Daniel: He Is Like The Son of the God's

VIntroduction

Open to Daniel 3. That’s Daniel chapter 3 and we will read verses 16 - 25.

While you are turning there. We are continuing this series we have been calling the golden thread

This is a battle ground today

Cristocentric

Historical grammatical

Men that I disagree with

Forcing an eschatological view

Ezekiel 36-37 only make sense in the Cristocentric view.

However, no one an deny a theophany

So before we go tot Daniel 10, I think it would be good to stop and see Jesus himself in the text.

Let’s Read

Daniel 3:16–25 ESV

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy, Infallible, and Sufficient Word.

Lets Pray

Transition

Prologue

Body

Respect But Not Fear The King All The More True For The Christian.

Daniel 3:16–18 ESV

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

O Nebuchadnezzar, reminding king he was a man, but not respectfully.

God is able to deliver us,

God has delivered us

There is not sting in death,

If we have a biblical world view we say with Paul, “to die is gain”(Philippians 1:21)

But it not,

Preach the gospel with the but if nots in mind.

There are many golden images today.

I will only quickly mention abortion, and the many other atrocities that happen in this nation. Those obvious idols.

They tell us, you must affirm my gender pronouns.

There are father an mothers in Canada and the us today who have had there children taken away because they would not bow to the gender pronoun idol.

There are many people that have lost jobs, for simply saying its not okay to murder a human before they are born.

But, what about christian idols?

A great example of this is the modern american worship service. It is tailor from to to bottem to please the people and not acording to God.

You see we all are at work with idols in our life.

“we may gather that man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” [1]

Only when we are war with those idols, by conforming ourselves to scripture are real free to battle the idols out there.

James said, “And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” (Jas 3:2, ESV)

Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” (Jn 8:31, ESV)

Transition

You see bothers and sisters, if you wish to answer like the Fire furnace boys, you have to be free of your love for idols altogether. And you were are and when you do the respond of the world is always to use a uncommon word, vitriolic, filled with anger. Lets read

The World’s Response

Daniel 3:19–23 ESV

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Brother Daniel Courney was parching in Atlanta Georgia this week several infants were saved by the grace of God, but and he reported that, “Threatened to be shot by two different men while preaching in downtown Atlanta already (five points area). I just got here lol!”

He also said “Demon-possessed lady fell to the ground as she was prayed for -- she completely exposed her body and spat on us and gave the preachers the finger. She received a Bible and a warm meal. Many tracts went out and lots of preaching today.”

If you think the the furry of Nebuchadnezzar was limited to the past then think again.

Brother Courney is not an insulting man, he doesn’t yell, he doesn’t curse, he only pleads with people to be reconciled to Christ and that threaten him and spit on him for it.

Brother Courney doesn’t get threats only from demon posest unbelievers. Exposing another idol of the church, relational evangelism.

Brother Courney is not the only one, I cannot count how many times I have been calls to my face and on line very unsavory things by supposed believers. Simply for saying what the Bible has to say. It happen to me this week. Its happened to Brian this week.

They would rather destroy themselves, like verse 22 then hear the truth and the incurably said this many actual brother and sisters and cough in many of these lies, because they are so prolific.

Transition

But no lie can over come the King. Look at verse.

Even The Pagan King see the King

Daniel 3:24–25 ESV

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

This is a theophany, the (a visible manifestation to humankind of God)

There are those that say this was an angle, I don’t buy that.

When people say the whole scriptures are not to be interpreted by Christ i have to then why is he in it so many times.

Why did her appear to Abraham, Joshua, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the fire frenese boys.

This friends is thee iconoclast, the image breaker.

Nebuchadnezzar was astonished because he knew the power of his wrath was nothing in the presence of this Son of God.

His idol has be revealed for the impotent thing it was.

In the light of his presence every the idol is destroyed, ideology cast down, and have idiot that exalts himself as his owe god will be put in his knees.

And that includes you and me.

Friends, beloved in Christ, if your relationship with with this King does not bring you continually to see the ineptity, deadness, emptiness of your own idols, you do not have a relationship with this king and what you server is indeed an idol.

Conclusion

Well did the Apostle Paul say, examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Do to “tare the idols from your heart” and cry out in prayer with the Apostle Paul, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Ro 7:24, ESV) Can you say truly, death is gain?

Gian because there I see Christ, Gain because there is battle with sin no more.

Or are you happy with your comfortable little life. Are you content with your idols that keep your from speaking the truth.

Test yourselves.

Benediction

Jude 24–25 ESV

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

References

[1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, vol. 1, The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 108.

Bibliography