The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, May 12, 2024 at our West U Baptist campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

Happy Mother’s Day to you moms and grandmothers.

You know, there are three young men we are going to look at today who must have had some amazing moms. You may know them by their popular Babylonian names – Shadrach, Meshach, and Agednego. Their Hebrew names are Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Along with Daniel, they were taken into Babylonian Captivity, off to what Dr. Randy Smith calls, Pagan University.

You know, we have a lot of kids about to graduate high school and head off to the university. For some of you mothers, this will be the first child going off to college. For others, this child leaving for college will make you an empty nester.

Others of you are grandparents and you are praying for and coaching your own children in this journey because, as they see their child graduate high school and prepare for a move to the university later this summer. You remember that transition of high school graduation and then preparing over the summer for that move.

As parents, we never feel like we have fully prepared our children for life, have we? And our goal is a simple one – we want our children to stand on their own when they leave our homes and we want them to walk with Jesus.

For some, this takes time. For others, for whatever reason, they get it more quickly than others. But the reality is that is the heart of parents…and I’m sure it’s the heart of many of you moms on this mother’s day – that when my baby leaves the nest, he or she can stand on their own two feet and he or she will walk closely to Jesus.

The Big Idea that Daniel 3 will show us this Mother’s Day, is what we need to be preparing our children to face when they leave our homes and go out into the world, and how they can overcome it.

The first thing that we need to make sure we prepare our children for when they enter the world is the fact that:

Idols…

I. Idols Call Out to Us

Let’s read Daniel 3:1-6.

Daniel 3:1-6

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. ² Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶ And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”

Now, do you remember the first two commandments that God gave to Israel in the wilderness?

Look at Exodus 20:1-6.

Exodus 20:1-6

And God spoke all these words, saying,

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Look at what we see here.

First, in verse 2, we see relationship based in salvation – “I brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

Then, we see, because of the relationship, the commands to:

• a). have no other gods, and
• b). make no image or idol, and that you are not to bow down to it.

Then, we have an incredible declaration about who God is – He is a jealous God. He is jealous for our hearts. He is jealous for our worship.

To all of us…every age, stage, and more, the idols of this world call out to us to bow down.

And it’s when we are in difficult places…when we have gone off to Pagan University to prepare for a career in the king’s court, getting our political science and law degrees, that we are going to be tempted the most.

Keep this in mind:

• These young men are in a foreign land.
• The king, whom they are already serving, has made an image of gold that is 90 feet high, and 9 feet wide.
• This is a gold building in essence.
• And Remember, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream where there was this vast image and the head was a head of gold…and Daniel told him, “Hey King, the head is you and your kingdom.”
• Nebuchadnezzar didn’t hear anything else, did he? He went out and built himself an image that was to be worshipped…that image represented him…his rule, his reign, his sovereignty, his ability to protect and provide, his ability to execute judgment, his ability to make or break your life.
• And the demand is that the leaders and all of the people’s bow down and worship the statue.
  • This idol worship is an invitation to find your security, your peace, your future, and your hope, in someone or something other than God.

Tim Keller, in his book, Counterfeit Gods, says:

“An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life, that should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.”

God knows that our hearts are prone to put our hope and faith into someone or something other than Him. He knows we long for peace, security, comfort, and we will most certainly bow down to them, if we aren’t bowing down to Him.

So, before we can help our children or our grandchildren with the idols that will call out to them, we must first consider:

• What idols might you be tempted to embrace?
• What idols are calling out to us, inviting us to bow to them?
• Is it the idol of security? The idol of comfort? The idol of achievement and success?

In the app notes, we are attaching a little quiz that has 9 questions. It’s by J. D. Greear and it is called, “9 Question Idolatry Detection Test.” Feel free to dig into it and see if there are things that you might be placing before God.

More than calling out to us, Moms and Dads, Grandmothers and Grandfathers, let’s also teach our children that:

Idols…

1. Call Out to Us
2. Demand a Response from Us

II. Idols Demand a Response from Us

Let’s look at Daniel 3:7-18 together.

Daniel 3:7-18

⁷ Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They declaredto King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Friends, idols demand a response from us.

Remember, idols make promises – I can help you, I can protect you, I can satisfy you, I can take away your pain.

So, we have a choice.

1. Bow Down To It – One choice is to give our allegiance to the idol. When we do this, it becomes our motivation. We live for it. We believe it will provide for us, protect us, satisfy us. This is what all of the people do in verse 7.

Daniel 3:7

 ⁷ Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Now, you may be saying, “Pastor, you are being sort of harsh with these people. If they don’t bow down, they are going to be thrown into the firey furnace.”

I see that. Yep…So, to be clear, these people are bowing down for their safety and their security. And that’s exactly what we do too. We exchange what we could have in our relationship with the Lord, for safety and security.

Politically, many people give up their freedoms for safety and security.

But that’s not our only choice, is it?

2. Reject it – The second choice we have is to reject the idols that demand a response from us. That’s what we see these three young men do. And they do so, knowing very clearly, that it could very well cost them their lives.

Look with me at verses 12-18.

Daniel 3:12-18

¹² There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  ¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

 Notice Nebuchadnezzar’s anger and his question. Verse 13 says that he was in a furious rage. He has lost his mind and can’t believe that he has people in leadership positions that will not bow down to the statue.

Then in verse 15, he asks them this question: “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

• In other words, “Who can provide you the peace, safety, and security that you need? Who else can give you what I give? There is no one as powerful as me, no one who can do what I can do for you or to you!”

But notice the extent of their rejection.

First, they don’t believe that they even need to answer his question.

And notice, here, they don’t call him king. They call him by his first name.

Daniel 3:16

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.” 

Then notice something more. They make it known that truth is more significant than the trial that they are enduring. The Truth is Greater to them, than the Trial that they are in.

This is what we see in verses 17 and 18.

Daniel 3:17-18

¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

And what is the truth?

The truth here is:

1. Our God is bigger than the test you have just given us.

Application: Moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers – our children and grandchildren need to know that we serve a BIG GOD! They need to know that we believe that He is bigger and better, and more worthy of our lives than anything that can come our way.

1. The second truth to note is this: God is not on trial, when we are under trial.

Why is it in our trials that we experience in life that we put God on trial? We think:

• God if you are good, you will deliver me from this.
• God is you are truly faithful, you won’t let me endure this suffering and hardship.
• God if you are attentive, you will see I am taking a stand for you, and you are obligated to show up and deliver me here.

But that is not what Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah do, is it?

They don’t put God on trial, just because they are going through this trial.

No, they say very clearly in verse 18 that he may not rescue them.

Look at Daniel 3:17-18 again.

Daniel 3:17-18

¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Verse 17 says that our God CAN deliver us.

And Verse 18 says, “But if not…”

If he doesn’t, that’s okay. We are good. We won’t bow down. Our view of truth is greater than the trial you can put us through.

Isn’t that what we need today in our land? We need people…men, women, politicians, pastors, and parents who are willing to stand up for what is right and true, even if there are consequences.

And here is the last thing that I want you to see. It’s the most important of these lessons that we must teach and show our children and grandchildren.

Idols…

1. Call Out to Us
2. Demand a Response from Us
3. Can’t Do for Us What Jesus Can

III. Idols Can’t Do for Us What Jesus Can

I want you to see a few things here. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experience more in their lives than what they could have ever received by bowing down to the idol.

Remember, bow down, and you are safe and secure.

But look what happens here. Let me just bring you along in the story.

• When they speak to Nebuchadnezzar like they did, his anger erupted.
• Take the furnace up 7x…
• Bind them
• Throw them in – as they were being thrown in, the men throwing them in died.

And when they are thrown in, there aren’t three men in the fire. No, there are four. As the song goes, “There was another in the fire.”

And they aren’t being consumed by the fire. And this blows Nebuchadnezzar’s mind. Let’s pick up at verse 24 and see the first thing that they experienced.

1. They experienced His Presence.

Daniel 3:24-25

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” ²⁵ He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Notice the first thing that is incredible here is what we call a theophany. A Theophany is an appearance in the Old Testament of the Pre-Incarnate Christ.

You see, these young men, taking a stand, refusing to bow down, experienced the REMARKABLE PRESENCE OF CHRIST in their midst.

That’s what you will find too. When you stand for Jesus, He stands with you.

2. They experienced His Protection.

Daniel 3:27

²⁷ And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 

Note this. These men don’t escape danger, risk or uncertainty. But they do escape the disappointment of the false gods…because false gods always promise more than they can deliver.

What else did they experience?

3. They experienced His Power.

Daniel 3:28-30

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” ³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

There is no other god who is able to rescue in this way! What an incredible statement!

When we stand for Christ in a world set against him, listen, we also get Perspective on our trials.

This is the last thing I want you to see before we take the Lord’s supper.

4. Perspective – I’m not sure if they gained it, because they were living in the story. But we gain perspective and see a greater purpose in our trials, when we don’t bow down to idols.

You see, when we go through trials, or when our children go through trials, we need to keep the Big Picture in mind. And the Big Picture is this – God is working all things out for His GLORY and for our GOOD.

Now, you may ask, “How does He get glory here?”

Notice verse 29 again.

Daniel 3:29

²⁹ Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”

Notice, Nebuchadnezzar, in his pagan kingly way, is telling all the peoples, nations, and language groups to look at the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Agednego.

And this is God’s big picture goal. You see, God’s plan is that all nations, peoples, and language groups will worship him.

We get a glimpse of the fulfillment of this in Revelation 7.

Revelation 7:9-12

 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

This is where it is all headed, as we will be studying throughout this year.

Moms…Dads…Grandmothers, Grandfathers – one of the best things we can do today – one of the best things we can show our children—one of the best impressions we can leave in their hearts before they get out of our home and into the world, is to show them that we bow down to Jesus…that we worship Jesus…that we stand for Jesus.

We are to be found worshipping Jesus, so we won’t be bowing down to the idols of this world!

So, may the next generation find us worshipping!