But If Not . . .

Ann Ratcliff

Midland SDA Church

August 3, 2013

Pray with me:

Our Father, you have given us great blessings and we thank you. But we also have burdens and cares and responsibilities to shoulder. Make this message one of encouragement to us all. In your name. Amen

Come with me in your imaginations to Babylon. The Israelites are captive there and Nebuchadnezzar is king. He is a pagan king ruling over a pagan society. He is an absolute ruler. His court is full of the very best; his riches were always on display.

Nebuchadnezzar recognized quality when he saw it and he wanted people of the highest quality around him. He saw  in those 4 young Israelites, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a strength of character, a physique, and charm that he wanted in his court. So he picked these men out from among the other captives and gave them a number of advantages and privileges.

As you remember Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. When he awoke, he couldn’t remember much about the details but still It was a dream that troubled him and he sought help to recall the details and interpret what they meant. His own wise men could not help even when promised riches or threatened with death. Daniel volunteered to interpret the dream.

Remember, Daniel, with the help of God, was able to provide Nebuchadnezzar with a satisfactory recollection and interpretation of the dream. Then Nebuchadnezzar was fueled with a zeal that propelled him to construct a huge statue like the one in his dream but this time made of pure gold. This was a magnificent image. It represented the glory and power of Babylon.

As was his custom as a ruler, Nebuchadnezzar sent out a decree that all his subjects should bow down to the statue in an act of worship. A day was set aside for this show of idol worship. Furthermore, Nebuchadnezzar decreed that If they didn’t, he would execute them by throwing them into a fiery furnace.

It was brought to Nebuchadnezzar’s attention that there were some Israeli captives who did not bow down. They were the same strapping young men associated with Daniel who did not bow down in worship to the new golden image.

Nebuchadnezzar sent for these young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and reiterated. “Bow down to this image or I’ll have you cremated alive in the fiery furnace.” His threats were in vain. He could not convince the men to bow down and worship that idol even with threats of death.

Here is what these three young men said to the King according to the New International version: “Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us from your hand O King. But even if he does not we want you to know O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Here is what they said according to the Message paraphrase: “ Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O King. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O King. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

So now you may be thinking OK here we go—another one of those sermons that admonishes us to stand up strong for our beliefs, live our standards in the face of adversity, humiliation, inconvenience, even under threat of death. That these young men so steadfast in their Hebrew beliefs were representing God’s character to Nebuchadnezzar and his people. These youths were witnesses for the true God; the ultimate in outreach activities; upholding the standards of their ‘church’ different and inconvenient as they may be from those around them for the people to see for themselves how superior they were in all levels to the Babylonians. I could tell you how we are like Daniel and his companions, shining as examples as people with a ‘different standard’ from the world today and how we need to stand fast to those principals and so on and so on….. You have heard many fine sermons along those lines and I’m sure you’ll hear many more.

But I don’t want to go in that direction with this message today. What I want to emphasize are the words those young men said when they said “But if not…” God is able to rescue us from the fiery furnace, BUT IF HE DOESN’T…..let it be known, we will still believe in our God, not yours.
            You know, Jesus taught us to pray didn’t he. He gave us specific words and ideas to use when we pray. I would suspect that you like me have a certain format to your prayers – you begin by praising God (Hallowed be Thy name), by thanking him for all he has provided and done for you and yours etc. But then we bring our supplications, our requests to him and we were taught to be specific:

We ask for resources (Give us this day our daily bread)—this means Lord, help me to find a job, help me to get the money I need for school, for my medicine etc. etc.

We ask not to be subjected to temptations—lead us not into temptation—this means Oh God, help me to stay sober, to turn away from those evil things that call my name even when they look so innocent; Oh God help me not be distracted by ___X___(fill in the blank with just about anything in our world today).

We teach our children to pray this prayer and those just like it that fit the format don’t we. “Please help grandpa get better.” “Please help my dad quit smoking, please help us find a place to live, please make me a better boy/girl, parent, spouse.” But what do we do when grandpa dies, when dad keeps on smoking, when you can’t find affordable housing. What do you say to our children and ourselves then? What do any of us say to others and ourselves when it doesn’t look like God is hearing our prayers, much less answering them?

            In search for answers to those questions, let us examine instances in history where it looked like prayers were not answered and all was lost. And then let us look again using our words BUT IF NOT….

Here are three accounts of really dark times for followers of God:

First is the story of Jim Elliot and Nate Saint and three other men who were evangelical Christian missionaries to the tribes of the Waodani people in Ecuador. These people were a fierce tribe who did not take easily to Christian intruders. But in January of 1956 the missionaries located this tribe and let down via a bucket from a plane some gifts for these people. They appeared to be received happily. When the missionaries felt things were safe enough to meet these people on the ground they set up a camp about four miles away from the tribe. Five days later those men met with the tribesmen and they were all killed by the natives; speared to death. A dark day for that missionary endeavor not to mention the loved ones of those five men. It did not appear that prayers were answered did it?

Next is the story of the Millerite movement. You probably remember that William Miller was a Baptist farmer in upstate New York.  He came to a conclusion based on many years of fervent Bible reading that Jesus Christ was coming again soon to earth and that date would eventually be set at October 22, 1844. Even though he was reluctant to share this idea with the public, a movement took shape and others began to join William Miller in his message. The movement grew and took on a particular urgency—Millerite preachers were spreading the news all over the area—from Boston, to Detroit, and down into Missouri, and Iowa. The millennium and end of the world were subjects of daily conversation among many—even average people on the street. 

As the time got closer, many farmers did not harvest their crops, many resigned their jobs. Some store owners had liquidation sales. People returned any stolen or borrowed goods and repaid their debts. On October 22, 1844 the Millerites attended religious services or gathered in small groups in their homes to wait and pray. But as we all know, Christ didn’t return that day. The sun rose on the morning of October 23 like any other day. The Millerites were humiliated, were in despair, were confused, doubted. Some stayed sequestered at home so they would not have to face the jeers, and the “I told you so.” messages. Most of the followers simply gave up their beliefs and quietly dropped away. Some were devastated; their hopes and expectations were dashed. They all, whether they left the movement quietly, loudly or not at all, had major questions about why the Lord did not return when the Bible had so clearly pointed to his soon return. What a dark day for those innocent believers! It certainly appeared that their prayers were not answered.  

The last example I want to share has to do with Jesus and the disciples. When Jesus has been betrayed things moved quickly for him to be ‘tried’ convicted and crucified. Here was the son of God, tied up on a cross next to  common criminals. He died without any dramatic rescue from God the Father or without any miraculous interventions. He just hung there and died!

We don’t know exactly how many of the disciples or close followers were present at his crucifixion but we do know that their hopes were dashed. They were devastated; overwhelmed with sorrow. They knew Jesus had foretold his death, but they didn’t realize it was going to be like this.  What a dark day on that Sabbath when Jesus was in the tomb! His followers were perplexed, ashamed, they were afraid, above all they were sad beyond all measure. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Certainly their prayers for a long profitable ministry of Jesus were not answered.

So these are three very different examples of things seemingly going terribly wrong for those involved. When they despaired of God hearing their prayers much less answering them. Let us apply our “But if not..” to these scenarios. First about those missionaries who were speared to death in Ecuador—and for all mission activities, we pray the gospel message will be well received; we pray for the health and safety of our missionaries etc. BUT IF NOT….

The aftermath of the murder of those missionaries was this: The sister of Nate Saint continued missionary efforts with that tribe and eventually her efforts were fruitful. Nate’s son continued to work with that tribe as well. He travels widely accompanied by a man who was one of the ones who attacked and killed the five men. Jim Elliot’s wife also continued to work among that tribe. She is the one who has written so eloquently about the experiences.   So….we pray for the health and safety of our missionaries BUT IF NOT, Lord, may the missionary work continue.

The Great Disappointment in October 1844. Of course the prayers were ‘Come now oh Lord Jesus….I am ready!”  BUT IF NOT…..

The aftermath of that Great disappointment helped give birth to a movement that became the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Today that church has well over 15 million members and is growing. That church has a powerful, unique health message, many schools and medical facilities and conducts development and relief work all over the globe. “Come now oh Lord Jesus BUT IF NOT, Lord we will wait patiently and work for good until your second coming.”

Finally the aftermath of the death of Jesus hardly needs any explanation. Jesus was resurrected, he spoke to his followers in his resurrected state, he ascended to heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to the apostles who went on to lead the Christian movement. Certainly their prayer could have been: Continue to live and work among us dear Jesus BUT IF NOT we will continue to spread your Gospel with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Needless to say in all these circumstances, the results of BUT IF NOT… are far more powerful and wonderful than what we could imagine.

Let us revisit Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace and perhaps bring this BUT IF NOT concept closer to our own Christian walk. These young men didn’t really know what the future held for them. All natural accounts pointed to the fact that this was how they would die—a fiery death in the furnace. But note how sure they were of their God---“the God we serve can rescue us/is able to rescue us from the fiery furnace. ” The men were sure of the God they served however they were not at all certain that same God would deliver them. As a matter of fact they went on the say “But if he doesn’t (deliver us)….”

Being a Christian today does not enable us to know the immediate future does it? So these words ‘but if not’ meaning if God doesn’t do what I’m expecting; answer my prayer; it shouldn’t negate our faith.

When we are working out our own understanding of the Gospel, the words “But if not…” can mean specific things to us as Christians today. You may meet people who approach you with a certain amount of skepticism and/or cynicism and perhaps you yourself in your darker times become the skeptic or cynic.

Skeptics say things to us like, “If Christianity is true, then why doesn’t it make you  Christians better people? Why are Christians so bigoted, greedy, or just plain mean. What do you say to that person? In your heart you think, Christianity may make us better people, BUT IF NOT, I will trust that Jesus was among us in truth and the Holy Spirit has made it so we can see and know that truth today.  The gospel message is about forgiveness, not about never getting things wrong.

There is another type of skeptic who says during a time of illness, suffering, or death “Where is God now?, Why would God allow this? What do you say? Well, something like, “The doctors are trying all they can and you may get better, BUT IF NOT, God is with you till your last breathe; God will not let death destroy you; neither death nor life shall separate you from the love of God.” This is a hard one, isn’t it. We don’t want our loved ones to be sick or to die. Illness and death can seemingly strike randomly and come to those who don’t deserve it. We pray for health and recovery BUT IF NOT here is where the rubber sort of meets the road doesn’t it? BUT IF NOT, we’ll carry on; we’ll continue to believe God is present with us.  

Or maybe you are sitting with a person who like many is in a marriage that is falling apart; or who has a child in trouble or some other loved one who has strayed. These people may say to you, “He broke my heart. I loved him so much and he threw it all away;  he just broke my heart. Or, I’m so worried she will harm herself and others with her addictions. Do you think he’ll ever come back? Do you think she’ll ever see what she’s doing to herself?” What do you say? You might say “I hope he will come back and all will be well; you might say I hope she will get it together, BUT IF NOT God will never leave you or your loved ones and even when you are in that fiery furnace of life right now God is making something wonderful out of that lonely broken heart of yours.

As important as it is to know what to say to others, we can also be our own skeptics too. You see, knowing the gospel message does not free us from care, worry, anxiety, panic, grief. If you are a practicing Christian you don’t get a pass to avoid the fiery furnace; you don’t get an inoculation against these things.

Perhaps some of you are sitting here today ready with other words of the skeptics: You are saying to yourself: ‘I’m an exception. I see all around me motivated, devout people sitting in these pews; but I’m different because

A) I’m just not feeling it today. I was tempted to stay in bed; it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed to get here. And even sitting here, I’m just not ‘engaged’ in this worship service right now.

B) I’m an exception. I see all these people  who don’t seem to have a care in the world about money or resources but I can’t seem to find a job. I’ve looked and looked; I cannot find a way to earn a decent living any more and it’s really getting old. I’m beginning to get bitter about it.

C) My (fill in the blank) spouse/mom/ child/family is driving me crazy; they are too controlling; they don’t care about me and what I need; we argue all the time; we don’t see eye to eye on anything any more; they just don’t understand where I’m coming from! I’m not sure I love them any more.

D) I’m just not motivated to pray or to worship or even to talk about God to others; any sharing of my so called ‘faith’ falls flat right now

Do you perhaps have a person, or substance, or an activity that has you in its grip to damage you; to keep you in darkness? Do you perhaps know what it is like to be hopeless, ashamed, to panic to fear? If you can admit you sometimes feel this way then you are a gift to this congregation because most likely there isn’t anyone here who at some point hasn’t been sitting right where you are sitting. To go thru life without the slightest of doubt may sound like being a true Christian but it doesn’t sound like being a true human being.

Even Jesus had to remind himself BUT IF NOT when he asked God to ‘take this cup from me’. Remember when he was in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed “Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; BUT IT NOT not my will but yours be done.

Remember the story of Mary going to the tomb of Jesus when it was still dark; but she finds the stone rolled away? Well for Mary, God rolled away that stone in the dark; that is evidence; real evidence of God with us when we are anxious, worried fearful. That means that someone had been there before she came. Someone was working in the dark when things for us humans seem ‘worse’. That someone was God.

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace shows us that in the midst of our doubts, lapses, spiritual darkness, God is still with us. You see God did not spare Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace; there was no dramatic rescue. No—they were bound and thrown into the furnace; as a matter of fact the men appointed to help throw them in were burned to death themselves because they had to get close to the furnace to get the three men in there to be executed.  But what did we see in the fire? We saw four people didn’t we. We saw God with them. Here is what Nebuchadnezzar says “I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 

So believe that God is with you. Not just in this sanctuary, not just on this Sabbath, not just when you are bowing our heads gathered around a bountiful table with family and friends. God is still with us when it appears to us that He is ignoring us; not answering prayer after prayer; when our loved one does die; when our job does go away; when our spouse does divorce us; when our children do go astray, and when we lose the motivation to pray, God is still with us.

Maybe some of you know God’s presence every breath, every hour, every fiber of your being BUT IF NOT, know the living God is with you anyway.