Hebrews 7:14-25; Daniel 3:13-27 (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
26 February 2006
All Rights Reserved

In the film Unbreakable by M. Night Shyamalan there is a character named David Dunn who works as a security guard at a football stadium. Mr. Dunn has a most horrendous experience. He is traveling by train, and the train has a catastrophic wreck. Everyone on board is killed--except Mr. Dunn. He, in fact, does not have a scratch.

The experience of loss drives Dunn to attend the mass memorial service for the people who died on the train. There he receives a letter on his windshield asking him a strange question, namely, how many days in his life he has been sick. Dunn thinks carefully and realizes that the answer to the question is unbelievable: none--never sick, never wounded. He asks his wife and she cannot remember him having a single cold or flu. He also has a strange experience when he touches other people. He can learn their thoughts with nothing more than a physical contact, and he uses this ability in his security work every day.

Dunn follows up on the letter that was left on his car. It was sent to him by a man in a wheelchair named Elijah Price who runs a collectible comic book shop. Price has a disease called osteogenesis imperfecta which condemns him to having very fragile bones for life. He breaks them all the time. Price floats a theory to Mr. Dunn that just as he has very fragile bones there may be a counterpart to him in the world who is "unbreakable," kind of like the plot of a comic book, only in real life. Price thinks it might be Dunn, the sole survivor of the train wreck.

Dunn rejects the idea. But one day when he is lifting weights in the basement, his son, who has heard all this, tricks his father and puts a tremendous amount of weight on the bar. Dunn lifts it. They gradually add weights until he is bench pressing three hundred and fifty pounds. Shortly thereafter a turning point comes for Mr. Dunn as he puts the entire puzzle of his life together. He concludes that he is indeed living a very special kind of life, an unbreakable life. He decides that what he has is a wonderful gift and sets off to save people, especially the weak, the vulnerable, and the innocent. He begins by rescuing two children from a murderer whom he bumped into in the train station. I will not spoil the story by telling you why this all happens.

What would you do if you discovered that you had an indestructible life? I might go into the ministry. I have on my wall an old picture of missionaries Buzz and Myrna Maxey at a huge tribal gathering in Irian Jaya, now called Papua Indonesia. Myrna is wearing a grass skirt and a teal polo shirt. Buzz is wearing a tribal headdress, jeans, and a t-shirt with the word "fearless" printed on it. I don't think he was making a spiritual statement with his shirt, but it aptly describes the way that Buzz and Myrna live for the Lord.

I have another picture with my senior roommate from college, Bill Black. He is a professor who pastors and teaches in a theological college in Addis Ababba, Ethiopia. The picture shows him squatting down in a tent made of sticks and animal skins, eating bread and camel hump. He and his wife, Stephanie, who also teaches, have decided that they have been given a wonderful gift and are free to give it to others. With their two doctorates they could be making a fabulous income elsewhere.

There is another picture on my wall of Scott Riggenbach, missionary to Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, with his family. I remember Scott telling me of his desire to build an ultralight aircraft to fly over jungle mountain ranges so he could minister to remote tribal peoples. He thought this was normal. When I heard his plan I thought: This guy must think he is unbreakable.

Then there is our friend Lorrie Farnsworth, veteran missionary to Papua Indonesia. She has taught for many years at the Bible school there in Nabire. She also runs the infirmary and dispensary, and gets around on her motorcycle. Her newsletters describe things that are unthinkable to folks in the West, like the time she got a deep, painful infection under her arm. She wrote something like: "Well, I just treated myself and it took a while, but I'm OK now." She has lived through multiple earthquakes, one of which knocked the main school building down. Another quake tipped the water tower over and almost crushed her house. She has suffered repeated infections of malaria. Lorrie acts like she has some kind of indestructible life.

1. THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

What do these people know that makes them live this way? What do we need to know in order to live like them? The book of Hebrews describes the superiority and supremacy of Christ, and in chapter seven the Lord wants us to see how having Christ as our High Priest makes him superior to the earthly priests who served the nation of Israel for centuries. Christ is compared to Melchizedek, a priest of Jerusalem before Israel existed, who blessed Abraham and and received a tithe from him. If we just look at Melchizedek's appearance in the Biblical literature, he appears timeless: "Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually" (Hebrews 7:3).

Then came the priests of Israel who had to be replaced continually from the tribe of Levi because they kept dying all the time as normal human beings do. By comparison, the writer to the Hebrews says: "For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, "YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK" (Hebrews 7:14-17).

The Lord Jesus Christ has an indestructible life. What does this get us if he is our High Priest in the New Covenant, superseding the work of the priests under the Old Covenant? The writer goes on to say: "...So much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:22-25).

We need a mediator with God because of our sin, and we will always need one! The Lord Jesus Christ, because he has an indestructible life, becomes our permanent High Priest. He is the one and only one who can "save forever," or "save completely," or "save to the uttermost" as various translations render it. The logic is simple. He is indestructible, and if he is our High Priest, we are saved through anything that may happen to us to the end of time and into eternity. This is the impact of the supremacy of Christ upon our salvation.

This is the blessed security of the believer in Jesus Christ. How do we get this? The writer to the Hebrews says that we "draw near to God through Him [Christ]." God the Father dwells in unapproachable light, but by a relationship with Jesus Christ we can not only approach that light, we can dwell there.

Jesus explained the means by which we draw near to God in a set of statements dripping with his supremacy in the Gospel of John: "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes....Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (John 5:21, 24).

Let the theologians debate this all they will, the blessing of the security of the believer cannot be blunted. The Biblical teaching in these verses is straightforward. There is no security in Christ for a non-believer. Many believing people would like to get relatives in on their coattails, or offer assurance to people who once believed but who are not now believing. But the security is by faith, and cannot be disconnected from it. Furthermore, the promise of being saved to the uttermost is given to those whose faith is validated by drawing near to God. There is no version of faith where one can claim salvation without a living relationship to God through Christ.

The shocking fact is that Christ actually imparts his indestructible life to those who repent of their sins and trust in him. His supremacy makes it so, and that eternal life becomes the basis for an unbreakable life of our own in this fallen world.

2. WHAT AN UNBREAKABLE LIFE LOOKS LIKE

If this is true, what does an unbreakable life look like? The story of three Jewish men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reveals much. They lived in Babylon during the time of the captivity of the Jewish people there about half a millennium before Christ. King Nebuchadnezzar built a gigantic golden statue and demanded that whenever certain musicians played that everyone should fall down and worship it. The penalty for not worshiping on cue was to be thrown bodily into a furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused. When it became known to the king, he confronted them directly, even taunting: "...What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" (Daniel 3:15b).

The response they gave reveals to us the heart of those who believe that they have an unbreakable life by faith in God their deliverer: "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter'" (Daniel 3:16). This sounds disrespectful but they are simply stating a fact. Believers answer to God above any earthly authority. That is a heart submission by faith which impacts every aspect of daily life.

They went on: "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire..." (Daniel 3:17a). They knew that their earthly lives were in God's hands, and that he was able to rescue them from anything. In the second part of this verse they may have been restating themselves, but I suspect they were saying something more: "...And He will deliver us out of your hand, O king" (Daniel 3:17). Perhaps this is about earthly life, but many Jews of that time had a hope in an afterlife. I think they may have been saying what any believer in Christ can say, that our God will, in the end, rescue us from the hand of man by saving us to the uttermost.

The amazing speech continues: "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" (Daniel 3:18). With the hot furnace not far away these men looked the king in the eye and refused to worship. They chose to entrust their earthly lives and eternal lives into God's hand, come what may. They were staring down death, and could easily have avoided it merely by bowing to the idolatry of their day, but they would not. They chose, wisely, to hang on to their faith and hope in the One True God.

The result was predictable: "Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up" (Daniel 3:19-23).

Have you been tied up in your clothes and thrown into the furnace? You were just sauntering down the road of life and then this difficulty happened, that illness occurred, and the other sorrow hit you. The three nice Jewish boys did not ask to be confronted with a choice of idolatry or death. We can make plenty of trouble for ourselves, but many things simply come upon us.

What should we expect from God if we choose to live by the reality of his supremacy and entrust ourselves totally to him? First, we can trust that Christ will be with us: "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, 'Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?' They replied to the king, 'Certainly, O king.' He said, 'Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!'" (Daniel 3:24-25). We have good reason to think that the fourth man in the furnace was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. He was with them in the furnace, and he has promised never to leave us or forsake us. The believer in Christ can never be truly alone, and he will see us through to the uttermost!

Secondly, if God chooses, we may be released from our bonds. The Jewish boys were tied securely but God set them free. Do you pray for release from bondage for yourself and others? Jesus said that he came to set the captives free.

Thirdly, if God chooses, we may end up without being burned at all: "Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, 'Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!' Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them" (Daniel 3:26-27). There are times when God chooses to give earthly deliverance. I always pray for it, and you should, too.

But latent in the response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the king are the last two possibilities. If God chooses, we may be killed immediately. It does not mean he has failed us. Finally, I see the last possibility in the statement of these faithful men: "If we burn, we burn, but we are not going to worship an idol!" The Lord God may choose to allow us to be horribly burned and left to live with our injuries. The work of faith in that day will be to live every day with the trust that Christ will be sufficient for us. He is indeed supreme, so whatever he chooses to do with his faithful children when they are in trouble, he will take care of them. Of that we can be certain.

Have you been tied up and thrown in the furnace? Our trust in our great High Priest and his indestructible life imparted to us means that he will save us to the uttermost without fail.

CONCLUSION

Often we wonder where God is when we are being thrown into the flames. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 took off from New York City bound for Paris. The Boeing 747 was just a few minutes into the flight off the southern coast of Long Island when an explosion ripped through the plane and tore it apart. All 230 souls on board were lost as the flaming pieces fell into the sea.

The official explanation is that the explosion was caused by a design flaw allowing an electrical circuit to spark near one of the fuel tanks. Others, including military-trained people, claim to be eyewitnesses of a streak of fire which began on the coast and connected with the plane, blowing it out of the air. People who have knowledge of such weaponry confirm that the sightings are consistent with the capabilities of a shoulder-fired Stinger missile. The truth remains mysterious to this day.

My friend, Chaplain Richard Bower of the Army Reserve, was called to the scene to assist in debriefing and comforting the families of those who died. At one point a reporter asked him: "Where was God when the burning plane was falling out of the sky?"

He gave an answer which the reporter was not suspecting. I cannot quote him directly, but Rich explained that Christ himself was flying through the fire with those who were being torn, burned, and drowned. His heart was breaking as they suffered and died. He was with every believer to save them to the uttermost, delivering them through the door of death into the presence of God. And though few people understand this, he was near to every person who had not yet believed, making his last appeal for them to trust him. The compassionate Lord continued reaching out to the very end, as Paul preached to the Athenians: "...That they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).

This I know, that every person who trusted Christ was delivered safely through the fire, shrapnel, and water. Christ's indestructible life had been imparted to them at the first moment of their faith in him, even if it was just before impact.

What kind of life should we live if we have been given an unbreakable life? Mr. Dunn, the character from the film, concluded that he should save the innocent. I think we should risk everything to seek and save the lost. The world is full of people whom God loves who do not yet know him. We can hold committee meetings and argue over the herbal teas, or we can eat camel hump, build an ultralight, live with tribal people, and forget how much we would be worth in a worldly career. And we can do this because if we are in Christ, who is the Master of the Universe, we are indestructible.