Bible Text: Dani\u00adel 9:18b-19 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bern\u00adhard Hohl | Series: Like you and me | What we can learn from Dani\u00adel and his dream team for our ever\u00ady\u00adday life \u2013 in good and dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times!<\/p>\n
\tThey asked the chief court offi\u00adci\u00adal if they could only eat vege\u00adta\u00adbles and drink water ins\u00adtead of wine. And he allo\u00adwed them. And what was the result? A pre-emi\u00adnent posi\u00adti\u00adon in the roy\u00adal court! To sum up: they expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced God\u2019s bles\u00adsing in an impres\u00adsi\u00adve way. Like you and me? Let us ask our\u00adsel\u00adves now! May\u00adbe you expe\u00adri\u00adence this going into ano\u00adther world every day when you go to your work\u00adplace, to your app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship or to school, to stu\u00addy! May\u00adbe you have trou\u00adble with your job. You are sick of it. You are no lon\u00adger moti\u00adva\u00adted. Or your place of resi\u00addence is like Baby\u00adlon for you and you want to get up and lea\u00adve. May\u00adbe you are in a major cri\u00adsis at the moment. You feel out of place and trap\u00adped in your ever\u00ady\u00adday life. From the trap\u00adped, depor\u00adted dream team in Baby\u00adlon, we can remem\u00adber the following:<\/p>\n \tCling to your God in your cri\u00adsis and con\u00adscious\u00adly take God with you into your ever\u00ady\u00adday life! Never for\u00adget, you too are rich\u00adly bles\u00adsed for yours\u00adelf and for others! The dream team around Dani\u00adel had to go through seve\u00adral dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times! I also think of tho\u00adse sto\u00adries when they were thrown into the fur\u00adnace or Dani\u00adel into the lion\u2019s den\u2026 All to be read in the book of Daniel! \tWe need a dream team around us in good times and hard times! You don\u2019t need a bun\u00adny, a dog, a gui\u00adnea pig or a par\u00adrot around you. They\u2019\u00adre nice too, but you need peo\u00adp\u00adle around you who you can pat on the back or hug. You don\u2019t need to Whats\u00adap\u00adp\u2019l, tweet or insta\u00adgram. You don\u2019t need a digi\u00adtal crowd around you, but you do need a small group of peo\u00adp\u00adle around you with whom you can share ever\u00ady\u00adthing, inclu\u00adding your faith. It does\u00adn\u2019t mat\u00adter if it\u2019s an inte\u00adrest group or a small group \u2013 a team with whom we can share joys and sor\u00adrows; with whom we can car\u00adry bur\u00addens, share night\u00adma\u00adres, walk through dark val\u00adleys together. It\u2019s easy, when you\u2019\u00adre well, to sing \u00abI\u2019m hap\u00adpy for you, I\u2019m hap\u00adpy for you, I\u2019m hap\u00adpy for you. Your name is won\u00adderful, your name makes mira\u00adcles come true\u2026\u00bb What do you do when this song makes you lose your voice? And it cries out insi\u00adde you: \u00abI don\u2019t know any more\u2026! I don\u2019t know what\u2019s up and what\u2019s down\u2026! I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on\u2026 I\u2019m clo\u00adse to des\u00adpair\u2026\u00bb Do you have a dream team around you? Take advan\u00adta\u00adge of coun\u00adsel\u00adling, men\u00adto\u00adring, coa\u00adching or pas\u00adto\u00adral care. The \u00abGod can\u00bb fly\u00ader with the neces\u00adsa\u00adry cont\u00adact is available! Remem\u00adber: At the begin\u00adning of the ser\u00admon we asked our\u00adsel\u00adves: Did God say good\u00adbye to histo\u00adry tog\u00ade\u00adther with his peo\u00adp\u00adle? With the bibli\u00adcal book of Dani\u00adel we have to ans\u00adwer: No, on the con\u00adtra\u00adry! God remain\u00aded with his peo\u00adp\u00adle, even wit\u00adhout a temp\u00adle! God has bound hims\u00adelf to a geo\u00adgra\u00adphi\u00adcal place. He can pro\u00adve hims\u00adelf powerful in a place of ido\u00adla\u00adtry and occul\u00adtism! God pro\u00adves his great\u00adness befo\u00adre the grea\u00adtest, world\u00adly ruler of the time: Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar! He shows Hims\u00adelf in a way that makes all gods and idols tee\u00adny-weeny! So that Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar con\u00adfes\u00adses befo\u00adre Dani\u00adel: \u00abTru\u00adly, your God is a God abo\u00adve all that rank and name!\u00bb \tHow would you have beha\u00adved as a pri\u00adsoner in a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly for\u00adeign country? Bible Text: Dani\u00adel 9:18b-19 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bern\u00adhard Hohl | Series: Like you and me | What we can learn from Dani\u00adel and his dream team for our ever\u00ady\u00adday life \u2013 in good and dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times! We meet the peo\u00adp\u00adle of God today in a moment whe\u00adre they could ask them\u00adsel\u00adves: Is this the end of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of God?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[35],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-bernhard-hohl","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2754","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nWe meet the peo\u00adp\u00adle of God today at a moment when they could ask them\u00adsel\u00adves: Is this the end of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of God: we have lost our land, we are defea\u00adted by a for\u00adeign power; the temp\u00adle, our sanc\u00adtua\u00adry, is rob\u00adbed and des\u00adtroy\u00aded; i.e. end of wor\u00adship! Their last kings led the peo\u00adp\u00adle to spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal and his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adcal ruin. And the migh\u00adty Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan king Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar, who exten\u00added his empire from the Medi\u00adter\u00adra\u00adne\u00adan to the Per\u00adsi\u00adan Gulf, takes over Isra\u00adel. In various stages he leads who\u00adle sec\u00adtions of God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle into exi\u00adle in Baby\u00adlon. The Israe\u00adli\u00adtes could have asked them\u00adsel\u00adves, in the words of the Psalm poet Asaph, \u00abWill the Lord cast off his peo\u00adp\u00adle fore\u00adver? Is his good\u00adness gone for ever and ever? Has God then for\u00adgot\u00adten to be mer\u00adciful and gra\u00adcious?\u00bb (from Psalm 77:8\u201310 NG\u00dc<\/span>) The first depor\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon takes place in 605 BC<\/span>; it con\u00adcerns the gifted upper class of the coun\u00adtry. Arri\u00adving in Baby\u00adlon, Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar orders the chief court offi\u00adci\u00adal to sel\u00adect from among the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes young men sui\u00adta\u00adble for ser\u00advice in the king\u2019s palace. The cri\u00adte\u00adria were: The men must be in good health, have no phy\u00adsi\u00adcal defects; must be good-loo\u00adking, have an exten\u00adsi\u00adve edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon and be quick on the upt\u00adake. The task of the chief court offi\u00adci\u00adal was to prepa\u00adre the\u00adse men for their ser\u00advice in the roy\u00adal court for three years; this included lear\u00adning the lan\u00adguage and script of the Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans. After this time, Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar sel\u00adec\u00adted four men from the group of tho\u00adse trai\u00adned to be his advi\u00adsors. From all the inter\u00adviews, Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar cho\u00adse four Judeans, name\u00adly: Dani\u00adel, Hana\u00adniah, Mis\u00adha\u00adel and Aza\u00adriah. The chief court offi\u00adci\u00adal then gave them Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan names: Bel\u00adcha\u00adzar, Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego, but I\u2019ll stick with their pre\u00advious names.
\nA dream team in a god\u00adless environment
\nWith them, Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar real\u00adly got a dream team. The\u00adse four were extre\u00adme\u00adly bles\u00adsed by God. When the king nee\u00added insight and under\u00adstan\u00adding, he tur\u00adned to the\u00adse men. We read in Dani\u00adel 1 that God gave the four young men extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adna\u00adry wis\u00addom and know\u00adledge; in ran\u00adking, Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar soon rated them ten times (!) bet\u00adter than his wisest men! And Dani\u00adel could also inter\u00adpret visi\u00adons and dreams of every kind.
\nAs pri\u00adsoners, they could have beha\u00adved quite dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly accor\u00adding to the mot\u00adto: \u00abLet\u2019s enjoy this pro\u00adper\u00adly now: the roy\u00adal food and the deli\u00adcious wine. Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar will sure\u00adly drink a won\u00adderful Grand Cru from France or a Riser\u00adva Supe\u00adrio\u00adre from Ita\u00adly! And we don\u2019t take our job too serious\u00adly! We don\u2019t want to learn this lan\u00adguage and its script! We don\u2019t want a three-year app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship, we want to go back to our home\u00adland as soon as possible?!\u00bb
\n
\nBut the\u00adse four men beha\u00adved quite differently:<\/p>\n
\n\tThey held fast to their God and their faith and did not quar\u00adrel with God and their fate.
\n\tThey put their all into it and did their best in this very dif\u00adfe\u00adrent world of Babylon.<\/p>\n
\n\tDo not throw away your faith!
\n\tDon\u2019t stay alo\u00adne with your worries, share them open\u00adly with your fri\u00adends. Talk!
\n\tDo your best in spi\u00adte of ever\u00ady\u00adthing, face the chal\u00adlenges! It\u2019s worth it!<\/p>\n
\nFrom dream team to night\u00adma\u00adre team
\nNight\u00adma\u00adres can also hap\u00adpen in a dream team! Here\u2019s what hap\u00adpen\u00aded to Dani\u00adel and his team: Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar has a dream that frigh\u00adtens him so much that he wakes up. The next mor\u00adning he calls all his wise men, magi\u00adci\u00adans and sooth\u00adsay\u00aders tog\u00ade\u00adther to inter\u00adpret the dream for him. But: Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar is not pre\u00adpared to tell the dream!!! Appar\u00adent\u00adly, as the sto\u00adry goes, the king has had bad expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with his sooth\u00adsay\u00aders and wise men, who often pre\u00adsent only lies and deceit. Now Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar is sud\u00adden\u00adly con\u00advin\u00adced that only the one who is given not only the inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon but also the dream can pre\u00adsent a genui\u00adne dream inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. The wise men com\u00adplain that the king is asking too much, that no king in this world has ever asked this of his wise men. In fact, no human being could ful\u00adfil it. Only gods can do that, but they don\u2019t live with mor\u00adtal men, they said! But Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar threa\u00adtens to kill them all if no one com\u00adpli\u00ades with his demand. Moreo\u00adver, he would turn their homes into heaps of rubble.
\nDani\u00adel goes straight to Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar and asks for an exten\u00adsi\u00adon of time so that he can descri\u00adbe and inter\u00adpret the dream. Then he hur\u00adries back to his fri\u00adends: \u00abGuys, we have to pray, other\u00adwi\u00adse we will die along with ever\u00adyo\u00adne else. They pray fer\u00advent\u00adly for God\u2019s mer\u00adcy to reve\u00adal this secret to them. Inde\u00aded, in the midd\u00adle of the night, Dani\u00adel has a visi\u00adon of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s dream, com\u00adple\u00adte with inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon! Befo\u00adre Dani\u00adel goes to the king the next mor\u00adning, the dream team takes time for prai\u00adse! Daniel\u2019s song of prai\u00adse is so beau\u00adtiful, I want to read it to you: \u00abPrai\u00adse be to the name of God, now and fore\u00adver! To God alo\u00adne belong power and wis\u00addom. He is the Lord of time and deter\u00admi\u00adnes what hap\u00adpens when; he depo\u00adses kings and lea\u00adves their thro\u00adnes to others. To the wise he gives their wis\u00addom and to the wise their under\u00adstan\u00adding! He reve\u00adals the most unfa\u00adthomable secrets and knows what is hid\u00adden in the dark, for he hims\u00adelf is sur\u00adroun\u00added by light. Yes, I prai\u00adse and ext\u00adol you, O God of my foref\u00ada\u00adthers! For you have given me wis\u00addom and strength. You have heard our pray\u00aders and reve\u00ada\u00adled to me the dream of the king!\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 2:20\u201323 Hfa) Then befo\u00adre the king, Dani\u00adel first speaks plain\u00adly about God and hims\u00adelf: \u00abThe mys\u00adtery the king asks about can\u00adnot be unco\u00adver\u00aded by any wise man, sorce\u00adrer, sooth\u00adsay\u00ader or sign wri\u00adter. But the\u00adre is a God in hea\u00adven who brings to light what is hid\u00adden\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 2:27\u201328a NL<\/span>). \u00abThat I know the secret of your dream is not becau\u00adse I am wiser than any other living per\u00adson\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 2:29 NL<\/span>). To Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s ama\u00adze\u00adment, Dani\u00adel is able to descri\u00adbe the dream to him and also the inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. Dani\u00adel is rich\u00adly endo\u00adwed and is appoin\u00adted prin\u00adce over all Baby\u00adlon and chief over all the wise men in Baby\u00adlon. Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar appoints his fri\u00adends Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego as rulers over three dis\u00adtricts of Baby\u00adlon. What can we take away from the night\u00adma\u00adre expe\u00adri\u00adence of the Dream Team?<\/p>\n
\n\tWe need peo\u00adp\u00adle around us with whom we can pray, like Dani\u00adel and his three friends.
\n\tWhen you can\u2019t do it any\u00admo\u00adre and you\u2019\u00adre like a don\u00adkey on a moun\u00adtain, you need someone to remind you and hold you: \u00abBut the\u00adre is a God in hea\u00adven who can\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\nDani\u00adel \u2013 like you and me!
\nSay: I do not\u2026 but the\u00adre is a God in hea\u00adven who can! He wants to reve\u00adal hims\u00adelf to his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers \u2013 his peo\u00adp\u00adle and his child\u00adren! When his peo\u00adp\u00adle are per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adted and cast out, God remains with them! He does not aban\u00addon his peo\u00adp\u00adle! Today in the world\u00adwi\u00adde per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon of Chris\u00adti\u00adans, many places of wor\u00adship are des\u00adtroy\u00aded and attacks are made on Chris\u00adti\u00adan gathe\u00adrings. But Jesus con\u00adti\u00adnues. He can\u00adnot be stop\u00adped as he builds his king\u00addom! Let us not for\u00adget what Jesus said: \u00ab\u2026I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not pre\u00advail against it\u00bb (Matthew 16:18 Lu). I am glad that God has led me to this ser\u00admon text, as we are start\u00ading a \u00abUfschtoh week\u00bb tomor\u00adrow; now that the \u00abGod can\u00bb fly\u00aders are new\u00adly available in the foy\u00ader; at this time when we are again invi\u00adting ever\u00adyo\u00adne to join a small group. May\u00adbe you have a dream team at your feet!
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Dani\u00adel 9:18b-19<\/p>\n
\n\tHow did Dani\u00adel and his fri\u00adends mana\u00adge to get invol\u00adved in such a posi\u00adti\u00adve way?
\n\tDo you have any Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adges that come to mind that we could use as a gui\u00adde in such a case?
\n\tWhat place in your life is Baby\u00adlon for you? How can it beco\u00adme Bethel (\u00abthe place whe\u00adre God dwells\u00bb)?
\n\tGod can \u2013 tell each other about almost impos\u00adsi\u00adble ans\u00adwers to pray\u00ader! Or list bibli\u00adcal miracles!
\n\tTell about your dream teams and pray each other into dream teams!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"