We are so glad that you joined us today at North Main Street Church of God. At North Main, we exist to develop completely committed followers of Christ who...

Know Christ intimately,

Grow in Christ continually, and

Go for Christ daily

We will be hosting a special meet and greet with a Global Connections partner Richard Fields TODAY following the Sunday Morning Service in LC4. A light lunch will be provided.

Communion
We will be celebrating communion together this morning during worship. The ushers will distribute the elements at that time, but for those who need a gluten-free or sealed option, those are available at the Welcome Center.

If you are joining us from home & would like to participate, the traditional elements are merely symbolic. Feel free to use whatever you have at hand; a cracker, cookie, or pretzel and any drink. The importance is in the reminder.

Churchwide Sermon & Book Study
Starting in September we’re going to be doing a Sermon Series entitled “Beyond the Noise” based on the book “An Invitation to Solitude and Silence” by Ruth Haley Barton.

This book is an invitation to you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. It is an invitation to solitude and silence. The beauty of a true invitation is that we really DO have a choice about embarking on this adventure.

God extends the invitation, but he honors our freedom and will not push himself where he is not wanted. Instead, he waits for us to respond from the depths of our desire. Will you say yes?

This book study includes a guide for groups of 3-6 people to use in discussion. Start thinking about who you’d like to go through this chapter-a-week study with. You will also support each other as you begin implementing the practices provided in the book.

Since we’d like everyone to get a copy of the book, we wanted to give you a few weeks for everyone to be able to order it. You can find it online yourself, or if you need us to order a copy for you, please visit the Welcome Center or our website NORTHMAINCOG.ORG for more information.

The Interpreter of Dreams
(Daniel)
Yearly Theme: “Goodness is… Governing”
Series Title: “Goodness in G minor”
July 28th, 2024

Something to think about:
Today, we come to the final book in our series on the prophets. Though the book of Daniel is in the section of the books of the major prophets, it’s actually considered in the Hebrew Scriptures as a part of the section known as the “Writings.” Due to the nature of his book, however, Daniel is unique in that he does prophecy, thus our purpose for including him in this series.

According to Biblical scholars, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, “Daniel is one of the early exiles to Babylon [under King Nebuchadnezzar], who was selected to serve as a provincial administrator in the Babylonian – and finally Persian – court.”[1]

They go further to explain that,

“At the onset, it is important to note that in the Hebrew Bible, Daniel is included among the Writings rather than the Prophets. In part this was due to its genre – stories about a ‘prophet’ and apocalyptic visions rather than prophetic oracles. Indeed, there is nothing else quite like Daniel in Jewish and Christian literature, with its combination of court stories and apocalyptic visions. Furthermore, its intent is to inspire and encourage God’s people living under foreign domination, not to call them to repent in light of coming judgments. Daniel is thus never called a prophet, but one whom God reveals mysteries. …

“…The book was born in a time of oppression; it is a literary work altogether; it comes by means of visions and dreams that are given by angels; the images are those of fantasy symbolizing reality; and Daniel is told to seal up the visions for the last days (8:26; 9:24; 12:4).”[2]

So, it is from this perspective that we plumb the depths of the Book of Daniel and its 12 chapters. In order to do this we must first understand the overarching theme of Daniel’s writings, which leads us to our key point…

Key Point: “GOD is in control of all human history.”

How does GOD prove to Daniel, and Daniel’s audience, that He is in control of all human history? Let’s take a closer look:


[1][1] Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book, (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan; 2002), 204.
[2] Ibid, 205.

Something to take home:
“There is a story that Newton made an elaborate clockwork model of the solar system. When someone remarked on how clever he was to construct such an intricate mechanism Newton replied that the Good Lord must be a lot cleverer still to have constructed the real thing.”[1]

The ones who will survive in the end are not the ones whose life is perfect or who don’t have any problems or difficulties; the ones who will survive are those, who like Isaac Newton knew the GOD of all creation and honored Him as LORD and Creator of the Universe. There is evil in the world, there is no denying that. There are, and always have been wars, rumors of wars, disease, persecution, and death. However, the GOD of all creation made a way through (not over or around) these problems. At just the right time in human history, the Son of Man (as Daniel refers to Him), Jesus came into the world to conquer sin and death and evil once and for all. He came to set the captives of those things free. And in Him, the believer's life is eternally loosed from the chains of death. There is a Heaven and there is a Hell, and all will be judged according to their allegiances to one or the other. Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades, and those who have surrendered their lives to Him have the promised hope of eternal life in Heaven.

We are living in the last days. The second coming of Christ is immanent. Are you ready?

Key Point: “GOD is in control of all human history.”


[1]Paul Davies – Superforce.

Discuss the significance of Daniel and his friends being given Babylonian names. How might this relate to cultural assimilation today?

How does the experience of Daniel and his friends challenge or affirm your understanding of God's providence?

How did God equip Daniel and his friends for their specific situation? How has God equipped you for your current circumstances?

Can you recall a time when you experienced God's providence during a difficult period in your life, similar to Daniel and his friends?



If you were in Daniel's position, would you have interpreted the dreams? Why or why not?

How can we recognize and interpret God's messages in our lives today?

How can we maintain humility in positions of power and influence?

OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm