Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Daniel 3 August 11, 2024

Message: “The Son of God!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. As most of you know, we are studying together from the Book of Daniel and today we have come to chapter three.

a. In Chapter one, we learned how Daniel and his friends were taken into captivity in Babylon and were trained to govern in Babylon.

b. In Chapter two, Daniel was told by God about a dream that Nebuchadnezzar had and what the interpret-tation was. This set the stage for the rest of this book in which Daniel received and interpreted many dreams about the future, proving our God knows the future and controls the future.

2. Today our attention is turned to Daniel’s three friends- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. This story has to do with a statue that Nebuchadnezzar built to glorify himself.

a. He had this statue built because Daniel told him he was the greatest king of his time, comparing him to a head of gold, while the nations that would follow him would be inferior to his (Dan. 2: 36-45).

b. So he had this statue built which was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide and commanded everyone to come and bow down to it (Dan. 3: 1-6).

A.  Consider the significance of this. 

1. Throughout history, even in our day, many nations have their own gods and their own religion. Many of them insist that everyone in their nation must worship their gods.

a. Often, they didn’t care if you had your own god too. But you had to worship their god also. 

b. This was required to show you respected their gods. 

2.  Besides that, many kings in those days claimed to be like one of those gods. Therefore, you were also required to bow down to them to show your respect for their gods.

a. Christians in Jesus’ day were required to bow down to Caesar.  When they refused, they were often put to death or persecuted severely.

b. So it was in Babylon.  Whether this statue was a statue of Nebuchadnezzar or of one of his gods, the Bible doesn’t say.  But clearly this was his way of saying: “I am the greatest! You must bow down before me!”

3.  When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan offered Him all the kingdoms of the world if only He would worship him. Jesus replied: “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve” (Matt. 4:10).

a. In the ten commandments, the very first one says: “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image… and you shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God…” (Ex. 20: 1-4).

b. In Isaiah, it says: “I will not share my glory with another!” (Is. 42:8).

4. In Dan. 1, Daniel and his friends took a stand and asked permission to eat their own food instead of eating the king’s food or drinking his wine. As long as they did as well or better than the rest, the chief commander over them gave them permission to do this.

a. This time they had to deal with Nebuchadnezzar himself. He refused to give them permission to follow their God instead of him and his gods (Dan. 3: 12-15).  

b. That is the crisis that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego found themselves in. 

c. Many Christians all over the world find themselves in the same situation in our day. So this passage is very relevant.

B. Secondly, consider the answer they gave to the king.

1. Some Babylonians noticed these three leaders in the government had not bowed down to the king.  The king was very angry. He demanded they come and stand before him.

a. According to the edict the king had made, anyone who refused to bow down would be thrown into a blazing fire.  But the king was willing to give them a second chance. 

b. He told them if they would just change their minds, he would save their lives. But in Dan. 3:15, he was quick to add: “But if you do not worship, you will be cast immed-iately into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

2. In Dan. 3:17-18, the men answered: “Our God is able deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand… But if not, let it be known… we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image that you have made.”

a. This is a very important verse in the Bible.  They affirmed their faith that their God could deliver them and they believed He would. But if not, they would still not disobey the Lord. 

b. Many times God delivers us, but many times He does not do it down here. John the Baptist was allowed to be beheaded.  Jesus was allowed to be crucified. Many Christians die from illnesses even though they pray to be healed. 

3. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, both told Jesus they were willing to drink the cup that He would drink. In Acts, James was killed by Herod but John lived a long life before he died a natural death.  No one knows the plans God has for each of us. Our faith in Him is not dependent on Him healing us or protecting us down here. It is based on His promise to prepare a place for us up there. 

C. Thirdly, consider how God did deliver them.

1. The king was so angry that he made the furnace as hot as possible, so hot that the men who threw the three men into the furnace died trying to do it.

a. But suddenly a fourth man appeared in the fire alongside of the three. The king himself saw this and described the fourth man as like unto “a Son of the gods.”  

b. We know He was the very Son of God Himself who came to deliver His people. 

2. In chapter two, a Rock was formed with no human hands that destroyed and ground into powder all those kingdoms that preceded His coming. That Rock was and is Jesus who came and established His own kingdom instead. 

a. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and proved it by rising from the dead after being crucified.

b. His kingdom today has spread till it literally is found all over the world.

3. Jesus is the key to the Scriptures, and He is the key that helps us understand the Book of Daniel. Daniel received his wisdom from Him and did everything he did through Him. This book is not about how great Daniel was; it is about how great Jesus is.

4. When the king saw Jesus walking with the three men, he called out to them and they walked out of the furnace unharmed. Of course, Jesus disappeared. 

In Conclusion: 1. Now the king had no choice but to honor these men and their God. So he promoted them to save face, saying no one had the right to “speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego…” (Dan. 3:29). 

2.  But notice he did not call Him his God, at least not yet. That is another important lesson for us. To be saved we must confess that Jesus is our God. I pray we all have.