The 4th Man in the Fire

Turn to the book of Daniel, please. I'll ask you to read with me tonight in the book of Daniel and it's Quite a well-known reference that we will take we'll read together in Daniel chapter 3 the book of Daniel and in chapter 3 and it's Quite a long chapter, but it's hard to know just how to abbreviate it. So we read from verse 1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold Whose height was three score cubits and the breadth are off six cubits And he set it up in the plain of Jura in the province of Babylon then Nebuchadnezzar the king Sent to gather together the princes the governors and the captains the judges the treasurers The counselors the sheriffs and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image Which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up when the princes the governors the captains the judges the treasurers the counselors 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 then a herald cried aloud To you it is commanded O people Nations and languages that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, hakba, harp, Sakba, psaltery, dulcimer and all kinds of music you fall down and worship the golden image That Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up and who so falleth not down and Worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace Therefore at that time when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sakba, psaltery and all kinds of music all the people the nations and the languages fell down and Worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king Had set up.

Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews They spake and said unto the king Nebuchadnezzar O king live forever Thou O king has made a decree that every man and we learn about the decree look down at verse 12 There are certain Jews which thou has 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 has set up then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury Commanded to bring Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Then they brought those men Before the king Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them. Is it true? Oh Shadrach Meshach and Abednego do not ye serve my gods Nor worship the golden image Which I have set up Verse 16 Shadrach Meshach and Abednego answered and said unto the king Oh Nebuchadnezzar we are not careful to answer thee in this matter if it be So our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace That 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 has set up 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 want to be heated verse 21 Then these men were bound in their coats Their hosin and their hats and their other garments and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace 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 and these three men Fell down their names fell down bound into the midst of the burning Fiery furnace Now verse 24 then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished Rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire they answered and said unto the king true Oh king 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 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 now.

We find they come forth We found that as they are looking upon them. There was no train of the fire Nor was even the very smell Passed upon the verse 28 then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said Blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who has sent his angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him and have changed the king's word and Have yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any God Except their own God therefore I make a decree that every people nation and language which speak anything 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 then the king promoted Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon and the Lord blessed to us this quite familiar reading from the sacred scriptures I was wondering and musing today and asking myself with this passage before me and I trust Given to me from the Lord I have to admit at breakfast time when I was sitting with our brother Mike this morning I had in my mind the possibility of going to another passage And we were sitting together over a coffee dear Mike didn't know this he and I were discussing Scriptures and we're musing on some of the Psalms and different things like that And as we were doing it my mind was it was turning from Psalm number 57 actually and it was coming to Daniel chapter 3 and I started to muse on it and as I was thinking about Daniel chapter 3 I said to myself if you speak on that tonight What title would you give to the ministry from the scriptures? I want to speak to you tonight About the fourth man in The fire that'll be very easy to remember even some of the young people that are here with us tonight They will remember that very vividly. They know the story very well And the title I give to it is this the fourth man in the fire You likely know that this is a very distinct chapter The question has often been raised When did this happen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar? I would suggest to you that this was most likely early in the reign of the king We couldn't prove that the chapter isn't dated So I couldn't prove that tonight, but it would be my preference as we consider the chapter you will remember in the previous chapter you will consider Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and In the dream of chapter 2 he saw in the dream the figure of a man And you will remember there were four materials in that dream I would suggest it's most likely He got the idea of this figure of a man from the dream that he received or the multiple dreams It didn't just happen once in chapter 2 There were dreams that troubled him upon his bed and most likely he got the implication And he got the idea of this statue from the dreams that God was sending him in chapter 2 So again, I suggest this is early in the reign of the king That brings into question then what about these men Shadrach Meshach and Abednego how old were they again? We're not sure We couldn't prove it from the text But again, I would suggest without dogmatism I can be dogmatic on some things I'm not prepared to be dogmatic on this without dogmatism I would suggest that these are men likely in their late teens Or their very early 20s now you put that into our situation tonight You think of some here that might be in their late teens I want to challenge your heart you boys that are here and you girls that are here.

These men had conviction these boys Late teens, maybe early 20s. They had convictions and we have to challenge our own hearts I have pinpointed the young folks. But what about my heart? I look across an audience and I see so many of us here.

What about our hearts and what about our convictions? I'll come back to that. It's a very distinct chapter in God's Word. It's a delightful chapter as you know Some people have told us and they've told us for years.

There is no direct prophecy in this chapter. I Agree with that No direct prophecy in Daniel chapter 3 and yet the chapter is full of prophecy. You say what do you mean? Well, just look at the three sixes in the the early part of the chapter the image was Three-score cubits and you've got the numeric value of six and then it's six cubits Broad or its span was six cubits And again, you've got the numeric value six and then you look at those musical instruments that are mentioned in verses four and five And how many were there there were six so you can see the stamp of the number of man right here in the chapter and of course You've got these people and they are going to go through the fire of persecution now I would suggest to you that we can see that that's a picture of the Tribulation and the nation of Israel in a coming day And of course, there's this image which is raised up and the deification of man and you know that in a future day there will be a man that will rise and there will be an image raised right in The temple of God so you can see that right here in Daniel Daniel 3 and I won't go any further with that but you can see no direct prophecy and yet the chapter is full of prophecy and God preserves a Remnant and he brings them through the fire and he brings them through the trial and he brings them out And you know beloved Saints that would yet happen in the nation of Israel's experience They will be brought into the fires of persecution and more than that They will be brought out of the fire of persecution.

It's a distinct chapter It's a delightful chapter, of course as I'm reading from this tonight It's a very detailed chapter and that's where I'm coming right now the detail of the chapter One of the great details is this And I'll address it immediately Where is Daniel? You say what? Well read through the book And of course and I'll be coming back to this. But of course when you're in chapter 1 Daniel he seems to have prominence and you come into chapter 2 and again Daniel has prominence. I ask you beloved Saints and it has been a question that is puzzled many Where is Daniel in Daniel chapter 3 very evidently he's not here.

Why is he not here again? We don't have an answer for that. Some believe that Daniel was standing just in the background Observing the things that were happening. I'm not too sure about that Some suggest that Daniel in his official position in government had been sent To accomplish the service of Nebuchadnezzar.

That's more likely but again, we're not told One of the reasons why I raised the absence of Daniel is just for this reason that I learned a very vital lesson Daniel was not called by the Lord to go through this trial Trial is a very individual thing Here are three men Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and in the providence of God They were allowed to go through the fire and Daniel wasn't called upon to do that I do learn this lesson that sometimes the Lord will allow me to go through certain things That he might not allow other Christians to go through And the Lord will pick up various things in the lives of his people and the Lord will allow certain things I would have to admit we have to step back sometimes and we have to admit the Lord doesn't cause all the Circumstances, but the Lord allows the circumstances and so here is Daniel and he's absent from the circumstances of Daniel 3 and yet Shadrach Meshach and Abednego are allowed to go through the fire That brings me to the first thing then that I mentioned about the details of this chapter The first thing I'll speak about is we've got the commandment of the prince or the prince's commandment And here, you know the story. Well, I hardly need to go over the story Nebuchadnezzar. He makes the decree Nebuchadnezzar has this great image that is manufactured and the image is standing in the plain of Jura 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide and there it is this great image and the edict goes forth from the king that when the music is played from the variety of instruments all that are there and They will come present before the statue before the image and when they are present Before the image they will all bow and they will all do Obeisience and they will all worship and they will worship this great image of man Which has been raised in the plain of Jura.

Well, you say that's a very interesting thing That's a very interesting thing from God's Word But that really that really has no application to us in this present day, doesn't it The culture of idolatry. I mean that's what's happening here man Put on display. I think beloved Saints and I think you know this very well That that's exactly where we are in 2022 has there ever been a day when the culture of mankind has been put on display In such a way as we have it around us.

I mean, I'm sure that there's quite a few here have Instagram I'm not throwing I have Instagram and one of the reasons why I have Instagram is that I want to keep Tabs on my children. I want to see what they're posting my daughter She posted something last week and here I was scrolling through She was out for supper with a number of Christian friends and here she Posts something on Instagram and of course it flagged on to mine Well, you know one of the purposes of Instagram people are using it I should say to young people please don't be caught up in those things. You know that those images are manipulated The girls that you see on Instagram really don't look like that There's certain there's certain profiles and certain things done through the technology that just manipulates the images and yet we are living in an era where the culture of Idolatry and the deification of man is put on display.

They even tell me if you go on to the Internet I've actually done it Selfies, I mean the very idea of a selfie That should be the first flag The name itself beloved Saints brethren and sisters a selfie That should be the flag that immediately triggers in our minds Okay, but if you go on to the Internet, they will actually tell you how to take the photograph for a selfie Hope you know that if you're going to post something don't take the photograph from here Most likely you won't get the the most flattering image You've got to actually position it somewhere about now, I haven't done this so don't worry Just in case you think that now I am an expert in taking selfies But you've got a position that's somewhere about here That means some of the double chins are not seen and some of the things are just not seen in the same way But here we are beloved Saints and from Daniel chapter 3 We learn this that there has been an image raised and it's really speaking to us about the culture of Idolatry man is on display. The second thing I see in this when it comes to the Prince's commandment It's not only a culture of idolatry. It's the culture of intolerance Did you notice no other God worshiped? No It's very clear in our chapter and it's very pertinent when we come to the scriptures Nebuchadnezzar was absolutely clear that there was to be nothing else worshipped save for that golden statue nothing else No other God was to receive worship No other homage was to be done Everything was to be centered on the image and you can see the intolerance Tolerance you say what I have a friend a Christian friend and Just at school She was told by her English teacher She was told that she could write.

She was to write an essay and And the students in the class they were told write it on anything you want And so eventually the teacher came down to my Christian friend and said to the Christian friend What topic have you chosen to write upon? Oh, she said that's very simple I'm going to write about the intolerance of tolerance You see we live in a society where they tell us everything goes I Mean, we've got to tolerate everything. There are no absolutes Whatever you do. You cannot say that there is one God And you definitely must not say there is only one way to God You see everything goes and we've got to tolerate it so the Christian friend looked at the teacher and she said I'm going to write about the intolerance of tolerance and The teacher said to her you can't write about that Imagine before she even started the essay, you know beloved Saints.

This is right up to date We are living in a world that is against our God we are living in a world that will tolerate everything apart from divine truth and Apart from our God and his Christ and so the Prince's commandment. I see very quickly we've got the culture of idolatry we've got the culture of Intolerance you will notice we've got the culture of intimidation You can see very quickly that Nebuchadnezzar was sure on one thing if people do not bow They will be intimidated until they do bow Beloved Saints there are things in our world and I will be I will be careful now with what I say I recognize this is being recorded and I'm very aware that this could reach people that may not agree with a biblical perspective But make no mistake about it now there are laws being passed Which go very clearly against the teaching of the scriptures and I'm going back to the early chapters of the book of Genesis and There are things now in the society in which we are living We are raising children and those first principles of Genesis 2 Adam and Eve have been completely set aside and you see if you don't agree with it now If we do not agree There will be intimidation brought until we bow and until we agree and here we have men And they wouldn't bow Quite a thing, isn't it? That this king he sets up the image and idolatry is prevalent and here we have intimidation brought And there are three men and these three men have such conviction in their hearts They will not bow before the golden image The prince's commandment the second thing that I'll speak about is the present circumstances I have already intimated this and I won't stay long with it, but trial is come mind you It's quite a thing When God allows various trials into the lives of his people I was thinking today about those people in scripture. Some of them were mentioned in the conference I was thinking about the man Job our brother Scott spoke about Job just yesterday I was thinking about Hannah and the awful trial that came across the pathway of dear Hannah You think of that dear lady and she'd no son That's a that's a very particular trial.

You say what do you mean by that? I mean spiritually There are dear Christians and they haven't seen their family saved and that is a tremendous trial Beloved Saints we need to pray for them. I was giving ministry It's a little while ago now, but it was a small assembly and I thought you know If I could just go across I keep it nameless because the dear sister I went to the small assembly and I spent the breaking of bread with them and I gave a little bit of ministry to try and Encourage knowing particularly I didn't know all the details obviously But I did know there was a sister there with a particular need and I gave ministry to try and encourage her when I was done I was standing at the back of the hall and that sister walked from the front and she walked right down to the back and She burst into floods of tears And I really didn't know what to say beloved Saints There are some times that you just don't have words and she looked at me and as those tears were flowing Right down that sister's face. You know what she said to me John She says one of the things that I've been enduring is this How is it that other Christians have seen their family saved and my boys are not saved They went to Sunday school They were brought to gospel meetings There was faithfulness in the home That dear Christian with a broken heart is now looking at me and again I tried to encourage her, you know beloved Saints.

This is a very particular trial and again I say that for those in that situation and we might not know all the details But whether it's a Hannah or whether it's a Joe or whether it's Elijah We mentioned Elijah you remember him Jezebel has sent Jezebel has sent that word and Elijah flees for his life and the dear man. It's almost depression I'm not sure if it was clinical depression But the dear man is now affected in a way never been affected before I tell you beloved Saints. These things are real And these things touch the lives of God's people and most of us if we are honest We are not exempt from these things.

And so here we are. What about Paul? I was thinking of dear Paul today 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 and there's a man and there's a door open in the gospel Oh, you say Paul a great door and effectual is open unto me And you know as the door is open Paul cannot stay in Troas because there was a trial that he was undergoing and even God's servant an Apostle like Paul was brought into such trying circumstances He had to leave ground where God was working and he had to make his way into Macedonia into Greece So that he could meet Titus and the trial was lifted. I tell you beloved Saints the present circumstances It wasn't just the fire Let's face that now.

It wasn't just the fire. You say what do you mean by that? Well, first of all these men at fears These men were not bulletproof. I Heard the edict of the king when the edict of the king was made There were certain choices that these men had to make and they knew they knew very well If we make these choices There will be consequences and I tell you beloved Saints the present circumstances in our lives And the present circumstances in their lives.

I want to come not now to the Prince's commandment and Not even the present circumstances. I want to speak for a moment about their personal convictions You say what do you mean by that their personal convictions? You see as I have mentioned Daniel isn't here And I'm very happy that Daniel is not here. So that's a strange thing to say it might be But I am so happy that Daniel is not in this chapter.

Do you know the reason why? Because it meant that the convictions of Shadrach are put on display It meant that the convictions of the rest of the other two the other two Hebrew children are also displayed I want to just speak for a moment to our hearts What about our convictions? You see these men could not live on the convictions of a Daniel They had to have convictions Established from God's Word in their own heart and in their own lives Now what I mean by that is this We cannot live now on the convictions of a former generation You say don't you value that former generation? Most definitely There's something about the convictions that a former generation had That and they held and I value it completely actually we just came from our brother Gary de Grout's house And I asked our brother Mike just earlier today. Would it be possible just for a few minutes just dropping in with our brother Gary I was thrilled to see him First conference I was ever here. Actually, I was telling him Murray and I were here for gospel and I will never forget the first conference.

I was ever here Gary and some of the other overseers sat right there But beloved Saints don't forget now we must and we need to establish convictions for ourselves I Cannot live on the convictions of my father. I dare not live on the convictions of my grandfather Beloved Saints tonight. We must establish from God's Word convictions for ourselves It was mrs. Hull on one occasion She said this to me and in one sense it encouraged me and in one sense it terrified me You know what she said she said John we can't pass our convictions on to our children She says they have got to establish Convictions for themselves, you know beloved Saints.

I look at Daniel 3 and I see real life conviction These men were so convicted that they would live for God that they would go through fire Now, let me challenge our hearts tonight. What about our convictions for living for God? You say there's some older Saints here, maybe I'll touch the older Saints first that tell me beloved Saints What about our convictions for living for God? There's some younger ones here Beloved you young man Could I tell you you will lose? Absolutely, nothing in life if you determine now to live for God In fact, I would encourage everyone here live for God No matter what it costs and there will be a cost There will be a dramatic cost if you walk into that schoolroom Where everyone else is watching pornography and you say no, I can't do that. I'm a Christian I live for God and when they take the name of Christ and blasphemy You can't do that because you live for God And when they do the other things that are so prevalent in our society You turn away from it and the reason for it is this God says in his word that that's sinful You live for God.

May I encourage our hearts tonight? Here are these men with deep and true and Real conviction and I say again in the circumstances that they were facing Beloved Saints their personal conviction Comes to the fore. What about the pressure to conform? My goodness the clock's flying here Maybe I shouldn't have given out that second hymn with those two verses Anyway the pressure to conform you say where did the pressure come from? Really? They just watch Because you might not get it from the context but what Nebuchadnezzar did was this he set up the statue And then he said all the nobility will gather together in front of the statue. That's what's going on And it's going to reach the rest of the kingdom Right through the kingdom when the music is sounded Everyone will bow but right in the plain of Jura he gathered together the nobility You can read the names the captains and he goes through the various strata of society Now it has been it has been suggested and I think it's most likely That what happened is this they would put the princes in the front rank Nebuchadnezzar is there of course And they put the princes in the front rank And then they would put the nobility in the second rank and then we've got the captains and you go through Every strata until all of the nobility is there and then the common people are gathered Nebuchadnezzar is watching and the statue is out in front and the music sounds and of course Nebuchadnezzar looks and the signal is given and the first rank bows And as they bow the second rank take their cue from the first and they bow And then the third rank take their cue as well and they bow and right through that great plain of Jura Everyone is submitting and everyone is bowing until everyone is bowed apart from three men That's the reality of what's going on here beloved saints the pressure to conform Will you say maybe they just should have bowed they couldn't bow They knew themselves they could not bow and worship that golden image and worship King Nebuchadnezzar They dare not bow Because they serve the Lord Christ and here they are standing when everyone else is against them In fact, there were likely some of their own peer group that were against them.

That's a difficult one when you've got to stand Against your own peer group. I tell you beloved saints. That's a difficult trial the pressure to conform and They would not bow Well, you say the public confession.

I'll come to this as quickly as possible Nebuchadnezzar calls the men and he says, you know you boys you will not bow now He says I'm going to throw you into a burning furnace of fire and the man actually publicly now confesses the reality of their God You read it for yourself You read those verses verses 16 or verse 17 publicly they identify with their God Let me ask our hearts now publicly. Do I identify with my God? My my youngest daughter. I hope my wife never hears this but um I've got two girls.

I Think my youngest daughter takes after my wife more than me and So we go to a restaurant and As we are sitting in the restaurant Alexia says this just when I'm about the food is about to come and I'm about to give thanks Alexia says now dad Keep your voice low, would you please? I'm telling family secrets when I say that so I say to her. I really should do what mr McCandless does then and stand up and give thanks here at the table. No, no, no dad.

No, no and yet all around us beloved Saints We have opportunities even in things like that Even in the giving of thanks for our food to witness With a public testimony and a public confession to the reality of our God I tell you here are these men and they were not afraid the King said He said you're going to go into the fire and the man say to the king He says to them. Do you really think that your God will be able to save you from the fire? And the man give testimony to their God. They say we will go into the fire and They say our God is able to preserve us from the fire and they say this to the king He may not choose to preserve us from the fire He might not do that.

The reality is we will still go into the fire Because we serve our God, you know beloved Saints. We serve the Lord Christ and the same challenge now is coming in our generation and it's sweeping in and we still of those Who are not saved that we are linked to tell me just at a practical note and I leave this in light of the time But tell me why did God put you where you are? You say I'm only a farmer. Sorry, please never say that only a farmer Never say that There are some young people here.

They're in a classroom at school There are some here. They're at university. One of the biggest lessons I ever learned in my life I'll tell because I don't think she's here tonight and please don't tell her Brother Murray McCandless and I were having a series of meetings in Cedar Falls And Jessica's Jessica sweeter came and she brought a girl with her and That girl in that series of meetings said to Murray and I I would like to speak to you man if it's possible and After one of those meetings, we pulled a few chairs together and sat down and she said I would like to be saved And Murray McCandless looked at her and he said tell me have you ever heard this message before and She looked across at a girl that was sitting right there I think Jessica was only in her teens then and she said Jessica has told me time and time again the story of the Lord Jesus You know beloved Saints It's not easy.

I understand. It's not easy Most of us are not bold Most of us are introverts. Most of us are quite shy But don't forget as the pressure to conform came there was the public confession We will go into the fire our God can deliver us.

He might choose not to deliver us We will go into the fire. I want you to think of the protecting care This is really where we come To the essence of the story, isn't it the protecting care of God the fourth man in the fire? Now, you know the story well They bind these men and they with those ropes I can see them turning the ropes and twisting the ropes around the three men Nebuchadnezzar gives the commandment heat the furnace Seven times more make it seven times hotter than it has ever been before and you take those men Throw them into the midst of the fire They take the man down and just as they're throwing them in Those who have them captive are Actually destroyed by the fire themselves and the men go in Nebuchadnezzar is watching it all and he's looking at it all and he's surveying it all And Nebuchadnezzar says to those around him. Didn't we didn't we throw three men into the fire? Didn't we put three men into the midst of that burning fiery furnace And they say yes.

Well, he says look look There's a fourth man in there and they are all unbound There's a fourth man in there and the form of the fourth is Like the Son of God. I tell you beloved Saints That's why I have entitled this the fourth man in the fire the form of the fourth Is like the Son of God now, I'm aware in the Aramaic language Most likely What the king was saying is this the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods most likely We look at it and we know very definitely who he was There is no disputing. Who was the fourth man in the fire? No disputing at all.

I will speak for a moment about Well The awful fire that they were facing You say what do you mean by that? Well, you think of the trial fiery trial. Do we ever get that again in the scriptures? Soon as I mentioned fiery trial, where are you going in your mind in the scriptures? You know, these men were in Babylon There was a man that wrote from Babylon one time. His name was Peter And when Peter wrote from Babylon Peter says the trial of your faith Though it be tried by fire Might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ Tried by fire.

I have no doubt in my mind that when Peter was in Babylon Peter was musing on Daniel 3 I have no doubt in my mind and he knew saints that were going through fiery trial I Love it Saints I'm sure there are some here and you know beloved ones and they are going through or have gone through fiery trial the fire of the trial The next thing I want you to notice with me in view of that clock the freedom of the trial You say that's a strange one. Ah, but think of it again Did you notice what Babylon gave them? Just stay with me in this now The thing that Babylon gave them was the thing that bound them Babylon put ropes around each one of those three men and Babylon twisted those ropes and Babylon bound them with the ropes until at last they're standing there bound Did you notice that when they went into the fire the very thing that Babylon gave them the Lord removed through the trials? The freedom in the trial mind you beloved Saints I know I know beloved ones and the Lord has allowed them. I'm thinking of a dear couple at home Dear beloved couple he was to share with me one night in the gospel and I got a call into my office I was sitting at my desk and I was trying to prep for the meeting that night and that dear man called me And he said John I Won't be able to do it tonight And he told me the reason why I don't want to tell you the reason why tonight, but I will tell you this He was leaving Bridgewater, Nova Scotia to make a trip But a three-hour trip and that was a long trip for that couple And yet As I'm standing here tonight the Lord preserved that couple Because I'm going to mention them or I am mentioning them that likely will make them attack of the evil one But the Lord has used those circumstances in their life Now there's Christian maturity coming in their life in a way that perhaps is not in my life the freedom in the trial I Want to speak for a moment not only of the fire of the trial and the freedom of the trial I want to speak to our hearts about the friend in the trial.

Oh One of the things that these men would never forget Daniel never got this Daniel got it in a different way in the den of lions But you see these men they would never forget a day Into the fire they went and when they were in the fire walking around in the fire There was a man that was walking with them. I walk a little bit up here But there was a man that was walking with him walking in the midst of the fire The form of the Son of God our brother Scott he doesn't know this but I was having meetings on one occasion in Prince Edward Island and Going out of those meetings one night his father Pushed a little thing into my hand just a little note He said read that when you get home And when I got back to the place where I was staying there was a little note I still have it written by Doug McLeod from Charlottetown Prince Edward Island and he said They walked with God in the king's palace Daniel chapter 1 and they were faithful and as a result The Lord walked with them in the king's fire the friend in the trial And you say is that it what about the finality of the trial because eventually the trial came to a conclusion And you say what was the conclusion of the trial? They were brought out of the fire When they were brought out of the fire The very smell of smoke Couldn't be it couldn't be smelt on their persons. You say that's remarkable.

Oh, it is remarkable beloved Saints No trace of smoke on the very person the finality of the trial you read for yourself I think it's 1st Corinthians chapter 10 and it says about trial And about what comes into the lives of Christians and it says this He will with the trial also Make the way of escape Do you know what that means? That God knows the parameters of every trial God knows it ahead of time He has established the parameters of every trial He allows the trial but what Paul is telling us is this he already has the way of escape Before he brings Christians in you know beloved Saints That should encourage our hearts tonight The finality of the trial and here the protecting care of God He did not protect them He did not preserve them from going into the trial He protected them And he brought them through I'll speak. I was going to speak about the particular consecration in the trial Actually Nebuchadnezzar himself says He says these men They have yielded their bodies for a heathen King to say that I mean the Lord says it himself Romans chapter 12 the Lord says it. He says present your bodies a living sacrifice Holy acceptable unto God.

He says it's your reasonable service You know beloved Saints what Paul was telling us is this I yielded mind it leads to one thing a dedicated body a Yielded mind leads to a presented body and here are these men and they yielded their minds They dedicated their bodies and his particular consecration I gotta leave that because I want to try it for some time the last thing I'll mention is this the promotion conferred After the trial see the last verse of the text it says then the king promoted Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon There was something that was conferred upon them after the trial Make no mistake now. There's promotion coming You say are we going to be elevated in the government of this world? Yes Did you think I would I hope you didn't think I was gonna say no there. Come on now No, he not That the Saints shall judge the world There is no doubt about it whatsoever that God is going to elevate us but before that There is a promotion to glory There is something that will take place and it will take place very soon the promotion here that was conferred Nebuchadnezzar brings them out Nebuchadnezzar lifts them up.

You know what Paul says our light affliction Which is but for a moment It worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And there is going to be promotion and is going to be conferred and the Lord is going to elevate Saints into eternal glory Bring them forward to the judgment seat of Christ. I'm a little reticent myself. I'll be honest with you The judgment seat of Christ.

I've heard men speak about it. I Would almost shudder to speak about the judgment seat the way that they spoke on it. I'll be a little reticent to go forward There's dear Saints and I'm almost looking forward to see them going forward Because I know when they leave There's going to be a resplendence of glory that has been unlike anything I've seen before Jim Elliott got it, right, didn't he? Jim Elliott said He is no fool Who gives up what he cannot keep To gain what he cannot lose as I speak tonight beloved Saints.

This has been on my mind all day The fourth man in the fire Quite a thing for them. You know what the hymn writer said They held on to the will of God So we are told They would not bow the knee to the idol made of gold They were protected by the fourth man in the fire They would not bend They would not bow They would not burn May God help us tonight that we take encouragement you say that's quite the passage from the Old Testament to read Yes, it is beloved Saints the fourth man in the fire. He walked with them He still walks with us Lo I am with you all the days May the Lord bless the ministry tonight For his own glory, let's pray Father we bow our hearts just now We express our thanks to thee again for this wonderful person.

We think of what Nebuchadnezzar could say he called him an angel Father we believe in a very special way. He was much more than that. We thank thee for one of those Christological appearances in the Old Testament prior to Incarnation and we think of that lovely man that was found there in the furnace Those men must have conferred and they must have spoken after those days About the man that walked and about the way he walked How he spoke and how he was with them in the fire be with thy beloved people here We pray for the assembly and stout we think of the assembly in Cedar Falls We think of various assemblies around us Oh God Remember us in these days days in which things are against thy people Culture around us is against the things of God and yet we bless thee again We have the remarkable stay of thy word and we have our God and we have our Christ take our thanks Then bless us as we travel home in the Savior's name Amen Number 19, please.

Let's sing number 19 Again sincere. Thanks to all who have come blessed Lord our souls are longing They are risen head to see and the cloudless morning Dawning when thy Saints shall gathered be grace and glory all our wellsprings Are in thee as we sing our hearts grow lighter. We are children of the day sorrow makes our hope the brighter faith Regards not the delay.

So sure the promise we shall meet thee On the way, let's sing just the first and the last verses of number 19 and our meetings over