Transcription
[Music] Daniel chapter 3. We're going to begin right here at verse 1, where we read: Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Now, we're doing a series through the Book of Daniel, so if you've been with us at all before, you know some of these characters already. You understand that Daniel and his companions were taken away as captives, sort of forced refugees, taken to Babylon, and they were put in the civil service there. So they've worked for the government of this king named Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was the world power at that time. The Babylonian Empire had no rival for its authority and spread in territory. He was the most powerful man in the world at that time. And right here, we understand that he did something that was vitally connected to what you heard the last couple weeks in Daniel chapter 2.
In Daniel chapter 2, we learned that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and it was a dream about an image. And the image had a head of gold, a chest of silver, legs and thighs of bronze, and then lower legs of iron mixed with clay, iron and then iron mixed with clay with the feet. So once you understand he had a vision of an image there in that dream, and he talked about it, Daniel interpreted it, and that was all chapter 2 that you talked about the last couple of weeks. But now I want you to see that Nebuchadnezzar does something very deliberate here in chapter 3. I'll read the verse to you again: Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the whole image. Now, don't think for a minute it was solid gold. In the ancient world, it was very common to make something out of wood and then cover it with gold plating. But when you looked at it from the outside, you go, "That thing's gold." And it was a huge image. You see the dimensions given to you here in verse 1. It's, it was sixty cubits, that's 90 feet high, almost 30 meters. And then it says that it was six cubits wide, which would make it about nine feet wide. Now, you think something that, that's a weird dimension. It's much more like an obelisk. Don't think Statue of Liberty, think Washington Monument, probably with the face or kind of stylized impression on it. But it was an image made, at least on the outside, entirely of gold.
Why is this significant? Because in the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, only the head was gold. The chest was made out of silver, the belly was made out of bronze, the legs were made out of iron. And those different materials and different body parts represented different kingdoms. "Nebuchadnezzar, you are the head of gold. But coming after you is a kingdom represented by silver, and coming after that is a kingdom represented by bronze, so forth and so on." Do you see what Nebuchadnezzar's saying with this image? It's all gold. It's all me. The Babylonian Empire will never pass away. My kingdom, my dynasty. This is the only image anybody needs to be concerned with. So there's a direct connection between the image that he had a dream about in chapter 2 and the image that he makes in chapter 3. This was Nebuchadnezzar's way to say that his dynasty and his empire, the Empire Babylon, would never end. Pretty arrogant statement, don't you think? Well, Nebuchadnezzar was a pretty arrogant guy. Don't worry, God will have his way with them, and we'll see that later on in the Book of Daniel.
Look now at verse 2 with me, please. And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps. By the way, say, "Well, what's a satrap?" That's just an old Persian word having to do with someone who is the protector of the realm. It just simply refers to a specific category of a government official. So Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces. By the way, that word magistrates, I think in the old King James, I just love some of these translations. In the old King James, it uses the word sheriffs there, and that just always brings a smile to my face. I think of these old westerns, sheriffs, they're an ancient Babylon with their... alright, that's just me. And all the officials of the provinces to come up to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up there on the plains of Dura. Was erected a huge, 90-foot obelisk that was shining and brilliant gold color. Can you imagine that? When the sun shined upon it, you could hardly look at it with your naked eye. There it was, standing in the plains of Dura. I picture King Nebuchadnezzar looking over the wall from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and saying, "That's it, man. That's me. That's my kingdom. It's tall, it's powerful, it's gold." And I'm gonna get the whole administration, all my government workers, they're all going to come before this image, and they're gonna be compelled to do their honor to this image.
So what happens here? Verse 4: Then a herald cried aloud, "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship the image shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." You have the image fixed in your mind. Here is the movie playing in your head. You have your thousands of government officials, and then no doubt thousands of commoners as well, all gathered around in the plain of Dura at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Nebuchadnezzar's great statue. And there it is, set up. It's gold and glistening in the sun. They have the whole orchestra, they are filled with a variety of instruments, and the herald cries out, "Hey everybody, when the music starts, you better bow down to the image. And if you don't bow down to the image, it's curtains for you. You're gonna get thrown into a fiery furnace and you're gonna be burned immediately into a cinder." That's what it says there in verse 5. "You shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up."
I want you to think just for a moment there, how enormous the pressure was to bow down to this image. Can you imagine everything working together? First of all, it was a very impressive image. There it is, 90 feet high, and the sun glistening its gold color, giving illumination everywhere. Secondly, the music and the media presentation was pretty impressive, man. That's great music. And doesn't music have a way of drawing us in? And I'm sure it was a catchy tune, really good slogans. The herald provided the media. All of that was together working to get people to bow down to the image. But then, probably the greatest factor in causing someone to feel pressure to bow down to this image was the simple fact that everybody else was doing it. And all the leaders were doing it. There it is, everybody who is somebody around you, the governors, the officials, the magistrates, the satraps, on and on and on. They're all gonna bow down. Can you imagine collectively how great the pressure was for everybody to bow down to this particular image? Media, the impressiveness of the art of the, of the image itself, and then the peer pressure itself, all worked together.
Now, I want you to take this away from the plains of Babylon 2,600 years ago, and I want you to transfer it here to Santa Babylonia, right here and right now. Oh yeah, to Santa Babylonia, right here, right now. And see what an incredible picture this is of the leader, so to speak, spiritually speaking. I believe Satan himself can be said to represent Nebuchadnezzar right here, in the fact that Satan presents an image before humanity that he says, "Bow down to." You ever thought about that? You know, the world all around us, the culture, the music, the media, the important people, the successful people, the cool people, they all present to us a message: "This is who you should be. Bow down to this image." And almost always, that image has nothing to do with God or with His Son, Jesus Christ. Just like Nebuchadnezzar demanded that everyone bow down to the golden image, so Satan engineers an image for the world to bow down to. Now, that image doesn't look the same in every generation or in every place. But there's an image of manhood, there's an image of womanhood, there's an image of success, there's an image of happiness that says, "Bow down to me. This is who you should be." And every one of us has that challenge. Are we gonna bow down to it, or are we gonna resist it?
Now, the world presents to us an image that we're supposed to bow down to. But I'll tell you something, as followers of Jesus Christ, as His disciples, as people who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, if that's you here this morning, now I've got a message for you. It's that there is an image that God wants you to conform to. It's the image of Jesus Christ himself. Romans chapter 8, verse 29 says this: "That God's people are predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son." God wants you, God wants me, to become more and more like Jesus. He wants us to be conformed into His image, not the image that the Nebuchadnezzars of this world may set up, that the media and the music and the culture and everything else pushes upon us, but the image of Jesus Christ himself. Which simply says to me, and it says to you as well, that every day I want to become more like Jesus. I want to love more like Jesus loves. I want to be strong more like Jesus is strong. I want to be wise more like Jesus is wise. I want to be committed to God's truth more like Jesus was. I want to live my life in sacrificial service the way Jesus did. That's an image that God wants you and me and everyone who's a follower of Jesus Christ to be conformed to.
Romans chapter 12, verse 2 puts it this way, and I'm going to read it to you from the JB Phillips translation. It says this: "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remake you so that your whole attitude of mind has changed." Isn't that beautiful? The world is trying to squeeze us into its mold. God says to us, "Resist that. Resist bowing down to this image that the world puts before you. Instead, determine that you're going to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ."
Now, here's the bottom line. If you live your life with that mentality, there's a price to pay. I'll give it to you right up front. There is a price to pay. Look at verse 6: "Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." On top of all the culture and media influences and all of that work together, make a very persuasive... On top of all of that, there was also the law, the power of government. Refusing to worship that image was seen as treason. It wasn't just seen as a religious thing, it was seen as treason against the government of Nebuchadnezzar. And this is a heavy thing for us to consider, because on the one hand, we see in this the way that governments love to use religion to sometimes manipulate and oppress their people. Can't you see that going on some places around the world today? Governments love to latch on to religion. And I would say we've got to be able to hold two things in two different hands. Ready for this? As Christians, sometimes we got to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
So here's what we hold in one hand. In one hand, we understand that Christians should be careful of politicians who want to use religion to strengthen their political power. We're wise to remember the words of Chuck Colson. Do you remember who Chuck Colson was? Chuck Colson was an assistant to Richard Nixon, and he was a partner in the crimes of Watergate. He went to prison and found Jesus in prison because of the crimes of Watergate. Well, he became a marvelous man, was tremendously used of God. And Chuck Colson once famously said that Christians always need to remember that the kingdom of God does not arrive on Air Force One. Amen to that. Okay, that's what we hold in one hand.
But let me tell you, there's not just one hand to this. Remember what I said? We got to walk and chew gum at the same time. We do not put excessive hope in the government. But I'll tell you this, I want you to notice when the government commands idolatry, it's a much bigger deal. Listen, it's one thing for there to be idolatry all about in the world. There's one thing that. But when the government comes along and says, "You bow down to this image, or you will pay. You agree with our cultural and social and sexual ethics, or we're gonna make you pay." When the government says that, that's a heavy thing. And it's a complete shift. That's why in a democracy such as ours, we are invited to have a voice. And let me tell you, wherever we can, in a godly way, we should use our voice in our democracy to help our government, to help our institutions, our state, not compel people to sin. Listen, Daniel, his friends, everybody else in Babylon, they had no say. It was Nebuchadnezzar alone. But as a democracy, we have a role in the function of government. And we must not yield that. We must use it wisely and biblically and unto the glory of God. We should use that voice that God has given us.
So you see what I said about being able to walk and chew gum at the same time? We don't put excessive hope in the government because the kingdom of God does not arrive on Air Force One. But neither do we abandon government. We say, "Listen, we don't want the government to encourage to build these things that would make people bow down before idols." According to the picture in the metaphor that we find here in Daniel chapter 3. But the price was heavy. Verse 6 says that he prepared a burning fiery furnace. And everything we know from Nebuchadnezzar, both from the Bible and in secular history, tells us he was the kind of guy who would use it.
So there it stands. Everybody bow down. Again, I can only imagine the pressure on those three Jewish young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to bow down. Sometimes the biggest thing compelling them to do it would just be the fact that everybody else was doing it. Are you like me? Sometimes you get a little bit frightened at yourself, how much you can be motivated by everybody else is doing it. It's a frightening thing. Sometimes I think we're all still in junior high school, where we desperately live for the attention or the affection or the approval of peers around us. It's a tough thing, rooted deep inside us. But there has to come a place for every man or woman who will be a follower of Jesus Christ to be willing to say, "I'll stand against the crowd. I'll push against the current. It doesn't matter to me if everybody else is doing it. Everybody else may bow down to that statue, but I want to be of a different sort."
Which brings us now to verse 7. So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. The music starts. The whole scene is impressive. It's like the opening or closing ceremony for the Olympics. It's a grand production. And at the right moment, everybody in the audience knows what they're supposed to do. They're supposed to bow down before that golden image. And all the weight, all the pressure was upon them to do it. And it says that they did it. Verse 7 says, "They fell down and worshiped the gold image." Now, according to one commentator, this literally reads as, "As soon as they heard the words, they were falling down." Not an ounce of resistance. You sing it, you play the music, boom, I'm down, bowing down to that image. And that was true of everybody that we know of, except for three people. And we're gonna read about them starting now at verse 8.
Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. Just stop right there at verse 8. I find that fascinating. Certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. These were guys in the government service who had been passed over as Daniel and his three companions got promoted. These are guys seeing people above them on the corporate ladder and doing everything they can to drag them down. Because isn't that how you play the game, you know, in the office? And all success and that, and you see somebody above you, you do everything you can to drag them down so you can get their position. It's done out of fear, it's done out of resentment, it's done out of a desire for self-advancement. But that's exactly what these guys were doing. You know, there's no notice of it then that it happened, but these guys reported it.
Therefore, verse 8: "At that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'O King, live forever! You, O King, have made a decree that everyone who hears the music and the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery in symphony with all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the gold image. And whoever does not fall down in worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O King, have not paid the due regard to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold image that you have set up.'"
So these men, with an obvious political motive, with an obvious career desire to torpedo these three Jewish men. By the way, did you know it's three Jewish men? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Who's not mentioned at all in chapter 2? Daniel. Now, let me just ask you something. Can you imagine that Daniel was among those who bowed down before the image? I can't imagine it. It doesn't say, but I can't imagine it. Then the big question is, where was Daniel? Come back next week as we continue our series, and I'll talk... Well, I got to do something to get you back here next week. I'll talk about that next week, 'cause we're gonna do half a chapter 3 this time. But forget about where Daniel is right now. We're dealing with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these guys get targeted as three individuals who refuse to bow down before the golden image.
Verse 12 says, "They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image." The three men didn't shout out their refusal when everybody else bowed. They didn't stand up and start screaming, "Nuts to you, Nebuchadnezzar! I'll never bow down." They just said, "Look, you guys do what you're gonna do. We're gonna do what we're gonna do before God. We will not bow before that image, and we will not bend in our resolve." So they absolutely refused to do it. They didn't start an anti-gold image association. Their attitude was this: "Nebuchadnezzar, do as you please. That's between you and God. But we will not bow down before this image." We see from this that the Jewish men did not make a formal protest. They just refused to share in the sin of idolatry themselves.
So look at what happens next. Verse 13: "Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury—by the way, this is not the kind of guy you want to make mad—gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now, if you are ready at this time to hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I made—good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?"
The first thing I observe about that section that I just read to you is, number one, good on Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was a good, and in some ways, a wise leader. He didn't take the report of the guys who wanted to drag down others on the career ladder all by themselves. He investigated it personally. He says, "There are three guys who didn't bow down before the image? Bring them before me. I want to ask them myself." And so they come before Nebuchadnezzar. And can you imagine that whole situation? Can you imagine being one of the three Jewish young men to stand before the most powerful man in the world? Because it's no exaggeration to say at that time, in that place, Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man in the world. And they're standing before him. He's wearing his crown, he's on his throne, he's got all the trappings of power around him. And he says, "There's just one thing I want to know from you." Verse 14: "Is it true?"
Now, ladies and gentlemen, let me say this was an even greater test for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Because it's one thing to say, "All right, everybody else is bowing down. We're not going to bow down." Now, that's wonderful courage. Bless God for that. But there's something else to look the king right in the eye and have the king ask you, "Is this true?" and to keep your resolve when you're questioned upon it. You know, I think about someone who failed to do that. How about the disciple Peter? Do you remember Peter? Just before Jesus went to the cross, Peter boasted, "I'll never deny you. I'll be faithful to you to the very end." Great talk. That was like him not bowing down before the image. But just a few hours later, a servant girl looked at Peter in the eye and said, "Is it true?" And Peter goes, "Oh, well, who's Jesus?" You see, it's one thing to make the stand for the moment. But when you're questioned on it directly, face-to-face, and ladies and gentlemen, this was no servant girl questioning these men. This was Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man in the world, at least politically speaking, at that time. And he says, "Listen, guys, I'll give you an out. I heard a rumor, a crazy rumor. I know it can't be true. I heard a rumor that you guys didn't bow down to the image. Look, I know it's not you. So look, let's just start the music up again, and then you guys can bow down, and everything's good." Here's your out. Here's how we're gonna do it. Just, just do it. That is that simple.
I can imagine the enormous pressure on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to compromise everything in front of them. The king, the furnace, the music, their compatriots, their competitors, all of it conspired together to make them want to compromise. And it was all real. Nebuchadnezzar in front of them was real. Everybody else who bowed down before them there was real. The great music and media enticing them to do it, that was real. And at least metaphorically speaking, they could feel the heat of the fiery furnace, and it was real. But I'll tell you something, what was even more real to them at that moment was God himself in heaven. You don't have to pretend that there's no pressure to bow down to that image. Oh, there's tremendous pressure. You just have to let the reality of God, God, be bigger in your life than the reality of those other things. That's what God challenges us to do. I'm not trying to tell you, let's pretend that there's no price to pay or that there's no pressure to conform. Of course there is. But as a disciple of Jesus Christ, your loyalty to Him, the reality of your relationship with Him, should be bigger than any of those other things. And that's why we just need to keep and maintain a vital, real connection with Jesus day by day, to where He's real to us and He's real in our life.
I like what Charles Spurgeon said about this. He said this quote: "Do not judge the situation by the king's threat and the heat of the burning fiery furnace, but by the everlasting God and the eternal life which awaits you. Do not let flute, harp, and sackbut fascinate you, but hearken to the music of the glorified. Men frown at you, but you can see God smiling on you, and so you are not moved." But if you never sense God smiling upon you, if you have no real relationship with Him, then what power do you have to stand in that day where you're challenged to compromise? You have none. God was real to these men, and that's why they made the stand.
Now, there's something else very revealing in this. Look at verse 15. Nebuchadnezzar said, "Who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?" I imagine Nebuchadnezzar being absolutely enraged when he says this. "Who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?" Now, once you notice this, he doesn't say this. I want you to know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is absolutely unable to deliver you from my hands. He makes his argument against all gods. "There's no God who can..." Well, Nebuchadnezzar, what about your Babylonian gods? "I don't care about the Babylonian gods. None of them can deliver you from my hand either." This shows you what Nebuchadnezzar truly worshiped. Do you think Nebuchadnezzar worshiped that obelisk in the desert? No. What did Nebuchadnezzar really worship? At the end of the story, himself. Isn't that just it, ladies and gentlemen? We rebel against God when we go our own way. When we bow down before the idols of this world, when the image that the Nebuchadnezzars of Santa Babylonia put up in front of us, when we bow down before them, it's just another way to worship self. And that's exactly what Nebuchadnezzar did.
Well, how's this gonna turn out? Look at verse 16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this manner. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King. But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
Nebuchadnezzar, do you expect us to grovel? Do you expect us to beg for our life? Do you expect us to make excuses? No. Let me tell you something, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you, he says in verse 16. And then in verse 17: "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us." Nebuchadnezzar, you challenged us, you said, "Who is the God who can deliver us from your hands?" I'll tell you, the God who reigns in heaven, Yahweh, the Covenant God of Israel. That God is able to deliver us from your hands. He can do it. And they were absolutely steadfast in that trust.
But then what they say in verse 18, I think, is even more remarkable. If it ended at verse 17, we just go, "Yes, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, amazing." But what they say in verse 18 is a whole another dimension of trust in God. Look at it with me. Verse 18: "But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods." Nebuchadnezzar, let me explain the situation to you. I believe that Yahweh, the Covenant God of Israel, He is fully capable to deliver us from your hands. He can. He'll do it. But you know what? If He doesn't, if we perish in that fiery furnace, still we're not gonna worship you. I think this is such a powerful thing. Number one, these men really believed and trusted in the strength of God. Did they know God was able to preserve them from the fiery furnace? Absolutely. "Yes, sir. Shadrach, can God deliver you from the fire?" "Absolutely." "Can I?" "I don't doubt God's power at all." But they would not presume to know God's will. Because, well, Nebuchadnezzar, what if God doesn't preserve you from the fire? "Well, we're still gonna honor Him and serve Him."
They had the attitude that is also expressed in the book of Job, where Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Ladies and gentlemen, I look at Christianity today. I think we need an infusion of this kind of spirit. Because what I see in so much of Christianity today is, "God, I love You. God, I'll serve You. God, I'll honor You as long as You do what I expect You to do. But if You don't play ball with me, God, well, then..." Now, we need to keep our firm trust in God. God can work miracles, and He's a miracle-working God. But if the miracle doesn't come, we're still gonna love Him. We're still gonna serve Him. You know, a lot of times people get confronted with this when they have some kind of medical crisis. Cancer makes a terrible interruption into their life. And and they're just the, and you talk to them, "Do you believe God can heal?" "Yes, I believe God can heal me." "Absolutely, He can." "I know God can heal." "Maybe He'll use the doctors to do it. Maybe He'll work a miracle. Maybe it'll be one of those wonderful combining of the both. I don't know. But I know God is able to heal me." "But what if God doesn't heal you?" "Then He's still God, and I'll still serve Him." That's the attitude God wants us to have. Confident in His power, but not always presuming to know His will.
Ladies, and I have my own desires, I have my dreams, and I pray that God fulfills them. But if He doesn't, I'm not gonna turn my back on God because He's not just there to be my servant and to fulfill my desires and dreams. You know what He is? He's God. And I serve Him, no matter what. That's why he says, verse 18, "They all three said, 'Let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.'" This determination to not compromise, it didn't begin here in the audience before King Nebuchadnezzar. You know where it began? It began in the King's cafeteria back in chapter 1. You look back at the, the issue over would they eat the King's food? Well, maybe we, well, maybe what's a big deal. But listen, it's obedience in the small things that gives us the character to meet the challenge of obedience in the big things. And many of us who say, "Listen, listen, when the big challenge comes along, yes, I'll obey God then, absolutely. Yeah. But the little stuff, I'll, what does it matter?" Listen, the little stuff matters a lot because it's in the little things that we make a stand for Jesus Christ, that God builds within us the character and the courage to stand for greater things. So that's what they said. "Let it be known to you, O King." No excuse, no justification. That they didn't resort to one of thousands of ways that they could kind of excuse it all. No, they stood boldly before God.
And what would become of them? Well, again, that's for next week. And I know you read ahead, most of you know the story anyway. But pretend you don't know it, and we'll come back next week and see what God did in the lives of these men. But let me conclude, rest with these points, very simply. Number one, we don't bow down to the image that the world pushes upon us. Ladies, gentlemen, would God raise up a brand new, new generation of followers of Jesus Christ that are steadfast in their career? And I'll just say, let the world do what the world's gonna do. We will follow Jesus. That's number one. But number two, we do bow down to Jesus, and we seek to be conformed to His image. Oh, it's not that we won't bow down to anything. We'll bow down to Jesus, and we'll cry out and say, "Yes, Jesus, I need more of Your love in my life. I need to love like You do. I need to show mercy like You do. I need Your strength. I need Your wisdom. I need Your reliance upon God the Father." No, that's an image that we do want to be conformed to. But then, finally, some things are more important than our own safety and comfort. If you think that your safety and your comfort is the overriding value of your life, then ladies and gentlemen, you need to come to Jesus and talk to Him about that. Because the honor and glory of Jesus himself is a greater aspiration than even our own safety, our own comfort.
Father in Heaven, we just simply pray that You would impress these things deeply upon our hearts. And Lord, I just simply pray that God, first of all, You'd give us greater discernment to see all the subtle ways and the obvious ways that the world would press its image upon us. And Lord, we want to resist it with all of our mind. And Lord, we want to bow down and worship Jesus, and we so long to be transformed, to be conformed to His image. You predestined us to be conformed to the image of Your Son. So do that work in us. Give us that courage. Give us that strength in You. Lord God, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.