Through the sto\u00adry of three Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment fri\u00adends, we want to immer\u00adse our\u00adsel\u00adves in what it means to fol\u00adlow a holy God. The three fri\u00adends live in a for\u00adeign coun\u00adtry and adapt as much as pos\u00adsi\u00adble. They inte\u00adgra\u00adte well, but a con\u00adflict is ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adble at the latest when they have to deci\u00adde bet\u00adween their faith and the demands of their king. They are even pre\u00adpared to lay down their lives for this. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ are also stran\u00adgers in this world. They live here, inte\u00adgra\u00adte them\u00adsel\u00adves and try to win peo\u00adp\u00adle for Jesus. But here, too, con\u00adflicts are ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adble. How do fol\u00adlo\u00adwers deci\u00adde? Do they con\u00adfess God?<\/p>\n
In a for\u00adeign country \tHere again are the three key ques\u00adti\u00adons that were alre\u00ada\u00addy men\u00adtio\u00adned at the end of the ser\u00admon. 1. what are you for? 2. how far may your faith take you? 3. how do you con\u00adfess Jesus Christ? Based on the sto\u00adry of three Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment fri\u00adends, we want to immer\u00adse our\u00adsel\u00adves in what it means to fol\u00adlow a holy God. The three fri\u00adends live in a for\u00adeign coun\u00adtry and adapt as far as pos\u00adsi\u00adble. They inte\u00adgra\u00adte well, but a con\u00adfron\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon is ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adble at the latest when they find them\u00adsel\u00adves caught bet\u00adween their faith and the demands of their\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":7451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[79],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7433","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThe inci\u00addent of the\u00adse three takes place at a signi\u00adfi\u00adcant moment in Israel\u2019s histo\u00adry. It takes place just after the fall of the king\u00addom of Judah. The Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans defeat the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes and lead the upper clas\u00adses into exi\u00adle. The Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan empire was a mul\u00adti-eth\u00adnic sta\u00adte. It was com\u00admon prac\u00adti\u00adce to bring the upper clas\u00adses of the defea\u00adted peo\u00adp\u00adle to the palace and have them work for them. This was also the case with Dani\u00adel, Hana\u00adniah, Mis\u00adha\u00adel and Aza\u00adriah. Sin\u00adce they belon\u00adged to the upper class, they were cho\u00adsen and led away. The rest of the peo\u00adp\u00adle remain\u00aded in the land.
\nThe\u00adse four fri\u00adends are now in a new land. They are cho\u00adsen and arri\u00adve at the palace of King Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar. The\u00adre they are given new names: Bel\u00adtes\u00adhaz\u00adz\u00adar, Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego. Once they arri\u00adve in the new land, they also have to reo\u00adri\u00adent them\u00adsel\u00adves and find their way around. They are taught the lan\u00adguage and scrip\u00adtures of Baby\u00adlon. They recei\u00adve spe\u00adcial tre\u00adat\u00adment and are even allo\u00adwed to eat what the king recei\u00adves. But this is a pro\u00adblem. Becau\u00adse in anci\u00adent times, ani\u00admals were usual\u00adly slaugh\u00adte\u00adred in a reli\u00adgious pro\u00adcess and were the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre ritual\u00adly char\u00adged. \u00abDani\u00adel deci\u00added in his heart not to touch any food or wine from the king\u2019s table. He wan\u00adted to abide by the die\u00adta\u00adry laws of his god. He asked Ash\u00adpen\u00adaz for per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon not to eat the ritual\u00adly unclean food. [\u2026]\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 1:8\u201312 NLB<\/span>). The four of them learn and give their all. They inte\u00adgra\u00adte them\u00adsel\u00adves as well as pos\u00adsi\u00adble, but wit\u00adhout going against their own con\u00advic\u00adtions and beliefs. After some time, Dani\u00adel is given an important posi\u00adti\u00adon at the roy\u00adal court and \u00abAt Daniel\u2019s request, he appoin\u00adted Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego as admi\u00adnis\u00adtra\u00adtors of the pro\u00advin\u00adce of Baby\u00adlon, but Dani\u00adel hims\u00adelf remain\u00aded at the roy\u00adal court\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 2:49 NLB<\/span>).
\nFrom now on, the sto\u00adry of Dani\u00adel and his three fri\u00adends will con\u00adti\u00adnue on its own, but we will limit our\u00adsel\u00adves to the three. The\u00adse three fol\u00adlo\u00adwed a holy God and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre they dif\u00adfe\u00adred in cer\u00adtain aspects from the other peo\u00adp\u00adle around them. They were in the sys\u00adtem, but nevert\u00adhel\u00adess also out\u00adside of it.
\nThe rela\u00adti\u00adonship of Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego to their envi\u00adron\u00adment is the same for fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ. They also live in a for\u00adeign land. For alt\u00adhough they are in this world, they are not of this world. They do run along, get invol\u00adved and prac\u00adti\u00adse their pro\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adons. They want the best for socie\u00adty and invest a lot for it. At first glan\u00adce, fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ are no dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from others. But in some respects it is noti\u00adceable that they live their lives in con\u00adtrast to others. Just as was the case with the three friends.
\nCon\u00adflict is inevitable
\nFor some time, the\u00adse three fri\u00adends gave their all and did a good job. They were well inte\u00adgra\u00adted and hel\u00adped the Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan empire to pro\u00adsper and func\u00adtion. The\u00adre were many dif\u00adfe\u00adrent gods at this time. So it was not\u00adhing unu\u00adsu\u00adal that King Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar had a gol\u00adden sta\u00adtue built. He was so con\u00advin\u00adced of his new sta\u00adtue that he cal\u00adled all the offi\u00adci\u00adals tog\u00ade\u00adther to wor\u00adship it. Howe\u00adver, it is unclear whe\u00adther it was an image of hims\u00adelf or of ano\u00adther dei\u00adty. By car\u00adry\u00ading out this com\u00admand, his offi\u00adci\u00adals swo\u00adre an oath of alle\u00adgi\u00adance to him. The Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan empire united many dif\u00adfe\u00adrent lan\u00adguages, nati\u00adons and peo\u00adp\u00adles. This also included the wor\u00adship of one god. The three fri\u00adends Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego are also invi\u00adted. In order to unite the peo\u00adp\u00adle befo\u00adre him, the king issues clear ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions. \u00abAll tho\u00adse who had been invi\u00adted gathe\u00adred to take part in the dedi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon of the sta\u00adtue that Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar had had made. As they all stood befo\u00adre the sta\u00adtue erec\u00adted by Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar, a herald pro\u00adclai\u00admed in a powerful voice: \u00abYou peo\u00adp\u00adles, nati\u00adons and lan\u00adguages, lis\u00adten to the king\u2019s com\u00admand! When you hear the sound of the horn, pan\u00adpipe, zither, lyre, harp, bag\u00adpi\u00adpe or any other musi\u00adcal instru\u00adment, you must fall to the ground and wor\u00adship the gol\u00adden sta\u00adtue that King Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar had made\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 3:5\u20136 NLB<\/span>). No mat\u00adter how well inte\u00adgra\u00adted the three were. No mat\u00adter how well they did their work \u2013 here they were faced with a moral dilem\u00adma. Becau\u00adse the God they fol\u00adlo\u00adwed issued an unmist\u00adaka\u00adble com\u00admand. \u00abYou shall have no other gods but me. You shall not make for yours\u00adelf an idol of any\u00adthing that is in hea\u00adven or on earth or in the water under the earth. You shall not wor\u00adship them or pro\u00adstra\u00adte yours\u00adelf befo\u00adre them, for I, the LORD<\/span> your God, am a jea\u00adlous God! [\u2026]\u00bb (Exodus 20:3\u20135 NLB<\/span>). What should they do? To whom should they be loy\u00adal? Their king or their God?
\nThe musi\u00adci\u00adans start to play. The ten\u00adsi\u00adon mounts. What will they choo\u00adse? Will they choo\u00adse their God or their lives? We don\u2019t like sto\u00adries like this. It\u2019s far too abso\u00adlu\u00adte! God isn\u2019t that strict! But what if it is so abso\u00adlu\u00adte? What if God is so strict? The three fri\u00adends deci\u00adde in favour of the opti\u00adon that has far-rea\u00adching con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces for them and their lives \u2013 they don\u2019t bow down. A few obser\u00advant con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adr\u00ada\u00adri\u00ades report them to the king. He is full of anger and rage at the\u00adse three. How dare they defy his com\u00admand. He gives them a second chan\u00adce. When the music sounds again, they are told to pro\u00adstra\u00adte them\u00adsel\u00adves, other\u00adwi\u00adse they will be thrown into the fiery fur\u00adnace. The dif\u00adfe\u00adrent natu\u00adre of the three fri\u00adends made them stand out. They rep\u00adly to the rene\u00adwed com\u00admand to kne\u00adel befo\u00adre the sta\u00adtue: \u00ab[\u2026] O Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar, we do not want to jus\u00adti\u00adfy our\u00adsel\u00adves befo\u00adre you. If the God we wor\u00adship is wil\u00adling, he can cer\u00adtain\u00adly save us. He will save us both from the bur\u00adning fiery fur\u00adnace and from your hand, O king. But even if he has deci\u00added other\u00adwi\u00adse, you, O king, shall know it with cer\u00adtain\u00adty: We will never wor\u00adship your gods, and we will never wor\u00adship the gol\u00adden sta\u00adtue you have set up\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 3:16\u201318 NLB<\/span>).
\n
\nBy this stead\u00adfast\u00adness they stand against the king. For it is in the wor\u00adship of the king\u2019s God that faithful\u00adness is shown. In the under\u00adstan\u00adding of that time, a strong peo\u00adp\u00adle auto\u00adma\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly had a strong god. But the\u00adre could well be other gods who were wor\u00adship\u00adped. Poly\u00adthe\u00adism was not a pro\u00adblem for the Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans. The pro\u00adblem, howe\u00adver, was the mono\u00adthe\u00adism of the Jews. They can and want to wor\u00adship only one God. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, they threw the second chan\u00adce to the wind and deci\u00added for God \u2013 and against their lives.
\nThis inci\u00addent also has a lot to say to fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ. Becau\u00adse a con\u00adfron\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon can\u00adnot be avo\u00adided. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adb\u00adly leads to ten\u00adsi\u00adons with the envi\u00adron\u00adment. Howe\u00adver, the\u00adre are \u00abgood\u00bb and \u00abbad\u00bb con\u00adflicts. In the \u00abgood\u00bb ones, the aggres\u00adsor is the other per\u00adson. I don\u2019t pro\u00advo\u00adke, but someone wants to pro\u00advo\u00adke me. Just like the peo\u00adp\u00adle who snit\u00adched on the three of them. A \u00abbad\u00bb argu\u00adment is when I pro\u00advo\u00adke. When I reproach ever\u00adyo\u00adne for what they haven\u2019t done well. But peo\u00adp\u00adle who put Jesus first should live like this. \u00abDo your part to live in peace with others, as far as pos\u00adsi\u00adble!\u00bb (Romans 12:18 NLB<\/span>). Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, Chris\u00adti\u00adans around the world are often known for what they are against and not what they are for. If you had to descri\u00adbe your faith with ever\u00ady\u00adthing you are for ins\u00adtead of what you are against, how much could you say? I have a dream. Name\u00adly, that fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ are known for what they are for and not what they are against. But this does not exclude being faithful to God, even if ever\u00adyo\u00adne else around me is doing some\u00adthing else.
\nThe three go all out
\nAfter the three invo\u00adked their God, the king\u2019s reac\u00adtion was not long in coming. \u00abThen Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar beca\u00adme so angry with Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego that his face was dis\u00adtor\u00adted with rage. He imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly gave the order to heat the fur\u00adnace seven times hot\u00adter than usu\u00adal\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 3:19 NLB<\/span>). His anger even spil\u00adled over onto his face. He could not tole\u00adra\u00adte this inso\u00adlence. This is also shown by the fact that he had the fur\u00adnace hea\u00adted seven times hot\u00adter than usu\u00adal. This is actual\u00adly a joke \u2013 becau\u00adse this fire was dead\u00adly eit\u00adher way. But it shows his anger quite cle\u00adar\u00adly. So he has the fri\u00adends tied up and thrown into the fire along with their clo\u00adthes by a few of the stron\u00adgest men. But they are kil\u00adled by the fla\u00admes. This shows the incre\u00addi\u00adble heat. Even peo\u00adp\u00adle out\u00adside the fur\u00adnace died. So the three are thrown into the fire. And now we come to a point in this sto\u00adry whe\u00adre it beco\u00admes abstru\u00adse. It is at this point that we are asked whe\u00adther we belie\u00adve it. I may find this sto\u00adry fasci\u00adna\u00adting if what is about to hap\u00adpen is not true. But if it is true, then God\u2019s power is cle\u00adar\u00adly visi\u00adble. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, belie\u00adving the his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adci\u00adty of this sto\u00adry to be true is signi\u00adfi\u00adcant. Becau\u00adse the three sur\u00advi\u00adve in the fire \u2013 only the ropes burn. They even walk around in the furnace.
\n\u00abSud\u00adden\u00adly Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar jum\u00adped up, start\u00adled, and asked his coun\u00adsell\u00adors, \u00abDid\u00adn\u2019t we just have three men bound and thrown into the fire?\u00bb \u2013 \u00abYes, of cour\u00adse, O king,\u00bb they repli\u00aded. \u00abBut look!\u00bb cried Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar. \u00abThe\u00adre I see four men, unbound, wal\u00adking around in the fire. And they are com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly unhar\u00admed! And the fourth looks like a divi\u00adne being!\u00bb Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar then step\u00adped to the ope\u00adning of the bur\u00adning fur\u00adnace and cal\u00adled out: \u00abShadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego, ser\u00advants of the Most High God, step out of the fur\u00adnace and come to me! Then Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed-nego came out of the fire\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 3:24\u201326 NLB<\/span>). The king, who had wan\u00adted to kill the\u00adse three short\u00adly befo\u00adre, can\u00adnot help but join in the prai\u00adse of God. \u00abThen Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar cried out, \u00abPrai\u00adse be to the God of Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed-nego! For he sent his angel and saved his ser\u00advants who rely on him. They did not obey the king\u2019s com\u00admand \u2013 inde\u00aded, they would rather die than wor\u00adship or pray to any god but their own\u00bb \u00bb (Dani\u00adel 3:28 NLB<\/span>).
\nNebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar is so over\u00adwhel\u00admed that he issues a decree that not even a bad word may be said about this god. Other\u00adwi\u00adse, this per\u00adson will be smas\u00adhed to pie\u00adces and his house flat\u00adten\u00aded. He pro\u00advi\u00addes the reason for this hims\u00adelf. \u00ab[\u2026] For the\u00adre is no God who can save like this one!\u00bb (Dani\u00adel 3:29 NLB<\/span>). You have to let this state\u00adment roll off your ton\u00adgue. The king can\u00adnot help but reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse that this God is some\u00adthing very special.
\nThe God of Shadrach, Mes\u00adhach and Abed\u00adn\u00adego saves from an earth\u00adly fire \u2013 but rather, the same God also saves you and me. He saves us from bad habits, from fee\u00adlings of infe\u00adrio\u00adri\u00adty and from our lives, all of which are often more com\u00adpli\u00adca\u00adted than we would like to admit to others or to ourselves.
\nFol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ are some\u00adti\u00admes faced with simi\u00adlar\u00adly ten\u00adse situa\u00adtions today. We are often given two, three or more chan\u00adces to do what is sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly the right thing. But even in such moments, our com\u00admit\u00adment to Jesus Christ is cru\u00adcial. The\u00adre is also a pro\u00admi\u00adse in this. \u00abWhoe\u00adver con\u00adfes\u00adses me publicly here on earth, I will also con\u00adfess him befo\u00adre my Father in hea\u00adven\u00bb (Matthew 10:32 NLB<\/span>). The three fri\u00adends expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced what the apost\u00adle Peter pro\u00admi\u00adses all fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ in his let\u00adter. \u00abAnd in his gre\u00adat power he will pro\u00adtect you through faith until you recei\u00adve eter\u00adnal life. It will be reve\u00ada\u00adled for all to see at the end of time. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre rejoice with all your heart! The\u00adre is gre\u00adat joy ahead of you, even if you have to endu\u00adre much for a while. This is only to test your faith, to see if it is real\u00adly strong and pure. It will be tes\u00adted, just as gold is tes\u00adted and refi\u00adned in the fire \u2013 and your faith is much more pre\u00adcious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after it has been tes\u00adted by gre\u00adat dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties, it will bring you much prai\u00adse and glo\u00adry and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is reve\u00ada\u00adled to the who\u00adle world\u00bb (1 Peter 1:5\u20137 NLB<\/span>) The three fri\u00adends knew that it was worth taking ever\u00ady\u00adthing upon them\u00adsel\u00adves to fol\u00adlow this holy God. Holy means set apart. If their God were a god like any other, they would pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly not lay down their lives for him wit\u00adhout a fight.
\nWhat do you take away for yours\u00adelf today? I\u2019ll ask you three ques\u00adti\u00adons. But it is enough if you take one with you and ans\u00adwer it honest\u00adly for yours\u00adelf. 1. what are you for? 2. how far can your faith take you? 3. how do you con\u00adfess Jesus Christ?
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead Bible text: Dani\u00adel 3<\/p>\n
\n\tHow do you expe\u00adri\u00adence your life as a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ? Whe\u00adre do you feel strange?
\n\tWhat con\u00adflicts do you expe\u00adri\u00adence becau\u00adse of your faith? What do they look like?
\n\tWhe\u00adre are you stan\u00adding firm for God and making it clear that you are fol\u00adlo\u00adwing a holy God?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"