The Life of Daniel | Pt. 1

Introduction

Tonight we are starting a new series where we will look at the life of a man named Daniel.

If there is someone in the Bible that truly practiced what it means to live a Kingdom filled life, it would be Daniel.

That saying, “You can talk the talk, but let's see if you can walk the walk?”… Daniel embodied that phrase.

When life happened and things got tough, Daniel knew whose he was.

Before we jump into the life of Daniel, we have to get some historical context of what’s going on.

Until this point in time, the Egyptians ruled over the land. They were the biggest, baddest empire until King Nebuchadnezzar.

King Neb, for short, was the king of Babylon.

The Babylonian empire rose up and King Neb conquered Jerusalem in 605 B.C. Jerusalem was previously occupied by the Egyptians.

When the Babylonians took over the first thing they did was take Jerusalem’s best and brightest young men back to Babylon.

These men were about 13 to 17 years old.

These teenagers or youth would be trained for a couple of years and then they would work around the palace.

Among the youth, was Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

A eunuch changed their names from Hebrew to Babylonian names:

Daniel (God is my judge) — Belteshazzar (Bel’s prince)

Hannaniah (Beloved by the Lord) — Shadrach (Illumined by Sun-god)

Mishael (Who is as God) — Meshach (Who is like Ishtar or Venus)

Azariah (The Lord is my help) — Abed-Nego (Servant of Nego)

These four youth would go through a Babylonian training for 3 years. They changed their names, changed what they ate, and changed how they were educated.

King Neb’s goal was to make these four youth totally unrecognizable as Jews and strip away their Hebrew culture.

He wanted them to realize that they needed to look to him for everything.

It got me thinking how Satan uses these same tactics today against us:

- He wants us to be identified with our past sins or mistakes…

- He wants to feed us what the world offers…

- He wants to educate us in worldly beliefs…

Daniel 1:8 NIV

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.

Like I said earlier, Daniel not only “talked the talk”, but he was serious about living out what he preached.

There were 3 reasons why the food would defile or pollute him:

1. the food wasn’t kosher.

2. it was probably sacrificed to idols.

3. eating it would mean that they were okay with Babylonian culture.

So Daniel and his friends refused the food.

You have to realize that these guys were your age AND the basically stood up to King Neb who was a powerful dude.

I want to focus on this phrase is verse 8…

“But Daniel made up his mind”

Daniel gives us a blueprint of how to get through trials in our lives. If you’re taking notes, you’re going to want to write these down.

1. The heart must be set.

a. Daniel made up his mind beforehand meaning that he wouldn’t compromise when things got tough.

2. Our protest must be polite.

a. Daniel requested to be excused from the king’s table. He made a polite request, showing discretion. Making a stand for Jesus Christ does not mean we must be obnoxious.

3. Self-denial is the goal.

a. Daniel and his friends knew that standing up to King Neb would cost them something, yet they were willing.

b. Following Jesus outside of the church realm is not looked upon as cool or favored.

c. Be ready when you loose some friendship, be ready for the name calling, be ready for these things.

4. The test will be bold.

a. Again the test or trial will be hard, but our hope is in Jesus. Even through the trial, God is still with us.

Conclusion

As we close tonight…

Daniel 1:9 NIV

Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel,

Because of the way Daniel did not waver when things got tough, God honored his faithfulness.

God will always come through. It may not be in the ways we thought it would, but God will always stand true to His word.

Tonight, maybe you’ve found yourself in Daniel’s shoes.

Taken captive by the world or a tough trial in your life; be reminded that God is with you. He is walking beside you in the good times and bad times.

[Actions]

Pray with an adult.

Come to the altar.

Prayer