Tattooed on His Palms: You Are Greatly Beloved of God

Sermon outline

Like Daniel, you are greatly beloved of God, engraved on the palms of His hands, so you can stand upright, refuse fear and walk in peace and light whatever you face.

1. O Daniel, a man greatly beloved

   The angel called Daniel 'greatly beloved', which the Message Bible renders 'man of quality', and that is how God sees each of His people, men and women alike. Don't question whether God loves you, whatever trial or mountain you face. Long before your parents decided to have a baby, God already knew you by name and knitted you together in your mother's womb, so you came by the will of God.

   Illustration: If a woman tells you she loves you and you answer with a flat 'I love you too', something is wrong. People who would sprint 100 metres if the neighbour's bulldog chased them sit still in the presence of God; he urges them to be joyful and express themselves before Him.

   “I'm not thinking whether God loves me. I know I'm the beloved of God.”

   • Daniel 10:11
   • Psalm 139:13

2. Stand upright

   Too many believers are sitting down because of trials and persecutions, but the angel told Daniel to stand upright. People may label you, tag you and write you off, but God picks the one others have written off. You may go through the fire, but you will come out on the other side, because God will never leave you nor forsake you.

   Illustration: You can never knock a good man down: they crucified and buried Jesus, and three days later He stood up. The Hebrew boys came out of the fire without even the smell of smoke.

   “One man with God is a majority.”

   • Daniel 10:11
   • Ephesians 6:10
   • Daniel 3:27
   • Hebrews 13:5

3. God sees a beloved, not your past

   Daniel lived before Pentecost and was not born again, yet he was called greatly beloved; how much more a new creation in Christ. Some preachers boast that they never drank, smoked or womanised, but he says that was not his own story, and that is why he understands the grace of God. Paul persecuted and killed believers, yet after the Damascus road he could say he had wronged no man, because our wrongdoings are no longer counted against us.

   “Because I have gone through all of that, I understand the grace of God.”

   • 2 Corinthians 5:17
   • 2 Corinthians 7:2

4. Fear not

   A child of God does not walk in fear, and 'fear not' appears in the Bible over 60 times. Fear works bondage, depends on what it sees and comes by hearing the word of the world, of evil spirits and of the senses, just as faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The righteous are bold as a lion: if you are fired, it is only for your promotion, because God's way is upward and forward, and if He has heard you, His timing is right.

   “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But fear comes by hearing and hearing by the word of the world.”

   • Daniel 10:12
   • 2 Timothy 1:7
   • Romans 10:17
   • John 17:16
   • Jeremiah 17:5-7
   • Proverbs 28:1

5. Peace be unto thee: you are not confused

   The angel told Daniel 'peace be unto thee', which means peace in your home, your life and your finances. 'My ways are not your ways' belonged to the Old Testament; now Christ has become our wisdom, and because we were crucified, raised and seated with Him, we have His thoughts. Jesus called us the light of the world, so we cannot walk in darkness.

   Illustration: Read the Bible with intelligence instead of speed-reading it: we have been to school and taught to discern, divide and categorise, so use it.

   “If you are the light of the world, how can you be in darkness?”

   • Daniel 10:19
   • Isaiah 55:8
   • 1 Corinthians 1:30
   • Galatians 2:20
   • Colossians 3:1
   • Ephesians 2:6
   • Matthew 5:13-14

6. Darkness cannot stand the light in you

   When angels and demons look at a born-again believer, all they see is a glowing light, and demons must leave when you walk in, sometimes without a word spoken. Those who bless you are blessed and those who curse you are cursed, so there is no need to fear curses, powders or bad words. Like Paul with the viper, a child of God cannot be harmed.

   Illustration: Twice he dealt with a tokoloshe. Once a man who knew every scripture by the letter, but not the Spirit, was attacked as they entered the house and begged him for prayer. Another time, praying with his wife, he took authority in the name of Jesus, God opened his eyes, and he saw the small, ugly creature flee faster than any 100-metre sprinter. He also tells of seeing the devil at 3 o'clock one morning and later receiving a word from a visiting pastor from Australia that the glory of the Lord was so strong on his house no devil could come near.

   “Darkness cannot stand the presence of light.”

   • Genesis 12:3
   • Mark 16:18
   • Acts 28:3-5

7. Engraved on the palms of His hands

   When Zion said the Lord had forsaken and forgotten her, God answered that a mother may forget her nursing child, yet He will not forget you. The Amplified Bible says He has indelibly tattooed a picture of you on each of the palms of His hands. God has set you on a pedestal as a trophy: the addicts, alcoholics and outcasts the devil ruined, God has made precious and untouchable.

   Illustration: He imagines God showing Satan former addicts and street people now made into trophies, and compares believers to 'The Untouchables' from the gangster films he enjoys. He also enjoys wrestling, because Christians must know how to fight the good fight of faith and not be wimps.

   “God can never forget you.”

   • Isaiah 49:13-16
   • Job 1:8
   • 1 Timothy 6:12
   • Psalm 119:11