Take A Stand: You Have To Do What Is Right

Billy Graham said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” 

Pastor Ray shares a vital message on “Taking A Stand” for God in a godless age.

What is Ridgecrest Baptist Church - Sermons?

Ridgecrest Baptist Church is located in Dothan, AL and exists to Reach the lost, Build the believer, and Connect people of God to the mission and purpose of God.

You know, if you're going to live your life on purpose and that's a theme that we're talking about you just can't go along with everything. Would you agree with that? There are going to be times when you're going to have to take a stand, martin Luther King Jr said some years ago. He said I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, whatever may come. I like that. People, these are serious days. Would you agree with that? We're living in serious times.

We're now living in what you might term a post-Christian age. It's an age that's been swallowed up by a lot of isms. The chief among them, I think, are three. We've been swallowed up by secularism. That is essentially to say that we have rejected God in the public square, and secularism has moved in. There's a scientific axiom that goes like this nature abores a vacuum, and so if there isn't something there, nature will fill it with something. God used to be the focal place of the public square in this nation and somewhere along the way we said it's not that important for God to be God in the midst of who we are. So secularism rushed in and took over, and then we're swallowed up by individualism. We hear that a lot today. Individualism is just another way of saying I live by my own rules, you know my own truth. We hear that a lot, don't we? And individualism I'm going to do what is right in my eyes. And then, third, we have been swallowed up by pragmatism. Some have said pragmatism is the only real ism that was birthed in America Pragmatism. Well, for us to understand what that is. Simply put, pragmatism is the end that justifies a means. So if I feel like there's a noble end that I want to pursue, then whatever I need to do to pursue it is acceptable. And today it's not only your reputation in the world but also, unfortunately, your reputation in the religious world that takes a beating when you take a bold stand for Jesus Christ. And that's true not just of our culture out there, but it's also true of much of the American evangelical church that is willing to tolerate just about anyone and everything, except for those who take a stand for biblical truth on unpopular issues. Now I believe if you're going to live in 2024 on purpose, there are matters that you are going to have to take a stand for on purpose.

Now the Bible is full of stories about men and women of God who took stands for God and missed the cultures that they lived in. There's Peter and John. You know they were brought before the council and they stood up to the council. There was Noah, who went against the grain of his day. There was Moses, who left the luxury of Egypt and returned to deliver the children of Israel. There was Joshua, who was told to be strong and courageous. And there was Gideon. Remember Gideon and how he stood against the tide. There was Esther, maybe one of the greatest stories of standing for truth. Then Daniel we read about in the first part of this book and connected really to the passage that we're going to look at. But today I want to look at three young men who stood against the tide. I've preached about these three young men many times over the year, but today I want to look at them once again, and so I want to do a couple of things. Most of you know this story. I'm not going to read the entire verses eight through eighteen, but I want to jump around a little bit, so if you're physically able to do so, why don't you stand with me?

As we read God's word this morning, beginning in verse eight of chapter three. It says therefore at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews, that's Shadrach, meshach and Abednego. You understand that they're living under captivity in Babylon. Verse nine says they declared to King Nebuchadnezzar these Chaldeans, these Babylonians, came to the king and they said oh King, live forever. You, old king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the trigon, harp, bagpipe and every kind of music shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. Now there are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon Shadrach, meshach and Abednego. These men, oh King, pay no attention to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. And then I was to skip down, because here's what happens after that the king becomes furious and he says you bring them in here and I'm going to confront them and I'm going to tell them they have to bow down to the idol, the image that I've constructed to be worshiped, and if they don't, then we'll throw them in the fiery furnace.

Look at verse 16. Now this is Shadrach, Meshach, abednego. They're standing before King Nebuchadnezzar and he's giving them this ultimatum bow down. Or else Shadrach, meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. And then notice this next thing and he will deliver us out of your hand, oh King. One way or the other will be delivered out of your hand, but if not, be it known to you, oh King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you've set up. Now, teach us to take a stand, to know where to take a stand, to know, father, the truth that we must stand upon. Would you speak to us today from your word and from the story of these three young Hebrew who stood for truth and righteousness and for God. Teach us how, help us do it and be pleased with it. How, father, would you use my words, my study, everything. I say, father, let it have upon it the power of your Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, you can be seated Now.

Again, we only read really a portion of the whole story that goes on. I bet most of you, or many of you, know this story On some level. You know the story. They were thrown into the fiery furnace because of what they just said, their answer back to the king. They stood up to the king and, by the way, they weren't trying to be disrespectful, but the king had called them, the king had given them this ultimatum. They said we can't abide by that, and if we are thrown in the fire and we die, we die. But our God's able to deliver us and one way or the other he's going to deliver us. If he doesn't deliver us here physically, he will deliver us spiritually, into His kingdom and presence. In other words, they say it's a win-win for us.

And as you go on, of course it just infuriated the king. The king was full of ego and he had some sycophants around him who had convinced him that he was everything in a bag of chips. And he believed it. And so he operated his life that way. And so they said back, you have to go back to the Daniel portion of the story to see that they had a pander to him. He said let's build an idol to you. There are a lot of pagan gods that the Babylonians worship. The Chaldeans worshiped and he said but let's build one to you, we don't have one to you. And so they constructed a golden image of Nebuchadnezzar for people to worship, like he was a deity himself. He kind of liked that. And then these three Hebrews said hey, we're working in the administration. By the way, they were favored in the administration, they were thriving in the administration. But they said that's a bridge too far, we can't do that. And consequently, the king threw them in the fire. And well you know the outcome Jesus was in the fire with them and they were delivered.

It really is a story of four men, though we're only gonna look at the three Hebrews because, daniel, if you go back to chapter one and verse six, you see that Daniel was a part of this. And actually, if you go earlier into this passage, you see that it was Daniel who got these three appointed to serve in their roles of leadership within the Babylonian kingdom, and one of the reasons they were falsely and maliciously accused. Did you notice? It said they were maliciously accused. There was an agenda going on and it was because they had been so successful. And here they were. They were slaves. Now they had freedom within the empire, but they were slaves. They'd been taken from Israel, they'd been transplanted to Babylon and they were subservient to the Babylonians. But these four young men had risen up. God had favored them and risen. They had risen up into places of prominence within the Babylonian empire and these Chaldeans around were jealous, and so they hatched this plot. This is all a part of the plot that actually began in the first chapters of Daniel, but a focus is for us here in chapter three these three young men and their response to the king's command to bow down and to worship the golden image.

Now I wanna say this that they did not oppose everything. We sometimes think today that you oppose anything and everything, and our culture is full of opposition, isn't it? I mean, watch your news or read your newspapers and you'll see there's opposition going on all the time about something, somewhere. Now, they didn't oppose everything. Think about it. They had been deported from their home to a foreign land as captives. They didn't resist that they were given pagan names. Did you know that their name, shadrach, meshach and Abednego, were pagan names and they were offensive pagan names? They were given those names on purpose. They were given these names and they were offensive to them, but they didn't resist, and the Bible tells us that they were also reeducated. They were reeducated into the woke culture of Babylon and they did not swallow it, but they did enroll in the new school of education and, in spite of even those things and who they were in the empire, they continued to live for God. In fact, they even thrived, and it bothered these Chaudyans who weren't having such success in trying to move up the corporate ladder, so to speak, but when they were told to worship the gods of their age, this is where they drew the line in the sand, and I believe from them we can see and learn what it means to take a stand from God. Now I have to tell you something. I believe that we are in an age that has already moved to and is moving to a place that's gonna force us to take stands that we've never had to take before.

The Orthodox Church in Russia's back in 2008 discovered that one of their church buildings had completely disappeared and poof, it was gone, or so they thought. It was a 200 year old building, it was northeast of Moscow and it had gone unused for a decade or more. But the Russian Orthodox Church, which was experiencing some growth at that time, had decided to revive this church and to reopen this church as a new place to worship. And that's when they discovered that they couldn't reopen it because it was gone. And so they decided they needed to investigate and get to the bottom of what happened to the church. And after investigating the matter, the church officials they didn't blame it on aliens from outer space who had come and taken the church away. Rather, they said that the perpetrators were actually the villagers from a nearby town whom they said had taken and sold the bricks from the building to a businessman, and they had received about four cents, or one ruble, four cents, for each of the bricks that they sold to him.

This two story church did not go from being a building to not being a building by some demolition project or some bulldozers. Rather, it went from a building to a nothing, because the bricks were one by one chiseled out and sold One by one, lots of people, one by one. A brick here, a brick there, a brick there, and, over a period of time, what was, by the way, a structurally sound building no longer exist and probably, and most of the people didn't even think about it, they didn't even think look, I think another brick's gone. You know, we rowed past this building yesterday and I think there were two more bricks there, one brick at a time. One brick at a time, one brick at a time Some. Chapter 11, verse 13 says if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Affirmative believe that the foundation of our nation is crumbling? I believe the bricks are being removed suddenly and the danger is happening without much attention to it. The danger is happening and no one is standing in times when they should stand and say the bricks are being taken out and one day many will wake up and say where did the church go? What happened to the foundations?

Martin Neymiller, a prominent Lutheran German pastor back in the era of World War II, was imprisoned by Hitler. And he was imprisoned because, by his own testimony, when he should have stood up, he didn't stand up, and after he was imprisoned he wrote these words, which perhaps you've heard before, he said first they, that is, the Nazis came for the communist and I didn't speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialist and I didn't speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionist and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics. Well, I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Catholic. Then they came for me and by then there was no one left to speak out for anybody.

I wanna show you this morning three things Shadrach, meshach and Abednego teach us about taking a stand and speaking out. Number one we see it in verses eight and verse 12. They stood out in their culture from their walk with God. Verse eight and 12 again reminds us as maliciously they were accused by the Jews. And then the Jews again told the king they do not serve your gods in verse 12. They do not serve your gods. You see what had distinguished them? It was their walk with God. What made them stand out from everybody else. It was their walk with God.

Evangelist Billy Sunday used to tell a story about a professing Christian who got a job at a lumber camp. A lumber camp that had a reputation for being a very ungodly place. And a friend, hearing that the man had been hired for this lumber cap, said to him you know, if those lumberjacks ever find out that you're a Christian, you're gonna be in for a hard time. And the man responded, said I know, I know, but I need the job. And so the next morning he left for camp. He was there for about a year and he came home for a break and for a visit and while he was in town he met his friend who saw him and asked him. So he said so how did it go? Did they give you a hard time because you're a Christian To wish? The man replied oh no, not at all. They didn't give me a bit of trouble. They never even found out.

We laugh about this. We also cringe about it, because in a world that is increasing its hostility to Christianity, this hits a little too close to home, doesn't it? For many Christians today, it's just easier to blend in with the world than to stand out in the world. It's easier to get along in order to go along. Why were Shadrach, meshach and Bednego accused and singled out.

It was because of their walk with God. Others knew these others that worked around them, these others that were in their sphere, understood that they would not worship any God but the God, and they would stand on that or they would die for that. It was because of their walk with God and their subsequent refusal to bow down to the pagan gods of the age that they were known. They would not just go along, they would not just get along just to pacify the culture, and their walks separated them from those around. It's kind of like what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 617, a command he says. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers and separate yourself from them, says the Lord. Don't touch their filthy things. You know, the whole reason that the golden image was constructed in the first place really, if you go back and read this whole narrative from chapter one on was to try and trap the four Hebrews, because Daniel's a part of that. Try to trap them because their accusers recognized the people around them, recognized that their walk with God would prevent them from compromising with the world.

So may I ask you this morning does your walk with God distinguish and identify you in the world? Does your walk with God distinguish, you and your family in your workplace, around your neighborhood, your peers in your community, or do you just kind of blend in, you know, like the man that went to the work with the lumber camp? Oh, they never found out, they don't even know. I'm gonna ask you this morning what does your walk say about God and about the things that are right? The second thing that I want you to take note of this morning is that they not only stood out, they stood on the truth of God. They stood on the truth of God. Look at verse 17, if you will. If this be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, o King. They stood on the truth of God.

I have a book in my library titled Culture Wars. It's by James Davidson Hunter. He's not known as a conservative, but he is a fairly popular in some circle writer about culture and Christianity and the influence, and he writes in this book. He says what divides us as a culture is not so much our views on abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia or capital punishment. The real issue is our view of truth. I think he's right about that, because if you get truth right, you get all of these culture, war issues right.

You know, today we hear this well, that's your truth, this is my truth. But Jesus said I am the truth, meaning I'm the only source of truth. There is no truth outside of me. All that you believe is to be measured against. What I say is true. That's what Jesus would say. But today people say well, that's your truth and that's okay if your truth works for you. That's relativism, by the way, but this is my truth and this works with me. The problem is what happens when your truth intersects with my truth and they're two different truths. Whose truth becomes truth? That's why Jesus says you don't have to worry about that. There's a transcendent truth and that truth is Jesus Christ. I am the truth, I'm the standard, I'm the source of truth. You see, if you get Jesus right, you get truth right. And if you get truth right, then you get all the issues that the culture debates right. Jesus even said this sanctify them, father, through your truth. And then he said this your word is truth. And guess what Jesus said about himself? I am the word, I'm the truth. These three young men are models, because they were willing to take a stand for the truth of God.

Now we're living in a time of great deception. First Timothy, chapter four, says this. Now the spirit expressly says that in the latter time some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. I used to read those passages again. Another passage in Thessalonians, and I would read those passage that would characterize the last days. In the last days it said expressly that they'll follow after lies and deceit and teachings of demons. And Paul reiterates that idea in Thessalonians and everything. And I used to say that now that's what's coming, be ready, that's what's coming. I recently I was studying through those passages again and something occurred to me. That's not what's coming, that's what's here. We're there, this is where we are.

I agree with one pastor who said this. He said if there's anything good that came out of COVID, it's the fact that it exposed and brought to light the incredible amount of deception that is and has been operating behind the scenes for decades. We're a deceived nation. Did you hear? Just this past couple of days new revelations have come out from Congressman Jim Jordan that the Treasury Department has been tracking people that buy Bibles and creating profiles of people that buy Bibles and people that buy guns, whether it's to hunt or whatever reason and piecing together a profile they're tracking to say these people are the potential extremist. Do you know that? But they've been to say this has been going on for a long time now. It just emerged. The government's been doing that.

Deception. When it comes to COVID, we were told to follow the science, remember, which has mostly turned out to be junk science. There's a New York Times article that I have in my files and it's headlined this the CDC concedes that cloth masks do not protect against the virus effectively as other masks, they concede. Finally, and the infamous Dr Fauci recently admitted that the six foot rule you remember the six foot rule, which was supposedly based on science, was just arbitrarily made up. Deception we learned that pharmaceutical companies were making historically enormous profits from the pandemic. It's been admitted now, by the way, that children staying home was a terrible mistake. Deception this is science, science, science, science.

And then, since 2020, the moral decay in our nation has accelerated and advanced at an unparalleled pace. There's developed a determined agenda to redefine marriage and family. There's now a concentrated effort in this nation to re-educate and confuse our children on gender and sexuality, with an effort to take away parents' rights regarding what's best for their own children. There exists an effort to dismiss fundamental biology and deny scientific facts. There is an agenda to create biological confusion and, interestingly, the same advocates and institutes and research institutes and academic institutes who told us to follow the science when it came to COVID are the same advocates, research institutes and academic institutes that now tell us to completely disregard biological science when it comes to the human body and replace biological science with human emotion. And then our libraries have become homes to all kinds of vile material under the guise of freedom of speech.

The larger cultural agenda listen, the larger cultural agenda is to sexualize our children From kindergarten up. Is there agenda? Well, listen to what the President of the American Library Association said. Quote libraries should be a place of queerness and difference rather than democracy and citizenship. You did get that, didn't you? No democracy, no citizenship in libraries. You don't have citizenship, citizens don't have a voice, or nor does democracy have a place in libraries. They should be places of queerness.

By the way, she's an avowed lesbian and, by the way, it may come as a surprise to many, but these very materials are right here in our Dothan Public Library. That's the reason this Thursday night we're having a meeting. I want to ask you, as your pastor, be here for that meeting. You carve into your schedule to be here 6.30,. You're going to hear about what's happening in your library. I hope you will make that a priority to be here. Those materials are right here in our public library. Most people in our community have no idea they're there. I have to tell you I didn't. I knew those materials existed. I had heard about those materials and I just probably, like many people, assume that well, they're in some big city libraries. I don't think that's acceptable either, but that's kind of probably what I assume. But not in Dothan.

You know a city that's named from the Bible, a city that was known for calling out the immorality of the king. Did you know that Dothan is where Elisha the prophet retired to and he was calling out what was going on by the government and the government? The king got angry and said go kill him and he sent his army to Dothan and when they got there they stopped. The servant of Elisha comes rushing in to Elijah. This is all 2nd Kings, chapter 6. If you want to go read it, it's a great story. I preached on it. Y'all have just forgotten that. And the servant of Elijah comes running in and he says master, master, the army of the king is coming. And Elijah just kept on rocking in his rocking chair and he said don't worry about it, they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And then he prayed Lord, open my servant's eyes that he may see. And God did, and when the servant saw, he was astounded because there was a heavenly host surrounding the city of Dothan, angels with drawn flaming swords, and the army of the king chickened out and turned away. That's the legacy of Dothan. I want that to remain the legacy of Dothan. Amen.

Most people don't know this stuff is in our own library and I have to tell you something. The books are written toward and directed at young people, 12 years and up. They're written in a comic book format but they're very graphic. You would not show them to a child. You would not probably look at them yourself. You would be repulsed. You certainly wouldn't sit down with another child and say let me show you this book. And these books are available for checkout in our library. Not all of our board is in favor of that. The library board. Not all of them are in favor of that, but some are just simply. Well, let's try to just kind of. Maybe we can just move them to another section. First answer is to remove them, not move them. When asked by some in this area to have those books reviewed and removed, the response was at least to one. Well, I've seen the response to three of the books from the library that said in one.

Taken as a whole, the book has significant artistic, creative and cultural merit. I promise you, friend, if you look at these materials you won't go wow, how creative and artistic this material is. It's graphic, and I do mean graphic, it is cartoon. It is in cartoon form probably, because if it were photographically illustrated it would be classed as pedophilia. You would not show it to your children, you would not show it to your grandchildren, you wouldn't show it to your friends or you probably wouldn't show it to anyone. And you're not going to sit down, as I said, with another child and say let me show you this very artistic book. This is insane.

Keeping vile materials away from young people is not a censorship matter, it's a citizenship matter. There are some materials that are just inappropriate for children. Period. We don't let a nine-year-old drive a car. There are some things that are just inappropriate. It's amazing how many people want to ignore it and to make excuses for it.

Let me tell you some excuses I've heard. Well, we have to be careful. I've heard this from Christians. We have to be careful because it could cause good books to be removed. Do you understand that argument? Well, if we remove these books, somebody else might decide. Well, we're going to ask that you remove these other good books, and so it could backfire. I've been told that. Now here's my response to that, and I have responded to those who've told me that with this, that's the logic and wisdom of the world. That's not the wisdom of the Word. My response has been this you don't not do the right thing right now because of something that may or may not happen down the road. You do the right thing right now because it's right period and the world's logic. The world's logic says let's try to pacify everybody. You know. So we don't want people responding to other good resources.

Another thing that I've heard is people requesting removal of these books are book burners, book banners, their sensors. We can't start burning books. I've been labeled a book burner because I say they should be removed. Now I've heard people say well, I'm not into book banding. Listen, I'm not either. You know that I love books. I have over 7,000 volumes in my personal library, both secular and sacred books.

But don't be deceived, this is not about book burning and that terminology is applied. That's emotional manipulation. Everybody in this culture today wants to be labeled something. We're afraid to be labeled. Taking a stand means you're probably going to get labeled for something. But don't be deceived, this isn't about book burning. This is about protecting our children, our kids, our young people and our community from inappropriate material. And, by the way, our public library removes books from their collection all the time for various reasons. I've yet to hear anybody refer to them as book burners. To use the label of book burner is simply an attempt to intimidate and to try to shut down rational dissent. Church Christians do not be deceived into using worldly logic to defend positions that are unbiblical. These are days of deception, aren't they? Did y'all bring you lunch?

We're seeing the absurd overhaul of our language in the workplaces, in academia, in government. We're about being told that saying things like they, them, he, she are not acceptable pronouns any longer. And, by the way, they've created a whole new class. They're called neo pronouns. Go look them up. It's absurd. They're called in ye and year. Hey, ye, year is plural, so if there's a group of you, hey, year, neo pronouns, go look it up. I don't have time to tell you about them all. We're told that a person should introduce themselves this has actually been published that they should introduce themselves with pronouns of their choice by saying something like this Hi Mike, I'm Ray and I use hymn pronouns, just so you know, so you can use hymn with me, because I've told you that. Did you know that I recently was informed that health and human services and their budget has replaced the word mom with the words birthing person, and they've done that in order to accommodate biological females who can still have children but won't identify as men? Did you know that the National Institutes for Health have replaced the word pedophile with the words minor attracted person? There's an overhaul in our language. All of that has an agenda.

These are days of deception. We've witnessed our borders being overrun. At the same time, political leaders stand in front of the media and say that our borders are totally and completely secure. Now listen, I'm not against immigrants. We're all immigrants. Somewhere in your lineage you're an immigrant. I went back. I did one of those things, you know, the DNA test. I've been told for years that my family's heritage, I knew was new, wearing Europe, but also the other half was Native Americans, indians, cherokee Indians. In particular, that I was for years. I grew up and my great-great-great-great granddad, I was told, was a child Chief of the Cherokee Indians in Alabama. I was proud of it. I took the DNA test to see how much of me is Cherokee. Now I've got Welsh Jones is the Welsh name, that and some Portuguese and some Cherokee, though you know how much. I don't know where that rumor got started in my family, but I think I'm going to hang on to it. These are days of deception. I'm for immigration, but I'm for legal immigration, and we're being told that our borders are secure.

We're living in times of debt, deception that Thessalonians, chapter 2, says. Therefore, god sent them listen. Therefore, god sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. They're sent a strong. God eventually says here's what God eventually does with a culture, the nation. God eventually says I've given you a chance. I do have limits. I'm giving you over to a reprobate mind. Romans, chapter 1. And he sends them strong delusion so that they believe a lie. Let's go ahead and believe the lie. The fact is, you have to understand if you don't know the truth of God, you will be a victim of the darkness sooner or later.

The truth of God is what compelled Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to stand up. You must not wait or assume that somebody like the Justice Department is going to take care of it. You can't assume that the politicians are going to take care of it, whether they're Democrat or Republican. Many of our politicians, not all. I was in conversation with one godly politician I pray with every month by Zoom. On Friday afternoon I pray with him and his wife, and they are godly. Not all of them, but many of the politicians have lost their ability to stand. They're so politicized. Don't be intimidated by the world's agenda.

Stand up like Chadrack, meshach and Abednego. Stand up for God's truth. Don't be ashamed of God's truth and remember this that God is with you, amen. Let me close with the last thing. Not only did they stand out because of their walk with God. Not only did they stand up for the truth of God last, they stood up in obedience to God verse 18. But if not be known to you, o King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you've set up. Did you notice something? That, when they stood up, they also spoke up? They were not ashamed to declare their allegiance and friend. Neither must we. A Barnard research which is considered the most influential research group for Christian polling matters In 2019, conducted a survey that found that half of American pastors are afraid to preach biblical morality on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, gender sexuality and politics Over 50 percent. The study also found that not only, though, are they afraid and, by the way, it said, they were afraid because they were afraid of the repercussions from the culture the study also found that not only are they afraid of being criticized by the world, but of being opposed by their own church members.

How tragic Shadrach, meshach and Abednego. They did what was right in the sight of God. They did like Peter and John. You remember Peter and John brought before the council. Peter and John answered boldly to them and said whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God. You must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.

I mentioned Billy Sunday early in the message. Well, billy Sunday said this. He said I'm a Christian because God says so, and I did what he told me to do and I stand on God's word and if the book goes down, then I'll go down with it. You see, we get our orders from God. That's what Shadrach, meshach and Abednego were saying to the king. That's what Peter and John said before the council. We get our orders from God. There may be a cost at times. Listen, I'm not going to tell you there won't be a fiery furnace in your life at some point in time, but here's what I am going to tell you God will never leave you or forsake you. He's promised that.

I quoted Martin Neymar as well early on. You know the Lutheran pastor in Germany during Hitler's time. What I didn't tell you was that Martin Neymar was held in high esteem in Germany because he was a World War I hero before he became a Lutheran pastor, and so the people of Germany admired Neymar greatly. But when he opposed Hitler, he was in prison for eight years and he spent time in prisons and concentration camps, including Dachau. You see, hitler realized that if he could convert Neymar to his agenda, if he could persuade him to join his cause, that Neymar's status with Germans would cause others to follow suit. And so he couldn't any in prison, neymar and then he. After a while in prison, he sent one of Neymar's closest friends, who supported the Nazis, to see, and this friend showed up at the prison and he saw Neymar in his cell. And this one time friend said to him Martin, martin, why are you here? To which Neymar replied my friend, that's not the question. The question is why are you not here? Friends, stand up, obey God and see the power of God.

I love Exodus 14-13. You know, we like to study Israel because they remind us of ourself, don't they? They'd just been brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand of God, wealth unheard of for them. They'd seen all the miracles that God had wrought. But shortly thereafter and I do mean shortly thereafter they're already belly aching. They've put their eyes, instead of putting their eyes on God and remembering what God had done from them, they start looking at Pharaoh's army advancing. You brought us out here to kill us. You brought us out here to destroy us and Moses. Well, you know, in Moses' old age he had short patience, didn't he? And he would talk to God about it. But then he stood in this occasion. They're crumbling and you brought us out here to die and he stands up before them and Moses said to the people fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today and the Egyptians whom you see today you'll never see again. Do you have some Egyptians chasing you? Stand firm, stand on the truth of God. Don't compromise the truth to go along with the culture.

I want to leave you this morning with words from the book we're studying, michael Yosef's book Never Give Up. The last page. If you're not there, then I'm going to break it to you right now. We'll talk tonight about I hope you'll be here for that, but let me give you one of the concluding paragraphs that Michael Yosef says in this book Never Give Up. He says this, and I quote it's easy and natural to go with the flow, but it's supernatural and godly to stand alone. It's easy and natural to drift with the tide, but it's supernatural and godly to stand against the tide. It's easy and natural to compromise and make friends with the world, but it's supernatural and godly to reject compromise and refuse to surrender. I like that.

If you're going to live on purpose in 2024, there are going to be some things you're going to have to stand up for. There are going to be some times that you're going to have to stand for God. So, like Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, I charge you to stand out in your walk with God. Let there be no doubt who you serve. As for me, in my house, we will serve the Lord. Be distinguished by your walk with God in 2024.

I charge you, like Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, to stand on the truth of God. Don't be deceived by the logic of the world. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. Stand on the truth of God. And then, last, I charge you, like Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, to stand up in obedience to God. Do what's right in the eyes of God. Do what's right in the eyes of God. Obey God above all else. Obey God. Let's pray, father, help us to do those things. Help us to be modern day.

Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, they weren't trying to pick fights. They were just living for you. The fight came to them and they had to stand. We're not looking for them, we don't want them, but, god, if they come our way, let us stand when we must stand. Let us make no apologies for who we serve. Let us not back away from what you've said, and give us the courage to do everything that you desire, father. Let us live our lives on purpose. In Jesus' name, amen. Would you stand with me for him?