August 11, 2019 – The Apostles Teachings

Greetings Brother’s and Sister’s, In The Mighty Name of Jesus, The Christ!!!

Brothers and Sisters in a time that is filled with Calamity and Uncertainty, we Serve Jesus, The Son Of God The Father, who goes before us preparing His Glory! There are those of you who walk among the heathen saying that Jesus is Lord of Your Life, when He is not! You say one thing, yet do another.

We have many examples in God’s Holy Word that shows how we are to be, Living our Lives to Glorify Jesus, and in return Glorifying The Father. There is are two events in God’s Word that we should be like. That in all odds, being faced with death being at the very forefront, Glorified The Father! Four Hebrew Children, Servants of The Most High, Belteshazzar, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah better known as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken into Captivity and made to serve Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had a problem that he could not solve, nor could any of his advisers.

“¹ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. ² Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.”

Daniel 2:1-2

“The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore [there is] no king, lord, nor ruler, [that] asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.”

Daniel 2:10

We walk among the Heathen who cannot remedy their own problems. Many seek Money, Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Music, Death, and others of their same kind and yet cannot find a Solution Of Satisfaction. The King Nebuchadnezzer was in this same agony, being tormented by a Problem that he did not have an answer for, nor could he find an answer among those who he counted on for Council. Because of this a decree, a commandment, went out to destroy All The Wise Men of Babylon, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

“¹² For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise [men] of Babylon. ¹³ And the decree went forth that the wise [men] should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.”

Daniel 2:12-13

When Calamity hits, it is not a Respecter of Persons, all come under the same outcome whether they want to be a part of it or not, it does not matter, but it is a sure thing…they will! God allows us to go through things not to see us in agony, but to use that agony to bring forth His Glory, to show that He Is God of All Gods and that none is His Equal.

Brothers and Sisters we need to do what the Hebrew children did, as soon as they heard of the decree that went forth, they, they, they Ran To God!!!

“¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: ¹⁸ That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise [men] of Babylon. ¹⁹ Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”

Daniel 2:17-19

Because they sought the only one who had The Answer, that Knows All Things, God The Father answered them, but the Hebrew Children had to be In Agreement in Seeking God. But it was not only all in their Words, but it also had to be within their Actions. The Father knew their Dedication To Him, that their Lives Reflected The Living God.

Now that the Answer was Revealed to Daniel but Had NOT Come To Pass as yet, Daniel did something with Surety, he Praised God before he was to go before Nebuchadnezzer, before he knew what God had said to him was true. That is, Daniel Had Faith, he Had Tenacity to go before his enemy with Surety that what God had told him was THE ABSOLUTE!!! Daniel did not falter, he did not move from what God had told him, he did not change in the presence of his enemy, but Stood Boldly, Confirming what God had told him.

Daniel had no idea of what was going to transpire when he stood before Nebuchadnezzer, ALL that he had, was God’s Holy Word. He did not have any friends with him, no army, he Stood In God’s Holy Word which can move mountains!

Because of this, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were Blessed and given a place of Authority over Nebuchadnezzer’s affairs. But the lesson does not stop here.

“⁴⁸ Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise [men] of Babylon. ⁴⁹ Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel [sat] in the gate of the king.”

Daniel 2:48-49

Sometimes before God shows Himself as God, We Must Endure Trials Of Faith. We must Walk were there seems to be no good end, seemingly, only disaster awaits. Those who are the enemies of God will always try and trick us not to be Obedient To God. Sometimes it may bring us to the very end of our Life when God Reveals Himself, but, we must be Obedient none the less.

We need to understand that Satan’s goal is to Kill, Steal and Destroy any Work Of God. Satan and those of his kingdom will do anything that is within their grasp to accomplish this task, they do not care who gets Hurt or Killed in the process, trying to ensure that Our God does not win in the end.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”

John 10:10

”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.”

Daniel 3:1-6

Now those who were once the main council of Nebuchadnezzer knew how the Hebrew Children were, that they would not bow to anything other than their God.

“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 Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Daniel 3:8-12

The Enemy of the Hebrew Children was out to Kill them, to Destroy Who Their God Is and to Cast out the Myth Of Their God from among all those who were witness to what was about to take place. They urged, convinced Nebuchadnezzer to fulfill His Word above the Hebrew Children’s God Of Mercy. Because Nebuchadnezzer had made the decree, he was Obligated to Keep His Word before the people.

But The Hebrew Children had their own decree that they must honor with their very lives.

“⁴ Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: ⁵ Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;”

Exodus 20:4-5

Their Beliefs, Their Actions now must be Revealed To Who Their God really is. It is something that they must now do outwardly before all the people, it cannot stay within themselves nor among themselves, but must Stand, Unmovable to their enemy.

I remember one time when I was in a Sunday School class, just getting started learning about Who God is, when the Pastor of this church asked the question, “How many of you, If someone was about to kill you, would you still confess Jesus to them”. My hand shot up! The Pastor ignored me and said, “No one can answer this question until you are put in to that situation”. I, being young in Jesus, was confused, bewildered by his answer and to those around that agreed with what he had just said. All I knew was that I Loved Jesus and that my Love for Him is so great that I would Die In My Faith as Jesus Is Lord!!!

Now the Hebrew Children must Answer The Call, they must Stand At Any Cost, Confessing Our God to a wicked people.

“¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 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. ¹⁸ 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.”

Daniel 3:16-18

They were Completely Sold Out To Their God! That in the face of what seemed to be a point of no return, their answer was one of Surety, Tenacity and Unmovable. They would not bow themselves to any image, nor any person, no matter the cost! Their Answer was both that of Words and Action, that Our God, Is God that was with them, it should be so with us.

Because of their answer, Nebuchadnezzer was furious, he was so mad that he was not only going to throw them into the furnace, but wanted to make sure there was nothing left of them, that there was no remembrance of Their God.

“¹⁹ Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. ²⁰ And he commanded the most mighty men that [were] in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their [other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²² Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.”

Daniel 3:19-23

Their Faith, became their Reality. Will The God who they Live For Save them? See, to them, it No Longer Mattered, they already had Surrendered their Lives to The Living God way before now, but it is now that their Faith must Cry Aloud for all of the people to See. God, in His Loving Mercy, did not only Save them, but now because He did, has Turned The Heart of Nebuchadnezzer to Confess that their God, Is God!!!

“²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. ²⁵ He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come [hither]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. ²⁷ And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. ²⁸ [Then] Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed [be] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. ³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”

Daniel 3:24-30

I know this Word is long, but it is urgently important that our Faith must go beyond the Church Doors, beyond our Houses, it must go to the lost even if they want to kill us. Jesus said that if we find our lives here on earth, then we will lose our lives in heaven and in losing our lives on earth we must follow His Commandments.

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Matthew 10:39

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Matthew 16:25

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:15

Where is Your Faith? Standing in the mist of Calamity is where we Shine The Light Of God, Confessing that Jesus Is Lord!!! As a clarification to the title, there was Daniel, then the other three Hebrew Children and in the furnace there were the three Hebrew Children and Jesus. There were Three that were in Agreement, Yet there Were Four That Agreed.