Being an influencer, not the influenced.
Have you ever set up a line of dominoes and pushed one of the dominoes down creating a domino affect? It’s pretty neat that one domino can have such an affect on a whole line of dominoes.
In this Bible study, we are going to discuss being a good positive Christian influence on those around us, instead of being negatively influenced by them.-
Read Daniel 3 by, clicking here.
The first thing I want us to see from this account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is the ungodly influence. King Nebuchadnezzar had just constructed a huge gold statue and set it up in a huge field. This statue is said to have been as
big as the Statue of Liberty in New York, which would mean that it was a huge statue. The King then ordered all the people
to come to the field and commanded them that when they heard the music playing they were to bow down and worship the statue. If they did not bow down and worship it, they would be placed into a fiery furnace to burn to death.
As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego looked around, everyone is bowing to this image and I am sure those around them were trying to influence them to bow before this idol. If that were not enough, they were also being influenced by the fiery furnace and it would have been easy just to bow down and get it over with, but they choice to be an influence rather then being influenced.
Can you think of a time when you felt influenced or pressured to do something you did not want to do? That’s exactly how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego felt, but they were even being influenced by death if they did not do what everyone else was doing. What did they do?
The Godly refusal to be influenced. Vs.8-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down. Then the Chaldeans, which were some of the wisest men, “I CALL EM WISE GUYS” They wanted to look good in the Kings eyes, so they went and told King Nebuchadnezzar that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not bowing down to worship his statue. This made him very angry and he ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. He tries to add to the negative influence and threatens them with the fiery furnace again, but they tell him that no matter what he says or does to them that they were going to do what is right in God’s eyes.
God’s blessing and protection for not be influenced. Verses 19-27
Their continual refusal to worship his statue made the King very mad and he commanded that his mighty men turn the furnace up as high as it could go, tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them in the furnace. The mighty men were burnt alive as they threw them into the furnace. Then to everyone’s surprise Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were untied and dancing around in the fire with a fourth person in there with them. The forth person in the fire with them was Jesus Christ.
When we refuse to be influenced by those around us, they will sometimes make fun or us or do mean things to us. But as Jesus was there for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were persecuted for doing what was right, so will he be with us when we are.
The Godly influence. 3:28-4:3
Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose not to be influenced, they were an influence to the King and the whole kingdom. Because of their influence the king did away with all the idol worshiping and they worshiped the Lord.
Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we can all have a great influence on those around us. Just as it only takes one domino to start a chain reaction called a “domino affect”, it only takes one person to influence a great number of people.
Application
At School and around your unsaved friends, it is easy to overlook or temporally forget about your faith and be influenced by them. We need to remember that we may be the one person needed to influence them in a way that changes their whole lives. It only takes one person’s influence to change the lives of many.
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