WALKING THROUGH THE FIRE
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 25 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE
Summary: Worldly society is pressuring Christians to agree that sinful lifestyles and habits are normal and acceptable . We need courage to stand for what God says in His Word, the Bible. We do not need to just walk “in” the fire, but through the fire. This too shall pass. The 3 Hebrews set an example by refusing to acquiesce to the king's demands.
Cancel Culture vs Counter Culture - today and yesterday, in and out of the church. Urban Dictionary defines canceling as "to dismiss something or somebody" and "to reject an individual or idea." And when people use the term ironically, it reveals a big problem with our culture. ... Cancel culture as it currently exists doesn't give people a chance to learn from or apologize for their wrongdoings.
INTRODUCTION: CONVERSATION WITH THE TAXI DRIVER: People love to visit the Promised Land. Jack visited for the first time and as soon as his plane landed, he got a taxi to take him to his hotel. The taxi driver was very friendly. Jack asked the driver, "Say, is Israel a healthy place?" "Oh, yes, it really is," the driver answered, "When I first came here, I couldn't say even one simple word, I had hardly any hair on my head, I didn't have the energy to walk across a small room and I even had to be helped out of bed every day." "That's a remarkable story, truly amazing," Jack said, "so how long have you been here in Israel?" "I was born here."
King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
I. THE GOLDEN IDOL: THERE ARE GOLDEN IDOLS IN EVERY GENERATION: Then – it was A 90 ft. idol made of gold. Today we may not see 90” golden idols but they are there. There are many issues our Government and society has made legal, even morally ethical, which in God calls immoral and wrong. Give examples
GOD’S LAWS vs. GOV’TS LAWS: JUST BECAUSE A GOVERNMENT LEGALIZES SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN IT’S MORALLY RIGHT! It’s what God thinks about it that really matters. Some laws are immoral and wrong in God’s sight, and wrong behavior, if not repented of, will be judged at the Judgment Seat of God. Evolution & atheism are the central idols we are commanded to bow down to. They are false. All biological life has a design to it; creation is designed by a vast intelligence. It’s orderly and complex. Those two things are not the result of chance, but the results of an Engineer.
The way God designed things in the beginning is the way He intends for them to work. Paul termed altering God’s design as going “unnatural.”
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
Deviations from it are sinful. The norms taught in the Bible are the pattern for all time. God intends us to live holy lives & obey His Word.
A DECISION MUST BE MADE: We’re all going to be tested. Character is what you do/are when the pressure’s on. If YOU had been out in that crowd, faced with those alternatives, would you -- Have Bowed? Remained Standing? Tried to find some other way out?
We must have COURAGE. We tend to think that courage is only for -- firefighters, soldiers, police, etc. Courage is not just for extreme situations; we have to have courage to say “No” to what our peer group are pressuring us to do. Why do people lie? they're afraid of losing something -- money, a promotion, our reputation, our mate’s trust. We don’t want to face the consequences. The Devil has an idol he wants you to bow down to -- it may be: Popularity, Materialism, Pride, Selfishness, Acceptance, Sensuality ARE YOU BOWING? The world doesn't like you NOT bowing to its idols!
II. PRESSURE TO CONFORM: A lady celebrating her 102nd birthday was asked what she enjoyed most about her advanced age. Her answer? "The lack of peer pressure." Almost no matter what your age, peer pressure is a problem. THINK HOW TOUGH:
and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Just because other Christians do it, doesn't make it right! "EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT: MUST I BE AN ODDBALL?" Jesus told us,
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
If you want to NOT obey God, the enemy will always have plenty of suggestions.
FOUR COMPROMISES we might have responded with:
"We'll fall down, but not actually worship the idol."
“We'll worship just this once, then ask God to forgive."
“We're not hurting anyone."
“We may lose our influence.” If we get ourselves killed, pagans will take our high positions. They won't help our people in exile, so it's better we keep our positions.
I know it's not easy to stand when all your peers are pulling on you and pressure is against you. THAT’S WHEN YOU LEARN TO GROW UP WITH GOD! -- either you become men or women of God, or you wimp out for the devil.
DECISION: NO COMPROMISE: Dannecker was one of the greatest sculptors Germany ever produced. He made many beautiful sculptures for his country. But then he became a Christian. His great talent was employed to produce a statue of Christ. For eight long years he patiently toiled, much of it on the face of Christ.
When he finished, he gave the world a work which almost equaled his Subject. The face he created revealed the strong love and tender compassion of the divine Man of Sorrows. Later, some of his countrymen wanted him to carve a statue of Venus. But he replied, "I can never make a Venus after I have looked upon the face of Christ."
TO “STAND” IS DEFINED AS “To remain on one’s feet; to withstand, as in a battle.” The main difference between standing and bowing is BENDING! One bends to the world’s pressure; the other refuses to bend.
On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
They had no decision to make; they made it long before. Like the Moravian Missionaries who went to the Fiji Islands in the 1700s. The captain exclaimed, "Don't you know that those islands are inhabited by cannibals? They will kill you!" The Moravians answered, "We died before we came here!"
As the old expression is, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the flight in the dog." If you give all to Jesus, there's nothing left to give to the devil.
III. FACING THE FIRE
COMMITTED TO DO GOD’S WILL: Fire 7X hotter. Nebuchadnezzar furious! Description of Clothes (vs. 21) emphasizes the flammable nature of the clothing. The soldiers were killed; this is proof of the fierceness of the heat. Vs. 23 -- "into the midst" -- no possibility of escape from the fire. Nebuchadnezzar's surprise – the LXX says he heard them singing praises... then noticed they were alive!
GOD’S DELIVERANCE: God Did Not Keep Them From The Furnace; But God went with them into it. And God protected them through it. Isaiah 43:2. God is with his people in their trials. Emmanuel -- "God is with us."(Mercy Me Song). WHO’S THAT FOURTH MAN? Jesus the Savior was in the fire with them!
OUR CHARACTER DETERMINES THE CONDUCT OF GOD. God intervened supernaturally because of their stand!
THE REVERSAL: JEHOVAH VINDICATED: Shown to be the true God. THE 3 HEBREWS RECOGNIZED AS OUTSTANDING The King knew they were Righteous (God himself delivered them), as people of Loyalty & integrity. He PROMOTED THEM -- verse 30. CHANGE IN ROYAL DECREE. Jehovah honored(vs.29).
Sometimes, you just have to walk through the fire.
CONCLUSION: The three Hebrews wouldn't Bend, Bow, or Burn!
During the terrible Boxer Rebellion in China, the insurgents captured a mission station with about 100 students. They blocked all the gates but one, and before this gate they placed a cross, flat on the ground. They announced, "Any of the students who trampled the cross underfoot would be permitted their freedom and life. But any that refused to trample the cross would be shot to death."
Terribly frightened, the first seven students trampled the cross under their feet and were allowed to go free. But the eighth student, a young girl, refused to commit the sacrilegious act. Kneeling beside the cross in prayer for strength, she arose and moved carefully around the cross and went out to face the firing squad. Strengthened by her example, every one of the remaining 92 students follow her to death. Will you set the standard by your life?
ALTAR CALL
1. How many of you need more spiritual courage? Slip up your hand.
2. How many of you feel like you’re being pressured to do something you know isn’t right? We want to agree with you in prayer for God’s strength.
3. If we have unconfessed sins, that will short-circuit God’s power in our life. God can’t bless sin. How many of you need to get some area of sin under the blood of Jesus?