Being a stand up Christian in a bow down world
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Intro
Intro
**Thank yous, a great honor to preach in this pulpit
**Talk about this past wednesday preach chapel how to study bible; example from this passage, might be a little bit of overlap but a different message
— couldn’t get away from this text, such a powerful passage
**lighter “bro chuck is going to come up here and im going to light him on fire and see if the same miracle happens… nooo
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
**Summarize/Explain^^
Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
**Summarize/Explain^^
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.
**Summarize/Explain^^
1. They had Complete Courage (v. 11-12)
1. They had Complete Courage (v. 11-12)
**Story of putting on the Hunt and a lady mad about hell and needed more courage to talk to her
They stood up for their beliefs literally
a) They didn’t compromise their conviction
What is a conviction, well lets define some words
Principle- objective truth or commandment (It’s a sin to cheat on your spouse)
Conviction- personal application of a biblical principle (I’m going to guard my heart and mind so that I don’t cheat on my spouse)
Standards- guideline/boundary to help us keep the conviction (I’m not going to have random thoughtless text conversations on my phone or social media with someone who isn’t my spouse; or riding in a car alone with someone who isn’t my spouse)
“It’s always easier to remove and resist a temptation than to try to overcome a temptation that you have already given in to.”
(Professor in college who got in trouble for sitting too close to a girl in chapel, it was his sister
Preference is on a whole nother level
Preference- a personal desire; what we believe would please God, but have no direct biblical basis for. like if i prefer to have colorful lights in the auditorium during a worship service, or if I prefer to just have the normal lights; its just a preference.
so they did not compromise their conviction in this situation. I mean this is a huge deal, this is a big thing, if you don’t bow down to this idol, you get thrown in the oven.
— in the big things (v. 11-12)
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Why were they able to stand up for their beliefs in this situation? well one reason is that they’ve had some practice, they were faithful in the small things
— in the small things (1:8)
So these four guys, Daniel, shadrach, meshach, and abednego were commited to keeping their convictions, even if they were small and minute, like what kinds of food that they would eat.
Nebuchadnezzar and the palace staff had offered these four hebrew men some nice meats and wine, but it wasn’t kosher. And God had been very specific with the hebrews on what they should and should not eat. And because these men were faithful to their God and trusted Him, God gave them the grace and power to be able to stand up for what they believed in.
When the pressure is on, we don’t rise to the level of our aspiration, we sink to the level of our preparation.
**explain^
They had principles from the word of God that they followed, not to eat unclean meat, and not to worship any other gods.
They had a conviction that they were not going to allow themselves to sin against God, whatever the cost, even if it cost them their life.
They had courage to live for God, that was their number one priority, that everything they did would be pleasing to God.
Now, what about me…
Are the choices I make today, the things that I do, does every single thing I’ve done today please almighty God. Is that my number one priority, the thing that is on the forefront of my mind, as I go about my day. When I wake up in the morning, do I yell at my spouse for not making coffee like they normally do or do I go ahead and make them a cup instead. When I’m at work during the day and a coworker is being short with me, do i react by being ugly back to them or do I show them the love of Christ instead. When I get home from work on a Wednesday, and my kid tells me that they have a huge project due tomorrow, do I tell them to stay home and get it done or do I take them to church so that they know God is the priority in our life? Do I get up and take my family to church on a sunday morning or do I take them to a sports game?
The correct answer in all of these situations is blatantly obvious, yet we all still struggle with them.
By having God as their ultimate, number 1 priority, they are ascribing worth to Him. They are worshipping him, thats what the legitimate meaning of the word is right? Worship or worthship, to ascribe worth to.
So when I get up on a sunday morning and come to church even though in the back of my mind im thinking man I’d like to sleep in this morning, I am saying pleasing God is worth more than pleasing my self. I am worshipping Him before I even come to church because I am choosing Him over me.
But the opposite is also true. If I decide to sleep in on a sunday morning instead of coming to church, I am ascribing more worth to my self and to my sleep than I am to God. I am basically looking God in the face and telling Him I value myself more than I value Him.
This is a form of idolatry because I’m ascribing more worth to something other than God.
Instead of standing up for God like Daniel and the hebrews, I am in the crowd with Nebuchadnezzar and the babyonians bowing down to the golden statue.
Of course this doesn’t just apply to going to church, this can apply to literally anything. If I feel the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart to invite my coworker to church, but I don’t because I don’t want to have that awkward conversation, I am choosing my comfort over God’s commandment- His commandment to witness.
If I am not faithful in the small things, I will not be faithful in the big things. Some of yall want to take a mission trip to go to another country to tell people about Christ when you wont even walk down the street to tell your neighbors.
We need some families, some sons, daughters, moms and wives, we need some husbands and fathers, who will have the boldness to stand up for God in every single area of their lives.
In the book of Acts in chapter 4, the people prayed for boldness, and then two verses later that prayer was answered.
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
The Hebrews had complete courage
Not only did they have complete courage, they also had
2. They had Complete Confidence (v. 17-18)
2. They had Complete Confidence (v. 17-18)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
— They recognized God was omnipotent
They truly believed that their God was all powerful.
— They recognized God was omniscient
They truly believed that God knew their specific situation and that He had their best interest at mind.
— They recognized God was sovereign
They truly believed that their God was in control of the situation and that His will would come to pass.
Something that God loves to do is to call His people’s memories back on the past. Especially after He led them out of Egypt, He loved to remind the Hebrews of who He was and what He did for them, because it was easy for them to get distracted by the day to day burdens and become upset with their current circumstances. And He bluntly tells them, it’s because of their own pride. Listen to this verse
Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
Even all the way in the book of Psalms he is still trying to remind them
I am the Lord thy God,
Which brought thee out of the land of Egypt:
Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Around 60 times in the New Testament, God reminds the Israelites of what he has done for them.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t need reminding, no they knew who their Lord was and what He was capable of and that He would get the glory no matter what happened.
Can I just remind you who your God is for a moment?
the same God who - Adam and Eve- creation
the same God who - Abraham- father of a nation
the same God who - Noah- ark
the same God who - Joseph- ruler of egypt
the same God who - Moses- led a nation out of slavery
the same God who - Joshua- sun stood still in battle
the same God who - Samson- strength to conquer thousands of enemies
the same God who - David- conquered a giant then conquered nations
the same God who - Solomon- was gifted wisdom
the same God who - Daniel- lions den
the same God who - Shadrach, meshach, abednego- furnace
the same God who - Peter- walked on water
the same God who - Paul- rescued a christian serial killer
Is the same God who stepped down from Heaven, humbled Himself to take on human flesh and was born as a baby named Jesus--- lived a perfect life; tortured and died; because of His love for you; and saved you; and now lives in you
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a complete confidence in their God.
They didn’t even know if He would perform a miracle to save them from the furnace, but they knew that He could. But I think what they understood and what we don’t understand a lot of the time is that they were guaranteed the victory either way.
Whether they lived and walked out of that furnace or died became ashes in that furnace, they had the victory.
Either they were gonna be freed or they were gonna be freed. Freed from the furnace or freed from this world to be with God.
Either they were gonna live or they were gonna live.
Either they were gonna be well taken care of or they were gonna be well taken care of.
Either they were gonna be reunited with family or they were gonna be reunited with family.
They were guaranteed the victory either way.
They had a complete confidence in their Lord.
** story of pastor friend (caleb) telling me how he lost his job, just had a baby, put a payment down on a house...
What are you worried about?
No No, Christian, child of the most High God, Co heir with Christ, what are you worried about? Jesus said God notices when the sparrow falls out of the sky, how much more does He care for you
Do you trust Him today?
You trust Him with your eternity right? You trust Him to take you to Heaven right? You’re not worried about that but we get worried about the small trivial things of this world.
You’re worried about losing a job? Didn’t get that raise you wanted? Your job is not your provider.
You’re worried about your health and safety? You are not your protector.
God is your provider, God is your protector, you trust him with your eternity buy your anxious about your day?
Do you trust your God, today?
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God’s got you, stop stressin
The Hebrews had complete Confidence in their God
3. They had Complete Covering (protection) (v. 25-27)
3. They had Complete Covering (protection) (v. 25-27)
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
They had life insurance, they were covered, they were protected. “Switch to Christianity and you can save 100% or more on life insurance, we are Christians, bum bud bum bum bum bum bum”.
They were covered, they were protected.
God chose to show out and do a miracle, and He was glorified.
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
That is our goal in this life, to glorify God in every single thing that we do.
Questions to Consider:
Do I stand up for what I believe in?
Do I have the courage to do both the big things and the little things that God asks me to do?
Do I have confidence in my Father as my provider and protector?