Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
I want you to go back to work tomorrow
and be a Christian on your job serving
with excellence serving the Lord but
knowing the Lord knows where your simple
he knows how long he wants you down he
knows when it’s time to move and he
knows the bills that have to place and
says he is your sauce and everything
else is your resource
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today I want to look at encountering
God’s promotion a promotion is when you
are lifted from one level to another
level many of you know what it is to be
promoted in your job or to be promoted
in your experience or to be promoted
from the from the JV to the varsity team
to go through things that lift you to a
higher level in our story today from
Daniel chapter 3 a promotion is going to
take place
meshach Shadrach and Abednego they are
going to experience a promotion but it
will not come without a trial they’re
going to encounter God in a bad
situation now some of the things I am
going to say from this passage will not
feel right and will not be comfortable
but that’s okay because the more
uncomfortable it is the better
possibility for a divine encounter let’s
start with the backdrop of the story
meshach Shadrach and Abednego find
themselves working in a secular culture
there in Babylon Babylon is an evil
pagan an idolatrous country because of
Israel’s sin God told Babylon to invade
Israel and they brought out many of the
young people back into Babylon to live
and to work Daniel along with the three
Hebrew boys are part of the group that
was bought from Israel to Babylon and
now they have to live their life and do
work in a non-christian environment many
of you tomorrow will go to work in a
pagan environment where the people you
work for and the people you work with do
not share your Christian worldview they
do not believe what you believe they do
not act like you act they do not walk
like you walk they do not talk like you
talk but that’s the world you live in
because you have to provide for yourself
for your family and you will find
yourself in an unrighteous environment
that was the three Hebrew boys they
found themselves working for the federal
government
because they were administrators in the
regime of Nebuchadnezzar who was the
governing head of Babylon so they were
government employees working for a pagan
government they were sent to a
Babylonian school it says in chapter one
it says that they were indoctrinated
with Babylonian thinking it says they
were even given a Babylonian name after
the name of a Babylonian God so the
culture was trying to D israel iz’ them
and pro babylon eyes them trying to take
their mindset from the rearing of their
faith to the raising of the culture and
so you and I like the three Hebrew boys
are caught in a cultural tension how we
were raised and what we’re taught to
believe and where we have to live and
earn our money where we have to live and
function and or the people we have to be
around because that’s the nature of the
job in which we’re situated how do you
be Christian when the environment you’re
in doesn’t support your Christianity
when the environment that you’re in is
trying to woo you away from your faith
as colleges do with you and me and and
our children and as the society does
with people of God
so that’s the situation that’s the
circumstance that they find themselves
in
well something happens in the beginning
of the chapter chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar
the head of Babylon develops a Pheo ego
Theo is God ego is is your mindset
he developed a a God mentality he
deified himself it goes on to say in the
first nine verses you’ll see seven times
discussion about this image he built to
himself he builds a statue to honor him
90 feet tall and nine feet wide he not
only builds a statue he comes up with a
law the law says that everybody is
supposed to bow to the statue of
Nebuchadnezzar he calls all of his
leaders together and he says I want you
to all to bow and then he gives a
warning in verse 6 whoever does not fall
down and worship shall immediately be
cast into the midst of a furnace of
blazing fire ok watch this now the issue
balls around one thing
who you gonna worship it says he built a
statue and he says you are to worship
before the statue at the heart of the
Bible from Genesis to Revelation is this
issue of idolatry let me for those who
may not remember the definition of an
idol and Idol as any now person place
thing or thought that becomes your
source so any person place thing or
thought that becomes your source has now
become your God anything that competes
with the God of the Bible as the thing
you ultimately look to as your source is
your god rather
no matter whether you call it your god
or not you and I live in a culture that
not only wants our work they want our
worship because they often ask us to
compromise biblical values in order to
be accepted or in order to be promoted
so Shadrach Meshach and Abednego found
themselves in a dilemma and their career
was on the line while all of this is
taking place racism reared its ugly head
a racial dilemma takes place because
verse 8 says for this reason at that
time certain Chaldeans came forth and
brought charges against the Jews
so some Babylonians brought charges
against the Jews they like the Jews they
didn’t want the Jews working at the
company and the Reeb they didn’t like
the Jews as one they were Jewish and two
they brought their faith to work see
they knew they were followers of God so
let me ask you a question if you were
accused of being a Christian on your job
would there be enough evidence to
convict you or would you be found
innocent of all charges because your
faith is very vague you know it but
nobody else does
they were clearly followers of God and
they were Jewish they could not condemn
them because of their work so they had
to condemn to because of their faith so
these three Hebrew boys find themselves
on on a dilemma because now the
Babylonians who work with them their
co-workers come and say and play
politics you know politics is in the
office they come and play politics they
said oh oh Nebuchadnezzar you’ve got
these Jewish guys here and they won’t
bow oh that may come the work they do
their job but you told them the bow to
the company and they’re not bowing to
the company they’ve not submitting to
the authority of the company so
Nebuchadnezzar when he finds out this
minority group
would not bow he said bring him here
verse 13 bring me Shadrach I’m gonna go
here and in verses 14 and 15 he says
imma give you all another chance and
then he asks the question if you don’t
bow verse 15 if you do not worship you
will immediately be cast into the midst
of a furnace of blazing fire and what
God is there who can deliver you out of
my hands now that’s the question the
question is I’m so powerful this company
is so strong this government is so much
in control that if I fire you you will
be fired and you don’t know anybody who
can overrule my decision because I’m the
man Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
responded to the king okay say I don’t
know if you caught that Shadrach Meshach
and Abednego responded to the king so
they either all talked at the same time
or one talk for all three because it
says all three responded that’s why you
need to hook up with some other
Christians in your company so that
you’re not standing there alone okay so
they responded to the King respectfully
we do not need to give you an answer
concerning this matter let us answer you
if so be our God we serve is able to
deliver us you are to look at your
occupation as service to the Lord
through the vehicle of that company it
is the Lord Christ whom you serve so
they say we may work for you but we
serve the Lord the God who we serve is
able the God who we serve because that’s
what got him in trouble in the first
place their co-workers knew that they
serve the Lord in their job description
but
most Christians many Christians divorce
their everyday work from their service
of God and these three boys didn’t but
because we serve Him the God who we
serve is able to deliver us but let’s
hear the rest of the story even if he
does not because there are two things
you need to know about God he’s powerful
so he’s able but he’s sovereign so he
can choose in other words you never let
God’s nipple tense his power cancel out
his sovereignty God must have the option
in any situation to choose what the
right thing is to do at that moment and
sometimes he does not and you need a
theology that covers when he doesn’t cuz
if you don’t have a theology that covers
when he doesn’t then you’re gonna be mad
at him when he doesn’t because somebody
told you from the pulpit he’s able so
you got to keep both intention and about
both you must say the same thing because
they say even if he does not let it be
known to you okay we respect you we’re
gonna work for you we are not going to
serve your gods or worship the golden
image that you have set up
thus it says in verse 19 then
Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath
filled with wrath and his facial
expression was altered okay it’s written
all over your face you don’t have to say
a word you know it’s just he’s contorted
his kentuc who do you think you’re
talking to
I’m kidding she’d said it respectfully
do you know who I hear guess what he
does he is so hot no pun intended he is
so hot he gave orders in verse 18 to
heat the furnace seven times more than
it was all
heated we’re talking about crispy here
let’s look at this seven is the number
completion
this is like your boss saying to you
look if you don’t do this not only will
I fire you I will see that you never
work in this kind of business ever again
cuz I’m gonna tell everybody else who
you are and what you do and and we’re
gonna I’m gonna get the word out I’m the
man you talking about you’re not gonna
bow cuz you got some other spiritual
commitment so the men who brought them
to the furnace the furnace was so hot it
burned them up Bible says the middle
brought him got burned up that’s how hot
it was they tied him up in verse 23 and
throw him into the midst of the furnace
still tied up so they tied up the hands
tied up their feet and throw him in God
didn’t deliver them from the furnace you
let him get fired but something happens
verse 24 then Nebuchadnezzar the king
was astounded and he stood up in haste
he said to his high officials was it not
three men we cast bound into the midst
of the fire come on now help me with my
math wasn’t it one two three
meshach Shadrach and Abednego they
replied to the king well certainly King
we put three guys in there
he said well come in come in come come
in look through this glass look verse 25
I see four men loose and walkin around
in the midst of the fire without harm
and the appearance of the fourth is like
a son
oh the gods I can see that you could
preach right here he says we put in
three right yeah we put in three well
how come and when we tied them up right
okay well why am I seeing four so so if
we put in 3 y 4 and Haley walking around
when we tied him up and no crispy no
nobody burnt nobody ok what is sometimes
when God wants to give you an encounter
with him sometimes he takes you out of
it
sometimes he delivers you from it
sometimes you don’t have to worry about
it but sometimes he wants to take you
through it or join you in it not deliver
you from it
sometimes he wants you to see what it’s
like when you’re in the fire and not
being burned by the fire you are in the
bad situation at work and he’s working
right beside you
he says I see four and the fourth one I
see looks like somebody straight from
heaven
sometimes heaven wants to join you in a
bad situation without taking you out of
it he Jesco join you in it but when he
takes you from it or joins you in it you
have an encounter with the Living God
cuz you’re supposed to be all shook up
all tied up all screaming and hollering
and worried and depressed and here you
are walking around the fire he are
strutting around the fire he are moving
around the fire they messing with you at
work and you still walk in they
criticizing you at work
are you still praising they making it
hard for you then you still get it all
why cuz you know you’re not by yourself
[Applause]
the sometimes he wants you to see what
it’s like when you’re in the fire with
the Lord why why God why are you gonna
do this look I need to walk with you I
need to walk with you what what with me
I want you to turn the first Pete I want
to walk you through a series of
scriptures I want to walk into services
you need to know these scriptures in
first Peter to show you this is not just
new 10th Old Testament this is New
Testament he says in 1st Peter a number
of scriptures that will change your bad
situation at work change your bad
situation at the company when you have
this kind of understanding of a bad
suffering season in your life he says in
1st Peter chapter 2 verse 20 he says for
what credit is there if when you sin you
are harshly treated you endure it with
patience but if when you do what is
right and suffer for if you patiently
endure this finds favor with God so if
you doing right and taking your stand
you’re making God happy and you’re
finding favor with God even though
you’re suffering look at chapter 3 verse
14 he says but even if you should suffer
for the sake of righteousness you are
blessed and do not fear their
intimidation
I’ll give who they are or what the title
is don’t be scared of their intimidation
and do not be trouble just because they
talk and smack and talking noise if
you’re suffering for righteousness verse
17 for it is better if God should will
it so that you suffer for doing what is
right rather than doing what is wrong
finally he says in chapter 5 verse 10
after you have suffered for a little
while the God of all Grace who called
you by his eternal glory in Christ will
himself perfect confirm strengthen and
establish you to him beat the Dominion
he won’t call the final shot he won’t
say where
this job situation works out whether
there or somebody else because remember
your job your government is only your
resource it is not your source some of
you remember my story when I was in
seminary working at railways I was
loading and unloading buses they came to
me because they had a scam the scam was
when people went out for lunch then
somebody else would punch him in after
an hour even though they may stay out
three or four hours and hadn’t been
punched in and so you rotated and
somebody did that for you you did that
for somebody else they came and said to
me well here’s the deal this is how you
do it this is your day to punch somebody
else in after an hour even though
they’ll be gone three hours and then
somebody will do that for you in other
words robbed a company of time and money
and and and what’s going on so I told
her I said I can’t do that because I was
a Christian that that’s stealing and and
that’s not something I can do and they
said oh no you understand everybody does
it it’s the way we roll up in here so
you got you gotta expect you can’t be an
exception everybody does it
let’s let’s get over this Christian
stuff and and this is how we do it in
the company I said I’m so sorry
respectfully you know I can’t do that
well they said well since you can’t do
that you’re gonna be unloading a lot of
these buses by yourself when the buses
came in I wound up having to unload a
lot of them by myself cuz they wouldn’t
help me because I didn’t conform to what
they were asking me to do that was
clearly unbiblical with the company this
went off for weeks and weeks and weeks
I’m discouraged I’m depressed I’m
frustrated because this has been thrown
on me and I have that same attitude that
we all have sometimes God why are you
letting this happen to me
when I’m trying to be I’m trying to be
fair to you a number of months later I
got a call the calling was to come to
the to the owners office or the
manager’s office for Trailways I went in
the manager’s office he said to me we’ve
been having a night supervisor come
around at night to see what was going on
with the night shift we are very aware
of this this scheme that they’re doing
of punching people in when they really
haven’t come back we’re also aware that
you were not a participant so what we
would like to do is make you manager of
the whole ship now I didn’t know
somebody was watching I didn’t know
there was a fourth person in the fire I
didn’t know that something else was
going on but you have to understand that
when God decides to promote you it
doesn’t matter what men say to you so
it’s time for us to take a stand a man
was on an island one day and he got he
got shipwrecked on this island and
nobody was there he was out there by
himself and he wondered well how is he
gonna survival in this island he put
some sticks together to make a little
Hut to keep him away from me and climate
weather and he got in that hump but
through a series of events the Hut
caught on fire
so the Hut is on fire he’s on this
isolated island a few days later a boat
comes to deliver him from the island he
said well how did you know I was on the
island oh they said it was simple we saw
you the smoke signals you were sending
up to let us know you were here
sometimes God lets you catch fire but
it’s really a smoke signal saying the
guard guard here’s where I am and even
though I’m in a fire I know you know
where I’m located so I want you to go
back to work tomorrow and serve the Lord
Christ I want you to go back to work
tomorrow and be a Christian on your job
serving with excellence serving the Lord
but knowing the Lord knows where you’re
sitting he knows how long he wants you
there he knows when it’s time to move
and he knows the bills that you have to
pay and says he is your source and
everything else is your resource you can
lift your head up high and even if the
rest of the folk don’t like you on the
job you just find you a me Shack a
Shadrach and Abednego and you take your
stands for God because God ultimately
owns the company let’s give him some
praise
in the midst of your product
[Applause]
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divine encounters often happens in the
midst of struggle and that’s when God
wants to give us an encounter to change
us
for example Jacob was trickster he lived
his life through conniving tricking
people and it caught up with him just
like our character flaws catch up with
us
but even then in our mess God performs
miracles he creates a struggle a
struggle that binds us and ties us up
and won’t let us go and God is right in
the midst of the struggle because the
angel of God came and wrestled with
Jacob all night long until he got his
name changed the changing of names in
the Bible is a shifting of character he
went from this trickster to a person who
God helped but something had to get
dislocated first the God dislocated his
hip because he had to walk with the limp
as a perpetual reminder that he wrestled
with God and God will wrestle with us
until he changes us and sometimes he
leaves and things behind and remind us
not to go back to the old character that
was damaging before but that’s good news
in a painful situation if you’re
struggling right now because something
needs to change
in your life or mine God is loving you
me enough to take us through the
struggle and he will keep the struggle
there until we get the message that
character flaws need to be changed
because he wants to conform us to the
image of Jesus Christ so rather than
getting mad at the struggle or the limp
I want you to praise God
that he loved you enough to put you in
the struggle in order to change your
character because once he changed Jacobs
character he became useful he became
productive and he is found in the New
Testament as a hero and not as a faith
so your yesterday character flaws don’t
have to be your tomorrow’s definition
because once God gives you an encounter
of struggle that changes you then he can
use you for his world the advancement of
his kingdom and the improvement of the
lives and in the lives of others
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