1. Fun Facts about an ostrich
- They can run at speeds up to 43 miles an hour and maintain this speed for 30 minutes
- They DO NOT hide their heads in the sand
- The female sits on eggs during the day and the male takes the night shift (Doesn’t this sound like a great idea? I only expect to hear from women on this one)
- One ostrich egg is equal to two dozen regular eggs
- The brain of an ostrich is the size of a walnut
- The eyes are over two inches across, making them the largest eyes of any mammal. They can see for over two miles.
We will come back to why we are spending so much time talking about ostriches
2. The Statue
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that only Daniel was able to interpret the meaning of. The dream was a statue which represented 5 kingdoms that were going to take over the world. The first one was represented by solid gold which stood for the Babylon kingdom.
To commemorate this dream, Nebuchadnezzar built a solid gold statue which stood 90 feet high and nine feet wide. We do not know the depth of this statue, but if it was one inch thick, it would be worth 8 1/2 million dollars (figured at $7,000 a square inch)
3. Intimidation
Things change quickly when the social event of the world suddenly turns and everyone is commanded to bow down and worship the statue.
To create a new culture, we are going to have to learn to deal with the spirit of intimidation
There can be a battle in this because:
- We can miss out on what others around me are grabbing onto.
It was socially acceptable and expected to bow down in front of the statue. To not do it would cause people to stand out against the crowd.
Babylon is always calling us and God is always challenging us.
- What if I am the only one in the crowd that is not bowing? Can one person really change the culture we live in.
The enemy is about more than just isolating us, it is about destroying us.
Daniel 2: 8 the Jews don’t bow.
- The Jewish people were not bowing
- Daniel was not bowing
- The astrologers used this as an attack against three young men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Vs 12
King flies into a rage threatening to throw them into the fire unless they bow down. Notice double the intimidation
4. Answer to Intimidation
Proverbs 28:1 the righteous are as bold as a lion
Righteous does not mean doing right things, but putting on what and who Jesus is
Key Point: I am clothed in Christ’s righteousness as He was in this world, so I am
Righteousness:
- Makes us right in God’s eyes and gives us life (Romans 5: 18)
- We have righteousness as our weapons, both to attack and defend ourselves (2 Corinthians 6: 7)
- It is God’s armor around us (Ephesians 6: 14)
- It is a crown that will be given me when Christ returns (2 Timothy 4: 8)
By faith, this is who we are in Jesus Christ
The responsibility that goes along with this is I am a slave to my new master Righteousness (Romans 6: 18)
Basically, they are saying, we are slaves to another, how can we be a slave to you?
5. Fire or Fire
Why should we resist the spirit of intimidation and face the consequences in front of us?
The whole world is facing fire and it will all be destroyed one day.
2 Peter 3: 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness
Why stand up tot he spirit of intimidation? a fire is coming and I want to stand in the midst of it.
The three men were thrown into a fire, but they stood in the midst of it. They were also joined by another and he looked like God.
When an ostrich is threatened, it will run away, but during that time, it keeps it eyes focused on its eggs. It doesn’t lose sight of the eggs even when threatened.
We need our eyes focused on Christ Jesus Hebrews 12: 2