Daniel 3 Sermon | Studies in Daniel – Fiery Furnace
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Textual Sermon Outlines Tags: Sermons on Daniel, Sermons on the Fiery FurnaceDaniel 3 Sermon — Sermon outline by Kevin Cauley on Daniel 3 with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace.
Date written: September 2nd, 2007
Bible Text: Daniel 3:1-7
SUBJECT: Passage Study
TITLE: Studies in Daniel – God’s Proving
PROPOSITION: What can we learn of the trial of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? We learn 1) The Pressure of Political Correctness, 2) The Proving of Personal Principles, 3) The Prevailing Power of Faith in God.
OBJECTIVE: That each one would be motivated to stand strong in the face of trial and overcome through faith.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read: Daniel 3:1-7
2. About the Text:
1) We’ve been studying through the book of Daniel.
2) We’ve come to chapter three which is the story of the fiery furnace.
3) The main characters of this chapter are the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, and the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
4) The three Hebrew children were captured in Jerusalem and taken here as captives, slaves, eunuchs.
5) They are in a strange country where strange customs prevail.
3. The prophets foretold of their being tried, proved, and tested.
1) Jeremiah 9:7 “Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?”
2) Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”
3) Ezekiel 22:18-22 “Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.”
4. In this chapter we see a specific trial that has fallen upon these three Hebrew children.
5. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.
DISCUSSION: [ discussion of this daniel 3 sermon ]
I. The Pressure of Political Correctness (Daniel 3:1-7)
1. What is the setting?
1) Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
a. Made of gold.
b. 90 Feet Tall (9 Story building)
c. 9 Feet wide
2) Nebuchadnezzar’s command.
a. At the time of the music bow down to the image.
b. If not then you will be thrown into the fiery furnance.
3) The furnace.
a. Possibly the place where the image was constructed.
b. Great heat.
c. Gold melts at 1948 degrees farenheit.
2. The image was the Political Correctness of the day.
1) We have those in our society who want us to bow down to their idols as well.
a. Those who support the sin of homosexuality would have us bow down to their idol.
a) Leviticus 18:22, 20:13
b) Romans 1:26-27
c) 1 Corinthians 6:8-9
b. Those who support the sin of abortion would have us bow down to their idol.
a) Proverbs 6:16-17
b) 2 Kings 24:3-4 and 2 Kings 21:6
2) Some desire us to have no standards of morality whatsoever.
a. Sexual Sin
b. Covetousness/Greed
c. Filthy Speech
3) The three Hebrew children wouldn’t conform to the world. They chose instead to be transformers of wrong to right. See Romans 12:1-2.
3. What about us today?
1) Do we seek to compromise the teachings of scripture to conform to a wicked world?
2) Do we seek to live a transformed life regardless of what pressures come our way?
3) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew the pressure of political correctness!
II. The Proving of Personal Principles (Daniel 3:8-19)
1. How were the Hebrew children discovered?
1) They had detractors, accusers!
2) They brought the accusation before the king regarding Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
3) Nebuchadnezzar was angry with them.
4) They were given another chance to obey the king or they would be put to death.
5) How did they respond?
6) They would not bow down.
7) They believed that God would deliver them.
8) But even if He didn’t, even if they had to die, they would not bow down.
9) They were willing to be tried by fire literally to prove their personal principles.
2. The Three Hebrew Children Lived by Faith
1) They said that their God would deliver them, but even if He would not, they still refused to bow down.
2) They lived by their faith. The righteous shall live by faith.
a. Romans 1:17
b. Galatians 3:11
c. Hebrews 10:38
3) And they were willing to die for their faith.
4) Are there any truths today worth dying for?
a. Some would say, “no.”
b. Some might say, “Freedom.”
c. Some might say to save another person from death.
5) The Bible teaches that there are some truths worth dying for.
a. Matthew 16:24-26
b. Romans 14:8
c. Revelation 2:10
6) So today we too must walk by faith especially in trying times.
a. Galatians 2:20
b. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
c. 2 Corinthians 5:7
7) Are we prepared to live by faith regardless of what may come our way?
3. What about us today?
1) Are we willing to die for our faith?
2) Are there some truths for which we would lay down our lives?
3) Do we have the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
4. Finally, in this daniel 3 sermon…
III. The Prevailing Power of Faith in God (Daniel 3:19-30)
1. Nebuchadnezzar executed his wrath upon the three Hebrew children.
1) He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times as hot.
2) This could potentially have been around 14000 degrees Fahrenheit.
3) The men who threw them into the fire were consumed by the heat.
4) The text says that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell down into the middle of the fire.
2. Nebuchadnezzar becomes amazed.
1) What happened next literally amazed the old king.
2) Not only were the three alive, but there was a fourth figure with them that he likened to a son of the gods.
3) Nebuchadnezzar called them out of the furnace.
4) All of Nebuchadnezzar’s men, who had accused Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saw the outcome.
5) The fire had not hurt their bodies, singed their hair, damaged their clothes and they didn’t even have the smell of smoke on them.
3. Faith was their victory.
1) Because of their faith in God, God saved them.
a. God sent the fourth man to the fire.
b. Nebuchadnezzar said that this man was like a son of the gods (verse 25 ASV).
c. It was Jehovah’s messenger/angel (verse 28).
d. Some have suggested that this was the Christ. It could have been.
2) By faith we can overcome the world as well.
a. 1 John 5:4
b. Romans 8:35-37
c. 1 Corinthians 15:57
d. Revelation 12:11
3) Nebuchadnezzar was also conquered. See Daniel 3:28-29.
4. What about us today?
1) We must learn that when we stand up for what is right, some will oppose us.
2) However, we can prevail through faith.
3) And sometimes, those who oppose us will become our allies.
CONCLUSION: [ conclusion of this daniel 3 sermon ]
1. What great lessons we have in this chapter of Daniel. We learn about…
1) The Pressure of Political Correctness
2) The Proving of Personal Principles
3) The Prevailing Power of Faith in God
2. Invitation