Note: This is the first talk for the Light Force year. For those Sonlife addicts, this is our official launching point into season two: Equipping. Along those lines we will be concentrating very heavily on peer share skills training as part of our Wednesday evenings. While I am still teaching from Daniel/Revelation this fall, the primary hardcore Bible teaching is happening in our home bible studies.
Between now and Christmas, we are going to be taking a very close look at the books of Daniel and Revelation. It’s is my assumption that as we get into this study that you will see how clearly these two often misused and misinterpreted books of God’s word are tied together.
Some introductions
The book of Daniel covers a time period that is unique in Jewish history and the history of the world. In some regards, it is a narrative of what life was like for the Jews when they were under Babylonian rule. And in other regards, it is a glimpse into our future.
This book was written in about 530 BC. (2500 years ago!) Israel was captured and taken to Babylon in 580 BC, and Daniel wrote this book as they neared the end of their exile from God’s land.
Where is the setting? Almost the entire book takes place in Babylon. This is in present day Iraq.
Why was Israel in exile? Simply put, they had disobeyed God’s commands. If you’ll remember from last years study God repeatedly told the Jewish people that they could remain in the land conditionally. If they disobeyed God’s commands, they would be removed. In this case they were removed for 70 years as repayment for skipping the Sabbath Year command to allow the land to rest every 7th year for one year.
A quick summary of chapters 1-2
Þ Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar
Þ Daniel and three friends were chosen to be in the kings service
Þ Daniel and his friends began an intense 3 years of training
Þ While in training, Daniel refused to eat the kings choice food
Þ Daniel convinced the guard to allow them to try eating veggies only
Þ The young men passed the test and were allowed to skip eating the meat
Þ During the 2nd year of training, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
Þ Later, they passed the kings test and entered into service.
[Detail dream interpretation]
Before we move on, I think it’s really important that we take a few minutes to look at this how Daniel interpreted the dream… it will give you a good glimpse into what kind of guy Daniel is.
Read Daniel 2: 12-13
Þ Then, Daniel convinces Arioch to let him interpret the kings dream. [To save his hide and that of his friends!]
Þ Daniel goes to the king and this is what happens.
Read Daniel 2: 37-45
OK, now look at the diagram and let’s define some things about the past.
Head= Babylon
Chest/arms= Persia
Belly/thighs= Greece
Legs= Rome
Feet= Christ’s church
Þ The king believes Daniel’s interpretation
Þ He gives Daniel and his friends very high positions in the kings service.
Let’s change gears right here. We need to take a minute to explain something bigger that is going on… I want you to see exactly how examining Daniel’s life is going to help you in your walk with God.
Þ For the past 15 months Light Force has been on a mission to get to this point.
Þ Almost everything we’ve done over the past year has been done with the idea of building our group to feel like a family.
§ I think we’ve accomplished this goal. LF does feel like family.
§ We’ve taken tons of road trips together, spent time like a family spends time
§ We done all-nighters, high ropes courses, mission trips, tailgating, movie nights, service projects—on and on!
Þ In the meantime, we as leaders have been concentrating on building you up in your relationship with Christ. You should have a pretty good idea of who you are in Christ, what your personal mission in life is, who we are as a group and what it means to be Light Force. Hopefully, you’ve also learned what value you get out of all of this.
Þ You as a group and as individuals have grown tremendously in the last 15 months. It has been amazing to watch.
Þ But I want to draw your attention to a fact. Have you noticed something that we haven’t done that a lot of other youth groups do?
§ Pushed you to bring friends here to hear the gospel.
Þ I want you to know that we haven’t done that for a reason.
§ We as a group weren’t ready.
§ You, for the most part, as followers of Christ have not been ready to lead your friends to Christ.
§ Before we could do that, we needed to grow up a lot as a group. It has been healthy and good to wait until we were ready.
Þ So, you’re probably wondering what my point is?
§ Am I asking you to start brining all kinds of lost friends to LF?
Þ NO!
Þ But, as of this moment, we are going to start giving you some skills so that you can start brining your friends to Jesus. See the difference?
Þ And the first thing you need to know is that bringing someone to Jesus is a process, not an event. It’s something that takes time.
Þ So let me ask you, do you feel ready to start learning some skills? Here’s some indicators… which prove to me that I know you all are ready to move from building our group to equipping you to do peer-to-peer ministry.
§ Ask yourself some questions.
Þ Is God’s love real to you?
o If it is, then you will know because you’ll want others to know God’s love too.
Þ Do you have a relationship with God that will last forever?
o If you do, then you’ll know that your lost friends need that relationship too.
Here’s your first skill. Lesson number one!
With this first challenge, I’m not even really asking you to do anything hard. I’m not asking you to go out and do anything… but I am asking you to start searching inside yourself.
What you are going to do next is hook up with one of the leaders and work on the back side of our sheet. First, you are going to each open up your Bible’s and start searching for the people that Daniel was looking to lead to God. I want you to see that Daniel did this ON PURPOSE and that time and again he looked for ways to plant the idea of God’s love in non-believers hearts.
After that, you are going to identify 3 people in your lives that you will eventually be sharing Jesus with. Again, you don’t have to do anything now except identify who these people are. I know you don’t know what to do next… OK? The last thing you are going to do is literally tell your leaders who these people are. Your leader is going to write them down and the two of you will start praying for those people. We’re not going to call them or send them a letter. All we are going to do is pray for them. Got it?
PRAY
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