A PURPOSE IN THE HEART
TEXT: Daniel 1:3-8
Daniel 1:3-8 KJV And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; [4] Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. [5] And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. [6] Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: [7] Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. [8] But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
I. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE TEXT
-The writings of Daniel open up with, as one might say, “the hammer falling.” Judge after judge, priest after priest, and finally prophet after prophet had preached with dire warnings that all went unheeded. Finally, the hammer fell.
-Israel had ignored the cries of their prophets and judgment finally came (as it ultimately always does), no one can escape judgment. Judah and Israel had backslidden and began to pursue other gods with an intensity that was both surprising and sad.
-Manasseh’s sin was the most troubling as he offered small children and babies on the fiery altars of Molech (the fire god of the Ammonites) in the city streets and groves of Jerusalem. Even though Manasseh would repent, what he had started coursed through the soul of his children who never made it back into a right relationship with God.
-So God looks about the Kingdom and finally determines that the idolatry and wickedness can no longer go unpunished. Therefore, he very uniquely takes the most powerful man in the earth at that time and uses a heathen king to bring them down.
-The hammer fell when Nebuchadnezzar left Egypt and traveled north into the land of Judah and assaulted the throne of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar violated the throne of the country. He violated the Temple by removing the choice vessels that were intended for worship to Jehovah.
-These two aspects are always affected by judgment that comes from God.
It is ruinous to the relationships around us.
It is woeful to our worship.
A. Four Young Men Stand Firm
-Daniel 1 gives us a picture of a large group of young men who have been captured and brought to Babylon to serve the new king. Before the conclusion of Daniel’s book one finds that there are four who really stand out in their service to God.
-The Babylonians were the nation who ruled the world. There was no other superpower at the time who could rival their hold on this world. A later vision in Daniel would show that this empire was the greatest that had ever ruled. None would compare to their holdings throughout world history.
-They were tempted away from home in a faraway land. This is how the enemy always tries to plot the demise of a man, he isolates him in a faraway land. It is the call of the faraway land that often times destroys the heart of a man.
The prodigal was destroyed in the faraway land away from his righteous father.
The failure of Lot came in distant land away from his godly uncle.
Peter, lost the battle at a strange fire, that warmed his body but chilled his soul.
Amnon, isolated himself in a sick seclusion, as he plotted to destroy Tamar’s life.
-These young men found themselves captives, surrounded by an overwhelming enemy, and under pressure in the far land.
-Most of us will never find a faraway land where we are under the pressure of an enemy and captives against our wills. Our temptations are probably much more common and even benign compared to what Daniel and his comrades faced. But Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy and warned him of something:
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
-The majority of those who serve the Lord will frequently be able to recognize the outright error of the doctrine of devils. . . . but it is those little wooing voices and callings of the seducing spirits that upset so many and create a shipwreck in their lives. You have to be vigilant in your walk with the Lord.
-That is the historical setting and political circumstances that these young men found themselves locked in.
II. LESSONS FROM THE TEXT
A. The Common Things -- Daniel 1:5
Daniel 1:5 KJV And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
-There are times that the most common things in life either have the ability to defile us or to elevate us. Character is always discovered in the common. Great men of God are not made in revival conferences, nor are they built in the fire and feeling in camp-meetings, nor are they discovered in youth camps or youth congresses. Great men and women of God are built day-in and day-out in the common hallways and avenues of life.
What could be more common than a meal?
What could be so terribly wrong with the king’s meat and the king’s wine?
-This particular temptation came to them apparently leading them to a position of honor and elevation. If Daniel and his brothers would have fallen to this, then they would have given up their great blessings of separation.
-If you will submit to the king’s table then there will be a great distinction that will come to your life. QUESTION: If Daniel and his brothers would have given in I am sure that they would have gained some measure of acknowledgment in their time but the question is would we even know who Daniel was had he given in?
-Because Daniel purposed in his heart and refused to defile himself, we are reading about it now and preaching about it now. . . . Something that happened in 607 B.C. is being held in high honor in 2005. That is two full millenia that we are describing his actions.
-What you do now has great implications in time and in eternity. Please see the bigger picture. There is so much more to this thing called the Kingdom of God.
-Therefore we must effectively deal with the temptation of our time:
Profess to have a relationship with God but eat from our table.
Tell us how much you love God but float along in the common current of this world.
Go and worship the Lord at the place you call “church” but keep your Christ out of our business, our school, and our lives.
Pray and have a devotion to God but act like everyone else.
Try to be a soul-winner but take a little bit of our king’s meat and wine.
You can continue have your hunger for God just don’t forget your chair at our table.
-One little lesson comes in their refusal for the king’s diet: If you cannot say “no” to the King’s meat and wine, then you will not be able to say “no” to the King’s idol. If you are going to serve God with greatness in the “big” things, then you will have to serve Him in the “small” choices of daily life. The common things, the common decisions, the common relationships, the very common-ness of life will either propel us toward spiritual greatness or hurry our backsliding.
-The tables that the world offers are nothing more than preparation to resist the huge idols and ferocious lions. If you fail to resist the king’s table, then you will worship the idol and be saved from the lions.
1. Peer Pressure and Flies
Once a spider built a beautiful web in an old house. He kept it clean and shiny so that flies would patronize it. The minute he got a “customer” he would clean up after him so the other flies would not get suspicious.
Then one day this fairly intelligent fly came buzzing by the clean spiderweb. Old man spider called out, “Come in and sit.” But the fairly intelligent fly said, “No sir. I don’t see other flies in your house, and I not going in alone!”
But presently he saw on the floor below a large crowd of flies dancing around on a piece of brown paper. He was delighted! He was not afraid if lots of flies were doing it. So he came in for a landing.
Just before he landed, a bee zoomed by, saying, “Don’t land there, stupid! That’s flypaper!” But the fairly intelligent fly shouted back, “Don’t be silly. Those flies are dancing. There’s a big crowd there. Everybody’s doing it. That many flies can’t be wrong!” Well, you know what happened. He died on the spot.
Some of us want to be with the crowd so badly that we wind up in a mess. What does it profit a fly (or person) if he escapes the web only to end up in the glue? (From Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, Charles Swindoll)
-Because Daniel and his brothers refused to allow the common things to be desecrated, one small decision made them immortal throughout history. That one small decision put their own lives in jeopardy and was totally against their own self interest.
-Yet isn’t that what faith is all about? ? ? . . . . Stretching yourself to capacity and having in the back of your mind a simple thought that God is able to deliver even though it is opposed to all rational thought and discussion.
Is this not what was in Abraham and Sarah’s elderly bodies?
Is this not what occurred with Noah begin to build his Ark?
Is this not an element of faith when Philip was transported from the Samarian revival to the desert?
Is this not what happened to David when he stooped in the brook to pick up five smooth stones that would ultimately kill a giant?
Is this not what happens when we go back again to the wells of salvation?
Is this not a step a faith when we forget the failures of the past and press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus?
-It is sometimes in the very common things that we make the choices that cause us to stand alone.
Noah built an Ark and voyaged alone.
Abraham wandered and worshipped alone.
Daniel dined and prayed alone.
Elijah sacrificed and witnessed alone.
Jeremiah prophesied and wept alone.
Jesus loved and died alone.
B. Purpose Can Withstand Time -- Daniel 1:5
Daniel 1:5 KJV And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
-“So nourishing them three years. . .” Purpose is not eroded by time. If the purpose is there, it can withstand time. That is why if God has called you to do something, it will be accomplished, no matter what comes your way.
-That is why we spend our lives fulfilling purpose and not marking time. Too often we are caught up in flipping the pages of the calendar and advancing the days on our PDA’s and little is accomplished except for the passage of time.
1. The Problem of Living for Time
By the time it’s all over, Tom Brady’s will be the fourth face on the Mount Rushmore of New England sports, right up there with Larry Bird, Bobby Orr and Ted Williams. He is what they were: single-minded, blessed with the ability to lift a team, a cutthroat competitor, feared when the biggest games are about to turn. Yet there are differences. He has been embraceable, which the others never really were. He doesn’t have their revolutionary physical skills. And, unlike the other three, he emerged from virtually nowhere; Williams, Orr and Bird were prepackaged stars when they got to town. Perhaps for that reason, Tom Brady -- despite his success, despite his two Super Bowl MVP awards -- seems at times to stand outside his fame. He is and everyman, dropped into a whirlwind of celebrity that sometimes seems as unfathomable to him as it would be to any of us. Brady’s time is rarely his and his alone.
Tom Brady wonders if that’s all there is. The New England Patriots’ quarterback has won three Super Bowls before even turning 30, yet something is gnawing at him. “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there is something greater out there for me?” he tells “60 Minutes” in a show to be broadcast on CBS. “A lot of people would say, ‘This is what it is. I reached my goal, my dream. It’s got to be more than this. I mean, this isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be.’"
-The only real fulfillment in this world is that which affects the Kingdom of God. There are no accolades in this world, there are no promotions in this world to compare to winning a soul and praying a revival into a church.
-Invest your life in something greater than building things that are linked to time.
Extend into the unreached areas of those around you.
Reach for the stars.
Pursue the lofty things of God.
Hunger for the supernatural.
Desire the things of the Kingdom.
Stretch your ideas.
Challenge your life.
Challenge your thinking.
C. A Change in Identity -- Daniel 1:7
Daniel 1:7 KJV Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
-They had their identity tinkered with. The enemy king changed their names from Hebrew names to Babylonian names. The man who forgets his spiritual identity in this world will lose his influence.
Matthew 5:13-16 KJV Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. [14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
-We are not ruined by living in the world but rather by the world living in us.
-Great irony was found in the particular way that the Babylonians changed their names.
Hannaniah whose name meant “the Lord is gracious” was changed into Shadrach which meant “illuminated by the sun-god.”
Mishael whose name meant “who is the Lord” was changed into Meschach meaning “who is Ishtar.”
Azariah whose name meant “the Lord is my help” was changed to Abednego which meant “the slave of Nabu.” Nabu was the Babylonian god of wisdom and education.
Daniel whose name meant “God is Judge” was changed to Belteshazaar meaning “Bel’s prince.” Bel was the ruling god of all the Babylonians, equivalent to Zeus or Jupiter, among the other idolatrous nations.
-This has always been the trick of the devil, to change the identity of God and he always starts this process by re-naming you and trying to make saints what they are never intended to be.
-Never let this old world change your identity.
When you walk the hallways of your high school don’t let the enemy change your identity.
When you navigate through the almost overwhelming temptations of this life don’t let the enemy confuse your identity.
When you face teachers (whether in school or out of school) who try to rattle your identity, stand just as strong as did these four young men.
When you face a dream killer that wants to change your identity to alter the outcome of the vision that you have for the Kingdom of God never give in.
When you face the criticism of worldly friends who want you to change your identity never forget that is how the devil always starts his influence toward failure.
-He is constantly trying to change the identity of men.
Cain went from a farmer to a killer.
Nimrod went from a hunter to a rebel.
Lot went from the company of the faithful to that of the faithless.
Achan went from soldiering to stealing and it cost him his life.
-When our identities are changed, it can only be accomplished one way:
Romans 6:4-11 KJV Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: [6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. [7] For he that is dead is freed from sin. [8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-We cannot afford to turn an apostolic church into:
A place for baby showers.
A gathering for church picnics.
A group to divide up into softball teams.
A place for youth outings where our Friday nights are filled with the foolishness of entertainment.
A social outlet that keeps us from this world.
-There has to be absolute purpose in our hearts for end-time revival and a great harvest before the return of the Lord.
-Some say, “that ain’t happened here.”
Has it entered your mind that you could be right now in the time of the pulse and water?
Has it even entered your mind that this preparation time is to put you on a track to be one of the presidents of the Kingdom?
Has it crossed your thoughts that today’s spiritual investments will lead to an interest compounded anointing tomorrow?
2. We Have Purpose
-John Balca was one of the early pioneer missionaries in Eastern Europe. He was particularly focused in the country of Yugoslavia in the 1930-1950’s. In his autobiography, he writes of the many difficulties that God helped him to overcome in the establishing of an Apostolic church in this region of the world.
Excerpt from My Life With God: An Autobiography of Jan Balca:
Persecution in Janosik
A few days after that Brother Cereveny and I visited the saints in Janosik where I was scheduled to perform a marriage ceremony. I preached a message about marriage, and then the young couple came to stand in front of me to take their marriage vows according to the Word of God.
Suddenly, the door of the church burst open, and a policeman with a rifle marched in. He shoved the barrel of the rifle into my chest and yelled, “Hands up!” Everyone present looked on in fear and wondered what was going on. This reminded me so much of when they came to arrest Jesus and He said, “Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?” (Luke 22:52). Then the policeman took me to Lokva and handed me over to a member of the Interior Ministry.
He angrily began his interrogation, “What are you doing in Janosik?”
I replied, “I was invited to perform a wedding.”
Then he yelled, “I will teach you a lesson! You will no longer wander around here and there and talk to people about some God who doesn’t exist!” Immediately he began to slap me in the face. While he was beating me he asked, “Does God exist?”
I replied, “Yes! And He created everything!”
He beat me even more furiously and yelled some more, “Then why did God allow the War (World War II)?”
I answered as best as I could in the midst of the blows, “It wasn’t God! It’s people’s hate and the evil of sin in the heart of man that causes devastating wars.”
Then again he asked, “Does God exist?” Again I replied, “Yes, He exists!”
He became even angrier and began to beat me with his fists while calling me all sorts of names and blaspheming God. The third time he asked, “Does God exist, and where is He?”
I replied as always, “Yes! God exists, and He is eternal, and He is sitting on the throne of His glory in heaven. On the day of His terrible judgment we will all stand before Him to receive what we deserve; a reward or punishment, according to what everyone has done in his earthly life.”
When I confirmed my faith in God and His existence the third time, he became furious because he could not force me to deny God. He snatched up a revolver and began to beat me with it, raining blows all over my body. He thought with this outburst he would scare me into submission. In his furious anger he hollered, “Where was God when the fascists were murdering our women and children? How could He have watched this awful injustice?” As he was ranting and raving, I suddenly felt sorry for him. I pitied him because he was under the influence of the devil, not knowing he was blaspheming God who is a God of love who loves all people. I was just getting ready to reach out to him and comfort him as an unhappy soul who was on his way to hell, when he hit me in a sensitive spot on the chest near the heart, and I began to lose consciousness. Only then did he stop beating me for fear of killing me. He became afraid because President Tito had just passed a law that killing was no longer allowed until there had been a fair trial. He called for a policeman to take me to jail.
They also brought in Michal Cerveny, and they interrogated and beat him in another room. He described these events in greater detail, and eventually wrote a booklet about it. Then at night they led us out of the prison. The man that beat me came to us and said, “You need to teach people to tolerate each other in love so that people live in peace one with another.” I replied, “We certainly do that because we know that our God is a God of love, and He wants to save everyone who believes in Him and repents of his sins.” Then he curtly dismissed us, “Get on the train and go home, not back to Janosik!”
We traveled home and on the way we praised the Lord for giving us patience and for counting us worthy to suffer for Him like the apostles.
-Just as Daniel, Bro. John Balca would not defile himself. God had placed too much within him.
-Both Ashpenaz and Melzar tried to get Daniel and his comrades to compromise.
III. CONCLUSION -- PURPOSE IN YOUR HEART
Wilma was born prematurely. This produced complications that resulted in her contracting double pneumonia (twice) and scarlet fever. But the worst was a bout with polio which left her with a crooked left leg and a foot twisted inward. Metal leg braces, stares from neighborhood kids, and six years of bus rides to Nashville for treatments could have driven this young girl into a self-made shell. But she refused.
Wilma kept dreaming. And she was determined not to allow her disability to get in the way of her dreams. Maybe her determination was generated by the faith of her mother who often said, “Honey, the most important thing in life is for you to believe it and keep on trying.”
By age eleven, Wilma decided to “believe it.” And through sheer determination and in an indomitable spirit to persevere, regardless, she forced herself to learn how to walk without the braces.
At age twelve she made a wonderful discovery: Girls could jump and run and play ball just like boys! Her older sister Yvonne was quite good at basketball, so Wilma decided to challenge her on the court. She began to improve. The two of them ultimately went out for the same school team. Yvonne made the final twelve, but Wilma didn’t. However, because her father would allow Yvonne to travel with the team without her sister as “chaperone,” Wilma found herself often in the presence of the coach.
One day she built up enough nerve to confront the man with her magnificent obsession—her lifetime dream. She blurted out, “If you will give me ten minutes of your time everyday—and only ten minutes—I’ll give you a world class athlete.”
He took her up on her offer. The result is history. Young Wilma finally won a starting position on the basketball squad; and when the season ended, she decided to try out for the track team. What a decision!
In her first race, she beat her girlfriend. Then she beat all of the girls in her high school, then, every high school girl in the state of Tennessee. Wilma was only fourteen, but already a champion.
Shortly thereafter, although still in high school, she was invited to join the Tigerbelle’s track team at Tennessee State University. She began a serious training program after school and on weekends. As she improved, she continued winning short dashes and the 440-yard relay.
Two years later she was invited to try out for the Olympics. She qualified and ran in the 1956 games at Melbourne, Australia. She won a bronze medal as her team placed third in the 440-meter relay. It was a bittersweet victory. She had won—but she decided that next time she would “go for the gold.”
Wilma realized that the victory would require an enormous amount of commitment, sacrifice, and discipline. To give her “the winner’s edge” as a world-class athlete, she began a do-it-yourself program similar to the one she had employed to get herself out of those leg braces. Not only did she run at six and ten every morning and three every afternoon, she would often sneak down the dormitory fire escape from eight to ten o’clock and run the track before bedtime. Week after week, month in and month out, Wilma maintained the same grueling schedule for over twelve hundred days.
Now we’re ready for Rome. When the sleek, trim, young black lady, only twenty years old, walked out on the field, she was ready. She had paid the price. Even those eighty thousand fans could sense the spirit of victory. It was electrifying. As she began her warm-up sprints, a cadenced chant began to emerge from the stands: “Wilma. . . Wilma. . . Wilma. . . WILMA!” They were as confident as she that she could win.
And win she did! She breezed to an easy victory in the 100-meter dash. Then she won the 200-meter dash. And finally, she anchored the U.S. Women’s team to another first place finish in the 400-meter relay. Three gold medals—she was the first woman in history ever to win three gold medals in track and field. I should add that each of the three races was won in world-record time. (Dennis Waitley, Seeds of Greatness)
-Pour your life into purpose for the Kingdom of God.
Purpose will cost you something yet it has the incredible power to exalt your life for God.
Purpose will help you refuse the world’s food and appetites and choose something far higher.
Purpose will send you to band practice at 6 A.M.
Purpose will give you 4 o’clock in the morning courage.
Purpose will defeat idolatry.
Purpose will destroy self-indulgence.
Purpose will help you to develop discipline.
Purpose will help you draw near to God.
Purpose will cost you something but the dividends are other worldly.
Purpose will place you faith’s hall of fame.
Purpose will challenge you and great things will evolve out of your life.
Purpose will make you pursue the Kingdom of God until you run out of breath.
Purpose will keep you up late at night and get you out of bed early in the mornings.
Philip Harrelson
