Daniel, Week Three

Session Three, Daniel 3: No Smell of Fire

• Daniel 3 covers the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's 90-foot golden statue. He required that everyone bow down before the statue, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused. The punishment for their refusal was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. If you're familiar with the story, then you know that God sent a fourth man into the furnace and delivered them from their fiery trial. It's quite possible that the fourth man was the "preincarnate appearance of Christ."
• "Consider three different scenarios when people of God face a fiery trial: Scenario A: We can be delivered from the fire. Dividend? Our faith is built. Scenario B: We can be delivered from the fire. Dividend? Our faith is refined. Scenario C: We can be delivered by the fire into His arms. Dividend? Our faith is perfected."
• 1 Peter 1:6-7 "In this you greatly rejoice, though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
• James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
• This story is the last mention in scripture of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... What a way to be remembered!!!

Day One: Taller When Others Bow

• "The inspiration for building an image doesn't come from the Spirit... for us, image building is any way we intentionally make ourselves seem different - and usually more - than we really are."
• "We don't want to confuse image building with an honest attempt to look or do our best, but I won't kid you. A fine line separates the two."
• "We've learned from the beginning to view Babylon as more that a place. Babylon represents a philosophy. A mentality."
  
• "Having the people bow down to the image was tantamount to having them bow down to him. Babylonian thinkers need others to bow in order to feel tall. Nebuchadnezzar didn't bother bending the knees of ordinary people. Babylonian-size egos need bigger strokes than that. They need the strokes of VIPs."

Day Two: Another Side of Self-Absorption

• "Nursing inferiority can be just as self-consuming as seeking superiority. We talked about image building. Bowing down to a poor self-image can be equally unhealthy."
• "Beloved, let's let this one sink in deeply: constantly thinking little of ourselves is still thinking constantly of ourselves."
• "Rest assured, Satan wrote all Babylonian doctrine. If he cannot get people to worship him outright, he'll convince people to worship themselves. Anything to insult the Great I Am."

Day Three: The Apple of His Eye

• "Death is not the last word. A sovereign, powerful God sits upon His throne, and nothing misses His gaze. He will right all wrongs. I do not know how, but I know Who."
• "Nothing bites you without Him feeling it. He sees. He knows. He acts. And, best of all, He heals."

Day Four: The Heart of Loyalty

• "For people with true convictions, certain decisions have already been made."
• "...loyal is not something we suddenly are at the flash-moment of testing. It's something we already were that surfaces in the test."

Day Five: If He Does Not

• "God always abides with us, but we are wise to remember that His ultimate goal is for us to abide with Him. Literally... At some point, Beloved, you and I are going home. He alone knows how."
• "Our God is able to deliver us, Beloved. Every time! And how often He does!... Trust Him to the death. Trust Him through the death. In the blink of an eye, we'll understand."