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Lessons from the Fiery Furnace
In my message today I want look at a great and inspiring story from
the Old Testament. It is found in Daniel chapter 3 and is often referred
to as the Fiery Furnace. In this passage we will see three young men who
are challenged by a leader to bow down to a golden statue. They refuse
to do it as it would compromise their faith in God.
In this story
we learn what it is to be forced to act in a way that would compromise
our faith. We also see what it is to refuse and face the consequences
whatever they may be. And we see the hand of God at work doing the
impossible and turning the whole situation around.
Bible Reading - Daniel 3:1-30
This is an amazing
reading. As I said we see the hand of God at work in turning the
situation around. In this message, I want to share three things about
our friends that we can learn from their faith and commitment. To make
it easier I have made three points all starting with the letter D –
different, daring and dedicated.
1. Different
Our friends Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego were very different to
the culture around them. They did not go with the flow and bow down to
the statue like everyone else around them. They knew that to bow down to
a statue was being unfaithful to God. They just knew they couldn’t do it
and follow God wholeheartedly. They had to refuse.
As we saw the
local Astrologers did not like this and they dobbed them in to the King.
They not only dobbed them in, but they told the King what the punishment
should be. This was a common tactic in the day to get rid of people who
were a threat to you. Convince the king to bring in a rule you know they
can’t follow and then tell the King.
But our three friends were
different. They refused to bow down. They didn’t go with the flow of
society.
Jesus was different - If we look at the
life of Jesus we see that He was different too. The Jews expected Him to
come in a golden chariot and wipe away the Roman oppression and
vindicate their faith and way of life (Malachi 3:1-5, Zechariah 14:1-3).
But Jesus did not come in a chariot and wipe away the oppression. He
came in a manger as a baby (Luke 2:7) and years later His chosen vehicle
was a donkey (John 21:5). He didn’t come to be a mighty king in the
earthly sense, He came to be a servant King (Mark 10:45) who loved
others and showed us what God is like (John 14:9). He came to die on the
cross for our sin (1 Thessalonians 5:10). He came to bring healing and
wholeness (Luke 4:18). He was a king from a different Kingdom – a
Kingdom not of this world (John 18:36).
Christians should
be different - We as Christians are called to be different too.
Romans 12:2 call us to not conform to the patterns and behaviours of
this world. We are told in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) to love
one another, to be salt and light, to love our enemies, to not take
revenge, to give to the needy, to be faithful in prayer, to not judge
others, to seek first the Kingdom of God and to build on the solid
foundation of Jesus. This as we know is counter cultural to the worlds
way of thinking, but it is perfectly in line with Kingdom thinking. Just
like Jesus and our friends from the furnace, we are called to be
different too.
2. Daring
Our friends in
the story we very daring. They stood up to King Nebuchadnezzar. King Neb
was not known to be very stable or even tempered. He was exactly the
opposite. We read throughout the Scriptures that he went insane for
seven years due to his overwhelming pride in himself and his
accomplishments. And God had to take him down a peg or 10.
Building statues was common place in the ancient world. Some used them
to honour themselves, some used them to honour their gods, while some
used them to force people to worship one central thing to bring unity
and stability. Bible scholars tell us this is why King Neb built his
statue – to control the people.
In verse 16-19 we read that
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not
need to defend ourselves before you. 17 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. 18 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."
This was
very daring. It would be like standing up to Saddam Hussain, Robert
Mugabe or Adolf Hitler. You would be sure of what was going to happen.
And it did in their case, they were thrown into the fiery furnace.
Jesus was daring – Again if we look at the life of
Christ we see that Jesus was daring too. He spoke out against the
religious leaders of the day when He called them blind guides who led
people astray (Matthew 15:14). When He said they only polished the
outside of the cup when the inside was dirty, this was about how they
lived in public compare to their private lives (Matthew 23:25). He was
also very daring when He turned over the tables in the Temple and told
the people that God’s house should be a house of prayer, but they had
turned it into a den of thieves (Mark 11:17).
Christians
should be daring – As Christians we should be daring too. There
are times when we must speak up or stand up too. When we see injustice,
or people being treated badly, or when we see corruption or when the
Lord asks us to share our faith publicly. However, we know that we don’t
do this alone. Like Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego we know the Lord is
with us.
Acts 1:8 tells us that we will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people
about Me everywhere. Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all thing
through Christ’s strength. 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that God has not
given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and
self-discipline. Romans 8:11 tells us that the Holy Spirit lives inside
us. And in Hebrews 13:5 God promises to never leave us or forsake us.
As Christians, we can be daring because we know God is always with
us, the power of Christ helps us and we have power to be His witnesses.
3. Dedicated
Our friends Shadrach, Meshack
and Abednego were also very dedicated to their God.
In verses
17-18 we saw the depth of their devotion to God. “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. 18 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."
I love the
way that they boldly said that our God is able to save us and rescue us
from your hand. But even if he doesn’t, we will not bow down. They knew
God might save them in this life from King Neb or He might take them
home and save them that way. It was rock solid faith that shows real
dedication.
Jesus was dedicated – Throughout the
New Testament we see the dedication of Jesus. He was dedicated to His
Father in Heaven. He was dedicated to us. We see His dedication from His
leaving the glories of heaven to live amongst us (Philippians 2:7). We
see His dedication through His travel throughout the countryside for the
one person. He crossed the lake for the demon possessed man (Matthew
8:28-34). He walked 150 kilometres for the woman at the well (John
4:3-7). Could you imagine the anguish that Jesus must have felt in the
Garden of Gethsemane – knowing what was before Him (Mark 14:32-46). As
we saw earlier in communion, even on the cross He cared for His mother
and what would happen to her and He even promised salvation to the thief
beside Him. Jesus’ heart and mind was always on His Father in heaven and
His will, and it was always on us. That is real dedication.
Christians should be dedicated - Church we need to be
dedicated to Christ and His Kingdom. We need to put God first place in
our lives. We know that we have times in this life where we are tested
and tempted to turn away, but we must remain firm to the cause. We must
follow Christ’s example by serving others (Mark 10:45), teaching others
about Christ and how to follow Him (Matthew 28:19), making sure we
continue to grow in our faith and trust in Him (2 Peter 3:18). We need
to be faithful attendance at our churches (Hebrews 10:25). We must keep
our hearts and minds set on things above (Colossians 3:1-2) and seeking
first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), because we know God promises to
supply all our needs as we do (Matthew 6:25-32).
Closing
So in closing today I want to encourage you to learn the lessons
from the fiery furnace. Let us purpose in our hearts to be like
Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. Let us purpose to be daring and stand up
for the cause of Christ and our faith in Him. Let us purpose in our
hearts to be different to the world around us and live out the Kingdom
principles. And finally, let us purpose in out hearts to be dedicated to
the things and God and the mission He has placed before us.
Amen
By Dave Quinn
Founder of PASSION Australia
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