We praise you our God, there's no one
like you.
Thank you Lord Jesus that you shed your
blood to redeem us.
You didn't buy us with silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of our Lord
Jesus, to set us free from the power
of darkness.
Your word tells us that we don't fight
with flesh and blood, but with powers
and principalities, rulers of darkness in this
world.
Thank you Lord Jesus for your victory on
the cross.
May that victory of the cross, your victory
be evident in our lives, in spirit, soul
and body.
Amen.
Now let's read from Daniel chapter 3, chapter
28.
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, Blessed be the God
of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent
his angel and delivered his servants, who put
their trust in him, violating the king's command
and yielding up their bodies, so as not
to serve or worship any god except their
own god.
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered
his servants, who put their trust in him,
violating the king's command and yielding up their
bodies, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and
their houses reduced to a rubber sheep, inasmuch
as there is no other God who is
able to deliver in this way."
Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
to prosper in the province of Babylon.
We'll stop there.
Now just in brief.
Nebuchadnezzar was a great ruler, a great king
on earth.
And God said of all the kings, Nebuchadnezzar
is the head of gold.
He was above all the kings.
However, he was a heathen.
Reigning in Babylon.
They were Iraqis now.
That's where Babylon was.
So even to this day, it's such a
contentious issue where the whole world is up
in arms.
Where even Europe, France, and Germany, and other
countries are going against Bush because he attacked
the old Babylon.
Now I'm not someone who gets involved in
politics.
In fact, yesterday I spoke to the parents
and the children of the school, and I
said anyone who has a political spirit must
rather just go.
We preach the gospel, and that's what we
stand for.
Not the things of this world.
But we need to state facts as they
are.
And the truth.
So Nebuchadnezzar reigned from Babylon, reigning over the
kingdoms of the world.
Today, the Muslims are also trying to take
control of the world.
Even here in our country, they have a
big say.
But there were just a few men who
served God and God alone.
Daniel and his three
friends who ended up in the furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar had a good and a bad side.
Remember how in the beginning he had a
dream which Daniel interpreted.
And Nebuchadnezzar honored Daniel.
And even instructed that they should sacrifice with
incense.
Then Nebuchadnezzar did homage to Daniel and gave
orders to present to him an offering and
fragrant incense.
The king answered Daniel and said, surely your
God is a God of gods and a
Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries.
Since you have been able to reveal this
mystery.
But then just after that, the king Nebuchadnezzar
goes and makes an image of gold.
And he made a decree past the law
that everyone should bow to this image.
But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
said, we will not bow to this image.
Nebuchadnezzar knew these men.
Because after Daniel had interpreted the king's dream
and he had actually told him what it
is, what had been revealed to him.
And then Nebuchadnezzar said, there is no God
like the God of Daniel.
And then Daniel asked the king for permission
to give these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, special positions in the government.
So even when Daniel was honored and given
this high position in the land, Daniel didn't
forget his three brothers, his friends.
And he said, oh king, can't you also
promote these three friends of mine?
A Christian can also not forget his friends.
He doesn't just want to enjoy everything on
his own and keep it to himself.
He shares it with his brethren.
Remember when they were taken to the royal
palace and they had to eat the king's
food.
Then Daniel and his friends said, no, we
don't want to eat of the king's food.
He would just give us vegetables to eat.
We won't eat the king's food.
A good and upright man does not forget
his friends and brothers in the Lord.
And Nebuchadnezzar accepted that request.
And he said, there is no God like
your God.
But almost in the same breath he goes
and he sets up this big image.
It reminds me of some people who become
Christians and they say what the Lord has
done for them and how wonderful it is.
And the next day suddenly you see no
trace of it anymore.
Anything of the Lord left in their life.
And you can't understand how such a thing
is possible.
He made this huge image of gold.
An image that stood higher than this building.
You could see it from far away.
Then he gathered all the nations of all
the kingdoms which he ruled over.
And he ordered that every single person from
every nation bow down to this image.
And Nebuchadnezzar and his friends, they rejoiced.
And the Babylonians, they were thrilled and said,
well, how wonderful.
We rule the earth.
And we rule the land.
So they were very happy about this idea
of this image.
And they thought, well, this will eventually just
cement our authority and everyone will just have
to bow down to what we want.
And then they thought of an idea how
they could get everyone to bow to this
image.
And then they decided to use music.
So they thought of music as an instrument
to get everyone to bow down to this
image.
So they got a band together and they
said when they start playing, something will be
aroused within them to make them bow down
to this image.
Today it's the same.
Rock and pop and all the different types
of music that you get, that is used
to arouse people.
One of the pop stars in fact went
as far as to say publicly that whoever
buys my records or CDs and listens to
my music, he is selling his soul to
the devil.
He says when you listen to my music,
that music will go into you and you
will move like you've never moved before and
it will stay in you.
Like sometimes when you're driving along the road,
you see people in a car, these young
boys and girls, and when you look at
them, you think there could be something wrong
with them.
The way they move their body, you can
see that something's gotten into them and that's
how the devil has gotten into them through
music.
And it's difficult to get it
out again.
It's in that person, like he's been injected
with it.
It's in his bloodstream.
Music.
So it was through music that the devil
got it right.
In fact, if you think of the necklacing
where people were burnt with these ties alive,
at that time also they used music.
they used would toy toy and and sing
and chant and that's how they got people
into this mode and where they would burn
people kill them and I said well it's
right that they have a service to ask
God to forgive the people for the sin
a terrible thing and
if
you parents know that your children are listening
to these CDs and records you're actually doing
them a favor if you burn those CDs
and save their souls.
If you don't burn them, your children, you'll
burn them in hell forever.
They don't go to heaven, never.
Unless they repent and the repentance goes deep
and not like Nebuchadnezzar did here.
There's no God like your God.
The next thing he makes a statue for
his God.
So we need to take note of these
things lest they rob us of the blessings
for we will not receive a blessing with
these things around and in our lives.
And if you just think of these horrific
figures almost half a million children that have
been killed and that's just what the statistics
say we don't even count those that are
not known.
You cannot imagine how it's possible that a
mother can kill her own child.
The one who's closest to her heart kills
it.
You don't know.
One wonders how women can be so bewitched
to do such a thing.
But that whole multitude
will
one day stand before the judgment throne and
then those babies are going to point out
their mothers and say Lord that's my mother
and say but mother how could you do
such a thing.
And that child will stop you from entering
heaven.
And how will you answer those questions when
that child asks you and said mother but
what did I do to deserve this?
Was I ever disobedient?
What did I ever do to you to
have deserved that you murdered me?
So music was used.
Now what music do you play in your
home?
Is it such music that sanctifies the Lord's
name brings glory to him or not?
Whatever you listen to or that TV in
your home, does it bring glory to God's
name?
Mr. Kunenda,
who was in charge of TV here in
South Africa years ago, he went to his
seniors and he said we cannot show these
disgusting things on TV and if you want
to persist then rather fire me.
I'm not prepared to let it happen but
if you look today on TV what disgusting,
immoral, filthy things are shown and you look
at it together with your children.
He said you can show this to the
whites, to the Afrikaners, to the English, to
the whites, but don't show them to the
blacks as long as I am here.
I won't show it.
I won't allow it and today it's swallowed,
hooked, lined and sinking.
Not only by the blacks but by you
whites as well.
I still want to know how you can
call yourself a Christian with having such a
satanic thing in your home.
Maybe in other countries it's different, but here
in South Africa you know what you're looking
at.
You're bringing the curse upon your house and
upon your offspring.
When I spoke to a young girl reprimanding
her I said how can you do such
a thing and go with a boy and
kiss a boy and flirt around with a
boy.
A girl that grew up here.
Have I ever done such a thing?
Have your parents done such a thing?
Why can you do that to a stranger?
You don't know where that man comes from
and where he goes and you flirt around
with him.
And she told me my father has got
a television set and he's hidden it.
He doesn't know that I know, but as
soon as they gone I go there and
I switch it on and I look at
those films and then that's where I learned
to kiss a boy.
That's where I learned how to be immoral.
And then it says if
somebody is one with an adulteress or sleeps
with her, he's one with her.
What is in you goes into her, what's
in her goes into you.
And that's why maybe you are bewitched through
that immoral behavior.
I don't know what to do with you.
I don't know what to do
with you.
You need to have a genuine repentance that
that curse may be taken away from you.
Lest you go to the Lord and you
say Lord, Lord and he says I don't
know you.
Now let's pass that music point.
But remember what what role music plays and
how hell can enter your life through music.
In fact you just need to listen to
the words which they sing, which these things
which arouse you.
So when they play that music everyone bow
down to the image except for these three
men.
And they were quickly reported to the king
that oh there are three men who don't
want to bow down to the image.
Who are they?
Now it's these three men Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego.
Bring them here.
And he said don't you obey the king's
command?
And they said oh king you can say
and do what you like but we will
not bow down to this image.
We will only bow down to our God.
And Nebuchadnezzar as it says in verse 19
he was filled with wrath and rage and
his facial expression was altered toward these men.
We remember in Acts where Peter and John
and them also said to the authorities they
said well you judge for yourselves whether we
should listen to God or to men.
And so he became filled with rage.
He was furious and he said that the
furnace should be heated seven times more and
they be thrown into it.
The fire was so hot eventually that when
they threw these three men in the men
that threw them in were burned to death.
And these three men said oh king we
are not prepared to bow to this image
and if God wants to save us from
the fire and from the furnace he will
but if he doesn't well then we straight
on our way to heaven anyway.
So they were bound and thrown into the
furnace and the men that threw them in
were consumed they died.
Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar called out he said what has
happened?
Didn't we throw three men bound into the
furnace?
Now I see four men walking around totally
free in the furnace.
You see what freedom really is?
Not political freedom this is true and
he said look the fourth man is like
the son of God you see how wonderful
the gospel is there's nothing like it.
Suddenly the Lord Jesus was there with them
to be with them to encourage and to
support them no matter how difficult it is
don't be scared of death or whatever can
happen to you.
And so we see this old Saddam Hussein
saying but who is this fourth man he
looks like the son of God do we
need to be ashamed of the Lord Jesus?
And then he called out to them that
they should come out from the furnace and
when they came out there was no sign
of the fire on them their hair was
not singed their clothes didn't even have the
smell of fire or smoke on them.
And Nebuchadnezzar responded and said blessed be the
God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
who
has sent his angel and delivered his servants
who put their trust in him violating the
king's command.
Now suddenly he blessed the God of these
men who had violated his own command he
had made the decree but the same man
later blessed them for having broken it for
not having bowed to go to the government's
law of the day.
And then this heathen
king spoke amazing words he said they yielded
up their bodies so as not to serve
or worship any other God he they gave
and sacrificed and yielded up their own bodies
have you ever done that for the Lord?
And
we
remember in Romans where it says I urge
you brethren to offer your bodies as a
living sacrifice to the Lord tell me have
you done that it's offered your body
as
a whole body.
So they gave their themselves heart and soul
and body and they said even if we
have to die for it and be burned
for it we will not bow.
That's our problem here in Africa we are
not prepared to stand up for what is
right we are cowards we always scared to
say oh no I'm not going to say
anything what will the other person say of
me oh what what he'll harm me or
you'll kill me if I say something well
you keep quiet with it and you'll end
up in hell with it.
And people live in sin and you say
no well I'm just rather going to keep
quiet and not split on anyone I'd rather
just hide it.
And then Nebuchadnezzar said made a decree a
law he said all people of all nations
should honor and and serve and worship the
God of these men.
And that's when you see the gospel spreading
and running through all the lands no matter
who you are what nation you are what
type you are.
And Nebuchadnezzar says inasmuch as there is no
other God who is able to deliver in
this way.
Can you stand for the truth?
Have the kings of our land have Mandela
and Mpege and authorities seen that there is
no other God like our God because of
you and your life?
Have the rulers of your land there where
you live have they been able to see
the living God and say there's no other
God like the God of this person that
they see God in your life?
He says but we threw three men into
the furnace and now I see the fourth
man and the fourth looks like the Son
of God.
Isn't it something amazing which he saw?
What do people see in your life?
Do they point the finger he's a Christian?
But see and kind and friendly like this
like that?
Well they must say so if you're a
child of the devil and of Satan but
if you are true to the Son of
God they'll see him in you.
And you find people saying many different things
at the same time contradicting himself.
Do you experience
the
freedom that these three men experienced or do
you just always complain oh I've got such
a tough time I haven't got enough money
I don't have this I don't have that
but these three men walked on those hot
coals and they were totally free and those
that looked saw the Son of Man and
the Son of God with them.
Do they see that when they see you?
Let's bow our heads.
Thank you Lord for the for your word
that we've heard.
Thank you also for the testimony we've heard.
No one can set free people like the
Son of God.
Even the Satanists who join up with the
devil and do their terrible deeds even they
must recognize that here is true freedom.
Thank you Lord for the gospel your gospel
there's nothing like it.
Thank you also for the opportunity to hear
your word and may he who hasn't decided
for you may do so today.
The one who hasn't broken with sin may
he come today confess his sin come to
the cross to be cleansed in your blood.
Work in an amazing way Lord.
May they be rejoicing today in heaven because
of children that repent and also adults fathers
and mothers that each one will be cleansed
in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.
Amen.