That's what this week's message explores. The spirit of the world is one that wants to pressure us to exalt ourselves and resist the call to worship the living God.
Below you'll see this week's message outline and a video of the message below that!
COUNTERCULTURE—Culture’s Pressure
Daniel 3:1-6 “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold,
whose height was sixty
cubits and its width
six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of
Babylon. 2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the
satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the
judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the
dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the
counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials
of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King
Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar
had set up. 4 Then a herald cried aloud: ‘To you it is
commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute,
harp, lyre, and psaltery,
in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold
image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast
immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.’”
BIG QUESTION: How can you check your heart’s allegiance to
worship God alone?
Daniel 6:5-9 “Then these men said, ‘We shall not find any charge against
this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.’ 6 So these governors and satraps
thronged before the king, and said thus to him: ‘King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom,
the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted
together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever
petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast
into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree
and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the
Medes and Persians, which does not alter.’ 9 Therefore King Darius signed the
written decree.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no one
deceive you by any means; for that
day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man
of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God
or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God.”
Revelation 13:14-17 “And he
deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted
to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make
an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to
give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be
killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their
foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who
has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
What Motivates our
World?
1.
Exalt man above God.
Daniel 3:16-18 “Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we
have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the
case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from
your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that
we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have
set up.’”
2.
Stop the worship of God.
Daniel
6:10-12 “Now when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open
toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed
and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. 11 Then these men assembled and
found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king,
and spoke concerning the king’s decree: ‘Have you not signed a decree that
every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king,
shall be cast into the den of lions?’ The king answered and said, ‘The thing is true, according to
the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.’”
Mark 12:30 “’And you
shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all
your strength.’ This is the
first commandment.”
Heart and Soul—Passions
and emotions
What do you think about the most?
Mind—Attention
What do you think about the most?
Strength—Abilities
What are you doing for God?
2 Questions to Settle
1.
What will you not worship?
2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show
Himself strong on behalf of those whose
heart is loyal to Him.
In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
2.
Who will you worship?
John 4:23
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is
seeking such to worship Him.
BOTTOM LINE: How can you reorder your worship and commitment
to God so he is first?