WEBVTT 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:13.320 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.859 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:47.079 I think there's a lot to, I think there's a lot to pull that's accessible and readily available. 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:55.600 I think there's, I think what I would say is, as I was reading this right away, there were things that I felt like, wow, it's inspiring, but what do we do with it? 00:00:56.200 --> 00:01:08.299 The goal of the lesson this morning is that we know what to do with the inspiration that we're going to find from our brothers in Daniel three, we're going to, we're going to just pick it up. 00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:12.019 And as you guys understand, we'll start in verse one. 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:16.079 First of all, it says we're, we're jumping a little bit. 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.840 So you know, try to follow along as best you can. 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:27.010 So it says King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, 60 cubits high and 60 cubits wide. 00:01:27.090 --> 00:01:32.090 That's about 90 feet and set it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 00:01:33.989 --> 00:01:38.510 Verse four, then the herald loudly proclaimed nations and people of every language. 00:01:38.670 --> 00:01:40.530 This is what you are commanded to do. 00:01:40.590 --> 00:01:50.530 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 00:01:50.530 --> 00:01:55.349 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. 00:01:57.030 --> 00:02:11.509 This some of the astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews in verse 12, but there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who pay no attention to you, your majesty. 00:02:11.789 --> 00:02:16.050 They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up. 00:02:17.310 --> 00:02:22.490 And so this is the start, this is the plot of what's happening in this section. 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:48.430 You guys would understand actually if you were at house church last Sunday, there was a dream that this guy had and the dream was that there's this image that, you know, basically it has a bunch of different, there's some that's metal and there's some that's wood and there's some that's clay and there's some that's gold and Daniel just proclaims this is what God is talking about actually. 00:02:49.150 --> 00:02:58.169 And this king says, praise be to God, this is the most incredible thing that I've ever seen for whatever reason he forgets what was told to him. 00:02:58.610 --> 00:03:11.490 And so it's interesting because instead of deciding what I'm going to do then is I'm going to worship and honor God, he says, well, instead of this dream that I had that has some, you know, this different materials, let me just make it all out of gold. 00:03:11.729 --> 00:03:13.370 And so that they can worship and honor me. 00:03:13.370 --> 00:03:16.770 Uh, this, it doesn't make an awful lot of sense, right? 00:03:16.830 --> 00:03:20.669 This, this immediately should open our eyes to what is God trying to do? 00:03:20.750 --> 00:03:21.949 What is he trying to teach us? 00:03:22.129 --> 00:03:29.490 Uh, and, and really what we should, I think how we should feel is that this is not totally dissimilar to how you and I can be. 00:03:29.689 --> 00:03:39.370 Uh, I bet you that there's been times when God has spoken to you or somebody spoken to you and from God and said, you've got to change the way that you're living. 00:03:39.469 --> 00:03:40.990 This is, this is not right. 00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:44.270 Or maybe you just honestly had a great quiet time, great time with God. 00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:47.770 And you realize why am I, why am I doing this? 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:50.090 Why do I value this person's opinion so much? 00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:54.289 Or why, why am I searching for love in this spot? 00:03:54.289 --> 00:03:59.750 Or why am I trying to find security in a place that I know I will not find security in? 00:04:00.050 --> 00:04:01.129 And you felt that. 00:04:01.210 --> 00:04:02.289 And I felt that. 00:04:02.349 --> 00:04:04.669 And then there's been times where we've walked right back. 00:04:04.770 --> 00:04:12.110 Maybe the next day, maybe hours later, walked right back into the situation where we felt like we're going to overcome, we're going to persevere, we're going to trust God. 00:04:12.590 --> 00:04:19.610 And then what's happened is we kind of forget about what, what God has told us, or we forget about what has been told to us by somebody who we really trust. 00:04:19.930 --> 00:04:27.790 And we, we ended up falling in and sometimes even worse and trying to manipulate God or manipulate our, our vision of what is to come or what is to happen. 00:04:28.170 --> 00:04:40.410 And, and so in, in so many ways, certainly we're not, we're not the one saying that we're going to throw Christians into the fire or Jews or God's people into the fire, but we can, we can live like that in some ways, right? 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:41.410 You work with me here. 00:04:41.490 --> 00:04:50.949 We can some way, shape or form, throw ourselves into the fire, understanding it with, without any, any faith in God, or really maybe we bow down instead of going into the fire. 00:04:52.949 --> 00:04:59.029 We're going to see what we can learn from, from prayer though, or what we can learn in our prayer life from, from these men. 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:04.009 First, you know, I thought this was, again, it was something on Wednesday that we looked at. 00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:10.110 I think it's really, I think it's really powerful that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were, were not known by those names though. 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:19.430 And, and if you guys read some of the Jewish literature, actually, you'd see that the names are that they, they call them Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 00:05:19.470 --> 00:05:23.170 Like they don't even refer to them as these you know, these Babylonian names. 00:05:24.389 --> 00:05:36.310 This understand what we said, or what our takeaway is, is what we're not saying is that you can't have any, you need to make these lines so rigid in the way that you, that you interact. 00:05:36.350 --> 00:05:42.870 And it needs to be something that we're going out of our way to act so spiritual about stuff that God really isn't super clear on. 00:05:42.889 --> 00:05:45.670 I think the stuff that God is clear on, we need to be clear on as well. 00:05:45.709 --> 00:05:48.290 The stuff that is neither here nor there. 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:54.129 Well, then I think just like these men, they didn't say that, okay, God named me this. 00:05:54.670 --> 00:05:56.009 Don't you dare call me something else. 00:05:56.009 --> 00:05:57.089 I'm not going to serve you. 00:05:57.089 --> 00:05:59.829 If they would have said that they wouldn't have been in charge of very much. 00:05:59.910 --> 00:06:02.550 They wouldn't have had the authority that they had. 00:06:03.589 --> 00:06:06.649 They maybe wouldn't even be written about in this text. 00:06:06.730 --> 00:06:08.149 You know, it's so powerful as well. 00:06:08.310 --> 00:06:11.129 If you guys read this, we were like, where's Daniel in the story? 00:06:11.509 --> 00:06:18.930 There's a lot of thought that Daniel in this story is like so far above all of the astrologers that they're like, he's untouchable. 00:06:19.029 --> 00:06:25.009 We're not even going to try to, to, to condemn this guy because we know that the King's not going to mess with this guy anymore. 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:34.389 Well, they, they different King, but they were wrong about the King, not messing with Daniel that we'll read about again, you know, as in the coming, coming weeks. 00:06:34.670 --> 00:06:36.129 But Daniel was so far above. 00:06:36.129 --> 00:06:41.250 And again, if he wasn't such a great, if he wasn't such a great employee, work with me here. 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:44.810 If it wasn't such, if he didn't honor the King, then he wouldn't be in this position. 00:06:47.069 --> 00:06:47.610 Here we go. 00:06:47.670 --> 00:06:48.329 We're going to read. 00:06:48.389 --> 00:06:49.310 And again, we're going to pull stuff. 00:06:49.389 --> 00:06:50.389 This was kind of the prelude. 00:06:50.430 --> 00:06:52.350 This is like the meat of what we're talking about. 00:06:52.350 --> 00:06:57.769 Uh, the question I want to ask you guys is, is what if God doesn't answer you? 00:06:58.050 --> 00:06:59.350 You know, we're learning about prayer. 00:06:59.470 --> 00:07:04.649 We're trying to grow in our prayer life and it ought to be asked, well, what if God doesn't answer? 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:09.829 You know, when, when our will aligns with God's will, uh, well it works out right. 00:07:09.910 --> 00:07:13.129 When, or when rather when God's will aligns with, with our will is what I would say. 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:14.730 You say, well, I'm going to go to this school. 00:07:15.050 --> 00:07:18.930 And if you get into that school and if it makes sense, it's a great financial aid package. 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:20.569 There's a, a college ministry. 00:07:20.569 --> 00:07:21.589 However, it works out. 00:07:22.310 --> 00:07:24.529 Then you're like, wow, my will and God's will. 00:07:24.670 --> 00:07:25.089 They're aligned. 00:07:25.170 --> 00:07:27.189 I didn't have to, I prayed about it and God answered the prayer. 00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:36.250 But what happens when you pray about things or you want things to happen and they don't happen the way that you want them to, uh, do you still trust in God? 00:07:36.730 --> 00:07:37.610 Good question, bro. 00:07:39.250 --> 00:07:46.250 So, so, so Nebuchadnezzar sees that these men are not following him or following his, his edict. 00:07:46.290 --> 00:07:47.629 And he's furious with rage. 00:07:48.889 --> 00:07:51.310 Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 00:07:51.990 --> 00:08:01.509 So these men were brought before the king and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, is it true Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold that I have set up. 00:08:01.790 --> 00:08:10.170 Now, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, uh, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, all kinds of music, if you're ready to fall down and worship the image I made very good. 00:08:10.769 --> 00:08:15.189 But if you do not worship it, you'll be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. 00:08:15.189 --> 00:08:18.529 Then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand. 00:08:18.670 --> 00:08:26.810 In verse 16, they say, King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 00:08:29.860 --> 00:08:34.720 If we're thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serves able to deliver us from it. 00:08:34.918 --> 00:08:37.298 And he will deliver us from your majesty's hand. 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:40.200 But even if he does not, we want you to know your majesty. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:45.179 We will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:53.759 These men, you'd imagine there's an energy that that's, that's built up inside of this there. 00:08:54.100 --> 00:08:56.240 It seems like they're pretty prepared, right? 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:58.299 They, they make, this is what you have to do. 00:08:58.360 --> 00:08:59.899 You've got to bow down and you've got to worship. 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:07.980 I'd have to imagine that they prior to this, they're like, Hey, we're going to get, we're going to get found out, uh, that we're not, we're not going to worship it. 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:10.179 And so we are, we're going to get found out. 00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:11.039 What are we going to say? 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:14.700 And I'm sure they, they drummed up different things. 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:15.940 This is what's going to be impactful. 00:09:15.940 --> 00:09:25.200 And maybe we just say, we're not going to do it, but then it would maybe if we just say we're not going to do it and we give a reason why, then it maybe sounds like we got to give a defense. 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:27.519 And then they might say, well, you know, we're going to keep quiet. 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:31.820 And then they might say, well, that maybe that doesn't glorify God in the best possible way. 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:35.320 I'd have to imagine that they took a lot of time to consider. 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:38.960 I know this is going to get brought up and how am I going to respond? 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:40.740 Uh, you know what they could have done? 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:45.600 They, they, you read this and they could have probably quelled his anger with some choice words. 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:47.120 They could have just bowed down. 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:49.519 They could have said, they could have asked for time. 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:51.080 This is something that Daniel actually did. 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:53.000 And they could have said, you know, we need a little bit more time. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:54.000 Let's consider. 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:57.879 But, but instead they chose the path of most resistance. 00:09:57.940 --> 00:09:58.399 Didn't they? 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:01.419 They're talking to the King and they say, you know, we don't even need to defend ourselves. 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:04.639 Just so you know, we don't need to answer. 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:09.659 Uh, we, we, we don't need to answer you, but we're going to, you, you just asked a little, we're going to answer you. 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:10.580 We don't need to though. 00:10:12.059 --> 00:10:13.360 You, you guys understand, right? 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:23.679 You've been in a dip or you've gone into a situation where you're like, I know this is going to be a hostile conversation and you've probably worked through what am I going to say? 00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:27.320 How am I going to be prepared when they bring up this? 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:30.580 And I hope they don't talk about this because I, I've got them there. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:33.820 And I, you've got it all worked out in your head, right? 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:36.320 How am I going to answer my boss? 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:38.039 How am I going to answer my sibling? 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:39.399 How am I going to answer? 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:40.679 I hope it doesn't go like this. 00:10:40.700 --> 00:10:41.940 My spouse, right? 00:10:41.940 --> 00:10:43.340 We've all been there. 00:10:44.059 --> 00:10:52.159 Unless you're not married, then maybe you've not, uh, they've, they've, they've got it worked out. 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:58.440 And, and, and if you, uh, you take classes or you learn, well, what do you want to communicate this communication classes that will teach you? 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:00.899 You've got to, you, what can you control? 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:06.940 You control what you can control, what you say, how you say it, the way you say it, you can't control the person's response. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:10.139 And so what, what's your goal in leaving the conversation? 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:15.419 You guys have probably talked to people, but when I talk to people, especially young people, they're in a kind of conversation. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:17.379 I'm like, what do you want to leave communicating? 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:19.600 And okay. 00:11:19.620 --> 00:11:21.059 I want to leave communicating this sentence. 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:21.779 Well, that's inspiring. 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:23.320 Why don't you communicate that first? 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:27.220 And then, and then everything else that happens is gravy, right? 00:11:27.259 --> 00:11:28.220 It's icing on the cake. 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:29.500 That's what these men do. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:32.559 The first words out of their mouth is we don't even need to defend ourselves. 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:35.059 It's pretty, it's pretty powerful. 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:37.700 They're talking to a King who's going to throw them in the fire. 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:39.860 They understand it's an inevitability. 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:40.620 It's going to happen. 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:43.659 And yet they say, you know what it's, I don't need to defend myself. 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:51.100 This is where I think it's, it, it gives us a little bit of pause. 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:56.919 I think we ought to pay attention to, because what they say is they say, God can rescue us. 00:11:57.399 --> 00:11:59.259 We believe God will rescue us. 00:11:59.659 --> 00:12:01.759 But even if we don't, we're still going to serve him. 00:12:04.610 --> 00:12:11.090 So you think about for you just consider for a moment, what is, what is your deepest prayer? 00:12:11.090 --> 00:12:16.129 What is the one that if it gets answered, you feel like everything else can go wrong. 00:12:16.210 --> 00:12:19.690 And if this, if these few prayers get answered, I'm, I'm, I'm loving it. 00:12:19.730 --> 00:12:20.230 It doesn't matter. 00:12:20.269 --> 00:12:21.529 There's nothing that can touch me. 00:12:21.629 --> 00:12:26.009 If these get answered, maybe it's your, your children becoming Christians. 00:12:26.110 --> 00:12:28.309 Maybe it's your children coming back to the faith. 00:12:28.889 --> 00:12:35.389 Maybe it's your spouse and your marriage being strong and powerful and something that is worthwhile. 00:12:35.809 --> 00:12:37.409 Maybe it's, maybe it's getting married. 00:12:38.250 --> 00:12:41.710 Whatever, whatever inside of you, maybe it's, I want to own a home. 00:12:41.809 --> 00:12:47.429 I want to have, I know I never, I don't want to work a paycheck to paycheck for the rest of my life. 00:12:47.529 --> 00:12:51.409 There's a stress that's inside that I cannot shake when I have to do that. 00:12:52.710 --> 00:12:55.350 Whatever it is, whatever your deepest prayer is. 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:57.769 The question I want to ask is, are you content in God? 00:12:57.870 --> 00:13:00.190 If none of your deepest prayers ever get answered. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:09.480 These men were ready for it. 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:12.240 They were ready that regardless, we're going to serve him. 00:13:13.259 --> 00:13:25.220 You know, for us, we understand this and we understand this is true that sometimes the questions or rather the prayers that we ask God later on, we're like, man, I, I'm glad that was never answered. 00:13:25.299 --> 00:13:25.500 Right. 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.639 Maybe it was the person that you said, man, this is the one for me. 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:31.659 God, please, please, please, please. 00:13:32.019 --> 00:13:33.500 And then it doesn't work out. 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:35.799 And, and later on, you're like, man, dodged a bullet there. 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:36.100 Right. 00:13:36.259 --> 00:13:38.600 Thank, thank you God so much for that one. 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:44.940 There's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a movie. 00:13:45.740 --> 00:13:49.419 That's what was probably made before Owen and Dayton were born. 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:52.139 It's called Bruce Almighty. 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:54.759 And, and this guy, you guys familiar with it, right? 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:56.659 The old heads in here understand. 00:13:57.200 --> 00:14:00.320 Basically, this guy gets, I forget the entire plot. 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:08.139 Essentially though, he has the responsibility where he kind of, he becomes God and that he can answer prayers and do what he wants in this world. 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:11.059 And it's played by Jim Carrey. 00:14:11.179 --> 00:14:12.899 And so you'd understand it's, it's just goofy. 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:15.120 He creates an E first. 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:17.759 He's like, man, I understand what everyone's praying. 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:18.940 This is overwhelming. 00:14:18.940 --> 00:14:22.320 He creates this this, Hey, send him to my email. 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:26.980 And so then he gets this email and he sees there's millions of emails that are prayers. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:28.980 And so what does he do? 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:29.820 He just responds. 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:30.220 Yes. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:30.879 To all of them. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.539 And you see the chaos that ensues. 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:46.259 And one of the news broadcast says in record time, there's 50 million, uh, Powerball winners and, and with a grand total of 32 cents or something to that effect. 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:52.259 And, and we'd understand, we know this, that our way is worse than God's way, right? 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:54.240 Like we, we know it's, we know it's true. 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:57.960 And yet we're praying and we say, God, I really want this to happen. 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:03.220 And it's not happening in the time that you want it to happen, or it's not happening seemingly at all. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:09.330 The question is, are we still going to serve and honor God scripture? 00:15:09.529 --> 00:15:11.269 It's Isaiah 55 in verse eight. 00:15:11.330 --> 00:15:13.009 It says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. 00:15:13.169 --> 00:15:14.330 Neither are your ways. 00:15:14.409 --> 00:15:18.090 My ways declares the Lord as the heavens are higher than the earth. 00:15:18.190 --> 00:15:23.509 So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 00:15:29.269 --> 00:15:35.389 You know, I, I, I think for some, some of these things that again, we, we can reason our way out of it. 00:15:35.389 --> 00:15:45.649 Well, maybe it's my lot in life to always work, you know, this day job day to day to day and always have this little bit, maybe, maybe that's my lot in life and I can feel okay about that. 00:15:45.789 --> 00:15:53.129 I think it becomes really difficult though, guys, when, when it's something that we know that God wants and we really want it to, right? 00:15:53.250 --> 00:16:03.190 Something you talk about people becoming Christians or people coming back to the faith or God moving powerfully and opening doors or people who we just have this heart for, we want to bring them out. 00:16:03.190 --> 00:16:05.389 Can you please just meet my friends? 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:10.669 I know you'll love the church and I, and once you love the church, I know you're going to learn to love God and we can feel this. 00:16:11.110 --> 00:16:12.289 This is stuff that God feels. 00:16:12.350 --> 00:16:20.409 I think we relish in these times then these, this prayer that we pray, don't stop praying it and don't expect nothing other than God moving. 00:16:20.909 --> 00:16:26.669 But we, we, we can grow our relationship with God as we are praying things that we understand God wants. 00:16:26.769 --> 00:16:28.809 Say the Bible says he wills all to be saved. 00:16:28.809 --> 00:16:31.250 He wants all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. 00:16:31.250 --> 00:16:35.230 And it says that he doesn't come back because he's, he's patient with us. 00:16:35.269 --> 00:16:36.710 He's wanting everybody to come. 00:16:36.769 --> 00:16:38.730 He's like, it just, just, I want to hold off. 00:16:38.789 --> 00:16:39.429 I want to hold off. 00:16:39.490 --> 00:16:41.129 I want people to come to a knowledge of the truth. 00:16:41.389 --> 00:16:49.029 And so even in our day to day, we can grow in our relationship with God as we are praying things that we know that the Bible teaches that God wants. 00:16:49.210 --> 00:16:50.809 We grow in our relationship with God. 00:16:50.889 --> 00:16:52.870 We learn to see people how God sees people. 00:16:52.929 --> 00:16:55.990 And this is, uh, this is part of this closeness with God. 00:16:55.990 --> 00:16:59.789 And this is, uh, this is what we're going to talk about, about next, actually. 00:16:59.789 --> 00:17:06.068 The second point for this morning is when you stand up, uh, when you stand up in faith, it's, it's easier to connect with Jesus. 00:17:09.710 --> 00:17:13.049 We'll drop all the way down to verse 24. 00:17:13.328 --> 00:17:15.670 It says then King Nebuchadnezzar. 00:17:15.769 --> 00:17:17.170 So he throws him in this fire. 00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:27.130 Uh, and it says then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? 00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:29.890 They replied, certainly your majesty. 00:17:29.890 --> 00:17:35.829 He said, look, I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed. 00:17:35.890 --> 00:17:38.809 And the fourth looks like a son of the gods. 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:48.019 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego servants of the most high God. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.240 Notice him calling him the most high God. 00:17:50.619 --> 00:17:51.980 Come out, come here. 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:59.140 So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire and the Satraps, prefix governors, royal advisors crowded around them. 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:04.920 They saw the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was there a hair on their heads singed. 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:06.319 Their robes weren't scorched. 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:08.160 There was no smell of fire on them. 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:16.400 And Nebuchadnezzar said, praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angels and rescued his servants. 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:24.480 They trusted in him and defied the King's commands and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any gods except their own God. 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:25.880 We'll stop here. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:34.539 You know, this story is one that we read and it fills us with something, right? 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:37.579 That we know that this is the same God that we serve right now. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:53.220 The same God, it doesn't make sense how these guys could go into the fire and not be burned, but it's the same God who we can stand up to our teachers or we can stand up to our professors or we can stand up to our bosses who somehow are okay with it. 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:57.619 They crumple back or they shrink back and they give us the extra hours that we ask. 00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:02.759 They let us off on a Sunday morning or however you figure, this is the same God, right? 00:19:06.430 --> 00:19:15.210 You know, when we say connect with Jesus, the incredible thing and most theologians will say, well, this is the pre-incarnate Jesus that's with them right now in this fire. 00:19:15.950 --> 00:19:27.430 Consider for a moment how amazing it would be to be in the fire with two other of your best friends and then Jesus right there. 00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:31.170 And you're like, man, this is happening. 00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:36.109 Wouldn't it be something where you're afterwards, you're like, hey, Daniel, you really missed out, man. 00:19:36.369 --> 00:19:38.250 I wish you weren't so popular. 00:19:38.390 --> 00:19:39.210 I wish you weren't so well. 00:19:39.410 --> 00:19:40.170 You missed out. 00:19:40.250 --> 00:19:41.890 This would have been an awesome time for you. 00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:47.569 You're going to have your time when you're old, but this would have been so powerful, wouldn't it? 00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:50.049 It would be something I'd have to imagine. 00:19:50.390 --> 00:19:52.109 I don't, again, I don't know if this is true. 00:19:52.109 --> 00:19:58.150 I'd have to imagine the feeling of, man, at some point I've got to step out of this fire though. 00:19:58.230 --> 00:20:00.990 At some point they're going to, they're going to call me to step out. 00:20:01.049 --> 00:20:01.950 I don't want to step out. 00:20:02.069 --> 00:20:03.769 I'm enjoying, I'm enjoying my time. 00:20:03.950 --> 00:20:05.690 Me and Jesus, we're dancing. 00:20:05.849 --> 00:20:06.609 We're hanging out. 00:20:06.869 --> 00:20:07.950 He's encouraging us. 00:20:08.009 --> 00:20:08.990 He's giving us faith. 00:20:10.809 --> 00:20:12.269 What a powerful time. 00:20:12.450 --> 00:20:19.170 And God is so powerful that it says they come out and it's, it's not just, they're not just like doing okay, but a little bit burned, right? 00:20:19.170 --> 00:20:20.730 It's like, they don't even smell like fire. 00:20:20.730 --> 00:20:21.529 Wow. 00:20:22.029 --> 00:20:24.089 This is, this is the power of God. 00:20:24.089 --> 00:20:28.250 When, when we decide to walk with them, it's just, it's easier to connect with Jesus. 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:40.160 Now, something that was supposed to cause them so much pain is one of the reasons why we gain encouragement and why we follow God, right? 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:47.940 It's, it's so, it's, it's amazing to consider that what was intended for harm has actually caused so much good. 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:54.259 This, this King again, proclaims, proclaims God as being the most high. 00:20:54.980 --> 00:21:06.240 You know, but the idea though of something that, that you expect to happen, or you do something and you expect the result and something opposite happens is, is one that these guys experienced. 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:20.240 It's one that when it's really the story, I think of so much of Christianity, so much of God's people is trying to be thwarted or bashed or broken down and God deciding to work amazing things through it. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:27.839 Um, there was a, so there was a daycare, uh, they provided, I read, this is a study that I read in a book. 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:32.339 Um, and it was, it was a sociology guy, but I thought it was really interesting. 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:38.059 Um, so there's a daycare, they provide, uh, after, after school care for children. 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:42.380 And so kind of from three 30 to about five 30 is the, the pickup time. 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:52.680 And these, these teachers were getting, or these instructors, however you call them were, they, they noticed, man, these parents are pretty late and there's like this consistent view of this group. 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:54.539 There's these few that are always late. 00:21:54.759 --> 00:22:01.599 And so they thought in order to stop them from being late, what we're going to do is we're going to add an extra fee basically. 00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:06.140 Um, and so if you're under 10 minutes late, there's no, no charge. 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:06.619 You're good. 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:14.759 Um, from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, it's$5 and from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, it's an extra fee of, of $10. 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:21.700 They thought that that with these fees, what would happen is the parents would say, well, it costs me a little bit. 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:23.220 I'm just going to pick up my kids. 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:28.920 Then what ended up happening is that more and more parents decided I'll be about eight or nine minutes late. 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:31.019 And, uh, cause then I won't get charged. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.019 Uh, and even more decided, you know, 10 bucks here. 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:35.960 There's not the end of the world. 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.619 I'll just, I'll just use the whole 60. 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:50.190 Basically the, the intention again was to, the intention was, Hey, it costs me a little Go ahead, pick up your kids. 00:22:50.710 --> 00:22:56.029 What ended up happening was they said $10 out of my pocket, but an hour of sanity is worth it. 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:02.180 You know, I, again, I, I bring it up. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:06.660 The connection that was, I think this, this is a story of, of God's people. 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:13.640 This is what we, we have the opportunity to, uh, to do is that when things happen to us, that should cause us discouragement. 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:15.339 That should cause us pain. 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.839 That should actually thwart our faith. 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:27.539 We have the most opportunity then to trust in God, uh, in Hebrews, Hebrews 11 actually says something, uh, something similar, but it talks about, about these men. 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:49.140 Hebrews 11, uh, 32. 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:50.420 And what more shall I say? 00:23:50.460 --> 00:24:09.200 I do not have time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was promised who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames and escaped the edge of the sword. 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:10.559 Here we go. 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:17.119 Whose weakness was turned to strength and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 00:24:17.960 --> 00:24:19.920 Women received back their dead race to life. 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:25.720 Again, there were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:29.140 Some face jeers and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:31.160 They were put to death by stoning. 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:33.880 They were sought into, they were killed by the sword. 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:38.000 They went about in sheepskin and goatskin destitute persecuted and mistreated. 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:42.279 The world was not worthy of them. 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:50.000 They wandered in deserts and mountains living in caves and in, and in holes in the ground. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:52.000 They were all commended for their faith yet. 00:24:52.039 --> 00:25:00.039 None of them received what had been promised since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:01.559 Stop here. 00:25:05.390 --> 00:25:08.369 No, we, we have an opportunity on a daily basis. 00:25:08.369 --> 00:25:14.430 This is, it goes right along with communion to, to, to talk about our weaknesses, right? 00:25:14.470 --> 00:25:17.450 The Bible, the Bible says that the weakness was turned to strength. 00:25:17.869 --> 00:25:20.690 These, these men we read about, they're powerful. 00:25:20.849 --> 00:25:21.990 They're, they're there. 00:25:22.130 --> 00:25:23.269 It seems like they're excited. 00:25:23.390 --> 00:25:25.750 Maybe they, maybe, maybe they were a little bit fearful though, right? 00:25:25.769 --> 00:25:26.950 Before they're about to step in. 00:25:26.950 --> 00:25:32.130 I, I have to believe though, that, that through this now we gain, we gain great encouragement. 00:25:32.130 --> 00:25:33.769 We gain great faith. 00:25:34.230 --> 00:25:38.269 This is, this is what you can do for somebody else though, as well. 00:25:38.450 --> 00:25:46.450 You stepping out on faith gives God an opportunity to shine and your faith grows, but, but somebody else can look at your example and feel inspired by it, right? 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:53.980 You know, I want to, I want to close with a, with a prayer actually. 00:25:53.980 --> 00:26:01.380 And, and this prayer is, is from the, it's, it's from the, this, the song of three men, three young men. 00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:03.559 This is, it's in some Bibles. 00:26:03.640 --> 00:26:04.819 It's not regarded as scripture. 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:06.720 And so I'm not going to read it as such. 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:12.539 But I think it's, it's powerful in the same way that a great quote in a book is very powerful. 00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:18.559 And, and it actually, what, what it highlights though, is it talks about two, it says it has a couple of prayers in it. 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:28.819 One of them is the prayer of Azariah right before he's going to go, or purports to be the prayer of Azariah before he goes into the fire. 00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:32.140 And then the other is them, them worshiping God as they're in the fire. 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:35.640 But I'm going to read just a little bit, a little bit of this prayer. 00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:42.180 It says, blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers and worthy of praise. 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:45.339 And thy name is glorified forever. 00:26:45.819 --> 00:26:52.299 For thou art just in all thou has done to us and all thy works are true and thy ways right. 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:54.700 And all thy judgments are truth. 00:26:55.140 --> 00:27:02.880 Thou has executed true judgments in all that thou has brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers. 00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:07.559 For in truth and justice, thou has brought all this upon us because of our sins. 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:15.660 For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from thee and have sinned in all things that have not obeyed thy commandments. 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:18.579 We've not observed them or done them. 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:21.920 Thou has commanded us that it might go well with us. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:28.759 So all that thou has brought upon us and all that thou has done to us, thou has done in true judgment. 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:37.839 Thou has given us in the hand of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:40.339 And now we cannot open our mouths. 00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:44.599 Shame and disgrace will befall on thy servants and worshipers for thy names sake. 00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:48.440 Do not give us up utterly and do not break thy covenant. 00:27:48.940 --> 00:28:04.619 Do not withdraw mercy from us for the sake of Abraham, thy beloved, for the sake of Isaac, thy servant in Israel, thy holy one to whom thou didst promise to make their descendants as many as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the shore of the sea. 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:12.220 For we, oh Lord, have become fewer than any nation and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. 00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:24.099 And at this time, there is no prince or prophet or leader, no burnt offering or sacrifice or ablation or incense, no place to make an offering before thee or to find mercy. 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:33.920 Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, may we be accepted as though it were with burnt offering of rams and bulls and with tens of thousands of fat lambs. 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:41.859 Such may our sacrifice be in thy sight this day that we may wholly follow thee, for there will be no shame for those who trust in thee. 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:44.779 And now with all our heart, we follow thee. 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:47.200 We fear thee and seek thy face. 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:52.940 Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in thy forbearance and in thy abundant mercy. 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:58.599 Deliver us in accordance with thy marvelous works and give glory to thy name, oh Lord. 00:28:59.140 --> 00:29:01.539 Let all who do harm to thy servants be put to shame. 00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:05.079 Let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and dominion. 00:29:05.660 --> 00:29:06.740 Let their strength be broken. 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:13.519 Let them know that thou art the Lord, the only God, glorious over the whole world. 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:13.859 Amen. 00:29:17.549 --> 00:29:38.670 This can be said of us as well, that we have the opportunity to, on a daily basis, decide that we are not going to put God in whatever faith box that we have, but instead we are going to step out on faith and step out on faith, not for our own glory, not so people can be impressed by us and look at us and say, wow, you're amazing. 00:29:39.009 --> 00:29:43.089 But so that we can point to God and give glory to him at every step of the way. 00:29:43.190 --> 00:29:43.390 Amen. 00:29:43.930 --> 00:29:47.349 This week, just make decisions to step on faith. 00:29:47.430 --> 00:29:52.970 Make decisions to pray prayers that you're like, I don't know if he's going to answer it. 00:29:53.170 --> 00:29:55.269 I want him to answer it and I'm not going to stop praying. 00:29:55.890 --> 00:29:59.769 Make decisions to step on faith in your day to day. 00:29:59.849 --> 00:30:00.509 Make decisions. 00:30:00.930 --> 00:30:03.029 Maybe it's a tough conversation that you know you're going to have. 00:30:03.029 --> 00:30:05.089 Make a decision to talk about God through it. 00:30:05.130 --> 00:30:08.990 Make decisions to share your faith in your day to day. 00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:17.490 With all of this, I think we'll have the opportunity one day to, it says that these guys' sacrifice is made perfect through you and I. 00:30:17.869 --> 00:30:29.849 We have a responsibility and a role in this great biblical narrative to live out by faith and in doing so, we're going to be able to see our brothers and sisters who sacrificed their lives for us one day. 00:30:29.950 --> 00:30:30.069 Amen. 00:30:30.690 --> 00:30:32.529 Ultimately, we're going to be able to see Jesus too. 00:30:32.890 --> 00:30:33.329 Amen. 00:30:33.690 --> 00:30:38.089 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:30:38.589 --> 00:30:41.750 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:30:42.009 --> 00:30:49.390 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:30:49.529 --> 00:30:52.029 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.