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Powerful Preaching - Stand Up Stand Out - Minister Max Lucado · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: So so.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: So guess who went to the basketball game? All by
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: my lonesome, I went down, I bought a ticket, I
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: walked to the seat, I sat down, the place was packed,
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: and I realized, I think I'm the only Spurs fan
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: in this whole arena.
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: So I thought to myself, I better be quiet. I
• 3:27
  Speaker 5: better be careful. I better be careful.
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: Forget that by the end of the first quarter I
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: was letting out those solo war hoops every time the
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: Spurs would score that's a risky thing when you realize
• 3:42
  Speaker 4: you're the only one rooting for your team now maybe
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: you've never been in Boston rooting for the Spurs but
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: you do live in a modern day version of Babylon
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: following Christ and maybe you feel alone You're the only
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  Speaker 4: one in your family. You're the only one at your business.
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  Speaker 4: You feel like the only one at school. You feel
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  Speaker 4: like the only one in your neighborhood who is taking
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: a stand, who has convictions, who believes in an almighty God.
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  Speaker 4: And consequently, you feel like a lone voice. You feel
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  Speaker 4: like you're behind enemy lines. You feel like you're a
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  Speaker 4: minority in a secular society. The truth is you're not alone.
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: But there are times that you feel alone. You believe
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  Speaker 4: in a good God. Many people in our society don't
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  Speaker 4: believe in God. You believe in right and wrong. Society
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: essentially dismisses the existence of right and wrong. You believe
• 4:43
  Speaker 4: in the cross of Christ and the forgiveness of sin.
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: There are many in our world who dismiss, who even
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: scoff at the idea of sin, and they.
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  Speaker 5: Curse the name of Christ.
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  Speaker 4: You believe in life after death. Maybe the people with
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  Speaker 4: whom you run don't believe in doing anything except leading
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: a fun life before death. And you realize this isn't
• 5:05
  Speaker 4: your home court. And you don't know when to speak up.
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: You don't know when to be silent. You don't know
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  Speaker 4: how to behave in Babylon. How do we live with
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  Speaker 4: integrity and have influence in our culture when our culture
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  Speaker 4: doesn't share our same values?
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  Speaker 5: And how do we do it.
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  Speaker 4: Without coming across as pompous or arrogant or as a jerk?
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  Speaker 4: These questions and others are addressed in the powerful Old
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  Speaker 4: Testament book of Daniel. You remember that the story of
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  Speaker 4: Daniel is the story of Daniel and his three friends
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  Speaker 4: who were taken captive in Jerusalem in 605 B.C. And
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  Speaker 4: they were marched to Babylon where they would spend their
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  Speaker 4: lives in the service of the Babylonian king. Chapter 1
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: details their determination to maintain their faith and not eat
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: the unclean food. Chapter 2 that we looked at last
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  Speaker 4: week unveils the fascinating dream of King Nebuchadnezzar and the
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: strategic interpretation of that dream by Daniel. You'll remember that
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: in this strange dream, the king saw a colossal statue.
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  Speaker 4: It was comprised of different metals of diminishing strength. The
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  Speaker 4: Babylonian kingdom was represented by the golden head of that statue.
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: But Daniel also saw a rock that would eventually destroy
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: the statue. The rock, we came to learn, was symbolic
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  Speaker 4: of Christ. He is the uncut stone. who will eventually
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  Speaker 4: set up an eternal kingdom that will demolish all prior kingdoms. Well,
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  Speaker 4: Nebuchadnezzar was so dazzled, so impressed with the interpretation of
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  Speaker 4: Daniel that he promoted Daniel and his three friends to
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  Speaker 4: a high position. Now, here's a question. Had you been Nebuchadnezzar?
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  Speaker 4: Had you heard this dream? Had you heard how Daniel
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  Speaker 4: interpreted it? How would you have responded?
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  Speaker 5: Here's one option. I think I'm going to invite Daniel
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  Speaker 5: over for hamburgers and sodas.
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  Speaker 4: And we're going to talk about this dream because I
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  Speaker 4: want to hear more about that rock.
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  Speaker 5: Who is that rock?
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  Speaker 4: Who's that rock that's going to come and demolish all
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  Speaker 4: prior kingdoms and set up an eternal kingdom that will
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  Speaker 4: never be demolished?
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  Speaker 5: I want to hear about that rock.
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  Speaker 4: That would have been a very, I think, mature and
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  Speaker 4: responsible reaction to the dream. But you'll see as we
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  Speaker 4: study Nebuchadnezzar, he's not remembered as one who was very
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  Speaker 4: mature or responsible. Instead of interpreting or seeking to interpret
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  Speaker 4: the meaning of the rock, Nebuchadnezzar decided to build a statue.
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  Speaker 4: If you want to fill in the blank on your outline,
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  Speaker 4: I think you'll enjoy having a place to take some notes.
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  Speaker 4: If you want to write the word pious, we're going
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  Speaker 4: to start, I'm sorry, pompous. We're going to start talking
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  Speaker 4: about the pompous king, the pompous king. We're in Daniel
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  Speaker 4: chapter 3 and verse 1. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image
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  Speaker 4: of gold 60 cubits high, that's 90 feet, and 6
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  Speaker 4: cubits wide. And he set it up on the plain
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  Speaker 4: of Dura in the province of Babylon. Now, according to
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  Speaker 4: the Septuagint, these events in chapter 3 took place some
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  Speaker 4: 16 to 20 years after the events of chapter 2.
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  Speaker 4: That's interesting because it tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar has
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  Speaker 4: been thinking about that statue for nearly two decades. And
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  Speaker 4: rather than be fascinated by the unfolding of history as prophesied,
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  Speaker 4: he was determined to change history. And he created a statue,
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  Speaker 4: a huge gold statue similar to the one he saw
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  Speaker 4: in his dream, except he eliminated all of the other kingdoms.
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  Speaker 4: He wanted all of history to be all of Babylon.
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  Speaker 4: No longer would the image contain the stratum of Persia,
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  Speaker 4: of Greece, of Rome. Nebuchadnezzar did away with him and
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  Speaker 4: in arrogant haughtiness, he just set out to reshape the
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  Speaker 4: future as if he could. The whole statue was Babylon.
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  Speaker 4: The whole statue was Nebuchadnezzar. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates,
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  Speaker 4: and all other provincial officials to come to the dedication
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  Speaker 4: of the image he had set up. So they, here
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  Speaker 4: it comes again, satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, and magistrates,
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  Speaker 4: and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication
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  Speaker 4: of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
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  Speaker 5: And they stood before it.
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  Speaker 4: Boy, a massive crowd was called to stand before this statue.
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  Speaker 4: It was a curious coincidence. that it was 60 cubits
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  Speaker 4: high and six cubits wide not only is that a
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  Speaker 4: grotesque uh proportion of a person 60 cubits high and
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  Speaker 4: just a little bitty wide i don't know that little
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  Speaker 4: tiny arms but it was also as we know from
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  Speaker 4: studying scripture Symbolic of the number of humanity. Six is
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  Speaker 4: the number of fallen humanity. In Revelation chapter 13, the
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  Speaker 4: Antichrist is presented as having the number 666. Six is
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  Speaker 4: always the number that falls short of the perfect number
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  Speaker 4: in the Bible, seven.
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  Speaker 5: God is seven.
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  Speaker 4: Six falls just short. Every attempt of mankind to elevate
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  Speaker 4: himself Falls short.
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  Speaker 5: The statue of Babylon. A statue of Nebuchadnezzar.
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  Speaker 4: And the story of this statue is going to go
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  Speaker 4: in the same file as all the other human efforts
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  Speaker 4: of self-promotion that failed. The story of the Tower of Babel.
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  Speaker 4: The story of the city of Jericho. They're all destroyed now.
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  Speaker 4: The story of the city of Babylon that was to
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  Speaker 4: house the great king.
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  Speaker 5: It's rubble now.
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  Speaker 4: Even it is with the story of the pyramids and
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  Speaker 4: the Incan ruins and the Aztec temples. They all fail
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  Speaker 4: to create the immortality that they promise. And just like
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  Speaker 4: this statue, there are topics of discussion for history buffs
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  Speaker 4: and nothing more.
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  Speaker 5: But still we build them. And look at this. Those
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  Speaker 5: who build them like to be worshipped.
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  Speaker 4: Then the herald loudly proclaimed, nations and peoples of every language,
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  Speaker 4: here is what you are commanded to do. As soon
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  Speaker 4: as you hear the sound of the horn, the flute,
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  Speaker 4: the zither, I don't know what a zither is, lyre, harp, pipe,
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  Speaker 4: and all kinds of music, you must fall down and
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  Speaker 4: worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
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  Speaker 4: Whoever does not fall down and worship will be immediately
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  Speaker 4: thrown into a blazing furnace.
• 12:00
  Speaker 5: This is an interesting church growth strategy.
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  Speaker 4: You worship or we're gonna toast you like a marshmallow
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  Speaker 4: therefore as soon as they heard the sound of the
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  Speaker 4: horn flute zither i don't know what a zither is
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  Speaker 4: lyre harp and all kinds of music all the nations
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  Speaker 4: and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the
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  Speaker 4: image of gold that king nebuchadnezzar had set up how
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  Speaker 4: many of you think this was heartfelt worship How many
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  Speaker 4: of you think that these were people who couldn't wait
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  Speaker 4: to go to worship? This was forced. This was coerced.
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  Speaker 5: It was demanded.
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  Speaker 4: Everyone worshiped because the king commanded it. Everyone except for
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  Speaker 4: three Jews. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We do not know
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  Speaker 4: where Daniel is. Maybe he's out on assignment somewhere. So
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  Speaker 4: the attention turns to his three friends. They are the
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  Speaker 4: pious men we move from the pompous king to the
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  Speaker 4: pious men the king gets this report there are some
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  Speaker 4: jews you have said over the affairs of the province
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  Speaker 4: of babylon shadrach meshach and abednego who pay no attention
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  Speaker 4: to you your majesty they neither serve your gods nor
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  Speaker 4: worship the image of gold you have set up furious
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  Speaker 4: with rage nebuchadnezzar summoned shadrach meshach and abednego He said,
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  Speaker 4: if you're ready to fall down and worship the image
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  Speaker 4: I made, very good. But if you do not worship it,
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  Speaker 4: you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then
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  Speaker 4: what God will be able to rescue you from my hand? Shadrach, Meshach,
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  Speaker 4: and Abednego replied to him, King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not
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  Speaker 4: need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. Please
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  Speaker 4: understand that the three men weren't looking for trouble. The
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  Speaker 4: only reason the king knew of their unwillingness to worship
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  Speaker 4: is because the worship police, the worship patrol, had noticed
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  Speaker 4: that they were not bowing down. They didn't go on strike.
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  Speaker 4: They didn't organize a protest.
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  Speaker 5: They didn't create a scene.
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  Speaker 4: But they were not about to bow down before a statue.
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  Speaker 4: We can expect that there will be times in Babylon
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  Speaker 4: that we will be forced, we will be called upon,
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  Speaker 4: someone's going to demand that that we go against our values,
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  Speaker 4: no matter how gracious we try to behave, no matter
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  Speaker 4: how respectful we.
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  Speaker 5: Hold to our convictions.
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  Speaker 4: There will come a time when you will be asked
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  Speaker 4: to do something that violates what you believe.
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  Speaker 5: In Babylon, there is always pressure to change teams.
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  Speaker 4: In Babylon, there's always pressure to keep several jerseys in
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  Speaker 4: your closet. In Babylon, they're always telling you to root
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  Speaker 4: for the Celtics. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had two
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  Speaker 4: or three options. They could say, well, we ought to
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  Speaker 4: bow down and worship because we'll lose our position of
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  Speaker 4: influence and we don't want to do that. They could
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  Speaker 4: have justified or they could have compromised. They could have said, well,
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  Speaker 4: we'll bow down on the outside, but inside we'll be
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  Speaker 4: standing up. Or they could have done what they chose
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  Speaker 4: to do. They could have said, well, I'm going to
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  Speaker 4: stand for God, even if that means I got to
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  Speaker 4: take the heat. And that's exactly what happened.
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  Speaker 5: They would not bow down.
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  Speaker 4: So the king said, then what God will be able
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  Speaker 4: to rescue you from my hand. Now what follows is
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  Speaker 4: one of the greatest perspectives on prayer and sovereignty in
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  Speaker 4: the whole Bible. If you've never seen this verse, I'm
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  Speaker 4: so excited to introduce it to you. Verses 16 through 18. Shadrach, Meshach,
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  Speaker 4: and Abednego replied to him, King Nebuchadnezzar, We do not
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  Speaker 4: need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If
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  Speaker 4: we're thrown into the fiery blazing furnace, the God we
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  Speaker 4: serve is able to deliver us from it and he
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  Speaker 4: will deliver us from your majesty's hand. But even if
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  Speaker 4: he does not, look at that. Even if he does not,
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  Speaker 4: we want you to know your majesty. We will not
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  Speaker 4: serve your gods or worship the image of gold you
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  Speaker 4: have set up. Did they know God's ability? Did they
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  Speaker 4: know that God had the capacity to deliver them? Yet
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  Speaker 4: did they make their allegiance to God dependent upon a
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  Speaker 4: positive answer to their prayer?
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  Speaker 3: No.
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  Speaker 4: They said, we've made our request. We know God has
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  Speaker 4: the capacity. We know God has the ability, but we're
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  Speaker 4: going to serve God.
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  Speaker 5: No matter how he responds.
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  Speaker 4: Remember, prayer is not so much asking God to do
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  Speaker 4: what we want as it is inviting God to do
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  Speaker 4: what is right.
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  Speaker 5: They made their request known. That's what prayer is.
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  Speaker 4: But humility in prayer says, but God, thy will be
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  Speaker 4: done and not mine. And so that's what Shadrach, Meshach,
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  Speaker 4: and Abednego did. They put their trust in God. Now, boy,
• 17:16
  Speaker 4: did this irk Nebuchadnezzar. I mean, he was ticked off.
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  Speaker 4: Does anyone know How many times the furnace was, the
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  Speaker 4: heat of the furnace was increased?
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  Speaker 5: Seven times.
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  Speaker 4: You've already read this. Seven times. He told the soldiers,
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  Speaker 4: crank up the heat seven times. And the soldiers who
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  Speaker 4: were told to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and
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  Speaker 4: throw them in the furnace. Does anybody know what happened
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  Speaker 4: to them?
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  Speaker 5: They burned up.
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  Speaker 4: So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into this furnace
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  Speaker 4: and King Nebuchadnezzar got a ringside seat. He got up
• 17:58
  Speaker 4: right at the entryway because he wanted to watch the
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  Speaker 4: Hebrews sizzle. And guess what happened?
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  Speaker 5: Where is it? Here it is.
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  Speaker 4: Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and
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  Speaker 4: asked his advisors, weren't there three men we tied up
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  Speaker 4: and threw into the fire?
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  Speaker 5: They replied, certainly your majesty.
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  Speaker 4: He said, look, I see four men walking around in
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  Speaker 4: the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like
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  Speaker 4: a son of the gods.
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  Speaker 5: How do we explain that?
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  Speaker 4: Not only were the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
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  Speaker 4: unharmed by the flames, their hands were untied, their ropes
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  Speaker 4: were off. And there was someone else in there with
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  Speaker 4: him who had the appearance of divinity. Who do you
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  Speaker 4: think that was?
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  Speaker 5: We don't know.
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  Speaker 4: Could have been an angel, perhaps. Or it could have
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  Speaker 4: been Jesus Christ. I think it was Jesus Christ. I
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  Speaker 4: think the same Jesus who appeared to Joshua outside of
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  Speaker 4: the walls of Jericho before the great battle was the
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  Speaker 4: same Jesus who appeared to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego He said,
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  Speaker 4: you go in the fire of my name, I'm going
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  Speaker 4: to go in there with you. You know, the Bible
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  Speaker 4: teaches us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
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  Speaker 4: and forever. And that he was known before the creation
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  Speaker 4: of the world. We do Jesus a disservice when we
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  Speaker 4: limit his ministry to the birth of Bethlehem and beyond.
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  Speaker 4: He's been around since the creation of the world. And
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  Speaker 4: the same Jesus who has stood with his disciples, stood
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  Speaker 4: with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, even when they were in
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  Speaker 4: the fiery furnace. And what I want you to take
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  Speaker 4: home today is a promise that he will stand with
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  Speaker 4: you too. Some of you are in a fiery furnace
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  Speaker 4: right now. Some of you are the only person in
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  Speaker 4: your family who has faith. The only person at work
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  Speaker 4: who has faith. You feel like everybody is singing a
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  Speaker 4: different song. You feel like you're out of step.
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  Speaker 5: You're not alone. Jesus Christ is with you.
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  Speaker 4: And the same Jesus who gave them strength is the
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  Speaker 4: same Jesus who will give you strength. Here's the promise
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  Speaker 4: of the message. The promise of God is this. You
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  Speaker 4: stand up for God. He will stand with you. You
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  Speaker 4: stand up for God. He will stand with you. A
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  Speaker 4: century and a half earlier, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words.
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  Speaker 4: When you walk through the fire, you'll not be burned.
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  Speaker 4: And the flames will not set you ablaze. He doesn't
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  Speaker 4: say there won't be any fires. He just says when
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  Speaker 4: you walk through one, you're not going to be consumed.
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  Speaker 4: You may feel the heat. You may feel a little
• 20:58
  Speaker 4: bit of flames. You may even get wounded. But you
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  Speaker 4: will not be consumed. The fire will not consume you.
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  Speaker 4: In fact, the fire will empower you. You'll come out
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  Speaker 4: a better person on the other side of the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar,
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  Speaker 4: before the fiery furnace, had no interest in the faith
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  Speaker 4: or the God of the three Hebrews. But after the
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  Speaker 4: fiery furnace, when he saw that the fire had not
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  Speaker 4: harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed,
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  Speaker 4: Their robes were not scorched and there was no smell
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  Speaker 4: of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, praise be to
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  Speaker 4: the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This turned out
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  Speaker 4: to be an evangelistic crusade. who has sent his angel
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  Speaker 4: and rescued his servants. They trusted in him and defied
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  Speaker 4: the king's command and were willing to give up their
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  Speaker 4: lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own. Therefore,
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  Speaker 4: I decree that the people of any nation or language
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  Speaker 4: who say anything against the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and
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  Speaker 4: Abednego be cut to pieces and their houses be burned into.
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  Speaker 5: Miles of rubble.
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  Speaker 4: He was a cranky old sort, wasn't he? For no
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  Speaker 4: other god can save in this way. Then the king
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  Speaker 4: promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego In the province of Babylon.
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  Speaker 4: The attempts of the devil backfired. What was intended as
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  Speaker 4: evil turned out for good. The attempts of the devil backfired.
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  Speaker 4: Then they do still today. I really encourage you to
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  Speaker 4: learn a lesson. And to imitate the courage and the
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  Speaker 4: faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I want to encourage
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  Speaker 4: you to be stingy with your worship. Anytime somebody walks
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  Speaker 4: into your world demanding that you worship them, celebrating their accomplishments,
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  Speaker 4: calling your attention to themselves, you be suspicious. Don't you
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  Speaker 4: give your worship to them. Those who speak with pompous
• 22:59
  Speaker 4: tongues speak with the language of the devil. It is
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  Speaker 4: the devil who trades you.
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  Speaker 5: In arrogance. It was the.
• 23:09
  Speaker 4: Devil who said, I will ascend to the heavens. I
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: will raise my throne above the stars of God. I
• 23:16
  Speaker 4: will sit enthroned on the Mount of assembly. Satan said
• 23:20
  Speaker 4: those words and he has taught his followers to repeat them.
• 23:25
  Speaker 4: Did you know, according to the prophecy of Daniel that
• 23:28
  Speaker 4: we're going to study in just a few weeks, the
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: antichrist in the tribulation will have eyes like the eyes
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: of a man, man, And a mouth that speaks what?
• 23:39
  Speaker 4: Pompous words. So anytime you're around a leader who just
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: speaks pompous words, you know he has been inhaling.
• 23:46
  Speaker 5: The sulfur of hell. You just avoid him. And it's amazing.
• 23:51
  Speaker 4: A lot of people want to bow down before someone
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: like that. But you don't be among them. You be
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And you take a stand
• 24:01
  Speaker 4: for your faith. Take a stand for your faith. Don't
• 24:05
  Speaker 4: you compromise one inch. Don't you give in one millimeter.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: Like David Jeremiah says, compromisers pay a high price. Adam
• 24:14
  Speaker 4: compromised God's law and fell in beside Eve. It cost
• 24:18
  Speaker 4: him paradise. Abraham compromised the truth and lied about his marriage.
• 24:23
  Speaker 5: It almost cost him his family.
• 24:25
  Speaker 4: Sarah compromised God's word and sent Abraham to have a
• 24:28
  Speaker 4: child with Hagar. We lost peace in the Middle East.
• 24:32
  Speaker 4: Esau compromised and lost his birthright. Samson compromised and lost
• 24:38
  Speaker 4: his eyesight. David seduced a woman and lost his baby boy.
• 24:43
  Speaker 4: Solomon compromised and lost a kingdom. Ahab married Jezebel. It
• 24:48
  Speaker 4: was a compromise and he lost his throne. Peter compromised
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: his faith and he lied about Jesus. Judas compromised his
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: faith and lost his life. Where are you tempted to compromise?
• 25:06
  Speaker 4: What golden statues are being wheeled into your world? What
• 25:10
  Speaker 4: arrogant self-serving servant of Satan is calling for your worship?
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: You can compromise, but if you do so, it will
• 25:21
  Speaker 4: come at a high cost. Or you can stand up
• 25:25
  Speaker 4: and stand out. You can stand up And stand out.
• 25:30
  Speaker 4: You can join the ranks of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
• 25:33
  Speaker 4: They felt the heat for their decision. But when they
• 25:36
  Speaker 4: found themselves in the fire. Guess who was there to
• 25:40
  Speaker 4: get them out? God protected them. God stood with them.
• 25:44
  Speaker 4: God delivered them. God rewarded them. He removed their bonds.
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: He protected them from the fire. He joined them in
• 25:51
  Speaker 4: the furnace. He silenced their enemies. He had them rewarded.
• 25:55
  Speaker 4: He received the glory. And he even used the experience.
• 25:59
  Speaker 4: To get the attention of King Nebuchadnezzar. While you're here
• 26:06
  Speaker 4: in the furnace. While you're being tested. You need to
• 26:08
  Speaker 4: know that somebody's watching. You may not think they are.
• 26:14
  Speaker 4: But somebody is noticing that you're the only person who
• 26:16
  Speaker 4: doesn't gossip. Somebody's noticing that on the business trip. You're
• 26:23
  Speaker 4: the only one who doesn't go with the other guys
• 26:25
  Speaker 4: to the men's club.
• 26:28
  Speaker 5: Somebody's noticing. That you never get drunk.
• 26:32
  Speaker 4: Somebody's noticing that you genuinely care about your family. And
• 26:37
  Speaker 4: you do not belittle your spouse in public. Somebody's noticing
• 26:41
  Speaker 4: that you respect your parents. Somebody's noticing that you do
• 26:46
  Speaker 4: get your work on time. Somebody's noticing your kindness. Somebody's noticing.
• 26:56
  Speaker 4: There's a Nebuchadnezzar watching. Those of you who have been
• 27:03
  Speaker 4: at Oak Hills for a while have heard my story
• 27:06
  Speaker 4: so many times you could repeat it yourself. And you
• 27:09
  Speaker 4: know that I didn't bow before a golden statue, but
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: I spent much of my high school years bowing before.
• 27:15
  Speaker 5: A keg of Coors.
• 27:19
  Speaker 4: And I wasn't seeking the recognition of others, but I
• 27:22
  Speaker 4: sure was doing whatever it took to fit in, to
• 27:25
  Speaker 4: blend in, and to be accepted. But I don't believe
• 27:29
  Speaker 4: I've ever told you About my high school classmate. A
• 27:35
  Speaker 4: girl by the name of Susie. Susie and I were
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: in the same class. We had many experiences together. We
• 27:43
  Speaker 4: served on some committees together. Our trails crossed many, many times.
• 27:48
  Speaker 4: But the difference between Susie and me is that she
• 27:52
  Speaker 4: lived her faith.
• 27:55
  Speaker 5: She was a Christian.
• 27:58
  Speaker 4: But you didn't have to ask her. You could just
• 28:00
  Speaker 4: see it. You could just see the way she behaved.
• 28:03
  Speaker 4: She wasn't weird. She was contagiously kind. But she was,
• 28:10
  Speaker 4: in our class, one of two or three people who
• 28:13
  Speaker 4: really lived their faith. I still remember that she kept
• 28:18
  Speaker 4: a Bible in her locker. I don't remember that she
• 28:22
  Speaker 4: would hit us over the head with it. But she
• 28:25
  Speaker 4: sure knew it. And I can remember seeing her read it.
• 28:29
  Speaker 4: And I certainly remember the way she lived it. She
• 28:34
  Speaker 4: was the person when Susie walked in the room, she
• 28:37
  Speaker 4: was the one about whom we would say, be quiet,
• 28:41
  Speaker 4: here comes Susie. And when we would tell an off-color
• 28:46
  Speaker 4: joke or use inappropriate language, we'd all say, oh, sorry, Susie,
• 28:50
  Speaker 4: didn't know you were in the room. Susie spent her
• 28:56
  Speaker 4: high school years in some form of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace. She
• 29:04
  Speaker 4: wouldn't bow before the idol of popularity. She wouldn't bow
• 29:11
  Speaker 4: before the golden statue of being accepted. At our high
• 29:17
  Speaker 4: school graduation, two people were invited to lead a prayer.
• 29:23
  Speaker 4: One of them was Susie, and the other was guess who?
• 29:28
  Speaker 5: I don't know why. I was always trying to impress people.
• 29:35
  Speaker 4: So I took an index card and I wrote my
• 29:38
  Speaker 4: prayer on an index card very careful to create very
• 29:41
  Speaker 4: impressive flowery language, and I taped it to the inside
• 29:45
  Speaker 4: of that square hat. You know that square hat with
• 29:48
  Speaker 4: the tassel that you get when you graduate? So that
• 29:51
  Speaker 4: when I took my hat off, I could have my
• 29:54
  Speaker 4: prayer and I could read my prayer. Susie She didn't
• 30:04
  Speaker 4: pray from a written prayer. She prayed from her heart.
• 30:08
  Speaker 4: I can still remember. Can you believe it? All these
• 30:10
  Speaker 4: many years later.
• 30:12
  Speaker 5: It's like she was.
• 30:13
  Speaker 4: Accustomed to this conversation. I don't know where Susie went
• 30:20
  Speaker 4: after the graduation ceremony.
• 30:22
  Speaker 5: I know where I went. I'm not proud of it.
• 30:25
  Speaker 5: She went her way.
• 30:26
  Speaker 4: I went my way and I thought I'd never think
• 30:28
  Speaker 4: or see of her again.
• 30:29
  Speaker 5: To be honest, I haven't seen her, but I've thought
• 30:31
  Speaker 5: of her many times.
• 30:33
  Speaker 4: And I especially thought of her almost two years to
• 30:36
  Speaker 4: the day later. When as a result of the influence
• 30:41
  Speaker 4: of some good Christian friends, I was seriously considering giving
• 30:46
  Speaker 4: my heart to Christ and rededicating myself to his service.
• 30:51
  Speaker 4: But that meant I'd have to change peer groups. That
• 30:54
  Speaker 4: meant I'd have to take a stand. And I remembered Susie.
• 31:00
  Speaker 4: And I thought, you know what? If she can do it,
• 31:04
  Speaker 4: I can too. You're a Susie in someone's life.
• 31:11
  Speaker 5: You are.
• 31:13
  Speaker 4: You're a Susie in your family. You're a Shadrach, Meshach,
• 31:17
  Speaker 4: and Abednego in your work. You're the one that people
• 31:21
  Speaker 4: are noticing. They may not say it. And they may
• 31:24
  Speaker 4: not remember you. And the difference may not come for
• 31:27
  Speaker 4: years in the future. But you hang in there. Because
• 31:32
  Speaker 4: you're not alone. Turns out I wasn't alone in the
• 31:37
  Speaker 4: Boston Gardens. Toward the end of the first quarter, when
• 31:41
  Speaker 4: I let out a hoop and a holler, somebody on
• 31:43
  Speaker 4: the other section, about two sections away, stood up and
• 31:46
  Speaker 4: yelled with me.
• 31:48
  Speaker 5: There was another Spurs fan in there.
• 31:50
  Speaker 4: We did one of those long distance high fives and
• 31:52
  Speaker 4: we encouraged each other.
• 31:56
  Speaker 5: You're not alone, my friend.
• 31:57
  Speaker 4: Even if you think you are, Jesus Christ is with
• 32:01
  Speaker 4: you just as he was with them. And he will
• 32:04
  Speaker 4: get you through this fire.
• 32:06
  Speaker 6: Amen.
• 32:07
  Speaker 5: Thank you, Lord, for this powerful story.
• 32:10
  Speaker 4: In the book of Daniel. Let your blessings be upon
• 32:13
  Speaker 4: all who hear it, who receive it, and who trust it.
• 32:16
  Speaker 5: In Jesus' name. And all the church said.
• 33:04
  Speaker 7: So so.
• 33:56
  Speaker 3: So so.
• 35:22
  Speaker 4: So so Thank you.
• 37:11
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 37:42
  Speaker 3: Thank you. You don't have to be known You.
• 38:27
  Speaker 6: Don't have to stay close As long as you're somewhere
• 38:34
  Speaker 6: out there That's enough for.
• 38:39
  Speaker 3: Me I.
• 38:44
  Speaker 7: Don't need to hold you near me Don't need promises
• 38:48
  Speaker 7: to keep.
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: Just the thought that you are breathing Somewhere in this
• 38:54
  Speaker 2: world I see.
• 38:57
  Speaker 7: Even if I'm not beside you Even if you never know.
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: There's a quiet kind of comfort Just in knowing you
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: still glow I don't need forever I just need you
• 39:18
  Speaker 2: to exist.
• 39:22
  Speaker 3: You don't have to stay with me. You don't have
• 39:26
  Speaker 3: to feel the same. Just as long as you're still out.
• 39:31
  Speaker 7: There Calling softly through my days You don't have.
• 39:36
  Speaker 3: To look my way You don't have to be my
• 39:41
  Speaker 3: home It's.
• 39:43
  Speaker 7: Enough to know you're living In a world I'm not
• 39:47
  Speaker 7: alone I won't chase you through the distance. Won't disturb
• 39:56
  Speaker 7: your chosen life. I'll just keep you in my silence
• 40:01
  Speaker 7: like a star that shines at night. Through the dark
• 40:07
  Speaker 7: and through the blue.
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: I still think of you. You don't have to be
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: my home.
• 40:24
  Speaker 3: It's enough to know you're living in a world.
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: I'm not alone. I don't need to be your light
• 41:03
  Speaker 2: I don't need to cross.
• 41:04
  Speaker 7: Your mind All I need is just the truth That
• 41:08
  Speaker 7: you're somewhere.
• 41:11
  Speaker 2: Still alive.
• 41:15
  Speaker 3: You don't have to stay with me You don't have
• 41:19
  Speaker 3: to feel the same Just as long as you're still
• 41:24
  Speaker 3: out there Calling softly through my days You don't have
• 41:29
  Speaker 3: to look my way You don't have to be my
• 41:34
  Speaker 3: home It's enough to know you're living
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: In a world I'm not alone.