CONSOLATION IN THE FURNACE


A. "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." Dan. 3:25, 26
  1. Our text is a part of the wonderful story of God delivering the Hebrews from the fiery furnace:
    1. Nebuchadnezzar had cast them into the furnace because they had refused to obey his call to worship the golden image he had made.
    2. He learned that the God of the Hebrews was able to deliver them out of his hands.
  2. This story reveals that the three men were:
    1. Men of principle.
    2. Men of unshaken faith in the justice of their cause - Dan. 3:16-18
B. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE THREE HEBREW FAITHFULS HAS A NUMBER OF VERY HELPFUL LESSONS
  1. Three young men in the furnace heated seven times:
    1. All because they believed in the freedom of conscience.
    2. Because they believed that their duty to God came first - Acts 4:29; 5:19
  2. As we look back into the history of persecution, we note that Satan used:
    1. The furnace of affliction to frighten the people into submission to his will.
    2. What had those three Hebrews done to give them such cruel treatment?
    3. Why are god-fearing men the special object of persecution? Compare Luke 11:49 with Lam. 5:5; Matt. 23:34, 35
    4. We think of the oppression many of them suffered because of their loyalty to God - Heb. 11:36-40
    5. Some suffered fearful temptation, yet they remained loyal to God - Gen. 39:7-12
    6. Not to be overlooked are the temptations the Son of man endured - Matt. 4:1-11
    7. Then let us remember what the Son of God foretold in Rev. 3:10
    8. That will be when Satan will declare open war against us - Rev. 12:17
C. CONSOLATION IN THE FURNACE
  1. Of great moment is the outcome of that experience in the fiery furnace:
    1. What they lost -
      1. Their physical bonds -- these had been put on them to make sure that they were helpless against the flames.
      2. Such bonds were common in the days of our Lord and the apostles - Eph. 6:20; Col. 4:18; Acts 12:1
    2. But they were not harmed; no, even their garments were unharmed - Acts 12:1-6; Ps. 34:19; 2 Cor. 4:17
  2. Persecutions are allowed:
    1. To set us free from the bonds of sin and evil habit - Isa. 63:9
    2. Think of what the Lord says in Mal. 3:3. We do not always see why the Lord permits us to pass through trials, but in the end we shall praise him for the experience he had us pass through.
  3. What those worthies did in the furnace:
    1. They walked in the furnace showing that their walk with God had not been disrupted - Ps. 23:1-6
    2. Their walk in that fiery furnace is a living testimony that if God is for us, who can be against us - Rom. 8:30-39
  4. Some facts to note about that walk in the furnace:
    1. Christ was with them, and that made the difference.
    2. If Christ is with us, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
    3. Their person was unharmed; that shows how completely God's care is for those who trust in Him - Matt. 10:30; Luke 12:7
    4. A similar experience awaits the people of God during the last days, just before Christ will appear - Isa. 43:2
    5. In fact, we shall live eternally with Him, who is a consuming fire - Deut. 4:24
    6. But He is consuming fire only against sin, and not to them that have been set free from the power of sin.


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