“The Power to Change the Game”

Introduction

Have you ever seen something that was bad, but you felt like that it was out of your control? The answer is yes. We all have seen something that was bad, and at times, when we didn’t do anything about it because we were trying to figure out: What am I supposed to do? We see a lot of things in our communities and schools today, and at times we ask ourselves: What do we do? Even in school. Do we tell our parents, a teacher, an authorized adult. And at times we don’t tell anybody because we don’t want to be looked at as a snitch or uncool.

We see this in our schools and communities, and it almost seems like it is a cycle in our schools and communities, it seems like it is the same thing and nothing has changed.

But can I tell you that we have the power to change the game and break this cycle. How? WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD! We are special. It is something on the inside of us that others may or may not understand. I believe that we are just like these three boys in this text today, we are chosen.

Text Context

In this chapter, we are introduced to a man named King Nebuchadnezzar.

See, Nebuchadnezzar was the second king of Babylon for a very long time. He is considered the greatest king of the Babylon. He conquered many nations and made Babylon a very impressive city. No king was greater or had higher power than Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar was a very powerful king of his time.

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar decided to make a gold statue that was exactly ninety-feet tall and nine-feet wide. He placed it in the center of Babylon. He then sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, and all the other officials to come to where the statue had been set up, and they did. Then a messenger of the king shouted to the people to listen to the king’s command. He said that when they heard the sound of the horn, flute, violin, pipes, and other musical instruments, they are supposed to bow to the ground to worship the gold statue. And anyone who refuses to do so will be thrown into a blazing fire. And the people obeyed this order.

But when we get down to verse 12, we are introduced to these three Hebrew boys. Believe it or not, this is not the first time we are introduced to them. In the third year of Nebuchednezzar’s rule, he came to Jerusalem. He ordered the chief of his officers to bring some young, strong, handsome men so that Nebuchadnezzar could teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. And in this group of young men, were these three boys. But then, they didn’t have the names that they have now. Back then, their names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. But Nebuchadnezzar, being oh-so-powerful, decided to change their names to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego. So these three boys knew about Nebuchezzar and his power.

So these boys make up in their minds to not worship the gold statue that the king put up. And Nebuchadnezzar was mad because of this. So mad, that he demanded that these three boys be brought to him, because he just wanted to clarify if they did or did not want to worship the gold statue that he put up. Now, Nebuchadnezzar wanted to give them one more chance to worship. He said if they didn’t, then they would be thrown into the fire, and Nebuchadnezzar was so wrapped up in himself and his power, that he said “Then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand.” But these three boys still said no. And these boys weren’t scared or afraid, they told Nebuchadnezzar straight up ...Even if you throw us into this fire, the God that we serve is able to bring us out, and just in case he doesn’t do that, we still wont worship your fake god. So Nebuchadnezzar not only threw them into the fire, but he demanded that the fire be heated up seven times hotter than it usually was.

So he had these boys tied up and threw them into the fire. And this fire was so hot, that it burned the soldiers that threw them into the fire. Later on in the fire, Nebuchadnezzar started to see a fourth person in the fire and became confused. He knew that he threw three people in, but he saw four people. Nebuchadnezzar then told the three boys to come out of the fire, and when they came out everybody around them was so amazed and shocked at the same time. They saw that the fire had not burned them and they came out completely untouched. Then Nebuchednezzar said “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!”

Message

These three boys right here changed the game. They saw this cycle of this powerful king and all of his people serving his fake gods, and they decided to do something about it.

They went up to the most powerful king and told them that they only worshiped and had faith in only the true and living God.

I believe that we have this same power to change the game like these three boys. They didn’t do it for fame or for attention, but they did what they did because they saw something that was bad, and instead of just letting it go, they did something about it and ended up making a difference.

When we see something that is wrong, we oughta go about it knowing that God has given us the power to change it. You don’t know the difference you can make in your school, home, church, community. So I want you to leave this place knowing that you have the power to change the game.

Body of Message

But in order for us to change the game, we have to be like these boys. These boys had some inner qualities and characteristics that really stood out about them. These boys were willing? But we ask the question: What were thy willing to do?

They were willing to be different.(v. 12)

Verse 12 says, “But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

What does being different mean?? Being different means you stand out, which is a good thing in a world where everyone is trying to blend in. It means staying true to who you are and putting God first. They were in a time where if you didn't follow the king’s command, then you would be punished. But instead of falling in with the crowd, they chose to be different.

EX: I was catching up with a friend on the 18th of February, and we were talking about getting more youth in church, and he told me that you look around in our schools and communities and you only see a few bright stars. A few people are choosing to walk in the light. These boys were that few. While others were worshiping the fake gods, they chose to be different.

This is what we oughta do, not only as teens and young people, but also as Christians. We are commanded to stand out and be different. As children of God, we are supposed to act and think differently from the world. And yes….that can be hard at times. Everybody is doing this one cool thing, and at times, we can feel that if we don’t do it too, we will be looked at as uncool, but one thing we have to realize about ourselves is that we are set apart. The Lord told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

We are to be set apart. That means that God chose you specifically for a purpose to bring light and love into the world, but not be of the world. So we have to set ourselves apart from the world. Set ourselves apart from hatred, meanness, selfishness, and other things, because if we have all of these things in us, then how our we going to shine light and love all around.

EX: The day after I preached in Keithville, LA, I got a text from my cousin, Dr. Brian Scott, who is a pastor in Harlem, NY. At the end of the text he said ‘Keep daring to be uniquely you.”

As a Christian, you are chosen to live a life that glorifies God. The Bible says that whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

These boys didn’t fall in with the crowd, just because everybody else was doing. Brothers and sisters, we are called to live a life that is different from the world. We are not called to blend in with the crowd, and do what everyone else is doing but we are to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

It is okay for you to be different. You are set apart to shine light into the darkness. We do not need to fall in with the crowd, but we need to be different. Be different in your thoughts. Be different in your academics. Be different in your actions. If we are going to change the game, then we have to be different.

They were willing to be bold.(v. 16)

Verse 16 says “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.””

See, at this time, nobody had the courage to stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar. He had already harmed the former King of Judah, stolen from God’s temple, kidnapped some of the Isralites, and other things, and plus, Nebuchadnezzar puts out a warning in Daniel 3:11, where he says that whoever refuses to worship the idol will be thrown into a fire. So because of the king’s power and because of the consequences, nobody had the courage to stand up to the king. But these three boys developed the boldness to go up to him, despite the risks that involved this, they still were bold and courageous. If we are going to make a change and change the game, then we have to be bold. Boldness is the courage to act or speak without fear, despite any situation. When a person acts boldly, he or she builds up courage regardless of the risks that are involved. Now, I don’t know about you, but sometimes it can be tough to be bold. To stand up to some wrong things and people can be tough, sometimes because we’re scared of the outcome. What if it backfires on me? What if i get in trouble? What if everybody starts to think that I’m weird and uncool? It’s tough to be confident in who you are and who you know you should be and not to give in to fear. These boys had every reason to be scared. They had the consequences, the attention that would be on them, te actual king himself, but they were still bold.

We have to be bold despite the setbacks or the risks or the future outcomes that we are aware of. Like I said, being bold can be dangerous at times. You can get looks, people can talk about you. Some may say that you think you’re all that, but despite all of that, we can be bold and be of good courage.

But we can be bold because we have a God is has our backs. What God has your back, he is in this with you. It means that your are not alone, because he is with you.

EX: For sports like football, basketball, soccer, when the player gets the ball, the other teammates are helping to get that ball to the goal or to the ring. That means that their blocking people from the opposite team and protecting the person that has the ball. The teammates have to have each other’s back. They have to look our for one another on and of the field. We all have teammates that we play with and friends that we have that have our back and help us. Our teammates and friends “have our back.” They’re there to help us out. Help us up off the ground. Encourage us. Teach us. Work with us.

But, what happens when they’re not there? The truth is, the most well-meaning, kind-hearted teammate and friend we have can’t be there for us in every situation. There are times when not it seems like there is no one to “have our back.” Times where we feel like are on our own. While it’s true that there may be times when we have no physical person around to help, we have someone who always has our back, in any and every situation. It’s God. Isaiah 40:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Here, God is saying that he has our back at all times. No matter what happens throughout the season, at school or at home, we can be bold and stand tall, because God has our back. He’ll always be there to encourage you, pick you up and strengthen you. They were bold and had courage to stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar because they had someone who had their back.

They were willing to be faithful.(v. 17-18)

The text says “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

These three boys demonstrated faith in God by saying this. Sometimes, there are circumstances that just don’t make sense. We wonder what God is up to, we may even doubt and wonder if God will come through. But he is able to. He can come through for you.

As Christians, we know that God is able to deliver. However, we also know that God allows things to happen to us.

Romans 5 tells us that God may allow trials and difficulties in our lives to build our character and strengthen our faith. We may not always understand the purpose of our trials, but God simply asks that we trust Him—even when it is not easy.

But we ask the question: How? How could they trust God and remain faithful?

They had somebody who Nebuchednezzar didn’t. They had someone who was greater than the problem they were facing. We can remain faithful because we have somebody who is greater than any of our situations. 1 John 4:4 says “The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” Even though we are faced with challenges, we can be faithful in the fact that there is someone that is on the inside of us who is greater than anything that we face. So the next time you are faced with a challenge at school, home, When challenges and adversity comes, there is no reason why you should be worrying or upset, because you have a God that is bigger.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego not only had a God that was bigger, but they knew that God was on their side. The Lord was with them and by their side. We can be faithful in the fact that God is on our side. He promises never to leave us nor forsake us. He is for us, and when he is for us, who can be against us. In the face of any challenge or obstacle, we can be faithful because the Lord is with us and by our side. Nebuchadnezzar was shocked that the fire did not burn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but he was even more amazed when he saw a fourth person with them. The point here is that when we walk by faith, we can be assured that God is with us. He will save us. God promises when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil. That means that even though we go through challenges and obstacles, we will not be overcome by them, because we have the full assurance that God is with us.

EX: Isn’t that a blessing?? That you can go through a lot of things, but you still have the assurance that God is with you. We can say that all the time. God is with us. He is with us now. He is with us everywhere we go. He lives inside of our heart. He is with us at school, at home, anywhere and everywhere. We may face challenges, but he is with us. We may go through obstacles, but he is with us. He is with us and he will be with us.

They remained faithful because they had a God who was not only bigger than their problem, but they had a God who was by their side.

Conclusion

We have the power to change the game. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. In order for us to change the game, we have to be different. We are set apart, and we have act and think like. We change the atmosphere, but don’t let it change us. We then have to bold. We have to understand that we can have courage because God has our back, But lastly, we have to be faithful. Despite whatever challenge we’re up against, we have somebody that our haters don’t. We have a God who is greater than our situations, but we also have a God who is always by our side. IN order for us to change the game, we have be these things. And when we start to understand that we are set apart, when we start to develop that courage, and when we become faithful in that fact that God is greater and by our side, we will be surprised by what God will do through us. We have the power to change the game.