Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
What Do You Do When You Know The Rest of The Story?
Daniel 12:1- 13 November 23, 2003
Some things in life become so common place that they lose their sense of awe and wonder. The
Thanksgiving story is kind of like that. We have heard it so many times that it has lost its ability
to impress us. What is the big deal about people of faith and a few Native Americans getting
together in a new land to celebrate God’s provisions? What else would we expect?
This happens because we know the “rest of the story”. We know the story of American growth
and prosperity, the story of colonization, the story of a fight for independence and self-
governance, the story of expansion and industrialization, the story of an emerging world power
and spokesman for democracy. We know that despite the hardships that brought them together
on that first feast day, the pilgrims were able to overcome it all and forge ahead to build the
future we now enjoy.
So we make light of their struggle because we know the rest of the story.
I watched a little bit of “The Wizard of Oz” the other night. How many times have you seen it?
I’ve seen it at least thirty times. I know in the end that the wicked witch melts when she is
doused with water. I know that the Wizard isn’t what he professes to be. I know that Dorothy
gets home safely and learns a valuable lesson. There is no longer any suspense when I watch it.
It is simply a nice story.
That is what happens when we know the rest of the story. We make light of their struggles and
look at their trials as being easier than what we face every day.
We look at the book of Daniel, and the same thing happens. If the truth were told, most of us
only could recall two stories from the book. The first is the story of Daniel and the Lion’s den.
The second is the story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego and the fiery furnace. For most of
us, our general knowledge of the book ends there. We don’t even know why Daniel ends up in
the Lion’s den and the three men are put in the fire. But we do remember that they got out and
God saved them.
Well in the twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel, right as the prophet is ending his story, we are
given one final blessing to take away with us. I want to talk about that today. For Daniel has
learned an important lesson that God wants him to share with us. To set the stage, you need to
know that the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon when Daniel wrote this book. They had it
tough. The king was not always sympathetic to their needs and at times, like in the stories of
Daniel and his three friends, being faithful to God put you at great risk. None-the-less, they lived
with the dream and promise of returning to their homeland. And they kept thinking, “If we can
just hold on a little longer, once we get back to Jerusalem, everything is going to be okay.” The
Jews were like the pilgrims, who prayed that once they got through that first winter, everything
would be that much better. A new crop would be planted and they would have plenty to eat. The
colds and influenza would be past and they would be heartier and healthier. But you see, the
Jews and the pilgrims, both learned what we already know. Tough times seem to continue longer
than most of us can foresee. To tell you the truth, Daniel must have been very disheartened to
hear the message he was given here. It warns him and the people not to get too excited because
the hard times will continue for a while. As much as we try to be positive, we know this is the
reality of life as we know it. Some of you have been living with difficulties for many weeks and
months now, wondering if things will ever get better. There is job uncertainty, worries about
your health, concern over the well being of someone you care about. Christmas is coming and
some of you are thinking about your financial situation and whether you will be able to do
anything for the kids. The truth is the future always seems uncertain to a degree. We hope for
the best but it seems as though we often have to prepare for the worst. Just think about the
wider world we live in today. I grew up with the image of a clock ticking away toward nuclear
disaster. And then the Berlin wall came tumbling down and the cold war was over. We thought
there was finally a chance for peace. Then one day two planes flew into the World Trade Center
and it started all over again. It is discouraging because it never seems to end. It is easy to get
discouraged and wonder if God is really in control. The Jews in Daniel’s day were going to be
tested and the Word came to Daniel that he and the people needed to be prepared for it. That
word is for us today as well. God tells Daniel that troubles are coming but not to lose heart
because God is still in control. We need to look ahead and remember that God has already written
the end of the story.
This is a good time to remember that the pilgrims made it through those tough winters and their
giving thanks was warranted as an act of faith. We need to remember that Daniel and the Jews
did make it back to Jerusalem and the city was rebuilt. The same will be true for the rest of us.
We know the end of the story, we just need to remember that when the tough times come.
A second thing Daniel points out is that trouble is not always bad. He says some people will come
out stronger, they’ll be refined through the struggles. Look at verse 10: “ Many will be purified,
cleansed, and refined by these trials. This is the positive spin on a nasty situation. The good
news is that the tough times -the opposition, the persecution, the marital strains, the addictions --
the trouble in the world will bring out the best in many of us. Not that we’re looking for trouble
as a means of self-improvement but we grow smarter and wiser through tough times than we do
through the easy times. Look at the results of the September 11th tragedy. The terrorists thought
that they would disrupt the nation and cause us to cower in fear, but really it only strengthened
the resolve and the character of the country. Fire has a purifying effect on a lot of people.
In several places in the Bible it talks about us being tested and tried, purified, like a precious metal.
Did you know that a diamond is borne out of a lump of coal. A pearl is formed out of the
churning of sand within an oyster. It is the testing that makes these more precious. And We are
reminded that the same may be true for some of us.
I don’t know about you, but I can definitely tell you that the struggles in my life, those trials I
would never wish on anyone else, have forged my character and made me a better person today.
And that is what the messenger was telling Daniel to say. Meet the trials head on with confidence
that first, God will see you through and second that you will be better for it. Finally Daniel tells
us to live now confident that in the end you will receive your inheritance.
When the girls were little I used to push them on the swing and as I was pushing them, I’d say
something like “Bye, See you later.” But, of course, they kept coming back. Gravity does that.
And I’d harass them saying “I thought I said good bye, but you keep coming back.” And they’d
giggle and giggle.
I was reminded of that when I read these verses because they sound a lot like what I was saying
to my kids, except here the message to Daniel isn’t teasing. God says, Get going... Move out...
No more visions... Get on with your life... And move out with confidence, the confidence that
comes from knowing that things really will swing back God’s way and that God will take care of
us. When the pilgrims sat down at the table with the Indians on that first Thanksgiving feast,
they were making a bold declaration to the world. They were saying that they believed in God
and that God would deliver on His promises. They had endured a terrible winter and the coming
harvest looked meager. But they stopped and gave him the glory. How has your year been?
For some it has been one trial after another. For others there has been a sense that you haven’t
really arrived where you wanted to be. For some there have been unexpected changes and
unforeseen consequences of things done out of our sense of moving forward in faith. If this
describes you, then you are in good company because you stand in line with the Pilgrims and the
Jewish exiles. And because of that, I encourage you to sit down at the table this year and give
thanks. For you know, from them, the rest of the story. You know that despite the hardships,
God took care of them. You know that their trials and testing ended. You know that they were
better off because they had persevered. So let’s make a commitment today to pause and give
thanks this week, because we do now the Rest of the story. We know who holds the future and
who will bless our faithfulness. Praise God. Amen
Daniel 12:1- 13 November 23, 2003
Some things in life become so common place that they lose their sense of awe and wonder. The
Thanksgiving story is kind of like that. We have heard it so many times that it has lost its ability
to impress us. What is the big deal about people of faith and a few Native Americans getting
together in a new land to celebrate God’s provisions? What else would we expect?
This happens because we know the “rest of the story”. We know the story of American growth
and prosperity, the story of colonization, the story of a fight for independence and self-
governance, the story of expansion and industrialization, the story of an emerging world power
and spokesman for democracy. We know that despite the hardships that brought them together
on that first feast day, the pilgrims were able to overcome it all and forge ahead to build the
future we now enjoy.
So we make light of their struggle because we know the rest of the story.
I watched a little bit of “The Wizard of Oz” the other night. How many times have you seen it?
I’ve seen it at least thirty times. I know in the end that the wicked witch melts when she is
doused with water. I know that the Wizard isn’t what he professes to be. I know that Dorothy
gets home safely and learns a valuable lesson. There is no longer any suspense when I watch it.
It is simply a nice story.
That is what happens when we know the rest of the story. We make light of their struggles and
look at their trials as being easier than what we face every day.
We look at the book of Daniel, and the same thing happens. If the truth were told, most of us
only could recall two stories from the book. The first is the story of Daniel and the Lion’s den.
The second is the story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego and the fiery furnace. For most of
us, our general knowledge of the book ends there. We don’t even know why Daniel ends up in
the Lion’s den and the three men are put in the fire. But we do remember that they got out and
God saved them.
Well in the twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel, right as the prophet is ending his story, we are
given one final blessing to take away with us. I want to talk about that today. For Daniel has
learned an important lesson that God wants him to share with us. To set the stage, you need to
know that the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon when Daniel wrote this book. They had it
tough. The king was not always sympathetic to their needs and at times, like in the stories of
Daniel and his three friends, being faithful to God put you at great risk. None-the-less, they lived
with the dream and promise of returning to their homeland. And they kept thinking, “If we can
just hold on a little longer, once we get back to Jerusalem, everything is going to be okay.” The
Jews were like the pilgrims, who prayed that once they got through that first winter, everything
would be that much better. A new crop would be planted and they would have plenty to eat. The
colds and influenza would be past and they would be heartier and healthier. But you see, the
Jews and the pilgrims, both learned what we already know. Tough times seem to continue longer
than most of us can foresee. To tell you the truth, Daniel must have been very disheartened to
hear the message he was given here. It warns him and the people not to get too excited because
the hard times will continue for a while. As much as we try to be positive, we know this is the
reality of life as we know it. Some of you have been living with difficulties for many weeks and
months now, wondering if things will ever get better. There is job uncertainty, worries about
your health, concern over the well being of someone you care about. Christmas is coming and
some of you are thinking about your financial situation and whether you will be able to do
anything for the kids. The truth is the future always seems uncertain to a degree. We hope for
the best but it seems as though we often have to prepare for the worst. Just think about the
wider world we live in today. I grew up with the image of a clock ticking away toward nuclear
disaster. And then the Berlin wall came tumbling down and the cold war was over. We thought
there was finally a chance for peace. Then one day two planes flew into the World Trade Center
and it started all over again. It is discouraging because it never seems to end. It is easy to get
discouraged and wonder if God is really in control. The Jews in Daniel’s day were going to be
tested and the Word came to Daniel that he and the people needed to be prepared for it. That
word is for us today as well. God tells Daniel that troubles are coming but not to lose heart
because God is still in control. We need to look ahead and remember that God has already written
the end of the story.
This is a good time to remember that the pilgrims made it through those tough winters and their
giving thanks was warranted as an act of faith. We need to remember that Daniel and the Jews
did make it back to Jerusalem and the city was rebuilt. The same will be true for the rest of us.
We know the end of the story, we just need to remember that when the tough times come.
A second thing Daniel points out is that trouble is not always bad. He says some people will come
out stronger, they’ll be refined through the struggles. Look at verse 10: “ Many will be purified,
cleansed, and refined by these trials. This is the positive spin on a nasty situation. The good
news is that the tough times -the opposition, the persecution, the marital strains, the addictions --
the trouble in the world will bring out the best in many of us. Not that we’re looking for trouble
as a means of self-improvement but we grow smarter and wiser through tough times than we do
through the easy times. Look at the results of the September 11th tragedy. The terrorists thought
that they would disrupt the nation and cause us to cower in fear, but really it only strengthened
the resolve and the character of the country. Fire has a purifying effect on a lot of people.
In several places in the Bible it talks about us being tested and tried, purified, like a precious metal.
Did you know that a diamond is borne out of a lump of coal. A pearl is formed out of the
churning of sand within an oyster. It is the testing that makes these more precious. And We are
reminded that the same may be true for some of us.
I don’t know about you, but I can definitely tell you that the struggles in my life, those trials I
would never wish on anyone else, have forged my character and made me a better person today.
And that is what the messenger was telling Daniel to say. Meet the trials head on with confidence
that first, God will see you through and second that you will be better for it. Finally Daniel tells
us to live now confident that in the end you will receive your inheritance.
When the girls were little I used to push them on the swing and as I was pushing them, I’d say
something like “Bye, See you later.” But, of course, they kept coming back. Gravity does that.
And I’d harass them saying “I thought I said good bye, but you keep coming back.” And they’d
giggle and giggle.
I was reminded of that when I read these verses because they sound a lot like what I was saying
to my kids, except here the message to Daniel isn’t teasing. God says, Get going... Move out...
No more visions... Get on with your life... And move out with confidence, the confidence that
comes from knowing that things really will swing back God’s way and that God will take care of
us. When the pilgrims sat down at the table with the Indians on that first Thanksgiving feast,
they were making a bold declaration to the world. They were saying that they believed in God
and that God would deliver on His promises. They had endured a terrible winter and the coming
harvest looked meager. But they stopped and gave him the glory. How has your year been?
For some it has been one trial after another. For others there has been a sense that you haven’t
really arrived where you wanted to be. For some there have been unexpected changes and
unforeseen consequences of things done out of our sense of moving forward in faith. If this
describes you, then you are in good company because you stand in line with the Pilgrims and the
Jewish exiles. And because of that, I encourage you to sit down at the table this year and give
thanks. For you know, from them, the rest of the story. You know that despite the hardships,
God took care of them. You know that their trials and testing ended. You know that they were
better off because they had persevered. So let’s make a commitment today to pause and give
thanks this week, because we do now the Rest of the story. We know who holds the future and
who will bless our faithfulness. Praise God. Amen
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
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