(Read Daniel 3:16-18)
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. In our last message we looked at verses 13-15 of Daniel chapter three, where King Nebuchadnezzar gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego one last chance to bow. The king warned the Hebrew boys that if they refused to bow again, “No god would be able to save them from his power!” Two things are very clear here. First, Nebuchadnezzar misunderstood how much power he actually had. Second, the king had no earthly idea how much power our God actually has. The king may have been able to stand up to wooden statues or gods made out of stone, but our God, the only true God, could wipe Nebuchadnezzar off the face of the planet with just one word. Let’s see how the boys responded.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to explain these things to you. If you throw us into the hot furnace, the God we serve can save us. And if he wants to, he can save us from your power. But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. The world is not always going to understand you.
a) The king was upset with the Hebrew boys and he could not understand why they refused to bow. He thought it was a “small” thing. The king was thinking, “Look guys, just bow and let’s get this over with. If you bow you won’t burn”.
b) What makes sense to the world does not always make sense in the Kingdom of God and vice-versa. The king thought bowing was a small thing, but it was a major violation in God’s eyes.
c) The Hebrew boys said, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to explain these things to you”. Likewise, you don’t need to explain your belief system or Godly values to the world. Sometimes you won’t be understood, but that’s okay… God understands you.
2. Never question God’s power.
a) The Hebrew boys said, “If you throw us into the hot furnace, the God we serve can save us.”
b) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing a hot fiery furnace, but they believed God and they knew there is nothing their God could not do.
c) The boys did not know how God would deliver them from the fire, but they were convinced that He could, if He chose to.
d) You must be convinced that there is NOTHING — absolutely NOTHING — God cannot do! Never question His power!
3. Trust God when you have not heard from Him yet.
a) The Hebrew boys said, “If he wants to, he can save us from your power.” They knew God could, but they were not sure if He would.
b) When God tells you what He is going to do, then you can have faith that He will. Faith begins where the will of God is known.
c) When you don’t know for certain what God will do, because He has not promised you anything yet, you can still trust Him.
d) When you know God’s will, have faith. When you don’t know God’s will, trust Him!
4. Never buckle under the pressure of the enemy.
a) The Hebrew boys said, “But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up.”
b) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow, even if it meant they would burn.
c) God will give you the grace to stand strong, even when the pressure is on you to give up, cave in and quit.
d) Never give up, never back down, never buckle, never cave in to the pressure of the enemy. If you don’t bow, you won’t burn!
5. You have the grace to handle whatever happens next.
a) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not know what was going to happen next. But they did know they were doing the right thing.
b) When you do the right thing you can rest assured that God’s grace will be on you to handle whatever comes your way.
c) You may not know what you will face, but you can know whom you will face it with!
d) You may not know what your future holds, but you can find peace in knowing who hold your future.
e) No matter what happens next, God will face it WITH you!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You saved me through the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus. You called me from my mother’s womb. You assigned me to a specific purpose in the earth. You empower me to accomplish all I was born to accomplish while I am in the land of the living. And I pursue the fulfillment of my purpose by faith. I am the just and I live by faith. I live by every Word that proceeds from out of Your mouth. When You tell me You will do something, I take it and believe it, like it’s already done. I have faith in every promise and every Word. But when I don’t know what You will do, when You have not revealed it to me yet, when You have not spoken, I still have trust. I trust You with my whole heart. I live by faith in what You have spoken. I live by trust in what I have not heard yet. I am convinced that I will accomplish what You birthed me to accomplish, by Your grace and for Your glory. I have the grace to stand and make a stand for what I believe in. And I have the grace to face whatever comes next. So Father, as I enter this day and this week, I believe Your grace is on me to face whatever comes my way. I may not know all I will face this week, but I surely know who I will face it with! You are ON me, IN me, WITH me, and FOR me! There’s no way I can lose! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
