Turn in your Bibles to Daniel
3. The Lord promises trials to his
people throughout the New Testament. And they are a very real part
of everyone's life. And we all suffer somehow in
this world. And there's many here today that
are suffering. We don't always know, but if you're not suffering now,
it's only a matter of time and you will suffer again. God says
in Genesis 3.19, in the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread. And he's also set enmity between
each of us and every other created being, so much so that our lives
are filled with difficulty and failure, even if we don't realize
it. However, in the lives of those
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world by a sovereign God,
These trials and difficulties of life have the most amazing
purpose. This is why Paul in 2 Corinthians
12 can say, therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. Our trials began in Genesis 3
with Satan's subtlety. And from the moment we fell,
they continued throughout all of our lives. It is something
of the consequences of our sin. There's no doubt about that.
But it's also perfectly measured by the hand of a loving and sovereign
God to humble his people and to bring them back to himself. Those who are given grace to
trust the Lord are often in their lives made by God, just like
Moses and the people were in Exodus 14, to simply stand still
and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show unto
you today. You see, this is a daily occurrence
in our lives, isn't it? And our problems, are often too great for us to
deal with, aren't they? Too big for us. But they're not
too big for our God. He's sovereign. As with all the
scriptures, there are many themes that run through this chapter.
the pride of man, the revelation of a holy God, the difficulties
believers face for the sake of the gospel in this world, the
gospel itself, and many, many more. But today, if the Lord's
willing, I want us to consider this chapter in light of that
eternal, unbreakable union between the Lord and his people. especially
in the midst of their trials. In John 14, we've seen the Lord
draw his people to himself to comfort them, to prepare them,
to equip them, to encourage them to remember that he will never
leave them alone, no matter what their trial is. So I want us
to read this wonderful story and I want us to look at the
encouragements given by our God to his people today in this passage. Most of you've heard something
of how our God raised up Babylon to punish his people for their
sins and their rebellion against him. Of how God used Babylon
to remove his people from the promised land Again, for those given grace
to believe, in spite of our own sin, our Lord hasn't left us
alone. In Ezekiel 11 verse 16, he says,
therefore say, thus saith the Lord God, although I have cast
them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered
them among the countries, Yet I will be to them as a little
sanctuary in the countries where they shall come." What a picture
of hope, considering the fall of man. This is one of those precious
promises that Peter speaks of in 2 Peter 1, that we live Spiritually
in the scriptures, Babylon represents the world and its false religion. The same world and the same religion
that we all entered into when we walked out of the Garden of
Eden. See, this story is a story of great hope and encouragement
for every one of God's saints in this world. It's great hope,
in the midst of great trials. So let's look at verse one. Nebuchadnezzar
the king made an image of gold whose height was three square
cubits and the breadth thereof six cubits. He set it up in the
plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. See, Babylon had become a superpower
in this time. Norm was speaking out of Jonah,
and that time Jonah was sent to the superpower of the time,
Assyria. But here we have Babylon now
as the great superpower. And Nebuchadnezzar was the head
guy. God had raised him up and made
him king, strengthened him, caused him to have success. But we need
to remember that although he was probably the most powerful
man in the world, he was also first and foremost God's servant. Jeremiah 27.6 says, And now have I given all these
lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant,
and the beasts of the field I have given him also to serve him. Nebuchadnezzar was God's servant,
but as with all flesh, he became proud. It's amazing, this gold
image was 10 times higher than it was wide. It was probably
30 to 50 meters high. Just another tower of Babel. It was the work of his own imagination. If you want to know about the
false gods, take the time to read Isaiah 44, but basically
they that make a graven image are all of them. Everyone who
makes a graven image, vanity. verses two and three. Then Nebuchadnezzar
the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, the
captains, and the judges, the treasurers, counselors, and sheriffs,
and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of
the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. So all of this at his command.
The princes, the governors, the captains, the judges, the treasurers,
councillors, and sheriffs, and the rulers of the provinces were
gathered together under the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king had set up. And they stood before the image
that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. So you've got to think for a
minute. He's a great world leader at
the moment, and he's taken over all these kingdoms. And he calls all the rulers.
This was a big affair. He called all these representatives
of this vast kingdom, which God had given him. Verses four to
seven. Then an herald cried aloud, to
you is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time
ye hear the sound of the coronet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up. And whoso falleth not down and
worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning
fiery furnace. Therefore, at that time, when
all the people heard the sound of the coronet, flute, harp,
sackcloth, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people,
the nations, and the languages fell down and worshipped the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the king, had set up. So no doubt there's plenty of
religion in here. But as with all false gods, a
man's religion is actually a man's way of being worshipped himself.
Genesis 3 tells us that part of that deception of Satan in
the garden was that we will be as gods. So it's more than 10 times here
that we're told that Nebuchadnezzar, the king, either made or Nebuchadnezzar
the king set up this particular idol. In a sense, Nebuchadnezzar
represents every one of us in the flesh, doesn't he? He represents
our pride and our arrogance both before God and men. That body
of death that clings to each one of us. Let's read on from verse eight.
Wherefore, at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused
the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar,
O King, live forever! Thou, O King, hast made a decree
that every man shall hear the sound of the coronet, flute,
harp, sakhba, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music. shall
fall down and worship the golden image. And whoso falleth not
down and worshipeth, that he should 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 serve not thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which thou hast set up. But notice, these Jews, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, they'd become men of some responsibility
in the province of Babylon. Now they would have had to compromise
to survive, and in fact, exile for these Jews would have meant
a great deal of compromise for them. They had to compromise
to survive. And yet the one area that true believers can never compromise
on, by God's grace, was to compromise in our faith. See, we trust our
very souls to the living God who reigns sovereign over all
things, including the salvation of man. We trust ourselves to a God who
reveals his salvation in his people. A God who's in close,
intimate relationship with every one of his people. A God who
not only gives, but also sustains saving faith in each one of his
people. And if we really meet God in
saving grace, then we actually know within us that there is
no other God beside him. And we also know that our God
reigneth. Then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage
and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke
and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do not you serve my gods, nor
worship the golden image which I have set up? Now, if you'd
be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the coronet,
flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of
music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made,
well. But if you worship not, you shall
be cast in that same hour into the midst of the burning, fiery
furnace. It's interesting, isn't it? Death
is very much like this furnace. Once we die, within a moment,
we are where our destiny is. And things become very, very
serious for a very lot of people at that very same hour. And then
he said, and who is it? Who is that God that shall deliver
you out of my hands? What a bold statement by Nebuchadnezzar. It is, it's a bold statement,
isn't it? It's the arrogance and self-confidence of the flesh.
It's elevating himself above the most high God. And you know
what? Every one of us does it every
day in unbelief, again and again and again. Verse 16, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king of Nebuchadnezzar,
we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. What it
means is they weren't trying to be crafty or dodge a bullet
with Nebuchadnezzar. They were honest and they were
straight. They spoke in confidence of their God and they spoke clearly
and they spoke soundly. And they spoke simply. They made
a bold statement. Nebuchadnezzar's just made one.
The Lord's people have just made a very bold statement. Look at
verses 17 and 18. If it be so, Our God, and I want
you to notice it's our God, it's a personal, intimate union, knowledge,
relationship with their God. 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 has set up." Whether or not we're saved physically
in our trials, or spared our trials, or delivered in them, the faith that the Lord works
in the hearts of His people means that we still trust Him, no matter
what the results are. We believe, as it says in Hebrews
11, 6, that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek
Him. And how do we seek Him? We seek
Him by faith. And why do we seek Him? Because
like Peter in John 6, we have no one else to go to. because
we've met the real and living God. Verse 19, then, was Nebuchadnezzar
full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And it's a great picture of Satan's
rage, isn't it? Therefore he spoke, and he commanded
that they should heat the furnace one seven times hotter than it
was wont to be heated. It's interesting, Satan usually
comes to us as a friend, doesn't he? In his varied ways, but he's
a deceiver. So when he's revealed, he is
that roaring lion of 1 Peter 5. And Satan's rage against God,
because he can't touch God, is always persecuting God's children. How does he do it? He accuses
them before God. He's that accuser in Revelation
12 that accuses the brethren night and day. And look at this
furnace, seven times hotter. That's a number of completion,
of perfection, of fullness. Satan accuses the saints. by bringing them under the law
of God, by using the law of God to accuse them before God. And he uses the full force of
that law if he can. Verse 20, and he commanded the
most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning, fiery furnace. And it's typical of all religious
institutions. All of them, in one way or another,
have their strong bulls of Bashan. The Lord mentions them in Psalm
22. They have them to do their bidding. And so often, you will
see it in religion. Verse 21, and these men were
bound buy in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their
other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning,
fiery furnace. It's interesting, Satan has bound
us in our flesh by his deception in the garden, that lie of being
able to meet God's holy judgment on the basis of our own performance. And in that, he stained our garments
with the sin and the poison of unbelief. And that continues
to course through our very person. By nature, we're slaves of Satan
and we're servants of sin. Therefore, verse 22, therefore,
because the king's commandment was urgent in the furnace, exceeding
hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. And it's a great picture, isn't
it? It's a great picture of what happens to those who deliver
us to law and judgment. but it's also a picture of the
absolute inflexibility of God's perfect judgment. These most
mighty men were completely consumed by their
own fire. Romans 2.1 says, therefore thou
art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgests. For wherein
thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judgest
doeth the same things. If we go to law, we must live
by law. Verse 23, and these three men,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst
of the burning, fiery furnace. They were bound, and they were
thrown in, and they had no strength in themselves. And it's the same
story for all of us in regard to our eternal salvation. We
sinned in the garden, you know. We were conceived in sin, we
came forth into this world speaking lies, and we've done nothing
but sin since. We are sin, and sin is all we
can do. So what hope, what strength do
we really have to stand before God's holy presence in our sin? As Norman just said, salvation
is of the Lord. It has to be because we have
absolutely no hope. Verse 24, then Nebuchadnezzar
the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake and said
unto his counsellors, did not we cast three men bound in the
midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the
king, true, O king. I'd imagine Satan would have
been astonished at the cross ultimately when his assumed victory
actually became his ultimate defeat. You can read more about
it in Colossians 2. And not only did the Lord prevail
at the cross, but all those in union with him. Verse 25, and
he answered and said, lo, I see four men loose, walking in the
midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the
fourth is like the Son of God. At the very heart of our trials,
and I don't just mean the big ones, at the very heart of every
one of our trials, Our Lord actually is with us. He's promised to
never leave us and never forsake us, Hebrews 13. So believers are eternally in
union with Christ, even if we don't know it, don't see it,
don't feel like we're experiencing it. He's always with us and we're
always with him. I'd like you to see here, too,
this beginning of this amazing testimony of God's activities
in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. It's a great encouragement for
us, because this is spiritual, isn't it? This really is spiritual. All the scriptures, no matter
what picture or illustration it is, always, first and foremost,
have a spiritual connotation. This is a picture of the Lord
shielding us from the wrath of God in his son, the Lord Jesus
Christ. In him, we've passed from condemnation. John 4. Galatians 2.20, we've
been crucified with Christ. In Romans 6, we're baptized into
his death and raised up from the dead by the glory of God
to newness of life in the likeness of his resurrection. There's
an unbreakable union between the Lord and his people. And God's people were judged
in Christ. And at that moment, they really
did pass from death to life. There's one thing that was burned
in this fire, and it was the bonds that held these men. And it's another incredible picture
of the bonds of our flesh. But brothers and sisters, in
spite of what we think and what we experience, We're promised
that sin actually doesn't have any dominion over us. It doesn't
determine where we'll spend eternity. Verses 26 and 27, then Nebuchadnezzar
came, near to the mouth of the burning, firing furnace. It's
amazing when people come close to meeting God, the impact it
has. It changes their hearts, their lives, and their attitudes. It's like coming close to judgment.
And I truly believe that's a work of the Holy Spirit in John 16
of his conviction of us of our sin. So he came near to the mouth
of the furnace and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
you servants of the Most High God, There's a new description
from Nebuchadnezzar, isn't it? Compare it to verse 15, when
he challenged God. He says, 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. So all these witnesses
saw these men upon whose body the fire Remember, it's a picture
of judgment, had no power. Brothers and sisters, there is
right now no condemnation for the Lord's speaking. And nor
was the hair of their head singed. Even the hairs of their heads
are numbered, Matthew 10. Neither were their coats changed,
nor the smell of the fire had passed on them. Jude 1 says we're
preserved in Christ. And here's a picture of us being
preserved completely in the judgment of God against our sins. Verse 28, Then Nebuchadnezzar
spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. This is the beginning of a wonderful
testimony. Now that's true repentance. People talk so often about activities
you've got to do to show that you're repentant, and I'm sure
they're part of it, but true repentance is a hard action.
It's a change, and a change of confession. This could even be early worship
if you compare it to Nebuchadnezzar at the start of this. And he
says they've yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor
worship any god except their own god. These guys, like Revelation
12, have resisted unto death. It's a great commitment, but
it's a commitment that only God can work in our hearts. Verse 29, therefore, so therefore,
because of the testimony and because of God's revealed faithfulness,
therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, 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 dunhill, because there is no other God that can deliver
after this sword." What an amazing turnaround. What an amazing act
of grace of God. Verse 30, then the king promoted
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. So suddenly the persecutor becomes
the servant. And similarly, Satan causes all
these trials if he's allowed, but our trials always bring the
Lord's people back to himself. So even in his most vicious,
blind rage, Satan actually still serves us. Our trials are good
because they grow us in the Lord, and they often actually even
cause us to prevail in this world, in spite of the difficulties
that surround us. Because of our union with our
Saviour, we have a friend that's closer than a brother. And it's
a great picture of our Saviour freeing us from the captivity
of Satan and shielding us from the wrath of God against our
sin. And he does it by substituting himself for us, by eternally
satisfying this wrath of God against sin on our behalf. What amazing grace. For Nebuchadnezzar, Proverbs
19 says, Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Please, please,
if you get time, read the next chapter. Follow along with this
amazing story. Our God's not finished with Nebuchadnezzar. and it is a wonderful encouragement
for sinners. Again, in John 14, the Lord,
comforting his disciples, he's actually about to go to the real
furnace of God's wrath against our sin. And he's reminding them,
as he is us, that even in that, we won't be alone. Hebrews 9
says, and it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
judgment. When were the Lord's people judged? They've been judged at the cross,
haven't they? At the cross, we died in Him. At the cross we were judged in
Christ and we were judged never to die or to be judged ever again. We're forever perfect in the
cross before the presence of our holy
God in our Lord Jesus Christ. Zechariah 13.9 says, I'll bring
the third part through the fire, and we'll refine them as silver
is refined, and I will try them as gold is tried. They shall
call on my name and I will hear them. So that's the process that
God uses so often over and over again in our lives. And the results,
he says, I will say, it is my people. And they shall say, the
Lord is my God. See, this is spiritual, first
and foremost. This burning, fiery furnace does
symbolize God's wrath against our sin. But that wrath actually
lies in his perfectly holy presence, which must consume sin before
him. See, this is great news, isn't
it? We can't do anything for ourselves, but the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the only good news for sinners. It's good news about a savior
that will not only be with us in all our trials, but sustain
us in every one of those trials. How can this be? How can it be
possible for fallen sinners like ourselves? And that brings us
to the greatest illustration in this passage. And it's the greatest illustration
in all of the scriptures. Not only is our Savior with us
in all our trials, in our everyday life, in our every circumstance
of this world, and always for our good, but we're actually
in him, one with him. We were one with him when he
walked in perfect righteous obedience to his father in heaven. He in
us and us in him. We were one with him as he walked
completely trusting his father in heaven. We were one with Him when He
stood in our stead before the righteous judgment of God against
our sins. We were one with Him when He
rose victorious over death. We were one with Him when He
ascended and sat down at the right hand of our Father in heaven
as our eternal advocate and representative. See, this passage is a passage
that illustrates more than anything else that in Christ, God's people
really actually did pass from death to life, cleansed of all
our sins, cleansed so much so that our Father in heaven can't
even smell sin on us. And this is what we declare in
our baptism. And in a few minutes, it's what we'll declare again
in communion. What amazing grace. And what
are the saints to do? They wait. and they rejoice in their victorious
Saviour. May our great God cause us to
really, really know the comfort of that promised union with our
Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. And may we always, as often as
our Father would allow, remind each other that our God freely
does reigneth even in the greatest of trials. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we pray that
as we come to communion today, that you would just truly bless
us, each one of us, with an assurance of your love and mercy. Father,
you must be the one that reveals yourself in our hearts and lives,
and if you have done so, cause us to remember again the cost
of our salvation. Help us to remember that we are
in an eternal union with our Saviour. Father, help us to remember
that His righteousness has become our righteousness, and His redemption
has become our redemption, and He has presented us for all eternity
before you, Father, holy, spotless, and blameless, and with reparation
in your sight, Oh, Father, that you would make this real to us
every day, and that you would use all these difficult trials
and circumstances of our life to just reveal yourself and draw
us closer again. Father, strengthen us in our
faith. I do thank you for this church, and I thank you that
you are pleased to raise up a testimony of the salvation that your people
have in your son throughout this world. Father, please bless it
and cause it to grow. I pray your mercy upon us all,
and I pray all things in the name of our great King and Saviour,
our Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, we always pray for
the glory of God.