Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednigo

1. No matter how much power any ruler or leader possesses he cannot control the course of history. Jesus Christ is the one who controls history and neither arrogance nor the abuse of power can change history. All impact of history is based on and related to the principles of Bible doctrine.

2. You cannot build your happiness on someone else’s unhappiness, as in the case of the jealousy, the maligning, and the accusation of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo. Malicious, vindictive, and implacable people always are trying to hurt others but they always wind up hurting themselves instead.

3. The believer must live his life as unto the Lord. He cannot be worried or disturbed about the opinions of others. People are going to think the worst of you sooner or later, this is a test in life. But you can’t spend your time running around justifying yourself. The supergrace believer must live by the principles of Colossians 3:16, 17, he lives his life as unto the Lord. That is the way you neutralise the fire.

4. The devil makes it easy for the believer to compromise the Word of God. since human government has no right to interfere with human volition in matters pertaining to God the believer must always take his stand on doctrine resident in the soul. Such doctrine resident in the soul makes Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo the greatest of patriots, just as doctrine makes you a patriot. But when a government uses its power to destroy your relationship with the Lord, then you must take a stand against that government as evil and immoral.

5. Supergrace believers never dictate to the Lord any course of action — Daniel 3:17-18. Reversionists do. They say he is able to deliver, they do not say He is going to. Doctrine recognises the ability of God without superimposing human volition on the sovereignty of God. They are not seeking to bribe God.

6. Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo did not know or suggest that God would or should deliver them from the furnace of fire, they simply took their stand on the basis of maximum doctrine resident in their souls. Supergrace believers always recognise the true issue of God’s sovereignty as well as their own human freedom. Whether God delivered them or not they refused to compromise doctrine by worshipping a golden image. The three men took their stand on the basis of doctrine resident in the soul and they did not try to bribe God for deliverance. Principle: Live by doctrine and leave the rest to the Lord. Leave the decisions to God. 7. The pride and arrogance of political rulers leads to the destruction of great and courageous soldiers. Military heroes are destroyed by politicians. The best soldiers in the Chaldean army were burned to death because of the mental attitude sin of a dictator politician, Nebuchadnezzar — Daniel 3:19-22.

8. Politicians repeat their same mistakes in different forms. When Nebuchadnezzar abandoned the attempt to force idolatry on his subjects he did so because God delivered Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo. He immediately turns around then and tries to force the God of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo on all of his subjects. This means he hadn’t learned a thing. The power of government must never be used to coerce its constituents to believe in Jesus Christ.

9. Uncompromising supergrace believers are delivered and promoted. That is the neutralisation of the fire.