Music... 00:00:01.36\00:00:26.19 Hello once again and welcome to Daniel All Access. 00:00:26.22\00:00:31.96 In this particular sitting together, 00:00:31.99\00:00:35.73 we look at Daniel chapter 3. 00:00:35.76\00:00:37.47 The title we have called: Chutzpah 00:00:37.50\00:00:39.93 and we'll explain what Chutzpah is. 00:00:39.97\00:00:43.84 If you're from New York City 00:00:43.87\00:00:45.21 or if you happen to be an Ashkenazi Jew 00:00:45.24\00:00:48.44 or a place that is populated by people of Jewish faith, 00:00:48.48\00:00:52.08 you know what a Chutzpah is. 00:00:52.11\00:00:53.45 It is a very common word 00:00:53.48\00:00:56.89 in Yiddish language 00:00:56.92\00:00:58.85 and it has filtered into our English language, 00:00:58.89\00:01:01.69 we look at Daniel chapter 3 today 00:01:01.72\00:01:04.33 and I think we're beginning to see 00:01:04.36\00:01:06.90 that there is a lot in the book of Daniel 00:01:06.93\00:01:09.83 that rides just below the surface there... 00:01:09.86\00:01:11.47 there's the obvious prophetic plain 00:01:11.53\00:01:14.44 on which the book is written 00:01:14.47\00:01:15.84 but once you begin to dig, there is a lot in Daniel 00:01:15.87\00:01:18.94 and it has a lot to say to us today. 00:01:18.97\00:01:20.78 So, we welcome you once again to Daniel All Access... 00:01:20.81\00:01:23.58 we will have prayer 00:01:23.65\00:01:24.98 and then let us launch out into Chutzpah... Daniel chapter 3. 00:01:25.01\00:01:29.38 "Father God, again we praise you 00:01:29.42\00:01:32.42 and thank you for your goodness, your grace... 00:01:32.45\00:01:37.26 we thank you for the Word which is a lamp unto our feet, 00:01:37.29\00:01:40.86 a light unto our path. 00:01:40.90\00:01:42.26 We are thankful Lord for Jesus, Savior and friend... 00:01:42.30\00:01:45.93 and we're thankful for the prophetic waymarks 00:01:45.97\00:01:49.90 that let us know and give us assurance 00:01:49.94\00:01:52.74 that God has been... is now... 00:01:52.77\00:01:55.44 will always be with His people... 00:01:55.51\00:01:58.15 and that we need not fear 00:01:58.18\00:02:00.32 for the way has been clearly delineated... 00:02:00.35\00:02:03.89 it has been marked out... 00:02:03.92\00:02:05.52 and we need but to walk in that way 00:02:05.55\00:02:08.69 for that is the way that leads to glory 00:02:08.72\00:02:11.79 and we thank you dear Father, in Jesus' name, amen. " 00:02:11.83\00:02:14.90 Audience: Amen. 00:02:14.93\00:02:17.13 Want to begin this afternoon... 00:02:17.17\00:02:19.10 this presentation with a side bar 00:02:19.13\00:02:21.00 that has bearing on what we will be talking about shortly, 00:02:21.07\00:02:26.84 this is a quote from Ellen White, 00:02:26.88\00:02:31.71 she says, "Are there those here 00:02:31.75\00:02:35.62 who have been sinning and repenting 00:02:35.65\00:02:39.52 sinning and repenting 00:02:39.55\00:02:42.19 and they continue to do so till Christ shall come. " 00:02:42.22\00:02:47.96 She talks about sinning and repenting 00:02:48.00\00:02:51.47 and sinning and repenting 00:02:51.50\00:02:53.77 and she says, "Our lives ought not be 00:02:53.80\00:02:57.81 an endless round of sinning and repenting... 00:02:57.84\00:03:02.48 sinning and repenting. " 00:03:02.54\00:03:05.11 I had a friend who... 00:03:05.15\00:03:07.68 bless his heart, we grew up together 00:03:07.72\00:03:09.72 but he spent a lot of time in prison 00:03:09.75\00:03:11.42 and every time he went to jail, he got converted 00:03:11.45\00:03:14.72 and when he got out of jail he forgot about the Lord 00:03:14.76\00:03:17.96 sinning and repenting... sinning and repenting 00:03:17.99\00:03:22.76 and that does bear on our presentation this afternoon 00:03:22.80\00:03:26.74 and you will see "sinning and repenting" 00:03:26.80\00:03:30.01 in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. 00:03:30.04\00:03:33.88 Ellen White lets us know that sinning and repenting 00:03:33.91\00:03:37.81 denies victory in Jesus Christ, 00:03:37.85\00:03:40.72 you know, sooner or later 00:03:40.75\00:03:42.12 God's people have to be overcomers, amen. 00:03:42.15\00:03:45.59 You've got to overcome, 00:03:45.65\00:03:47.26 you can't sin and repent and sin and repent 00:03:47.32\00:03:49.42 and sin and repent... and sin and repent. 00:03:49.46\00:03:51.59 I remember as children, we would do something 00:03:51.63\00:03:53.73 and we would sin as it were... 00:03:53.76\00:03:56.26 and it was fairly easy for us to... to repent... 00:03:56.30\00:04:00.34 we just watched my dad and my dad would do this, 00:04:00.37\00:04:04.34 and we would repent... 00:04:04.37\00:04:07.44 Audience: Laughter... 00:04:07.48\00:04:10.48 we'd repent... it was fairly easy to get us to repent 00:04:10.51\00:04:13.15 the moment that belt came off... we repented. 00:04:13.18\00:04:15.82 It didn't keep us from sinning again, 00:04:15.85\00:04:18.65 but we repented at... at that moment 00:04:18.72\00:04:21.46 and so, Ellen White says our lives ought not to be 00:04:21.49\00:04:23.53 this endless round of sinning and repenting, 00:04:23.56\00:04:25.13 sinning and repenting, sinning and repenting... 00:04:25.16\00:04:26.70 because it denies the victorious life. 00:04:26.73\00:04:29.80 Christians ought to have victory in Jesus. 00:04:29.83\00:04:33.00 Sooner or later, we have got to be overcomers 00:04:33.03\00:04:36.20 and that overcoming is promised in Scripture. 00:04:36.24\00:04:39.37 So, notice the statement of Nebuchadnezzar, 00:04:39.41\00:04:41.98 we ended with this in our last sitting... 00:04:42.01\00:04:46.21 Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 2 verse 7... 00:04:46.25\00:04:50.42 Daniel chapter 2, verse... rather... 47... forgive me... 00:04:50.45\00:04:53.69 Daniel 2:47 here's what it says, 00:04:53.72\00:04:57.99 "... truly your God is a God of gods, 00:04:58.03\00:05:01.10 the Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets... 00:05:01.13\00:05:06.33 truly your God is a God of gods... Lord of Lords... 00:05:06.37\00:05:11.67 revealer of secrets" 00:05:11.71\00:05:15.01 that sounds like a statement that's coming from somebody 00:05:15.04\00:05:22.62 whose heart has been touched, amen. 00:05:22.65\00:05:25.45 Yeah, he's seeing what God has done. 00:05:25.49\00:05:28.16 He's seeing how God can take control of situations 00:05:28.19\00:05:32.63 and so, for a while... Nebuchadnezzar is... 00:05:32.66\00:05:38.57 I don't want to say, "converted" 00:05:38.60\00:05:41.97 I would say, "convicted" 00:05:42.00\00:05:43.84 he's convicted 00:05:43.91\00:05:46.24 he's convicted that he is in the presence of a people 00:05:46.27\00:05:50.21 who serve a God who can get stuff done, 00:05:50.25\00:05:55.15 who can do things... 00:05:55.18\00:05:57.39 who is a God of power and a God of might 00:05:57.42\00:06:01.96 and we will come to deal with this on two more occasions, 00:06:01.99\00:06:06.29 there are two more very distinct times 00:06:06.33\00:06:08.23 when Nebuchadnezzar makes a statement 00:06:08.26\00:06:10.17 just like that 00:06:10.20\00:06:11.53 but he is guilty of sinning and repenting, 00:06:11.57\00:06:14.17 sinning and repenting. 00:06:14.20\00:06:15.97 The truth is, it is far too easy for us to lose our way sometimes 00:06:16.00\00:06:22.14 even after we have been convicted... of what is right. 00:06:22.18\00:06:28.42 So, the king for a time walks in the impression 00:06:28.45\00:06:31.59 made upon him by the dream. 00:06:31.62\00:06:33.36 Daniel tells him the dream... he is impressed with the dream 00:06:33.39\00:06:37.23 and... you know... how many have ever gone to church 00:06:37.26\00:06:40.90 and you... you... you come away from your experience at church 00:06:40.93\00:06:43.47 and you say to yourself, "You know what? 00:06:43.50\00:06:45.33 I will never, ever sin again. " 00:06:45.37\00:06:48.37 Audience: Laughter. 00:06:48.40\00:06:50.87 And when you say it... you mean it, amen. 00:06:50.91\00:06:54.94 you do... 00:06:54.98\00:06:56.31 but the devil knows 00:06:56.34\00:06:58.25 even as those words are coming out of your mouth, 00:06:58.28\00:07:00.45 you can't keep that... 00:07:00.48\00:07:02.28 and neither... neither... and the Lord knows that too 00:07:02.32\00:07:05.89 which is why the Bible says that if we sin... 00:07:05.95\00:07:08.36 we have an advocate with the Father 00:07:08.39\00:07:10.66 because, you know, sometimes we fall 00:07:10.69\00:07:12.66 so when Nebuchadnezzar made that statement, 00:07:12.69\00:07:15.50 he was impressed with what God was doing. 00:07:15.53\00:07:18.33 He was impressed with the power of God. 00:07:18.37\00:07:22.07 He had a "head knowledge" of the Lord, 00:07:22.10\00:07:25.77 but it was not buttressed 00:07:25.84\00:07:28.48 by a "heart knowledge" of the Lord. 00:07:28.54\00:07:32.05 I've heard sermons in church 00:07:32.08\00:07:34.85 where the pastors preached and I felt so bad... 00:07:34.88\00:07:38.45 and I said, "Lord, will I ever make the grade... 00:07:38.49\00:07:41.72 will I ever be right... will I ever make it?" 00:07:41.76\00:07:44.36 And I... and I said... and I've said to myself, 00:07:44.39\00:07:46.93 "Lord, I'm going to do better" 00:07:47.00\00:07:49.16 and for a while, I do better, amen. 00:07:49.20\00:07:55.20 Audience: Amen. 00:07:55.24\00:07:57.24 And then you find yourself slipping back... 00:07:57.27\00:07:59.27 doesn't mean you don't want to do better, 00:07:59.31\00:08:01.24 it simply means that... 00:08:01.28\00:08:03.08 it simply means that when you say, 00:08:03.11\00:08:06.25 "I have decided to follow Jesus" 00:08:06.28\00:08:09.38 you know what Satan says? 00:08:09.42\00:08:11.62 "I have determined you're not gonna follow Jesus" 00:08:11.65\00:08:16.56 Audience: That's right. 00:08:16.59\00:08:18.06 Amen... yeah... you... you... you come in strong... 00:08:18.09\00:08:21.13 you believe it and you mean it 00:08:21.16\00:08:22.50 but there's an adversary called the "Devil" 00:08:22.53\00:08:25.43 who goes about as a roaring lion 00:08:25.47\00:08:28.80 who is just as determined as you are... 00:08:28.84\00:08:31.71 in fact, he's more determined than you are, 00:08:31.74\00:08:34.54 because he knows his time is short... 00:08:34.61\00:08:37.98 so the battle begins and you know the truth is this, 00:08:38.01\00:08:41.38 the greatest battle you will ever fight 00:08:41.42\00:08:44.25 is against the person sitting next to you. 00:08:44.29\00:08:47.06 Audience: No... no... 00:08:47.09\00:08:49.72 Hmmm... hmmm... the greatest battle you will ever fight 00:08:49.76\00:08:53.50 is the person that you look at every morning in the mirror 00:08:53.53\00:08:57.17 when you brush your teeth. 00:08:57.20\00:08:58.53 Audience: Yes. 00:08:58.57\00:08:59.90 Murray: Amen... Audience: Amen. 00:08:59.93\00:09:01.27 The hardest battles... the greatest battles... 00:09:01.30\00:09:02.64 the most consistent... persistent... incessant battles 00:09:02.67\00:09:05.24 you will fight are against yourself. 00:09:05.27\00:09:07.14 Pause... 00:09:07.18\00:09:09.01 And the battle begins the day you determine 00:09:09.04\00:09:11.25 to give your life to the Lord. 00:09:11.28\00:09:13.21 So, the moment you say, "I've decided... " 00:09:13.25\00:09:15.78 Satan says, "Yeah" too "I've decided" 00:09:15.82\00:09:18.29 and as they used to say in the streets of New York, 00:09:18.32\00:09:21.32 "It's on now... " 00:09:21.36\00:09:22.69 because you got to fight. 00:09:22.72\00:09:24.06 So, we see that Daniel 00:09:24.09\00:09:29.20 had said to Nebuchadnezzar 00:09:29.23\00:09:34.27 and given praise to God and the impression of that dream 00:09:34.30\00:09:41.11 really stuck in his mind 00:09:41.14\00:09:44.28 but through all of that interpretation, 00:09:44.31\00:09:49.38 the one thing that stood out in Nebuchadnezzar's mind 00:09:49.42\00:09:54.42 was the one sentence, "Thou art this head of gold... " 00:09:54.46\00:09:58.59 Daniel said a lot to him, he talked about kingdoms 00:09:58.63\00:10:02.73 and kingdoms and kingdoms going up 00:10:02.76\00:10:05.10 and kingdoms coming down 00:10:05.13\00:10:06.47 but the thing that stuck in his head... 00:10:06.50\00:10:08.30 the thing that touched his heart... 00:10:08.34\00:10:10.37 "I'm that head of gold... 00:10:10.41\00:10:12.67 and me... I'm the golden boy" 00:10:12.71\00:10:16.18 And Ellen White says, "for a while, he was convicted" 00:10:16.21\00:10:19.18 but that... that, "thou art this head of gold... " 00:10:19.21\00:10:22.15 stayed with him and stayed with him 00:10:22.18\00:10:23.75 he heard all of God's words but what he bit down on 00:10:23.79\00:10:28.22 was "thou art this head of gold" 00:10:28.26\00:10:29.82 that statement made a deep impression on his mind. 00:10:29.86\00:10:34.20 You see this... this is a man... 00:10:34.23\00:10:37.30 who's already got ego issues, 00:10:37.33\00:10:40.37 he's a proud man... 00:10:40.40\00:10:42.00 he's got issues with ego, he thinks a lot of himself 00:10:42.07\00:10:46.17 he has unlimited power... unlimited authority... 00:10:46.21\00:10:50.28 and it's a dangerous combination. 00:10:50.31\00:10:52.51 When you got a person in control of a kingdom 00:10:52.58\00:10:55.55 who's not in control of himself, 00:10:55.58\00:10:58.05 you know who else that was said about, by-the-way, 00:10:58.09\00:11:00.56 Saul... as the first king of Israel... 00:11:00.59\00:11:03.73 Ellen White tells us about Saul... 00:11:03.76\00:11:06.73 never had self-control... 00:11:06.80\00:11:08.66 and never knew the influence of the Holy Spirit... 00:11:08.70\00:11:12.67 never was surrendered to God 00:11:12.70\00:11:14.80 so now, you have a person who cannot control himself 00:11:14.84\00:11:18.21 let's make him in control of the kingdom... 00:11:18.24\00:11:21.78 bad combination... 00:11:21.81\00:11:23.35 Nebuchadnezzar is the same kind of guy. 00:11:23.38\00:11:25.05 Can't control himself... can't control his passions... 00:11:25.08\00:11:27.88 but he's in control of a whole kingdom... 00:11:27.92\00:11:31.52 pause 00:11:31.55\00:11:33.22 and bless his heart Babylon was doing well. 00:11:33.25\00:11:38.99 It was prosperous, it was rich, 00:11:39.03\00:11:44.23 it was secure and it was doing quite well 00:11:44.27\00:11:51.34 and Nebuchadnezzar... in the wake of this prosperity, 00:11:51.37\00:11:55.58 we're told in "Prophets and Kings" 00:11:55.61\00:11:57.55 began to slowly slip back into idolatry. 00:11:57.58\00:12:02.65 Pause. 00:12:02.68\00:12:04.69 Let me ask you a question. 00:12:04.72\00:12:06.86 Which do you think is the better teacher? 00:12:06.89\00:12:10.59 Success or failure? 00:12:10.63\00:12:13.03 Audience: Failure. 00:12:13.06\00:12:15.40 Which is the better teacher? 00:12:15.43\00:12:16.87 Audience: Failure. 00:12:16.90\00:12:18.70 Always failure... 00:12:18.73\00:12:20.44 yeah, you learn lessons stubbing your toe 00:12:20.47\00:12:24.47 that you would not learn if you didn't stub your toe. 00:12:24.51\00:12:27.81 Failure is the better teacher. 00:12:27.84\00:12:30.75 Sadly, it is that way 00:12:30.78\00:12:32.71 and so, Nebuchadnezzar was having great success 00:12:32.75\00:12:37.19 and as soon as things started going well, 00:12:37.22\00:12:41.36 he forgot about the dream... country's going good... 00:12:41.39\00:12:45.26 "I'm doing well in my palace, everything is well... " 00:12:45.29\00:12:49.10 he begins to step back away from God 00:12:49.13\00:12:53.60 and he begins to return to his former idolatrous life. 00:12:53.64\00:12:59.61 Pause. 00:12:59.67\00:13:01.41 This is in "Prophets and Kings" page 504. 00:13:01.44\00:13:05.21 "The wise men of his realm, taking advantage of this... " 00:13:05.25\00:13:10.95 that's his easing away from God... 00:13:10.99\00:13:13.12 "and of his return to idolatry proposed that he make an image 00:13:13.15\00:13:18.39 similar to the one seen in the dream... " 00:13:18.46\00:13:21.50 that's why I say, "You've got to listen to you take... 00:13:21.53\00:13:23.53 who you take your counsel from" 00:13:23.57\00:13:25.23 amen... can't listen to everybody. 00:13:25.27\00:13:26.90 So, they suggested that to him but he didn't fight it 00:13:26.94\00:13:32.27 "and set it up where all might behold the head of gold 00:13:32.31\00:13:38.41 which had been interpreted as representing his kingdom. " 00:13:38.45\00:13:44.52 So the idea came to him, "Hey man, you're the king, 00:13:44.55\00:13:48.86 why don't you make an image entirely of gold 00:13:48.89\00:13:55.56 and... and that will... that will be impressive" 00:13:55.60\00:14:02.24 and when you already have ego problems, 00:14:02.27\00:14:06.27 and somebody flatters you like that, 00:14:06.31\00:14:10.05 you're going to bite on that. 00:14:10.08\00:14:12.55 You know, Ellen White isn't buying this, 00:14:12.58\00:14:14.52 she says, "We should never be too... too flattering... 00:14:14.55\00:14:17.69 of any pastor no matter how good his sermon is 00:14:17.72\00:14:22.02 because you put him in danger. " 00:14:22.06\00:14:23.59 Now, if you're impressed by a sermon, 00:14:23.63\00:14:27.30 tell him, "the sermon impressed me... not you" 00:14:27.33\00:14:33.20 Audience: Amen... Murray: Amen... 00:14:33.23\00:14:35.94 "I was moved by the message... 00:14:35.97\00:14:39.31 I wasn't moved by you... " 00:14:39.37\00:14:40.78 amen... 00:14:40.84\00:14:42.74 "I was moved by the message" 00:14:42.78\00:14:44.88 because first of all, people don't move people. 00:14:44.91\00:14:47.85 Pause. 00:14:47.88\00:14:49.58 It is the Spirit that quickeneth" 00:14:49.62\00:14:52.42 flesh prophets... 00:14:52.45\00:14:53.79 so, if you're moved by the sermon, 00:14:53.82\00:14:55.46 tell him, "I'm moved by the sermon" 00:14:55.49\00:14:57.53 but keep the personality out of it 00:14:57.56\00:14:59.53 because some people would develop a taste for that, 00:14:59.56\00:15:03.16 it's like sugar... all you want is sugar 00:15:03.20\00:15:06.70 then you start doing things to get more sugar. 00:15:06.74\00:15:09.70 So, praise the Lord, not the person... amen. 00:15:09.77\00:15:12.21 Audience: Amen. 00:15:12.24\00:15:13.58 So, they're praising Nebuchadnezzar 00:15:13.61\00:15:15.38 and since he doesn't know any better, 00:15:15.41\00:15:17.11 he's going for it... 00:15:17.15\00:15:18.48 he's ruling the nation... 00:15:18.51\00:15:19.85 "Why shouldn't the kingdom last forever? 00:15:19.88\00:15:22.65 We're rich... 00:15:22.68\00:15:24.39 we got a wall so big and so high nobody can get through it, 00:15:24.45\00:15:27.86 maybe we will last forever. " 00:15:27.89\00:15:31.56 Prophets and Kings, page 505, 00:15:31.59\00:15:34.56 "The symbolic representation 00:15:34.60\00:15:38.03 by which God had revealed to king and people 00:15:38.07\00:15:41.50 His purpose for the nations of the earth 00:15:41.57\00:15:44.97 was now to be made to serve 00:15:45.01\00:15:47.61 for the glorification of human power. " 00:15:47.64\00:15:49.84 See, that's when you get into trouble. 00:15:49.88\00:15:51.95 When you stand in the way of what God is trying to do. 00:15:52.01\00:15:56.79 God was trying to save Nebuchadnezzar 00:15:56.82\00:15:59.59 but God was also trying to bring a message 00:15:59.62\00:16:02.36 to that kingdom... to that empire... 00:16:02.39\00:16:05.59 and to the world. 00:16:05.63\00:16:07.03 So, Nebuchadnezzar now 00:16:07.06\00:16:10.03 is standing between God and His purpose 00:16:10.07\00:16:14.20 for the people He loves... 00:16:14.24\00:16:15.80 bad position to be in. 00:16:15.84\00:16:17.37 That's like standing in the middle of traffic 00:16:17.41\00:16:19.51 on I-57 you don't want to be there 00:16:19.54\00:16:22.71 so, Nebuchadnezzar is taking something that God has ordained 00:16:22.74\00:16:28.68 for His purpose and turning the glory to Himself 00:16:28.72\00:16:33.39 bad position to be in 00:16:33.42\00:16:35.96 some place you don't want to be 00:16:35.99\00:16:37.99 and something you don't want to do. 00:16:38.03\00:16:42.70 Just so, we're connecting the dots... 00:16:42.73\00:16:46.00 let's look at a couple of things. 00:16:46.03\00:16:49.24 The sin of Nebuchadnezzar at this point 00:16:49.27\00:16:54.04 lay not even so much in his sliding back to his old ways 00:16:54.08\00:17:00.32 the sin lay in the presumption 00:17:00.35\00:17:04.19 that he could alter the will and way and work of God. 00:17:04.25\00:17:10.13 Pause. 00:17:10.16\00:17:11.49 See that's the message for us today 00:17:11.53\00:17:13.03 what we talked about this morning... 00:17:13.09\00:17:14.70 all of that inbreeding... 00:17:14.73\00:17:16.06 the sin was... they thought they could alter 00:17:16.10\00:17:20.87 the will... the way... the work of God. 00:17:20.94\00:17:23.84 You can't change the will of God, 00:17:23.87\00:17:27.04 you can't change the way of God, 00:17:27.08\00:17:30.01 nor can you change the work of God, 00:17:30.05\00:17:32.95 you got to cooperate with God 00:17:32.98\00:17:34.88 and we'll see this again in Daniel chapter 7, 00:17:34.92\00:17:37.32 we'll see it again in Daniel chapter 9. 00:17:37.35\00:17:40.06 Man can only cooperate with God. 00:17:40.12\00:17:45.19 So, God put a symbol there, 00:17:45.23\00:17:47.96 90-foot man 00:17:48.00\00:17:51.23 Nebuchadnezzar says, "Let's make it all gold... 00:17:51.27\00:17:56.64 because I want my kingdom to last forever. " 00:17:56.67\00:18:02.01 Pause. 00:18:02.04\00:18:03.95 "The symbol designed of heaven to unfold to the minds of man... 00:18:03.98\00:18:12.35 of men... rather... 00:18:12.39\00:18:14.72 important events of the future was to be used 00:18:14.76\00:18:19.93 to hinder the spread of the knowledge of God... 00:18:19.96\00:18:25.13 the knowledge that God desired the world to receive... " 00:18:25.17\00:18:29.57 So, God's got one purpose... the devil's got another... 00:18:29.60\00:18:34.04 and Nebuchadnezzar is moving towards the devil. 00:18:34.08\00:18:37.21 "The enemy of mankind knew that truth unmixed with error 00:18:37.25\00:18:43.28 is a mighty power to save, amen. " 00:18:43.32\00:18:45.92 Audience: Amen. 00:18:45.95\00:18:47.29 Pure truth... that's why when you... 00:18:47.32\00:18:48.72 when you join a church... 00:18:48.76\00:18:50.09 if you're going to give your life to a religious community, 00:18:50.13\00:18:52.59 make sure they're teaching the truth... 00:18:52.63\00:18:54.80 the whole truth... and nothing but the truth. 00:18:54.83\00:18:57.73 That's the only reason that you join a church. 00:18:57.77\00:19:00.57 That's the only reason that you give your life and your work 00:19:00.60\00:19:03.17 to any religious community 00:19:03.20\00:19:04.54 because it's... it's telling you the truth 00:19:04.57\00:19:06.61 and giving you a way to Jesus Christ. 00:19:06.64\00:19:09.21 You don't join because the preacher is good looking 00:19:09.24\00:19:12.31 or handsome or speaks well, 00:19:12.35\00:19:13.68 you don't join because there's 30,000 people in there 00:19:13.72\00:19:16.05 every weekend 00:19:16.08\00:19:17.42 you don't join because they got good music 00:19:17.45\00:19:19.35 and they got a good choir, 00:19:19.39\00:19:20.72 you don't join because you like what's going on, 00:19:20.76\00:19:24.89 you join because truth is being taught, amen. 00:19:24.93\00:19:28.86 Audience: Amen. 00:19:28.90\00:19:30.63 And if truth is not being taught in your church, 00:19:30.67\00:19:35.40 then you got to go find one where truth is being taught 00:19:35.44\00:19:38.64 because if truth is not being taught, 00:19:38.67\00:19:41.18 it can't help you in this life, 00:19:41.21\00:19:42.84 and it surely can't show you the way to heaven. 00:19:42.88\00:19:44.91 Amen. 00:19:44.95\00:19:46.28 Truth unmixed with error is a powerful tool 00:19:46.31\00:19:50.09 but once you slip a little error in... 00:19:50.12\00:19:52.95 then you got a tool for the enemy 00:19:52.99\00:19:56.46 so, let me say again, 00:19:56.49\00:19:57.86 "The enemy of mankind knew that truth unmixed with error 00:19:57.89\00:20:02.56 is a mighty power to save but when used to exalt self... 00:20:02.60\00:20:07.74 when used to exalt self... 00:20:07.77\00:20:10.91 and to further the projects of men 00:20:10.94\00:20:14.94 it becomes a power for evil. " 00:20:14.98\00:20:18.81 And that is what Nebuchadnezzar was doing. 00:20:18.85\00:20:24.82 He was turning the truth of God into a lie 00:20:24.85\00:20:30.83 through personal exaltation. 00:20:30.86\00:20:34.60 Pause. 00:20:34.63\00:20:38.43 I need to say this... 00:20:38.47\00:20:39.90 pause 00:20:39.93\00:20:44.44 everybody who speaks frankly to you, 00:20:44.47\00:20:50.58 and who tells you that the sun does not rise and set on you, 00:20:50.61\00:20:57.19 and who puts you in your place 00:20:57.25\00:21:01.42 and maybe sometimes even speaks a little firmly to you, 00:21:01.46\00:21:06.33 is not necessarily your enemy. 00:21:06.36\00:21:10.77 Pause... 00:21:10.80\00:21:12.67 Amen. 00:21:12.70\00:21:14.50 Conversely, everybody who tells you how great you are 00:21:14.54\00:21:21.11 and how cute you are 00:21:21.14\00:21:24.91 and how bright you are 00:21:24.95\00:21:28.25 and how wonderful you are 00:21:28.28\00:21:31.59 and that the sun does indeed rise and set on you, 00:21:31.62\00:21:35.92 is not necessarily your friend. 00:21:35.96\00:21:39.43 Amen. 00:21:39.46\00:21:40.80 Audience: Amen... yes... 00:21:40.83\00:21:42.60 Yeah, people say things for all kinds of reasons, 00:21:42.63\00:21:45.50 Just because somebody puts you in your place 00:21:45.53\00:21:48.04 and tells you... you're not as hot stuff as you think you are 00:21:48.07\00:21:52.01 that doesn't mean that they're your enemy, 00:21:52.04\00:21:53.44 they're just telling you the truth, 00:21:53.48\00:21:54.91 what you want, Ladies and Gentlemen, is truth 00:21:54.94\00:21:58.41 now, we're told Bible... Spirit of Prophecy... 00:21:58.45\00:22:01.88 that we ought to speak the truth in love 00:22:01.95\00:22:04.69 but sometimes... 00:22:04.72\00:22:06.45 sometimes... you will forgive my prerogative English 00:22:06.49\00:22:09.79 "there just ain't no way to make it nice" 00:22:09.82\00:22:12.26 pause... 00:22:12.29\00:22:14.06 amen... 00:22:14.10\00:22:15.80 does not Ezekiel say, 00:22:15.86\00:22:18.37 "If you see a brother falling into sin 00:22:18.40\00:22:21.57 and you don't say anything 00:22:21.60\00:22:23.57 and he is lost... 00:22:23.61\00:22:25.21 his blood will I require at your hand. " 00:22:25.24\00:22:28.38 So, sometimes, you can find a nice euphemistic way 00:22:28.41\00:22:33.01 to tell the truth that doesn't hurt feelings 00:22:33.05\00:22:35.48 and everybody is happy and we all smile... 00:22:35.52\00:22:37.92 hold hands and sing, "Kumbaya" 00:22:37.95\00:22:39.45 but sometimes... "Amen" 00:22:39.49\00:22:43.86 you got to kind of put it out there. 00:22:43.89\00:22:46.46 You're doing wrong... 00:22:46.49\00:22:48.66 that's evil... that's ungodly... 00:22:48.70\00:22:51.07 say it in love... and pray that it's taken in love 00:22:51.10\00:22:54.90 and so these astrologers wanted to get back on the gravy train, 00:22:54.94\00:23:00.54 now, remember just... just a few years before... 00:23:00.58\00:23:04.65 a little while before... they were slated for death... 00:23:04.71\00:23:07.78 they were all going to die, 00:23:07.85\00:23:10.12 but that has passed and time has passed 00:23:10.15\00:23:13.42 and they want to get back in. 00:23:13.46\00:23:14.92 Daniel has been... has been elevated... 00:23:14.99\00:23:17.23 he's got a... he's got a brand-new job, 00:23:17.26\00:23:19.46 he's making good money, 00:23:19.49\00:23:21.30 the three Hebrew boys... 00:23:21.33\00:23:23.06 in fact, I like Daniel because he looked out... 00:23:23.13\00:23:25.10 he looked out for the Hebrew boys... 00:23:25.13\00:23:26.77 he said, "Nebuchadnezzar, 00:23:26.84\00:23:28.17 listen, don't just give me a good job, 00:23:28.20\00:23:29.54 give my boys a good job too. " 00:23:29.57\00:23:31.54 So, Nebuchadnezzar was so happy... everybody got jobs 00:23:31.57\00:23:34.08 but they got promoted over the local guys 00:23:34.11\00:23:40.35 so now, they want back in 00:23:40.38\00:23:43.15 so, they're thinking... 00:23:43.18\00:23:45.95 and we see this again in Daniel chapter 6, by-the-way, 00:23:45.99\00:23:48.06 they're thinking, "We got to do something here, 00:23:48.09\00:23:52.23 we got to do something here to get back in... " 00:23:52.26\00:23:56.16 ah... okay... okay... 00:23:56.20\00:23:57.53 "Why don't you make this image, make it all of gold 00:23:57.57\00:24:00.30 put it on the plains of Dura... and here's... here's what you do 00:24:00.34\00:24:04.07 here's what you do 00:24:04.11\00:24:05.84 call everybody in from all over the empire 00:24:05.87\00:24:09.91 and make them all bow down... 00:24:09.94\00:24:12.61 make everybody hit the ground when the music plays. " 00:24:12.65\00:24:16.52 And if you're a person who's got a pretty big ego, 00:24:16.55\00:24:20.39 that sounds pretty good... 00:24:20.42\00:24:21.76 the whole world on their face before you. 00:24:21.79\00:24:26.26 "I like it... " 00:24:26.29\00:24:29.33 pause... 00:24:29.36\00:24:32.03 and so he went for it. 00:24:32.07\00:24:34.17 That's why I say to you, "Everybody who compliments you 00:24:34.20\00:24:37.01 and flatters you 00:24:37.04\00:24:38.44 and tells you how wonderful you are, 00:24:38.47\00:24:40.54 is not necessarily your friend. " 00:24:40.58\00:24:42.58 So he took the bait and he built an image 00:24:42.64\00:24:46.55 the exact same dimensions... 90 feet tall... 00:24:46.61\00:24:50.49 9 feet wide... 00:24:50.52\00:24:51.85 indicating his intention 00:24:51.89\00:24:53.96 that Babylon should stand forever. " 00:24:53.99\00:24:57.76 Pause... 00:24:57.79\00:24:59.79 There is a Jewish word that I learned in New York... 00:24:59.83\00:25:03.73 it is the title of our message today, 00:25:03.77\00:25:06.70 it's called: Chutz - pah 00:25:06.74\00:25:08.57 I was trying to... to teach Joe O'Brien 00:25:08.60\00:25:10.94 how to say, "Chutzpah" the other day 00:25:10.97\00:25:13.24 we were working on the bulletin. 00:25:13.27\00:25:14.61 Chutzpah is a Yiddish word, 00:25:14.64\00:25:17.21 now, Yiddish is an Eastern European amalgamation 00:25:17.25\00:25:21.82 of classic Judaism and... and German 00:25:21.85\00:25:24.92 and it's got a little Polish in there 00:25:24.95\00:25:27.96 and it's got some... some other Eastern European things 00:25:28.02\00:25:30.89 and it developed over the years 00:25:30.93\00:25:33.23 as the Jewish Community made it's way into Europe, 00:25:33.26\00:25:35.66 they just picked up terms 00:25:35.70\00:25:38.23 so, when you're in New York, I think Janey Pauley... 00:25:38.27\00:25:42.40 you spent some time in New York and... and... and... and... 00:25:42.44\00:25:47.71 the English in New York City is filled with Jewish sayings, 00:25:47.74\00:25:53.01 isn't that true? 00:25:53.05\00:25:54.38 All kinds of... the world "Schlep" 00:25:54.42\00:25:55.75 now if you're not familiar, 00:25:55.78\00:25:57.65 you don't even know what "Schlep" means, 00:25:57.69\00:25:59.02 "Schlep" is like to take a trip that's kind of a drudgery... 00:25:59.05\00:26:01.96 "I got to schlep to Carbondale 00:26:01.99\00:26:03.32 to go all the way to the health food store" 00:26:03.36\00:26:04.86 but in New York... that's common. 00:26:04.89\00:26:06.23 The word "nosh" 00:26:06.26\00:26:07.60 there's a store in New York called "Bagel nosh" 00:26:07.63\00:26:10.17 "nosh" means to just kind of chew on something 00:26:10.20\00:26:12.80 it means just... to nibble... that's you know... 00:26:12.83\00:26:15.30 "Schlemiel" we'll talk about that, 00:26:15.34\00:26:17.54 we got a sermon... I think it's Daniel chapter 9 called, 00:26:17.57\00:26:19.71 "Schlemiel Schlemazl" 00:26:19.74\00:26:21.61 a "Schlemiel" is a person who makes bad decisions 00:26:21.64\00:26:24.48 and suffers for them 00:26:24.51\00:26:26.05 and a "Schlemazl" is a person who suffers 00:26:26.08\00:26:28.25 because of the bad decisions of others... 00:26:28.28\00:26:30.12 a "Schlemiel" is a person who spills his... his hot tea 00:26:30.15\00:26:33.96 and the "Schlemazl" is a person who the hot tea gets spilled on. 00:26:33.99\00:26:37.83 You know, all kinds of... of Jewish... 00:26:37.86\00:26:40.10 and it's all into... mixed into the English in New York City 00:26:40.13\00:26:46.03 and to be honest, I miss some of those 00:26:46.07\00:26:48.27 because the Jewish expressions... 00:26:48.30\00:26:50.41 the Yiddish expressions are very, very colorful expressions 00:26:50.44\00:26:54.54 so you got now "Chutzpah" 00:26:54.58\00:26:58.45 spelled: Chutzpah 00:26:58.48\00:27:01.38 like... like Hanukkah and really 00:27:01.42\00:27:03.85 to pronounce it correctly, the word is: hhhoodspah... 00:27:03.89\00:27:06.99 yeah, it's hhhoodspah... 00:27:07.02\00:27:09.66 not just: hoodspah... you got to do it: hhhoodspah... 00:27:09.69\00:27:12.79 and if you're Jewish, it's very easy, 00:27:12.86\00:27:15.56 just hhhoodspah... 00:27:15.60\00:27:16.93 I was trying to get Joe to do it the other day 00:27:16.97\00:27:18.30 and he couldn't quite get there 00:27:18.33\00:27:19.90 and I can't blame him, you got to practice... 00:27:19.93\00:27:21.60 but Chutz - pah 00:27:21.67\00:27:23.00 Chutzpah is a Yiddish word 00:27:23.04\00:27:24.54 which simply means: shameless audacity, 00:27:24.57\00:27:28.08 impudence, supreme self-confidence, 00:27:28.11\00:27:31.58 cheek, gall or nerve 00:27:31.61\00:27:35.08 so, to use it in a sentence, 00:27:35.12\00:27:37.39 "You know, he's got a lot of chutzpah 00:27:37.42\00:27:40.52 bringing that thing to church" 00:27:40.56\00:27:42.72 got a lot of nerve 00:27:42.76\00:27:44.49 it's chutzpah... 00:27:44.53\00:27:45.96 it's chutzpah. 00:27:45.99\00:27:47.36 So, Yiddish is a very wonderful dialect 00:27:47.40\00:27:50.67 and it's very, very colorful 00:27:50.70\00:27:52.47 and so, Nebuchadnezzar had the chutzpah 00:27:52.53\00:27:57.67 to make an image entirely of gold 00:27:57.71\00:28:01.48 in opposition to what God had declared. 00:28:01.51\00:28:05.25 Many scholars see Dura as a large plain 00:28:05.31\00:28:09.12 to the northeast of... of... of Babylon. 00:28:09.15\00:28:12.92 I found some... some... some... some scholars that say that 00:28:12.95\00:28:16.22 that Dura was inside the city of Babylon 00:28:16.26\00:28:19.06 but it doesn't really make sense 00:28:19.09\00:28:20.43 because of the number of people that were called to the... 00:28:20.46\00:28:25.57 called to the plain... in order to bow down before the statue. 00:28:25.63\00:28:30.64 The Bible indicates that there were representatives 00:28:30.67\00:28:34.54 from all across the provinces of Babylon. 00:28:34.58\00:28:38.51 The entire Empire was represented. 00:28:38.55\00:28:40.98 Pause. 00:28:41.02\00:28:42.85 They were to come and worship the golden statue... 00:28:42.88\00:28:48.02 a representation of the privileges... prerogatives 00:28:48.06\00:28:53.19 and prestige of the king himself. 00:28:53.23\00:28:55.83 The setting up of the image 00:28:55.86\00:28:59.10 was a construct of vanity, ego and pride 00:28:59.13\00:29:05.67 and when you come to the Lord, 00:29:05.71\00:29:08.78 the one thing... well not the one thing 00:29:08.81\00:29:12.05 but, some of the things, you got to let go 00:29:12.08\00:29:15.12 are your vanity... your ego and your pride, amen. 00:29:15.15\00:29:21.49 Audience: Amen. 00:29:21.52\00:29:22.86 I would say this... 00:29:22.89\00:29:24.23 we understand from the Spirit of Prophecy 00:29:24.26\00:29:27.23 in fact, let me ask you this way, 00:29:27.26\00:29:29.76 anybody knows what the number one sin the church is? 00:29:29.80\00:29:32.27 Audience: Pride. 00:29:32.30\00:29:34.14 Pride... you got it... pride... pride. 00:29:34.17\00:29:38.41 We're told it is the hardest to diagnose 00:29:38.44\00:29:42.64 pause 00:29:42.68\00:29:45.35 and almost impossible to cure 00:29:45.38\00:29:48.42 and everybody is infected to a greater or lesser degree 00:29:48.45\00:29:53.89 with it 00:29:53.92\00:29:56.22 hmmm... hmmm... 00:29:56.26\00:29:58.13 so everybody's got pride 00:29:58.16\00:30:00.73 and if you're thinking... you don't have pride, 00:30:00.76\00:30:03.33 you really got pride... 00:30:03.37\00:30:05.47 Audience: Laughing 00:30:05.50\00:30:06.94 and you got a problem. 00:30:06.97\00:30:08.30 That's why it's so hard to diagnose 00:30:08.34\00:30:10.94 because everybody knows 00:30:10.97\00:30:12.74 the person next to them has it. 00:30:12.77\00:30:14.78 Audience: Laughter. 00:30:14.84\00:30:16.61 But not the person in the mirror... 00:30:16.64\00:30:19.98 hardest to diagnose and almost impossible to cure 00:30:20.02\00:30:26.52 and I am so glad that Ellen White said, 00:30:26.55\00:30:28.22 "Almost impossible to cure" 00:30:28.29\00:30:29.86 amen... Audience: Amen. 00:30:29.89\00:30:31.43 It's tough... but it can be cured... 00:30:31.46\00:30:34.96 you can get rid of pride... 00:30:35.00\00:30:37.07 and everybody's got some of it 00:30:37.10\00:30:39.17 amen... we all got some 00:30:39.20\00:30:42.54 but we got to surrender to Jesus 00:30:42.57\00:30:45.54 and Nebuchadnezzar had a lot of it. 00:30:45.57\00:30:48.51 Lot of ego... a lot of pride... 00:30:48.54\00:30:51.45 and no one to check him... 00:30:51.48\00:30:53.95 no one to stop him. 00:30:53.98\00:30:56.55 Vanity, ego and pride... 00:30:56.58\00:30:59.75 the wise men appealed to these negative traits of character, 00:30:59.79\00:31:05.79 they flattered him and he took the bait. 00:31:05.86\00:31:10.10 Pause... 00:31:10.13\00:31:15.90 Prophets and Kings, page 504. 00:31:15.94\00:31:19.77 "With enthusiasm" Ellen White says, 00:31:19.81\00:31:24.51 "born of boundless ambition and... " 00:31:24.55\00:31:29.22 what's the word? 00:31:29.25\00:31:30.62 Audience: pride... Murray: pride... 00:31:30.65\00:31:32.35 "he entered into council with his wise men 00:31:32.39\00:31:35.32 as to how to bring this about" 00:31:35.36\00:31:38.09 the idea that the world would bow to him 00:31:38.13\00:31:42.46 really pleased him... 00:31:42.50\00:31:45.60 now, to me... that would scare me 00:31:45.63\00:31:48.07 wouldn't it? 00:31:48.10\00:31:49.80 People coming to bow... 00:31:49.84\00:31:51.17 I tend to get a little antsy with too much praise. 00:31:51.21\00:31:55.48 I do... 00:31:55.51\00:31:57.85 everybody likes a good "atta boy" 00:31:57.88\00:32:00.12 amen... 00:32:00.15\00:32:01.62 everybody likes a good pat on the back. 00:32:01.65\00:32:03.49 Everybody likes a good "you did well... God bless you" 00:32:03.52\00:32:08.82 but when people lay it on with a spatula, 00:32:08.86\00:32:11.66 you know, when they're just ladling praise on you, 00:32:11.69\00:32:14.36 you got to be careful with that kind of thing 00:32:14.40\00:32:17.03 and so, his ego is being fed... 00:32:17.07\00:32:20.24 these guys are saying, "Let's do it" 00:32:20.27\00:32:23.07 and so he dives in kind of with both feet 00:32:23.10\00:32:25.71 this is what it's all about for him, 00:32:25.74\00:32:29.08 and he likes this idea... 00:32:29.11\00:32:32.98 it... it aggrandizes itself to him 00:32:33.01\00:32:38.39 the idea that he may have an indestructible kingdom 00:32:38.42\00:32:44.16 which will last forever, 00:32:44.19\00:32:46.73 so they set up the statue 00:32:46.76\00:32:49.20 and the edict went out that when you hear the music 00:32:49.23\00:32:53.94 every face ought to be facing the ground. 00:32:53.97\00:32:59.04 This was personal for Nebuchadnezzar 00:32:59.07\00:33:05.31 and evidently he himself didn't even know 00:33:05.35\00:33:09.55 that the three Hebrews didn't bow down. 00:33:09.58\00:33:13.79 He wasn't aware... 00:33:13.82\00:33:15.82 I mean, you had tens of thousands of people there 00:33:15.86\00:33:19.96 and he couldn't see all of those many thousands 00:33:20.00\00:33:24.07 he had to be told, 00:33:24.10\00:33:25.97 "Hey, man, you know there are some people out there 00:33:26.03\00:33:31.21 that are not bowing down. " 00:33:31.24\00:33:32.57 Pause... 00:33:32.61\00:33:35.74 What do they call those people? The Whistleblowers. 00:33:35.78\00:33:39.15 Pause. 00:33:39.18\00:33:41.88 They came and told him that some people weren't bowing down. 00:33:41.92\00:33:48.99 Here's the access point. 00:33:49.02\00:33:50.36 "The fiery furnace was the prescribed punishment 00:33:50.39\00:33:54.30 for any and every offender 00:33:54.33\00:33:56.83 regardless of race, rank or privilege. " 00:33:56.87\00:33:59.33 So, the fiery furnace wasn't just put there 00:33:59.37\00:34:01.77 for the Hebrew boys, 00:34:01.80\00:34:03.34 that was standard punishment 00:34:03.37\00:34:05.51 for everybody who didn't bow down. 00:34:05.54\00:34:07.58 Regardless of race... regardless of rank... 00:34:07.61\00:34:11.48 regardless of privilege... 00:34:11.51\00:34:12.85 if you didn't bow down, 00:34:12.88\00:34:14.22 that was going to be your last... 00:34:14.25\00:34:15.65 now verse 7 informs us that when the music played 00:34:15.68\00:34:19.72 almost everybody bowed down... 00:34:19.75\00:34:23.46 just about everybody... 00:34:23.49\00:34:26.29 now the fact is, 00:34:26.33\00:34:28.56 we don't know where the Hebrew boys were standing 00:34:28.60\00:34:34.60 pause... 00:34:34.64\00:34:38.71 we only see them standing together... 00:34:38.74\00:34:40.51 but we don't know if they came from the same tribe. 00:34:40.54\00:34:44.15 How nice it would have been if you had one standing there 00:34:44.18\00:34:50.72 and one standing there 00:34:50.75\00:34:53.12 and one standing there... 00:34:53.15\00:34:55.42 each standing alone was standing for the Lord. 00:34:55.46\00:34:59.33 Amen. 00:34:59.39\00:35:00.73 Because the truth is, 00:35:00.76\00:35:02.10 sometimes, you're not going to get a lot of people 00:35:02.13\00:35:04.50 to stand with you 00:35:04.53\00:35:06.30 sometimes, you're going to go through some stuff 00:35:06.33\00:35:08.54 and even those who love you can't go through it with you. 00:35:08.57\00:35:13.17 Amen. 00:35:13.21\00:35:16.08 There are going to be some experiences 00:35:16.11\00:35:17.45 that you and Jesus have to go through alone. 00:35:17.48\00:35:20.38 Your mate can love you... they can take care of you... 00:35:20.42\00:35:25.92 they can encourage you 00:35:25.95\00:35:27.86 but sometimes it's just you and God 00:35:27.89\00:35:31.33 amen... just you and the Lord. 00:35:31.36\00:35:35.70 Pause... 00:35:35.76\00:35:37.10 So, we don't know if they're standing together 00:35:37.13\00:35:38.53 or they were standing alone 00:35:38.57\00:35:40.94 but they were standing, amen. 00:35:40.97\00:35:43.30 Audience: Amen. 00:35:43.34\00:35:45.04 Pause... 00:35:45.07\00:35:46.71 So, here's the word, 00:35:46.74\00:35:48.44 "There are certain Jews 00:35:48.48\00:35:51.41 whom thou has set over the affairs of the province 00:35:51.45\00:35:54.85 of Babylon, 00:35:54.98\00:35:56.52 Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego... 00:35:56.55\00:35:59.55 they have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, 00:35:59.59\00:36:06.09 nor do they worship the golden image which you have set up. " 00:36:06.13\00:36:09.76 Whistleblowers... 00:36:09.80\00:36:11.13 "Some guys out there King... 00:36:11.17\00:36:12.87 they're not paying attention to you 00:36:12.93\00:36:15.40 they're not bowing down... " 00:36:15.44\00:36:17.61 "As the three Hebrew boys stood before the king, 00:36:17.64\00:36:21.11 he was convinced that they possessed something 00:36:21.14\00:36:24.58 that the other wise men of the kingdom did not have. " 00:36:24.61\00:36:29.55 Now, here's what I found interesting. 00:36:29.58\00:36:31.85 When you stand for the Lord, 00:36:31.89\00:36:34.46 people can tell if the Lord is in your life 00:36:34.52\00:36:40.40 even if they don't like the fact that He's there. 00:36:40.43\00:36:44.60 Amen. 00:36:44.63\00:36:46.53 Yeah, when... when Christ is in your life, 00:36:46.57\00:36:50.11 there are certain carriage to your life 00:36:50.14\00:36:53.17 certain way you conduct yourself... 00:36:53.21\00:36:56.14 when Christ stood before Pilate, bloody, battered, beaten... 00:36:56.18\00:37:01.75 Pilate knew, "This is not just some ordinary criminal" 00:37:01.78\00:37:07.09 it was his intent... "Let me run out here... 00:37:07.16\00:37:10.93 convict this guy... go back to bed... 00:37:10.96\00:37:13.29 get some sleep... " 00:37:13.33\00:37:14.66 but when he saw Jesus, 00:37:14.70\00:37:16.03 he knew, "He's not an ordinary guy" 00:37:16.06\00:37:19.53 and Nebuchadnezzar... when he saw these three Hebrew boys, 00:37:19.57\00:37:24.21 was convinced of the same thing. 00:37:24.24\00:37:26.88 These are not ordinary people 00:37:26.91\00:37:29.41 and they have something that my wise men do not have. 00:37:29.44\00:37:34.38 There's something in these three people. 00:37:34.45\00:37:38.49 He knew that he was in the presence of some people 00:37:38.52\00:37:42.22 that were different... that were special... 00:37:42.26\00:37:45.49 that had stood... 00:37:45.53\00:37:48.16 Pause... 00:37:48.20\00:37:51.53 These Whistleblowers 00:37:51.57\00:37:53.47 were motivated by jealousy 00:37:53.50\00:37:56.67 and we see this over and over and over again. 00:37:56.71\00:37:59.54 Daniel, later on, gets his turn at being the object of jealousy 00:37:59.57\00:38:05.08 a few chapters hence... 00:38:05.11\00:38:07.68 jealousy is the same emotion that motivated Lucifer in heaven 00:38:07.72\00:38:14.22 it's almost the original sin. 00:38:14.26\00:38:16.62 Pause... 00:38:16.66\00:38:19.06 In a word... jealousy over the honors and positions 00:38:19.09\00:38:26.03 held by Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael... 00:38:26.07\00:38:30.17 Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego... 00:38:30.21\00:38:31.71 is what motivated these men to point them out. 00:38:31.74\00:38:36.28 "O king, live forever!" 00:38:36.34\00:38:38.78 you got three guys who are foreigners... 00:38:38.81\00:38:42.82 you gave them our jobs... they're ruling over us... 00:38:42.85\00:38:47.39 you elevated them to positions in the Government 00:38:47.42\00:38:51.93 that we should have... 00:38:51.96\00:38:54.00 we should occupy... 00:38:54.03\00:38:55.36 and now, O king, respectfully, 00:38:55.40\00:38:58.23 they're thumbing their nose at you... " 00:38:58.27\00:38:59.97 pause... 00:39:00.00\00:39:04.84 and the word in the Hebrew is, "They are flagrantly... 00:39:04.87\00:39:10.31 flagrantly violating your decree... " 00:39:10.35\00:39:16.58 pause... 00:39:16.65\00:39:19.12 in short... "Hey man, they ain't paying you no mind. " 00:39:19.15\00:39:25.03 Pause... 00:39:25.06\00:39:29.10 "So, now we know that you missed this 00:39:29.13\00:39:33.94 and out of respect for your lordship, 00:39:33.97\00:39:37.67 we just thought, you ought to know. " 00:39:37.71\00:39:41.34 Pause... 00:39:41.38\00:39:44.81 "They don't regard you... 00:39:44.85\00:39:47.48 they don't regard your kingdom. " 00:39:47.52\00:39:53.46 Pause... 00:39:53.49\00:39:56.12 "Then with his hand stretched upward in defiance, 00:39:56.16\00:40:00.60 he demanded... 00:40:00.66\00:40:02.50 and who is the God 00:40:02.53\00:40:04.30 who will deliver you out of my hand?" 00:40:04.33\00:40:08.90 Pause... 00:40:08.94\00:40:15.21 That's a very dangerous statement... 00:40:15.24\00:40:18.51 we've heard statements like that before, 00:40:18.58\00:40:21.78 when Moses went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go" 00:40:21.82\00:40:28.96 Pharaoh said, "Who is this God that I should let you go?" 00:40:28.99\00:40:36.13 you see... when... 00:40:36.16\00:40:39.00 when you shake your finger in the face of God like that, 00:40:39.03\00:40:43.10 you kind of force God to introduce Himself. 00:40:43.14\00:40:47.74 Amen. 00:40:47.78\00:40:49.58 You kind of force Him 00:40:49.61\00:40:53.82 to re-acquaint you with Him and His power. 00:40:53.85\00:40:57.75 So, when you say, "Who... who is this God?" 00:40:57.79\00:41:01.62 Well, now, God's got to say, "Okay, here is Who I am. " 00:41:01.66\00:41:06.76 Amen. 00:41:06.80\00:41:08.23 So, Nebuchadnezzar says, 00:41:08.26\00:41:15.07 "Who's the God 00:41:15.10\00:41:16.44 that's going to pull you out of this situation?" 00:41:16.47\00:41:20.81 Pharaoh said... and bless your heart... 00:41:20.84\00:41:26.11 Sennacherib said it... remember he sent that letter to Hezekiah? 00:41:26.15\00:41:30.82 And he said... "first let me tell you something 00:41:30.89\00:41:35.79 what you need to know is, every country has a God... 00:41:35.82\00:41:40.73 pause... 00:41:40.76\00:41:42.63 everybody's got a God... 00:41:42.66\00:41:44.33 and when they see us coming, they pray to that God... 00:41:44.37\00:41:49.77 and my record says, 00:41:49.80\00:41:54.41 no God has delivered any country from my hand... 00:41:54.44\00:41:59.71 so don't let Hezekiah tell you that your God has... 00:41:59.75\00:42:04.99 because history says, 'No God has. '" 00:42:05.02\00:42:09.86 Pause. 00:42:09.92\00:42:11.36 So, now you put God on notice, 00:42:11.39\00:42:13.80 you kind of called God out 00:42:13.83\00:42:16.63 "Don't let Hezekiah fool you 00:42:16.67\00:42:19.40 because nobody's been able to do it. " 00:42:19.43\00:42:22.24 Well, now, God's got to show Sennacherib... this is different 00:42:22.27\00:42:25.67 because you're dealing with the real God now. 00:42:25.71\00:42:28.84 So, Sennacherib loses the battle... 00:42:28.88\00:42:30.98 excuse me... goes home... 00:42:31.01\00:42:32.38 and his own children slay him in his own temple. 00:42:32.41\00:42:35.68 Pause. 00:42:35.72\00:42:38.49 So now Nebuchadnezzar's saying, 00:42:38.52\00:42:41.16 "Nobody's going to save you... 00:42:41.22\00:42:43.79 nobody's going to be able to deliver you... 00:42:43.83\00:42:47.00 pause... 00:42:47.03\00:42:53.27 and a fiery furnace is going to be heated... this very hour. " 00:42:53.30\00:43:00.14 Now, you got to... looking at this... 00:43:00.18\00:43:02.24 you got to say one thing for Nebuchadnezzar, 00:43:02.28\00:43:04.15 he didn't... he didn't blow up, he gave them... 00:43:04.18\00:43:05.98 he gave them a second chance, 00:43:06.01\00:43:07.35 he really did... 00:43:07.42\00:43:08.75 he said, "Okay, maybe you didn't hear the music... " 00:43:08.78\00:43:12.35 pause... 00:43:12.42\00:43:16.02 you know, "maybe you didn't hear, 00:43:16.06\00:43:18.29 so, I'll give you another chance... 00:43:18.33\00:43:20.56 I'll give you another shot... 00:43:20.60\00:43:25.03 and when you hear the music, 00:43:25.07\00:43:29.47 just bow down... " 00:43:29.50\00:43:30.97 pause... 00:43:31.01\00:43:33.54 now, this is a hot-headed guy who's not accustomed 00:43:33.58\00:43:38.01 to having people go against him, 00:43:38.05\00:43:40.72 but he's given them another chance. 00:43:40.75\00:43:43.39 Remember, not long before, 00:43:43.42\00:43:46.96 he had ordered the murder of his wise men, 00:43:46.99\00:43:49.82 so he's given them a second chance, 00:43:49.86\00:43:51.36 he's stepping out of his... his normal routine... 00:43:51.39\00:43:54.60 "I'll give you another chance" 00:43:54.63\00:43:55.96 pause... 00:43:56.00\00:43:58.47 and when you hear the music, bow down" 00:43:58.53\00:44:02.70 pause... 00:44:02.74\00:44:05.37 "and if not, furnace is ready" 00:44:05.41\00:44:09.04 now let me show you something from the Spirit of Prophecy, 00:44:09.08\00:44:11.78 "he stretched his hand... " 00:44:11.81\00:44:14.35 and in Daniel 3:15... 00:44:14.38\00:44:18.22 he says, "No God can deliver you" 00:44:18.25\00:44:21.92 and that's the pivotal line... 00:44:21.99\00:44:25.63 pause... 00:44:25.69\00:44:31.93 I don't know how many... 00:44:31.97\00:44:35.07 how many Jews came out of Israel into Babylon, 00:44:35.10\00:44:44.05 when Nebuchadnezzar deported the last... with Zedekiah, 00:44:44.08\00:44:49.15 he pretty much cleaned out the whole country. 00:44:49.18\00:44:55.19 So, there were a lot of Jews in Babylon... 00:44:55.22\00:45:01.20 and I'm going to assume 00:45:01.26\00:45:03.83 some of them were there that day 00:45:03.87\00:45:06.67 but the Bible says, "Only three stood" 00:45:06.70\00:45:10.91 where was everybody else? 00:45:10.97\00:45:14.34 Pause... 00:45:14.38\00:45:16.88 Surely there were more there than... than just those three, 00:45:16.95\00:45:23.08 but the Bible says, "Only three stood" 00:45:23.12\00:45:27.96 pause... 00:45:27.99\00:45:30.59 "When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, 00:45:30.63\00:45:33.29 he relocated what was tantamount to the entire population. " 00:45:33.33\00:45:37.60 Well, where was everybody else? 00:45:37.63\00:45:40.27 Only three stood. 00:45:40.34\00:45:44.21 Pause... 00:45:44.24\00:45:47.41 You know, as I said before, 00:45:47.44\00:45:48.78 sometimes there's no nice way to bring bad news. 00:45:48.81\00:45:53.35 Pause. 00:45:53.38\00:45:56.38 So, the three Hebrew boys said, "We are not careful... 00:45:56.45\00:46:01.29 we're not going to march... watch our words... 00:46:01.32\00:46:04.49 we're not going to be politically correct, 00:46:04.53\00:46:07.63 we're not going to try to figure some nice way to say that" 00:46:07.66\00:46:11.77 the word is, "Cashach" 00:46:11.80\00:46:14.70 it means "not necessary" 00:46:14.74\00:46:17.57 so the Hebrew worthies told the king, 00:46:17.61\00:46:22.68 "It is not necessary for you to give us another chance... 00:46:22.71\00:46:27.52 it's not necessary... 00:46:27.55\00:46:30.02 because nothing different is going to happen. 00:46:30.09\00:46:34.29 We're not going to watch our words, 00:46:34.32\00:46:36.62 we're not going to find some politically correct way 00:46:36.69\00:46:39.36 to spin this, 00:46:39.39\00:46:41.36 we're not going to try to say something 00:46:41.40\00:46:44.40 to make your ego feel good, 00:46:44.43\00:46:46.80 play the music as often as you want... 00:46:46.84\00:46:51.71 we will not... we cannot bow down. " 00:46:51.77\00:46:56.61 Audience: Amen... amen. 00:46:56.64\00:46:58.21 Now, that's... that's... that's, that's, that's tough to say 00:46:58.25\00:47:02.32 to a guy who you know is a reactionary, 00:47:02.35\00:47:04.65 you know he's not going to take that well, 00:47:04.69\00:47:06.99 you know he's not going to say, 00:47:07.02\00:47:08.36 "Well okay, I'll give you a pass, 00:47:08.39\00:47:09.72 God bless you... you can go home now. " 00:47:09.76\00:47:12.46 "Not necessary to give us another chance 00:47:12.49\00:47:15.23 because we're not going to bow down, 00:47:15.26\00:47:17.53 we're not going to change... " 00:47:17.57\00:47:19.23 now, the Bible says that... 00:47:19.27\00:47:20.84 that the king's decree was so urgent and so hasty, 00:47:20.87\00:47:27.28 that they heated up the furnace so hot 00:47:27.31\00:47:31.91 that it even killed the people that put them in there, 00:47:31.95\00:47:34.55 this is how urgent it was, 00:47:34.58\00:47:36.12 this was a pivotal time in the history of God's people. 00:47:36.15\00:47:42.69 Now, let me... let me show you something that is... is... 00:47:42.72\00:47:49.20 is... is very, very important, 00:47:49.23\00:47:51.77 I said that in Exodus you got Pharaoh, 00:47:51.80\00:47:55.90 and in 2nd Chronicles, you got Sennacherib 00:47:55.94\00:47:59.94 now, you've got Nebuchadnezzar giving a second chance 00:47:59.97\00:48:03.81 that has been rebuffed 00:48:03.85\00:48:05.35 because they're never going to bow down, 00:48:05.38\00:48:07.65 there's no nice way to deliver that message 00:48:07.68\00:48:09.92 but what you've got to understand is, 00:48:09.95\00:48:14.06 and what they understood, 00:48:14.09\00:48:16.79 is that, when you stand up for Jesus... 00:48:16.83\00:48:22.86 pause 00:48:22.90\00:48:24.83 Jesus will stand up for you. 00:48:24.87\00:48:26.80 Audience: Amen... praise God. 00:48:26.84\00:48:28.74 Now, that's hard to understand when money is rolling out 00:48:28.77\00:48:34.08 and not coming in 00:48:34.11\00:48:35.81 and you got more bills at the end of the month 00:48:35.84\00:48:38.15 than you got money to pay 00:48:38.18\00:48:39.51 and you got problems in your life 00:48:39.55\00:48:41.95 and... and... and... you're challenged on your job 00:48:41.98\00:48:46.45 but the truth is, 00:48:46.49\00:48:48.96 when you stand up for Jesus, Jesus will stand up for you. 00:48:48.99\00:48:55.03 He is on the record as standing up for you. 00:48:55.06\00:48:58.17 He has to stand up for you. 00:48:58.20\00:49:00.27 He's going to be faithful to His Word 00:49:00.30\00:49:02.84 even when we are not faithful. 00:49:02.87\00:49:06.27 So, Daniel chapter 3 verse 18, 00:49:06.31\00:49:09.61 "Let it be known O king, we do not serve your gods, 00:49:09.64\00:49:14.22 nor will we worship the gold image that you have set up. " 00:49:14.25\00:49:19.72 Sometimes, you just have to plant your feet 00:49:19.75\00:49:21.49 and stand for the Lord, 00:49:21.52\00:49:22.89 there's just no way to get around it. 00:49:22.92\00:49:24.49 There's no way to make that message sound nice... 00:49:24.53\00:49:27.93 there's no way to make it sound pretty, 00:49:27.96\00:49:29.96 you've got to just stand for the Lord. 00:49:30.00\00:49:31.97 You're the king, you're the king of this empire 00:49:32.00\00:49:35.64 but we cannot bow down, 00:49:35.67\00:49:40.04 we must stand up, amen. 00:49:40.08\00:49:44.41 Audience: Amen. 00:49:44.45\00:49:45.91 The Bible gives us no indication that anybody else stood... 00:49:45.95\00:49:51.45 and that's sad... 00:49:51.49\00:49:52.82 but the truth is... many times we have to stand alone. 00:49:52.85\00:49:56.32 So, whatever the number was, only three stood 00:49:56.36\00:50:00.46 and they stood strong and God stood with them. 00:50:00.50\00:50:04.60 Others caved in... they did not 00:50:04.63\00:50:08.50 but before we point a finger at the others, 00:50:08.54\00:50:12.44 this is a sober, convicting question 00:50:12.47\00:50:16.24 that each of us must ask ourselves, 00:50:16.28\00:50:20.02 everybody will be asked, 00:50:20.05\00:50:22.48 "How much does Jesus mean to you?" 00:50:22.52\00:50:27.12 Husband can't answer that for wives, 00:50:27.16\00:50:30.76 parents cannot answer that for children, 00:50:30.79\00:50:34.33 it's a single solitary question 00:50:34.36\00:50:37.27 that everybody has to answer for themselves. 00:50:37.30\00:50:41.04 What does Christ mean to you? 00:50:41.07\00:50:45.04 How much is Christ worth to you? 00:50:45.07\00:50:48.98 If the world turns its back, will you stand for Jesus? 00:50:49.04\00:50:54.05 If everybody leaves, will you stay? 00:50:54.08\00:50:56.99 How much is He worth to you? 00:50:57.02\00:50:59.65 Not only will you answer that question in mind, 00:50:59.69\00:51:03.32 you will have to answer that question in action. 00:51:03.36\00:51:06.93 The King James Version says, "We're not going to be careful, 00:51:06.96\00:51:10.87 we're not going to be delicate, 00:51:10.90\00:51:12.53 we're going to stand for the Lord. " 00:51:12.57\00:51:15.00 And when they stood for the Lord, 00:51:15.04\00:51:17.31 the Lord stood for them. 00:51:17.37\00:51:20.58 So now, the king loses his cool and then verse 19... 00:51:20.61\00:51:25.65 they go into the fire. 00:51:25.68\00:51:27.28 Pause... 00:51:27.32\00:51:31.52 I often wonder what that experience was like. 00:51:31.55\00:51:35.32 They're tossed into a fiery furnace 00:51:35.36\00:51:38.59 and the king went down to watch them burn 00:51:38.63\00:51:43.03 pause... 00:51:43.06\00:51:46.84 and he says to those around him, 00:51:46.87\00:51:49.50 "But wait... 00:51:49.54\00:51:52.07 didn't we throw three guys in there? 00:51:52.11\00:51:56.68 Where did the fourth one come from?" 00:51:56.75\00:52:01.25 Pause. 00:52:01.28\00:52:03.05 He said, "We threw in three bound... tied down... 00:52:03.08\00:52:08.86 and they're in there dancing... 00:52:08.89\00:52:11.86 and there's a fourth guy in there, 00:52:11.89\00:52:15.20 who looks like the Son of the God. " 00:52:15.23\00:52:18.53 Can you imagine that scene? 00:52:18.57\00:52:23.81 Looking at some of the archeology, 00:52:23.87\00:52:29.94 they think that the furnace was a kiln for baking bricks... 00:52:29.98\00:52:34.08 baking mud bricks... you know... 00:52:34.12\00:52:36.55 big open hearth furnace, lot of fire at the bottom 00:52:36.58\00:52:39.65 big enough for men to be in 00:52:39.69\00:52:41.82 because they bake bricks in large quantities, 00:52:41.86\00:52:44.89 so he was looking into a burning furnace, 00:52:44.93\00:52:48.53 and there before his astonished eyes, 00:52:48.56\00:52:52.10 are four people walking in the midst of the fire 00:52:52.13\00:52:57.24 incredible! 00:52:57.31\00:52:59.87 God standing up for His people 00:52:59.91\00:53:03.71 because His people stood up for Him. 00:53:03.75\00:53:06.41 Daniel chapter 3:25, 00:53:06.45\00:53:09.02 "... and the fourth is like the Son of God" 00:53:09.05\00:53:13.12 or a son of the gods: 00:53:13.15\00:53:15.46 a 'Divine Being'" 00:53:15.49\00:53:16.99 he didn't quite know precisely who it was, 00:53:17.03\00:53:19.89 but he knew it wasn't an earthly creature, 00:53:19.93\00:53:22.70 he knew it wasn't somebody he had put in there, 00:53:22.73\00:53:26.23 somebody else had got in there 00:53:26.30\00:53:28.24 and He looks different from the other three... 00:53:28.27\00:53:29.80 got to be God... 00:53:29.84\00:53:31.24 pause... 00:53:31.27\00:53:33.07 a divine being... 00:53:33.11\00:53:34.54 pause 00:53:34.58\00:53:40.22 "And the princes, the governors, 00:53:40.28\00:53:43.25 the captains, and the King's counselors, 00:53:43.28\00:53:45.55 being gathered together, saw these men, 00:53:45.59\00:53:48.79 upon whose bodies the fire had no power, 00:53:48.82\00:53:52.39 nor was an hair of their head singed, 00:53:52.43\00:53:55.93 neither were their coats changed, 00:53:55.96\00:53:59.77 nor the smell of fire had passed on them. " 00:53:59.80\00:54:03.17 Can you imagine... 00:54:03.20\00:54:04.54 you set a trap for somebody 00:54:04.57\00:54:07.14 and God totally undoes what you're trying to do. 00:54:07.18\00:54:11.71 That's why Ladies and Gentlemen, 00:54:11.75\00:54:13.78 you don't have to lie awake nights 00:54:13.82\00:54:15.82 trying to get even with folk, 00:54:15.85\00:54:17.82 amen... 00:54:17.85\00:54:19.25 Just live your life for Jesus. 00:54:19.29\00:54:21.52 God will get your back... 00:54:21.56\00:54:24.89 God will look out for you. 00:54:24.93\00:54:28.20 Somebody does you wrong... the Bible says, 00:54:28.23\00:54:30.53 "Vengeance is mine says the Lord" 00:54:30.57\00:54:32.03 Now, that's not God saying, "I'm a vengeful God" 00:54:32.07\00:54:34.27 He's saying, "Don't you try to get vengeance, 00:54:34.30\00:54:36.47 don't you try to get vengeance... 00:54:36.50\00:54:38.71 let me take care of it. " 00:54:38.74\00:54:40.68 Amen... 00:54:40.71\00:54:42.04 You don't have to look out for yourself... 00:54:42.08\00:54:43.41 God will look after you... 00:54:43.45\00:54:44.78 just because someone does something to you, 00:54:44.81\00:54:46.15 don't lie awake nights trying to plan ways to get back at them, 00:54:46.18\00:54:48.45 hmmm... hmmm... 00:54:48.48\00:54:49.82 God's going to take care of it, amen. 00:54:49.85\00:54:51.62 Just do good. 00:54:51.65\00:54:52.99 So, what this text is saying is, 00:54:53.02\00:54:55.56 those very people 00:54:55.59\00:54:57.09 who had plotted against Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego 00:54:57.13\00:55:01.16 saw that their plot came to nothing 00:55:01.20\00:55:05.03 and saw the protection that God gives 00:55:05.07\00:55:08.84 to those who stand up for Him. 00:55:08.87\00:55:10.21 Audience: Amen. 00:55:10.24\00:55:11.57 How aggravated they must have been 00:55:11.61\00:55:13.98 to see God step in 00:55:14.04\00:55:16.31 on time... every time... 00:55:16.34\00:55:19.51 and of course, you know what Nebuchadnezzar did 00:55:19.55\00:55:22.98 because you know what kind of a rash person he is, 00:55:23.02\00:55:26.39 "Let's throw them in now... " 00:55:26.45\00:55:28.92 and Nebuchadnezzar said, "Come out and come here... " 00:55:28.96\00:55:34.16 let's read Daniel 3:27 00:55:34.20\00:55:38.37 coats not changed... 00:55:38.40\00:55:42.50 not even the smell of smoke, 00:55:42.54\00:55:44.17 not even the smell of smoke... 00:55:44.21\00:55:45.81 pause... 00:55:45.84\00:55:49.31 God is so good... 00:55:49.34\00:55:51.88 the Bible says, "The angel of the Lord 00:55:51.91\00:55:54.78 encampeth around about them that fear Him... " 00:55:54.82\00:55:57.82 and does what? "delivers" 00:55:57.85\00:55:59.95 the lesson is that God delivers. 00:55:59.99\00:56:05.59 Pause. 00:56:05.63\00:56:09.03 By the end of the chapter, this is what I think is cute 00:56:09.06\00:56:15.57 because this happens three times, 00:56:15.60\00:56:18.01 you remember, after chapter 2, 00:56:18.04\00:56:20.31 Daniel and the Hebrew boys got promoted 00:56:20.38\00:56:23.68 well, here, at the end of chapter 3, 00:56:23.71\00:56:26.98 Daniel and the Hebrew boys get promoted again, 00:56:27.02\00:56:31.02 so, every time they get in trouble 00:56:31.05\00:56:35.09 and God brings them through, 00:56:35.12\00:56:37.06 they get promoted... they get promoted. 00:56:37.09\00:56:40.23 Later on, we're going to see 00:56:40.26\00:56:42.43 under... under the Medo-Persian Empire 00:56:42.46\00:56:45.33 Cyrus really thinks, "You know what? 00:56:45.37\00:56:48.20 I ought to just give Daniel the whole kingdom, 00:56:48.24\00:56:50.11 I'll just let him run everything, 00:56:50.14\00:56:51.91 let him be the Prime Minister" 00:56:51.94\00:56:53.61 so, every time God brings them through, 00:56:53.64\00:56:55.78 they get promoted. 00:56:55.81\00:56:57.15 So when you serve God, 00:56:57.18\00:56:58.75 not only do you get back what you lost, 00:56:58.78\00:57:00.32 you get a little bit more... 00:57:00.35\00:57:01.68 Audience: Amen. 00:57:01.72\00:57:03.15 Amen... that's the God that we serve 00:57:03.18\00:57:05.05 and Nebuchadnezzar makes the second proclamation, 00:57:05.09\00:57:09.32 pause... 00:57:09.36\00:57:13.63 they get promoted... 00:57:13.66\00:57:15.00 again, Nebuchadnezzar is impressed by the Lord... 00:57:15.03\00:57:18.70 let me close with a statement from the New Testament. 00:57:18.73\00:57:22.37 "What shall we say in response to these things? 00:57:22.40\00:57:26.34 If God be for us, who can be against us?" 00:57:26.37\00:57:35.78 The lesson of Daniel chapter 3 is simply this, 00:57:35.82\00:57:41.46 "God will never let you fall... 00:57:41.49\00:57:45.06 He will never leave you... 00:57:45.09\00:57:47.30 nor forsake you 00:57:47.33\00:57:49.10 you stand up for Him 00:57:49.16\00:57:51.50 He will always stand up for you. " 00:57:51.53\00:57:56.17 Audience: Amen. Murray: Amen. 00:57:56.20\00:57:57.54