Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
John 15:16 - You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
1 Peter 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
2 Peter 1:5 - Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence…
Applying (pareispherō) means “to bring in,” or “to supply besides” and implies making a strong effort to provide something necessary. In view of and parallel to God’s endeavor in providing salvation, believers are compelled to call on all their regenerate faculties to live godly lives (3:14; cf. Rom. 6:22; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 5:7–9; Heb. 6:10–12). Believers must carry out that effort with all diligence (spoudē, “zeal and eagerness”), accompanied by a sense of urgency (cf. 2 Cor. 8:7) (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 39). Chicago: Moody Publishers)
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Philippians 2:12-13 - So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
The first virtue, moral excellence (aretē), uses the distinctive word in classical Greek for virtue. It was such a lofty term that it was used for moral heroism, viewed as the divinely endowed ability to excel in heroic, courageous deeds. It came to encompass the most outstanding quality in someone’s life, or the proper and excellent fulfillment of a task or duty (cf. Phil. 4:8). Aretē never meant cloistered virtue, but that which is demonstrated in the normal course of living. The apostle Paul modeled the pursuit of such spiritual heroism: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14; cf. 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thess. 4:1, 10) (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 40). Chicago: Moody Publishers)
4 obstacles to integrity that God helped Daniel, and God can help us, overcome
I. The Obstacle of Making Excuses Because of Your Age
A. Daniel and his companions were likely 14-15 years old
B. Hopeful lessons for people like us
1. The importance and value of training children and young people to love God and live for Him
2. God can help young people do important things for Him now
3. God can use people who are young in the faith
II. The Obstacle of Becoming Bitter Because of Your Place
A. He had been taken from the promised land
B. He did not let hard circumstances determine his choices
Daniel 2:5 - The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap.”
III. The Obstacle of Giving in to Small Compromises
A. What were the potential problems with the food?
1. Eating it would have been a violation of the OT dietary laws
2. It is likely that the food probably had been offered up to foreign gods
B. Babylonian makers won’t ask you to become one all at once - they’ll just ask you to take one small step at a time.
Proverbs 6:10-11 - A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man.
IV. The Obstacle of Being Distanced from Your God
A. Their names spoke of their love for and connection to God
- Daniel - God is my judge
- Hananiah - Jehovah is gracious
- Mishael - Who is like God
- Azariah - Jehovah is my helper
B. The Babylonians wanted to distance them from that
- Daniel - renamed Belteshazzar - Bel [one of their idols] protect the king
- Hananiah - renamed Shadrach - Command of Aku [another of their gods]
- Mishael - renamed Meshach - Who is what Aku is
- Azariah - renamed Abednego - Servant of Nego - the god of vegetation
Daniel 1:21 - And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.
Daniel 7:13-14 - I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
From sunrise to sundown, we need the Lord. Thankful for the worship team for
reminding us of the many truths that arise from Scripture. As you are aware, we are going
through our church’s theme this year pertaining to Hope for Everyday Life, with a particular
emphasis on Hope for Fruitful Service and what that looks like through God’s people in the Old
and Testaments.
If you are a believer in Christ, than God’s Word says about you that, as a result of your saving
faith in Christ alone, you will bear a changed life – a changing life. Scripture calls this fruit.
This fruit of a changed life is a moniker that the Spirit of Christ has taken residence in that
person’s heart and life. Do Christians act carnally at times?
And the answer is yes – we can and do, at times, act in carnal ways – but we are not carnal in our nature, you see? Now that we have been redeemed by Christ out of the marketplace of sin (Colossians 1:13-14), Christ has, in affect, “destroyed the works of the Devil” – 1 John 3:8
In other words, John is saying that there is a difference between the children of God and the children of Satan by their lifestyle/actions. Those who are born from above will reflect the growing habit of righteousness, while those who are not will reflect the habit of darkness.
And if that were not the case, the Apostle John would not have said in verse 9 that “no one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him…
…and in verse 10 of his letter he writes that the “children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”
So then it makes good biblical sense why the Apostle Paul would say that…
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
After a person comes to Christ, the Holy Spirit makes this kind of fruitfulness evident
Or when Jesus said…
John 15:16 - You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
We’ve been working through the book of 1 Peter. As most of you are aware, it was written around AD 65 to people who were scattered around the Roman Empire because of their faith as a result of the increasing persecution of the wicked emperor Nero.
…and part of what we found both amazing and encouraging is that Peter affirms that people like you and me in the midst of trials and hardships and difficulties can still be people of hope, even in Peter’s own day such that he could say…
1 Peter 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
This summer we’re dipping our toes in the waters of 2 Peter. Nevertheless this book was written about 3 years later…and Peter is deeply concerned about false teaching that has infiltrated the church.
There’s a lack of much fruit – and that’s true both doctrinally and practically. But the point to the end of the spear is this: Genuine hope always produces lasting fruit, in what you and I believe, and how you and I behave.
So with that in mind, we’re going to be looking at two passages of Scripture.
2 Peter 1:5 – page 183 of the back section (NT) of the Bible under your seat. Then we’re going to look at Daniel chapter 1 – page 628 of the front section (OT).
We’re talking this morning about Growing the Fruit of Moral Excellence…because that’s the very first characteristic Peter mentions in his list, beginning in verse 5…
2 Peter 1:5 - Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence…
Applying (pareispherō) means “to bring in,” or “to supply besides” and implies making a strong effort to provide something necessary. In view of and parallel to God’s endeavor in providing salvation, believers are compelled to call on all their regenerate faculties to live godly lives (3:14; cf. Rom. 6:22; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 5:7–9; Heb. 6:10–12). Believers must carry out that effort with all diligence (spoudē, “zeal and eagerness”), accompanied by a sense of urgency (cf. 2 Cor. 8:7) (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 39). Chicago: Moody Publishers)
Now there’s a sense in which we’re in a theological minefield here, because we know on the one hand that we are not saved by our own human merit (ie works)
Yet, on the other hand…people who have genuinely come to Christ will be relying on the power of God to develop spiritual fruit.
It’s the balance between Ephesians 2:8-9, and Ephesians 2:10…
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Philippians 2:12-13 - So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
The first virtue, moral excellence (aretē), uses the distinctive word in classical Greek for virtue. It was such a lofty term that it was used for moral heroism, viewed as the divinely endowed ability to excel in heroic, courageous deeds. It came to encompass the most outstanding quality in someone’s life, or the proper and excellent fulfillment of a task or duty (cf. Phil. 4:8). Aretē never meant cloistered virtue, but that which is demonstrated in the normal course of living. The apostle Paul modeled the pursuit of such spiritual heroism: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14; cf. 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thess. 4:1, 10) (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 40). Chicago: Moody Publishers)
So that’s the question before us, isn’t it? Is your hope in everyday life” producing the fruit of moral excellence? Would the people around you say that you are a growing person of integrity?
Now with that background in mind, let’s consider the life of Daniel and see 4 obstacles to integrity that God helped Daniel, and God can help us, overcome.
I. The Obstacle of Making Excuses Because of Your Age.
A. Daniel and his companions were likely 14-15 years old.
When they were exiled to Babylon. Yet, as young as they were, the Lord used young people in the faith. What does that say for you young people who are just an earshot of my voice? The Lord can certainly use young people and you are no exception, yes?
Do you remember how they got there in the first place? If not, allow me to give you a brief survey of bible history.
Genesis 12 – God comes to a man named Abram. And he tells him that he’s going to make a great nation out of him, through a series of promises and covenants through land, seed, and blessing – and all Abram’s responsibility was to respond with faith, in so far as that God can and will keep his promises. So Abraham believes by faith alone.
Then as you read through the OT, you see God’s promises repeated to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph…and God’s chosen nation of Israel is born.
But God also warned His people even before they entered the promised land that if they forsook Him and His word, they’d be judged and taken captive by foreign nations – which really took place in 605 BC.
The nation of Babylon has taking the choice citizens of Israel back to Babylon. And it is under such conditions that Daniel and his friends find themselves. And if that weren’t the worst of it, the Babylonians are trying to make Babylonians out of them.
- eat our food, wear our clothes, adopt our names…and most important, worship our gods…
- in other words, compromise your moral excellence…
- stop being like the unique and holy God of Israel…and blend into our pagan culture…
Do you see where this is going? What if that had happened to you back when you were 14-15 years old. How would we have faired? And the only way we could remotely answer that question is not because of Daniel himself…but because of Daniel’s God!
What are some lessons here for people like you and me?
B. Hopeful lessons for people like us
1. The importance and value of training children and young people to love God and live for Him.
2. God can help young people do important things for Him now
That’s one of the things I love about Christianity. You don't have to be a certain age, chronologically or spiritually, before God can start using you.
3. God can use people who are young in the faith
“Make every effort to add to your saving faith Moral Excellence.”
II. The Obstacle of Becoming Bitter Because of Your Place
He had been taken from the promised land
Daniel and his friends could responded to their circumstances by acquiescing to the morays of the culture – but that’s not what happened.
B. He did not let hard circumstances determine his choices
Daniel 2:5. The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap.”
Good question for all of to us is – am I letting the disappointment of whatever place I’m in be my excuse for sinning in some way?
Were these difficult circumstances – of course they were. Daniel was being groomed to serve King Nebuchadnezzar…
Well, what kind of boss would that be like? You may remember in the very next chapter, Nebuchadnezzar has a bad dream…so he comes to his magicians and wise men and asked for an interpretation…So the wise men say – please tell us the dream then we’ll interpret it for you…
And Nebuchadnezzar responded and said that if they were really wise, they’d already know what the dream was all about…so if you don’t tell me the dream and the interpretation…
Daniel 2:5 - The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap.
Could you imagine working under such conditions? Have you ever worked for a person like that?
Daniel had every reason in the world to let his circumstances determine his choices…I can’t live in a way that is characterized by moral excellence as long as the Lord has me in this place.
Can you think of ways you’re compromising your integrity because of the uncomfortableness of your place?
Did you lash out in sinful anger against your wife or husband…your kids or in-laws, then turned around and blamed it on your circumstances?
Do you really want to go there? Because if you do, may I challenge you to read the book of Daniel?
“Make every effort to add to your saving faith Moral Excellence.”
God allowed Daniel to overcome.
III. The Obstacle of Giving in to Small Compromises
What was going on with this food? A daily ration from the king’s choice food and wine. In other words, they were allowed to eat from the king’s table. We’re not talking about quarter pounders and fries, here. We’re talking about sumptuous meals – sumptuous delicacies – the best of the best.
A. What were the potential problems with the food?
1. Eating it would have been a violation of the OT dietary laws
2. It is likely that the food probably had been offered up to foreign gods
But in the grand scheme of things…why did this matter to them? Because it would just a small compromise.....just a little step.....and also a deadly one. which is exactly why they didn’t eat it. And there’s an important lesson here.
(Talk about your brief former acting career…)
Babylonian makers won’t ask you to become one all at once - they’ll just ask you to take one small step at a time.
Just a little compromise....just a little backing down.....just a little giving in.
I’m not talking about opinions, or views.....I’m talking about clear teaching of the Word of God. We ought not to only be concerned about the big ones....we ought to be on guard for the little ones.
Proverbs 6:10-11 - A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man.
Peter swore He would never deny his Lord – you remember that, right? But then, there he was....and someone said --- weren’t you one of his followers? Just a little lie. And before he knew it, he had denied the Lord who had died for Him three times.
Christian, did you face any situations this week where you were tempted to compromise your relationship with Christ?
I know I have - we all did....whether we recognized them or not, we all did. What’s the obvious question ---- how’d you do?...did you give in? And for anyone who would say.....but it’s just a little thing. It was just a little lie.
It was just a little glance....it was just a little. If we want to be like Daniel --- if we want to add to our faith moral excellence…then we have to be committed to not giving in to the small compromises of life.
“Make every effort to add to your saving faith Moral Excellence.”
Lastly, the Lord allowed Daniel to overcome…
IV. The Obstacle of Being Distanced from Your God
A. Their names spoke of their love for and connection to God
- · Daniel - God is my judge
- · Hananiah - Jehovah is gracious
- · Mishael - Who is like God
- · Azariah - Jehovah is my helper
B. The Babylonians wanted to distance them from that
- · Daniel - renamed Belteshazzar - Bel [one of their idols] protect the king
- · Hananiah - renamed Shadrach - Command of Aku [another of their gods]
- · Mishael - renamed Meshach - Who is what Aku is
- · Azariah - renamed Abednego - Servant of Nego - the god of vegetation
Do you see the pressure? Worship our idols....fit into our culture.....don’t stand out.....and more than anything else...don’t show allegiance to the one true God.
Aren’t you glad that over 2500 years ago, God helped these young men live lives characterized by moral excellence? And to whom is all of this pointing?...the answer is – the Lord Jesus Christ.
Someone unfamiliar with this story might think – I bet Daniel didn’t live very long.
No, the pagan kings didn’t live very long. That’s the point of the last verse of chapter 1.
Daniel 1:21 - And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.
Daniel’s ministry spanned 70 years…through the reign of a number of pagan kings…
Which is one of the main points of the book that the Jewish exiles would desperately need to hear.
The most important king wasn’t Nebuchadnezzar…or Belshazzar…or whomever was on the human throne at the time…
The most important king was the Lord Jesus Christ…whose reign and power are illustrated over and over in this book…
Like in Daniel’s own vision in chapter 7, culminating with…
Daniel 7:13-14 - I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
That’s the Savior who makes the fruit of moral excellence possible…
- and that’s just another reason people like you and me can have hope…
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