Daniel 1:1-3:27 Alien Youth March 12, 2006

We've all seen movies and TV shows about aliens. Sometimes they are nice friendly aliens like ET or Mr Spock. Sometimes they are hostile as in the old movie “Alien.” Who is your favorite alien on the movie or TV screen?

Did you know that Christians are aliens? We are resident aliens. We live in this world, but we are not of this world. And especially, in American culture today, those who want to follow Jesus live as aliens. We are different form those around us. I know when you are young; it is very hard to be different. We all want to fit in, have friends, and be part of what is happening. This morning, I want to tell you about four teenagers who were definitely aliens in their culture. They would not just fit in. But God made them to have success, rise above the crowd, and to do great things.
The year was around 600 B.C. and Nebuchadnezzar; the King of Babylon conquered the city of Jerusalem . Next, the Babylonian army rounded up the best and brightest of the Jews and marched them back to Babylon . Four of these deportees were teenagers named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were to be educated in Babylon so they could serve in public jobs. The goal was total indoctrination so they would forget that they were Hebrew and soon talk, walk, and speak like a Babylonian. There was one problem though. These four teens were “alien youth.” Living in a foreign land, these four students lived as aliens and they did three things. They stood out, they stood together, and they stood up for God.
First, they stood out. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were being trained in the king's palace. There, they were offered an expensive wine and pork chops and rich desserts every night. The other Hebrew teens lined up to eat. But Daniel knew that the Old Testament law did not allow Jews to eat such Babylonian foods. It was a stepping stone to becoming like the Babylonians. Daniel would not live like the Babylonians. He was an alien in a foreign land. Therefore, this teenager “decided in his heart not to defile himself with the royal food.” (Dan 1:8) Did you hear that? He decided in his heart. This was a decision made beforehand out of a strong conviction. Daniel did not wait until the moment of temptation came. He decided in advance what he would do. He decided to stand out and be different.

You know, too many young people, and adults for that matter, wait until the crucial moment of temptation before they decide. Then there you are being offered a beer, given a joint, or alone with your boyfriend when no one else is home. It is hard to decide to stand out when the pressure is on. But aliens know you have to decide in your heart what you are going to do. Then you do not even get into those tempting situations. Daniel decided ahead of time to stand out. Even more, he came up with a plan. Look at Dan 1:9-10. He approached the head official and proposed that he and his three friends eat veggies for ten days and then see how they look. Well, they prospered physically and mentally. While the rest of the good Jewish boys were eating pork chops and drinking wine, our four Aliens were munching on broccoli, cauliflower, and whole grains. If you decide in your heart to stand out for God and then have a clear plan to do that, you too are going to prosper physically and mentally in your life.
Well, what happened next? Look at chapter two. They not only stood out from the crowd, they stood together. Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream and summoned the “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers” to the palace. Sounds like a psychic hotline convention. The king wanted them to interpret his dream, but they could not do it. So Nebuchadnezzar pitched a temper tantrum and ordered all his staff executed. Well, the commander of the king's guard went out to kill the staff, but he is met by Daniel, one of the guys on his hit list. Daniel calmly asked for a little more time. Then Daniel grabbed his three friends and the four of them had an all night prayer meeting until God answered their prayer concerning the dream. In V. 19-23 Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego grabbed their guitars and began to sing of God's greatness and wisdom for the rest of the night.
You know, students today live in a culture that is marked by its individualistic spirit. But the aliens know that God made us to operate best together. When students stand together, it is an awesome sight. I recently read a book entitled “The Pact.” It is written by three young men who grew up in the roughest streets of Newark , NJ . Surrounded by drugs and gang violence, these three African American teens met each other in High School and made a pact with one another to help each other succeed, to not fall into trouble, to study and keep up their grades. Today they are all three medical doctors. Listen to me. If you want to rise above the crowd, you need friends to do that. Like Daniel and his three friends, you need people who will stand with you when times are hard and push you on to success. Scouting does that for young people. Church youth groups do that. Good sports programs do that. You have to choose friends who will lift you up. You may need to let go of some old friends if they are dragging you down. But together, you can succeed.

So what finally happened to our four friends back in Babylon ? They not only stood out, and stood together, but in chapter three, they stood up for what they believed. In chapter three, King Nebuchadnezzar's ego has gone wild. He erected a ninety foot gold plated statue of himself. He invited all the people to the opening ceremony. Now, Daniel was not present that day. He may have been out of the country on official business. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were there when Nebuchadnezzar made the crowd an offer they could not refuse. Bow down to worship the statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace. This was an easy choice for most. The people hit their faces to the dirt. But, in the back, those three Jewish rebels were at it again. They stood up. The king had them dragged forward and when questioned, they answer…Daniel 3:16-18. They would not bow down to pressure. They would not bend their morals. They had faith that God could protect them even from a blazing fire. But now look carefully at vs. 18. These three teenagers are realist and they say, “Even if God chooses not to save us from the fire, we will still not do what is wrong.” You see, they had faith that God is all powerful and He could save them. But they also trusted in God's wisdom that He may chose not to save them. Whether God saved them from the fire or not was irrelevant. Whatever happened, they were fireproof.
Today, our students live in a world that worships rock stars, athletes, actors and actresses. They are asked to bow down to the latest fad or trend, and if they don't then they just aren't cool. Aliens don't care that much about being cool. I recently saw a teen with a t-shirt that read “I'm a DORK” on the front. On the back is this bold proclamation, “Disciple of a Righteous King.” Look, I will not lie to you. If you seriously decide to stand up for God, some people will not like you. You will not be cool when you say, “No.” You may go through some fire. But if you get off the fence, commit to God in your life, you will be fireproof. If you decide and have a plan to stand out, if you get with the right friends and stand together, and if you are not afraid to stand up for what is right, then you will rise above the crowd and find success in ways you never dreamed.