Being a resolute child of God
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever resolved to do something? Have you ever made resolutions? What does it mean to be resolute? Is it the same as being Resolved? If you are anything like me you have been there on New Years making resolutions that you fully intend to break.
I made a resolution to lose 20Lbs this year and to date I only have 24 more pounds to go.
Resolutions are tough for us and they often times are things that we want to do, we hope to do, but have no intention of being disciplined enough to actually do. According to statistics 75% of people are able to keep their new years resolution for 2 weeks, the number drops to 61% for a month, and continues to drop all the way to only 16% of people keeping their resolutions for a whole year.Being faithful believers is a choice, it is a resolution we make and it is one that sadly many of us fail. Today we will look at Daniel and how he resolved to remain faithful to God and did so on multiple occasions. Today we will explore First the act of being resolved to the Will of God, Second the struggle of being resolved, and finally the reward of being resolved. Turn with me in your Bible to Daniel chapter 1 verses 1 through 20.
Being Resolved to God’s will
Being Resolved to God’s will
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 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. 3 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, 4 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. 5 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. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 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.
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.
What does it mean to be resolved? By definition being resolved is to be firmly determined or resolute. Resolute by definition means to be admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering. The word resolve is a verb form of the word resolute. When the scripture states that Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself it is stating that he made a firm decision and he made it happen. Daniel not only made a resolution but he acted on that resolution and was resolved to follow the will of God. In here this morning there are many people who are making a resolution to follow the will of God but you have not resolved to follow the will of God. It is good enough for you to say you are going to do something but just like your new years resolution you leave this place and you drop your resolution at the door. It is not fair to say that you forget about it because after all who can forget about God? You choose to not follow through with it. This seems awfully judgmental I know but I only know because I am the same as you. I make a resolution that every day I am going to read the word of God and every day I am going to be filled with His spirit and I am going to let Him lead me in everything I do. I leave this building and life happens. I spill something on me at lunch, I get frustrated and overwhelmed with life, I lose sight of what God has called me to focus on and before you know it I have walked away from my resolution and I have no anticipation of being resolved. I believe that everyone starts with good intentions but we are weak in the flesh and we do not follow through. The Scripture addresses these types of attitudes.
25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
Do these scriptures explain you? They explain me at times in my life for sure. So what is it that separated Daniel from us? The answer to that can also be found in scripture.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Daniel did not just say that he was going to follow God but he made it a life habit. It was no Jesus fish sticker, no desk Bible verse. It was his life. Daniel emptied himself of his desires and filled himself with the spirit of God and allowed God to be the driving force in his life. Daniel had faith with action. That is the difference in being resolute and resolving oneself. Being resolute says you are going to do something Resolving oneself is the act of doing it.
I recently had an instance happen where I had to put my money where my mouth was. We were at home and Rhaynee was laying down because she was not feeling well so I was in the living room with the kids. As with any time my wife is not around to keep us in line we were doing things that we knew we were not allowed to do. Hunter came out of the back room and he had a dog treat. Hunter and Aubrey in unison said dad. What will you give us if we eat this? I told them 10 dollars. I told them that because I had no intention of them eating the dog treat. But in perfect kid fashion they not only tasted the dog treat, they ate the entire thing. Now I know that I probably should not have allowed them to eat those but don't judge me.... When they ate them I had to follow through with what I said and paid them each $10 dollars. When their mother got up I was in trouble for 2 things. First for allowing the kids to eat dog treats. and second for agreeing to pay them $10 a piece fore eating them. I'm still recovering from that beat down.
The difference in making a resolution or being resolute and being resolved is acting on your beliefs. Today what we lack in the church is believers who live every day in the spirit of God being resolved to living for the Lord. Daniel was resolved to live his life in absolute faith to God. Are you resolved to live in faith to God? If you are resolved to live in Faith then you will know the struggle of being resolved to living for God.
The Struggle of Being Resolved
The Struggle of Being Resolved
9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
The struggle with being resolved to live for God is that it takes real living faith. Daniel had to step out on a limb to follow God and not only put his life in the hands of God but also the chief of the eunuchs life in God’s hands. It took Daniel being assertive in his faith and not simply going along with the crowd. See there in verses 10-13. Daniel asked the chief to trust him and to do something for him that would absolutely get him killed. To go against the kings orders was not allowed in these times and would result in death. The struggle for Daniel was that he was taking his life and others lives in his hands in faith to God. Now for Daniel this was not a struggle because Daniel had an unwavering faith in God. Daniel didn't think for a second that God would not bless him and honor him for keeping His commands. What about you? Do you truly believe that God will come through and that when He says to walk He will preserve you? Does your fear of death, defeat, the loss of a job, the loss of financial stability, or any other number of fears keep you from following though in your faith to God?
Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence was enough to overwhelm the toughest stagecoach guard.
Daniel was fearless in his faith to God. Daniel lived in the spirit daily which gave him the confidence to live in faith even when faced with death. Daniel would see this happen to him and his friends over the years and through the book of Daniel and he and his friends never once wavered in their faith to God. The struggle with resolving oneself to the will of God is that we allow fear and disbelief to cripple us.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
1 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
Daniel had confidence in who God was and how God would respond to Daniel’s faith. Daniel did not worry about death but he worried about honoring God. Daniel did not worry about finances or his position he worried about honoring God. Too many times our desire to honor God and do what He is calling us to is overridden with the fear of whatever it is we place over God. Daniel experienced the rewards of God’s favor because of him being resolved.
The Reward of Being Resolved
The Reward of Being Resolved
14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
At the end of the 10 days Daniel and his friends were healthier and better looking than everyone else. So much so that the king changed the diets of everyone else. Daniel and his friends were given skills and knowledge from God. They did not have to worry with the studying and proving themselves that everyone else had to worry with. Instead they focused on honoring God and in doing so God secured their success. Now I want to be careful not to cross the line of the prosperity gospel and tell you that everything will be perfect if you honor God because we can see in Daniels life that this is not true. Daniel and his friends had many trials but because of their faith God honored them and kept them. God build Daniel and his friends up and God gave them skills and knowledge. It does not say that they studied night and day and worked every hour. No it said that because of their faith God gave it to them. You are working so hard to be the best you can be at work, at home, in every aspect of your life and many times you are missing the one key that will make you the best at all of those things. That is honoring God. If you will resolve to honor God in every aspect of your life you will be successful. Not necessarily in the worlds eyes but in the eyes of God. God is faithful to follow through with His faithfulness.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
God is faithful I can continue with hundreds of scriptures in which God professes His faithfulness to those who honor Him. Do you want to find success in life? Honor God. Yes it may cost you your job, yep it may cost you finances, and yeah it may not look like success to the world but one day when the whole world is standing before God, He will honor you and all that work and all that suffering will be worth it. What do you think the honor Daniel and his friends are going to get from God is going to look like? Yeah I want to have that type of a relationship with God.
It was a stormy night in Birmingham, England, and Hudson Taylor was to speak at a meeting at the Severn Street schoolroom. His hostess assured him that nobody would attend on such a stormy night, but Taylor insisted on going. "I must go even if there is no one but the doorkeeper." Less than a dozen people showed up, but the meeting was marked with unusual spiritual power. Half of those present either became missionaries or gave their children as missionaries; and the rest were faithful supporters of the China Inland Mission for years to come
That meeting and message in the eyes of what the world counts as success was a failure. Hardly anyone showed up and the weather was horrible. But God showed up in that meeting because of Hudson Taylors faithfulness God made missionaries out of that meeting and saved souls in that meeting. God does not look to success in the eyes of man but He honors those who honor Him. If you want to be the best husband, honor God even when it means laying down your pride and ability to command in your home. Do you want to be the best employee? Honor God in everything and do not do things that dishonor God even if it might cost you your job. Want to be the best parent? Honor God. The list goes on and on and the answer is the same. For anything that you want to be great at, put God first and Honor Him.