I want you to go to the book of Daniel chapter number three. Daniel chapter number three. Daniel chapter number three. And if you found your place, if you're willing and if you're able, if you'll stand as we read God's Word, Daniel chapter 3. How many of you still love the good accounts of David and Goliath and Daniel and the den of lions? I don't know about you, but those never get old to me. And I feel like if they get old to us, something's wrong. Amen? Daniel chapter 3. Now I'm going to read all 30 verses of this text so I need you to guard your mind from wondering because that's what the devil wants to do. He wants to distract you. So let's read together. Daniel chapter 3 verse 1. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold whose height was three score cubits and the breadth thereof six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains and the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together under 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, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up. Can I just time out and say this while the Lord's prompting me to say it? You need to be careful what kind of music you listen to because the same music that calls them to bow down and worship can be the same music that distracts you from worshiping a holy God, amen? Verse number six, and whoso falleth not down and worshiped 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, notice, heard the sound of the cornet, flue, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations and the languages fell down and worshiped 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 to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. Thou, O King, hast made a decree that every man shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded thee, they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king, Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do you serve my gods? Do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made well. But if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O 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. And He will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. Notice the next three words, please. But, if not. Be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hoes in 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, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said, The king, true, O king, And he answered and said, and don't you love this part right here? 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. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth in the midst of the fire, and the princes Governors, captains, kings, counselors being gathered together saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Let me tell you, church, if we would just stand up for what's right in a dying and a lost world, a wicked and perverse crooked nation, somebody would say the God that they serve must be the right God. The God that they serve must be the true God. What we got don't work, but what they got works. Somebody needs to stand up in this generation and say that we've got the right God. Amen. Verse number 29, 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 sword. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Lord, we love you today. God, we're so thankful. Lord, we don't deserve, God, to be in this place. Lord, it is a privilege and an honor, Lord, to gather together, God, amongst your people in your place, God, and to worship, Lord, the Most High God. Lord, there is no other God. Lord, above and beside you, God, there is no other. Lord, people claim to be God, but Lord, you are the only God, the only true God. And Lord, we're thankful, Lord, that we can stand as Paul stood in that ship on that dark night and say that I believe God. And Lord, I ask God that you'd help us tonight. Lord, we need your help. We need a touch. And Lord, I ask God that you'd protect this place, build a hedge of protection around your people. And Lord, everything that's said and done from the singing on down through the preaching, God, that you'd be the only one that'd get the glory and the praise and the honor. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you for standing. You can be seated. Somebody said this, a bell buoy rings only during storms. The beating of the waves bring out the music that is within it. So do trials reveal what is inside a person. Did you know that a clay pot, even if it can sit in the sun for the longest time, a clay pot will always be a clay pot as long as it sits in the sun, but until it is put into the furnace. It is only then when it becomes porcelain. On a wall in his bedroom, Charles Spurgeon had a plaque. And on that plaque, if you were to visit his bedroom, on the plaque on Charles Spurgeon's wall, he had the scripture Isaiah 48.10. And this is what he had wrote below that. He said, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. God's choice makes chosen men choice men. We are chosen not in the palace, but in the furnace. I want to draw your attention to verse number 18. I'll get the title for our message this morning. Those three words, but if not. But if not. Chapter number 2 in the book of Daniel tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar was a very troubled man, had a lot of issues. The Lord had sent him a dream that not nobody could interpret. All the astrologers in Babylon could not interpret the dream. We find in chapter number 2 that he gets mad and he actually puts out the decree to kill all the wise men. If nobody could interpret this dream, he was going to kill all the wise men in the land. That included the Hebrew boys, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel tells his friends in chapter 1, verse 17, I believe, to start to pray that God would deliver them. And can I just tell you this this morning, you ought to be thankful if you've got some godly friends this morning, that you can send them a text message, you can give them a call when you're in your time of need, that you need somebody to pray for you. Listen, it's better off than a bunch of thugs that run around town that can't get a hold of God. But you ought to surround yourself this morning with some people of God that know how to get a hold of God in the time of need. And so Daniel, he asked these boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to get a hold of God. And what happens? God gets involved and he tells Daniel the meaning of the dream. And God places them, through that text and that chapter, God places Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into a higher realm of leadership because they listened to Daniel. Because they followed Daniel, God has now promoted them into a higher level through Nebuchadnezzar. That's when you're going to find, when they do not bow down to this image, that's why Nebuchadnezzar says it's vicious. His form turned against him. He was pleased with them. He was happy with them. He is the one that promoted them. But now they have broken His law. Nebuchadnezzar promotes them. And now we find ourselves in chapter number 3. And I like what brother Doug Burroughs says. And he says, with new levels comes new devils. Verse number 2, King Nebuchadnezzar puts out a decree that all the leaders of Babylon, well guess who just got promoted? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. All these leaders must come and bow down to this image. Verse number 8, we find that there are some Chaldeans accusing these Jewish boys. And let me just say this, those Chaldeans are probably jealous, waiting for the opportunity for them foreigners to slip up. Let me just say this, any time you try to serve God and God begins to bless you, somebody is going to try to provoke you, somebody is going to try to get you to trip up, somebody is going to be jealous of you, that they tried to trip them up, they begin to accuse them. And let me just say this, anytime you serve God, somebody's going to accuse you of doing something wrong. Ms. Christy talked about that this morning. She was talking about being on the sidewalk, playing parrot, and being in those conferences, everything that the Lord was doing. And surely, somebody's going to pick apart something, take something out of context, and try to accuse you. Just know this, anytime you serve God, somebody's going to try to trip you up. But when everybody else was bowing down, Can I ask you a question this morning? Outside of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, how many people were bound down? Would you look with me in the text? Let's look. Let me find it here. Verse number 7. Chapter number 3, verse number 7. Therefore at that time, when how many? All. You read that verse, all of them heard it, all of them bowed down. But listen to me, just because it's popular, doesn't mean we need to do it. Just because the news says we need to do it, don't mean we need to do it. Just because the majority, listen, the majority does not make the truth. Do you understand? If we could get that in society's head. Listen, the news wants you to think that everybody's doing it and it's okay. Listen, it does not matter if the majority does it. It's what God's Word says that is truth. All of them, outside of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound up. They begin to get accused by these Chaldeans. They notice Verse number 9, these Chaldeans, they butter up the king. They say, Oh, king, live forever. Tell the king that those Jewish boys are refusing to worship his idol. King Nebuchadnezzar is furious. He demands that the boys worship his idol. But you know there's something that these boys never forgot, and I believe that would be found in Exodus chapter 20 verse 3, that thou shalt have no other gods before me. The king is going to give them one more chance to worship this idol. He tells them that if they don't worship, he's going to throw them into a fiery furnace. And I'm sure that the king remembered how he gave Daniel the interpretation of the dream. But in verse number 15, look at the question that the king asks at the very end. Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? In other words, we could say it like this. These boys are facing the fire. These boys are facing the fire. You know, in my Bible, Brother Doug talked about in Sunday school this morning about marking things. And whether you mark in your Bible, that's between you and the Lord. But in my Bible, Brother Jeff, what do I have highlighted? Anywhere, just pick one, right there. What's that one? I've got this highlighted in my Bible, Burning Fiery Furnace. In chapter number 3, it's mentioned 8 times. Eight times do we see the phrase, burning fiery furnace. These boys are facing the fire. And can I just encourage you this morning, as a believer in Jesus, it's not if, but when you find yourself facing the fire. Preacher, prove it to me. James 1.2, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. James 1.12, blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when, not if, when he has tried. John 16.33, in the world ye shall have tribulation. 1 Peter 1.7, the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold, that perisheth though it be tried with fire. 1 Peter 4.12, beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you. Listen to me, it's not a matter of if, but it's when. Henry Ward Beecher said this, we are always in the forge or on the anvil. By trials God is shaping us for higher things. Warren Wiersbe said this, he said a faith that cannot be tested can't be trusted. Listen to me. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. If you're going to take notes this morning, number one, I want you to notice their revelation. Their revelation. Verse number 16, the Bible says this, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we're 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, and 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 hast set up. Notice in our text, they don't butter him up with, O king, live forever, like the old Chaldeans do, do they? No, they just call him out by his name, Nebuchadnezzar. The king had the power of life and death, hence why the people would butter him up. But they realized this morning that they were not accountable to this earthly king. But they knew that there was a higher king sitting in the heavens. Psalms 95.3, the Bible says, For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods. Psalms 145.1, I will extol thee, my God, O king. i will bless thy name forever and ever listen before you got saved this morning if you're a saved person if you've been born again before you got saved you were accountable to the prince of the air that is satan the devil bells above you were at enmity with god you worshiped him whether you want to believe it or not you were on his side but the moment you got saved you left that side God did not join your side, but you joined God's side. You became on God's side, and now listen to me. You worship the Most High God. I believe that's what these boys knew. They knew that Nebuchadnezzar God had promoted him to a specific position, but there was a greater king that they worshipped, and it was above Nebuchadnezzar. It was the Great High God. Jehovah God. They knew that He was high and lifted up. Verse number 16, they reply, They say, we are not careful. You would study that word careful. You know what that word careful means in your King James Bible? Y'all look up here. Don't worry about what anybody else is doing. Look up here. Y'all know what the word careful means? It means anxious. Now listen to me. Did the boys know that they were facing fire? Yeah. They put out a decree. They knew it. But they said, King, we're not careful. It means anxious. You know what that means to me? I mean, the boldness of these guys' faith. In other words, they said, we ain't worried about it. Y'all know how many people we got walking around biting their fingernails so tied up, they're so anxious about anything and everything? These guys are facing death. They're facing probably the most painful death somebody can experience. And you know what they tell the most important person in that time of all the world? We ain't worried about it. That's bold, isn't it? We ain't worried about it, Nebby. We ain't worried about it, Nebby. My God's able to deliver me. And here's the thing, Nebby. If He don't, we still ain't worshiping your God. This was the revelation. This is what they spoke. In other words, they weighed the consequences. They counted the cost. No doubt these boys had a little meeting. They knew the consequences. They weighed the ins and the outs, but they made up their minds. Somebody said this, faith means obeying God regardless of the feeling within us, the circumstances around us, or the consequences before us. Somebody said this, true faith is not frightened by threats, impressed by crowds, or swayed by superstitious ceremonies. Truth obeys the Lord and trusts Him to work out the consequences. Listen, they're not going to answer cautiously. You know why? Because they're concerned more about their testimony than their own well-being. There's a false gospel going around. Well, the Lord just wants you to be happy. He just wants everything to work out. Listen, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. That's not the case. God's concerned with His glory. And if that means serving Him in life, great. But if it also means serving Him in death, it's about Him and it's not about us. We find in our text, they do not answer carefully, they're not anxious, they're not worried about it. They're not going to answer cautiously because they're not concerned for their own well-being, but they were willing to die to themselves. I believe with all my heart that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had died a long time ago. They had crucified their flesh. Boys, it ain't about us. Now, I know. Listen, I know the fiery furnace and I know, but I believe that they probably had their eyes on heaven. Because boys, I know that it may hurt for a little bit, but here's the thing. What do we have to lose? That's what Paul said, wasn't it? Isn't that what he said? To live is Christ, to die is gain? They had died to themselves. Popularity didn't cause them to bow. Neither their position. Listen to me. They weren't just scum of the earth. Would you look with me in chapter number 2, verse 49? I just want you to see it. Look with me, chapter number 2, verse 49. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gate of the king. These boys ain't just the scum of the earth. They're lifted up. They're promoted. These are important people, okay? They're very high politically in the realm of Babylon. But popularity did not cause them to bow, neither their position caused them to bow. Listen, God may have elevated you to a high position, but just because you're in a high position does not mean that you need to have a spine of a jellyfish and to bow down what everybody tells you to bow down to. They held their integrity. Christian, you ought to stand for God at all costs, even when your John's on the line. I know that's easy preaching, hard living. But it's truth. I shared something this morning. You know what? Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson stood in a church less than 45 minutes from here in Seagrove, North Carolina. This is what he said. He said, there's no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth. And yes, I said filth. That's what he said, I quote. And can I just say this? I praise the Lord for a man that's got a backbone. God's given him a platform. We don't apologize for it. We don't back down from it. And I hope he becomes the next governor of North Carolina. Somebody say amen. These boys were elevated, and because they were put in a position, they did not back down. They did not bow down on the pressures of popularity, position, or practice. They could have bowed their knee, but not their heart. You know, a lot of people say, well, guys, listen, here's the deal. Let's just bow, you know, the Lord's given us, He's promoted us to this spot, and we can bow down, but, you know, God knows what's in our heart. Wouldn't that be what a lot of Christians would do? The Lord really knows what's in here, boys. He'll be alright. Let's just do it. We'll get out of here. We'll make it real quick. But the problem with that was who was watching them? Who had their eyes on them? And can I just say this? People are watching you right now. And you know what they can't see? Your heart. The only thing they're able to watch is your knee bow down. God is the only one, according to the book of Samuel, that can see in our heart. He looketh on the inward, but man looketh on the inward. So what does man see? They would see these boys bow down to this image. But they didn't. They didn't bow down. They held their spot. Your buddies may go out and act like the devil, and you say, well, I'm not going to do what they do. I'm just going to hang around them. That's not what the world sees. The world sees who you're hanging around. And the world sees what they do, and guess what? You're going to be guilty by association. They told the king that their God was able to deliver them, but if not, they're not going to worship this idol. The Jewish boys understood that the power of God could deliver them, but they also understood it may not be His will to deliver them. Listen to me. This is the truth we need to get a hold of. It may not be God's will to pull you out of this trial. I know that we pray, Lord, I wish you'd pull me out. I wish you'd end it, Lord. I wish you'd just get rid of the circuit. It may not be God's will for Him to do that. He may have you in this trial for a reason. Why? Because somewhere along the line, whether we see it now or whether we see it when we get to heaven, He wants to get glory for it. And you know what these boys said? Guys, regardless whether He pulls us out or not, we're not going to serve and God's going to get the glory. We've got too many people tell God they're going to be faithful to Him if He does X, Y, and Z. Can I just say this? How about be faithful regardless of what God does? Y'all know this, when you get sick, it's like confession time. I don't know about y'all, when I get sick, Lord, I'm gonna serve you. If you get me better, I'm gonna do everything I can. I'll serve you. By the time I'm healthy again, I done back slid back to the Fifth Row Church. But you know what? Why don't we just serve God regardless? Whether He pulls us out or not. Why don't we just serve God? Say, Lord, you may heal me, you may not. You may deliver, you may not. But God, I'm going to be faithful anyway. Listen, when we are faithful based on rewards, it's commercial faith and it's from the devil. I know you didn't like to hear that. But when we're faithful based on what God does for us, it's a commercial faith. When you're in church, when everything's going right, it's a commercial faith. Listen to me, some of you need to hear that. But when something goes wrong, you ain't nowhere to be found. When things ain't right at the house, when things ain't right at the job, when things ain't going on with your friends, you don't, you ain't know. But when everything's just right, oh now it's going to time. Lord, it's been good to me, so I'm going to come to church. That ain't how it works. Listen, when things are going bad in my life, I'll tell you where I need to be. I need to be here. This is where I need to be. This is where I get help. This is where I get encouragement. This is where I get uplifted. Because you know, commercial faith, when we just serve God when He's doing good things for us, that's exactly what the devil did. to the Lord. You know what the devil, would you write this reference down, Matthew 4, 9? You know what the devil told Jesus? All these things will I give thee if thou will fall down and worship me. That's what the devil said. I'll give you everything. You fall down, and that's what we want from God. Lord, you give me all this, I'll worship you. Can I just reiterate what the girls just sung? I don't care if the Lord's ever given you another breath, God's been good to us. I don't care what happens from here on out, God's been good to us. God is looking for people that regardless whether or not He pulls them from the fire, to be faithful. People to count the cost and say, regardless if I make it through this fire, I'll be faithful to the King. People to say, God, I know You're able, I know You're all powerful, I know You can deliver me, but if not, be it known unto Thee, I'll be faithful in the fire. We see the revelation. He's able. But if not, be it known to thee. We won't serve you, God. Another revelation, let me move quickly. Number two, I see the repercussion. Look with me, verse number 19. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most highly men, most mighty men, that they were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning, fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, their hats, and their other garments. They were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. The repercussion. Please forgive me. I don't know if I got ADHD, ADD, XYZ, whatever. But I'm sitting here thinking, why am I preaching this message when we're getting ready to have a big old fire tonight? I'm not going to be testing nobody's faith tonight, I promise. I had to get that out. Some of y'all ain't coming tonight. Lord have mercy. This didn't sit well with the king. The king got so mad he heated up the furnace seven times more hotter. He ordered, the Bible says, the most mighty men to bind them up and to cast them into the fire. There's a couple of things I want you to notice in our text about this fiery furnace. Verse number 20 says, the most mighty men cast those Jewish boys into the fire. No doubt these fellas, I believe, were probably some of the most strongest men in the world at that time. I mean, the most mighty men of Nebuchadnezzar's army. I mean, Brother Travis, these guys were taking the protein. They were taking the pre-workout. Amen? These guys were ripped, alright? I mean, they were the most mighty men that had bound them and put them into the fire. Strong fellas. You know, the Bible refers to Satan as the strong man in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 11. He is the accuser of the brethren. And you know, the Bible says in those Gospels that unless somebody comes in and binds up the strong man, he cannot spool the goods of the house. In other words, he's saying this. If somebody does not bind up the strong man, you ain't getting free. Can I ask you a question? What happens to these mighty men? They get burned up. But who don't get burned up? Shadrach, Meshach. Something happens to these mighty men. I believe supernaturally these men were consumed due to the heat of the fire. They were killed. These strong men were killed because of the fire, verse number 22. Can I say this? Sometimes God will put you in the fire to shut up the accusations of the devil. Prove it to me, preacher. What about Job? We find Job chapter number 1, chapter number 2. The Bible says that the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also. The Lord inquires of what Satan's doing. Satan replies going to and fro up and down the earth. And then it is the Lord who says, hast thou considered my servant Job? In other words, I believe that Satan and his pride, Satan's so full of pride that's what got him kicked out of heaven, I believe he's wreaking havoc, he's doing this and he's doing that, and he's accusing the brethren, he's accusing man before God, and then God Almighty steps in and says, hast thou considered my servant Job? Then old Satan, he tells him, has Job served thee for naught? In other words, he's saying this, the only reason Job is serving you is because what you've done with him, how good you've blessed him, Then the Lord makes a long story short. He says you can have everything to Him except His life. And we find, you get in that book, you'll find the Bible says in all this did Job curse God with his lips. Sometimes God may put you through the fire just to shut the devil up. Sometimes He may put you through the heat because the devil is the accuser of the brethren. And can I just say this? It's not about us. The devil's got a spite against God. And forever since the devil's been created, he's been trying to get at God. And sometimes God may put you through a fire just to make the devil be quiet. I also want to draw your attention to the word bound. Look with me, verse number 20. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to what, church? Bind. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Look with me, verse number 21. Then these men were what, church? I need y'all to participate. Then these men were? Bound. Verse number 24. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? And they answered and said unto the king, True, O king. They were bound. But would you look with me in verse number 25? He answered and said, Lo, I see four men lose. You know, it didn't burn their clothes. Look with me in verse number 21. These men were bound in their what? Coats, their hoes and their hats, their other garments. that were cast into the fire. But then look with me in verse number 27. And the princes, governors, captains, kings, counselors being gathered together saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed. You know, I believe the Lord puts these little details in here for us, don't you? It did not burn their clothes, but it removed the very ropes that bound them. Before the fire, they're bound. After the fire, they're loosed. Can I ask you a question? What is God trying to chisel out of you by putting you through the fire? What's got you bound up this morning? that when God's going to put you through the fire, I'm not going to hurt you, but there's some things that's got you bound up and tied up, the devil's got you wrapped up that I need to get off of you. What's got you bound up this morning? Before the fire, they go into the fire bound. After the fire, they're loosed. You may struggle being bound with pride, marital issues, addictions, gossip, bitterness. I want you to notice the term fell down. Look, verse 23, and these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell down. Officer, come up here for a second, buddy. I don't got no rope, but I've got zip ties. You know, every man ought to have a thing of zip ties, you know? Amen? Buddy, can you lay down for me? Put your hands together, let's see if he's fit. Hold your hands together just like that. Now, you may be able to get out of this, but for the sake of my illustration, I don't want you to get out of this, OK? OK? Does that hurt? You OK? You sure? Let's see if I can make one big enough. Now, I don't want you to get up. Let's see if I can make one big enough for your feet. Of course, this zip tie is not going to work. How many of you like zip ties? Say amen. You just hang out right there for a minute. Our text tells us that they were bound, weren't they? The Bible says that they fell down, don't it? This is their position in the fire. But you know what I find? Can we keep reading? Verse number 25, and he answered, And said, Lo, I see four men, what's the next two words? Loose walking. Listen to me, if it weren't for the fire, they'd still be bound and they'd still be down. But you know what he said, I see four men, four men loose and walking. Being down gives us the idea of not moving, being stagnant, not walking. Into the fire they fell down, but the process of the fire caused them to walk again. Can I just say this? God does not want you to be stagnant. He always wants you to be moving forward. He wants you to advance. Walking gives the idea of advancement. Can I ask you a question this morning? Simple question. How did you walk with the Lord? Could it be that God is putting you through the fire? to get you loose, get you walking, get you advancing. Because sometimes it's not until we get to the fire that we start to call upon the name of the Lord. It's not until we get to the trials of life that God is trying to get our attention. And He wants us. He doesn't want us bound and tied up and down. He wants us free. He wants us loose and walking, advancing. And you know, I'll tell you this. If I was in the fire and if I was loose and walking, This is just me. I'm getting out of the furnace. They ain't wanting to get out of the furnace. I don't know the Bible. All it says is they're loose. Just walking with Jesus. Just walking with Jesus in a burning fire. Me and my humanistic self, I'm getting out of there. But you know what Moses said? He said, I'd rather suffer with the afflictions with his people. And so the pleasures of Egypt. It is better to be in a fire with Jesus than to be outside the will of God. And you know what the Lord wants to do? Also, I didn't leave you hanging, buddy. He puts us in this fire. The devil's got you bound up. And He wants you. Let's walk. Let's walk. Let's walk. And it may not be easy. And the world may not understand. But me and you are going to walk together. And how many of you know where two or three are gathered in my name? How many was in there? And who joined them? You have a seat. All I'm saying is this. God may put you in the fire to get some things off of you that the devil's done to you. that the devil wants to bind you up, but to put you through the fire, to get those things off and to help you keep walking. You know what Deuteronomy 31.8, And the Lord, he it is that doth go with thee, he is before thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee, fear not, neither be dismayed. I believe this is Brother Jim's favorite verse, Isaiah 41.10, Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. You know, the Lord said in Matthew 28.20, And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. If you're faithful in the fire, Jesus says, I'll be with you. Let me give you these really quick. Their revelation, their repercussion, their reputation. Look with me quickly, verse number 27. Their reputation. It would have been one thing if they would have bowed down, but look with me in verse number 27. And the prince's governors and captains and king's counselors being gathered together. Notice the next three words. Saw these men. They were watching him. Did you see what happened to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? We were bowing down but they stood up to the king. They told him no. They got thrown in the fire. And now they're out again and nothing's wrong. Did you see? I mean this would be on the breaking news of Fox News this morning. For all the world to look at these men. Can I tell you this morning? You may be in the fire. People's watching you. And they're watching how you handle it. God will put you through the fire to be a witness to other people. You may know somebody that's in the fire. Can I tell you what helped me while I was in the fire? Just walk with Jesus. I know it hurts, and I know it may be uncomfortable. Just walk with Him. That is what helped me. The men saw. It says, whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Lastly, number four. Verse number 30, their resolution. Then the king promoted again Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. When it was all said and done, God placed them at a higher level than they had before because they were faithful. Do you know a lot of people think that if they just bow down to anything and everything that they'll get promoted that way? Don't they? You know it in your workplace. Right? Common sense. If I just forget my faith, forget my walk, if I just cater, then I'll get promoted. You know the Bible says the Lord is the one who promoteth. And because they were faithful, they got promoted. their resolution, they're promoted. You may not see a reward now, but there's a day coming when being faithful in the fire will be worth it. You know what Paul said, I'm going to read this verse, Paul said in Romans 8.18, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, I love this, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Listen, some of you right now, you may be smack dab in the furnace. Can I just say, just focus on heaven. Because there's a day coming, Paul said, it ain't even going to be, don't even comprehend, you can't even think about it. Just be faithful in the fire. Miss Lisa, help me on the piano. Let me read you this. I thought this was neat. They said this, going to the fire, things getting too hot, try to be on your patience, stomach tied in a knot, flames have you jumping, can't stand the heat, feeling the dread that comes with defeat? Well, don't let the smoke conceal what God is doing, for the fire in your bones is God's way of pursuing. Those flames that you feel are meant to purge impurities out of your life till you and God merge. So when being fire-tested and it starts getting hot, you're just turning to gold in God's refining pot. This is what George Mueller He said, if we desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and therefore, through trial, be strengthened. Be it not, can I ask you a question this morning? Could we stand with a backbone of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and say, the Lord may deliver me, but if not, I'm not gonna serve your gods, King Nebi. I want you to bow your head and close your eyes