July 18, 2025 • 40 mins
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Tyler Sams talks about What's In Your Backpack- Noise Canceling Headphones
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Westside Church's special
(00:08):
podcast.
Good evening to you.
If you've got your New Testamentwith you tonight, be opening up
to Luke chapter 8.
Luke chapter 8, that is wherewe're going to find a beginning
place for our study togetherthis evening in just a few
moments.
Luke chapter 8.
Thank you so much.
Those of you here at Westside,for the invitation to come and
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to be with you.
I have been looking forward toit ever since Mark called and
invited me.
I'm thankful to be here.
Thank you for treating myfamily.
Thank you for treating me soroyally up to this point.
Hopefully you can still treat meroyally when we're finished
tonight.
And if you can't, just smile andwave when we're on our merry
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way.
It will be good.
Thank you so much for theopportunity to be here.
Thank you for your presence, foryour interest in spiritual
things.
As Brother Roberts made mention,our theme for our study together
is what's in your backpack.
Things that we want to make surethat we have to prepare us for
the journey that is in front ofus.
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I searched throughout Googlelong and hard, and I think I
found the exact backpack I hadthrough my high school years.
They don't make them like thisanymore.
Since I got out, this thing keptme from my sophomore year in
high school all the way throughcollege.
It was a great backpack.
Since then, I've had about fiveor six.
They tear, they fall apart.
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They're not as good, they're notas robust as they used to be.
But we're not talking about theactual backpack.
We're, of course, talking aboutwhat is in our backpacks.
When I was in high school, therewere two things that featured
very prominently in my backpack.
Those of you who are 80s kidsmay realize this.
Number one were Starburst hardcandies.
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These were in my backpack, andthese kept me alert and awake
all throughout those boringbiology classes.
They don't make them anymore.
You can't find them.
It was Starburst hard candies...
And it was trident gum.
Can't find that anymore either,can you?
They were going to feed us allthat food in the cafeteria and
not let us have gum to make ourbreath smell better afterwards.
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How rude was that?
These are two things thatabsolutely were in my backpack,
but as it relates to spiritualmatters, really doesn't impact
us.
But I want to talk to youtonight about one thing that I
think should be in yourbackpack.
That's in my backpack.
It's actually in my backpackright now.
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But I think it's important forus to keep in our spiritual
backpacks, if you will, to aneven greater degree.
And that is noise-cancelingheadphones.
And you saw that in the book,and you were like, what in the
world are we going to talkabout?
Let's see if we can makesomething practical out of this.
As I have gotten older, I havefound myself on airplanes and
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jets more often than I everthought I would be in my life.
And about two years ago...
Amazon had a sale and Ipurchased a pair of
noise-canceling headphones.
And on my very next trip, I satdown in an airplane, I put them
in, and nothing changed.
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And I was really disappointed.
I was like, I've been sold abill of goods.
This isn't what I signed up for.
And then I realized you've gotto go on your phone and you've
got to get that setting clickedon.
And I clicked that setting onand there was quiet.
It shut out the noise of theengine.
It shut out all of the chatteraround the plane.
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It shut out the noise of thatperson sitting about two seats
away from me that feels the needto watch their video on their
iPad at full volume and withoutany headphones on.
Shut all of that out.
It was quiet.
It was peaceful.
I was able to sync it up to myiPad and listen to what I wanted
to listen to, watch what Iwanted to watch, and the only
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thing that disturbed me wasexactly what I wanted to disturb
me.
Jesus talks about a principlerelated to noise-canceling
headphones.
First time we've seen him talkabout it is here in Luke chapter
8.
Luke chapter 8, as you'relooking down here in verse 18,
Jesus, after giving the parableof the soils, says, so take
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care, verse 18, so take care howyou listen.
For whoever has to him moreshall be given, but whoever does
not have, even what he thinks hehas, shall be taken away from
him.
So be careful, Jesus says inverse 18, how you listen.
But Mark, over in Mark chapter4, seems to record the same
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conversation.
Except as he often does, hethrows in a little bit of a
twist.
He catches something, he focuseson something that Jesus said
that Luke didn't record.
And it's not, well Luke saidJesus said this and Mark said
Jesus said this, so one of themis wrong.
I walk away with theunderstanding Jesus said both of
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these things.
And Luke recorded one becausethat's what he was focusing on
and Mark recorded one becausethat's what he was focusing on.
In Luke's account, we're to takecare how we listen.
But in Mark chapter 4 and inverse 24, Mark records the words
of Jesus like this after theparable of the sowers.
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He was also saying to them, takecare what you listen to.
Jesus isn't only concerned withyou and me being good listeners.
Jesus is concerned about whatyou and I listen to.
What we give our time and energyand attention to.
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Jesus is concerned about, andthis seems to be expressed
across all translations, takecare of what you listen to.
The La Biblia de las Americas isgoing to say the same thing.
The New English translation, thesame thing.
Take care about what you hear.
Jesus is concerned about thecontent that we take in.
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Even in the spiritual setting,we need to be careful what we're
listening to.
Noise-canceling headphones keepout what we don't want to hear.
They keep out what we don't needto hear.
I'm on that airplane.
I don't need to hear the turbinespinning to you.
I'm going to have faith thatthey're spinning.
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We're up in the air.
I don't need to hear it.
Sometimes I'm getting somewhereand I need to sleep on that
plane.
You ever been there?
It shuts out what I don't need.
And it allows me to focus onwhat I do need.
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And as Jesus describes here inMark chapter 4, there's a
spiritual principle in that thatwe need to sink our teeth into.
Jesus is going to describe somethings we need to hear.
And He's going to describe to ushere that there are just some
things that are noise.
Noise.
that we don't need to focus on,that we don't need to pay
attention to, that we don't needto sit and invite into our
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lives.
Because it's going to rob us ofpeace, of quiet, and of
confidence.
And if you're familiar with yourBible, you recognize this, don't
you?
We see moments all throughoutScripture where some
noise-canceling headphones wouldhave been good.
You remember all the way back inthe book of Genesis?
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Yes.
Way back in the book of Genesis,what did the serpent, what did
Satan say to Eve?
You will not surely die.
Did Eve need to hear that?
Did she need to have thatconversation with the serpent?
Isn't what God had alreadyrevealed to them, seemingly what
Adam had already communicated toher, wasn't that sufficient for
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her and her needs?
She didn't need this othernoise, and that's exactly what
it was.
Noise.
UNKNOWN (08:01):
Noise.
SPEAKER_00 (08:02):
And it robbed them of peace, of quiet, of
confidence.
In John chapter 10, Jesusdescribes the character of his
followers.
He says, all who came before mewere robbers and thieves, but my
sheep, my sheep don't hear them.
There's our principle ofnoise-canceling headphones,
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right?
But I want you to look at thispassage with me.
Look at 1 John chapter 4.
1 John chapter 4.
Because we get something here in1 John chapter 4 that we need to
dig down on.
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When John writes and he talksabout the noise of this world
and that there are just simplysome messages that we need to
filter out.
That we don't need to hear.
That we don't need to inviteinto our lives.
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Look at 1 John chapter 4 andcome down to verse 5.
They are from the world.
Therefore they speak as from theworld.
And what does the world do?
The world listens to them.
What does the world do?
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Listens to the world.
But all throughout the book of 1John, you and I are called to be
what?
Not like the world.
We're not to share in the world.
We're not to partake of theworld.
We're to be separate from theworld.
We're to walk in the light.
So verse 6, we are from God.
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We're not from the world.
Catch the juxtaposition there.
The world listens to itself, butwe are from God.
And he who knows God listens tous.
He who is not from God does notlisten to us by this.
We know the spirit of truth andthe spirit of error.
The world listens to them.
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But we're not the world.
I'm not saying anythingsurprising to you tonight when I
say that we live in the midst ofa raging battle.
Satan, through his influence inthis world, is seeking to drag
us down, to ruin us byoverwhelming us with the
messages of this world.
And to a large group around us,that message resonates.
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The world hears that message,buys into that message, lives
that message, embraces thatmessage.
The world listens, John says.
John contrasts the worldlistening to his own message and
the message of the apostles.
A message to which the people ofGod listen.
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John's telling us here veryclearly there are some things we
need to hear.
And there are some things thatwe don't need to hear.
And that's not to say thatthere's not value in studying
and understanding things thatare wrong.
There's a time and a place forthat and I want us to understand
that.
But if we're talking about ourformative years...
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What we need to be focused on isknowing the truth and knowing
God's Word and hearing what Hewants from me.
So let's think about that.
Let's think about how the worldtries to influence us.
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And let's think about how thereare simply some messages from
the world around us that wedon't need to hear.
And I want us to do that bylooking at the lives of four
young men that we see in the OldTestament.
I want you to come on in yourOld Testaments to 2 Kings
chapter 20.
2 Kings chapter 20.
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In 2 Kings chapter 20...
The northern kingdom of Israelhas already been taken captive.
We've got the southern kingdom,Judah.
That is being focused on here.
A man by the name of Hezekiah ison the throne.
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Hezekiah's life earlier inchapter 20 has been divinely
extended by God for some 15years.
What a blessing that seems like.
We'll talk about that in just amoment.
But beginning in verse 12, thereis an envoy from Babylon that
comes to see Hezekiah.
And there's a lot going on herebeginning at verse 12 and going
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through the end of this passage.
A lot more than what we're goingto have time to talk about this
evening.
They come to him and he showsthem, he shows these Babylonian
envoy, he shows them all of thetreasure, this is verse 13, all
of the treasure in his house,the silver, the gold, the
spices, the precious oil, thehouse of armor, all that was
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found in his treasuries.
Why is God going to be upset?
Because, spoiler alert, God isgoing to be upset that Hezekiah
does this.
Why is God upset that Hezekiahdoes this?
Is it because Hezekiah shouldhave shown them something more
and something of infinitely morevalue than the gold and the
silver?
Perhaps that's it.
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I don't think we should glossover the reality that years
after this, the very things thatHezekiah shows to the Babylonian
envoy are the very things thatthey're going to take away and
take to Babylon, stripping thetemple and the nation bare.
But Hezekiah sins, and so wecome down here to 2 Kings
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chapter 20 and verse 16.
Isaiah said to Hezekiah, hearthe word of the Lord.
Behold, the days are coming whenall that is in your house and
all that your fathers have laidup in store to this day will be
carried to Babylon and nothingshall be left, says the Lord.
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Trouble was coming to Judah.
Hezekiah's life, you remember,was extended 15 years.
That's the first part there.
That seems like a wonderfulthing.
But look at chapter 21.
Hezekiah dies at the end of thechapter.
Manasseh, verse 21, becomes kingin his place.
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Verse 21, how old is Manassehwhen he ascends to the throne?
Manasseh Hezekiah's son ascendsto the throne at 12 years old.
Because of that 15-yearextension on Hezekiah's life, it
gives him time to bring Manassehinto the world.
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And where Hezekiah sinned,Manasseh sins even more.
He institutes...
back into the nation thatHezekiah had worked to drive
out.
He even, verse 6, he made hissons pass through the fire,
practiced witchcraft and useddivination and dealt with
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mediums and spiritists.
He did much evil in the sight ofthe Lord, provoking him to
anger.
That statement there in verse 6,made his sons pass through the
fire.
Here is a Judean king who is sofar gone, he's practicing child
sacrifice.
Skip over to chapter 24.
The sins of Manasseh are soevil, so wicked, and so very
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multiplied that as you come tochapter 24 and verse 3,
Nebuchadnezzar comes for thefirst of three times against the
nation of Judah and the city ofJerusalem.
And he does all of this, 2 Kingschapter 24 and verse 3, because
of the sins of Manasseh.
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Those sins had been present inJudah.
Those sins had not beenaddressed.
They had grown worse and worse.
Because of that sin, God wastaking Judah out of His sight,
committing them over toBabylonian captivity for 70
years to purge that sin out ofthem and to renew His people.
But judgment was coming.
And it was coming because ofManasseh's sin.
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Three times we saidNebuchadnezzar is going to come
here against Judah andJerusalem.
And as he comes against themthis first time, You will notice
2 Kings chapter 24 and verse 1,Jehoiakim is the king.
Now flip a little bit later inyour Old Testaments.
Come over to the book of Daniel.
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Look at Daniel chapter 1.
Because as Nebuchadnezzar comesin this first incursion against
Judah and Jerusalem, it's goingto happen, Daniel chapter 1 and
verse 1, during the reign ofJehoiakim.
Same thing as 2 Kings 24.
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And the major thing that's goingto happen along with treasure
being captured is that some ofthe nobility is going to be
deported from Jerusalem toBabylon.
And seemingly amongst this groupis going to be four young men
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You come down here to verse 3 ofthe book of Daniel.
The king ordered Ashpenaz, thechief of his eunuchs, to bring
some of the sons of Israel,including some of the royal
family and of the nobles, youthsin whom there was no defect, who
were good looking, showingintelligence in every branch of
wisdom, endowed withunderstanding and discerning
knowledge, and who had abilityfor serving in the king's court.
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And he ordered him to teach themthe literature and the language
of the Chaldeans.
Verse 6, among them From thesons of Judah were Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Unfortunately, you and I aregoing to know them today as
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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And I don't mean to castdispersions on the songs that we
learned as young people in ourBible classes.
Those are good and helpful.
But it's not Shadrach, Meshach,and Abednego.
It's Hananiah, it's Mishael, andit's Azariah.
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And I think that's important.
Let's notice what's going onhere.
These are four of the youthsthat are relocated from Judah to
Babylon.
And immediately as they arriveinto Babylon, what we're going
to call the re-education begins.
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These young men cannot come inand influence Babylon society.
That's not how Babylon underNebuchadnezzar is going to work.
We're going to influence them.
That's why we're bringingseemingly the best of the best
into the court.
We're going to influence you.
And so look at what happens.
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Verse 5.
The king appointed for them adaily ration from the king's
choice food and from the winewhich he drank, and appointed
that they should be educatedthree years, at the end of which
they were to enter the king'spersonal service.
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The Babylonians attempt tochange these young men in
seemingly every way possible.
They start by changing theirdiet.
or attempting, at least, tochange their diet.
While it doesn't seem much to ustoday that the dietary laws
under which the Jews lived atthis time most likely would have
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forbidden much of the food thatwas served up to Daniel and
Hanani and Mishael and Azariah.
You've got this change in dietfollowed, as you look there in
verse 5, by a change oftraining.
Right as we read through our OldTestaments, we're reminded of
how much God emphasized...
The home being the center ofspiritual instruction.
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Deuteronomy 6 makes that so veryclear to us.
Now you've got three years ofintensive training in the
Babylonian captive to put youinto service for the king of
Babylon himself.
A change in diet, a change intraining.
Look at Daniel chapter 1 andverse 6.
In verse 7, it's no longer goingto be Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
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and Azariah.
It's going to be built to Shazarand Shadrach and Meshach and
Abednego.
These young men are renamed.
One of the last most meaningfulconnections that they have to
their family and to theirculture and to the God that they
serve.
The Babylonians attempt toredefine.
Daniel means God is my judge.
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Hananiah means Jehovah isgracious.
Mishael means who is what Godis.
And Azariah means the Lord is myhelper.
And those names are changed.
Daniel becomes Belteshazzar, thetreasure of Baal.
Hananiah becomes...
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And I just noticed that.
That's really confusing becausethat's not Hannah.
That's supposed to be Hananiah.
I will discipline whoeverproofread my charts.
I can assure you it is notHannah back at this time.
It is Hananiah.
The change in name.
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So we've got Daniel, we've gotHananiah.
Hananiah, his name is changed toShadrach, inspired by the sun
god.
Mishael turns into Meshach.
He who belongs to Sheshach, oneof the false gods of that time.
And Azariah is turned intoAbed-Nego, a servant of Nebo.
Babylon takes the last vestigesof Judaism that these young men
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could cling to and changes it,tries to erase it.
You're not that anymore, Babylonis trying to say.
You are who we tell you you are.
You are what we will make ofyou.
But then look at verse 3.
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Change in diet, a change intraining, a change in name, and
a change in body.
I'm reading from the NewAmerican Standard Bible for
various reasons.
They're going to translateDaniel chapter 1 and verse 3 to
Ashpenaz, the chief of theofficials.
If you're reading from the KingJames or New King James, it's
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not officials, it's what?
The chief of the eunuchs.
Think about that.
These young men are committedinto the hand of the man who is
identified as the chief of theeunuchs.
Now hold your finger here.
Hold your finger here in Daniel.
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I want you to go back to 2 Kings20, where we were just a moment
ago.
2 Kings 20, where we weretalking about Hezekiah and the
consequences that were to comefrom Hezekiah's sinfulness.
1 Kings 20...
2 Kings chapter 20.
Pardon me.
2 Kings chapter 20.
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And look over here.
Look over here at verse 18.
After saying the things that youshowed the Babylonians, they're
going to be carried away.
None of it's going to be left.
Verse 18.
Some of your sons who shallissue from you, Hezekiah's
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progeny, they will be taken awayAnd they will become officials,
New American Standard Bible,other translations.
They will become what?
They will become eunuchs in thepalace of the king of Babylon.
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That they were entrusted tocourt service in Babylon is
clearly what the text isrevealing to us.
But make no mistake, what isbeing described here is a
physical alteration of youngmen.
They mutilated these young men.
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They mutilated these young menfor their own purposes.
I remember being asked in aBible class years ago one time,
you know, if Daniel is so godlyand God talks to us about the
wisdom of marriage, why do wenever read about Daniel being
married or Daniel having kids?
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And it wasn't the appropriatevenue at that time to go into
that discussion, but I think youfind an answer right here.
Most likely Daniel doesn't getmarried and have children
because he didn't have thecapacity to father children.
That as a teenager, theBabylonians took that away from
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him.
And took that away from Hananiahand Mishael and Azariah.
All so that they could influencethem.
But what did these four youngmen do?
I'll tell you what they did.
They muted the noise.
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They canceled that noise.
Because they made their faiththeir own.
That's what's described there inDaniel chapter 1 and verse 8,
that Daniel purposed in hisheart.
How many sermons have we heardfrom that?
And for good reason, youprobably have it highlighted in
your Bible.
Daniel purposed in his heartthat he would not defile himself
with a portion of the king'sdelicacies that were presented
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before him.
And apparently, Hananiah,Mishael, and Azariah arrived at
the same conclusion as well.
That, King, you have set thisbefore us, but we can't do this.
Yes, you've tried to change me.
Yes, you've tried to alter me.
Yes, you've tried to strip myidentity away from me.
But you can do all of thisexternal stuff, but you cannot
touch my heart.
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The only one who can give up myheart is me.
And so they come before Ashpenazand they say, Hey...
We can't do this.
Daniel had been brought into thegood graces of Ashkenaz by his
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godly behavior.
They proposed this differentplan and it's accepted.
At the end of the time, theyappear better than all of the
rest in the Babylonian court.
And so we're going to adoptthese guys' diet now.
And Daniel and Hananiah andMishael and Azariah are
commended before the king andthey move on to greater service
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in the kingdom of Babylon.
But what I want us to seetonight is that they made their
faith their own.
How did they do that?
And I'm going to submit to youthat it started way before they
ever get here in Babylon.
That yeah, they are torn awayfrom their family and their
community as teenagers it seems.
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But parents and grandparents andloved ones, they had 16 years to
influence these men.
They had 17 years.
They had 18 years.
And whatever influence theygave, held.
And it held in the face ofeverything that Babylon could
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throw at them.
Those songs you sing in Bibleclass, that you wonder, does
this really mean anything tothose kids?
The readings from the Bible thatwe may do at night when everyone
seems to be so tired and itwould be so easy not to do it.
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The times when we're going to goahead and pray together at
night, even though it's hard tohold our eyes open, does it do
any good?
Dragging them to church.
Because, yeah, traffic is bad.
and frustrating and nothing'sconvenient anymore?
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Does it do any good?
Should we be here?
Should we make the sacrifices?
Look at what it did for theseguys.
Look at what they faced down andwere empowered to overcome
because of what had happened tothem earlier.
Because of the influence oftheir parents.
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The influence of their families.
The influence of theircommunities.
They resolved not to defilethemselves.
Just means they made a decision.
Daniel made a decision.
Daniel seems to lead the wayhere.
Sometimes we need those kinds ofleaders.
Someone's got to step up andsay, it's going to be me.
Daniel steps up and says, I'lldo it.
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I'll be the one to say, I can'tdo it.
And it's interesting that assoon as he seemingly finds the
strength to do that, there areothers who are willing to say,
I'm not going to do it either.
We need people who are going tostand up and say, I'm going to
do what's right.
And don't be surprised when youmake the decision to do what's
right when you look around andyou see other people making that
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same decision.
Sometimes people just need thatlittle spark of encouragement.
Make those godly decisions.
They were willing to trust Godand to trust His will even
though this ungodly food was setbefore them.
Even though it might anger theking.
They persist in doing what isright.
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And trust God even in the midstof hardship.
And they never forgot who theywere.
Here's what I wanted to circleback to.
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, thesong we used to sing as kids.
You ever read through the bookof Daniel and realized this?
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They never once refer to eachother by those names.
You go read Daniel againsometime.
Never once...
Did Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,and Azariah ever refer to each
other as Belteshazzar, Shadrach,Meshach, or Abednego?
They never do it.
They could be renamed by theBabylonians.
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The Babylonians couldn't takethat away from them.
Who they really were.
They knew who they were.
Know who you are.
Know who you are.
And when you know who you are,you'll be able to mute the
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world.
Because the world comes to uswith a lot of things that are
just noise.
The world tries to convince youyou're all alone.
Don't you know Daniel feltalone?
Don't you know he felt alonewhen I'm guessing some sort of
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pork is set in front of him?
Maybe bacon-wrapped shrimp wouldbe pretty tempting.
That it's all set before him andit's things that he knows as
they got you to do.
He can't eat it.
But it's so difficult.
And I'm in a foreign land.
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My family's not here.
I'm all alone.
Can't I just give in?
My parents aren't here anymore.
I'm off at college.
There's no one around.
There's no one checking in onme.
I can do this, right?
I'm just all alone.
It's so hard to stand when I'mall alone.
The world tries to convince uswe're all alone all the time.
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Yet I see an entire quarter ofthis auditorium filled with
people that as you look around,you're not alone.
One of the worst lies this worldwill ever try to convince you of
is the fact that you are alone.
Daniel was not alone.
Hananiah was not alone.
Mishael was not alone.
Azariah was not alone.
And you're not alone.
They had each other.
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But more than that, they hadGod.
The God who says, I will neverleave you and I will never
forsake you.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, andAzariah accepted that promise
and they stood on that promise.
And they get through thisepisode.
They get through chapter 2.
They get through chapter 3.
We're going to get over tochapter 11 and 12.
And Daniel seems to be about an80 or a 90 year old man.
(33:41):
And he is still faithfullyserving God.
Because of who he was when hewas 15, 16, 17, 18 years old.
We need to mute this world whenthe world tells us That your
(34:01):
only reason for living isreproduction.
Tyler, that's a strange thing tosay.
I saw you laugh too.
It's a strange thing to say,right?
But yet you look at one of thefaces of new atheism, Richard
Dawkins, and that's exactly whathe says over and over again.
We are machines for propagatingDNA.
It is every living object's solereason for living.
(34:22):
That you're just here toreproduce, to carry on your
genes in one way or another.
Folks, that's the meaning andthe purpose the new atheist
movement gives.
But I want you to noticesomething.
I want you to notice how thatbreaks down the very fabric of a
(34:43):
respectable society.
Notice how that renders asmeaningless the lives of those
who can no longer reproduce.
Or who simply cannot reproduce.
Notice how the new atheism,which invites us through reason
and separation from theism toenjoy a greater and a higher and
(35:06):
a more noble existence, actuallydelivers none of that.
It offers no hope for thebroken.
For all of its bluster andpromises, it delivers nothing.
There's no racial reconciliationin the new atheism.
(35:28):
There's no meaningful existencefor the broken.
There is no purpose for life inthe new atheism.
It is the jiggling and wigglingof atoms.
And that's a quote.
The new atheism speaks so muchand delivers so very little.
(35:54):
Mute that noise.
And that's exactly what it is.
It's noise.
Mute it.
Put on those headphones, put inthose earbuds, and cancel it.
Mute this world that provides noanswers and no hope and no
(36:14):
purpose.
Mute the world when it says thatyou can't know God's will.
We want to throw up our handssometimes in frustration because
we feel like we just don'tunderstand what God wants from
me.
And perhaps it's because we havea little bit of a
misunderstanding of God's will.
Maybe we're expecting God tojust dictate every little
(36:34):
faceted decision we make in thislife.
What if I told you, yes, God isconcerned with our lives, but
that there are some decisionsthat are just opinion that need
to be guided by good wisdom, butare neither right nor wrong.
They're just decisions we needto make.
But that what God is concernedabout and what God does reveal
(36:54):
to us is as well as what Hereveals in Scripture.
2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9.
The Lord is not slack concerningHis promises, as some men count
slackness, but is longsufferingtowards us, not willing.
Here's the will of God.
Not willing that any shouldperish, but what?
But that all should come torepentance.
(37:14):
That's the will of God.
God wants us to be a repenter.
1 Thessalonians chapter 4 andverse 3.
This is the will of God for yourlife, Paul writes.
Your what?
Your sanctification.
(37:35):
Your holiness.
That you abstain from sexualimmorality.
There's God's will for yourlife.
To be sexually pure.
Or Romans chapter 12, verses 1and 2.
That we're not to take the moldof this world.
But we're to be transformed bythe renewing of our lives that
(37:58):
we might prove what is that goodand acceptable and perfect will
of God.
That you and I, God's will forour lives, is that we would
demonstrate His will by livingin holiness, by living in
purity, by living lives ofsacrifice.
(38:20):
We need to mute the world whenit tells us we can't know the
will of God and we need to mutethe world When it tells us we
can't serve God.
Last passage and then we'redone.
Thank you so much for being withme tonight.
For following along in yourBible.
That's been an encouragement.
Look at 1 Peter chapter 2.
And let's wrap up here.
1 Peter chapter 2.
(38:43):
The world sometimes tells us youcan't serve God.
You can't follow Jesus.
Sadly we even hear that from ourbrethren sometimes.
Leaving us with the idea thatserving God is just a bridge too
far.
We can't do it.
We can't follow Jesus.
We can't serve Him.
That we're all simply varyingdegrees of wicked, unable to
(39:05):
break out of the bonds of sinand find liberty.
Mute that noise.
That is what it is, is noise.
Because you can serve God.
You can follow Jesus.
You can please God.
All of us in here can.
(39:26):
By doing His will.
Or as Peter will sum it up, bydoing the very thing we're told
we can't do, by following Jesus.
1 Peter 2, verse 21.
For you have been called forthis purpose.
You have been called for thispurpose.
(39:48):
Since Christ also suffered foryou, leaving you an example...
That you should follow in Hissteps who committed no sin.
You can do it.
And I can do it.
(40:09):
But one thing it's going to taketo be able to follow Jesus, to
please our God, to serve Him, isto mute the noise that is all
around us.
So pack those noise-cancelingheadphones.
Pack those earbuds.
Turn off the distractions in theworld and focus on what is real.
(40:35):
Focus on what is true.
Focus on what is right.
Thank you for your attentionthis evening.
I appreciate it.
Hello and welcome to the Westside Church's special
(00:08):
podcast.
Good evening to you.
If you've got your New Testamentwith you tonight, be opening up
to Luke chapter 8.
Luke chapter 8, that is wherewe're going to find a beginning
place for our study togetherthis evening in just a few
moments.
Luke chapter 8.
Thank you so much.
Those of you here at Westside,for the invitation to come and
(00:31):
to be with you.
I have been looking forward toit ever since Mark called and
invited me.
I'm thankful to be here.
Thank you for treating myfamily.
Thank you for treating me soroyally up to this point.
Hopefully you can still treat meroyally when we're finished
tonight.
And if you can't, just smile andwave when we're on our merry
(00:53):
way.
It will be good.
Thank you so much for theopportunity to be here.
Thank you for your presence, foryour interest in spiritual
things.
As Brother Roberts made mention,our theme for our study together
is what's in your backpack.
Things that we want to make surethat we have to prepare us for
the journey that is in front ofus.
(01:13):
I searched throughout Googlelong and hard, and I think I
found the exact backpack I hadthrough my high school years.
They don't make them like thisanymore.
Since I got out, this thing keptme from my sophomore year in
high school all the way throughcollege.
It was a great backpack.
Since then, I've had about fiveor six.
They tear, they fall apart.
(01:33):
They're not as good, they're notas robust as they used to be.
But we're not talking about theactual backpack.
We're, of course, talking aboutwhat is in our backpacks.
When I was in high school, therewere two things that featured
very prominently in my backpack.
Those of you who are 80s kidsmay realize this.
Number one were Starburst hardcandies.
(01:53):
These were in my backpack, andthese kept me alert and awake
all throughout those boringbiology classes.
They don't make them anymore.
You can't find them.
It was Starburst hard candies...
And it was trident gum.
Can't find that anymore either,can you?
They were going to feed us allthat food in the cafeteria and
not let us have gum to make ourbreath smell better afterwards.
(02:14):
How rude was that?
These are two things thatabsolutely were in my backpack,
but as it relates to spiritualmatters, really doesn't impact
us.
But I want to talk to youtonight about one thing that I
think should be in yourbackpack.
That's in my backpack.
It's actually in my backpackright now.
(02:34):
But I think it's important forus to keep in our spiritual
backpacks, if you will, to aneven greater degree.
And that is noise-cancelingheadphones.
And you saw that in the book,and you were like, what in the
world are we going to talkabout?
Let's see if we can makesomething practical out of this.
As I have gotten older, I havefound myself on airplanes and
(02:56):
jets more often than I everthought I would be in my life.
And about two years ago...
Amazon had a sale and Ipurchased a pair of
noise-canceling headphones.
And on my very next trip, I satdown in an airplane, I put them
in, and nothing changed.
(03:16):
And I was really disappointed.
I was like, I've been sold abill of goods.
This isn't what I signed up for.
And then I realized you've gotto go on your phone and you've
got to get that setting clickedon.
And I clicked that setting onand there was quiet.
It shut out the noise of theengine.
It shut out all of the chatteraround the plane.
(03:40):
It shut out the noise of thatperson sitting about two seats
away from me that feels the needto watch their video on their
iPad at full volume and withoutany headphones on.
Shut all of that out.
It was quiet.
It was peaceful.
I was able to sync it up to myiPad and listen to what I wanted
to listen to, watch what Iwanted to watch, and the only
(04:00):
thing that disturbed me wasexactly what I wanted to disturb
me.
Jesus talks about a principlerelated to noise-canceling
headphones.
First time we've seen him talkabout it is here in Luke chapter
8.
Luke chapter 8, as you'relooking down here in verse 18,
Jesus, after giving the parableof the soils, says, so take
(04:23):
care, verse 18, so take care howyou listen.
For whoever has to him moreshall be given, but whoever does
not have, even what he thinks hehas, shall be taken away from
him.
So be careful, Jesus says inverse 18, how you listen.
But Mark, over in Mark chapter4, seems to record the same
(04:45):
conversation.
Except as he often does, hethrows in a little bit of a
twist.
He catches something, he focuseson something that Jesus said
that Luke didn't record.
And it's not, well Luke saidJesus said this and Mark said
Jesus said this, so one of themis wrong.
I walk away with theunderstanding Jesus said both of
(05:05):
these things.
And Luke recorded one becausethat's what he was focusing on
and Mark recorded one becausethat's what he was focusing on.
In Luke's account, we're to takecare how we listen.
But in Mark chapter 4 and inverse 24, Mark records the words
of Jesus like this after theparable of the sowers.
(05:29):
He was also saying to them, takecare what you listen to.
Jesus isn't only concerned withyou and me being good listeners.
Jesus is concerned about whatyou and I listen to.
What we give our time and energyand attention to.
(05:52):
Jesus is concerned about, andthis seems to be expressed
across all translations, takecare of what you listen to.
The La Biblia de las Americas isgoing to say the same thing.
The New English translation, thesame thing.
Take care about what you hear.
Jesus is concerned about thecontent that we take in.
(06:12):
Even in the spiritual setting,we need to be careful what we're
listening to.
Noise-canceling headphones keepout what we don't want to hear.
They keep out what we don't needto hear.
I'm on that airplane.
I don't need to hear the turbinespinning to you.
I'm going to have faith thatthey're spinning.
(06:32):
We're up in the air.
I don't need to hear it.
Sometimes I'm getting somewhereand I need to sleep on that
plane.
You ever been there?
It shuts out what I don't need.
And it allows me to focus onwhat I do need.
(06:52):
And as Jesus describes here inMark chapter 4, there's a
spiritual principle in that thatwe need to sink our teeth into.
Jesus is going to describe somethings we need to hear.
And He's going to describe to ushere that there are just some
things that are noise.
Noise.
that we don't need to focus on,that we don't need to pay
attention to, that we don't needto sit and invite into our
(07:12):
lives.
Because it's going to rob us ofpeace, of quiet, and of
confidence.
And if you're familiar with yourBible, you recognize this, don't
you?
We see moments all throughoutScripture where some
noise-canceling headphones wouldhave been good.
You remember all the way back inthe book of Genesis?
(07:33):
Yes.
Way back in the book of Genesis,what did the serpent, what did
Satan say to Eve?
You will not surely die.
Did Eve need to hear that?
Did she need to have thatconversation with the serpent?
Isn't what God had alreadyrevealed to them, seemingly what
Adam had already communicated toher, wasn't that sufficient for
(07:54):
her and her needs?
She didn't need this othernoise, and that's exactly what
it was.
Noise.
UNKNOWN (08:01):
Noise.
SPEAKER_00 (08:02):
And it robbed them of peace, of quiet, of
confidence.
In John chapter 10, Jesusdescribes the character of his
followers.
He says, all who came before mewere robbers and thieves, but my
sheep, my sheep don't hear them.
There's our principle ofnoise-canceling headphones,
(08:25):
right?
But I want you to look at thispassage with me.
Look at 1 John chapter 4.
1 John chapter 4.
Because we get something here in1 John chapter 4 that we need to
dig down on.
(08:46):
When John writes and he talksabout the noise of this world
and that there are just simplysome messages that we need to
filter out.
That we don't need to hear.
That we don't need to inviteinto our lives.
(09:08):
Look at 1 John chapter 4 andcome down to verse 5.
They are from the world.
Therefore they speak as from theworld.
And what does the world do?
The world listens to them.
What does the world do?
(09:29):
Listens to the world.
But all throughout the book of 1John, you and I are called to be
what?
Not like the world.
We're not to share in the world.
We're not to partake of theworld.
We're to be separate from theworld.
We're to walk in the light.
So verse 6, we are from God.
(09:51):
We're not from the world.
Catch the juxtaposition there.
The world listens to itself, butwe are from God.
And he who knows God listens tous.
He who is not from God does notlisten to us by this.
We know the spirit of truth andthe spirit of error.
The world listens to them.
(10:13):
But we're not the world.
I'm not saying anythingsurprising to you tonight when I
say that we live in the midst ofa raging battle.
Satan, through his influence inthis world, is seeking to drag
us down, to ruin us byoverwhelming us with the
messages of this world.
And to a large group around us,that message resonates.
(10:34):
The world hears that message,buys into that message, lives
that message, embraces thatmessage.
The world listens, John says.
John contrasts the worldlistening to his own message and
the message of the apostles.
A message to which the people ofGod listen.
(10:57):
John's telling us here veryclearly there are some things we
need to hear.
And there are some things thatwe don't need to hear.
And that's not to say thatthere's not value in studying
and understanding things thatare wrong.
There's a time and a place forthat and I want us to understand
that.
But if we're talking about ourformative years...
(11:22):
What we need to be focused on isknowing the truth and knowing
God's Word and hearing what Hewants from me.
So let's think about that.
Let's think about how the worldtries to influence us.
(11:43):
And let's think about how thereare simply some messages from
the world around us that wedon't need to hear.
And I want us to do that bylooking at the lives of four
young men that we see in the OldTestament.
I want you to come on in yourOld Testaments to 2 Kings
chapter 20.
2 Kings chapter 20.
(12:16):
In 2 Kings chapter 20...
The northern kingdom of Israelhas already been taken captive.
We've got the southern kingdom,Judah.
That is being focused on here.
A man by the name of Hezekiah ison the throne.
(12:36):
Hezekiah's life earlier inchapter 20 has been divinely
extended by God for some 15years.
What a blessing that seems like.
We'll talk about that in just amoment.
But beginning in verse 12, thereis an envoy from Babylon that
comes to see Hezekiah.
And there's a lot going on herebeginning at verse 12 and going
(12:58):
through the end of this passage.
A lot more than what we're goingto have time to talk about this
evening.
They come to him and he showsthem, he shows these Babylonian
envoy, he shows them all of thetreasure, this is verse 13, all
of the treasure in his house,the silver, the gold, the
spices, the precious oil, thehouse of armor, all that was
(13:20):
found in his treasuries.
Why is God going to be upset?
Because, spoiler alert, God isgoing to be upset that Hezekiah
does this.
Why is God upset that Hezekiahdoes this?
Is it because Hezekiah shouldhave shown them something more
and something of infinitely morevalue than the gold and the
silver?
Perhaps that's it.
(13:43):
I don't think we should glossover the reality that years
after this, the very things thatHezekiah shows to the Babylonian
envoy are the very things thatthey're going to take away and
take to Babylon, stripping thetemple and the nation bare.
But Hezekiah sins, and so wecome down here to 2 Kings
(14:06):
chapter 20 and verse 16.
Isaiah said to Hezekiah, hearthe word of the Lord.
Behold, the days are coming whenall that is in your house and
all that your fathers have laidup in store to this day will be
carried to Babylon and nothingshall be left, says the Lord.
(14:32):
Trouble was coming to Judah.
Hezekiah's life, you remember,was extended 15 years.
That's the first part there.
That seems like a wonderfulthing.
But look at chapter 21.
Hezekiah dies at the end of thechapter.
Manasseh, verse 21, becomes kingin his place.
(14:54):
Verse 21, how old is Manassehwhen he ascends to the throne?
Manasseh Hezekiah's son ascendsto the throne at 12 years old.
Because of that 15-yearextension on Hezekiah's life, it
gives him time to bring Manassehinto the world.
(15:16):
And where Hezekiah sinned,Manasseh sins even more.
He institutes...
back into the nation thatHezekiah had worked to drive
out.
He even, verse 6, he made hissons pass through the fire,
practiced witchcraft and useddivination and dealt with
(15:37):
mediums and spiritists.
He did much evil in the sight ofthe Lord, provoking him to
anger.
That statement there in verse 6,made his sons pass through the
fire.
Here is a Judean king who is sofar gone, he's practicing child
sacrifice.
Skip over to chapter 24.
The sins of Manasseh are soevil, so wicked, and so very
(16:00):
multiplied that as you come tochapter 24 and verse 3,
Nebuchadnezzar comes for thefirst of three times against the
nation of Judah and the city ofJerusalem.
And he does all of this, 2 Kingschapter 24 and verse 3, because
of the sins of Manasseh.
(16:24):
Those sins had been present inJudah.
Those sins had not beenaddressed.
They had grown worse and worse.
Because of that sin, God wastaking Judah out of His sight,
committing them over toBabylonian captivity for 70
years to purge that sin out ofthem and to renew His people.
But judgment was coming.
And it was coming because ofManasseh's sin.
(16:47):
Three times we saidNebuchadnezzar is going to come
here against Judah andJerusalem.
And as he comes against themthis first time, You will notice
2 Kings chapter 24 and verse 1,Jehoiakim is the king.
Now flip a little bit later inyour Old Testaments.
Come over to the book of Daniel.
(17:08):
Look at Daniel chapter 1.
Because as Nebuchadnezzar comesin this first incursion against
Judah and Jerusalem, it's goingto happen, Daniel chapter 1 and
verse 1, during the reign ofJehoiakim.
Same thing as 2 Kings 24.
(17:33):
And the major thing that's goingto happen along with treasure
being captured is that some ofthe nobility is going to be
deported from Jerusalem toBabylon.
And seemingly amongst this groupis going to be four young men
(17:57):
You come down here to verse 3 ofthe book of Daniel.
The king ordered Ashpenaz, thechief of his eunuchs, to bring
some of the sons of Israel,including some of the royal
family and of the nobles, youthsin whom there was no defect, who
were good looking, showingintelligence in every branch of
wisdom, endowed withunderstanding and discerning
knowledge, and who had abilityfor serving in the king's court.
(18:18):
And he ordered him to teach themthe literature and the language
of the Chaldeans.
Verse 6, among them From thesons of Judah were Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Unfortunately, you and I aregoing to know them today as
(18:44):
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And I don't mean to castdispersions on the songs that we
learned as young people in ourBible classes.
Those are good and helpful.
But it's not Shadrach, Meshach,and Abednego.
It's Hananiah, it's Mishael, andit's Azariah.
(19:05):
And I think that's important.
Let's notice what's going onhere.
These are four of the youthsthat are relocated from Judah to
Babylon.
And immediately as they arriveinto Babylon, what we're going
to call the re-education begins.
(19:25):
These young men cannot come inand influence Babylon society.
That's not how Babylon underNebuchadnezzar is going to work.
We're going to influence them.
That's why we're bringingseemingly the best of the best
into the court.
We're going to influence you.
And so look at what happens.
(19:49):
Verse 5.
The king appointed for them adaily ration from the king's
choice food and from the winewhich he drank, and appointed
that they should be educatedthree years, at the end of which
they were to enter the king'spersonal service.
(20:12):
The Babylonians attempt tochange these young men in
seemingly every way possible.
They start by changing theirdiet.
or attempting, at least, tochange their diet.
While it doesn't seem much to ustoday that the dietary laws
under which the Jews lived atthis time most likely would have
(20:33):
forbidden much of the food thatwas served up to Daniel and
Hanani and Mishael and Azariah.
You've got this change in dietfollowed, as you look there in
verse 5, by a change oftraining.
Right as we read through our OldTestaments, we're reminded of
how much God emphasized...
The home being the center ofspiritual instruction.
(20:55):
Deuteronomy 6 makes that so veryclear to us.
Now you've got three years ofintensive training in the
Babylonian captive to put youinto service for the king of
Babylon himself.
A change in diet, a change intraining.
Look at Daniel chapter 1 andverse 6.
In verse 7, it's no longer goingto be Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
(21:19):
and Azariah.
It's going to be built to Shazarand Shadrach and Meshach and
Abednego.
These young men are renamed.
One of the last most meaningfulconnections that they have to
their family and to theirculture and to the God that they
serve.
The Babylonians attempt toredefine.
Daniel means God is my judge.
(21:41):
Hananiah means Jehovah isgracious.
Mishael means who is what Godis.
And Azariah means the Lord is myhelper.
And those names are changed.
Daniel becomes Belteshazzar, thetreasure of Baal.
Hananiah becomes...
(22:04):
And I just noticed that.
That's really confusing becausethat's not Hannah.
That's supposed to be Hananiah.
I will discipline whoeverproofread my charts.
I can assure you it is notHannah back at this time.
It is Hananiah.
The change in name.
(22:25):
So we've got Daniel, we've gotHananiah.
Hananiah, his name is changed toShadrach, inspired by the sun
god.
Mishael turns into Meshach.
He who belongs to Sheshach, oneof the false gods of that time.
And Azariah is turned intoAbed-Nego, a servant of Nebo.
Babylon takes the last vestigesof Judaism that these young men
(22:47):
could cling to and changes it,tries to erase it.
You're not that anymore, Babylonis trying to say.
You are who we tell you you are.
You are what we will make ofyou.
But then look at verse 3.
(23:10):
Change in diet, a change intraining, a change in name, and
a change in body.
I'm reading from the NewAmerican Standard Bible for
various reasons.
They're going to translateDaniel chapter 1 and verse 3 to
Ashpenaz, the chief of theofficials.
If you're reading from the KingJames or New King James, it's
(23:33):
not officials, it's what?
The chief of the eunuchs.
Think about that.
These young men are committedinto the hand of the man who is
identified as the chief of theeunuchs.
Now hold your finger here.
Hold your finger here in Daniel.
(23:55):
I want you to go back to 2 Kings20, where we were just a moment
ago.
2 Kings 20, where we weretalking about Hezekiah and the
consequences that were to comefrom Hezekiah's sinfulness.
1 Kings 20...
2 Kings chapter 20.
Pardon me.
2 Kings chapter 20.
(24:18):
And look over here.
Look over here at verse 18.
After saying the things that youshowed the Babylonians, they're
going to be carried away.
None of it's going to be left.
Verse 18.
Some of your sons who shallissue from you, Hezekiah's
(24:38):
progeny, they will be taken awayAnd they will become officials,
New American Standard Bible,other translations.
They will become what?
They will become eunuchs in thepalace of the king of Babylon.
(24:59):
That they were entrusted tocourt service in Babylon is
clearly what the text isrevealing to us.
But make no mistake, what isbeing described here is a
physical alteration of youngmen.
They mutilated these young men.
(25:21):
They mutilated these young menfor their own purposes.
I remember being asked in aBible class years ago one time,
you know, if Daniel is so godlyand God talks to us about the
wisdom of marriage, why do wenever read about Daniel being
married or Daniel having kids?
(25:46):
And it wasn't the appropriatevenue at that time to go into
that discussion, but I think youfind an answer right here.
Most likely Daniel doesn't getmarried and have children
because he didn't have thecapacity to father children.
That as a teenager, theBabylonians took that away from
(26:06):
him.
And took that away from Hananiahand Mishael and Azariah.
All so that they could influencethem.
But what did these four youngmen do?
I'll tell you what they did.
They muted the noise.
(26:28):
They canceled that noise.
Because they made their faiththeir own.
That's what's described there inDaniel chapter 1 and verse 8,
that Daniel purposed in hisheart.
How many sermons have we heardfrom that?
And for good reason, youprobably have it highlighted in
your Bible.
Daniel purposed in his heartthat he would not defile himself
with a portion of the king'sdelicacies that were presented
(26:49):
before him.
And apparently, Hananiah,Mishael, and Azariah arrived at
the same conclusion as well.
That, King, you have set thisbefore us, but we can't do this.
Yes, you've tried to change me.
Yes, you've tried to alter me.
Yes, you've tried to strip myidentity away from me.
But you can do all of thisexternal stuff, but you cannot
touch my heart.
(27:09):
The only one who can give up myheart is me.
And so they come before Ashpenazand they say, Hey...
We can't do this.
Daniel had been brought into thegood graces of Ashkenaz by his
(27:30):
godly behavior.
They proposed this differentplan and it's accepted.
At the end of the time, theyappear better than all of the
rest in the Babylonian court.
And so we're going to adoptthese guys' diet now.
And Daniel and Hananiah andMishael and Azariah are
commended before the king andthey move on to greater service
(27:52):
in the kingdom of Babylon.
But what I want us to seetonight is that they made their
faith their own.
How did they do that?
And I'm going to submit to youthat it started way before they
ever get here in Babylon.
That yeah, they are torn awayfrom their family and their
community as teenagers it seems.
(28:13):
But parents and grandparents andloved ones, they had 16 years to
influence these men.
They had 17 years.
They had 18 years.
And whatever influence theygave, held.
And it held in the face ofeverything that Babylon could
(28:34):
throw at them.
Those songs you sing in Bibleclass, that you wonder, does
this really mean anything tothose kids?
The readings from the Bible thatwe may do at night when everyone
seems to be so tired and itwould be so easy not to do it.
(28:56):
The times when we're going to goahead and pray together at
night, even though it's hard tohold our eyes open, does it do
any good?
Dragging them to church.
Because, yeah, traffic is bad.
and frustrating and nothing'sconvenient anymore?
(29:19):
Does it do any good?
Should we be here?
Should we make the sacrifices?
Look at what it did for theseguys.
Look at what they faced down andwere empowered to overcome
because of what had happened tothem earlier.
Because of the influence oftheir parents.
(29:39):
The influence of their families.
The influence of theircommunities.
They resolved not to defilethemselves.
Just means they made a decision.
Daniel made a decision.
Daniel seems to lead the wayhere.
Sometimes we need those kinds ofleaders.
Someone's got to step up andsay, it's going to be me.
Daniel steps up and says, I'lldo it.
(30:00):
I'll be the one to say, I can'tdo it.
And it's interesting that assoon as he seemingly finds the
strength to do that, there areothers who are willing to say,
I'm not going to do it either.
We need people who are going tostand up and say, I'm going to
do what's right.
And don't be surprised when youmake the decision to do what's
right when you look around andyou see other people making that
(30:23):
same decision.
Sometimes people just need thatlittle spark of encouragement.
Make those godly decisions.
They were willing to trust Godand to trust His will even
though this ungodly food was setbefore them.
Even though it might anger theking.
They persist in doing what isright.
(30:44):
And trust God even in the midstof hardship.
And they never forgot who theywere.
Here's what I wanted to circleback to.
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, thesong we used to sing as kids.
You ever read through the bookof Daniel and realized this?
(31:05):
They never once refer to eachother by those names.
You go read Daniel againsometime.
Never once...
Did Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,and Azariah ever refer to each
other as Belteshazzar, Shadrach,Meshach, or Abednego?
They never do it.
They could be renamed by theBabylonians.
(31:28):
The Babylonians couldn't takethat away from them.
Who they really were.
They knew who they were.
Know who you are.
Know who you are.
And when you know who you are,you'll be able to mute the
(31:51):
world.
Because the world comes to uswith a lot of things that are
just noise.
The world tries to convince youyou're all alone.
Don't you know Daniel feltalone?
Don't you know he felt alonewhen I'm guessing some sort of
(32:13):
pork is set in front of him?
Maybe bacon-wrapped shrimp wouldbe pretty tempting.
That it's all set before him andit's things that he knows as
they got you to do.
He can't eat it.
But it's so difficult.
And I'm in a foreign land.
(32:34):
My family's not here.
I'm all alone.
Can't I just give in?
My parents aren't here anymore.
I'm off at college.
There's no one around.
There's no one checking in onme.
I can do this, right?
I'm just all alone.
It's so hard to stand when I'mall alone.
The world tries to convince uswe're all alone all the time.
(32:57):
Yet I see an entire quarter ofthis auditorium filled with
people that as you look around,you're not alone.
One of the worst lies this worldwill ever try to convince you of
is the fact that you are alone.
Daniel was not alone.
Hananiah was not alone.
Mishael was not alone.
Azariah was not alone.
And you're not alone.
They had each other.
(33:18):
But more than that, they hadGod.
The God who says, I will neverleave you and I will never
forsake you.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, andAzariah accepted that promise
and they stood on that promise.
And they get through thisepisode.
They get through chapter 2.
They get through chapter 3.
We're going to get over tochapter 11 and 12.
And Daniel seems to be about an80 or a 90 year old man.
(33:41):
And he is still faithfullyserving God.
Because of who he was when hewas 15, 16, 17, 18 years old.
We need to mute this world whenthe world tells us That your
(34:01):
only reason for living isreproduction.
Tyler, that's a strange thing tosay.
I saw you laugh too.
It's a strange thing to say,right?
But yet you look at one of thefaces of new atheism, Richard
Dawkins, and that's exactly whathe says over and over again.
We are machines for propagatingDNA.
It is every living object's solereason for living.
(34:22):
That you're just here toreproduce, to carry on your
genes in one way or another.
Folks, that's the meaning andthe purpose the new atheist
movement gives.
But I want you to noticesomething.
I want you to notice how thatbreaks down the very fabric of a
(34:43):
respectable society.
Notice how that renders asmeaningless the lives of those
who can no longer reproduce.
Or who simply cannot reproduce.
Notice how the new atheism,which invites us through reason
and separation from theism toenjoy a greater and a higher and
(35:06):
a more noble existence, actuallydelivers none of that.
It offers no hope for thebroken.
For all of its bluster andpromises, it delivers nothing.
There's no racial reconciliationin the new atheism.
(35:28):
There's no meaningful existencefor the broken.
There is no purpose for life inthe new atheism.
It is the jiggling and wigglingof atoms.
And that's a quote.
The new atheism speaks so muchand delivers so very little.
(35:54):
Mute that noise.
And that's exactly what it is.
It's noise.
Mute it.
Put on those headphones, put inthose earbuds, and cancel it.
Mute this world that provides noanswers and no hope and no
(36:14):
purpose.
Mute the world when it says thatyou can't know God's will.
We want to throw up our handssometimes in frustration because
we feel like we just don'tunderstand what God wants from
me.
And perhaps it's because we havea little bit of a
misunderstanding of God's will.
Maybe we're expecting God tojust dictate every little
(36:34):
faceted decision we make in thislife.
What if I told you, yes, God isconcerned with our lives, but
that there are some decisionsthat are just opinion that need
to be guided by good wisdom, butare neither right nor wrong.
They're just decisions we needto make.
But that what God is concernedabout and what God does reveal
(36:54):
to us is as well as what Hereveals in Scripture.
2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9.
The Lord is not slack concerningHis promises, as some men count
slackness, but is longsufferingtowards us, not willing.
Here's the will of God.
Not willing that any shouldperish, but what?
But that all should come torepentance.
(37:14):
That's the will of God.
God wants us to be a repenter.
1 Thessalonians chapter 4 andverse 3.
This is the will of God for yourlife, Paul writes.
Your what?
Your sanctification.
(37:35):
Your holiness.
That you abstain from sexualimmorality.
There's God's will for yourlife.
To be sexually pure.
Or Romans chapter 12, verses 1and 2.
That we're not to take the moldof this world.
But we're to be transformed bythe renewing of our lives that
(37:58):
we might prove what is that goodand acceptable and perfect will
of God.
That you and I, God's will forour lives, is that we would
demonstrate His will by livingin holiness, by living in
purity, by living lives ofsacrifice.
(38:20):
We need to mute the world whenit tells us we can't know the
will of God and we need to mutethe world When it tells us we
can't serve God.
Last passage and then we'redone.
Thank you so much for being withme tonight.
For following along in yourBible.
That's been an encouragement.
Look at 1 Peter chapter 2.
And let's wrap up here.
1 Peter chapter 2.
(38:43):
The world sometimes tells us youcan't serve God.
You can't follow Jesus.
Sadly we even hear that from ourbrethren sometimes.
Leaving us with the idea thatserving God is just a bridge too
far.
We can't do it.
We can't follow Jesus.
We can't serve Him.
That we're all simply varyingdegrees of wicked, unable to
(39:05):
break out of the bonds of sinand find liberty.
Mute that noise.
That is what it is, is noise.
Because you can serve God.
You can follow Jesus.
You can please God.
All of us in here can.
(39:26):
By doing His will.
Or as Peter will sum it up, bydoing the very thing we're told
we can't do, by following Jesus.
1 Peter 2, verse 21.
For you have been called forthis purpose.
You have been called for thispurpose.
(39:48):
Since Christ also suffered foryou, leaving you an example...
That you should follow in Hissteps who committed no sin.
You can do it.
And I can do it.
(40:09):
But one thing it's going to taketo be able to follow Jesus, to
please our God, to serve Him, isto mute the noise that is all
around us.
So pack those noise-cancelingheadphones.
Pack those earbuds.
Turn off the distractions in theworld and focus on what is real.
(40:35):
Focus on what is true.
Focus on what is right.
Thank you for your attentionthis evening.
I appreciate it.
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