Set Apart for the Lord

 Can learn a lot from Sunday School Bible stories.  They stick with you throughout your life.

This morning from book of Daniel.

Dan. 1:1-2 - takes place about 605 BC. Later, were more sieges, more captives taken, finally temple overthrown.

Question:  The Lord gave.......?  Why? 
Answer:  to discipline His people.  They were living in sin. Had abandoned God.   Can read about that in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 2 Kings.  Were serving other gods.   Would offer up sacrifices to these foreign gods.  Even to sacrificing their children.  

Point #1:  God disciplines and purifies His people.
 Does this because He loves us.  The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son. - Heb. 12:6

Psalm 94:12 - Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law.
When we are disciplined by God, is a good thing.  That means we are His children.  We're His people. 

Psm. 94:14 - For the Lord will not forsake His people;  He will not abandon His heritage!  Jesus' blood is precious for us to continue in our sins.   He will not let us go our own way.

He disciplines us because He loves us and we are HIS people.  We are called by His name for a purpose.
Discipline is for our good!

2 Tim. 2:21-22 - "....flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,...."
God can discipline individuals, nations, communities, and churches.  From the outside, looks like a defeat.  But
God is NOT defeated.  He allowed this for a purpose.

Point #2:  God doesn't lose - He works through calamity.

Daniel 1:3-7
Took the brightest and best to Babylon to teach them Babylonian ways.  )Not a good kingdom.  Not a good king.)  Mainly young people.
   *Education
   *Religion
   *Identity - gave them new names that mocked the meaning of their Jewish names - names pointed to YHWH
To teach them how NOT to be Jews, but how to be Babylonians.

Purpose was to deconstruct them down to nothing and rebuild them into Babylonian wise men. 

Today much of the same is happening to our young people through Hollywood, politics, academia, social media, etc.  Whole purpose = to destruct, confuse and abuse - from Christianity, family, basic identity as man/woman, from truth of God's Word.

Challenge:  keep our eyes open!  Be on guard!  Set our minds of true things.  A lot of things are discussed as normal, good, acceptable are not neutral.  Enemy's #1 target is young people - and the best and brightest of our young people.

Daniel 1:8-14 - resolved in innermost being.
  They were all alone (no parents, priests, teachers) - they'd seen great calamity.  Would be easy to forget about or doubt God.
  Were not Vegans, but didn't want to eat unclean, and food sacrificed to idols.  Not only would they be partaking of the king's food, would be partaking in the worship of the king's idols.  They resolved in their heart to honor God.  They denied themselves.  - No one else did!  Seemingly, everyone else was going along with the king's orders.

We can get to the point where we judge right or wrong by what is socially acceptable?  What does everyone else think about this.  That can NEVER be our standard.  Daniel and his friends RESOLVED in their hearts to honor God by what they ate and drank.
How easy it would have been for them to NOT do this, to just fall in line with everyone else.   Most of these youths had seen horrible things - were totally separated from friends and family.

Question:  Do we deny ourselves?     Matt. 16:24 - If anyone would come after me......
Youth - dating, media, speech, treatment of others, what we consume - does it look different from the world around you?
Adults - time, money, media, spouse and kids, speech?  Do our lives truly look different from those around us who are not saved.  Do these things reflect our devotion to God?   The way we speak to each other?  to those who have wronged us?  to those in the community?  It is easy to point fingers at other people.  Easy to find the faults in other people.  Need to examine selves.  

It's amazing what God will do with young people when they are sold out to Jesus Christ.

1 Tim. 4:12 - don't let anyone look down on you.......in speech, conduct, love, faith, purity..  People are going to want to know what is different about you.

This could have cost Daniel and friends, as well as the chief eunuch greatly.  But God is always working - already working things out when we can't see - must just trust and obey.  

Dan. 1:15-21 - God is pleased with and blesses faithfulness.
Luke 11:28 - "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!"

They were given understanding and wisdom (comes from God) and learning.  More than all in Babylon.  We given an audience with the king.  They used that wisdom for the glory of God.

Matt. 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men....
Stand out - be different.  Stay faithful to God.  Trust and believe that God will use us.
Don't let the world dictate your belief, your words, or your life.

God takes the low things of this world and uses them for big things.    

Let us honor God with our whole lives, be courageous, and stand firm.