HOW MUCH HEAT CAN YOU STAND?

Gary Minnick

Midland SDA Church

January 29, 2022

Once a long time ago, three boys were living in a large city. Everything was going well until one day they heard that the King of this part of the world had decided to literally make his dreams come true. In the king's dream was a great giant, so strong that it was made of metals. The head was of gold, the chest of silver, the thighs of brass and the legs of iron. To the great king it was astonishing how much this handsome image looked just like himself!

Nebuchadnezzar had been told that he was the head of gold. So he decided to build a towering image like the one in his dream. He sat for his portrait so the image would look just like himself as it would stand straight and tall out there on the plain. The plain of Dura was like an airport runway; flat and very large. It was named Dura, I suppose he hoped it would be durable and would last forever.

Old Nebuchadnezzar's belief in God did not last very long. In Daniel chapter 2 he had said that Daniels God is the God of gods. And now, here in Daniel 3, how quickly he forgot. You know, time and carelessness can erase your memory of God. His Christianity didn’t have a very long spiritual life. Sometimes people are like that. They have the first love experience and after some time has passed they lose that connection with God for whatever reason. His didn't have a shelf life of much over a few days.  The king was selfish and he thought if there is a golden god, I cannot bear not to be that god myself. And so that's what he wanted to do.

Every day the three boys could see the construction work as the solid gold parts were brought, unloaded and set up. Finally the large head was fastened to the very top and the gleaming image was complete. A great dedication ceremony was planned.

 The top brass of the entire kingdom would be required to attend. That included the three young men. Then the problem came when it was announced not only would the dignitaries come but that everybody - would have to come and be required to bow down and to worship this great IDOL.  

Today, as we near the end of time, we know that soon the time is coming for us to be tested. Soon the great image of the beast of Revelation 13 will be set up and we will be forced to worship it. Those who do not will be under a death decree.

Let turn to Rev. 13:11-18  “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon – And he exercises all authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. – He performs great signs; so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth is the sight of men. – And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. – He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. –

 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, - And that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. – Here is wisdom, let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666”

So a major problem is coming for us just like it did for Daniels and his three Friends. If we live long enough, we will have the same problem coming to us. The big question for us is will we be fire-proof? Will we be fail-safe?

Nebuchadnezzar could have used his vast wealth to help the poor. But instead he spent it on his selfish desires. You know, when you get some money, what is the first thing you want to do with it. Well, you may want to get things paid off, but then you think, "Well I could do this or that for myself. That's what Nebuchadnezzar thought. He squandered the riches God had entrusted him with. Whenever he got more money he looked for ways to spend it on himself.

Finally the day of test came, as it always will. Daniel himself must have been out of town on official business that day. Look at Daniel 3:3--(Keep your finger in Daniel 3 because we'll be using it often this morning.)  "So the Satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the  treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezar had set up, and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ”

This crisis revolved around two images. The image that Nebuchadnezzar set up and the Image of God being recreated in the lives of these three young Hebrew men.

 Will the image of God bow to the image of man? That's still the question today, isn't it? The issues were large. The king had changed their names, but he could not change their devotion to God. You can do a lot to people, but you can't make them release their hold on God.

The three young men must have spent many hours studying and praying to God to prepare for this test. How can we pass the great test at the end of time without doing our homework? The best way to ace the final test is to do well on the daily quizzes! The best way that you can make sure you're prepared for the events that are coming in the future is to do well with Jesus today. We ought to be spending time today with our Bibles and on our knees. Getting acquainted with Jesus, building that relationship. If we cannot speak up for God now, how will we be able to stand up for Him when things really get tough? Think about it.

Daniel 3:4,5-- "Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is  commanded, O peoples, nations and languages: that at the time you hear the sound of the Horn, Flute, Harp,  and all kinds of music, you shall all fall down and WORSHIP the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up."

So what this was, IT was forced worship. I want you to know that forced worship is not worship. Forced Worship is THE Devil's type of worship. God says If you LOVE me keep my commandments. The love has to come first, doesn't it? The relationship must be first. The last great issue just before Jesus Second Coming will be over worship,

Revelation 13:15). “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” Someday the whole world will be commanded to worship on the first day. Are you going to do it?

Notice how attractive it will be to do that which God forbids. The image was impressive! It was absolutely gorgeous, glistening, shiny gold! Standing as tall as the statue of Liberty without its base.  So, enticing. The biggest idol they had ever worshipped. The peer pressure: everybody was bowing down.

The apple that Satan offered to Eve must have been shiny and bright red. The ways of evil are filled with attraction, calling us over to do what God forbids us to do. Temptations are always exciting. The lights of sin city, the music, and the drugs all add to the appeal to do what God does not want you to do.

These three Hebrew worthies were in a dilemma. If they obeyed God they would be thrown into a furnace of fire. If they obeyed the king they would lose eternal life and be cast into a lake of fire. Either choice would result in Fire! Can't win in that situation, can you? Yes you can!

Daniel 3:6-- "Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the mist of a burning fiery furnace.”

Sometimes we face a similar dilemma in 2022, someone may say, "If you do not work this coming Saturday, you're fired." Have you ever heard that before? If we work on the Sabbath, we dishonor God. If we do not work we face loss of employment. Or maybe you are a young person and you are invited to a party where alcohol will be served and drugs will be available.

 If you go you subject yourself to big temptations and you disappoint Jesus. If you don't attend you may lose some of your best friends. But are these really the type of friends you need?

Nebuchadnezzar was sure no one would dare disobey and make a fool of themselves. To keep standing would be to lose face and lose life. The blazing furnace was ready to cremate anyone foolish to stay standing.

Let me ask: is it really that important to be different or peculiar if God asks you? It is, isn't it?

They could have rationalized; they could have compromised their beliefs and could have said to themselves, "God will understand if only this once we kneel down, He knows we love Him.

 God has a work for us to do and now is not the time to be foolish. today. The list could go on and on......bow down. But I want you to know that these three Hebrew worthies did not bow down!  They all stood straight and tall, maybe on their tip toes for God! You will never be disappointed because you stand up for God and for what is right. 

The secret service was there to note any breaking the law. Their eagle eyes spotted three Sabbath keepers standing tall that day. God was looking, too.

Today God is looking for men and women who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. Those who are willing to do what is right regardless of the consequences!  Nebuchadnezzar was looking that day. At first Nebuchadnezzar probably was jubilant! "This is the greatest day of my life. But he, too spotted those three Hebrews and a scowl crept over his face.

Daniel 3:13-- "Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezaar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be brought before him.

He asked if it was true that they did not bow down to his god. He offered to repeat the whole thing just for them. Now, that's wonderful, isn't it? He offered to do it again in case they had somehow missed the cue. After all, there were thousands of people all bowing down. Maybe they missed it and didn't understand what was happening here. The orchestra was playing and somehow they didn't know what was going on. They missed their cue.

Daniel 3:17-- "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."

I love the first words of the next verse. (DANIEL 3:18) "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.”

Now I admire their courage, don't you? You can do whatever you want to us. If God rescues us, that's great. But if not, we will not bow down to your idol. Don't you just admire their courage and faithfulness to God?

Notice their submission to God's will. Whatever happened was OK. They were all willing to lay down their life for God. Like Job they could say: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." - Job 13:15. That's submission. When you get to the place when you can lay everything on the altar, including your health, your family, and your life to God. A burden rolls off your shoulders. Then you can have peace if you can give it all to God.

Verse 19 says that the king became furious with burning rage. He was like a mad man. His blood pressure was high. His face turned as red as the fire in the furnace. A cloud of anger came over his face like an impending storm. The form on his face was changed.

These three Hebrew young men, - could they have saved their lives at that point? Yes they could. They could have said, "Sir, we have changed our minds! We're going to do it. We're going to bow down." Their lives would have been saved. But they did not. This was their finest hour. Their faith did not come by accident, but it was developed over the years from precious hours spent with God. These three men would rather die than hurt the God that they loved.

Daniel 3:19, last part-- "He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual." Just as hot as you can get it.

WHY SO HOT? The king’s command was not to increase the punishment or torture of the disobedient men. It was done to avoid the possibility of intervention on the part of their God. "I'll get it so hot that God himself wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole! He'll stay away from it. And these three men are going to be destroyed" It was to be execution by cremation.

But even with all this precaution, the king was uneasy. He "Felt that it required more than ordinary power to deal with these noble men. His mind was strongly impressed that something unusual would interpose in their behalf," and he wanted to make sure of their death. -Vol. 4, SDA BIble Commentary, page 1169)

THEY WERE FIRED! Daniel 3:21-23-- "So these men wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the men who threw in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego," If that was the end of the chapter, it would be tragic. Praise God the chapter doesn't end with verse 23.

Surely this would have been the end of the story without God. But the Lord did not forget., God Himself came to their rescue

. It was Jesus Christ Who entered the flames with them. Jesus was with them in the midst of their darkest hour. Together they faced the flame. And in the presence of Jesus, the flames lost their power.

Daniel 3:25 Nebuchadnezzar said: "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed and the fourth is like the son of God." When the king saw four men alive loose, walking in the fire it took his breath away. He was amazed, he was startled.

The strong ropes that tied those men up were burned off as charred strings. But the flames did not even singe their hair. They suffered no damage, and did not even smell of smoke. That's a testimony to God's miraculous power. I want you to know that God will deliver us when we stand up for Him and place Him first in our priorities. God will stand with you in your darkest hour if you will stand for Him in your brightest hour.

When everything seemed lost, God stepped in to save them. "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you." -Isaiah 43:2 The terrible flames, instead of glorifying Nebuchadnezzar, they glorified God.

Finally the king invited them to come out of the furnace. The crowd pressed close to examine them and smell them and couldn't believe it.

In verse 28, Nebuchadnezzzar jumped on the band wagon and said, "blessed be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who sent his angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him." Notice he was still not converted. You would think that he would have been converted to the true God right there. But notice he does not say "Praise be MY God”. The Lord was not the God of Nebuchadnezzar. It was still just the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. This man has a hard heart; therefore, he has to face the results, and in chapter 4 what happens to him there from that experience.

Jesus does not present to his followers the hope of attaining earthly glory and riches, of living a life free from trial. Instead, he calls upon them to follow him in the path of self-denial and reproach. He who came to redeem the world was opposed by the united forces of evil {RH, September 12, 1912 par. 9} 

     In all ages Satan has persecuted the people of God. He has tortured them and put them to death, but in dying they became conquerors. They bore witness to the power of One mightier than Satan. Wicked men may torture and kill the body, but they can not touch the life that is hid with Christ in God. They can incarcerate men and women in prison walls, but they can not bind the spirit.  {RH, September 12, 1912 par. 11} 

     Through trial and persecution the glory--the character--of God is revealed in his chosen ones. The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial, and experience bitter disappointments; but their experience teaches them the guilt and woe of sin. Being partakers of Christ's sufferings, they can look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."   {RH, September 12, 1912 par. 12}  

Are you Fireproof today? You can be. What made the three worthies fireproof? It was the presence of Jesus inside their heart. The issue was loyalty to God. The FIRE in their hearts was stronger than the fire in the furnace.

Pray: Help us to know that if we stand for You in good times You will stand for us when the times get bad. Give us strength to stand for you at all times. Help us to stand tall for Jesus. Help us to trust in you with all our heart.