OPEN YOUR BIBLES TO Daniel 3 & Ezekiel 28
1. A few years have passed between Chapters 2 & 3
a. Some estimate as much as 20 years have gone by.
b. And with the passing time, things have changed.
REMEMBER: It was back in CH2 that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him greatly!
• He called all of his magicians & astrologers & soothsayers to him and demanded they tell him the dream!
• They couldn’t do it! But God could… and in comes Daniel.
AND WE LEARNED all that was going on in Daniel’s life was God’s DIVINE SET-UP for him to be at the right place at the right time.
• The GREAT IMAGE the King saw was actually a peek into future history as the coming world kingdoms would emerge & fall.
• All the way into the end times.
o Gold Head – Representing Babylon.
o Chest & Arms of Silver – Medes/Persians
o Belly & Thighs of Bronze – Grecian Empire
o Legs of Iron – Roman Empire
o Feet mixed with iron & clay – A revived Roman Empire
NOW AFTER Daniel revealed the dream and interpreted for King Nebuchadnezzar. He’s blown away by the God of Daniel!
• Look back with me at 2:46ff
• He Promotes Daniel, He Praises God…
• And then some time passes and his heart hardens.
Maybe he began to wonder: who says MY EMPIRE has to end?
• Why can’t that image be ALL GOLD?!
• I’m not sure I like that interpretation after all.
• And his heart is not so enamored with the God of Daniel.
• As a matter of fact, God is pushed right out of the picture.
APP: The same will happen with you and me if we’re not careful.
• Oh yes, we can have a great experience with the Lord.
• It could’ve been a deep emotional tugging, or a powerful song that grabbed our heart, or a meaningful time of repentance.
• Yet those won’t sustain us for the long haul!
• What happens when the emotional tank is on empty, and the songs sound hallow, the doubts begin to creep in?
• We need to daily seek the Lord, daily be in His Word.
Psalm 72.15 And He shall live; And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; Prayer also will be made for Him continually, And daily He shall be praised.
Psalm 61.8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.
Psalm 88.9 My eye wastes away because of affliction. LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You.
NOTE: We’re surrounded by men and women who once had a connection with God… Maybe they were raised in a church, perhaps they themselves prayed, and served, and even loved God.
• But now, the DAILY GRIND has got them off course.
• The DAILY DEMANDS have overwhelmed them.
• But to those who DAILY PRAISE & DAILY SERVE & DAILY CALL UPON the Lord, there is strength & perseverance.
Let’s see what 20 years have done to King Nebuchadnezzar.
I. (3.1-7) Demand To Worship
1. (1-6) He Made An Image
a. This was a huge image to match Nebuchadnezzar’s huge ego!
b. It was Golden and proud and standing tall.
c. It reflected the heart of Nebuchadnezzar wanting to draw the praise and attention from the people of his kingdom.
d. Forget the other metals… Gold it will be because my kingdom will stand forever! I’m stronger! I’m more powerful!
e. So come kingdom & worship my image!
Nebuchadnezzar is in trouble. He’s consumed with himself, he’s caught in the trap of inflated pride.
• And God has a way of dealing with people like this, deflating them and bringing them back down to earth.
1 Cor. 10.12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
2. (6-7) The Command.
a. Not only was the image there, but the command was to bow down and worship it when the music began.
b. This is a great example of ENFORCED WORSHIP.
c. Which really isn’t worship at all. That really never works.
NOTE: True worship has to be spontaneous, from the heart.
• You have to want to do it & engage in it personally.
• Everything we do here Sundays is an opportunity for worship.
• We have prayer… you can join in.
• We have music… you can join in.
• We have offering boxes… you can join in.
• We have opportunities to serve… you can join in.
• We have Bible Study… you can join in.
• We have calls for repentance, rededication, salvation… join in.
• But none of them mean much if they are forced.
• When it’s forced, you can bend the knee & move the mouth but never touch the heart.
• I won’t pray… no worship. I won’t sing… no worship.
• I won’t give… no worship. I won’t serve… no worship.
2 Cor. 9.7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
I guess we could also say, that God loves a CHEERFUL WORSHIPPER!
NOTE: I know part of my worship here is a continual prayer for your hearts to be touched by God in worship.
• Every week I ask that the Spirit of God would grab you and grasp you and grow you in Him.
• AND It’s happening! He continues to answer that prayer.
• But still some of you need to release yourself to the Lord and allow Him to soften you.
One More THING BEFORE WE MOVE ON… Did you notice that Nebuchadnezzar used music to move them to worship?
• The music was used to appeal to their flesh, soften them up.
• Even as music today is being used to influence the masses.
NOTE: MUSIC is a powerful spiritual means that can be used by both the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness.
• And we see all around us that the enemy is playing his music today and the world is happily bowing down.
• Why is music so powerful? Because Satan is a musician.
• Turn with me to Ezekiel 28.13-15
• He was a worship leader, an anointed musician.
• God loves music, it’s a blessing to use music to praise the Lord and honor Him… but Satan, understands the power of music too.
• It’s a constant battlefield for the worship of men & women.
YES IT’S TRUE, Music has the power to motivate you to worship with intensity or cause you to fall down in idolatry.
• It’s my prayer that no one here underestimates the effect of music on your hearts & minds & souls.
• What we choose to enter our hearts will soon come out!
Luke 6.45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
NOTE: Our hearts are like a precious empty treasure chest.
• What will we store up there? What will our hearts be filled with?
• And music, is one of the many things we make a deposit with.
It can draw us away from God… OR
• It can take us to God in adoration & submission!
THAT’S Why our times together here on Sundays & Thursdays, as a large fellowship family… singing to the Lord so important!
• We set that time aside so that we might seek the Lord together in song with music, softening our hearts, strengthening our faith.
• And yet there are times where folks are CRITICAL of the music or are ‘just not into it’.
• But guys these songs, the words, the melodies all penetrate to the very deepness of our hearts & spirits.
Psalm 96.1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 149.1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints.
NOT JUST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT…
Ephesians 5.18-19 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
AND SO just go around and sing to your brother… Hello Brother, so good to see you here today!
• AND THE USHERS: Where can I sit you this morning?!
And so with OUR worship team, they are not here to perform for us or to put on a large production in front of us...
• They are here to LEAD us into the presence of God.
• To be the CHIEF WORSHIPPERS, enraptured with God’s love.
• Jesse is a WORSHIP LEADER, not PERFORMING ARTIST.
• He’s not here for ENTERTAINMENT BUT FOR EDIFICATION!
• His gifting is to prayerfully choose songs to lead us in the singing so that we might be softened and touched by the Spirit.
• They are not to draw attention to themselves but to the Lord!
• I’m so thankful for Christian Music… It just fills our hearts with the joy of the Lord!
Well… the penalty with Nebuchadnezzar was that when the music played, bow down or be thrown in to a BURNING FIERY FURNACE.
Let’s picture the scene… the band is prepared, the statue is looming, the officials are ready… and as the band starts, everyone bows down on cue EXCEPT FOR 3.
• They are standing there straight as an arrow. They won’t bow!
• I love it! They refuse to disobey their God!
• We’ll stand, thank you very much!
II. (3.8-18) Determined Resistance
1. (8-12) The Chaldeans come to accuse.
a. Remember, Daniel’s favor with Nebuchadnezzar extended to his friends as they were promoted to lead the country.
b. The Chaldeans were probably a little upset with this and now they see their opportunity to get them!
c. “We’ve been waiting for 20 years! Now we got them!”
d. So they come and make a direct charge against them:
“There are certain Jews… who have not paid due regard to you.”
• It’s a false accusation of course. They respected the king, but refused to compromise in their worship of God.
• They refused to worship the image.
• They refused to serve the pagan gods of the nation.
• This was a classic example of civil disobedience by people who were in authority. -- What would you have done?
APP: That’s the heart of a life with NO COMPROMISE.
• They Refused. They refused. They refused!
• Let’s look back at Luke 4:4, 4:8, 4:12
NOTE: It’s true that we are living in a society that is increasingly becoming more hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ in general and to Christians in particular. -- We’re living on a spiritual battlefield.
APP: And so there will be times in your life that you find that you’re in the middle of an ethical dilemma, a spiritual crossroads.
• Will you obey God or man?
• Will you stand strong for the Lord or bow down to the enemy?
• Turn with me to Acts 5.27-29 – Jump to Acts 5.40-42
The apostles’ stand for obedience brought them a beating with rods, 39 stripes across the back.
• So here they are helping each other out and up and what do they do? They go right back to the Temple & start preaching again!
• They too, didn’t give up, didn’t give in, didn’t compromise!
Lord, give us that heart! That we wouldn’t cave in under pressure, that we would have the boldness to face any situation!
• That’s where Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego are right here!
2. (13-15) the King’s in a RAGE!
a. One of the downfalls in Neb’s life was his temper.
b. Here he’s in a fury, (lit. quaking & trembling with rage)
c. The boys are called to his presence and he gives them a 2nd chance to compromise.
d. Won’t you just bow down? Won’t you just bend the knee?
HISTORIANS tell us that when Nebuchadnezzar conquered a country, he allowed the captives to worship their own gods.
• And maybe he tries to persuade them a little saying, “look, I let you worship your own gods, now just do this one little thing.”
• Remind you that a burning fiery furnace awaits you if you don’t!
NOTE: That’s always the way of the enemy.
• Go ahead and go to church, but on Fridays make sure you’re still in the bars, still keeping up with the worldly stuff.
• Bow the knee to the world, and you can still do the church thing.
• Compromise. Give in a little. It won’t hurt you.
• Did it hurt last week? Are any worse? Be careful guys!
Gal. 6.7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
3. (16-18) They stand their ground.
a. Wow! What boldness. We don’t have to answer you!
b. V17 – God is able to deliver us and He will.
c. V18 – But if he doesn’t, we’re still not bowing down!
SO These aren’t words of doubt, but of absolute dependence upon the Sovereignty of God whether God intends to save them or not!
• HOMEWORK stroll through and mark the verbs in Hebrews 11
NOTE: Their confidence was in the Lord. Whatever you decide Father, we will trust in you. You’re in control. We’ve seen your faithfulness in the past and we will see in this fiery furnace we face!
• And we will worship you alone!
They exercised faith, not in faith, but in their heavenly Father.
• He knows best and we are submitted to Him.
• If He decides to heal me, or to help me, or to save my business it doesn’t matter. I trust Him either way.
That’s the fruit of a life with NO COMPROMISE.
• Safety & Security. Faith & Focus. Confidence & Calm!
• He is able to deliver us, but even if he doesn’t I will trust in Him!
