Part 4 - Stone the Prophets - Daniel Hearing a voice of redemption to grow our faith, hope, and love even when living in Babylon Study by: Charis Button Sermons can be viewed on the Hope Valley Church YouTube Channel GATHERING / WORSHIP / PRAYER Take a few minutes to catch up with each other and build community. If you have new people present, give time to getting to know each other. You may like to listen to the song Sovereign Over Us. Open in prayer by acknowledging God’s sovereignty and asking Him to speak to you through His word. You may want to use some of the words from Daniel 2:20-22: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” FOCUS Weaved through the writings of the old prophets are both tragic warnings of judgement and yet frequent announcements of hope; with a repeated call to return to God. Jesus summarised the role of the prophets as well as the response of Israel in Matthew 23:37 saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” These are complex, deep, multilayered, and heartfelt writings. They were speaking a message from God in a specific time of history whilst also proclaiming a prophecy of future hope and redemption; which was ultimately pointing to Jesus. SETTING THE SCENE As a young man, Daniel was exiled from his homeland in the kingdom of Judah and forced to serve in the unfamiliar land of his captors, the Babylonian empire. Daniel stands as one of the only major figures in the Bible to have a completely positive record of his actions - His faithful service to God in a foreign land and culture makes him unique among almost all the people of Scripture. The book of Daniel is also unique among the prophets because of its particular combination of narrative and prophetic writing. Chapters 1-6 contain stories about Daniel and his friends and chapters 7-12 detail visions God gives Daniel about the future. Whilst outwardly different in style, these two sections are unified by key repeating messages about God’s sovereignty and our call to serve Him faithfully and persevere in hope. As a group, you may also want to watch an animated overview of the book produced by The Bible Project. OPENING GOD’s WORD Warm Up Question: The stories of Daniel and his friends are “Sunday school classics”. What do you already know about this significant figure from the bible? Read: Daniel 6 Pick a common translation and take turns reading a few verses each. Note verses 4-5. Daniel’s faithfulness to the Lord was so well known that even his enemies knew he would not compromise it. What can we learn from Daniel in this area? What are some practical ways we can build our personal integrity at work, at home, and with God? Daniel’s environment and the Babylonian culture made it easier to betray God than follow Him. Have you ever felt this way? How can we “walk faithfully through the fire” and glorify God even when life gets hard? Re-read Daniel 6:10-13. What lessons can we learn from Daniel about prayer? What should the prayer life of a bold Christian look like? LIVING OUT GOD’s WORD What’s one temptation surrounding you that you’d like to stand against this week? How can you be bold like Daniel? What will you choose to do instead? What change can you make to your daily life this week to demonstrate your growing trust in God? PRAYER Ask God to help you hear, love, and obey His word more and more. Pray for one another, that you might grow in your faithfulness to God. Pray for God’s continued intervention in our broken world. Contacts If you would like more information or further help, please contact: scott.button@hopevalleychurch.com.au