CATALYST YOUTH- "The Sign of the Four in the Fire", Sept. 16, 2016

This week at CATALYST, we continued our series on Daniel by looking at one of the most famous stories in the Bible. In Daniel 3, Daniel's three friends (known to us as Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego) faced a bit of a predicament. The King of Babylon wanted to be worshiped by the people, so he constructed a 90 foot high gold statue of himself, gathered the people together, and ordered them to bow and worship him. To make the situation even more challenging, anyone who disobeyed the King's orders would be put to death by being thrown into a fiery furnace. Well, when it came time for this "idol worship service", hundreds of people bowed but only three stood standing. When they were brought before the king, the Bible says:

“Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your Majesty. BUT even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, your Majesty, that WE WILL NEVER SERVE YOUR GODS OR WORSHIP THE GOLD STATUE YOU HAVE SET UP!”

Of course, the king was so furious with them that he had them thrown into a furnace so hot that it killed the soldiers who pushed them in. But something miraculous happened. The king saw FOUR men walking around in the flames (we can presume, the fourth was an angel or the physical presence of God with them). This was impossible! When he called for them to come out, the three were found to be unhurt, their clothes weren't burned, and they didn't even smell like smoke. The king was so amazed by this that he decreed that no one in the kingdom was to badmouth their God and even promoted them despite the fact that they had directly disobeyed an order of the king.

THEY STOOD OUT BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH- BECAUSE THEY LIVED OUT WHAT THEY BELIEVED

These three guys were super committed to following God. Even under the threat of death, they still refused to do what they knew to be wrong. When they were in the crowd of idol worshipers that day, they LITERALLY stood out from that crowd.

The question I wanted our teens to think about is whether or not they stand out from the crowd? While nobody likes to stand out or be different, if we're serious about following Jesus in the things we say and do, people are going to take notice. We're just not going to look and act like everybody else! In Matthew 5, Jesus actually said that we should stand out like a city on a hilltop or a light in a dark place. There should be some noticeable difference in our lives compared to people who don't know God.

Do people notice that you don't talk like other people around you? Maybe you don't swear or gossip like other people do? Are you known for being kind to others- even people who aren't that nice to you? Are you known for having self-control and patience, or do you lose your temper a lot? The Bible says that when we invite Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit starts to clean us up (to renovate us) and make us the best version of ourselves. Other people are bound to notice! When people notice that we're different, they might even start asking why and get introduced to Jesus themselves.

QUESTIONS FOR HOME

1. What are some examples of how someone who’s a Christian might be different than the people around them? What might they say that's different? What might they do that's different?

2. Ask you teen if they've ever stood out because of their faith (because they lived out what they believed) at school or around their friends? What did their friends notice that was different about them?

3. What are some things (some changes) that your teen would want their friends to notice about them this year? What are some things that they would want to be know for? What are some areas that your teen might want God to change them for the better?

4. Pray with your teen and ask that God would continue to change them for the better and help them to follow him in the things they say and do, even if it's really hard. Ask God that the changes he would make in their lives would be so big that people would notice and start asking why.