Daniel 3:16-28 (New International Version)

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king."

25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

The scene should be familiar to us all. Martin Luther was standing before the most powerful man in all the world, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King Charles of Spain. As a dutiful servant of the Pope, the Emperor had summoned Luther to appear before him at the city of Worms in Germany to take back, to denounce what he had written and taught from the Word of God. Luther knew that it was a life or death decision. History had shown that a violent death awaited any man who would dare to oppose the power or teachings of the pope.

So what did Luther do? Calling upon God as his witness Luther responded to the Emperor’s request, “I can not and will not recant. Here I stand, God help me amen.” What a faithful servant of living God Martin Luther was, a servant whose work and life we celebrate and remember today. Martin Luther was a faithful servant.

Martin Luther was not the only person who stared death in the face for his faith in the living God. There were many before him. We have such an example in the portion of God’s Word before us today. It’s the Old Testament believers Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into a fiery furnace. On this Reformation Day 2009 as we remember the life and work of Martin Luther and as we hear about these three heroes of faith, let us pray,

”LORD HELP US BE FAITHFUL SERVANTS OF THE LIVING GOD

I. By putting God’s Word and Command above every word and command,

II. By putting our trust in God’s power to save.

Recall that these three Old Testament believers were some of the Jews who had been carried off into captivity there. They had been chosen to be advisers to the king of Babylon whose name was Nebechednezzar. They were held in high regard by the king. But now a problem had arisen. The king had built a large golden statue and made a law that when the people heard some special music being played they were all to bow down and worship this idol. If anyone disobeyed they would be put to death in a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew who the true and living God was and they also knew that in the First Commandment God had said, “You shall have no other Gods.” So they had a decision to make. Were they going to obey the law of the king or were they going to obey the Word of God? In spite of the king’s threat, they showed themselves to be faithful servants of the living God by putting his Word and Command above the word and Command of the king. Listen again to what Daniel tells us. “16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’ 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.”

By the grace of God, Martin Luther was also a faithful servant of the living God. Like the three men in the fiery furnace, he, too, put God’s Word above every other word and command. Let’s review again just a few highlights of the Reformation. Recall that Luther was brought up in a strict Catholic home. Although his father wanted him to be a lawyer, Luther became a monk hoping to find peace with his Maker before he died. Through the Augustinian Order of Monks, which he joined, Luther became a priest and finally a teacher of Theology at Wittenberg University. It was through his study of Scripture that Luther not only found the true way to salvation which is by faith alone in Christ Jesus, he also learned that what his church was teaching was often in direct conflict with what the Scriptures had to say. And when Luther tried to bring his church’s teachings back in line with what God’s Word taught, he came into conflict with the Pope. It all started over the sale of indulgences which was a piece of paper guaranteeing forgiveness to the person who bought it. Knowing that forgiveness from Christ cannot be bought but comes as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ, Luther worked very hard to convince others of true gospel message. Because Luther’s efforts were cutting into the sale of indulgences which the pope was going to use to build St. Peter’s basilica in Rome, the leaders of the Catholic church wanted Luther silenced. That’s what led to the meeting at Worms which we mentioned earlier. Luther was called before the emperor to take back what he had been teaching. But Luther would not. He was bound by God’s Word and would not recant even though he knew it might mean death for himself. How thankful we are today, that by the grace of God, Martin Luther was such a faithful servant of the Living God. Because he was willing to put God’s Word above even the word of the two most powerful men in the world at that time, we have God’s Word today.

The question before us is this, “Are we faithful servants of our Lord?” “Are we always ready and wil-ling to put God’s Word and Command above every other word and command, even if it would mean personal harm and danger? Or are we tempted, yes even willing to sacrifice the truths of God’s word just to avoid being criticized by others or looked upon as being fanatics? There will always be pressure from the world and enemies of God’s word to let up on our stand on God’s Word. Think of the criticism that comes our way regarding what we teach about living together before marriage or about unscriptural divorces? Think of the criticism we endure regarding our Biblical practice of not worshiping or communing with other churches when there is no unity in doctrine. The Lord only knows what dangers will come as a result of the militant gay movement in our country that now has a foothold in many Lutheran churches. Dear friends, let us not be fooled into thinking that the day will never come when we will be asked to take back what we teach and believe or to stop praying to or worshiping our God! And when that day comes, will we be faithful servants of the living God? Pray God that he will forgive us the times when we haven’t been faithful to his Word in the past and pray that he give us the strength to say with Luther, “We are bound by the Word of God. Here we stand, God help us.”

II.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego were not only faithful servant of Gods in putting God’s Word above every other word, but also because they placed their trust in God to rescue them.

The events of our text are amazing. When Nebechadnezzar made that foolish law about worshipping the golden idol, he also attached an arrogant challenge. He said, “If anyone disobeys they will be thrown into a fiery furnace and then let’s see what god can save them.” Well...we know what happened. Even though the king ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter so that it killed the soldiers who threw them in, God was able to save these faithful servants. We are told that when the king looked in the furnace there were four men, unbound and unharmed. The angel of the LORD had saved them from the fire. In fact we are told that when the men came out, no garment of theirs was burned, no hair was singed, and they didn’t even smell like smoke. These faithful servants of the living God had placed their trust in the LORD to save them, and he did.

The God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted to save them from death is the same God whom Luther trusted too. As we have already mentioned, Luther’s life was in danger. The Pope, the emperor, and others wanted Luther dead. And it was not by mere accident that through all those perilous times Luther’s life was spared. He placed his trust in God to protect him and God did.

But Luther trusted in God to rescue him from some thing far worse than physical death. Recall that in his younger years Luther had been taught to trust in his own good works to save himself from God’s just wrath and eternal punishment. But from God’s Word Luther learned that only God can save sinners. And he has. Through the perfect life and innocent death of his own Son, God provides the righteousness that sinners need for heaven. And really, this is what the Reformation is all about wasn’t it? The Reformation wasn’t about a German monk who wanted social change in the world or who simply wanted to get married. It was a battle over a simple question, “How can a sinful person get to heaven?” The church at Luther’s time said and still says today, “A man gets to heaven by his own righteousness.” Luther believed and taught what the Bible teaches. “The just will live by faith alone.”

Dear friends, by the grace of God this is where we have learned to place our trust. By faith in Christ, we too have put our trust in God’s power to save us. Yes, there are many times in life when God will keep us from all harm and danger. He has the power to save us from fires too if he so chose. But most importantly, God has rescued us from the punishment of our sin. And what that means dear friends is this, one day in heaven, we will be perfect and holy servants of the living God who will serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness for eternity. I look forward to that day. I pray that you look forward to it too! Amen.