Embedded Files
Come People of the Risen King
Verse 1
Come people of the Risen King
Who delight to bring Him praise
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in
Chorus
Rejoice rejoice let ev'ry tongue rejoice
One heart one voice
O Church of Christ rejoice
Verse 2
Come those whose joy is morning sun
And those weeping through the night
Come those who tell of battles won
And those struggling in the fight
For His perfect love will never change
And His mercies never cease
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace
Chorus
Rejoice rejoice let ev'ry tongue rejoice
One heart one voice
O Church of Christ rejoice
Come young and old from ev'ry land
Men and women of the faith
Come those with full or empty hands
Find the riches of His grace
Over all the world His people sing
Shore to shore we hear them call
The truth that cries through ev'ry age
Our God is all in all
Rejoice rejoice let ev'ry tongue rejoice
One heart one voice
O Church of Christ rejoice
Rejoice rejoice let ev'ry tongue rejoice
One heart one voice
O Church of Christ rejoice
Christus Victor
O Most High King of the ages
Great I AM God of wonders
By the blood You have redeemed us
Led us through mighty waters
Our strength our song our sure salvation
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah Amen
O Most High dwelling among us
Son of man sent for sinners
By Your blood You have redeemed us
Spotless Lamb mighty Savior
Who lived who died who rose victorious
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah
With every tribe and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah Amen
O Most High King of the nations
Robed in praise crowned with splendor
On that day who will not tremble
When You stand Christ the Victor
Who was and is and is forever
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah
With every tribe and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah Amen
Amen amen amen
Amen amen amen
Amen amen amen
Amen, amen, amen
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah
With every tribe and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah Amen
Sing the victory of the Lamb
Hallelujah Amen
Amen
Have Thine Own Way Lord
1 Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.
2 Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today.
Open mine eyes, my sin show me now,
as in thy presence humbly I bow.
3 Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray.
Power, all power, surely is thine.
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
4 Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.
I Love to Tell the Story
1 I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.
2 I love to tell the story;
'tis pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it,
more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story,
for some have never heard
the message of salvation
from God's own holy Word.
Refrain:
I love to tell the story;
'twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
3 I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it, like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story
that I have loved so long.
I love to tell the story;
'twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
Ebenezer CRC - September 21, 2025
Adam Veenstra
SCRIPTURE READING
SERMON INTRO SLIDE I invite you to turn in the Bibles in front of you to page 1383, where we’ll be reading from Daniel chapter 7 this morning.
Depending on how familiar you are with the Bible and how much time you’ve spent in church, it’s possible that the main thing you know about Daniel - or maybe the only thing you know about him - is the story of his being thrown in the lions den.
But that story is just one chapter out of twelve in a book that includes history, prophesy, and vision, and was originally written for the Jewish people who were in exile.
Last week we talked about God’s promise to be faithful to his people, no matter where they are - this is a time when that promise is seemingly being tested.
But it is also a time when the strength and power of God’s faithfulness - and his ultimate victory - is reaffirmed.
The overall theme of Daniel is the demonstration that God is supreme over any human kingdoms and earthly powers; as we sang together earlier, “Christus Victor”.
So I invite you to follow along starting at verse 1:
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.
5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’
6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.
8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
9 “As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10
A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and people of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
MESSAGE
Part One - Context
SLIDE 1 I think it’s obvious why most people have only heard the story of the lion’s den - a Veggie Tales version of this passage would be a hard sell.
But Scripture tells us that Daniel could understand these dreams and visions.
SLIDE 2 Earlier chapters explain how he was chosen with three other young Israelite men to serve the king. They were chosen based on their looks, lineage, age, and intellect.
And King Nebuchadnezzar was so pleased with them that they entered his service for wisdom and interpretation.
SLIDE 3 For vision like this.
Personally I think it’s kind of impossible to know if what’s described here is literally what Daniel saw in his vision, or if it’s how he chose to describe it metaphorically, or if it’s the only way he could describe it.
SLIDE 4 It’s a vision with incredible symbolism, on the knife’s edge of terrifying and ridiculous.
Scholars have made some ties to Daniel’s immediate context, in which God’s people were subject to four major ruling empires: Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
According to one scholar, the final king was possibly Antioches IV Epiphanes, a king who would eventually defile the temple and God’s people.
SLIDE 5 The vision shows how this final king and his kingdom would multiply and would trample everything underfoot.
God’s people - the people Daniel comes from and is writing for - were being crushed and devoured by this unbelievable, terrifying, force.
SLIDE 6 But what Daniel knew, what his people knew, and what we are still assured of today, is that God is faithful to his promises.
And he is more powerful than anything else we could come up against.
SLIDE 7 Because the important part of the vision is that the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man take their place.
After reading about the chaos caused by these monsters, their actions seem calm, and almost passive.
The Ancient of Days is described as powerfully and unbelievably as the monsters, but simply takes his seat.
The Son of Man is simply led into his presence.
When you have real power, you don’t have to flex it.
You don’t have to show off and prove it.
Because the victory is already theirs - it wasn’t a fair fight. It’s not even really a fight: the dichotomy of good and evil is in many ways a false one, because of the overwhelming power and goodness of God.
And because his victory is already assured.
And so as God’s people and followers of Christ, victory is ours already, too.
No matter how bleak the world might look for a time.
SLIDE 8 Later in chapter 7 Daniel explains how he’s troubled by this vision.
We know that Christ is victorious. We know that God keeps his promises.
We know that things will be okay.
But between here and being okay, there are things that trouble us and make us go pale.
Times when God’s people might waver and doubt.
SLIDE 9 At the time our passage was written, God’s people were not the worldwide dominant religion that they are today.
They were a religious minority living under oppressive nation-states, which no North American-born person has any experience with.
So woven throughout the Old Testament is both necessary lament and necessary hope; the realities of living under the shadows of sin, but also the promise of God’s presence.
So we are called to put our trust in the Lord, and hold firm in our identity in Christ, even when things seem to trample it.
Part Two - Application/Mission
SLIDE 10 In her book on reading Scripture, Rachel Held Evans writes that “the Bible teems with monsters”.
Because the world teems with monsters. There is a lot that we fear.
And it requires a resistance that we cannot muster alone.
SLIDE 11 So Scripture reminds us that it is God’s perfect love that drives out fear.
Our fear can only be combatted by our identity in Christ.
SLIDE 12 Daniel himself was familiar with life being dictated by a powerful force that was hard to resist.
Chapter 1 only hints at the emotional and spiritual impact of being pulled from your home - based on your youth and looks - and of being made to follow a new diet, take on a new name, and devote your life to serving a new ruling power apart from God.
It takes an incredible strength to survive that.
I’m told I can’t keep using the line, “the surest way is to have Jesus in your heart”, but it’s true: that is the only way to survive something like this.
SLIDE 13 Daniel’s identity as a child of God - having a heart for God - is the only way he can be strong and endure his new reality.
SLIDE 14 He later writes that the beast “will be destroyed, but not by human power”.
It is a recurring theme in the book, including later visions.
It is only by the strength and power of God, and our identity in Christ, that we can endure and ultimately be victorious.
So there is incredible hope and optimism, even as loyalty to God may cause difficulties in foreign courts, or other ruling powers.
SLIDE 15 We do not put our confidence in princes, or in human beings who cannot save.
SLIDE 16 But instead we “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
SLIDE 17 This test of our loyalties and identity is captured in the hymn “I Vow to Thee My Country”.
It’s a rousing, patriotic song used in church services in Britain, on Remembrance Day, and even at weddings and funerals.
A recent BBC survey found that it is one of the country’s top 10 favourite hymns due to its themes of love and sacrifice.
The first verse is all about national loyalty and service, which made it extremely popular during the war efforts in the first part of the 20th century, but perhaps a bit out of place in church.
But the second verse says this:
“And there's another country I've heard of long ago,
most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
we may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
and soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
and her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.”
SLIDE 18 “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away; and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Our identity as Christians is in Christ. Our loyalty as Christians is to this heavenly kingdom.
That is what will give us strength when we find ourselves afraid or oppressed, and living under the shadow of sin.
Because this kingdom is one in which divine love and sacrifice are prized above earthly strength and pride.
This is what is truly victorious.
SLIDE 19 It would have been easy and understandable for Daniel to be trampled, and give in to the beasts: to be swept up in the promises of the royal court and national pride.
But his identity was first as a child of God.
In his vision he saw that these empires were beasts that deserved no loyalty.
He remained loyal, instead, to a kingdom that didn’t grow by the force of armies, or by crushing or trampling.
But a kingdom that grew silently, and gently, by changed hearts and souls.
SLIDE 20 I was never more patriotic than when I went to school in the States.
Suddenly I turned into a Heartland and Degrassi superfan.
There was one really low, homesick afternoon when I listened to a KD Lang album on my drive back from campus, then ate homemade poutine and drank out of a Tim Hortons mug while crying to a Sarah Polley movie.
I wish I was exaggerating for comedic effect.
It can be easy for things like that to inform our identity, and to shape that worldview that we talked about last week.
And we all have aspects of our identity that are important, and should be seen and valued and celebrated.
There’s nothing wrong with being proud to be Canadian. That doesn’t have to have the power of a beast that tramples us.
SLIDE 21 So long as that is not where we put our confidence.
So long as it is not the hope that we hold on to.
SLIDE 22 Because our hope is in the Lord.
Our primary identity is in Jesus Christ.
Because his grace and his faithfulness to his people brings victory over the powers of sin and death that threaten to crush and devour us.
And it is because of his love and grace that we are able to have love and loyalty for anything else.
In Luke 14:26, Jesus says that in order to follow him, a person must hate their family: their father and mother, their brothers and sisters, even their own lives. Maybe even their own country.
What this really means is that our love for God is meant to be so deep, and our loyalty to Christ so great, that any other love or loyalty we have for anything else looks like hatred in comparison.
We can only love anything else because God himself first loved us.
We can only reach up and out because the Ancient of Day first reached down to us, victorious over the beasts of our world, and the powers of sin and death.
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