God is Faithful

HOOK

OPENING STORY: A personal moment where someone trusted God but didn’t yet know the outcome. [Story of Paul Buchanan leaving pastorate without knowing what was next]

We all have moments when the heat gets turned up. And the question is: can God be trusted? Is He faithful… even there?

Series Intro:

This month, we’re asking the most important question any of us could ever wrestle with: Who is God? Not just in theory. Not just in theology books. But who is God really. When the pressure is on, when things fall apart, when life gets confusing?

This week: God is faithful.

HEAD

Daniel 3:1-30 - [GIVE SUMMARY OF THE STORY]

Daniel 3:16–18 NLT

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

Daniel 3:24–25 NLT

But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

1. Faithfulness doesn’t mean fireproof living

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego followed God - and still got thrown in the fire.

Connection: Sometimes we equate God’s faithfulness with an easy life. That’s not the promise.

The promise is that God will be faithful even when the fires come… in the midst of the fire.

2. God’s faithfulness is revealed in the fire, not just the outcome.

The fourth man in the fire is the turning point. His presence is the promise.

Supporting Scripture:

Isaiah 43:2 “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.””

Faithfulness is about presence. You can’t be a faithful spouse or parent if you are never around. Similarly, God’s faithfulness is not just about what he can do for us or how he always lives up to his word, but it is about his presence with us at all times.

3. Faithfulness means He can… but it also means “even if he doesn’t”

Daniel 3:17–18 “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.””

This is real, raw, powerful faith.

Supporting Scriptures:

2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

HEART

[Personal story of seeing God show up in the middle of the fire, not after or before, but in it.] - Pastor Omar Fuentes being detained by ICE - 16 people accepted Christ the Sunday after he was detained.

Pastoral Moment:

Some of you are in the furnace right now. The diagnosis. The divorce. The delay. And you’ve been wondering… is God faithful? Has he forgotten me?

God’s word to you today is a reminder that the fourth man still walks into fires.

God not only keeps his promises, but he never leaves, never quits, always shows us - even if that outcome isn’t what we pictured.

HANDS

So how can we live differently because of this truth?

Practice resilient trust

As you walk through this week, when you are tempted to believe that God isn’t present or faithful, take a moment and pray Daniel 3:18 kinds of prayers.

“Lord, I believe you can…but even if you don’t, I will trust you.”

Name the furnace

We live in a world that tells us that we need to be okay and act like everything is fine even when it isn’t.

If you are going through a fire, the first step is always to admit that we are in the furnace. We need to name the furnace and ask God to show up as the fourth man in the fire.

Share stories of God’s faithfulness

Back in the day, Wednesday & Sunday nights were spaces where the church would gather for testimony night. Saints from the church would stand up and share their stories of God’s faithfulness in their life.

While I am not advocating for more church services in the week, we lost something when we got away from those testimony services.

We lost the power of hearing the stories of God’s faithfulness in other people’s lives.

We need to recover the powerful practice of sharing stories of God’s faithfulness in LifeGroups, over meals, and in conversations, so we can encourage others to continue to look for God in the midst of the fires.

CLOSING

The ultimate picture of God’s faithfulness isn't just that He showed up in a fire in Babylon—it's that He stepped into the fire of this broken world for you.

Jesus didn’t just walk with three men in a furnace. He came and lived among us, bore the weight of our sin, our shame, our pain, and He went to the cross. He faced the fire of death—so that you could walk in freedom and life.

And the same God who stood with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is standing right here today—offering to walk with you. Not just through the fires of life, but into a whole new life in Him.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to say yes.

If you’re tired of walking through the fire alone… if you want to trust the God who is faithful, who sees you, who knows you, and who has never stopped loving you—then today is your day.

In just a moment, I’m going to pray. And if that's you, I invite you to simply open your heart, maybe even whisper a prayer like:

‘Jesus, I believe You are faithful. I need You. I trust You. Forgive me. Lead me. Walk with me—for the rest of my life.’

If you prayed that prayer—or want to talk more—I’ll be right here at the front, and we would be honored to pray with you.