The Church of Eleven22 - S01 E72 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Episode Date: August 25, 2020

Hey church family if you got your Bibles Daniel once again Daniel's chapter three we were in day two of week 24 of our Devo times together and it's a very familiar event if you grew up in and around church and so one of the dive in last last week or yesterday sorry in Daniel chapter one we heard nebuchadnezzar moves in he takes the best and the brightest from israel that's that's Daniel and then han and i am ishael and astro but he changes her name Shadrach and Abedigo. I don't know why we call them by their Babylonian names all the time, but that's just how it has gone down. I want to look at Daniel chapter 3, what do you do when things are not going your way? We're going to find out here. Verse 1. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits in its breadth, six cubits. And he set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. And then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers and the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces

to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. He's really in himself. And then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurer, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before the image that Nebrekinezer had set up. And the herald proclaimed, okay, they passed this edict. You are commanded, O peoples, nations and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the trigon, the heart, the bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery friend. us. Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn of the pipe, the liar,

the trigon, the harp, the bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshipped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Okay. So you get it. King Nebuchadnezzar is really into himself, builds a golden statue of himself, and says, you will bow down. So when the music plays, you bow. Now here's the thing about Babylon back in the day is he was not he was not claiming to be unique in worship. In other words, you don't have to stop believing what you believe and you don't have to stop being who you want to be and you don't have to stop worshiping your gods. You just have to also worship me as a God. And the music would play and if you didn't bow down, there was a penalty.

church family. We live in a culture. And though we don't have physical golden idols that we are to bow down to, our culture is drifting in a way. And when the music plays, if you do not bow down to this ideology, this current ideology of our culture, you will be punished. And it is a culture of the phrase originally was tolerance. But tolerance, the crazy thing about it, we knew it was coming. But the tolerance culture will not tolerate you if you do not bow down. That, and by the way, tolerance is not a biblical value. Love is a biblical value.

Tolerance just means to put up with something. I tolerate the raccoons that live in my backyard. But I don't love them. that the gospel calls us to love our neighbor. Not just not to tolerate them. We live in a culture now where coexist is a command, but we are not called to coexist with one another. Again, I coexist with moles that live under the ground.

As long as they don't come into my yard and mess up my yard, as long as they don't mess with me, I won't mess with them. We are not called to coexist with one another. We are called to love one another. Jesus says, as I have loved you, so you love one another. We live in a culture, and when the music plays, if you don't first identify with the name that this world has given you, if you don't first identify with the categories that this culture puts on you, then you will be punished.

But the scripture says that our first identity is in Christ. Our first identity is not who our parents are. Our primary identity is not in what we have done. Our primary identity is you are either a son of Adam or a son of Jesus. Which one are you? Team Adam or team Jesus. Sinner or saint. And so what areas of your life when the music plays do you bow down?

It's very similar to what we talked about yesterday. Sometimes, man, the music of comfort starts playing and we bow down to comfort. and we use all of our resources to try to create an environment whereby we will be comfortable, and yet we follow after a Savior that says, unless you take up your cross and follow after me, you have no part with me. Or maybe, maybe, it's the music of vocation, and we, the music plays at work, and we forget that we're a Jesus follower in an attempt to try to make it to the top. And we totally forget.

we begin to do all the things all of our coworkers begin to do because in that world that is the currency of victory and yet we say Jesus is our lord and savior and his currency of victory is it is not it is not dog eat dog and survival of the fittest his currency of success are things like love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and self-control And so, even though in Daniel's Day, in Babylon with King Nebuchadnezzar, even though we don't exactly have that now like music plays and we all have to bow to this ideology, there are people Christians that are bowing to idols every day of our lives. The music of consumerism comes on and we feel like we have to bow down and purchase the thing.

It's over and over and over. I dare you, in your time with the Lord today, I dare you to say, God, what areas am I bowing down to where this culture is commanding me to worship it? And instead, I need to stand up for you. Verse saying, therefore. So not everybody's in this game. Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. And they declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live forever.

they're kind of kiss-ups. You, O' King, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the trigon, the harp, the bagpipe, and every kind of music shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning, fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these men, O king, They pay no attention to you.

They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. So listen, I promise you, we live in, I mean, this is like cancel culture 101 right here. This is some people ratting you out because you believe in Jesus or you stand for this or you have said that or basically you're saying, I'm not bowing down to your idol. Now notice, they didn't say anything offensive about it, but people will begin to try to define you. by following after Jesus and then heaping some other things upon you for doing that. It is the world we live in. Verse 13 and the Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage.

This is where ego leads. You see, when you're a narcissist like Nebuchadnezzar, your response for people not worshipping you is furious rage. So I know you haven't built an idol to yourself, but it is the reason you get so mad at your wife, so mad at your kids, so mad at your employees, it's because they're not worshipping you? And is the real reason

because ultimately you think you deserve to be worshipped? You see, there's a lot of Nebuchadnezzar in a lot of us. The Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach Meshach and Abedigo be brought, so they brought these men for the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, is it true, O Shadrachrach and Abedigo, that you do not serve my gods

or worship the golden image that I have. have set up. Now, if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the trigon, the heart, the bagpipe, and every kind of music to fall down and worship the image that I have made well and good. 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? The boss comes to them and says, I have elevated you to a high position. Somebody ratted you out. I don't want you to get in trouble. I'm to give you one more chance to bow down and worship me. Then he asks a very important question. And who is the God who will deliver you out of my hands? Here's what Nebuchadnezzar is basically saying.

Are you going to put your trust in the God that you can't see? And are you going to put your trust in the God that may or may not help you in your time of need? Or are you going to put your trust in the God that's standing right here in front of you and can control whether you live or die. Listen, this is what the world asked all the time. And who is the God who will deliver you out of my hands? This world wants us to disbelieve the God that may or may not come through the way we want him to come through and to put our faith in our circumstances. But look how these three Jewish boys respond. Chatterak Meshach and Abedigo answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

If this be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. And he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden an image that you have set up. I want to look at these three boys' responses, and it helps me like crazy. The way they respond is foundational for me when the circumstances of my life are still up in the air, and I'm not sure how they're going to turn out. So in view of potentially being thrown into the fiery furnace, this is what they pray.

God, we know that you are able to deliver us. because we've seen it before. We've seen you rescue from the mouths of lions. We've seen you defeat armies. We've seen you or heard of you part the Red Sea and part the Jordan. We've heard of you marching around Jericho seven times and the walls come tumbling down.

We've heard about a little shepherd boy that went out to a field and slayed a giant, God. We know, we know that you are able to answer our prayers. And in this moment, God, we are believing that you will come through for the thing we are asking. And even if you don't, we will not bow down to your idols. You see, this is the kind of prayer of faith. Because in this kind of prayer, you are not putting your faith in your circumstances. You're not saying, if God, if you come through, then I will be your follower. What you're saying is,

God, I know that you are able to answer all my prayers. If you're sick, if you're in financial distress, if you're in relational distress, this is the way to pray. This is a great way to pray. I believe it's very much in line with the way Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gassimony. Father, if there be any other way, let this cut past from me. Yet not my will, but your will be done. God, I know that you are able. I know that you are able to heal. I know that you are able to give me a financial breakthrough. I know that you are able to reconcile relationships. I know that you are able. And I am believing by faith. In this moment, I am believing. I am not believing in my doubts and doubting my beliefs. I'm going to believe my beliefs and I'm going to doubt my doubts. And even if you,

don't, even if you decide to not come through the way that I am praying, I will not bow down out of fear to the idols of this world. So Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadirak Meshach and Abedigo. And he ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated, and he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrachad Meshka and abedigo and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments.

The Bible wants you to know they are very, very flammable. And they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire, killed those men who took up Shadrach Meshachadabed Abedigo. And these three men, Shadrach Moushachadabed abidigo, fell bound into the fiery furnace. I don't know how many times it says. bound, but it says these bound men were bound and bound they were thrown into the fire, the fiery furnace where they bound. Over and over and over, it wants you to know,

these men are bound. Did you get that? Bound, bound, bound. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and he rose up in haste, and he declared to his counselors, did not we cast three men bound into the fire. And they answered and said to the king, true, O king. And he answered and said, but I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and their appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods. This is what we call a Christophony, a pre-incarnate appearance of the second person of the Trinity. What does this mean? That there was another in the fire.

That in the midst of terrible circumstances, where is Jesus? He's right where he promised that he is wrong. right there in the midst of the circumstances, and he never left them, he would never forsake them. You see, even when things don't go the way you want them to go, and even when you are being persecuted by your faith or because of your faith, then Jesus is right there with you. This is what he promises in Matthew 28 at the Great Commission,

and notice, here's what's crazy, the only thing that was burnt up by their faith was the things that bound them by their culture. So maybe, maybe if you find yourself in a furnace, a fiery furnace, obviously not literally, but things are not going your way, what if God is using the circumstances of your obedience that leads to your persecution to burn away some things that are binding you in your life? You see, that's freedom. That's freedom.

This whole world is bowing down to golden images every single day of its life. may it not be so for you and me. May we be the kind of people that say, God, I know that you were able to say. I've read it in the scriptures. And I'm believing, and I'm believing in this situation, you're going to come through for me. And even if the situation doesn't go the way I'm asking,

I ultimately will not bow down to this idol because I ultimately believe that I would answer my prayer request the same way you do if I just happen to know all that you know. And no matter what happens, Jesus is with you. He would never leave you. He would never forsake you. In fact, he may be taking you through the fiery furnace so that whatever has been holding you in bondage would be burnt away. Father in heaven, we thank you for this time as we prepare our hearts to be saturated in your word, to be saturated in your presence, to be saturated in your gospel. Lord, I pray that you would give us conviction and courage to not bow down when the music of

our culture plays that we would not bow down to contemporary idols. But we would love you more. We would love you more than our circumstances. And when we find ourselves in all kind of awful circumstances, Lord, I pray that we like Nebuchadnezzar would look around and we would see one who is like the Son of God standing right there with us. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.