Dig Deeper - Sunday 31st May
Sermon Reflection Questions - Courage for the Journey: Courage to Stand Firm
Daniel 3
Link to service
Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 31st May service:
Summary
Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are Jewish exiles in Babylon. In Ch3 we see king Nebuchadnezzar is building a golden image that is 28 metres high. Because of his dream in Chapter 2, it’s reasonable to assume that this image was in fact a statue of him.
Even impressive statues can be ignored, that’s why he gives instruction about how to worship this image. The dedication sounds like the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Look at v3 and all the rich and famous are there. He also makes a decree that whenever the band came out and started playing, everybody in Babylon was to bow down and worship the golden image. Those who didn’t, were to be thrown into a burning fiery furnace.
So first of all, we see that Daniel and his three friends need Courage to face their Colleagues and Culture. They know that God has said ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ and ‘you shall not bow down to worship idols’ Notice it’s the astrologers v12 who snitch on Daniel’s friends. We may face circumstances in our lives where we have to stand out from our colleagues and the culture of the world around us rather than compromise the values and behaviours of our Christian faith.
Daniel’s friends also need Courage to face the Crown, because they are hauled up before the king. In v15 he actually gives them a second chance, but they remain completely unmoved by this or the fearful outcome that would come from a repeated act of disobedience. For them, the issue was crystal clear. Life was not defined by the time in between birth and death, but rather they understood that life was defined by the choices you make during your lifetime. They chose to follow Almighty God and knew his instruction. They trusted that God would deliver them, whether it was from death or through death.
They say If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. (vv17,18)
Nebuchadnezzar’s now absolutely furious and commands the furnace to be turned up to superheat before they are thrown in. So, we also see how Daniel and his friends have Courage to face the Consequences. As far as Nebuchadnezzar was concerned, that was certain death.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are thrown into the furnace and the king sees a fourth God-like person with them. He calls them to come out and their amazing rescue by God Almighty means they have no trace of any singeing or smell of burning. (vv21-27)
What really struck Nebuchadnezzar was that they ‘were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God’ v28
In this passage we also see Daniel and his friends also had the Courage of their own Conviction; their faith in their relationship with Almighty God formed in the Israelite community. For us, our conviction is also based on our relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Saviour and his death and resurrection. His death removes the barrier of sin to that relationship. His resurrection and victory over death signals the life to come for all those who are in Christ.
Courage means standing firm for God under pressure whether that is from colleagues or the culture around us and standing firm from the temptation we feel from within ourselves. That courage to stand firm comes from a Foundation formed from our relationship with God in Christ Jesus. It is based on Facts we have at our fingertips in the bible. It comes from being part of a Fellowship of Christian believers and support from Christian Friends.
Questions to pause for reflection/group discussion:
1. What pressures to compromise our Christian life do we experience from the culture in which we live?
2. Some organisations have tried to ban the wearing of a cross to work or been challenged on their views on sexual orientation. Can you foresee any other situations where Christians in the UK might need to take a stand? What would you do?
3. In 2017 Tim Farron MP stepped down as leader of the LibDems because it conflicted with his Christian faith. Are there any areas of work which you would avoid as a Christian?
4. There can be very subtle pressures to compromise our faith. Reflect on your life and consider the most likely sources of such pressure for you.
5. Courage to stand firm needs support. Think of circumstances in which our faith foundations; facts in the Bible; our church fellowship and our Christian friends can provide that support. Is there anybody we know who could benefit from our support.
6. Ephesians 6:10-20 provides us with details of the armour God has provided to help us with courage to stand firm. What would Daniel and his friends make of this passage?
A Short Prayer
Father God, you know us through and through, you know our strengths and you know our weaknesses. Thank you for walking alongside us in every aspect of our Christian journey. We look to Daniel and his three friends and wonder if we would have that same courage to stand up for what we believe and yet we know that the numbers of Christians grow even in countries where persecution of Christians take place. May we look to you as the foundation of our faith; may our faith be based on your word to us in scripture and supported by our fellowship and friends so that we may have the courage to stand firm for you in the communities where we live and work. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
