...A MEANINGFUL WAY. 3. ASKING THE CHILDREN TO BE OPEN TO LEARNING THE WORD OF GOD AND TO INVITE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BE PRESENT IN BOTH EVERYONE'S HEART AND IN THE CLASSROOM MEMORY WORK (6 MINUTES) "HUMBLE YOURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD, AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP." JAMES 4:10 NIV PLAY THE "HANGMAN" GAME WITH THIS SHORT VERSE. AFTER ONE OF THE KIDS IS ABLE TO SAY THE VERSE CORRECTLY, HAVE EVERYONE LOOK IT UP IN THEIR OWN BIBLES. |SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION (15 MINUTES) | |INTRODUCTION: | |SOMETIME AFTER SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO SURVIVED THE FIERY FURNACE, KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR HAD A DISTURBING VISION. DANIEL INTERPRETED THE| |VISION FOR THE KING, AND TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD LIVE LIKE A WILD ANIMAL FOR MANY YEARS UNLESS OR UNTIL HE GAVE UP HIS SINFUL LIFE BY | |ACKNOWLEDGING GOD AS LORD OF ALL. | | | |JUST AS DANIEL SAID, THE VISION CAME TRUE AND KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR LIVED AS A WILD ANIMAL UNTIL HE...
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...Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, handsome and skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to serve in the king's palace, and to teach them the letters and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the rich food which the king ate, and of the wine which he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. (Daniel 1:3-7 RSV) Daniel, from the Hebrew word meaning God is my Judge, is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament (see Old Testament Fact File), and of the New Testament (see New Testament Fact File) since much of the prophecy given to him corresponds to that given to the apostle John in the Book of Revelation, and for our time now - Jesus Christ Himself specifically referred to events recorded in The Book of Daniel (Matthew 24:15) that would occur just prior to The Return Of Jesus Christ. Daniel was of royal lineage (Daniel 1:3), probably born in or near Jerusalem about 622 B.C. during the reign of Josiah (see Kings of Israel and Judah). In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim, about 605...
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...LESSONS FROM THE FIERY FURNACE Daniel 3:19-30 Intro: This is one of those chapters in the Bible that we have been hearing since we were small children in Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. It is one of those passages that we think we know inside out, upside down and forward and backwards. It is one of those passages that we often neglect in our search for “deeper truth” in the Bible. Even though many of us have traveled a long way down the road of life, there are still some valuable lessons to be gleaned from the familiar stories of the Bible. I want to look into these precious verses this evening because I find help here. I find that there is help for those who may be enduring some trials in these days. I find there is help for all of us, because we live in a world that is becoming increasingly unfriendly toward God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, Christianity and the born again believer. I want to travel back in time to ancient Babylon, to a kingdom that was also unfriendly toward God and His ways. I want to look in on three young men with backbones of steel, who would not bend, bow or burn. I want to watch them as they endure their furnace of affliction. I want to learn some Lessons from the Fiery Furnace. There are three simple lessons in this passage that I would like to explore this evening. I. v. 19-23 GOD’S PEOPLE ARE A PERSECUTED PEOPLE (Ill. The Context – Nebuchadnezzar reacts in anger to the stand taken by the three Hebrew...
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...Daniel, a captive from Judah, seemingly no one special. And yet, today most people know about him. Why was he chosen by God and given this special wisdom? What made him different from the rest of the captives? Though in exile, he rose to the position of an advisor to the king of the most powerful nation. His influence was so great that years latter, after the first king he served had died and his grandson was on the throne, he was remembered and called upon when trouble arose. Though he went through many trials, he never panicked. What gave him this sense of peace? Daniel had a faith that was grounded strongly in God. In order to withstand the trials that he and his friends went through in Babylon, they needed to have a faith that was already put firmly in God. From a child Daniel had been taught to fear and honor God. His home education, given by his parents, grounded him firmly in the belief and trust in his God. “The instruction these Hebrew children had received in the homes of their parents, made them strong in faith and constant in their service of the living God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth” (PK 428.1) The instruction that children receive now from their parents now days is just as important as it was back then. Daniel, along with the other captives, were taken to Babylon. When they were put into the king’s training program and offered the rich delicacies of the king, he and his three friends refused, knowing that not only was the food not good for them...
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...The book of Daniel can serve illustrate God’s persistent sympathy, protection, and deliverance to those who are righteous in his ways. Daniel whom is a one of the four young men that are captured after Babylonia conquered Jerusalem, and taken into Babylon to serve the king becomes prominent character in that kingdom while remaining loyal to God. While he is persecuted and sentenced many times, he proves to the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, and his proceeding Kings (Belshazzar, and Darius), that Gods reign and power is more powerful and long lasting than that of any King. Due to his sentencing by the Kings and deliverance by God, the Kings grow to become sympathetic of him and believers and promoters of Gods supremacy. God demonstrates his deliverance and protection towards the men multiple times throughout the book. From the beginning of the story, Daniel and his friends demonstrate their reluctance to become docile to the King’s laws as they continued to follow God’s decrees and ways. The men refuse to eat the food provided by the King and negotiated with the palace master to allow them to eat vegetables and drink water; this was so as they remained healthier than those consuming the Kings food. Moreover, after none of the dream interpreters were able to fulfill the King’s desires, these men and all other wise men in the land of Babylonia were sentenced to death. God revealed the dream to Daniel and its interpretation after his request for wisdom, allowing him to provide...
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...“This is one of the truly great models for prayer in the bible. It may even have set the pattern for the great prayers of Ezra and Nehemiah.” There were a couple of things that stood out in Daniel’s prayer. The first thing that Daniel did that stood out is that he did not start with himself. He begins with worship. He shows passionate concern about the honor of God’s name. He also does not make any attempt to blame others in his prayer, but interceded for his people. “Daniel knew from the previous prophets the prerequisite for the setting up of the Kingdom would be Israel’s confession of her sins. Assuming that the Babylonian captivity would be immediately followed by the Kingdom, Daniel prayed a prayer of confession for Israel’s sin.” Daniel had a certain process to his prayer and his approach to God. One of the things that Daniel did when he approached God was confess the sins of the nation before God. Daniel was a great example of showing believers how to confess to God. It is kind of shocking to see this quality in Daniel, because there was never any evidence in the book to indicate that he displayed any disobedience, yet Daniel confessed sin. Daniel has shown consistently since he was taken to Babylon that prayer was a priority in his life. The bible describes him as a man who had a habit of praying three times a day interceding for his people. Daniel did not brag about his position or success, but when he approached God he did it with humility and reverence. So confession...
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...Acts 5:29 says, “We must obey God rather than man” (HCSB Study Bible, Acts 5:29). The Bible upholds the truth that believers are to submit to the government, with the believer being allowed to resist the government in order to obtain God’s teachings and instructions found in His Word. Scripture supports this claim with many stories of devoted Christ followers resisting government officials in order to submit to God. One of the most famous stories found in Daniel shows three men that fear God more than human authority. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow down to a golden idol after being instructed to by King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar is outraged, and subsequently throws Shadrach Meshach and Abednego into the fiery furnace. Their faithful actions bring favor in God’s eyes and He miraculously delivers the three men from the furnace without...
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...the pain that segregation caused blacks to stinging darts. Blacks can relate to the physical pain and whites can grasp an understanding. It reveals to them the detriment of segregation. It is no mystery that King was a religious man. That being said, it was no surprise he alluded to the bible many times in the letter. Mainly, King uses biblical allusions to compare him and the biblical figures. It only defended and made clear that he is a good man. That he is a man of god and his word. Although he refers to the Jews, he mainly uses bible verses. When talking about just and unjust laws and civil disobedience, in paragraph 17, King refers to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Discussing how they disobeyed the law for a greater cause, just like King is doing. King claims, “ It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher morak was involved,” explaining why him and protesters may break the law. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ultimate goal was to explain to the clergymen and persuade the clergymen that majority of what they wrote in their letter was not the truth. He came to Birmingham for a reason. King got his message across by using emotional , ethical, and logical appeals, using metaphors to compare, and allusions to compare and further explain statements he has made in the letter. Through his appeals , Blacks related to King, empathized with King. Through his metaphors it further described previous statements...
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...Across America, churches will be putting on their own version of the Easter drama. This video, you can watch here, was posted by Relevant Magazine. It shows an Easter drama gone wrong. The idea you can tell was for the fictional tomb to be "lit" to show God's glory in the resurrected Jesus. What Happens? As the tomb outline comes into focus, via fire, you can tell things get a big out-of-hand. Admittedly, the man singing along with the drama doesn't miss a beat. However, you can tell there is some concern on the part of the congregants for the man playing Jesus who as of yet has remained enclosed in the tomb. You see a man rush up to pull the now enflamed piece of scenery out of the way and a victorious "Jesus" walk out of the fire unharmed....
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...practical wisdom, through the use of allusion, King attempts to strengthen his character with a visible appeal to ethos. King alludes to the Bible multiple times throughout his Letter From Birmingham Jail. These allusions are notable in paragraph three, where king refers to the biblical figures “Jesus Christ” and “the Apostle Paul.” The context in which these two are used is to reiterate the story of Paul leaving Tarsus, which King also mentions, to spread the word of Christ. In paragraph sixteen, King alludes to a few things within religion itself, including “St. Thomas Aquinas” and “Jewish philosopher Martin Buber.” In paragraph twenty-one, King alludes to the Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when he wrote “It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at...
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...Letter from the Birmingham City Jail When Martin Luther King went to jail after he led a protest in Birmingham City against the moderate, his fellow clergy men wrote him a letter, showing their disapproval for his actions. Luther then replied, explaining why he did it and let them know it was to be this way if they wanted a change. They asked him if he could’ve negotiated instead of direct actions. Non-violent directions from people who wouldn’t think of negotiating to confront issues at hand that can no longer be ignored. He also said that non-violent tension is necessary for growth. He uses Socrates’ example when he thought that it was needed to create tension amongst others in order to rise above bondage and myths. His fellow clergy men also accused him of carrying out his actions in an “untimely” manner. He told them that actions unwanted are always untimely. Without non-violent pressure they have not gain anything in the civil rights. He explains that people in authority don’t volunteer freedom and that justice that is delayed is justice not granted. There is a time when everyone gets enough of injustice. Just Law: 1. A man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. 2. Uplifts human responsibility. 3. A code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not blinding on itself. Unjust Law: 1. Not rooted in internal and natural law. 2. Degrades human personality. 3. All segregations statuses (distorts the soul and damages...
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...behind. He paid the price for loving and living for Christ. As Christians, we are going to face many trials and sufferings in life. But it all is for the glory to God and the magnifying of Jesus Christ. Chapter 5 Piper starts the chapter with talking about risk. “I define risk very simply as an action that exposes you to the possibility of loss or injury.” (79, Piper) God knows all, so we live in ignorance to the outcome of our actions. As humans we take risks every day, but do we take them for this world or for Christ? We have no safety in this world, so we need Jesus. When Joab was surrounded by the Amalekite and Syrian armies he put his trust in God. He took a risk in trusting God and good came out of it. Queen Esther and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also put their trust in God. Paul was a big risk taker. We must take the risk for Christ and not ourselves. Even if it means death, because we die but we die for Christ like He has died for us. Chapter 6 Piper starts out talking about forgiveness and making others glad in God. But if we have things holding us back we can’t make that happen. We have to get ourselves right with God before we can start making others glad in God. We can’t force others to be glad in God. “Joy in God is a fruit of the Hold Spirit” (103, Piper) It is only God’s grace that we can get and give this. Chapter 7 “To make others glad in God with an everlasting gladness, our lives must show that He is more precious that life” (107, Piper) John says that...
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...reasoning to reinforce his argument that "one has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws". MLK quotes St. Augustine, who is an expert at law, and says that "I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." By the same token, King also speaks up about how "the answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying the law." King strengthened his claim by citing another expert. Alongside that, MLK's use of pathos and logos helps support his claim and justify his actions: "there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience." In retrospect, Nebuchadnezzar, a terrible ruler, was very controlling which led to the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey his laws. To date back further to early Christians, who would have rather "face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than to submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire". In other words, they would have rather been killed than have to follow their laws. With that in mind, King's use of pathos helps him express that he "hopes that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle of freedom". King mentions that he had been given a letter from a white brother down in the Texas stating how Christians know that colored people are going to receive equal rights eventually and how MLK is in a religious hurry. He also writes in the letter that it took Christianity...
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...Words of Encouragement Scripture: Revelation 1:9 Topic: Embracing Your Patmos When we look at the natural Island of Patmos, it is seen that: * The island was used by the Roman government to imprison political and religious prisoners * Matter of fact, the Roman government acted in the capacity of the anti-Christ concerning the preaching of the Gospel (they hated any/everything about Jesus) * The island of Patmos was located in the Mediterranean Sea; practically in the middle of no where * The island of Patmos was sterile in nature; meaning it was unable to produce; no seed, fruit, grass or plants grew on the Island of Patmos * The island’s terrain was rocky, barren and desolate * The island was a place of stagnation; nothing flowing or moving; the island sat still as that of pond water * The word Patmos means “my killing” or a place of killing; this was a place where people felt death naturally, spiritually and mentally * The Apostle John was persecuted and sent to the island of Patmos as punishment because he refused to be quiet when it came to preaching, teaching and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ (he was truly a trumpet in Zion sounding the alarm about Jesus) * But in the midst of Patmos (barrenness, desolation and in the middle of nowhere), the...
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...Damian A. Young L23752807 BIBL104_D75 8/06/2013 Summary of the books of the Old Testament Books Exodus The book of Leviticus is of the law genre containing age-old laws, with a little narrative and it is written in Hebrew. Several small themes have significance: blood, atonement, feasts, rules, uncleanness, and priesthood. Holiness is the major theme though, which all the smaller themes lead to. The key aspect of this book is the forgiving of the Israelites sin, by God thru sacrifices. After the exodus by the Israelites God begins to build his nation by setting order. The basic order is that of living a holy life as God is holy. This book of course was more than likely prompted to be written by the need to preserve the unwritten Word of God eternally. The Israelites were camped out on Mt. Sinai, and this book settled issues of clean and unclean, healthy and unhealthy. This book also contains what Jesus says is the second greatest commandment, which is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Joshua This book of the bible is a historical narrative, which speaks of conquest, via God’s promises. This book takes a course of revealing God’s promise to Abraham, within the covenant that his descendants would take possession of the land of Canaan. Most key aspects of this book contain various military battles in conquest to take the land of Canaan, by the hand of god. One thing worth mentioning is the story about Rahab, which depict our salvation by “grace through...
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