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Devine Encounters

Dr. Tony Evans

November 1, 2020

27:29

Dr. Tony Evans is known as a relevant expositor and is a pastor of pastors and a father in the faith.

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Devine Encounters

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♪♪♪
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Tony Evans: TodayI want to look at
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"EncounteringGod's Promotion."
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A promotion is when you arelifted from one level
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to another level.
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Many of you know what it isto be promoted in your job
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or to be promotedin your experiences.
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Or to be promotedfrom the JV to the varsity team,
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to go through things thatlift you to a higher level.
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In our story todayfrom Daniel chapter 3,
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a promotion isgoing to take place.
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Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego,they are going to experience
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a promotion, but it willnot come without a trial.
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They're going to encounterGod in a bad situation.
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Now, some of the things I amgoing to say from this passage
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will not feel right and will notbe comfortable but that's okay
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because the moreuncomfortable it is,
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the better possibilityfor divine encounter.
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Let's startwith the backdrop of the story.
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Meshach, Shadrach,and Abednego find themselves
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working in a secular culture.
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They're in Babylon.
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Babylon is an evil, pagan,and idolatrous country.
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Because of Israel's sin, Godtold Babylon to invade Israel
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and they brought out manyof the young people back
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into Babylonto live and to work.
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Daniel, along withthe three Hebrew boys,
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are part of the group that wasbrought from Israel to Babylon
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and now they have to livetheir life and do their work
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in a non-Christian environment.
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Many of you tomorrow will goto work in a pagan environment
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where the people you workfor and the people you work
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with do not share yourChristian world view.
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They do not believewhat you believe,
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they do not act like you act,they do not walk like you walk,
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they do not talk like you talk,but that's the world you live
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in because you haveto provide for yourself,
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for your family,and you will find yourself
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in an unrighteous environment.
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That was the three Hebrew boys.
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They found themselves workingfor the federal government
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because they were administratorsin the regime of Nebuchadnezzar
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who was the governinghead of Babylon so they
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were government employeesworking for a pagan government.
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They were sentto a Babylonian school,
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it says in chapter 1.
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It says that theywere indoctrinated
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with Babylonian thinking.
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It says they were evengiven a Babylonian name
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after the nameof a Babylonian god.
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So the culture was tryingto de-Israelize them
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and pro-Babylonize them,trying to take their mindset
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from the rearing of their faithto the raising of the culture.
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And so you and I, likethe three Hebrew boys,
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are caughtin a cultural tension.
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How we were raisedand what we're taught to believe
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and where we have to liveand earn our money.
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Where we have to liveand function and--
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or the people we haveto be around because that's
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the nature of the jobin which we're situated.
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How do you be Christianwhen the environment
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you're in doesn't supportyour Christianity?
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So that's the situation,that's the circumstance,
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that they find themselves in.
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Well, something happens
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in the beginningof the chapter: chapter 3.
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Nebuchadnezzar,the head of Babylon,
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develops a theo-ego.
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Theo is God,ego is your mindset.
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He developed a God-mentality.
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He deified himself.
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It goes on to sayin the first nine verses
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you'll see seven timesdiscussion about this image
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he built to himself.
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He builds a statue to honor him,90 feet tall and 9 feet wide.
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He not only builds a statue,he comes up with a law.
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The law says that everybodyis supposed to bow
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to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar.
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He calls all of his leaderstogether and he says,
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"I want you all to bow."
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And then he givesa warning in verse 6:
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"Whoever does not fall downand worship shall immediately be
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cast into the midstof a furnace of blazing fire."
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Okay, watch this.
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Now, the issue boilsaround one thing:
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who you gonna worship?
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It says he built the statueand he says you are
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to worship before the statue.
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At the heart of the Bible,from Genesis to Revelation,
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is this issue of idolatry.
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Let me, for those who may notremember the definition
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of an idol, an idolis any noun, person,
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place, thing, or thought,that becomes your source.
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So any person, place, thing,or thought that becomes
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your source has nowbecome your god.
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Anything that competeswith the God of the Bible
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as the thing you ultimatelylook to as your source,
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is your god rather--no matterwhether you call it
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your god or not.
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You and I live in a culturethat not only wants our work,
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they want our worship,because they often ask us
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to compromise biblical valuesin order to be accepted
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or in order to be promoted.
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So Shadrach, Meshach,and Abednego found themselves
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in a dilemma and theircareer was on the line.
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While all of thisis taking place,
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racism reared its ugly head.
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A racial dilemma takes placebecause verse 8 says:
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"For this reason at that timecertain Chaldeans came forth
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and brought chargesagainst the Jews."
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So, some Babylonians broughtcharges against the Jews.
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They didn't like the Jews.
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They didn't want the Jewsworking at the company.
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And the reason theydidn't like the Jews is,
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one, they were Jewishand, two, they brought
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their faith to work.
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See, they knew theywere followers of God.
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So let me ask you a question:if you were accused of being
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a Christian on your job,would there be enough evidence
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to convict you or would you befound innocent of all charges
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'cause your faith is very vague?
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You know it butnobody else does.
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They were clearly followersof God and they were Jewish.
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They could not condemn thembecause of their work so they
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had to condemn thembecause of their faith.
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So these three Hebrew boys findthemselves on a horn of dilemma
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because now, the Babylonianswho work with them,
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their coworkers,come and say and play politics.
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You know howpolitics is in the office.
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They come and play politics.
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They said, "Oh, oh,Nebuchadnezzar,
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you've got these Jewishguys here and they won't bow.
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Oh, they come to work,they do their job,
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but you told 'em to bowto the company,
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and they're notbowing to the company.
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They're not submittingto the authority
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of the company."
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So Nebuchadnezzar, when he findsout this minority group
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would not bow, he said,"Bring 'em here," in verse 13.
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"Bring me Shadrachand Abednego here."
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And in verses 14 and 15,he says,
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"I'ma give you allanother chance."
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And then he asks the question:"If you don't bow,"
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verse 15, "If you do notworship, you will immediately
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be cast into the midstof a furnace of blazing fire
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and what god is therewho can deliver you out
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of my hands?"
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Now, that's the question.
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The question is,"I'm so powerful,
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this company is so strong,this government is so much
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in control, that if I fire you,you will be fired.
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And you don't know anybodywho can overrule my decision
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'cause I'm the man."
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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegoresponded to the king.
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Okay, see, I don't knowif you caught that.
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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegoresponded to the king.
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So they either all talkedat the same time or one talked
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for all three, 'cause itsays all three responded.
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That's why you need to hook upwith some other Christians
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in your companyso that you're not
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standing there alone, okay?
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So they responded to the king,"Respectfully, we do not need
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to give you an answerconcerning this matter."
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♪♪♪
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male announcer: This isthe Tony Evans Training Center,
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an online platform of coursesfeaturing compelling video
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and audio teachingby Dr. Tony Evans.
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Each course followsa Scripture-based curriculum
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that you will find to betimely and challenging.
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Course topics rangefrom exegetical deep dives
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and book studies to buildinga family with a kingdom mindset.
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Choose the content that's rightfor you on your terms and engage
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in valuable discussionswith other students
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via the community dashboard.
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Tony: This course isfor your implementation,
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for your church,
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for the wellbeingof your family.
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announcer: Lifeis busy but Bible study
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is still possible.
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The Tony Evans Training Center.
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Explore the kingdom.
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Anytime.
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Anywhere.
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Tony: "Let us answer you.
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If so be, our God whom weserve is able to deliver us."
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You are to look at youroccupation as service
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to the Lord throughthe vehicle of that company.
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It is the Lord Christwhom you serve.
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So they say,"We may work for you,
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but we serve the Lord.
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The God who we serve is able.
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The God who we serve,"'cause that's what got 'em
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in trouble in the first place:their coworkers knew
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that they served the Lordin their job description.
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But most Christians,many Christians,
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divorce their everyday workfrom their service of God.
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And these three boys didn't.
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"But because we serve him,the God who we serve
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is able to deliver us."
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But let's hearthe rest of the story.
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"Even if he does not."
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Because there are two thingsyou need to know about God:
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he's powerful so he's able,but he's sovereign
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so he can choose.
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God must have the optionin any situation to choose
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what the right thing isto do at that moment
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and, sometimes, he does not.
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And you need a theologythat covers when he doesn't
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'cause if you don't havea theology that covers
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when he doesn't, thenyou're gonna be mad at him
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when he doesn't'cause somebody told you
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from the pulpit he's able.
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So you gotta keep both intension and about both you
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must say the same thing,because they say:
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"Even if he does not,let it be known you okay.
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We respect you, we'regonna work for you.
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We are not going to serve yourgods or worship the golden image
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that you have set up."
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'Cause it says in verse 19:
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"Then Nebuchadnezzarwas filled with wrath."
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Filled with wrath, "and hisfacial expression was altered."
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They're just--he's contorted.
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He's--"Who do you thinkyou talking to?
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I don't care that you'dsaid it respectfully.
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Do you know who I am?"
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Guess what he does.
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He is so hot, no pun intended.
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He is so hot he gave ordersin verse 18 to heat the furnace
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seven times more thanit was already heated.
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This is like your bosssaying to you,
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"Look, if you don't do this,not only will I fire you,
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I will see that you neverwork in this kind of business
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ever again.
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I'm the man and you talkingabout you not gonna bow
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'cause you got some otherspiritual commitment."
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So the men who broughtthem to the furnace,
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the furnace was sohot it burned them up.
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Bible says the men whobrought 'em got burnt up.
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That's how hot it was.
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They tied 'em up,in verse 23,
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and threw 'em into the midstof the furnace, still tied up.
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So they tied up their hands,tied up their feet,
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and threw 'em in.
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God didn't deliveredthem from the furnace.
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He let 'em get fired.
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But something happens.
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Verse 24: "Then Nebuchadnezzarthe king was astounded
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and he stood up in haste.
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He said to his high officials,'Was it not three men we cast
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bound intothe midst of the fire?'"
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"C'mon now, helpme with my math.
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Wasn't it one, two, three?
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Meshach, Shadrach,and Abednego?"
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"They replied to the king,'Well, certainly, King,
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we put three guys in there.'"
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He said, "Well, come here,come here.
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Come here.
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Look through this glass."
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"Look," verse 25, "I seefour men loosed and walking
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around in the midst of the firewithout harm and the appearance
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of the fourth is likea son of the gods."
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You can see that youcould preach right here.
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He says, "We putin three, right?"
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"Yeah, we put in three."
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"Well, how come--and wetied 'em up, right?"
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"Yeah, we tied 'em up.""Okay.
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Well, why am I seeing four?
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So if we put in three,why four and how are
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they walking aroundwhen we tied 'em up?
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No, nobody burnt, nobody,"okay, watch this.
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Sometimes, when God wantsto give you an encounter
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with him, sometimeshe takes you out of it.
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Sometimes hedelivers you from it.
00:17:10.212 --> 00:17:12.147
Sometimes you don'thave to worry about it,
00:17:12.181 --> 00:17:14.249
but sometimes he wantsto take you through it
00:17:14.283 --> 00:17:20.489
or join you in it,not deliver you from it.
00:17:20.522 --> 00:17:25.194
Sometimes, he wants youto see what it's like
00:17:25.227 --> 00:17:28.130
when you are in the fire and notbeing burned by the fire.
00:17:28.163 --> 00:17:33.902
You're in the bad situation
00:17:33.936 --> 00:17:36.038
at work and he's workingright beside you.
00:17:36.071 --> 00:17:38.340
He says, "I see four,and the fourth one I see
00:17:38.373 --> 00:17:42.511
looks like somebodystraight from heaven."
00:17:42.544 --> 00:17:46.048
Sometimes, heaven wantsto join you in a bad situation
00:17:46.081 --> 00:17:51.320
without taking you out of it.
00:17:51.353 --> 00:17:54.456
He's just gonna join you in it.
00:17:54.490 --> 00:17:57.092
But whether he takes youfrom it or joins you in it,
00:17:57.126 --> 00:18:00.729
you have an encounterwith the living God
00:18:00.762 --> 00:18:02.998
'cause you're supposed to beall shook up, all tied up,
00:18:03.031 --> 00:18:07.035
all screaming and holleringand worrying and depressed
00:18:07.069 --> 00:18:10.806
and here you arewalking around the fire.
00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.275
Here you arestrutting around the fire.
00:18:13.308 --> 00:18:15.677
Here you aremoving around the fire.
00:18:15.711 --> 00:18:18.013
They messing with youat work and you still walking.
00:18:18.046 --> 00:18:21.116
They criticizing you at workand you still praising.
00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:24.686
They making it hard for youand you still getting it on.
00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:27.789
Why?
00:18:27.823 --> 00:18:29.124
'Cause you knowyou're not by yourself.
00:18:29.158 --> 00:18:34.463
'Cause sometimes, he wantsyou to see what it's like
00:18:34.496 --> 00:18:38.267
when you're inthe fire with the Lord.
00:18:38.300 --> 00:18:47.376
"Why?Why, God?
00:18:47.409 --> 00:18:48.877
Why you gonna do this?"
00:18:48.911 --> 00:18:50.946
"Look, I need to walk with you.
00:18:50.979 --> 00:18:52.314
I need to walk with you.Walk with me."
00:18:52.347 --> 00:18:53.882
I want you to turn to 1 Peter.
00:18:53.916 --> 00:18:56.485
I wanna walk youthrough a series of Scriptures.
00:18:56.518 --> 00:18:59.054
I wanna walk youthrough a series.
00:18:59.087 --> 00:19:00.756
You need to know theseScriptures in 1 Peter
00:19:00.789 --> 00:19:02.291
to show you this is not justNew--Old Testament;
00:19:02.324 --> 00:19:04.426
this is New Testament.
00:19:04.459 --> 00:19:05.794
He says in 1 Peter a numberof Scriptures that will change
00:19:05.827 --> 00:19:08.497
your bad situation at work,change your bad situation
00:19:08.530 --> 00:19:12.534
at the company, when youhave this kind of understanding
00:19:12.568 --> 00:19:15.671
of a bad sufferingseason in your life.
00:19:15.704 --> 00:19:18.507
He says in 1 Peter chapter 2,verse 20, he says:
00:19:18.540 --> 00:19:22.411
"For what credit isthere if when you sin
00:19:22.444 --> 00:19:25.214
you are harshly treated?
00:19:25.247 --> 00:19:27.749
You endure it with patience.
00:19:27.783 --> 00:19:29.685
But if when you dowhat is right and suffer,
00:19:29.718 --> 00:19:33.488
for if you patiently endurethis finds favor with God."
00:19:33.522 --> 00:19:39.294
So if you doing rightand taking your stand,
00:19:39.328 --> 00:19:42.231
you're making God happyand you're finding favor
00:19:42.264 --> 00:19:44.933
with God even thoughyou're suffering.
00:19:44.967 --> 00:19:47.569
Look at chapter 3, verse 14.
00:19:47.603 --> 00:19:50.706
He says, "But even if youshould suffer for the sake
00:19:50.739 --> 00:19:54.042
of righteousness, you areblessed and do not fear
00:19:54.076 --> 00:19:58.480
their intimidation."
00:19:58.513 --> 00:20:00.482
I don't care who they are,or what their title is,
00:20:00.515 --> 00:20:02.918
don't be scaredof their intimidation,
00:20:02.951 --> 00:20:05.320
and do not be troubled just'cause they talk in smack
00:20:05.354 --> 00:20:09.024
and talk in noise if you'resuffering from righteousness.
00:20:09.057 --> 00:20:12.894
Verse 17: "For it is betterif God should will it so that
00:20:12.928 --> 00:20:17.733
you suffer for doingwhat is right,
00:20:17.766 --> 00:20:20.002
rather than doingwhat is wrong."
00:20:20.035 --> 00:20:22.738
Finally, he saysin chapter 5, verse 10,
00:20:22.771 --> 00:20:25.674
"After you havesuffered for a little while,
00:20:25.707 --> 00:20:28.777
the God of all grace who calledyou by his eternal glory
00:20:28.810 --> 00:20:33.482
in Christ will himselfperfect, confirm,
00:20:33.515 --> 00:20:37.252
strengthen, and establish you.
00:20:37.286 --> 00:20:39.221
To him be the dominion."
00:20:39.254 --> 00:20:41.590
He gonna call the final shot.
00:20:41.623 --> 00:20:43.425
He gonna say where thisjob situation works out,
00:20:43.458 --> 00:20:46.561
whether thereor somebody else 'cause,
00:20:46.595 --> 00:20:48.764
remember, your job,your government,
00:20:48.797 --> 00:20:51.166
is only your resource.
00:20:51.199 --> 00:20:53.735
It is not your source.
00:20:53.769 --> 00:20:56.104
Some of you remembermy story when I was
00:20:56.138 --> 00:20:58.573
in seminary workingat Trailways.
00:20:58.607 --> 00:21:00.842
I was loadingand unloading buses.
00:21:00.876 --> 00:21:03.578
They came to mebecause they had a scam.
00:21:03.612 --> 00:21:05.781
The scam was when peoplewent out for lunch,
00:21:05.814 --> 00:21:08.950
then somebody else wouldpunch 'em in after an hour,
00:21:08.984 --> 00:21:12.521
even though they may stay outthree or four hours
00:21:12.554 --> 00:21:14.890
and hadn't been punched in.
00:21:14.923 --> 00:21:16.892
And so you rotatedand somebody did that for you,
00:21:16.925 --> 00:21:19.428
you did thatfor somebody else.
00:21:19.461 --> 00:21:21.229
They came and said to me,"Well, here's the deal.
00:21:21.263 --> 00:21:23.899
This is how you do it.
00:21:23.932 --> 00:21:25.233
This is your day to punchsomebody else in after an hour,
00:21:25.267 --> 00:21:28.236
even though they'll begone three hours,
00:21:28.270 --> 00:21:29.971
and then somebodywill do that for you."
00:21:30.005 --> 00:21:32.207
In other words,rob the company of time
00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:34.242
and moneyand what's going on.
00:21:34.276 --> 00:21:35.911
So I told 'em, I said,"I can't do that because,
00:21:35.944 --> 00:21:38.246
as a Christian, that's stealing
00:21:38.280 --> 00:21:40.982
and that's notsomething I can do."
00:21:41.016 --> 00:21:43.151
And they said, "Oh, no,you don't understand.
00:21:43.185 --> 00:21:45.120
Everybody does it.
00:21:45.153 --> 00:21:46.855
It's the way we roll up in here.
00:21:46.888 --> 00:21:48.824
So you gotta expect--youcan't be an exception.
00:21:48.857 --> 00:21:51.760
Everybody does it.
00:21:51.793 --> 00:21:53.462
Let's get over this Christianstuff and this is how we do it
00:21:53.495 --> 00:21:57.165
in the company."
00:21:57.199 --> 00:21:58.834
I said, "I'm so sorry.
00:21:58.867 --> 00:22:00.302
Respectfully, you know,I can't do that."
00:22:00.335 --> 00:22:02.604
Well, they said, "Well,since you can't do that,
00:22:02.637 --> 00:22:05.040
you're gonna be unloading a lotof these buses by yourself."
00:22:05.073 --> 00:22:08.477
When the buses came in I wind uphaving to unload a lot of 'em
00:22:08.510 --> 00:22:11.880
by myself 'cause they wouldn'thelp me because I didn't conform
00:22:11.913 --> 00:22:15.851
to what they were asking meto do that was clearly
00:22:15.884 --> 00:22:18.120
unbiblical with the company.
00:22:18.153 --> 00:22:20.288
This went on for weeksand weeks and weeks.
00:22:20.322 --> 00:22:22.157
I'm discouraged, I'm depressed,and I had that same attitude
00:22:22.190 --> 00:22:25.227
that we all have sometime:
00:22:25.260 --> 00:22:26.895
"God, why are youletting this happen
00:22:26.928 --> 00:22:28.563
to me when I'm trying to be--
00:22:28.597 --> 00:22:29.965
I'm trying to be fair to you?"
00:22:29.998 --> 00:22:31.800
A number of months later,I got a call.
00:22:31.833 --> 00:22:34.569
The call in was to cometo the owner's office
00:22:34.603 --> 00:22:38.573
or the manager's officefor Trailways.
00:22:38.607 --> 00:22:40.909
I went in the manager's office.
00:22:40.942 --> 00:22:42.911
He said to me, "We'vebeen having a night supervisor
00:22:42.944 --> 00:22:45.781
come around at nightto see what was going on
00:22:45.814 --> 00:22:48.750
with the night shift.
00:22:48.784 --> 00:22:50.118
We are very aware of this schemethat they're doing of punching
00:22:50.152 --> 00:22:54.389
people in when theyreally haven't come back.
00:22:54.423 --> 00:22:57.125
We're also aware that youwere not a participant.
00:22:57.159 --> 00:23:00.328
So what we would liketo do is make you manager
00:23:00.362 --> 00:23:02.597
of the whole shift."
00:23:02.631 --> 00:23:04.633
Now, I didn't knowsomebody was watching.
00:23:04.666 --> 00:23:07.636
I didn't know there wasa fourth person in the fire.
00:23:07.669 --> 00:23:10.839
I didn't know that somethingelse was going on.
00:23:10.872 --> 00:23:13.675
But you have to understand thatwhen God decides to promote you,
00:23:13.708 --> 00:23:18.713
it doesn't matterwhat men say to you.
00:23:18.747 --> 00:23:21.917
So it's time for usto take a stand.
00:23:21.950 --> 00:23:24.319
A man was on a island one dayand he got shipwrecked on this
00:23:24.352 --> 00:23:27.989
island and nobody was there.
00:23:28.023 --> 00:23:30.225
He was out there byhimself and he wondered,
00:23:30.258 --> 00:23:32.394
well, how was he gonnasurvive on this island.
00:23:32.427 --> 00:23:34.196
He put some sticks togetherto make a little hut to keep him
00:23:34.229 --> 00:23:37.265
away from the inclementweather and he got in that hut
00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:40.535
but through a series of events,the hut caught on fire.
00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:44.005
So the hut is on fire,he's on this isolated island.
00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:46.942
A few days later, a boat comesto deliver him from the island.
00:23:46.975 --> 00:23:51.813
He said, "Well, how did youknow I was on the island?"
00:23:51.847 --> 00:23:54.583
"Oh," they said, "it was simple.
00:23:54.616 --> 00:23:56.351
We saw the smoke signalsyou were sending up
00:23:56.384 --> 00:23:58.420
to let us know you were here."
00:23:58.453 --> 00:24:00.522
Sometimes, God lets you catchfire but it's really a smoke
00:24:00.555 --> 00:24:04.526
signal saying, "God, God, here'swhere I am and even though
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:09.264
I'm in a fire, I know youknow where I'm located."
00:24:09.297 --> 00:24:13.068
So I want you to go backto work tomorrow
00:24:13.101 --> 00:24:15.403
and serve the Lord Christ.
00:24:15.437 --> 00:24:17.105
I want you to go back to worktomorrow and be a Christian
00:24:17.138 --> 00:24:19.741
on your job.
00:24:19.774 --> 00:24:21.209
Serving with excellence,serving the Lord,
00:24:21.243 --> 00:24:23.945
but knowing the Lordknows where you're sitting,
00:24:23.979 --> 00:24:26.414
he knows how longhe wants you there,
00:24:26.448 --> 00:24:28.750
he knows when it's time to move,and he knows the bills
00:24:28.783 --> 00:24:31.186
that you have to pay.
00:24:31.219 --> 00:24:32.921
And says he is your sourceand everything else
00:24:32.954 --> 00:24:35.390
is your resource.
00:24:35.423 --> 00:24:36.925
You can lift yourhead up high and,
00:24:36.958 --> 00:24:38.460
even if the rest of the folkdon't like you on the job,
00:24:38.493 --> 00:24:42.497
you just find you a Meshach,a Shadrach, and an Abednego,
00:24:42.531 --> 00:24:46.535
and you take your standfor God because God
00:24:46.568 --> 00:24:49.871
ultimately owns the company.
00:24:49.905 --> 00:24:52.674
Let's give him some praisein the midst of your problem.
00:24:52.707 --> 00:24:56.611
♪♪♪
00:24:56.645 --> 00:25:06.087
Tony: It's often been saidwe live in a dog eat dog world.
00:25:06.121 --> 00:25:08.557
You know, you have to climbover somebody else to get
00:25:08.590 --> 00:25:11.860
to the top or to get to the nextlevel that you think you ought
00:25:11.893 --> 00:25:16.264
to be in, in your careeror in your resources
00:25:16.298 --> 00:25:19.701
or in your significanceor in your importance.
00:25:19.734 --> 00:25:23.471
But ultimate promotioncomes from God.
00:25:23.505 --> 00:25:27.842
Like the Scripture says,
00:25:27.876 --> 00:25:29.678
"Promotion comesfrom the North,"
00:25:29.711 --> 00:25:31.146
that is from heaven'sinvolvement in history.
00:25:31.179 --> 00:25:33.582
The best way to getto the next level and to get
00:25:33.615 --> 00:25:37.385
there the right way is to haveGod involved in your promotion,
00:25:37.419 --> 00:25:42.724
to have God involved in takingyou from where you are
00:25:42.757 --> 00:25:46.428
to the next stageof where you ought to be,
00:25:46.461 --> 00:25:49.431
and guess what?
00:25:49.464 --> 00:25:50.899
God's promotion usuallycomes in the midst
00:25:50.932 --> 00:25:53.301
of or coming out of a test.
00:25:53.335 --> 00:25:56.538
Tests are designedto take us to the next level,
00:25:56.571 --> 00:26:00.508
just like in school,you took a test,
00:26:00.542 --> 00:26:02.711
mid-term, final, in order to bepromoted to the next grade.
00:26:02.744 --> 00:26:06.715
So the next timeyou're being tested,
00:26:06.748 --> 00:26:09.484
your faith is being challenged,and you decide to stick with God
00:26:09.517 --> 00:26:14.255
and do it his way, keep youreyes open for the promotion.
00:26:14.289 --> 00:26:17.993
Man may give you a pink slipbut God knows how to change
00:26:18.026 --> 00:26:22.430
the color and give you somethingthat you'll look back on
00:26:22.464 --> 00:26:27.168
and say, "Thank you, God,for the trial because,
00:26:27.202 --> 00:26:29.971
through it, you've takenme to a level
00:26:30.005 --> 00:26:32.374
I could have never gottento on my own."
00:26:32.407 --> 00:26:35.910
♪♪♪
00:26:35.944 --> 00:26:45.920
♪♪♪
00:26:45.954 --> 00:26:55.930
♪♪♪
00:26:55.964 --> 00:27:05.874
♪♪♪
00:27:05.907 --> 00:27:15.884
♪♪♪
00:27:15.917 --> 00:27:23.458

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