Youth of Biblical Convictions
-Commitment not Conformity-
Daniel 1:1-20
Today we are honoring our High School graduates. We are proud of all our youth in the Willow Vale Church. We are praying for God’s best in all their lives.
Today youth face the challenge of maintaining their Christian faith in public schools and colleges that are more secular than Christian. In fact many public school teachers are prejudiced against Christians. Educators who claim to be tolerant are completely intolerant toward Christians.
Dr. James Kennedy in his book, “What if America were a Christian Nation Again?” gives several examples of intolerance.
• A student in Utah was told to cover his Bible when he brings it to school.
• Christian students in Missouri have been told they may not pray over their meals.
• A public school bus driver in New York was fired for witnessing to a student when he answered the student’s questions about religion and gave him a Bible.
Who do you think make the following statement? “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today; for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words… When I was a boy, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.”
Did Governor Swartzenager, Mayor Gonzales, or Senator Boxer, give this quote. No, it wasn’t any of them. The quote is from the 8th Century Greek Historian Hesiod.
Regardless of the time-line of history Biblical truth is relevant to every age.
The story of Daniel and his three Hebrew friends lived 2,500 years ago. The story is about teenagers who lived lives without compromise. They demonstrated God honoring convictions.
From the Biblical account of Daniel and his three friends we learn basic truths on how to become people of Biblical convictions.
People of Biblical convictions ….
I. Do Not Conform to the Values of the World.
Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Judah but when his father died he gathered treasures and took hostages with him back to Babylon. Among the hostages were Daniel and his three Hebrew friends. They were forced to travel 1,500 miles to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar turned over the young men to his chief officer. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The kind 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.”
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abdnego remained loyal to their God and were committed to the values of God’s Word and lived according to the Ten Commandments.
Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel (along with his three friends) resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and win, and he (Daniel) asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”
With unshakable conviction, holy daring and delicate finesse of courtesy Daniel and his companions revealed their extraordinary gifts of wisdom and character. Whether they should eat the king’s food was much more than a questions of expedience or health. It related to the integrity of their vows of consecration as Hebrews to the God of Israel. The ceremonial significance of food even when just a part of the meat was dedicated to the pagan gods of Babylon would mean compromising their faith in the Lord God and the laws given by God to Moses. Regardless of the cost they would not defile themselves by eating any food dedicated to false gods.
Daniel and his friends were committed to living a life without compromise. They were youth of biblical convictions.
Daniel requested that their guard serve them only vegetables and water to eat for ten days. If after ten days they were not as healthy as the others in training then they would look at other options. At the end of ten days Daniel and the other young men looked healthier than any of those eating the royal food. So the guard did not force them to eat the king’s diet but continued to serve them vegetables instead.
Daniel and his friends based their convictions on God’s Word. Leviticus 11 – 17 outlines God’s commands concerning eating clean or unclean food. The true Jew only ate kosher food.
It’s helpful to distinguish between personal convictions and Biblical convictions.
Personal Convictions come from family, community, and are often based on personal tastes and preferences.
There are various convictions on how to spend your Sabbath or Sunday. For those who work on Sunday they need to find another day to celebrate their Sabbath. For most of us our Sabbath is also on Sunday.
Biblical Convictions have clear teaching in the Bible. The Ten Commandments are clear. You don’t need a conviction to not commit adultery or lie or steal. Biblical convictions determine why you do some things and don’t do others.
Biblical convictions agree with God’s Word.
Today Jesus challenges every young person and adult, “I want you to live in the world but not conform to the ways of the world.” (John 17:14-15)
The parents of Daniel and the three Hebrew youth must have done something right. The parents were true to the teaching of Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
As parents we carry out God’s commandments when we first apply them to our own heart and then impress them upon our children. Not hard sell but gentle persuasion. Don’t expect perfection.
Finish this sentence: “If it is worth dong it is …….” (It is worth doing well or not at all.) Where did you learn this? From your parents or a school teacher? Here is a better completion of the sentence: “If it is worth doing, its worth doing poorly!” If something is worth doing, it is worth doing poorly. A better philosophy is “If you first don’t succeed then try and try again.” Even when something is done poorly you can give encouragement to your children for just trying.
Your children are more apt to adopt your values if they feel you are on their side.
There are many ways parents can encourage their teenagers:
1. Ask for his or her opinion.
2. Ask your teen to plan a family day or vacation time.
3. Go to an activity together.
4. Dream with your teen about the future.
5. Write your teen a note and mail it. Tell your teen what you like and appreciate about the teen.
Use every effort possible to give positive encouraging feedback:
1. “You were thoughtful when…..”
2. “I have confidence in you.”
3. “You are really maturing.”
4. “It’s okay to feel that way.”
5. “I was wrong will you forgive me?”
6. “I love you.”
7. “You are one of a kind.”
Allow your teen to fail and don’t try to rescue them from every failure. You can coach teens to apply God’s Word to every situation and realize there are consequences to sin and making wrong choices.
As teens your goal is to develop Biblical convictions and apply them to your life. Don’t conform to the values and standards of this world.
People of Biblical Convictions…
II. Worship Only the God of Creation
Daniel and the three Hebrew youth believed in the Sovereignty of God. They believed God is all powerful and almighty. Only the creator of the Universe was worthy of their worship. They refused to bow and worship idols and false pagan gods.
Daniel and the three Hebrew youth were willing to put their life on the line rather than worship man made idols. They had a personal faith in the God of Creation and believed that with God all things are possible.
Here is a Biblical truth – “Your view of God determines your convictions and lifestyle.”
An example of an inadequate view of God was published in 1999 by Harcourt, Brace and Company in a 4th grade language-art-book. The teaching on environmentalism taught Pantheism. God is one with nature and you can become one with nature. The text gave this story: “Before she left the forest, Anrita kissed her special tree. Then she whispered, “Tree, if you are ever in trouble, I will protect you.’ The tree whispered back with a rustle of its leaves…As Anrita grew, so did her love for the trees. Soon she had her own children, and she took them to the forest with her. ‘These trees are your brothers and sisters,’ she told them.”
The Psalmist in Psalm 104: 1-9 gives an adequate view of God.
“Praise the Lord, I tell myself O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and with majesty; you are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariots; you ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants. You placed the world on is foundation so it would never be moved. You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. As the sound of your rebuke, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it fled away. Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.”
Daniel believed with the Psalmist that the heavens declare the glory of God and the heavens proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1)
Because Daniel believed God he faced lions and God took away their hunger. The three Hebrew friends refused to deny their Creator God and worship idols and were thrown into a fiery furnace. The angel of the Lord walked with them in the furnace and not the slightest burn touched their body. Whey they walked out their clothes did not smell like smoke but like freshly washed clothes.
You have this promise from the Lord. When you worship only the Lord God of Creation you can be assured that God is with you in every situation. He will never leave you or forsake you.
Be a person of Biblical Convictions:
1. Do not conform to the values and teachings of this secular world.
2. Worship only the Lord God of Creation.
III. Make An Impact on your World
People of Biblical convictions make an impact on their world. If you base your convictions on God’s Word and worship only the God of creation you will make an impact on your world.
What is your world? Your family,
Your friends at school and college,
People you work with and on
Your neighbors.
Look at the impact Daniel and his friends made. Through their influence the Persian Empire – the country of Iran was changed.
When King Nebuchadnezzar saw the power of the Lord God spare the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the flames of the fiery furnace, he said; “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel to rescue them.
When Daniel was thrown into a den of Lions for refusing to stop praying to the God of Creation and not bow or pray to the gods of the new King Darius. The Creator God spared Daniel and when King Darius witnessed the work of God, and probably over the protest of the ACLU of that day, King Darius sent out a decree to every part of his kingdom saying that all the people must reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.”
Daniel 6:26
Youth of Biblical convictions make a significant impact for God on their world while youth who compromise make a negative impact. When tempted to compromise your values or beliefs say “no” and stand firm on your convictions. You can by the grace of God refuse to do anything that brings disgrace to the Kingdom of God. Think, five years from now will I regret that I did this? Don’t think, everyone else my age is doing this so who cares if I don’t keep myself sexually pure until I marry. When you disobey God’s word you not only hurt yourself but you make a negative impact on your world.
Remember: “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.”
One thing you say about the Daniel and the three Hebrew youth they were youth of Biblical conviction. They had courage. They were people of Godly character.
Cowards don’t last long on their spiritual pilgrimages. They shrivel up and disappear. It takes great courage to repent and become a Christian. It takes enormous courage to follow God’s leading in the Christian life. It takes courage to live a clean moral life when surrounded by immorality. It takes courage to remain true to your convictions when everyone at your work or school or neighborhood says to you: “You’re hopelessly idealistic, old fashioned, a little bit strange, in fact, you’re a religious fanatic”?
I encourage you to be youth of Biblical convictions. Say ”no” to unrighteousness and “yes” to a life-style of making right choices that will count for eternity. You have all the resources of God available to you. Apply them to your life and every decision you make.
Young people, Jesus is always available to guide your life, but you must ask him. If you tell Jesus to leave you alone He will.
After Jesus healed the demon possessed man in Luke chapter 8, “The whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.” (Luke 8:37) Jesus had cast the demons into 2,000 hogs and stampeded over a cliff and were all drown in a lake. That’s a lot of “other white meat” to lose on the market. Jesus was bad for business and the owners literally were not going to bring home the bacon.
The people told Jesus to go away and he didn’t stay.
There are several ways to tell Jesus to go away.
You make an impact on your world by making Jesus Lord of your life. You have a decision to make – surrender to Jesus or tell Jesus to stay away.
1. You sense the Spirit of God speaking to you and you consider surrendering your life to the Lord. But you are concerned over what your friends might think or fear being mocked. You turn from the Lord and say in your heart, “Away from me Jesus.”
2. You reject following Jesus because you don’t want to change your life-style. To follow Jesus would mean giving up abusing drugs or alcohol or stopping having sexual relations to a person whom they are not married. Because of their life-style they say, “Away with Jesus.”
3. You reject Jesus by getting busy with other things. You consume themselves with work, with recreation, with home life with anything but Jesus.
If you tell Jesus to leave you alone He will.
God’s Word says: turn to Jesus while you still have time. This morning you are given the choice – “Away from me Jesus” or “Lord, take all of my life.” If Jesus is back for whatever business you are in then you need to find a new life of work.
Along with Daniel and his friends
Do not conform to the values of this world
Worship only the God of Creation
Make an impact on your world
On screen:
“All to Jesus I surrender”
1. All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give’ I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.
2. All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken, Take me, Jesus take me now.
Chorus: I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
