When The Chips Are Down, Can You Survive? | Billy Graham Classic Sermon

From our archives…

The Billy Graham Classics.

[applause]

Now tonight I want you
to turn with me

to the third chapter of Daniel.

Now, at this time,

Nebuchadnezzar was
the king of Babylon

and he was the greatest
of all the kings

probably that ever lived.

And he conquered Jerusalem.

and he takes some Jewish
captives among the young men,

many of them in
their middle or late teens.

They were
scientifically inclined.

He takes them
back to Babylon

to train them to help him
as be builds his empire.

very much like the Soviets
and the Americans

after World War II.

They took German scientists.

I remember one of them was
Wernher von Braun

who made a great contribution
to the American military power.

And I remember sitting
with Wernher von Braun

not long before he died.

We were at a banquet
in Los Angeles

at the Century Plaza Hotel.

And my wife and I happened
to be at the table with him.

And we’d known him
quite a long time.

And he told us how,
intellectually,

he’d come to believe
in Jesus Christ

as his Lord and Savior.

Not just by faith alone,

but he became convinced
that there was a God

and that drove him to study
the Bible and the New Testament

and he came to know Christ
as his Savior.

Now among the captives of
Nebuchadnezzar

there were a number of
top young Jewish men.

Four of them are named
in this passage.

Daniel, Meshach,
Shadrach, and Abednego.

And they were disciplined in
all the ways of the Babylonians

so that they could help

as Nebuchadnezzar extended
his empire to become

the greatest empire
in the world at that time.

Now Daniel, Meshach,
Shadrach, and Abednego

knew assertive discipline
early because,

as we’ve already
heard in the Scripture

that was read to us
by John Wesley White,

they refused to eat
of the king’s meat

and drink
of the king’s wine

because the king’s meat
had been offered to idols

and they knew it was against
the law of their God.

Now they were 1,500 miles
from home.

Who would know?

Who would care?

But they knew God was watching

and as young men
they dedicated themselves

and they committed themselves
totally to God.

Now Daniel had had a dream

and he called
in the astrologists

and the soothsayers
and the scientists

and all the other people
and he said,

“Tell me what the dream is.”

Nebuchadnezzar had the dream
and they said,

“Well, tell us the dream.”

He said, “I can’t tell you
the dream.

“I can’t remember it,
but it troubles me.

“Tell it to me. If you don’t’
tell it to me,” he said,

“I’m going to have you
hacked to pieces.”

Boy, that really made them
study and work

and try to come up with
the answer,

But they said,

“We can’t tell it to you unless
you tell us the dream.

“We can’t interpret it.”

And so, Daniel called
one of the guards over to him

and he said,
“I can interpret the dream.

“God has revealed it to me.”

My God has.

And he went to see
Nebuchadnezzar and he said,

“Don’t kill all the astrologers
and the soothsayers,

and the wise men of Babylon.

“I’ll tell you the dream
and I’ll interpret it.”

He said, “What you dreamed was
the dream of a great statue.

“And it had a gold head

“And its breast and arms
were made of silver

“And its thighs and stomach
were made of brass

“It had legs of iron and had
feet of clay mixed with iron.”

Or iron mixed with clay.

And Nebuchadnezzar said,

“That’s right.

“God has revealed it to you.”

“Now, what’s the interpretation?

And so, Daniel interpreted
and said,

“You, sir, are the head of gold.

“You are the greatest empire,

“the greatest king
that will ever live

“and then it will decrease on
down till the end of history

“and then will come the stone
cut out without hands

“and will crush the image and
it will come tottering down.”

In other words, Daniel was
being told by God

that all the empires of
the world will someday fail

and only the kingdom of God is
going to survive,

but that’s the second chapter.

Now we come to
the third chapter.

There is another image.

Nebuchadnezzar has become
very powerful,

very egotistical,
as men of power often get,

and so he decides he’ll build
a statue to himself.

A big image.

Ninety-nine feet high,
made of gold,

and he calls thousands
of his subjects

from many of the countries
of the Middle East

to come on the plain of Dura.

And there he says,

“When you hear
the trumpet sound

“and you hear
the music play

“and you see
the flags coming in

“and you see the marching
of the soldiers,

“I want all of you to bow down
and worship the image

“and if you don’t,

“I’m going to throw you
into flames of fire,

“and you’ll be burned up.”

You see, false religion does not
hesitate to use force.

The Bible teaches that Satan is
the god of this world.

He’s the prince and power
of the air.

He’s the prince of this world
and he uses force

to get people to believe
strange things

and we’re seeing force used
by religious groups today

all over the world

as tensions are mounting
on a scale so rapid

that we cannot keep up
with them.

And we’ve seen even in
the past few days

things happening that
we never dreamed would happen,

but they’re happening.

and it seems as if the world
is rushing madly toward

World War III and World War III
will be Armageddon.

The four horsemen of the
apocalypse are already riding.

I can hear their hoofbeats.

And unless we repent
and turn to God,

they’re going to come
with all of their war

and their destruction and
starvation and diseases

and the death and the hell
that they bring with them.

He commands that
they worship the image.

But Christ also was asked
to worship an image.

He was asked to bow down and
worship the devil in Matthew 4.

But Jesus didn’t argue.

He didn’t debate.

He said, “It is written.”

All he did was to use
the Word of God.

That’s the reason it’s
important to memorize

passages in the Bible

because He just used it
as a weapon.

And He said, “Thou shalt worship
the Lord Thy God

“and Him only shall thou serve.”

God had said

in the very first commandment
of the Ten Commandments,

“Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me.”

Jesus said in Matthew 6,
“No man can serve two masters.

“For either he will hate the one
and love the other

“or else he will hold to the one
and despise the other.”

You cannot serve God and
materialism at the same time.

You have to choose.

That’s a choice that
every person in this room

will have to make.

It’s a choice that every person
watching by television

will have to make

It is a choice that
every one of us has to make

between bowing down to
the things of this world

that are evil and wrong

and bowing down before
the true and the living God.

And the images that Satan

calls upon young people
to bow down to today:

pride, lust,
many other things.

Daniel, Meshach,
Shadrach, and Abednego

restrained their desires
in situations of temptation,

and they said, “No, we will not
bow down to the image.”

Now Nebuchadnezzar could destroy
the body, but not the soul.

and Jesus warned about

those who could destroy
the body and the soul.

In Matthew 10 He said,

“And fear not them
which kill the body,

“but are not able
to kill the soul;

“but fear him which is able
to destroy both soul and body

“in hell.”

You have a body,

but living inside of you is
your soul, your spirit.

That’s the part of you
that will live forever.

The part of you
that remembers,

and the part of you
that feels,

and the part of you that’s
the real you will live forever.

And Jesus said,

“Fear the one that can destroy
both body and soul.”

That’s the devil.

Because hell was created
not for you

but for the devil
and his angels.

And if you persist in bowing to
the images of this world

and rejecting the true and
the living God in your life,

then you’re going to
follow the devil to hell.

Now to disobey God’s commands
is called

spiritual and eternal death.

Now these three Hebrews did not
bow down.

They stood up.

They were the only ones
of the thousands that were there

from the different languages
and the nations and

the ethnic backgrounds
of the whole world of that day

that came to bow before
the image of Nebuchadnezzar,

they stood stiff like this
as ramrods.

They wouldn’t bow.

And of course, it was reported
immediately to the emperor.

Now the alternates before them.

They could have taken
an alternate route.

First, they could have bowed
and avoided trouble.

It would have compromised
all that they believed in.

They could have rationalized
and said,

it’s our duty to obey the king
and that’s our first duty.

But they had a higher law.

They had
The Ten Commandments.

They had God.

And secondly, they could have
said it’s just a matter of form.

After all, religion is
a matter of the heart.

God knows that inwardly
we’re true to him,

even though outwardly
we’ll bow down to the image.

Or they could have stayed
indoors that day.

That would have been cowardly.

They had an opportunity to
witness to thousands that day

and they took an opportunity
to do it.

Jesus said, “He that loveth
father and mother more than me

“is not worthy of me.”

The Bible says, “If sinners
entice thee, consent not.”

“Follow not the multitude
to do evil.”

Then they could have said
we’re far from home.

God doesn’t expect us to live
like we did in Jerusalem.

Who will know?
Who will see us?”

Or they could have said

we’re under obligation
to the king and they were.

He’d been very good to them.

Or they could have refused
to bow, which they did.

They refused to bow.

“Choose you this day
whom you will serve,”

says the Scriptures.

Who are you going to serve?

The true and the living God,

or are you going to serve
these things

that the devil brings
in your path?

The images that he placed
before you to bow to,

for you to give in to.

The decision could not be
put off.

They had to make
a decision then.

When the heralds announced it.

When the announcement was made,

they had to make a decision.

Just like some of you will have
to make a decision tonight.

You can’t put it off.

“He that hardeneth his heart,
being often reproved,

“shall suddenly be cut off
and that without remedy.”

God says, “My Spirit will not
always strive with man.”

There comes a point
beyond which you can go

in which it is
very difficult to return.

And tonight, for many of you,
this is the decision night.

It’s either yes or no.

You say,
“Well it may be maybe.”

Some of you will try
to straddle the fence

and live in both worlds,

but God doesn’t allow that.

Jesus will not
compromise with you.

He will not make it
easier for you.

He will not
lower His standards.

If He had lowered
His standards,

He wouldn’t have gone
to the cross.

But He went to the cross
and He died;

and He shed His blood
for our sins.

He rose again
from the dead.

He’s coming back
to rule this world someday.

The gospel plan is all set

and God says,
“You have to repent.”

You have to receive Him
by faith.

You have to accept My Son into
your heart as Lord and Savior

and let Him rule your life,
if you’re to enter My kingdom.

Yes, they refused
to bow to the devil

and give in
to the devil.

What if it does cost you
a few pleasures

in order to save
your soul?

Would it not be better

to be thrown into
the fiery furnace here

than to have both body and soul
cast into hell forever?

When your trial comes,
and it will

if you’re a true
born-again Christian.

If you’re following Christ
you’re going to be tried

and tempted and shaken
as you’ve never been before.

When if comes,
act in the light of eternity.

Do not judge the situation
by the kings’ threat

or by the heat of
the burning fiery furnace

but by the everlasting God

and the eternal life
which awaits you.

Don’t let the music of
this world fascinate you.

Don’t let the drumbeats
cause you to march

to the drumbeats
of this world.

March to another drumbeat
that the world cannot hear.

The drumbeat from heaven.

March by the steps
ordered by the Holy Spirit

and set by the example
of Jesus Christ.

And if you want to make
that commitment…

You’ve been watching
television you’ll see

a telephone number there.

Pick up your phone
and call that number.

Somebody is waiting there
to talk with you,

to help you make
that commitment,

and that decision right now.

Some of you are
feeling the pressures,

some of you are going through
trials and tribulations

and temptations which are
too great for you

and you need help,
you need prayer.

There’s someone there
that will pray for you.

And if you dial and it’s busy,
call back several times.

They will be there all evening.

These brave young men dared
the rage of

the infuriated tyrant.

And because they saw Him who is
invisible and had respect unto

the recompense of the reward,
they believed.

But the king gave them
another chance.

Now after this life is over,

the Bible does not promise that
you’ll have another chance.

No place in the Bible do I find
where you’re going to have

a second chance.

The moment you die, that’s it.

But the king gave them another
chance, another opportunity.

And they answered.

Tremendous answer.

“O Nebuchadnezzar,” they said.

“We are not careful
to answer thee in this matter.

“If it be so, that our God
whom we serve

“is able to deliver us from
the burning fiery furnace,

“then He will deliver us
out of thine hand, O King.

“But if not, if not,

“be it known unto thee,
O King,

“that we will not serve thy gods

“nor worship the golden image
which you have set up.”

They didn’t know that
God would ever deliver them.

They did not cringe and say,

“We beseech thee,
King Nebuchadnezzar,

please don’t throw us in.

“Your majesty, don’t.

“Think it over sir.

“We can’t disobey God,

“but we don’t want
to disobey you either.”

And they didn’t say,

“Let’s have a consultation
and come to terms.”

And they went into
this terrible furnace

and the men that threw them in
were burned up.

That’s how hot it was.

They said to God,
“Thy will be done.”

And God says,

“Be thou faithful
unto death

“and I will give you
a crown of life.”

It was only after
their decision.

They made a decision.

After they made their decision

it was then that God intervened
and delivered.

He says, “Lo,
I am with you always.”

And when you have
troubles and difficulties

He says, “My grace is sufficient
for you.”

And then the king looked into
the furnace,

standing back as far as he could
so he wouldn’t be burned up,

and he was astonished
at what he saw.

What did he see?

He said, “I see four men.

“and the form of the fourth is
like the Son of God.”

Three men had been thrown in.

They should have been nothing
but a crisp.

They were bound.

But he sees four men

and the fourth is like unto
the Son of God.

God had either sent
His angel there

or it was the Son of God Himself
that had come.

God is with His people
in the fiery furnace.

He is with His people

in times of temptation
and trouble and trial.

“Nothing shall separate us
from the love of God,”

says the Scriptures.

They have no hurt.

“The Lord shall preserve thee.

“He shall preserve thy soul,

“for the eyes of the Lord are
over the righteous

“and his ears are open
unto their prayers;

“but the face of the Lord is
against them that do evil.”

And who is he
who will harm you

if ye be followers of
that which is good.

The way they walked into
the fiery furnace,

calm, self-possessed,
joyful.

Christ was with them.

God was with them.

Their bonds came off

and when the king ordered them
taken out,

they came walking out
straight as a ramrod

with their head high.

Not even a hair of their head
was singed.

Their clothes,
they’d gone in fully dressed,

their clothes didn’t even have
the smell of smoke on them.

And the king bowed down
before them.

And he said, “Your God is
the true and the living God.”

And he ordered all the wise men
and the soothsayers,

and the Chaldeans thrown into
that furnace

and then he ordered
that great crowd

from all over the world

to bow down to
the true and the living God.

And he destroyed the image
he’d built.

And it changed Babylon

because three young men
dared stand alone.

Dared to die.

Dared to look death in the face
and say, “I believe.”

That’s what Jesus Christ did.

He stood before the cross.

The cross was to be
the next day.

And that night,
on Gethsemane,

He knelt down with His disciples
and He prayed all night,

and He sweat
drops of blood,

and He said, “Lord,”
to His Father,

“My Father, not My will but
Thine be done.”

If there is no other way
to save the human race,

if there is no other way to save
Bill and Jim and Suzy and Mary

down yonder in 1983,

I’ll go to the cross.

They deserve death,
they’ve broken the law,

they deserve judgement,
and they deserve hell,

but if You want Me to
and if it’s Your will,

I’ll go and take their hell and
their judgement in their place.

So, He stepped out
the next day.

They put a crown of thorns
on Him.

Here He was
the Son of God

with 72,000 angels
with drawn swords

ready to come
and deliver him

and sweep this whole planet
out of existence.

He said,
“No, I love them.”

And then He took that cross
on His back and staggered

after they’d beaten Him

and His back was bleeding
and they’d pulled His beard

and His face was bleeding and
they led Him up Golgotha’s mount

and there they put a spike
in each hand

and a spike through His feet
and a spear in His side

and He hung on the cross,

naked in front of a mass of
people shouting,

screaming at Him

and He stayed there
for you and for me.

He took it all alone
on that cross for you,

so that you could have
everlasting life.

He took the furnace of hell
for you,

so that you might be forgiven
of your sins

and when you die,
go to heaven.

And have peace and joy
here and now.

And have Christ with you through
the Holy Spirit now.

Every day.

You don’t have to live
one minute alone.

Every problem and
every difficulty that you face,

He’s there.

He helps you in deciding
whom you’re going to marry,

or what your vocation is
going to be

or what your life is
going to be

or help you
in your studies,

to help you
in your relationships

with other people.

He’s there to help lift
your burdens here and now.

That’s besides
the life to come.

He gives both,

life here and now
and life to come.

And it’s all yours

if you put your faith
and confidence in Him.

You say, “Well,
what do I have to do?”

Three things.

First, repent of your sins.

How many of you
here tonight

could tell me
what repentance is?

You think you really know
Christ, don’t you?

You go to church,

you’ve been baptized,

you’ve been
to Sunday School,

but you probably
don’t even know

what repentance is.

Repentance means change.

The change of your mind,

the change of
your way of living.

If when you came to Christ,

your life didn’t change
dramatically,

over a period of time,

then there’s something wrong
with that decision.

If you have a doubt
in your heart or mind

that you’re ready to meet God
right now,

you better settle it tonight and
recommit your life to Christ

and say,
“Lord, I need you.”

I was the leader of
the young people

in my church,

but I really didn’t know Christ
in a personal way.

And one night,
I found him.

He found me,
changed my life completely

and it was a totally different
Billy Graham

than the one that just
went to church

and led young people

and told the elders
of the church

that I believed
all the catechism

and believed
all those things.

I did believe them
with my head,

but not my heart.

My will had not been surrendered
to the will of Christ.

And then the second thing is
by faith you receive him.

The word faith means
commitment.

We’ve heard
that word tonight.

Commitment.

That means
you totally surrender

for the rest of your life
to Jesus Christ

not only as Savior
but as Lord.

You surrender
your personal life,

your body, your mind,
everything to him.

And then thirdly,

you’re willing
to obey Him

and follow Him
and serve Him.

Three things:
repent, believe.

And the word believe
is where we stumble

because we do believe
with our minds,

but I’m talking about believing
with everything you have.

Surrendering it all to Him.

And then obeying Him
no matter what it cost.

The world or the furnace,
which will it be?

Because there is
a judgement to come.

And if you’ll make
that decision tonight,

I’m going to ask you to get up
out of your seat.

We’ve seen several hundred
every night do what

I’m going to ask you
to do.

I’m going to ask you to
get up out of your seat

and come and stand
in front of the platform

and say, by coming,
symbolically,

I do repent of sin.

I do receive Christ
as best I know how.

I will follow Him
with his help.

I’m going to ask you to come
and stand here

and after you’ve come,
I’m going to say a word to you,

have a prayer with you

and we’ll give you
some literature

to help you
in your Christian life.

It’s a lifetime commitment
to Jesus Christ.

Quickly, you come.

We’re going to wait.

♪ Just as I am
and waiting not ♪

♪ To rid my soul
of one dark blot. ♪

As you can see these hundreds
responding here,

we want you to take time to call
that number now on your screen.

Counselors are standing by
ready to talk with you.

If the line is busy,

just wait a few moments
and then call again.

Counselors will be there as long
as the calls keep coming in.

♪ O Lamb of God
I come, I come ♪

You that have been watching
by television

can see that many people here in
Oklahoma City

are coming to make
their commitment to Christ.

You can make that commitment
where you are.

Pick up the telephone and call
the number on your screen.

And if you don’t reach someone,
keep dialing.

They’ll answer after a while.

May God bless you

and help you as you
make this commitment

and be sure and go to church
next Sunday.

♪

♪ Just as I am ♪

The time of decision is really

the most important part
of every crusade service

and it’s the most important part
of this telecast

because right now
where you are,

you can make your commitment
to Jesus Christ.

Take time to make that telephone
call or to write Billy Graham.

The same helps we are giving
these tonight

who are responding here,
we will send to you.

If you just prayed that prayer
with my father,

or if you have any questions

about a relationship
with Jesus Christ,

why don’t you call
the number on the screen.

There will be someone there to
talk with you, pray with you and

answer those questions.

And remember,
God loves you!

If you would like to commit
your life to Jesus Christ,

please call us right now,
toll free at

1-877-772-4559.

That’s 1-877-772-4559.

Or you can write to us at:

Billy Graham

1 Billy Graham Parkway

Department C

Charlotte, NC 28201

Or you can contact us on the web
24/7 at PeaceWithGod.tv.

We’ll get the same helps to you
that we give to everyone

who responds at the invitation.

On behalf of
Franklin Graham and

The Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association,

thank you for watching and

thank you for your prayers.

(Franklin Graham)
We still have

a window of opportunity

to reach a lost
and dying world

with the truth
of God’s love.

It’s not too late.

We’ve got an opportunity

to tell others
about Jesus Christ.

What are you going
to do with it?