Daniel 3

Good morning church. How is everyone doing this morning?

So thankful to be able to join with you today. For those that I haven’t met, my name is Brian. I attend here at Blaine CTK with my wife and four kids.

I’m joining you today bringing the Word as Pastor Tyler tested positive for Covid a few days ago. I know there might be some of you who play Dejarik and you’re thinking, just have Tyler use a hologram. That’s advantageous of you, but holograms are a bit pricey, so, it’s going to be me today, alright.

Anyone see the Northern Light light that came out this last week? Pretty awesome article on the front page *show the paper*. Four teachers are retiring this year, with a combined total of 136 years taught in the Blaine school districts. How amazing is that. To be a part of a small town, where there are so many teachers are investing in the education and lives of our kids for decades. It’s so cool. Blaine is an awesome place.

I was honored to have taken classes with three of the four, and I can tell you, they surely deserve the credit given here.

As my mind dwelled on these teachers this week while also preparing for a sermon, I found myself thinking about the impact that was a result of their commitment to their role as teachers. From individual moments in the classroom, in conversation with students, in preparation for lessons, through being an example, to the full spans of their career, the impact made is so significant on so many people.

Students were impacted by these teachers because they were committed to their purpose as teachers, committed to caring for, educating, and inspiring students.

And they did this every day. Not because the teachers walked in willy nilly each day, thinking simply because they were teachers, lives were changed, whether they tried or not.

No

Lives were changed for the better because of their active commitment to the purpose of being a teacher.

One of these teachers that I had, Mr. Gray, was the band teacher, and because he taught middle and high school, that meant I had his class for 6 years. His impact on my life was...

That also made the change of high school ending hard...

Changes in life are hard...

but when we remember that our purpose in life is found in Christ, we realize that our hope in this purpose is one that goes beyond this life. That although it can be tough knowing that all things will pass away, even the things that we like, the purpose of life we have in Christ never will, because our purpose comes from the fact we have been given life everlasting by the God of all things.

Today, we’ll be continuing going through the book of Daniel and our series Faith in the Face of Uncertainty, and as we’ve begun to see the Jewish characters in this book, we’ve learned that they also know the God that gives them purpose.

And their commitment to that purpose shapes who they are and how they react to the world around them. A purpose that grants them the power of faith they need to face uncertainty.

And for us, it works the same way. What we live out as our greatest purpose in life, will shape who we are. What we do in the individual moments, the day to days. What we prioritize, dwell on, let rule our lives. That is what will shape how we respond in the times of uncertainty the most.

And if we are followers of Christ in life, how do we live out our purpose? Jesus himself tells us

Matthew 22:37–39 (CSB)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Not just calling ourselves followers of Jesus, but more importantly, living as followers of Jesus. Living a life defined by our relationship with God and pressing into that relationship as the most important thing in our life.

The strength of our faith comes from our relationship with God, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, if we want to experience God more, if we want to live more faithfully, we must commit to loving God through obedience to and the reading of His word, loving Him by drawing near to Him in prayer, loving Him by loving His bride the church, and sharing the good news of our Savior with the lost.

We have to be anchored in our purpose, if we are to walk by faith.

So, today’s passage. This section in Daniel we’ll be seeing an amazing story of something that happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three men who walked in love and obedience to their God.

As we read in previous weeks, these three, like Daniel, were kidnapped from their homeland as young men, and were forced to live in Babylon. Babylon was a pagan city, they would have to learn new languages, learn about this new culture and its practices, and they were forced to serve in the kings palace.

We’ll start to day in the final verses of Daniel 2, after Daniel had just gained favor from the king for having interpreted his dream.

Daniel 2 (CSB)

At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

So after last weeks story of Daniel being promoted to Chief Governor, he uses that new position to request a promotion for his friends as well. They get the promotion, which is somewhere other than where Daniel is, leaving Daniel not involved in this part of the story.

Daniel 3:1–6 CSB

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up. A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, you are to fall facedown and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”

Most of the people we see here, the satraps, prefects, governors, etc. would have had no issue with bowing to an image of a god or king. And that’s a result of most people in the ancient Near East, where this story and the surrounding regions take place, most people from these areas were already worshippers of numerous gods.

Thus, incorporating another god into their worship, especially at the threat of death, would not have been too difficult to do.

I point this out because I think it’s important for us to realize that today, we live in a culture that is constantly presenting changing values, new morals and ideas, and as Christians we have to face these things as they try to influence our views on life. And if our purpose is not rooted in God, but instead is rooted in worldly things curated by our feelings, fears, desires, pains, hatreds, loves etc, it will be much harder to trust and obey God in these most uncertain moments of our life.

Let’s read what we see next.

Daniel 3:7–12 CSB

Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

So the Chaldeans go, and tell the king about the three Jews who are not following his orders. There’s no going around here, Shadrac, Meshac and Abednego are willing to risk everything to obey God.

Daniel 3:13–15 CSB

Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

Nebuchadnezzar calls them in, and despite his rage, gives them one more chance to follow his orders. Cause, this statue being worshipped, of which we don’t even know who or what likeness it is made in, is less what’s important to him, because what’s really ticking him off is that they aren’t listening to him. Notice he says “you don’t serve MY gods… worship the gold statue that I set up”

That’s why he is willing to give them another chance, because this is about him, his exercise of power, his kingship.

What do Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego do though?

Daniel 3:16–18 CSB

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

When we read this notice, they aren’t arguing with the king, they aren’t being sarcastic in saying they have no response.

They know they’ve chosen to not bow and that doing so means death.

But just because they are communicating clearly and confidently to the king, that does not mean that they are sitting there like it’s no big deal. Although they have faith in God that He will save them, they are also aware and ready to face the fact that they might die.

So what happens next.

Daniel 3:19–23 CSB

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Since the king’s command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

There is a recurring theme that you’re probably starting to pick up on in the Book of Daniel. And that is that, as Joe Sprinkle puts it, “God may expect his people to sacrifice their lives rather than disobey his commands.”

This isn’t the only time in scripture that we see believers facing death for the sake of their faith and obedience to God. Jesus said to His disciples about sharing the Gospel and living for him, that they “will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. … hated all over the world because [they are his] followers.”

The threat of death over ones faith is a real possibility for those who love God.

So what happens for these guys when the threat is carried

Daniel 3:23–27 CSB

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire. Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king. He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Daniel 3:28 CSB

Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Guys, I love this part of the story. How amazing that it is Nebuchadnezzar himself, the one that commissioned their death, is the one who declares out loud that they living despite the flames intending to kill them. Nebuchadnezzar shouts that they are saved by a spiritual being from God, and then it is Nebuchadnezzar who acknowledges the power that God demonstrates saving them, and declares the praise for their actions these three men did in defying him, the king, by worshipping only the God of the Bible.

Friends, our God can save. Our God will save. He saved then, He saved when He imparts the righteousness of our son on us for our salvation, He will save when He returns to earth to take us home, and He is saving even more times than we know between then, now and the future to come.

Amen to that.

With Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, although they were saved from death in the furnace, we must recognize that this is not the general promise for those who face death for the sake of their faith.

For though we see many being saved in the book of Daniel, that is not always the case in scripture.

If I may reference again Old Testament Scholar Joe Sprinkle in relation to others who died for their faith,

Daniel (Bridge)

John the Baptist was martyred during Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matt 14:1–12). In the early church both Stephen and James were martyred (Acts 7:57–60; 12:2), and Revelation speaks of Antipas and many other martyrs (Rev 2:12–13; 6:9–11; 11:7–8; 20:4). In some parts of the world today Christians are still being martyred for their faith.

According to opendoors.org, as referenced in an article by Christianity Today, more than 5,600 Christians were killed for their faith last year.

Although we worship a God who saves, death is still present in this world until the return of Christ. And sometimes, God, in His unfathomable wisdom, allows his people to suffer and be tested by horrific trials, even death.

But there is hope in all this death. Even for those called to be obedient to death. For our ultimate example, Christ, suffered this for us. As we read in Philippians

Philippians 2:8 CSB

he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

Cause see, Jesus knew there was more. For He told us before His death

Matthew 10:28 CSB

Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Why did Jesus say that?

Because He didn’t die to save us here on earth, He died to save us for eternity. He died to save our souls from eternal death so that He might bring us into eternal life with Him.

He became obedient to death because He knew that in rising again, death would no longer be the end. Jesus gives the last word. Because of this,

We can trust God as we obey Him, even if it means death.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never faced death like we just talked about. I’ve never been in that moment where my life hangs on the balance based on an action of obedience.

But I can only imagine that some of those in scripture that faced death like that, some of those who were killed last year for their faith, that they prayed for help.

And although I can’t even fathom asking for help like that, I can relate to praying for help, and reaching to God as I need Him daily.

As I’m going through life, trying to raise my kids to love Jesus and be able to make it in this world, loving my wife well and not falling into sin, trying to do all the things I believe God is calling me to in ministry, work, personal growth, my home, my community. Trying to live a life that honors God and stay away from the seemingly endless temptations to sin I face each day. I need Gods help every day. I need Him every day. But sometimes, I realize that I’m asking Him for help, even expecting help, without really listening.

I’m going to tell you a story about a father and his young son, not older than 8, that came to join him at work one day.

The father was a contractor and wanted to bring his son with him over the weekend to have him help him.

...

Then, they come to an even bigger rock, one that the son could never pick up, even as a man. But he knows his dad has the tools to move any rock.

The father comes over to the son as he asks for help, and says to him “I’m not actually going to move this rock, it’s going to stay here”.

But I want to move that rock. Don’t we want to move all the rocks over there.

The father assures him that although it seems that way, he has a different plan for each rock, each inch of the job site, and reminds his son once more that he will not be moving that rock.

Sometimes in life, we are holding on to things like these rocks.

Things like our career goals, financial pursuits, other peoples expectation, parenting, how we spend our time, our passions and desires,chores that need to get done.

And as we call for God to help us with them, we need to understand that just because we have a plan, maybe even a plan that is really good and we believe will be God honoring, that doesn’t mean that God’s plan is the same.

Take the words of verse 18, when Shadrac, Meshac, and Abednego were telling the king that even in death they would obey their God.

Daniel 3:18 (CSB)

But even if he does not rescue us...

What if that verse says,

But even if He does not rescue me from financial ruin...

But even if He does not prevent me from losing my job...

But even if He does not choose for me to be the one who will bring them to Christ...

But even if He does not let my body recover from this...

Will we trust in God and remain obedient, step back and give God control, even if we realize that doing so will actually not get us what we want.

Can we say that we will allow our job, or finances, or dreams, or a relationship be thrown into the furnace for the sake of obeying God?

Friends, we aren’t going to be able to do this if we are not making God the purpose of our lives. If we are not saying that above all things we will pursue to love God. To pursue Him. To obey Him. To seek Him in prayer. To be willing to give up everything for Him.

And I promise, there is greater joy in this than anything the world has to offer. Jesus tells us of the love of God

John 15:9–11 CSB

“As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

Our joy is made complete when we remain in the love of God, and follow Him. And we experience this joy by living our life with our purpose in Christ at the center of our focus and our greatest effort.

Faith in the face of uncertainty means that we trust that God is greater than the things we want from this world.

Anyone ever heard the term “Let go and Let God”.

It’s one of those catchy advice sayings that most have us have heard and many of us have maybe even said.

It’s also one of those terms that when put in the midst of the chaos of life, it doesn’t really land that well. It’s kind of like telling the Mom of toddlers, whose asking for prayer, her life is a mess, bills are piling up, the kids are like wild animals. She’s like, friend, I just have nothing left, I really need some strength and prayer. And you look at her and you say, “girl, Let Go and Let God.”

I can only imagine that single Mom, living alone, taking that advice, and walking home, toddlers screaming, poopy daipers over flowing, house a complete wreck, hungry humans everywhere, just throwing her hands up in complete surrender and saying, “I’m just gonna Let Go, and Let God”.

Church, I was a single dad to a toddler for over 3 years, much of that time my daughter was with me full time, and I’m gonna share a secret with you, if you “Let go and Let God”… those diapers, they’re gonna stay full. That baby isn’t going to feed itself. That pile of dirty laundry. The bills that are coming in the mail.

That advice, it’s kind of like that Country classic, from Carrie Underwood, “Jesus Take the Wheel”. Ya’ll know that song?

Faith in the face of uncertainty means being responsible in living out our purpose as His children.

Yes, we might look reckless to the world, but God isn’t calling you to be irresponsible in order to be fully His. We aren’t puppets.

At the end, when we bring purpose back, acknowledge that some people might not feel like that have purpose. Invite them to Jesus. He gives them a greater purpose than anything else, the purpose they were created for, to worship Him in relationship with God forever.