In the Fire With the Lord - Part 2

What you doing tonight the story of sham recognition when God delivered them from the fun of us know what happens makes today on tuning. Jeremiah returns to the book of Daniel to focus on God's faithfulness in our times of trouble. The handwriting on the statement to introduce the conclusion the file and thank you for joining us as we begin this last week of February together were delighted to have your loggers are studied in the book of Daniel continues. Right now we want to get back to what we started on Friday to finish up our discussion of in the fire with the Lord from Daniel chapter 3 verses 19 through 30 people tell me and I found some measure trials in the hottest furnace. We are more conscious of the Lord's presence.

Any other time in our life's natural that is just our imagination.

That's because I believe in my heart that the Lord draws near to us at such times that they were conscious will match the record of their deliverance and the reasons for their deliverance and I want to look lastly at the results of their deliverance. Why were they delivered and what happened now because of their 61 us to notice.

First of all, that when they were delivered. Result number one is executed. Verse 22 the king's command was urgent this exceedingly hot flame of fire. Some of those men that Shadrach me shack knowledge you notice an interesting thought that the soldiers who fell down outside where there was no fire were killed while we found out inside where there was a firework that interested me is to kill them getting killed himself, and is quite often true that when God puts us in the furnace of fire difficult trials, and we think it's the worst thing that it would happen to us and maybe a flame so that the flames were jumping up around in the process of the fire.

God takes care of the first result, their enemies rescue. The second, their bonds were eliminated. Notice verse 21. These men were in their coats, their stockings and their term limits in the burning furnace numbers 25 and maybe could measure said low I see four men what's the next word class loose.

They were now their free you know that the only thing that measures furnace was his own stroke.

The only thing that was consumed in the fire was the Babylonian empire used titles guys not to burn the cards, which they were bound is true that often our hearts are enlarged by the very troubles that are enemies desire to use to destroy instead.

This is oftentimes the fire so we think is going to consume us when we come out of it. On the other side, we discover that in the process of the testing we have literally been liberated and separated all the things that we thought were so important and so right about been burned away. All of a sudden we stand for you: we wonder how did I get so tied up with all of these things went through the fiery furnace.

I discovered they really don't need anything at all. Their bonds were eliminated. Notice thoroughly. Their hearts were encouraged. Verse 25 I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire. They have no hurt in the form of the fourth is like a son of God. I want you to notice some of you probably have in your text the form of the fourth was like a son of God, but in the text literally says a son of God, and it is in the language of Nebuchadnezzar and I just want to explain to you that I have changed the text but obviously Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan Babylonian would know the son of God.

And so what he noticed was when he saw that fourth form in there that it was something different, something like in his own language is son of the gods and we know that it was more than that it was the son of the God, it was the Old Testament manifestation of the Lord. What we call a theophany feels God by metal manifest God manifest in the Old Testament, amazing as it may be Nebuchadnezzar saw Christ hundreds of years before his virgin birth in the fiery furnace.

I want to praise God that I know for certain that whatever his children are in the fire is there to the form of the fourth is always in the midst of his people and it seems like he is always there in the trials, the Lord appears to us here.

These men are cast out by their contemporaries, but when their contemporaries cast them out.

The Lord just like Moses saw the Lord in the burning bush and the Lord said, I have heard the cry of my people in their slavery in Egypt and I've come to you to know be there liberator or like Elijah during the days of great apostasy in the Lord appeared to him or like the disciples on the water. And Jesus comes to them in the midst of the storm or like to on the road to source forlorn Jesus appeared or like Stephen beaten down stones and line bleeding in the dust and he saw the Lord.

The apostle Paul also discourage the corn God saving him lift up your spirit pull be of good cheer preach the gospel, for I have much people in the city.

We learn the hard way not that sometimes the very trials that we resist are God's methods of revealing himself to us and bringing us into a closer fellowship with him than we could ever know. Otherwise, by the way this story is a wonderful illustration of the condescension of God. The willingness of God to involve himself in the affairs of man go through the Bible with me mentally and remember the times when God came down he came down and linked arms with Adam and Eve in the garden. Remember he came down and walked with the godly God came down and talked with Noah became down on another time and had lunch with Abraham came down and wrestled with Jacob, he came down and himself to Moses became down and filled the tabernacle in the wilderness and also the temple came down and revealed the will of God to Gideon and to Manoa became down and he guided Israel through the wilderness became down and befriended Israel as the captain of the Lords host number that he came down and delivered Daniel from the lion's den, and three children from the fiery furnace.

Finally he came down and was born in a stable and cradled in a manger. God manifest in the flesh. Older condescension of Christ older goodness and greatness in the grace of God, the God came down. I want to say that it is my experience that God comes down in our trials and in our troubles and in the furnace, it seems to me more than in any other circumstance of life stand with the person who's lost a loved one, and if there Christians they will say something like this. I've never felt the presence of the Lord like I have been these past days.

Older condescension of God, you know, God delights to use problems to draw us to himself.

We discovered something in our visitation program back in the Midwest in the early days of our evangelism program. When we would go and visit someone and they weren't interested.

We come back and we reported our evangelism sessions and some would say well we went there and they're not interested in their not contacting so we take the cart on the file. We would go back along the way we begin to discover something that you just put it back in year so go back again. You cannot believe the things that change in a person's life.

One year to the next that made them open to God I came across this pull that was written by an American was fighting the war and he wrote this poem to his mother. It was found on his body.

After he been killed illustrates what I'm trying to say about how God meets us in the crises of life.

This is what he wrote. It's not very good poetry, but it is a tremendous illustration of this truth Lord God, I've never spoken to you, but I want to say how do you do you see God. They told me you didn't exist like a fool. I believe all this last night from a shell hole. I saw your sky. I figured right then they told me alive. Had I taken the time to see things you made. I have known they were calling a spade a spade. I wonder, God, if you take my hand. Somehow I feel that you understand.

Funny, I had to come to this hellish place before I came to see your face. Well, I guess there isn't much more to say but I'm sure glad God I met you today. I guess Zero Hour will soon be here, but I'm not afraid since I know you're near the signal will God I'll have to go. I love you lots. I want you to know.

Look now. This will be a horrible flight who knows I may come to your house tonight though I wasn't friendly to you before I wonder, God, if you'd waited door look I'm crying me, shedding tears.

I wish I'd known you. These many years will have to go now. God goodbye strange how since I met you not afraid to die, but worded a meeting in the war in a foxhole about ready to go be killed in the fire. He met God not just pause long enough to say people that some of you right now or in the hottest fire you've ever been in your life in terms of your own circumstances. You know what's going on but maybe I should just share with you the perhaps God is heated up. Not enough so he could get your attention so you listen when he knocks on your heart store. I want you to notice that the fourth result was that their lives were insured. They were not saved from the fire.

Not at all. In fact, I can imagine what it was like for these three fellows they really probably believe in their heart that God was going to deliver them from the fire mean they said that in essence believe God is able to do that nearly all dressed up now they're all wrapped up and bound up with three picked up by these big strong guys and are carried to the fire and I don't know where it was. But somewhere in the process of being dropped down into that furnace. They begin to realize that God was with use Plan B. All right, Lord.

What's Plan B which you know they have the most exciting thing happen to them. They didn't get saved from the fire they got saved in the fire and through the in God wanted them to experience what it was like to be in the midst of the fire and be preserved, and they made no complaint and they felt no pain in the experience no uneasiness in the fire to burn them in the smoke did not inconvenience them in Hebrews 1134 I believe a speaking of them when it says by faith. They quenched the violence of fire they didn't escape the fire they just quenched the violence of so when we came up.

Danny had four surprises coming. First of all, they were free, not bound. Secondly, they were walking that line down.

Thirdly, there were four of them, not three. Fourth, there was no evidence of pain coming.

These fellows according to the text were walking around talking with the Lord. We just have a good time chatting about things like was on fire and an all-around is having the time of fellowship size and we read in the text that when they came out of the fire and they were examined. That harm was nowhere to be seen. Their hair was not singed there garments were unchanged and the smell of smoke is not on their close, you know, we sing a hymn, how firm a foundation I want to quote third verse goes like this went through fiery trials by pathway shell line.

My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame will not hurt. I only design thy dross to consume and I gold to refine. That's what happened to those fellows. They didn't get hurt in the midst of the fire. If you want a good outline report outline got a given devotion at work this week or someplace.

There's a good three point sermon on unbound number.

Amen.

That's how God works now want you to notice the fifth result was that their God was exalted. All of this go back in your Bibles to the 50 verse third chapter is Nebuchadnezzar the big loudmouth came talking and in the last verse you know he's thought about what is the furnace is is you guys. You know, you're messing with me on Nebuchadnezzar the big man in the land, and you don't want to fill with me furnace is not God's will deliver you out of my allocable to verse 29. Therefore, I make a decree that people mentioned in language you speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach me shack and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made directly asleep because God is sort verse 15 he asked this question in verse 29 he published his exciting God is exalted, you see, when the king looked into the fire. He saw me he saw God and God's punishment in verse 22. He saw God and God's presence in verse 25 he saw God in God's protection in verse 25 and he saw God and God's power in verse 27 when the king saw the fire what he saw was God. He didn't even know for sure that's what it was he saw God that I disabled I believe that's probably where people see God in us more than any other place they see God in us when were in the fire Metro. You know it's easy to be a Christian when everything's going great. But when the fires hopped our friends who are all around us were watching some do they see God you we had was one couple had really never heard their story was real excited about what happened her life and I asked the young couple.

How did you come to Christ this if you know Pastor, there's a couple from your church that lived next door to us. We watched them as God literally took everything they had away and we saw them praising the Lord having a smile on their face, never complaining, but rejoice in their faith. One night after supper we were talking about that we said to each other whatever they have. That's what we need. We went over to their house and they let us to Christ they saw God. The fire wonder if people see God in your life in the midst of your troubles. You come unglued.

Like the rest of the world or are you the testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ. Last thing you want to share with you is as a result, that their influence was enlarged. Verse 30 then the king promoted Shadrach me shack and Abednego, in the province about how they were already at the top menu couldn't get much harder when you're at the top and you get promoted at some coming to get promoted right out of the chart because of their faithfulness and you know when God tests us and we prove faithful. It is always for the purpose of enlarging our influence for him. That's what happened to when they came through the fire God just gave them greater in you know the Bible teaches that Revelation 210.

Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give the crown of life.

Second Timothy 211 and 12 if we died with him. We shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. Romans 817, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. If so be that we suffer with that. We may also be glorified with him. When you're faithful in testing you get promoted in your influence is enlarged. There is a parallel to all of this that we talked about in the life of a great man by the name of John Chrysostom who lived in A.D. 347 to 407. He was one of the greatest of the Greek church fathers. I am told it is a very unchristian he was brought before the Emperor and the Emperor said to him that if he would not give up Christ, but insisted on becoming a Christian. He said to him I will banish you from the country from your father's land. I will banish. Chrysostom said cannot for the whole world is my father's land you can banish me while the nurse said then I will take away all your property, and Chrysostom said you cannot. My treasures are well & I'll take you to a place where there is not a friend asleep to, and Chrysostom replied to that you cannot I have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. I shall have my brother Jesus Christ, forever and were finally exasperated Lee threatened to take away your life, Chrysostom replied, you cannot.

My life is hidden with God in Christ and the Emperor said what you do with a man like that will be the way it is for all of us were Christians. Such unusual characteristics that when the world sees us. They say what you do with a man like that. May I just encourage you that Peter tells us that we are not to think it strange when fiery trials come upon us, as though some strange thing had happened to us what we are to take the instruction of the word of God and in the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Remember that the Lord is in there with us. Amen. Amen. Well tomorrow and talk about a proud king's conversion.

As we moved to the fourth chapter of Daniel want to miss tomorrow. It's quite a story about a pagan king who found God, he did he found on the dishes I got thought him to join us tomorrow. Right here on this good station. The message you just came from the Shadow Mountain Community Church and the David Jeremiah and the senior post would love to live and help to the point is touching please write us to point PO Box 3838, San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website at David Jeremiah talking/writing you a copy of David's influence of this series on the sequence from the prophecies of Daniel handwriting was forget you can also download the free Turning Point mobile smart phone or tablet searching for the king, Turning Point ministries instantly access and programs and was just to go to David Jeremiah doubled/radio for the join us tomorrow as we continue the series. The handwriting on Jeremiah for taking time to anything on the non-pleasing