Be People Of Excellence In A Generation Of Compromise Series

Subject: Be People of Excellence in a Generation of Compromise

Scripture: Daniel 1:8-21 “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.” 11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. 17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. 18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.”

Introduction: What does the word excellence mean to you? To me excellence means to be consistent in good character, attitude, quality, and standards. It means to be unapologetically different. Being a person of excellence is a continuous process. All of us are familiar with the pressures of life to conform to this world. Often, we speak of peer-pressure as it relates to teenagers, but all of us face the pressure to compromise. Today's lesson is taken from a dark period in the life of Judah and Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, took Jerusalem, and carried away whom and what he pleased. A part of his strategy was to select the brightest and most talented men of Judah for his personal use. These wise young men, which including Daniel and the three Hebrew boys were gloomed, trained, and shaped to serve the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief of stall to train these chosen young men in the Chaldean language and all the customs of Babylon. Their original Hebrew names were changed too further separate them from their heritage. Their original names connected them to their heritage and reminded them of their Hebrew God. In order to cause them to forget their homeland, their God, the God of their fathers who had been their guide from their youth, the Babylonians gave them names that reflected the name of the Babylonian God, Dagon. Names are still powerful. Proverbs 22:1, states, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches; and loving favor rather than silver or gold.” During Daniel’s day names were carefully chosen to reflect the character of the child, its association to the family and to their God. Many today have fallen under Satan’s deception which begin with a name change. Under an alias, a stage name, or a pen name people are willing to say anything and do anything, while hiding behind a mask.

Nebuchadnezzar knew that one of the best ways to indoctrinate people was to give them a new identity, change their diet, their language and introduce them to new customs. Give them new music, new vices, and an abundance of flesh pleasing desirables. After a few months, the king thought to transform them into Babylonians.

Even though there are considerable difficulties in explaining some of the prophetic meaning of some passages in the book of Daniel, one can always find encouragement that build faith and hope, and great examples worthy of emulation. We find glimpses of Christ Jesus, his death burial, resurrection, his glorious return and even end time predictions. Today, let’s look at the life of Daniel and how he chose to live in a hostile environment, in a foreign land, under an ungodly ruler without compromise. The life of Daniel is an example worth emulating. I have titled the message, "Dare to be a Person of Excellence! The Bible is filled with accounts of many godly men and women who are good examples for us to follow. One such person is Daniel, a man who obtained preeminence and power in his lifetime: He started out preeminent among the young children of Israel. He was selected as a young man of wisdom and ability. Then he gained further preeminence among the wise men of Babylon. The Bible says that Daniel became ten times wiser than the wise men of Babylon. Finally, He was given power over all of Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Then After Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire, King Darius recognized Daniel value and promoted Him to a similar place of power in the Medo-Persian Empire. The Prophet Ezekiel, an older contemporary of Daniel spoke of Daniel’s wisdom and the level of excellence in Daniel’s administration.