"DARE TO BE A DANIEL!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte

DANIEL 1:1-16

1. DANIEL WAS NOT MOTIVATED BY A DESIRE FOR PLEASURE:
1. The food was the finest in the kingdom! He could have fared like a prince; it would taste good! But:
1. It was food forbidden to Jews! Swine, certain fish, and other creatures were unclean for Jews to consume. Daniel would not do that.
2. It was food offered to Bel-Merodach, the idol, and those who ate it did so giving honor to that false god. Daniel would not do that.
3. To eat the kings food would defile him and Daniel would not do that.
2. For too many today, the basis for choice, the bottom line is personal pleasure.
1. People say, "It's good for me if it makes me happy and brings me pleasure!" People advise others, "Well, just do whatever makes you happy, whatever brings you pleasure!"
2. Some say, "If it feels good, do it!"
3. The epicurean philosophers touted pleasure as "the greatest good."
3. It behooves us to remember that:
1. Satan tempted Eve to ignore God, please herself, and eat the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 3:6 (NLT) we read, "The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too." They lost paradise for a moment's pleasure.
2. Jacob was cooking some stew when his brother Esau came in. Esau was hungry and asked for some stew. Jacob said, "All right, but trade me your birthright for it." Esau, motivated by the desire of the flesh said, "Look, I'm dying of starvation! What good is my birthright to me now?" Genesis 25:31-32 (NLT). Motivated by the anticipated pleasure of eating the stew, Esau lost what he could not regain.
4. You may say, "What's the big deal with biting a bit of fruit or trading for a bowl of stew?" The big deal was that
1. Eve was disobedient to God and that's always a big deal.
2. Esau traded too low and lost what he could not regain and that's always a big deal.
3. And it is as Horatio Bonar said, "Little evils, sins, inconsistencies, weaknesses, foibles, indulgences of self and flesh, acts of indolence or indecision, or slovenliness, cowardice, equivocations, aberrations from integrity, indifferences to others, outbreaks of temper, selfishness or vanity: these make or break the Christian!" And that is always a big deal.

So, dare to be a Daniel. Don't be motivated by a desire for pleasure. What else made Daniel different? What else set him apart?

2. DANIEL WAS NOT GUIDED BY POPULAR OPINION:
1. He knew that neither right nor wrong is determined by what others think but by what God says!
1. Exodus 23:2 (NIV) "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong."
2. Proverbs 16:25 (NIV) "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
3. Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
2. Some
1. Are influenced by the popular mind and want to "fit in" whether they agree or not, and whether it is right or not, just so they don't "look different" or "stand out!"
2. Sincerely believe that morality is decided on the basis of the popular mind and are eager to get in step; to march to the world's drummer, to coalesce with societal norms.
3. The desire to "fit in" just didn't weigh all that heavily with Daniel and company! He was not guided by popular opinion.
4. A man was being considered for a promotion at work. One of his supervisors negated the promotion saying, "He's a thermometer, not a thermostat!" meaning that he was a follower, he went along with the crowd, he was influenced by his environment, he did not influence it. So is the person who is guided by popular opinion. They are spiritual around Christians and worldly around unbelieving co-workers!

But Daniel was not guided by popular opinion. So, dare to be a Daniel. Don't be motivated by a desire for pleasure. Don't be guided by popular opinion. What else made Daniel different? What else set him apart?

3. DANIEL WAS NOT INFLUENCED BY PRESSURE TO CONFORM:
1. Where did the pressure come from, and what pressure was there? The official applied pressure:
1. "You will look worse than the others if you don't eat this good food!"
2. "The king will have my head and it'll be your fault! So be a good boy and eat this food!"
2. There are various pressures we face, too, which influence our moral stand:
1. Financial pressure to do whatever we have to do to make a buck.
2. Sexual pressure to be popular and accepted.
3. Vocational pressure to succeed and get ahead and to win in the rat race.
4. Scholastic pressure to excel, to get scholarships even if by cheating or lying.
5. Peer pressure to mindlessly go along with the crowd.
3. Many don't want to succumb to the pressure, they wrestle with themselves, when they fail they hate themselves, but they succumb to the coercion and persuasion and influence of the pressure because they:
1. Lack courage to say no!
2. Lack determination to do right!
3. Follow human reason and compromise against their better principles!
4. Think, "I'll do it now and repent later!"
4. Hugh Latimer preached a sermon that angered King Henry VIII. He was ordered to change it but the next week Latimer preached the same sermon! When asked how he had the temerity to do such a thing, he answered, "My first duty is to God and I must be obedient to my conscience and the Scriptures!" Said King Henry upon hearing that bold declaration, "I bless God that I have such an honest servant!" You see, like Daniel, Latimer refused to be influenced by pressure to conform.

Daniel was faced with the modern temptation: profess Godliness but float with the current. Claim Christianity but don't let it hinder your getting along with the crowd. Go to the place of worship, participate in its ceremonies, but don't bring your faith into the daily life: school, business, home. Think as others think; act as others think; talk as others talk; that's the temptation Daniel faced and it's the temptation we all face! But God has not changed! He still says, "be holy, for I am holy!" He still calls, "come out from among them and be different!" He still charges: "do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." So "Standing by a purpose true, heeding God's command, honor them, the faithful few! All hail to Daniel's band! Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!" (P. P. bliss). Is there a young person here, a man here, a woman here who has the courage to stand for something, though standing alone? Fly your colors! Stand apart! Stand for Christ! Dare to be a Daniel!

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