Family Fight Round 4: Week #5
A Convinced Generation Living In Babylon
(Daniel 1-3, Hebrews 11:1, 2 Timothy 1:12)
2 Timothy 1:12 (NASB) – For this reason I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
Daniel 1:3-7 (ESV) – Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, 4 youths 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. 5 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. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. 8 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.
BUT DANIEL RESOLVED THAT HE WOULD NOT DEFILE HIMSELF
I want to share for the next few moments about a CONVINCED GENERATION LIVING IN BABYLON
**Prayer for listeners and hearers and doers of God’s Word**
This generation is living in a different America than the one we grew up knowing. The culture and onslaught attack of the enemy on the family and on a generation is unrivaled—in very many ways, America has become a Babylon (and if it isn’t already, it will be).
Over Jewish history, the nation of Israel has had a long history of never being free. They get free and then in bondage again. They’re free and then worship other gods, marry other nations and people’s and end up overtaken time and time again. Egypt, Persia, Roman, just to name a few. But in the middle there was Babylon.
Babylon took over Israel and sought to re-educate who they saw fit and make them accustom to their culture. So one of the main ways they did this was through language. So they began to choose those of nobility or royal birth and put them through 3 years of intensive learning, culture training—you will be a Babylonian after this…
Isn’t it just like the enemy to try to re-educate a generation?
Babylonian religion was comprised of religious components, magical components, astrological components, scientific components… Sound familiar?
There are religious influences in our culture today
If that’s not enough, there are magical, mystic influences (conjuring and manifesting)
If that’s not enough, there are astrological, zodiac influences (let the stars give you identity)
If that’s not enough, there are scientific influences (let’s rewrite the DNA of a generation and what is a boy and what is a girl)
IN MANY WAYS, PARENTING WAS NEVER EASY, BUT TODAY IT’S HARDER THAN IT’S EVER BEEN
The challenges a generation is facing are unbelievable
I remember hearing a parent say, “She acts like I was never a teenager before.” It’s true you were, but you weren’t one in the high school she’s in. You were young, but you weren’t young in America today.
If I’ve come to do anything today, I’ve come to be a Culture Translator. I want to give you an honest look at where we’re at today, where a generation is, and ultimately—call you to the mandate God has for your life and that is TO MAKE DISCIPLES.
Pastor Brent spoke it so well two weeks, “You’re called to make a Godly line. Producing generationally people who think right about God.”
THEOLOGY means “man’s thoughts about God or the study of God”
Biology is the study of life
Zoology is the study of animals
Psychology is the study of the mind
Sociology is the study of societies and people’s behaviors
Why is it that we are fine with studying until it comes to God? When He’s called us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. We’ve got to love God enough to learn about Him, to know Him. Even more, we are called to make disciples that love Him enough to learn Him as well.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer
When I think about God and if I think He is distant, then I’ll live my life that way. I do relationships that way, I will treat people that way and I will make decisions that way.
When I think about God and if I don’t think He is real or exists, then I’ll live my life that way. Make decisions, have relationships and treat people that way.
But when I think about God and I know He loves me, He’s real and cares for me, that He’s a Father, then I’ll live my life that way, make decisions that way, and have relationships and treat people that way.
GOD IS SO SIGNIFICANT TO WHO WE ARE THAT HE DEFINES THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IN HIM OR NOT. Our existence depends on how we answer the question of who is God?
We have a generation that are facing challenges like never before and we must teach them how to think rightly about God…
**Graphic displaying differences of generations**
4 things about Gen Z:
- They are the most accepting generation to ever live
- They are the most diverse generation to ever live
- They have never had a day without the internet
- They are post 9/11 and feel the world is unsafe
- They’ve also grown up in the most corporate version of the church there’s ever been, so we wonder why they shouting down the preacher, it’s because we’ve discipled them that the Church is a corporation instead of a family
67% of Gen Z believe it’s wrong to pollute the earth
46% of Gen Z believe it’s wrong to view porn
That means a generation believes polluting the earth is more of a sin than polluting your soul and mind
Not to mention fame factor now. The viral ability creates an entirely different effect in classrooms now. Because now, any student could be going to school with a famous or semi-famous person. Youtube, TikTok, Instagram. The world at your fingertips and you’re 13 years old.
I believe parents need to learn this and know how to navigate them.
Resources for Parents to know:
Axis.org (Conversation Starter Kits, Culture Translator)
Q Ideas (Conferences and resources)
Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys were being renamed
Daniel = My judge is El, God
Belteshazzar = Nebu, protect his life
(Lady protect the king)
Hananiah = Yahweh has shown grace
Shadrach = The command of Aku (moon God)
(I am very fearful)
Mishael = Who is what God is
Mesach = Who is what Aku is (moon God)
(I am of little account)
Azariah = Yahweh has helped
Abednego = servant of Nebu
(servant of the Shining One)
Yet they chose not to be defiled
They had so much culture in them that it overrode the culture being forced upon them
THEY WERE CONVINCED
The word Convinced means to overcome in argument, to win over in the mind
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) – Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
FAITH – PISTIS, Greek word meaning the conviction of the truth, strong persuasion or assurance of God’s character and nature.
In essence Faith simply means—I’M CONVINCED.
I’M CONVINCED IN HIM
Not in how He will do, not in when He will do, but I’m convinced in His character, I’m convinced about my God
We have a lot of believers that are living convinced
Convinced people live by convictions, not convenience
This is how we disciple a generation, we teach them how to think rightly about God, but we first must be living by convictions in our lives