Powerpoint - Apr. 14, 2011
Standing firm in the face of persecution
April 14, 2011
“Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Daniel 3:15-18
If you and I are really honest, worshipping God today in this part of the world doesn’t carry much of a cost. We can thank God that we have the freedom to worship however we choose. But if those freedoms were taken away tomorrow, I wonder how many would truly remain faithful.
I love the story of these three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar built an idol and said, “Everybody’s going to bow down and worship me.” But those three Hebrew boys said, “We’re not going to worship that idol!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego squared with that king. They said, “King, we don’t have to debate this. We’ve already made up our minds a long time ago. Our God is able to deliver us from you.”
But then, here’s what I really like. They said, “But if not, even if God doesn’t save us, we’re still not going to bow down to your idol!”
So often, believers today are afraid to stand for their faith in the face of peer pressure. But God calls us to stand for him even to death. So whether the enemy is large or small, stand firm for your faith because your heavenly Father is able to deliver you!
IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION OR EVEN DEATH, STAND FIRM BECAUSE THE GOD YOU WORSHIP IS ABLE TO DELIVER YOU.
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