Daniels Obedience
Obedience • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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As I was preparing this message it was difficult for me. It was difficult though because there is no aspect of Daniels life when he disobeyed God. Yes he did disobey laws that were put in place but he disobeyed those laws because they were in direct conflict with the laws of God and how God demanded he live. I struggled with the decision, do we approach this from one instance of Daniels Obedience? Do I in one Sunday try to cover every aspect of obedience in Daniels life? So then I left it in God’s hands and allowed Him to determine what would be best for us this morning. You will be overjoyed to know that God did not tell me to go through every aspect of obedience in Daniels life. Some of you should have seen your faces. I wish the camera was facing y'all sometimes. What we will do instead this morning is to look at the behaviors that led Daniel to an obedient life. While we have some amazing understanding of the life of Daniel the most important aspect of Daniels life is his obedience to the Father. This obedience though did not happen by chance, it was deliberate obedience to God. This morning we will see a deliberate life with dedicated behaviors that lead to Obedience.
Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you cannot understand at the time.
Oswald Chambers
Are you deliberate in your faith? Do you take the time to establish behaviors. Do you prepare yourself for the fight before or do you shoot from the hip and hope for the best?
Your faith is a matter of being deliberate in your relationship with Jesus.
Have you ever considered why it is that the military spends so much time training?
The U.S. military defines training as “instruction and applied exercises for acquiring and retaining knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes (KSAAs) necessary to complete specific tasks.”9 Generally speaking, military training is divided into two broad categories: individual and collective. Individual training is exactly that: training designed to develop individual skills. Collective training is designed to integrate trained individuals into a cohesive and effective team, whether that team is a tank crew of four or an aircraft carrier crew of 5,000.
In no other profession are the penalties for employing untrained personnel so appalling or so irrevocable as in the military.
—Douglas MacArthur, 1933
The military takes is deliberate in their training because not doing so will cost lives. What does it cost for the christian faith when believers are not deliberate in their faith? Churches fall apart because the people are not prepared to react like Christ in difficult situations. People walk away from the faith because they experience failure in their walk because the deliberate actions were not taught up front. When you roll the dice and shoot from the hip with your faith you will inevitably lose. When you choose to be deliberate in your faith you will win. So this morning we will see three things that Daniel was deliberate in that led to his success in a very challenging environment. Today we will be in a few different passages in the book of Daniel. Please stand as we read the word of God.
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.
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.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
In the scriptures we read we will see two things that lead to success and favor in the life of Daniel even in a foreign and Pagan country. First we will see Daniels Deliberate Commitment to not compromise. Second we will see Daniels Deliberate commitment to prayer. Let’s pray.
Daniels Deliberate Commitment to Not Compromise
Daniels Deliberate Commitment to Not Compromise
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.
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.
In this very first challenge for Daniel we are introduced to a young man that had been taken captive and brought into the kingdom of Babylon. I think it is important to understand this because Daniel is in a position where everything he was ever taught or believed in has been taken away from him. Daniel at this point in his life he is a prisoner. He is not a prisoner for no reason though, he is a prisoner because the people of Israel sinned and guess what God did?
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.
God handed them over to a pagan king. Just thinking about this, how would you respond to God if He handed you over to the hands of your enemy? Would you respond with a commitment not to compromise? This is where faith gets difficult. The mindset of many would be well God handed me over to the Pagans, why would I not just blend in with them? It is God’s fault that I am here. Look around, what is the point in being faithful in my commitments to God? Many people in the faith have begun to think this way. They look at the world around them and they say that there is no point in being commited and not compromising. It is easier to compromise in your faith than it is to be commited, after all God delivered you into the hands of this pagan country.
There are a few reasons why Daniel committed to not compromising.
First, Daniel knew that the Israelites were handed over because of their sin. In Daniel chapter 9 verses 24-26 we are made aware that Daniel is well versed in the book of Leviticus.
24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
This is a direct reflection from Leviticus 26:14-17
14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.
24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins.
Here is the fact whether we like it or not. The pain and devastation of this world is not caused at the hands of our God. It is caused at the hands of our disobedience to the way God originally designed us to live. When you go around justifying your compromises because of the world you live in, you are simply falling into the though that its all God’s fault that we are here. God did not usher in death on this world we did. God gave us life and we asked for Death. God gave us peace and we asked for war. God gave us rest and we asked for pain. Daniel understood who God was and understood that his people were delivered according to the laws of God.
Second, Daniel understood that continued sin would lead to continued consequences. Isn’t it funny in our lives how we think that things will change without us having to do anything? I want God to remove from me these struggles in my life but I have no desire to change my life. God please remove this struggle from me while I stay. It is like a person who struggles with Alcohol asking God to free them but being unwilling to walk away from the bar.
Are you committing to not compromising in your faith? I don’t know what that looks like for you in your life but I can tell you what it looked like for Daniel. Daniel held in his heart that the pain and suffering around him was not caused by God, it was allowed by God because of Israel’s continued disobedience. Daniel also understood that he was going to make a difference and stand on the truth of God because God made promises for those who kept his word.
3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
Daniel committed to not compromising. It would have been no big deal for Daniel to eat the meat of the king. We do not know the exact reason that Daniel decided not to eat the meat. It may have been unclean such as Pig or Horse that was commonly eaten at that time. It may have been that the food was sacrificed to false gods. It could have also been that Daniel did not want to accept the king’s food because he did not want to imply his loyalty to Babylon. We do not get the answer as to the specific reason in scripture but we do know that Daniel decided in his heart that it was not right for him to eat the meat because it would compromise his faith. What areas in your life are you accepting compromise?
India’s first president understood how compromised living could affect the church. He said this,
Don't persecute the Christians or they will become strong and spread. Instead, wherever you find Christians grouped together, build cinemas, drinking halls, night clubs, and gambling dens and they will destroy themselves.
In my life I need to stop compromising. What about you?
What does Scripture tells us about not compromising?
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
The church cannot compromise.
Can I share with you a few areas that I need to stop compromising without judgment?
I need to not compromise with what I allow myself to watch on TV.
I need to not compromise with what I listen to on the radio.
I need to not compromise with some of the conversations I allow around me.
I am not telling you to go lock yourself in a room and never watch tv, never listen to the radio, and never talk to anyone. What I am telling you is that it needs to be holy and acceptable. While compromising in our faith may make the world we are living in easier to adapt to, it will keep us prisoners to our own sins. Daniel committed to not compromising. Daniel was also deliberately committed to prayer.
Daniel’s Deliberate Commitment to Prayer
Daniel’s Deliberate Commitment to Prayer
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
In the moments of Daniels life when it was the most challenging, Daniel went into his home and prayed. Daniel told his friends to pray. Are you trying to make it through without a prayer life? Daniel was deliberate with his prayer life. Daniel prayed every day. When things were tough Daniel knew exactly what to do. You know how I know I do not spend enough time in prayer? What was the first thing that Daniel did when life got tough? Look there in Daniel chapter 2. The king had a dream and he wanted it to be interpreted. The king though was tired of his “wise men” not knowing what they said they knew. The king told them if they were so wise that they should tell him what he dreamed then interpret it. The wise men did not like this and they told him it was impossible, that no one could do such a thing. The king then got angry because his fears had come true that his advisors were all liars and were only trying to make sens of his dreams and not giving real interpretations. Does this sound familiar?
Have you ever watched these, “fortune tellers”? It is funny the things people can convince themselves of. The fortune teller will say something like, I am seeing 4 people, 4 every important people to you. Who are these people? The person will then say who the people are. The fortune teller will then say the fourth person is your boss, who is that? The person will respond. The fortune teller then says if you continue to work hard and produce, your boss and they will say the bosses name, will promote you. The person hearing this gets all excited even though they just paid this person for something that person could have figured out on their own at home without spending a dime!
Just like the fortune tellers these guys did not know the future or understand what the dreams meant, they were simply making educated guesses. The king got tired of it and because none of them would tell him what he dreamed then interpret it, he said okay you will all die then. When Daniel heard about this, his immediate instinct was to go to the king and ask for one day. Then he went home and told his buddies. Ok guys hit your knees we have one day or we are all dead. If I were them I would have punched him in the face. Daniel essentially gambled his life and his friends lives on God answering his prayers. Daniel went home and started to pray and told his friends to do the same. I know I do not spend enough time in prayer because the first thing I do when troubles arise is try to figure out how to fix it. My first instinct is not to stop and pray, it is to get my hands and mouth moving and try to fix the problem. You know what is wrong with that? Whats wrong is that I never fix it! Ask my wife. Every time there is a problem I make it worse. Some of you have seen this here at the church. Do not underestimate your pastors ability to mess up a good thing! Daniel did not go around asking questions about the king’s dreams. There are guards who stand guard over the king at night, I would have been paying one of them for some info on what I heard the king talking about in his sleep. Daniel did not do this, he hit his knees. Are you committed to prayer in your life? When trouble comes are you getting on your knees? Prayer must become deliberate. Look what Daniel did when he found out that the king signed a law that stated that anyone who bowed to anyone but the king would be put to death.
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
At the first sign of trouble, Daniel did not start freaking out at the problem. He knew exactly where to go. To his knees. When trouble is swirling around us and we do not know what to do we should be on our knees. Are you deliberate in your prayer life? 7,454 Christians were polled on their prayer life. The first question was how frequently do you pray?
We can see that younger Christians are praying much less frequently than older generations. Only 10% of Christians aged 18 to 30 pray daily compared to 37% of Christians over 50 years old.
Regardless of how often they pray, we asked each age cohort to rate their satisfaction with how often they currently pray. We can see that 51% of the Christians aged 18-30 are dissatisfied with how often they pray, which is the same age group that prayed the least frequently.
We then asked Christians how long they pray when they do pray and we see that across all age groups, most prayers are less than one minute.
We then asked the 2,915 respondents who indicated that they were dissatisfied with their prayer frequency what was stopping them from praying more often. Because of the smaller sample size, we did not split the response by age. Being too busy and being unsure of what to say are the biggest factors here.
What does it all mean?
Younger Generations Pray Less Frequently But Want To Pray More
Younger Generations Pray Less Frequently But Want To Pray More
Most Christians Only Pray For Less Than One Minute At Time While the differences are more pronounced in other questions the question of how long do you pray, across the age groups almost 100% of respondents said less than a minute.
Most Christians Only Pray For Less Than One Minute At Time While the differences are more pronounced in other questions the question of how long do you pray, across the age groups almost 100% of respondents said less than a minute.
Most Christians That Want To Pray More Are Too Busy Or Not Sure What To Say
Most Christians That Want To Pray More Are Too Busy Or Not Sure What To Say
So what we notice is that the area of our life that can prepare us to walk deliberately for God most Christians neglect. We say we want to live like God and we want a relationship with God. The truth is that we are liars. When we look at stats like this there is no other way to put it. We say we want these things because it sounds good to others. It does nothing to move the needle towards being more committed in our prayer life. What does the Bible say about prayer?
6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I want you to picture something. The love of your life walks up to you and says, “I want a relationship with you”. On your first date the person talks to every person in the restaurant and points to the table you are sitting at but you are sitting there alone. They are proud of you and want everyone to see you but they are not sitting with you because they are too busy talking to everyone else. As you continue your relationship you find that you and the love of your life don’t talk much. You might say you really don’t know them as well as you wish you did. Every day though they post something about you on facebook, instagram, or tic-tok. The wierd thing is that what they are posting is not from a direct experience with you it is from someone else s experience. They act though like you both experienced that together. The relationship continues and you find that they call once a day for 2 minutes and tell you all that they need from you then they hang up the phone. When they talk to everyone else they tell them how much they love you and how amazing you are. You of course provide the things they ask for but are unsure of how they say they love you so much and tell others how much they love you. After all you only talk about 5 minutes a week and mostly about what they need. When you are together they are distracted with other friends, other people, and anything but you. They still insist that they love you more than anything else. Would you believe them?
Does God have any reason to believe in your life that He is the most important to you. I love to preach messages of encouragement where we all leave here feeling great. The hardest messages are these types of messages for me. These messages bring me to a place of reflection on my own faith. They challenge us and they hurt. I never like to reflect on areas that I need to grow in. Why? Because I like to think I have it all figured out. As I prepared this message it was a heart check for me. Am I committed like I should be? I will always be transparent with you because I believe God calls us to that type of family. I find myself justifying my busyness because of providing for my family, or trying to lead the church, or trying to be the best employee. There are a million justifications in my mind. In my heart though I know that I need to be a man more committed to the word of God.
We all say that we want God’s will, that we want to do what God is telling us to do. Yet many of us spend more time on the TV or on Facebook than we do in the Word and in prayer. Some of us spend too much time at work or doing things that are not important.
Daniel experienced favor in his life because God was important to him and he was deliberate in his walk with God. Are you deliberate in your walk with God? Are you compromising in your life in areas that you need to be more committed in? Are you spending time, adequate time talking to God. Not just talking at God but talking to God.
I am going to spend time this morning on my knees at the Altar this morning. I invite anyone in here this morning that says, I am not deliberate enough in my faith to join me at the altar this morning. Commit it to God and start taking the necessary steps. If you are in here this morning and you are him-hawing around giving your heart to God, today is the day. Dont delay another day, I will be here to pray with you. Has God called you to join our family here at Highlands? If so, make that commitment today.
