What's your price?

Intro:

Taylor Swift had a price… You may no remember that Taylor Swift was a country artist living in Nashville who accomplished her life long dream but started to realize the money was in pop music and slowly transitioned until she went full blown pop in every way and left her OG fans behind.

Many Politicians have a price… They campaign on one set of ideas and promise to never give up fighting until they get into office and for the price of political favor from their peers or media they compromise and flip the script

What about you? Whats your price? To which you will compromise your ideas or beliefs? How much do you have to be paid to break Gods law intentionally?

What would it take to make you drink alcohol?

Smoke weed?

Watch pornography?

To have sex?

To cuss? To lie?

Most teenagers don’t need a million dollar deal or a promise of 4 more years in office

Most need a little bit of peer pressure , to be seen as “cool”, a temporary satisfaction and they will compromise

You need to decide tonight where the line in your life is, at what point will you compromise?

Because all of you are going to soon be facing more pressure than ever before

Under Classmen ---> the peer pressure, and access and ability to compromise only grows greater as you get older and become freer. You get your license, your friends get their license, you begin to feel more like an adult, more curious than ever before. and you will be under real demand to compromise

Upper classmen ---> the same applies to you because your getting older and gaining more and more freedom but you also are getting jobs, your spending 8 hours in close quarters with unbelievers who no doubt will lie, gossip, cuss, cut corners and will look to you to do the same.

Some of you will go to college or some other form of education and it is not just a scare tactic we use but a sad reality that most professing believers abandon their faith during the college years, you may be under presure to compromise through education and academics, you WILL be pressured to compromise though athletics and teammates, you will be around if not rooming with unbelieving peers who don’t follow Gods law but seem free and happy as if they are inviting you to come join

The temptation to say “just this time” “its not that bad” “Everyone is doing it” is going to grow greater in your life and if you do not ALREADY have strong convictions, drawn a line in the sand, you WILL fail

The world says “Everyone has a price” and it will constantly try to find yours BUT Christians are to have no price, no point at which they will compromise on Gods law.

Thats what we will see exemplified tonight as we jump into Daniel. Daniel was a teenager who would not compromise and week after week we will see that.

HOW DID HE NOT COMPROMISE?

Not by gritting his teeth

Not through white knuckle discipline

Not by self will but BY TRUSTING IN GOD

TRANSITION: If there is one thing you TAKE from tonight and this series it is...

Prop: Don’t compromise, trust God

3 ways to not compromise...

1. DON’T COMPROMISE… under PRESSURE v. 1-7

READ 1-4

Judah (souther section of Isreal) is being judged by God for their sin through being taken captive by Babylon

READ 5-7

Nebuchannezer had a strategy (Like Hitler) to take the BEST youth (13-17) of Judah, brainwash them for 3 years into becoming Babylonians in Jewish bodies and going back to rule over Judah.

ILLUS: Sounds like modern day public universities BUT WORSE

Daniel was kidnapped and taken to another country and immediatley placed under intesne pressure to compromise through 3 ways...

Their Minds v.4b

They sat in class every single day to learn about 1 subject for 3 years, not because of how interesting Babylon was but to make them think and talk like Babylonians and not like Children of God

This is still how the world works today… dont make me remind you about my queer theory, gender in society and feminist rhetorics class. It doesn’t matter what major you want, the world will pressure you to conform through educational brainwashing, even if you are homechooled snd dont go to college this will still occur in the workpalce and through media - not a possibility but a reality its part of living here

It’s like the world staps you down to a chair and forces you to watch a weird video that brainwashes you BUT the only way to beat it, to stay strong is to KNOW THE WORD OF GOD

We must be regularly listening, studying, memorizing and meditating on the WORD OF GOD

Their Ego v.5

This would be the toughest pressure, they are teenagers that, while their whole nation is in captivity, THEY have been chosen to eat the best food, receive the best education, and rule over their people. That is the easiest way to give a high schooler a big head.

Now if you don’t understand Jewish law it really doesn’t make sense why eating the Kings food is a big deal and why it is a COMPROMISE

Lev 11 & Duet 14 - God forbids Isreal (not us) from eating certain meats not just to have a lean nation but to make them separate from ALL the nations - so that when foreigners look in they say “Why are they so different?” and it gives glory to God

Eating the kings food would NO DOUBT be direct disobedience to God

Nebuchanezars plan was crafty - give these no name kids the royal treatment so that they give their allegiance to me

Have you ever felt this pressure?

You can gain status, popularity, friends, followers - if you’d just compromise

You can get a good grade on this - if you just cheat, sneak a look at your phone or your classmate

This is a direct challenge for Daniel to change his convictions - a conviction is an unchangeable belief based on God’s Word.

And the world will continually pressure you to do the same

3. Their Identity v.6-7

We won’t spend time here but just know that this is to completeley erase any memory of their God

Their names all had direct reference to the one true God and their new Babylonian names made refernece to flase Babylonian Gods

This was a ALL OUT ASSUALT to pressure Daniel to compromise under INTESNE PRESSURE

2. DON’T COMPROMISE… make CONVICTIONS v. 8-10

READ v.8-10

Daniel didn't give in to any of the STRONG temptation to compromise on his convictions Remember convictions are unchangeable belief based on God’s Word.

Daniel knew God’s word, he knew what was right and he made up his mind to do exactly that -

It’s pretty simple to he simply made up his mind, he determined to, he made a decision and stuck with it before he was faced with temptation.

ILLUS: You know I love In’n”out for many reasons, but primarily because of simplicity

I don’t like restaurants with a bunch of choices

You know the intesne anxiety you are under when you walk into a restraunt, see a HUGE menu and dont know what you want and have to make a decision in .5 seconds

IT’s WAY easier if you know exactly what you are getting beforehand, you walk in they say “What can I… I’LL TAKE THE PASTA!”

Decisions are easier when we know what to do beforehand

When it comes to daily living, you will have choices, to hang with that group or to not, to laugh at that joke or not, to cheat on that test, to hang out with that guy/girl alone at night or not, to watch pornography or not, to lie to your parents or not

AND if you have not already MADE UP YOUR MIND, determined in your heart before the Lord what you will do, you are on a slippery slope towards compromising

Don’t compromise BUT make CONVICTIONS rooted in God’s Word and FINALLY

3. DON’T COMPROMISE… TRUST GOD v.11-21

READ 11-21

Daniel didn’t receive special revelation from God saying, “Don’t eat it and Ill make you stronger”

Daniel just knew what the right thing to do was and did it - trusting God to either make them strong or trusting God in the consequence of them becoming weak.

Some times we fear the consequences of obedience - so we continue to compromise

If I confess my sexual sin my reputation will be ruined

If I confess about this relationship - I’ll have to break up, it will hurt too bad and they will leave the church

If I confess about my gossip/ slander - I’ll loose my friends

We must not fear consequnces of obedience, God always blesses obedience he is good and he loves you so trust him

maybe you’re thinking How can I trust God? look where my life is this is his fualt, or how can he love me with all of my sin?

Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin, he took the eternal punishment that you and I deserve for it - He rose from the dead defeating SIN and proving that he is God and he acended to heaven to prepare a place for all who would believe

He can set you free from your sin, if you would surrender you entire life to him, repent from your sin and TRUST HIM

Uncompromising lives are redeemed lives YOUR LIFE will always be in compromise if you do not know God

would you determine to not compromise and trust God with the outcome and with your sould tonight>

PTAY