Good morning. As we continue this morning we are going to look at our next 3:16. Last week we looked at I Samuel 3:16 and the idea of seeking and listening for your calling in life and then submitting to that calling. Today we look at a couple of verses that have the reference of 3:16. The first one comes in Act 3:16. Here in Act 3:16 it says, “1”
Now we are not going to be talking about healing this morning, but we are going to look at the idea of faith. As many of you know, Corrine has passed away. As I look at Corrine’s life, I can’t help but see a life of faith. When I was around her she was always a very faithful woman. Even in the bad times, she kept the faith and she persevered. At the service this week I shared a couple of passages that I though exemplified her faith and her life.
I would like to share 1 of those with you at this time. I read from II Timothy, where Paul says to Timothy in 4:6-8, “2”
Corrine sure did keep the faith even to the very end, and that is an example that we should all strive to follow.
As we talk about faith this morning I want you to turn to our main text for today. It will be found in the verses that surround Daniel 3:16. Now this is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the faith that they possessed. Now the story actually takes place in verses 1-30, but I can’t read that well for that long, so we are going to listen to Daniel 3:1-30 from a CD. I still encourage you to follow along. “PLAY CD”
The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the burning, fiery furnace is a favorite in the Old Testament and it has enjoyed its popularity since the earliest days in the Christian church when the first generation of Christians in Rome were being persecuted for their faith. The story was painted in the catacombs by believers persecuted by the Romans and has been an inspiration to all who have been oppressed. It is a story of rugged faith and uncompromising faithfulness to God.
We can find help and encouragement as we focus our attention upon these brave men who honored the Lord and never lost the faith. Notice first:
The Challenge they Faced
The circumstances were that the proud king Nebuchadnezzar had set up a golden image to be worshiped by all. It was a huge monument, 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. All of the high officials of the Babylonian empire had been summoned to the dedication ceremony, a great orchestra was raising the emotional temperature.
So the scene was set for a great cultural and religious scene. Yet there was something sinister about it because as a last resort Nebuchadnezzar had issued a sanction of death by the fire to deal with a possible rebellion against this statue.
This was the challenge the three young men had to face, It was a problem that would not go away. A choice had to be made then and there. Choices have to be made by all of us at some time.
The short version of the story is that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down. They refused to renounce God and His commands. They refused to follow the crowd. They were determined to stand out against this evil thing and to be faithful to the Lord at any cost. Here was courage of the highest order. You see, they were prepared to face a fearful death rather than dishonor their God. But the story doesn’t end there because the Biblical account tells us that Nebuchadnezzar offered them a second chance. We go on to learn of:
The Compromise they Refused
Nebuchadnezzar ordered the rebels to be brought before him. He assumed that it could not possibly be their deliberate intention to defy him and so he would give them a second opportunity to conform. What a temptation! We can almost hear the tempter whispering in their ears, "It’s a long way from Jerusalem." It was Charles Spurgeon who said that "character is what you are in the dark".
Yes, it is easy to compromise - on morality, on honesty, even on faithfulness to the Scriptures. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would have none of that. With great courage and dignity they told the king that they were not going to argue with him. The 3 young men made no attempt to excuse themselves.
They refused to save their situation at the expense of their consciences; they were prepared to defy their king rather than offend their God. It took courage to stand out, to be the only 3 out of 300,000, who refused to bow their knee. God’s people are not called upon to go out of their way to be martyrs, but they have to be ready to make their stand if need be.
One of the bishops in the century following the church of New Testament times had a similar experience. Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna was brought before the Roman authorities and told to curse Christ and he would be released. He replied, “Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong: how then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?” The Roman officer replied, “Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt.” But Polycarp said, “Do what you wish.”
This story from the book of Daniel is an important reminder that faithfulness to God may result in problems. Refusal to conform to this world’s pattern may well involve trouble and loss. True faith is a readiness to trust God to fulfil His purposes whatever that might be, and to say, as Job did in Job 15:15 when he said, “though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” And in some translations it says, “though he slay me, yet I will trust him.”
The steadfast refusal of the young men made the king furious, and he commanded the furnace to be heated again and again, and they were thrown into the fire. What a wonderful experience that turned out to a demonstration of their faith, and God’s protection of them.
The message of this chapter of Daniel is clear. It is the need for the believer to grow in the grace of God so that when face to face with a challenge to faith, there will be no compromise on Christian principles. But when the fire of pain, disappointment, or disillusionment comes, God will be with us.
Someone has so rightly said, “Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it.”
So, the lesson or issue for the faithful is: “What do you do when you are in the midst of the furnaces of life? What do you do when the flames of circumstances and crisis have encircled you? What do you do when the fires of frustrations are burning in your life? What do you do when you are feeling the heat of pain and pressure? Is there anything in the Christian faith and principles that answers those questions?” In this story there is a Biblical blueprint, a meaningful and moving message that is conveyed to the faithful when we experience life’s fires.
I believe they had, A Faith in an Unseen Presence:
When you think about it, that’s what the Christian faith is. Augustine once said, “Faith is to believe what we don’t see, and the reward is to see one day what we believe.” Faith in God sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. They were His and He was theirs, and these Hebrew boys sensed God’s presence in the shadows, watching over them. The presence of God with us in our afflictions, our adversities, helps us to cling to our faith, in spite of our fears.
You see, the journey of faith is developing the ability to trust God when it’s difficult to trace God. Ours is a journey of walking by “faith and not by sight.” In the saga of Abraham’s journey he was required to believe and go to a land he did not see, to move in a direction he had never gone. Without a compass to guide him, without a map to show him the direction, he moved. His faith was trusting in the unseen presence of God to navigate the steps of his life. It is that unseen presence that goes before us making the crooked places straight, and the rough places smooth.
I am reminded of the story of a Preacher who asked a boy about the presence of God. The Preacher said to him, “Son, I will give you an apple if you can tell me where God is.” The boy looked at the Preacher, then he looked at the apple, and said, “Preacher, I will give you a barrel of apples if you can tell me where He isn’t.” That is our testimony; our God is everywhere, making possible the impossible, even in the midst of fire He is there.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were aware of the nearness of God. Though they were distant from their Temple where their God had resided, God was not distant from them. Because of His presence with us, it does not mean we will not have our furnaces, but it only guarantees His companionship in the fires.
Secondly, we see that they had, A Faith in an Unusual Power:
These 3 guys knew that Nebuchadnezzar was great and powerful, but God was equal and greater. Their God had led their ancestors out of Egypt. God had opened the Red Sea for them to cross, and equally opened the River of Jordan for entrance to the Promised Land. He had fed them with fresh Manna and Quail in the wilderness for food. That is why they spoke to the King as they did, when he asked them of their reason for defying his orders, they said, “Our God is able to deliver us, but if He doesn’t, we still believe He is able.”
And lastly this morning, they had A Faith in an Unfailing Promise:
God is not obligated to make any promises, but once He makes a promise, He keeps it. God had made covenants with the people that He would never fail them or forsake them. Those covenants are ours as well, He joins us in our pain, He walks with us in our pilgrimages of life, He helps us over our obstacles, and He encourages us in our fears. That’s simply because He has promised us His presence. He has given us His spoken words and His written words, and they are our promises. In the Psalms, He promised to be our present help in the times of trouble. In the Proverbs, He promised to be our guide and friend. In Matthew, He promised to be with us always, even to the end of the ages. In John, He promised to be the Comforter. In Philippians we are promised that He will supply all of our needs. In Corinthians we are promised that His grace is sufficient. In Jude, we are promised that he can keep us from falling. In I John, we are promised that He hears us. Now a person with real faith will trust fully and faithfully on those promises.
There is a story told of three little girls who are enjoying an evening of play. They started playing the game of counting their money. The object of this game was to see who had the most and the winner would be crowned queen for the day. The first little girl counted 13 pennies. The 2nd counted 14 pennies. And the 3rd little girl began to count, and she had only 14 pennies like the 2nd girl. However she counted 15. The other 2 girls argued with her over the count and they counted again, there were only 14, but the last girl insisted on having 15. Finally, they asked, “How can you say 15 when you only have 14?” She replied, “My father promised me another penny when he comes home from work today. And whatever my father promises me, I know I will get it.”
That is the assurance we have. Whatever the Father has promised, He will provide, whatever He says, it is a word that you can count on.
In closing, a man was on trial for murder in Oklahoma. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no body found. In the defense’s closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. “Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.”
He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened. Finally the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I, therefore, put it to you that there is reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”
The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty. “But how,” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.”
Then the jury foreman answered, “Oh, we did look. But your client didn’t.”
Faith is what really gets us through things. In order for us to stay strong, we have to have faith that God exists and that there is something worth staying strong for. We have to believe that at any minute the person who was killed on the cross could walk through that door and be with us. In fact, as we looked at today, He is always with us. Even in the fiery trials that we face, He is right by our side. All we have to do is trust in His promise, and have faith that He will always be right by our side.
Let’s Pray |
