Hold on to Your Faith
Daniel 3: 1-30
Golden Text:
“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, …we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou has set up.”
Daniel 3:17-18
Principle:
To realize that God is willing and able to take care of His own in dangerous situations.
Application: To urge believers to remain faithful to God when faced by crisis.
Introduction:
Daniel emphasizes that God is the sovereign ruler of the world, at all times and in all places. This means we must have total loyalty to Him no matter how powerful the opposing forces. We must remember that God will deliver us from whatever circumstances and situation we find ourselves in because when God arises His enemies will scatter.
Daniel 3:1-9
Their Enemies:
Nebuchadnezzar offered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a second chance. He told them that he would have th orchestra play again, and if they bowed they would be spared the prescribed penalty. Otherwise, they were to be thrown into the fiery furnace immediately.
Nebuchadnezzar asked them what God would be able to deliver them from the power. This reminds us of Pharaoh’s challenge when he said to Moses and Aaron, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and to let Israel go?” I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go”
Exodus 5:2
When the three said “We are not careful to answer in thee in this matter” (Daniel 3:16), they were saying they did not need to defend themselves and that they were not worried about what might happen to them. They knew without a doubt that the God they served was well able to deliver them from a fiery furnace and out of the king’s hand of punishment.
The three made a clear distinction between God’s power and God’s will. He could deliver them if he chose to do so. On the other hand, if He chose not to deliver them they would remain loyal to him anyway.
Their Salvation:
Nebuchadnezzar was angry and commanded that the fire be heated seven times hotter than normal. A fire as was originally planned would have burned the young men to death quickly.
The men who tossed them in the fire were instantly killed by the flames.
Nebuchadnezzar had the three men come out of the furnace. When they did, everyone realized that the flames of the fire had not harmed them at all. There was not even the smell of smoke on them.
Whenever evil people seek to dominate the earth and endeavor to destroy them, God will deliver his people.
Key Points:
We should not be surprised by the foolish acts of those who reject God.
Faith recognizes God’s ability to do what is impossible but willingly accepts the fact that He often chooses not to do so.
Loyalty to God will bring the hatred of the world.
It is when God’s people are most helpless that His power is most clearly seen.
“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you for My Strength is made Perfect in Weakness. There fore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
II Corinthians 12:9-10