THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MAN/WOMAN OF GOD
Dan. 1:3-17
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: FREE HAIRCUTS
1. One day a Barber cut a minister’s hair. When the minister reached for his wallet, the barber said, “No Reverend, it’s on me.” Next morning, as if by magic, there were 10 silver coins on his doorstep.
2. The next day the Barber cut a Bishop’s hair. When the Bishop reached for his wallet, the barber said, “No Reverend, it’s on me.” The next morning, as if by magic, there were 10 gold coins on doorstep.
3. The next day the Barber cut a Rabbi’s hair. When the Rabbi reached for his billfold, the barber said, “No Reverend, it’s on me.” The next morning, as if by magic, there were 10 more Rabbis on his doorstep [Obtained from a Jewish Website]
B. TEXT
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz…to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 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. 5They were to be trained for three years. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. 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, “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.” 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.
C. THESIS
1. We’re going to look this morning at how Daniel, who was just a normal believer, became transformed into a person of such insight and faith, that he was promoted to serve 5 kings from three different conquering nations.
2. We’re going to look at the pressure to compromise, the decision to obey God, and the results of his dedication.
3. The title of this message is “The Development of a Man/ Woman of God.”
I. THE WORLD’S PRESSURE 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.
a. Daniel = “God is my Judge;”
Belteshazzar = “Bel protect his life.” (Bel-Marduk)
b. Hananiah = “The Lord shows Grace;”
Shadrach = “Command of Aku” (Sumerian Moon-god)
c. Mishael = “Who is what God is?”
Meshach = “Who is what Aku is?”
d. Azariah = “The Lord Helps;”
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
a. A group of psychologists showed the dramatic power of peer pressure. They put 10 teenagers in a room which had lines of 3 different lengths on the walls.
b. The group was asked to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line, which was very obvious.
c. Nine of the teens had been secretly told to raise their hands when the second longest line was pointed at.
d. In 75% of the different trials, the lone teens let peer pressure over-ride their own judgment and went along with the group. [McHenry, In Other Words, #616.]
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. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
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. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.”
3. ILLUS. I remember a farmer who came to the County Fair with a pumpkin that seemed to be the same size and shape as a 2 gallon jug. It turned out that the plant had grown up and been squeezed into the same shape as the jug its seed had fallen into [In Other Words, #164]. Let’s be what GOD intended, not something artificial and weird, like the pumpkin.
II. DANIEL’S DECISION TO OBEY GOD
A. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER
1. Character is what you are when you’re under pressure. Every choice we make is an expression of what we value more and what we value less. Do we value God more or the world more? Do you believe that serving God really “pays,” more than choosing the world’s way?
2. Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler that he would have “riches in heaven” if he sold his possessions, gave them to the poor, and followed Him, but the young man didn’t believe Him and chose what he could see and feel over Jesus’ promises.
3. HUMOR. A S.S. teacher asked her class, “Do you want to be like the Rich Man who went to Hell or the Beggar Lazarus who went to Heaven?” A boy answered, “I want to be like the Rich Man while I’m alive and like Lazarus when I die!”
4. Your character today is the sum total of all your past choices and decisions. The Good News is that you CAN change your future because you can change your actions today; you can make new and better decisions.
5. GODLY CHARACTER WILL REQUIRE SACRIFICES
a. Character requires self-control. We do only that which God would approve and will bless others.
b. Character also involves the self-discipline of delayed gratification. Character requires that you are willing to suffer “short-term pain for long-term gain.” The pain you refuse to pass through now will become even more painful in the future.
B. EARLY DECISIONS – KEY TO POWERFUL LIVES
1. Much of our future will depend upon our early days and decisions.
2. We often excuse the thoughtlessness of youth; we shouldn’t. We should notice that most people’s lives and careers are often made or ruined during the teenage years.
a. A pregnancy, committing a crime, or addiction to drugs, etc., usually alter - for the worse - a person’s life trajectory (of course, there are exceptions to this).
b. The decision to have good character or go to college, can catapult your life to a higher level.
c. It’s during our youth that the foundations of success or failure are laid in our lives. So with Daniel & his friends.
3. 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.
4. Now is the time to decide to live for God! Your decision this morning will determine your destiny from here on.
C. SEEMED ILLOGICAL TO TURN IT DOWN
Imagine you’re Daniel & company. The problem is that the food is 1). Unclean animals, 2). Not prepared correctly, 3). 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?
3. OTHER JEWS WERE EATING IT. Certainly there weren’t just 4 Jews being trained. We read how deposed King Jehoiachin regularly ate at the King’s table (2 Kgs. 25:29-30) without hesitation.
4. IT WAS AN HONOR, EVIDENCE OF THE KING’S FAVOR. To refuse it would probably gain you a place in the coal mines instead.
5. THE LIE OF SATAN IS… “Unless you compromise, you’ll lose your position.” Many modern companies have pagan managers. The Christians are under pressure to conform. But we must remember WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE OF OUR LIVES! If we please God, He will make a way to the top for us. If we Compromise, we will lose God’s favor!
6. The food and wine of the King’s table was a test for Daniel & company of their commitment to God. Would they trust Him? Obey Him? We too have tests. Will we give in to pleasure? Coercion? Peer pressure?
III. THE RESULTS OF HIS DEDICATION
A. THE TEST HE PROPOSED
1. Vs. 12 – “Give us 10 days of vegetables (& God’s blessings) and we’ll be better off than those who eat at the King’s table!”
2. Prov. 15:16, “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with trouble with it.”
3. The world has the right to look at your life and see if it’s worth it to serve the Lord!
B. STUDIES: CHRISTIANS DO BETTER THAN NON-CHRISTIANS
Research shows that Christians have better family lives, better mental health, better physical health, live longer, have better marriages, and produce kids more resistant to sin than non-Christians! Examples of findings:
1. A Family Research Report (1993) found “Churchgoing” was a key characteristic of VIOLENCE-FREE families.
2. BETTER MENTAL HEALTH. A Pew Research Study [1/31/2019] found “Actively religious people are more likely than their less-religious peers to describe themselves as “very happy.” Other studies confirm better mental health.
3. LESS HEALTH PROBLEMS. A Purdue Univ. study [In Other Words, #400] of 1,473 Americans found that those who were religious were half as likely to report health problems as those who weren’t. Forbes Mag. Published a new study 3/29/2019 which stated “Science Says: Religion Is Good For Your Health.”
4. LIVE LONGER. A Minister’s Life Insurance Co. advertisement stated (backed up by research), “Ministers go to Heaven 23% slower” than other mortals.
5. STRONGER MARRIAGES [In Other Words # 922]
a. National Divorce Rate = 1 in 3.
b. If Married in Church, Divorce Rate = 1 in 50.
c. If married in Church, attend weekly, pray & read Bible = the divorce rate is 1 in 1,105!
6. PRODUCE KIDS RESISTANT TO SEX & DRUGS. Religious faith and the determination “not to do it” were 2 of the major factors which prevented pregnancies of teens. A Rand Corp. study of 13,000 girls found them less likely to become pregnant if religious. [Aug. 21,1988 study]
C. THE RESULTS OF THE 4 HEBREW’S OBEDIENCE
1. Vs. 15 “appeared fairer and fatter” than all the others.
2. Vs. 17 “God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.”
3. Vs. 20 “the king found them 10X better than all others.”
4. Vs. 21 “Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.” Daniel would not have had a career that spanned 5 kings if he hadn’t taken his stand during the first king!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Many years ago at Yale University there was a popular young professor. A revival was taking place in New Haven, Connecticut (Yale’s town) which was getting public attention.
2. The popular young professor wasn’t religious at all, but he knew he exerted a tremendous influence over his students, and that his resistance to Christianity would lead many of them to do likewise. He realized he was a role model for them.
3. Not wanting to be the cause why many students rejected Christianity, this professor finally decided, “From now on I will cross the line and consecrate myself to follow the best religious light I have!”
4. He committed himself to Christ, and Horace Bushnell became one of the greatest religious thinkers, preachers, and writers in American history. All because he realized his influence over other people and decided it was the right thing to obey God.
B. THE CALL
1. Today is a Call to Repentance and a Call to begin being Obedient to God. How many will pledge to fully dedicate themselves to God?
2. Your character today is the sum total of all your past choices and decisions. The Good News is that you CAN change your future because you can choose your actions today; you can make new and better decisions.
3. How many will commit to trust God with your future and cross the line to complete consecration? How many will commit to begin obeying God?
4. Prayer.
[Some of the thoughts in section II.A. were derived from Chris Itobiye’s book “Values of Excellent Leadership”]
