Last Sunday afternoon, Beth and I drove to the Chicago area to celebrate Mother’s Day with Beth’s mom. It was a joy to see her mom and dad, two of her sisters, and two brothers-in-law. After visiting for a bit, my brother-in-law Mark shared how disappointed and sad he is about what is happening at the Christian college he graduated from. He’s been financially supporting this school for over 40 years because it had such an impact on his life as a young believer.
With a grieving heart, he decided to discontinue his giving because the college has caved on biblical sexuality and gender issues. He’s made several phone calls and written letters to the administration, all to no avail.
After listening to Mark, I told him I respect him because he is a convictional Christian. He kept saying, “Brian, this is a Christian college…this is a Christian college…or so I thought.” I gave him props for his resolution not to compromise.
On Tuesday night at our deacon meeting, we discussed how important it is for us as a church to be convictional and not compromise. Here are some statements which were shared…
• Self has now become the interpreter of truth.
• There is no standard for right and wrong in our culture.
• We will not compromise or capitulate as a church.
• We need to respond respectfully to those with different views to win them to Christ.
It’s an honor to serve with deacons who have such a commitment to doctrinal clarity with a love for the gospel. When we were finished talking and lamenting, we spent time praying for our church, our community, and our country.
On Wednesday morning in my Bible reading from the Edgewood Bible reading plan, I underlined Ezekiel 9:4: “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who SIGH and GROAN over all the abominations that are committed in it.” God marks those who sigh over sin and groan over gross abominations.
In contrast, according to Isaiah 5:20, God pronounces woe upon those who redefine wickedness to make it sound palatable: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
Sometime ago I tried to capture our societal situation in one sentence and decided to add to it this week: That which is an ABOMINATION used to lead to LAMENTATION but is now a CELEBRATION because the UNTHINKABLE has become UNQUESTIONABLE and those who QUESTION are CANCELLED.
We’re continuing in our series called, “Re.” Last weekend, we focused on the importance of Rededication and made this point: Regardless of your role, rededicate yourself to God’s redemptive purposes. Our topic today is Resolve, which means to, “decide firmly on a course of action; an earnest determination to do something.”
In the Bible, resolve “comes from an inner conviction that a certain way to go is the right way.” We see this in Acts 11:23: “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” The phrase, “steadfast purpose” is translated as “firm resolve of the heart.”
Here are some biblical examples of men and women who lived out their convictions without compromise:
• Joseph, when faced with sexual temptation - “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)
• Joshua, when faced with whether his family would serve the Lord - “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
• Esther, when faced with fear - “Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)
• Ruth, when faced with whether to care for a family member - “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17)
Our main idea today is this: Resolve to live convictionally without compromise. Let’s look at the life of Daniel to learn how we can become more convictional.
Please turn to Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.”
Since we don’t want to take this text out of context, let’s go back to the beginning of the Book of Daniel. I’ll read a section and then make some explanatory comments.
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” (Daniel 1:1)
Jehoiakim was an ungodly king who tore up and burned a portion of the Book of Jeremiah. The Babylonians were the superpower on the scene with a mission to gain more territory and assimilate more people, so they surrounded Jerusalem (sounds like what Russia is doing with Ukraine).
“And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.” (Daniel 1:2)
It might surprise you to know God directed Babylon to conquer Jerusalem. God gave them to this evil country because of their evil deeds. God had warned them about this consequence for their disobedience in Deuteronomy 28:49: “The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand.” Nebuchadnezzar took some of the holy vessels from the Temple and placed them in front of a false idol. This was to show how his god was stronger and signified Judah’s submission.
“Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.” (Daniel 1:3-4)
These youths were teenagers, perhaps as young as 14. They were ruggedly handsome, skilled in wisdom, extremely smart, committed to study and had poise to stand before the king. Proverbs 22:29: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings…” These teens were taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans, which referred to the inhabitants of Babylon. The plan was to assimilate them into this godless society.
“The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.” (Daniel 1:5)
They were to eat and drink the same thing the king did. Their curriculum would take three years to complete at the University of Babylon, after which they would be brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar knew, like Hitler did, the first thing he needed to do was win the minds of the young people.
“Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.” (Daniel 1:6-7)
These four teens were from the royal line of Judah. Each of their Hebrew names reflected the God of Israel. They were given new names, which reflected pagan deities. In a culture where names were of great significance, the aim was to show the captives their previous identity was now gone.
Daniel – “God is my judge” Belteshazzar – “Bel will protect”
Hananiah – “God is gracious” Shadrach – “Fearful of a god”
Mishael – “God is without equal” Meshach – “Belonging to Aku”
Azariah – “The Lord is my helper” Abednego – “Servant of Nego”
Nebuchadnezzar’s goal was to change who they were. Even though he taught them his curriculum, he couldn’t change their character. He removed them from their families, but he couldn’t excise their faith. He changed their homes, but he couldn’t realign their hearts. Even though he altered their names, he couldn’t affect their nature.
I like what Ray Pritchard said about this passage: “When your heart truly belongs to God, you can go anywhere and face any situation and you’ll be okay. You can even live in Babylon and do just fine because your body is in Babylon, but your heart is in heaven.”
Let’s come back to Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.” Listen to how various versions render the first part of this verse:
• “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” (NKJV)
• “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself…” (NASB)
• “But Daniel was determined to not defile himself…” (NLT)
Resolve to live convictionally without compromise. This passage gives us three ways to do that.
1. Build your convictions on God’s Word. Verse 8 begins with the conjunction, “But,” which shows a contrast with what came before. Let’s unpack the word “resolved” a bit more. No matter what the Babylonians were doing to him, Daniel made a “decided resolution from an inner resolve.” The word order in Hebrew is significant: “Placed Daniel in his heart.”
He didn’t live by his feelings but instead put the facts of God’s Word into his heart. He wasn’t led by his heart; he led his heart. Even though others were doing things to him like changing his name, it was what he chose to put in his heart that gave him courage to stand up and stand out.
What are you putting in your heart today? Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” We make our decisions, and our decisions turn around and make us. What Daniel decided as a teenager shaped the next 60 years of his life.
Charles Spurgeon said it this way: “Daniel gave his whole self to a certain definite purpose which he deliberately formed.” Daniel resolved ahead of time not to “defile himself.” The word “defile” means, “to pollute, stain, or make impure.”
Would you notice Daniel didn’t take a stand on everything?
• He didn’t resist when he was deported to Babylon.
• He didn’t push back when they made him attend their schools.
• He didn’t complain when they changed his name.
But when he was offered the king’s food and drink, his convictions sounded an alarm. Why was that? Because to eat this food would violate biblical convictions. Daniel’s decision came from the depth of his soul and was directed by Scripture itself.
• According to Leviticus 7:21, the Jews were forbidden to eat unclean animals: “And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the LORD’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.”
• This food was first offered to Babylonian gods, with some of the wine ritually poured out as a religious libation (offering) to idols. Listen to this prohibition from Exodus 34:15: “Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice.”
• The Babylonians were known to imbibe in wine with strong alcohol content. Daniel knew getting drunk was a sin. Proverbs 20:1: “Wine a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
• These meals often became pagan parties, where the real issue was one of worship. To eat with someone was to approve of their lifestyle and worldview. Daniel was not about to sanction idolatry because he had resolved not to break the first commandment from Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before me.” His decision was ultimately about his allegiance to God and his conviction to worship Him alone.
To refuse the king’s food was a big deal. It was the best food in the land, and it could be perceived as insulting to the king to decline it. Daniel was in a precarious situation. Many fellow Israelites had been slaughtered by the Babylonians and others were enslaved. Daniel could have just gone along to get along.
Moses was faced with a similar situation when he was raised in the Egyptian palace. His resolve was based on his biblical convictions as we see in Hebrews 11:25: “Choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
We must avoid two extremes.
• Some Christians don’t stand up for anything, functioning more like spiritual chameleons, blending into the culture.
• Other Christians take strong positions on everything and communicate them loudly, confusing preferences with biblical convictions.
I appreciate the insight of James Davison Hunter from his book, Culture Wars. Here’s a paraphrase: “What divides us as a culture is not so much our views on abortion, homosexuality, and gender…the real issue is our view of truth.” Many today believe truth is relative, meaning there are absolutely no absolutes. The common mantra is this: “You do you, and I’ll do me.”
Brothers and sisters, we must believe and build our convictions on the absolute authority of God’s Word, regardless of what kind of pushback comes our way. Your starting point determines where you end up.
Resolve to live convictionally without compromise. Here are some biblical convictions that come to mind (there are many more).
Biblical Convictions
1. The Bible is the absolute authority because it is God’s all-sufficient word to us (2 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 19:7-11; 2 Peter 1:20-21). God has put everything we need to know in the Bible. When faced with any issue or situation, the most important question is always this: “What does the Bible say?”
2. God created the world out of nothing for His glory and our good (Genesis 1:1-2; Isaiah 42:5; Psalm 121:1-2). We are not the product of evolution.
3. God created us male and female from the time we were in the womb (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4). It is wrong to attempt to change our gender.
4. Marriage is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman for life (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6). Any sex outside of marriage, including the practice of homosexuality is a sin. Marriage between members of the same sex is wrong. Christians are not to become unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14).
5. Life begins at conception and every baby in the womb is made in God’s image. The preborn has dignity, worth, and value and must therefore be protected (Genesis 1:26; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Proverbs 24:11). Without a doubt, abortion is the ultimate justice and human rights issue as we’re called to stand up for the preborn. This summer, our three-day VBS called Super Summer Slam will be focusing on the sanctity of human life. BTW, since this is such a hot issue right now, we posted a podcast called “Answering the Top 6 Objections to the Pro-Life Argument” by Lisa Childers and Scott Klusendorf on “Sermon Extras.”
6. Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; John 8:24; 1 Timothy 2:5). We believe the Scriptures alone teach we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.
Personal Convictions
Biblical convictions are the doctrines held to be right or true by the church throughout the centuries. Personal convictions are based upon scriptural truth and apply to an individual believer’s life. Betsy Corning says, “Personal convictions never replace or contradict biblical convictions; they are a further, individualized application of biblical convictions.”
While this list is certainly not exhaustive, it’s important to resolve what you believe about these topics.
• Dating boundaries.
• The pursuit of purity. Job 31:1: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”
• Schooling choices for your children.
• Alcohol use.
• Music and media choices.
• Use of money.
As you develop your personal convictions, consider 1 Corinthians 10:23-24: “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”
When you think about it, it would have been easy for Daniel to eat the king’s diet. He was far from home and no one back in Jerusalem would know. Almost everyone else in his position was eating it. He could have eaten it with his fingers crossed. You can always find an excuse when you don’t want to do right.
Resolve to live convictionally without compromise.
2. Behave respectfully toward others. Daniel was determined not to eat the king’s diet, so he made a winsome appeal in the second half of verse 8: “Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.” Daniel was tactful in requesting a waiver. The word “ask” has the idea of “seeking” or “requesting.” There’s no indication he was rude, angry, or pushy.
That reminds me of this meme I saw on Facebook.
Secular Person: I want to do X.
Christian: You’re free to do it.
Secular Person: But you think X is wrong.
Christian: Yes.
Secular Person: Because you want to control me.
Christian: No, you’re free to do whatever you wish.
Secular Person: But I want to do X.
Christian: You’re free to do it.
Secular Person: But I want you to say that X is good.
Christian: I can’t say that.
Secular Person: Why are you such a hateful, intolerant bigot?
There’s a lot of anger in our culture today, isn’t there? The temptation is for us to respond the same way someone may be attacking us. Sadly, many Christians are doing that on social media. One author and seminary professor made this tweet on Wednesday: “Nah bruh we’re done with this ‘no bold clarity, just quiet winsomeness so the God-hating elites like us’ stuff. We hereby declare that era OVER; dead; buried. Welcome to the age of bold witness and no fear. Bring matches.”
I would think this brother would be aware of 1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” Colossians 4:5-6 also comes to mind: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Taking a stand doesn’t mean being arrogant, proud, or condescending. Write this down: There are wrong ways to be right. I turn to Spurgeon again: “Firmness of purpose should be adorned with gentleness of manner in carrying it out.”
Jesus was not always “politically correct,” but He was always perfectly correct. We must settle whether we will follow what Scripture says or what society says. We will not compromise by caving to culture, nor will we clobber sinners. Let’s be like Jesus who was “full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Resolve to live convictionally without compromise.
3. Believe God will make a way. We see this in verse 9: “And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.” Some translations say, “Now God…” When Daniel stood up, God showed up. Note this happened after Daniel resolved what he would not do. Often, we do not experience God’s blessing until after we boldly base our convictions on God’s Word.
The word “favor” means, “lovingkindness” and “compassion” refers to “tender sympathy.” This is incredible because the Babylonians were known to be barbaric. This cabinet member’s instinct would have been to exterminate these Israelities. This makes me think of Proverbs 16:7: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Joseph experienced something similar with the chief jailor according to Genesis 39:21: “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”
God promises to honor those who honor Him according to 1 Samuel 2:30: “For those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” These young men had made up their minds to live for the Lord and nothing was going to turn them from their convictions.
In chapter 3, they refused to bow down to the golden image and before being thrown in the fiery furnace, they proclaimed: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (3:17-18). In chapter 6, Daniel, now more than 80 years old, risked death in the lion’s den rather than compromise his prayer life.
The Book of Daniel is filled with miracles and drama but the crucial event in Daniel’s life was not the miraculous, but the simple decision not to cross the line and eat the king’s food.
Sometimes the reward comes quickly and often it takes much longer. And in many cases, our reward doesn’t come until we’re in heaven. Ray Pritchard adds, “Our call is to be faithful, knowing that in the end, whether on earth or in heaven, no one will ever regret standing up for Jesus.”
Resolve to live convictionally without compromise.
Sometime ago, I read a very convicting post called, “How to Ruin Your Life in Your Twenties” by Jonathan Pokluda. I don’t have the time to flesh it out so I’m just going to hit some highlights. We posted the link on “Sermon Extras.”
“No one ever plans to ruin their life…but ruined lives do happen – far too often. And they happen because of the choices we make…especially when we’re young.”
1. Do whatever you want.
2. Live outside your means.
3. Feed an addiction.
4. Run with fools.
5. Believe this life is all about you.
6. Live for immediate gratification.
7. Avoid accountability.
Let’s summarize.
• Build your convictions on God’s Word.
• Behave respectfully toward others.
• Believe God will make a way.
Action Steps
Your resolve today will shape who you become tomorrow. I close with three action steps.
1. Cultivate your convictions ahead of time. If you need some help with this, I commend an article by Kevin DeYoung which is also posted in “Sermon Extras.”
2. Expect incessant opposition from our ungodly world. Our culture will continually try to reprogram us to different ways of believing and behaving. 2 Timothy 3:13: “While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
3. Draw a line in your soul. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Draw a line in the sand.” The idea is to determine a point you will not cross; a limit to what you will do or accept. Ironically, this is not a very helpful metaphor because lines in sand can be easily washed away. I want to suggest it’s time to draw a line in your soul! Settle it right now before this service is over.
In California, the mighty sequoia tree can grow taller than a football field and many are older than the Bible. These trees are suddenly and without warning toppling to the forest floor. What is causing the death of such majestic giants? Is it fire? Lightning? Strong winds? A post-mortem examination revealed a startling cause. Tiny beetles, no bigger than the head of a pin, had crawled under the bark and literally eaten the fibers away from the inside. Although they looked healthy on the outside, on the inside they were virtually hollow and one day finally collapsed. Since 2014, 28 Sequoias have been taken down by these diminutive beetles.
The same thing happens when we refuse to stand our ground for Christ. Every time we compromise something bad happens in our soul. Eventually the little decisions add up and we become hollow on the inside even though we may look fine on the outside.
Show me a person who has fallen, and I will show you a person who started making compromises a long time ago. Don’t let that happen to you. If it has, it’s time to repent, to rededicate, and to resolve to live for God right now.
You can thrive in Babylon by living for God in a godless culture. Resolve to live convictionally without compromise.
150 years ago, Philip Bliss wrote a hymn called, “Dare to Be a Daniel.” I close with the chorus.
Dare to be a Daniel!
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!
