Who is your Master? How far are you willing to go? Would you die for the Gospel of Christ? Often times we read about persons who have died or were tortured because they stood up for their beliefs. If we are to look at church history, John Hus, Martin Luther King, even Stephen these are people who were martyred for their beliefs. And for those who have absolutely no clue about church history, we could recall hearing stories of persons like Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and other freedom fighters who were imprisoned for their beliefs and what they stood up for.
The text in Daniel 3, tells a story of three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were appointed as administrators in Babylon. The story goes on to tell us about a King called Nebuchadnezzar who made an image of gold and commanded the people to fall down and worship his golden image. And he issued a decree that whosoever hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp or pipes and does not fall down and worship this golden image will be thrown into a fiery furnace.
Word went back to the king that these three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who was set over the affairs of Babylon were paying him no mind. They neither serve his gods nor worship the image of gold, (vs. 12). Very angry, the king summoned the 3 Hebrew boys and asked them if the claims against them were true. And he decided to give them another chance to bow down and worship his image.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. Because if we are thrown into the furnace the God we serve is able to help us, and rescue us from your hands AND IF he does not, we are NOT going to serve your gods and images of gold. Now these boys got the kings very upset, so the king decided to heat up the fire even more, 7 times hotter. It was so hot that it killed the soldiers who tied up the three boys and threw them into the furnace.
But something great happened, something surprised the king because he saw four men walking around in the fire, unbound, unharmed and the fourth looks like the son of the gods. The king then approached the furnace and called out to the boys, and seeing that the fire did not harm them, neither was a single hair on their heads were singed, neither was their robes scorched or the smell of fire on them.
The king said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel to rescue his servants. As we look at this text this morning, I would like us all to ask ourselves the question, How far are we willing to go for God? As we explore the passage some more I would like us to focus on the three D’s.
1. DISTRACTION – DO NOT BE DISTRACTED. This image was set up and everyone was asked to bow down and worship before this image. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego it would come as a distraction to them. Because they only worshipped and served one God! And now this king has brought before them a golden image and was told to worship it. Today there are many distractions that face us in this lifetime. Even as we look around at our immediate surrounding, many of us leave our homes, as good Christian young men and women, and as we enter the world of ‘being alone,’ a world of turning our own keys, going in and out when we want, no mammy or daddy to say anything to us, yes the world I am talking about is University life. We leave our homes with one intention, to go get our degrees, study, study and study some more, but once we come through the gates of university and we began to get accustomed to university life, we tend to forget what our main goal was, and we get distracted.
We start to be influenced by our peers and often times in the wrong way. We forget that we were once Christians, and instead of telling our friends about Christ, we feel shame, and we follow the crowd! (Sounds familiar anyone?) Because there is no mummy or daddy to tell us anything, we go out get drunk, party and have sex as we like, and we get distracted from our main goal. The scene in the story was set perfectly for the three Hebrew boys, they could have forgotten everything they knew about God and worshipped the idol, in fear of their lives, but they refused to get distracted. Today I am saying to you, do not get distracted. Say true to yourself and stay true to your God.
Be DETERMINED. That brings be to the second D – DETERMINATION. Despite all that the boys were going through they were determined that they were not going to worship any idol. There are sometimes in life when we are pressured to do things that we are not comfortable with, but we must be determined to do the right thing. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego set an example for us here in the text, in both matters of religion and also to never sacrifice your consciences. Friends it is better to loose all than to loose your integrity. Be determined to stand up for what you believe in, be determined to hold on to your faith; be determined to hold on to your God. Although the boys were threatened with death, they were determined that not even death, can separate them from the love of God. Romans 8:38-39 reads “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” My family be determined to stand for what you believe in.
3. DELIVERED. The third D, I would like is to ponder on is the word DELIVERANCE. Be delivered. If we look at the text, when the three boys were in the fire, the scripture tells us that they were not harmed, they were not singed, their robes nor tuban, nothing was burnt, but friends they did lost something in the fire. Something person might easily miss in this text. They lost the bounds that were holding them captive. In verse 24, the king asked the question, Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? Now I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed. The fire did not hurt them but it snapped their bounds. Friends, there are many of us that are walking around bounded, and even when we go through the fiery furnace we are still bounded, but God wants to set us free. Once we hold fast to God WE WILL be delivered, no matter what the trials and temptations may be, once we remain faithful, God will deliver us. Remember he said he will never leave us no forsake us. Many of us go through fiery furnaces in our lives, sometimes we wonder if God is there with us, YES he is there! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were so sure that the God they serve will deliver them. And he did! This just goes to show that God will never fail us.
We serve a God that is always with us, in Psalm 139, the psalmist said, Lord if I make my bed in the pits of hell you are there. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? God is always here for us and his love is unfailing. The scripture tell us that not a hair on their heads were singed, neither did the smoke stifle them. You see my friends God is able to do that which is unspeakable! Those who suffer for Christ can be assured that he is with you, whether it be in the fiery furnace or in the valley of the shadows of death, and even there you need to fear no evil.
You see some of us believe that once we are Christians we are free from all temptations all troubles and all trials, but let me tell you something, it is the time that you announce publicly that you are a Christian that the devils attacks. The devil doesn’t go after sinners, because he have no time to waste, he done have them already, he attacks the children of God, so friends be on your guard.
Finally, it is good sometimes to go through the fiery furnaces of life, because we can only come out stronger, and it increases our faith in the one whom we serve. After the King saw that the Hebrew boys were alive, he joined them in praising God. Let others see you praising God, and as a result, they want to do it too. My friends, God is saying to us this morning, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, DO NOT be DISTRACTED, but BE DETERMINED and BE DELIVERED!
Amen!
