Title: GODLY LIVING—TAKING A STANCE

Focus: Living a godly life in our culture calls for taking a stance, which is often contrary to the world.

Function: To encourage the people to live courageously in our culture, showing our allegiance to Christ and the Word of God.

Text: Daniel 1:1-21

When the conditions are right, a snowball the size of a tennis ball rolling down a hillside will turn into a snowball the size of a tractor tire. If that “tractor tire” continues to roll down the hill, the snowball may trigger an avalanche. And avalanches in the mountains spell trouble for people and animals alike. Secularism is like that snowball.

As I look back over the last few decades, I observe the snowball of secularism absorbing the Christian Church in Europe, America, and also in parts of Canada, especially Quebec. Secularism is a term that describes broadly our culture’s posture toward all aspects of life, as well as to God. Secularism—at its core—stands for a life apart from God. At its core, secularism puts the self at the center of things. Secularism exalts self-interest and pursues personal gain. It is accountable to no one in particular.

When you adopt a secular lifestyle and point of view, you set yourself up as the ultimate authority or judge. So whatever I deem correct is correct; whatever I deem important is valid to pursue; and whatever stands in my way—such as God’s authoritative Word or the claims of the Christian faith on my life—these must be ignored or abandoned.

That’s why church members who embrace secularism shudder when pastors emphasize the authority and claim of God’s Word on their lives. And that’s why many today have left the Christian faith and church. Secularism, like a snowball rolling down a hill, has also made inroads in many Christian homes and communities, where the boundaries of ethics and sexuality are now blurred. Today, for example, many parents and pastors have conversations with young adults who think nothing of pre-marital sex or cohabitation. Since God’s Word no longer shapes our culture’s view on such matters, more and more people ask: “So why can’t the church go along with the culture?”

Many churches in Europe, in Canada and also in the U.S. have adopted the culture’s secular point of view. The results are not encouraging. Vibrant Christian faith and church life is lacking in many areas of the western world.

It is my contention tonight that the onslaught of secularism cripples the witness of the Christian church.

They say, “Clothes make the man.” If that is true then the clothes of secularism will shape us into secular people. Adopting a secular point of view will lead to a loss of distinctly Christian witness. For people who embrace a secular point of view in life soon discover that the mantel of the Christian faith cramps their worldly or secular lifestyle.

And then you have to make a decision: leave the Christian faith and be part of the avalanche of secularism, or resolve to be distinctly Christian in your lifestyle and worldview. The story of Daniel and his friends points the way for us tonight: Living a godly life in our culture calls for taking a stance, which is often contrary to the world. And showing allegiance to the triune God means to live with courage and a backbone of faith.

Daniel shows us the way. When the snowball of secularism threatened to wipe Daniel and his friends off their feet, they took a stand. And God blessed them. And God’s people prospered because of their backbone of faith.

The story of Daniel opens with a scene of historical chaos. The people of God in the land of Promise are in turmoil, because Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army have invaded Judah. Something is seriously wrong: why are God’s people being conquered and led into exile, while God has promised that their nation would be a land of “milk and honey”?

Jeremiah and Ezekiel—the prophets of Israel in the days of Daniel—give us insights into these chaotic days. Idolatry—the adoption and worship of false gods, and the abandonment of Israel’s religious life—all have led to a falling-away from God. Many of the Israelites and their kings have turned their back to God. And God has handed them over first to Assyrian conquerors; and later to Babylonian captors.

The land of promise, including Jerusalem and the temple, are in ruin. The remnant in Israel has lost hope in God. And the exiled Israelites in Babylon have to survive and live in a distinctly ungodly, idolatrous culture that does not acknowledge the God of Israel.

Thus God’s people in Judah and those living in exile in Babylon are now working through a spiritual crisis: where is God? Who shall we serve? The God of the Promise, that is, the God of Israel, or the gods of Babylon?

The story of Daniel sets the stage for answering some deeply religious questions. When Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, robbed the temple, and took with him the sacred vessels from the temple in Jerusalem to the temple of his own gods, Nebuchadnezzar seemed to have the upper hand. And the message to the people was that the gods of Nebuchadnezzar are more powerful than the God of Israel.

Of course, this is not a new thing for the Israelites. In the days of Samson, the Philistines and Dagon, the god of the Philistines, also seemed to have the upper hand. But in the end, Samson ruined the temple of Dagon and slaughtered the Philistines. And even though later on in Israel’s history the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, they paid a huge price for it—many Philistines died, and eventually they gave up the ark, which King David took back to Jerusalem.

So, here too in the story of Daniel and his friends living in exile, keep an eye on these sacred vessels of the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar has no idea what he got himself into when he stole these vessels from the God of Israel. The story of Daniel and his friends take place in the background of a battle between the Lord of Israel and the leader of the nations of the world; there is a battle brooding between the God of Israel and the gods of Babylon.

Here is a sign of the battle: Nebuchadnezzar has decided to take the cream of the crop of exiles and make them servants at his royal palace. In order to make these circumcised, Hebrew young men leaders at his court, however, Nebuchadnezzar must first secularize them. That is, he must shape them and conform them to his Babylonian ways and to the gods of Babylon. Babylon’s culture and Babylon’s gods—these must shape Daniel and his friends in exile.

So, how do you secularize these men from Judah who were catechized by the Law of Moses and the prophets of Israel? Well, you begin by changing their names: Daniel means “God is my Judge.” Well, away with that name. Give Daniel a name that shows allegiance to Babylon’s gods. Daniel shall now be called “Belteshazzar” which means “Bell (a Babylonian god) is my protector.” What’s your name? My name is Hananiah. What does that mean? It means “Yahweh is gracious.” Forget Yahweh! You shall be called Shadrach, which means “Under the command of Aku” (a Babylonian moon god).

What’s your name? My name is Mishael. What does that mean? It means, “Who is like God?” Forget it. You shall be called Meshach, which means, “Who is like Aku?” What’s your name? My name is Azariah. What does that mean? It means “Yahweh is my helper.” Oh, forget that! You shall be called Abednego, which means “Servant of Nego” (a Babylonian god).

Do you see what’s happening? The royal officer in charge of Daniel and his friends “deconstructs” or robs them of their Hebrew religious identity and places them under the secular or idolatrous umbrella of Babylon’s gods. The culture and religious worldviews of Babylon must now shape these young men.

Daniel and his friend fought this incorporation into the culture of Babylon. Their resistance takes on the form of a test—they refuse to eat from the menu of the king’s table. You see, “to eat from the king’s table is to be wholly owned by the king, to eat as he dictates, to eat daily according to the calendar set up by his for his students. Thus, to signify that they are not uniting with Nebuchadnezzar in any true and ultimate way, the young men reject the king’s food” (Jordan, p. 146,7).

One commentator observes, (Jordan) “Daniel and his friends were going to be educated into the company of the wise men of Babylon. They were willing to learn, but they did not want to be incorporated into pagan Babylon, because that would estrange them from their calling as servants of the true God. Eating food is a sign of incorporation, because we incorporate food into our flesh. More, eating the same food as other people, and with them at the same meal, means becoming one with them.”

God caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, and in the end, the official allowed for a test that lasted 10 days. Guess who won the contest? Note vs. 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.” Thus we see that the God of Israel blessed Daniel and his friends. Also, we note that God blesses those who remain faithful and loyal to him. This much is clear: living a godly life in a secular or idolatrous culture calls for taking a stance, which is often contrary to the world’s view of life. Take a stance! Or be swallowed up by secularism!

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Christians live “away from home.” The Christian church lives in exile; we are longing and waiting for God to usher his kingdom rule into our world, so that heaven and earth will be united, and so that we shall live with Christ in our midst for evermore. Then we shall be “at home.” That’s the story of the Christian faith, and that’s why Peter refers to Christians as “aliens and strangers,” saying (I Petr2:11ff) “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

In practical terms, godly living in a pagan or worldly culture calls for taking a stance. In light of Scripture, I want to make three observations or practical applications:

1) Use culture and education discerningly: Culture is a gift from God; culture enriches our lives, and has the power to shape us as servants of God. Culture, however, when lived apart from God and his will, can also lead us astray and secularize us. So, we must learn to live with spiritual discernment as we participate in our culture.

The same is true for education. Knowledge—in its vast array—is a gift from God. It has the power to shape us in the service of God. Knowledge, however, when divorced from God and his expressed will in Scripture, can also blind us and secularize us. So, we must learn to live with spiritual discernment as we participate in our culture.

2) Take a stance; draw boundaries: It’s the responsibility for parents to set boundaries for their children; as our children grow older, they must learn to set boundaries for themselves. But setting boundaries begins with us, parents, as well as us, the church. We must model to each another, for example, that public worship is important; we must do likewise when it comes to teaching our children the ins and outs of the Christian faith.

Taking a stance and drawing boundaries means that we must discuss with our teenage sons and daughters why dating other Christians is important; why “going all the way” before marriage violates God’s intent for marriage; why co-habitation diminishes marriage and dishonors God’s stipulation that “Marriage should by honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterers and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4).

We must also discuss what cultural activities are appropriate for Christians to participate in. For example, is gambling at Casino’s the Christian thing to do? Is watching X-rated movies appropriate? Is buying lottery tickets a Christian stewardship thing to do—if so, why? If not, why not? Is alcohol use appropriate? If so, at what point does alcohol use become abuse? If not appropriate, why not?

And so it goes. Living a godly life today calls for setting boundaries and taking a stance in our culture that is distinctly secular and shaped by viewpoints that are contrary to God’s Word.

3) Finally, realizing that there is no set of prescribed rules from Scripture that dictates to us how we are to live in each and every possible cultural setting, we do well to seek the Lord’s guidance each day. Therefore, seek the Lord in prayer; inform your heart and mind by the Lord’s Word; trust the Lord’s abiding Holy Spirit to guide your conscience; and draw strength and guidance from the collective wisdom of God’s people. The Spirit of God has deposited God’s wisdom in the church throughout the century. Therefore, we do well to learn from the history and traditions of the church.

It’s true! Every generation must learn to live Christianly in the culture of its day and its. But we are not alone. God has given us his Word and his Holy Spirit. And we are part of his body, the church. Therefore, we shall seek the Lord and we shall be courageous—setting boundaries and taking a stance.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.