FAITH EXPLORED: If you want to see God’s power, you have to be willing to step out. 2-23-25
INTRODUCTION
Welcome this morning Church. We are so excited you have joined us for worship today. We are in the final week of our sermon series called Faith Explored. We have been discovering passages throughout the Bible of individuals who exercised extraordinary faith. The first week we discovered that we often have to take the first step of faith in order to see God do amazing things within our lives. Two weeks ago, we were challenged to keep our eyes on Jesus when our faith wanes because of the wind and waves of life. Last week, we explored what it means to faithfully follow God where he leads—even when the path is unclear.
This week we will look at how our faith can stay strong even when it might cost us something. If we want to see God’s power in our lives, we must hold strong to our trust in him no matter what. When we believe strongly in something, we are willing to pay the cost to remain committed to it.
It is similar to making the decision to invest in a vacation timeshare. We knew that the decision we made in 2004 would have an impact on our finances going forward. We made the decision to buy knowing that we would have to say “no” to other wants. We would drive 17 year old cars so we could enjoy family vacations. We would remain in our current house and improve it rather than finding a new home. Our strong belief in our need to vacation with our family impacted our entire life. And we were committed to it. We still are.
The Old Testament gives us a story of three young men who faced immense challenges to their faith in God. It all began with a traumatic experience for the Hebrew people.
Somewhere between 600-585 BC, the Jewish people were attacked by the nation of Babylon. During that time, the Babylonians took the best and the brightest people and indoctrinated them into Babylonian culture. Archeological evidence suggests that 25 percent of Judah was displaced from Israel. Everything about their way of life was interrupted—from their diet to their worship. Everything was changed to fit their new context.
The Old Testament book of Daniel clearly describes how hard it was to be in exile. The king of Babylon was a man named Nebuchadnezzar. We read in Daniel chapter three how he was exerting his power over the Jewish exiles in captivity.
“King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.””
Daniel 3:1-6 NIV
Nebuchadnezzar raised a golden idol that is 60 cubits (90 feet) high and 6 cubits (9 feet) wide. The statue was massive. It was a spectacle, and the King made sure everyone attended the dedication. There was a clear command: when you hear the sound of the instruments, the flute, the lyre, the pipe, everyone must bow down and worship the golden idol. It was not just about religion; it was about allegiance to the king. It was about worship and dedication to someone other than the one true God: Yahweh. And if you did not obey, you would be thrown into a fiery furnace.
This story points to a very important fact.
I. We All Worship Something.
A. Humans worship.
The difficulty was that living in Babylon at the time there were many Jewish people who worshiped Yahweh and trusted him alone. They put their faith, hope, and trust in him exclusively. But they were being forced to worship someone else. Not only that, if they did not listen to the commands given, their lives would be at stake. It would cost them everything to remain faithful to God.
Though we in the church are not necessarily being forced to bow down and worship a massive golden idol, we are being tempted to bow down to other gods. We all have areas of our lives that receive our time, energy, attention, and affection. Wherever the majority of our lives are focused is a good indication of what we worship.
B. Culture pressures us to worship what it worships.
Within our culture there is pressure to bow down to the god of travel baseball, the god of the bank account, the god of social status, the god of relationships, the god of career, the god of Instagram and Facebook, and so much more. The expectation is the same. When these gods demand you bow, you bow. No questions asked. And you know what? We do! Because if we don’t, it will cost us our reputation, our positions, our friendships, and our comfort. In the end, one of the greatest idols we serve that keeps us from true faith is the god of certainty and control.
C. We must give God everything.
A young man was eager to grow in His Christian life. He found a piece of paper and made a list of all the things he would do for God. He wrote down the things he would give up, the places he would go to minister, and the areas of ministry he would enter. He was excited! He took his list to the church and put it on the altar. He thought he would feel joy, but instead he felt empty. So he went home and started adding to his list. He wrote down more things he would and wouldn’t do. He took the longer list and put it on the altar, but still he felt nothing. He went to a wise, old pastor, and told him the situation. The pastor said, “Take a blank sheet of paper. Sign your name at the bottom. Put that on the altar.” The young man did, and then peace came to his heart.
https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/give-yourself-to-god
One of the greatest ways we commit to an unshakable faith is by giving God a blank sheet of paper and signing our name as a way of telling him we will follow him no matter what. As we learned last week, that is what Abraham did when he left his home and decided to follow God without knowing the destination.
II. Faith In Its Simplest Form Is Trust.
A. We must trust God - alone.
The King made a decree that all would bow down when the music played and worship his massive idol. There were three men—Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego—who refused to bow down and worship the King’s idol. You know why? They knew the God they worshiped is greater than any man-made idol. The God they worshiped could not and would not be superseded by a mere gold statue. Their allegiance lay with God and God alone.
“But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.””
Daniel 3:12-18 NIV
B. Our faith may cost us dearly.
King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He demanded the three young men be thrown into the fiery furnace as a punishment for their refusal to bow down in worship. In reading this passage, you get a picture into the incredible faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their response to the king was that they trusted that God was able to deliver them from the fire. The key to their statements was: even if God doesn’t save us, we will still never bow down to a false god!
C. We must pay the price.
We have made the statement throughout this entire series that if we want to see God’s power in our lives, we have to be willing to step out, lay it all on the line, display a radical faith, and be willing to count the cost of following God no matter what. Jesus actually spoke to this concept in the New Testament as well when he was expounding on what it means to be a true disciple.
“And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”
Luke 9:22-25 NIV
Jesus began by showing that he himself was willing to pay the cost of remaining faithful to the will and ways of God. He was rejected and ultimately killed for his commitment to the Kingdom of God. Because of this, we can expect to experience a similar cost in our lives. There are Christians all around the world who are in danger of losing their lives for their faith, and many do each day. In fact, right now there are more martyrs each year than during the early Church’s persecution. To Jesus, true faith means being willing to take up our cross daily to follow him. In fact, it is in losing our lives for his sake that we actually save our lives.
Author Joseph Stowell wrote in his book Through The Fire about missionary David Livingstone. “I think of David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary to Africa, who walked over 29,000 miles. His wife died early in their ministry and he faced stiff opposition from his Scottish brethren. He ministered half-blind. His kind of perseverance spurs me on. As I run, I remember the words in his diary: Send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever me from any tie but the tie that binds me to Your service and to Your heart.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood this New Testament concept in their Old Testament context and held the same heartbeat as Livingstone. The fiery furnace was heated seven times its normal level because of the king’s rage. They were thrown in. Their faith came at a cost.
D. When we step out in faith, Jesus is there with us.
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.””
Daniel 3:24-25 NIV
Three men went in, but there was a fourth in the fire. Most scholars agree this is what is called a theophany. It is a physical manifestation of God in the flesh. Some scholars believe the fourth person in the fire was a preincarnate Christ. God did not keep the three of them out of the fire because of their faith, but he did not let them go through it alone.
I have had the heartbreaking privilege of walking through trying times with church members. Sometimes it is the struggle to remain faithful when they want to give up. Sometimes it is when they have questions without answers. Sometimes it is through the loss of a loved one. Recently, a church held a funeral for a young mother. It was incredibly emotional and caused many in the family to question God. In the final moments of the graveside, the pastor walked over to put his hand on her elementary-aged son’s shoulder. When he did, the boy looked up at him and said, “I know. God already put his hand on my shoulder and told me everything was going to be OK.”
When we find the courage to lean on our faith during hard times, it is only because we can see that Jesus is there with us. I have had moments in my life when things were hard, and although I can’t explain it I have had the sense I was in the presence of God.
III. In Our Greatest Time Of Need, We Find We Are Not Alone.
A. You are not alone.
Demonstrated for us throughout the Scriptures is a God who is willing to go to great lengths to rescue His people. In fact, the name given to Jesus at his birth was Immanuel—God with us. There may be someone here this morning that needs to hear this: “You are not alone.” God is in the fire with you. He is not somewhere far off and removed. He is as close as your next breath.
What if our courage to hold onto our faith in this manner could have the same impact as those three Jewish boys? The end of the story tells us this…
“Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,”
Daniel 3:26 NIV
B. Your faith may help others find their own faith.
The word Nebuchadnezzar used here is a specific word for God; he has not used it before. He said, “the most High God,” which is El Elyon. A king who spent an untold amount of wealth, power, and influence to demand everyone worship him and his golden statue declared that the God of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego is the God Most High.
Do you want to see the power of God in your life? The kind of power that can make a Babylonian king believe in God? Then you must step out in faith and stay true to God no matter what it costs.
CONCLUSION
We all worship something. Faith in its simplest form is trust. In our greatest time of need, we are not alone.
Sailors in the northern oceans have frequently observed icebergs traveling in one direction in spite of strong winds blowing in the opposite direction. The icebergs were moving against the winds, but how?
The explanation is that the icebergs, with eight-ninths of their bulk under the water surface, were caught in the grip of strong currents that moved them in a certain direction, no matter which way the winds raged.
In the Christian life, no matter how strongly the winds of passing opinion blow in opposition, the believer who has a depth of living in the currents of God’s grace should move toward righteousness.
Mark Schaeufele, A Messiah Who Deals With Opposition, 6/10/2010.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
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