OUR GOD IS ABLE
- Daniel 3:8-29
King Nebuchadnezzar set up a statue and told all the people they had to bow down and worship it whenever the music was played. Everyone in the area obeyed except for these 3 men. Notice, the enemies of God’s people took this opportunity to accuse these 3 men, they took this opportunity to try to get them into trouble. It doesn’t say that they thought bowing down to some stupid statue every time the king took a notion to have the music played was a good idea. It doesn’t say they liked bowing down to this thing or that they thought it was actually worship or that they thought it was religiously blessing them. The Bible says that they took this occasion; they took this opportunity, to accuse God’s people.
Listen, folks will sometimes attack God’s people, people who are doing right, just because they are convicted by God’s people’s actions. They don’t have to think what you are doing is bad, or harmful, even though the Devil will often blind folk and make them think that God’s loving people are really hateful, they sometimes just cause problems because they aren’t doing what is right, they take the easy way, they are people pleasers, they have no backbone or spine, and are convicted by people who do.
So God’s people’s enemies took this occasion to accuse them and try to get them into trouble. When the king called them on the carpet and told them they had to bow down or be thrown into a furnace, they said in verse 17:
> Daniel 3:17 If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king.
* I want you to underline the words He Can. Underline those words. He can. Turn to your neighbor and tell him, God can to do anything. Help me here. Tell someone, “God can.” Tell someone, “Nothing is impossible with God.”
The three young men, when threatened with a terrible death if they refused to compromise said, “If our God exists, then He can deliver us.” If our God is real, and if He is really God, then He can deliver us.
I believe that we sometimes forget Whose team we’re on. I’m afraid sometimes that we look around and see the difficulties, and we see the trials, and we see the bills, and we see the folks who are working against us, and we see evil advancing in the world, and we see some folks blowing themselves up so they can kill innocent people, and we begin to think that we cannot get ahead, or good cannot win. But my friends, I believe God wants me to remind you this morning that He is not some little ol’ whimpy, unseeing, deaf to prayers god, but that He is the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is. He is the great Elohim. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Beginning and the End and He is able. Oh, how many times has God proven that He can? How many times has God proven that He is able?
People laughed when Noah built a ship, 100 miles from water and claimed that God was going to flood the earth, but God proved that He can.
Sarah laughed when she was told that she was going to have a child when she was 90 years old, but God is able to work in situations that seem impossible to men. Then, just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, He made Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, give birth to John the Baptist even though she was past child bearing age also. Why? Because my God is able.
Tell someone, “My God is able.” Do you believe it?
Pharaoh told Moses he’d never see the day when he would let the Israelites go, but in the end they paid the Israelites to leave! Why? Because my God is able.
Later, when Pharaoh and his armies thought they had the Israelites trapped against the Red Sea, God parted the sea to let them through. Why? Because my God is able.
Elijah on Mt. Carmel.
Daniel in lion’s den.
Jonah wasn’t going to go preach in Ninevah, and nothing can make me.
Storm on Sea of Galilee.
Disciples said, there are only a few loaves and fish. We can’t feed all of these people.
Devil had Jesus killed …
Christians cried out to God, “Can nothing make Saul quit persecuting us? Changed to Paul.
Peter was arrested. 16 guards were assigned to watch over him, 4 at a time. 2 guarded the doors to his cell. One was chained to each arm. …
Randy Engleman. Inoperable cancer. Go home and die. You have 3 months. I got to lead him to the Lord and he is coming in a month or 2 to teach an A-school for us at MPC.
I. OUR GOD CAN PRESERVE HIS PEOPLE
> Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is from Me.” [This is] the Lord’s declaration.
Since the very beginning, Satan has tried to wipe God’s people… He has succeeded in killing a few, but all he has really done is water the ground with martyrs’ blood.
- When Jesus was killed, there were only a few who would stand with Him, but after He left, 120 gathered for prayer.
- When Stephen was killed, the Christians scattered throughout the known world. They couldn’t be stopped. *** Fire through muck. Everywhere they stopped they started a church.
> Acts 17:6 … “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,
- Paul in prison – Sent letters & encouraged churches.
- John on the Isle of Patmos
- John Bunyan – Pilgrim’s Progress
- Stamp out Pilgrims – They just founded another nation that has been sending out missionaries for nearly 200 years.
- Mrs. Chung was one of the first believers in northern Hubei province of China. Though she was publicly humiliated for her faith in Christ, she remained faithful. Now, 40 years later, she can point to over 10,000 believers whose salvation can be traced back to she and her late husband.
II. GOD CAN BUILD HIS CHURCH
> Matthew 16:18 … I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.
Our church,
Fall 1999, Lord dealing with me about this church.
Decided to come.
Woman called me and said:
> Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know.
Vision for ROL
Think of the number of people who have been saved and baptized through the short ministry of this church.
MPC – Our first week this year, 50 children.
Cold fronts. Rain.
Last week we had over 30 kids, several of them who had never been here before, show up for MPC in the rain!
III. OUR GOD CAN USE YOU
Think of how the Lord has used you in the past year.
Used some of you to teach. Used some of you to play instruments. Teach. Sing. Praying.
In the past year you have visited hospitals. David has had an active ministry in the hospitals and nursing homes God has placed him in.
You have done all of this because Jesus has changed your life and want other people to have the opportunity to know Him as well.
> 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
My friend, there is so much left to do. In Deltona alone, there are overt 40,000 people that do not have a meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In the United States there are over 100 million and around the world the figure stands at over 3 billion.
There is so much to do.
VIDEO – Death Crawl scene from “Facing the Giants”
