DANIEL Series #1 of 11

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HE AIN’T HEAVY – Sharing and Bearing the Tough Stuff Sunday, July 24, 2016

Pastor David Staff Christ Community Church * Ames IA

Sharing and Bearing the Fire Daniel 3 (p.739 ESV)

3:1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Let’s pray May I ask you today this question? When do you say “No”?

What I mean is, when do you

stiffen and say, “No, I won’t do that.” When do you refuse to march in step with everyone else? For what reasons? What is that value you simply will not compromise? Under any circumstances? When do you say, “NO way!” Time for a smile – take a look at this from an old “Candid Camera” episode .

https://youtube/BgRoiTWkBHU Ever since the 1930’s (Adolf Hitler era), social psychologists have been studying conformity. “Conformity (according to S.A. McLeodi) is a type of social influence involving a which changes belief or behavior in order to fit in with a group. This change is in response to real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms / expectations) group pressure.” Researchers have identified at least 4 types of CONFORMITY: (1) INGRATIATING COMFORMITY – this is when a person conforms to impress or gain favor/ acceptance from others. The key motivation is not so much rejection or punishment, but rather gaining all the social rewards you can by conforming. Page 1 of 6

(2) INTERNALIZING CONFORMITY – here someone conforms because he/she actually does agree with the other person or group. Internalization is the deepest level of conformity. What others believe becomes what you believe, and you conform. (3) IDENTIFYING CONFORMITY – in this, someone accepts the influence in order to establish a selfdefining relationship with a person or group. An example would be submitting to training for a job (like a nurse or a police officer) – you conform to the identity of your chosen profession. Take a job as a prison guard, and soon you “conform” by acting just like all the other prison guards toward prisoners. (4) COMPLYING CONFORMITY – here someone conforms when he/she hopes to achieve a favorable reaction from another person, or a group. Someone conforms expecting to gain a specific reward or approval, or to avoid specific punishment or disapproval. This kind of person doesn’t actually agree or believe what the group believes, but they comply in order to get the reward of another person’s or group’s acceptance. As you might suspect, classic experiments have been conducted. Perhaps most famous was by a researcher named Asch who, using different lengths of lines, demonstrated that even when others obviously gave the wrong answer, if they were united in the wrong answer, they could successfully persuade (simply by the unspoken peer pressure) the naive participant to comply …and give the wrong answer too. “Overall, roughly 3/4 of the naïve subjects complied, adjusting their public judgment to conform to the group even though in their individual notes they indicated the right answer consistently. We use normative cues, in other words, to help us gain public acceptance.”ii You know what? Most of the important stuff in life is not about which way you face in an elevator nor what a group says about which line is the same length as another. No, life is much more importantly about     

What you will worship when everyone else is bowing before their possessions? How honest you will be when everyone else is cheating? What you will put in your mind/heart when everyone else is gorging on garbage? How you will safeguard your sexuality when everyone else is shopping theirs around? Who you decide to follow when everyone else is following anything? Sometimes the TOUGH STUFF we face Is the PRESSURE to COMPROMISE. So…what does it look like to STAND STRONG TOGETHER … in what is right; in what honors God 1st?

What can we learn from these three incredible Hebrew young men? You know from your reading of Page 2 of 6

DANIEL that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were far from home. They were captives from Jerusalem, exiles. Forced to live in a strange land. They’ve been through Nebuchadnezzar’s personal re-programming therapy and Babylon’s cultural/political indoctrination school. Sharp and brilliant and bright, they’ve been awarded with administrative authority in the province of Babylon under the totalitarian authority of arguably the most powerful man in the world. And, Nebuchadnezzar has just learned from Daniel (Daniel 2) that God has made him/his kingdom the “head of gold” of the prophetic statue appearing in his dreams. Nebuchadnezzar is absolutely convinced He is the greatest and deserves everyone’s worship. TO STAND STRONG TOGETHER, YOUR CONVICTIONS MUST BE STRONGER THAN THE PRESSURE (Their convictions did not BOW) Daniel 3 opens by describing the FORCE OF THE WORLD’S PRESSURE. #1 Pressure comes when a proud world constructs rival objects of worship. Daniel 3:1 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. #2 Pressure comes when the world calls for uniformity of response. Daniel 3:2,4-7 Notes “all,” vs. 2 Vs. 4 Heralds call everyone to comply Vs. 6 Whoever does not Vs. 7 All did…well, almost all  #3 Pressure comes when jealousy targets successfully non-conformers. Daniel 3:8-12 The insiders (Chaldeans, home-grown) jealous that the “outsiders” had been given special authority in the key province. #4 Pressure comes in the pricetag for counter convictions. Daniel 3:13-15 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; … before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" 3:13

Mark this well. The unbelieving world, full of itself and the spirit of anti-Christ, pushing its own object of worship, anxious for everyone to conform, uncomfortable when you won’t, will make every Page 3 of 6

effort to convinced you that disappointing them will be worse than dishonoring your God. Nebuchadnezzar challenges (vs.15), “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” Anyone who wants to be courageous for God should not naively overlook the force of the WORLD’S PRESSURE. Which means our convictions must be strong; must be rooted. Not shallow. Solid.

Pressure is a wedge that can either drive us from God or to Him. Now, notice the contrast.

Notice how, Daniel 3:16-18 these men TO STAND STRONG TOGETHER, YOUR CONFIDENCE MUST BE GROUNDED IN A SOVEREIGN GOD (Their confidence did not BEND) Why did their confidence not bend? A. They BELIEVED THAT PRESSURE CALLS FOR COURAGE, NOT CONFORMITY. 3:16-18 Daniel 3:16a …"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. You know, I don’t think these young men were being smart or rude or even stupid. They are simply standing their ground, realizing that the only One to whom they must give an answer is Yahweh Elohim…the God whose hands were wrapped around them in that very moment. Whatever pressure they were under became a cue for them simply to exhibit courage. B. They TRUSTED IN GOD’S SOVEREIGN CONTROL AND CAPABILITY. Daniel 3:16b-17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, John Calvin, the powerful Swiss Reformer, who often sent young men into France to preach the gospel not knowing if they would come back alive, once wrote: However our enemies may sport with the certainty of what they believe, Had they to seal their own doctrine with their blood, and at the expense of life, It would be seen what value they put on what they believe. Today, if you’ve read the most recent issues of Christianity Today, you realize that Nebuchadnezzar still lives and is stoking up blast furnaces for Shadrachs, Meshachs and Abednegos in North Korea, in Iran, in Afghanistan.iii C. They RESTED IN A DECISION TO OBEY NO MATTER WHAT “let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."iv Page 4 of 6

What a response! Not in the comfort of a church, but toe-to-toe with someone who can increase the misery of their lives. Dr. Joyce Baldwin reminds us that Death by burning at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar is recorded in Jeremiah 29:22v, and a directive of the ruler Rim Sin (1750 BC) of Larsa, ‘Because they threw a young slave into an oven, throw ye a slave into a furnace’ (cf. John B. Alexander, ‘New Light on the Fiery Furnace,’ JBL, 69, 1950, pp. 375f.)vi I think these three men remembered Isaiah’s prophetic encouragement: (Isaiah 8:12-13) "… you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.” IN STANDING STRONG TOGETHER, YOU DISCOVER GOD JOINS YOU IN THE FIRE (Their experience did not BURN) (Daniel 3:24-25) Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king." 25 He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" “Loosed, and walking about.” To his utter amazement, Nebuchadnezzar discovers that there is a God who can set these men free from his anger. God the Son, before he was born as Jesus, chose to stand in the fire with these three men. The truth of their courage and faith set them free. Where did this conviction and courage and commitment and confidence come from? One of the interesting ways to answer this question is to understand that the names we know these 3 men by are their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. But underneath their Babylonian names, these men knew who they were and who they belonged to. Daniel 1:17 tells us that their real names – their real identity in their Hebrew names -- were these   

Hananiah: “God is gracious” Mishael: “Who is what God is?” Azariah: “Whom the Lord helps!” TAKE AWAYS… Take Away #1 – SINK YOUR CONVICTIONAL ROOTS DEEP INTO GOD/HIS WORD May I challenge you? What are your “convictions”? Do you know what is non-negotiable in

your life, and why? Paul said this to a young man named Timothy – Page 5 of 6

2 Timothy 3:14

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Take Away #2 – STAY CONNECTED WITH OTHERS Ecclesiastes 4:9

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Interesting, in conformity studies, many times there were 4-5 others who were pre-programmed to give the wrong answer together to put the maximum amount of pressure on the one, lone, unaware subject. But researchers also found that when just one other person opposed the majority with the unaware subject, the rate of conformity dropped significantly. Take Away #3 – EXPECT GOD TO COME THROUGH IN A SURPRISING WAY Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

Nebuchadnezzar discovered, writes Dr. Baldwin, “that his power was far from absolute. He left out of his reckoning the Most High God.”vii Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon. Copyright 2016 © David A. Staff Al rights reserved

McLeod, S. A. (2016). What is Conformity? Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/conformity.html https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight-therapy/201012/you-are-conformist-is-you-are-human iii See articles in Christianity Today, March 11, 2002, pp.. 30-32, 38f, iv To my thinking, this response is like unto young David running toward Goliath (cf. 2 Samuel 17:48) when he was taunted by the Philistine warrior. Godly courage doesn’t flinch; in charges forth verbally and physically. v (Jeremiah 29:22) 'Because of them a curse will be used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, "May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.” Joyce G. Baldwin, Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1978), 100. vi Alexander concludes: Now while the parallel is not exact, in the decree of Rim-Sin as in that of Nebuchadrezzar, a human being is thrown into a furnace as a form of punishment. It may be mere coincidence that the author of Daniel 3 has described a method of punishment actually used by a Babylonian king some 1200 years earlier, but it may be that this practice persisted to much later times and is correctly reflected in the book of Daniel.’ Cited in Baldwin, 100, footnote 2. vii Baldwin, 106. Page 6 of 6 i

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