Real Christians don’t bow down!
Date: Feb 5, 2012
Scripture: Daniel 3
Introduction
Prior/Super Bowl game years ago, When Ronald Reagan was running for president
He was leaving/press conference/New Hampshire and someone fired a question at him:
"Who do you like in the Super Bowl?"
Without hesitation, former gov/Calif. and presidential hopeful said: "The Rams."
Then a light apparently went on in his brain and he paused and said:
"Wait a minute, I'm not running for gov/Calif. anymore, may the best team win."
It's amazing how fickle our loyalties are, isn't it?
Dependent upon/external pressures, we get swayed so easily/circumstances/who we want to influence.
• This is just a part of life for most people.
• I hope as we study/chapter 3 this morning we can learn to draw a line
• Call that line conviction/determine in our minds/hearts that we'll never descend below that line.
• That isn't easy to do.
• Let me give you a simple way to look at it.
Our decisions, our attitudes and our behaviors are determined by one of two things: external pressure, or internal principle.
Let me say it again.
The battle is going/all/time/lives between/two conflicting items.
And we're very good at self-justification\so a lot of times when we succumb to external pressure we define it as internal principle.
o Do we do what we do--say what we say--act the way we act because we have convictions about it
o Or because we feel the pressure coming from the outside?
Are our convictions somewhat altered by the pressures brought upon us?
When you’re faced with a situation/dilemma….
Do you say what you believe based on internal principle
Or do you succumb/external pressure and let them hear what they'd rather hear?
As we approach the third chapter of Daniel
Going/meet three young men who functioned on internal principle and they didn't really care what the external pressure was.
And as followers of Jesus Christ, I think we have a lot to learn from these three young men.
I want you to put yourself in this situation today, I want you to see yourself here,
I'm not so concerned that you see S/M/A as much as you see yourself.
And that you see how you would respond in a similar situation.
Sermon
You never really know what curves life will throw at you,
You don’t know what is lurking around the corner.
You never know when you might be called upon to compromise your actions
So when you are called on, you need to know what to do.
Life Is full of unexpected events—even for you and me as Christ followers.
o We are not exempt from/painful experiences that come to fallen beings living in a fallen world.
o Unexpected times—bad times—they come to all of us in this room so we need to know what to do when they do.
o That’s why THIS book is written. I mean, one reason God gave us this “handbook for life”—is to help us know what to do when we face the unexpected times...the “Babylons” of life.
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Okay—before we go any further in our study of the book of Daniel—let’s review a bit.
Last week/learned/chapter 2/Nebuchadnezzar/his dream.
2600 years ago
powerful ruler/had a recurring dream of a statue of a man
Head of gold/chest/arms of silver
belly and mid section made of bronze
legs of iron and toes made of a mixture of iron and clay.
Remember?
In the dream this statue is just standing there minding its business when a stone comes flying through the air and when it hits the statue it is reduced to dust.
Daniel told Neb/golden head/statue represented him/Babylonian Empire.
Other metals represented other empires/would come after his.
And as verse 44 says, the rock represented God’s coming kingdom,“...a kingdom that will never be destroyed nor will it be left to another people.”
Well, if you remember, when he heard all this, Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel.
o He praised Daniel’s God—OUR God—the one TRUE God.
o Nebuchadnezzar seemed to be/verge of giving up his idols.
o He even promoted Daniel—and his three friends.
o Moreover, at Daniel’s request, the king appointed S/M/A administrators over the province of Babylon.”
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Well, sixteen years have passed since that day.
As the curtain opens on chapter 3 Neb/18th year/reign.
And in all these years since his dream none of the prophecies from Daniel’s interpretation have come true.
There has been no “silver” kingdom...no “bronze” kingdom...no “iron” kingdom.
And there has been absolutely no sign whatsoever of a magical flying stone.
So—pumped up with a renewed sense of invincibility—
The king thumbs his nose at God/builds a massive idol
A massive statue not/reflect his DREAM—but his DESIRES.
90 feet tall and nine feet wide
It would have seemed like an enormous rocket jutting into the sky on the plains of Dura, a few miles south of Babylon.
Once this monument of his ego was completed, verse 2 says he,“...sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces...to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.”
The assembly/powerful people
all levels/society/every ethnic group/
It was a very diverse grouping.
Remember, Neb/conquered lots/nations/people groups
He had brought the best representatives of each culture to serve him in Babylon. ___________________________________________________
When the moment was right, Nebuchadnezzar signaled for quiet, and according to verses 4-6, Read…
So, apparently there was a furnace near the statue
o Perhaps/same one Nebuchadnezzar’s workers used to shape his towering golden image.
Well, verse 7 says/soon/throngs of people came/dedication
As soon as they heard music like THIS...
They fell/ground and began to worship the golden image.
The Hebrew literally says, “as soon as they were hearing, they were falling.”
o It was like a race/see who hit the ground first.
o No one wanted to face those flames!
Can you imagine: 100,000 people groveling at/towering statue.
But S/M/A refused to bow their heads/and worship
The prostrate people knew/going/happen next.
Everyone knew these Jewish men had powerful enemies.
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We meet them in verse 8 where it says, “At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews.”
o Word “denounced”/literally means “to eat/pieces of them.”
o In short, if words could kill—these words would
o That’s actually what the astrologers hoped would happen!
Think of it. For the past 16 yrs/wise men/forced to cow-down to the authority of these three young Jews which means they had been nursing their grudge for a long time.
To them this is their chance to finally bring these three down
So they immediately charged them with treason.
You can feel their eagerness to do so
Listen to verses 9-12….
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As if he can’t quite believe anyone would dare defy his orders, the king gives S/M/A one more chance...
he gives them one more shot to pledge their allegiance to the golden image but not without reiterating the punishment if they still refuse.
Look at verses 13-15:
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Okay—before we go any further in our study, let me ask a question—one that the rest of this narrative answers
“What kind of people were S/M/A?
How could they do this—what made them able to STAND UP when everyone else bowed?”
(1) Well, the first thing we can see is that they were men of deep CONVICTION.
Like Daniel, as God-followers, they had deeply held beliefs—especially when it came to idol worship.
They knew God’s commandments from Exodus 20:3-6….
So understand. These three young men knew the Scriptures.
o They knew what they believed,
o more importantly they BELIEVED what they knew
o So deeply/they were willing/lay/lives on the line.
o Let me put it to you this way,
o they held to their convictions so firmly that they would literally rather “burn than turn.”
Now, most of us will not be faced with a choice between compromise or execution like these three.
o The issue is the same regardless of the penalty.
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Many of us FAIL/Christian life because/not WILLING to pay/price
The price/loss/popularity/loneliness
Or ridicule or economic hardship.
Have you tried to avoid the furnace?
only those who have enough conviction to be willing to pay the price—
even if the price is death itself—
Only these people make a real difference in this world.
Compromising one’s beliefs/Christ follower/constant pressure in our culture.
• Often it/subtle pressure/occurs in conversation
• Or while watching TV or in front of your computer.
• How can we stand up under that pressure?
• a pressure that God’s people have always faced
Now S/M/A like you and I, had all kinds of reasons at their disposal for why they could compromise.
1. They could have said, “When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians do. God will excuse us.”
2. “We’ll bow down, but we won’t actually worship the idol. We’ll just make it LOOK like we’re worshipping the idol, but we’ll really worship Yahweh in our hearts.”
3. “We’ll worship the idol just this one time, then we’ll ask for forgiveness. No harm done!”
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Well, let me ask you—how firmly do you hold to your convictions?
o Do you BELIEVE what you know?
o Does the decision-making part of your brain follow God’s written Word that knows there is a right and a wrong?
o Or have you programmed your brain according to the world’s standards?
o You’ll never be able to say brave words like these three young men did—
o And you’ll never make/real difference/world until you become a person of Christian conviction.
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Here’s a second thing that enabled these three young Jews to stand up.
(2) They were men who had a firm CONFIDENCE in God.
Look back at the question Nebuchadnezzar asks in verse 15. He says, “What god will be able to deliver you from my hand if you refuse to bow to my statue?”
Now—I want you to note this rhetorical question.
In other words, Nebuchadnezzar was not looking for information.
He was just making a point.
We parents/familiar/rhetorical questions/we use them often
o For example, have you ever asked your child this one?
o “Do you want a spanking?”
o Sure you have
o But you weren’t asking this in order to get information.
I mean, no child asked that is going to say…
“Well, I was going to play Wii but okay, a spanking sounds good to me.”
No—it’s a rhetorical question.
Parents who ask it aren’t ASKING something—they are SAYING something.
So when Neb asks, “What god can deliver you from my hand?”
He’s not looking for them to give him the name of some god.
No, he’s saying,
o “You better understand, there is no escape.
o You are in my hands. You obey me or else.”
Well, much to his surprise, these three men don’t treat his inquiry as a rhetorical question at all.
Look at verse 16-17: READ
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Now, I want to pause here for a moment, because this is a statement of remarkable faith.
What did they say? “Our God is able to save us from the furnace.
o He is able to rescue us from danger.
o He is able to deliver us from even your hand, O king.
o Our God is able.
o Did these three have CONFIDENCE in God or what?!
o In essence they said, “Nebuchadnezzar, you ask what god will be able to rescue us from your hand—
o Well, here’s your answer: Ours can! Ours IS able!”
These three men knew that as Jeremiah says, “Nothing is too hard for God.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
In short, they were absolutely CERTAIN that God had the ability—the power—to deliver them from this fiery dilemma.
o When everyone else bowed
o THEY were able to STAND up Jesus because of their unshakable confidence in God.
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By the way, I don’t know if it’s possible for followers of God to spend too much time reflecting on stories that teach this VITAL truth
So I’ll say it again
This time I’m not quoting these three ancient Hebrews.
I’m saying it myself:
The God you and I serve
the God Whom we gather/worship here/room every week
Our God IS ABLE!
Philippians 4:19, “My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”’
Our God is able!
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In fact, we/spend/rest/day going around this room, one by one, telling stories from our lives that reflect this one truth:
GOD IS ABLE!
We could do this—because we know that there is nothing God cannot do. God can do ANYTHING!
■He is able to reconcile broken marriages.
■The God we serve is able to liberate people from addiction.
■The God we serve is able to heal damaged bodies
■...and able to forgive the darkest sin.
■The God we serve is able to provide for the greatest need,
■...able to guide with supernatural wisdom,
■...able to inspire spiritual gifting beyond human ability in unbelievable ways,
■...able to soften the hardest heart,
■...able to bring the farthest runaway prodigal rebel back home.
If you have confidence in our God...if you agree with me that God is ABLE—say AMEN!
He is able!
And these three young men believed that/depths of their being.
o They could refuse to bow
o They could stand up/face of this worst-case scenario...
o because they were men of Godly CONVICTION
o Men who embraced complete CONFIDENCE in God..
o But there’s one more thing we can see in these amazing young Hebrews.
(3) They were COMMITTED to God, literally no matter what.
You see, they believed God is able—but they didn’t stop there.
It was their inner principle as/Christian..
Think about everything that lead up to this.
Captured/exiled/foreign country.
Still gave their lives to God/served Him as best they could.
They served w/courage/boldness.
In doing so, they were promoted to high positions.
o They/must have prayed after/story of Daniel/chap 2.
o Prayed that Nebuchadnezzar/converted following his statement……
o Daniel’s God being/one true God.
o But that prayer wasn’t answered/way they wanted.
Then one day, they heard about the king’s edict...the edict that said all the people must bow down to a god of gold.
o Perhaps they met/decided/unthinkable to bend knee and give their devotion to any other god.
o They must have hoped/prayed/never come to this.
o After the edict/sure they prayed for Neb’s repentance.
o That he would come to his senses, but he didn’t.
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I’m sure they were disappointed because at every point, this nightmare, their death
• a horrible death by/flames they could see, smell, and feel
• Grew a little closer to reality.
• Now they face their worst case scenario
• They realize/door of escape has been closed to them.
• The parachute has not opened, apparently it’s not going to.
So they testify once more to their faith in the one they serve.
They say, “Our God is able to save us oh king.
He drowned Pharaoh’s army.
He parted the Red Sea.
He pulled down the walls of Jericho.
He dropped Goliath with a stone.
He healed your marriage. He restored/finances
He mended your heart. He sets you free.
Our God is able.
He CAN rescue us still
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Verse 18 they say/most faith-filled words ever uttered.
They say, “But even if God does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold that you have set up.
• We will march/our death singing hymns/praise
• Praise to the only God we will ever serve or love.
• We are absolutely COMMITTED to Him—no matter what.””
Well, their commitment made Nebuchadnezzar furious.
He burned with rage
He ordered/furnace/heated seven times hotter than usual.
He ordered them bound and thrown in the fire
The fire/so hot that it killed the soldiers who threw them in.
Imagine what it must have been like!
The three feel themselves tumbling into the flames.
They wait for the searing pain, the numbness
For the smoke inhalation that would suffocate their lungs—but none of that happens.
They aren’t even warm!
There are no burns—no smoke.
They realize that they don’t feel any different
Except they are no longer bound.
But/best part is they discover they are not alone/ furnace.
And they weren’t alone in this realization.
Look at verse 24-25….
Nebuchadnezzar was correct because this was a pre-incarnation of God’s only Son—Jesus Himself.
Shad/Mesh/Abed/met Him hundreds of years before anyone else.
Think of it.
o They came/place/Plain of Dura intending to WITHHOLD worship
o They ended up worshiping as they never had in their lives
o At the feet of the Son of God.
o “Sometimes God saves us FROM the furnace but many times He saves us IN the furnace.”
o Are you willing to go to the furnace?
o They had the confidence in God that allowed them to experience this truth first hand.
One problem we have/story is that we know how it ends.
Subconsciously we tend to read everything in light of the miraculous deliverance.
But that misses an important point.
The three young men/no idea/God/about to deliver them.
They hadn’t received any advance warning, no special revelation
No angels whispering, “Don’t worry. God is going to deliver you.”
Nothing like that happened.
As they stood before the king, they knew they might die.
As far as they knew, they were about to perish in the flames.
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And that raises a question.
Why did God let things go this far?
Here is the ultimate paradox.
The three Hebrew were safer in the furnace than when they were standing in front of the king.
If they had not been thrown in the fire, they would surely have been killed some other way.
But since the furnace was God’s will for them, they were safer in the flames than anywhere else.
What a lesson this is for all of us.
o So often we go through life/days/weeks without any consciousness of the Lord’s presence with us.
o But when trouble comes, when the flames lick at our feet,
o when life tumbles in around us,
o Then we discover that Jesus has been by our side the entire time.
o It is in the fires of life that we experience the presence of Christ most powerfully.
o He is always there, but he makes himself known in the fiery furnace.
“You meet the Lord in the furnace a long time before you’ll meet Him in the sky.”
Invitation
Well, what about you?
in Christian circles we talk a lot/being FULLY devoted followers
But I wonder—
is our “full” devotion from one day to the next—
Is it contingent on just getting from God what we want?
What about when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want?
Are we like these three and other truly COMMITTED believers?
Are we like Esther who showed her “no-holes barred” commitment to God by saying,
“I will go to the king even though it is against the law and if I perish I perish?”
Are we like Job who said of our God,
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him?”
I mean—how much REAL confidence do you have in our Heavenly Father?
Are you like so many believers who say they have faith—but it’s an “if faith?”
o You know, they pray, “If you do this, I’ll have faith in You God...
o If you help me pass this test...
o if you help me find the money to pay my bills...
o if the doctor’s diagnosis is good...”
Listen—I want to go on the record as saying that “if faith” is not really faith.
If there’s an “IF” in your commitment to God
It’s not true commitment....
Because it shows your relationship with God has no depth.
In fact, I believe that we never really get as close to God as we need to be
We never truly MEET with Jesus
Until we embrace the kind of confident faith these three had.
So, no matter what worst case scenario you are facing this morning,
o let me challenge you to pray,
o “God...even if You do not do this or that
o I will trust You and Your perspective on my life.
Even if that co-worker continues to be so difficult...I’m going to keep on being Your servant...
Even if You don’t reward me financially I’m going to trust You...
Even if I have to go through health problems...
I’ve already decided that no matter what comes I’m going to trust You...
trust that in all things You work for my good.”
LET US PRAY
Father God,
Thank You for putting this story from the life of these three in Your Word. We stand in awe of their convictions...their confidence in You...and their faith-filled commitment. And Father—I want to thank You for people I’ve known in this church and others who so obviously have the same kind of faith...people who trust You no matter what....people like these three Hebrews who endure the furnaces of life by trusting in You. Help us all to be more like that. Do whatever it takes to grow in each of us that kind of faith—a faith that enables us to walk closely with You....a faith that lifts You up even when we face life’s worst case scenarios. Now Father, speak to us in this room. In the power of Your Spirit, convict us of the attitudes and actions we need to embrace in order to see my prayer answered....so that when we go out into the world this week, we will stand up for You. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
As we stand and sing, I invite you to come forward in any way that you feel led. We’d love to pray with you about any furnace you are going through. We’d love to tell you how you can join this church...we’d love to hear of your decision to follow Jesus...so come.
