Faith Under Fire

Daniel 3:10-14 "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?"

Will your faith stand when you're up to your head in flames? What builds the kind of faith necessary to withstand the adversities of life. We want to look at these concepts tonight.

Prior to the events that we read about tonight, Daniel had interpreted a series of dreams that Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had. The conclusion of these dreams was that Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom would be great, a mighty power, and mighty because God made it so. Nebuchadnezzar loved this interpretation because, quite frankly, it suited his arrogant pride, and after promoting Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) he immediately began building an idol.

Rather than worship the source of his power, the Lord God, Nebuchadnezzar began to worship the power itself. In the vision Daniel prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar was the "head of gold" (Daniel 2.38), so he decided that the best way to secure this power was to create a false religious system and demand that everyone obey it. First, he created an object of worship:

Daniel 3:1  "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."

A cubit was measured from the elbow to the tip of a man's middle finger, about 18 inches. If the object was half as thick as it was wide, then its volume would be about 4,400,000 pounds of gold, or over 2 billion dollars in gold in today's market. The idol was set up in the "plain of Dura", a place where criminals were often put to death in Babylon. The idol set near the place of punishment, a flaming furnace, so everyone could see the consequences of not worshipping the idol.

Next, Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that (Daniel 3.10) "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". "Worship" is the Hebrew SAGADH [peal active participle], meaning "to fall down in adoration". This word refers to an "outward expression of adoration", yet does not demand anything of the heart. Nebuchadnezzar felt that, if he got all people under his reign to worship (at least outwardly) the image, then this would help consolidate his power. What a stupid man! What God has decreed needs no help. Yet Nebuchadnezzar, in his blaspheme, offended the very God who made his power possible.

So we have to ask this question, "What's the harm in all this?". Is a little compromise that bad? Was this situation harmful?

Yes, absolutely, it was harmful. The Bible clearly teaches that there is only One God in Three Holy and eternal Persons:

1 John 5:7  "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

This One God was working on the Plan of Redemption, the Plan by which Jesus Christ would come to earth and die for our sins, even as Nebuchadnezzar created this loathsome idol. The Son had already agreed to be the sacrifice acceptable to God, and the Spirit to attend to the Son when the time was right for the incarnation. Israel and each Israelite were the stewards of the Gospel in its creation, carriers of the Law, and proclaimers of the One True God. Had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bowed their knee to this evil, then the proclamation of the One True God would have been buried under the religion of Babylon.

God hates compromise when it rears its ugly head in the believer. Here are some of the excuses that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have made, but didn't:

• We will fall down before the idol, but we won't actually worship.
• If I don't do this it could ruin my earning potential - and the Bible says I'm supposed to take care of my family.
• We can do it this once, then ask God for forgiveness.
• The King has power over us, and we are told to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's"
• The King is really a good man, and we owe him. After all, he appointed us.
• This is a foreign land, and we should "do as the Babylonians do".
• My actions don't hurt anyone.

Matthew 5:15-16 "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

We, as believers, are called to clearly present Who we have our faith in for all the world to see. When we hide our faith under excuses, presupposition, when we become chamelion-like in our deportment, then we hide the pathway to God from the world. We become "dimmed lights", where none can see the Cross.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to compromise their faith in God, and refused to subvert the message of the Gospel under idol worship.
 

An African Pastor was confronted by rebels who demanded that he renounce his faith. He refused. The night before they took his life he wrote the following on a scrap of paper: "I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I've stepped over the line. The decision has been made, I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by His presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops. And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear." (from the Neil Anderson Devotional)

When it comes to "faith", most Christians have it backwards. Faith deals in the realm of the supernatural. Let me repeat that: Faith deals in the realm of the supernatural. As we grow closer to our supernatural God by studying His Word and prayer, He gives us greater Faith. Too often we want God to show us His supernatural power so we can see it, then and only then will we believe. That's not faith:

2 Corinthians 5:7  "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"

We have never "seen" Heaven, but we believe it by Faith. We have never "seen" God, yet we believe Him by Faith.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a supernatural faith because, from their youth, they prayed and studied God's Word. Yes, the flames of the furnace were real. There was a very real chance that they would be burned alive. But they "cast themselves at the mercy of God", in Faith trusted that He would provide - and this supernatural faith brought about a spectacular supernatural salvation from God.

Deuteronomy 32:17-20 "They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. [18] Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. [19] And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. [20]  And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith."

Though God loves the believer, and calls him Son, He cannot work where faithlessness in His person is prevalent. The three Hebrew children knew this, and knew that to fall down, even in "pretend", would be to separate themselves from the supernatural power of God. Their only hope, their only faith, was to obey God and refuse to worship this stupid stone idol, even though they be cast into the flames.

Proverbs 3:5-8 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6]  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. [7] Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. [8]  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

We understand the natural world around us, but have little understanding of the supernatural. This is why God calls us to "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart". I know that many of you go through trials on a daily basis. Sometimes the natural world going on around you seems to overwhelm you, yet think on this - meditate on this - when has God ever let you down?

Do you remember the day you were saved, the day you were baptized? What was it like for you that day? Do you remember the total trust you placed in God, as you placed your soul in His hands? Did He let you down? Did He turn away?

When the trials of this life come, cultivate your faith by meditating on what God did for you at the Cross, at the day of your salvation.

Faith trusts in God ... even when it's not convenient. Faith believes in God, for it remembers the salvation of the past, and remembers that He was faithful that day to do as He said. Faith hopes in God, though life may seem  hopeless:

Lamentations 3:22-25 "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. [23]  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. [24]  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. [25]  The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."

As you go out of this place of worship remember this: there is an angelic conflict going on around you. Though you cannot see it, Satan is constantly working to draw the hearts and minds of men to his position of godlessness. You cannot trust in the things of this world - not job, not government, not even your family. Jesus said:

Luke 12:51-53 "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: [52]  For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. [53]  The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law."

The day is coming when we, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will have to place our trust and faith totally in God. Begin cultivating your faith now, so when that time comes you won't be tempted to "bend the knee" to the idol. You are children of the Light. Reflect the Light of Christ clearly in your life for all to see.
 

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