Slide #1
Prayer
Most of us start our day out the same...Not to ex-cited about waking up… we stumble into the kitchen and first reach for a cup of motivation… (Our coffee).
We try and sit down for a few minutes… slam down a quick breakfast and think about all the pressing activities and appointments that they need to accomplish during the day.
For most of us…life is like a juggling act trying our best to get everything done on our to-do list each day.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been living for 80 years or just starting out.
Life has a way of pushing us to the limit.
And truth being told…life can at times seem a bit overwhelming can’t it?
On Wednesday nights here at Vista Pointe…about six months ago we finished up a study called “Pursuing Integrity”.
Chapter three of the study was titled “Meeting God in the Furnace”
There we found ourselves meeting up with three Biblical Musketeers of their day…called Shadrach…Meshach…and Abednego.
Slide #2
Each of these three men faced a major decision in their lives. Choose option A…or… B?
By choosing Option A)…The safe choice…they were selfishly saving their lives by…kneeling down and worship a human god (an image)… a god that was created to resemble the nations ruler at that time named Nebuchadnezzar.
Or they could choose Option B)…not so safe… by choosing B…their future was unpredictable…out of their control…possibly even meaning their deaths… by being thrown into a fiery furnace for not bowing down to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
The world in which we all live in today would automatically pick Option A). The safe choice…the safe choice is where there are no commitments…no obligations…no stresses.
But not these men.
These three men believed and trusted in God and refused to bow down to an idol image...
Just like you and I face every day of our lives… these three men were left with a choice to make.
Step out on faith and live for God… or bow down and worship the enemy.
So…Choose God they did…and into the furnace they went…
Slide #3
Read Daniel 3:1-30…
Something great always comes…from those who have faith in God. (vs. 29)
(Maybe we should implement that style of rule in the church today…I bet there would be fewer disgruntled members…less gossip & backstabbing…)
Stepping out on faith and Living for God are not common choices that people make every day.
It takes courage to step out on faith and boldly state that you are a Christian…
Daniel 3:16-18 (read)
After King Nebuchadnezzar had told Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego if they failed/refused to bow down and worship him…He would have them thrown into the fiery furnace…
This is when these three men truly had a decision to make…
And it’s here that we see what kind of courage it does take to claim you are a Christian.
Slide #4
You and I can claim that we are Christians to every one we meet…but our actions are much larger than our words.
If you claim that you are a Christian you need to be prepared to defend what you believe in…because if by luck…no one has questioned you about your faith yet…get ready because if you believe…it’s just a matter of time.
Being a Christian is much more than just asking Christ into your life. (Important…but not all that required)
It’s daily living a God structured lifestyle…
It’s supporting the ministry of the church…by not creating stumbling blocks for other believers to trip over.
It’s waking up each day with the mind set of who can I personally share my testimony with and maybe play a part in them accepting Christ into their life.
It’s daily giving 110% of your life back to Jesus…simply because of what He did on the cross for you..
These three men did just that…they trusted that God would protect them…and even if God didn’t …they were still willing to lay down their lives for Him. (18)
I don’t have a doubt in my mind that every person here today…believes that God exists.
But here’s where it gets tougher…to lay down your life for Him…now that requires a much larger level of commitment.
Laying down your life for Him…is not just a Sunday occurrence…its 365…for your entire life.
I love watching war movies…there is a new movie out called “Act of Valor” It is based around true life events…
I recently watched it because there is a men’s bible study that goes along side of the movie and I wanted to see if we might possibly use it here at VP.
It stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs fighting against global terrorism.
As the men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians,
They have to learn how to balance their commitment that they have made to their country, their team members and their families back home.
At one point in the movie…one of the Seals notices a grenade that was tossed in a room that he and his unit were in and he throws his body down over it to save his friends lives.
When I see a situation like that happen…movie or in real life.
I cannot help but think…what is that would cause a man or woman to make a sacrifice like that?
Slide #5
John 15:13 says… ESV…“Greater love has no one than this…that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
The seal knew that he had to act…he had made the commitment to serve…and seals never do a job half way. They always give 110%
I think this is where most Christians fall a little short…they fail to take their commitment serious.
Being committed means that you must become obligated.
Being obligated means you have to be willing to place God on your daily… to do list.
Which brings me to this question…If you are here today and claim you are a Christian?
Slide #6
Where is God placed on your to-do-list?
Is God in the top position…(Is He your number 1?) or does He fall a little lower on your list.
Many people miss place God on their lists… and I don’t even think that it’s intentional…
When the things in life are going the way we feel they should be…God is nowhere to be found.
But when things get kinda heated up (the fiery furnace) when life throws you a curve ball… God amazingly arrives back on top of the list.
So how does a person bridge that gap…Keep God in the top spot? OBEDIENCE
Serving God is not easy…it is going to stretch you…it is going to challenge you.
Being a pastor…I understand that being committed is a very difficult and challenging life to live…
Day after day I find myself in my office praying and asking God why His people struggle with being more committed…
Why don’t they understand that life is short and our time to serve Him is limited?
Why do people not prioritize Christ and the Church in their lives?
The church is supposed to be a place of Love...Compassion…and direction…one where people feel loved and are needed.
So why is it that when the un-churched are asked for their views or opinions of the church… most all of them claim that it’s full of hypocrites?
And who can blame the lost…the un-churched are the ones who work alongside of us…the Christians or the people who claim that we go to church…
This is why it’s so important that we don’t live a double life…appearing to be the faithful Christian on Sunday…but the rest of the week we follow the worlds way of living.
Again I find myself sitting in my office having a one on one with God by asking Him…is it something that I’m doing wrong…is there more that I can be doing?
God we all represent you…you went to the cross for each of us…shouldn’t we all be one the same team?
In all honesty I don’t know why I should let this bother me so much…I mean…I’m just the messenger…the message its self is clear.
I mean…were all born…and were all gonna die…And the message itself has never changed…
The reality is…each of us is very soon going to be held accountable for our actions and decisions that we make during our lives.
Each week we all come into God’s house and hear the message that’s been prepared for each of us personally to hear.
I mentioned many times in the past that we should each come prepared to hear what God personally has prepared for us to hear.
If you read this book…you understand that it is a very direct book.
It is written in first person…it’s written for each and every person individually.
I can’t save you…only God can…
So why does my heart break every time I see one of God’s children…the people today who claim to be Christians.
Walk by someone in Wal-Mart and act like they don’t even see them…or choose not to fellowship with them out in public…or just plain snub a brother or sister in Christ!!!!!!
Why do we drive by the person who is standing on the corner who’s holding up the sign “hungry need food”
Slide #7
The Bible clearly tells us in Romans 12:2 says … “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect?”
We are to be different from the world.
We serve a loving and compassionate God…but He is also a God who gets frustrated with His people.
What is God going to have to do to get our attention?
I remember the story of Moses and Pharaoh…
Sodom and Gomorrah…
All God expects from us is for us to understand He loves us and wants a relationship with us.
We have got to stop allowing life to get in-between us and God.
Many times we fail to become committed because were ashamed of what people might say or think about our relationship we have with Christ.
Slide # 8
Let me share one more story about being committed to God…even if it wasn’t convenient.
It is found is Genesis chapter 6…The story of Noah.
Noah was asked by God to complete an unbelievable task.
God asked Noah to build a (boat) ark…because God was preparing to clean up the corruption of mankind.
So for Noah…its decision time…do I commit myself to do what God asks…or do I just live out my life.
Think for a moment about what God is asking of Noah…
First of all…for God to ask Noah to build an ark in the culture where he lived would be much like God asking any of us to build an ark here in Hobbs.
Can you imagine how you would respond to your neighbors and friends when they asked what-cha doing?
Second…Noah knew that if he accepted the request…his faith had to be strong.
He needed to be prepared to handle the persecution for his faith?
Third…I’m sure like many of us…he probably wondered…why me?
Video Play…Evan Almighty Movie Clip “Evan Speaks With God” (2min. 44 seconds… You Tube)
If we want to see the world change…we need to be the people who are willing to step up and do it.
God is asking each of us to build the ark…(the Church).
Noah built the ark with just 8 people…we are building this church with 140?
How do we change the world… “By doing one act of random kindness at a time”.(ARK)
And trust me on this… What God begins…He finishes!
Slide # 9
