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MEMORY VERSE:

“Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Psalm 34:11 (NIV

SUMMARY:

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego wouldn't bow down to a false idol, the king threw them in a fiery furnace. Kids will learn that when we stand up for God, he will stand up for us. Daniel 3:8-30, The Fiery Furnace

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn to have the courage to stand up for God.

KEY PASSAGE:

Daniel 3:8-30, The Fiery Furnace

INTRO:

Today marks the beginning of an exciting series. This is a series filled with some thrilling stories, the kind people like to tell around a campfire. Camping is a great time for telling tales of adventure and ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but the stories we’re going to read can all can be found in the Bible. Many people have the mistaken idea that the Bible is boring. They think it’s nothing but a bunch of rules, poems, and lists of who begat who. But the Bible is much more than that. The Bible is God’s Word, and most of that Word is filled with stories. Many of these stories may be new to some of you, but today, we’re going to start with one I’m sure most of you have heard. It’s the Tale of the Fiery Furnace.

The Tale of the Fiery Furnace comes in the middle of the Old Testament. In the larger story of the Old Testament, this story takes place after the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, has disobeyed God. God punished his people by sending them into exile. Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, captured their country and then took all the people of Israel away from their homeland.

Some of the young men from Israel were taken to the palace, including a boy named Daniel and three friends we know as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These boys were living in a foreign land and working with people who did not believe in God. Every day they were challenged to take a stand for God, but never more so than in today’s story.

You see, King Nebuchadnezzar thought he himself was a king. He made a giant statue for all the people to worship, and anyone who didn’t obey him would be severely punished. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew they had a terrible choice to make. Either bow down and worship a false god, or be thrown into a fiery furnace!

READ DANIEL 3:8-30

MAIN POINT:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had some enemies. These men went to the king and told on them, saying, “Those boys from Israel won’t bow down to your idol! Remember you said that anyone who won’t worship the idol must be thrown into the fiery furnace!”

The king was angry with the boys, and true to his word. He had them thrown into the fiery furnace. This was no ordinary furnace like you find in your home. It was a large building with a fire so hot, the flames killed the soldiers sent to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fire.

But the fire didn’t harm the boys! In fact, when Nebuchadnezzar looked inside the fiery furnace, he saw not three but four men inside. We don’t know if that fourth person was God or an angel or even Jesus, but the young men were spared because God was with them. God will always be with his people when they stand up for Him. Whether it’s in the court of kings or on the school playground, God will stand with us when we stand for Him.

DRIVE IT HOME:

It’s not so easy to stand up for God sometimes. True, we don’t have the threat of an angry king and a fiery furnace to worry about, but there are things that stand in our way. Peer pressure is a big one. When all the kids in school are telling you to do the wrong thing, it’s hard to stand for what is right. When everyone says that something we know is wrong is okay, it’s hard to speak up and tell the truth.

Many times when people stand up for the wrong thing, it can get pretty ugly. There are people just like the men who tattled on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who will come after you and try to make you do the wrong thing. It’s not uncommon for people to bully other people into believing the way they do, especially about religion. It happens with kids, and it happens with adults. Just ask anyone who has been on Facebook, and he will tell you how ugly things can get when someone dares to speak up against the crowd and stand for what is right.

It may not be easy to stand up against everyone else, but it’s still the right thing to do. We can find the courage to take a stand because we know God will stand with us. God didn’t abandon Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were tossed into the fiery furnace. He went into the fire with them. God will be with us on the playground, online, in the classroom, and any place we go. He will stand with us, and he will give us the courage to keep standing.

God needs us to take a stand and speak the truth. He needs us to light the way and show people what is right, even when no one else will stand with us. Don’t be afraid to take a stand for Jesus. When you stand up for God, you never stand alone.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Give us the courage we need to take a stand for you.

In Jesus’name,

Amen

Directions

1. Color 3 Bible characters so you have a Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Now cut them out and tape them to a straw each.

2. No cut 4 strips vertically of the sheets of paper. Now cut squares and then make jagged fire in the middle of the squares. Next tape several colored squares to the back of your brown paper sack to the “bottom” part of the bag.

3. Finally, cut a circular hole in the front of your bag. Insert several sheets of “fire” construction paper through the bottom of your window and staple or tape in place. Just insert the blue Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego puppets through the bottom of the bag to put them in the “fire”. The kids will enjoy their craft and reenacting the story.

Note: I used a white crayon to make an angel on the inside back of the window opening.

Also had the kids write their verse on the bottom at the front of the bag. You could also print it on labels that your students could simple peel and stick on their bags.

“He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:27

Directions

1. The Floor is Lava!!!

2. Make an obstacle course with blue painter’s tape throughout the upstairs space. Kids can only use the taped spaces to cross from one place to another.

Directions

Gather 3 brown bags and label one “A Godly Question”, another “A Question About You” and the third “A Would You Rather Question”. Next, take a stack of 3 x 5 index cards and come up with different questions that fit each topic. Here are a few for each label to help get you started:

A Godly Question

1. How can we pray for you?

2. What do you look forward to about Heaven?

3. Who is your favorite Bible character and why?

A Question About You

1. What’s your favorite dessert?

2. What’s your favorite form of transportation?

3. What’s the most exciting place you’ve ever been?

A Would You Rather Question

1. Would rather eat worms or spiders?

2. Would you rather be cold in Antarctica or hot in the desert?

3. Would you rather have your mom’s job or your dad’s job?

Place each of the questions in the corresponding bags.

You are now ready to ask one child come forward and sit down on a chair. To make this activity extra fun, you might cover the chair in something clever like hot pads or chili pepper material to show that it’s a “hot seat”. Ask the child to reach into one of the bags and pull out a question. Read the question out loud and have the child give an answer. You can then have him pick another card from each of the other 2 bags or you can have another child come up for a turn.