0:06 It's, good to preach to a congregation that loves the word of God, loves it through his truths. Let's turn our bibles to the book of Daniel chapter one. Daniel chapter one beginning in the first verse. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand and with some of the vessels of the house of God, and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
0:54 Then the king commanded Ashkenaz, the chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility. Youth without blemish, of good appearance, and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time, they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
1:47 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names. Daniel, he called Belteshazzar. Hananiah, he called Shadrach. Mishael, he called Meshach. And Azaria, he called Abednego.
2:00 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. Let us pray. Our God and father, we come before your word this afternoon, and we do thank you. We thank you that you have given us such a word.
2:26 Lord, we pray that you will give us this afternoon hearts to really listen, receive, not object to any of your truths, but believe it, take it to heart, defend it, love it, stand for it, and, yes, preach it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. King, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. God delivered his people to the hands of the Babylonians, to the king because of their sin and because of their rebellion.
3:12 It is, worth to notice that God's judgment may be delayed. In fact, it's often delayed, but it must surely come. God has sent prophets to Israel warning them again and again, begging them to repent, to turn away from their sins, to turn away from their evil ways, but they rejected god's prophets. They they rejected god's word. And now the time of the words in Deuteronomy 28 must be fulfilled after a long, very long delay.
3:56 Listen briefly to these words. But if you will not obey the voice of the lord your god, then all these curses shall come upon you. The law will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. Your sons and daughters shall be given to another people. A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors.
4:19 Verse 41, it says that you shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours. They shall go to captivity. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, a hard faced nation who will not respect the old or have mercy on the young. They shall besiege you in your towns until your high and fortified walls in which you have trusted come down throughout your land. The time of judgment has come, and I think we hell are right now in a similar situation.
4:56 We are a nation under god's judgment. It's just a matter of time. It's just a matter of time. God is patient. God has been so patient with this nation.
5:13 This nation, he has so much blessed. Yet, as the people of Israel of old, we have also done. We have abandoned the one who loved us. We have abandoned the one who blessed us. And the one the ones who abandon God, God will also abandon them.
5:37 But listen. He will never abandon your his church. He will never abandon his church, his bride that he died for. I pray that all of us who are gathered this afternoon are of his church. You can call yourself the bride of Jesus, whom he loves, and he will never abandon you.
6:02 Israel was taken into captivity, the king and the people, the faithful remnant with the unfaithful. Among those who were taken to captivity, four young boys of the tribe of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Four boys, good looking and smart. Now we have these four boys in a foreign land, new culture. Everything is foreign, foreign food, foreign customs, foreign worship, foreign music, and they are the minority.
6:46 In other words, they are a very different minority. Daniel and his friends are Jews from the tribe of Judah, believe in the one and true God. They keep the law of God. They pray at certain times. They eat that which is kosher.
7:08 I see these four young men as observant Jews. Doesn't this speak of believers in every generation? We are Christ's followers. And if we are Christ's followers, we are different. We are different.
7:31 One might eyes one might ask, how are we different in every aspect? In every aspect. I have what the world does not have. I own what the world does not own. I belong to a different nation set apart for God.
7:49 I have a higher calling. I own a better home. I belong to Christ. I am a new creation. All things have passed away.
7:59 My goal is to please my master and my lord. My ambitions are heavenly. My desires are heaven oriented. My values are biblical. My principles are heavenly.
8:13 Holiness is my pursuit. My guide is God's word. I am different. You are different in every aspect. If you are a child of God, if you are part of his beloved bride that he died for there on the cross.
8:33 What the apostle Paul said in in in Galatians two twenty, all of us who have been washed in the blood of Jesus would be able to repeat today, I have been crucified with Christ. It is not no longer not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I love. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Are these your words?
9:03 Are these your words? If these are truly your words, you are the bride of Christ. You are different. I am different. The world must see this difference.
9:22 The world hates this difference and despises this difference, yet they must still see it. The ruler of this world, Satan, will do everything possible to eliminate to eliminate any difference between you and the world. He wants you he wants the bride of Christ to look exactly like the world, to love the things they love, to pursue the things they pursue, to accept the things they accept, to find the pleasures in the things they enjoy. The world will do everything. The ruler of this world will do everything to make you look exactly like them.
10:12 But remember, you are different. You have a higher calling. And in order to do that, Satan will choose his targets carefully, our children. The king of Babylon had a plan for them. Babylon has a plan for them.
10:42 We want them to become like one of us. We don't want them to be different. We will do everything possible to change them, to alter their thinkings, to change everything about them. And you see, the focus is not on old, mature men, no, but young children, those four young boys. The king knew.
11:10 Babylon knew that in order to change a people, you must start you must change the thinking of their children, and then you have the whole nation. And let us begin in school. Look at verse four. To teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. For how long?
11:38 Three years. King Nebuchadnezzar shows youth and purpose to indoctrinate them in the Babylonian way of thinking and life. And this, what the world wants to do with our youths and with everyone else. Last year, the San Francisco men's choir came with a song. We are coming for your children.
12:14 Listen to some of the words of this song. It's disgusting to read them, but let us be aware of what's really going on. This what the word of the song say. You think we're sinful? You fight against our right.
12:32 You say we all lead lives you cannot respect, but you are just frightened. You think they will corrupt your kids if our if our agenda goes unchecked? Funny. Just this once, you are correct. The song continues and says, we'll convert your children.
12:54 Happens bit by bit, quietly and subtly, and you will barely notice it. We'll convert your children. We'll make them tolerant and fair. Just like you are worried, they'll change their group of friends. They won't approve of where they go at night, and you'll be disgusted when they start learning things online that you kept far from their side.
13:16 We're coming for them. We're coming for your children. The gay agenda is coming here. The agenda the gay agenda is home. That's the plan.
13:31 That's the plan. I would say, yes, the gay agenda is here. The gay agenda is in America, but the the gay agenda is not in this place and is not in any church that believes the truth of God and loves his word, and we will always always forever will stand for his truth. And I would say something else. Any church and I will see it boldly and loudly, any church that allows such sinful behavior and blesses it is not a church of God, it's a church of Satan.
14:12 How important for parents to guard their children against those who actively seek to influence their beliefs and their actions. We believe and teach what the scripture clearly teaches, that homosexuality, bestiality, or any sex outside of marriage between man and a woman. And maybe I need to even define what's a man and a woman, unfortunately, between male and a female, in a bond of marriage is sin, and we will call it sin, and it is against God established order. Satan and the world will never be satisfied when the church is silent about their sins. Tolerance is not what they seek.
15:07 No. It's not tolerance what they seek. Their goal is that we should be celebrating their sins and exalting their abomination. Don't ever be deceived that they'll be satisfied if you are quiet. No.
15:22 They want you to be advocate for their sins. That is their goal. The world agenda is not to have our children tolerate their evils, but to advocate their practices. We are in a battle with the culture for our children. It is very important to remember the admonition from the Bible in Ephesians six verses 10 to thirteen, eleven to 13.
15:56 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist on the evil day and having done everything to stand firm. Some, parents who are listening to me today are rejoicing and will continue to rejoice as they see their children walk in the faith.
16:55 Praise God. Praise God. They have raised them very well. And by the grace of God, they grew up to love the truth and walk in the truth. They have grounded them in the faith, but I'm afraid others will be having great ache.
17:19 Parents, you must take this matter very seriously before it is too late. And this warning, especially for parents who are relatively new in America. That's a message mainly for you. You have come, you thought, to the promised land of America. You trust your children in the hands of public schools.
17:47 You give your kids all what they want, never watch, never see, never check what they learn or what they read, what they watch, where they go. It's time to take the matter seriously. If you are not taking your responsibility as a parent now seriously, you might pay a heavy price later. Please don't just depend depend on the church and on the Sunday school. Once a week, no, you are the parent.
18:31 You are responsible before God, and the time is now to begin if you have not began already. Babylon knew that in order to change a people, you must change, you must alter the thinking of their children first. Whether in school or in movies, including Disney movies, in art, in sport, in all of the media. Teach them a different literature and different language of communication. Now you know well how the language of this world is.
19:14 You have been in a company of unbelievers. You watched few movies. Maybe you've been there, and it never bothered you when you were in the world to use profanity, to lie, to use the name of God in vain, with all type of sexual jokes. But something radical has happened in your life, Not of your own working, but it was the work of God. Everything in your life changed.
19:51 You are no longer the same. Old habits were broken. You have a new nature, new desires, a new language. The world, the school of Babylon wants to teach your children and ultimately everyone, not just their literature, but also their language. Literature and language.
20:20 Do you see it? Let us justify unwholesome talk. It become accepted among many young Christians or claiming to be Christians and followers of Christ. Profanity is being encouraged at times by so called Christians. I have witnessed that personally.
20:48 It was never heard of when I grew up that this can ever happen. Listen to the words of the great preacher, our lord, in Luke six forty five. The good person, out of the good treasure of his heart, produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. What Jesus is saying is this, consistent consistent sinful words, if they are indicative of something, they are indicative of a sinful heart. Never justify unwholesome talk.
21:40 Never. A heart that has been washed in the blood of Jesus will never bring forth anything unwholesome. You know, Jesus loves to wash these hearts. Dirty hearts, filthy hearts. If you have problem with that, Jesus loves to wash your hearts even today, to cleanse you, to make you whiter than snow.
22:22 Oh, even at this moment, you can cry to him with the words of this old hymn that says, lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole. I want thee forever to ransom my soul, break down every idol, cast out every foe. Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow, whiter than snow. Yes. Whiter than snow.
22:48 Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Would this be yours today if you have not done it so far? Would you ask him this afternoon, Lord, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow? It's enough for him to do it just once. The sacrifice of the cross is sufficient, one washing forever, and you will be whiter than snow.
23:18 Listen to the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians four twenty nine and thirty. Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouth, but only such as guilt for building up as fits the occasion that it may be given grace to those who hear, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you are sealed for the day of redemption. So first, teach him a different language, wholesome talk, unwholesome talk. Unwholesome talk means anything that's not edifying, not pure, not trustworthy, not noble. But secondly, I see in this new language something else.
24:21 It is the introduction of new vocabulary. I'm sure within the last couple of years, you have heard new vocabulary in our culture. Let us replace he and she with they. You see, they tell us you cannot tell a man from a woman. I mean, the person might look like a man, sounds like a man, but he feels like a woman, and you cannot offend anyone.
24:55 That's why we cannot use a pronoun he or she. Now we have to start using the word they. Now I think if I'm to talk about this topic in in couple of years, I'm sure by then probably they will have completely a new pronoun created for that group of people. I would not be surprised. Listen.
25:20 He will always be he, and she will always be she. They cannot change God's design. Next, let us share the most beautiful word mother and replace it with birthing person. You've heard it. Right?
25:47 Birthing person. I'm sure mothers here would say mother will always be mother. Mother will always be mother. No one ever can change that. You see, when all this garbage becomes part of the school curriculum, part of the culture, and what our kids read and see, they don't just become accustomed to it, they learn to accept it, even become advocates of such religion.
26:33 Let's go to the next point. We have five points, but I will be talking today only about two points. This is my second point. Verse five. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate and of the vine and of the wine that he drank.
26:54 I think in German would be wine. And of the wine that he drank, a daily portion of the king's food and drink. Not monthly, not weekly, but what? A daily portion every single day. They must eat off the king's menu.
27:25 A buffet is spread for them. They must eat the king's menu every single day. Do you see the implications of this? Do you see it? Remember who are Daniel and his friends?
27:45 Daniel and his friends are Jews. They're brought up in Jewish families. And my conclusion from their characters and standards, they are brought as devout Jews. Although most of the Jewish people have turned away from God, and that's why God allowed them to go to captivity, but these few people, they were a faithful remnant. And believe me, God always leaves at any generation a faithful remnant.
28:20 Those four were aware of that faithful Jewish remnant. Their parents have taught him the Hebrew scriptures. They have taught him right from wrong. They have observed the Jewish law. They never defiled themselves in anything that kosher, which is not, good by this Jewish standards of law.
28:48 And now the king of the land executing an order, they must obey. What is it? Break the law of God. Eat my food. Eat my menu.
29:05 Eat from my buffet. Eating the king's menu meant breaking God's law for these four young boys. How would they respond? How would they respond? Are we not faced with the same offer today?
29:29 Or maybe I should say order today? Our children must eat the king's buffet, and we must approve it and bless it. Even though we know if it means something, it means breaking God's law, God's commandments in his eternal and unchanging word. What is the king's menu? What is the king's food and drink?
30:03 It is everything. Listen. It is everything we put on our tables daily to eat and drink from worldly philosophy to humanism, to evolution, to sexual freedom, to social justice, to gender identity, and most of all, the indulgence of all pleasures of sin. That is what is the king's menu. And anything else that opposes the truth of god as it's clearly clearly revealed in his word.
30:40 And as much as we don't want our children to eat junk foods, we should desire much more to protect them from the poisons of the king's menu that is offered daily to them in the media, in school, and every street corner. My daughter, Abby, since she's a dietitian, likes to add, small list to this king's menu. It's not, I will not put it as a most of most importance, but, we cannot either completely ignore it. And that's the unhealthy food they sell us in the markets. Mass production implies the addition of preservatives, pesticides, artificial artificial flavorings and colorings, hormones, and unnecessary antibiotics.
31:37 Add all these things, a toxin burden to our body, cause suboptimal health or even premature death. And what is behind all of this? Of course, feeding the hungry. I argue it is money. And as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who know very well that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, we also need to watch what we eat.
32:12 But, again, I'm concerned today more about the spiritual implications of the king's menu, not the literal food that is sold in the market. In the gospel of John chapter four, the lords meet a Samaritan woman who have lived for so long on the food and the drink the world offers. The temporary pleasures of indulgence in sin that can never satisfy. She tried it all, five failed marriages, and the man who she was then cohabitating with was not her husband, just a boyfriend for a couple of months, maybe for a year. If it works, we'll get married.
33:15 If not, we'll break up. Another boyfriend, another marriage. She has tried it all. She came to the well to draw water. And I see here is a picture of an empty soul, an empty man and a woman who is who keep coming to the wrong source to draw what they think will satisfy their hearts and quench their thirst, but never find it.
33:54 They indulge in sin and everything else against the truth, but they remain always empty. Jesus had plan for her. Never forget that. Jesus had a plan for her. As much as the world, as much as Babylon has a plan for our children, Christ has a plan for them too.
34:23 God had a plan for this woman. Jesus saw her emptiness. He saw her need, and he offered her something different no one could offer. John chapter four verse 10, Jesus answered her, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. Verse 13, Jesus said to her, everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.
35:13 The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. What this is living water that Christ is offering. Yet we cannot substitute with any other drinks the world offers. What is it? What is it, this living water?
35:38 Here it is in the word of Jesus himself in John seven thirty seven. Oh, how sweet is our Lord. How sweet are his words. Listen to him speaking. On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, if anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.
36:07 He still is crying out even now. He's still crying out in this congregation. He's still crying out and saying, if anyone thirst, let him let him come to me and drink. Do you feel thirst for God? Are you thirsty for his love?
36:25 Are you thirsty for his forgiveness? Are you thirsty for salvation? Christ is crying out even now. Verse 38, whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive.
36:53 The Holy Spirit is the living water. Jesus gives to everyone who believes to dwell and to seal for salvation for eternity. Do you desire it? The rivers of flowing water flowing it from the heart of the redeemed brings life and light to this dark world. At the end of the of Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman, his disciples arrived.
37:40 Foods in their hands. They had purchased it from the city. They offered him to offered it to Jesus. Rabbi. Rabbi, we got some food.
37:54 Eat. Remember the words of Jesus. Right? And here is the answer of our Lord in verse 34. Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
38:13 My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. I don't want to stretch the story too far and spiritualize every single point, but I see here I see here a contrast between the food the world provides and the food Christ offers for free. Listen to the words of life spoken in Isaiah the prophet 55. And, yes, it is the word of the lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah 55. Come, everyone who thirsts.
38:58 Come to the waters, and he who has no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which is does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me and eat what is good and delight yourselves in rich food. This is the cries of Jesus.
39:26 This is the invitation of the Lord even this very day. This is the menu of the king of kings. Yes. We reject the menu of the king, and we take instead the king the menu of who? The king of kings, the lord of heaven and earth.
39:53 Now the food the disciples brought, if it speak of something, at least in this incident, speaks of the perishable food the world offer to satisfy a temporary hunger of man's heart. In contrast, the true food of heaven is the person of Jesus Christ. He is the true bread of heaven who gives eternal life to everyone who comes to him. But for the Lord Jesus, this food was, as we have read, he said, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. My food is to do the will of him who send me and accomplish his work.
40:50 Shouldn't this be our food also? We talked earlier about God's will. As we feed on Jesus, every day as we feed on his word, every day we are enabled to do his will and accomplish the work he has prepared for us to do. Ephesians two ten, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. God has prepared a work for you, different between one and another, but it always this work in two areas, to be a salt and to be a light, and how much this world desperately needs the church to be a true salt and a true light.
42:08 Salt preserves, and salt gives taste. We are preservatives to this world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men and women whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin. Second, we are flavor enhancers. Do you know that? Have you been flavor enhancer recently?
42:37 You are flavor enhancer. When we live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, we will change the world for good. Where there is strife, we will be peacemakers. Where there is sorrow, we will preach the good news of Jesus, the gospel of Christ, the healing power of the Lord. Where there is hatred, we will exemplify the love of Christ in Jesus returning always good for evil.
43:17 Then we are also light. Light shines, but don't forget, light also exposes. Oh, listen to the word of God when he said, let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven. We are to be light. The world must see Christ in us, in our words, in our actions, in what we do, in what we stand for, in our love and our compassion.
44:00 The world must see the light of Christ in us. But also, don't forget, light exposes darkness. We are to expose darkness, to shine God's truth on it, To expose evil agendas is what we are told in Ephesians five eleven. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. We are told clearly not to take just a defensive stance against darkness.
44:43 Many choose this path. It is an easy path. Our approach must be offensive. We are to expose the unfruitful works of darkness. This what does it mean to be light?
45:06 But remember remember this. We are to expose the work of darkness by one, as I mentioned, shining the light of God's truth on them. God's truth. Again, God's truth. Not human philosophies, no human ideas and teaching, but God's truth.
45:34 It is written. That is the truth. And I believe here where many go wrong, very wrong. We become overconfident. We lose control.
45:54 Our emotions take over. We become harsh and insensitive, and we start using human logic and forget about God's truth. No. That's not how you expose darkness. You expose darkness by shining God's truth on it with controlled emotions.
46:18 But secondly, and I will end with that, we are to expose the unfruitful works of darkness by ourselves walking in the light. Our words would mean little if we are not walking in the light we preach. Only when we walk in the light of Christ, the light of God will shine through us to illuminate and transform, to expose, and to cleanse. Some will rise against us when their sins are exposed. Others will bow the knee before the Kenyan Lord.
47:01 And as the world tries every moment possible to change our language and our literature, to change our food and our drink, to have us indulge in the king's menu, Let us take that position of Daniel in verse eight, but Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank. How did he do it? He was grounded in the faith, and by the power of God, he succeeded. Are we ready to take that stand of Daniel? Are we ready to stand for God's truth, to be a true light, to shine in this darkness of this world with God's truth and to walk ourselves in the light.
48:21 Christ is looking for such people. Christ is looking for such church who would never eat of the king's menu, who are smart enough, wise enough, sober enough to recognize what food is from the king's menu and what which food from the king of king's menu. Let us eat of Christ food, Christ's word. Let's pray. Our god, we stand on your promises today.
49:18 We stand on your promises always. We stand, Lord God, here as your children, as your bride, completely bold to declare that your truth is the only truth. Lord, as your church, help us to love people. As your church, help us to reach to the lost. Help us to be truly salt and light, but help us at the same time be discerning as unwise to reject what the world offers.
49:56 To, yes, to be different because you have called us to be different, a unique people, a royal priesthood, a people who own God's choosing. Lord, help us. Help us live according to that calling. Lord, we give you the glory, and we thank you. And we pray, Lord, that this message would have touched some people, penetrated some hearts.
50:26 It's not my message, but the message of the Holy Spirit. Oh God, we pray by your Holy Spirit, change us today. Believers, change us to become more like you and unbelievers to come to the cross. Confess their sins, accept your forgiveness, and be added to the church even today. Lord, we give you the glory and the honor.
50:55 In your name, our Lord and Siva, we pray. Amen.
