Even If 2

Introduction

How many of you like to swim? Swimming is one of those things that it seems like you either love or you hate - you either enjoy being in the water or you’re deathly afraid of it. Several years ago there was a dad who was in the process of teaching his young son how to swim and it was a battle to get him in the water in the first place. He would try to get the boy to touch the water and then take the first step into the pool, but at this point the boy wouldn’t go any further. Eventually the boy would get in the pool and splash around in the shallow side but he wouldn’t put his head underneath. After a while, he would actually walk around with his dad in the shallow end of the pool, gripping his fingers deep into his dad’s hand. What comes next? Jumping into the pool! The boy would stand on the edge with his dad waiting to catch him in the pool and after a few moments of contemplation, he’d run the other way to his mom! This was scary stuff - and maybe you can relate as a kid. The dad promised that he’d catch his son, and in time the son jumped off the ledge… Straight into the arms of his father. What do you think the boy wanted to do after that? He wanted to jump again, and again, and again!

The next day the dad was a little worried because he wasn’t in the pool. Would the boy jump in on his own and get in trouble? Would he be safe? The boy nervously walked around the edge of the pool and didn’t dare touch the water… Why? The son’s trust wasn’t in his own ability to handle the water - it was in his father’s promise that he would catch him.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a promise from our Father that He will catch us. That He will be with us. That He will save us! Do you have your trust and faith placed in Him? Even though we should trust in God’s promise, we are a nation of worriers and over half of Americans, including many churchgoers say that they worry about something each and every day. That’s just the % of people who admitted to worrying… In reality, the number is likely much higher! Consider some of the things that we worry about

What if I jump into the water and can’t swim?

What if my health report comes back negative?

What if my nightmare turns into my reality?

What if my parent passes away?

What if my child is sick?

What if I had done this differently?

We go through these situations every single day, friends! What we have to ultimately ask, as we began looking at last week, is simply this: Is God enough? Do we truly trust in His power and provision in our lives? If I jump into the water, will God catch me?

If my health falls apart, is God enough?

If my job gets cut, is God enough?

If I don’t make the team, is God enough?

If my suffering continues, is God enough?

We know the “church answer” - yes - of course God is enough! But in the heat of the moment, in the moment of decision, whenever we have to jump into the water, do we truly trust that God will provide? The greatest promise in Scripture is not that God will take away our suffering, but that He promises to walk with us through every situation that comes our way - good and bad, He is with us!

Let’s continue studying about faith in Daniel 3 as we find yet another example of people trusting in God.

Daniel 3:1–7 CSB

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, you are to fall facedown and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

In Daniel 1 we saw that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah choose to worship God and stay faithful to His commands instead of bending the knee to Babylon. This was a decision that was stressful as it put them in danger, but it was the right decision to make. In Daniel 2 we read that Nebuchadnezzer has a dream that he wants to have answered and none of the Babylonian interpreters were able to tell him what his dream meant. Daniel, though, we read was able to do this. God not only helped Daniel know what the dream was, but God allows Daniel to interpret it accurately. Babylon would prosper because God had raised them up for a time. Nebuchadnezzer falls down and worships Daniel and his God and says this: Daniel 2:47

Daniel 2:47 CSB

47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”

This is the in between story for us between the events of Daniel 1 and whenever the young boys were first brought to Babylon and the events we will examine today in Daniel 3. First, we see that these men trust in the Lord above all else, not in idols

Trust in God - Not Idols (1-7)

In this chapter, we see that these men have courage under fire as they live out Philippians 1:21 as Paul shares that to live is Christ and to die is gain! We don’t hear from these 3 men again in Scripture and we don’t know how much times passes between Daniel 2 and Daniel 3. But we do see that when push comes to shove, these men will not bend the knee.

We read in the opening verse that Nebuchadnezzar built a statue some 90 feet tall - an obelisk as they were called in ancient days - and scholars are divided as to what the statue was of. Some argue that the statue was an image of the king himself while others argue that it was a statue of the chief Babylonian god, Marduk. Either way, this was an idol and it was massive! The purpose of this statue was to provide something for the people of Babylon to worship and to grow the king’s pride. The expectation is that the people of the country will hear music play and they will fall to their knees and worship the statue - they will worship a Babylonian god. Do you see how this puts the Israelites in a difficult position? They have been exalted to advise the King, they serve in his palace, yet they are now being forced to do something that goes against God’s commands.

They have a choice to make, and we have to ask ourselves the same question: Will we obey man or God? Have you ever been in a situation like this? Maybe you were told that you had to do something wrong in order to keep your job or reputation among you friends. What would you do? It’s easy to give the church answer and say that you’d obey God, but in the moment what would you do? Would you go with the flow and ask for repentance after the fact from God? Would you stand up for what is right in the first place?

It probably depends on the cost of obeying God, right? If the cost for obeying God is that you miss out on a movie or you miss out on a party, that’s not that big of a deal… But what if the cost for following God and obeying Him is your life? Is Jesus worth it, then? Verse 6 shares with us that anyone who didn’t fall down and worship the statue would be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire… Nebuchadnezzer wasn’t bluffing either, the fire would have been nice and hot after the construction of this statue and he had already burned 2 men to death as we read from the prophet Jeremiah

Jeremiah 29:22 CSB

22 Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’

The king was daring someone to oppose him so that he could assert his dominance and power. This furnace wasn’t just your kitchen oven that heats cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes! This was a furnace that could reach 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. This was not a good way to go. You’d expect everyone to fall in line, right? No one would want to suffer this type of end.

Think of the ideas floating through their minds here:

Bend the knee and ask for forgiveness later

Come up with an excuse to not be in public when the music plays

Stand up and suffer the consequence

Many of us would be much more inclined to choose options 1 or 2, but these men choose not to worship the idol. They choose option number 3. They determined, as we examined last week, that they would be in Babylon, but they would never be of Babylon. They would work for Nebuchadnezzer, but they would never worship Nebuchadnezzer. They would not bend the knee to an idol. They would trust in God’s plan and obey His commands rather than going with the flow and taking the easy way out.

So, why is it so tempting for us to bend the knee? Sure, we’re probably not going to fall to our knees and worship a 90 foot statue, unless you’re in Washington DC and come across the Washington Monument! That’s probably not going to happen… But what are some idols that we are tempted to fall down to and worship? We all worship something. We either worship the Creator of all things or we worship something that He created.

Romans 1:25 CSB

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

Consider what idols you are being tempted to trust in.

The idol of technology? Americans spend over 7 hours each day on various screens.

The idol of relationships? Trying to fit in and be the person others expect us to be.

The idol of sports? I love sports and you won’t find a pastor who likes to talk more about sports than this guy, but they can quickly turn into an idol if we aren’t careful!

The idol of politics, social media, or work?

Friends, there are so many idols out there that are trying to distract us from worshipping and trusting in the One true God! We must not be deceived, we must not bend the knee. We don’t worship the things that are found in Babylon - the anti-God, pro-man movement that we are in today… We trust in and worship God alone. Consider, who are you worshipping today with your time, resources, and devotion? Let’s continue reading and see what happens next

Daniel 3:8–15 CSB

8 Some Chaldeans took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. 10 You as king have issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 13 Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

Worship God - Not Humans (8-15)

Just as we aren’t called to worship created statues and idols, we also aren’t called to worship other human beings! How many of you have had someone that seems like they’re dead set on getting you in trouble? Whether it be a teacher, boss, coworker, or fellow classmate, we’ve been in situations in life where it seems like people just want to see us fall and fail. Consider the larger context of what’s going on here in Daniel 3. We see Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel are servants of King Nebuchadnezzar. Where are they from? Jerusalem. They are foreigners. They aren’t natural Babylonians. Sure, they were blessed by God and they were very wise and respected by the king, but what do you think the other servants and leaders in the king’s court thought about these 4 men? They didn’t like them! They wanted to see them fall - they were jealous of them. Whenever someone is jealous of someone else, they do silly things. In verse 8 we read that these Babylonians came forward to “maliciously accuse” these 3 Jews… Literally in the Hebrew it is the idea of “sinking their teeth” into these 3 Jews. Do you see the picture of what’s happening here? They’ve chosen to worship God and, in doing so, they’ve defied the King’s order. At the very first opportunity, they are betrayed by their fellow workers in the King’s palace.

To make matters worse, as everyone hears the music playing and begins to bow, who is bowing? All except 3… Babylonians, Egyptians, and Jews alike. Look back to Daniel 1 at those taken into exile: Daniel 1:3

Daniel 1:3 CSB

3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility—

Daniel 1:6 CSB

6 Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

There were more than 4 Israelites taken into Babylonian exile. Yet, only 3 stood before the king. What were the others doing? They were lying down and worshipping the statue. They were worshipping the Babylonian King. Why is everyone doing this, even if they don’t like it? Because of the alternative: death by fire. These are the options: Stand and die, or kneel and sin. We don’t really like black and white situations, do we? We like to make things are gray as possible and muddy the waters to make us feel good about whatever action we decide to do. The fact of the matter is that many decisions in life are simply black and white, right or wrong.

Cheating on a test is wrong - it’s black and white

Lying to a friend or parent is wrong - it’s black and white

Disobeying God is wrong - it’s black and white

To these 3, even with the threat of being thrown into the furnace, they viewed the situation as black and white. Right and wrong. They, like Daniel, had done their homework and had built their foundation on God’s Word. They wouldn’t waver now. They knew what was right… Friend, are you willing to do the same? Whenever all of your friends and coworkers or classmates are bending the knee and disobeying God, are you willing to stand because kneeling is sinful? Are you willing to do what is right, even though it’s hard? Doing this has cost people their jobs, relationships, and even their lives - doing this will cost you too… But Jesus is worth it

Nebuchadnezzar begins to taunt Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by reminding them of the consequence and daring them to consider the helpless situation they’re in if they don’t obey him. Look at verse 15 - he says “who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

In the previous chapter, Nebuchadnezzar had acknowledged that Daniel’s god was the God of gods and lord of kings. He worshipped God - but clearly his worship was not genuine because here he has forgotten God’s power. Do you hear the pride in his voice? Who can save you from my power. This is exactly what the Assyrian king, Sennacherib said in 2 Kings 18:33

2 Kings 18:33 CSB

33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?

There is 1 true God who saves and delivers and His name is not Nebuchadnezzar, it’s Yahweh. He and He alone is worthy of our worship and He demands our all. Friend, who are you worshipping today? Who is seated on the throne of your heart? Is it yourself, your spouse, child, friend, or loved one? Or is it God? Exodus 20:5 tells us that the Lord is a jealous God… He doesn’t want 2nd or 3rd place on the priority list, He demands to be first. He demands to be worshipped. Are you worshipping Him as He deserves today? Are you following Him where He leads today? Even in times that you stand on your own, know that you’re not alone… Worship Him, follow Him, obey Him, and watch Him guide you home!

Daniel 3:16–18 CSB

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Trust in God - Don’t be Afraid (16-18)

Many books, sermons, and resources have been written on these 3 verses in Daniel 3. These verses have been the launching pad for songs and the basis for many folks as they go into full time mission or ministry work. These verses have been on the tongues of Christian martyrs for 2000 years. These 3 men knew Scripture - Nebuchadnezzar had said that no god could rescue them from his hand and these 3 men essentially said, “King, you’re wrong.” We don’t even need to answer your question because the answer is obvious - our God can save us! How did they know this truth? How did they know that God could save them? Because they knew their Bible’s. They knew that the God they worshipped was the same God who saved Noah from the flood, Moses from the Egyptians, David from Saul, and Hezekiah from the Assyrians. They knew that their God was the Sovereign King of Creation who holds all things in the palms of His hands - they knew that God had all power. Do we know this truth as well?

We often think that God has a lot of power or even almost all power, but do we believe that God has all power? Do we believe that God is able to save us from whatever situation we are facing? Does God really have power over natural disasters? Cancer? Broken relationships? Mental illness? Can God restore those situations? Does He have that power? Church, the answer is absolutely yes! God does have that power. He has all power because He created all things! But, just because God has all power, it doesn’t mean that He always does what we think He should do. These men demonstrate faith in God that seems to be otherworldly for so many of us… They knew that God could save them, but not necessarily that He would spare their lives.

Here’s the situation before us today, friends: Here is our question today, church, Does God have all power? Yes. Is God able to deliver believers from all problems and trials? Yes. But does God deliver believers from all trials? No. God may allow trials to come into the lives of his people to build character or any number of other reasons as we see in Romans 5. The purpose of trials might not be understood, but God simply asks that His children trust in Him even when it’s not easy. As Job declared in Job 13:15, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” God does NOT declare that his followers will never suffer or experience death, he does promise to always be with them. In times of trial, our attitude should be like these men!

Even if these men had to suffer a horrible, painful death in the burning oven, they refused to forsake their God and worship a man-made idol. Even if they died, they had full faith that one of 2 things would happen:

They would be resurrected

They would be in the presence of God

Either way, it would be for their gain! Whatever God choose to do, it would be for their ultimate good… Doesn’t the Bible promise this truth to us? It does

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

This sounds so good - God works all things for our good and His glory… Either we experience deliverance because of His power, we experience sanctification in the suffering, or we experience glorification in His presence when our time is up. Either way, it’s good… This sounds good, but how can we genuinely live with that type of faith?

We follow the example of those who have gone before us. We follow the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We follow the example of Paul who learned the secret to be content. The secret is by Jesus being your all and by trusting in Him. We follow the example of Polycarp, a pupil of John in the 1st century who was promised to live if he denied his faith in Christ… Polycarp replied by saying, “86 years I have served Him, and He has never done me wrong; how then can I now blaspheme my King and Savior?” Friends, Jesus changes lives and Jesus changes our entire outlook and lifestyle! We don’t see the flames as the end - we see the flames as a place where we meet our Savior. Once Jesus becomes all to you, you become invincible in this world, after all Jesus Himself said

John 11:26 CSB

26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

So don’t be nervous or anxious about what tomorrow holds or what the world is coming to or what you’ll be forced to do. Settle it in your heart today that you will trust in God. Settle it in your heart that you won’t bow down. Settle it in your heart that Jesus is enough! Let our response simply be:

Even if this health situation takes me - I will worship God and witness for Him until the end!

Even if standing up for Jesus costs me my reputation or popularity, I will remain faithful to God!

Even if our government persecutes Christians, I will witness to a lost and dying world until the day I die!

Even if the worst happens, God is able to save me and if He chooses not to I will choose to worship Him as He deserves!

I will not be moved. I will not hide. I will boast in my weakness. I know that my Redeemer lives. I can do all things, including suffer, because my strength comes from God!

Is that your testimony today, friend? I pray that you know the power of our God and I pray that your absolute trust is in His sovereign hand.

The question is not, “Is He able?” It’s “What will He do?” My circumstances do not dictate God’s faithfulness - He is worthy regardless of how I feel.

Application Points

Remember that God has a plan for each one of us

God expects us to worship Him

Know that God is able to deliver you

Even if God doesn’t do what we expect, trust in His providence

The next time that you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, replace “what if” with “even if.” Trade away your irrational fears and worries regarding an uncertain future for the loving assurance of an unchanging God. Even if the worst happens, He will be with us. Even if everyone else abandons us, He will never forsake us. He’s even with us through the fire! While this isn’t the prosperity Gospel many want, it’s the adversity Gospel that we all need - because it’s the true Gospel.

Habakkuk 3:17–18 CSB

17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, 18 yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

Is this your story? Do you have this type of faith in the Lord?

If not, pray that He would strengthen your faith - if you don’t know King Jesus, I pray that you’d experience the peace that He can bring to His followers even before a blazing fire. Friend, jump into the water, not because you’re a great swimmer but because you jump into the arms of your everlasting Father who loves you and is calling for you to trust in Him.