Daniel 1:1-8
Dare to Obey
The Book of Daniel is not JUST about God or Israel or prophecy.
It is about young people doing right.
The first three chapters of this book have a special emphasis on four young men,
probably just teenage boys as the story begins. The story will continue to focus
on Daniel but after chapter three, Daniel won’t be the boy being taught. He will
be the man doing the teaching. In fact, before the story is completely told,
Daniel will be an old man, probably 80 or more years old. But it all starts
with an emphasis on young people.
In chapter one, we see some young people who dared to obey God.
I. Why are the youth of a nation so important?
A. The youth of a nation always carry it.
1. It may be that the WEALTH of the older folk finance the nation.
2 And it may be that the WISDOM of the older folk lead the nation.
3. But it is the STRENGTH of the YOUTH that carry it.
a. It is not the middle aged or old who fight in the wars. It is
the young.
(1) The draft never started at 45 or 50. It starts at 18.
(2) Most branches of service will not even accept a person
in their 30’s if they have not had some previous
military experience.
b. In America today, it is not even the middle aged or older
entrepreneurs who carry the country. It is the youth.
(1) Especially in these modern days, it is the youth who have
determined the country’s direction and made millions doing
so.
Young millionaire: Mark Zuckerberg, 26
His claim to fame: Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook, which this year will bring in
anywhere from $710 million to $1 billion in revenue, according to various
reports. Zuckerberg’s own wealth is believed to be $4 billion — at least on paper.
Young millionaire: Stacey Bendet, 32
Her claim to fame: She founded alice + olivia, a wildly successful women’s
clothing line, which brings in a reported $50 million a year.
Young millionaires: Dennis Crowley, 33, and Naveen Selvadurai, 28
Their claim to fame: They founded Foursquare, which has been valued at $80
million.
Young millionaire: Aaron Patzer, 30
His claim to fame: He created Mint.com, a money-management site. In 2009, Intuit
bought it for $170 million.
Young millionaire: Andrew Mason, 29
His claim to fame: He created Groupon, a coupon site like no other. Revenue is
estimated to hit $350 million in 2010, and the company has been valued at $1.2
billion.
Young millionaire: David Chang, 32
His claim to fame: Back in 2004, he created Momofuku, a noodle bar in New York
City, which has since spawned a mini empire of line-out-the-door restaurants
across the Big Apple.
Young millionaires: Chad Hurley, 34; Steve Chen, 32; Jawed Karim, 31
Their claim to fame: They co-founded YouTube.
Young millionaire: Kevin Rose, 33
His claim to fame: He created Digg, a content-sharing site with estimated revenue
of $31 million.
http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/27/meet-the-new-young-millionaires/
(2) I could not find the statistic, but I believe I would be
right in saying we have more millionaires in America
today who earned their fortunes than ever before.
c. But, and I say this somewhat sadly, it is also the youth who
direct the standards and general moral conditions of America
today.
(1) Rock-n-Roll and Rap was a young person’s phenomenal.
(2) Mini-skirts, shorty-shorts, Girls-Gone-Wild, the sexual
revolution—all of these were created by America’s youth.
(3) Even worse, the drug culture was started by the youth of
America—not today’s youth, but by youth none-the-less.
(4) Protests of the youth have exited us out of wars and moved
us to become a GREENER nation.
(5) The right and wrongs of America are determined by the
youth.
(a) Why?
(b) Because they outlast the older people.
(c) Sooner or later, the youth always take charge.
B. Christian young people, you must determine what the legacy of your
generation will be for America and get busy making sure it happens!
1. The last generations of youth seemed concerned with saving the
whales. I hope you will be more concerned with saving souls.
2. The last generations of youth seemed consumed with entertainment.
I hope you will be consumed with Christ.
3. The last generations of youth seemed preoccupied with self. I
hope you will be preoccupied with others.
4. The last generations of youth seem devoted to getting as much as
they could while giving as little as possible. I hope you will be
devoted to giving as much as you can while taking as little as
possible.
C. The young men of this Book were those kinds of youth.
D. Before I get too far into this message, let me speak to all of those
who are not-youths anymore.
1. There is another reason why young people set the direction for a
nation.
2. It is because they are willing.
a. They are willing to throw themselves into a task.
b. They are not too busy. They are not too settled. They are too
set in their ways.
c. Now, some of that might just be because they are too foolish or
because the not-youths have too many responsibilities to
change directions.
3. The truth is, there is no reason why this message cannot speak to
us not-youths just as much as it might speak to a youth.
4. It really ought to be the men and women of the nation who determine
they want to do something meaningful with their lives today.
II. Notice how these young men influenced a nation for God.
A. \\#8\\ They influenced a nation with a decision.
1. This decision had to do with two issues.
a. These two issues actually hold the key to the next generation’s
ability to make a real difference in American. (They hold the
key to every generation’s ability to make a difference in
America.)
(1) God had told the children of Israel not to eat certain
foods.
(2) To have disobeyed that command, meant two things.
(a) To eat unclean food, made the eater unclean. So if
they ate the food the king was providing, these
Jewish boys would have been unclean or defiled.
Dan 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with….
(b) The command came from God. If these Jewish boys ate
the food God told them not to eat, they would be
in disobedience to God.
b. A person will never make any difference for good in their
generation, unless they determine these two issues.
(1) More than any other generation, this generation needs to
do an about-face on their views of purity.
(a) Purity relates to your body and whether you will
keep it clean or not.
(b) While it is only a skin-deep issue, it is important
because the flesh is where we live right now.
(c) People, young and old, are driven by the desires of
our bodies and the test of purity becomes the test
to determine whether we will live fleshly lives or
not.
(d) As there has never been a greater opportunity for
godly youth to impact a nation, so there has never
been a generation that has given up so much for the
pleasure of their body.
(e) And yet, purity is just one link in the overall chain
which is the other issue.
(2) Obedience to God.
(a) This is where the heart of every issue lies.
(b) Daniel objected to eating the king’s food because God
had told him not to eat that kind of food.
(c) He wanted to stay pure because he wanted to obey God.
2. Consider the consequences of their decision.
a. Perhaps you think that there were no consequences or only small
consequences to their decision.
b. Later, these young men will help to determine the fate of
nations, kingdoms, and all the subjects therein.
c But right now, their decisions would only effect their lives and
their walk with God.
(1) HOWEVER. that is far bigger an issue than most think.
(2) In fact, most people—young and old— often excuse what
they are doing now thinking that it is somehow "not all
that important."
(3) Your present decisions set a habit and course for your
life.
(a) If you do not make it your practice and habit to obey
God now, when will you?
(b) And just as important, you need to remember that what
you do now effects all of your tomorrows.
3. So how serious could the consequences be for these young men?
a. On the king’s side, their decision would determine things
like being promoted or demoted,
being imprisoned or being free,
getting the best education or receiving no education,
maybe even living or dying,
(1) That is pretty major consequences.
(2) However, they were not and are not the most important.
b. On God’s side, you are either right with Him or not
4. The question is, "Just how bad does it bother you to disobey God?
a. Lesson - If you don’t start obeying God over the things that
you think are small, you will not obey God over the things
that you think will determine your course in life.
b. However, they determined that if they did not obey God in the
small matters, they would not obey God in the big matters.
B. \\#11-14\\ They influenced a nation with a plan.
1. I notice that Daniel did not just make a decision. Along with that
decision, he had a plan.
a. Daniel’s plan was to effect God’s will.
b. Daniel’s plan was to work with those who could make things
happen.
c. Daniel’s plan was to let God do the work.
d. Let’s consider each of these.
2. Daniel had a plan to effect God’s will.
a. We know that ultimately, God is the One who makes all things
work.
b. However, God is not opposed to us setting all of our might and
energy to making it happen.
(1) We make plans to graduate.
(2) We make plans for a career.
(3) We make plans for marriage.
c. Why not make plans to do something for God?
(1) It is always enjoyable when something wonderfully just
happens. God does that sometimes.
(2) But more great things happen by design than by lack of
design.
(a) Moses did not happen by Pharaoh’s palace.
i. He planned to be there.
ii. God directed Him and no plan will be worth
anything if God is not directing you, but God
can use a plan.
(b) Joshua did not happen to walk near Jericho. Under
God’s direction, he planned to be there.
(c) Jesus did not just happen by Calvary. He planned to
be there.
(3) Yesterday, several of the men worked to build a wheel
chair ramp. Somebody had to measure and work out a plan.
(4) We are in the process of building a new building. Before
we can start, somebody will have to work up a plan.
(5) Madam, sir, young person, just what are you plans for God?
3. Daniel worked with those who could make things happen.
a. If you want to do something for God, you are going to have to
get with some people who can make it happen.
(1) I have no idea what God might want some of you to do.
(2) But regardless of what it is, you are going to need some
people around you that can help you do it.
b. Like who?
(1) Some of those people are going to be godly warriors.
(a) Daniel was not alone.
(b) Daniel had three friends.
(c) These friends would put their lives on the line
for him as is recorded in chapter 1, but they
would also put their lives on the line for God as
is recorded in chapter 2.
(d) Everyone needs people around them that will bring
out the best in them, not the worst.
(e) Find some God-fearing, God-loving, God-honoring
friends your own age and see if you and they can
not harness yourselves together to do more for
Christ as a team than you might ever could alone.
(2) Some of those people are going to be godly educators.
(a) I want to say something a little tricky.
(b) Young people, most of you need to exceed what you are
presently planning.
(c) There is nothing wrong with being a godly miner, or
construction worker, or office manager, or a even
a doctor, lawyer, or business person.
(d) But if we don’t get some preachers, missionaries, and
politicians out of some God-fearing churches just
like Green Pond Baptist Church, this country is
lost.
(e) We have the kind of young people in our church
that could make some excellent preachers,
missionaries, or even mayors, governors, congress-
persons, or even president or two.
(f) Some need to quit looking at education like the
enemy and start seeing it as an opportunity from
God.
4. Daniel’s plan was to let God work.
Daniel 1:12 Prove thy servants….
a. In fact, a key to Daniel’s plan was to let God work.
(1) His plan was to put God to the test.
(2) He wanted to get the keeper to let him and his friends eat
the kind of food that God had commanded for 10 days and
during that 10 days, let God work.
(3) If God did not use the food that God had commanded the
Jews to eat to make them more healthier than the king’s
food, they would end up eating the king’s food or
starving.
(4) Daniel’s plan was banking on God working!
b. Any plan you can devise should count on God working!
(1) If God is not going to be working, why do we want to we
want to be involved in the project anyway?
(2) We have a part in the work of God.
(a) Our part is to do the work.
(b) We are God’s hands, feet, mouth, so forth.
(3) But God has a part in the work of God too.
(a) His part is to do the blessing!
(b) We need to pray, discern His will, devise a plan,
do some work, and then watch for God to bless it.
(c) If there is no blessing, it might well be that God is
not in it!
c. Christians, plan on God showing up!
(1) Prove Him.
(2) Do the promises of God work?
(3) If they work, rely on them. If they don’t, let’s get
another book and another God!
C. \\#15-16\\ They influenced a nation with a realization.
a. The realization that God does work!
b. That should not surprise us.
a. It might have surprised Ashpenaz.
b. It might have surprised some of the other prisoners under his
care.
c. But it should not surprise us to find out that God does what
says He will do.
There is more to this story. God rewards these young men in \\#17-20\\. He
promotes them to be leaders in Nebuchadnezzer’s kingdom, and through them, they
touch the king, the king’s court, the citizens, the nation, and even the world
both then and since then. But the point is not that they were rewarded for what
they did. The point is that these men dared to obey God while they were young.
Whether you are a youth or a not-youth, God desires obedience.
1. Maybe you need to obey Him concerning salvation.
2. Maybe you need to obey Him concerning repentance.
3. Maybe you need to obey Him concerning His calling for you life.
In whatever area, would you dare to obey God today?
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