I Am A Survivor

Standing Tall in the Fire

Bible Passage: Daniel 3:19-25

Introduction: This passage tells the story of three boys who were thrown into a furnace, but because of their faith in God, they came out unharmed. They went into the fire as boys, but came out the flames as survivors.

Too many people in today’s world want to overcome their situations, but not enough people want to survive their situations. Let me explain the difference between the two. The definition of the word overcome is “to defeat.” Many people want to defeat their problems. But the definition of survivor is “to continue to exist.”

Now overcoming sounds good, until you realize that defeat can be a two way street. In the world we live in today it isn’t uncommon to turn on your television, or open up a social media app and see a news headline in regards to gunfire. I read one that stated “2 Dead After Gun Fire Exchange.” Two individuals decided they were going to try and DEFEAT one another, and the ending result was that they both were defeated.

Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to just overcome my trials and tribulations. I want to be a survivor.

If you would allow me to, I want to give you a four key points from the story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. If you don’t recognize those names, I encourage you to read the book of Daniel when you find some spare time this week. These were the original names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Point One: No One Knows Your Story

If you ask the mass majority of Christian believers if they know Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego they would say yes. But if you ask their history, like a woman with a sew in, you’ll probably leaving them scratching their heads.

Hananiah (God has favored), Mishael (Who is what God is?), and Azariah (God has helped) were three young Hebrew men who, along with their friend Daniel, were taken as captives to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. After their capture, their names were changed to Shadrach (command of Aku, the Babylonian moon god), Meshach (who is what Aku is?), and Abednego (servant of Nabu, the Babylonian god of fire), to honor Babylonian gods. These young men, possibly from royal lineage, were chosen for their intelligence and good looks to be trained in Babylonian culture and knowledge, including languages, writing, and other subjects.

Point Two: They Trusted God

King Nebuchadnezzar creates statue that stood 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide and placed it in a highly visible place. He gathers everyone together and tells them to give instructions to everyone that when they hear the sound of a horn, they are to fall down and worship the statue. And whosoever doesn’t will be thrown into a fiery furnace.

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego only wanted to serve their God. Even with threats against them, they still refused to worship another God. In other words, they were saying, you can change my name, you can change the meaning, but you can’t and won’t change who I know I’m supposed to worship.

Word gets back to King Nebuchadnezzar and he commands them to come to him. He asked them was what he heard was true, and they never denied it. Nebuchadnezzar says I tell you what. Lets see if your God can save you from this. He commands for the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than what was usual. He orders the strongest men to bind the boys and throw them in the fire. But what was said before this by the boys was powerful. They said Daniel 3:17-18

Daniel 3:17–18 (KJV 1900)

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Point Four: Survival Testimonies about God

While the boys were in the fire, Nebuchadnezzar looked in and saw something amazing. He asked in Daniel 3:24 “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

Everyone responded with yes.

Daniel 3:25 “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Nebuchadnezzar called them out of the fire. But he didn’t just call them out by name, it was what he stated after calling their names.

He said Daniel 3:26 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.”

Sometimes the fire isn’t meant for you. God will allow the flames you walk through to exhibit what He can do to others who don’t believe.

People will see what you have been through, what they tried to throw you in, and see that you didn’t walk alone. God wants us to step out of the fire and tell the same person who threw you in it about Him.

Point Three: They Didn’t Look Like What They Had Been Through

Nebuchadnezzar calls the boys out of the fire, and everyone was astonished. The Bible tells us that not a single hair on their heads were singed. Their clothing wasn’t burned. They didn’t have even a hint of a smoke smell to them. The didn’t look like that had been in a fire that perished the strong men that threw them in. Something was burned, however. The ropes that bound them was burned off of them. God sometimes allows us to enter in the flames, not to let the enemy win, but to burn off what the enemy has bound us with.

This passage teaches the importance of standing firm in faith under pressure. It demonstrates that true devotion to God can lead us into difficult situations, but God is always present with us, miraculously sustaining and delivering those who trust in Him.