CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL – DATE: SUNDAY 9TH MARCH, 2025 – TOPIC: FAITH IN THE FACE OF THREATS
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
The believer should be steadfast in putting his trust in the LORD always.
DATE: SUNDAY 9TH MARCH, 2025
HYMN: S. S & S 601. All to Jesus I Surrender
TOPIC: FAITH IN THE FACE OF THREATS
TEXT: Daniel 3:1-30
INTRODUCTION:
It is easy to profess faith
especially when things seem rosy and there are no serious challenges, just like it is easy for us to encourage people who are experiencing one
unfortunate incidence or the other. However when faced with similar experience most times our faith seems to drop
and we become objects of
various advices from people sometimes forgetting our position in Christ.
The Scripture points us to men and women who
demonstrated faith when faced with difficulties.
In this Study, we are going to focus on the three Hebrew Children Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s demonstration of their faith in the face of threats.
LESSONOBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this study are to:
- understand who Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were;
- discuss the build up to the threats;
- understand their reaction and why;
- discuss instances of similar situations believers may face today;
- examine what effect their faith had on Nebuchadnezzar; and
- consider the effect of the threats on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
BIBLE TRUTH:
O1. WHO WERE SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO ?
Daniel. 1:3-8.
They were among the Children of Judah who were captured by Nebuchadnezzar during his conquest of Jerusalem. They were slaves in Babylon at that time, who together with Daniel chose not to defile themselves with food from the King’s table.
Q2. WHAT LED TO THE
THREAT ON THEIR LIVES?
Daniel.3:1-15.
The King set up a golden
image which all residents in
Babylon were expected to
worship. However these three
Hebrew men who had been
promoted in Babylon refused to obey the decree the King because It was against the law of the God of Israel.
The people therefore sought occasions to make them
compromise their faith and
conform to paganism; which
they resisted.
Thus the King gave them
another opportunity to prove
their loyalty to him by bowing
down to his golden image which they again refused. This is a challenge to believers today.
- WHAT WAS THEIR
REACTION AND WHY?
Although they had many
excuses to have made them bow to the golden image and save themselves the danger of being thrown into the furnace, the three Hebrew men decided to maintain
their stand for the Lord and face the consequences. They refused to bow to the idol because doing so would violate God’s command.
in Exodus 20:3, which forbid
them to serve any other gods
before our God.
It would also have erased their testimonies for God forever that they would never again be able to talk about the power of God above all other gods. They did not want this to
happen so they chose to be
faithful to Him no matter what
happened.
Q4. DISCUSS INSTANCES
OF SIMILAR SITUATIONS
BELIEVERS FACE TODAY.
There are many instances of believers who today are still facing similar situations of threats because of their faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ,
especially in very hostile
communities where people have been taught to be violent to people of other faiths.
Some brethren have
been deliberately denied what
rightly belongs to them because they refused to compromise their faith. Some have even been killed or maimed in attempt to make them deny the Lord Jesus
Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour.
Some parents even deny their children their right to
education by refusing to pay
their school fees and meeting
their other needs because they have refused to join them in serving their gods. The class should mention others
instances.
Q5. WHAT EFFECT DID THEIR FAITH HAVE ON
NEB UCIHADNEZZAR? Daniel3:19-20; 28-30.
Initially, Nebuchadnezzar was
furious that common slaves” would have the courage to disobey his directive in his own domain and thus ordered that the furnace be made seven times hotter than it was before to hasten their death.
However while he waited for
their horible death, the Lord
opened his eyes to see what was beyond his imagination, a fourth person was in the fire with them, whom he declared to be like the Son of God. This made him come near the furnace to call out Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire which did not as much as neither singe a hair of their body or changed their coats nor even smelled on them.
This supernatural act made King Nebuchadnezzar to first of all bless the God of these
three Hebrew children for the
great deliverance of His servants that put their trust in Him. He then went further to make a decree that all the peoples, nations and languages must not speak evil of the ‘God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’ otherwise such person(s) would be cut in pieces
and their houses made a dunghill. He then
acknowledged the Supremacy
of God over all other gods.
Nebuchadnezzar then
promoted Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar thus acknowledged that God is more powerful than any other god.
This was an impactfuI
experience.
Q6. WHAT WAS THE RESULT 0F THEIR STEADFASTNESS IN THE FACE OF THREAT?
To the three of them the
threats and their Steadfastness in their faith gave them unlimited freedom in the province of Babylon which also gave them extra boldness to serve their God without restriction.
It led Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge the supremacy
of God, accept the free worship of God and bless Him for His mighty works.
The experience also brought them to closer fellowship with God and save them from any further harassment.
Finally it gave them unexpected promotion in the
kingdom, which also amounted to greater authority than they had before the experience.
DAI LY LIVING APPLICATION
God did not deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire, rather He delivered them in the fire.
God is still able to deliver us
from our fiery trials today if we trust Him to do so just like He did to these children of His because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
MEMORYVERSE:
Daniel.3: 17.
“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery fumace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King.” (NkJV)
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:
MON: Faith in a foreign Land,
though slaves. Dan. 1 :3-8
THE: Faith threatened after
promotion in foreign Land.
Dan.3:1-15.
WED: Refusal to submit to
idolatry, but obey God.
Dan.3:16-18, Exo.20:3
THU: The fury of an idolatrous
King. Dan.3: 19-23.
FRI: Divine deliverance visibly
manifested. Dan.3:23-25,
SAT: Outcome of faith in the
face of threat. Dan.3:26-30.
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