Let me say this to every person that is on the live this morning, can I tell you that I don’t know what kind of trials you’re going through, I don’t know what issues, that you are dealing with, and I don’t know what oppositions that you are facing. But I have something to tell you and that is after this is over with, after this has passed over, once this dark cloud has passed by, victory will be your declaration. It will be just like the song Pastor John K. Pee sings. I made it out, I made it out alright, Thank you because, you didn't leave me nor forsake me. Thank you because you didn't let my enemies take me I'm still in the fight because I made it out alright.
Here is the truth of the matter; these days’ people are dealing with some problems, and some issues, that they have never had to face before. In fact, some of the calamities that are on the horizon also most seem foreign to our ears. Even the cry of some of the Saints are, how are we going to make?
I need to tell every blood bought Christians this morning that you need to be giving God the Praise, why Spies? Come here Winans, the Winans Brothers sang a song that said “Millons didn’t made it but I was one of the one who did”. I was one of the ones who made it through the pitfalls, I was one of the ones who made it through the storm and the rain. I was one of the ones who made it through the fire and the vigorous snares.
There were others that never made it to the fire, and there are others that died in the fire, but I’m alive today to tell somebody that I made it out, and not only did I make it out, but I made it out alright.
In this particular passage of scripture that I believe that we all have heard at some point in our life, the story of the three Hebrew boys that bored the Babylonian named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego whose original Jewish names were Hananiah, Misha'el, and Azariah. And I’ve got to say that this story in the bible is real and true and it’s not a fairytale, and it’s fictional or a parable.
In this particular passage what has happened is this. King Nebuchadnezzar is having some issues with his male ego. You see in chapter two of this same book of Daniels, Daniel interpreted a dream that the king had regarding a great image, a great statue that was destroyed, and Daniel told the king that he (Nebuchadnezzar) was the head of that statue which was made of gold.
But Nebuchadnezzar decided he wasn’t satisfied with being just the head of that statue he wanted to be the entire statue. So therefore King Nebuchadnezzar had an image built, a huge image about 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. Nebuchadnezzar then gathered the political leaders and made a decree that he wanted carried out. He said whenever the music plays everyone is to bow down and worship this great image.
Now if you remember when Daniel interpreted the Kings dream Nebuchadnezzar was so pleased that he made Daniel the Governor of Babylon and Daniel in return requested that his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be promoted as well, and that request was granted. So these young men in essence were now in good standards with the king. But understand that they were also foreigners in this land so they had what we’ll call today, “some haters”.
There were a ome people that we displeased with them because they found favor in the eyes of the king. And you know that there are some people like that today, because you find favor in the eye sight of others that they will dislike you, hate you, and they will plot against you.
These boys found favor in the eyes of the Kings, but now there is a problem. Understand that this, that these young men were servants of the one true God, and they knew that according to the Law of Moses “thou shalt not have any other gods before me” and they knew that the orders of the king, but they refused to bow. And let me just through this in as a side note. And that is whenever you know who your God is, whenever you know who the true King of kings are you don’t have to bow down to the imposter who think that they are your king.
When the Lord is your captain you don’t have to jump through hoops and hide under the radar, in other words you don’t have to bow.
Look at what happen with those who were the haters when they found out that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow at the demands of the kings music, they went to the king and decided to be tattletale and say that these fellows that you promoted they were not abiding by the rule that exist today. They went to the King and said, sir didn’t you say that when the music plays everyone is supposed to bow down and worship your image, well some of your homeboys are not abiding by the rules they are not bowing.
Now understand that King Nebuchadnezzar was not the one to be embarrassed especially not in front of his political buddies and surely not by these guys that he considered to be his friends now. The record is that He tries to give them a chance to explain themselves; he said bring them to me.
He asked them did you not hear the command that I gave. He asked them, what is this that I hear about you not bowing. I know that this can’t be true. He tells these boys it’s simply, look you gonna bow or you’re gonna burn, then who is this God that will deliver you.
If you remember the story, they told the King “look, King, we know your orders, and we heard the music play but we’re not gonna bow, in fact we’re not even going to answer your questions, because we know that our God is able to deliver us BUT even if he doesn’t, we’re not going to bow down to worship your god”.
The bible teaches us that King Nebuchadnezzar in all of his fury demanded that the furnace to be heated as hot as possible, and to tossed the boys in there. It is said that the furnace was so hot that when the guards that toss them in the furnace was burned. So this is where we are in our text today.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are in this fiery furnace, the king and his political boys are all standing by watching, the king decided to look into the mouth of the furnace and he sees something strange.
Imagine if he wore glasses he probably would’ve took them off and cleaned them. He said to his guest, didn’t we handcuff three men and throw them in the fire, and somebody said yes oh king there were three, but the king said yet I see 4 walking around free. Understand beloved that there will be times when we find ourselves in some heated situations.
There will come a point in your life where you have to make a decision either you are gonna trust God or you are gonna trust man. And I know that trusting God and walking with God isn’t always the popular decision. I don’t know about you but there are times when I was in some heated situations that I don’t know how to handle, but somehow and someway whenever I’m in the mist of the fire I noticed that God is always in the fire with me.
These young men made the decision to go in that furnace, in fact they embraced it. They could’ve bowed, they could’ve had the mindset to say “there are thousands of people out here in the crowd, who’s gone see us bow. We can bow to save our lives, and like some of say God knows my heart. But how many of you know that God knows.
Church there are times when you have to just trust God and go into the fire. Yeah I know it’s hot, yeah I know it’s been heated hotter than ever before but you’ve got to trust the maker. You got to know as the cliche says, “If God brings you to it He can bring you through it”. And watch this, going in the fire means you may lose some family and friends, but you got to understand, that’s what the fire is all about, when things get heated, dead weight seems to fall off.
Not only must you at times walk into fire but there are some times that God will place you in the fire, but understand that when God places you in the fire, it’s not to harm you, but it’s to make you better. Malachi 3:3 says “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver”. In order to produce the purest form of silver and gold the refiner has to leave that precious metal in the furnace and while it’s in that fire, all the impurities are falling off. To the untrained eye it may appear that the silver/gold is ready to come out but the refiner knows better, but just at the right moment not a second to soon he pulls it from the fire. The refiner knows it’s ready because he can see his reflection in it.
And that’s what God does with us. He has to allow us to go through the fire, he allows us to go through pruning process, he allows us to shed the impurities and just at the precise moment, when he can looks at us and see his reflection that’s when he pulls us out.
I know it seems a little unfair, why do I have to go through this? God isn’t there a better way you can train me without me going through all this. I know you’ve cried many of nights God why? You took, my momma way too soon, God you took daddy away, God you took my baby away, my baby hadn’t even begun to live. God you took the best job I’ve ever had, God they’re about to foreclose on my house. God my medical bills have medical bills, God my sickness has a sickness. God how much longer do I have to stay in this fiery furnace, God I’ve taken about all I can take.
But God says not yet, I can’t see my reflection in you!!!!!!! I hear somebody saying “well I’m just gonna give up, I can’t do this no more. But saints don’t give up. Understand that just like the young men this chapter, you’re not alone.
Watch this: three of them went in there chained, and bound but while in there, they began to Praise God. How many of you still know that when the Praises go up, Blessings come down, when the Praises go up, Healing comes down. When the Praises go up Deliverance comes down. When the Praises go up Miracles come down. When praises go up the enemy will fall.
While in the fiery furnace, chained and bound, the fire heated 7 times hotter than it’s ever been before, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego begin to praise the most High God and the angel of the Lord joined them in worship. That’s why the Word of God says I will never leave you nor forsake you. Somebody ought to thank GOD for the fire!!!!!! Because I know that I’m coming out of this.
Understand this: The King and all of his political buddies were standing around looking and waiting for these men to perish. Understand this, the haters are gonna hate, so let them hate.
They will be sitting by looking at you trying to see how you gonna handle this mess you’re in. But I dare you to keep trusting God as you are in the mist of your fire, you keep praising God, keep reading your word, you keep going to church, keep tithing, keep giving, keep worshipping, keep praising. and watch God make you victorious.
The King said didn’t we put in 3 but I see 4, and the 4th one Looks like the son of God. Oh wait a minute he didn’t want to acknowledge their God, but he knew what He looked like.
Saints keep serving God, they may not want to acknowledge your God, but they will know what His blessings look like. They will know what his miracles looks like.
When he realized what was happening I heard that the king called them by name. He said Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego you servants of the most High God come here.
Yeah they may not want to acknowledge you now but when they see God deliver you out of this fiery furnace they will call you by name. I said they will call you by name, when you are going through they will call you, you servants of the most High God come here, I need you. Now I need you to pray for me, I need you to lay hands on me, I need you to believe with me.
The next part of or text says that when they came out of the fire, the men looked them over. Their clothes had not been burned, not even a hair on their heads were singed, and the bible said their clothes didn’t even smell like smoke. Look at your neighbor and say neighbor “I’m glad I don’t look like what I’ve been through”. Church the fire isn’t meant to harm you is meant to purify you, to cleanse you.
Now I understand why Isaiah 48:10 says Behold, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
Now I understand why James 1:2-4 said Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Isaiah 43:2 says When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
David said in Psalms 23 Yea though I walk THROUGH the valley.
Watch this God didn’t deliver them FROM the fiery furnace, HE delivered them IN the fiery furnace.
And I’ve got to go but my Sisters and Brothers, when you find yourself in the midst of the fire, and when you are going through and the enemy tries to tear you down. I want to encourage you to do as they taught us as kids when you find yourself burning. You gotta STOP, DROP and ROLL!
STOP right where you are…DROP down to your knees, start praying, start praising, start worshipping and ROLL all your cares on over to the Lord and leave them there. STOP, DROP and ROLL! Because I Trust God.
