How to live
A Godly Life In An Ungodly World
Week One - How To Live Godly In An Ungodly World
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[Music]
grab your Bible and turn to the Book of
Daniel tonight we're beginning a study
in the Book of Daniel and we're going to
look at the first chapter tonight and
the series title is how to live godly in
an ungodly world and that's the title of
this first sermon tonight here in the
first chapter of the Book of Daniel
there are 21 verses in this first
chapter but I will read for us tonight
just the first eight verses so if you'll
stand with your Bible open and let me
read those first eight verses unless how
pray or and then the study God's Word
together asking the Holy Spirit to speak
to our hearts through his word tonight
Daniel chapter one verse one in the
third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged
it and the Lord gave to him king of
Judah into his hand with part of the
vessels of the house of God which he
carried into the land of Shinar to the
house of his God he brought the vessels
into the treasure house of his God and
the King spake unto Aspen as the master
of his eunuchs that he should bring
certain of the children of Israel of the
Kings seed and of the princes children
in whom was no blemish but well favored
and skilful in all wisdom and cunning in
knowledge and understanding science and
such as had ability in them to stand in
the king's palace and whom they might
teach the learning and the tongue of the
Chaldeans and the King appointed them a
daily provision of the Kings meat and of
the wine which he drank so nourishing in
three years at the end thereof they
might stand before the king now among
these were of the children of Judah
Daniel Hananiah Mishael and Azariah
under the Prince of the eunuchs gave
names for he gave unto Daniel the name
of belter Shazzer
under Hananiah of Shadrach and to mich
you love me Shak and Azariah of a
bendigo verse 8 but Daniel purposed in
his heart that he would not defile
himself with the portion of the Kings
meat nor with the wine which he drank
therefore he requested the Prince of the
eunuchs that he might not
defile himself let me pray for us bow
with me if you would father we thank you
for your word tonight and for an
opportunity to study it together we just
invite your presidents Lord to take over
this preaching moment God give us ears
to hear heart to receive or as we learn
about Daniel so long ago may you make
application to our life tonight that we
can learn from him and be encouraged and
have hope that we can live for you in
this world because we have you living in
us and giving us power to represent you
as ambassadors in this culture so God
tonight we leave this place going to
leave with hope with boldness to share
you and lyl for you we ask it in Jesus
name Amen
you may be seated I don't think I have
to tell you tonight that we were living
in a post-christian culture it's a way
every time you turn the TV on every time
you hear and what's happening in our
world you know that we are moving
further and further away from biblical
values and traditional Christianity the
question is how do we as people who know
God in love God live for God in an
ungodly culture how is it possible is it
possible for you and I to be strong
Christians in this world that we live in
when there's so much pressure put on us
to abandon our faith in God and abandon
our belief and the authority of the word
of God it was we're called old fashioned
out-of-date if we believe the Bible is
the sole authority for life and living
how do we handle that kind of pressure
is it possible for Christians to remain
faithful to God in his word in this
cultural yes it is because Daniel here
in the Book of Daniel teaches us how to
live godly in an ungodly world Daniel
was the young man that was born in Judah
grew up around the things of God he was
carried away as we see in this first
chapter to Babylon to a culture that was
pluralistic in and pagan and yet Daniel
all the years he was there remained
faithful to God along his companions and
they lived for God now I believe God put
the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament
for at least two reasons the first
reason the Book of Daniel teaches us
that God is sovereign over the kingdoms
of this world that God is always behind
the scenes and God is in control of
human his
and God's moving the checkers from the
checkerboard God as a sovereign God in
control of all things
the second reason I think the book of
Daniels and the Bible is to teach us
that God's people really can live for
God in the midst of an ungodly pagan
culture no book in the Bible teaches us
and shows us how to live for God in a
world like ours like the Book of Daniel
teaches us he is a tremendous example he
gives us encouragement and hope that we
might live for God that don't think that
Daniel is the hero of this book God is
the hero of every book in the Bible and
it's God that gives Daniel the power to
live for him in the midst of a pagan
culture now Daniel faced the same
challenges that you and I face today and
yet II live for God so that's
encouraging tonight I want to learn how
to do that I wanna share with you
tonight I think about three ways the you
and I can live godly ungodly culture
first of all if we're gonna live godly
in our world we must prepare to be
challenged we're going to be challenged
our faiths gonna be challenged our
relationship with God what we believe is
going to be challenged in verses 1
through 7 you see the challenge take
place now in verse 1 we're giving
someone of the historical context of the
Book of Daniel and verse 2 we're giving
something of the theological explanation
for what's happening in the Book of
Daniel notice in verse 1 as we get a
little bit of historical context in the
third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged
it now Judah is the southern kingdom and
the king of course is Jehovah the
southern kingdom for under the reign of
Joakim had been declining both
politically and spiritually under his
reign he was one of the worst kings of
Judah leading them away from God to
worship idols he was nothing like his
father who was a godly King Josiah who
led the nation to honor God and worship
God so because he had taken the nation
far away from God into idol worship God
allowed Nebuchadnezzar to come and to
take the people into captivity and there
were three waves of captivity - in the
land of Judah the first wave took place
somewhere
the year 605 BC and in this first wave
as the Babylonians came into the city of
Jerusalem and carried people captive
Daniel and his companions were carried
into captivity there was a second wave
third wave the third wave when never
guess who came he destroyed the temple
and destroyed all that was there in the
land in this first way they carried away
some 70 to 100 of the Kings seed the
King's children princes the cream of the
caught crop the best the best and Daniel
will happen to be one of those who was
carried into captivity along with a
viable tells in verse 2 the treasures
from the house of God they took gold and
silver from God's house and this one of
the things that pagan Kings did to say
our God is stronger than your God see we
destroyed your temple we've taken and
plunder the things of God and put them
the house of our God that says our God
has to be as your God that was what they
thought though they were wrong in
Daniels day Babylon was the world power
of that day Nebuchadnezzar was the
greatest king of Babylon the Catholic
City of Babylon is about 50 miles from
the modern city of Baghdad Iraq on the
Tigris River Nebuchadnezzar was a wicked
King a warlord king but he was a great
build rebuilt the great city of Babylon
he built the Hanging Gardens one the
seven wonders of the world this is
something of the historical context
Daniel and his friends have carried far
far away from their homeland of
Jerusalem from Israel and place in this
wicked pagan city under the rule of
Nebuchadnezzar a totally different
culture than anything they knew about
before and then we're given something of
the theological explanation you ask
yourself why did God allow this to
happen to the people of Judah why did
God allow Nebuchadnezzar to win this war
and why did God allow Nebuchadnezzar to
carry them into captivity and we're told
in verse 2 looking verse 2 and the Lord
gave joaco this is the first of three
times you'll see in this chapter the
Lord gave don't think that
Nebuchadnezzar was a big bad guy that
Nebuchadnezzar did this on his own
because he had great strategy because he
was a great warrior no gods the one that
gave Judah in the hands of
Nebuchadnezzar God was punishing his
people because they turned their back on
God they were worshipping idols they
were ignoring God and God sent Jer
ayuh Jeremiah came as the preacher and
preached to Jehovah command told him
stop serving idols stop burning
offerings to idols turn back to God but
Joakim would not listen to Jeremiah
matter of fact he took Jeremiah's scroll
the writing of Jeremiah he took out his
pocketknife
sliced it to shreds and threw it in the
fire and burned up the scroll the
scripture I first won the most fearful
things and all the Bible see a man who's
a leader a man who's an authority take
God's Word tear to shreds and burn it
has to say what God says doesn't matter
and you know what happened the people
suffered because of the choice the
leader made and captivity came and God
was the one behind it what was he doing
he was punishing his people for
disobeying him and turned their backs on
him taste something else he was doing
only God punishing them but God was
purging his people when they came back
out from the 70 years in captivity they
never again worshipped idols like they
worship idols before because God broke
them from idol worship 70 years in
Babylon with all those false gods they
never came out and worship false gods
again there's a third thing I think that
God was doing God's in charge he's
punishing his people because they're
seeing he's purging if my daughter but
God is also penetrating a pagan culture
how is God penetrating pagan culture
he's gonna send young men of God into
that pagan culture to be salt and light
there he said oh poor Daniel poor
Shadrach more poor me Shaq poor Bendigo
poor guys no God is the one that puts
them there as foreign missionaries in a
foreign land to be a witness to the one
true Living God
we're told the land of Babylon was
called also in verse number two the land
of Shinar does that ring a bell the land
of Shinar in Genesis chapter 11 was the
place where they built the Tower of
Babel where do we get the name Babylon
we get the name Babylon from the Tower
of Babel in Genesis chapter 11 it was
the land of cigarettes it was the land
of false idols and worship and was there
that God sent the people and spread them
in places in that place where things
were spread out and were things when God
sent
judgment in that place God sent four
young men who were going to be bold
strong testimonies for the Lord in that
place it gives us some what I think of
the historical context the feel large
explanation what's happening God is the
one working behind the scenes and so
inner our our guys Shadrach Meshach and
Abednego in Daniel their names weren't
that of beginning of course we saw their
names Hananiah Mishael and Azariah but
look if you would at verse number three
and the King expect his chief eunuch and
said bring me certain of the children of
Israel of the Kings seat of the princes
any outline the kind of guys that he
wanted and he brings them charism
they're brought captives into a strange
land what a horrible trip that must have
been what they ride in wagons where they
how'd they get there they ripped away
from their moms and dads and from their
family and from the worship of God no
longer they living in Jerusalem the
center of worship for Jehovah God
they're going to be placed in a pagan
culture in Babylon where every kind of
God imaginable they were monotheistic
boys worship one God now they're gonna
be in a culture of polytheistic people
who worshiped multiple gods every God
but the true God and what is King
Nebuchadnezzar's and and listen greater
than King Nebuchadnezzar what is the
evil king of this world the prince on
the notice of the power of the air what
is his plan to capture our young people
what's the devil up to to take the best
of the best of our young people that no
love God and honor God well how does he
want to turn Babylonians into Christians
I think the first way he wants to do it
is by isolation in verse three he says
bring certain take them out of their
context take away from their Christian
home take him away from worshipping God
and bring them into this context you can
you imagine it says they were children
in verse 4 but actually it means they
were young teenagers they were young
teenagers how vulnerable they were
actually they were how separate they
were from everything that was familiar
and all that they had heard and all they
knew and now they're put in this place
and they're susceptible to the new ideas
and the new philosophy they want to be
they want to fit in you know they do
they want to be accepted by the culture
there find themself in Satan's strategy
to isolate them from their Christian
friends from the teaching of the word of
God and separate them from all this holy
that he might be able to influence them
in the way of the babylonians that's the
devil's plan today to take our young
people and isolate them from the things
of God from the Word of God from the
church from Christian influence get them
alone and bombard them by the way
anytime you get away from Christian
influence and God's Word in God's church
and the devil begins to isolate you and
you build walls around yourself you
become very successful - devil tearing
you down and messing up your life that's
why you need community that's why you
need the church in Christian people
don't let Satan separate you and isolate
you today oftentimes we voluntarily turn
our young people over to Satan and it's
planned for their lives parents please
be careful you don't just send your kid
off to a secular college somewhere our
university has Lam sent to the slaughter
I said it from the church from the Bible
from Christian influenced Christian
friends there they are vulnerable I say
trying to fit in this culture and they
become successful - so-called
intellectual elites who are going to
take them far away from the Lord Jesus
you say don't send our kids to a secular
university don't send our kids to a
public high school I'm saying you better
make sure they're prepared for what
they're going to experience in the
atmosphere there but they're gonna be
bombarded with their or find a good
Christian school to send them to say it
cost a bit more money while I tell you
right now and be more and be worth the
money cinnamon we're like a Liberty
University or send them somewhere where
they can get a Christian education you
say but it's cheaper to do this program
oh you better come along beside them and
support them and put around them good
Christian people that can counteract
what they're gonna hear when they get in
that secular environment the devil's
plan to take Christians determinate
babylonians first is isolation second is
education because we're told in verse
four they're going to be children who
must no blemish well-favored skillful
and all cunning and wisdom and knowledge
understanding science and how ability to
stand in the king's palace and they
might teach the learning and the tongue
of the Chaldeans these young people were
good
they were bright they had great a CTS
they were smart that leadership skills
social skills and they're going to teach
them the language and the literature of
the Chaldeans the evil kings playing as
you get it the evil Kings plan is to
brainwash them to take all they'd known
about God all they learn about God and
totally push that out their mind and
then doctoring them with the philosophy
of the Babylonians they're going to be
entering in a three-year university
three years training in the Babylonian
University in the and they're going to
be their courses will be the philosophy
and world religion and science and
astrology in the language and the
culture and the lifestyle they're going
to learn about the great Babylonian God
Marduk and the importance of the
Pantheon a polytheistic you L got you
got to be you've got to be multicultural
you've got to accept many different gods
they're gonna be immersed in that he
reminds us the New Age movement it's not
really new at all it's the same thing
it's always been that there are multiple
ways to God and multiple gods that you
can worship the Kings desire was to
touch their minds to teach them the
devil wants to teach our kids at a very
young age he wants to teach them what he
wants them to know to ignore God to
believe in evolution to ignore the only
way to heaven to ignore sexual identity
that's the Word of God gives the purpose
of course was to transform these men
into Babylonians they have a new land a
new language new ideas new learning in
for three years he's going to be doing
the best to do that we're doing the same
thing in America we call it that values
clarification that we're teaching our
young people how is the evil king
Nebuchadnezzar and how is Satan seeking
to turn Christians in the Babylonians
first by isolation second by education
third by assimilation verse five through
seven
he's going to do something to touch
their morals he's going to appoint them
a daily provision of meat and wine which
they're going to gonna gonna take and
they're going to eat now it's more than
just what you eat or what you drink here
he's not after just introducing them to
some steaks man and some and some good
wine east
after their morals he's after
basically enticing them to the accept
the lifestyle of the produce and the
possessions of this new Babylonian
lifestyle forget about holding standards
and accept the wide variety of the
lifestyle of a Babylonish his intent
wants to introduce them to a different
kind of lifestyle and it totally
immersed them totally immersed them and
assimilate them in the thinking like the
Babylonians this world wants us to thank
just like it thanks this words want us
have thinking this based on the Bible
but thinking this based on what this
world says is right and to accept that
and the pressure was on Danis friends to
change their thinking and the pressures
on us today to change our thinking
please listen me I'm saying something
through the movies and the media and
through professors and teachers to
change a way that we think if you don't
think like you don't act like you don't
embrace what our culture embraces then
you are dismissed from the conversation
well there comes a human sexuality when
it comes to lying when it comes to
drunkenness whatever it comes to we
don't think like the world and because
we don't we are ridiculed a kid's
booking in elementary schoolers heather
has two mommies to teach our young
people that it's okay for their be
homosexuality in the home and that's in
that public school and our kissamint
office what they want to assimilate
Christians into thanking all the
babylonians that we think like the
culture around us but God calls that
shameful and God calls that perverse in
Romans 126 and 127 we're undergoing a
constant pounding pounding pounding to
give us the appetite of the ways of this
world what was the plan to get these
guys to look like talked like act like
eat like I simulate like Babylonians
that they might reverse five said stand
before the king and look good and I
thought about this I thought the problem
was they were trying to get they ready
to stand before the wrong king you got
to make up your mind which King you're
standing before you understand before
the king of this world are before King
Jesus and that's the King you should
understand before and be pleasing to
that's our King that's our master that's
our Lord we're introduced in verse six
to these four young men were
all were given their names and Daniel
and Hananiah Mishael and Azariah and
verse six certainly they were probably
others but the Book of Daniel focuses on
these four young men their names are
going to be changed every time one of
their names was called it reminded him
of Jehovah God of Yahweh the name Daniel
means God is my judge the name Hananiah
means Jehovah his gracious the name
Misha el means who is like Yahweh the
name Azariah means the Lord is my help
and they're going to change your name
because he doesn't want them to call
their names I think about God he wants
their name to be called and think about
a pagan god a false God so Daniels name
has changed to belteshazzar which means
bail is protector of my life can Elias
name has changed to Shadrach which means
I am fearful of God a false God the name
Michele becomes chef Misha
which means despised before God the name
Azariah becomes a bendigo which means a
man that is a servant of Nebo the
purpose was to erase from their mind any
connection to God holy things or
spiritual things to be merged in that
culture Gloria Steinem said we hope we
will raise our children to believe in
human potential and not in God that's
the culture that we're living in very
much like the culture of Babylon to
reshape the thinking of our young people
to catch their minds and their morals
and lead them away from belief in God
prepare to be challenged young people
listen to me you're going to be
challenged every time you go into a
world religions class every time you go
into a chemistry class biology guys
every turn on every time you turn on you
know you turn on the Discovery Channel I
tell you how many billions of the war
years the worlds have been many millions
of visions years oh I'm getting out in
the world is how do they know that they
don't know that the Bible tells us that
God made this world and God made us and
if you believe in Genesis 1
one you got it all figured out from
there in the beginning God made Evans an
earth and you know that you got it all
figured out because God is God and we're
not gone and we haven't got explain the
way God and say it all happened by
naturalism know there's a God behind the
scenes who's an intelligent designer who
made this rule and made me and you but
you must be prepared we shouldn't be
surprised the heat sold the fires coming
our way we must be biblically prepared
to give an answer for the hope that's in
us if you're going to live godly in this
ungodly world you must prepare to be
challenged
second of all you must develop inner
convictions
you must have inner convictions verse
eight I think is the key verse in this
chapter where it says in verse eight
look at it but Daniel purposed in his
heart that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the kings of me
North the wine which he drank therefore
he requested of the Prince of the
eunuchs that he might not defile himself
now Daniel knew that living before God
is gonna be risky business
if you don't know first and if illegal
on your job as risky business
if you don't know standing for God in
the college classrooms risk your
business and that's your level to be
attacked and pounced on you're gonna
miss out on being prepared because it's
risky business it's risky business to be
holy in the live righteous and stands
for God speak the truth it's risky
business but thank God for a young man
that was willing to take the risk
biblically and honor God
now Daniel was ok with him he couldn't
do anything about them carry him into
captivity couldn't do anything about
that he couldn't do anything about them
changing his name they changed his name
well they came time to eat the Kings
meat and drink the Kings wine Daniel
said I refuse I'm not swallowing that
I'm not doing that
there's gotta be a place somewhere in
your life where you draw the line you
say I'm not going to swallow that I'm
not gonna violate that I'm not going to
defile myself I'm not gonna break my
relationship I'm not gonna take myself
was saying why is it that he drew the
line about eating the meat say well it
wasn't the diet the Daniel plan no he
was about the Daniel diet plan
Daniel decide he was going to eat the
meat or drink the wine because of two
reasons first of all because there were
certain food there was unclean
to a Jew from the Book of Leviticus
chapter 18 certain unclean food then
there was also the prohibition from God
did not eat meat that had been dedicated
to idols in Exodus 34
so Daniel based on these biblical
convictions said the Bible says I'm not
to do this and my convictions or
biblical convictions not personal
preferences but biblical convictions the
only way listen to me don't you miss the
only way we're going to have inner
convictions is for them to be biblical
convictions listen we can talk about
things that we did the Bible doesn't say
we can disagree on those things but the
things the Bible says we must never
disagree on those things we must believe
them because their biblical convictions
a preference or something you can take
or you know you you know a preference I
like this kind of music I like you know
Brahms better than Andy's which
it's about uh you know I'm struggling to
find something to analogy to give here
but preferences or preferences they
don't really matter but convictions are
something you're willing to die for
so biblical convictions these guys had
biblical convictions listen there are
certain things tonight we don't have to
wonder about lying is wrong cheating is
wrong stealing is wrong murder is wrong
rape is wrong human sexuality human
trafficking is wrong immorality is wrong
adultery is wrong fornication is wrong
homosexuality is wrong these are things
we have to say well you know I just
gotta decide no these are biblical
convictions that we stand on because the
Word of God says this and so we have to
make up our mind that our biblical
convictions listen are not built on the
popularity of the world we don't throw
our finger up say which way is the
breeze blowing what's being said on
Twitter what's going on on the news no
our biblical caviar convictions are
built on thus saith the Lord God and
they never change no matter what the
culture does were standing on the set
the Word of God
and biblical convictions are what we
need today they'll hold you in the
worldís when is blow against you the
anchor of God's Word will hold you I do
believe this is some of the most
important decisions young people make
they make before they turn 20 years old
what am I gonna do in my life in my
career that's getting you can push that
on up now let's take a little longer to
figure out okay Who am about marrying
young people make that decision and
about what I'm gonna do with Jesus
Christ make those decisions based on
what the Word of God says is stand on
the Word of God their biblical
convictions second of all their personal
convictions you say what's the
difference you can know what biblical
convictions are and yet you don't
embrace them she's got to be personally
embraced that's why it says in verse
eight that Daniel purposed in his
personal his heart that he would not
defile himself he can control Hananiah
Mishael Azariah
he influenced them but they could make
the decision for him but once he made
the decision it helped them to make the
right decision and the truth of the
matter is the decisions we make the
stand on God's Word are personal
decisions your breasts friend can't
decide that for you you can't assign
that as a collective group you must say
I'm on purpose in my heart that I'm
gonna believe the Bible and stand on
biblical convictions and Daniel said no
I'm not gonna eat the wine eat the meat
drink the wine no say no to sex outside
of marriage say no to alcohol say no to
pornography say no to the temptations of
this world and a great verse to memorize
would be Romans 12:2 and be not
conformed this world but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind that you
may prove was that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God now when do you
think Daniel decided he wasn't going to
eat the meat drink the wine you think he
was he went to this slit on the table
before him
you think he said well you know I need
to make my mind up what I'm gonna do
about this is what's been given to me no
I think Daniel made up his mind before
he ever got to Babylon there's certain
things I'm not gonna do and I'm not
going to follow myself and I'm not gonna
sin and take my heart with sin I'm gonna
obey the Bible I got personal
convictions it's interesting to look
behind the scenes and know what
influence Daniel let me slow down a
little bit where you don't miss this
Daniel I believe develop these deep
convictions during a great revival that
happened in the land of Judah under the
King Josiah a great revival came to the
land of Judah he became King Josiah did
when he was eight years old when he
turned 16 years old he purged all the
false idols toward out high places
rebuilt the house of God brought the
Bible out read the Bible tore his own
kingly robes fell in the dirt and
repented and God sent a sweeping revival
across the southern kingdom of Judah
underneath the leadership of this King
Josiah and the preaching of Jeremiah a
mighty move of God took place that
developed and touched and shaped those
young men that made them stand strong
now
they found themself a long way away from
the things of God can I tell you the
night I cannot tell you the influence of
a godly church on our young people a
church where the fire of the Holy Ghost
is burning where the God's Word is being
preached where there's youth camps and
Bible schools where we still come to
church on Sunday morning Sunday night
Wednesday night in this world is
pounding on our young people that's why
we can't just have church like usual why
can't we just go through the motions say
I'll just do the deal we need God we
need God's power to move in this place
the shape I um feel em I realize that
God is really real I felt heal my soul
and change lives
I saw them move in my church we need
God's fire and power to phone our church
to get our young people to shape their
life because they're gonna enter and you
and I could enter a culture that doesn't
know God at all and we need this place
to shoot us full of the Word of God
things of God the influence of the
church and our young people is so
important if you're gonna clap on that
note go ahead and do it really do it
good don't just halfway do it I agree
with that
also Christian families Christian
families the Bible says they came from
the king seed and from there were
princes now some people believe that
they came directly ask some of them work
associated with Josiah's family but the
idea they had Christian family I got to
get off this appointment me just say
this for I move off of it I can't tell
you how important is to have a god a
church filled with the Holy Spirit of
God moving and families that are
influencing their kids for the glory of
God what kind of kids are we raising in
our health and our families in our
churches today we raise the kids who can
take it like this are we really doing
that god help us to be intentional
because I think raising godly young
people's are a lot release will rot like
characters one of the greatest things we
can do is the church and what you can do
as a family
Daniel I ended up in Turkey inter
convictions first I have a biblical
convictions second they have to be
personal convictions and third they need
to be gracious convictions now it's
important in verse number nine
16 to see how gracious Daniel was and
requesting an alternate diet it says for
the second time notice the second time
it's going to say this in verse 9 now
God had brought Daniel into favor with
in tender love with the Prince of the
eunuchs verse 2 God gave Joel come in
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and gods the
one that gave Daniel favored you see
God's hand is moving and orchestrating
all of this and the Prince of the
eunuchs like Daniel Daniel made a
gracious request he it says in the last
part of verse 8 therefore he requested
he didn't demand
he wasn't belligerent he wasn't ugly he
wasn't red in the face the veins were
popping out he wasn't ugly he requested
the Prince of the US he might not have
father himself now the Prince of the
eunuchs was a little bit scared to do
that he said hey just give me something
instead of the king's meeting the king's
wine but the bible says that this head
eunuch he was frankly scared to get his
head cut off the last part of verse
number 10 he says if I give you this off
in a diet and you don't look good like
the rest of your fellows look good
it could mean my head being cut off so
Daniel drops down the chain of command
and asked the guy who's over him in
verse 11 Mel char the guy who's under
the Prince of the eunuchs he asked him
would you see if we could make a
arrangement here for you to give me
vegetables the King James says in verse
number 11 in verse 12 verse 12 rather to
Paul to eat which is vegetables and
water to drink I don't want the king's
meeting Kings wine but you know why
don't you just try it out for 10 days
just for 10 days bring me broccoli
broccoli and carrots and asparagus you
know he had to be full of God as a
teenage boy doesn't pass up a hamburger
for a vegetable Sciuto in water so bring
me these vegetables and try me out for
10 days but he's so gracious and so
winsome it reminds me listen Christian
people in our culture when you get on
Facebook you get on social media you're
trying to defend your point you're
trying to share the gospel be gracious
be kind choose your words wisely don't
pounce on people don't be ugly and
hateful but be grace
in taking your stand and verbalize your
stand in the Lord you can be gracious we
don't need any more rude obnoxious ugly
spirited Christians who have hurt the
name of God amen
think we can learn something from the
way Daniel doesn't and he does that so
how do you live godly in a godly world
first prepare to be challenged second
develop some real convictions it will
not budge hey I've got biblical fiction
they're my own personal convictions cost
their based on Bible I'm gonna be
gracious I'm gonna be loving I'm gonna
be kind but I've got personal
convictions his heart was lured to God
he had these convictions that because
that God's gonna bless him third thing I
want to say how do you live godly an
ungodly world first prepare to be
challenged second of all develop inner
convictions third of all trust God to
bless you trust God to bless you in
verse 17 through 21 we're going to see
that Daniel believed in obeying God and
his faith in God would be rewarded in
this life or the next
Daniel had determined not this to start
right and trusting God not to find
himself he was going to finish right he
was gonna cross the ticker-tape and he
was going to finish and God was going to
reward him well there was in this life
or the next life and God did reward him
first of all we learned that God blessed
him physically in verse 15 gnosis says
in verse 15 at the end of those ten days
their countless appears fairer and
fatter in flesh they're gaining weight
on vegetables how are they doing that
because God is interjecting and those
vegetables everything they need to take
care of their body it's not the steak is
and I love steak you know that would be
a real temptation for me and I was in
Babylon I'm hoping I would say pass the
green beans huh hope I would I would
don't look so holy sitting back over
there but God blessed them physically
why it was God that was doing this it
was God that was blessing this stance
the decision he made his choice I mean
you know sometimes if you're standing on
God's Word and honor God though you may
think there's no way God can turn this
around for good if you are
you'll be amazed what God can turn
around for good even some vegetables
even the cessation God could take it and
turn around for good if you'll honor him
and obey Him and so God blessed them
physically then God blessed them
mentally it says in the for the third
time the third time verse 17 God gave
them knowledge and understanding every
kind of literature and wisdom so we see
the gods are one this prospering them
and it says in verse 20 in every matter
I love verse 20 in every matter of
wisdom and understanding the King found
them ten times better God blessed them
mentally God blessed him spiritually
also in verse 17 Daniel had
understanding in all visions and dreams
you say well that big deal God gave him
God gave him understanding and
revelation divine understanding and
dreams well guess what it becomes a real
big deal in Chapter two it comes a real
big deal later on but yes discernment
perception he sees things from a divine
speed point he's spiritually in tune
with God and God is able to show him
reveal thanks to him even in visions and
dreams God blessed him spiritually and
then God blessed them socially too
because in eighth verse 18 through verse
21 when the King finds out what he has
in these young men he promotes them
he makes them rulers and gives an
administrative jobs in the kingdom of
Babylon their head and shows above the
rest and the King says I want these guys
serve on my cabinet I want these guys to
be among my wise men because God had
favoured them again I would say this
Daniel is a great book and the Bible
teach us that young people can make a
difference in a political climate if
they live for God honor God if God puts
him there Daniel did that he's the one
God Almighty not Daniel but God is the
one that put him there
did the King have thought the King for I
thought man he's 10 times better because
man my school is good my education is
good my diet is good but no we know it
is God that's good
it's God that's increasing them and God
that's using them and then look at verse
21 and Daniel continued even under the
first year of King Cyrus Daniel was a
young teenager when he went to Babylon
Daniel was somewhere in his 80s we
believe when Daniel died we see Daniel
in the lion's den as a young teenage boy
Daniel was a man the way up in his years
when he was in the Lions Den 70 plus
years he was consistent and faithful to
stay true to God to honor God honored
biblical convictions he went through the
rise and fall of other empires
see when it calls the name of Cyrus in
verse 21 it reminds us that Daniel was
faithful to God during the reign of four
kings he went through the kings
Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar Derek Darius
and Cyrus and was in the Kings cabinet
all through those different kingdoms
influencing those men for the glory of
God and now I ought to say this again
but later on I'll get back to this when
the wise men came from the east looking
for a star how do you think they knew to
go to the east looking for a star the
star of Jacob they knew that because
there was a young man named Daniel who
told them that one day the Messiah is
going to come the king of the Jews and
he told them about that and generation
of the generation of the generation knew
about there was becoming Messiah because
there was a light a dark place who
shared the gospel and told about a
coming King and Daniel was that man
faithful and steadfast get this it
was--it Daniel's personality it was at
Daniels charisma it wasn't Daniels diet
that made Daniel Daniel he was his
faithfulness to God that made him
successful and I can be faithful to God
and you can be faithful to God - I love
those last words those first words in
verse 21 that last verse and Daniel
continued kingdoms come and kingdoms go
Kings come and kings go presidents come
and presidents go but he was faithful
don't you want to be that kind of person
who's faithful
living for God in an ungodly job maybe
you're you don't along on your job that
knows the Lord maybe you're the one in
your family who knows the Lord you can
be faithful in that place that God has
given to you and it says he continued
the first year of Cyrus some people
believe and I'll close on this some you
believe the last official act of Daniel
was to write out the degree of Cyrus on
the cylinder and that he was responsible
involved in the liberation of the Jewish
people to return to the promised land
when captivity was over with they went
back to their homeland I think if you
make up your mind I make up my mind to
honor God and love God maybe God will
let me be a part of setting captives
free not from a foreign land but free
from sins bondage because of my life
being a radiant testimony to Jesus do
you know that Daniel found himself a
foreigner in this land and our Savior
came in this world as a foreigner lived
a perfect life did he not to set us free
from the captivity of sin and give us
eternal life Jesus Christ is the greater
Daniel who can empower you to live for
God in this culture we all that know God
want to live godly in an ungodly world
[Music]
thanks for watching this sermon we hope
and pray that it's been a blessing and
encouragement to you in your walk with
the Lord if you have more questions or
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