I was sitting in on a study that online study when the
congregation at Oakdale was having this last week, and One
of the readers read from Daniel the third chapter.
And the part that he read, just really brought out some good
points. And I thought, well, I'll study
that and and see if I can put together a little lesson that
hopefully will help us and benefit us all and encourage us
in our daily living, the times were living in.
And I'm not talking about necessarily the pandemic that we
that we're living in. I'm talking about the morality
of this world, the times that we are living in our something like
we've never seen before, things that are wrong are celebrated.
And things that are right, are looked down upon.
Morality is looked down upon if your moral, you're just an old
prude. You're you're you're just not up
with the world today and if you're immoral it just seems
like you're praised and your glorified all the things that
God has ordained are looked down upon in all things.
God condemns Or praised. It seems today that everything
is upside down. and so, What? We're going to notice this
morning is that in the Book of Daniel, the nation of Israel was
going through some troubling times as well.
And they were in Babylonian captivity in here in, Daniel the
first chapter verses 1 and 2, and the third year of the reign
of jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
Came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
And the lord gave jehoiakim, king of Judah into his hand.
And some of the Articles of the house of God, which he carried
into the land of shinar to the house of his God, and he brought
the Articles into the Treasure House of his God.
So, God's people. God allowed them to be taken
over. And to be besieged and the
Articles, all these things were then taken to Nebuchadnezzar's
stockpiles if you want to say and taken out of out of the
possessions of the children of Israel, excuse me.
This was decreed by God and it was because the nation of Israel
was not following God and not doing the things, God wanted
them to. They were, they were committing
sin against God. and so, during this time, There were Daniel and
several others that were selected and and were trained
for three years, to have to be special servants to King
Nebuchadnezzar, rest of Chapter One deals with that and then
chapter 2 deals with Daniel interpreting the Kings Visions
or the Kings dreams. These, these four men, the of
the nation of Israel were the cream of the crop.
They are the ones that were healthy.
They were the ones that were smart and skilled in knowledge.
They were given special food. Only the even the king 8, but
then these men stood up and said, and especially Daniel
said, we're not going to defile ourselves and eat things that
are not pure and things that are not right. so, but they were
then when they went into service, For King
Nebuchadnezzar, they were given special names.
Daniels name was Balthazar a servant of bail.
And Anaya was given the to the name Shadrach, which means
inspired by the sun. God Michele means who is what
God is was renamed. Meshach I knew I wasn't going to
pronounce it, right? So I had to stop and think about
it. Me Shaggy.
Who is known as the moon. God Azariah means the Lord's
help but Abednego means servant of Nebo.
So they were given these Babylonian names names to more
being in tune with the gods that they worshipped and the idols in
the and the false gods. So, these are the men that were
going to talk about this morning.
Not necessarily Daniel but Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
Abednego So we've been going to begin our study in verse 1 of
chapter 3. And it says Nebuchadnezzar, the
king made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits and it was
and it's with six cubits. He set it up in the plain of
dura in the province of Babylon. And King Nebuchadnezzar sent
word to gather together. The satraps, the administrators,
the governor's, the counselors, the treasure Jurors the judges,
the magistrates and all the officials of the province's to
come to the dedication of the image, which King Nebuchadnezzar
had set up. So the set traps, the
administrators, the governor's, the counselors, the treasures,
the judges, the magistrates, and all, the officials of the
Providence has gathered together for the dedication of the image,
that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before the
image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then he heralded, he a Herald cried, then a Herald cried aloud
to you. It is commanded.
Oh people Nations and languages that at the time you hear the
sound of the horn. Flute, harp lyre and sultry.
In Symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and
worship the gold image. That King Nebuchadnezzar has set
up and whosoever does not fall down or worship shall be cast
immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Now, today we see all kinds of laws and rules for living in
this society that we live in the tells us that we need to think
and we need to act in certain ways and will understand on some
of those. We understand that if we need to
drive down the right-hand side of the road and everybody else
is driving down, the right-hand side of the road, we don't have
a problem with that. But there are a lot of things
today that tell us that we need to think a certain way that is
not in tune with what God tells us to do.
They tell us as we said, everything is upside down these
days but they tell us we need to accept certain Lifestyles.
We need to believe certain ways, and if you don't believe in that
way, then you're named certain names, maybe it's a bigot, maybe
it's a homophobe, maybe it's whatever you want to call it
these days. But there are a lot certain laws
that are in opposition to God's laws.
And also then there is the peer pressure that we sometimes are
put under to act in certain ways.
When we're around, certain people are in certain
atmospheres. If you want to say, it's going
to verse 7. so at that time when all the people heard the sound
of the horn, The flute harp and liar, in Symphony, with all
kinds of music, all the people Nations and languages fell down,
and worship the gold image, which King Nebuchadnezzar had
set up. The king had his men build this
image. That was by calculation over 90
feet tall and almost 20 feet wide and it would have been
visible for Rob probably miles in that area of the country, the
king for all called, for all these different officials to
come together for that meeting and be kind of like someone
saying, well, everyone that's on the federal payroll needs to
show up for this. All the officials of the land
were supposed to show up and be there for this meeting.
That was mandatory So he said from this point on every one
Must Fall Down and Worship this image which the king had made.
And if they didn't, they would be thrown into the fiery
furnace. And so there was no waiting
period. There was no trial or anything
like that. If you didn't bow down, you
would be noticed and you'd be immediately thrown into the
fiery furnace. We know waiting.
So as soon as the music Started soon, as the instruments were
playing right at that first note, you'd see the whole crowd.
Bow Down. That'd be a sight.
Just to hear a sound and all of a sudden, everyone just drops to
bow. Well, everyone did except three
How was Shadrach Meshach and Abednego?
So as that happens, of course, certain people notice these
three men standing and here comes the social police.
Here comes the as today they're called maybe Karen's they're the
ones that come up and they're ones that are going to tattle on
these three guys. So listen to verse 8 therefore
at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the
Jews they spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar oh King live
forever. You O King have made a decree
that everyone who hears the sound of the horn.
Flute harp lyre and psaltery and Symphony with all kinds of music
shall fall down and worship the gold image and whoever does not
fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of the
burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you
have set over the Affairs of the province of Babylon.
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego these men O King, have not paid
due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or
worship the gold image, which you have set up.
Oh, there's that. Always that little tattletale
comes around, you know, and wants to spread that news and
and and tell on someone else. And maybe we may be ridiculed,
we may be intimidated, we may be falsely accused and so on for
our faith and it seems that more and more is the case.
These days, you will be ridiculed for your faith.
These men were standing for what they believed in, no matter
what, the decree was, no matter what the intimidation was, no
matter what their peers thought of it, no matter what, the rest
of the crowd. Did know what, no matter what
anything did they knew what they had to do.
And so do we these days? We may be ridiculed for what we
believe in and what we stand for.
Notice verse 13, then Nebuchadnezzar in Rage and fury
gave the command to bring Shadrach Meshach and Abednego.
So that, so they brought these men before the King,
Nebuchadnezzar, spoke saying to them, is it true?
Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods,
or worship the gold image, which I have set up.
Now, if you are ready at the time, now notice here, King,
Nebuchadnezzar is like, saying, I just want to make sure you
understand this that you didn't misunderstand the decree that
was given previously, I want to repeat it to you and make sure
you understand it, he says. So now, if you are ready at the
time, you hear the sound of the horn, the fluid the harp lyre
and psaltery and Symphony with all kinds of music and you fall
down and worship the image, which I have made.
Good. But if you do not worship, you
shall be immediately cast into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace. And who is the god, who will
deliver you from my hands. You see this was a man that
thought in worldly ways he was at acknowledging, God for what
God really was, he wasn't recognizing God.
He was worshipping the idols and all these other things and all
the gods that they had made amongst themselves and he says
basically which one which God is it?
That's going to save you from that.
Well, they declared their faith, listen to The Confidence of
these three. Young men verses 16 through 18,
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king o
Nebuchadnezzar. We have no need to answer you in
this matter. Wow.
What a statement to a King? In other words, we don't answer
to you Nebuchadnezzar. He's the one that's in
Authority. He's the one that's in rural.
He's the one that has their lives in his hands and they
stand there and say we don't answer to you King,
Nebuchadnezzar. If that is the case, our God.
Whom we serve is able. To Deliver Us From The Burning
fiery. Furnace That's a statement.
A declaration of their faith. We don't have faith in your
gods. In other words, we don't answer
to you, we don't answer to other gods, we don't answer to
anybody, but our God, whom we serve is able to Deliver Us from
the fiery furnace. That's pretty strong.
That's really strong. That's our God today.
That is our God today. And he says, he goes on to say,
And he will Deliver Us. From your hand.
Oh King. But if not now notice he says
let it be known to you. He says I'm putting you on.
Notice I'm putting you on notice King, O King that we do not
serve your God. Nor will we worship the gold
image, which you have set up? These three men were not afraid.
They were not afraid to decide to declare their faith in God.
They were not afraid to stand up to at the intimidation.
They were not in frayed, to stand up to the threats.
They were not afraid to stand up to the ridicule.
They were not afraid to stand up to the tattletales.
They were not afraid to stand up to anyone else or anyone at all.
Said we will serve our God because he is able to Deliver Us
from the fiery furnace. That's our God, too.
That's our God. He's able to Deliver Us from all
the things that we put up with in this life.
The pain. The suffering, the intimidation,
the mental abuse, the the worry, the sin, and all of these
things, God is able to deliver us.
Because he has that ability. They stood for what they
believed. These three young men, I'm sure
remembered the command that was given to back in Exodus the
second chapter verses to thrive. He said I am the Lord your God.
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt?
Out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods
before me, you shall not make for yourselves.
A carved carved image, any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water, under the Earth. You shall not bow down to them
nor serve them for. I am the Lord your God.
I am a jealous God. Our God is a jealous God.
Our is a god that is the only God whom we serve.
We do not serve man, we do not serve anything else.
Other than our God, that's it. We get caught up in all kinds of
things of the world, get distracted by things of the
world that pull us away from the things, but they made this
commitment. You know, I like people that
make commitments just like you do.
When someone comes to how your house and maybe gives you a bid
on cleaning, your carpets or painting your house or putting a
roof on your house or whatever, and you shake hands with them or
you sign a contract and they come and they do that job and
they do it the way they intended to do it.
And you what you thought they were doing it, they're committed
and everything goes good. We like commitments.
We like people that are committed to do what they say
they're going to do. Seems like more and more of
these days that, you know, when you go to sign a contract, you
have to have a team of lawyers behind you to make sure that
nobody's going to get away with something.
The old handshake is not what it used to be.
I like people that make commitments but we need to be
committed to serving God today, too.
We need to be committed to not be participating in Morality In
sexual sin. In and even the appearance of
evil the marriage vows that we that we made when we were, when
we were younger or those still things that were committed to
today in the world today. Those vows almost mean nothing.
Committing ourselves on our families to serving the lord,
make a commitment to raise our children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. So that they become Christians
so that they can be saved. Making that commitment.
These men made a decision to remain holy and faithful, no
matter what the circumstances. and, you know, we make that
decision. To remain.
Holy and faithful. Not when we're confronted with
The temptation, but way before, were confronted with the
Temptation, you've heard me say that before our decision should
have been made a long time ago, that if this ever happens, this
is what we will do. Why is it we have to talk people
down from from sin sometimes? Well, Shadrach Meshach, and
Abednego didn't have to be talked down in into this
commitment. It was what they wanted to do
to, please God. You know, as I said we're so
pulled away were so Lord, by the things of this world that the
world has to offer us and it pulls us away from our
commitment to God and remaining faithful.
They knew that there was a possibility that they would die,
whatever the Lord's will was, but they didn't know what the
Lord's will was. They knew that there was a
possibility that they would die. But they also remembered that
command, that they should serve no other gods and they were
willing to do what God Said. To please him.
Sometimes we know what we are going to have to give up.
To make the right choices and remain faithful to God.
And sometimes that's we struggle with that.
Sometimes, it's notice verse 19, then Nebuchadnezzar was full of
Fury and the expression on his face changed towards Shadrach
Meshach and Abednego. He spoken meant commanded that.
They heat the furnace seven times more than it was at
usually heated. So maybe I'm pretty mad.
Of course, you know, a king, the one that is in Authority, the
one that everyone bows down to in the one that gives all the
rules and all the all the way that he wants everything done.
And then these three men come up and say we don't answer to you.
King what you have to say about it doesn't mean anything to us.
Do you imagine how mad he'd get? Yeah.
Could you imagine one of your children come to you and say you
tell them I want you to go out and side mow the yard, I don't
care what you say Mom and Dad, I ain't do it.
Would get pretty upset. You know what?
And you know God I believe had a hand in the Wake.
King Nebuchadnezzar reacted here.
Because I think he wanted God wanted to prove beyond a shadow
of a doubt that he was in control.
King said heat that furnace up and Stoke it up seven times
hotter on what it usually is. Don't you think God was kind of
making sure that King Nebuchadnezzar made it sure that
there was no doubt that when all this happened and is we're going
to see happened that there was no doubt that God had a hand in
it, it was God in that was in control.
And remember. When we were at home, you know
with come in from maybe being out gone from home for a while
and we had a wood stove in the house and it be kind of cold.
And say boys won't just woke up that fire and get it.
Get it going, get it warmed up. No, someone would get that
thing. Go to open up the dampers on it,
and just get the thing just blazing.
Get that sometimes we got a little too hot, see the old
stovepipe, just read Got a little too hot that's what they
were doing. Stoke up that fire, get it seven
times hotter than what it is. First something that we're
afraid of? Our total all of our parents
told us, never play with fire, you're going to get burned.
We do everything to keep the in our power to keep fire under
control. We have smoke detectors in our
in our homes. We keep fire extinguishers
nearby and just in case we haven't set our pants on fire if
we're welding, But they had total faith that God would
deliver them. They had trust in God.
When I was younger. Not too long after we got
married, I was, I was working with the fire department there
in Cottage Grove middle of night.
We got alarm went out there was an auto parts place that was on
fire, they had paint and things like that.
And well, you know, when you pull up, it's a little different
today than it was then. Got off the truck Lieutenant.
Grabbed me by the back of the, by the back of the jacket.
And said, let's go. Grab the hose and we didn't, we
didn't put on an air mask or anything at that point in time.
We just ran right in there. Smoke was so thick.
You couldn't see your hand in front of you.
You were breathing smoke, not air.
And he grabbed a hold of me and just shove me right in there
and, and was but, but you know what, I had trust and I had
faith in him because he had the back of my jacket and I had
trust that he knew what he was doing.
And if things got too bad, he was going to yank me and pull me
right out of there. That's the way God works with
us. We have to trust him.
We have to put faith in him because he is able.
Absolutely is Abel. Isaiah 41:10 fear.
Not for I am with you be. Not dismayed for I am.
Your God. I will strengthen you.
Yes, I will help you. I will hold uphold you with my
righteous right hand. There is peace with whatever.
God's answer was to them. They had that piece in their
mind, God is able notice Ephesians 3 and verse 20.
Now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that
works in US. We know God is able.
We know he's able to take us and help us through time trying
times of trial and troubles and problems in our life.
But beyond what we can even comprehend God has abilities
that we do not even understand. So why not put faith in him?
he abundantly exceedingly abundantly above all that we can
even think or ask all we get on our print knees and we pray and
we pray and we pray and we ask and we ask and ask and God is
able to do that and even more God is able now, this is verse
20 through 25. Any commanders, certain Mighty
Men of Valor who were in his army to bind, Shadrach Meshach
and Abednego and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then these men were Bound in their coats, their trousers,
their turbans and their outer gone out.
Other garments and were cast into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king
command, the King's Command was urgent.
The furnace exceedingly, hot, the flame of the fire killed
those men. Men who stood up.
Who took up Shadrach Meshach and Abednego.
That fire was so hot. They had an experience that
before because this fire was seven times hotter than what
they had ever experienced that the men that threw them in their
died. And these three men.
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego fell down bound into the midst
of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was
astonished and heroes in haste and spoke saying to his
counselors. Did we not cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the
king. True O King.
Look, he answered, I see four men loose walking in the midst
of the fire and they are not hurt.
And the form of the fourth is like the son of God.
I think God had a hand in that, no doubt about it.
This wasn't King Nebuchadnezzar's gods.
This was God. The Shadrach Meshach and
Abednego decided to remain. Holy and faithful to God.
They serve God and no one else in the world that we live in.
We don't have to participate in the Sin that's around us.
We have to live among it but we don't have to participate in it.
No. To Second Corinthians 6 and
verses 14 through 18. I got a hold of ahead of myself.
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers for
what Fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness
and what communion has light with darkness and what Accord
has Christ with Belial or what part has a Believer with unbeli
an unbeliever and what argument agreement has the temple of God
with Idols for you? Are the Temple of the Living.
God as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among
them. I will be their God and they
shall be my people. Therefore come out from among
them and be separate says, the Lord.
Do not touch, what is unclean and I will receive you.
I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and
daughters says the Lord Almighty We have to live in a world of
sin. But we don't have to partake in
it. He says come out from among them
and be separate. Separate means there is a
dividing line, a separation, a complete separation from what is
sinful and what is not sinful. That doesn't mean that you can
walk over here part of the time and then come back across the
line. It says, what come out from
among them and be separate. Separate ourselves from the
things of the world. And there is a value in
remaining faithful while we're going through these trials and
testing of our faith. Our faith will be tested
Revelation 2 and verse 10. Do not fear any of those things
which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to
throw some of you into prison, but that you may be tested and
you will have tribulation 10 days, be faithful unto death and
I will give you the Crown of Life.
Their faithfulness, these three men their faithfulness affected
other people, whether they realized it or not, but it
affected other people. And so, does our lives, we may
not realize how we influence and affect other people in our
faithfulness to encourage others, to be faithful, and
remain faithful in the patterns of Our Lives.
People are watching us to see how we react when we go through,
trials and problems in life. And we have the opportunity to
influence those people. Look how it affected.
King Nebuchadnezzar. Then Nebuchadnezzar went near
the mouth of the burning fiery, furnace and spoke saying,
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Servants of the most high God
come out and come here. All of a sudden King
Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges God. Look how that affected, the
king, he wanted them, not to just too long ago to Bow Down
and Worship his idols and his gods.
And now he is recognizing the one and only true God.
It says, come out and come here, and Shadrach Meshach, and
Abednego came from the midst of the fire, and the set traps
administrators Governors, and the Kings counselors gathered
together. And they saw these men on Whose
bodies, the fire had no power. The hair of their head was not
singed nor were their garments affected and the smell of the
fire was not on them. Well, you know how it is, where
we sit around a campfire. We're not sticking our hand in
the fire. We're not doing all these things
but we sit around that fire and we go away and we smell like
campfire smoke, don't we? There was not a hair on their
head, that was even singed. Nor even the smell of the fire
on them. Nebuchadnezzar spoke saying,
blessed, be the god of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who sent
his Angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him,
and they have frustrated, the king's words and yielded, their
bodies that they should not serve nor worship, any God,
except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that
any people Nation or language would speaks against amidst a
Miss against the god of Shadrach.
Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces.
And their houses shall be made in a sheep because there is no
other God who can deliver like this.
Then the king promoted, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and the
province of Babylon. You see how these three?
Men's faithfulness, impacted the lives of other people.
So does our faithfulness, when we remain faithful in times of
troubles and trials Humans and Their Kingdoms, glorify their
own power and they redefine, right and wrong.
And don't acknowledge God as the true king.
You can say that something is right?
That doesn't make it right. We know that God knows that.
We can say something is wrong, that doesn't make it wrong.
We know that God knows that. We just need to remain faithful
to God. God has promised that he will
overcome and has overcome the kingdoms of this Earth.
And one day those kingdoms will be destroyed and the only
Kingdom that will remain is the kingdom of God.
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