A Very Concise Sermon on the Real and True Biblical and Scriptural History of the God-Appointed Prophet Daniel in His Holy Obedience of Daring to Stand Alone

Dr. MA Petillo

What, ye ask me, is my prize?
What the secret to be wise?
What the wealth I value most?
What the Name wherein I boast?
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who the ground of my belief?
Who from guilt doth give relief?
Who my ransom once hath been?
Who forgiveth all my sin?
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who doth comfort me in woe?
Who protect me from my foe?
Who revives my fainting soul?
Who doth heal and make me whole?
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.
Who by death hath conquered death?
Who receives my parting breath?
Who can grant me endless rest?
Who enrolls me 'mid the blest?
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.  (TH, 435).

1.  Daniel is the name for God is my judge.  Let us keep in mind that God will "judge" the motivates of His people in Christ.  What happens if we are found "guilty?"  Jesus as our true Savior will not see us condemned even if we had wrong motivates (Romans chapter 8), but He will decrease our rewards.  There is a sense where the highest and greatest reward is God Himself.  It does not compare to a mansion on a hill, a harp or streets of gold.   Rather God Himself is the reward for His people alone in Christ alone.  If we miss this, we will have wrong spiritual priorities.  When God "judges" the non-elect reprobate, He will not remember mercy in judgment.  There is no redemptive mercy for the non-elect.  Redemptive mercy is only for the elect.  For God's children in Christ alone, there is nothing that take undo the love of the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ at His Cross for His people.  God will take into account every hidden and open thought, word and deed.  He knows everything and He remembers everything.  The question is, is Jesus Christ you all-sufficient Savior touching His life and death alone in how you are right with a holy God by a heaven-born faith alone unto a practice of the redeeming the time?

2.  Daniel is the descendant of king David.  The divine Messiah is born of the Virgin Mary, but Joseph as the step-father of Jesus Christ belonged to the house and line of David (Lk 2:4).  Jesus Christ never had a real biological father, because He was supernaturally, divinely and miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary.  That is, the Spirit of God overshadowed the holy Virgin and she conceived the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ.  I suggest to you that the Virgin Mary was in need of a Savior, because she is a cosmic sinners like all of us.  Jesus chose her as a holy instrument and vessel of His divine will.  She gave birth to the Savior physically, but she also knew Him in her heart spiritually.  I agree with St. Augustine that it is better to be a real child of God than the mother of Jesus Christ.  Why?  Spiritual salvation did not come to Mary, because of physical descendent.  If we say it did, we fall into the trap of the accursed Jewish leadership of the time of Jesus Christ.  Mary had spiritual salvation like all of us through the spiritual birth of the Spirit and Word.  No one is saved by natural descendent or civil super-goodness.  Rather we are spiritually saved through the alien unified righteousness of the innocent Lamb of God who willingly died in our place for completely lost sinners.

3.  Daniel interprets handwriting by God.  The written Word of God is the handwriting of God.  That is, it is God-speaking to those who hear.  Those who do not have ears to hear will not hear.  The written Scriptures are solely infallible, inspired and inerrant.  The Word of God is not through oral tradition.  Rather it is the handwriting on the wall in a form of the fullness of the Book.  If you discover the Book, you discover Christ Himself.  The fullness of Scripture is contrary to subtraction or addition.  We are to demonstrate our Christian faith by good works that we are created and ordained to accomplish.  Sinners interpret the handwriting of God in the written Word to their destruction.  Not because of a lack of papal authority.  Rather it is because of spiritual blindness.  The written Scriptures are clear for those spiritually awakened.  It means that the difficult is understood in light of the clear.   The written Word is clear that sinners must have the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them by faith alone and a pursuit of Christian living that honors Jesus Christ. 


4.  Daniel was cast into the lion's den.  Have your enemies cast you into a den of lions?  Do you stand alone this day?  Are you another Daniel?  Do your enemies surround you and curse your very existence because you stand for what is right in the cause of Christ?  Do you hear the roaring lions that seek to chase you and the unreasoning animals consider your name as the essence of evil?  Do you see them intentionally misinterpret what you say through the guidance of Jesus and yet seek by mere outward appearance that which seems to be good?  Are you in a conflict that cannot be resolved?  Daniel was able to shut the mouths of lions.  Do you expose the deeds of darkness and refute them that contradict?  Have you compromised the written Word?  Do you fellowship with people who are not Christians?  Light and darkness have no fellowship.  Christians stand on the Rock of Ages.  That is, He is no sinking sand like a sinner.  The only way to solely glorify Jesus is to understand sinners who have a "rock" for a heart.  They need a spiritual heart transplant.  The only Person who can save them is Jesus Christ, because there is no other who can stand with Him.  Do you stand alone this day in the cause of Jesus?  Do people see your zeal as madness and your reasoning of Scripture in devotion to the cause of Christ insane?  This is a insanity that had Luther stand alone, but it is not the same insanity as clinical insanity.  It simply means are you ready to stand for Jesus no matter what?  What happens when you are confronted?  They will ask, "have you repented and come to know the Savior?"  Where will you side?  Will you side with those who obey not the gospel?  Are you ashamed of repentance?  Surely do not be unaware of Satan!  He will say "Aha!  Aha!  We have seen it!"  He will turn your repentance upside down, because he loathes it.  If you repent, do not be ashamed.  Repentance does not add to Christ alone in how you are right with a holy God, but it is God-honoring and glorifies Jesus.  That is, God-honoring repentance surely comes from Jesus otherwise men would who simply say with Balaam, "I have sinned" with no genuine repentance to a holy God.  Do you contend for a holy God this day?  Who is on the Lord's side?   Don't show me your non-biblical traditions!  Rather its the plan meaning of the written Scriptures that teaches us to make a stand for Jesus.  Amen.

Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel's band!
Dare to be a Daniel!
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!
Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel's band.
Many giants, great and tall,
Stalking through the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's band.
Hold the gospel banner high;
On to vict'ry grand;
Satan and his host defy,
And shout for Daniel's band.  (TH, 660).