Sermon Title: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego overcame the power of Babylon Empire by faith
In the main passage given to us today, through the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Avenego, who were captives in Babylon, we must understand once again what the true faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ our God. By keeping true faith, they had glorious meeting with the Son of God, and overcame the power of Babylon Empire ruling the whole world at that time. Even today, those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ can overcome the world, and also have chance to see the Lord while living in the world.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were the saints who loved God with all their hearts. They did not worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had set up to keep God’s commandments. They did not worship the golden image even knowing to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Because they believed and trusted only the LORD God, who is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, they decided to be faithful by faith unto death.
In the words between Nebuchadnezzar and them, we find their faith unto death:
Nowadays so called Christians confess of Jesus Christ as the Saviour delivering them from sin and death as well as all kinds of temptations. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also believed in the God as the Saviour saving from all kind of temptations. God allows various temptation for them who are professing to believe on Jesus Christ for them to examine themselves if they are truly trusting in God. Through the temptation allowed by God, they are blessed to see the Saviour delivering them from the temptation.
God saw the faith of these three men and allowed a great temptation before them. They believed in God even though he would not save them from the fiery furnace. But God not only rescued them from the fire, but he personally met with them in the fire even before Christ, the Son of God, appeared to the world. The Bible testifies of this wonderful scene:
At this time King Nebuchadnezzar said, ” Shadrach, Meshach, andAbednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. ”.” So when they came out of the fire, the fire did not exert any strength on their bodies, and not one of their hairs was scorched. It was not scorched, their clothes did not change, and they did not even smell of burning.
We can find a very important fact. Nebuchadnezzar called these three men “servants of the Most High God.” Nebuchadnezzar, who neither knew nor believed in God serving his own gods acknowledged them as servants of God. Who can be called as the servant of God? He is the one that obey God without any condition wherever he leads him to any situation good or bad.. When the Apostle Paul introduced himself to the church as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He confessed saying, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.“(2Cor. 12:10)
Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and accepts Him as the Lord and the Saviour must acknowledge Himself as a servant of Christ and live a life that rejoices only in Him, whether they live or die, trusting Him in all kinds of trials and tribulations. The millions of Jews who were marching through the wilderness out of Egypt were not able to enter the land of Canaan because of their unbelief. Because they did not have faith as the servants of God, they constantly complained, and all died in the wilderness but two people, Joshua and Caleb.
Finally, Nebuquetnezzar, king of Babylon, proclaimed to the people and nations living in all the earth the wonderful miracles performed by the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego:
Although King Nebuchadnezzar saw the signs that God had done, he exalted God and issued a decree, but he still served his own gods. Likewise, nowadays Christians are exalting , praising,
and worshiping God the Creator, but not truly serving the Lord Jesus Christ, and still serving other gods without realizing it. Even though they profess to be the servants of Christ, in reality most of them are living as the servants of money, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
In the last days, most churches have joined with WCC, WEA and NCC denying Jesus as only the Christ claiming all other religions can give salvation of life. A Korean pastor who is the member of WCC said, “I believe in Jesus also.” , If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had asked the king of Babylon, “If you worship other gods, God will judge you“, he would have said “I also believe in the God you believe in.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are as a type of the remnant of the Jews who keep the faith until the end when the Antichrist uses the false prophet Babylon the Great to make his image and make the mark of the beast during the great tribulation:
The Jews, the Gentiles, and unregenerate religious people who are left behind on the earth because they not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ shall miss the opportunity to be saved if they do not pass this final temptation. Now is the time to repent as sinners and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be born again of the Holy Spirit to become complete servants of Christ. Now is the time to examine ourselves whether we are serving other gods of the world.
It is necessary to deeply engrave the words of the Apostle Paul and the Apostle James: