And if you'll take your Bibles, turn to Daniel chapter three. We'll be there in just a moment. So, Alright. Daniel chapter three, being a light, stay standing. Now, we're going through a series and we just happen to land on Daniel chapter three today and the whole message today in this chapter is not about not bowing in worship to idols.

And not bowing to the pressure of Nebuchadnezzar to do so as we'll see today. It isn't a political statement. It is a biblical statement for a passage of scripture this morning. So, don't get confused, alright? I am not a politician.

Praise the Lord and I have no desire to be, okay? But we are in Daniel chapter three and we are in the midst of a study on being a light in a dark world. Jesus said, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. How can we be a light in a dark world? We will start out in Daniel chapter chapter one by studying commitment.

Daniel purposed in his heart. If we're going to be a light in a dark world, we need to be committed Christians. We need to make up our mind and make up our heart to be committed to the cause of Christ to doing those things that are right. We need to have commitment and again, that's something sadly we don't see a lot of in this world today even among Christians. Commitment is on the wane and therefore, our light is being dimmed because we are convenient Christians and not committed Christians.

Daniel was a committed Christian in a very difficult and if we're going to be a light, we have to be committed. Number two, from Daniel chapter two last week, if we're going to be a light, we have to trust in the Lord. We have to take a leap of what? Faith. We have to take a leap of faith.

Daniel did that when he went to the King Nebuchadnezzar who had ordered the the execution of all the wise men of of Egypt of of Babylon including Daniel and his friends. When Daniel heard, he went to Nebuchadnezzar and he said, if you will just give me a little bit of time, I will tell you the dream. I will tell you the interpretation. Let me go back and talk to my God and I'll come back and that's what Daniel did. He took a leap of faith.

He trusted in the Lord that he would answer his prayers that he would give him the dream and interpretation and that he would save his life and the life of his friends and so, if we're going to be a light in a dark world, we have to take a leap of what? Faith. We have to trust the Lord and we have to step out in faith. That's what Daniel did and today, we're going to see from Daniel's friend, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If we're going to be a light in a dark world, we have to stand up for Jesus Christ.

We have to stand up for what's right. We cannot bow to the pressure of the world around us which again is very tempting and sadly something we see a lot even among Christians today. Romans twelve two, Paul says this, and be not conformed that is molded by pressure, okay? Be not conformed to this world but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind. That's from the inside out by the holy spirit that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God and be not conformed to this world by the pressures that it places upon us but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, by the power of the holy spirit, and the word of God that we may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We can only be light if we stay standing. If we do not bow to the pressure of the world, if we do not conform. Matthew five thirteen puts it this way. I think I have that up on the screen as well. Matthew five thirteen says, you are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savior, wherewith shall it be salted?

It is thence worth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of man. In Jesus's day, the salt was not purified in the way it is today and over time, in a particularly human climate, the the salt would dissolve and what would be left behind would be impurities and when you put it on your food, it was tasteless. At that point, it was good for nothing to be want to be what? To be thrown out in the street and go get some salt that actually taste what? Salty.

The same thing is true Jesus says of us as Christians, if we conform to this world, we will lose our what? Our saltiness, our distinctiveness in this world for Christ and then we will be of little effect or no use for our savior here. Do we want that? Of course, we do not. We want to be salt and we want to be light.

If we conform to the ways of the world, we will not stand out from it. We will have lost our saltiness. And then, then, how are we going to bring glory to the Lord? We must resist being conformed. We must stand for the things of Christ.

If we don't, who will? The answer is, no one. We are the salt of the earth. Let's pray before we continue. Lord, thank you for your word today.

Thank you Lord for the example we're going to look at in the book of Daniel. These three young men and the stand that they took against the efforts of Satan to conform them to the ways of the world that they might lose their testimony. Lord, we thank you for their testimony and for their courage and Lord, we pray that we would follow in their steps that we would see the need in our day to stand for Christ to be transformed and not conformed by the world. Lord, that we might be the salt and light you have called us to be and bring glory to your name. In Jesus name, we do pray.

Amen. Daniel chapter three and verses one through seven. We'll start this morning. Daniel three one through seven. Nebuchadnezzar, the king made an image of gold whose height was three score cubits and the breadth thereof six cubits.

He set it upon up in the Plain Of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king sent together together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces to come, to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together under the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud to you it is commanded all people, nations, and languages.

That at one time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, sultry, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the king hath set up. And who so falleth not down and worship it shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore, at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, sultry, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the king had set up. That is all but who? All but at least three, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

We don't know where Daniel was at this time. He probably, for some reason, wasn't there. But these three men were. So, let's look at this in a little more detail this morning. The image, the image that we see here.

The key, the king makes a degree concerning this image. This image is 90 feet tall. It's most likely a wooden structure that is gold plated. That's a pretty impressive and pretty costly image. 90 feet tall and gold plated from the foot to the top of the head.

Put a lot of time and effort into this. What was the image of? Well, the Bible doesn't tell us. It could have been an image of of Bel, the foremost Babylonian God that is likely or could have been an image of who? Could have been an image of Nebuchadnezzar.

Again, it doesn't exactly say but after Nebuchadnezzar learned in his vision from the previous chapter that he was the head of gold. It may have gone to his head so to speak and he had this image made. He erected it either for the purpose of deifying himself which is somewhat likely or to consolidate his power and kingdom under one prominent God. And that is what is most likely. It may be that both of those are involved here.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted to unite his kingdom. He is a a ruler, a a dictator, and he wanted to unite, consolidate his power over all of the peoples he had conquered. Therefore, he invited all the rulers of all the areas he had conquered to this valley, the Valley Of Dura, probably south of the city of Babylon. A large valley where they all could gather and they could see this 90 foot image all bow down to it and and thus essentially declare their allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar and to Babylon and to Babylon's gods. This is likely what Nebuchadnezzar is up to.

Those who deny the true God who gives us the desires of our hearts, must continue to multiply their false gods. In a vain attempt to bring peace, joy, and fulfillment. They never quite get enough. They're never quite content. Nebuchadnezzar couldn't be content.

Babylon couldn't be content. They had to make just what? Just one more image. Just one more God. The bigger God.

The the gold God. The most expensive God so to speak. Idol that they have. They just couldn't be content. As Christians, we know that God gives us the desires of our heart and when you have Jesus, you don't need any other so called gods.

We have the true and living God. We have the one who lives inside of our heart. John in John six, it puts it this way and Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Now, obviously, he's not talking physical about physical hunger. He's talking about spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst. Once you have Jesus, you don't need any other religion. You don't need any other god. You have everything in Jesus Christ that the world does not have and he provides us day by day and hour by hour.

The desires of our heart. Does he not? Praise the Lord for Jesus our savior. We have Jesus but our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers today are trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. Always falling just short of having enough, never content with what they have because the gods, the idols, the possessions of this world will never quench the thirst or hunger of the human soul.

Or satisfy the longings of the human heart. They cannot fill that void. Only Jesus can fill that void and so, they build bigger gods. They have bigger bank accounts. They have better jobs.

They do this. They do that. Trying to fill the void but never quite being able to fill it. So, we see the image. Next, secondly, and here we see the command.

Everyone from every place in the kingdom, all of the the rulers, all of the representatives so to speak of the different conquered peoples were gathered together in this plane. It probably took several months for them to actually to together everybody together. There weren't airplanes and they could just, you know, travel real quick. So, as they were finishing up the idol, they were probably getting had sent messengers out to bring the people in so they'd all be gathered here to bow before the image and essentially before Nebuchadnezzar at the sound of the music, they were all bowed down to bow down and worship the image. One of the reasons for the music is music is kind of a language that just goes past all barriers.

In other words, people spoke different languages but when they heard the music playing, they all knew they all knew what was expected of them. Satan is forever tempting man to bow down to him and not the true God. Both saved and unsaved. Satan is on a mission to get people to bow to him. That mission started way back in the Garden of what?

In the Garden of Eden, when Satan in the form of the servant, serpent came to Eve and said unto her, yea, if God said, you can't eat of these trees and she said, oh, we can eat of em all except for this one. We can't eat of it or touch it lest we die and Satan said, oh God's just trying. He just doesn't want you to have any fun. He knows that you won't die but the day you eat thereof, you will be as God's knowing good and evil and she was deceived she took of the fruit. Who did she listen to?

She listened to the enemy. She listened to Satan. She was deceived essentially for that moment in time. What did she do? She bowed to him.

And sent humanity into sin as Adam followed in her example. Adam and Eve failed in the garden. But the battle was not over. God promised to send the seed of the woman to defeat the serpent once and for all. And who is the seed of the woman?

It is none other than Jesus Christ. The only one born of a virgin. Do you think Satan tried to get him to bow? Yes, he did. We read about it in Matthew chapter four and verses eight through 10.

Again, the devil taketh him that is Jesus up into an exceeding high mountain and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world and all the glory of them and say it unto him, all these things will I give thee. If thou will fall down and worship me, then say it Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve. Satan tried to get Jesus to bow but he failed. Jesus would not bow. Jesus claimed the scriptures and he stayed standing and he did not bow before Satan.

Satan offered him the world and Jesus said, that's not the way I want to get it. Jesus knew the right way. Satan offers the quick way, the easy way, the wrong way. It didn't work with Jesus. Satan hasn't given up by the way.

He has plans to try again during the tribulation. Tells us concerning the Antichrist, Revelation 13, it said, and he had power to give life into the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Again, in Revelation, Satan through the Antichrist erects an image in the temple basically proclaims the Antichrist to be the Messiah and ask the people of the world to take the mark of the what? To make a mark of the beast and bow before the antichrist and to his image. Sadly, much of the world in that day will, they will be deceived, they will bow, and they will be judged for it.

Satan is making every attempt today to get men to kneel before him in worship and abandon the worship of the true God. He uses different means to do this. One of the things he used here in Daniel three was music. Music. Music is inherently worshipful.

Music was created by God to declare whose glory, to declare his glory. Satan, a musician in his own right, has perverted music often, to be used to worship who? In worship of of him. You had better be careful. You aren't worshiping the wrong God with the music you choose to listen to or the music you choose to worship with.

Therefore, our musics maybe a little different from some other churches you might go to. We want to make sure that our music brings glory to who? Brings glory to God. Satan can use music. He does a lot in the young people today.

He also uses drugs and alcohol. He uses it to skew man's mind, to pervert his mind, his thoughts, to make him easy to mold and manipulate. Satan is very busy. He's been doing using that for ages and ages upon ages and he's certainly using that today to get people to bow before him. He uses sexual immorality, the promise of unrestrained, unrestrained pleasure without consequence.

Unrestrained pleasure without consequence. That's what Satan offers. He offered it back in the '60. He offered it thousands of years to go in Rome. He offers it to the world today.

You can have everything with no consequences. Does it work that way? The answer is no. No. It does not work that way.

But Satan tries that again and again and again. He uses the promise of power and wealth to get people to bow down before him. That's what he did, tried with Christ. He said, I'll give you all the kings of the world. You don't have to go to the cross.

I'll give it all to you. I'll I'll let you have it. All you have to do is just well, to me and you have it all. And he offers that to people today. He also uses fear.

Which he did on this occasion in Daniel three. And it's very much in the business of using today. He said, if you don't bow before me, Nebuchadnezzar that is. If you don't bow before my image, you'll be cast into the what? The burning, fiery furnace.

If you don't bow, you'll be cast into the fiery furnace. What was that meant to engender in people? Fear. Satan says, if you won't do what I tell you to do, then, you have reason to fear me. I will cause you harm.

Satan does that today. He tries to get people to fear, to fear the Lord, to fear doing what is right. And to stop them from bowing before the God of heaven to bow instead before him. Bible tells us Proverbs 2,925, it says, the fear of man bringeth a snare but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be saved. Satan uses fear as a what?

A trap to trap us in sin. To trap us in service to him and fear of man and fear of Satan, it brings a snare. It puts us into a trap but if you'll put your trust in the Lord, you will be delivered. You will be safe. Don't listen to Satan.

He does not offer you safety and security. It is a what? It is a trap. It is God who offers us safety and security and deliverance. It is Jesus Christ that offers that thing.

Bow before Jesus. Don't bow before Satan. It is a trap. Don't listen to that fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of physical injury.

Paul told Timothy, God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Don't give in to fear. Don't let Satan use it to trap you. Into a life of despair and misery. You don't have to live there.

There is a way of deliverance in Christ Jesus. The devil in the world are always attempting to trip us up. The temptation can come from many quarters, circumstances, friends, work, school, family, entertainment, greed. Satan intends them as a stumbling block. God allows them as a test.

If you're a child of God, will you face temptation? You certainly will. Satan intends it as a what? As a trap. God allows it as a test.

To strengthen us in the end. James one verse two says, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. God allows his children to face trials and tests and temptations because he wants to strengthen our faith because he wants to produce patience and trust in him. The the example that many of us think about with this is the example of Job. Satan tempted Job.

Satan tried to get Job thought he could convince Job by taking away all that was good in his life so to speak. He thought he could trap Job into cursing and turning away from who? From God and God allowed it. Now, God didn't bring it. Who did?

Satan brought it but God allowed it because God knew that God was stronger than Satan and that God could keep his child and that God could grow his faith and that's what he did. Now, Job didn't know all that at the time. But he got through the trial and God sustained him and God rewarded him at the end. These can either be a trap to destroy us or they can be an opportunity for growth. For service and to bring glory to God.

As we will see an opportunity fully taken advantage of by three young men here in Daniel chapter three. They didn't see it as a reason to despair. They saw it as an opportunity to be salt and light to bring glory to their God. How many opportunities for service and growth and to glorify God and do we miss because of our perspective and because of our fear. Do not fear, God says.

I will be what? I will be with you. Do not fear. So, we see here the decree of the king. The the image and the command and the temptation to give in to fear.

That was brought into the lives of these young men. Let's look at their response in verse eight. Verse eight, let's look at their response. It says, wherefore at the time, certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spake and said of the to the king Nebuchadnezzar, oh king, live forever.

Thou, oh king, hast made a decree that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, sultry, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image and whoso falleth not down and worship worship it that he should be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace and there are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, oh king, have not regarded thee. They serve not thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then, Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then, they brought these men before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, is it true, oh Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do you, do not you serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now, if you be ready, then at the time when you hear the sound of the cordoned flute, heart, sackbut, sultry, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the image which I have made well, but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of the burning fiery furnace and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands. So, we see the decree and now we see the defiance of the three. It starts with verses eight through five here. Eight through 15 that we just read.

They were accused of disobedience and brought before the king. In the earlier passage, it says, all bow down to worship the image but we know that all there doesn't include at least these three men. They did not follow the crowd. They did not do it because everybody else was doing it and somebody was watching. Somebody was watching them.

To see what they would do. No doubt these men that accused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego already knew. Their stand, already knew their conviction, and they were watching to see what they were going to do. Do you think Christians that there may be people watching you to see what you are going to do, what you are going to do in the midst of the COVID-nineteen scare to see what you are going to do in response to the protests and riots of today, to see how you are going to deal with an aggravating neighbor a difficult health situation. They're watching to see how we respond.

You are the light of the world and if people around you know you're a Christian, they're going to be watching to see if you're real. These men found Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be real. But that did not satisfy them. Don't expect the world and the flesh to respond favorably to our defiance to the world. Did it respond well to Abel?

Did Cain respond well to Abel and his righteousness? No. He had him. He killed him. Did the world respond well to the apostles?

No. Almost all of them were murdered for their faith. The Bible says, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Jesus said, the world didn't love me and hated me. Don't expect the world to what?

To love you and jump up and down when you do what's right. Expect resistance. These young men I think expected resistance but it didn't stop them. They did what was right. They did not bow.

And I think they knew they were being watched. You're being watched too. They were given, they were then given another chance and once again warned. The king was hesitant to kill them but was incredulous at their decision. The king who had already shown favoritism towards these three men obviously knew who they were.

He was hesitant to execute them but he was incredulous as to why they wouldn't bow. I mean, it's just a simple thing, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Just give me this one little thing. Just when you hear the music, just bow. You don't have to do it out in public.

You can do it right here in my palace just when you hear the music, just bow. It is so easy. You just give me this little thing and I won't have to kill you but if you defy me now, it's over. It's over. The devil will always give you another chance to reconsider.

The devil will always try to twist the screws down just a little bit harder. He likes to reason with us. He says, submission is always preferable to death, isn't it? Submission is always preferable to somebody shutting the door in your face or a neighbor who won't talk to you or a friend who who is disloyal to you. You don't want people to think you're some crazy nut, do you?

It just just give me this one little thing. There was this church in underground church in The Soviet Union back years gone by and up on the altar, they had a a picture frame with a painting of Jesus in it and the KGB came in to the back of the church as they were meeting and they commanded that everybody, they they got to looking at that pain. They thought, well, the easiest way to do this to get these people to submit to our authority and deny their God. We'll just have em walk up to the front and all spit on the picture on the portrait of Jesus Christ and one by one, they walked up and they spit on the portrait of Jesus Christ. One little girl near the end of the line walked to the front, followed in line when she got to the front, she took the sleeve of her shirt and she wiped the spit off the face of Jesus and she refused to submit and you know something?

Nobody died that day because the people that were watching were astonished. And a little girl. And her faith. Nobody's going to die in this situation either. Though Nebuchadnezzar is not going to relent at first.

Jesus is going to be there. They were given another chance. They didn't take it. We shouldn't take it either. We need to take a stand with who?

Jesus. Don't listen to the devil. If he can't get you one way, he's going to negotiate. He say, well, if you won't do that, maybe you'll do this. If you don't do this, maybe you'll do that.

He's wiling. Don't listen to him. The king challenges God's ability to save them and as he says, who is this God that will save you out of what? Out of my hand. Who is it that God, who is the God he says who can deliver you from this, mocking their God.

The world and the flesh will always question the authority, power, and love of God. The world, the world will always question the authority and power and love of God. As Satan in the garden said, yay hath God what? Yey, hath God said. Questioning God's authority.

They did not bow. This is their reply. Verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, oh Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand, oh king. But if not, be it known unto thee, oh king, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

They didn't haggle with the devil. They submitted to who? That's all we have to do. You don't have to haggle with the devil. Just submit to God.

James four says, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will what? And he will flee from you. If you'll resist, if you'll submit to the Lord, the devil has lost and he will flee. Our God indeed is able to deliver us. Declare and claim his power.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. That means, even I can stand as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did before Satan and say, I will not bow. I will not bow before you. But regardless of God's choice, they said, we will not bow.

They said, God is able to deliver us. We don't know what God's going to do. In this case, we're not presuming upon God that he's going to deliver us. We Paul prayed and asked God to take the thorn, the flesh away and God said, no, my grace is what? Sufficient.

God's answer to our request is not always yes. I'll do whatever you want. God is going to do what is best for us. They didn't presume to know what God would do. They knew what God could do but they said, regardless of what God does, we will not bow.

What a testimony to us today. These men stood firm when everyone else around them caved. They did not bow to the pressure. They did not take the excuse. Everyone else is doing it.

They refused to conform. How about you? And how does our story end? Most of you know how it ends, don't you? They were thrown into the fiery furnace.

When they were thrown in, the people that threw them in were killed because the fire was heated up so hot. And it says then, In verse 24, Nebuchadnezzar, the king was astonied and rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors, did not we cast three men bound in the midst of the fire? They answered and said, oh king, unto the king, oh true, oh king, he answered and said, low, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of fire and they have no hurt and the fourth is like the son of God. The king became enraged. Yes, he did throw them in but God was already there.

God was already there. If you will trust the Lord, he is already there and he will sustain you and he will deliver you. The fire will not destroy you. It will only make you what? It will only make you stronger.

Job twenty three ten, but he knoweth the way that I take when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as what? Gold. It is during the times of trying in the flame. That we see the Lord who has been there all alone. When we take a stand, we refuse to conform, we give God an opportunity to testify to us and through us who he really is.

Will you take that stand or will you conform? Will we allow ourselves to be pressured? Into bowing to the will and the ways and the pressures of Satan in the world? Or will we as Christians say, I will not bow. I will not conform.

I will not allow my light to be quenched. My saltiness to be taken away. I will not conform. I will be transformed by my savior into the bright and shining image of Jesus Christ. Will you join Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

God will not let you down. He is with you. You want to see that in your life? You want to feel that in your life? Then, don't bow down.

Give God the opportunity to show himself mighty in your behalf. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for your word. We thank you Lord for the testimony of these men. Testimony before Nebuchadnezzar, the testimony before others.

The testimony that strengthened their faith most assuredly. When they didn't burn. They were made stronger. Lord, if we will trust you and not bow down, Lord, we will see that we are only made stronger when we stand for Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that as we live in this world, as we deal with the pressures that it places on us every day, through people around us, circumstances, work, entertainment.

Lord, that we will shine brightly for Jesus. And be not be conformed. Lord, may you have your way in us. May you use us, Lord. To show a lost and dying world who Jesus is.

You are our savior. You gave yourself for us and Lord, I plead with anybody that's here today that's never come to Christ. Who is still lost in their sins that they would come and be saved. As we sing the hymn of invitation today, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.