Sermon Tone Analysis

DANIEL 1:1-2

Daniel 1:1-

Let’s set the stage…

Here… Daniel, shedreck, meshack, and abednego… big name of the OT because of the situations they found themselves in and the God who saved them.

So… these men and many others were prisoner’s of war for over 70 years.

Jehoikim - inherited the throne from his father King Josiah.

Josiah while king tore down the altars to the false Gods.

Made a commitment as king to the one true God.

Jehoikim- comes in after watching his dad… seeing the blessings of God… leads the people back into disgusting false idol worship.

Imagine the people… serving false idols, false worship, King comes in and destroys all the altars and brings them back to worship of the one true God, next king, his son comes in and takes rebuilds and leads them back into the worship of false gods.

So what we see right here isn’t surprising.... Nebuchadnezzar is and evil king, king of Babylon and he see’s an opportunity.

confusion, discouragement, grief, no direction.... evil King sees an opportunity.

Same for us today… frustrated in marriage, frustrated in finances, desperation… Satan will place an opportunity, sin, temptation in front of you.

Moments of weakness…

So now… lets get into it…

VERSE 3-4

Wow… we think of Daniel & Lion’s Den, Shadrack, meshack and abednego, fiery furnace… but my goodness there’s some powerful truth in this chapter one before these things even get started.

Daniel and these other three men had spent the first years of there life underneath King Josiah… the king who turned the people back to the one true God.

They had been taught, trained, and trusted the Lord.

Look what Nebuchanezzar/Evil does… Bring me the best of the best (verse 4)

and let’s train them the language and literature of the babylonians.

verse 5- trained for three years and then enter the King’s service.

King Nebuchanezzar.

take them and train them to look like us, talk like us, eat like us, and live like us.

We want them to fit our culture and our society.

But… the plan doesn’t stop there… it’s not just the training… it’s not just the teaching… goes a step further…

VERSE 6 - 7

Now.. why is this important…

DANIEL - GOD IS MY JUDGE

BELTESHAZZAR- BEL, PROTECT HIS LIFE.

(BEL, CHIEF GOD OF BABYLON)

HANANIAH- GOD IS GOOD

SHADRACH- SERVANT OF AKU (MOON GOD)

MISHAEL- WHO IS EQUAL TO GOD

MESHACH- DESPISED & HUMILIATED

AZARIAH- THE LORD HELPS

ABEDNEGO- SERVANT OF NEGO, GOD OF WISDOM

This is so huge… you see a tactic of the enemy… that’s still alive today… works the same way today.

In this time… names were more important than they are today.

Let me give you an example… seen the movie “thor” … named that because it meant “strength, thunder”

know what the name “Dustin” means?

Thor… mhm.

also… valiant warrior

i found this out… last week..

listen.. names back in this time… meant something… you were given your name and it influenced your identity.

Daniel- God is my judge.

(GO BACK TO THE NAMES)

Nebuchadnezzar understood… that if they changed their names, they could change their identity, he understood if they changed their identity, they could change/influence how they lived and what they lived for.

There’s not a coincidence that today one of the biggest topics is “gender identity”.

God chose them to be male or female and then evil, society works hard to convince them that their identity confused.

without knowing your true identity you will live for nothing.

VERSE 8

*RESOLVED NOT TO....

made a decision NOT TO follow culture, society.

didn’t matter that the King tried to change their name and identity.. Daniel knew who he was!!

Now flip with me to the New Testament…

two weeks ago… hebrews.. church who was faceing trials and persecution.

FAMILY/ Children of God.

last week… ephesians… new church… give some encouragement

chosen, predestined as children of God.

redeemed

inheritance.

Peter writes.... we were given all we need in christ, made sons, and have been called to be his because of his great mercy.

he writes that we are new creations.

Why am i telling you these things?

It’s OBVIOUSLY imperative for believers (whether in trials, whether mature or new, whether in pastoral ministry, whether things are going great) to remember our identity and who we are.

this week… reading through colossians… sit here for a second.

Paul writes this letter to a church in Colossae who has been infiltrated by false teaching.

Look what Paul writes… he want’s to set it straight…

verses 3-4

thankful for your faith and your love.

that should be our standard today.

faith in Jesus.

Love for others.

verse 5

this faith and love spring up from the hope you have in heaven and the word of the gospel.

you know who you are… child of god, heavenly home, redeemed, reconciled, free, all because of JESUS.

I am a child of God.

verse 6

all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing.

bearing fruit… fruit of faith, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self control.

Why? because you know the good news.

you know who you are! you are a child of the king.

forgiven.

“just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all it’s truth”

you have faith and love because you understand the gospel… you aren’t adding legalistic rules, you understand that you have been made alive in Christ… you have his promises and because of that you are bearing fruit.

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

YOUR IDENTITY IS FOUND IN CHRIST.

VERSE 9-14

NOW… PLEASE HERE THESE NEXT TWO VERSES.

VERSE 15-16

WOW!!!!!

CREATED BY.... AND CREATED FOR!!!

THERE’S YOUR IDENTITY… YOU WERE CREATED FOR CHRIST.

TO DO THE WORK OF JESUS.

TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY.

Why is there so much confusion and identity crisis in the world today… because the world doesn’t understand that truth.

dont understand the gospel

paid for by the blood of jesus.

given a new life.