Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “The Courage of Holy Conviction” by Jon Payne
• Sermon: “The King and the Furnace” by Tim Keller
• Sermon: “Standing Firm in the Face of Fire” by Thomas White

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today we are in Unit 16, Session 2, Courage, with the core passage of Daniel 3:14-18 and 24-29; and with the key concept of God is worthy of our trust and obedience even if the result is death.

We are currently in the history of the Israelites’ exile as we learned about Daniel and his friends last week, how they chose their own diet so as not to be defiled in their faithfulness to the Lord. From there, like the Context states, Daniel 2 tells of a dream the king had and how Daniel interpreted it. It included a statue’s golden head which was symbolic of Babylon. In chapter 3 then, King Nebuchadnezzar builds a statue, commanding the people to bow down and worship it. And those who don’t, would be burned in a furnace of fire.

Then in chapter 3, verse 8, we see that some Chaldeans sought to accuse the Jews, and they told Nebuchadnezzar that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ignoring the order. Verse 13 says the king was furious and brought them to him. Being his advisors, Nebuchadnezzar gave them another chance to obey the order. Having brought them to himself, he could see for himself that when the music sounded, whether they would bow or not. But the punishment for not obeying was still real. “If you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” And he added, “who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” And their response is one of my favorite statements in Scripture. “We don’t need to give you an answer.” They’re not defensive or apologetic. Their answer is firm and bold. “If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace…. and from you. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” They boldly called the king out to his face! You may think you’re powerful, but you have no power over us, and you definitely have no power over our God. Plus they submitted everything to God’s will. Lord, we know you can do anything, but sometimes you choose not to and that’s okay; we submit to your will. Imagine if people prayed like this or talked to each other like this in our supplications and petitions. Lord, I know you can heal so and so but even if not, I continue to trust you. Lord, I know you can help me with a relationship or finances or a goal I have, but even if not, I’m continuing to trust in you. This is an example of courage and faith for the believer who stands up for what is holy and right, even in the face of not getting what we want or enduring hardship because of it.

What are some ways believers today experience difficulties and persecution for their faith? Today, we may not be asked to bow down to a golden statue when the music plays, but there are still so many things our culture and society may be asking us to compromise our faith on. Many times, it might be subtle; it might be bowing down to a wolf in sheep’s clothing. We might be even persecuted by other Christians. It might be compromising a personal conviction. We are asked by society and culture to stray away from being like Jesus and we must have the courage to stand firm and live like Him in humility, grace, love, holiness, and justice.

How can we become people who exhibit faith and courage even in the face of death? Though many of us may not face death, we have other fears that might be even stronger. Some of those fears can be debilitating. However, we can exhibit faith and courage by remembering that God is always in control and that we are not. We trust in His plans by looking at His faithfulness through the lives of His people in Scripture and in our own lives and throughout history. Nothing can thwart God’s plans and even if that includes my suffering or my death, we can boldly live with courage to God as only He is our Lord and Savior.

At this point, we know the inevitable happens. King Nebuchadnezzar was furious and commanded them to be thrown in the furnace. He even commanded the furnace to be heated higher, and it kills the men carrying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in verse 22.

But then something miraculous happens. Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He sees four men in the fire when they only threw 3 men in. And he’s walking around, unharmed, and looking like the son of the gods. So he goes to the door of the furnace and tell the guys to come out and they do. Verse 27 gives us details: no hair was singed, no robe affected, and not even the smell of fire. That would be impossible without God. Nebuchadnezzar had no choice but to praise their God and issue a decree that “anyone or any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn form limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”

So what was the result of their faith and courage, and their acknowledgement that God could (but didn’t have to) rescue them? Not only were they rescued and not affected at all by the fire, but the result included Nebuchanezzar praising God and acknowledging that there is no other god like Him. And we see that protection is given to those who believe in God. Thus, God rescued the three plus all His people in protecting them from harm in Babylon, a hostile place previously for those who believed in Yahweh. God was working out His people’s good and His glory through the courage and faith of these three young men.

Why do you think God gave Nebuchadnezzar the ability to see “the fourth man” in the fire? God had a plan all along, even using the malicious accusations of the Chaldeans against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to provide protection and support for God’s people. Letting Nebuchadnezzar see the fourth man shows real miraculous evidence that God is at work that no one could deny.

The group’s responses to “How have you seen the power of God at work in your life?” will be varied here. Validate where able the reality that God’s power at work can include both positive and negative events in our lives. Certain suffering or hardships can lead to greater faith or character. We are not always aware of all the details of the workings of God, but we can trust that He is always in control and is always at work.

And we didn’t print it in the resource but verse 30 ends the narrative with Nebuchadnezzar rewarding the three for their actions and conviction. As the Gospel Connection states, “God’s power saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, and that same power resurrected Jesus Christ. Even in dire circumstances, God makes a way to accomplish His will, as seen ultimately in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

On to the Group Experience, start with the Would You Rather game, remembering to think of possible frightening experiences. Transition, mentioning that we face many frightening or worrying circumstances in our lives, but God is always at work. Talk about the Context regarding King Nebuchadnezzar and the different opportunities He has to see God at work (through the lives of his wise advisors and through how Daniel interpreted his dream for him earlier in the book of Daniel). Recap with your group, highlighting any questions and thinking of a ‘Would You Rather’ question for Nebuchadnezzar or the three friends. For example, for Nebuchadnezzar, would you rather listen to the Chaldeans accusations or the tested wise counsel of the Jewish advisors? Would you rather spend money on a golden statue to worship or worship an unseen real God?  The options are endless here and can be a fun exercise. Transition into the Group Activity.

Direct your group then to the chart. Read Daniel 3:14-18. Break up into smaller groups of 3-4. Have each group create a list of modern day golden statues, things we’re asked to worship or compromise our beliefs on. These could include social concerns like one’s position on abortion to living with integrity like not cutting corners on your taxes. Try to come up with at least 5 things and record them in the left column. Then share your findings.

Continue with context on Nebuchadnezzar’s punishment and also pass out Pack Item 5: No Matter the Cost to briefly review threats God’s people faced in Scripture. Now in your smaller groups have people think of potential consequences to living in faith under persecution such as ridicule or even losing a job or friendship. Record findings in the right column and take some time to share as a bigger group. Remind people that though God can rescue us from potential consequences, He doesn’t have to and He doesn’t always. And like the three said in Daniel, “Even if he does not,” we keep living in faith, integrity and courage.

Debrief with: “How can we fix our eyes on Jesus instead of golden statues the world offers?” We stay diligent in His Word so we know what Scripture says and doesn’t say. We see the whole story so someone doesn’t sway us off course by an isolated verse. We look at Jesus’s life and try to understand and imitate how He lived. We follow Christ in everything, even in sacrifice if needed.

“How can we encourage other believers who are facing fiery furnaces?” We send words of encouragement and stand with them, speaking up against injustices against the poor, orphans, and widows, and we stand against enemies and false prophets who try to deter us from kingdom work that God has called of us to spread the good news of Christ to all nations in love and not compulsion.

Summarize and head into the Head, Heart, Hands section, focusing on the Heart section if time is limited: “What in your life keeps you from trusting God and obeying with courage?” It might be lack of acceptance, ridicule, scorn, accusations, misunderstanding, among a few reasons.

In Next Steps, mention the first bullet point, Matthew 10:16-20 if time permits. The idea of being “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” as the Holy Spirit guides is a good word. End with prayer requests and praises. And the Psalm prompt says Psalm 14:4-6 but if time is limited Psalm 14:1 is enough to read through: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There’s no God.’ They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.” We are reminded that God knows who is against Him, and He knows they are fools. And in the midst of that, God is in control. He is worthy of our trust and obedience and we need to stand firm on who we know God to be.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Reach out at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!