100502 The Roar that Silenced Lions
Tim Franklin
Generational Sunday
Introduction:
- We have just come off our annual Making Room for Generation Conference. This year entitled: Extra-ordinary Family Life. Bill Gattle did an excellent job!
- We are living in a time when we are seeing families shaken! Parents are being tested on every side by the culture that surrounds them and children are being overcome by a culture that only desires to enslave them.
- I want to stir your vision for your family, your children and your grandchildren. I want to see you as parents and grandparents taking time to invest in your family.
- Folks, this is about you building your family. More so, it is about you building you.
- It is about our kids!
- It is about how we lead our kids, in our homes!
- It is about destiny of the next generation!
- It is about learning to see generationally and not just for the moment.
- It is about bringing change into our own lives for the strengthening of our homes and the lives of our heritage.
- There is a roar in the earth by the Spirit of God to rouse us out of our slumber and awaken us to His presence and movement in the earth today. Prophetic word—Lisa Marie Webb “I want to move my people to new levels but many are not in a position to even hear my words let alone act on them. It grieves my heart that priceless ones are taken down by that which has no worth. Wake up church. Wake up my children. It is high time to be walking in authority and power…in your homes, on your jobs, for your children and over the vision and gifting I have given you. It is not “just the way it is” it is the way you have allowed it to be. Pick up your swords and be heard. I should hear the sound of metal on metal as iron sharpens iron and as you move to protect what is yours.THE PRICE IS PAID. Why don’t you have what was paid for? Many wear the garments of another because theirs was stolen…compromising and adjusting to fit in when I made you to stand out…like a city on a hill. I grieve for the cost of the throne that is empty…WHERE ARE YOU ADAM? Your place is empty.
· I want to talk about the roar that silenced the lions.
o Daniel is a unique individual whose life screams: LIVE FOR GOD!!!
o Daniel lived with the roar of the Lion of Judah in his heart. And it was that roar that silence the lions of lust sent to eat at his soul while in Babylon.
o Daniel 6:22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you." NKJV
1. The Lions Lair
A. A lair is a den or resting place of a wild animal. Therefore we speak of the lions lair, the grizzlies lair, the dragons lair. It is full of dead men’s bones. It is a place so full of danger if you find yourself in it you do not want to awaken the beast or allow him to find you.
i. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. NKJV
ii. 1 Peter 5:8-10Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. 9 Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
iii. James 4:4-6 You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. 5 And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." 6 And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It’s common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. The lust of this world is roaring at us all the time. They are seeking our attention. Distracting our thoughts. Luring us into a life away from God.
B. Daniel Lived in a Dragons Lair - Babylon
i. Israel was defeated by the Babylonians. Hundreds of thousands over the next few years were exiled to Babylon. The brightest, strongest and most handsome were made to serve in the ways of the kings. Three years they were educated by Babylonian teachers before entrance into service of the king. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were young lads exiled and living in Babylon.
ii. The roots of Babylon was Babel Gen 10, 11. Babel means: gate way to the gods.
iii. It was a wonder of the world. Nebuchadnezzar finished what Nimrod did not.
iv. It was the center of wealth, fashion, education etc.
v. Babylon welcomed many gods. Like the Romans, they had a god for everything—and they welcomed all gods.
vi. Babylon welcomed sexual immorality.
vii. Zerubbabel—stranger in Babylon. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah when the Jews returned to rebuild the temple. His name means ‘stranger in Babylon’. When the Jews had built homes in Babylon and did not return with the 50k to rebuild the temple their excuse was, “Why leave such a fine city? We have everything here.” Zerubbabel kept his heart for God while in Babylon. Therefore he was consider a stranger in Babylon. He parents named him properly.
2. Living in the Lair But Not of It. How did Daniel live in Babylon and yet not let it influence who he was before God? Or Parents: What would your child become if they were taken from you today and forced to live in Babylon? Character of Daniel is exposed in Babylon. In other words we do not see what was in his heart until he was found in Babylon. And that is where and what we need to learn today.
A. Daniel lived a purposed life
i. Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. NKJV
a. Hebrew –suwm-to set, to direct, to establish. Sailor set his course. Ie. Suba diving in West Palm. We were taught to use our compasses. Night dive. Everyone went into the water. Everyone reached the bottom but the group went east not west like we were told. We trusted the compass, swam west, and had a great dive! We must set our course by the compass of God’s word.
b. Hebrew—Leb—the inner man, the mind, the will, the seat of appetites/desires.
B. Daniel lived a life of prayer
i. Daniel 6:10 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. NKJV
ii. Daniel’s parents taught Daniel regarding prayer. Not only did they teach the tools of prayer but they introduced Daniel to the living God before our prayers. Daniel learned to love God.
iii. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV
C. Daniel lived a fasted life style.
i. Daniel 9:3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. NKJV
ii. Daniel 1. Daniel and his friends chose not to eat the kings delicacies and wine. They chose to eat vegetables and drink water.
iii. Allen Hood—“The battle ground that Daniel chose was food. Why? The Hebrew word for “defile” can refer to physical (Is. 63:3 – “stain”), moral (Zeph. 3:1), or ceremonial (Ezra 2:62; Neh. 7:64) defilement. Religious and ceremonial reasons for not eating the meat did exist (See Ex. 34:15)…. Daniel remembered the prophecy of Moses concerning Israel’s future and what would lead them to be exiled in Deut 32. Food was a key issue for Israel and will be a key issue at the end of the age. Overeating and self-indulgence will leave many in a spiritual state of dullness and leanness. This over-consumption on the spirit of this age and under-nourished in the Word disposition will leave many unprepared for the trial coming upon the whole earth.”
iv. "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear. 18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you. (Deut 32:15-18)
v. Psalm 106:13-15 – The children of Israel lusted for food in the wilderness and God sent leanness into their soul. The Bible continually points to Israel’s downfall as them growing fat on the abundance of food and forgetting about their God who supplied it. “They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. 15 And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.” (Ps 106:13-15)
vi. But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. 18 And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. (Ps 78:17-18)
vii. But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)
viii. Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers … For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Cor 10:1-11)
D. Daniel was a man of the Word.
i. Daniel 9:1-2 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans — 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. NKJV
ii. Daniel understood the Word of God and he lived that word. That is why he knew what was defiling and what was not defiling to his flesh.
E. Daniel cherished walking out his faith with friends.
i. He went to his friends when life was difficult and threatening. Daniel 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, NKJV He needed their support, prayers, and friendship in this frightening time. After all, if Daniel is not successful in this, his friends will also die.
ii. He remember his friends in the day of his promotion. Daniel 2:49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. NKJV
iii. Our faith is best lived out and walked out when it is lived and walked out with friends. Friends watch out for each other. Friends challenge each other to reach higher, push harder, and go for all that they can have in Christ.
3. The Roar of Redemption!
A. There is a new roar today! God is talking to us church! Awake!
i. Joel 3:16-18 The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. 17 "So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again." God Blesses His People 18 And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the Valley of Acacias. NKJV
ii. Revelation 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." NKJV
B. Prophetic Word—Bob Hartley-Elijah list.
i. The Lord showed me that the spiritual mothers and fathers of the market place went down and the beasts of the field came after them. I dreamt that they had been stabbed in the ‘belly of their ideals’ and had lost their way. These beasts were able to devour many, and the vision of the Lord was sacrificed. The market place people became blind and lacked knowledge as in Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. NKJV They were not able to roar for their dream. Instead they would sleep with a slumber of sorrow. They had turned inward and lacked true understanding of God’s plans in the market place. Spiritual mothers and fathers had turned to their own way and sought their own gain, security and protection. Many of us had chosen the ‘Esau Lifestyle’ where spiritual mothers and fathers were giving up their spiritual inheritance in God for physical provision. They had gotten into the world and reaching for God was to hard for them. They had become full of doubt and the only reason the devil kept them alive was so that they could spread doubt and unbelief to their children and grandchildren. However the Lord had another plan. They would desperately need a recovery program called the “Daniel Lifestyle.” The Lord showed me…that although they had given in to the gods of the world, He would bring them back to the mountain top and give them a ‘second roar!” In order to do this he would have to draw them into the wilderness and speak kindly to them, restoring their affections. He would give them a “Second Roar” as they sought Him with all their heart and committed to choose the right lifestyle—the Daniel lifestyle. Those who had the vision from the Lord at one time, but had it devoured, would be given another opportunity to roar with their vision for a second time. They had roared first when they had received their vision, but their vision was based on circumstances falling into place, not on the divine order of the Lord. (in other words when things didn’t go as planned they quit God.)
ii. Only 50k returned to Israel to rebuild the temple. Ezra 2:64-65 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers. NKJV
a. Ezra 1 Cyrus, king of the Chaldeans rose up and stated the Lord has commanded me to build him a temple in Jerusalem. Vs. 5 Gods Spirit began to stir the people.
b. Yet only 50K return to Jerusalem. Why? That Babylonian culture got on them. They became to comfortable. It was to ‘hard’ to return and rebuild.
C. Prophetic Word—Ryan Wyatt Feb 19 Elijah list.
i. “It is time for God’s people to rise up out of depression, despair, disappointment, apathy and complacency. It is time for God’s people to rise up in victory, with fresh hope, fresh expectation, and fresh boldness and courage. It is time for God’s people to plunder the enemy of those things that have been stolen. It is time to believe again! It is time to “turn aside to the flame” Ex 3:1-5 Moses sees the burning bush and “turns aside” to go see. “When the Lord saw that he turned aside and looked, God called to him from the midst of the burning bush and said, Moses!” God wanted to speak to Moses, God wanted to anoint Moses. God wanted to commission Moses. But the scripture says that God did not speak to Moses out of the fire until He saw Moses make a decision to turn aside toward the bush that was burning.” It is time for many here to ‘turn aside’ and see.
ii. So many have lost vision now is the time to rise, roar, and reclaim all that the enemy has stolen.
Conclusion:
· God is Roaring this morning-who will hear the call?
· If your heart is dead come running?
· If you have been ensnared in the dragons lair, come out—come running?
· Hear the roar and live.
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