Our God Will Deliver Us...
BUT IF NOT!
By David J. Stewart
Daniel
3:17-18, 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.
What a precious passage of Scriptures. The wicked Babylonian king,
Nebuchadnezzar, had made a golden image 90-feet tall and 9-feet wide (Daniel
3:1). Everyone from every nation and language were commanded by king
Nebuchadnezzar to bow and worship the image when the music started playing,
or else be cast into a fiery furnace to be burned alive.
There were 3 young men present,
Christians, whose names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They resisted the
king's tyranny and said, 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 I love what they said next, and it ought to be our attitude today... 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. What a great
testimony! You just don't find much faith like that in the world, then nor
today. Those 3 lads were willing to die for their cause, for what they believed
and knew to be righteous, true, and pleasing to their God.
God miraculously delivered Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego. But this is not always the case. In Acts 7:60 Stephen
was stoned to death by an angry mob of unbelievers, including Saul who would
later get saved and be renamed to Paul (Acts 7:58). In Acts 12:2 Heard killed
James by the sword. Yet we see that the Apostle Peter was miraculously delivered
(Acts 12:7) from Herod's sword by the prayers of the church (Acts 12:5).
So you see, sometimes God delivers His
saints, but at other times he doesn't. Historically, many Christians have been
tortured and killed for their faith. The important thing is for us as believers
to have the spirit of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, i.e., that we will do
right even if it costs us our life. We will fight for our God as David did going
up against Goliath, even if it means certain death. David said to his brothers
who were critical of him for wanting to go fight Goliath... Is
there not a cause?
Here is a powerful quote from the
great preacher, Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001)...
We Christian people tonight stand on the blood of martyrs who died for
what we believe. People have been burned at the stake for this old Book.
People have been dragged to death in the streets, with their brains dashed
out on the rocks, for this old Book. People have put their heads in the
guillotine, and had their heads severed from their bodies, for this old
Book. People have been stripped naked and boiled in hot water until they
died, for this old Book.
People have been thrown to the lions in Rome,
thousands of them, for this old Book. People have shed their blood, had
their tongues cut out, had their eyeballs plucked out with sharp pincers;
people have been dragged to death, beaten to death, stoned to death; people
have been gassed and suffered every form of martyrdom in the world; people
have lost their lives, their families, their homes everything so you and
I would have the Book. Now let's do something about standing for it, too.
Must I be carried to the skies
On flow'ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed thro' bloody seas?
Sure I must fight, if l would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
And when the battle's over,
We shall wear a crown,
We shall wear a crown,
Yes, we shall wear a crown;
And when the battle's over,
We shall wear a crown
In the new Jerusalem!
What difference does it make if we are hated here. I am
called everything a man could be called. I am lied about, gossiped about,
and hated, and cussed, and folks won't speak to me on the streets. But I
will tell you one thing, brother, when I walk down the golden streets of the
New Jerusalem, Peter and Paul will speak to me.
I will tell you another thing: those of us who stand for
decency and those of us who stand for the Bible, and those of us who stand
for what is right and against what is wrong, one of these days they will put
on a parade for us. Some of you little mealy-mouthed Christians who never
did stand, and folks didn't criticize you, up in Heaven you will have to
borrow money for a shoeshine. You didn't stand. Stand! Stand!
SOURCE: Dr. Jack Hyles; from the needful sermon,
SEX ED IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: WHAT'S BEHIND IT?
There has never been a time throughout
history such as today, when Christians have such a golden opportunity to stand
for God and preach the gospel throughout the world. We are living in incredibly
interesting and perilous times.
We have the complete Word of God,
which Old Testament men of God would have happily given a limb or two to obtain.
Literally, I believe they would have allowed their arms or legs to be removed to
have the completed Word of God that we have today; yet people ignore God's Word
and won't even open its pages to read. Do you realize how blessed and fortunate
we are today to have the completed Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation? We
have the completed picture, the big picture. We can have a complete knowledge of
the Word of God; whereas in the Old Testament the saints only had a
very limited knowledge of
the truth. We have THE TRUTH! The Word of God is truth (John 17:17). Amen
and amen! Thank you precious Lord!
So many believers today have the
opposite attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They are depressed,
naysayers, and have their minds filled with doubts. They never stand for
anything! This happens when a believer fails to abide in the Scriptures as Jesus
told us in John 5:39... SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES!
God's power rests in the PROMISES of
God. By searching the Scriptures we learn the PROMISES of God. The Christian
life is not based upon experiences or feelings as with the heathen world and
false religions; but rather, Biblical Christianity is based upon God's PROMISES.
The Bible contains over 7,000 PROMISES from God. Eternal life is a PROMISE from
God to those who believe on the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins
(Titus 1:2; John 20:31; Acts 10:43).
It is very important for every
believer to have the same attitude as Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego. They
placed their faith in God; but moreover, they placed their lives into God's
hands knowing that it is not always God's will for things to go the way we hope
they go. Joseph loved and trusted God, but there is no doubt that Joseph didn't
want to be sold into slavery nor end up rotting in an Egyptian prison; but we
are able to see the big picture in Genesis, how that God had a divine plan for
Joseph's life. The same is true for you and me, and every Christian I assure
you. This is what Romans 8:28 PROMISES, i.e., that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.
Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego made
their decision to stand against evil, doing what is pleasing to God; but they
also knew that things could go good or bad for them here on earth as a result.
The demonic Charismatic Movement has indoctrinated people to expect wealth,
health, and prosperity from God in exchange for doing good. This is NOT
Biblical. God never promised us health, wealth, nor prosperity in this fallen
world of sin. Lazarus was a poor beggar. Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel, died
giving birth to Benjamin. Then Jacob thought he lost Joseph to a wild animal
(because his sons lied to him). David's child died, and 2 other sons were
killed. Naomi's husband and 2 sons died. The Jews were in slavery in Egypt for
430 years. God gave Jacob a disability, permanently crippling the hollow of his
thigh.
Who are we or anyone else to say that
it is always God's will for good things to happen, and health to improve, and
prosperity to come? The Bible is packed full of real people with real problems,
who had real faith in a real God. Don't fall for the fake Pentecostal religion
of fruitcakes, twisted tongues-speakers, and fraudulent healing services.
Good is a good God whether we are
rich, or whether we are poor. God is still on His throne whether we have a job,
or whether we are unemployed. God is still worthy of our praise whether we have
good health, or whether we are crippled and suffer in chronic pain every day.
God keeps His PROMISES to us, but it's not for us to decide how, when, nor where
God works. God ways are not mysterious to God, but to men. Isaiah 55:8-9,
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God is the Potter, and we are the
clay. Isaiah 64:8, But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay,
and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Oh that men would
trust in the Lord and lean not upon their own understanding (Proverb 3:5-7). God
knows what He is doing. The unsaved world places God on trial, demanding
irrefutable, documentable, incontestable proof that He exists and that the Bible
is true; yet those same wicked people unquestioningly accept the bogus theories
of Evolution, the scam of Global Warming, and the lies of Satan.
As believers our peace should rest in
the PROMISES of God; and not in experiences or feelings that are uncertain,
vulnerable, and constantly changing. If you truly live for Christ, then you will
be persecuted in this sin-cursed world (2nd Timothy 3:12). The world will hate
you for following Jesus Christ (John 15:19).
A few believers indeed have health,
wealth, and prosperity in this physical world; but most
OTHERS have sorrow, and are poor, and suffer in agonizing pain without
remedy. The Bible says that God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith
(James 2:5). The poorest sinner can be abundantly rich in the
imputed righteousness of Christ Jesus.
1st Corinthians 4:10, We are fools for Christ's sake. Amen! 1st
Corinthians 1:18, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. God
doesn't need our money. God doesn't need our knowledge. God doesn't need our
talents and abilities. There is nothing that we can offer God that He wants
except our obedience to His Word. God wants our heart. God wants from us what
money cannot buy.
Conclusion
May we all have the excellent spirit
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego who said, Our God will deliver us... BUT IF
NOT. They were determined to please God, by obeying the Scriptures, even if it
meant certain death. DO RIGHT... though the stars fall... DO RIGHT!
My God will deliver me; but if not,
then let it be known that I am on the Lord's side
Joshua 24:15, And if it
seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will
serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other
side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but
as for me and my house, we will
serve the LORD.
