Purity, Passion, and Persistence

How do we talk to God? (Through Prayer) How does God talk to us? (Through his word)

Daniel 1:5 KJV 1900

And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

Daniel 1:8–20 KJV 1900

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

Introduction:

I would like to consider myself someone who loves God and is zealous about serving him! I love reading my bible, talking with God, sharing the Gospel with others and serving in my church. 

But to be honest some days I wake up and I just want to do things that I want to do instead of what God wants me to do! I’m just being honest with you! I’m not perfect, and those days are more of a battle for me because the flesh is fighting extra hard that day! 

But we are going to look at a few things this evening that I honestly believe that help us in this battle with the flesh and I know helped Daniel in his life in a foreign pagan land! 

Notice first we must have…

1. A Pure Heart Towards God

Explanation:

Sometimes the idea of “purity” can make us think of saying no to everything—no to sex, no to drinking, no to immorality, no to everything popular. I can’t do this or I can’t do that. we feel like we are given this big list of things we cannot or are not allowed to do. We all feel that way at one point or another.

But another way to think about purity is that it is really a very big YES. We are saying: 

– yes to God and his Word 

– yes to his way

– yes to the leadership of the Holy Spirit

Because of our biggest and most important yes, we can say no to the things that conflict with our heart’s desire. Purity isn’t just about sex, although it does include that. Purity is an outward expression of the heart’s attitude toward God. Purity isn’t perfection, but it is an honest heart before God.

Proverbs 23:26 KJV 1900

My son, give me thine heart, And let thine eyes observe my ways.

Illustration:

When a soldier bows to his general, or a scholar to his teacher, he is yielding his will—his life—he gives himself to the rule and mastery and the power of another. Christ did that. He said He came not to do His own will but to do His Father’s will. In Gethsemane, He said, ‘take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (). On the cross, He suffered what had been settled in Gethsemane. He yielded His life to God and thereby taught us that the only thing worth living for is a life yielded to God, even unto death.

Application:

If you are controlling your life and spending it on yourself, even partly, you are abusing it and taking it away from God’s original purpose. Learn from Christ that the beauty and purpose of having life is so that you can surrender it to God and then allow Him to fill it with His glory” Say Yes to Christ!

We cannot pursue both God’s will and our own independent will. We have to empty ourselves of one in order to fully embrace the other. When our hearts are surrendered and trusting God, our desires will align with God’s and our joy will be made full!

Elisabeth Elliot put it this way:

If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd.

Transition:

So we see purity as Daniel had, was all about having a right heart towards God! With the right heart towards God, is going to come to a new Passion to serve him!

2. A Passionate Heart For God

Explanation:

What is passion? Well, the dictionary says it this way “Passion: A strong and barely controllable emotion.” 

Daniel and his buddies were naturally pretty smart. Actually, they were what many in Spanish-speaking cultures would call simpatico: the whole package. They were handsome, smart, and pleasing in every way (see v. 4). But when they decided to set themselves apart and be pure according to God’s Word, they experienced something even better than natural gifts and talents. They walked in God’s presence. As a result, he imparted to them supernatural wisdom, an ability to discern things in the natural as well as in the spiritual realm (v. 17). Consequently, they received favor from the king of Babylon and entered into positions of influence (v. 20).

Daniel refused to participate in eating the food “from the king’s table” (vs. 5) because it was offered first to idols, an action strictly prohibited by God’s Word. He had the courage to act on his convictions even though he wasn’t sure what the consequences would be. Daniel walked in purity because he walked in integrity. Why? Because he had a passion and was consumed with following God! and we can, too.

Illustration:

In the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, Charles Dickens is facing financial hardship after the failure of his latest three books following Oliver Twist. At a certain point in the film, Dickens becomes so obsessed with the new book he’s writing that he begins to become consumed by the story. The papers he writes on are all over his office and home, he constantly talks about the story with his family, he falls asleep thinking about the story, and he wakes up with it on his mind.

Application:

Do you have anything in your life that you love, that consumes you like this? This is what God had in mind for Daniel and his friends. To become so consumed in his love, that they could not stop talking about his statutes and continually woke up with them on their minds. This comes only from a passion for God and a love that is consistent. What things in your life consume your everyday conversations?

Your passion for Christ should never go out of fashion.

Transition:

So we have seen how we must have a pure heart towards God, and this develops within us a passionate heart for God. However, notice with all of this said we also need a…

3. A Persistent Heart Because Of God

Explanation:

I’m going, to be honest with you guys for just a moment is that with you? Can I be real? 

It’s easy to get on fire for God at camp, or a revival, or even a church service. Let me tell you that’s a good thing to let happen here this week! let God speak to your heart let his set you of fire! Open your heart to him and let him move you!! 

But the real test to see if God really touched your heart or if it was just a big emotion is if you continue next week, and the week after that, and the month after that, and the year after that, and the decade after that to your death with a zeal to be persistent in your service to him! 

Illustration:

How many of you have ever been on a boat before? Big boat, little boat, any boat. How many of you have been on a boat before? great! then you will understand what I’m about to tell you.

If a boat is out to sea or just on the water and it does not have an anchor holding firmly to its place, it will eventually, little by little, drift away from it’s desired place. even if there isn’t any wind it will slowly drift away.

Application:

Young people In order to keep our hearts and minds centered on Christ and his kingdom, we have to be intentionally anchored. We can use the spiritual disciplines of reading Scripture, fasting, praying, and solitude in order to anchor our hearts and minds and keep them focused on what really matters.

What do you think will happen to our lives if we don’t stay anchored to Christ? We will slowly begin to drift away from God and the things of God!

What sources try to compete with the Bible’s message of God’s standards? Popular media certainly does. We need to be sensitive to God’s presence as we watch and listen to music, movies, shows, and even news. And we never grow out of the need to protect our hearts from the snares of sin, so it’s not just teenagers that need to monitor their internet intake. All of us do. We need to ask ourselves, “Does this message contradict the truths in the Bible? Does this honor God and what he wants to accomplish in my life?”

Conclusion:

Daniel chose purity when everyone else was following the crowd, and God blessed him as a result.

I understand that there are so many temptations in this world. Especially for young people! The world has what seems like such a wonderful life with so many amazing things! I get that I see it too! And as guys, we are drawn to things by our eyes! this is why God tells us to guard our hearts! I heard a quote by a preacher that went something like this. 

“The greatest enemy of a hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but the endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.”

What he is trying to say is, have you ever been snacking of stuff all day then when it comes time for dinner your not hungry? It’s the same in our lives! When we are going to church on Sunday and Wednesday but constantly dabbling in Worldy things on those other weekdays. Before too long, the preaching doesn’t sound that good anymore, and before too long we get completely sucked up into the world.

Young people, if we walk in purity before the Lord, we will walk in the power of his presence. 

Invitation:

I want every head bowed and every eye closed for just a moment.

Let me ask you something “Did God speak to you through this message and the story of Daniel?” Let me ask you another question “Are you 100% sure if you died right now you would go to heaven?”

This is what I would like each one of you to do use your chair there as an alter and take just a few moments and talk with God. Tell him you want to be bold like Daniel and show the world your identity is heavenly! go ahead and take just a few moments and if you don’t know if you are saved and want to know for sure heaven will be your home I want you to go talk to one of the adults right now. Don’t let another moment pass by without knowing Christ as your Savior.