Ture Faith

What is true faith?

What does it cause?

Is what we live out true faith?

How does it look in true life?

These questions are not being brought up in church today.

We think more about life, how are we to live our best life now.

We think how can we live a great, prosperous, abundant life.

How can I live life as a mom or dad, a brother or sister, a child or friend.

Where am I suppose to be, where does my life need to be ?

I hear of people caring more about this world then the kingdom of heaven, or more about themselves then God.

Is that true faith?

I have been moved by a story in the OT that shows what true faith really is and it also explains how important the kingdom of God is compared to life.

Daniel 3

Daniel 3 ESV

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. 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?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 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, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But 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.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

We know the story...

There is a few things I want to point out and see if we can see what true faith is all about.

1st. We do not understand faith in God.

See I always got upset reading about these 3 guys in the furnace and not because of the King, it was what the three said that bothered me as a young believer.

But the faith we have is belief in God.

… but if not… that bothered me because it was not complete faith to me.

The miracles he does and how big our faith is has no bearing… Faith like a mustard seed...

it should have said he can and he will so watch this...

That is cool. Saying something like, wait for it… tadah!

But that is not real faith.

let me explain, if you knew it was going to happen, then you are certain and the opposite of faith is not doubt, it is certainty.

I know God will make a way, I know I wont be hurt, poor, embarrassed, or lost.

I know the sickness, is gone, and I know the my wallet is full and i know the people will cheer me when I stand for God...

if that is true, why do you need faith?

Faith comes because you do not know it will happen, but you have faith in God anyways.

think about the 3 and their lives.

They had so much faith, not becuase it was going to happen, but even if it didnt happen, they trusted God.

think about that. They had so much faith, they put there life on it and even then, they said if I lose this life, it does not mean as much as

Calvin writes…

They give two reasons for rejecting the king’s proposal. They say that God has sufficient power and might to rescue them; and then they add that even if they must die, life is not so precious that they would deny God to prolong it. They declare themselves ready for death if the king still insists that they worship the statue.

That is faith!!! Real Faith!!!! True Faith!!!

When we pray do we have faith like that, not that God will make it happen, but that even if he does not, You will still follow him!!!

2nd point. WHo is the 4th person there?

I did alot of research on it and here is what all my research got me, we do not know.

Most say it was an angel standing with them. Some say it was jesus.

What I figured out is this, the author could not have even known or understood Jesus Christ Messiah, so there is no way they meant Jesus here, so it must be an angel or some type of divine being.

I have to say, even though there is no way they would have understood it as Jesus, a divine being looking like just one of the men wallking around makes me think that is very jesus like. but I dont know.

Later the king says, the God who sent his angel so i dont know but here is what I want you to take away today...

3rd. We are to have faith in all we do like these teen boys.

We should pray for others, the church, ourselves with the same type of faith… God can make it happen, it will happen, but even if God does not make it happen, We will serve the lord.

we will not change our allegiance, we will not say this world is too hard I cant take it, Lord I am turning my back on you. NO SIR! No mi jito!

Here is the thing, even if this was not Jesus, standing in the fire, it was jesus that was born in the stable on that Christmas night, it was jesus who lived and suffered in this world, it was Jesus that was beaten and bruised for our sins and iniquities, it was Jesus that hung on the cross, it was jesus who died and was buried, it was jesus who’s blood washes our sins away, it was jesus who rose again on the third day and walked out of that grave that Sunday morning, it is jesus who gives us life, it is jesus who walks with you now, it is jesus who is making all things new in your life and this world, it is jesus who has set you free, it is jesus who redeemed you, it is jesus that lives in you, it is jesus who brought reconciliation and will always be with you forever more!!!

You see church, that is what true faith is, knowing and believing and having faith that God can deliver you out of the troubles and problems, can heal you and stop pain, can bring relationships back together, can bless you with jobs and money and properity, but even if he does not, we will never turn from him, never stop believing, never stop loving him, because guess what… he already paid it all.

And there is nothing that can seperate us from his love, not even death!

so rise up Church… Rise up and know that the you are not alone, he is with you in the fire and flood, he is with you in the sickness and disease, he is with you in the hurt and brokenness, he is with you when it fills like you are in the wilderness, so do not turn back now! keep walking with him through it all!