Raise the standard- sermon for 31st December 2023

Daniel 3- Entire chapter 

King Nebuchadnezzar had set the standard of worship and way of life. He was like the king of the world; his word became law- the way of life. 

The golden statue represents rebellion against a living God, human wisdom, glory devoid of the Spirit etc. There are so many statues being made around us and we are forced to worship them. 

Some statues were created or in inherited from our parents and we keep bowing down to them because there is no other way to live besides that which is set for us. 

Just like Nebuchadnezzar, he thought no one can defy Him, no one could dismantle his standard, but there are young men- Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego who set us a better standard. 

Listen 2023 forced standards on you and you had no choice but to obey- you didn’t choose sorrow, you didn’t choose brokenness, you didn’t choose scarcity, you didn’t choose to be single etc. 

I am here to speak to you and let you know that the lord who protected the three young men in the furnace has gone ahead of you. He is giving you a new standard to follow next year. 

If your standard was weakness he says, let the weak say I am strong, if it was sickness, he says; let the sick say I am healed, if it was poverty he says your new standard is wealth. If it was death, he says shout for joy for he will feel you with Life. 

You know Nebuchadnezzar meant death for the three guys, but God is above the decrees of man. He sets a new standard. Their defiance set a new standard of worship in the king’s territory. 

This year God is looking for people who are willing to defy the status quo so that he can Glorify Himself upon them. There are things you must defy- defy poverty by starting a business, defy un holy sex, defy gossip, defy bad company, defy stinginess, defy being a slave. etc.  

So [as the result of the Messiah’s intervention] they shall [reverently] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives].

This 2024 God is lifting a standard where your enemies won’t reach you. When they put you in the fire be sure about the new standard God is bringing.  You know standards are there to be broken- the Bible says 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

How do I embrace the new standard? 

1.     Renew your mind- it’s in your mind that standards are received and kept- as a man thinketh in his heart so is he- proverbs 23:7

2.     Be confident of whom you believed- Daniel 3:17 

3.     Have faith in his Word- Isaiah 43:1-3 The three guys trusted the lord no matter what

4.     Move with people who have the same mind like yours- these three guys believed in the standards of God than the standards of men. 

5.     Be excellent in your faith- because of their excellence in belief, their faith became the new norm in Babylon. 

6.     Be determined- Daniel 1: 3 

To raise the standard is to stay above the norm. To stay above what others have embraced as normal. It’s to operate above average- a pursuit of excellence. May your enemies fail to find fault with you. May they die in their own evil schemes. 

Daniel 6: 4

7.     Pray Vs 7

Why raise the standard?

Our God deserves all the praise 

Daniel 4: 34 and Daniel 6:25

This year as you pursue new standards for your life, people are going to praise God on your behalf. It’s going to be a year of praise.