Furnace League Daniel 3 Rev. Min J Chung (Large Group, Friday December 1, 2017)

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Furnace League Daniel 3 Rev. Min J Chung (Large Group, Friday December 1, 2017)"

Marian Dickerson
5 years ago
Views:

1 Furnace League Daniel 3 Rev. Min J Chung (Large Group, Friday December 1, 2017) It s the end of the semester and the calendar year, it's a time to finish well. We will look into the book of Daniel to talk about commitment. We can accomplish more if we are committed. If you re reminded of your commitments, practically it can help you to be faithful until the end. Daniel means - "God is my judge". God is the sovereign King of the universe, and all of history. We will all be judged by God. He will judge each of us personally and He will judge everything that has happened in human history. We are to live in fear of God and for His approval. God s judgment should be the only thing we care about. But instead, we live in fear of people much more than we may realize family, friends, professors, etc. But, we need to live to please God. In order to do that, we need to be committed to do so. Daniel was the fourth major prophet, taken into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. Through his gift of interpreting dreams, he became second-in-command of the great Babylonian Empire. Daniel served from the Babylonian Empire, into the Persian Empire. His prophecies are key to understanding end time events. As we look into Daniel 3, the Jews are in exile in Babylon (present day Iraq). In chapter 6, Daniel is thrown into the lion's den, demonstrating his integrity and faith. But in this chapter, we are going to see his three friends who make a commitment before the Lord, not to bow before an idol. Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most powerful people in the world at this time. He made a gold statue, 90 feet high, and decreed that all must bow to it. This story is about the unwavering faith of Daniel s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We don't exactly know where Daniel is in this story, he might have been in a foreign country doing diplomatic work. We know that Daniel also was uncompromising in his faith, but today we ll learn about commitment from his three friends. 1. We are what we commit ourselves to [1-12] The things to which we commit ourselves, says a lot about who we are. If you re a student, you re committed to school. If you are a working person, you re committed to your job. We are committed to our family and friends also. But there needs to be a much deeper, essential commitment in our hearts. We can examine this through the commitments of Nebuchadnezzar, as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. A. The commitment of Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 3:1 "King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon." This image comes from the previous chapter where God shows Nebuchadnezzar who the real King of the universe is through a dream. In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar couldn't sleep, he had a dream that no one could interpret except Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar saw a great statue the top

2 part was gold, but the lower parts were silver, then bronze and iron and clay. God showed him that the gold was Nebuchadnezzar. And God showed him that Nebuchadnezzar had authority of the world given to him from God. The next part was silver, and history shows that it represented the Medo-Persian Empire, followed by the bronze, which is the Greek Empire, and the iron and clay are the Roman empire. And then a great stone destroyed the statue, and God was showing that a supernatural kingdom would arise through Jesus Christ, which would rise and destroy all human empires. The problem is that Nebuchadnezzar does not repent of his sins, confessing God as the God of Israel and the whole world. Instead, he makes a statement by making a statue completely out of gold, declaring that his kingdom will last forever. God showed him only the top part was gold, and that his kingdom would end, and he would give it to another. What a stubborn, proud man Nebuchadnezzar was, but he was committed to his kingdom. In our hearts, we want to be king of our lives, we are committed to building our own kingdom. We see the root of our sin in Genesis 3:5 "for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. We can know our sins as we examine ourselves. The difference between us and God is that God does not think that He is us. But we want things for ourselves in defiance of God's plan. The most selfish letter in the alphabet is "I". It's always "I want" or "I need". We have expectations for what we want, and when we don't get what we want we get hurt. But if we have no expectations or sense of entitlement, then no matter what people do to us, we can still love them. In marriage counseling, all problems come down to selfishness. We want to be the center of the universe but we are not. We think we will be happy if we are living for ourselves, but we will not, because we are depending on other people to be happy. We are born with a commitment to our own kingdoms, like Nebuchadnezzar. B. We grow through our commitments [13-15] But there's the commitments of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Daniel 3:12, astrologers say "There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Now their lives were in danger, not in spite of their faith, but because of their faith. They were either going to bow or burn. The Babylonian strategy was quite ingenious. They said you can worship your God, but you must also worship my god. Similar to our culture, it was very pluralistic. You can worship your God, but don't say that yours is the only true religion. Our generation likes designer religions, focusing on things comfortable to us. Tolerance is the highest value. When you look at this world, and Nebuchadnezzar, they seem very tolerant, but they are very intolerant towards those whom they perceive as intolerant. Nebuchadnezzar looked tolerant, saying one could worship any god, but he required everyone to worship him as god also. And he was willing to kill Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be worshipped. So, he was very intolerant. Christianity is kind of the opposite. From the outside it looks intolerant, but Jesus Christ is so tolerant and so gracious.

3 In our hearts there is no neutral. We either live for ourselves, or we live for Christ. We fail so many times, we make commitments and we fail. According to the Bible, as Christians, we have two natures, our sin nature and the Holy Spirit s nature, fighting inside of us. So, we will still sin but the Spirit's nature will help us to overcome sin. Though we fail, we will grow. Though we fail, we need to be committed to live for Christ, not for ourselves. We are what we commit ourselves to, therefore we must commit ourselves to Christ. Here is a picture of the Justice League. They were committed to justice in the movie. We are part of the Furnace League. These three friends were in the furnace, committed to the glory of God. The most redeeming letter in the alphabet is "U". I will serve you. I will love you. God, I'm living for you, for your glory. I am yours. We need to redeem ourselves, and commit ourselves to the Lord. Though we fail, we are of Christ. 2. We will grow through our commitments [13-15] In verses 13-15, there is danger, "Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, 'Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?... But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?' " How proud Nebuchadnezzar was to say, who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands? Yet they were still able to say no, and keep their commitment before the Lord. How were they able to do this? When they were still teenagers in Daniel 1:8, their friend Daniel made a commitment, "Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." Those who were especially wise, good-looking, and intelligent were chosen to be trained for the Babylonian kingdom, and eat the king's food. The king's food was given to idols, but the Old Testament commanded not to eat such food. Daniel did not want to eat it, so this teenage boy made a commitment, "Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself." Daniel's friends are not mentioned in this verse, but they are mentioned later when he is talking to the steward assigned to them by the chief of the eunuchs. Daniel 1:10 "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink." This was a lesser-risk situation, but sticking to this lesser commitment led to faithfulness to a greater ( high risk ) commitment. Because they were able to say no to the smaller things, they were able to say yes to bigger things, even when their life was on the line. We grow through our commitments. So, learn to keep small commitments in your life. We are what we commit ourselves to. Our past commitments, even though we failed, have formed who we are now. And who we become will be determined by the commitments we make now.

4 Why is it difficult to make commitments? The primary reason is probably fear of failure. But if you don't try due to fear, you will not accomplish anything. In the Parable of the Talents, the five talent and two talent people were rewarded for taking risks and doing something with their talents. The one talent person buried his talent and was rebuked by God. Don't fearfully avoid making commitments, but carefully make them, so that you can grow. Your desire to grow has to be greater than your fears. It's okay to fail as a Christian. With or without commitment, you will fail. When you fail without commitment, you feel guilty, get discouraged, and you might end up quitting. But when you fail with commitment, you also feel guilty and discouraged, but you will not quit, because of your commitment. You will go to the blood of Jesus Christ, which is greater than your sin. You will get up, keep fighting and you will grow. Marriage is a commitment. The goal of marriage is not perfect happiness. But as you struggle and grow together, you live for the glory of God. Much forgiveness is needed. You will go through many problems, but relationships that are not ready to sacrifice, do not last. But with commitment, you have to resolve problems, and you will keep on growing together. In Daniel 3, commitment preceded victory. You may fail, but commitment will guide you to victory despite trials and temptations. When Jesus was walking on water, only Peter got out of the boat. Peter actually walked on water while he was looking at Jesus, but he failed once he looked at the wind and waves and fear took over. The other 11 disciples failed as well because they didn't try. They were stagnant. There are different kinds of failures. Failure of regression, as the disciples had tried to run away from Jesus. Failure of stagnation, like the 11 disciples who stayed in the boat. But Peter, experienced a failure of progression. At least Peter fell towards Jesus. Because of this constant progression towards Jesus Christ, though he often failed, Peter became the leader of the first Century church. The right kind of commitments will help you grow. I remember as a pastor, right after seminary, I struggled with commitment. I had always been a student, never had a full-time job. So, when I came to U of I and started CFC as a full-time pastor, I didn't know what to do during the day. There was no boss over me, and I could do whatever I wanted. But I decided I needed to have integrity and good time management. So I decided that I should have a full-time schedule like the rest of the congregation. After Morning Prayer, instead of watching movies or falling asleep, I must stay awake, work, and serve in various capacities. But I constantly failed. I looked at my schedule and thought "Wow, I would be a godly person if I lived like this," but I failed so many times. For the first three years, I failed. But I kept on trying. I was so discouraged. But after the third year, my schedule was well set. I looked at the calendar and said, "Wow, I actually almost live like this! I live like a person that has integrity." I have kept that schedule for about 24 years now. Commitment is not about perfection. None of us will be perfect. Commitment is about progression. 3. We make our commitments on the foundation of our faith [16-24] Daniel 3:17 "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand O King." Nebuchadnezzar asked which god would be able to deliver them from his hand. You can imagine him getting angry, as Shadrach, Meshach,

5 and Abednego declare in v18, "but even if he does not, we want you to know that we will not serve your gods, or worship the image of gold that you have set up." They based their commitment on the foundation of their relationship with God, and we ought to as well. The world cannot do this. When one makes a commitment apart from Christ, they must trust in their own strength, or other people who might help. Nebuchadnezzar trusted in himself, there was no one else for him to trust in. But the three made a commitment founded in their faith in God. A. God is able They said "the God we serve is able." Who can save them from the most powerful man in the world? The most powerful being in the universe, of course. Our God is able. We often forget that our God is able. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego put their lives on the line because of their faith in God. God helps us through the big things, but also in the little things. Learn to depend on God in the little things so that you can have bigger faith in God. Whenever it's a right thing to ask, know that God is able. B. God is faithful God is also faithful. "Even if he does not," even if you don't get what you want, or things don't happen like you plan "we will not serve your gods, or worship the image of gold that you have set up." They are saying that God is able, but even if He does not save them, God is faithful. He is God, and we are not. Sometimes the anticipation of pain is greater than the pain itself. We fear so many things in life. But in the furnace, the grace of God is available to us. God is able and He is faithful. He is able means God is great. He is faithful means God is good. God is great, he can save us, but even if he does not, God is still good, and He is going to bring His glory and our joy in eternity. So we commit ourselves to Him. 4. We grow in our intimacy with God through our commitments [25-27] A. Fellowship In the fire, surprisingly, they were not burned, it wasn't even hot. And although three went in, there was a fourth person there. Daniel 3:25, "Look I see four men." Theologians ask if the fourth figure is an angel, or a pre-incarnate figure of Christ. I'm leaning towards Christ, but either way, the point is, God was with them. In the place of unprecedented heat was the place of unprecedented fellowship. God never promised an absence of fire or storm. But His promise was that you will never be alone in the flame of the furnace. Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you. But when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." We need to stop asking the wrong questions during furnaces or hardships, in our lives. "Why?" is the wrong question. "When will it be over?" is the wrong question. But we should ask, "Are you with me, Lord?"

6 How many times do you miss appointments with God because you say yes to the idols in your lives? You need to have intimacy with God and often you have intimacy with God in the furnace. If they gave into fear, not only would they have missed this intimate fellowship with God, but they would have missed an adventure that people would talk about several thousand years later, this incredible story. B. Freedom There is incredible fellowship in Christ but also incredible freedom. In v21, we see that they were bound before going into the fire. Yet in v25, "I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods. When we face fiery trials, many things don't matter anymore. Cars, money, sex, don't matter. All we can do is ask "Lord, are you with me?" Sometimes to free us from our idols, He makes us go through the fire. What can we learn from this? Why didn't they burn? Why didn't they die? Jesus Christ endured the furnace of God's fury on the Cross, on our behalf. Because Jesus went through the fiery furnace for us, during times of trouble we can picture Him and He will be with us. So then, fire leads to fellowship, and fellowship leads to freedom. When we are in the furnace, we grow in intimacy with Him, so that we can be freed from our sins and live for his glory. Because of Jesus, no furnace can destroy us, but can only refine us. Gazing at Jesus in the furnace only brings refinement. Jesus went through the furnace not so that we would not suffer. Jesus suffered so that when we suffer, we would be with Him and become like Him. Think about how you make a cake. Flour, eggs, sugar. But it doesn't become a cake until it goes into the fire. In the furnace of God, the things that bind you will burn, but you will not burn. Sometimes a mess goes into the furnace, but it comes out as a delicious meal. 5. We bring glory to God through our commitments When they were able to keep their commitment, they accomplished four things: A. Faith in God First they showed faith in God. Nebuchadnezzar saw that they trusted in God. B. Fear of God He was also able to see their fear of God, not fear of men, not even fear of the greatest man on earth. C. Worth of God

7 They defied the king's command. They were willing to give up their lives. God was worth more than their own lives, and Nebuchadnezzar saw this. D. Worship of God They were able to serve and worship God. They would not worship any God but their own God and it led Nebuchadnezzar to praise God. He declared all nations to glorify God. "Therefore, I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way." Conclusion There are a few comments I would like to make, especially for those who failed, and fail often. In our failure, God still wants to use us. The Israelites as a nation were in exile. They were being disciplined. But God was using them in their exile. In our failures, sometimes God takes us to a place of exile to use us there. God did this many times throughout the history of Israel. Look at this incredible story. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't do much, they just said they would serve God only. They kept a simple commitment, and God used them to spread His name. Another comment I would like to make is that it only takes a few people. I don't know how many of the 1000 people in our church have faith. Many are faithful, and many are not. We are doing what we can so that every one of you can live for the glory of the Lord, and for your joy. I get discouraged because not everyone is faithful. But then I think about the fact that God can use a few to change a whole empire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were only 3, committed to worship and serve God. So let us be encouraged. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. God only needs a few to change the world. Be faithful in your present commitments. Finish well. I want to tell you a story of a Chinese pastor, Pastor Li. He had a house church, and while he was preaching at a Sunday Service, the police came in, threatening the congregation and to arrest Pastor Li. He said politely yet firmly, "Wait, please allow me to grab my bag." The police were surprised by the request. The bag contained a blanket and change of clothes. Pastor Li told them he had been expecting to be arrested one day. He had been arrested many times, and twice he had beaten to the point of vomiting blood. Once he was beaten with his own Bible. Pastor Li was warned that police were watching where he held Tuesday night meetings, so he knew that if he preached he would be imprisoned. And this was just one of many incidents that happened. Pastor Li's bag was packed knowing what was coming, and he was prepared. He was committed to face the furnace. We don't know what we're going to face in our lives, but we have to be committed. If we commit ourselves to the smaller things, we will be able to commit to the bigger things in our lives also. So be faithful to your calling, practice small commitments now so that God can use you for His glory.

And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 7

And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 7 Daniel 3:1-30 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar