Transcript Will you Purpose in Your Heart?.

Will you Purpose
in
Your Heart?....
God tells us about people
who lived before us…
 Rom. 15:4
DARE TO BE
A DANIEL
Setting:
 -vs 1 - At the time of the Babylonian captivity.

-King Nebuchadnezzar had overthrown Judah
and besieged Jerusalem.
 -vs 3 - King Nebuchadnezzar wanted certain men
selected from the Israelites.
 -vs 4 - skilful, wise men with good abilities
 -vs 5 - These men would be appointed a daily
provision from the king for a period of three years.
Daniel purposed in
His heart…
 Daniel 1:8 Daniel purposed in His
 Heart that he would not defile himself
 With the king’s meat and drink….
 -The
men selected:
 Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah
 (Shadrach, Meshach &
Abednego)
-
“And the kind appointed for
them a daily ration from the king’s choice
food and from the wine which he drank”
Daniel 1:5
Why did Nebuchadnezzar do this?
1. To solicit good will and a sense of
obligation
2. To insure that they were healthy
3. To get them accustomed to the good life
-However, Daniel didn't want to
"defile" himself.
 -Perhaps the meat came from animals
considered unclean under God's law.

-Perhaps they were not killed and
prepared properly (strangled/blood)

-Perhaps they had been offered to the
Babylonians' false god(s).

-We see that Daniel (for whichever
reason) wanted to maintain a sense of
separation.
The Resolve of Daniel
“Daniel made up his mind (laid upon his
heart) that he would not defile himself”
Daniel acted alone at first. His three
friends joined him at some point.
Daniel sought permission not to eat the
food.
What was Daniel to do?

He made a
RESOLUTION…
 As we start the New Year, we need
 To make some Resolutions…
 Just like Daniel, it all begins in our
 Heart…
Resolutions:
1. Purpose
2. Plan
3. Pay the consequences
4. Prevail
#1 He Purposed in His Heart
THAT’S WHAT I WANT US TO
DO
TODAY…
New Year’s Resolutions made with
 A Purpose…in heart.
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What did he resolve to do?
 -Purposed In His Heart
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-vs 8 - purposed: Some translations say
"made up his mind, determined".
-purpose - (Am Her Dict) –
the object toward which one strives or for which
something exists:
aim
or goal
 -"In his heart" - This wasn't just a decision
made in a moment.

-It was sincere, thought out determined, intended.
Question?

-What good does it do to say we
want to do something if we gave the
matter little thought, have

no determination to try to
accomplish it and don't really intend to
anyway?
Resolutions:
 Joshua wrote in Joshua 1:8,
 "This book of the law shall not depart from
your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do
according to all that is written in it; for then
you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have success."
Read the Bible; Study the Bible
Listen to the Bible
 Just like Joshua told Israel: day and night,
 Meditate on the things written in the book.
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You can’t do it, if you don’t read God’s word, study,
search it,
John 5:39
Acts 17:11
Psalms 119:104-105
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR
THIS . Will you resolve to start today…
And do it?
We should also have aim and set goals
as a congregation.
 -Proverbs 29:18 Where there is
no vision, the people perish: but
he that keepeth the law, happy is
he.
 -So, Daniel purposed in his heart and we
should, too.
#2 Daniel had a -Plan
 Do you have a plan for the New Year
 Here at O’Neal?
 If the Lord allows you to live through 2013,
 Will you be where you are today?
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Let’s go forward.
 vs 12 - We can see that Daniel
had a plan. He didn't have empty
intentions
 -If they were not going to accept
the king's portion, then they
needed to have a plan on what
they were going to do.
-"Prove thy servants" –

prove = to test

-Daniel wanted his
plan put in place - tested.
 -Pulse
and Water

-Pulse - (Strongs) - something
sown - i.e. a vegetable as food

-(Am Her Dict) - the edible seeds of certain
pod-bearing plants - such as peas and beans
Many times people have good
intentions, but no
 plans.

James 2:17
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Faith without works is dead.
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 -Intentions
without a plan
become dead.
 What are your plans for
2013 at
O’Neal?
 if we have intentions combined with
determination, we can then make a plan to
try to accomplish
 those goals
.
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-This can help us to become
stronger individually and also as a
congregation
Resoltuion: Plan…To be
present,attend, participate, be involved
To be present, attend,
participate, be
Involved, be happy, be joyful,
 1. Lord, you can count on me!!
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Psalms 122:1 I was glad
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Psalms 121:1 I will lift up
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Joshua 24:14 As for me and my house
Action: Clean up
!!!
 Some things that you need to
 RETAIN….
 Some things you need to
 REMEMBER
 Some things you need to

RELEASE….
Old Challenge for a New Year
Col. 3:1 “If ye then be
risen with Christ; seek
those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth
on the right hand of God.
 ..Set your affection (your mind) on things
above,not on the things on the earth.
 ..Focus our thoughts on heavenly things
not earthly things.
 ..We need to pursue :
 1. A deeper knowledge of Jesus. Col.3:10
 2. A clean, holy life. Coil. 3:5-9
 3. Godly virtues Col. 3:12-17
 4. Holiness in our domestic life. Col. 3:1821
 .Holiness in our social life. Col. 3:22-4:1
 .An effective prayer life. Col. 4:2
 .A fruitful light in the world. Col. 4:3-6
Things to be Remembered
 Col. 3:3-4 Things that cause us to take
 A trip down memory lane.
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a)pictures of children when they were small.
b)Recipts from air plane trips
c)Cruise memories
d)a piece of hair from Tabitha;
Tim’s box…pencils, erasers,
..your report cards, your old love letters,
Deed to your old house,
Remember your Mom and Dad
 Are there things in your life that need to be
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RETAINED. Does your focus need to be
adjusted.
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RELEASED. Do you need to lay down
some of the things mentioned in this lesson?
 REMEMBERED.Do you need to take a trip
down memory lane and nail down a few
things today?
#3 Pay the Consequences
 -Daniel
 put a
purposed in his heart,
plan together and was willing to
pay the consequences
Here is what he had to do:
 -vs 16 - Their portion was taken away.
 -Now think about what he was willing to
do –
 eat the same thing for up to three years (vs
5).
You have to pay the
consequences
 there are certain types of food that I really like
a lot,
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but none that I would want to eat
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constantly for three years.
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-But, he was willing to pay
the consequences - make the
necessary sacrifices
Stick To Your Plan!!
 God is FIRST…is HE? Matt. 6:33
 Jesus wants you to remember Him each
First Day of Each Week!. Acts 20:7 will
you?
 Give the Lord what is due HIM! Don’t rob
 God!. Mal. 3:8
 -We have it very, very good and don't have
too many consequences to pay as a result of
our
 obedience
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(in terms of persecution/suffering).
 -The good consequences far outweigh the
negative ones.
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-However, we need to be willing to
make the necessary sacrifices in order to be
obedient and
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grow stronger.
Don’t you agree…..
-All too often, it is the
things involving obedience
to God and attendance to
the church services that
gets sacrificed for things
of the world.
 So, let's purpose in our hearts,
 plan to maintain our aim and
accomplish our goals and be
willing to
 pay the consequences (make
the necessary sacrifices).
#4 -Prevailed
 -vs 20 - Daniel and the others prevailed - in
"all matters.”
 “And in all matters of wisdom and
understanding, that the king enquired of
them, he found them ten times better than
all the magicians and astrologers that
were in all his realm. “
 -Following
works.
God's instructions
-God's way is the right
way,
 the best way
and the only way !
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-1 Cor 15:58 - "your labour is not in
vain in the Lord“
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2 Tim. 4:7,8
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Rev. 14:13
At the End of 2013, if
we live till then….
Will we be able to say:
 1. I Purposed in my heart on
Jan.6
 2. I had a Plan
 3. I Paid the consequences
 4. I have prevailed…
Remember the 4 P’s
 1. Purpose..Resolve
 2. Plan-Correct sins, live right
 3. Pay the consequences-
Stedfast,stick to it.
 4. Prevail..God will be with
you..you will
 Prevail.
 Daniel purposed in his heart,
made the necessary plans, was
willing to pay the consequences
and
 prevailed.
 -What a wonderful example for
us - Rom 15:4.
 -Do you have some particular goals that you are aiming for?
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-Are there some areas you would like to improve upon?
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-Reading your bible more. Studying more.
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-Praying more.
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-Attending services more often.
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-Applying the scriptures to your life more to live more
according to God's word.
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-Getting involved more with the congregation and the
activities.
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-Working harder to spread the gospel. Inviting more
folks to services
 If you are not a Christian, how about
becoming a christian? Hear Rom. 10:17
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-Believe (John 8:24), Confess (Matt
10:32), Repent (Luke 13:3), Be Baptized
(Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16
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-Perhaps you need to return to your
service and commitment to God. (1 John 1:79, Acts 8:22-24)
-There’s no better way
to start a new year –
with the right spiritual
relationship with God.
What are your New Year’s
Resolutions?
 A comic:
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My new year’s resolution is to stop telling
you what to do all the time…Here I wrote
down your resolutions for you!
 2013
 Are there any bad habits that are haunting
you?
 Are you doing the very best that you can to
be the kind of person you want to be?
 Are there some things about you that you
don’t like and are sure others don’t as well?
 Do you anticipate improvement, staying the
same or digressing in this New Year?
New Year’s Resolutions 2013
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Spend more time with family and friends
Fit in fitness
Quit Smoking
Enjoy life more
Quit Drinking
Get out of debt
Learn something new
Help others
Get organized
Goals…do they mention
 1. Serving God..Acts 20:17-24
 2. Mention God.Putting Him first. Rom. 12:9-134
 3. Love for Christ I Cor. 16:22; Eph. 6:24
 4.Concern for othersI Pet. 3:8-12
 5. Sorrow for our sins 2 Cor. 7:8-12
 6. Work in the church I Pet. 1:17-21
 7. Loyalty to brethren. Lk. 16:13
 8. Our future life after this one is over Lk. 6:20-23
 1. Visit the sick...call, send a card go by to see them, pray
for them
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 2. Invite someone...a neighbor, a friend, an employee,
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 3. Be cheerful...time to laugh, a time to cry...always a time
to 'rejoice in the Lord, always..
 Phil. 4:4
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 4. Be a helper in the work...help the elders, the deacons,
the preachers, anything
 you can do...teach a class, help with a class, be busy doing
something
 5. Be a participant...sing when we sing, pray when we pray, be
happy that you can be here
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 6. Help people who need your help...physical... give to
 those who are in need and when you have the opportunity...
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 7. Speak to everyone you can...be friendly...Let folks know you
are glad to be part of
 the greatest work on earth.
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 8. Study your lessons. .be serious about learning more of God's
word
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 9. Use your emails, facebook, or social means to contacting
people for spiritual things.
 10. Get involved...be a member that helps other members...Ask
not what the church can do for you, ask what you can do for the
church.
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 11. Be here to participate...not to just show up. To the best of
your ability, Sing...pray...and give attention to what is being
done. Put up your computers, your texting, give your attention to
what is going on.
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 12. Don't complain..Just because someone doesn't call you when
you are sick, not everyone can call everyone.. Do you call? Are
you pampered and want to be pampered...Jesus wants you to be
a worker..James 2:24 Ye see how that by works a man is justified
and not by faith only.
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 13. Ladies class. be involved...Each class at O'Neal...be involved.
Do Better This Time
My Child
 Sis. Deanie Britton handed this poem
 To me last week…
 About a new year….
 I came to my teacher with quivering lips,
 My task undone;
 ‘Teacher hast thou another sheet for me?
 I have spoiled this one.
 She took the old sheet, stained and
blotted,
 And gave me a new one, clean, unspotted,
 And into my glad face smiled,
 “Do better this time, my child.”
 I came to the Father with a quivering heart,
 The old year done;
 Father, hast thou another year for me?
 I have spoiled this one.
 He took the old year, stained and blotted,
 And gave me a new one, clean, unspotted,
 And into my glad heart smiled,
 “Do better this time, my child.”
DARE TO BE
A DANIEL
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
Come To Jesus
 Come to Jesus at the beginning of 2013
 Stay with Jesus during 2013
 End 2013 with Jesus…either on earth or
 In Heaven!