If You Worship Your Way In, You Can Worship Your Way Out!
Dan 3:19-26
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here." Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
(NKJ)
Victory is an unequivocal necessity for the New Testament Believer. It is to be a daily part of our everyday life.
Although Satan continually challenges our status as a child of God, there must be within us an unchallenged understanding that no matter what we go through Jesus is worthy of our worship!
Our day to day existence is to be lived as worship.
If we live with an attitude of worship, praise, and understanding of God’s presence in our lives, we can remain victorious over all situations!
If you understand who you are in Christ, the challenges of Satan will not be able to destroy you!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not strangers to the kingdom of God.
Although they were being held captive against their will, they still held an infallible understanding of who they were in the kingdom of God.
Nebuchadnazzar captured them when Jehoikam was led captive.
Listen to this description of them:
Dan 1:3-5
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles,
4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
The king had a desire to take the best of Israel and defile them with the knowledge of the Chaldean mythology and paganism.
Satan loves nothing better than to take the best that there is in the church and defile them with the ways of idolatry in this hour. (expound)
He ran into a problem. The ones that he chose had too great an understanding of who they were.
You need to reaffirm who you are in God’s kingdom tonight!
You are not some mamby pamby Neanderthal! You are a blood bought child of God!
You are a part of God’s church. You are the bride of Christ. You are not a part of this world any longer.
You are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, a peculiar people, and a praiser of God!
You are a worshiper of God. You do not have to live the devil’s wishes in your life.
He wants to defile you. He wants to administer confusion into your mind. He wants to bring you to a place that you feel that you are subservient to him.
He is a liar. The father of all lies! There is not any truth in him!
Truest form of worship is not the worship that comes with the multitudes. It is easy to praise when everyone else is. It is easy to sing when everyone else is.
It is another story entirely when you are being forced into a situation that demands that your worship of God take preeminence over all else!
When confronted with the offers of the king’s table, Daniel led the young men in a beautiful act of true worship.
Dan 1:5
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
Satan likes to try and limit your intake of Godliness. He will do his best to offer you every sinful thing that might appeal to your desires.
Dan 1:7
7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
Satan will try to change your identity. But it does not matter what he or the world calls you, you are a child of God!
Dan 1:12-15
12 "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 "Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants."
14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.
I do not know that there would have been anything wrong in eating the meat of the king’s table. The only reason, is that there were 2 million or more others that were eating the potatoes and vegetables on a prisoner slave’s menu.
When they took the step of worship in their diet, they brought themselves into position for a miracle.
Some people are afraid of making a stand for what they know that they should.
They are afraid that they will come out with less than others have. That they will be less of a person.
Just the opposite is true.
Look at what happened.
They looked better than those that partook of the king’s delicacies.
Sin will always leave you worse for the wear. Oh, the power of un-compromised worship!
You will always do better for righteousness than you will for sin!
Yes, I can drink all that you want, but I don’t want to!
Yes, I can smoke all that I want to, but I don’t want to!
Yes, I can have as many illicit affairs as I want to, but I don’t want to!
You can partake of all the sin that you want, but you will always do better if you chose to remain true to God.
The men progressed in the kingdom of Babylon. Rose to positions of leadership and prestige.
Soon a new day dawned.
Image. Commands to all to bow and worship Neb as a god . This went against all the previous experience of these men.
It does not matter how long you are forced to live in a situation, it does not matter how well acclimated you become, there will be an ultimate trial of your faith and worship.
Bow, or burn.
Music. Three standing.
Outrage and shock.
Another opportunity to bow.
Still standing tall!
Absolute unbelief was on the faces of Neb and the boys.
You see, a statement had been made years earlier around the king’s table. We may have to live here. We may be required to go through your schooling, we may have to live by your rules; but it was settled in our hearts long ago, and it remains the same today:
Deut 6:4-6
4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
Satan, you hear me and you hear me good, you can mess with my mind, you can mess with my situations, but no matter how hard you try, you cannot change my heart!
My heart knows that there only one God. My heart knows that all of my worship belongs only to him!
I will not bow to your idols. No matter your threat, I will not bow.
One last chance. Ominous warning. Furnace is going to be heated up 7 times hotter than ever. Bow or burn.
Dan 3:16-18
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
(NKJ)
Music. Suspense. Standing. Wow!
To the furnace we go.
Understand something with me. They were worshiping God by refusing to worship the image.
Sometimes it will seem that others do not notice your lack of involvement. God is watching! He is recording and taking great pleasure in your stand for him.
Guards. Thrown in, bound hand and foot. Can’t run when your bound.
Some times we find ourselves bound by a situation that we would love to run away from! But most of the time, running is not the answer.
Guards fell dead. And they worshiped their way into the fire.
Oh! I wish I could tell you that your worship is always going to bring you glory, goose bumps and shout downs.
Sometimes all it brings you is a fiery trial!
But look at who is waiting inside the furnace! A fourth man. Like the Son of God.
This was not Jesus. This is what is called a theophany. The glory cloud, etc.
When you worship your way into a trial, you will find deliverance in the midst of it!
They came out worshiping! Declaring to all that the God of Israel was the God of all.
Neb. A decree. Worship only Jehovah!
It did not start on the way to the fire. It came before. If you worship your way in, you can worship your way out!
Daniel. Lion’s den. All because he failed to obey the decrees of the time and prayed to God. Daily, he prayed.
Lion’s den. Worshiped going in. Worshiped going out!
That is why Daniel wasn’t eaten...he was a worshiper before the den!
If you will become a True Worshiper, you can worship your way through anything!
