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Battle Creek Tabernacle SDA Church

These Things We Know

Chris Holland

These Things We Know: God is Faithful

These Things We Know: God is Sovereign

These Things We Know: God is Good

These Things We Know: God Is the Relentless Redeemer

God Still Speaks Part 1

God Still Speaks Part 2

These Things We Know: God Wins

These Things We Know: God is the Deliverer

These Things We Know: God is the Great Teacher

These Things We Know: God is a Friend

These Things We Know: God Knows the End From the Beginning

These Things We Know: God is the Author

These Things We Know: God is the Finisher

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 1

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 2

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 1

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 2

These Things We Know: God Stands for Us

Do you look forward that day when Jesus will take us by the hand and lead us home?

You look forward to that day where Jesus will burst forth through the clouds in glory and take us by the hand and lead us home.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful that you are good, that you deliver, and you will be coming soon to take us by the hand and lead us home.

Help us as we study today to show ourselves approved to be ready for that day when you come again.

On July the 13th, 2024, there was a buzz in the air in Sarver, Pennsylvania.

Just 20 minutes away in Butler, Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump was to hold a campaign rally.

Excitement was building in the area, and Cory Comperatore and his family were going to attend and show their support for President Trump.

Corey Comperatore was a project and tooling engineer and he was the former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department.

Little did any of his family know That their lives would be forever changed that day.

According to his family, Corey was a simple man.

He was quick to help those in need and he was a man of faith.

And 33 seconds, shots rang out at the Butler Farm showgrounds and as we all know, there was an attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump.

The last thing that Cory Comparatore told his family as they were about to celebrate their 29th anniversary, by the way, He told his wife and his 2 daughters, get down.

Those were the last words he ever spoke as he himself was hit and died from his own gun wounds, from the gun wounds of the assailant.

But as we contemplate this moment in time, People die every day.

And there is a question in the minds of people all around the world.

It's a very simple question with 3 letters.

In fact, it is the number 1 impediment to faith for millennials and Generation Z or Generation Z.

If God is so good, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?

We turn on the news or we read the news, we see war, people dying by the dozens, the hundreds and thousands, why?

Why are there starving people in the world?

If God is so good, why do bad things happen to seemingly good people?

Why are there those phone calls that occur in the middle of the night to tell a parent that their son or daughter has died in a tragic accident?

Why are there super storms that form and devastate areas?

Why was there a super storm in Gillette, Wyoming that has caused the Pathfinder Camperee to be canceled a day early?

And it is in the midst of those questions, we must answer the question, what is our calling as we wrestle with the answer?

Today we continue our series, These Things We Know.

And today we continue our study of the book of Daniel and we open Daniel the third chapter.

Some of you will say, didn't we study Daniel 3 3 weeks ago?

But at that point in time, I didn't know we were going to do a series on the book of Daniel.

So we return to Daniel chapter 3, and I'm not preaching the same sermon that I preached 3 weeks ago.

But in Daniel chapter 3, just to remind us of the context, Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream in which he and the nation of Babylon were represented as a head of gold in a metal image that Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream and that metal image as you will remember foretold the history of nations surrounding Jerusalem with absolute precision and accuracy.

However in Daniel chapter 3 and an act of defiance against God and an attempt to resolve a rebellion that had begun rising in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar built a metal statue, a metal idol that was completely made of gold.

It was a demonstration of his belief that his kingdom would last forever.

And you'll remember that Nebuchadnezzar invited political and religious leaders all to come to the capital city of Babylon and demonstrate their support and loyalty to him.

All they needed to do was to bow down and worship the golden idol.

Daniel was not at this gathering because apparently he had been sent on some errand by Nebuchadnezzar, and so he would not be there at that time.

However, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they weren't so lucky.

And there in the midst of Daniel chapter 3, There is a scene, a scene of worship.

There was undoubtedly a lot of commotion, a lot of revelry, and a lot of dancing with music and bowing down.

And there on the plain of Dura, the 3 Hebrew young men faced a decision.

Either bow down and worship the gods of Babylon, or worship God alone.

And they chose to stand for the God of heaven who is faithful, who is sovereign, and they knew him and they knew that he is good.

The Bible doesn't tell us how many gathered there that day, but undoubtedly as the crowds bowed, Attention was drawn to these 3 standing Hebrew boys.

The religious and political leaders pointed this out to Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar had them brought to him And in verse 13 of Daniel chapter 3, the Bible says the following, that Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Then these men were brought before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, is it true Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?

Now if you're ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trigon, the psaltery, and the bagpipe, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image that I have made very well.

But if you do not worship, you will be immediately cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire and What God is there who can deliver you out of my hands?

A new threat, a threat on their very lives.

A new opportunity to stand, a new opportunity to be faithful, a new opportunity.

Would they stand and be faithful or would they fold to the pressure?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and he will deliver us out of your hand, O King, but even if he does not, let it be known to you O King that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

He is able to deliver us from the finery furnace.

It's interesting this word deliver, it is rooted in the Greek word ereo, which literally means to execute or destroy.

But the word used here deliver is ex-area which means out of execution or out of destruction.

That God would do the very opposite of Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar sought to destroy, God sought to rescue.

And these young men took a stand and said, He's either going to rescue us from the fiery furnace and or he will definitively rescue us from your hand.

They understood God is faithful, God is sovereign, God is good, and God delivers.

Ultimately they understood the timeless reality of the truth of Matthew 10, 28, where Jesus says, do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

They understood that this was an attack of someone who could kill the body but could not end their eternal life, could not take from away from them their eternal destiny in heaven.

They understood that this persecution could not take away from them that place that Jesus would later say he is preparing for them in heaven.

And so they chose to stand and to fear God and to fear him alone.

They understood that this was attack of someone who had a mission to destroy them.

And that mission to destroy them was far greater than the mission of Nebuchadnezzar.

Who did they understand was attacking them?

Undoubtedly, they understood the words of Jesus in John 8, 44, speaking of the devil, when he said to the Pharisees, you are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.

He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth because there is no truth in him.

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Series

These Things We Know

These Things We Know: God is Good

Transcript

Parent Series

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Recorded

Trump, Biden and the Image to the Beast

1h 8m

Leading to Please

38m

No Safety In Politics

1h 1m

Revelation Made Simple

14. Mark of the Beast Exposed

1h 2m

Will You Stand? Will You Withstand?

51m

Reed Shaken With The Wind

1h

Faith that Fireproofs

53m

When Lady Liberty Lays Down the Torch

49m

Unlock Revelation

16. US in Bible Prophecy

1h 14m

Steve Wohlberg -The Character of God Controversy

The Character of God Controversy, Part 3

56m

Dustin Pestlin Weekend

Third Angels’ Message: Preparation for the Mark of the Beast

55m

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three

49m

Sound Doctrine