Why Isn’t God Stopping This? | Phil Kniesel

Sometimes God doesn’t take away the hard things... but He’s always with us in them.

In this message, Pastor Phil Kniesel shares how the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reminds us that real faith isn’t just believing God can, it’s trusting Him even when He doesn’t.

When life feels heavy and uncertain, you can still find peace and strength in knowing God is in control and walking with you through the fire.

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Transcript

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- Hey, this is Phil Kal, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- A number of years ago, I came across a series of books entitled The Worst Case Scenario Handbooks. And they tell you things like what to do if you're falling off a cliff, what to do if you get trapped in quick stand or how to escape a sinking car. You know all the things you probably dealt with this past week. I recently saw that they came out with a kids edition, and in it they covered scenarios like how to get along with tarantulas. That's an oxymoron. You don't, okay? How to cross piranha infested waters. Listen, if your kid is in some sort of jungle doing Indiana Jones things, I'm gonna question your parenting. I'm just saying, all right, now if you know me, you know that I hate snakes. So the chapter on how to escape from a Python grip me literally, okay to to me the answer is simple. Step one, never be near a python. Step two, problem solved.. Here's their advice. Step one, if in the grip of a python move slowly, well, how else are you gonna move? Step two, do not remain still or play dead. You can count on that. Step three, control the python's head. Use your hand to immobilize the head. And I'm like, have you seen a python's head? Step four, unwrap the coils with your other hand, and from time to time keep striking it on the head to stunt it. Step five. Hopefully you get out , hopefully. And then they give this pro tip. Pythons are capable of growing to be 20 feet long and can kill grown people. Yeah, my advice is way better. Never be near a Python. Problem solve you. And I know the real worst case scenarios aren't in jungles, they happen in life. And life doesn't give you a manual when your marriage cracks, when your job disappears or when the doctor says, I found something. Those are the moments that can test our faith because you don't know what your faith is made of until it's the only thing you have left. And I know, I know some of you are there right now, the bottom has fallen out and you're just trying to regroup, reframe, reset. Others of you just received some hard news this past week and you're still trying to process it. And if you're not there, listen, at some point you will be. And at times like this, we need a faith that carries us, not one that collapses. We need a faith that works, one that goes deep because faith that only works in good times isn't real faith, it's comfort, but faith that stands in the fire, that's conviction, that's real. So how do you have a real faith like that? We are into the third week of our series entitled Uncomfortable, where we're talking about what it means to follow Jesus faithfully in a world that isn't exactly faithful to him. And to help us with this, we're looking at an Old Testament book called Daniel. Now Daniel, along with his entire nation, was taken from their homeland Jerusalem and forced to live in exile in Babylon. That's modern day Iraq. And among these captives, Daniel and three of his friends called Shadrach Micha and Abednego were chosen to be part of the King's administration due to their gift sets and abilities. And these three guys faced their own worst case scenario. Babylon was run by a king called Nebuchadnezzar, and he didn't really care about the things of God. And since Babylon was the superpower of the world at that time, he actually thought of himself as God. And here's some proof, I'm gonna read you Daniel chapter three, verse one. It begins like this. It says, king Nebu NR made an image of gold, 60 qubits high and six qubits wide and set it on the plane of Dura in the province of Babylon. Just so you get some perspective, those qubits that's 90 feet high and nine feet wide, the plane of Dura was a significant flat space of land perfect for a show of power, and it also allowed for mass visibility. Now listen to what the king does next. So he builds this tower. He then summed the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials. So all of these important people to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. And so you can imagine all these important people come and if you read on it says they stood before this giant image, meaning they kind of oohed and awed over this massive gold statue that was built. But here's where it gets kind of weird. I'll read on then. The Herald loudly proclaimed nations and peoples of every language. This is what you are commanded to do. As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, liar, harp pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold. The king Nebuchadnezzar has set up, whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, liar, harp, and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. It's kind of like this, Hey everyone, come and check out this massive gold statue I built. And as you do remember, I'm the most powerful person in the world, so I'm gonna make you worship it. And if you don't, well guess what? You're gonna die. His mind was obviously twisted and the Bible tells us that Daniel's three friends were present, but they however did not bow. And a group of astrologers notice this and went and told the king about this. They obviously would've been irritated by the faith of these three guys who were exiled in their land. And so they go tell the king, and this is what happens, furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Mesha and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, is it true Shadrach, Micha and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? He's gonna give him one more chance here. Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, scissor, liar, heart pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you'll be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what? God will be able to rescue you from my hand, Shadrach Abednego replied to him, king Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it and he will deliver us from your majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know your majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. I love the response of these three guys. Talk about next level faith. Talk about faith that works when life cracks. You need a faith that goes deep. And how do you get a faith like that? I want us to take our cue from these three guys. They give us two declarations of how to build real faith. And the first one is this real faith says, my God is able listen to what they say again. It says, if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it. Now this statement declares a deep confidence in God. Their faith wasn't built on what God might do, but on who God is. And the Bible tells us God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It says, God is just merciful kind. He is your strength, your portion, your shield, your refuge. He is your hiding place and your firm foundation. And I could go on and on, and these guys had this deep confidence in who God is. It wasn't just wishful thinking, it was facts. God spoke and the world came into being. God parted the Red Sea for a guy named Moses. If we read on in the book of Daniel, it says He shut the mouths of lions. I'm actually gonna talk about that next week. If you go further in scripture, God raised Jesus from the dead. God is able, is conviction rooted in experience? It's confident faith. It echoes what the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah wrote. He says this, sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. That means our God is able to heal, to restore, to provide, to deliver, to make a way to change the path. That means God's power is not limited by your circumstances, your resources, or even your past. That means he's able to reset, redeem and resurrect. That means he's able to forgive the worst sin. Let go of the darkest past and write the most unlikely comeback story. Our God is able and friend, listen to me. The same God who spoke galaxies into existence isn't stumped by your situation. He's not sitting back in heaven going, wow, I didn't, I didn't see that one coming. Everything in your life crosses God's desk. And so if you're facing a furnace, could be your health, could be your marriage, it could be your future, whatever. Can you believe God is able? Paul wrote it this way to the church in Ephesus. Now to him who is what church able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power. That is a work within us. God is able, doesn't mean you ignore reality, it means you declare a greater reality. Real faith says God is able, and I want to take you back to what these three guys said. They said this, if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it. Notice the words the God we serve. So they weren't just reciting true theology or calling on God because they were in a jam. They were declaring relationship. Their confidence came from relationship. And the word serve here means deeply committed to or strong to suffer for. So they were declaring that they were walking with God. They were committed to his ways and his word. And because of this, they knew God's character, not just his capacity. And so they weren't naming and claiming it or just throwing out a hail Mary hoping something sticks. They were saying, we have a God who is able to do anything because we know him. And that's the bedrock to real faith. You can't have confidence in who God is if you're not walking with him, if you're not deeply committed to him, if you're not serving him real faith says, my God is able, but check out what they say next. So my God is able. But even if he does not, we want you to know your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Secondly, real faith says, but even if he does not see, this is where you turn the corner from God's power to your surrender, from believing in God's ability to trusting his will. It's where faith matures, Shadrach, Micha and Abednego, they understood something. They understood that their faith is not a contract, it's a covenant. They didn't serve God for what he could do. They served him for who he is. So that meant their loyalty wasn't conditional, their obedience wasn't negotiable, and their worship wasn't for sale. Our God, he's able to save us. Yes, but even if he does not, we're not gonna bow down to the statue of gold that's mature faith. Hey, it's easy to praise God when he does what we ask, when he parts the sea, when he closes the mouth of lions. But what happens when he doesn't? And I think this is one of the strongest statements of faith in the Bible. God, I know you can do anything. I know you can change my situation like that, but even if you don't, I will still serve you. It's a line that separates casual belief from genuine devotion. We don't follow God for what he does or what he will do rather for what he's already done. Friends, God loved you so much that he sent his son Jesus to die for your sins on the cross, that we might have a restored relationship with him because sin broke down that relationship. And if we choose to believe in Jesus, we can have life both now and eternally. But life doesn't just mean the good life only life means contentment, peace and strength amidst all that this world will throw at us. You see, real faith is not measured by outcomes. And by that I mean you know, if God heals me, then I'll believe, or if God pulls through for me, then I'll really serve him real faith doesn't say I'll trust you if real faith says I trust you, even if, and there's a guy in the Old Testament, he understood this completely. His name was Joe. And in a short amount of time he lost his children, his hired help, his wealth and his health. Even the support of his wife and friends was pretty lousy. And he went from being on top of the world to the the lowest of the low. And this is what he says about God. Check this out. He says, though he slay me, meaning God, yet will I hope in him other versions say, yet I will trust him. Job wasn't resigning himself to defeat. He was submitting himself to God in trust and in faith, it's kind of like this, okay, even when I don't understand the plan, I still trust the planner. And some of you, you're in one of those moments right now. You don't understand why or what is happening. You're feeling a little rattled. Life is difficult. It's hard. Friend, listen to me. Can you trust that he is still in control, that he still sees you? Can you depend upon his sovereignty? Can you trust him? Hope city, if the healing doesn't happen, even if the miracle doesn't come, even if the fire gets hotter, he is still God. I want us to go back to what happened here. So these guys answered this way to King Nebuchadnezzar, and this is what we read. Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Mesha and Abednego and his attitude towards them changed. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up, listen to how many references there are of being bound or tied up to tie up Shadrach Mesha in ab bingo and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men wearing their robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 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. And these three men firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then kin Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazing and asked his advisors weren't their three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, certainly your majesty said, look, I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. 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, Micha and Abednego came outta the fire and the satraps, prefax governors and royal advisors 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. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, praise me to the God of Shadrach, Micha 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. I want you to put yourself in the shoes of these three guys. They literally would've thought their lives were over that in moments, their faith would become sight. However, as they get thrown into the furnace, they realize we're not dying. And a fourth man appears who looks like the son of the gods. And by the way, this was Jesus. Now, check this out. I want you to see this. God didn't prevent them from bringing, from being thrown in the fire, but he didn't abandon them either. Jesus showed up before Bethlehem, before the manger, before the cross. Jesus showed up in the fire to stand with his people and friend, if you are in the fire today, listen, Jesus is there. Jesus shows up. He is with you. And I want you to notice what the fire did and didn't do. It didn't destroy them, it just destroyed the things that bound them. We read that they were bound and tied up. And when the king saw them in the fire, it says they were unbound walking around. And sometimes in our furnace moments, God wants to burn those things away that hinder us. He wants to take those things that are holding us back, even keeping us tied up and unbind us. And he can only do that in the fire. When you walk with Jesus, the fire you think is gonna destroy you can actually set you free. Free from fear, free from worry, free from panic, free from anxiety, free from addiction, free from the things that have you tied up. And the Bible also says, these guys were walking around not burning, not panicking, not bound. You know what that also tells me? Friends, there's peace in the presence of Jesus. Even in the hottest furnaces, even in the hardest, most difficult, most incredibly debilitating situations, Jesus brings peace. He said this, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Now that word trouble comes from the word tribulation and it means trials, suffering, hardship, sorrow, sadness. So Jesus promised us trouble, but he also said this, peace I leave with you, my peace I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There's that word again and do not be afraid. You see, the miracle isn't that they just survived. The miracle is that they were unharmed and not afraid. They had peace. In the middle of the fire, there's an Old Testament prophet by the name of Isaiah, and he says these words on behalf of God. He says, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. Notice it says, when not if God never promised to keep us from the flames, he promised his presence in them. And all of us, we all want the fire to go away. Who wants to walk through it? No one puts up their hands and says, sign me up, I'm ready. But listen, no matter what you may face, may you know that God walks with you into it. It's in the fire that faith becomes real. It's in the fire that faith is matured where faith is purified. Think about gold. It's refined by heat and the hotter the fire, the pure, the gold and the refiner knows it's ready when they can see their reflection in it. And that's what God sometimes wants to do with us. He allows the heat so his image can be seen more clearly in our lives. That's the maturity of faith. Your faith becomes real faith in the fire. And so friends, you want a faith that stands in the fire. You wanna know how to have real faith, a deep faith in any and every situation. Real faith is confidence that says yes, God is able, real faith is maturity that declares. But even if he does not, I will still serve him. I will still trust him. You know the greatest, even if he does not, the greatest moment of that in all of history happened in a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus prayed My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will, but as you will. That's Jesus declaring. My God can. But even if he does not. And Jesus stayed faithful in the fire and on the cross he stepped into humanity's furnace. He took on sin, wrath and separation and he willingly endured it. He is able to completely save. And he chose to do this for you and for me. And in fact, to the world, the cross looked like God didn't deliver like it was all over. But three days later and an empty tomb proved God always has a plan. The cross proves that sometimes God doesn't save us from the fire because he's planning to save us through it. And friend, listen, if you've never made the best decision of your life to follow Jesus, if you've been facing life's furnaces alone, there is a savior who stepped in the fire for you. He died for your sins. He loves you. He offers you freedom and forgiveness. And even if your life doesn't go as planned, the cross proves that you can trust him. It was at the cross that God declared even when you fail, even when you doubt, even when you walk through the fire, I love you enough to take it for you. Paul was writing to some Christians in Rome and he wrote these words, if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things because of what Jesus did? We can have peace, we can have strength, we can have confidence. And the cross gives us courage to say, God is able, the resurrection gives us hope to say, even if he does not, I will still trust him. And so that means we say, God, even if my prayer isn't answered the way I'd hope, I'm still gonna depend on you. God, even if the healing never comes, I'm still gonna worship you. God, even if the storm doesn't calm down, I'm still gonna clinging to you whether he saves you from the fire through the fire or by the fire hope city, listen to me, he's still God. And one day because of Jesus, you and I are gonna stand in his presence. And when that day comes, you're gonna have nothing more that you can do except fall to your knees because everything of this world will pass. And in adoration and in praise, we're gonna cry out holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. You are worthy to receive glory and honor and praise. You are worthy of it all. Shadrach, Meshach, and ab Bendigo weren't alone in the fire. That's a promise for you. You are never alone. And so no matter what this life throws at you, Jesus is present. He may not always take the heat away, but he will always step into it with you. And so hope city, my prayer for you is that you may have real faith. Faith filled with confidence that says, my God is able, he sure is. And faith filled with maturity that says, but even if he doesn't, I will serve him. I will follow him. I'm gonna ask you to stand if you are able to. I'm gonna pray for you. In closing, I'm just gonna ask you to bow your heads for a moment, please. And if you're here and you would say, you know what, pastor Phil, I'm in the fire right now. I need some bigger faith. I gotta trust God a little more. If that's you, I'm just gonna ask you to raise your hand. And I wanna remember you in prayer today. Thank you. It's a bunch of you in this place, God, right now I pray that no matter what my friends are walking through, no matter what fire they are facing, I pray that they know beyond a shadow of an out Jesus, you are present. Jesus, you are there. Jesus, they can trust you. I pray for a peace amidst the storm. I pray for a confidence amidst the insecurity. I pray for a trust in you that goes deeper and greater, one that goes beyond the something they've never experienced. May they just walk with you in full confidence and a full faith. I pray that you mature their faith today. And so God, whatever situation we find ourselves in, may we be reminded. You are present, you are there. And so bring your peace, bring your strength. Do what you need to do in our lives as we are in the fire. And Lord, I pray that we fully depend upon you and we fully trust you and we fully look to you. If you're joining us and you've never made that decision to follow Jesus friend, I said it earlier, it is the best decision you could make. He went to the cross to die for your sins. He rose to offer life both now and forever. And if you want to make that decision today, I'm gonna pray a prayer, pray along with me. It's as simple as that. Let's pray. Jesus, today I see my need for you. I thank you for going to the cross, for dying for my sins and rising and offering me life and hope. And so today I profess that I believe in you and I wanna put my faith in you and I desire to make you Lord and leader of my life. Help me to follow you. Help me to look to you and help me to just know what it means to actually have you in all aspects of my life. God, I pray over every individual, every couple, and every family as they go into this week. I pray for your strength, your guidance, your grace and your mercy. I pray that they may be resilient people in whatever circumstance they find themselves in. I pray that their faith may be confident and their faith may be mature. I pray that you grant them a faith that endures and a trust that goes beyond anything that they can imagine. God, bring your peace, bring your guidance, bring your presence. Walk with them as they walk out of these doors. And I pray this over and for them in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen. You know, if you prayed that prayer today of surrendering your life to Jesus, can I ask you just to scan the QR code on the screen? We'd love to get a digital booklet in your hand that talks a little bit more about knowing and following Jesus. And also, we would just love to get to know you personally in a, in a big church here. If you want prayer over anything, we're gonna have a prayer team available right up front here, down at your left after the service. And that team would love to pray over. And for you, hope city, may you have real faith. May you walk with Jesus this week. God bless you guys. Love you cheering you on. Thanks for being in church today. Have an incredible Sunday.