May 19, 2025 • 39 mins
What happens when an arrogant king confronts the sovereignty of God? Daniel chapter 4 unfolds the remarkable transformation of Nebuchadnezzar, from a ruler consumed by his own greatness to a man humbled by divine intervention.
At the heart of this powerful narrative stands a stark contrast between two men: Nebuchadnezzar, whose narcissistic leadership leads to his downfall, and Daniel, whose humility and compassion shine even toward his oppressor. When the king receives a troubling dream about a mighty tree cut down to a stump, only Daniel has the courage to deliver its true meaning – a prophecy of the king's imminent humiliation. Yet rather than rejoicing in his enemy's coming downfall, Daniel grieves and urges repentance.
This unexpected response challenges us to examine our own hearts. Do we secretly wish for the suffering of those who harm us? Or can we, like Daniel, desire their redemption? The sermon explores how Daniel models Christ-like compassion long before Jesus walked the earth, showing genuine concern for someone who had stripped him of homeland, family, and identity.
Nebuchadnezzar's story reminds us that sometimes our suffering is self-inflicted – the natural consequence of pride and poor choices. Yet even in his darkest moment, living like a wild animal with long hair and claw-like nails, God preserves the possibility of restoration. When the king finally acknowledges God's sovereignty, he discovers that losing everything led him to find the one thing that truly matters.
Whether you're currently experiencing a season of blessing or walking through your own wilderness, this message offers a powerful reminder: God remains sovereign in every circumstance. Our greatest spiritual growth often happens not on the mountaintops but in the valleys, where we learn that even when everything else is stripped away, God remains faithful.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Again, it's no small measure and I realize that even
just breakfast probably doesn'treally capture what people do.
I come from a family of firstresponders and it wasn't until I
recently kind of got back intoit that I realized what a
sacrifice it can be.
Okay, so Daniel, chapter 4.
(00:25):
We've been going through thebook of Daniel and Daniel is
prophetic.
So as we get later into Daniel,there's actually some
correlation between Daniel andRevelation.
That comes and listen.
That's a bigger conversationthan a Sunday morning, let me
tell you, anytime you startthinking and processing future
(00:50):
prophecies, there's a lot tounpack.
But Daniel is setting up acontrast and, by the way, for
those of you who sit on thisside, I'm going to try really
hard to turn this way, because Irealize that I'm right-handed
and I've been watching myself.
I watch my sermons when I go,go back, because I want to make
sure I don't sound dumb when Isay stuff, and I realized that I
look this way a lot.
So you guys are great, but Idon't care about you today, I'm
(01:12):
a focus over here, over here.
So Daniel is a contrast betweengood and evil.
Right, we see Daniel, who is aprophet.
He's someone who is seekingafter God.
He's following after God and heexemplifies humility,
exemplifies purpose.
And don't misunderstand Danielis a leader in the same way
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Nebuchadnezzar is.
They both are leading in theirrightful positions, and I think
we have to clarify that becausea lot of times we think that
leadership roles are onlyestablished by those who have
the title.
That's not how that works.
Positions, and I think we haveto clarify that because a lot of
times we think that leadershiproles are only established by
those who have the title.
That's not how that works.
If you've ever worked in anyjob, you understand that there
are people who are in charge andthen there are people who are
really in charge.
(01:57):
Right, you might have the nameof manager, but Beth in
groceries tells everyone whenthe schedule works right.
We all know how that worksright.
And so Daniel is leading in hisown right.
So Nebuchadnezzar is leadingwith the title of king.
(02:19):
Now, the contrast here isNebuchadnezzar is about as
narcissistic as they come.
He's it, he's the guy.
I mean literally.
God gives him a dream of astatue that's made out of gold,
and then you know Daniel,chapter two and Daniel chapter
three.
Nebuchadnezzar decides to builda giant statue of gold of
himself.
(02:39):
So he takes the dream and it'sinterpreted, and yet he decides
to make it all about him.
Nebuchadnezzar is what happenswhen leadership's in power
that's not following God.
It's very self-centered, it'svery egotistical, it's all about
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him.
And then you have Daniel, who'squite the opposite.
He's seeking after God, heexemplifies humility.
And so we get to Daniel,chapter 4.
And Daniel, chapter 4, is goingto unfold a narrative and it's
going to give us a dream thatNebuchadnezzar has.
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That is rightfully disturbing.
That Nebuchadnezzar has, thatis rightfully disturbing.
The dream is vivid, it'spowerful, it's significant and
it's going to alter the courseof Nebuchadnezzar's life.
Even though he hasn't quiteunderstood it yet, john Wolford
(03:43):
notes in light of other passagesin the Bible speaking
prophetically of Babylon and itsultimate overthrow, of which
Isaiah 13 and 14 may be taken asan example, it becomes clear
that the contest between God andNebuchadnezzar is a broad
illustration of God's dealingwith the entire human race,
especially the Gentile world inits creaturely pride and failure
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to recognize the sovereignty ofGod.
In other words, nebuchadnezzar'sstory is a microcosm of a much
larger pattern.
God raises up nations, but healso brings them low when they
exalt themselves above him, whenthey exalt themselves above him
.
So Nebuchadnezzar is about tofind out what happens when you
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don't give everything to God.
So, starting in verse 1, daniel, chapter 4, king Nebuchadnezzar
, to all people's, nations andlanguages that dwell in all the
earth, peace be multiplied toyou.
It has seemed good to me toshow the signs and wonders that
the Most High God has done forme.
(04:49):
Again, nebuchadnezzar has madeit all about himself.
I want to tell you about allthe good stuff God has done for
me.
How great are his signs, howmighty his wonders.
His kingdom is an everlastingkingdom and his dominion endures
from generation to generation.
I think this falls under thecategory of gaslighting a little
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bit.
He's given God this praise andthis glory, but really
internally he's not reallyconcerned about his worship of
God.
It's all for the people.
Continuing in verse 4, it says I, nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in
my house and prospering in mypalace.
Again, it's all about me.
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I saw a dream that made meafraid as I lay in bed.
The fancies and the visions inmy head alarmed me.
So I made a decree that all thewise men of Babylon should be
brought before me, that theymight make known to me the
interpretation of the dream.
Then the magicians, theenchanters, the Chaldeans and
the astrologers came in and Itold them the dream, but they
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could not make known to me itsinterpretation.
At last, daniel came in beforeme.
I don't know why he justdoesn't start with Daniel
Seriously, why does he bringeverybody else in?
Daniel's the only one, so itsays.
But at last Daniel came to mebefore he who was named
Belshazzar after the name of myGod.
So Daniel's name was changed toBelshazzar in order to honor
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the God that Nebuchadnezzarworshiped.
It said in whom the spirit ofthe holy gods.
And I told him the dream,saying O Belshazzar, chief of
the magicians, because I knowthat the spirit of the holy gods
is in you and that no mysteryis too difficult for you.
Tell me the visions of my dreamthat I saw in their
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interpretation.
The visions of my head as I layin bed were these I saw and
behold a tree in the midst ofthe earth, and its height was
great.
The tree grew and became strongand its top reached the heaven,
and it was visible to the endof the whole earth.
Its leaves were beautiful andits fruit abundant, and in it
was food for all.
The beast of the field foundshade under it and the birds of
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the heavens lived in itsbranches and all flesh was fed
from it.
I saw in the visions of my headA holy one came down from heaven
.
He proclaimed aloud and saidthus Chop down the tree and lop
off its branches, strip off itsleaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts flee from underit and the birds from its
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branches, but leave the stump ofits 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 ofheaven.
Let his portion be with thebeasts in the grass of the field
.
Let him be wet with the dew ofheaven.
Let his portion be with thebeast and the grass of the earth
.
Let his mind be changed fromman's and let a beast's mind be
given him and let seven periodsof time pass over him.
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The sentence is, by the decreeof the watchers, the decision of
the word of the holy ones, tothe end, that the living may
know that the most high rulesthe kingdom of men and gives it
to whom he will, and over it thelowest of men.
This dream I, kingNebuchadnezzar, saw, and you, o
Belshazzar, tell me theinterpretation, because all the
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wise men in my kingdom are notable to make known to me the
interpretation.
But you are able, for theSpirit of the Holy God is in you
.
So Nebuchadnezzar starts withthis dream of this beautiful
tree, and it's providing shadeand protection and food for
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everything around it.
And if you read through thedream, eventually the tree goes
from a tree to a hymn.
It shifts about halfway down,and so all of a sudden, this
dream goes from this tree that'sprosperous and over-glorifying
everything.
And all of a sudden, a watchershows up and the tree is to be
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cut down, destroyed.
Every good thing it was doingwill be lost, the only thing
left will be the roots.
And so Nebuchadnezzar calls inhis dreamers, his magicians, his
enchanters, and says tell mewhat this dream means Before we
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get to Daniel's interpretation.
By the way, it's not good, notfor Nebuchadnezzar.
I can imagine that theenchanters and his magicians
probably knew what the dreammeant, but none of them wanted
to tell him.
Because, see, when you payattention to how kingdoms work,
there were people who were kingsand there were people who
followed the king, and usuallythe people who followed the king
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were loyal subjects and theybenefited from being loyal
subjects.
Right, there was a plus side tobeing in the good feeling of
the king.
He didn't kill you.
So he gives his dream and I canimagine among them they've
decided not to tell him what itmeans because it's not going to
be good.
And then you have Daniel.
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Daniel who comes in and he findsNebuchadnezzar recounting a
dream, and this dream starts outby affirming his greatness.
Verses 1-12 paint a picture ofa prosperous king, a kingdom
that's thriving.
And then you get to verses 13through 18, and all of a sudden
(10:17):
there's judgment on this tree.
It's torn down, and God revealsin verses 13 through 18 that
he's sovereign, that he's aboutto show even the king who's in
charge, that he's not really incharge, because God ultimately
chooses who reigns and whodoesn't.
(10:38):
So, no matter how much power,no matter how impressive your
kingdom might be, if God decidesto remove you from said kingdom
, he will do so.
That's the beauty of it.
That's why, when we's why whenI know we talk every four years,
we go into politics and it's abig thing and listen.
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I think that's important.
As a country, we get to vote,but we get so stressed about
who's in charge and really,daniel 4 reminds us that only
God's in charge.
It doesn't matter who's sittingon the throne.
What matters is are wefollowing the one?
4 reminds us that only God's incharge.
It doesn't matter who's sittingon the throne.
What matters is, are wefollowing the one who's eternal?
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And so Daniel comes in and hehears this dream, and Daniel's
reaction is one that I findinteresting.
So you have to remember,daniel's been taken into
captivity.
His name is Belshazzar.
The guy who serves the onlytrue God is named after a fake
God, right?
So they've changed his name,they've taken his family,
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they've stripped his identity.
Even though he has power, hispower within the kingdom is
still limited because it's stillnot home.
Kingdom is still limitedbecause it's still not home.
If there is ever a person in theworld who, I say, is justified
in vengeance, daniel is the him.
Daniel has every right to beupset, he has every right to
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hate Nebuchadnezzar.
He has every right to will, towish nothing but evil upon him.
I mean, the king has donenothing but caused his life
turmoil, but Daniel chooses toreact differently, and I think
that that's important to note,because how we handle people,
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how we handle people in theworld we don't like sometimes.
I think is a reflection of whowe follow as a church.
As Christians, you and I arecalled to humility above all
else, and that's not always easy.
But here we see Daniel modelthat.
So, starting in verse 19, itsays Then Daniel, whose name was
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Belshazzar, was dismayed for awhile and his thoughts alarmed
him.
It says For your enemies.
So Daniel says toNebuchadnezzar I don't want to
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have to tell you this, but Iwish this dream wasn't for you.
And he has compassion.
He doesn't want to see thishappen.
But why not?
I mean everything thatNebuchadnezzar's done.
Why is Daniel choosing torespond this way?
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And I think it's because Danielunderstood that God is a
compassionate God.
He didn't want to see anythingbefall his enemy, but he tells
him the dream anyways, in verse20.
It says the tree you saw whichgrew and became strong so that
its top reached the heaven andwas visible to the end of the
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whole earth, the leaves werebeautiful and its fruit abundant
, and which was food for all,under which beasts of the field
found shade and whose branchesthe birds of the heavens lived.
It is you.
Okay, you have grown and becomestrong.
Your greatness has grown andreaches to the heaven and your
dominion to the ends of theearth.
And because the king saw awatcher, a holy one, coming down
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from heaven and saying chopdown the tree and destroy it,
but leave the stump of its rootsin the earth, bound with a band
of iron and bronze and thetender grass of the field, and
let it be wet with the grass ofthe field, and let him be wet
with the dew of the heaven andlet his portion be with the
beast of the field till sevenperiods of time pass over him.
This is the interpretation, oking.
It is the decree of the MostHigh which has come upon my Lord
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the King, that you shall bedriven from among men and your
dwelling shall be with the beastof the field.
You shall be made deep grasslike an ox and you shall be wet
with the dew of the heaven andseven periods of time shall pass
over you.
So you know that the Most Highrules the kingdom of men and
gives it to whom he will.
And as it was commanded toleave the stump of those roots
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of the tree, your kingdom shallbe confirmed for you from the
time that you know that heavenrules.
Therefore, o king, let mycounsel be acceptable to you.
So Daniel interprets this dreamfor Nebuchadnezzar, and there's
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a few things that need to benoted.
The book of Daniel not onlyreveals profound truths about
who God is, his sovereignty, hiswisdom and justice, but it also
serves as a guide for howbelievers can live faithfully in
any nation or cultural setting.
In Daniel 4, one of the moststriking lessons we learn about
Daniel himself is that heembodies both moral courage and
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genuine compassion.
He does not shy away fromcalling out sin and injustice,
even when addressing the mostpowerful man in the world.
Yet his heart remains tendertowards Nebuchadnezzar, the very
one responsible for so muchoppression.
Charles Feinberg captures thisbeautifully, and he says this
verse reveals the heart ofDaniel, as well as in the entire
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book of Daniel.
He knew the meaning of thisdream and how well
Nebuchadnezzar deserved what wascome upon him.
Nevertheless, daniel's heart wasconcerned for the king and
grieved over the fact that hehad to tell him.
This was a distinctive featureof the true prophets of God.
Though they often had topredict judgments, they were
nevertheless grieved when any ofGod's creatures were chastised.
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By the way, that does provetrue, unless you look at Jonah
Jonah's kind of the exception tothe rule, because Jonah was the
one God said go to Nineveh, andJonah's like I'm not doing that
.
But the prophets were known forspeaking truth.
So one, daniel, stands on truth.
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He calls Nebuchadnezzar toaccount for what he's done.
He says stop living this way,stop oppressing people, stop
ruling like you are, stopoppressing people, stop ruling
like you are.
It's not working.
He stands on truth, but he alsoshows compassion.
He says Nebuchadnezzar, turnfrom your ways so that maybe
this dream will be spared of youand your prosperity will
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continue Again.
The contrast in Daniel is soincredible.
You have Nebuchadnezzar who'sfull of himself.
He does whatever he can to stayin power.
He bullies people.
And then you have Daniel, a manafter God, who's showing
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nothing but humility,interpreting these dreams,
praying for the king, wishingthat the dream that he just
interpreted wasn't for him.
I mean, daniel loves hisenemies.
I have a hard time processingthat sometimes.
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I have a hard time processingthat sometimes Because I
immediately think people whohave slighted me in my life.
I think about people that haveharmed me or harmed my family,
and the very human part of mewants them to get what's coming
to them.
We want them to just suffer alittle bit because they made us
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suffer.
And here you have Daniel, inexile, abused by a king, lost
his name, lost his identity,robbed of his home.
You have Daniel who modelsJesus.
Even before Jesus, he looks atNebuchadnezzar and says I want
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you to stop living the way thatyou're living, because I want
God to show you favor and notjudgment.
That should be the heart of thechurch.
That's where humility comesinto play.
That every single person whocrosses our door frame, every
person we meet, we should wantnothing more for them than to
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know God.
We want God to see them changetheir life.
We want God to help themovercome the things that they're
struggling with.
We should be people ofcompassion, but also people who
stand on truth.
The Word of God is truth.
We were called to call sin whatit is.
Daniel doesn't shy away fromthat.
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He doesn't say oh, king, youknow you can continue to live
the way that you live and maybeGod will grant you.
He says no, stop it, stopliving this way, and maybe God
will show you compassion Because, king, that's what I want for
you.
It says how do we reconcilelove for our enemies, especially
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when those enemies are the veryones who have harmed us.
For Daniel, the challenge isdeeply personal.
He's living in exile under therule of the king who conquered
his people, destroyed hishomeland and subjected him to a
foreign culture.
And yet, when Nebuchadnezzarhad a troubling dream, daniel is
not gleeful or vengeful.
Instead, he is deeply grievedby what he knows is coming.
(20:30):
You might expect Daniel torejoice in the king's downfall.
Perhaps that's why none of theother wise men could interpret
the dream.
Maybe they wanted it to happen.
It brings to mind Jonah, whoresisted going to Nineveh
because he wanted to see thepeople suffer.
Why offer the opportunity torepent when judgment feels
deserved?
But Daniel is different.
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He responds not with bitternessbut with compassion.
He even says he wishes thedream implied in
Nebuchadnezzar's enemies.
Instead, in this moment, danielsees beyond politics, power and
personal pain, and he sees aperson created by God, a soul
still worthy of redemption.
That's the heart of it that allpeople matter to God, not just
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the ones we'd like or agree with.
Daniel embodies this truth.
He stands firm in calling outthe king's oppression and
injustice, but he does so withhumility and grace.
He recognizes that he too is inneed of God's mercy.
His hope isn't in the downfallof his enemy.
It's in the repentance of hisenemy he prays the king might
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turn from pride and become anally rather than remain an
adversary.
That's what it means to embracehumility.
That's what it looks like tolive like a faithful witness in
a broken world.
Daniel models for you and Iwhat it looks like to look at a
world that's fallen apart andbroken and try to see them how
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God does.
That's the focus.
Everyone was created by God.
Everyone is worthy ofredemption.
Everyone, not just the peoplewe like, not just the people we
prefer, but everyone, evenNebuchadnezzar, is worth
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redemption.
I talked about this last yearand I still have a hard time
reconciling with it because mybrain really just my humanity.
I found out last year when Iwas studying on kind of a
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similar topic, if you know thename, jeffrey Dahmer.
Jeffrey Dahmer was someone whodid a lot of incredibly bad
things.
He was not a good person, madea lot of mistakes, he hurt a lot
of people.
I found out and I was doing alittle bit of research on him
because I was curious and Ifound out that in prison, before
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he died, that he gave his lifeto Christ and he was baptized in
prison and I'm telling youright now when I read that, it
did not sit right with me,because I have a really hard
time processing that, because Iknow what he's done right and I
know what he did and how he hurtpeople.
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But where I have to reconcile,that is I know who God is and I
know that God offers grace toanyone who calls on his name,
and I know that mercy is anabundance for those who need it.
Because people likeNebuchadnezzar, who slaughtered
innocents, was someone who asoul that was worth redemption.
And so I wrestle with that,because if God's grace is enough
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for someone like Jeffrey Dahmer, then how I treat people
matters, because if grace ismeant for everyone who seeks it,
then that means that everyperson who is part of my life
and outside of my life, andevery person God created is made
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for redemption, that they canbe redeemed.
Listen, I love that song.
I was made for more.
I wasn't meant to be tending agrave.
I know my life.
Listen, I know where I've comefrom.
I can tell you that I'veprobably never done anything to
the level of Jeffrey Dahmer, butI've done some things in my
past I'm not proud of.
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I've sinned and I've mademistakes and I've hurt people,
and God has shown mercy andgrace to me.
And so Daniel, looking atNebuchadnezzar, wishes and prays
and hopes that he can just comearound and maybe this judgment
won't befall him.
But Nebuchadnezzar, in truefashion, lives up to his ego.
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Daniel 4, starting in verse 28,said All this came upon King
Nebuchadnezzar At the end of 12months.
He was walking on the roof, itsaid.
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While the words were still inthe king's mouth, there fell a
voice from heaven.
O, king Nebuchadnezzar, to youit is spoken.
The kingdom has departed fromyou and you shall be driven from
among men and your dwellingshall be with the beasts of the
field and you shall be made toeat grass like an ox, and seven
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periods of time shall pass overyou until you know the most high
rules, the kingdom of men, andgives it to whom he will.
Immediately, the word wasfulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar
.
He was driven from among menand ate grass like an ox, and
his body was wet with the dew ofheaven.
So his hair grew as long aseagles feathers and his nails
were like birds claws.
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Nebuchadnezzar brought about hisown downfall.
God warned him, god tried tohelp him understand Daniel tried
to encourage him to just turnfrom his ways.
I had someone ask me last weekwhen we got done and part of
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where we're going in this wholefocus is the fact that God's
sovereign.
So God, he sees all, he's overall, he's in charge of all.
However, there's still anaspect of life.
You know we have free will tomake decisions, and someone
asked me, and they're like well,how do you reconcile God being
sovereign when people say youreap what you sow?
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By the way, galatians 6-7 saysit like this do not be deceived,
god is not mocked, for whateverone sows, that he also will
reap.
And so when you talk about howdo we reconcile that?
It's because sometimes ourdownfall is our fault.
It is Daniel and his friends.
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What was happening to them intheir life was not their fault.
They didn't do anything to makeit happen.
The people of Israel kind ofscrewed up along the way, but
them being overtaken by a kingwas not their doing.
They didn't wake up one day andsay, hey, I want to go in exile
.
They had no control over that.
(27:35):
Nebuchadnezzar had control overhow he approached his kingdom.
So the reason, one of thereasons he ends up in this mess
is because, instead of takingthe warning from God that's been
given him, he finds himself 12months later talking about how
great he is and the kingdom isso great because of him.
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He can't get past himself andso he brings upon his own
downfall.
Sometimes you and I are in themess that we're in because we
did it.
I think about this.
Like you know, I've beenworking on like losing weight.
That's my goal for the nextyear is to try to lose.
(28:18):
I got about another 80 pounds.
I didn't listen.
I didn't get this way becauseGod made me overweight.
I'm just throwing that outthere.
It doesn't work that way.
I wish it did.
Now I realize there's somefactors in play and there's some
things that happen and peoplecan't always control things.
But I can tell you I got thisway because when I wrestled and
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played football in high school,the same way I ate, then I kept
eating.
When I stopped doing all thatstuff and up until about a year
ago, when I would sit down, Iwould overeat too much food, and
so this is how I got to where Iam.
This is a consequence of thatright, so I have to accept
responsibility for that andtrust and believe that God's
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going to help me get to where Ineed to be.
But again, some of the sins,some of the suffering in our
life is our own fault.
Yet it doesn't change the factthat God is still in charge.
God is still in the midst ofall of it.
God being sovereign doesn'tmean he gets to pick and choose.
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When he's with us, it meansthat he's always with us.
When he's with us, it meansthat he's always with us.
And so here we findNebuchadnezzar facing the
consequences of his own sin.
He's been cast into thewilderness, eating like an ox.
The dude's hair grows superlong and his nails get really
(29:44):
sharp.
He's lost his mind.
But even in his sufferingthere's still hope.
So Daniel, chapter 4, startingin verse 34, said At the end of
(30:07):
the days, I, nebuchadnezzar,lifted my eyes to heaven and my
reason returned to me and Iblessed the most high and I
praised and honored him, wholives forever, for his dominion
is an everlasting dominion andhis kingdom endures from
generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of theearth are accounted as nothing,
(30:27):
and he does according to hiswill.
Among, the most of heaven andamong the inhabitants of the
earth are accounted as nothing,and he does according to his
will, among the most of heavenand among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay hishand or say to him what have you
done?
At the same time, my reasonreturned to me and, for the
glory of my kingdom, my majestyand splendor returned to me.
My counselors and my Lordsought me and I was established
(30:48):
in my kingdom and still moregreatness was added to me.
Talk about a man who wentthrough a life change.
Talk about a man who wentthrough a life change.
(31:15):
Nebuchadnezzar had lived somuch of his life for himself,
but it wasn't until thesuffering that he really
realized who God was.
He found God in the middle ofan incredibly traumatic moment.
He lost everything home, lovedones, he lost his mind, and yet
(31:44):
in the middle of it he found God.
I told you that the contrastbetween Daniel and
Nebuchadnezzar is huge.
Daniel loses everything, but hestill has God.
Loses his home, loses his name,loses his family, loses
everything, but he still holdson to God.
Nebuchadnezzar has everything,everything you could ever want
(32:10):
as a king, but he loses it all.
He loses it all and when heloses it all, he finally finds
the one thing that's eternal.
He finally finds the God ofDaniel.
Suffering is not the easiestthing for you and I, but
(32:33):
sometimes God has to humble us.
God had to bring Nebuchadnezzarlow in order to raise him up.
He had to take everything awayfrom him to remind him of who he
was.
Because at the end of the day,daniel shows us that God is
sovereign.
Everything that happens he's incharge.
(32:54):
You and I are just here, we'repart of it, we're participating,
but ultimately this is hisworld, it says.
Most of us go out of our way toavoid pain.
A renowned surgeon, dr PaulBrand, learned that pain isn't
the enemy we think it is.
It's one of the body's mostvaluable tools.
So after moving to India, heobserved something striking.
(33:16):
In his work with leprosypatients, he said, lack an
(33:39):
internal system to warn them ofdanger and they often wear their
fingers, hands and feet down tostumps.
So just as physical pain alertsus to what's wrong in our
bodies, emotional and spiritualpain can alert us to what's
broken in our lives.
In that way, pain becomes apath toward healing, not just
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suffering.
Nebuchadnezzar's story in Daniel4 echoes this truth.
The consequences of his pridewere severe.
He was driven away from people,stripped of his sanity and lost
all of the power, comfort hehad once boasted.
It was precisely through thatsuffering that his eyes were
finally opened.
His pride led to his fall, butthe pain of that fall led him to
(34:22):
truth he ultimately came toacknowledge.
In verse 32, it says the MostHigh is sovereign over all
kingdoms on earth and gives themto anyone he wishes.
It said in many ways,nebuchadnezzar's journey mirrors
countless conversion stories,countless people that have had
their lives changed.
They've lost everything just togain it all back.
(34:43):
Have their lives changed?
They've lost everything just togain it all back.
That's one thing we should takeaway from Daniel is that God's
in charge.
Whether I'm standing on themountaintop or I'm walking
through the darkest of valley,my God is still God.
(35:05):
Daniel understood that.
Daniel understood, and heunderstood it so well that he
didn't want Nebuchadnezzar toexperience suffering.
I think, if we're honest, noneof us want to go through
suffering.
There's things that I've gonethrough in my life that I would
never wish upon my worst enemy,but sometimes in suffering we
(35:25):
find God the most.
Nope, I lied.
Every time in suffering we findGod the most.
I think that's true.
I think we find God in thedepth more than we do on the
mountaintops, because God isforever concerned with our lives
and who we are and how much heloves us.
He's sovereign, he sees all, heknows all.
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Jesus said it in John 16, 33, Ihave told you these things so
that in me, you may have peaceIn this world.
You will have trouble, but takeheart, I have overcome the
world.
That is a verse that we canstand on, because no matter what
we go through, no matter whathappens, no matter who's in
(36:12):
charge, no matter what we'reafraid of, we understand that
God is in control always.
I don't know what God hasplanned for our future.
I don't know what God hasplanned for our future.
I don't.
I used to think I wanted towhen I was younger.
(36:32):
I always wanted God to liketell me where I was going, and
I'm glad he didn't.
There's a lot of stuff Iprobably wouldn't learn along
the way.
I think I've told this before.
But if it was up to me and likeGod, like I do think there's a
couple of relationships that Iwish God like this isn't going
to work out, because I'm like,okay, I'm done Like trying so
(36:53):
hard.
But I'm just saying there aresome times that I wish God would
have given me something.
But I think the beauty of thisis, even though God doesn't
always tell us what's coming, weknow that it's for our good.
We know that it's for thebenefit of those around us.
We know that this church ismeant to be a light, a beacon in
this community, that we'resupposed to raise up the next
(37:15):
generation to follow him.
We know that we're supposed tobring people to the knowledge of
who Jesus is, because who knowswhat he's going to do with
their life?
We don't.
We don't get to make thatchoice.
Daniel understood this.
Nebuchadnezzar was not thegreatest person in the world,
but he was a soul worthredemption and he found it.
(37:37):
He found it in suffering.
But again, the beauty of whatwe find in Daniel is that, even
if we don't know, it doesn'tchange a thing about who God is.
He's still in charge, he'sstill in control.
That as we navigate thechallenges of this life, that we
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do so with the same truth andcompassion God has shown us
Truth that stands firm, gracethat reaches deep and faith that
holds on, even in the valley.
Let's pray.
Again, it's no small measure and I realize that even
just breakfast probably doesn'treally capture what people do.
I come from a family of firstresponders and it wasn't until I
recently kind of got back intoit that I realized what a
sacrifice it can be.
Okay, so Daniel, chapter 4.
(00:25):
We've been going through thebook of Daniel and Daniel is
prophetic.
So as we get later into Daniel,there's actually some
correlation between Daniel andRevelation.
That comes and listen.
That's a bigger conversationthan a Sunday morning, let me
tell you, anytime you startthinking and processing future
(00:50):
prophecies, there's a lot tounpack.
But Daniel is setting up acontrast and, by the way, for
those of you who sit on thisside, I'm going to try really
hard to turn this way, because Irealize that I'm right-handed
and I've been watching myself.
I watch my sermons when I go,go back, because I want to make
sure I don't sound dumb when Isay stuff, and I realized that I
look this way a lot.
So you guys are great, but Idon't care about you today, I'm
(01:12):
a focus over here, over here.
So Daniel is a contrast betweengood and evil.
Right, we see Daniel, who is aprophet.
He's someone who is seekingafter God.
He's following after God and heexemplifies humility,
exemplifies purpose.
And don't misunderstand Danielis a leader in the same way
(01:36):
Nebuchadnezzar is.
They both are leading in theirrightful positions, and I think
we have to clarify that becausea lot of times we think that
leadership roles are onlyestablished by those who have
the title.
That's not how that works.
Positions, and I think we haveto clarify that because a lot of
times we think that leadershiproles are only established by
those who have the title.
That's not how that works.
If you've ever worked in anyjob, you understand that there
are people who are in charge andthen there are people who are
really in charge.
(01:57):
Right, you might have the nameof manager, but Beth in
groceries tells everyone whenthe schedule works right.
We all know how that worksright.
And so Daniel is leading in hisown right.
So Nebuchadnezzar is leadingwith the title of king.
(02:19):
Now, the contrast here isNebuchadnezzar is about as
narcissistic as they come.
He's it, he's the guy.
I mean literally.
God gives him a dream of astatue that's made out of gold,
and then you know Daniel,chapter two and Daniel chapter
three.
Nebuchadnezzar decides to builda giant statue of gold of
himself.
(02:39):
So he takes the dream and it'sinterpreted, and yet he decides
to make it all about him.
Nebuchadnezzar is what happenswhen leadership's in power
that's not following God.
It's very self-centered, it'svery egotistical, it's all about
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him.
And then you have Daniel, who'squite the opposite.
He's seeking after God, heexemplifies humility.
And so we get to Daniel,chapter 4.
And Daniel, chapter 4, is goingto unfold a narrative and it's
going to give us a dream thatNebuchadnezzar has.
(03:21):
That is rightfully disturbing.
That Nebuchadnezzar has, thatis rightfully disturbing.
The dream is vivid, it'spowerful, it's significant and
it's going to alter the courseof Nebuchadnezzar's life.
Even though he hasn't quiteunderstood it yet, john Wolford
(03:43):
notes in light of other passagesin the Bible speaking
prophetically of Babylon and itsultimate overthrow, of which
Isaiah 13 and 14 may be taken asan example, it becomes clear
that the contest between God andNebuchadnezzar is a broad
illustration of God's dealingwith the entire human race,
especially the Gentile world inits creaturely pride and failure
(04:07):
to recognize the sovereignty ofGod.
In other words, nebuchadnezzar'sstory is a microcosm of a much
larger pattern.
God raises up nations, but healso brings them low when they
exalt themselves above him, whenthey exalt themselves above him
.
So Nebuchadnezzar is about tofind out what happens when you
(04:29):
don't give everything to God.
So, starting in verse 1, daniel, chapter 4, king Nebuchadnezzar
, to all people's, nations andlanguages that dwell in all the
earth, peace be multiplied toyou.
It has seemed good to me toshow the signs and wonders that
the Most High God has done forme.
(04:49):
Again, nebuchadnezzar has madeit all about himself.
I want to tell you about allthe good stuff God has done for
me.
How great are his signs, howmighty his wonders.
His kingdom is an everlastingkingdom and his dominion endures
from generation to generation.
I think this falls under thecategory of gaslighting a little
(05:11):
bit.
He's given God this praise andthis glory, but really
internally he's not reallyconcerned about his worship of
God.
It's all for the people.
Continuing in verse 4, it says I, nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in
my house and prospering in mypalace.
Again, it's all about me.
(05:32):
I saw a dream that made meafraid as I lay in bed.
The fancies and the visions inmy head alarmed me.
So I made a decree that all thewise men of Babylon should be
brought before me, that theymight make known to me the
interpretation of the dream.
Then the magicians, theenchanters, the Chaldeans and
the astrologers came in and Itold them the dream, but they
(05:54):
could not make known to me itsinterpretation.
At last, daniel came in beforeme.
I don't know why he justdoesn't start with Daniel
Seriously, why does he bringeverybody else in?
Daniel's the only one, so itsays.
But at last Daniel came to mebefore he who was named
Belshazzar after the name of myGod.
So Daniel's name was changed toBelshazzar in order to honor
(06:17):
the God that Nebuchadnezzarworshiped.
It said in whom the spirit ofthe holy gods.
And I told him the dream,saying O Belshazzar, chief of
the magicians, because I knowthat the spirit of the holy gods
is in you and that no mysteryis too difficult for you.
Tell me the visions of my dreamthat I saw in their
(06:38):
interpretation.
The visions of my head as I layin bed were these I saw and
behold a tree in the midst ofthe earth, and its height was
great.
The tree grew and became strongand its top reached the heaven,
and it was visible to the endof the whole earth.
Its leaves were beautiful andits fruit abundant, and in it
was food for all.
The beast of the field foundshade under it and the birds of
(07:01):
the heavens lived in itsbranches and all flesh was fed
from it.
I saw in the visions of my headA holy one came down from heaven
.
He proclaimed aloud and saidthus Chop down the tree and lop
off its branches, strip off itsleaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts flee from underit and the birds from its
(07:23):
branches, but leave the stump ofits 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 ofheaven.
Let his portion be with thebeasts in the grass of the field
.
Let him be wet with the dew ofheaven.
Let his portion be with thebeast and the grass of the earth
.
Let his mind be changed fromman's and let a beast's mind be
given him and let seven periodsof time pass over him.
(07:43):
The sentence is, by the decreeof the watchers, the decision of
the word of the holy ones, tothe end, that the living may
know that the most high rulesthe kingdom of men and gives it
to whom he will, and over it thelowest of men.
This dream I, kingNebuchadnezzar, saw, and you, o
Belshazzar, tell me theinterpretation, because all the
(08:05):
wise men in my kingdom are notable to make known to me the
interpretation.
But you are able, for theSpirit of the Holy God is in you
.
So Nebuchadnezzar starts withthis dream of this beautiful
tree, and it's providing shadeand protection and food for
(08:25):
everything around it.
And if you read through thedream, eventually the tree goes
from a tree to a hymn.
It shifts about halfway down,and so all of a sudden, this
dream goes from this tree that'sprosperous and over-glorifying
everything.
And all of a sudden, a watchershows up and the tree is to be
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cut down, destroyed.
Every good thing it was doingwill be lost, the only thing
left will be the roots.
And so Nebuchadnezzar calls inhis dreamers, his magicians, his
enchanters, and says tell mewhat this dream means Before we
(09:10):
get to Daniel's interpretation.
By the way, it's not good, notfor Nebuchadnezzar.
I can imagine that theenchanters and his magicians
probably knew what the dreammeant, but none of them wanted
to tell him.
Because, see, when you payattention to how kingdoms work,
there were people who were kingsand there were people who
followed the king, and usuallythe people who followed the king
(09:31):
were loyal subjects and theybenefited from being loyal
subjects.
Right, there was a plus side tobeing in the good feeling of
the king.
He didn't kill you.
So he gives his dream and I canimagine among them they've
decided not to tell him what itmeans because it's not going to
be good.
And then you have Daniel.
(09:55):
Daniel who comes in and he findsNebuchadnezzar recounting a
dream, and this dream starts outby affirming his greatness.
Verses 1-12 paint a picture ofa prosperous king, a kingdom
that's thriving.
And then you get to verses 13through 18, and all of a sudden
(10:17):
there's judgment on this tree.
It's torn down, and God revealsin verses 13 through 18 that
he's sovereign, that he's aboutto show even the king who's in
charge, that he's not really incharge, because God ultimately
chooses who reigns and whodoesn't.
(10:38):
So, no matter how much power,no matter how impressive your
kingdom might be, if God decidesto remove you from said kingdom
, he will do so.
That's the beauty of it.
That's why, when we's why whenI know we talk every four years,
we go into politics and it's abig thing and listen.
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I think that's important.
As a country, we get to vote,but we get so stressed about
who's in charge and really,daniel 4 reminds us that only
God's in charge.
It doesn't matter who's sittingon the throne.
What matters is are wefollowing the one?
4 reminds us that only God's incharge.
It doesn't matter who's sittingon the throne.
What matters is, are wefollowing the one who's eternal?
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And so Daniel comes in and hehears this dream, and Daniel's
reaction is one that I findinteresting.
So you have to remember,daniel's been taken into
captivity.
His name is Belshazzar.
The guy who serves the onlytrue God is named after a fake
God, right?
So they've changed his name,they've taken his family,
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they've stripped his identity.
Even though he has power, hispower within the kingdom is
still limited because it's stillnot home.
Kingdom is still limitedbecause it's still not home.
If there is ever a person in theworld who, I say, is justified
in vengeance, daniel is the him.
Daniel has every right to beupset, he has every right to
(12:06):
hate Nebuchadnezzar.
He has every right to will, towish nothing but evil upon him.
I mean, the king has donenothing but caused his life
turmoil, but Daniel chooses toreact differently, and I think
that that's important to note,because how we handle people,
(12:31):
how we handle people in theworld we don't like sometimes.
I think is a reflection of whowe follow as a church.
As Christians, you and I arecalled to humility above all
else, and that's not always easy.
But here we see Daniel modelthat.
So, starting in verse 19, itsays Then Daniel, whose name was
(12:52):
Belshazzar, was dismayed for awhile and his thoughts alarmed
him.
It says For your enemies.
So Daniel says toNebuchadnezzar I don't want to
(13:15):
have to tell you this, but Iwish this dream wasn't for you.
And he has compassion.
He doesn't want to see thishappen.
But why not?
I mean everything thatNebuchadnezzar's done.
Why is Daniel choosing torespond this way?
(13:39):
And I think it's because Danielunderstood that God is a
compassionate God.
He didn't want to see anythingbefall his enemy, but he tells
him the dream anyways, in verse20.
It says the tree you saw whichgrew and became strong so that
its top reached the heaven andwas visible to the end of the
(13:59):
whole earth, the leaves werebeautiful and its fruit abundant
, and which was food for all,under which beasts of the field
found shade and whose branchesthe birds of the heavens lived.
It is you.
Okay, you have grown and becomestrong.
Your greatness has grown andreaches to the heaven and your
dominion to the ends of theearth.
And because the king saw awatcher, a holy one, coming down
(14:23):
from heaven and saying chopdown the tree and destroy it,
but leave the stump of its rootsin the earth, bound with a band
of iron and bronze and thetender grass of the field, and
let it be wet with the grass ofthe field, and let him be wet
with the dew of the heaven andlet his portion be with the
beast of the field till sevenperiods of time pass over him.
This is the interpretation, oking.
It is the decree of the MostHigh which has come upon my Lord
(14:47):
the King, that you shall bedriven from among men and your
dwelling shall be with the beastof the field.
You shall be made deep grasslike an ox and you shall be wet
with the dew of the heaven andseven periods of time shall pass
over you.
So you know that the Most Highrules the kingdom of men and
gives it to whom he will.
And as it was commanded toleave the stump of those roots
(15:11):
of the tree, your kingdom shallbe confirmed for you from the
time that you know that heavenrules.
Therefore, o king, let mycounsel be acceptable to you.
So Daniel interprets this dreamfor Nebuchadnezzar, and there's
(15:36):
a few things that need to benoted.
The book of Daniel not onlyreveals profound truths about
who God is, his sovereignty, hiswisdom and justice, but it also
serves as a guide for howbelievers can live faithfully in
any nation or cultural setting.
In Daniel 4, one of the moststriking lessons we learn about
Daniel himself is that heembodies both moral courage and
(15:59):
genuine compassion.
He does not shy away fromcalling out sin and injustice,
even when addressing the mostpowerful man in the world.
Yet his heart remains tendertowards Nebuchadnezzar, the very
one responsible for so muchoppression.
Charles Feinberg captures thisbeautifully, and he says this
verse reveals the heart ofDaniel, as well as in the entire
(16:21):
book of Daniel.
He knew the meaning of thisdream and how well
Nebuchadnezzar deserved what wascome upon him.
Nevertheless, daniel's heart wasconcerned for the king and
grieved over the fact that hehad to tell him.
This was a distinctive featureof the true prophets of God.
Though they often had topredict judgments, they were
nevertheless grieved when any ofGod's creatures were chastised.
(16:43):
By the way, that does provetrue, unless you look at Jonah
Jonah's kind of the exception tothe rule, because Jonah was the
one God said go to Nineveh, andJonah's like I'm not doing that
.
But the prophets were known forspeaking truth.
So one, daniel, stands on truth.
(17:06):
He calls Nebuchadnezzar toaccount for what he's done.
He says stop living this way,stop oppressing people, stop
ruling like you are, stopoppressing people, stop ruling
like you are.
It's not working.
He stands on truth, but he alsoshows compassion.
He says Nebuchadnezzar, turnfrom your ways so that maybe
this dream will be spared of youand your prosperity will
(17:31):
continue Again.
The contrast in Daniel is soincredible.
You have Nebuchadnezzar who'sfull of himself.
He does whatever he can to stayin power.
He bullies people.
And then you have Daniel, a manafter God, who's showing
(17:52):
nothing but humility,interpreting these dreams,
praying for the king, wishingthat the dream that he just
interpreted wasn't for him.
I mean, daniel loves hisenemies.
I have a hard time processingthat sometimes.
(18:12):
I have a hard time processingthat sometimes Because I
immediately think people whohave slighted me in my life.
I think about people that haveharmed me or harmed my family,
and the very human part of mewants them to get what's coming
to them.
We want them to just suffer alittle bit because they made us
(18:39):
suffer.
And here you have Daniel, inexile, abused by a king, lost
his name, lost his identity,robbed of his home.
You have Daniel who modelsJesus.
Even before Jesus, he looks atNebuchadnezzar and says I want
(19:00):
you to stop living the way thatyou're living, because I want
God to show you favor and notjudgment.
That should be the heart of thechurch.
That's where humility comesinto play.
That every single person whocrosses our door frame, every
person we meet, we should wantnothing more for them than to
(19:22):
know God.
We want God to see them changetheir life.
We want God to help themovercome the things that they're
struggling with.
We should be people ofcompassion, but also people who
stand on truth.
The Word of God is truth.
We were called to call sin whatit is.
Daniel doesn't shy away fromthat.
(19:43):
He doesn't say oh, king, youknow you can continue to live
the way that you live and maybeGod will grant you.
He says no, stop it, stopliving this way, and maybe God
will show you compassion Because, king, that's what I want for
you.
It says how do we reconcilelove for our enemies, especially
(20:07):
when those enemies are the veryones who have harmed us.
For Daniel, the challenge isdeeply personal.
He's living in exile under therule of the king who conquered
his people, destroyed hishomeland and subjected him to a
foreign culture.
And yet, when Nebuchadnezzarhad a troubling dream, daniel is
not gleeful or vengeful.
Instead, he is deeply grievedby what he knows is coming.
(20:30):
You might expect Daniel torejoice in the king's downfall.
Perhaps that's why none of theother wise men could interpret
the dream.
Maybe they wanted it to happen.
It brings to mind Jonah, whoresisted going to Nineveh
because he wanted to see thepeople suffer.
Why offer the opportunity torepent when judgment feels
deserved?
But Daniel is different.
(20:50):
He responds not with bitternessbut with compassion.
He even says he wishes thedream implied in
Nebuchadnezzar's enemies.
Instead, in this moment, danielsees beyond politics, power and
personal pain, and he sees aperson created by God, a soul
still worthy of redemption.
That's the heart of it that allpeople matter to God, not just
(21:15):
the ones we'd like or agree with.
Daniel embodies this truth.
He stands firm in calling outthe king's oppression and
injustice, but he does so withhumility and grace.
He recognizes that he too is inneed of God's mercy.
His hope isn't in the downfallof his enemy.
It's in the repentance of hisenemy he prays the king might
(21:36):
turn from pride and become anally rather than remain an
adversary.
That's what it means to embracehumility.
That's what it looks like tolive like a faithful witness in
a broken world.
Daniel models for you and Iwhat it looks like to look at a
world that's fallen apart andbroken and try to see them how
(21:57):
God does.
That's the focus.
Everyone was created by God.
Everyone is worthy ofredemption.
Everyone, not just the peoplewe like, not just the people we
prefer, but everyone, evenNebuchadnezzar, is worth
(22:22):
redemption.
I talked about this last yearand I still have a hard time
reconciling with it because mybrain really just my humanity.
I found out last year when Iwas studying on kind of a
(22:43):
similar topic, if you know thename, jeffrey Dahmer.
Jeffrey Dahmer was someone whodid a lot of incredibly bad
things.
He was not a good person, madea lot of mistakes, he hurt a lot
of people.
I found out and I was doing alittle bit of research on him
because I was curious and Ifound out that in prison, before
(23:03):
he died, that he gave his lifeto Christ and he was baptized in
prison and I'm telling youright now when I read that, it
did not sit right with me,because I have a really hard
time processing that, because Iknow what he's done right and I
know what he did and how he hurtpeople.
(23:25):
But where I have to reconcile,that is I know who God is and I
know that God offers grace toanyone who calls on his name,
and I know that mercy is anabundance for those who need it.
Because people likeNebuchadnezzar, who slaughtered
innocents, was someone who asoul that was worth redemption.
And so I wrestle with that,because if God's grace is enough
(23:52):
for someone like Jeffrey Dahmer, then how I treat people
matters, because if grace ismeant for everyone who seeks it,
then that means that everyperson who is part of my life
and outside of my life, andevery person God created is made
(24:13):
for redemption, that they canbe redeemed.
Listen, I love that song.
I was made for more.
I wasn't meant to be tending agrave.
I know my life.
Listen, I know where I've comefrom.
I can tell you that I'veprobably never done anything to
the level of Jeffrey Dahmer, butI've done some things in my
past I'm not proud of.
(24:34):
I've sinned and I've mademistakes and I've hurt people,
and God has shown mercy andgrace to me.
And so Daniel, looking atNebuchadnezzar, wishes and prays
and hopes that he can just comearound and maybe this judgment
won't befall him.
But Nebuchadnezzar, in truefashion, lives up to his ego.
(25:02):
Daniel 4, starting in verse 28,said All this came upon King
Nebuchadnezzar At the end of 12months.
He was walking on the roof, itsaid.
(25:22):
While the words were still inthe king's mouth, there fell a
voice from heaven.
O, king Nebuchadnezzar, to youit is spoken.
The kingdom has departed fromyou and you shall be driven from
among men and your dwellingshall be with the beasts of the
field and you shall be made toeat grass like an ox, and seven
(25:43):
periods of time shall pass overyou until you know the most high
rules, the kingdom of men, andgives it to whom he will.
Immediately, the word wasfulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar
.
He was driven from among menand ate grass like an ox, and
his body was wet with the dew ofheaven.
So his hair grew as long aseagles feathers and his nails
were like birds claws.
(26:06):
Nebuchadnezzar brought about hisown downfall.
God warned him, god tried tohelp him understand Daniel tried
to encourage him to just turnfrom his ways.
I had someone ask me last weekwhen we got done and part of
(26:31):
where we're going in this wholefocus is the fact that God's
sovereign.
So God, he sees all, he's overall, he's in charge of all.
However, there's still anaspect of life.
You know we have free will tomake decisions, and someone
asked me, and they're like well,how do you reconcile God being
sovereign when people say youreap what you sow?
(26:52):
By the way, galatians 6-7 saysit like this do not be deceived,
god is not mocked, for whateverone sows, that he also will
reap.
And so when you talk about howdo we reconcile that?
It's because sometimes ourdownfall is our fault.
It is Daniel and his friends.
(27:13):
What was happening to them intheir life was not their fault.
They didn't do anything to makeit happen.
The people of Israel kind ofscrewed up along the way, but
them being overtaken by a kingwas not their doing.
They didn't wake up one day andsay, hey, I want to go in exile
.
They had no control over that.
(27:35):
Nebuchadnezzar had control overhow he approached his kingdom.
So the reason, one of thereasons he ends up in this mess
is because, instead of takingthe warning from God that's been
given him, he finds himself 12months later talking about how
great he is and the kingdom isso great because of him.
(27:57):
He can't get past himself andso he brings upon his own
downfall.
Sometimes you and I are in themess that we're in because we
did it.
I think about this.
Like you know, I've beenworking on like losing weight.
That's my goal for the nextyear is to try to lose.
(28:18):
I got about another 80 pounds.
I didn't listen.
I didn't get this way becauseGod made me overweight.
I'm just throwing that outthere.
It doesn't work that way.
I wish it did.
Now I realize there's somefactors in play and there's some
things that happen and peoplecan't always control things.
But I can tell you I got thisway because when I wrestled and
(28:40):
played football in high school,the same way I ate, then I kept
eating.
When I stopped doing all thatstuff and up until about a year
ago, when I would sit down, Iwould overeat too much food, and
so this is how I got to where Iam.
This is a consequence of thatright, so I have to accept
responsibility for that andtrust and believe that God's
(29:02):
going to help me get to where Ineed to be.
But again, some of the sins,some of the suffering in our
life is our own fault.
Yet it doesn't change the factthat God is still in charge.
God is still in the midst ofall of it.
God being sovereign doesn'tmean he gets to pick and choose.
(29:24):
When he's with us, it meansthat he's always with us.
When he's with us, it meansthat he's always with us.
And so here we findNebuchadnezzar facing the
consequences of his own sin.
He's been cast into thewilderness, eating like an ox.
The dude's hair grows superlong and his nails get really
(29:44):
sharp.
He's lost his mind.
But even in his sufferingthere's still hope.
So Daniel, chapter 4, startingin verse 34, said At the end of
(30:07):
the days, I, nebuchadnezzar,lifted my eyes to heaven and my
reason returned to me and Iblessed the most high and I
praised and honored him, wholives forever, for his dominion
is an everlasting dominion andhis kingdom endures from
generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of theearth are accounted as nothing,
(30:27):
and he does according to hiswill.
Among, the most of heaven andamong the inhabitants of the
earth are accounted as nothing,and he does according to his
will, among the most of heavenand among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay hishand or say to him what have you
done?
At the same time, my reasonreturned to me and, for the
glory of my kingdom, my majestyand splendor returned to me.
My counselors and my Lordsought me and I was established
(30:48):
in my kingdom and still moregreatness was added to me.
Talk about a man who wentthrough a life change.
Talk about a man who wentthrough a life change.
(31:15):
Nebuchadnezzar had lived somuch of his life for himself,
but it wasn't until thesuffering that he really
realized who God was.
He found God in the middle ofan incredibly traumatic moment.
He lost everything home, lovedones, he lost his mind, and yet
(31:44):
in the middle of it he found God.
I told you that the contrastbetween Daniel and
Nebuchadnezzar is huge.
Daniel loses everything, but hestill has God.
Loses his home, loses his name,loses his family, loses
everything, but he still holdson to God.
Nebuchadnezzar has everything,everything you could ever want
(32:10):
as a king, but he loses it all.
He loses it all and when heloses it all, he finally finds
the one thing that's eternal.
He finally finds the God ofDaniel.
Suffering is not the easiestthing for you and I, but
(32:33):
sometimes God has to humble us.
God had to bring Nebuchadnezzarlow in order to raise him up.
He had to take everything awayfrom him to remind him of who he
was.
Because at the end of the day,daniel shows us that God is
sovereign.
Everything that happens he's incharge.
(32:54):
You and I are just here, we'repart of it, we're participating,
but ultimately this is hisworld, it says.
Most of us go out of our way toavoid pain.
A renowned surgeon, dr PaulBrand, learned that pain isn't
the enemy we think it is.
It's one of the body's mostvaluable tools.
So after moving to India, heobserved something striking.
(33:16):
In his work with leprosypatients, he said, lack an
(33:39):
internal system to warn them ofdanger and they often wear their
fingers, hands and feet down tostumps.
So just as physical pain alertsus to what's wrong in our
bodies, emotional and spiritualpain can alert us to what's
broken in our lives.
In that way, pain becomes apath toward healing, not just
(34:00):
suffering.
Nebuchadnezzar's story in Daniel4 echoes this truth.
The consequences of his pridewere severe.
He was driven away from people,stripped of his sanity and lost
all of the power, comfort hehad once boasted.
It was precisely through thatsuffering that his eyes were
finally opened.
His pride led to his fall, butthe pain of that fall led him to
(34:22):
truth he ultimately came toacknowledge.
In verse 32, it says the MostHigh is sovereign over all
kingdoms on earth and gives themto anyone he wishes.
It said in many ways,nebuchadnezzar's journey mirrors
countless conversion stories,countless people that have had
their lives changed.
They've lost everything just togain it all back.
(34:43):
Have their lives changed?
They've lost everything just togain it all back.
That's one thing we should takeaway from Daniel is that God's
in charge.
Whether I'm standing on themountaintop or I'm walking
through the darkest of valley,my God is still God.
(35:05):
Daniel understood that.
Daniel understood, and heunderstood it so well that he
didn't want Nebuchadnezzar toexperience suffering.
I think, if we're honest, noneof us want to go through
suffering.
There's things that I've gonethrough in my life that I would
never wish upon my worst enemy,but sometimes in suffering we
(35:25):
find God the most.
Nope, I lied.
Every time in suffering we findGod the most.
I think that's true.
I think we find God in thedepth more than we do on the
mountaintops, because God isforever concerned with our lives
and who we are and how much heloves us.
He's sovereign, he sees all, heknows all.
(35:49):
Jesus said it in John 16, 33, Ihave told you these things so
that in me, you may have peaceIn this world.
You will have trouble, but takeheart, I have overcome the
world.
That is a verse that we canstand on, because no matter what
we go through, no matter whathappens, no matter who's in
(36:12):
charge, no matter what we'reafraid of, we understand that
God is in control always.
I don't know what God hasplanned for our future.
I don't know what God hasplanned for our future.
I don't.
I used to think I wanted towhen I was younger.
(36:32):
I always wanted God to liketell me where I was going, and
I'm glad he didn't.
There's a lot of stuff Iprobably wouldn't learn along
the way.
I think I've told this before.
But if it was up to me and likeGod, like I do think there's a
couple of relationships that Iwish God like this isn't going
to work out, because I'm like,okay, I'm done Like trying so
(36:53):
hard.
But I'm just saying there aresome times that I wish God would
have given me something.
But I think the beauty of thisis, even though God doesn't
always tell us what's coming, weknow that it's for our good.
We know that it's for thebenefit of those around us.
We know that this church ismeant to be a light, a beacon in
this community, that we'resupposed to raise up the next
(37:15):
generation to follow him.
We know that we're supposed tobring people to the knowledge of
who Jesus is, because who knowswhat he's going to do with
their life?
We don't.
We don't get to make thatchoice.
Daniel understood this.
Nebuchadnezzar was not thegreatest person in the world,
but he was a soul worthredemption and he found it.
(37:37):
He found it in suffering.
But again, the beauty of whatwe find in Daniel is that, even
if we don't know, it doesn'tchange a thing about who God is.
He's still in charge, he'sstill in control.
That as we navigate thechallenges of this life, that we
(38:00):
do so with the same truth andcompassion God has shown us
Truth that stands firm, gracethat reaches deep and faith that
holds on, even in the valley.
Let's pray.
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