Walking Through Chaos

Good morning, everybody. My name is Valerie. I'm one of the pastors on staff, and I am so glad to be with you today. And I want to kick off today by giving you a brief update on the Hope Center. That building is coming together nicely, and this last week we passed a very critical milestone. We have a floor, a very important part of the building. We now have a floor. It's awesome. Next you're going to see some really large steel beams land on our property.

Now if the Hope Center is new to you, this is the building that is going to house our food pantry. It's going to house our recovery groups, our support groups, so many discipleship classes to help you grow in your faith. And you can get more information about it out of the lobby. And if you are one of the hundreds and hundreds of people who have been supporting the Hope Center, I just want to thank you for your faithful giving because God is putting this building together. And it is exciting to see it all happen, let me tell you.

All right, I have a question for you as we begin today. Have you ever noticed how life throws curveballs when you least expect them? Now, by definition, I guess a curveball comes when you least expect it. But you're walking around, everything's normal, living your life, and then bam. It's all upside down. When's the last time that happened to you? Somebody said Friday. All right, Friday. I remember it was a Saturday night, and I was way up at the top where I often am on the weekends helping to work on the services and click the slides. And I knew that my mom was in the hospital, and in the middle of the first worship song, my phone rang.

And it was my sister. And she told me, the doctor just said, if you want to see mom, you need to get up here now. They lived in Seattle where I grew up. And I panicked for a second. Then I realized as I checked, even if I left at that exact moment, I wasn't going to make the last flight out. So I booked the first flight out on Sunday morning and I prayed. I pleaded with God that I'd make it up there in time to see my mom. All through the night, all the way to the airport, God, on the plane, turned off my phone, and I prayed, Lord, please let me see my mom one more time.

Maybe for you, you also got a phone call, or you got a bill, or you got a diagnosis, you got told something in a relationship, a decision, and suddenly you're just standing there. You've been spun around, flipped upside down, and you're just left wondering, God, where are you in this? If you've been there and looking around, it appears most of us are over the age of three, so I'm going to guess you have been there. If you've been there, you are going to love today's story because Daniel and his friends, let me tell you, they knew about curveballs. They knew about chaos.

Remember, when they were teenagers, Babylon had invaded and destroyed their city, dragged them away, ripped them from their homes, put them in a new country with a new language, new culture, new customs, total chaos. And yet right there, in the middle of the chaos, they never lost their courage. They continued to walk with God, to hold on to their faith, even through the chaos. How? How? This week we're in Daniel 3, and if you grew up in church, you probably heard the story of the fiery furnace, but I want to encourage you today, do not let familiarity rob you of the power of this story, the wonder of this story.

Because this is not just some kid's Sunday school tale. This is about real people like you and I facing impossible pressure and finding the courage to walk with God in chaos. So let's dive in together. Go ahead and open your Bibles to Daniel 3. You can take out your sermon notes. And the focus of Daniel 3 is on Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And when we last left these guys at the end of chapter 2, at Daniel's request, they had just been elevated. They had been appointed as administrators over Babylon, the heart of the empire.

So these three who were taken not so long ago as prisoners of war, at the end of chapter two, they are riding high. And now on to chapter three. And chapter three opens with King Nebuchadnezzar deciding to launch a building project. He is going to build a massive statue. And given what we know about him, this statue was probably to honor the chief pagan deity of Babylon, Marduk. And he decides, I'm not just going to build a statue. I'm going to build a gigantic statue. And when I say gigantic, I mean massive, big, big, big.

The Bible says it was 60 cubits, which equals somewhere between 90 and 100 feet. And I want to give you some sense of scale here. So in this room, from this spot on the floor up to the ceiling is 35 feet. Yeah. So almost three times the height of this room. This thing was huge. And he didn't just build this. He set it someplace where everyone would see it. He put it on the plain of Dora. And I really want you to picture this. Take a look at this map. The plain of Dora is located right here between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. And it's just a little bit north of Babylon. And it's pretty. And it is flat.

So flat. So can you imagine how this 90-foot-high gold-covered statue must have just loomed over everything on this plain? And the king is so pleased with himself, so pleased with how a statue turned out, that he decides, I'm going to invite some people in. I'm going to invite all my administrators. Actually, he really summons them. It's not so much an invitation as it is a, I'll see you when you get here. And he invites them all in and they, of course, accept the invitation. Who's going to turn down the king?

And they all gather up and they realize, oh, we're just not here to cheer on the king and his building project. He wants us to worship the pagan god that this statue represents. And the king lays out some rules for this worship. He says, here's how it's going to go. When you hear the music, bow down and worship. And then he says, and if you're not in the mood or don't feel like it, there are some consequences. If you do not bow down and worship, you will die. I will throw you in the fiery furnace.

So it's not all that shocking that the first time they heard music, everybody hit the ground. Almost everybody hit the ground. Some of the Babylonian officials noticed that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are not going to bow down. And you've got to know, some of those Babylonian officials had probably been passed over by Daniel and his friends, and they were ticked. They had been in that Babylonian court longer than these prisoners of war, and these guys have just been fast-tracked up to the top. So I think they were more than happy to skip on over to King Nebuchadnezzar and say, hey, look. Look at those guys.

And on hearing this, the king is furious. He hits the roof, and he summons. This guy likes to summons. He summons Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come before him. And it's interesting because even though he is furious, he gives them a second chance. He reminds them of the rules. Music, bow down. He reminds them of the consequences. You will be thrown into the fiery furnace. And then he asks this question, and what God will be able to save you then?

Well, the problem wasn't that these guys were unclear on the rules. And they speak respectfully to the king. And they say, well, in answer to your question, what God will save you then, the God we serve is able to deliver. The God we serve will deliver. And then they double down. And they look the king in the eye. And they say, but even if he does not, we will not bow. And the king takes his rage to a whole new level. He is furious. He is done with them. Second chance over.

And he says, that is it. His anger was so enraged at these guys that he orders the fire in the fiery furnace to be put from normal hot to white hot. Seven times hotter, it says, that he made that fire. And he wasn't even just going to rest on fire. He got the strongest soldiers he could to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and walk them up to the edge of the furnace. And at that point, the furnace was so hot that the soldiers who pushed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in were consumed by the fire.

And all the while, King Nebuchadnezzar just sits back, taking it all in. And suddenly he looks, gets up, and he starts counting. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. Three. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. He looks around and he asks, Hey, didn't we throw three people in the fire a minute ago? And, of course, everyone agrees with him. Yes, we threw three people in the fire. And he says, Look, there's four in there. And that fourth guy is not from around here. I don't know what's going on right now.

And so the king commands, you could say summons, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to get out of the fire. So they come out and everyone's spinning them around and looking at them and sniffing them to see if they smell like smoke. And there is not a scratch, not a mark, not even a singed piece of hair on these guys. They don't smell like smoke. I mean, you can't even make a s'more at a campfire without smelling like smoke. And there is nothing on these guys. Nothing.

And the king has to admit, this God is bigger. Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has rescued his servants. And then as the king is prone to doing, he makes a new decree. And he says, okay, new rule. Whoever says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, new rule, new punishment, I will cut them into pieces. That's the new law. And then, at the end of this day, can you imagine this day for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? They go home and they're asked, hey, how was your day? You wouldn't believe it if I told you, probably.

At the end of this day, the king appoints them to higher ranks. He advances them again. I mean, whoa, wow. What a story. This may be the first time you've ever heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. I mean, isn't it amazing? But even for someone like me who grew up hearing this story, this is one that just never loses its punch. But I'm going to make a confession. And I may be wrong. I've already been wrong today, so this could be the second time. Who knows? I may be wrong, but I think, I hope, that like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I am ready for the 90-foot idol.

All my Christian life, I have read Bible stories. I have read biographies of people who would not bow. I feel in some ways like I have been training my whole Christian life for the 90-foot idol. I am on the lookout for a 90-foot idol. But the problem for me, and maybe for you, comes in that while I have never encountered a 90-foot idol, I have encountered a lot, an awful lot, of life-sized idols. I've encountered family-sized idols, relationship-sized idols, bank account-sized idols, politician-sized idols, health, beauty, success, even a season of life-sized idol, an idol of self my ideas my way my path.

And these things aren't necessarily they're not intrinsically bad. I mean health, relationships, success those things aren't intrinsically bad but they are not meant to be worshiped. They are not meant to become the center, the idol in our lives. And as I read this in Daniel 3 over and over again, I was struck by how many times the word worship is used in this passage. Eleven times. Ten just in the heart of the story. We are made for worship. We are absolutely made to ascribe glory, to give worth, ultimate value to someone or something. We are all worshipers.

Even if you say today, well, I don't think I'm a worshiper. I don't really worship God yet. I promise you, you worship something because we all do. We all worship. And who or what we worship matters. When we worship God, when we worship him, how we walk through chaos, how we walk through life, how we experience life, it goes one direction. When we worship at those idols, when we worship at our bank account, when we worship at a bottle, when we worship at any of those other things, that also impacts how we experience life, how we walk through trials.

And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found out in the fire something that I think we all need to know. If you want to walk through chaos, through fiery furnaces with courage, who you worship makes all the difference. So this morning I want to look at three things that they learned in the fiery furnace that I think can encourage and help us right now in our fiery furnaces. And the first thing we see in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the God we worship is able to deliver. The God we worship is able to deliver.

Remember, the king asked them, what God will be able to rescue you then? Look at Daniel 3:17. They say, if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your majesty's hand. Talk about speaking truth to power. These guys could literally feel the heat on their back. And look at the words they use. They say, is able, will deliver. One way or another, they knew they were getting delivered that day.

Their view of the God that they had spent their lives worshiping had shifted their focus in life to such a degree that even in the face of the fiery furnace, they could not be robbed of their confidence that God will deliver. The Bible is chock full of verses and stories to remind us that God can deliver. The exodus from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the story of Ruth, David and Goliath, Esther, Jesus calming the sea. God is able to deliver.

I love how Psalm 18:2 lays this out. The psalmist says, the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior. My God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Look at those words, rock, fortress, power that saves, shield, place of safety. Doesn't that sound so appealing? A place of safety. God is all those things. God's deliverance is that thorough.

But what I find happens in my life is that when my worship of God starts to shift from God, I'm actually looking for these things. I'm looking for a fortress. I'm looking for safety. I'm looking for a shield, but I start to look anywhere or in anything other than God. I'm looking to those life-sized idols to deliver me and to walk me through chaos. But have you ever put your trust in someone or something, that life-sized idol to save you, only to find out it's disappointing? Those life-sized idols just don't hold.

Yes, God in his mercy puts people in our lives. God in his grace provides for us. But all those good things that God gives us need to stay in their place, in the blessings but not to be worshipped category. Because people, money, homes, even our own lives, poof, gone in a moment they will never be the savior the deliverance that we need. But praise the Lord, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who delivered them is still in the delivery business today. Our God is able to deliver.

And then second, something we need to know as we walk through chaos is that the God we worship is worthy of our trust. The God we worship is worthy of our trust. He is literally trustworthy. They've told the king, hey, God will deliver us. But then look what they add in verse 18. But even if he does not, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

Folks, there is probably not a more rubber meets the road phrase when it comes to our faith than those words, but even if he does not. Even if he does not. When was your last but even if he does not moment? You might be in the middle of it right now or it might have been 20 years ago. What I know for sure is no matter when it was, we never forget them. I have never forgotten that flight to Seattle. I can remember everything about that flight. I can remember praying to see my mom one more time.

And I landed, turned on my phone, called my sister. I remember my hand was shaking. Only to find out that my mom had passed away while I was in the air. And there I sat in Sea-Tac Airport, waiting for my dad and my sister to pick me up. Having my own, and even if he does not, moment. I prayed for God to spare my mom just at least as long so I could see her one more time. I knew I knew God could do that I knew he could do that for me but in the SeaTac airport I had to ask myself do I have but even if he does not faith God I know you are able but even if he does not I trust you I will still serve you.

Somebody said there are two kinds of faith. There's if-then faith and even-if faith. If-then faith is a bargain a minute. Hey God, if you do this, if you give me this parking spot, if you get me this job, if you get me in that relationship, if you do this for me, then I will serve you. Hey God, I got an idea. How about you let me win the lottery and then I'll go to church every weekend. Hey God, if you get me out of this huge mess I'm in, I will be a missionary for you. I will do anything. But that makes our faith so transactional and our faith almost just becomes like a lucky charm or something like that. And let me tell you, when you are in the fiery furnace, that kind of faith, not super helpful.

But even if faith says, God, I know you are able. I know you can put me in this relationship. I know you can get me this job. I know you can get me out of this mess. But even if you do not, I trust you. If I trust God in the fiery furnace, I know his promises, his character, his triumph over death is sure. I know, guess what? I will see my mom again. I will see my mom again. And I know this not because of the size of my faith. I know this because of the size of the God I trust in whom I have put my faith.

It's interesting, even Nebuchadnezzar noticed that this was a trust issue. Look what he says. He says, these guys trusted in him, in the Lord, so much so that they were willing to defy my order. Walking through chaos, part of it is a trust issue. Could we say with Job, who the Bible tells us lost everything, though he slay me, yet I will trust him. A verse I go to often, because it's such a great clarifier for me about where to put my trust is from Psalm 73. I love this verse. It says, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire or trust besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

God is the strength of your heart, of your life. God is your portion. All you need in life forever. I mean, how much more can we enjoy all those blessings that he's given us when they are in their place and God is in his place? In your chaos, in your blessings, remember that God we worship is worthy of our trust. And let me just tell you something I really love about God when it comes to trust. Is he just isn't over there somewhere off in heaven and just yelling down, trust me. He could. He's God. He could do what he wants. But as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are about to find out, the God we worship is not just able to deliver and not just trustworthy. He's with us.

And that's the final point today. The God we worship is with you in the fire. Moments after Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the fire, the king jumps up and he says, Look, I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed. And the fourth looks like a son of the gods. Nebuchadnezzar calls him a son of the gods. We call him Jesus. I believe, as most Bible scholars do, that this is actually a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus. Not the only time that this happens in the Bible. The theological term for this is Christophany. Literally, Christ appearance. Jesus is walking in the fire with them.

Okay, imagine you are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego at this point. You have been taken up to the edge. You're pushed in. The guys behind you vanish at the same time, and you think you're dead. Who would not think they were dead at that moment? And you get in the fire, you're like, wait, am I dead? God's here. Maybe I am dead, but I feel like I'm walking around. I think I'm fine. Pinch me, Shaq. Oh, he jumped. I think we're alive still, and Jesus is still in the fire. Oh my goodness. I would just start running laps just because I could at that point. It would be so fun.

I love what Martin Luther King Jr. says, only God can turn a fiery furnace into an air-conditioned living room. The God we worship is with us every moment, every millisecond of your life, and that includes your fiery furnace. One of my favorite verses, and I know you can give us all a bad time about always saying we have favorite verses, but I do have a lot of them. But this is one of my favorite verses to remind me of God's presence with me, and it's Deuteronomy 31:8. And it says, the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Valerie, do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.

And you know what I love about this? It says that the Lord both goes before us and is with us. And only God can do that. Only God can be with us in the fiery furnace and with us as we're waiting to get pushed in. We do not have to fear the fiery furnace, the curveball, the phone call, the diagnosis ahead, because God is already there turning up the air conditioning, and he is with you every step of the way. Over 60 times in the Bible, we are explicitly reminded that God is with us. Some of the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples, and by extension us, were surely, absolutely, I am with you to the very end of the age.

You may feel alone today. You may be alone today. You may wish that God would just leave you alone today. But God is with you. He is always with you. The God we worship will never leave us. And we have all this. All this is ours. All this truth is trustworthy because of Jesus, that fourth one in the fire. Jesus gets it. Do you know that Jesus had his own and even if he does not moment? The Bible tells us that the night before Jesus died on the cross, the night he was betrayed, went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He knew the fiery furnace of the cross was coming. He knew the plan.

And the gospel of Matthew tells us that three times he dropped to his knees and begged and said, Father, if it's possible, may this cup, the cross, be taken from me, yet not as I will but even if he does not but as you will. Jesus endured the ultimate fiery furnace the cross taking the punishment of all our sins making a sacrifice for us but what changes things for us in our fiery furnace is not just its death. It's the fact that three days later, he defeated that fiery furnace. He defeated every other fiery furnace to come that ever will be in the process when he defeated death in his resurrection.

I love the end of Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar preaches his own sermon and he says, no other God can save in this way. No other God can save in this way. He's not wrong. No life-sized idol, no 90-foot-tall idol, no other God can save in this way. The God we worship sent his one and only son to save us, that whoever believes will not perish. No matter what fiery furnace you are in, you will ultimately not perish but have eternal life. No other God can save in this way. No other God can deliver. No other God is trustworthy. No other God is with us. No other God can save in this way. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, I know people walked in the room in all different places. Folks, I know some of you walked into this room and you are rejoicing. Something just went great and I want to rejoice with you today. We thank the Lord with you for that blessing that you are in right now. I also know that some of you walked into this room maybe starting to feel the heat. Wondering, oh no, what's ahead? And some of you are just flat out in a fiery furnace right now. And if you're in that fiery furnace today, I especially would like to pray for you. Would you just slip up your hand so I can know, yes, I'm in that fiery furnace, Val, and I need prayer. I need prayer.

God, you see these hands. You see these dear people. And, Lord, over all these fiery furnaces, I speak your name. I speak the name Jesus and I claim your promises that you are with us to the very end of the age. God, over all these fiery furnaces, I pray that you would grant each person a deep realization of your presence with them right now in the fire. That you would fill them with peace and maybe even joy in the middle of that fiery furnace. God, I pray that each person in that fiery furnace or each person that's starting to feel the heat, God, that they would wait for you. That they would be strong and they would wait for you, God, I pray.

Lord, for all of us, may we always seek your face. May we call upon your name in our times of trouble and trial. And God, I pray all this in the name of Jesus, the name above all names, the fourth one in the fire, we pray. Amen.