Sunday Morning and Evening 10.16.11
jmichaelwalls
PRESENTATION OF DANIEL
Daniel 1:3-21
Part 2
Introduction: Last time we had our first look at Daniel. I want to give
you a quick review of last week�s lesson with some additional remarks
that will help us. It should encourage us to learn to stand alone for the
Lord in a world that hates God.
There is an additional verse from the book of Proverbs could explain of
the events that come into Daniel�s life. Proverbs 16:7
"When a man�s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at
peace with him."
In verse eight we know that he purposed in his heart. His purpose was
directed two-fold. He would not eat the meat that was supplied by
Nebuchadnezzar. Neither would he drink the wine provided.
The question could be, why?
1. It was a custom of the Babylonians royalty to offer foods before their
gods. It was similar to our giving of thanks before we eat. If he ate the
food, he would have been acknowledging the heathen idol above our Lord.
2. The wine was mentioned here is the same as all alcoholic wine that we
find in the Bible. Let me give only one verse of scripture in reference
to wine.
Proverbs 20:1
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived
thereby is not wise."
When a man�s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at
peace with him.
Today we look at what Daniel and his friends could have done. Also we
will see what happens when you stand alone for the Lord in a world that
hates God.
II. COMPROMISE AND ITS POSSIBILITY
Daniel could have compromised with some grounds. He could have
compromised and I want to give the flip side of the coin.
He was 700-800 miles from home. This meant that he did not have mom and
dad, his teacher or preacher to guide him and corrected him.
Everyone one else�s was doing it. This was very true. I am not sure how
many men were taken when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. We know from
this chapter that Daniel and his three companions were the only ones who
stood up for what was right.
It seemed to be only a little thing.
1st Corinthians 5:6
"Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump?"
So how does this play out in the Bible about "little" sins such as
compromise. Anytime you compromise; you always lose. Let�s take a quick
trip through the bible and look at compromise and its loss for the folks
who did it.
Adam ate the fruit and compromised God�s plain law. He lost paradise.
Abraham compromised the truth about his wife by saying that she was his
sister. He almost lost his life.
Sarah compromised God�s Word about her promised child and sent Abraham to
her servant Hagar. Hagar bore a son. Peace is lost in the Middle East
even unto today.
Esau compromised for a meal and he lost his birthright.
Samson compromised his convictions in regards to wrong women. He lost his
hair, strength, eyes and ultimately his life.
David compromised the moral standard of God. He committed adultery with
Bathsheba and her husband murdered. He lost his child.
Solomon compromised his convictions and married foreign wives. He also
worshiped the false gods of his wives. He lost his favor with God.
Ahab compromised and married Jezebel. He lost his throne and ultimately
his life.
Judas compromised his supposed love for the Lord Jesus for thirty pieces
of silver. He lost his eternal soul.
CONVICTIONS AND POWER
There is power in convictions. We can see it in the results of Daniel�s
uncompromised stand for the Lord. It can be seen in the traits that we
find in Daniel�s life both here and in the rest of the book. These traits
need to be seen in our lives too especially when we are living in
difficult and trying circumstances.
His life was one of courage. 2nd Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind."
Joshua 1:5-9
"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy
life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee,
nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people
shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their
fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou
mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant
commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that
thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall
not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt
have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good
courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is
with thee whithersoever thou goest."
God can give us courage. When we depend upon Him and His Word, we can be
courageous.
His life was one of conviction. He stood for his convictions. He drew a
line and basically said no further. He wanted to put his standards so
high that no one would have trouble understanding his position. But many
Christians don�t have clear convictions. We ought to be able to write
down our convictions if asked to do so. That includes added them up with
the Word of God.
His life was one of courtesy. He stood up and made his request in a
dignified manner. I am sure he did not stand in front of everyone and
made this request loudly. This may be part of the reason the eunuch was
granted the request.
His life was one of confidence. He had confidence in the Lord and knew
the Lord would not let him down.
His life was one of consistency. He did not just start making these
convictions part of his life. He was like this before he came to Babylon
and he was the same the entire time he lived in Babylon. He lived for God
for over seventy years. He remained true to God. That means he started
out right and ended right.
COMPLETION AND PLEASING GOD
Proverbs 16:7
"When a man�s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at
peace with him."
He completed the testing period of the diet. He and his three friends
were healthier than everyone else was.
He completed the training period of this land. They were found to be
wiser and smarter than the rest of the class. Only God gave this wisdom
to them. They never took credit for it. James 1:5-8
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the
sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he
shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways."
We see three truths in these last few verses of the chapter.
God gave them special intelligence.
Vs. 17, 20
"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all
learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and
dreams." "And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king
enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians
and astrologers that were in all his realm."
2. God gave Daniel special insight. God allowed him to understand dreams
and visions. It was a special gift from God for him to prophesy the major
events of the future from his time until Christ�s.
3. God give Daniel special influence. He was promoted several times in
this book. Each promotion showed God�s hand on his life.
Conclusion: I hope I have many much of this chapter very practical for
every day living. As I said last time, there are very few accidental
incidents in our lives. We do most of that we do on purpose. Let give you
a few thoughts quickly that we must purpose to do.
We should purpose to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness.
Ephesians 5:11
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them."
We should purpose to be separated from the world.
2nd Corinthians 6:14-18
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part
hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God
hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I
will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons
and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
3. We must purpose to flee fornication. 1st Corinthians 6:18
"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he
that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body."
4. We must purpose to read our Bibles. Acts 17:11
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so."
5. We must purpose to pray. 1st Thessalonians 5:17
"Pray without ceasing."
This list is as endless as the Bible is. As I said in the beginning of
the lesson, the key to this chapter is verse eight. May God gain us the
help as we purpose to serve Him with our whole hearts!
D. L. Moody heard this statement one time. It made a profound effect on
his life. The statement is as follows: "The world is yet to see what the
Lord can do with, for, through and in a man who is fully and wholly
consecrated to Him." It was said that Moody determined to be that man and
God used him greatly like He did Daniel.
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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT PRAYER?
Luke 11:1-4
Part 9
THE CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE MET FOR OUR PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED
Introduction: Previously looked at six of the twelve conditions that must
be met for our prayers to be answered. They were sincerity, humility,
repentance, obedience, faith and forgiveness. Today we will look at one
more. This is probably the hardest one. It is fasting. Fasting has almost
disappeared from the lives and from the consideration of many. Here is a
few quotes in regards to fasting. We are specialists in organizing, but
strangers to agonizing like fasting. Fasting involves doing without the
physical in order to obtain the spiritual. Prayer is the hand by which we
grasp the invisible; fasting is the hand by which we abandon the visible.
The truth is fasting has dropped out of our lives, and right out of our
whole Christian thinking in 21st century America. And yet, the Word of
God teaches that fasting has been practiced from earliest times. The
patriarchs and the prophets of the Old Testament fasted, and the New
Testament reveals that the Lord Jesus fasted, the early church fasted,
and it was clearly something that was a regular part of the apostle
Paul�s life for we read that he fasted often. The greatest saints of God
throughout the Bible often fasted. A Christian who fast will find himself
in some good, albeit limited, company. In the Bible we see fasting in
times of war or at the threat of it by Israel, when loved ones were sick,
when seeking God's forgiveness, when seeking God's protection, when
dealing with temptations like Jesus did, when serving the Lord, when
beginning a work for the Lord and when selecting and appointing elders
like they did in Galatia.
I. THE EXPLANATION FOR THE WORD "FAST"
The word, fasting, as employed in the New Testament, suggests
self-denial. Usually fasting has to do with the idea of abstaining from
food. In fact, have you ever wondered where we get the word, "breakfast"?
It is the breaking of the night fast.
II. THE EXAMPLES OF FASTING THAT WE FIND IN OUR BIBLES.
A. We find fasting that we take in no food whatsoever.
2nd Samuel 12:16-17
"David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went
in, and lay all night upon the earth." "And the elders of his house
arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not,
neither did he eat bread with them."
One of the problems that we have with fasting is the idea of not eating.
We decide to fast. When we start the fast, the reality of not eating hits
us. We pick up our mail in it is all those advertisements for the local
restaurants with all the food we love. And every one of those foods looks
so good. In fact, you can almost taste it.
B. There is fasting that is extreme in which there is no food or water
taken.
Esther 4:16
"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast
ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and
my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which
is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
This fast must only be for a short period of time. Your body needs food
and water but especially water. You cannot do with water for more than
three days. You will dehydrate and can die. This is not God's will for
you to kill yourself this way with this type of fast more than three
days.
C. There is a partial fast where pleasant food is given up.
Daniel 10:3
"I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth,
neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were
fulfilled."
What is your pleasant food? Mine is chocolate. I love it. I buy two small
bags of sugarfree chocolate every payday. I have a piece or two each day.
So my partial fast would have to be not eating my candy for a few days
and devote myself to prayer. Here is the time when you think of how the
Lord is speaking to you in your giving up some pleasant food to fast.
D. Giving up sleep is another type of a fast.
2nd Samuel 12:16
"David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went
in, and lay all night upon the earth."
I know that all of us work hard at whatever the Lord has blessed to work.
You know that when you don't sleep as much as you need, many of us are
grouchy and hard to live with. So make sure that this is what you want to
do and plan it when you will not have to work and lose your testimony.
E. There is a denial of martial relationships. I know all the adults
understand what I mean here.
Fasting declares that I want God more than I want food; I want God more
than I want sleep; I want God more than I want water. I want God more
than I want anything else in my life.
III. THE EXERCISE FROM FASTING
When we eat, an increased amount of blood is needed for the digestive
process. Have you ever noticed that after you eat that try to do a simple
task and you get sleepy. That is why we have problems concentrating. When
we exercise, a greater amount of blood is used in building up our
muscles. But if we neither eat nor exercise a greater amount of blood is
available for mental and spiritual concentration.
IV. THE EXHORTATION ABOUT FASTING
There are several types of people that must be careful with a fast
especially the lengths of time of fasting. People who have heart
conditions and diabetes should be every careful with the length of their
fasting. This does not make them less spiritual if you can fast for a
long period of time. To think you are more spiritual means you have allow
pride to come into your life.
Conclusion: I am going to stop here today. Next time we will see the
explanation of fasting and prayer from the mouth of the Lord Jesus.
Let me close these few closing thoughts. Fasting involves those times
when we abstain legitimate things to seek the face of God. Fasting
implies that I am giving up the lesser blessings for the greater ones.
Fasting proclaims that I want a deeper experience of God�s presence and
power in my life.
God does not respect the arithmetic of our prayers; it's not how much we
say. God does not respect the rhetoric of our prayers; it's not how
eloquent we say it. God does not respect the logic of our prayers; it's
not how methodical our prayer might be. God respects the sincerity of our
prayers and how heartfelt they are. Fasting demonstrates just how sincere
we are about the thing we need.
Today has the Lord spoke to your heart in regards to this condition that
must be met in order to have our prayers answered? Today we should ask
the Lord to show us how we can meet this condition.
Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
http://freedombaptistchurchnc.wordpress.com/
http://iglesiabautistalibertad.wordpress.com/