Greetings,
The following is in regards to the upcoming series on Daniel…
Note: These sermons can be found here!
Due to the length of the chapters, I wanted to send out some information ahead of time in order to familiarize the congregation with the book and thereby keep us from having to explain a lot of detail during the sermons. Please take a few moments to read this short introduction as I am hopeful that it will be beneficial.
The book was written by Daniel, a Jewish man taken captive to Babylon in the sixth century B.C.
Daniel is a book with a great deal of redundancy built into it. Along with that it was written in two languages (Hebrew and Aramaic) and contains two genres, or literary styles, narrative and apocalyptic. The apocalyptic style of writing contains visions, some futuristic prophecies, and symbolic language. The purpose of apocalyptic literature is to unveil the victorious work of God that is often hidden behind forces and circumstances that hinder, confuse and disturb His people (Long, “Preaching Apocalyptic Literature,” RevExp 1993). Although the historical situations in which this book was written happened long ago, the applications for God’s people remains today.
When reading apocalyptic texts it’s easy to get overly involved in trying to interpret details and miss the point of the passage. Therefore, it is good to remember that Daniel does have a main message, which is, “God is in control” or “God is sovereign over all”. The purpose of the book is to encourage God’s people by focusing their attention on the sovereign control of their God. It is not a book about How to be courageous like Daniel nor is it a book pointing to Daniel as a moral example for us to follow. It is about our sovereign God, His care for His people, and his unstoppable kingdom (which culminates in Jesus Christ).
Although the book of Daniel is a complete unit it can be divided into two main sections:
- Chapters 1-6 – primarily narratives that consist of accounts about Daniel and his friends
- Chapter 7-12 – primarily apocalyptic literature, consisting of visions given to Daniel
Many people are familiar with the accounts in the first six chapters because of their popularity in children’s Sunday school programs. Others are often fascinated with the last chapters because they are often used (actually misused) to set dates and interpret circumstances for the end of the world. I am hopeful that this series will give us a balanced approach and a renewed appreciation for this book without trivializing/moralizing the stories or sensationalizing the visions.
I have decided to preach a series of eight sermons, one on each of the following chapters:
- Daniel 1:1-21
- Daniel 2:1-49
- Daniel 3:1-30
- Daniel 4:1-37
- Daniel 6:1-28
- Daniel 7:1-28
- Daniel 9:1-22
- Daniel 12:5-13
Note: These sermons can be found here!
At this point I can already hear the pages flipping and some folks saying, “What! He’s not doing the writing on the wall?!?!” or “You got to be kidding, he’s skipping Michael the arch angel and all that stuff about anti-Christ!!!” (-:
Yes and no … I am skipping some chapters because, as I noted, there is a built in redundancy, and also because some literary units, like Dan.10-12:4, are just too long for a sermon. (Some of what I just mentioned will be skipped because it’s not found in the book.) So my intention (Lord willing) is to teach the chapters mentioned above on Sunday mornings and to teach chapters 5, 8, 10-12:5 on Sunday evening, beginning in September when there will be more time to devote to them and also time for people to ask questions.
I’d like to encourage everyone to read ahead in Daniel so that you and your children will be prepared each week.
I hope this introduction will be helpful and I would like to ask that you please pray as I try to prepare for and preach this difficult, yet amazing portion of God’s word.
Blessings,
Bill Mayk
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