When the Heat is on!

Opening

For the past couple of Sundays we’ve looked into the life of Daniel and we learned a number of things on how we shall face difficult situations and impossible looking scenarios… our “Mission Impossible”, so to speak

The biblical principles we learned form Daniel that are applicable to all culture and generations are:

Don’t Panic

Ask Why

Never Rush and Ask for Time

Invite People, your friends in your Life Group to pray with you

Empathize with other People (even with the unbelievers)

Lay our petitions and problems before God

And also to confidently Ask God for Supernatural Help

Praise the God of Heaven

Praise His name (who He is)

Praise His deeds (what He does)

Praise Him with Thanksgiving

To Use what God shows us to save Others

And finally, to always Point People to God

BREATHE!

We saw how Daniel was “promoted” not just once, not just twice, but many times in his lifetime and we will see that in the weeks to come as we continue with this series: “Starting the Year with Daniel”

Without needing to ask those who wants to be promoted to raise their hands, I strongly believe that we all want to be “promoted”, don’t we? Of course we do, we will be lying to ourselves if we say we don’t

Promoted in various ways and different fields

BREATHE!

Now, we know that Daniel was not alone in his faithful journey

He has a “Life Group”, a set of equally godly friends named Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, whose names was later on changed to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were brought to Babylon

Today let’s look into how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, just like Daniel, got promoted in Babylon, a pagan nation, just like the nation we’re living in today

But before we do that, I’d like everyone to give your neighbor a “fist bump” and say, “the heat is on!”

BREATHE!

Do you remember the song entitled “The Heat is On” by Glenn Frey back in 1984 popularized by the movie “Beverly Hills Cop” starred by Eddie Murphy?

Part of the song goes like this...

The heat is on, on the street Inside your head, on every beat And the beat's so loud, deep inside The pressure's high, just to stay alive 'Cause the heat is on

The shadows high on the darker side Behind the doors, it's a wilder ride You can make a break, you can win or lose That's a chance you take, when the heat's on you When the heat is on

It is a secular song, though what it meant somehow makes sense to our lives as christians living in a pagan country

This culture and generation is putting a lot of heat on us

To the Islam Religion, we are “infidels”

To Radical Islam, we are the most favorite target of terrorism

Though this country was founded in christianity, but our society is changing

In many ways, this country is beginning to look like Babylon

It is a country of different peoples and languages

With various cultures and religions, trying its best to stay “united”

Well, at least its name sounds “united”, “United” States of America

Only deaf ears and blind eyes could say, that the people of this nation are completely okay

The silent majority are groaning quietly

The more vocal sectors of society, are crying loudly

The leaders of the country are divided sharply

BREATHE!

What should you do, when the heat is on you?

When you are pressured to conform

Will you remain passive, or you’ll gonna go active?

Will you retreat in fear? or go forward in faith?

Open your Bible to and keep it there

Text: The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace

As you turn the pages of your Bible to Daniel chapter 3, let me take you to

Proverbs 17:3 NCV

A hot furnace tests silver and gold, but the Lord tests hearts.

Proverbs 17:3 NIV

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

Another prophet after Daniel, his name is Zechariah said these...

Zechariah 13:9 NLT

I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”

The blazing furnace is a test of our faith

God test us with stress, before He trust us with success

God test us with stress before He trust us with success

Story: Test of my Faith (A High School Batch mate recently added me as friend on facebook)

The heat was on me on many occasions of my life

When I was still a government official, many times my faith was put to test

Situations that involves huge sum of money and enormous amount of power

But what I’d like to share today, as testimony to God’s faithfulness to those who trust in Him, is the very recent test of my heart by the Lord

The enemy knows my/our weaknesses, and keep in mind that the enemy will attack our weaknesses, more than our strength

Collectively, our strength is dependent on how much the “weakest link” can hold (game show back in 2001)

BREATHE!

Out of respect to the actual people involved in this story, I will be using fictitious names because I don’t have their permission to reveal their identity

While I was Uber driving early this week, I got a ride request from Rolando

So I picked up Rolando, and while I was driving for him, his name reminded me of a brother, of one of my high school batch mates named Rosalie

Rosalie and I had a brief illicit affair many years ago, it did not last for very long

I’m not sure if she is in the so called “42 List” of my wife

And then afterwards, I got another ride request, this time from a person named Rosalie!!!

What??? you gotta be kidding me! I mean, what are the odds? Right?

We believe that things happens for a reason, nothing is coincidental, and everything is ordained by God

But, you’re not gonna believe this

On that same day, I got a “friend request” on facebook from the real “Rosalie”, out of no where, after years of no communication

At that point, I know that my faith is again being put to test

I was in the middle of preparing this Sermon when all these happened

I

BREATHE!

Now let’s go to Daniel Chapter 3

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold sixty cubits high and six cubits wide in the plain of Dura, 1 cubit is equivalent to 0.5 yards or 1.6 feet

So the image is approximately 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Such a disproportionate structure would need some sort of pedestal or base to keep from toppling over

Around 2,500 years ago, this is still true today, though not literally gold images that we are made to bow down and worship, but images such as:

Physical Beauty - this society idolizes actors and actresses

Fame - this culture adores athletes

Wealth - this generation patronizes rich people

Sex - tolerates fornication. No longer putting value of saving sex for marriage.

Pleasure - letting hobbies rob the time for worship

Influence - to feel that everything, and everybody revolves around oneself

Power - to be on the top of government and corporate power house

Fame

Popularity - creating false image of oneself. posting on social media photos and articles that projects an image

These are some forms of images that our culture, society and generation made us bow down to, and worship

Such a disproportionate structure would need some sort of pedestal or base to keep from toppling over

He then summoned all his officials to come to the dedication of the image

Barry, J.D. et al., 2012, 2016. Faithlife Study Bible, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all other provincial officials assembled for the dedication and they all stood before the image

Then the herald (the announcer) proclaimed to all peoples of every language that they are commanded to fall down and worship the image upon hearing the sound of the horn, flute and other musical instruments

And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace

So when they heard the sound, everybody fell down and worshipped the image of gold that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up, except for the 3 friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Why Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down and worship the image set up by king Nebuchadnezzar?

Because it is against the top 2 of the 10 commandments of God

Exodus 20:3–4 NIV

“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

There’s nothing wrong with family, work, career, wealth, hobby and leisure, but anything we put ahead of God is a form of idol or gods, and it violates the very first commandment

At that point, the astrologers, magicians, fortune tellers, denounced the Jews and they went to the king to report the matter

It could be because of Babylonian “racism”, because they are Jews

Or these wisemen are kiss ups to the king because they’re jealous and they wanted their jobs

Remember, these are the same group of wisemen saved by Daniel and his friends some 15 years ago when they failed to interpret the first dream of Nebuchadnezzar

BREATHE!

Nebuchadnezzar was furious and summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and asked them, “is it true?”

Take notice of a pagan attitude, he’s furious even before hearing the side of the story of Shadrach and his friends

The king said to them, when you hear the sound, fall down and worship the image, or else you will be thrown into a blazing furnace, and we will see what god will be able to rescue you from my hand

It was obvious that Nebuchadnezzar was not completely transformed at this point despite of his recognition of the most high God, the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in

Let’s see how the 3 friends of Daniel responded to Nebuchadnezzar and learn from their reply on

What should you do, when the heat is on you?

Everybody say “Heat!”

Hang On, Help is Coming

Daniel 3:16 NIV

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

Expect that God is able to deliver me

Daniel 3:17 NIV

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.

Announce My Loyalty to God

Daniel 3:18 NIV

But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

After this, Nebuchadnezzar got even more furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

He ordered to turn up the heat seven times more, he wanted to make sure that they really toast to death

He commanded some of the strongest soldiers in is army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the furnace

With the king’s command so urgent, and the furnace so hot, the soldiers who took up the three were killed by the flames of the fire, and the three men firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace

Then king Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “certainly, you majesty”

But the king said, “look, I see four men walking around in the fire, “unbound and unharmed”, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods

Nebuchadnezzar didn’t get that one right, the fourth person is not “a son of the gods”, but He is “the Son of God”

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came of of the fire, and the provincial officials of Babylon crowded around them

They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their head singed, their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Praise be to God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!

This was the second time that king Nebuchadnezzar praised the Most High God, the first one you can find in

We will see in the coming weeks if Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king, will be completely converted

Trust in Him

Daniel 3:28

Daniel 3:28 NIV

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

BREATHE!

After the display of Daniel’s friends “unshakable faith”

After this amazing show of courage and commitment

After this remarkable demonstration of trust and thankfulness

The Most High God delivered them through the fire

Then the king promoted them

Daniel 3:29–30 NIV

Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 3:30

It is my own sermon, this same message of God, that delivered me from my own blazing furnace

From the fiery desires of my flesh

Without the Lord walking with me through the fire, I could have failed once again

Everyone knows that girls is among my weaknesses

But this time, God delivered me from it... because…

I Hang On, then Help Came

I Expect that God is Able to Deliver me, and He did

I Announce here to you today my loyalty to God

and I kept my Trust in Him

I kept my Trust in Him

BREATHE!

What about you? What is your Image of Gold? What is your Blazing Furnace?

It could be your peers pressuring you to conform to their ways

It could be your own desires that set aside God on the sidelines

Desire for Wealth

Desires for Power or Popularity

Desires for Pleasure or Physical Beauty

or it could be anything that you put so much importance, that you ease God out

Prayer