Daniel 1:8-16

“8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself in this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men of your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 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. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.”

Daniel 1:8-16

              This past week was an exciting week.  At almost every service people indicated that they wanted to receive Christ.  If people understood and put their faith in Christ, today they are part of God’s family.  Today they are also part of our family. Those who have made decisions for Christ we encourage to publicly declare this through baptism.  Baptism is one of the most exciting services we do at this church.  When we see people who have accepted Christ as savior come forward to be baptized, we see people who desire to follow God.  Baptism becomes a common experience shared with every other Christian who has also walked in obedience.  And it glorifies God.

              God is the giver of our physical life.  God also gives us eternal life.  Through the cross of Jesus, God has provided forgiveness of sin, a home in heaven and the assurance of his presence with us.

              This is good news.  So many in our world are against proselytizing.  That means trying to coerce people into believing what you believe.  But we believe in evangelism.  Evangel means “good news.”  We believe in sharing good news.  If people choose to believe it, that is great.  If they reject it, it’s still good news and we are going to share it.

              Some people are more effective than others in sharing good news. Some are especially called to share good news.  We call them evangelists.  But some of us are not effective because we are not willing to make the changes needed to glorify God in our lives.  God wants us to change.  So he works in us both to make us willing and able to do his will.

              In looking at Daniel, we find an example of an effective good news teller.  Nebuchadnezzar comes to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through his efforts.

              We find that Daniel used his natural, God-given abilities.  He was smart, good looking, healthy and from a good family.  He saw these as assets in reaching the upper crust of Babylonian society.  We might be better fitted for a different section of society, but when we use what we have been given by God, we can also be effective in reaching people that a man like Daniel might not have.

              We find that Daniel was a man of conviction.  He believed the Bible.  When the Babylonians wanted him to eat foods that the Jews were told by God not to eat, he had purposed in his heart not to do it.  He was a man of conviction.  Our convictions, the things we really believe, if they are Biblical convictions, serve to give us a message to share with others.

              This week I want to point out a third asset that Daniel had that made him an effective witness.

              Daniel got along with people. 

              The ability to get along with people is essential if we want them to listen to what we say.  The people that you and I cannot get along with are the very people that will not hear good news from us.

              There are three reasons why you may not get along with other people well.

              First, you know you upset people, but you don’t care.

              Second, you are unaware that you upset people.

              Third, you know you upset people, but you can’t understand why they are upset.

              The end result is the same.  They are upset.  That upset-ness becomes a communication barrier between us and them.

              If they are upset because you believe in Jesus, the barrier is between them and Jesus.  If you are a person who just has trouble getting along with others, God wants to help you change.

              We have to be careful.  God wants us to be as he made us, he doesn’t want us to be as Daniel was made.  But look at how Daniel handles a difficult situation.

              First, we notice that the conflict for Daniel is over an issue, his convictions.  Daniel does not express conflicts with people, but he does express conflicts with his convictions.

              He had purposed in his heart, he had resolved, not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine.

              Daniel could have pulled out his rights.  “You have no right to ask me to eat this king’s food.  My God says I shouldn’t eat this and I am not going to do it.”  Daniel did not do that. 

              I call this attitude “raising the stakes.” We challenge the other person, we pull out the red flag in front of the angry bull, we put a chip on our shoulder and say, “kick it off…” and then we talk about how we suffer for Jesus.  Daniel did not demand his rights be respected.

              He could have remained silent.  He could have said, “I am a slave in a foreign land.  There is nothing I can do.  Speaking up won’t change anything.”  But he did not remain silent.  Why?  He had resolved not to defile himself before God.

              Would you agree with me that people who present problems and don’t attack you while they do are apt to get a better hearing than someone who put you down or questions your motives?

              Would you agree with me that people who speak up are more apt to be heard than those who say nothing?

              Daniel did both of these and so he was heard.

              Daniel also tries to work within the system.  He asks permission of the chief official for a pass on this requirement to eat the king’s food and drink his wine.

              We have no indication of an attitude on Daniel’s part.  He goes, explains his position, and waits for an answer.  He takes the path of least resistance in this issue.  But he takes the path. 

              Sometimes people will say, “I’m just going to do it and if you don’t like it, tough!”  Sometimes people say, “I am not going to even bring it up because I know I can’t change the system.”

              Let me tell you why neither one works well.  If we run people over by acting before they are ready we build resentment.  If we want to share good news, people who resent us don’t take to it well.

              If we remain silent, we are living in the natural world, unaware of the spiritual world.

              Notice what God was doing behind the scenes. “Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel.”

              God was working in a hidden way.  If Daniel had come in hard, that favor might have disappeared.  If he hadn’t brought up his issues, he never would have tapped into that favour and sympathy.

              If we want to be effective in sharing good news, remember, God is working behind the scenes because he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  Why not try to get along with people first before we burn bridges?

              A third way that Daniel got along with people was by taking their concerns seriously.

              The chief official has a problem.  The person over him would kill him if Daniel and his friends looked worse than the other young men in the program.  That is a serious problem.

              I know some people who would say, “That’s just an excuse.”  Or, they would say, “You are just trying to avoid the real question.” 

              That would have been cute for Daniel to say that, but the chief official would not have granted Daniel’s request if Daniel had done that.

              Daniel listened and took his concern seriously.  He gives him a solution to his problem. “Test us for ten days with vegetables and water.  See what happens.”

              I can see some Christians now.  “Compromise!  Don’t ask for ten days, tell him you will never eat food that God doesn’t approve!”

              Daniel was not looking for a fight.  He was looking for a way to honor God.  So he worked with the system, not against it.  He took the officials concerns seriously and helped provide a solution.  He tried to get along with people without compromising his convictions.

              What was the result?  The four young men looked healthier than all the rest.  Why?  Because they ate vegetables?  May be.  But may be it was also God who transformed them in ten days.  They could have done an infomercial!  Ten days and look what you will look like!

              The second result was that the change became permanent.  Daniel and his friends did not have to eat the food that God said they did not have to eat.  They got what they wanted without a major confrontation.

              How well do we get along with others?  Has conflict become a permanent state with us?  Are there certain people with whom we have an attitude?  All the time? 

              Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  Paul said, “As much as lies in you, live at peace with all men.” Solomon writes, “3 It is to a man’s honour to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.” Proverbs 20:3. “9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” Titus 3:9.  So Paul tells Titus.

              If we are unwilling to change our attitude, unwilling to change our approach to people, then those people may not hear good news from us.  We might say it, but they may not hear it.

              But when we look at ourselves, when we search our hearts, the Holy Spirit will help us discern when our attitude and actions are not right.  When we say we “don’t care…”  red lights will go on that something is wrong with Christians who “don’t care…”  When we don’t understand why people are not getting along with us, the Holy Spirit will show us.  I warn you, this may be difficult for you and I to face when we see this.  And if we don’t see it, if we pray to God to see when we are offending people, God will start to open our eyes.

              Wouldn’t it be something to be part of a church of people who honor God?  Wouldn’t it be something to be a person who loves his or her enemies, does good to those who despitefully use us, seek to keep Biblical convictions, but work to get along with people?  Wouldn’t it be something if we started to see the work God is doing behind the scenes in the lives of others?  Wouldn’t it be something if, because of the changes we make, others start listening to the good news and come to Christ.

              Selah!