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I would like to share the grace of God under the title, "Even If He Does Not," based on the book of Daniel 3:16-18. Could you please repeat after me? "Even If He Does Not. Even If He Does Not."

These days we hear news which brings worry, anxiety, and trouble. The economic recession in the USA has spread out all over the world. One consolation, however, is that we have overcomesuch a crisis with the help of IMF years ago, that we have stronger economic systems now, and that we can go through this crisis again and be well. We have hope in Korea. We will turn this crisis into an opportunity to receive great blessings from God.

When problems occur and when we face trouble, we must come to the Lord. We should seek His help. There is nothing or nobody else that we can trust in. Our Lord our God is ouronly hope, our only salvation, our only almighty power, and everything to us. When we are in trouble and in a time of crisis, as Christians, wemust be filled with the Holy Spirit to overcome crises and to receive and enjoy God’s grace and blessings.

Romans 5:3-4 says, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Suffering eventually helps us build up hope. It helps our dreams to come true. Therefore, let us not be dismayed during the time of suffering. Let us kneel down before the sovereign God of the universe and seek His help. The Lord will help us during the time of suffering. He will be with us. He will lift us up from the place of despair and fill us with wonderful grace, blessings, and miracles. All of us must march forth with absolute, positive faith.

Today’s Scripture is about what happened 2600 years ago. Babylon, the most powerful country at that time, occupied Judahand took a lot of Israelites as captives. Among the captives were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were faithful servants of theLord. Although they were captives, they were so excellent that the king appointed Daniel to rule over all of Babylon and the other three administrators over the province of Babylon. They were like today’s governors.

Since God receives glory through His people, God’s people excel wherever they are, accomplishing the great work of God. They shine even more brightly during a time of crisis and trouble. As light shines more strongly and brightly in a darker place and time, we must shed the light of life during a time of crisis.

There was great suffering at that time. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and summoned all the officials to the dedication and ordered them to fall down and worship the image. The image of gold was 60cubits tall. That was about ninety feet high?as high as a 13-story building. Itwas 6 cubits (nine feet) wide. The image of gold was so huge that people were overwhelmed and could only prostrate themselves before it. The king issued a decree that all the officials come to the dedication of the image. He ordered them to fall down and worship the image of gold as soon as they heard all kinds of music. Whoever did not fall down and worship would immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Then all the officials gathered and upon hearing the trumpet and all kinds of music, they fell down and worshiped the image of gold. However, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood there, not falling down or worshipping the image of gold. This news was immediately taken to the king, "There are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon?Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They did not worship the image of gold you have set up."

Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned them and was going to interrogate and punish them accordingly. So they were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said, "If you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, that is very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace."Such a huge surge of suffering was sweeping over the faithful servants of the Lord.

1. Trials that come to believers (Da 3:1-12).

First, I want to speak about the trials that come to believers. Please repeat after me, "The trials that come to believers." From time to time, trials come to faithful Christians without warning. Your children may have been good boys or girls, without ever making any trouble at all. One day, just suppose, they changed and became rebellious, defying you or running away from home. What a shocking thing! You would have never guessed there was anything wrong with your children. They had probably associated with bad friends and hadgone astray. How bitter and painful and disappointing you would feel. We may have such problems at home.

Sometimesyour business may fail or go bankrupt. Even your friends may turn their backs on you. Even some close friends may come and add to your debt, pushing you into a devastating situation. Other times, when you think you could not be healthier, you may go to a doctor and find out that you have cancer. We sometimes face domestic problems, economic and financial problems, or severe illness in our bodies.

There are two basic reasons for suffering. One is that God wants to refine and strengthen our faith. God allows this kind of suffering to come to us so that He can manifest His glory through us and use us more greatly. The other reason is God’s warning to us, when we have become lethargic in our faith. When we go against God’s will, He lifts His whip of love and punishes us so that we may turn around and come back to Him.

No matter what the reason, suffering brings benefits to us in the end. It will strengthen our faith, remove all the impure elements from our faith, and purify our faith. No matter how hard the suffering may be, no matter how devastating the situation may be, do not ever give up. Never step back nor give up, but focus on Jesus Christwho is the author and perfecter of our faith. When we march forth trusting in the Lord, the victory will be ours. All things will work together for our own good. God will bless you with His enormous grace, blessings, and miracles.

There was an image of gold in front of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king was giving them onelast chance to worship the image of gold. They had to fall down and worship the image of gold to save their lives. They were standing at the crossroad of their lives. What kind of image of gold is standing before you? Do you see an image of materialism? Or the image of worldly power or fame? Various kinds of images are before you, demanding your choice. Would you or wouldn’t you fall down and worship it?

Suppose you have dated a young man for a long time and are about to get married when he tells you, "My family will not acceptyou because you are a Christian. Give up your faith or else." What a shocking notice!

Suppose you have worked very hard for your company and have a very good reputation. One day your non-Christian boss calls you and says, "If you cannot work on Sundays, I will have to let you go."

When these things happen to you, what will your choice be? When we face such problems like the image of gold, like the three friends of Daniel,we should never give in. We should never compromise with the image. I pray that you will not timidly step back but march forth with faith in the time of trial.

In Psalm 18:1-3, David sings, "I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."

"I am saved from my enemies." Since our Lord of all lords is with us, we will be saved during the time of suffering. We will be saved from our enemies and will become the precious people of God by receiving great victory and blessings, manifesting the glory of God all over the world.

2. The faith of "even if he does not" (Da 3:13-18).

Duringthe time of trials and trouble, we must have the faith of "even if he does not." Please repeat after me, "Even if he does not."

Second, we must have absolute, positive faith.

Nebuchadnezzar said to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, "If you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, that is very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace." They were on the verge of a death sentence.

The Bible says in Daniel 3:16-18, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O 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 save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’"

They were not afraid of death. They confessed, "Our Almighty God will save us, for nothing is impossible with Him."

Philippians 4:13 declares, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Mark 9:23 says, "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Hallelujah! Since the Lord oflords is with us, as long as we trust in Him, nothing is impossible for us. When we face problems, when we are in trouble, even when we are inutmost despair, let us not be intimidated but march forth with faith. I urge you to march forth with faith, for God is with us.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s great faith is found in verse 18. They say, "But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." They were saying, "Even ifGod lets us die in the blazing furnace, we will never worship the image of gold." It shows their ultimate and positive faithwith thanksgiving.

God can save us from the flames, but even if He does not save us, we will gladly follow his will. If He saves us, it is good, because we can glorify God for that. If He does not, it is still good because we obey His will and die for it. When we are alive, or when we are dead, we will give glory to God. This is faith, "even if he does not." We belong to the Lord whether we are alive or dead. We must have this absolute, positive faith. God seeks those who have this kind of faith and confess, "Lord, even when I face trials and suffering, I will never betray you. I will never give up on you. I will never step back. I leave all my life to you. It’s up to you whether I will prosper or perish; whether I do well or not. I pray that your will be done.

I once visited a Japanese home in the countryside. A Korean lady was married to a Japanese man. She was a faithful Christian but her husband didn’t believe in Jesus. They were farmers for many generations. I went into their house and saw so many images on wall at the entrance. I asked, "You worship so many images." "My in-laws worship them and they keep increasing." They were adding more and more images to their collection. Curious, I asked, "Why don’t they worship just one instead of so many?" "They would be happy if any one of them is correct." That’s why they keep and worship so many gods.

Trust the Lord alone, for He is the only God.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

In August of 2007, all 19 members of a Korean mission outreach team were kidnapped and held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Due to this tragedy, another Korean missionary family had to beexpelled from Afghanistan. The Cooking daily news carried their story. The couple took knapsacks to Afghanistan two months after they got married. They made solemn resolutions to devote their whole lives for the Christianization of Afghanistan. They started their ministry there. For five years, they witnessed a wonderful work of revival there. However, since the 19 members of a mission team were held hostages, all the missionaries were compelled to leave Afghanistan.

The missionary wrote, "It is dawn now. We have to leave my second homeland Afghanistan in a few hours. The hostage crisis is an emergence and we must leave. Upon hearing this, I bowed down before God in my prayer room to subdue my heart, I could not help saying, "Even if it is so, I give thanks to you. Even if it is so, you are my good father."

They committed themselves to live for Afghans, went there, and learned the Afghan language, customs, and culture. Their two sons were born there, growing up with Afghan children. They conformed to their culture and language and wanted to live there until death and wanted to be buried there. Nonetheless, they had no choice but to leave. The pain was unbearable. They had built a beautiful church, and preached the Gospel to teachers and children in a mountain school. The children loved them and loved listening to the Gospel. Now they had to leave everything behind. He ends his letter with this statement.

"It isn’t easy to leave Afghanistan where my beloved Afghans live. Even if my prayer is not answered, I will still trust in the Lord. When I look back in retrospect on my five years here, although the circumstances were threatening and dark, God has always poured His grace upon us. His grace was great enough to cover all adversity. God has always loved us and has taken delight in converting many Afghan souls through us. Although I agonize at the thought about leaving my brothersand sisters here, I give thanks to God,joyfully anticipating seeing Afghans rejoice and dance on the day of Christ’s coming. Remembering the 19 hostages, all the missionary workers in Afghanistan, and my home church, I pray that I will experience the joy of eternal life just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego changed King Nebuchadnezzar. On August 22, 2007, from Afghanistan, the land of revival."

They committed themselves to spend their whole lives in Afghanistan but they had to leave. However, they confessed, "Even though God does not grant our request, we will trust in the Lord."

Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He was so furious that he ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. He commandedsome of the strongest soldiers to tie them up and throw them into the blazing furnace. The furnace was so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took them up,and these three men fell into the blazing furnace.

What happened? The soldiers who took the three men were killed. Weren’t the three men expected to be burned to death even before they fell into the furnace? But they were walking and dancing around in the fire. What was most astonishing was that there were one, two, three, four menwalking around in the fire. Only three men had been thrown into the fire but now there were four of them. Who was this fourth man?

3. The fourth person (Da 3:25).

Third, I want to speak about the fourth man.

We read in Daniel 3:25, "He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’"
The fourth man looked like a son of the gods. Who was this fourth man? He was Jesus Christ, the son of God, who took onflesh in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is always with us; yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Hallelujah! The Lord Jesus who is the same yesterday and today and forever is always with us. He is with us even now, listensto our lamentations, answers our prayers, lifts us up from the place of despair, and fills our lives with overflowing joy and peace. Starting from the moment of our conversion until we go up to heaven, the Lord will stay with us and never leave us.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

I urge you to listen to the voice of the Lord. He says, "Do not fear. Do notbe dismayed. Do not worry. I will never leave you." The Lord Jesus Christ will always stay with us. He will never leave us. No matter what kind of problems, despair, pain, or death we may be plunged into, He will keep us, protect us, and lead us to the way of His grace and blessing. Just as He walked around and strengthened Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were thrown in the blazing furnace, He will stay with us, dance with us, rejoice and talk with us, encourage us, and strengthen us,even when we are thrown into fire. He is our only Comforter.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a very famous church musician and composer. He is known as the greatest composer of church music. His life, however, was filled with suffering and despair. He lost both of his parents at age 10. His beloved wife died after 13 years of marriage. He had two eye operations,but his sight was heavily damaged. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was partially paralyzed. His life certainly was full of adversity and hardship. Being a faithful Christian, however, he always knelt down and cried out to the Lord. The more suffering he had, the harder he prayed. He was filled with the Holy Spirit by sticking to the Lord. In the middle of suffering, he composed masterpieces one by one. He always signed his work and wrote "for the glory of God."

God uses two scales. One scale measures suffering and the other measures comfort. Only when the scale of sufferingreaches the full measure, the scale of comfort will reach its full measure. Even though you may be in trouble and pain, do not be dismayed. The time of the Lord will come. The time of the Lord’s comfort, miracles, blessing, and grace will soon come. We will share in the glory of God as we share in His suffering.

Romans 8:17-18 says, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs?heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

Our present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Let us be a little more patient. If we endure suffering a little more, the time of the Lord will come. As the dawn begins to brighten up when the night is the darkest, the dawn of God’s glory and miracles will begin to brighten up when our suffering is the heaviest. Our present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. We will see the glory of God.

4. Blessings that come to believers (Da 3:25).

Fourth, I want to speak about the blessings for believers. What happened to the three men thrown into the fire? The furnace was so hot that it killed the soldiers who took them up. The fire also burned all the ropes that were firmly binding them. They were no longer bound. When we go through suffering, all the chains or ropes of worry, trouble, and cares will become loose. Hurt and pain will lose their power of bondage over you.

Moreover, Jesus Christ the fourth man will be with you and help you overcome all suffering. He performs miracles. He will be with you. He will pour grace upon you. Let us completely trust in the Lord during the time of suffering. Not only that, they were not harmed at all.

Daniel 3:27 says, "The satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers 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."

Hallelujah! God’s love protected them. Not even a hair was singed. When we go through suffering like water or fire, the Lord will be with us and protect us.

Isaiah 43:2 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.

We may have to go through suffering or pain or sorrow. However, when the Lord is with us, we will be more than conquerors. We will conquer them all and manifest the glory of God all over the world. God raises us up. God will receive glory from us.

As a result, Nebuchadnezzar was changed.

Daniel 3:28 says, "Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach 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.’"

Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! Our enemies may try to sweep over, attack, hurt, and destroy us. Nevertheless, they will kneel down and praise our Godin the end, since God is with us. They will give glory to God.

Since God protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they were promoted.

Daniel 3:30 says, "Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon."

After they went through suffering, their faith was strengthened and they were promoted in the abundant blessing of God.

When we keep and march forth with faith, enduring all suffering, the Lord will make everything work together for our good. Consequently, we will witness His grace and blessing upon us. Do not be dismayed. Do not despair. Do not give up. Do not step back. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Jesus says in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

"I have overcome the world!" Jesus who has overcome the world is with us. No matter what kind of problem you may be struggling with, the Lord Jesus who has overcome the world is with you. No matter how heavy your problems and hardship may be, since the Lord Jesus who has overcome the world is with you, focus on Jesus. I urge you to trust in Him, leave all your cares to Him, and march forth with faith. The victory will be yours.

Let us pray.

Our Heavenly Father, full of love, grace, and mercy, thank You for keeping and protecting us even when we go through the suffering of fire. Thank You for preventing us from drowning in the water of suffering. We may have to go through a time of suffering. Pour Your grace upon us so that we may stick to the Cross of the Lord Jesus and gain victory over suffering. Help us march forth with faith, concentrating on the incomparable glory beyond all suffering. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.