Power of Agreement Matthew 18:20

We are all familiar with Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  The power of this verse also amplifies the power of this verse Deuteronomy 4:31 “(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.”

Let’s look at the real power of Matthew 18:20 in action.  Let’s go back and think about 3 individuals out of the book of Daniel.  This is when Nebuchadnezzar set up his statue and commanded that all shall worship his image and those that oppose would be destroyed by fire.  Daniel 3:6 “And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

These three individuals end up being Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and were even a place in the affairs of the Babylon regions, but there strong commitment to the Lord caused them not to even bow to this image.  Daniel 3:12 “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.”
Let’s look at the meaning of these names: Shadrach means “royal” or “the great scribe”;  the real Jewish name was Hananiah meaning “God has favoured”. Meshach means “guest of the king”; the real Jewish name was Mishael meaning “who is what God is”.  Abednego means “servant of Nebo”; the real Jewish name was Azariah meaning “Jehovah has helped”.  All these meanings refer back to being in an agreement and belonging to God.  They also represent that God would be with them at all times as well as describe the true character of God’s love for his people.

We can see the truth that these names belong to them from Daniel 1:7 “Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.”  This maybe a strange way of putting this but in a different way this describes that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saw the mercy side of salvation.  Salvation is normally a speaking out of  an agreement by saying we recognize that we need something bigger and we will honor and worship, trust and obey, and begin turning from evil and turn towards the good.   This also means they have partnered not only within themselves but with the true living God.  See the power of agreement taking place.

What we need to see is that this power of agreement really means God will never leave us not forsake us at anytime.  Remember how furious Nebuchadnezzar got because of their obedience to the real living God was?  Let’s remind ourselves just how mad Nebuchadnezzar was from Daniel 3:19 “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.” Don’t know about anybody else but that is right down mad.

Nebuchadnezzar even made certain that they had no escape route from entering into that fire.  He wanted to make certain there would never even be a trace of them to speak of.  Take a look at Daniel 3:20-22 “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 flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”  This is exactly how we Christians feel from at least one time, if not more as we serve our true living God.  We must notice no matter how beat up we feel at the moment; God is really in the midst of those who agree together in the word of God.
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IT DOESN’T even have to be BIG in NUMBERS of people but BIG in BELIEVING that God will perform his word for those few who do come together.  This is the reason we need to be saved and born again.  It is also why we need to build ourselves up in the word outside of salvation as well.  We need to see that God’s mercy, grace, and love really will never leave us or nor forsake us or anybody that will come into the agreement of God’s word.  Psalms 100:5 “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

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