Intro:
1. One of the roughest things about family, housework, repairs, red tape,
and the serving the Lord is: You are never done.
2. Some things you do once in life: many of us saw Haley’s comet years
back; we’re done. But some things are not this way.
3. People can often be like Peter: one day saying they would die for you,
the next day denying you.
Question: Do we ever get to a point in this life where we have so much
credibility that others will firmly stand behind us no matter what? Can
we ever do so much for people that we seal their loyalty or guarantee
their fidelity?
I. The City of Bablyon...
1. one of ancient wonders of the world....hanging gardens...
2. Also the "blue city"---tiles/pottery with blue glaze (elements in soil)
----lots of pottery kilns (fiery furnaces)
3. The home to many Jews during the Babylonian captivity....first set of
captives were the wealthy, smart, upper crust of Jerusalem, including
the young men Daniel, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego....
---trained to be Chaldeans...advisors, wisemen, and interpretters of
dreams.....like Christians in a secular university,they did not approve of
or agree with all they learned...they had no choice...
II. King Nebuchadnezzar Has A Dream....
1. He wants to know its REAL meaning, so he makes an unusual
demand....
(1) wise men must tell him dream AND its interpretation....
(2) all declined.....Nebuchanezzar: death promised to the whole
class of "Chaldeans"
2. Daniel steps to his and their rescue....
(1) he gets Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego to pray for God to
reveal all the information to Daniel in a dream....God answers
(2)Daniel approaches Nebuchadnezzar---not my own wisdom, but
the God of Heaven...
3. He reveals dream
(1) Giant image: head---gold
arms and chest---silver
belly and thighs--bronze
legs--iron
feet--iron mixed w/clay
(2) A stone is cut...used like a bowling ball...crashes/destroys
image, grows into a mountain, fills whole earth...
4. Nebuchadnezzar’s response: Surely your God is the God of gods!
Presents, bows down before him, made him ruler of Babylon...
-----Daniel appoints Shadrach, Meshech, & Abednego as administrators
5. Daniel had earned Nebuchadnezzar’s respect and saved the lives of all
the wise men and advisors...Daniel’s God respected by the King...
III. Nebuchadnezzar’s Idol
1. Nebuchadnezzar had not been converted to faith in the true God,
Yahweh, merely DIVERTED....some of the biggest enemies of the Gospel
are those who at one time claimed to believe it then turned away...
2. He builds an idol 90 feet tall....
(1) demands that at the time music was played, all had to bow
down and worship
(2) anyone who refused would be thrown in a large pottery kiln...
3. The music played, and Shadrach, Meshech, & Abednego would not
conform....who informs the King, but some of the men Daniel had saved
(astrologers)--time had gone by
4. Note the dialogue of 3:13-18
------They had to do what was right, no matter what the consequences...
5. This pottery kiln: heated 7 times hotter (Marylu’s kiln goes up to
2400
Degrees F)....thrown in....
6. From a distance, Nebuchadnezzar sees a 4th man....
--- 3:25
---men allowed to come out, then 3:28....
Question: Do we ever get to a point in this life where we have so much
credibility that others will firmly stand behind us no matter what? Can
we ever do so much for people that we seal their loyalty or guarantee
their fidelity?
IV. People Can Be Very Fickle...
1.Proverbs 20:6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a
faithful man who can find?
2. A man and woman get married, and then zap, unfaithfulness--
sometimes during their first year of marriage...
3. A Christian businessman proves himself a crook....on and on and
on....
4. Other people are faithful....Paul, Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:15-18
15. You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me,
including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because
he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
17. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me
until he found me.
18. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that
day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
5. Daniel was faithful to them, perhaps the other Jews were, too---it is
worse when your own kind desert you...but Nebuchadnezzar & the
astrologers had forgotten....
6. Most people seem to remember two weeks....
7. God is Faithful Even Though He Is Unpredictable....
(1.) He delivered the men...
(2.) But they had their doubts...Daniel 3:18
V. What Can We Learn from this Experience?
1. Certain truths are not negotiable
2. There is a price tag when we stand for truth
3. None of us can be sure about the future of our earthly lives...
4. Past victories are soon forgotten
5. We can expect people to hurt, betray, and disappoint us; if we get by
w/out our family doing this, we should reflect on how fortunate we
are
6. In modern Christianity, the worse enemies are from within in the U.S.
right now...
-----numerous departures from the faith...
----choice: keep the peace in the name of love and bow down
or stand our ground...
---Barna Stats....
Conclusion:
1. Let’s resolve to do two things: Stand our ground, no compromise.
2. Remain faithful; let’s not turn on the faithful....
