DANIEL 3 HOW SERVANTS OF GOD MAKE AN IMPACT2019 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Daniel 3 How Servants Of God Make An Impact

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2019. As we spend our time together in Daniel chapter 3 this morning, I would begin by asking you to consider who this chapter is about.

This, of course, is a famous chapter, a familiar one to us. If you have been around the church for a bit, if you grew up in Sunday school, you know Daniel chapter 3. The fiery furnace, the image of gold, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, right? There's these like key elements here and really a powerful account of the events that happened here in Daniel chapter 3. But

I would ask you as we look at this this morning to just take a moment and consider who is this chapter about? It's easy for us to reach for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because, man, they're famous and they set a great example for us in this account. And there's some great things that we can learn from their example. And yet at the same time, I would encourage you to consider that Daniel chapter 3 is really about

King Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, Daniel chapter 2, 3, and 4 is really a record of God reaching out to King Nebuchadnezzar. This Babylonian king who did not know God, who had nothing to do with God, he was used by God, but he did not worship God or walk with God. And yet God is using his people now there in Babylon to make a difference in his life and to speak to his heart.

In Daniel chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream from God, and God used that whole scenario and situation to bring Daniel into his midst and to give him some insight about who God is through the prophet Daniel and the interpretation of this dream.

Here in Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar is going to learn some lessons from God. And then in Daniel chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has another dream that's given to him by God, an interpretation by Daniel. And he has an encounter with God himself. And we see this pattern that God is reaching out to King Nebuchadnezzar. He's seeking to open his eyes to the existence of God and to call him to submission to God.

And one of the ways that God is going to do that here in Daniel chapter 3 is through these guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They're part of the account, but they're part of the account because God wants to reach King Nebuchadnezzar. And so I've titled the message this morning, How Servants of God Make an Impact. How Servants of God Make an Impact. These three guys make an impact in King Nebuchadnezzar, in his life, in his thinking, in

In his decisions, they make a huge impact in his heart because of their faithfulness to God. And King Nebuchadnezzar has his accounting of this and kind of shares from his perspective towards the end of the chapter. If you'll jump down to verse 28 for a moment, here's what King Nebuchadnezzar says. It says, he spoke saying, blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him.

And they have frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own. The chapter begins with Nebuchadnezzar setting up a statue and commanding everybody to worship. But it ends with King Nebuchadnezzar saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

He has a change. He has a better understanding now of who God is as a result of his encounter with these three guys. And what stands out about these guys, Nebuchadnezzar outlines for us here. It really serves as the outline of our time together this morning, the message this morning. He says here in verse 28 that his servants trusted in him. The trust and confidence of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

had a great impact upon King Nebuchadnezzar. It stood out. This is different and unique for them. He says in verse 28 here that they have frustrated the king's word. King Nebuchadnezzar was not used to being resisted. In fact, his kingdom, the Babylonian kingdom, is the kingdom that is known for the power of the king. It's one of the few kingdoms where the king could declare anything. He said, everybody has to wear pink on Thursdays.

And that would be the law. And anybody who didn't would be put to death. And then he could say, never mind. Everybody has to wear blue on Thursdays. And he could change his mind. And next week, everybody has to wear blue. And he had that kind of authority and power in the world, in the kingdom of Babylon, which was the world power of the day. But here, these three servants, they stood opposed and frustrated the king's word. It stood out, made an impact. He also says here in verse 28 that they yielded their bodies.

They were willing to give up their lives for this. And it impacted Nebuchadnezzar. It stood out. These guys were willing to hold fast to their ideals, to their beliefs, to their commitments, to the point of death. And finally, he says in verse 28, that they should not serve nor worship any God except their own God. They held fast and they said, no, we will worship the Lord God and him only.

And through these men, God used the examples in these four areas. These are the things that Nebuchadnezzar, from the outside looking in, said, these are noteworthy elements and characteristics of these men. And it changed his mind and his heart as he saw God work in their midst.

Now, this is our first time getting into the book of Daniel, this time around, going through the Bible in three years. I like to give just a little bit of perspective on the time frame and where we're at and what we're dealing with. We're dealing with a time where the people of God, the nation of Judah, is in captivity. The nation was rebellious against God for several hundred years, and so God used the nation of Babylon to bring destruction upon Judah and Jerusalem and

In order to provoke the people to call out to God and turn to God in repentance. But they didn't. And so in several waves, Babylon conquered Judah and Jerusalem and brought the people back captive to Babylon.

And so in 605 BC, the first time Jerusalem is conquered by Babylon. And it's at that time that Daniel, as well as his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, are taken to Babylon. They're part of that first wave where the best of the best of the young men from Judah are taken to Babylon. They're educated there. They're put into service within the governments there in Babylon. And so that's where Daniel and his friends have been for some time by the time we get to Daniel chapter 3.

Well, about 10 years after that, Jerusalem rebels against Babylon again. And so Babylon goes back, conquers Jerusalem a second time, takes more captives back. And Ezekiel was part of that group. And we are familiar with Ezekiel as we just finished that book and spent some time looking at his ministry.

Well, then about 10 years after that, then Jerusalem rebels against Babylon again. Nebuchadnezzar says, you know what? I've had enough. I've beaten the city three times already. This time it's final. So he knocks down all the walls. He destroys Jerusalem. He completely empties out the land. So 586 BC, Judah is left desolate as a result of their rebellion against Babylon. But really it's their rebellion against God that has brought this upon them.

Well, then some time passes and not much is happening as far as the biblical accounts and narrative is concerned. 539 BC is the next major event where the Medo-Persian Empire, King Cyrus, conquers Babylon.

And it's at that time, soon after that, that the Jews are released and allowed to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. And we'll see that work as we continue on. But here is the ministry period for Daniel the prophet. It really began back in 605 BC, where we see him introduced into the kingdom and holding fast and committed to not defiling himself. And he ministered during that whole time of captivity there in Babylon amongst the people.

Now here in chapter 3, we don't have an exact date for chapter 3, but it happens probably about within the first 20 years of their captivity. So maybe around 601 B.C., some suggest, some say as late as 581 B.C.,

The exact timing is not super critical, but it's somewhere in that time period here that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are called to the plains of Dura and are called to worship before this statue, and they refuse. And it makes an impact on King Nebuchadnezzar. And so let's work our way through this chapter. We're not going to hit every verse and cover every detail, but walking through some of the things that King Nebuchadnezzar highlights about these guys, we're

that really stand out to him and made an impact upon him and changed his heart and his approach to understanding who God is. The first thing that we'll see is in verses 1 through 12. Here's how servants of God make an impact, and that is by trusting God sincerely. Looking again at verse 28, it says, Nebuchadnezzar spoke saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel and delivered his servants from

who trusted in him. This was something that King Nebuchadnezzar noticed about these guys. They trusted in God, and God delivered them as a response to their faith and their trust in God. And it was for real. As you read through the whole account, you see they were willing to trust God to the point of losing their own lives. They were willing to trust God no matter what it cost them.

And it stood out as different and unique for Nebuchadnezzar. Now, King Nebuchadnezzar was used to people putting on a show. He was used to people, you know, around him because he was so powerful as a king. He was used to them placating him or pleasing him or just doing whatever it takes to try to impress him. He was used to that type of approach. In fact, in Daniel chapter 2,

When he has the dream and he can't figure out what it means, he calls in, first of all, all his wise men, his counselors, the soothsayers, you know, all the people that he would normally look to to help in interpreting the dream. But he handles it differently, perhaps, than he did before because he says, I'm not going to tell you the dream. You tell me the dream and the interpretation.

And if you can tell me the dream and the interpretation, then I know that you are able to give me the interpretation because you told me the dream. And using some wisdom there, he recognizes, look, if I just tell you the dream, well, you're going to make up something. And it may sound good. It may sound really, you know, believable. But how do I know that you have the real interpretation of that dream unless you can actually tell me the dream also?

He's used to people saying, oh yeah, I can tell you, I'll interpret your dream. Tell me the dream and I'll interpret it, right? And he's used to that kind of relationship from the people around him. They say things, they teach things, they put on a big front, but they're not sincere. But what stood out about these guys to King Nebuchadnezzar was they really did trust God. It was for real. It wasn't just a front. It wasn't just a fake thing. It wasn't just a show that they put on.

His servants trusted in him. And as you consider Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you need to know and understand this wasn't something that happened overnight, that they became these men who could trust God to this degree. Sincerely trusting God is not something that happens overnight, but it's something that is developed and built over time. You go back to Daniel chapter 1, and these are the three guys who are with Daniel who are committed to not defile themselves. They're not going to defile themselves.

They're in Babylon now. They're captives. But we are committed to be faithful to God. And so they have established a pattern in their life of trusting God. It's not just this one big occasion that they trusted God. But they were able to trust God on this big occasion because, well, they spent their life trusting in God each and every day. The situation is pretty intense. Going back to verse 1, Nebuchadnezzar has set up an image of gold.

The image is impressive. Its height is 60 cubits. You can translate that to our understanding. It's about 90 feet high, maybe 100 feet high, depending on the cubit measurement that you use. 60 cubits high. Width was 6 cubits, so 9 feet wide.

It was this tall, impressive image. Now, this building itself from front to back is about 60 feet. So you do one of these and then another half of it and then stand it up and you kind of get a sense for, you know, how tall this image was. It would, in the plains of Dura, you know, they're out in the wilderness, you know, they're just all empty all around. And then here is this statue, this huge monument that King Nebuchadnezzar set up.

We don't really know much about this image. It could be a recreation of the image that he saw in his dream in Daniel chapter 2, but he made it all of gold, and it is perhaps, it's suggested by many that it's an act of defiance against God that King Nebuchadnezzar set up this image. But it also could have just been some other shape or form that we're not familiar with, and so we don't know. But the issue is, the command, the requirement is...

Everyone is to worship before this image. Jumping into verse 4, it says,

So the command is made clear. Here you are, you're here for the dedication ceremony. Now we've made it into a worship service. And when this music plays, you are to bow down and worship before this image. And if you don't, well, then you will be immediately cast into the burning fiery furnace. Now this is interesting to consider because at the end of Daniel chapter two, we don't know how much time passed between Daniel chapter two and chapter three, but at the end of Daniel chapter two,

King Nebuchadnezzar comes to a recognition of the reality of the true and living God. In chapter 2, verse 47, the king answered Daniel and said, truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal the secret. He made this bold declaration at the end of chapter 2. God is the God of gods. He is the Lord of kings.

And yet, although he made this bold statement here in the next chapter, now he sets up a statue and commands everybody to worship it. In chapter 2, as he makes this declaration about God, he's understanding who God is, but he's not submitting himself to God at this point. He knows about God. He knows the truth about God. He acknowledges the truth about God, but that's a different thing than being surrendered to God. H.A. Ironside puts it this way,

It's one thing to give assent to the truth of Scripture as to the glory of the triune God, but it is quite another to bow our hearts in His presence, admit to being lost and guilty sinners, and trust God's blessed Son as our own deliverer. There's a difference to acknowledging truths, to declaring truths, to understanding the realities of

versus submitting ourselves to God. We can believe in the existence of Jesus, believe in the crucifixion of Jesus, and that's different than what we would say when we talk about believing in Jesus, because believing in Jesus involves more than just acknowledging facts, more than just acknowledging truths. It involves a submission of ourselves to him completely and fully. So here's Nebuchadnezzar. He acknowledges some truths about God.

And yet he continues in his pattern of worshiping many gods. And so he commands all the people to worship. But as we know from this account, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they refuse. In verse 7, it tells us everybody else falls in line. At that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, and symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Everybody fell in line.

These are people all over Babylon, leaders and authorities from all over. They're gathered together. They all speak different languages and have different cultures and different backgrounds. But they all join together in unison at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar and bow down when the music is played before this image. Except these three guys. But it's not noted there. It's interesting the way this comes out. Verse 8. Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews...

They spoke to the king. They said, I'm sorry. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, they really like repeating all those instruments, in symphony with all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the gold image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Here,

People around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego recognize these guys are not participating. And it seems like it's reasonable that they're jealous of their positions and they're looking for an occasion to accuse them. And so this is a convenient thing for them to perhaps be able to obtain their positions and their roles and remove them as threats or competition to them.

We see this again in Daniel chapter 6, that it takes place there. They're looking for reasons to take these guys out of their positions of power. And so they approach King Nebuchadnezzar and they remind him, hey king, remember you set this rule, here's the dedication, and then you know, here's the thing that you're supposed to do, and the music plays. Verse 12, there are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king,

I think it's interesting to note here in this verse that the whole issue is not just this one occasion before this image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They say there, these three guys, they're calling them out, they're accusing these guys, they do not serve your gods.

They don't serve your gods, king. This is not the first time that these three men have been observed. This is not the first occasion that these accusers have noticed something different about these men. These guys are guys who have been in their midst, in their different positions and roles and responsibilities, in their social events, in their community events, in their government events. They've seen this pattern. These guys do not serve God.

The gods like everybody else does. And again, it illustrates this. It kind of lays that foundation for us again that this was not a one-time event for these men that they trusted God really greatly on this one day. But they did trust God really greatly because they had built a foundation of trusting God on an ongoing and regular basis. Let me put it another way. They practiced not bowing down every day. This wasn't the first time they did not bow down.

The Babylonians worshipped many gods. And for these guys to be faithful, to trust in God, they had to, on many occasions before, not bow down when there was occasion, when there was opportunity, when there was expectation, when there was pressure to do so. They were summoned to the dedication of this statue. And once there, it's announced. The herald cries aloud, this is now a worship service and you need to bow down and worship.

And they were ready in that instant, in that moment, to make the decision, no, we're not going to bow down, because they had practiced every day before that, not bowing down on the littler occasions that they faced. A big demonstration of faith is always preceded by a thousand little steps of faith. We pay attention to those big occasions are noteworthy, right? But

Sometimes we forget and sometimes we kind of compromise in all the little areas thinking that one day when there's the big area, well then we'll be really faithful and we'll trust God in that. But we fail to trust God in the little things. Remember when David was about to face Goliath and everybody around him was saying, you can't face Goliath. Look, he's huge and you're small and that's not going to work. And what David was able to do was he was able to recount, yeah, but I was in this other situation and

Here's what the Lord did. And here's what God wanted me to do. And here's what I did. And here's how God protected and provided. And then here's another occasion. And there was a lion. There was a bear. You know, there was these instances. And there was these little steps of faith that prepared him for, well, the bigger step of faith in facing Goliath. Here we have these guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And what Nebuchadnezzar noted about them was, man, they really trust in God.

The point I'm trying to make is it wasn't just that they trusted in God in this one big occasion, but their trust in God was sincere. It was real. And they were able to trust in God in that situation and completely lay themselves in the Lord's hands in that situation because they had practiced that daily, not bowing down, trusting God, resting in Him. It made an impact on King Nebuchadnezzar and it will make an impact today.

in the world around us when we trust God for real. Pastor Thomas Constable says, many people today believe that God inspired the Bible, but they do not believe that he can deliver them from their serious personal problems, much less world problems. Kind of similar to King Nebuchadnezzar. We acknowledge truths about God. We accept things about the Lord, about Jesus, about the Bible. We accept those truths, those realities.

But there's a difference between accepting those truths and then believing that God can do the work that needs to be done in us and through us and for us. We need to trust God sincerely if we want to make a difference in the world around us. Now, trusting God sincerely, let me just say this as we continue on, we'll see this even further, but trusting God involves trusting Him whatever the outcome is. You know, sometimes we only trust God

If the outcome is what we want. And we don't verbalize it that way. We wouldn't say it that way. And we might not even be conscious that that's our approach to trusting God. But it's evident later when the outcome is different than what we wanted. And we're let down. And we're disappointed. And we're telling God, but God, I trusted you. Listen, if you trust God, you trust him whatever the outcome is. Whether it's the outcome you wanted or whether it's the outcome that you didn't want.

Trusting God involves trusting him. Whatever the outcome is, Lord, I know that it's still in your hands and you're still at work. You still love me. You still want what's best for me. And so I can trust you regardless of the outcome. And that becomes really important as we move on to point number two this morning, looking at verses 13 through 18. How can servants of God make an impact? By refusing to disobey God. Refusing to disobey God. Back in verse 28,

Nebuchadnezzar says, what made an impact on him from these guys? They trusted in God, and he says, and they have frustrated the king's word. They frustrated. And again, Nebuchadnezzar was not used to this. He was not used to people resisting his word, frustrating his word, changing his word. There is a place and a time where it is appropriate to frustrate the word of authorities.

The majority of the time, God wants us to submit to the authorities that are established in our lives. And we're instructed in the scriptures that authorities are there by the hand of God. And our position, our role is to submit to those authorities. But there is also occasions where there needs to be a disobedience to authority. And the timing for that is entirely dependent upon, well, those occasions where earthly authorities call us to do things wrong.

That would be in disobedience to God. So when there's a conflict between the instruction of God and the instruction of earthly authorities, we always default to the instruction of God. And we must obey God rather than man. That's when it's right and appropriate to disobey authority. And at the same time, as we see this disobedience to authority here in these guys, what I notice and pay attention to is how they disobey authority.

It's one thing for it to be the right thing to disobey the authority, but there's also the wrong way to disobey authority, even if it's the right time. And they go about this disobedience in a manner that really makes a mark on Nebuchadnezzar and causes him to pay attention. Verse 13, Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up. So as this accusation is brought before King Nebuchadnezzar, he decides, I need to investigate this. And it's a wise move for him. He doesn't just believe the accusation. He gives these three guys an opportunity to testify on their own behalf. Is it true? Do you not worship my gods? Are you not going to bow down before the image that I have set up? Now, the fact that he investigates this is good, right?

It shows some wisdom on Nebuchadnezzar's part. But also the fact that he investigates this, it speaks to us something else. If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been posted out at the entrance of the plains of Dura, holding up signs and shouting, no, no, we will not bow. That didn't rhyme or anything, but make up your own chant that rhymes. But if there was some protest that they held, if there was some big show and demonstration, some outrage that they expressed,

There would be no need for King Nebuchadnezzar to investigate, right? He would just look at their Instagram feed and say, look, you know, you're protesting. I can see you. The accusation is true. But that wasn't the way this went down. He doesn't know. In fact, it doesn't seem like it's well known at all. Pastor David Guzik puts it this way. Apparently, their failure to worship the image was not discovered until these certain Chaldeans made it known. We see from this that the three Jewish men did not lodge a formal protest. They simply refrained from

from sharing in the sin of idolatry themselves. They just took a step back. I picture this scene in my head. I've known this, you know, account, read this account since I was a child. In my head, you know, everybody's bowing down, but there, right in the middle, is these three guys standing tall, and like everybody notices, right? That's probably not how it happened. It was done quietly, not with them in outrage and protesting. Now, I'm not suggesting that there is never an appropriate time for outrage and protest.

That is something that God may call you or others to be involved in. But what I would like to point out and remind us of is that it's not the only way. And maybe it shouldn't be the default way. The way that they disobey is in a way that still is respectful to the authority above them, to King Nebuchadnezzar. Now, first, King Nebuchadnezzar is going to give them a chance to bow down. He says in verse 15,

If you're ready at the time you hear the sound of all these instruments and you fall down in the image, good. Or fall down and worship the image, good. But if you don't worship, you'll be cast immediately into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? You see, here's the real issue. Nebuchadnezzar, he acknowledged that God can reveal secrets. He's a God of gods, but who is the God who can deliver you from my hands? God's about to show him, but he doesn't know it yet. And God's going to show him through these guys.

He's going to show him through their refusal to obey, their refusal to disobey God. But notice their response in verse 16. But if not...

Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. They walk a good line here. They're being firm in their commitment. No, we will not disobey God. But at the same time, they're being tactful. They're being respectful to King Nebuchadnezzar. Pastor Thomas Constable puts it this way. As Daniel before them had been courteous in his request to follow his convictions, he

So these three verbally acknowledge Nebuchadnezzar as king while committing their ultimate allegiance to the king of kings alone. We hear you, king. And if this is your command, well, that's your command. And if you cast us into the fiery furnace, well, we believe God can save us. And even if he doesn't, here's what you need to know. We're not going to disobey God. They hold their line firm. It's respectful, it's tactful, but it's firm. We will not disobey God.

We see a similar event in Acts chapter 4 when the religious leaders command Peter and John to stop preaching the name of Jesus. In Acts chapter 4 verse 19 and 20, Peter and John answer them and say, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. The judgment of whether that's right or wrong, that's for you guys to decide. That's in your realm. You guys go ahead and judge that.

But we have an obligation. There's no other choice that we have. We have to say what God has called us to say. We have to speak the things that God has called us to speak. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to disobey God in a respectful manner. And it made a mark. It caused Nebuchadnezzar to take note, to pay attention, how servants of God make an impact by sincerely

trusting God, by refusing to disobey God. And thirdly, verses 17 through 23, by obeying God at all cost. Again, in verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar notes that they yielded their bodies. They yielded their bodies. They were willing to lose their lives. They were willing to give up and to surrender their lives in their obedience to God, no matter what it cost them. They yielded their bodies, Nebuchadnezzar says, and it

It caused him to pay attention. It caused him to think. It caused him to reflect that they would trust God, that they would be obedient to God to this extent. I would encourage you to consider this. Victory by defeat seems to be God's favorite strategy. This yielding their bodies is important because victory by defeat, oh, it's a strategy that God employs and uses over and over and over again.

You can look at all the great men and women throughout the scriptures, right? You look at the example of Joseph, hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned, defeat, defeat, defeat, defeat, so that God could do a great victory. You can look at the example of the apostle Peter. You can look at the example of the apostle Paul. You can look at the cross and Jesus himself suffering what seems to be defeat.

So that God can do a great victory. I would encourage you to think about it. Walk your way through the scriptures. Who advances the kingdom of God and the work of God without struggle and failure and defeat? No, it's actually one of the strategies that God employs most often. And so the willingness to yield their bodies is important because God's going to use that surrender, that losing of themselves,

to accomplish his purposes. Again, in verse 17 and 18, it says, if that is the case, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hand. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. Okay, you've decreed, whoever does not worship goes in the fiery furnace. Okay, well, if that's the case, God can save us,

He's able. No doubt about that. They didn't question the ability of God. At the same time, they didn't presume that that's what God would do. And they were willing to say, okay, but if not, if we die in the fiery furnace, that's okay too. But let it be known to you, O king, we don't serve your gods. We won't worship this image. We serve the Lord God. Again, it's whatever outcome. They didn't trust God only if they were preserved during the fire.

They wouldn't be disappointed and let down and go, God, we trusted you. Why'd you let us die in the fire? No, they trusted God. And if God desired to let them live, great. If God allowed them to die in the fire, Lord, you know best. They really did trust God. So they were willing to yield their bodies to obey God at all cost. And God could have done it either way and have been right and good.

He could have allowed them to die in the fire if that's what was best. And again, remember, God is reaching out to King Nebuchadnezzar. What's going to make the biggest impact? What's going to help him come to terms with the reality of the true and living God and submit himself to him? This isn't going to be the final straw. We'll see in chapter four that God's still working with him further, but here's a significant step in God's work in Nebuchadnezzar's life. And

God decides, you know what the best thing is for Nebuchadnezzar is for these guys to be thrown into the fire and live. But it's God's decision. And they're yielded to whatever you want, God. Like Jesus, they're saying, not my will, but your will be done. I always have to stop and make sure I say that right because I say it backwards way too often. Because we are tempted to say, no, no, not your will, my will be done, right? But no, no, yielding my body, obeying God at all costs means I say, not my will. But whatever the outcome is.

I'm going to trust you and I'm going to obey you. They're respectful, but they're firm. And again, it infuriates Nebuchadnezzar. In verse 19, Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and the expression on his face changed towards Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

King Nebuchadnezzar is upset. How dare you defy me? How dare you refuse to do what I say?

And he's so upset, he says, we need to heat up this furnace. We need to make this hotter. He heats it up so hot that the guys who throw these guys in are burned up in the process of throwing them into the fire. Verse 23, and these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound into the midst of the burning, fiery furnace. Probably thrown in from a, like a chimney thing on the top, right? And tossed in, boom, they're tossed into the furnace. They yield their bodies. They give their lives. They will not disobey God.

They will obey him no matter what the cost. Important to know. Because again, victory by defeat seems to be God's favorite strategy. You need to be willing. If you want to make a mark, you want to make a difference in the world around you, be a witness for the Lord, you need to be willing to obey God, even if it costs you. Now, for these guys, it potentially would cost them their lives. We don't face that situation very often today.

in our day, specifically in our society. People around the world face that decision every day. And believing in Jesus will cost them their lives. But it's worth it. And so they're willing to do it. For us, hey, obeying God may cost you 50 cents. Or it may cost you a relationship. Or it may cost you a career opportunity. Or it may cost you a streaming service. Or it may cost you your dream car. Or it may cost you your plans and purposes. It will come at a sacrifice to obey God. It's worth the sacrifice, whatever it is.

When you obey God at all costs, when you lay down your agenda, your will, your plans, your purposes, and obey God no matter what, it shines a bright witness. It makes a big mark, causes people to pay attention and to recognize that there truly is a God. Well, finishing it up, verses 24 through 30, we get the fourth point this morning, and that is servants of God make an impact by worshiping God only. And again, at the end of verse 28,

Nebuchadnezzar notes that they should not serve or worship any God except their own God. All of this, they're trusting in God, they're refusing to disobey God, they're obeying God at all costs. It was all to this end that they would worship God only. Verse 24, then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and he rose in haste and spoke saying to his counselors, did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?

They answered and said to the king, true, O king. Look, he answered, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. And the form of the fourth is like the son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire.

You don't really realize how often these three guys' names are mentioned until you read through this chapter out loud. Man, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And I'm probably butchering their names, and so they'll probably hold me down and beat me up a little bit when we get to heaven. But in the meantime, Nebuchadnezzar is astonished. These guys are cast into the fire, but there's no screaming. There's no wailing. There's no weeping. Jewish tradition, it's not recorded here, but Jewish tradition says that

They were actually singing while they were in the furnace. And that's what caused Nebuchadnezzar to turn around and look back and investigate further. Whatever the case, he's expecting them to be burning and wailing and weeping. And instead they are walking around. They're cruising around. He says they're walking around in the midst of the fire. They're not hurt. What's going on? And then there's this fourth person with them. He's like the Son of God. It's perhaps an appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.

Jesus showing up with them in the midst of the fire. Some great illustrations there. Here's Nebuchadnezzar. He's perplexed. He asks this guy, I mean, I know I was really upset. I kind of saw red and I couldn't count the people, but I thought there was only three. How come I see four? What's going on? He's perplexed. He's confused. He draws near to the furnace. He says, hey guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God. He's starting to recognize these guys are

They really do trust God. They really are his servants. He calls them to come out and come here. And so they walk out of the fire. They're just cruising around in there until he calls them out. Now, I just want to throw out a little bit of a side note here. As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are there in the fire and they're walking around, they're not crying out in pain. I think it's important to make the point. These guys are not pretending to not be in pain. They actually felt no pain.

They weren't pretending. They weren't just faking it. They weren't just putting on a show like we can't let him have the satisfaction of seeing us suffer, right? No, no, no. They actually felt no pain. They experienced no pain. Now, that's not always the case. And that's okay too. If they felt pain, then it would have been appropriate for them to express that and to cry out in pain and to, you know, express the things that they were suffering. You can contrast their experience with the experience of Job.

With the experience of Jesus, Jesus cried out in pain. He expressed his agony, right? That's appropriate. That's okay. Sometimes we kind of feel like we have to like put on this front and pretend like I'm not in pain because I'm obeying God. You know, everything's good. I trust God. So there's no pain. It's not hard. It's not difficult. That's not what God wants. God wants us to be genuine. And it can be just as much of a testimony and a mark to experience no pain and express that as it is to experience pain and express that.

Both are important and both are valid. They weren't faking it. It was for real. Well, verse 27 tells us the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power. The hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. Everybody else gathers around. They crowd in. They're like blown away. Like the fire hasn't touched them. It burned their bonds. Those are gone, but their clothes are.

Not burned. Their hair is not singed. Even the smell of fire is not on them. Now, you know what it's like. You go to the beach, you have a bonfire, and then you smell like smoke for three weeks, right? That's like, it sticks with you. It sticks on you. But here are these guys, not touched by it. By the hand of God. Preserved in the midst of the fire. In verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar spoke saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel, delivered his servants, who trusted in him,

They have frustrated the king's word, yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own god. He acknowledges they worship God only. They really are devoted to him, and he's first, and he's foremost. No matter how much pressure is applied, no matter how much threats are offered, no matter what it's going to cost, they are committed to worship God only.

Makes a mark, causes him to pay attention. He goes on in verse 29 to make a decree. He says that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made an ash heap because there is no other God who can deliver like this. Now here, Nebuchadnezzar is not inspired by God and saying, your house will be an ash heap. You know, like that's not God's decree, but that's Nebuchadnezzar's decree.

But he comes to the conclusion no other God can deliver like this. In chapter 2, no other God can uncover secrets like this. He's learning about God through these men that God has placed there. And through their example, through his encounters with them, they're making an impact. And God is reaching out to King Nebuchadnezzar through these men. Not the way that perhaps we would imagine.

If God told you, hey, I want to reach King Nebuchadnezzar, what do you think? Well, something big, something impressive, have an angel appear, something. But how about send three guys through a fiery trial? That's really going to make a difference, God says. I don't know if I'd do it that way, but it's God's way. We have this now declaration from King Nebuchadnezzar again. It's not a full conversion. Well, you see that further as you go on into chapter 4, that he still needed some work to come to a full submission to God.

But it's part of the process. Seeds being sown, seeds being planted, and work being done through these guys who are willing to be faithful to worship God only. Pastor David Guzik says, In our day, many do love Jesus and think highly of Him, yet they are far from God because they also love and worship the world, sin, and self. It's really where Nebuchadnezzar's at at this point. He's thinking prominently of God now,

He's acknowledging truths about God. He's recognizing that there is a God. He's believing in the existence of God, but he's still far from God. And it can be our condition as well when we allow pursuits and passions that compete with the place that God deserves, that compete with the place that God requires of us. I don't know if you want to make an impact on the world around you. I don't know if you want to be part of the work that God wants to do for his kingdom and for his glory.

But if you do, here's how servants of God make an impact. By trusting God sincerely. Not just one time on a big event, but an ongoing daily refusal to bow down, trusting in God, building a solid foundation so that when big events do come, you're ready and prepared because you've been practicing that trust and that faith in God. We make an impact by refusing to disobey God, by holding the line. And there's lots of pressure. And the world around us is conforming and wants us to get on board.

But we need to hold fast and say, no, I refuse to disobey God. I don't have to be disrespectful about it. I don't have to be angry or outraged about it. But I do need to be faithful to it. I'm not going to disobey God. Instead, I'm going to obey God, even if it costs me my life, 50 cents, $100,000, a relationship, no matter what the cost is, I need to obey God. That's going to make a mark. It's going to make a difference. God will use that to accomplish his purposes as I worship him only.

And put him before every passion, every goal, every desire. Put him first in my life. Let's pray. God, I pray for us. Lord, that you would help us to make an impact in the world around us. Lord, that our lights would shine brightly for you. And Lord, that doesn't happen when we're filled with compromise in and out of things that are not glorifying to you. Lord, it happens when we are serious about trusting you.

serious about obeying you, serious about putting you first in our lives. And so, God, I pray that you would help us to do that. Lord, those areas that are compromised, those areas that are not fully committed to you, I pray, Lord, that those things would be highlighted in our minds and in our hearts as we consider these examples. Lord, that you would show us where we can turn, where we can trust in you, where we can obey you to a greater degree.

Lord, that we might manifest to your name and your glory to the world around us. I pray, God, that you'd fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we might have the insight that we need and the strength that we need to live our lives in a way that brings glory to your name. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.