The King’s Pride | Sunday, June 25, 2023

If you would take out your Bibles this morning. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. We are in the Old Testament book of Daniel. If you turn to about the middle of your Bible and then turn to the right, you will eventually find the prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. We are in Daniel chapter 3.

I think you would probably agree that some things in life and in the world never seem to change. Most of the things that we see in our culture around us that seem to be new are oftentimes just repackaged and rebranded under a different name. Solomon, the great wise king of Israel, observed this reality three thousand years ago when he wrote in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 1, "That which has been will be; that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." Maybe you've heard that statement before. It actually comes from the Scriptures, a three-thousand-year-old text from King Solomon. He goes on to say, "Is there anything of which it may be said, 'See, this is new'? It has already been in ancient times before us." Even in his time, he looked back on ancient times and said there is nothing new under the sun.

Over the last several years, there is something that seems to be new to us that is actually not new; it just comes under a different banner or heading. It is the idea of something called cancel culture. Has anyone heard of cancel culture before? What is cancel culture? It is the idea that if you don't bow to the ideas and dictates of the culture around you, then effectively, you will be excommunicated from that culture—canceled from the culture. Again, there is nothing new under the sun; this isn't a new sort of thing.

What is new is that now, in our day, with the advent of social media and the interconnected web of industry and business, an individual can be removed from or excommunicated from all the social aspects of life today. They might lose their job, but even worse than that, because of the interconnected web of business and industry, a person can be canceled from access to their banking or canceled from access to credit. In fact, in the New Testament book of Revelation, the revelation that John received, he looked forward into the future and said there would come a time when you would be restricted from being...

You will not be able to buy or sell if you do not take the mark that will be given at that point in time. We are living in times like that, and with some societies in our culture adopting things called social credit scores, it may come to a point where you are restricted in your access and ability to buy or sell if you do not bow to the dictates of your time. We could call it a kind of social assassination or social execution. You are still alive if you are still breathing, but your ability to have a livelihood is restricted.

As I said, there is nothing new under the sun. The text before us today in Daniel chapter 3 illustrates exactly this kind of situation. Even though this is a 2,600-year-old story, one of the oldest stories we have, what happens in this passage of Scripture is akin to something you could read in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, or the Washington Post. These events seem to fit perfectly within our current context.

Before we delve into the text of chapter 3 of Daniel, let’s quickly recap where we were in the text last week. Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, find themselves in the Kingdom of Babylon, within the workings of the kingdom and in the household of King Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him. He called all of his advisors and enchanters together to try to tell him what the dream was and what its interpretation meant.

Ultimately, Daniel comes forward and reveals, "This is the dream that you had. You saw in your mind a great and awesome statue, a massive image that was terrible. This image had four different segments. The first was a head of gold, the second was a chest and arms of silver, then the body and legs of brass, and finally, the legs and feet of iron, iron mixed with clay."

Daniel informs him that these four segments represent four kingdoms. First, your kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar, is the head of gold. After you, a lesser kingdom will arise, which we know in history to be the Medo-Persian Empire, represented by the chest and arms of silver. Then will come the Greek Empire, led by Alexander the Great, represented by the body and thighs of brass. Ultimately, the Roman Empire, from which all that has come, is represented by the legs and feet of iron, iron mixed with clay. Daniel tells him this great story, this great testament about what is to come.

This image was significant, and we see how Nebuchadnezzar responded to the revelation of himself as the head of gold, along with the other kingdoms that would follow. In Daniel chapter 3, beginning at verse one, we observe the king's pride. Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, the entire image being sixty cubits, or ninety feet tall, and six cubits, or nine feet wide. He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which he had set up. The satraps, administrators, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

Then a herald cried aloud and said, "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the lyre, the sultry, and symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."

Nebuchadnezzar's response, after hearing that the head of gold represented him, was to build an entire idol or image of gold and to set it up for all people in all places to bow down and worship. Most commentators agree that this was not just any image; it was an image of him. He commanded all the people under his kingdom, regardless of their language or nationality, to bow down to his image. He was essentially saying, "You are going to worship me, and if you don't, you will be dead. You will be canceled."

It is interesting to note that many Christians, when reading Daniel chapter 2, reflect on how Nebuchadnezzar, after Daniel initially gives the interpretation of his dream, makes a great confession about Daniel and the God of Daniel.

A lot of Christians read Daniel chapter 2 and they see Nebuchadnezzar's confession as evidence that he became a follower of the one true God. I think they give him a bit too much credit, although it's understandable why they would think that. If you look one page back to Daniel chapter 2, verse 46, Nebuchadnezzar's confession is indeed impressive. King Nebuchadnezzar fell down on his face before Daniel and commanded that they should present an offering of incense to him. The king answered Daniel and said, "Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret."

At this point, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the greatness of Daniel's God. Babylon was a place of many gods and many idols, but now Nebuchadnezzar, after Daniel had given him the interpretation of his dream, declares that Daniel's God is the God of gods. Following this, the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, appointing him as chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel then petitioned the king to set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—his three friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—over the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself sat in the gate of the king or in the court of the king.

However, when Nebuchadnezzar received this interpretation of the dream from Daniel, he praised the God of Daniel. Many people read this and conclude that Nebuchadnezzar became a follower of God. Yet, ultimately, his actions do not seem consistent with that confession. Shortly after, he constructs an image ninety feet tall and nine feet wide, an image of himself, and commands everyone to worship him. The king, in his pride, exalts himself. There is nothing new under the sun, and this brings to mind the New Testament passage that says, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." It also echoes the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 18, where He states that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.

In this confession in Daniel chapter 2, when Nebuchadnezzar declares, "Your God is the God of gods," many see a conversion. However, it is crucial to recognize that this was not really a conversion. Point number one, if you're taking notes, is that the world is filled with counterfeit.

False followers of God need to keep this in mind: there are and will always be counterfeit false followers of God. Those who say the right things sometimes say the right things at opportune times, but they are no more Christian than this table or this stool. In fact, maybe they are less Christian than this table or this stool in that they actually oppose, ultimately, the working of God.

Nebuchadnezzar made a confession, but this confession did not mean that he became a follower of God. It is an unfortunate reality, but a reality nonetheless, that many counterfeit false followers of God find their way into positions and places of power, especially in our culture today. They are put there by many people who are true followers of God. On behalf of those people, they see their faux faith, their false faith, and they say, "Well, see, this person is a follower of God." However, we must recognize that not every person who owns a Bible or even places their hand on a Bible in an oath of office is actually a true follower of God. You will know them by their fruits. Those words from Jesus remind us that it is more about the actions of an individual than their profession.

Nebuchadnezzar made this great confession, but that did not mean that he was a follower of God. The decree that he gives is very clear. He sets up an image ninety feet tall and calls all the leaders of Babylon together, saying, "You are going to lead those whom you lead in the worship of me." Nebuchadnezzar commands that anytime music is heard, whatever kind of music it is, everyone must pause, stop, and bow down to him. It is commanded, "O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of all kinds of music, you need to fall down and worship the image. Whoever does not will be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." This is like cancel culture on steroids; there is nothing new under the sun.

So, what do you think happens? Look at verse 7 of Daniel chapter 3. At that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the lyre, and the symphony of all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. This is what we call cultural conformity.

The culture is always seeking to cause you to conform to its mold. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul calls followers of God, Christians, and says, "Do not be conformed to this world." We have been called to be set apart, separate, and different. Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel have set themselves apart in a minor way, just within the king's household. If you go back and read Daniel chapter one, you will see that they had set themselves apart from the other men who were taken from Judea or from other kingdoms around the world into the household of the king in Babylon. They said, "We're not going to partake of what the king has set before us. We are going to be separate and different."

That was a small thing at that point in time, but now they are in a much bigger situation. The forcing of conformity that they are being pushed under here, 2,600 years ago, still continues today in our culture. We live in a culture that is trying to force you into its mold, to think the same way and to do the same things as the world around you.

It is interesting to me that our culture values and elevates the idea of individualism, self-realization, and self-actualization. This is seen as the value of our culture; you need to determine who you are and what you are. We highly value individualism and self-actualization, but when you get right down to it, the vast majority of people just conform to cultural norms. It is simply easier to go with the flow.

However, not everyone conforms. Look at verse 8 of Daniel chapter three. Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldeans, who were among the advisors to the king, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel, were advisors to King Nebuchadnezzar. There was this group called the Chaldeans, who had been the long-time advisors to the king in the Babylonian nation-state or Empire at that time. Certain Chaldeans came forward to accuse the Jews. This is not new; it has been going on for a long time, almost as if there is something behind it. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O King, live forever! You, O King, have made a decree. Remember that decree you made with that big golden image, King, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp..."

Liar, the sultry and symphonic music shall fall down and worship you, the golden image. Whoever does not fall down in worship shall be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. You remember that decree, King? Sure enough, Nebuchadnezzar is probably thinking, "Oh yeah, I remember that. That was a very good decree. Don't you agree? That was a very good decree."

Well, there are certain Jews whom you have set up over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were their Hebrew names. These men, O King, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.

There will always be informers, social justice warriors, and the cultural conformer police. This is not new; there is nothing new under the sun. Now, these certain Chaldeans come to King Nebuchadnezzar to inform on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It is highly likely that they are coming from the sect or group who have been the long-time advisors to Babylonian kings. They are not happy that these new up-and-coming teenage guys from Judea have been set over the provinces, and they have been looking for a reason to get rid of them. Finally, they have found their opportunity.

It is true that the world is filled with counterfeit, false followers of God. But it is also true, point number two if you're taking notes, that genuine followers of God stand when everyone else bows to counterfeits. Genuine and counterfeit can be difficult to tell apart; that's what makes a good counterfeit. But ultimately, the counterfeit will come to be seen for what it truly is. The genuine and the counterfeit, as it relates to true followers of God, are revealed by their fruit. As we have already acknowledged, not at the beginning, the wheat and the tares. Tares are a weed that looks very much like wheat in an early stage; it's indistinguishable. You cannot tell.

The only time that you can tell the wheat and the tares apart is at the point of the harvest. The wheat brings forth grain, while the tares do not. They grow up together, making it hard to distinguish between them. However, remember the words of Jesus in what is called The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter seven: "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruit. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? No. Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruit, you will know them."

We need to carefully assess whether or not a person's life is lived consistently with their profession. There are many counterfeit followers of the one true God, but by their fruit, you will know them.

Now, the informers come to Nebuchadnezzar against Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. This brings up the question that has often been asked when people read this passage of Scripture: Where is Daniel? I can assure you that Daniel was not out in the valley bowing down to the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. Curiously, he does not appear in this story, which has caused people to speculate about what it means that Daniel is not mentioned.

I want to suggest that you not read too much into the fact that Daniel is absent from this passage. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—had a more publicly facing role as they were involved in the affairs happening in Babylon. Daniel, on the other hand, is in the palace. Perhaps he was dispatched somewhere else at this point in time by Nebuchadnezzar. It doesn't really matter. Sometimes we read too much into his absence in this passage; he is simply not here.

So, the informers come to King Nebuchadnezzar and say, "Hey King, you remember that decree about the golden image? That was a great one! Well, there are some guys who don't listen to your decree and they don't worship you."

In verse 13, Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought these men before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar spoke.

To them, he said, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image?" He was really saying, "You don't worship me," which I have set up.

"Now, if you are ready, at the time that you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, sultry, and symphony, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! We can put this behind us if you will just bow to the image. But if you do not worship, you will be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"

One thing you can be certain of: ultimately, the truly faithful followers will be put on the spot for their faith and faithfulness. It will come. You can fly under the radar for a time; you can exist as a covert Christian temporarily. But eventually, there will come a time when you will have to stand.

I think it's worth noting that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were not hiding their opposition to the king's decree. It just had not yet come to the attention of the king. They were certainly refusing to bow to the image of gold, but as of yet, it hadn't become an issue. They were able to do their work in the province and go about their business overseeing the affairs of Babylon. When the music would play and everybody else would bow, they simply would not do it.

There was no way that their dissent was hidden or covert; it just hadn't come to Nebuchadnezzar's attention quite yet. But now it has, and I would suggest that this will be the case for you in whatever situation you find yourself in as well. There are certain things that, as a follower of God and as a Christian, you say, "I can't do this, I can't do that." In most cases, it just goes under the radar.

Overlooked, it is not always that big of a deal, but there may come a point where it does come to somebody's attention, someone who is over you. Whatever it may be, you might find yourself put on the spot. Do you really believe this? Is that really your view? Will you really oppose this or that, or whatever it may be? The instinct in that moment, and it is a very strong instinct, is to go with the herd. The herd instinct is strong; go with the flow. Don't be cast out or shunned.

It's not just the herd instinct. One of the strongest instincts in all living, breathing creatures is the instinct for self-preservation. When the light is shined upon you because you will not do or say or go along with whatever it is that you're being told to do to conform to culture, the inclination is to divert attention. Whether it's in the classroom or the conference room, when the confrontation comes, the instinct to preserve self or go with the herd is strong.

However, there are going to be increasing situations, I think, in our culture as it moves further and further away from trust and belief in God or belief in the Scriptures. As society no longer holds to the principles or values of the Scriptures, there will be more situations where you'll be told to believe or do certain things that conflict with your convictions as a Christian. What do you do in those situations?

Here we have Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They are in a situation like this. They have already taken a minor stand; they said they would not partake of the king's delicacies. That was very small in comparison to what they are facing now. They have already lost so much. They had been taken from their homeland, lost their culture and language, and been indoctrinated with the culture and worldview of Babylon. They had lost their friends, their family, and everything they knew. It is very likely they were castrated and made eunuchs, which means they had even lost their manhood.

In a sense, I think they probably came to a point, and it's not a bad thing to come to this point, where they said, "What more can you do to us?" This is similar to what the Apostle Paul speaks of in the New Testament book of Philippians. He says in Philippians chapter 1, verse 20, "According to my earnest expectation and hope, in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain."

However, be careful when you find yourself being forced to do or say things that you don't agree with or that you think are in conflict with the principles and values that God has given to you in the Word. This pressure may come in the form of trying to get a grade, secure a promotion, or keep a job. It is important to be cautious when the culture around you is causing you to conform in that area.

It may start with something seemingly small, and oftentimes it is. It may seem absurd and trivial, especially if you could travel back in time just a decade. Yet, now it is increasingly becoming something you are told to do, especially if you work for a publicly funded group, school, or similar organization. For instance, you may be required to include your pronouns in the signature of your emails. If you go back to 2012, people would have wondered, "What on Earth is that?"

Even today, some of you might be thinking, "Is that really a thing?" Yes, it is a thing in some places. You might be questioned about why you didn't post a black tile on Blackout Tuesday in 2020 on Instagram. Or why you won't display the Ukrainian flag or the LGBTQ flag in your social media profile.

While it may seem like something absurdly small, if you choose not to do it, you probably will not be thrown to lions, as we will see in a few weeks in Daniel, or cast into the fiery furnace, as described in this passage. However, you might not receive the grade, miss out on the promotion, or be overlooked because you are not conforming and going along with the rest of the crowd.

If anything, this passage of Scripture in the Book of Daniel as a whole reminds us that God is able to...

Meet us there at point number four. If you're taking notes, it takes courage and commitment to remain faithful in the face of the furnace. Some of you are experiencing this more and more, and it might seem very small and trivial. You may be told to believe certain things or say certain things to stay in that department or to get that grade. However, there comes a point where we have to say no.

I want to emphasize that we need to be discerning about what those red lines are that we will not cross. There are many people who have a red line for practically every possible issue, and after a while, their red lines become worthless. They end up saying no to everything. We must be discerning about the things we will not compromise on, but increasingly, there will be situations where you might be canceled because of your convictions as a Christian.

You may say, "Well, Pastor, you don't experience those sorts of things. You work at a church. How are you going to be canceled?" Over the last 15 years of pastoring this church, I have been canceled on a minor level many times. When I say something that doesn't align with the stated cultural views, someone in the church might say, "Well, I’m not going to that church anymore because you speak the truth." Many times, those people leave quietly, of course, but they often leave a review on Yelp. Sometimes they'll send me a note letting me know they disagree with my views and are going to a different church. Occasionally, they have come to meet with me to express their concerns, asking, "Do you really believe this?" Yes, that is what the Bible says.

There will come a point in our nation where teaching certain things from this book will lead to consequences. If it comes to that, we may lose our tax-exempt status as a church. Fine, take it. We have already had those discussions as a pastoral staff and as a leadership team within our elders. If that ever happens, so be it. If people are only giving because they receive a tax benefit at the end of the year, that is on them; they can answer to God for that. But that is not why we give to the Lord.

Said that I don't know. Yeah, there you go, John. You ain't never leaving. I love this.

Look at verse 16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 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, O King. But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up."

I can't read that without feeling moved. This is one of the greatest bold statements in history. It's not the only time that followers of God have made great bold statements like this, but this is one of the top five. It's similar to Martin Luther in the 1500s when he stood before the council of the Catholic Church and said, "Here I stand; I can do no other. I will not bend on this." There are things that are a red line. We will not bow to the image that you have set up. Our God is able to deliver us, but even if He doesn't, we will not do it.

It's definitely a mic drop moment for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego right here. Take our lives; do what you will, King. If you've been here for a number of years, you know that I have this tendency to quote this psychologist by the name of Jordan Peterson. His name became known in our culture today because of a stand he took in 2016. He is Canadian, and the Canadian government was passing a bill through Parliament that compelled those, especially like him, who worked for publicly funded institutions—he worked at the time as a professor at the University of Toronto—to use a certain kind of speech having to do with this whole pronoun issue. He said, "I will not be..."

Compelled by you to speak in that way in an interview, he said this: "You have to be able to say no." What "no" means is that you're not going to do it, and I don't care what happens; that is not happening. I will not do it. There isn't a damn thing he said that can be done to me to make me allow the government to come and cut my speech. That is not happening.

He goes on and says this: "The way that totalitarian states develop is that people give up their right to exist with their own thoughts." That's what happens. Individuals sacrifice their own souls to the dictates of the state, and then everything goes badly sideways. If you give in, you falsify your being bit by bit, and you end up being where you don't want to be. That's a bad idea. I think that's true.

So, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said no; they would not do that. Then Nebuchadnezzar, in verse 19, was full of fury, and the expression of his face changed. You can imagine he spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the burning furnace. These men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their garments, and they were cast into the midst of the fiery furnace.

Therefore, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those mighty men of valor who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

The way that this runs out is not the way that we oftentimes would write the story. If we were writing the story, they would make this great bold declaration: "We will not bow down to that image, Nebuchadnezzar. Whatever you do to us, that's not going to happen." At that moment, if we were writing a story, we would write that the whole room would shake, and Nebuchadnezzar would fall on the ground, and then they'd be like, "See, we have God with us." But you know what? It doesn't always work that way.

Taking a stand does not always mean that you're rescued from difficulty or trial. Those who take a stand don't always win; sometimes they lose. Sometimes they lose in the classroom, sometimes in the conference room, sometimes they lose the promotion, sometimes they lose the job, and sometimes they lose everything. Occasionally, they might even lose their life. While that probably won't happen to you in our culture, at least at this moment, according to my earnest expectation and hope, I shall not be ashamed. Paul said, "Christ will be magnified in my life whether by life or by death. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The man who wrote that was in prison for his faith and faithfulness to Christ at the time he wrote those words, and within three years, he would be beheaded for his faith.

Christ will be magnified in my life whether by life or by death. To live is Christ; to die is gain.

Sometimes, genuine followers are proved authentic in fiery furnaces. Of course, that's not the end of the story. We read in verse 24 that Nebuchadnezzar was astonished. He rose quickly in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound in the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O King." You're so wise!

"Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. The form of the fourth is like the Son of God." Can you guess who the Fourth Man in the Fire is? It has long been held by Bible teachers and commentators that the Fourth Man in the Fire is the Son of God, Jesus—the one who was, and is, and is to come. He is the one who is before all things, who pre-existed His Incarnation, and He shows up from time to time in the Old Testament at opportune moments like this. They were walking uninjured by the fire.

Then Nebuchadnezzar, in verse 26, went near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, servants of the Most High God..."

High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire. 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 heads was not singed, their garments were not affected, and the smell of fire was not even on them.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." This is Neb's big confession number two: "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They have frustrated the king's word. I love that they yielded their bodies so that they should not serve nor worship any God except their own God. Therefore, I make a new decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces." This guy liked killing people. "Their houses shall be made an ash heap because there is no other God who can deliver like this." You should underline that in your Bible: there is no other God who can deliver like this.

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Now, Nebuchadnezzar's confession is awesome, but that is not the most important focal point of this passage. In the broader story of Daniel, which we will continue to see, this point comes home: God was with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah even when they were taken from their home and had everything stripped from them. They found themselves in the palace in Babylon, and God was with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah even when they were cast into the fiery furnace.

God will be with Daniel when we get a few chapters down the road and he is thrown into the lion's den. God was with them in the midst of those things, and if God was with them in the midst of those things, He will be with you in whatever you go through. This is something we need to zero in on in this passage, and it is such an important thing for us to focus on. I can assure you that as our culture moves further and further away from God and how He has...

Revealed Himself in the pages of Scripture, you will experience increasing opposition. It starts with small things, but over time, they will increase. Jesus said, "If they hated Me, they will hate you." You can be certain of that. They hated Jesus and His earliest followers. The early disciples were hated and persecuted. Many of them went to their death as martyrs, witnessing for Christ. They were burned at the stake, crucified, beheaded, thrown to beasts, and stoned to death in all kinds of different ways.

At this very moment, in other places in the world where there is not the religious freedom that you enjoy here, or the other freedoms afforded by the Bill of Rights, there are people today who are followers of God and are continuing to be put to death for their faith and profession in Christ. God is with them in the fire, and they look for a city which has foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. They say and pray, as we do, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven."

Jesus spoke to His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount and taught them, saying, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My name's sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad." How can you be rejoicing and glad in the fire? He says this, "For great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you."

He goes on to say, "You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its flavor, how shall the earth be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under the foot of men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

It used to be, and it wasn't that long ago, that Western culture was so infused with the Judeo-Christian worldview and the Christian faith that even if you were a witness for Christ, you were just like a light shining on a bright day. But as darkness comes to our culture increasingly, as people distance themselves from the light of God, it will...

Become darker, and you will shine brightly. May it be that we do not cover that up and hide it. I kind of believe those things, but shhh. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.

I can assure you that as our culture moves further and further away from the truth of God and the faith of Christ, you will increasingly find yourself in Hananiah, Michelle, and Azariah moments. It may not be today or this week; it may not be this year or in ten years, but that day will come. It might be first in very small things, but may it be that when those opportunities come, we respond accordingly.

Peter writes this in First Peter, chapter one. This was a short time before he was crucified for his faith in the first century. He said, "The genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may it be found to the praise, honor, and glory of Jesus Christ at His revelation." May the genuineness of your faith, tested by fire, bring glory and honor to Christ. That is the testimony of the martyrs of Christ throughout the last two thousand years of history, and even in our day. May it be our testimony as well if ever we are called upon to suffer for His namesake. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, I pray that you would embolden your servants. Empower us. Jesus, you promised that we would receive power when your Holy Spirit came upon us to be witnesses unto you in our culture, in our time, and in the place in which we live. Would you fill us afresh and anew by your Holy Spirit? Holy Spirit, empower and embolden your people to speak boldly the truth, the good news of the Gospel. God, give us your boldness, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen."