Kingdom Coming Part 5
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Coming,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Last week, in our series ‘Kingdom Coming,’ we examined Jeremiah and discussed who God is and why He is trustworthy. We also began to discuss living in tension. This week, we are looking at the ‘Furnace’ in Daniel Chapter 3 and checking out the fourth man mentioned in the story.
Daniel 3:16–18 (NIV)
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King 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 deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 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.”
In Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego face the ultimate test of their faith. Threatened with a fiery furnace for refusing to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, they make a bold declaration, affirming their trust in God: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve can deliver us from it… 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.” These words show their unwavering confidence that God’s power and presence are enough, regardless of the outcome.
Similarly, 1 Peter 4:12 reminds us not to be surprised when we face trials as if something strange is happening to us.
1 Peter 4:12 (NIV)
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Instead, Peter encourages us to rejoice because these trials allow us to participate in Christ’s sufferings.
1 Peter 4:13 (NIV)
13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Like the young men in Daniel, we, too, face “fiery ordeals” in life—situations that test our resolve, challenge our faith, and put us in uncomfortable, even dangerous, situations. However, it’s within these fiery trials that God’s presence becomes most apparent. God did not remove Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace but joined them within it. Nebuchadnezzar himself was stunned, observing not three men, but four walking unharmed within the flames. He exclaimed that the fourth looked “like a son of the gods”—a glimpse of the divine, a reminder that God is truly with us.
This powerful image serves as a promise for us as believers. When we endure various hardships, we can trust that we will not walk through them alone. God does not always deliver us from trials in the way we hope, but He is present with us within them, strengthening and sustaining us. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we are called to trust that He is able to deliver while also holding fast to faith if He chooses another path for us.
Our fiery ordeals refine us, just as gold is refined in fire, and God’s presence is made real in our lives through them. He walks beside us, like the fourth man in the furnace, comforting and empowering us to stand firm. By trusting in Him through our trials, we experience His presence and are refined and strengthened, reflecting His glory through our endurance and faith.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.