What does the word deceive mean?
Read Matthew 7: 13-14
Are most people NOT DECEIVED or DECEIVED?
Let's read II Timothy 3: 12-17
Where can we find the truth?
Read II John 7
How many deceivers should we expect?
Now we are going to start our study on the first person that was deceived. (Not including the angels that were deceived by Satan, even prior to the creation of man.)
Read II Corinthians 11:3
Who was deceived?
Who deceived her?
If Eve could be deceived, can we be deceived too?
If we go back to Genesis Chapter 1 we see "GOD SAID... AND IT WAS SO" Everything God said came to pass.
If we continue on to Chapter 2, we learn that God said something that was very important.. Read Genesis 2:17.
God told us that sin brings certain death.
Read Genesis 3:1 What are the first words the deceiver said? The devil wanted Eve to doubt God's word. Does he ever do that to us?
But not only does Satan want us to doubt God's word he also wants us to deny God's word. Read Genesis 3:4.
Who did Eve believe?
Read Genesis 3:6 So, first Eve doubted God, then she denied God and then she got Adam to join her.
Let's read I Timothy 2:14.
Was Eve deceived?
Was Adam deceived?
Eve was tricked into doing somthing by Satan but not Adam. He knew what he was doing was wrong but he followed her anyway. Do you think it is easier to not follow along with someone or to follow someone?
When Satan tricked Eve he told her that she would be like God. I don't think that people want to be God as much as they don't want God to be God. They don't want God to have the final authority over them.
Read I Samuel 8: 5. It is not that the people wanted to be kings, but the real issue was that they did not want God to "R_____________O______________T_________________ (Samuel 8:7)
During Tribulation men and women will elect a man to be God (II Thessalonians 2: 3-4) This will be Satan's man. He will set himself up as God and will demand worshipo from everyone. Instead of believing the truth, men will be deceived into believing the live.
II Thessalonians 2: 10 What will men not receive?
II Thessalonians 2:12 What will men not believe?
II Thessalonians 2:11 What will men believe?
II Thessalonians 2:10 Will they be deceived?
So the lie is that a creature can take the place of God. And the truth is "no one can take God's place. He alone is the creator.
How can I keep from being deceived?
God does not deceive. He always tells the truth. We need to stay in His word.
One person I will mention that was in the Bible that was not deceived was Mary. When God spoke to her she believed His word (Luke 1: 30-38) She did not understand what God said, but she believed it and she said, "Let it be unto me according to _______________ _________________ (Lukie 1:38)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Daniel 5 Surprise Party
King Nebuchadnezzar died in 563 B.C. Chapter 5 takes place about 25 years after his death. There was a succession of kings in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar died. Nebuchadnezzar's only son succeeded him and he was murdered by a brother in law. That brother in law became king and then his son who only reigned a few months became king. He was killed by another of King Nebuchadnezzar's sons in law. Nabonidus, the last rular of the Babylonian empire spent much of his time away from the kingdom probably in the battle with the Persians that they are in and so his son Belshazzar was the acting king. The Persians, led by King Cyrus attack the Babylonian army and then head toward Babylon.
Bablyon had a big wall around it, the wall was 300 hundred feet high and wide enough for four chariots to travel around the city walls. They had enough food and water to last for around 20 years inside the city, so they were basically self sufficient and would not have to go out and fight the Persians.l
Read Daniel 5:1 What was King Belshazzar thinking? The city is surrounded with enemy troops and he throws a party? It says that the party began with a big cocktail party. So many people talk about our drug problem that our nation has today but how many discount alcohol as a big drug problem? Billions of dollars are spent every year on alcohol and so many people don't see the damage that it is doing.
Read Daniel 5: 2-4 Here he is called "father" because it was the custom to call an ancestor "father" He was the best the grandfather of Belshazzar. When we last saw Nebuchadnezzar he had been worshipping God. What does Belxhazzar show is his attitude toward the true God of Heaven? Belshazzar, being the evil and arrogant man that he is decides to show God what he thinks of him by having all of the guests drink out of the goblets from God's temple while praising other gods. This was very stupid and arrogant. Look at their list of gods: gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone. Do you think that people today have other gods?
Read Daniel 5: 5-6 Can you imagine seeing this? Think how they must have felt.
Read Daniel 5: 7-9 Why would Belshazzar make the person who decrypted the message the third highest? (Because his father was actually the king and then Belshazzar was under him and the second in control)
* How many do you think wanted a shot at winning this reward? (verse 8 says "all" the wise men showed up)
*God obviously wrote the message in a way that was difficult for the people to understand. Why do you think he did that? (I think it was to show the inadequacy of the king and his "wise" men.)
* It says in verse 8 that all of the wise men came in. Had Daniel been demoted? ( Yes, sometime after Nebuchadnezzar died he had been demoted)
Read Daniel 5: 10-12 This queen that is referred to here was probably King Nebuchadnezzar's wife.
Read Daniel 5:13 - 17
What was the first thing Belshazzar asks Daniel? (Were you a slave) I would have thought that the first thing he would have said to Daniel was: were you for many years the number one wise man in the kingdom?
This shows me that Belshazzar is arrogant and obnoxious.
In verses 14-16 we learn this could be Daniel's ticket back to fame and fortune. But we see in verse 17 that he turns it down. He says he will read the writing on the wall but he told Belshazzar that he had nothing to give that he values. Can you imagine how Belshazzar felt when Daniel said this?
Read Daniel 5: 18-23 Daniel basically told Belshazzar that God had blessed Nebuchadnezzar. And he also told Belshazzar that he had not humbled himself to God and that instead he had set himself up against God.
Could this have gotten Daniel killed? (Yes, and I really don't think that he cared. He was a messenger for God and he was going to tell Belshazzar the truth.)
Read Daniel 5: 24-28 Daniel liked Nebuchadnezzar and had always softend what he was telling him. He would always give the good news first. But when he starts talking to Belshazzar he does not soften it at all. I thnk this is probably because he does not have any respect for Belshazzar. The king is arrogant and obnoxious. Nebuchadnezzar had been a world conqueror but Belshazzar had done nothing except get drunk and insult God.
Read Daniel 5: 29 Belshazzar kept his word. Why?
Read Daniel 5: 30 Judgement is executed aganist Belshazzar. In the book of Isaiah chapter 21 it is prophesied about the destruction of Babylon. Darius is now the rular of this area.
King Nebuchadnezzar died in 563 B.C. Chapter 5 takes place about 25 years after his death. There was a succession of kings in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar died. Nebuchadnezzar's only son succeeded him and he was murdered by a brother in law. That brother in law became king and then his son who only reigned a few months became king. He was killed by another of King Nebuchadnezzar's sons in law. Nabonidus, the last rular of the Babylonian empire spent much of his time away from the kingdom probably in the battle with the Persians that they are in and so his son Belshazzar was the acting king. The Persians, led by King Cyrus attack the Babylonian army and then head toward Babylon.
Bablyon had a big wall around it, the wall was 300 hundred feet high and wide enough for four chariots to travel around the city walls. They had enough food and water to last for around 20 years inside the city, so they were basically self sufficient and would not have to go out and fight the Persians.l
Read Daniel 5:1 What was King Belshazzar thinking? The city is surrounded with enemy troops and he throws a party? It says that the party began with a big cocktail party. So many people talk about our drug problem that our nation has today but how many discount alcohol as a big drug problem? Billions of dollars are spent every year on alcohol and so many people don't see the damage that it is doing.
Read Daniel 5: 2-4 Here he is called "father" because it was the custom to call an ancestor "father" He was the best the grandfather of Belshazzar. When we last saw Nebuchadnezzar he had been worshipping God. What does Belxhazzar show is his attitude toward the true God of Heaven? Belshazzar, being the evil and arrogant man that he is decides to show God what he thinks of him by having all of the guests drink out of the goblets from God's temple while praising other gods. This was very stupid and arrogant. Look at their list of gods: gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone. Do you think that people today have other gods?
Read Daniel 5: 5-6 Can you imagine seeing this? Think how they must have felt.
Read Daniel 5: 7-9 Why would Belshazzar make the person who decrypted the message the third highest? (Because his father was actually the king and then Belshazzar was under him and the second in control)
* How many do you think wanted a shot at winning this reward? (verse 8 says "all" the wise men showed up)
*God obviously wrote the message in a way that was difficult for the people to understand. Why do you think he did that? (I think it was to show the inadequacy of the king and his "wise" men.)
* It says in verse 8 that all of the wise men came in. Had Daniel been demoted? ( Yes, sometime after Nebuchadnezzar died he had been demoted)
Read Daniel 5: 10-12 This queen that is referred to here was probably King Nebuchadnezzar's wife.
Read Daniel 5:13 - 17
What was the first thing Belshazzar asks Daniel? (Were you a slave) I would have thought that the first thing he would have said to Daniel was: were you for many years the number one wise man in the kingdom?
This shows me that Belshazzar is arrogant and obnoxious.
In verses 14-16 we learn this could be Daniel's ticket back to fame and fortune. But we see in verse 17 that he turns it down. He says he will read the writing on the wall but he told Belshazzar that he had nothing to give that he values. Can you imagine how Belshazzar felt when Daniel said this?
Read Daniel 5: 18-23 Daniel basically told Belshazzar that God had blessed Nebuchadnezzar. And he also told Belshazzar that he had not humbled himself to God and that instead he had set himself up against God.
Could this have gotten Daniel killed? (Yes, and I really don't think that he cared. He was a messenger for God and he was going to tell Belshazzar the truth.)
Read Daniel 5: 24-28 Daniel liked Nebuchadnezzar and had always softend what he was telling him. He would always give the good news first. But when he starts talking to Belshazzar he does not soften it at all. I thnk this is probably because he does not have any respect for Belshazzar. The king is arrogant and obnoxious. Nebuchadnezzar had been a world conqueror but Belshazzar had done nothing except get drunk and insult God.
Read Daniel 5: 29 Belshazzar kept his word. Why?
Read Daniel 5: 30 Judgement is executed aganist Belshazzar. In the book of Isaiah chapter 21 it is prophesied about the destruction of Babylon. Darius is now the rular of this area.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar's Judgment
This morning we are going to continue our study in Daniel.
Let's start off by reading Daniel 4: 1-3
Do you think this is the way that King Nebuchadnezzar began all of his proclamations?
Read Daniel 4: 4-5
Nebuchadnezzar's prior dream in Daniel 2 troubled him so that he could not sleep but this dream terrified him. Have you ever had a dream where you were just scared?
Did you notice how many times he used the personal pronouns: my, I and mine? He seems to be very self centered.
Read Daniel 4: 6-7
This is the same group of wise men that could not interpret his dream before. Why do you think he ask them first instead of Daniel? Again, the wise men could not interpret the dream.
Read Daniel 4: 8-9
What does this suggest about the reason Daniel was not consulted first? (It seems that Daniel took his time coming before the king.)
* Why do you think he delayed? (It allowed the power of God to be shown after the others had failed. And maybe Daniel was annoyed for not being specifically called in first by the king)
Read Daniel 4: 10-17
Does this sound like a dream that would terrify you? What do you think this tree represented? (since Nebuchadnezzar was the worldly star in the dream mentioned in Daniel 2 it would be easy to see that this great tree represented him)
*Do you think the wisemen really couldn't interpret the dream or did they want Daniel to be the one to bring the bad news?
* I think that Nebuchadnezar knew this dream was about him because I don't see where this would have scared him unless he thought it was about him.
Read Daniel 4: 19
Daniel is now terrified by the dream. Nebuchadnezzar has become a friend to Daniel and I'm sure it was hard for Daniel to tell him what this dream meant. I think Daniel is reluctant to tell Nebuchadnezzar what the dream means but he decides that is the best way.
Read Daniel 4: 20-26
Daniel knows that this dream has both good and bad news. Why does he start with the good news first?
* Does this dream give Nebuchadnezzar hope? (Yes, in verse 26 he is told that his kingdom will be restored when he acknowledges God.)
Read Daniel 4:27
Daniel gave some unsolicted advice in this verse -- repent.What does Daniel's advice teach us about God? (God does not desire to hurt us, He wants us to willingly obey him.)
* Nebuchadnezzar had previously acknowledged God of Heaven in Daniel 2: 47 and Daniel 3:28-29. Why hasn't the lking already made the statemnts that God requires? (this really gets to the heart of the matter -- God is not looking for us to say the right things, He is looking for us to do the right things)
Read Daniel 4: 28-31
How long did God give Nebuchadnezzar to repent? (one year) Nebuchadnezzar needed to understand that life is not about us but about God. And when we follow His rules about being kind to others that brings glory to God.
Read Daniel 4:32-37
All that was prophesied happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. (I'll read verse 36 again) Do you think that King Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson? Why do you think that God keeps sending these dreams to Nebuchuchadnezzar that end up honoring him and glorifying him? Nebuchadnezzar was a very successful man and in the end he did do what he needed to do. He did finally acknowledge God as the source of his success.
How do you handle the success in your life? Do you claim responsibility for it or do you get proud? Or do you give God the glory?
Let's start off by reading Daniel 4: 1-3
Do you think this is the way that King Nebuchadnezzar began all of his proclamations?
Read Daniel 4: 4-5
Nebuchadnezzar's prior dream in Daniel 2 troubled him so that he could not sleep but this dream terrified him. Have you ever had a dream where you were just scared?
Did you notice how many times he used the personal pronouns: my, I and mine? He seems to be very self centered.
Read Daniel 4: 6-7
This is the same group of wise men that could not interpret his dream before. Why do you think he ask them first instead of Daniel? Again, the wise men could not interpret the dream.
Read Daniel 4: 8-9
What does this suggest about the reason Daniel was not consulted first? (It seems that Daniel took his time coming before the king.)
* Why do you think he delayed? (It allowed the power of God to be shown after the others had failed. And maybe Daniel was annoyed for not being specifically called in first by the king)
Read Daniel 4: 10-17
Does this sound like a dream that would terrify you? What do you think this tree represented? (since Nebuchadnezzar was the worldly star in the dream mentioned in Daniel 2 it would be easy to see that this great tree represented him)
*Do you think the wisemen really couldn't interpret the dream or did they want Daniel to be the one to bring the bad news?
* I think that Nebuchadnezar knew this dream was about him because I don't see where this would have scared him unless he thought it was about him.
Read Daniel 4: 19
Daniel is now terrified by the dream. Nebuchadnezzar has become a friend to Daniel and I'm sure it was hard for Daniel to tell him what this dream meant. I think Daniel is reluctant to tell Nebuchadnezzar what the dream means but he decides that is the best way.
Read Daniel 4: 20-26
Daniel knows that this dream has both good and bad news. Why does he start with the good news first?
* Does this dream give Nebuchadnezzar hope? (Yes, in verse 26 he is told that his kingdom will be restored when he acknowledges God.)
Read Daniel 4:27
Daniel gave some unsolicted advice in this verse -- repent.What does Daniel's advice teach us about God? (God does not desire to hurt us, He wants us to willingly obey him.)
* Nebuchadnezzar had previously acknowledged God of Heaven in Daniel 2: 47 and Daniel 3:28-29. Why hasn't the lking already made the statemnts that God requires? (this really gets to the heart of the matter -- God is not looking for us to say the right things, He is looking for us to do the right things)
Read Daniel 4: 28-31
How long did God give Nebuchadnezzar to repent? (one year) Nebuchadnezzar needed to understand that life is not about us but about God. And when we follow His rules about being kind to others that brings glory to God.
Read Daniel 4:32-37
All that was prophesied happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. (I'll read verse 36 again) Do you think that King Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson? Why do you think that God keeps sending these dreams to Nebuchuchadnezzar that end up honoring him and glorifying him? Nebuchadnezzar was a very successful man and in the end he did do what he needed to do. He did finally acknowledge God as the source of his success.
How do you handle the success in your life? Do you claim responsibility for it or do you get proud? Or do you give God the glory?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Our New Addition
Abbie convinced Roger and I to let her get a guinea pig as a pet. After a lot of research Abbie decided a little girl guinea pig would be the best match for her. She also read about making a cage and so we set about to make our own guinea pig cage. Here's a few pictures of little Blackberry. I hope to soon post pictures and directions on how we made the cage.
Tonight we are still looking at Daniel and his life. Last Wednesday we talked about reputation and how easy it is to get a good or bad reputation. Daniel and his friends got a reputation for doing good things by standing firm in their belief and eating what they knew would make them strong and not eating the king's food. Sunday we talked about how we can discern the truth and we studied in the Bible Daniel chapter 2. Daniel was able to tell King Nebuchadnezzar his dream and what it meant. Tonight we are studying Daniel chapter 3. About 20 years have passed between Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 3. In this chapter we are dealing with temptation.
*What are some things you can be tempted by?
*Are we only tempted in the big things or can we also be tempted by the small things that no one will ever really notice?
Let's read Daniel 3:1.
This image that King Nebuchadnezzar had made was 90 feet high. That is about 10 stories high.
What do you think made the king commission this statue? (it had to be as a result from the dream that Daniel had interpreted.) It said that he had the statue put in the plain of Dura which meant that the statue could be seen a long way off since it was the talles thing around.
Read Daniel 3: 2-3
If you didn't know the rest of the story would you want to be invited? Everyone who was anyone in the government was there except for Daniel. Daniel was out of town on a business trip. This was definately the place to be if you were important or wanted to be important and I'm sure everyone had heard about this statue and they wanted to be a part of the dedication ceremony.
Read Daniel 3: 4-6
Do you think the people that came knew that this was not a normal dedication ceremony? That is was actually a religious ceremony to worship King Nebuchadnezzar? People were being forced to worship the king. But since worship is really something we do in our heart they may have only been going through the motions.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a terrible punishment for anyone that did not bow down and worship his statue.
*What do you think was the reason for the fiery furnance? (I think it may have been a loyalty issue in the kingdom) Maybe Daniel and his friends were winning converts for Jesus.
I also think maybe some of the "native" wise men were maybe jealous of Daniel and his friends. They had been captured slaves and then they were promoted over some of them.
Alot of times in the Bible we see conflicts between God and satan. In our lesson Sunday we saw how God had triumphed because Daniel was able to tell the dream and interpret the dream. The whole point of the dream was that God was in control.
What was the point of the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar? (That Nebuchadnezzar was in charge)
What do you think were some of the reasons that you think made everything turn around so badly?
(pride, arrogance)
Do you think this can happen in your life? (With time we can forget God's lessons in our life and return to trusting in ourselves)
Read Daniel 3:7
Do you see where any of the people had a problem with worshipping the statue?
I think peer pressure was probably involved here. Do we ever compromise our beliefs?
Read Daniel 3: 8-12
Obviously the king had people watching to see who would not obey. They were quick to mention the three friends of Daniel. Not only did they mention their names but they also called them Jews and mentioned their authority. I think the men who turned in Daniel's friends saw that the real issue was not that they were not worshipping the statue but the loyalty they had to God. I think these men did not like being under the authority of foreigners that worshipped God.
Read Daniel 3: 13-18
We can see here where the king obviously had a problem with his anger. We can also see where Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego made it very clear that they were only going to worship God regardless of the outcome. How often do we pray to God and only want what we want, not God's will.
Read Daniel 3:19
This verse really shows us the king's anger. He made the fire seven times hotter than usual.
Read Daniel 3: 20 -23
What the three friends feared the most actually happened. They were actually thrown into the fiery furnace. How do you think you would have felt if you were one of the friends being thrown into the furnance? The fire was so hot that the men that threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego into the fire were consumed by the fire.
Read Daniel 3:24-27
Why do you think they saw 4 men walking around in the furnace? Did you notice where Nebuchadezzar recognized one of them as the Son of God?
God demonstrated with this that although He did allow them to be thrown in the fire He was with them and He prevented them from being harmed in the fire.
Read Daniel 3: 28 - 30.
Have someone read Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength.
Show paper towel tube and a piece of typing paper. Let's imagine that this tube is Jesus and we are the paper. The paper is not very strong. We're going to mold our life around Jesus. (Wrap the paper around the tube and tape the paper together.)
Now I'm going to stand Jesus and us up on the table. There we are, with our lives wrapped around Jesus. Watch what happens as I stack these books on top. You see, Jesus has the strength to stand up under the weight and stress of this life. (Remove books)
Then Jesus says to us, "It's your turn to stand on your own. Even when you can't see me, I am with you. With my help, you can stand under great pressure."
Remove the paper from the tube and stand it up and stack the books back on top of the paper. We have strength we don't even know about when our lives are wrapped around Jesus. It would be good if you all remember the verse "I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.
*What are some things you can be tempted by?
*Are we only tempted in the big things or can we also be tempted by the small things that no one will ever really notice?
Let's read Daniel 3:1.
This image that King Nebuchadnezzar had made was 90 feet high. That is about 10 stories high.
What do you think made the king commission this statue? (it had to be as a result from the dream that Daniel had interpreted.) It said that he had the statue put in the plain of Dura which meant that the statue could be seen a long way off since it was the talles thing around.
Read Daniel 3: 2-3
If you didn't know the rest of the story would you want to be invited? Everyone who was anyone in the government was there except for Daniel. Daniel was out of town on a business trip. This was definately the place to be if you were important or wanted to be important and I'm sure everyone had heard about this statue and they wanted to be a part of the dedication ceremony.
Read Daniel 3: 4-6
Do you think the people that came knew that this was not a normal dedication ceremony? That is was actually a religious ceremony to worship King Nebuchadnezzar? People were being forced to worship the king. But since worship is really something we do in our heart they may have only been going through the motions.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a terrible punishment for anyone that did not bow down and worship his statue.
*What do you think was the reason for the fiery furnance? (I think it may have been a loyalty issue in the kingdom) Maybe Daniel and his friends were winning converts for Jesus.
I also think maybe some of the "native" wise men were maybe jealous of Daniel and his friends. They had been captured slaves and then they were promoted over some of them.
Alot of times in the Bible we see conflicts between God and satan. In our lesson Sunday we saw how God had triumphed because Daniel was able to tell the dream and interpret the dream. The whole point of the dream was that God was in control.
What was the point of the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar? (That Nebuchadnezzar was in charge)
What do you think were some of the reasons that you think made everything turn around so badly?
(pride, arrogance)
Do you think this can happen in your life? (With time we can forget God's lessons in our life and return to trusting in ourselves)
Read Daniel 3:7
Do you see where any of the people had a problem with worshipping the statue?
I think peer pressure was probably involved here. Do we ever compromise our beliefs?
Read Daniel 3: 8-12
Obviously the king had people watching to see who would not obey. They were quick to mention the three friends of Daniel. Not only did they mention their names but they also called them Jews and mentioned their authority. I think the men who turned in Daniel's friends saw that the real issue was not that they were not worshipping the statue but the loyalty they had to God. I think these men did not like being under the authority of foreigners that worshipped God.
Read Daniel 3: 13-18
We can see here where the king obviously had a problem with his anger. We can also see where Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego made it very clear that they were only going to worship God regardless of the outcome. How often do we pray to God and only want what we want, not God's will.
Read Daniel 3:19
This verse really shows us the king's anger. He made the fire seven times hotter than usual.
Read Daniel 3: 20 -23
What the three friends feared the most actually happened. They were actually thrown into the fiery furnace. How do you think you would have felt if you were one of the friends being thrown into the furnance? The fire was so hot that the men that threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego into the fire were consumed by the fire.
Read Daniel 3:24-27
Why do you think they saw 4 men walking around in the furnace? Did you notice where Nebuchadezzar recognized one of them as the Son of God?
God demonstrated with this that although He did allow them to be thrown in the fire He was with them and He prevented them from being harmed in the fire.
Read Daniel 3: 28 - 30.
Have someone read Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength.
Show paper towel tube and a piece of typing paper. Let's imagine that this tube is Jesus and we are the paper. The paper is not very strong. We're going to mold our life around Jesus. (Wrap the paper around the tube and tape the paper together.)
Now I'm going to stand Jesus and us up on the table. There we are, with our lives wrapped around Jesus. Watch what happens as I stack these books on top. You see, Jesus has the strength to stand up under the weight and stress of this life. (Remove books)
Then Jesus says to us, "It's your turn to stand on your own. Even when you can't see me, I am with you. With my help, you can stand under great pressure."
Remove the paper from the tube and stand it up and stack the books back on top of the paper. We have strength we don't even know about when our lives are wrapped around Jesus. It would be good if you all remember the verse "I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday School Lesson
Have you ever wondered if someone was telling you the truth? What did you do to try to find out if they were telling the truth? Do you ever have doubts about God? What can you do to overcome those doubts?
Today we are going to look in the book of Daniel. Wednesday night we talked about Daniel and how he made his reputation. We also talked about how we could do things to have a good or bad reputation. Daniel and his friends had a good reputation and that is something we all want to have so we should be able to learn alot from Daniel.
Have someone read Daniel 2: 1-3. Have you ever had a dream that bothered you? Has a dream caused you to lose sleep? Did you think maybe your dream was a message from God?
Why do you think Nebuchadnezzar was so troubled about his dream?
Would God give Nebuchadnezzar a message through his dream? (Read Daniel 2:37) God gave him his power so why not give him messages through his dream.
Let's look at Daniel 2:1 again. How many dreams did Nebuchadnezzar have? (It said dreams so it must have been more than one) Why do you think this is important to know? (Well, it leads me to believe that he may have had this dream over and over and maybe that is why he thought it was such an important dream)
What kind of experts did Nebuchadnezzar bring in to fix his problem? (magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrolegers)
Read Deut. 18: 9-12 to find out God's opinion on these kind of experts.
Let's read Daniel 2: 4-6. What kind of a boss do you think Nebuchadnezzar was? Would you like your school teachers to be like that? Do you think they regretted what they said in verse 4?
Read Daniel 2:7. Why do you think they said this to the king? If we compare verse 5 with verse 7 we can see that Nebuchadnezzar had already made up his mind that he wanted them to interpete the dreams. If he had already told them that he wanted them to tell him not only what his dream meant but also what the dream was. And most of the time when a king made up his mind about something he did not change it, I think they were just trying to buy some time to think about what they would say to him. They were probably desperate and scared because of what he said he would do to them if they could not tell him what the dream meant.
Read Daniel 2: 8-9 Why do you think he told them that they had to tell him his dream too? Because he believed that they had lied to him in the past about things. This was a test of both their honesty and their ability to correctly interpret the dream. If they were not going to tell him the truth why keep them around.
Read Daniel 2: 10- 11. Here we can read where they are trying to argue about why they should not have to tell him the dream too. They knew that they couldn't so they were trying to convince him to change his mind.
Read Daniel 2:12 How does Nebuchadnezzar react to being told that he is unreasonable? Can we learn anything from this?
Read Daniel 2: 13-15. How would you have reacted if you heard the decree from the king? It says in verse 14 that Daniel answered with wisdom and tact. Could you have responded the same way if someone had declared for you to die?
Read Daniel 2:16 Do you think Daniel was scared when he went before the king?
Read Daniel 2: 17-18. What did Daniel do to prepare to tell the king his dream?"
Read Matthew 18: 19-20. I think when we ask others to pray that will take out some of our selfish prayers.
Read Daniel 2:19 How did God reveal the dreams to Daniel? What does Daniel do after God reveals the mystery? (He praises God) How often do we pray ernestly for something and then when God answers we never even say thank you to God.
How did Daniel even know that God would know the dream? Read Daniel 2: 20 - 23. (He believed that God knows even the deep, dark hidden things)
Today we are going to look in the book of Daniel. Wednesday night we talked about Daniel and how he made his reputation. We also talked about how we could do things to have a good or bad reputation. Daniel and his friends had a good reputation and that is something we all want to have so we should be able to learn alot from Daniel.
Have someone read Daniel 2: 1-3. Have you ever had a dream that bothered you? Has a dream caused you to lose sleep? Did you think maybe your dream was a message from God?
Why do you think Nebuchadnezzar was so troubled about his dream?
Would God give Nebuchadnezzar a message through his dream? (Read Daniel 2:37) God gave him his power so why not give him messages through his dream.
Let's look at Daniel 2:1 again. How many dreams did Nebuchadnezzar have? (It said dreams so it must have been more than one) Why do you think this is important to know? (Well, it leads me to believe that he may have had this dream over and over and maybe that is why he thought it was such an important dream)
What kind of experts did Nebuchadnezzar bring in to fix his problem? (magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrolegers)
Read Deut. 18: 9-12 to find out God's opinion on these kind of experts.
Let's read Daniel 2: 4-6. What kind of a boss do you think Nebuchadnezzar was? Would you like your school teachers to be like that? Do you think they regretted what they said in verse 4?
Read Daniel 2:7. Why do you think they said this to the king? If we compare verse 5 with verse 7 we can see that Nebuchadnezzar had already made up his mind that he wanted them to interpete the dreams. If he had already told them that he wanted them to tell him not only what his dream meant but also what the dream was. And most of the time when a king made up his mind about something he did not change it, I think they were just trying to buy some time to think about what they would say to him. They were probably desperate and scared because of what he said he would do to them if they could not tell him what the dream meant.
Read Daniel 2: 8-9 Why do you think he told them that they had to tell him his dream too? Because he believed that they had lied to him in the past about things. This was a test of both their honesty and their ability to correctly interpret the dream. If they were not going to tell him the truth why keep them around.
Read Daniel 2: 10- 11. Here we can read where they are trying to argue about why they should not have to tell him the dream too. They knew that they couldn't so they were trying to convince him to change his mind.
Read Daniel 2:12 How does Nebuchadnezzar react to being told that he is unreasonable? Can we learn anything from this?
Read Daniel 2: 13-15. How would you have reacted if you heard the decree from the king? It says in verse 14 that Daniel answered with wisdom and tact. Could you have responded the same way if someone had declared for you to die?
Read Daniel 2:16 Do you think Daniel was scared when he went before the king?
Read Daniel 2: 17-18. What did Daniel do to prepare to tell the king his dream?"
Read Matthew 18: 19-20. I think when we ask others to pray that will take out some of our selfish prayers.
Read Daniel 2:19 How did God reveal the dreams to Daniel? What does Daniel do after God reveals the mystery? (He praises God) How often do we pray ernestly for something and then when God answers we never even say thank you to God.
How did Daniel even know that God would know the dream? Read Daniel 2: 20 - 23. (He believed that God knows even the deep, dark hidden things)
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