Rev It Up (New Year pt. 1)
Resolutions That Lead to Revival
Daniel 1:1-14
Resolution = 1) a firm decision to do or not to do something. 2) the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem etc.
Resolute = admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering.
Resolved = firmly determined to do something
Welcome to 2016 ladies and gentlemen. I know many of us have some great hopes for this year. As we do every new year, as we turn a page in lifes timetable.
But as much as we are hoping and praying for (breakthrough, for breakout and blessing year) for a year of peace and tranquility…
Listen this year will have its adversities.
How can your resolution help you thru times of adversity and put you on a path toward revival?
Daniel was caught in a world system and culture that forgot God. God repeatedly sent prophets to warn the people of but they continued to rebel and live in sin.
Daniel 1: 1-14
In 605BC God allowed the superpower of that day, Nebuchadnezaar and his Babylonian armies to attack Jerusalem and take over the city.
…and as an insurance policy against further rebellion he took members of the royal family back to Babylon as captives. And tried to assimilate them to the Babylonian lifestyle…
Daniel was one of the youngest hostages selected. Nebuchadnezzar had plans for Daniel and his friends.
This wasn’t the game plan Daniel had for his life. At a young age, Daniel had his own dreams and aspirations that were interrupted and a new plan is forced upon him.
Have you ever had your plans interrupted and a new plan presented to you? Whether the interruption was of your own doing or someone elses. Often our dreams from childhood have been thwarted…
In a short period of time his life was turned upside down. From a carefree teenagers to a slave of a foreign king.
He may have asked, "Why did this happen to me? “Did God bring judgment on Daniel because of some sin he or his parents committed?
Daniel was caught in a culture that forgot God. When a nation forgets God, everyone suffers the righteous along with the unrighteous.
"All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Joseph could say to his brothers that sold him to an Egyptian official. "What you meant for evil God meant for good to save your lives and the lives of our people." Gen. 50:20
At the time Daniel probably didn’t see the hand of God at work. But God’s ultimate plan was for Daniel to influence the highest leaders of power in the ancient world. That meant relocation.
God was at work behind the scenes preparing a young man that was yielded to Him to play a key role in the preservation and restoration of His people.
Daniel couldn’t foresee that he would advance to the highest positions in the courts of Babylon and Persia.
In the later years of his life Daniel would exercise more power than any other member of the Jewish race had ever known.
He would also have the privilege of leading his nation in repentance back to God. Next weeks message Rev It Up Pt. 2
Daniel is a prime example of how it takes Resolve, how one must be resolute in order to turn adversity into opportunities.
From the life of Daniel there are at least four resolutions we can learn and apply to our lives as we enter the New Year.
1. Resolved To Not Defile Myself.
Daniel 1:8 – But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine
Daniel doesn’t compromise his faith, or his faith WALK, when tempted with worldly pleasure.
He chooses to Walk right with God rather than to eat like a king at Nebuchadnezzar table…
we can either eat what the King of King places before us or eat what Nebuchadnezzar tempts us with…
By the way, Daniel is a teenager when he refuses to compromise…
Even when what’s being offered to you is the choicest of the land, if its what everyone would love to have…
:..if it goes against what God would want you to have or to do than you have to refrain.
So adversity happens to Daniel but Daniel doesn’t let that adversity dictate to him what he will allow into his body, his mind and his soul.
This year your resolution may be to go on a diet, to watch what you take into your body so you don’t gain weight, so you don’t carry added weight…
My resolution is to get healthy, mind body and soul… in order for me to do that, I must first cut out what is unhealthy, what is added weight that causes unhealthiness…
Physically I must watch my intake… but to be completely healthy I need to watch what I allow into my eyes, my ears, my heart.
I have made a covenant with my eyes that I might not sin against thee. Job 31:1
To watch what we take in with our eyes… what are we seeing that allows us to give into the worlds pleasures?
Men are you giving your eyes over to pornography? To looking lustfully at women you find attractive?
By the way, it’s not just men. Women say, “it’s ok if I look at the menu so long as I don’t order off it” talking about gawking at good looking men. Or magic mike.
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Matt. 5:29
Proverbs 4:23- guard your heart for out of it flows the well springs of life
PHILIPPIANS 4:7-…guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Daniel refuses to take in the worlds pleasurable foods… the foods that represent royalty and luxury in order to not defile his body…
In other words, Daniel refuses to sell out to compromise for the sake of the finer things in life
…in order to keep his body from breaking the biblical dietary laws.
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 1 Corinthians 6:19
Your body is not your own. When a woman gets pregnant, her body is no longer her own because she has another life growing inside her.
When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior the bible tells us that the Holy Spirit comes and resides in us, therefore our bodies are not our own.
What I take in (toxically) will hinder the growth of the Holy Spirit with in me. Not that I have a power greater than his but in that, He The Holy Spirit will not operate where sin is prevalent
There are many people who would be the first to say: "This is not the way my life is supposed to be!" "This is not the way I planned my life."
Adversity will happen, in order to not let it break you, you must resolve not to take in what is toxic. Weather by invasion or voluntarily.
We have decisions to make in how what we take into our bodies our minds and our hearts when adversity comes our way…
2. Resolve to Daily Diet On What Is Healthy
Daniel then said… “please test your servants for 10 days: give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink…” Dan. 1:12
Daniel determines to only take into his body what is healthy and available to him.
Vegetables will keep him full on what is healthy and leave him no room for the unhealthy pleasurables…
Listen if I take in what is healthy for me, then I will be to full to want to take in what is unhealthy, I will have no time to take in the nagative.
Set your day to receive more of Jesus into your days. Determine to read the bible. New Testament in the morning, proverbs at noon, testament at night.
But these things were written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 21:31
Set aside 15 minutes to pray in the morning, in the evening and at night.
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.
Matt. 26:41
Fellowship with the new family members here at the crossing. Get to know us. Coffee, lunch, hang out.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – read and expound
Be resolute to watch something healthy and wholesome for entertainment.
3. Resolve To Depend On God for the Impossible.
Nebuchadnezzar has this dream that is disturbing to him, and he wants it translated. He wants to know what this dream means… so he summons all the magicians, the astrologers, enchanters and the sorcerers…
Dan. 2:5 He says, “ this is what I have decided, if you don’t tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut to pieces.”
He (Daniel) urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery… During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Daniel 2: 18-19
Daniel believes God for the impossible… to tell someone about a dream they had? Seems highly unlikely, yet he is resolved to believe if he presses into God in prayer God will reveal.
What are you facing in this new year that seems improbable to happen? Perhaps you’ve said, “I don’t want to deal with this impossible situation for another year”
Then be as resolved as Daniel to believe God to do the impossible. To reveal what you need to see in order to have breakthrough.
God does His best work in impossible situations… it seemed utterly impossible for a million Jews to walk out of Egypt …. But they did
It seemed utterly impossible for them to defeat the Egyptians without raising a sword, but they did…
It seemed impossible to the new testament believers that this radical anti Christian named soul of Taurus would be stopped outside of death, and instead he is converted and goes onto to right 1/3rd of the bible..
It seemed impossible that when Peter was locked up in prison with 4 squads of soldiers just to watch him, bound with chains and 2 sentries there to watch the door, seemed possible that he would just walk out… but he does
Jesus looked at them and said, “with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27
4. Resolve to Display His Glory with your life. (Worship)
Daniel 2:20-23, 28a– read and expound
Daniel worships God with words of praise for who He is and what he has done (v. 20-23)
In verse 27-28 Daniel gives God the credit and the glory for revealing the mysteries to him about the kings dream.
Let the worship of God permeate from your lips no matter who is around.
Let your life in 2016 be a display of the glory of God, not that you have to give God glory for what he has done for you in front of others..
Daniel gives glory to God, brags about God directly to an egotistical maniac dictator… there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Eph. 3:20
As we travel through the New Year we can count on challenging interruptions and adversities. We need to be resolute to display his glory…
Even if you have denied Him in certain circles, or not spoken up out of fear of sounding like a zealot over spiritual foolishness… God can still use you now to bring Glory to the name of Jesus…
It seemed impossible to Peter that after he denies being a follower of Jesus, after he denies knowing jesus 3 times that he could still be used… the risen lord said, go get my disciples And Peter…
goes on to preach a message filled with the holy spirit, seemed impossible that he could ever be used of god but he was.
Through faith in Jesus turn every interruption and adversity into opportunities.
"We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary-we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives." Romans 5:3-5
When we live out these resolutions in the midst of life’s adversities we will revive what was once dead in regards to our relationships and our dreams
We will bring revival to our lives, families and churches…
Are you willing to make these resolutions listed today your resolutions for 2016….
But it starts with US, and our resolve to refuse to eat at a lesser kings table and to eat at the tabletop the King of Kings…
Communion at the Kings table, taking in what is the symbol of His son into our lives… and fellowshiping with one another… come up
