October 28, 2007

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 Scripture KJV

Reverend David S. Huffer

Westwood Baptist Church - 2124 Davis Road
 Waynesboro, VA

Daniel 3
 
3:16    Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
3:17    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.
3:18    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.
3:24    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.
3:25    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.

Daniel 6

6:10    Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
6:22    My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
6:23    Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

 

 

Lessons In The Lion’s Den: Up To Your Head In Flames And Lions

Daniel3:16-18;24-25 & 6:10;22-23

 

Think with me today about “faith.”

·         Don’t be like the people who said: “Preacher, preacher, make me laugh and make me cry, but please don’t make me think!”

·         Well – I want us to think this morning about faith – in the context of the life of Daniel.

What is faith and how does it relate to our lives?

·         Habakkuk 2:4 – “The just shall live by faith”

·         2 Corinthians 5:7 – “Walk by faith not by sight”

·         Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

FRIENDS – To describe faith we must include these two words: CONFIDENCE and CERTAINTY

1.       Confidence – The beginning point of faith called believing

·         Faith allows us to believe in the character of God

·         Our hope is based in our confidence of who God is

2.      Certainty – The ending point of faith, where we believe God will do what He says He will do – even when we might not see Him working

FAITH is easy to sing about and to talk about – but it is a far greater weight to live when fear and trouble have settled into our lives.

 

FRIENDS - This morning we meet four young men of whom we are familiar.

·         There story is our paradigm shift

·         We are creatures who love sight and thus find it difficult to execute faith in a world full of sight

·         Our paradigm shift is to quit relying upon sight and start believing God with confidence and certainty!

We find these young men up to their heads in flames and lions with their faith flourishing.

What makes the difference between their faith and our faith?

Let’s examine their life with hopes that we too will exhibit a faith full of hope in who God is, and a certainty of what God will do.

THREE MEN IN THE FLAMES – 3:16-18;24-25

Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-Nego found themselves in a very hot situation.

·         Neb has a 90X9 ft. golden image made

·         Wants to unite the nation under a centralized worship – of himself

·         Called thousands of officials and people

·         When the music started all but three who were there fell to worship

·         Report was given about the three refusing to bow

·         Neb became furious – with his ego in hand he demands the three bow or be thrown into the fiery furnace

·         Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-Nego refuse

·         Neb now in a rage full of fury orders the oven to be heated 7 times hotter than normal

·         Men of valor bound the three and throw them into the fiery furnace

·         The oven is so hot it kills the men of valor

DANIEL IN THE LION’S DEN – 6:10;22-23

Daniel was a great man of prayer.

·         His prayer life enlarged his faith in God

·         There’s a note of change in kingship

·         Daniel has outlasted Ned and Belshazzar – Babylonian Kings

·         Darius – the Persian King is now on the thrown

V. 4b - No charge or fault could be found against Daniel because he was faithful

·         Not so wise men ask Darius to put into the law of the Medes and Persians a 30-day decree restricting only prayer to Darius.

Here is an overview of the decree:

  1. All violators will be cast into the lion’s den
  2. Darius signs it
  3. Daniel upon hearing it goes to his room and prays as was his custom from his window facing Jerusalem
  4. Darius tries to save Daniel – but cannot due to the law of the Medes and Persians
  5. Daniel was cast into the Lion’s Den

FAITH THAT OUTLASTS THE FLAMES AND LIONS

Will your faith allow you to stand when you are up to your head in flames and lions?

What made the difference in these men’s lives?

·         Faith deals in the realm of the supernatural

·         Because faith is not in the natural realm

FRIENDS – Faith is only given to us by our supernatural God

·         Too often we want God to first show Himself through some supernatural event and then we will display our faith

We want the ending point first … what God will do – without any belief on our part. THAT’S NOT FAITH!

·         That’s sight! We walk by faith not by sight! (2 Cor. 5:7)

These men allowed their faith to flourish even when they weren’t certain of the outcome.

·         There was a good chance that they would die in the flames or be eaten by the lions.

·         But, nevertheless, faith was exhibited in their God!

FRIENDS – After they exhibited faith in their supernatural God – their God brought forth supernatural events to sustain them!

1. Faith TRUSTS God … even when it is not convenient

2. Faith BELIEVES God ...even when belief is unbelievable

·         Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

1.    Faith HOPES in God … even when life seems hopeless

 

CLOSING

HEAR ME THIS MORNING CHURCH

If your faith has been cultivated before the trials of flames and lions, it will sustain you.

·         In these moments you will reap the reward like Jeremiah.

·         Lamentations 3:22-23 – “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness.”

QUESTION: If you wake up tomorrow in the oven or lion’s den – what will your faith do for you?

·         I know what it did for Daniel and his three friends

BUT WHAT WILL IT DO FOR YOU?

 

PRAYER: Oh God, we mock You and Your mighty power to save and secure us in Your hand. We trust in ourselves and others far more than place our trust in You. Help us to think about our faith this morning and allow You to be our strength and help in troubled times.

AMEN!

 

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