Will Your Faith Flourish or Falter Before the Fire?

Introduction

One of the common lines our culture tells us is to “Believe in yourself.” From sports slogans to that tell you to “Just Do It” to motivational messages that remind us to work hard, have enough faith, speak it into existence, make it happen! While hard work is a good thing and experience helps, there is a dangerous temptation underneath this statement that tells us to place our hope in ourselves. What happens, though, when we feel confident and capable and good, but something bad happens? Things don’t go our way? Typically, we turn and ask “What If?”

What if my child gets sick?

What if my health report comes back negative?

What if my nightmare turns into my reality?

What if persecution comes my way?

We have to ask this question: When tragedy strikes, is God enough?

If my health fails, is God enough?

If my job gets cut, is God enough?

If I don’t make the team, is God enough?

If my suffering stays, is God enough?

If my dream doesn’t happen, is God enough?

If God doesn’t provide the way that I want Him to in my heart, is God enough?

As we read our Bible, we see something different. We see that, yes we work hard, but that ultimately we are supposed to place our hope and confidence in God. When our hope is in God, the result might not always go the way we expect, but we can always have confidence in the Lord. This morning, we arrive at one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible - Daniel 3. We’ll see three young men, facing a blazing furnace of death, say that Even if their God doesn’t save them, they will do what is right. This morning we’ll see the power of 2 little words: Even If. Even if suffering stays. Even if my dream doesn’t happen. Even if things look hopeless - God is good. God is Able. God is Faithful! That my hope isn’t dependent on temporary circumstances, but upon my God who provides me with eternal salvation! Let’s dive into this wonderful truth today in Daniel 3:1-18 and see how “Even If” is the anthem of the faithful.

Daniel 3:1–18 CSB

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, you are to fall facedown and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. 10 You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 13 Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

In the face of a tyrant. In the face of temptation. In the face of a terrifying furnace. These young men stand strong and they stand boldly on God’s Word. In the face of a godless world, may God give us boldness, strength, and courage to be faithful to Him today. Let’s pray

Those With Biblical Faith Obey God’s Word (1-15)

Have you ever wished that you could go back in time to the first time that you did something just so you can experience the joy of learning that thing for the first time again? Maybe that sounds crazy to you, but do you remember the first time that you were told this story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? You see this background with this golden statue, you see the command to bow and worship it, and you see these 3 men say that they will not bow - regardless of the consequences! Now, if you’ve read your Bible before or if you have your copy of God’s Word this morning, you either know or can read ahead to see how this story ends. I’m tossing Braden a softball next week that I know he’s going to hit a home run with as he preaches the rest of this chapter! But put yourself in the shoes of someone reading this for the first time! You’re on the edge of your seat after verse 18 wanting to know what happens next. You’re asking this question: Why on earth would these men stand up if it means being burned alive in a fiery furnace? What convinced them to do this? How is this type of conviction even possible?

Remember the situation these men are in. New country. New position. New names. New people all around them. They have already stood on God’s Word whenever they refused to eat the king’s food. They determined what they would and what they wouldn’t do because they based their decisions not on what was popular but on what was Biblical. They stood on the Word and they got promoted in chapter 1. In chapter 2, their lives were on the chopping block and they prayed to God and they got promoted again! What about chapter 3? The king was just praising their God in chapter 2 but the very next chapter, Nebuchadnezzar builds a massive 90 foot tall statue - an obelisk as they used to be called - and he brings in all the leaders, officials, and governors from all the provinces of Babylon and he commanded people to bow down and worship his statue. This is rich because in the previous chapter we see that the king had a dream of a massive statue with a golden head that was struck down by Daniel’s God and here the king builds a massive golden statue, likely of either himself or one of the Babylonian gods.

What would you do? Would you bend the knee or would you stand your ground? We have to ask ourselves this question - when our moment arrives, will we obey man or God? It’s easy to say that we’ll stand up for Jesus… but knowing myself like I do, I’m probably going to first look at the cost. What will it cost me to stand on God’s Word? There are times where standing on God’s Word means that your friends might not like you because you say that you can’t do something that they want to do because you know that it’s wrong. Standing on God’s Word might mean that people around you don’t like a decision that you make because it’s not the popular decision. If standing on God’s Word means that we get picked on or gossiped about, many will turn tail and run but some might still remain standing… Look at the cost of standing and not bowing here in Daniel 3 - the cost is your life. If you don’t bow, you’ll be thrown into the blazing fire! Again, if you’re reading this the first time maybe you’re thinking that the king is bluffing — like would he actually throw someone in?

Jeremiah 29:22 CSB

22 Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’

The king had done this before and he was daring someone to threaten his power and sovereignty so that he could do it again. I love how the CSB renders that verse - the king roasted them in the fire. This isn’t your kitchen oven that heats delicious cookies to 400 degrees for a few minutes. This oven could reach temperatures of nearly 2,000 degrees. This is a serious cost! Think about the pros and cons of this decision. Kind of like the movies with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other giving the person advice.

Just bend the knee and ask for forgiveness later! After all, God is slow to anger and a compassionate God.

The Babylonians need faithful witnesses for God. If I die, who is going to tell them about God? Just bend the knee and be obedient tomorrow.

Just bend the knee on the outside, but stand and worship God on the inside because, after all, God looks at the heart.

Maybe find the nearest bathroom and strategically exit stage right when the music starts to play!

Stand up, stand up for Jesus.

When the option is destruction, our brain looks for any alternative available. Yet these men willingly choose number 5. They stand before a tyrant. They knew that they were in Babylon, but they would never become Babylonians. They worked for Nebuchadnezzar, but they would never worship Nebuchadnezzar. They would obey God’s Word, even though it would cost them. Why? Because they knew that God demands all. The book of Daniel shows us the reality of spiritual warfare. The second half is full of apocalyptic passages that show us the reality of evil and the battle that we join in as God’s people. As Ephesians 6:12 reminds us

Ephesians 6:12 CSB

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

What would the enemy love to happen? God’s people be opposed, ridiculed, and silenced. His playbook remains the same today as it was then. “How can I dress sin up to make it look enticing enough to get people to worship it and not worship God?” Or, for those who stand, “How can I silence these people so that they don’t lead others to God?”

See, you and I likely aren’t tempted to drive to Washington DC and bow down and worship the Washington Monument… but we are tempted to worship other things.

Romans 1:25 CSB

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

Those who reject Jesus, worship creation. In modernity think of the things that our fallen world worships.

The idol of self.

The idol of pride.

The idol of sin.

The idol of technology - the average American spends over 7 hours a day on various screens.

The idol of sports? Relationships? Social media? Politics? Work?

As Calvin shared centuries ago, “The human heart is an idolatry factory.” We create things to worship and some of these things are even good things in and of themselves. We must guard against this and ensure that we aren’t worshiping creation, but the Creator. We don’t trust in what God has made, we trust in God Himself. As you look at your priorities, your allegiances, your preferences, what are you worshiping? It’s easy to say that we’d never bow down to a golden statue, but we all bend the knee to all sorts of false things that don’t deserve our allegiance and our praise.

Whenever you stand on God’s Word, this means that you stand out from a godless world. Look at what happens whenever these men make the choice to stand, others take notice. Remember, Nebuchadnezzar brought in all the powerful people for this - and some come forward to the king and accuse Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These 3 men are respected by the king and the Babylonians can’t stand this… So they tattle. This portion of Daniel is unique as it’s one of the only places in the Bible where the language isn’t Greek or Hebrew, but another language called Aramaic. Literally in the Aramaic the word for maliciously accuse is “sinking their teeth” into these 3 Jews. They want to see these men fall.

Understand this, friend, whenever you stand on God’s Word, there will be people who want to see you fall. As a pastor, I’ve witnessed this. In my 20’s I’ve had people wish ill on me, my wife, and our kids. “I hope you die.” “I hope you lose your house and your kids starve.” Why? Just because I am a pastor and preach the Gospel. We expect this from people who have a different worldview than us as Christians. We expect this from perhaps an atheist or a person of another faith… Sadly there are even people who grew up in church with you who might even claim to be Christians who want to see you fall. We’re told in chapter 1 that the Babylonians took young men from Jerusalem to Babylon

Daniel 1:6 CSB

6 Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

There were more than 4 who were taken, but we see that only these 4 stand on God’s Word. This is a wild question to ask, but it’s necessary: What were the other Jews doing in this moment? In chapter 1 we saw all 4 stand. Here we see these 3 do what is right and stand. And in chapter 6, we’ll see Daniel take another stand before the Lion’s Den - and on 10/12 I was talking with Kristi and we’ll have a Kid’s Bible Story called Jesus and the Lion’s Den. (And we have an exciting update about Kristi and our kids department coming soon!)

These stand… but what about the others? Their friends from home who went to Temple? They’re bowing and worshiping the king. Y’all, there are times where the stakes will be as high as can be, and right will still be right and wrong will still be wrong. It doesn’t matter how many people claim that something is right, if the Bible says it’s wrong, it’s wrong and you must not do it.

Kids, cheating on a test is wrong - it’s black and white

Cheating on a spouse is wrong - it’s black and white

Disobeying or disregarding God’s Word is wrong - it’s black and white

In a world of gray, the Bible tells us that some things are black and white - always right and always wrong - regardless of how many people get it confused. We see over and over that Nebuchadnezzar “set up” this statue (9x) as this was his lasting legacy. He wanted people to worship him. It didn’t matter how many knees bowed though, bowing was wrong. The king confronts the men and he reminds them of the situation because of course this is some misunderstanding… Look at what he explicitly says in the second half of verse 15

Daniel 3:15 CSB

15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

Think of what Satan told Jesus in Luke 4 - if you just bend the knee, you’ll have all this power and all these kingdoms and all this glory. This king who in chapter 2 praised Daniel’s God suddenly says this blasphemous statement, “Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” Do you see the King’s pride? Do you see the pride that exists in our world today as people say the same thing? You believe in that old Bible? You believe in God? What god can rescue you from my influence or from this view? You’d better get on board and go with the flow or else you’re going to get cancelled and suffer and lose. May we answer like these men in verse 16 as we see that

Those With Biblical Faith Trust in God’s Will (16-18)

They see the flames. They know the order. Things couldn’t be any more clear! They know the cost. Look at their response to the king in verse 16 - King, you are wrong. There is a God who can save us. Remember the power of the king and the heat of the furnace. How could they make this statement? Because they knew their Bibles. They like Daniel in chapter 1 had determined from a young age what they would and what they would not do. They knew the power of their God. They knew that the God that they worshiped was the same God who parted the Red Sea. The same God who created the world. The same God who saved Noah and his family from the flood. This same Sovereign King of Kings was their God who holds all things in the palm of His hands. They knew that the God they worshiped had all power. They had faith in God and their answer was this: I know my God is able to deliver me… But even if He doesn’t - I will trust in Him. So often we think that God has a lot of power, but not all power. We’re good to trust God with some of the things that we face, but broken relationships? Broken hearts? Cancer? Mental illness? Biological issues? Can God restore those things? Absolutely because He has all power! But just because God has all power it doesn’t mean that God uses His power in the way that we think He should or the way that we want Him to. These men knew God could save them, not that He would, but either way they would trust in Him! They knew that their God had all power and that whatever happened to them would not be a surprise to their God - in fact, whatever happened would be what God wanted to happen. If God wants them to live, they’ll survive. If God wants them to go home, they’ll be home. This is Job’s statement in Job 13

Job 13:15 CSB

15 Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him.

Notice he doesn’t say if Satan kills me, or if a bad surprise happens, he says if God kills me, I will still hope in him. If it’s my time. He trusts in God’s perfect will and plan. That sounds otherworldly at times, so let’s break it down. Does God have all power? Is God able to deliver us from every problem and trial that we face? Yes! But DOES God always deliver us from our temporary trials? NO! God may allow trials and heartache and suffering to strike for a variety of reasons as we see in Romans 8, James 1, John 16, and 1 Peter 4. God might allow us to go through a trial so that we trust in Him more. He might allow us to go through a trial so that our light shines bright in a sea of darkness. He might allow us to go through a trial to demonstrate His power and provision. He might allow us to go through a trial so that we remember who we are and who He is. I’ve long believed that I’ll gladly suffer if my suffering encourages 1 person down the road. There’s a number of reasons, but God makes no mistakes! Therefore His people trust in His will, even in times of sorrow, suffering, and sickness - we trust in God’s will.

These men had full faith that one of 3 things would happen:

They would be Protected

They would be Resurrected

They would be in the Presence of God

Why these things? They knew the story of Moses and the Israelites being protected from the waters of the Red Sea. They knew the story of Abraham and Isaac as Abraham had faith that somehow, someway, Isaac would come down Mt. Moriah together. They knew the story of David, who believed that he would be reunited with his son in the presence of God one day.

Whatever God chose to do in this moment was fine with them because they were completely reliant on Him. They trusted in God. They knew that God would do what was best as Romans 8:28 promises to every believer. This sounds great, doesn’t it! If we know how Daniel 3 ends, of course we’re tempted to think that this is the health and wealth gospel of having enough faith and doing enough good things and sowing enough seeds and then God will always come through and bring about temporary deliverance exactly how and when you want him to because you have the ability to tell God what to do and God helps those who help themselves if you just have enough faith. In the days of deliverance, Daniel 3:16-17 sounds great. God can and I believe God will. I have faith in Him. But what about when God says no?

Think of our Lord and Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22 (we’ll get there in the spring of 2027, I promise!) as He prays if possible for the suffering to be avoided… but verse 42 shows the heart

Luke 22:42 CSB

42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

This is Biblical faith - not my will, but Yours be done. Even if God chooses for something to happen that we don’t like or agree with, He is still God. These men have no clue what God will choose to do, but they have made up their mind to trust in Him. This must be our response as well, church. We stand before the fires of life knowing full and well that God can bring about miraculous deliverance and also knowing that He doesn’t always do this if it is not His plan and realizing that whenever He chooses not to bring about an escape from temporary suffering, He always provides endurance in our suffering. He always provides His presence and His grace in our moments of adversity. There is such a danger in our world that says if you just have enough faith then you’ll get delivered - look at Hebrews 11 at all of those people who were used mightily by God and were delivered by God in verses 32-35. But this is only half the truth. Continue in Hebrews 11:35-38 and you see example after example of people who suffer for their faith in Christ. Some escaped suffering… others endured suffering.

These 3 have this kind of faith. If they died in the fire, that was fine with them - they would rather die than commit idolatry. They were fully trusting in God’s will. 700 years after these 3 stand before the fire, another man named Polycarp stood before an evil leader and was told to deny Christ or burn. Polycarp said thus, “86 years I have served Him and He has never done me harm. How can I blaspheme my Savior and King?” Polycarp was not delivered from the fire, but that was fine. To live is Christ, to die is gain. What about you and me? Are we willing to say that Jesus is enough in our darkest valley? That has been the anthem of the faithful for 2000 years: Even If He Doesn’t… I Will Praise Him! I will not bow. I will stand strong. I will keep singing. I will keep praying. I will remain faithful. I will trust Him. Even if the breakthrough doesn’t come, even if the deliverance doesn’t happen, even if suffering strikes and even if suffering stays, God is worthy and I will trust in Him.

The problem with the prosperity Gospel of have more faith and God will be your genie in a lamp to grant your wish is that it puts the fault on you when you don’t get your way. You don’t have enough faith. You’re the failure. You’re the problem. The reason God didn’t heal you was because of you. Bad theology hurts people. I had a person from a large church not too far from here tell me that I’m not qualified to be a pastor because I have type 1 diabetes and the reason I have that is because I don’t have enough faith in Jesus and a pastor who doesn’t have enough faith can’t be a pastor. I also had a well known individual from this same church claim she had a “word from the Lord” that I was going to be healed from my type 1 diabetes 2 years ago…

Sometimes God says no. Sometimes the flames consume. Sometimes suffering stays. Can we be honest, though? Even if you were healed of your biggest suffering today, you would have another thing take its place in a week, month, or year’s time and you’d need deliverance again. And again. And again. It is so much better for our sake that instead of giving us temporary deliverance, God has given us eternal salvation and hope. We echo David who said this in Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23:4 CSB

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

We have nothing to fear. Even if we have to deal with suffering the rest of our lives, we have all eternity to live suffering free. The suffering of this present life cannot compare with the glory going to be revealed to us one day. God can. But Even if He doesn’t - He is still God and He is still good. We stand firm. We trust in His will. We obey His Word. Settle it in your heart today that Jesus is enough! My circumstances don’t dictate God’s faithfulness - He is worthy regardless of how I feel or whatever is going on. Settle it today to join in the anthem of the faithful.

Even if this health situation takes my life - I will worship God and witness for Him until the end!

Even if standing up for Jesus costs me my reputation or popularity or job - I will remain faithful to God!

Even if our government persecutes Christians - I will witness to a lost and dying world until the day I die!

Even if the worst happens, God is able to save me and if He chooses not to - I will choose to worship Him as He deserves!

I will not be moved. I will not hide. I will boast in my weakness. I know that my Redeemer lives. I can do all things, including suffer, because my strength comes from God!

Get the “What-If’s” out of your vocabulary and replace them with “Even-If’s.” Even if the worst happens, He is with us. He will never leave us. He will never abandon us. He is with us. He is for us. As the centuries old hymn says, “Whatever My God Ordains is Right.” I’m not sure about you, but there are times I stand before the fire and struggle with what to do. Anyone else? How can we have faith that flourishes before the flames?

Love Jesus More Than Anything

His plan is perfect and it is unique to each of us! You’re not David. You’re not Daniel. You’re definitely not Jesus. Remember that God has a plan for YOUR life and trust that He knows better than you do. While we’re in the modern Babylon where people hate God, God is still in control. He still has a plan for His glory and our good. Remember that He is on His throne.

Listen to God’s Word

We are being forced to answer a straightforward and simple question: What does it look like to live as a Christian in a society that does not like what Christians believe? - Alistair Begg. We are beginning to see what it looks like to be the minority, even in the buckle of the Bible Belt. Don’t be saddened or fearful, be courageous! Light shines brightest in the darkness. In the darkness we worship the Lord. We don’t bow down. We prioritize things like Church and reading the Bible and prayer and the way that we wage war with a godless society is by raising Daniel’s and Shadrach’s and Meshach’s and Abednego’s. God expects His people to worship Him.

Live For the Applause of Heaven

Hebrew is not read left to right, but right to left. We would say that it must be read backwards. This is kind of how it is with God’s providence. It’s easy to look back in our lives and see how God was faithful and provided even in ways that we didn’t see in the moment. Think about the big picture of Scripture. How has God provided? In the person and work of Jesus Christ who stood before the evil emperor and was too thrown into the fiery furnace. What has Jesus done? He accomplishes our salvation through His death, burial, and resurrection! If God has provided eternal salvation for His people, we must trust in His daily provision today. Look backwards at all that He has done. Part of growing in our spiritual walk means trusting in Him whenever we don’t understand what He’s doing. Trust that He holds you fast. Understand that He is your hope in life and in death. Trust in God’s provision - whatever happens, He is with you. He is for you. He will keep you. Sing the song of the faithful - Even if He Doesn’t - He is worthy. If that’s a new song, join in the anthem today. Repent of your sins, trust in Christ, follow Him, and watch Him change you from the inside out.