Title: Guardrails-Resolved
Date: 11/12/17
Place: BLCC
Text: Daniel 1.1-19
CT: God will honor the decisions you make with your guardrails.
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Typical of many other serious young men of his day, the young Jonathan Edwards drew up a list of resolutions, committing himself to a God-centered life lived in harmony with others. The list, excerpted here, was probably first written down in 1722 and added to at several times in his lifetime. There are seventy resolutions in all. The excerpts here give a picture of the seriousness and resolve with which Edwards approached life:
Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God's help, I do humbly intreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ's sake.
Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration.
Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general.
Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
Resolved, To be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.
Resolved, Never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.
Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
Resolved, To strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher excercise of grace, than I was the week before.
Resolved, To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better.
Resolved, Frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-3.
Resolved, Never hence-forward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's.
Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world.
Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
"Jonathan Edwards," Christian History, no. 8.
Do you have a list of resolutions? Are you ready to resolve your self to God? Jonathon Edwards is basically putting down his guardrails to keep him in line with God’s way for his life.
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We are finishing up our series on guardrails today. A guardrail is a system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off limit areas. Guardrails are always place a few feet from the area of danger.
We have come up with guardrails for other parts of our lives. We define these guardrails as a standard of personal behavior that becomes a matter of conscience. In this we set a place when we get to it our conscience goes off and warns us of the danger. These may not be relevant to others. It is for you personally because you know where the danger starts for you.
Our culture baits us to the edge. It pulls us in by offering us something we think we must have. Then it chastises us when we go over the line.
We spend money we know we can’t afford. No money down. No interest for 2 years. We chase after a woman or man. We flirt with them at work. We ignore or don’t put guardrails in place.
Maybe you have heard the sermons and think they make sense but not so sure they are for you.
You may think boy I am glad my husband heard this. My wife needs to hear this. My kids really needed that. But me, I don’t know.
You may say I’m just not going to do it. It is good common sense. But am I missing out on something if I stay behind the guardrails. I don’t want to be a good example I want to live life to the fullest. Guardrails get in my way. Shoot I can’t have any fun if I fill my life with guardrails.
The problem is temptations don’t leave even if we have no guardrails. Keep going even deeper. It gets more complicated the further in we go. We need a guardrail to stop us. The further you go in the harder it is to say no. Your appetite is never eased. The more you feed it the harder it is to back up from.
You lease that expensive car.
You have a girlfriend on the side.
There are lines we know we should not cross. That is where temptation occurs. Refusing to have guardrails does not remove the tension or temptation; it erodes your resolve, the ability to come to a definite or earnest decision. To follow God. To follow Jesus.
Your appetites are never going to be fulfilled. The more you feed it the more it grows. Every time you feed an appetite for alcohol, money, sex, relationships, etc. it grows.
What would you do if you were you and you love yourself?
You love yourself. You move your guardrail, your line back away from the problem. The further back you are the easier it gets.
Ok lets go to the Bible. Lets go back to 605 BC. To the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Neb was smart. He went in and defeated Jehoiakim king of Judah. Then he had his people get all the royal family and the nobility. In other words, the pretty and the smart people. He was going to make them citizens of his nation whether they wanted it or not.
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Daniel 1.4, young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.
This included Daniel and his friends, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego.
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Daniel 1.5, The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
They were going to be living with the king. Sure better than working out in the field as slaves. They were eating what the king ate. It was a s good as they could have dreamed of. It was like going to grad school with free tuition and great food. Or at least that is what Neb thought.
Daniel saw through what they were trying to do. They were going to try and erase his past and make him Babylonian and worship their gods. Daniel made a decision. A decision that could cost him his life but it was that important to him.
Compromise, does not erase the tension, it only weakens our resolve. Giving in and doing something weakens our resolve to fight it. Daniel knew this and here is what he said.
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Daniel 1.8, 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.
Daniel resolved that he would not cross the line and eat the kings food. He knew what that meant. It was food offered to their gods and it violated his teaching from Moses. It went against what Daniel believed and he knew God would want.
Daniel made up his mind before reading Daniel. He could predict what would happen to him and his friends if they ate the king’s food.
To eat the kings food would defile them. Whoa. Try telling your boss you can’t eat his food because it would defile you. What an insult this must have been to the king.
But Daniel made up his mind to not eat the food.
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Daniel 1.9, Now God….God is going to get involved here. God will use your guardrails to direct your entire life. Everything hinges on the moment when we have a “Now God” event.
We all have these moments when God takes a lead. He moves to direct us using our guardrails. You have no idea how a decision can direct your life or redirect your life. God makes the difference because we make up our mind.
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Daniel 1.9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel.
Daniel had made up his mind but what about Ashpenaz, the chief of the court officials. [Screen 8]
Daniel 1.9-17 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
Ashpenaz was afraid of Neb. He sent Daniel t the guard to see if he could be of some help.
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, [Screen 9]“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 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.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
They ate vegetables and water only. No meat or steaks. They ate only what God would want them to eat.
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At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. [Screen 11] 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 didn’t know how it was going to turn out. He made up his mind. He chose to do what was right in God.
So here is the challenge for you today. You have got to make up your mind to have guardrails in your life.
Is your marriage on the rocks? What guardrail do you need to make it work? It’s your choice. Then God will direct you toward a good marriage.
Are you too far in debt to the point you don’t know what to do? Put in your guardrails. It may take some drastic moves. You may have to make serious changes.
Your kids? Are you in a good relationship with them? What do you need to do to make it work? Are you giving them enough time? May need a guardrail there to influence your time with them.
Are you addicted to something that is tearing you apart? Put in your guardrails. Stay behind them.
Culture continues to bait you. You must resolve to stay strong.
Not having guardrails doesn’t remove the tension, it just moves the line to a place you may not be able to get back from.
I would like to share a scripture from Proverbs. [Screen 12]
Proverbs 11.3, The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
Knowing and obeying the will of God can’t be a half-hearted endeavor on our part, a hobby we indulge in when there is an emergency or when we feel like it.
God wants us to trust him with all our hearts and acknowledge Him with all of our ways. Knowing and doing God’s will is not a spiritual technique that we us occasionally; it is a committed thing we do all the time.
A preacher said, “There are too many cafeteria Christians in our congregation. Instead of letting God plan their whole meal and accepting it, they pick and choose what they want and they miss the best dishes He fixes for them.”
God wants all of our heart, and he expects us to obey all His will in our ways. If Jesus Christ gave His all for us, how can we give less than our all for Him?
Do a Daniel. [Screen 13] Make a decision. Most of our regrets would have been avoided if we had had guardrails. Future regrets can be avoided all together.
You must make up your mind.
You must say, This is it for me regardless of what anyone else says.
God will honor your decisions just like he did Daniel.
Refuse to believe tensions will leave without guardrails. Guardrails can save us.
The only thing you lose without guardrails is your resolve.
Bibliography: Stanley, Andy; Guardrails Avoiding Regrets In Your Life; Zondervan, North Point Resources, 2011,
