The Fourth Man in the Furnace

Series: Preacher: Date: October 4, 2009 Scripture Reference: Daniel 3

During my brief stint in the army I remember they gave us a little green book called, The Army Manual of Common Tasks. It looked like this. If I remember right it had instructions to help you know how to deal with pretty much any scenario you face as a solider…things like: ?How to use a compass,? ?How to build a fire,? and ?How to survive on a diet of bugs and bark??things like that.

Well about ten years ago a similar book was written by Joshua Piven but this manual was written with the layman in mind and it reached best-seller status. I have a copy. Here it is. It?s called, The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook. Piven?s manual is based on interviews with experts in a variety of fields and it?s very handy in that it is organized into fairly self-contained sections with headings like this: ?How to escape from quicksand,? ?How to land a plane? and ?How to break down a door.? There?s even a whole chapter called ?How to Perform a Tracheotomy? on a friend or stranger. Well, Piven obviously knows how to survive a RECESSION because his little yellow handbook on survival has sold over a million copies!

To me one of the more interesting sections is entitled:?How To Survive If Your Parachute Fails to Open.? Here?s what it says: ?First, signal to a jumping companion…? Piven doesn?t say what to do if you?re jumping solo. I guess he assumes that people foolish enough to jump out of a perfectly good airplane would be wise enough not to do so alone! Anyway on pages 137 and following it says, ?Signal to a jumping companion whose chute is not yet open that you?re having trouble. When your companion?and new best friend?gets to you, hook arms. You?ll be falling at terminal velocity about 130 miles per hour. Open the chute. The chute opening shock will be severe, probably enough to dislocate or break your arms. You may hit the ground slowly enough to only break a leg, and your chances of survival are quite high.? Remember this information if you?re ever flying with Bob or Felix.

Okay, now that you have a little sense of what this book is about, I want to try a little test of your survival skills to see how savvy we are as residents of the suburbs north of our nation?s capitol.

Think of this as a test to see if you need to buy this handbook. Take a look at the screens for a moment. What should you do if you are confronted by an angry mountain lion like this one? You?re hiking at Needwood and this mountain lion has escaped from the national zoo. What would you do? I?ll give you four options, and you see which is the best one. Here they are:

  1. run
  2. play dead
  3. make yourself look bigger by opening your coat
  4. sing a gentle, happy song.

Okay, turn to the person next to you real fast and tell them your answer. Now?how many of you said, “D – Sing a gentle, happy song?” You were wrong. Believe it or not according to The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook the answer is: “C – make yourself look bigger by opening your coat. ”

Let?s try one more. This is the same situation in that you?re facing an angry mountain lion but this time you have a small child with you. This is also covered in the manual. Again, there are four options. Which would you choose:

  1. pick the child up
  2. shield the child with your body
  3. shield your body with the child
  4. Run (because you may not be able to outrun the mountain lion, but you can probably outrun the small child.)

Okay?share your answer with a neighbor. Ready? The correct answer is on page 54. It?s “A – pick the child up,” because it will make you look bigger. Open your coat, open the child?s coat, anything to make you look bigger. This is what the authors say that experts in this area say. I would suggest that whenever visiting the zoo?no matter what the weather?you always wear a big coat. You never know what animal might escape and you want to be prepared!

Just kidding of course?but I want you to note that the PRINCIPLE behind THIS book is a SOUND one. You do indeed never really know what curves life will throw at you, you don?t know what is lurking around the corner. You never really know when you might be called upon to choose life or death with your actions, so when you are called on, you need to know what to do. That?s why THIS book is written. I bring this all up because today we?re going to study another kind of worst case scenario, and see how three real live people responded. I?m talking about Daniel?s friends?Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their experience is recorded in chapter 3 of Daniel?s book and it is an important one for us to study because, as I said, the basic principle of Piven?s little survival book is indeed a SOLID one. Life IS full of unexpected events?even for you and me as Christ followers. We are not exempt from the painful experiences that come to fallen beings living in a fallen world. Unexpected times?bad times?they come to all of us in this room so we need to know what to do when they do. That?s why THIS book is written. I mean, one reason God gave us this ?handbook for life??is to help us know what to do when we face the unexpected times…the ?Babylons? of life.

And at the onset I want you to know that one of my main sources is a Bible Study led by John Ortberg at Willow Creek several years ago at one of their midweek services.

Okay?before we go any further in our study of the book of Daniel?let?s review a bit. Last week we learned in chapter 2 all about Nebuchadnezzar and his dream. 2600 years ago, this powerful ruler of most of the known world had a recurring dream of a statue of a man with a head made of gold, then a chest and arms of silver, a belly and mid section made of bronze, with legs of iron and toes made of a mixture of iron and clay. Remember? In the dream this statue is just standing there minding it?s business when a stone comes flying through the air and when it hits the entire statue is reduced to dust. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the golden head of this statue represented him and the Babylonian Empire. The other metals represented other empires that would come after his. And as verse 44 says, the rock represented God?s coming kingdom,?…a kingdom that will never be destroyed nor will it be left to another people.?

Well, if you remember, when he heard all this, Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel. He praised Daniel?s God?OUR God?the one TRUE God. I mean Nebuchadnezzar seemed to be on the verge of giving up his idols. He even promoted Daniel?and his three friends Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. Verse 48 says, ?Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel?s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon.?

Well, sixteen years have passed since that day. As the curtain opens on chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar is in the 18th year of his reign. And in all these years since his dream none of the prophecies from Daniel?s interpretation have come true. There has been no ?silver? kingdom…no ?bronze? kingdom…no ?iron? kingdom. And there has been absolutely no sign whatsoever of a magical flying stone. So?pumped up with a renewed sense of invincibility?the king thumbs his nose at God and builds a massive idol out on the plains of Dura to be a glittering symbol of his ?sovereign? rule. As you can see in this illustration, it was massive?over eight stories tall?and not just the head but the entire towering image was overlaid in gold. Nebuchadnezzar had apparently decided, ?No kingdom, natural or supernatural, is going to crush my statue…or my empire. After all, why should my kingdom be succeeded by others? Why shouldn?t this great ?golden? Babylon I have built last forever?? So he built this massive statue not to reflect his DREAM?but his DESIRES.

Once the monument to his ego was completed, verse 2 says he,?…sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces…to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.? This assemblage of powerful people from all levels of society represented every ethnic group and religion under Nebuchadnezar?s authority?and it was a very diverse grouping. Remember, Nebuchadnezzar had conquered lots of nations and people groups and he had brought the best representatives of each culture to serve him in Babylon. In his commentary on this text Swindoll writes, ?As the king surveyed the colorful crowd milling around the base of the statue, the morning sun flashed brilliantly off the polished gold, practically blinding the eyes of the onlookers. When the moment was right, Nebuchadnezzar signaled for quiet, and according to verses 4-6, the herald proclaimed the royal decree: This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of MUSIC, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.?

So, apparently there was a furnace near the statue?perhaps it is the same one Nebuchadnezzar?s workers used to shape his towering golden image. Well, verse 7 says that as soon as the throngs of people who came to this dedication?as soon as they heard music like THIS…they fell on the ground and began to worship the golden image. The Hebrew literally says, ?…as soon as they were hearing, they were falling.? I mean, it was kind of like it was a race to see who hit the ground first. No one wanted to face those flames! But then through the idol-worshiping crowd, there was a ripple of noise that grew until everyone lifted their heads to see. The music stopped and nobody looked at the statue anymore. They were looking at the front of the throng where Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, three of the highest ranking officials in the country were still standing. I mean, in the midst of a groveling nation, in an act that looked like either monumental courage or suicidal folly, these three refused to bend the knee to Nebuchadnezzar?s golden statue.

They refused to bow their heads?and no one had any doubt about what would happen next, because everyone knew these Jewish men had powerful enemies. We meet them in verse 8 where it says, ?At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews.? The word ?denounced? here literally means ?to eat the pieces of them.? It could be translated ?slandering? because it was intended to convey intense hostility. In short, if words could kill?these words would?because that?s actually what the astrologers hoped would happen!

Think of it. For the past 16 years these wise men had been forced to cow-tow to the authority of these three young Jews which means they had been nursing their grudge for a long time. To them this is their chance to finally bring these three down?so they immediately charged them with treason. You can almost feel their eagerness to do so as you read verses 9-12: ?They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ?O king, live forever! You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes….they must ALL fall down and worship the image of gold, 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, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.??

Now, you may be wondering?where was Daniel in all of this? Some say he was on business elsewhere…that the king had sent him to some far away part of his kingdom but I think the answer is in Daniel 2:48-49 because it plainly says Daniel ?…remained at the royal court…? So, I think that?s where he was. He was at his post in the city doing his assigned job?but back to the situation out on the plains of Dura. As if he can?t quite believe anyone would dare defy his orders, the king gives Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego one more chance…he gives them one more shot to pledge their allegiance to the golden image but not without reiterating the punishment if they still refuse. Look at verses 13-15: ?Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ?Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes?if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand??

Okay?before we go any further in our study, let me ask a question?one that the rest of this narrative answers?so here it is: ?What kind of people were Shadrach, Meschack, and Abednego? How could they do this?what made them able to STAND UP when everyone else bowed??

(1) Well, the first thing we can see is that they were men of deep CONVICTION.

Like Daniel, as God-followers, they had deeply held beliefs?especially when it came to idol worship. They knew God?s commandments from Exodus 20 where it plainly says,?Do not worship any other gods beside Me….Do not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything…Do not bow down and worship them, for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation and those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.? (Exodus 20:3-6) So understand. These three young men knew the Scriptures.

They knew what they believed and, more importantly they BELIEVED what they knew?so deeply that they were willing to lay their lives on the line. Let me put it this way, they held to their convictions so firmly that they would literally rather ?burn than turn.?

This reminds me of an incident from the life of this man?Martin Niemoeller?a well-known German hero of the first world war. During the 2nd world war Niemoeller again displayed heroic bravery as he spent time in prisons and concentration camps because of his firm opposition to Adolph Hitler. Well, Hitler realized that if Niemoeller could be persuaded to join his cause then, due to his popularity, much opposition to the Nazi movement would collapse. So he sent a former friend of Niemoeller?s to visit him?a friend who supported the Nazis. Seeing Niemoeller in his prison cell, the onetime friend asked, ?Martin, Martin! Why are you here?? And Niemoeller replied, ?My friend, my friend! Why are you NOT here?? Like these three Jewish youth, Niemoeller had convictions based on his understanding of God?s Word?convictions that were dearer to him than life itself. These convictions enabled him to STAND UP to Adolph Hitler just as the convictions of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego enabled them to STAND UP to Nebuchadnezzar.

Now, most of us will not be faced with a choice between compromise or execution like these three. But the issue is the same regardless of the penalty.

You see, many of us FAIL in the Christian life because we are not WILLING to pay even the price of a loss of popularity or loneliness or ridicule or economic hardship. Ortberg calls this ?furnace avoidance.? And listen?only those who have enough conviction to be willing to pay the price?even if the price is death itself?only these people make a real difference in this world.

This week I read about Dr. Joseph Tson, the Romanian pastor who?before his exile?was called before the Communist authorities to answer for his religious convictions and preaching. He expected to be killed so he set his affairs in order and when he appeared before the interrogating officer, he said, ?I have to tell you first that I am ready to die. I have put my affairs in order. Your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying, because when you kill me people all over Romania will read my books…and believe on the God I preach…even more than They do now.? The interrogator replied, ?Who said anything about killing?? and they settled for exiling him from his country. But Tson was right. The Romanian people listened to him because they knew he was a man of conviction who would rather die than compromise. They believed the truth of the Gospel because he obviously did so.

Well, let me ask you?how firmly do you hold to your convictions? Do you BELIEVE what you know? Does the decision-making part of your brain follow the guidance of God?s written Word such that it knows that there is a right and a wrong? Or have you programmed your brain according to the world?s standards? You?ll never be able to say brave words like these three young men did?and you?ll never make any real difference in this world until you be come a person of Christian conviction.

Here?s a second thing that enabled these three young Jews to stand up.

(2) They were men who had a firm CONFIDENCE in God.

Look back at the question Nebuchadnezzar asks in verse 15. He says, ?What god will be able to deliver you from my hand if you refuse to bow to my statue?? Now?I want you to note that this is a rhetorical question. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar was not looking for information. He was just making a point. And, as Ortberg points out, we parents are very familiar with rhetorical questions because we use them so often in child-rearing. For example, have you ever asked your child this one? ?Do you want a spanking?? Sure you have?but you weren?t asking this in order to get information. I mean, no child asked that is going to say, ?Well, I was going to play Wii but okay, a spanking sounds good to me.? No?it?s a rhetorical question. Parents who ask it aren?t ASKING something?they are SAYING something. So when Nebuchadnezzar asks, ?What god can deliver you from my hand?? he?s not looking for them to give him the name of some god as an answer. No, he?s saying, ?You better understand, there is no escape. You are in my hands. You obey me or else.?

Well, much to his surprise, these three men don?t treat his inquiry as a rhetorical question at all. Look at verse 16: ?Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ?O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king.? Now, I want to pause here for a moment, because this is a statement of remarkable faith. What did they say? ?Our God is able to save us from the furnace. He is able to rescue us from danger. He is able to deliver us from even your hand, O king. Our God is able.? Did these three have CONFIDENCE in God or what?! In essence they said, ?Nebuchadnezzar, you ask what god will be able to rescue us from your hand?well, here?s your answer: Ours can! Ours IS able!?

You see, another reason these three men could be so brave and bold in the face of this particular ?worst case scenario? is because they knew they served the only TRUE God?the God Who IS ABLE to do ?…exceedingly, abundantly above all that they could ask or think.? (Ephesians 3:20) These three men knew that as Jeremiah says, ?Nothing is to hard for God.? (Jeremiah 32:17) In short, they were absolutely CERTAIN that God had the ability?the power?to deliver them from this fiery dilemma. When everyone else bowed, THEY were able to STAND up and say these words because of their unshakable confidence in God.

By the way, I don?t know if it?s possible for followers of God to spend too much time reflecting on stories that teach this VITAL truth so I?ll say it again?and this time I?m not quoting these three ancient Hebrews. I?m saying it myself: The God you and I serve, the God Whom we gather to worship here in this room every week, our God IS ABLE!

I want to tell you a story I heard a few years back to illustrate this fact. It?s from a book by Ken Davis. He writes,

A pastor friend of mine, Joel Morgan, planned on visiting missionaries in Eastern Europe. He asked friends who traveled in that area what he ought to pack. There were many helpful suggestions, but everyone agreed you ought to bring extra food. While staying in rural villages with no electricity or running water, they might be forced to go without meals. It would be wise to have easily packed snacks on hand for survival rations. One missionary warned Joel to bring more than he?d need because some of his supplies might be confiscated by customs. So Joel grocery store and as he walked the aisles he asked himself: ?What shall I take that won?t catch the eye of a customs agent? What won?t spoil? What will serve as an energy boost?? And he whispered this prayer, ?Lord, You know the things I?ll need and the things that will make it through customs. I?m just going to walk down these aisles trusting You to prompt me to select the right items.? Instantly, his eyes fell on a display of Reese?s Peanut Butter Cups. He felt a strange compulsion to put a king-sized pack of them in his cart, so he did. Farther on down the aisle, he was drawn to an arrangement of tapioca pudding snacks. From my perspective, when anyone is drawn to tapioca pudding it is already a miraculous sign. Finally, he was moved to scoop up some small cans of fruit cocktail and mandarin oranges. ?Surely,? he thought, ?these items will tide me over if I get hungry.? On the fourth day of the trip, Joel arrived in Timasora, Romania. He would spend several days with a couple who had labored for 14 months there. The family had been sent to Romania by a national missions organization, but for all practical purposes they?d been forgotten. They faced harsh conditions. Heat and electricity were often turned off for days. Joel and his team were the first English-speaking people the missionaries had seen in six months. The simple opportunity to talk with someone was cause for celebration, and their two teenage daughters were starved for anything American. Joel spent some time chatting and praying with the family. They were about to leave, and he suddenly thought about the survival goodies he?d purchased for himself more than a week before. An idea popped in his mind. It was only October, but why not use those snacks to celebrate an early Christmas? So, he retrieved his backpack with all the goodies securely hidden inside, and then he sat down with the family in their living room. Joel took the role of Santa Claus and played it to the hilt. He asked the two teenage girls if they could have one thing from the U.S. what would it be? In unison, they sang out, ?Candy.? ?What kind?? Joel asked, confident they?d love anything he offered. The mother chimed in, ?The girls love Reese?s Peanut Butter Cups. But they?re not available in this part of the world.? With a lump in his throat, Joel reached into his backpack and pulled out the king-sized package he?d smuggled into the country. The girls jumped up and down joyfully, laughing as they held their new treasure between them. Wiping a tear from his eye, Joel asked their mother, ?What item from back home would brighten YOUR day?? It was a risk. What if she wanted, say, a side of beef? But with one miracle already in the bag, what could go wrong? ?I miss fruit,? the mother replied a bit sheepishly, ?especially citrus.? Reaching into Santa?s bag, Joel extracted a can of fruit cocktail, and one of mandarin oranges. Now everybody was laughing and wiping away tears of joy. After a time of celebration and amazement, Joel turned to the father. The backpack was nearly empty. He considered removing the few items left and asking the father to make a selection. After all, two out of three miracles ain?t bad. Why press his luck? But something deep in Joel?s soul shouted, ?Go for it!? So, before he could argue with God, he heard himself ask, ?Gary, what?s your favorite dessert?? This wonderful servant of God smiled and said, ?It?s something no one else in the world likes?tapioca pudding.? Joel nearly injured himself pulling the pudding from the pack and racing across the room…to show him the super four-snack pack of tapioca pudding God had prompted him to buy seven days earlier and 4,000 miles away. What followed was praise and worship in its truest form. Nine people, crowded into a tiny living room in Romania, weeping and singing praises to God?our God Who is ABLE! That day they gained a new appreciation of Philippians 4:19, where it says, ?My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.??

Our God is able! In fact, we could spend the rest of the day going around this room, one by one, telling stories from our lives that reflect this one truth: GOD IS ABLE! We could do this?because we know that there is nothing God cannot do. God can do ANYTHING!

  • He is able to reconcile broken marriages.
  • The God we serve is able to liberate people from addiction.
  • The God we serve is able to heal damaged bodies
  • …and able to forgive the darkest sin.
  • The God we serve is able to provide for the greatest need,
  • …able to guide with supernatural wisdom,
  • …able to inspire spiritual gifting beyond human ability in unbelievable ways,
  • …able to soften the hardest heart,
  • …able to bring the farthest runaway prodigal rebel back home.

If you have confidence in our God…if you agree with me that God is ABLE?say AMEN! He is able! And these three young men believed that in the depths of their being. They could refuse to bow?they could stand up in the face of this worst-case scenario…because they were men of Godly CONVICTION who embraced complete CONFIDENCE in God…but there?s one more thing we can see in these amazing young Hebrews.

(3) They were COMMITTED to God, literally no matter what.

You see, they believed God is able?but they didn?t stop there. And so that you can see this aspect of their personhood, I want you to think about all that has led up to this pivotal moment in their lives. They have been captured and exiled in a foreign country. They gave their lives to God and they have served Him as best they could with formidable courage. Amazing things happened and they were promoted to positions of prominence in Babylon. Now?they must have prayed after the story of Daniel and the dream in chapter two?prayed that Nebuchadnezzar would be converted and follow through on his statement…about Daniel?s God being the one true God. But that prayer wasn?t answered the way they wanted. Then one day, they heard about the king?s edict…the edict that said all the people must bow down to a god of gold. They met together as a little community and decided that it would be unthinkable that they would ever bend the knee and give their devotion to any god other than the God of Heaven. And they must have hoped, they must have prayed, that it would never come to this. After this decree was made I?m sure they prayed that Nebuchadnezzar would repent, that he?d come to his senses. But he didn?t. Maybe they prayed that this decree wouldn?t be enforced, but it was. Maybe they prayed that because of Daniel?s influence the Jewish people might be excused from this idol worship, but they weren?t.

Maybe they prayed that when that day came nobody would notice when they failed to bow. Or if people noticed they wouldn?t tell. But people noticed, and people told. Not one of these prayers was answered the way they hoped?not one. At every point, I?m sure these three men were disappointed because at every point, this nightmare, their death?a horrible death by the flames they could see, smell, and feel?grew a little closer to reality. And now they face THEIR worst case scenario. They realize the door to every avenue of escape has been closed to them. The parachute has not opened, and apparently it?s not going to. So they testify once more to their faith in the one they serve. They say, ?Our God is able to save us oh king. He drowned Pharaoh?s army. He pulled down the walls of Jericho. He dropped Goliath with a stone. Our God is able. He CAN rescue us still?? and then in verse 18 they say some of the most faith-filled words ever uttered. They say, ?But even if He does not?we have already decided our response. We?ve made up our minds. In the face of our very worst case scenario, even if God does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold that you have set up. We will march to our death singing hymns of praise to the only God we will ever serve or love. We are absolutely COMMITTED to Him?no matter what.??

Well, their commitment made Nebuchadnezzar furious. He burned with rage?and as a reflection of that he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. He ordered them bound and thrown in the fire and the fire was so hot that it killed the soldiers who threw them in. Imagine what it must have been like! The three feel themselves tumbling into the flames. They wait for the searing pain, the numbness, for the smoke inhalation that would suffocate their lungs?but none of that happens. They aren?t even warm! There are no burns?no smoke. They realize that they don?t feel any different?except they are no longer bound. But the best part is they discover they are not alone in the furnace. And they weren?t alone in this realization. Look at verse 24: ?Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement. He asks his advisors, ?Weren?t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?? Look I see FOUR men walking around in the fire, unbound, and unharmed and the fourth looks like a son of God.? Nebuchadnezzar was correct because this was a pre-incarnation of God?s only Son?Jesus Himself. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego met Him hundreds of years before anyone else. Think of it. They came to this place on the Plain of Dura intending to WITHHOLD worship and they ended up worshiping as they never had in their lives?at the feet of the Son of God. I love how Ortberg puts it. He says, ?Some times God saves us FROM the furnace but many times He saves us IN the furnace.? And these three young men had the confidence in God that allowed them to experience this truth first hand.

Well, what about you? I mean, in Christian circles we talk a lot about being FULLY devoted followers?but I wonder?is our ?full? devotion from one day to the next?is it contingent on just getting from God what we want? What about when He doesn?t answer our prayers the way we want? Are we like these three and other truly COMMITTED believers? Are we like Esther who showed her ?no-holes barred? commitment to God by saying, ?I will go to the king even though it is against the law and if I perish I perish?? Are we like Job who said of our God, ?Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him?? I mean?how much REAL confidence do you have in our Heavenly Father? Are you like so many believers who say they have faith?but it?s an ?if faith?? You know, they pray, ?If you do this, I?ll have faith in You God…If you help me pass this test…if you help me find the money to pay my bills…if the doctor?s diagnosis is good…?
Listen?I want to go on the record as saying that ?if faith? is not really faith. If there?s an ?IF? in your commitment to God?it?s not true commitment….because it shows your relationship with God has no depth.

In fact, I believe that we never really get as close to God as we need to be?we never truly MEET with Jesus?until we embrace the kind of confident faith these three had. So, no matter what worst case scenario you are facing this morning, let me challenge you to pray, ?God…even if You do not do this or that, I will trust You and Your perspective on my life. Even if that co-worker continues to be so difficult…I?m going to keep on being Your servant…even if You don?t reward me financially I?m going to trust You…even if I have to go through health problems…I?ve already decided that no matter what comes I?m going to trust You…trust that in all things You work for my good.?

LET US PRAY

Father God,

Thank You for putting this story from the life of these three in Your Word. We stand in awe of their convictions…their confidence in You…and their faith-filled commitment. And Father?I want to thank You for people I?ve known in this church and others who so obviously have the same kind of faith…people who trust You no matter what….people like these three Hebrews who endure the furnaces of life by trusting in You. Help us all to be more like that. Do whatever it takes to grow in each of us that kind of faith?a faith that enables us to walk closely with You….a faith that lifts You up even when we face life?s worst case scenarios. Now Father, speak to us in this room. In the power of Your Spirit, convict us of the attitudes and actions we need to embrace in order to see my prayer answered….so that when we go out into the world this week, we will stand up for You. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN

As we stand and sing, I invite you to come forward in any way that you feel led. We?d love to pray with you about any furnace you are going through. We?d love to tell you how you can join this church…we?d love to hear of your decision to follow Jesus…so come.

BENEDICTION:

Let the PEACE OF CHRIST rule in your hearts
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Let the WORD OF CHRIST dwell in you richly
and whatever you do…in word or in deed
Do it all in the NAME OF CHRIST giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.

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