Even If He Doesn’t Daniel 3:14-18 Pastor Barry Kerner
Even If He Doesn’t
Daniel 3:14-18
Pastor Barry Kerner
The Israelites had been taken captive in Babylon, forced to serve under King Nebuchadnezzar. Only a small handful of Israelites had remained loyal to God.
King Nebuchadnezzar built a towering gold statue and ordered everyone to bow down and worship. Anyone who refused would be thrown into the fiery furnace, cast away to their death.
But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused. They had a firm foundation in their faith, in their commitment to God. And, they were caught and turned over to Nebuchadnezzar.
If your Bibles are open let’s read Daniel 3:14-18.
Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
We all know the outcome: King Nebuchadnezzar threw three men into the furnace, but when he looked up, there were four men walking around inside the furnace. He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar called the men out of the furnace, unscathed. He proclaimed God’s greatness, and promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
It’s a great story, one of God’s undeniable power. It’s a great testimony of three men who faced death and remained committed to their faith, to their God. It’s a great message of God’s ability to rescue His people from certain death.
But I think what I love most about this story is the declaration that God is able to save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but even if he doesn’t the men chose never to serve any other god or image except the one true God.
Do you have an “Even if He doesn’t…”
Even if He doesn’t save my marriage.
Even if He doesn’t heal my child.
Even if He doesn’t provide me with a new job.
Even if He doesn’t save me from bankruptcy court.
Even if He doesn’t give me a relationship with my estranged father.
Even if He doesn’t rescue my spouse from addiction.
Whatever your even if He doesn’t might be. Can you say, I will never serve any other god or worship the gold statue you have set up?
These three men were thrown into the fiery furnace; and God miraculously delivered them. They were prepared to die but their trust in God was an unconditional—“even if He doesn’t” They knew it was possible that they would be killed for not obeying the king’s order, and yet they remained loyal to God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ready to serve God, regardless of the circumstances.
Life is not a bouquet of roses. Psalm 34:19 tells us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” We all go through difficulties. No one is exempted! Problems are impartial. In Matthew 5:45 Jesus said, “It rains on the just and the unjust too.” Being a person of faith doesn’t exempt us from the troubles of life. Every problem has a dual nature! They can either draw us closer to God or they can separate us from Him. When some believers are facing trials they give up their faith in God: They stop praying, attending church, giving to the things of God, and reading the Bible. But it ought not to be so! The purpose of life itself is in solving problems. Some are even going through theirs now. It may be in your marriage, business, health, ministry, relationship, job, school, or finances.
Every problem has an expiry date. Problem are transient. In 2 Corinthians 4:17 the Bible calls our trials and troubles our “light affliction.” This light affliction is but for a moment, for a short time, and then it will be gone. It’s also written in Psalm 30:5, “weeping may endure for a night but joy come in the morning.” No storm lasts forever, the wind will stop blowing, the battle will end, the rain will stop and your sun will shine again! Don’t give up in your trials. The night will soon be over. In Psalm 50:15 God lovingly tells us, “call on me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
To be able to say, “Even if He doesn’t” takes unconditional faith. But, sometimes when circumstances are difficult, it can be tough to keep the faith. But God desires that we trust in Him—even if our prayers are not answered. We must never let our trust in God become conditional because we don’t see His goodness. Faith is trusting God even when it doesn’t make sense. Abraham had to wait for twenty five years before he saw Isaac. Soon afterwards God tested his faith and asked him to sacrifice his son. Abraham obeyed. He showed that he had unconditional trust. When God saw it, He was excited to reward his obedience. When you have unconditional faith in God you can never be frustrated. Faith believes in God regardless of the circumstances.
But what is Unconditional Faith?
It is a faith in God that is not subject to any condition.
It is to trust God without limitation or reservation.
It is absolute trust no matter the circumstances.
Unconditional faith is standing firm on God’s promises and believing what God says even when we don’t understand or see what He’s doing.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God unconditionally. They were committed no matter the outcome. Even if God choose not to deliver them the way they desired, they were determined to stand firm and be faithful. That is the proper attitude we should all have. It is not a matter of whether things turn out as we hope, the issue is whether we will be true to God.
Unconditional faith is to love God wholeheartedly. We trust Him because He love us unconditionally. Your trust requires you to believe in Him and follow Him wholeheartedly. There is no limit to what God can and will do if you fully believe in Him. Give Him your unconditional trust and faith today.
Even though we may not understand it, God has a plan, and He’s busy working behind the scenes! Romans 8:28-29 reminds us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Faith believes that God always knows best. Faith believes that He is in control, and therefore we can rest easily.
But how do you develop unconditional faith?
First, Know God.
What gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego the confidence to speak so boldly? They knew their God and they knew what He could do. Clearly the Bible affirms God’s power. Job 9:4 says, “His power is vast.” Psalm 24:8 refers to the Lord as “strong and mighty.” Isaiah 40:26 says that out of His “great power and mighty strength” God brought forth the universe.” Like the three Hebrew boys, do you know the power of God in your life?
Second, Know yourself.
Do you know who you are? You are made in His image; You are a child of God; You are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb; You are a new creation; You are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells within you; You are the light of the world. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We are the redeemed!
Third, Love God unconditionally.
The word that Jesus used to identify the greatest commandment in the Law was “agape.” In Matthew 22:37-38 Christ said, “You shall love (agape) the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment” The word that Jesus used to ask Peter whether he loved him or not was the same word “agape.” In the same way, God asks us today, “Do you agape me?”
Fourth, Feed your faith daily.
Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
Matthew4:4 says, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Romans 1:16 declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
The Word of God is alive. What we listen to affects what we believe. Go deeper in the Word. There is an old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I don’t know how true this statement is but I do know that feeding on the word daily is medicine to all your flesh.
Fifth, Exercise your faith.
Faith is like a muscle and needs to be exercised. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that faith is the gift of God. It is not of ourselves; we receive it from him. It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to who Jesus is and to show us our need of him and to create within us the capacity to trust him. He gives you a new heart, the gift of faith.
But Jesus’ question in Luke 8:25 makes it clear that you can have this gift of faith and never use it. “Where is your faith?” he asks the disciples, after a storm blew up as they were rowing across the lake. Jesus had been asleep in the back of the boat, and the disciples panicked! But Jesus awakens, calms the storm, and then asks, “Where is your faith?” In other words, “Why aren’t you exercising the faith I have gifted to you?”
We may not understand ergonomic engineering, but we sit on chairs without checking to see if they are structurally sound because we trust the proficiency of the furniture designers. That is exercising our faith.
We may not understand the interplay between aerodynamic force and body force, but we trust that Airbus engineers know how to balance lift, drag, and weight, so we fly in their airplanes. That is exercising our faith.
We may not understand why God lets us suffer, but we know that he exists, he is present with us, he recognizes our plight, he cares for us, he has the resources to help us, and he has promised to come to our aid.
Therefore, we trust that he will help us endure our afflictions, produce goodness from them, and resolve them in accordance with his highest purpose for us and those in our orbit. That is exercising our faith.
Finally, Unconditional love gives thanks!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 103:1-4 says, “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
1 Chronicles 16:34 wants us to, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”
And, Psalm 118:24 reminds us that, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Give thanks for the results before you see them. Don’t complain – that shows you doubt God’s love and God’s answer to your situation. Give thanks in all situations
In Job 13:15, Job declares, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” This faith-filled statement has challenged countless believers through the centuries to strive for a similar trust in the Lord in the face of trials.
Job made this statement when he was in a terrible time of pain and suffering. He had lost all of his children, his wealth, and his health. His friends were of no help. His wife offered no support and was in fact telling him to give up. Job felt as though his life was over. The only thing left was to die. But, as Job says, even if God did “slay” him, Job would still trust in Him.
Of note here is the fact that Job realizes that, ultimately, the suffering he endures is allowed by God. It is God who has the right and the power to “slay” Job. Even in the midst of pain, we must remember as 1 Samuel 2:6 tells us, “the LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.” and as Revelation 1:18 reminds us, The Lord alone holds the “keys of death.”
The faith of Job is seen in the fact that even if God’s plan results in Job’s death, Job will continue to trust in God. Nothing can shake the faith of someone so grounded in the goodness and glory of God. Job may not understand what is happening to him and why, but he knows that God is good, loving, and trustworthy.
The apostle Paul echoes Job’s statement of faith in Philippians 1:20 when he says, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
In Conclusion:
Even if God left Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the furnace, He would still be God. Our God is able to heal and to deliver, but even if He doesn’t, will you still serve Him? If you are in the middle of difficulty today, look to God. The Bible says that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. What you are facing is only temporary. Victory is on the way, and it’s closer than you think! Keep standing, keep praying, keep believing, keep praising, keep hoping, keep serving, and keep confessing the Word. Cease from worry and fear. Refuse to doubt. Have total faith in God. Trust Him unconditionally.
God honored the faith of the three Hebrews men. He delivered them from death; and His name was glorified. Your case is not hopeless. God cannot abandon His own.
Only He has the final say. In Isaiah 43:2 God strengthens us when he says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Like Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego and like Job when we suffer and do not understand why, we can trust that God has a greater plan in place that we cannot see.
Let us Pray!