No Worries , If Only I Had...

Whatever you can fill in the blank blank blank then be fulfilled, and I would feel secure in this work. Whatever you put in there is likely an idol is been set up sharing the annual Britt girl said to hear Allen's message, build a church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in a series called no, you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource available to you right now for your donation this month to sharing the as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us@sharingthe.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program now let's get started with today's teaching years Alan Wright you may walk through the searing heat of adversity. No worries, there's another in the fire when a series called no worries, emphasis on no worries.

This is what the Scripture actually calls us to a life free from worry and today were going to look at one of the most marvelous stories and all they'll test that is set in a time of exile for the people of God, and six centuries before Christ and the people have been overrun by Babylon. The Empire has deported them under the leadership of their king Nebuchadnezzar, and so people like Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach me shack and Abednego are in exile in Babylon and there we see these three young men put into a fiery furnace and were going to discover the power of recognizing God's presence with you in the midst of every circumstance. But what we see today is actually a deeper dive than we've had before and you can't miss it when you read the story before it's all about the presence of God.

The story is about the refusal of these men to bow down to an idol when in Daniel chapter 3 at verse line and I might give you some excerpts of this if you want to follow along in Daniel chapter 3, starting at verse one king Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits, and his breath six cubits is 90 feet high 91 and he set it up in the plaintiff door and the province of Babylon. Harold proclaimed allowed your commanded all peoples, nations and languages that when you hear the sound of the hornpipe liar tried to harm bagpipe Americana music you fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up and whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace well and they learn verse 12 of these Jewish men that refuse to do so. There certain Jews, whom you have appointed of the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach me shack and Abednego these men noting pay no attention to it, and serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set. So Nebuchadnezzar comes them.

Verse 15.

If you are ready when you hear the sound of the hornpipe liar target heart bagpipe never cut music default and worship image that I've made well and good but if you do not worship you, shall be immediately cast into a burning fiery furnace was a God who will deliver you on my hands is the question of the sore incident, Shadrach me shack and Abednego answered and said to the king. Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

If this be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand.

Okay, but if not, be known to you again that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up so verse 19 he ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated and in verse 22 because the king's order was so urgent and the furnace overheated the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach me shack and Abednego backfired on in verse 24. King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished. Rose up in haste, and declared to his counselors did we not cast three men down into the fire and the answer to send the king true king, and he answered and said I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire and they are not hurt in the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the God's verse 27 the hair of their heads was not singed their cloaks were not harmed and no smell of fire had come upon them once preached a message on that is called smoking or non-smoking. There was a little boy he was afraid to go in the basement at his house and mother wanted him to get over it.

So she said honey would you go down the basement. Please get the broom for me and his mom analyzing the basement scared. She said no, honey, there's nothing to be scared down.

There's just another room in our house and there's nothing down there to hurt you.

Please Molly, I don't want to.

So she tried a different taxi said hunting. She said listen. Jesus is everywhere and he is with you and fight Jesus is in the basement.

He said Jesus is in the basement. Really, she said yes so I walked over to the door that goes down the stairs to the basement, cracked it over to Jesus, you have a number of things to say. Sounds like the right thing to say but when you're in a scary time how you really count on that. And in a sense that's what this story is about. But as we'll see, it's a story as much about how idols are born and how they come down and how that relates to our worries and I hope to show you in the in how the removal of our idols is most beautiful way that you can become more intensely aware of the presence of God in your own life in order to get at all of this, I would start with is the birthplace of idolatry. Idols are not just these things we make with our hands, three sailors said weekend off, and they were on leave for and had a couple wild nights, Friday and Saturday night at port and about everything you can imagine.

I felt so guilty about all their sin that they will found a little church in the port city and they went to church on Sunday morning and hold minister preached on the 10 Commandments and went right through all the 10 Commandments and after church. The sailors were walking away. They were quiet for a long while until finally one of them spoke up and said well please. We didn't make any graven images this weekend, but in fact of the matter. Idolatry the second of the 10 Commandments is actually maybe our greatest problem is misunderstood. Everything idolatry only little statues and things that you make with your hands like an ancient world or in Hinduism or Buddhism today in Ezekiel 14, three Son of Man these men a set of idols in their hearts. Idolatry is much more about what's going on in your heart than it is just the construct of some piece of pottery, or sculpture and what happened to Nebuchadnezzar was he set up his idol because there was a big idol in his heart to really understand. Chapter 3. And what we've read about today if we had time we read all of chapter 2, but let me tell you the story. What happened is� King Nebuchadnezzar who rules over the Empire of Babylon and the Babylonian Empire has overrun the southern kingdom of Judah and sacked Jerusalem and their philosophy. Politically, was it taken and deport all those people Babylon with their living as exiles, just as the prophet said.

And while there Nebuchadnezzar strategy was to take the best and the brightest of all of these Jewish exiles and and use them in his court. And so Daniel had been promoted because we are so gifted and there are others like me shack up Shadrach and Abednego that that were there in exile, but there there there being used in in matters of royal affairs well. Nebuchadnezzar is arguably the most powerful man in the known world at that time but is reimagined. A troubling dream and nightmare and nightmare was so troubling to him that he called all of his wise men and soothsayers and he said I need someone tell me what this dream mean is of the soothsayers came to him and said answer your Royal highness will be happy to were skilled and dream interpretation. I would be happy to tell you the meaning of your dreams or tell us what is your drink and said no, no, is that I can't trust that you tell me the meaning of the dream unless you can tell me the actual dream is I want you to tell me the dream, and his interpretation or else all you got me killed. I said okay. How is residue that is only the gods could have such information is as I prepare to kill all of his wise man and Daniel steps for Daniel and his friends are also will be killed because now there even though Jews are considered to be part of these wise men in the Nebuchadnezzar's court and he says let me have an audience with the King, and he trusted God is going to show him the dream and its interpretation, and he prays such income to the knees before Nebuchadnezzar and he says I can't. I can't see into these things and I can't interpret them. My God can and he tells Nebuchadnezzar here was your drink.

You had a dream of a giant statue's head was of gold whose breastplate chest was of silver whose midriff was bronze his legs were of iron and whose feet were a mixture of iron and clay, and in your dream a rock that was not cut by human hands came and struck those feet of clay and the entire statute toppled and as it did. It became like chaff in the summer wind and blew away like dust course. Nebuchadnezzar is as you can imagine trembling in all that this person has seen this dream and says here's what it means is you and your kingdom are the golden head and God has allowed you to rule in this position, but there will be a lesser kingdom that will come and follow you and will overthrow your kingdom.

And then there be another kingdom lesser than that. That will come and then there be a another kingdom is like iron that is strong, but then there will come a kingdom that's not cut by human hands, and it will be God's kingdom and it will crush all the others I met rock said that came and struck them grows big like a giant mountain and fills all their search will be.

He said the final King Allen right you are listening to sharing the line will have more teaching in a moment from today's important series ever wish you could be a child again ever long for the simpler days when your biggest financial worry was counting the money in the shoebox eliminates the end ever long for the more carefree times when you wish to long summer days would never end.

If you've ever long to be like a child again.

Author Alan Wright has some good news.

You can Jesus invitation to become like a little child means it's possible when you make a gift to sharing the like today will send you a special bundled gift that includes two audio messages that will help you banish worry and a copy of Alan Wright's book, childlike cards that will lead you into the freedom and wonder of childlike faith. Most of all, when you make a gift of sharing the like today will help us broadcast the love of God to tens of thousands of people every day to sharing and right is only possible because of recent financial support you give to the wall, we will send you today's special affect happiness in this tier as I banks from sharing the right ministries, 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right leg sharing the line.

These teaching now continue you once again is Alan writing was so enchanting about it. Of course, is a historian plug and go well. The Babylonian Empire gave in to the Meadow Persian Empire that followed it, and then the Greek empire and then the strong Roman empire, and in that Roman empire of its time stone that was cut not by human hands. The rock upon which all of our faith is built came and Jesus inaugurated his kingdom and it turned all other kingdoms by comparison to dust and has taken over the world and will reign forever will Nebuchadnezzar was at first an absolute all of this and promoted Daniel and Dana said I liked also promote my three friends, Shadrach me shack and Abednego put them over as precincts in the governance and so they did, but not long after that was when Nebuchadnezzar decided to erect this giant 90 foot golden statue and why did he, having started by saying loud Nebuchadnezzar, Santa Daniel, your God must be the true God to worship and and promoting Daniel.

Why then does he erect this huge golden statue because he is afraid this is the birthplace of all idols fear thanks the uncertainty because the fact that he believed Daniel made him aware that his Babylonian empire was going to come to an end and was almost as if what he did was he said if my empire is symbolized by gold to make this manifestation of my dream a reality.

But I will make it all gold almost as if he could control it by saying is can be Babylonian Empire all the way down to the feet is AR idols are our attempts to deal with our uncertainty or angst about the future are weighty realization of our own mortality.

All of this. Tim Keller said power is often born of fear, and in turn gives birth to more fear a lot of people who have ruled throughout history were fearful people once they were in power they became even more fearful 20th century theologian Einhorn Niebuhr said that man is insecurity seeks to overcome his insecurity by what he called a will to power. He pretends that he is not limited so Nebuchadnezzar built this huge idle made of gold or maybe at least gold plated and it was as if to say, I can make other people bow down and I will prove the dream wrong. That's way idols work idols will reveal your greatest fears again Keller idols give us a sense of being in control. We can locate them by looking at our nightmares. What do we fear the most.

What if we lost it would make life not worth living. And so he makes this huge 90 foot statute is idle and attaches all this fanfare to it, but it's like the whole narrative is mocking the idle because just look at this for fun. If you go through the story.

A phrase keeps recurring.

And that is that Nebuchadnezzar had set it up. Look at verse to the dedication of the image that networking Nebuchadnezzar had set up verse three the provinces gather for the dedication of the image.

A king Nebuchadnezzar had set up an estimate for the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up verse five they all fall down and worship the golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar has set up in verse seven. All the people nation language filled out worship the alone image the king Nebuchadnezzar had set up verse 12.

They do not serve your God to worship the golden image that you have set up. Even Nebuchadnezzar said is true, Shadrach me shack in Mexico. Could you do not serve my guys are worse of the golden image that I have set up and they said verse 18 we will not serve your God to worship the golden image that you have set up time to set it up. He said he decimated himself and he probably not the proper.this is funny is like saying you yourself made it is making fun of idols.

That's generally the prophetic position of the Scripture is to make fun of idols because they have no breath in them know life is folly of idolatry is interesting.

Idols are not really as a lot of people think a replacement to God. But in addition is a interesting story will just briefly mention it. That is one of the earliest and most famous eye scenes of idolatry. When Moses had gone up to the mountain to get the 10 Commandments he was gone longer than the people expect and they still get nervous so they made this golden calf.

In Exodus chapter 30 to see the gold from the hand fashioned it with graving tool made a golden calf said these are God's original tomatoes golden Look at what Aaron says it at the next verse.

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before and we built an altar before the golden calf and Aaron the brother Moses made a proclamation, is that tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord that would have a worship festival to Yahweh. There also have this altar to the golden calf's are idols. Don't assume replace God with their like things, except in our heart there.

In addition to God and they are as if to say, I'm getting sort of nervous and so I need some other things to prompt that made me feel little bit more in charge and whatever you can fill in the blankets.

ITS blank is only had blank then be fulfilled, and I would feel secure in this work. Whatever you put in there is likely an idol that's been set up in the heart and idols are not necessarily these physical surface things, money and prestige all oftentimes or something deeper beneath it.

I think one of the idols that has mostly been destroyed in my life and verify flat codes come by the grace of God but an example of this was in my earlier years. I had a too much of a need for others approval listen.

Idols are not usually something that comes from a bad thing that uses some custom a good thing right me money is not a bad thing but is a good thing can use it for wonderful things, but it can become an idol. If you become like an ultimate thing in the favor of people is a good thing we blessed our kids every day of the life of their grown wisdom stature and favor with God and with people to enjoy this favor of people, and God opens doors and and and enjoy that kind of friendship that's a wonderful thing but it's quite another to start looking to it and say what I need to have others approval or else I'm not to be okay and I don't know maybe just came from the brokenness of my childhood and and broken family.

I just had the seeds of wounds and and wrong belief the planet there about about rejection. Whatever my bit. So I think for a lot of years even into my early adulthood that I had erected like an idol of approval and the problem.

Once you do this, is that what we see is the idle itself. You think if only I have everybody's approval then I'll feel secure in life will feel worthwhile and I'll be fulfilled. The problem is, not only does it not solve your worries, but it adds to them.

Because what happens is as soon as you make an idol and you put it up on the shelf of your heart is, unless I have this then I can be fulfilled. What happens as soon as somebody doesn't approve of what is does reject you will idol you set up mocks you in return will get you. You worry about it all the more you're listening to shearing the light in today's teaching another in the fire from the series. No worries. Alan is back in the studio shearing the parting good news thought for the day here in just a moment.

Watch the way a one-year-old sleeps, not a care in the world or listen to the belly laugh of a toddler finding joy in the simplest things little children don't know the meaning of dread.

Today, freedom, wonder, and trust come naturally to little children.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be like a child again. Here's the good news you can. Jesus invitation to become like a little child means it's possible when you make your generous donation ensuring like today will send you a special bundled gift that includes a two message audio CD that will help you manage worry and a copy of Alan Wright's book a childlike heart that will lead you into the freedom and wonder of childlike faith.

When you partner with shearing the you enable us to share the grace of God. People everywhere to make your gift today and rediscover the piece of a childlike heart to sing and write is only possible because of recent financial support. When you get to the wall, we will send you today's special affect happiness in this tier as I banks from sharing the right ministries, 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right leg back here and so you were putting the bookmark your another in the fire the series. No worries.

So what you parting thought for the person listening right now. But here's the good news or to learn more about this tomorrow, but if an idol that we set up in our lives turns around and shames us as we been described. If the idle that we set up to relieve our worry instead makes us worry. The good news is that if I set it up. I can take it down and so the idle start acting like it has this huge amount of power over you as I'll be sharing more about what I used to have an idol.

I think of others approval well it can get bigger and bigger in your mind and you just find yourself working harder and harder for others approval until the day you go. Wait a minute know I don't have to have that Amaury approved in God and so then you have the full right and authority to take down those idols, smashing and so I think that's really good news Daniel because what it means is, were never helpless when it comes idols in our lives. Alan Wright's daily shearing the devotion in your inbox each morning when you sign up shearing the who Archie this is been sharing the light right listener supported production of shearing the likeness