't just rub it out. Missing counterfeiters have a really really difficult time getting it right. Sure enough, upon closer investigation, was able to rub this little guy right out and confirm that these are indeed fake Ray bans and I had wasted $75. By the way, you get a birthday gift for me and it's a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.

I would be crazy excited about it right now but good news is that PayPal reimburse me since they were fake. So teacher for PayPal. I share that because what you're going to see today what you see today is how God distinguishes his kingdom from counterfeit once. How does he distinguish his chemical sometimes his kingdom in the world's kingdom to somebody looking from a distance, or somebody untrained, they might actually look similar. How can you tell the difference in the real one from the fake ones remind you we have titled this series shining in Babylon. That phrase comes from Fraser Daniel 12 31 of my favorite Old Testament verses that says those who have wisdom will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

What an amazing amazing promise.

See, unlike most other Old Testament books the book of Daniel wrote his book outside of the confines of Israel. Most of it. In fact, I explained to you is, is written in Aramaic which was the language of Babylon, not Hebrew. The language of Israel. The book is about how to live wisely in a place where God is not respected, how to shine in a culture where everybody around you, lives by different values and sees you, not just as I but as an enemy of or even a threat to the current regime in the book is about how not just to survive in that kind of environment. The book is about how to be a witness. There how to shine their how to lead many to righteousness like Daniel 12 recess. You see, when it comes to living in a hostile culture.

Many Christians Latvian and today, many Christians feel like they gotta choose between either assimilation or separation assimilation or separate assimilation means that you just gradually look indistinguishable and indistinguishable from everybody else around me. Their values become your values there. Your lifestyle becomes theirs.

Are you talking someone a bit OF music you listen to everything about you just looks like the world around you what, that's it. That's assimilation separation would be the opposite reaction right you see the world around you is so evil that you must come out from among them and be you separate says the Lord grown up in a little independent Baptist Christian school environment. We that was totally where we work with a Christian version of everything when I say everything I mean everything with these little things called shepherds guide to by member shepherds. God little yellow pages where all the business owners are Christian, you could just do business 24 hours a day seven days we would know by the Christians and you could not get contaminated by all those unbelievers out there in the community.

We had our little Christian sports leagues and Christians were expected to listen to their own kind of music. No drums. Of course at all with this style are hair a certain way I could long here on boys was assigned the demons were at work in your heart, right, John Miller, right, we had to dress in distinctive ways. Boys insert should always be in ties and girls in what ways culottes member culottes unit sale fashions come back dominant, back I promise you, but you. The point was you dress like a Christian. The idea was that the more isolated you were from the world more faithful by the weirder the spiritual were I guess interestingly will quickly say this. This is such a controversy in Daniels. They also little background on CBC the controversial work on from 70 okay I get you to dinner to a just a second. Across the exile actually happened. That's all happened in two stages.

Stage I took place from 597 BC and King Nebuchadnezzar carried off about 10,000 Israelites, mostly the elite military leaders, government leaders, scholars, teachers, Daniel and all his friends were in that stage I stage II Took Pl. about 10 years later and that's when King Nebuchadnezzar brought everybody else in between those two stages that 10 year gap a bunch of false prophets rose up in Israel and they begin to prophesy say look, we gotta resist this exile. Babylon is bad right Babylon is better that's easy to say that what is bad. Stay away from Babylon and if you have to live there. Keep to yourself right stating a little conclave.

If you pray anything about Babylon pray against it.

Pray that God would destroy this wicked city prophet Jeremiah whose book is in your Bible. By contrast, was actually a true prophet of God. He lived in that 10 year window, and he said the opposite.

He said no it is God's will for us in this moment not to stay separate from the culture of Babylon, but to infiltrated and to influence it.

In fact, he wrote a letter to all the exiles in Babylon that is recorded in Jeremiah 29 that we actually quote here. A lot of the summer church you come here you should be familiar with.

With these verses Jeremiah 29 verse four.

This is what the Lord knows the God of Israel says to all the exiles build houses in Babylon is limited to build a house there live in plant gardens and eat their produce sons and daughters multiply their do not decrease, seek the well-being of the city to which I have deported you and prayed to the Lord on its behalf when it thrives your to thrive. I know we use that verse. A lot of the summit because, like Daniel, we live as exiles in a hostile culture and that means like Dana like Peter explained when I sparsely huddled up in small group singing Kumbaya waiting on Jesus to come back to rapturous office trailer part of the planet and then destroy it.

Were supposed to be in Babylon living in Babylon seeking the well-being of our city praying for her as it drives we thrive. Most Christians like the Jews in Daniels they think the options are either assimilation or separation, but there is 1/3 option transformation. We are called, neither to assimilation nor separation. We are called to transformation to Daniel and his friends take on Babylonian names. They speak the Babylonian language. They work in the Babylonian palace but they do so as faithful servants of God. Some of the reason we end every single service here by those three words, you are set is because we believe this, we gather in here as God's community for just a few precious hours each week in Israel, so to speak, and in most of you know, should you go back out there to Babylon except for me, a Savior and Israel right but you you go back out to work in and pray for Babylon. While we tell you the church is supposed to feel like a spiritual tornado had drawn in here for a few hours only if one back out to what we see happening in the book of acts right the majority of the stories and acts take place outside of the church, redirecting her refinements are general message and Gollum say that's not where all the action takes place and told you before the 40 miracles in the book of acts 4039 of the 40 happen outside of the church was a type tells you that's the placement I want to demonstrate his power today in the neighborhoods and the businesses and hospitals in the jail GLS context we bring into Daniel chapter 2 chapter 2 opens up putting them away is okay for me to sort his name, spent about 1/3 of the sermons of work my way. There is a man you had Naz are what would nab Nettie the Napster supply that I'm not aware what we talk about this. What Babylonian mom chooses a name like Nebuchadnezzar for their little babies. How you look a little infant in a crib and set up Nebuchadnezzar in the queue.

It just doesn't seem to fit so I'm net Neb the shutter opens up would nab waking up in a cold sweat. He's had a drink again. He's had a dream he did not treat nightmare and every time he has it he gets more and more upset. Chapter 2 verse one, the second year of his reign that had dreams that troubled him and sleep deserted him. So the king gave orders to summon the magicians the mediums the sorcerers in the Chaldeans, to tell the King's dreams when they came and stood before the king, he said to them I had a dream and I'm anxious to understand it, so they replied okay live forever.

Tell your service the dream, and we will give you the interpretation she Babylonian wisemen had this little book and had little interpretive key that had all these explanations of what various elements and dreams met Cowman Suburban – puff the Magic Dragon at this if you appeared before the royal court.

Nothing but your underwear that Mendez and so, when some of you to dream you look up all the images in your little book and boom dream interpretation course they would give their interpretations and these sweeping generalized terms like horse gopher fortune cookie today where got broad categories, like always, in some sense be true. Like your patient will one day be rewarded or trust people gossip about you or something like that and then they give interpretation and they get paid the big bucks but old Ned old man had started to suspect that this was all a bunch of malarkey, which is the Hebrew word for a bunch of made up stuff and he said in verse nine.

I don't trust you. I need you to prove that you got the power God by telling you first for the dream was and then I'll know that you have the power to interpret pretty smart nap pretty smart members did the Chaldeans answer the king but no one on earth to make known with a ding request no king great or small, has ever asked anything like this of any medium. When the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him, except the gods will is not of morals. Because of this the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men about a lot of there is trouble in Camelot.

The problem, of course, is a ding on his friends said let me send Abednego they're all counted among the wisemen, which means that they're going to be murdered in this purge also over 17 Dana went back to his house and told his friends and Anaya Misael and Azariah, that's shutter me send Abednego by the Hebrew names they told him about the matter, urging them to ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery to Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon's wisemen. The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night and Daniel praise the God of the heavens and he declared me the name of God be praised forever and ever, even in Babylon for wisdom and power belong to him. He changes the times and the seasons, he removes kings and establishes things. He gives wisdom to the wise use knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and the hidden things he knows what is in the darkness and light wells with him. Daniel says let me see the king.

Verse 26 and so the king said to Daniel, whose Babylonian name of Belshazzar. Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation. They know answer the king well, let's review. No wisemen, no medium, no magician know Devon or is able to make known to the king. The mystery he asked about what this is a great phrase but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries we parked there for just a minute on that phrase bites. There is a God in heaven because that's really the question behind all these other questions right. Is there a God in heaven and has he said something to us on earth. Is there a God in heaven, and is his power available to us.

You see, sometimes, like Nebuchadnezzar, you get to a point where all the human strategies fail all the wisemen in the Devon errors in the scientist of our age. No longer can answer that deep question that problem you got in your heart and I thought my first role is to sustain a peer and proclaim to you not, rich, complex things of theology, but sitting up here and just proclaim to you, but there is a God in heaven there is a God in heaven would that not change how you sell your problem you try to make the relationship work. You try to fix what's broken and it's all failed and you feel like there is no hope for and I've got good news for you, but there is a God in heaven, and his power starts for your sins. You tried to make that kid turn out like you told him everything you know how to tell the you tried everything you know how to try to make him choose what is right. There is nothing left for you to do and you were in despair. Yes, but there's a God in heaven.

You try to overcome addiction.

Try to find that missing piece and you have failed so many times that you started to think this is no point to any of it but but that is a huge conduction but there is a God in heaven. Death and disease seem so total, so final to you and this year this year. Death the disease of taking things from you that you thought you could never get back. What's the point you're asking right doubts and diseases could take away all of us in the end anyway, yes, but there's a God in heaven disappointed politics be to this may bar leaders. Democrats disappoint Republicans disappoint new/if you were put in power.

You disappoint us to yes but there's a God in heaven and speaking to disappoint us to talk about your fermented as we really are right for some of you. Nobody has disappointed you more than you every morning I get up and I look in the mirror.

I look at the guy who has letdowns anywhere more than anybody else in his life there is nobody that is lied to let me down broken promises to JD more than JD so you got no confidence to go for to create a better future than today because that same person is messed everything up mouse to look at you in the mirror. Yes, let's friend there's a God in heaven. You believe that you believe that when I change everything.

When I change everything up there actually was a God in heaven who makes power and wisdom available on earth, so Daniel continues a God told me what your magicians couldn't come up with an Daniel tells tell though maybe what his dream was the king that is a giant statue that was made out of gold on the chest and arms were were made of silver. The belly was bronze in the ledger may not iron in the Tinto's, the feet were a mixture of iron and clay it while you were admiring this awesome statute rock came out of how to heaven I don't know where it shattered statue and a billion pieces. Nebuchadnezzar said that was it. That was my dream and Daniel gives him the interpretation which were to get you in a second. I promised but first let me highlight the significance of how this went down because is going to give us another important principle for shining in Babylon. I know you like. Just tell us what things mean, and probably get to that.

But the point here is the principle for you and me that is transferable to how we live is the principal right principle out you will conference 101 is gotta be different to make a difference. But whatever truth God validates his message supernaturally in Babylon, God validates his message supernaturally when you're in Babylon. Supernatural confirmation is how God distinguishes his real kingdom from his fake here, here, here, in the story that happened to the supernatural revelation of the Greek, but all the other ways as happens in Scripture that your little bull during juvenile Mark chapter 2 Jesus said to a crippled man, your sins are forgiven, and all the legislators like your fake nobody can forgive sins but God.

When Jesus point to is the proof that he had the power to forgive sins rockthrowing Vikings will rinsing in forgive sins your sins are forgiven and your sins are forgiven and send forgiveness for you. Look in your chair and I got some forgiven threat and I do that, we never know if you tell the truth is, like any old wisemen in Babylon could fake a dream interpretation, which is another proof that I got the power to forgive sins that I can make this claim and walk about at the power to make that laymen Walden that proves that I got the power of God to forgive sins.

Also us exactly was happening in Nebuchadnezzar's situation in of course all the ultimate miracle to brew Jesus's power was the resurrection. That was something that no other religious Guru were no other wise man or philosopher Dr. scientist has ever been able to do one of things you can say that Mohammed, Buddha and Stalin, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche anybody want to put that category one things you all have in common is are all still in the race. The only one that came out of the grave didn't show his power and his wisdom by putting on displays and the like is because he could do something that only God could do that supernatural kind of verification continued on into the ministry of the apostles, the writer of the book of Hebrews explains that God validated the writings of the apostles came to be known as her New Testament. He validated the signs and wonders usually says in Hebrews 2, verse three, the gospel was declared to us first by the Lord Jesus and then it was what's this attested to us in writings by those who heard him, the apostles, God bearing witness with them through signs and wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. How did God distinguish the apostles's writings we have from all the false prophets of that day went on the trip. It was to miracles and signs and wonders. Now today, our experience of this is a little bit different because we have a completed Bible, but the apostle Paul still points to supernatural power at work in our preaching that validates that this message is from God and it is not account well said. For example, to the Corinthians were my preaching of my speech were not with persuasive words of wisdom that a bunch of greens hanging on my wall but they came with a demonstration of the Spirit. Our because I didn't want your faith be based on how smart I was but on God's power that was in the matter for doing shrink that stick around for a while and God teaches us valuable lessons throughout Daniel, our newest resource getting away is a study through the book of Daniel is what we call an inductive Bible study Jenny. What is an inductive Bible study Union Gen. Molly the word inductive means that you're starting with observations and then pulling out principles and so an inductive Bible study is basically investigating observing different things in the text and then trying to discern what are the principles that are being taught in and got it's the right way. Generally speaking, to study the Bible you want the things we've encourage people to do in around here.

The summa church in reading the Bible is the here method that's basically inductive here stands for highlight observe things he examine press and was really being said applied figure out how to bridge bridge the context of your life and then ours respond. So what we've done is provided you a Bible study to go along with their study of Daniel that will will teach you these inductive principles as your studying Daniel along with me and it'll help make so much more of the text come alive to you.

It's a great skill. Mark just go right now to JD where.com you donate to help us be able to continue this ministry is we want to send you this, just as a way of saying thank you for your participation with us for your copy when you donate today. Suggested level at $35 or more title in the book of Daniel shining in Babylon during part inductive Bible.

I think 335 20 work editor study online.com I Molly that if it's something that you join us today from Daniel chapter 2