Even If Faith (Daniel 3)

We’re continuing in our series going through the book of Daniel. And its message is about how we can thrive and be faithful as we live sent to a place that is not our home…

Last weekend, we saw in chp. 2 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream about a statue that none of the magicians or sorcerers could interpret, but Daniel interprets it through God’s revelation – dream about the passing different kingdoms of the earth and how there was going to come an everlasting kingdom – kingdom of God.

Today, we pick up in Dan. 3. Bibles. Turn. Screen. So as in his dream…

Text: Daniel 3 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 statue, we’re unsure if it was the image of Neb – for short – himself or of one of their gods. But it was massive: 27.5 meters x 2.75 meters. And he put it in a plain so it could be seen from a distance.) 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, 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. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, 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 Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (Everyone in the empire was forced to bow down and worship or face death. But the problem is you can’t just command or force the heart to truly love something. Even with God’s good and perfect law – It tells us the character of God, his desires, and how we should live, but it can’t change our hearts, or give us new hearts to love and obey the law. I know broccoli is good for me and in my head I want to desire it. But no matter what – however you try to cover the taste with other ingredients, – my heart and taste buds say absolutely not. Doesn’t even matter if I’m threatened with death.)

8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, 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. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 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.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 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? 15 Now 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?” (You see what Neb is doing here? This wasn’t a contest between men, but between God and Neb/the gods of the Babylonians. In Neb’s mind, he had just defeated the God of Israel, by taking the people into exile and raiding their temple – That god couldn’t save them then. Neb was the most powerful man in the world. He’s proud, full of himself. And he thinks he’s doing the three friends a favor by giving them another chance. Remember, Daniel and his friends were rising in power because they were better than the wise men of the Babylonians. So it doesn’t serve Neb to lose them. But…)

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. (You have to love how gutsy their response is. Who is our God? Who are you? You’re not even worth our time or response.) 17 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. 18 But 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.” (Think – very few, if any, worse ways to die. But if there’s a choice you have to make between idolatry or death, it’s better to choose death. It’s better to choose the physical punishment of death and rise to eternal life in God than to die the spiritual death that idolatry brings. What these three friends are saying and living out.)

19 Then 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. (Now Neb’s mad. His ego has been insulted/hurt. And he doesn’t care what these guys can do for him. Fury – As hot as possible.) 20 And 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. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because 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. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. (Notice: Foreshadow – Furnace was so hot that it killed the king’s mighty men, but not Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. God is already at work protecting them. They make it to the furnace and fall into the fire, tied up.)

24 Then 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.” 25 He 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.” (Who/What? How’d the fourth one get in, untie the guys, and how are they all fine? Angel (not cute chubby – soft tissue. majestic) or Christophany – Physical appearance of Jesus before his incarnation. – Few times in the OT.)

26 Then 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. 27 And 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. (Neb’s response: The Most High God. Incredible detail. Kids – All know how easily hair burns and how bad it smells. Their hair/clothes were fine. And they didn’t even smell like they were sitting near a fire. Completely unaffected. Experienced God’s protection and deliverance to the fullest.) 28 Nebuchadnezzar 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. 29 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.” (Contrast with his decree at the beginning that all peoples, nations, and languages should worship the golden image. But Neb doesn’t say that they should worship God alone, but anyone who actively opposes. We’ll come back to this.) 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. (God honors those who honor him.)

Main point: Thriving Faith – God is able, but even if… – Break down: Aspects of Faith – What it is and isn’t. 

Faith isn’t wishful thinking or blindly trusting. At least biblical faith isn’t. I can genuinely and desperately wish for lots of things. But it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not always rooted in reality. And it definitely doesn’t mean I deserve it. I wish I could fly. I wish my knees didn’t sound like rice krispies every time I stand up. I wish I could win the lottery. I hope nothing bad ever happens to me or my family. I can wish for a better life. But there are no guarantees like that in this life. That’s just wishful thinking. That’s not faith… Heb. – Assurance of things hoped for. Confidence.

Not just blindly trusting – just because I said it or you saw it on Youtube. You need to know what/why you believe – good reasoning/Word – and your faith has to be anchored to something real, powerful, steady.

Faith isn’t rooted in circumstances, feelings, or in this life. Circumstances and feelings come and go. They’re not stable. Unreliable. There are people who are moodier and more affected by things than others (Married to someone moody?) but we’re all pretty affected by things//happenings. Simple things: Traffic, sports teams winning or losing, the weather – rainy (sleepy) or hot (irritable/angry). 

You know one of the most deceiving, worst pieces of advice mankind has ever come up with? Unqualified – “Follow your heart // Do what makes you happy.”  Kids/Teenagers – Please don’t. Opposite. Male brain is not fully formed until almost 30yrs old. Females, early 20s. Explains a lot why when we got married at 22yrs old, suffered… I don’t really have an excuse for the last 10yrs though.

But even in more serious circumstances – Three Friends – Staring down a real fiery furnace in front of them. A lot of people would probably understand if they did like a fake bowing down to save their lives. They could have taken the easy way out. But their faith wasn’t rooted in this life. Death is not the end, when it’s all over. Rather, for all who trust in God, death in this life is just the transition that ushers you into eternal life. There’s a hope and life beyond the grave that the circumstances of this life can’t ever take away.

Faith doesn’t exempt us from suffering… Nowhere in the Bible does it promise us an easy life. Trusting in God and following him doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy life. In fact, it’s often the opposite. Jesus – Pick up your cross and follow me. – Die to yourself, your flesh, your life, your dreams to find an even greater joy and life in Jesus. Jesus – If they hated me and persecuted me, they will also hate and persecute you. So if life is all ease and comfort for you, you have to question whether you are truly following Jesus or not. If you’re faithfully following Jesus, it’s almost a guarantee that you’re going to face hardship. And it’s often death to our flesh, though it could also be literal physical death too. The faith of the three friends when they stood their ground led them to the point of death. They didn’t know what God would do…

Faith gives us the confidence to suffer well. Your faith is not measured by how well you do when things are easy, but when things are at their worst. When everything is hard. That’s when you see what you really trust in and what you’re living for. When things are great – of course you’ll say God is good. But what about when everything is wrong? When nothing is going your way? And life, getting out of bed,  is a struggle. Will you still say in those times that God is good and loving?

Suffering – One of God’s most effective tools. Why? Makes us depend on him. He reveals more of himself. If we didn’t have needs and hardships, we wouldn’t naturally seek him. We’d be self absorbed and self-sufficient. But if the greatest joy is in knowing him – our good, then suffering is necessary. In suffering we experience his comfort, his strength, his peace, his presence. We get to know him more and grow in our love for him. So God takes the curse of suffering and redeems it to bring us to himself. Blessing. The only question is whether we will press into him in trust or grow bitter and reject him.

So, suffering is not a sign that God has failed or has abandoned you or doesn’t love you. God gets glory when he delivers his people from suffering (3 Friends) and also when his people suffer and die well (Disciples and Christians throughout history).

Neither is suffering God punishing you. (Consequences/Discipline) Because if you’ve put your faith in Jesus, God the Father punished Jesus for all of your sins. And it would be unfair/unjust to punish you again for something that’s already been paid for. And God is just. 

PJD Gospel Prayer – In Christ, there’s nothing I can do to make him love me more and there’s nothing I have done to make him love me less. God’s love for you is not dependent on you. It’s dependent on the nature of the love of God and his love for his son, Jesus. The Father loves us with the very same love he has for his son. 

Gives us the faith to say even if…

-I suffer ridicule

-I am blacklisted

-My family turns on me

-God doesn’t heal me

-Things don’t work out the way I hope

-I lose my job

-I don’t get married

-I don’t have kids

-I don’t have all the answers

-I don’t know what God is doing

Even if I face a fiery furnace… I still trust in God. Because I know his love for me is sure. I see what he’s done for me through his son, Jesus. PJD – You’ll measure his love for you by the cross and his power by the resurrection. With God, you can know that he can do anything. Ask and expect that he will. But if he doesn’t… I will suffer and die well because I know the life and glory waiting for me on the other side.

Faith has to be volitional and exclusive. Throughout history and countries and nations today – Try to force the worship of their gods. There’s a national religion. Because of your nationality or ethnicity, you are that religion. You don’t have a choice. But as I mentioned earlier, true worship and genuine love from the heart is not because of your family, not because your friends, your culture or people group – but because you yourself believe by your own volition. Know: You are neither condemned nor saved by the faith (or lack) of anyone else but your own –  in Jesus, and in Jesus alone…

Back in the day, they thought different peoples and geographical regions had different gods. That’s how Neb. was operating. So after everything goes down, he doesn’t try to make the worship of the true God exclusive. – He doesn’t say everyone needs to worship him alone. Instead, he just says that anyone who opposes will be put to death. And that’s something completely different. Neb was going to continue worshipping his gods – even though he’s seen that the God of the three friends is able to save and work unlike any other.

Many people today operate the same way. They try to hedge their bets and try to add Jesus to whatever other gods they already worship. And it doesn’t work like that. It’s not try and cover all your bases and worship as many gods as you can. Jesus said – I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. There are not many ways, but one way to the one true God. (Jn. 14:6) 

Exclusive – Imagine – I went to Grace, I love you, and you’re the only one for me except for on Saturdays. On Saturdays, I can do whatever I want. What do you think she’d say? Nothing – She’d kill me. How much more offensive would this be to the one true God? I’ll serve you on Sundays, maybe at small group, but outside of that, forget it. 

Your faith in God has to be completely exclusive to God alone. God will not be your side piece. You can’t have him in a corner as you live however you want until you need him. That’s not how it works. It’s all or nothing. Faith – Jesus is the only God and he is better.

Faith has to be in something greater than and above the brokenness of this world. What good is it if your hope is only in this life? If it doesn’t go beyond the grave? And you’re just living your best life now? Cause one day soon, it’s all coming to an end. 

Faith in someone who is above it all, who is greater, who has the last word over all the brokenness and suffering of this world. Daniel 3 is a direct fulfillment of God’s promise in Isa. 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Why? How? Presence.

…Faith in God – His ability and desire to save. God is able to save you to the fullest. If you could ask God for one thing…knowing your sinful condition and your eternity. Knowing you would be separated from him eternally and thrown into the fiery furnace… What would you ask for? For money, job, new place to live??? You would ask for forgiveness, for a way to escape! Or you’d be crazy. (Trade temporary comfort/pleasure for eternal suffering.)

And you know what? He answered that prayer! Jesus is the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace – You and I ultimately get to escape the fiery death of hell we deserved for our sins because Jesus entered into the fire for us – suffered and died in our place. He freed us from the bonds of sin and death. They have no power over us anymore. So we’re free to walk through the fires of this life untouched. No matter what you face in life, it can’t touch you. Even death itself – like getting hit with a shadow. 

So how much can we trust him for everything? If he took care of our greatest need and his presence is with us? God saved us from eternal death and suffering. So even if we suffer in this life, we can trust him. This is where courage comes from. Not from within. God gives us thriving faith – God is able, but even if… when we look to him.

Again – Faith in God. Not about the strength of your faith but the one whom you have faith in. What good does it do you if you have the greatest faith in the world but your god is powerless to deliver you? But with Jesus, even the smallest bit of faith unleashes the full power of God.

End of chp. 3 – Neb still doesn’t get it. It hasn’t changed him. But his declaration is true – There is no god who can save like God. And therefore, he is worthy of the worship of all peoples. 

Believer/Missional: Faith that leads others to faith – our confession and our lives put God on display. One day every knee is going to bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord – All the nations will stand in judgment before God. We have to share it. Urgently. Boldly. Without shame. – There’s only one name that saves.

Eternal suffering in the fires of hell is your current eternity. Not in judgment, but in love to tell you the truth. Unless you recognize that he is the Most High God. There is no one who is able to save you like he is. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, God will not force faith upon you. It’s a choice you have to make. And you only have that choice because God made a way for you through his son, Jesus. There is no other way, no other god. Will you receive it? It’s a free gift to you because Jesus has paid in full the penalty of your sin so you could be forgiven and live.