C4: I Know Who I Am
Notes
Transcript
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. And he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
The king spoke to Ashpenaz the master of his officials that he should bring some of the sons of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles,
youths in whom was no blemish, who were handsome and skillful in every branch of wisdom and gifted with understanding and discerning knowledge, and such as had ability in them to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the language of the Chaldeans.
The king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s food and of the wine which he drank. They were to be educated for three years, that at the end of it they might serve before the king.
Now among them were of the sons of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
to whom the commander of the officials gave names. And he gave to Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s food, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the master of the officials that he might not defile himself.
When You Know Your Identity
When You Know Your Identity
We are wrapping up our series on identity.
(Definition)
Last week, we talked about how identity can be linked to your name. We talked about Jacob, whose name means “one who seeks to replace another”, and how he lived up to his name.
But then he had a literal encounter with God, and God changed his name to Israel, which means “God perseveres.” His identity changed from being all about taking from others for himself to being a testimony to how God never gives up. He went from being the guy who stole his brother’s position and rights to being the rightful inheritor of God’s promises.
Jacob is an example of how God can transform our identity to become who He always intended us to be.
But the Bible also shows us what it looks like when you know who you are—your God-given identity.
We just read about four guys who were taken away from their home to be servants for King Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians who captured them changed their names, made them learn the local language, and basically did everything they could to make these guys abandon their belief in God. Did it work?
These four guys were told to eat the king’s special menu for them, but it included food that was forbidden to Jews. They prayed for favor, and was given permission to eat their own special diet for a trial period. When God caused them to be healthier than the others who ate the king’s menu, they were allowed to continue their special diet. They also became four of the most important advisors to the king.
Who remembers the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Daniel chapter 3 tells how these three men, who now directly serve the king, are ordered to bow down to a statue of the king, because he has declared himself to be a god. They refused to even pretend to bow, even though it was declared that anyone who didn’t bow would be executed. When they went on trial, they said they would not be unfaithful to their God. The king asked if they really thought God would save them. They said,
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But even if He does not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”
They didn’t know if God would save them or not (spoiler: he did), but they were going to stay faithful to him. They knew who they were as children of God, and it didn’t matter what anyone else, including a great king, said.
Daniel, who we read was renamed Belteshazzar, was so fixed in his identity that they quit trying to call him by his Babylonian name. Chapter 6 of the book of Daniel tells about how his enemies tried to use Daniel’s faithfulness to God against him. They convinced king to sign a proclamation that king is god, and anyone who prays to any god except the king for the next 30 days should be thrown to the hungry lions. Daniel prayed 3 times a day, sitting at an open window in his house, where everyone could see him. In spite of the king’s command, Daniel kept praying where everyone could see him. He was thrown into the lion’s den, where God miraculously kept the lions from harming Daniel. He lived long enough to serve 3 different kings, and all of them learned to respect Daniel and his God.
Then there’s Queen Esther. Her actual name was Hadassah, but her uncle who raised her gave her a Persian name because they were exiles in Persia. The king of Persia was looking for a new wife, and he took Esther from her home, put her in a contest with other pretty girls, and ultimately chose her to be his queen. Esther was under a lot of pressure to hide her identity as a Jew and child of God; but when a huge threat rose up that threatened all the Jews, Esther risked her life to go to the king.
To this day, Jews celebrate her, using her Persian name.
Finally, there is Jesus. Only Mary and Joseph knew the truth about who he was. To everyone else, he was the son of a working-class family from a small town by the sea. When he started teaching, the religious leaders were shocked that someone who didn’t grow up attending the top religious schools could have such knowledge and wisdom. They wanted him to join their team, teach what they taught.
When Jesus started doing miracles, the people around him wanted him to use his power to overthrow the Roman government and make Israel a great political power.
When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, his method was to try to get Jesus to doubt who he was and why he was here.
He’d say, “If you really are the son of God, change the stones to bread so you can eat,” trying to get Jesus to think he had to prove himself and to doubt that God would provide what he needs.
The devil took Jesus to the top of the temple in Jerusalem and told him to jump off to see if the angels would really catch him. He thought Jesus would take the bait of trying to impress everyone with an undeniable miracle so they would follow him.
Then the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said, “I will give them all to you right now, if you will just bow down to me.” He was trying to get Jesus to doubt his mission and try to find an easier way to save everyone.
But it didn’t work. Jesus stayed true to who he was, making everyone around him angry. Because even those close to him didn’t fully understand who he was. They figured out that he was the Messiah, the chosen one who had been prophesied to come, but they had their own idea of what that meant, and they tried to make Jesus fit into their idea instead of seeing him for who he was. He staid faithful to his identity all the way to the cross and the tomb.
