One of the greatest wingers ever to have played rugby union is the man, the individual who is now world famous by the name of Israel Folau. He was world famous for his finishing ability in rugby union, world famous for his speed, and indeed particularly for his ability in the air, i.e. his ability to catch a high ball. In the six years that he played international rugby for Australia, his home nation, from 2013 through to last year, 2019, he scored an amazing total of 160 points. However, The thing that Israel Folau is most famous for today is the fact that he is a Bible-believing Christian and as such made his views public to the world. On the 10th of April last year, 2019, Israel Folau now famously posted a screenshot of a meme on his Instagram account, quoting 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9 and 10. Of course, this was the first of a chain of reactions which saw Israel Foloi being disciplined and then unceremoniously been thrown out of rugby for his scriptural views. Many thought, and in fact, many claimed that Israel Foloi would never have been heard tell of again. Rugby Union actually publicly stated that he would never play rugby again. However, in January this year, January 2020, Folau signed a one-year contract to play rugby, not Union this time, but Rugby League for the Catalan's Dragons, a French side. With all the battles that Folau has been at the forefront of, one might have thought he would have kept his head down after all that history. Well, you can think again. In his first match of the season, against St. Helens Rugby Club on the 2nd of August, just a few months ago, as all the other players and as all the other officials took their knee on the pitch. Of course, there was one player, and you know what I'm going to say, one player who remained on his feet, who remained standing, who refused to take the knee, and that was Israel Folau. Floy later told his teammates his refusal to take the knee was due to his, in his own words, due to his religious views, and that he was, think of it, only willing to kneel before God. Daniel chapter 3, the passage that's been read together for us by David this evening, we find a remarkably similar occurrence. Think about it. In fact, doesn't it tell us in Ecclesiastes how there is really nothing new. To quote that verse, Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 9, the thing that hath been, it is that which shall be. And that which is done is that which shall be done, and the last part of that verse that we're so familiar with, and there is no new thing under the sun. We find that the case with Israel, for now he refused to take the knee. He was the only one standing, and as such he stood out like a sore thumb. Tonight already we've read verses. that relate to us how these Hebrew children stood, in fact, stood out like a sore thumb. I want us to think about the subject this evening, just for the few moments that we have together of standing for God in difficult times. The first thing that I want us to think of very, very simply is the threat that they were under in standing for God. Consider the very scene that's set before us, that's painted, this word picture that we have in holy inspired scripture in Daniel chapter 3 this evening. Put yourselves, put yourself, as you're watching this evening, into the position that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in. The first seven verses of this passage sets the scene for us so clearly. with all the detail of exactly what happened, what was said, what was commanded of all the people, bar none, by Nebuchadnezzar the king. You see, the command from the king was all too clear. At the sound of they, look at the words, cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackboot, the psaltery, and all kinds of music as were related to right down throughout this passage, all the people, every one of them without exception, didn't matter their rank, didn't matter who they were or where they were from, their gender, their ability, whoever they were, they were all exception to fall down and to worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. In the fifth verse of this chapter, chapter 3, we read of what they were to do, what they were commanded to do, and in verse 7, they all, with the exception of just a few, they all did as they were commanded by the King Nebuchadnezzar. Of course, the consequences for disobeying the king's command was so severe. The herald, we're introduced to him in verse four there, the herald, the one who announced everything, the herald told all the people what would happen to them if, on the unlikely event, if they failed to obey the king. In verse 6 we read, look at what it tells us there, in Daniel chapter 3 verse 6, if you have your Bible before you, look at the verses, look at the words of verse 6, especially the last words of verse 6, And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. The cost was high for disobedience. The cost was high for questioning his royal command. The threat was very real. Humanly speaking, it was going to be the thing that would take their lives, end them. Of course, that threat was a general threat. It was a threat that was issued to all the people in the king's realm. General certainly in the first part of the chapter, but from verse 8 through to verse 15, this general threat that was issued to everyone, broad acre if you like, became a particular threat. It became a specific threat against these three young men Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We soon discover in these verses from the way the words are framed in Holy Scripture, we soon learn, we soon discover the fact that these men had enemies within their ranks. And you know, even as we think of that today, young people, older people as well, even as we think of that today as God's people, as believers today, as Christians today, there's no doubt that the world Now, more than ever, the world opposes everything we as Christians stand for, and by association, they stand against us. That was the case way back then. Remember the verse that we read from Ecclesiastes chapter 1? There is no new thing under the sun. This opposition has been against God's people for time immemorial. You see, they see us as the enemy. The world hates the child of God and all that we hold to. Verse 8 from chapter 3 here from our passage tells us that certain Chaldeans came near and took pleasure, gloried in the fact that they were able to tell the king about those who stood in rebellion against him. They gloried in it. From this time on, this general threat became specific. It became a pointed threat against these men who tried to remain faithful to their God, even though they were so, so far from home. You see, this man, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, he was arguably, at that time, the most powerful man on earth. He flew off into a complete rage. Look at verse 13, doesn't it tell us something off that? This rage that he suffered, this fury that he suffered, in that rage, in that fury, he ordered, he commanded that the offenders be brought to heel, brought to bear, brought into his very presence. Look at verse 13, it tells us, then Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage and fury, commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Just imagine what that must have been like, with that threat, very real threat of being burned alive hanging over you. So those young men, who were young men, and speaking tonight to young people primarily, those young men were standing there as the king scowled down at them, as he looked down at them in his rage and his fury as verse 13 tells us. pointed the finger at them, because why? They had dared to question his authority, dared to question his laws, dared to question it in his very land, in his back door. But even though the king was in this fit of rage and fury over the position that they took, he actually gave them a second chance. And I've often thought about that. how he gave them another opportunity, another chance, another occasion that they might recant. Didn't we find that so many times with the martyrs? Verse 15, the first part of it at least, tells us of that second chance. Again, this threat was issued to them, this time not simply from the herald, not second hand if you like, but this time from the king himself, from his own lips. Just think what that must have been like, how much more difficult that must have been, how intimidating that must have been. Such a threat against these young men, their faith, what a threat against that. More than that, of course, as they represented the Lord, this was an affront to their God. As we consider the situation that began to unfold that day, the experience of these young men, Does it not make us, force us to think about the state of the world in which we live today as a society? We today are forced to accept as normal those things that this book, the Word of God, the Scriptures, the Word of God, the Scriptures of truth, And indeed, beyond that, even the things that every right-thinking person knows is wrong, we're forced to accept it. We're force-fed these things, just as these godly young men in the book of Daniel some two and a half thousand years ago were governed in their day and generation by unjust and anti-God laws. Can we ask ourselves, are we not too today, in this day and generation, increasingly governed by laws, rules, regulations that every normal upright person should question, should even hate? You see, these men in the time of Daniel had a very, very real threat against them. Why? For simply doing what was right. and not doing what was wrong. You see, sin takes two forms. Doing that which we ought not to do, of course, that's the part we highlight, but there's also that other type of sin. Think of the Shorter Catechism, Shorter Catechism number 14. What is sin? Sin is any want of conformity onto our transgression of the law of God. Doing that which we should not do and not doing what we should do. And then we suffer. These young men suffered for their faith, suffered for not doing what was asked and required of them by this unjust state. You see, there are many today, right across the world, communist countries and places like that, that are suffering, called upon to suffer. Those who are in prison, those who are simply spirited away for their faith. Pastors, never heard tell of again. And every day, these threats are getting closer and closer to our own borders. Just as a threat, even in Daniel chapter three, against Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah was very real, So too, as Bible-believing Christians, the threat is very real against the Church of Jesus Christ in our day of generation. Not only here, but right across the world as well. I better move on and think of something else from this passage. We've thought about the threat that they were under, but look at the position they took. They stood for God. Think about Israel for a while. He stood for God. Do we want to stand for God? Are we prepared to stand for God? It's easy to stand when everyone else around us are standing, but whenever they drop, whenever they take the knee, isn't it easy to follow suit? You see, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, they stood firm in their faith. This was the position that they took from the very beginning of the book. If you were to look back to the earlier chapters, we're in chapter 3 tonight, back to chapter 1 and chapter 2, they did it all along. They stood firm in their faith. Chapter 1 tells us how they were determined to stand for the Lord from day one. Maybe you're due to start university or something new like that. Maybe you're going out into the workplace, due to start, and it's easy for me, I started a new job where I'm referred to as the clergyman. Everybody knows who I am before they've met me. Maybe it's harder for you. But let me tell you this, you let yourself down, you let the Lord down, and day one it becomes even harder on day two. These young men, they stood firm from day one, right from the offset. Chapter 1 tells us of that. Turn back to, if you've got your Bible before you, chapter 1 verse 8. Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank." You see, these things had been offered unto idols and he couldn't do it. He had to stand firm for the Lord. And it wasn't just Daniel, it was his companions as well. Verse 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of chapter 1 makes that abundantly clear. Prove thy servants, plural. I beseech thee ten days and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink. Let our countenance, verse 13, be consented to them this matter and prove them ten days. Plural, right down throughout the chapter. You see, Daniel and these men stood together. It's good to find Christian friends. It's good to have those that will stand together as one against the wiles of the devil. I would encourage you to do that. What a lesson in these chapters, what a lesson from these Hebrew young men to us as young people this evening, to you as a young person this evening. We're to stand for the Lord in this, the day of apostasy, this day of departure and turning back, turning our backs upon God as a nation. as a society. In fact, right throughout Scripture, there is that theme running like a scarlet thread right throughout the Word of God of standing firm in the faith. What a beautiful theme it is. It's good to follow themes and studies in God's Word. Here's one for you of standing for God. Look at Pharaoh, for example. Exodus 7, 8, and 9, we find of that. Exodus chapter 7 verse 15, I'll read this verse for you, perhaps you want to turn to it. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning, this is the Lord speaking to Moses, lo he goeth out unto the water and, speaking to Moses, this is God's command of what Moses was to do, he was to stand. The words of scripture says this, where God speaks in the first person, and thou shalt stand by the river's brink. Again in the next chapter, verse 20, chapter 8, verse 20, and the Lord said unto Moses, rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. This theme runs right through the life of Moses, how he was in difficult times. Yet again, as with Daniel and his companions, to stand for the Lord. Chapter 9, verse 13, again, rise up early in the morning. The same theme, it's good to get up early. Good to go before God before we meet any other person. to kneel before God. And then, because someone has rightly said, if we kneel before God, we can stand before anyone. Isn't that the case with Moses? Isn't that the case with these three Hebrew young men? Rise up early in the morning, Exodus 9, verse 13, and stand before Pharaoh. You see, the enemy couldn't stand. The magicians couldn't stand. Pharaoh's sorcerers couldn't stand. That was the notable thing. That was the distinction. That was the difference between God's man and the counterfeit. He couldn't stand. Exodus chapter 9 verse 11 makes that so clear. It says this. This is God's word making it so clear. Listen to what it says. It says, and the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils and so on. Of course, not just in the Old, but also in the New Testament we find it. Doesn't Paul write to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 13? Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Again, Paul writes. He wrote 14 books of the New Testament. Such wisdom from his own experience. He writes to the church at Ephesus, chapter 6, verse 13. Wherefore take on to ye the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand. Again, that same theme. Again, in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 15. Brethren, stand fast. Isn't that lovely? That theme that runs right through. You see, young people today, we, in this day and generation, as much, if not more than ever, were to stand as these young men stood. We had a protest on Saturday past. I was so encouraged that there were young people there on the main street in Cookstown. What are we going to do today? Are we going to stand or are we going to melt away? Even whenever they were offered that second chance, we spoke of that, that second chance that Nebuchadnezzar gave them that day, they didn't crumble under the pressure. They didn't fold under this powerful man's intimidation and threats. They stood on. Perhaps the first time, they might have thought they could have hid in the crowd, hid in some corner. Not this time. The spotlight was on them. They were now, then the second time, after they'd been given the second chance, they were at the point where the rubber hit the road, it was for them, make or break time, and they didn't break, they didn't even bend. You know how easy it is to stand when everybody else is standing, yet whenever they drop, you're highlighted as the only one on your feet. Think about our introduction, think about Israel Folau, think about how he stood out like a sore thumb. You see, all those people, all those important people, gathered there in that plain of Dura, as we read there in chapter 3, verse 1, all those people standing along with Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, but whenever the music sounded, every one of them, apart from these young men, dropped to their knees, apart from these individuals. You think about that. You think about the position that those men took, even though the threat was so real, but there's something else that I want to consider just now as well. And that is the results of their actions in standing for God. You see, one of the central themes from, well, Scripture as a whole, but in particular in Daniel's book, Daniel's prophecy, one of the central themes that we discover is the sovereignty of God in all things. And I thank the Lord for that truth. that God is sovereign. You see, this is the case whenever Daniel and his companions refused to eat the king's meat in the first chapter, and also in chapter two, and also at the close of the chapter that we're in here this evening. This chapter gives the same thoughts, the same views. You see, we find the king's wrath was kindled. And now they were to face a greater trial than they'd ever faced before, you could almost say chapter one was a precursor to prepare them for this. You see, the trial they faced in the previous chapter was a fierce one. Yes, it was real, but this was on a completely different level. Chapter one and even chapter two was like a stepping stone to this trial. And do we find them wanting? Not for one second. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were willing to stand for their faith no matter what. In fact, to put it stronger than that, they were willing not only to stand, not only to bear reproach, but they were willing to die for their faith. Verse 17 and 18 makes that abundantly clear to us and indeed to Nebuchadnezzar on that occasion as well. chapter 3, verse 17 and 18. In fact, verse 19 tells us how their response to him made him even madder. Look at verse 17 and 18. These are their words. It said, If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, look at what it tells us in verse 8, if not, if God doesn't deliver us, that's what they were saying, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. And it was that that sparked him into such a rage. There were no more chances. There was no third chance for them. In fact, in his fury, he ordered that the furnace was to be heated seven times more than normal. But those men were faithful. They were willing to be martyrs should the Lord require it. You see, the Lord was with them. The Lord was with them every step in the way. The king's own witness affirmed that as we read on down throughout the chapter. We find that even the king, Nebuchadnezzar, the one that opposed him with such vehemency early on, he himself takes up this narrative. These are his words. This is his eyewitness account. Look at verse 24, but especially look at verse 25. We'll just read verse 25 for the sake of time. Lo, this is the king speaking. He didn't have an axe to grind this way. If anything, he could have minimized what he saw. Lo, I see four men. There were three thrown in, remember. Four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no heart. And then he says this, and I find this amazing. The last part of verse 25 of chapter 3. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Isn't that amazing? The fact that this unjust, evil, wicked, ungodly king said that. What a beautiful truth it is for the child of God. No matter what we face, no matter what you will face tomorrow, as a child of God, you and I can be assured that the Lord is with us every single step of the way. I love that verse from Proverbs 18, verse 24, the last part of it. It says, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. I often think about Hebrews 13, verse 5, again, the closing words of that verse. It says, for I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, thee forsake, nor thee leave, never will I. We can read it backwards or forwards, what a truth. You see, the Lord is with us every single step of the way. And then, of course, by the end of the chapter, as we read on down through to the last words, isn't the Lord glorified from all that happens and all that goes forth? He takes all the glory to himself. This king who was so opposed against the Lord, was the one that actually promoted them and brought them up and forward. Look at verse 30, the last verse. And the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. You see, young people, you will discover this. If you stand for God, you will discover this. In fact, the Lord tells us in 1 Samuel 2 verse 30, them that honor me, I will honor. What a promise. He's with us. But them that honor me I will honor. But there's another part to that verse. And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. We have a decision to make. Are we going to stand for God or are we going to crumble before our enemies? I trust the Lord will encourage us and bless us and help us even as we consider these things of standing for God in difficult times. May the Lord write His truth upon each of our hearts.