Purified By the Word

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Living Hope SDA Church

Mark Finley

Plenary

A Prophetic Call to Faithfulness

Randy Skeete

Explaining the Impossible

Andrew Park

I Never Thought

David Shin

How to Gain the Victory Over Your Thoughts?

Dead Know Nothing

Living With a Stranger

A Church on Life Support


I'd like to add my welcome to this purified conference. During this conference, it's our prayer that the Spirit of God will speak to your heart. It's our prayer that as the Word of God is opened, that your life will be touched and changed and transformed by the living power of God's Word. My topic tonight is a prophetic call to faithfulness. Let's bow our heads to pray.

Father in heaven, we're living on the knife edge of eternity. These are the most critical times in Earth's history. And I pray that you take these words from this preacher and touch the hearts and minds of every person here. It is too late in Earth's history merely to listen to messages. May this message be life-changing.

We pray thee in Christ's name. Amen. A number of years ago, the former senator of Oregon, Mark Hatfield, visited Mother Teresa in the slums of Calcutta. While he was there, he visited the very renowned and famous House of the Dying. Their children were brought in the last stages of their life to die.

Mother Teresa's staff ministered to them in kindness and in love, trying to make the last days as pain-free and as pleasant as possible. As Senator Hatfield watched the long lines of these poor, poverty-stricken, sick people waiting to get medical treatment, he was just overwhelmed with the sheer task of it all. And he went to Mother Teresa and he said, how can you bear the load of all of this without being crushed by it? She looked at him with tears glistening in her eyes and she said, Senator Hatfield, God has not called me to success. He's called me to faithfulness.

The word of God does not call us to success. It doesn't call us to a life of popularity, power, or prestige. It calls us to faithfulness. Faithfulness to Christ. Faithfulness to the message of scripture.

Faithfulness to this church. And faithfulness to Christ's mission. A mission given to us as being pictured, as being carried by 3 angels in the middle of heaven to take the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. It is this faithfulness that Christ calls us to. The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who are faithful to God.

Think Abraham, think Moses, Joseph. You think of John, Paul, and Esther, just to name a few. But I wanna spend a few moments focusing on the life of Daniel. If you have your Bible, and I know you do, take it and turn to Daniel, the first chapter. God's call to faithfulness in a final generation to prepare men and women for the coming of Jesus.

We're turning there to Daniel the first chapter and we're looking at verse 1. In Daniel verse 1 the great controversy theme is introduced. Daniel 1 verse 1 says, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. So you have 2 kings, Nebuchadnezzar and Jehoiakim. You have 2 cities, Babylon and Jerusalem, the forces of evil warring against the forces of good, the forces of sin and unrighteousness warring against the forces of righteousness.

Here you have a battle between good and evil. It appears that evil wins. Nebuchadnezzar attacks Jerusalem and he overthrows it. But God has a plan. Even in that apparent defeat, God's plan will be fulfilled.

As we look here in Daniel chapter 1, verse 3 and 4, it says, Then the king instructed Aspenaz, the master of the eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel. Now you want to circle that word children. You get a different impression in the English language, but the word for children in the Hebrew language here is teenagers. These were young people that were 16, 17, 18 years old. What were their characteristics?

Verse 4, they were young men. There was no blemish in them. They were good-looking. In other words, they were physical specimens of strength. They were handsome.

They were gifted in all wisdom. They had wise discernment. They possessed knowledge. So they weren't novices. They had been studying in the schools, the Hebraic schools, and they were smart, intelligent.

They were quick to understand. And it says they had the ability to serve in the king's palace whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. So here is Nebuchadnezzar's plan. It's to take the brightest and the best. It is to take the top brains and physically strong young men from the schools of Israel, from Jerusalem.

It's to take them and eventually educate them in the schools of Babylon, so that he can send them back as puppet kings to rule on his behalf over Jerusalem. Now, to accomplish that goal, he invites them to a palatial feast. But he does something first. Verse 6, now among these sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Now when a Hebrew mother named her children, She named those children based on names that would remind them of the true God.

Daniel. You see that little word EL, the little letters EL at the end? EL means the, it's a derivative of the name for God, Eloiahim. And then you have Dan, the tribe of judges. So the name Daniel means the God of justice and the God of judgment.

Now in ancient times, a biblical judge was a 1 who stood in favor of the 1 condemned. You know, if we have to go to a court of judgment today, we tremble at that court of judgment to stand before the judge. Not so in biblical times. The judge was the vindicator, the 1 who said all things right. So Daniel's name means he's the God of justice and judgment.

He's the God who said all things right. He is the righteous 1 in captivity, in bondage. I serve the God of justice and judgment. The Bible says, Hananiah, Hananiah means the Lord is gracious unto me. I may be in captivity to Babylon, but the Lord is gracious unto me.

Mishel, name Michael, God-like, qualities of goodness, kindness, love. And notice Azariah. Azariah means the Lord's my helper. I may be captive in Babylon, but the Lord is my helper. Every name that a Hebrew mother gave her children represented some aspect of God so they would never forget their identity.

They would never forget that they were chosen nation. They would never forget who they were. The goal of Babylon was to shape the mind. The goal of Babylon was to transform the culture. The goal of Babylon was to shape the mind.

The goal of Babylon was to transform the culture. The goal of Babylon was to change the thinking process so they would forget their identity. That is the goal of Babylon today, to so transform young people's minds, to so transform their lives through mass media, through the internet, through social media, through television, through movies, through the culture of our day that we forget our identity. We are chosen by God to be lights in the world, to be ambassadors for Christ, to witness in this generation. It is a prophetic call to faithfulness.

So scripture says, verse 7, to them the chief of the eunuch gave names. He gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar. Not Daniel, God is my judge, but Belteshazzar, the keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel. That's what Belteshazzar means. Nebuchadnezzar robs the Jewish temple.

He takes away the golden candlestick. He takes away the golden instruments, the golden chalices. He takes away the golden cups. He puts them in the house of Bel, the temple of Bel Marduk, the chief god of Babylon. And he says, Daniel, it's no longer God as your judge, but you are the keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel.

Notice, to the name Hananiah, Shadrach, to Meshach, Meshach, you're no inspiration of the sun. You are no longer like God, but you're the inspiration of the sun. Azariah, Abednego, no longer Abednego, but a servant of Nebo. So what he does is he changes their names, representing Hebrew gods, to the Babylonian gods and the Babylonian culture, to change their identity. Once you lose the sense of who you are and why you're here, You are conformed to a culture.

As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12, I beseech you therefore, brothers and sisters, to present your bodies, verse 1 and 2, as a living sacrifice before God, And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It is a battle for the mind. Philippians 2 verse 5, let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Colossians chapter 3 verse 1 and 2, set your affections not on earth, but on things above. To lose your identity.

We are children of God. There is royal blood running through your veins. You are a prince, a princess of the kingdom of God. Identity. The Advent movement raised up to prepare a people for the coming of Jesus in the last days of Earth's history.

God is gonna raise up a generation of young people who have a vision for Christ, a vision for the teachings of Christ, a passion for the church and mission of Christ, a group of young people filled with the Holy Spirit that will go out by the grace of God to change the world. The scripture says, Daniel 1 verse 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. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and goodwill to the chief of the eunuchs. Daniel purposed in his heart.

What's that word purpose mean? Means decided, means determined. In the inner recesses of the mind, Daniel decides to serve God. You know, Isaac Watts was a great English hymn writer, writing some 1, 000 plus or more than 1, 000 hymns. 1 day in England, there was a parade in Isaac Watts' honor, this great hymn writer.

But Isaac Watts was not a very tall man. He was only about 5 foot 2, kind of skinny and scrawny. And at the end of his life, his head was kind of bowed down. He was all crunched down. And He wrote in this open carriage through the streets of London, thousands gathered along the streets, clapped as he came by.

A woman was sitting in the balcony, a high society woman from English heritage, hat dress, you know, dressed to the hilt in high society, and she looked down, she saw the carriage go by, and she said, what? You Isaac Watts? She expected this tall, muscular man who wrote those great hymns. Isaac Watts motioned for the carriage to stop, And he stood up to his 5 foot 2 frame and he said, madam, could I in fancy grasp the poles and hold creation in my hand? I'd still be measured by my mind, for the mind is the measure of a man." And it's true.

Daniel purposed, he determined in his mind, that he would be faithful to Christ at any cost. Have you made that decision in your mind? Have you made a decision to be faithful to Christ at any cost? Daniel determined. Daniel purposed in his heart, it says.

In Scripture, take your Bible and turn over to Proverbs chapter 4 verse 23. In scripture, the mind and the heart are very similar. Proverbs chapter 4 verse 23. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. So in the Hebrew thought, the heart dealt with the thinking processes, the intellectual processes as well as the emotional processes.

Keep your heart, for out of it are the issues of life." Notice Proverbs 23, verse 7. Proverbs 23, and you're looking there at verse 7. It says, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. So as he thinks in his heart, what is the heart? It's the seat of emotions, it's the seat of affections, it's the seat of our intellect.

It's where reason, conscience, and judgment take place. So Daniel purposes in the inner recesses of his being to be faithful to God. And God says, them that honor me I will honor. Daniel made a positive decision. In that moment in his life, he came to a point of crisis.

Every single 1 of us come to points of crisis in our life. Every single 1 of us comes to points of decision in our life. And if indeed we make good decisions, good things happen. And the sooner you make good decisions, the sooner good things are gonna happen. When you make bad decisions, bad things happen.

Because the Bible says, whatsoever, Galatians 6 verse 7, a man soweth, a woman soweth that, they're also gonna reap. 1 bad decision can change your life. The decision to go to a party, the decision to take a drink of alcohol, the decision to yield to the drug culture, the decision to let your mind be saturated with the internet and then begin exploring immorality on the internet. Those decisions, young people, can change your very life. Whatever we sow, we're gonna reap.

The sooner you make good decisions, the sooner good things are gonna happen. And Jesus says, them that honor me, I will honor. Daniel makes the decision. He appeals kindly and lovingly to his superiors. He has already developed a relationship with them to give him 10 days test.

And he takes the 10 days test. He drinks pure water. It's a good practice anyway, isn't it? You're getting your 8 glass of water a day. He follows a diet of pulse.

It's a vegetarian diet, a pure vegetarian diet. That's the best diet. We know it helps to prevent heart disease, cancer, helps us live longer, gives us more energy. My wife's been feeding me a good, healthy, vegetarian diet for over 57 years, and I'm still preaching at 78 years old and don't plan to stop soon. Daniel purposes in his heart to serve God.

As for the 10 day test, at the end of that 10 days, the Bible says, Let's go back to Daniel chapter 1. When you purpose in your heart to serve God, the blessing of God rests upon your life. Notice, verse 14, Daniel 1. So he consented with them in this matter and tested them 10 days. What happens at the end of the 10 days?

Their countenance appears better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies. Verse 17, as for these 4 young men, God gave them knowledge. God gives them skill in all literature and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding and visions and dreams. They were superior.

They stood out. They were God's honor convoy. As you're faithful to Christ in your devotional life, as you're faithful to Christ in following the teachings of Scripture, as you commit your life to Christ to serve him in mission, as you live the life that Jesus wants you to live and desires you to live, as you faithfully do that, God is gonna bless your life, God is gonna honor your life, God's gonna do something special through you, for you. Notice what scripture says, verse 20 and 21. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about the king, examine him.

He found him 10 times better than all the magicians and astrologists that were in his realm. Then Daniel continued. Daniel what everybody? Daniel continued until the first year of the king of Cyrus. Babylon rises and falls but Daniel continues.

Nebuchadnezzar comes on the throne and he leaves it. Evil Merdek comes on the throne, he goes. Nabonidus comes on the throne, he goes. Belshazzar goes on the throne, he goes, but Daniel continues. Nations rise and fall, kingdoms rise and fall, but Daniel continues.

And Daniel stands in Babylon as an ambassador for Christ. Daniel stands there as a witness and because of that 1 day on streets of gold, 1 day in a place called eternity, 1 day in a land called glory, 1 day in a land where there's no sickness, suffering, heartache or pain, I see Daniel in my imagination with his arms around a man. Who is that man? The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, saved because of the influence of Daniel. As you are faithful to Christ, as you dedicate your life to Christ, as you purpose in your heart for Christ, as you make Christ first in your life, You will be an ambassador in this generation.

Some man, some woman, some boy, some girl, some person of influence will be touched by your influence and you'll see them in the kingdom of God. My prayer for you is you will determine in your heart to be faithful to Christ. You be faithful to Jesus. Never lose sense of your identity of who you are in Christ. That you be faithful to this church that's been raised up providentially by God.

And that you will be faithful to the mission of Christ, and that you will live to share His love and grace with others. In the name of Jesus, Amen and Amen. Audioverse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse, or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org

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Series

Plenary

A Prophetic Call to Faithfulness

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

A Prophetic Call to Faithfulness

40m

Explaining the Impossible

1h 20m

I Never Thought

58m

How to Gain the Victory Over Your Thoughts?

35m

Dead Know Nothing

1h 13m

Living With a Stranger

59m

A Church on Life Support

1h 25m

Sound Doctrine