Daniel Dilemma 10/7/2019

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 delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. 6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

We need to see history as prophecy. We need this book more than ever in our times.

If we don’t understand the time we live in and we don’t understand Gods word and don’t look at this playbook culture will have the same effect on us and we won’t even notice it.

Culture has an agenda, cultures not the blame, Satan is. He uses it to capture us.

Daniel 1:7 NIV

7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

First thing that happens, new names!

names are a sign of ownership.

Are you believing what culture says about you or what God says about you?

Culture wants to change your identity

I let culture rebrand me ( fast times at Ridge mont high)

I wanted to be someone else, I seen it deep within. I hated being who I was. I didn’t matter!

Daniel - “God is my Judge”

Belteshazzar- “Lady, protect the king”

Hananiah - “ Yahweh is gracious”

Shadrach - “ I am fearful of God”

Mishael - “ Who is what God is”

Meshach - “I am despised, contemptible and humiliated”

Azariah - “ Yahweh has helped”

Abednego - “ Servant of Nebo”

confidence to cowardliness

When culture shifts we must know who we are.

Daniel 1:8 NIV

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Bringing up boys.

When culture shifts we must not compromise our standards.

When culture shifts we must reaffirm our standards.

Daniel 1:9–10 NIV

9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel 1:11–14 NIV

11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

Culture is creating confrontation

Culture will always create a confrontation.

What are some of the ways culture has tried to shape you?

Sometimes turning the other cheek s simply outlasting them through sincere love.

When culture shifts, we must respond the right way.

I see two extremes that neither are right.

1 - Dogmatic approach: inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.

We are right and we don’t care if they go to hell or not.

It’s not that your not right, you are. but it’d not helpful.

God didn’t call us to be right, He called us to be effective.

If we just want to be right we will be extreme and walled in and no use to anyone.

Extremism sometimes is no more than built in protectionism because we really might not have the answers, or are just afraid to get found out that were really just hypocrites like the Pharisees.

2- In the name of love let’s just let everybody in and expect no change! God loves every body!!

I expect change every week.

In the name of love we have a generation of Christians setting the bible aside actually thinking that they can love people better than God. We can’t author Gods love around like that

There’s truth and righteousness in both.

Daniel stayed true to his convictions but at the same time influenced his generation without compromising.

Jesus was both to his culture. He was perfect in every way but had prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors and sinners at His feet. And he never compromised who he was and what he believed and they all felt loved at the same time.

Truth is God’s standard.

John 17:17 NIV

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We love and welcome everyone here at The Bridge but we believe Gods word is perfect and we won’t compromise that. How could we and what would we benefit? Culture Changes but God doesn’t.

Grace : God’s favor.

He loves sinners. He doesn’t let you stay that way but He loves you just the way you are.

He favors you when your not favorable. He died for you when you were rejecting Him.

He refuses to let us do anything that could earn us a spot in heaven. No church, bible reading, baptism, tithing, nothing

Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

NLT

Without truth, we are corrupt.

Without Grace we are condemned.

Without truth, we become worldly.

Without grace we become judgmental.

Truth without grace is mean

Grace without truth is meaningless.

Truth and grace is good medicine.

Exeter didn’t need another church. We just need a place where we can receive grace and truth.

Grace invites us to be free.

Truth sets us free.

John 8:1–11 NIV

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”