Corner posts of our Faith
“Trust”
Today once again we will visit our corner posts series
In this on-going series we have addressed and will continue to address
Corner posts of our faith
That is ----strong foundations – things we can build on
These are concepts that are critical to developing a maturing relationship with God
Today’s corner post
Is Trust
Trust that brings contentment
Contentment that can only come from trusting fully in God
Trust in all seasons
At all times
Trust in all circumstances
Often when life begins dealing me less than I wish it would
I seek comfort in God though music
And one song that always sooths my heart and speaks to my soul
Is the hymn “it is well with my soul
You know I can’t sing
So, let me read you the words of this song as a poem
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trumpet shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
This is a beautiful and very moving song
But when we know the back story
It becomes even more moving
It Is Well with My Soul” was written in 1873 by Horatio G. Spafford.
Horatio was born October 20, 1828 in New York.
He grew up to become a very successful lawyer and business man in Chicago and was heavily invested in real estate.
He had a wonderful wife, Anna, and 5 children – 1 boy and 4 girls.
in 1871, at the height of his professional career, Horatio and Anna’s little boy died from pneumonia.
Later that same year, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost all of Horatio’s real estate investments.
In 1873, Horatio and his family planned a much-needed vacation to Europe.
Horatio’s good friends Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey were conducting an evangelistic tour in Great Britain and Horatio planned to help them while his family was visiting there.
Although he had planned to travel with his family, some unexpected business came up and Horatio had to stay behind in Chicago.
He sent his wife and four girls — ages 11, 9, 7 and 2 — on ahead.
Horatio would take another ship as soon as possible and join them in Europe.
A few days into their crossing of the Atlantic, their ship, the Ville du Harve, collided with an iron-hulled Scottish ship, the Loch Earn.
The Ville du Harve sank within 12 minutes, taking with it 226 of the passengers, including the 4 Spafford children – Tanetta, Bessie, Margaret Lee, and Annie.
Anna Spafford cabled her husband, “Saved alone. What shall I do?”
Horatio wanted to join his grieving wife Anna as soon as possible, so he booked passage on the next available ship.
While sailing across the Atlantic, the ship’s captain summoned Horatio to the bridge, and informed him that the ship was passing over the very spot where his children had perished.
It is recorded that while alone in his cabin that night, Horatio wrote the words to this now famous hymn.
Knowing his story
Now listen to the words
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.
Horatio was a man of strong faith
But, as we know
Faith
And even obedience
Does not guarantee us and easy life
But
It is our reaction and response to the trials of this life
That can make or break us
When we respond with trust in God
When trust is absent despair usually follows
It is only when we trust
That we find peace in the storm
That we find contentment
That we find the wellness of our souls
And only when we trust fully in God
Only then can we proclaim
“It is well with my soul”
No matter what comes our way
As I was preparing for today’s message
I was praying and seeking God’s guidance on the scripture reference
And what I found was a common story
That if looked at from this perspective
Sheds light on what it is truly like to fully trust God
And what it means to be able to proclaim
It is well with my soul ,When everything seems to be coming unbuckled
Our story today comes from the book Of Daniel
And it is one of the most commonly used stories from this great book
It is the story of Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego
And the fiery furnace
Their story is found in Daniel chapters 1 and 3
I encourage you to read the entire account for yourself in your own quiet time
It is quite a story
Daniel as well as Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego were Jews
The nation of Judah had been defeated and taken captive by the Babylonians lead by King Nebuchadnezzar
The King ordered that some of the young men be brought and put into service for him
Daniel
as well as Hananiah (Shadrack)
Mishael ( Mesach)
And
Azariah ( Abendigo)
This included changing their culture
Their diets
Their names
And the desire of the King was that they would also change their loyalty
That is who they trusted and who they worshipped
As we will see they did not do the latter
In Chapter 3 we pick back up in the story
The King has built a huge statue of himself
And ordered that at the sound of instruments
Whenever that was
Everyone was to stop what they were doing
And bow down and worship this statue
Making the King
God
Instead of the Lord
Let me read for you the account from Daniel 3
Daniel 3 :1-7
“King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
So, at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”
I think Old Nebuchadnezzar had an inferiority complex
He was King
Everyone knew he was King
But he wanted them to show that they knew
But the boys of our story are not playing his game and the ones who are going along tattled on them
Daniel 3:8-12
But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Daniel 3:13-15
Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
Let me cowboys this just a bit
The King said you have got to do it
They said no
He said
Wait, let me give you another chance
Bow or else
And still they said No way
Daniel 3: 16-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
I feel like most of you know the rest of the story
But just in case
He did throw them in the furnace just as he said he would
But when they looked in
Jesus had joined them, and they were having a party
Not a hair on their head was even singed
Daniel 3:19-30
Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon
Let me get to the meat of today’s lesson
It is found in Daniel 3: 17-18
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up”
The God we serve is able to save us
But even if he does not
We still trust him
Even if he does not
We will still worship only him
He can save us
But even if he does not
That does not change anything
He is God
And we trust him in all things
“It is well with our soul”
Listen to me
The story of Horatio
The story of the furnace boys
Should inspire us
God is God in all seasons
He is in control
He is the God
Of the Storm and of the calm
God of the day and of the night
He is God on the mountain and in the valley
And it is only when we trust fully in him
Regardless of the circumstances of our lives
That we find peace for our souls
When the wheels fall off our lives
And they do that often
The only place we can find peace
The only place we can find comfort
Is in trusting God completely no matter what come may
Trusting him
Loving him
Obeying him
And growing in him
Without trust
We have no anchor
Without trust we have no hope
Without trust it will never be well with our souls
When the hard times come
It is only our trust in him that will get us through
Part of trusting him is obeying him
And showing him reverence
Today we do that by the taking of the Lord’s supper
It is a time to remember just what Jesus did for us
It is a time to remember his death
His burial and resurrection
It is a time to reflect on our own lives and make sure we are fully trusting in the Lord
“It is well with my soul” Pass out juice and crackers
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”
Eat
In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.”
Drink
For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
Close from the heart
Pray
