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So today, we're looking at the book of Daniel and it is a modern look at an ancient book. The reason why we look at it this way is sometimes, when we look at the book of Daniel, we think it's very, very distant, very irrelevant; it's about people who lived thousands of years ago. But really, the book of Daniel and the entire Bible is given for you and I living in this world today.

And in this book, we want to help you live strong. We believe that the book of Daniel is absolutely relevant for modern day living. It's about how we could live out the glory of God; it's how we can live strong in a world that is against us. And I believe that's the best way to live – live in accordance to God's Word.

Now, I'm sure all of you love stories and especially you love stories about heroes. And when you think about heroes, you will also think about villains. That's the way it works – hero-villain combination. What do I mean by that? Well, a very simple example is Superman and ... who's that guy? And... Lex Luthor. I tried to Google and found that Lex Luthor has become like this; I do not know why but anyway, he seems to don this kryptonite-infused armour suit. And so, we have Superman and Lex Luthor. Now, who do you think of when you think of Batman? Batman and ...  and what? Batman and the Joker. What about Spiderman? Spiderman and? Venom. Okay, that's good. Yeah, didn't think about that. Spiderman and Green Goblin.

Now, some of you may not be Marvel fans, you do not like Marvel series, you are George Lucas' fan. Then you will have Luke Skywalker and ... Darth Vader. Eugene, I'm sure you know these guys. Alright, so you have Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and we all love these stories because it's hero-villain, hero-villain.

Timestamp 0:02:14.8

Do you know that there are hero-villain combinations in the Bible as well? The most famous, of course, is David and Goliath. But guess what, we're not talking about David and Goliath today. We're looking at another hero-villain combination, and it is Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. You say, "What?" Nebuchadnezzar. Who is Nebuchadnezzar?

Well, Nebuchadnezzar is the most powerful man on planet earth during his time. I mean he is the top dog; he is the king of a massive powerful empire called the Babylonians. If you don't know, the Babylonians are one of the major superpowers in world history, one of the greatest kingdoms in world's history. That's King Nebuchadnezzar. And what is Nebuchadnezzar got to do with Daniel? You see, one day, Nebuchadnezzar decided that he will attack Jerusalem, the city of Daniel and that's where we start in Daniel chapter 1 and verse one:

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand...
(Daniel 1:1-2 ESV)

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of the greatest empire then came to Jerusalem and besieged it. He laid siege on this city, he surrounded it; he wanted to strangle it to death. And the Bible tells us; the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand. So the Bible tells us he managed to conquer Jerusalem. He obliterated the city, he laid or he got captive the people living in that land.

And one thing about Nebuchadnezzar is not only that he is powerful but he's an absolutely brilliant guy. One thing he's brilliant about is that he knows what to do with the captives in a very productive way. You know, typically when kings conquer nations, he kills the best that they have to offer, but Nebuchadnezzar is different. When he conquers a people, he gets the best of them – he gets the leaders, the greatest potential amongst them. And then he starts to re-program them; he starts to seduce them into the Babylonian way. He starts to change the way they dress, the way they talk, the way they think, the way they eat. He changes their culture, re-trains them and makes them think, feel and enthused like a Babylonian. That's what he did to Daniel and his friends.

Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
(Daniel 1:3-4 ESV)

"Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility." So he got the best, the crème de la crème and he got them young – "youths without blemish".  The word "youth" in the Hebrew refers to someone maybe between 13 to 18 years' old, so it's the teenagers. So he got them young, teenagers "of good appearance, skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, competent to stand in the king's palace".  These are the stars, even in their young age and so he wants now to "teach them the literature and the language of the Chaldeans." It goes on.

The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.
(Daniel 1:5 ESV)

The king then assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank and they were to be educated for three years. So he seduces them with the produce of the Babylonians, he seduces them with the best food and drinks they have to offer, and say, "Isn't it great to be a Babylonian?"

And he educates them for three years – this is the fast-track MBA, PhD program, whatever you want to call it, to become a true-blue Babylonian. Singapore, we are very adverse to foreign talent today, but Nebuchadnezzar welcomed foreign talent. He had a huge foreign talent pool. He got all the best and wanted to convert them, wanted to Babylonise them.

Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
(Daniel 1:6-7 ESV)

What's more is that he attempts now not only to change the way they speak, think, eat, enjoy, he wants to change their names and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were given new names. "Daniel, he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah, he called Shadrach, Mishael, he called Meshach, and Azariah, he called Abednego."

So here it goes. Daniel, this young man, he's probably living happily in the city of Jerusalem. I mean he's either of the royal family or of nobility, probably good family, good education. He's a superstar, maybe destined to be someone great; he's a scholar in his land.

But here comes the villain, here comes the most powerful man. Nebuchadnezzar razes the city to ground, captures him, catapults him into a brand new, foreign and strange country, speaks to them in Chaldean, forces them to learn the language, seduces them with the food and drink, wanting to Babylonise them. That's where Daniel finds himself, and that's where we find our hero of the story in a strange, foreign and hostile world.

Timestamp 0:07:43.0

But you see, the Bible is not just about Daniel. I'm not here just to tell you a story. The Bible is given for you, and this is a picture of you and I living in Babylon. We live in a hostile world. We live in a world that seeks to Babylonise us. This world doesn't want you to know the God of creation. This world doesn't want you to live out your faith for Jesus Christ. This is a world that doesn't want you to shine that Gospel light. This is a world that wants to change your mind. This is a world that wants to rob God of worship.

And if you want to live out your Christian life, if you want to know God, you've got to realize this is not a world that is for that purpose, this is a world that is against that purpose. So how can you and I live in a spiritually hostile world? In order to do that, I think in this text, verses 1 to 7, I see three simple principles. I want to encourage you at the end of today, to live out that Christian life in a world that may be against us.

1. The Invasion

The first thing I like us to consider more deeply is that there is an invasion. Consider with me the invasion. What does it mean? Well, of course we know Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem but that's not invasion we're talking about. I'm talking about Nebuchadnezzar invading not just the land but the lives. He's not just invading the city but he's invading the people or if I may put it this way, the invasion we're talking about is not just to get people into Babylon but to get Babylon into the people.

You see, it's easy to get Daniel into Babylon but it takes quite something for Babylon to get into Daniel. The devil, by the way, has changed the world around us already. Ever since the fall, ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, this world has become Babylonised. The devil is now the prince of the power of the air. This is a decaying, sinful world with a philosophy and system of thinking that is anti-God.

But you see, Satan is not going to just stop at changing the world, he wants to change you. Not only has he catapulted us into Babylon, he's now trying to put Babylon into you and I. And that's what he's always seeking to do. You see, Nebuchadnezzar was not just changing the life, the habits, the culture of Daniel and his friends. He wanted to change their God. He wanted to change their identity because they had great names – Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

In the Bible, names are very significant. Now, my name is 林金源 (Lin2 Jin1 Yuan2) in Chinese and I always share with you 林金源 means the source of gold. My parents wanted me to be the source of gold, flowing with gold. Sorry, dad, mum, I disappointed you. I'm not a source of gold. Chinese names, our names may not mean a lot but you know in the Bible, it means absolutely lots:

Daniel – "God is my Judge"
Hananiah – "Beloved of the Lord"
Mishael – "Who is as God"
Azariah – "The Lord is My Help"

I mean Daniel means "God is my judge". The word "El" (Daniel) is one of the names of God; Elohim, you will be familiar, El (abbreviated form of Elohim). Hananiah, the word "Yah" there is the name of God – Yahweh. So these are young men who were probably raised up in good godly families who say, "Daniel, you must remember God is your judge. Hananiah, you must remember you are beloved of Yahweh. Mishael, you must remember who is as Elohim or El. Azariah, remember Yahweh is your help."

And let me say, they were not just people given names; they were people who believe in God. We know that when we go to chapters 3, 6 and so on. So they were people who had a real, authentic faith. But here comes Nebuchadnezzar. Change your food, that's fine. Change your language, that's fine. Change your clothes, that's fine. But he now wants to change your God because he says, Daniel, you'll no more be called Daniel but call yourself the "Prince of Baal" (Belteshazzar). Hananiah, call yourself "Illumined by the Sun God" (Shadrach), "who is like the Moon God" (Meshach), "Servant of Nego" (Abednego). Change your names, forget about Jehovah. That's what he is trying to do. We live in a world that requires us to be strong because the world wants you to change your god.

Timestamp 0:12:41.4

When I started preparing for this series, I asked our team to help me find some pictures that would depict Daniel in an appropriate way. And of course, we searched and we came... we found some pictures, pictures that look like this: Daniel in the lion's den. And we found another one: faith in the fire, the fiery furnace, and of course the lion's den again. And a lot of the pictures were about the lion's den but I didn't quite like it because I thought (it) doesn't convey to us the same as a picture like this (referring to "Daniel living in Babylon").

You see, this is not an irrelevant book. This is not about something far, far away, 2600 years ago, no. Even though Daniel lived some 2600 years ago, the principles and the situations are exactly the same because we, too, are living in Babylon. This is a world that is out to squeeze and to strangle out the life of faith in Jesus Christ.

You know what Babylon stands for in the Bible? Very early on, in human history, after the floods came, where God dealt with man because of our sinfulness, soon after that, man decided now to build a tower that reaches to heaven. And they say, "We will do it to build a name for ourselves." Guess where this tower is built. Babel, that's right, the land of Shinar. That's where organized religion continued and that is the epitome of their works. We will reach God; we will make a name for ourselves. And God, of course, destroyed them.

But that's not the end of Babylon because right at the end of the Bible... that's in Genesis. Right at the end of the Bible – in Revelation, there will be a great opposition against God. There will be a great evil; the consummate evil and we call that, in the Bible, the great Babylon. So you have Babylon in the beginning, you have Babylon in the end, you have Babylon now in Daniel and do you know we today are living in Babylon?

Babylon stands as an antithesis, as an opposition against faith, against God, against godliness. It's a system, it's the world that lures us, seduces us away from faith in Jesus Christ. And there is a true Nebuchadnezzar today. He is invisible to us, he is an unseen foe. But the Bible calls him the god of this world. The Bible calls him the prince of the power of the air. He is really, really powerful and he is really, really intelligent. And ever since he managed to seduce Adam and Eve into sin, he has always been working throughout the world to blind us from the light of the Gospel to keep us away from God. He robs God of proper worship, because he wants the worship of you and I.

Satan is that true Nebuchadnezzar. Something about Satan: He goes for the young, he loves to Babylonise you when you're young. And I've been Babylonised in my life before. As I was growing up, I grew up an atheist. I grew up not believing there is a God, because I grew up thinking “Big Bang Theory.” Actually I have no clue what it is but I just conveniently try to sound high-class and scientific. I say, "Ah, there is no such thing as God. There is no such thing as Christianity. The world came about because of the Big Bang theory." You see, the world wants me to believe there is no God.

You speak to people in the streets of Singapore today. You say, "Do you want to know God?" They laugh at you. "Haha, why are you so superstitious?" they say. Why is that such a prevailing mind-set? You know why? There is the prince of the power of the air that has given us 3 years, 30 years, 50 years of education to our minds that say, "There is no God." Big Bang theory, Big Bang rubbish, call it theory.

Timestamp 0:17:08.6

And then, we believe that because there's no creator, we have to evolve. So you and I today look like this when we were younger (pastor showed a picture that depicts Darwin's evolution theory), or our ancestors who were there. We are all animals and because there's no creator, we're just higher evolved beings or animals.

Then, there is no such thing as the Bible. There's no God, why is there a Bible? Bible is invented by man. So, we put the Bible on trial. We say, “We cannot believe everything in the Bible, there's no God, therefore, no truth. And if there be no truth, then there is no right or wrong.” The logic flows. We call this moral relativism.

What it means is that right and wrong morality is relative to us, what fits me. This is a postmodern mind-set that there is no such thing as God, there's no absolute truth. So whether it is right or wrong depends on whether it fits me. What's wrong with cohabiting? What's wrong with having sex before marriage? Nothing wrong if it doesn't hurt me, if we enjoy it. You see, there is no more right or wrong because you don't believe in the Bible, you don't believe in God. The world has told you these are absolutely false. And it goes on. The world has told you, you do not need salvation, you don't need it.

Two big lies the world has successfully put into the minds of the world today, or people today is number one: You're not that bad, you don't need to be saved, you're not that bad, you're quite a good guy. You know you're decent, you earn your own keeps, you've a good family, you didn't kick your dog to death, you're quite a gentle guy, you're quite a good guy and heaven will be proud to have people like you. So, if you tell people about salvation, they say, "I do not need salvation. I'm a decent guy. Look at the people around me. They are far worse people than I am." And I would say to you, if you go out speaking to people, that would be the mind-set they have behind their excuses not to listen.

A second lie that we have believed is: Now, God is a God of love. How will He allow anyone to go to hell? So, you don't need salvation. God is too loving to have anybody go to hell. You know what? It's a blinding. They do not want you to know the way of salvation and life. But what's sad is, not only is the Bible, God, man, salvation, right and wrong questioned, the devil also comes to infiltrate and attack your families. He wants to ruin your marriages.

And one of the reasons why I think he wants to ruin your marriage is because every marriage is supposed to be a little picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The love between a husband and a wife is supposed to reflect the love between Christ and the Church. That's where we studied – focus on the family – where mystery becomes majesty. And he doesn't want the world to be reminded of the majestic grace of God, he doesn't want. So he wants to ruin your marriage; he wants to have your family break up and divorce.

I must say, many of us believe that divorce is always the best solution to marriage problems, but you may not say it. But that may be one of the first things you think about. Let's call it quits, we are better off living apart anyway. And there is such a thinking in the world that you could marry for any reason and you could divorce for any reason. Why? Well, there is a Babylonisation that's going on.

In Singapore, one of the hot topics today, is the Pink Dot movement, or what we will call the homosexuality movement or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues. Everybody's talking about it. The world is saying homosexuality is an alternative lifestyle. It's different but not wrong; it's alternative. But the Bible says homosexuality is a sin. Now, having homosexual tendencies is not sin but practising homosexuality is sin. And we've got to stand for what is right, but the people would say, "No, it is not a sin. It's just an alternative lifestyle."

Now, let me get this clear for our Church. Pastor, do you mean then that homosexuals are less human, or that we should avoid them and reject them, dehumanize them? No, absolutely not. The Bible tells us to love our neighbours. Homosexuality is a sin, just like drunkenness is a sin, just like immorality is a sin. It doesn't mean that if you are in this sin, means we reject you. In fact, we have to love. But it doesn't mean then that when we love, we agree that it is not a sin. No, we have to stand for what is right.

We are not against homosexuals as persons but we are against the practice of homosexuality because it's a sin. But we are so conditioned today that we think this is fine. Why? You know, hundred years ago, there will be no arguments in Singapore. Today it's starting to sway; it's starting to shift. The opinions are moving and they are garnering greater support to say this is an alternative lifestyle. No, we love them, but we cannot say what the Bible does not say.

Timestamp 0:23:07.8

And so my friends, this is what the world does. He changes the way you think, he changes your principles and he lures you with these three things (referring to money, sex and power). I say all of us; we understand the power of Babylon, isn't it? We taste of their food and their wine and we say, "That's nice, I want that. I want money, I want sex, I want power. These things satisfy me." And many of us have bought in to these counterfeit gods. And we thought we would be absolutely satisfied and now we are hooked, we are addicted.

There is in this world an invasion, there is an assault, there is an attack. The Bible tells us we are in spiritual warfare. We often think spiritual warfare is the devil coming (and like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour). No, he doesn't do that, he doesn't come out like that. He comes through the world deceiving us from the simplicity that is in Christ. Therefore, be alert. Therefore, be not conformed even though there are pressures and attacks all around. So Daniel lived before Nebuchadnezzar facing an onslaught. And you and I today live in Babylon facing onslaughts.

2. The Intention

But the next thing I want to share with you is the intention because... Think about it: if you are an Israelite, you'll be thinking, "What in the world just happen? I thought we were the chosen people of God. I thought God loved us. I thought God will be for us. Why would He give us over to evil Nebuchadnezzar and his terrible army? Why did He do that? Is it that God is powerless? Why is our life in a mess?"

D.A Carson says, "The context in which the life of Daniel is set is summed up in the question asked by the exiles in Babylon, recorded in Psalm 137:4, 'How can we sing the song of the Lord while in a foreign land?'" They're saying, "How can we sing unto God when it seems as if God has lost his plot? It seems as if God is not able to help us. It seems as if God has forgotten us. How can we sing?" Don't you think the people would have thought that way, "Why? Why did my mum die? Why did my family die? Why did I lose everything? Why?"

There's one man who didn't think like that and that man is Daniel. He didn't think God lost it. He didn't think that God forgot about them because the Bible tells us in Daniel 1 verse 2, he said, "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." He says this is not because Nebuchadnezzar is better or stronger than God. It's not because Nebuchadnezzar was so fast that God was sleeping and oh no, Jerusalem is gone. No, he said it's the Lord, it's the Lord. It's the Lord who gave our city into the hands of the Babylonians. You say, "Why? You're saying this is not a mistake?" Yeah, it is not a mistake. But then, why? Well, listen to Habakkuk. Habakkuk tells us what God says:

For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation...  Are you not from everlasting, LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
(Habakkuk 1:6, 12 ESV)

For behold, I (that is God), "I am raising up the Chaldeans". They are not someone that came out of nowhere, I raised them. I raised up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation. They are evil people, make no doubts about that, but this is what the people or Habakkuk understood.

"Are you not from everlasting...?" Aren't you sovereign? Aren't you all-knowing? Aren't you in control, Lord my God, my Holy One? "We shall not die." We trust in your sovereignty. "O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof." Lord, I see your plan. I see that you're using the Babylonians as the instrument of purification. You're using them to teach us, to purge us of our sin.

You say, "What sin?" Israel, for hundreds of years, have been worshipping other gods. They are so diseased with idolatry, even after many prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah have warned them with tears, they would not listen. And so, God sends them to reformation training – 70 years with the Chaldeans.

Timestamp 0:28:05.7

You say, "How could God do that? How could God use evil men to accomplish glorious purposes?" My friends, He always does that. Supreme example: He used the hands of wicked men to crucify His only son, Jesus Christ. It was not a mistake. Jesus didn't die because the Father forgot about Him. He died because God sent Him and used evil men to praise His Holy Name. That's what happened for Daniel. And he knew it – the Lord gave us into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. But again, this is not about Daniel, this is about you and I, because all of us have this question:

"Why?
Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin?
Why is Sin allowed in this world?
Why? Is God powerless?"

"Why?" Why what? Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin? You know, this is a very fundamental question: Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin? Is it because that Eve was so "gian" (means greedy in the Hokkien dialect)? She was so desirous of the food that she ate so fast God couldn't stop her in time? No. Couldn't God just slap her hand and (say) "Stop it, Eve"? He could, but He didn't.

You see, we often infer that because God who is good and holy allowed sin into the world, He is no God. We cannot believe in an impotent God like this. No, He is sovereign. He is purging the people of sin and at the end of the day, at the end of time; we'll look back and say, "Wow, that was a glorious plan." And in a way we do not understand, God, you're using even sin to praise Your Name. You hate sin, you do not want it but somehow, you allowed it. And indeed, it brought about the praise to Your Name.

Some weeks ago, I was reading with my son. Picture Bible, you know, stories of the Bible in very simple ways.  And we were reading the same story – Daniel.  We're reading about the captivity into Babylon and it says, "God's people had to leave God's place because they would not have God for their king." Great, that's right. They won't want to have God as their Lord. But then, the author goes on to say, "Do you remember when God sent Adam and Eve away from him out of the garden?" Did God make a mistake here? No. Did God make a mistake here? No. He did that both times because of the sin of man, and because ultimately, He's working out His glorious purposes. The Bible puts it this way:

he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace...
... according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory
(Ephesians 1:5-6, 11-12 ESV)

This whole redemption story of sin, suffering and salvation brings about glory to God that at the end of time, we who are redeemed, we the people who have trusted in Jesus will be "to the praise of his glorious grace". The love, the grace of God is seen in redemption and I dare say, that would not be known if not for sin and for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's Son. So, the Bible goes on to say: "we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory".

Maybe today you are wondering, "Then why doesn't God save me and let me go to heaven straight away? Couldn't God do that?" I mean anyone who believes in Jesus, after you've trusted in Christ, even before your baptism, you go right up to heaven. Couldn't that take place? He could, He could have planned it that way but He doesn't. He leaves you in this world that is sinful and broken and is always out to Babylonise you. You say, "Why?" Is God again unable to save me out of this world? No, the Bible again tells you this is all very intentional. In fact, Jesus prayed in John 17:

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
(John 17:15-18 ESV)

"I have sent them into the world." We all want to live in heaven. I mean, if you understand what heaven is like, you would want to be there because it's glorious. But till then, we are sent on this earth not because God is not able to bring us there soon enough but He wants us to live out a purpose to glorify Him.

Timestamp 0:32:49.3

Now, many of you know that I have a one-year pass to Universal Studios Singapore, together with my son. It's my father-son date time every week. We often go to USS and about 2/3 weeks ago, we went there and I was about to scan that card and enter in when it beeped that says you can't go in. I say, "What's wrong?" And the person at the kiosk checked it and said, "Sir, I'm sorry, but your pass has expired."

Now, I was devastated, devastated because that's the end of Universal Studios Singapore for me for some time and more so for my son who wanted to go in once again. I felt so bad but I say, "Shawn, is there somewhere else you want to go?" He says, "Yeah, I want to go to the beach. Remember the beach?" "Yeah," I say, "let's go to the beach." And so, that's where we went, we went to the beach. And it was very appropriate because he wore a T-shirt "lost at sea" (laughter in congregation).

And so, we went to the sea. This is... Do you know which part of Sentosa beach this is, anyone? Which part? Singapore, of course, Singapore. Which one? Sorry. Wow, very good, it's the Palawan side alright, the other side. So we went to the Palawan side which is a quieter side, and we walked quite a long distance and we came to this place. It was high tide then. He loved this place so much that some weeks later, when I asked him, "Where do you want to go?" He says, "I want to go to the same beach."

So we went back there several weeks later and he wore the same thing (laughter in congregation) – "lost at sea". But this time, you'll realize it is not high tide, it is low tide. You can see all these holes or these little protrusions like pimples or blackheads, whatever. These are actually the crab holes. Now, what's interesting is that when we went down at low tide, we look into the rocks, into the crevices and we saw things like this. Can you see that? Can you see that? Little shell-like stuff? What do you call this? Barnacles. No, not barnacles because barnacles are shells that are left behind when the creature inside dies. These things are moving. So, what do you call these things? Snails?

Okay, nobody knows. First service also nobody knows. So I call them "see hum" (in Hokkien, "see hum" is cockles). So that's what we love to eat and... Okay, so we found a lot of "see hum" and we plucked the "see hum" and gathered them together. They are quite beautiful stuff, you know, creatures and you can see the flesh – the "see hum", the thing that you eat, crawling out and especially this one. This one is very adventurous, he is like... very active. He's Type A personality.

So I wanted to focus on this Type A personality guy, magnified view (shown by pastor). My son is really excited. He says, "Look at that, daddy. He's moving. He's moving. He's coming out. He's coming out." And after a while, we realize he doesn't really look like this. Turn it around and you'll see it looks like this. Can you see the two antenna and then the two eyes? By the way, this is not the sand ah. This is really, I think, I don't know whether it's the eyes or not lah. But it looks like this, it looks funny and when we saw this, Shawn said, "Daddy, can we bring him home?"

I can imagine my son wanting to bring him, put him by the pillow, bedside and when he sleeps, he'll come and kiss Shawn's face. I mean this thing is cute. It has two eyes and then this is like a mouth moving all around. So Shawn says, "Daddy, can we bring him home?" I would very much want to oblige but you know what I said to Shawn, "We can't bring him home." He says, "Why?" You know the reason, not because he will kiss Shawn but because if we bring him home, he will die. We do not know how to keep him alive. He's made to live in the salt water. At home, I do not know how much salt I should put. Frankly, I do not even know how to feed this fellow. Do you know? Nobody knows how to feed this fellow. So if I were to pluck him out of his natural environment and put him in an artificial environment, he will die.

Timestamp 0:37:12.2

But let me tell you something about you: You're much better than this "see hum" – you're made of sterner stuff. We all are made to live in a salt water of grace and perfect love, and joy and sinlessness in the seas above. But our Saviour has sent us into a freshwater, hostile environment called this Babylon. And you are made of sterner stuff; He's not going to let you die. But He sent you here not because there's no more seawater, not because it was a mistake but there is an intention and purpose – that through your survival and through your living out of your Christian life, you bring glory to His Name. By the way, we all look better than this. You look better than this.

So my friends, there is an invasion and whilst you may be bewildered (why is this happening to me, why is my boss so harsh on me, why is my school teaching me so anti-God teachings, why is my friend so anti-Christianity, why am I suffering, why am I persecuted, why am I bearing all this pain, God, did you make a mistake, shouldn't you put me somewhere else), He didn't make a mistake. There is a beautiful intention and He has sent you into your world (John 17:15-18). He has sent you into your work space, into your neighbourhood, into your school for a purpose.

3. The Instruction

So there is an invasion, there is an intention and finally, let us look then at the instruction. Now, God, you want me to live in Babylon. It's your intention; you did not make a mistake. Now, what am I supposed to do here? You put me in this place, what am I supposed to do?

Now, the Jews will probably be thinking, "What can I do? Maybe we should revolutionize Babylon. Let's start protest, let's start political campaigns, let's start a revolution." Well, the Bible doesn't... God doesn't tell Israel to start a revolution. "Maybe don't start a revolution but after we come to Babylon, let's run away. I mean, okay, we got captured but let's try to work out a way of escape. Let's run away from Babylon." Again, the Bible doesn't tell them to run away from Babylon.

So what are they supposed to do? What's the instruction? Does God tell them? Absolutely, great text here in Jeremiah. Jeremiah is the prophet that prophesied or warned the nation of Israel before they were led captive and God already knew they would be led captive. And so, in preparation for that time, He says the day you are led captive, these are my instructions to you:

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: (added by pastor: "don't run, don't revolt but") Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city (added by pastor: "seek the shalom, seek the peace, seek the prosperity of the city") where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
(Jeremiah 29:4-7 ESV)

So, what is God saying? Don't run, don't revolt. But bless, serve, be a blessing there, seek the shalom, the prosperity of Babylon. Are you sure? Isn't Babylon evil? Isn't Babylon wicked? Isn't Nebuchadnezzar a terrible guy? Yes, but go, seek their welfare. That's what Daniel did. By the way, he lived right before Nebuchadnezzar, he did not fight Nebuchadnezzar. As far as I can read, he did not revolt against Nebuchadnezzar. We didn't read of him running from Nebuchadnezzar but he helped Nebuchadnezzar. He helped him. Think about that. He did not isolate himself and you'll read that Daniel did not imitate himself with the Babylonians.

Daniel didn't remove himself, but he did not resemble the Babylonians. Daniel was never distant, but he was distinct. He served without being soiled. It's amazing, but Daniel lived this out without himself personally corrupted with idolatry or with compromise. But this is what he knew: Jeremiah has spoken, God has spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "I would live in Babylon and seek its welfare."

Timestamp 0:42:26.6

You know what that means to you and I? We live in Babylon, isn't it? And there're many of us today who fall into the two extremes: we either remove ourselves from this world or we start to resemble this world. But you know, those are two extremes that God doesn't want? You're to be in the world but not of the world; and you're here, you are in this world, you're sent in this world to bless your world, to serve the people.

If you're in IBM, serve your colleagues in IBM. If you're called to SAF (Singapore Armed Forces), serve your people in SAF – your colleagues, your boss, your subordinates. You're to live out that life of the Gospel, you're to love; you're to pray for people, encourage them, pat them on the back, be full of good deeds, be a person that champions justice and mercy. That's what it means. To excel in your jobs. That's what it means.

Seek the shalom where God has called you. You say why, because the modern equivalent is that God has called us to be the salt and the light. This presumes that the world is in darkness; this presumes that the world is decaying. Don't run from the world, please. Don't escape from the world, please. It's terrible, it's difficult, but go shine there. It's rotting but go bless there. This Babylon needs Daniels who would stand up and be counted.

So we say, stand for the right in a society gone wrong; live right-side up in an upside down world. It's radical living; it's counter-intuitive. The world says things are upside down. You live right-side up, live with self-control in a world out of control, change our neighbourhood into a brotherhood, and show the power of love rather than the love of power. It's Gospel living; it's living the life of Jesus Christ, in a world that is for us? No, in a world that is against us. Seek their welfare even though they are your enemies (Jer 29:4-7).

Last night, I was reading again Picture Bible, my devotional with my son, Picture Bible. And we read the story of Jonah. Why did Jonah run? You know the story, right? God says, "Go, preach to Nineveh." Jonah says, "Absolutely not a chance." And he goes to the opposite side of the world. Why? Because Jonah knew that if he were to preach to Nineveh, they will repent and come to God and be saved, and Jonah didn't want that at all. And the reason why he didn't want that at all is because the Ninevites, Nineveh being the capital of Assyria, the Assyrians have killed and murdered the Israelites. They were enemies and Jonah says, "Not a chance, I'm not going to serve them." We can choose today to be a Jonah who refuses to bless or we can say we want to be Daniels who will seek the welfare of the city.

Let me put it this way. Is homosexuality wrong? Yes, it is, it's wrong. As far as I can read in the Bible, it's absolutely a sin. Does it mean we remove ourselves from homosexuals? No. Does it mean we resemble them in homosexual practices? No. What are we to do? Go to them and seek their welfare, serve them. Are atheists against God? Absolutely. Are we to remove from them? No, we're to serve them, we're to bless them, we're to live out the mission of Jesus Christ in our everyday life. We are to live missionally for His glory. Why? Because God sent me here.

Timestamp 0:46:46.5

My friends, this is what it means to live strong, to live like someone who is untainted by world's philosophies but giving and blessing and serving and impacting. And you say, "Why should I do this? Why should I live in such a way?" Let me tell you why: because Jesus lived in such a way.

Do you know that Jesus could have stayed in the saltwater environment up there? But He left that perfect joy, He left that perfect love, He left that perfect communion with God, the Father. He came and is born as a babe in a manger. He took on weak, limited human flesh. He suffered the pains of temptations; He was full of infirmities like as we are. And He bore the shame and reproach of man, He was scorned, He was battered, He was mutilated, and He was crucified. There, the eternal glorious Son of God gave up everything and was sent into this world, to serve us who are His enemies. He did that and He did that for you. "And even as the Father has sent me," He says, "So send I you."

How are you doing? If Jesus is the Lord of your life, how are you doing? Do you live in this world for you or for Jesus Christ? Gospel Light Christian Church, we don't shine just here. We've got to get out there to shine, we've got to live missionally, we've got to understand God's plan, God's mission and live out the Gospel. My friends, look to Jesus, our Saviour today. He did it for you. Would you share this same love to those around you?

Father, would You do a deep work in our lives? I know the limited impact a message like this can make apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. But we're praying that when man's voice has ceased, God's voice will continue. And I pray You will take this and bring us as a church to a higher ground, to live missionally so that this world would see the glory of the Gospel. Make us Gospel lights indeed.

We thank You for the grace; we thank You for the love of Jesus, Your Son. We rejoice, we celebrate His love. While we were yet sinners, He left the glories above, He went to the cross and said, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?" He gave it all, He poured out His life that we might find life. We thank You, we praise You, we rejoice in You. So bless each heart today. We ask this now in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

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