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Amen. Daniel chapter one is a great chapter in the Bible. So great that we're going to study it in both sermons today, this morning, and this evening. So we're going to talk to the children today. So if you're a child this morning, raise your hand. Looking for some children in the church. Raise your hand if you're a child this morning. Okay, so if you understood what I was saying by if you're a child, raise your hand. Again, you're going to be able to understand what I'm talking about this morning and this evening. So I'm talking to you. Of course, I'm talking to the parents. Of course, I'm talking to everyone. But these two sermons this morning and this evening are going to show you the power of the family integrated church, why the kids are in the church service. Because you're going to find out from the Bible this morning and this evening that as a child, you have some responsibilities. As a child, you can make a difference. So what I'm looking for this morning is I'm looking for some chosen children this morning. So we're going to find out this morning if you are a chosen child, because that's what the Bible is talking about in Daniel chapter one. Let's see how you measure up. This is a great story in Daniel chapter one. It's the story where we're introduced to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, four of my favorite characters in the Bible. Daniel is one of my all time favorite characters hands down in the Bible. But the story of Daniel's life is unique because the story of Daniel's life, a lot of times we see a window into someone's life. We see a lot of David's life in the Bible. We see a lot of Daniel's life in the Bible as well. But those are two examples of people that we see a lot of span of their life in the Bible. Many, many stories in the Bible are just one window of time of a Bible character, but we see a lot about Daniel. And the story about Daniel begins, guess what? It begins when he's a child. It begins when he's a child. Let's look at Daniel chapter one, look down at verse number three. Let's look at the unique situation that we have in Daniel chapter one. And this is introducing us to this man, Daniel, and these other three friends of his. And we see that it starts when he's a child. Look at verse number three. The king spake unto Ashphanez, the master of the eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the prince's, children in whom there was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had the ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. Verse five. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat. This is the king of Babylon here. This is after the lower kingdom of Judah has been taken over, taken into captivity by the Babylonian empire. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now, among these were the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Of course, they were given different names that they're known mainly to us by, except Daniel. We kind of know him by his original name. Then look down at verse number seven, unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names. For he gave unto Daniel the name Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and to Azariah of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor the wine which he drank. Therefore, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. So we see here that Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they were chosen children. We're going to look at these kids this morning and see what we can learn about the responsibility and the impact that children can have in their lives and in this world. The first point, I have three points in the sermon this morning. The first one is for the parents mainly, and the second two points are for the children in the church themselves. So first of all, this is the theme of the day, is the chosen children. So if you're a child listening to this today, pay close attention and let's find out if you're one of the chosen children as we're talking about in Daniel chapter one. So first of all, the first point I want to make is for parents. These children were chosen. These children were chosen. They were prepared. These children were prepared. Look at verse number three. Daniel chapter one and verse number three. And the king spake unto Aphenaz, the master of the eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel and of the king's seed and of the prince's. Look, they didn't go and just take all the children. They didn't even go and take, you know, all the royal children. They said certain of the kings or of the children of Israel. Look down at verse number four and we see why they took these children. Verse number four, children in whom was no blemish but well favored and skillful in all wisdom and cunning and knowledge and understanding science. We're going to talk about that one this evening. But the point I want to really press forward in this first point is this next phrase. And such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. Look, these kids had the ability to stand in the king's palace is one of the reasons that they were chosen. Look, these kids were presentable. These kids, they looked well. I mean, they were, there was no blemish. They were well favored. And they had the ability, look, they had the ability to stand in the king's palace. They were well behaved. They were well educated, it says. We'll talk in detail about that this evening. And then it says they had the ability, they were able to stand in the king's palace. What does that mean? It means that they looked well and they acted well. They took care of themselves. They presented well. These kids, look, these were kids that even to this point in their life, they were raised right. These kids. So look, I mean, for the parents this morning, your kids, I mean, yes, these are some things where they looked at these kids and they said, these kids have the ability. And they were gonna spend three years training them. They were gonna bring these kids, these kids weren't to teach the language of the Israelites to the Babylonians. They were looking for kids that had the ability that they could train them. That they could train, look, that they could invest in. And that's what they were looking for. So look, these kids, look, your kids need to be taught how to take care of themselves. Your kids need to be presentable. I mean, this is important. This is one of the reasons that these four boys were chosen. Let me ask you a question. Are you teaching your kids things like etiquette? Are you teaching those things to your kids? I mean, can your kids sit at a restaurant? Can your kids sit at a restaurant? First of all, there's a lot of things that go into that. Are they well-behaved? If your kids aren't well-behaved, they're not gonna be able to sit down at a dinner table. Look, the booth with the COVID stuff and all the booths now they have all the glass. I was telling the boys this yesterday, I actually kind of like that. I actually hope they keep it that way because now I don't have all these kids like crawling over from the booth next to me, being like, and their parents are like, oh, that's so cute and you just want to take the kid and just like, you know, push him back in his own booth. You know, the kids screaming next door, the kid crawling over like the restaurant is a jungle gym. Look, kids that just have no behavioral ability at all, they have no ability. Do your kids know when they go and sit down at a dinner table, do your kids know, and my kids were gonna, my kids might even be like, oh man, here we go again, because I'm like, I'm just, I'm annoying about this stuff in my house. Do your kids know where to put the napkin when they sit down at a dinner table? When they sit down at a restaurant, do your kids know what to do with the napkin? Do they know how to eat properly? Do they know how to chew, how to feed themselves, how to not chew with their mouth open and not just disgust everybody at the table? Do they know how to do this type of stuff? Do they know how to speak to a waiter politely? Are they, look, do your kids have manners, do they have etiquette? This is taught. This is taught. And this is one of the things, this is one of the values of sitting down to dinner every single night, formally, by the way, as a family. I still train here. I still train here. I still get this from, you know, my 19-year-old, like, oh man, really, dad? I'm 19. I'm like, well, sorry, Garrett. But here's the point. Could your kids sit at the king's table? Could your kids sit at the king's table in the king's house? Or would they be put in the barn? How about hygiene? Do your kids know how to take care of themselves? Do they know how to get dressed? Do they know how to wash themselves so they don't smell? Do they know how to brush their teeth? How long should you brush your teeth, kids? It's like two minutes. How many kids brush their teeth for two minutes? Look, you need to teach your kids, parents, how to take care of themselves, have good hygiene and, you know, just get ready every day. Things that you do on a routine to get ready every day. This is all learned, which means it's your job as parents to teach it. So the first point is that these kids were presentable and that did not happen on accident. The king of Babylon looked at these kids and the princes of Babylon looked at these kids and they said, you know what, these kids have the ability. They have the starting point. They have the foundation to be able to stand in the king's house. And they saw that by looking at them. They saw that by the way that they looked and they could tell that they were well favored. They had this ability about them. So that's the first thing. Parents, as we talk today to the kids and as I speak on this morning's sermon and tonight's sermon and I speak to the kids, look, the parents, you parents are just as responsible here. You have to lay this foundation. If you don't lay this foundation, the things that we're going to talk about going forward as far as the chosen children are, you know, it's not going to work out. It's not going to work. So that's the thing. Parents, the foundation is yours to lay. The foundation of teaching, look, it's all about the details when you're raising kids. It's not just obedience, it's the details of everything. It's the details of how you lay these foundations. These kids had a good start right here. Look at Daniel chapter one and verse number eight. Now for the children. Point number two is this, these children, these children were principled. These were principled children. They're like, what? I'm just a kid. Look, Daniel set himself apart immediately here. Look at Daniel chapter one and verse number eight. And he was just a child. Verse number eight. 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. Look, Daniel chose, look, he had, here was a child. I mean, just think of the impact of this and think about the kids that you know today. Here was a child who had all access to every type of food and drink that he could probably ever want. He was in the king's palace. Go read about the Babylonian empire. They were rich. Look, there was every kind of good food and good drink that you could want under the sun. Daniel had access to. Now think about kids today. Think about kids today. Daniel knew, Daniel knew how to deny himself. This is a sermon in itself. But if you raise your kids to never deny themselves, they're going to end up in a bad place. Maybe in prison, maybe dead. It could get so bad. But Daniel, he decided to still hold to his principles. He still held to his principles. Look at verse number nine. You say, why? Why would he do this? Why would he still hold to these same principles that he was holding thus far in his life? Well, I'm going to show you why. Look at verse number nine. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. You know God can give you favor in your life or not? And God did that for Daniel. Look at verse number 17. And these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill and all learning and wisdom. So God, look, as the king of Babylon chose these children and brought them in, God blessed their learning. God blessed their success. God just poured everything out into these kids and he allowed them to succeed. So here's the point I'm trying to make. Daniel was very principled and he chose as a child to deny himself. To not just say, you know what, whatever I want, I'm going to take. But look, if you raise your kids to just give them whatever they want at that moment, you will never have a Daniel. You will never have a Daniel. You will have a prisoner is what you will have. You will have a child who has no self-control. You will have a child that gets himself into the worst type of trouble you can ever get into, which there's a lot of trouble you can get into as an undisciplined, uncontrolled child in this world. But someone's going to teach them that control. Someone will eventually teach them that control. Daniel was principled and the reason is this, is because he had an excellent, listen up kids, he was principled. You're like, I'm a child, what do you mean I have to be principled? Here's what it means to be a principled child. Daniel, as we see in verse number 9 and verse number 17, he had an excellent relationship with the Lord. A child. You're saying, I'm just a kid. Yes, as a kid, you can be loyal to God. Did you know that? As a child, you can have an excellent relationship with the Lord. Look, this is the overarching theme of Daniel's entire life, that he had an excellent relationship with the Lord. You go and you look at all the successes, just study out all the successes that Daniel had. He rose to the top of two empires. Somebody invaded his, well I'll get to that later, but the point is, Daniel rose to the top of two empires and that's because he went and he was able to have these great abilities to just have all this knowledge and wisdom and as soon as the kings saw that he had all this knowledge and wisdom, you know what Daniel did? It's God. It's God, it's not me, it's God. Daniel had an excellent relationship with the Lord his entire life and it started when he was a child. So kids, kids, everybody that raised their hand, how is your, I'm not talking about your parents. I'm looking at the kids, right here. How is your relationship with God? Kids. Do you pray? Kids? When is the last time, kids, that you sat down in a quiet place and said your prayers? Or is it just something that your parents have to lead you in all the time? Do you know, kids, that you can have a relationship with the Lord yourself? And that was the theme of Daniel's life, but guess what, kids? It started when he was a child. It started when he was just a kid. You gotta start thinking, kids, this morning. You have to start thinking, when is the time, I'm gonna ask you this question. When is the time in your life, kids? When you start doing the right thing in your life, not just out of obedience to your parents. I get it. Being obedient to your parents is a good thing. The Bible says that, but kids, listen, do you know why you're doing those things? Do you know why your parents are telling you to do those things? Do you know why your parents are telling you to come to church? Why your parents are teaching you the Bible? Do you know why they're doing those things? Children, you have to start asking yourself, when am I gonna start doing the right things, doing the things that my parents are telling me to do? Not just out of obedience to my parents, but out of loyalty to my God. When are you gonna start doing that? When are you gonna start making that transition to, yes, I get it, I see why my parents are teaching me these things. I see why my parents are teaching me at home to have a worldview that is from the Bible. I see why my parents are teaching me why certain things that I'm seeing and are happening in the world are terrible and I need to be nowhere near these things. But when are you gonna start to do the things in your life, not just out of obedience to your parents, which is a good thing, but out of loyalty to the God that saved you? This is an important transition in a child's life. So children today, if you, especially children that you've believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and you're saved, you need to start thinking about these things. If you have questions about why your family does certain things or doesn't do certain things, you need to ask your parents about those things. You need to understand why in your lives you have the principles in your family that you do so you can start to get on board with those things and you can start to walk on your own and be strong on your own out of loyalty to your God. That's an important transition in a child's life. So look, you will start to do things and once you start to do things in your life out of love for the Lord, that is when you are starting to mature as a Christian, even as a child. So look, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego here, they show us that all this begins when you're just a child. So you know, you think you're just a kid, you're just a kid, but here's the thing, you can be a principled child. Turn to Proverbs chapter 20. You can be a principled child. Turn to Proverbs chapter 20, Proverbs chapter 20, look at verse number 11. Here's another thing, kids, and I don't mean to stress you out, children, but here's another thing. Look what the Bible says in Proverbs 20 and verse number 11, even a child, that means even you, kids, even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure and whether it be right. Kids, did you know that you're building your reputation now? Do you know, kids, that you already have a reputation? That's why you hear people say, you know, there's mean kids. There's mean kids, there's disobedient kids, but there's also nice kids. There's also polite kids. Children have reputations. The Bible is telling us this in Proverbs chapter 20. So what is your reputation, children? Are you polite? Are you rude? Are you disobedient? Are you selfish? Children, is it everything when you're dealing with your brothers and sisters, is it everything that I didn't get this or I didn't get that? Look, you're building a reputation, children, you need to think about that. You need to think about that. You're building a reputation even as a child. And Daniel shows us here that you can be a principled child with a good reputation. Daniel started building his reputation as a child. And against some pretty serious odds, which brings me to my third point here is this, children can be courageous. Did you know that? Go back to Daniel chapter one, you say, I'm just a child. He's like, what's your problem, man? I'm just a kid. Leave me alone. I'm just trying to come to church and kick a ball around and have some fun with my friends. But here's the thing, kids, like children can be courageous. And if you want to do great things, you need to start doing those great things as a child. Because that's when Daniel and these three friends started. You say, I'm just a child. I can't do anything great. Look at Daniel. Look at verse number 10. Look how courageous he was. Look what was on the line here in Daniel chapter one. Look at verse number 10. So he says, I'm taking this stand. He said, I'm taking this stand. This is my conscience. I'm not going to eat these foods. I'm just going to keep eating the things that match my conscience. And that's what I'm going to do. And the prince of the eunuch said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink, for why should he see your faces worse than the children which are of your sort? Then shall he make me endanger my head to the king. You know what this prince of the eunuch is explaining here? By the way, the Bible doesn't say that Daniel was a eunuch, just in defense of Daniel. I understand that that's possible. But it never ever says that Daniel was a eunuch. So you know, anyway, it's the prince of the eunuch that was in charge of the children. And I'm not going to get into that. But the point is, this guy, after Daniel takes his principled stand, this guy is explaining that what you're doing is life threatening. He is explaining to Daniel, and he's kind of telling Daniel in a roundabout way, he's like, look, you're endangering my life, he says, which kind of is a roundabout way of telling Daniel, you're kind of endangering your own life by taking this stand that you took. But look what Daniel says. He's like, well, in that case, if it's a matter of life and death, he's like, I'll just eat the food. No, Daniel says whatever. He's like, I'm just going to I'm taking this stand. It's the right thing for me to do. And I'm doing it. Look at verse number 11. Then Daniel said to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had said over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, prove thy servants, I beseech thee 10 days, let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink. Then let our countenance be looked on before thee, and the countenance of the children that either the portions of the kings meet, and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. He's saying, hey, just let us try this. And if you come to us and in a few days, we're all like, oh, we're so hungry, and we're just complaining and their countenance has fallen. He's like, then you can deal with us how I know that you would deal with us in that case. And Daniel just says, look, we're going to take this stand, and we're going to do what our conscience tells us to do. These kids had great courage. These kids had great courage. Children can be brave. Children can be brave. And because, look, these children did great things here, but you see, it is a clear sign. First of all, throughout their lives, they had the same bravery. It's a clear sign that they were prepared properly by their parents, first of all. They were trained. These kids were trained well. Turn to Proverbs chapter 22, and that's what we see with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego today. Proverbs chapter 22, verse number six says, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. These parents obviously did this correctly. This bravery, but kids, their bravery started when they were kids. But you think about this bravery continued in their life. In Daniel chapter three, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego basically were, you know, they were killed. They were to be killed because of a stand that they took, another stand like this. They were told, hey, you have to worship this image. You have to worship this image, or you're going to be thrown into a furnace. And they're just like, oh, you know, there was no debate. They just did it. They just did what they were supposed to do, and they just kept their loyalty to God, period. That was it. There was no debate, like, what's this going to cost us? There's no scale, like, okay, is it worth it? Is it not? It was just, no, we're not, just no thank you, whatever. And the Lord saved them. Again in Daniel chapter six, Daniel won't, you know, all Daniel had to do, all Daniel had to do in Daniel chapter six was just stop praying for 30 days. That's it. I mean, would you lose your salvation if you stopped praying for 30 days? And Daniel's just like, yeah, no. Daniel's just like, I'm going to do things exactly how I did them yesterday. And again, God delivered him. God delivered him. These kids had great courage, but it started when they were children. You know, these things happened when they were adults, but it started, their courage started when they were kids. They were seriously principled, and they just, they had the courage to follow through on their principle as kids. So kids, you need to pay attention to the training that you're receiving. Just because you're young doesn't mean you can't be greatly used by God. Kids, did you hear that? Just because you're young does not mean you can't be greatly used by God. Think about this. You say, I don't need courage. What about this? Soul winning takes courage, kids. You know that going soul winning takes courage? You know that the idea, you know, maybe not for the veterans in this room who just go soul winning week in and week out, you're like, courage, it's like no big deal. But here's the thing. You know, for most people, you know, one of the main reasons that we're not a bigger church is because we actually do work here. It's because we actually go out soul winning here. We actually go out and do what the Bible says here. We actually practice the first works here. But here's the thing. That's terrifying to a lot of people. Going around, walking down a street carrying a Bible and knocking on someone's door with a Bible, that terrifies people. You're like, what? I mean, maybe some of you can remember when you were still, that idea was terrifying to you. But look, guess what, kids? You know who's really good at giving the gospel to 14 and 15 year old kids? Other 14 and 15 year old kids. You know, young soul winners, young teenage soul winners are extremely effective at reaching other kids their age. But you can't be some undisciplined slob that looks horrible and doesn't know how to present themselves to people, and can't speak to people, and has no manners, and you look like a wreck, and people can't be around you because you smell, and you're afraid to go talk to people about the gospel. You'll never do anything. You'll never do anything in your life if that is the type of child you become. And guess what? If you're afraid, if you are those things, you will care less about soul winning. So look, kids, as we sit in this church and you listen to the preaching week in and week out, kids, you need to be listening. You need to be growing. You need to be applying these things in your life. You need to not just be saying, hey, I'm just a kid. This doesn't apply to me. When's it over so I can play games? You need to be listening to the details. You need to be following along in your Bible. You know what will happen, kids, if you sit in this church and you turn to every single Bible verse during every single sermon, you know what will happen? You will learn the Bible. You will learn the Bible. Look, you need to be reading the Bible. You need to be listening to your parents, to your pastor, and you need to be applying these things in your life. Look, learn this now. Children, I beg you, learn this now. Learn this now because look, if you learn to sit here, kids, listen up. If you learn to sit here and you learn to listen to sermons and just have things go in one ear and out the other, you will be an adult that does the same thing. And that very thing right there can ruin your life. You're like, but I'm saved. Yes, you can be saved and ruin your life. Did you know that? Did you know that? Look, you have to listen to these things, kids, so you don't become an adult with the same issue. Putting these biblical principles in your life, putting them in place in your life, it will make you grow. And now who grows faster, children or adults? Kids, you have the ability to grow and mature very quickly as a Christian. So you need to be listening and applying. And guess what, kids? Daniel chapter 1 proves to us that children can be greatly used by God. And look, if you prove yourself, look what happened to Daniel when he was an adult. But he proved himself. He had that relationship with God when he was a child. And then God just kept using him and using him and using him in his life. He's maybe one of the greatest men in the Bible. And it all started when he was what? A child. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. So you are not just children. You are not just children. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Remember when I said at the beginning of the sermon, we are looking for the chosen children this morning. We're looking for the chosen children. You're not just children. You're like, am I the chosen children? Look at Ephesians chapter 1. Look what the Bible says. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children. Well, how does that work? By Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. Kids, if you are saved this morning, if you have put your trust on the Lord Jesus Christ this morning, you are the chosen children this morning. So if you're saved, you're chosen. Is what the Bible says. You are adopted. You are part of this adopted family. You are the same chosen as your parents if you're saved. You're not just children. Look, that comes, look, and as being saved as a child, there comes great responsibility with that. You see, kids, this whole world is lost. This whole world is dying. Think about that. Think about that when you go to the grocery store with your mom or you go out to a park and you look around. The vast majority of all of these people that you see, they're lost and they're dying. And you are not. You are not. You are saved. You are literally the chosen next generation. I bet, kids, if your parents had to write a list of the reasons that they come to church here, I bet that you would be on the top of that list. You say me. I mean, there's a lot of, I mean, why is there so much focus being put on me? Because look, they're coming, they're bringing you here. So you can hear what the Bible has to say about you, about them, about all of us because they're preparing you to enter this lost and dying world. They know that they have to give you a strong base before you go out into that. They know that. Because guess what, kids? One day, one day, you're going to have to go out into that world that's lost and that's dying and you're going to have to stand up to it. You're going to have to stand up to the pressures of it. So what I'm talking to you about this morning with the principled children in Daniel chapter one and the courageous children in Daniel chapter one, kids, is that you need to work on standing on your own. You need to listen to the Bible. You need to apply the Bible. That will make you strong. You need to grow as a Christian because guess what? Look, it is not only you that is going to, you know, your parents are worried that when you go out in the world that you will succumb to the pressures of it, that the world will put so much pressure on you that it will break you. That's what your parents are worried about. That is one of the main concerns of every parent in this room, of this wickedness that will overcome their children. So you need to get strong, kids. And you get strong by listening, and by applying, and by having a relationship with the Lord. But guess what? It's not just about standing up and not letting the world push you over. There's more. You're like, man, there's more than just that. You have to not get knocked down by it, not get overcome by it. You have to deliver truth to it. That's a big responsibility, kids. What the Bible here is telling us, and we see an example, I believe this is the main purpose of Daniel chapter 1, is so you understand this. You kids are going to have to gain the courage to gain the principles to not only stand up to the world but to carry the gospel into it. And parents, it's your job to provide those building blocks. It's your job to provide those building blocks. That's why, look, we talk about obedience to your parents, and we talk about raising disciplined children. You want to talk about the building block? You sit there and you're like, yeah, my kids, they're just disobedient, but we're in a good church and everything is going to be fine. Guess what? Without that obedience, that building block, without that obedience to parents, you will never make that change to loyalty to God. That's why obedience to parents is so important. You're sitting here as parents and you're teaching all these things to your kids, and you must be obedient to me because I'm your parent. And then the kids are just obedient when they're younger, they're just obedient because they need to be, because their parents will discipline if they're not. It's very simple. You go into this very simple training, but if you don't get to that, they will never start to ask the questions, why do I do these things? Why are we having all these rules? Why are we living our lives in this way? Because they'll just be living their lives however they want, because they own you. They will never get to the point where they ask those questions, and they start to transfer that just obedience to parents into loyalty to the God that saved them. That's how important this is. That's how important the two-year-old is. That's how important the three-year-old is. It's a building block to the big stuff. And without the stepping stones, the ledge will be too, you won't be able to reach it. You have to lay the foundation. You have to give that training, otherwise those children, that ledge is too tall, they'll never have a chance. It's like you're giving them the tools to be successful for this monumental, I mean think about this, this monumental task that is in front of them. Here's another one for the parents. You think it's getting better out there or worse? Are things getting better or are they getting worse? Guess what? You know what that means? That means they need to be better than you. You're like, whoa. They need to be better than you because they're gonna have to withstand more than you withstand. In order to get the results that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego delivered to their nation, look you gotta give these kids not only a proper start, you better follow the Bible in every single thing the Bible says because they have to be stronger. They have to be more principled. This is why a lot of people just fail at this. It's really hard because society's going like this which means every single generation needs to withstand more than the generation before it. That's why Joshua's out there, he's just yelling at the people. Like don't abandon God. Like follow the law of God because it's getting worse. The people that you're gonna meet are worse. Don't mix with these people because they're gonna draw you into it and the people just didn't listen. And they failed one generation later, many of them. But here's the thing. If we do it right, if we do exactly what the Bible says and we take it seriously at those very low building blocks of just simple obedience and we build things the way the Bible says we're supposed to build them and children, you start to understand things. You start to ask questions. You start to gain, you know, an idea. You get saved. You put your trust in Jesus and then you're like, you know what? This stuff makes sense and I'm gonna start serving God on my own and you start walking on your own two feet. Guess what? You'll do great things in your life because you've got your whole life ahead of you. There's a lot of people in this room that got saved halfway through their life. You're at the beginning. You can impact way more people than us. You are so important, children. That's why I'm yelling at you this morning. Because your lives and getting that obedience to your parents transferred to loyalty to God in your own personal life will impact this world. It's the difference. Look, these kids, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they impacted a nation. They got kings saved. I believe because of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar got saved. I believe Nebuchadnezzar in all his wickedness was a saved man. And it was because of a child. Got the most powerful man in the world into heaven regardless of all his idiocy and selfishness in his life. And that, look, that's what we see. You know what we see in Daniel chapter 1? We see a bunch of children impacting a nation. And that's what we can see today. That's what we can see today. We can have a bunch of children in this church impact a nation instead of having the nation impact them, which is what's happening to everybody else. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.