FBCWest 537 | Resolved to Bow and Worship Only the Lord, God
Recorded On: 01/08/2023
Bulletin
Hymn # 33 “To God Be the Glory”
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 105:1 - 5
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Only King Forever”
“Resurrection Power”
“Great Things”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Resolved to Bow and Worship Only the Lord, God”
“Another in the Fire”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “There Is Freedom”
Sermon Notes
Daniel 3:1 – 7 King Nebuchadnezzar made of statue of gold of himself and decreed that everyone was to bow and worship his image when musical instruments were played
Daniel 3:8 - 12 Three Hebrews were reported to not have worshipped the gods of Nebuchadnezzar or his statue as ordered
Daniel 3:13 – 15 The three Hebrews were arrested and given an opportunity to change their actions and worship as ordered
Daniel 3:16 – 18 The 3 Hebrews set their feet. God is able to deliver, but even if He does not, we will not serve your gods or worship your statue
Daniel 3:19 – 23 Nebuchadnezzar filled with wrath and has them thrown into the fire after made even hotter
Daniel 3:24 – 27 Four are seen in the fire and it as no effect on the 3 Hebrews
Daniel 3:28 – 30 The king praises God and decrees anyone who speaks offensively about God is to be punished
Ephesians 3:20 God is able to do far more than we can ask or think
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
TextEver since there have beenfollowers of God,we have been asked to compromise. And the church, unfortunately, makes a lot of compromises throughout the ages. And there are a lot of churches and denominations who you can see and considered who have compromised so farthat you think thatthere's almost no recognitionof who our Lord and master is. But there are times in the history of the people of God where they're not only just asking for us to compromise, they're asking for us to bend the knee to their God. And as I see the world,I think those are some of the timesthat may we may very well be looking at,but want to prepare you for that.Not just compromise, butbending the knee to another God.I struggle with what to call this series.My natural inclination would have beento call it the heroes of the faith.But the problem with that as a titleis, as I've heard, people who were given Medals of Honor and Bravery for their service to our country in times of war where they acted either in such brave fashion that they this kind of their life to achieve a goal or to save multiple brothers in arms.And every time I heard them speakand people would say, well, you're a hero.Their response was, No, I'm not a hero.The heroes are those who die. And so many of the people we're going to look at over the next several weeks are not people who died, but people who God brought through the fire. And sothat didn't work. Now, I also understand that brevity is the soul of wit. So I was hoping to narrow down thethe the title, but I couldn't.And so the title of this series isResolve to Obey and Worship Only the Lord.Not a short title. But is there is that resolution that I will not bow my knee when the world commands me to worship someone else? And so today's subtitle is another End the Fire, because we're going to take a look at three young Hebrew men who we know not by their Hebrew names. And so I would encourage you to look in the beginning of the Book of Daniel, to see their names, their Hebrew names. One of the sad things in is we don't know them by their Hebrew names. We know them by their Babylonian names, and their Babylonians names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and we know of them because of this particular event. And so in Daniel, chapter three, starting with verse one, it says this Nebuchadnezzar, the king made an image of gold, the height of which was 60 cubits, and it's with six cubits. Or he set it up on the plain of Dora in the province of Babylon. Now, we don't go by cubits.And there are some quite you know, some people say, well, at the point of your nose until this and whatever, we've kind of broken it down to about 18 inches. And so if we use the idea of 18 inches, then Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of himself that is 90feet tall and nine feet wide.Now, now,buccaneers of the King, he assembled the satraps, the perfects, and the governors, the councilors and the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come at the dedication of the image of that that we can measure. The King has set upthen the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the councilors, the governors, the judges, the treasures and the magistrates and the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image, the epic ness of the king, and set up. And they stood before that image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.But we have all of these rulers and and official people and and governmental officials who are assembled on the plain, staring at this 90 foot statue in the image of the KingNebuchadnezzar.So we had this assembly. Then the Herald loudly proclaim to you, the command is given all peoples nations and men of every language that the moment that you hear the sound of the horn flute leer, high ground poultry, bagpipe and all kinds of music,you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the king, has set up. So it wasn't just sufficient that everybody assemble to admire the image of the king. This idol, they were required when they heard the music to bow down and worship the imagethat was the command. You were to do that whenever you heard the music, and they covered it all. The only time I ever heard about bagpipes as well was Scotland, but apparently there were bagpipes in Babylonia. Must have been a great sound. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast in the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.
Now, in our country, you go, Well, wait a minute. You can't do that because we have constitutional rights and we're supposed to have a right to have our accusers presented and have a trial. And then if found guilty by a jury of our peers, then we're supposed to receive a sentence.It's No, you don't perform. You die now.There's no trial.There's no presumption of innocence. You are going to die and you are going to die in a fiery flame.Now, it is interesting that he choosesthis as a mode ofexecutionthroughout the ages. When you want to execute somebody, oftentimes they would do it humanely and they'd chop your head offand I would quit. But when you wanted to get rid of heretics, they burned you at the stake.You are considered a heretic.You don't bow down and worship the golden.Therefore,at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the Lear tiger on the sultry, the bagpipes and all kinds of music, all the people of the nations and man of every language and fell down and worshiped the golden image that never honors or the King had set up for this reason. At that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. They responded, Who said, Never can ezer the king? Oh, King live forever.You. King of kingmade a decree that every manwho hears the sound of the horn, the flute, the lear, the Tigran, the sultry and the bagpipe and all kinds of musicare to fall down and worship the golden.But whoever does not fall down in worship shall be cast into the midst elephant that's a blazing fire. So they're repeating the command.They're saying, we have an accusation.Here is what you have commanded. And there are certain people who have done it. There are certain Jews whom you have have appointed over the administration of the provinces of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.These men of King have disregarded you.They do not serve your God or worshipthe golden image which you have set up.Their statement is they don't worship you.They don't take you seriously.You set this up. You set a decree, you set the law, and they refuse to do it. They never can assert in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then these three men were brought before the King Nebuchadnezzar responded. Who said to them, Is it true Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my God or worshipthe golden image that I have set up? Now,their question that they're asking it of Jewish young men, Jewish young men who know the scriptures,we have been told,Thou shalt or the Lord by God only, and only Him shall you serve, and thou shall not make graven image and worship it.There are two of the Ten Commandmentsthat these young men know about.And because of that, they havemade a commitment.Now, if you are ready at the moment that you hear the sound of the horn, the horn, the flute, the Tigran, the Lear, the sultry, the bagpipes and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image that I have made very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace, a blazing fire. And what God is there who can deliver youout of my.You see, Nebuchadnezzarwas used to having it his way.He was absolute power.He didn't need a court.He didn't need other government.He didn't need the legislature.When he made a statement, it was law. And when he made an order or a decree, it was to be observed. So he gave Shadrach Bishop and Indigo one more opportunity because he figured the his presence and his authority and his law and theimmediate sentence of deathwould intimidateGod recognitionand a reply to the King o Nebuchadnezzar. We do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. You see, they had already resolvedto be God.That was their resolution.They were resolved to obey God. And it didn't matter what the consequences were. You may tell me to worship you,but God told me no. You may say, I may bow down to an image that's an idol. And God has said no.I don't need to think about it.I don't need to worry about it.
I don't need to figure out what else to do. God said no.I don't need to think about it.If it be so, our God who we serve and now they place it. We don't serve you, King.You may be the king, and we may be slaves. And we may have gone from Judah and Jerusalem as young men who were valued as important and brought to your country and to serve your kingdom. But we mayunofficially be in your kingdom.But we do serve our Godregardless of the circumstance And our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace a blazing fire,and he will deliver us out of your handle.Notice he says,our God's able to, but they're smart because they don't tell God how to do them. Because, let's face it, if you were me and we were facing a blazing fire, our prayer will be start.Please deliver me from the blazing fire.I don't want to be in the blazing fire.They said, Our God is able to deliver usfrom the first.But even if he does not let it be known to you, hoping that we are not going to serve your God to worship the golden image that you have set up. We're willing to die on this hill because we will not, by our need your God or you, because we serve God. And there is going to come a time when the world is going to expect us to bow our need to their God to stay silentin our worship of our Godand our God is able to deliver us.But even if he does it, we're going to do what is our commitment to him to serve him and serve him only to worship him and him only to obey him in him Alland never can ever was filled with wrath.And his facial expressions was, after all,Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.Now this is natural. When somebody who has absolute power, they expect you to obey. Absolutely. And then say, Oh, okay, we'll just call the whole thing off. No, no.They are in power and they are in charge. And you're going to do what you're going to do. And if you don't, I'm going to be angry and I'm going to be vindictive and I'm going to make sure you suffer. You answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually eaten. Now, if I were going to go into a fire, I would probably view that as an act of mercy. He's viewing it as an act of rage that I am going to make sure that they're burned up. But the hotter the fire is, the quicker I die. It's when the flames lap at your feet is when it's really painful. Oh, so I'm burned. Okay. Thank you for your deliverance of me. Because I'm going to die quickly.That's got another.Oh, it's heated seven times more.And he commanded 13 Valiant Warrior who were in the his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Bendigo in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats and their cap and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. So they were just as they were dressedwith all the actual addedkindling, their clothing. They were tied up and thrown into the fire.
For this reason, because of the Kings, the man was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot. The flames of the fire smoothed those men who ferried Shadrach Bishop to Bendigo. So it's good thing that they were valiant Warriors is they died on that hill. Following commands the King's command. Now, but at this point we're going to think, okay, it's probably at least three guys, I would say probably six warriors, two per guy. So there's six plus three. So that's nine people who you expect to die today. But these three men, Shadrach, each fell into the midst of the A blazing fire still tied up. And then the kingwas astonished and stood up in haste. And he said to his high official, What was it? Not three men we cast into the fire.They reply to the king. Certainly you don't want to disobey or or correct the king. Three guys in you say three guys.Then we agree.Three guys insaid, Look, I see four men loose and walking about in the midst of fire without arm. And the appearance of the fourth was like a son of a gun. They were tied up in their clothes and they're walking around and the fire, you see, that's why we make a mistake when we tell God what to do. When we pray God deliver us, we usually mean we want to exit and go somewhere else that says, No, no, I want to deliver you. I'm going to deliver you in the fire.Yes, I'm going to get glory, but you're going to walk around in the fire. Shadrach, Meshach in a beleaguered, you've got one. And they knew that God had the power to deliver them. Now, they may not have known that God had the power to deliver them by walking around with themin the fire, but they made a commitment whether the cost in their lives or not, they would do and supported the men.Can you imagineeverybody there expecting instantaneous death of these three guys and these these guys are walking around like it's Sunset Beachand there's a fourth one.We all ask.Well, I would love to know what their conversation was like when they were or were they talking with this orwhat were they saying? I bet part of what they're saying is our God is us.
Our God is powerful,our God is merciful.An hour agodelivered us. Then Eric Nasser came near to the door of the furnace, a blazing fire, and responded and said, Shadrach, Michigan and Bendigo come out you servants of the most high God and come here and Shadrach, Meshach and a Bendigo came out of the fire. Notice the change.It never can ezer he could have heated the fire had more time. Well, more time.But instead we knew he had met his matchwith the Lord God that Shadrachbe shack in Bendigo's for.He goes nowthe satrap,the prefects, the governors and the King's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on their bodies of these men. For nor was the hair on their head singed,nor were their trousers damaged, nor had they used the smell of fire had come upon them. They were so immune by the firethat had absolutely no effect. I can't go to the beach and roast a marshmallow and come home and not smellboth.They were in the fireand God so delivered that their clothes was the same, hair was the same, no singes and no smell, because that's exactly the power of our God. He doesn't just save us a little bit. He doesn't save us just partially, he saves us comes thethe Nebuchadnezzar responded and said because the God of Shadrach Meshach and to Bendigo who have sent his angel and delivered his servants who put their trust in him by leading the king's command and yielding up their bodies to Boaz, to be not to serve or worship any God except their own God. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nations or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be torn in from limb to limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap inasmuch as there is no other God who is able to deliver in this way.Shadrach, Meshach and a Bendigoserve God and obey Godand knew that God could deliver them. I don't think anybody in their wildest imagination would see that the King would go from you worship me to if anybody says anything negative about their God, we're going to rip you apart.What if Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego had been openlythat had not gone through the fire?It would not have been delivered and the king would not have changed his view of God's. Maybe God has called us to walk in the fire because He has something more in storeand just our life. Maybe he wished he delivered Shadrach Meshach in Bendigo because it brought him glory, because afterwards people said he's gone. Or maybe if he puts us in the fire, he doesn't deliver us out of the fire because he will get more glory in us going through the fire than be delivered from the firebecause it's not about us.Oh yeah,he's the villain.He's the awesome.And not only the MCnow, but the next, the absoluteruler and dictate her for Babylon.Not only make this victory notice the result of Shadrach Meshack the Bendigo, then the king cause Shadrach, Meshach and Bendigo to prosperin the province of battle.They prospered because they followed, notbecause they obeyed themand they did not need.I can't guarantee youthat in this line,if you obey God, you'll prosper.
There are a lot of churches who will tell you that if you just say the right things, you just believe the right thing. If you just have enough faith, everything will be wonderful. The reason why I did not want to call this there is the heroes of the faith, because there are a lot of heroes who die in the front and they are just as much heroes that Shadrach, Meshach and the we just don't know their names at all. We know Shadrach, Meshach and Bendigo's Babylonian name. We have trouble knowing their Hebrew name, but there have been men and women, believers and followers and disciples of God who we don't know, who neverbowed the need, regardless of the concept.But I do know, just ashe was in the fire with them,his word tells usthat he will never leave us nor forsakenot persecution,not nakedness,not famine, nor does he didn't say, I will exempt you from these things. He said, I will be with you in these things. And just as Shadrach, Michigan, Abednego went through the fire. Sometimes we got to go through the fire.He's there with us.Whether we burn orand that there is a sinthat the worldwill never understandour commitment to Godif they expect us to doas they have done about thelast Scriptureis found in these. And this is something this in chapter two, verse 20.
Now to him, who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to power that works with you. That's why I say,let's not tell God how to do something.Let's just say, God,this is we need deliverance.Whether that deliverance is goingthrough the seaor going through the fireor going through the battle,God, you do what you do and help me.Had this ring and the courageto walk with you. As your word says, You will never leave me or forsake that you will deliver.And because you have such awesomepower that I can't even comprehend, I'll let you answer my request in any way you see fit. And if you want me to go to the fire and praise God, I'll go to the fire. If you want me to stay out of the fire, then you deliver me from the fire. But you do what you doand I will obey and worshipbecause I know whether I'm burned or not.There's another.Not in the fire.You are Never.Don't walk alone.No matter how you feel. No matter what circumstances makes that God word. So therefore,believe itor not, tosee what glory comes fromGod from it, and all God's people said.