ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH, NIGERIA
CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 24.JANUARY – JUNE, 2023.
SUNDAY, 11TH JUNE, 2023.
BIBLE TEXT: Daniel Chapter 3
MEMORY VERSE:
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 1 Peter 3:14 (NIV).
TARGET:
To help the child understand that God can give him or her the courage and boldness to stand for the truth in spite of what others do or say.
OBJECTIVES:
During and after the lesson, each child will show that he or she understands the lesson by:
1. Discussing what he or she would have done if he were one of those Hebrew children.
2. Identifying ways he or she can build his or her faith in God.
OUTLINE:
A. Making an Image - Daniel 3:1-7.
B. Refusing to Worship an Image - Daniel 3:8-18.
C. Deliverance from Fiery Furnace - Daniel 3:19-25.
D. Giving Praise to God - Daniel 3:26-30.
INTRODUCTION:
It is said that one with God is majority. Do you believe it? Now suppose a friend or classmate invited you to the dedication of their house or car or any other thing of importance only to force you later to bow down and worship the object? How would you feel or what will you do? Will you bow down at the pain of death or will you refuse?
Everyday pressures to go against our beliefs Come to us as Christians in one way or the other. It happened in the Bible to three young Hebrew children in Babylon. They were pressured, at the pain of death, to go against their belief but they stood their ground and God delivered them miraculously. The three could have accepted the ways and beliefs of the Babylonians. But they did not. They chose to stay faithful to the only true God.
1. Making An Image - Daniel 3:1-7.
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon decided to make an image that would be worshipped by everybody in his empire. The image, which was very high and very wide, was of solid gold. It was 90ft high and 9ft wide. When the image was ready, the king had it set up at the plain of Dura. Because of its height, the image could be seen from afar, and by everybody.
The king set a date the image would be dedicated. Very important people and all government officials from every part of the empire were invited to the dedication ceremony. The officials from every part of the empire were to represent their various to provinces. Musicians, singers and dancers were also invited to the ceremony.
Then a command was given, that everybody must bow down and worship the image when they hear the sound of the trumpet and other musical instruments. And anyone who refused to bow down to the image at the sound of the trumpet would be thrown into a furnace of fire. So when the trumpet sounded everybody, except three persons, bowed down to the great image.
2. Refusing to Worship an Image - Daniel 3:8-18.
Three Hebrew young men where the ones who refused to bow down to the image at the sound of the musical instruments. And these young men were Daniel's friends, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego. Some people observed that the three refused to bow, so they went and reported them to the king.
When the king heard this, he became very, very angry. In anger, he summoned them and asked them whether it was true that they did not bow down to his image. He did not wait for them to answer before he gave them a second chance to bow down and worship the image. But the three Hebrew children answered and said that they would not worship the image. They told him that their God would deliver them, but even if He does not deliver them, they would never serve his gods or worship the image he had set up.
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon decided to make an image that would be worshipped by everybody in his empire. The image, which was very high and very wide, was of solid gold. It was 90ft high and 9ft wide. When the image was ready, the king had it set up at the plain of Dura. Because of its height, the image could be seen from afar, and by everybody.
The king set a date the image would be dedicated. Very important people and all government officials from every part of the empire were invited to the dedication ceremony. The officials from every part of the empire were to represent their various to provinces. Musicians, singers and dancers were also invited to the ceremony.
Then a command was given, that everybody must bow down and worship the image when they hear the sound of the trumpet and other musical instruments. And anyone who refused to bow down to the image at the sound of the trumpet would be thrown into a furnace of fire. So when the trumpet sounded everybody, except three persons, bowed down to the great image.
2. Refusing to Worship an Image - Daniel 3:8-18.
Three Hebrew young men where the ones who refused to bow down to the image at the sound of the musical instruments. And these young men were Daniel's friends, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego. Some people observed that the three refused to bow, so they went and reported them to the king.
When the king heard this, he became very, very angry. In anger, he summoned them and asked them whether it was true that they did not bow down to his image. He did not wait for them to answer before he gave them a second chance to bow down and worship the image. But the three Hebrew children answered and said that they would not worship the image. They told him that their God would deliver them, but even if He does not deliver them, they would never serve his gods or worship the image he had set up.
3. Deliverance from Fiery Furnace - Daniel 3:19-25.
When Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he was very furious that he commanded that the fire be made seven times hotter. When this was done, he ordered that the young men be cast into it. Some of the king's mighty soldiers bound up Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego and threw them into it. The furnace was so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took them.
A great thing happened that day. Not long after the three Hebrew children fell into the fire, Nebuchadnezzar became astonished. This was because, he saw four persons who were not bound moving about inside the fire. He asked whether it was not three men that they threw into the fire. And now, not only that the men were not dead, there were four of them. And the fourth person looked like God. The truth was that the fire that killed the soldiers could not burn the three Hebrew young men.
4. Giving Praise to God - Daniel 3:26-30.
The king now went close to the fire and asked the men to come out of the fire. They did. Everybody gathered around them and saw that they were not hurt in any way and that they did not even smell of smoke and fire. The king began to praise the God, of Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego. He made a decree that every people, nation and language should fear the God of lsrael and that anyone that says anything against the God of the Hebrew children would be cut off. This is because there is no other God that can deliver.
And because of this, the king promoted Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego to positions of honour.
APPLICATION:
God wants us to worship only Him. When we suffer for righteousness' sake, God will deliver us as He delivered the three Hebrews. When we stand for God, not everyone will persecute us. Some will be encouraged to stand with us. Others will be impressed with our courage and will want to know more about our God. Perhaps even those who persecute us will change their minds about God when they see our faith.
QUESTIONS
1. Idol worship includes giving everything God's place and time in your life.
True/ False.
2. The following will happen to us when we refuse to worship Idols except _____
(A) Friends may mock /desert us.
(B) People May reject /persecute us.
(C) God will be happy with us.
(D) None of the above.
3. Anyone who worships anything other than the Almighty God will ________
(A) Inherit God's Kingdom.
(B) Receive the crown of Righteousness.
(C) Receive Punishment in hell fire.
(D) Never die in this world.
(A) Friends may mock /desert us.
(B) People May reject /persecute us.
(C) God will be happy with us.
(D) None of the above.
3. Anyone who worships anything other than the Almighty God will ________
(A) Inherit God's Kingdom.
(B) Receive the crown of Righteousness.
(C) Receive Punishment in hell fire.
(D) Never die in this world.
4. What is the reward of those who put God first in everything?
(A) They become enemies of God.
(B) They lose their eternal life.
(C) No reward for them.
(D) They are true children of God and God protects /provides for them.
Monday: l am a Jealous God - Exodus 20:4.
Tuesday: Sorrow of Idol Worshippers - 2 Chronicles 34:24-25.
Wednesday: The True Worship 1 - lsaiah 29:13-14.
Thursday: Give God His Place - Isaiah 45:20-22.
Friday: God Only - Matthew 4:8-10.
Saturday: The True Worship 2 - Romans 12:1-2.
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