Competing Kingdoms - Set Apart.

Hook

Moving into a NEW PLACE? New Social Setting?

Travel? Culture Shock? Feeling like a STRANGER, like you don’t belong!

Tension

Sometimes we can feel like we DON’T BELONG in our OWN SCHOOLS! Because of CULTURE. we feel like we stick, and it makes it really difficult.

What we find is sometimes because of that feeling we feel ourselves compromising, doing things we didn’t think we’d do!

So the question is…

HOW DO WE STAND FIRM IN OUR FAITH?

Scripture

We’re going to talk about DANIEL and his BUDDIES.

Read Daniel 1:1-7.

Can someone SUM up what happens here?

Israel is TAKEN into EXILE under the BABYLON RULE.

Eradication of their CULTURE and TRADITION. They wanted the ISRAELITES to be like THEM.

Language - Speech

Food - Consumption

Training - Actions

Names - Identity

BABYLON STILL EXISTS TODAY.

An author said once: “Babylon is both a place and an archetype of collective human pursuits set in opposition to God.”

Babylon is the KINGDOM in OPPOSITION to GOD, and it’s COMPETING for YOUR STORY.

It’s EVERYWHERE we look: friends, social media, high school, families, culture, music, and shows. 

While it wants you to believe it’s harmless and NEUTRAL, it’s not! It’s constantly influencing your life in some way. 

Just like BABYLON in the BIBLE it wants to change your:

Speech

the way you talk to others, the conversations you have, the way you talk of others, Gossip, sarcasm

Consumption 

the things you allow into your mind, heart. Music, shows, movies, books, pornography and yeah even food. 

Actions 

your reactions to others, the things you step into, your relationships, sex, dating, your integrity at school and with friends, etc.

Identity 

what you believe about yourself, who you are, who you belong to, mental health, strip you of your purpose, value, etc.

Makes you FEEL like an EXILE, like someone who doesn’t belong!

What does DANIEL do? How do they STAND FIRM?

Daniel 1:8

In a culture that surrounded him trying to change him - Daniel was DETERMINED to not DEFILE himself. 

Defile: pollute, desecrate, stain himself from the world.

Conscious choice to DEFY the culture and REMAIN FAITHFUL to GOD.

Daniel practiced what we’ll call: DEFILEMENT DEFIANCE.

If we want to be people who’s story reflects the Kingdom of God we need to practice DEFILEMENT DEFIANCE.

It’s the conscious decision to STAND up and say they I will DEFY and PUSH AGAINST the DEFILEMENT that so easily happens.

CHOOSES TO BELONG TO ANOTHER KINGDOM - KINGDOM OF GOD!

God’s value system! Obedience to God

The Bible is clear about this all throughout.

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Main Point: We are called to TRANSFORM, not CONFORM.

We need to DETERMINE in our OWN LIVES not to be CONFORMED to the CULTURE around us.

See as dumb as it sounds, it starts by STANDING up and MAKING the CHOICE

Understanding that TRANSFORMATION is better than CONFORMING.

That it leads to LIFE, it leads to GROWTH. It leads to the KINGDOM OF GOD.

When we lean into the kingdom of BABYLON - we only find ourselves repeating their mistakes, expericing their hurts and pains - and not growing!

When we lean into the kingdom of God - though we mess up and have hard times, we find that we are GROWING and have LIfe.

These Kingdoms are competing …

Galatians 5:17 “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

Application: CHOOSE TRANSFORMATION.

Every day, every morning. Starts with a decision, it won’t just fall into your lap!

It isn’t EASY!

Pointers:

Find support.

It can be lonely, a community helps us walk along together.

Find the joy.

Reframe the joys in your life, and celebrate them often.

Find a plan.

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

Daniel 1:9-21

Response

What is ONE AREA of your life, you feel the most pressured to CONFORM?

What would it look like to WALK in the KINGDOM of GOD in that space?