November 10, 2013 - "Fireproofing" - Part 1

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

11.   In this day and age, you must understand that you must not do what it is you do just to appease your conscience.

a.   Coming to church and serving God must be born of a heart that's totally connected to God. The only thing that will keep you going when the fire begins to burn is to have a heart that is totally connected to God.

b.   Through this series, I hope you begin to truly understand what it will take to be fireproof, but totally on fire for God.

c.   Today's lessons will be taken from the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

             i.        We call these the three Hebrew boys, and through them we learn how to be ON fire, but not be burned.

d.   In Daniel Chapter 2:9-13, the king had a dream, so he called the astrologers and asked them to interpret.

e.   Daniel 2:16

16  Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

17  Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

             i.   His companions, better known as Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego.

18  That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

             i.   In other words, Daniel said we need to go and pray about this situation.

22.   You and I will never be fireproof if we do not have a prayer life.

 i.        When we don't have a prayer life in our private lives, we fall and we faint, because we fall and are playing a game. IT'S NOT REAL.

ii.        Can you imagine you being married, and speaking to your wife, and your wife saying nothing to you? It will make you feel some kind of way.

             i.        Picture the Lord all day long trying to put everything in order, and you walk around acting like He doesn't exist.

            ii.        You praise Him in church, but then you get home and act like He's not even there. Is the Lord not just as good in your house as He is in the church?

iii.        Daniel knew exactly who to go to when the fire was going to burn. He knew he had to go to somebody who know that God can do anything but fail, and that knows how to get to God.

iv.        Prayer is so important because it prepares you to totally depend on God. If God didn't do something in Daniel's situation, they were all going to die.

v.        There will come fire that you cannot extinguish on your own.

vii.        If you are not careful the fire will consume things that it's not supposed to consume - your love for people. Your patience.

viii.        The right kind of material is not going to get consumed.

ix.        Noticed, Daniel and his brothers did not complain, they didn't go on Facebook, they didn't get drunk or high, they went right to the one who could help them.

x.        You cannot be a part of the team if you are not a person of prayer.

xi.        Luke 18:1  ¶And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

             i.        Philippians tells us to pray without ceasing.

            ii.        There are two things that stop you from prayer, wrath and doubting.

xii.        Daniel didn't get mad at the king for his decree. The humbled themselves and they went to God in prayer, after they went to the king and asked him to just give them a little time.

xiv.        For Daniel and his brothers the real fire was yet to happen, because in Chapter 3, the king made a decree that said anyone who wouldn't bow to the king, they would be cast in the fire.

             i.        Of course we know they didn't bow. Christian, what is it going to take for you to quit?

xv.        The most important lessons are learned where it takes character for you to pay attention and not allow your mind to wander off into outer space.

             i.        It takes character to be in ministry, and integrity, because it's not fun.

xvi.        The three Hebrew boys got thrown into the furnace, just like we do. See:

1 Peter 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

q.        The time is going to come when game playing is over, because the fire has a way of burning everything except for what God wants.

r.        The three Hebrew boys KNEW that God would deliver them.

33.   When you start getting into leadership and you are not fireproof, you begin to get bound - to other people's opinions, to what they say about you, to the labels they try to place on you.

a.        Daniel 3:24-25

24  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

           a.   The fire is so important because it frees you - NOT to sin, but to do what God wants you to do regardless of what people say.

           b.   When you are loosed in the fire, what do people see? Notice that Daniel and his brothers didn't even say a word. Sometimes you can just look at somebody and just KNOW.

           c.   When Lazarus came out of the tomb, he never uttered a word.

           d.   Am I preaching a lifestyle of evangelism? No. But I am saying that your lifestyle should evangelize.

b.        Luke 22:31-32

31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

When you get on fire, I pray that your faith will not fail, that you will not faith. Notice he didn't say Peter I pray that YOU will not fail, because we all will fail. He said I pray that your faith will survive. The fire is coming, for all of us, but I pray your faith will remain strong. Someone once said that those the Lord loves most, He places in the fire.