Sermon Tone Analysis

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Background

The nation of Israel was receiving the judgement of God because of their disobedience (Verse 2)

Known as the captivity

A period of 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah

King Nebuchadnezzar had a plan for the Hebrew boys that he was eyeing

Daniel was among these set-apart young men

Introduction

Every parent believes his or her child is exceptional.

We see gifts and talents in our children that others fail to see.

We have a vested interest in their success and we have a strong desire to see them succeed!

Question??

How do we cultivate our children's gifts while at the same time cultivating and developing character for them to use their gifts wisely?

How do you raise a child who can not only play a great basketball game but knows the right moment to show a kindness on the court?

Consider for a moment the biblical account of Daniel

Arguably, the most gifted teenager in the Bible, Daniel was taken captive from Israel to Babylon.

Some commentators believe he was as young as fourteen.

As an exceptionally gifted young man, Daniel would have had eyes to see the impressive features of Babylon.

He must have been blown away by the massive walls, buildings, and engineering.

Babylon had a reputation as a seat of learning and culture.

For Daniel, who already had academic prowess and political aptitude, there must have been a sense of excitement-even awe-in the majesty surrounding him.

It would be something like a teenager from rural America visiting Las Vegas for the first time.

Only Babylon was even more elite.

For all its culture, however, the religion of Babylon was a problem.

The center of the city boasted a towering ziggurat and the Temple of Marduk.

It was into this pagan culture that Daniel-a gifted, talented young man-found himself inserted.

He was a captive, but his gifts had been noticed, and he was given special treatment with the obvious expectation that he would reciprocate by investing his abilities in his captors' agenda.

He now had the opportunity to distinguish himself within the government of the most prestigious and powerful empire of the world.

The story of Daniel is remarkable, not so much because he was gifted, but because he stood for God while using his gifts.

His unwavering character and loyalty to God continue to stand as a testimony over 2,500 years later.

I have to believe that this is due, in a large part, to the investments his parents made in his life.

Obviously, at an early age, Daniel was given tutelage in cultivating his God-given gifts while also being taught to develop deep-seated convictions.

Every parent would like to raise a Daniel.

All of us want our kids to have the ability to flourish in their adult careers and to stand out from their peers.

But we also want them to stand up for God and for truth.

We want our kids to have the courage to live honorably when placed into compromising or questionable situations.

We want to know that no one: friend, college professor, drill sergeant, boss, colleague-will intimidate them from standing for Christ.

The question is how?

How did Daniel's parents encourage the development of his gifts while simultaneously guiding the development of his character?

In this lesson, we'll glean truths from the life of Daniel that help us learn how to develop both character and talent in our children.

Define the Priority of Character

Daniel was obviously gifted but he was also guided!

Character must be the guiding force of our children's development.

A. Daniel was a gifted young man

1.

He was mentally sharp “…skillful in all wisdom”

2.

He was socially poised “…had ability in them to stand in the kings palace”

He was a brilliant young man but he was also able to handle himself in difficult social situations

He had an uncommon level of diplomacy for even an adult

He had the ability to handle and diffuse difficult emotional situations

B. Daniel was a guided young man

The most striking and pivotal verse in this passage is found in verse 8 ...

We often use this verse to challenge young people to follow the leadership of Daniel

Have you ever thought about the impact his parents must have had on his instinct to act this way?

First we take heed to our own lives, diligently obeying God from the heart ourselves.

And then, when we teach our children and grandchildren, we make the emphasis of the heart so that we can embed truth into their souls, not just require rules for their actions.

Illustration: There are many athletes with loads of talent but no character.

Bubba Watson is one of my favorite golfers and I remember hearing a golf commentator one time talking about his talent - he said that he was talented but did not have the same level of talent to dominate like Tiger Woods.

That he may not, but Bubba is a Christian and hopefully he will display the character that will dominate and certainly outlast even a great winning legacy!

Transition

Once we understand the priority of character we need to look deeper and help our children understand their purpose in life.

We do this in three ways...

I.

We discover spiritual gifts

A. By observing

You want to notice and encourage the development of what the Holy Spirit is doing in your child's heart.

It's amazing how you can see the spiritual development in a child's heart even at a very young age.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit.

In addition to the fruit of the Spirit, God gives each Christian-including children-one or more spiritual gifts at salvation.

This is a divine enablement for the purpose of serving Him.

These gifts can be summarized simply as follows:

• Prophecy-the ability and desire to preach or teach God's Word

• Ministry/Helps-the ability and desire to serve and help God's people

• Teaching-the ability and desire to clearly articulate truth

• Exhortation-the ability and desire to encourage others in their faith

• Giving-the ability and desire to give to God's work and God's people

• Ruling /Administration-the ability and desire to lead and administrate part of God's work

• Mercy-the ability and desire to feel the pain of others and help them during trials

Observe your children, looking for the spiritual gifts that stand out in them.

When you see even little evidences of these, praise them!

B. By applauding

When you observe your children doing right, you should have joy!

Let your children know when they've honored you.

II.

We develop spiritual gifts

1. Creative Gifts - arts, music, literature...

2. Practical useful skills

Notice that these artificers consecrated their service unto the Lord.

This brings out an important aspect in developing your child's gifts.

Encourage him to serve the Lord even as he is learning his skill.

This may mean playing piano in a nursing home, giving drawings or artistic pieces to others, writing notes or articles to encourage others or take a stand for truth, lending time and labor to projects for church or people in need.

In any case, don't send the message to your child that she can serve the Lord when she is an adult or gets her talent perfect; encourage her to serve the Lord by serving others now.

III.

We deploy spiritual gifts

We must teach our children to deploy what they have learned by using their talents to serve God and we do this by demonstrating it.

Conclusion