Daniel 1:3-7

Good Morning Mattis! It is such a pleasure and honor to be with you today as we continue to worship together.

We are continuing our series in Daniel. We are going to be here for a while but as Wick gave us a basis last week of this book we are going to beginning by diving into it today.

I think that there is so much to say about taking time to plant ourselves in scripture. I hear you all spent some time in the Book of Acts and may or may not know a thing or two about that book. We are doing the same with Daniel. These few verses I will be sharing with you today are ones that I would look over and not see as important or flashy, but they are vital to knowing more of the basis of this Book and understanding that The Lord was always working even in the background of the small verses or passages.

Today we see four humble servants endure culture for the sake of the kingdom. We will se humility on display deeply. The word humility gets used quite a bit when we talk about anything to do with Christianity. In biblical Greek the word humility translates to tapeinos. This means lowly, depressed , meek or humble. It is this idea of making ourselves lower than others, not being the most important person in the room.

The first day I moved into college was quite the experience. Your whole world changes. You don’t know anybody, your parents are crying, it is this huge event. Its emotional but also so empowering. I felt this sense of new life beginning. So after all the emotions of saying goodbye to my family I was put in a small group of 14 other students where we would connect for the first semester and get acclimated to college. It was like having pre-made friends. There was one that I saw in particular that I just knew we would be together for our whole life. That was Emma. Just kidding she didn’t go to college with me. That person was a guy who is now my best friend Bryce. He is also a youth pastor now and we were partners in crime from day one.

That first night of college we hung out. The university had plenty of events going on the first night to welcome the students back to the school. There was this event called Java and Jump shots. Basically there was this live music and coffee or you could go to the fieldhouse and play basketball.

So Bryce and I did what any ADHD infused friends would do and chose to go play basketball. We soon realized our love for sports and decided to both dress in our Pistons jerseys and full basketball gear because how cool would we look matching. So we rolled up to the gym expecting some fun pickup basketball. Three whole courts were filled with plenty of games to join. One problem took place. On every single court there were dudes that were twice our size looking like they belonged in the NBA. These guys were dunking, Shooting three pointers with ease and looked like they would make us silly. We stuck around and watched for a few and realized between Bryce’s rec league and my high school backup center experience that we looked pretty ridiculous wearing full Detroit Pistons gear in the presence of upperclassmen who would have wiped the floor with us.

So we went back to our dorms out on our flannels (like true hipsters) and went and drank coffee with the quieter folks. A side note: I got to watch Bryce get ordained in the FM Church yesterday!

Sometimes you are humbled without realizing you need to be. Sometimes something as simple as the culture around you can humble you.

In today’s passage in Daniel we see this humility on display. Let’s stand for the reading of today’s passage,

“3 Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility: 4 young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. 6 Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. 7 The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.” - Daniel 1 3-7

You may be seated.

v. 4 Who are the Chaldeans?- They were a very highly educated people in Babylon. They knew a great deal about astrology, mathematics, and astronomy. They were deeply influential in Babylonian Culture and were seen as some of the wisest and more knowledgeable cultures of its time. Some historians would consider them one of the most influential cultures of its time.

In verse 5 they were given portions of food and wine and educated so that would keep them growing in the eyes of the Chaldean culture.

In vv. 6-7 we see that their names were changed from Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to Shadrach, Meshach, Abendago, and Belteshazzar to fit the pagan culture they were in.

Enculturation vs. Inculturation- Missional God Missional Church

Enculturation- A term used in sociological circles, is described by Ross Hastings in ‘Missional God, Missional Church’ as “The process whereby an existent, prevailing culture influences an individual or community (i.e. the Church) to imbibe (or absorb) its accepted norms and values so the individual or community is pressured to find acceptance within the society of that culture.

The Example of this is Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being forced to learn from the Chaldeans, who were greatly pagan and not following the Lord. Thy were being forced and told to listen to pagan ideas, read their literature and, eat and live the way the Chaldeans were. They were having to absorb the culture that was around them.

We can so easily be distracted by being accepted into a culture that we do not realize the true mission of Jesus. We can sometimes so eagerly want to change our identity as Christians and sacrifice the teachings of Jesus to fit into the culture we want to be accepted in.

You have probably heard the phrase: “Be in the world and not of it”- That is not ever stated in the Bible. Is there some truth to it? Yes. However there lacks depth to understanding culture and communicating the Love of Jesus well.

Mostly, because some of those who have called themselves followers of Jesus attacked culture with pitchforks and zealous attitudes, rather than grace and truth. This only hurts the messaging of the Gospel.

This is where the idea of Inculturation can be fruitful.

Inculturation as described by Ross Hastings is: “A Missiological term which refers to ways to adapt the communication of the Gospel for a specific culture being evangelized.”

For the four men in Daniel 1, we see that they are deeply influenced by the culture they are around, and following God fully in the midst of Chaldean Culture would be a difficult test. It was Holiness vs. Paganism. We with the title of “Christian” must understand that we will be rejected merely for our title.

Our world has changed deeply, and is always changing. The message of the Gospel of Jesus does not change rather the communication of that Good News should. The methods that we use to show the love of Jesus change from generation to generation. We have seen this in styles of preaching, worship and evangelism. I have been a youth pastor for nearly 8 years and even in 8 years we have seen a culture shift from the highly structured youth ministry to a more discipleship and relational ministry. The needs of the last generation changed.

It shows that God’s people are still so unique and driven by relational connections. We as humans created in the image of God, are still deeply engrained to connect with each other.

We are living in such a deeply divided time where we are caught between culture of good and bad. It is so easy to take a side.

The idea of humility crosses our paths here in this story.

These four men were highly driven into a culture that was very obsolete to them. One that was not their norm, was not apart of the God they worshipped. Yet Shadrach, Meshach, Abendago, and Belteshazzar, remained humble, even in the culture that was countered to the one they grew up in.

Yet in these verses we do not see groaning or anger, yet we see humility and faithfulness.

Our savior Jesus was on the frontlines of culture and attacked it with this same posture.

Turn to Luke Chapter 14:7-14

Luke 14:7–14 NRSVue

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Sometimes you just need a few minutes to dwell on scripture. To let it seep in. To let it pierce our hearts. So I want to practice together a spiritual discipline that I was taught in college. Reading a passage. Praying for God to help us understand it, and then reading it again. So let’s do that together, because I do not want us to miss this.

Let’s pray.

Luke 14:7–14 NRSVue

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Jesus is explaining to his followers that they are to be humble. They are to not prop themselves up/ They are not to exalt themselves, rather take a low place a low seat.

Have you ever been at a wedding and your table 26/26? You just know you are the last ones to be fed. He’s asking us to be willing to be last, be willing to listen, be willing to make ourselves low for the sake of the kingdom. This is coming from our savior who was born in a manger around animals.

Then when we think we got the message he comes at us with more. He asks us to not invite the people that we are related to or the people of high influence, rather those who wouldn’t repay you, cant experience the banquet on their own.

That transforms culture. When we show the love of Jesus to those who have truly never been shown it.

You have heard the term “culture wars” possibly. Christians have been engaging in culture wars for quite some time. But war mean violence. It means death and destruction. We as Christians should not be engaging in wars on culture, rather focus on being peacemakers and messengers of the Good News of Jesus, who transforms culture.

War is violence and destruction.

Jesus is Grace, Peace, and Truth.

Romans 12:1–3 NRSVue

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

We are called to be a people who do not conform to the world’s ways, rather be renewed through the Spirit of God and walk in the steps of holiness.

We must purse holiness rather than think that we are the most holy. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled....

You will not enter into eternity with your job tittle, your money, your social media presence, your collections, your possessions, or the awards you’ve won on this earth. So why flaunt those things as your identity?

How do stay humble when the weight of culture surrounds us?

Do not engage in war, make peace

War only produces death and destruction. Our keyboards and phones have become weapons for destroying each other without face-to face conversation. It is so easy to hide behind our words when we are not talking to each other in real life. Peacemakers are ones who leave behind their comments, their revenge and engage authentically with others when conflict arises.

In a world of opinions, engage peacefully. Be curious, not judgemental. Approach all conversations with love, grace and truth. Paul tells us to strive to live at peace with one another in Romans 12:18

Romans 12:18 NRSVue

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

One of the best practices of humility is to practice prayer before we even begin to respond.

2. Live the life of humility in the midst of a changing world

Every single day the world is changing. The means in which the Gospel is shared changes, and quite frankly for some of you that may be hard to accept. But God speaks in so many different ways to so many different people. The Gospel doesn’t end.

Being humble in this world means serving first, rather than coming with our own agenda that are driven by political ideology or self-serving ideologies.

Jesus washed feet rather than throwing stones.

John 8:7 NRSVue

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

As we close, let us remember hadrach, Meshach, Abendago, and Belteshazzar. They remained faithful, and humble in the amid a culture who did not know the God of Jacob. They did what was asked of them, but did it without anger, rage, or condemnation. Pastor Wick will continue to tell the rest of this story next week.

But I will leave you with this: We as followers of Jesus are called to humility because that is how our savior Jesus approached everyone. Lord may we hear that, and live by that.

Pray.