January 15, 2016 NOTES NOT EDITED
Under God
Pt. 2, Under The Influence
Pt. 2, Under The Influence
Daniel 1:1-21, esp. 8-20
SIS— As Ambassadors for Christ to this world we must live under the
influence of God and not worldly ideas and attitudes.
“Christianity is
flourishing” (Charisma News, online 9/25/2014).
I was a bit shocked when I read this sentence. According to a recent survey “roughly one in
three (33%) of Americans indicate that they have asked Jesus to forgive their
sins and grant them eternal life.”
This number has dropped about half in the last 50 years or so, but it is still very high. It’s probably four to five times the number in Europe, where the Christian message overcame the hostile forces of ancient Rome. This idea that “Christianity is flourishing” in America is hard to square with the rise of homosexuality that has permeated every facet of society from bathrooms to board rooms. This begs the question, “If Christianity is flourishing” why isn’t it making more of an impact upon society?
The answer is quite simple actually. The Charisma Christian Magazine article stated the issue this way, “Many of us who are Christians have gotten caught up in this increasingly bankrupt culture. We have adopted many of the values of the world around us.”
This number has dropped about half in the last 50 years or so, but it is still very high. It’s probably four to five times the number in Europe, where the Christian message overcame the hostile forces of ancient Rome. This idea that “Christianity is flourishing” in America is hard to square with the rise of homosexuality that has permeated every facet of society from bathrooms to board rooms. This begs the question, “If Christianity is flourishing” why isn’t it making more of an impact upon society?
The answer is quite simple actually. The Charisma Christian Magazine article stated the issue this way, “Many of us who are Christians have gotten caught up in this increasingly bankrupt culture. We have adopted many of the values of the world around us.”
Our pledge declares that we
are “One Nation UNDER God,” but are we really under the influence of God, or
are we under the influence of the world?
Let me share a clip from a young pastor that is having a tremendous
impact upon his city and the world. His
name is Greg Groeschel. I borrowed the idea
for this series from him. Here are a few
tips on how to evaluate whether we are living “Under the Influence of the
World, or Under the Influence of God.”
VIDEO CLIP
VIDEO CLIP
The essence of godliness is
determine Who or what will influence our lives.
Culture is constantly seeking to “assimilate us” into the ways of the
world. We must resist being so
assimilated to the world that our faith in God is obliterated. Today, we are looking at the life of Daniel
and three of his friends. King Nebuchadnezzar,
the leader of the Babylonian Empire (including modern day Iraq and regions to
the west), invaded Israel about 605 BC.
The City of Jerusalem was completely destroyed and Nebuchadnezzar
carried of the treasures of the temple of God.
The King also carried off the very best of the young men of Jerusalem to
be trained in the ways of his pagan kingdom, including the “Chaldean language and literature.”
Among these young Israelite men
were Daniel, Haniah, Mishael, and Azariah.
We know Daniel’s friends by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. (see Dan. 1:1-6).
We will pick up the story
of the stand for righteousness taken by Daniel and his friends. READ
Daniel 1:8-20.
Living under the influence
of God has three components.
1. Living Under the Influence of God Requires RESOLVE (8a)
1. Living Under the Influence of God Requires RESOLVE (8a)
8 Daniel determined that he would not
defile himself
with the king’s food or with the wine he drank.
with the king’s food or with the wine he drank.
Scholars are divided on the
reason that Daniel “determined” (“resolved,” NIV, ESV) not to eat the king’s
food or drink his wine. The most common
is the fact that ancient people would dedicate the food in the markets to the
pagan gods. Some scholars suggest that
we continue this same basic idea by saying a “blessing” before our meals.
In Daniel’s case, eating this food would “defile” him by eating this food dedicated to gods that Daniel did not recognize as God. This is probably not a sufficient answer for what Daniel was doing because in verse 12 David asked permission to “be given vegetables and water.” It is quite possible, almost certain that these vegetables would have also been dedicated to the pagan gods. A more likely reason is that Daniel was rejecting the extravagant and luxurious lifestyle of the king. In other words, Daniel was making a statement against the culture in general, not necessarily just the pagan gods of the culture. Whatever Daniel and his friends’ reason, it is clear they were very conscious of how easy it is to become accustomed to the ways of the world, without even knowing it.
There’s a legendary story about a frog in a kettle that illustrates how easy it is to become accustomed to things that are actually harmful, even deadly, to us. The story goes that a frog was placed into a pot of boiling water. Immediately the frog started kicking his legs and waving his hands. The frog did everything it could do to get out of that pot of boiling water. The kind lab technician conducting the experiment rescued the frog before he became soup. The technician took another frog and placed it in a pot of water at room temperature. The pot was sitting on the burner of a stove. The frog just swam around seemingly not having a care in the world. The technician continued to raise the temperature of the water slowly. The frog did not even notice the change in temperature. Finally, the water was boiling and this frog did become frog soup.
In Daniel’s case, eating this food would “defile” him by eating this food dedicated to gods that Daniel did not recognize as God. This is probably not a sufficient answer for what Daniel was doing because in verse 12 David asked permission to “be given vegetables and water.” It is quite possible, almost certain that these vegetables would have also been dedicated to the pagan gods. A more likely reason is that Daniel was rejecting the extravagant and luxurious lifestyle of the king. In other words, Daniel was making a statement against the culture in general, not necessarily just the pagan gods of the culture. Whatever Daniel and his friends’ reason, it is clear they were very conscious of how easy it is to become accustomed to the ways of the world, without even knowing it.
There’s a legendary story about a frog in a kettle that illustrates how easy it is to become accustomed to things that are actually harmful, even deadly, to us. The story goes that a frog was placed into a pot of boiling water. Immediately the frog started kicking his legs and waving his hands. The frog did everything it could do to get out of that pot of boiling water. The kind lab technician conducting the experiment rescued the frog before he became soup. The technician took another frog and placed it in a pot of water at room temperature. The pot was sitting on the burner of a stove. The frog just swam around seemingly not having a care in the world. The technician continued to raise the temperature of the water slowly. The frog did not even notice the change in temperature. Finally, the water was boiling and this frog did become frog soup.
This is how it is with so many
Christian. Christians do not usually
jump right into worldliness in one big step, but it happens slowly over time. Worldliness influences what we think is
funny; it influences what we find
entertaining; it influences how we spend our time and money; worldliness begins
to influence how we speak; and, before long, we are living under the influence
of the world instead of living under the influence of God. We become “intoxicated” by culture and
culture, not God, directs our lives.
This is why Paul instructs us in Ephesians 5:18: And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit. Wine in this verse refers to worldliness. When a person is drunk, the wine influences all they do—and it ain’t usually good! I’ve never met a drunk that became a “better citizen.”
This is why Paul instructs us in Ephesians 5:18: And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit. Wine in this verse refers to worldliness. When a person is drunk, the wine influences all they do—and it ain’t usually good! I’ve never met a drunk that became a “better citizen.”
This is why Daniel rejected
the ways of the world represented by the feast that the king wished to provide
in order to “assimilate” Daniel and his friends into the ways of Babylon. Daniel “resolved” to “not defile himself” by
letting the pagan culture influence him.
The word, “resolved” (“determined,” HCSB), in English means to “take a strong stand.” The Hebrew word has that same idea but also has an element of “planning” associated it. It means that Daniel “put in place in his heart boundaries” to guide his decisions when issues arise where culture fights for influence in his life.
We need to “put in place in our heart holy boundaries.” For example, as a Christian man, I never meet alone with any female but my wife—for any reason at any time. This way, I don’t have to risk falling into a fatal temptation—fatal, because my wife would kill me!
The word, “resolved” (“determined,” HCSB), in English means to “take a strong stand.” The Hebrew word has that same idea but also has an element of “planning” associated it. It means that Daniel “put in place in his heart boundaries” to guide his decisions when issues arise where culture fights for influence in his life.
We need to “put in place in our heart holy boundaries.” For example, as a Christian man, I never meet alone with any female but my wife—for any reason at any time. This way, I don’t have to risk falling into a fatal temptation—fatal, because my wife would kill me!
This is the same for young
people. You need to “put in place in your heart holy
boundaries” and never allow yourself to be put into a position where
you will be tempted needlessly. One such
boundary would be to “never drink or try drugs.” If you make that resolution, I absolutely
guarantee you will never become an alcoholic or drug addict.
There are many areas in our lives where we need to “put in place holy boundaries in our hearts” so that we can influence culture and not be influenced by it.
There are many areas in our lives where we need to “put in place holy boundaries in our hearts” so that we can influence culture and not be influenced by it.
There’s so much more I
could say about “putting in our heart holy boundaries” BEFORE we face
temptations so that we can influence culture and not be influenced by it. Another component of living under the
influence of God is that it
2. requires
COMMITMENT, AND EVEN DANGER (8B-10)
So
he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself. 9 God
had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official, 10 yet
he said to Daniel, “My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid
of what would happen if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the
other young men your age. You would endanger my life with the king.”
Living Under the Influence
of God requires the deepest commitment, sacrifice, and even risk. What Daniel was proposing is to “defy the
king’s directive.” At the very least Daniel
risked insulting the king. Kings were
tyrants. They did not deal well with
insults. The king’s supervisor over
Daniel and the others realized the danger involved
10 yet he said to Daniel, “My lord the king
assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid of what would happen if he saw your
faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would
endanger my life with the king.”
The words, “endanger
my life,” literally mean, “make
me guilty of my head” or “cause me to forfeit my head.” We have become all too familiar with how
tyrants in the Middle East deal with those that offend them. Almost daily in Syria and other Muslim
countries, Christians are being beheaded for their commitment to God.
Daniel’s decision not to “live under the influence” of God required a significant commitment which brought a great deal of risk.
Someone has said, “That which we attain too easily, we esteem to lightly.” Perhaps Christians in American have so little influence on our culture because it is “too easy” to be a Christian in America. Christians in America have never really been challenged in regard to living in a way that “does not defile ourselves by living like pagans.” There’s little cost to being a church member in the typical Christian church. Members can do almost anything, or do nothing, and there is seldom any consequences. True Christianity takes real commitment and sacrifice, often with great risk.
Daniel’s decision not to “live under the influence” of God required a significant commitment which brought a great deal of risk.
Someone has said, “That which we attain too easily, we esteem to lightly.” Perhaps Christians in American have so little influence on our culture because it is “too easy” to be a Christian in America. Christians in America have never really been challenged in regard to living in a way that “does not defile ourselves by living like pagans.” There’s little cost to being a church member in the typical Christian church. Members can do almost anything, or do nothing, and there is seldom any consequences. True Christianity takes real commitment and sacrifice, often with great risk.
In a message on Daniel 1,
Pastor Greg Groeschel declared, “We can’t
halfway follow Jesus.” He went on to point out that we can’t get
in shape by going to the gym once a week;
we can’t get healthy by eating one
healthy meal a week and junk food all the rest; and we are never going to
be devoted followers of Jesus with one
hour of church every week.
Devotion to God is
dangerous. I can’t think of anything
more often demonstrated in Scripture by both example and exhortation than the
idea that living under the influence of God takes significant commitment. I think we take the words of Jesus too
lightly when He said in Luke 14:26:
27 Whoever
does not bear his own cross
and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
This is such a critical
issue in discipleship that the Lord spoke even more bluntly a few verses later
saying (v33):
Therefore,
every one of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot
be My disciple.
Everybody eventually says “good-bye”
to all his possessions—a devout follower of Jesus just does it while we are
still alive! It is not so much “how many things does a person possesses, as
it is, how much the things possess the person.”
I can tell you one thing I know for sure: “No
matter how much any of us is giving of our time, talents, and treasures to the
work of the kingdom of God—it ain’t enough!”
What Daniel did involved a significant amount of commitment and
risk. Another component to Living Under
the Influence of God is that it
3. God Gains GOD’S
FAVOR (11-16; 17-20)
What is the second greatest
opportunity than being the king? It is
being favored by the king. In verses
11-16 we see Daniel’s proposal:
11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the
chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please
test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to
drink. 13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the
young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on
what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and tested
them for 10 days. 15 At the end of 10 days they looked better
and healthier than
all the young men who were eating the king’s food. 16 So
the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and
gave them vegetables.
Let me sum up the benefits
to Living Under the Influence of God instead of living under the influence of
the world: “it is better and healthier.” It’s good to be the king—but it is
also good to be favored by the king.
Now, look at the results of gaining the favor of God in your life:
Now, look at the results of gaining the favor of God in your life:
17 God gave these four young men knowledge
and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also
understood visions and dreams of every kind. 18 At the end
of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief official
presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king interviewed them,
and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah. So they began to serve in the king’s court. 20 In
every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he
found them 10 times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in
his entire kingdom.
First of all,
the only true “education” is founded upon devotion. As the writer of Proverbs declared so long
ago: 1:7 The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Notice that there education in “every kind of literature and
wisdom” (v17), did not come from reading literature but from “loving
the Lord.” “God gave it to them.”
Second, notice
that the pathway to understanding was not limited to just what they could read
in a book. There was a supernatural
element to their knowledge. Verse
17 also says, “They could see what eyes could not see.” The default setting for what most
people count for truth and knowledge is limited to the five senses: what they can see, what they can hear, what
they can smell, what they can taste, or what they can touch. But, so much of what is “real” in our world
cannot be accessed through the human faculties.
You cannot see beauty. You cannot
smell love. You cannot touch mercy. You cannot taste hope. You cannot touch peace. So much of what is most “real” and what is of
the highest value can only be accessed by God’s revelation.
Our highest understanding comes from only one Book, the Bible, and our Greatest Teacher is the Holy Spirit.
Our highest understanding comes from only one Book, the Bible, and our Greatest Teacher is the Holy Spirit.
I think most
Christians are unwilling to make the decision to Live Under the Influence of
God, not because they do NOT UNDERSTAND the significance of commitment and the
degree of risk, but because they DO UNDERSTAND!
They do a cost/profit analysis and simply do not place a high value on the
favor of God.
Psalm 1 offers a cost/profit analysis of it’s own in regard to the value of resolving in one’s heart to Live Under the Influence of God:
Psalm 1 offers a cost/profit analysis of it’s own in regard to the value of resolving in one’s heart to Live Under the Influence of God:
1 How happy is the manwho does not follow the
advice of the wicked or take the path of sinnersor join a group of
mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and
he meditates on it day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted
beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season and
whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Living
Under the Influence of God GAINS GOD’S FAVOR, which is the second best thing to
being God—something we can never be.
Christianity
is NOT flourishing in America. Carnal
Christianity may be growing, but true devotion that refuses to “be
defiled by the influence of the world” is as scarce as hen’s teeth as
we would say back in the hollers of West Virginia.
Daniel and his friends “resolved to Live Under the Influence of God.” This resolve, or determination, led them to take a stand, and pay whatever price had to be paid, trusting that gaining God’s favor meant more than all the riches in the world. Will you make such a resolution today not to defile your life with worldly living? I think of that great hymn of the church:
Daniel and his friends “resolved to Live Under the Influence of God.” This resolve, or determination, led them to take a stand, and pay whatever price had to be paid, trusting that gaining God’s favor meant more than all the riches in the world. Will you make such a resolution today not to defile your life with worldly living? I think of that great hymn of the church:
I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are
nobler,
These have allured my sight.
Daniel
would not defile himself by letting the world influence his character. We should follow Daniel’s example and Live
Under the Influence of God.
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