Participants:
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000086S
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00:01 Music...
00:30 James: Okay, so we ran out of time 00:32 just before we were finishing up here 00:33 and there were a couple more points 00:35 that I thought would be really good for us to highlight 00:36 in Daniel chapter 3 before we finish up. 00:38 One of them for sure is about the mighty men 00:40 and what happens to them and why it happens 00:43 and just to touch a little bit more on the king 00:46 and his anger and how that works into our lives 00:49 and then, kind of finish up with the Son of God... 00:52 how did he know it was the Son of God that was in the furnace? 00:55 I mean, that's a really good question 00:56 and then, we need to finish up the last few verses 00:58 and kind of touch on what's going on there 01:00 with King Nebuchadnezzar... 01:01 that sets up for chapter 4 which... man... with chapter 4 01:05 is just powerful... it's really powerful. 01:07 So, hey, Jason, would you have prayer for us 01:09 so we can get right in? 01:11 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... "Dear Heavenly Father, 01:12 we thank you for the opportunity to study Your Word, 01:15 we thank You that we are seeing and learning principles 01:18 on how to stand in these last days 01:20 and we just ask that you would continue to be with us 01:22 as we go through this study 01:23 and guide our thoughts and our conversation, 01:26 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 01:28 All: Amen. 01:29 James: So, we're in Daniel chapter 3, 01:30 and we're picking up where we left off... 01:33 last session we finished up with this area 01:36 where Nebuchadnezzar was really, really angry 01:38 and it says... he was angry before... 01:42 already angry... but it says now he's even angrier 01:45 and we talked about the idea that he's angry 01:47 partly with himself 01:49 because he's realizing in himself, 01:52 "Man, those guys are so like, together and peaceful and calm 01:56 and they have no fear and I thought I could intimidate them 02:00 and I haven't been able to intimidate them... 02:02 I've been able to intimidate everybody but them. 02:03 Yvonne: Right. 02:05 James: And so, he gets even angrier now 02:07 and I think part of that anger is intimidation. 02:09 I think people get angry because 02:11 they're trying to intimidate or they want to intimidate 02:14 and so it says here that he is so angry... 02:16 I'm just looking for the verse here. 02:18 Jason: You think he was battling with his own insecurities? 02:21 James: Yes, he was battling with his own insecurities... 02:24 he was fearful... and... and... 02:26 Ivor: Verse 19. 02:27 James: Verse 19 where Nebuchadnezzar was full of... 02:30 "Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, 02:32 and the form of his visage was changed 02:34 against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... " 02:36 and we'll touch on this in another version 02:38 or later on when he says something like, 02:41 "I thought I saw three men and there's four men... " 02:45 the wise men... all of his counselors or whatever 02:49 when he asks this question to them 02:52 basically they say, 02:54 "Yeah, that's true... that's true King, 02:56 whatever you say... yeah, whatever you say, that's true" 02:58 there's no... he's used to just obedience. 03:01 Yvonne: Right. 03:02 James: He's used to people just saying, 03:04 "Yes Sir... yes... yeah, yeah, yeah... " 03:06 and so, it really bothers him here... 03:08 it brings out a lot of his insecurity... 03:10 it causes him to come to a... to a height of anger 03:12 that seeks to intimidate... 03:13 to put it mildly, to put all of his strength in the arm of flesh 03:20 in my power... in my might... in my intimidation... 03:22 in my ability to intimidate... 03:23 Ivor: Yeah... 03:26 looking again at the prophetic implications here, 03:30 remember that this whole thing that's going on here 03:34 actually includes another individual 03:36 and that other individual is Cyrus. 03:38 James: Hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 03:39 Ivor: Right? the reason they're not bowing down to this image 03:42 that says, "My kingdom is going to last forever... " 03:44 is because they know that another nation is coming 03:47 and that that nation is going to overthrow Babylon. 03:50 Right? they know that there was one more powerful... 03:53 that is going to be more powerful than Nebuchadnezzar 03:55 and they're saying, "You know what? 03:57 Yeah, your image and what you're saying is going to be... 04:02 is not going to be... 04:03 Cyrus is coming and he is going to be... 04:06 he's going to overthrow your kingdom. 04:08 Obviously, you'll remember that Cyrus is a type of Jesus 04:12 and so, whenever we are facing these trials... 04:15 these conflicts like... 04:17 whether in our lives on a personal level 04:18 or in a prophetic level, 04:20 we have to remember that there is one greater 04:22 than the enemy that we face 04:24 and that one greater is Jesus Christ. 04:26 All: Hmmm... 04:27 Ivor: And so, that's again part of the reason why they're like, 04:31 "We're not bowing down because 04:33 you're not the most powerful one, 04:35 there is one that is more powerful. 04:37 Yvonne: Right, right. Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 04:38 James: And now, as you move through this story, 04:40 he... he makes the decree 04:42 that the furnace is heated seven times hotter, 04:44 so, a lot of times when we stand for God, 04:47 the initial trial doesn't get easier... 04:51 it can get harder. 04:52 Yvonne: That's true. 04:54 James: It can get harder... it can become more intense. 04:55 When you stand for God, 04:57 you are standing against all of the ire... 05:00 all of the anger of the dragon... of the devil... 05:03 of Satan and his forces... 05:04 and anyone that is occupying his territory 05:08 whose one in his army is going to come against you, 05:11 so, he's... he's pushing even harder right now 05:13 so sometimes as believers, we think, 05:16 "Okay, I'm going to stand up for God right now 05:18 and He will be with me and everything will be okay... " 05:20 and it gets more intense... 05:22 we're like, "Whoa, what is this?" 05:24 for example, case in point, Job... 05:25 Job loses his wealth... 05:28 he loses his family... he loses his everything 05:30 and the next thing you know, 05:32 it's not getting better, it's getting worse. 05:33 Yvonne: Hmmm... 05:34 James: Then, Satan comes after him with his physical body... 05:37 his physical health. Yvonne: Right. 05:38 James: Everything looks like it's going downhill... 05:40 and then his wife struggles... 05:42 she's... she's faltering a little bit, 05:43 "Man, I thought... we should just curse God and die. " 05:45 Job's like, "Don't be silly, 05:47 you know, don't be silly... 05:49 you know, God gives... God takes... 05:51 we need to trust Him right now, honey. " 05:52 They work through that whole process 05:55 and many times, that's what we need... 05:57 you can imagine, these three guys... 05:59 and that's what I love about this... 06:01 this isn't like Daniel in the Lions' den 06:02 where he's by himself, 06:03 these three guys at least have each other. 06:05 Yvonne: Right. Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 06:06 James: They have that community of faith 06:08 and we need community of faith 06:09 and so, they're standing together through this, 06:11 but what's interesting to me is, 06:13 as it goes on further it says, "Because the king's command... " 06:17 let's read... Jason, can you read for us 06:20 verse... I think it's verse 22. 06:23 Jason: 22? Okay. 06:26 "Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, 06:28 and the furnace exceedingly hot, 06:31 the flame of the fire killed those men 06:33 who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... " 06:35 James: Okay, there are two factors here 06:37 that lead up to the death of these mighty men 06:40 and they're called "Mighty men" 06:42 these guys were tough guys... they... 06:43 so the king... two things... 06:45 the furnace is heated seven times hotter 06:47 and the king's commandment is urgent... 06:49 he's in a hurry... he wants to get this done... 06:51 so... so... you know, normally maybe 06:53 when the furnace is getting heated up like this... 06:56 because you think there's people putting stuff in 06:58 it's getting hotter and hotter and they're going to test it 06:59 and they're going to see how close they can get or whatever 07:01 but they didn't do any of that... 07:02 the king is urgent about this, "We need to just do this... " 07:04 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 07:05 James: And so, these mighty men bring 07:06 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to throw them in 07:09 and what happens to them? 07:10 Yvonne: They get killed. Jason: They get killed. 07:12 James: Now, the spiritual lesson here 07:14 that I think that's so powerful 07:16 is that there's safety in the fire... 07:18 there's safety in the trial... 07:19 Yvonne: Hmmm... 07:21 James: If we're not willing to go all the way to Jesus... 07:23 if we're not ready to go all the way with Jesus, 07:24 we're not going to make it. 07:26 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: True... true... yeah. 07:28 James: These guys... these guys stop at the door... 07:30 they stop at the door. 07:32 As soon as we face trial, if we stop and turn around there 07:34 it's not going to happen for us. 07:35 We've got to go all the way with Jesus 07:37 and these guys go all the way with Jesus 07:40 because he's in the fire and when we... 07:43 when we... we realize that he's in the fire, 07:44 we can count every trial a blessing. 07:46 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Yes. 07:48 James: We count the joy in the battle... 07:49 we know that He is there. 07:51 Yvonne: That's right. 07:52 James: And that's what I love now about this how idea 07:54 of facing these trials, 07:55 there's no way we're not going to have trials in our lives, 07:58 family, church, community, nation, world... 08:02 there's nowhere where we're not going to have trials... 08:03 but if we know that God is there, 08:06 we can count it a joy, that's what James says, 08:08 "Count it all a joy when you fall into divers temptations. " 08:10 Jason: The interesting thing is... 08:12 too is when the guys who led them into the fire... 08:16 they ended up being killed... 08:18 in Revelation chapter 13 verse 10 it says, 08:20 "He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; 08:23 he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. 08:27 Here's the patience and the faith of the saints. " 08:28 James: Wow. 08:30 Jason: It's just interesting... it's like an immediate... 08:31 you know, leading them into captivity... 08:35 leading them into death... 08:36 what they thought was going to be death... 08:39 and instantly they were... they were dealt with. 08:42 Ivor: That's right. 08:43 James: Here's the... now I love this... 08:44 again Jason, I just want to bring this up 08:46 because you made that connection with the book of Revelation, 08:47 so, the book of Revelation 08:49 just kind of goes through this prophetic scenario... 08:50 you read these mysterious verses like, 08:52 "He that leads them into captivity... " 08:54 and you're like, "What does that mean?" 08:55 But then you go to Daniel, and then... there it is... 08:58 "Oh that's what it means right there. " 09:00 So, again, those two books together 09:02 but Daniel giving us the practical application 09:05 of some of the stuff... 09:06 and it's though when God read the... 09:08 inspired the book of Revelation, 09:09 it's as though He... He knew that we'd be going back 09:12 to the Bible and back to Daniel to get an understanding 09:14 so, He's writing this all out real symbolic and real like... 09:18 down... distilled stuff like... 09:21 and we just have to break it open... 09:22 break it open and see what it means... 09:23 that's how we do that... that's why I love that connection. 09:25 Jason: The Lions' den too... same thing. 09:27 James: Yeah... Yvonne: Hmmm... 09:28 Ivor: So, the book of Hebrews tells us 09:31 that our God is a consuming fire 09:33 and the reason He is a consuming fire 09:37 is... it's... we don't get it 09:40 but it's a powerful reason. 09:42 We think of fire and we're typically afraid of fire 09:45 but in Song of Solomon chapter 8 and verse 6, 09:50 the Bible says that fire is a symbol of love. 09:54 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 09:55 Ivor: So, the reason that God manifests Himself as fire 09:58 is because God is love. 10:00 So, fire is heaven's love language. 10:05 Right? 10:06 So, when God created Adam and Eve, 10:08 they were actually able to stand in His presence 10:12 and not be consumed. 10:14 Yvonne: Right... right. 10:16 Ivor: Right? But when they sinned, 10:19 they were now afraid of the fire. 10:21 Ivor: They hid from God... why? 10:24 Because to them... God was now a consuming fire. 10:27 James: Hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 10:28 Ivor: So, the entire plan of salvation 10:29 is really God trying to find a way to make us fireproof again. 10:34 James: Hmmm... Yvonne: Ahh... 10:35 Ivor: So that we can stand in His presence 10:38 and not be consumed. 10:39 Right, so think about Moses and the burning bush. 10:42 Ivor: Moses see this bush... he's like, 10:44 "How is it that this bush burns but it's not consumed?" 10:48 And God was trying to let Moses know, 10:50 "Listen, this is my ideal for you, 10:52 I want you to be able to stand in my presence 10:55 and not be consumed. 10:57 Yvonne: Hmmm... 10:58 Ivor: And so, how does He do that? 11:00 He does that through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 11:03 James: Hmmm... 11:04 Ivor: John the Baptist says, "I will baptize you... 11:06 Jesus... when He comes, 11:08 He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. " 11:09 Yvonne: Right. 11:11 Ivor: So, when we see someone baptized in water, 11:12 they go down in the water 11:13 and when they come up, they're covered in water. 11:16 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Right. 11:17 Ivor: So, when you're baptized in fire, 11:18 you're going down in fire and you're coming up on fire. 11:23 Yvonne: Oh... come on... 11:24 Ivor: And so... James: On fire... 11:26 Ivor: So, you're on fire... that's what it means 11:28 and so, check this out... 11:29 because Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were... 11:33 they had the fire in them, 11:36 the difference between those mighty men 11:40 and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego 11:42 is that they were fireproof. 11:44 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Wow! 11:46 Ivor: They could stand in God's presence without being consumed 11:48 and it was literally demonstrated 11:50 as they're thrown into the fire, 11:51 the form of the fourth is in there 11:53 and the fire doesn't even touch them 11:56 but these other guys were not fireproof. 11:58 Yvonne: Wow! 11:59 Ivor: So, God is ultimately trying to make us fireproof, 12:01 right? 12:03 We are the ones... according to the book of Isaiah 33 12:06 I believe it's in 14... 12:08 James: Yeah, I was looking for that verse. 12:09 Ivor: Isaiah 33 and verse 14, why don't you read that? 12:11 This verse just really throws people for a loop 12:14 and they're like, "Wait, what did that say?" 12:18 Jason: You said Isaiah 33 and verse 14? 12:21 Ivor: Yeah, it says, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; 12:23 fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. 12:25 Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? 12:28 who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 12:30 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 12:31 Ivor: And then the answer is, "He that walketh righteously. " 12:34 James: You got it Jason? 12:36 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... James Verse 15... Jason: Yes. 12:37 Ivor: He that walketh righteously... 12:39 what else does it say? 12:40 Jason: "And speaks uprightly, 12:41 he who despises the gain of oppressions, 12:44 who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, 12:48 who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, 12:52 and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: 12:55 he will dwell on high; 12:57 his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; 13:01 bread will be given him, his water will be sure. " 13:04 James: Hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 13:05 Ivor: So, that's powerful, that text is telling us there 13:07 that it's the righteous that will burn forever... 13:11 not the wicked... 13:13 Yvonne: Oh... that's good. 13:15 Ivor: The righteous will stand in His presence... 13:17 the righteous are going to be fireproof through all eternity, 13:21 they'll be able to stand in God's presence 13:22 without being consumed 13:24 while the wicked expose that same fire... 13:26 it's the same fire... 13:28 but because they were unprepared, 13:30 they're destroyed by that fire. 13:33 So, that... the three Hebrews versus the mighty... 13:37 these mighty men... 13:38 it's another snapshot of actually... 13:40 of what happens at the end of time. 13:42 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 13:43 Ivor: Wicked are destroyed... 13:45 the righteous are able to stand in the presence of God 13:47 without being consumed. 13:49 Yvonne: Wow! 13:50 James: And this has its parallel again in the book of Revelation, 13:52 so, we go to the book of Revelation... 13:53 we find this picture in Revelation chapter 15 13:57 that isn't necessarily understood 14:00 by just reading Revelation 15 but when we go back now 14:03 and we go to the book of Daniel 14:04 and we connect with Isaiah 14:06 and we understand what the rest of the Bible is saying, 14:07 we read this verse, Isaiah... 14:09 excuse me, Revelation 15 verse 2... 14:12 got that? Revelation 15 verse 2... 14:14 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 14:15 "And I saw something like a sea of glass 14:18 mingled with fire, 14:20 and those who have the victory over the beast, 14:23 over his image and over his mark 14:25 and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, 14:28 having harps of God. " 14:30 James: Okay, so we've got the sea of glass mingled with fire 14:32 and who's going to stand? 14:33 Ivor: And what do they get victory over? 14:35 James: The beast, the mark, it's image... the name. 14:37 Ivor: The image... the image... the image... 14:39 Yvonne: Yes. 14:40 Ivor: What were they facing in Daniel chapter 3? 14:42 Yvonne: The image. Ivor: The image. 14:43 James: They stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire... 14:45 they stand in the fiery furnace. 14:47 Ivor: Yeah. Yvonne: Huh... 14:49 Jason: That's good. 14:50 Yvonne: That is really good... that is good stuff. 14:53 I love the point that you made about them... 14:58 the wicked not burning forever 15:00 because that again is one of Satan's misrepresentations 15:05 of the character of God. 15:07 James: Turned it upside down, didn't it? 15:08 Yvonne: Turned it upside down. 15:10 Ivor: God loves... God loves people too much 15:12 to allow them to burn forever in agony 15:15 and the devil flips that whole scenario... 15:18 flips it... yeah... that's what he does. 15:21 James: And the key here that I think really opens that up 15:23 because we may say that... we may argue that... 15:25 we may say, "Well, God's not going to burn 15:27 the lost forever 15:28 but we don't add that the righteous are going to stand 15:32 in the everlasting flames. 15:34 The righteous are going to stand 15:35 with the burning fire of the Holy Spirit filling them forever 15:40 so, if we're letting the wicked and the righteous 15:43 have the same end, 15:45 then, we're not making a distinction between the two. 15:46 Yvonne: That's right. 15:47 Jason: And think about how miserable people would be 15:50 who are just determined to do their own will 15:52 and don't want to be in the presence of the Lord, 15:55 how miserable would they be to spend an eternity 15:57 with the One that they don't... 15:58 that they don't value and appreciate. 16:00 Ivor: This is an example I love sharing is that 16:03 during... in the days of Noah... 16:04 I just think about it... there was one set of creatures 16:09 that were not inside the ark that didn't die. 16:12 James: Hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm? 16:14 Ivor: Did you know that? James: Hmmm... hmmm... 16:15 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: The angels? 16:17 Ivor: The sea creatures. 16:20 Ivor: Just think about it, they were like... 16:22 "Oh, water... ah... Ooooh!" 16:27 Yvonne: That's true, the sea creatures... 16:29 Ivor: Right? So, in that same sense, 16:31 there's only one set of creatures 16:33 that will survive when Jesus comes again 16:35 and it's "fire creatures... " 16:37 James and Yvonne: Hmmm... 16:38 Ivor: We have to be born again of His Spirit... 16:41 James: Yes, of water and fire... 16:42 Ivor: So that when He comes again, we're just like, 16:43 "Oh yeah, fire? not a problem... 16:45 have you been on...?" 16:47 That's why He doesn't want us to be lukewarm, 16:49 He wants us to be hot 16:52 because when we're hot and we see Him as He is, 16:57 hot attracts the hot... 16:59 right? fire attracts the fire... 17:01 and so, we have to become those fiery creatures 17:04 and how do we become those fiery creatures? 17:06 By being baptized by the Holy Spirit. 17:08 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 17:09 Ivor: By being submersed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, 17:11 I'd like to say it this way, 17:13 we need to learn how to "flame on... " 17:14 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 17:15 All: Laughter. Yvonne: Yes... 17:17 James: Let's talk about that a little bit 17:18 because that's... again, that's kind of... 17:20 you know, it's doctrinal... 17:21 it's theological but I think it's also practical. 17:23 Jason: Yeah. 17:25 James: So, the Holy Spirit... Jesus said... 17:26 when He comes, 17:28 He's not going to talk about Himself. 17:29 You were talking, Jason, 17:31 I thought it was really interesting how the wicked... 17:34 they're not going to want to be in the presence of God 17:36 for all eternity... 17:37 they're not going to want to have the Holy Spirit 17:39 because the Holy Spirit is other-centered. 17:41 All the Holy Spirit does is talk about Jesus. 17:42 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 17:44 we like to talk about ourselves... 17:45 we like the focus to be on us... 17:47 we're living in an "I" world... 17:48 an iPhone and iPad and i... 17:50 and the Holy Spirit is coming 17:52 and you know, the disciples... 17:54 they were still having that "I" issue... 17:56 all the way up until the crucifixion... 17:58 and even after that they were struggling... 18:00 here's what they were struggling with. 18:01 "What's going to happen to us now? 18:03 They're going to persecute us... they're going to kill us... 18:05 they're going to get us... " 18:06 they've locked the doors... they're so afraid... why? 18:09 because they're thinking about themselves. 18:10 When they confess their sins, 18:12 and all their selfishness and all their self-thinking... 18:14 the Holy Spirit fills them... 18:15 tongues of fire come down on their heads... 18:17 the doors burst open... and all they can talk about is Jesus. 18:20 Yvonne: Right. 18:21 James: The Holy Spirit fills them 18:22 with this "other-centered focus" 18:24 and so, they're just filled with Jesus 18:25 so, when we're talking about being fireproof, 18:26 we're talking about none of self and all of God 18:29 and that's what these three guys have. 18:30 Yvonne: Hmmm... 18:32 James: They're like, "Did you just say 18:33 who's going to deliver us? 18:35 Is that what you said Nebuchadnezzar? 18:37 because now it's not about us anymore, right? 18:39 now it's about God and we're not moving... " 18:41 and when we have that mentality 18:43 where we're focused on God and our whole life is just God, 18:46 the Holy Spirit can... can come. 18:48 Can you imagine the Holy Spirit filling a person 18:50 that has 10% of self and 90% of God? 18:54 There's still... there's still a lot "self" there 18:57 that God's going to empower and we see that sometimes, 18:59 we do see it but God wants all of "self" out 19:01 and He's going to fill us with more of His Spirit. 19:03 We don't want to be filled 90%... 19:04 we want to be filled a 100% with His Spirit. 19:06 Yvonne: Right... right. 19:08 James: And that looks like focusing on Christ... 19:09 focusing on Jesus 19:11 and that's what these guys were doing. 19:12 That's what the end-time people will be doing in their crisis. 19:15 So, how did he know He was the Son of God? 19:17 It's like Nebuchadnezzar is looking 19:18 and he's looking in there... he's like, 19:20 "Let me get my glasses... 19:21 oh... there's four and that other guy in there... " 19:26 we're looking here at verse 25, "He answered and he said, 19:29 'Lo, I see four men loose... 19:30 didn't we put three? I see four men loose... 19:32 walking in the midst of the fire, 19:33 and they have no hurt; 19:35 and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. '" 19:37 How did he know He was the Son of God? 19:38 Yvonne: Right, how did he know? he said the form... 19:41 James: Yeah, the form of the fourth... 19:42 that looks like the Son of God. 19:45 Ivor: That's a good sermon title "The Form of the Fourth. " 19:48 James: The Form of the Fourth. 19:49 Yvonne: Oh, you know, you've been coming up 19:51 with these sermon titles here. 19:52 Jason: I know, I like that. 19:54 James: Yeah but that sermon title, 19:55 doesn't answer my question. 19:57 All: Laughter. 19:58 James: How did he know? 19:59 Yvonne: I wonder if he was taller and looking regal 20:06 and just had a different kind of form than anybody else. 20:12 James: I think that's part of it... 20:14 I think also... I'm just... 20:17 I'm just going to say this... 20:19 I think also that Nebuchadnezzar had been introduced 20:23 to enough of the God of Daniel and his three friends 20:28 that he could recognize Him himself. 20:30 Yvonne: Hmmm... 20:31 James: In other words, what I'm thinking is... 20:33 is that... that Daniel and his friends 20:36 had talks with Nebuchadnezzar 20:38 because I think Nebuchadnezzar was convicted intellectually 20:41 in Daniel chapter 2... "Your God is the God of gods" 20:44 but I don't think it ended there, 20:45 I think Daniel was a true mentor and a true pastor at heart 20:48 and he followed up with Nebuchadnezzar. 20:50 He's like, you know, 20:52 "Let's have some follow-up visits 20:53 on the conviction you had about my God... " 20:55 and he started to talk to Nebuchadnezzar about that 20:57 and I think Nebuchadnezzar was wrestling with his fears... 21:00 with his... you know, with his... with his pride... 21:02 and with what Daniel was sharing with him 21:04 and Daniel was talking about, you know, 21:06 I imagine Daniel might even have shared the verse in Isaiah 43. 21:09 Yvonne: Hmmm... 21:10 James: Like, you know, this is... 21:12 because Nebuchadnezzar is like, 21:14 "How can... I don't understand your God... 21:15 why would He do this? 21:17 Why would He let His... all these people... 21:18 I mean, I know He's... 21:20 it seems like He's an amazing God 21:21 like He's delivered... but why would He let all that... 21:24 that dream was amazing... that was... 21:25 but why would He like just lead you captives... " 21:27 and so, they explained some of the... 21:29 some of the prophecies about Jesus... 21:31 about Messiah in Isaiah, of course, 43 and 53 et cetera, 21:34 so, I think they communicated enough to Nebuchadnezzar 21:37 about God... about the Son of God... 21:40 that when he sees... like, "That's... 21:42 that's the Son of God... 21:43 the One they talked about 21:45 when they said He'd be with them in the fire... 21:46 the One that they... that gave them the dream that I had... 21:48 the One that... whoa, that's got to be Him... 21:51 that's got to be Him... " that's what I'm thinking. 21:53 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 21:55 Ivor: As you look at this story, there's so much there... 21:57 I think, what was Nebuchadnezzar thinking 22:00 as he saw these three... first three people in the fire right? 22:05 and that must have been a message to him... 22:09 those three people in the fire must have been a message to him. 22:14 Yvonne: What... what message? 22:16 James: Three... three... 22:17 Ivor: Those three people in the fire 22:19 must have been a message to him 22:20 and I can imagine him thinking, 22:23 "Wow! these are... they fear God... 22:26 James: Hmmm... hmmm... and they give glory to Him. 22:29 Ivor: They give glory to Him 22:31 and this message that they gave me that Babylon is fallen 22:34 like, it... it must be true. 22:38 James: They're keeping His commandments. 22:40 Ivor: They're keeping His commandments and... 22:41 James: And they have faith in Jesus. 22:44 Ivor: In Jesus... and they just condemned 22:47 everyone that bowed down to this image... 22:49 that's the third angel's message. 22:51 "Whoever bows down to this image will be cast into a f... " 22:55 I mean, will be... I mean, it's all... 22:57 James: That's a great connection... 22:58 that's just a great connection. 23:00 Ivor: And then, and then... we know that there's not just 23:02 three angels' messages, right, 23:03 we know that there's a fourth angel to prepare... 23:05 that solidifies the whole thing... 23:08 James: That enlightens the earth with the glory of God. 23:10 Ivor: And the appearance of the fourth must have... 23:12 must have solidified in Nebuchadnezzar's mind 23:15 all that they have said is true... 23:17 James: This is all Revelation... 23:19 of course, there's three and now fourth... 23:21 that's Revelation 14 and 18. 23:23 Yvonne: Yes, isn't that good? Jason: Agreeing. 23:25 James: Yeah, that's just powerful. 23:26 Jason: So, is that going in your sermon? 23:28 Ivor: Ah... that's going in the sermon. 23:29 All: Laughter... James: Yeah, I'm going to... 23:31 I'm going to preach that when I get back. 23:32 All: Laughter. 23:34 Ivor: Let's see who preaches it first. 23:35 James: You will, I'm on a different subject right now. 23:38 All right, so let's get... 23:40 this... this is beautiful, let's just finish it up here... 23:42 we've got 26 to 30... 23:44 Yvonne, would you like to read those verses for us? 23:46 Yvonne: Sure... "Then Nebuchadnezzar 23:48 went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace 23:51 and spoke, saying, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 23:53 servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here. ' 23:57 Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 23:59 came from the midst of the fire. 24:01 And the satraps, administrators, governors, 24:04 and the king's counselors gathered together, 24:06 and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; 24:10 the hair of their head was not singed 24:12 nor were their garments affected, 24:15 and the smell of the fire was not on them. 24:17 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, 24:19 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 24:22 who sent His Angel and delivered His servants 24:26 who trusted in Him, 24:27 and they have frustrated the king's word, 24:29 and yielded their bodies, 24:31 that they should not serve nor worship 24:33 any god except their own God! 24:35 Therefore I make a decree that that any people, nation, 24:39 or language which speaks anything amiss 24:42 against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 24:45 shall be cut in pieces, 24:47 and their houses shall be made an ash heap... '" 24:50 Jason: He's still an Extremist isn't he? 24:51 Yvonne: Yes, he's so extra... 'because there is no other God 24:54 who can deliver like this. ' 24:55 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 24:59 in the province of Babylon. " 25:01 James: Okay, a couple of thoughts here real quick... 25:03 we're on the... we're on the three angels' messages, right? 25:06 we're on the three angels' messages... 25:07 Ivor: Laughing... 25:09 James: "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 25:11 having the everlasting gospel... 25:12 to every nation and kindred, tongue and people... " 25:13 the princes... the governors... 25:15 remember they're from all over the world, right? 25:17 You got that? Matthew 24:14... 25:19 and then it says, "that have delivered His servants 25:22 that trusted in Him... " 25:23 they have faith in Jesus... 25:25 they had the faith in Jesus... you go... you go... 25:27 Ivor: He's just... he's preaching a crude version 25:30 of the three angels' messages. 25:31 James: Yes... yes... and they worshiped God... 25:33 they didn't worship the beast... they worshiped God. 25:34 Ivor: It's like their own version like, 25:36 like, "We'll cut your house... put your house in dunghill... " 25:39 he's learning... 25:40 James: The torment will ascend up fire and brimstone 25:44 forever and ever. Yvonne: Yes... Ivor: Yeah. 25:45 James: I mean, we say, "Extreme... " 25:47 but he is... he's preaching that 25:48 and then promotes that in Babylon, 25:50 so, it's really interesting isn't it how... 25:52 how... how Revelation is really summarizing 25:55 what's already been written in practical language... 25:58 the way that it's written here, it's so practical... 26:01 it's actually these... these... these literal tests 26:04 of whether we're going to worship man and his image 26:06 or whether we're going to worship God... 26:08 whether we're going to trust God through the fire and the flame 26:10 in the flood... or we're going to trust in ourselves 26:14 and in what humans can do for us. 26:15 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 26:16 James: Yeah, beautiful... powerful... 26:18 any other thoughts here? 26:19 Jason: Yeah, you know, one thing we'll say about Nebuchadnezzar 26:22 is he is dedicated to whatever he goes for... 26:25 he's dedicated to it and he gives a 110%... 26:28 like, "If you don't worship this false god, 26:31 I'm going to kill you 26:33 but if you don't worship this statue I'm going to kill you... 26:37 if you don't worship the one true God... 26:39 I'm going to kill you. " 26:40 James: "If you don't tell me my dream, I'm going to kill you. " 26:43 Jason: That's right... he is dedicated 110%... 26:47 got to love his enthusiasm. 26:48 Yvonne: Yeah, that's true. 26:50 Jason: Just got to get it... got... 26:52 Ivor: He's a killer... K I L L A... 26:54 K I L L A... 26:55 James: This is a good point because in Revelation 3... 26:58 the Laodicean church... it says, "I wish you were cold... 27:02 I wish you were hot or cold... " 27:04 Nebuchadnezzar is cold... 27:06 you know, he's not fully committed 27:07 but he's 110% for whatever he believes in... 27:09 sold out for... he believes in it 27:11 and the Christians sometimes, that's a rebuke to us 27:14 because we're not sold out. 27:15 we're just like... ah... lukewarm... 27:17 but we're not sold out so I love that thought Jason, 27:19 that's a really good thought. 27:21 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... James: Yeah. Yvonne: It's good. 27:23 James: Good chapter... very practical... powerful... 27:24 I love the parallels between this and the book of Revelation, 27:27 open up our eyes to see that 27:30 and a lot of preparation now for Nebuchadnezzar 27:33 because as we go into chapter 4... 27:35 Nebuchadnezzar is going to have this incredible testimony 27:38 of his full-heart surrender and conversion experience... 27:42 it's going to be a powerful message for us. 27:44 Yvonne: It is... it is... Jason: Praise God. 27:45 Yvonne: Amen... amen. |
Revised 2020-05-27