Convictions that Shape Our Lives- Part 2
Daniel 3:8-18
Facing Difficult Decisions
to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good 1
And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 2
Context:
It should be remembered that perhaps some eighteen years had elapsed since the transaction
referred to in ch. 2 occurred (see Notes on ch. 3:1), and Daniel may have been employed in some
remote part of the empire on public business. 3
Intro: Every difficult decision we make in life needs to have criteria for how we make the
“right” decision.
- Courage for God’s Word
o It took a drastic amount of courage for these young men to look the king in the eye
and say “No.”
No. Is not an easy word, though short.
It is a powerful word, and it is a COURAGEOUS word.
o “All pluralistic societies are the same. This is the way they operate: Privately, you can
worship the way you want, but publicly you will be like everyone else.” — Tim Keller
o There is a subtle dulling that takes place to your courage for Christ.
One of the most important ways to stay sharp is to keep Godly people close
in your life.
Proverbs 27:17
Keeping Godly people close will give you remarkable courage for Christ.
It dismisses the lie that youre alone
That you struggle alone
This is why being a part of a church is important.
You can certainly grow close to God outside of an assembly, BUT it
is hard to stay that way.
The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:12 - 12 “ And though a man might
prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not
quickly broken.” 4
- Conviction for God’s Will.
o “But if not...” verse 18
This is their way of saying, “We will follow God even if it doesn’t go
the way we want.
THAT IS CONVICTION FOR GOD’S WILL.
o I want to do life God’s way, and if it doesn’t go the way I want, I still happy because I
know God’s path through hardship is better than my path around it.
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Da 3:15.
2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Da 3:15.
3 Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Daniel, vol. 1 (London: Blackie & Son, 1853), 214.
4 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ec 4:12.
o This is one of the hardest things to accept in our walk with the LORD.
o APPLICATION: So often our prayer life is built around, “Lord, do things the way I
want.”
What does your faith look like when your wants and God’s will do not align?
Do you say, “But if not...I’ll still follow you, Jesus...”
Nevertheless, not my will but yours.
- Clarity for God’s Way.
o ILLUSTRATION: One famous Senate subcommittee in 1967 was told that by
1985, the average American would work only twenty-two hours a week for twenty-
seven weeks a year.
The experts then believe that tech would make leisure time more
abundant. THE TRUTH: THE WORLD’S TECH HAS INCREASED
PRODUCTIVITY AND DEMAND.
There was a study done that was reported in Business Insider on July
13, 2016 that reported that the average iPhone user touches there
phone 2,617 times per day.
THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR: LISTEN TO THE WORLD AND THE
SCIENCE AND IT WILL MAKE LIFE BETTER.
THE TRUTH- IT DIDN’T
CONNECTION- FOR MANY PEOPLE IN SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND
ABEDNEGO’S DAY...THEY COULDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY COULDN’T
SIMPLY BOW DOWN.
o APPLICATION:
o Some believe that convictions of Godly Christians refer to a bunch of rule-following
fuddy duds.
o There is MASSIVE DECEPTION of the enemy in this perspective.
o God does not lead you into bondage, but out of it.
o God’s convictions are always leading you away from the bondage of sin.
o TEXT: On the surface, it appears that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could
avoid bondage, pain, or judgment by simply bowing to the idol.
o IT ALWAYS APPEARS THIS WAY. IT ALWAYS LOOKS EASIER TO BEND
THE KNEE TO THE WORLD. IT ALWAYS LOOKS EASIER TO
COMPROMISE YOUR MORALS, SURRENDER YOUR VALUES, TELL GOD
TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WON’T LISTEN.
o BUT IN THE END, IT IS CERTAIN SLAVERY.
o THE MOST FREEING THING YOU CAN DO IN LIFE IS FOLLOWING
YOUR BIBLICAL CONVICTIONS. IT WILL CONTINUALLY LEAD YOU TO
FREEDOM IN CHRIST.
o For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of
slavery. 5 — GALATIANS 5:1
- BIG IDEA: If I want to be God-led, I CANNOT be idol-bent.
o CONCLUSION
5 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ga 5:1.
