Taught, Trusted, and True

Taught, Trusted, True

Daniel 3:16-17

I. Introduction: The Crisis of Faith

Brothers, let me begin with a question: What would it take for you to compromise your faith? That isn’t a fun question to start out with is it? Nobody like to think about that. We all, instinctively say “NO!” however;

Would you stand firm if following Christ meant losing your job? Your livelihood? Your comfort?

Would you hold your ground if it meant losing friends? Family members?

Would you refuse to bow even if it meant losing your very life?

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—better known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—faced that very decision. When commanded to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, they stood tall while everyone else fell. And in doing so, they walked into one of the most famous moments in biblical history.

But let’s ask a different question: How did they get there?

How did they reach the point where they could stand unwavering before the most powerful man in the world, knowing full well that it could cost them their lives?

That kind of faith isn’t born in a single moment. It doesn’t appear out of thin air.

It was taught, it was trusted, and it was proven true in trials.

And that is what I want us to talk about tonight.

II. Being Taught: The Foundation of Faith

(Daniel 1:8-16 – Learning Conviction Early)

To understand how these men could stand firm, we have to look back at the beginning of their story.

When Nebuchadnezzar took captives from Judah, these four young men were among them. They were stripped from their homeland, given new names, and placed in a program designed to erase their identity and conform them to Babylonian culture (Daniel 1:3-5).

The king’s plan was simple:

Change their education. Teach them Babylonian wisdom.

Change their diet. Make them dependent on the king’s provision.

Change their identity. Rename them after Babylonian gods.

But one thing the king could not change—their faith in the one true God.

Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food (Daniel 1:8).

And interestingly, he included these three young men in that decision.

Did they have a choice? Scripture doesn’t say. But it does suggest that Daniel led them by example, and they followed.

Why does this matter?

Because faith does not grow in a vacuum. It is taught and caught.

In Luke 6:40 Jesus says – “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

And a verse that is used in many of men’s ministries, Proverbs 27:17 states – “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Illustration: Think back to someone who helped shape your faith. Maybe it was a pastor, a father, or a mentor. What did they teach you? What stands out about their life that you wanted to imitate?

I have been blessed to have been around some really Godly brothers in Christ during my life. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, my father is still not a believer, but God sent me men who took the time, even in the stupidity of my youth, who invested in me more than they will ever know. Pastor Darey Kittle probably put up with more than his fair share of my struggling in the faith. Bro. Greg Corn has both encouraged and challenged me in my college years and even still today, my best friend, Caleb Hilbert, who is a pastor in Oregon, is a faithful brother whom I can have deep theological conversations with; and even as an adult in my role at Lake Yale, there are brothers in Christ who will check on and encourage me in the work I am doing for the Lord. In turn, God has placed young men in my purview who I’ve been honored to teach and train. Much of what I have learned from the Godly men in my life, I try to pass down to those God brings across my path.

So let me now ask you: Who is learning from you? Who is watching your example? When Daniel led these young men, they must have known that Daniel was a Godly man, maybe they saw him in action, or heard him teach, but now, that faith was being taught through a practical example. Are you providing opportunities for young men around you to see you walk by faith? In the Song of Solomon, one of the verses that has always struck me is Song of Solomon 1:8 where the Shulamite woman is searching for her beloved and is told “If you do not know, [where to find him]..., follow after the sheep”. So let me ask you, if today, someone was to follow after you, to be taught by you, led by you, would your footsteps lead them to the cross, or would it lead them to the crowd? To the Lord? Or to the World?

III. Trusting: Faith in Action (7 minutes)

(Daniel 2:17-19 – Learning to Rely on God in Crisis)

Daniel’s footsteps led the young men to faith. But faith is not just taught; it must also be trusted.

Fast forward to Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that no one can interpret, and in his anger, he orders all the wise men in Babylon—including Daniel and his three friends—to be executed.

Now, Daniel does something remarkable. He goes to his companions and asks them to pray.

Think about that.

This isn’t a small request. This is life or death.

Daniel trusted them to intercede before God for wisdom.

2 Timothy 2:2 – “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

James 5:16 – “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Think of someone you trust to pray for you. Not just someone who says, “I’ll pray for you,” but someone who actually gets on their knees and lifts you before the Lord. My buddy Caleb is that for me. I know when I have a need, he will not only pray for me, he will pray with me. We’ve discovered recently that my 12 year old daughter has an issue with her heart and her organs and when I heard it I was shook to the core. And, though it is tough, my wife and I know God has a plan and a purpose; but I talked to my buddy Caleb and told him what was going on and that we are just trying to see God’s glory in this situation, he commiserated with me and then just simply said, “Man, let’s pray” and we prayed and cried together over the phone. I knew going to him that he was going to pray. He was going to take it seriously.

These three young men weren’t just being taught.

They were being trusted. Daniel didn’t just say, hey, this is tough maybe we should pray, he entreated them to pray with him for his life and for their own. They were going before God to seek His will in the situation, and Daniel trusted them with his very life.

And that trust prepared them for the greatest test of their lives.

IV. Being True: Faith in the Fire (8 minutes)

(Daniel 3:16-18 – Learning to Stand in the Trial)

Now we come to the famous moment.

By this time, these young men have been promoted. The Lord had given Daniel the interpretation of the king’s vision and the king stayed his hand against Daniel, and in turn, Daniel asked the king to promote Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They are now respected, placed in a position of honor. Daniel is promoted to work in the kings court, and these young men are commissioned to the province of Babylon, things are looking up. But now, the king has built a golden statue, and everyone is commanded to bow. Not just commanded them, threatened them with a fiery death if they don’t.

So when they refuse to bow, I want you to picture this, they are the only ones beside the king and the musicians, presumably, who are still standing. This is the province of Babylon… imagine the people, imagine the multitudes, all on their knees at the sound of the instruments. Here’s how I suppose it was tons and tons of people: the Chaldeans had to tell Nebuchadnezzar that these guys didn’t bow. He didn’t see it, he didn’t know. Too many directions to look maybe? Whatever the case, he isn’t happy but, The king actually gives them a second chance.

Why? Because he knows they are good men. And nobody wants to lose good men. “Hey, listen, I know you guys are pretty cool, so maybe you didn’t understand the command. So I’m going to give you another chance. Now, this time, just bow, okay?”

But listen to their response:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 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. 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.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

They knew God could deliver them. But even if He didn’t, they would not bow.

Listen, this is just like the world, compromise a little bit, give in here, allow this in, it will be fine. It’s only your knee, one knee will do. Maybe just bow your head? No one has to know. But they would not bow, and neither should we when the world calls us to compromise. Their training in the faith, the trust they had in the faith, would not allow them to do so.

Parallel Stories of Faith Under Fire:

Polycarp’s martyrdom (155 AD):

Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, and a disciple of the Apostle John. He was highly respected in the early church and known for his unwavering faith.

During the reign of Emperor Antionius Pius, persecution against Christians increased and believers were being executed in public spectacles. The Roman governor of Smyrna issued orders for Polycarp’s arrest because he was considered a key leader in the Christian Community.

When the soldier arrived, he welcomed them, ordered food and drink for them and spent time in prayer, reportedly praying for two hours before they took him away.

The governor, aggravated with Polycarp’s steadfastness and wit, demanded: “Swear by the fortune of Caesar. Reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” to which Polycarp made a response that has resounded through church history:

“Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and Savior?”

The governor threatened him further, saying:

“I have wild beasts. I will throw you to them if you do not repent.”

Polycarp calmly replied:

“Call them. For we cannot repent from what is better to what is worse.”

The governor then threatened to burn him alive, to which Polycarp responded:

“You threaten me with a fire that burns for a time and is soon extinguished. But you do not know about the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why do you delay? Do what you will.”

Theologian Deitrich Bonhoeffer actively stood against Nazi Germany and Adolph Hitler.

In the height of his resistance, he was arrested by the Gestapo and placed in prison for two years before being martyred for his faith.

During that time he wrote the book: “The Cost of Discipleship” where he warned about ‘cheap grace’ - grace that does not require sacrifice, obedience, or suffering.

It is far too often we are the proprietors of “cheap grace” a grace that has accepted little teaching, hasn’t displayed enough validity to be trusted, and has rarely ever, or worse, has failed when tried.

Application Challenge:

What trials have tested your faith?

Are you prepared to stand even when God doesn’t deliver the way you expect?

When I was working for the YMCA Camp in Lincolnton, GA, I was promoted to be over camps and afterschool programs. Part of that job was to bring in education and spiritual enrichment for the kids in the afterschool programs. I was contacted by a group that wanted to bring a youth choir out to one of our sites to perform for the after school kids. After some conversation I made the statement that I would like to know who they were affiliated with because we wanted to be sure we had good solid doctrine and no cults or anything… turns out they were a Mormon group. I politely declined, but that wasn’t the end of it. I soon after received an email explaining how “mormons were in-fact christians” and that I should reconsider, from the group leader. I prayed about it briefly, and felt that God was opening up this opportunity for me to witness to this person. I had dealt with mormon groups before, and was familiar with their practices, so I wrote back a very cordial email explaining how the mormons have a very solid family structure and they do really well at being family focused, however… and then went through the gospel and why, biblically, they are not Christian, but that today, if she wanted to be, she could ask the Lord into her heart and be saved. Radio silence. I went to lunch with my wife that afternoon, who was pregnant with our now 12 year old daughter at the time, and told her, “I might lose my job over this”. And, I was right. The Leadership at the YMCA deemed that I was not inclusive enough and because of that, I had violated their policy. Oh, and they found out because, apparently, the husband of the mormon in question, was a board member.

In that moment, I knew I had done what God directed me to do. And there, our faith as a family was tested. We were in the midst of looking to buy a house, I had gone back to college to finish my degree, my pregnant wife was working as a part-time teacher. It was not a good time. But we trusted God. We knew that if we followed Him, if we did not bow, He could deliver us, but even if He didn’t, we still trusted in Him. I didn’t get there that day. It wasn’t something that was decided in the moment, it was because of all those who taught me in the faith. All of those who showed me what trusting in God really meant. It was from the times when people would call me up and say, “Jeff, i’m going through this issue, will you pray for me?” trusting me to go to the Lord on their behalf. And so in that moment when our faith was tested it wasn’t easy, but it became true.

V. The Call to Discipleship Today (5 minutes)

Brothers, we need Daniels in the church today.

We need men who will step up and disciple others.

Matthew 28:19-20 – The Great Commission is about making disciples, not just converts.

Titus 2:6-8 – Older men are to train younger men in godliness.

Hebrews 13:7 – Follow the example of godly leaders.

But the problem is—we have programs, but not personal relationships.

Practical Steps to Start Discipling Today:

1. Find someone to mentor you.

2. Find someone you can mentor.

3. Walk with them, pray with them, challenge them to grow.

VI. Conclusion: Who Will You Invest In? (3 minutes)

Conclusion: Who Will You Invest In?

I’m going to ask you one question tonight:

Who do you know that needs someone to train them, to trust them, and to commission them for the work of the gospel?

Maybe the answer is you—maybe you need someone to mentor you. Be open. Be teachable.

Maybe God has put someone in your heart. Seek Him on how to invest in them.

But whatever the case, discipleship must continue. The next generation needs men who will stand firm and say:

“No matter what, I will not bow.”

Who will you invest in? Who will stand because of your faithfulness?

The answer starts with you, as you trust in Christ and lead others to do the same.