Let me invite you to take your Bible this morning, make your way to the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter number one is where we're going to find our text. We're pivoting just for today. We're in a series going through the gospel of John. But there's a subject, I guess, that's been on my heart. And I love the book of Daniel in this particular text. I love as well. And so I want to bring out some things I think that would be encouraging and applicable for us in our Christian walk and our Christian life today. And we'll look at Daniel chapter one. And I'm just going to read verse 1 down through verse number 16, so you get the whole scope here of what's going on. And I've titled the message this morning, Living with a Resolved Heart. Living with a Resolved Heart. And I certainly believe that having resolve in the heart of the Christian, it's a great need that every Christian needs to have. when it comes to their faith, when it comes to what God has called them to be as Christians. And so let us read this wonderful passage this morning. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with some of the vessels of the house of God, and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God. and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. Then the king commanded Ashvanaz, the chief of eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate and of the wine which he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time, they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah, and the chief of the eunuchs gave them names. Daniel he called Belshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine which he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor, compassion, in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king who assigned your food and your drink, for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king. Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Meshel, and Azariah, test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink, Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat of the king's food be observed by you and deal with your servants according to what you see. So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 days. At the end of 10 days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. Living with a resolved heart is our focus this morning. You think, when you look at all the great men and women of the Bible, you ever wonder what made them so special? Why are we reading about them in the scriptures? Why are we reading about this guy we know as Daniel? Well, the short answer to that is what we've sung repeatedly this morning. The answer is grace. You understand that grace is what makes the difference. in every person who God affects. Grace is what makes the difference. You see, any and all good that comes from man is owed to this one thing. It's the grace of God. Are you sitting here today and you know Christ and you're a Christian? You owe that not to yourself, but to the grace of God. And what is the grace of God? The grace of God is the unmerited and undeserved favor of God. It is something you didn't work for, it's something that you don't deserve, but yet you have it. It is grace, friend, and grace is tied to God's mercy and his loving character. Grace is what has made the men of the Bible who they actually were. But understand this, that grace does not make men passive either. Grace sets a person into a new way of life. Grace moves to action and gives to action a living faith for the glory of God. And here's what we find in Daniel. Daniel is a man who has been affected by the grace of God. Daniel's a man whose grace and who's experienced the grace of God has affected him and used him in a mighty way. And he is highly regarded by Christians and Jews. We think of Daniel's miraculous deliverance from the lion's den. That was always a favorite account of mine as growing up. We think of his many prophetic visions that we see here in this particular book. Daniel has a testimony of being a man faithful to the Lord in very unconventional surroundings and circumstances. Did you know that you and I can also have the same kind of testimony of faithfulness and service to the Lord? I want you to consider your own life. Has the grace of God changed you? Have you come to know Christ alone as your own Savior? If you have, understand this, that what we read of in the witnesses who have gone before us, as Hebrews tells us, what we read of is the same calling to all of us. And that is the call to faithfulness to Christ. That is the call to live with resolve in your heart that Christ is your life. He is to be preeminent in your life. And this is what I see in Daniel and what I've always loved about this passage is what we find in verse 8. Find this quality, this characteristic in Daniel that I believe should be a characteristic in me and in you and in every Christian. Specifically in verse 8, you'll notice these two words that Daniel resolved. Daniel resolved to do or not do something. Now, the word resolved, as some translations may render this, set in his heart or purpose in his heart. It means that Daniel here, he has specific intention and determination in his heart regarding what is before him. Did you know that if you're going to be truly faithful in your Christian life, You must have a resolve in your heart to do so. You understand that a living faith is an active faith. One of the great testimonies of a man having resolve that I love from church history, even in our own nation's history, is that of Jonathan Edwards. Anybody heard of man by the name of Jonathan Edwards? great pastor and great theologian. He was used of God in a great way. But when he was young, he realized his great need in order to fulfill his calling, that his greatest need was the Lord's strength to enable him to do what he's been called to do. He wrote this, he said, I am unable to do anything without God's help. Isn't that a testament of what scripture teaches? I am unable to do anything without God's help. He knew that anything he might do that pleases God or anything that amounts to something of significance was the result of God working in him. Nevertheless, Edwards also acknowledged the need for self-discipline and faithfulness and accountability for his own self, his own life, for intentionally living out all things for Christ. And this led him to write what many know as his 70 resolutions. 70 resolutions that he finished on August 10th of 1773 at the age of 19. 19 years old. Now, if you've never read Jonathan Edwards' resolutions, I encourage you to go read them. Go read them. You say, I don't know where to read them. Well, if you walk into my office, I actually have a frame with those resolutions right there. So walk into my office and go read them if if you can read the small print that's there on the wall, right? You might need some glasses or magnifying glass. But his first resolution begins with resolve that I will do whatever I think to be most. To the glory of God. And that just hits home with me. I love that. Resolved. Well, what does he mean by resolve? He means that this is my conviction. This is what I aim to do with my life. Resolve. I will do this to the glory of God. He wrote those at the age of 19, which is a great encouragement for our young people. Understand this, young people. You don't wait till you get older to serve God and be faithful to God. It starts right now. We need young people who know Christ and live for Christ. But should this not be the goal for every Christian, the resolve of every Christian? You understand this, that the most worthwhile pursuit in life. Is indeed this, it is living for Christ. Having a resolved heart to do so. This is the goal of Daniel. Even in a pagan land. And there is much we can learn from Daniel Heard. And I think that we need to learn because I see the landscape of Christianity abroad. And I believe there is a lack of resolve among Christians in their living for the glory of God. So what do we see from Daniel? Number one, our notes, there's a few things in which we see his resolve. Firstly, I'll note that he was resolved in his convictions. His convictions. You say, well, what are convictions? Convictions, they are your beliefs that determine how you're going to live. Because you understand this, Christian, that all of our behavior flows from what we believe. What you believe governs how you behave, how you live, what the goal of your life is, what your worldview is. So I want to break this down and kind of give you a little background here. Notice, firstly, Daniel's source for his convictions, because convictions have to be rooted in something or someone. To give some background and understanding of Daniel's resolve, we understand that Daniel, he's an Israelite, part of God's covenant people who God gave the law to. gave his word to, sent the prophets to, all through the Old Testament you see that. Daniel was brought up, even as a young man, under the truth of scripture from which he developed his convictions. But the whole of the nation had not followed the Lord as they were supposed to. And if you study the history of Israel, you know this, you know the setting of what's happening in Daniel. Through their rebellion against the word of God, God brought judgment upon the nation through a foreign nation known as Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. This pagan empire infiltrated Israel and overthrew Jerusalem. You read that in verse number one. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Besieged it. And in this besieging and ultimately the destruction of Jerusalem, they took away many Jews captive back to their own land. And in verse 3 and 4, you find that. You'll notice that the king commanded Ashvanaz, the chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace and to teach them the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. You look at this passage. And you see the focus of the text upon these youth who were gifted and seemed worthy to be among the king in Babylon. The king's intent here was to use them in his palace. And in order to use them in his palace, he's going to indoctrinate them in Babylonian culture and language. And maybe even learn a little bit from them if he had something to learn from them. But these Hebrews, understand, who are the people of God, I want you to understand their scenario. They have been uprooted from their homeland, placed into a godless and pagan culture. Would you say that that is a life changing scenario? Imagine being carried away from your home place here. to a foreign place that you did not know. They did not serve or know the God that you know. Would you say that this indeed is a test to their faith? Absolutely it is. You put yourself in their shoes. And remember that Daniel, he's not a grown man in his 30s or 40s. He's a youth, the Bible says. But here's what we find is that Daniel's faith and foundation are absolutely being tested. And I want you to understand this church. that this has happened and does happen to Christians in all eras of history, not just those in the Babylonian captivity. Testing of our faith is part of the Christian life. James chapter one of verse two through three, we've noted recently that he says, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Someone rightly said that a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. I tend to agree with that. Faith that cannot be tested must not be trusted. And like Daniel, we must understand that we also are in the midst of a very dark culture that requires us to have a firm foundation of faith and resolve in our hearts for the living God. Christian, you must remember what you've been saved from. You've been saved from darkness. not to abide in darkness. You've been saved from the culture and from sin, not to abide in it. You see, this brings us back to Daniel's resolve and the source of his conviction to get these young Hebrews as the king wanted them. He appointed certain meat and wine to be given them for three years. We read in verse five, the king assigned to them a daily portion of the food and the king ate and the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years. And at the end of that time, they were to stand before the king. Now that might have seemed like a great privilege. Wow, I get to eat what the king is eating, right? Imagine, you get to eat what the president is eating. Well, I hear the president just likes to eat McDonald's, so that may not be too special. But you think about during this day and time, right? I get to eat what the king is going to eat. But there's a problem with this plan for Daniel. Daniel did not see eating the king's food and drinking the king's drink as an option for him. And we assume that the other Hebrew young men had the same conviction. They're here in the story, but none of us focuses on Daniel. Verse 8 is where we find the resolve. But Daniel, Resolved, resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank. Daniel viewed the option before him as something that would bring defilement upon him. Now, the word defile occurs several times. The Old Testament refers to a moral or ceremonial defilement. So, well, what about this food would bring defilement? Well, there's a few things I think we could articulate and bring out of this. And I give this to you in your notes. First, this meat and wine most likely would have been offered to idols, a common Babylonian practice and something unclean for the Jews. They weren't allowed to eat meat or partake of foods or drinks that were offered to idols. It was considered unclean. Secondly, many of the meats eaten in the Babylonian court would most likely have been unclean meats to the Jewish people. You remember, they had a dietary law. They couldn't eat bacon, pig, you know what I'm talking about. Thankfully, we're in the New Testament, and God told Peter, rise, kill, and eat. And I, as a bacon lover, am thankful for that transition. I know you are too. There was also a high probability this meat would have not been prepared correctly, namely that all the blood had been drained from the animal, which was a requirement in the law. They weren't to partake of the blood. But fourthly, I think this really fits this too. Perhaps the food and wine were clean according to the law. Nevertheless, understand this, Daniel did not want to eat the king's luxurious diet as a way of protecting themselves from being ensnared by temptation in the Babylonian culture. In other words, opening the doorway. for them to further defile themselves. John Calvin comments well here and says of Daniel, he desired to refrain from too great an abundance and delicacy of diet simply to escape those snares of Satan by which he saw himself surrounded. He was doubtless conscious of his own infirmity and this also is to be reckoned to his praise. Since through distrust of himself, he desired to escape from all the allurements and temptations. Ultimately, what you find here is that Daniel, he did not want the influence of Babylonian culture to overtake him in his godly convictions. And so to protect against that. Daniel suggested a different diet, one that was of vegetables, one that would protect them, right? They used this distinctive diet as a way of retaining their distinctive identity as Jewish exiles and avoiding a complete assimilation into the Babylonian culture. And with that restricted diet, they continually reminded themselves in this time of testing that they were the people of God in a foreign land, and they were dependent on him for their food. Now, this is not a text to say, see, you ought to be a vegetarian. Absolutely not. I'm going to eat me a good steak, right? There's a context to the scenario that Daniel's in. Now, if you're a vegetarian, that's fine. You can do that. The steak is really good, let me just tell you. All right? But notice, why does Daniel have this resolve? Resolve like this is only as strong as its foundation. The foundation of Daniel's resolve is none other than the word of God and the God of the word. Daniel knew the scriptures and what the scriptures taught about the people of God and who the people of God are to be in the world in the midst of godless cultures. They are God's people. called out of the world to be uniquely identified with the one true and living God. And this is a thread that's woven through Old Testament and New Testament is that God's people are called out of the world. Leviticus 19, 2. According to the law that Daniel would have known, God says, speak to the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, you shall be holy. For I, the Lord, your God. am holy. So what does it mean to be holy? To be holy in its basic meaning is to be sacred and set apart. Well, set apart from what? Set apart from everything else, the rest of the world. You understand that God is holy in his very essence in nature. He is a thrice holy God. The angels in Isaiah's of chapter 6, they cried out before the throne of God, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The earth is full of His glory. You understand, Christian, that your God is holy. And if you're not a Christian today, understand the one true God is holy. And you are accountable to a holy and righteous God. That's a problem. You know why? Because you're not naturally holy. And in His holiness, He must punish sin, which is the reason for Christ's coming into the world, to die for sinners, to rise from death, so that we who are sinful beings may be gifted the righteousness of Christ and be justified and blameless before Him. That's our position. But once you know Christ, once you've been made holy in your position, that ties into how you're to live in your life. You see, it's for this reason, because God is holy, there's none like Him, and we are His people, that God has called His people to be holy, uniquely set apart from the rest of the world. Leviticus, again, in chapter 20, verse 26, says it. You shall be holy to me, for I, the Lord, am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. You understand, yeah, he's talking about Israel, but that applies to every Christian, because every Christian, in the same concept how God called out Israel from the nations, God has called out every Christian to himself and says, you are mine. I chose you, I purchased you, I'm calling you, I've made you mine. By his great sovereign grace, God has made his people his own. Here's what he expects of them. He expects them to live in a holy manner in this life as they walk this road of what it is to be a Christian. He said, well, how does one live in a holy manner? Let me give you a little quick hint. By living according to the holy scriptures. There's a reason that your Bible, at least most of them if they have the print on the front, says holy Bible. Not just Bible. Not just Bible. It says Holy Bible. Why does it say that? Because it is the word of the holy and living God. And here's what we find. This is what Daniel longs to do. Why his resolve the way it is. He has resolved to live according to the word of God that he knew. Now, this certainly may tie into some of the dietary laws because we don't know what the actual food was that was being offered to them. Throughout history, remaining true to the Mosaic law in diet and morality, it was a challenge, especially in foreign lands. But as you can see here, Daniel's grounding in the fact that he's resolved not to defile himself with the king's food. You say, well, why is Daniel resolved in this manner? Because he had a good knowledge of God's law. How would Daniel have responded if he didn't know the word of God? Would this event have even mattered? That really ties into the Christian today. What knowledge does the average Christian have of the Word of God? Do you realize that there is a vast number of Christians who have nothing to do with their Bible except on Sunday and Wednesday, maybe? Many Christians are ignorant of the Word of God. And case in point, that's one reason you have so many variations of Christianity, because there's so much distortion of truth. We don't know the truth that's been given to us. It's easy to go with the flow and just, you know, go with what this guy said on YouTube or TikTok and not get into the text itself and know, why do I believe what I believe? What should I believe? You understand that this is one reason for for the decline in some ways, you know, is a lack of knowledge of scripture, lack of not knowing scripture. It is a dangerous thing. Hosea 4, 6, God said to his people, my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge because you have rejected knowledge. I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. See, it is clear in our day. Many Christians do not know God's word as a result, as they should. And what's the result of that? Well, not only ignorance and error, but understand also sin and unfaithfulness. The greatest need for the Christian in our own pagan culture is to know the word of God and the God of the word. That is what I wish that every Christian would have a resolve in their heart to do. I want to know God. And if I'm going to know God, I must know his word. As the psalmist said in Psalm 119.11, I love this verse, I have stored up your word in my heart. Why? Why does the psalmist store up the word in his heart? Why? That I might not sin against you. To the Christian who has resolved He's concerned about sinning against God. And if he's concerned about sinning against God, he wants to know what God has said about what a Christian is supposed to live out. We need to get back to knowing the source of our convictions, which is the word of the living God. Notice number two or letter B here. I took a long time there. I parked there for a minute. I'm going to put it in gear and go forward. We see Daniel's source for his convictions. It's the Word of God of the God of the Word. But Daniel's stand in his convictions. Because it's one thing to actually say, I have conviction. It's another thing when the test comes that you actually stand where you say that you believe. Because Daniel was grounded in God's Word, he knew what he had to stand on and when it was time to stand. You and I need to have convictions that grip hold of us with courage and boldness. Many people have opinions about the Bible, about truth. People hold opinions. But convictions hold people. And there's a difference. I want you to consider what your convictions are. What are you immovable from? What's your non-negotiables? You ought to all have non-negotiables. We should have non-negotiables in our life. Say, what if you look at this instance of persecution or oppression from a government? What if our government passed a law saying, you know what, you're not allowed to read the Bible or pray anymore. What would you do? Many Christians or professing Christians would cower in fear. What would you do? Think about it personally. What would be your conviction in a moment like that? What would you do? What if your boss said you had to either quit church or lose your job? What would you do? What if they said, what if the government passed the law and said, you know what? Churches closed down, you're not allowed to meet anymore. What would we do? What would we as a body do? You see, this is where conviction meets the, where the rubber meets the road. Thankfully, we live in a religious free country where that kind of opposition and challenge, that's very few if ever. But so many Christians have been faced and are faced with that kind of challenge even right now. But you look at it all through scripture. The men who stood up with conviction. I think of David facing Goliath for God's people. I just read about that not long ago and it's a fascinating account, grips me every time. All of Israel shaking in their boots at this giant. David comes down and hears him mocking the true living God. All of the people of God who should have some gumption about them to do something, especially King Saul, who is cowering himself. And David, the shepherd boy, comes down with conviction, with resolve. Who is this Philistine who mocks the living God? And the armies of Israel, he goes down and gets his stones and slays that dude. All because of the grace and power of God. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego later in this book facing the fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol. Daniel in a lion's den because he refused not to pray when the edict was signed. Stephen facing the stones for Christ. Peter and John facing prison for Jesus. Testing to God's people is woven throughout scripture in all of church history. We are tested ourselves in compromising situations sometimes by Satan, society, and sin. And here's what it all boils down to. It is the call of the Christian in this dark culture to be the light that shines forth by standing on what is true and doing that which is godly in his sign. Ephesians chapter number six, if you would turn there with me, I'll read this passage. Ephesians chapter six. If you look at verse 10 through 17, here's what we must understand about the life of the Christian. is that the day that you were born again and became a Christian, you entered into a war. Yes, you have peace in your heart and there's eternal life ahead of you, but here in this world, we are entrenched in spiritual warfare. And here's the call to the Christian. In Ephesians 6 and verse 10 and forward, finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm. Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the saints. You understand, that is a lengthy passage that describes in detail the warfare you and I are engaged in. You'll notice the repeated call is to stand, to stand, to stand, And what are we standing against? We're standing against all of the dark culture, all of the things that are seeking to indoctrinate and steal away what it is to be a Christian. And it starts to understand, not only you, but think about for the sake of your children and your grandchildren, how this culture is seeking to indoctrinate them with false gods and false ideologies. All sorts of things. The enemy wants our kids. They want the next generation. They want the current generation. Friend, this is the challenge before us. We must know the truth and stand in the truth. And when we know the truth, what God has revealed in Scripture, what is our actual stand and how we are going to live our life? Because understand this, Christian, that we are tempted on every side to soften our convictions of godliness. What is your conviction when it comes to purity and holiness? What is your conviction about worship and faithfulness in the church? What is your conviction about walking with God, walking in the Spirit day by day? What is your conviction about having a godly marriage and being a godly parent? You see what I'm getting at? The glory of God and the challenge before us, it's woven into every aspect of our life. Every aspect of our life. And this, friend, is why we must stand. We see Daniel stand and how he stands. He goes about responding in verse eight. He asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And I think it's good to know that Daniel, you know, he's a Christian, he's strong, he's bold, but he didn't barge into the king's presence and demand something. He has the right approach about it. He's humble, he requests, and he takes his stand. And I think we take note of that because far too many zealous Christians think that standing means they have to be severe and belligerent towards others who oppose them. Not so. Friend, if we sacrifice the spirit of love and compassion in our stand, we do damage to the very stand we're standing on. Because God looks at our character just as much as he looks at our courage, and our method is just as important as our motive. Christ's likeness must prevail in every stand we take. Notice with me number two, finally got to number two. I won't be as long on these other points, I promise. I could smell all them soups from here. Daniel not only was resolved in his convictions, he was resolved in his commitment. And here's where you see, understand all of this is woven together. He was resolved in his commitment. Daniel was committed, all right? He's committed to God despite a couple things here that are very important, very challenging. He's committed to his Lord despite his surroundings. His surroundings. Now, Daniel, understand, he's no longer in the safe haven of the walls of Jerusalem where the people of God are and the temple stood. He has been stripped out of that and he has been immersed into a culture that is pagan and godless. And remember, Daniel and his friends were to be taught the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. It's Nebuchadnezzar's goal to adapt these Hebrews into their idolatrous culture. He wants them to become little Babylonians. By the way, The culture wants the same thing from us. Wants us to be little Worleans. Wants our kids to be that. But can you imagine the pressure upon Daniel here? Out of his comfort zone, out of his homeland, and in this moment he's either going to commit to God or he's going to compromise with the godless culture. That same pressure rests upon us today. See, there comes a point in our life where we must determine how committed we really are to our convictions about the Word of God. Most of us who are grown and sound in the faith, you had a point in your life where you really had to iron out, what is it that I believe and what am I willing to stand on? You should. What am I really committed to? Compare your current commitment to our current culture. Will it not sometimes be challenging in the days ahead? It can be and it might be. You understand that our surroundings are a powerful deterrent to following Christ faithfully because we naturally gravitate towards what the dark culture wants. Listen to some words from Paul here. First Corinthians 1533 says to them, do not be deceived of the church. Bad company ruins good morals. Bad company ruins good morals. I used to always wonder why mom and dad didn't want me to hang out with certain people. That's why. They knew a little bit more than I did. So teenagers and kids, understand your parents know more than you. You don't think so right now, but they do. I'm testifying of that, who at one time was a kid and a teenager and didn't think my mom and dad knew everything. I look back and thank God for them. Bad company ruins good morals. He says in 1 Thessalonians 5.22, abstain from every form of evil. Why would he say that? Because the forms of evil in our culture, if we don't abstain from them and their influence, they can influence us the opposite direction. There have been many who have been drawn away from their commitment to Christ by the allures of the world. Paul writes of Demas, who was in the ministry with him, a man who was serving alongside him in the ministry, who did not have the resolve that Paul had. He says in his last letter that he wrote in 2 Timothy 4.10, Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me. Gone to Thessalonica. It's a tragic thing to see this very kind of thing happen. People who at one time were with Christ or seemed to be walking with Christ with you and serving with you, and they desert and they go after the world. What about you? What is your commitment to Christ? Here's the call to the Christian, Romans 12 and verse one through two, let us read it. The call to the Christian is this. The resolve of the Christian should be this. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers. You understand that Paul is using an urgent word here. Appeal, beseech, beg. I plead with you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. And notice verse two. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is perfect and acceptable and good and perfect and acceptable. You understand that he says, do not be conformed, conforming to pattern after the world. And that is one of the easiest things to do. To pattern off after the world. We are not to blend with its principles, but rather stick out as peculiar. Peter uses the same language that God used of Israel of old in the New Testament in 1 Peter 2 and verse 9, where he says to them, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That sums up the whole sermon. I should just shut it down and we can go home. But I'm not done, so I'm not doing that. Hang in there. But look at his description of who the Christian is, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession. Why did God make us this? So that we would proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. The reason you're still in this world as a Christian is so that you can shine forth the glory of the one true holy God to the dark culture around us. That's why you're here, Christian. It's why you're here. And Christian, if you know Christ and you're living and walking with the darkness. One, you're outside of the will of God, of what he has prescribed in scripture, what he's revealed in scripture. So you're not fulfilling the purpose for which you are here. Your purpose is the glory of God. You understand Daniel belonged to God, the God of Israel, the one true God, and he shows it. He's committed despite his surroundings. But letter B, he's also committed despite his superior. Say, well, who is his superior? We all have superiors in life, don't we? My superior is my other half. If you're married, you know what I'm talking about. Who's Daniel's superior? Who's his mortal authority? It's King Nebuchadnezzar. You understand, this king, this leader, he is the leader of the current world power, Babylon. There's no challengers to Babylon at the moment. It's Babylon. That's his superior. What fear this king must have put into the Jews who just came and ravaged their homeland, destroyed their city, and took them captive. This king has instructed the food and wine for these Hebrews in verse 5. He is the one who has appointed it for them. So, in other words, this is not just a supposed honor, this is a command to eat and take what the king has put before them. But did it matter to Daniel that the food came from the king? Did Daniel so fear the king that he did not stand? Absolutely not, he did not. In fact, the scriptures instruct Daniel a little bit on this scenario. In Proverbs chapter 23, verse 1 and 2, when you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what's before you. Put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Consider carefully what is before you. It doesn't matter if a king gave it to you. Consider whether it is right or wrong. The fear of God must always prevail over the fear of man. What do we do when instructed by our mortal superiors? We obey them in everything that doesn't violate the word of God. So yes, obey the laws of the land, so long as they don't violate the word of the living God. Even if you maybe don't like it, do it. See, our commitment to God must trump our mortal superiors. Like the apostles, when told by the authorities not to preach in Jesus's name, We read in Acts chapter five, verse 27 through 29. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council and the high priest questioned them saying, look at this, we strictly charged you not to teach in this name. Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. What an ironic statement. Same people not long ago said before Pilate, his blood be on us and on our children. Who are they to say, don't teach in this name? They are nobody because God said, go preach the gospel to every creature. And so their answer, Peter and the apostles answered, and here's our answer, we must obey God rather than men. Christian, your allegiance is to God above everyone in this world. Leonard Ravenhill rightly said, if you have the smile of God, what does it matter if you have the frown of men? It doesn't matter if you have the frown of men, if you have the smile of God. See, when Daniel gave his immediate request to his boss, which is the guy underneath the king, even that boss was fearful of presenting such a request to the king. He says to Daniel, you want me to take this back to the king? And this puts my own head on the line here. Daniel says, won't you test us and then figure this out? But Daniel, understand this, he was committed His commitment prevailed over circumstance. He was resolved here. He resolved in his commitment despite his surroundings, despite his superiors. But notice with the letter three and lastly, we see that Daniel was resolved in his confidence. He's resolved in his faith, his trust of what God is doing. Daniel noticed firstly that he was confident in God's providence. He's a man who trusts the providence of God. You understand that Daniel knew that the situation he was in was not of himself. Did Daniel's captivity somehow come outside of what God had decreed? Was Daniel somehow outside of God's will? Not at all. On the contrary, he's right where he's supposed to be. It's God who raised up Babylon to destroy Jerusalem in judgment and take them captive in judgment. And Daniel recognizes, if you're in the book of Daniel, look at chapter 2, Daniel recognizes a very important aspect that every Christian ought to recognize, and that is the sovereignty of God in the affairs of men, even over rulers. Daniel 2 and verse 20 through 23, look at this, just one chapter over from our text, Daniel answered and said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever to whom belong wisdom and might. And notice what this God does. He changes times and seasons. He removes Kings and sets up Kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise for you have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you for you have made known to us the King's matter. Notice what Daniel recognizes. He believes that in God's providence, he raised up Nebuchadnezzar for that very purpose. He's the one who removes kings, sets up kings. It's God alone. And since God is the one who brought Daniel to where he is, Daniel is resolved to trust the Lord with his purposes for him in Babylon. Daniel's not throwing a pity party thinking, You know what? I just wish we'd still back in Jerusalem. Maybe they did desire that, of course, because that was their homeland. But he's not thinking outside of the scope of what God's providence has ordained. And since God has ordained that Daniel be in Babylon in this scenario, Daniel's going to do what he's supposed to do right there. Exalt the one true God in the midst of pagan Babylon. After all, there is no nation on earth where God is not to be exalted. Psalm 46 10, be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. You see, God would work through Daniel, even in this unlikely circumstance. And he does that on a regular basis. Well, it seems like an impossible situation. God proves to be purposeful. Daniel, in his position here, is called to be faithful to God and have faith in God. Daniel is not to doubt what God is doing, but to trust Him in every detail of this scenario. And did you know, Christian, that that is the calling to each and every one of us? You and I are called to trust God in every scenario with every detail. no matter what that is. Whatever God purposes and does by His providence, whether good or bad in our eyes, whether joyful or sorrowful in our eyes, we must be resolved to trust our sovereign God in everything. Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 5 and 6 says, trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths. Christian, do you trust him in this way? Do you trust him with all of your heart, or do you lean on your own understanding? Letter B, Daniel was not only confident in God's providence, he was also confident in God's precepts. In light of Daniel's boss's fear, Daniel made a suggestion that would be an alternative to eating the king's mate in verse 11 through 14. And so the suggestion was, give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. That sounds like the perfect diet for every child. They love those, that kind of a diet, don't they? Eat your green beans. Eat your broccoli. Water to drink. Give me a Coke. But that's what Daniel suggested. These vegetables, in the Hebrew word there, it means vegetation which grows from seeds. So it could include vegetables, fruits, maybe grains. It's certainly a healthy diet that would reduce the possibility of defilement in the meat and wine if it was offered in the wrong way. or prepared wrongly. It's not that the meat and wine were not permitted in the law. Jews could eat meat, they could drink wine, but that the possibility of them being unclean in Babylonian practice was highly probable. Daniel did not want to risk defiling himself or succumbing to Babylonian way of life and temptation. God created these foods. God gave this dietary law that God knew would benefit the health of his people during the Old Testament. You think God knew what he was doing when he gave those laws? Or are they just random restrictions? No, there's good to them. But we notice the result of this in verse 14 and 15. Or excuse me, verse 15 and 16. At the end of the 10 days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine which they were to drink and gave them vegetables. What a result that is. Now today, we're not bound by the dietary law of the Old Testament. I know many of you are rejoicing in that. But in Daniel's case, he was to obey that Old Testament law as a Jew. In other words, what I'm getting at is that Daniel trusted the word of the living God. He knew that what God had prescribed for them as Jews was not going to make them skinny and unhealthy. He knew God was going to take care of them if he followed this course of action. And here's what you and I have to resolve, is that when you and I can trust the Word of God, it's always right. It's always right. You say, well the culture says this, and it goes against what the Word of God says. The Word of God is right, culture is wrong. Scripture is always correct. Scripture is always what your life should align with. You can trust the Word of God, The kings and presidents and authorities of the world may propose different systems or ideas or ways of life, but they will never fix or make better the word of the living God. 2 Samuel 22, 31 says, this God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord proves true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. We need to be confident both in the word of God and the God of the word, just as Daniel was. What you find in our passage is a man who had a resolved heart in his convictions and in his faith. That's what Daniel had. But I want you to understand that's not just what Daniel needed at that time, it's what every Christian needs right now in this day, in this hour, in this moment. Do you have a resolved heart? Do you have a resolve in your heart that Christ is your life? But you will live according to His Word because He has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light for the glory of Him to shine brightly in a dark, sin-stained world. I hope that's your conviction, Christian. And maybe today, if you don't know Christ at all, that's your first need. You don't need resolve, you need repentance. You need Christ. Christ died to save sinners like you. You are accountable to a holy God for every sin you have ever committed in your life. And come Judgment Day, that's not a sentence you want to bear. Christ bore the wrath of a holy God on the cross of Calvary as a substitute for those who repent and believe in Him, those who take Him as their own Savior. Today, I urge you, if you do not know Christ, and you know whether you know or not, if you do not know Christ, to look to Him alone and trust Him as your own Savior from sin. And you will know Him and have eternal life. Let us stand to our feet as we close in prayer and song. Father, we bow before You this morning and thank You for the Word of the living God. I thank You, Father, for the record of these instances of men like Daniel and their Babylonian captivity and what we can learn from their example, their faith, the witnesses who've gone before us. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, people of the faith who've gone on before us and finished the race. They're there for us to read and know so that we would run with patience our own race. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Help us today, Lord, to have the resolve that we need to have. May we live with resolved hearts. In Jesus' name.