Standing Tall
Standing Tall
Daniel 3:8-30 – Standing Tall
Recap.
- Living how God has called them to live, 1:8 not eating kings food. Staying true to the commandments and being given wisdom above the other youths. This granted Daniel a place in the kings court, and Shadrach, Meshach, And Abednego were appointed to manage the province of Babylon.
- King Nebuchadnezzar built an image of gold (about 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide)
- They called everyone together for the dedication of the statue VS 3:3 …
- Told them at the sound of… (VS 3:5) to fall face down and worship the statue. Whoever does not do this will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire
Here we are,
- Read verses 8 – 12
8Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews.
9They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!
10You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
11And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace.
12There 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.”
- Certain Chaldeans (verse 3:2) people that were called to be at the dedication. (could be used to describe an entire people group but in this context it is talking about some of the religious wise men that were present at the dedication.)
So what is happening here…. (. )
- They had a deep hatred for the jews and when they saw that they did not fall down and worship as everybody else did they came forward and made the king aware that they had not worshiped as they were commanded.
- Read Exodus 20: 3-4
- Exodus 20: 3-4
‘ 3“You shall have no other gods before me.
4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them,
for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, /
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
- Think about idols you have in your life right now. Scott talked about this last week. It doesn’t have to be a 90 foot tall golden statue to be an idol. Anything you put before God in your life is an idol. Drugs, alcohol, sexual desires, your wife, your husband, your kids? Food, sports, tv or video games. We’ve also got work, and laziness.
- Wrestle with what idols you might be worshiping over God.
- We already know that S. M. A. Have been living according to God’s commandments and laws so I feel its safe to assume that they would have remembered the first two of God’s Commandments.
- So when the music played and all the people bowed down, S. M. A. Stood. They did not bow to the Golden image, and people noticed.
- Point number 1 : Stand out in the crowd. (Live for Christ in such a way that you stand out.)
What are you standing for?
- We are going to worship something and if you have made Christ Lord of your life and if you are dying to self daily to live for Him then when you are in the world and they are bowing down to worldly idols, people should see you standing for God.
- Read 13 – 15
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.
14Nebuchadnezzar 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?
15Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, 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?”
- Because the king has been told that they do not serve his gods and do not worship the golden image he set up he is furious. Think about this, (from the kings view) he promoted them to manage the province of Babylon and yet they refused a command!
- But he keeps his cool and gives them another chance to follow the decree. If not they will be thrown into the furnace. He ends with a question, Who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?
- And how did they reply?
- Read 16 – 18
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17If 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.
18But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
- Its a win – win right? To live shows God’s power and glory and to die shows that we would rather die for our almighty God and his glory, who’s will is perfect, then serve your gods and worship your golden image.
- They said we don’t have to answer that question. Either way we win. Our God will deliver us from the furnace and out of your hand and even if He doesn’t we still won’t serve your gods or worship the golden image.
- Reminds me of Philippians 1:20-24
20as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed,(standing in the crowd) but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
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21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
23I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
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- That gives us point number 2: Standing for God is Necessary.
- We are called to tell everyone about God. We are not commanded to only talk about him at church, in bible studies, or with our close friends.
- Mark 16:15 – And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
- Standing for God is necessary as we have a lot of lost people to talk to.
- Well as you can imagine Ol king Nebuchadnezzar was not to happy with that answer.
- Read 19 – 23
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated.
20And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.
22Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Reiterate above
- ( They didn’t back down they kept their faith in the face of death and so, he had them thrown in. Bound and carried by mighty men of the kings army. The furnace was more than likely carved into a hillside with an opening at the top and an opening in the side. So the mighty men would have carried them to the top to throw them in. The fire was so hot, when they got close the soldiers died and dropped Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace. )
- Read 24 – 27
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.
25He answered and said, “But 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.”
26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.
27And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.
Reiterate above.
- Ever been around a campfire? You can just look at a campfire from a distance and smell like one. They were in a fire that killed the guards that brought them up and didn’t even have the smell of fire on them.
- King Nebuchadnezzar sees a fourth person walking with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and describes him “like a son of the gods”
- Remember king Nebuchadnezzar is not a jew and has spent his entire life worshiping many different pagan little g gods so in his understanding that’s how he would describe seeing a pre-incarnate Jesus walking around in the fire.
- Read 28
28Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
- Here he gives praise to the one true God!
- Point Number 3: Stand even in persecution.
- If your going to stand out in the crowd, you have to follow though. You can’t break as soon as the persecution comes. If you do what were you standing for in the first place.
- Live or Die, either way do it fully for Christ.
- Read 29 – 30
29Therefore 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.”
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
- The king after seeing this miracle puts a punishment on anyone that speaks against the one true God. He acknowledges that there is no little g god that can save in this way. And then he gives Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego another promotion.
- I want to end with this;
John 15:18-20 says
18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.
19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.
20Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Bow your heads
- As we go into this time of response I have two questions for you.
- What idols are you still holding onto that need to be left at these steps. What in your mind have you made more important than your relationship with Christ.
- And question number two are you living your life for christ in such a way that you stand out in the crowd? Do people see Christ in you and if not what do you need to change.
- Scott, Doug, and some deacons will be up front if you need to talk or if you need prayer.
Life Group Discussion
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- How do we daily keep our focus on the glory of God?
- What does standing out in the crowd look like for you?
- Why do you think standing is necessary?
- What persecution might we have to stand for today? In our community, state, nation, and world?