in the book of Daniel, chapter
3, which well represents what is going on in our day. Daniel,
chapter 3. Let me give you a little background
to this story. The Jews were in captivity in
the land of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was the name of
the king of Babylon. And here in chapter 3, verse
1, it says that Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold
whose height was threescore cubits and the breadth thereof six cubits. And he set it up in the plain
of Dura in the province of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar made a 90-foot
tall structure about the size of the so-called prayer tower
built by a certain fellow out in Oklahoma. And verse 2, it
says, Nebuchadnezzar the king sent together the princes, governors,
captains, judges, treasurers, counselors, sheriffs, all the
rulers of the province to come to the dedication of the image
which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. He had a dedication
ceremony and invited all the politicians, entertainers, stars,
athletes, artists, rich and famous, all were in attendance. And this
sounds strikingly similar to modern crusades held by well-known
evangelists, so-called. After all, they say, you've got
to have some things to bring the crowd in. You've got to do
some things to bring them in so they'll hear the gospel. Folks won't come in if you don't
entice them. Sadly, most people, their God,
their Holy Spirit is not powerful enough to call or bring people
in. Their God is not in control enough
to bring folks in, and if they do come, God's Word is not good
enough to hold them. They've got to be entertained.
Well, old Nebuchadnezzar, he had his dedication ceremony and
invited all the rich and famous and well-known, and verses 3
through 5, says the princes and governors and captains and judges
and treasurers and counselors and sheriffs and rulers were
gathered together to the dedication of the image that he'd set up.
And verse 4 and 5 said, Harold cried aloud, said, It's commanded,
O people, nations, and language, that whatever time you hear the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbutt, psaltery, dulcimer,
all kinds of music, fall down and worship the golden image
Nebuchadnezzar the King set up. And while the band plays, they
said, while our huge orchestra here plays 104 verses of such
and such a hymn, while the choir sings, would everyone come forward
and bow, and bow. So all the people, it says, verse
6 and 7, Whoso falleth not down, it says, and worship the same
hour, will be cast into the fiery furnace." So whatever time you
hear the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sacrament, the psaltery,
and all kinds of music, it says all the people, nations and language,
that is the whole world at that time, fell down and worshiped
the golden image Nebuchadnezzar set up. And this reminded me
of Psalm 115. which also reminds me of what
they're saying about God today. And I bring this up quite often
because it's a very common, familiar saying. Many, if not most, preachers
would agree with this and quote this. They say, God has no hands
but your hands, no feet but your feet. Well, Psalm 115, David,
the writer of this psalm, says, In verse 3, our God, God that
David believed in, the God of the Bible, the true and living
God, he said, our God is in the heavens. And what he does is,
he does whatsoever he hath pleased. Not what men let him do, not
what men will cooperate with him in, but he does whatsoever
he hath pleased. That's because he is God. In
verse 4, And following says, their idols, or that is, the
gods of the people, are silver and gold, the works of men's
hand. They have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but
they see not. Ears, but they hear not. Noses
have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle
not. Feet have they, but they walk not. And verse 8 says, they
that make them are just like them. That is, have ears but
don't hear God's word, have eyes but don't see the truth. Well,
I bring this up quite often because it is so common in this day.
And I'm going to keep saying this, keep bringing this up until
somebody who hears this understands the difference between the God
of the Bible and the modern God that's being preached today.
You see, the fear of the Lord is what's missing in our day.
And the scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. But the God men are preaching
of today, the God which false prophets say only loves everyone,
and incidentally, any man who says that, out of his mouth,
to anyone without exception, indiscriminately tells everyone
that God loves them, that man is a false prophet. Not one single
prophet in Old Testament times nor one apostle ever stood in
a public place and told men that. Never. Not once. I challenge
anyone to find that in all of God's Word. Well, I'm going to
keep saying this and warning people and telling of the true
God of the Scripture who is to be feared until someone knows
the difference between the God of the Bible And this false god,
this idol, this man-made god today. But God of the Scriptures
in Isaiah 45 says, I do all things. I form the light, create darkness,
I make peace, I create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. It says in verse 9, Woe unto
him that striveth with his maker. Let the potsherds strive with
the potsherds of the earth, but shall the clay say to him that
made it, What makest thou? he hath no hands." Do you understand,
those of you who hear me this morning, do you understand that
God is the Creator and we are His creatures? Nothing could
be simpler and nothing could be plainer. that God created
all things by His, yes, His hands, and we, Daniel says, are in those
hands. The God in whose hands our breath
is and all our ways. Thou hast not glorified as God. That's Daniel 5 verse 23. Now this is the true and the
living God. The God Paul says is the unknown
God today. This is the God of the Bible.
In our story in Daniel chapter 3, there were three men. Three
men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three men
refused to bow to the God which Nebuchadnezzar set up. Everyone
else did. The whole world bowed to this
idol for fear of punishment. But everyone but these three.
And I'm reading again in Daniel chapter 3. Now it says, at the
time, certain Jews, certain came near and accused the Jews. They
spake to Nebuchadnezzar and said, didn't you tell us that when
the band played that everybody should fall down and worship
the image, everybody together? Why, the whole world's doing
it. Everybody's in line. Everybody's
united in this thing of worshiping this idol. But except three fellows,
verse 12, there's certain Jews. that have not regarded you, O
king, they serve not thy gods, or the gods of the people, nor
worship the golden image you have set up." Three fellows refused
to join with everyone in worshiping this God. Well, Nebuchadnezzar
got angry, it says in verse 13. His rage and his fury, and he
brought these three in, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And verse
14, Nebuchadnezzar said, is it true you don't serve my gods
nor worship the golden image I set up? But he said, I'll give
you another chance. Verse 15, if you'll be ready
now, when we play one more verse, one more verse with a cornet,
the flute, the harp, the psaltery, and the dulcimer and all kinds
of music, if you'll fall down and worship, you won't perish. You'll not be cast into the furnace.
And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand?"
In our language, Nebuchadnezzar said to these fellows, he said,
I hear you fellows are trying to start trouble. You've got
some sort of cult down there that refuses to worship like
everyone else. You say your way is the only
way. You say our God is a false God. You say your God is the
only true God. You say your gospel is the only
true gospel. Well, if you don't straighten
up and join the bandwagon, you're going to burn. Now drop all this
talk about a sovereign God and one way and one truth and join
the crowd. Everybody else is doing it. Join
with us now or God will judge you. Well, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego didn't have to think twice about what they were going
to do. Verse 16 and 17, they answered the king and said, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
We don't have to stop and think what we're going to do here.
Verse 17, if it be so, If you do throw us in the furnace, 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. And if we be hated by all men
for his name's sake, and that's what he said would happen, it
doesn't matter. Our God is God, and we believe
him. Our God is able. Your God may
not be able. No hands, no feet. Your God may
want to, but can't unless we let Him. Not our God. He does
what He will, with whom He will. He does as He pleases among the
army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay
His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? Why, He's God. Creatures
can't control the Creator. Our God's able. He does as He
pleases with whom He pleases. That's our God. May not be your
God, but that's our God. And even if we are thrown in
the furnace, our God will deliver us. Be it known unto you, verse
18, they said, we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden
end. We will not join up in this huge ecumenical movement. The whole world worships a god,
and everyone believes a certain way. We will not join with them. It's idolatry. Your God is not
the true God. The God of the Bible is. Verse
19, Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury. He got angry, like most
religious people do when they hear of the sovereign God, and
when you call their God an idol. Well, he got mad at them, verse
20, and it says he commanded his mighty men, told them to
bind these three fellows, to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
to bind them, and it says that they heated the furnace seven
times hotter, seven times hotter. And while they were throwing
them in the furnace, it says that these men that threw them
in were consumed by the fire themselves. Well, old Nebuchadnezzar
could well represent Satan here who would bind men and women
captive at his will. And these mighty ones could well
represent the evil men and seducers, which wax worse and worse today,
Satan's ministers transforming themselves into angels of light,
ministers of righteousness, which would bind, literally bind people
with their rules and regulations. Well, verses 21 through 23, it
says, they were bound in their coats and thrown in the furnace,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And so are all of God's people.
objects of Satan's wrath, cast into the fiery furnace of affliction,
persecution for the gospel's sake, for the truth's sake, but
our God is able to save. And it says in verse 24, Nebuchadnezzar
the king, when he was looking into the furnace, jumped up in
haste and said, did not we cast three men into that furnace?
Well, he said in verse 25, he said, I see four, four men loose,
walking around, no hurt, no hurt. I see four. Well, Jesus Christ
is that fourth man in the furnace with these three. And the gospel
in all of this is that the God of this world blinds men's minds
and sets up an image to worship, which all the world worships.
But God has chosen a few elect to worship him as he is in spirit
and truth, to know the true and living God, to bow to him only,
and Christ is their Savior. And he goes through the fiery
furnace of God's wrath for them. And they come out. They come
out. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
were not saved because of their faith, nor their firm resolve,
but they were saved because there was a fourth man in that furnace,
Jesus Christ. And not one hair of them was
stained, nor their coats unchained, nor even the smell of smoke on
them, because Jesus Christ was with them in the furnace. Until
next Sunday. May the Lord bless this word.