ILLUSTRATION
In Daniel chapter 12, there is a verse that every Christian should memorize. And it is: Daniel 12:3 (NKJV)
3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.
In the first part of the verse, we are told that those who are wise in the ways of God shine. And in the second part of the verse, we are told that those who lead others to Christ will be like the stars. And what do stars do? They shine. So, it is a fair question to ask you, if you say that you are a Christian, – “How is Your Shine?” And that happens to be the title of this new series.
And that is what the Book of Daniel is all about- a remnant of God’s people shining in the dark place of Babylon. It is the same thing that Jesus Christ spoke about in Matthew 5 when He told us that “we are the Light of the world.” You and I should be shining; we should be lights in this place we call America because it has gotten dark. As a young boy growing up in America, I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that this country would have gotten so dark. But we are a divided people and instead of working together we are working against each other. There is bloodshed in the schools and on the streets and nowadays no one is safe. You hear of young children lying in bed and gunshots coming through the wall making them a victim of gun violence. And there is a general sense of meanness in people today, I would not have foreseen.
So, let me ask you again, “How is Your Shine?” And I am going to tell you today that nobody will see your shine if you are not any different from this world.
BIBLE VERSE
Daniel 1:1-15 (NKJV)
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 gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles,
4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”
14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.
1 Nobody will see your shine if you don't take sin seriously because Scriptures prove God takes sin seriously.
DANIEL 1:1-2 (NKJV) 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 GAVE JEHOIAKIM KING OF JUDAH INTO HIS HAND, WITH SOME OF THE ARTICLES OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH HE CARRIED INTO THE LAND OF SHINAR TO THE HOUSE OF HIS GOD; AND HE BROUGHT THE ARTICLES INTO THE TREASURE HOUSE OF HIS GOD.
In the Old Testament, God had persistently warned Judah through the prophets, and there were many of them- Obadiah, Joel, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Micah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah; that if they didn’t turn away from their sinful ways, God will judge their sin by sending in an invading army destroying their land and taking some captive. God was serious about sin. The people of Judah witnessed the Northern Kingdom go into captivity at the hands of the Assyrians because of their refusal to heed the warnings of God. But still the people thought God was not serious about their sin. We should take this to heart because God kept His Word to Judah and sent in the Babylonians. Those times that God was warning Judah, He was not bluffing. God was patient not acting immediately but He was not bluffing.
Now fast forward to the New Testament and to 1 Peter 4:17 and hear what God has to say to you and me. 1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV)
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Just as God was not bluffing about the sins of Judah, God is not bluffing about our sins. If you are a Christian, you cannot laugh at sin and think it is acceptable. I don’t want us to be fooled and fall into the same mind set as Judah. God is serious about sin. They thought that since God hasn’t done anything yet, He is not going to do anything. God’s patience should not be misconstrued that He will do nothing. Judgment came to Judah and judgment will come to the house of God.
You ask why God is so serious about sin? Daniel says that God calls us to shine; the Lord Himself calls us to be light. Sin takes all the shine and light away from us. God will not allow that to go unpunished.
We need to wake up and get serious about living out our shine and light and quit flirting with sin because we think God is not going to do anything about it. Judah is our witness that He will.
2 Nobody will see your shine if instead of serving Christ in the world, we find ourselves blending in with the world.
DANIEL 1:8 (NKJV) 8 BUT DANIEL PURPOSED IN HIS HEART THAT HE WOULD NOT DEFILE HIMSELF WITH THE PORTION OF THE KING'S DELICACIES, NOR WITH THE WINE WHICH HE DRANK; THEREFORE HE REQUESTED OF THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS THAT HE MIGHT NOT DEFILE HIMSELF. WHAT ARGUMENTS DO PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH THE BIBLE OFFER?
In Chapter 1, we are told that Daniel and three other young Israelites were taken from Judah and brought to Babylon at the order of the king. They were given new names representing the gods of Babylon and their Hebrew names were to be done away with. They were to eat food and drink wine from the king’s table, and they were to be trained for three years in the ways of the Babylonians. At the end of that time, they would be placed in the service of the king.
And the plan, it is obvious to see, is that the king wanted to remove from them all the things about Judah and the God of Israel and get these young men to blend into the ways of the Babylonians and to serve their gods. And I like what Daniel says in verse 8- that he purposed not to defile himself.
Babylon was an ungodly place. It had its origins in Genesis 11 where we are told that the people settled in the land of Shinar and began to build a tower, a tower that would later be called the tower of Babble. Do you see the closest of the name Babble and Babylon? And Babylon started as an ungodly place and has remained an ungodly place through the centuries. And so, get the picture Daniel and his three friends, believer in the God of Israel, are called to serve in unfriendly environment for believers.
Do you realize that outside of the doors of this church is an unfriendly environment for believers? The world we live in is unfriendly to believers. And your job as a Christian is to go out there five or six days and influence the world with your shine and not let the world influence you. Here is the problem though- the world is most likely to influence you then you influence the world. Let me show you that in the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
The only way you win this battle is that you walk out of the door of your house purposed in your heart that you are not going to let the world rob you of your relationship with Jesus Christ. Daniel did that and we must do that otherwise we lose our shine. Think about this last when you were leaving your house did you pray to God to keep you safe from the influences of this world. If you don’t purpose in your heart to stay safe this world is going to rub off on you.
3 Everybody will see your shine if you will allow God to use your life to show others how great our God is. But you disqualify your life if you are not any different than the world.
DANIEL 1:9-15 (NKJV) 9 NOW GOD HAD BROUGHT DANIEL INTO THE FAVOR AND GOODWILL OF THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS. 10 AND THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS SAID TO DANIEL, "I FEAR MY LORD THE KING, WHO HAS APPOINTED YOUR FOOD AND DRINK. FOR WHY SHOULD HE SEE YOUR FACES LOOKING WORSE THAN THE YOUNG MEN WHO ARE YOUR AGE? THEN YOU WOULD ENDANGER MY HEAD BEFORE THE KING." 11 SO DANIEL SAID TO THE STEWARD WHOM THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS HAD SET OVER DANIEL, HANANIAH, MISHAEL, AND AZARIAH, 12 "PLEASE TEST YOUR SERVANTS FOR TEN DAYS, AND LET THEM GIVE US VEGETABLES TO EAT AND WATER TO DRINK. 13 THEN LET OUR APPEARANCE BE EXAMINED BEFORE YOU, AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE YOUNG MEN WHO EAT THE PORTION OF THE KING'S DELICACIES; AND AS YOU SEE FIT, SO DEAL WITH YOUR SERVANTS." 14 SO HE CONSENTED WITH THEM IN THIS MATTER, AND TESTED THEM TEN DAYS. 15 AND AT THE END OF TEN DAYS THEIR FEATURES APPEARED BETTER AND FATTER IN FLESH THAN ALL THE YOUNG MEN WHO ATE THE PORTION OF THE KING'S DELICACIES.
Daniel knew that God required His people to follow certain dietary laws. And the king’s food and wines would have included a lot of items that would be consider a violation of the Torah. So, Daniel and his friends asked the official over them for a test. Let us eat what is acceptable to our God and after ten days compare us to those who ate the king’s food. The official agreed and after ten days Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than those who ate the king’s food.
Daniel shined because he was willing to allow God to use his life to show others how great He is to those who did not know Him. Just think if Daniel and his three friends had said OK, we would eat the king’s food and drink the king’s wine, the official would not have seen the greatest of Daniel’s God. It is in these young men being different, that the Babylonian official saw first-hand the greatest of Daniel’s God.
In this world, we are called to be different. In Romans 12:1-2 we are called to be living sacrifices in a world that seeks pleasure. In 1 Peter 2:9 we are a royal priesthood called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. In Matthew 5:13 we are to be the salt in a world that has lost its saltiness. And it is in those differences that people see our shine. Lose that difference, we lose our shine and worse, yet God can’t use you to show His greatness to a lost world.
Daniel kept his shine; Daniel kept his difference and the Babylonian official saw what God did through Daniel and his friends. It is our shine and our difference that can make an impact on a world that don’t know Christ.
Let me ask you again. How is your shine?
4 Thought to Ponder
HOW SHOULD THIS BIBLICAL TRUTH CHANGE THE WAY WE LIVE?
We need to think more about how we go out into the world. We need to purpose when we go out into the world, we will take sin seriously because the world doesn’t. We need to purpose that the world is not going to change us. We need to purpose that my life is available for God to use to bring about His glory.
