Sunday Worship 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Minister: Dr William (Bill) J M Parker
4. Resolve to Honour God – Daniel 1:8a - 8/10/17 (pm)
Daniel
Sermon Date: 8/10/17 (pm)
Resolve to Honour God – Daniel 1:8a
Main Teaching Point:
Purpose in your heart not to defile yourself before God—even in small matters.
In his late teens, Jonathan Edwards, the Godly 18th Century preacher/pastor, began to write resolutions by which he determined to live. Here are four (of 70):
19. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God …
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him …
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
In sixth century BC Babylon another teenager had similar desires.
Selective Compromise?
Daniel went to Babylon University, took a new name ... but refused food from Nebuchadnezzar’s table. Why? Suggestions include: the food wasn’t kosher; it had been offered to idols (but vegetables may have been too); it showed allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar (but Daniel ate his vegetables). More compelling reasons are, a simple lifestyle showed dependence on God, and, Daniel had to draw the line somewhere and this was it! Whatever the reason, this ‘small’ matter would defile Daniel … so he resolved
not to do it.
Christian, have you resolved to honour the Lord even in ‘small’ matters? (Job 31:1). Filling in your tax form? When you are home alone watching television or online? When friends gossip and you are tempted to contribute/listen?
Train Up a Child …
Let’s do some detective work to see what may have influenced him to take his stand.
1. Daniel was taught by Godly parents.
Daniel means Elohim is my Judge. This may speak of the Godliness of his parents and their influence. They no doubt obeyed Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
If we want our children to stand for God we must diligently teach them His way by words and example from their earliest days (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). This is primarily the responsibility of Christian parents, not the church! Daniel’s stand may be traced to a Godly parental upbringing.
2. Daniel was taught by faithful teachers.
If Daniel was in his teens when taken to Babylon in 605 BC, he was born around 622 BC. Revival was breaking out at this time, during the reign of Josiah, when the book of the Law was found (2 Chronicles 34). Daniel was, no doubt, taught by Godly teachers who had rediscovered God’s Law. Daniel’s stand can be traced back to Godly teachers.
Teachers/preachers of God’s Word are influential (James 3:1, 2 Timothy 2:15). Unfortunately, some children’s teaching curricula today aim to entertain rather than correctly handle God’s Word. Pray that those called to teach/preach, at whatever level, will correctly handle the Bible.
3. Daniel had come to personally love God.
We are not privy to his conversion testimony but he obviously had one. Daniel’s stand can be traced back to a personal walk with the Lord.
Faithfulness in the Small is Preparation for Faithfulness in the Big
Daniel was not prepared to compromise in a ‘small’ matter. If he (and his colleagues) had, it is unlikely we would have the stories of chapters three to six.
Christian, do you want your life to count for God? Resolve to be faithful in small (all) things. It will build Christian character for greater stands of faithfulness in more demanding situations. For Godly people small matters are big matters when it concerns faithfulness to God (Luke 16:10).
© Dr Bill Parker 2018