LITTLE AND DESPISED

LITTLE AND DESPISED - MICAH 5:2; MATTHEW 2:6

Micah 5:2: But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Matt. 2:6: And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

INTRODUCTION:

The life we live as Christians must be in line with the life of our Master and Savior Jesus Christ (from his life in the cradle to his life in ascension). He is the apotheosis and prodigy of excellence as He was despised and rejected. He is our perfect example on the journey to our success.

FEELINGS OF...

REJECTION

EMPTINESS

DEVASTATION

DESPISE

NEGLECTION

LITTLENESS...

CROWNS EVERY BEGINNING!!!

JOB 8:7 - Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

EXAMPLE: THE BEGINNING OF CREATION

BETHLEHEM JUDAH: house of bread & praise - A despised and little town had the opportunity to experience the TRUE bread of life - JESUS.

NAMES HAVE MEANING:

Beth-lehem signifies the house of bread, the fittest place for Jesus to be born who is the bread of life.

And, because it was the city of David, by a special providence it was ordered that he should be born there who was to be the Son of David -DESPISED AND LITTLE LIKE DAVID, and his heir and successor for ever.

It is called Bethlehem-Ephratah, both names of the same city, as appears Gen_35:19.

It was little among the thousands of Judah, not considerable either for the number of the inhabitants or the figure they made; it had nothing in it worthy to have this honor ; but God in that, as in other instances, chose to exalt those of low degree, Luk_1:52:

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

HE CHOOSES THE FOOLISH OF THIS WORLD TO CONFOUND THE WISE, THE WEAK THINGS TO CONFOUND THE THINGS WHICH ARE MIGHTY - 1 COR. 1:27

Christ would give honor to the place of his birth: Though thou be little, yet this shall make thee great, and, as St. Matthew reads it, "Thou art not the least among the princes of Judah", but upon this event of CHRSIT'S BIRTH BETHLEHEM JUDAH art really honorable above any of them.

A relation to Christ will magnify those that are little in the world.

NAOMI & ELIMELECH - Ruth 1:1 - "In the days when the judges ruled" - This proves the very premise that this story really transpired in the period of the Judges. The theme of the book of Judges is "and every one did what was right in his own eyes".

- They left the "house of bread" for "a cursed region & town" - MOAB - "from father" - prefix mo (from) and ab (father).

NOTE: Christians are hereby warned to be circumspective about what we do in times of affliction and difficulties. we must NOT be controlled by our circumstances but we must control our circumstances.

CIRCUMSTANCES ARE MADE FOR PEOPLE AND NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND

WE MUST CHECK OUR ATTITUDE: Our response to our negative environment proves our maturity in Christ. A Christian is the one who knows how to react to the pressures of life. It is crass stupidity and insanity to pray for a change of our circumstances in lieu of praying for a change of our attitude concerning our circumstances.

JESUS KNEW THAT PRAYING FOR THE CUP OF AFFLICTION AND TORMENT TO PASS BY HIM WAS AN IMPOSSIBILITY IN LIGHT OF HIS DESIRE TO SAVE HUMANITY FROM SIN. WHAT HE NEEDED TO PRAY FOR WAS THE STRENGTH TO SURVIVE THE TORMENTS AND SUFFERINGS WHICH HAS A GREAT RECOMPENSE OF REWARD.

NO ONE IS IMMUNE FROM THE STORMS OF LIFE -

OUR SURROUNDINGS CONTROL OUR SOARING ABILITY.

THE VISIT OF THE MAGI – WISE MEN

OLD TESTAMENT-DEFINITION

The first mention of "wise men" is in the account of Jacob's son, Joseph, in Genesis 41:8 where it says that the pharaoh "called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men" [Hebrew: chakam] to interpret his dream.

Chakam means intelligent, skillful, artful or cunning man. This same word is used throughout the rest of the Old Testament, except in the Book of Daniel.

In Daniel, the word used in the original language is chakamim or chakkiym from a root corresponding to chakam. The first of these "wise men" is mentioned in Daniel 2:12. At this time, "wise men" apparently consisted of three different types:

(1) astrologers,

(2) Chaldeans, and

(3) soothsayers.

NEW TESTAMENT-DEFINITION

The first word translated "wise men" is the Greek word magos. This is the same as magus, an old Persian word equivalent to the chakam of the Old Testament (above). Magi is the plural of magus.

The first and only mention of magi in the New Testament is in the story of Jesus Christ's young life. In Matthew 2, it is recorded that they came from the East to Jerusalem looking for "he that is born King of the Jews." These were magi, a caste of learned and notable men. The only known Magian priests East of Palestine (at the time of Christ's birth), were in ancient Media, Persia, Assyria, and Babylonia.

David predicted of a visit of kings coming to praise the Lord with gold and incense – Psalm 72:10-11:

“The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts…Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him”.

Although the word magic is derived from the same root as magi, and magi are generally associated with occult studies, even in our modern world. However, these magi seem to be different:

• There is no indication that they practiced sorcery or claimed magical powers.

• Their recorded conduct is sincere and worshipful.

• They appear to have researched the Old Testament and believed its prophecies about the Messiah.

• They appear not to apparently desire or gain nothing material from their long journey.

THE ROAD TO GLORY

MATTHEW 2:1-11 – THE MIND (ATTITUDE) OF CHRIST & THAT OF THE WISE MEN

1. WISE MEN CAME FROM THE EAST (V.1) - A LIFE OF ATTRACTION

YOUR IMPACT IN THE WORLD:

A despised and little place like Bethlehem became a side attraction for WISE and dignified MEN to leave their place of comfort to abide in shambles BECAUSE OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS.

NOTE: Celebrating Christmas must imbue in us the urgency to live a life that is worthy of attracting others to follow hard after Christ. If our lives drive people away from GOD, then we must access our lives and EXAMINE OURSELVES WHTHER WE ARE STILL IN THE FAITH (PAUL).

OUR THINKING AND TALKING DETERMINES OUR WALK AND ATTITUDE- OUR WALK AND ATTITUDE DETERMINES OUR SUCCESS AND DESTINY.

2. WE SAW HIS STAR IN TH EAST (V. 2a): A LIFE OF TRUE & UNIQUE IDENTITY

WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST:

The star was too conspicuous and striking out to IDENTIFY Jesus as very special and unique from all those who were born in those times. THE STAR BECAME A BADGE OF IDENTITY FOR CHRIST.

What identifies us as the children of the Most High God from the standards of the world. We are STARS - LIGHTS OF THE WORLD. This identification of a star was so glaring and different that it appeared during the DAY. THIS WAS A COMPLETE DISTINCTION FROM OTHER STARS.

As lights of the world, we must exhibit unique and distinct lifestyles that will be a paragon of excellence.

3. WE'VE COME TO WORSHIP HIM (V. 2b): A LIFE OF WORSHIP

Jesus as a child commanded worship and that is our obligation as true Christians. The wise men not only were fervent to behold the Savior but also very eager to worship Him.

They were ever ready to stripe themselves off their glory and dignity - They fell down and worshipped Him - Matthew 2:11 - This is a sign of complete surrender and adoration.

THEY EXPEDITED TRUE WORSHIP BECAUSE:

-They knew who Jesus was:

Daniel 11:33: And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

John 17:3: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

-They knew the times and seasons they were in:

Eccless. 3:1: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

1 Chron. 12:32: And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

John 7:6: Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready.

LIKE ENOCH - He knew the time and season he was in (He understood the urgency of an impending doom and that caused him to WALK WITH GOD CLOSELY...(Gen. 5:21-22)

-They understood what they were doing - It was an Obedient Service - They obeyed their intuitions, drives and urges.

Job 36:11,12: If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

It was a reasonable - They worshipped with their hearts and minds.

Rom. 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Like Abraham - He decided and prepared to forsake everything to FOLLOW HARD AFTER GOD - HIS MIND AND HEART WAS INVOLVED.

AGAIN, HE OFFERED HIS LAUGHTER - ISAAC TO GOD REASONABLY AND WHOLE HEARTEDLY.

- They paid the price for it - Left their places of comfort and supposedly left family and loved ones to embark on this journey -

Luke 14:26: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple - REMOVING STUMBLING BLOCKS DETERING ONE FROM SERVING GOD.

4. THEY PRESENTED GIFTS UNTO JESUS (V.11) - A LIFE OF THANKSGIVING AND OFFERING

God ordered the Israelites not to approach His presence empty handed. These little, despised and uncircumcised Gentiles were not oblivious of true worship that due the greatest King - JESUS.

-They were fully prepared with their sacrifices and offerings before they set out in a quest for the New Born King.

- The richness of their gifts reflect and depict their feelings and attitude

THE NATURE OF THEIR GIFTS

RECENT DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE VISITATION OF THESE WISE MEN:

The satin lined, brass trimmed wooden chests filled with gold frankincense & myrrh capture the regal spirit of the gifts given by the three kings – Who are: Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar

GOLD: -The gold was presented to the infant King in token of His royalty - EVERLASTING KINGSHIP.

The octagonal Gold box holds a hand-blown glass ball filled with 23 karat gold flakes that float like snowflakes. The ball is specially made so that the multiple curved surfaces reflect and refract the gold and make is dance and sparkle. The gold box measures 4 3/4 x 3 3/4 inches.

Gold was the Gift given by Melchior, a king of Arabia. He is said to have been the oldest of the Three Kings. The gold in the hand-blown glass globe was real, 23 karat gold. Gently shake the globe and it will float like snowflakes.

FRANKINCENSE: -The frankincense in token of His divinity - GODLY NATURE and also it depicts Him as a MEDIATOR between God and Man.

The Frankincense has a wonderful aromatic scent - Perfect for priests and religious, teachers!

The Frankincense supplied with the Three Kings Gifts sets is from the very same region – Oman and Yemen – as the original frankincense incense given by Balthasar.

The round Frankincense box is covered in hand-made brass angles and is filled with the finest Frankincense. The base and lid are satin lined and the box measures 4 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches .

Frankincense was the Gift given by Balthasar, a king from Sheba - present day southern Yemen. Frankincese is resin from the dried sap of the Boswellia tree – a tree that has grown on the craggy slopes of the Arabian Sea for thousands of years.

In ancient times, Frankincense and Gold were equally valuable. Frankincense is harvested by making slits in the bark of the tree and letting the resin slowly bleed out and harden into white “tears” of Frankincense sap.

The primary purpose of Frankincense is the same today as it was in ancient times: it is a very strong incense with a sweet aroma that is used today in religious services.

Each of the unique, brass appliqued wooden boxes are hand-made and lined with red satin to add a regal touch to this “Gift of the Three Kings”.

MYRRH: - -The myrrh in token of His HUMANITY - SUFFERINGS – DEATH.

The square Myrrh box is a satin-lined treasure trove with brass chain and latch (the gold box also has a chain and latch) and holds the finest Arabian myrrh incense. The box measures 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches.

Myrrh incense is actually dried myrrh sap – the Gift given by Caspar, a king from Tarsus – present day Southern Turkey.

At the time of Christ, the world’s finest Myrrh came from Southern Arabia and it is generally thought that this was the origins of Caspar’s gift. The Myrrh incense supplied with the Three Kings’ Gifts displays the finest presents availale from Southern Arabia – the very same region as the original gifts given by Caspar – in an effort to capture, as best as possible, the spirit of the actual gifts given 2000 years ago on that first Christmas.

Myrrh incense comes from the Cammiphora tree and is harvested by cutting slits in the bark of the tree from which Myrrh resin hardens into dark red crystals. In ancient times, Myrrh was among the most valuable substances known and, at the time of the birth of Christ, it was worth seven times its weight in gold. Myrrh sap / myrrh incense / myrrh resin, known by all names, can be used as an incense or it can be ground into a powder and mixed with oils to make a balm or processed into myrrh oil. In ancient times, myrrh was used in the mummification of the Pharoahs in Ancient Egypt and to annoint kings.

THESE GIFTS WERE DESIGNED TO:

-They were designed to express His divine and human natures;

-The prophetical, priestly, and kingly offices of Christ are to be seen in these gifts and are to be acknowledged in our worship to Him;

CONCLUSION:

As despised and little we are in the sights of the world- PHYSICALLY, we are the great and honored in God’s sight SPIRITUALLY. As the despised and little Magi embarked on the journey to know and fellowship with the Child-Jesus Christ – they had the opportunity to fellowship with His Glory and Power.

Their actions, attitude and sacrifice paid off because they affected the physical life living of the Messiah positively.

They did their part with regards to the essence of Christmas. Now is your time and season to prove what you are worth in calling yourself a CHRISTIAN.

UNDERSTANDING THE ENIGMATIC NATURE OF TURBULENT & DIFFICULT TIMES

TITLE: MYSTERY OF SUFFERING

TEXT: HEBREWS 12:2; 2:9, 10; John 15:20

INTRODUCTION:

Years ago in Ghana, a devoted Christian guy lived with the vision of acquiring his own palatial place of habitation which can accommodate his future wife and children. He ran through the mill by enduring through the sweats of hardships. By virtue of his dreams and aspirations, he was devoid of excessive expenditure and consequently bereft of daily extravagance. Industriousness was the order of his day till he notched up his dream and vision. His dream came to a reality after 5 years. He had this house furnished with every luxurious household necessity. His wedding was the talk of the town and his fully-packed luxurious mansion was awaiting his presence. His honey moon was in progress when he had a phone call. Amidst the periphery of felicity and splendor encompassing his life, he came face to face with suffering re the complete smoldering of his life time investments. The caller said, your house you built is on fire and as I am talking to you now, everything is completely in ashes. The man didn’t believe his ears so he boycotted his honeymoon to catch a glimpse of his shambolic experience. He sped off into the realms of clamor and howl beyond pacification. His pastor heard about his predicament and came to his comfort but still to no avail. He was wailing like a banshee and reiterating his lamentable words of doom and despair. He entered the house which was down in ashes and saw that everything he laboriously worked for was gone with the wind. Everything in the house was beyond recognition. As he was perambulating through the shambles, he saw a metal-made bird on the grounds. Everything was gone but this artistry was whole and complete without deformity. After some few seconds, his onlookers were laid aback when they beheld this crying bridegroom burst into unprecedented laughter and still holding unto the metal-made bird. Wacky and dementia was the obsession of the witnesses about him. The pastor pleaded for assistance to take him to the hospital. He exploded with oomph and comfort that nothing was wrong with him but God is speaking to him. He continued that, God asked him why all is gone in ashes but the thing in the hand is still without blemish and stain. He answered God that it is because it is metal. God told him that, that thing has endured through the pressures of fire and heat so it’s beyond being burnt again. God continued that…He is in the process of fire and heat and when he is out, nothing can withstand him from enjoying expansion and enlargement.

Suffering is indeed a mystery which needs to be uncovered or brought to the fore or better still understood by us all. A tea leaf cannot release its flavor unless it goes through hot water. Beauty and glory is notched up in the furnace of affliction and suffering. The invaluableness and priceless of gold is tested and approved by the vehemence of fire.

Job wholeheartedly affirmed this scenario when he retorted back to his friends that [He (God) knows the way that he take, that when He had tried him, he will come forth as GOLD] Job 23:10. Transformation is birthed from the corridors of pains. Birth is the product of travail. Victory is gained out of warfare. War is waged with weapons and weapons are the products of fire.

BODY OF MY SERMON:

The author and finisher of our faith endured the affliction appending the cross because of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). Suffering produces joy and ecstasy. The result of the night is the morning. David said, “Weeping may endure the night but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Darkness is every time equated with sufferings and pains, but we must not be oblivious of the premise that, darkness precedes the morning. Which is to say that, there is no……..

Pay without pain.

Gain without Gale.

Winning without Weaning.

Testimony without a Test.

Triumph without Trials.

Message without a Mess.

Pleasure without Pressure.

Praise without pains.

Crown without being a clown.

In Hebrews 2:9, 10, Jesus was fashioned to swim in the pool of despondency and affliction before He annexes the crown of glory and honor. Crowns are the rewards of champions. Champions are products of endurance. In verse 10, the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings. Brethren, suffering is a mystery and consequently, it is employed by God to cause us to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. I CALL SUFFERINGS AND AFFLICTIONS THE WILDERNESS OF EXPERIENCE.

All the legends of faith listed in Hebrews 11 perambulated through this wilderness. It’s a GLORIOUS EXPERIENCE which becomes the PERFECT TEACHER OF GREATNESS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. Abraham (run into Egypt), Isaac (followed the footsteps of his father into Egypt), Jacob (struggled with life – Laban’s house), Moses (40 years of training in the wilderness), David (40 years running away from Saul in the wilderness), Elijah (without food in the wilderness, being fed by ravens, running to serepta for food) Elisha (walking three days after Elijah for his double unction and power) Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and his friends etc…

The servant is not greater than his Master. If Jesus was crowned with power through the quagmire of sufferings, then we are no exceptions to this puzzle. Ordinary is the life devoid of trials and pressures; extraordinary is the life outlived with afflictions and sufferings.

ILLUSTRATION: BUTTERFLY

There is a struggle from the stage of deformity into the stage of uniformity when a butterfly meanders its way into existence from the shell of a cocoon. This is a class example of suffering. A farmer en route to the farm bumped into a queer but glaring scenario when a butterfly being formed out of the clothes of a cocoon was struggling onto the atmosphere of life. The farmer glanced at this wonder but shove off unto his daily duty. On his way back, he saw that the butterfly was still fluttering its wings in pursuit to deliver itself from the heat of his habitat. He opted to help it and to lessen its misery so cut open the part which was stuck in the cocoon with his knife. He later discovered that, in his quest to be a catalyst of liberation, he became a mainstay of demise; he killed the beautiful transforming butterfly. Suffering is our time of transformation from the ordinary into extraordinary. Christians are called for excellence in all facets of our lives and not to trail. Excellence is the finish product of being expelled out of the society by reason of fiasco. You can’t excel in your field of specialty unless you have tasted the ignominy of being expelled and debarred. An escape root from suffering is suicidal. It is dying before our time.

Transformation is an apotheosis or paragon of a channel of affliction and pains. It’s a process. It is a means to an end – Blessings and greatness.

WHAT SUFFERING PRODUCES:

THREE FOLD BLESSINGS OF SUFFERINGS

1. IT PRODUCES PERFECTION (Hebrews 2:10)

“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”.

Jesus became Perfect in all standards through the labyrinth of sufferings. Philippians 2:5-8 expatiates on Jesus being highly exalted and given a new name by the father. Before this accolade, He endured through suffering and shame by humbling Himself unto death, even the death of the cross. Excellence, beauty, ecstasy and maturity are the nonce words here.

The butterfly experiences beauty when it goes through the process of change. Like the butterfly, we need the coat of emergency to survive. Gold is graded as priceless and sparkling after it passes through the torture of fire. The bird in the hands of the man whose house got burnt became perfect beyond the vehemence of the destruction of fire. The mystery of suffering is that, it creates in us the SEED of perfection. It is contagious. It affects our progeny like the consummation of fire. Trials and afflictions create in us the power of maturity and growth.

ILLUSTRATION:

A shipwrecked man managed to reach an uninhabited Island. There, to protect himself against the elements and to safeguard the few possessions he had salvaged, he painstakingly built a little hut which he constantly and prayerfully looked at the horizon for the approach of a ship. Returning one evening after a search for food, he was terrified to find the hut completely enveloped in flames beyond recognition. Yet, by divine mercy, this hard affliction and suffering was changed into a mighty advantage. He struggled for a place to lie and luckily he slept. Early the following morning he awoke to find a ship anchored off the island. When the captain of the ship stepped ashore, he explained that, “we saw your smoke signal and we came to your rescue. Everything the marooned man owned had to be destroyed before he could be rescued.

If God promised His servants an unbroken run of prosperity, there would be counterfeit Christians. Don’t be surprised at famine and hunger…it is permitted to root you deep as a 30 storey building survives and thrives on the deepness of the foundation. The deeper you dig down, the higher your greatness and blessings!!!

2. IT IDENTIFIES US WITH CHRIST (John 15:20b)

“Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…..”

As Disciples of Christ, we are created in His image and likeness. Philippians 2:5 says, we should let the mind of Christ be in us as disciples. The mind of Christ was to endure through sufferings because of the joy set before Him.

Suffering is the badge of true discipleship. Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffering. Gold is gold because of the furnace of fire.

ILLUSTRATION:

Hammer is a useful tool so close and united with the nail. But if the nail has the feeling, voice and intelligence, it could present another side of the story. For the nail knows the hammer only as an opponent. Brutal, merciless enemy who lives to pound it into submission, to beat it down out of sight and clinch it into place. That is the nail’s view of the hammer; it is very accurate except for one thing: The nail forgets that it also lives to identify itself with the hammer. The nail is no nail without the hammer and vice versa. It forgets also that both it and the hammer are servants of the same work man. If it knows this…all resentment toward the hammer will disappear.

God uses the storms of life to shape us into becoming choice vessels for His use. We must identify ourselves with the sufferings to understand that we can do nothing without the presence of trials and sufferings.

3. IT PRODUCES OBEDIENCE: (Hebrews 5:8)

“Though he was a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered”

Jesus our Master is spoken of by the author of Hebrews that He was intimated with the spirit of obedience by reason of His sufferings. Obedience is better than sacrifice. The topsy-turvy we face in life causes us to be subject to the will and purpose of the Father. Trials and afflictions instill in us the spirit of submission to God. Because we cannot do anything to relieve ourselves from the pains, we learn how to succumb and yield our entire life to our Creator.

The tea-leaf succumbs to the hot water to produce the flavor which satiates hearts and calm nerves.

Jesus saw the boisterous winds as an avenue from which the disciples will learn to trust in Him and put their faith in God. The bible explicates on God’s sovereignty in causing the Israelites to walk through the wilderness for 40 years in lieu of the 40 days journey through the Philistine territory. God purposefully orchestrated it to strengthen the faith and to cause the Israelites to be obedient to His call and will. Jonah’s affliction made him obedient to God’s call and will for the people of Nineveh.

CONCLUSION:

Brethren, we must not count it queer and strange concerning the fiery trial and suffering which tries us as though some strange thing happened unto us. But let us rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, we may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of God, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you 1 Peter 4:12-14.

THE POWER OF A NAME

TEXT: GENESIS 32:27

THEME: WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

INTRODUCTION:

The content of something is identified by the label or name given to that thing. Irrespective of the sweetness of COCA COLA, the negative label which is given to it by someone inevitably will deter one from enjoying its sweet and adoring content. A bottle or container labeled “POISON” or GRENADE is more authentic and glaring than the content itself.

ILLUSTRATION:

I am a native, born and bred in the Southern part of Ghana and historically we were enveloped with odd milieu vis-à-vis royalties. The kingship in the southern part of Ghana is second to the British royalty and it is really extolled by all and sundry. We call it the ASHANTI KINGDOM. But the major difference is that, the people there have some unconventional African beliefs. In the olden times, we believed that, the king was considered as great and important to the extent that he must be accompanied by some victims during his demise. Preparation for the burial of the king took about two to three months and during these times, no one especially young persons or strangers should walk around between the hours of 11pm and 2am; failure to adhere to this law was a passport to death. I heard a story from my father about a young guy who was either averse to stick to that law or he forgot abut it and he was seen outside around midnight during the death of the greatest Ashanti King who had ever reigned on the ASHANTI stool. As the executioners were patrolling around the vicinity, this guy was spotted, they caught him and amidst the quagmire of struggle and the last breath of death, this guy cried out, I am the grandson of OTUMFUO, the one who sits on the red stool. These executioners of the greatest king shook with fear, left like tornado in the noon day and till date, we haven’t heard of their presence and whereabouts.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? WHO ARE YOU AND WHO IS YOUR FATHER?

“And Nabal answered David's servants, and said who is David? And who is the son of Jesse?” (1 Sam. 25:10a).

The name of a thing is powerful than the real thing.

Names are labels and labels are names. Labels give credence to names and names on the other hand magnify personalities. The virtue of an entity is somewhat substantiated by the name given to it. A name identifies a thing. People are identified by their names and not by their works. Names give power to works. A great person without a name doesn’t exist.

Names are very important because it reflects the inner disposition of someone. God acknowledges the power and effect of a person’s life. Jesus was born with a name and that name had a strong effect on His whole life on earth and even after His work on the earth, God again exalted Him by given Him voice and superior influence via a NAME -Philippians 2:5ff. Jesus’ name still work powerful even until now and it will exist till the end of this age.

In Exo. 3:13, it reads like this, And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?

ILLUSTRATION:

One may ask, what's in a name? There are many who feel that there is nothing in a name. I disagree, based on the above text and Acts 4:12. There is a name that is above all others, and that name is Christ. No other name has the power or authority than the name of Jesus Christ. If God saw fit to understand the plea and the sense in Moses’ query and also give Jesus a name, who are we to down play the efficacy annexing names?

The story is told of a man arrested for making whiskey. He came before the judge, who was a church going man. He decided to have some fun with the accused. The judge asked him, "What is your name?" The man replied, "My name is Joshua." "Are you the Joshua who made the sun stand still?” the judge asked. "No sir," the man replied. "I am the Joshua that made the moonshine."

The story is simple. There is something in a name. It immediately draws attention to something odd or unique. A name can be great ONLY IF it is a good name...

In order for us to understand the veracity of names, we have to know that there are two kinds of names which enforce the quality of a thing…..

• BAD NAME
• GOOD NAME

BAD NAMES:

Isaiah 62:1-4

In Isaiah 62:2 &4, we read that Israel was bedecked with a bad name which had diverse effects on their moral life style until the grace of God brought relief unto them by changing their names…

“And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.”

Bad names have unprecedented effects on our lives re our future. Spiritually, a name has a sporadic effect on the personality and character of a person. In biblical times, God specifically walked and dealt with the patriarch’s by reason of the names they had. They gave names to their progeny by God’s instructions and commands. A name is an epithet of what is to come or happen in the life of the person. A good name predicts a god fate and a bad name automatically predicts an odd fate UNLESS there is an intervention by God.

The name given to the son of Enoch in Gen. 5:22 caused Enoch to initiate his journey of faith in God. The name was Methuselah, which means, “When he is dead, it shall be sent”.

His name prophesied about what was to come, the deluge. Names are spirit and the greatness of a person is expressed in the name of that person.

JACOB was embellished with devastation and mayhem through his entire life by reason of the power that ruled his life – HIS NAME. JACOB means, a supplanter – which means, one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another. His fate was to unduly vilify and denigrate people to acquire their blessings sometimes with coercion.

An angel met him on his way back from exile at Laban’s house preparing to meet his brother Esau. He wrestled with this angel until the breaking of the day. He fought with this man-angel for a blessing. He never knew the cause of his devastations and fiasco until the angel asked him… WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Gen. 32:27

He never experienced peace and favor until he had a CHANGED NAME – ISRAEL, THE PREVAILING PRINCE. His WRESTLING AND FIGHT PLEASED THE LORD and He caused his enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16:7.

He obtained favor in the eyes of his brother, Esau the very next day.

Brethren, our names have superior influence on our lives whether we like it or not. It explains the veracity of our true selves and it certainly predicts where we will be from now.

“And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bore him with sorrow 1Chron. 4:9”.

The bad name of Jabez made him swim in the pool of despondency and despair in his life time till he sought the face of Jehovah. The bible attested to the cause of his ruins because of THE MEANING OF HIS NAME, GIVEN BY HIS MOTHER. JABEZ means, PAINS AND MISERY. This was the order of his day from birth – pains and misery in al his endeavors.

There is this callous and eccentric man in the bible called NABAL. Luckily he was attached to a virtuous woman who added credence to his very nature. The bible talks about the love of David in protecting the servants and sheep of the man when David was in the wilderness. And as the law demands and stipulates, the man must freely feed and pay David and his servants for their selflessness. He refused to honor and bless David and his man but he straightway, treated David and his men with contempt. This man was labeled as A CHURLISH MAN AND EVIL because of HIS NAME. NABAL means A FOOL. LIKE MAN LIKE NAME. His name ruled his motives and character. His name controlled his senses and heart.

1Sa 25:3 - Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

His wife even accepted the fact that his evil nature and odd character was the results of his NAME AND IDENTITY.

“And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and fell at his feet, and said, upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send… (1Sa 25:23-25)

Time will not permit me to talk about Lot, Benjamin, Mahlon and Chilion (the sons of Naomi and Elimelech), Jezreel, Lo Ruhamah (sons of Hosea and Gomer) etc

In the Old Testament, names were changed from worse or odd in the eyes of God to great and glorious in the eyes of God, but in the New Testament, names were changed from great and glorious in the eyes of men to glorious and great in the eyes God.

GOOD NAMES:

A good name is better than precious ointment (Eccl. 7:1).

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches (Pro 22:1a)

A name is only considered as GOOD if it’s connected with God’s will and purpose. Greatness is ONLY in the eyes of God not men.

ILLUSTRATION:

In order to be effective in our ministries and callings, we need to “walk-talk our name and name our talk-walk”. Our names reflect our walk and relationship with God. We know that this is true when it comes to everyday things like the naming of our children. Have you ever heard of a mother naming her daughter, Jezebel; or her son, Judas? No parent would permanently scar a child with a name that is noted for doing wicked or evil. There is something in a name.

Marshall Keeble, a well known black evangelist, commenting on the importance of a name, stated that “a check is no good without a name”. He told of a preacher who was conducting a meeting in a certain city. There was one lady who attended every night and heard him assert that there was nothing in a name. He said that they were to work out their salvation, and the name had nothing to do with it. He made this point over and over. One night this lady told him that she would like to make a contribution to his ministry. The next day he went by her house to pick up the money. She gave him a check and he went directly to the bank to cash it. The cashier returned the check to him saying that there was no name signed to it. "She must have forgotten to sign it," the preacher said, so he returned to the lady's house to get her to sign the check. To his surprise, she informed him that she had not forgotten to sign it but was only doing as he had preached and did not put her name on the check. The lady made her point, and taught him never to preach that again.

SIMON CHANGED TO PETER:

Simon means hearkening or listening. He is heard and listened by all and sundry regardless of what he is saying. He had a voice and the superior influence among his peers. That impelled him to be loquacious and a talkative. Because of his name, he was SLOW TO HEAR AND QUICK TO SPEAK. After declaring Jesus to be the CHRIST the Son of the Living God, Jesus changed his name to PETER, from the Greek word Petra, meaning a small stone. A stone is considered trivial and pedestrian before men, but with God it is the starting point on the journey of supernatural destination. Jesus became the Chief Corner Stone rejected and castigated by men, but later became the Head of the Corner. The secret of greatness starts from the anticipation of our smallness before God. He was restructured from vain-glory unto great-glory. His name sped him up unto the apogee and the zenith of leadership. It instilled in him the working ability to lead the Church to her future expansion.

SAUL CHANGED TO PAUL

Saul means asked for or called for…..a name which attracts pride and self righteousness. His name attracted the attention of others. Loved and accepted by men. Saul in the Old Testament was rejected by God because He prided himself in his own wisdom and wittiness. His name affected his personality and character. His name depicted the man-pleasing spirit. Saul lived his life to please people because he was chosen by people-the children of Israel. The name instills pride and self-righteousness.

Saul in the New Testament on the other sphere was attached with the same fate….he did what seemed right in his own eyes without verifying to know what was really right in the eyes of the Lord. He lived his life also to fulfill the wishes of the Sanhedrin by vanquishing the Christians. They ASKED FOR HIM AND CALLED FOR HIM TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT THEY PLEASED. The bible says, he goes to the high priests for a warrant to kill the Christians just to please them and make them happy.

PAUL: meaning, little…God proved to him that though he is respected and approved by people but before Him, he is just little and insignificant. God proved to him that in order for him to be used by Him (God), he has to strip him off his pedestrian and superfluous image he is packaged with and has also built for himself because of his name SAUL.

My trillion dollar question here is that…

MUST WE HAVE A CHANGE OF NAME IN ORDER TO HAVE A UNIQUE IDENTITY, EXPEDITE A WONDERFUL CHARACTER, OBTAIN AN ENORMOUS FAVOR AND EXPERIENCE SUPERNATURAL POWER?

ANSWER = YES

As in Isaiah 62:1-4, we NEED AND MUST be “called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name and we shall me a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of the Lord”.

This special new name is … A CHRISTIAN from the Greek name, CHRIST meaning the anointed one. We are the anointed children of God and we CAN exercise our full authority as SONS OF GOD through the effectiveness of the NAME…CHRISTIAN

THE NAME CHRISTIAN GIVES US:

We are now been enveloped with the levels which will lead us to our destination in the Kingdom of CHRIST. The first product of the name Jesus is that the name gives us a conspicuous and unique…

1. IDENTITY: The name identifies us with Christ. His character and nature (image and likeness) is revealed in us. Abram’s name ABRAHAM identified him with the unique multitudes which will proceed from him. Jacob’s name ISRAEL identified him with the strength and power of Israel. The name Christian identifies us with the power and glory packaging the name of Jesus, CHRIST. Simon’s name Peter and Saul’s name Paul gave them a new focus and vision for them to pursue in life.

Identity gives us the power to move unto the next level of expedition which is ….

2. CHARACTER: A person’s Identity affects his or her character. Attitude is the product of identity. The name of a person or family influences the character and behavior of the family or individual. Our identity affects our thought patterns. The power in the name of a family inculcates in the people the boldness and power to live without fear. Jacob’s changed name affected his generation; he and his descent became known as a prevailing prince. He was respected and adored by his children and generation and even until the time of Jesus (John 4:12).

Jabez’s identity after praying to God affected his character and nature; he became more honorable than his brethren.

Peter and Paul’s new identity affected their character and attitude in relation to how they carried themselves re the will and purpose of God. Their identities made them sober and humble to be slow to speak and quick to hear and to humble themselves and wish for God’s will to prevail in their lives. The character of her person elevates and catapults him unto a unique level to obtain…

3. FAVOR: our character either makes or breaks our destiny. It either closes or opens doors for us. Favor is the product of a good character. Good name invariably produces a unique identity which in turn gives one the strength to exercise an acceptable character and thereby opening the door to greater blessings and favors. Our name as CHRISTIANS identifies us with God’s unprecedented blessings. The door of favor enlarges our territories for us to enjoy….

4. SUPERNATURAL AUTHORITY AND POWER: Abraham’s name gave him identity, had a changed attitude and character, obtained favors from diverse kinds of people and kings and finally, he obtained the power and authority to be the FATHER OF MANY NATIONS by giving birth.

As Christians, we are now imparted with the power to create and live as gods on the earth. David said “behold, you are gods”.

We are representatives and ambassadors of Christ. We stand in the stead of Christ on the earth.

CONCLUSION:

We must not loose fact or underplay the efficacy of names because our futures are tied to them. Our identities, character, favors and power are the consequences of our good and bad names. Let’s live life as the real follows of CHRIST so that His very nature would be seen and identified in us. We are to live as CHRIST LIVED - HEIRS OF THE FATHER AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST.

THE SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE

Dan 5:12 Forasmuch as an EXCELLENT SPIRIT, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

Dan 5:14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and EXCELLENT wisdom is found in thee.

Dan 6:3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an EXCELLENT SPIRIT was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

EXCELLENCE IS NOT PERFECTION.

THE POWER FOR EXCELLENCE IS NOT THE POWER OF ACCELERATION – an excellent driver is not the one who has the skill with speed; but the one who have the skill in his attitude with speed.

“THERE ARE NO SPEED LIMITS ON THE ROAD TO EXCELLENCE.”

“EXCELLENCE IS NOT A SKILL. IT IS AN ATTITUDE.” RALPH MARSTON QUOTES

“IF YOU ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE IN BIG THINGS, YOU DEVELOP THE HABIT IN LITTLE MATTERS. EXCELLENCE IS NOT AN EXCEPTION, IT IS A PREVAILING ATTITUDE.” COLIN POWELL QUOTES (CHAIRMAN OF THE US JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF (1989-93). AT PRESENT, US SECRETARY OF STATE, 1937)

EXCELLENCE: IT IS AN ATTITUDE. Being of great virtue or worth; eminent or distinguished for what is amiable, valuable or laudable;

To experience EXCELLENCE, we need a paradigm shift, a renaissance and a reorientation.

The only distinguishing fine line between the 5 foolish virgins and the 5 wise virgins was the EXRA-OIL.

Excellence is only excellence when we go beyond the required limit and when we outspread our tentacles with outstretching wings beyond the standard.

LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE:

FIRST LEVEL: DEVELOP A NEW IDENTITY- DENIAL OF SELF:

Belteshazzar – two meanings – Daniel 1:7

Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

1. One who protect lives

2. One who lay up treasures in secret

A changed name signifies a “new identity”- A New identification is a mark of excellence. In order for us to make it unto the zenith and reach the acme of life, we must strive to have a new and a changed identity. A new identity is a denial of self from our GLORYS AND CROWNS – DEPRIVING OURSELVES FROM OUR COMFORT ZONES.

Names are labels which explain the rigidity and our being stereo typed with our location. To make it onto the apex of your destination, you need to breakthrough your location.

DANIEL is a name belonging to the distant past, to reach the future you must stripe yourself off the past and to have new identity attracting you to your future. Example: ESTHER AND JOSEPH.

ESTHER:

Esther is a Syro-Arabian modification of the Persian word Satarah, which means a star or secret and hidden. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning myrtle which is a green shinning leaf and snow-white flowers bordered with purple, "which emit a perfume more exquisite than that of the rose."

Her CHANGED IDENTITY became her CHUM AND BUDDY for exploits.

JOSEPH:

Joseph’s name given to him in Egypt was zaphnath-Paaneah meaning, A REVEALER OF SECRETS and THE PRESERVER OF THE AGE. This name gave him a new identity which instilled in him the urgency to bring great deliverance for the Egyptians and his family (the whole lad of Canaan). Nevertheless, his former name Joseph, which means “increase or fruitfulness” gave him a character to be fruitful in all that he did.

The Hebrew names of Daniel and his friends reflected their RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND. Their new names established NEW IDENTITIES for these young men which in turn affected their scope and perception to life.

MEMORIES AND IMAGINATION:

Their old names were their past life (memories) they have to struggle with (whether to forget about them entirely or to live with them absolutely).

Their new names were their future greatness (imaginations) they have to struggle with (whether to reject it or to be in tuned with them).

Examples: Abraham, Jacob, Simon, and Saul.

New identification elevates one for a new vision in life.

A NEW IDENTITY BECOMES A CATALYST FOR GREATER VISIONS - ACHIEVEMENTS.

Your changed and transformed identity must equip you for the double impact unction:

- Leaving down a legacy for future generation by preserving their lives like Joseph – Gen. 45:7 and…

- Storing up treasures in secret which will be of a great help for tomorrow.

EXPERIENCE (building yourself up with your NOW or what you are going through) and learning from what you are going through.

The name of Daniel attracted him to a new vision. His first name called for a judgment on the children of Israel, but his second name, Belteshazzar (protector of life) fortified him for a preservation of life for his immediate milieu (life for the Babylonians) and that of the Israelites.

HIS PURPOSE IN LIFE:

SECOND LEVEL: NON-COMFORMITY TO THE STATUS QUO – Attitudes, behaviors, sayings, actions, and natural tendencies (That is how I am). Daniel 1: 8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Though Daniel was encompassed with an odd environment but he was purposeful not to remove the ancient landmarks - Pro 22:28; Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

DETERMINED TO PRESERVE HIS GODLY HERITAGE —

- Daniel’s decision reflects his godly heritage

- These young men were committed to keeping God’s law even though the majority in Judah were already following after the false gods when they were taken captive – including the king (Jehoikim).

Daniel purposed that he might not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies –

Many bible scholars and theologians explain that, Daniel and his friends didn’t partake of the meat offered by the king because it was meats which were pronounced an abomination to the Lord by Moses. I beg to differ because the Jews were not to eschew themselves from every meat but some type of meats. No one knows the type of meat killed by Nebuchadnezzar, and in biblical times, the gentile world also followed the killing of lambs or sheep for their gods, so this reason rejects the findings of these scholars. The delicacies or meats of the king were first offered to his gods in view that those who eat them will partake of the blessings and protection of the gods by making them strong and well built. The eating of the food offered to them will give GLORY and HONOR to the gods of Babylon and so if Daniel and his friends become nourished and fully built, the ovation and the glory would be extended unto the Babylonian gods.

Daniel knew Nebuchadnezzar’s superstitions regarding the food and wine he offered to his pagan gods – and to the king, all who ate the food and drank the wine that had first been offered to the gods would prosper physically, intellectually and spiritually.

Daniel didn’t want any pagan gods – who were not gods at all to receive glory that belong to God and God alone.

Daniel refused to compromise with the world no matter what the cost might be – we are a “peculiar” people – the word “peculiar” comes from the Latin word “Peculium” meaning “Private Possession”.

We are the Private Possession of God.

HEART RESPONSE:

Daniel “placed his decision upon his heart”. In other words, he knew what was right and wrong – he made a deliberate decision that involved both his head and his heart – HIS MIND AND PASSION.

Identifying ourselves with our environs does not give us the leeway to be “perfect conformers of the trend of events”.

Though he had a new identity, but he was glued to the godly traditions and cultures established by the fathers (those who have gone before him). He was accustomed with his pure Israeli teachings. We must not be oblivious of our Christian tenets which has a great recompense of reward.

IN HIS QUEST TO STICK AND STAY WITH THE ANCIENT LANDMARKS, HE WAS NOT OBLIVIOUS OF A WELL KNOWN EXAMPLE ABOUT JOSEPH

EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS:

At this moment in Daniel’s life, he recalled another Israelite who faced similar predicament. It would be unusual indeed if e had not remembered Joseph’s experience when he was sold into Egypt. Every well taught Jewish boy would have heard this dynamic story, especially his experience in Potiphar’s house when he resisted temptation “of being conformed to the order of his day”.

Daniel certainly was aware of Joseph’s successes as well as his trials.

- Though “the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered him”, but this young man of seventeen was a FAITHFUL and DELIGENT SERVANT. He WORKED HARD TO EARN POTIPHAR’S TRUST.

- He took the same DELIGENT APPROACH when he was cast into prison – the keeper of the prison loved him.

- Joseph was a MODEL PRISONER and eventually was given authority over all the other prisoners (Gen. 39:20-23).

This is a wonderful Old Testament illustration of applying Paul’s words to the Colossian Christians who lived in the midst of pagan community.

“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders” he writes… “Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer anyone” (Col. 4:5-6).

- Daniel definitely and wisely made “the most of every opportunity”. Consequently, he developed a close friendship with Ashpenaz (the prince of the Eunochs).

- People will only show “favoritism” when there are emotional ties based on trust and Ashpenaz’s “sympathy” for Daniel definitely indicates a strong relationship with this young man.

THOUGH WE MUST FORGET THE PAST as Paul said in Philippians 3:13, BUT “we must not throw away our past scars which identifies us with our present situation”. Memories can be devastating if it’s applied and resorted negatively –

- Remembering the past to be stable and glued with it.

- Remember the past for it to catapult you onto your future.

Past victories must succor and motivate you to overcome your present difficulties and not to ignite in you the complacency to rest on our laurels; in the same way, your past difficulties must train and enlighten you to outwit and out beat the similar ones you would face, so that you can be an OVERCOMER and not a COMFORMER.

Some of our cultures are too dynamic to be rejected and trample under foot by us. We must not be befuddled and confused by Jesus’ statement “You have made the word of God of no effect by your traditions” – Mark 7:13a.

Traditions become of no effect when it leads us into bondage outside the will of God. Tradition short of this must be upheld in high esteem.

Non-conformity MUST NOT MEAN Total Rejection

We must make the best out of a bad deal.

My question here is that “If your boss in the work place is not a Christian, what kind of relationship do/must you have with that person?

Let’s observe Daniel’s life in a pagan environment….

- Daniel had no qualms regarding what he had to study. As long as he didn’t have to worship false gods, he didn’t resist learning everything he could study and know in Babylon.

- He used his inquiring young mind to turn his negative environs into a unique opportunity to expand his own insights so he could interact more intelligently with his secular counterparts.

Don’t give a perfumed rose flower to a friend after you have chopped off his nose!!

We must not insult and treat the world with contempt but rather, we must esteem them more highly in order to have the leeway to win them for Christ. As Christians, we MUST do all we can to win the respect and admiration of non-Christians without compromising our biblical convictions.

- Daniel demonstrated this principle again and again in his own life. He approached his superiors with respect

“WHAT WE RESPECT, WE WILL ULTIMATELY ATTRACT”

Ex. Zacchaeus – His respect for Jesus motivated him to climb the sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of the “rejected” Christ and Jesus brightened his house with His presence;

Mary Magdalene – Her respect for Jesus motivated her to take a glance at the “despised” Christ and Jesus consequently raised her brother Lazarus from the dead.

- He sought permission rather than demanding it – “PERMISSION FOR EXPLOITS IS EARNED NOT DEMANDED”.

- He identified with Ashpenaz’s delay in hesitating to grant his request and tried to avoid creating the same tension for his guard.

“DELAY IS NOT DENIAL”

PRINCIPLE TO LIVE BY:

When we are taking a public stand for our convictions vis-à-vis adopting the positive systems of our day, we should make sure we are prayerfully and circumspectively selecting our concerns based on scripture.

- Daniel illustrated this principle. He could have reacted negatively by refusing to be called Belteshazzar. He could have refused to study and learn about the evil and satanic practices of the Babylonians.

- Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, stating that he had “become all things to all men so that by all possible means”, he “might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22) – This does not mean that Paul compromised his convictions or his public testimony. He always stood firm on the values of scripture. However, he did not allow “personal offenses” to hinder his ability to be a positive witness for Christ.

- SADLY, MANY CHRISTIANS TRY TO “WIN LITTLE BATTLES AND LOSE THE WHOLE WAR” in terms of being a positive witness for Christ.

IS ALL TRUTH GOD’S TRUTH? – NO! ALL TRUTH BECOMES GOD’S TRUTH WHEN IT HAS NEXUS WITH BIBLICAL TENETS.

Daniel must have approached his own learning experience with a positive attitude, even though he would be exposed to ideas that definitely contradicted his own belief system

The SEARCH to excel is a QUEST FOR FAVOR

THE ABOVE TWO LEVELS WILL INSTILL IN US AN UPSWING TO ATTAIN UNTO THE REALM OF FAVOR BEFORE GOD AND MAN – Daniel 1:9.

Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

SAMUEL 1:26: And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the LORD, and also with men.

JESUS Luke 2:52: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

To climb up on the ladder of excellence we need to…

THIRD LEVEL: IDENTIFY YOURSELVES WITH RISK – HARNESSING OUR FAITH – PUTTING OUR FAITH TO WORK – THROWING A STRONG CHALLENGE verse 11-13.

Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

Faith is identifying ourselves with the supernatural.

We are the children of the All-Powerful God and that identity must be seen in us.

Excellence is the ability to stand out among your fellows making the difference.

Availing ourselves to be the “Premius inter paris” – “first among equals”- LATIN. The only way we can be set apart is through the activation of our FAITH – 1 John 5:4.

Faith can be activated when we opt for the impossible.

Faith is when we act in defiance to the power of reasoning and wink at or overlook or better still we are unperturbed with the obloquy of being labeled “mad and wacko”.

A TEST OF FAITH:

To live in God’s will, one has to be willing to trust God for something unique and conspicuous.

The only way out of this quagmire was for Daniel to take a risk.

- Ashpenaz’s response demonstrates how RISKY Daniel’s request really was – though this high powered official cared about Daniel and respected his desire to want to please his own God, he made it clear to Daniel that he couldn’t do anything about Daniel’s request.

“I am afraid of my Lord the King, he responded. “Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you” (1:10).

- Though Ashpenaz cared about and trusted his friend, he didn’t believe his God would cause him “to prosper on a substandard diet”.

- Nebuchadnezzar was definitely not a respecter of persons. His word was law, and to violate his will – particularly in this regard – meant instant death.

SUPERNATURAL BENEFIT OF RISK:

- Daniel and his friends risked their lives to be au fait with the SUPERNATURAL – what happened next was definitely SUPERNATURAL. Though a ten-day diet involving water and vegetables would probably help all of us – particularly in terms of weight loss – it wouldn’t make the dramatic difference that happened to Daniel and his three friends.

The application of faith is the appellation (a tag) of foolishness.

Saying that you will never die is crass stupidity as ENOCH was.

Spending 120 years of your life building an ark to buffer a generation from being attacked by an illusion (flood – water coming from the heavens) is dementia as NOAH was.

Moving from your own family and kindred to a place you don’t know is an absolute hogwash as ABRAHAM was.

Rejecting your comfort zone to be subject to torture and being a fugitive is a complete insanity as MOSES was.

Relegating your spirituality and godly fragrance to be subject to servanthood and dying between malefactors is a ridiculous offence – a stumbling block as JESUS was.

These are the very act of faith without which excellence will become a mirage.

Risk is the brisk (the life) of livelihood.

Fear to risk is the fear to live. Life is a perilous journey. Failure to take a risk is risk itself. Risk is the dream-seed of winners. To live is to fight and overcome your worst fears.

Attempt a great height in life and you will soar over greater heights in your life. Failure is failure when you are afraid to fail.

We must not allow our logic and reason to dictate the pace of our soaring ability.

The eagle soars beyond its limits – the sun is my limit, says the eagle.

What about you?

The undaunted (fearless) spirit of the eagle to soar closer to the sun reveals its hidden ability and gift to behold the dazzling nature of the sun clearly.

Your ability to swim in the pool of faith will identify you with some unnoticed talents and potentials you have never dreamt of notching up.

The activation of Daniel’s faith to risk his life in order not to identify himself with the irregularities of his day attracted him to UNRAVEL THE NATURE OF GOD AS THE IMPOSSIBILITY POSSIBLE GOD – causing them to be fairer and fatter in flesh than those who enjoyed the king’s delicacies.

JOSHUA – Commanded the sun to stand still by faith and believe it or not it was.

ELIJAH commanded the heavens not to rain for three years and six months and it was.

He again commanded the waters to break forth and the heavens gave rain.

ELISHA commanded two she bears to tear up forty-two children who were mocking him and it was done.

Faith to risk produces an expansion of barns and an enlargement of coasts – BLESSINGS FROM GOD– Daniel 1:17.

As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Every worthwhile risk embarked in the name of God attracts the power and blessings of God. The fact is that God does bless us, even when we may not experience that reality immediately.

- God’s time table may be quite different from ours, but God will reward us in a special way. The Lord gave Daniel and his friends . . .

Knowledge, skill in all learning and wisdom, understanding in all visions and dreams.

KNOWLEDGE – It is the identification and the awareness of a necessity of life.

SKILL – It is the ability, the cleverness and the proficiency in utilizing what you have identified as a necessity in your life.

UNDERSTANDING – It is being accustomed with the basic necessities in your life familiarizing yourself with them – letting them being part of you.

The above potentials and talents didn’t come over night – they worked tirelessly towards it …

THERE IS NO ACTIVITY THAT IS DONE SOLELY BY MAN/GOD, BUT THE LORD OUR GOD RULES IN THE AFFAIRS OF MAN.

These gifts comes when we give our time to study and learn what is right beside us –

- As they deliberately studied, they learn faster than their peers. Not only did they stand out physically, but also intellectually.

- In addition, God gave Daniel a special spiritual gift – the ability to “understand and interpret visions and dreams of all kinds”.

- Ironically, God enabled Daniel to eventually use this exposure to these evil practices to demonstrate God’s true power through his own Supernatural gift to “understand visions and dreams”.

The QUEST to excel leads to the PINNACLE OF EXPANSION.

THEY GRADUATED WITH HONORS:

The time finally came when Daniel and his friends completed the three years of intensive training FOR THEIR MASTERS OF DIVINITY.

- Daniel and his friends “stood-out” and was “different” above al the others.

- No one measured up or even came close to their ability to answer questions and provide counsel regarding difficult matters.

- Whatever the area of knowledge and experience – whether science, language, government, agricultural, art, religion and of course psychology, philosophy, YOU NAME IT …these young men out distanced all their peers. In fact we read that the king found them TEN TIMES BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS (1:20).

Is this Hyperbole or an Exaggeration? In our language - YES. But in Hebrew language TEN TIMES may have “several” (Zechariah 8:23). The word translated TIMES in the Aramaic language literally means “HANDS”. If this is what the text means, then these FOUR YOUNG MEN WERE EQUAL TO “TEN HANDS” OR “TEN PEOPLE”.

The above THREE LEVELS open the gates for one to experience an economy of scale – mass production, enlargement of territories etc.

To upsurge gallantly onto the real of excellence the forth level needs to be applied….

FORTH LEVEL: THE WAITING SPIRIT: TIME TO WAIT UPON GOD - MOVING ABREAST WITH GOD – Daniel 2:16:

Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

This is a time to turn your loneliness to solitude.

A time with God in prayers. An excellent life is a prayer life.

Isaiah 40:31 says, those who can run without weary and walk without fainting are those who can WAIT UPON THE LORD like the eagle.

- Abraham had a time off with God on the way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and prayed before he had the opportunity to dialogue with God about Sodom and Gomorrah.

- Jacob had a time off with God at bethel and prayed before he experienced a change of name after wrestling with an angel.

- Elijah had a time off with God and prayed before he heard the sound of an abundance of rain.

- Elisha had a time off with God and prayed before he annexed the double portion of Elijah’s anointing.

- Jesus had a time off with God in Gethsemane and prayed and angels came to strengthen Him for the battle ahead.

- The disciples had a time off with God and prayed before they experienced the out pouring of the Holy Spirit.

WAITING UPON GOD IS THE PAINTING OF GOD

It identifies us with the nature and spirit of Christ.

Jesus WAITED for the signal of the Father before launching into every activity in His earthly ministry. The steps of the righteous man is ordered by God so WE MUST BE IN WAIT FOR GOD BEFORE WE WASTE OUR BEING BY BEING IN HASTE.

THIS LEVEL MUST BE ESPOUSED BY THE FIFTH LEVEL BEFORE EXCELLENCE CAN BE PERFECTED…WITHOUT THIS LAST LEVEL, THERE CANNOT BE GREATNESS AND EXCELLENCE…..

FIFTH LEVEL: THE NEED FOR COMPANIONSHIP – Daniel 2: 17-19

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

The enigmatic dream of Nebuchadnezzar came to light when the Daniel identified and understood the importance of companionship. He solicited the presence of worthwhile carriers of a divine agenda.

Daniel associated himself with people who were having the same spirit as himself. A carrier of a 50 by 50 vision must not associate him or herself with 5 by 10 personalities. Iron sharpens iron.

Pro 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

To be wise, you must seek for the presence of wise people; the same is true with the reverse. Proverbs 13:20

Lot had Abraham to deliver him from sudden death.

David had Jonathan who loved him like his own soul and this strengthened the hand of David to annex the throne with ease.

Elijah had Elisha to stand in his stead in fulfilling the will and purpose of God for Israel.

Jesus had the twelve in spreading the gospel.

Peter had John the Apostle, Mark and Silas.

Paul had Silas, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus and many others.

I have you to equip and strengthen my hands in time of need.

CONCLUSION:

Job 37:23 he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice:

Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Psalm 148:13 for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven.

As Christians, we are ambassadors of Christ on the earth and as representatives of God, we are to reveal and declare the picture of God for others to know the reality of our God. Excellence is a process and we must thrive to begin this journey NOW!

THE POWER OF ATTITUDE

As the highest level of creatures, we thrive on the panoramic trend of events and we cannot be separated from the circumstances of life. I see circumstances as the springboard that serves as a mainstay for the realms we have to annex.

Our troubled or negative environs doesn't predict or prophesy our defeat or fiasco. We are our own failures and trailings. Our attitude is the thermostat that either obviates or embraces the favor and the blessings that we due. In order for us as human beings to make it to the zenith and apogee of life, we have to adjust our attitudes when our surroundings prove to be averse to us. In marketing services, they have the term "EMPATHY" which is "the ability to adjust oneself in changing circumstances". Our coircumstances are more or less the results or by products of natural events and they will never kowtow or be subservient to our desires and wishes. Circumstances are for man and not the other way round. We must rise up to the motion of pulling our wits and sagacity together to espouse the positive attitude we must have in order to surmount over the pressures and torments we are confronted with.

A well adjusted attitude is the attitude that sees the positive side of life. Optimism is the spirit of a good attitude that is poised for greatness and elevation. A premonitionist is a person who is disheartened by the negativities appending his or her circumstances. A victor is a person who is not moved by what the surroundings are saying but the positivities that will emanate from the surroundings. Don't settle for less by accepting your defeat apropos to the negative part of life. Negativity is the mother of greater inventions. All the inventors and great industrialists will testify to the premise that the launching stage of any invention is beclouded with oddities and oddballs.

Never let your circumstance dictate the pace of your success. Let your dream of success and the passion for greatness dictate the pace for the summit. Your dreams will affect your attitude and the pressures of life will bow down to your dreams and the pinnacle will be yours for the taking.

Optimistic