Download the list of unreached people groups from the International Mission
Board Web site ("GSEC Unengaged Unreached People Groups" available from
www.peoplegroups.org/Downloads.aspx) and make copies for use in step 1.
Need for Mission Work (Matt. 9:35-38)
Read Matthew 9:35-38 and ask learners to complete the following
questions:
What great needs did the people have in this passage?
How did Jesus respond to those needs?
Why did Jesus call for more workers in the harvest?
Distribute the lists of unreached people groups that you downloaded Before
the Session. Ask learners to review the list and choose the name of one
unreached people group that interests them. Ask learners to tell the name of
their people group, the language they speak, and the population of those
people. Define unreached people group as a people group in which less
than 2 percent of the population are Evangelical Christians. (www.imb.org/globalresearch/faqs.asp#two)
Ask learners to suggest ways that your class might become involved in helping
take the gospel to an unreached people group. Write their responses on the
board.
Read the following excerpt from the Alabama Baptist:
Thelma Baptist Church sent a team of 16 men to the Czech Republic July
22-31. The team, composed of basketball players ranging in age from 25 to
50, ran basketball camps for children that included time for devotionals. In
the evenings, they played college and club teams, using halftime to allow
one man to give his testimony. On July 28, the team showed the "Jesus" film,
in Czech, to the people of Hermanuv Mestec. The next day, they led a Bible
study that they hope will one day turn into the first Protestant church in
that town.
Thelma Baptist Church had a group of men who loved basketball and
turned it into a mission opportunity to reach an unreached city. What
does your church do well that you could use to reach an unreached
people group?
What specific actions did the church take to reach those who
were unreached?
What barriers would your church or Sunday School class need to
overcome to take a mission trip designed to reach a part of the world
where Christianity is not prevalent?
Ask learners to commit to prayer that God would call them out to missionary
service, believing that God wants churches to go as well as pray and give.
Scope of Mission Work (Matt. 10:5-8)
Read aloud Matthew 10:5-8.
Ask:
Why did Jesus forbid them from entering the roads leading to
other nations (v. 5)?
What specific things did Jesus call the missionaries to do (vv. 7-8)?
What balance exists between meeting both the physical and spiritual
needs of those who live in areas unreached by the gospel?
Read the following excerpt from the International Mission Board Web
site:
MANDATES
All throughout the New Testament's account of the earthly ministry of Jesus
it is clear His mission was focused upon both the eternal and the present.
Not only was He concerned about obvious spiritual needs and our being in
right relationship with God, but He was also equally active in ministering
to the hurts and physical needs of those around Him. Matthew 9:35-36 gives
us great insight into His mission of "preaching the good news" and "having
compassion on the people." He has called us out, you and me, to do the same!
We have a "spiritual mandate" to be involved in human needs ministries.
Jesus lived it on a daily basis; should we be doing any less? We also have a
"denominational mandate" to impact the world in this way, because you and
others have given sacrificially in direct response to this command and
life-modeling of our Lord.
Therefore, it is a privilege of ours, through involvement in human needs
ministries throughout the world, to honor and bless the Lord as His hands,
feet, voice, and touch. It is equally a privilege to honor you and other
Southern Baptists because without your prayer support and giving we would
not be able to impact thousands of lives on a daily basis. Thank you for all
you do to make many, many human needs ministries possible!
Lead members of the class to nominate people groups that the class
might adopt. Encourage the class to discuss and narrow the names down to one
people group. Make a list of possible needs (physical and spiritual) that people
in that area might experience. Assign the people group to a few people in the
class that can research it and bring facts to future class meetings.
Display a map and circle the place where your adopted people group lives.
For information on adopting a people group, call your church services specialist
with the International Mission Board at (877) 462-4721.
Guidance for Mission Work (Matt. 10:9-14)
Read Matthew 10:9-14.
Ask:
Why are the instructions given by Jesus unique to this mission?
Compare Luke 22:36, a later mission where Christ gives different
guidelines.
Why did Jesus stress the importance of going to those who
were responsive to the gospel (10:14)?
How do these verses stress the urgency of preaching the
missionary message?
Read the following first-hand account of mission involvement:
Sarah attended her first mission trip after her husband died. She was in
excess of 70 years of age, but she had always wanted to go on a mission
trip. She enlisted to teach backyard Bible clubs through the Salvation Army
on Grand Bahamas Island. Though the group expected 60 children, they
averaged over 100 every day. Sarah taught preschoolers faithfully every day,
and she rejoiced when many of the older children in other groups received
Christ during the week.
Though Sarah left the Bahamas, she never forgot one special preschooler.
Later, when her son offered to take her on a cruise, she chose Grand Bahamas
Island as the location, and she insisted that they rent a taxi and travel to
the west end of the island. She knocked on the door to a small, unkempt
house, where her little preschooler was now elementary age. She remembered
Sarah, and Sarah loved seeing her and expressing what the girl meant to her.
In her mid-70's, Sarah called me recently and said she was thinking of me
since I was the pastor who had encouraged her to take her first mission
trip. She was returning with her current pastor and a group of volunteers
from a mission trip to Mexico. No doubt she found another special person to
share with about Jesus.
Ask:
How does this story illustrate the impact of a week-long mission
trip upon those who go?
What are the possibilities of how that trip might impact people to
whom the missionaries minister?
Besides age, what are other factors people use as excuses of why
they cannot go on a mission trip?
Encouragement for Mission Work (Matt. 10:26-31)
Read Matthew 10:26-31 and emphasize the following points:
We cannot fear man and spread the Christian mission.
God will see every act done in His name.
Even those who face physical suffering are "safe" in an
eternal perspective.
God watches over those who speak for Him.
Read the following missionary account:
This is a story about persecution.
No one physically dies or burns at the stake. This persecution is subtle and
silent and pierces the soul. In this story, a Texas family follows God’s
call to the bush of Africa. They are banished from villages. Children throw
sticks and stones at them. Sometimes market vendors refuse to sell to
them—all because they are Christian.
Despite these hardships, their hearts ache for their neighbors to know
Christ. They will do whatever it takes to present the gospel and offer
support to new believers (only eight after seven years of work). Sometimes
support is the hardest part of their ministry. The new Christians are
shunned by their families and villages and suffer ten times more than the
Texans can ever imagine.
Welcome to the reality of ministering to some unreached people groups … it
can be a world of rejection and constant isolation mixed in with the
occasional miracle in the wilderness.
Please understand that the experiences you are about to read are not unique.
All missionaries suffer in some way or another because of their calling.
This family asks not to be put on a pedestal. They want only your prayers
for the thousands of missionaries who experience this same silent
persecution, but whose names and stories cannot be told because of where
they live.
Meet the Loftices As the hymn fades, Mike Loftice stands to start the sermon. The
congregation listens intently. In this church of five, it’s best not to
drift off to “lala land”—it might mean extra chores, warns one member.
“Dad’s always asking questions to make sure we are listening,” 11-year-old
Brian explains. “So, make sure that you pay attention.”
Older brother, Paul, pipes in that the singing alone is enough to keep most
people awake. “Dad’s the only one of us who can sing, the rest of us just
croak,” the 17-year-old teases as his sister, Ellen, whacks his arm. “Oh
come on—like you can sing!”
Sitting in the corner, Susan watches the horseplay. With her 19-year-old
daughter at college in the United States and Paul attending boarding school,
it’s been a year since everyone has been together.
She’ll replay this scene in her mind another day—a day that isn’t quite as
happy. Like the day someone left a dead, bleeding chicken on their doorstep
as a symbol they were not wanted and were cursed. Or the day she went to the
electric company to see why the power had been off for days and workers
replied, “We don’t need a church here—now leave.”
The Loftices moved to Niger, a country mostly made up of the Sahara Desert,
seven years ago. They minister to one of the largest unreached people groups
in West Africa, the Hausa (HOW-suh).
In order to reach the Hausa, the Loftices have lived in villages without
electricity and running water. Now, they live in the “Taj Mahal.” They have
water and electricity most days. With modern technology, the family watches
satellite television. They have freezers to store up to three months of
supplies they bring in from Niamey, a 10-hour drive.
“No matter if you live with or without conveniences, the hardest part is
still the isolation from like-minded people,” Susan admits. “When you don’t
have contact with other Christians it makes it really hard.”
Mike nods in agreement. Often the family feels like they are in the middle
of Satan’s playground, he says. They feel the weight of evil all around. For
years, the family has shared the gospel and been rejected time after time.
One time Mike shared with a Muslim holy man. That day the imam knew the
truth of Jesus Christ. His eyes welled up with tears, he looked at Mike and
said, “There is no other god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Then
the imam got up and walked away.
Experiences like this happen almost daily.
“It’s not only how much of our lives are being spent on these people that’s
hard,” Mike says through tears. “But to see what it’s done to my family and
have no results that we can see … I mean, look what the children have given
up and their persecution.”
Growing up amidst persecution Brian experiences more physical persecution than other family
members. Around Muslim holidays, he doesn’t even bother to step outside of
the house. He knows that because he is a Christian, he is not wanted.
“The older guys don’t like Christians. They always throw rocks and stuff at
me,” he says with a shrug. “My best friend and I just play in our yard—no
big deal.”
Life in Niger has been the hardest on Ellen. Girls are not only married by
the time they are 12 years old, but they also have a ton of work and no time
to play. Raising a daughter in a Muslim culture means constantly watching
out for leering men and guarding against marriage proposals.
Isolation does have its upside. The family spends hours playing games and
just talking, creating a closeness they feel never would have happened if
they had lived somewhere else.
Ellen, Paul and Brian see their parents’ struggles. “People ask why we don’t
come back to the States,” Ellen says. “There are plenty of people there who
know Jesus and can learn to witness, but there’s nothing for the Hausa.
“Most of them don’t even know who Jesus is … now tell me honestly, how can
my family leave until God’s work is done?”
Miracles in the wilderness God is working in this barren land. Eight men have taken a stand
for Christ despite being shunned from their village and families. Another
village allows Mike to story the Bible twice a week with them.
Sometimes it is hard to watch the new Christians persecuted. Mike explains
that while his family suffers from a general nonacceptance and isolation,
the Hausa Christians are left to survive on their own. Despite this, the
Loftices are excited that someone is finally willing to take a stand.
However, many still do not know the name Jesus Christ.
“No matter how hard it is, we know that if we leave now—they won’t hear,”
Mike and Susan say. “We stay because God called us to this work.”
Taken from: "Loftice family: Facing persecution to reach the Hausa" by
Sue Sprenkle, October 01, 2003. Available from
www.tconline.org/stories/414216.html
Ask:
How has the threat of persecution faced the Loftice family?
How has it affected their zeal to reach the Hausa people?
What keeps them encouraged to reach the Hausa people even when they
face overt forms of persecution?
Spend time praying and planning for ways that the class could adopt, pray
for, and reach your unreached people group.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
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EXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
September 30, 2007
Reading the Handwriting on the Wall
Dana Armstrong
Daniel 5:1-6,22-28,30-31
Life Answers Leader Guide corrected Sept. 30 lesson
PDF
We are not given additional information of Nebuchadnezzar's life after Daniel
4:37, but we do know that he did not live long after this life-changing
experience. As Daniel had predicted in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, a succession of
weak kings followed Nebuchadnezzar's death.
Nabondius, father of Belshazzar, was the reigning king in Daniel 5. However,
Nabonidus was an absentee king and father. He was wrapped up in the Babylonian
religion and had spent years away expanding his religion to other countries. In
his absence, Belshazzar was left in charge as a sort
of co-king. Belshazzar lacked wise guidance as a ruler and was given to self
indulgence. He knew the stories of Nebuchadnezzar's reign as king. He had grown
up on the stories of his adventures, conquests, and treasures taken from fallen
kingdoms. He had heard the stories of the Daniel's wise interpretation of the
king's dreams and the mysterious fiery furnace. He knew of his grandfather's
eating as the beasts of the field. He may have even seen the difference in his
grandfather after Daniel 4:37. But Belshazzar was a prideful and arrogant ruler,
more concerned with impressing his nobles and his enemies.
Belshazzar may have chosen this particular time to throw a huge feast for
several reasons: It may have been a feast scheduled for this time every year;
the city of Babylon was surrounded by the Persians, and it's thought that
Belshazzar wanted to show his enemies that he did not fear them. King Nebonidus
had been captured, so a third possibility was a feast to honor their new king,
Belshazzar.
Belshazzar invited 1,000 of his nobles to his feast, along with his wives and
concubines. He drank openly with his guests, becoming drunk with wine. When
people are under the control of alcohol, they often act foolish. They will do
things they wouldn't do otherwise. Belshazzar proved that to be true. The
carousing escalated when Belshazzar, in an act of unbridled arrogance, called
for the golden and silver vessels from the temple at Jerusalem that
Nebuchadnezzar had taken many years earlier to be brought to the feast. Because
his judgment was so impaired by his drunken state, and because he possibly
wanted to impress his guests, Belshazzar committed an unthinkable sin even by
pagan standards. Using temple vessels was considered sacrelegious. Fueled by
alcohol and his new found power, he added to his sin when, while using the
sacred vessels, he praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, wood, and stone. Was
there nothing sacred to this king? These cups, bowls, and goblets were part of
the holy instruments dedicated for the Israelites' worship of the one true
living God.
Our society ridicules that which is sacred and mocks the things of God. We find
our own government honoring the profane and abolishing the sacred, such as the
the Ten Commandments. We have seen much controversy over the display of the Ten
Commandments in federal buildings of any kind.
Distribute the Ten Commandments handout and break the class
into groups of two or four.
Say: Today people do not give much thought to the Ten
Commandments. There have even been court cases abolishing the hanging of the Ten
Commandments on government property. Read the Ten Commandments from the handout,
and discuss the ways our society has ignored or mocked these commandments. Allow
enough time for learners to record responses.
Leader: As you go through the list of the Ten Commandments with
the entire class, allow groups to share their answers.
Say: We are often products of our environment. The society we
live in today elevates power, fame, and fortune. It does not elevate the things
of God. On the contrary, the things of God are ridiculed and mocked. In fact, it
seems that people will go to extensive efforts to have the things of God
abolished
from any public forum. Consequently the world we live in encourages satisfying
the desires of the flesh. Addictions are at an all time high, whether that
addiction is to alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs, pornography, power, or
money. The list is endless. Whatever the addiction, individuals are held in
bondage to that particular obsession. Decision making and wise judgment are
altered because of that which grips their minds. We cannot allow our hearts and
minds to be influenced by the environment in which we live. We cannot become
casual or irreverent concerning the things of God. As believers, we understand
who God is and what His Son Jesus did for us. We must stand strong and shine
bright in a world that is getting darker everyday.
Daniel 5:5-6
Read Daniel 5:5-6.
Belshazzar saw the "handwriting on the wall." With a golden goblet filled
with wine still in his hand and words of praise for his idols having just left
his mouth, Belshazzar came face to face with the hand of Almighty God. God will
not allow profane desecration of His sacred vessels to go unpunished.
Say: It's interesting that the familiar phrase "handwriting on
the wall" is part of common language today. Even those who do not know or honor
the Bible understand its meaning, that something has forced the person to see
the consequences of his or her actions.
Belshazzar, along with his guests, had front row seats to God's supernatural act
of making His punishment for Belshazzar's sin known. God always seems to use
exactly what is necessary to get our attention, i.e. Nebuchadnezzar's dreams,
the fiery furnace, and season eating like the beasts of the field.
Can't you picture Belshazzar reclining on his kingly couch, goblet in hand, a
pleased arrogant expression on his face? He suddenly sees the fingers of a hand
writing on the wall adjacent to his royal table! Imagine him blinking his eyes
over and over again, even rubbing them to see more
clearly. Perhaps he thought he was seeing things in his drunken state. But
Belshazzar realized that what he was seeing was real, and he was gripped with
fear to the point of collapse. Those who neglect, reject, or ignore the sacred
become weak and fearful when God comes to them in judgment.
Ask:
What are some present day "handwriting on the wall" moments that
people may experience?
What catastrophic events would you call possible "handwriting on
the wall" events?
Why do you think Belshazzar was gripped with fear and became weak
when he saw the handwriting on the wall?
Read and/or Summarize:
Where Was God on Sept. 11? by Dr. Ray Bohlin
Why Didn't God Prevent the Terrible Attacks?
The events of September 11th are indelibly etched in our hearts and
minds. The horrible memories of personal tragedy and suffering will never
really go away. As well they shouldn't. As Christians we were all gratified
to see so many of our national, state, and local leaders openly participate
in prayer services and calling upon people of faith to pray for victims'
families and injured survivors.
What was lost underneath the appearance of a religious revival was the
clear cry of many that wondered if our prayers were justified. After all, if
we pray to God in the aftermath and expect God to answer, where was He as
countless individuals cried out to Him from the planes, the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon? The skeptical voices were drowned out because of
the fervent religious outcry seeking comfort and relief. But make no
mistake; the question was there all the time. Where was God on September
11th? Surely He could have diverted those planes from their appointed
destinations. Why couldn't the hijackers have been intercepted at the
airports or their plots discovered long before their designed execution?
Why so many innocent people? Why should so many suffer so much? It all
seems so senseless. How could a loving God allow it?
It is important to realize also that the suffering of those initial weeks
is only the tip of the iceberg. There will be military deaths and
casualties. The war on terrorism will be a long one with mounting personal
and economic costs. The clean up will also continue to take its
ever-mounting toll in dollars, lives, and emotional breakdowns.
Former pastor Gordon MacDonald spent time with the Salvation Army in
caring for people and removing debris and bodies from the rubble of the
World Trade Center. He relates this encounter from his journal of September
21 in Christianity Today.{1}
"Later in the night, I wandered over to the first-line medical tent,
which is staffed by military personnel who are schooled in battlefield
casualties. The head of the team, a physician, and I got into a
conversation.
"He was scared for the men in the pit, he said, because he knew what was
coming 'downstream.' He predicted an unusual spike in the suicide rate and a
serious outbreak of manic depression. . . . Many of the men will be unable
to live with these losses at the WTC. It's going to take an unspeakable toll
on them."
So why would God allow so much suffering? This is an ancient question.
The problem of reconciling an all-powerful, all-loving God with evil is the
number one reason that people reject God. I will try to clarify the
question, provide some understanding, and make some comparisons of other
explanations.
Psalm 73 and Asaph's Answer
The Bible answers the question of where God was on September 11 in many
passages, but I would like to begin with the answer from Asaph in Psalm 73.
My discussion will flow from the excellent discussion of the problem of evil
found in Dr Robert Pyne's 1999 book, Humanity and Sin: The Creation, Fall
and Redemption of Humanity.{2}
In Psalm 73, Asaph begins by declaring that God is good. Without that
assumption, nothing more need be said. He goes on in verses 2-12 to lament
the excess and success of the wicked. In verses six and seven he says,
"Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds
know no limits." (Psalm 73:6-7). From this point Asaph lets his feelings be
known by crying out that this isn't fair when he says in verse 13, "Surely
in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in
innocence."
The wicked seem to snub their noses at God with no apparent judgment,
while Asaph strives to follow the Lord to no benefit. We have all
experienced this in one form or another. Some things in this world simply
aren't fair. In the last ten verses of the psalm, Asaph recognizes that the
wicked will indeed realize their punishment in the future. God's judgment
will come. He also realizes that God is always with him and that is
sufficient.
18th century philosopher David Hume stated the classical problem of evil
by saying that if God were indeed all powerful He would do something about
evil, and that if He were all-loving He would want to do something about
evil. Since evil exists, God must either not be able or not want to do
anything about it. This makes God either malevolent or impotent or both. But
Hume chooses to leave out the option, as Asaph resolves, that God is
patient. Hume, like many before him and after him, grows weary with a God
who is patient towards evil.
We long for immediate justice. But before we pray too earnestly for
immediate justice, we'd better reflect on what that would be like. What
would instant justice look like? Immediate justice would have to be applied
across the board. That means that every sin would be proportionately and
immediately punished. We soon realize that immediate justice is fine if
applied to everybody else. Dr. Pyne quotes D. A. Carson as saying, "The
world would become a searing pain; the world would become hell. Do you
really want nothing but totally effective, instantaneous justice? Then go to
hell."{3}
I think we're all quite comfortable with a God that does not apply immediate
justice.
Evil and the Sovereignty of God
Next, I want to focus on God's sovereignty. We understand that God knew
what He was doing in creating people with the ability to choose to love Him
or hate Him. In order for our love for Him to be real, our choice needed to
be real and that means creating creatures that could turn from Him as well
as love Him. In order to have creatures with moral freedom, God risked evil
choices.
Some would go so far as to say that God couldn't intervene in our evil
choices. But in Psalm 155:3, Psalm 135:6, and in Nebuchadnezzar's words of
praise in Daniel 4:34-37 we're told it is God who does whatever He pleases.
However, God does perform acts of deliverance and sometimes He chooses not
to. We are still left with the question "Why?" In the book of Job, Job
basically proclaims his innocence and essentially asks why? God doesn't
really give Job an answer, but simply reminds him who is in charge. (Job
38:2-4) "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" the
Lord asks Job.
The parameters are clearly set. God in His power is always capable of
intervening in human affairs, but sometimes He doesn't and we aren't always
given a reason why. There is tension here that we must learn to accept,
because the alternative is to blaspheme by assigning to God evil or
malevolent actions. As Asaph declared, God is good!
This brings us to the hidden purposes of God. For although we can't
always see God's purpose, we believe He has one in everything that occurs,
even seemingly senseless acts of cruelty and evil. Here is where Jesus'
sufferings serve as a model. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus
endured the cross for the joy set before Him. (Hebrews 12:1-3) So then, we
should bear our cross for the eternal joy set before us. (Hebrews 12:11, 2
Corinthians 4:16-18) But knowing this doesn't always make us feel better.
When Jesus was dying on the cross all His disciples but John deserted
Him. From their perspective, all that they had learned and prepared for over
the last three years was over, finished. How could Jesus let them crucify
Him? It didn't make any sense at all. Yet as we well know now, the most
important work in history was being accomplished and the disciples thought
God was absent. How shortsighted our perspective can be.
The Danger of a Nice Explanation
But with this truth comes the danger of a nice explanation. Even though
we know and trust that there is a purpose to God's discipline and His
patience towards ultimate judgment, that doesn't mean we should somehow
regard evil as an expression of God's goodness. In addition, we can be
tempted to think that if God has a purpose to evil and suffering, then my
own sin can be assigned not to me but to someone else, namely God Himself
because He had a purpose in it.
Dr. Robert Pyne puts it this way.
We may not be able to fully resolve the problem of evil, and we may
not be able to explain the origin of sin, but we can see the boundaries
that must be maintained when addressing these issues. We share in Adam's
guilt, but we cannot blame Him for our sin. God is sovereign, and He
exercises His providential control over all things, but we cannot blame
Him either. God permits injustice to continue, but He neither causes it
nor delights in it.{4}
Another danger lies in becoming too comfortable with evil. When we trust
in God's ultimate purpose and patience with evil we shouldn't think that we
have somehow solved the problem and therefore grow comfortable in its
presence. We should never be at peace with sin, suffering, and evil.
The prophet Habakkuk sparred with God in the first few verses of chapter
1 of the book bearing his name by recounting all the evil in Israel. The
Lord responds in verses 6-11 that indeed the Babylonians are coming and sin
will be judged. Habakkuk further complains about God's choice of the godless
Babylonians, to which God reminds him that they too will receive judgment.
Yet the coming judgment still left Habakkuk with fear and dread. "I heard
and my inward parts trembled: at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my
bones, and in my place I tremble. . . . Yet, I will exult in the Lord."
(Habakkuk 3:16-19.) Habakkuk believes that God knows what He is doing. That
does not bring a smile to his face. But he can face the day.
"We are not supposed to live at peace with evil and sin, but we are
supposed to live at peace with God. We continue to trust in His goodness,
His sovereignty, His mercy, and we continue to confess our own
responsibility for sin."{5}
He Was There!
Though we have come to a better understanding of the problem of evil, we
are still left with our original question. Where was God on September 11th?
While the Christian answer may not seem a perfect answer, it is the only
one which offers truth, hope, and comfort. Naturalism or deism offers no
real answers. Things just happen. There is no good and no evil. Make the
best of it! Pantheism says the physical world is irrelevant or an illusion.
It doesn't really matter. Good and evil are the same.
To answer the question we need to understand that God does, in fact, weep
over every sparrow and grieve over every evil and every suffering. Jesus is
with us in all of our suffering, feeling all of our pain. That's what
compassion means, to suffer with another. So the suffering that Christ
endured on the cross is literally unimaginable.
"The answer is, how could you not love this being who went the extra
mile, who practiced more than He preached, who entered into our world, who
suffered our pains, who offers Himself to us in the midst of our sorrows?"{6}
We must remember that Jesus' entire time on earth was a time of sacrifice
and suffering, not just His trial and crucifixion. Jesus was tempted in the
manner of all men and He bore upon Himself all our sin and suffering. So the
answer is quite simple. He was there!
He was on the 110th floor as one called home. He was at the other end of
the line as his wife realized her husband was not coming home. He was on the
planes, at the Pentagon, in the stairwells answering those who called out to
Him and calling to those who didn't.
He saw every face, knew every name, even though some did not know Him.
Some met Him for the first time, some ignored Him for the last time. He is
there now.
Let me share with you one more story from Gordon MacDonald's experience
with the Salvation Army during the initial clean up at the World Trade
Center.
"There is a man whose job it is to record the trucks as they leave
the pit with their load of rubble. He is from Jamaica, and he has one of
the most radiant smiles I've ever seen. He brings a kind of spiritual
sunshine to the entire intersection. "I watch him--with his red, white,
and blue hard hat--talking to each truck driver as they wait their turn
to go in and get a load. He brightens men up. In the midst of those
smells, the dust, the clashing sounds, he brings a civilizing influence
to the moment. "Occasionally I go out to where he stands and bring him
some water. At other times, he comes over and chats with us. We always
laugh when we engage. "I said to him last night, 'You're a follower of
the Lord, aren't you?' He gave me an enthusiastic 'Yes! Jesus is with me
all the time!' "Somehow this guy represents to me the quintessential
picture of the ideal follower of Christ: out in the middle of the chaos,
doing his job, pressing a bit of joy into a wild situation."
{7}
Notes
1. "Blood Sweat and Prayers,"
Christianity Today, Nov. 12, 2001, p. 76.
2. Robert Pyne, Humanity and Sin:
The Creation, Fall and Redemption of Humanity, pp. 193-209.
3. Pyne, p. 197.
4. Pyne, p. 204.
5. Pyne, p. 206.
6. Peter Kreeft, quoted in The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel,
2000, p. 45-46.
7. "Blood Sweat and Prayers," Christianity Today, p. 76.
Belshazzar called "loudly" for the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the
diviners. He offered them the third highest position in the kingdom if they
could interpret the message on the palace wall. History seems to repeat itself,
as once again they were unable to interpret or read the inscription. In verse
10, the queen entered the banquet hall. She is thought to have been
Nebuchadnezzar's widow, for she entered without being summoned. She spoke to
Belshazzar with authority, telling him that there was a man in his kingdom "in
who is a spirit of the holy gods." She knew Daniel well from her experiences
with him and her husband Nebuchadnezzar. She described Daniel to be a man of
"extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams,
explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems."
Belshazzar ordered Daniel brought to the banquet hall. One may wonder if
Belshazzar and the guests at his feast had begun to sober after this
supernatural event. Belshazzar offered Daniel riches and power if he could
explain the inscription. Daniel refused the king's offer, but interpreted the
message on the wall. He was 85 years old, and he had been living with the
Babylonians his entire life, yet he had not wavered in his worship of the one
true living God. He had refused to assimilate to their culture and God had
continued to bless him with wisdom. No one is ever too old to speak for the
Lord.
When people experience tragedy, catastrophic events or other major crisis in
their lives, they often turn to those who know God and can offer a word from the
Lord.
Belshazzar was guilty not only of drunkenness, blasphemy, and idolatry, but also
of arrogant pride. He had been so prideful that he used sacred temple vessels to
drink wine at his feast.
Daniel reminded Belshazzar about Nebuchadnezzar's experience of God's judgment.
He rebuked Belshazzar in verses 22-23a: "But you his successor, Belshazzar, have
not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. Instead, you have exalted
yourself against the Lord of heaven."
Read the following excerpt from The Herschel Hobbs
Commentary (KJV, p. 58) in reference to the inscription interpreted in
verses 25-28:
"Numbered might imply that their kingdom was predetermined to be
finished. Like all human lives and institutions, both Belshazzar and his
kingdom had days that were numbered. But Belshazzar was responsible for his
fate. God had weighed him in the divine scales, and he was seen as a hollow
man with little or no substance to him. The third word spoke of the
certainty of judgement. These three words signified the past, present, and
future for Belshazzar. During the past he had been given time to honor God,
but he had not done so. Therefore, in the present he was judged and
condemned. The judgment would fall that very night. His time had run out.
The handwriting may have offered one last chance to repent, but Belshazzar
did not repent. He tried to honor Daniel and failed to honor God."
Say: God often gives those who do not have a
relationship with Him many chances to receive His grace and keep His
commandments. People often make deliberate choices of darkness over light, not
considering that no sin goes unpunished. Those who knowingly sin receive greater
punishment for their sins.
Ask: Is there someone in your life who is deliberately making
choices of darkness over light? Perhaps God is calling you to be the "Daniel" in
their lives. Declaring the truth is never easy, but God calls us to obedience.
You may be someone's last chance to receive God's grace.
Say: Examine your own life. You may be aware of God's history
in your life of making Himself known and yet you choose darkness over light
again and again. God holds our very life-breath in His hands. Commit to honoring
Him.
Distribute the "Sacred Things" handout. Give class members a
few moments to evaluate themselves.
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