Anointed for the Fire

Daniel 3:24–25 KJV 1900

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 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.

Daniel 3:17–18 KJV 1900

17 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. 18 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.

Introduction: From the Olive Press to the Flames

Last Sunday we stood in the Gethsemane of the soul—the place of crushing. We learned that oil flows not from ease, but from pressure. But oil, precious as it is, was never meant to sit in jars. It was meant to fuel a fire. And now, the fire comes.

"The crushing gets the oil out... but the fire proves what it’s worth."

Power Line: "You weren’t just crushed for the oil—you were anointed for the fire!"

Point 1: The Fire Reveals What the Crushing Produced

Isaiah 43:2 KJV 1900

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Oil is tested in the flame. So is faith.

The Hebrew boys had already been crushed—separated from home, name, culture.

But what came out of them in the fire? Worship. Boldness. Faith.

Greek Insight (1 Peter 1:7): “Trial” (Gr. dokimion) – means the proving of metal by fire. Your fire isn't punishment—it's proving.

Question: “When the fire hits, what comes out of you? Smoke… or glory?”

Point 2: The Fire Separates the Called from the Committed

Daniel 3:18 (KJV) “But if not… we will not serve thy gods.”

Anybody can shout when God delivers.

But real anointing is revealed in the “but if not” moment.

"Faith that only works when you win... isn’t faith at all—it’s preference wrapped in religion."

They didn’t just stand before the fire… they walked into it with praise on their lips.

That’s not performance—that’s possession. They were possessed by the Spirit of courage.

Historical Insight: Babylon used fire to erase identity. But instead of erasing the anointing—it activated it.

Point 3: The Fire Awakens the Fourth Man

Daniel 3:25 (KJV) “...the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

The anointing draws the fire. But the fire draws His presence.

They didn’t see the Son of God in the synagogue—they saw Him in the furnace.

"Some of you want to see God in comfort—but God reveals Himself in consecration, in fire, in the proving ground of pain."

🛠 Ministry Tip: Pause here. Let the weight of that settle. Look across the room and speak with slow, direct authority:

“You will never know the closeness of the Fourth Man until you walk through the furnace He allowed.”

Point 4: The Fire Burns the Bonds but Not the Anointed

Daniel 3:27 (KJV) “...upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed...”

The fire didn’t burn their skin… it burned what man put on them—the ropes, the limits, the shame.

Fire doesn't destroy the anointed—it frees the anointed.

"You’re not in the fire to be consumed. You’re in the fire to be unchained."

Hebrew Root: “Anointed” (Hebrew mashach) – means to be smeared, consecrated, separated.

You were smeared with oil so the fire wouldn’t destroy you—it would reveal you.

Conclusion: You Were Made for This

You were crushed for oil.

You were anointed for fire.

And now, you’re coming out with power and presence that cannot be denied.

“You were anointed for the fire—not to escape it, but to walk through it untouched and unashamed!”

“And the satraps, governors, and captains... saw these men...” (Daniel 3:27) The world will see what the fire did. And they’ll know—you’ve been with Jesus.

Call to the Altar / Ministry Moment

Call forward those who feel like they’re in the fire right now.

Declare prophetically: “The fire is not your end—it’s your unveiling!”

Anoint with oil again as a prophetic act: “You were crushed... now you’re commissioned.”

“The fire makes gold pure. But the fire makes the anointed unstoppable.” — Leonard Ravenhill