Identity Theft – 4

Subject: Taking Responsibility for your Identity

Rick Welborne

Joshua 24:15-24 (NCV)
¹⁵  But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.“
¹⁶  Then the people answered, “We will never stop following the LORD to serve other gods!
¹⁷  It was the LORD our God who brought our ancestors out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land, but the LORD did great things for us there. He brought us out and protected us while we traveled through other lands.
¹⁸  Then he forced out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the LORD, because he is our God.“
¹⁹  Then Joshua said, “You are not able to serve the LORD, because he is a holy God and a jealous God. If you turn against him and sin, he will not forgive you.
²⁰  If you leave the LORD and serve other gods, he will send you great trouble. The LORD may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will destroy you.“
²¹  But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.“
²²  Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD.“ The people said, “Yes, we are.“
²³  Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the gods that you have. Love the LORD, the God of Israel, with all your heart.“
²⁴  Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God, and we will obey him.“ 

--As we continue to look at this subject of “Identity Theft” I am concerned about how our world will look and what our children and grandchildren will face in the days ahead. 

--Everyday there is at least one story where this issue of gender identity is brought up…a guy who competes as a girl in weight lifting and wins the National Championship in that division.

--Issues in multiple states where men claiming their identity is female going into the women’s restrooms and videoing the ladies in there…of course you do not here this on the national news.

--Stay with me on this one…A guy who attempts to be a girl but finds out that he is attracted to females, now claims to be a lesbian woman…what? We try so hard to exchange God’s truth for lies.

--Don’t misunderstand me, I truly believe these people need our help and our prayers. Most of them have been abused in one form or another and have definitely lost their way.

--It is our responsibility to show them the way not just in words but in how we live. We will more than likely have to do spiritual warfare to see them set free. We must agonize in prayer!

--Just remember, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has the power to set all of them free just like He did for us. We should never look down our noses at others because we were lost too.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
¹⁰  nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
¹¹  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

--In our text today Joshua is getting ready to pass from the scene and he is giving some very important great instructions. The more I meditated on these verses the more I saw them in the context of our identity.

Joshua 24:15 (NCV)
¹⁵  But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.“

--That last sentence was so magnified by Holy Spirit that I could not get away from it…we must make a choice when it comes to ourselves, our families, and our determination to serve God.

1. As for me, I choose to find my identity in Christ.

--It almost sounded like Joshua was trying to talk the people out of serving God…I know how your ancestors lived and how they served the gods of the Amorites. Who were these Amorites?

Amorite – People of the hill country - Bitter; a rebels; babblers.

--Joshua was asking…who are you going to identify with…the Lord or your ancestors who were a bitter bunch of rebels who were mostly talk and trouble!

--I am so concerned that our culture, our environment have turned people (even many in the church) into pathetic, wimpy, can’t do anything, won’t stand for what’s right, dependent on everyone else, weaklings.

--Where are the men who will stand up for what is right and not be afraid to be real men…our culture is trying to take away who God meant for us to be…God never intended men to be effeminate and emasculated. 

--I am not saying that all men have to go out and slay a dear for dinner or love sports or be able to bench press 300 pounds but I think it is time for some Joshua’s to come forth…not afraid to fight for what is right!

--Joshua said…as for me…maybe I can’t speak for anyone else but as for me…I will serve God, I will fight for what is right, and I will be a leader, I will lead my family…I will be God’s man!

--Before it was politically incorrect, little boys played army and they played cowboys and Indians. We dreamed of being the hero of every fight we were in…we imagined doing great feats! 

--We blew something up, we got rid of the bad guys, and we rescued the damsel in distress. We wanted to be the strongest, the fastest, the best. We wanted to come in on a white horse and rescue everyone.

--Kind of like Jesus when he comes back for the final battle…He is coming on a white horse and we are coming with Him to do battle with the enemies of God and we will win…shout Hallelujah! 

Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)
¹¹  Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
¹²  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
¹³  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 

¹⁵  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
¹⁶  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

--Joshua said…as for me…there is a time to be a suffering servant and a time to be a conquering King. There is a time that a man has to rise up and say I am heading to war and I am heading to rescue everyone I can.

--Jesus does not sound wimpy to me, at all, He sounds strong, powerful, protective! Listen men, trust me, your wives and ladies, in general, are still looking for their prince coming on a white horse.

--You can be that man. Feel that gap! Take your place and let your wife and children know that as for me…I am going to serve the Lord…no more excuses…no more being weak!

--The truth is that if you do not feel the gap, someone else will…it is the principle of the vacuum…it is true at home, at work, at church…wherever…You fill that gap! Be like Jesus!

Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV)
³⁰  "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

--I wish some men would get on their feet and say…as for me!!!! I will be that man!

2. As for your family, you will help them find their identity in Christ.

--I am well aware of the dynamics or make up of our church when it comes to family and what that looks like for our congregation.

--We have traditional families with mom and dad and the kids. We have husbands and wives and no kids. We have singles and we have single moms. We have widows and widowers.

--Everyone is an integral part of the body of Christ that makes up Life Church A/G. All of you are important to God and to us.

--Someone in that family has to take the lead…someone has to say and mean it…as for me and my family…we will serve the Lord. 

--As I have already stated, there are men in our church who should take the lead and lead their wife and children in the ways of God and His Word.

--Some of you single moms have a great challenge before you, in that you are trying to lead your family without the help of a husband or dad in the house.

--Let me throw in here…you may be a single mom because you made some bad choices along the way, maybe you were in a marriage where you were done wrong or maybe you did wrong and it fell apart.

--As long as you have given your heart totally to the Lord…you can be the one saying…as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.  This is what the Lord says about you:

Isaiah 54:4-5 (NIV)
⁴  "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
⁵  For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. 

--Get past the fear, the disgrace, the humiliation, the shame, your loneliness and realize that God is your husband now…He is your redeemer so let Him redeem you…As for me and my family!

--No more excuses…you will take what life has given you and you will serve the Lord…you and your family!

--Your family is looking to you for leadership…by God’s grace make some declarations and lead. We parents or parent are the greatest hope of our kids salvation and calling. Yes, it is a tough job!

--You may say…My kids are choosing the wrong path…listen, as long as they are in your house you lead them to God, to church, to the Word…you show them the way…As for me and my house!

3. As for you and your family, you will find your identity in serving the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 (NCV)
¹⁵  But if you don’t want to serve the LORD, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.

--The Scriptures are clear, in that, we only have two choices in whom we will serve…it is either God or Mammon, money, the Cosmos, the world, the flesh, ourselves, Satan.

Matthew 6:24&31-33 (NLT)
²⁴  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
³¹  “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
³²  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
³³  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

Dave Arnold – Faith is the link that connects our weakness to God’s strength. When we depend on ourselves, people can see what we can do. When we serve and depend on God, people can see what He can do.

--As for you and your family, serve God…be faithful and watch what He will do!

2 Peter 2:9 (NCV)
⁹  So the Lord knows how to save those who serve him when troubles come. He will hold evil people and punish them, while waiting for the Judgment Day.

Listen to what Jesus said when Satan tried to tempt Him to bow down:

Luke 4:5-8 (NIV)
⁵  The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
⁶  And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
⁷  So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
⁸  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 

Biblical Spiritual Warfare – 4

Subject: Daniel Engaging in Spiritual Warfare

by Rick Welborne

Daniel 10:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.
²  In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.
³  I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
⁴  Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,
⁵  I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!
⁶  His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
⁷  And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
⁸  Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.
⁹  Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
¹⁰  Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.
¹¹  And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
¹²  Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
¹³  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
¹⁴  Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come." 

--Thank you so much your willingness to spend the last two Wednesdays in prayer and to do spiritual warfare for the Easter Production and for those who need a breakthrough…again I say “Wow!”

--Your prayer and your warring in the Spirit truly pushed back darkness and made room for the awesome presence of God to show up in a beautiful way.

--The singing was great, the music selected was great, the musicians did great, the tech people did such a wonderful job, but what made the difference was the anointing of God.

Isaiah 10:27 (KJV)
²⁷  And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.  

--The Assyrians had used and abused God’s people long enough and God was tired of it…as we push back darkness tonight let us pray God is fed up with our Assyrians. 

Isaiah 10:24-26 (NLT)
²⁴  So this is what the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago.
²⁵  In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.”
²⁶  The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the LORD’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea.  

--Tonight we want to look at Daniel doing spiritual warfare and how that will apply to us as we confront our enemies.

1. Daniel chose in the middle of his spiritual warfare to fast and pray.

--Why was he fasting and praying…because God’s people, Israel and Judah and turned from God and had rebelled…it broke Daniel’s heart. I hope and pray that our hearts are broken for the sin of the church and US.

--This year, May 4, is the National Day of prayer and how fitting is it that the verse Daniel spoke will be used as the theme.

Daniel 9:19 (NLT)
¹⁹  “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”

--Isn’t this what we want Jesus to do in the middle of our spiritual warfare…To hear! To forgive! To act!

--Daniel made a decision that things were bad enough that something had to be done in the spiritual realm… he figured fasting and praying was all that would work…what about us?

--Daniel was saying the battle is on! As we fast and pray for our miracle (whatever that is) with a sincere heart we have the assurance that God will move on our behalf! We should have high expectations!

2. We can expect many wonderful things in our lives as we do this spiritual warfare.

A. We can expect an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Matthew Henry – A description of the glorious whom Daniel saw in vision, which, is generally agreed, could be no other than Christ Himself, the Eternal Word. There he looked up, and saw One man Christ Jesus. It must be He, for He appears in the same resemblance wherein He appeared to St. John on the Isle of Patmos.

Revelation 1:13-15 (NKJV)
¹³  and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
¹⁴  His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
¹⁵  His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;

--Pastor Rick, this was way before Jesus was born…that is true, as far as, Jesus being born on this earth but He has been with the Father since the beginning.

John 1:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²  He was in the beginning with God.
³  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 

B. You may be alone in your encounter with God.

--Don’t expect others to understand what God has spoken or revealed to you…verse 7&8.

--I believe God is going to bless us corporately for our spiritual warfare but I also believe He will make it personal to our battles.

--Daniel was overwhelmed by the Presence of the Lord and that can happen to us also. Daniel could hear God speaking even though he was in a deep sleep. Ezekiel and John also had this experience. Slain in the Spirit.

C. We are going to experience some “Suddenly-s” as we fast, pray, and do spiritual warfare.

--V 10 Suddenly a hand touched me…not just any hand…Day of Pentecost – Suddenly there was a sound…study the suddenly verses.

--How many of you want the hand of Jesus to touch you…just one touch can change everything.

D. As we seek God I believe we will hear Him speak incredible words to us.

--¹¹  And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved…You are greatly loved…you too!

--understand the words that I speak to you…You will receive wisdom in your situation.

--and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you…stand up and get ready for what I am about to do! Eph. 6 says when you have done all to stand, keep standing.

--V.12 says Do not fear, Daniel…Don’t be afraid for I am with you! I know you are seeking Me and I am here.

I have come because of your words…your prayer has been heard.

3. God is keenly aware that we are in a fierce spiritual war and He is here to rescue us.

Daniel 10:13 (NKJV)
¹³  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

--To me, this sounds exactly like the spiritual warfare that Paul was talking about:

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee - Again, here are the gradations of rank in the forces of Satan. Their power may explain the reason your prayer and my prayer have not yet been answered. Actually, prayer is fighting a spiritual battle always. Paul made it clear that prayer was a spiritual battle for him. "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me" (Rom. 15:30). "Strive together" is the Greek word sunagonizom -- from this root we get our English word agonize. You and I are to agonize in prayer. Prayer has been made a light sort of thing today. Most of the prayers I hear are either very flowery or very theological, and I think we could do without both kinds. Real prayer is agonizing. It is getting through the barriers to release spiritual power. It is not done by trying to entertain the Lord with flowery language or by trying to be very profound and theological. My friend, we are fighting a spiritual battle!

--So what are we trying to say…the answer or request you are asking of God may be delayed but hang in there.

--We need to learn to pray agonizing prayers that actually produce or birth something in the middle of this spiritual warfare.

--In this day of social media we can have a prayer request every few minutes from someone who is in a desperate situation. We can see news live with people being killed!

--It is easy to “Like” something or even say “praying” or even give one of those token prayers and passively say a quickie…Lord, help them. Our sincerity is questionable at best.

--It is only when we are moved by Holy Spirit to take up the cause, to take up the battle, and to do spiritual battle until something breaks.

Galatians 4:19 (NLT)
¹⁹  Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.

Colossians 1:28-29 (NIV)
²⁸  We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
²⁹  To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

--Here’s the question…where is the struggle, where is the agony, where is the anguish? Oh, you need prayer, you are in a desperate situation…here comes a token your way.

--Do not grow weary in your battle…persevere until the end!

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT)
¹  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
²  “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
³  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’
⁴  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
⁵  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
⁶  Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.
⁷  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
⁸  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

Daniel 10:12 (NKJV)

¹²  Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.

Identity Theft - 3

Subject – Know Your Identity by Knowing Your God

by Rick Welborne

Daniel 3:10-18 (NLT)
¹⁰  You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
¹¹  That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.
¹²  But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
¹³  Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in,
¹⁴  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
¹⁵  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--Last week we looked at Identity Theft and how it has infiltrated so many areas of our everyday lives…today we will look at how we must fight against this enemy who is trying desperately to rob from us.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Most everyone in this room would do everything in your power to keep thieves out of your house and away from your possessions but we freely let in the thief into our hearts and minds.

--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are beautiful examples of how we do not have to let that happen and how we can take a stand against the onslaught of the enemy.

--We will look today at: they knew who their God was, they knew who their god wasn’t, and they knew 

they could trust Him even in the fire.

1. They knew Who their God was.

--At this time King Nebuchadnezzar has made a decision that universal idolatry would be carried out by a decree of the king and whoever would not honor it would be judged.

--This sounds so much like what is going on in America…a president can write an executive order about gender identity (former president) and expect everyone to just accept it as law.

--How ridiculous has it become when people want to choose which bathroom they want to use determined by whichever gender identity they feel that day.

--If I feel like a duck or a fish today, can I swim in your pool or pond? Pastor Rick, you are not showing much compassion or sympathy for these people who are struggling with this.

--Let’s think this thru…we may have a few thousand who are struggling with this…men who want to use the women’s restrooms and we want to change the laws in every state to make them feel comfortable.

--What about the millions of women and young girls who would be terribly uncomfortable with this crazy decision…what about their emotions and what about their rights.

--I can tell you, if I saw a man going in the restroom after my wife and daughter just went in…I would definitely feel that manly protection need kick into gear and go kick him in the rear.

--What am I saying…what I am saying is this, we should not and hopefully will not accept everything that this world tells us we have to comply to…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t feel that way.

--The apostles did not feel that way when they were told to stop speaking and preaching in the Name above every name and that is the Name of Jesus.

Acts 4:17-22 (NLT)
¹⁷  But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
¹⁸  So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
¹⁹  But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
²⁰  We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
²¹  The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God
²²  for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years. 

--The three Hebrew young men and the apostles knew who their God was and they were not about to compromise what they knew in their hearts and had studied in the Pentateuch – first five books of the Bible.

--Another means of Identity Theft is the world telling us what we should believe and even accusing us of misrepresenting God…you’re God would not treat people that way…really?

--We, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must know Who our God is and we must know our identity is found in Him, not what people try to make Him into.

--Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our God is the Great I am, our God is consisting of the Trinity…Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Listen to these Names of God:

Almighty  - Alpha -  Amen - Angel of the Lord - Anointed One - Author and Perfecter of our Faith Beginning - Branch - Bread of Life - Bridegroom - Carpenter - Chief Shepherd - The Christ Comforter - Consolation of Israel - Cornerstone – Dayspring - Day Star - Deliverer - Desire of Nations - Emmanuel  - End - Everlasting Father - Faithful and True Witness - Foundation - Fountain - Friend of Sinners - Gate for the Sheep - Gift of God - Glory of God - Good Shepherd - Great Shepherd - Guide - Head of the Church - High Priest - Holy One of Israel - Horn of Salvation - I Am - Jehovah - Jesus - King of Israel - King of Kings - Lamb of God - Last Adam - Life - Light of the World - Lion of the Tribe of Judah - Lord of Lords - Master - Mediator - Messiah - Mighty God - Morning Star - Nazarene - Omega - Passover Lamb - Physician - Potentate - Priest - Prince of Peace - Prophet - Propitiation - Purifier - Rabbi - Ransom - Redeemer - Refiner - Refuge - Resurrection - Righteousness - Rock - Root of David - Rose of Sharon - Ruler of God's Creation - Sacrifice - Savior - Second Adam - Seed of Abraham - Seed of David - 

Seed of the Woman - Servant - Shepherd - Son of David - Son of God - Son of Man - Son of Mary - Son of the Most High - Stone - Sun of Righteousness - Teacher - Truth - Way - Wonderful Counselor - Word - Vine

--He is the One we better stay connected to. Do you know Who your God is?

Psalm 9:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
⁸  He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
⁹  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 

2. They knew who was not their God.

- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that King Nebuchadnezzar was not their god and he was not where they found their identity. Though they were slaves in a foreign land they knew God’s promises.

--Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon…though they were in captivity…listen to this promise:

Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NIV)
¹⁰  This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.
¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
¹²  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
¹⁴  I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

--What was this saying to them and what is it saying to us? God will show up in the middle of what this cosmos is trying to force down our throats and we do not have to conform to their demands.

--Keeping your identity may mean a turning up of the heat, it may mean you are singled out to be the one targeted (like the lady who owned the bakery), it may mean your peers are against you.

--That’s ok if you understand “If God be for you, who can be against you?”

--These guys knew that serving God may cost them something, in their case it may cost them everything! They knew that whether by life or by death, they were not going to forget who they were in God.

--They knew that ultimately the One to Whom they would bow their knee would not be King Nebuchadnezzar but to the Lord God Almighty.

 Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
¹¹  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

--The earthly king could only affect their earthly life but many of us are looking for something better…we are looking for a city whose Builder and Maker is God. Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
²⁸  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew their identity was in God and not Nebuchadnezzar. Do not fear but stand in the courage of whose identity you bear…Christian…we bear Christ’s identity.

3. They knew they could trust God even in the fire.

--When you know Who your God is and you know who your god is not…you are in a better place to trust God no matter what you are facing.

--I am sure we are in agreement about this, and I pray that our faith increases more and more, that we will see the hand of God heal, deliver, provide, and basically answer all our prayers right now.

--After serving God for such a long time and studying the Word for all those years I have concluded that God does not always answer the way we want Him to or as quickly as we want Him to.

--By many standards and by the recycling of an erroneous doctrine that tries to make us believe that we can have whatever we want whenever we ask…we are totaling missing God.

--People tell me that all we have to do is believe and receive. Many today would say these Hebrew young men did not have faith by their response to the king:

Daniel 3:14-18 (NLT)
¹⁴  Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
¹⁵  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
¹⁷  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
¹⁸  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

--When they said “but even if He doesn’t” they were not speaking faith or were they…How many of their Hebrew friends had died because they refused to bow their knee…these boys just might die…die trusting God.

--Listen to Job and Jesus…they knew their identity in God and knew they could trust Him no matter what.

Job 13:15-16 (NIV)
¹⁵  Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
¹⁶  Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him! 

Matthew 26:42 (NLT)
⁴²  Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”