When Faith Is in the Fire | Part 2

From the Love Word Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler, here with Kerry Vaughn, the CEO of Love Word Finding. Today, Kerry, we're in part two of a message Adrian Rogers started yesterday when faith is in the fire. Our text is Daniel chapter 3 verses 1 through 30. And I'm always encouraged when I read the story in Daniel 3 of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar's idol. Hey, these guys were zealots. I mean, they did not bow. They did not bend.

And guess what? They did not burn. You know, it's impossible to please God without faith. And these men had just a steadfast faith. Well, Kerry, you know, at times we go through great testings in life and our faith is challenged. And even with this example here, Adrian Rogers has, his faith has been challenged at times. The faith that can't be tested can't be trusted. And so God God will test our faith.

And actually, when it goes through the fire, it will come out all the stronger. I know in my life I had a heartbreaking thing. It was a family problem, a daughter that went through great anguish and problems. And I stained heaven with my prayers and it seemed like nothing was happening. And yet, when I've come out on the other side, I look back, I realize that God was there and that He did sustain us. The faith that was placed in Him was not misplaced. But it was a test that really, actually, has made my faith stronger than ever. Dr. Rogers said it's one thing to have faith to escape, it's another thing to have faith to endure. You know, Byron, I'd rather be in the fire with Jesus Christ than to be outside the fire without Him. Amen? Well, think about where these three guys were for God. I mean, at the time there was this emotional enticement. The social obligation to bow down to this idol.

Everybody was doing it, right? But they said, no, we will not bow because we're serving the one true God. And I think that's the type of faith we want to have today, right? It doesn't matter what society, it doesn't matter what our friends or colleagues are doing.

It matters. Are we going to make a stand for God? And are we going to walk by faith and walk in His presence? Well, as you know, Kerry, we always enjoy hearing from our listeners. And here's a response we recently received. In my most difficult moments of despair, these messages arrived as if my Lord were speaking to me personally. Thank you, Pastor Rogers, for preaching the Word of God.

God bless you always. Kerry, love we're finding is all about helping our listening friends grow in their faith. And this month, we have a special offer.

We've got a great offer. It's called Good Morning, Lord. And, you know, the most important thing for us to do is get along with God each and every morning. We know that His mercies are new every day. And this new book complements the quiet time in a fresh and personal way. So take advantage of that and use that in your daily walk.

Yeah, go to the website lwf.org and take advantage of that offer. Well, with today's message, part two, when faith is in the fire, here's Adrian Rogers. First of all, as we learn to stand alone, I want you to see the very fury that these boys faced.

I mean, the pressures that were upon them. Now, again, let me show you that Nebuchadnezzar does picture and stands for the Antichrist. Now, I want you to see what old Nebuchadnezzar did so long ago to try to get people to conform.

Look in verse five. At what time you hear the sound of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sack, but the psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image. The Babylonian orchestra began to play. There was incredible music. You see, what does music do?

Music touches the emotions. Music is a gift of God, but the devil also knows the power of music. And Satan is using music today like never before to enforce his diabolical plans upon the world. Satan is a master musician.

The Bible even speaks of Satan as having tablets or pipes in him. When he speaks, it's like majestic music. Now, his music can be hideously beautiful or it can have a demonic beat, but it is Satan's tool as never before. Satan wants to capture a generation by music, and who will deny? Who will deny that there is emotional enticement?

But wait a minute, not only emotional enticement, secondly, there is social inducement. The Bible mentions in verses 2 and 3 that everybody was doing this. And in verse 4, the herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages.

Everybody is going to be doing it. If you do not fall in line, if you do not step in time, if you do not do what you're told to do in this day and in this age, you're going to be looked upon as an oddball. And then there is government enforcement.

Look, if you will, in verse 6, and whosofore is not down in worshipeth, the same shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Now, the government in that day and the government more and more in our day is trying to squeeze everybody into a mold and say that you cannot stand for this thing or you cannot stand for that thing. We will arrest you for contempt of court or we will take away your tax exempt status.

We will do this. We will do that because you are in the way of the progress of peace. And friend, Jesus said in the last days, there's coming a time when those who kill you will think they do God a service. And so not only was there this governmental enforcement, there's going to be spiritual defilement. Now, you see, the devil was behind all of this. Look in verse 6, and whosofore is not down and worshipeth. Now, learn this about the devil. Learn this about the devil. The devil does not want casualties. He wants converts. The devil wants to be worshiped. And the antichrist that comes, he wants to be worshiped. Here's the thing I want you to see now, the faith that they followed.

I want you to see what it was that helped these three young men to stand alone because these are the things that you're going to have to have and you're going to have to have in the hearts and lives of your children. Now, begin in verse 13, if you will. Daniel chapter 3 and verse 13. Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Then they brought these men before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet flute, harp, sackbutt, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I made well. And if ye worship not, ye should be cast the same hour into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Now, notice the spirit of antichrist here. Notice the contempt he has for God. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

Now, old folks, here's where it gets good. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Now, when he says we're not careful, that is, we don't have to hesitate, we don't have to study about it, we're not worried about it, we don't have to ponder about it, we're not careful to answer thee in this matter. 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. But now notice this, hallelujah. 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. Now, suppose we're there, and we say, now, boys, let's give you some advice.

You're in a tough spot. I mean, your faith is about to be in the fire. Now, fellas, let me just tell you what to do. Now, here's the average carnal Christian speaking, when in Babylon, do what? Do as the Babylonians did. Go along to get along.

I mean, after all, it'd be a whole lot better for you to compromise a little bit here and live a little longer so you do some more good than just simply to be stubborn and to stand up, and after all, Christians are supposed to get along with everybody and everything, including the devil himself, so just don't stand alone. But these men did, and how did they do it? By the faith that they had. Now, I want you to notice the faith they followed, and I want you to notice three things about that faith.

Number one, it was a settled faith. Look, if you will, in verse 16. In verse 16, they said, we're not careful to answer you, O king. We don't have to get in a huddle. We don't have to ponder it. We don't have to say, now, king, give us a night to sleep on it.

We don't have to have a committee meeting. You know what I believe these boys had done? I believe these boys had already been in a revival meeting. I believe they had been in a revival meeting before they were carried away captive under good king Josiah.

There had been a revival in the preaching of Jeremiah. They had God's Word hidden down in their heart. They already knew what was right.

They already knew what was wrong. Let me tell you something, dear friend, if you're spending too much time trying to make up your mind what you're going to do about this thing and this thing and this thing and this thing, one of the greatest things I've learned in life is one big decision will keep you from a lot of little ones is make one big one. Have you ever, you and your wife going out to supper one night and you pull out of the driveway and she says, well, where do you want to go? Well, what do you want? Well, I don't know. What about so and so? I don't know.

What about so and so? And you're steering the car all over the neighborhood like this. Look, folks, if you know you're going to thus and such a place, when you come out, you just turn and go, right? I mean, you made one big decision, then the rest of it's just automatic. And so it is in life. When you make a certain decision, when you say this is right and this is wrong and then when Nebuchadnezzar says what are you going to do, you say, hey, I don't have to think about it.

I don't have to think about it. Their faith was a settled faith. I'll tell you something else about it. It was a strong faith. Look in verse 17. They said, our God is able. You better believe that.

Man, I'm telling you, you better believe it. You better believe when he says, who is that God that shall deliver thee? You better believe there is a God who said, call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee. I will. My dear friend, that's the word of a holy God.

He will deliver us. But here's the point I want you to learn and this is most important. That faith that was a settled faith, we don't have to worry about it.

We don't have to consult about it. That faith which was a strong faith, our God is able. Now, you listen to me, dear friend. It was a steadfast faith.

Now, here's something very interesting. In verse 18, he says, but if not, look at it, but if not be it known unto thee, O king, we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Now, God is able to deliver us. We don't have any doubt about that.

And he will deliver, no doubt about that. But if not, we're not going to serve your gods. We're not going to worship your image. Now, what does if not mean? Does that mean if God is not able?

Not at all. Does that mean if God does not deliver us? No, that's not what it means.

It means if in this situation we be turned to bacon, if when you throw us like chips of wood into a fiery Vesuvius, we're consumed. If that's the way it works out, fine, fine. We're still not going to worship your God, Nebuchadnezzar. Now, they don't have any doubt as to God's power.

That's not the point at all. They just simply might... It may happen that God in his sovereignty may want these boys to die in the flames. You can die in the flames.

Now, let me ask you a question. Does your faith have an if not clause in it? Our God is able to deliver us. We all like that.

We all believe that. But if he doesn't, are you still going to serve him? Now, folks, right now we're getting down to the gritty part of the nitty right here. I want you to turn with me to Hebrews. Just stay there in the third chapter of Daniel and turn with me this time. We're going to take a moment here and turn with Hebrews. That's back toward the back of the Bible. And Hebrews chapter 11.

Now, this is very important in standing alone. You know, all of us like the story of these three men in the fiery furnace. Why?

Because they came out how we like it. But now I want you to listen. Verse 32, the preacher's running out of time here, and so he says, And what shall I more say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah and of David and of Samuel and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Boy, now, if we just stopped there, we'd say, boy, sign me up.

Where do I sign? Man, I like that. You mean why God just gives victory after victory? That's the most wonderful thing, and we love the stories of Daniel and the lion's den. Oh, how we love that. We love the story of David and Goliath. How we love that. We love the story of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace.

How we love that. We love the story of our Lord raising the dead and healing the sick. We love those stories. We love the story of how Peter came out of prison.

We all love those stories. But, friend, it doesn't end there. I want you to continue to read now, and in verse 35, and others, oh, boy, it's the and others that's going to get you right now. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Friend, if God doesn't give you what you want, he'll give you something better than you want. Now, you listen to me. Others had a trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. Well, you say, well, they were put in prison, but they got out after a while.

Oh, look at verse 37. They were stoned. They were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword.

They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth, these all having obtained a good report through faith. You say, well, if they'd just had enough faith, they'd have been delivered. Oh, no, they got a on the report card through faith, and they were not delivered in the way that you and I would call deliverance. These three Hebrew boys, they knew.

They said, our God is able, and he's going to deliver us. But he may not keep us out of your fiery furnace, and he may not keep us alive in the furnace. That's okay. We're still not going to bow. We're not going to budge.

Now, my dear friend, you listen to me and listen big, straight, and tall and plain. It is one thing to have faith to escape. It's another thing to have faith to endure. It's one thing to be sick and have faith to be healed. It's another thing to be sick and not be healed and still praise God. And that takes greater faith. That takes greater faith. All these by faith received a plus on their report card.

They received a good report. My dear friend, it is one thing to be delivered. It's another thing to die and all by faith. And there better be an if not clause in your deal with God and your contract with God. Our God is able to deliver us. And if he doesn't deliver us, it's not because he can't. You read there in the New Testament where James was put in prison by Herod and Herod cut off his head. Then Peter's put in prison and God delivers Peter out of prison. Therefore, God could have delivered James, but he did not deliver James, but he did deliver Peter.

And why? Well, you can ask him when you get to heaven. My friend, I just want to tell you that God is sovereign. God is a sovereign God and God knows what is best and God may not always deliver you from your trials and your tribulations and your temptations. And if he doesn't, what are you to do?

Just stand. Just stand by faith. Now, let me tell you what faith is. Faith is not primarily receiving from God what you want. It is accepting from God what he gives.

Did you hear me? Not primarily receiving from God what you want is accepting from God what he gives. And these boys, they had what kind of a faith? It was a subtle faith.

We don't have to worry about it. Friend, it was a strong faith. Our God is able and it was a steadfast faith. Even if he doesn't deliver us, we're not going to bow. We're not going to budge.

We're not going to bend. We may burn, but our God will deliver us out of your hand, Nebuchadnezzar. Now, folks, I want to tell you, we just have some sort of little fairy tale faith where we think that somehow at the last moment the lone ranger's going to come riding over the hill and deliver us.

That's not necessarily true. But I want to tell you, my dear friend, there is a God in heaven who's going to take care of you in the fire, through the fire, or whatever. I love Romans 8, verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things. In all these things, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Friend, we didn't win with a field goal in the last two seconds. We are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Now, finally and very quickly, and I've spent too much time on the first two points, so I'm just going to give you the synopsis of the last point. I've talked to you about the fury they faced. I've talked to you about the faith they followed. I want to talk to you for just a few moments about the fellowship they found. And you can go read the story when you go home.

But what happened? They're bound. They're thrown into this fiery furnace. This furnace is heated seven times hotter than it's ever been heated. Why, the men that threw them in are burned with such burns that they cannot survive. There are these three boys down there in the fiery furnace.

Our young people here sing a little musical called It's Cool in the Furnace. There they are walking around in the furnace. After a while, Nebuchadnezzar decides he'll go down and have a look. He'll see how these three are rebellious young men who would not bow and would not budge are doing. When he looks down there, he said, hey, wait a minute, didn't we put three men in the fire? Well, he said, I see four walking around down there. And the fourth is like the Son of God, like the Son of God. Friend, what happened when they got down there?

Three things. First of all, the Bible says that the bonds, the ropes that were put on them were all burned off. There was not even a smell of smoke in their clothes. I wish I could say that when I come home from the barbershop. Not even the smell of smoke in their clothes.

Listen to me. The only thing the fire burned off of them was what the world had put on them. If you go through the fire, God's just cleansing you. He knows how to cleanse you. The times you'll grow the most are when your faith's in the fire. I can tell you that's true. Now, look, there was the cleansing of the saint.

I'll tell you something else. There was the companionship of the Savior. Jesus, Jesus will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be closer to you than when you take a stand for Him and say, no matter what anybody else is going to do, dear Jesus, I'm going to please you. Lord, if it cost, Lord, if I'm cast in the fire, Lord, if I'm hated, castigated, refused, spurned, ignored, killed, Jesus, I'm going to stand for you. I'll tell you, Jesus will move in and lock arms with you and walk through that fire with you, my dear friend. If you want Jesus Christ to be real, you stop being a candy-legged Christian, a Sunday morning benchwarmer and start to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ and there'll be the companionship of the Savior. And last of all, and I wish I had time just to speak about an hour on all three of these, there'll be the conviction of the sinner.

There will be. Oh, Nebuchadnezzar looked down there. He said, what's happening here? Why aren't they burned up? Because their God delivered them. Those Babylonians worshiped the fire God.

That's what it's all about. His name was Isbar. Well, Isbar wasn't like Jehovah.

And Nebuchadnezzar had to admit it. There's no God like our God. You know when this world is going to start having respect for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible, when you and I, by the grace of God, stand alone, you better teach your children, friend, because the spirit of antichrist is already in the world. You won't even begin to stand against antichrist. You won't even begin to stand if you don't have Christ in your heart. Are you saved? You can't teach your children if you don't know.

Are you prepared to teach your children what's right and what's wrong? Father, I pray that many today will give their hearts to Christ, will be saved, and even today will open their hearts and say yes to Christ. In His dear name, amen. Well, what a powerful reminder that as these days grow gloriously dim, we must stand on the principles of God's Word for things that are true and righteous, which last throughout time and eternity. Today, if you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus, we'd love to offer an insightful resource on our website. It's the Discover Jesus page. You'll find answers you may need about your faith. There's a response section. You can share how this message or others have made a difference in your life.

Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. We can't wait to hear from you today. Understanding the fury to conform to this world, do you have the faith to stand alone? Take courage today. Know that whatever fire you face, the Lord is with you. We hope you'll join us tomorrow for another message from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding.