In The Shadows

GREETING ONE ANOTHER:

  • Take some time as a group to gather and socialize.

PRAYING TOGETHER:

Consider focusing opening prayer on VCC and/or community needs such as:

  • Pray for our faith to endure this COVID challenge, and pray for God to have mercy on our country and state.

  • The spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of the VCC congregation during this time of isolation

  • Pray for the upcoming elections, that God would accomplish his sovereign purposes and that God’s name would be glorified, his kingdom come, and his will be done.

REVIEW QUESTION

What’s changed for Daniel and those in exile from Daniel chapter 5 to chapter 6?

STARTER QUESTION

What is the background to chapter 6 in verses 1-3?

IN THE BOOK

Below there are three different types of questions, so we encourage you to seek a balance if possible. In addition, there is a Leader Study Notes section for further study!

  1. The Understanding questions are designed to refresh your group's memory about the text. These can be answered fairly briefly without a need for longer discussion.

  2. Application questions are structured to draw out the ways the text, as preached, calls us to live. You should make a strong effort in your group to point people to Scripture as they’re discussing these.

  3. We’ve built out Personal Sharing questions that connect with the sermon, but make a more conscious effort to allow the members of your group to know each other better. These help to build a sense of trust by giving people a chance to share their lived experiences.

We pray that as you consider which of these questions work best for your group that God blesses your time together so that the Word of Christ “dwells in you more richly” and you become “knit together in love” as a community.

The Satraps Set the Trap

READ: Daniel 6:4-9

UNDERSTANDING:

Why the trap? What was the Satraps problem with Daniel?

What made it hard to set the trap? What strategy did they decide on?

APPLICATION:

What should our response be to circumstances or people that undermine the practices of our spiritual life?

How do we work on having a spiritual practice up and running in our lives?

PERSONAL SHARING:

Think of a spiritual practice that’s up and running in your life or one you’d like to be. What obstacles have you faced to make them consistent?

How has commitment to regular spiritual practices nourished your soul?

Daniel Tried & Delivered

READ: Daniel 6:10-23

UNDERSTANDING:

How old was Daniel at this point in his life? What has he shown throughout his life?

APPLICATION:

Technically Daniel was guilty of disobeying the King’s law. What was his actual fault?

v. 23 - What do we learn about Daniel’s “means” of salvation? (See Leader Notes)

PERSONAL SHARING:

Share a time when you had a “lions den” experience in your life (remained faithful, suffered for obedience, falsely accused, etc.)

Parallels Between Daniel & Jesus

UNDERSTANDING:

Scan Dan. 6 and identify the parallels you see between Daniel and Jesus. (See Leader Notes)

APPLICATION:

Which of these parallels is most striking to you and why?

What is the “crucial difference” between Daniel’s experience vs. Christ’s? See Colossians 2:11-16. (See Leader Notes)

PERSONAL SHARING:

Share your story of deliverance through the gospel.

Thinking about Darius’ song in v. 26-27, how have you expressed praise for the work God has done in your life? How would you like to grow in that expression of praise?

LEADER STUDY NOTES:

Scan Dan. 6 and identify as many parallels as you can between Daniel and Jesus -

  • Regarding their character? See also Mark 14:55ff and Luke 23:4.

  • Regarding their accusers?

  • Regarding the substance of their Lion’s Den vs. Cross experience

  • Regarding their judge and judgement?

  • Regarding the circumstances surrounding their deliverance? See 1 Timothy 3:16

What is the one “crucial difference” between Daniel’s experience vs. Christ’s? See Col. 2:11-16.

  • Daniel was tested, but Jesus actually died.

  • Daniel was delivered, but Jesus actually rose from the dead.

  • Daniel was vindicated through his trial, but Jesus secured redemption for all believers through His.

What do we learn about Daniel’s “means” of salvation (v. 23)?

Daniel demonstrates God’s chosen means of salvation, “because he trusted in his God”, in other words Daniel was “saved by grace through faith” just as we are under the gospel. Why does God choose this means? Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that this means is chosen “so that no one may boast.” In other words all glory goes to God for our salvation because there is NOTHING we could do or have done that would have resulted in our deliverance and salvation. It was the same for Daniel. He was condemned by the law (of Darius in this case), but delivered by his God through faith. This is a recurring principle in Scripture. See Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, for the many examples of this theme in Scripture.

ONE ANOTHERING:

Whether you are meeting together or not, check in with one another to make sure that everyone is cared for and has what they need. Does someone in your group need help with grocery shopping, childcare, or caring for themselves? Keep a list of the ways you can provide care as a comGroup.

Remember that the Benevolence Ministry is a resource for our comGroups.

  • How can we love or serve one another this week?