Daniel 3.13

Live a Life of Courageous Witness

Daniel 3:13-27 (16-18)

Dear Friends in Christ,

You all know the story of the three men in the fiery furnace. You learned it in Sunday school. You might have even seen the “Veggie Tales” version. It’s one of the better known stories in the Bible. But what do you think when you hear the story? Do you think about how great God is? What a wonderful, amazing miracle! The flames that killed the mighty warriors who threw these three men into the furnace didn’t even singe a hair on their bodies, didn’t start their loose-fitting clothing on fire, it didn’t even make them smell like smoke! This story certainly does remind us of the unlimited power of our God and what he is able to do for us.

Or, do you think of the amazing faith of these three men? They defied the most powerful king on earth at the time. They ignored peer pressure and were willing to stick out like a sore thumb; while everyone else was bowing down they remained standing, even though they knew it would probably mean death. They refused to take the second chance Nebuchadnezzar gave them—“we’ll try this one more time and if you bow down, fine; if not, you die.” They made it clear that there was nothing that could get them to compromise their faith and bow down to a false god. This story certainly does provide a wonderful example of faith. They are an example of what it means to fear, love and trust in God above all things.

But does it seem real to you? This happened thousands of years ago. It happened in a faraway place. It happened under the rule of a king and we don’t live under a king. Things like this don’t happen to people in modern times. Or do they?

As we celebrate the Reformation, which happened about 2000 years after what is recorded for us in Daniel, and in different place and culture than what we read about in Daniel, we are reminded of the persecution Martin Luther faced. He was excommunicated by the Pope for pointing out the false teaching of indulgences and other abuses in the church. He was threatened with death unless he agreed to take back the things that he had written about salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone.

But what about today? Is there still persecution today? The Voice of the Martyrs is an organization that keeps track of persecution against Christians happening right now, all around the world. You can read stories about such persecution on their website, persecution.com.

A number of years ago they reported about a Christian who was arrested in Afghanistan for the crime of handing someone a Bible. He was told by a judge that he had one week to renounce his faith in Jesus, or he would face 20 years in prison or possibly even execution. I did not hear the outcome of his trial but this man, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and Luther, was determined to stand firm in his faith and accept whatever consequence would come.

In February of 2015 a video was posted on the internet of 21 Coptic Christians being beheaded on a beach by an Islamic group for refusing to give up their faith in Jesus.

A few years ago, in Canada, a man was sued for purchasing an ad in a newspaper that simply listed Bible passage references, not the passage itself, but just the references, that speak about homosexuality being a sin. Some lower courts said that he had to pay. I believe the higher courts eventually overturned the decision, but the process certainly cost him a lot of time and money.

Some US Politicians and OP Eds in newspapers tell Christians that freedom of religion means that you can believe in Jesus if you want to, but you have to keep your faith to yourself.

Politicians who confess faith in Jesus and Biblical principles will certainly face a backlash and be accused of being close minded, unloving, or mixing church and state.

Maybe you have experienced the look of disbelief in someone’s eyes when you tell them that you consider the Bible to be God’s word, without error; or that you believe in a 6-day creation as recorded in Genesis; that Abortion is murder; or that marriage is for one man and one woman and is intended to last for life, or especially that Jesus is the only Savior.

I heard a statistic from our Mission Board a while back stating that although 88% of Americans claim to be Christians, only 62% actually belong to a Christian church of any kind, and only 16% of those are in church on any given Sunday. There are many who say “Lord, Lord,” but very few who are actually willing to stand up for him. The research said that people used to say, “Oh, my grandparents used to go to church, and I went with them once or twice at Christmas;” but now a growing number don’t know anyone in their family who has a connection with a church. I wonder, if you handed a Bible to one of your friends, how many could even find Genesis or Revelation, much less Daniel or Jude.

What’s the point? Among the familiar beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, don’t lose sight of the last one. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Did you catch it? Blessed are you WHEN people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Jesus didn’t say IF. He said WHEN. It’s going to happen. “You will be persecuted if you stand firm in your faith in me.” That’s the way it’s always been, from Abel to Elijah and Jeremiah, to Jesus and his Apostles, to Jon Huss and Martin Luther. If we stand firm in our faith, if we live a life of courageous witness, we will be persecuted.

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego helps us to prepare for persecution when it comes, whatever form it takes, whether it is subtle peer pressure, or threats of execution, or anything in between. I’m sure it inspired Luther, and it inspires us still today to live a life of courageous witness.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego recognized that what Nebuchadnezzar was asking them to do would be a clear violation of God’s first commandment. There was no wiggle room. The Bible clearly states that bowing down to an image and worshiping it as God is a sin. We may never be faced with that choice, but the Bible is clear that God requires us to fear, love and trust in him above anyone and anything. That’s what these men demonstrated. They feared God above all things. They were determined to respect and obey God more than they respected and obeyed the king. They loved God above all things, even more than their jobs, even more than their own lives. They trusted God above all things. Nebuchadnezzar had threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace and foolishly proclaimed, then what god will be able to rescue you from by hand! To which the three men courageously witnessed, the God we serve is able to save us from it.

That’s the kind of confidence we need to have, the kind of courageous witness we want to give, as we live our lives each day. Nothing is impossible with God. He is the creator of all that exists. He is the ruler of all things. And He is the one who sent his Son into this world to be my Savior. Will not the one who sacrificed his Son in my place so that I could be with him forever keep his promise to make everything serve my good? Should I not put myself in his capable hands as the three men did, as Luther did, and trust him to either protect me from all harm or take me to be with him in heaven? As the Psalmist says, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Or as Luther wrote, “Take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife, let these all be gone, they yet have nothing won, the kingdom ours remaineth.”

But that’s easier said than done. We have all failed the test of persecution at one time or another. Maybe it was just keeping silent when we could have spoken a truth from God’s word, but we didn’t want to be laughed at or ridiculed. We have not always feared, loved and trusted God above all things. So, what will we do the next time some form of persecution comes our way? What will we do if things get so bad in our country that we risk losing our job, or being sued, because we confess Christ or go to church? What will we do if we face jail or death just for handing someone a Bible? What will we do if a judge says, “I’ll let you go only if you never speak of Jesus or quote the Bible again, or only if you renounce your faith in Jesus?”

Obviously we need help. None of us is strong enough to withstand persecution of any kind by our own power. But we are strengthened when we ignore Satan’s accusation that we are failures because we did not give a courageous witness when we should have. We are strengthened when we confess our sins; when we are honest and confess “Lord, I blew it. I compromised. I loved acceptance of friends, or a paycheck, or my physical life more than you. I didn’t trust that you would do what was best, that you would help me and give me strength, that eternity with you is the most important thing. I deserve to be cast out of your presence forever. But I know that you sent Jesus to be my savior. I know that in him I have forgiveness and eternal life. Help me rejoice in that gift. Use your word and sacraments to make me like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, like Luther. Use them to strengthen my faith so that I fear, love and trust in you more and more, so that I’m ready and able to stand firm in the faith when persecution comes.”

God didn’t have to rescue Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They knew that. They were sinful people just like us. They didn’t expect that God would rescue them, but they made it clear that he could and they were determined not to compromise. They trusted that if God didn’t rescue them from the flames he would take them to heaven, and that was OK. And God used their witness for good. By rescuing them he showed the king and all who were present that he was a true and powerful God.

What an opportunity these men must have had to tell all those people who wanted to see the men who came out of the fire untouched about who their God was and the promise of a Savior he had given to the world!

Luther knew that he couldn’t stand firm in the faith and give courageous witness on his own. When Luther was told to recant or else, he asked for time to pray about it. He concluded his courageous witness before the powerful church and political powers at Worms by praying, “God help me. Amen.” And God did help him by providing friends who secretly carried him off to the Wartburg castle for safety.

It’s clear that we live in the last days. We are going to experience persecution of one kind or another. This familiar Bible story gives us encouragement when persecution comes knocking on our door. It reminds us that, in the face of persecution we will want to call upon God to help us fear, love, and trust in him above all things no matter what! We need to be daily strengthened in the faith through the word so that we can live a life of courageous witness and say with Paul, for me to live is Christ, to die is gain.

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