I commence our service this afternoon
by singing hymn number 807. The tune is Monmouth, number
798. My brethren, why are these anxious
fears, these warm pursuits and eager cares for earth and all
its gilded toys? If the whole world you could
possess, it might enchant, it could not bless, false hopes,
vain pleasures, and light joys. If wealth or honor, power or
fame can bring you nearer to the Lamb, then follow these with
all your might. But if they only make you stray
and draw your hearts from Him away, reflect in what you thus
delight. In number 807, the tune is Monmouth
number 798. Yeah. O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ♪ To thee the heav'nly host we
sing ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, glory to thee ♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪ O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave a a ♪ Facing the sea of hope and joy
♪ ♪ God will bring you back to life again ♪ of a Oh, say does that star-spangled May we be helped to read from
the holy word of God, from the book of Daniel, reading the third
chapter. The book of Daniel, reading chapter
three. Nebuchadnezzar the king made
an image of gold, whose height was three score cubits, and the
breadth thereof six cubits. He set it up in the plain of
Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king
sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains,
the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and
all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of
the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the
princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the
counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces
were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the
image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To
you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack-butt,
psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye 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 cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, 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. Wherefore at that time certain
Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spake and said
to the King Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live for ever. Thou, O King,
hast made a decree that every man that shall hear the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, 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. Then Nebuchadnezzar,
in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. Then they brought these men before
the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said
unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do not
ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have
set up? Now if ye be ready, that at what
time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and dulcimer, 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 a burning
fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands?' 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 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. Then
was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was
changed 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. 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. Then these men
were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their
other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king's
commandment was urgent and the furnace exceeding 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 into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king
was astonished, and arose up in haste, and spake, and said
unto his councils, Did not we cast three men bound into the
midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the
king, True, O king. 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. 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 counsellors, being gathered together,
saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was
an hair of their head neither were their coats changed, nor
the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar
spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that
trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded
their body, that they might not serve nor worship any god except
their own god. Therefore I make a decree that
every people, nation and language which speak any thing 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 sword. Then the king
promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Amen. May the Lord bless his
word to us each and grant us prayer. O Thou most holy, righteous and
ever-blessed Lord God, Thou who art from everlasting to everlasting,
I do grant us that solemn frame to worship Thee, as Thou hast
said, in spirit and in truth. And if Thou hast indeed brought
us up to this, up to these thine earthly cause, with those desires
to seek thy face. Then we desire that thou wilt
keep us in these things, that thou wilt keep us from the world
and its distractions, that thou wilt remove them far from us.
We pray to be kept from Satan, from his ill suggestions, from
his trials, from his temptations, those things that cause our minds
to fret, and who keep us from ourselves, keep us from the natural
man that loveth the things of this world, that who keep us
in thy love, and keep us in that spirit of seeking thy face and
earnestly desiring after thee. And we bless thee that thou art
righteous and true, For alas, we are unrighteous and unholy
in our nature. And were it not for thee, thou
who art of purer eyes than to behold evil, thou who canst not
look upon iniquity, if it were not that thou, the one true and
living God, art holy and just, then we surely would not have
known these things, and we would bless thee for the revelation
of thyself in the person of thy dear Son, the blessed second
person of the Godhead. We bless thee for one who is
described as holy and harmless and undefiled, separate from
sinners. And as we have already mentioned
this day, one who was and is the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world, and thus say pure, spotless, unblemished
Lamb. We bless Thee for one in whom
was no guile, neither was deceit found in his lips. And we who
confess that our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked. And as the Prophet said, we who feel ourselves to be full
of deceit and guile. We would desire one who is holy
and one who is entirely separate from these things. We would look
unto Jesus and know him to be the author and finisher even
of our faith. And we bless thee for the one
who for the joy that was set before him despised the cross,
the one who endured the cross. And we bless thee that he underwent
the shame and scoffing, that he willingly and voluntarily
underwent those cruel scourgings, the buffetings of the soldier,
that he not only consented to it, but willed it. and was in
authority over it, the being nailed to that cross of word,
the crown of thorns that was thrust upon his head, and even
the Roman spear in his side. These things were his accomplishment,
for did he not speak of his deceit which he should accomplish at
Jerusalem? And it was on this why, It is
finished, and He truly has done this. We would bless Thee for
such a Saviour, One who Himself said, I lay down my life for
the sheep, no man taketh it from me. We bless Thee also for One
who not only had power from Thee the Father to lay down His but
he had power to take it again. And we read that he was raised
from the dead by the glory of God the Father. We bless thee
that it was so, that the power is known, the power of Christ. We bless thee also for this word,
that though he was crucified in weakness, yet he was raised
in power. to help us to look unto Him,
even as the Israelites of old, bitten by those fiery serpents,
looked unto the brazen serpent which Moses had made. Now we,
if we have been stung in our conscience by the guilt of sin,
if we have been brought to confess our sins and our sinnership,
we would desire to look unto Jesus the one who was lifted
up, lifted up upon a cross of wood, and to see in his sufferings
the bearing of our guilt, in knowing that he took our curse,
that the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and that
by his stripes we are healed. And we would desire to see in
him, one who hath borne the wrath the penalty due to the sins of
his people, and we trust and hope due to our sins also. For alas, if it be not so, we
know that we can never fully bear that weight. We can never
have expended upon our heads the divine justice due to our
sins. We can never expend that weight
of punishment and wrath So may it be so, that instead of our
eternal torment in the flames of hell, we may find remission,
we may find pardon, and all through those solemn sufferings of the
dear Lamb of God. And that instead of that state
of death, that state of perishing of which we read, we may in the
Savior's resurrection, our own resurrection unto life. Thus
know the reality of what he himself did say. This is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent. Now grant us each to be found
among those who love his appearing. those who look, those who watch
for Him, and those who hasten unto the coming of the day of
God, to have that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our
great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. O teach us and remind
us once more that He shall come again the second time without
sin unto salvation, that he shall come as the judge of quick and
dead, that he shall come in the glory of his Father and of the
holy angels, that he shall come with crowds, and that every eye
shall see him. Oh, put us in mind of these things,
and help us to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation,
for alas, we must come in with that word The spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak. We read also in the parable concerning
the five wise and five foolish virgins that all slumbered and
slept. And we cannot deny our slumberings
and at times our sleepings. But O grant us oil in our lamps,
grant us to be ready against that day, that we be not shut
out, that we be not found amongst those who knock upon the door,
but who are not admitted to the marriage feast, and amongst those
to whom the Lord shall solemnly say, Depart from me, I never
knew you, ye workers of iniquity. We must pray unto thee for these
things, for only thou canst give And we must say again of the
poet, prepare me, gracious God, to stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform,
for it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience clothe
and wash me in his blood. Then shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. Indeed, it is all of grace. And
when the headstone shall be brought forth, what are the cryings that
shall be heard? Surely grace craves unto end. And who look in mercy, O Lord,
upon each one gathered here this day, each one found this afternoon
within thy courts, to be with those especially who bear many
burdens, many anxieties, many cares, We would think of the
bereaved, widows and widowers. We pray that there would be a
God unto such, a God of the fatherless and of the widow. Especially
we think of those recently bereaved. We would include the dear pastor
of this cause also and his family. We pray that thy comforts may
continually be known. Thou knowest the state of thy
people and how it is that these things persist over many years. And perhaps for some there may
be that healing, but for those who are very close to the one
taken, truly there is always that need that thou shouldest
make up the loss, that thou shouldest grant thy comfort, thy solace. We think of those who are afflicted
in the body or in the mind, and those who carry the burden of
others' afflictions. O do be with such, we pray, and
grant that there might be strength given. My grace is sufficient
for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. And again we would think of those
away from us, those perhaps far removed at this present time,
those perhaps nearer to home, But the need is this, for thy
mercy to encompass each one, to go before them in the way.
And if it please thee, we pray that there might be a bringing
back, so that each might be brought within these thine earthly courts
once more, and to be with thy people in this little company. And oh, bless thy small causes
of truth up and down our land, Grant, if it please thee, encouragements,
tokens for good. Grant strength, for alas, we
must often say with those of old that the strength of the
burdens of bearers is decayed. We must lament that there is
a need for thee to raise up others. And although we do rejoice from
time to time to hear of those whom thou hast called, especially
to the great work of preaching thy gospel. Yet we would pray,
Lord, unto thee, the Lord of the harvest, to send forth fresh
labourers into thy harvest. And especially at this time of
the year, when the natural harvest is known, we would think of that
spiritual harvest, and we know not whom thou shalt call We know
not who they are, but we pray that thou might yet be plucked
from the burning, that thou would be very merciful, that thou would
draw out thine elect people from the midst of a wicked and an
ungodly generation. I do look in mercy upon this
land. Do yet stay the rod of judgment. and do grant that there might
be a withholding of that wrath that surely is so deserved. O
do pardon the wickedness that must be a grievous offence to
thy holy eyes. We would pray for those whom
thou hast set over us, our new king, members of the royal household. And we pray for thy help also
in Parliament, the government and opposition, Our Prime Minister,
know how some of these things that we see grieve us, but we
pray that thou wilt yet be merciful, and that there might be a stemming
of the wickedness and the evil that we see, that the tide might
yet be turned back. And do, if it please thee, grant
contrition, grant reverence of thy holy name, and silence the
tongue of blasphemy, And we pray that thou wilt keep the feet
of thy people. Especially we think of the young
of the land, and at this time when a new term has begun, and
others seeking shortly to commence university studies. We pray that
there might be such a keeping from the power of the enemy,
from those influences that would harm, and those things that are
contrary to thy laws and ordinances. and who keep thy young ones,
keep the babes in Christ, and keep those of the young and rising
generation. We pray for all that there might
indeed be a growing up into him in all things, even into Christ,
which is the head, and that coming unto the stature of the knowledge
and fullness of Christ and help us each to grow in grace and
in the knowledge of Him, and to be able to call Him our Lord
and Saviour, even Jesus Christ the righteous. O Lord, Thou knowest how we have
now commenced upon a new week of time, and on the morrow we
must go forth, many of us, into the world. Do grant that gracious
wisdom, grant help, and grant, if it be according to thy will,
that there might be a fulfilment of that which thou didst speak
of, those lights in the world being as the salt of the earth.
May there indeed be a preserving in the midst of much that is
contrary to thy will. But we pray that we might have
something of which we may speak, something concerning thy perhaps
a word of reproof, perhaps a word of entreaty. But may it be thy
gospel, and may it be the power of God in Jesus Christ, and may
it be through the teaching and direction and understanding given
by thy Holy Spirit. And who grant answers of peace
to the many, many petitions of thy dear people. Grant the reward
to those labours. And we think of what the apostle
did say, being steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord. For as much as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord, do encourage thy people,
encourage thy servants, encourage church members and deacons, Encourage
them in these things, the things of thy kingdom, and help us shortly
as we come again to thy word. May it be our teacher, may it
be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, for how we need
it, how we need that direction, how we need that illumining.
O pardon our many sins, pardon our iniquity, May they be cleansed
in the blood of Christ. And may we know that the blood
of Jesus Christ, thy Son, cleanseth even us from all sin. Hear us, gracious God, for his
dear name's sake. Amen. by singing hymn number 764. The
tune is St. Stephen, number 229. How sad our state by nature is! Our sin, how deep it stains!
And Satan binds our captive minds fast in his slavish chains. But there's a voice of sovereign
grace Sounds from it the sacred word, O ye despairing sinners,
come and trust upon the Lord. In number 764, the tune is St
Stephen, number 229. you you It's not as if the flesh no longer
is, but as if the body is still. I've said to you before, And sleep in peace. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? ♪ I have a dream of home ♪ ♪ I
have a dream of home ♪ ♪ I have a dream of home ♪ ♪ I have a
dream of home ♪ O come, O come, O come, O come,
O come, O come, O come, ♪ And at the hour ♪ ♪ Of His birth
♪ ♪ Oh, what glory ♪ ♪ In the sky ♪ ♪ Angel of the Lord ♪ O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? I can't wait to meet you again. I hope we never have to say goodbye. We are one strength of Jesus,
of Jesus May the Lord be pleased to guide
our meditation on his own holy word. As we return to that third
chapter in the book of the prophet Daniel, and especially to the
words found in verses 24 and 25 of that chapter. Daniel chapter three. verses
24 and 25. 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 into the midst
of the fire? They answered and said unto the
king, True, O King! He answered and said, Lo, I see
four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have
no herd, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Well then, these words of King
Nebuchadnezzar describing what he observed in that burning fiery
furnace into which these three men had been cast. It seems to
us rather a shame that we know them by their Babylonian names
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. If we had read back in chapters
one and two we would have learned a little more about them together
with Daniel, the one from whom this book has its name, that
prophet who was so instrumental in the things relating to that
later period of the captivity. But you will remember what took
place, how at the time of the captivity, Nebuchadnezzar, as
was his policy, took some of the best of the young men from
that land that he had conquered and brought them back to the
seat of power. And we find that in doing so,
there was an attempt to make those who had been brought out
of that captive land, to make them forget, as far as was possible,
the things of their father's house. And part of this policy
was to give them new names. Well, we read in chapter one
that he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar and to Hananiah
of Shadrach and to Mishael of Meshach and to Azariah of Abednego. Well, Daniel's position, as we
discern, was slightly different in time to those of the other
three, and perhaps that is why We are now able to know him by
his proper Hebrew name. But I suppose it would be nice
to refer to the others as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah also. But notwithstanding, the Lord
was with them. The Lord was with his servants,
just as he had been with Joseph those many years before in his
time in Egypt. And the Lord kept them. Again,
if we had read through those two earlier chapters, we would
have seen how they all, all four of them, had already passed through
many trials. Much need of the Lord's sustaining
grace. Much need of wisdom also. If we read right at the end of
chapter two, how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had been set over
the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the
gate of the king. Providentially, therefore, there
were those differing positions. And perhaps that is why Daniel
does not appear in this episode regarding the image of gold,
and the command to fall down before it, and the burning fiery
furnace. We do wonder at times about Nebuchadnezzar. He was a man of great advantages,
raised up by God to be king over Babylon and over that great empire. And, doubtless, given a degree
of wisdom. And, later on, granted something
else also. Chapter four. that vision, that
dream that was given to him, that Daniel was unable to interpret. Nebuchadnezzar, who had been
lifted up in pride, now found himself abased. And the Lord
in that experience taught him something of himself. And from
Nebuchadnezzar's lips came that confession concerning God in
his sovereignty. And how, he says, he blessed
the Most High and praised and honoured him that liveth forever,
whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom is
from generation to generation. And again it is Nebuchadnezzar
who says that all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing,
and that he, God, doeth according to his will in the army of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay
his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? And that fourth chapter,
as you know, ends with these words. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works
are truth and his ways judgment. and those that walk in pride
he is able to obey. Well, so favored are this revelations
concerning God himself for its saving knowledge. Really, we
find it impossible to say, because although at times Nebuchadnezzar's
words seem good, Yet he does seem so fickle, so changeable. And perhaps he was just using
that form of words that was familiar from the lips of such as Daniel
and his three companions. Well, we must leave the matter
of Nebuchadnezzar's eternal standing with God himself. Although perhaps
we can have some hope that for all his other wickednesses, he
did find mercy But our great point is this, that Nebuchadnezzar
has an even greater revelation than the one of which we read
in chapter four. And it is precisely the event
of which we read in the third chapter. Not so much what took
place concerning the idol that he had set up. And actually this
is why we find him such a perplexing character. because I suppose
in common with many great rulers, those whom God has raised up
over the great nations of the earth, he did have his weaknesses,
he did have his follies, not least the setting up of this
image, this image of God and his conduct towards Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. And really it does seem rather
petty that he should have such great anger towards these men
who were evidently so useful to him in the matters of the
kingdom. But, alas, his wrath does become
evident, as we read earlier in that chapter. But we are speaking
in particular of these things that Nebuchadnezzar says at the
furnace itself, and especially because of this wondrous, remarkable
revelation of God in what we believe to be a pre-incarnate
appearance of the blessed Second Person of the Godhead. For these
words in verse 25, ìLo, I see four men, loose, walking in the
midst of the fire, and they have no and the form of the four is
like the Son of God. It is, we contend, an appearance
of the One whom we now know as the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With those three men, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, with them in the midst of the fire, And
at times we may think that the detail in this passage, in this
account of what took place, the detail, well to our ears it might
sound rather fussy, all those repetitions concerning the instruments
of music. But actually the detail here
is very useful to us because of its precision and because
the things that are recorded concerning the men being cast
into that furnace, are so clear. We likewise see that their deliverance
is clear, and it is evident. For instance, when we read in
verse 21, these men were bound in their coats, their hosen,
and their hats, and their other garments. Well, it is made very
plain to us how they were cast into that furnace, and that is
helpful later on. And again, we find that it was
a severe trial. Therefore, because the king's
commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame
of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. That is useful to us also because
it reminds us that this was not the only occasion when the enemies,
or at least those who opposed the people of God, ended up with
the very same punishment being meted to them that they had supposed
to have inflicted upon the Lord's people. Indeed, there do seem
similarities between what took place here And what we read of
much later in Daniel's life, chapter six, now King Darius. But remember the matter of the
lion's den. And just as there, we read of
those presidents and princes who sought to find occasion against
Daniel concerning the kingdom. And so, as you will remember,
they concocted that decree concerning the one to whom men might make
supplication or petition. They sought to entrap Daniel,
whom they knew would make supplication to his God. Remember as well
how that then King Darius was very sorry, and how he had to
go through with that thing that had been decreed. Perhaps a little
unlike Nebuchadnezzar, in his anger. But again, we find that
those who had spoken against Daniel ended up on what we might
call the wrong side of that decree, and they themselves ended up
in the lion's den. Whereas God had shut the mouths
of the lions when Daniel was there, there was no such deliverance
for Daniel's accusers. And so the Lord's mercy was known
to his people, to his dear servant there, the Lord's deliverance
in the trial. And that is precisely what we
read of here in chapter three. That's fourth man. And we read
the form of the fourth like the Son of God. Well, in all these details, We
see things that are not only interesting and useful in understanding
the historical narrative, what took place to Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, as later to Daniel, but we find here a record of
God's workings in all his people's trials, and especially the place
and the role of the dear Son of God in being with his people
in helping them through those trials, in sustaining them, and
indeed in ordering all things for their good. And we find this
really in our text. And in what we read in these
two verses. Verse 24, Nebuchadnezzar rising
up and speaking to his counselors and saying, did not we cast three
men out into the midst of the fire. And then, after they have
confirmed this, we read, verse 25, He answered and said, Lo,
I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and
they have no heart. And the form of the fourth is
like the Son of God. And whilst we're speaking of
the details, remember what we read also in verse 27, because
there are other witnesses, others who can give testimony to the
truth of these things. The princes, governors, and captains,
the king's counsellors, all those who were gathered together, saw
these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power. nor was
an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed,
nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Well, do not these things speak
of the experiences of the Lord's people? And of course we are
not speaking particularly of being cast into a furnace, although
doubtless many godly men and women have have been persecuted
by these means, and have been burnt to death in one form or
another. And neither indeed are we speaking
only of the persecutions of their fellow men, because we know that
Satan is the accuser of the brethren. And it was Satan who particularly
afflicted the dear Son of God in the days of his earthly ministry,
There are those things that come upon us through our own sinnership
and through our own folly. Thus we speak of trials in a
more general sense. But remember what we read here,
that those men were cast in bound to the midst of the fire, verse
24. But now Nebuchadnezzar says,
lo, I see four men, walking in the midst of a fire. And the
lesson here is that there is indeed an effect. In this case,
the case of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the fire was permitted
to destroy their bands, those things in which they had been
thrown in bound. But the fire evidently was permitted
to destroy them. And so now those who had been
bound were seen walking, as he says, were seen loose. Notice how he says that he sees
these four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. And
what was true for them is true for all the Lord's dear saints.
Because there is a coming into the trial just as there must
surely be a coming out of it, and there is a walking in the
midst of it. When we come into troublous seasons,
it is not usual that we be entirely inactive. Now there are those
afflictions that come upon a bed of sickness, and then it may
well be the case that physically in our bodies we have been laid
aside and are not able to go out or to walk around. But that
does not say that the soul is inactive, and rather in such
times we believe the soul may be greatly in exercise. But in
other things that come to us, particularly those ordinary trials
of life that come to all, whether in Christ or no, well there is
a walking, a continuing, an ongoing exercise. And in these things
the Lord Jesus is with his people. And again speaking of those bands
that were loosed, perhaps consumed by the fire itself, have we perhaps
found from time to time that when we come into such a season
of trouble, perhaps things that have gone contrary for our will
or expectation, things in which we have been disappointed in
some outward way. Well, we find that the thing
that is removed is the snare, the thing into which spiritually
we had been brought into bonding. And the Lord must destroy it. The Lord must have it removed
that we may walk, that we may be found walking as it were in
the midst of the furnace. And so it is, only the bands
that are destroyed, only those things that have hindered us.
It reminds us of what the Apostle Paul says towards the beginning
of Hebrews chapter 12, when he speaks, after mentioning the
great cloud of witnesses, of laying aside every way and the
sin which doth so easily beset us? Well, clearly those are things
that would hinder, because he then says, let us run with patience
the race that is set before us. We ask ourselves, have we at
times known the fairness of affliction, removing some of those hindrances,
those weights, those sins that so easily beset us? Well, we
believe this is one effect of the trial, of the season of testing,
of the temptation. Well, Nebuchadnezzar says, I
see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. And there will be such a walking
in our trials and tribulations, as we'll see the Lord's people
brought forth from them and we trust ourselves among them. Again,
at times, it does please the Lord to bring the life that is
the earthly existence of his dear child to an end. There are
those occasions when one perhaps does not rise from the bed of
sickness. But again, we are speaking spiritually,
and what we contend is this, that all these trials that work
for the good of the Lord's people, are that they might be brought
out of them at length. And yes, it may be by death,
but it will be spiritually, in any race, achieved by the affliction,
or at least by the Lord, who is with his dear people in their
afflictions, by the Lord bringing them forth from him. We cannot help but notice in
this case, the case of these three men, that Nebuchadnezzar
went and came near to the mouth of the furnace and himself actually
commanded them to come forth and come hither. Then we read that Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego came forth of the midst of the fire. Have you ever
considered that there they were in the midst of the furnace with
the dear Lord Jesus. And then King Nebuchadnezzar,
that mere man who had beforehand been so angry against them, he
then came and summoned them forth. I suppose in one sense, if it
had been us, I hope we would have been most reluctant to come
forth of the furnace. Is it not better to be in a furnace
of affliction when the Lord Jesus is present, and to be brought
out of that furnace, but having to leave the Lord behind, as
it were. Well, I'm sure there is much
more to it than that, and it was evidently the Lord's will
that they should go forth at Nebuchadnezzar's commandment.
But in any case, it does seem to us that there must have been
a sweetness even in the midst of such a fiery furnace, and
that sweetness because of the presence of that fourth man,
the former of whom was like the Son of God. Well, again, as we say, the details
of this, and we have mentioned how there is much space given
to the fact that these three men went in, in their clothes,
and how nothing affected their clothes, and that not even a
hair of their head was singed. No, not even the smell of fire
had passed on them. And that is most remarkable when
we consider what it is, in our own little way perhaps, if there
is a bonfire and we pass by it, or we do not have to stand by
it for very long, before our clothes begin to smell of smoke. But these three men had been
in the midst of this burning fiery furnace, and yet not even
the smell of fire had passed on them. And why? Because the Lord had been with
them in that trial, and so they had been completely preserved.
Just as later, when Daniel was cast into the den of lions, and
we read that the Lord shut the lions' mouths, so He completely
and utterly preserved them in it, to the extent that even their
clothes suffered no hurt. And I trust this is an encouragement
to us when we come into our afflictions, our trials, our cloudy and dark
days. Because if the Lord Jesus be
but with us in these things, however they may seem to be grievous
to us, however they may seem to be contrary to the flesh and
the things that the flesh would find comfortable, yet spiritually
there will be no harm done. All things shall work together
for good to them that love God. Yes, even the hard things, even
the bitter things, it shall be for spiritual good. You will
remember again speaking of those later chapters in Hebrews, indeed
that same twelfth chapter, things that seem at the time to be grievous. We're thinking of course of the
chastisement of which the apostles writing there, no chastening,
for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. But then
there is the nevertheless afterward, that is the spiritual effect
of it. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is grievous,
nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby. Well that of course
is the distinguishing factor. It is those who have grace in
their hearts, those in whom God is working, them which are exercised
thereby. And so he says, quoting Isaiah,
wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,
and make straight paths for your feet. But the Lord will be with his
people in the trial. And just as Daniel was familiar
with the prophecies that had passed through men such as Jeremiah,
and doubtless Isaiah also, concerning the length of time of the captivity,
so surely also Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have been
familiar with those things that God had promised And I wonder
whether they would have thought of those words, well known to
us also, that the Lord had spoken through Isaiah at the opening
of the 43rd chapter. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned, Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. So they had a promise. Doubtless
this promise was in their minds as they spake those words to
Nebuchadnezzar. We are not careful, they said,
to answer thee in this matter. 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. They thought of that promise,
but they knew that it was not always the Lord's will to work
in exactly the same way. So they say, 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. but they knew that God was able
to deliver, and that in one sense or another, He would deliver. And likewise, in the Gospel,
and perhaps for ourselves with the greater light that we have,
with the New Testament Scriptures as well as the Old, this knowledge
of the Lord, that God in Christ is both able and willing to deliver
in the furnace of affliction and in the trial. As Paul writes
to the Corinthians in the first epistle in chapter 10, there
hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be tempted, above that ye are able, but will
with the temptation also make a way to escape. that he may
be able to bear it. And the prospect of that way
to escape has that not often been to the encouragement of
the Lord's dear child, facing either affliction to come, or
when in the midst of the trial, in the midst of the furnace.
And remember also the apostle Peter, in his second epistle,
In the second chapter, actually he is speaking about false teachers
and false prophets. But there is just a little chink
of light there concerning the deliverance of the Lord's people.
He had been speaking about how Sodom and Gomorrah had been turned
into ashes. But he mentions just Lot. Remember how Lot had dwelt in
Sodom vexed with a filthy conversation of the wicked, and he says that
he delivered him. And then he adds, a few verses
later, the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,
and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment. But the
Lord knoweth And he did just that for Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. And he will do so for all his
dear people in their various trials. Well, just one more thing
to consider. Notice how Nebuchadnezzar says,
lo, I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire. and
the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Well, perhaps
we have not spoken as much as we ought to have done concerning
that fourth man, the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is plainly stated
that he is there walking in the midst of the fire. And the Lord's
people know that they have a refuge, an eternal God, and that underneath
are the everlasting arms. But the reason why the Lord Jesus
Christ is such a comfort and such an almighty deliverer in
the trial is because he himself has walked through the furnace
of affliction. He himself has suffered the temptations,
the testings, the insinuations of the devil. And therefore,
as the apostle again writes in the epistle to the Hebrews, he
is made like unto his brethren, and made a merciful and a faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God. For he says, in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor
them that are tempted. In that the Lord Jesus did suffer
those 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, the things with
which Satan came to him, those blasphemous suggestions. And
we only read at the end of that time that the devil left him
for a season. There were many other conflicts
at the hand of the evil one. The Lord also suffered much through
his dealings with his fellow men. So he has suffered being
tempted, being tried, and he has triumphed in these things.
But that means that he is qualified to suffer, to encourage, to strengthen
them that are tempted. And as the Apostle says a little
later, at the end of chapter four, that's having such a great
high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our profession. And then he says this in verse
15, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted,
like as we are, yet without sin. The Lord Jesus Christ understands
what sore temptations mean, for he hath felt the same. And he
knows what his people are enduring in the furnace of affliction,
because he was tried, he was tempted, to a far greater measure
than any of them shall be. We must confess to a far greater
measure than we ourselves shall be, in all points tempted, like
as we are, yet without sin. And he concludes, let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. Well, the trial It is something
that we shrink from, something that perhaps we would not choose
for ourselves. But when God, in the person of
his dear Son, by the Spirit, when the Lord Jesus Christ is
with his dear saint in the trial, then it is made sweet, it is
made profitable, and it is made a testimony of the goodness of
God in an Almighty Saviour. Well, isn't it interesting that
the very last verse of the chapter that we read, Daniel chapter
3, states that then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego in the province of Babylon. So there is even good in the
earthly sense. But of course what we are interested
is the spiritual good. And if there be such a revelation
of the goodness of the dear Lord Jesus Christ, then shall we not
esteem these things yet more highly? And shall we not pray
and desire to see our Saviour even in the midst of them? We read of Nebuchadnezzar that
he answered and said, Lo, I see four men, loose, walking in the
midst of the fire, and they have no herd. And the former, the
fourth, is like the Son of God. And his people will testify.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless
His Word. Amen. We conclude our service this
afternoon by singing hymn number 758. Tune is Hallelujah, number
672. Sons of God, in tribulation,
let your eyes see Saviour view. He's the rock of our salvation.
He was tried and attempted to, all to succour. every tempted
burdened son. If today he deigns to bless us
with a sense of pardoned sin, perhaps tomorrow he'll distress
us, make us feel the plague within, or to make us sick of self and
fond of him. In number 758, the tune is Hallelujah,
number 672. O come, O come, Emmanuel, O come,
O come, Emmanuel, ♪ As the waves ♪ ♪ Lead us on ♪
♪ And lead us home ♪ ♪ Home to Salem ♪ ♪ Home to Salem ♪ ♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪ ♪
O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled It's true. O come, O come, Emmanuel Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, I'm This is the unity that I believe.
Go to heaven. The Lord still go before us now. We confess that we know not what
shall be on the morrow, but Thou knowest all things, and do help
us to grow in grace and in love, even to Thee. And now may the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Heavenly
Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all
evermore. Amen.