Making Good Choices
Introduction.
(Dan. 6:1-5). Most of us are very familiar with the account in this
chapter. It is a moving lesson about courage, faithfulness, and God’s power to
save. Tonight I would like for us to consider a little something different. I’d
like for us to consider what this account teaches us about making good choices.
We all face choices everyday. Many of them are small in nature and don’t have
much effect on the course of our life, or the fate of our soul. Others are much
more serious. Daniel would be confronted with a very important choice. Tonight
let’s consider what his example can teach us about making good choices.
I. Good choices are often
difficult to make. We might
wish that the best choice is always the easiest choice. That is not always the
case. This is true for a number of reasons:
•
Good choices may run counter to personal desire. It might
feel good to sleep in instead of going to worship God— We might not get the
attention from boys we would like if we dress in clothes that are modest—We
might want to get that “buzz” from drugs or alcohol to take away stress—It
might seem exciting to view pornography. In these cases making a good choice
will be difficult.
•
Good choices may result in pressure from others. Good
choices might be easy if everyone else makes the same choice—What if the good
choice is not the popular choice? Then others might make fun of you—be angry
with you, or even try to harm you. That is difficult.
•
Good choices might lead to hardship or discomfort. Cheating
on a test might let you relax and enjoy yourself the night before—doing right
means you have to study. Lying on your taxes means that you don’t have to pay
as much—telling the truth may cost you money. Going to Bible class might mean
that you have to feel guilty if there are things you do that you
shouldn’t—skipping class means you don’t have to feel this.
A. Daniel was
about to face a choice that could cost him his life (Dan. 6:6-9).
1. How easy if
would have been to avoid this danger—he could have just worshipped in a more private
way. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I don’t have to be at church every
service—I worship God everywhere that I am!”
2. What if it
became illegal to worship God? Would we even be in danger of persecution?
3. Many
Christians find it very easy to avoid worship anyway. It might be that entertainer
we love is in town—that ball game is on today—I need to work that extra shift
to pay those bills—I don’t want to upset my boss by asking off for
services—This was a busy week—I’m tired—I’m discouraged—Maybe we are upset with
other Christians—The list could go on and on. If worshipping God was outlawed would
we find excuses to protect ourselves and forsake worshipping God?
B. In spite of
the difficulty he chose what was right (Dan. 6:10a).
1. This is a
powerful example. If something is right, it is always right.
a. It was hard
for Job to continue to serve God—his wife urged him to quit, but his hardship
didn’t make it right to do wrong (Job. 2:9-10)
b. It was hard
for Joseph to resist Potiphar’s wife. He has suffered unfair treatment. His own
family had betrayed him. He was alone. This was perhaps a beautiful woman—who
would expect him to resist? But he did what was right anyway! (Gen. 39:9). It
led him to imprisonment! What good did it do? He did what was right.
2. Illustration:
During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice.
The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that
the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate
the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the
Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill
hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives.
Churchill had to choose and followed the second course.
Klyne Snodgrass, Between Two
Truths - Living with
Biblical Tensions, 1990, Zondervan Publishing House,
p. 179.
3. We must reject, oppose, and
aggressively resist the temptation to think that serving God is only valid if
it makes everything in like go smoothly. It will not always be that way. But
choosing to serve God is always right (Matt. 7:13-14).
II. Making good choices
starts with making good choices. That may sound a little obvious,
but think about it—what makes someone decide not to run their hand down the
sharp edge of a knife? Perhaps, as a child our parents warn us of the danger.
It may be that at some point we make the bad choice to test it, and we cut
ourselves. From that point on, what starts the process of good decisions when
it comes to using a knife? It starts with the first good choice that says “I am
not going to run my hand down the blade of a knife—not because I can’t—not
because my parents said not to—I am going to choose what is good for me by my
own choice!
A. It was Daniel’s custom since
childhood to serve God (Dan. 6:10b).
B. As a young man he chose what was
right (Dan. 1:6-21).
1. We are not
really told what influenced these young men to do right. We often assume it was
good parenting—perhaps, good influences in youth can go a long way to influence
later life. It could have been much different. It could be that these young
men, when first confronted with this choice decided for themselves “I have to
serve God, not man!”
2. We probably
don't appreciate the difficulty of this. We think of them as slaves with little
choice. Let’s think of it this way—Imagine that a celebrity came to you from
Hollywood or New York and said to you...
•
Take you to live there and give you a nice expensive apartment.
•
Fine clothes, and the latest computer, phone, and technological
equipment.
•
You will be fed the finest foods, hang out with the most famous
and beautiful people.
•
...However, you can’t worship God. You can’t believe in God. You do
what everyone else does (whether it is right or wrong). What would you do?
3. Serving God
is a personal choice that no one else can make for us (Josh. 24:14-16).
•
This involves a choice to obey the gospel to begin with—“Am I
willing to look like a strange religious freak (as some people would see
it?”
•
That will lead us to other choices: Friends we make, jobs we
take, who we marry, what we teach our kids, how much money we make, where we
live, what we drive, what we do for entertainment—Future good choices start
with past good choices.
4. David Russell said, “The hardest thing
to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”
III. Good choices are
always found on the side of God. What determines whether a person
makes good spiritual choices? Are some people just more naturally suited to do
right? In business and leadership matters author Keith Louden considers the
question: “What kind of person is best able to involve others and himself in
good decision making?” Louden offers what he believes are seven qualities:
1. The ability to look ahead and
see what's coming—foresight.
2. Steadiness, with patience and
persistence and courage.
3. A buoyant spirit that in spite
of cares generates confidence.
4. Ingeniousness, the ability to
solve problems soundly yet creatively.
5. The ability to help others.
6. Righteousness, the willingness
to do the right thing and speak the truth.
7. Personal morality of a quality
that commands the respect of others.
J. Keith Louden, "Leadership," from the Management Course for
Presidents, pp 10-11.
These are some insightful points. There are some good
principles here that (in some cases) reflect some very biblical values. Note in
particular the first point— The ability
to look ahead and see what's coming. When it comes to making good choices
spiritually it is all about foresight—being able to look beyond the present to
see the consequences of our choices.
A. Enemies of
God oppose good choices (Dan. 6:11-15).
1. The ungodly
will think good choices are “strange” (1 Pet. 4:1-4).
B. Good choices
may not appear to pay at first (Dan. 6:16-18).
1. When Lot
chose to move his family to the “cities of the plain” it seemed like a good
choice—it was well watered. In the end it turned out to be a place of sin and
his family would suffer because of it, when his own wife was turned to a pillar
of salt and his daughters were without husbands, when Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed
(Gen. 13:10; 19).
C. God
ultimately saves those who choose to serve Him (Dan. 6:19-23).
1. “There is a
way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25).
2. We have the freedom to make bad
choices, but what is the end result of these choices—eternal punishment! It is
not worth it.
Conclusion. (Dan.
6:24-28). What if Daniel made a different choice? Whose side would that have
placed him on?
•
Have you made the good choice to obey the gospel?
•
What is hindering you from this choice?
•
Whose side are you on because of this choice?