Sunday Mornings But even If He does Not April 11th 2010
Saturday Morning paper stated are worst fears, “No Survivors 29 Dead”
Daniel 3:13-27 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 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? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes 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?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 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, O king."
25 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."
26 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, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
I’m concerned that we have heard so many messages about God’s:
Miracle working power, Healing power, Providing power, Delivering power, That sometimes we just take for granted that God will always:
• Heal every sickness • Meet every financial need
• Open every prison door • Put back together every broken marriage
But, sometimes God does not heal!
Sometimes God does not come through with a miracle!
Sometimes God does not repair the broken home!
Sometimes God does not provide financial relief!
And my question this morning is one that’s not popular:
• WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THE ANSWER IS NO?
• WHAT WILL YOU DO IF GOD DOES NOT DELIVER?
• WHAT WILL YOU DO IF GOD DOES NOT HEAL?
Sometimes we become so conditioned to the fact that God will say yes that we don’t know what to do when He says no!
This morning it may serve us well to take stock of our experience and say:
• I know God CAN heal,
• I know God CAN put my home back together,
• I know God CAN provide my financial need,
BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT:
I’ll still love Him! I’ll still trust Him! I’ll still serve Him!
MY TEXT IS A VERY FAMILIAR ONE FROM THE O.T.
• The fourth man and the fact that He’s still in the furnace just waiting for us when we go through the trial
• The courage of (3) men who gained the favor of God through separation
• The furnace designed to destroy actually delivered them
But, as I was re-reading this passage this week, something jumped out at me that I’d never noticed before.
It’s a simple statement, one consisting of only (6) words, yet it speaks volumes about the character of these young men.
They said:
• We know that God is able to deliver us out of the fiery furnace
• We know that God can send angels from heaven to bear us up and out of this crowd
• We know that the same God that opened up the depths of the Red Sea so our forefathers could walk through on dry ground can also keep us from a measly furnace!
• We know that our God is able to deliver us, Oh king,
BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, WE STILL TRUST HIM!
And, this statement was made BEFORE they knew what the outcome would be!
• For all they knew, they were speaking their final words!
• For all they knew, they were writing their own death sentences!
• For all they knew, they would wake up in glory!
But, it’s as if these men were saying:
Oh king, just in case we die in this furnace and don’t get a chance to tell you again, let us make ourselves crystal clear:
• We will never bow down to a graven image!
• We will never serve your gods
• We will never forsake our experience!
• We will never turn our backs on God!
We don’t know what’s going to happen in 5 minutes, but let us just say that we know God is able, BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT we still worship HIM!
What we need today is for some men and women to take a stand today and say:
• I don’t know what tomorrow holds!...
• I don’t know if God’s going to heal me or not!
• I don’t know if God’s going to deliver me or not!
• I don’t know if God’s going to meet my financial need or not!
But, devil, just in case I don’t get another chance to tell you this let me say it one more time:
I KNOW GOD’S ABLE, “BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT” I STILL WORSHIP HIM! I KNOW GOD CAN, BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, I STILL SERVE HIM!
If I die in the furnace, that’s okay, because I’ll just wake up shouting on the hills of glory, so just in case let me tell you one more time:
I WILL TRUST HIM NO MATTER WHAT TOMORROW HOLDS!
