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Sunday 9 June 2002 - "What is continuously before your eyes?"

(Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen)

Dan 3:1-3, 6 & 7;

1 ¶ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

We don't know why Nebuchadnezzar set up this image. Some say that it might have been to unite all the nations religiously and politically, but we cannot know for sure. This happened towards the end of his reign. 19 years earlier he had a dream of a huge image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, thigh of bronze, legs of iron and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. He wanted to kill all the wise men of Babylon, because they could not tell him the dream he dreamt, but Daniel answered with such wisdom and tact that he received a time of grace to tell the king his dream. Daniel went to his friends, who were godly men too, and they besought God for the answer. God then revealed the matter to Daniel in a dream. After Daniel told the king the dream, the king greatly honoured Daniel and said that there was no other God like Daniel's, and that He was to be worshipped. Nebuchadnezzar experienced a lot with God. However, now at the end of his reign we find him building this statute of gold, commanding everyone to worship it!

A certain missionary to the Hindus once preached to some of them, and afterwards one came to him, very impressed with Jesus, asking if the preacher has an image of him so that he can add him to his list of 600+ gods! Are we like this, just wanting to add Jesus to our life of idolatry? Some say that they worship Jesus, but when their child gets sick, they run off to the witch doctor, soothsayer or fortuneteller for help. No, with Jesus we can only serve Him alone.

This image of Nebuchadnezzar was huge - 90 feet (30 m) high and 9 feet (3 m) wide. Standing in front of this image, one would not be able to see anything else, but this image, because of its greatness. What image is before your eyes:

• education
• ambition
• girls or boys: the opposite sex
• marriage
• problems and worries about tomorrow
• yourself
• someone you love very much
• someone you hate very much
• grudges about what someone has done to you. Whatever you do, what this person has done to you stay before your eyes.
• Failures

You might be unmarried, and marriage is continuously before your eyes. The image of this girl bewitches you and stays before you.

Some are married and cannot even explain what bewitches them. He is happily married, with a lovely wife that's very good to him and children whom he loves. But then a girl comes along, even younger than his own children, and maybe even an unbeliever, and he falls head over heels for her!

Even someone else's sin can entangle you. While you work this thing keeps turning in your mind and so to say possesses you. It is tragic if you call yourself a Christian and allows the devil to set up an image before your face to which you bow.

How can you get free from this image that cause you to be an open grave, even while you live. You are in the grave spiritually, even while walking this earth.

Hebr 12:1 & 2

1 ¶ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here we find the answer. You must turn your eyes off that thing and fix them on Jesus. In the previous chapter in Hebrews we read of this cloud of witnesses. One of them was Joseph. Just see how he was mistreated, mocked, spoken evil of, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. He had every reason to be bitter, hate, have grudges and seek revenge. Even in Potiphar's house he was so faithful that Potiphar put everything into his hand. Potiphar's wife was overcame by the image of this handsome, faithful young man, but he slipped out of her hand like a wet bar of soap.

You young people that are troubled by lust, just look at this cloud of witnesses. Just ponder on Joseph, Moses, etc. See what they went through and how they overcame. Look at Jesus who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despised the shame and conquered. He was not ashamed to go through that for you, but you are ashamed of Him. These men of faith we read of in Hebrews laid down their lives for the Gospel.

Maybe today you have lost all, because you fell before the devil's image. You teach your children not to do wrong, but they point the finger back at you. You tell them not to live immorally, but you yourself were immoral.

Yes, the Christian road is not easy. It has many trials and temptations, but with Jesus it is possible.

Moses too looked at the reward and despised the temporary pleasures of the world.

Even Jesus went through difficulty here on earth, sweating drops of blood, but He fixed His eyes on the reward and overcame.

Many people are very short-sighted, especially young people. They long for this boy or girl now, and when they get it, they destroy their lives. They get AIDS, fall pregnant out of wedlock, etc. and cannot even feed their own children. Why not grow up first, get a job and marry in a proper way?

South Africa too is reaping the consequences of rejecting God. Everything is going backwards. The politicians should learn from the communists in Russia who rejected God. Eventually they couldn't even build a proper toilet anymore.

You must destroy this image of the devil like Gideon destroyed that image his father built. When you get up in the morning, pray that God will make you faithful and give you the strength to destroy this bewitching image. Fix your eyes on Jesus and live for Him alone.

There was a certain brother and his wife overseas, who were sitting before their TV set. As they were watching, a girl or young lady appeared, moving her body in an evil way, acting like a prostitute, trying to allure men. Next to his chair he had a big spanner, which he picked up, threw and shattered the TV with. Afterwards he told me how he destroyed his TV. He said that he does not want to allow something in his house that would defile them. Shortly afterwards he passed away, and his wife phoned, asking me to conduct his funeral. He prepared himself to meet God, by removing the devil's image from before him.

You also that work with computers, go on the Internet and watch all manner of pornography there, and cannot get victory over it, rather leave computers and go and work in the field, than ending up in hell.

What is before your eyes? Is it the devil's image of ambition, money, opposite sex, etc.? Destroy it and set your eyes on Jesus, lest you end up in hell, which is much worse than Nebuchadnezzar's oven heated seven times.