Rev. David Holwick E The Book of Daniel
First Baptist Church (Communion)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 3, 2008
Daniel 1:1-13
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I. Maybe you don't need anything at all.
In the 1990's an Australian woman named Ellen Greve developed a
new meditative religion called Breatharianism.
It was based on Hindu principles and knowledge that was channeled
to her by Count St. Germain, an occultist from the 1700s.
The essence of Breatharianism is that superior spiritual
knowledge allows you to live by meditation and breathing
alone, without any food or even water.
Greve claims, "I can go for months and months without having
anything at all other than a cup of tea.
My body runs on a different kind of nourishment."
She also says around 5,000 people, mostly in Germany, are
disciples of Breatharianism.
Researchers were intrigued by this, of course.
Several interviewers found her house full of food, but she
claimed the food was for her husband.
In 1999, she volunteered to be monitored closely by the
Australian television program 60 Minutes for one week without
eating to demonstrate her methods.
Greve claimed that she failed because on the first day of the
test she had been confined in a hotel room near a busy road.
The stress and pollution kept her from getting the nutrients
she needed from the air, she claimed.
"I asked for fresh air. Seventy percent of my nutrients come
from fresh air. I couldn't even breathe."
So on the third day the test moved to a mountainside retreat
where she could get plenty of fresh air and live happily.
After Greve had fasted for four days, doctors stopped the test
because her pupils were dilated, her speech was slow and she
was severely dehydrated.
The experience of her disciples has been similar.
Three have starved to death.
In 2000, Greve, who now goes by the name Jasmuheen, was awarded
the Bent Spoon Award by the Australian Skeptics society.
The award is presented to the perpetrator of "the most
preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle."
#28253
A. Special diets have a long heritage.
1) Americans have come up with Adkins, South Beach, Slimfast.
2) But in history, diets have mostly been for religious reasons.
a) Jews are famous for their kosher food limits.
b) Moslems have a month-long daylight fast in September
for Ramadan.
c) This Wednesday many Christians will begin Lent, a
40-day limited fast to prepare for Easter.
B. Jesus says food is not the key - your attitude is.
1) Some early Christians did follow food laws, and Paul says
that is okay, but it is not required.
2) Jesus declared all foods clean to eat.
a) The real problem, he says, is in the human heart.
C. Daniel reveals his heart.
1) He has been torn from his home and family, but not his God.
2) The stand he takes is a challenge for all of us.
II. When your world ends.
A. Daniel begins with the trauma of the Exile.
1) The great Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon crushes Judah.
a) His empire was one of the greatest in history.
b) Others had tried to seize Jerusalem, but failed.
1> Nebuchadnezzar succeeded.
2> This is the first of three invasions.
2) He takes the best.
a) The cream of Israelite society is taken to his capital.
b) The treasures of David's Temple end up in a pagan temple.
B. The two stark choices of survivors.
1) Resist.
a) The Maccabeans and the Zealots took this path.
b) At Masada they chose suicide rather than surrender.
c) It is a brave option, but before Babylon's might it
would have been fatal.
2) Capitulate.
a) Surrender emotionally as well as physically.
1> Adopt the customs and faith of your conqueror.
2> The prophet Jeremiah even advised the exiles to
build houses, start families, get on in life.
Even pray for the foreign city. Jer 29:4-8
A> Of course, his opponents branded him a traitor.
b) Daniel had good reasons to cave in.
1> He was being offered a cushy opportunity.
A> Similar to a Rhodes scholar.
2> He wouldn't just survive, but thrive.
C. Daniel's choice.
1) He accepted the offer.
a) He took a new Babylonian name, and the education.
b) Years later, he accepted a high position in the nation.
2) He never compromised his faith.
a) To paraphrase Jesus, Caesar got his but God got his.
b) Daniel kept his religious values in a hostile world.
c) He drew a line and would not cross it, for anything.
III. Man proposes, but God disposes.
A. Jerusalem's disaster was God's idea.
1) Verse 2 clearly states God was behind it.
a) Even the looting of the temple.
2) The reason was to teach the Jews a lesson.
a) The land of Israel had to be cleansed of idolatry.
b) Therefore sometimes God delivers (parting of Red Sea)
and sometimes he doesn't.
B. Daniel takes his stand. 1:8
1) He resolves not to defile himself with the royal food.
a) Diplomatically, he approaches the headmaster.
b) He proposes a practical test, which is accepted. 1:12
2) What was the defilement?
a) Some say the food was unkosher, but nothing unkosher
is mentioned.
b) Others say the food would have been offered to idols.
3) Perhaps the defilement was not with the food, but with
totally selling out to the pagan culture.
a) God needed something reserved for himself.
b) God showed his approval by letting them pass the test.
c) He also gives them knowledge which Babylonians cannot.
IV. Where should we take our stand?
A. Some Christians want to set up external standards.
1) Even today, food restrictions define some groups of believers.
a) (Baptists never seem to limit food.)
2) Others call for conservative clothing or simple lifestyles.
3) An email I got this week calls for banning television.
What is the pet sin of Christians? Gambling? Liquor,
white collar crime, sexual immorality?
According to Indiana pastor Ronald Williams, it is none of
these.
It is the use of television.
He notes that the average television watcher sits entranced
for 7.2 hours per day.
During that time he is enjoying his lust, violence, and
perversion of all that is right and decent.
If one's favorite activity would be measured by what he does
voluntarily -- by choice, and by length of time involved
-- he says watching television is the clear winner.
DISTINCTIVES OF CHRISTIANS
Bible Christianity has distinctives.
They are commanded by Scripture to not love the world, or
the things in the world (1 John 2:15), to be
uncontaminated by the world around us (2 Peter 3:14),
to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:15),
to abstain from fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11),
to abstain from even the appearance of evil (1 Th. 5:22).
Believers are to jealously guard their thought life to
ensure it is approved of God (Philippians 4:8).
They are to bring captive every thought into obedience to
Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
DISTINCTIVES OF TELEVISION
Television also has distinctives, and they are vigorously
contrary to the above.
Producers and sponsors attempt to outdo competitors' shows
with profanity, blasphemy, obscenity, violence, loose
low-life living, nudity, perversion and so on.
This should not be surprising: as a group, the moguls of
the television industry are among the most unbelieving,
unchurched, blasphemous, anti-God infidels of
professional groups.
If they want to live this way, well and good.
Christians should not.
#34978
a) The comments attached to this email were interesting.
1> Most agreed he makes some valid points.
2> But is it realistic to ban television watching?
Or using the internet, or reading the newspaper?
b) I am torn.
1> I agree with him on the influence of television.
2> But if you want to avoid every evil influence,
you'd have to live on the Moon.
B. Like Daniel, we have to pick our battles.
1) What we affirm is just as important as what we reject.
2) The world needs Christians who are distinctively positive.
V. God's diet.
A. Something must make us different.
1) Jesus says the ultimate difference is our love for each other.
2) Whatever we abstain from, our alternative must be divine joy.
B. Our best food must come from God.
1) We are having communion with a Higher Power, Almighty God.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#28253 "Breatharianism," compiled from several sources, including Chuck
Shepherd's "News Of The Weird" which derives its information
from the Edmonton Journal-The Times (London), September 26,
1999; and Wikipedia.com.
#34978 "Television: Christians' Pet Sin," by Ronald E. Williams, pastor
of Believers Baptist Church, Winona Lake, Indiana. Quoted by
David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service,
November 16, 1997. Submitted by Rick Swenson, Hopatcong,
New Jersey.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Notes
I. Cave or fight?
A. Two strands in Jewish history.
1) Fight to the death approach of Zealots, Maccabeans.
B. Daniel is a book about keeping your values in a hostile world.
1) Some think it is about a life-or-death struggle against
grim enemies.
a) Fiery furnace, lion's den....
b) This would describe Israel's crushing defeat by the
Babylonians.
c) It later gave much inspiration to the Maccabeans during
their revolt.
2) However, much of the book is about a more subtle conflict.
a) Daniel and his friends were being treated well.
b) But at some point they had to draw a line.
1> No compromise in obedience to God.
II. Daniel, survivor of a siege.
A. Babylonians did it, but God was behind it.
1) Looting of sacred Jerusalem.
2) What about God's promises of protection?
3) What about the ancient stories of deliverance from Pharaoh?
B. Enlisting the elite youth.
1) Training to be servants of Babylon's empire.
2) Choice menus.
3) New names.
III. Daniel's resolve to be different.
A. Proposes 10-day test concerning diet.
1) Vegetarian diet. (Kosher?)
2) To be judged by results.
B. They pass the test.
IV. God's education of the Hebrew youth.
A. Babylonians gave them education, God gave them knowledge.
B. Daniel was given ability to understand visions and dreams.
C. Babylonians judged them the best of the crop.
V. Why the diet?
A. fight against worldliness.
B. no compromise
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