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Victory in the Fire – Daniel 3:15

Victory in the Fire

Daniel 3:15  “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 musick, 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?

Introduction:

  1. All of us have an IDENTITY.
    1. One of the first things asked when stopped by a police officer is your ID
    2. We have PASSPORTS to IDENTIFY us.

2) Our IDENTITY involves much more than our names and physical characteristics.  Our IDENTITY also involves our CHARACTER.

4) Our relationship with the LORD affects that CHARACTER.

5) The Book of Daniel shows us the SPIRITUAL IDENTITY of Daniel and these other Godly men.

6) As believers we are to LEARN from these men:

a) They can HELP us.

b) They can STRENGTHEN us.

c) They can ENCOURAGE us.

d) They can TEACH US valuable lessons.

Last Week:

We looked at Daniel 3.

My message was entitled; “Walking Through The Fire.”

We looked at the story surrounding King Nebuchadnezzar, his 90/ft tall golden stature, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and a fiery furnace.

My Text this Week:

Daniel 3:15  “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 musick, 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?

Again:

…and who is that God that shall deliver you?

This Week:

  • The FIRE represents any number of things the Child of God may face.
  • The FIRE could be an employment or financial crisis, a difficult / life changing circumstance, a failure in a relationship, an accident or injury, some life changing disease, or a loved ones death.
  • The FIRE could represent a very challenge to our faith.

I am a child of God – How can this be happening to me? / Why am I going through this?

There is VICTORY to be had in that FIRE.

And GOD will be the REASON for that VICTORY.

1) The FIRE is REAL.

Daniel 3:15 “…but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace…”

What these men faced was the REAL DEAL.

The FIRE can have effects on us:

PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY, and SPIRITUALLY.

 

What we face is the real deal and can shake us to our very core.

RELATIONSHIPS – Trust is broken

SPIRITUAL – affects our FAITH

2) The FIRE requires FAITH.

Daniel 3:17-18 “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. [18] 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.”

The FIRE requires a lot out of us: physically, mentally, emotionally

VICTORY in the FIRE requires a “NO MATTER WHAT” kind of FAITH.

See verse [18]: “…But if not…”

3) In the FIRE there were BLESSINGS.

Daniel 3:27 “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 singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.”

  • Some BLESSINGS that can only be had by going through the FIRE.
  • The POWER of the FIRE is DIMINISHED. “…the fire had no power…”
  • The discussion was no longer what the fire could do but what it could not do.
  • The smallest things can become the biggest things (the smell??).

4) In the FIRE the FOCUS CHANGED.

Daniel 3:24-25 “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, 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. [25] 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.

  • The GOD of the BLESSINGS became the FOCUS, and not the FIRE.
  • The STORY was changed when God showed up.

1 Peter 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Daniel 3:15 “…and who is that God that shall deliver you…”

Philippine Project – Medical Need




 

Please help!!!

Nanette Deanon lives in the Philippines. She is a precious servant and soul winner for the Lord. Nanette and her brother work along side of some of our Missionary families. They have been faithful servants and a immeasurable blessing to those missionaries and their families for many years. This past week Nanette had some unexpected and serious medical issues that required surgery.  There is no medical insurance in the Philippines.  Surgery and medical care are expensive.  Nanette has no means to pay for this care herself.  On my last trip to the Philippines I had the opportunity to watch, work along side, and fellowship with this amazing sister and brother.  My heart was blessed. I was amazed at their passion for people. I saw first hand Nanette being used of God teaching children who live in the shanty neighborhoods and cemeteries, as well as, teaching women in the women’s prison. What an opportunity for God’s people to be a blessing to such a precious young lady! Individuals, Sunday School classes, ladies groups, Vacation Bible Schools, etc. could truly make a difference with this need and beyond. Please pray about helping. Every penny you donate will go directly to Nanette’s medical expenses and needs. Heather and I will even pay for the paypal fees so your full amount goes to help. Contact us if you would like to donate by check and we will give you the details.  We will also make sure Nanette and our local Missionary get the names of everyone who helped with this special need.  Let me thank you in advance for being a blessing and please continue to pray for this young lady.

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Loving God with all my Strength

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

God has given us a physical body and the ability to use that body to live life, honor and glorify Him, interact with others, and embrace with wonder the rest of His glorious creation.  We have eyes through which to look and behold.  We have ears that allow us to hear and listen.  We have legs, feet, and toes to move about, walk, and even run.  We have arms, hands, and fingers with which we can touch, feel, hold, handle, and embrace.  We have mouths to taste, eat, drink, speak, and sing.  We have a brain to think, learn, decide, imagine, and operate this amazing body with all it’s abilities.  With this body we can work, create, make, and build.  We can with great skill perform many amazing things and complete many incredible tasks.  Having such a gift and never expressing appreciation to the God who created it is tragic.  Living life and not giving back in way of service, helping others in need, or using ones abilities for His glory is very selfish.  We are commanded to love the Lord with all of our strength.  This means we recognize our Creator as the source of our abilities and we honor Him by using those abilities in His service.

Loving God with all my Heart

Mark 12:29-30 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: [30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

The creation of mankind is amazing. God has given us a heart, a soul, a mind, and a physical body with incredible abilities. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). When asked which is the first commandment of all, Jesus answered, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” (Mark 12:28-30).  The heart spoken of in these verses does not refer to the physical one beating inside our chest but that part of us from which comes our emotions, affections, and desires. Our heart can be greatly affected by our beliefs, other people, places, things, and even events (Matthew 6:21). Our hearts can be sinful, cold, unmoved, and even wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).  What captivates your heart?  What moves you?  Jesus is teaching us that the priority of our heart needs to be the one true God.  He created us, sustains us, offers forgiveness, and eternal life.  He is the source of life, true love, joy, and hope.  He should be Lord of our life.  What place does God have in your life and among those things that have your attention?

The Preeminence of Love

Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Biblical love is one of the most important elements of the Christian life. The response Jesus gave when asked about the greatest commandment of all gives us insight into that importance. We are to love God with every fiber of our being (with ALL our hearts, soul, mind, and strength); and we are to love others as we would ourselves (selfless and sacrificial).  Every commandment contained in God’s Word and every teaching of the prophets hinge on this love.  It should be the priority and heartbeat of every church, ministry, preacher, and believer.  We should cherish and long for an environment where this kind of love is preeminent, displayed, and encouraged.  If we are not careful we can lose touch with this mandate; and our lives, ministries, church services, and leadership can become shallow, scripted, and cold.  The love described by Christ in these verses impacts every area of life.  It affects our worship, motives, behavior, priorities, teaching, preaching, giving, and treatment of others.  It is a love that motivates; and it is a love that can be seen and felt.  This love must be made a priority.  May the God of Heaven help us as believers not to simply go through all the motions of church and miss out on the most important thing of all: truly loving God and loving others.

Loving God

Mark 12:29-30 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is , Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: [30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

Humans are a unique and amazing creation. God has given us emotions, personalities, intellect, and physical abilities.  He has also given us the priviledge of having a personal relationship with him.  Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love our creator, the  one true God, with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength. This love involves every aspect of our life and every fiber of our being. Can you imagine such a love? The question is not whether God is worthy of such a love, because He most certainly is, but are we expressing this kind of love to Him?