LIFE Group Lesson – Jan. 2nd, 2011
SURVIVAL
Ice Breaker: Are you positive or negative about the coming year? Why?
Vision Sharing: One of the 5 goals of our LIFE Group is to develop leaders through mentoring and group support. Discipleship is a process of developing leaders. In our group, _______________ is our current intern who eventually will lead a group... but we are all potential leaders in training.
Bible Discussion: Pastor Mike discussed how many TV shows are now built around dangerous outdoor jobs that seem to focus on how the workers struggle just for survival. (The Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, Swamp Loggers, Ax Men) It seems to chronicle how these people handle "their worst case scenarios". As believers, we also need to be prepared for dangerous situations. We are going to study how three ordinary men faced their worst case scenario in the Bible.
READ Daniel 3:1-7 This describes how a king who ruled a vast kingdom of conquered peoples, languages, and cultures, decided he needed something to UNIFY his people and strengthen his power. So he decided what better way than to create a new religion that would be common to all his subjects and bring unity to Babylon. He invited all the elite of the world to his dedication of the new image he had erected, and the entire world eagerly came to the spectacular event. JUST LIKE TODAY, THE WORLD HAS MANY GODS, AND CELEBRATING ONE MORE WAS NO PROBLEM… except for the Hebrews. Why couldn't they join in?
So these three men refused to worship the kings new god, and you can imagine what happened next… READ Daniel 3:13-15 Notice the rhetorical question the king poses… What was the king saying by asking this question?
READ Daniel 3:16-17 This is perhaps the boldest statement of faith we have in the Bible… OUR GOD IS ABLE Can you say that with confidence? Can you give examples in your life?
If the 3 Hebrew's had stopped there it would have been enough… BUT THEY DIDN'T! READ Daniel 3:18 In their worst case scenario they had already decided something… What can we learn from them? Can you trust a God who is able but doesn't decide to deliver you?
Sharing/Prayer: We live in a world system that is very similar to what Daniel wrote about. Will we ever be called upon to make such a stand? Pray that God would enable us to stand.