In the Book of Daniel there was a king who fancied himself
above everyone else named Nebuchadnezzar. He demanded
that all of his subjects bow down and worship a 90 foot statue of gold he had
made. Punishment for refusal was to be thrown into the fiery furnace for
immediate execution. This did not matter to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego;
three Hebrew boys who were taken captive by
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"- Daniel 3: 13-15 (NIV)
To King Nebuchadnezzar, there was no authority above his own. He mockingly asks what god will be able to rescue them from his hand. But the three boys understood the power of the one true God and stayed faithful to that power:
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3: 16-18 (NIV)
You do not need to defend yourself against the evils in this world God is on the inside of you! The seven sons needed to defend themselves because they had no relationship with the God they were trying to call upon. Their defense was overwhelmed by the evil in this world. The King here would heat the furnace seven times hotter and throw the three boys into their fiery doom. But God. The power of God kept them safe and delivered them. This is the end result when we rely upon the power within us and stand up to the evil in this world:
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." Daniel 3: 28-29 (NIV)
The key verses conclude by reminding us that as long as Christ is the head and we are the church, then we too can operate under this power. That we are actually made full and complete in Christ. That until we come to Him and put our faith in Him as our Lord and Savior we are incomplete as people. Incomplete vessels searching for what was lost in the Garden of Eden so long ago. That fellowship with God. The eternal life God intended for us to walk in. Resurrection Sunday was great beloved but it is not the ending of the story. It is the beginning of the story. Jesus did not die on the cross so you can have fleeting moments of resurrection power. He came to fill the gaps in your life.
