Fiery Furnace

A fiery furnace can be a persuasive factor in someone’s decisions making.  In our text from Daniel 3 for the Festival of the Reformation, Rach, Shack, and Benny were faced with the choice to get burned alive or worship a false idol.  In 2021 America no elected officials have told us to bow down to at giant idol of gold or else be publicly executed by furnace.  That won’t happen.  When it comes to physical persecution the heat ISN’T on.  But there are chances for us daily to give glory to God in our lives.  You might say that we can glorify God when it’s cool.  If you fail there might not be ANY physical consequences, but the consequences to your soul are real.

“Not yet – just a few more clicks on the keyboard, I can’t look away.”

“Just wait – he’s so right for me, and we both love each other.”

“I’ll do it God’s way tomorrow – where’s the harm?  Nothing bad has happened yet.  Next week, it’s been busy.  After the New Year, that’s the time everyone starts over.  I’ll make a clean break then.”

You telling God that you’re not ready to stop sinning is a dangerous place to be.  Paul urges us that NOW is the time of salvation, NOW is the time to repent.  If you wait – I’ve seen this in my ministry.  If you wait and tell me, “It’s alright pastor, I’ll do it God’s way later,” how do you know that you’ll ever want to?  Do you really want to tell Jesus, who died for your sins, that he can take a few more, what’s the big deal?  Sin separates us from God – the longer that we live in that sin, the more comfortable we become with it, and the less comfortable we become with God.  Before long we don’t need God, and while we may never admit that we need the sin, it has quickly become something that we can’t do without.  No one needs to cast us into a fiery furnace because we have happily walked into one for our souls.

Want to hear more?  Including how our God has removed our guilt.  There isn’t even a whiff of sin left on our souls because of Jesus.  Watch this Sunday’s message taken from Daniel 3 – Give Glory to God.