Current Series
In The Hands of God
Life Together Study Questions
FSAC, January 2010 – June 2010
Daniel – In the Hands of God[1]
Sovereignty
Courage
Hope
Kingdom
Theme
The rubric of the Book of Daniel is all about God. It is all about the sovereignty of the God of Daniel who on one hand exalts kings, and on the other hand deposes of them and their kingdoms with ease. Indeed the themes of survival, suffering, courage, hope and kingdoms are prominent, but they all derive meaning from the overarching reality that the stories outlining the destiny of God’s people in exile, of our forged courage in the fires of suffering, of proud, powerful kings and kingdoms of men will all be “played out” in the hands of God and will make way for an eternal kingdom.
Purpose
All true God-honoring worship flows from a Biblically informed understanding of who God is (John 4:23-24). Indeed energetic, tenacious mission likewise flows from a Biblically informed vision of God (Isa 6:8). It is therefore both our desire and need to grow in our understanding of God and how His “bigness” affects our pilgrimage here in “exile”. We want to become a God-besought people whereby our lives are being touched everyday by the coals of heaven, to become as Christ followers, soul-stunned by the bigness of God and by the glory of Christ so that we can endure hardship well as resident aliens and shape our host culture with a God pleasing appropriate mix of integration and transformation.
Values
The values that flow out of the simple narratives of Daniel’s interactions with the kings of old and the subsequent prophecies are primarily the grandeur and sovereignty of God, the living faith, courage, suffering and perseverance of the exiles as they integrate wisely in a pagan culture – knowing what are the essentials worth dying for – really are. The kingdoms of man will rise and fall but God will set up the final kingdom, His kingdom that will never fall. This reality is sure to inspire confident hope in the saints as we journey to that great kingdom.
Aim
This is essentially a 12 week study if one interprets it in context. However, to interpret this ancient text rich with literary juxtapositions and prophetic complexity – for preaching, then some chapters need to be divided into two messages for preaching clarity and diet. Therefore the series through Daniel will encompass 19 messages.
Practical Outcomes (increased)
- Worship
- Character
- Courage
- Holiness
- Wisdom
- Mission
Soli Deo Gloria
[1] Overarching message series theme as we see in the book study
