Compare Acts 8:37 – KJV / NIV

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…”

The Righteousness of God – click on link to open PDF file

It would be an honor to share with you about the loving Creator who has given us this wonderful gift called LIFE.

You can connect with me by email: lamar@christchapel.info

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.

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.

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.”