to have you here this evening, wherever you are. Amen. You're tuned in. If you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter 1, Daniel chapter 1. And it is a privilege to be preaching here this evening. And I don't want to take it lightly, nor do I want to take anyone's time from them. But the Bible has a lot to say. And so as we go into the Word of God, we will have what we need. Amen. As a young preacher, and I probably say this every time I get up to preach, but you're always worried if you have enough material to cover. And man, I remember studying days and hours and days and more hours and hours of days and you know just it your first message you just agonize your first couple dozen messages you agonize and then as you've done it over the years you think man do I do I have enough and it turns out you have more than enough and the sound guys I gave them the notes and they asked so you plan to accomplish that today I said well yes and then I So we'll see if we do that. All right. I'm not sure. I think it might be seven pages of notes somewhere in there, but we'll just move along. I told them that they could order pizza in if they feel they need to, if it gets too long. All right, but the pianists were wondering if they eat pizza, how it would be playing the piano. All right, a little greasy. All right. Anyways, getting lost in the weeds already, so we may not finish. But, you know, this time is a special time of year. I know we've heard several messages on Christmas and just the characters of Christmas, if you will, that we find in the scriptures. heard of the wise men, we've heard of the angels. And as I was looking forward to this time of year, Christmas is that special time where we can sit back, we can relax, spend time with family, and we reflect on the year that's gone by. And I know it was mentioned this morning how the choices to do right and looking ahead to 2021. And as we think about this, My mind went to a particular character in the Bible as we are looking forward to going into 21, and if we go to Daniel chapter 1, Daniel chapter 1, and we're going to look, we're going to spend most of our time just looking at verse 8, but I want us to see a few things before that. If we go to Daniel chapter 1 verse 3, We'll begin in verse 3. It says, And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of the eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes, children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace. and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names. For he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and of Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs." And so we see here the launching point of David's life and that of the three Hebrew children that we so readily associate with the fiery furnace and we just see how god used him and if we would continue reading through verse twenty one we would see how god uh... prospered made daniels decision to uh... stand up against the testing of those ten days of testing that he was willing to i'm not defile himself with the king's meat and so as i was uh... looking at this in uh... verse uh... eight all read it again it says but daniel purposed in his heart that he would not divide defile himself with the portion of the king's meat And that stuck in my head. I was asked to preach just over a week ago, so I was pondering on these things. And for me, I have to sit and I have to meditate on things. I can't just sit down, get an outline, and then add the bones, you know, like in a week in advance. I sit there and I let it just kinda stew a little bit. And some people can work ahead like that. And so as I was thinking of this, How can we start this new year, this 2021? And so I'll just read my introduction here. It says, I know that Christmas turkeys and hams have barely cooled off and some are still being warmed up. Amen. And many of us are thinking that we should have pushed away from the table sooner than we did. Amen. We are thinking about the joy and the warmth that this time of year brings. We are trying to figure out the little gadgets that we were given as presents, or we are looking forward to spending the gift cards that we received as Christmas gifts. This is a time of year where we have exactly that, we have time. And some more than any other year, especially with the goings on of this year, we have time, we have a bit of extra time to eat, amen? A lot of time to eat. A lot of time to sleep. Amen. A little bit more time to eat, sleep, and eat a bit more, spend time with family. But we also have time to look back on this last year, 2020. What a year it's been. What a year that just for some of us, it will bring satisfaction. We started 2020, and what a year it could have been. what a year it was. Some of us, we set goals in 2019 and we accomplished some of those goals. If you would look back in your life and you would look at that and you accomplished something significant or a lot of little insignificant things, you may have started a new career, you may have started a family, you may have gotten married even through all this. I know several people did. and it brings a sense of satisfaction. For others, it may bring a feeling of regret or disappointment. Have you ever had those years where you started the year off, there was a lot of promise, you had a lot of goals, and you look and it's 2020, the end of 2020, in a couple days, we're going into 2021, and oh man, it is, you didn't hit your goals. It can be a time of frustration for some. It can be a time of regret and disappointment. It may be a time for many of us of confusion. So many of the things that are going on has brought confusion into our life. And some of us will even feel anger. Amen? I felt it. You hear the different things going on and the different decisions made. Man, it just makes you angry sometimes. But as we look at the end of this year and we look at the beginning of this year, this is also a time of hope, a time of hope, a time where we look forward to a fresh start. 2021, I mean, wouldn't you have liked 2020 to, I mean, that is such a, to me, it was a prime, looking on that year, it was a prime time for life-changing goals. You change your life in 2020, and we had all the cute sayings and all the mottos, you know, we would, not we would see Jesus, that is ours, but you know, 2020 vision and all those different things, and now hindsight is 2020. All right, or will be, amen, on Friday. Ah, that's a joke there. You can laugh, amen, tough crowd. All right, but you know, for many of us, we're gonna sit down and we are going to write down the goals for this coming year. We're going to write down some goals that we have. I have different goals in the ministry. I have different goals with my family. I have different goals financially that I want to hit. And one of the things that has helped me over the years is to begin to not only think about what I'd like to accomplish, but actually writing down what I want to accomplish, and I can go back and throughout the year remind myself of those goals. And when I was looking at Daniel, I saw Daniel, he was a man that We could spend weeks and months just studying his life and how God had used him. And I know many people do that. They take these characters in the Bible and they really study them out. And so this one time I have an opportunity to preach, I'm just going to hit the the mountaintops if you will but you know Daniel he had a lot of he had a lot of potential he probably when he was a young boy he looked at his life and he probably thought you know what I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna have these goals I'm gonna set out and I'm gonna hit some of these goals it could have been to be a family man it could have been to I be a ruler in the nation of Israel, but we see that early on in his life, probably around 12, 13 years of age, he was taken into captivity, and he was made a eunuch. All hope in his manhood was taken away from him, and yet he would think, boy, it's all over. I'm washed up. God is not going to use me because I'm a captive in Babylon." And what we see here in the very first chapter of Daniel chapter 1, we see that the world sought to redefine these young men. The world sought to redefine. And what we find, and to a large extent they have accomplished this, is that the world, Satan, seeks to redefine the Christian. They seek to make them non-essential. And we see that the Babylonians gave these young men different names and titles. They were seeking to make them conform to their beliefs, their way of thinking. They wanted to undo all that had been placed in their lives leading up to the captivity. The teaching and the piety, the worship of the only true God, Jehovah. Babylon wanted to strengthen of that and they wanted to make their religion, their way of thinking, their way of life become a part of these captive Hebrew young men. And so as just a preamble or introduction, if you will, we're gonna look at how Babylon tried to redefine these men. Someone said, all four of these Hebrew names had meanings connected to faith in God. But upon arrival in Babylon, their names were changed. The chief official of Babylon gave them new names. To Daniel, the name of Belteshazzar, to Hanani, Shadrach, to Mishael, Meshach, and to Azariah, Abednego. The boys' names were changed as a way of encouraging them to forget the God and traditions of their homeland and become conformed to the ways of the gods of Babylon. It was a forced assimilation. Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel and his friends to conform to the pattern of this world, and that reminds us of Romans chapter 12 verse 2, be not conformed. And a name change was one step toward that goal. Each name Daniel and his friends were given carried a meaning associated with a different Babylonian deity. Abednego means servant of Nebo, for example. Belteshazzar, the name given to Daniel, means bell, protects his life. These are all false gods. The meaning of the name Daniel is God is my judge. And the suffix of Daniel's name and Mishael's name is El, which refers to Elohim, one of the names of the God of Israel. and Hananiah carry the suffix of Yah, which is short for Yahweh, the covenant name of God." And we see that the world, Babylon was trying to redefine these men, these young boys, and they were at a very moldable time. Many people believe that these boys were between 12 and 14 years of age, and if we judge them by the character of this generation, it's very moldable. These boys could have been very much persuaded by the fancy life that the Babylonians could give them, and serving in the temple, and being in the king's presence, and they wanted to redefine, and they wanted to do away with what they had been taught. They wanted them to forget their identity, that they were of God's chosen people. And that's what the world wants to do with us. They want to redefine who we are. And to a large extent, they succeeded in that. But Daniel, he was a different man. And so was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He wasn't going to give in because he remembered his God. He remembered the power that his God had. and has. Daniel, as we look at his life and we think about going into 2021 and just the hope and the joy, we're gonna have to make up our mind. We're gonna have to be like Daniel. We're gonna have to stand. We're gonna have to stand like Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego or their given names. But we need to remember that our identity and it's, so often mentioned from this pulpit that we find our identity in Jesus Christ. The early church was called Christians because they followed Christ and they stood for Christ and they were called Christians by the people who observed them. And so we need to remember that, and we need to stand, and we need to find our identity in Jesus Christ. And so as we start this evening out, I just wanna look at a few things here in verse eight of chapter one. I see that Daniel was discerning, Daniel was determined, and his desire was pure. Daniel was discerning. Daniel was discerning, but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat. And we need discernment in our lives. We need discernment as we look forward to this coming year. And we have some very important decisions to make, not only as individuals and as families, but as a church, we have very important decisions that need to be made and the world may frustrate us. And Satan may try and bring confusion in our life. That's where we as believers need discernment. And discernment is very much lacking in Christianity today. What does it mean to be discerning or to discern? It means to discover by the intellect. It means to distinguish. It means to have knowledge to make judgment. It also means a discerner is one who sees, an observer. one who sees an observer. And that's from Webster's 1828. And Daniel was a discerning young man. And we need to be discerning. We need to follow his example. He was a discerning one. In verse 4, it says, children in whom was no blemish. Well, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans." And so he was a discerning young man. He had the powers of observation. When I think of different things that I've missed going on, you know, there were some times I was sitting in the hunting blind with Brian and I'm just out there, you know, looking at the field and it's a nice white field. And then all of a sudden I hear him, that deer. And Brian was looking over this way, and I was in the blind, and I was looking over this way, and I'm just looking off into the horizon, and there was a little buck that came within 40 yards on my side, and Brian looked over, and he said, Dad, there's a deer over there. I'm like, what? And he come walking right past us, praise the Lord, and he made some good eating. All right, later on. But you know, I wasn't observing. I was looking, but I wasn't comprehending what I was looking at. And many of us as Christians, we're walking about this life and things are going on around us and God wants to do something in our life. And just as God wants to do something in our life, Satan is seeking to do things in our life as well. And we're just, we're not seeing anything. We're blinded, we're not observing. And we're missing a lot of what God has for us in our life. And how is the church deemed non-essential? It's by Christians not standing. It's by us not being discerning. It's by us not standing on the truth of the word of God. And so we need to be discerning. And that means we need to observe and we need to think things through. Daniel was not a dumb, in his intellect. He was a very smart young man because he, I believe he very early in his life, he stopped and he learned to observe. And he learned to think things through. and how we need to think things through. Daniel was discerning. Daniel was knowledgeable in the scriptures. He knew what the scriptures had to say. He knew the law of God because he knew he could not, as a Jewish young man, defile himself with the portion of the king's meat or with the wine that he was going to be offered. He knew the scriptures and he knew that as a Jewish young man that was not right, that was not pleasing to his God. And he was going to take that stand. He was knowledgeable in the scriptures. He knew how to rightly divide the word of God and to make application in the circumstances of life. He was a wise young man and we need to be wise. We need to be discerning as the believers, as followers of Jesus Christ. We need discernment in believers in our church today. And we need to understand that Satan is gonna come to us and he is gonna pretty things up and he is gonna try and be deceptive in his approach to us. And how are we gonna identify the lies of Satan or the lies of Satan? We are going to identify the lies of Satan by comparing them to the word of God. And when a lie is exposed by the light of God's truth, it gives us discernment and lets us know, I can't make that, I can't go and do that, I can't be a part. that activity in my life and so we often hear of the Trojan horse and it was a huge hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War. The horse was built by Epius, a master carpenter and The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to a nearby island, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athenia, a goddess of war, that would make Troy impregnable. Despite the warnings, the horse was taken inside the city gates. That night, Greek warriors emerged from it and opened the gates to let in the returning Greek army. They didn't listen to the warnings. And that's what Satan is trying to do in our life. He is trying to get us to rationalize things. He is trying to get us to give in and not be discerning. If all of a sudden a wooden horse would show up at the outskirts of Winkler, you'd say, something fishy is going on. You'd say, who built this? All right, but especially out of wood, and it was supposed to be a sacrifice, man, it just blows your mind how ignorant we can be. But how often Satan comes to us and he presents us with lies, and we don't know the word of God, or we're not walking according to the word of God, and we become deceived, and he gets a foothold in our life, and that opens us up to so many other things. and it lets the army of Satan control our life. And so we need to be discerning, we need to stand on guard. And Daniel was discerning, he knew what the word of God said, he knew how to apply it to his life, and he knew how to take a stand. And that's what we need to do. I think of Joshua did not seek counsel of the Lord when the Gibeonites approached and sought pity, and it's been a thorn in their side. and he wanted to go back, and he wanted to do what the Lord had commanded them, but it was too late. He had given his word. We need to be discerning, and as discerning believers, one that has learned to observe, and to stop, and to think things through, and to judge things according to the word of God, it will save us a lot of heartache. If Daniel would have just compromised and said, okay guys, let's just have a bit of this meat. Let's just have a little bit of that wine. Let's make these people happy. Because who knows what they'll do to us. They'll kill us if this goes on much longer. But yet he was a discerning young man and he had the power of God on his life and that helped him. And how we need to follow the word of God. The Word of God brings discernment. It helps us, it gives us the ability to make righteous judgments in our life. Hebrews 4, verse 12, we hear it all the time. It was quoted in the prayer room. It says, for the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It brings clarity to our life as we study the Word of God and we are faced with these different temptations and the world tries to get us to defile ourselves. As we live according to the Word of God, we can stand and say no. We can stand and say no, because the word of God brings that discernment. Proverbs 1 verse 5, it says, a wise man will hear and will increase in learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. Boy, we need discernment. We need discernment. We need to be able to look at things properly through the scope of the Word of God. Proverbs 9, verse 10, it says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. People would have us think that the knowledge of the world is where we get understanding, but it's actually the knowledge of the holy. People would say that for us to be successful, I need to have that reverence for man and mankind, but Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 13, 15, it says, good understanding giveth favor, but the way of transgressors is hard. We need discernment. If we go our own way, it's gonna be hard. It's gonna bring us into captivity. "'The heart of him that hath understanding "'seeketh knowledge, but the mouth of fools "'speedeth on foolishness.'" Proverbs 15, 14. Proverbs 23, verse 23, it says, "'Buy the truth and sell it not, "'also wisdom and instruction and understanding.'" And so we see here that there is a price to be paid as we take a stand. And Proverbs 23, 23 says, "'Buy the truth, it will cost us something.'" An application I have here is Bible College helps one develop the discipline of study and gain valuable tools that will help them study the Bible. And it helped me study the Bible. As I get into the Word of God and we immerse ourselves in the Word of God and you hear from men who have been in the ministry for decades and they just have so much wisdom to draw on, it helps you become a discerner. a discerner of the things going on in your life. And we need that in our life. Oh, that we would have more people that are discerning in their Christian life. Discerning, and they filter things through the word of God. It must start earlier than Bible college. From a child, thou hast known the scriptures. That's what Paul told Timothy. And it must be consistent. It must be consistent. If we are going to be a discerning believer in this day and time in the world where Satan has so many deceptive means and he has used so many different things to sidetrack Christians, we need some consistency in our life. It's one thing to, on January 1st, get up and say, you know what, I'm gonna go jogging every day for the next 365 days. At 2021, I'm gonna get into shape and I'm gonna, it's another thing to be consistent at it. And we need consistency. It's one thing to get up January 1st and say, I'm gonna read my Bible more, I'm gonna pray more. But what happens on January 5th? What happens January 15th? What happens March 30th? We need to be consistent. We need to be consistent. And that will give us discernment as every day we become more and more like Jesus Christ. And we get that knowledge of the Holy and that understanding that only God can bring into our life. And then we can work our way through the landmines that Satan has laid out before us. and we can take care of the deceptive structures that he places in our way. Hebrews 5, verse 14, it says, but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. It takes some consistency. And we need to be consistency, constantly going to the word of God, and we need to be a discerner. Daniel was a discerner. He was a discerning young man. And so he knew the scriptures. And so when the prince of the eunuchs came to him and said, hey, you're gonna have to be doing this. He said, well, that doesn't jive with the word of God. So I can't do that. He knew the scriptures. He was a discerning young man, and we need to be discerning Christians. Also, Daniel was a discerning young man, but Daniel was determined. In verse eight, it says, but Daniel purposed in his heart. That word purpose, it means to commit, it means to consider, it means to determine. We need to be determined. I was watching highlights this afternoon of football games that are going on. And you know what? There's a difference between when the quarterback hands the ball off to a running back, and usually the running backs are made like tanks. You know, they got thick, stocky legs and they turn really fast. And you know, they're just bulls in a china shop. And then you have some skinny defensive back who thinks he's going to tackle this guy. There's a difference. You can see a difference when you're watching the highlights. That running back doesn't care who he hits. He's looking for someone to hit. And that defensive back, he knows it, and he kind of gives a half-hearted attempt to trip up this running back. And he misses, and he falls, and he flops, and the running back just takes off because that running back is determined. You know, going into the corner playing hockey, you know what? You don't go into the corners lightly, amen? You throw your weight around. Someone asked me, why do you go in with your elbows up? He said, because I wanna come out of the corner with the puck. You know, you have to be determined. In life, you have to be determined. And that's what Daniel was. He was determined in his life that he was gonna follow his God. and we have to be determined that we are gonna follow our God. The Apostle Paul said, this one thing I do for getting those things behind, he was gonna press on and we need to be pressing on. We need to be determined and we need to have that same mindset that no matter what the world offers us, no matter what the pressure that the world puts on us, that we are going to follow our God. Our God, we are determined to follow our God, not in the power of our own strength. I don't want us to think that it's just in the fleshly abilities that we have, but in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit of God, we can fully fulfill God's will for our life. We can do it. We can do it with his help. Daniel was determined. We need to be determined to follow God's word. As believers today, we need to follow God's word more than ever. Psalms 119, 106, it says, I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments. Let me ask you, no matter what goes on, no matter what situations we find ourselves in, have you determined in your life that you're going to follow God's word? No matter what happens in your family, no matter what happens on the job, no matter what happens in your church, you're gonna follow God's word. We need that determination. We need to purpose in our hearts that we are gonna follow God. We need to be determined to fellowship right. Be determined to fellowship right. That means to have the right friends, to have the right associations. Psalm 119 verse 115, it says, depart from me ye evildoers. Depart from me. That means take a hike. It means go away. There are people in our life that if we let them stay close and we let them have influence in our life, they will corrupt us and they will defile us. And we need to say, depart from me, ye evildoers, for I will keep the commandments of my God. Daniel was determined to follow God's word. Daniel was determined to fellowship right. And we need to be determined to follow God's will. God's will is not always easy. When we talk about God's will, we're talking about His desire for us, His heart that He has for us and what He wants us to accomplish in this life. And we need to be determined to follow God's will. Isaiah 50 verse 7, I know this is a prophetic chapter here, but it says, For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." And we need to be like Jesus who sets our face like a flint, and we're gonna do what God has called us to do. We need to be determined. We need to be determined. I remember several times, well, only one is vivid in my mind at this time, but I know it's happened more than once. What happens when you lock your keys in your car? That's a hopeless, sick feeling. Oh, man. I'm going to be late. I wonder if Trent is awake. And you just give him a real quick call, and he usually comes pretty good. And he has the little tool that can do everything right. But there have been times it was like, oh, I don't want to spend the money. Take the time, you know, I'm just gonna try and do it myself. So you try everything in your power. You're determined that you are going to unlock, you're gonna break into your own car. I know there's been times in my life where we've locked the door and we locked the house keys inside the house. Another sick feeling. But you know what? We got in. We were determined to get in. And we got in. I won't tell you how, but we got in. All right. And that's just the way it is. In life, we have to be determined. What happens when Satan puts an obstacle in our way? Is that going to stop us from following God? What happens when the world places an obstacle in our way or says we're not allowed to do certain things? Is that going to stop us from following the Word of God? We need to be determined to follow God's will. I'm reminded of Edward Spencer, and I used this probably a couple months ago in a morning devotional, but it just, it was a challenge to me, and it is an encouragement to me, and I trust it is to you, just how we need to be determined to follow God, no matter what the cost. Edward Spencer was a student at Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Illinois on Lake Michigan. On the morning of September 8th, In 1860, Ed heard the news that the Lady Elgin had an overloaded steamship had collided with a lumber hauling schooner, Augusta, and had sunk. People were drowning and nothing could be done because of the heavy waves and strong currents. Ed ran to the shores of the lake and saw that the situation was indeed serious. People were floating on pieces of wreckage in the waters, close enough to the shore for their cries of help to be heard, but unable to swim to safety. Without hesitation, Ed stripped himself of the excess clothing and dove into the rolling waves. He was able to reach the first person, a woman who had clung to a piece of wreckage for hours and was totally exhausted. and bring her to shore. He later said, then the struggle began, the huge breakers forcing us towards the shore, keeping us buried much of the time, and the strong undertow tending to carry us back out into the lake. It was a struggle indeed, and I was gaining but little when two tall, stout biblical students, to whom I had signaled, came to our relief. He repeated this heroic act several times before onlookers and friends began to say, Ed, you've got to stop. You've done all you can. You'll kill yourself if you keep going. Ed did not hesitate. He replied, I've got to do my best, and plunged again into the water. On one trip, he was hit in the head and injured by a piece of wreckage. Ed rescued 17 people in 16 trips in the pitching rolling storm. After the 16th trip, he collapsed unconscious on the shore, unable to go on. He lay there repeating, have I done my best, fellows? Have I done my best? All night he battled for his life in the infirmary, continually repeating, have I done my best, fellows? Have I done my best? Ed Spencer had done his best, but it cost him his health. He lived the rest of his life as a semi-invalid due to injuries sustained during the rescue. He was not going to give up. He was determined. And how we need to be determined. Just like Paul, just like Daniel, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they were determined that they were going to follow God. And so we see that Daniel was a discerner, Daniel was determined, and we see that Daniel's desire was pure. He purposed in his heart. The heart is the center of everything. It is the center used that we talk about our heart and it's the seed of the emotions. It is the will and the intellect. It is the center of everything. God wanted to use Daniel. Get that, God wanted to use Daniel. And the key was, and Daniel wanted to be used of God. The only thing that hinders God from using someone is an unwilling heart. You say, well, God never uses me. Well, how's our heart? How's our heart? Daniel's desire was pure and we need to have that willing heart. We need to have purity of heart. purity of heart. Matthew 12 verse 35, it says, A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. How's your heart? Is it pure? Or as we read in Matthew 13, has it become crowded? Has it become hardened? Has it become just choked out by the things of this world? Daniel had a pure heart. He purposed in his heart. He says he determined in his heart that he was going to follow God. We need purity of heart. We need purity of motive. We need purity of motive. 1 Timothy chapter 6, 11, it says, but thou, O man of God, flee these things, follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. And we know 1 Timothy chapter 6 is talking about money and how many people pierce themselves through with many sorrows. And we need purity of motive. We need to make sure that we're doing, we're serving God out of a pure heart. And that can only come as we totally surrender ourselves to God and we submit ourselves to Him, not for filthy lucre, but out of a pure heart. We need purity of heart, we need purity of motive, and we need purity in our bodies. 2 Timothy 2 verse 19 and 22 it says, Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his, and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lust, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. We need to watch and make sure that as we seek to serve the Lord, and I believe that in every one of God's children, there is a desire put there by the Holy Spirit of God to please their heavenly Father. And we need to make sure that nothing comes in between our heart and the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to make sure that our desire is pure like Daniel. He wasn't concerned about what other people thought of him. He wasn't even concerned about the other captives, what they thought. He was a testimony of God to them because he had a desire to be pure before his God. He wasn't gonna let the world defile him. He was gonna be pure and we need to be pure. So I challenge you this evening Are you discerning? Do you let the word of Christ dwell in you richly? And that's the only way that we can be discerning and we can walk in wisdom as we know what the scriptures say and as we live that out in our everyday life. Are we determined? What's it gonna take to stop us? What's it going to take to stop us? Well, someone didn't text back in time, or someone didn't say hi to me, or, you know, I wasn't sure who they were, but, you know, after a while, I thought, oh, that was so-and-so behind the mask, you know, and they didn't say hi. Is that going to stop us? Some people may disappoint us. Some that are closest to us may come up short, and they may fail in certain areas. Is that going to stop us? It didn't stop Daniel. Daniel was gonna keep on keeping on. He was determined that he was gonna please the Lord. And like him, we need to have a right desire. a right desire, purity of heart, purity of motive, purity of body. As the year 2020 comes to a close, Christians need to look at 2021 and be resolved to be a light in this world. Determined to be a man and woman of God that is pure, who has their mind made up that no matter what happens, they have purposed in their hearts that they will please the Lord. Don't let the world define you. Don't be content to be driven over by the devil and his crew. Be like Daniel and stand. Be discerning, be determined, and have a desire that is pure. Let's be like Daniel. Let's close our eyes, bow our heads. Lord, we do thank you for this day. Lord, thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Lord, we look at Daniel and we look at how you used him, Lord, not only in the first chapter, but throughout the book of Daniel in such a great way and enlightened him to even those things which are to come. And Lord, he was a testimony to a lost world and an encouragement to other captives. Lord, I pray you'd help us to be determined. Lord, I pray that as we close out this year and we look forward to 2021, Lord, I pray that we'd be discerning. Lord, I pray you'd help us to follow your word. Lord, that we would not be ignorant of the scriptures, but Lord, that we would use your word as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. and Lord that you would just keep us in your way. Lord I pray that you would just help us to be determined. Lord I pray that we would not give up quickly. Lord that we wouldn't get tripped up by the frivolous things of life. But Lord that we would purpose in our hearts that we were going to please you. And Lord that you'd keep us pure in our heart Lord, in our motives and in our body, Lord, so that we can be that light. And Lord, in 2021, we can stand and we can just reach others for you, Lord, that because of our testimony and you working in us and through us, that souls would be saved. I pray you'd help us. We thank you and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.