Will You Stand When The Heat is On?

Life is Short, Especially for a Royal.

Travel back in time with me to 16th century England.

If you are part of the royal family or upper echelon of society you are envied by most commoners for your wealth, comfort and power.

What you are not envied for is your potential for a short life span...

King Henry VIII beheaded two of his six wives and simply discarded two others.

His first lord chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, was stripped of his office and accused of treason…the second chancellor, Thomas More was beheaded.

His lawyer and most trusted confidant, Thomas Cromwell, was also beheaded after 5 years of favor with the king.

His daughter, Mary, was a staunch Catholic who was on the throne for five years, she had more than 300 Protestant leaders and clerics executed, burned at the stake…perhaps you know her better by the name Bloody Mary.

In that time, for a royal in the court, your life hung in the balance by a mere thread…the king or queen could snap that thread at any moment for any reason.

Can Your Faith Handle the Fiery Trials?

Today in our study we come to . In King Nebbie attempts to kill three of his most valuable advisers simply because they defied his decree.

They were faced with a difficult choice…Please God and suffer the King’s consequences, or please the King and suffer God’s consequences…for us this sounds like a “no-brainer”...our Western Christianity doesn’t have the foggiest idea of how hard this must have been for them.

There is the real threat similar to this in our day from a group you might have heard of…ISIS…their ultimatum to Christians is convert to Islam, leave the country, or die.

Most Western believers will not face that harsh of a reality, but we are still faced with difficult decisions…if asked to compromise the Scripture or lose your job, what will you do? If your circle of friends and acquaintances want you to participate in activities or dialogue that violates Scripture, what do you do? Do you listen to the voices of the day or do you trust God’s Word to help you think and act biblically?

Satan throws his fiery darts at us to destroy our faith, but God gives us the shield to develop our faith…is your faith fake or true? Fake faith cowers in times of trial…real faith takes root and grows deeper and stronger and brings glory to God.

records one of the greatest trials and triumphs of faith in the Bible…this account is one of the two events most people remember when studying Daniel…the fiery furnace and the lion’s den…after this chapter we don’t hear about the three amigos until ...

Perhaps this is what Peter was thinking of when he said...

For some reason, Daniel is not in this chapter…most scholars believe he was representing King Neb. in some foreign court.

1 Peter 1:7 NASB95

so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 4:12 NASB95

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

Main Point: Standing Firm and Staying Faithful Requires A Continual Trust in God, Especially When The Flames of Trial Are Their Most Intense.

Main Point: Those who claim God’s name MUST stand against that which is in opposition to God and His Word.

Main Point: Those who claim God’s name MUST stand against that which is in opposition to God and His Word.

2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB95

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

3 Actions of those with real faith that proves you trust God...

You Trust God When You are Willing to Confront the Challenges Without Reservation (3:1-12).

When we left chapter 2, Nebbie had made a great confession regarding God…but when we get to chapter 3 he is completely different…most scholars believe this event in chapter 3 occurred twenty years after chapter 2, about the time Nebbie conquered Jerusalem…586.

Confronting the challenges begins at the heart level.

Lets take a look at the heart level of the characters involved...

The Heart of the King was Filled with Pride (1-3)

Do you notice the repeated and similar phrases in these first 3 verses...

(v.1) Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold…(end of verse 2) the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up… (twice in verse 3) the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up…the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up…you see it again in verse 5 and verse 7.

King Nebbie was obviously motivated by his dream and Daniel’s interpretation of that dream to make an entire image of gold…he was not going to be content with being the head of gold…he wanted them to see an entire image of gold.

Daniel told him that no empire would last, including Nebbie and Babylon.

Perhaps he was also filled with fear and concern over what the people he had conquered would do so he wanted to make sure there would be no rebellions.

This image was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide…generally speaking a story is equivalent to 10 feet…so this statue is 9 stories tall…this worship center is roughly ___________ for some perspective...the word image here refers to a statue in human form…it is most likely an image made in the likeness of King Nebbie…it was extremely elongated…tall and thin…perhaps so everyone could see it for miles.

His plan was to unify the kingdom by means of religion and fear…those who did not bow down would be thrown into the furnace and be burned to death.

Nebbie sends word to all the empire…not just those in the capital city…he commanded the officials gather for the dedication of this great golden image.

Every level of authority was represented and all were expected to be present.

This was more than just a political gathering…this was clearly intended to be a religious act, complete with music and called for a total commitment on the part of the worshippers…the word worship appears 11x in this passage…using music was a wise move on his part because it would stir the people’s emotions and make it easier for him to manipulate them into submission and obedience.

This was more than just a political gathering…this was clearly intended to be a religious act, complete with music and called for a total commitment on the part of the worshippers…the word worship appears 11x in this passage…

Think about how that is true for us…in all my years of preaching and teaching the Bible I have yet to hear someone come up to me and tell me something like this… “I was really down yesterday when ________________ happened and all I could think about was that message you preached on July 7th, 2017…when I did that, I got a hop in my step and a joy in my heart and all I could say for the remainder of the day is “Take responsibility for your growth by taking self off the throne and putting Christ back!” …(that was the final thought of the message that day…even I couldn’t remember it…I had to look it up).

No…what do we do…we often connect to God in deeper ways through music…when we find ourselves in though times what do we often do…we sing stanzas like “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder...” from 1885 no less. We can remember words written in 1885, but many here right now will not be able to communicate this evening what you learned in church this morning. (Perhaps if I sing my sermons…no we want to see the church grow not shrink, so don’t fret)…Music has the power to grip human thoughts and emotions.

The Hearts of the People were Fooled by Self -Preservation (4-7)

There was no vote…they were simply told what was about to happen was a matter of life or death.

It really was easy for them to comply because they were accustomed to worshipping many gods and goddesses that adding one more was no big deal…especially in light of the consequences.

See the difference between the unbeliever and believer is not the absence of faith, even the atheist BELIEVES there is no God…everybody believes in something…the difference is the object of that faith.

The crowd believed the herald and the king and they obeyed.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed God so they disobeyed.

The multitude of Babylonians did what everybody else was doing…so they conformed…it is easy to draw a point of application to our day from observing their actions here…this assembly of “worshippers” blindly followed the crowd and built their lives something that was false and futile…their only concern was that of survival…escaping danger and death…even if it meant selling themselves out to the empty promises and philosophies of humanity.

Can your faith stand the test? Are you simply attempting to “survive” by selling yourself out to the philosophies and whims of man…do you compromise your convictions because you are afraid of what man can do to you? Are you buying in to the garbage this world tells you is truth…or are you standing on THE truth?

2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB95

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB95

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

The Hearts of the Hebrews were Focused on God’s Promise (8-12)

Their faith was in the true and living God and the promises He made to His people.

They knew their family history…they knew that God had made a promise to their father Abraham…they knew God was in control knew and believed what Isaiah penned...

Isaiah 43:1–2 NASB95

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

Possessing true faith in God means that regardless of how we feel, or what we experience, or what we face ahead, obedience will always be our chosen path.

Standing firm in our faith and staying faithful means that fear of death will not shake us, nor will we always follow the popular opinion…we will always trust God to work out the consequences.

There was no compromise for these 3 Hebrews…they knew the law of God and they knew the promises of blessings and cursings that came with obedience or disobedience…God said it, that settled it, no need for discussion or compromise…they would not bow down even once and then try to justify it…no matter what, they had purposed in their heart not to defile themselves.

You Are Trusting God When You Are Willing to Confess Him as Lord in Spite of the Consequences (3:13-18)

Once again King Nebbie responds in anger…and yet the three Hebrew officials were calm and respectful.

He must have respected these men greatly for they had served him faithfully these twenty years…he gave them another chance to comply with his orders…he obviously was blinded by his pride and rage…compare what he says in and here in .

He goes from calling God, the God of gods, the Lord of kings to asking them who they think is strong enough to deliver them from his hands.

He was actually claiming to be a god by questioning the ability of any other god to deliver them…God would soon be humbling this king, yet he didn’t know it.

These three Hebrews could have compromised and argued that everyone else was doing it, or our jobs depended on it, or our lives depended on it…they could have even said we will do this on the outside, but in our hearts we are not bowing down...

True faith makes no excuses…it simply obeys God and knows His will is always best, even if that brings intense heat.

Times of adversity are best viewed as moments of opportunity to glorify God and testify of His greatness.

There was no fear in these men to be concerned about themselves and the fury of the king…they were more concerned about obedience and their testimony before others.

They chose their words carefully……they did not try to defend God for they knew God could defend Himself…our job is just to obey…their profession of faith is perhaps one of the greatest professions in all the Bible...

They didn’t know and didn’t need to know what God had willed for their situation. They simply stated their God was fully capable of delivering them, but even if He didn’t, there was no room for compromise and they would worship no one else but Him.

What does this mean for us today?

God never promises to step in and perform miracles, but He does promise to reward faith. God’s deliverance or lack of deliverance from our struggles is His call. No matter the choice God makes, true faith trusts Him anyway.

1 Samuel 2:30 NASB95

“Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.

You Are Trusting God When You Allow Him to Make the Decision of How To Use You (3:19-30).

Again we see impetuous King Nebbie allow his anger to get the best of him…after all, if you are the king, you cannot let someone defy you or you will have mutiny on your hands.

He became so angry with their defiance he ordered the heat intensified seven times greater than usual and then orders the three Hebrews be bound and thrown in the fire…the text here says the fire was so hot it burned the men who were charged with the task of throwing the others into it…

We don’t know exactly what this furnace was like, but it appears there was an opening at the top large enough to throw things and people into and then some sort of observation window or opening at the bottom for retrieval or exit.

The normal use of this furnace was for smelting ore…it typically would have a large opening at the top for fuel and vessels full of ore to be placed in the fire…door at the bottom through which the metal was taken out…the workers could check on the progress through an opening in the wall and also to use bellows to intensify the heat…it was large enough for four people to walk around in it.

Remarkably, this effort by Satan to use King Nebbie to destroy the faithful was met head on by God Himself.

The text says that not only were the three Hebrews alive, they were also walking around free and there was a fourth person in there with them…King Nebbie thought it was an angel who looked like a “son of the gods”…what we understand about this is that fourth person is not “like the Son of God”…He is the Son of God…He wasn’t a god…He was the God…this is what we call a theophany…a physical manifestation of Jesus in the Old Testament…Jesus was with them in this fiery trial and chose to deliver them and astonished everyone…this was nothing short of a miracle for even their clothes did not smell of fire.

Isaiah 43:2 NASB95

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

The faith of these Hebrews allowed God to make the decision of how they were going to be used by Him...not only did that choice have an impact on their present generation, it had an impact on countless other generations…they would forever be listed in the Hall of Faith in .

It even impacted King Nebbie…

Lesson for Life: Trust God By Choosing to Think and Act Biblically.

Why did God allow them to experience this intense trial?

To encourage His people in their battle against the world, the flesh and Satan.

Rom 15:

Look intently into the Word and find the strength to stand firm in your faith by following the examples of those God chose to use to teach us.

Romans 15:4 NASB95

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Find Encouragement in the past

This was a dark time for God’s people…they were in captivity for 70 years…their land was devastated, their temple and capital city was in shambles, and their people were either scattered or in bondage…humanly speaking, the situation was hopeless…the prophets saw the day when the Jews would return and rebuild, but first they had to endure the shame and suffering.

This experience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must have had a profound impact on those who chose to remain faithful like they did and even those who did not…this event sent a strong message…Jehovah still reigns…He has not forgotten us…He will fulfill His promise to His people…God promised to be with us in the fire, trust Him and obey.

Find Encouragement in the present

Life for us is fairly safe and comfortable, but for many of our brothers and sisters in various parts of the world, they are paying a high price for their faith…pray for them, trust God will deliver them if that is his choice…and if not, trust Him anyway.

Day after day, in our Western Christianity, we are told to fall down and worship the idol of money, celebrity, sex, etc. As we move closer to the end of the age, the flames of opposition are only going to intensify and the heat will grow stronger for us to conform. Now more than ever, God’s people need to stand with strength and stay faithful to Christ while others are bowing their knees to the world.

This event ought to remind us that God cares for His people and honors them when they stay true to Him.

1 Samuel 2:30 NASB95

“Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.

Find Encouragement for the Future

What happens here in reminds us of prophecies in Revelation, especially chapters 13 & 14.

One day a world leader like Nebuchadnezzar will arise (the Beast) who will have an image of himself constructed and force the people of the world to worship him.

Those who obey will be given a mark on their hands or on their foreheads and this mark will be the key for staying alive and doing business.

Those who refuse to obey, will be persecuted and even killed.

Jesus will intervene and seal 144,000 Jews whom the Beast cannot touch and they will survive the Tribulation time to reign in the Messiah’s kingdom.

As we go further into Daniel, we will discover this book has much to say about the end times and encourages the believers living in those days.

No matter how evil and despotic the world’s rulers become, God will always be with His people in the furnace and will defeat them to establish His eternal kingdom.