Fire and Light
Daniel 3:19-28 - New International
Version (NIV)
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated
seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some
of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So
these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound
and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command
was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the
soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and
these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked
his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the
fire?”
They replied,
“Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound
and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace
and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come
out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps,
prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw
that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads
singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his
servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were
willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except
their own God.
Why did Nebuchadnezzar order “the furnace heated seven times
hotter than usual” (verse 19)?
Who did Nebuchadnezzar order to tie up
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and then “throw them into the blazing furnace”
(verse 20)?
What were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
wearing when they were tied up and thrown into the furnace (verse
21)?
What happened to the soldiers who threw
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace (verse 22)?
Where did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego end up
(verse 23)?
Who ask “weren’t there three men that we
tied up and threw into the fire” (verse 24)?
What did the fourth man who was “walking
around in the fire, unbound and unharmed” look like (verse 25)?
In your opinion, why did King Nebuchadnezzar call
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego “servants of the Most High God” when he
called for them to come out (verse 26)?
What did the satraps, prefects, governors and
royal advisers see when they crowded around Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (verse
27)?
Who did King Nebuchadnezzar give praise to
(verse 28)?
What choice had Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
made (verse 28)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
John
8:48-59 - New
International Version (NIV)
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a
Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I
honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking
glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the
judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word
will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are
demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that
whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you
greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do
you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means
nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies
me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know
him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him
and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at
the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have
seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham
was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to
stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple
grounds.
What did the Jews say about Jesus (verse 48)?
Who did Jesus say he honored (verse 49)?
Who did Jesus say the Jews dishonored (verse 49)?
In your opinion, who is the one who seeks glory for
Jesus (verse 50)?
Who will “never see death” (verse 51)?
Why were the Jews convinced that Jesus was
demon-possessed (verse 52)?
In your opinion, why would the question “who do
you think you are” at this time be awkward for Jesus to answer (verse 53)?
How did Jesus answer the question (verse 54)?
Who did Jesus say that He knew and obeyed (verse 55)?
What had Abraham “rejoiced at the thought of”
(verse 56)?
In your opinion, why did the Jews doubt that Jesus
had seen Abraham (verse 57)?
When was Jesus (verse 58)?
What did the Jews do (verse 59)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this
passage?
In your opinion, what
does this passage teach us about how we can be successful when the world is
against us?
In
your opinion, how are the roots of the conflict between Nebuchadnezzar and
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:19-28 and the roots of the conflict
between the Jews and Jesus in John 8:48-59 similar?
In
your opinion, how is the promise of Jesus that whoever obeys His word will
never see death even more impressive than the salvation of Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego from the fiery furnace?
1 John 1:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)
1 That which was from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at
and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The
life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to
you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to
us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and
heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is
with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write
this to make our joy complete.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to
you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If
we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie
and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not
sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
What
does John “proclaim concerning the Word of life” (verse 1)?
Who
did the life appear to (verse 2)?
Why
does John proclaim “what we have seen and heard” (verse 3)?
What
does John write (verse 4)?
What
is the “message we have heard from him and declare to you” (verse 5)?
When do “we lie and do not live out the truth” (verse 6)?
What happens “if we
walk in the light” (verse 7)?
When do “we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us” (verse 8)?
What happens when “we
confess our sins” (verse 9)?
When is His word “not
in us” (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what
is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how is
the message of John about Jesus in 1 John 1:1-10 even more powerful than the
amazing witness of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:19-28?
In
your opinion, how does John’s statement that “If we claim to have
fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live
out the truth” in 1 John 1:1-10 help us understand the
Jews in John 8:48-59? How does John
continue in 1 John to show how the Jews, and anyone today, can escape from that
lie?
Revelation 14:1-5 – New International
Version (NIV)
1 Then I looked, and there before me was the
Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his
name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of
rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was
like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And
they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living
creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the
144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with
women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he
goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as
firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No
lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
How does John see Jesus as He stands on Mount Zion
(verse 1)?
What
did the 144,000 with Jesus have on their foreheads (verse 1)?
Where
did the sound “like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of
thunder” come from (verse 2)?
Even
though the sound was loud, what did it sound like (verse 2)?
Who
did they sing the new song to (verse 3)?
Who
could learn the new song (verse 3)?
What
is distinctive about the 144,000 (verse 4)?
Who
do they follow (verse 4)?
Who
were they purchased “from among” (verse 4)?
In
your opinion, why are they “blameless” (verse 5)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach
us about how we can be successful when the world is against us?
In your opinion, how are Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:19-28 like the 144,000 in Revelation 14:1-5? How is the purchase of the 144,000 even more
amazing than the salvation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?
In your opinion, how does John seeing
the 144,000 standing with Jesus on Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1-5 validate
Jesus’s promise in John 8:48-59 that “whoever
obeys my word will never see death”?
In your opinion, how does John’s
statement in 1 John 1:1-10 that “8 If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” apply to the 144,000 of
Revelation 14:1-5?
In
your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, John, 1 John and Revelation teach
us about how we move from the darkness and fire of the world into salvation?
In
your opinion, how is the challenge we face within ourselves to depend on God
for our salvation similar to the struggle we face within ourselves to daily
depend on God for success in our daily walk in the world?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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