WHOSE
LIFE IS IT ANYWAY? - - WEEK 1
Welcome.
!n pairs or small groups, see who can
build the tallest FREESTANDING tower out of the newspaper and tape
provided in 4 minutes.
Worship.
Isaiah
43:1-3a
Word. Daniel chapter 3 - Standing firm when
under fire!
Whoever’s leading today will give you a brief overview of what happened
in chapters 1 and 2.
Read Vv 1-7
1. What do you think was on the mind of most of the ordinary
people when they turned up to the festival? What might they have said to
the three Jews?
2. How is it possible, on the one hand, to obey instructions
such as Jeremiah 29:7 and Romans 13:1-5 to seek the good of the country
where God has put you, showing loyal submission and good citizenship,
and on the other hand to remain faithful to God’s command to worship him
alone?
Read Vv
8-15
-
Why didn’t the
three friends just bow to the statue and then later tell God that
they didn’t mean it? (Exodus 20:3, Hosea 13:4) When might you be
prepared to take a stand for God no matter what?
-
The friends are
given a second chance to bow to the statue. Of the following excuses
– do you think any are valid? (1) We will bow down but not actually
worship the idol. (2) We will worship it just once and then ask God
for forgiveness. (3) The king has absolute power and we must obey
him: God will understand. (4) This is a foreign land, so God will
forgive us for following its customs. (5) Our ancestors set up idols
in God’s temple; this isn’t half as bad! (6) If we’re killed then
pagans will be given our high positions and won’t help
the Jews in exile.
5. Can
you think of a time when you felt compelled to conform? What were the
pressures you were under? What did you bring out of the experience? {NT
link - Compare with Romans 12: 1 and 2 }
Read Vv
16-18
6.
Can we expect God to always bail us out if we stand up to the
authorities on an issue which offends our Christian faith?
7.
The three friends’ answer to the king is informative for our own
walk of faith. Look at vv 17 and 18. Do the first 6 words of v 18
express any doubt and uncertainty? {“But even if he does not…” NIV}
8. How
should vv 17 and 18 inform and affect our prayers and our expectations?
Do not
be afraid of the “if not.”
Read Vv
18-30
9.
Would it alter your view of the story if the friends had been burned up
in the flames?
10.
What do you think of Nebuchadnezzar’s second commitment to the Lord in
verses 28-29? {He’d made his first in chapter 2:47} {Didn’t last long!}
Witness.
Pray
for those Christians who hold public office – in political life or civil
administration for the government.
Pray
for one another for strength when under pressures to conform to the
world’s ways with the words of Romans 12:2 in mind – “Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind.”
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