Last week we explored the different levels that exist in our relationship with God. In that study we found that our strength to withstand the enemy’s attacks depends on the level of our relationship with God. As we saw last week, there are four possible levels we can reach, but what we didn’t cover is that there is one common denominator that exists in these four possible levels. And the common denominator is faith. As I said last week, not all are able to develop the level of their relationship with God that He wants us to have; as a result, the vast majority of believers spend most of their life jumping in and out of their communion with God. That's why today I want us to further explore this issue. So the question that we must ask ourselves today is: how strong is my faith?
When we search about faith in the Bible, it isn’t difficult to find that there are many verses (200+) that deal with this subject. Why is this? This is because faith is the most important aspect of our lives. That's why we find that Hebrews 11:6 tells us: “…But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him…” In other words, without faith it’s impossible to believe that the almighty and merciful God exists. Without faith it’s impossible to believe and trust that Jesus Christ died for our sins, resurrected, and that He always accompanies and strengthens us so that we may be victorious. Without faith it’s impossible to believe and trust that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and guides us at all times. So this little word is the backbone of our salvation, and the hope of every faithful believer. But unfortunately, this essential aspect of our life in many cases been weakened or completely destroyed. But let’s see what happens when you have a strong and absolute faith in God. Today we’ll be studying the book of Daniel, chapter three. Since the time that we share together is limited I will not be reading the entire chapter; I will only read the key verses that will help us to understand today's message. However, I do ask that you to read the chapter in its entirety and to meditate on its content.
As I always say, to have a better understanding of the message that God has for us today, we will need to conduct a brief history review. At this point in the history, Judah and its inhabitants had been captured by the Babylonian empire. This is something that is well reflected in Daniel 1:1-2 when we read: “…In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god…” So Daniel and his companions had been taken to Babylon. But even though the circumstances were quite unpleasant, God glorified himself in Daniel’s life and in the life of his companions. This is something that is well reflected in Daniel 1:19-20 when we read: “…Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm…” Do you know why God glorified himself in their lives? The reason was because they remained faithful to God; they were unwilling to be contaminated with what the king of Babylon offered. This is something that is well summed up in Daniel 1:8 when we read: “…But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself…”
At this point in history the king had ordered a solid gold statue of himself to be built. He had also enacted a law that required all the citizens of the kingdom to bow down and worship the statute every time that music was heard. Those who did not comply with this law would be executed. This is something that I clearly stated in Daniel 3:4-6 when we read: “…Then a herald cried aloud: “...To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace…” Why is it necessary to know these things? It’s necessary to know these details because these small details reveal the conditions surrounding these youth. In other words, these young people would soon have to make a decision that could cost them their lives.
They would have to choose between pleasing man or pleasing God (worship the image of the king, an abomination to God.) And this decision rested entirely on their faith. With this in mind let’s now continue with our study, and let’s discover what happened to them when it came time to decide, and how it applies to our life today.
When we study what happened at this moment in time, we suddenly realize that when the time came to make the decision, these men decided to remain faithful to God. This is something that is very clear in the statement that they made when they were confronted because they were unwilling to praise the king's image, this something that we find in Daniel 3:17-18 when we read: “…If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up…” These men were well aware of the penalties that the king had imposed, but they would not be unfaithful to God. Tell the person sitting next to you: we must be faithful to God.
What do we see in these men’s attitude? What we see in the attitude of these men is complete and absolute faith in God. Unfortunately, this kind of absolute faith is hard to find today. The reasons why this happens are many, but I'd say that the main reason is fear. But the great reality is that fear is not from God. This is something that is well stated in 2 Timothy 1:7 when we read: “…For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind…” It is very important to pay close attention to this small verse, and to etch it in our mind. I say this because the spirit of fear or cowardice in all instances will lead us away from God's presence. The spirit of fear will NOT allow us to grow and develop the life God desires for us. The spirit of fear will keep us quiet and we will never testify of God’s power and grace. Why are so many unwilling to testify? The reason is because we fear what people might say or think of us. But as faithful servants of God we must rebuke those thoughts and feelings of fear. We need to rebuke the fear knowing that God will protect us; that He will guide and provide for us. We have to rely entirely on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as found in John 16:33 when we read: “…These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world…” In essence, this is what those young men did back then. They completely trusted that God would keep them in spite of their perilous situation. Their faith in God’s Word was strong and unshakable. What happened to these young men?
Continuing with our study we see that they had to go through very difficult times. Proof of this is found in Daniel 3:19-20 when we read: “…Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace…” How many would say that this was a difficult moment? Can you imagine the faces of these young men when they saw the fiery furnace, and not only this, the furnace was light seven times stronger than normal? Definitely these were moments of mental anguish, and it was a time when they could have repented and sworn allegiance to the king, but this was not the case. They stood firmly in God. Now I ask, how many here have a faith strong enough to endure the fire? This is not a question for anyone to answer, but rather it’s a question for us to reflect on our spiritual condition. This is a question that helps us discover the level of our faith.
We must always be very conscious of the level of our faith, because one thing that we can be sure of is that the enemy never stops attacking us. And as I have said many times, there is nothing or no one that he will not try to use to make us fall. Our enemy will use those family members, husband, wife, friends, and coworkers who do not yet know the truth to try to separate us from God’s path. In other words, our enemy will use all means at his disposal in his attempt to separate us from God’s will. But there is only one thing that prevents our enemy from doing what he wants in us, and this one thing is our faith. Only when our faith doesn’t falters can we overcome the most dangerous and difficult situations. The enemy will raise the fire of the oven (circumstances or situations that he can influence), so that we will be intimidated and give in to the power of evil that flows through this world. But those actions, that is to say, yielding to the evil current that exists in the world, will never be pleasing to God. However, complete faith in Him will be greatly rewarded.
Look carefully at what happened next so that you better understand the point that I am attempting to make. In Daniel 3:21-28 we find that we are told: “…Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 26Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. 28Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel[b] and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!..” How many can say praise God? Tell the person sitting next you: God's power knows no bounds.
As we saw, these young men were not quite sure of what would happen to them. The future of these young men seemed certain, but despite this they didn’t turn their backs on God, they remained faithful. At times all of us here will have to face similar fires. At times all of us here will be faced with perilous and difficult situations. But the questions that we must ask ourselves are: how strong is my faith? Do I completely trust God? If when we analyze ourselves we find that our faith is not at the same level as the faith of these young men, then we urgently need to seek to strengthen it immediately, because otherwise we will only be an easy target for an attack. I say this because when our faith begins to weaken the enemy intensifies his attacks. But when our faith is strong, when our faith is complete, then there is nothing that the enemy can do to defeat us.
In conclusion; we must seek to have a faith that conquers all fear, and destroys all the works of the enemy. I want to read again what happens when we have this kind of faith. In Daniel 3:24-25 we read: “…Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God…” Why have I read this for you again?
We have read this again because I want us to always remember that no matter how difficult the situation may seem; that no matter how bad the circumstances may be. That no matter how hot the furnace of this world may be, when we remain faithful to God, God never abandons us. When we remain faithful to God, He is there to keep us from the flames. Lets us therefore always seek to strengthen our faith and seek to stand firm in His word. Let’s always seek to have the victorious faith that these three young men demonstrated, and trust absolutely in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Tell the person sitting next to you: seek a victorious faith.
