Counter Culture Going Against the Flow

[Music] [Applause] [Music] hello [Music] [Applause] [Music] of a beautiful father [Music] he's father and know that he's good [Music] your eyes are on the line make us [Music] and calling them your [Music] the oh of heaven shine as we step into the dark oh give us your heart oh give your us come and death [Music] make us oh [Music] oh [Music] test okay all right great thanks hey as you guys know it's the last sunday of the or the fourth sunday of the month and so we're going to be taking communion in service and so if you have not had a chance to receive the elements and get prepared now would be a great time for you to do that they're available at all the entrances we'll get started here in just a few minutes thank you [Music] oh give us heart [Music] oh [Music] so captivator of the searching heart [Music]

Good morning all right hey it is good seeing each and every single one of you here this morning know that we've got some folks here with us who have been over in africa for a while wogamitz thank you guys so much for being here we love y'all we appreciate y'all we've been praying for y'all I know that our church has been praying for you all very regularly and even daily for most of most of us and so thank you guys for being here we love y'all would you all welcome the welcome it's back [Applause] we're excited to you know love on this family that the Lord has called equipped to go to the ivory coast and be sure to express your appreciation to them and for them and hug on their necks and tell them how much you are glad that they are back now we got a couple of things first if you are with us and you got some prayer requests or things like that please fill out one of these prayer cards and drop it off and won the offering plates they're located at each one the exits to this facility if it's my honor and my privilege to pray for you as your pastor I take each one of these that we receive and pray over them and so it's a great way for me to be able to do that for you also if you're visiting and you're new here fill out the little card there and just say hey pastor I'm here it's a great way for me to be able to connect with you as well also while I was at the sbc annual meeting they had this great podcast it's called that farm life podcast and what it is it's a podcast specifically ministering to folks in the rural community and so if you're interested in a good Christian podcast from a rural world view

If you would grab one of these they are located down at the entrance down here I guess that's the new wing is what we call it you can take one of these or you can take this one it's a great way for you to have someone invest in you that knows what's what's going on in your life also vacation Bible school's coming up july 11th through the 15th you guys ready for that all right yeah and so that's gonna be july 11th through the 15th 8 50 to noon there's cards these cards that are at each one of the entrances take one of these invite your friends invite your neighbors tell your grandchild that they're going with you and drag them out it's gonna be a great time we do have some needs for kids quest volunteers we've had we have several of our folks that are on vacation and so there's some gaps my wife has been filling a lot of those gaps over the last several weeks I know cindy she's up there just about every single week and we appreciate your hard work up there as well but you know we've had some folks move away and things like that so if you're interested in serving in that way that'd be a great way for you to do that tonight we've got our sbc report so austin and myself we're just going to share some impressions and thoughts from the annual meeting that he and I went to while we were in anaheim if you are worried about the convention or you care about the convention and things like that please be here tonight at six o'clock as we talk about the sbc report now national night out is coming up you guys know that's a huge block party that our church is doing that's gonna be on august 2nd that's a tuesday night from 5 30 to 8 o'clock we're going to have some live music we're going to be grilling out some burgers we are looking

For business sponsors to help come alongside and pay for some of those things our church will be giving out backpacks school supplies different things like that to the community of course for our we care families we'll be making sure that each child has brand new pair of shoes as they prepare to get ready for the school year and so we're looking for sponsors we're looking for volunteers and so if you'd like to be a part of that please call the church office and sign up also we have salt and light sunday that's coming up august 14th august 14th we're actually going not going to have church at this time we're going to have at 8 a.m we're gonna have like a worship rally at eight o'clock in the morning we're gonna have a little bit of light breakfast and thing like things like that and then from nine to noon we are going to go out to the community and we are going to be doing hands-on ministry projects to visibly love and be salt and light to our community and I believe that our church is called to do hands-on ministry like that amen we ought to be out there ministering and sharing the Gospel with people that the Lord wants to have a relationship with and so that's what we're gonna be doing on august 14th you'll see in your bulletin you can get a t-shirt and all that kind of stuff it's 10 bucks you know be a part of that we are looking for people to lead some of these projects and so if you're like hey I would be okay with organizing visitation to a nursing home call the church and we've got a whole list of 16 different projects that we'd like to accomplish also the denims are going to be moving here on saturday and so if you would like to help be a part of that and move those move the denim family in nicholas and katrina nicholas is going to be our new children's

Ministry director of children and family ministries he's going to be our new director in that area and we're going to be moving him in july 2nd somewhere around noon to 1 somewhere around in there and they don't have much but we need some good backs and so if you've got a good back you know so just show up and we'll we'll make sure that we get them all moved in if you want to know where they live come and talk to me and we'll get you all squared away in that area now as has been our habit over the past several months we would like to start out our service with the time of prep preparing our hearts for worship so if you would bow your heads and close your eyes perhaps you're here and you are overjoyed at the recent decision that the supreme court made take some time right now and tell the Lord how joyful you are in the preservation of life maybe you're here and over this last week you have been struggling with identifying idols in your life the things that have your hearts affections and the things that you want and desire the Lord's been dealing you with that tell the Lord thank you for dealing with that idolatry perhaps you're here and you're just struggling maybe you're worn out maybe you feel a little spread too thin take some time and ask the Lord to fill your cup this morning after service today we have a special business meeting to ratify the new constitution pray for the Lord's will to be done as well Lord we come before you now right now

Together as the body of Christ to ask that you would capture our hearts this morning God that you would help us to put aside all the distractions help us to focus our hearts and our minds on you Lord help us to think about the worship we do here as we sing and as we hear your word preached help us to think about it not just as another sunday where we do the sunday thing but God has a meeting with you that you have ordained God that we are here to meet you and you've decided that we should meet you at this time Lord help us to worship with wild abandon help us to act like we are your body it's in Jesus name that we pray amen are you all ready to worship this morning me too let's stand together as we sing [Music] that never stride drink of the water come and thirst no more come all you sinners come find his mercy come to the table he will satisfy the taste of his goodness find what you're looking for God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only son to save us whoever believes in him [Music] bring all your failures bring your addictions come lay them down at the foot of the cross Jesus [Music] for God's soul the world that he gave us whoever believes in him [Music] now it [Music]

God's is love God so love the world praise God from whom all praise him for the wonders of his love praise God [Applause] [Music] is for God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only son to save us whoever believes in him will live [Music] now it is [Music] [Applause] bring all your failures [Music] how great is it to sing the praises of our Lord and Savior this morning amen yes oh so it's fine I mean it's it's all right to sing no come on how good is it to be in the house of the Lord to worship his name together let's continue to praise his name [Music] from [Music] praise the Lord [Music] sing his praise in all your deaths promptly [Music] you reached into [Music] to know your wondrous works to tell your mighty deeds to join the everlasting [Music] all creation praise the Lord praise your voice [Music] praise the Lord [Music] oh [Music] is praise the

[Music] the Lord and see it again praise the Lord [Music] all creatures [Music] I'd like to read you now out of the book of the psalms it says I love you o Lord my strength the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer my God my rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the horn of my salvation my stronghold I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised and I am saved from my enemies [Music] [Music] remind us this is not [Music] we look to you in your strength we will endure [Music] deliver us from me [Music] temptation crouching at the door to turn us we look to you Christ the conquering son of God we look to you boys [Music] seeking [Music] but your strong heart will crush we his to you look to you come and in his earthly reign [Music] [Applause] [Music] you will come again to reign [Music] deliver us from [Music] remind us [Music] [Applause]

[Music] Lord we do thank you that it is in your strength that we endure not in any strength of our own we thank you that as your people that you have called us out of darkness and into your marvelous light that you have called us from death itself into everlasting abundant life Lord as we enter into this time of communion God help us to never forget the tremendous sacrifice of your son we love you and we thank you in Jesus name amen you can have a seat [Music] at this time I would invite you to contemplate your relationship with the Lord to think upon his great love for you [Music] think back to that time when you were taken and how he raised you up out of that myrie clay and he set your feet firmly upon the rock take it take a moment reflect upon the beauty of that truth if it's for you [Music] as a church you don't have to be a member of our church to partake in communion but you do have to be a Christian you do have to know that Jesus is your Lord your Savior ask that maybe if you're a Christian you've been walking in disobedience and you know there's something that God's been trying to draw drag you out of and you've just said no I don't I don't want to leave that sin I'm just going to ask you to deal with that maybe not don't take him for communion today but deal with it and ask the Lord

Deal with me and make me submissive to your will if you're walking in faithfulness with the Lord and you know him and it doesn't mean that you're perfect but you're you're abiding in him think upon the beauty of that truth and his great love for you the Scripture says in first corinthians chapter 11 for I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed he took bread this bread it's just a symbol of his body this whole function is to point us to his complete humanity and his divinity that Christ when he died on the cross he took on that punishment for your sin and the Scripture says that Jesus said when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me take and eat the bread God we thank you for your body bruised and crushed pierced and afflicted for us we thank you that you took on that full weight of our sin that you drink the full cup of God's wrath of the father's wrath so that we who are here right now and the saints throughout the ages could say that our sins are atoned for we are clean thank you for that thank you for drinking all of the cup of his wrath and there's no wrath that remains on us because of what you've done thank you for that hope [Music] in Jesus name [Music]

Verse 25 it says in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood it's a new covenant we all have to follow the old covenant he has established something new and better for us through the death of his son Jesus Christ do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me take the cup and drink [Music] for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he returns Lord thank you for your blood [Music] freely poured out on the cross to make atonement full atonement can it be thank you for fully paying for our sins thank you that we don't have to shed blood in order to be made right but you did it totally and now we enter through that by which we are clean [Music] thank you for it in Jesus name amen let's stand together and let's respond in worship [Music] of sorrows [Music] oh [Music] hallelujah [Music] is [Music] is [Music] freedom by is [Music] bless me

[Music] freedom [Applause] [Music] God [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] glorious [Music] is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] what a Savior Lord we praise you this morning for the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ the death on our behalf bearing the weight of the punishment for our sins the wrath that we deserved Lord we rejoice together this morning as you're redeemed as brothers and sisters with Christ God change our hearts Lord help us to continue worshiping as we hear the preaching of your word it's in Jesus name that we pray that we can pray amen well if you have your Bible and I hope that you do please turn with me to the book of Daniel hard to believe that we've been in here since easter and you know we're plugging right along

But it's been good hasn't it's been good to see got it at work in our lives dealing with hard issues I know for many of you in your in your community groups if you're at all like me when you're dealing with God's word and you're wrestling with it wrestles right back with you and it's a beautiful thing it's a testimony that God's word is indeed living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and we thank the Lord for that he doesn't just leave us in the state that we are in we are probably in one of the most famous passages of Scripture so if you're here you picked a good sunday to check it out check us out because we're talking about three guys shadrach meshach and abednego of course they're they're hebrew names or let's see here hananiah mishael and azariah and but most people know him as shadrach meshach and abednego if you're a fan of veggietales rackshack and benny and this is a probably the most famous story outside of like the crucifixion or maybe creation or Noah it's something that Christians have held on to for literally millennia and to set the stage for you these three men they have chosen not to bow down to this false idol that king nebuchadnezzar has set up it was on the plains of dura which is just outside maybe of babylon we're really not quite sure where it is to be exact it's somewhere right there right outside of babylon and it's a massive 90-foot image we don't know if it was a statue it could have been an obelisk

We're just not sure but they've been told you gotta bow down and you have to worship it and these young men they've refused to do so and now they're in big trouble in fact king nebuchadnezzar has warned them if you do not submit bow down if you do not worship this image you will be thrown into the fiery furnace for everyone to see and he asks this question in verse 15 and who is the God who will deliver you out of my hands this is the same attitude of every single person who hates the Lord who is not concerned about their soul well who is God why should I fear God who is the Lord that's the attitude that Pharaoh had back in Exodus well who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let israel go I do not know the Lord and moreover I will not let israel go it's the attitude of every proud person and to not bow before the gods of this world is to risk persecution it is to risk it in rodriguez book they released last year lived not by lies I still would highly recommend you guys read it's a book on socialism the history of it how Christians can survive in the midst of rising persecution and one of the things they terms in there is soft totalitarianism and here's a quote about the history and how Christians were able to thrive in the underground church under communist rule he says and they talking about Christians that lived under those times stood up for truth and justice not out of an

Expectation of achievable victory in their lifetimes but because it was the right thing to do for you and I our battles may not be some grandiose standing before a king or a president or a leader of a nation or anything like that seriously doubt that many of us will have the opportunity to do that but as we stand for truth in a culture it might be to invest in the next generation of children it might be by faithfully ministering in your job it might be loving your unbelieving spouse really well many times the battles that we wage in being counter-cultural aren't so much about what we're against but also what we're for because we are for life amen we are pro-life and now that roe versus wade has been overturned as I said before roe versus wade it's it's not law and so states they should be seeking to criminalize abortion to make that heinous act illegal completely much to the chagrin of many people we are pro-family you know what the Bible says it doesn't mean that if you're a single mom that you're bad or anything like that we just believe that the ideal based upon the word of God is for children to have a father and a mother we just believe that based upon God's word and I was talking with some folks they said man we need to start like a dad's on duty kind of ministry to minister to people that don't have that don't have a father figure in their lives to say amen let's let's do it let's go for it amen all right there's like one dude I heard

In there so amen a couple more men okay that's what we need as believers we trust in the Lord we follow him we believe his ways we believe his plans we believe his law we believe his will is infinitely better than anything that we could ever come up with and the reason it's been said that the reason why we have ten thousand of man's laws is because we can't keep ten of gods and one of those ten is that there is only one God and him only shall we serve and the second one is like it we would not make an idol and bow down to it's the second command and here we see these men shadrach meshach and abednego they are living in the sight of God and they know that they're living in the sight of God and they have re recited the shema every morning found in Deuteronomy chapter five hero israel the Lord our God the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind and today we are going to see three steps for victory and a culture that is anti-God and if you would stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Daniel chapter 3 verses 16 through 25. The Scripture says this shadrach meshach and abednego answered and said to the king o nebuchadnezzar we have no need to answer you in this matter if this be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of your hand o king but if not be it known to you o king that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up then nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and the expression of his face was changed against shadrach meshach and

Abednego he ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated and he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind shadrach meshach and abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace then these men were bound in their cloaks their tunics their hats and their other garments and they were thrown into the burning burning fiery furnace because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated the flames of the fire killed those men who took up shadrach meshach and abednego and these three men shadrach meshach and abednego fell bound into the burning fiery furnace then nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste he declared to his counselors did we not cast three men bound into the fire they answered and said to him it said to the king true o king he answered and said but I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire and they are not hurt and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods and so God we do thank you just for your word today we thank you that the conf for the confidence that we can gain from this we pray that you would watch over and protect us we pray for the many pro-life facilities around our nation pray for the many pro-life churches in our community and around our nation for your protection on them Lord and if you do call us to walk through the fiery furnace help us to remain faithful as these three men have been thank you for the promise of your presence in Jesus name amen well the year was 1553 and we'll go back to old ancient england and Mary the first or bloody Mary she ascended the throne to england that's her she looks joyful

Doesn't she looks like she wants to kill you which she would that's why she got the nickname bloody Mary she really did not like protestants so if you believed in salvation by faith alone through create through grace alone by Christ alone then you know she would want to off with your head well there was a man that served really well under her predecessor her predecessor was king henry viii and his name was John bradford that's him he was a very faithful man he got the nickname at cambridge university of holy bradford because he was just such a good reputable guy everyone knew that you could trust him with so many things and so he went from poverty to being actually the pay master handling all of the money for the king's military and he was of such good report and everyone knew that he was a Christian and so when queen Mary the first ascended the throne he was very quickly put into the tower of london and he was so faithful and so obedient that actually he was able to leave the tower of london every day he could the guards they literally told him you can leave you just have to be back by this time and so he did he would actually get back hours before he was supposed to and he would go out and he would visit people in his church and he would share the Gospel in the streets and he would do things like that he was actually allowed to preach twice a day from the tower of london people were saved it was an awesome time of course you know this is rape during the reformation and people are coming to Christ in droves by

Hearing the Biblical doctrine of Christ's atonement and so for 18 months he's imprisoned and they tell him hey we've been told that you must recant or die he said well I'm not doing that six months later he gets the next offer recant or be burned at the stake and he says I can't do that and so the warden of the prison said listen John either either you abide for more time or they're going to exercise this judgment very soon he said listen what do you think I should do he said talk to queen Mary's men her learned men her theologians that way it buys you more time and he said I can't do that people would think that I'm questioning my own doctrine and my own beliefs so I really don't think that I should be doing that I don't question my doctor and I don't question my beliefs in the very next day he was sentenced to being burned at the stake he said I thank God for it I have waited a very long time for this Lord make me worthy of it and so the crowds were assembled his execution was at 4 00 a.m and 100 hundreds of people were out outside the tower of london awaiting this man John bradford and the execution got delayed and delayed and delayed until 9 00 a.m when he was brought out by heavily armored men they were treating him like he was a murderer or a political enemy really all he believed was salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and so he and another man one of his disciples

They were brought out they nailed before the stake and they prayed for an hour and then they got up and he turned around he said england repent of your sins beware of idolatry beware of false teachers see that they don't deceive you and then he turned he said be of good comfort brother for tonight we shall have a merry supper with the Lord that same courage that empowered John bradford is the same courage that we see exemplified in shadrach meshach and abednego's life they're given the same choice recant or die what would you do before saying well I'll die for the Lord I have to ask you are you living for the Lord these three men there are hananiah michelle and nazariah they have all committed we're going to be faithful to the Lord we're not going to violate his law and so they respond to king nebuchadnezzar we have no need to answer you in this matter and they're not being arrogant they're not being fanatical they're just agreeing with nebuchadnezzar we don't we don't have to have a discussion on this our minds are made up right now we don't have to give a defense or an apology for this offense and this is the attitude of the apostles in acts chapter 5 verse 29 it is oh better to obey God rather than men and the first step for victory is trust if you're taking notes write that down trust in the Lord doesn't it say trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways and knowledge him and he shall direct your paths isn't that what the Scripture says and sometimes those paths I mean the path

It's narrow it's a hard path to walk and sometimes those paths say lead us into the fiery furnace sometimes those paths lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and nebuchadnezzar he asks the question who is the God who is able to deliver you out of out of my hands and the young men they respond our God who we serve is able to deliver that to deliver us underline that in your copy of God's word our God is able to deliver us I gotta ask you what is it that you need to trust the Lord with now what is it in your life psalm 18 8 says it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man and we're called to trust God is able to deliver but if not you need to circle that highlight that but if not even if God does not deliver let it be known to you o king that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up and this is open defiance to the clear command of the king and they because they are ready to lay down their lives because they know that it is better to suffer than to sin let me say that again just in case you missed it is better to suffer than to sin sometimes God he might work a miracle in your life like he might heal a sickness give you a victory in an area of your life he might do it sometimes he doesn't that sickness it might lead to death that area that you wanted to win in may not happen when we look at the scope of Biblical history and we see God's supernatural workings and his miraculous delivery we see it actually happen in a very narrow scope of circumstances we

Actually see it in the ministry of Moses we see it in the ministry of Elijah and Elijah and establishing the prophetic ministry we see it in the ministry of Christ and the early church shane and shane and their song burn us up which I would highly recommend that you guys take a listen to here's some of the lyrics in there it says you are able to deliver from the fire of affliction it's the decl it's the declaration of my Lord you're not an image of gold you're the God of old you have made us come and save us we are yours whatever happens whether the Lord crushes us allows for those fiery temptations and tribulations to overcome if the economy crashes what are we going to do we're going to trust the Lord if war breaks out and there's fighting what are we going to do we're going to trust the Lord if a pandemic hits our nation Christians are going to trust the Lord and this has been the story of Christians throughout the ages because we're people of the book we believe God's word and God's word alone is the ultimate authority for our lives not man not cody not you not any president our God is king the second step is test because we have to go through the test don't we after nebuchadnezzar here's their response his face goes from controlled

Pleasantry to really fury it when it was it was just bubbling just below the surface I want you to notice that this is just outright hypocrisy being hypocritical literally means to wear a mask that's what it literally means and many people they wear the mask of pleasantry tree many of them are just divisive spiteful hateful resistors of God's word and will and nebuchadnezzar he flies off the handle and he orders his strongest men his mighty men to bind these men up he orders for the furnace to be superheated as hot as you can get it now this is a an image of an old lime kiln this is in great britain and you can still see these today a grown man can walk right into that massive hole it's got an opening up at the top where they're able to pour in the raw material and they have these all throughout europe all throughout the middle east parts of western asia even in some parts of north africa because this is how they used to smelt gold and iron and things like that and so they had just gotten finished smelting some gold to make this huge image and so this is what nebuchadnezzar had chosen to burn people up in and as you can see not only is there well you can't see the opening up at the top but you can see where a grown man could walk in after it was all cooled down and where someone might be able to get a really good view of what's happening in the flames of fire this lime kiln would actually run at about 1650 degrees fahrenheit 900 degrees celsius it's pretty hot and that's at the average temperature if you wanted to get it superheated scientists say that they could have

Maybe gotten it up to about 2000 degrees which is very hot what would you do if this death was awaiting you they march you up that hill they take you up to the edge your feet begin to burn what would you do what would your reaction be I gotta wonder what the chaldeans who were maliciously accusing the jews what were they thinking at that moment were they happy that they were watching people get burned alive nebuchadnezzar tells his mighty men his strongest men bind them up as tight as you can don't let them escape their fate and you know why he chose to do this because he doesn't want them to escape he doesn't want them to be delivered either by their own effort or from the effort of their God cast them into the furnace it didn't take time to prepare the young men no final words nothing like that they were thrown in with their turbans with their hats with their shoes with their tunics with everything their rings on their finger the bracelets around their wrists every part of them was tossed into that fiery furnace in this fiery furnace it's been a source of inspiration and faith for literally thousands of years this is one of the earliest Christian artworks it's in it's a fresco that's in the catacomb of priscilla in rome and that's it you can see the flames down at the bottom the three men with their heads unbound you can even see turbans on their head as they are free while walking in the flames during this same time

This is during the reign of emperor domitian domitian he was a evil persecutor of Christians he and nero are some of the most notorious in church history they loved setting Christians on fire they would actually take them set them up on poles to light their gardens at night burning them alive they accused Christians of all sorts of things that weren't true in his reign of terror was from 89 to 96. He killed the bishop of jerusalem who was simeon the cousin of Jesus who was appointed by Peter he also boiled John the beloved disciple that was emperor domitian who survived and was exiled to patmos it was also under his watch that Timothy was killed in the city of ephesus after being beaten by clubs dementia was obviously a very wicked man and so you wonder as Christians experience persecution they cling to this passage because they see the hope and the deliverance that is promised in Christ and when testing comes will you stand or will you bow choose that today settle that in your heart settle that in your mind what are you going to do when the fiery trials come shadrach meshach and abednego you know what they chose they chose a few moments of pain and then eternal life in heaven with God hell on the other hand doesn't consume it only torments forever Jesus Christ said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28 and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul rather

Fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell in the furnace it was overheated and the flames were pouring out and you know what happened to those mighty men those mighty men wound up dying they trusted in the wrong thing they thought if I bow if I'm accepted by culture in my leaders if I go with the flow I'll be fine and yet it is those mighty men who bound up the innocents that they wound up paying with their lives that should be a warning sign to you and I as believers to stand up for truth in a culture that desperately needs to hear the truth of the Gospel not in a belligerent argumentative unloving way but with the peace and the hope that Christ gives us to share the good news of the Gospel and let's face it these three young men they are facing death and if they die it's not because it's God's inability to save if they die it's because it's God's time for them it's his sovereign will first Peter chapter 4 verses 12 through 15 should be up there it says beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed if you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil doer or as a meddler we don't we don't want to suffer as people who are wicked that's not our role as Christians we suffer as those who do good who love the Lord and want to point other people to the eternal kingdom of God pleading with them to repent and believe

In him we must suffer for doing good be it to our life or death truth number three is triumph look at nebuchadnezzar's response he was astonished and he rose up in haste he's peering into the blazing furnace he's kind of looking around I got to imagine that's kind of cooled off a little bit for him wait a minute wasn't there three guys yeah that's right king but I see four I see four in there walking unbound in the midst and they are not hurt Isaiah 43 chapter Isaiah chapter 43 verses 1 and 2 and verse 5. Look at what it says fear not for I have redeemed you I have called you by name you are mine when you pass through the waters I will be with you and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you when you walk through fire you shall not be burned and the flames shall not consume you fear not for I am with you sometimes God he delivers from trials like Daniel he was delivered from death when there was that dream that he had to tell what the dream was and give the interpretation of the dream sometimes God he delivers us in that way sometimes God walks with us through the flames in the fire you see the promise for believers is not always for deliverance the promise for believers is the promise of his presence with us whether we're in the fiery furnace or whether we're going through the valley of the shadow of death or whether we're walking beside still water and green pastures

See the hope of heaven is not heaven it's Christ that we get to be with him and enjoy him forever and who is this fourth person in the fire I believe that it's Jesus because he's the one that promises his very presence for his people and if we have him then we have everything that we need have you ever been afraid of losing something I remember one time my dad he gave me two hundred dollars to deposit in our family's checking account he had to go to work in the morning son it's very important I got a bill that's due and I gotta wrote the check it's gotta get in there today I was terrified of losing that 200 I was like 12 walking all the way across town to do this terrified if I'd have lost it I've been in big trouble maybe you were terrified of losing an inheritance or a home or a family member I mean these are gifts from God that we talk about but God he has given a greater gift than any of those things the most valuable gift that you could ever receive he has given and best of all it's completely free and best of all you can't lose it that gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus Jesus said in John chapter 10 verses 27-28 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they know me I give them eternal life and they will never perish no one will snatch them out of my hand it is the most valuable gift because there is nothing better than knowing that you will be with God forever there's nothing that God could give us

That's better than himself and that's why Christians throughout the ages have lived with eternity in mind and it's a free gift because the price has already been paid by Jesus the Bible says that the price of sin is death and eternal separation from the love and peace of God but Jesus came into the world and he offered himself as an atoning sacrifice for our sins when he died he made payment for my sin and for anyone that would ever trust in the name of the Lord and that's you if you turn to him on that third day he arose guaranteeing what he said was true that he really does have authority in this life and in the next Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life you must believe in the son of God and turn to him and away from sin and Jesus says that those who trust in him and are his sheep will never perish and neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand regardless of the trials regardless of the temptations regardless of the things that we endure we know that God holds us securely but today you might be here and you may not have that security you might not know Jesus as your Savior if you don't know you know you can you can settle that you can settle that with him you come to God you don't you don't come through me you don't enter through me you don't enter through the church you enter through Jesus Christ to the father and you come to Jesus and you say God I am so sorry can you make me clean can you save me and his answer is always I am willing be clean

His answer is always I will receive you to myself first John 1 9 if we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness that's his promise to every person that turns to him by faith and you can have that same peace just like shadrach meshach and abednego just like brothers and sisters in this room head hand heart head I want you to know that it is better to suffer than to sin is infinitely grievous to God because he's infinitely holy and for believers it is better for us to choose to suffer Hebrews 11 verses 36 through 38 says others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment they were stoned they were sawn in two they were killed with the sword they went about and skins of sheep and goats destitute afflicted mistreated of whom the world was not worthy wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth this one's a little different I want you guys to take time this week and write a prayer of commitment to the Lord resolving in your heart and in your mind that you're going to live for the Lord it's a good idea to write these things down and give yourself over to the Lord daily as just an act of submission that he would grow you that he would sanctify you that he would make you bolder to walk in his ways and heart I want you to believe that God he has a good plan for your trials may not always see it we may not like it when we're there the flames might consume us they might burn us

But the promise that we have in Christ is infinitely better and who knows God might use your trials to bring salvation to someone else let's all stand and let's respond and worship together maybe you're here and you do want to talk about salvation I'll be right up here you can shake my hand say cody I want to talk about it maybe you need to rededicate yourself to the Lord ask for him to walk with you through the fiery furnace maybe you're going through that hard time and you need a brother or sister to pray with you once you reach out to a brother or sister right now and ask them can you pray for me about this because I'm really hurt [Music] let's all bow our heads and close our eyes and pray in the worship so God we do thank you for this day we thank you for your mercy and your kindness Lord as we walk through the fiery trials Lord we know that they can be so hard so heavy scary and fearful at times Lord give us courage give us wisdom help us to be full of grace and truth according to your word help us to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as duffs that we might be able to live for your glory shining like beacons of light [Music] to a world that needs to see your truth we love you Lord and as we worship together help us to make this song a declaration of our faith in Jesus name

Amen let's sing together memories [Music] roar [Music] whatever my lot thou has taught me to say it is well it is well with my soul [Music] should come blessed assurance control that Christ hath regarded [Music] headless estate and has shed his own blood for my soul is well with my soul it is well is with my soul my sin o the bliss of this glorious [Music] is praise the Lord praise it is well with my soul it is where it is well with my soul just our voices it is well with my best song ever written they don't sing that my funeral I'm raising about the casket coming back says it all heavenly father thank you today for this opportunity worship and we pray that we'd be worthy and we thank you for the many blessings of life thank you for this rain you give us and for everything else you do for us Jesus name amen I want to remind you all at noon we've

Got a special business meeting to ratify the constitution so if you're a member you're more than welcome to stay otherwise be