Orchard Community Church
As people of faith, we are called to be counterculture by trusting in the true wisdom of God not the faulty wisdom of the world.
Counterculture (Part 1)
The Book of Daniel
We live in a culture that is often foreign and hostile to our faith. The book of Daniel is a collection of stories and prophecies written about Jewish believers living in the hostile foreign land of Babylon during the Exile. Therefore, the book of Daniel can teach us a lot about standing firm and living faithfully counter to the culture in which we find ourselves.
There are even some for whom UFOs have become a kind of hope, bordering on faith.
These people are looking for wisdom from UFOs to guide their lives, a wisdom we know comes from God!
Today we’ll confront the fact that as people of faith we’re called to be counterculture by trusting in God’s wisdom rather than the wisdom of this world.
Daniel 2:1-13 NIV
Now we’re not kings, but just like Nebuchadnezzar, in fact just like every person who’s ever lived, we all look for wisdom to help us understand this life and know what we ought to do.
The king had his wise men like we have experts in our time. But if the last two elections have taught us anything, it’s that experts can be really wrong sometimes!
Science can give us a lot of knowledge about life, but it can’t tell us its meaning, or how we should live, or the kind of people we should be, moral and values?
But popular wisdom is subjective and often very wrong.
So, there are serious limits to human wisdom and often it simply fails. And I think this is why people continue to search for wisdom today, even in UFOs.
Finally, they tell Nebuchadnezzar that he’s asking too much, that it just can’t be done. They don’t have that kind of wisdom, perhaps their gods might, but sadly they’re gods are not available.
So the king, looking for wisdom from human beings, finds none, and then decides to do something really unwise!
Daniel 2:14-23 NIV
Notice that despite the desire for wisdom and the king's many wise men, no one has actually had any wisdom until now.
Apparently, the king agrees and Daniel goes and tells his friends what’s happened. And what do they do? They pray. Why? Because although they’d been involuntarily drafted into the King’s core of wise men, as people of faith, they knew that true wisdom comes from God.
Once you run out of human wisdom, once the doctors or whoever you’re looking to, to save the day, have done all they can, there’s only God.
Daniel 2:24-45 NIV
Notice Daniel’s response in Vv. 27-28, he says “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner” can do it, basically, no human being can do it and by default neither can their gods, but, he says, there is a God who can!
Daniel then interprets the dream in Vv. 36-43. He explains that Nebuchadnezzar and his empire are the gold head, he is a great king of a great Empire because God has willed it. But after him will come three more kingdoms, each lesser than the last.
But then Daniel says in v. 44, that God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or left to other people, that this kingdom will bring all other kingdoms to an end and endure forever! This is the meaning he says in v. 45 of the rock and the mountain, it’s the kingdom of God brought by Jesus!
In giving the dream and enabling Daniel to know and interpret it, God was displayed His wisdom and power. God had allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Judah, but God demonstrates here that He has the wisdom to plan the ages and the power to execute His plan.
Nebuchadnezzar basically proclaims that Daniel is better than all his wise men, that God’s wisdom is greater than human wisdom, and that Daniel’s God is superior to all other gods.
In our American culture, we think we are very wise too, mostly because like the Babylonians we know a lot of things. But as I touched on before, knowledge and wisdom aren’t the same thing.
Wisdom is knowing what’s right and true and making good decisions based on that knowledge and experience. And as people of faith we know that in its most developed form, wisdom is being able to see things from God’s perspective and acting accordingly.
Human wisdom can be seductive because it often tells us what we want to hear, rather than what we need to hear. There is also pressure to conform and accept the world’s wisdom and if we don’t we can be labels as backward or stupid.
We are not as wise as we think. Because even before the pandemic started all of the negative indicators in our modern society were on the rise and now even more so. Loneliness, stress, anxiety/worry, depression, drug abuse, and suicide are all on the rise.
If anything as a culture we may actually be regressing in terms of the wisdom people truly need to thrive in this life.
But you know, we saw something in this passage, we saw a great king recognize the wisdom of God and take that a leap of faith. And that’s what God wants for all people.
Like King Nebuchadnezzar, like every person who ever lived, we’re all looking for wisdom to help us understands the meaning of this life and how to live it. Some look to UFO’s others look to our culture, but like Daniel, we look to the living God!
Today's Music
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190
Worship Options
We are excited to be able to worship under the Tent together. If you are not wanting to be under the Tent, feel free to sit in the front row of parking spots of the Orchard Parking Lot your car and tune your radio to 100.1 FM to listen to the service.
1. Masks must be worn while on the Orchard Campus (both inside and out)
2. Please maintain the Social Distance
3. Sunday Morning Children's program. Children are always welcome in the service and we do not mind the noises that come with children. Children are a healthy sign of a healthy congregation.
Orchard Kids Sunday School (For preschool through 5th grade)
We encourage families to bring your own blanket and beach chairs and distance on the lawn as much as you like. Children will worship with their families and be dismissed following the kids’ message, escorted by our Orchard Kids’ Leaders to our beautiful outdoor classroom space in the children’s play yard. We will have our Bible story, activities, crafts, and games in a specially designed format following current health and safety guidelines. Parents, please come to the children’s area immediately following the worship service and find all of your children in one place. Each family will receive a “My Church Bag” to be brought each week with basic supplies already included plus items from home: water bottle and mask for each child and a blanket for all siblings. Our team is so excited to see your family! See you Sunday!
Nursery care for children birth to 3 years old is available by RSVP only to Melinda Hoyt at melinda@orchardventura.org.
Interested in being a Volunteer? Middle school through adult, please contact Melinda Hoyt at melinda@orchardventura.org.
While we understand that some may not feel comfortable coming back in person or having to wear masks while on the Orchard campus, we encourage you to stay home and join us online with our Live Stream.
Office Hours
Monday – Thursdays from 10 am to noon.
Masks and social distancing are required.
If you are unable to make it in during our office hours, please send an email to info@orchardventura.org and or leave a message at (805) 647-3757.