Daniel All Access

Hutzpah

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. C. A. Murray

Home

Series Code: DAA

Program Code: DAA000003A


00:01 Music...
00:26 Hello once again and welcome to Daniel All Access.
00:31 In this particular sitting together,
00:35 we look at Daniel chapter 3.
00:37 The title we have called: Chutzpah
00:39 and we'll explain what Chutzpah is.
00:43 If you're from New York City
00:45 or if you happen to be an Ashkenazi Jew
00:48 or a place that is populated by people of Jewish faith,
00:52 you know what a Chutzpah is.
00:53 It is a very common word
00:56 in Yiddish language
00:58 and it has filtered into our English language,
01:01 we look at Daniel chapter 3 today
01:04 and I think we're beginning to see
01:06 that there is a lot in the book of Daniel
01:09 that rides just below the surface there...
01:11 there's the obvious prophetic plain
01:14 on which the book is written
01:15 but once you begin to dig, there is a lot in Daniel
01:18 and it has a lot to say to us today.
01:20 So, we welcome you once again to Daniel All Access...
01:23 we will have prayer
01:25 and then let us launch out into Chutzpah... Daniel chapter 3.
01:29 "Father God, again we praise you
01:32 and thank you for your goodness, your grace...
01:37 we thank you for the Word which is a lamp unto our feet,
01:40 a light unto our path.
01:42 We are thankful Lord for Jesus, Savior and friend...
01:45 and we're thankful for the prophetic waymarks
01:49 that let us know and give us assurance
01:52 that God has been... is now...
01:55 will always be with His people...
01:58 and that we need not fear
02:00 for the way has been clearly delineated...
02:03 it has been marked out...
02:05 and we need but to walk in that way
02:08 for that is the way that leads to glory
02:11 and we thank you dear Father, in Jesus' name, amen. "
02:14 Audience: Amen.
02:17 Want to begin this afternoon...
02:19 this presentation with a side bar
02:21 that has bearing on what we will be talking about shortly,
02:26 this is a quote from Ellen White,
02:31 she says, "Are there those here
02:35 who have been sinning and repenting
02:39 sinning and repenting
02:42 and they continue to do so till Christ shall come. "
02:48 She talks about sinning and repenting
02:51 and sinning and repenting
02:53 and she says, "Our lives ought not be
02:57 an endless round of sinning and repenting...
03:02 sinning and repenting. "
03:05 I had a friend who...
03:07 bless his heart, we grew up together
03:09 but he spent a lot of time in prison
03:11 and every time he went to jail, he got converted
03:14 and when he got out of jail he forgot about the Lord
03:17 sinning and repenting... sinning and repenting
03:22 and that does bear on our presentation this afternoon
03:26 and you will see "sinning and repenting"
03:30 in the life of Nebuchadnezzar.
03:33 Ellen White lets us know that sinning and repenting
03:37 denies victory in Jesus Christ,
03:40 you know, sooner or later
03:42 God's people have to be overcomers, amen.
03:45 You've got to overcome,
03:47 you can't sin and repent and sin and repent
03:49 and sin and repent... and sin and repent.
03:51 I remember as children, we would do something
03:53 and we would sin as it were...
03:56 and it was fairly easy for us to... to repent...
04:00 we just watched my dad and my dad would do this,
04:04 and we would repent...
04:07 Audience: Laughter...
04:10 we'd repent... it was fairly easy to get us to repent
04:13 the moment that belt came off... we repented.
04:15 It didn't keep us from sinning again,
04:18 but we repented at... at that moment
04:21 and so, Ellen White says our lives ought not to be
04:23 this endless round of sinning and repenting,
04:25 sinning and repenting, sinning and repenting...
04:26 because it denies the victorious life.
04:29 Christians ought to have victory in Jesus.
04:33 Sooner or later, we have got to be overcomers
04:36 and that overcoming is promised in Scripture.
04:39 So, notice the statement of Nebuchadnezzar,
04:42 we ended with this in our last sitting...
04:46 Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 2 verse 7...
04:50 Daniel chapter 2, verse... rather... 47... forgive me...
04:53 Daniel 2:47 here's what it says,
04:58 "... truly your God is a God of gods,
05:01 the Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets...
05:06 truly your God is a God of gods... Lord of Lords...
05:11 revealer of secrets"
05:15 that sounds like a statement that's coming from somebody
05:22 whose heart has been touched, amen.
05:25 Yeah, he's seeing what God has done.
05:28 He's seeing how God can take control of situations
05:32 and so, for a while... Nebuchadnezzar is...
05:38 I don't want to say, "converted"
05:42 I would say, "convicted"
05:43 he's convicted
05:46 he's convicted that he is in the presence of a people
05:50 who serve a God who can get stuff done,
05:55 who can do things...
05:57 who is a God of power and a God of might
06:01 and we will come to deal with this on two more occasions,
06:06 there are two more very distinct times
06:08 when Nebuchadnezzar makes a statement
06:10 just like that
06:11 but he is guilty of sinning and repenting,
06:14 sinning and repenting.
06:16 The truth is, it is far too easy for us to lose our way sometimes
06:22 even after we have been convicted... of what is right.
06:28 So, the king for a time walks in the impression
06:31 made upon him by the dream.
06:33 Daniel tells him the dream... he is impressed with the dream
06:37 and... you know... how many have ever gone to church
06:40 and you... you... you come away from your experience at church
06:43 and you say to yourself, "You know what?
06:45 I will never, ever sin again. "
06:48 Audience: Laughter.
06:50 And when you say it... you mean it, amen.
06:54 you do...
06:56 but the devil knows
06:58 even as those words are coming out of your mouth,
07:00 you can't keep that...
07:02 and neither... neither... and the Lord knows that too
07:05 which is why the Bible says that if we sin...
07:08 we have an advocate with the Father
07:10 because, you know, sometimes we fall
07:12 so when Nebuchadnezzar made that statement,
07:15 he was impressed with what God was doing.
07:18 He was impressed with the power of God.
07:22 He had a "head knowledge" of the Lord,
07:25 but it was not buttressed
07:28 by a "heart knowledge" of the Lord.
07:32 I've heard sermons in church
07:34 where the pastors preached and I felt so bad...
07:38 and I said, "Lord, will I ever make the grade...
07:41 will I ever be right... will I ever make it?"
07:44 And I... and I said... and I've said to myself,
07:47 "Lord, I'm going to do better"
07:49 and for a while, I do better, amen.
07:55 Audience: Amen.
07:57 And then you find yourself slipping back...
07:59 doesn't mean you don't want to do better,
08:01 it simply means that...
08:03 it simply means that when you say,
08:06 "I have decided to follow Jesus"
08:09 you know what Satan says?
08:11 "I have determined you're not gonna follow Jesus"
08:16 Audience: That's right.
08:18 Amen... yeah... you... you... you come in strong...
08:21 you believe it and you mean it
08:22 but there's an adversary called the "Devil"
08:25 who goes about as a roaring lion
08:28 who is just as determined as you are...
08:31 in fact, he's more determined than you are,
08:34 because he knows his time is short...
08:38 so the battle begins and you know the truth is this,
08:41 the greatest battle you will ever fight
08:44 is against the person sitting next to you.
08:47 Audience: No... no...
08:49 Hmmm... hmmm... the greatest battle you will ever fight
08:53 is the person that you look at every morning in the mirror
08:57 when you brush your teeth.
08:58 Audience: Yes.
08:59 Murray: Amen... Audience: Amen.
09:01 The hardest battles... the greatest battles...
09:02 the most consistent... persistent... incessant battles
09:05 you will fight are against yourself.
09:07 Pause...
09:09 And the battle begins the day you determine
09:11 to give your life to the Lord.
09:13 So, the moment you say, "I've decided... "
09:15 Satan says, "Yeah" too "I've decided"
09:18 and as they used to say in the streets of New York,
09:21 "It's on now... "
09:22 because you got to fight.
09:24 So, we see that Daniel
09:29 had said to Nebuchadnezzar
09:34 and given praise to God and the impression of that dream
09:41 really stuck in his mind
09:44 but through all of that interpretation,
09:49 the one thing that stood out in Nebuchadnezzar's mind
09:54 was the one sentence, "Thou art this head of gold... "
09:58 Daniel said a lot to him, he talked about kingdoms
10:02 and kingdoms and kingdoms going up
10:05 and kingdoms coming down
10:06 but the thing that stuck in his head...
10:08 the thing that touched his heart...
10:10 "I'm that head of gold...
10:12 and me... I'm the golden boy"
10:16 And Ellen White says, "for a while, he was convicted"
10:19 but that... that, "thou art this head of gold... "
10:22 stayed with him and stayed with him
10:23 he heard all of God's words but what he bit down on
10:28 was "thou art this head of gold"
10:29 that statement made a deep impression on his mind.
10:34 You see this... this is a man...
10:37 who's already got ego issues,
10:40 he's a proud man...
10:42 he's got issues with ego, he thinks a lot of himself
10:46 he has unlimited power... unlimited authority...
10:50 and it's a dangerous combination.
10:52 When you got a person in control of a kingdom
10:55 who's not in control of himself,
10:58 you know who else that was said about, by-the-way,
11:00 Saul... as the first king of Israel...
11:03 Ellen White tells us about Saul...
11:06 never had self-control...
11:08 and never knew the influence of the Holy Spirit...
11:12 never was surrendered to God
11:14 so now, you have a person who cannot control himself
11:18 let's make him in control of the kingdom...
11:21 bad combination...
11:23 Nebuchadnezzar is the same kind of guy.
11:25 Can't control himself... can't control his passions...
11:27 but he's in control of a whole kingdom...
11:31 pause
11:33 and bless his heart Babylon was doing well.
11:39 It was prosperous, it was rich,
11:44 it was secure and it was doing quite well
11:51 and Nebuchadnezzar... in the wake of this prosperity,
11:55 we're told in "Prophets and Kings"
11:57 began to slowly slip back into idolatry.
12:02 Pause.
12:04 Let me ask you a question.
12:06 Which do you think is the better teacher?
12:10 Success or failure?
12:13 Audience: Failure.
12:15 Which is the better teacher?
12:16 Audience: Failure.
12:18 Always failure...
12:20 yeah, you learn lessons stubbing your toe
12:24 that you would not learn if you didn't stub your toe.
12:27 Failure is the better teacher.
12:30 Sadly, it is that way
12:32 and so, Nebuchadnezzar was having great success
12:37 and as soon as things started going well,
12:41 he forgot about the dream... country's going good...
12:45 "I'm doing well in my palace, everything is well... "
12:49 he begins to step back away from God
12:53 and he begins to return to his former idolatrous life.
12:59 Pause.
13:01 This is in "Prophets and Kings" page 504.
13:05 "The wise men of his realm, taking advantage of this... "
13:10 that's his easing away from God...
13:13 "and of his return to idolatry proposed that he make an image
13:18 similar to the one seen in the dream... "
13:21 that's why I say, "You've got to listen to you take...
13:23 who you take your counsel from"
13:25 amen... can't listen to everybody.
13:26 So, they suggested that to him but he didn't fight it
13:32 "and set it up where all might behold the head of gold
13:38 which had been interpreted as representing his kingdom. "
13:44 So the idea came to him, "Hey man, you're the king,
13:48 why don't you make an image entirely of gold
13:55 and... and that will... that will be impressive"
14:02 and when you already have ego problems,
14:06 and somebody flatters you like that,
14:10 you're going to bite on that.
14:12 You know, Ellen White isn't buying this,
14:14 she says, "We should never be too... too flattering...
14:17 of any pastor no matter how good his sermon is
14:22 because you put him in danger. "
14:23 Now, if you're impressed by a sermon,
14:27 tell him, "the sermon impressed me... not you"
14:33 Audience: Amen... Murray: Amen...
14:35 "I was moved by the message...
14:39 I wasn't moved by you... "
14:40 amen...
14:42 "I was moved by the message"
14:44 because first of all, people don't move people.
14:47 Pause.
14:49 It is the Spirit that quickeneth"
14:52 flesh prophets...
14:53 so, if you're moved by the sermon,
14:55 tell him, "I'm moved by the sermon"
14:57 but keep the personality out of it
14:59 because some people would develop a taste for that,
15:03 it's like sugar... all you want is sugar
15:06 then you start doing things to get more sugar.
15:09 So, praise the Lord, not the person... amen.
15:12 Audience: Amen.
15:13 So, they're praising Nebuchadnezzar
15:15 and since he doesn't know any better,
15:17 he's going for it...
15:18 he's ruling the nation...
15:19 "Why shouldn't the kingdom last forever?
15:22 We're rich...
15:24 we got a wall so big and so high nobody can get through it,
15:27 maybe we will last forever. "
15:31 Prophets and Kings, page 505,
15:34 "The symbolic representation
15:38 by which God had revealed to king and people
15:41 His purpose for the nations of the earth
15:45 was now to be made to serve
15:47 for the glorification of human power. "
15:49 See, that's when you get into trouble.
15:52 When you stand in the way of what God is trying to do.
15:56 God was trying to save Nebuchadnezzar
15:59 but God was also trying to bring a message
16:02 to that kingdom... to that empire...
16:05 and to the world.
16:07 So, Nebuchadnezzar now
16:10 is standing between God and His purpose
16:14 for the people He loves...
16:15 bad position to be in.
16:17 That's like standing in the middle of traffic
16:19 on I-57 you don't want to be there
16:22 so, Nebuchadnezzar is taking something that God has ordained
16:28 for His purpose and turning the glory to Himself
16:33 bad position to be in
16:35 some place you don't want to be
16:38 and something you don't want to do.
16:42 Just so, we're connecting the dots...
16:46 let's look at a couple of things.
16:49 The sin of Nebuchadnezzar at this point
16:54 lay not even so much in his sliding back to his old ways
17:00 the sin lay in the presumption
17:04 that he could alter the will and way and work of God.
17:10 Pause.
17:11 See that's the message for us today
17:13 what we talked about this morning...
17:14 all of that inbreeding...
17:16 the sin was... they thought they could alter
17:20 the will... the way... the work of God.
17:23 You can't change the will of God,
17:27 you can't change the way of God,
17:30 nor can you change the work of God,
17:32 you got to cooperate with God
17:34 and we'll see this again in Daniel chapter 7,
17:37 we'll see it again in Daniel chapter 9.
17:40 Man can only cooperate with God.
17:45 So, God put a symbol there,
17:48 90-foot man
17:51 Nebuchadnezzar says, "Let's make it all gold...
17:56 because I want my kingdom to last forever. "
18:02 Pause.
18:03 "The symbol designed of heaven to unfold to the minds of man...
18:12 of men... rather...
18:14 important events of the future was to be used
18:19 to hinder the spread of the knowledge of God...
18:25 the knowledge that God desired the world to receive... "
18:29 So, God's got one purpose... the devil's got another...
18:34 and Nebuchadnezzar is moving towards the devil.
18:37 "The enemy of mankind knew that truth unmixed with error
18:43 is a mighty power to save, amen. "
18:45 Audience: Amen.
18:47 Pure truth... that's why when you...
18:48 when you join a church...
18:50 if you're going to give your life to a religious community,
18:52 make sure they're teaching the truth...
18:54 the whole truth... and nothing but the truth.
18:57 That's the only reason that you join a church.
19:00 That's the only reason that you give your life and your work
19:03 to any religious community
19:04 because it's... it's telling you the truth
19:06 and giving you a way to Jesus Christ.
19:09 You don't join because the preacher is good looking
19:12 or handsome or speaks well,
19:13 you don't join because there's 30,000 people in there
19:16 every weekend
19:17 you don't join because they got good music
19:19 and they got a good choir,
19:20 you don't join because you like what's going on,
19:24 you join because truth is being taught, amen.
19:28 Audience: Amen.
19:30 And if truth is not being taught in your church,
19:35 then you got to go find one where truth is being taught
19:38 because if truth is not being taught,
19:41 it can't help you in this life,
19:42 and it surely can't show you the way to heaven.
19:44 Amen.
19:46 Truth unmixed with error is a powerful tool
19:50 but once you slip a little error in...
19:52 then you got a tool for the enemy
19:56 so, let me say again,
19:57 "The enemy of mankind knew that truth unmixed with error
20:02 is a mighty power to save but when used to exalt self...
20:07 when used to exalt self...
20:10 and to further the projects of men
20:14 it becomes a power for evil. "
20:18 And that is what Nebuchadnezzar was doing.
20:24 He was turning the truth of God into a lie
20:30 through personal exaltation.
20:34 Pause.
20:38 I need to say this...
20:39 pause
20:44 everybody who speaks frankly to you,
20:50 and who tells you that the sun does not rise and set on you,
20:57 and who puts you in your place
21:01 and maybe sometimes even speaks a little firmly to you,
21:06 is not necessarily your enemy.
21:10 Pause...
21:12 Amen.
21:14 Conversely, everybody who tells you how great you are
21:21 and how cute you are
21:24 and how bright you are
21:28 and how wonderful you are
21:31 and that the sun does indeed rise and set on you,
21:35 is not necessarily your friend.
21:39 Amen.
21:40 Audience: Amen... yes...
21:42 Yeah, people say things for all kinds of reasons,
21:45 Just because somebody puts you in your place
21:48 and tells you... you're not as hot stuff as you think you are
21:52 that doesn't mean that they're your enemy,
21:53 they're just telling you the truth,
21:54 what you want, Ladies and Gentlemen, is truth
21:58 now, we're told Bible... Spirit of Prophecy...
22:01 that we ought to speak the truth in love
22:04 but sometimes...
22:06 sometimes... you will forgive my prerogative English
22:09 "there just ain't no way to make it nice"
22:12 pause...
22:14 amen...
22:15 does not Ezekiel say,
22:18 "If you see a brother falling into sin
22:21 and you don't say anything
22:23 and he is lost...
22:25 his blood will I require at your hand. "
22:28 So, sometimes, you can find a nice euphemistic way
22:33 to tell the truth that doesn't hurt feelings
22:35 and everybody is happy and we all smile...
22:37 hold hands and sing, "Kumbaya"
22:39 but sometimes... "Amen"
22:43 you got to kind of put it out there.
22:46 You're doing wrong...
22:48 that's evil... that's ungodly...
22:51 say it in love... and pray that it's taken in love
22:54 and so these astrologers wanted to get back on the gravy train,
23:00 now, remember just... just a few years before...
23:04 a little while before... they were slated for death...
23:07 they were all going to die,
23:10 but that has passed and time has passed
23:13 and they want to get back in.
23:14 Daniel has been... has been elevated...
23:17 he's got a... he's got a brand-new job,
23:19 he's making good money,
23:21 the three Hebrew boys...
23:23 in fact, I like Daniel because he looked out...
23:25 he looked out for the Hebrew boys...
23:26 he said, "Nebuchadnezzar,
23:28 listen, don't just give me a good job,
23:29 give my boys a good job too. "
23:31 So, Nebuchadnezzar was so happy... everybody got jobs
23:34 but they got promoted over the local guys
23:40 so now, they want back in
23:43 so, they're thinking...
23:45 and we see this again in Daniel chapter 6, by-the-way,
23:48 they're thinking, "We got to do something here,
23:52 we got to do something here to get back in... "
23:56 ah... okay... okay...
23:57 "Why don't you make this image, make it all of gold
24:00 put it on the plains of Dura... and here's... here's what you do
24:04 here's what you do
24:05 call everybody in from all over the empire
24:09 and make them all bow down...
24:12 make everybody hit the ground when the music plays. "
24:16 And if you're a person who's got a pretty big ego,
24:20 that sounds pretty good...
24:21 the whole world on their face before you.
24:26 "I like it... "
24:29 pause...
24:32 and so he went for it.
24:34 That's why I say to you, "Everybody who compliments you
24:37 and flatters you
24:38 and tells you how wonderful you are,
24:40 is not necessarily your friend. "
24:42 So he took the bait and he built an image
24:46 the exact same dimensions... 90 feet tall...
24:50 9 feet wide...
24:51 indicating his intention
24:53 that Babylon should stand forever. "
24:57 Pause...
24:59 There is a Jewish word that I learned in New York...
25:03 it is the title of our message today,
25:06 it's called: Chutz - pah
25:08 I was trying to... to teach Joe O'Brien
25:10 how to say, "Chutzpah" the other day
25:13 we were working on the bulletin.
25:14 Chutzpah is a Yiddish word,
25:17 now, Yiddish is an Eastern European amalgamation
25:21 of classic Judaism and... and German
25:24 and it's got a little Polish in there
25:28 and it's got some... some other Eastern European things
25:30 and it developed over the years
25:33 as the Jewish Community made it's way into Europe,
25:35 they just picked up terms
25:38 so, when you're in New York, I think Janey Pauley...
25:42 you spent some time in New York and... and... and... and...
25:47 the English in New York City is filled with Jewish sayings,
25:53 isn't that true?
25:54 All kinds of... the world "Schlep"
25:55 now if you're not familiar,
25:57 you don't even know what "Schlep" means,
25:59 "Schlep" is like to take a trip that's kind of a drudgery...
26:01 "I got to schlep to Carbondale
26:03 to go all the way to the health food store"
26:04 but in New York... that's common.
26:06 The word "nosh"
26:07 there's a store in New York called "Bagel nosh"
26:10 "nosh" means to just kind of chew on something
26:12 it means just... to nibble... that's you know...
26:15 "Schlemiel" we'll talk about that,
26:17 we got a sermon... I think it's Daniel chapter 9 called,
26:19 "Schlemiel Schlemazl"
26:21 a "Schlemiel" is a person who makes bad decisions
26:24 and suffers for them
26:26 and a "Schlemazl" is a person who suffers
26:28 because of the bad decisions of others...
26:30 a "Schlemiel" is a person who spills his... his hot tea
26:33 and the "Schlemazl" is a person who the hot tea gets spilled on.
26:37 You know, all kinds of... of Jewish...
26:40 and it's all into... mixed into the English in New York City
26:46 and to be honest, I miss some of those
26:48 because the Jewish expressions...
26:50 the Yiddish expressions are very, very colorful expressions
26:54 so you got now "Chutzpah"
26:58 spelled: Chutzpah
27:01 like... like Hanukkah and really
27:03 to pronounce it correctly, the word is: hhhoodspah...
27:07 yeah, it's hhhoodspah...
27:09 not just: hoodspah... you got to do it: hhhoodspah...
27:12 and if you're Jewish, it's very easy,
27:15 just hhhoodspah...
27:16 I was trying to get Joe to do it the other day
27:18 and he couldn't quite get there
27:19 and I can't blame him, you got to practice...
27:21 but Chutz - pah
27:23 Chutzpah is a Yiddish word
27:24 which simply means: shameless audacity,
27:28 impudence, supreme self-confidence,
27:31 cheek, gall or nerve
27:35 so, to use it in a sentence,
27:37 "You know, he's got a lot of chutzpah
27:40 bringing that thing to church"
27:42 got a lot of nerve
27:44 it's chutzpah...
27:45 it's chutzpah.
27:47 So, Yiddish is a very wonderful dialect
27:50 and it's very, very colorful
27:52 and so, Nebuchadnezzar had the chutzpah
27:57 to make an image entirely of gold
28:01 in opposition to what God had declared.
28:05 Many scholars see Dura as a large plain
28:09 to the northeast of... of... of Babylon.
28:12 I found some... some... some... some scholars that say that
28:16 that Dura was inside the city of Babylon
28:19 but it doesn't really make sense
28:20 because of the number of people that were called to the...
28:25 called to the plain... in order to bow down before the statue.
28:30 The Bible indicates that there were representatives
28:34 from all across the provinces of Babylon.
28:38 The entire Empire was represented.
28:41 Pause.
28:42 They were to come and worship the golden statue...
28:48 a representation of the privileges... prerogatives
28:53 and prestige of the king himself.
28:55 The setting up of the image
28:59 was a construct of vanity, ego and pride
29:05 and when you come to the Lord,
29:08 the one thing... well not the one thing
29:12 but, some of the things, you got to let go
29:15 are your vanity... your ego and your pride, amen.
29:21 Audience: Amen.
29:22 I would say this...
29:24 we understand from the Spirit of Prophecy
29:27 in fact, let me ask you this way,
29:29 anybody knows what the number one sin the church is?
29:32 Audience: Pride.
29:34 Pride... you got it... pride... pride.
29:38 We're told it is the hardest to diagnose
29:42 pause
29:45 and almost impossible to cure
29:48 and everybody is infected to a greater or lesser degree
29:53 with it
29:56 hmmm... hmmm...
29:58 so everybody's got pride
30:00 and if you're thinking... you don't have pride,
30:03 you really got pride...
30:05 Audience: Laughing
30:06 and you got a problem.
30:08 That's why it's so hard to diagnose
30:10 because everybody knows
30:12 the person next to them has it.
30:14 Audience: Laughter.
30:16 But not the person in the mirror...
30:20 hardest to diagnose and almost impossible to cure
30:26 and I am so glad that Ellen White said,
30:28 "Almost impossible to cure"
30:29 amen... Audience: Amen.
30:31 It's tough... but it can be cured...
30:35 you can get rid of pride...
30:37 and everybody's got some of it
30:39 amen... we all got some
30:42 but we got to surrender to Jesus
30:45 and Nebuchadnezzar had a lot of it.
30:48 Lot of ego... a lot of pride...
30:51 and no one to check him...
30:53 no one to stop him.
30:56 Vanity, ego and pride...
30:59 the wise men appealed to these negative traits of character,
31:05 they flattered him and he took the bait.
31:10 Pause...
31:15 Prophets and Kings, page 504.
31:19 "With enthusiasm" Ellen White says,
31:24 "born of boundless ambition and... "
31:29 what's the word?
31:30 Audience: pride... Murray: pride...
31:32 "he entered into council with his wise men
31:35 as to how to bring this about"
31:38 the idea that the world would bow to him
31:42 really pleased him...
31:45 now, to me... that would scare me
31:48 wouldn't it?
31:49 People coming to bow...
31:51 I tend to get a little antsy with too much praise.
31:55 I do...
31:57 everybody likes a good "atta boy"
32:00 amen...
32:01 everybody likes a good pat on the back.
32:03 Everybody likes a good "you did well... God bless you"
32:08 but when people lay it on with a spatula,
32:11 you know, when they're just ladling praise on you,
32:14 you got to be careful with that kind of thing
32:17 and so, his ego is being fed...
32:20 these guys are saying, "Let's do it"
32:23 and so he dives in kind of with both feet
32:25 this is what it's all about for him,
32:29 and he likes this idea...
32:33 it... it aggrandizes itself to him
32:38 the idea that he may have an indestructible kingdom
32:44 which will last forever,
32:46 so they set up the statue
32:49 and the edict went out that when you hear the music
32:53 every face ought to be facing the ground.
32:59 This was personal for Nebuchadnezzar
33:05 and evidently he himself didn't even know
33:09 that the three Hebrews didn't bow down.
33:13 He wasn't aware...
33:15 I mean, you had tens of thousands of people there
33:20 and he couldn't see all of those many thousands
33:24 he had to be told,
33:26 "Hey, man, you know there are some people out there
33:31 that are not bowing down. "
33:32 Pause...
33:35 What do they call those people? The Whistleblowers.
33:39 Pause.
33:41 They came and told him that some people weren't bowing down.
33:49 Here's the access point.
33:50 "The fiery furnace was the prescribed punishment
33:54 for any and every offender
33:56 regardless of race, rank or privilege. "
33:59 So, the fiery furnace wasn't just put there
34:01 for the Hebrew boys,
34:03 that was standard punishment
34:05 for everybody who didn't bow down.
34:07 Regardless of race... regardless of rank...
34:11 regardless of privilege...
34:12 if you didn't bow down,
34:14 that was going to be your last...
34:15 now verse 7 informs us that when the music played
34:19 almost everybody bowed down...
34:23 just about everybody...
34:26 now the fact is,
34:28 we don't know where the Hebrew boys were standing
34:34 pause...
34:38 we only see them standing together...
34:40 but we don't know if they came from the same tribe.
34:44 How nice it would have been if you had one standing there
34:50 and one standing there
34:53 and one standing there...
34:55 each standing alone was standing for the Lord.
34:59 Amen.
35:00 Because the truth is,
35:02 sometimes, you're not going to get a lot of people
35:04 to stand with you
35:06 sometimes, you're going to go through some stuff
35:08 and even those who love you can't go through it with you.
35:13 Amen.
35:16 There are going to be some experiences
35:17 that you and Jesus have to go through alone.
35:20 Your mate can love you... they can take care of you...
35:25 they can encourage you
35:27 but sometimes it's just you and God
35:31 amen... just you and the Lord.
35:35 Pause...
35:37 So, we don't know if they're standing together
35:38 or they were standing alone
35:40 but they were standing, amen.
35:43 Audience: Amen.
35:45 Pause...
35:46 So, here's the word,
35:48 "There are certain Jews
35:51 whom thou has set over the affairs of the province
35:54 of Babylon,
35:56 Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego...
35:59 they have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods,
36:06 nor do they worship the golden image which you have set up. "
36:09 Whistleblowers...
36:11 "Some guys out there King...
36:12 they're not paying attention to you
36:15 they're not bowing down... "
36:17 "As the three Hebrew boys stood before the king,
36:21 he was convinced that they possessed something
36:24 that the other wise men of the kingdom did not have. "
36:29 Now, here's what I found interesting.
36:31 When you stand for the Lord,
36:34 people can tell if the Lord is in your life
36:40 even if they don't like the fact that He's there.
36:44 Amen.
36:46 Yeah, when... when Christ is in your life,
36:50 there are certain carriage to your life
36:53 certain way you conduct yourself...
36:56 when Christ stood before Pilate, bloody, battered, beaten...
37:01 Pilate knew, "This is not just some ordinary criminal"
37:07 it was his intent... "Let me run out here...
37:10 convict this guy... go back to bed...
37:13 get some sleep... "
37:14 but when he saw Jesus,
37:16 he knew, "He's not an ordinary guy"
37:19 and Nebuchadnezzar... when he saw these three Hebrew boys,
37:24 was convinced of the same thing.
37:26 These are not ordinary people
37:29 and they have something that my wise men do not have.
37:34 There's something in these three people.
37:38 He knew that he was in the presence of some people
37:42 that were different... that were special...
37:45 that had stood...
37:48 Pause...
37:51 These Whistleblowers
37:53 were motivated by jealousy
37:56 and we see this over and over and over again.
37:59 Daniel, later on, gets his turn at being the object of jealousy
38:05 a few chapters hence...
38:07 jealousy is the same emotion that motivated Lucifer in heaven
38:14 it's almost the original sin.
38:16 Pause...
38:19 In a word... jealousy over the honors and positions
38:26 held by Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael...
38:30 Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego...
38:31 is what motivated these men to point them out.
38:36 "O king, live forever!"
38:38 you got three guys who are foreigners...
38:42 you gave them our jobs... they're ruling over us...
38:47 you elevated them to positions in the Government
38:51 that we should have...
38:54 we should occupy...
38:55 and now, O king, respectfully,
38:58 they're thumbing their nose at you... "
39:00 pause...
39:04 and the word in the Hebrew is, "They are flagrantly...
39:10 flagrantly violating your decree... "
39:16 pause...
39:19 in short... "Hey man, they ain't paying you no mind. "
39:25 Pause...
39:29 "So, now we know that you missed this
39:33 and out of respect for your lordship,
39:37 we just thought, you ought to know. "
39:41 Pause...
39:44 "They don't regard you...
39:47 they don't regard your kingdom. "
39:53 Pause...
39:56 "Then with his hand stretched upward in defiance,
40:00 he demanded...
40:02 and who is the God
40:04 who will deliver you out of my hand?"
40:08 Pause...
40:15 That's a very dangerous statement...
40:18 we've heard statements like that before,
40:21 when Moses went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go"
40:28 Pharaoh said, "Who is this God that I should let you go?"
40:36 you see... when...
40:39 when you shake your finger in the face of God like that,
40:43 you kind of force God to introduce Himself.
40:47 Amen.
40:49 You kind of force Him
40:53 to re-acquaint you with Him and His power.
40:57 So, when you say, "Who... who is this God?"
41:01 Well, now, God's got to say, "Okay, here is Who I am. "
41:06 Amen.
41:08 So, Nebuchadnezzar says,
41:15 "Who's the God
41:16 that's going to pull you out of this situation?"
41:20 Pharaoh said... and bless your heart...
41:26 Sennacherib said it... remember he sent that letter to Hezekiah?
41:30 And he said... "first let me tell you something
41:35 what you need to know is, every country has a God...
41:40 pause...
41:42 everybody's got a God...
41:44 and when they see us coming, they pray to that God...
41:49 and my record says,
41:54 no God has delivered any country from my hand...
41:59 so don't let Hezekiah tell you that your God has...
42:05 because history says, 'No God has. '"
42:09 Pause.
42:11 So, now you put God on notice,
42:13 you kind of called God out
42:16 "Don't let Hezekiah fool you
42:19 because nobody's been able to do it. "
42:22 Well, now, God's got to show Sennacherib... this is different
42:25 because you're dealing with the real God now.
42:28 So, Sennacherib loses the battle...
42:31 excuse me... goes home...
42:32 and his own children slay him in his own temple.
42:35 Pause.
42:38 So now Nebuchadnezzar's saying,
42:41 "Nobody's going to save you...
42:43 nobody's going to be able to deliver you...
42:47 pause...
42:53 and a fiery furnace is going to be heated... this very hour. "
43:00 Now, you got to... looking at this...
43:02 you got to say one thing for Nebuchadnezzar,
43:04 he didn't... he didn't blow up, he gave them...
43:06 he gave them a second chance,
43:07 he really did...
43:08 he said, "Okay, maybe you didn't hear the music... "
43:12 pause...
43:16 you know, "maybe you didn't hear,
43:18 so, I'll give you another chance...
43:20 I'll give you another shot...
43:25 and when you hear the music,
43:29 just bow down... "
43:31 pause...
43:33 now, this is a hot-headed guy who's not accustomed
43:38 to having people go against him,
43:40 but he's given them another chance.
43:43 Remember, not long before,
43:46 he had ordered the murder of his wise men,
43:49 so he's given them a second chance,
43:51 he's stepping out of his... his normal routine...
43:54 "I'll give you another chance"
43:56 pause...
43:58 and when you hear the music, bow down"
44:02 pause...
44:05 "and if not, furnace is ready"
44:09 now let me show you something from the Spirit of Prophecy,
44:11 "he stretched his hand... "
44:14 and in Daniel 3:15...
44:18 he says, "No God can deliver you"
44:21 and that's the pivotal line...
44:25 pause...
44:31 I don't know how many...
44:35 how many Jews came out of Israel into Babylon,
44:44 when Nebuchadnezzar deported the last... with Zedekiah,
44:49 he pretty much cleaned out the whole country.
44:55 So, there were a lot of Jews in Babylon...
45:01 and I'm going to assume
45:03 some of them were there that day
45:06 but the Bible says, "Only three stood"
45:10 where was everybody else?
45:14 Pause...
45:16 Surely there were more there than... than just those three,
45:23 but the Bible says, "Only three stood"
45:27 pause...
45:30 "When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah,
45:33 he relocated what was tantamount to the entire population. "
45:37 Well, where was everybody else?
45:40 Only three stood.
45:44 Pause...
45:47 You know, as I said before,
45:48 sometimes there's no nice way to bring bad news.
45:53 Pause.
45:56 So, the three Hebrew boys said, "We are not careful...
46:01 we're not going to march... watch our words...
46:04 we're not going to be politically correct,
46:07 we're not going to try to figure some nice way to say that"
46:11 the word is, "Cashach"
46:14 it means "not necessary"
46:17 so the Hebrew worthies told the king,
46:22 "It is not necessary for you to give us another chance...
46:27 it's not necessary...
46:30 because nothing different is going to happen.
46:34 We're not going to watch our words,
46:36 we're not going to find some politically correct way
46:39 to spin this,
46:41 we're not going to try to say something
46:44 to make your ego feel good,
46:46 play the music as often as you want...
46:51 we will not... we cannot bow down. "
46:56 Audience: Amen... amen.
46:58 Now, that's... that's... that's, that's, that's tough to say
47:02 to a guy who you know is a reactionary,
47:04 you know he's not going to take that well,
47:07 you know he's not going to say,
47:08 "Well okay, I'll give you a pass,
47:09 God bless you... you can go home now. "
47:12 "Not necessary to give us another chance
47:15 because we're not going to bow down,
47:17 we're not going to change... "
47:19 now, the Bible says that...
47:20 that the king's decree was so urgent and so hasty,
47:27 that they heated up the furnace so hot
47:31 that it even killed the people that put them in there,
47:34 this is how urgent it was,
47:36 this was a pivotal time in the history of God's people.
47:42 Now, let me... let me show you something that is... is...
47:49 is... is very, very important,
47:51 I said that in Exodus you got Pharaoh,
47:55 and in 2nd Chronicles, you got Sennacherib
47:59 now, you've got Nebuchadnezzar giving a second chance
48:03 that has been rebuffed
48:05 because they're never going to bow down,
48:07 there's no nice way to deliver that message
48:09 but what you've got to understand is,
48:14 and what they understood,
48:16 is that, when you stand up for Jesus...
48:22 pause
48:24 Jesus will stand up for you.
48:26 Audience: Amen... praise God.
48:28 Now, that's hard to understand when money is rolling out
48:34 and not coming in
48:35 and you got more bills at the end of the month
48:38 than you got money to pay
48:39 and you got problems in your life
48:41 and... and... and... you're challenged on your job
48:46 but the truth is,
48:48 when you stand up for Jesus, Jesus will stand up for you.
48:55 He is on the record as standing up for you.
48:58 He has to stand up for you.
49:00 He's going to be faithful to His Word
49:02 even when we are not faithful.
49:06 So, Daniel chapter 3 verse 18,
49:09 "Let it be known O king, we do not serve your gods,
49:14 nor will we worship the gold image that you have set up. "
49:19 Sometimes, you just have to plant your feet
49:21 and stand for the Lord,
49:22 there's just no way to get around it.
49:24 There's no way to make that message sound nice...
49:27 there's no way to make it sound pretty,
49:30 you've got to just stand for the Lord.
49:32 You're the king, you're the king of this empire
49:35 but we cannot bow down,
49:40 we must stand up, amen.
49:44 Audience: Amen.
49:45 The Bible gives us no indication that anybody else stood...
49:51 and that's sad...
49:52 but the truth is... many times we have to stand alone.
49:56 So, whatever the number was, only three stood
50:00 and they stood strong and God stood with them.
50:04 Others caved in... they did not
50:08 but before we point a finger at the others,
50:12 this is a sober, convicting question
50:16 that each of us must ask ourselves,
50:20 everybody will be asked,
50:22 "How much does Jesus mean to you?"
50:27 Husband can't answer that for wives,
50:30 parents cannot answer that for children,
50:34 it's a single solitary question
50:37 that everybody has to answer for themselves.
50:41 What does Christ mean to you?
50:45 How much is Christ worth to you?
50:49 If the world turns its back, will you stand for Jesus?
50:54 If everybody leaves, will you stay?
50:57 How much is He worth to you?
50:59 Not only will you answer that question in mind,
51:03 you will have to answer that question in action.
51:06 The King James Version says, "We're not going to be careful,
51:10 we're not going to be delicate,
51:12 we're going to stand for the Lord. "
51:15 And when they stood for the Lord,
51:17 the Lord stood for them.
51:20 So now, the king loses his cool and then verse 19...
51:25 they go into the fire.
51:27 Pause...
51:31 I often wonder what that experience was like.
51:35 They're tossed into a fiery furnace
51:38 and the king went down to watch them burn
51:43 pause...
51:46 and he says to those around him,
51:49 "But wait...
51:52 didn't we throw three guys in there?
51:56 Where did the fourth one come from?"
52:01 Pause.
52:03 He said, "We threw in three bound... tied down...
52:08 and they're in there dancing...
52:11 and there's a fourth guy in there,
52:15 who looks like the Son of the God. "
52:18 Can you imagine that scene?
52:23 Looking at some of the archeology,
52:29 they think that the furnace was a kiln for baking bricks...
52:34 baking mud bricks... you know...
52:36 big open hearth furnace, lot of fire at the bottom
52:39 big enough for men to be in
52:41 because they bake bricks in large quantities,
52:44 so he was looking into a burning furnace,
52:48 and there before his astonished eyes,
52:52 are four people walking in the midst of the fire
52:57 incredible!
52:59 God standing up for His people
53:03 because His people stood up for Him.
53:06 Daniel chapter 3:25,
53:09 "... and the fourth is like the Son of God"
53:13 or a son of the gods:
53:15 a 'Divine Being'"
53:17 he didn't quite know precisely who it was,
53:19 but he knew it wasn't an earthly creature,
53:22 he knew it wasn't somebody he had put in there,
53:26 somebody else had got in there
53:28 and He looks different from the other three...
53:29 got to be God...
53:31 pause...
53:33 a divine being...
53:34 pause
53:40 "And the princes, the governors,
53:43 the captains, and the King's counselors,
53:45 being gathered together, saw these men,
53:48 upon whose bodies the fire had no power,
53:52 nor was an hair of their head singed,
53:55 neither were their coats changed,
53:59 nor the smell of fire had passed on them. "
54:03 Can you imagine...
54:04 you set a trap for somebody
54:07 and God totally undoes what you're trying to do.
54:11 That's why Ladies and Gentlemen,
54:13 you don't have to lie awake nights
54:15 trying to get even with folk,
54:17 amen...
54:19 Just live your life for Jesus.
54:21 God will get your back...
54:24 God will look out for you.
54:28 Somebody does you wrong... the Bible says,
54:30 "Vengeance is mine says the Lord"
54:32 Now, that's not God saying, "I'm a vengeful God"
54:34 He's saying, "Don't you try to get vengeance,
54:36 don't you try to get vengeance...
54:38 let me take care of it. "
54:40 Amen...
54:42 You don't have to look out for yourself...
54:43 God will look after you...
54:44 just because someone does something to you,
54:46 don't lie awake nights trying to plan ways to get back at them,
54:48 hmmm... hmmm...
54:49 God's going to take care of it, amen.
54:51 Just do good.
54:53 So, what this text is saying is,
54:55 those very people
54:57 who had plotted against Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
55:01 saw that their plot came to nothing
55:05 and saw the protection that God gives
55:08 to those who stand up for Him.
55:10 Audience: Amen.
55:11 How aggravated they must have been
55:14 to see God step in
55:16 on time... every time...
55:19 and of course, you know what Nebuchadnezzar did
55:23 because you know what kind of a rash person he is,
55:26 "Let's throw them in now... "
55:28 and Nebuchadnezzar said, "Come out and come here... "
55:34 let's read Daniel 3:27
55:38 coats not changed...
55:42 not even the smell of smoke,
55:44 not even the smell of smoke...
55:45 pause...
55:49 God is so good...
55:51 the Bible says, "The angel of the Lord
55:54 encampeth around about them that fear Him... "
55:57 and does what? "delivers"
55:59 the lesson is that God delivers.
56:05 Pause.
56:09 By the end of the chapter, this is what I think is cute
56:15 because this happens three times,
56:18 you remember, after chapter 2,
56:20 Daniel and the Hebrew boys got promoted
56:23 well, here, at the end of chapter 3,
56:27 Daniel and the Hebrew boys get promoted again,
56:31 so, every time they get in trouble
56:35 and God brings them through,
56:37 they get promoted... they get promoted.
56:40 Later on, we're going to see
56:42 under... under the Medo-Persian Empire
56:45 Cyrus really thinks, "You know what?
56:48 I ought to just give Daniel the whole kingdom,
56:50 I'll just let him run everything,
56:51 let him be the Prime Minister"
56:53 so, every time God brings them through,
56:55 they get promoted.
56:57 So when you serve God,
56:58 not only do you get back what you lost,
57:00 you get a little bit more...
57:01 Audience: Amen.
57:03 Amen... that's the God that we serve
57:05 and Nebuchadnezzar makes the second proclamation,
57:09 pause...
57:13 they get promoted...
57:15 again, Nebuchadnezzar is impressed by the Lord...
57:18 let me close with a statement from the New Testament.
57:22 "What shall we say in response to these things?
57:26 If God be for us, who can be against us?"
57:35 The lesson of Daniel chapter 3 is simply this,
57:41 "God will never let you fall...
57:45 He will never leave you...
57:47 nor forsake you
57:49 you stand up for Him
57:51 He will always stand up for you. "
57:56 Audience: Amen. Murray: Amen.


Home

Revised 2018-07-17