Another In the Fire

Introduction

We are three weeks into our series, “Longing for a Savior”.

We are looking at how in the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, they were longing for a Savior. They called Him the messiah, He was going to save the people from their sin, they were looking for God to do what He said He was going to do.

They found themselves so often at the mercy of the empires around them, the culture invading their lives, and corruption from within that would lead them astray. God in His love and mercy would purify them, correct them, and continually send them prophets that would call them to faithfulness.

We have a lot of parallels to the ANE follower of YHWH… it’s not the same, because Christ has come, Messiah has been revealed, come, lived, died, rose from the dead, ascended and is coming again.

While He has inaugurated His Kingdom, it is not fully consummated.

We find ourselves in Exile. We find ourselves longing to be home…

Philippians 3:20 “Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

My hope for this series is that we will allow this longing to rise up within us, give us permission to feel the weight of the brokenness of this world, in light of Jesus returning. That whatever we are facing today that we look through the lens of the inevitable return of Christ.

The next few weeks we are looking at the book of Daniel. How is this that they are longing for a Savior.

They’ve rebelled. God sends Nebuchadnezzer to take them into exile (605 B.C.)

They were brought into subjugation by Egypt, but as Nabopolassor came to power and overtook the Assyrian empire, his son made Israel a vassal kingdom. They supplied tribute, goods, and people to support the Babylonian empire.

But this is what Jeremiah says that God is saying, Jeremiah 29:4-7 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.””

Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place from which I deported you.””

Church, we are in Exile… This is not our home, God will bring us unto Himself and eventually will establish His kingdom here on Earth. What we are going to see again this morning is that through out this book, it is not essentially about Daniel, but rather about God. It is a revelation of who he is and how he acts for our redemption. It’s to point us to God.

Main Point: Choosing God in the hard moments can provide comfort, strength, and hope even in the midst of adversity and suffering.

If you have your Bibles or on your devices, would you turn to Daniel 3. If you are willing and able, would you stand with me as I read God’s word this morning.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 3)

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. 2 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. 3 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.

4 A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: 5 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. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”

7 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.

8 Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse, the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. 10 You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of (these instruments) must fall down and worship the gold statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 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.”

13 Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. 14 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? 15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of (these instruments), 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?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 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. 18 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.”

19 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, 20 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. 21 So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 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. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

24 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.

25 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.”,

26 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. 27 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. 28 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. 29 Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” 30 Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Let us pray. Amen. Please be seated.

ME

Polycarp, (c. 69-155)the aged bishop of Smyrna in western Asia Minor. He was 86 years old at his death.

The authorities brought the highly respected pastor into the crowded arena, prepared to shove him to the lions—but only reluctantly. They much preferred an oath of loyalty to Caesar and a denial of the charge against him that he was a Christian.

The magistrate pressed him, “Swear the oath, and I will release you; renounce Christ!”

Polycarp said, “Eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

The proconsul said, “I have wild beasts here, and I will throw you to them if you do not change your attitude.”

Polycarp said, “Call them; for we cannot change our attitude if it means a change from better to worse. But it is a noble thing, O Proconsul, to change from cruelty to justice.”

The proconsul said, “If you make light of the beasts, I will cause you to be consumed by fire.”

“You try to frighten me with the fire that burns for an hour, and you forget the fire that never goes out.”

Then the governor called to the people, “Polycarp confesses to being a Christian.” Then the mob let loose. “This is the father of the Christians,” they shouted, “the destroyer of our gods.”

So Polycarp, praying that his death would be an acceptable sacrifice, was burned at the stake.

Perpetua (c. 181–203), twenty-two years old and fresh from childbirth, was a noblewoman preparing for baptism in Carthage when she was arrested and imprisoned for her faith in Christ. Her father begged her to recant for the sake of her newborn son, but she responded, “I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.” She was baptized in prison and was comforted by dreams of heavenly reward, writing that “prison had suddenly become a palace for me.” On the day of her public execution, Perpetua was placed in the arena with a mad heifer. When the beast failed to kill her, a gladiator was sent to finish the job. The young soldier faltered, and Perpetua herself guided his blade to her throat. In a previous vision, Perpetua had considered the moment of her death: “I understood that I should fight not with beasts but with the Devil; but I knew that mine was the victory.”

WE

What does it look like for us today to stand up to the world’s ideology, their idols, their gods, and to remain faithful to Jesus. We use the word allegiance a lot. Matthew Bates wrote a book called, Gospel Allegiance, where he argues that in the Biblical world they didn’t know the word faith that meant a belief or intellectual assent. Their understanding of belief was allegiance.

What does it mean for followers of Jesus to believe, and have allegiance to him? How does the Bible talk about belief… and belief in difficult and trying circumstances?

Emperor Decius (249–51) made Caesar worship compulsory for every race and nation within the empire with the single exception of the Jews. On a certain day in the year, every Roman citizen had to come to the Temple of Caesar, burn a pinch of incense there, and say, “Caesar is Lord.” When a person had done that, they were given a certificate documenting that they had done so. After burning the pinch of incense and acknowledging Caesar as Lord, they could go away and worship any god they liked, so long as the worship did not affect public decency and order

During the time of Caesar, Caesar worship was primarily a test of political loyalty; it was a test of whether a person was a good citizen. If anyone refused to carry out the ceremony of acknowledging Caesar, they were automatically branded as a traitor. Exaltation of the emperor, then, created a problem for the Christians. They had not failed to pray for the emperor in their meetings, but they would not pray to him in private or in public.

The way that Christians would proclaim, “Jesus is Lord” was in direct opposition to Caesar worship… this was a religious and political statement.

They asked the question, “Who was worthy to ascend the throne of the universe and direct the course of history—Caesar or Christ?”

Thus, Christian worship and Caesar worship met head-on. The one thing that no Christian would ever say was “Caesar is Lord.” For the Christian, Jesus Christ and he alone was Lord.

Shelley, B. L. (2020). Church History in Plain Language (M. Shelley, Ed.; 5th Edition, pp. 56–57). Zondervan Academic.

God has something to say about this… our text highlights this faithfulness, obedience, belief, this knowing...

GOD

We’re not sure where Daniel is at this time...

Coming off of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2, there is this 90ft. gold statue erected in honor of Neb.

There is a command for when the music sounds, they are to bow and worship, wherever they are. There are those who wanted to see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego suffer… the Bible says that they took this “occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse” them (v.8).

We encounter the Genesis 3 struggle again (“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes” -Mark Twain)

Nebuchadnezzer is declaring himself God (wanting to be worshiped… he is the God-man)

The 3 friends are faithful to YHWH… He is God and alone to be worshiped

Satan deceived Eve and tempted her by saying “God just doesn’t want you to be as wise as him… knowing what is good, right, true, and beautiful… you can determine that for yourself if you just disobey His command.” Adam and Eve took and ate. They rebelled, sin and death entered the world, and they would never have a relationship with God like they did before… that is what it means that in the day you eat of it, you will surely die… you will be dead in your sin and trespasses… your union with God will be dead.

The three friends, under penalty of death… being told if they worship they will have life… deny the lie, are faithful to YHWH believing what His word said is true. Couldn’t you just see the three friends encouraging each other with this verse just before they go before Nebuchadnezzer??

Isaiah 43:1b-3a

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

2  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

3  For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

This would make sense as we listen to their response… Daniel 3:17-18 “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.””

Neb is dangling life or death in front of them, not metaphorically but literally. He (and the three friends) have every reason to think that this would be true.

The three friends know who GOD really is and it is not Nebuchadnezzer.

Main Point: Choosing God in the hard moments can provide comfort, strength, and hope even in the midst of adversity and suffering.

YOU

What is before you that is scaring you? Is there a person or situation that is exerting a power or authority over us that would cause us to be unfaithful to Jesus? That would cause us to fear? Or is there a voice that is really just seeking out a way to do what we want to do and create excuses so we give ourselves permission to rebel against God.

It sounds a little like, “It was the woman/man that you gave me”; “It was their fault that I did that”; “If you don’t do this then you don’t love me”; “if you don’t do this then you’ll be missing out”

Will we trust what Jesus says is true about Him and true about us, or will we allow the voice of a liar control, manipulate, and cause us to fear?

Strength derives from the knowledge of what God says about us is true. It derives in believing and knowing what He says about Himself is true.

Main Point: Choosing God in the hard moments can provide comfort, strength, and hope even in the midst of adversity and suffering.

Do you believe God? Do you trust him with your life? In giving of Himself through Jesus, living, going to the cross to absorb His own wrath against sin, that we might have relationship… is that not enough?

It was in the fire that we see Jesus meet the three friends...

Neb would throw these friends into the furnace (7x hotter… meaning it is as hot as it could possibly be)… and as they were there… Jesus met them in the furnace, amidst the fire… Daniel 3:25 “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.”” … this language is used when we see a Christophenes… an appearing of God the Son in the Old Testament as He would not have been incarnate (in the flesh) at that time.

God uses the furnaces, the trials, in our lives to shape and refine us. But we will not be consumed.

Will you trust him? Will you put your faith in Him as you find yourself in various circumstances?

US

What kind of community, what kind of people will we be if we do that? We will be a people that reflects the truth about God and the favor/kindness enjoyed by those who are allegiant to him...

Daniel 3:28-30 “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. Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”

This is the fruit, this is the byproduct of loving God and seeking to be faithful to Him. Our incomplete obedience does not save us, Jesus saves us, but as we continue to work out our salvation, as we continue to learn and follow Jesus, these are the types of situations that will come up and we have to chose who we will serve… God or ourselves, God or the liar, God or man, God or culture?

And if by chance we’ve missed it, because I haven’t highlighted it… they weren’t alone. They had each other. When we live in community, there is strength and encouragement in our walk with Jesus. Don’t go at this life in Jesus alone… be with the church… seek relationships and be with one another.

(Invite WT up)

If God is moving on your heart and you want prayer for any of this, would you come forward? Pastor Josh and myself along with (woman) will be upfront to pray with you during the song… but would come and receive prayer

Main Point: Choosing God in the hard moments can provide comfort, strength, and hope even in the midst of adversity and suffering.