2) Ministry From Spring Harvest - Chapter 3 — George Verwer

Reading Daniel’s Account of the Fiery Furnace

Can we open our Bibles to Daniel chapter 3. Daniel chapter 3 how many managed to Read at least this far in the book of Daniel. Raise your hand. Well, that's. That's good, we know you all have very busy Days.

There's so much to do here Praise God for the prayer meeting last night. How many have already visited the book exhibition. Raise your hand. Great. I had a very encouraging time there yesterday afternoon and I Picked up especially a book that I'd like to mention by one of my favorite authors John Stott The cross of Christ probably one of the most comprehensive In-depth books that's ever been written on the cross and all of the aspects of the cross of Christ and I urge you to Get a copy of that.

Now with our shortness of time I am tempted not to read the passage because it's a long chapter. But I Resisted that temptation because I feel it's important since many of you have not yet read it That we read this chapter together I'm reading from the New International Version.

Please do listen or follow hopefully both. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold 90 feet high Nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the presence of Babylon. He then summoned the set traps Prefects governors advisors treasurers judges magistrates And all the other provincial officials to come To do for the dedication of the image he had set up.

So the set traps Prefects governors and advisors and treasurers and judges and magistrates and all the provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar had set up and They stood before it.

Then the Herald loudly proclaimed This is what you are commanded to do. Oh people's nations and men of every language As soon as you hear the sound of the horn flute The lair the harp the pipes and all kinds of music you must You must fall down and worship the image of God that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Therefore as soon as they heard the sound of the horn The flute the scythe or the lyre the harp and all kinds of music all the people's nations and men of every language fell down and Worshipped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up at this time some astrologers very big thing these days.

Some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said the King Nebuchadnezzar Oh King live forever. You have issued a decree Oh King that everyone who hears the sound of the horn the flute the scythe or the lyre the harp the pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and Worship the image of gold and whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.

There are some Jews Whom you have said over the affairs of the province of Babylon Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Who pay no attention to you Oh King. That neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up furious with rage.

Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. And Nebuchadnezzar said to them. Is it true Shadrach Meshach and Abednego that you have not. Do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up.

Now when you hear the sound of the horn the flute The scythe or the lyre the harp the pipes and all kinds of music if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made very good. But if you do not worship it you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace.

Then what. God will be able to rescue you from my hands. Shadrach Meshach and Abednego replied to the king Oh Nebuchadnezzar We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. Strong words 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, okay.

But even if he does not. We want you to know King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach Meshach and Abednego. And his attitude toward them change.

He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

So these men wearing their robes trousers and turbans and other clothes were bound. Were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace the king. The king's command was so urgent. But the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego.

And these three men firmly tied fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors Weren't there three men we tied up and threw into the fire.

They replied certainly. Oh King he said look I see four I See four men walking around in the fire Unbound and unharmed and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted Shadrach Meshach Abednego Servants of the Most High God come out come here so Shadrach Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire and The satraps and the prefects and the governors and the royal advisors crowded around them.

They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies nor was a hair of their heads singed. Their robes were not scorched and there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said Praise be to God To the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who has sent his angels and rescued his servants they trusted in him and Defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any gods except their own God.

Therefore I Decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces. And their houses be turned into piles of rubble. For no other God can save in this way.

Then the king promoted Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Let's just pray Our father we are challenged By this great chapter in your word, and we know it is not just these three men Who faced a fiery furnace?

God’s Presence in the Fiery Furnace

But that all through the history of your people there have been the fiery furnace tactics of the forces of darkness and Perhaps even this morning there are some That seem to be in a fiery furnace a time of testing a time of trial a time of pressure and we pray Oh God that somehow in the midst of this time of Testing they may live and they may understand Your presence the fourth person.

That you may minister that you may strengthen that there may be healing. Yeah, Oh God healing for damaged emotions healing for hurt healing and forgiveness for sin and that we may Be your people Standing fast standing firm under pressure to do your will whatever the cost.

Guide us now give us open hearts. We don't want to Oh Lord. Just be hearers of the word but doers. We want this revolution of love begun at Calvary just continue to spread across the world through our lives.

But we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Yesterday as we dealt with chapter 1 we tried to link our thinking together By emphasizing four words and we don't want to forget those words through the remaining Bible studies.

Because these words don't stop in chapter 1. But they are major themes. Right through this whole book of Daniel that we are wanting to understand sovereignty. Discipline holiness. Perseverance if you weren't there yesterday.

You of course can get the cassette tape. I'm listening to RT Kendall who spoke on Daniel last week and what a blessing I got this morning as I got up early and Went out to the seacoast. It's a little difficult getting there early in the morning.

But there is a little hole in the fence way on that end. And if you're skinny like me you can crawl through. It would have been interesting if I got arrested George Verwer arrested at spring harvest. But as I walked along the coast and ran along the coast this morning.

She's been a habit of my life for a couple of decades. I Was listening to the ministry of RT Kendall on Daniel chapter 3 given a week ago. How I thank God for that man. For the example, he has been in London and he went through some fiery trials and shared on that tape God's power to deliver.

And I hope you will take advantage of the cassette tape material that's available here. It's phenomenal what you can get. So I want you to if you weren't here at least remember those four words. Because we're building In our understanding of this great book.

Sovereignty we spoke of God's providence discipline. Especially linked with verse 8 in chapter 1 holiness and perseverance. Now as we move into chapter 3. And my preference would be that we could have an extra morning for chapter 2.

Especially to see what's happening in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. Who is really the sort of? Superstar. Anti-hero. There's not a hero in this book. But a very important character. We see the enormous hypocrisy the enormous Amount of fickleness in this leader of the government.

And I think as we look out over governments in the world today we see too many Nebuchadnezzars and in the light of that we need a few more Daniels and Yay, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego's four words. I want to leave with you this morning.

Pressure from Death and Society

The first word is pressure. This is the age of pressure. I Think our skit illustrated that and it was not far-fetched. But we're living in a day when many women Just with the pressure of the house the pressure of marriage and of course men as well are coming apart.

And I feel that Christians often have a Very naive view of what it's all about. At least often. Until it's too late. I Fear that even some of the Christian books of our day Leave us with a distorted naive view of what life is all about.

Thank God for this chapter of Spiritual truth and reality. Life is filled with pressure. Whether you're a housewife or a business executive. As you may have seen in that unique film baby boom. Whether you're a pastor an evangelist an IBM corporate head a farmer or a Taxi driver there will be pressure.

And if you are going to go on for God You must learn how to handle pressure. Let's look at some of the pressure these men faced now. We don't know where Daniel is at this point. He's not here in this chapter.

He may have been praying one commentator suggests that He may have been off on official government business because he had been promoted in the sovereignty of God. There's that word again to a very important place in Referring to some of these verses.

I will be going back to my authorized version. I Hope that doesn't confuse you. I have both of them. And I was reading just before coming here this whole chapter again in the Living Bible a paraphrase that I strongly recommend to help especially some of us.

Understand the scriptures better. We see different kinds of pressure. First of all in my mind there is the pressure of death. Let's not pretend let's not fake it that we don't at times wrestle with the fear of death.

There was a group of men Recorded in the book of Acts that said they would not eat until Paul was dead. You remember that I spoke on that passage 50 times to Christian leaders around the world because I believe I believe there is a conspiracy brood in hell against Christian leaders.

And we need to be praying for our pastors praying for our deacons. Praying for our elders much more than we are at this present time. Fear of death is very real. It's the no-no 20 years ago. Sex was the no-no now we talk about sex, but we don't talk about death and I'm sure these men were as human as any of us and When that threat came It was an enormous pressure it comes again and again verse 6 Whoever falleth not down and worship it.

Shall the same hour be cast in the midst of a burning fiery furnace now. You need to understand these men were not 100 sure they were going to be delivered. It's a very key little verse that you don't want to miss.

We need to look at it just for a moment over in verse 18 but if not Verse 17 they express that they believe God is going to deliver them. Why verse 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 we're going to come back to that.

It's a very important biblical truth greatly neglected in our day. So they didn't have that hundred percent assurance. I Wrestle with death when I'm in a plane and I have to fly all the time. I'm flying to Puerto Rico in a few days.

I Have to wrestle with whether I'm going to preach in Spanish or English. My Spanish is terrible, but people love it. They get so many laughs and I'm actually more free in some ways than in Spanish than English.

I murder the grammar it ends up a riot. I think I better use an interpreter. But when I think a plane is going to crash. That 1 doubt that I have well hidden looms up to the surface and So I pray Lord, I think if you take the plane down this time I'll make a Bible study on heaven and we'll try this again.

These men faced death and Yet they would not move. They would not move and over in verse 15 when they were given another chance in the old English. It says now if ye be ready in the Living Bible says I'll give you another chance.

This was the golden opportunity. They said no. You know our position. There's no need to talk any longer. So there was tremendous pressure from the fear of death. There was pressure from society. And perhaps that's a greater pressure in your life.

We haven't got time to go into depth, but notice three times this passage mentions the names of all these bigwigs. They all came First to all the rulers of the provinces. Captains governors princes they came To honor Nebuchadnezzar they came to worship the golden image.

And I think we need to understand something at this point. Satan is not happy when you just fall on your face a bit in your Christian life. None of us want that do we? But I'm I've been down so many times That it's a miracle.

My nose doesn't have a permanent dent. But I Know how to get back as Eric little did in that brilliant film chariots of fire. When he fell in that great marathon or that great race. He got up all how beautiful the slow-motion camera showed that and he got back into the race.

Satan’s Desire to Defeat Believers

Satan will not be happy With you just having an occasional spill. Satan wants you down and out. Satan wants you worshiping him. Satan wants you denying the Christian faith. Satan wants you defeated. This is why It's so important when we fail when we sin.

To understand understand God's forgiveness understand God's grace. Understand God's healing power and bounce back. The enemy Satan working through never get Nebuchadnezzar working through these jealous.

Officers wanted these men to bow down and worship a Golden image though, it would be breaking one of the ten commandments. Pressure from Society pressure from our peers. Everybody's doing it. Have you ever heard that?

Everybody's doing it. How many have been caught up in the drug scene? Yes, even Christians. Because everybody's doing it a bigger problem in America than here. But it is invading and has been invading Britain for many years and now on top of all the other drug problems.

We have a crack problem and Christians need to be informed about drugs. And if you think your own teenagers can't get into drugs, you have a very naive view about life. Everybody's doing. It might be cigarettes.

It might be excess of alcohol. It may be injustice cheating in exams cheating in business. Everybody's doing it. The amount of bribery that is now going on on many levels of British society would stun us.

Now those of us who have lived in lands in the east. When we come back here where we feel we're almost in the bribe list society. The little things go on and big things go on in government that are hushed and covered.

Fresh no wonder Romans chapter 12 Calls us not to be conformed to this world. But to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and one of the reasons we're here this week is to have our minds renewed.

Don't feel guilty living in a partly Christian environment for a week. Don't feel that this is some kind of escape. Any more than it is to go out into the desert or into the woods and be alone with God.

Jesus Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness alone with God. Was that some kind of escape? Brothers and sisters, I wish I could speak to you on the subject of intimidation. Because I believe many Christians are defeated because of the subtle intimidation that comes not only from society Pagan society, but the subtle forms of intimidation that come from lukewarm Christians who don't want anybody to rock the boat who are lovers of the status quo who are bound by tradition and the pressure is subtle the innuendos are subtle and you'll have some of them when you go back from spring harvest and You'll need wisdom as you go back on how you share.

It's often not what we share. Is it it's how we share because people that are not at spring harvest. Maybe they've had a blessing as well. And maybe we ought to be better listeners as it says in James chapter 1 so that when we go home all excited about spring harvest.

And what God has done in our lives hallelujah and our prayer concerts. We'll listen to what God has been doing in somebody else's life. We'll take an interest a legitimate interest in other people who may have different experiences in life and.

Maybe some of that intimidation and pressure will never come. Don't go looking for trouble. Don't go from spring harvest looking for a fight. Looking for an argument with your vicar who maybe is not here and may not grasp all that's happening.

And How you speak about what happens here will determine how much pressure you build up as a result of spring harvest. Sometimes as God's people We lack wisdom in. These days we're heavy in the Psalms.

We've got a new chorus on the Psalms every month. Phrase God. I spent time in the Psalms almost every morning my entire Christian life. I was selling books door-to-door once in my hometown. Somehow where all this started and a lady so I was a spiritual baby brought me in.

And she said something about the Psalms, but then she said I think you must also read the Proverbs. She knew that in my spiritual age. I lacked common sense and She said a proverb a day will keep the devil away and the 31 for every day in the month do it.

The Bible doesn't end at the end of Psalms. Yes, we want praise. We want worship. We want Thanksgiving, but we need wisdom common sense. It's a gift. Pressure from peers. Pressure from society. Pressure from death.

The fear of death the threat of death. But there's also pressure from accusations verse 8 where for at that time certain chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. You and I are going to be tested in our Christian life.

And one of the tough tests Will be if people aren't jealous of us. Dr. Kendall shared about this last week how difficult it is to deal with jealousy. It's not easy to go to someone and say hey, I believe you're jealous.

That's not easy. Is it it. May you may not be the case but a lot of problems come in the church because of jealousy. And I am sorry to say I've seen it among Christian leaders. In fact, I've seen in some places Christian leaders have very little contact with one another.

They live sometimes in their own world. They listen to their own fans. They minister mainly in their own church if they're a pastor. It's not easy to get to them. Tozer warned Christian leaders about this.

And one Christian leader can be jealous of other Christian leaders. You think there's any jealousy among Christian leaders in Great Britain. Only God can give the answer. But I know this. If people become jealous of you because God has given you a gift because God is using you.

They of course as we'll see in chapter 6 later in Daniel. They will look for something wrong they will try to find some little bit of dirt and they will go for you. And if you're gonna follow God you better get used to it and You better develop a little bit of spiritual toughness is that word in your vocabulary.

I Have the great privilege Of touring Great Britain about 10 years ago with Sheila Walsh before she got so famous. 21 nights with Sheila Walsh. She brought them in and I sent them out hallelujah, and I was so excited when her biography came out.

God Put a fight in me. I want to ask you as we look at these three great fighters for God. Have you developed spiritual fight? Have you developed spiritual toughness? I Was talking to a top Christian corporate head from London.

Who hires both Christians and non-christians for his big computer company? And he shared with me that the weakness he finds among his Christian staff. It's the lack of spiritual toughness. Now don't misunderstand me.

We need gentleness. We need love. We need the fruit of the Spirit. We need sensitivity. But there's a time. When we have to stand firm. When we have to say to the enemy no, no no further. When we have to stand to the Nebuchadnezzar's in our life and say really you don't need to say any more.

This is where I stand and unless you develop spiritual fight. Unless you develop spiritual toughness and that will take time and you will be tested in the process. Then you will not be able to face the fiery furnace.

Experiences that are coming down life's road at you in the near future. Pressure. All kinds of pressure. Accusation false accusation criticism. And lastly there's pressure from backbiting first nine. They spoke and said to the king they went behind their back and People do that and we need to still love them when they do it.

And if someone has gone behind your back and they stabbed you I Beseech you in the name of Jesus right now to forgive them. They may have not fully understood what they were doing. It may have been a moment of failure.

But you have no right not to forgive anyone. Who has stabbed you in the back? I brought a book here that I've been urging everybody on OM for 10 years to read. It's called healing for damaged emotions.

I Wrote a forward for it. It's sold 250 ,000 copies. It's the hottest book. I know on that subject also criticized but brothers and sisters. We're not going to get what we need to get. From the book of Daniel these days if you yourself are locked into an unforgiving spirit.

If you yourself are experiencing the pain of deep damaged emotion by some person some Accusation some backstabber some Nebuchadnezzar and you're refusing to forgive them. It may be a mother and maybe a father and maybe your little brother.

It may be the pastor of that last church where you used to go the message of forgiveness Is not so strong in the book of Daniel. That's why we have the whole Bible. But without experiencing and understanding forgiveness and what it is to stand against accusation and Innuendo and backbiting we will not be able to get this week from God what he wants to give us.

Let us repent. Let us claim that healing. Let us claim that forgiveness and then move on and become the Shadrach's the Mishak's and the Bendigo's. That we should be the second word. I want to share is the word courage courage.

Courage to Stand Firm

We see this in the testimony the consistent testimony of these three men. Look at verse 16 Shadrach Mishak and Abednego answered and said to the king Oh Nebuchadnezzar. We are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver. To deliver us from the binding the burning fiery furnace and He will deliver us out of thine hand. And then that verse we already looked at but if not be it known unto thee Oh king that we will not serve thy gods.

Nor worship the golden image which thou has set up. I've written right over my Bible carriage. I've written right next to carriage. Boldness. I would love to speak to you if I chose my subject ever at spring harvest at some future event I would choose be filled with the Holy Ghost.

That is the privilege of every believer and I don't believe in the New Testament day that we're going to go into the fiery furnace and Stand to test if we're not filled with the Holy Spirit. We can't separate one doctrine from another.

These men were bold the Spirit of the Lord was upon them. The Spirit of God was active in the Old Testament. And we need that kind of boldness. We need that kind of courage. The third word. I want to leave with you is deliverance.

God’s Sovereign Deliverance

Deliverance. This is an important emphasis in our day, and I would like five days to speak about deliverance. We know what happened these men were put in the fiery furnace. The furnace was heated seven times because never can Ezra Reacted to their testimony to their boldness to their consistency and he became angry.

And he asked that the fire be heated so great that even when the soldiers Went to put the three men into the fire. They himself were destroyed. Is it an interesting message right in there. There's at least 30 messages by the way in this chapter.

If dr. Lloyd-jones was expounding this chapter. And his books are some of the greatest books. I've ever read. Especially spiritual depression. It's causing cure which got the wrong title. It's actually a book.

They will get you depressed if you don't repent. But he would like probably if he was expounding at least one Sunday for each verse. Interesting. We've got 30 verses in 40 50 minutes anyway. We're at least getting our feet wet.

Those men who went to put Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego in the furnace were killed by the very fire. They live and I want to tell you you may think the devil at times is getting a victory. You may think the demon powers are getting a victory but many times as we stand for God many times as we repent and claim the blood of Jesus Christ the enemy will be destroyed by his own tactics and I could give you a hundred examples from my 34 years of serving Jesus Christ.

And Maybe it was the enemy. Maybe it was the enemy that caused the ship Lagos to hit those rocks a little over a year ago. But I'll tell you Satan has paid a big price. Number one all the people were delivered that has given all image greatest publicity in the history of our work and in Britain far more people are now interested in the ship than they ever were when it sailed successfully for 17 years.

Says a lot about Britain. There is a unique sense of humor in this nation. That responds to a crisis. Many an American comedian has almost committed suicide going on a British stage. He's come up. He's told his funniest stories and people have sat there with stone faces.

As he walked off the stage he fell and broke his arm and people rolled with laughter. Well, if Satan caused the sinking of the ship Lagos and we'll find out in heaven it was in God's permission in God's permissive will and I believe We have seen the victory as God has given us a ship twice at the size Lagos has for ten years been too small.

We were going to spend a hundred and fifty thousand to make it bigger. That's very interesting with a ship and God gently took us took it from us. The enemy can be destroyed by his own tactics by his own flames.

These men were delivered God in his sovereign purposes. Chose to deliver these three men. And we notice in verse 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 the gods.

God doesn't always deliver like this. Study Hebrews chapter 11 and you'll see that some were delivered and some were not. Pick up that amazing book Fox's Book of Martyr Book of Martyrs or other similar books and You will see that many many times God in his sovereignty as with Stephen when he preached in the open air allows his people to suffer and Sometimes to have ultimate deliverance from this world.

To be with him for eternity. We cannot just take one verse here or one story here and develop our theology. We must take the whole counsel of God. Deliverance is a big subject right now in Britain. I believe in deliverance.

I pray for people to be delivered. But I believe also that many areas of our Christian life are changed through spiritual growth. We need both. I believe also God allows us to go through the fiery furnaces.

The trials and the difficulties and temptations and it's difficult for us to dictate the timing. The timing is often the problem in terms of what the Lord is doing in our lives and the fourth word is The word presence presence.

God’s Presence with His Suffering People

Not Christmas presents. But the presence of God in the midst of the suffering. The fourth person in the fiery furnace. RT Kendall believes it was Jesus Christ. Others feel I may be in their camp that it was some kind of angelic believe being.

There's so many books about demons. You can't keep up with them for every one book. You read about demons read at least ten about Jesus Christ and the Living God and At least two or three about angels and that's difficult because no one's writing books about angels.

Much hallelujah for Billy Graham's book on angels. The presence of God in the midst of the battle. The presence of angelic hosts in our lives. The presence of Jesus Christ in our day and age in our hearts and He before us who can be against us.

I would ask of you to go from this place and to dig into this great chapter. So that the next time a fiery furnace comes into your life you will know exactly what to do and you will know the presence of Jesus Christ with you at that moment and Experience the grace and the forgiveness and the love and the power and the acceptance.

That he alone can give. Amen.