"Daniel: The Wisdom of Senior Saints" (Daniel 5:1-17)

 

“Daniel: The Wisdom of Senior Saints”

Daniel had the kind of godly wisdom and insight that comes from a lifetime of listening to the Lord and following Him. When we encounter Daniel in chapter five, he’s a senior saint of about 85 years of age. Pulled out of retirement, God recruits Daniel to bring His powerful word to King Belshazzar. Wise persons are able to read the handwriting on the wall. While living a long time does not guarantee that a person will be wise, (You can be old and ignorant just as you can be young and dumb) what Job 12:12 asks is generally true. “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”

This Sunday, May 1^st at Carrollwood Baptist Church we will celebrate the ministry of our senior saints during our special “Senior Saint Sunday.” The wisdom that Daniel displayed is the kind of wisdom that all of us can exhibit as we listen and follow after our Lord Jesus. You can find this Sunday’s Scripture passage below. We invite you to worship with us this Sunday at CBC where “Everyone Is Welcome!” Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. If you are a senior saint and you haven’t signed up for dinner after worship, please let us know as soon as possible. We want to make sure that you are included in this very special time of fellowship.

Looking forward to worshiping our Lord with the family of God this Sunday at CBC!

Pastor Joe

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3

 

Daniel 5:1-17, New International Version (NIV)

The Writing on the Wall

¹ King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. ² While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[1] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. ³ So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶ His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

⁷ The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers^[2] and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. ⁹ So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

¹⁰ The queen,^[3] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. ¹² He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

¹³ So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. ¹⁵ The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. ¹⁶ Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

Footnotes:

1. Daniel 5:2 Or ancestor; or predecessor; also in verses 11, 13 and 18
2. Daniel 5:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 11
3. Daniel 5:10 Or queen mother

 

 

 

Living The Lord's Prayer (New Series Begins This Sunday, April 10th)

 

“The Lord’s Prayer”

Jesus’ disciples once asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk. 11:1). And Jesus did! Jesus teaches about prayer in many places in the four Gospels, but what makes Matthew 6:9-13 unique, is this is the only time that Jesus provides a specific “how to” on prayer. This well-known passage, known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” might be better called “The Disciple’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer,” for the simple reason that Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray in response to their question.  

That the disciples had a great desire to learn how to pray, tells us several things: (1) The disciples realized just how dependent they were on the strength and wisdom of the Lord. And (2) they were encouraged to learn how to pray because Jesus’ prayer life was so dynamic and effective. The disciples saw Jesus pray daily and they could not help but notice His strong and consistent prayer life and the difference it made in His life. He prayed early in the mornings. He took quiet retreats for the purpose of prayer. He spent long periods of time in prayer when He had an important decision to make. While He walked this earth, Jesus was a man of prayer and consequently a man of purpose and peace. The disciples saw Jesus’ example and were essentially saying, “Lord, we want what you have, but more importantly, we desperately need what you have!”

Beginning this Sunday, April 10^th at Carrollwood Baptist Church we will be exploring the principles of developing a strong prayer life from what Jesus teaches us in “The Lord’s Prayer.” The main Scripture passage that forms our teaching is found below. However, we will also consider what Jesus said in the immediate context, especially Matthew 6:5-8.

If you don’t have a church home, we would love to have you worship with us at CBC where “All Are Welcomed!” Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. Bible study for all ages is held at 9:15 a.m. CBC is conveniently located at 5395 Ehrlich Road, 1 mile east of the Veterans Expressway and 2.5 miles west of Dale Mabry Hwy. For more information, check out our website at Carrollwoodbaptist.org

Looking forward to worshiping the living Lord this Sunday!

For His Glory, By His Grace!

Pastor Joe

 

 

Matthew 6:9-13, New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’

Footnotes:

1.     Matthew 6:13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing.

2.     Matthew 6:13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.