Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME230826S
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00:14 >> Good morning to each 00:15 and every one of you. 00:16 It is great 00:18 to see you here today. 00:19 Thank you for being here 00:21 at Pioneer Memorial Church. 00:23 Whether you're joining us here 00:24 in person or via live stream 00:26 or some other way, thank you 00:27 for worshiping with us. 00:29 And if this is your first, 00:31 very first time here 00:32 at the church, here on campus, 00:34 thank you, welcome. 00:36 If it is your 101st time 00:38 here at the church 00:40 and here on campus, 00:41 welcome, as well. 00:43 It's great to worship today. 00:44 Today we are praising God 00:45 as a community together, 00:47 worshiping him, telling 00:48 his stories and being here 00:51 to see what he has to say to us. 00:54 Let's turn our attention 00:55 to the call to worship. 00:57 And if you would stand with me 00:58 as we read this one, 01:00 please read when prompted 01:01 by the words on the screen. 01:31 ♪ 01:32 >> Let's join together 01:34 as we sing "Leaning on 01:36 the Everlasting Arms." 01:37 ♪ 01:44 ♪ 01:51 ♪ 01:58 One, one... 04:39 >> Amen. 04:41 Glory to God. Glory to God. 04:43 >> Amen. 04:44 >> As we... 04:46 just try to make a special 04:48 connection, try to 04:50 get into a prayer spirit, 04:52 with this next song, 04:54 we'll be singing 04:55 "Holy Spirit Rain Down." 04:58 "Holy Spirit Rain Down." 04:59 And as we sing this song, 05:01 sing along and just think 05:03 about the goodness of God 05:06 towards you this week. 05:09 ♪ 05:19 ♪ 05:28 ♪ 05:38 ♪ 05:47 Sing along with us. 06:58 >> Sing it one more time. 08:21 >> Sing "Holy." 08:50 >> Holy, holy! 09:16 >> God in three persons. 09:35 >> Amen. Amen. 09:36 >> Amen. 09:41 >> I invite you all to stand 09:43 as we join in worship 09:44 one more time. 09:47 This song is going to be fun. 09:49 All right? 09:50 We are going to have some fun 09:52 with this song. 09:54 And we're going to start by 09:55 first figuring out 09:57 who's going to sing what part. 09:58 All right? 10:00 We're going to have sopranos, 10:02 altos, and tenors and bass 10:04 will sing together. 10:05 I need all my altos. 10:08 I need all my altos 10:09 to say, "Hallelujah." 10:12 >> Hallelujah. 10:13 >> All right. I need all my 10:15 altos to say, "Hallelujah." 10:17 >> Hallelujah! 10:18 >> All right, all right. 10:19 In our Praise Team, 10:20 singing alto, we have. 10:23 Alyson and Ashley. 10:25 All right? 10:27 I need all my tenors 10:29 to say, "Praise Him." 10:31 >> Praise Him. 10:33 All my tenors say, "Praise Him!" 10:34 >> Praise Him! 10:36 >> All right. Singing tenor, 10:37 you have me and Caleb. 10:39 All right. 10:40 When we sing, follow us. 10:42 And all my sopranos, say, 10:45 "Amen!" 10:46 >> Amen! 10:48 >> Right. Amen! 10:49 >> Amen! 10:50 >> All right. Singing soprano, 10:52 we have Elsie and Brianna. 10:56 All right, when they sing, 10:58 you're going to follow them. 10:59 All right? 11:02 The song starts very easy. 11:03 ♪ 11:06 ♪ Mm 11:35 ♪ One more time, singing 12:03 >> Altos. 12:17 >> One more time. 12:30 >> Okay, original. 12:45 >> That's it, one more time. 12:59 >> Sopranos. 13:12 >> One more time. 13:24 >> All right, back to altos now. 13:38 >> Tenors showing. 13:53 >> Okay, combined together. 14:20 >> One more time, sing. 14:38 [ Applause ] 14:59 >> Things of earth. 16:58 >> At the trumpet. 17:12 >> Oh, lift your. 17:28 >> Amen. 17:29 You guys sound beautiful. 17:31 I'm sure that God accepted 17:32 this praise 17:34 and He's joyful and angels 17:35 are singing along with us. 17:36 >> Yes, yes. 17:38 >> Our scripture reading is 17:39 found in Philippians 4:10-13. 17:44 "I rejoice greatly in the Lord 17:45 that at last you renewed 17:47 your concern for me. 17:48 Indeed, you were concerned, 17:50 but you had no opportunity 17:51 to show it. 17:52 I'm not saying this because 17:53 I am in need, 17:55 for I have learned to be content 17:56 whatever the circumstances. 17:58 I know what it is to be in need, 18:00 and I know what it is 18:01 to have plenty. 18:02 I have learned the secret 18:04 of being content in any 18:05 and every situation, 18:07 whether well-fed or hungry, 18:09 whether living in plenty 18:10 or in want. 18:11 I can do all this through Him 18:13 who gives me strength." 18:15 >> Amen. Amen. 18:16 And our last song is 18:19 "He Hideth My Soul." 18:21 "He Hideth My Soul." 18:22 ♪ 19:31 >> His perfect salvation. 20:10 >> He hideth. 20:50 >> Hallelujah. 20:51 Praise Jesus, praise him. 20:53 He's worthy. 20:54 >> Amen. Amen. 21:03 >> And all God's people said... 21:04 >> Amen. 21:05 >> Amen and Amen. 21:06 Thank you, Praise Team, 21:07 for leading us in worship. 21:09 We appreciate that very much. 21:13 I need your help this morning. 21:17 When you think of the word 21:19 "home"... 21:22 what other words 21:23 come to your mind? 21:26 Family. Okay, that's a good one. 21:28 What was that? 21:29 Comfort. Yes. Amen. 21:31 What else? 21:32 Food. Yes. 21:34 There we go. Yes. 21:35 What else? Love. 21:36 Okay. That's good. 21:38 >> Bed. 21:40 >> Bed. Ah, interesting. 21:42 We'll come back to that. Yes. 21:45 You know, when I think of 21:46 home -- 21:48 High-five? 21:48 >> Wi-Fi. 21:49 >> Wi-Fi? 21:50 [ Laughter ] 21:54 We have Wi-Fi in Michigan. 21:56 What is -- Yes. 21:58 See me afterwards. 21:59 We'll work this out. 22:00 Yes. That's right. 22:03 When I think of the word "home," 22:04 particularly when I think about 22:05 the times 22:06 when I was living at home, 22:07 many of the same words 22:09 come to my mind. 22:11 I think of food. 22:13 My mother, if she were sitting 22:14 here right now, 22:15 she would readily confess 22:16 that she's not a great cook, 22:17 but she can make granola 22:18 like nobody's business. 22:19 And it smelled great if you 22:20 woke up smelling the granola. 22:22 Or French toast -- I knew 22:23 it was going to be a good Sunday 22:25 if there was French toast 22:26 in the air. 22:27 Friends. You know, 22:29 if you have a home somewhere, 22:30 usually it indicates 22:32 you've had some time there. 22:33 And, so, outside of your 22:34 immediate family, you can 22:35 probably meet with friends 22:36 fairly easily if you are at 22:39 home. 22:40 For me, my dog was there. 22:43 Home was where the dog was. 22:45 Sometimes we would have, 22:46 you know, 22:47 various dogs over the years, 22:47 but it was always good to come 22:49 home and see whatever dog 22:51 we had coming to meet me, lick 22:52 my hand and pet them, et cetera. 22:53 If I was with my dad 22:54 and my stepmom, my stepmom 22:57 can feed an army at any meal. 22:59 I never feared about bringing 23:01 friends home because it always 23:02 was going to be enough food. 23:04 And, yes, my bed. 23:06 You know, for those of you 23:08 that travel, you know exactly 23:09 what I'm talking about. 23:10 When I go to a hotel, 23:12 it doesn't matter if someone 23:13 paid $500 for the hotel 23:15 or $42.73 at Motel 4 1/2, 23:18 it doesn't matter. 23:20 They see me coming and they say, 23:21 "Okay, put the tall guy 23:23 in the room with the hole 23:24 in the middle of the bed 23:25 and that his feet will hang off 23:26 the end," right? 23:27 That's my story. 23:28 But when I go home, ah, 23:31 the bed is made for me. 23:33 I sleep better at home 23:34 than any other place. 23:36 When you put all of these things 23:38 together -- 23:40 family, friends, good food, 23:42 pets that are -- 23:44 and a good place to sleep -- 23:47 that place is no longer 23:48 just a house, is it? 23:50 It is home, sweet home. 23:57 Now, take that and contrast it 24:03 with this. 24:07 In the middle of my junior year 24:08 of high school, 24:09 I was informed by my mother and 24:11 stepfather that we were moving. 24:13 I had only been a semester 24:15 at Monterey Bay Academy 24:17 in Central California. 24:18 Monterey Bay was the place 24:19 to go. 24:20 If you were a kid at that time, 24:21 and maybe still today, if you 24:23 were in Central California 24:24 and you were going to high 24:25 school, Monterey Bay was 24:27 the place to be, 24:29 and I was thrilled to be there. 24:30 And then, I got this word, 24:31 actually, after Christmas 24:33 break, "We're moving." 24:34 I'm like, "Oh, no." 24:37 You see, my stepdad at the time, 24:38 he worked 24:39 on the Shuttle program, 24:40 worked for Lockheed 24:41 on the Space Shuttle, 24:43 and when Challenger exploded, 24:45 there was no longer a space 24:46 shuttle for the West Coast. 24:48 And, so, quite literally, 24:49 there was an office filled 24:50 with engineers and programmers, 24:52 and they fired every one of them 24:53 except for my stepdad. 24:54 And they said, "We'll fire you, 24:55 too, unless you move to 24:56 Florida." 24:58 Like, oh, man. 25:00 So we loaded up, 25:02 we went to Florida, and I went 25:05 to Forest Lake Academy there in 25:06 Apopka. 25:08 And I kid you not, we drove up. 25:10 All my stuff was there 25:11 in the back of the car, 25:11 in this rental car. 25:13 We pulled into the parking lot. 25:13 My mom went to 25:15 the business office, 25:17 unloaded whatever amounts 25:18 of cash were needed there, 25:19 and came back out. 25:21 We unloaded my stuff, 25:23 and they said, "I'm sorry, 25:24 but we've got to go to sign 25:26 on a condo. Love you." 25:31 You got to picture me there. 25:32 I'm in the parking lot. 25:34 I've got bags in either hand 25:35 surrounded by these boxes. 25:37 My family is driving away 25:40 and I'm staring up 25:42 at the guys' dormitory. 25:45 I don't know a soul 25:46 on this campus. 25:48 I've never even been to my room. 25:50 It's kind of 25:51 like this depressing 25:52 Norman Rockwell picture here, 25:54 you know, staring up like that. 25:56 I got to tell you, at that 25:57 moment, I was not 26:00 feeling home, sweet home. 26:05 And some of you know 26:08 exactly how that feels. 26:12 And you're feeling it right now. 26:16 Some of you are freshmen 26:18 at Andrews University. 26:20 Welcome. We're glad you're here. 26:22 Some of you 26:23 are transfer students. 26:24 You're brand new here. 26:26 Or maybe you're new for some 26:27 other reason, but I'm thinking 26:29 particularly of the student 26:30 mind-set here because I know 26:31 what that feels like. 26:33 And if you are new 26:34 on our campus here, 26:35 it may be that you are feeling 26:37 a little nervous. 26:39 Maybe you're feeling 26:40 a little lost. 26:41 You don't know where things are 26:42 on campus, you don't know 26:43 where many things are. 26:45 You don't know the people 26:47 that you're sitting next to, 26:48 perhaps, right now. 26:50 And maybe it's the first time 26:51 that you've been away from home 26:52 for any given length of time. 26:54 And maybe, just maybe, 26:56 you might even be feeling 26:57 a little bit scared. 27:00 And this definitely 27:01 does not feel right now 27:03 like home, sweet home. 27:07 Well, if you're feeling that way 27:08 this morning, 27:10 I know how you feel. 27:12 Because I'm a freshman, too. 27:14 [ Laughter ] 27:16 I just got here. 27:18 I'm a freshman 27:19 at Andrews University, 27:21 and there have been times 27:22 in the last six weeks 27:23 when I have felt nervous. 27:25 There have been times 27:26 when I have gotten lost. 27:27 I have gotten lost in this 27:29 building before. Okay? 27:31 And I'm the pastor here. 27:32 I should know how to find -- 27:34 I've taken staircases 27:35 and I end up somewhere. 27:35 I thought, 27:36 "Oh, this is embarrassing. 27:36 I have no idea 27:37 where I'm at right now." 27:40 I'm surrounded by people. 27:41 There's a few old friends 27:42 that I've seen. 27:43 There's lots of other people 27:44 that I'm just getting to know. 27:46 And maybe there's even been 27:47 some times when I have been 27:49 tempted to feel 27:50 a little bit scared. 27:57 But... 28:00 But... 28:02 I know that I am going to be 28:06 okay. 28:07 >> Amen. 28:10 >> And if you're new here, 28:13 or if you're just feeling "far 28:15 from home" for whatever reason, 28:18 maybe even a little scared this 28:19 morning, for whatever reason, 28:21 I want you to know 28:23 that I know that you can know 28:27 that you will be okay, too. 28:30 Let me show you how. 28:32 If you have a Bible, 28:33 take a look, please, 28:33 at Daniel 3:1. 28:37 Daniel chapter 3, 28:39 beginning with verse 1. 28:41 We're going to read a very 28:42 famous story here this morning. 28:44 In fact, even if you're not 28:45 a Christian, if you've never 28:46 read the Bible before, 28:47 I can guarantee you that there 28:48 are phrases, English idioms, 28:50 that have come from this story. 28:51 The Bible 28:52 is a very influential book, 28:53 and right here we're going 28:54 to read 28:55 one of the most famous of all. 28:57 It has to do with a guy 28:59 by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. 29:02 Let's take a peek here. 29:03 Daniel chapter 3, 29:04 beginning with verse 1. 29:04 It says, 29:05 "King Nebuchadnezzar 29:07 made an image of gold 90 feet 29:09 high and 9 feet wide 29:11 and set it up on the plain of 29:13 Dura in the province of Babylon. 29:16 He then summoned" -- here comes 29:17 the list -- "the satraps, 29:18 prefects, governors, advisers, 29:20 treasurers, judges, magistrates, 29:21 and all the other provincial 29:22 officials to come to the 29:24 dedication of the image he had 29:25 set up. 29:26 So, the satraps, prefects, 29:28 governors, advisers, treasurers, 29:30 judges, magistrates, and all 29:31 the other provincial officials 29:32 assembled for the dedication 29:34 of the image that 29:35 King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, 29:37 and they stood before it." 29:41 Pause there, please. 29:44 A little background will 29:44 be helpful here if you're not 29:45 familiar with this story. 29:47 King Nebuchadnezzar lived 29:48 a long time ago, 29:49 about 2,700 years ago, 29:51 and he was the king 29:52 of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. 29:54 That was 29:55 the new Babylonian Empire, 29:57 which of course infers there was 29:58 a Babylonian Empire before. 29:59 And indeed there was. 30:00 Hundreds of years earlier, there 30:02 had been a Babylonian Empire, 30:03 but it had fallen from out 30:04 of power. 30:06 Nebuchadnezzar's grandfather, 30:08 Nabopolassar, about -- 30:09 oh, let's see, what was it? -- 30:10 626 or so 30:12 is when he came to power, 30:13 he began this reinvigoration 30:15 of the Babylonian Empire. 30:16 Nebuchadnezzar put it 30:18 on steroids. 30:20 Babylon became the biggest power 30:23 in that part of the world. 30:25 It's a huge amount of territory 30:27 that they covered. 30:28 And Nebuchadnezzar, in chapter 30:29 2 of Daniel, has a dream. 30:31 Now, if you've read 30:32 through this, you know, this is 30:34 a fairly significant dream. 30:35 And Nebuchadnezzar knew it, 30:36 but he couldn't understand it. 30:38 In the dream, he saw a statue, 30:41 and the statue had this head 30:42 of gold, chest and arms 30:43 of silver, belly and thighs 30:45 of brass, legs of iron, 30:46 and then feet that were made 30:47 of iron mixed with clay. 30:49 A very bizarre thing 30:50 to put a heavy statue on. 30:51 And in the dream, this rock 30:53 comes out of the heavens 30:53 and it strikes 30:54 the feet of the statue. 30:56 The statue crumbles and the rock 30:57 becomes this kingdom 30:59 that would never come to an end. 31:00 Nebuchadnezzar wakes up 31:01 in a cold sweat. 31:03 He believes he has received 31:04 a message from the gods, 31:06 but he doesn't 31:07 know what it means. 31:08 Long story short, he calls 31:09 in all of his advisers, 31:11 they can't help him. 31:12 He threatens to kill them all, 31:13 as was vogue 31:13 in those days for Kings. 31:15 And Daniel and his 31:16 three friends, Shadrach, 31:18 Meshach, and Abednego, show up 31:20 and say, "Hold on a second. 31:21 Before you take the heads 31:22 off of all these guys, 31:23 let us pray about it. 31:24 We'll get back to you." 31:25 They pray, God reveals it, 31:26 and then they share 31:27 the interpretation 31:28 with King Nebuchadnezzar. 31:30 Now, if you study this, 31:31 you're familiar 31:32 with the interpretation. 31:33 The head of gold, that 31:34 represented King Nebuchadnezzar. 31:35 You know, begins his kingdom 31:36 essentially 605 BC. 31:38 Powerful, powerful, 31:39 but not powerful 31:40 enough to stay forever. 31:41 Following him would come 31:42 another nation, the Medes 31:43 and the Persians, representing 31:44 this chest and arms of silver. 31:45 This belly -- The thighs here of 31:48 of brass, this represented 31:50 the Grecian Empire that would 31:51 come, 330 BC, 31:53 Alexander the Great, 31:54 with his great army, 31:54 sweeps over the earth, 31:56 takes over until about 168. 31:58 The legs of iron 32:00 represent iron Rome. 32:03 Rome's power was so great 32:04 that it lasted for about 32:05 four centuries. 32:07 In the fifth century AD, 32:09 it deteriorated into the toes, 32:11 the toes, the feet here 32:12 mixed with clay, iron together. 32:15 They did not cleave together, 32:17 to use the King James verbiage 32:18 there. 32:19 They became what we know 32:20 today as the nations 32:21 of Western Europe. 32:22 And it is in the times of this 32:24 divided authority in Europe 32:27 that Jesus is to come back. 32:29 We do indeed live 32:30 in the last days. 32:31 Jesus is going to come. 32:32 That rock that crushes 32:34 all other kingdoms, 32:35 but itself becomes a kingdom 32:36 that fills the whole world 32:38 and will never pass away. 32:41 May that day be soon. 32:45 Nebuchadnezzar is given this 32:47 incredible dream. 32:50 And with this incredible dream, 32:51 you would think that 32:53 Nebuchadnezzar would be 32:54 thrilled, he'd be honored, 32:55 he would be humbled that 32:56 the great God of Heaven 32:57 has given him this dream. 33:00 Unfortunately, the only thing 33:02 bigger than the dream 33:03 was Nebuchadnezzar's ego. 33:04 And he says to himself, 33:05 "You know what? 33:06 I can improve upon this. 33:07 I can have prophecy my way." 33:09 And he decides he's going 33:10 to make an image not of gold, 33:12 silver, brass, et cetera, 33:14 but of just gold. 33:17 The message is quite clear. 33:19 Nebuchadnezzar has no intention 33:22 of ever seeing Babylon fall, 33:25 and in order to help the world 33:26 understand how serious he is, 33:28 he makes this 100% gold-covered 33:30 statue, and he invites all of 33:32 his rulers. 33:34 Anyone who is anyone. 33:36 If you've got any authority, 33:37 you are commanded to be here 33:39 on the plain of Dura. 33:40 Now this would be in modern day 33:41 Iraq, fairly arid place, 33:42 lots of space out there 33:44 in the desert. 33:44 Not a lot of competition 33:45 for real estate in some places. 33:47 And so the plain of Dura 33:48 is there, the statue is set up. 33:50 Nebuchadnezzar calls 33:51 all of these people. 33:52 There are thousands 33:53 of people there. 33:56 And suddenly a hush falls 33:57 over the crowd. 33:59 The trumpets sound a fanfare, 34:01 and the king's 34:02 spokesman proclaims 34:04 loudly for all to hear. 34:06 Verse 4 of Daniel chapter 3. 34:10 "Then the Herald loudly 34:11 proclaimed, 34:13 'This is what you are commanded 34:14 to do, O peoples, nations, 34:16 and men of every language. 34:17 As soon as you hear 34:18 the sound of the horn, flute, 34:20 zither, lyre, harp, pipes, 34:21 and all kinds of music, 34:22 you must fall down and worship 34:25 the image of gold that 34:26 King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 34:28 Whoever does not fall down 34:30 and worship 34:32 will immediately be thrown 34:34 into a blazing furnace.'" 34:40 This is the first recorded 34:42 instance in history 34:43 of motivational speaking. 34:45 [ Laughter ] 34:47 And, undoubtedly, these furnaces 34:49 were there for people to see. 34:50 Now, we don't know this for 34:52 certain, but probably they were 34:52 kilns. 34:54 You see, this statue, 34:55 it was not made of solid gold, 34:57 almost certainly, because, 34:57 metallurgically speaking, 34:58 you can't get 90 feet worth 35:00 of gold and 9 feet wide to stand 35:02 on its own accord. 35:03 It will fall, it will mush. 35:04 Gold is too soft. 35:05 And, so, probably what happened 35:07 is that they instead made a 35:08 framework, an outline here, in a 35:10 statue using baked bricks. 35:13 And then, with that shape, 35:14 they overlaid it with gold, 35:15 et cetera, and that's why it was 35:16 referred to as a golden altar 35:17 here. 35:17 These kilns 35:18 were very clearly seen. 35:23 Have you ever put your hand 35:24 in a kiln? 35:25 Okay, you better make sure it's 35:27 off and well cooled before you 35:29 do. 35:29 It gets mighty hot in there. 35:31 Some kilns can get over 35:32 a thousand degrees. 35:35 Well, this is motivating. 35:36 And as promised, 35:37 the music sounds. 35:39 And as Nebuchadnezzar 35:40 looks on with delight, 35:42 a wave of humanity takes action. 35:44 Like lightning, every person on 35:46 the plain of Dura hits the 35:47 desert sand, 35:48 face down, feet back, 35:50 seemingly the whole world bowing 35:52 down by the thousands to worship 35:53 the glorious golden image, 35:55 just as they had been commanded 35:56 to do 35:57 by the most powerful government 35:58 in that part of the world. 36:04 Hmm. 36:08 Does that sound familiar 36:09 to anyone? 36:13 You know, if you're a student 36:14 of Bible prophecy -- 36:15 We're not going to do it today, 36:16 but if we were to read 36:17 in Revelation chapter 13, 36:20 we would find that, at the end 36:21 of time, 36:22 all who dwell on the Earth -- 36:23 that's the phrase 36:24 that the Bible uses -- 36:25 all who dwell on the Earth will 36:26 worship the Antichrist power, 36:30 and by extension, through that, 36:31 they will be worshiping Satan. 36:33 And it's almost as though, 36:34 in Daniel chapter 3, 36:35 the devil is getting a practice 36:37 run for the very end of time. 36:41 Universal worship done his way 36:43 has long been a dream of Satan, 36:45 since the first time 36:46 that sin enters its heart. 36:47 And we can be sure 36:50 that the devil took good notes 36:51 that day on the plain of Dura, 36:53 knowing that someday the lessons 36:54 learned there just might 36:55 come in handy. 36:58 How pleased Satan must have been 37:01 with his triumph that day, 37:04 and how pleased Nebuchadnezzar 37:06 must have been 37:08 with his triumph, as well. 37:12 Until, of course, 37:14 he wasn't pleased anymore. 37:16 You see, 37:18 in that sea of humanity bowing, 37:20 there were three points 37:22 of humanity standing. 37:25 Now, this is a serious problem. 37:27 It's funny, you know, 37:28 even on occasions 37:29 when death is on the line, 37:31 people peek, don't they? 37:32 You know, 37:33 some of you during prayer. 37:34 Well, you don't have to raise 37:35 your hand, but you know 37:36 this happens, right, okay? 37:37 And, so, when they're all bowing 37:38 down there on the plain of Dura, 37:40 undoubtedly somebody is like, 37:41 "Wow, I've never been 37:42 to one of these parties before. 37:43 This is amazing. 37:44 Wait. 37:46 Psst. Do you see that? 37:48 I can't believe" -- 37:49 "Keep your head down." 37:49 "I know, but right over there." 37:51 Three guys standing up. 37:53 Just three. 37:54 Thousands of people, 37:57 and three people standing. 38:02 You know, that's not the kind 38:04 of thing you can hide. 38:06 When you are swimming upstream 38:08 and you're the only one swimming 38:09 upstream, people will notice. 38:11 And here on the plain of Dura, 38:12 just three, three only, are 38:14 standing there, 38:15 and the word races back 38:17 to King Nebuchadnezzar. 38:20 Well, the king cannot stand 38:20 for this. 38:21 I mean, this is blatant. 38:23 This is not just in his face. 38:24 It's in everyone's faces. 38:25 Something must be done. 38:28 And, so, 38:30 the king springs into action. 38:31 Take a look. Verse 13. 38:35 It says, "Furious with rage" -- 38:39 I guess, as opposed to being 38:40 happy with rage, I'm not sure. 38:41 "Furious with rage, 38:43 Nebuchadnezzar summoned 38:45 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 38:46 So these men 38:47 were brought before the king. 38:49 And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, 38:50 'Is it true, 38:51 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 38:53 that you do not serve my gods 38:55 or worship the image of gold 38:56 I have set up? 38:57 Now, when you hear 39:00 the sound of the horn, flute, 39:01 zither, lyre, harp, pipes, 39:03 and all kinds of music, 39:04 if you are ready to fall down 39:06 and worship the image I made, 39:07 very good. 39:10 But if you do not worship it, 39:15 you will be thrown immediately 39:17 into a blazing furnace. 39:20 Then what god will be able 39:22 to rescue you from my hand?'" 39:31 It's pretty serious, isn't it? 39:34 And again, the kilns 39:35 were probably right there. 39:36 You know, Nebuchadnezzar was 39:37 a pretty savvy politician. 39:38 If you read the rest of 39:39 the history of Nebuchadnezzar, 39:40 he was no slouch. 39:42 It is entirely possible 39:43 that he anticipated there 39:44 just might be somebody 39:46 who would keep standing. 39:47 Maybe there was a particularly 39:49 large kiln furnace 39:50 right off of the dais 39:52 where the king was sitting. 39:55 And maybe those three friends, 39:56 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 39:58 cast their glance over there. 40:01 And they saw the furnace, 40:03 and they saw the flames, 40:05 and they see the heat rising, 40:06 even in that desert sun, 40:07 the heat rising out of the top 40:09 of that. 40:10 There was no doubt 40:11 as to the King's intentions 40:13 should they deny his request 40:15 a second time. 40:17 Clearly, their lives 40:18 were at stake. 40:19 What should they do? 40:28 Time-out for just a moment. 40:34 What would you have done? 40:39 Now, be careful. 40:41 This is such a popular story 40:42 that, you know, sometimes 40:43 we skip right to the end. 40:44 We put ourselves right in their 40:46 sandals and say, "Well, I know 40:46 what I would have done." 40:48 You know. 40:49 We need to be careful, 40:51 because before we get 40:53 to this part of the story, 40:54 how they answered the king, 40:56 the fact of the matter remains 40:57 is that they had options, 40:58 and if we are honest, 40:59 we will see that, indeed, 41:01 to the carnal mind, they are 41:02 very attractive options. 41:04 For instance, they could have 41:05 easily thought to themselves 41:06 any of a number of excuses. 41:08 It's just this one time, 41:10 surely God will understand. 41:14 Or how about this? 41:15 "The king has been good to us." 41:18 And of course, that's true. 41:20 They got to be rulers in Babylon 41:22 specifically because of what 41:23 happened in Daniel chapter 2. 41:25 These guys were elevated. 41:26 They were powerful men 41:27 themselves because of the king. 41:29 "The king has been good to us. 41:30 We ought to respect him. 41:32 And we certainly don't want 41:33 to embarrass him, especially 41:35 in front of all these people." 41:38 Or how about this? 41:40 "We have loved ones to take 41:41 care of. 41:43 We don't want to abandon them 41:44 for the sake 41:45 of a little thing like this, 41:46 just a few seconds on the plain 41:47 of Dura." 41:50 Or how about this one? 41:51 "I know that God doesn't like us 41:55 worshiping idols. 41:58 But maybe that's just 41:59 a preference He has. 42:02 And besides, while I'm 42:04 bowing down to the idol, 42:05 I'll just worship God 42:06 in my mind. 42:07 After all, the Bible says man 42:09 looketh on the outside, 42:10 but God looketh at the heart." 42:15 Oh, how the mind 42:16 can bob and weave 42:18 when good and evil clash 42:19 and the price for us is high. 42:24 What would you have done 42:27 if you were standing before 42:27 the nation 42:28 and the King at that time? 42:34 Well, what did these three 42:35 guys do? 42:38 Apparently, none of these 42:39 rationalizations 42:41 came into their heads. 42:42 If they did, it's not recorded. 42:44 Instead, these three friends 42:46 knew their Bibles, 42:47 the Bible of their day. 42:48 There was no question what 42:49 God had commanded them to do, 42:51 and therefore, God's will 42:52 was crystal clear. 42:53 Exodus 20:4. 42:55 It says, "You shall not make 42:56 for yourself a carved image 42:57 or any likeness of anything. 42:59 You shall not bow down to them, 43:00 nor serve them." 43:03 So this was not rocket science. 43:05 These men knew exactly 43:06 what answer 43:06 they were to give to the king, 43:07 and without hesitation 43:08 or rationalization, 43:10 apparently, of any kind, 43:11 here is what they said. 43:15 Verse 16. 43:17 "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 43:18 replied to the king, 43:20 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not 43:22 need to defend ourselves 43:24 before you in this matter. 43:27 If we are thrown into 43:27 the blazing furnace, 43:28 the God we serve 43:30 is able to save us from it, 43:31 and He will rescue us 43:33 from your hand, O King.'" 43:35 And then comes what I think is 43:36 one of the more powerful verses 43:38 in all of the Old Testament, 43:39 verse 18. 43:41 "'But even if he does not, 43:45 we want you to know, O King, 43:47 that we will not serve your gods 43:49 or worship the image of gold 43:50 you have set up.'" 43:51 >> Amen. 43:52 >> Amen. 43:53 >> Amen. 43:54 >> Hallelujah. 43:55 >> Amen. 43:57 >> What an amazing answer. 43:59 Of all the things they could 44:00 have said, of all 44:01 the politically correct phrases, 44:02 the maneuvering. 44:03 "King, can we talk about this 44:03 later? 44:04 Now is not a good time. 44:05 We'll get back to you. 44:06 My lawyers will call you." 44:07 All the things they could have 44:08 said, and instead they just come 44:10 flat out and said, 44:11 "King, we're not doing it. 44:12 We don't even need to defend 44:14 ourselves in this manner." 44:15 Now, by the way, 44:15 that's a public rebuke because 44:17 they knew what had happened. 44:19 Nebuchadnezzar recognized 44:20 those guys 44:20 when they walk up on the stage. 44:21 These are the same guys 44:23 that said that this gold statue 44:25 isn't going to be gold, 44:25 just the head. 44:27 They said, "King, we don't need 44:28 to defend you about this. 44:29 You already know. 44:32 And you can threaten us. 44:34 You can take our families, 44:36 you can take our office, 44:38 you can take our lives, 44:40 but we will not bow down 44:42 to your gods." 44:45 What courage, 44:46 what faith, what power. 44:52 And in the eyes of 44:53 King Nebuchadnezzar, 44:54 what foolishness. 44:55 He says, "I'm not going to 44:56 stand for this." 44:57 And he immediately begins 44:59 to take action. 45:01 Take a look at verse 19. 45:03 "Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious 45:05 with Shadrach, Meshach, 45:06 and Abednego, and his attitude 45:08 toward them changed." 45:08 In the Hebrew there, the 45:09 attitude it means his face. 45:10 I mean, he was reaching 45:12 absolute boiling point here. 45:14 "He ordered the furnace heated 45:15 seven times hotter than usual 45:17 and commanded some of the 45:18 strongest soldiers in his army 45:20 to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, 45:21 and Abednego and throw them 45:23 into the blazing furnace. 45:24 So these men, 45:25 wearing their robes, trousers, 45:27 turbans, and other clothes" -- 45:28 in other words, kindling -- 45:30 "were bound and thrown 45:31 into the blazing furnace. 45:32 The king's command was so 45:34 urgent and the furnace so hot 45:36 that the flames of the fire 45:37 killed the soldiers who took up 45:38 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 45:40 And these three men, 45:41 firmly tied, 45:42 fell into the blazing furnace." 45:51 And that's the end of the story. 45:52 Credits roll. We're done. 45:58 That is how most of the people 46:00 on the plain of Dura that day 46:01 undoubtedly thought. 46:04 I mean, this is the end 46:05 of the story, right? 46:07 If even the soldiers 46:09 who are supposed to be 46:10 throwing these guys in -- 46:11 By the way, this is why the 46:12 strongest soldiers had to be 46:13 called, because Nebuchadnezzar 46:15 knew they were going to have to 46:16 chuck these guys from a 46:17 distance, okay? 46:19 And, so, even the strongest 46:20 soldiers in the army 46:21 are now dead 46:23 on the plain of Dura. 46:24 Surely the message was clear. 46:26 Thousands of onlookers 46:28 there immediately concluded, 46:29 if the flames kill 46:30 even those who are nearby, 46:32 they must utterly 46:33 and completely destroy 46:35 those who are thrown within. 46:38 Surely no one 46:40 will disobey King Nebuchadnezzar 46:43 ever again. 46:49 Or will they? 46:52 Verse 24. 46:55 "Then King Nebuchadnezzar 46:57 leaped to his feet in amazement 47:00 and asked his advisers, 47:02 'Weren't there three men that we 47:03 tied up and threw into the 47:04 fire?' 47:06 They replied, 'Certainly, 47:07 O king.' 47:08 He said, 'Look, I see four men 47:11 walking around in the fire, 47:13 unbound and unharmed, 47:14 and the fourth looks like a son 47:15 of the gods.' 47:18 Nebuchadnezzar then approached 47:19 the opening of the blazing 47:20 furnace and shouted, 47:21 'Shadrach, Meshach, and 47:22 Abednego, servants of 47:24 the Most High God, come out! 47:25 Come here!'" 47:31 "So Shadrach, Meshach, 47:34 and Abednego 47:35 came out of the fire, 47:39 and the satraps, prefects, 47:40 governors, and royal advisers 47:41 crowded around them. 47:42 They saw that the fire 47:43 had not harmed their bodies, 47:44 nor was the hair of their head 47:45 singed. 47:46 Their robes were not scorched, 47:48 and there was no smell of fire 47:50 on them." 47:52 >> Amen. 47:53 >> Amen. 47:54 >> Not even the smell of fire. 47:56 This is absolutely astonishing. 47:59 For those of you 48:00 who are new here, 48:02 for those of you who are nervous 48:03 or fearful, for those of you 48:05 that are feeling far from home, 48:08 three lessons from this story. 48:10 Lesson number one. 48:14 >> Amen. 48:15 >> Does not exist. 48:16 There is no fire 48:17 that is too hot for Jesus. 48:18 Whether you are feeling 48:19 just a little homesick 48:20 or full-scale oppressed, 48:22 whatever fire 48:24 you are going through right now, 48:25 Jesus is not scared of it. 48:27 Jesus is flameproof. 48:28 He's the original holy fire 48:29 retardant. 48:30 You cannot scorch this man. 48:32 For Him, the fires that would 48:33 otherwise torch us 48:34 are like a gentle breeze. 48:36 A walk in the park, a stroll 48:37 on a cool summer's evening. 48:39 He is not fazed by our fires. 48:41 He is not harmed by them. 48:42 And if he finds you in the fire, 48:44 he will definitely not run away. 48:47 Instead, if you invite him in, 48:49 He will come right into 48:50 that fire with you. 48:53 And even though you walk 48:54 through the valley of the shadow 48:55 of death, if God is with you, 48:57 you need fear no evil. 48:59 >> Amen. 49:00 >> If you're new here, 49:01 if you're far from home, 49:03 you need to know that Jesus 49:04 feels your pain. 49:05 He knows your heart, 49:06 and when asked, He will come in 49:08 and give you the healing and 49:09 strength that he alone can give. 49:11 For no fire is too hot 49:13 for Jesus. 49:14 >> Amen. 49:15 >> Lesson number two. 49:22 >> Amen. 49:23 >> When you're away from home, 49:24 obey God and leave the 49:26 rationalizations to the devil. 49:27 Now listen carefully here. 49:28 These three men, 49:30 all of whom were young adults, 49:32 quite likely what we would 49:33 consider to be college 49:34 age today, 49:35 they all were far from home. 49:39 They were not at home, sweet 49:40 home, Babylon was not their 49:41 home, sweet home. 49:42 Their home, sweet home 49:43 lay in ruins, 49:44 most likely, back in Palestine. 49:46 When Nebuchadnezzar came 49:47 to power in 605 BC, 49:49 there was a series of raids. 49:50 It took several years before all 49:51 of Palestine was decimated. 49:53 At one of those points, 49:55 Shadrach, Meshach, and 49:56 Abednego's homes were attacked. 49:58 We don't know exactly 49:59 what happened. 49:59 It's possible that their parents 50:00 were killed. 50:01 Undoubtedly, they had at least 50:02 friends that were killed, 50:02 possibly relatives, 50:04 and their houses 50:05 were probably piles of rubble. 50:06 They were indeed far from home. 50:11 And what is true for anyone 50:12 who goes far from home 50:13 was undoubtedly true for them, 50:15 as well, and perhaps for you. 50:16 When you're far from home, 50:18 there are new temptations. 50:21 You're tempted to feel lonely, 50:23 and you want to find a way to 50:24 get rid of that lonely feeling. 50:26 And too often, too often, 50:28 temptations can come to us 50:30 that, if we were back home, 50:31 they may not come our way. 50:34 And we can begin to rationalize, 50:37 rationalize doing the wrong 50:38 thing as though somehow 50:40 standing for Jesus and His truth 50:41 will harm us rather than help. 50:43 "I don't want to offend anybody. 50:44 These new friends that 50:45 I'm making, they're asking me 50:45 to do thus and such. 50:46 I don't want to offend them. 50:48 Jesus said we should love 50:49 people, et cetera. 50:50 It's just this once. 50:51 Surely God will understand." 50:56 But the truth is that the path 50:57 of obedience 50:58 is the path of assurance. 51:01 The path of following God 51:03 is the path to freedom, 51:04 including freedom from fear. 51:06 You know, in the world today, 51:08 there are sometimes rules that 51:09 governments or organizations 51:10 make that actually 51:11 bring harm to your soul 51:12 if you follow them. 51:13 That can happen. 51:14 Families can make poor rules, 51:16 they have rules that are 51:17 unhealthy, et cetera. 51:18 But you don't have to worry 51:19 about that with God. 51:21 If God makes a rule, 51:22 you can be guaranteed it is 51:23 for your good and your freedom. 51:25 He never makes a mistake 51:26 in this regard. 51:27 Follow Him when you're far 51:29 from home, 51:30 and the fears will drop away. 51:33 True freedom is not the ability 51:35 to do whatever you want. 51:36 True freedom is the ability to 51:38 choose and to do what is right. 51:41 So if you are feeling uneasy 51:42 being far from home, 51:44 my challenge to you, 51:45 my encouragement to you, 51:46 keep following Jesus. 51:48 Stay true to Him. 51:49 By His grace, 51:50 move past the temptations 51:51 to do that which, in the end, 51:52 will only make you feel worse. 51:54 And instead follow Jesus. 51:55 No compromise, 51:56 no rationalizations, 51:58 and find the comfort and freedom 51:59 that only He can bring. 52:00 >> Amen. 52:02 >> And lesson number three. 52:08 >> Amen. 52:10 >> Anywhere. 52:12 It doesn't matter, ultimately, 52:14 what the surroundings 52:15 physically are around you. 52:16 If Jesus is there, 52:17 you can be at home. 52:19 You know, one of the things 52:20 about this story that I love 52:22 that rarely gets talked about 52:23 is the part where Nebuchadnezzar 52:25 is freaking out, okay, 52:26 he's gone from being a bass 52:27 to a soprano, okay? 52:28 He says, "Oh, when I looked in, 52:30 there's four walking around!" 52:32 Walking around. 52:34 Isn't that interesting? 52:36 It's like they're just lounging. 52:39 It's like Jesus is in His 52:40 living room with Shadrach, 52:41 Meshach, and Abednego. 52:43 "Over here, this is a picture 52:44 I took with Abraham and Sarah 52:45 when I was there 52:46 visiting them earlier." 52:47 It was a place of comfort. 52:49 These three friends appear to 52:51 have all the comforts of home. 52:52 Just strolling around 52:54 inside of this furnace. 52:55 They are basking, not baking. 52:58 They are lounging, not lacking. 53:00 They have French toast, 53:01 not burnt toast. 53:02 There are friends nearby. 53:04 And because Jesus is there, 53:06 they are home. 53:12 Now, the 1970s were a dark era. 53:19 We suffered through fashions 53:21 and colors and hairstyles 53:23 that never should see the light 53:24 of day ever again. 53:26 And generally speaking, 53:27 the music from the '70s was 53:29 terrible, with a few exceptions. 53:33 When I was a child, 53:34 my parents gave me a record. 53:38 I guess I probably should 53:39 explain what that is 53:40 for those incoming students. 53:41 A record is a piece of plastic 53:44 that you could put grooves on, 53:45 and if you had just 53:46 the right instrument on it, 53:47 it would go over it 53:48 and it would make noise. 53:49 And I think if you go to 53:51 the Horn Archeological Museum, 53:52 I think there is a record 53:53 that's there on the wall. 53:55 Anyway, I had a record, 53:56 and it called "It Isn't Hot." 54:00 And it was a story, 54:02 a dramatized story of the 54:04 Three Worthies in the furnace. 54:07 And I'd like to share a little 54:08 bit of that song with you, but I 54:09 am going to need your help. 54:11 Okay? Do you know how to snap 54:12 your fingers? 54:15 Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 54:16 We have we have to do this 54:18 together, so follow me, okay? 54:20 [ Congregation snapping ] 54:23 Keep going. 54:27 ♪ It isn't hot, mm mm mm 54:30 ♪ In the furnace, man 54:33 ♪ It isn't hot 54:35 No, no. 54:36 ♪ In the furnace, man 54:40 ♪ It isn't hot in the furnace 54:41 ♪ Man, this furnace is cool, 54:44 cool, cool, cool ♪ 54:46 ♪ It isn't hot 54:47 Keep going. 54:49 ♪ That furnace was hot 54:50 and glowing red ♪ 54:52 ♪ They thought we'd burn like 54:54 homemade bread ♪ 54:55 ♪ But we didn't burn 54:56 and we didn't run ♪ 54:58 ♪ And God just looked 54:59 and said, "Well done" ♪ 55:01 ♪ It's cool, it's cool, 55:03 it's cool, it's cool ♪ 55:04 ♪ It's cool, cool, cool, cool 55:07 ♪ Cool 55:09 Yeah. 55:11 [ Laughter and applause ] 55:22 "We didn't burn," the song said. 55:24 "And we didn't run." 55:25 And how come? 55:26 Because Jesus was with them. 55:30 And what started out as a trial 55:31 by fire ended up with 55:33 Jesus there being a spiritual 55:35 home like no other. 55:39 Students and anyone listening 55:41 who is feeling far from home, 55:44 maybe in your heart 55:45 you're feeling like you've been 55:46 dropped off on the curb of a new 55:48 place with all that is familiar 55:50 and comforting driving off into 55:52 the sunset. 55:55 But the story of these three 55:56 friends reminds us 55:58 that, even if you are walking 55:59 through what seems like 56:00 the fires of hell itself, 56:02 if Jesus is there 56:03 with you, inwardly, 56:05 it can be as cool 56:06 as an air conditioned 56:07 living room, your living room, 56:09 as though you were surrounded 56:10 by family and friends 56:11 with all of the right sights 56:12 and sounds and smells. 56:14 So, please, students, ask 56:17 Jesus to live in your heart. 56:19 Start your day with Him. 56:20 Welcome Him into your heart 56:21 at the beginning. 56:21 Walk with Him 56:22 throughout the day. 56:23 End your day with Him. 56:25 Go to church each Sabbath. 56:26 We'll save you a seat. 56:28 Study your Bible regularly. 56:29 Be with Jesus 56:32 and you will indeed find that 56:34 anywhere with Jesus really is 56:36 home, sweet home. 56:39 Welcome to Pioneer. 56:40 Welcome to Andrews. 56:42 Welcome home. 56:44 [ Applause ] 56:52 >> I'm Shane Anderson, 56:53 the lead pastor here 56:54 at Pioneer Memorial Church. 56:57 At Pioneer Media, we have been 56:58 blessed by the financial support 57:00 that comes from our viewers 57:01 like you that enable us 57:03 to continue this ministry. 57:06 We've made a conscious decision 57:07 not to continually appeal to you 57:09 for that support. 57:10 However, keeping this ministry 57:11 going takes money to support 57:13 our staff and technology needs. 57:16 If God has blessed you 57:18 and you would like to further 57:18 the work of this ministry, 57:20 we invite you to partner 57:21 with us. 57:23 You can donate on our website -- 57:24 pmchurch.org. 57:27 Then click "giving" at the top, 57:29 then select "media ministry." 57:32 Or call the number 877-HIS-WILL. 57:36 Again, that number is 877 -- 57:38 the two words, "HIS WILL." 57:41 My prayer is that the God 57:42 who has blessed you will 57:44 continue to pour into your life 57:45 the gifts of his joy 57:47 and his hope. 57:48 Thank you. 57:50 And I'm looking forward 57:50 to seeing you right here 57:51 again next time. 57:59 ♪ 58:08 ♪ 58:17 ♪ |
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