MESSAGE: WHAT IS YOUR PRICE?

PREACHER: REV. DR. WILLY MUTISO.

TEXT: DANIEL 6 : 1 – 28.

INTRODUCTION:
We have come to the end of the series. We have looked at integrity as demonstrated in the life of Daniel. Integrity involves many aspects. Integrity is sticking to your beliefs even when others pressure you to believe otherwise. Integrity is having the concept that God is God and we are not and that God deserves all the credit, honour, and glory. It involves realizing that there is a cost involved in following Christ. We must have total dependence on God. Integrity involves finishing strong in the race of life. Let us learn:

The distinction (Daniel 6:1-6).
Darius was the king and Daniel was promoted again.
Daniel was in his eighties; the kingdom changed hands the night after Daniel prophesied to Belshazzar.
Darius now controlled Babylon and the surrounding lands (v.1-2).
Daniel was one of the three chief administrators.
Daniel distinguished himself above the other two.
Daniel was promoted again. He was second only to the king.
Again, jealousy catches up with the satraps and administrators so they schemed against Daniel.

The deception (Daniel 6:6-9).
The satraps were petty bureaucrats.
Jealousy arose. The king was duped and Daniel accused.
Daniel was a man of God. He prayed and lived his life around the Lord.
The officials hatched a plot involving Daniel’s prayer life.
The king was duped into making a decree.

The dedication (Daniel 6:10-15).
Daniel prayed and disobeyed the edict. He chose to obey God.
It made no difference to Daniel. Decree or no decree, Daniel prayed to God.
He refused to compromise on things eternal.
He refused to change even in the face of adversity. He refused to change his values.
Daniel knew that there was no possession on this earth valuable enough to warrant risking your soul. Jesus Christ said so(Matt. 16:25-26).
True worth rests in that which is eternal, not temporal.
Nothing material will make the final journey with you.
Daniel did not care what others said or saw.
He opened his window towards Jerusalem and prayed as usual.

The demise (Daniel 6:16-18).
The petty bureaucrats saw Daniel and immediately informed the king.
The king had no choice. He had given an edict.
The law of the Medes and Persians could not be changed.
The king told Daniel, “May your God, Whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

The deliverance (Daniel 6:21-23).
Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den but God delivered him. The king was relieved.
Daniel was faithful unto death. God is faithful to His servants.
Daniel said to the king, “My God sent His angel and he shut the mouths of the lions.”

The dinner (Daniel 6:24-28).
Darius was angry at the accusers.
Lions made dinner of the bureaucrats and their families.
What the bureaucrats intended to do to Daniel was done to them and their families.

CONCLUSION:
Daniel refused to sell his soul to the Devil.
Jesus Christ refused to sell His soul to the Devil in exchange for the kingdoms of the world.
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold.”
What is your price? The price of your soul? Is it silver and gold? Is it fame? Is it acceptance by others?