Thank you, Treg.
Well, if you would, please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to Daniel chapter 4.
Daniel chapter 4.
If you're just visiting with us, if this is your first time, second time, third time, joining us for worship,
you know, the type of preaching that we do here is called biblical exposition.
And so typically how we do this is we walk through books of the Bible.
And so if you're wondering why here on Mother's Day I'm preaching a sermon called Pride Mercifully Cut Down,
I want you to know it doesn't have anything to do with your mom.
All right?
It's because last week we were in Daniel chapter 3.
And so this week we are in Daniel chapter 4.
When you found that, if you would, let's stand in honor of the reading of God's word.
Daniel chapter 4.
King Nebuchadnezzar, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth,
peace be multiplied to you.
It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.
I saw a dream that made me afraid.
As I lay in bed, the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.
So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me,
that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in,
and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.
At last Daniel came in before me, he who was named Belshazzar after the name of my God,
and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.
And I told him the dream, saying,
O Belshazzar, chief of the magicians,
because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you,
and that no mystery is too difficult for you,
tell me the visions of my head that I saw and their interpretation.
The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these.
I saw and behold a tree in the midst of all the earth,
and its height was great.
The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven,
and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit abundant,
and in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches,
and all flesh was fed from it.
I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed,
and behold a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.
He proclaimed aloud and said thus,
Chop down the tree, and lop off its branches.
Strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches,
but leave the stump of its roots in the earth,
bound with a band of iron and bronze,
amid the tender grass of the field.
Let him be wet with the dew of heaven.
Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
Let his mind be changed from a man's,
and let a beast's mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time pass over him.
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers,
the decision by the word of the holy ones,
to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men,
and gives it to whom he will,
and sets over it the lowliest of men.
This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw,
and you, O Belshazzar, tell me the interpretation,
because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation,
but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.
Then Daniel, whose name was Belshazzar, was dismayed for a while,
and his thoughts alarmed him.
The king answered and said,
Belshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.
Belshazzar answered and said,
My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you,
and its interpretation for your enemies.
The tree you saw, which grew and became strong,
so that its top reached to heaven,
and it was visible to the end of the whole earth,
whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant,
and in which was food for all,
under which beasts of the field found shade,
and whose branches the birds of the heavens lived.
It is you, O king,
who have grown and become strong.
Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven,
and your dominion to the ends of the earth.
And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one,
coming down from heaven and saying,
Chop down the tree and destroy it,
but leave the stump of its roots in the earth,
bound with a band of iron and bronze,
in the tender grass of the field,
and let him be wet with the dew of heaven,
and let his portion be with the beasts of the field,
till seven periods of time pass over him.
This is the interpretation, O king.
It is a decree of the Most High God,
which has come upon my lord the king,
that you shall be driven from among men,
and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.
You shall be made to eat grass like an ox,
and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven,
and seven periods of time shall pass over you,
till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men,
and gives it to whom he will.
And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree,
your kingdom shall be confirmed for you,
from the time that you know that heaven rules.
Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you.
Break off your sins by practicing righteousness,
and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed,
that there may be perhaps a lengthening of your prosperity.
All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
At the end of twelve months,
he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
and the king answered and said,
Is not this great Babylon,
which I have built by my mighty power,
as a royal residence for the glory of my majesty?
While the words were still in the king's mouth,
there fell a voice from heaven.
O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken.
The kingdom has departed from you,
and you shall be driven from among men,
and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field,
and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox,
and seven periods of time shall pass over you,
until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men,
and gives it to whom he will.
Immediately, the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar.
He was driven from among men,
and ate grass like an ox,
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven,
till his hair grew as long as eagle's feathers,
and his nails were like bird's claws.
At the end of the days,
I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven,
and my reason returned to me,
and I blessed the Most High,
and praised and honored him who lives forever.
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth.
And none can stay his hand or say to him,
What have you done?
At the same time, my reason returned to me,
and for the glory of my kingdom,
my majesty and splendor returned to me.
My counselors and my Lord sought me,
and I was established in my kingdom,
and still more greatness was added to me.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and extol and honor the King of heaven.
For all his works are right,
and his ways are just,
and those who walk in pride,
he is able to humble.
This is God's holy, perfect word.
Would you pray with me once more?
Lord, we pray now as we open your word,
would you speak to us through it?
Would you show us what truth you would have us to learn from it this morning?
Would you teach us?
Would you humble us this morning?
Would you lead us to Christ in honor and praise?
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Well, one of my favorite parts about being a pastor,
and being your pastor,
is that I get to hear all of your testimonies
of how you came to faith in the Lord.
I get to share my own testimony fairly often,
and as a part of becoming a member of our local church here,
I get to hear all of your testimonies.
And for many of us, there's a common theme.
Our story begins with us observing the work of God in someone else's life.
We see, by our nearness to them,
the work that God's doing in them.
We observe something incredible that God's done in their life,
but then all of a sudden, something starts to happen,
and the Lord begins to work in us.
And now all of a sudden, we begin to trust the Lord.
And now all of a sudden, it's not just what God's doing for them,
it's what God is doing to us.
Our heart is changed.
We begin to thank the Lord.
We begin to praise the Lord.
We begin to love the Lord.
It moves from what God is doing for them to what God is now doing for me.
As we come this morning to Daniel chapter 4,
it seems to me that that is what's happening here with Nebuchadnezzar.
Now, through three chapters of Daniel,
Nebuchadnezzar has seen the Lord work.
He's been impressed with the way that Daniel has trusted God for wisdom.
He's witnessed secondhand.
He's witnessed the Lord save three men through the fire.
But now, here in chapter 4, I think that a shift has taken place.
In chapter 3, it ended with Nebuchadnezzar making a decree
that no peoples, nations, and languages should ever speak a negative word
against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
But now, here in chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar,
he speaks to all peoples, nations, and languages again.
But now, it's not in response to what God has done for someone else.
Verse 2, it says that it has seemed good to me
to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
Something has changed in Nebuchadnezzar.
What we see here in chapter 4, I believe,
is Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony of God's work in his life.
This is his personal testimony.
It's not a pretty story.
We're going to see that here in just a moment.
But it is a beautiful story of God's mercy towards prideful sinners.
This is a story of God's mercy towards prideful sinners like Nebuchadnezzar,
prideful sinners like me,
and prideful sinners like you.
It's a story of pride mercifully cut down to the praise and glory of God.
The big idea for us this morning here in Daniel chapter 4
is that God is merciful to save prideful sinners like us.
That's the big idea.
So we're going to see three acts of God's mercy towards the proud this morning.
Daniel chapter 4.
If you're a note taker, if that helps you to follow along,
we try to make it easy for you.
So we're going to have three acts of God's mercy towards the proud this morning.
First, first act of God's mercy towards the proud
is that God mercifully reveals his sovereignty to the proud.
God mercifully reveals his sovereignty.
Look there to verse 4 with me.
Here we find Nebuchadnezzar dreaming again.
If you're getting deja vu,
if you've been with us throughout the book of Daniel,
this might sound familiar to you
because we've been here before, haven't we?
We're on familiar ground.
Do you remember from Daniel chapter 2,
Nebuchadnezzar had this terrifying dream.
He called in all the wise men of Babylon,
all the sorcerers and the magicians and the Chaldeans,
and the wisdom of Babylon.
Was it successful?
No, it failed.
They were unable to tell him both the dream and its interpretation.
That was Daniel chapter 2.
And so he calls in Daniel,
and Daniel was able by the wisdom of his God
to reveal both the dream and its interpretation.
Well, we don't know exactly how much time has passed
between chapter 2 and here in chapter 4,
but here we are again.
And Nebuchadnezzar, again, is having a nightmare,
a bad dream, and he wants to understand what he's seeing
as he sleeps in his bed at night,
and apparently this one caught him off guard.
It came when he was least expecting it.
He said that he was at ease in his house.
He's prospering in his palace.
He falls asleep, no doubt,
his belly full and happy,
and he's terrified by a vision and a dream.
And so once again,
he calls for the wise men of Babylon to come,
and once again they fail.
And so verse 8,
he calls in Daniel,
who he's renamed Belt-Shazar after the name of his God.
Nebuchadnezzar tells him his dream,
and he says in verse 10,
the visions of my head as I lay in bed were these.
He sees a great tree in the midst of all the earth.
Its height was great.
This tree grew and became strong.
Its top reached up to the heavens.
It was visible to the end of the whole earth.
The leaves of the tree were beautiful.
Its fruit was abundant,
and it was food for all.
The beasts of the field,
they all came and found shade under the tree.
And the birds of the heavens,
they lived in its branches.
All flesh was fed from this tree.
This tree was an incredible,
beautiful, life-giving,
strong, fruitful tree.
And you see,
it kept growing and growing and growing,
which of course,
that seems like a good thing, doesn't it?
That would mean more beauty,
more provision,
more life,
more strength,
more glory.
That sounds like a good thing
for this tree to grow.
But then verse 13,
he sees something else.
He says,
Behold, a watcher,
a holy one,
and we can understand this to be an angel,
came and said,
Chop down the tree
and lop off its branches,
strip off its leaves,
scatter its fruit,
let the beast flee out from under it,
let the birds fly away from its branches.
Why in the world would anybody do this
to this great tree?
All the environmentalists
are quaking in their boots right now, right?
Why in the world
would we chop down this beautiful,
strong,
life-giving,
fruitful tree?
We'll see why in just a moment.
But the watcher goes on
with more to the vision.
He says,
But leave the stump of its roots
in the earth,
bound with a band of iron
and bronze,
leave it there amid the tender grass of the field,
let him be wet with the dew of heaven,
let his portion be with the beast
in the grass of the earth,
and let his mind be changed from a man's,
and let a beast's mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time pass over him.
Now it's clear at this point
that we're not talking about a tree, right?
This beautiful, strong, abundant,
life-giving tree
is really one person,
him,
who's going to be cut down.
The tree is cut down in the vision,
but that tree is symbolic of a person
who will be cut down
to the stump.
Why?
Well, here's the point of the dream.
To the end,
that the living may know
that the Most High rules the kingdom of men
and gives it to whom he will
and sets over it the lowliest of men.
You hear that?
That's the point of this dream.
Well, Daniel hears this dream
and he's dismayed.
It says he's alarmed
and he tells Nebuchadnezzar
that this tree in the dream
is you, Nebuchadnezzar.
Your greatness has grown.
You've become strong,
but Nebuchadnezzar,
you are about to be chopped down
to the stump.
Again, verse 25,
till you know
that the Most High rules the kingdom of men
and gives it to whom he will.
All this is going to happen to you
until you know, Nebuchadnezzar,
that heaven rules.
Now, we'll see the fulfillment
of this dream in just a moment.
But for now,
we need to understand
this big picture purpose of the vision.
We need to understand
the big picture message of the dream.
This is God mercifully revealing
his sovereignty to a prideful sinner.
Do you see that?
This is God mercifully revealing
his sovereignty.
Now, I realize that we've said that word,
sovereignty.
I haven't defined it yet for you.
So, it's a Christian, theological,
biblical word,
but it's very simple in its meaning.
Sovereignty simply means control.
Sovereignty means God rules.
If you're sovereign,
you're the one in charge.
If you're sovereign,
you are in control.
If you're sovereign,
then you're the one that's ruling.
So, to say that God is sovereign
means God is in control.
It means God is ruling.
Kings of the earth,
they have a limited geographical territory
with a limited number of people
under their charge,
and their reign is for a limited amount of time.
But God has total, complete,
absolute sovereignty
over everyone, everywhere,
at all times, in all places.
In fact, that's a lot of the point
of the book of Daniel.
It's to teach us
that God is sovereign
over all of human history.
He raises up kings,
and He sets them down.
As kingdoms come,
and as kingdoms go,
the Lord is working out all things
to usher in His perfect kingdom.
And it works opposite
as the way that the kingdoms
of this world work, doesn't it?
The kingdoms of this world,
they grow big and strong,
and eventually,
they're cut down to the root.
But the kingdom of God,
what happens?
It starts as small as a mustard seed,
and it grows,
and grows,
until it's the greatest tree
that covers the whole earth.
To say that God is sovereign
is to say that all peoples,
all places,
all kings,
all nations,
every minute of every day
of your life and mine
is under God's sovereign control,
which means,
Nebuchadnezzar,
God is in charge,
not you.
Which means,
you and me,
God is in charge,
not us.
Here's what we need to understand.
Understanding that God
is totally sovereign,
absolutely in control,
is crucial to killing our pride.
We have to get to that point
of attributing absolute sovereignty
to Him.
Our pride,
it wants to hold on
to some level of control,
to hold on to some sphere
of influence,
but God,
He's merciful
to strip everything away
so that we see
that we are not in control,
but He is.
Now,
I wonder,
how much sovereignty
do you attribute
to the Lord?
Listen to what the Scriptures
have to say.
I just want to point you
to just a few places.
This is all over the Bible.
I just want to show you
just a few places
that talk about
God's sovereignty.
Psalm 115,
verse 3.
It says,
Our God is in the heavens.
He does all that He pleases.
You hear that?
That's sovereignty.
If you get to do
whatever you want to do,
you are sovereign.
Now,
we want to act like that,
don't we?
When we try to do
all that we please,
is that good or bad?
Normally,
that doesn't work out
so well for us.
That's sinful for us,
but that's sovereignty for God.
Our God is in the heavens.
He does whatever He wants.
Isaiah 46,
verses 9 and 10.
We've already seen in Daniel,
God has planned out
all of human history
from beginning to end.
Isaiah 46,
verses 9 and 10.
He says,
I am God,
and there is none like me,
declaring the end
from the beginning,
and from ancient times
things not yet done,
saying,
My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish
all my purpose.
You know,
there's only one way
that you can declare
the end from the beginning,
is if you know
what the end's going to be,
but He says,
He doesn't just leave it at that.
He says,
I'm going to accomplish
everything I want to do
in the meantime.
He's not just looking
to see how the end's
going to play out.
He doesn't just write
the last page of the book,
read the last page of the book.
God writes all of human history
to accomplish all His purposes.
And then in the pages of Scripture,
He tells us how it's going to play out.
He's sovereign
over all of human history.
Revelation chapter 4,
it tells us,
You created all things,
and by Your will
they existed
and were created.
He's sovereign in creation.
Paul says in Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 11,
He works all things
according to the counsel
of His will.
All things.
Which means He's sovereign
in providence
and the working out
of our daily lives
within His own sphere
of creation.
He's sovereign in creation.
He's sovereign in providence.
He's sovereign in salvation.
2 Timothy 1 verse 9,
God saved us
and called us
to a holy calling,
not because of our works,
but because of His own purpose
and grace,
which He gave us
in Jesus Christ
when,
before the ages began.
He's sovereign in creation
and providence
and salvation.
He's sovereign over every
roll of the dice
in every board game
you play with your kids,
Mom.
Proverbs 16 verse 33,
The lot is cast into the lap,
but as every decision
is from the Lord.
The point is,
God is totally,
completely,
absolutely,
without limit,
universally
sovereign.
Which means
He's sovereign over you.
He's sovereign over me.
He's sovereign over
your family.
He's sovereign over
your struggle,
whatever that may be
this morning.
He's sovereign over your job.
He's sovereign over your sickness.
He's sovereign over your,
your prosperity
and your wellness.
He's sovereign
over everything.
We have to get this message.
And it's an easy one,
it's an easy one
for prideful people
to just shut out of our minds.
Because again,
prideful people
want control.
We want to contribute
in some way
to our salvation.
We want to control
and be in charge
of our life.
We want to manage
our own little sphere
of influence.
And this is my kingdom.
This is my life.
This is what I have control
of right here.
Church,
listen to me.
Until we realize
that God is in control,
not you,
you will be proud
when things go well
and you will be devastated
when things fall apart.
The message of God's sovereignty
is good news for us
because ultimately
it means it's not about us.
Has he shown you
that you are not sovereign?
That he is.
God reveals this
to Nebuchadnezzar here
as an act of divine mercy.
God is merciful
to show us
that prideful sinners
like us
are not in control.
He is.
Not only this,
second,
second act of God's mercy
towards prideful people
like us
is that God
mercifully rebukes
our sin.
God mercifully
rebukes
our sin.
In light of God's
revealed plan here
through this dream,
Daniel's counsel
to Nebuchadnezzar
was pretty clear,
wasn't it?
Pretty bold, too,
to say this to the king.
Verse 27
says,
Therefore, O king,
let my counsel
be acceptable to you.
Break off your sins
by practicing righteousness
and your iniquities
by showing mercy
to the oppressed
that there may perhaps
be a lengthening
of your prosperity.
In other words,
king,
repent.
Repent of your pride.
Humble yourself.
Stop basking
in your greatness.
Be merciful to others.
Give some of your greatness
away to the oppressed.
Give to the poor.
Break off your sins
and practice righteousness.
Why?
Because you're not as great
as you think you are.
Yeah,
the meaning of the dream
was clear.
I think Daniel's counsel
was clear.
But apparently,
the message
didn't stick.
And the fact is,
our pride is not easily killed,
is it?
It runs deep within us.
You would have thought
that by this point,
after seeing all that he's seen,
Nebuchadnezzar might have
gotten the message by now,
but it's clear that he didn't.
It's not a problem
with the clarity
of the message.
It's a problem
with the hardness
of Nebuchadnezzar's heart.
I read a story
this week
from Sinclair Ferguson.
He told a story
about the Welsh evangelist
John Elias.
And he said that
there was a time
when the local blacksmith
bought a new dog.
And shortly afterwards,
when Elias visited
the blacksmith's shop,
the dog could be heard
just barking
and barking
fiercely
as the blacksmith's hammer
beat down on the metal.
As often as he
whacked that hammer
down to the anvil,
that dog would be barking.
Well,
as time went on,
the hammering continued,
but the barking
got quieter
and quieter,
less frequent,
less often
until one day
Elias looked
inside the shop.
He saw the blacksmith
hammering away
at the anvil
and there was the dog
by his side
asleep by the fire.
He had grown numb
to the hammering
on the anvil.
In a similar way here,
Nebuchadnezzar,
he's heard the banging
of this truth before,
hasn't he?
He's come face to face
with God's power
and God's might
and God's sovereignty
and God's goodness
over and over
and over and over
again,
but he's grown numb
to it.
He's asleep by the fire,
so to speak.
He says he's at ease
in his palace,
he's comfortable
in his prosperity,
but all of that
is about to change
because as you probably
know,
if God wants to get
your attention,
he's going to do it.
The easy way
or the hard way?
Nebuchadnezzar chooses
the hard way here.
So verse 28,
it says,
all this came upon
King Nebuchadnezzar.
At the end of 12 months,
he was walking on the roof
of the royal palace
of Babylon
and it says that he said,
is not this great Babylon
which I have built
by my mighty power
as a royal residence
for the glory
of my majesty.
You hear how humble he is?
This is after the dream.
Can you believe this?
He looks out
and admires his kingdom
which no doubt
was very impressive,
right,
by all accounts,
historical accounts
of the ancient city
of Babylon.
It was very impressive.
Nebuchadnezzar,
he did play a large role
in the building
and the greatness
of this city.
The records show
that he rebuilt
12 temples
he finished
the construction
of the great city wall.
He built this royal palace
that he was walking
on the roof of
and attached
to the royal palace
was the hanging gardens
of Babylon,
right,
which if you've heard
of that,
that's one of the
seven wonders,
great wonders
of the ancient world.
He was incredibly
accomplished
and he knew it.
And I want to say,
too,
that there's nothing
wrong whatsoever
with accomplishing
great things.
There's nothing wrong
with putting your skill
and your mind
and your labor
to work
and accomplishing
great things
and achieving
great goals,
but it makes
all the difference
in the world
who it's for
and who gets
the credit.
Listen again
to what Nebuchadnezzar
said.
He said,
I built this
by my power
for my glory.
You hear that?
Verse 31,
it says that
while these words
were still in his mouth,
he heard a voice.
King Nebuchadnezzar,
to you it is spoken,
the kingdom has departed
from you.
You shall be driven
from among men.
Your dwelling shall be
with the beasts
of the field.
You shall eat grass
like an ox
and seven periods
of time shall pass
over you
until you know
that the Most High
rules the kingdom
of men
and gives it
to whom
he will.
Immediately,
it says,
the word was fulfilled
against Nebuchadnezzar.
Can you imagine?
One minute,
he's standing
on his palace
and he's looking
out over his kingdom.
He's boasting
in all this great
accomplishment,
great achievements,
patting himself
on the back,
thinking about
all that he's done
and the next moment
he's an animal
out in the field
eating grass
like an ox.
His body's wet
with the water
and the dew.
His hair grows out
as long as eagle's feathers.
His nails
are like bird's claws
and Ferguson,
again,
he says,
he becomes externally
what he's proven
himself to be
internally.
A beast.
For seven periods
of time,
all of it
was stripped
away.
And we don't know
how long
those seven periods
of time are.
Days,
minutes,
weeks,
months,
years.
We're not told
how to measure
those seven periods
of time.
I think it's more
likely than not
that Daniel's
showing us
with seven
being the number
of perfection
and completion
that whatever
the actual amount
of time was,
it was just
the right amount
of time
prescribed by
a sovereign God
until this king
got it.
Until he knew
that the Most High
rules the kingdom
of men.
Now just think
about how humiliating
this must have been
for King Nebuchadnezzar.
The king has been
reduced to an animal.
Today,
doctors would
diagnose this
as clinical
lycanthropy.
Have you ever
heard of this?
It's an actual,
I'm not joking,
it's a medical
condition.
You can look it up.
It's a mental
illness where
an individual,
he genuinely
believes that
they have
transformed
into an animal.
Sometimes it's
long lasting,
sometimes it's
short periods
of just mental
illness.
There are all
sorts of medical
cases.
You can go home
and read.
They understand
it to be an
extremely rare
form of psychosis
and it is
fascinating.
But you just
imagine the
king.
You would never
imagine the
king to be
reduced to that
level of
sickness and
weakness and
humility.
One who's
mentally and
physically impressive,
who's accomplished
all sorts of
incredible feats
during his reign.
All of a sudden
he's stripped
down to
nothing.
driven out in
the fields to
go eat grass
like an
animal.
If I didn't
know any
better, I
would say that
this looks like
judgment,
doesn't it?
How in the
world can this
be merciful?
We say this is
the Lord
mercifully rebuking
Nebuchadnezzar's
sin.
How in the
world is this
an act of
God's mercy?
Well, there's
one word there
that gives us
hope.
You see it?
That word
until.
All this will
come upon you.
All this will
happen until
you know that
God is king.
That God
rules.
This may look
on the surface
like judgment,
but if the end
purpose, if the
purpose of this
condition is
redemptive, then
it is mercy,
even if it
hurts.
Of course, God
does judge
pride.
We're going
to see this
more clearly
next week with
the story of
Belshazzar.
He's well
within his
rights to
judge pride.
God does
not owe
anybody an
until.
Do you
understand me?
God does
not owe
anybody one
more minute to
repent of their
pride.
God does
not owe
anybody
patience.
He doesn't
owe anybody
seven periods
of time until
they get it.
God does
not owe
anyone tomorrow
to repent of
your sin.
God doesn't
owe anyone
warning after
warning.
He doesn't
have to give
us an
until, but
here, in
his heart of
mercy, he
does.
As sovereign
king of the
universe, he
chooses to
show mercy to
Nebuchadnezzar by
rebuking his
pride until he
humbles himself
and honors the
Lord.
Now, I wonder
if this seems
like mercy to
you.
to be driven
away from your
comforts, to
be cut down to
the stump,
right?
That might seem
harsh to you,
but I want you
to listen because
we need to
understand that
our pride is
like a cancerous
growth in our
heart.
If we keep
it, it will
kill you.
it may be
today, it may
be tomorrow, it
may be ten
years from now, I
don't know when, but
if we are
harboring this
sickness of pride in
our heart, it
will kill you.
God is
merciful to
serve as a
surgeon and cut
us open and cut
that out of our
hearts.
As painful as that
might be, it's
mercy for the
Lord to remove it
from us now, while
there's still time to
repent, than for us
to wait and be
prideful until the
return of the
Lord when we will
be humbled, without
the opportunity to
repent.
Church, I would
rather the Lord cut
away every temporary
comfort, every
temporary pleasure,
every temporary
accomplishment, every
source of pride in my
life right now, that
I might humble
myself before Him
now, than for Him
to enact judgment
by letting us sleep
by the fire.
And be
temporarily
comfortable,
temporarily happy,
temporarily rich,
temporarily proud on
our way to eternal
judgment.
Friend, which would
you prefer?
We're called to
humble yourselves
before the Lord, and
He will exalt you.
Maybe in this life, but
certainly at the
return of our Lord.
God is merciful to
show us His
sovereignty, to teach
us that He's in
control, not us, and
God is merciful to
strip us of our
pride, cut away our
sin.
And third, finally,
ultimately, God is
merciful to redeem
our soul.
It's the third act of
God's mercy here with
Nebuchadnezzar.
God mercifully
redeems His soul.
Look here to verse
34.
Nebuchadnezzar, we
see he endures this
discipline.
Everything is taken
out from him.
But verse 34 says,
at the end of the
days, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
lifted my eyes to
heaven, and my reason
returned to me.
And I blessed the
Most High and praised
and honored Him who
lives forever.
Now, you might be
surprised to hear there
is disagreement here,
right, with Christian
scholars and those who
interpret this passage
over whether or not
Nebuchadnezzar was
actually truly converted.
And I guess on the one
hand, right, it's
probably impossible to
know for sure.
He's given some lip
service to the Lord
before.
But in my opinion, I
think something just
seems different here,
don't you?
And again, this whole
chapter is Nebuchadnezzar
taking the initiative to
share with the whole
world what God has done
for him.
And look what he says
here.
He personally praises the
Lord.
He realizes that finally,
finally he sees that his
reign is limited, but for
the Lord, his dominion is
an everlasting dominion.
He recognizes that
Nebuchadnezzar, his reign
will come to an end, but
for the Lord, his kingdom
endures from all
generations to all
generations.
He realizes that for all
his greatness, for all
his accomplishments, even
the greatest, most
accomplished on the earth
are nothing compared to
the Lord.
All the inhabitants of
the earth are accounted
as nothing, he says in
verse 35.
He praises the Lord for
his unstoppable sovereign
will.
He does according to his
will among the host of
heaven.
And among the inhabitants
of the earth, and none
can stay his hand or say
to him, what have you
done?
He says in verse 36 that
at the same time when he
finally got it, when he
looked up and lifted his
eyes to heaven to honor the
Lord and to give glory to
the God of heaven, he says
my reason returned to me.
And for the glory of my
kingdom, my majesty and my
splendor returned to me.
My counselors, my lords
returned to me.
They sought me.
I was established in my
kingdom and still more
greatness was added to me.
The tree began to grow
again.
But there was one
difference.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and extol and honor
the king of heaven.
For all his works are
right and all his ways are
just.
And take it from me, those
who walk in pride, he is
able to humble.
Church, I could be wrong, but
I've heard a lot of
testimonies.
This sounds like the
testimony of a believer to
me.
And I wonder as we read
these words, friend, do you
have a testimony like this?
Maybe not so dramatic, maybe
you've never risen so high or
fallen so low, but I wonder
as we read this chapter and
consider the work of God.
Has the Lord worked in your
life to humble your pride?
Has the Lord worked in your
heart to strip away every
ounce of me, me, me, me,
my control, my life, my work,
my effort, my achievement, my
accomplishment.
Has he stripped that away from
you yet?
So that you look to him as your
only hope?
It may be that you don't have a
testimony of God's work in your
life at all.
You may still be proud, you may
still be clinging on to something
that you think you have to offer
God.
Maybe you still think you have
something to contribute to your
salvation in some way, your
works, your effort, your
riches, your upbringing, whatever
it may be.
If that's you, I want you to hear
the voice of Daniel again.
Break off your sins.
Repent of your pride.
Or better yet, hear the words of
Jesus, friend.
Repent and believe the gospel.
The good news of the gospel of
Jesus Christ is that we have
absolutely nothing to bring to the
table.
It doesn't sound like good news,
does it?
It starts with the bad news that
all we have to offer the Lord is
our sin that requires salvation.
All we have to bring to the table is
our darkness and our debt and our
rebellion.
You got nothing good to offer him.
But the true king, the only one who
truly can boast in how perfect and
how glorious and how great he is,
the true king who created all
things, who built the world and
reigns and rules over everyone and
everything and now all places
everywhere.
The true king took the form of a
servant and humbled himself to die in
our place.
So that prideful sinners like us might
receive salvation.
Not because of anything you've done.
Not because of anything you've built in
your life.
Not because of anything you've
accomplished or accumulated.
You receive what he has done by God's
grace through simple faith in the
true king, Jesus Christ.
Have you come to the place where you've
repented of your pride and cast
yourself wholly on the work of Jesus
Christ alone?
Have you done that?
Has God done that in you?
And we sing a song.
Jesus paid it all.
All to him I owe.
My sin, my sin has left a crimson stain.
He washed it white as snow.
Friend, what do we have to boast in?
What have we received?
What have we earned that we have not
received?
Friend, repent and believe the gospel.
And Christian, Christian, don't be fooled to
think that that repentance ends the moment
you come to Christ.
That lingering sickness of pride is alive
and well in every one of our hearts.
Beware of the temptation to pride in
your life right now.
Where do we need to repent?
Where do we need to humble ourselves?
A prideful Christian is an oxymoron.
Those two things don't belong together.
If we understand the grace of God,
if we understand the work of Christ,
why should we be proud?
It may be true of us that we have nothing
to boast in but what Christ Jesus has done
for us and what he does in us and through us,
not for our sake but for his glory.
And the testimony of every Christian in the
room is this.
I was dead in my trespasses and sins in which
I once walked.
Spiritually dead.
Totally dead.
All I could do was be dead.
But God, by his mercy, by his grace,
made me alive with Christ.
That's your story, Christian.
I wonder, when's the last time you stopped
and reflected on how God saved you?
If you're a believer in the room,
when's the last time that you stopped
and just really gave time to think
about your testimony?
And I would challenge you just by way of
application this week,
as you leave from this place,
as you reflect on what God's done here
in Daniel chapter 4,
as you reflect on what God's done in your life,
I would challenge you,
even just write it down.
Put pen to paper this week.
Write down the story of how God saved you.
And I'm not talking about something cool
God's done in your life.
It's something interesting you see God doing
in somebody else.
I'm talking specifically about the testimony
of how God has humbled your pride
and given you faith in Jesus Christ.
Would you think on that this week?
And then application number two,
as you reflect on what God's done for you,
would you share it?
These things aren't meant to be kept
close to the chest, church.
If God has done a work in your life
to save your soul,
that's meant to be shouted
from the rooftops,
to be shared with our family,
to be shared with our friends,
to be shared with our neighbors,
to be shared with our coworkers,
to be shared with that random person
in line with you at the checkout aisle.
Let's be like King Nebuchadnezzar
and say,
it seemed good to me,
all nations, peoples, and languages,
to share with you
what God has done for me.
We're going to conclude our time this morning
as we always do,
singing a song of response.
And as we do, again,
I want you to consider the words
that we're going to sing.
And I want you to ask yourself again,
is this true of me?
And if it's not,
as you sing,
would you pray and ask the Lord,
would you make it true of me?
When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord,
that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ my God.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
if I owned it all,
if I had everything I needed,
everything I wanted,
were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing,
so divine,
demands my soul,
my life,
my all.
Is that true of you?
Let's pray.
Father,
make it true of us.
Make it true of us.
For those who have not yet bowed the knee
to King Jesus,
would you work your grace in our heart
now this moment
to humble us,
that we might trust fully,
cast ourselves fully
on the finished work of Jesus.
And for those who you've done that work
in our lives,
Lord,
we pray that we would rejoice
in what you've done,
that you would continue to kill
the pride in our heart,
that we would boast
in the cross of Christ,
that we would share
the good news of the gospel
with those around us.
To the praise of your glorious name,
we ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.