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“Defining Moments”

Daniel 1:1-20

Sub-Introduction: “AN EARTHQUAKE shakes the foundation

of our security; a tornado blows away a lifetime of treasures; an

assassin’s bullet changes national history; a drunk driver claims

an innocent victim; a divorce shatters a home. International and

personal tragedies make our world seem a fearful place,

overflowing with evil and seemingly out of control. And the

many numbers of bombings, coups, that is, illegal seizure of

power from a government, murders, and natural disasters could

cause us to think that God is absent or powerless. ‘Where is

God?’ we cry, engulfed by sorrow and despair.’”

“Twenty-five centuries ago, Daniel could have despaired.

He and thousands of his countrymen had been deported to a

foreign land after Judah was conquered. Daniel found himself

facing an egocentric ruler and surrounded by idolaters. Instead

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of giving in or giving up, this courageous young man held fast to

his faith in his God. Daniel knew that despite the circumstances,

God was sovereign and was working out his plan for nations and

individuals”(Introduction to the Book of Daniel).

Reading from Daniel 1:1-21 “1. In the third year of the reign of

Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon

came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2. And the Lord delivered

Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the

articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the

temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of

his god. 3. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court

officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites

from the royal family and the nobility— 4. young men without

any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind

of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to

serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language

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and literature of the Babylonians. 5. The king assigned them a

daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were

to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the

king’s service. 6. Among those who were chosen were some

from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7. The

chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name

Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and

to Azariah, Abednego. 8. But Daniel resolved not to defile

himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief

official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9. Now

God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to

Daniel, 10. but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord

the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he

see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The

king would then have my head because of you.”

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11. Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had

appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12.

“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but

vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13. Then compare our

appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food

and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14. So

he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

15. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better

nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16.

So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were

to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

17. To these four young men God gave knowledge and

understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel

could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

18. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his

service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19.

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The king talked with them, and he found nonequal to Daniel,

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s

service. 20. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about

which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better

than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

21. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King

Cyrus.”

Introduction: “Defining Moments”

“As a young man, Daniel found himself in a difficult

situation—he had been taken from his home in Israel and was

forced to live in Babylon away from his family. But it wasn’t all

bad. He was chosen to be a servant of the king of Babylon which

meant he would be given the best training and education

available. It also meant that he would have access to the king’s

kitchen for his meals. While being fed the best food in the

kingdom sounds pretty good there was one problem; the food
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that would be served to Daniel was food that God had declared

was unclean for the Israelites to eat. Daniel faced his defining

moment—would he bend to the culture and the expectations of

those around him?  Or would he stand firm in what he knew was

right according to God’s Word? Daniel’s response demonstrates

how to boldly stand for truth while gracefully disagreeing with

cultural norms. In fact, Daniel’s response and the subsequent

test proved that God’s way was the best way to live, and it

changed the attitudes and actions of the people around him. Our

own actions and attitudes in how we engage with culture can

have a positive effect on our circles of influence as we seek to

live out the Gospel.  When faced with a defining moment will

we choose to go along with the crowd, or will we stand for what

we know is true?”

I. Climate of Times:

 Every generation has its own culture changes.

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 However, the facts remain the same though, God is

sovereign over all of human history, past, present,

and future.

 Over the last few years, we have seen a huge

cultural shift in the U. S. A.

 Gender issues, same sex marriage, Covid protocol

enforced against our liberty and constitutional

rights. Common core education wrongfully

indoctrinated in the public school system. An

attempt to assassinate Supreme Court Justice

Kavanaugh. The list of culture changes grows more

and more each day.

What are some defining moments you face today in your

job or your school to either stand firm to what God’s Word says

or to go along with culture?

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Do you feel pressured by the culture norms to give in or

give up?

II. Do Not Conform: Trust in God Word Only

“do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”

Romans 12:2.

III. Stand Firm: On the Solid Rock

“the church today seems to be fighting the battle on

many fronts as an increasingly hostile culture encroaches

upon our doors. The question we need to ask ourselves

is, “will we be able to stand?” Is our foundation strong

enough to withstand the onslaught from a secular world?

Or have we unwittingly destroyed our own foundations?

Jesus said, “Everyone then who hears these words of

mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his

house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). The Word of God is

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the only sure foundation that can support us as we seek

to combat the challenges brought against the Christian

faith in our world. The moment we step off the rock of

God’s Word and place a foot on the sinking sands of

popular culture or seek to add the prevailing wisdom of

men to the Word of God, we compromise our

foundation. Scripture must occupy the supreme position

in our thinking. The respected British preacher and

author Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones once said, “There can be

no doubt whatsoever that all the troubles in the Church

today, and most of the troubles in the world, are due to a

departure from the authority of the Bible.”

IV. Lovingly Disagree and Stand for Truth: Let your light

shine in the darkness.

“For those of us who seek to uphold the authority of

Scripture from the very first verse, we need to be aware of

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a new battle that is emerging with ever-increasing vigor.

Not only must we engage with a culture that seeks to

openly mock God and His Word—a culture that lauds the

things that God opposes—we must also hold to account

those from within our own ranks who claim that God’s

Word in Genesis needs to be reinterpreted in light of

evolutionary dogma. Theistic evolution is on the rise and,

rather surprisingly, its advocates seem to set their targets

more on biblical creationists than upon the spiritual war

waging around us. As paradoxical as this may seem, it is

where we stand today! Such an overwhelming multi-

directional attack can be disheartening. Yet, at the same

time, we need not be alarmed if we stand on the right

foundation. The Word of God can shine brighter as the

culture gets darker! The Gospel of John says that “the light

shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome

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it” (John 1:5). The prophet Isaiah reminds us that, “The

people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has

light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). There are no greater lights than

Jesus and His Word. Why would we seek to stand on any

other foundation? God is not looking for the strong or the

popular, He is looking for the faithful. This is how the

victory is won.”

Application: Defining Moment

a. trust in the truth of the Bible over any culture norms.

b. abide in Christ not in the world.

c. let your light shine and expose the darkness of the world.

d. share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer & Altar Call!