GO WILD ABOUT GOD #3/5

#1 · August 16, 2005, 9:02 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 16, 2005, 9:02 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

GO WILD ABOUT GOD #3/5
TELL ABOUT GOD
August 7, 2005
Text: Daniel 3:1-18

As I prepared last weeks sermon about Daniels refusal to submit to King
Dariuss decree about praying only to him or be thrown into the lions
den, I wondered how it would be different than todays sermon about
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Both of them tell a story of deliverance
by the hand of God, and both of them involve telling others about God. In
many ways, these Biblical stories are similar.

In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar is the king of the Persian Empire. Like many
kings of that period, they were considered a god, or at least equivalent
to a god. It is not unusual, then, for them to expect to be worshiped. In
fact, one of the strong reasons that the Jews have been persecuted, and
Christians as well, is their refusal to worship other prescribed gods or
men. A lot of other pagan religions allow flexibility there. Since they
tend to be polytheistic anyway - that is, worship more than one god - it
of no religious consequence to add one more deity to the worship mix.

Jews, however, and Christians since the time of Jesus are faced with a
much more difficult choice. Actually, its not really the choice thats
difficult; its the consequences of making the God-pleasing choice that
are difficult. When told that he could pray only to King Darius, Daniel
made his choice to continue to pray to God and was placed into the lions
den. When our three heroes in Daniel three were told that they had to
worship the huge golden idol of their king, they worshiped God alone and
were placed into the fiery furnace. In each case, their choice was not
difficult. The consequences they faced, however, were difficult and
harsh.

Because of Israels disobedience, God delivered His people into the hand
of the Babylonians. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were part of
the group of young Israelite captives who were trained in the Babylonian
language and literature for three years so that they could enter the
service of King Nebuchadnezzar. These four young men determined from the
start that they were not going to compromise their relationship with God.
In this, God blessed them, protected them, gave them wisdom and
knowledge, and caused their Babylonian captors to find favor with them.
At the end of their time of learning, they were brought before King
Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 1:19-20 tells us the result of that job interview:
The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the kings service. In every matter
of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he
found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his
whole kingdom. It doesnt hurt to pay attention to God.

Unfortunately, absolute rulers can be sort of fickle. You know, in favor
one moment, out of favor the next. Such is the case with Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. After building a gigantic idol of himself, the
king commanded everyone to fall down and worship the image. He expected
his orders to be carried out. No reason to expect otherwise; after all,
he was the absolute ruler.

Nevertheless, his plans quickly hit a snag. Lo and behold, the three
Israelites refused to bow to and worship their kings idol. Remember,
they had determined from the start that they would not defile themselves.
They knew the command of the King of kings. Turn to Deuteronomy 5:7-10 so
that you can know it, too. You shall have no other gods before me. You
shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven
above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow
down to them or worship them: for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me, but showing love to thousands who love
me and keep my commandments. We can easily see the only choice that
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could make and remain obedient to God.

Unfortunately for them, their response landed them in serious trouble
with the king. As we well know, they were placed into a blazing furnace.
Before that, though, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King
Nebuchadnezzar about God: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend
ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing
furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue
us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know,
O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you
have set up.

Well, not exactly the sort of thing that you should say to an absolute
ruler if you want to stay on his good side. Then Nebuchadnezzar was
furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude toward
them changed. The point, however, is that the three Israelites told
their king about God. It was done in what we might call the
confrontational style, but it was done nevertheless.

Now stop to consider the opportunities we are given to tell about God. Do
we use them? Or do we let them slip away? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
faced a blazing furnace. What do we face? Usually nothing. Oh, every once
in a while someone has to face a job or career decision. But not very
often, at least for now. What it typically comes down to for us, me
included, is the fear of rejection and possible embarrassment. Thats
quite different than a threat of a blazing furnace. Ill bet our good ol
boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would trade places with us any day.

Telling about God, our familiar term is evangelism, is to be one of the
spiritual disciplines we practice. We do not need to be caught up in the
form of how we do it. All of us should be engaged in what is called
lifestyle evangelism. That is, through our lifestyle, others should
witness a difference and be curious enough to ask about it. That would
certainly give us an opportunity to tell about God. Whether we are using
it as an intentional evangelism tool or not, our lifestyle should be a
witness and a testimony to God. If its not, no other evangelism style we
practice will make as much, if any, impact.

We dont have to be street corner evangelists to tell about God verbally.
We recognize that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were already in a
confrontational situation. Their response to the king was
confrontational, and the king responded as we might guess he would. Most
of the time, though, we can be invitational. Invite someone to worship
service or another special service. Be intentional about creating an
environment in which another person may listen to the leading of the Holy
Spirit. Bill Fay, whose Sharing Jesus Without Fear series we have used
in our Bible studies, teaches a method in which the witness asks
questions and the other person does the talking. It leads to a point
where it is determined whether the Holy Spirit is at work in that
situation or not.

That for a lot of us is what we have to remember when we tell others
about God. Our fear of rejection is unfounded because we neither condemn
nor save. If another rejects Jesus, he or she condemns him or herself. If
he or she accepts Jesus as Savior, God saves that person. We are merely
the instruments for Gods use. I do not diminish our importance in the
process; God has chosen to use His people in that capacity. But neither
would I presuppose that I have any ability to save anothers soul. Only
God has that privilege.

Because of their obedient stand, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were
delivered from the blazing furnace. Thats absolutely amazing. So
amazing, in fact, that some people choose not to believe that this story
is literally true. Why doesnt God still do such miracles? some ask.
Who says he doesnt? Maybe our modern skepticism prevents us from
recognizing all sorts of miracles that are occurring. On Wednesday night
VBS, Dan Duke was with us. Dan is the brother of Pastor Dave Duke, and he
is a missionary to Africa for the ministry of Wycliffe Translators. Those
who heard him the Sunday evening he visited us heard testimonies of some
miracles. The children at VBS last Wednesday night heard testimonies of
some miracles. God can still be seen in the miracles He performs.

Consider also the testimony of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It was
not their place to put God on the spot. They made no demands that God
perform a miracle of any kind. But even if [God] does not [rescue us
from your hand], we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your
gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego told about God.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. (John 14:6) This is, of course, one of the many
teachings of Jesus about reconciliation with God and salvation from God.
This is the good news message that we have for everyone. Tell about God.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

GO WILD ABOUT GOD #3/5
TELL ABOUT GOD
August 7, 2005
Text: Daniel 3:1-18

As I prepared last weeks sermon about Daniels refusal to submit to King
Dariuss decree about praying only to him or be thrown into the lions
den, I wondered how it would be different than todays sermon about
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Both of them tell a story of deliverance
by the hand of God, and both of them involve telling others about God. In
many ways, these Biblical stories are similar.

In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar is the king of the Persian Empire. Like many
kings of that period, they were considered a god, or at least equivalent
to a god. It is not unusual, then, for them to expect to be worshiped. In
fact, one of the strong reasons that the Jews have been persecuted, and
Christians as well, is their refusal to worship other prescribed gods or
men. A lot of other pagan religions allow flexibility there. Since they
tend to be polytheistic anyway - that is, worship more than one god - it
of no religious consequence to add one more deity to the worship mix.

Jews, however, and Christians since the time of Jesus are faced with a
much more difficult choice. Actually, its not really the choice thats
difficult; its the consequences of making the God-pleasing choice that
are difficult. When told that he could pray only to King Darius, Daniel
made his choice to continue to pray to God and was placed into the lions
den. When our three heroes in Daniel three were told that they had to
worship the huge golden idol of their king, they worshiped God alone and
were placed into the fiery furnace. In each case, their choice was not
difficult. The consequences they faced, however, were difficult and
harsh.

Because of Israels disobedience, God delivered His people into the hand
of the Babylonians. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were part of
the group of young Israelite captives who were trained in the Babylonian
language and literature for three years so that they could enter the
service of King Nebuchadnezzar. These four young men determined from the
start that they were not going to compromise their relationship with God.
In this, God blessed them, protected them, gave them wisdom and
knowledge, and caused their Babylonian captors to find favor with them.
At the end of their time of learning, they were brought before King
Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 1:19-20 tells us the result of that job interview:
The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the kings service. In every matter
of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he
found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his
whole kingdom. It doesnt hurt to pay attention to God.

Unfortunately, absolute rulers can be sort of fickle. You know, in favor
one moment, out of favor the next. Such is the case with Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. After building a gigantic idol of himself, the
king commanded everyone to fall down and worship the image. He expected
his orders to be carried out. No reason to expect otherwise; after all,
he was the absolute ruler.

Nevertheless, his plans quickly hit a snag. Lo and behold, the three
Israelites refused to bow to and worship their kings idol. Remember,
they had determined from the start that they would not defile themselves.
They knew the command of the King of kings. Turn to Deuteronomy 5:7-10 so
that you can know it, too. You shall have no other gods before me. You
shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven
above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow
down to them or worship them: for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me, but showing love to thousands who love
me and keep my commandments. We can easily see the only choice that
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could make and remain obedient to God.

Unfortunately for them, their response landed them in serious trouble
with the king. As we well know, they were placed into a blazing furnace.
Before that, though, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King
Nebuchadnezzar about God: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend
ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing
furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue
us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know,
O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you
have set up.

Well, not exactly the sort of thing that you should say to an absolute
ruler if you want to stay on his good side. Then Nebuchadnezzar was
furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude toward
them changed. The point, however, is that the three Israelites told
their king about God. It was done in what we might call the
confrontational style, but it was done nevertheless.

Now stop to consider the opportunities we are given to tell about God. Do
we use them? Or do we let them slip away? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
faced a blazing furnace. What do we face? Usually nothing. Oh, every once
in a while someone has to face a job or career decision. But not very
often, at least for now. What it typically comes down to for us, me
included, is the fear of rejection and possible embarrassment. Thats
quite different than a threat of a blazing furnace. Ill bet our good ol
boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would trade places with us any day.

Telling about God, our familiar term is evangelism, is to be one of the
spiritual disciplines we practice. We do not need to be caught up in the
form of how we do it. All of us should be engaged in what is called
lifestyle evangelism. That is, through our lifestyle, others should
witness a difference and be curious enough to ask about it. That would
certainly give us an opportunity to tell about God. Whether we are using
it as an intentional evangelism tool or not, our lifestyle should be a
witness and a testimony to God. If its not, no other evangelism style we
practice will make as much, if any, impact.

We dont have to be street corner evangelists to tell about God verbally.
We recognize that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were already in a
confrontational situation. Their response to the king was
confrontational, and the king responded as we might guess he would. Most
of the time, though, we can be invitational. Invite someone to worship
service or another special service. Be intentional about creating an
environment in which another person may listen to the leading of the Holy
Spirit. Bill Fay, whose Sharing Jesus Without Fear series we have used
in our Bible studies, teaches a method in which the witness asks
questions and the other person does the talking. It leads to a point
where it is determined whether the Holy Spirit is at work in that
situation or not.

That for a lot of us is what we have to remember when we tell others
about God. Our fear of rejection is unfounded because we neither condemn
nor save. If another rejects Jesus, he or she condemns him or herself. If
he or she accepts Jesus as Savior, God saves that person. We are merely
the instruments for Gods use. I do not diminish our importance in the
process; God has chosen to use His people in that capacity. But neither
would I presuppose that I have any ability to save anothers soul. Only
God has that privilege.

Because of their obedient stand, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were
delivered from the blazing furnace. Thats absolutely amazing. So
amazing, in fact, that some people choose not to believe that this story
is literally true. Why doesnt God still do such miracles? some ask.
Who says he doesnt? Maybe our modern skepticism prevents us from
recognizing all sorts of miracles that are occurring. On Wednesday night
VBS, Dan Duke was with us. Dan is the brother of Pastor Dave Duke, and he
is a missionary to Africa for the ministry of Wycliffe Translators. Those
who heard him the Sunday evening he visited us heard testimonies of some
miracles. The children at VBS last Wednesday night heard testimonies of
some miracles. God can still be seen in the miracles He performs.

Consider also the testimony of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It was
not their place to put God on the spot. They made no demands that God
perform a miracle of any kind. But even if [God] does not [rescue us
from your hand], we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your
gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego told about God.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. (John 14:6) This is, of course, one of the many
teachings of Jesus about reconciliation with God and salvation from God.
This is the good news message that we have for everyone. Tell about God.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN