Facing the Fire

Big Idea of the Message: No matter where you are in life, you are not forgotten by God.

“This story takes place in Babylon, where the Jews are living as exiles. In Daniel 1, the king requests some of the youth of the nobility to be sent to live in the palace. The characters of this story are all part of that group (Daniel 1:7). These three Jews who come from the royal court of Israel are associates of Daniel. The Babylonian king has a giant golden idol crafted, and then a decree goes out that all people are to worship it whenever they hear a musical call to worship. If they fail to do so, there will be dire consequences (Daniel 3:4–7). This decree puts faithful Jews in the position of being forced to choose between idolatry or fidelity to God.” Ministry Pass - Retold: Sunday School Stories You Thought You Knew Sermon Series

Compliance

Have you ever done something just to fit in with the crowd;

I know I have - when I was in high School I was in agriculture class and all the guys dipped except me, so I started dipping just to fit in;

What is something you did just to fit in at school, at work, in your social life and maybe even at church;

Where do you draw the line and say I will not cross this point - but if you have already compromised to be in compliance why did you stop;

In Daniel 3 we have three young men how refused to be compliant in an area that was completely against their faith and beliefs and they were not concerned about consequences;

King Nebuchadnezzar had build a statue for worship and then demanded compliance;

How big was this idol of worship 60 cubits high by 6 cubits wide which is 1,230 inches by 123 inches or 102 1/2 ft high by 10 1/4 ft wide (1 cubit = 17.5 - 20.5 in (44.5 - 52 cm));

Compliance was not negotiable and had extreme consequences;

Yet their convictions were stronger because of their faith in the promises of God so they refused to be in compliance;

In essence, they tell the king, “Our God could save us from the fire, but if he doesn’t, we still won’t abandon him.” They knew they were not forgotten by God, and so they wouldn’t forget about God either. Ministry Pass Retold: Sunday School Stories You Thought You Knew Sermon Series

How do you compromise your faith?

Commitment

Notice something unusual in vs. 14-15, the king gives and opportunity for an explanation from these young men;

At this point there were choices to be made - compliance or commitment and both had consequences;

The Tony Evans Study Bible Chapter 3

It’s surprising that the king gave the accused an opportunity to answer the charges against them. That he did may indicate the esteem he had for them. Nevertheless, he would only accept one response: complete capitulation.

While a choice was given the expectation was compliance to the king;

The Tony Evans Study Bible Chapter 3

These three preferred death over unfaithfulness to God and had no doubt prepared themselves for the possibility of this day far in advance.

These three had such a faith in God that the threat of a gruesome death was not a deterrent;

They were able to face the fiery furnace because they knew that God was with them—that they had not been forgotten. Ministry Pass Retold: Sunday School Stories You Thought You Knew Sermon Series

Do you feel the same way, do you trust that God is truly with you even to the point of death;

Notice the question that Nebuchadnezzar asks “Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”;

Do you realize that the God that walked in the fire is the same God that loves you and will walk in your fire also?

Faith

Does your faith out last your compliance to the world, does your faith show a commitment to God above all else;

Your faith can not only change your life but the life of so many others around you.

Application Point: Even when things are seemingly at their worst, it doesn’t mean God has forgotten you or abandoned you; all you need to do is trust that He is still at work in your life and look for Him to show up.