Alright, we're here in Daniel chapter 3 and we're continuing the series on the alphabet
of characteristics.
We're going to look at the letter M, masculine, and we're going to look at Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego.
They're kind of a package deal, right?
All three of them.
And so, they're a bit different in the fact that they're not married, they don't have
children, and so the characteristics of being a father, they don't necessarily really have
those things.
They're not in that situation, but they do show us what it means to be a man and to be
tough and to be strong.
The point of this sermon is the fact that the world will teach certain things about
being a man that are the exact opposite of what the Bible would say.
Because by the world's standards, you're a man if you can beat somebody up.
By the world's standards, you're a man if you can drink a lot of alcohol.
By the world's standards, you're a man if you sleep with a bunch of women.
Isn't that the things that the world would glorify and say, that makes you tough, that
makes you a man?
That's not what the Bible teaches, though.
That's what the Bible says here in Daniel chapter 3.
And point number 1, the mark of being a man, according to the Bible, it starts with obedience
to God.
Obedience to God is the most important thing that makes you a man or masculine, according
to the Word of God.
And don't misunderstand me.
Obviously, ladies need to obey the Word of God as well.
But you want to be strong, you want to be tough as a guy, you need to obey God's commandments.
Daniel chapter 3, verse number 5, that at what time do you hear the sound of the cornet,
flute, harp, sack, bud, sultry, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship
the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up?
And who so falleth not down and worshipeth, shall the same hour be cast in the midst of
a burning fiery furnace?
Therefore, at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sack, bud, sultry, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages
fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Now, this story is kind of hard to relate to because we don't really live in a day where
we're going to have a dictator set up an image and force you to bow down to it.
But what if you lived in North Korea and Kim Jong-un put up a golden statue of himself
and forced you to bow down?
By the way, this is why no church should do a missions trip to North Korea, okay?
But what if they set up this giant statue and he said, you must bow down and worship
this image?
Look, I'm sure there's plenty of safe people in North Korea, and I'm sure a lot of people
would just bow down to worship.
You know why?
Because they're afraid they're going to get killed.
Because that legitimately could take place.
And look, in this story, all the people, the nations, and the languages, I don't know how
many people that is, but it's a lot.
A lot of people were there.
And here's the thing about worshiping an image.
If you're the only one who doesn't bow down and worship, you can't really hide it.
Everybody's bowing down.
It'd be like walking, I don't know, in the midst of Saudi Arabia at the time of prayer.
It's kind of like, well, I can't really hide the fact I'm not bowing down, right?
And so they don't bow down, and obviously everyone's going to notice this and be like,
hey, those three guys didn't bow down.
Well, realistically, I think a lot of saved people bow down.
I think that, and not even just saved people, I bet you there was people that were far stronger
than Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Far taller, looked much tougher, looked much manlier, and yet they bowed down to that image
just like everybody else did.
But three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they refused to bow.
You say, why?
Because they're obeying what God says.
Because idolatry is wicked.
Because bowing down before the Feast of the Black Nazarene or any statue is wicked, right?
Verse number eight, wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the
Jews, they spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever, thou, O king, hast made
a decree that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack, bud,
sultry, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
And who so fareth not down to worshipeth, that he should be cast in the midst of a burning
fiery furnace?
There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the prophets of Babylon,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
These men, O king, have not regarded thee.
They serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
Now go in your Bible to 1 Kings 2.
1 Kings 2.
There are a lot of manly men that you see in the Bible, but one person that comes to
my mind is David.
This is a man that killed Goliath.
Imagine if you lived during the days where dragons were actually common, and you're the
one in the town that killed the dragon.
Everyone's going to be like, that's the guy that killed the dragon.
What a badge of honor.
It's like, man, that makes you tougher than anybody else.
David is the one that killed Goliath.
Everybody knew about it.
They literally wrote songs and sang songs about David killing Goliath and killing his
tens of thousands, they said.
He was a military leader.
He was tough by the world's standards.
In a sinful way, he married several women.
By the world's standards, marrying a bunch of women or being with a bunch of women, the
world would say that makes you a man.
Here's what's interesting about this.
David when he was about to die, he had a conversation with his son Solomon.
He sits down and he's going to talk to him about what does it mean to be a man.
If you're about to die, you're about to pass away, don't you think you'd pass on the most
important information you could think of?
Because think about this, when Jesus was leaving this earth, what were the final instructions
he gave?
What's the end of Matthew 28 about?
Soul winning.
What's the end of Mark 16 about?
Soul winning.
What's Acts 1 about before Jesus goes to heaven?
Soul winning, right?
Because that's the most important thing that he could pass on.
What does David pass on to his son Solomon here in 1 Kings 2 verse 1?
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die, and he charged Solomon and his son saying,
I go the way of all the earth.
Be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man.
What does it mean to be a man?
Because when you're thinking of men, you think of someone who's tough, someone who's strong.
Boys at a young age, they naturally, they like to wrestle.
They like to fight.
They like to be tough.
Men and women are very different from one another.
Here's a major difference.
Men don't care how they look.
I remember when I was younger, I thought it'd be cool to have a nice scar on my face.
It would make me look tough.
Guys don't care how they look.
Guys want to look tough.
They want to be strong.
That's the way that men are.
Men and women are different.
Boys and girls are different.
David's telling his son, hey, I want you to show yourself a man.
Let me tell you something.
If you're a young boy in this room, I'm speaking to you right now.
Us that are adults as men, I'm speaking to you as well.
But you know what?
If you're younger, I'm speaking to you right now, you that are boys in this room.
What does it mean to be a man?
Verse 3, and keep the charge of the Lord thy God to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes
and His commandments and His judgments and His testimonies as it is written in the law
of Moses that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest
thyself.
So when David tells his son Solomon, hey, I want you to be a man, what are the instructions
he gives him in verse 3?
Obey God's commandments.
I mean, he says it like 50 different ways in that verse.
Obey God's commandments, His statutes, His judgments, His testimonies.
Obey what God says.
You say, pastor, what do you want to pass on to your son Zeph and Ezra?
Obey God's commandments.
Do what God says.
Look, if my son grows up and he's strong and he's tough, you know, I think that's great.
I mean, as a guy, I think we ought to be strong.
We're the protectors of our family.
That is a small part of what it means to be a man.
Actually being a man is obeying God's commandments, doing what God says.
You say, why?
Here's why.
Because there's a lot of really strong people that just bow down before the statue of Nebuchadnezzar.
Men that were physically strong.
Men that probably could have beat up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
But does being a UFC champion, does that make you a man?
Being a boxing champion, does that make you a man, according to the Bible?
Because here's what you have to understand.
Doing what's right is the hard thing.
Doing what's right is the tough thing.
It'd be very easy to bow down, but if you want to be a man, you stand up for what's
right.
And they said, no, I'm not going to bow down.
You say, why?
Because they wanted to obey God's commandments.
Listen to your Bible, to 1 Samuel 15, 1 Samuel 15.
Let me say this, if you're a lady and you're not yet married, you're trying to look for
the right person to get married to, you know what you look for, number one?
Someone who wants to obey God's commandments.
That's what you look for.
Someone that's obeying God's commandments.
If all you're looking for are things like, they're funny, they're entertaining, etc.,
and they don't want to obey God's commandments, you're going to have a miserable life ahead
of you.
Find a guy that was willing to obey God's commandments and do what's right.
That is the number one most important thing you can look for.
You say, why?
Because that's the number one thing about being a man, according to David.
Show thyself a man.
What does that mean?
Obey God's commandments.
Obey his statutes.
Obey his testimonies.
Obey his judgments.
Do what God says.
1 Samuel 15, verse 13, let's look at this comparison between Saul and King David.
Because the king before David was King Saul.
What is the defining physical characteristic of King Saul?
King Saul, it rhymes.
King Saul was tall.
Head and shoulders above anyone.
If he lived today and you saw him walking down the street, you'd be like, do you play
basketball?
Are you in the NBA?
Right?
I mean, Saul was a tall guy.
Right?
He would be a man's man by looking at him.
He's a tall guy.
You would think, hey, surely this is the guy.
Right?
1 Samuel 15, verse 13, and Samuel came to Saul and Saul said unto him, blessed be thou
the Lord.
I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
Look, if you do what's right, you don't have to promote yourself.
It's like, why does Saul walk up?
It's not like, hey, Samuel, it's great to see you.
It's like, no, he just comes up, hey, I've performed the commandment of the Lord.
Nothing like, hey, great to see you.
How are you doing?
How was your journey?
Just like, hey, I've performed the commandment of the Lord.
Verse 14, and Samuel said, what meaneth in this bleeding of the sheep in mine ears and
the lowing of the ox in which I hear?
I love that Samuel does not beat around the bush and just kind of, he's just like, okay,
well, why do I hear all this noise then?
Right?
And Saul said, they have brought from the Amalekites.
Wow, it's interesting you didn't say we.
Right?
They have brought from the Amalekites, for the people spare the best of the sheep and
of the oxen to sacrifice in the Lord thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
It's always interesting when somebody gets in trouble, they subtly pass the blame onto
somebody else, don't they?
Then Samuel said unto Saul, stay and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this
night.
And he said, unto him, say on.
And Samuel said, when thou was little in thine own sight, meaning that he was humble when
he started, he was little in his own sight, he was actually very humble, was thou not
made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed the king over Israel?
And the Lord sent thee on a journey and said, go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites,
and fight against them until they be consumed.
Consumed means completely gone, completely destroyed.
Right?
Wherefore, then, didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil
and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?
And Saul said unto Samuel, yeah, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.
It's like, you know what one difference between David and Saul, because what David did was
worse than what Saul did.
Adultery murder, that's worse.
That has the death penalty, according to the Bible.
But when Nathan rebuked David, what were the three words that David said?
I have sinned.
And of course, everybody, usually, not Saul here, but usually when people get in trouble
they admit and say, oh, I'm sorry, right?
David meant it, though, because a lot of people would fake it.
There's a famous Pentecostal preacher like 40 years ago, I can't remember what his name
was, but he got caught with a prostitute, and then all of a sudden he's got this mega
church that he's at, and all of a sudden he has tears coming down his face, the news has
come out, and he literally repeats the words of David.
He's like, I have sinned, and he's like, I feel so bad what I did to my wife and to God
and everything.
You say, well, why do you say that he faked it?
Because a couple years later you're caught with another prostitute.
But then what he said is, hey, it's none of your business, right?
Well, at least you're honest this time, right?
But David meant it.
He said, I have sinned.
But Saul, he made excuses.
He didn't admit it.
He eventually admits he's wrong, but it's like, well, when you don't admit it, it's
kind of like if your kids get in trouble and they don't want to admit they did anything
wrong and they finally admit it, they're just doing that because they're trying to get out
of it.
But they don't actually mean it.
David says this, yeah, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which
the Lord sent me and have brought Agag the king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed
the Amalekites.
But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should
have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice in the Lord thy God and Gilgal.
Well, if the people did this and you're the leader, either you did not pass on very good
instructions, you're not a very commanding leader because they didn't listen to you,
or they come back, it's like, hey, kill them.
Kill them all.
That's the easy way to handle it.
God said, kill them all.
No, no, no, no.
Kill them all.
What we're going to sacrifice them to God?
No, kill it.
That's what God said, right?
And Samuel said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying
the voice of the Lord?
Behold to obey is better than sacrifice in a harken than the fat of rams.
So here you've got a king that is head and shoulders above anybody.
He's a man's man.
He looks the part.
He looks tough.
And when he started, don't misunderstand me, Saul was humble when he started.
He was actually very good when he started.
But it got to his head and he didn't follow what God said.
And then what takes place?
Well, God decides to replace Saul.
And so then, of course, he goes to David and his family.
And then Samuel gets there.
And then Samuel looks on Eliab and he's thinking, surely this is the one.
And then God's like, nope, nope, nope.
And then all of a sudden he's like, are these all your sons?
And there's a statement in that verse which says, man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart.
On the outward appearance, who was the man's man?
Saul.
But God looks on the inside.
He looked on the heart of David.
He's like, no, David is the one.
Even though on the outside, because remember, when Saul was chosen as the king, and it's
very funny story because Saul is hiding amongst the stuff.
Samuel's about to promote, here's the new king.
And it's like, where's the king?
And he's hiding.
The Bible says he's embarrassed.
He's shy.
And I don't think that's a bad thing.
It shows his humility.
He's kind of embarrassed or shy to be a bit of a celebrity or be known.
He's hiding.
And then all of a sudden, you know, when he does come out, though, people look at him,
they're like, yes, that's the king.
Why?
Because they're looking at how strong and tough and big he is.
But man looketh on the outward appearance, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Bible says.
Right?
Turn to your Bible to Daniel 3.
Daniel 3.
Now look, I do believe that, you know, boys, as they grow up, they ought to have some toughness
to them physically.
You know, they ought to have some strength.
Obviously, you know, when you're a husband, you're the protector physically of your family.
Right?
I mean, if somebody comes in the middle of the night and breaks into the house, I'm not
going to run behind my wife and behind Christabel and say, you guys deal with it, right?
It's like that's my job as the husband to deal with that.
And so I do believe that men ought to have some toughness.
I think if you have free time, you know, hey, you know, whether you go to the gym or do
push-ups at home, like put on some strength, but that's a very, very, very small part of
being a man.
See, the world would say that, you know, whoever's the boxing champion of the world or you, there's
like what, 50 different divisions of boxing, you know, 50 different belts or whatever,
but whoever's the champion, Tyson Fury, right?
That's the big name or whatever, one of them.
It's like, well, there's a man's man because look at how tall he is and strong and everything.
That's a tough guy.
That's a man's man.
Well, that's a physical fight, but here's what I want you to understand.
If you're serving God, you're in a spiritual fight and your flesh and your spirit are warring.
The Bible uses the phrase war, which war against the soul.
Your flesh is warring against you and fighting against you, and more important than winning
a physical fight is winning the spiritual fight.
You say, what are you saying?
Here's what I'm saying.
When you wake up and read the Bible in the morning, you won a battle right there.
You fought against your flesh.
When you go soul-winning, you spend time in prayer.
You resist the temptation.
You won a spiritual battle.
That's called being a man, being tough, winning a battle.
That is far more important than winning a physical fight.
I think fighting is a cool thing if people have time to train it, Muay Thai, Brazilian
jiu-jitsu or whatever, but that is a small part of being a man.
What's being a man is actually obeying God's commandments and standing up for what's right.
I don't know what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego look like.
I don't know how tall they were.
I don't know if they would have looked physically impressive.
I don't know whether they've been able to beat somebody up in a fight.
It doesn't matter, though.
They were men according to the word of God.
You say, why?
Because they obeyed God's commandments.
Not only did they obey God's commandments, they were not ashamed of God's word.
Notice what it says in Daniel 3, verse 13.
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Then they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbutt,
sultry, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I
have made well.
But if ye worship not, ye should be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace.
And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Now, Nebuchadnezzar gives them a chance.
You know why he gives them a chance?
He likes Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He put them in a position of prominence.
He actually liked them.
He actually did give them more of a chance than he probably would have given others.
But think about the story.
Nebuchadnezzar is the king, and he loses his temper.
He's yelling.
It is rage and fury.
If you don't do what I say, I'm going to burn you to death.
Well, by the world's standards, that makes you a man, right?
Losing your temper, screaming, threatening to beat someone up or kill them if they don't
listen to you.
Is that what being a man is, though?
Because that's kind of the stereotype of the world, right?
And look, of course, men, we struggle with anger, right?
It's a very tough thing to deal with.
And obviously, ladies can struggle as well.
It's probably something that men can struggle with a little bit more, like when you lose
your temper, just screaming and being enraged.
Now, I hope you don't reach the Nebuchadnezzar.
I'm going to throw you in a fiery furnace if you don't listen.
But men have a tendency to lose their temper.
But is that what makes you a man?
No, what makes you a man is actually when you control your temper.
You know why?
Because it's very easy to scream.
You know what's not so easy?
Stop yourself when you're out of control.
Control your anger.
Doesn't the Bible talk about the person that can control their anger is better than someone
that takes a city or a tower?
Better than winning some military battle is actually controlling your own flesh when it
gets out of control, right?
Verse number 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,
we're not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Now, what does that mean, we are not careful?
Imagine that a broken bottle smashed on the ground.
If a broken bottle smashed on the ground and I'm not wearing shoes, or even if I am wearing
shoes, what am I going to do?
It's like you walk like this until you get to the sweeper, right, and you sweep up all
the glass.
And then, of course, a few months later, you find the last piece of glass, right, because
there's always a small piece of glass left.
But you're going to be very careful where you step, right?
What did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say?
We're not careful.
We're not trying to answer in a way to get ourselves out of trouble.
We're not worried what you think.
Now, look, I don't think they would normally have this response or attitude toward the
king.
But when the king's saying, I'm going to throw you in this fiery furnace if you don't do
what I say, bow down to this idol, we're not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Let's make it clear for you.
We want to make it very clear what we're saying, Nebuchadnezzar.
We are not careful.
You know why?
They weren't ashamed of God's Word.
They weren't ashamed.
You know, a lot of people, due to peer pressure in 2024, they backed down from the truth because
they were ashamed.
They're embarrassed by God's Word, right?
If you work at an office setting, sometimes, you know, a bunch of people gather around
and say something that's completely wrong and then try to force everyone to kind of
get on board with it.
And it's like, what's the easy thing to do?
Well, just kind of laugh at the joke like everybody else.
But see, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego were not ashamed by God's Word.
Go to your Bible to Psalm 119, Psalm 119.
You know what we need from pastors in 2024?
Not just pastors.
We need men at church, and not even just men at church.
We need ladies at church to not be ashamed or embarrassed of God's Word.
Now, look, in this room, I promise you, everybody in this room, to at least some level of degree,
you're not ashamed of God's Word.
You say, what's the proof?
Because you come to this church.
Because our church is not the most popular church.
The things we preach, the things that I say, showing what the Word of God says, it makes
you without the camp, as the Bible says.
It makes you without the crowds, where basically everybody else is in agreement, but you're
the person that's without the camp.
And it's very easy to back down from what the Word of God says.
Right?
Sometimes you'll see some famous Christian pastor or whatever be on TV answering questions,
and then they just avoid the questions, because they're ashamed.
It's like, are you saying, look, I hope I make it on TV one day as whatever on, I guess
Larry King's No Longer Alive, Larry King Live, whoever's the replacement, to show my, what,
here's Morgan, is that his name?
He's pretty famous.
And just get to explain what Christianity is.
That'd be great.
I doubt it.
But whenever these guys get on TV, it's like, they'll try to back you in the corner.
Are you saying that every Muslim is going to hell?
Well, I mean, you know, the thing is, I mean, I don't know their heart.
You know, I believe Jesus is the way, but, you know, in the Muslim world, if they don't
have the same understanding of Jesus, they haven't heard Him, you know, I believe that
God's love is so broad, He can open up a door to people of other religions.
You say no.
No pastor would ever say that.
Actually, I pretty much just quoted word for word what Billy Graham said when he was asked
about that.
That's what he said.
I think he used the term God's love is so broad, and then the pastor he's talking to
is like, man, that's so great, so you're saying that people in the Muslim world are going
to heaven.
That's great to hear, Billy.
It's like, you say, well, what would you say if somebody asked you, are you saying that
every Muslim is going to hell?
Yes.
I'm not careful to answer.
Yes.
Yes, every Muslim is going to hell.
I can't believe you'd say that.
Every Muslim is going to hell.
In case you didn't hear, let me write it down for you.
Let me just write it down.
Here's a sermon I preached about it.
Take this.
Every Muslim is going to die and go to hell.
There's no gray area here.
Then you'll hear people quote John 14.6 and try to explain away.
Well, when he said, I am the way, he wasn't saying the way to go to heaven.
He's just saying in your life, go the way of Jesus.
I am the truth.
I am the life.
How do you know that's spiritual?
That could be just like your physical life.
What about no man cometh unto the Father, but by me?
Explain that part away.
It's very obvious what Jesus was saying, and if that's not good enough for you, neither
is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved.
This is not a complicated thing, but you know, in 2024, a lot of churches would shy away
from saying that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
And the sad thing is, we talk to people about soul winning, and we'll talk to people that
say they're Christians, and they don't realize that Jesus is the only way to go to heaven.
I make it clear when I give the Gospel, I'll explain even toward the beginning, hey, you
know what?
Jesus died for the sins of the world.
Muhammad didn't die for you.
Buddha didn't die for you.
Felix Manalo didn't die for you.
Elie Soriano, Apollo Kibbeloy, they didn't die for you.
Only Jesus died for you.
Make it clear.
You say, why?
Because if we don't make it clear, people aren't going to get saved because they're
so brainwashed by all the lies they hear.
That's not even a gray area at all, and yet you're seeing people shy away from saying
Jesus is the only way to heaven.
I mean, are you saying that people that believe in the Catholic Church are going to die and
go to hell?
Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
I'm saying they need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That's what I'm saying.
You say, well, outside of that, you know, what are some of the controversial things?
Well, when the LGBT comes up, right, isn't that something that pastors shy away from?
It's like they'd be, and I'll give you another example.
Before I visited the Philippines, I remember, I don't remember what year this was.
Maybe it was after I first visited the Philippines, but there's a Baptist pastor that semi-made
the news.
He was being criticized by other Baptist pastors because he was mocking the Pope.
Because I guess the Pope visited, right, like 10 years ago, so I guess it was like nine
years ago or something, visited the Philippines, like Pope Francis, right?
And he was mocking the Pope.
And all these other Baptist pastors are like, well, I don't think we should speak that way
about the Pope.
Right?
We could offend people and not be able to get them saved if we mocked the Pope.
And I'm just like, the Pope, right?
It's like, you've got to be kidding me.
Or the LGBT in 2024, people want to avoid it.
Or even the sermon I just preached, that's not going to be preached in most churches.
You say, why?
Because they're trying to avoid the confrontation.
They're afraid of offending.
What is it called?
It's called being ashamed of God's Word.
That's what it's called.
Let me tell you something.
If you're someone that's ashamed of God's Word, don't have a desire to be a pastor.
Don't become a pastor.
Let me explain to you how being a pastor works and preaching sermons.
Preaching a lot of sermons.
You know what takes place?
Your job is to preach every bit of the Bible.
And let me explain to you.
Some parts are easy and fun to preach, and other sermons are not so fun to preach.
You say, why?
Because naturally, as a person, you're worried about offending people.
You realize certain things you say, like, man, I'm afraid so-and-so is going to get
offended and leave the church.
But your job is to preach the entire Word of God.
And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they were not ashamed of God's Word.
Psalm 119, verse 45.
And I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts.
I will speak of thy testimonies, also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
See, verse 46 fit very closely with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Nebuchadnezzar.
They speak before the king, and they are not ashamed.
They're not embarrassed.
They're not careful of what they're going to say.
I mean, if I say the wrong thing, he's going to throw me in the fiery furnace.
They say, you know what?
No, I'm not careful.
I'm not ashamed.
I'm not embarrassed.
And let me be honest with you.
I am not ashamed or embarrassed of anything the Bible says.
Right?
You know, the series that I'm working on, on atheism, that I'm reading these books,
they try to back you in a corner to be embarrassed by God's Word.
Oh, are you saying that if someone uses the Lord's name in vain, they should be put to
death?
Yes.
That's what the Bible says.
And that's not a gray area.
Nobody in this room could say, well, that's not really what the Bible says.
Let me help you understand this logically.
Let's say you lived in a society where it's illegal to use the Lord's name in vain, so
you never heard it in any music, you never heard it in any movies, you never ever heard
it.
You know what?
That thought and those words would never come to your mind.
Do you realize that?
Because, look, I've watched a million movies and listened to garbage music in the past
as well, and sometimes those words are in your head, so it might pop in there or whatever
you think of a movie scene.
But if you had never heard it and it was illegal, it would never come to your mind.
So the person that would just use the Lord's name in vain like that would be a vulgar and
a wicked person.
It wouldn't just accidentally come out because you're never hearing it.
You know what comes out of your mouth?
The things that you hear.
And so if you never hear it, you're never watching movies with it, it would never come
out.
So the person that's going to use the Lord's name in vain is a vulgar and a wicked person.
There's nothing in the Old Testament I'm embarrassed about.
Now I will say this, atheists have a very small understanding of the Bible.
They think they're experts and they say things like, wow, do you eat shellfish?
It's like, actually, no, I really don't like shellfish.
So my answer to that would be no, I don't really like shellfish.
Right?
I'm not really a seafood person.
But here's the thing, obviously they don't understand what they're talking about because
Jesus already rose again from the dead and they don't get it.
I mean, do you eat bacon?
Right?
Do you eat pig meat?
And they think they've made such a profound point.
And it's like, actually, you don't know anything about what you're talking about.
But here's the thing, I'm not embarrassed or ashamed by anything God's word says.
And there's nothing in Leviticus I'm embarrassed about.
Nothing I'm ashamed about.
And look, there's nothing you should be ashamed about either.
Someone says, well, do you believe this in the Bible?
It's like, yes.
I've seen in these debates, you have the Christian and the atheist and they'll bring up miracles.
So do you believe that Jesus was born of a virgin?
And even the way they answer, even when they say yes, they kind of are trying to think
about how to answer it.
And then all of a sudden it comes out, well, as a Christian, I believe the Bible.
So yes.
It's like, why is it only all the other questions?
You just say yes.
Yes, I believe in the virgin birth.
Yes, I believe in the resurrection.
I'm not embarrassed by miracles.
But people are ashamed by God's word in 2024.
Let me tell you something.
If the pastors of churches are ashamed of God's word, what do you expect from the members
that are hearing that preaching?
Because if you're a member of a church, of course, you should be reading the Bible on
your own.
But if you're at a church and they're never actually taking a stand for the word of God,
what's going to be the result of you?
You're probably not going to take much of a stand either.
This is why probably most of you would say that, yeah, ever since I started coming to
this church, I believe more strongly.
I'm more bold for the things of God than before.
You say, why?
Because I make it clear.
I'm not ashamed.
And as a result, you're like, hey, that's what the Bible says.
Turn your Bible to Daniel 3, Daniel chapter 3.
Point number one, we see that with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, what made them a man?
Because they were obedient to God.
They obeyed God's commandments.
Number two, because they're not ashamed of God's word.
Right?
I mean, look, I'll be honest with you, in my life, obviously all of us go through situations
of peer pressure, and I've given in to peer pressure before.
I wish I could stand up here and say I've never backed down, but there's been times
where I acted ashamed about God's word.
Somebody said something that was wrong, and you know what?
I didn't stand up for the truth.
I admit.
Hey, Peter, also, we're going to look at him in a second.
I don't claim to be perfect, but it's just like you feel that guilty feeling in your
head, like, what's wrong with me?
Why am I afraid to stand up for what's right and do what's right?
And the mark of being a man, one mark is being not ashamed of God's word.
But lastly is being willing to die for what you believe.
That's what makes you a man.
Willing to die and go down guns up and say, hey, whatever.
If I have to die for what I believe, then I have to die for what I believe.
Daniel 3 verse 17, if it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace.
And what they're saying is, if it's God's will, he can deliver us, and he will deliver
us out of thine hand, O king.
And I believe they're confident.
We believe that God's going to deliver us.
And look, that should be the way we feel if we're right with God, and if you're not right
with God, you're kind of afraid.
But when you are right with God, you just have confidence, because reality is that if
you're right with God, God's probably going to protect you.
Right?
The Bible teaches that.
It's logical, and they believe they're going to be protected.
But notice this.
But if not, if God does not protect us, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
I mean, Nebuchadnezzar comes up, and he figures, it's in front of this crowd, and you've got
to realize, Nebuchadnezzar's embarrassed.
I mean, he's expecting everybody to listen to him, and then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
refuse.
And then, of course, the people pointed out, you've set these people over the affairs of
the business.
You put them in positions of leadership, and they're not listening to you.
And he's embarrassed, and he figures they're going to listen as I order them.
And then, of course, people are listening to this conversation, and they're like, no,
we're not going to do it.
And look, I wish I could see this on the big projection or whatever, the footage of what
took place, the anger in Nebuchadnezzar, but it's like, they're not afraid at all.
It's like, we're not careful.
You know what?
If God doesn't deliver us, we don't care.
Basically, what are they saying?
I would rather die burned to death than bow down before this idol.
We live in a day and in a country where we don't have to worry about this.
It's not an issue in our country today.
Now, it could be one day, certainly if we lived during the end times, but it's not an
issue in our day-to-day.
But you realize that throughout history, there have been places, and there's places today
where if you live and you take a stand for God, it might mean you're dead.
They don't even know how many countless of millions of people were killed by the Catholic
Church during the Crusades and when people were getting baptized.
You get baptized, and then it's like, you're put to death.
Or how about living in a Muslim country, and you say something about the Bible.
You give the gospel to someone, and then you get put to death.
Look, I'm sure this has taken place throughout history, and look, honestly, it takes place
today as well.
It's just you don't hear about it all the time.
You don't know about these people.
You're unknown here on earth, yet well-known in heaven, the Bible says.
I just saw a pop up the other day, somebody made a post about in India how they showed
all these videos of these Hindus just burning people to death and killing all these Christians
in India.
It's like, you live in some of these countries, you will be persecuted for the truth.
And of course, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, this is what they're facing, hey, bow down
to this idol.
You know what the easy thing to do would be?
Well, I mean, I'm going to bow down physically, but in my heart.
In my heart, man, I'm standing so straight.
I'm as tough and strong as a rock.
I'm just doing it on the outside.
But I don't mean on the inside.
Go to Matthew 26.
I knew someone in college, and I wouldn't say that he was really a friend of mine, but
he was an acquaintance.
I knew him.
He's a safe person.
I'm very confident in that.
But this person, and I haven't talked to this person in a long time, but he started dating
a Muslim girl, which, advice number one in dating, don't date a Muslim, okay?
But the girl wasn't really too zealous on Islam, but she didn't believe in Christ either,
but the parents were very much Muslim.
And so as their relationship is progressing and he wanted to marry her, it's like the
parents required him to convert to Islam.
And you know what this person did?
He outwardly said that he believed in Muhammad, but in the heart.
It's like, I believe in Jesus.
So he outwardly pretended to convert to Islam so he could marry a Muslim girl.
You know what's interesting about this that's really fitting in the sermon?
This person could beat up anybody in this room.
This guy was very strong and very tough, competed in fighting competitions and did quite well,
a whole lot stronger than me, a whole lot bigger than me.
And yet, when push came to shove, he wasn't much of a man, was he?
It's like, I mean, what a stupid thing, but you know, it's so easy.
I mean, it's like Genesis 6 all over again, the sons of God saw the daughters of men that
they were fair, right?
And here we're in Matthew chapter 26 and we have someone that you would say is a very
manly man.
Peter.
You say, why?
Well, he's a fisherman.
That's something you would think of as being very manly.
Rimey seems like he's a very, very tough guy.
He's kind of the leader.
He's the one who walked out on the water.
He had faith.
And look, of course, to some level of a degree, he's very tough in obeying God's commandments.
He is a good guy.
But notice this story in Matthew 26, and it says in Matthew 26, verse 69,
Now Peter sat without in the palace, and a damsel came on to him, saying, Thou wast also
with Jesus of Galilee.
And it doesn't say like a military leader came on to him.
It doesn't say the king came on to him.
It says a damsel came on to him.
You're with Jesus.
But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
And he was gone out into the porch.
Another made solemn, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus
of Nazareth.
And he again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
And after a while came on to him, they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
art one of them for thy speech Bareaithy.
Now when they say thy speech Bareaithy, they say we can tell that you are with them by
the words that you're saying.
And then all of a sudden, notice Peter's reaction to this, lead the cock crew.
This is a hard story to believe, and it's very easy for any one of us to say, I would
not do this.
But I believe Peter was a better man than I'm going to ever be, probably.
He's probably going to get more rewards than any of us are going to get in heaven.
But due to peer pressure, he backs down.
Verse 75, And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock
crow thou shalt deny me thrice.
And he went out and wept bitterly.
Go to John 21.
Here's a man who said, I'm willing to die with you, though all men deny you.
I'm not going to.
When Jesus was being arrested, he cut off the ear of Malchus.
You say, why did he cut off the ear?
Because he was trying to cut off the head.
And if someone swings a sword at you, you're going to move.
He just barely, you know, he only got the ear.
Try to kill him.
He tried to go down, guns a-blazing.
I mean, he's a fisherman.
He's a tough guy.
And then all of a sudden, he just backs down.
Right?
And look, this could happen to any single one of us.
Because it's not like it's just Peter.
He's just the most obvious because he was so righteous where it's like, wow.
But all the other apostles did the same thing.
John 21, verse 15.
We'll close up here.
John 21, verse 15.
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he had said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me?
And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Now the verses I just read, verses 15 through 17, there are a lot of weird teachings in
Baptist churches on these verses.
Because Jesus asked three times, do you love me, do you love me, do you love me?
And the people are like, well, why is it on the third time there's this reaction from
Peter?
And then people say, well, let's go back to the Greek.
And you've got, you know, Agape and Filet-o.
And in the U.S. there's a famous city, Philadelphia, it's known as the City of Brotherly Love,
and Filet-o, Philadelphia, it's the Brotherly Love.
But the Agape Love is a different type of love.
It just says love in your Bible.
You don't need to go back to the Greek and Hebrew to understand what the Bible is saying.
You say, well, why does he have this reaction?
Because he denied Jesus how many times?
Three times.
And so when he says it to him the third time, it's kind of like the pain of that memory.
Because what Peter did was obviously very wrong, and Peter felt bad about it, and he
still feels bad about it.
And he's saying, hey, you know, if you love me, he says it three times so it sinks in,
hey, that's how many times you deny me.
Basically, prove it.
Show me that you love me.
And Peter's like, you know all things.
You're the Messiah.
You're the Christ.
You know I love you.
I messed up, but you know I love you.
And yes, Peter did love Jesus.
Peter was a great guy.
But he showed weakness, what we just looked at.
Verse 18, notice what Jesus says to him here.
Verse 18.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest
whither thou wouldest.
But when thou art old, when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and
another shalt gird thee and care thee whither thou wouldest not.
You say, what does that mean?
I'm confused.
Well, the next verse tells us, this spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify
God.
And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, follow me.
There's no doubt, according to the Bible, that Peter suffered a martyr's death.
Very clear.
Now remember, what we just looked at in Matthew 26, what was Peter worried about when he linked
up with Jesus?
Why was he afraid to say, I was with him?
Because he's afraid that he's going to be hung up on a cross like this.
And what did Jesus just say to Peter?
When you become old, you're going to stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee
and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
I believe the way that Peter died, and historically they'll say this, is that he was crucified.
I do believe that's fitting with what Jesus says, and it makes sense.
You are afraid to be crucified.
That's actually exactly how you're going to die, Peter.
He tells him, you're going to be carried where you don't want to go.
Your hands are going to be stretched forth.
Now, history tells us that Peter was crucified upside down.
I don't know that to be the case.
It seems kind of strange, because I've never heard of crucifixions being upside down, nor
do I actually think that would be more painful.
I think you'd actually die quicker, from my understanding.
I know very little about crucifixions.
But I do believe, number one, there's no doubt Peter was martyred, very clear.
And it does sound, stretch forth thy hands, it sounds like that's what's taking place.
We see that Peter, he reaches a point where he does become a man's man completely.
He is willing to die for what he believes.
That's exactly how he dies.
He doesn't say, well, I'm just going to back out of Christianity now, because I'm going to die.
No, you know what, this actually taught him a lesson to be a lot tougher, a lot stronger.
History tells us that almost all of the apostles, of that core 12, almost all of them were martyred.
I believe that's probably true.
With Peter, we know it to be true.
The other person that I believe that we would have biblical evidence of, I believe Paul the
apostle was martyred, because when he says, I have fought a good fight, he knows he's about to die.
I believe it's because he's being martyred.
And of course, you reap what you sow.
You help, persecute, and have other Christians killed.
You're going to reap what you sow.
So I think that makes sense.
But history tells us many of them died.
And here's what I would say.
You know what, as people that are going to stand up for the things of God, you need to be
willing to die for what you believe, if necessary.
You say, well, that's not realistic here in Philippines in 2024.
Yeah, you know, it's not really realistic right now, but what about being willing to suffer a
little bit for the cause of Christ?
Hey, I'm thankful I don't have to die for what I believe, because I don't live in a Muslim country.
I live in a Hindu country.
But are you willing to stand up for the truth?
Because I'll tell you what, peer pressure and being mocked and criticized is a very light and
small affliction that you bear.
It's very little.
But we live in a day where people are ashamed of God's word.
And I'll tell you what, as a guy, you should have this mentality as the leader of your home.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
We're going to stand up for what's true.
We're going to stand up for what's right, whether it's popular or unpopular.
Look, our church is not the most popular church.
The way I preach is not the most popular.
Look, I have Baptist friends in the Philippines that are church leaders.
But to a lot of Baptist churches, we're kind of without the camp.
We're not exactly the most liked.
And that's fine.
That doesn't bother me.
We don't wish to have enemies.
But when you stand up for what's true, you're going to have enemies.
That's just the way it works.
I mean, and people have this idea in 2024, well, if you're serving God and doing right,
everyone's going to love you.
Really, is that how Jesus died in an old age?
Is that how John the Baptist died?
Is that how any of the prophets died in the Old Testament?
I mean, almost all of them are getting martyred.
And they're all getting persecuted.
But yet, you serve God today, everyone's going to love you.
Look, if you're a man in this room or a young boy in this room,
you want to know what it means like to be a man?
Number one, obey God's commandments.
Number two, do not be ashamed of God's word.
And number three, be willing to die for what you believe.
You say, well, I don't have to do that.
Be willing to suffer for what you believe.
Look, it's a light affliction when your Catholic family makes fun of you
because you're not Catholic.
It's a light affliction when your old friends say, well, you know what?
You shouldn't be involved in that church.
Or you believe this weird doctrine and everything, whatever.
That's a light affliction that we suffer.
It's a very small persecution and affliction we suffer.
I mean, Jesus suffered without the camp.
And that's using the context, hey, as His people,
we're also going to suffer without the camp.
That's the way it's going to be.
And here's the thing.
You don't have to look at it as some depressing thing
because look in this room.
This is not a room filled full of five people.
This is not a room full of 10 people here today.
We're packed today.
We've got plenty of people here.
You have plenty of people in this room that believe just like you do.
They want to stand up for what's right.
They're not ashamed of God's word.
And I'll tell you what, if you want to be a man, and look, as a parent,
as a father, because look, when I was young, I will say this.
When I was younger, because when I was a kid, I wanted to be a pro athlete.
A lot of boys want to be a pro basketball player.
I want to be a pro soccer player.
And when I got older, even after I got saved, inside my head,
I wanted any sons that I had to do exactly what I did growing up
would be better.
And of course, now as I'm older, I'm like, I really don't care how good
my son is at sports, which I cared about before.
But what I do care about is that my sons obey God's commandments.
They're not ashamed of God's word.
And they're willing to stand up and defend and possibly die
for what they believe.
Let's close with a word of prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today
in just this great church and all these great people here, both men and women.
I ask you to help us to apply this sermon to our lives.
I mean, help all the men be the spiritual leaders in their home.
Help them to stand up for what's right.
Help them defend the truth and not be ashamed of God's word.
Help me also, and I ask you especially to help my sons, God.
And we just pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.