The scripture reading comes from Daniel chapter 4. Please follow along on the screen, the bulletin or your own Bible.
Starting in verse 1, we read,
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 Belteshazzar after the name of my God,
and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.
And I told him the dream, saying,
O Belteshazzar, 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 dream 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 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 Belteshazzar, 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 Belteshazzar,
was dismayed for a while,
and his thoughts alarmed him.
The king answered and said,
Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.
Belteshazzar answered and said,
My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you,
and its interpretation for your enemies.
Then, from verse 24, we read,
This is the interpretation, O king.
It is a decree of the Most High,
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 stomp 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 perhaps be 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,
and 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 host 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 lords 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 the word of God.
Great.
Celeste, thank you for reading that long reading,
and for reading it so well.
I feel like you really brought the narrative to life,
so thank you for doing that.
Good morning everybody,
and welcome once again.
If you don't know me,
I'm Kevin, one of the leaders,
and it is great to be with you this morning.
A couple of new faces,
welcome.
It's great to see you,
and have you with us this morning.
Let me pray for us briefly,
and then let's dive into Daniel chapter four.
So Father God,
as we come to your word this morning,
this amazing passage,
God once again,
we ask you by your spirit to speak to us.
Father, if we've come just to find three tips
on how to be more successful in life,
there's many places to go,
but God, none of those things will deal with really the root issue.
None of those things will really encounter our hearts.
God, we come before you this morning
because you are true.
Your word is true.
You are the one true living God,
the most high God,
as we read about this morning,
and God, we want to encounter you.
We want you to speak to us.
And so Jesus, as we look at this word,
won't you come and have your way?
Won't you establish your kingdom in our hearts
and in our lives?
And as you do that, God,
won't you establish your kingdom here in Hong Kong,
we pray.
Let your word be made known to us.
Spirit of God,
open the eyes of our hearts
to see you freshly this morning, we pray.
In your awesome and glorious name, amen.
So we are looking at the book of Daniel,
and the reason we're doing that
is because we are wanting to learn
from Daniel and his friends
what does it mean and look like
to be the people of God
in the midst of a world
which is not the most God-honoring world.
Daniel and his friends are taken out of Israel
into Babylon.
Babylon is a pagan nation.
It's not a God-honoring nation.
But they are incredibly faithful.
And we want to learn as Christians
in 21st century Hong Kong,
how can we be the same?
How can we be faithful to God
even in the midst of a world
which doesn't always honor him?
And today we are looking at Daniel chapter 4.
Now, before we dive into it,
I want us just to take note of one thing
that's really interesting.
Daniel was in the city of Babylon for 70 years.
And that's a long period of time.
And in those 70 years,
we only have the recordings
of about four or five things
that he actually did in that time.
And in chapter 1,
and possibly chapter 2,
most of those events take place
in the first few years
that he's in Babylon.
The next few weeks
that we're going to look at,
chapter 5 and 6,
the next two Sundays,
happen right at the end
of those 70 years.
And in the middle,
kind of 50, 60 years,
we know almost nothing
about Daniel's life
except this one event
that we read today.
The only thing that we know
about Daniel and his friends
in that large portion of his life
is actually that he's faithful to God
and he faithfully serves his boss,
who in this case
happens to be a pagan king,
Nebuchadnezzar.
And that's really important
because for many of us
who are followers of Jesus,
we want to do something great
and we want to change the world.
Our generation has been described
as the snowflakes generation.
Do you know what I mean by that?
We are all told from kindergarten
that we are like snowflakes.
We are super special.
We are one of a kind.
There's no one in the world like us.
We are precious
and we are delicate.
And what that means
is that our generation
largely thinks that
by the age of 25,
we should hit our peak
and we all want to be like
Daniel and Esther
that live in the king's palace
and just change the world
disproportionately.
But actually what's important to note
is that for much of Daniel's life,
he spent his life
faithfully serving God
and serving his boss
as he lived in the midst of Babylon.
And when his time came,
because of his decades-long faithfulness,
actually God used him
to speak with incredible wisdom
and profundity.
Eugene Peterson talks about
a long obedience
in the same direction.
And much of the Christian life
is like that.
A long obedience
in the same direction
rather than always being
in the king's palace
or the queen's palace
with this disproportionate influence.
Okay, so that's just
by way of introduction.
So let's dive into
Daniel chapter 4.
And this passage
is an amazing passage
and one of the things
that's amazing about it
is that it's written,
it's one of the only chapters
in the Bible
that's written by a pagan.
It's written by King Nebuchadnezzar.
He writes it in a way
giving his testimony.
And so look at what he says
in verse 1.
He says,
I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
to all the peoples,
the nations and the languages
that dwell on the earth.
He's saying, listen up,
I've got a message for you.
And what is his message?
Peace be multiplied to you.
It's a message of good news.
It's a gospel message.
He says,
It seemed good to me
to write the signs
and the wonders
that the Most High God
has done for me.
How great are his signs!
How mighty are his wonders!
His kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom.
His dominion endures
from generation to generation.
Now the book of Daniel
up until now
has kind of had this one
melodic theme
throughout the whole book.
This one thread.
Which is that
the kingdoms of the world
are going to bow down
to the kingdoms of God.
That God alone
rules of the kingdoms of man
and the kingdoms of our world.
Remember the statue
in chapter 2.
All these kingdoms
and eventually a stone comes
that's going to crush them all
and is going to be established
as the kingdom
over all the world.
So that's the theme
for the book of Daniel.
Now what Nebuchadnezzar
wants to do here
is he wants to
take that theme
and apply it
not just on a macro level
kingdoms and nations
and empires
but on an individual level.
What Nebuchadnezzar
is going to do here
is he's going to show
the great lengths
that God will go to
to establish his kingdom
in the hearts
and the lives
of individuals
like you and I.
Okay?
So,
let's see what happens here.
Nebuchadnezzar
has this dream.
And like
in previous chapters
he wants to know
what's happening
with his dream
this interpretation.
He calls all his wise men in
they don't know
what's going on
and eventually
he calls Daniel in.
And he tells Daniel
his dream.
And this dream
is essentially
a picture
of a majestically
beautiful
gigantic
tall tree.
Glorious tree.
It's a picture
of unrivaled
stature.
And Nebuchadnezzar
describes it like this.
He says
its height was great.
It grew
and became strong.
Its top
reached to the heavens.
Okay?
That's a reference
to Genesis 11
the Tower of Babel
its top
reached to the heavens.
It was visible
from the ends
of the earth.
So it's this picture
of magnificence.
It's a picture
of supreme glory.
And under this tree
all the animals
of the world
take shade
and people
come and take shade
and people
get their food
and the birds
nest.
It's a picture
of safety
and security
and refuge.
And of course
this tree
is a picture
of Nebuchadnezzar.
Okay?
And we're told
that this is true.
Nebuchadnezzar
is one of the most
powerful
men in all the world.
He is one of the guys
that built
the seven wonders
of the ancient world.
Babylon was known
for its hanging gardens.
They had these
magnificent architecture
and infrastructure.
Nebuchadnezzar
is the one
who kind of designed
that and got it going.
And Nebuchadnezzar
is this amazing
majestic king.
He is in many ways
as someone said
he is living the dream.
Right?
He has this dream
and it's true
he's living it.
I don't know
if you noticed
I think it's verse 4
he says
I was at ease
in my house
and prospering
in my palace.
How many of you know
that if you are powerful
and wealthy
that often means
you've got lots of headaches.
Right?
That's not always
a recipe for ease of life.
Wealth and power
means lots of problems.
But not Nebuchadnezzar
he is living the dream.
He's at ease at home
he's prospering at work
the kingdom is growing
and he has a picture of him
glorious and magnificent.
But of course
something goes wrong.
I don't know
if you've ever had a dream
at night
that turns into a nightmare.
The dream starts out
you're on the beach
tropical island
drinking pina coladas
something like that
and by the end of the dream
there's some madman
that's chasing you
with an axe or something.
A dream that starts out
and ends as a nightmare.
That's what's happening
to Nebuchadnezzar.
He has this dream
and it's glorious
but then
an angel says
chop it down
and the tree
is felled
and it's brought
it gets stripped bare
it gets chopped down.
And what God's saying here
he's saying
you Nebuchadnezzar
are going to be chopped down
you are going to be
stripped bare.
And the reason
is because
Nebuchadnezzar
has become proud
and arrogant.
In fact
look at how he acts
in verse 29.
Having heard
the interpretation
of this dream
he seems completely
to disregard it.
He says in verse 29
at the end of 12 months
he was walking
on the roof of his palace
he overlooks his empire
and he says
is not this great Babylon
which I have built
by my mighty power
as a royal residence
for the glory
of my majesty.
Notice all the personal pronouns.
I, I, I
me, me, me
my, my, my
In chapter 2
when Nebuchadnezzar
has a dream
it talks about
how the kingdom
is going to come down
but for Nebuchadnezzar
himself
it's okay
here things
are a little different.
Here God says
you are going
to be brought down.
Daniel
says
verse 22
this tree
is you
O king
you have grown
and become strong
your greatness
has grown
and reaches
to the heavens
but you shall
be driven
from man
your dwelling place
will be with the
beasts of the field
you'll be made
to eat grass
like an ox
you'll be wet
like the dew
of heaven
and for seven
periods of time
until you know
that the most
high rules
the kingdom
of men
and gives
it to whom
he will.
I don't know
if you saw
in verse 17
when Nebuchadnezzar
has this dream
and he's telling
it to Daniel
he says
and God said
that this will
happen until
those that are
living
the people
of the world
know that
God rules
the most
that God
the most high
rules
but when Daniel
interprets the dream
he doesn't just
generically say
this will happen
until all people
out there
know
he says
until you know
he's saying
you need to know
Nebuchadnezzar
you
God is looking
you in the eye
and he's saying
there's a problem
here
you need to know
oh king
that God
the most high
rules the kingdoms
of the world
that he is God
and you
are not
and what Daniel
is saying here
is there's
there's a problem
Nebuchadnezzar
and there's a cancer
in your heart
there's a cancer
which thinks
that your majesty
and your achievements
and your success
in life
is because of
your greatness
there is a virus
in your heart
which is telling you
that all power
resides in you
that you are distinct
that you are different
from the rest
of humanity
and that other people
are not like you
and God is wanting
you to know
that as long
as this cancer
is the operating
system of your heart
you are on a
collision course
with the almighty God
that's what Daniel
is saying to him
Nebuchadnezzar's
problem here
is that he's become
proud and arrogant
C.S. Lewis
who was this
incredible writer
has an amazing
way of describing
the everyday
affairs of life
and listen to how
he describes pride
he says
I've heard people
admit that they
are bad tempered
or that they
struggle with lust
or alcohol
even that they
are slightly
cowardly
I do not think
I've ever heard
anyone who is not
a Christian
accuse himself
of pride
there is no fault
which makes a man
more unpopular
and no fault
of which we are
more unconscious
of in ourselves
the more we have
it in ourselves
the more we dislike
it in others
it is pride
which has been
the chief cause
of misery
in every nation
and every family
since the world
began
other faults
may bring people
together
but pride
always means
enmity
it is enmity
not only between
people
but between
us and God
and C.S. Lewis
makes this
incredible observation
he says
there is no fault
of which we are
more conscious
of in others
and yet more
unconscious of
in ourselves
friends have you
ever been talking
to someone
and they are
complaining about
somebody else
and you're thinking
to yourself
you know you do
that very thing
that you're
complaining about
has that ever
happened
that's pride
it's work
in our hearts
friends
and the reason
do you want to
know the reason
for the conflict
in our lives
the reason
for conflict
in our homes
and our marriages
and with our kids
and with our colleagues
and in the workplace
the reason is
because there's
a fundamental
attitude
in the human heart
that says
I am wrong
and I am right
and you are wrong
I know what I'm
talking about
and you don't
there's an attitude
that says
I am patient
and you are so
demanding
it says
I am so humble
and you are so proud
there's an attitude
that says
I am selfless
and you are self-centered
Tim Keller says
that pride
is the carbon monoxide
of all sins
we
it is invisible
and you don't know
that you're breathing it in
but silently
it suffocates
everything that is good
and pleasant
about our lives
and pride
is obviously
very sinister
and it's deceptive
we see it in others
but we don't see it
in ourselves
and one of the ways
that this plays out
is that we think
that only those
that think of themselves
as great
are proud
and yet those
who think of themselves
lowly
are not proud
but actually
C.S. Lewis says
that's not always the case
he says
that to be humble
is not to think
of yourself
as lowly
it's not to think
less of yourself
it's to think
of yourself
less altogether
the truly humble
person is not
someone who beats
themselves up
saying
I'm suck
I'm so bad
I'm such a loser
that's not the humble
person
the humble person
is the person
that just doesn't
think of themselves
at all
because when you
think of yourself
as miserable
I'm always a victim
poor me
the world treats
me so badly
no one will ever
respect me
who are you
thinking of?
you're thinking
of yourself
and so C.S. Lewis says
pride is
the ruthless
unsmiling
concentration
on the self
and some of us
are proud
because we think
of ourselves
as being great
and awesome
and some of us
are proud
because we think
of ourselves
as being miserable
and victims
and both of that
is a concentration
on ourself
and so let's
do something here
this is a bit
of a risk
I hope this works
out okay
let's do a little
bit of an inventory
an assessment
and I want to ask
us a bunch
of questions
and let's think
whether any of
these questions
resonate with our
own hearts
and just disclaimer
these questions
came out of my
own heart
right
so the reason
I could think
of these questions
is because
they're mainly
true of me
and so you don't
need to put up
your hand
don't tell anyone
this is just
personally okay
how many of us
here
anyone in the
last few weeks
got angry
with someone
at work
because they
got the credit
for something
that you did
right
made you angry
how many of us
here friends
have felt
defensive
or the need
to excuse
ourselves
or justify
something that
we did
because we feel
we got caught
out
cover a mistake
that we've made
friends
do any of us
arrive at church
feeling a mess
feeling miserable
and yet we
determine to put
our best foot
forward
to put on a
smile
because we
don't want
anyone to know
how we are
really doing
that's pride
friends
anybody here
struggle to
admit that
something is
wrong
or that
you're
unable to
cope
friends
how many of us
bounce from
job to
job
or relationship
to relationship
never able to
find contentment
and yet we
always convince
it's the other
people
it's their
fault
friends
how many of us
struggle to
rejoice
or celebrate
or compliment
somebody else
on their
success
friends
do others
find that we
get easily
angry
or offended
or if we
have a short
fuse
friends
how many of us
here struggle
to say
sorry
we know
this to be
wrong
we rather
just sweep
it under
the rug
and just
move on
and just
hope that
things naturally
work themselves
out
recently
I saw
this in my
own life
Claire and I
have this
agreement
that I
won't have
a meeting
a one-on-one
meeting
with another
female
lunch or
meeting
without letting
Claire know
about that
it's just
a good
policy
that we
have
and so
two weeks
ago
I had
this meeting
planned
and I
hadn't let
Claire know
and Claire
says to me
hey what's
your day
looking like
today
I said
I've got
this meeting
with this
person
I've got
a meeting
with this
person
and Claire
says oh
I didn't
know about
that
and it
took me
about
0.01
second
to jump
back
well
I only made
the meeting
last night
and I would
have told you
and all
the defenses
came out
and Claire
didn't do
anything
all she
asked was
I didn't
know about
that
and you
know what
is happening
it took me
about another
0.1
percent of a
second
to realize
what is
going on
in my
heart
friends
sometimes
when somebody
gives me
gentle
corrective
correction
I take it
as they are
challenging me
and criticizing
me
and there
are relationships
in my life
that are not
the way
that they
should be
because of
my defenses
and my
pride
in my
heart
friends
pride
is a
sinister
thing
and with
the temptation
is to see
in others
but not
in ourselves
pride
is the
unsmiling
concentration
on the
self
and is the
fundamental
problem
of every
human
heart
and the
source
of every
bit of
pain
and conflict
in the
world
and that's
why God
says he
hates
pride
he detests
it
in James
chapter 4
James
says
God
gives grace
to humble
but he
opposes
the proud
and that's
a remarkable
thing
God doesn't
just ignore
the proud
or distance
himself from
the proud
or avoid
the proud
he resists
him
he is an
open opposition
to him
he wages
war against
our pride
and so look
at what God
does to
Nebuchadnezzar
here
what God
does is he
makes Nebuchadnezzar
physically
what he has
already become
in his heart
which is
beastly
and animalistic
for a period
of time
Nebuchadnezzar
will become
animalistic
and beastly
because God
is showing
him
and God
is showing
us
what is
true
in his
heart
already
now just
by the way
you might say
oh I could
never take
the Bible
seriously
what a joke
right
do you know
that Babylonian
culture
history
tells us
that there
was a king
on the throne
called
Nabonidus
who took
on the name
of Nebuchadnezzar
who for a period
of seven or eight
years was driven
from his throne
and went into
the wilderness
and nobody
knows what
happens to him
for seven years
he was driven
into the wilderness
and then he
returned to his
throne to Babylon
where he ruled
and reigned
secular culture
tells us
affirms what
the Bible
tells us
here
friends
bride will
do that
to you
it is an
enmity with
God
an enmity
with man
it will kill
our relationships
it is a prison
of selfishness
anger
unforgiveness
and foolishness
pride is deadly
serious
now
Daniel chapter
4
not only
tells us
the horrors
of pride
but also
tells us
the beauty
of humility
because look
at the example
of Daniel
here
and there's
two things
I want us
to take note
of
the first
is
look at
the humility
of Daniel
in verse 19
Daniel
is
told
the dream
by Nebuchadnezzar
and he's
given this
interpretation
and we are
told that
he understands
that Nebuchadnezzar
is going to be
brought low
and
if I was
Daniel
do you know
what I would
be thinking
I would be
thinking
it's about
time
right
because just
remember
who are the
Babylonians
they are
Israel's enemies
it's
one of the
kings
called Nebuchadnezzar
is the guy
that marched
into Jerusalem
burnt all
the buildings
destroyed
the buildings
destroyed
the temple
not before
taking all
the sacred
religious goods
out
and the
temple
furnishings
and the
sacred
things
taking them
to Babylon
installing them
in the pagan
temple of his
gods
killing
Jews
but not
before
taking the
very best
to go and
serve in
Babylon
the Babylonians
are the
enemies of
Israel
and now
Daniel
finally gets
this
interpretation
the king
is going
to be
brought
down
glory
right
and so
I
would
be trying
my best
to suppress
the smirk
on my face
but I don't
think I'd be
very good
I would be
thinking
justice
but look at
what Daniel
says here
this is
unbelievable
verse 19
Daniel
whose name
was Belteshazzar
was dismayed
and his
thoughts were
troubled
the king
says to him
Daniel
do not let
the dream
or its
interpretation
alarm you
and so
Daniel
answered
my lord
may the
dream be
for those
who hate
you
may its
interpretation
be for
your enemies
oh my
goodness
friends
where are we
going to
find humility
like that
doesn't this
remind you of
Jesus
remember
Jesus
in Luke
19
he's on
the way
to Jerusalem
and Jerusalem
is filled
with people
who have
rejected
his rule
remember
in just
a few
days time
Jesus
is going
to be
put on
trial
and Pilate
and Herod
are going
to say
to the
people
of Jerusalem
behold
your king
and they're
going to
shout back
we have
no king
but Caesar
the people
are going
to say
we want
our
pagan
Roman
oppressors
we will
serve
them
rather
than
serve
this
man
and so
here it
says
what should
I do
with him
and they
say
crucify him
and Jesus
just a few
days before
this
walks into
Jerusalem
and what
does he
do
Luke 19
tells us
when Jesus
drew near
and saw
the city
of Jerusalem
he wept
friends
he wept
saying
oh
that you
even
you
Jerusalem
would
know
this
day
the
things
that
would
bring
you
peace
Jesus
heart
of
compassion
breaks
for the
people
that are
going to
put him
on the
cross
friends
why does
Jesus
act like
this
do you
know why
because
he's
perfect
and because
he shows
us what
perfect
humility
and
perfect
humanity
look like
but notice
something else
about Daniel
here
in
Babylonian
culture
when
the way
that a
magician
or an
astrologer
would deal
with something
like the
king's
dream
is they
go to
the king
and they
say
oh king
may this
dream
fall on
your enemies
and then
they would
try by way
of secret
spells
and omens
and potions
and all
sorts of
stuff
to cast
the spell
on the
king's
enemy
and so
in a way
what they
would do
is to
try and
neutralize
the bad
thing
that is
coming
to the
king
by bringing
equally
bad
news
or omen
or spell
or worse
on the
king's
enemy
right
so in
other words
the king's
about to go
in battle
and the
king has
a dream
that the
battle's
not going
to go
well
for you
and they
would try
by potions
and tricks
to put a
spell
on the
king's
enemy
so that
even if
the battle
wasn't good
for the
king
it was
even worse
for his
enemy
okay
that's
how it
would
be done
and essentially
what they're
trying to
do
is to
remove
the
bad
news
or the
consequences
of this
bad
outcome
from the
king
and put
it on
his
enemy
okay
does that
make
sense
friends
do you
know
that we
do the
exact
same
thing
in our
day
and age
we call
it
blame
shifting
and so
your boss
comes to
you and
says
why is
the report
late
and he
says
it's
not
my
fault
it's
my
colleague
they didn't
give me
the report
or something
happens
and your
spouse
is upset
with you
it's not
my fault
it's my
boss's
fault
it's the
school's
fault
it's the
helper's
fault
it's my
children's
fault
it's the
alignment of
the star's
fault
I don't
know
it's
someone
else's
fault
and friends
we do
the exact
same
thing
we like
Nebuchadnezzar
try and
shift
the consequences
onto somebody
else
and at
first we
try and
dodge
what's
coming
to us
by shifting
on someone
else
and at
first
God
it seems
that that's
what Nebuchadnezzar
is doing
he doesn't
try and
get Nebuchadnezzar
to dodge
the outcome
he doesn't
try and
cast some
spell on
his enemy
or shift
the blame
what does
he do
in verse
27
he says
practice
righteousness
let your
iniquity
and your
iniquities
by showing
mercy
to the
oppressed
that there
may perhaps
be a
lengthening
of your
prosperity
do you
know what
he's doing
he's calling
him to
repentance
he's calling
the king
of Babylon
to repentance
friends
right here
in the book
of Daniel
we have
before us
the gospel
that though
our pride
and our sin
means we are
on a collision
course with
God
we are going
to end
in destruction
God
in his
mercy
has made
a way
for us
not to
bear the
consequences
that we
deserve
for the
consequences
that we
deserve
to be put
on the
shoulders
of somewhere
else
and how
through humility
through confession
through repentance
through turning
to Christ
by breaking
off of our
sin and
turning to
Christ
in confession
and repentance
and friends
this is the
main idea
of Daniel
chapter 4
this is what
God wants
us to see
that what
happens to
Nebuchadnezzar
in the most
dramatic of
fashion
is nothing
less
friends
remember how
Jesus is
constantly
pointing this
out
it's not
the religious
or the
dedicated
or the
smart
or the
successful
that obtain
salvation
it's those
who humble
themselves
and cry out
to God
for mercy
Jesus is
saying
it's impossible
for those
who are rich
in self
sufficiency
rich in
self worth
rich in
self justification
to enter
the kingdom
of God
Jesus has
wealthy
powerful
influential
people
coming to
him
and he
says
you're
not ready
for my
kingdom
yet
you've
got to
go
humble
yourself
Jesus
has
children
and
fishermen
and tax
collectors
and prostitutes
and sinners
coming
and he
says
yes
you're
ready
you can
come
into my
kingdom
friends
Jesus
is constantly
saying
that the
pride
of life
will
destroy
us
and
hinder
us
from
receiving
his
kingdom
and
salvation
and so
what
happens
to
Nebuchadnezzar
friends
is what
in dramatic
fashion
is what
must
happen
to
anyone
who
wants
to
be
saved
friends
do you
want to
be
saved
this
morning
maybe
you're
here
and you're
not a
follower
of
Jesus
friends
do you
want to
know
forgiveness
of sins
do you
want to
be born
again
do you
want to
experience
the living
God
revitalizing
your heart
and your
soul
friends
if you're
not a
Christian
this morning
you must
realize
you're on
a collision
course
with the
holy
God
and it's
not going
to end
well
friends
do you
know that
your pride
and your
sin has
put you
at enmity
with God
but God
in his
great mercy
has made
a way
for your
sin to be
put on
Jesus
shoulders
will you
humble
yourself
will you
admit your
need for him
will you
come to him
empty handed
and find
forgiveness
and renewal
and restoration
friends
maybe you
are a
Christian
here this
morning
but your
life is a
train wreck
your marriage
is a mess
your relationships
are toxic
your life
is a train wreck
because the
operating system
of your heart
is pride
and self
sufficiency
friends
can I
with all
the energy
I can
muster
look you
in the eye
and say
will you
please
humble
yourself
will you
come
and do
what
Daniel
asks
Nebuchadnezzar
to do
which is
to humble
himself
and to
cast
yourself
on the
mercy
of Jesus
Jesus
is longing
to move
towards you
in grace
will you
move
towards him
in humility
friends
Jesus
says
in Matthew
21
he says
amazing
verse
he says
this
he is
the rock
and he
says
anyone
who falls
on this
stone
or this
rock
will be
broken
to pieces
but the
one on
whom it
falls
will be
ground
like
powder
new
king
james
version
says
do you
know what
jesus
is saying
here
he's
saying
that
when
you
humble
yourself
when you
cast
yourself
on the
rock
of
jesus
your
pride
will be
broken
and it
will hurt
it
will be
painful
your
pride
will be
broken
but if
you
resist
jesus
the rock
will fall
on you
and he
will
crush
you
like
powder
friends
better
to
humble
ourselves
and to
cast
ourselves
on the
rock
of
jesus
let our
pride
be
broken
than let
jesus
fall
on us
and crush
us
friends
i hope
that we
can see
that
daniel's
message
to
nebuchadnezzar
is god's
message
to all
of us
that despite
our sin
and our
selfishness
god has
gone out
of his
way
not to
destroy
us
but to
save
us
did you
see that
part in
nebuchadnezzar's
dream
where
he says
god will
cut you
down
but he's
not going
to remove
the stump
completely
there will
be a
stump
remaining
what's
god
saying
there
he's
saying
i will
deal
with
you
but i'm
not
going
to
destroy
you
friends
when god
humbles
us
god is
not being
vindictive
he's
being
redemptive
god has
made a
way
god says
i will
cut you
down
but i
will
not
utterly
destroy
you
god's
humbling
is not
meant to
destroy
you
but to
heal
you
friends
do you
know
that
nebuchadnezzar
the world's
greatest king
and yet he
experiences this
unbelievable fall
from grace
from being on
the throne
of the world's
superpower
and having
all power
and all
authority
he goes to
eating grass
like an ox
he goes to
becoming beastly
talk about a
fall from grace
talk about
humiliation
friends do you
not know
that there
the story of
the bible
is the story
of the one
true king
jesus christ
the most
high god
who left
not just
an earthly
throne
but a
heavenly
one
jesus christ
who
too
experienced
a humiliation
not just
eating grass
like an ox
but ultimately
he was nailed
to the cross
and unlike
nebuchadnezzar
jesus didn't
end up there
on account
of his
own pride
and his
own selfishness
and his
own stubbornness
but on account
of ours
friends jesus christ
the most
high god
was disgraced
and shamed
so that
you and
i can
experience
grace
and renewal
and healing
and redemption
friends do you
know that only
by looking
to jesus christ
and his death
on the cross
will our
pride be
crushed
without us
being crushed
you know
sometimes as
parents
jeremy spoke
about being
parents earlier
sometimes as
parents we
don't want our
children to
become proud
so what
do we
do
when they're
babies we
tell them
they look
ugly
right
or
we never
compliment
them
we never
tell them
that we're
proud of
them
we never
tell them
how proud
we are
or we
never
praise
them
we don't
want them
to become
proud
and so
what do
we do
we starve
them of
love and
affection
friends in
this world
when the world
wants to
humble you
what will
it do
it will
crush
you
Jesus
Christ
alone
will
humble
your
pride
without
crushing
you
Jesus
went to
the cross
and he
says I'm
here because
of you
and that
will humble
you
but Jesus
will also
say I'm
here because
I love
you
Jesus
Christ
alone
knows how
to both
affirm you
and build
you up
and crush
your pride
at the same
time
look to
anyone else
and you may
be humbled
but you'll
be crushed
and beaten
look to
Jesus
and you'll
be humbled
but you'll
be affirmed
and built
up
only as
you look
to Christ
can you
be both
humble
and confident
at the same
time
friends
throughout
Daniel
we've been
told that
the kingdoms
of this
world are
going to
crumble
and bow
down
to the
kingdoms
of God
and now
Nebuchadnezzar
shows us
the dramatic
lengths to
which God
will go
that he
might bring
his kingdom
to bed
not just
on the
nations
and the
empires
and the
kingdoms
of the
world
but on
the individual
hearts
of people
like you
and I
can I
invite you
to stand
with me
and we're
going to
continue our
time of
worship
and we're
going to
have communion
in a few
minutes time
but we're
going to
start off
by singing
a song of
worship and
devotion
and while
the band
is coming
up I want
us just to
see how
the story
ends
look at
how the
story
is
this
remarkable
change
takes
place
in
Nebuchadnezzar
and it's
nothing less
than a
miracle of
grace
Nebuchadnezzar
the king
on the
throne
is brought
down
by God
but God
doesn't destroy
him
he humbles
him
and so
look at
what happens
in verse
34
it says
at the end
of days
I
Nebuchadnezzar
lifted my
eyes to
heaven
and my
reason
returned
to me
and I
blessed
the Lord
most high
I
praised
and honored
him
who lives
forever
saying
his
dominion
is
never
lasting
dominion
his
kingdom
endures
from
generation
to
generation
all
the
inhabitants
of the
earth
are
accounted
as
nothing
he
does
according
to
his
will
among
the
host
of
heaven
and
among
the
inhabitants
of
the
earth
none
can
stay
his
hand
or
say
to
him
what
have
you
done
friends
at the
end
of
this
period
of
time
Nebuchadnezzar
is
transformed
into
a
worshipper
and
the
story
ends
with
the
most
powerful
man
the
most
powerful
nation
of
the
world
turning
his
eyes
to
heaven
and
saying
I
do
not
rule
but
you
do
Nebuchadnezzar
is
transformed
from
a
proud
arrogant
man
to
a
worshipper
friends
what
about
us
what
about
us
Jesus
invites
us
to
come
and
worship
in
this
morning
to
lay
our
pride
down
to
recognize
that
he
alone
is
God
that
we
are
not
Jesus
invites
us
to
come
and
be
humbled
by
him
but
also
to
experience
his
grace
and
so
I
want
to
encourage
us
to
take
this
time
of
both
reflecting
but
also
worshipping
let's
look at
our own
hearts
and
let's
reflect
and
we're
going
to
go
into
communion
in
a few
minutes
time
but
let's
take
this
time
to
really
examine
our
hearts
to
examine
the
pride
to
come
before
our
God
to
admit
it
to
confess
it
to
let
God
both
humble
us
and
fill
us
up
with
his
love