SERMON NOTE: PASTOR W F KUMUYI TOPIC: MANIFESTING COURAGE WITH CONVICTION UNDER TRIALS

17 04 2023

TEACHING BY OUR FATHER IN THE LORD, PASTOR W F KUMUYI

TEXT: DANIEL 3:1-18

• 1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

• 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which

Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

• 3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

• 4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

• 5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

• 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

• 7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

• 8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

• 9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

• 10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

• 11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

• 12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

• 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

• 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

• 15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

• 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

• 17 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, O king.

• But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Obviously, you have heard this story and learned a lot from it before. The Lord is reminding us of what we need to do, and how we need to focus our attention on Him. As we have come to His Kingdom with His mercy bringing salvation, and redemption into our lives, tests and trials will come, temptations and solicitation to evil will come but we need to declare our stand because having come to the Kingdom of God, and have pleaded allegiance to Him that we will serve Him, the world will come to test us, whether we will, or will not.

Here comes Shadrach, Meshach and Abdnego who decided not to bow to the graven image. They didn’t know the New Testament, otherwise, they would have said they were earnestly contending for the faith, no matter what happens or does not happen, whatever the threat and persecution. Now, we have the New Testament with Christ revealing His mind to us, we must earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. This is why we are looking at this study tonight titled MANIFESTING COURAGE WITH CONVICTION UNDER TRIALS.

It has to be personal and experiential courage that we got from the Lord and nothing can take it away from us on the basis of our salvation and Sanctification experiences in which He has cleansed and purified us and we committed and consecrated our lives to Him. Conviction brings courage in our lives and it is not a hidden thing, it is not something that manifests only in the time of devotion and family prayer, but when we go out into the world, in the market, offices, and other public places. You manifest the courage when the public challenges you, not when you are all alone and no one is challenging and confronting you.

We are looking at three points in this teaching:

A. CONSTRAST BETWEEN GOD’S COMMANDMENT AND THE KING’S DEMAND. Daniel 3:1-7

God has already given the commandment that we must not have any other god besides Him, but this king/emperor has raised an image and is making a demand contrary to the command of God. If anybody is going contrary to the will and purpose of God, he will not use me to fulfill his goals.

1. Great Transgression after a Great Testimony

(Daniel 3:1-3; 2.47-49; Titus 1:16; Mark 7:6,21-23)

The king who set up an image of gold and threatened everyone who will not worship it gave a testimony about God in the previous chapter. He had a dream and forgot it and threatened that he was going to kill all his wise men if they did not recover and interpret the dream to him. None of his wise men could, but Daniel asked for some time to get the dream and after praying one night, God revealed the dream to Daniel and gave him the interpretation too. All the details of the dream including what the king was thinking about when it came and all his activities during the day Daniel got by divine revelation. And the king acknowledged that of a truth, “your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. (Daniel 2:47).

vs 48. Nebuchadnezzer promoted Daniel and made him a ruler over the whole province of Babylon.

vs 49. Daniel requested that his friends be given positions and it was granted to him, while he sat at the king’s gate.

But look at the declaration of the king about God, yet he was not converted. That is why we need to be careful about people’s testimonies because in no time, they would need a favour from you, like wanting you to meet their accommodation needs, and others. Before you accept them into your house, pray, whatever they say does not matter.

Idolatry has been in the heart and life of Nebuchadnezzer from birth, he was an idol worshipper and those things are still in his heart even though he is seen to be praising God. Declaring the greatness of God does not save anyone. They may profess to know Him, and at the same time deny Him in actions, private and secret life, they may give powerful testimonies in the church, yet, in the private recesses of their hearts, they deny God. They are abominable and disobedient and reprobate to every good work (Titus 1:16).

You need to check yourself too, are you truly converted or it is only about the word you declare in the public.

Mark 7:6. Nebuchadnezzer was the greatest hypocrite in Babylon. His heart is far from God, he has not been turned around and transformed.

vs 21-23. Someone might have a great testimony and still commit great sins in their personal lives. They don’t believe in God. When the trumpet shall sound and the true believers shall be taken to heaven, all these deceivers who claim great experiences will be turned to hell fire with the idol worshippers.

2. Great Threats From a Great Tyrant

(Daniel 3:4 -7; Acts 4:17-21; 2 Timothy 3:10-14; Jeremiah 12:5)

There are people who make themselves gods and think someone else’s life is in their hands. They will say you might claim to be a believer and lay hold of all the promises of God, but they will threaten and go ahead to make good their threats because they want you to look up to them as the final authority. They say your living long depends on them, and if you don’t know your God, and fellowship with Him regularly, you will be afraid, especially, if you think too much of life as being important and not thinking of eternity and what God says and what He will do. The tyrants will squeeze your life like a flower but the Lord will give you understanding. Whatever they say, you will stand for the Lord.

Daniel 3:4 -7. According to the king, anytime instruments of music played, everyone must fall down and worship the image, even if the person was sleeping. Everyone obeyed the instructions, no one had a mind of their own, no one made a decision to refuse to bow, no mind or conviction of their own. Some people are like that today, they go to church on Sundays, but wait till the people of the world make an edict and pass a law against going to church, that is when we will know who they really are.

Acts 4:17-21. The Apostles were commanded not to preach in the name of Jesus, and this was contrary to what our Lord and Saviour instructed them to do before He left. Now, where they were supposed to begin is where they threatened them to keep quiet. They wanted them to deny Jesus as the only foundational cornerstone of our salvation, and Lord and Saviour of their lives. If we are not going to preach and teach Jesus, what will you teach? They took their stand and the Lord will help you to stand everywhere in Jesus name.

When it is decided that everyone in the market must contribute money to make sacrifices to idols, you must be able to take your stand. You want to get married and your in-laws to-be are requesting that you contribute money to worship the idol in the family, that is the time to take your stand, but if you want marriage at all cost and you don’t mind missing heaven, you are going to be sucked into their system. If you are working with a boss who is making ungodly demands, that is when you take your stand, that is when we know a believer and the one who is not. I pray you will stand. I will stand.

2 Timothy 3:10. You must be able to bear and persevere all that happen to you. When people at work tell you to be different from the way you are in church, otherwise, you will lose your job, the three Hebrews knew it would cost them their work and life, yet, they stood firmly. As Christians, we must have all the virtues. Take your stand and focus on getting to heaven. Even if you lose your job, God will give you a better one. They will take some rights away from you, never mind, all who will live godly in Christ shall suffer persecution. Some of these things we go through now are nothing compared to what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went through. If you cannot contend with the small forces, what will you do when bigger challenges come?

3. Great Trials with Great Triumph

(John 16:33; 1 Peter 1:6-9; 4:12-16; 2 Corinthians 2:11,14)

John 16:33. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”. In the world, not everyone will be kind to you, smile at you, not everyone will say, yes madam, yes sir, not everyone will show you respect. Trials, temptation, tribulation are there but because you are connected with Christ, and you will not turn back, you will overcome. It is for a season, it is not forever. Remain under the pressure, the threatening and tribulation, it is for a season. Don’t talk, don’t say anything negative, don’t abuse, don’t fight back or retaliate, don’t be like the world. Be quiet with your heart singing praises and making your prayers to God.

Their target is your faith. They want to take it away from you. Already, we have been told that he who will live godly will suffer persecution. Everyone of us will suffer persecution because of what we stand for. Think it not strange when trials come to you. Rejoice. But many people mourn and complain. But know that if you are a partaker of Christ’s suffering, you will also partake of His glory.

The young Hebrews were brought as Captives to Babylon and they have been given some level of education, and the king has given them what to do and has also provided for them. He didn’t want to stop at dominating their secular life, he also wanted to dominate their spiritual lives and eternal destinies. He saw them as not having a mind of their own, and himself as being in the position to control what they do, how they lived their lives and who they worship. This was where they drew the line. They decided that though they might work in Babylon to make their living, their eternity and destiny were not in the hands of the king.

The time comes in your life when you need to draw the line when anything touches your eternal life and the destiny of your soul. When it comes to the point that people want to drag you along with them to hell, you draw the line, whatever the pain, suffering and consequences of taking your stand, and make them know that they have no power over you.

Coercion is when people push you to the wall, and even as they do that, it is as if they want to push you into the wall. Naturally, we don’t like coercion, we don’t like people talking roughly to us. Coercion is like fire and it is to make you run out of your faith in the office, ministry, calling and marriage. If you don’t have the grace of God, you will find it difficult to stay where God has placed you. It might get to a point that you want to get out of life, and you take some pills and you are gone, but that is the worst, because while you are thinking of escaping Nebuchadnezzer’s fire, you are getting into a bigger fire, the fire of hell that will be forever. Whoever mounts any pressure on you, don’t take your life. Know that we are standing against evil, and it must not push you to commit the biggest sin: suicide. You will stay here and God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond your endurance, but He will make a way of escape for you.

1. The Accusation Against the Godly Companions Before the Furious Babylonian

(Daniel 3:8-13; Acts 5:28-33; 28:22; Revelation 12:10-11)

2. The Accommodation of a Gambling Compromise by the Fierce Blasphemer

(Daniel 3:14-15; Mark 8:36-37; Proverbs 29:25; Luke 12:4-7)

3. The Affirmation of a Glorious Consecration by Fortified Believers

(Daniel 3:16-18; Matthew 10:28; Isaiah 51:7-8; Romans 8:35-39)

Nebuchadnezzer was deadly. He had said what he would do, and there was no arguments, it was either they would bow to the image or not. If they worshipped, alright, but if they would not, he would deal with them and who was that God who would deliver them from His hands?

They were calm, cool and well-composed, they said, go ahead and do what you want to do, we will also do what we want to do. We will not do what you want us to do because it will lead us to hell fire. We will not get to hell on your behalf, it is for eternity. You can build your fire and burn anything here but we will take our stand. This is the courage and commitment every child of God ought to have. You hold everything, even life with a loose hand so that no one will say this is what you love, this is what you cannot do without, and use it against you to pull you to hell. But we are going to heaven, no one will take heaven from you and replace it with hell because of the coercion and punishment they threaten you with.

1. Their Calm Courage of Faith Under Fire _

(Daniel 3:16-17; Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 11:27,33; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

2. Their Constant Conviction and Fearlessness Despite Fury

(Daniel 3:17; Hebrews 7:25-26; Ephesians 3:19-21; Jude: 24-25)

3. Their Clear Consecration and Faithfulness to the Faithful

(Daniel 3:18; Job 13:15; 1 Corinthians 10:13-14; 2 Timothy 4:18)

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