Heat Wave: Faith in the Fire

Daniel 3:1-6

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide[a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials[b] came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments,[c] bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

Ashpenaz, the chief eunuch, assigned Babylonian names to Hananiah which means Jehovah has been gracious, Mishael which means who is what God is, and Azariah which means Jehovah has helped. Their new names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are marked in this story because of their amazing faith in the fire. 

Life will sometimes place us in the fire. There are seasons of pressure, opposition, trials and testing. But Daniel 3 teaches us a powerful truth:

God does not always keep His people out of the fire, but He always walks with them through it. 

1. The Pressure to Bow
   1. Bow to Culture
   2. Bow to Fear
   3. Bow to Compromise
   4. Bow to Popularity
   5. Bow to Sin
2. The Fire Becomes the Test
   1. Exodus 20:3
   2. Joshua 24:15
   3. Romans 12:2
3. Jesus was in the Fire/God’s presence changes everything
   1. Fire with God is better than comfort without Him.
   2. Trials with Jesus are better than ease without Him.
   3. His presence gives peace in impossible situations. 
4. The Fire Becomes the Testimony
   1. “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.” Isaiah 43:2
   2. “ I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
   3. “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33