Andrew Johns – Examples of Youth in Service & Action – Class 4 – Daniel’s Friends – Resisting the World’s Pressures in Youth

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I’d now invite your attention to
our brother Andrew has as he

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addresses us, Daniel’s friends,
resisting the world’s pressures.

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In you, my dearly beloved
brethren and sisters, and my

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dear young people, in our last,
last study, we saw that tragic

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figure of Jeremiah who
experienced so much sorrow and

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anguish in his life, but who
around him and and around

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Josiah, his great friend and
confident, there accumulated a

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number of younger men who were
on fire with the word of Yahweh.

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And three years after the death
of Josiah, when Jeremiah was

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about 40, his word was
vindicated as being right,

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despite all the cries around him
that Babylon would never come

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down and never touch that city.
But the mighty Babylonian war

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machine was on the move three
years after Josiah died and

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Nebuchadnezzar moved in and at
the Battle of Khakimish head on

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hit Egypt and defeated Pharaoh
Nico and moved straight down

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into the coastal plain heading
for Jerusalem and sieged it.

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Jehoiakim at the time was a
puppet to Egypt, and very

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quickly he changed allegiance
and was put under tribute to

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Babylon.
But that was not where it ended.

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The temple was ransacked by
Nebuchadnezzar’s offices.

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They took everything of value.
All the vessels of the House of

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Yahweh were carted off to
Babylon and placed in the

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houses.
Of the gods of the Babylonians.

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But they also hand picked.
The cream of Judah’s young men.

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Come to Daniel chapter one,
verse 3, And the king

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Nebuchadnezzar, that is, spake
unto Ashpinaz, the master of his

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eunuchs, that he should bring
certain of the children of

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Israel and of the King’s seed,
and of the Princess children in

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whom was no blemish, but well
favoured, and skilful in wisdom

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and cunning, and knowledge and
understanding science.

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And such has had the ability in
them to stand in the King’s

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palace, and whom they might
teach the learning and the

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tongue of the Chaldeans.
There must young people and

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brethren and sisters.
There must have been in that

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cohort.
They were handpicked at that

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time from did you notice the
King’s seed and the Princess?

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There must have been some who
were very strongly influenced by

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Josiah.
Josiah had only been dead for

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three years, and in his court in
Jerusalem there was growing up a

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youth group who were.
Alive.

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With the word of Yahweh,
Jeremiah and other prophets had

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stirred them up, and with the
example of Josiah before them,

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they were enthused to try and
turn that nation around.

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But as soon as Josiah died, as
we saw the other night, all hope

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of that ever happening was lost.
The breath of the nation, as

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Jeremiah called.
Him was gone.

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The nation was a corpse, just
rotting and rotting and rotting

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until Nebuchadnezzar finally
finished it off a few years

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later.
But here we find Nebuchadnezzar

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handpicking individual young
men.

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Look at how they’re described in
verse four.

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Well favoured, intelligent, able
to stand in the King’s palace,

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he was after the cream of that
nation.

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And these are called in verse 4,
the start of verse four,

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children.
The word is used in the

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scriptures of anything from
children to youths to young men,

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and it probably refers to
teenagers, those in their late

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teens.
And so these children, whom he

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picked in the prime of their
life at around 18 or 19, were

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carted off into Babylon.
Babylon had a very clearly

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enunciated policy of integration
and assimilation.

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They were very, very cunning
psychologists, and they figured

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that if you were ever going to
keep nations under subjection,

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what you had to do when you took
them over is to mix up their

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people with yours, Mix them and
have a good influence of

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Babylonian ways in there.
So that they forgot about their

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gods, they forgot about their
culture, and they became

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Babylonians, whether they were
in the lands that had been taken

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over captive or whatever.
And he put Babylonians into the

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lands that he.
Took captive and he.

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Brought some of them into
Babylon.

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That was only part of his
policy.

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The second part of his policy.
Was to hand pick.

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The intelligentsia of a nation
and to train them in the ways of

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Babylon so that they might then
influence their own people both

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in the land of their captivity
and back in their own national

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place of origin.
And so we find that this method

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that Nebuchadnezzar was skilled
at using throughout his

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campaigns and throughout his
time as king was based on 2

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fundamental principles.
They tried to make those who

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were taken captive conform to
Babylonian.

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Thinking and Babylonian
behaviour.

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And we’ve we know exactly what
happens here in verse 5.

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The king at once those young
captives were brought into the

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realm.
The king appointed them a daily

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provision of the King’s meet and
of the wine which he drank so

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nourishing them three years at
the end thereof they might stand

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before the king.
It was his clear intention to

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have these as the the prime
young councillors around him

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that had been so indoctrinated
by Babylonian ways.

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They’d been given absolutely
everything they could ever want.

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They’d come from a from a
country that just did not have

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everything that it wanted
because it was in, in tribute to

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other countries, to Egypt at the
time, in case of Judah.

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But they were given the very,
very best, the most appealing

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food, drink, access to Babylon’s
universities and all the wisdom

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and learning was at their feet.
All they had to do was to soak

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it up.
But that wasn’t all.

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They not only had their diet
changed, they had their dress

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changed, they had their language
changed, they had their

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environment changed, they had
the source of their education

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changed, and to top it all off,
they even changed their names in

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order that their personalities
might never be the same as they

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were before.
And it’s very interesting to

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see, while there is some some
dispute about the actual meaning

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of some of their Babylonian
names, it’s very interesting to

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see that every one of the four
friends that we find mentioned

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here in verses 6 and seven of
Daniel, one that is Daniel,

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Hannan and I, Mishael and
Azariah, all have as part of the

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meaning of their name, Yahweh or
ale.

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They had come from godly
families who had so named their.

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Children to reflect their godly.
Thinking but the Babylonians

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named them, and if you have a
look at the names that are there

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on the overhead at the moment,
every single name that they gave

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for those 4 lads involve the
name of one of Babylon’s gods.

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There was a distinct and
deliberate policy here to wipe

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out any cultural link, any link
at all with the religion and

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life and behaviour of the
nations from which these men

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came.
I they were put in a exceedingly

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difficult situation.
I I don’t think that just

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reading Daniel chapter one, we,
we perhaps at times understand

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quite how dangerous and
difficult that was.

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Daniel certainly understood and
so did his friends come to

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understand that just how
dangerous it was.

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You see, everything that was
being done for them, they were.

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They were being given everything
on a plate.

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They were being treated like
great Lords walking in as

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Princess of a realm that just
had absolutely anything they

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wanted at the click of their
fingers.

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If they said they wanted this
food, or that they wanted this

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tutor or that, they got it, and
everything that was being done

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to them appealed to their own
pride, they were being told that

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all they had to do was put their
mind to things and they would go

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a very long way up the hierarchy
of the greatest nation on earth.

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They could be rulers.
They could be second in the in

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the realm of the great.
And mighty Babylon.

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They could easily have deceived
themselves into thinking young

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people that, well, it wasn’t of
their making that got them

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there.
They’ve been taken into

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captivity.
They were put here by God.

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Surely they should make the best
of the situation and just do

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whatever that was asked of them.
You know, our young people today

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are under exactly that same
pressure.

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There’s an attempt to change
personality.

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It is an attempt, a very strong
attempt, to make our young

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people conform to Babylon’s
lifestyle.

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The world around us is
encouraging by its environment

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and by its education and the two
things that never could, never

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used.
It’s encouraging a broad,

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rounded, balanced education.
Oh, it sounds very nice, doesn’t

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it?
Better than sisters?

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But underpinning the.
Whole of our education scheme at

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the moment, and for some years
has it has been the same, is a

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humanistic base where God has
removed from the realm of

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rational discussion and other
gods in fact are substituted for

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the one true God who created all
other gods like success,

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achievement, sport, all
substituted in place of the one

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true God who is the source of
all intellectual reasoning and

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wisdom and moral might.
And the whole of our education

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system that our children are
immersed in day by day is man

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centred, not God centred.
And especially is that true in

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the realm of the social areas,
the social sciences.

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And there’s many things that our
children come up against every

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day of their lives when they’re
5678910.

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And it sounds to them all very
plausible.

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All very reasonable.
I don’t see anything wrong with

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what’s been told them, it just
seems to make sense.

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But it seems to make sense
because we’re all made of flesh

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and so are they, and without
some godly external influence in

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their minds, it just all makes
sense.

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You know, the consequences of of
the underpinning of humanism in

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all of our education.
Society is bringing the whole of

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the Western world to its knees.
There is no question of that.

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The consequences of this form of
thinking, brethren and sisters

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and young people, and take note
of this, is a push for personal

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rights.
That’s where that’s coming from.

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The importance of the individual
and what they themselves think.

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The equality of opportunity for
women with men.

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Everybody’s opinion is just as
important as everybody else’s.

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Our children at 456 are having
that drummed into their heads.

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And if you can’t see that coming
out in your children at school,

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be thankful, because there’s an
awful lot of our children in our

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young people’s groups and in our
Sunday schools are already

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reflecting their thinking, make
no mistake.

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And democracy is supreme.
The.

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God of this world, everything
relies on democracy.

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It’s the be all and end all, the
voice of the people.

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But there’s this this.
Spirit of madness, as it’s

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termed in Revelation 16, that’s
driving the nations and bringing

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them to Armageddon and one day
that spirit is going to be on

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the opposite side to.
Christ, there is a very

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deliberate design.
Very deliberate.

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Design in the education system
of this world that is

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challenging.
With an attempt to eradicate

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biblical morality.
You might think that’s an

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overstatement.
There are writers around and

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educators who are alive.
In.

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This state who will openly state
that, and it’s in our

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workplaces, it’s in our schools,
it’s in our universities.

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And it’s incredibly important
for our young people.

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Incredibly important for our
young people that are going off

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to a university in these days to
know where they’re going before

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they go, to have sorted out
their lives and set a direction

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so that they clearly understand
the issues of life before

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they’re thrown in to that evil
environment.

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There may be, it may be
necessary for some of our young

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people, in terms of their jobs
or whatever, to go on to

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tertiary study and perhaps.
What’s happening in?

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Society, it’s becoming.
Increasingly so for some of our

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young people.
But it’s also becoming

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increasingly important that our
young people think seriously

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younger and younger about the
issues of life.

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Look.
At verse 8.

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But Daniel in this circumstance
purposed in his heart, that he

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would not defile himself with a
portion of the King’s meat, nor

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the wine which he drank.
Therefore he made a request to

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the Prince of eunuch, the
eunuchs, that he might not

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defile himself.
That word purpose there is

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00:16:29,360 –> 00:16:32,840
translated elsewhere as
rehearsed.

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00:16:33,800 –> 00:16:35,840
He rehearsed.
In his.

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00:16:35,840 –> 00:16:38,880
Heart that he would not defile
himself with the King’s meat, he

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00:16:38,880 –> 00:16:41,840
taught himself over and over
again and reinforced in his own

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00:16:41,840 –> 00:16:43,680
mind.
What was right?

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00:16:44,240 –> 00:16:47,600
And that he couldn’t be defiled
with the King’s meet.

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00:16:47,600 –> 00:16:51,800
He wasn’t going to partake of
all that this society that he’d

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00:16:51,800 –> 00:16:55,800
just been lobbed into was there
to offer, you know, Britain and

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00:16:55,800 –> 00:16:58,120
sisters and young people.
What he didn’t say isn’t that

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00:16:58,120 –> 00:17:00,360
interesting to notice what he
didn’t say as well as what he

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00:17:00,360 –> 00:17:03,800
did.
He didn’t say, Oh well, I’ll

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00:17:03,800 –> 00:17:06,920
give it a go, it can’t really.
And we’ll have a look and

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00:17:07,160 –> 00:17:10,800
compare at the end.
What absolutely folly.

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That would have been he purposed
in his heart when he saw the

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00:17:15,160 –> 00:17:20,720
policy, he saw what Babylon was
out to do, and he said, I am not

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00:17:20,720 –> 00:17:22,920
going to do it.
And he made requests

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00:17:22,920 –> 00:17:26,480
respectfully to the Prince of
the eunuchs, who in fact, as we

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00:17:26,480 –> 00:17:31,280
know, accepted his request.
And it turned out.

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00:17:31,280 –> 00:17:33,600
That he proved himself and his
friends to be. 10.

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00:17:33,720 –> 00:17:39,640
Times better than all of those
that had been on the official

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00:17:39,640 –> 00:17:43,120
diet of the king.
You know, it’s never, ever wise

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00:17:43,120 –> 00:17:48,400
counsel to Taste of Babylon’s
food in order to make a choice

241
00:17:48,720 –> 00:17:51,880
between Babylon and the truth.
Never is it a.

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00:17:51,880 –> 00:17:55,200
Wise choice to do that because
young people, as soon as we’ve

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00:17:55,200 –> 00:18:00,840
tasted of what Babylon has to
offer, we’ve already in a

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00:18:00,840 –> 00:18:03,320
position where we won’t be.
Able to make a choice anymore

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00:18:04,400 –> 00:18:06,360
already things will become.
Crowded.

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00:18:07,960 –> 00:18:13,080
It’s never ever a good idea to
taste of Babylon first in order

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00:18:13,080 –> 00:18:14,440
that we might make a choice.
But.

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00:18:15,520 –> 00:18:18,320
I wonder whether you’ve ever
noticed in Daniel as we read

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00:18:18,320 –> 00:18:22,600
through Daniel chapter one that
Daniel himself as an individual,

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00:18:22,600 –> 00:18:26,000
though we know that it talks
about Hananiah, Mishael, and

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00:18:26,000 –> 00:18:30,240
Azariah as well in that chapter.
How many of you have noticed

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00:18:30,240 –> 00:18:33,920
that Daniel is very?
Dominant in that chapter.

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00:18:35,120 –> 00:18:37,400
In fact that.
Verse we just read verse 8, it’s

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00:18:37,400 –> 00:18:40,320
talking about Daniel himself.
He purposed in his heart that he

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00:18:40,320 –> 00:18:43,440
would not defile, and he goes to
the Prince of the eunuchs and

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00:18:43,440 –> 00:18:45,280
asked that he might not defile
himself.

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00:18:45,720 –> 00:18:50,680
He, he, he now we know that the
other friends of Daniel were

258
00:18:51,240 –> 00:18:54,560
likewise right behind Daniel and
supporting everything he did.

259
00:18:54,760 –> 00:18:59,080
But it was just like that with
Daniel out the front and his

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00:18:59,080 –> 00:19:02,200
friends supporting him.
And you read through all Daniel

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00:19:02,200 –> 00:19:04,840
chapter 1 and you’ll find that
that’s in fact the picture that

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00:19:04,840 –> 00:19:08,560
we get.
Daniel is obviously a leader, a

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00:19:08,560 –> 00:19:13,240
very intelligent and capable
young man who knew exactly where

264
00:19:13,240 –> 00:19:15,880
he was going.
That’s not to not to deny that

265
00:19:15,880 –> 00:19:18,640
the other three friends who were
around him and supported him

266
00:19:18,760 –> 00:19:21,000
were not also faithful young
men.

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00:19:21,000 –> 00:19:23,800
Of course they were.
We know that and it’s proved a

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00:19:23,800 –> 00:19:26,800
little later on, but he was the
spokesman.

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00:19:26,800 –> 00:19:32,560
In fact, in verse 8, verse 9,
verse 10, verse 11, verse 17,

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00:19:32,560 –> 00:19:36,680
and verse 21, Daniel stands out
in front of all the others.

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00:19:38,320 –> 00:19:41,080
And the other thing to notice
before we move on is that Daniel

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00:19:41,760 –> 00:19:47,320
chapter one really concentrates
on all of these four young men

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00:19:47,600 –> 00:19:52,280
and only calls them by their
Hebrew names, apart from telling

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00:19:52,280 –> 00:19:56,480
us that they had their names
changed by the Babylonians.

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00:19:56,720 –> 00:20:00,160
On all other occasions it uses
their Hebrew names.

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00:20:00,960 –> 00:20:03,440
And then we come to chapter 2
with the dream of

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00:20:03,440 –> 00:20:07,760
Nebuchadnezzar, and we know that
very well.

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00:20:07,880 –> 00:20:11,000
And what happened.
And Daniel as a result was

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00:20:11,000 –> 00:20:15,280
elevated because of his
interpretation of that dream.

280
00:20:15,280 –> 00:20:17,960
And again, it’s Daniel.
Not the others.

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00:20:18,160 –> 00:20:20,280
It’s Daniel who was in that
position I’d like.

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00:20:20,280 –> 00:20:25,000
You to come to the end.
Of Daniel chapter 2 verse 48 and

283
00:20:25,000 –> 00:20:30,280
read this very carefully.
Then the king made Daniel a

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00:20:30,280 –> 00:20:33,640
great man and gave him many
gifts, and made him rule over

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00:20:33,640 –> 00:20:37,000
the whole province of Babylon,
and chief of the governors over

286
00:20:37,000 –> 00:20:40,960
all the wise men of Babylon.
Then Daniel requested of the

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00:20:40,960 –> 00:20:45,400
king, and he set Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego over the

288
00:20:45,400 –> 00:20:46,840
affairs of the province of
Babylon.

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00:20:47,200 –> 00:20:49,960
But Daniel sat in the gate of
the king.

290
00:20:50,480 –> 00:20:52,880
If you read that quickly, you
missed the point.

291
00:20:53,720 –> 00:20:58,800
Did you notice Daniel still
called by his Hebrew name?

292
00:21:00,280 –> 00:21:04,560
But Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego have got their

293
00:21:04,800 –> 00:21:08,200
Babylonian names.
They were not called by their

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00:21:08,200 –> 00:21:12,000
Babylonian names in chapter 1,
but now they are.

295
00:21:13,040 –> 00:21:15,440
And all.
The way through chapter 3.

296
00:21:15,760 –> 00:21:19,280
They have Babylonian names
without exception.

297
00:21:20,240 –> 00:21:24,720
What’s that saying?
Well, it appears that Daniel had

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00:21:24,720 –> 00:21:28,280
risen to such an important post
that no.

299
00:21:28,280 –> 00:21:33,480
One could tell him what?
His name was going to be and he

300
00:21:33,480 –> 00:21:37,520
retained his name as his
original Hebrew name.

301
00:21:39,200 –> 00:21:42,240
But the other three friends,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

302
00:21:42,280 –> 00:21:46,880
even though they were raised to
a position of importance, we’re

303
00:21:46,920 –> 00:21:51,040
still subordinate and we’re
still being called Shadrach,

304
00:21:51,040 –> 00:21:54,760
Meshach, and Abednego by
Nebuchadnezzar himself.

305
00:21:55,640 –> 00:22:00,840
That’s interesting to notice.
We we come to chapter 3 and at

306
00:22:00,840 –> 00:22:05,040
this stage those three men,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

307
00:22:05,440 –> 00:22:08,720
were probably in their early 20s
at this stage.

308
00:22:09,080 –> 00:22:13,560
And Daniel is not even mentioned
in Daniel chapter 3.

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00:22:15,120 –> 00:22:18,360
They are always, as we said,
mentioned by their Babylonian

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00:22:18,360 –> 00:22:21,960
names, Nebuchadnezzar.
Clearly.

311
00:22:22,000 –> 00:22:28,320
Had not given up on his original
policy of integration and

312
00:22:28,320 –> 00:22:31,920
conformity.
You see, the changing of those

313
00:22:31,920 –> 00:22:36,680
names were meant to reflect a
different personality and but

314
00:22:36,680 –> 00:22:40,200
Nebuchadnezzar was not going to
give up easily on that.

315
00:22:40,320 –> 00:22:44,520
He hadn’t even tried to to
persist with that with Daniel.

316
00:22:44,680 –> 00:22:47,520
But now there’s psychological
warfare.

317
00:22:48,200 –> 00:22:51,360
Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t have to
go browbeating them all the

318
00:22:51,360 –> 00:22:53,320
time.
All he has to do is keep on

319
00:22:53,320 –> 00:22:57,920
calling.
Them by their Babylonian names

320
00:22:58,040 –> 00:23:00,560
as a part, as opposed to their
Hebrew names.

321
00:23:01,680 –> 00:23:05,640
And really what Babylon was
doing, and Nebuchadnezzar in

322
00:23:05,640 –> 00:23:10,040
particular, young people, he was
taking another tack.

323
00:23:12,720 –> 00:23:15,800
They had been.
Proved in their integrity in

324
00:23:15,800 –> 00:23:17,480
Chapter 1.
To be 10.

325
00:23:17,480 –> 00:23:20,600
Times better than anything else.
Any of the others that had been

326
00:23:20,600 –> 00:23:28,040
under that test but the world.
Doesn’t give up that easily in

327
00:23:28,040 –> 00:23:34,360
trying to make the young
intellectuals conform to its

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00:23:34,360 –> 00:23:39,080
thinking and its behaviour.
You know, I believe young

329
00:23:39,080 –> 00:23:44,400
people, that the events of
Chapter 3 of Daniel are even

330
00:23:44,400 –> 00:23:48,000
more relevant and it’s the
reason that we’ve chosen tonight

331
00:23:48,000 –> 00:23:52,840
to concentrate on Chapter 3.
As opposed to chapter. 1 It’s

332
00:23:52,840 –> 00:23:55,520
not that there are no lessons in
Chapter 1 for young people.

333
00:23:55,520 –> 00:23:57,360
There certainly are.
There’s lessons for us all.

334
00:23:58,360 –> 00:24:03,600
But Chapter 3, I believe, is
even more relevant to young

335
00:24:03,600 –> 00:24:05,200
people generally.
I’ll tell you why.

336
00:24:07,120 –> 00:24:10,160
We find in chapter 3 that Daniel
is not there.

337
00:24:10,160 –> 00:24:14,560
In other words, the leader is
not present.

338
00:24:15,320 –> 00:24:18,880
Now that’s important.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

339
00:24:18,880 –> 00:24:21,960
are always mentioned together in
Chapter 3.

340
00:24:22,320 –> 00:24:25,760
Always, without exception.
They are never, ever separated.

341
00:24:25,960 –> 00:24:29,720
There is no clear leader amongst
any of those 3.

342
00:24:29,840 –> 00:24:33,000
Apart from that, they’re named
the same way each time, but

343
00:24:33,000 –> 00:24:36,520
they’re always kept together.
And here are here we’re

344
00:24:36,520 –> 00:24:41,920
presented with three ordinary
Christadelphian young people.

345
00:24:43,080 –> 00:24:44,680
Now, I think that’s very
important.

346
00:24:45,360 –> 00:24:49,200
They had grown up in the truth.
They’re in a strange land where

347
00:24:49,200 –> 00:24:52,280
they didn’t really belong and
there’s enormous pressures to

348
00:24:52,280 –> 00:24:54,640
conform And when they.
First got there.

349
00:24:54,840 –> 00:24:57,000
There was a strong character
like Daniel.

350
00:24:57,240 –> 00:25:00,520
Who influenced them and and?
Encouraged them to stand up for

351
00:25:00,520 –> 00:25:02,320
what was right and was talked
about the.

352
00:25:02,400 –> 00:25:06,560
Bible and Jeremiah’s prophecies
with Daniel, and now Daniel’s

353
00:25:06,560 –> 00:25:13,520
not there and they’re in their
own eyes, just ordinary young

354
00:25:13,520 –> 00:25:19,320
people.
What are they going to do?

355
00:25:21,360 –> 00:25:23,040
They’re without the support of a
leader.

356
00:25:24,640 –> 00:25:26,800
They’re without the support of
their family.

357
00:25:27,880 –> 00:25:30,000
They’re without the support of
the ecclesia.

358
00:25:31,120 –> 00:25:35,720
They’re just three young people
who have to make a decision

359
00:25:35,840 –> 00:25:41,960
themselves and young people,
that’s the situation that you.

360
00:25:42,600 –> 00:25:48,200
And I find ourselves in almost
every day of our lives living in

361
00:25:48,200 –> 00:25:52,160
the middle of Babylon.
And we don’t.

362
00:25:52,160 –> 00:25:57,960
Always have a Daniel standing
alongside us and we don’t always

363
00:25:57,960 –> 00:26:02,720
have our fathers or mothers or
support standing alongside us

364
00:26:02,960 –> 00:26:06,720
every time a test comes upon it.
And I believe, young people,

365
00:26:06,720 –> 00:26:11,200
that Daniel chapter 3 is an
essential chapter of the Bible

366
00:26:11,200 –> 00:26:14,320
for every young teenager to come
to grips with.

367
00:26:15,040 –> 00:26:17,280
If you don’t know anything.
Much about this and you haven’t

368
00:26:17,280 –> 00:26:18,640
marked up some of the
principles.

369
00:26:18,640 –> 00:26:22,640
Out of Daniel chapter 3 make it
a determination after tonight to

370
00:26:22,640 –> 00:26:27,600
do it because you are fighting.
The exact.

371
00:26:27,600 –> 00:26:32,360
Issues that are in this chapter.
There is a king out there who is

372
00:26:32,360 –> 00:26:34,720
determined to make you bow the
knee.

373
00:26:34,720 –> 00:26:38,520
Just as determined as
Nebuchadnezzar was in the days

374
00:26:38,520 –> 00:26:41,240
when Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego stood.

375
00:26:41,560 –> 00:26:44,080
And this.
Chapter is an amazing piece of

376
00:26:44,080 –> 00:26:45,920
scripture.
It is so.

377
00:26:45,920 –> 00:26:48,400
Different from anything else
that appears in the book of

378
00:26:48,400 –> 00:26:51,200
Daniel.
If you, I guarantee that if I

379
00:26:51,200 –> 00:26:53,920
asked everyone in this hall
tonight just to get a piece of

380
00:26:53,920 –> 00:26:58,320
paper and for you to write down
the story that’s contained in

381
00:26:58,320 –> 00:26:59,960
Daniel chapter 3.
Because we’ve just read it and

382
00:26:59,960 –> 00:27:02,400
we’ve all known it since we were
this high.

383
00:27:02,640 –> 00:27:04,960
If we grew up in the truth,
we’ve all heard the story at

384
00:27:04,960 –> 00:27:07,000
Sunday school and we all know
it.

385
00:27:07,000 –> 00:27:09,320
Our children love the story.
It’s a dramatic story.

386
00:27:09,480 –> 00:27:15,200
I guarantee that if I asked you
to write down on paper the story

387
00:27:15,200 –> 00:27:18,440
of this chapter of Daniel and
his three friends in the Fiery

388
00:27:18,440 –> 00:27:24,080
Furnace, there wouldn’t be.
One single person in this hall

389
00:27:25,600 –> 00:27:30,440
who wrote it down like this.
Not one.

390
00:27:34,520 –> 00:27:39,520
I wouldn’t write it like this.
The repetition in this chapter

391
00:27:39,680 –> 00:27:44,240
is absolutely astounding.
And on the Bible marking sheet,

392
00:27:44,240 –> 00:27:46,480
there’s a list of some of those
things that you can follow

393
00:27:46,520 –> 00:27:49,000
through.
But we’re going to have to read

394
00:27:49,000 –> 00:27:50,680
carefully.
You know, we might must have

395
00:27:50,680 –> 00:27:52,720
read Daniel Chapter 3 so many
times.

396
00:27:52,720 –> 00:27:53,920
We’re so familiar with the
story.

397
00:27:54,200 –> 00:27:57,160
But when we are familiar.
With things we read straight

398
00:27:57,160 –> 00:28:00,080
over very important principles
and whenever the.

399
00:28:00,080 –> 00:28:03,680
Scripture repeats and
continually repeats over and

400
00:28:03,760 –> 00:28:06,960
over and over again, something
in very short succession.

401
00:28:07,400 –> 00:28:12,840
We’ve got to sit up and listen,
and the divine mind has recorded

402
00:28:12,840 –> 00:28:16,600
something in here that’s
attempting to make us sit up.

403
00:28:17,280 –> 00:28:22,080
And listen very carefully,
because there’s some essential

404
00:28:22,080 –> 00:28:26,600
issues of life contained here.
Let’s come to verse one.

405
00:28:27,320 –> 00:28:29,840
Nebuchadnezzar the King.
Made an image.

406
00:28:29,840 –> 00:28:32,480
Of gold, whose height was 3
score cubits, and the breadth

407
00:28:32,480 –> 00:28:37,480
thereof was 6 cubits.
And he set it up in the plain of

408
00:28:37,480 –> 00:28:40,520
Jura, in the province of
Babylon, all.

409
00:28:40,520 –> 00:28:43,040
Very interesting.
And so we start the story.

410
00:28:44,400 –> 00:28:48,440
But there are at least three
very clear connections back to

411
00:28:48,440 –> 00:28:50,960
chapter 1.
One of them is very obvious on

412
00:28:50,960 –> 00:28:53,400
the surface.
The other two may not be quite

413
00:28:53,400 –> 00:28:55,440
so obvious.
The one that’s very obvious is

414
00:28:55,440 –> 00:28:58,240
the made an image of gold.
The word image there is exactly

415
00:28:58,240 –> 00:29:01,520
the same word that’s used for
image in chapter 2 of the image

416
00:29:01,520 –> 00:29:04,480
that Nebuchadnezzar saw.
But this time, it’s all of gold

417
00:29:04,640 –> 00:29:06,120
and that.
Has to be a challenge.

418
00:29:06,120 –> 00:29:07,640
Doesn’t it?
Because the image that

419
00:29:07,640 –> 00:29:10,680
Nebuchadnezzar of all people
saw, and now it’s Nebuchadnezzar

420
00:29:10,680 –> 00:29:13,360
setting up this new one, the one
that Nebuchadnezzar saw, only

421
00:29:13,360 –> 00:29:16,240
had a head of gold, and he was
told what that meant.

422
00:29:16,600 –> 00:29:18,840
Nebuchadnezzar, you are the head
of gold.

423
00:29:19,080 –> 00:29:23,920
You are the the the crowning
pinnacle of the kingdoms of men,

424
00:29:24,280 –> 00:29:27,880
but under you there is an
inferior Kingdom that’s going to

425
00:29:27,880 –> 00:29:30,680
take over for you, and you are
not going to keep on going

426
00:29:30,680 –> 00:29:32,080
forever.
That was a clear.

427
00:29:32,080 –> 00:29:34,400
Message which was given to him
by Daniel.

428
00:29:34,640 –> 00:29:37,720
And now, straight after that,
Nebuchadnezzar sets up an image

429
00:29:37,800 –> 00:29:42,360
of fewer gold from head to foot.
Now, if that wasn’t an open and

430
00:29:42,360 –> 00:29:46,000
direct challenge to the vision
which he’d already seen and had

431
00:29:46,000 –> 00:29:48,600
interpreted for him, I don’t
know what was.

432
00:29:49,480 –> 00:29:54,200
So it’s set in that setting.
But there’s more to it than

433
00:29:54,200 –> 00:29:57,520
that.
It tells us that Nebuchadnezzar.

434
00:29:57,920 –> 00:30:00,840
Set it up.
It wasn’t just his counsellors

435
00:30:00,840 –> 00:30:03,520
or Princess.
He didn’t go and get those who

436
00:30:03,520 –> 00:30:05,760
were over this province of.
Babylon to do it.

437
00:30:06,480 –> 00:30:08,000
It was over the province of
Babel.

438
00:30:08,440 –> 00:30:12,400
Well, the end of chapter 2 says
that Shadrach, Meshach, and

439
00:30:12,400 –> 00:30:16,120
Abednego were over the province
of Babylon, and now he goes

440
00:30:16,120 –> 00:30:20,040
straight over their heads and
sets up in the province that

441
00:30:20,040 –> 00:30:23,960
he’s given them to rule over.
He sets up this image.

442
00:30:23,960 –> 00:30:27,800
Without their knowledge.
Why did he do it?

443
00:30:27,960 –> 00:30:31,520
Obviously he knew what they’d
think of because they were

444
00:30:31,520 –> 00:30:34,720
friends of Daniel and that is
repeated.

445
00:30:34,720 –> 00:30:39,320
If you think that’s unimportant,
that phrase, he Nebuchadnezzar,

446
00:30:39,320 –> 00:30:44,120
that is he set it up, occurs 9
times in this chapter.

447
00:30:44,800 –> 00:30:46,920
Now if we didn’t know after
verse one that it was

448
00:30:46,920 –> 00:30:51,560
Nebuchadnezzar that set up.
We’d be rather dull, but we’re

449
00:30:51,560 –> 00:30:55,720
told time and time again every
time we meet that image that it.

450
00:30:55,720 –> 00:31:00,000
Was the image that
Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and

451
00:31:00,000 –> 00:31:01,520
it’s repeated over and over
again.

452
00:31:01,680 –> 00:31:07,200
This is quite clearly a very
direct challenge in the face of

453
00:31:07,200 –> 00:31:10,880
that image, which he’d seen.
But there’s something else that

454
00:31:10,880 –> 00:31:13,680
might not be on the surface.
So amazing.

455
00:31:15,400 –> 00:31:19,600
The chapter starts.
Nebuchadnezzar the king.

456
00:31:21,720 –> 00:31:24,160
Do you know that title?
Nebuchadnezzar.

457
00:31:24,240 –> 00:31:31,960
The king doesn’t occur outside
of this chapter apart from verse

458
00:31:31,960 –> 00:31:36,880
1 of chapter 4 and between verse
1 of chapter 3 and verse 1 of

459
00:31:36,880 –> 00:31:43,200
chapter 4 it occurs. 9 times.
It never occurs outside there.

460
00:31:43,440 –> 00:31:45,960
Never.
Have we got Nebuchadnezzar and

461
00:31:45,960 –> 00:31:49,760
the king put together as a
formal, pompous, official

462
00:31:49,760 –> 00:31:52,960
powerful?
Title, but now as if to.

463
00:31:53,240 –> 00:31:56,160
To.
Emphasize that it’s

464
00:31:56,160 –> 00:32:00,160
Nebuchadnezzar, the supreme king
of the world.

465
00:32:00,720 –> 00:32:07,320
It’s repeated over over ad
nauseam with deliberate intent.

466
00:32:08,440 –> 00:32:11,200
That’s how this how this starts.
And if you don’t think that

467
00:32:11,200 –> 00:32:14,800
that’s the intention of that
title, you come to chapter 4 and

468
00:32:14,800 –> 00:32:17,440
verse one, the only other place
outside this chapter that it

469
00:32:17,440 –> 00:32:20,080
occurs.
And we read Nebuchadnezzar the

470
00:32:20,080 –> 00:32:23,760
king.
Unto all people, nations,

471
00:32:23,760 –> 00:32:26,520
languages that dwell on the face
of the earth, or in all the

472
00:32:26,520 –> 00:32:27,960
earth, peace be multiplied unto
you.

473
00:32:27,960 –> 00:32:29,760
And so.
He goes on and say, so he’s

474
00:32:29,760 –> 00:32:34,320
commanding the attention of the
then known world and drawing

475
00:32:34,320 –> 00:32:39,720
attention to himself as the
Supreme might.

476
00:32:40,400 –> 00:32:43,280
That’s exactly what that image
was meant to portray.

477
00:32:43,480 –> 00:32:47,800
He had that intention to draw
the attention of all the world

478
00:32:48,160 –> 00:32:52,960
to his might and his supremacy
and get all the world to bow.

479
00:32:52,960 –> 00:32:56,440
Down so it’s a testimony to his
arrogance and to his self

480
00:32:56,440 –> 00:32:59,560
importance.
But we just read read straight

481
00:32:59,560 –> 00:33:01,040
over a number of other things in
chapter.

482
00:33:01,040 –> 00:33:05,360
In verse one there for example,
the dimensions of the image and

483
00:33:05,360 –> 00:33:10,360
its location.
You see, it was 60 cubits by 6.

484
00:33:10,920 –> 00:33:14,640
Cubits anyone that identity
about the Bible would have to

485
00:33:15,200 –> 00:33:17,040
immediately see the connection
with.

486
00:33:17,040 –> 00:33:19,720
Flesh.
There. 6 being the number of

487
00:33:19,720 –> 00:33:22,760
flesh.
But it’s an impressive image, a

488
00:33:22,760 –> 00:33:27,720
very impressive image.
And this image was 9 stories

489
00:33:27,720 –> 00:33:30,200
high.
And where did he set it?

490
00:33:30,440 –> 00:33:33,160
In the middle of all Babylon’s
high rise.

491
00:33:34,160 –> 00:33:41,080
Buildings no out on the plain of
Jira where a nine story image

492
00:33:41,080 –> 00:33:44,760
would look amazingly impressive
when you walked into it from

493
00:33:44,760 –> 00:33:45,400
miles.
Away.

494
00:33:45,840 –> 00:33:50,120
You would see this glistening in
the sun, this gigantic image

495
00:33:50,560 –> 00:33:54,000
when everyone from all over his
province was drawn there.

496
00:33:54,160 –> 00:33:58,720
It was there to impress.
Impress the eyes.

497
00:34:00,560 –> 00:34:04,120
Nebuchadnezzar was no fool.
He might have been a.

498
00:34:04,120 –> 00:34:09,120
Selfish self-centered man, but
he was no fool and there was the

499
00:34:09,120 –> 00:34:13,880
symbol of flesh to be glorified
and worshipped.

500
00:34:14,360 –> 00:34:17,960
And what a challenge that was to
the might of Yahweh.

501
00:34:18,360 –> 00:34:21,600
Said in the plain of Jura, the
word Jura means a circle, which

502
00:34:21,600 –> 00:34:23,880
means it really has the idea of
eternity.

503
00:34:25,239 –> 00:34:29,719
And there he thought he was
going to set up his Kingdom for

504
00:34:29,719 –> 00:34:32,120
eternity.
And look who he called verse 2.

505
00:34:32,120 –> 00:34:35,280
Nebuchadnezzar the king sent
together together the Princess,

506
00:34:35,280 –> 00:34:38,480
the governors, the captains, the
judges, the treasurers, the

507
00:34:38,480 –> 00:34:41,320
councillors, sheriffs, and all
the provinces, rules of the

508
00:34:41,320 –> 00:34:44,000
provinces, to come to the
dedication of the image which

509
00:34:44,440 –> 00:34:46,920
Nebuchadnezzar the King had set
up.

510
00:34:48,159 –> 00:34:52,040
Repetitious, isn’t it?
Why didn’t he say he gathered?

511
00:34:52,040 –> 00:34:55,360
Together, all the intelligence
here, and all the rulers small

512
00:34:55,360 –> 00:34:57,640
over them, all over his realm.
Why didn’t he say that?

513
00:34:59,160 –> 00:35:04,400
Well, he mentions them everyone
by name, to impress us with just

514
00:35:04,400 –> 00:35:08,680
how many there were and how
important were all their titles.

515
00:35:08,880 –> 00:35:10,680
And that from the highest to the
lowest of.

516
00:35:10,680 –> 00:35:14,000
All his rulers were there, and
verse 3 repeats all that same

517
00:35:14,000 –> 00:35:20,160
list again, and tells us that
they all, without exception,

518
00:35:20,440 –> 00:35:25,400
came.
This is very impressive.

519
00:35:26,440 –> 00:35:32,080
Everybody was coming and
prepared to conform to the

520
00:35:32,080 –> 00:35:36,360
invitation of this great king.
Where the emphasis was on

521
00:35:36,360 –> 00:35:39,920
grandeur and pomp and.
Ceremony to impress the flesh

522
00:35:40,560 –> 00:35:43,640
and they all stood in front
verse 3 right at the end of

523
00:35:43,640 –> 00:35:45,920
verse 3 we find and they stood
before the image that

524
00:35:45,920 –> 00:35:49,520
Nebuchadnezzar had set up the
word stood before means to stand

525
00:35:49,520 –> 00:35:52,040
in front of and this is where.
All.

526
00:35:52,040 –> 00:35:56,840
Of these, these captains and
judges and treasurers stood.

527
00:35:57,680 –> 00:36:00,040
In the front, right at the foot.
Of this image.

528
00:36:00,280 –> 00:36:06,640
So they’re staring up at this
nine story high image, a massive

529
00:36:07,000 –> 00:36:12,560
structure, and behind them are
countless millions of people.

530
00:36:12,640 –> 00:36:15,560
There are hundreds of thousands,
probably of people that had been

531
00:36:15,560 –> 00:36:19,440
gathered and called.
To witness this inaugural

532
00:36:19,440 –> 00:36:25,080
ceremony where Nebuchadnezzar
himself was going to be

533
00:36:25,080 –> 00:36:27,520
worshipped in the image that
he’d made.

534
00:36:29,640 –> 00:36:36,080
And just think, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego are right

535
00:36:36,280 –> 00:36:41,760
down the front.
With all of those.

536
00:36:42,000 –> 00:36:47,560
Captains and judges and
treasurers right in the front.

537
00:36:47,960 –> 00:36:53,480
Row.
Where everybody, no matter where

538
00:36:53,480 –> 00:36:58,960
they stood, could see them and
we find in verse 4 and Harold

539
00:36:58,960 –> 00:37:02,680
cried aloud or as the margin
says with might do you.

540
00:37:02,680 –> 00:37:05,320
It’s commanded O people, nations
and languages.

541
00:37:05,640 –> 00:37:10,520
And so he goes on to tell them
all of the the details of what

542
00:37:10,520 –> 00:37:13,040
they had to do when they heard
the sound of all of these

543
00:37:13,040 –> 00:37:14,480
instruments.
They had to fall down and

544
00:37:14,480 –> 00:37:17,800
worship the golden image that
Nebuchadnezzar had made.

545
00:37:18,880 –> 00:37:21,440
But it was a command.
Did you notice in verse 4?

546
00:37:22,000 –> 00:37:26,320
And you, it’s commanded.
There wasn’t any option.

547
00:37:27,000 –> 00:37:30,280
There wasn’t any opportunity for
conscientious objection.

548
00:37:31,160 –> 00:37:33,680
And I’d like you to notice just
in passing, and we’ll come back

549
00:37:33,680 –> 00:37:41,400
to this in a moment, who he
commanded that law to says, O

550
00:37:41,400 –> 00:37:47,240
people, nations and languages.
Just make a mental note of that

551
00:37:47,240 –> 00:37:50,600
for the moment.
And then we find in verse 5 that

552
00:37:50,600 –> 00:37:53,160
this was the command, that at
what time you hear the sound of

553
00:37:53,160 –> 00:37:58,000
the cornet, flute, harp,
Sackbuck, sultry dulcimer, and

554
00:37:58,000 –> 00:38:01,640
all kinds of music, you fall
down and worship the golden

555
00:38:01,640 –> 00:38:07,560
image that Nebuchadnezzar had
set up that goes on and on,

556
00:38:07,680 –> 00:38:11,720
repeats and.
If they don’t fall down,

557
00:38:11,720 –> 00:38:14,800
whosoever falleth not down and
worship the same hour shall be

558
00:38:14,800 –> 00:38:17,360
cast in the midst of a burning
fiery furnace.

559
00:38:18,560 –> 00:38:22,880
So it’s not only a command,
there’s also real might to this

560
00:38:22,880 –> 00:38:26,600
law that’s going out.
And so there was a signal.

561
00:38:27,240 –> 00:38:29,800
When they were to worship the
flesh, there was a.

562
00:38:29,800 –> 00:38:32,080
Signal, and that signal was
music.

563
00:38:32,360 –> 00:38:34,600
Instruments.
So you can imagine what kind of

564
00:38:34,600 –> 00:38:36,960
music it was.
It was there to arouse the

565
00:38:36,960 –> 00:38:41,600
flesh, to incite the flesh to
bow down, and to glorify an

566
00:38:41,600 –> 00:38:48,080
image of a man who thought he’d
been elevated into heaven above

567
00:38:48,120 –> 00:38:50,920
Yahweh in the heavens.
That’s what it was all about.

568
00:38:51,280 –> 00:38:55,600
And music is a very, very
powerful medium, a very powerful

569
00:38:55,600 –> 00:38:58,040
medium.
And it was used on this occasion

570
00:38:58,520 –> 00:39:02,040
by Nebuchadnezzar to make all
peoples of his realm.

571
00:39:02,520 –> 00:39:06,240
To fall down on their knees and
worship the flesh.

572
00:39:10,240 –> 00:39:16,000
And if they didn’t, If there was
no voluntary response?

573
00:39:17,120 –> 00:39:22,680
Then they would get a little.
Help a little taste of the fiery

574
00:39:22,680 –> 00:39:25,480
furnace.
And perhaps that might.

575
00:39:25,480 –> 00:39:30,800
Convince them to drop onto their
knees and for the majority.

576
00:39:30,800 –> 00:39:33,200
If any had stood up, it
certainly would have helped.

577
00:39:33,880 –> 00:39:36,520
And did you notice that that
furnace is not?

578
00:39:36,520 –> 00:39:37,840
Just called a.
Furnace.

579
00:39:38,760 –> 00:39:43,840
It’s called a burning fiery
furnace.

580
00:39:44,480 –> 00:39:48,800
This was no ordinary furnace.
And did you notice in the record

581
00:39:48,800 –> 00:39:50,840
it’s mentioned?
8 times.

582
00:39:52,200 –> 00:39:55,120
That’s very significant.
We’ll come back to that later,

583
00:39:55,720 –> 00:39:59,560
but it’s mentioned. 8 times.
And so if a person refused to

584
00:39:59,560 –> 00:40:02,640
bow down and worship the flesh,
what was going to happen?

585
00:40:02,960 –> 00:40:07,160
They would be.
Sacrificed to Babylon’s God of

586
00:40:07,160 –> 00:40:13,680
the Fire and Nebuchadnezzar.
Would still be supreme.

587
00:40:15,480 –> 00:40:20,760
He would not.
Allow any challenge he had

588
00:40:20,760 –> 00:40:24,360
within his hand the power to do
anything he wanted.

589
00:40:24,520 –> 00:40:28,880
Men’s lives danced on his palm
if he said that’s the end.

590
00:40:29,320 –> 00:40:34,200
Of you, that was the end.
Or so he thought.

591
00:40:34,200 –> 00:40:38,760
And.
We find in verse 7, therefore,

592
00:40:39,680 –> 00:40:42,800
at that time when all the people
heard the sound of the quornet,

593
00:40:42,800 –> 00:40:44,800
the flute, the heart, the
sackpot, the sultry, and all

594
00:40:44,800 –> 00:40:47,320
kinds of music, see, they’re all
repeated, all six of them

595
00:40:47,320 –> 00:40:53,160
repeated again, all underline
it, Young people, all the

596
00:40:53,160 –> 00:40:57,560
people, the nations and the
languages, There’s that same

597
00:40:57,560 –> 00:41:02,000
phrase, fell down and worshipped
the golden image that

598
00:41:02,000 –> 00:41:05,240
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set
up.

599
00:41:05,600 –> 00:41:10,600
All his policies are.
Are working 100%.

600
00:41:12,120 –> 00:41:18,880
Debbie could never The thing has
now got everyone on their knees.

601
00:41:18,880 –> 00:41:23,320
Just where he wanted them.
Or so he thought.

602
00:41:24,200 –> 00:41:26,000
I want you.
To think, young people of

603
00:41:26,000 –> 00:41:35,560
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
they’re in the front row and

604
00:41:35,560 –> 00:41:40,920
they’re standing there with
everyone else, and the music

605
00:41:40,920 –> 00:41:49,680
starts and they see all around
them people starting to go down.

606
00:41:50,840 –> 00:41:54,920
And the music reaches A
crescendo and it’s getting

607
00:41:54,920 –> 00:41:58,680
louder and louder.
And they look out the corner of

608
00:41:58,680 –> 00:42:01,880
their eye and they can’t see
anyone else standing.

609
00:42:03,080 –> 00:42:07,640
And they look around and there’s
no one else anywhere standing.

610
00:42:09,800 –> 00:42:11,400
What do you think their knees
were feeling like?

611
00:42:14,280 –> 00:42:19,520
Ever felt weak in the knees?
I guarantee that day they were.

612
00:42:21,120 –> 00:42:23,000
They could have easily
rationalized that.

613
00:42:26,400 –> 00:42:28,760
They could have said.
In their minds.

614
00:42:28,760 –> 00:42:33,640
Well, really.
We’ve only just been honoured by

615
00:42:33,640 –> 00:42:36,360
Nebuchadnezzar and we probably
should be thankful for that.

616
00:42:36,360 –> 00:42:39,760
We ought to offend him, of
course, if we do.

617
00:42:39,760 –> 00:42:42,720
If we do bow down at this case,
it wouldn’t really mean that.

618
00:42:44,160 –> 00:42:46,120
That we were.
Worshipping his gods, And we

619
00:42:46,120 –> 00:42:48,960
could explain that to him
afterwards so that he understood

620
00:42:48,960 –> 00:42:50,480
that we weren’t worshiping his
gods.

621
00:42:50,840 –> 00:42:54,280
And and anyway, what’s the use
of really just sacrificing our

622
00:42:54,280 –> 00:42:56,200
lives for such a pointless
exercise?

623
00:42:57,320 –> 00:42:58,920
I mean, after all, what would
that really achieve?

624
00:42:58,920 –> 00:43:01,480
Surely we’ve got a greater work
to do here in Babylon.

625
00:43:01,600 –> 00:43:03,480
Surely we can encourage the
young captives.

626
00:43:03,480 –> 00:43:05,120
We know something about what
Daniel said.

627
00:43:05,520 –> 00:43:10,800
Surely let’s just go down and
we’ll explain for everything as

628
00:43:10,800 –> 00:43:15,800
ours.
Sounds plausible, doesn’t it?

629
00:43:18,400 –> 00:43:20,320
I wonder how many of us would
have taken that line.

630
00:43:21,960 –> 00:43:28,800
They knew that to go to stand
upright young people, they knew

631
00:43:29,960 –> 00:43:37,480
it meant certain death.
And remember this, that they

632
00:43:37,480 –> 00:43:41,080
didn’t know the end of this
story like we do.

633
00:43:42,320 –> 00:43:47,120
All they knew was that
Babylonians were awfully

634
00:43:47,120 –> 00:43:54,440
ruthless, Whatever they said
they meant, and it didn’t matter

635
00:43:54,440 –> 00:43:59,960
about men’s lives.
Life was awfully cheap in the

636
00:43:59,960 –> 00:44:05,200
hands of a potentate like
Nebuchadnezzar, and they’d seen

637
00:44:05,200 –> 00:44:06,760
that happen in their own
country.

638
00:44:08,320 –> 00:44:11,040
And with that knowledge, it was
not easy.

639
00:44:11,680 –> 00:44:15,200
To stand up and be counted.
And they counted the cost, young

640
00:44:15,200 –> 00:44:21,120
people, they counted the cost.
And the cost was their lives,

641
00:44:23,280 –> 00:44:26,560
nothing less.
It was their lives.

642
00:44:27,800 –> 00:44:31,000
There are many other faithfuls
through many generations who

643
00:44:31,000 –> 00:44:33,760
have faced exactly that same
situation.

644
00:44:34,520 –> 00:44:38,560
They’ve counted the cough.
And have lost their lives.

645
00:44:42,720 –> 00:44:45,360
Now they knew that Babylon’s
days were numbered.

646
00:44:45,360 –> 00:44:49,360
They knew that because.
They’d been in touch with

647
00:44:49,360 –> 00:44:52,520
Jeremiah before they left, and
they knew that Jeremiah had

648
00:44:52,520 –> 00:44:55,080
prophesied 70 years and they
would come out of the land.

649
00:44:55,080 –> 00:45:00,560
They knew Babylon’s days were
numbered, and they based their

650
00:45:00,560 –> 00:45:06,760
decision to stand up straight on
what they knew Jeremiah by the

651
00:45:06,760 –> 00:45:12,840
word of Yahweh had said, and not
on what they saw with their eyes

652
00:45:12,840 –> 00:45:16,800
and heard with their ears.
Young people.

653
00:45:17,680 –> 00:45:24,400
That’s what faith is all about,
to make decisions in everyday

654
00:45:24,400 –> 00:45:29,440
life that are based on what we
know and believe are right.

655
00:45:29,880 –> 00:45:33,480
Despite what our ears and our
eyes are telling us.

656
00:45:34,240 –> 00:45:39,000
Because very often what we see
and we hear are very, very

657
00:45:39,000 –> 00:45:44,160
deceiving signals.
Now we’re faced and young

658
00:45:44,160 –> 00:45:47,640
people, you know that you’re
faced with some very difficult

659
00:45:47,640 –> 00:45:53,200
situations at school, at
universities and sometimes in

660
00:45:53,200 –> 00:45:56,520
the workplace.
You’re faced with a pressure

661
00:45:56,840 –> 00:46:03,680
almost daily to conform to
conform to this age or not,

662
00:46:04,440 –> 00:46:07,480
there’s a decision and you’re.
Asked to stand up or drop onto

663
00:46:07,480 –> 00:46:11,600
your knees.
You’re asked sometimes and have

664
00:46:11,600 –> 00:46:15,320
pressure put on you to go to
worldly parties.

665
00:46:15,320 –> 00:46:19,360
What do you do?
Do you say no or say yes?

666
00:46:20,040 –> 00:46:20,760
Do you stand?
Up.

667
00:46:20,760 –> 00:46:24,400
What do you get on your knees?
You’re faced with the sitting in

668
00:46:24,400 –> 00:46:27,040
the schoolyard to join in with
all the crude jokes that are

669
00:46:27,040 –> 00:46:32,160
going around and have a snigger.
Have a snigger?

670
00:46:32,280 –> 00:46:36,160
Do you stay there?
Do you stand up or go on your

671
00:46:36,160 –> 00:46:40,040
knees?
Well, learn to stand up and

672
00:46:40,120 –> 00:46:44,600
think of Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego before that image with

673
00:46:44,600 –> 00:46:46,600
hundreds.
Of thousands of people behind

674
00:46:46,600 –> 00:46:49,040
watching them.
And you know.

675
00:46:49,080 –> 00:46:52,640
We we mentioned a moment ago
this little phrase O people,

676
00:46:52,640 –> 00:46:54,560
nations and languages, and it
was.

677
00:46:54,760 –> 00:46:57,000
All.
The people, nations and

678
00:46:57,000 –> 00:47:02,480
languages in verse 7 that had
fallen down onto their knees.

679
00:47:03,800 –> 00:47:07,120
Yeah, that phrase is used in.
Revelation to describe all the

680
00:47:07,120 –> 00:47:10,960
world.
Revelation 5 without turning to

681
00:47:10,960 –> 00:47:14,960
it, and in verse 8 and 9 says
and we would and that has

682
00:47:14,960 –> 00:47:20,200
redeemed us.
Out of every kindred and tongue

683
00:47:20,200 –> 00:47:24,320
and people and nation, and now
we’ve got all the peoples,

684
00:47:24,320 –> 00:47:28,440
nations, tongues bowing down and
they’re going to have to stand

685
00:47:28,480 –> 00:47:31,840
out of that and.
That who’s that’s who’s God?

686
00:47:31,840 –> 00:47:33,880
‘S looking at.
Because in the end.

687
00:47:34,400 –> 00:47:38,840
Counted amongst the redeemed are
those who’ve come out of all

688
00:47:38,840 –> 00:47:45,200
peoples, nations and tongues who
didn’t fit and didn’t conform to

689
00:47:45,200 –> 00:47:49,720
all their ways because they
belong to a society that was

690
00:47:49,720 –> 00:47:54,120
very different and when they
were in the midst of a situation

691
00:47:54,120 –> 00:47:56,040
that they were very
uncomfortable with.

692
00:47:56,520 –> 00:48:00,600
They stood.
Upright, verse 8.

693
00:48:01,960 –> 00:48:04,840
Wherefore at that time certain
called Inans came near, and

694
00:48:04,840 –> 00:48:08,040
accused the Jews.
Notice the term.

695
00:48:09,160 –> 00:48:13,480
The word accusing the Septuagint
is Diablo, from which we get to

696
00:48:13,480 –> 00:48:19,280
the Greek.
Diabolos falsely accuse, and out

697
00:48:19,280 –> 00:48:23,200
of jealousy they they accused
these Jews before

698
00:48:23,200 –> 00:48:25,560
Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar may not have even

699
00:48:25,560 –> 00:48:29,560
known.
With such a vast crowd, but who

700
00:48:29,560 –> 00:48:32,960
did notice were all of those who
were standing alongside and all

701
00:48:32,960 –> 00:48:35,120
around.
And that seemed these three men

702
00:48:35,120 –> 00:48:42,120
just raised to great prominence
overnight, and I hated them and

703
00:48:42,120 –> 00:48:44,440
what they stood for.
And the fact that they didn’t,

704
00:48:44,440 –> 00:48:47,520
really.
Conform to Babylonian ways.

705
00:48:47,800 –> 00:48:50,080
Look at the accusations.
You would expect them to go to

706
00:48:50,080 –> 00:48:52,920
Nebuchadnezzar and say, oh,
Nebuchadnezzar.

707
00:48:53,200 –> 00:48:55,840
There are three men who are
Jews.

708
00:48:56,280 –> 00:48:58,080
Who didn’t bow down to your
image?

709
00:48:58,360 –> 00:49:00,680
You know, they said two other
things before they said that.

710
00:49:01,400 –> 00:49:03,880
Notice what they said in verse
12.

711
00:49:04,520 –> 00:49:09,200
The three things are these that
they haven’t regarded the king,

712
00:49:10,960 –> 00:49:12,960
that they have not served the
King’s.

713
00:49:13,080 –> 00:49:16,440
Gods.
So they’re introducing all these

714
00:49:16,440 –> 00:49:17,920
other.
Things and then that they

715
00:49:17,960 –> 00:49:21,680
worship, not the golden image.
And it’s very interesting that

716
00:49:21,680 –> 00:49:24,880
their contemporaries very
clearly knew a lot more about

717
00:49:24,880 –> 00:49:27,280
them than what they saw on that
day.

718
00:49:27,640 –> 00:49:31,680
They knew that they did not
serve Babylonian gods.

719
00:49:31,760 –> 00:49:35,720
Now, how did they know that?
Because just them bowing down

720
00:49:35,720 –> 00:49:41,200
there on that day to that image
of Nebuchadnezzar was not going

721
00:49:41,200 –> 00:49:47,400
to merely tell them that.
Clearly they had spoken to these

722
00:49:47,400 –> 00:49:51,400
others before.
Verse 13 goes on to say then.

723
00:49:51,400 –> 00:49:53,880
Nebuchadnezzar and his.
Rage and fury commanded to bring

724
00:49:53,880 –> 00:49:56,680
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
and they were, and they brought

725
00:49:56,680 –> 00:49:59,320
these men before the king now.
Why did Nebuchadnezzar even do

726
00:49:59,320 –> 00:50:04,720
that?
Why didn’t he say, Don’t you

727
00:50:04,720 –> 00:50:09,200
understand?
Didn’t say that.

728
00:50:09,480 –> 00:50:11,200
Said.
Bring him here, even though he

729
00:50:11,200 –> 00:50:13,800
is.
Furious that anyone should

730
00:50:13,800 –> 00:50:18,800
possibly stand up against him.
And so we find that before this

731
00:50:18,800 –> 00:50:23,640
enraged king, we find these
three godly young men,

732
00:50:24,520 –> 00:50:28,120
Nebuchadnezzar Verse 14 spake
and said under them, Is it true,

733
00:50:28,120 –> 00:50:31,400
or is it probably more carefully
should be rendered?

734
00:50:31,520 –> 00:50:33,760
Is it with design, or is it with
purpose?

735
00:50:35,120 –> 00:50:38,520
Oh, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, do ye?

736
00:50:39,640 –> 00:50:44,120
Do not ye serve my gods, nor
worship the golden image which I

737
00:50:44,120 –> 00:50:46,320
have set up?
But he doesn’t wait for an

738
00:50:46,320 –> 00:50:48,560
answer, he just assumes that it
was.

739
00:50:48,840 –> 00:50:51,160
Not on purpose.
And there in itself is

740
00:50:51,160 –> 00:50:53,880
psychological pressure that’s
very difficult to resist.

741
00:50:54,280 –> 00:50:56,920
And young people, we are faced
with that sort of psychological

742
00:50:56,920 –> 00:51:01,480
pressure all the time, where
people might throw us a question

743
00:51:01,480 –> 00:51:04,080
and not wait for an answer and
just go on assuming that we’re

744
00:51:04,080 –> 00:51:07,080
going to conform.
And that’s what Nebuchadnezzar

745
00:51:07,080 –> 00:51:09,000
did.
Verse 15.

746
00:51:09,880 –> 00:51:13,360
Pressure is building.
Now, if you be ready at that

747
00:51:13,360 –> 00:51:15,960
time you hear the sound of the
cornet, flute and harp sack.

748
00:51:15,960 –> 00:51:18,720
But sultry Dolphin was 6 again,
and all kinds of music.

749
00:51:19,080 –> 00:51:22,640
And he fall down and worship the
image which I’ve made.

750
00:51:22,640 –> 00:51:25,960
Well, But if not he, shall we
cast the same arrow into the

751
00:51:25,960 –> 00:51:27,760
midst of the burning fiery
furnace?

752
00:51:31,000 –> 00:51:33,960
They knew all that.
Why was he giving them a second

753
00:51:33,960 –> 00:51:37,320
chance?
Well, I believe.

754
00:51:39,240 –> 00:51:43,320
He feared them.
And he knew in the back of his

755
00:51:43,320 –> 00:51:50,120
mind that what he was doing was
a challenge to Yahweh, and that

756
00:51:50,120 –> 00:51:55,480
these men truly were friends of
Daniel and servants of the true

757
00:51:55,480 –> 00:52:00,480
God.
And as perhaps a sign of a a

758
00:52:00,480 –> 00:52:04,560
guilty conscience on the part of
Nebuchadnezzar starting to

759
00:52:04,560 –> 00:52:07,360
emerge then?
But he rides roughshods straight

760
00:52:07,360 –> 00:52:10,000
over that, and he doesn’t stop
with just.

761
00:52:10,400 –> 00:52:13,320
Giving the previous command, he
continues and says the end of

762
00:52:13,320 –> 00:52:17,440
verse 15.
And who is that God that shall

763
00:52:17,440 –> 00:52:22,040
deliver you out of my hands.
End of story.

764
00:52:22,600 –> 00:52:29,400
Get back in front of the image.
And now they’ve been graciously

765
00:52:29,400 –> 00:52:32,160
given another chance.
Another.

766
00:52:32,160 –> 00:52:34,920
Opportunity.
But all it turned out to be

767
00:52:35,400 –> 00:52:39,760
young people was.
Another real pressure because

768
00:52:39,760 –> 00:52:43,120
now Nebuchadnezzar looks like
he’s the good guy.

769
00:52:43,240 –> 00:52:46,360
He’s the one that’s that’s
virtually saved their lives from

770
00:52:46,360 –> 00:52:48,560
the furnace and said, well, I’m
going to give you another

771
00:52:48,560 –> 00:52:51,000
chance.
Don’t you understand my mercy as

772
00:52:51,000 –> 00:52:53,000
such, that I’m going to give you
another?

773
00:52:53,000 –> 00:52:56,320
Chance now let’s not have.
Any more of this nonsense right

774
00:52:56,360 –> 00:53:04,000
back and we’ll try again.
How would you go opening your

775
00:53:04,000 –> 00:53:05,400
mouth?
In the face of that.

776
00:53:06,480 –> 00:53:10,000
But you see.
They’d been encouraged because

777
00:53:10,000 –> 00:53:14,240
Nebuchadnezzar himself had
raised the contest to the level

778
00:53:14,240 –> 00:53:20,080
of Yahweh versus the gods of
Babylon, and there was a

779
00:53:20,080 –> 00:53:25,480
stimulus to the faith.
Were they going to worry about

780
00:53:26,200 –> 00:53:32,080
Nebuchadnezzar?
‘S fire God, or Yahweh, the

781
00:53:32,080 –> 00:53:36,320
maker of heaven and earth.
And in their mind there was no

782
00:53:36,320 –> 00:53:40,640
doubt.
And so in verse 16, Shadrach,

783
00:53:40,720 –> 00:53:46,040
Meshach, and Abednego answered
and said unto the king, O

784
00:53:46,040 –> 00:53:49,480
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not
careful to answer thee in this

785
00:53:49,480 –> 00:53:51,160
matter.
It’s a poor translation.

786
00:53:51,480 –> 00:53:56,720
It really means we need not say
a word in answer to that

787
00:53:56,720 –> 00:54:01,760
question as another translation
has it, verse 17.

788
00:54:02,960 –> 00:54:04,680
If it be so.
Our.

789
00:54:04,680 –> 00:54:09,440
God, whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning

790
00:54:09,440 –> 00:54:13,920
fiery furnace, and He will
deliver us out of thine hand, O

791
00:54:13,920 –> 00:54:16,960
King.
But if not, be it known unto

792
00:54:16,960 –> 00:54:21,720
thee, O King, that we will not
serve thy gods, nor worship the

793
00:54:21,720 –> 00:54:25,440
golden image which thou has set
up.

794
00:54:26,200 –> 00:54:27,880
They weren’t being arrogant or
rude.

795
00:54:29,160 –> 00:54:37,200
Young people, they just had
tremendous faith to stand up and

796
00:54:37,200 –> 00:54:40,320
to say that they believed that
there was a God.

797
00:54:40,440 –> 00:54:42,800
Who could deliver and did you
notice?

798
00:54:42,920 –> 00:54:44,080
They didn’t say he.
Would.

799
00:54:45,600 –> 00:54:51,200
They have a God.
Whom they serve, who is able to

800
00:54:51,200 –> 00:54:54,520
deliver, And if it was his will,
he could.

801
00:54:55,320 –> 00:54:58,160
But if it wasn’t?
Then let him.

802
00:54:58,160 –> 00:55:02,400
Clearly know that they were.
Not under any circumstances

803
00:55:02,400 –> 00:55:08,200
going to still bow down and
worship that image or his gods.

804
00:55:10,000 –> 00:55:14,280
Now I believe.
It’s almost written into the

805
00:55:14,280 –> 00:55:19,560
record here that Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego had

806
00:55:19,560 –> 00:55:24,720
discussed that situation amongst
themselves before that moment.

807
00:55:25,480 –> 00:55:27,800
Did you notice in verse 4, verse
7?

808
00:55:27,800 –> 00:55:31,320
Sorry after we read.
From verse 4 onwards.

809
00:55:31,320 –> 00:55:36,560
About what the command was in
verse 7, it says Therefore at

810
00:55:36,560 –> 00:55:39,560
that time when all the people
heard the sound, so there was.

811
00:55:39,560 –> 00:55:43,160
Clearly a A.
Time lag between when the Herald

812
00:55:43,160 –> 00:55:44,640
came around and told everyone
what?

813
00:55:44,640 –> 00:55:47,280
They had to do.
And when the music actually.

814
00:55:47,280 –> 00:55:53,400
Started when the ceremony began
and those three faithful young

815
00:55:53,400 –> 00:55:55,000
men.
Would have been very.

816
00:55:55,000 –> 00:55:58,240
Concerned about the situation
they were in and no doubt had

817
00:55:58,240 –> 00:56:02,920
talked carefully and quickly
together and had discussed all

818
00:56:02,920 –> 00:56:06,280
the issues involved and had got
on their knees and prayed to the

819
00:56:06,280 –> 00:56:10,240
God of heaven and earth and
assort his guidance in this very

820
00:56:10,240 –> 00:56:16,240
difficult situation and stuck
together and determined amongst

821
00:56:16,240 –> 00:56:17,280
themselves.
That they would.

822
00:56:17,280 –> 00:56:20,080
Stay together because they knew
it was right.

823
00:56:20,560 –> 00:56:24,600
They’d made-up their minds
before the situation happened.

824
00:56:27,360 –> 00:56:31,040
Now, I believe if they hadn’t
made-up their minds very clearly

825
00:56:31,040 –> 00:56:36,360
amongst themselves that when it
came and that music began, the

826
00:56:36,360 –> 00:56:38,960
whole emotion of that
circumstance would have weakened

827
00:56:38,960 –> 00:56:41,440
their knees to such a point
where they looked around and saw

828
00:56:41,440 –> 00:56:43,120
that everyone else was down.
They too would.

829
00:56:43,120 –> 00:56:47,520
Have gone to their knees.
You know, there’s a very

830
00:56:47,520 –> 00:56:52,840
powerful lesson in that, young
people, if we allow ourselves to

831
00:56:52,840 –> 00:56:57,800
walk out onto the plain of Juror
in full sight of the glory of

832
00:56:57,800 –> 00:57:00,200
the.
Flesh of Babylon and all its

833
00:57:00,200 –> 00:57:04,400
might and all its gods.
And we think that on the spur of

834
00:57:04,400 –> 00:57:06,800
the moment we’re just going to
be able to make the right

835
00:57:06,800 –> 00:57:08,240
decision.
It’s going to be the godly one

836
00:57:08,240 –> 00:57:12,280
every time.
We are fooling ourselves if we

837
00:57:12,280 –> 00:57:14,720
walk out onto that plane of
juror, if we have not

838
00:57:14,720 –> 00:57:18,600
prayerfully and carefully
considered the dangers there and

839
00:57:18,600 –> 00:57:22,360
what we might do if we’re caught
in this situation or that, or

840
00:57:22,960 –> 00:57:26,200
what we might do to flee from
this or that, or how we’ll react

841
00:57:26,200 –> 00:57:28,920
to this or that.
Young people will be on our

842
00:57:28,920 –> 00:57:32,160
knees before we can, before I
can even think about it.

843
00:57:32,880 –> 00:57:39,600
The power in Babylon’s
psychological techniques will

844
00:57:39,600 –> 00:57:42,960
have us on our knees unless we
very carefully prepare.

845
00:57:43,240 –> 00:57:45,960
Now what I believe we have to do
young people with the depth of.

846
00:57:45,960 –> 00:57:47,160
Wickedness.
That’s in this.

847
00:57:47,160 –> 00:57:51,480
World is to think carefully
about situations and issues,

848
00:57:51,920 –> 00:57:55,040
weigh it up and talk about it
with our friends, our friends

849
00:57:55,040 –> 00:57:58,480
who are godly, who know their
Bibles and open them together

850
00:57:59,640 –> 00:58:01,840
and talk about things, ask each
other.

851
00:58:02,000 –> 00:58:03,880
What do you think God thinks
about this?

852
00:58:04,560 –> 00:58:05,760
How do you think I should handle
this?

853
00:58:05,880 –> 00:58:08,560
I came across this situation now
today, and I didn’t know what to

854
00:58:08,560 –> 00:58:10,640
do.
And I said yes and listen.

855
00:58:10,680 –> 00:58:12,880
And afterwards I thought
wretched about it.

856
00:58:12,960 –> 00:58:16,000
What do you think I should do?
Ask older brethren, Talk to your

857
00:58:16,000 –> 00:58:20,760
peers.
Open your Bibles on your knees

858
00:58:20,760 –> 00:58:24,120
in prayer to the Father.
That’s what they did.

859
00:58:24,240 –> 00:58:27,000
I believe out on the plain of
juror when they had very little

860
00:58:27,000 –> 00:58:29,920
time.
It’s no good our Bibles being

861
00:58:29,920 –> 00:58:31,520
shut.
In Nice.

862
00:58:31,520 –> 00:58:36,880
Cases when we’re outstanding in
front of that image and the

863
00:58:36,880 –> 00:58:41,160
music starts, a Bible is no good
then.

864
00:58:44,080 –> 00:58:48,440
The Bible is only any good if
it’s affected our minds before

865
00:58:48,440 –> 00:58:52,800
that time.
Never ever.

866
00:58:52,840 –> 00:58:56,680
Young people never, ever
underestimate the value of good,

867
00:58:57,840 –> 00:59:04,680
godly minded friends.
These three are never separated

868
00:59:04,680 –> 00:59:07,000
in this record.
Have you noticed that?

869
00:59:07,040 –> 00:59:11,440
Never separated.
When they say something, it says

870
00:59:11,600 –> 00:59:14,080
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
said.

871
00:59:14,880 –> 00:59:17,640
Does that mean that they sighted
in unison?

872
00:59:18,600 –> 00:59:21,640
I don’t think so.
But what it means is that there

873
00:59:21,640 –> 00:59:26,080
was no leader among there.
They were all terrified of that

874
00:59:26,080 –> 00:59:29,480
situation, but they were godly
enough to have worked out

875
00:59:29,480 –> 00:59:34,000
between them what they should
do, and they encouraged each

876
00:59:34,000 –> 00:59:43,560
other and stood together upright
because they had good companions

877
00:59:43,560 –> 00:59:47,840
alongside them.
You know, use your companions.

878
00:59:48,640 –> 00:59:52,760
Those young people who come from
a situation where there are

879
00:59:52,920 –> 00:59:56,520
other young people in your
ecclesia or in your surrounding,

880
00:59:57,760 –> 01:00:02,840
thank God for that.
Never underestimate the

881
01:00:02,840 –> 01:00:06,000
privilege and the blessing of
that and use it.

882
01:00:07,640 –> 01:00:12,800
Verse 19 with Nebuchadnezzar
full of fury.

883
01:00:15,280 –> 01:00:18,480
Then was Nebuchadnezzar sorry,
full of fury, and the form of

884
01:00:18,480 –> 01:00:23,000
his visage was changed against
Shadrach.

885
01:00:23,240 –> 01:00:26,160
He’s shaken a Bendigo.
Therefore he spake and.

886
01:00:26,160 –> 01:00:29,200
Commanded that they should heat
the furnace 1/7 times more than

887
01:00:29,200 –> 01:00:32,680
it was, won’t to be heated seven
times hotter than we’ve ever

888
01:00:32,680 –> 01:00:35,120
seen he did before, Rotherham
says.

889
01:00:36,080 –> 01:00:38,080
And now they had a chance to
change their minds.

890
01:00:38,080 –> 01:00:42,320
If they were quick.
If they were quick because the

891
01:00:42,320 –> 01:00:46,240
King’s face was distorted with
rage, as the Hebrew actually

892
01:00:46,240 –> 01:00:50,000
means.
And tragically, that last

893
01:00:50,040 –> 01:00:53,800
heating of the furnace makes
many young people buckle.

894
01:00:55,440 –> 01:01:00,120
That last seven times heating.
Visual impact of that as the

895
01:01:00,120 –> 01:01:03,480
pressure really comes on from a
world who wants to make them

896
01:01:03,480 –> 01:01:07,040
conform often just makes the
little bit of difference that

897
01:01:07,040 –> 01:01:09,560
crumples their knees and takes
them to the ground.

898
01:01:10,840 –> 01:01:13,640
Verse 20 And he commanded the
most mighty men that were in his

899
01:01:13,640 –> 01:01:16,560
army to bind Shadrach, Meshach,
and the Bendigo and.

900
01:01:16,560 –> 01:01:19,560
Cast them into the very.
Burning Fiery Furnace.

901
01:01:20,440 –> 01:01:23,360
Then these men were bound in
their coats, their hose, and in

902
01:01:23,360 –> 01:01:25,720
their hats, and their other
garments were cast in the midst

903
01:01:25,720 –> 01:01:30,520
of the burning fiery furnace.
Therefore, because of the King’s

904
01:01:30,520 –> 01:01:33,320
command, because of the King’s
command was urgent and the

905
01:01:33,320 –> 01:01:37,320
furnace exceeding hot, the flame
of the fire slew those men that

906
01:01:37,320 –> 01:01:43,360
took up Shadrach, Meshach and
the Bendigo, and these three

907
01:01:43,360 –> 01:01:46,240
men, Shadrach, Meshach and the
Bendigo.

908
01:01:47,800 –> 01:01:54,440
Fell down.
Not voluntarily.

909
01:01:55,680 –> 01:01:59,560
They fell down.
Bound into the midst of the.

910
01:01:59,560 –> 01:02:03,320
Burning Fiery Furnace.
What a frightening spectacle.

911
01:02:04,080 –> 01:02:06,400
You put your yourselves in that
situation.

912
01:02:06,400 –> 01:02:08,560
Young people, they didn’t.
Know what was going to happen.

913
01:02:08,560 –> 01:02:10,880
When they got in there.
It was certain.

914
01:02:10,880 –> 01:02:14,040
Death for them.
They were powerless, helpless

915
01:02:14,760 –> 01:02:16,920
and.
All they could do was pray to

916
01:02:16,920 –> 01:02:21,640
the God of heaven.
Verse 24 and 25 tells us that

917
01:02:22,160 –> 01:02:26,520
when they looked in, they saw
that there was 4.

918
01:02:27,280 –> 01:02:33,160
Men walking loose and they’d
thrown in three men.

919
01:02:33,280 –> 01:02:38,120
That were bound and there was a
great enigma here 3 bound had

920
01:02:38,120 –> 01:02:41,240
gone into the furnace and now as
they peered through the flames

921
01:02:41,240 –> 01:02:43,600
from a distance.
Nebuchadnezzar could see four

922
01:02:43,600 –> 01:02:47,600
men who were loose.
And they didn’t expect.

923
01:02:48,400 –> 01:02:51,400
Let alone Nebuchadnezzar.
But the three friends never,

924
01:02:51,440 –> 01:02:54,560
ever in their wildest dreams
expected an Angel to appear in

925
01:02:54,560 –> 01:02:57,360
that furnace.
They knew, as David had written

926
01:02:57,360 –> 01:03:01,240
many years before in Psalm 34,
that the Angel of Yahweh encamps

927
01:03:01,240 –> 01:03:03,440
around them that fears him and
delivers them.

928
01:03:03,560 –> 01:03:06,680
But they didn’t expect that God
had to do a miraculous

929
01:03:06,680 –> 01:03:10,200
deliverance on that day.
They understood by deliverance

930
01:03:10,240 –> 01:03:13,240
that in the end, when it came to
the time of the Kingdom, He

931
01:03:13,240 –> 01:03:16,720
would raise them again and they
would stand with the faithful of

932
01:03:16,720 –> 01:03:19,600
all ages.
But now, very literally, the the

933
01:03:19,600 –> 01:03:23,200
Angel of Yahweh was camping with
them in the midst of that fire

934
01:03:23,480 –> 01:03:28,120
because they believed that
Yahweh could deliver and because

935
01:03:28,120 –> 01:03:31,480
they believed that He could, He
did.

936
01:03:32,520 –> 01:03:36,360
Young people, that’s a powerful
lesson because they believed

937
01:03:36,600 –> 01:03:41,800
Yahweh could deliver.
He actually did, and Yahweh

938
01:03:41,800 –> 01:03:44,400
doesn’t change.
It doesn’t mean that you might

939
01:03:44,400 –> 01:03:47,880
get into a situation tomorrow or
the day after and expect some

940
01:03:47,880 –> 01:03:50,440
miraculous deliverance.
God won’t necessarily work like

941
01:03:50,520 –> 01:03:54,120
work like that, but if you
believe that can deliver you out

942
01:03:54,120 –> 01:03:58,680
of circumstances and out of the
grip of Babylon, He will.

943
01:03:59,280 –> 01:04:04,440
He will deliver.
He is able, these friends told

944
01:04:04,440 –> 01:04:08,680
Nebuchadnezzar.
And they came forth they came.

945
01:04:08,680 –> 01:04:11,800
Forth at the beckon of.
Nebuchadnezzar out of that fire,

946
01:04:12,120 –> 01:04:14,520
and notice how he addressed them
in verse 26.

947
01:04:15,240 –> 01:04:18,640
He said to them, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, ye

948
01:04:18,960 –> 01:04:24,600
servants of the Most high God,
come forth and come hit her.

949
01:04:25,520 –> 01:04:27,560
And he acknowledges in verse 28
the God of.

950
01:04:27,560 –> 01:04:30,600
Heaven and Earth and promoted
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

951
01:04:31,120 –> 01:04:35,440
to be seen and.
Rulers over all of the province

952
01:04:35,440 –> 01:04:40,320
of Babylon.
Well, that’s a very interesting.

953
01:04:40,320 –> 01:04:44,880
Story isn’t it?
But it’s not the end in.

954
01:04:56,290 –> 01:05:01,170
Fact, there’s much, much more in
Daniel chapter 3 we’re not going

955
01:05:01,170 –> 01:05:04,770
to spend a lot of time on, but
there is a marvellous parallel

956
01:05:05,370 –> 01:05:11,330
in this chapter about.
Whose servants we really are?

957
01:05:12,370 –> 01:05:16,640
Verse 28 holds the key.
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and

958
01:05:16,640 –> 01:05:19,680
said, blessed be the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

959
01:05:19,880 –> 01:05:24,120
who hath sent his Angel and
delivered his servants that

960
01:05:24,120 –> 01:05:30,040
trusted in him, and have changed
the King’s word and yielded

961
01:05:30,040 –> 01:05:34,240
their bodies, that they might
not serve nor worship any God

962
01:05:34,720 –> 01:05:38,200
except their own God.
You know, there’s the issue

963
01:05:38,520 –> 01:05:40,200
there.
It is, in a nutshell, young

964
01:05:40,200 –> 01:05:44,120
people, and the issue is this.
And I don’t believe there is a

965
01:05:44,160 –> 01:05:50,240
more important issue for you as
young people to come to grips

966
01:05:50,240 –> 01:05:56,880
with in your youth.
Who are you going to serve?

967
01:05:58,440 –> 01:06:00,160
That was the issue that they
were faced with.

968
01:06:00,480 –> 01:06:05,520
It’s the issue that
Nebuchadnezzar understood was.

969
01:06:05,520 –> 01:06:07,920
Being played out in that whole
incident.

970
01:06:08,240 –> 01:06:11,960
You see, the word servant or
service occurs in verse 12,

971
01:06:11,960 –> 01:06:15,360
verse 14, verse 17, verse 18,
verse 26, two verse 28.

972
01:06:15,560 –> 01:06:17,640
They’re all on the sheet.
Check them out later.

973
01:06:18,560 –> 01:06:21,120
But Jesus said you cannot serve
2 masters.

974
01:06:21,480 –> 01:06:22,960
You’re either hold of the one
who love the other.

975
01:06:23,040 –> 01:06:24,680
What will be vice versa?
You cannot.

976
01:06:24,680 –> 01:06:29,160
It doesn’t matter who you are,
you can’t serve 2 masters and

977
01:06:29,160 –> 01:06:30,840
you have to make a choice.
And if you don’t make a choice,

978
01:06:30,840 –> 01:06:34,000
it would be made certain.
It’s as simple as that.

979
01:06:34,400 –> 01:06:38,440
In life, you refuse to make a
choice and the choice is already

980
01:06:38,440 –> 01:06:42,120
made.
But you have a choice.

981
01:06:42,920 –> 01:06:46,240
If you want to make it, I’d like
you to hold your hand in Daniel

982
01:06:46,240 –> 01:06:49,800
chapter 3 and come across to
Romans. 6 because the issue.

983
01:06:49,800 –> 01:06:52,960
Of Romans 6 is whose servants
are we going to be?

984
01:06:53,160 –> 01:06:59,120
And we know that Romans 6 speaks
predominantly of baptism, but in

985
01:06:59,120 –> 01:07:06,920
Romans chapter. 6 And at verse
12 here the apostle Paul tells

986
01:07:06,920 –> 01:07:10,760
us very clearly.
To let not.

987
01:07:11,640 –> 01:07:15,920
King Sin.
Paralleled to.

988
01:07:16,480 –> 01:07:21,480
King Nebuchadnezzar, let not
King Sin therefore reign in your

989
01:07:21,480 –> 01:07:26,440
mortal body, that you should
obey it in the lusts thereof,

990
01:07:26,840 –> 01:07:29,440
obeying it in the lusts there of
young people is.

991
01:07:29,440 –> 01:07:34,080
Falling to our knees and doing.
What it says just as just as

992
01:07:34,080 –> 01:07:36,240
Babylon.
In Babylon, the friends were

993
01:07:36,240 –> 01:07:38,680
asked to fall to their knees and
to worship the image of Nick,

994
01:07:38,680 –> 01:07:41,960
King Nebuchadnezzar.
Don’t let King Sin reign.

995
01:07:42,120 –> 01:07:46,160
He will try all sorts of devious
persuasions, all sorts of

996
01:07:46,160 –> 01:07:51,640
tricks, all sorts of things to
try and get you to obey him,

997
01:07:52,040 –> 01:07:53,840
just like Nebuchadnezzar tried
to get.

998
01:07:54,160 –> 01:07:59,480
Those friends to obey him.
But verse 13 and 14 are even

999
01:07:59,480 –> 01:08:04,280
more interesting.
Neither yield ye your members as

1000
01:08:04,280 –> 01:08:06,600
instruments of unrighteousness
under King sin.

1001
01:08:07,040 –> 01:08:12,000
But yield yourself unto God, as
those that are alive from the

1002
01:08:12,000 –> 01:08:13,840
dead.
Now look at the.

1003
01:08:13,840 –> 01:08:16,040
Look at the.
Allusions here there are back to

1004
01:08:16,040 –> 01:08:19,040
this incident in Daniel chapter
3 and your members as

1005
01:08:19,040 –> 01:08:23,080
instruments of righteousness
under God for king, sin shall

1006
01:08:23,080 –> 01:08:27,200
not have dominion over you.
He won’t.

1007
01:08:28,040 –> 01:08:29,520
He doesn’t.
Have to have.

1008
01:08:29,520 –> 01:08:32,760
Dominion over you.
It’s your choice and you just

1009
01:08:32,760 –> 01:08:36,279
see the similarity of language.
Hold your hand in in Romans and

1010
01:08:36,279 –> 01:08:39,080
just turn back to Daniel, which
I still hope you’ve got.

1011
01:08:40,200 –> 01:08:47,560
And look at verse 28 again.
It says that in Nebuchadnezzar’s

1012
01:08:47,560 –> 01:08:49,080
words here.
And he delivered his servants

1013
01:08:49,080 –> 01:08:52,200
that trusted in him have changed
the King’s word, and yielded

1014
01:08:52,240 –> 01:08:56,880
their bodies, that they might
not serve nor worship any God

1015
01:08:56,880 –> 01:08:59,760
except their own God.
It’s the same language that Paul

1016
01:08:59,760 –> 01:09:01,560
takes up about.
You’re about yielding.

1017
01:09:01,560 –> 01:09:06,240
Ourselves, our members of
instruments of righteousness or

1018
01:09:06,240 –> 01:09:09,359
unrighteousness to God.
And then look at verse 16 back

1019
01:09:09,359 –> 01:09:13,600
in Romans, we are now verse 16.
He says no, you’re not that.

1020
01:09:13,600 –> 01:09:14,680
To.
Whom?

1021
01:09:14,680 –> 01:09:20,279
Ye you yourselves servants to
obey His.

1022
01:09:20,279 –> 01:09:24,760
Servants, ye are to whom ye
abet, whether sin unto death or

1023
01:09:24,760 –> 01:09:29,600
obedience unto righteousness.
But it’s whom you yield yourself

1024
01:09:29,600 –> 01:09:32,240
to.
That you’re under the dominion.

1025
01:09:32,319 –> 01:09:35,240
Of and that’s very interesting.
It’s not who we.

1026
01:09:35,240 –> 01:09:38,680
Say is our master, young people,
that’s what Paul is saying here.

1027
01:09:38,920 –> 01:09:40,920
It’s not whom we say our master
is.

1028
01:09:40,920 –> 01:09:42,680
That’s our true master.
It’s.

1029
01:09:42,680 –> 01:09:47,760
To whom we.
Yield ourselves and our lives.

1030
01:09:48,040 –> 01:09:49,880
That’s the one, that’s our
master.

1031
01:09:49,880 –> 01:09:52,080
And it’s.
Either sin or it’s gone.

1032
01:09:52,960 –> 01:09:55,040
It’s as simple as that.
There is no black and white.

1033
01:09:55,200 –> 01:09:57,560
We can’t try and grey it out in
the middle.

1034
01:09:57,920 –> 01:10:01,880
We are either servants of God or
we are servants to King Sin.

1035
01:10:01,880 –> 01:10:06,600
It’s as simple as that.
And King Sin is a very, very

1036
01:10:06,600 –> 01:10:10,560
powerful monarch.
What more powerful parallel

1037
01:10:10,560 –> 01:10:13,480
could you ever offend in
Scripture because Nebuchadnezzar

1038
01:10:13,480 –> 01:10:17,000
was supreme monarch of the
world?

1039
01:10:18,040 –> 01:10:21,760
Everything, he said.
Went and he didn’t always have

1040
01:10:21,760 –> 01:10:24,120
to use might.
He used a lot of cunning and

1041
01:10:24,120 –> 01:10:26,640
subtle means.
His policy.

1042
01:10:27,280 –> 01:10:30,200
Force everyone to bow down and
worship the flesh.

1043
01:10:30,280 –> 01:10:31,640
That was Nebuchadnezzar’s
policy.

1044
01:10:31,760 –> 01:10:35,040
And King Sin has exactly the
same policy.

1045
01:10:35,440 –> 01:10:39,520
And what was his strategy?
Nebuchadnezzar used grandeur and

1046
01:10:39,520 –> 01:10:44,440
size and impressive things.
All the majority, the mighty

1047
01:10:44,440 –> 01:10:46,480
men, all came and they all bowed
down.

1048
01:10:46,640 –> 01:10:48,680
That’s a powerful, powerful
tool.

1049
01:10:50,120 –> 01:10:54,680
Peer pressure, the majority, is
a powerful tool used by King Sin

1050
01:10:54,680 –> 01:10:58,040
to make us bow down.
And so all the impressive,

1051
01:10:58,760 –> 01:11:01,480
apparently.
Permanent things we see around

1052
01:11:01,480 –> 01:11:04,360
us.
All they look so so permanent

1053
01:11:04,600 –> 01:11:07,320
that we think King Sin is
enthroned here.

1054
01:11:07,320 –> 01:11:12,320
Forever.
But it’s all it’s all just in

1055
01:11:12,320 –> 01:11:15,040
the appearances.
But you know, there was another

1056
01:11:15,040 –> 01:11:18,400
tool that kings King
Nebuchadnezzar used, that king

1057
01:11:18,400 –> 01:11:23,160
sin also uses young people.
And it was the music of the

1058
01:11:23,160 –> 01:11:24,920
flesh.
Remember, there were six

1059
01:11:24,920 –> 01:11:29,640
instruments.
Music has a very powerful

1060
01:11:29,640 –> 01:11:34,640
emotional pull and today’s
depraved pop culture.

1061
01:11:35,160 –> 01:11:39,640
That has corrupted millions upon
millions of young minds around

1062
01:11:39,640 –> 01:11:44,960
the world, continues in exactly
the same strategy of King

1063
01:11:44,960 –> 01:11:50,000
Nebuchadnezzar evolved.
Today’s pop culture ridicules

1064
01:11:50,000 –> 01:11:54,560
anything that’s decent, holy,
good, and rights and more than

1065
01:11:54,560 –> 01:11:57,880
virtues, those things that are
absolutely abhorrent and

1066
01:11:57,880 –> 01:12:01,000
despicable.
I would never counsel you better

1067
01:12:01,000 –> 01:12:04,640
than sisters to go and listen to
pop music that this world’s

1068
01:12:04,640 –> 01:12:09,640
children are listening to.
It is horrific to say the least.

1069
01:12:10,160 –> 01:12:13,840
I’ve picked up at school
cassettes and looked at the

1070
01:12:13,840 –> 01:12:17,040
labels and my eyes have fallen
out of my head.

1071
01:12:17,800 –> 01:12:22,440
I couldn’t even read.
The labels here tonight have

1072
01:12:22,440 –> 01:12:26,880
made me to see what the titles
of the songs are.

1073
01:12:27,520 –> 01:12:33,120
Let alone the content.
And that’s not an isolated piece

1074
01:12:33,120 –> 01:12:38,000
of music in today’s younger
generation pop culture.

1075
01:12:39,440 –> 01:12:47,600
It’s intended to excite, to
incite the flesh to rebellion

1076
01:12:47,840 –> 01:12:51,840
and free lust.
End of story.

1077
01:12:53,560 –> 01:12:59,440
And this world’s advertisers and
promoters know exactly that, and

1078
01:12:59,440 –> 01:13:03,760
they’re riding on a multi
billion dollar wave out of the

1079
01:13:03,760 –> 01:13:08,280
lives of individual young people
around this world who’ve become

1080
01:13:08,280 –> 01:13:13,040
addicted to this filthy rubbish
Nebuchadnezzar tried.

1081
01:13:13,040 –> 01:13:14,560
Exactly.
The same things.

1082
01:13:14,880 –> 01:13:16,680
No, brother John Carter once.
Said.

1083
01:13:17,560 –> 01:13:22,760
The mind is insensibly affected
by the stream of thoughts

1084
01:13:22,760 –> 01:13:26,960
passing through it.
You imagine what this filthy

1085
01:13:26,960 –> 01:13:30,800
rubbish is doing to the minds of
this generation’s young people

1086
01:13:31,160 –> 01:13:40,280
who have the plug in drug in
their ears round mesmerized of

1087
01:13:40,280 –> 01:13:43,920
every day.
We have children in their teens

1088
01:13:43,920 –> 01:13:48,520
coming to school plugged in.
They are pulled out when they

1089
01:13:48,520 –> 01:13:52,120
get to when they get to school.
If it’s not confiscated, it’s

1090
01:13:52,280 –> 01:13:55,640
plugged back in at recess time
and then it’s pulled out again

1091
01:13:55,640 –> 01:13:57,480
and plugged back in at
lunchtime.

1092
01:13:57,720 –> 01:14:00,000
It’s pulled out.
It’s plugged back in in lessons.

1093
01:14:00,160 –> 01:14:03,360
It goes on and on.
It’s addictive.

1094
01:14:04,120 –> 01:14:11,080
Young people, don’t touch it.
It will corrupt your minds.

1095
01:14:11,280 –> 01:14:16,720
It’s dulling the intelligence
and sensitivity and moral power

1096
01:14:17,000 –> 01:14:20,480
of a whole generation that is
getting themselves ready to be

1097
01:14:20,680 –> 01:14:23,200
destroyed by Christ and the
Saints.

1098
01:14:23,560 –> 01:14:27,320
It’s that serious.
Nebuchadnezzar knew what music

1099
01:14:27,320 –> 01:14:31,040
can do, the music of the flesh.
Has.

1100
01:14:31,040 –> 01:14:36,800
To be avoided.
It prevents thinking, ah, it’s a

1101
01:14:36,800 –> 01:14:39,560
terrible thing.
You know I’ve had young.

1102
01:14:39,560 –> 01:14:46,480
People tell me both at school
and within the ecclesia that

1103
01:14:46,480 –> 01:14:48,880
they’ve tried to get off some of
that stuff.

1104
01:14:51,160 –> 01:14:57,680
I had a young lad at school tell
me it was three years since he

1105
01:14:57,680 –> 01:15:03,280
stopped listening to some
horrendous heavy metal music,

1106
01:15:05,240 –> 01:15:07,320
but he said with almost tears in
his eyes.

1107
01:15:08,120 –> 01:15:11,880
It keeps coming back.
I just see all these images all

1108
01:15:11,880 –> 01:15:14,360
the time.
I just keep thinking the words

1109
01:15:14,360 –> 01:15:16,560
all the time.
I just can’t get rid of it.

1110
01:15:17,120 –> 01:15:21,400
It just keeps coming back.
Her music’s like that, isn’t.

1111
01:15:22,200 –> 01:15:25,960
It we teach our little.
Children the books of the Bible

1112
01:15:26,120 –> 01:15:30,280
to song because it’s easy to
learn and they can just remember

1113
01:15:30,280 –> 01:15:36,960
the tune and it all comes back.
And this world’s filth is being

1114
01:15:36,960 –> 01:15:41,400
fed into the minds of a
generation of young people and

1115
01:15:41,400 –> 01:15:45,760
corrupting their intelligence
and their moral faculties to the

1116
01:15:45,760 –> 01:15:48,320
point where they won’t be able
to respond.

1117
01:15:49,040 –> 01:15:53,520
What a tragedy.
A tragedy of the 1st order young

1118
01:15:53,520 –> 01:15:57,520
people.
Avoid it like the plague.

1119
01:16:02,800 –> 01:16:10,160
Music changes not only our
ability to think, but with

1120
01:16:10,160 –> 01:16:15,600
corrupting and degrading
sentiments will change our

1121
01:16:15,600 –> 01:16:19,400
behaviour.
How do we get rid of it?

1122
01:16:19,960 –> 01:16:23,000
I know this.
I know this from talking to some

1123
01:16:23,000 –> 01:16:25,840
of our young people.
Some of whom are here tonight.

1124
01:16:27,200 –> 01:16:31,360
I know that some of them don’t
know how to get off it.

1125
01:16:33,040 –> 01:16:35,320
They want to, but they don’t
know how.

1126
01:16:37,560 –> 01:16:42,080
I wonder sometimes how after
going to a a young people’s

1127
01:16:42,080 –> 01:16:46,600
class and being uplifted by
consideration of some part of

1128
01:16:46,600 –> 01:16:49,640
the word of God and thrilling to
that, and talking amongst

1129
01:16:49,640 –> 01:16:54,960
themselves afterwards can jump
into their car and turn on the

1130
01:16:54,960 –> 01:16:59,280
filth of the world.
Leave it off, young people,

1131
01:16:59,880 –> 01:17:03,720
leave it off.
Make a determination to change

1132
01:17:04,920 –> 01:17:08,480
and replace it with something.
Replace it with something that’s

1133
01:17:08,480 –> 01:17:13,040
a bit more elevated, a bit more
God centered.

1134
01:17:13,920 –> 01:17:16,920
Just try.
Even if you don’t like listening

1135
01:17:16,920 –> 01:17:22,960
to something like the massage or
Mendelssohn’s Elijah, just try.

1136
01:17:23,400 –> 01:17:26,600
Just try.
For 15 minutes a day.

1137
01:17:26,760 –> 01:17:28,840
Just try it.
And do it.

1138
01:17:28,840 –> 01:17:34,960
Every day for a fortnight.
Just try it, and it just might

1139
01:17:34,960 –> 01:17:40,360
surprise you that you actually
can respond to that and it

1140
01:17:40,360 –> 01:17:46,200
actually is likable and it is
actually elevating as opposed to

1141
01:17:46,520 –> 01:17:51,400
the degrading sentiments of most
of today’s pop music.

1142
01:17:53,400 –> 01:17:59,760
But that wasn’t the only other
form of strategy that Kings

1143
01:17:59,920 –> 01:18:01,920
Nebuchadnezzar and Kingston
uses.

1144
01:18:03,200 –> 01:18:05,120
There was a herald crying with
might.

1145
01:18:05,480 –> 01:18:06,640
With.
Might.

1146
01:18:07,240 –> 01:18:10,600
Oh, and there’s a mighty strong
voice around that’s not going to

1147
01:18:10,600 –> 01:18:12,680
give up.
It’s not going to give up.

1148
01:18:12,680 –> 01:18:14,560
Young people don’t think it
will.

1149
01:18:15,040 –> 01:18:19,960
Saying to you every day, maybe
not in these words, but in

1150
01:18:19,960 –> 01:18:22,880
action, in attitude, it’s saying
to you.

1151
01:18:24,120 –> 01:18:28,720
You decide what you want to do
for yourself.

1152
01:18:29,160 –> 01:18:32,440
And if you want to bow down, you
bow down.

1153
01:18:33,920 –> 01:18:36,680
And you stick up for your
rights.

1154
01:18:37,160 –> 01:18:40,800
And don’t let some.
Airy fairy, God in the sky, Some

1155
01:18:41,200 –> 01:18:46,240
concept get in the way of what
your body is telling you.

1156
01:18:46,680 –> 01:18:52,040
You should do.
You know, there’s young people.

1157
01:18:52,040 –> 01:18:54,800
Within.
Our young people’s circle,

1158
01:18:55,000 –> 01:19:02,080
brethren and sisters who are
talking now about their rights.

1159
01:19:03,920 –> 01:19:06,960
Why haven’t I got the right to
do?

1160
01:19:06,960 –> 01:19:12,120
This or that.
That should ring bells in our

1161
01:19:12,120 –> 01:19:13,480
minds.
Warning bells.

1162
01:19:14,320 –> 01:19:15,600
Why?
Can’t I?

1163
01:19:16,680 –> 01:19:21,360
Surely it’s my life and I can
decide for myself what I want to

1164
01:19:21,360 –> 01:19:25,360
do with my life.
Now.

1165
01:19:25,360 –> 01:19:27,520
If you open your ears, you’ll
hear that around the place.

1166
01:19:27,960 –> 01:19:30,400
Not perhaps.
Quite as in exaggerated form as

1167
01:19:30,400 –> 01:19:35,120
I just said then.
But you’ll also hear my opinion

1168
01:19:35,120 –> 01:19:37,800
is just as important as you,
yours anyway.

1169
01:19:38,320 –> 01:19:43,920
What you’re saying is only an
opinion anyway, to a brother who

1170
01:19:43,920 –> 01:19:48,880
might have been 60 years in the
truth and has borne the heat and

1171
01:19:48,880 –> 01:19:54,400
burden of the day.
All around us there are people

1172
01:19:54,400 –> 01:19:58,040
on their knees.
Their plans, their ambitions,

1173
01:19:58,080 –> 01:20:01,960
their activities.
Are all centred around

1174
01:20:01,960 –> 01:20:06,040
satisfying the flesh and the
worship and.

1175
01:20:06,040 –> 01:20:09,920
Elevation of it and the King’s
command is.

1176
01:20:09,960 –> 01:20:12,960
Ever so simple.
Ever so simple.

1177
01:20:13,720 –> 01:20:20,160
All the king said was just.
Let go, just relax.

1178
01:20:21,080 –> 01:20:23,240
Can’t hurt.
You can’t study the Bible all

1179
01:20:23,240 –> 01:20:27,680
the time.
Just why don’t we just go out

1180
01:20:27,680 –> 01:20:30,040
for pictures just one night in
the week?

1181
01:20:30,360 –> 01:20:36,600
Surely that can’t hurt.
Don’t be deceived.

1182
01:20:36,600 –> 01:20:41,040
It’s not easy to do what’s right
when others are doing wrong.

1183
01:20:41,440 –> 01:20:44,560
And it’s even harder young
people to do what’s right when

1184
01:20:44,560 –> 01:20:47,800
other other young people are
doing wrong.

1185
01:20:48,720 –> 01:20:52,760
But stand up straight.
You can as.

1186
01:20:52,760 –> 01:20:56,800
Easily, brethren and sisters, as
well, assess the effects that

1187
01:20:56,800 –> 01:21:00,840
King’s seen as having on us by
what we do with our time, what

1188
01:21:00,840 –> 01:21:02,720
we do with our money, what we do
with our.

1189
01:21:04,440 –> 01:21:11,360
Where we go, I’m not trying to
underestimate the pressures that

1190
01:21:11,360 –> 01:21:12,560
are.
Falling on our young people

1191
01:21:12,560 –> 01:21:14,560
today they’re they’re quite
enormous and the.

1192
01:21:14,560 –> 01:21:17,280
Whole of the advertising.
Industry is focusing on young,

1193
01:21:17,520 –> 01:21:20,240
on youth, because they have.
Disposable income.

1194
01:21:20,960 –> 01:21:23,800
And they’ll target them for
dress and, and young people feel

1195
01:21:24,000 –> 01:21:28,720
as though they have to have
brand names and particular

1196
01:21:28,920 –> 01:21:34,400
trendy hairstyles that they have
to see this movie or go there or

1197
01:21:34,400 –> 01:21:38,680
try this or experiment with
drugs or experiment with sex.

1198
01:21:39,360 –> 01:21:42,000
We’ve got to make up our minds,
young people, before we go out

1199
01:21:42,000 –> 01:21:44,800
on the plane of Bureau.
Whose servants are we?

1200
01:21:45,800 –> 01:21:50,000
Issue and young people, I can
tell you this, that decision has

1201
01:21:50,000 –> 01:21:56,640
to be made very often before
you’re baptized, because at 1314

1202
01:21:56,640 –> 01:22:01,240
you’re going to be expected to
know whose servants you are.

1203
01:22:02,720 –> 01:22:04,640
And that’s an.
Awful responsibility that’s

1204
01:22:04,640 –> 01:22:07,520
falling on the shoulders.
Of our children and parents,

1205
01:22:07,640 –> 01:22:11,000
help them to bear that.
But we have.

1206
01:22:11,000 –> 01:22:13,600
This assurance, young people,
I’d like you to come to 1st of

1207
01:22:13,600 –> 01:22:21,640
Peter Chapter 3, first Peter
chapter 3 and at verse 12 we

1208
01:22:21,640 –> 01:22:28,400
have this assurance.
For the eyes of the Lord are

1209
01:22:28,400 –> 01:22:32,120
over the righteous.
It is ears are open under their

1210
01:22:32,120 –> 01:22:36,040
prayers, but in the face of the
Lord, but the face of the Lord

1211
01:22:36,040 –> 01:22:39,520
is against them that do evil.
And who is he that will harm

1212
01:22:39,520 –> 01:22:41,840
you?
If you be followers of that

1213
01:22:41,840 –> 01:22:45,840
which is good, who is there?
And if you suffer for

1214
01:22:45,840 –> 01:22:47,200
righteousness sake, happy are
you.

1215
01:22:47,200 –> 01:22:49,920
But be not afraid of their
terror, neither be troubled.

1216
01:22:50,320 –> 01:22:53,880
But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts.

1217
01:22:53,920 –> 01:22:57,400
Let me retreat that to you from
the RSV it says, but sanctify

1218
01:22:57,480 –> 01:23:01,800
the Lord as Christ, Christ as
Lord in your hearts.

1219
01:23:03,360 –> 01:23:06,040
And be ready to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a

1220
01:23:06,040 –> 01:23:09,280
reason of the hope that is
within you, with meekness and

1221
01:23:09,280 –> 01:23:11,840
fear, having a good conscience.
That whereas they speak.

1222
01:23:11,840 –> 01:23:16,440
Evil of you as evil doers, they
may be ashamed that falsely

1223
01:23:16,440 –> 01:23:19,320
accuse your good conversation in
Christ.

1224
01:23:19,600 –> 01:23:23,280
You see, the key is this, young
people, to sanctify Christ as

1225
01:23:23,280 –> 01:23:27,480
Lord, not king sin.
To sanctify in your heart Christ

1226
01:23:27,720 –> 01:23:36,560
as Lord, and let not king sin
reign, and prepare for the day

1227
01:23:36,560 –> 01:23:39,680
that you go out into the into
the plain of juror.

1228
01:23:39,760 –> 01:23:42,880
And be ready with a hope that’s.
Within you, not in your Bible.

1229
01:23:43,400 –> 01:23:46,160
It’s in there for sure, but it’s
not going to do any good unless

1230
01:23:46,160 –> 01:23:49,160
it’s in you and you’ll be able
to stand.

1231
01:23:49,720 –> 01:23:53,560
But when you make a stand, young
people, brethren and sisters of

1232
01:23:53,600 –> 01:23:57,680
age and experience know this
only too well, that when we make

1233
01:23:57,680 –> 01:24:01,160
a stand, the pressure won’t
decrease.

1234
01:24:01,880 –> 01:24:04,880
It will often increase just as
it did in those days when

1235
01:24:04,880 –> 01:24:08,280
Nebuchadnezzar stirred up that
furnace until it was 7 times

1236
01:24:08,280 –> 01:24:10,440
hotter than it had ever been
before.

1237
01:24:12,240 –> 01:24:13,360
You know what the Apostle Paul
said?

1238
01:24:13,360 –> 01:24:18,680
He said let all that, all that
live godly, that live.

1239
01:24:18,800 –> 01:24:21,840
Godly, not profess, but live
godly in Christ Jesus shall

1240
01:24:21,840 –> 01:24:24,560
suffer persecution.
And it’s a lot of all the

1241
01:24:24,560 –> 01:24:26,880
faithful, as we’ve seen from a
couple of other studies.

1242
01:24:27,560 –> 01:24:30,200
The lot of all God’s faithful
servants.

1243
01:24:30,200 –> 01:24:32,400
Are going to have to.
Walk this path where there’s

1244
01:24:32,400 –> 01:24:34,440
pressure, but no pressure has a
purpose.

1245
01:24:35,360 –> 01:24:38,000
And here it’s so beautifully
explained.

1246
01:24:38,360 –> 01:24:39,440
We’re going to finish on this
tonight.

1247
01:24:39,440 –> 01:24:44,400
It is absolutely beautifully
illustrated in this little

1248
01:24:44,400 –> 01:24:49,920
parable.
You see those three young men?

1249
01:24:50,440 –> 01:24:56,600
Were bound.
By King Sin, and thrown into a

1250
01:24:56,600 –> 01:25:03,960
furnace, and when they came, and
when they came, when they got

1251
01:25:03,960 –> 01:25:05,480
into that furnace.
You know what?

1252
01:25:05,480 –> 01:25:11,320
Happened, the ropes burnt off,
they were freed and they.

1253
01:25:11,320 –> 01:25:14,800
Came out and were elevated.
To the top of the.

1254
01:25:14,800 –> 01:25:18,000
Kingdom.
Now we’re in First of Peter.

1255
01:25:18,000 –> 01:25:23,560
If you turn back a page the
First of Peter chapter 1 and

1256
01:25:23,560 –> 01:25:27,080
these are words we must have
read hundreds of times, but you

1257
01:25:27,080 –> 01:25:30,200
think of them in this context
first of Peter one.

1258
01:25:31,360 –> 01:25:35,000
It’s talking about our lively
hope in verse 3 verse 6, wherein

1259
01:25:35,000 –> 01:25:37,240
you greatly rejoice, though now
for a season.

1260
01:25:37,240 –> 01:25:40,040
If need be your in heaviness
through manifold temptations,

1261
01:25:40,920 –> 01:25:46,320
that the tribe trial of your
faith, being much more precious

1262
01:25:46,320 –> 01:25:53,000
than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire,

1263
01:25:53,760 –> 01:25:59,320
might be found unto praise and
honour at the appearing of Jesus

1264
01:25:59,320 –> 01:26:02,880
Christ.
What interesting words.

1265
01:26:03,160 –> 01:26:07,960
Here faith and gold are put
alongside each other, and it’s

1266
01:26:08,000 –> 01:26:12,480
gold which perishes.
And there was a golden image on

1267
01:26:12,480 –> 01:26:15,600
the plain of Juror, and it’s
matched against faith.

1268
01:26:17,280 –> 01:26:20,040
And he says.
The trial of your faith is much

1269
01:26:20,040 –> 01:26:23,400
more precious than gold that’s
going to perish, even though

1270
01:26:23,400 –> 01:26:27,080
that faith is going to be tried
in the fire and that faith is

1271
01:26:27,080 –> 01:26:30,200
going to go into the fire and
what’s going to happen to it

1272
01:26:30,200 –> 01:26:31,080
when?
It comes into the.

1273
01:26:31,080 –> 01:26:32,960
Fire.
It’s going to be found under

1274
01:26:32,960 –> 01:26:37,720
praise and honour at the hearing
of our Lord Jesus Christ and

1275
01:26:37,720 –> 01:26:41,080
it’s going to have its bounds
freed and it’s going to be

1276
01:26:41,080 –> 01:26:45,680
elevated into glory.
Faith is going to do that, and

1277
01:26:45,680 –> 01:26:46,640
in that little.
Parable.

1278
01:26:46,640 –> 01:26:49,080
That’s exactly what it saw it.
It says the.

1279
01:26:49,080 –> 01:26:54,600
Fire of trial is going to free
us residents, sisters and young

1280
01:26:54,600 –> 01:26:57,560
people of the bondage of king
sin.

1281
01:26:58,600 –> 01:27:01,560
Think of that verse 8 whom he
says.

1282
01:27:02,440 –> 01:27:05,320
Talking of Christ, having not
seen ye love, and in whom,

1283
01:27:05,320 –> 01:27:09,280
though ye now see Him not yet
believing, ye rejoice with joy

1284
01:27:09,280 –> 01:27:12,560
unspeakable and full of glory,
receiving the end of your faith,

1285
01:27:12,760 –> 01:27:14,720
even the salvation of your
souls.

1286
01:27:15,000 –> 01:27:16,320
And so.
That.

1287
01:27:16,320 –> 01:27:18,480
Really is the essence of faith,
isn’t not.

1288
01:27:18,720 –> 01:27:21,400
Seeing the unseen, though, we
don’t see.

1289
01:27:21,400 –> 01:27:25,240
Now, yet believing and
rejoicing.

1290
01:27:25,240 –> 01:27:28,640
With full of.
Glory that one day we’ll stand

1291
01:27:28,840 –> 01:27:35,680
delivered, freed.
Saved through the power of a

1292
01:27:35,680 –> 01:27:39,040
tried faith.
What have we seen?

1293
01:27:53,500 –> 01:27:57,860
That the world will always try
to force conformity in its

1294
01:27:57,900 –> 01:27:59,660
thinking, in its ways and
behaviour.

1295
01:28:00,500 –> 01:28:03,420
Whilst we’re in Babylon, we’re
godly.

1296
01:28:03,420 –> 01:28:07,580
Trial will always be inevitable,
but we’ve got to learn to stand

1297
01:28:07,580 –> 01:28:12,020
up and do what’s right despite
what the majority are doing.

1298
01:28:13,120 –> 01:28:15,240
We are His servants to whom we
obey.

1299
01:28:16,040 –> 01:28:19,640
We have the choice and God is
able to deliver.

1300
01:28:21,040 –> 01:28:25,800
If we believe He can, He will.
Deliverance requires faith,

1301
01:28:25,960 –> 01:28:28,080
courage, and determination by
soul.

1302
01:28:29,440 –> 01:28:32,520
Let’s always be be ready.
To give an answer of the hope

1303
01:28:32,520 –> 01:28:36,000
that’s.
Within us and to make good youth

1304
01:28:36,880 –> 01:28:40,640
and thank God for the companions
that he has given us.