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Good morning, church. I want to start by welcoming you, whether you're here at one of our local campuses—Doral, West Kendall, downtown, Redland, Palmetto Bay—or watching online. If this is your first time with us, I'm so glad you're here. My name is Omar, and I serve as lead pastor here at Christ Fellowship. We're one church with many locations, and today we're starting an exciting new study in the book of Daniel.
Let me begin with a story. A few weeks ago, my family and I went to the beach on the west coast before school started. Every day was different—one day the ocean was smooth as glass, the next day it was rough. The currents were unpredictable, pulling us in different directions. You may have heard about a young boy in California who was caught by a rip current and nearly pulled out to sea. Another young man saw what was happening and locked arms with him, refusing to let him be pulled away. When those currents tried to drag this boy away from everything he loved—his family, his friends, everything he knew—other young men came to his rescue.
Folks, that's exactly what the currents of sin try to do to us.
The powerful sin currents of this world want to pull every child of God away from everything their heavenly Father wants for them. There are seasons when the pull of sin isn't so strong. But there are other seasons—hard moments at work, at school, times of intense temptation and peer pressure—where that current is so strong and overpowering that you feel like you're being pulled under with nothing you can do about it.
For some of you, it's a romantic relationship that doesn't honor God. For others, it's sexual temptation or immorality. Some of you are facing the temptation to give up on your marriage, thinking nothing can be saved. For some, it's the pull to idolize money, to hoard it and never honor God with what He's given you. Others struggle with hanging out with old crowds, old friends from the past—that familiar pull back to your old life. And for many, it's the bondage of pornography or addiction.
Every single one of us faces different sin currents. But here's the truth: just like that young man needed other people to lock arms and keep him from being pulled into the ocean, we need other people around us—God-fearing, Christ-exalting people—to lock arms with us when temptation comes.
Let's turn to Daniel chapter 1 and see what God's Word shows us. In the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded Jerusalem and took captives back to Babylon. This wasn't random. Remember our study through 1 and 2 Kings last spring? We saw the spiritual and moral decline of God's people. God warned them repeatedly, but they wouldn't listen. So God brought judgment. The northern kingdom fell to Assyria, and now the southern kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon.
Babylon was the center of the world—diverse, wealthy, dynamic, offering everything the world could provide. The Babylonians took about 10,000 Jewish people into exile there. But here's what's important: God had promised that through the Jewish people, He would bring the Savior of the world—Jesus Christ. So although the people were in exile, God's plan would continue.
Now listen to what happened. The king commanded his chief eunuch to select young men from Israel—youths without blemish, of good appearance, skilled in wisdom and knowledge. These young men would be trained in Babylonian literature and language for three years, then stand before the king. The strategy was clear: find the best young Jewish men, train them in the Babylonian system, and use them as leaders over the other Jewish people.
The Babylonians had a three-part plan to reshape these young men's identities.
First, they changed their names. Names in Hebrew had deep meaning—they reflected God and His character. Daniel meant "God is judge." Hananiah meant "beloved of the Lord." Mishael meant "Who is as God?" And Azariah meant "The Lord is my help." But the Babylonians renamed them:
They weren't just changing names; they were changing identity, severing these young men from their God.
Second, they changed their education. These young men would now learn Babylonian literature and wisdom—a completely different worldview.
Third, they changed their lifestyle through food and drink. This was strategic. Eating and drinking were major social events, and the food had been sacrificed to idols and violated Jewish dietary laws. If these young men participated in the king's meals, they would participate in a lifestyle of drunkenness and sensuality.
Think about it: these were teenagers—16, 17, 18 years old. They were alone in an exciting new city. The people they knew were left behind in Jerusalem or dead. Maybe they thought, "God has abandoned us. Why not give in to everything Babylon has to offer?" The pressure was immense.
But then we read this in verse 8: "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine that he drank."
Everyone say it: resolved.
Here's what I love about this: a teenager, faced with the possibility of dishonoring God and giving in to the sensual lifestyle of Babylon, made a quiet but powerful decision. He resolved.
So let me ask you today: When faced with temptation, when faced with the possibility of dishonoring God in any way, is there a resolve in you? Is there a deep resolve in your soul, like Daniel had, to honor God and obey Him?
Students and middle schoolers and high schoolers: when you're at school with your classmates, and conversations and situations arise, is there a resolve in you that you are different? That you will honor God?
Young adults, ages 18 to 29: when you're at school, at work, at that party, amid all the temptation—the attractive people, the drinking, the talk, the ideas—is there a resolve in you? Are you grounded, rooted, anchored in your determination to honor God?
Men: when other men at work are lusting after a young lady, or cutting corners with unethical practices, or when you hang out with old buddies and your old lifestyle is tempting you—is there a resolve in you to honor God?
Ladies: when you face vanity, temptation, gossip, and everything the world throws at you—is there a conviction, a resolve in you to be different?
Couples: when you go through a hard season in marriage—and every marriage does—husbands, is there a resolve in you to love your wife and honor the Lord? Ladies, is there a resolve in you to honor your husband, to let him lead, to be a source of encouragement?
In every walk of life, the question is: is there a resolve in you to honor God?
Some of you might be thinking, "Pastor, I hear you. I'm tracking with you. I want to honor God. I love God. But the moment I walk out those doors, I feel like I get sucked into all the sin currents of this world. How do I not be pulled in?"
That's where we find the answer. Listen to what Daniel did next. He went to the chief eunuch and made a request. The eunuch was afraid—if Daniel looked worse than the other young men, the king would have his head. But Daniel had a proposal:
"Test your servants together. Test your servants together for 10 days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. And then let our appearance and the appearance of the youth who eat the king's food be observed by you and deal with your servants according to what you see."
Here's what I love: These four teenage boys didn't resolve individually. They locked arms together. Despite the temptation of women, drink, sex, and everything Babylon pulled them toward, they resolved together to honor God. When one was tempted, they weren't alone—they were together, honoring God together.
Folks, if you want to have a resolve to honor God, you need other people in your life. You need God-fearing, Christ-exalting people doing life with you, resolved not to let the sin currents take you.
If you're sitting here at church today and you feel like you're struggling, falling into the same sins over and over, not maturing, not growing—it's usually because of two primary reasons:
First, you're not reading God's Word consistently throughout the week. If the only Bible you get is on Sunday morning, you are not as spiritually strong as you could be. I'm telling you, there's power when you take God's Word into your soul. If you feel weak right now, start reading God's Word.
Second, you're not in community with other believers. You can sit in a church of hundreds or thousands of people and be completely alone in your Christian walk. You can be in a crowd and be isolated. No wonder you keep struggling. No wonder you're stagnant. No wonder you keep getting dragged back into the same environments.
This is why small groups are so critical at our church. Small groups aren't just about Bible study. The power is in the fellowship, the community, the friendship. When you talk about God's Word together, when you know each other, when you pray for each other, you're not alone in your Christian walk.
For students, the real power isn't Sunday morning—it's Wednesday night in our youth group. Yes, there's worship and teaching, but the real power comes when you break into smaller groups to talk, process God's Word, laugh, and encourage each other.
For young adults, ages 18 to 29, you meet Tuesday nights. Again, the power isn't in the lights and energy—that fades. The power is in the community afterward, when you break into groups to talk, pray, ask questions, and share your lives.
For adults, we meet on Sunday mornings, and it's a great time of worship. But the strength of our church isn't that we have thousands of people gathered. The strength is when we become small—when you have a group of believers who know you, love you, pray for you. You're not alone.
This Wednesday night, we're kicking off our Wednesday night family night. We have free childcare, youth group for middle and high schoolers, and adult small groups in different types—married couples, men, women, and more. If you're looking to get connected in community, Wednesday night is the perfect time.
Listen, I always tell people: small groups are part of our discipleship process. When you're brand new to our church, there are four things we want you involved in:
Make no mistake about it: when you get in community with other believers, there is power. When you start to resolve to honor God like Daniel and his friends, and you lock arms with others, here's what happens.
Listen to how the story ends:
"God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief eunuch. As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. And at the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them 10 times better than all his magicians and enchanters that were in all of his kingdom."
God gave them favor. The Hebrew word here is hesed—loving kindness. When God looked down upon Daniel and these three young men, trying to honor Him in the middle of Babylon with so much temptation and uncertainty, striving to honor Him despite the pressure, Scripture says God had compassion on them. He showed loving kindness and favor upon them.
I don't know what you're going through right now. Maybe you're being pulled in different directions. Maybe you're facing marriage issues, loneliness, romantic struggles, health issues, family problems, work stress. But when God looks down upon His children with a strong desire to honor Him, God has a way of showing compassion. He shows favor upon your life and loving kindness.
When you feel the tug of sin, resolve to honor God with others. When you do that, God will not leave you high and dry. He will show you favor and compassion in whatever circumstance you're facing.
As we start this fall, it's time to take a step and be in community. Stop living in isolation.
If you're a student in middle or high school, come to Wednesday night at any of our campuses. Parents, bring your students. They're going to lock arms with somebody—either with believers pursuing God, or with kids at school pursuing the world. It's your choice.
Young adults: you can lock arms with people in the world who will drag you away at pivotal moments, or you can come to Tuesday nights where you belong. This is where you'll grow.
Adults: we have so many groups for you. If you feel like you need to grow in your walk with the Lord, it's the perfect time.
If you're already in a small group, here's my challenge: commit to attending consistently. Talk about this teaching together. Say, "We're going to lock arms. If there's something we're struggling with, we're not going to stay silent. We're going to share with somebody because we're not going to get dragged in."
If you stepped out of a small group, get back in. Talk to your small group leader and say, "I want to start again this fall."
If you've never been in a small group, we're starting a brand new study called Rooted. It's powerful—it talks about the critical things of the Christian faith and helps you get rooted and grounded. Thousands of us have already gone through it. If you haven't, this is the perfect time. It's starting in the next few weeks.
Joining a group is easy. You can tap the little black circle in front of you, scan the QR code behind me, or stop by the "Connect to Others" table on your way out. You can click "Join a Small Group," choose your campus, select your group type (or choose Rooted), and submit. Our team will follow up with you and help you get connected. That's it.
Before we finish, maybe your next step isn't joining a small group. Maybe this is your first time, and you don't have a relationship with God. You've heard about God, but you don't know Him. You're wondering, "How can I know God? How can I get right with God? How can I start a new walk with the Lord?"
The answer isn't coming to church on Sunday. It's not a ritual when you're an infant or doing good things or giving money. The Bible says:
"But to those who believed in him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, born not of blood nor of the will of man, but of the will of God."
There has to be a moment where you put your full trust and faith in what the Lord did for you at the cross. He came to earth, lived a perfect life for you, gave His life on the cross, suffered for you, died for your sins, and resurrected to give you a future and a hope. When you put your surrendered faith in what He did, the Lord forgives you of all your sins. He brings you close and you become a child of God. You start a personal relationship with the Lord.
But there has to be a moment where you say, "I'm done with this world. I want to know God."
Will you put your trust and faith in Christ today?
Let me lead you in a prayer. Father, today we love You, Lord, and we thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and the way You don't leave us alone. With all heads bowed and eyes closed, if you feel ready to take this step of faith and start a relationship with God, I'm going to ask you to raise your hand right now. As an affirmation, slip up your hand with no one looking. Just you and God.
Don't pray to me. I'm only a man. I can't save you. You pray to God. Understand that what saves you isn't a prayer—it's the faith behind the prayer. You're saved by faith alone.
Pray this prayer in full faith to the Lord:
"Lord, today I come before You. I thank You, Lord, for Your love for me. Father, I come before You and I confess all of my sin. I ask You for forgiveness of my sin. I put my trust and my faith in You, Lord. Save me, God. Save me from my sin, Lord. Make me Yours. For the rest of my life, oh God, I want to honor You just like Daniel did, Lord. Thank You, Lord, for loving me. Thank You, Lord, for saving me. It's in the precious name of Jesus I pray."
If you prayed that prayer, on your way out, stop by the Next Step booth. We'd love to connect with you, give you a brand new leather Bible free of charge, and help you take steps in your walk with the Lord.
