TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - June 27, 2025 - Daniel 3:1-18 - Faith Friday: We Will Not Bow

Episode Date: June 27, 2025

On this powerful Faith Friday, the Morning Manna team unpacks Daniel 3:1–18, the epic story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's bold stand in the face of deadly opposition. As King Nebuchadnezzar demands idolatrous worship under threat of a fiery furnace, these faithful men choose loyalty to God over obedience to worldly power. Their declaration, “We will not bow,” models for believers today what it means to stand firm in faith—peacefully, boldly, and humbly—even when the cost is everything.Rick Wiles reflects on the courage required to remain obedient in a world increasingly hostile to biblical truth. The message underscores that true faith is not presumption—it’s submission to God's will, whether or not deliverance comes. The broadcast concludes with Holy Communion, calling believers to spiritual preparation and trust in the sovereignty of God.Join the leading community for Conservative Christians! https://www.FaithandValues.comYou can partner with us by visiting https://www.FaithandValues.com/donate, calling 1-800-576-2116, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961.Get high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves!https://www.AmericanReserves.comIt’s the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today!https://www.amazon.com/Final-Day-Characteristics-Second-Coming/dp/0578260816/Apple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books! https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/final-day-10-characteristics-of-the-second-coming/id1687129858Purchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today. https://www.sacrificingliberty.com/watchThe Fauci Elf is a hilarious gift guaranteed to make your friends laugh! Order yours today! https://tru.news/faucielf

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Morning Manor. Glad to have you here with us. I'm working from home today. I apologize that my head seems to be swollen in the screen. Something's malfunctioning with my laptop computer. It's zooming in for a close-up. And so I'm sitting back trying to be able to read my notes and not be up in your face. So if it's bothering you, just close your eyes. That's all I can say. Pretend it's radio. Just close your eyes, alright? Just listen. So, today is Faith Friday and we're going, last week we were studying Daniel and today we're going to study another episode in the life

of Daniel. I don't know if I'll get through the entire lesson in today. There's a lot to unpack. I'm going to try to summarize it and get through it. I may have to skip over a lot of my notes, but it's the entire chapter, chapter three, and it's all one lesson, one story. So I'm going to pray and invite the Holy Spirit, and then I'm'm gonna ask Doc to read the first 18 verses, verses 1 through 18 of chapter 3 in the book of Daniel and then when we get to 18 we'll see what the time looks like because we also have to set aside time for the Lord's Supper. So we we will participate in Holy Communion at the end of today's lesson. So, let's pray.

Almighty God, Father, thank you for this beautiful, wonderful day. We give you glory and honor and praise. We're thankful that we're alive. Thankful that we are saved. Thankful that we are forgiven. Father, you are a wonderful father, and we cannot say enough about you.

We praise you. We praise your son, Jesus. And Father, we welcome your Holy Spirit into this class to lead us and direct us and teach us about faith in the name of your son Jesus. Amen. Amen. Well, we have a lengthy passage today, so we're going to jump right in and start reading the Word of God. We are in Daniel chapter 3 today, and we're going to be reading verses 1 through 18. So follow along with me, if you will. I'm reading from the King James this morning. A familiar story, but let's pay attention to what the Word of God actually says. Nebuchadnezzar the King

made an image of gold whose height was three score cubits and the breadth there of six cubits and he set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the King sent together together the princes, the governors, the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the councils, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the province were gathered together. Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations and languages, that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. And who so falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbutt,

sultry and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree that every man shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoso falleth not down in worship, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 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." Then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 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.

Now, if you be ready, that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made. But if you worship not, you should be cast in the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." God bless the reading of his word. Amen. The whole time, Doc, you were reading, I was thinking of having memories of a jazz musician, Louis Armstrong, singing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Oh yeah.

Have you ever seen that? I've heard the song but I haven't seen it in the movie. It's actually a movie from I would say the 1930s. Because Mickey Rooney is in the movie and he looks like he's about 27 years old. So it's an Oldman. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Louis Armstrong. You can find it online. He also sang a song about Moses. So, a little music history. A lot of people would say that Daniel chapter three is about persecution, about being persecuted for your faith. But it's about faith. Faith Friday, we're studying faith. This is not about persecution. This is about faith. The lesson in chapter three is about faith. Faith during persecution, yes, but faith.

Faith will get you through everything you got to go through. Life has all kinds of situations, but faith will get you through it. of situations but faith will get you through it. So let's start working our way through it. Faith faces persecution with courage. I'm going to jump into start at verse 13. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. So faith faces persecution with courage. The first thing that we see is the intense opposition that the faithful will face in this life If you are faithful to God, you will face opposition You're not going to skate through this world without facing opposition if you are faithful to God

without facing opposition if you are faithful to God. A lot of Christians will downplay their relationship with God in the eyes of the world to avoid that confrontation. They'll be openly Christian on Sunday at church, but they covered up, not that they sin, not that they live sinfully, but they don't want the world to know. They don't desire the world to know that they are Christians. That in itself is a sin.

Right. But what we're learning here is that disciples will stand firm in faith and trust that God's strength will sustain them even in the face of worldly anger. In these verses, Nebuchadnezzar, yes, he was a king, but think of him as a metaphor. What does he represent? Worldly authority. That's right. authority. That's right. Nebuchadnezzar in this story represents worldly authority. And so what we're learning here about faith is that the disciples of Christ place a

higher priority on God's sovereignty. Above worldly authority. Knowing that God's power will surpass human anger. Says then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury. This is showing us the depth of his emotional reaction. His visceral fury when he was given the information that three Hebrews refused to bow down to his idol. He wasn't just ticked off. This was rage. Rage. Fury. This is uncontrolled anger.

What do we learn about faith? Disciples of Christ remain peaceful and steadfast and calm despite out of control rage and fury in people who are not disciples of Christ. Amen. You just remain calm. I remember when I was a very young man, getting royally chewed out by a high-level company executive. And I had done the right thing. And he was angry. He was angry that I pointed out something wrong

going on in the organization. Okay. But Doc, I remember sitting there listening to this man just tear me up. I mean, he was a senior vice president. Alright, I was a lonely employee and he was ripping me.

And I heard them. I heard the Holy spirit say, do not reply. I heard the Holy spirit say, do not reply. Do not defend yourself. This conversation is being recorded for judgmentgment Day. Mm. Wow. I've never forgotten that. That's decades and decades ago. I remember just sitting there after I heard, because I wanted to defend myself.

This was a man in authority. He had the power to fire me on the spot. And he was, he was attacking me for doing what was right. What was driving him, what was making him upset is that he to deal with a situation. He didn't want to deal with And I brought it because I brought it to his attention. I was He released his anger on the messenger But again What I remember is the the the Holy Spirit saying to me

the Holy Spirit saying to me, the Holy Spirit saying to me, do not respond. This is being recorded for Judgment Day. Are you leaving? All right, Susan's leaving for the airport right now. So, the, he commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This tells us the consequences of defiance of authority when you are faithful. Yes. Obedience comes with a price. But you trust, faith trusts that God's purpose prevails in trials and tribulations. It shows us the king demanded a confrontation. What was he confronting? He was confronting their stand for God. Right. So he was confronting...adrach, Meshach, and Bendigo not because they failed to do their job, whatever their employment was. He's confronting them because they stood for God.

Right. He's confronting them because they stood for God. Right. They wouldn't bow down to the idol that was made. Yes. Wouldn't bow down to the idol. See that idol, an idol is not necessarily a big statue. There are people in the world who will order you to bow down to an idol. It's not necessarily a statue.

It's a system, isn't it? Yes, bow down to the system. Bow down, bow down and submit to it. Command it. He commanded it. Nebuchadnezzar, commanded. That is a decree from the highest level. I mean, in modern times, it would be, you know, President Trump commanded. Or British Prime Minister, Kirsten Stammer commanded.

Or Russian President Vladimir Putin commanded. It's coming down from the top. Right. I mean, this wasn't a county commissioner. This was King Nebuchadnezzar. You know, this wasn't the supervisor of public utilities. It was the king ordering them to bow. And so the other thing we learn here is the personal targeting of the faithful.

When you are faithful to God, you will be personally targeted. But we also see the scripture says Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. They're always together. You don't see their names separate. It's always Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. You can't separate those guys. Can't separate them. What held them together? Their faith. Right.

They were held together by their faith. This is the way it should be in the church. You can't separate one person from another. We should not allow the enemy to come in and target one person. It ought to be, if you would target this one, you target all of us. We all stand. But that's rarely seen in today's modern churches. It's usually like, oh, get me out of here. I got to get some space between me and that person. They're under attack. You know, when the news media and powerful organizations came after me back in 2018 and 19 and 20.

Oh, man, people scattered. I lost friends. I lost support. People scatter. They should have stood. Christian leaders should have stood. And yet what I had was Christian leaders who knew me for years. I don't know that guy Yeah

Literally literally literally they walked out on me and they've never called me since never emailed me since okay Um That's the way people that's that's the way humans react. This is an example of the way the church should respond to persecution. The church unites around those being persecuted. Then they brought these men before the king. So there's a summons, there's a royal governmental summons. The sheriff's deputies were sent out with a summons from the king.

All right, this was in, if this was in today's world, if president, the summonsons you'd have us federal marshals Bringing them in Yes That is the you give the the the seriousness of it us federal marshals So It tells us the gravity of their situation how serious serious the trouble was. They were brought. That means they were compelled. Somebody went and got these three men, you know, some of the governmental goons, the thugs, they went and grabbed these three men and said, you're

under arrest, you're being taken to the king. They didn't just walk them there. They were brought compelled against their will. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not resist. See, their faith complied. Their faith did not resist the physical force used against them. Their faith had confidence God would defend them. So when you stand for God and the world gets angry at you, there will be a moment of accountability. There will be this moment that you're held accountable before the eyes of the world. And this is where now faith really becomes real.

Will you buckle or will you stand? Will you take a stand for Christ when you know that you're in grave trouble or will you buckle and deny Him? Right. That goes on in the world every day, someplace in the world. Some Christian is forced with this decision. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that God's presence was with them. They knew that their faith was certain that He would stand with them, regardless of what happened to them. Even if they died, they knew God was with them.

That's a difficult concept to understand. Verse 14, Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. See, he's got to talk to all three of them. Right. They're they're joined together. Is it true that you do not serve my gods? Notice that. Is it true that you do not serve my gods? Nor worship the golden image which I have set up. So now we have this uh face to face confrontation with the ultimate governmental authority in that country. It's not gonna

go any higher. This is it. The man who has the power of life and death, who can have people executed, is now looking in their eyes asking them a question. Is it true? You don't serve my God? Notice they didn't wiggle, they didn't squirm, they didn't try to come up with an excuse, they didn't do anything other than say, it's true. It's true, yeah. So there is, when you stand for God, there will be tension. You can believe that that was a very tense moment. Okay, there's no way you could escape not having extreme tension in a situation like that. Is it true, oh Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. OK, he's questioning. He's probing.

The government is probing. This is what this means. The government is probing. You're being questioned under oath. Imagine being questioned by a government, governmental law enforcement agents by prosecutors Is it true? That day is coming in America

That day is coming the social media companies have been doing it for the last five six years Is it true? Is it true you speak for Christ? You speak too firmly, too boldly for Christ, and they will deplatform you. That's right, and that's what these guys were doing to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Oh, they're being deplatformed. They were being deplatformed. They could have minded their own business. They could have just said, well, so they're not worshipping. No, you have to bow down. You have to bow down. And if you don't bow down, they'll make sure that you get deplatformed. And bowing down is submission. Bowing down represents

submission. Is it true you don't serve my gods or worship the golden image I've set up? Now Nebuchadnezzar gets very specific. He clearly defines what the conflict is about. It's about his gods, his idol. And now we're down to the core of this. It's idolatry. Is it true you do not practice idolatry? This is the essence of the question. Is it true? It's come to my attention you don't practice idolatry. The world never says it like that. But that's at the core of their objection to you, that's what they're saying.

It's idolatry. Why aren't you participating with us in our idolatry? Do you think you're better than us? The world is idolatrous. In the world, when they see you take a stand for Christ, they realize you have separated yourself from them. Right?. At some point, people in authority, whether it's the government or your employment, it could be any place somebody in authority will

come to you and say, is it true you don't participate in idolatry? And that's where you have to make the stand. Yes. They've already made the stand and now they're being, the king is now forcing them to verbally confirm the report that was given to him. He's saying, I want to hear it out of your mouth before I kill you. Verse fifteen. You know, he gives the command.

Now if if you're ready, when you hear the sound of the horn and all the music. Fall down and worship the image I've made. Well, but if you don't worship, you will be immediately cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. And who is that God who shall deliver you from my hands? So he's not challenging Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Now he's challenging God. Yes. Yes. He took it to a new level because he doesn't believe that there is a true God. He only believes in his idols and his images and he's made them. So in his mind he's actually higher than his idol because he made the idol. That's really crazy, isn't it? Because he made the idol That's really crazy in it

Yeah Humans make their gods and and then in in The core of their thinking they're like I am the God because I made this little God right So Where do we see faith now? The highest government authority in the land is now telling you, you have one more opportunity to become idolatrous. This is it. When the music starts, you better be bowing.

And if you don't bow, you're going to burn. There's new choices, bow or burn. That gets real now, doesn't it? It gets really personal. Either you do this act that you know is wrong or you burn. Fall down and worship the image. Obey the world and powers. Be prepared to hurt if you don't conform.

All kinds of music. The devil plays all kinds of music. He's got something for everybody. He's got a tune for you. He's got a tune for you. I like that. Huh? He's got a tune.

And the devil says, when I play your tune, you better dance, boy. Girl, you better get down on your knees. I'm going to play your tune. I'm going to make some music, the music of the world, the orchestra of the idols. And when you hear that music, you better submit. Because again, behind all this is Satan. Satan is the one driving Nebuchadnezzar. Why? Satan knows the commandments. He knows the Ten Commandments. Thou shall have no other God before me. So what's he doing? He's working through humans with political power, military power, government, law enforcement power to make people violate that commandment. But if you worship not, you shall be immediately

cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. Not the side, in the middle. You're going into the hottest spot. So now the king is saying there will be severe consequences for your faithfulness to your God. You need to be faithful to my gods. And if you refuse, I'm going to have you burned. Okay, so there is a direct threat. There is the three men knew the consequences. That they would they would face lethal danger. Fiery furnace is lethal. And And he says the same hour, it's immediately like it's going to happen.

You're not going to get an appeal. There's not going to be time to file an appeal. You if you don't bow down, you're going to the furnace. Right. And then he makes that statement. And who is that God who shall deliver you out of my hands? furnace. Right. And then he makes a statement, and who is that God who shall deliver you out of my hands? This reveals the government's arrogance against God. Amen.

Governments are arrogant against God. You don't think so? Why does the US government fund Planned Parenthood? To this day, to this day. Republicans are continuing to fund Planned Parenthood. Why? Because they're arrogant. They're arrogant against God. And all those so-called family values, Republicans don't have the courage to cut off the money

to the baby butcher shops. Because those little babies, they're not thrown into a fiery furnace, they're thrown into the sink, chopped up in pieces and washed down the drain. Why? Because the government and the mothers and fathers of those babies bowed down to bail, and they offer their children as sacrifice. Try to stop it in America, just try it. And watch what happens to you. The Biden administration put a grandmother in prison, in a federal prison for praying at an abortion clinic.

Right. Yeah. Who is this God who will deliver you? Nebuchadnezzar is so arrogant, he said, there's nobody greater than me. Nobody can take you from my hands. Verse 16, here we go, all three Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, the trio answered in one voice. How do the three of them say this together? Together they said, oh Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Modern English says, Oh, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

Right. What did that sound like to the king? In other words, we're not going to defend ourselves. We don't have to. Yeah. There's no there's no reason for us to answer your question. I mean, they're gonna get puffed up and go, Hey, wait a minute. I'll tell you about my God.

I'll tell you who he is. I'll tell you what he's gonna do to you. Oh, boy. They could have they could have quoted all kinds of scriptures. He said, there's no need to even answer you. We're not even going to give you the time of day. That's bold, confident, peaceful faith. peaceful faith that said, no, this situation's already gone too far. At this point, there's nothing to be gained by engaging you in a conversation because we're not going to bow and we're also not going to burn See their faith knew

But they were prepared even if they did burn Yes, it's like Abraham taking Isaac up on the mountain Yeah, I'm supposed to go up on the mountain and sacrifice my son, but he and I are coming back down I don't know how this is going to happen I don't know how this is going to happen. But faith says it's going to happen. Amen. So they said, we're not going to engage you in a deliberate. Argument to defend God is God, who's going to defend us.

The only one who's going to speak is defend God. It's God who's going to defend us. The only one who's going to speak is our God. And he'll settle this debate. They spoke directly to the king. There was a direct response to authority, and it was bold, and yet it was meek. It was meek boldness. But the boldness was based upon the promises of God. Yes. So, they had a promise from God that God would deliver one way or the other. God would deliver one way or the other. God would deliver even if you know it says,

if it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand but be it known but if not be it known even if we are in the fire, be it known. We're not gonna bow. And not arrogant, not, you know, but bold based upon the promise of God. And that's where we can stand too. We can be bold in the promises of God. We don't have to compromise with the world. Amen. That's right.

Especially on the issue of idolatry. That's right, especially on the issue of idolatry. You know, it's something I've noticed over studying the Word of God. God is amazingly patient, forgiving. You put up with a lot of stuff. Your sins can be very disgusting, very revolting to people in the world. God somehow is able to handle it and go, hey, you know what? If you repent, I'll forget about it. But you want to know the one sin that gets him riled up really fast? Idolatry.

God's a jealous God. He's a jealous God. Oh is he jealous? Who is he jealous? You don't want to go there. He'll forgive you of all kinds of sins. He'll say, okay, you've repented, you're forgiven. But idolatry? You better watch out. He's jealous. He is a jealous God and He will not tolerate any other God in your eyes. So this is a warning, right?

Verse 17, if it 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, okay? Now there's faith. I said, look, if it happens, the God that we serve is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace. And he is able to deliver us out of your hand, O King Nebuchadnezzar. But notice they said, if it be so. They're acknowledging the possibility that they're going to burn. And they're saying, no, our loyalty to God is too great. We don't care. We don't care. If we burn, we burn.

If it be so, you're not going to frighten us with a fiery furnace. We're frightened by a fiery god who's angry over ideology. Oh man, what a comparison that is. I'd never thought about that before. We're not scared of the fiery furnace. We fear fiery God. Yes, that's right. That's right. So, um, big there's fire. But you got to figure out which one you you fear. And they had already decided.

We are not going to provoke God's fury. We'd rather endure whatever suffering we've got to go through by the fury of the government than to risk provoking God. Because if you know God, then you know what's going to happen to somebody that practices idolatry. So the word if conveys humility. It is ensuring that their faith remains steadfast whether deliverance comes or not. They're not moving. We're not budging. We've made our decision and we're confident that God will rescue us So be it. Yes. He's still God. He's still God.

That our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery, from the burning fiery furnace. It's not just a fiery furnace, but it's burning. It's actively on fire. So now you see faith speaking with unwavering confidence in God's power. The ability to save his people. The ability to enable them to overcome any threat. The acknowledgement that God sees all. He knows all. He's present everywhere. And what He decides to do with us is His decision.

What we do for Him is his decision. What we do for him is our decision. And we have decided to stand and to be faithful. Okay, so the God is able. So this word able, they're speaking of God's unlimited power. He is able. Okay. If he chooses to deliver us, it'll happen. If he doesn't, he still has the power to do it. They're not in any way saying, we're not sure about his power to deliver us. They're not saying that at all. They said, we know, we know he's able to deliver us. They didn't know what was going to happen. They didn't know if a giant thunderstorm was going to come and put the fire out in the face.

They didn't know. They just said said we just know our god is able. What they didn't know was whether he would right. Big difference. They're resting in god's sovereignty. They're saying we're going to rest and be at peace in his sovereignty to make the decision he believes is best, not for us, but for his glory. Amen. See, that's a different perspective. Where you're taking yourself out of the picture saying, I'm not, it doesn't matter about me.

Right. Where matters is God's truth. And His glory. If I suffer and He gets glory, then let it be done. If He delivers me and He gets glory, let it be done. It's having that peaceful confidence that God has a divine plan. And if we flow with it, we will be in His divine plan. And if we're in His divine plan, always and always will with our soul. Regardless of what happens to our body, see, we have to stop thinking about what's going to happen to us physically. We know he's able to deliver us, right? He's able to rescue us from your hand.

You, Nebuchadnezzar, He is able to rescue us from your hands. You think you're mighty, but you're not mightier than our God. In verse 18, in verse 18, but if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up. Now that's the tough part. So here's this meek boldness or bold meekness, whichever combination. I'll put the two words. They're meek and bold at the same time. They weren't up in his face. They didn't put a fist in their face.

I'll tell you what, I was going to knock you into tomorrow. No, they stood there humble knowing this guy, I never can answer, he's the king, he can put us in that furnace right now. But we're going to get the last word and we's going to remember what we said. So faith remains steadfast and it persists regardless of the outcome. Faith obeys God despite persecution. obeys God despite persecution. So when they said, but if not, they are acknowledging the possibility of no physical deliverance. There is humility in their uncertainty. The three of them are saying we are totally at the mercy of God.

Mercy is the only thing standing between us and flames. We have maybe minutes to live. Yes. And we're going to be executed unless our God intervenes in the next several minutes. You ever been in a situation like that,, you have to be at rest at how God intervenes or doesn't intervene is for His glory. Amen. That's how much they trusted the Lord. How much they trusted God. Deliver us out of the fire or we are in the fire?

Either way, God is still God. Yes. They said, but if not, we trusted He can, we know He has the power and He's able to deliver us, but if not, the word not underscores their acceptance of God's divine plan. Now Rick, some would argue that this was a lack of faith on their part. No, this is supreme faith. It is supreme faith that God's plan is right. It's taken me decades to come to this place in my walk. This has been a slow journey to this destination, Doc, for me, to accept that his plan is right, regardless of whether it plays out the way I desire

to play out in real life. That his plan is right, end of discussion. And his plan is for his glory. And so you come to that place where you just rest. That's your faith. Your faith is in his plan is right. And when you have faith that his plan is right, you don't have fear and insecurity and doubt. You're not tormented. You're at peace. You don't have fear and insecurity and doubt You're not tormented. You're at peace

Be it known unto you King And that's a bold declaration of faith Amen Mr. Nebuchadnezzar, let this be known in your side your head You let this be known in your side, your head. Let this be known to you. Directly speaking, O King, what did they say should be known to the King? That we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you set up. Now they've made a definitive rejection of idolatry. We will not serve.

And we're not open to discussion. We're not open to having a conversation with you about this. The three of us are united. Well, in today's world, one of them would have split off and become States witness. Or been on Fox News saying, you know, never can, as there's not all that bad. Yeah. or been on Fox News saying, you know, Nebuchadnezzar's not all that bad. Yeah, one of them would have turned state's witness to get a lighter sentence, you know, a year in prison and probation, and the other two get thrown in the fiery furnace. That's the way it would work today.

But these three guys stood together. They are the example of how the church should respond to persecution and to idolatry. Amen. Their faith demanded the rejection of idols. They had unwavering resolve. Nothing was going to split them, break them, make them change their mind. All right, we're getting close here. So, maybe we'll pick this, pick it up next week. I'll have to pray about this. What do we learn so far?

week I'll have to pray about this. What do we learn so far? These verses show the trio's refusal to bow, that they prioritized obedience to God over deliverance, but more than that, they trusted His will. Amen. That's the main thing. Their faith was in His will. That God's will is an expression of His being. God's will is an expression of His being. You can't separate God's will and God. No, you can't. Is an expression of His desire, His intention. So their faith was in the will of God, that the will of God is perfect. And they said, even if we have to die, we're willing to do it, because it will bring glory

to God. Amen. Their faith was not presumption. It was submission. They didn't just presume, hey, God will get us out of this. I don't know what's going to happen here. He'll get us out of this. That's not how they were thinking.

It was not presumption. It was submission. Submission to God's will, His plan. the church. See today. Faith teachers today would be saying, oh no, you've got to have the right confession of faith to get out of that fiery furnace. Well, what if it's God's will for you to go through the fiery furnace. Oh, they don't teach that today. Oh no no no no no no, that's a lack of faith Right. No, it took more faith to get in the furnace than it did to run from it

They got in the furnace that requires faith So there is a testimony of faith trusting God's plan over your personal safety, being loyal to God's commandments despite governmental, or just say, threats from authority. We see their courage, their courage as a model of faith because it obeyed God even at the risk of dying. They their faith was manifest in their obedience where they chose obedience to God over governmental pressures We see their faith was willing To accept God's will even if it meant he didn't deliver them from the persecution

right didn't deliver them from the persecution. Right. Their submission is true faith because they trusted God's goodness regardless of the outcome. They had already reasoned, the three of them reasoned and came to a conclusion, even if we burn up in the fire, it's God's goodness. It's amazing faith. It's tough. Why would they say that? Because we know our God. know our God and it's His will, His plan calls for us to burn up in the fire then that's His will, let it be done. But you know what Rick, they knew there was something beyond the fire. Yes, yes. They knew that the father of their faith Abraham was looking for a city. Not a place to pitch a tent.

It wasn't looking for a place to take somebody's land and set up a a Zionist settlement. Abraham was looking for a city. That city was not on earth, and they knew, well, we might just be joining Abraham. He's probably there by now. I think that this passage also implies that they knew that no matter what happened that one day they would rise again. Yes, their faith submitted to God's will. They trusted his purpose, his plan, even if their prayers for deliverance went unanswered. if their prayers for deliverance went unanswered. All of us have situations where we just have to trust. We just have to trust.

That's it. We have to trust. We trust that God's will is perfect, and it will work out for us. All right, I'm going to end it there, Doc, because after that we got like verses 19 through 30, and we're not gonna do that the next two or three minutes. We get, let's go by faith to the Lord's Supper. Amen, praise the Lord.

We're glad that you're here for that as well. And it's by faith today, just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, faced by faith Nebuchadnezzar. It's by faith today that we participate in the Lord's Table, the communion. If you have bread and either red wine or grape juice to participate in the Lord's Table, we're going to pray for the Lord's blessing on that here in just a moment. And who may participate in the communion? Well, the only thing we ask is that you be a confessing believer in Jesus Christ and that you're baptized

in water according to scriptures. And if you are with clear conscience on those two things, then we welcome you to participate in the Lord's table. But also we ask that you approach the Lord's table with clean hearts, clean hands, clean minds. That we live in a world that is tainted with wickedness and sometimes that rubs off and we need to be cleansed on a daily basis. We don't need to be totally cleansed every day, but as Jesus said to His

disciples, I just need to wash your feet. You've been walking in the world, just need to wash your feet so they're clean. It's interesting that He did that right before the Lord's table. And so that always comes back to my mind that the Lord says there's a preparation that's involved, not just the physical elements, but the spiritual heart needs to be prepared for the Lord's table. So Rick, would you pray for us right now that the Lord would forgive us of those sins of commission and omission in our pursuit of the cross?

We do fall short at times, and we need his sweet forgiveness. Absolutely. Would you pray for us this morning? I will. You know, Doc, there are churches and denominations around the world that practice feet washing prior to communion. Yes. And they see it as all one service. Right. The humility of washing the feet of other people, the act of cleaning the world off of our feet. It's our feet that take us places in the world. Father, Father, we pray in the name of Jesus, our blessed Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer, whom you gave, you gave to this world that the world would be saved. And you gave your Son because you love the world, you love the lost, you love sinners, and you are merciful and kind and forgiving and long-suffering and patient

and quick to forgive. Father, we confess to you that each of us have committed various sins and sins of commission or sins of omission, things that we didn't do. Like be merciful. That's a sin not to be merciful. That's a sin. to be merciful. That's a sin. Not to be gracious. That's a sin. Not to share our resources with those in need. That's a sin. So father there are things that we have done that were sins and there are things that we didn't do that were sins.

And we we humbly acknowledge faults, our wrongdoing. And remind you that we are creatures made of dust and water and that we have a fallen nature. And we have been restored, reconciled to you through faith in your son, Jesus Christ. And so your son gave us this sacred ritual of Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper. So we ask you, Father, to cleanse us of all sins,

of all wrongdoing, of anything that is an offense between you and us. In the name of Jesus, amen. Amen. And if you have the elements of the Lord's Table there with you, we're going to pray the Lord's blessing over it at this time and participate in the Lord's Table. Pray with me if you would. Almighty God in

your tender mercy you gave your only begotten Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. He offered himself and made once for all time a perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He instituted this remembrance of his passion and death which he commanded us to continue until he comes again. So Father, we ask you to bless and sanctify with your Word and Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and wine that we may partake of His most blessed body and blood. Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed once for all upon the cross. Therefore let us keep the feast. Hallelujah. On the night that he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and when he'd given thanks, he broke it, gave it to his disciples saying, take eat, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which is given for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. This is the bread of heaven.

Take and eat in remembrance that Christ died for you. After supper Jesus took the cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink this all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me. Praise the Lord. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ,

which was shed for you preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Drink the cup of salvation in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for you and be thankful behold the lamb of god behold him who takes away the sins of the world and blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb the sacrament is the gift of god for the people of god feed on him by faith with thanksgiving that Christ died for you. Praise God. Glory to God. Thank you, Lord. The meal that heals, we used to say. Yes.

It not just heals our relationship with the Lord, but can heal our bodies as well. Amen. can heal our bodies as well. Amen. Praise the Lord. Well, any final words before we sign off for this week, Rick? No, that's it for me today, Doc. All right. Well, it's been a great week here on Morning Manna. We've been in chapters four and five this week in Proverbs. We continue in chapter five on Monday, and we encourage you over this weekend, spend some time along with the Lord. Get quiet before Him. Instead of talking, do a lot of listening this weekend. See what He's saying right now. What's He whispering in your ear that the noise of the world is drowning out? So I encourage you to do that this weekend. Praise God.

Any final thoughts, Rick? Well, I'm gonna, over the weekend, try to figure out why my camera is zooming in and making my head the size of a pumpkin. That's it. Okay. Be blessed. Be blessed.

Be grateful. We didn't have a big war in the past week. Yes. I believe it's the prayers of God's saints that withheld it. Once again, it came right to the edge of a lot of people dying and it got suppressed. It's not time. It's not time. Right. Satan wants that war now. It's not time. But that war is coming, but it's not time. Why?

God has a plan. He has a will. His plan is perfect. Amen. Praise the Lord. Well, have a wonderful weekend. As I said, spend some time alone with the Lord. Join us back here bright and early Monday morning 8 a.m. Eastern time here on faithandvalues.com for the live edition of Morning Manna. And be sure to check out all the places where we are

now sharing Morning Manna across various social media platforms and on trinews.com where we restream twice a day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to give you an opportunity to be able to share Morning Manna with those that you love. God bless you, we love you, and we'll see you next week on Morning Manna.