Spirit of Excellence 2: Life of Daniel Part 6 – Lawson Perdue – 11/18/2024

Friends, I’m so glad that you tuned into the broadcast today. We’re sharing on the spirit of excellence from the life of Daniel, and we’re talking about how Daniel and how his friends stood with no compromise. We need more believers like that today, who will stand up for the truth, who will stand up for the word of God, who will stand up with the Holy Spirit and be bold for Jesus. Receive God’s word today. We begin in chapter one. Daniel lived with the spirit of excellence. And in chapter one we talked about how Daniel was a person of purpose. He purposed in himself that he would not defile himself with the portion of meat that the king’s servants ate. So he separated himself. And if you determine to live with purpose, you can make a difference. We’ve got a lot of people in the world just kinda wandering around, but we don’t have to wander around, we can do some things on purpose. Jesus lived with purpose. The scripture says, “For this purpose was the Son of God manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” The Apostle Paul lived with purpose. He said, “You have fully known my purpose, my faith, my manner of life, my doctrine,” so on and so forth. Praise God. When you live with purpose, you’ve got to live with faith, ’cause it takes faith to fulfill the purpose of God. Thank God Daniel was a person of purpose. In Daniel 2, we talked about his witness. King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a dream, forgot it. Nobody could tell him what it was or interpret it, but Daniel said, “There is a God in heaven.” I want you to know, if it’s not evident to you right now, there is a God in heaven. There is a God in heaven. If you’ve seen what they’ve tried to do to our former President Trump, it’s evident to me that there is a God in heaven. They tried to destroy him with false lawsuits in Georgia, that went away. They tried to destroy him with false lawsuits in New York, and that just turned around to be used for his good. Now somebody’s tried to kill him, it was a complete failure of the Secret Service. Complete failure, 130 yards away. Listen, when I was on the farm, I could shoot a prairie dog from 220 yards with a .30-06 and almost never miss. That’s the grace of God on this nation. If it’s not evident to you that there is a God in heaven, there is a God in heaven. Daniel 3, Daniel had some great friends of faith. They told him, “Listen, when you hear the music you’re gonna bow and you’re gonna worship this statue.” They said, “King, we’re not gonna bow, and we’re not gonna burn.” And they didn’t bow, and they didn’t burn. When they threw them in the fire the people that threw them in got burned up, but the king looked down there in the fire and he said, “Didn’t we throw three in there, and weren’t they bound?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “Well, I see four men walking in the fire, and the fourth one looks like the Son of God.” I’m telling you, if you’ll stand up for Jesus, He’ll stand up for you. In Daniel 4, 5, and 6, you see that Daniel was a man of courage. He unashamedly told Nebuchadnezzar, “This is what your dream is, this is what it means. You need to repent.” He didn’t bow for anybody. In chapter five, Belshazzar was quaking in his shoes as he drank and had a wild party with the vessels of gold from the temple in Jerusalem. A hand came and wrote on the wall, and they began to shake and quake, saying, “We don’t know what this means.” They went and got Daniel. And he said, “The God of heaven you have defied, and your days are numbered. He has divided your kingdom between the Medes and the Persians.” And they thought they were invincible, and it happened just like he said. Daniel 6, they got jealous of Daniel. They said, “Listen,” because he was preferred above everyone and made a leader in the nation. And so they said, “We can’t find anything against him unless it’s concerning the law of his God.” And they noticed that he opened his window and prayed three times a day toward Jerusalem. And so they said, “Let’s make a law and have the king make a law that nobody will pray to anybody but him for 30 days.” So they did that, and whoever is, is thrown into the den of lions. So the king made the law, and then they had Daniel thrown into the den of lions. When they threw Daniel into the den of lions, God sent his angel. I love Aaron talking about Psalm 91, “He gives his angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. 1,000 may fall by our side and 10,000 by our hand, but it shall not come near us.” Hallelujah. I thank God for the angel. God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouth. Daniel spent the night in peace and in rest, and the king got up early in the morning. He went down and he said, “Daniel, is the God that you serve continually able to deliver you?” He said, “Oh yes, king. God sent his angel, and he shut the lion’s mouth.” And they took Daniel’s enemies and threw them in the pit, and the lions broke their bones before they hit the bottom. Do you know God can use the same thing to protect us and destroy our enemies? Hallelujah. Daniel 7, Daniel again had a vision and saw the Gentile empires of the world. He had supernatural revelation. Daniel 8, Daniel 9, Daniel saw the end of times and he said, “There’s 70 weeks.” That prophecy at the end of Daniel is amazing, determined on the people Israel. Did you know this Bible is an Israeli book? Jesus was a Jewish person. It was a Jew that died on a cross, that shed his blood for our sins. Praise God, if you don’t love Israel, something’s wrong with your brain. Study the history of every nation that’s ever touched Israel. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, and Rome. They are no more. You don’t touch the people of God.

Amen.

Hallelujah, if you don’t love Israel you ought to get saved. Hallelujah. Praise God. If you don’t believe in life you don’t believe in God, if you don’t believe in male and female, that’s in Genesis 1, that’s how God made us, you don’t believe in God. If you don’t believe in marriage, that’s in Genesis 2, you don’t believe in God. And it’s time for the church to stand up and speak up, and quit playing a bunch of woke games, thinking, “Well, it’s political.” It’s not political, it’s biblical. It’s time for us to get back and preach the Bible, and tell people the truth about the word of God. But in Daniel chapters 10, 11, and 12, I believe that we can top it all off right here, because I believe the thing that separates Daniel from everybody else, Daniel served God for a long time, from the time he was just a young man, clear up until he was in his 80s. If he was 15 when Nebuchadnezzar took over Babylon, then he would’ve been 80 in the verses that we’re going to be reading today. And he served God from young to old, and never quit serving God. Thank God, God is a God of grace. But I love some of these people that just start serving God and keep serving God. You know that God is a God of grace. I was talking to somebody about it before service, I said, “Do you realize that Moses, David, and Paul wrote most of the Bible, and all of them were murderers? So there’s grace available.” Hallelujah. Amen, but when you receive that grace, that grace will change your life. But the thing I believe that really separates Daniel from everyone else, or other people around him, was that Daniel knew God. Daniel 11:32 says, “They that know their God will be strong and do exploits.” Do you know God today? Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.” Eternal life is knowing God, salvation is knowing God. There’s a lot of people that know about God, but there’s a difference in knowing about God and knowing God personally and intimately. Paul said, “This is the whole goal of my life,” in Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, being made conformable to His death.” The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 8:11, “They all will know me from young to old. They won’t need another person to teach them, but they’ll know me from the inside.” Do you know you can know God from the inside because Jesus came to give us life, and that life is knowing God? Do you know great people of faith are people that know God? I’ve had some great friends of faith, my two mentors primarily, Dr. Lester Sumrall was one of my mentors. He was a man that knew God, Andrew Wommack. I got baptized in the Holy Spirit and called to preach in his ministry 46 years ago when I was only 14 years old. Andrew Wommack is a man that knows God. Jesse Duplantis is a man that knows God. Mark Hankins, my good friend, who serves on the board of this church, is a man that knows God. I’d like to be known as a person who knows God. Do you know God? Daniel knew God. Now let’s look in Daniel 10:1. It says, “In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The thing was true, but the time appointed was long, and he understood the thing and had understanding of the vision. In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread; neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth; neither did I anoint myself at all till three weeks were fulfilled.” So Daniel was praying and fasting for 21 days. Daniel sought to know God, this is amazing. He’s 80 years old, he’s been serving God for at least 65 years. He said, “In the fourth and 20th day of the first month I was by the side of the great river, Hiddekel. Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. His body also was like beryl and his face as the appearance of lightning, his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet the color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” Daniel saw the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah said this in Isaiah 6:1, he said, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.” He said in verse three, he said, “The angels cried, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, and the whole earth is full of his glory.'” John in Revelation saw Jesus in chapter one. He says this, I’m gonna read these verses to you. “The resurrected Savior of the world.” It’s not the revelation of gloom and doom and damnation; it’s the revelation of Jesus Christ, who is the grace of God. In the first chapter John saw Jesus, this resurrected Savior of the world. He said, “To Him who saved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” And he sees Him in Revelation 1:12, he said, “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. In the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, girt about the paps and a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace. His voice was as the sound of many waters. He had in His right hand seven stars, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was Him, the sun that shined in His strength. And when I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead, and He laid his right hand on me and He said “Fear not; I am the first and the last. I am He who lives and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,” Amen; “and have the keys of hell and death.” John saw the resurrected Savior of the world. He saw the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven, creating all things, the Lord of earth. When Jesus walked on the earth, Jesus was Lord over sin, over sickness, over lack, over death, over disease, over demons. Jesus was Lord in every realm when He walked on the earth. And when he went to the grave, Jesus was Lord in the grave. Colossians says he spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Ephesians said that he took captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Jesus Christ is Lord. Hi, friends. We’ve been sharing on the goodness of God, and we’ve got these teachings and many others like them, absolutely free of charge on our website at charischristiancenter.com. They’re downloadable audio, downloadable video, and we also have a great kids’ curriculum, free of charge. Thanks so much. We’re back to the word. Blessings. How many times have we been in a place where we’ve suffered a great loss, a great difficulty, a great problem? And maybe we didn’t even realize it, but Jesus was right there with us all the time. In fact, the scripture says that He will never leave us, and He will never forsake us. Thank God, even when we don’t feel it He’s there, so many times. Did you know the antichrist is really not gonna rule that long? He’s gonna rule just a little bit less than seven years, and Jesus Christ is gonna come and destroy him. But if I’m right, the antichrist is gonna lead nations from the north and from the east, and all around, to converge upon Israel, and Jesus Christ will destroy him. Do you know what’s working in Hamas is the spirit of the antichrist?

Yes.

I’ve told you plenty about that in this series, you could go back and listen to it. It’s the spirit of the antichrist. We’re not following that spirit, we’re following the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Amen. One thing Donald Trump did I’m telling you, Donald Trump, when he was in office, was right. He was right on the church, he was right on life, he was right on marriage, he was right on the family, and he was right on Israel. And I don’t care whether you like him or whether you don’t, he’s right on biblical issues. He’s right on the principle. And you know what? We vote for where people are on policy. So, number one, you need to know Jesus and, number two, you need to know the truth. The truth foundationally comes from the word of God, but you can also know the truth about what’s going on in governments, so on and so forth, b ut the word of God is truth and all truth comes from the word of God, it is the standard. Number three is you don’t need to fear.

Amen.

Look at chapter 12:1, “At that time-” well, Michael, Michael’s the great archangel of war, “stand up. The great prince which stands up for the children of thy people. And there will be a time of trouble.” Again, I told you, the tribulation period to come in the future, a seven-year period of trouble on the earth, is primarily God dealing with the nation of Israel to bring them to Christ. Secondarily, it is God dealing with a world that has rejected Jesus. “Such as never was since the nation even that same time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered.”

Amen.

How many of you are glad that we have hope in Jesus? “And everyone that shall be found written in the book-” thank God there is freedom in Jesus, and we don’t need to fear. Then Daniel saw the resurrection. He says this, or the resurrections in verse two, “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Do you know what? When you read the Bible, there are two future resurrections. One is a resurrection of life. Let me read this scripture to you from Jesus in John 5:28 and verse 29. Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall hear His voice. And shall come forth; those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.” There are two future resurrections. The resurrection of life is talked about in 1 Thessalonians 4 when Christ comes for His church. It says that those of us who believe that Jesus is Lord don’t have to fear like the world fears, because Jesus is gonna come and receive us. It’s called the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is coming for the church. The other one is found in Revelation 20:11-15. I wanna read a few verses from Revelation 20 to you. Not from verse 11 to verse 15, but verse four to verse six because I wanna show you something about these two resurrections. In Revelation 20:4 he says, “I saw the thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, which had not worshiped the beast,” or the antichrist, “nor his image, nor had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ 1,000 years. But the rest of the dead live not again until the 1,000 years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Jesus said there’s gonna be a resurrection of life, it’s a resurrection of people who believed on Him. And the fruit of believing on Jesus is it causes you to live in a different way. And then he saw the resurrection of damnation. Notice, right here, we see 1,000 years separate these two resurrections. Right here in Revelation 20:11 it talks about the resurrection of damnation, we might read one or two verses there. He said, “Blessed and holy,” in verse six, “is he that has part in the first resurrection. On such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him 1,000 years.” Look at in verse 11, he says, “And I saw a great white throne. Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were open. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.” Notice it says another book. They were judged by their works out of the books, but not the other book. Now go back to Daniel and look in Daniel 12, look at this verse. He says, when he saw the resurrection, he says, “Many of them that are in the dust of the earth will wake, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt.” But right before he says that, he says, “Your people will be delivered, everyone that will not be found written in the book.” I believe that book is the Book of Life. I believe the other book talked about in Revelation 20:11-12 is the Book of Life. So there’s two resurrections, 1,000 years separate ’em. One’s a resurrection of people who believe in Jesus, and they’re judged for what they’ve done with Jesus. It’s really the judgment seat of Christ, a reward seat. The other is called the resurrection of damnation, where it’s a judgment of unbelievers because they’ve not believed on Jesus. 1,000 years separate those two resurrections. Okay, so Daniel saw the resurrections. He says this in verse three, “And those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament. They that turn many to righteousness as the stars, forever and ever. But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal this book, even to the time of the end.” This is the time we live in. “For many will run to and fro, and knowledge will be increased.” Did you know, from about 1760 to the early 1900s, we had the Industrial Revolution? What caused the Industrial Revolution was an understanding of energy. First of all, coal, then electricity, and then gas. It changed the way that we work. But we’re in another revolution now, and it’s not an Industrial Revolution, it’s a knowledge revolution. Knowledge, “Many will run to and fro.” People can run to and fro; you can get all around the world, you can get all around the I mean, it’s not hard, and knowledge will be increased. So Daniel saw the end of days. Now, he went on down and he says in verse eight, “I heard and I understood not. Then I said, ‘O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?'” Verse nine He says, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many will be purified and made white, and tried, but the wicked will do wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand but the wise will understand.” Do you know what? We don’t need to be like the wicked who don’t understand. We can understand not only spiritual things, but we can understand natural things. The other day I was at the swimming pool, early in the morning, was a little bit later than usual. So when I was in there, there’s a lady in my neighborhood, I’ve been there when she swam before. I’m always kind to her, I’m always nice to her. I’ve seen some left-leaning signs in her yard. I know she’s a little bit crazy, but I’m always kind and nice to her. And so she told me right when I got in the pool, she said, “What kind of church,” she asked me, “do you pastor?” I said, “Well, I pastor a full gospel kinda charismatic church.” I said, “But this is the deal.” I said, “Listen, my grandma was a Methodist, my grandpa was a Baptist.” I said, “I was saved at a friend’s Church, I was water baptized in the Church of God, non-Pentecostal outta Anderson, Indiana. I was called to preach in the Bible study, I was licensed to preach in the Assemblies of God. And now I’m right back to being non-denominational.” I said, “Jesus covers it all.” Hallelujah, I just told some of the people in the entryway to the gym that before I said that. How many of you are glad Jesus covers it all? And she said, “Well, we really need to pray for our country.” I’m like, “Oh yes, we do.” And then she said this, she said, “Well, I want you to know if Donald Trump gets elected, it’s the end of democracy.” This is the kind of nonsense rhetoric. But you know what? She doesn’t know Jesus. Now, I hope to God one day I have the chance to lead her to Jesus. And I told her, “Well, I’ve been praying for our country, but I wanna let you know I’m probably on the other side of that.” In fact, I am on the other side of it. Amen? But this is the kind of craziness, but do you know, a person who does not know God, the Bible says this in Proverbs 9:10. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Until you know Jesus you don’t really have any wisdom, and you don’t have any, you’re spiritually blind. Explaining spiritual things to a person who’s not born of God, who does not know Christ, is like trying to bring a person in this room who’s been blind from their birth and explain what it looks like, they just don’t get it. And they’re not gonna get it till they get to know Jesus. We had a woman that came here a few years ago, and she was here for a few years and left, and she completely changed her thoughts about political things while she was here. She said, “I want you to know, I used to be on the complete opposite side of this.” But she said, “You know what? I’ve seen the light.” When you see the light, Jesus is the light, it changes the way you think. But the world, you can’t expect ’em to think right, they’re blind. But what we gotta do is get people in the world to know Jesus, and tell ’em the truth about Jesus. Friends, I’m so glad that you stayed with us today, so glad that you were tuned into the broadcast. We need more people, today, with this Holy Spirit in their life that are bold for Father God, bold for the Lord Jesus Christ, and bold for the Holy Spirit. And I thank God for our partners who are helping us share this message of boldness around the world. God bless you, give us a call today.

Faith isn’t complicated, it’s simply trusting God by knowing who He truly is. God is absolutely good. Like Daniel did, who stood strong against the odds, you can live in victory no matter the challenge. God’s goodness is running after you. Discover these life-changing truths in Pastor Lawson’s teachings: “Spirit of Excellence: Lessons from Daniel,” and “The Goodness of God.” Both $20 values, yours free today. Download them now at charisischristiancenter.com.

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