Standing Resolved in Light of God's Goodness

Introduction

Our theme this year comes from Psalm 33:8 “8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”

Pastor Dwight has been preaching through Colossians in the morning and the narrative accounts of Genesis. Each of these biblical texts give to us reason and motivation to stand in awe of God and fear him.

In Colossians we have the opportunity to stand in awe of what we as Christian, as God’s church, can be transformed into Christlikeness through living centrally focused on Jesus Christ. In Genesis we can stand in awe of how God works in light of man’s depraved humanity. We see in both of these texts God’s goodness! We see God’s good dealings with his creation.

Tonight we are going to look at another text that reveals God’s goodness. But first we need to look a little more at what IS God’s goodness.

Sometimes I feel as though we often talk about God’s goodness like we talk about God’s glory. We believe God is good, we intellectually understand it but struggle to explain it or put it into words. This, I know in my life, has hindered me to fully live properly in the reality of God’s goodness.

It is important that we understand God’s goodness.

The word used in scripture at its base definition refers to that which has desirable or positive qualities. One theologian describes God’s goodness in terms of his moral attributes. God’s goodness is who he is and how he acts toward his creation. Thus, the Bible describes God and his actions as pleasant, desirable, agreeable and beneficial (Laney, 187, Understanding Christian Theology). The word “good” is most often referred to God or that which is morally good.

To boil down the definition of God’s goodness, we can say that God’s goodness is the action of his perfect character in relationship to his creation. God’s goodness can be seen in a various of his attributes. Many of these attributes we on a finite and imperfect level can emulate. The Apostle Paul eludes to this truth in Ephesians 5:1 “1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;”

God’s goodness is laced throughout scripture. The various authors of scripture declare and describe God’s goodness over and over again. Here are a few passages.

Psalm 73:1 “1 Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!”

Exodus 33:19 “19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.””

Jeremiah 31:14 “14 “I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.”

Psalm 34:8 “8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

Psalm 25:7-8 “7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.”

Genesis 1:25, 31 “25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” “31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Matthew 7:11 “11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

Matthew 19:17 “17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.””

Mark 10:18 “18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

James 1:17 “17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

1 Timothy 4:4 “4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;”

Many other passages in scripture describe God’s goodness. Our passage this evening describes God’s goodness and a man who believed in God’s goodness.

See tonight I want us to learn and be reminded to stand in awe of God’s goodness. God’s goodness needs to be a motivating factor for us each day to live confident and resolved to live according to His precepts…according to His Word!

Our narrative this evening is nothing new to us. We have all heard sermons and lessons taught on the life and circumstances of Daniel and through extensions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. From the time I was a kid these narratives were and still are some of my favorite stories. I mean who cannot enjoy hearing about the Jewish slaves who show up the Chaldean idol worshippers. How can you not enjoy seeing the awe and amazement of seeing three men thrown into an excessively hot furnace to come out unscathed or a man thrown into a den of hungry and viscious lions. Who here wonders what it was like for Belshazzar to see the writing on the wall?

These stories are fun and exciting to read. However, sometimes we read these stories and skim over God’s part in the story. We do not dismiss it but we focus on the trust of Daniel and his friends or even their commitment and resolve to do right without diving into the part God plays in the narrative and ultimately seeing God’s goodness in their lives.

Tonight I want to emphasize God’s goodness as to the reason Daniel stood resolved. It is not that Daniel chose over night to stand resolved. Daniel had observed God’s goodness and chose to act accordingly. God’s goodness drove Daniel’s actions.

The big idea for us this evening is:

Standing resolved to live righteously flows from standing in awe of God’s goodness.

I. God is good regardless of our surrounding environment, 1-7.

a. Background

i. The events of the book of Daniel took place near 605 B.C. Nearly 19 years before the complete destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Daniel then lived during each of the next two, 597 and 586, captivities where young men were brought in from Judah.

ii. Daniel survived the length of the entire captivity to when the Jews were allowed to return.

iii. Daniel likely had his early home in Jerusalem which would be from where he was taken captive. He along with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah probably were no more than 15 or 16 years of age.

iv. They were taken by a pagan and wicked society that wants to swallow up anyone in its path.

Daniel and his friends had pressures on them to compromise the holy lives that God had called them to live. Up to this point the pressure to live unholy would not have been this strong. They now were facing pressure they have never experienced. The text does not reveal specifics of God’s goodness but Daniel clearly remembered the many ways he had and would experience God’s goodness. Aspects he knew of God was his covenant faithfulness, he most likely remembered hearing the oral teaching of God’s work in the nation of Israel. He remembered the command of God to be holy as God is holy. He would have remembered the power of God in delivering Israel from Egyptian oppression. Daniel would have recalled God’s love and mercy. Daniel did not allow the surrounding environment to shift his gaze away from God and his goodness.

b. Application

Our environment/culture is not far from that of Babylon.

1. Sinful Government – the king was on a consistent basis leading the kingdom against all that God desired to see in man.

2. Immoral Relationships

3. Brainwashing Education:

a. Babylon

i. Changed the person’s name

ii. Only young men of certain age

iii. Only young men of certain looks

iv. Only young men with capable mind

v. Only those who are socially special in being wise.

b. Ungodly Agenda’s

Daniel—The Triumph of God’s Kingdom The Pressure to Compromise Holiness (1:3–8)

The pressure on Christians to change their thinking today comes from the print media, movies, and television as well as from teachers. For example, we have all experienced the pressure of our society trying to change our thinking about homosexuality, calling it an alternate lifestyle. Books, even on the elementary level, teach children about “Heather who has two mommies.” They teach children that this is a good alternative. God calls it both shameful and a perversion in Romans 1:26, 27:

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

i. Homosexual agenda

ii. Materialistic agenda

iii. Humanistic agenda

iv. Pragmatic agenda

c. Self-Serving mentality

i. Illustration – Self-Serve vs Full-Serve Gas

ii. Customer Service vs Company Service

I have just listed off multiple negative ways that we can see similarities with ancient Babylon. It seems like today, in our present environment, us Christians tend to do just that…we focus all too often on what is wrong with our society, with our surrounding circumstances and environment. Oh, Christian, we cannot live focused on the negative. Our central focus has got to be on God’s goodness! Daniel did not focus on the problems but on the solutions necessary to live a personal, holy, and righteous life before a holy God in an unholy culture. He did not even focus on changing the environment, he focused on the person of God.

So what about you? Do you let the pressures around you keep you from seeing God’s goodness? Do the pressures keep you from living in awe of God’s goodness? Do struggle to be as the Psalmist and Daniel who saw God’s goodness all around him? Do you struggle to live a life of joy and confidence because you fail to truly look on the the goodness of God and let it motivate and drive your thoughts and actions? Psalm 27:13 (“13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.”) states David’s confidence in God. The confidence David had came from seeing God’s goodness.

With Daniel, we see he could not sin against a holy God. A habit he showed over and over again. This godly living was not a passing decision but a life goal, a determined resolve, an established purpose to not live in defilement of his holy God.

Our next point of living in awe of God’s goodness leading to a resolved living is seeing Daniel’s point of resolve.

II. God’s goodness provides the grounds for the Christian’s predetermined resolve, 8

Illustration – Eric and I doing the “Daniel Diet” in college

Explanation

Man of Resolve

i. Predetermined Mindset –

1. Daniel the Bible says “established” in his heart not to defile himself. The phrase here “made up his mind” in the NASB is not the best way to translate it. The ESV uses the word “resolved” which is a better translation to the strong sense the word carries. It literally could read “set his heart upon.”

2. The mindset that Daniel had did not just come over night. If we go back to before he was taken, Daniel must have had parents that taught him the Word of God and the principles by which to live a God-honoring life.

Psalm 27: 13-14 “13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”

David was confident in God’s goodness and it gave him the resolve to be patient for the Lord and take courage knowing God was present and good!

3. When it came to being resolved over what to eat, Daniel knew what was right and did not want to partake in something that would defile him based on the laws of God. Daniel desired to honor and respect God.

4. Many factors existed in making this a tough decision at this moment in time.

a. The menu was ordered by the king therefore it was law and possibly viewed it as having then no alternative.

b. To disobey could bring severe punishment.

c. To refuse the food would have been a sure way to negate advancement in their job at the close of training.

d. The food would have been very attractive.

5. Even among all of these possibilities, Daniel, Mishael, Hananiah, and Azaraiah all stood resolved.

6. It seems in this passage that the three friends stood based on Daniel and his godly example.

A great example of the importance of choosing the right friends.

7. Contagious Mind-set

The mindset affected the way three other young men lived there: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azaraiah.

iii. Faith in God - God’s goodness seen in God’s faithfulness

1. Daniel’s faith in God and faithfulness to God was incomparable to most of his fellow countrymen.

2. Daniel’s faith in God was the source for his resolve for God.

Application:

Action Amid a Wicked Society

i. Protection of Family/Children

1. To Parents: What are you as parents doing now to help your children see the goodness of God?

Daniel clearly remembered the history of God’s work in Israel. His parents clearly helped him to know what God had done through the years.

Example: Your 16 yr old gets taken away to another country where godly influence is non-existent basically. They are placed in their education system, trained in their culture, change of name, and commanded to live and do certain things.

ii. Protection of Self

1. To Teens and Adults in General: What are you doing now in your life to allow God’s goodness to impact your life?

a. Devotional Life

b. Prayer Life

c. Serving Life

iii. Protection of the Church

1. In taking a resolved stand, how do we interact with culture?

a. Humility

b. Respect

c. Concern

i. One another

ii. Others

Daniel—The Triumph of God’s Kingdom The Preparation to Pursue Holiness (1:1, 6, 9, 10)

In order to overcome the pressure to compromise our holiness, we need to have an adequate preparation to pursue holiness. We need to be bathed in the teaching of God’s Word through our parents and the church. We also need a life of abiding in the vine, Jesus Christ, for apart from him we can do nothing and will compromise. But when we dare to be a Daniel in a world full of compromise, we will discover the power of personal holiness.

Be Resolute 2. God Gave Favor to Daniel and His Friends (Dan. 1:3–16)

How can God’s people resist the pressures that can “squeeze” them into conformity with the world? According to Romans 12:1–2, “conformers” are people whose lives are controlled by pressure from without, but “transformers” are people whose lives are controlled by power from within.

Daniel desired to live holy as God is holy. He saw God’s goodness through God’s holiness! God is separate from his creation and transcendent to His creation. The holiness of God manifests God’s goodness. God’s holiness is beneficial to us as much as we live holy. God has given us an example in Christ himself and in his own actions how to live separate from the world. We do not go life alone. God IS GOOD!

III. God’s goodness aids in responding respectfully to ungodly opposition, 9-13

a. Humble Attitude – did not demand in arrogance but gave an alternate suggestion and plan to help accomplish the goal.

When you and I focus and stand in awe of God’s goodness, we see the humility by which Christ came to earth. We see the humility by which God sent Jesus to earth. We see the humility by which Christ died for us. We see the righteousness and love of Christ. We are humbled to submit and obey the truth of God’s Word.

b. Compassionate Attitude – truly concerned with the concerns of authority

Be Resolute 2. God Gave Favor to Daniel and His Friends (Dan. 1:3–16)

The second step was to be gracious toward those in authority. The four men noticed that Ashpenaz was especially friendly and kind to them and recognized that this was the working of the Lord. (Joseph had a similar experience when he was in prison. See Gen. 39–40.) “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7, NKJV). Instead of expecting a pagan Gentile officer to obey the Law of Moses and get himself in trouble with the king, Daniel and his friends took a wise approach and asked for a ten-day experiment.

Believers today may disagree with official policies and even with each other, but they should follow Daniel’s example in disagreeing in an agreeable fashion. (Stephen R. Miller, Daniel, vol. 18, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 67.)

c. Trusting Attitude – that God would intervene and work

IV. God’s goodness results in God’s good rewards, 14-21

This evening I am not espousing the prosperity gospel. However, the Bible clearly teaches that obeying God and glorifying God brings blessing into your life. Sure, the blessing may not be your version of a blessing but the version you get from God. As we yield to and fear God in light of His goodness, good rewards will happen—both temporal and eternal.

a. Obedience brings blessing (Examples from Daniel)

i. Health

ii. Wealth

iii. Position

iv. Many other avenues of God’s blessing. The blessings God shares with Daniel are to show God’s glory and his person with the world. We can walk through scripture looking at the adverse examples of fearing God and how when the fear of God is not before someone and sin is enacted, struggle and disappointment can take over.

God rewarded Daniel and his friends for seeing how good God is and letting it act as the motivating tool to honor and please God! To live in awe of God!

b. God reveals his power through our obedient resolve. God’s power in our lives shows God’s goodness. God has given to us so much.

c. God’s sovereign control exists to help us live faithfully trusting God each day of our lives.

Daniel throughout his entire life was faithful in standing firm and resolved. When prayer was against the law, Daniel prayed.

God’s faithfulness is an example of God’s good nature!

Conclusion:

- Application

o What response does the goodness of God draw from you?

We say God is good. We sing about God’s goodness. We remind others that God is good all the time.

How real is God’s goodness to you? Is it manifested in your life? Has it become more than a phrase or academic thought?

Daniel meditated on God’s goodness and let it sink into his heart. It resulted in a resolved stand amid pressure to sin and disobey God.

Our theme this year is to stand in awe of God! To fear God! Let’s stand in awe of God going forward and stand resolved to let God’s goodness impact how we live.

Standing resolved to live righteously flows from standing in awe of God’s goodness.