Turning Up the Heat
Sermon Transcript
0:00:14.0
April 20th, 1999, is a date that many people remember, but for all the wrong reasons. Many people remember it, especially the students and the teachers and the parents of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. That was the fateful day when two gunmen shot 12 of their fellow students and a teacher while injuring 24 others before turning the guns on themselves in a cowardly act of suicide. Their depraved actions stunned a nation and stirred up the discussion about school safety and gun control and all of that. Today, Columbine High School is synonymous with one of the deadliest school shootings in the United States of America.
0:01:08.7
But if you can think back to that time and to that fateful day, you may also remember that soon after stories of courageous faith began to emerge. And one of the stories that was most compelling said that Cassie Bernall, a student at Columbine, said yes when she was confronted with a question. When one of those gunmen stood over her and asked this question, “Do you believe in God,” she said yes. And seconds later she lost her life. Cassie’s parents wrote a book in her honor and honoring her memory. It was titled She Said Yes. And they found some comfort in knowing that their daughter’s courageous faith inspired other teens and other students there at Columbine High School. And, for what it’s worth, a little bit of a spiritual awakening and revival took place as a result of that terrible, terrible day.
0:02:11.6
Why do I tell you that story? Well, because it reminds me a story that took place almost 2600 years ago in the plains of Dura in the land of Shinar in the civilization of Babylon. The names back then were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And they were confronted with a similar choice- either deny God and live, or profess your faith in the one true God and die, die in a fiery furnace. And we know this story as a story of three young boys who stood strong in their faith. And they were thrown into the fiery furnace. Who doesn’t know the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, or Rack, Shack and Benny as Veggie Tales has made them famous in children’s church? Daniel 3 contains one of the best-loved stories of the Bible. It’s right up there with the story of the walls of Jericho coming down or the story of David and Goliath, maybe the story of Jonah and the whale, even the story of Jesus walking on the water. There are some great stories in the Bible. This is among them, but this is more than a children’s story. This is more than just a story, rooted in history in a real time and a real place with real people. This is also a story that, because it’s in the book of Daniel, has prophetic implications as well. There is a connection between this story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and what will happen at the end of the age. And we’ll get to that in due time.
0:03:58.5
But this story happens in Daniel 3, which follows Daniel 2, so let’s pick up where we were last time. Remember, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. And that dream frightened him, and he didn’t know quite what to do with the dream. And eventually Daniel, who was gifted of God to interpret dreams and visions at that time, was called upon. And Daniel interpreted the dream. And we get this long throw of history, human history from the time of the Babylonian civilization all the way to the end of the age through the Medo-Persian Empire and the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, and one day even the revived Roman Empire at the end of the age as the book of Revelation and later in the book of Daniel it specifies even more. At the end of that interpretation of the dream, the king was convicted in his heart. And it seems at the end of chapter 2 that he has kind of a coming of faith and he acknowledges the God of Daniel, the God is Israel as the one true God.
0:05:03.6
But in Daniel 3 we have a different story. Let me begin the reading here. Chapter 3 and verse 1, “King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And the herald proclaimed aloud, ‘You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.’ Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”
0:06:38.4
Now, this is amazing that following the end of chapter 2 where the king had kind of a coming of faith that in chapter 3 he is back to his old ways of worshipping the gods of Babylon, in this case erecting an image of himself, covering it in gold, and demanding that people worship him. I mean, it is the grossest of idolatry. And in this way Nebuchadnezzar violated the second commandment of the Ten Commandments in ways that humankind has never seen up to this point. This giant image, the Bible says, was 60 cubits by 6 cubits. In our measurements today that is 90 feet tall by 9 feet wide. It was tall and narrow. Think of a nine-story building.
0:07:34.8
Now, we don’t know how much time has passed between chapter 2 and chapter 3. Some scholars say as much as 20 years, perhaps two decades. Certainly it would have taken a long time for Nebuchadnezzar to build this image of himself and to erect it there in the plain of Dura in the land of Shinar in the province of Babylon. But can you imagine such pride, such arrogance. I call it the ultimate selfie. He erects this image of himself, and he says, “Look at me. Watch me. Worship me.” It kind of sounds like…well, not the “me” generation, but now the “selfie” generation, you know, drawing all this attention to ourselves and Nebuchadnezzar to himself. Just a gross, gross act of idolatry.
0:08:22.3
But there is a lesson here in music and worship. Did you notice how, when they gathered in the plain there and the image was erected, that Nebuchadnezzar’s representative comes out there, and he says, “Now, everybody, now that you’re gathered, as soon as you hear…,” and he names all these instruments from which all this music is going to come. “As soon as you hear all the music, you’re to bow down and worship.” And I think from this comes a rather interesting and unmistakable lesson in music and worship. You know, God created music. Heaven is full of beautiful music that honors and glorifies the God of heaven and earth. We have the angels in heaven singing. Can’t wait to be there one day and join that choir of people giving praise and worship to God. God uses music to turn our hearts to Him in worship. Does He not? It’s a big part of who we are as a church, a big part of what it means for the body of Christ to gather together in worship. And music is a big part of it. But here’s the lesson. The devil also uses music to twist our hearts away from God. He’s good at it. Aristotle once said, “Music has the power to shape our character.” And it does.
0:09:52.2
A couple of decades ago Rich Warren wrote a book called The Purpose Driven Church that was the prequel to The Purpose Driven Life. And in that book he drew attention to the power of music and worship this way. Keep in mind, this was written two decades ago. But he says, “A song can often touch people in a way that sermon cannot. Music can bypass intellectual barriers and take the message straight to the heart. Satan is clearly using music today to do that.” He says, “The rock lyrics of the 1960s and 70s shaped the values of most Americans who are now in their 30s, 40s and 50s.” Those Americans to which he is referring are probably in their 50s, 60s and 70s now, right? I think that’s true. He says, “Today MTV…” Is that still around, MTV? I don’t know. But he says, “MTV, music television, shapes the values of most people in their teens and 20s. Music is the primary communicator of values to the younger generation.” And then he says this. “If we don’t use contemporary music to spread godly values, Satan will have unchallenged access to an entire generation. Music is a force that cannot be ignored.” And he was spot on back then, during a time when what some people call a worship revolution was taking place in the church. Changes in styles and the way we presented music and worship in the local church.
0:11:29.8
When I came here almost four years ago, we had an open position in the worship pastor. And we were very intentional…and I said this to the congregation…very intentional about filling that by tipping it in a younger and more modern direction. And we’ve done that. We’ve done that for all the reasons that Rick Warren mentioned there. Because we’re not going to give Satan unfettered access to the younger generation just because we’re stuck in the 14th or 15thcentury and the way we present it. Now, we do that in a way that is intentionally modern in its presentation, blended in its content. What do I mean by that? By not leaving behind the great hymns of the faith. And even today as that worship revolution is coming full circle, even the more modern expressions of worship are reaching back into the best of the best of the great hymns of the faith and reintroducing them to a new generation, because the theology is great. But make no mistake about it, the presentation is modern and will continue to go that direction for all the reasons that are spoken of here.
0:12:42.0
Twenty-five, twenty-six centuries ago the devil used music in the plain of Dura in the land of Shinar in the province of Babylon to get people to bow down and worship the image of the king. As soon as they struck up the music, they were to bow down. And make no mistake about it, the devil is doing the same thing today. Larry Norman, back during the incubation and the start of the contemporary Christian music, wrote a song called “Why Does the Devil Have All the Good Music.” There is no such thing as Christian music, only Christian lyrics. Can I say that again? No such thing as Christian music, only Christian lyrics. And even the great hymns of the faith, many of them were bar tunes borrowed by the Wesleys and others, rewritten lyrics to the popular bar tunes of the day. That’s what has happened over the last 20 years is the worship leaders and the psalmists of our day and age have borrowed the more modern sounds in modern music. I think there is a lesson right here in Daniel 3 to that extent.
0:13:48.4
Now, a great pressure came against Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to bow down and worship the image that the king had erected of himself as he says, “Look at me, watch me, and worship me.” But 2600 years ago Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood strong in their faith, refusing to worship the image of the king. And for that we celebrate them. But that we’re just always excited to hear this story. And it is one of the great stories of the Bible.
0:14:17.6
But let’s talk a little about what it’s like when the heat is on and when somebody is turning up the heat on our faith. It comes in about four different expressions that I find this story. The first is the pressure to conform. It’s bow or burn. This was the king’s edict. “You either bow to me, or you burn. You either go along to get along, or the fiery furnace is your destination.” And King Nebuchadnezzar was ruthless.
0:14:51.0
By the way, why the change from the end of chapter 2 to chapter 3? My best explanation comes from a story that Jesus told. It was the parable of the sowers. Remember, He said, you know, there was a sower that had a bag of seed. And he goes around sowing that seed. And some of that seed falls on the rocky ground. And some of it falls on into the thorn bushes and other of it along just the casual waling places. And then some of that seed falls on the good soil. And we don’t have to guess as to the interpretation. He goes on to interpret the parable to His disciples. And we learn that Jesus is the sower, and the seed is the Word of God. And the four different soils that are mentioned there are conditions of the human heart. The seed never fails. There is not a problem with the seed. There is not a problem with the sower, right? The problem is with the human heart. And maybe what happened…and we don’t know how much time has passed between chapter 2 and chapter 3; some scholars say as much as 20 years. But something has changed in the king’s heart. And maybe when the seed of the Word of God fell on his heart at the end of chapter 2, maybe it fell onto the rocky, hard heart that the king had. And it never eventually took root, because something is different in him at the beginning of chapter 3. And he is now demanding worship and violating the second commandment in the grossest kind of ways.
0:16:22.1
But the pressure to conform comes. And that pressure can be great, can it not? The pressure comes to high school students on the high school campus to conform. It’s called peer pressure. It’s comes to college students on the college campus. It comes to us in the workplace. You know, I go along to get along. It comes to us in politics. Tip O’Neill, who was the Speaker of the House many, many years ago, welcomed Ronald Reagan to Washington, D.C., by saying, “Let me tell you how it works around here. You go along to get along.” He says, “That’s how we welcome these freshmen into Congress. The party bosses will just say, ‘You’ve got to go along. You’ve got to go along to get along around here.’” And that pressure to conform weighs heavily on us in a lot of different, a thousand different ways perhaps, to compromise our faith and to compromise our convictions, even our conscience, and to conform to the pressures of the world. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” How do you renew your mind? You saturate with the Word of God. It’s your best defense against a world that is always, as J. B. Phillips says, “trying to squeeze us into its mold.” Phillips says don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold, but renew your mind, renew your thoughts. Don’t think like the world. Think like God and renew your mind with His thoughts. That pressure to conform, bow or burn, came against these three boys.
0:18:01.1
That was followed by hostile threats. I marked down at least three places where the king issued threats and others voices them for him. Daniel 3:6, “And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Oh, you know the heat is on and the pressure is on to conform when there is a threat associated with it. And the king ratchets up the threat as time goes on. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow down, he gives them one more chance. And when they refuse to do that, he says, “Turn up the heat in the furnace seven times hotter.” Well, it’s one thing for the heat to be on. It’s another thing for somebody to turn the heat up on you to where the pressure to conform is even greater.
0:18:53.9
Following the hostile threats come malicious accusations. Look at it in (0:19:00.1) verse 8. “Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews.” Boy, doesn’t that sound familiar? “They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live forever!’” There they are buttering up the king again. You never hear, “O king, die tomorrow.” It’s, “O king, live forever.” “‘You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace.’” They’re reminding the king of the decree that he made, like he needed a reminder. He knows this. “Tell me something new,” would be the king’s response. But verse 12, “There are certain Jews,” they go on to say, “certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.’” Boy, they name them. These nameless, malicious accusers, (0:20:00.1) you know, just certain Chaldeans out there. Nameless, malicious accusers, they’re taking prisoners and naming names here. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’”
0:20:19.3
The heat is on. These nameless, faceless, malicious accusers paying dirty politics, bringing this to the attention of the king. Now, what they said was true. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego gave no credence to the king’s decree. They weren’t about to do it one bit. But, oh, the dirty politics. You know, when the heat is on, when the power and pressure to conform comes against you, there are hostile threats, malicious accusations… finally, I wrote down prideful anger. Yeah, this just heats it up even more. I’m talking about King Nebuchadnezzar. He heard this, that there were certain Jews that he had promoted and put in higher positions of authority now rejecting his authority. Verse 13, it says, “Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately,’”—here comes the threat again—“‘immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?’”
0:22:01.5
Furious rage. There’s another time in verse 19 that Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed. Dude had anger problems. But he brought hostile threats, prideful anger, there’s malicious accusations here. There’s even contempt that King Nebuchadnezzar expresses towards the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. “Who is going to save you now?”
0:22:33.6
When the heat is on. I don’t know. Does any of that describe what you’re going through right now? Maybe in your setting in your neighborhood or your place of work or somebody is ratcheting up the heat on you because you name the name of Jesus Christ, and things aren’t going well. You may get passed over for that promotion. Your tribe, your people who you thought were your friends, they don’t reach out to you. You feel kind of like Rudolph, you know. They don’t invite you to the reindeer games anymore, and they now cast you to the island of misfit toys because you’re a Jesus person, you know. It hurts. It’s hard. It’s hard when the heat is on.
0:23:25.0
How do you respond when the heat is on? I’ll get to that in a moment. But there is another part of this story that I’ve got to drop in, because this is the book of Daniel. Daniel is great Old Testament prophecy. And this story from the Old Testament. This is a part maybe you didn’t know. This story pictures a prototype of something that will happen in the end of the age in Bible prophecy during a seven-year period of time known as the Tribulation period. Let me say it to you this way. Before the return of Jesus Christ, tribulation believers—that is, those people who come to faith in Christ during the Tribulation period—they will stand strong in their faith by refusing to worship the Antichrist. And just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to the image of the king, these people who come to faith in Christ will face the same pressure, the pressure to conform, the hostile threats, the malicious accusations, the furious rage of the devil himself and the incarnation of the devil through this figure in Bible prophecy known as the Antichrist. It will be so intense, but these people will stand strong.
0:24:49.7
Let me take you to two places in the book of Revelation. Hold your place in Daniel 3 and go with me to Revelation 13. Revelation 13 beginning in verse 11. John says, “Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth.” Let’s pick it up in the middle of 14. “Telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.” What’s going on here? Well, in the larger context, the first beast mentioned is the Antichrist who gives authority to second beast, who rises up out of the earth, the scripture says. This is the false prophet. And the Antichrist gives the false prophet the authority to erect an image. This image is placed in the newly-built temple in Jerusalem. You see, for the first 3½ years the Antichrist, who comes onto the world stage…following the rapture of the church, he comes onto the world stage to solve all the world problems. And he looks like a friend to everybody, especially the nation of Israel. In fact, he negotiates a peace treaty in the Middle East. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine the headline news if somebody would finally negotiate peace in the Middle East? The Antichrist will do that. Nobody will even come close to doing that for very long until this time in Bible prophecy and in future history.
0:26:34.8
But he’s only a friend to Israel for the first 3½ years. And at the midpoint of this seven-year Tribulation period known as Daniel’s 70th weeks…we’ll get to that in chapter 9 of Daniel. But at the midpoint he breaks covenant with Israel, marches into the temple, which he allowed the Jews to rebuild and reenact their Old Testament worship practices. He marches into the temple, desecrates the temple, then gives authority to the false prophet to erect an image, an image to himself, and demands that the world worship the Antichrist, who is the incarnation of the devil himself. It’s what the devil’s wanted since time in memoriam is to be worshiped. The Antichrist controls the world through a one-world government, and there are three cities that emerge at that time in power- the city of Jerusalem, Rome and Babylon.
0:27:35.0
So this story from Daniel 3, first of all, is a flashback to Genesis 11 when the Tower of Babel was erected, and the Lord dealt with them at that time. But then the Babylonian civilization arises in that same general area in the province of Babylon in the land of Shinar and in the plain of Dura. Nebuchadnezzar, who is a prototype, a picture of the coming Antichrist, demands worship. And the pressure to conform is great, just as at the end of the age the pressure to conform and to worship the Antichrist. He will control the economy. Everybody knows the number of the Antichrist- 666. That’s the number in the Bible related to man, falls short of the number of perfection, which is 7 in the Bible. But how ironic that this plane that Nebuchadnezzar raises up in the land of Dura and in the plain of Shinar in the province of Babylon there was 60 cubits x 6 cubits. How ironic. And how ironic that Nebuchadnezzar says, “Stir up the heat seven times hotter.” Is that, you know, a wink and a nod to the seven-year Tribulation that will be the worst of times on planet earth? No greater persecution will come against the people of God in all of history than during the Tribulation period.
0:29:11.8
Thankfully, as I understand Bible prophecy, believers in Jesus Christ who are living on the earth at that time will be lifted out of this earth via the rapture. And we will not go through the wrath to come. But there will be people on planet earth at that time who come to faith in Jesus Christ. Probably the great revival and even spiritual awakening will take place on planet earth during the seven-year Tribulation period. God will use 144,000 Jewish believers. We are in the times of the Gentiles, and this seven-year period known as the Tribulation is a time when God returns to His focus and His covenant promises to the nation of Israel. The times of the Gentiles will be over for the most part, and God will focus His time on the Jews. And the Jews will come to faith in Christ. They will seek Jesus as the Messiah, and 144,000 will be filled with the Holy Spirit. They’re like 144,000 Billy Grahams who share the gospel across planet earth. And a great spiritual awakening will take place, but at a great cost. Because these Tribulation believers will be given a choice. The pressure to conform. Either worship the image of the beast, who is the Antichrist, or you’ll die.
0:30:31.7
Now, fast forward to Revelation 20. The latter part of Revelation 19 describes the second coming of Jesus Christ and the battle of Armageddon. Chapter 20 begins. Let’s pick it up in verse 4. John says, “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been,”—listen to this—“beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life.” This is one of seven resurrections that happens from the time of Christ to the end of the age. “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” The word “a thousand years” are mentioned six times in the first seven verses of chapter 20. This is where we get the idea of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Not a figurative thousand years, but a literal thousand years following the return of Jesus Christ at the end of the Tribulation period, the defeat of all His enemies at the battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ will declare Himself king. We will return with Him as the church. And those who died, who were beheaded during the Tribulation period will rise again at that time and join us in the millennial reign of Christ for a thousand years. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” will be an answered prayer in its fulfillment there, the millennial reign of Christ. All of this is pictured in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon 2600 year ago when Nebuchadnezzar, a prototype of the Antichrist and the beast to come, raises up this image.
0:32:31.5
But there are practical implications for us today, and let’s get to those. How do you handle the pressure? What do you do when the heat is on? Let me suggest three things. Number one, don’t be surprised by the fiery furnace. Don’t be surprised. Don’t be surprised at all. 1 Peter 4:12-13, Peter says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.” Don’t be surprised. And circle the word “when.” He didn’t say “if the fiery trial comes upon you,” but “when.” Did you know that during this time, the early 21st century, there are believers in Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters in Christ in other parts of the world who are facing great trials for their faith? They’re facing a fiery trial. Some people say that more people, more followers of Jesus have been persecuted and have lost their lives during our time than in any other time in church history.
0:33:42.5
Now, we don’t feel that pressure here in the United States, but our culture is changing, is it not? It used to be pretty friendly to the Christian faith. It’s fairly friendly to spiritual things and to religious things. But as soon as you interject Jesus into the conversation, oh, just like Nebuchadnezzar’s countenance changed, the countenance of our culture changes. That shouldn’t surprise us. Come on, it shouldn’t surprise us at all. Jesus said to His disciples, “In this world you will have tribulation.” You won’t go through the tribulation, but you will experience it. “And if they hated Me,” Jesus said, “they will hate you.” Don’t be surprised by that. Peter was there when Jesus said these things, and so he reminds the beloved and the followers of Jesus in the 1st century, “Don’t be surprised by the fiery trial.”
0:34:34.3
He goes on to encourage them, verse 13, “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.” Some of us may suffer for Christ in ways that others don’t or the measure…you know, I can’t tell you what will happen, if anything, that severe. But Peter says, “When the fiery trial comes” He’s not saying you’ll suffer, and if you suffer, you know, do so by being a jerk for Jesus. No, we’re not talking about being a jerk for Jesus. You know, sometimes we bring it on ourselves because we act like jerks for Jesus. No, just live out your faith authentically. Let the fruit of the Spirit flow through every pore in your being- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Live out your faith authentically. Don’t be a jerk for Jesus. But even if you’re not a jerk for Jesus and you joyfully live out your faith, the fiery trial will come. Don’t think the world is going to applaud you because you name the name of Jesus.
0:35:42.0
Secondly fireproof your faith. What do you do when the heat is on? Don’t be surprised by it. Secondly, fireproof your faith. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, let’s go back to Daniel 3, and let’s watch how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fireproof their faith. It says in verse 16, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.’” Remember, Nebuchadnezzar gave them one more chance. “One more chance, guys. We’re going to play the music. And as soon as you hear the music, bow down or you’re gonna burn.” And they said, “King, we have no need to answer you in this matter.” In other words, “King, we’ve already made our decision, and the answer is no. We’re not going to compromise our faith.” They fireproofed their faith. And what I mean by that in part is they made a decision ahead of time. Not if, but when their faith was challenged, when the pressure to conform to worldliness and worldly standards, even to evil idolatry, was coming, they knew ahead of time what their response would be.
0:36:56.1
They go on to say in verse 17, “‘If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’” This is why we love these guys. This is why we’re so inspired. They say, “You know, king, we don’t have to talk about this. We don’t have to convene a council of the three of us and talk about what we’re going to do here. No, we’ve already made our decision.” Remember, back in Daniel 1 Daniel had resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food. And his three friends joined him in that resolution, that earnest and definite decision they had made to stay true to the one true God. And now their faith in challenged. And they say, “You know, king, if you throw us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver us.” Turn to your neighbor and say, “God is able.” Come on now. Say it like you really mean it. God is able. These boys were so confident in their faith, they knew God was able. But they said, “Even if He doesn’t, we’re still going to serve Him.”
0:38:11.9
You know, God is able to deliver any one of us from the fiery furnace. God is able to do a whole host of things. There is nothing that is impossible. God is able to heal you. But if He doesn’t, if He chooses not to, will you still serve Him? That is a fireproofed faith. When the heat is on…maybe it’s because people are coming against your faith and attacking you because you serve Jesus or maybe just…you know, sometimes life itself becomes a fiery furnace. And when the heat is on you know God is able. You know He is able. But He doesn’t always do what we ask Him to do, right? “Not My will,” Jesus says, “but Thine be done.” And when we know He is able but He chooses not to, will you still serve Him? That’s a fireproof faith. And you’ve got to make that decision ahead of time, all right.
0:39:13.4
The fiery trial is coming to test you. God never tempts us with evil, but He puts our faith to the test. Just like an automobile manufacturer runs that automobile out on a test track, put it through all kinds of tests to improve it, to strengthen it before they ever bring it to market, God will test your faith and my faith. So fireproof your faith.
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Finally, look for the fourth man in the fire. I don’t have time to read the rest of this story. Let me just summarize it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego say, “No, king, not gonna do it.” He is furious! Beyond enraged. And he says, “Heat up the furnace seven times hotter.” And his furnace guys, you know, are like, “Man, we’ve got to go stoke this fire.” The fire and the furnace became so hot it killed the furnace keepers. And then it was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s turn. They are tossed into the fiery furnace. Nothing metaphorical or allegorical about this, friends. This is real history, real people, real time, real place. And this is the most ruthless of evil kings, Nebuchadnezzar. By the way, you ain’t seen nothin’ until the Antichrist comes on the world scene. You talk about seven times hotter. When the restrainer, the Holy Spirit, is lifted as the church is raptured, literally all hell breaks loose on planet earth. That’s why the Tribulation period…I call it the worst of times on planet earth.
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So Nebuchadnezzar stokes up the furnace seven times hotter and tosses the guys in. He is done with them, right? A few minutes later he glances in there. Verse 25 says that he says, “‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.’” No, Nebuchadnezzar. Close but no cigar here, Nebuchadnezzar. He not only looks like a son of the gods, He is the Son of God, right? He is the Son of God. This is called a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Remember, Jesus was eternal. His life didn’t start at Bethlehem. He was just an eternal God clothed now in human flesh who appeared to us in Bethlehem. But “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word as God.” He is an eternal God, and He appeared here and there in the Old Testament. And this was one of the places that He appeared.
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And the encouragement is that He is right there with us in the fiery furnace. He is present. The psalmist in Psalm 139 says, “Where can I flee from your spirit? Where can I go from your presence?” And he imagined going out into the deepest ocean or over here into the darkest place or down into Sheol itself into the grave. He says, “There is not a place on planet earth that I can escape your presence.” And this was a comfort to the psalmist. God will never leave us. He will never forsake us. Jesus said to His disciples when He commissioned them in Matthew 28, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” He could have put a period right there, but He goes on to say, “And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” “Even in the fiery furnace, I’m with you, because I was the fourth man in the fire.”
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Johnny Cash…any Johnny Cash fans here? Johnny Cash made famous a song titled “The Fourth Man in the Fire.” And I told Phil was coming prepared, to dress in black today and give you my best Johnny Cash. I even asked Phil to sing it for us. He said he couldn’t do it justice. Next time I think we just need to put a little bit more pressure on him to do “The Fourth Man in the Fire.” But Johnny Cash…the refrain of that song says, “They wouldn’t bend. They held on to the will of God, so we are told. They wouldn’t bow. They would not bow their knees to idols made of gold. They wouldn’t burn. They were protected by the fourth man in the fire. They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.” Say it with me. “They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.” Come on now. “They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.” Somebody say hallelujah or say Johnny Cash, I don’t know, but…they wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, and they wouldn’t burn.
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It doesn't get any better than Johnny Cash, unless you’re talking about the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 43…and here is where we’ll end…verses 1 and 2, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. That’s a little better than Johnny Cash. That’s good stuff, isn’t it? The promise of God. No matter what you’re facing, no matter what kind of fiery trial, not if but when you go through it, the fourth man in the fire is there. Look for Him. He promised never to leave you nor forsake you.
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Fireproof your faith, and don’t be surprised when it happens. Rejoice. Find joy in the fact. The apostle Paul says, “Oh, I want to know Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His sufferings.” You know there is a deeper intimacy that we experience with Jesus when we suffer like He did. When you’re misunderstood, when you’re spit upon, when all kinds of pressure and evil come against you because you are a Christian. Paul says, “I want to know Him in the power of His resurrection.” Don’t we all want that? I want to know more power to live the Christian life. I want to know the power of the resurrected Christ. And he doesn’t stop there. He says, “I also want to know Him through an intimacy that comes by suffering like Him.” I don’t want to be a jerk for Jesus and just bring it on myself. But when it comes because I’m just living an authentic faith, I get to know Him better. I get to experience Him more intimately.
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And, friends, wherever you are whenever that fiery trial comes, just, again, don’t be surprised. Fireproof your faith. Decide ahead of time what you’re going to do in those circumstances, maybe you can anticipate them. The pressure to conform that will come, decide now how you’ll respond, and always look for the fourth man in the fire. Stand strong in your faith, beloved, because our Redeemer is coming. He’s coming again, all right. He’s promised that He’s coming. And that’s as sure as tomorrow’s sunrise.
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