Sunday, July 11, AM

Good morning everyone. Welcome to Sunnyside this morning. We're so glad that you can be with us to worship our

Lord and Savior this morning together. A few announcements as we get started this morning.

Come back for our evening service tonight. Be sure to hear from Jeff Howe and his family and be able to fellowship with them tonight in our evening service.

That's at 530. And then directly following that we get to share in a reception for Norman Loretta Nelson as they prepare to head off to Bocheeto, Oklahoma, just a little bit south of us.

Gone but not forgotten and I'm hoping that we see them often back here visiting with us but we want to be able to honor them tonight and all that they've done in their many years of service here at the church and just as good brothers and sisters in Christ to us.

So come back tonight for that reception for Norman Loretta. Also this Wednesday at 545 we'll have dinner in the fellowship hall and then

Bible study and prayer at 630 following that. And then coming up on Sunday July 25th we'll have the

Lord's Supper on that Sunday and then truth group for the young adults that evening after the evening service then.

This week's fighter verse comes from Ephesians chapter 6. We're kind of beginning the fighter verses that really kind of personify fighter verses and that's the armor of God.

It says, Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and a shoes for your feet having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Ephesians 6 for Ephesians 6 14 through 15. Operation Christmas Child there's some needs there.

We do have back to school season sales that are possibly going on so there are some suggestions as far as like pens and pencils and little pencil sharpeners and colored pencils that you could help pack.

And then regular size scissors not kind of the toddler safety scissors those would be helpful as well.

We still need some nursery volunteers for the month of July so if you can help fill in there in the nursery see

Marla about that. The sewing ministry has some needs you can see there in the bulletin and then if you can give blood there's still a blood shortage going on.

Tommy McGarry in particular will would benefit from that as he continues to undergo treatment as well.

And then finally we do have that church baseball game at the Dodgers.

I think it's on the 24th of July. There are a few extra tickets available for that now so if you did not get some tickets and you're interested in going see

Patty Hines about signing up for those tickets. All right any other announcements before we begin worship?

Yes sir. All right well we are going to prepare our hearts for worship now and then after Michael will come and open us in prayer.

Heavenly Father we come before you today and we thank you for this great and precious treasure. We may meet together in the unity the fellowship of your

Holy Spirit. We've come together in the name of Jesus Christ to give him praise today.

We rejoice that he is risen from the dead and he is at your right hand even now.

He is our savior and our sovereign and what a joy it is what a what a provision it is that we are able to come together and worship you to give you praise and glory and honor to speak as you speak in your word of your glory of your goodness of your righteousness of your truth.

Thank you for this wonderful gift of Christian fellowship. Thank you for this wonderful gift of of coming together in this place to freely proclaim your your worthiness to ascribe glory and honor to you.

And Lord we we do so in our weakness. We come needing your help, your aid, your power, your

Holy Spirit. So I ask that you would fill us with your spirit and that the worship that we render would be that which you desire, that which would honor you, that which would be fitting given all who you are and all that you have done.

So we ask for these mercies looking to Jesus Christ the one with whom you are well pleased.

Amen. If you're able would you stand with me for our call to worship.

Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 67, oh excuse me 68.

We'll be reading verses 17 to 19. Read with me together. The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands and thousands.

The Lord is among them. Sinai is now in the sanctuary. You ascended on high leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men.

Even among the rebellious that the Lord God may dwell there. Blessed will be the

Lord who daily bears us up. God is our salvation. Our first song this morning is on page eight.

Praise to the Lord the almighty and then we'll go into page 350. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. How I proved him o 'er and o 'er.

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus.

Oh for grace to trust him more.

If you have your

Bibles this morning open them to the book of Amos. We're continuing in Amos this morning in Amos chapter 6 verses 1 through 14.

The entirety of the chapter. This is the word of the

Lord. Amos 6 verse 1. Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria.

The notable men of the first of the nations to whom the house of Israel comes pass over to Kalneh and see and from there go to Hamath the great and then go down to Gath of the

Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms or is their territory greater than your territory?

Oh you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence.

Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall.

Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music.

Who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.

The Lord God has sworn by himself declares the Lord the

God of hosts. I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.

And if 10 men remain in one house they shall die and when one's relative the one who anoints him for burial shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house is there still anyone with you?

He shall say no and he shall say silence we must not mention the name of the

Lord. For behold the Lord commands and the great house shall be struck down into fragments and the little house into bits.

Do horses run on rocks does one plow there with oxen but you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.

You who rejoice in lo debar who say have we not by our own strength captured car name for ourselves for behold

I will raise up against you a nation O house of Israel declares the

Lord the God of hosts and they shall oppress you from Lebo Hamath to the brook of the

Arabah. Would you pray with me? Gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for these sobering words.

We thank you for words of warning. They are a grace to us that we might hear and take heed lest we fall into judgment and destruction.

Father we're no different than Israel. We are blessed beyond measure by your hand and yet we do not acknowledge you as our

God as a nation and because of that judgment is at hand.

Father pray that we as a church might preach repentance and confession of our sins before you that we might turn back to you both individually in our own lives in our families in this church in our city in our state in our nation.

Father you are our God there is no other and by your word we have fullness of joy and life everlasting.

We thank you for the work of Christ that makes our worship acceptable to you.

Be with brother Michael as he brings your holy word to us this morning. Help it to penetrate our hearts cutting to the flesh that we might be healed.

Father we ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. You can be seated.

The various empires of this world pass away but the one true living

God Jehovah God he is eternal he's holy and his kingdom does not pass away.

Turn with me if you would in our little black hymnals hymns modern ancient page 63 we'll sing in this rebel world and then we'll finish up again with so sweet to trust in Jesus.

stails not the patriarchs not the priestly plans not the wise not the royal court not the zealot is our

God must be Purposes to pass seem to cross his way.

Jesus, how I trust him. How Jesus, Jesus, precious

Jesus. Hopeful or grace to trust him.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer together. Father, I thank you for gathering us together today. What a joy it is to gather on the first day of the week and consider

Christ risen from the dead. The firstfruits of our resurrection.

The firstfruits of the new creation. We praise you,

Heavenly Father, that through your

Son and by your Spirit you are making all things new. We ask today that you would bless us with ears to hear, eyes that see, hearts that eagerly give an amen to the truth of your word.

And we ask for these graces, trusting that you delight in your

Son, Jesus Christ. And so do we.

And by your grace we ask that you would do your work in us, have your way in us, advance your kingdom through us, that we would be the amen on earth of your will that is in heaven.

We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. I invite you to open your

Bibles to Daniel 3. Daniel chapter 3. The title of the sermon is,

By Me Kings Reign. Last week we began talking about statism.

Statism is not new. It's been around for a while.

It has been quite manifest since the days of the

Tower of Babel, since the days of Nimrod. Statism is nothing new, but it is, of course, quite prominent.

What is statism? Statism, to use the words of Christ, statism entails rendering unto

Caesar that which belongs to God. Rendering unto

Caesar that which belongs to the church. Rendering unto Caesar that which belongs to the family.

That's statism. Where the state takes upon the roles of prophet and priest as well as king.

Not just to be king. Not just to bear the sword to punish evildoers, but to also take on the role of prophet.

We will tell you what is true and right. And priest, we will show you the way of salvation.

Statism seeks to solve all problems and save all peoples. How are we going to fix the problems in the world?

How are we going to rescue and deliver and save the peoples in the world? Well, the state will do it. That's what statism is.

Statism seeks Christ's own position at the right hand. And more.

Now, Daniel's friends are facing off with a statist ruler.

Facing off with a statist culture. And indeed, so are we.

Daniel's friends, long before, it's important to note, long before they are thrown into the burning fiery furnace, they stand unmelting in the heat of pagan tyranny.

In the fear of God, they are unbound by the fear of man and the fear of death.

And while Nebuchadnezzar, in his statist approach, seeks to consume their bodies, he cannot consume their souls.

Now, we have an obvious need to think carefully about these matters. We have an obvious need to think about statism and its role in the world today, in our own culture.

We have a need to go to the scriptures and let the Bible be the standard of our lives, wherein we are making our evaluations, wherein we are considering our expectations, and making our exhortations from the

Word of God. The Word of God is the standard. The Bible is the standard by which we would assess anything in our world, including the claims of the state.

Now, let's consider what's going on with Daniel and his friends. We're going to begin reading in Daniel 3, verses 8 through 30.

You may remember that Nebuchadnezzar has built a golden image, and he has crafted a religious ceremony to ordain his image, to adorn his power.

And so he's called everybody together to worship the golden image. So I invite you to stand with me as I read

Daniel 3, verses 8 through 30. The words of our Savior and Sovereign, Jesus Christ, through his

Holy Spirit, and the prophet Daniel. Verse 8.

Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forth and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live forever!

You, O King, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horned flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image, and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

These men, O King, have not paid due regard to you, they do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought these men before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke to them, saying, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which

I have set up? Now, if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horned flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which

I have made, good, but if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

If that is the case, our god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hand,

O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated, and he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Therefore, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors,

Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king,

True, O king. Look, he answered, I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the

Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying,

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire, and the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power.

The hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own god.

Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the

God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap, because there is no other god who can deliver like this.

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

It says, The word of the Lord, thanks be to God. You may be seated. For some government officials, ruling is just a matter of printing your own money and owning all the nukes and F -15s, because you give your money to those who cooperate, and then you have the rest for those who don't.

But in that case, truth is nothing but a bribe, and morality is simply a club.

This is how people think that the state works, that ruling works.

Some think kings reign by the strength of will, of wealth, or warriors.

But in Proverbs 8, wisdom says, By me, kings reign.

Wisdom says, By me, kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me, princes rule and nobles all the judges of the earth.

By wisdom, kings reign. You see, folly cannot continue indefinitely.

Folly is like a wildfire that eventually, after doing all of its damage, burns itself out.

Perhaps it can get flared up again. But the end of a wildfire is that it burns itself out, after horrendous destruction laid in its path.

And so also, folly. Folly cannot continue indefinitely. Those who roll stones will have them rolled back upon them.

Those who dig pits will fall into them. Those who embrace anti -Christ philosophy will be strangled by it.

Wisdom or folly, those are the choices. And wisdom or folly are expressed in our worship.

Expressed in our worship. Worship is the key word here in Daniel 3. Who will you worship? What will you worship?

Why do you worship? Worship is all important. Worship determines our values, our thinking, our vocabulary, our actions.

Worship has everything to do with who we are. We are made in the image of God. We're made in the image of God, which means our worship switch is hardwired on.

We never stop worshipping. The question is, who do we worship? What do we worship?

Is wisdom present in our worship or is folly present in our worship?

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord, that we worship God, that we are reverent before Him, that we recognize

His supremacy. We think of Him first and we think of Him most. Fear the

Lord. That leads to freedom. That leads to liberty. But the fear of man and the fear of death, which comprise paganism, the fear of man and the fear of death, the

Bible tells us that these ensnare, that these enslave. The choice, of course, is wisdom versus folly.

It's the same in ancient Babylon. It's the same today. Mankind has not fundamentally changed. Everyone worships.

Nothing is neutral. And the rhythms of worship, the rhythms of worship which are inevitable, we will worship.

And the rhythms of our worship, sift all of our loyalties, and we do have loyalties, unavoidable.

We are either for Christ or we are against Him. There is no neutrality. Last time we looked at verses 1 through 7, the politics of worship at state is a mandated, all the officials are forcibly gathered together.

And verse 12 and verses 16 through 18, we looked at the faithful disobedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They were faithful to God, and so they disobeyed the state. This is statism resisted.

And now in verses 8 through 15, in verses 19 through 23, we're going to watch death cults do their thing, as statism gets enforced.

All the government officials have been forcibly gathered. They are there irrespective of their language, their class, their religion, and they are all to bow down, in this great unifying moment, they are to bow down to the state idol.

Daniel's friends cannot comply. This would be breaking the first and the second commandments. To have no other gods before God, the one true

God, and to not make for yourself, nor use any grave image to worship. So they cannot comply.

They do not comply. They keep standing when other people bow. They do not worship when the music plays.

They do not dance according to the tunes of the foolish children in the marketplace.

And unfortunately for them, some Chaldean equity ambassadors spot their microaggression of standing.

And if you see something, you've got to say something. Because mandates were not made to be broken.

So verse 8. Therefore at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the

Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live forever. You, O King, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music, shall bow down and worship the gold image.

And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of the burning, fiery furnace. There are certain

Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, and they are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

These men, O King, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.

See, when statism is enforced, statism is enforced by everyone being hawkishly watched.

Are you complying? Are you complying? Are you complying? Everyone is hawkishly watched for compliance.

And these Chaldeans used this opportunity to accuse the Jews before Nebuchadnezzar. And the word accused in the

Aramaic is an idiom which translated very literally means ate their pieces.

In other words, they used their words to cut them to shreds and then feast upon them.

The Chaldeans were slicing and dicing the Jews, their character.

These are verbal cannibals, and they are very happy to report these

Jews in a very malicious fashion. So Daniel's friends,

Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael, here they are. They are sheep in the midst of wolves, and the wolves are hungry, and they are snarling.

Why do they report them? Why do they turn them in? Could it be that they are jealous? Could it be that these

Chaldeans are jealous? After all, Daniel and his friends were promoted above them in chapter 2, and these just recently graduated from Babylonian Academy, and yet they get promoted and elevated over the

Chaldeans, and these are foreigners. They are not from around here. Perhaps they are jealous, but it is remarkable when you think about it.

These Chaldeans, you will notice from chapter 2, are part of the group that were slated for execution.

They were going to be done away with in the great purge. They had their hands tied behind their back, on their knees, facing a big pit, and they were about to be killed and thrown into a mass grave, but Daniel, Hananiah, Ezra, and Mishael were on their knees, interceding before the one true

God, asking God to reveal the meaning of the dream and the dream itself to them, so that they could go to King Nebuchadnezzar and interpose and save the lives of these ungrateful sorcerers.

And so they did. These Chaldeans still hate them. Remarkable. These Chaldeans are seeking their death.

They still want them gone. They hate those who are a blessing to them.

If the state or the members of the state hate and condemn

Christians, it rages against the very ones that keep the whole thing solvent.

Jesus said, just after he said, blessed are you when you are persecuted, men revile you, say hateful things about you, right after he said about that persecution, he said, you know, you're the salt of the earth.

You're the light of the world. You're the good. By the mercies and grace of God, you are the good that is on planet earth.

Any state, any nation, any polity, any city, any tribe, any group that has

Christians among them are blessed because of the presence of the

Holy Spirit, because of the light of Christ, because of the commitment to truth, because of the proclamation of the word of God, because of the praise of the

Lord being offered in their midst. And yet, and yet, still hated.

Still hated. Still persecuted. Jeremiah had the same experience.

Jeremiah 18 -20, the prophet is praying to the Lord and how many Christians suffering for the

Lord, seeking to live right and do good to all that are around them, to love their neighbors and so on, have had the same kind of prayer.

Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how

I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them. Jeremiah is interceding for those who are trying to kill him, asking

God's mercies upon them. Prayers should be made on behalf of all men.

We should be praying for those, even those who hate us, who would seek to end us.

We should pray on behalf of all men, those who hawkishly watch for compliance.

Now consider how these Chaldeans approach the king. Notice how they flatter him and they entreat action against their rivals by appealing to Nebuchadnezzar's pride.

O king, live forever! Well, he's not going to live forever. That's very silly. They're flattering him.

They do not really seek his good. They don't really seek his continuance. What they want from him is an opportunity to control his favor and thus be able to exercise some sort of advantage over their opponents, over their enemies.

So they comment that these Jews, whom the king had given these positions,

I mean, how ungrateful are these Jews? I mean, you're the one who set them up in these wonderful positions, O king. And just look how ungrateful they are.

They do not give due regard to you, O king. I mean, you gave them these positions.

You set them up here. But they don't give you due regard, they say. They don't worship your gods.

They must think you're a fool, Nebuchadnezzar, to worship the gods you worship, because they don't worship your gods. And they don't worship the image which you have set up.

We just thought you'd like to know. We thought you should be aware of the situation.

Whatever you want to do about it is fine. Statism does not, as it promises, statism does not create altruistic social justice.

It fuels its own kind of corrupt power games.

That's what it looks like. And in statism, one proves their loyalty to the state, not by doing good, but by having others punished for perceived disloyalty.

That's how it works. Dale Ralph Davis tells a story from the late 1930s in the heyday of Stalin's adulation in the

Soviet Union. And at a provincial meeting, Stalin's name was spoken out loud, which, of course, triggered a standing ovation.

Oh, they said the name Stalin. And it's all stand and clap. Everybody in the whole provincial meeting stood and clapped.

And Dale Ralph Davis says the standing ovation caused a standing dilemma because when are we going to sit down?

Who will be the first to sit? Ooh, no one better stop clapping.

No one better start. No one better sit down. That would look bad. And finally, an elderly man, who's weak, couldn't keep standing, and he lowered himself gently into his chair.

They noted his name and arrested him the next day. You see, all virtue signaling, all of it, whether it is in the realm of the economy, in the realm of a local church or the church at large, all virtue signaling in the state works this way.

Virtue signaling is only meritorious if it has others that it cancels.

It has to work that way. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not like one of those. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are about to get canceled because they did not bow down to the golden image.

They did not worship the state, which claimed to solve all problems and save all people. And you see, in statism, there is no room for dissent.

There is no room for dissent wherever repressive tolerance is the philosophy of the day.

So they get reported. Now, notice what happens, how Nebuchadnezzar responds.

Verse 13 of Daniel 3, The Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, Is it true,

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image which I have set up, the gold image which

I have set up? Now, if you are ready, at the time, you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which

I have made good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace.

And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands? So Nebuchadnezzar is furious, but he keeps his face in place.

He's like, OK, I'm going to play the role of the magnanimous emperor here. I'm going to call my rebellious servants before me, and I'm going to give them another chance.

I mean, before banning them, he generates a warning message. Right? Because, I mean, with the proper education, these

Jews can still be saved by the state. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have been flagged for noncompliance, for extremism, but consider,

Nebuchadnezzar is concerned for them, and so he seeks to prevent this from getting too far out of hand.

He offers them support. They can take action right now to protect themselves. They can comply with the mandate and bow to the state's idol.

Should they refuse, Nebuchadnezzar has planned their immediate execution.

They will immediately be canceled. Their resistance will be expunged from the public scene.

No one will see anyone continuing to resist his state. He must not allow anybody to convey any message that is not in compliance with the state.

So they're going to go away. But notice that there's no room for careful reasoning. There's no room for any kind of discussion.

No, you're done. Immediate compliance. The state has determined what is good and right.

Nebuchadnezzar taunts the Jews. Hey, what god is going to deliver you from my hands? He's claiming...

Notice that Nebuchadnezzar, in terms of all the gods and goddesses of his pagan world, he is claiming high throne atop the pantheon.

No god is going to deliver you from my hands, he says. He's got the nukes and he's got the

F -15s to launch them. Who's going to stop me? Right? No one's going to save you.

The state is your savior. If you turn your back on the state, you're done. Well, this shows us what

Nebuchadnezzar thought of the God of the Jews. Remember in chapter 2, he was very impressed with the God of the Jews. Very impressed with the

God of Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael. Why was he impressed with God?

He was impressed because he thought God was a great solver of riddles. He can reveal dreams and reveal the meaning of dreams.

How useful is that? Great. Welcome to the pantheon. So glad to have you in our pluralistic society.

Welcome. You've earned your right to sit at the table. But he does not consider

God one who would get involved. Oh, he's great for solving certain problems, but he's certainly not going to involve himself in matters of state.

I hope that that is not your conception of God. Oh, God is good to solve certain problems, but other than that.

Daniel chapter 3 verse 19. After the response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, how does

Nebuchadnezzar then feel? Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and cast them into the burning, fiery furnace.

Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning, fiery furnace.

Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning, fiery furnace.

The dam of Nebuchadnezzar's rage and fury had been at the breaking point.

His face is just barely keeping it back. But then his face changes.

You see that in the text. His face, his expression all of a sudden changed. He was already furious.

He was already angry. But he had kept his tolerant face in place.

And then it went away. It went away. At the faithful response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the dam broke.

His face changed, and all the rage and fury which he had held back now breaks through, and this ruler of nations loses control of his own spirit.

He thinks he is so high and mighty, so powerful. What god can stand against me?

But as Proverbs reminds us, greater is he who maintains control of his own spirit than he who takes a fortified city.

Where is true strength? Where is true control seen? Proverbs 21 -24 describes

Nebuchadnezzar rather well. A proud and haughty man, Scoffer is his name.

He acts with arrogant pride. This is Nebuchadnezzar. And he orders the furnace to be fueled sevenfold.

He wants a fire seven times as hot. Why? Was the burning, fiery furnace lacking in flames?

Was it not going to get the job done? No, of course it was. He had already constructed it for the purpose of enforcing the whole matter.

I mean, what good is having a whole unification worship service unless you have a significant threat to make sure everybody is unified?

So this thing is going to kill whoever he puts into it. But no, he is mad.

He is furious. He has lost all control of his spirit, which is where all of us look really intelligent.

So he wants this thing seven times more fuel because he wants a fire seven times as hot because he wants the burning, fiery furnace to have extra flames.

This is just foolish. It reminds me of a scene from the remake of True Grit. Maddy Ross, the girl, has been tasked by Marshal Rooster Cogburn to climb a 40 -foot tree and cut loose a hanged corpse.

And on the way up there, she asks, Why did they hang him so high? And he answered,

I do not know. Possibly in the belief it would make him more dead. And that is what

Nebuchadnezzar is doing here. I want them extra crispy, like it matters.

But he has lost all control of his spirit. He is furious. And so he looks and plays the part of a great fool.

Why is he so angry? Because his image has been profaned. That is why he is angry.

His image has been profaned. So he lashes out with his God -ordained sword to punish.

Does he have a sword? Yes. Who gave him that sword? God did. Why does he have this sword from God?

To punish evildoers. To punish evildoers. That is why the state has a sword.

But notice here in Nebuchadnezzar, because he wants all to worship him, because he is a statist, because he believes that the state is the savior.

He uses his sword to assault the doers of good. Not evildoers.

He uses the sword to terrify the doers of righteousness. He is flailing about.

He seeks their immediate punishment. And so he works unrighteousness. This is a very unrighteous and immoral thing that Nebuchadnezzar is doing.

And he has his people to do it for him. Notice who he orders.

He selects out of his military, out of his enforcers, he selects mighty men of valor.

Men of strength. Men of renown. Men he knows will do his job. Do his orders.

And he orders these mighty men of valor to take Daniel's friends into custody.

They arrest them. They bind them. And immediately cast them into the raging inferno.

This was an unjust, immoral act. Now Nebuchadnezzar, as the king, as the authority, has the greater sin.

As Jesus would clarify. But notice that these enforcers, these men of valor who did this deed, did you see in the text that they were judged?

They were judged for their participation in this wickedness and in this corruption.

These men of valor had no spine. These men of valor did not know what the truth was.

These men of valor, if they had been interviewed prior to casting these three righteous men, such a blessing to the state, such a blessing to all that knew them, having so valued these intercessors who prayed for the saving of even their enemies, these good men.

If these men of valor had been interviewed prior to them taking these men to the fiery furnace to cast them in to be burnt alive, someone may have asked them and said, so why are you doing this?

And what would their answer be? I'm just doing my job.

I'm just doing my job. That does not serve as any kind of heat shield protecting anyone from the judgment of God.

That is no cloak of righteousness. That is no shroud of innocence.

Anybody committing and carrying out immoral, unjust, unrighteous acts, if they say,

I'm just doing my job, that does not square you with God.

As Christians, we should reckon with that as well. If the state, if your employer, if some authority figure in your life tells you, you've got to do

X, Y, and Z, thou shalt, when the Bible says thou shalt not, or some authority figure in your life says thou shalt not, when the

Bible says thou shalt, you don't get to walk away and say, well,

I just, I have to comply. I'm just doing my job. This is not what pleases

Christ. This is not valor. This is not courage. That is not faithful. What Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did, that was faithful.

They could have said, they could have said, well, we're just bound to the golden obelisk because we're just doing our job.

We don't really believe in it. We don't even agree with it, but we're just doing our job. Now, consider that Nebuchadnezzar has the greater sin, and it's unsurprising that Nebuchadnezzar sent these men of valor to their deaths.

It is unsurprising that he sought the death of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It is unsurprising that the whole statist worship service was motivated by the fear of death because statism enshrines the fear of man and enforces it by the fear of death.

That's how it works. That's why only in the fear of the Lord can there be any form of civil government that has any kind of liberty.

The father of lies has been a murderer from the beginning. Jesus has told us this. The father of lies has been a murderer from the beginning and states crafted in his image steal, kill, and destroy.

And death cults just go on doing their thing. This flame should catch our attention.

Matthew Henry writes, It makes one's flesh tremble to think of it, and horror to take hold on one.

Think about those flames, the raging, fiery furnace seven times hotter.

But then he asks the question, But what is this to the second death?

What is this, what is Nebuchadnezzar's furnace compared to that furnace into which all the tares shall be cast in bundles, to that lake which burns eternally with fire and brimstone?

Let Nebuchadnezzar heat his furnace as hot as he can. A few minutes will finish the torment of those who are cast into it.

But hellfire tortures and does not kill. The pain of damned sinners is more exquisite in the smoke of their torment as sins forever and ever.

And those have no rest, no intermission, no cessation of their pains who have worshipped the beast and his image.

Whereas their pain would soon be over. They were cast into this furnace for not worshipping this

Babylonian beast and his image. Consider that the holy judgment of God, which is righteously heeded by his offended glory, has fallen upon Christ.

Has fallen upon Christ. You will take hold of Christ.

Say, in my place and for my sake, here is my Savior. And he has suffered the deserved judgment of God, that I deserved.

He has suffered the holy judgment of God, the fires of God's offended glory, in my place and for my sake.

And so, no matter what horrific punishment any state or any man may try to inflict upon the people of Christ, the very worst thing that could possibly happen to us has already happened to us in Christ.

All around the world. Sunday is just a great day.

Sunday is an amazing day. All around the world, beginning at the international date line, our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ have got up and gathered, and they've brought out their copies of the

Word of God. They've opened it up and they've read aloud the

Word of God. And they've sung praises. They've sung psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Sermons have been preached. People all over the world, their faith has been strengthened.

Men, women, and children have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. New life has happened in this world today.

New birth has occurred under the preaching of the Word of God. Today, on this planet, this great day,

Sunday, first day of the week, already for hours and hours before we gathered here, in places where it is illegal to gather.

Places like Australia. Places in Malaysia, where radical

Muslims and radical Hindus seek to burn churches and take away the freedoms of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Places in China, should the state know where they were, they'd be done for.

Places all across this land. And some places in great light and great freedom and great zeal as the

Word of God is exploding forth in revivals. In places in Asia and Africa, where Christ's name is lifted on high, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is flowing forth in a great river.

Rhythms of worship, even under persecution, even in places where it is difficult. Rhythms of worship, even while we're being persecuted.

They sift our loyalties. They sift our loyalties. We have no need to fear the state.

We have no need to fear the state. If we don't fear man, if we don't fear death, let us fear

God. Let us fear God. We are surrounded with neighbors, with friends, with relatives, with all kinds of people who are caught up in statism.

Every time the music plays, they bow. Every time they're ordered to do something, they do it.

Just doing my job. The state is not their savior. If they try to worship the state, it will turn out to be a death cult.

If you're worried and concerned about them, tell them about Jesus Christ. Tell them about Jesus Christ.

Exhort them to fear God, not man. Fear God, not death. Otherwise, we leave them to it.

Let's be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that let the state know, that let others know, that worship of the

Lord was what was needful, not the fear of the state. Let's pray.

Father, I thank you for the time you've given us in your word. What a good reminder,

Lord, of what you said to us. What you said to us, that we should not fear man who kills the body, but we should fear

God, who has control of both body and soul for all of eternity. Lord, help us not to fear.

It's so easy to be afraid. It's so easy to be afraid.

But, Lord, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we have no need to fear evil, for you are with us.

You are with us. We give you praise and glory for this. So encourage us.

Give us all the more that great hope. May your word continue to teach us to fear the

Lord. And pray all these things for Christ's sake. Amen. Would you stand with me for our song of benediction?

We're going to sing again what we sang last week. Jesus shall reign where the sun. Jesus shall reign where the sun.

Does excessive journeys run.

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore.

Till sun shall rise and set no more.

Blessings abound where he reigns.

The prisoner leaves to lose his chains.

The weary find eternal rest.

And all the sons of what are blessed.

To our King be highest praise.

Rising through eternal days.

Just and faithful he shall reign.

Jesus shall reign. To our

King be highest praise. Rising through eternal days.

Just and faithful he shall reign.

Jesus shall reign. May the love of the

Father and the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Come back tonight.

We're going to meet in the fellowship hall. Blessings with the Howes and the Nelsons. Looking forward to it. Don't miss it. We're dismissed.