Read 1 Peter 2:9-12 & 1 John 2:15-17.

We are aliens and strangers in this world, we don’t belong to the world systems and way of thinking and doing things. There is the kingdom of this world, and the kingdom of God – in their values and aims - the two are opposites, but existing together for now, like wheat and weeds.
But do we realise how incompatible and different these two kingdoms are ?
Do we try to have a foot in each ?
I’m glad to say that this is becoming increasingly difficult for Christians to try to do.

Living for God in a hostile environment is nothing new. Swimming against the tide, being counterculture, standing out. The early disciples knew all about it and further back,
Daniel and his friends knew all about it, exiled in Babylon.

• They were a remnant – ever feel like a remnant, with the Church shrinking rapidly in this country, committed Christians making up less than 5% of the population.

• They were a minority in a hostile environment – increasingly people who take their faith seriously are presented as the main threat to society, extreme, a problem - the enemy.

• They were being watched by those waiting to trip them up – there are plenty of people with agendas trying to discredit Christians and portray them badly, they will even lie to achieve this aim.

So what sort of challenges did they face, what did God do, and how did they respond ?

 They were being incorporated in – given, training, jobs, and food from the king’s table. The king was treating them like Babylonians, but how far should they let it go ? We all need to ask that question and draw a line that we’re not prepared to compromise.

 They were expected to conform, to go along with the crowd (in worshipping the statue) and to conform with idolatry. Read 1 Peter 4:1-5.

 They were ruled by a king who had great power and pride to go with it, arrogantly boasting of what he thought he had done.

 They lived in an unholy land, where even the king blasphemed and insulted God, by taking things that were sacred and using them with his wives and concubines. No regard or fear of God. (e.g. Gerry Springer. Da Vinci Code)

 They were being watched by those who were jealous, and looking for opportunity to betray them. Jesus faced the same with Judas and the Pharisees.

Daniel is largely about authority and who’s boss – is it people, even the most powerful people, or is it God ? The answer is clear in every confrontation….The Lord is Lord, and there is no other even close.
Daniel and his friends contrast with those around them, in that they acknowledge God and His authority and Lordship. God is the centre of their lives and it shows in their words, actions, and reactions under pressure. How about you ?
It is God who gives true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Daniel knows this, and in humility tells the king that only God can know and reveal his dream. In these days we should not be pointing to ourselves, or to the church primarily, but pointing to Jesus, acknowledging Him in all our ways.
Daniel although in a respectable, good job is genuinely humble.
God therefore acts through Daniel and his friends, speaking to world rulers, the George Bush of the day, and each time they go through a test or trial, and God is honoured at the end of each one. Faithfulness under trial. These guys didn’t go out of their way to be obnoxious or to confront……they just lived faithfully as God’s servants, and challenges and opportunities arose, as they will for each one of us as we live for God.
They stand up for what is right, without arrogance, and God delivers them – furnace and lions.
They dare to speak the truth, with respect, simply – grace and truth together, what a powerful combination. Sometimes they were listened to, sometimes God confirmed their words through signs and wonders.
They worshipped and prayed to God, and did not get caught up in the idolatry of the world around them. How important that is for us. They were exiles in a strange culture, so it was perhaps easier to see what was wrong with it. We have grown up in this culture, it is far more insidious…..so we need to be discerning and alert, testing things, seeking God and staying close to Him,……so as not to get trapped in idolatry.

These stories of what happened in Daniel’s time show us something very important.
Daniel and his friends do what is right, and themselves honour God (seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness), they are men of integrity ……but God fights His own battles here.
God will defend Himself. For example, when Belshazzar insults God by using the holy temple objects…..God causes the writing on the wall. Daniel simply states it’s meaning.
God will defend the honour of His name….we just need to be on call for when He wants to use us in it.

So how do we respond to anti Christian, anti Biblical legislation, ….to anti Christian press and media…..to the belief that we are the problem, rather than offering the solution ?

We do what Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Ebednigo, did…..we live all out for God, with total commitment.
We keep ourselves awake, alert, and from idols.
When the challenge comes we stand firm.
When the opportunities come we acknowledge and honour God.
We tell the good news to as many as we can.

Will you rise to the challenge facing us in this nation today, or will you gradually dwindle in your faith and lose it. The choice is in your hands, it’s your decision.