Dare To Be A Daniel!

DARE TO BE A DANIEL!

Dan. 1:8-17

INTRODUCTION

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way….10 but the official told Daniel, “The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said…“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished

than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:8-17

I. THE WORLD WANTS YOU TO CONFORM

A. WAYS THEY TRIED TO BRAINWASH THEM

1. SEPARATED THEM FROM THEIR FAMILIES, isolated.

2. CHANGED THEIR NAMES, to make them forget their heritage and God. Daniel = “God is my Judge” changed to “Bel protect his life.” (Bel-Marduk); Shadrach = “Command of Aku;” Meshach = “Who is what Aku is?”; Abednego = “Servant of Nebo (Nabu).”

3. They IMMERSED THEM IN THE WAYS & LEARNING OF BABYLON. They sent them to school where, not the Bible was taught, but Astrology, enchantment, and worldly philosophies were daily force-fed them.

4. It’s the SAME AGENDA TODAY – worldly philosophies are taught to our kids – evolution, Gay is ok/alternate lifestyles, sex outside marriage is normal, situation ethics. But there’s hope: Daniel and his friends overcame all the world’s efforts to indoctrinate them. This is hope for our kids and grandchildren.

5. POWER OF PEER PRESSURE: everyone else was conforming

B. WE’RE NOT TO CONFORM TO THE WORLD

1. Rom. 12:2 NIV says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

2. The Phillips Trans. of Rom. 12:2 says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” The Living Bible adds, “but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think.”

C. ILLUSTRATION

1. A teenage girl at summer camp was torn between two sets of friends. Some of them were sunbathing on the dock, saying “stay with us.” A second group of friends were in a rowboat saying, “No, come with us!”

2. There she stood, one foot on the dock, the other foot on the edge of the boat, and the boat was moving. Trying to please everyone, she couldn’t decide, and ended up falling into the water; and worse, got her hair all wet!

3. This is exactly what Jesus warns us about – we can’t stay in the middle, we have to chose one side. There will be times in this life when we will be required to say “yes” to one thing, and therefore “no” to the other.

4. And of course, the action we most often take is the same one that girl did on the swimming dock. We try to go in both directions. We try to say “yes” to it all, and we end up falling in between the seams, and being miserable. [Steven Molin, Flashing Yellow Lights]

II. DANIEL DECIDED TO OBEY GOD

A. EARLY DECISIONS – A KEY TO POWERFUL LIVES

1. Much of our future will depend upon our early days and decisions. Many people’s lives and careers are made or ruined during the teenage years. A pregnancy, committing a crime, or addiction to drugs, etc., usually alter - for the worse - a person’s life trajectory.

2. ILLUS. THE COURTHOUSE. [Knights 3000 Illus., p. 118]

a. On the summit of a hill in one of the western states there is a courthouse, so situated that the raindrops falling on one side of its roof descend into Lake Erie and from there to the Atlantic Ocean.

b. The drops which fall on the other side flow into the Ohio River, the Mississippi, and then the Gulf of Mexico. A faint breath of wind determines the destination of these raindrops for three thousand miles!

c. LESSON? A Small decision can have vastly different outcomes.

B. SEEMED ILLOGICAL TO TURN IT DOWN

The problem is that the food had been dedicated to Idols. Why was it still difficult to turn down?

1. THE BEST FOOD IN THE WORLD. It was the food of Kings! Steak, shrimp, lobster, Blue Bell, pizza, tacos, etc.

2. PREPARED BY THE BEST CHEFS. 5-star cooks. It was an “All-you-can -eat” buffet. Who would want to give that up?