Bow or Burn

Let’s start today’s message with a quick activity. I need four volunteers who are willing to eat something adventurous—sweet, sour, or spicy. Here’s how it works: four of you will get the same food, but one will get something different. Audience, your job is to spot who got the unique food by watching their reactions. Volunteers, your challenge is to blend in at all costs, even if you got the odd one out. We’ll do three rounds.

[After the activity:]

To our last volunteer—was it hard to blend in - why? (Cause you were given something different)

How did it feel to stand out from the rest? (Leave open for responses)

Let’s thank our volunteers!

Now, open your Bibles to Daniel 3. Today, we’ll look at the story of the fiery furnace. Like our volunteers who stood out, Daniel’s friends had to stand out in Babylonian society because they did have something different. They had their faith. | So today’s big idea is this: Shining like stars means standing firm in our faith convictions about worship, even when it sets us apart.

Let’s pray.

So here’s what’s going to happen, I’m going to give each group a part of the scripture. You have 5 minutes to read through your part. Another 5 minutes to summarize it into five points of no more than 8 words each. Appoint a spokesperson to share your summary with the bigger group.

Section Titles:

What happens before (Daniel 2) - Group 1

“Bow or Burn” (Daniel 3:1-7) - Group 2

“Friends Say Nope: Faith over FOMO” (Daniel 3:8-18) - Group 3

“Friends get Cooked!” (Daniel 3:19-25) - Group 4

“God Wins, Friends Get Promoted!” (Daniel 3:26-30) - Group 5

Setting the Scene (Daniel 2):

So what happened in Daniel 2?

· In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling, recurring dream.

· Daniel explained to him the meaning of the dream – a statue represented many different kingdoms that would come after Babylon; the forth kingdom would be unstable because it would be a divided kingdom.

· Finally, God of heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end.

Now we arrive at Daniel 3 (Dan 3:1-7) What happens here? | Nebuchadnezzar sets about solving this problem. If disunity and division threaten to destroy his kingdom, he’s got to unite everyone – especially the foreigners from invaded nations – under one Babylonian rule. One empire, one rule, one religion, one god. He builds a massive golden statue; hoping to unite all his people through forging a singular object of worship. “If the people have a common worship,” Nebuchadnezzar thought, “then there will be long-lasting unity, peace and harmony. So he gathered all officials and commanded everyone to bow down to the statue when the music played.

In Dan 3:4-5, he issues the decree, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue…”

Make no mistake. This wasn’t just some harmless ceremony – like singing the national anthem or saying the pledge in school. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to create unity by having everyone—especially the many foreigners in Babylon—abandon their faiths and worship his statue, to “fall down and worship” his statue. Most people gave in to the pressure, including many Jews. But Daniel’s friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—refused. Remember in our first message, I shared about faith convictions. What are convictions? They are beliefs and values that guide our choices. Faith convictions are convictions that are built upon our Christian faith. This helped Daniel and his friends to draw their lines – they said YES to certain things in Babylonian society, but NO to other things that compromised their faith. Why did they say NO to this decree?

Because it concerned abandoning their worship of God. So write down point 1 –

1. God alone is worthy to be worshiped – We can never compromise on this conviction. |

But the gods in our society don’t always look like a huge golden image, or this (show Percy Jackson’s Greek gods and goddesses). They can also look very much like this | – good things in our life that we assign ‘god-status’.

· Pop celebrities and influencers: are good sources of entertainment and inspiration, but when they shape our identity with messages that are not aligned with what God’s word says, we’re in danger of making them god.

· Games and Social-Media: are good tools to destress and bond with friends, but when we spend excessive time on it and it impacts our sense of self-worth, that making them god.

· Friendships and studies are both extremely important.. but when we cherish these things above God, such that we are willing to neglect our relationship and worship of God for them, that’s making them above god. |

An author put it this way, “without God at the center, our hearts will inevitably find other things to worship.” The truth is you and I are thrown into a society that is very good at idolizing good things. And it’s going to tempt you to do likewise. Abandon your old Christian faith. It’s no longer useful today. Follow us. |

Daniel’s friends refused because they knew the first and second commandments in Exodus 20:2-4 – “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous god”. God’s jealousy is very different from human jealousy. It’s not like when people are jealous in a selfish or mean way. Instead, God’s jealousy is about love and wanting what is right. When we give our love and worship to other things, God feels “jealous” because He knows only He can truly care for us and wants what’s best for us. |

Can I suggest this first discipleship takeaway.

Discipleship Takeaway #1: Let good things be good things. Let God be God alone.

The three friends are very clear they’re not going to give their worship to anything or anyone other than God.

What happens after that? (Daniel 3:8-18)

This lands them in big trouble with the king.

Who snitches on them? In v12: the King’s Advisors snitch on them to the king.. “There are certain Jews whom you have appointed… Shadrach Meshach and Abednego.”

Like our activity just now, the three of them weren’t looking to stand out – of course they would prefer to lie-low, blend in and survive. But deep within them, their faith points them to act differently than the rest of society. And these advisors put them on the spot for it.. “These men pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

How does King respond? He goes into a furious rage, hauling the three of them up for questioning, “is it true..?” And he reminds them of the consequences of disobedience, “But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Basically Nebuchadnezzar is challenging their faith – “I’m not going to back down on my law, so are you ready to die for your God? Are you certain He is able to save you?”

How do the three friends respond? They reply, “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.. But if not, be it known to you that we will not serve your god or worship the golden image that you have set up.” |

2. God allows the faithful to be tested.

Here the friends are being tested for their convictions. See, an author puts it like this “Convictions are all about the choices we make before we’re challenged. Faith is our ability to act on our convictions when tested.”

Think about this: the difference between Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the other Jews in Babylon wasn’t just their convictions. It was their faith—their willingness to act on what they believed. That’s what made them stand out.

But let’s be clear: this wasn’t blind faith. These friends knew God personally and intimately. Let me ask—how many of you have seen the latest Mission Impossible movie, Final Reckoning? I watched it recently, and after seeing Tom Cruise leap off skyscrapers and out of airplanes for seven movies, by the eighth, you just know he’s going to pull off the impossible. Why? Because you’ve seen him do it again and again. In the same way, the friends’ faith in God was built from years of walking with Him, seeing His faithfulness over and over. Their confidence wasn’t wishful thinking—it was rooted in a real relationship with a mighty God. |

But more than worshiping God for what He can do for them, they trusted His heart. Remember their words: “Even if God does not deliver us, we will not worship the golden image.” Can you imagine having that kind of faith? Faith that stands strong, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed? So, if you’re looking for the courage of Daniel and his friends, here’s my invitation: get to know the mighty God they trusted. Build that relationship, and your faith will grow strong enough to shine—even when you’re tested.

Discipleship Takeaway #2: Build your relationship with a mighty God, and your faith will grow strong enough to shine - even when you’re tested.

What happens next? (Daniel 3:19-25)

A raging Nebuchadnezzar throws the three friends into the furnace.

Guys, it’s so hot that it even kills the men who haul them up!

But then as they fall into the burning furnace, Nebuchadnezzar exclaims, “I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Who is this forth guy? Many experts have actually argued on the identity of this fourth person – some say it’s an angel, some say it’s Daniel, some say its Jesus Christ, some say it’s the Holy Spirit. I like what one commentator says, he writes that it’s pointless to argue about who the forth person is, what matters is that this person represents God’s presence with the friends. |

My final point today is actually a promise:

3. God is with us when our faith is tested.

Think about it—what’s even better than having a God who is powerful enough to save us from tough situations? It’s having a God who also cares so much for us that He stays with us right in the middle of those tough times. Guys, this is the God that we worship. This is why He alone is worthy and that’s why He is rightfully jealous for our worship and devotion. |

Let’s look at how the story ends (Daniel 3:26-30).

Because the friends refuse to worship the image, something amazing happened. Nebuchadnezzar praises God!

He exclaims, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him… they gave up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”

He makes a decree that protects worship of God

He promotes the three friends to important positions in Babylonian society.

Because they stood firm in their faith, the three friends made a difference in Babylon. They shone brightly in a place where it was hard to follow God - changed the heart of an evil king, shaped policy to protect the worship of God, promoted to important positions in society where they can continue to shape society for God’s glory. In the same way, I believe you can shine like stars when you stand firm in your faith—especially when it comes to worship, even if it makes you stand out from the crowd. |

So here’s the third discipleship takeaway for you:

When you choose to worship God and stand firm in your faith, trust that God is right there with you.

The friends excel in Babylonian society and make a difference because they chose to stand firm in their faith convictions about worship. In the same way, I really believe that we can shine like stars when we stand firm in our faith convictions about worship, even when it sets us apart.

At the end of this church camp, I hope that a little bit like yesterday, you’ll continue going forth to shine like stars in society. But sometimes shining like stars isn’t so much about doing something new. Shining like stars just requires us to have the courage to keep to our Christian faith, especially our worship, and letting God make it shine and stand out for all to see. Let’s take some time to pray together.

Sermon Notes:

Nebuchadnezzar’s first decree to worship the image (3:1-7)

The Jews are accused (3:8-12)

The Jews are threatened (3:13-15)

The Jews commit to honor the one true God (3:16-18)

C’. The Jews are punished (3:19-23)

B’. The Jews are vindicated (3:24-27)

A’. Nebuchadnezzar’s second degree to worship God (3:28-30)

Key Themes in Dan 3:1-12:

Nebuchadnezzar’s demand for Judeans to worship a pagan image challenges their spiritual fidelity

God allows three Judeans positions of influence in exile, yet he expects them to remain faithful

The usage of the Judeans’ pagan names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, darkens the scene into which God will bring light.

Language of “worship” in the mouth of the king and the Judeans (3:5, 7, 10-12, 14-15, 18, 28) connotes the idea of deity.

Teaching the text..

God alone is worthy of worship

God allows the faithful to be tested

Daniel 3:13-23 is the chiastic center of the larger narrative, speaking to three theological realities:

The one true God is incomparable to false gods

God is able to rescue those who faithfully serve him

God is worthy of the ultimate sacrifice regardless of whether he chooses to exercise his divine prerogative to deliver

God is worthy of our fidelity

https://saltandlight.sg/faith/once-she-said-god-is-dead-but-after-10-years-in-the-wilderness-singaporean-singer-kit-chan-returned-to-her-faith/

Daniel 3

“Convictions are all about the choices we make before we’re challenged. Faith is our ability to act on our convictions when tested.”

Exegetical Outline:

Scripture Ref

Dan 3:1-7

Nebuchadnezzar’s first decree to worship the image

Societal injustice? Or societal idolatry?

God’s people will be confronted with the idols of this world

Dan 3:1-5

Nebuchadnezzar mandates all officials to worship the image

Pressure: 1. Everyone was doing it, big names were there 2. Allegiance was on public display, 3. Music add a powerful psychological element 4. Precise moment is specified for the time of submission and worship 5. Death warning 6. Meant to unify the nation.

Dan 3:6

The consequence for not doing so is death in the furnace

Causation (a->b)

Dan 3:7

All the people fell down and worshiped the image

Causation (“therefore”)

Dan 3:8-12

Jews are accused

Dan 3:9-11

Recap of the King’s decree

God’s people will be criticized by the people of this world.

Daniel 3:12

Chaldeans relate that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego di bit serve or worship the image

“... whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon” → points out Nebuchadnezzar’s responsibility for these disloyal subjects - implicit attack on his abilities as king

Two-fold attack on the Jews: disrespect of the king, disrespect of his gods (directly parallels - Exodus 20:4-6)

Daniel 3:13-15

Jews are threatened

Nebuchadnezzar rages; questions the 3 Jews

God’s people will be challenged to worship the God’s of This World

Dan 3:16-18

Jews Commit to God

The 3 Jews answer the king (Commit to God)

God’s people must be courageous in the face of danger in this world

Dan 3:19-23

Jews are punished (thrown into the burning furnace)

God’s people can be confident the Lord is with them no matter what happens in this world.

Scripture says Christ is with you..

Exo 3:6,12

Isa 43:2

Matt 28:18-20

Heb 13:5

1 Pet 4:12-14

Dan 3:24-27

Jews are Vindicated

Dan 3:24-25

Nebuchadnezzar sees 4 men unhurt; forth is like a son of the gods

Dan 3:26-27

Nebuchadnezzar sees that the fire has had no power over the bodies of the Jews

Dan 3:28-30

Nebuchadnezzar’s second decree to worship God

Dan 3:28

Nebuchadnezzar praises God; affirms the Jews committing to God instead of worshiping the image

Dan 3:29-30

King makes institutional changes; preserving the worship of God