Turn your Bibles, if you would,
to Daniel chapter 3. I had Brother Tim read Daniel
chapter 1 for us to get the setting of how Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, how they ended up in Babylon. The name of the message
is Four in the Furnace. Four in the Furnace. Now in Daniel chapter 1, we see
that Nebuchadnezzar commissioned and appointed, or Daniel chapter
3, I mean, verses 1 to 8, we see that Nebuchadnezzar commissioned
and appointed that a golden statue be made to be worshipped. And
at the time of its dedication, that all the people were to bow
down. All the people were to bow down. And we see in verses
8 to 12 that certain Jews refused to bow before this idol. choosing
to serve the one true God. Look at verses 8 to 12. Wherefore,
at that time, certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews.
They spake and said unto King Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live
forever. Thou, O King, hast made a decree
that every man shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and duclummer, and all kinds of music, shall
fall down and worship the golden image. And whoso falleth not down and
worshipeth that, he shall be cast into the midst of a burning,
fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou
hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded
thee. They served not thy gods, nor
worshipped the golden image which thou hast set up. Now we know that God's people
have had revealed to them that our God is God. That He's the
one true God. And we've had revealed to us
that there's no other God beside Him. Therefore, we will not bow
down to anyone but Him. Turn to the book of Isaiah. And we'll look at a few passages
which will bring this forth. Our God in the scriptures tells
us, tells his people, that he is the one true God. That he
is the one true God. Therefore we know that statues
and idols that are made by men are nothing but that. Pieces
of stone, pieces of metal, pieces of dead trees. There's no life in them. They
have absolutely no power to do anything. Look at Isaiah 43, verses 10
to 12, and take note of the words, I
am the Lord, in these texts that we'll look at. Isaiah 43, verses 10 to 12, and
this is the one who Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bowed down
to, the one true God. Ye are my witnesses, saith the
Lord, and my servant, whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe
me. Look at that. That ye may know and believe
me. Before we're saved, we don't
know Him and we don't believe on Him. But after the Lord saves
us, after Christ is revealed to us, we know Him and we believe
Him. We believe what the Word of God
says. In understanding that I am He, we've been given an understanding
of who He is. Before me there was no God formed,
neither shall there be after me. Look at that. No other God
but Him. So these idols that men make
are just, as I said, idols, just pieces of stone or tree or metal. I even, I am the Lord. And beside
me there is no Savior. I have declared and have saved.
I have showed when there was no strange God among you. Therefore
ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Now turn
over to Isaiah 45. Two more chapters over and look
at verses 5 and 6. Again, take heed to the words,
I am the Lord. Verse five, I am the Lord and
there is none else. There is no God beside me. I
girded thee through thou hast not known me. That they may know from the rising
of the sun and from the west that there is none beside me.
I am the Lord and there is none else. Look at verse 18, same
chapter. For thus saith the Lord that
created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made
it. He hath established it, he created
it, not in vain. He formed it to be inhabited.
Again, I am the Lord. That's I am Jehovah, the self-existent
one. And there is none else. None
else. Now turn over to Isaiah 46. Isaiah
46. And look at verses 9 to 11. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God, and there is none else. We see that there's
a theme going on there, isn't there? He's God, and there's
none else. I am God, and there is none like
me, declaring the end from the beginning, So the end, we live
life from the beginning to the end. He declares the end to the
beginning. My. And from ancient times, the
things that are not yet done. Saying, my counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure. Calling the ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country.
Yea, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it. I will also do it. So everything
that God has purposed will come to pass. There's no doubt. And this is true of our great
Savior, beloved, who was God incarnate in the flesh. He's
the only Redeemer. And He actually redeems His people
from their sin. He's done it. He's done it. Turn,
if you would, to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1. It's Christ and Christ alone
who is the only Savior of sinners. Remember there in Isaiah we read
that God said He's the only Savior. Christ is the only Savior. He's
God incarnate in the flesh. He alone is the only deliverer
of His people. He alone is the only deliverer
of His people. We can't deliver ourselves from our sins, can
we? We can't deliver anyone else from their sins. But Christ is
the great deliverer. He's the only Savior of sinners.
He's the only deliverer of His people from their sins, and He
did it by His own blood sacrifice, beloved. In the substitutionary
death in our place, before God at Calvary's cross. And it's
Christ and Christ alone who is mighty to deliver. He's mighty
to deliver God's people from the wrath and justice of God.
Look at this in 1 Thessalonians 1, verses 8-10. For from you sounded out the
word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but
also in every place your faith to God's word is spread abroad,
so that we need not speak anything. For they themselves show us what
manner of entering in we head unto you, and how you turn to
God from idols to serve the living and true God. Look at this. And to wait for
his Son from heaven. whom he hath raised from the
dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." God's people have been delivered
from the wrath to come. Because that wrath fell upon
Christ. Let's go back now to Daniel, chapter 3. Take note of Nebuchadnezzar's
reaction. Remember, he's the king. He's
the supreme king, isn't he? His word in that kingdom, whatever
he says happens. Whatever he says happens. He's
used to being obeyed, but little does he know, little does he
know that he's in submission to the king of kings and the
Lord of lords. He's in submission, right? The
heart of the king is in whose hands? The Lord's hands. The
Lord's hands. In verses 13 to 15, we see the
fury of the enemies of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is always natural as a man's response bitterness, wrath, and
anger, haters of God's people and of their Savior. Look at
this in verses 13 to 15. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage
and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And they
bought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said
unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego? Do not serve my gods, nor worship
the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready, at
what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and declumber, and all kinds of music, ye fall down
and worship the image which I have made. Well, but if ye worship
not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands? Oh, he doesn't know the king
of kings and the lord of lords. He doesn't know that Chadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego served the one true God. And look at that, he tells him,
well, you know, we're gonna do this again, and if you fall down
in worship, then you're gonna live. I won't cast you into the
furnace, but if you don't, I'm gonna cast you into that furnace.
And remember, he's a king, so what he says happens. What he
says happens. Now contrast the fury of Nebuchadnezzar
with the spirit of meekness in the believer, which we see in
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they answer the king. Look
at the next two verses, verses 16 to 18. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,
we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be
so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning,
fiery furnace. and he will deliver us out of
thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king,
that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou set up. Oh my, what wondrous words. But notice the difference, Nebuchadnezzar's
in a fury. And several commentators said
they probably just, they just answered him like we're, carefully,
too, because they're talking to a king. But they'd answer
him like we talk to one another. But knowing he's a king. Look at that. If it be so, our
God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning,
fiery furnace. And he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But
if not, Be it known unto the O King that we will not serve
thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Only the grace of God. Only the
grace of God can have a man answer in this way. Only the grace of
God, beloved. Only the grace of God. They fully
trusted and rested in our great God. Only rested and trusted. They trusted. They trusted that
God would deliver them. And they rested. Now a quick note in Daniel chapter
1. Turn to Daniel chapter 1 and
we'll look at verse 7. We see that Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego were not the original names of these men. They were
given to them by the prince of the eunuchs. They were Chaldean
names. Look at Daniel 1, verse 7. Unto whom the prince of the
eunuchs gave names, for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belshazzar,
and to Hananiah of Shadrach, and to Mishael of Meshach, and
to Azariah of Abednego. Now the Hebrew names, which we
see in verse 7, mean this. Daniel means God is my judge.
God is my judge. Henaniah means God is favored
or being gracious. God is favored or being gracious. Mishael means who is like God.
Who is like God. And Azariah means Jehovah has
helped. Jehovah has helped. So you've
got God is my judge, Daniel. Hananiah, God has favored or
been gracious. Mishael means who is like God,
which we know there's none like God, but we just read in Isaiah
45. And Azariah, Jehovah has helped. Jehovah has helped. So we see that even the meaning
of the Hebrew names centered on the one true God who they
worshipped. Centered on the one true God
who they worshipped. And they would only bow down
to Him. They'd only bow down to him.
They would not bow down to an idol made of gold, no matter
what the king commanded. No matter what the king commanded,
they would not bow down. And the king was enraged. He
was enraged. Harker brings forth how tranquil
were their minds opposed to the rage of the king. And what an answer they did give,
he says. If it be so, that is, if our
God doth not interpose to save us from the wrath, it is because
he cannot. It's not because he cannot, it's
because it's for his greater glory. He can do whatever he
pleases, he's God. He can do whatever he wants.
And they trusted in that. And Hawker goes on to say, in
our advantage that he should not. They just trusted God. No matter what. Just like the
saints of old. Just like the saints of old.
Think of the New Testament saints and how they were... Nero used
some of them as candles. Burned them at the stake. They
were thrown in the Coliseum and eaten by lions. They trusted
God. Some we know from what we studied
in Acts, Paul was going house to house and dragging them out
of their house and casting them into prison. They trusted God. Same grace that was given to
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, same grace God gives to us, beloved. And these men believed that God
could either prevent their being cast in the furnace or preserve
them unhurt in it and bring them safe out of it. They believed
it. They believed God would deliver them. And remember, beloved,
the Jews had seen instances of God's power on display. They
had seen instances of God's power on display. This was told to
their children and to their children's children. The Jews had seen the great deliverance
of Israel from Egypt. They'd seen that. And they told
their children about that. They'd seen the deliverance from
Egypt by the mighty hand of God. They saw the passage of the Israelites
through the Red Sea. And they told their children
about that. And when their enemies were drowned,
and they walked through safe on dry land, and then their enemies
were consumed by the waters when it fell upon them. And they tell
their children about this. And they also knew how the Israelites
were brought into the land of Canaan, and their enemies had
been defeated all by the power of God. They knew this. And they trusted that God would
deliver them. And they had a well-grounded
hope, didn't they? Just like we have a well-grounded hope,
beloved. Our hope's in Christ. They had a well-grounded hope
of delivering, arising from former instances of divine power and
goodness being shown to God's people for the glory of God. The glory of God mattered to
them more than the worship Or more than what the king thought.
The glory of God meant more to them. Worshiping the one true
God meant more to them than what that king said. More than their
lives. And this is what the believer
does. And what peace comes to the believer, beloved. perfect
peace in trying times. Have you ever entered into a
situation and thought, how am I going to get through this?
And the Lord gives you peace, and gives you strength and grace
to make it through it. And you think we'd learn, but
He just keeps doing it, doesn't He? Yeah. Oh my, He does it all
the time for us. And we wholly lean on Him, don't
we? We wholly lean on Him for all mercy. Scripture says this, that will
keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because
he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26 verse 3. Let's read verses 19 to 23. We
see here, then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury in the form of his
visits was charged against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore,
he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven
times more than it was wont to be heated. Oh, he was ticked
off. He was mad. And he commanded the most mighty
men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the burning, fiery furnace. Not enough that
they should just cast them in, right? But they needed to bind
them. Bound them up. Bound them up. Oh, how our sins bind us up,
eh? But we're set free in Christ, aren't we? We're set free in
Christ, beloved. But they were bound up and they
cast in the burning, fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in
their coats, their hoses, and their hats, and their other garments,
and were cast in the midst of the burning, fiery furnace. Now note in verse 20 there, he
commanded the mightiest men. These would be, John Gill brings
forth that these would be the ones who were most famous for
courage of mind and strength of body. That were in all his army. Renowned
men, renowned men, men who had shown their courage and who were
strong. And note the flames killed those
mighty men who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and had
thrown them into the fire. They perished, beloved, in their
sins right there. Don't let that pass you by. They
perished right there in their sins. Daniel 3.22 and 23. Therefore, because the king's
commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the
flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound in the midst of the burning
furnace. So they were tossed into this furnace and they fell
down in the midst, and they're bound up. But those who threw them in the
fire were killed. Again, note they fell down in
the fire, in the midst of the fire, bound. And we see Nebuchadnezzar's
reaction in the next verses. He sees something that astonishes
him. Look at verse 24 and 25. Then
Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake
and said unto his counselors, did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? And this is his advisors. His advisors, he's asking them,
did we not cast three men bound into the fire? They answered
and said, unto the king Turokin, he answered and said, lo, I see
four men loose and walking in the midst of the fire, and they
have no hurt. and the form of the fourth is
like the Son of God. Now Nebuchadnezzar looked into
the fiery furnace and he saw one like unto the Son of God.
He did not know of whom he spake, but this was no doubt a Christophany,
beloved, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Four
men in the midst of the fire and not bound. They were tossed in bound, and
now they're not bound. So the fire burned off the bounds,
and now they're walking four men in the fire. They had thrown Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego into the fire bound, but now they're at liberty. They're
at liberty. Separate from one another. And
there was a fourth one with them. Again, this is a pre-incarnate
appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. John Gale brings forth
that the fiery furnace may be an emblem of the fiery trials
and afflictive situations that the children of God pass through
in this world, being not joyous, but grievous, but used to purge
and purify the believer in Christ. So how comforting it is for the
believer. To know that when we're going through the furnace of
affliction or trial, that our Savior is ever with us. He's
ever with us. And we see here too, don't let
this pass you by, beloved. We see here the distinguishing
providence of God. The distinguishing providence
of God. That while God's servants received no harm, The very heat of the furnace
struck dead those that had thrown them in. Don't miss that. You see right here before us
the very providence of God. The distinguishing providence
and grace of God. Those who threw them in were
consumed. Well, they were killed, and they died in their sins. Look at verses 26 and 27, Then
Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning, fiery furnace
and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants
of the Most High God, come forth and come hither. Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego came forth of the midst of the fire. And
the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being
gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire
had no power. Could you imagine? Could you
imagine their reaction? Nor was a hair of their head
singed. Neither were their coats changed,
nor the smell of fire had passed on them. It was like they hadn't
even been in the fire. Oh, our great God. He's able
to deliver His people, isn't He? At all times, beloved. At all times. And no, also the
furnace was large enough to walk in. It must have been a huge
furnace. It was large enough for them to walk in. And one
commentator said they were taking a walk like they were in a garden. Obviously they were able to walk.
Nor were they concerned to come out of it. They weren't even uneasy at being
in it. The violence of the fire was
quenched by He who was their Deliverer and their God. Again we see God's distinguishing
grace that not even a hair, not even a hair on the heads of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego was singed. Not even a hair. What a token of God's love to
them and the fact that He controls all things, beloved. And let this story come to mind
when something comes up in our lives, when we are going through
a trial or an affliction. The same God that we see here
in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is ever
with us, beloved. He's ever with us. This is the one who's redeemed
us. This is the one who saved us. And think of this, not a
drop of the flame hurt any of the three men. Not a drop of
the flames hurt any of the three men, or singed them, or nothing,
right? Now think on this. God's wrath will never be poured
out on the believer. Not a drop. Not a drop. Because it was poured
out on Christ in our place. It was poured out on our great
deliverer. God's wrath will consume the
unbeliever. There'll be an everlasting torment. God's people, though, are safe
in Christ, in Christ alone. Those who threw in Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were killed. What did the flames do? It killed
them. But there was no harm at all
to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Oh, we are safe in Christ, beloved.
We are safe in Christ. In Christ alone. Revelation 1, verse 7 says, Behold,
he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him, and all the kinsmen of the earth shall wail
because of him. Even so, amen. That's our Savior. The one who
has all power. the one who has all power. Now all afflictions, afflictions
are part of this life for the children of God. And this is the path that we
walk in through this world. They can be afflictions of the
body or the mind or the heart. But we go through afflictions
and trials. But one day we're, as we, because
we're, and the reason we go through those things is we're on the
narrow way. We're on the narrow path, beloved. And that's Christ. One day, though, we're entering
into glory when it's our time. When it's our time. And God will give his people
grace and strength as we journey through this world. He'll deliver
us time and time and time again. from the various afflictions
of our lives. Though trials and afflictions
will come, take comfort. Take comfort, ye who are the
blood-bought saint of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit
of God, God will preserve you, just like He preserved Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. He'll preserve you. He'll keep
you. And know that He was with them,
wasn't He? He's ever with us. He's ever
with His people. This is His promise to His people.
Man may shackle and bind the bodies of the saints of God,
may be cast into prison, but the Lord Jesus Christ loosens
the cords of the heart and sheds His love in our hearts, in the
hearts of His people. And prisons have often shut the
saints in, but no prison can ever shut Christ out. None at
all. Look at verses 28-30. Then Nebuchadnezzar
spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants that
trusted in him, and have changed the king's word and yielded their
bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their
own God. What a change. Therefore I make
a decree that every people, nation, and language which speak anything
amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be
cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because
there is no other God that can deliver after this sort." Then
the king of Babylon promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
in the province of Babylon. We'll look at verse 29 and take
note that these are the words of a heathen king but we see
God's providential hand at work, knowing again that the heart
of the king is in the Lord's hands, beloved. Therefore I make a decree that
every people, nation, and language that speak anything amiss against
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in
pieces, and their houses shall be made of dunghill, because
there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. As one
commentator brings forth, The truth said in verse 29 at the
end of the verse is that there is no other God that can deliver,
period. There's no other God that can
deliver. Because there's only one true God. And that's the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And that's the God
of every born-again blood-washed saint of God. The one true living God. Our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only one who can deliver
us from our sins. The Scriptures declare very plainly,
neither is there salvation in any other. None but Christ. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. God
is only pleased with Christ and with those in Christ. Now note, beloved, how there
is no other God who can deliver from such strong temptations.
Try to put yourself in the position of these three men. When they
are told, either bow to the statue or be thrown into the fiery furnace. They were delivered from their
accusers. They were delivered from their
accusers. Look at verse 8. Certain Chaldeans came near and
accused the Jews. And look at verse 12 as well.
There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of
the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These
men, O king, have not regarded thee. They serve not the gods,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. So they
were also delivered from their accusers, not just the flames
of the fire, but they were delivered from their accusers. And they were delivered from
their accusers by the mighty hand of God, beloved. No doubt
these Chaldeans had been waiting to ensnare them. No doubt they
had been. Or to destroy them or trap them.
But our God ever watches over His sheep. He watches over every
single one of His sheep, beloved. Every one. Though people try
to ensnare us sometimes and trap us. We saw what happened to these
ones who tried to, well the ones who cast them into the fire,
they were destroyed. And now look, now Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego have been promoted. Oh my. And also they were delivered
from the wrath of the king too, beloved. They were delivered
from the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar. He was wroth. He was angry. He gave them time to recant and
to bow down to the golden statue that he had made. And when they
refused, he was mad again. He was mad again with them. And
his anger was manifested, how? Saying, throw him in the fire. It was manifested, his anger
was manifested and cast into the fire. But note the manifestation
of the power of God in delivering Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
from he who had blasphemed their God. Now he praises them. He who had threatened to destroy
them now sets them on high in the province of Babylon. We see
that in verse 30. Look at that. Then the king promoted
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. These young men were also delivered
from the fierceness of the fire. So they were delivered from their
accusers. They were delivered from the wrath of the king. And
they were delivered from the fierceness of the fire as well. They were saved from it. And note how glorious God delivers
His people. Men may say all manner of evil
against you, falsely. for His sake, but our God, they're
no match for our God, beloved. He delivers His people time and
time and time again. There is no other God that can
deliver. It says, after this sort. Several commentators said, there's
no other God that can deliver, period. None other. None other. Turn, if you would, to Romans
15, verse 4. Let us always remember that these
things that we read in the Old Testament too, and the Old Testament
we know testifies of Christ, and these stories that we read,
that really happened, you know what they're for? They're for
our learning. They're for our learning, beloved. Romans 15,
verse 4 says this, for whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for what? are learning. So that we might
learn who our great God is. So that we might learn how He
delivers His people constantly. Constantly. How there's only
one Savior. There's only one Redeemer. So
all Scripture is a blessing to God's people. The whole book For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience
and comfort of the Scriptures might have what? Hope. Hope. Who's our hope in? Christ. In Christ alone. Our hope is
in God. Just like Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. Their hope was in God. Their hope was in the
fact that God could deliver them if He's so pleased to do that. And our hope as believers is
in Christ, in Christ alone. So we see here in this chapter,
as we see in all the scriptures, the gospel of God's grace and
how he delivers sinners by and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And now let us consider that there's no other God who delivers.
There's no other God who delivers. All other supposed gods are false
gods. There's only one true God. He
delivers by marvelous means and by His miraculous power, His
almighty power, beloved. Our Lord gave them grace, didn't
He, during this situation. And rejoice, you who are a child
of God. This is what He does for His people. He gives us grace
to help in time of need. Folks often say, what do I do
when I die? God will give you dying grace.
What do I do when I go through this trial? God will give you
grace to go through that trial. He does. When you need it, he
gives it. And we know that for a fact,
don't we? Note their confession again in verses 17 and 18. Look
at the, he's giving them grace and strength in their time of
need. Look at this. If it be so, our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and he will deliver
us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, be it known unto
thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the
golden image which thou hast set up. We won't do it. They've been given grace, beloved.
And again, their confidence is not in themselves, hey. They're
gonna get cast into a fiery furnace. Their confidence is in God. Their
hope is in God. And again, remember, these things
are written for our learning, beloved. That our hope, our confidence
might be in our great God. Because the same God we love
and the same God we serve is the same God who delivered Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. Same God. There's no other God that can
deliver after this sort. They knew they were not alone.
Our God gave them confidence, again, not in themselves, but
in Him. And from our text, they weren't
afraid. They weren't afraid. This is God giving them grace
again in their time of need. They knew that God was not, they
knew that they were not alone. They knew that God was for them.
And it was the spirit of peace and patience that kept them gentle
as well as brave. I remember hearing a story of
a Man, they put to the stake him and another guy. Both of them testified of the
Lord, and they told him to recant, and neither of them would recant. So they tied him to the stakes
and started the fires. And the one brother was getting
a little nervous. And the other brother looked
over to him and said, fear not. If you're not my dear brother,
tonight we dine with the Lord. That's dying grace. That's dying
grace, beloved. And they both perished trusting
in the Lord. And they both perished for what
they believed. Trusting and resting in Christ, in Christ alone. There's
no other God that can deliver after this sort. So man may kill
the body, but they can't touch the soul. Some men can fight their way
through difficulties, but the man whom God helps can stand
still and see the salvation of the Lord. We can stand still
and see the salvation of the Lord. Also note that God allowed
these young men to be put in the furnace. God permitted it. But only because it was his purpose
that his strength and almighty power may be manifested. See,
we read this and are in awe, aren't we? We're in awe for our
learning at the power and majesty of our great God. And seeing
this, we know that if He delivered them out of the fire, He could
deliver us out of anything, beloved. Oh my. Remember the words. And our Lord
told Paul, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Not in strength, in weakness. Remember too, Nebuchadnezzar
to his great surprise saw the form of a fourth walking in the
midst of the flame. Look at verse 25, he answered
and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of
the fire, and they have no hurts. They are not consumed. And the form of the fourth is
like the Son of God. Oh, it was God Almighty. We know
this from verse 28. Daniel 3.20, And then Nebuchadnezzar
spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants, that
trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded
their bodies, that they might not serve and worship any god
except their own god. Note the words, that trusted
in Him. Their faith, beloved, was in
God, in God alone. And only God can deliver like
this. Only God can deliver like this.
And take note of this deliverance, beloved. It is a complete deliverance. It's a complete deliverance. When God saves, beloved, it is
a complete deliverance from our sins. Now we still have the presence
of Him while we're alive, and we still struggle with our sin,
and we will till we go home. But we have been freed from the
power of sin, the penalty of sin, and one day we'll be free
from the presence of sin. But we're forgiven. Totally. All our sins are forgiven in
Christ. And they were thrown into the
furnace bound, but soon they walked through the flames loose.
And oh, how sin binds us up, and Satan has tried to bind us
in our afflictions, but the greatest sorrow when the furnace has been
heated seven times. We always remember what freedom
we have and what joy we have, resting and trusting in Jesus
Christ our Lord, our great Deliverer. Our great Deliverer. Also remember
in John 8, 36, if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall
be free indeed. Oh, what a wonderful verse. Therefore,
if the Son shall make you free from sin and death, you shall
be free indeed from sin and death. Not free in mere profession or
claim, but truly free. For Christ, the Son of God, Christ
the Son is our representative and the flesh has fulfilled every
jot and tittle of the law on our behalf. And then he gives us a perfect
holiness in God's sight. We're clothed in the perfect
spotless righteousness of Christ. And Christ our Lord honored the
law and satisfied the justice of God for us before the Father. in order that God might be just
and the justifier of those who believe. Look at verse 29, Therefore
I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speak
anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill,
because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Beloved, the real deliverer we have looked at is the angel of
Jehovah. The angel of Jehovah. which is
a pre-incarnate appearance, the Lord Jesus Christ. The angel
of Jehovah is none other than Jehovah himself, manifested in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he who is called
the messenger of the covenant. Turn if you would, we're closed
with this. Malachi chapter three. Malachi chapter three. The messenger
of the covenant. Malachi chapter three, verse
one. Behold, I will send my messenger
and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom
you seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger
of the covenant whom you delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith
the Lord of hosts. Beloved salvation is only in
Christ and Christ alone. Nowhere else. Nowhere else. May God grant your faith to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for the scriptures that we looked at today. We know that all the
scriptures are for our learning, just as Paul penned in Romans,
for our learning, that we might be grounded in thee, O Lord,
and that our hope in thee might grow and grow more and more.
And Lord, we see evidence of your work in our lives, how you
keep us and guide us and direct us through all the things that
come in our life, whether they be afflictions or trials or different
situations, O Lord. Afflictions of the heart, afflictions
of the mind, afflictions of the soul, oh Lord. You guide us and
direct us and keep us. We love you and praise you. We
thank you for your goodness. And we praise your mighty name
that you loved us before we loved you, oh Lord. Glory to you, in
Jesus' name, amen.