Knowing a Powerful God

I want you to turn with me in your Bibles this morning to Daniel chapter one.

Daniel chapter one.

You know, growing up, I'll be sixty five in December.

Yes.

Wow.

I know I don't look it, thank you very much.

Lord of get you, Lanny.

But growing up heroes.

That's when the comics were coming out with the Fantastic Four and Batman and Robin and Spider Man and Superman.

And guess what?

That hasn't changed.

In fact, I think it's gotten more uh exalted today.

Kids going around, and I'm a big, I love, I, I love Batman, I love Superman and Spider Man.

I had a Superman Harley Davidson, I had a Spider-Man Vivrod that won the World of Wheels.

So I and by the way, all of my motorcycles had, you know what the main thing was?

I'd tell everybody be looking, and I'd say, you know what's the main thing that I like on my bike?

On the front, Jesus is awesome.

And then I'd tell them why he's awesome.

Letter A, he's all sufficient.

Letter W, he's the word.

And I'd go through my acrostic preaching to them.

So I always used it for an opportunity to share Jesus.

But my granddaddy used to tell me of the real heroes when I was growing up.

And he said, you know, there's some real heroes, Danny Boy, that you need to really know about.

One's David, a young lad, who took on a giant and killed him for the honor and glory of God.

He was a real hero.

And then there was another young lad named Daniel.

By the way, that's where you were named.

James Daniel.

Love it.

You were named after Daniel.

And he was a great hero.

In fact, probably one of the greatest heroes in the Bible.

Because of all the heroes, including David and all the disciples, and Paul and Samson and Moses and Joshua, he said, out of all the heroes, Daniel was one that they could find nothing wrong with him.

Now, are you watching this?

The only thing they could find wrong with Daniel was his love and his stand for the word of God and God Jehovah.

Daniel 6, 4.

That was it.

What a testimony.

After all those years, and when you get to Daniel 6, Daniel chapter 1, he's a young lad, probably between 16 and 20.

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

But when he gets to Daniel chapter 6, he's up in his 80s, and in the end of his 80s, they say they can find nothing wrong with him except his stand for the Word of God and God alone.

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

Wow.

How do you get to your 80s and have a testimony like that?

Can I tell you something?

It doesn't start in your 40s.

Hello?

So today, I'm bringing a message on how to know the power of God.

But it could also be titled, How to Have a Testimony Through the Power of God.

That'll go on from generation to generation.

Because Daniel not only influenced his three different kingdoms, but he influenced the whole eastern part of the country.

Because when the wise man came, it was after generations and legacy of God that was birthed by Daniel.

Why?

Hundreds of years later.

Now that's a testimony.

Could that be real reality in my life and my kids and my grandkids that I'm really having a touch right now?

But then their kids and their grandkids and their kids and their grandkids.

That testimony does not start when you're 40.

That testimony doesn't start, well, I'm gonna live it up and then later I'll become a Christian and be a good example.

No, it doesn't work that way.

It starts, young people, listen to me.

This message, if I could direct it to anybody, I'd say from probably 35 or 30 and under.

If you can hear the truth that's about to be preached, it could change not just your life, your family life, but four to six generations of your family.

Today, Daniel chapter one.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem and besieged it.

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim of Judah into his hand and to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

With part of the vessels of the house of God, took all the gold and all the silver in the temple which he carried into the land of Shannar to the house of his God, and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God.

Two powerful statements in these two verses.

First of all, we have the historical philosophy and the historical statement.

In verse 1, it's a historical statement that Nebuchadnezzar came in and besieged Israel.

And at the time Jehoiakim was the king, he had been serving 11 years, and Jehoiakim was a wicked king.

He did not follow the things of God.

He did what was right in his own eyes.

That's a historical statement.

You can go back historically and see that actually happened.

But verse 2, it says, And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, King of Judah, into his hand.

In other words, now this is a theological historical statement.

You got a practical historical statement that we know happened, and then you've got a theological principle that happened.

And the question that we're going to be looking at today historically deals with when, where, what.

That's the historical statement.

But the theological statement deals with why.

Why did God allow King Jehoakim to be besieged and fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the ungodly king, ruler?

Two reasons.

One, a prophetic principle.

God had said to the nation Israel, and especially in the book of Deuteronomy, the law, especially Deuteronomy 28, and we'll see that in a minute, but but he literally said, as long as you follow me and do what I ask you to do, I'm going to bless you.

But if you decide to go your own way, hey, and do your own thing, I will curse you.

It's called the blessings of God or the curses of God.

So we see that not only is there a prophetic principle here, there's a biblical principle here.

That's very important that answers the why question.

See, listen, the the the Israel was besieged twice by Nebuchadnezzar.

First by, hey, when Daniel was a young lad and came into the kingdom and ruled, and then with uh Ezekiel.

Now watch this.

And I'm this is gonna be good.

This is laying the foundation.

Ezekiel ended up being a slave in that besiegement.

Daniel ended up being a leader in an ungodly setting and culture.

One was a godly servant, one was a godly slave.

Now, why did you say that?

God has a plan for you and me, and they are different.

God has a definite plan for you and me.

He has a definite purpose for you.

And listen to me, young people.

This is especially, please don't miss this.

So, and by the way, can I tell you what that plan is?

Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11.

Jeremiah 29:11

I think I have it up there.

Jeremiah 29, 11.

God has a hey, plan.

Put it in your notes for your life.

God has different plans and paths for different people.

But I love this, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.

Let me read it out of another translation.

For I know the thoughts which I entertain towards you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace and not of trouble, to give unto you a hope, a hopeful future.

Do you understand?

God's plan and purpose for your life is hopeful and exciting, and God plans something great for you.

Can I get an amen?

He does.

I'm looking back now as I'm in my fourth quarter of my journey, and I'm telling you, folks, it's been fantastic.

It's been unbelievable to take a little country boy out of Sylvester, Georgia.

Voted most unlikely to succeed.

Voted most likely to be the first locked up.

Took him to school, had to go through dumb dumb English and math twice.

I mean, on and on.

But to take him out of a little place like that and then use it, way beyond my expectations.

If you'd have told me I was going to be a preacher, I would have hit you.

The last thing my mama used to say, Danny boy, God's gonna call you to preach.

I'd say, No, no, no, no, no, no.

I'm gonna coach.

I don't want to preach.

But I knew I did.

In my heart, God was saying, Yes, I need you.

I need you, I need you.

And I ran.

Boy, did I run.

But God has a plan for your life in my life.

This takes place 600 years before Christ.

And I want to give you four mega themes in Daniel.

Oh, this is powerful.

Mega theme number one: God is in control even in adverse times.

Even though God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem and Israel, he was still in charge.

He was still in control.

And we know that because, and the Lord gave Jehoiakim into Judah.

Hey, if God didn't want Jehoiakim to be besieged, he would not have been besieged.

What happens in your life as a Christian, listen to me, has to pass the approval of God.

And that's why we can say we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

Amen.

So we see God is in control even in adverse times.

And we see that in verses 2, 9.

Look at what he says in verse 9.

Now God brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

In other words, God allowed Daniel to find favor with the chief jailer, the man over all the eunuchs.

God did that.

You say, you don't know what bad situation I'm in.

Doesn't matter what situation you're in.

If you're faithful to God, God will give you favor.

And when you find favor, you'll be okay.

Regardless of what happens, you'll be okay if you find favor.

How do you find favor?

By being obedient.

It's that simple.

It's that simple.

Now watch.

Look at number two, the second megathing.

Power of a purpose or power of conviction and principles in one's life make a difference.

Let me tell you right now, you don't wait and write down your life principles when you're 40.

You write them down right now.

I was reading about Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards, by age of 19, are you ready?

Had written down 75 resolutions in his life that he was going to live by.

Seventy-five.

By the age of nineteen.

And most of you don't even know who Jonathan Edwards is.

One of the greatest, greatest missionaries ever.

Ever.

His kids went on to be judges, senators, governors, his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

What an influence he had on his family.

John Maxwell, one of the greatest leaders of our day, written most of the books on leadership that's been bestsellers.

He had, I'll never forget listed, he taught it to us as students at Liberty.

Well, actually I was the dean.

We brought him in.

Ten principles that guide his life.

He wrote a book about it.

You do, you write those principles now.

Look at Daniel, Daniel 1.8.

Look, 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.

In other words, listen, between 16 and 20 years of age, he has already made his resolutions.

He's already come to his, hey, hey, his conclusion of his principles and convictions that's going to guide his life the rest of his life.

Wow.

Wow.

Unbelievable.

Number three.

The challenge to be in the world, but not part of the world.

Look at verse 15.

And the end of ten days, their countenance appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

Verse 17, and as for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill and all learning and wisdom.

And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Oh my goodness.

Oh my goodness.

And then when you go on over and you look at it, hey, look at uh verse 21.

Uh no, okay, verse 19.

And the king communed with them and found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Meshach, Ezariah.

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.

And all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

And then Daniel continued even to the first year of King Cyrus.

I mean, he became a long, unbelievable three different kings, tenure of influence, of righteousness and godliness.

Now listen to me, while living in an ungodly country.

Hello.

Oh, it's just, you don't, we're living in the worst of the worst of times.

No, no, no, no, no.

It doesn't matter what times you're living in, and what matters is that you're pleasing Him and finding favor with Him, and you'll be an influence.

Let everybody, hey, all the other Hebrew boys compromise.

Daniel could have easily said, hey, everybody else is doing it, I'm gonna do it.

That's what happens with most young people.

Peer pressure gets you.

Daniel wasn't living to see how close he could get to the world.

Daniel was living to be different than the world.

You know what attracts people to you and me as Christians today?

Not that we try to be cool and compromise and be cool and see how close we can live with the world, but yet not totally be of the world.

It's how different we are.

Not weird.

Now, maybe I am weird.

But not how I'm talking about different.

There's a joy, the love, the joy, the peace, the long suffering, the gentleness, the goodness, the meekness, the temperance, the feeling of the Spirit of God.

There's a difference about you.

And people know they don't have what you got.

And they want it.

That's what Daniel had.

And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They had that.

And let me tell you, the other ones didn't get promoted.

The other ones weren't ten times better.

But Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Abednego were, and they got promoted.

Righteousness always wins.

Say that with me, church.

Righteousness always wins.

So I quit watching all that's going on in the news.

It's a circus.

But I got news for you.

Righteousness will always win.

I don't care if you're Democratic, I don't care if you're Republican, righteousness wins.

Absolutely.

When the righteous and in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked bear through, the people mourn.

Proverbs 14, 34.

Now watch.

Well, that's good.

Notice the fourth mega theme.

God is faithful.

God is always there when his people need him.

Verse 9 again, he found favor.

Verse 17, he gave them knowledge and wisdom and learning.

Everything they needed to be successful in the place and in the circumstances and in the culture that God had placed them.

He gave them what they needed to be successful.

Can I get an amen?

That's good.

That's good.

God will always come through if you'll walk, hey, walking with Him.

He'll give you what you need when you need it at the time that you need it.

Oh, how many times that has come true to me.

Great theologian said this, Stanley Jones.

Anything less than God, anything less than God will let you down.

Well, that's good.

Write it down.

Anything less than God will let you down.

So, to answer the why question, you have biblical prophecy that had to Be fulfilled.

God had told them in Deuteronomy what would happen if they didn't live righteously.

But there's a second thing that is always prevalent, and this is the key that I'm going to really dive into these next 30 minutes.

And that is not only the why was because of biblical prophecy, but the second answer to that why question in verse 2 is biblical principles.

And this is my favorite part.

See, the Bible says, for example, Joshua 1.8, here's a biblical principle.

The book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that's written therein.

Did you hear that little word all?

Not some, not what you want.

All.

Then he says, I will make thy way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Biblical principle.

Stay in the word, meditate on the word, memorize the word, do the word, and you'll be successful.

Do you know that's the only place in the Bible the word success is used?

That's pretty important, folks.

Amen.

Biblical principle.

Here's another one.

Isaiah, uh Isaiah 1, 19 and 20.

If you're willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.

That's a biblical principle.

Do it God's way, you're blessed.

Do it your way, you're devoured.

By who?

Well, let's answer that with scripture.

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.

How do you overcome that?

Verse 9, 1 Peter 5, that was eight.

Verse 9, resist him by being steadfast in the faith, by memorizing, meditating, being obedient to the word of God.

You find success.

Success what?

Over, hey, Satan as well.

That's a biblical principle.

Biblical principle.

Deuteronomy chapter 11, verses 23, 26 through 28.

Deuteronomy 11:23

Listen what it says.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.

Verse 27, a blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day.

But a verse 28, but a curse if you disobey the commandments that I set before you this day.

That's a biblical principle.

God is faithful in his blessings and in his judgments.

Did you hear that?

God is faithful in his blessings and in his judgments.

That prophecy was a judgment that had to be what?

Concluded because God had told them, if you disobey me, this is what's going to happen.

They disobeyed, even though probably they didn't really believe God might do that, but it happened.

Folks, listen to me.

You cannot sin and get away with it.

You can be sure your sins are going to find you out.

Numbers 32, 23.

They're going to find you out.

That's scary.

God is faithful in his blessings and judgments.

They are given according to our obedience or disobedience to his will.

The curses that God allows in our lives become a crisis.

Now watch this.

Our response, when the curses come, I call it a crisis or circumstances.

And you know what happens when we disobey and whether it's the chastisement of God or whether it's the results of our choices, which a lot of times is the chastisement.

God chastises us for making bad choices.

But what happens, we get in a crisis.

And you know what I've learned after 40 years of ministry dealing with people and my own self.

When a crisis or situation comes, or the judgment of God comes, you know what happens?

We either get bitter or we get better.

Hello?

There's no in between.

You either get bitter, there's thousands, hundreds of thousands of people out of church today because they got bitter with people or God and they left the church.

If I got bitter or mad and stayed bitter or mad at people that had come against me in 40 years, I'd been out of the ministry a long time ago.

Probably.

But see, my eyes are fixed on God.

My eyes are fixed on God.

In him is my trust.

Psalm 141, verse 8.

Psalms 141:8

Hey, my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62 5.

Amen.

Now, I want us to look at three things.

Man, this is good.

Oh, young people, catch this.

I beg you, catch this.

Young couples, catch this.

We're talking about not just your children.

Or maybe you don't have children, but you're gonna have children.

Your children, but I'm talking about your grandchildren.

Then I'm talking about your great-grandchildren.

This is the influence you can have on them.

Now watch.

Nebuchadnezzar has a plan.

Verses 3 through 7.

Satan has a plan for you and your family.

You want to see it?

Here it is.

And the king spake unto Aspenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel and of the king's seed and of the princes, the young leaders.

He went after the young leaders.

He went after the young, bright, handsome, smart young people.

Hello.

Where do you think he's doing that today?

He's doing it today.

And I'll tell you, show you in a minute how he's doing it and where he's doing it.

Children in whom there's no blemish, in other words, man, they they're they're the they're the they're the next leaders of the next generation and then their children the next generation, okay?

What he's about to try to do to these young men is to effect, hey, to take everything that they've known, Jewishly speaking and godly speaking, and brainwash them.

That's what he's about to do.

Or try to do.

You with me?

Now watch, how do you know that?

Just watch.

Here it is.

No blemish, but well favored, skillful, they're already sharp in wisdom and cunning and knowledge and understanding, science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace in whom they might teach.

Now watch the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Mmm.

Then verse 5, 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, therefore, they might stand before the king.

Now notice he didn't get up and say, God Jehovah is of the devil.

God, there's no such thing.

There's no God, Jehovah Jirah.

No, he didn't start condemning their gods.

And they didn't have God's floor like he did.

They had one God.

But they he didn't start, he didn't try to condemn their God.

What he was gonna do, he just said, Hey, I know that in his mind he said, I know they have very strict diets, and the Jews don't do this, they don't drink the wine, they don't eat the meat, and da-da-da-da-da, and they don't do this kind of learning.

We want to get them away from the Torah, we want to get them away from the law, we want to get them away from Christianity, we want to get them away from godly families, we want to get them away from any influence of righteousness and godliness we can, but we're not gonna tell them.

We're just gonna make the world so enticing and so good and so, oh, ooh, that they'll just swallow hook, line, and sinker.

Sound familiar.

And among them were the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishel, and Ezariah, unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names, for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shedrach, and to Meshel, Meshach, and to Ezariah Abednego.

Powerful, powerful.

Ready?

Here's Nebuchadnezzar's plan.

Fill in the blanks.

This is good.

Number one, isolation.

He wanted to get them away from any and every godly influence.

Why does your pastor stand up here every Sunday and preach his heart out about don't miss church, don't miss a wana, don't miss Sunday school, don't miss fellowshipping, don't miss your small group.

Stay with your guys.

Find a good group.

Find people you love that love the Lord and try to find somebody that you look up to that's probably more mature in the Lord than you, so they can help you grow more.

Folks, this is why we have a family here.

This is why we have a covenants class, and by the way, next Sunday at six of families, new families to be at our house for fellowship and finger foods, and just to get to know each other better.

We want to get to know you.

But just, hey, we want you in our family, but we just don't want, hey, we just don't want anybody to walk in here and think they can join up.

Because, see, that's the way the devil works.

Hello.

You got to believe what we believe.

You say, well, then what makes you so smart?

Oh, I'm not smart.

I told you I took dumb dumb English twice.

But we believe the Bible, the B-I-B-L-E.

We believe in absolute truth.

The world does it today.

The world believes anything you want or anything you say, that's fine.

It's your truth.

Doesn't matter if it's true.

Even the Bible says if you find the elder in Rome, you gotta have at least two witnesses.

Hello.

See?

Oh, that's in the Bible?

Yeah.

Yes.

Isolation.

Get them away from all godliness.

Notice verse 3 and 4, we said that.

Look at the second thing.

Edoctrinate them with their learning.

In other words, brainwash them with their teachings.

Endoctrinate them with worldly philosophy.

That's a 21st century statement.

In other words, where is that taking place today?

In our school system.

Twenty years ago or 25 years ago, they kicked God out.

Hey, let me just tell you something.

Maybe it's longer than that.

I think it's about 45 years ago, wasn't it?

All right, look, we are now, are you ready?

This is a great example.

We are now seeing the results in our leadership, in our government, in every parts of America of what happened 45 years ago when we kicked God out.

We're getting what we deserve.

You say, well, I don't, I hear people all say, I don't understand why.

I do.

We kicked God out 45 years ago.

When I was, it wasn't until my 11th grade, up until my 11th grade, we had Bible reading.

Listen, in the school, and sometimes we'd memorize a verse in public school, we'd stand up, say allegiance to that flag and to the Christian flag, up until I was in the 11th grade.

God help us.

And you thought this, this has been a trick ever 600 years before Christ.

Why do you think every country it takes 200 years?

But any, do you know Harvard, Yale?

Do you know all these major Ivy Lee universities were dynamic Christian universities at the very beginning of their tenure?

Yes, all of them, Duke, all of them.

They were, they started to prepare preachers.

Now look where we are.

God help us.

That's how they do it.

Number three.

They get you to compromise.

Slowly.

Verse five the meat, the wine.

Oh, hey, come eat.

Compromise.

Slowly get you to slowly compromise.

When's the last time you've seen a show on television that gave an example of a godly home where a husband loves the wife and the wife loves the husband and they're raising children?

Hey, in just basic good principles.

I have to watch Andy Griffin all the time.

I love Barney and Andy.

Barney?

Andy, Andy, gotta nip it in the butt, nip it in the butt.

We ought to been nipping it in the bud 45 years ago.

You with me?

Notice the fourth thing.

Compromise, indoctrination, them in the worldly philosophies and the worldly things.

Why are, why is the world so, you know, when I, Liberty University, can I tell why I love Christian education, especially my alma mater?

I'm gonna put in a commercial for liberty.

When I was at Tuscaloosa, I used to be the only pastor that would go on the campus and debate the humanistic philosophy.

No, none of the other pastors would do it.

I jumped at it.

Because all I do is quote scripture.

That's all I know.

And I always started out when they introduced me, preacher, and they'd say, oh, Bible thumper.

You know what I'd do?

I'd get up and I'd say, first of all, could I introduce myself?

My name's and I'd use my doctorate there because in edge.

I say I'm Dr.

Danny Lovett.

I have my doctorate's degree from Reformed Theological Cemetery, one of the seminary, not cemetery.

Seminary.

Some of them are cemeteries, trust me.

Seminary, one of the top five in the country.

And it is, one of the top five seminaries.

And I just did that to validate my education, because that's what they think of.

And then I said, but let me say something before we get started.

I had the privilege and honor of graduating from the largest Christian evangelical university in America that's approved and honored through all the sacks or regulations, everything that University of Alabama is.

And one day we'll be the largest evangelical university in the world, maybe even larger than Alabama.

And they all laughed.

Well, guess what?

100,000 students now, it's larger than Alabama.

Amen.

But you know what I'd say?

I'd say, before we get started, I'd like to say my alma mater, my university, I'm so proud to be a graduate of because we definitely believe in open-mindedness.

And you could hear them.

The whole their whole, and I said, and we definitely believe in academic freedom.

And they go, ooh.

I said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Let me tell you about creationism.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Wait, wait, wait.

At the university, Liberty University, we offer two thoughts.

One, creationism, the other, evolution.

We teach them both.

What does the University of Alabama teach?

You don't even give creation a chance.

What are you scared of?

You could hear a pin drop.

I said, if you're the academicians and the intelligence, the intelligence that's in this room with the PhDs and and all, I said, what are you afraid of?

Why don't you challenge it?

And then we'd have a good debate.

They're not going to challenge it.

They don't want to challenge it.

Why?

They are afraid of it.

Because you shall know the truth, and the truth's going to set you free.

Confusion.

They want you to be confused.

Why?

A double-minded person is unstable in all his ways.

James 1.8.

1 Corinthians 14, 33.

God's not the author of confusion, but of peace in all churches of the saints.

Amen?

So that's Nebuchadnezzar's plan.

And we see that in 6 and 7.

He tried to confuse them with their names.

Daniel meant God is my judge.

Belshazzar meant chief Babylonian God.

Hananiah meant the Lord shows grace.

Shedrach meant AQU moon god.

Meshel meant who is like God.

Meshach meant who is like Aku.

Ezariah, the Lord helps me.

Abednego, servant of the God Nebo.

So he tried.

They try to change your thinking and get you confused.

A statistic from our Southern Baptist Convention.

Are you ready for this?

Children and young teenagers that were brought up in Sunday school and in church go to secular university four years later.

60% of them don't even believe in God.

That's in our own Southern Baptist convention.

Now, thank God, my wife graduated from university.

Thank God for the Christian teachers in the schools.

Thank God for those kids that go and are strong enough to and get with fellowship of Christian athletes.

They get with with uh the Southern Baptist Bible studies or or campus crusade, and they stand and they stand and they're witnesses and they win a lot of people to cry.

I'm all for that.

But it takes a mighty strong Christian to be able to do that.

Because every day they are tried by the professors and their comrades and their students to brainwash them that there is no God.

That there's many gods.

You can be a God.

Seriously.

Daniel's purpose.

That was Nebuchadnezzar's plan.

Think a minute.

I've had what I just gave you, those four principles.

Have you not seen that in your own children?

I have.

I dealt with it one-on-one with my kids.

And I know how they were raised.

But it was so tough when they started, especially when they went from a Christian school to a secular high school to play ball.

We got challenges that were just unbelievable.

And you know what they were?

They all fell.

They all fell under one of these four places.

That's what they were trying to do.

Thank God we had a lot of Christian teachers in that school, Jefferson Forrest.

But still, it was so the kids that they just the influence from their parents and what they watched on TV, it was just so dominating.

And you know what?

What they wanted to isolate my kids from the right teaching and doctrinate them.

With the wrong teaching, get them to compromise what they have been taught and bring confusion.

And are you ready for this?

When you're confused, you're in trouble.

In fact, I wrote this down.

Are you ready for this?

When they changed the names.

Names were important to the Jewish folks.

Listen to this.

And then Ryrie wrote this.

Why was it so important to change the Jews' name here?

And to get their thinking changed.

Here's what he said.

And this is so good.

The way we think about God and ourselves will determine how we act.

Now let me repeat that.

That's worth me being real slow.

How we think about God and ourselves will determine how we act.

Now watch this.

What we think and know about God always, hey, what we know and think about God always, always should direct and lead us in how we act.

Can I get an amen?

That's why Paul said, listen, listen, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10, 4 and 5.

Well, he even says that in 2 Corinthians looking into the mirror.

Now, Daniel's purpose, verses 8 through 16.

Here it is.

Daniel models these character traits for all of us who are under pressure and temptation.

This is how we deal.

I mean, what I've just said is pretty bleak.

I can tell there's a sum.

You know why?

Because that's where we're living.

Thank God for these little bedroom communities that still can talk about God in school and and and but even now they're trying to infiltrate them.

They've been trying to infiltrate us.

I've seen a difference in what we could do in the public school system here six years ago than what we can now.

Rick has too.

Why?

They've got a plan, folks.

Satan's got a plan.

When I say they, Satan, they got a plan.

Now watch this.

Woo! Verse eight.

Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's meat and wine.

Therefore he requested of the Prince of the Eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

All right, here we go.

Number one.

Daniel's decision.

Now watch this.

You gotta fill it in.

You gotta put it up there.

Daniel's decision was decisive.

It was a decisive moment.

It was a pivotal moment.

Very pivotal.

Choose you this day whom you're gonna serve.

For me and my house, bless God, we're gonna serve God.

Joshua 24, 15.

The righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1.

Proverbs 28:1

Daniel was bold, courageous, but now watch this.

But not arrogant, not cocky.

I have a problem with that sometimes.

I want to just be cocky and knock him out.

You want to fight?

Bam! Before he even says, Yeah, I'm bowed to hit him.

That's wrong.

I understand that.

But watch Daniel.

Daniel, aren't you ready?

Decisive.

What does that mean?

The battle is won.

Now listen, you want to write this down.

The battle is won before it begins.

You've already won the battle in your heart and your mind before you're tempted.

You don't decide that you don't, you want to overcome a temptation when you're up on the mountain overlooking the valley and there's fog in the car.

You don't do that.

You don't go up there to park and look at the lights and decide, well, I'm not going to be tempted.

Give me a break.

Don't go up on the mountain.

Or if you go up there, go up, there were ten of you.

Amen.

We didn't let our girls date till they were 16, and then they had to double date.

And then I threatened to kill both boys.

If they weren't in by 11 o'clock.

I did.

I would.

It had been in love.

Hey, my daughter, my first date my daughter had was to the prom.

Mary, the guy came to the door, and when he opened the door, I was standing there with my 357 Magnum strapped to my side.

Was I not?

He said, Can I take a picture of Dr.

Love?

It is great.

I said, It won't be great if you're late.

His decisiveness, now watch, was personal and immediate.

First time tempted, and look how he responded.

Listen, if you already make a purpose in your heart that you're going to stay pure till you get married, you won't put yourself in those places so that you will be tempted.

See, the battle's won before it starts.

If you're having a problem with pornography, you don't go on the internet.

Or you don't watch Haradian movies.

Or fact, you can't even watch commercials.

I saw a commercial that was flashed up and Susan just logged in.

She always walks in at the wrong time.

I said, I don't know.

Isn't that the way we do?

Huh?

I'm just being honest.

Some of y'all are just saying, oh, don't look at me, don't look at me.

Amen.

The battle's won before it gets started, folks.

It's personal and it's immediate.

Because if you don't, the second opportunity is going to be a lot easier to give in.

Can I get an O me?

I know this is not real part, but I'll probably get some, I don't, I probably won't get a whole lot of views this week.

Notice the second thing about Daniel.

Verse 12, his testimony was modest.

He knew what to say and how to say it.

Look at him.

He said in a nice way to the eunuch.

Well, actually, to the um to the guy over the eunuchs, look at what he said in verse 10.

And the prince of the eunuch said unto Daniel, first of all, he says to him, Can we just, I'm not going to compromise.

And then he says, I've got a plan for you.

Why don't we do this?

Why don't we do this?

Why don't we let us drink water and eat vegetables 10 days?

Let the other guys, because they don't care, eat the meat and drink the wine, and at the end of the ten days, see who's the fairest of them all.

But see how he said it.

There was no fret, there was nothing like that.

He took a stand, folks.

You can take a stand, Christ-like.

Can I get an amen?

We can take a stand and not compromise.

And that's exactly what he did.

He didn't.

He was very kind about it.

And then look at the third thing.

His testimony was stood, stood strong and stood firm.

Romans 6 14, 16, let not your good be evil spoken of.

1 Thessalonians.

Abstain from all appearances of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5.22.

And then his expectation.

Verses 11, 12, and 13.

Daniel knew if he did what was right, God would take care of him.

And boy did he.

Boy did he.

He ended up being 10 times better than everybody else.

And so now let me close with the third thing.

God's provision.

Verses 17 through 21.

What a beautiful picture here.

Number one, God's provisions were the result of Daniel, Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego's faithfulness.

Because they were faithful, God blessed them greatly.

Now you've got to realize Daniel's the one that suggested the trial.

You know why?

You know why Daniel suggested the trial under that last point about the expectation of God for Daniel?

Daniel knew if he stood for what's right, God would come through.

Because if he didn't, God would be a liar.

And God can't lie.

Can I get an amen?

Hebrews 6, 18.

God can't lie.

Numbers 33, 19, God can't lie.

Titus 1.2, God can't lie.

So God's provisions were the result of their faithfulness.

Now watch the second thing.

Their faithfulness.

Today, during their temptation, their faithfulness in that trying situation.

This is going to blow your mind.

Their faithfulness in that trying situation.

Ready?

Listen.

Prepared them for a great promotion.

And watch this.

Oh, man.

If you catch this young people, your life will radically change.

Because they were faithful in the little things.

We're talking about meat and wine.

Doesn't get any smaller than that.

If you're faithful in the little things, God will bless you and use you in the great things.

That's good preaching, preacher.

Did you hear that?

Say it with me, church.

If we're faithful into the little things, God will prepare us for great things.

Now watch this.

Faith has to be tested before it can be used in a great way.

And it starts with a little thing.

Why?

Why?

What is it that spoils the vine?

The little foxes.

If you never get victory over the little things, you'll never be used in the great things.

But it's true.

Then the last thing.

Their faithfulness influenced the king, Nebuchadnezzar himself, and future generations.

Wow.

Every time you this Christmas, after this message, when you hear the wise man coming from afar, remember.

You know who influenced that whole thing?

Hundreds of years, 600 years later?

Six hundred years later.

Daniel.

And his influence over the Magi.

God please grant it.

That we can have that kind of influence over our children.

Their children.

God please grant it that we can have that kind of influence over this little s little town called Westover.

Chelsea.

Benson and Harpersville.

Wilsonville.