1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Romans 8
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
INTRODUCTION
Paul said "all things work together". These two words in conjunction means to create and eliminate, place and replace, connect and group, interrelate and intermingle, shape and forge, press and stretch, move and operate, control and guide, arrange and influence. The words, work together, also imply present action, which means that all things are continually working together for good. I want you to know that God is arranging and rearranging all things in your life. The word good comes from the Greek word Agathon which means ultimate good. You see, we don't know our future, we don't know how the events that happen in our lives will effect us later. But God knows our beginning as well as our ending. Your end was already set before you began. Therefore, God takes all of the events of our lives and works them out for our ultimate good. God is working it out.
The first thing I want to do today, is to let you know: No matter what you’re going through - It’s Going to Work Out for Your Good. I know today some of you are going through the greatest fire of your life, and it’s the kind that hurts, and the kind that makes you cry, And I know it’s going to sound crazy, but what you ought to be doing is praising God, that you made it (to) the fire,
There are other people that never made it (to) the fire, there are other people that died at the door. Do you understand what I’m saying? The Kings 3 Most mighty men in his army (died at the door) It’s a miracle that you made it this far, by all rights you shouldn’t be here. you shouldn’t have lived through that car wreck. The officers on scene said it’s a miracle no one should have come out of that alive.
Somebody else I’m talking to, you shouldn’t have lived through that drug overdose, you had enough drugs in your system to kill an elephant. You shouldn’t have made it, other people didn’t make it but here you are.
I’m talking to somebody right now it’s a miracle that you are not in prison, if you tell the truth, you know that you’re just as guilty and more so than some people that are serving prison terms right now. (But God was merciful to you)
There’s somebody listening to me right now, you know it’s a miracle that you are not in a mental institution somewhere. Other people have gone through a lot less than what you went through and they lost their minds, they went off the deep end.
What are you trying to tell me Pastor? I’m trying to tell you that you ought to be praising God that you made it (to) the fire, there are others that died at the door.
(They died where your miracle started.)
These 3 mighty men, could represent the three greatest athletes, the three most popular. The 3 voted most likely to succeed, they had everything going for them, if any body should have made it, it should have been them. But they died at the door.
On the other hand: Nobody expected you to make it: but here you are alive, in your right mind, serving God filled with the Holy Ghost and power. And you want to complain because you’re going through the fire, what you ought to be doing is praising God that you made it (to) the fire.
Somebody shout it out: Thank God I made it (to) the fire.
I could have died at the door, I could have died in that car wreck, I could have died of a drug overdose, I could be serving life in prison, I could have lost my mind. But God had his hand on me. I didn’t even know him and he was watching over me, I wasn’t serving him but he was keeping his hand on me. He sent his angels to deliver me.
I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t the strongest one, I wasn’t the smartest one, I wasn’t the most popular one, I wasn’t the one expected to make it, but I made it, and there’s no other explanation but God. Somebody shout it out again: Thank God I made it TO the fire.
GETTING OUT OF THE FIRE
Now we’re going to get you out of the fire, but God just wanted to remind somebody that he was with you before you ever got in the fire, and he is not going to leave you now. As a matter of fact if you are in the middle of the fiery furnace today, it is proof positive that you are coming out.
Because the miracle started at the door, and if God wasn’t going to bring you out, you would have died at the door. You wouldn’t have made it to the fire.
Push your neighbor and tell them: Now I know I’m coming out.
It was a miracle I made it this far, and God wouldn’t have brought me to the middle if he wasn’t going to bring me out in the end.
I know I’m talking to some people right now, that are going through the fire, and I know you’re feeling the heat, and I didn’t come to tell you the fire isn’t real, or that it doesn’t hurt. I know some of you are going through the greatest fire of your life.
For some of you it’s a financial fire For some body else it a fire of sickness, and a battle for your health. Somebody else may be going through the fire of divorce, or marriage problems. Still somebody else is going through the fire dealing with rebellious children. But I came to tell you something good is going to come out of this. I came by to tell you that its going to work out for your good.
I know right now that sounds like insanity, because there is no visible tangible physical evidence of anything good in this fire.
But I came to prophesy to you and declare to you on the authority of Gods word, (Something good is going to come out of this), you are going to make it, and you are not going to burn up in the fire and you are coming out and I don’t mean you’re going to come crawling out on your hands and your knees, all beat up, broke busted and disgusted, no clothes no money, no peace no joy, with your eye brows burnt off, smelling like smoke.
The devil is a liar, when you come out of this your coming out blessed, your coming out healed, and delivered, your coming out with some money, your coming out with some joy and some peace and a greater anointing than you’ve ever had in your life.
Something good is going to come out of this Slap your neighbor high five and tell them: Something good is going to come out of this.
THE KING CHOSE HIS THREE MOST MIGHTY MEN:
In other words ( His best, his strongest, his meanest, his best trained) soldiers in his armySomebody said: Pastor I don’t understand it, it just feels like I’m fighting on a different level, it feels like the enemy is stronger than before, and even smarter than before.
Well that ought to tell you something: The devil wouldn’t be bringing out his best if you weren’t a threat to him, The fact that he is bringing out the big dawgs, tells me that you must be a threat to him, and that you are getting close to your destiny, and close to walking in your purpose, Your getting ready to step into a greater anointing than you’ve ever had in your life, (and he is trying to intimidate you, and back you down.)
THEY BOUND THEM:
This is the first thing the devil wants to do is to bind you, (restrict you limit you, contain you, take away your liberty, your freedom in God.
One of Satan’s greatest grief’s is to see the children of God walking and living in their liberty, expressing themselves in joy and peace, and worshiping and praising God without constraint, without fear or reservation
So he sends things our way to push us down to back us up, to quiet us down, to put a lid on us, to dampen our praise, to get us all tangled up in fear, and anxiety and worry. Because he knows the power of our praise. He bound them….the second thing the enemy did wa……..
CAST THEM INTO THE FIERY FURNACE:
Not just a fiery furnace: (which speaks of adversity, trials, hardship, pain, sorrow,) but 7 times greater, or hotter, or more intense, more painful. I know I’m talking to somebody right now, who is fighting something they’ve never fought before, the attack is more severe the enemy is more aggressive, the pain is deeper the night is darker, the weight is heavier and the hurt lasts longer
But I remind you again: This is going to workout for your good.
THEY FELL DOWN
Bound in the midst of the fiery furnace…..they fell down…
I know we’re faith people and we don’t want to be negative, but how many would just be honest enough to tell the truth and say? (You have been down a time or two)
Come on just admit it, since you started this Christian walk you have fell down once or twice, The fact is sometimes the devil will hit you with something you never expected and it knocks the wind out of you and you find yourself lying on the ground saying what happened. And these three Hebrew boys found themselves lying on the ground bound in the midst of the fire.
But I’m so glad the story doesn’t end there, because it says that the king looked into the furnace and he was astonished (he was amazed) he expected to see 3 Hebrew boys lying on the ground turning into crispy critters, but instead he saw 4 Men UP LOOSE WALKING AROUND and the 4th looked like the son of God
And he was AMAZED I wish somebody would look at your neighbor and tell them (I’m amazing)
I’m amazing the devil who thought he had me,
I’m amazing the devil who thought because he hurt me and made me cry it was over.
I’m amazing my enemies, the ones who saw me go into the fire, and took pleasure in it……The ones who said I’d never make it……The ones who said I’d burn up in the fire…….The ones who said drugs would kill me……The ones who said I’d probably die an alcoholic like my dad or my brother
The ones who said he’ll lose his mind, she’ll lose her mind
But I’m still here Touch Three people and tell them: I’m still here
Now tell your neighbor ( and you know something I’m amazing myself)
Yeah I went through hell but I’m still here, Yeah the devil hit me hard, and I went down and it hurt and I cried for awhile, but I’m still here
And I have a news flash for the devil (I’m Up again, and I’m on my feet again, and I’m Loose)
I got my joy back, I got my peace back, I got my dance back, I got my praise back.
And if the devil thought I was a problem before, he ain’t seen trouble yet. Cause while I been in this fire, I’ve been working on my praise, I’ve been working on my shout, I’ve been working on my dance. As a matter of fact, thank you mister devil cause that’s where I really learned how to dance, that’s where I really learned how to shout, that’s where I really learned how to put my praise on.
And I’m getting ready to praise like I’ve never praised before, and shout and dance like I’ve never danced before. Because now I know, not only can the God I serve keep me from evil, keep me from the snares and from the traps that the devil sets for me.
But the God I serve can walk right into the middle of my fiery trial, right into the middle of the hell I’m going through, and he can lift me up and he can liberate me in the middle of my pain, in the middle of my grief in the middle of the darkest hour of my life.
Can I preach like I feel it? I’m talking about the God that can shut the Lions mouth, and they can’t even take a bite, I’m talking about the God that can breath through his nose and create a super highway through the red sea and 3 million people can walk across on dry ground.
GOD IS GOING TO SHOW UP!
And can I give you some good news ? This God is getting ready to show up in the middle of your fire. And this God is getting ready to show the devil whose boss.
Let me give you some more good news. The same fire that was intended to burn up the 3 Hebrew boys, burned up the ones who threw them in. God said to tell you, don’t worry about those enemies anymore, don’t worry about those haters and agitators. God said he’s going to take care of them for you, you aren’t going to have to say a word, and you’re not going to have to lift a hand. Just Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord and I will repay
That may not mean anything to some of you, but for those of us who got some enemies it means a lot.
THE FIRE LIBERATED THEM
The fire first burned off the things that had them bound: I found out when I got in the fire, there were some things in my life that I didn’t need, there were some things that were holding me back and it took the fire to set me free.
The truth is: There was some stuff I didn’t want to let go of, and it took the fire to get it out of me.. I got free in the fire. The fire set me free from pride, and self righteousness, the fire set me free from religion and the fear of man. I know we don’t want to talk about it much but there was stuff, that didn’t belong in my life and it took the fire to deliver me.
Is there anybody glad your free?
Now I want to say something to those who are going through the fire right now, and you know the devil has turned the thermostat up and he has intensified his attacks against your life, (You’re the one who ought to be shouting and dancing and praising God right now) Because what the devil has done by increasing and intensifying the fire against your life is accelerate your process, accelerated your preparation.
Somebody here knows that the devil has turned the heat up in his attacks against your marriage, your health, your finances, and your ministry (Your faith has been stressed to the limit) But I came to tell you: what the devil meant for evil (God is going to make it work for your good) And God is going to turn it around, and God is going to take the very thing that the devil sent to destroy you and (incinerate you), and he is going to use it to (accelerate you.)
Go ahead devil and turn the heat up, heat it up seven times, And I’ll come out with a 7th degree blessing 7 times more joy, 7 times more peace, 7 times more money, 7 times more anointing.
Tell your neighbor I’m being accelerated: You might want to scoot over just a little bit, cause I’m getting ready to go into warp drive. Somebody’s being accelerated right now: It’s not punishment it’s preparation
I’m talking to somebody, who it feels to you like you’ve been in low gear, like you’ve been walking in quicksand, like nothing seems to work out, like you go one step forward and two steps back.
But I came to tell you, God is getting ready to accelerate you
Lift your hands and tell God: Accelerate me.
Slap your neighbor high five and tell them, I’m going into high gear Something good is going to come out of this. God never said we wouldn’t ever have to go through a
nything,
Isa 43:2
When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and the rivers, they shall not overflow thee, when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Kindling is what you use to get a fire, to catch, to take hold.
God never said I wouldn’t have to go through the fire but he said It couldn’t catch me, it can’t take hold on me.
I felt the flames reaching for me, but they couldn’t take hold on me
Poverty couldn’t take hold on me, sickness, couldn’t take hold on me, depression couldn’t take hold on me. Fear and anxiety couldn’t take hold on me, it reached for me, suicide reached for me, alcoholism, and drug addiction reached for me but God wouldn’t let it kindle on me.
CONCLuSION
Now I’m trying to close but the story ain’t over yet. The king looked into the fiery furnace and called them out and publically declared them to be the winners.
The king had to call them out of the fire
When did they come out? After they were up loose, walking around.
You’re asking God when am I coming out of this fire? (When, doesn’t matter anymore, whether you come out or not does. whether you’ve learned how to dance in the fire, praise him when you don’t feel like praising him, This is what matters.
Shadrack, Meshak and Abednego,when they came out of the fire immediately they were ELEVATED in the kingdom.
They were Elevated by the Fire. I’m trying to tell somebody, This is going to workout for your good.
I’m being LIBERATED ACCELERATED and ELEVATED by the fire, by the very thing the devil sent to burn me up, it’s speeding me up, and lifting me up.
Somebody said: Pastor I’ve never experienced this kind of fire before. Let me close with this: [THE SHORT CUT IS THROUGH THE FIRE]
