So how do you live out your faith when culture shifts?
Daniel 1:7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name
Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah,
Abednego.
1. Culture wants to CHANGE your IDENTITY.
DANIEL-“God is my judge”
Belteshazzar- “Lady, protect the King”
HANANIAH- “Yahweh has been gracious”
Shadrach- “I am fearful of God”
MISHAEL- “Who is what God is?”
Meshach- “I am despised, contemptible and humiliated.”
AZARIAH- “Yahweh has helped”
Abednego- “Servant of Nebo”
When culture shifts, you have to know WHO YOU ARE.
Daniel 1:8 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 this way.
2. Culture wants you to COMPROMISE your STANDARDS.
When culture shifts, we must REAFFIRM our CONVICTIONS.
Daniel 1:9-10 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to
Daniel, 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 your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
Daniel 1:11-14 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed
over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten
days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 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.” So he agreed to this and tested them
for ten days.
3. Culture will always CREATE a CONFRONTATION.
When culture shifts, we must respond the RIGHT WAY.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen
his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of
grace and truth.
TRUTH: God’s standard.
John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
GRACE: God’s favor.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you
can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the
good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Without truth, we are CORRUPT.
Without grace, we are all CONDEMNED.
Without truth, we become WORLDLY.
Without grace, we would become JUDGMENTAL.
Truth without grace is MEAN.
Grace without truth is MEANINGLESS.
Truth and grace is good MEDICINE.
Grace INVITES us to be free.
Truth SETS us free.
John 8:3-11 NLT As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the
Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put
her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in
the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They
were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus
stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an
answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never
sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the
dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with
the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the
woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your
accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus
said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
