- A godly life brings opposition.
- A godly life brings hard choices.
- A godly life requires that we know Who we believe in.
- A godly life brings blessings and peace.

We are living in very uncertain times.

We have a financial system that cannot seem to find its footing.  Homes are being foreclosed on, retirement savings have been decimated, jobs are being lost by the thousands, and the cost of living continues to rise.  We have a president that scares a lot of people.  There are also societal changes.   We live in a different society than we did ten years ago.  Terrorism affects all of us now.  Our country has always been a bastion of liberty.  Liberty is freedom with responsibility.

One of the greatest things about our country has been that people understood and took their responsibilities seriously.  We now live in a world that doesn’t view freedom as a liberty but as a license – a license to do whatever they want to do while answering to no one.   Maintaining liberty in that environment is very difficult.

More than 150 years ago, French Historian, Alexis De Tocqueville, traveled America to discover why the American experiment was so successful.  He noted, "America is great because she is good.  If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."  And he noted that "Liberty cannot be established without morality, or morality without faith."

When America believes that freedom is more of a license to do what we want rather than a liberty that carries with it responsibilities, or when those responsibilities are not defined by a faith-based morality, we will see our nation cease to be great, because she has ceased to pursue goodness by the power and strength of the Living God.  To be safe in a society that is not good means limiting freedoms and giving authority over to others to protect us.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address describes our government as "of the people, by the people, and for the people".  If however, the elected people, as a whole, are not good or do not have a faith-based morality, do we expect them to wisely use, or at a minimum, to not abuse, the unprecedented power they have been given?

We are certainly living in challenging and uncertain times.  As we view these things, it is easy to focus only on these changes and uncertainties and become discouraged.  We may even wonder where God is in all of this.

Often it is in times of hardship and uncertainty that God shows up in unbelievable ways in the lives of His people.

We can take courage from three individuals that lived in very challenging and changing times.

We find them in the Book of Daniel.  We see three characters; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They were Jews who were taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.  Nebuchadnezzar was a king who was about himself, surrounded by many advisors who were concerned about themselves.

In the first chapter of Daniel, we find that Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to dishonor God by eating food from the kings table.  In less than ideal circumstances, these men kept their eyes on God; and God blessed them.

In chapter 3, these three young men strove to follow God the best they could as foreigners in a pagan society filled with self-centered people - who worshipped multiple gods.

That sounds similar to how Peter tells us to live in 1 Peter 1:17 – "live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."

That is what these men were doing as they lived in Babylon.  They knew who God was and had a reverent fear of Him which helped them live in a way that glorified the Lord.

We can look at Daniel 3 and the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and better prepare ourselves to live godly lives during the uncertain and changing times that we face.

Daniel 3:1-12 – "King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.  He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up.  So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.  Then the herald loudly proclaimed, ‘This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language:  As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.  Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.’  Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews.  They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live forever!  You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold,  and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.  But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego-who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.'"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were going about living there lives, doing their job, when things started to change.  They did not change, but their culture, society, and circumstances changed which made their beliefs stand out a bit more and brought about opposition.

Living a Godly life will bring opposition.  This seems counter intuitive to us.  Some believe that if we are living a godly life, we should have an easy life.  There is a problem with that thinking; We confuse a blessed life with an easy life.  Every believer knows that God will bless us as we live a godly life.  The Scriptures speak about this:
Proverbs 3:33 - "The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous."
Psalm 128:1 - "Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways."

God blesses us as we live godly lives, lives that show we "walk in His ways."  But blessing does not always equate with ease of circumstances.  There are times when God does bless us with that, but being blessed by the Lord is more about experiencing His presence in the midst of life, whatever that brings.  God’s blessing is often finding comfort in the midst of suffering.

2 Corinthians 1:5 - "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

It is finding peace amid trouble.
John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Living a godly life does not guarantee ease of life.  In fact, it guarantees just the opposite.
2 Timothy 3:12 – "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"

We need to realize that as we strive to live a godly life, we are going to face opposition and persecution, especially during times of change and uncertainty.

Daniel 3:13-15 - "Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?  Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?'"

Not only does living a Godly life bring opposition, but will also bring hard choices. 
These young men had to choose between worshiping a false idol and keeping their physical life or worshipping the living God and most likely losing their physical life.

Some could make rationalizations and argue that God has given us this physical life as a gift and we should do all in our power to save our life for God’s glory so in this case it might be ok to just outwardly bow down but not to really worship inwardly.  However the second commandment says;

Exodus 20:4-5 – "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,"

In the New Testament, Jesus says in Revelation 2:10 – "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

That was a tough choice for these young men. They knew what God wanted them to do, but that meant death.

In our country today, we are not often faced with a choice that is going to risk our life, like these young men.  However, in many other parts of the world they do.  Former Muslims who seek to live a godly life in Christ face death.  While we don't typically face life and death choices based on living a godly life, we still face choices that are hard and can greatly affect our life.

More often than not, sports events for kids only occur on Sunday mornings during the season.  If they can't play, then they can't be on the team.  If they don't play traveling sports, it will be hard to play in High School.  If they don't play in High School, they won't get that scholarship.  If they don’t get that scholarship, they won't go to college.  If they don't go to college, they won’t get a good job and their life won't be as good.

But God’s word says in Hebrews 10:25 - "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Then there are work pressures.  Perhaps a union or work place favors one political party or candidate over another and the believer is being pressured to support a candidate or an issue that they have moral disagreements with.  Not supporting them may affect the job and ability to make a living.  Does the believer support them outwardly but inside say they will not vote for them, or do they stand openly for certain positions saying they can't vote for anyone who holds certain positions that are in opposition to God’s word.

What do we do with hard choices?

That was the dilemma these three young men faced.  What choice did they have, really?  It was either dishonor God by bowing down and live, or honor God and die.

Daniel 3:16-23 - "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’ Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed.  He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.  So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.  The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace."

We can't help but be impressed that these young men made the hard choice when the consequences were severe. We are impressed with that kind of stand; but, really, how do we make those kinds of choices in the heat of a moment like that?  Responses that we make to hard choices that affect how we live a godly life are not made on the spur of the moment; we need to prepare ahead of time to make choices like that in those moments.  We need to prepare ourselves to live Godly lives in times of change and uncertainty.  To truly live a Godly life requires that we know Who we believe in.

The three Hebrew young men knew Who they believed in and Who they served.  They knew that the God they served was good; the God they served was able.  And they knew Who they had put their trust and their hope in, and it showed in their actions.

They didn't serve themselves. They didn't serve the king, although there were times as they served the Lord, that they served the king. They served and believed in God Almighty; a God who is powerful, able, and mighty to save.  They knew the God they believed in.

Who we believe in matters; it is not just about having faith or believing.  We could put our hope in an idol, but it has no power to save us.  We could put our hope in a god that we make up, but that "god" is not able to do anything.  We could put our hope in our self, but we would soon find out that we would fail.  It matters what and who we believe in.  People often put their hope in things that offer no hope.

Listen to what He says in Isaiah 44.
Isa 44:6-7, 9, 13a, 14-15, 19 - "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.  Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come--yes, let him foretell what will come.  All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.  The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker.  He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.  It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"

When we really know and trust Him, He enables us to stand in the face of all things.  We can stand firm when we know He will watch over us and protect us - if not in this life, then the next life which is far more important and permanent than the present life.

Daniel 3:24-30 - "Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?'  They replied, 'Certainly, O king.'  He said, 'Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.'  Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, 'Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!'  So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.  Then Nebuchadnezzar said, 'Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.'  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon."

These three young men were able to stand firm in the strength and power and might of the Lord, trusting Him fully, even unto death.  And God blessed them, and glorified Himself, by saving them out of the fire.

Our God is mighty to save.  But the even more amazing thing is these young men trusted Him even if they died.  That is the peace God gives that surpasses all understanding.

There are many who will go to their death and suffer for living a godly life: the apostles did; many missionaries throughout history have; and, we may have to do so.  But when we truly know Who we believe in, we can face the opposition and hard choices with peace and blessing.   With faith we can stand firm in the face of death and suffering knowing our eternity will be in the presence of the One who is mighty to save; the One who has provided eternal salvation through Jesus.

God help us be faithful in the midst of adversity