Being Real

Being Real

Daniel 1:1-21

Good morning everyone, let’s pray

Prayer

This week as I was preparing for the message I was reminded of what this world is like without Jesus.

Being an older adult who has lived some life, I remember the life moment of President John F. Kennedy who was assassinated in 1963 while riding in a parade in Dallas. I was six years old at my grandmother’s house for lunch and watched the news media scrambling for answers to his death. I could not understand why someone would harm someone while driving in a car in a parade.

Dr. Martin Luther King was killed while standing outside a balcony of a hotel in Memphis Tennessee after speaking before a large crowd on human injustice. At a time in history when being different was cause enough for some to devalue a life for their cause.

On Thursday, remembering a nation that was struck by terrorist on September 11th, 2001. Our lives are sometimes impacted by what some people say and do… the values and ideas that can bring about change in our lives that is needed. We are also impacted by what others do to the people who are making an impact.

WE mourn this week the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, at least we should be morning his death because even if you did not agree with him, it was a life taken because someone did not agree with him and choose to end a life because of it.

I have never seen news media say the name of Jesus Christ as much as in the last few days!

I have no doubt in my mind that we are facing hard times in our history.

Jesus warned us that there will be hard times, impending floods, earthquakes and wars that will take innocent lives.

Scripture tell stories of lives that mattered-

Scripture gives us examples of how to live in a world that is hostile

You can make a difference-

You have a choice to be real in a real world

Turn to the Old Testament Book of Daniel Chapter 1

It is possible to make a difference.

Prayer-

Holy Spirit we invite you once again to anoint your word and open our eyes to see truth that will change our lives and those around us.

You know what being two faced is?

By definition, being two faced is having two faces and not knowing which one is real.

Artificial

Counterfeit

Fake

Phoney

Hypocritical

You know anyone like that?

This world today is looking for real- I am not talking about everyone doing their own thing and calling it being real.

I am not talking about people who say they are one thing and act different.

People who say they believe one thing but if they had to prove they were Christian they couldn’t. There are a lot of people doing that. That is not real!

Daniels training in Babylon is what prepared him for what was down the road and why he could be used by God. Let me say it again- it is what prepared him for what was down the road.

God does not waste an experience that he takes us through.

He gets no glory out of seeing us hurt but he will use those times to prepare us for what is ahead and use them to help others by what we have gone through.

Anyone want to take the rough things in our life and use them for the glory of God? To see what He will do with our hurts and hang ups!

Daniel 1:1-5 Read from Bible and then give background-

We see that God had allowed the Babylonians to invade Judah and King Jehoiakim had been overthrown by king Nebbuchadnezzar. God had allowed them to be seized upon. A study of Jehoiakim shows us that he was an evil king and the Israelites had walked away from God and God used the Babylonians to bring down the rebellious people of God. God allowed them to steal from the temple precious items and take them and put in the treasures of their God.

King Nebuchadnezzar appointed a chief to take the best of the best of the men of Judah and train them to be Babylonians.

They took them from who they were and made them to be who he wanted them to be.

It was taking them and stripping them of who they were and molding and making them who he wanted them to be.

They had no choice of being taken, they only had a choice if they wanted to die or be slaves like the others or because they were elite, go through the training and be working in the palace as God’s special servants who ate at the table of the king.