todojoven.org

Buenas el Sabado Abril 11, 2008. Estare en la Iglesia de Maranata en Machester, Connecticut. Estare predicando y dando una presentacion de "El Matrimonio y la Sexualidad" No se lo pierdan estara muy bueno...

Evangelist Wendell Stover The Lamb of God What a wonderful direction to point our minds this morning: toward the Lamb of God. Please take you Bible and turn to Exodus 12. I'd like to remind us that the lamb of God was chosen for a very special reason. Out of all the animals, God chose to represent Christ, God chose the lamb. He could have chosen a monkey. Now, wouldn't that have been something? Or, maybe He could not have chosen the monkey. How about the serpent in the beginning? A beautiful winged animal. But, no, God did not choose the serpent. God chose a lamb. We have a story in Exodus 12 that reminds us of the purpose of that lamb, the symbolic meaning that would be carried through the sacrificial system of the lamb. You se, in Exodus 12 we have the story given to us of the Passover. Those people had been under a lot of slavery. One atrocity after another had been committed against them. The Egyptians had been very mean, very demanding, very cruel. Finally, God said, "This is it! I want to take my people home." It sort of reminds me of where we are today in the great plan of things. Some day God is going to declare that time shall be no more. And, according to Daniel 8:19, "...for at the time appointed, the end shall be." The plagues came upon Egypt very similar to the way the plagues will come upon the earth. But through all of that, God was still interested in saving people. Can you believe it? Even in the midst of all the plagues. It just happened that Pharaoh's heart had become so hardened. He would confess to Moses and Aaron, "Oh yes, if you would just remove the plagues, I will love your people and you can go." But he would not trust, he would not believe God's spokesman. And God, in His great wisdom, declared, "This is it! My people are going to be set free regardless of this man. Please, Moses, go speak to him. Tell him that sometime around midnight there's going to be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt. The death angel is going to come. The firstborn of man and of beast shall die." That was the message given to the Egyptians. Listen dear friend, whatever you do, chose to be on God's side. You have to do little as far as choice is concerned to be on Satan's side. You've heard one minister after another declare to you that Jesus is coming soon and time is running out, that very soon the end is going to appear. And all that is true. But if we sit comfortably and do nothing to change our spiritual way of life, some of us may be lost. That would be a shame, that would be just like being a part of the Egyptians because they had the knowledge but refused to have the experience. Now, for God's people, the message was different. Moses and Aaron gathered the people around. They gave them a unique message they had never given. The message was this: God is going to deliver us very soon. You must take a lamb. Maybe Moses said something like this: Everybody listen up! All you home-boys pay attention! I want you to take a lamb without blemish about a year old, place it in a pen, keep it up. At a certain time we will all kill these lambs, we will cook them a certain way, and then we will eat it. Are you with me in Exodus 12? The Bible says here in verses 5 to 7, Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein the shall eat it. Those people did not realize what God was really trying to demonstrate there in the beginning. That lamb would represent life, it would represent a gift. Verse 8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs shall they eat it. Finally the day came. Fathers went out to where the lambs were penned up. They picked out their lamb and carried it back to their house. Don't you know, there must have been some young people there, watching all that? As a parent, I've learned how little I know about parenting. You'll notice it's usually those that don't know much about parenting that want to give everybody else the most advice. But anyway, there must have been some young people there. Especially young boys, ten, twelve, thirteen years of age who, walking along side of daddy, would say, "Where are you going?" Daddy would say, "We're going to get the lamb." "What are you going to do with it?" "We're going to get the lamb. We're going to prepare the lamb to be eaten." "Why?" Are you aware that "why" is one of the biggest little words in the English language? And often times, this is predictable behavior. That's the most favorite argument that the teenager has with their parents. No matter what you say, they can always reply, "But why?" I've come to the place sometimes that simply say, "Well, I'm the daddy. That's the reason why. And when you reach twenty five years of age, then you'll understand why." "Nevertheless, why are we taking this lamb to be killed?" Father would have to explain. "Son, God is going to deliver His people. He has told us to take this lamb, cook it a certain way" Now wouldn't it have been awful if some of those people had said, "Oh, God doesn't really care how we prepare this lamb. I'm not going to cook it with bitter herbs. I'm not going to roast the lamb. I'm going to boil it." No, no. Everything was describe in detail just like god wanted it to be done. Even instruction was given as to what to do with the blood. I can see this now. Father and son. Father cuts the lamb's throat. Some of the blood is caught in a bowl. They've already made that home-made paint brush. They dip the paint brush down into the bowl and paint the left side of the door, and across the top part of the door, the lintel, and down the right side. Now, what question would the young people be asking as this blood was being applied to the left side of the door, across the top and down the right side? "That's a pretty color red, but why are we doing this?" Right? Again, father explains, "God has told us that if we will place the blood around the door posts of our home, we shall be protected. This is a token of our deliverance. This is a sign, a signal that we are on God's side." It must have been something to be living in those days with absolute faith. Notice Exodus 12:28. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on the throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. If you had been living in a house closest to where the Egyptians lived, even though it most likely was separated by quite a distance, in the quiet solitude of the evening hours, with the windows open, most likely you would have been able to have heard some of the wailing and the sorrowful, mournful cries coming from way over there on the other side. Now, there's no way you could get a young boy or girl to go to sleep that evening. Too much excitement going on. Had junior been really listening, he would have come to his father and would have said, "Daddy, are you really sure that this blood business is going to work? Have we ever done this?" I want to leave you with a thought this morning. If you don't get anything else, I want you to catch this. I want you to catch it, I want you to squeeze it, I want you to hold it, I want you to put it in your pocket or your purse. For every one of us will come a trial or an experience that will test our faith as to whether the Bible is really true, and whether or not we are really saved. Maybe you've not walked in many valleys. I want you to know, as pastor I've seen a lot of people walking in valleys and I've been there myself. One of them was just a few months ago when my mother died. It was more difficult when my mother died than my dad, because my dad's health had grown increasingly worse. Mother had spent so much of her energy taking care of him. I had prayed, "Lord let my mother have at least ten good years." She love to visit her children and she had the means to do it. Why not? That was an unselfish prayer. I hate pneumonia. I hate it. Into the hospital she went, and in there she picked up a staphylococcus infection. With the best of medical treatment at that particular time. Have you ever really been in the valley? Oh yes, you've been raised a Christian. You've been baptized. You go to church. But in the wee hours of some morning when you are in the valley, it's so easy for the old devil as an uninvited guest to sort of say, "You know, you may not be all that you think you are." I prayed for my mother. We anointed her my mother. And I believed she would rise from that hospital bed ad walk again. I held her hand when she was almost unconscious, and I believed it. I was not trying to lie. I said, "Momma, it's going to be all right." I had no idea that it would only be all right on the great resurrection morning. What about your faith? Oh yes, now you've heard preacher talking about the blood being placed on the doorposts, the death angel swelling over, doing his job on the other side. But is your faith really strong when it come to an understanding about the blood? Now, the only way to test this is not theologically, not a verbal discussion. The only way to test it is to experience it for yourself. You see, it was not just enough that the lamb would be killed. Something had to take place with the blood. The blood had to be applied to the door. It was symbolic, of course, of Jesus' blood being applied to the door of our heart, teaching that great lesson that just as that passover occurred back then, the true Lamb of God in Christ Jesus, through His life, His blood has been put to our account, and if we accept it, it is ours. Aren't you glad that you serve Christ under the new covenant instead of under that old covenant? I want to share something with you this morning. I've asked a special helper to assist me. Matthew Calloway, would you come up here. [Matthew comes up onto the platform.] I have a four- legged friend. Would you just stand right here and hold lamby [large stuffed lamb] for me? Isn't that a pretty sight? The handsome young man and that lamb? Here's what they had to do back in those days. If the sinner was going to make confession of his sins, he had to go find a lamb. I used to think he would tie a rope around its neck and lead that lamb down to the sanctuary, but not so. I've since learned that he was to carry the lamb close to his chest. I don't know if I could have done this. I have a very soft nature. To feel that little lamb's heart beating, to look into it's dark brown eyes, to think of what I had to do to that lamb because of my wrong doing. I just wouldn't like that at all. But the lamb would be carried down to the sanctuary. A priest would be there. The sinner would place his hands on the head of that lamb. If any of you young people would like to pet lamby after the meeting, you're welcome to do so. His hair is so soft and fuzzy. It's a privilege to touch him. But if he were real and breathing, knowing for the last time I would be placing my hands on his head... he might even reach up and lick my hand while I'm confessing sin... Wouldn't that be awful? You see, that was part of God's plan: to make sin appear awful and horrible, even a tiny sin. But for someone to make confession, they would place their hands on the head of the lamb and confess their sins. Now, the priest did not do this. The sinner had to do this. I brought along a knife that is not very sharp, just for safety purposes. But he would have a knife that was very sharp. We don't want to linger long on this point. The sinner, then, would take the knife. [Matthew, we're not going to do this] The sinner would cut the throat of the lamb and the lamb, of course, would die. The priest would take of that blood, catching some of that blood in a bowl. He would take that blood into the sanctuary, dipping his fingertips into that bowl, and there inside the sanctuary he would sprinkle some of that blood. It would be a record of that confessed sin. Follow the trail of the blood, okay? A transference of guilt from the sinner to the lamb took place. Now, the lamb was innocent. And just as surely as they believed that guilt could go from one person to the lamb, they would be forced to believe that Jesus would become the one lamb that would meet the needs of everybody. There were those who lived on both sides of the cross. In BC (before Christ) times, when the lambs were killed, then the sacrificial system was all in effect. But when Jesus was crucified, that law, the old ceremonial law, was nailed to the cross, and with it went away the need for animal sacrifice. Aren't you glad for that? Now, surely there must have been those who were living on both sides of this arrangement. I think of those disciples. Are you aware that when a young man became about twelve years of age he became a man in that economy (see Luke 2:41-52)? And he would have celebrated his first animal sacrifice. That must have been a horrible thing. And not only that, after that would take place, as he would be married he would take his grown sons then as they came of age to do the same thing. But all the while now they are being taught that some day a deliverer will come, who can deliver us with as much surety as did the blood of that lamb way back there in the Passover that we celebrate every year. I just think it is pitiful that at last when the Savior did come, there were so few people there to welcome Him. He came unto His own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11) Let me tell you a parable. A twelve-year-old boy is given a lamb and the lamb's mother had died and it was his joy to raise this lamb. You know what that term means, don't you, to raise the animal. It means he fed it, he loved it, he cared for it, he gave it water. Even at times, when mom and dad were not looking, he would slip it into the house and he would even sleep with it. he would play with it. But when he became accountable for his sins... And like some boys do, he got into some trouble. Daddy came and sat down with Nashua and said, "Nashua, you have to make animal sacrifice." Now remember, Nashua only has one lamb. He listens to Daddy. He's attended animal sacrifices before. He says, "Daddy, I will go get a lamb tomorrow, in the morning." And, Daddy says, "Nashua, you have a lamb." See how horrible the story of sin always gets? He began to cry, and he said, "Not my lamb. This is the only one that I have. Please sell me one of yours. I will work for it. I will pay you for it." And Daddy says, "No, you have to provide the lamb." Aren't you glad we're not under that old covenant? All night Nashua cries. He holds his lamby. he looks into his face. He pets him. Just after daybreak, father comes in to the room. Nashua says, "Isn't there any other way? I cannot not do this, Daddy." The older we get, the wiser our fathers become. Daddy says, "There is no other way. You must do this." Together they go down to the sanctuary, and all the way down, Nashua is crying as he holds that lamb close to his chest. And he says, "Lamby, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." It must have been something to make animal sacrifice for the first time. It was to present the idea, as I said earlier, that sin is heinous, that it's awful, that it is terrible, that you want nothing to do with it. And even before that sacrifice took place, that young man decided in his heart that if the Messiah ever came, he wanted to be the first to accept Him and to follow Him. And he was as determined then if he were ever married, and if he ever had a son, to pray the Messiah would come before his son would ever have to make an animal sacrifice. (Matthew, you've been a good helper. Thank you very much.) Surely there must have been those like that who grew up under that old system, but now in the New Testament, as you think of what the ministry of Jesus would evolve into. To watch this Man heal the blind, speak and those who could not walk stand up leaping and run for joy. To hear the stories about feeding five thousand people, to hear Him, the disciples talk about how Jesus stood up on the boat and He said, "Peace be still." And even the stark storm clouds became calm and the rain ceased to fall. Could this really be the promised Messiah? Now you know there were people in that situation. What about those people who finally heard the news of Christ's resurrection? What about those people who had watched from a distance as Jesus carried the cross and then fell and others carried the cross for Him. They watched the cross going up. What about those people who were standing around the cross, who heard that centurion proclaim, "Truly this was the Son of God?" Yes, out of that crowd were those who had waited patiently and expectantly. The wanted the Messiah to come. And there were those afterward who believe because of what they had experienced and heard. We think today sometimes that it's difficult to tell people the gospel story because of our secularism. What about those prophets of yesteryear like the apostle Paul and John who wrote the book of Revelation? They were ministering in places where they openly worshiped idols. Bringing people from paganism into Christianity. I'm not so sure it is any more difficult today than it was back then. Now you listen to me. How about that trust that develops? How can you know that if you are in the valley, or if your health should be taken from you, how do you know that your faith is strong enough to carry you through? How do you know that you are really received of God Almighty? There's not other service which should be as holy and reverent and filled with inspiration as the divine hour of worship we're in right now. Unseen angels in this building. Tidings being taken from here back into the throne room of the universe. What will that news be to God, to our Savior? I don't think there's a reporting time, but somehow the news gets back of what we're doing. Maybe the angel will stand there. Maybe he will bow at the feet of Jesus and he will say, "My Lord, today at the McDonald Road Seventh-day Adventist Church there was a divine hour of worship. And they told the story of how You became the true Lamb of God." Pretty good so far, isn't it? What if Jesus were to ask the question, "How did the people respond to this story? Did they believe It?" Jesus loves us so much, so much, that He calls people to repentance at just certain times in their life. I visited with a man this week who told me a story of when he was eight years old. Outside of a little Baptist church where they were having a revival meeting and he was playing chase. Inside, they were standing singing the invitation at the close of the sermon. And suddenly a voice spoke to him, "You are not ready for heaven." Do you believe that could happen to a child? I know it can happen, because I was one of them. You can not bring yourself to repentance. God must call you to repentance. We are so fortunate today to have the Holy Scriptures. The dear sister read from 1 Peter 1:18,19(NKJV), knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ ass of a lamb without blemish and without spot. We have already been purchased by the wonderful precious blood of Jesus Christ. It's there! But you cannot have it unless you are willing to receive it. When the minister stand down here like I'm going to do in a minute, and he gives an invitation for people to come and to accept Christ, what he's really trying to do is give the opportunity for that person to say, "I want Jesus to be first and last in my life." Some people feel a little uncomfortable giving a public invitation. I can tell you I've never met anyone yet, and I've seen hundreds of people come to know the Lord. You don't have to do it publically in a meeting like this. But I have never met, and I've never known of anyone who came forward in a public declaration of their faith that later said, "I'm sorry. I wish I didn't do that." I have had so many people weeping that said, "I wish I had done this a long time ago." Right now, the blood of Jesus Christ is still working. I want you to believe that. The devil is after our young people as never before. He's devising ways and means to capture the minds of our young people at much younger ages. Why don't we get out of the way and let the Lord do the same? The devil want the minds of young people. You know he's doing that because God wants them as well. God wants to claim them as His. The old devil wants to break up our homes. He wants to destroy our churches. And it's only through this idea of receiving the blood that we can really stop it. When you receive Christ, here's what you receive. You receive something that you don't have anything to do with. When you receive Christ, when you pray the sinner's prayer of faith your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. There is no power that can stop that name from being written there. That entitles you to immortality, to eternal life. But it doesn't just stop there. When you receive Christ you also receive His life. That means you will want to eat like Jesus would eat. You will like to dress like Jesus would dress. You would want to go to the places that Jesus would want to go to. It means that something literally happens to you. Now here's what happens. The book of Hebrews tells us that there is a new covenant. He says, I will put my laws into their mind and into their hearts (Hebrews 8:10). The means that we intellectually recognize what is right and wrong and then we have a burning desire to do those things. Why do we have to argue about faith and works and perfection? Live as Jesus would live. Ask Him for His power. Let Him work within your mind to love the things that He would love. That can only come about as we are born again. And some of us, even, are weak through years of practice of sin and inherited tendencies to do evil. We are so weak that we cannot even give ourselves to Him and all of our habits and everything connected with them. But, I promise you, where we are weak, He excels in strength. If we are simply willing to place ourselves in an attitude of submission, and say, "Lord, here I am." And it doesn't matter if it is the first time, the second time, the third time, fifth time, whatever. As long as we are there, willing, we can pray, "Lord, I am weak. I'm not even sure I can give you my life, but I give you permission to take it and to mold it and to shape it. I want to surrender all to you. I want to hold nothing back from you. But I want you to take it. I give you permission." When we begin to have that attitude, in reliance in the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of salvation then we shall have revival. And with revival also come reformation. But I would hate to see a reformation without revival. Let's pause for just a few moments and very seriously ask ourselves some questions. Could time be much shorter than we think it is? Could I be the one that Jesus is really hoping will surrender all to Him today? Could I be the one about whom that good tidings, that good news would go back to heaven? You might be here as a young person, old enough to know right from wrong. You've never been baptized. You've never really given your life to Jesus. Your mom and dad may be even here today, maybe they are praying that you will do that. But they will never force you to do it. This would be a wonderful opportunity for you to pray the sinners prayer of faith, to know that if you were to die you would be ready to receive heaven. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to know? I would like to give an appeal today. Yes, for those who have never professed Christ for the first time, If you've never allowed Him to be Lord of your life for the first time, I wish you'd come. There may be some who have given their lives to Jesus but you've never been baptized the Bible way. This would be a good opportunity for you to make a decision to be in our baptism in two or three weeks. It would do you good to make a public decision to be baptized. Opening Hymn: #302, Deeper Yet Scripture: 1 Peter 1:18,19 Closing Hymn: #309, I Surrender All -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email us at our Sermons Contact Page Return to McDonald Road Sermons Index Return to McDonald Road SDA Church Home Page McDonald Road Sermons converted to HTML and last updated 9/1/99 by Bob Beckett.

by Pastor Donald J Gettys Living Within His Means Today I would like to speak to you about living within HIS means. So often we try to live within OUR means. I remember when my wife and I had three children, all in diapers at the same time, all under the age of twenty one months. What a challenge it was to make ends meet. She didn't work outside the home but she surely worked inside the home. One day we just had to have some bread, milk and things like that. We didn't have any money. I remember several days like that. We went through the drawers looking for change. She would say, "I found a quarter." Oh, it was wonderful. We finally found enough quarters, nickels, pennies and dimes to get some bread and potatoes and other small things we had to have. Those were hard times. I noticed one time when we had been scraping through the drawers trying to get enough money to get a few meager things at the grocery store and mainly eating out of our garden. We went to the grocery store, and the man ahead of us was paying for some things and he took a hundred dollar bill out of his billfold, out of his wallet. And I thought, 'How wonderful to be able to have that kind of money. It would be easy to live within his means.' And as we went out of the grocery store to the parking lot, I noticed that he got into a rather expensive car. And I though, 'I wish I had his kind of money." But I didn't. I thought of how easy it would be to live within his means. Our problem is that we have to live within "OUR" means! But do we have to live within our means? I would submit that we live within HIS means. The trouble is that we never seem to have enough money. But there is no distinction quite so impressive, and no independence so significant, as living within your means. Try it. Everybody ought to do it. Look in Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. We need help, don't we, with our finances, our money. The knowledge of how to put all this together fortunately here in the Bible. Did you know that the Bible offers five hundred verses on prayer, a few less than five hundred on faith, but more than two thousand verses on money and possessions. Fortunately there's a lot of wisdom and a lot of advice here. Our problem is that we always seem to want more stuff. I have a dear friend that I will not mention her name or her husband's name, but I went to visit them in their home not too long ago when we were traveling up north. Every room in her house was filled beyond capacity. There were just a little paths through all the bargains that she has accumulated over the years. Have you ever been in people's houses where there's a little path between all the do-dads and all of the junk that they have? The accumulation as pretty well filled the house. I don't know what all they have. I suppose there's a xylophone back in there. I don't know what all is back in there. I doubt if we know what all is back in there. You can barely get through. They can't even park their car in her two car garage. It's amazing. If only somehow we could be satisfied with what we have. Come to 1 Timothy for some good advice here. Every Christian needs to be content with what we have. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Every time I go to the grocery store I look at that item, I put it on the counter there and I think, 'Is this bread?' I guess it better to ask that when I take it off the shelf. That's when I need to determine what "is bread" and what "isn't bread." We need to spend our money for that which "is bread." People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. I want to go through about eight points here on how god will help us to manage our finances. 1 - GOD IS THE OWNER: That needs to be firmly fixed in our minds. God is the owner. He owns everything. If you really think about it, none of us own anything. All that our heavenly Father has is ours on loan. Our Father is rich in houses and lands. He owns everything. Because our father is rich that makes you and me rich. You are rich in God. So, never feel poor. A Christian isn't poor. Do you feel rich? You should because your Father owns it all. His means are your means. The late Bishop Edwin Hughes once delivered a rousing sermon on "God's Ownership" that put a rich parishioner's nose out-of-joint. The wealthy man took the Bishop to his house for lunch, and then walked him through his elaborate gardens, woodlands, and farm and pointed out all the acreage he owned and all the things that he had. He said, "Now are you going to tell me," he demanded when the tour was completed, "that all this land does not belong to me?" Bishop Hughes smiled and suggested, "Ask me that same question a hundred years from now." Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; The lawn mower that you mow your grass with belongs to God. Let's get specific here. Be sure to change the oil in his mower faithfully. You take care of God's lawn mower. You need to take care of the things God has entrusted into your hands. They belong to God. They are on loan from God. He owns everything. 2 - WE BELONG TO GOD Not only does He own all those things out there, but He owns us. We belong to Him. Isaiah 45:11,12 calls us God's children.- This is what the LORD says-- the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. So we belong to God, don't we. He owns us. So we need to take care, not only of our lawn mowers, we need to take care of ourselves. I appreciate my neighbor, Charlene Anderson starting this walking club. We ought to be all out walking. We ought to be exercising. We ought to be taking care of our bodies because they belong to God. We ought to offer them up as a living sacrifice. Exercise. Eat right. Sleep well. You belong to God. He wants healthy children. Do what you can to take care of yourself. 3 - GOD GIVES US SUB-OWNERSHIP Think about that. Deuteronomy 26:9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;. Now, milk is bad for you, they say, and honey is bad for you, so sweet and everything. But somehow they ate it back then. But God gave it to them, didn't he. Does that mean it didn't belong to God anymore? No. So, it's a joint ownership. God has given you sub-ownership of many valuable things. We are stewards to care for the assets of the owner. Because God owns everything, and loans it to us free of charge and free of any interest, our hearts ought to be filled with a willingness to distribute to Him some of the things He has given to us. To return to Him the tithe He that He asks of us and give a liberal and generous offering to God. We are all capable of giving to God. And Whoever is capable of giving, is rich. A baseball player once said that his ambition in life was to hear his coach say at the time of the player's retirement, "You are the best baseball player I have ever coached." And I think my desire as a Christian is when I am able to meet my Maker that He will say, "Don Gettys, you have been faithful in little things, now I am going to entrust you with bigger things. You may enter into the joy of my kingdom." What a blessing that will be! And I want to be that type of person. I want to be faithful in little things. Bankers must be honest Soldiers must be brave Runners must be swift Weightlifters must be strong Stewards must be faithful. Stewards must be generous. I am a steward of God. And God entrusts me with money as a test; for like a toy to the child. Why do you give your child a little plastic toy? It is training for handling things of more value. Isn't that sort of the idea? If he can't take care of that, well, I'm not going to give you something really good because you'll just rip it apart. 4 - GOD PUTS US IN CONTROL OF HIS MONEY. Does God spend His money? Does God own money? Oh yes, He owns everything there is. Who spends all that money? We do. God puts us in control of spending His money. And I would submit to you that we are in control of the money and money ought not to be in control of us. All the good and attractive things of this world must never be allowed to control, or shackle a true Christian. Do we have any compulsive shoppers here in our church? Are there any compulsive shoppers here, raise your hands? No?! Well, when you go in the store, are you able to contain yourself? Maybe you ought not to go in the store. It's a place of temptation. A true steward will always be free. He or she will never be controlled by money. He will be his own person, liberated from the tyranny that ownership can easily exert. Do you own your money or does your money own you? Money is sort of like fire. It is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master. Jesus told about a man who was once owned by his money: Luke 12:16-20 And He told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! Now why was he a fool? Because he was a good farmer? Because he had lots of good crops? He had a bountiful harvest? Why was he a fool? Let's read on: 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'" This is what will be with anyone who stores up thing for himself and is not rich toward God. We need to be rich toward God. Have you ever made a pledge, have you ever said, "you know, when this happens I fully intend on giving this amount of money to the church." If you made that pledge, you ought to keep that pledge. If you made a promise to God, you ought to keep that promise. And this man in this parable was controlled by his surplus, by his assets. he prepared all those things for himself. He didn't realize that all this bountiful harvest should have been dispersed to people that were in need. And Jesus called him a fool because of his decision of what to do with his surplus. Now, if you have a surplus and you decide to keep it all for your future you are a fool. I guess the real question is, "How much is enough?" Well, you may be thinking, "I need to retire here in a few years and I need to save all the money I can possibly save. I need a hundred thousand dollars in the bank." Well, maybe that's true. But how much is enough? If you get a hundred thousand, will you want more? Does it have to be more and more and more all the time? That's a big challenge to Christians today. Luke 12:21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." How do you become rich toward God? By depositing your life in His hands, by depositing your assets in the hands of Jesus and giving yourself to His work. We are either rich toward God or we are rich toward the devil. It's one or the other. We're either owned by worldly money or we are owned by God and managed by God, controlled by God. Remember the rich young ruler? He did not own his possessions, but his possessions owned him. The test of whether we own our money is IF we have the freedom and the power and the willingness to give it away. If not, our money owns us. Jesus passed the offering plate to the rich young ruler and he said, "I can't today. You're asking me to give too much. Modern Americans even when they think they are poor are actually living in luxury compared to most of the world. You should go to some of these other countries. They really have poverty. And our problem here in America with so many of us is that we can't distinguish between greed and need. What is the difference? Each person has to determine that for himself. Are you owned, are you managed and controlled by money? OR are you controlled by a LACK of money? Should Christians have a lack of money? Well, look at Romans 13:8, good advice in today's 1990's, almost at the turn of the millennium here. The lack of money should not control us. Avoid Debt. Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. We need to pay as we go, don't we. Doesn't that almost sound like a cash basis? And yet, how many people operate on a cash basis? Christians should not be in debt. We need to avoid debt like leprosy or aids! Americans have too many plastic passports to poverty: credit cards! You can buy your gasoline with those things. You could charge your groceries. You can do about anything with a credit card. Many people have average balances of over twenty-five thousand dollars! They are slaves. I saw a sign in the window of a store: "Try our new easy credit plan, one hundred percent down and nothing to pay each month. That's the kind of plan you'll like." Debt comes when we do not distinguish between ENOUGH and SURPLUS. We see and we buy. We charge it. And corporate manufacturer are very good. They have all sorts of numerous do-dads we not only do not need, but that we cannot afford. The "Need Creators" (advertisers) convince us that we really need the things we don't need and we rush out and buy them to satisfy our greed. If there were no greed they couldn't have a hold on us. The need creators could not be successful without our greed. The consequence is that even Christian Americans are so enslaved to debt that they find it hard to be faithful Christian stewards. We have bought cottages, travel trailers, boats, RV's, condos, land, houses and stuff whose depreciation alone will eat up all the financial surplus and bankrupt us. We have lost our personal freedom. Our "soul" belongs to the company store. Just about the time we think we can make both ends meet we move the ends. It is our greed that is killing us. A rich industrialist came to a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. He asked, "Why aren't you out there fishing?" "Well, I've caught enough fish for today," said the fisherman. "Well, it's only noon. If you go out and fish some more, you could be rich like me. Why don't you go do that?" The fisherman said, "Well, I don't know. What would I do with them," said the fisherman. "You could earn more money, buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could buy nylon nets and catch even more fish. You could buy bigger boats. Soon you'd have a fleet of boats. Then you'd be rich like me." "Then what would I do," asked the fisherman? "You could sit down and enjoy life!" "What do you think I am doing now?" the fisherman replied as he looked placidly out to the sea. 5 - GOD GIVES US POWER TO GET WEALTH I Chronicles 29:12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. That's where we get wealth. Does God want His people to be wealth? Yes! You look at the people of the Bible. You look at Abraham, you look at Jacob, and Isaac and Job and Joseph and so many of the people of the Bible. Were they poor? Not very many. They were rich! Should Christians be wealthy? Yes! We ought to be, first of all, wealthy in the character of Jesus Christ. We ought to be wealthy in His righteousness. We ought to be wealthy in faith and hope and love. And we ought to be wealthy by other standards. God does not want us to have financial worries. He wants us to have financial peace. God never intended for us to be the poorest of the poor. Wealth is a gift, and it comes from God. 6 - GOD REQUIRES US TO BE RESPONSIBLE WITH MONEY. Let me ask you a question that I shouldn't ask you: Would Jesus buy a BMW? I've gone to meddling, haven't I. Nothing is more controversial than to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Nothing is more dangerous than to live out the will of God in today's contemporary world. It changes your whole monetary lifestyle. Let me put it quite simply: If Jesus has $40,000 and knew about the kids who are suffering and dying in Haiti, what kind of car would Jesus buy? Would it be a Cadillac? Now I've really gone to meddling, haven't I? Would He purchase a Jaguar? or a Farrari? What would Jesus do? I don't know what God wants you to do and I'm not criticizing those of you that drive BMW's and Jaguars. Maybe you have given more in proportion than everybody else. And God know that, doesn't he. God is our judge, and I'm so thankful for that. (Adapted from Tony Campolo in U (April/May 1988), Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 10.) I heard about a little girl who experienced a major breakthrough in her life when she learned to tie her own shoes. Instead of excitement, she was overcome by tears. Her father asked, "Why are you crying?" "I have to tie my shoes," she said. "You just learned how. It isn't that hard, is it?" "I know," she wailed, "but I'm going to have to do it for the rest of my life." My hunch is that some of us feel the same way when it comes to Christian stewardship. We learn that it's exciting to give. But isn't there just a tiny bit of dread because we know we have to do it over and over again for the rest of our lives? It ought to be a joy. Giving is a joy. Jesus says that He loves a cheerful giver. See 1 Corinthians 9:7. (From -- Heidi Husted, "The Sermon on the Amount," Preaching Today, Tape No. 122.) Come over to 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. What is that telling us? Did you catch a little phrase in here? "In keeping with his income." The man who makes sixty thousand dollars a year will give far more than the man that makes fifty thousand dollars a year because he has that extra surplus, unless he has sued it to buy expensive things and build bigger barns. Begin your giving to God at the beginning of the week. By Sabbath you will be prepared with a generous gift. 2 Co 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Have you given God a pickle When He deserved a peach? If God's in need of peaches And we offer Him a pickle, We're trying to buy His blessing With a selfish old plug nickel! Be careful. I think God needs peaches. 7 - GOD BLESSES GIVERS If you give to God, you will be blessed. Proverbs 3:9,10 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. When your barns are overflowing, should you build a bigger barn? God blessed Jacob and his family. Genesis 45:18 ".... I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land." To close, I want to give you an illustration on fat. Fat is beautiful. Would you agree? Have you heard that said? Is Fat good? Yes. Listen to Dr. Paul Brand, a medical doctor who has worked with lepers in India. "Fat is absolutely gorgeous," says Brand, "When I perform surgery, I marvel at the shimmering, lush layers of fat that spread apart as I open up the body. Those cells insulate against cold, provide protection for the valuable organs underneath, and give a firm, healthy appearance to the whole body." Have you ever thought of fat like that? He continues: "But those are just side benefits. The real value of fat is that fat is a storehouse. Locked in those fat cells are the treasures of the human body. When I run or work or expend any energy, fat cells make that possible. They act as banker cells. It's absolutely beautiful to observe the cooperation among those cells!" Dr. Brand compares body fat to the church, the body of Christ. Each individual Christian in a relatively wealthy country like America is called to be a fat cell. America has a fat deposit of material wealth and spiritual resources. Christians must wisely use those resources to benefit the rest of the body. Attempt to think of yourself as a fat cell in the body of Christ; a dispenser of energy, of wealth, of power. What can a church do if all the fat cells get together. Think about that. When there is a need somewhere within the body respond generously to meet it. Destiny has placed you where you can lift when lifting is needed. Focus on your privilege of directing your stored holdings into the work. The job of a fat cell is to accumulate that it may dispense in times of need. You were created to be a dispenser! Ephesians 4:28, He should do something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Be like Jesus who came not to be served but to serve- Mark 10:45 8 - GOD REIMBURSES HIS PEOPLE FOR THEIR GIFTS! Do you believe that? Proverbs 11:24,25 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. God will reimburse you for your tithe. Let us live within the means that God provides for us. Let us be generous with the money God gives us. Let us trust in Jesus and we will be rich in His righteousness and abundant grace. Opening Hymn: 15 My Maker and My King Scripture: Responsive Reading: #821. Closing hymn: 572 Give of your best to the Master McDonald Road Sermons

Battle of Knowledge by Mike Game of wits, skill and maybe just a little luck. (Team play) Preparation: Before class, create 16 review questions. Cut out eight red circles and eight black circles. Take the masking tape and create a sixteen-sectioned grid on the floor. The grid should be four sections wide by four sections deep. Each section should be equal in size. Divide the children up into two teams. What you will do: To win the game, you must get four circles in a row for your team. Taking turns, each team throws the beanbag into an unoccupied square and then gets a chance to answer a question. If the team throwing the beanbag answers the question correctly, they get to put one of their circles in that square. If the team throwing the beanbag answers incorrectly, the other team gets a chance to answer the same question. If the other team answers correctly, they get to put one of their circles in the square. Once a circle is in a square, it cannot be removed. Members of each teams can work together to answer the question, but each team member must take a turn throwing the beanbag. If neither team gets four in a row, the game is a draw.

by Evangelist Wendell Stover Three Men and One God This morning I want to share with you some thoughts from the book of Daniel coming of special interest from the third chapter of Daniel. Our story concerns three men and one God. There are some wonderful lessons here, I think, that would involve all of us, as we study end-time prophecies. Last night we were studying Revelation 12 and Revelation 13 through the meeting, trying to identify the beast and the dragon and the woman. All in preparation that we might really understand what is required of God's people in the last days. We worship, not to receive the mark of the beast, but as we worship receiving the seal of the living God. If we understand Revelation twelve and thirteen and fourteen properly, there is coming a storm upon the world that's going to involve all of us. Each of us will have to take a stand for what is right. The only way that we shall be able to do this is to begin taking our stand today even among the little things that may not seem very important to us. In the third chapter of Daniel we find these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, taking a stand for what was right. Now listen, Daniel 3:1. Nebuchadnezzar the king mad an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits (about 90 feet), and the breadth thereof six cubit (about 9 feet): he set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Now, an image is a copy. He had his craftsman design a large statue made out of gold resembling himself. And of all things, they were required to do in those days you would not feel very comfortable doing either. Here was this statue of the king, probably in a very stoic, solemn position, and on that head of gold his lips were probably not even shiny. He was just standing there, staunch. Anyone in the kingdom of importance had been invited. They were there. It says in verse 2. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image. Almost anyone who had a title was there. Here was the plan: They were lined up, the custom of oriental prayer, most likely having their prayer mats with them. At a certain time, when the music would begin to play, the plan was that in one bold orchestrated movement, they would bow themselves down in front of that statue to worship. Let's read it. Verses 4,5. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 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 golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: Remember now, in the book of Revelation (13:14) it tells us that in the last days an image to the beast would be made and the whole world shall commanded to worship the image of the beast. I would invite and encourage any of you to follow through with continuing study or what it means to "worship." It does not mean, in the book of Revelation that all the world religions shall agree on every point of doctrine at the same time, and that's what defines their worship of this image to the beast. Not so! Did you know that if your understanding of a doctrine is correct, and you remain silent instead of taking a stand for truth, you have actually violated your own faith. Think about that in the context of worship. If you have a conviction that the commandments of God are important, and we could pick any of them, but let's just mention the fourth commandment at this point. If you have a particular conviction that the seventh-day Sabbath is still important to God and His people, but if everyone else is advancing the idea that it doesn't matter which day is the Sabbath, that god really doesn't care, and if you just remain eloquently silent, saying nothing, I'm suggesting that is a violation of your conscience. It does not make God happy. In that definition, then, if we know what is right and do nothing about it, it brings us right under the shadow of sin. Do you believe that? Now, here were these three men who had grown up under that traditional teaching that the commandments of God are very important. One of those commandments proclaims that we are to worship God, only, that it is a sin to worship before an image or a false god. There were those three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, mixed in with all the hundreds, perhaps thousands of dignitaries that were there. They heard the announcement just as plainly as anyone else did. But when the band begins to play, they are supposed to fall down and worship that golden image. I'm suggesting that if we shall begin some preparation today in taking a stand on the little things, then we shall be able to take a stand on the greater things that are yet to come upon the earth. What would those three young men do? After all, in this situation it would be so easy to compromise one's faith. You see, there was also a death penalty put on this. Notice with me here in Daniel 3:6. And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Now, that announcer is making that announcement. He says, "When the band begins to play, that's when we want you to fall down and worship the image. If you do not worship the image, look over here at this big belching monster of a fiery furnace. If you would be so blatantly bold as to refuse to worship what the king has commanded, we will kill you this very hour." And so, feet were shuffled, tunics were straightened, the band began to play. Verse 7. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Now if you just take that one verse out of context, it would be a lie. You could find a lie in the bible in one verse, because not all the people there fell down to worship. And you know the story, don't you. If it were not for those three men there, I would not have this sermon today. Have you ever felt like compromising? Compromising your faith? I've thought of this story in light of my own convictions. I want to be as strong as those men were. If my life were in peril, I would hope before God Almighty that I would take a firm stand for the truth and nothing but the truth. But it would have been so easy for those men to have compromised. They could have had a discussion the went something like this: Shadrach speaking: You know, God had preserved our life for a reason. I have twelve Bible studies going in the center building where I work. Surely God doesn't want me to be killed today and lose all those Bible studies. That wouldn't be God's plan." Abednego: He could come up with something very similar. He could say, "Well, you know, since God has miraculously preserved our life, perhaps we should cooperate with God in this matter. God has placed us here in this place for His witnesses among all of these people. If we are killed today, that would destroy our witness, wouldn't it? We don't want to make God unhappy. Why don't we just bow down here in front of this statue like everyone else. No one will ever know what is on our hearts." Meshach could have spoken up quietly and said, "We can pray to the God of heaven instead of praying to that old statue anyway. It's always appropriate to pray, and God wants us to pray. I just feel like it would be pleasing to God if we were to pray to Him." Can you see the tendency there to compromise at all? But they did not compromise. If this were a story about modern-day men or women of God, could they find those of us who would not compromise? Oh, you say, "Wendell, I don't compromise much. Let's think for a moment. The greater the truth that a person understands and the greater his convictions the more responsible he is before God. Do you believe that? And I know being a member of this particular church you have been really blessed with a church family. I can think of no other church family anywhere that God could be more pleased to bring people into than your church right here at McDonald Road. Now I'm sure there may be a few of you, our of 800 members, that might be just a little grumpy some times. But I haven't seen any of them here. But compromise. What is your temptation? I'm sure I might be well served if I just stopped right here and said the prayer and we got ready for Sabbath School. But I can do this, you see, because I'm going to be gone in about three weeks. You don't really know me all that well anyway, and I don't really know you that well. But God has placed something on my heart, and I want to share it. How about stewardship? Typically speaking, the pastoral staff doesn't handle stewardship as effectively as they could. Now, I don't see that in this church. But typically that is true in almost all denominational churches. The pocketbook, the billfold, cash, the checkbook is sort of a touchy subject. Have you ever compromised when it comes to your responsibility before God? Surely there is someone here that has compromised. Even perhaps this week. As your paycheck has come and bills have come piling in to your family, it is so easy to look at that check and say, "God really wants me to provide for the needs of my family." I'm suggesting this morning that in all areas of Christian life and lifestyle if we compromise on one point it becomes much easier to compromise on another point. There's something about the human mind that's marvelous, but also disturbing. I heard a pastor say this: "Whatever the conscience condemns the mind can justify." Now think about that just for a little bit. If you're in the valley of compromise, your mind can figure out to justify whatever it is that want to sin. That's how affairs and infidelity and things like that begin to happen among church people. A man thinks to himself, "There's not woman I've ever met except this lady who really understands me. She may be someone else's wife. In the process of that coveting he begins to justify that God has put the two of them together. I'm just suggesting that whatever the conscience initially condemns, if our thoughts and our actions linger there long enough the human mind will justify that action even though we inwardly know it would be a real sin. We could talk about diet this morning. And easy area for compromising. But since this just happens to be the day of the fellowship meal I'm really hesitant to mention that. I have to eat, too. But, Worship. To compromise in worship in a way that would hinder us often brings a temptation with it. There are some Sabbath mornings when I'm tempted to stay in bed longer. Am I the only one here that has that temptation? After an evangelistic meeting on Friday evening, we close down the church, we go home. I'm sort of like a clock. I'm wound up and I have to get unwound before retiring for the evening. Sometimes it takes a little while. The temptation, then, is there on Sabbath morning to just sort of stay in a little while. Now, I know this doesn't necessarily fit this congregation, because you are here before Sabbath School (we're in first church service). But what about those who purposefully choose to miss Sabbath school because of compromise? There were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The band was playing but they did not kneel. No, I've done my homework. I understand there were certain of those Babylonians there who were extremely jealous of these three young men. They wanted to destroy their reputation and their lives. This could very well have been a set-up situation designed and orchestrated to bring about their death. The word came back to Nebuchadnezzar. "There are those here who do not love you. They do not like you. They do not serve your gods. They do not obey you. And you have made the declaration, O king, that if anyone did not bow down before that image they should be immediately killed. What are you going to do with these men?" So he brings Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before him. We don't have all the words that were spoken and recorded here for us to enjoy in Daniel 3. It might even be similar to that compromising situation that you may have found yourself in. Sabbath employment always brings about opportunity for compromise. The boss brings you in and he says, "Now, I know that you observe Saturday as the Sabbath. You know that our company orders have been slack for the past six months, and we have this large order that just arrived. If we can get this pushed through this weekend we can become financially secure and I really need you to work this Saturday. I've never asked you to work before. I don't want to ever ask you to work again. And after all, when you were down and out and you needed some work, I was kind to you and I blessed you with a good job. We've given you good insurance, you have good benefits, and all I'm asking you to do is just work one time." It would be easy to compromise, wouldn't it. There's Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I'm sure Nebuchadnezzar used his political wisdom and experience on those younger men. Perhaps he said to them, "Now fellows, I've been good to you. So many of those who were brought here the same time you were are working in menial jobs. They don't have the reputation that you have. Why, look at you. You're wearing Nike tennis shoes. You have the best of clothing. Why, Shadrach, I've even noticed the camel that you ride. It's the best one that we have. All of my friends are here. I know that you don't hate me. but this is a very disconcerting circumstance that we're in. I want you to help me. Will you help me?" He must have been a salesman, surely, to be the king. But everything he said to those young men in the spirit of compromise they boldly said to the king, "We cannot sin against our God." Nebuchadnezzar says, "Please, just go out there and when the band plays you fall down and worship the statue. Everything will be okay. Life will go on as usual." Brother Foster read the Scripture reading this morning. It says this (Daniel 3:16-18): 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 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. "O king, we have given this much thought. 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 your hand, O king. But even if we should die today, let it be know unto you, O king, ad to all the witnesses that are here from all the other countries and nations. Let it be known to you, O king, that we are God's men, that we will not serve your gods. We will not worship the golden image that you have set up. We will not sin against our God." That dear friend, is the spirit of obedience, of total faith, acceptance and trust before God Almighty and I want that. I want it for my family. I want it for my children. I want it for you. That's the enduring faith that we must have if we are going to make it through to the end. A faith based upon a loving, trusting relationship with God that declares, "No matter what happens, I believe that God will carry me through as long as I hold His hand." The king became angry. I can't describe all of his behavior for you because I was not there. But I've seen grown men become so angry that they begin to shake. Blood rushes up into the head and out to the ears and into the arms. Maybe he pointed his fist at those men and he said, "If you shall not obey me you shall be thrown right this instant into the death chamber." Talk about breaking up a worship service! They heated up the furnace seven times greater than it's designed to be heated. [Let's see now. If the day temperature was 80 degrees and the usual furnace temperature was 480 degrees, then they would heat the furnace at least 400 times 7 or to 2800 degrees minimum. That's enough to melt steel.] I would not have wanted to be a soldier in Nebuchadnezzar's army. Because the story says that the soldiers that took the first man up there... I don't know how the did it. Maybe they did it on the count of three. One, two, three, and they ran up there and threw him into the furnace. You've seen the pictures of the furnace: something like a glorified igloo with a smoke stack coming out the top of it. And the soldiers that threw him in fell back as dead men. Any volunteers to be the next two soldiers? Finally, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had each been thrown in there. The eyes of all the representatives from the other countries were there looking inside the fiery furnace, along with, of course, King Nebuchadnezzar. The king rubs his eyes, calls over his closest advisor, and he said, "We've been friends a long time. You can tell me anything, but I want to know the truth. Didn't we just throw three men in there?" And his advisor says, "Yes, my lord. We threw three men in there." Notice what the Bible describes what's happening next. Daniel 3:25. He answered and said, 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. I like what happens next. Nebuchadnezzar knew when he was beaten. He recognized that these young men 's God was greater than his god. What a feat the Jehovah God had performed because those men he had punished, thrown in there had now been rewarded with full life and even the presence of the Son of the living God. Now, can you explain to me how he knew who the fourth person was? It didn't take Nebuchadnezzar long to figure this one out. He said, "If that God of heaven is working, I want to be on his side." Verse 26. 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 of the midst of the fire. As those men stepped out of the fiery furnace, others gathered around them and smelled their clothing. "They don't even smell like smoke! Their hair is not singed." A wonderful story. Verse 28. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." He was really saying to all those people listening to him, "Here are three young men who have a God they are so much in allegiance with, they would rather die than to sin against their God and their God has rewarded them for their trust. He has preserved their going in and their coming out." And God will preserve our going in and our coming out in the time of trouble that's coming upon the world, but He may only do that if we are willing to let Him do that and begin to trust Him today. Now, Nebuchadnezzar wasn't much on religious liberty issues. He made one of those laws very restrictive and he says, "Now, if anyone says anything wrong, if anyone says anything badly against their God, we're going to destroy their houses, their families, because we know that no other God can deliver this way. Then i verse 30, the bible says, Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. We are always rewarded for doing God's will. Friend, how do we come to the place that we refuse to compromise? How do we come to the place where we can at last stand in our worship of the true god without wavering, fully trusting, and trusting in the face of a death penalty that our God shall deliver us? How do we do that? First of all I must tell you that it's impossible for US to do that. It take a greater power than that which we can invent to work within us. We must have Jesus in our life. The Bible speaks of the heart, the mind interchangeably. Jesus has such a wonderful plan for us. He wants you to develop a loving trusting confident obedient relationship to Him. But he wants to help you with it. We cannot have it unless He dwells in the heart. The first placed to begin is to invite Him to come into the heart. And then as He comes into the heart, you begin to spend time with Him, in His Word, in prayer and with His people. This morning is a good time to begin or to affirm that we want Jesus in our lives in a greater way. I want to be ready for Jesus' coming. I wish all of you would be ready for His coming. And we can be if we let the Savior enter our heart. Opening Hymn: #71, Come, Thou Almighty King Scripture: Daniel 3:16-18 Closing Hymn: #88, I Sing the Mighty Power of God ------------------------------------------------------------------- McDonald Road Sermons