Baccalaureate Message 2021

Baccalaureate sermon 2021

Daniel 1

Pray

Hook - Have you asked yourself, When I get on my college campus, get into a new schedule, make new friends, have new experiences, When all these exciting and overwhelming experiences happen ...

How am I going to respond?

Am I going to be a College Freshman that pursues Jesus or am I going to be a College Freshman that does my own thing and lives for the moment?

It could be asked this way?

When I am placed in new situations in class or in the dorm where I have to choose whether to do right and follow God or choose wrong and follow what others want me to do - What choice am I going to make?

Transition - The Bible speaks to this kind of decision in many places, one place is in Daniel chapter 1.

Story Tell vs 1-7

Daniel as an 18 year old young man had his home city of Jerusalem destroyed in battle by the Persians.

The Persian King took the smartest and the best looking young men to serve the King in His palace.

Four 18 year old young men are taken by a foreign army to a new capitol city.

Their names? - Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego.

-As they leave their home city of Jerusalem, The 4 young men look back at their city for the last time.

-The city was in ruins. They knew they probably would never make it back home again.

-They are leaving for a new permanent home. Somewhere they had never been.

-They hear the language all around them from the men in the army. They have no idea what it means.

When they arrive in their new home in Babylon.

-They are going to be put in school for 3 years.

-Not ever see their family again.

-Learn a brand new language.

-New literature.

-New culture.

-New holidays

-Be given new food.

-Learn about a new religion of the Babylonians.

-Meet new people.

-Live a new way of life.

II. Parallels

There are considerable parallels to your life now (as you ready yourself to leave for college) and Daniel’s life.

Daniel had to leave his home.

You will be leaving your home.

Daniel went to school (without a summer or Christmas break) for 3 years.

You are going to a 4 year school.

School was demanding - Language immersion.

-Learn a new language, new literature, new culture so well he could perfectly speak to King in his palace.

-Daniel was probably be studying 10-12 hours a day.

-You are about to go to school that will require you to structure an academic life and study time to be successful.

Daniel was going to a place where he didn’t know anyone, except 3 other people.

-You are going to a place that you are not well known.

Daniel’s place of worship radically changed.

Your place of worship will change.

Transition - Here is why Daniel had success in an environment completely different than his own.

III. He determined in his heart ahead of time.

Read vs. 8

Daniel 1:8

Daniel determined/resolved not to sin against his God.

The Principle is this.

Daniel committed to follow God and trust Him.

How did Daniel do this?

-He took this change of life seriously.

-For you to follow God in college. You must take the change seriously.

-Daniel had a long journey from his home to Babylon to pray and think about his situation.

-When Daniel found out he was permanently leaving home and on his journey to Babylon

- Daniel purposed in His heart before He arrived what he would intentionally do and also the things he would not do.

Daniel did not show up without a plan thought through.

He didn’t show up in Babylon with the idea of just going with the flow.

-You must show up to college with a spiritual plan.

As we look at Daniel’s life.

His plan is a cut and paste straight into our life.

Transition - Not only did Daniel purpose in his heart ahead of time.

Not only did he have a plan.

The first part of Daniel’s plan was to...

-Grow his relationship with God.

Daniel was a person of daily prayer.

Daniel built up and nurtured His time with God.

-Even when he was commanded to stop praying or he would be killed, Daniel refused to stop. His relationship with God meant more to Him than his own life.

-Later on in the Book of Daniel we see him spend time with God 3 times a day.

Part 1 of your plan. Make regular time with God a daily priority.

Transition - Daniel didn’t only have a strong daily time with God...

Daniel surrounded himself with Believers.

Daniel kept himself connected to 3 other friends of spiritual influence.

-Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

-He ate with them, roomed with them, went to class with them, suffered with them, he was sentenced to death with them (and was saved) ...eventually these 3 God followers helped rule Babylon with Daniel.

-These were 3 guys that had the same spiritual goals as Daniel.

-For you to spiritually thrive in college, you must surround yourself with growing believers.

-How do I find friends like that?

-Your on campus Christian Groups.

-Ask your pastor to help you find the better on campus Christian groups at your school.

-When you get to school, that’s one of the first places that you go.

Part 2 of your plan should be to find other Christ Followers and spend time with them.

Part 3 of Daniels plan was this.

He made life change a spring board into greater spiritual growth.

-Your parents will talk to you about how important getting your academics in college right.

-It is very important.

There is something else that will stay with you longer than your academics. Your spiritual growth.

Most teenagers go to college & leave the church.

Those who leave church in college either never come back or if they come back they rarely attend.

This just gives us an idea of what is going on spiritually in the lives of college students.

College will be a time of Spiritual Life or Spiritual Death for you.

You are in an uphill battle.

There is a challenge before you.

The question is this. Will I place myself in a position to succeed spiritually?

Will I purpose in my heart ahead of time to deepen my walk with the Lord in college?

Am I going to set daily time to spend with God in prayer?

Am I going to set my alarm to go to church on Sunday?

Am I going to make it a high priority to join a solid student led on campus religious group.

Closing -