Transformed not Conformed

• by: Adam Sheffield 09/25/08

“The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."

Daniel 2:47

Daniel is the next book that we will be journeying through together in our Sunday morning services and Community Group lessons. It may seem kind of random to pick this book of the Bible, but there really is a reason behind it.

First let’s look at who Daniel was. Daniel is used by God to carry his message, God gives him wisdom and shows him favor, gives him the meanings of dreams, foretells of coming kingdoms and the end times through him, saves him from the mouths of vicious lions because of his faith, and speaks to the hearts of two different kings ruling over two of the greatest empires. And this was all while being held as a captive in a foreign land and knowing that while serving the king, he could be put to death at any moment for any reason. Why did God choose to use Daniel and allow him to go through so much? You see quickly verse eight of chapter one that Daniel had resolved in his heart to not defile himself. Daniel was serious about keeping himself holy for God’s purposes even though he did not know exactly how God would use him. He stayed devoted to his God even when many of his people must have felt like God had deserted them due to their circumstances.

Second, let’s look at why the book was written. Daniel was written to encourage the Jews who had been taken captive by the Babylonians. It gave them hope by telling of God’s plans for their future as a nation.

Third, there are several themes that we see displayed throughout the book of Daniel that are highly applicable to us as individuals and as a church body. The first is that God is sovereign over everything and everyone. The second is that we should allow God to grow us and sanctify us while we wait on Him. The third theme is that when we stand up for God, we will face persecution. And the final major theme that we will see in Daniel is that we are called to transform the culture by pointing people towards King Jesus through our words and actions.

As a follower of Christ we are called to transform the culture. Jesus was very counter-cultural, but not just for the sake of being different and causing a stir. He changed the world because He lived only for the Father; not for other people and not for Himself. We are called to the same level of obedience as Jesus was by the Father. How we live that obedience out in our age will be different than how Jesus did, but the calling on our lives remains the same: show God that you love Him through your obedience. And our intentional actions will then transform the culture.

Daniel and his fellow captives Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego transformed the Babylonian culture they were dragged into. Even though their captors tried brainwashing them by completely reeducating them and giving them new names referencing Babylonian gods, they kept the resolve in their hearts to honor the one true God with their lives. God gave them the opportunity to witness to the kings of their times. Often times their opportunities to witness came in instances of persecution, but in each situation they honored God with their lives and God honored them by protecting them. Their actions, in every situation, made the king completely reevaluate his life and the whole situation at hand.

Because of these men’s actions King Nebuchadnezzar declared Jehovah, the God of the Jews, “the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries” in Daniel 2:47, and in 3:26 he acknowledged that the Jews were “servants of the Most High God.” Later, in Daniel 6:26-27, King Darius proclaimed that people in every part of his kingdom “must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."

If four young men can be used by God in ways that change the hearts and minds of kings who have the power and the authority to do whatever they wish whenever they wish, just think of how we can change the culture we live in. We’re not even facing the threats of being burned to death in a blazing furnace or being torn limb by limb by ferocious lions. We have so much more freedom to transform this culture we are in! And yet, we often times do not.

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:24 that we must give up our life if we want to save it. And II Corinthians 5:14 confirms that we are, as Christians, controlled by the love that Christ has for us. God doesn’t expect us to live our lives in perfect obedience; otherwise He would not have sent His son to pay the ransom that was required for our sin. He does, however, expect us to daily take up our cross, and vie for the Kingdom Eternal while still here on Earth. If we can at least make that effort every day, if we can be looking for the opportunities to serve our God, then we can and will change our culture.

First, however, we have to get over the mindset that we can honor God and spread His love while living easy, comfortable lives. Does transforming the culture require that we give up the comforts of life and live in poverty? Not at all. The Bible does not preach that and neither does The Journey. But what we do echo from the teachings of the Bible is that we must die to our selfish desires and recognize that ministry is messy and requires sacrifice. We must remember though, that God never asks us to endure something He won’t strengthen us through if we depend on Him. Nor will He ask us to make a sacrifice greater that what He has already offered, and God has given the life of His Holy Son.

The point is that sometimes we’ll have the opportunity to transform the culture by displaying God’s glory through our words and actions while facing persecution just like Daniel and his friends had to. When that moment comes you have the choice honor yourself or honor your God. When we honor ourselves we change nothing because nothing compares to the power of the Lord God Almighty, and we have no power to begin with. When we honor God, we can change the world and the lives of those around us.

Honor the God of gods.

Transform the Culture.