Collierville First Baptist Church

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Hey, I'm glad that you're here tonight.

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I want you to turn your notes over, turn them over.

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I'm gonna give you a pop test.

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Remember the pop test?

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I used to hate those things.

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All right, here's a question. One question, pass or fail, okay.

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What is the first sin ever committed?

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Pride, pride.

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Where was it committed?

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In heaven, by who?

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Satan, right?

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So how did you do on the test? Did your pastor fail?

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(Laughs)

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Okay, all right, so tonight,

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we're gonna talk about the sin God hates.

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Now God hates all sin, okay.

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But there is a particular sin that God hates

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and it is the sin of pride, the sin of pride.

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C.S. Lewis calls it the great sin, the great sin.

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It's the sin that led to the fall of Satan.

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It's the sin that led to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Remember what Satan said to him? He said, "If you eat from this tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you'll be like God."

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And Satan wanted to be God.

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And evidently, he planted that seed in Adam and Eve also.

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So C.S. Lewis said this, "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free,

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which everyone loathes when he sees it in someone else,

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of which hardly any people except Christians ever imagined that they are guilty themselves."

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I've heard people admit that they are bad-tempered

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or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink,

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or even that they are cowards.

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I do not think I've ever heard anyone who is not a Christian

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accuse himself of this vice.

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And at the same time, I have very seldom met anyone

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who is not a Christian who showed the slightest mercy to it in others.

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There is no fault that makes a man more unpopular and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.

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The vice I'm talking about is pride or self-conceit.

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And the virtue opposite to it in Christian morals is called humility.

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According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil is pride.

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Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that are mere flea bites in comparison.

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It is through pride that the devil became the devil.

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Pride leads to every other vice.

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It is the complete anti-God state of mind.

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Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian,

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made this statement. He said, "The first and worst cause of errors "that prevail in such a state of things is spiritual pride.

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"This is the main door by which the devil "comes into the hearts of those "that are zealous for the advancement of religion.

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"Tis the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit "to darken the mind, mislead the judgment.

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"This is the main handle by which the devil has hold "of religious persons.

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"And the chief source of all the mischief "that he introduces to clog and hinder a work of God.

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"This cause of error is the main spring

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"or at least the main support of all the rest.

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"Till this disease is cured, medicines are in vain, "applied to heal other diseases."

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Pride is much more difficulty, is much more difficulty discerned than any other corruption. For that reason, that the nature of it does very much consist in a person's having too high thought of himself,

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but no wonder that he has too high thought of himself and don't know it, for he necessarily thinks that the opinion he has of himself is what he has just grounds for and therefore not too high. Well, I think you get the picture.

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Now, one of the problems that Jesus had in his ministry was a problem with a group of religious people called the Pharisees. In fact, if you look at the four gospels and you look at Jesus' interaction with the Pharisees,

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he accused them either outright or he intimated that they were full of pride, pride.

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You see, pride affects Christians. I remember Dr. Rogers talking about pastors who would come to the pastors conference of the Southern Baptist Convention and strut sitting down. Remember that?

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Strut sitting down.

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So it's something that we all need to be cognizant of. It's something we need to stay away from like the plague.

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God hates pride because it challenges his sovereignty and claims a position and power that mere mortals have no right to.

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Daniel 4, through the humiliation and restoration of the most powerful man on the planet, Nebuchadnezzar, reminds us that God is in control and we are not.

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Can I just tell you this?

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Any time that we try to play God,

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we fail miserably and we end up with egg all over our face.

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Have you ever seen a Christian try to play God over another Christian's life?

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I've seen it.

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I've seen Christians try to play God over pastors.

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I've seen it.

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You've seen it.

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And it's just not a pretty thing to do. I tell you, the story we have tonight in Daniel chapter 4 is a story of pride and how to overcome pride.

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Now, the Bible speaks about pride repeatedly.

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In Romans chapter 8 verse 13,

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the Bible says the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.

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Pride in arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth. Here's what God says, I hate.

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Proverbs 11 too, when pride comes, then comes dishonor.

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But with the humble is wisdom.

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Proverbs chapter 16 verse 18,

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pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling.

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Proverbs 28 verse 25, an arrogant man stirs up strife,

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but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.

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Proverbs 29, 23, a man's pride will bring him low,

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but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

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First John 2 16, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father,

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but is from the world.

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James 4 6, but he gives greater grace. Therefore it says God is opposed to the proud,

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but gives grace to the humble.

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Would you rather God be opposed to you?

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Or would you rather be on the receiving end of God's unmerited, matchless grace?

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I know what you would choose.

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Therefore, we have got to be very, very cognizant of the fact that pride can snap at each of us. In fact, recently I read where a very prominent mega pastor going to jail for several months

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because he sexually abused a young girl.

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That's pride.

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That's just out and right pride.

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And for years, for years, this pastor refused to admit it and refused to repent.

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It's ugly. I'm telling you, it's ugly.

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So in this passage, we come to a climax of a theme that has been repeated in every chapter so far. Daniel chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four. And what it is, it's the sovereignty of God, the sovereignty of God.

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In this chapter, we're going to see how Nebuchadnezzar succumbed to pride.

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He was full of it.

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And we'll see how God disciplined him and yet how God restored him. That's the good news of this chapter.

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Look at verses one through three.

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This is very interesting how this chapter begins. It begins almost with a conclusion.

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This is a statement, an official proclamation by the most powerful man on the planet at the time, Nebuchadnezzar.

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And evidently, he gave Daniel permission to print it.

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Now, if Nebuchadnezzar was around today, he would call a press conference to make this statement.

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If he were around today, he would use X and Facebook and true social and every social media outlet he could possibly use, YouTube, everything. He would use that to make this proclamation.

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Now, it's a good proclamation.

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It's like a book ends here in the first three verses and the last few verses.

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He highlights God.

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He makes much of God.

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But in between is the rest of the story.

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Look at look at verses one through three. Nebuchadnezzar, the king to all look at this, all the people's nations and men of every language that live in all the earth.

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That's a pretty broad group of people, right?

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May your peace abound. Now that that amazed me when I read that.

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May your peace about now, this is a guy that has been threatening to throw the word. Throw people in fiery furnaces.

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This is a guy that has been threatening people with their very lives.

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And yet here we notice there's something vastly different about him.

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Now he's saying to people all over the earth, may your peace abound.

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Verse two, it has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders, which the most high God has done for me.

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How great are his signs and how mighty are his wonders.

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His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation.

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That sounds like somebody who believes in God, doesn't it? And you know what?

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I believe that Nebuchadnezzar believed in God.

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I believe that.

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Based upon how this chapter starts and how it ends.

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Now, I want you to do something. I want you to take verse two and I want you to underline or circle most high God.

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Most high God. It's the first time this name for God appears in the book of Daniel.

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Most high God. It will appear five other times in this chapter.

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I want you to mark it every time we see it. Most high God or high God or most high. Verse three.

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All right. Daniel was led by the Holy Spirit to include this official proclamation.

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Look at verses four to nine.

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I Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in my house. So he's made this proclamation.

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And now he says, I Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. Things were going great for Nebuchadnezzar. From a worldly perspective, he had everything imaginable.

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Verse five, I saw a dream and it made me fearful.

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This guy had a lot of dreams, didn't he? It made me fearful. And these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. Have you ever had a bad dream and you wake up and you shake your head a few times and you realize it was only a dream and you go, well, let me tell you, this dream is not one that Nebuchadnezzar could shake off.

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Okay.

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He said, I saw a dream. It made me fearful in these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.

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So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon.

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That they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Now this is where I don't understand Nebuchadnezzar.

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All these quote unquote wise men of Babylon had not been able to interpret the dream or to relay the dream he had earlier in chapter two. Remember?

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And yet he calls on, he keeps going to the same group of people who have no answers and cannot give him what he needs.

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Then the magicians, the conjurers, verse seven, the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the Viners came in

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and I related the dream to them. Remember in chapter two, he wouldn't relay the dream to him. He expected them to tell him what he had dreamed and the interpretations were in. So this time he told them the dream. I mean, they were halfway home. Okay.

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But the Bible said, look, they could not make its interpretation known to me.

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They failed again.

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Verse eight, but finally, Daniel came in before me.

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Now remember, Daniel was one of the young Jewish exiles brought to Babylon in 605 BC.

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He was brought there. He and his three friends, Hananiah, Azariah and Michelle, they were brought there because they were top of the line. They were smart. They were intelligent. They were good looking. They had great morals and he wanted to use them in his kingdom.

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So Daniel came in before me whose name is Belt Shazar. According to the name of my God.

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No, notice he uses both Daniel, his Hebrew name and the name that he had given him related to his God.

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In whom is the spirit of the holy gods.

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And I related the dream to him saying, what did he mean? What did he mean? He said, let me tell you what, the spirit of the holy gods. Let me tell you what the reason Nebuchadnezzar had such profound respect for Daniel is because of Daniel's integrity.

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And because of Daniel's love for the Lord, his love for the Lord.

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He not only taught the talk, he walked the walk.

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And Nebuchadnezzar realized that and he respected that.

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So he came in before Nebuchadnezzar.

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And I related the dream to him saying, oh, Belt Shazar, he's made him chief of the magicians.

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Since I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you, that's the second time he said that, isn't it? And no mystery baffles you.

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Tell me the visions of my dream, which I've seen along with its interpretation.

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Give me the interpretation. I need to know what this means. That's what he's saying.

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Now, Nebuchadnezzar was enjoying success and security and prosperity. That's when all this began to happen to him.

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And God gave him a dream that scared the living daylights out of him.

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And so Daniel came in like a rescuer on a white horse and he related the dream to Nebuchadnezzar. We'll get to that in just a moment. So the king recognized that Daniel has a hand of God's favor on his life.

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Nebuchadnezzar did not need a yes, man.

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He needed a truth man.

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He needed someone who will listen to the dream and speak truth into his life.

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That's how serious it was for him.

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Now, page five, look at verses 10 to 18.

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"Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed." So he's relating this to Daniel.

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"I was looking and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great."

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Now already in chapter two, Daniel has had a dream about a great statue, remember? A great statue.

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Then in chapter three, he builds a great statue and covers it with gold.

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Now in chapter four, his dream is about a great tree.

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"The tree grew large and became strong and its height reached to the sky and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.

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Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant and it was food for all. The beast of the field found shade under it and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches. And all living creatures fed themselves from it. I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed and behold an angelic watcher, a holy one descended from heaven." Now, what does Daniel mean when he mentions an angelic watcher? He's talking about an angel.

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It's an angel. So an angel descended from heaven.

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Verse 14, "He shouted out and spoke as follows, chop down the tree and cut off his branches, strip off its foliage, scatter its fruit.

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Let the beast flee from under it and the birds from its branches.

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Yet leave the stump with the roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field.

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And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and let him share with the beast in the grass of the earth.

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Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let a beast's mind be given to him and let seven periods of time pass over him."

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This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, the angelic beings. God sent an angel with a message for Nebuchadnezzar. And the decision is a command of the holy ones in order that the living may... Look at this.

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You ought to underline this. It's a key part of the story.

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In order that the living may know that the Most High... There's the name of God again, Most High. Underline that or circle it.

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That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind.

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Sovereign. God is sovereign.

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And bestows it on whom he wishes and sets it over the lowliest men. In the Old Testament prophets, especially, I think Jeremiah, he mentioned that God has the authority and sovereignty to put a ruler in place and to take a ruler out. He has a sovereignty to plant a nation and to uproot a nation.

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That's exactly what this message is about.

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Verse 18, "This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen.

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Now you, Belt Shazar, tell me its interpretation.

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Inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able..."

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And I think this is the third time he mentions, "For a spirit of the holy gods is in you."

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He knew that Daniel walked with God.

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He knew that he could depend upon Daniel because he was a man of God and a man of great integrity.

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Hey, just let me ask you this.

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Can someone in the circle of your life say the same about you?

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Can they say, "I know I can trust so and so because he walks with God."

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It's a man or woman of integrity.

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Now, if you're a born again believer, everybody in your circle of influence ought to be able to say that about you.

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Can they do that?

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Jesus said, "If any man wishes to come after me," Luke 9.23, "If any man wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."

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The Bible says the role of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, who has filled our heart and sealed us to the day of redemption is to conform us to the image of Jesus,

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to make us more like Jesus in what we say, in how we think, and in what we do, and in the values that we embrace in our lives.

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Apparently, it had been about, now this is approximate, about 30 years had transpired between chapter 3 and chapter 4,

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between Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the fiery furnace and this instance right here that we read about in chapter 4.

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It's, scholars guess that Daniel may be about 50 years old right here.

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He came as a teenager, and for all those years, from teenage years until he's 50 years old, he's been walking with God. You can see it in people, can't you? You can just sense it when somebody's really walking with God, when they love the Lord with all their heart,

[01:28:04;54 - 01:28:28;30]
with all their mind, with all their soul, all their strength. You just know you trust them. If you ask them to give you advice, spiritual advice about, spiritual counsel about something, you know they're going to tell you like it is. They're not going to tell you what you want to hear. They're going to tell you the truth.

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Listen, I would lot rather somebody tell me the truth about something than to tell me something that's not true in order not to hurt my feelings.

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I'd lot rather that happen. You can trust somebody like that.

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Now, this tree in this dream represents King Nebuchadnezzar, and it represents the fact that he had become super powerful and super successful and super prosperous.

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Verse 17 is a key that unlocks the purpose of the chapter and the interpretation of the dream. Let's look at verse 17 again.

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This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones in order that the living may know that the most high is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom he wishes and sets it over the low list of men.

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Brian Chapel said talent, brains and opportunity mean nothing apart from God's provision.

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In Daniel chapter four verses 19 to 27, we pick up the story again.

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Then Daniel, whose name is Belchazar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him.

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The king responded and said, Belchazar, do not let the dreamer's interpretation alarm you.

[01:30:28;28 - 01:30:51;25]
Belchazar replied, my Lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries. You know what I've noticed here about Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar? Daniel had a love for Nebuchadnezzar. He had a respect for Nebuchadnezzar.

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He didn't view him as an enemy.

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You remember what Jeremiah told the Jewish people when they were carried into exile to Babylon?

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He said, plant gardens, have babies, pray for the welfare of the city that you're in.

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That's how they were to handle the exile to a foreign country.

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Look at verse 20. The tree that you saw which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth.

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I would have been wanting somebody to tell me what that meant too, wouldn't you?

[01:31:48;11 - 01:31:59;36]
And whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and which was food for all, under which the beast of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged.

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Verse 22, look at it.

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It is you.

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It is you, O king.

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For you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth.

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In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven, saying, chop down the tree and destroy it.

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Yet leave the stump with its root in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beast of the field until seven periods of time pass over him. That's seven years. Seven periods of time is seven years.

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Verse 24, this is the interpretation, O king.

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And this is where Daniel could have really been putting his life on the line, his neck on the line right here. This is the interpretation, O king. This is the decree of the Most High. There's the name again. Most High.

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Six times we see it, that name for God in this chapter.

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It's the first time it's appeared in the book of Daniel.

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And I asked myself, why?

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What's the significance of this new name for God here at this pivotal moment in the story? This is the last time we're going to hear from Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel.

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This is it.

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Look at this.

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This is the interpretation, O king. This is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the king, that you be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place be with the beast of the field.

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And you be given grass to eat like cattle, and be drenched with the dew of heaven.

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And seven periods of time will pass over you seven years until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes.

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In that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is heaven that rules.

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Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you.

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And I love what Daniel does here.

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Daniel challenges the king.

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He gives an invitation to the king, an exhortation to the king.

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Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away now from your sins. Quit sinning.

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By doing righteousness, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.

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Now here's a breakdown of Daniel's interpretation in simple proposition.

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You, O king, are the great tree.

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Symbolize the greatness.

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You are the tree chopped down with only a stump remaining.

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You will live like an animal outdoors in the field for seven years.

[01:36:11;14 - 01:36:13;57]
All of this will happen to teach you a valuable lesson.

[01:36:16;44 - 01:36:18;30]
God's sovereign. You're not.

[01:36:19;31 - 01:36:27;22]
You're ruling the greatest nation on the planet, but God has allowed you to rule the greatest nation on the planet.

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When you come to your spiritual senses, you will get your kingdom back.

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God is gracious and loving, and is quick to forgive and show mercy. Boy, that's something that comes out of this story loud and clear.

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So listen to my counsel. Daniel says, "Stop your sinning and start doing the right thing. Stop your wicked injustices and show mercy to the oppressed."

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If you do, God will be kind and will restore you.

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We're not told what King Nebuchadnezzar said that day. We're not told.

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In fact, the verses that follow take us a year into the future.

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One year, 12 months into the future.

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I wish we could have heard the conversation that might have developed between Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel after Daniel delivered that message.

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But we don't have it.

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But we do know what happened a year later.

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You know, I want to have courage and convictions and commitment like Daniel had.

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He didn't shrink from speaking God's word into the life of the most powerful man on the planet.

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And he provided an example for the kind of backbone that we need as believers in this culture today. We live in a culture that has rotten to the core. And when we come across people in our sphere of influence, that God wants us to speak something into their lives.

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Not what we think, but what God says in his word.

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Say it in the right way, the right time, with the right kind of motive. God can use us in a powerful way.

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So what happened a year later? Look at it. Look at verses 28 to 33.

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All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.

[01:39:30;32 - 01:39:31;37]
12 months later.

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Now remember that last message he got from Daniel.

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Repent.

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Quit sinning. Do the right thing. Take care of the oppressed.

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For a year, he had a chance to get right with God.

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For a year, he had a chance to humble himself under the mighty hand of God that God may have resolved him at the proper time as the Bible says.

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But he didn't do it.

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You know, when I read this today.

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I thought to myself, I wonder how many people come to church.

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They hear the word of God.

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And the Holy Spirit makes it very personal in their lives, very specific in their lives.

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Just like Daniel did to Nebuchadnezzar.

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And how many people walk out the door.

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Without having repented and done what God wanted them to do.

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I tell you, every time we do it.

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We are playing with fire.

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Every time.

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You know, if I say something to you, it's one thing. But if God says something to you, it's a totally different thing.

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That's why I believe it's very important.

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That pastors preach the Bible.

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Because when you preach the Bible.

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It's not Chuck speaking, it's God speaking, right?

[01:41:21;30 - 01:41:22;11]
It's God.

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And I thought about Nebuchadnezzar.

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He had 12 months.

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To get this thing right with God.

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Verse 29, 12 months later, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. I tell you, it was something to behold. He had put his his fingerprints all over the city of Babylon.

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The hanging gardens of Babylon were were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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Do you know what Saddam Hussein offered? You know, his goal was to rebuild Babylon, the city of Babylon. And he offered a million dollars to anybody who could tell him how to rebuild the hanging gardens of Babylon that Nebuchadnezzar had built.

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He viewed himself as the next Nebuchadnezzar.

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Didn't turn out too good for him, did it?

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Verse 30, the king reflected and said, here's King Nebuchadnezzar. Here's what he says.

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He looks at what he's done. He said, is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my master? There's a lot of magic. There's a lot of my's in there.

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Verse 31, while the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven saying, King Nebuchadnezzar.

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To you it is the great. He thought he had a bad dream. He was scared then. I can't imagine what he went through when he heard this voice from heaven.

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King Nebuchadnezzar. To you it is declared, sovereignty has been removed from you.

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And you will be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. And you will be given grass to eat like cattle and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the most high is ruler over the realm of mankind. There's most high again is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes.

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Verse 33, immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle.

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And his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagle's feathers in his nails like bird's claws.

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You say, pastor, that's hyperbole. That's not real. It's real. It is real. It is real. Take your Bible. Look at Roman chapter one. Look at verse 20. Roman chapter one verse 20 New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans.

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I'll leave you the thing out, Tommy.

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Look at verse 20, Romans one 20 for since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power, we're talking about God here.

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And divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse.

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For even though they knew God, look at this now, even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks.

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But they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened.

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Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four footed animals and crawling creatures.

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In the book by John Lennox, he makes a statement.

[01:46:42;29 - 01:46:54;37]
He said, expressing gratitude to God is likewise an acknowledgement of indebtedness and dependence upon him.

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It is here that humans in their pride tend to go wrong.

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They will not acknowledge that they are dependent upon someone higher than themselves.

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Rejection of God has a detrimental effect on a person's ability to reason.

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In fact, he says right here on page 168, rejection of God leads to the death of a civilized culture.

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That has America written all over it.

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Let me repeat that. Rejection of God leads to the death of a civilized culture.

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Let me just give an example.

[01:48:18;12 - 01:48:22;19]
Peter Singer is an atheist.

[01:48:31;29 - 01:48:32;26]
And he made this statement.

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He said, there's no reason to think.

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He makes no differentiation between animals and human beings. In his mind, Psalm 8, where humans are given second place in the created order.

[01:48:55;54 - 01:49:05;56]
In his mind, there's no difference between a human being and an animal. None. So here's what he writes. Peter Singer.

[01:49:07;00 - 01:49:14;19]
There's no reason to think that a fish suffers less when dying in a net than a fetus suffers during abortion.

[01:49:17;00 - 01:49:22;31]
Hence, the argument for not eating fish is much stronger than the argument against abortion.

[01:49:23;32 - 01:49:32;31]
The life of a newborn baby is of less value than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee.

[01:49:35;30 - 01:49:39;00]
Now, this guy probably got a list of doctorates a mile long.

[01:49:43;17 - 01:49:50;19]
But his ability to reason has been darkened because he's rejected God.

[01:49:56;27 - 01:49:59;15]
And thus you have the death of a civilized culture.

[01:50:09;07 - 01:50:18;27]
Well, God dropped the hammer on Nebuchadnezzar and he became animal like.

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One theologian said he was struck by what was probably a behavioral disorder called boanthropy. Where one imagines himself to be a cow or bull and acts accordingly.

[01:50:40;27 - 01:50:49;27]
Or he could have been like can't therapy where a person believes he or she is an animal like a wolf.

[01:50:52;20 - 01:50:54;03]
So real behavioral disorder.

[01:50:56;14 - 01:51:03;28]
But it was a judgment of God on a man who didn't show any gratitude to God or recognize that God was sovereign.

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Sinclair Ferguson said the one who refused to honor God's glory loses his own glory.

[01:51:17;06 - 01:51:20;51]
Refusing to share what he has with the poor, he becomes poorer than the poor.

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He becomes outwardly what his heart has been spiritually and inwardly bestial.

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I love the way the chapter ends.

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I love the fact that the Holy Spirit didn't give Daniel all the nitty gritty details of how Nebuchadnezzar lived for seven years.

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He did. He just dropped the truth in there and then he went on to what was really important.

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And here's what's really important. Look at verse 34 to 37.

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I told you that this chapter is like bookends.

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You got the opening part of the chapter where God is glorified. You got the end of the chapter where God is glorified.

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Look at verse 34. But at the end of that period, I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me.

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You know what that tells me?

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That tells me that somebody who is reject like a Peter Singer. I believe in the grace of God. I believe in the omnipotent power of God. I believe God could do anything. I believe he can save anybody.

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And even a horrible person like Peter Singer, if they turn their eyes to heaven, they acknowledge the God of heaven.

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If they embrace the gospel.

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God can save them and change their lives and can return reason to them that they've lost.

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And my reason returned to me and I notice what when there's reason return, what did he do? Look at it.

[01:53:40;39 - 01:53:43;26]
I bless. There's the name again. The Most High.

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I blessed him.

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And praised and honored him who lives forever.

[01:53:53;19 - 01:54:01;55]
So he went from being a beast one moment, lived in his eyes to heaven, his reason returned, and he starts blessing God and praising God and worshiping God.

[01:54:07;31 - 01:54:25;31]
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, but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can ward off his hand or say to him, what have you done?

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And at that time, look at verse 36. At that time, my reason returned to me. A second time it says that right.

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My reason returned to me. My ability to think right. My ability to be the kind of person that God created me to be. Hey.

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Turn to Psalm eight. Just a moment. Psalm eight. Psalm eight.

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Look at verse one. Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

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Who have displayed your splendor above the heavens from the mouth of infants and nursing babes, babes, you have established strength because of your adversaries to make the enemy and the revengeful cease. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon of the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you take thought of him and the son of man that you care for him. You have met. Look at this. You have made him. Now this is you. Okay. You've made him a little lower than God.

[01:55:57;16 - 01:55:59;26]
And you crown him with glory majesty.

[01:56:02;14 - 01:56:06;30]
And look at this. Now don't miss it. This is where Peter Singer misses it.

[01:56:08;03 - 01:56:24;29]
And you make him to rule over the work of your hands and you put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen and all the beasts of the field, the birds of the heaven, the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the path of the sea. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

[01:56:25;49 - 01:56:36;54]
When God created Adam and Eve and he placed them in the garden of Eden and he created all the animals and all the fish and everything, he gave them authority to rule over the animal kingdom.

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To have dominion.

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And if you want to know.

[01:56:48;50 - 01:56:54;24]
Why there is such unreasonable views about human life.

[01:56:57;01 - 01:56:58;50]
That's what happens when you reject God.

[01:57:00;50 - 01:57:02;33]
And you reject his word.

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And you reject God. And you reject God.

[01:57:13;00 - 01:57:30;15]
Verse 36 at that time, my reason returned to me and my majesty and look at this, my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom and my counselors and my nobles began seeking out. I asked myself, why did it take you guys seven years?

[01:57:32;08 - 01:57:33;09]
Start seeking me out.

[01:57:34;55 - 01:57:38;30]
I know why it's because God said you're going to be that way for seven years, right?

[01:57:40;37 - 01:57:44;38]
So I was looking at this. I was reestablished in my sovereignty.

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Or my rule and surpassing greatness was added to me. God not only restored him, he made him greater than he was before.

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That's grace.

[01:58:00;26 - 01:58:01;23]
That's mercy.

[01:58:04;43 - 01:58:05;36]
Verse 37.

[01:58:06;52 - 01:58:07;30]
Now look at this.

[01:58:10;07 - 01:58:11;55]
Now I Nebuchadnezzar.

[01:58:13;21 - 01:58:14;04]
Praise.

[01:58:15;08 - 01:58:15;40]
Exalt.

[01:58:16;55 - 01:58:18;18]
And honor the king of heaven.

[01:58:20;25 - 01:58:30;30]
That's the only time you'll see the king of heaven in the Old Testament that I know of in my research. I think it's the only time it appears in the Old Testament, the king of heaven.

[01:58:33;26 - 01:58:35;05]
For all his works are true.

[01:58:37;02 - 01:58:38;16]
And his ways just.

[01:58:40;39 - 01:58:42;09]
And he's able to humble.

[01:58:43;55 - 01:58:45;08]
Those who walk in pride.

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Man, what a way.

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What a swan song for Nebuchadnezzar, right?

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Last time we hear from him in the book of Daniel. That's why I believe.

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That Nebuchadnezzar believed in God.

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Now that turned the most high, the most high God.

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Appeared six times in this one chapter. Six times.

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But what does the name signify? Was it signify? What does the name signify? What does the name signify?

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Well.

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If you were to get out of concordance.

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And look to see where this name occurs in the Old Testament. The first time it occurs.

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Is with a priest by the name of Melchizedek.

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And Abraham.

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Has gone to battle against. I think four or five kings who have taken. His kinfolk.

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Captive. And he's gone to battle. He's won the battle. He's coming back and bringing his family home.

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And and the Bible.

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The Bible says he encountered Melchizedek. Take your Bible. Look at Genesis 14. Genesis 14. And let's read verses 17 to 24.

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Then after his return from the defeat of Cheddar Lomar. And the kings who are with him. The king of Sodom. Went out to meet him at the valley of Shavar. That is the king's valley.

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And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God. Look at this. Of God Most High.

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He blessed him.

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And said bless be Abraham.

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Of God Most High. Notice how many times it's being used here.

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Possessor of heaven and earth.

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And bless be God Most High. Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tenth of all.

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Look at verse 22. Abraham said to the king of Sodom. I've sworn to the Lord God Most High.

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Possessor of heaven and earth.

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So in using the name Most High here we see.

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That God is sovereign over all. That's what it means.

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Most High means he's above everybody and everything else right.

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He's sovereign over everyone and everything.

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So why did.

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King Nebuchadnezzar.

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Honor God Most High.

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He said all his works are true. His ways are just. He's able to humble those who walk in pride.

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Now look.

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Nebuchadnezzar has been dead for a long long long long long long time.

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But I'm telling you God Most High is still on its throne.

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And he's sovereign.

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Over every ruler on this planet whether they be evil or whether they be good. He's sovereign.

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He's put them in and he can take them out.

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The one thing that we've got to remember is this.

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We've always got to remember.

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That God is a Most High God.

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There is no other God on this in all of creation. Besides the Most High God.

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And we should thank him we should worship him we should praise him and we should stay away from pride like the plague.

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Like the plague.

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Well look.

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We will not be having class now. We will not be having class now. We will not be having class now.

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We will not be having class next Wednesday night. It's it's a fall break.

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And all the young families are gone and we just can't do everything around here we need to do on Wednesday night.

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With fall break going on. So we will not meet next week. We will meet the following week. OK. We'll look at chapter five and we go from Nebuchadnezzar to a guy by the name of Belshazzar. Interesting story. OK.

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So if you want to read ahead just read chapter five OK. Let's close with prayer.

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Our Heavenly Father.

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You are the Most High God.

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And we worship you tonight.

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We bless you we praise you.

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We want to honor you.

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And Lord I pray as long as you give us a breath in our bodies.

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That we would always give you the credit and the honor and glory that you deserve.

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I pray Lord that you would keep us away from pride.

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I pray that we would do what the New Testament says we should do and that is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that you may exalt us at the proper time.

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Lord we love you.

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Bless you.

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We praise you.

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Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Savior and Lord.

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Thank you that you've forgiven our sins as believers and you've chosen not to remember our sins anymore. Lord every time I think I read this morning in the book of Hebrews that you choose not to remember our sins anymore. And Lord I just had a wonderful time of praise this morning just praising you that when I get to heaven I'm not going to have to stand before you and have to deal with any sins because Jesus has already dealt with them.

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Thank you Lord.

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Lord we love you as we live out our lives in a corrupt nation and a corrupt world.

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I pray that our reason would remain intact.

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And that you would use us for your glory.

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In Jesus name.

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Amen. Thank you and God bless you.