This Sunday we revisit one of the most well known of all the stories in the Bible -- the fiery furnace. Last week we watched as the story unfolded: potentially thousands of Nebuchadnezzar's government employees have been summoned to express their loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar under penalty of death in a fiery furnace. Just bow down when the Babylonian Anthem is played and everything is cool. But three monotheistic Jews couldn't pretend, and now its show time. Our God can rescue us, but if not....
How dare they defy the sovereign ruler of that world? What comes next? What will God do? Will they suffer agonizingly in the furnace? Will they become a lesson to everyone that you dare not cross Nebuchadnezzar?
I think that deep inside we really wonder if God can protect us or care fir us.. We expect God to keep us out of the furnace (trial) and if He doesn't, he doesn't love us or has failed us. In our minds, we do the "right thing" to get the result we expect from God. But God has a different plan and it is much more clear in this passage than anywhere else. God has grace and power and freedom for us that we can only experience in the furnace. No fire, no freedom.
What an amazing story to consider.....so be ready to be challenged!
Watch and See!
Steve
Daniel 3:19-30
July 26, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
Daniel 1
June 28, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
I have had a chance to be reading through the book and thinking about the man -- Daniel. Amazing guy. Humble, gentle, courageous, stable. He is uprooted from family and neighborhood and culture and thrust into a new life of servitude in a Godless nation, Babylon. How potentially traumatizing to a teenager! But instead of seeing bitterness, anger, depression, or indulgence, we see a young man who prospers in a remarkable way, helping to lead an empire without compromise of Godly conviction. In fact, Daniel wins the respect of four kings he serves under! Maybe Daniel's influence is even behind the pilgrimage of the Magi coming from the East and following the Star of Bethlehem! How did Daniel beat the odds? How did he thrive when others would have shriveled? Think about the difference between "conviction" and "opinion". Is there a difference? What is it? Are you a person of conviction or just opinion? How does this relate to Daniel 1? Ha! You will have to tune in to find out! VIEW AND SEE, Steve
Daniel 2:1-30
July 5, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
We find ourselves in Daniel 2:1-30. The chapter is just too long and too important to speed through. It is one of the most amazing prophetic passages in the whole Bible! The chapter starts with a very troubling dream, and by the end of the chapter Daniel and the others have been promoted and the mighty king of the mighty Babylonian empire is acknowledging Daniel's God as the true God. This is the stuff we live for! The first 30 verses give the setup, and some important observations and contrasts. We continue to see Daniel shine in the middle of crisis after crisis. In an identity crisis -- Daniel holds to his convictions. The crisis now is a matter of life and death! Is Daniel freaking out? How does the world system operate to produce the crisis? How does Daniel respond to the crisis? As for the specific content of the dream and the meaning of http://it...well...you will have to watch the next message. It is worth it! Amazing. Steve
Daniel 2:31-49
July 12, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
We left Daniel standing in the presence of the Nebuchadnezzar, having announced that he knows the dream and the interpretation. Can you feel the suspense? What was the dream? What does it mean? Daniel tells the king his dream and then tells him what it means. I don't want to give away too much, but I can tell you the dream is of a magnificent, giant, stratified metal statue (idol). Statues like this would be very familiar to the idol worshipers of the day. The statue gives God a way to walk Nebuchadnezzar through the history of world dominating empires from their current time in history on into the future. There is a succession of "kingdoms" (empires) that all meet a common end as the statue ends up being hit by something like a meteor -- a stone cut out without human involvement -- which utterly destroys it! I know that you know we live in strange times. Many have a sense that things are not getting better, but getting worse. We also have a sense that things cannot go on like they are. Where does it end? What happens next? Trust me when I say you will not want to miss the next installment of our study in Daniel! Steve