Sixth Sunday After Pentecost Confirmation Sunday July 5, 2015 9:30 am Rev. Todd Goldschmidt, Pastor Sermon Theme: Love the Lord Your God Above All Else! Sermon Text - Daniel 3:1-17 1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon--Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego--who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up." 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 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. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you ve set up." (425) 868-9404 - www.lhlc.org, pastortodd@lhlc.org Page 1 of 5
Three God-fearing men refused to bow down to a golden idol on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon some 2,500 years ago. That refusal landed them on death row. Three God-fearing young men sit here before us this morning ready to pledge their undying allegiance to the Triune God of their salvation. In the process, they will renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways just like scores of confirmands who have preceded them in this process down through the ages. And while their refusal to worship or bow down to any God other than the one, true God may not land them on death row at least not yet it will inevitably put them outside the sphere of mainstream American culture. Because, you see, that s what happens in our post-modern world when someone claims to worship a God who calls Himself the only way to heaven. That s what Jesus stated unequivocally about Himself when He said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father that is, gets to heaven except through me (John 14:6). This is a special day for Peter, Jackson and Alex. They ve spent years preparing to take the step they ll be taking this morning as they publicly proclaim before God and you, their fellow members of Living Hope Lutheran Church, that they will with God s help and your support and encouragement strive daily with the help of the Holy Spirit to bring forth the fruits of faith God looks for in the lives of all of His children of every age. It s a big step. It s a necessary stop in their journey toward heaven. A journey that first began at their baptisms into Christ. What wonderful blessings they received from God s gracious hands that day when, by means of water and the Word of God, they were born again spiritually! At their baptisms, they became believers in Jesus, members of His body and heirs of eternal life with Him in heaven. Blessings beyond belief, my friends! At that time, their parents took a solemn pledge to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord, to remind them of their baptisms and to see to it that the seed of faith that was planted in their souls that day was watered, fed and cultivated at home and at church. Sunday School classes with Mrs. Goldschmidt and Gaulke further cemented their trust in Jesus. Those classes weren t just sit here and listen ones. Oh no! They included active, hands-on learning. I recall one Sunday morning during adult Bible class seeing these three boys and a couple others with their teachers in the lead marching around the church seven times, blowing on their paper trumpets and then shouting, For the Lord and for Joshua! I remember being very glad these weren t the walls of Jericho! So here we are, guys, on your Confirmation Day. Are you nervous? Maybe a little, right. And that s okay. Again, this is a big day in your spiritual journey toward heaven. But it won t be your last big day along the way. Your faith will be put to the test time and time again throughout the course of your lifetime. You ll be tempted to say and do things that are clearly against God s will for your life. Classmates will encourage you to cut corners on your homework, cheat on your tests and treat your teachers and administrators with disrespect. Friends you ve known for years will get into the party scene and invite you to join them in their quest for sinful pleasures, sexual conquests and the use of (425) 868-9404 - www.lhlc.org, pastortodd@lhlc.org Page 2 of 5
illicit drugs and alcohol. Teammates will test your faith, too, as they partake in some of those same sinful behaviors and push you to follow suit. Peer pressure is powerful stuff. Questions will come to mind during your teen years searching questions that trouble your soul and unsettle your nerves; probing questions that test the validity of your beliefs. Will you marry? Will you attend college? Will you have a family? Where will you work? And all the while Satan and our corrupt culture will whisper in your ear: What a loser. Just give up your silly faith in God and live like you want to. My advice to you as your Pastor is this: don t listen to what they have to say about you. Listen to the voice of truth that tells you a different story, as the Casting Crowns song puts it. That voice says, Do not be afraid. That s the voice that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego listened to in our account from the book of Daniel. These three servants of God were not going to be intimidated by King Nebuchadnezzar s decree that at the sound of the symphony they should prostrate themselves to that colossal golden idol despite the fact that the penalty for their perceived insolence would be death by fire. God the Holy Spirit gave them the courage to declare: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 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. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you ve set up. These three stalwart believers were willing to let the Lord s purpose prevail whether or not He chose to deliver them or allow them to perish as martyr s for His cause. They knew that live or die they belonged to the Lord. You know the outcome of their courageous stand, don t you? We re told in the next few verses of Daniel chapter 3 that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were bound hand and foot and carried to the precipice of a huge incinerator. The flames from that furnace were so intense that the soldiers who carried them to its edge died from heat stroke! But how did our three fellow bound believers fare in the midst of the inferno? Let s take a peek: Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, Weren t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, Certainly, O king. He said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here! So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them (vv. 24-27). (425) 868-9404 - www.lhlc.org, pastortodd@lhlc.org Page 3 of 5
The Lord chose to send One like the son of the gods the pre-incarnate Son of God Himself to deliver His servants from the flames so that they emerged unscathed! They didn t even smell like smoke! We re having a celebratory barbeque at the Chabans later today you, your families, Suze and I. And I ll bet you dollars to donuts that the Grill Meister, Ed Chaban, will smell like genuine German brats und wursts after he s charred them to perfection. But the three men who stood up for what they believed, who kept the first and greatest commandment as Jesus called it in Matthew s Gospel, and love(d) the Lord [their] God with all [their] heart and with all [their] soul and with all [their] mind (22:37) didn t even smell like smoke! That s how completely God shields and protects those who honor Him above all else no matter what the consequences. God tests and tries the faith of every believer. But in His Word He also explains why He puts us through those paces. James wrote: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (1:12). Finally, the crown of life awaits the steadfast! That s what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego discovered! Perseverance pays off! Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life Jesus pledges to us in Revelation 2:10. Be faithful, even to the point of death. That s really what confirmation is all about isn t it? Faithfulness, to the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End who promises: To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life (Rev. 21:6). This hot weather lately makes me thirsty! But how s our spiritual thirst? Do our parched souls yearn to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life that flows for us in the gospel? Do we long to hear Jesus say, Your sins are forgiven and your guilt atoned for all because of what I did for you? That refreshing grace that s 100% free for us cost Jesus His life! But He readily paid that enormous price for us so that we d know His forgiving love firsthand and so that we could live forever with Him in heaven. So Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6). Take to heart God s promise to each of you: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10)! Three God-fearing men refused to worship a golden idol in Babylon some 2,500 years ago, and they were cast into a blazing fire. But God delivered them from their fiery trial because they honored Him above everything else. Three Christian young men sit here today ready to pledge their abiding commitment to the Triune God of their salvation. In the process, they ll renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways. And while their refusal to worship or bow down to any God other than the Triune God may not land them in a crucible, it will unavoidably put them outside the sphere of pop culture. But so what! So what if the world looks at them like a collection of misfit toys just like (425) 868-9404 - www.lhlc.org, pastortodd@lhlc.org Page 4 of 5
it does with us! In Christ, that s what we are and we bear that stigma gladly. Because we know that there s more to story than what can be seen on the surface. Theirs another life to follow. A better home awaits us at our Savior s side in heaven, where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain because the old order of things will have passed away forever. And what ll remain? Pure bliss at our Savior s side in His Father s house! I can t hardly wait! I can t wait to see Jesus! And I m looking forward to talking with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego too. Like them, put God first in your heart and life! Amen. Peter Joseph Chaban - Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Jackson Steven Gaulke Revelation 21:6 He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. Alex Lee LaBorde - Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (425) 868-9404 - www.lhlc.org, pastortodd@lhlc.org Page 5 of 5