Sermon Notes

“Getting the Victory”

By Parrish Lee

June 10^th, 2012

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 Daniel 3:4-12  …fall down and worship the golden image Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up…

             We’ve talked about the vision—and that was the what.  We’ve talked about our purpose—and that was the why.  Today it’s getting the victory—and this is the where.

            When preparing for this message I had different dealing with me going on.  There was this voice saying, “You can’t preach on that.  How can you say that?  What about the times you lose?  What about the times you mess up?  What about the times you mess up?  What about the times that you don’t get your healing?  What about the times that you have to go to traffic court?  What about your accident?  What about when you didn’t get that house you wanted?  What about when you didn’t get that new F-150?”  We just have to stop and realize that the flesh’s concept of victory is different from God’s actual victory.

            Now, to give a little background, Israel was in captivity under Babylon.  Babylon was not just a great nation; they were an empire, made up of many nations, akin to how the Soviet Union was.  Whatever the king said was law—in ALL the nations under him.  Israel was not the only nation conquered.

 Daniel 3:13-18            …who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

             These three men were men of good report.  They were men of good standing.  They had been taught the ways of the Babylonians and made princes and captains over the remaining parts of Israel.  The only victory Nebuchadnezzar could see was that they not go through the fire—because who could survive that? As far as he was concerned, the victory was, “me letting you live.”  These three said, “No, if it be so, our God is able to deliver us…But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, not worship the golden image.”  Their victory was not in staying live, their victory was in Jesus.  The king was hot. 

 Daniel 3:19-23            Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…

            His visage was changed.  “Don’t they know what I have done?”  Maybe at your work, they ask you to do something against your conviction.  Maybe you know you’re going to get into trouble if you don’t do what they ask; but you should know that even if you do get into trouble, God is with you.

            This whole thing was a set-up.  These men wouldn’t even defile themselves with the king’s meat, and chose to eat beans instead (Daniel 1:5-15).

 Daniel 3:24-27            …I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt…

             So, the king had them thrown into the furnace.  He thought that avoiding that was the only victory they could possibly have.  “I am in control.”  They said, “That’s what you think; you are in control of YOU.” 

And how did the king know what the Son of God looked like?

            The first thing he noticed was that they were loose.  They couldn’t be bound when they were with Jesus.  The second thing was that they were walking around; they didn’t stop just because they were going through some persecution.  The third thing was that it didn’t hurt them.  He said they have no hurt.  The fourth thing was that the form of the fourth was as the Son of God.  He obviously knew that he was out of place.  He didn’t try to talk to that fourth guy--He can control fire!—but he did talk to the three men about how do you get to know THAT guy?  See, now their testimony as stronger than ever, because they realized where there victory was.

            There is nothing too hard for the Lord (Genesis 18:14).  If we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).  So, on the one hand, nothing is too hard for God, but, on the other hand, we have to suffer with Him in order to reign with Him.  He must have a plan.

            When I was in the Navy, we pulled into Pusan, Korea.  Coming back, they secured the boats, and we had to sleep on a ferry.  To get to that ferry, we had to jump from the pier onto a barge, and then onto another barge, and then onto the ferry.  We had a good time in town, we looked for someone to share with, we called the church, and I thought to myself, “I know I’m saved now.”  Well, we jumped to the first barge, no problem.  Then when we got to the second barge, well, the water was kind of choppy, which was why they secured the boats, so the barges were moving, and not really moving in synch with each other.  The first brother just kind of glided over.  No problem.  I jumped, and it was like I hit a brick wall.  I fell in the water.  I can’t swim.  I went under the water.  I’m not sure how deep the water is in that harbor, but I know it’s deeper than I am tall.  But, then, something lifted me up.  I thought to myself, “I’m floating,” and then I sank again.  Then something pushed me back up, and, this time, I felt a thick presence of God, and He said, “I’m keeping you alive; you can do nothing of yourself.”

            Some could say, after I got out of the water, “you could’ve died, you proud, self-righteous man.”  Yeah, I could have.  Thanks be to God that He taught me and corrected me and showed me that I was in error and how to get back into His good graces.

            First point:  When defining your victory, make sure it is eternal and not temporal. 

 Jeremiah 9:23-24        …Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom…

             If I could bench press 500 lbs., or if I could dead lift 1000 lbs., or if I could run faster than anybody else, that’s not what I should be glorying in.  If I know Him that He exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in those things He delights; that’s what we glory in, that we know Him. 

            Next point:  It is your responsibility to keep your victory.

 1 Timothy 6:12            …lay hold on eternal life…

             You have to know that we already have been given the victory, if we accept and live it.  Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you—where?  In our prayers, and in our worship in our fellowship, and in sharing the Word, in our communion, and in our making up our mind that it’s Jesus all the way.

 Luke 17:20-21             …behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.

 Romans 8:35-39          …nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God…

             Who shall separate us from the love of God?  You’ve got to be able to say, “I’m persecuted and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m sick in my body, and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m poor, and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m rich, and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m black, and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m white, and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m Asian, and I’ve got the victory.”  “I’m Hispanic, and I’ve got the victory.”  I’ skinny, I’m not skinny, I misunderstood, I’ve made mistakes, I fall short every day, and I’ve got the victory.

 1 Corinthians 15:57-58           …thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord…

                             Sermon notes by Pete Shepherd