Exile and Return: "The Handwriting of God"

Exile and Return: “The Handwriting of God”

Daniel 5:1-31        

 “Hey there - Hair of Dog will bit you on a dime.”    

 2 Corinthians 3:3 - “And you show that you are a letter from Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

I. Our unique identity points others to the Lord.   (Verses 1-13)

Proverbs 6:12-15 - “…a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech…with perverted heart devises evil…calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.”

Daniel 4:37 - “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

II. Living by faith points others to the Lord. (Verse 13)

Hebrews 11:13 - “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

III. Spirit-filled living points others to the Lord. (Verse 14)

1. Natural Person (Someone who has not received Christ.)

1 Corinthians 2:14 - “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them…”

2. Spiritual Person (Christ-directed life)

(Trusts in Christ and is empowered by the Holy Spirit.)

1 Corinthians 2:16 - “…we have the mind of Christ.”

IV. Speaking God’s truth points others to the Lord.   (Verses 15-28)  

Faith Sheet for Friends and Family this Week

1. When have you heard people talk about ignoring “the handwriting on the wall”?

2. In what ways does Daniel show humility in this passage, even as he is bold and confrontational toward the king? Read John 4 as an example of humble but direct confrontation.

3. How should our belief in God’s sovereignty over nations and history inform how we as believers handle political and worldly upheaval? (Gen. 11:8, 50:20, Ps. 22;28, 46:8-10, 66:7, 115:3, Prov.16:9, Isa. 40:23, Acts 17:26, Rom. 8:28-29.)

4. How can we live with joy and also warn others of His judgment?

5. Read the following scriptures-how is Jesus a greater Daniel and pray for someone to know Christ. Luke 4:18, John 7:46, 1 Cor. 1:30, Col. 2:3, 9-10, Phil. 2:10-11.