Hello and welcome to our program. Today we continue in the book of Daniel. We will be looking at the faith of a 15 year old boy. Well, I think most of us remember that little chorus, standing by a purpose true, heeding God's command, honor them, the faithful few, all hail to Daniel's band. To stand is to be uncompromising. Daniel was standing by a purpose true from the time he was 15 years old. 70 years later, we find him still standing uncompromising. Boy, we don't have a lot of people who call themselves fundamentalists. that are doing that today. Heeding God's command? To heed is to be mindful of something so as to obey it. He didn't just pick and choose the commands he liked. It wasn't a cafeteria style. He was doing what God wanted him to do regardless of whether he liked it or not. Honor them the faithful few? Well, Jesus said concerning Christians who really follow him, Matthew 7 and 14, few there be that find it. All hail to Daniel's band, that is to attract attention to Daniel, a 15-year-old boy who stood for the Lord. Yeah, his testimony was, and still is today, simply trusting every day, trusting through life's stormy way, trusting when my faith is small, trusting Jesus. That is all. Simply trusting every day, trusting through a stormy way. Even when my faith is small, trusting Jesus, that is all. Trusting as the moments fly, trusting as the days go by. Trusting Him, what'er befall, trusting Jesus, that is all. Brightly doth his spirit shine into this poor heart of mine. While he leads, I cannot fall, trusting Jesus, that is all. ♪ Singing if my way is clear ♪ ♪ Praying if the path be drear ♪ ♪ If in danger for him call ♪ ♪ Trusting Jesus that is all ♪ Trusting as the moments fly, trusting as the days go by, trusting Him whate'er befall. Trust in Jesus, that is all. ♪ Trusting Him while life shall last ♪ ♪ Trusting Him till earth be past ♪ ♪ Till within the Jasper wall ♪ ♪ Trusting Jesus that is all ♪ ♪ Trusting as the moments fly ♪ ♪ Trusting as the days go by ♪ ♪ Trusting Him whate'er befall ♪ Well, we read the story of Daniel and we find, if you check it carefully, he was just a teenager. I probably shouldn't say just a teenager. Let me say that again. He was a teenager, but he was a teenager at the age of 15 who had faith. A teenager when the Babylonians sacked the city, already Daniel knew what he believed about everything. He had listened to Jeremiah preach, and in the book of Jeremiah, there's at least a dozen sermons warning God's people about the judgment that was going to come, even pointing towards Babylon as being that judgment. Jeremiah 6 and 16 says, Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths wherein is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. In Jeremiah 7. Verse 23, it says, But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, and walk ye in the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. Well, that's what the majority did, but that is not what Daniel did, nor Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They chose to believe Jeremiah. They chose to believe what he was preaching. To choose something is to decide on a course of action. So Daniel's environment, the conditions there were spiritually, the leaders were apostate. Politically, the preachers had been doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. But verse 8 says, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Now he's been taken into captivity, and when he gets to Babylon, he had purposed. He had purposed. It's past tense. He didn't wait until the test came along and then said, well, what am I going to do now? He already knew what he was going to do. And so let me ask you this question. What are you going to do when the test comes along? And we're going into some fiery trials in the day ahead. It's not going to be too far down the road where we're going to separate the Christians from the Christianettes. Are you going to stand with Daniel, have a purpose true, heeding God's command? You're going to be with the faithful few who do not fall and compromise in this age in which we are living? Or are you going to end your life as a compromiser? Every man has his price. Have you heard that story? Every man has his price. Well, it's not true. Daniel didn't have a price. There's nothing, regardless of what they were going to do, he said, I shall not be moved. He purposed in his heart. that he would not defile himself with what the king wanted to feed him. And this world wants to feed us a lot of trash these days, and we need to be purposed in our hearts as teenagers, not waiting till it's going to happen maybe 15 years later. We need a purpose in our heart. What are we going to do? Peter did. He said, they'll never change me. But the problem was they did. Three hours later, he was cursing and swearing and saying he never knew the Lord. What was the problem here? Well, the Bible says Daniel purposed in his heart. What Peter did was an emotional decision. It was not a decision from the heart, from the spirit. Daniel purposed in his heart, Daniel 1.8. Daniel set his heart, Daniel 10.12. Daniel refused to change his lifestyle. They wanted him to eat and drink and be merry. They wanted him to swallow everything they had to offer, whether that be physical food or whether that be the culture of the world. And then the music, the music was a big thing, we'll see as we go through this story. And Daniel refused to change his lifestyle, because back in Daniel 10 and verse 12, we read that he set his heart. Here in Daniel 1 and verse 8, it says Daniel purposed in his heart. and the proverb says in verse number 23 of chapter 4 keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life keep thy heart with all diligence that means a careful and a persistent effort to keep your heart concerning the issues and that word issues has been translated 20 times it has been translated outgoings the things that are happening around us keep your heart with all diligence well as we've been going through this series we have seen the circumstances the captivity, the captives, the changes they wanted them to make, and the conviction of a young man named Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Convictions are not just preferences. Convictions are something we'll live for, and if necessary, we'll die for them. And then we'll see that we get into the choices that they had to make. We'll look at that in our next program. Be sure and tune in. Well, as we go through the book of Daniel, we find that Daniel stood for the Lord, and so did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were teenagers. Listen to this hymn. It's the grandest theme through the ages rung. It's the grandest theme by a mortal tongue. It's the grandest theme that the world e'er sung. Our God is able to deliver us. Tis the grandest theme through the ages rung, Tis the grandest theme for a mortal tongue, Tis the grandest theme that the world e'er sung, Our God is able to deliver thee. He is able to deliver thee, He is able to deliver thee, Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest, Our God is able to deliver thee. Tis the grandest theme in the earth or Maine, Tis the grandest theme for a mortal strain, Tis the grandest theme, tell the world again, Our God is able to deliver thee. you you Tis the grandest theme, let the tidings roll To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul Look to God in faith, He will make thee whole Our God is able to deliver thee He is able to deliver thee He is able to deliver thee, Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest, Our God is able to deliver thee.