The Miracle Is In The Middle

 

Daniel 3:12-26 (KJV)

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

 

Here is a simple fact: In order to come out of something, you first must go in.

 

In order to get out of bed, you first must get in bed; to get out of the car, you have to get into the car; to get out of the room, you first must go into the room.

 

One of greatest things about living for God is the joy of coming out.

 

Being delivered; being set free; being loosed of the enemy and the grip of sin.

 

There is joy when we come out of our trials.

 

Psalm 66:12 (KJV) Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

 

Let’s give him praise this morning for bringing us out. On the contrary, I wonder how many songs have been sung about the joy of going in?

 

I can’t think of a song this morning that identifies with the fact that I’m glad I’m getting ready to go into a valley.

 

We sing and shout about coming out, but we dread going in. Let me remind you; In order to come out of something, you first must go in.

 

The Children of Israel would have never come out of Egypt if they had not gone in the Red Sea.

 

They would have never come out of the wilderness into the promise land If they had not gone into the wilderness in the first place.

 

Naaman would have never came out whole if he would have never dipped himself into the water.

 

David could have never said…

Psalm 73:2 (KJV) But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

 

Psalm 73:17 (KJV) Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

 

The lame man couldn’t have got His healing unless he stepped into the troubled waters. God cannot bring you out unless you allow Him to bring you in.

 

Here me today, the church is going out, but in order for you and I to be part of that departure, we have to be in.

 

We don’t have time to walk the fence. We don’t have time to argue about holiness. We don’t have time to bicker and be bitter. We don’t have time to fuss and fight.

 

We only have time to have Church. We only have time to reach the lost. We only have time to get ourselves ready to go out.

 

In our text…the only way those three boys got out of the fiery furnace was they went in.

 

There’s joy coming out, but fear going in.

 

We like the coming out, but wait you mean I have to go in there to receive the prize.

 

It’s the going in that scares us.

 

I want to preach to somebody this morning; God is wanting you to step into somethings, because He is going to bring glory out of it. God is wanting us to step into some things by faith.

 

God is wanting to bring you out, but you have to step in.

 

I feel the Holy Ghost. I feel the hand of God working in this place. Some of you can feel his hand pushing you in. Peter would have never walked on water unless He got into the boat.

 

The woman’s daughter would have never been healed unless she got into the house where Jesus was.

 

It’s time to get in. It’s time to step in. It’s time to jump in. God is waiting on you.

 

Here’s the gist of it all: after you step in, but before you come out, there’s an in-between. That’s where the miracle happens.

 

Because when you step in by faith and before you come out with joy, you must go through.

 

The miracle power of God is not always the coming out and certainly is not the going in, but the miracle is what happens when you are going through.

 

God is always at His greatest in our sight when He reveals himself as we go through.

 

David’s greatest revelation of God was not as he was sitting on the throne, but it was…

 

Psalm 23:4 (KJV) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 

David realized that once he stepped into the valley that He was going to come out of the valley, because God was walking with him through the valley.

 

I’ve come to preach to somebody this morning

 

You may have stepped into trouble, but you will make it out. Victory is on its way.

 

God is with you and will see you through.

 

Throw those three boys into the fire, but wait I see four in the midst of the fire.

God revealed Himself through the fire. God is going to show up for you as you go through.

 

For the disciples, Jesus stood up as they were going through the storm.

 

As the woman with the issue of Blood passed through the crowd, she touched Jesus. As Jesus passed through the cities people were healed and delivered.

 

That is where the miracles are; that’s where God is.

 

If you feel you’re going through something; get ready for a miracle.

 

“Pastor, you don’t know what I’m in the middle of.”

 

Maybe, but I know who is in the middle with you.

 

The children of Israel walked into the wilderness and one day they walked out into the promise land, but the greatest miracles happened while they were going through.

 

Somebody get ready for the miraculous. It’s time to walk through. Leave the enemy behind. Let God swallow them up.