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Prayer:
Lord My God My Father in Heaven, i humbly come before you seeking your wisdom help me this morning as I bring forth your message help me to properly understand and interpret your Holy Scripture, Lord Help us all to run the Race to Fight the Good Fight To stand boldly for the Word of God in Faith never wavering , Lord if there be a soul here today that has yet to surrender their life over into your loving and gracious mercy Lord i beseech you that you draw them near you today and while i deliver your word Lord I beg that you would remove the spiritual blindness of the enemy and bring them from death into your everlasting life, Lord i ask that you would bless this nation that the Bold would rise, Rise against oppression rise against caous Rise against the moral sins against you That we as a nation would repent turn back from our wickedness and seek your grace, Lord Help us Help our leaders, Lord Rise up more young men unafraid, apologetically that they will not waver, that they will stand for truth, that they will stand for justice, That they will stand for your Holiness and your honor, Lord I ask these things in your name Jesus Amen
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Can You Claim that You have fought the good Fight!
have You stood for the Gospel
Maybe you have waive-red in the past maybe your were stead fast in the past lets not worry about the past what are you doing today,
Are you fighting the Good Fight are you running the Race to Win are you keeping the faith,
Fight the good fight of faith, and God will give you spiritual mercies.
- George Whitefield
Spiritual mercies to cover all of your sins your short falls your meekness ect, But Fight the Good Fight, Dont Give UP! Now more that ever the time for your christian to stand for your faith to be bold no matter what even if it brings persecution upon you STAND Fight Never Back Down ITs the Good Fight the Fight Worth Having the Fight for your living Soul So Fight BE Bold BE Stead FAST Never Waiver
Today We will be back in Daniel, Last Week we saw the Boldness of His Faith AS He stood against the king and his orders he refused to defile himself with the foods and wines of the King for he would remain pure and honor the Lord not fearing man but God Alone, Today we are going to see yet another amazing demonstration of Boldness of Faith through three young men who refused to Bow before a false God
look To your Bibles now Daniel Chapter 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. 9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
Look At Verse 17 and 18
Boldness.....................Boldness ..................Beyond Belief ..................
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
WHERE IS THE BOLDNESS OF THE CHURCH WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?
WHERE IS THE FIRE OF THE LIVING GOD
Hugh Hewitt in his book “The Embarassed Believer” contends that most Christian are embarrassed believers. They do not talk about their faith or church. They don’t have Bibles on the corner of their desks. They never engage others in spiritual conversations. And the result has been the dramatic increase of pornography and violence over the last five decades. The values of the world today pale in comparison to the values of mid last century. He writes, “From Paul’s imprisonment and martyrdom to this year’s murders of Christians around the globe, there is an ennobling and inspiring thread of courage uniting saint after saint. It is an inheritance of every believer. And it is to this that we are called.” Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes...” Romans 1:16 And Jesus said, “ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Too many of us are embarrassed, silent, secret agents for God. Yet we are called to be bold witnesses of Jesus Christ. He closes with these words, “Christians in America trying to save the lost, comfort the suffering, cure the ill, clothe the naked and bring joy to the despairing will not make a significant and lasting impact unless they do so openly and without apology as Christians. The witness must accompany the work or the work will not endure and the world is hungry for our witness.’ Bold witness!
We must Be Bold we Must Stand up We must serve Christ in light of persecution in light of rejection in light of all odds To be a disciple of Christ means you stand even when the Fire is Hot
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
After the Apostle John’s death near the end of the first century AD, the church continued to grow numerically, but there was a period of little theological development. Many of the earliest post-Apostolic writings lack the biblical insight and theological depth that we find in the works of later church fathers such as Irenaeus, Athanasius, and Augustine. Early church leaders were occupied with the task of helping the church survive in an increasingly hostile Roman Empire, and they did not have the time or resources for plumbing the depths of Scripture as did those who lived only a few decades later.
Polycarp, perhaps the most famous martyr of the immediate post-Apostolic period. Polycarp served as bishop of the city of Smyrna, and he enjoyed the respect of many laypeople and fellow bishops for two reasons. First, Polycarp was renowned for his compassion and his pastoral care. Second, when Polycarp was young, he knew the Apostle John personally. In addition, Polycarp was friends with Ignatius of Antioch, an important early church leader who himself was martyred early in the second century. Polycarp also taught an important early church father named Irenaeus, who led the fight against the Gnostic heresy.
Much of what we know about Polycarp’s death comes from the second-century work titled the Martyrdom of Polycarp. This work offers an eyewitness account of the bishop’s death at the hands of the Romans, and it is something of a guide as to how Christians are to face martyrdom should that be their end. Unlike heretics of the time or many of the later Crusaders who believed that death during a crusade would guarantee salvation, Polycarp did not seek out martyrdom. He did not hold to the assumption that says dying as a martyr automatically gives one a ticket to heaven, He actually preached against it for it was seen as merely an extreme form of works-righteousness. Being that We are saved by Grace through Faith He rejected this theory completely.
Even though Polycarp said that Christians should not go looking for martyrdom, his example does show us that martyrdom must be embraced when the only alternative is to deny the faith once delivered to the saints. When the Romans arrested Polycarp and took him to an arena for public execution, they offered to spare the elderly bishop if he would renounce his faith and worship Caesar. Polycarp refused, for he treasured Jesus more than his own life. Thus, he was put to death by fire and sword.
as They tied him to the post they raised him High were all could see they covered him in tar oil and lit him on fire. The Soldiers were have been to have used their sword to finish him off because even in his terror in his screams of Pain He embraced the Lord jesus
Boldness
Boldness
Real Men Standing For a real Faith a Saving Faith Fighting for something that was and is far greater than their own life
Boldness
As the Western world grows increasingly hostile to the Christian faith, we must still remember—and thank God for—the freedoms we enjoy. We do not yet risk our lives by confessing Christ, but that is not true for millions of Christians around the world. Still, we might risk our reputations and livelihoods for standing for the Lord. Would the American Church have the Spine in face of such a horrific death to stand for Christ to reject the World.
Are we prepared to pay this cost? Let us daily seek God in prayer, asking Him to strengthen us to stand for Jesus no matter the price we must pay.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
And this is just what our flesh emphatically does not want to do. It resists the Spirit in order to keep us from doing what we want to do. To prayerfully pursue boldness in the power of the Spirit requires dying to our flesh
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
To die to our flesh in order to pursue boldness is really to choose life. That should lead us to pray:
Whatever it takes, Lord, decrease the hold that unbelieving fear has over me and increase my boldness to declare the gospel to everyone you put in my path.
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.