Sunday, August 1, 2021 AM

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Sunnyside Baptist Church Michael Dirrim Pastor of Sunnyside Baptist Church OKC

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Good morning. Welcome to Sunnyside Baptist. We're glad that you can join us for worship this morning.
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Thankful to the Lord for the rain and the cooler temperatures. Hopefully you're enjoying that today. A few announcements as we get started this morning.
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Evening service tonight at 530. Meet back here. Michael's beginning a new series on witchcraft and what that means today, so be sure and join us for that.
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Coming up on Wednesday at 545 we'll have dinner in the Fellowship Hall and then
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Bible study and prayer at 630. And then looking ahead to August 5th and 6th, as was mentioned a little bit last week, abortion ministry, abortion intervention ministry.
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John Mishner, who's been here before, will be back kind of helping us think through how we can serve outside abortion mills just in terms of intervention, prayer, talking with people.
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And then there will be an opportunity on the 8th and 9th of August, a mission to magistrates, how we can reach out to our elected officials with regard to abortion and stopping that completely.
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Fighter verse for this week is from Matthew chapter 10 verse 28. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
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Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. A few more opportunities to serve.
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Two or three men are needed to help scrape up some of the flooring out in the women's restroom in the gymnasium.
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There's some demo going on out there to clean things up. Also if you have any updates that need to be made to the church directory for your family, like a change of address or phone number or email, please see
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Tristan call regarding that and she'll get those updated in the directory.
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Sewing ministry still has a few needs and then Operation Christmas Child giving towards that is still going on.
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Good time for school supplies right now to buy some of those things while they're on sale. And then lastly, a few updates regarding TAG.
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With school starting back, TAG is also going to be starting back soon. So coming up on Wednesday, August 11th, not this
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Wednesday but the next one, there will be a meeting during the church meal in Starley Bullard Sunday School room.
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So that's the one that's right next to where the line starts for the meal at 545. If you're interested in helping out with TAG in this upcoming session, there'll be a meeting there.
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And then for parents and kids, we're looking at TAG starting on August 25th.
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So we'd love to have any kids be able to participate about that. We're gonna be learning about the armor of God in this upcoming
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TAG. So a great opportunity. Any other announcements before we get started? Alright, well we are gonna pray quietly for just a little bit and then
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Randy will come up and open us in prayer. Father, we do just want to thank you for allowing us to come and freely worship you this morning and I pray that you just prepare our hearts to hear from you, from your spirit.
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Father, I thank you for each one here today. Pray that you would encourage us. I pray that you would make us bold.
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I pray that we would be witnesses for you throughout this week. Father, I just ask that you would just give
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Michael freedom to share what you put on his heart today and I pray that you would just encourage us.
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Father, I pray, I just want to thank you for the rain that you've sent. I thank you for life itself.
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Father, we thank you that you are a good God and that everything that comes our way is ordained by you.
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I pray that we would just trust in you and just have a quiet heart ready to receive your word this morning.
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We ask it in Jesus' name. If you're able, would you stand with me for our call to worship?
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Moving on, chapter 69 in the book of Psalms this morning. We read verses 1 through 3.
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Read with me together. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
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I sink deep in mire where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters and the flood sweeps over me.
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I am weary with my crying out. My throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my
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God. Our first song this morning is on page 59. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads.
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I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I sing the mighty power of God and then after that we'll sing the song we sang last week,
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Lift Up Your Heads. I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said,
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Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people.
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And those who are left of them I will kill with the sword. Not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall escape.
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If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them. If they climb up to heaven, from there
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I will bring them down. If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there
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I will search them out and take them. And if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there
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I will command the serpent and it shall bite them. And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there
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I will command the sword and it shall kill them. And I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.
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The Lord God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the
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Nile and sinks again like the Nile of Egypt. Who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth.
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Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth.
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The Lord is his name. Are you not like the Cushites to me,
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O people of Israel, declares the Lord. Did I not bring you up,
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Israel, from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Kaphtor, and the
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Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, declares the
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Lord. For behold, I will command and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with the sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the earth.
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All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword who say disaster shall not overtake or meet us.
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In that day I will raise up the booth of David that has fallen and repair its breaches and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.
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That they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, declares the
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Lord who does this. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed.
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The mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.
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I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them.
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They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
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I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them, says the
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Lord your God. The message of Amos, the word of God.
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Father, as you speak to us today, may we hear your every word.
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May we be obedient to it. May we be enlightened by it, encouraged by it.
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And may we go forth and accomplish your will, build your kingdom, proclaim the gospel of your son, the
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Lord Jesus, and be better witnesses for him. In his name I pray, amen.
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You may be seated. Our next song is on page 275,
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How Firm a Foundation. How firm a foundation, he says of the
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Lord, is laid for your faith. In his excellent word, what more can he say than to you he has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
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Fear not, I am with thee, O thee
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God is made, for I am thy God, and I'll still give thee aid.
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I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and I will do stand, upheld by my righteous
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Son, new -born Gentile. When through fiery trials of anguish shall lie, my grace, all -sufficient, shall be thy supply.
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The flesh shall not fail thee, the soul that on Jesus hath lethal repose,
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I will not desert to its cause.
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That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
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I'll never, no never, no never forsake.
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You can be turned into pages 360 and 359. The song we just sang,
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How Firm a Foundation, that's the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
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He purchased our salvation on the cross with his very own blood. He, as a church, we are the bride, he's the bridegroom.
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And consider these words. Jesus is
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Savior and Lord of my life. My hope, my glory, my all. Wonderful Master, in joy and in strife, on him you too may call.
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Blessed Redeemer, all -glorious King, worthy of reverence I pay. Tribute and praises
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I joyfully bring to him, the life, the way. Will you surrender your all to him now?
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Follow his will and obey. Crown him as sovereign before his throne bow. Give him your heart today.
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Sing with me together, Jesus is Lord of all. Jesus is
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Savior and Lord of my life. My hope, my glory, my all.
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Wonderful Master, in joy and in strife, on him you too may call.
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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Jesus is Lord of all. Lord of my thoughts and my service this day,
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Jesus is Lord of all. Blessed Redeemer, all -glorious
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King, worthy of reverence I pay.
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Tribute and praises I joyfully bring to him, the life, the way.
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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Lord of my thoughts and my service this day,
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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Will you surrender your all to him now?
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Follow his will and obey. Crown him as sovereign before his throne bow.
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Give him your heart today. Jesus is
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Lord of all. Jesus is
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Lord of all. Lord of my thoughts and my service this day,
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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Lord of my thoughts and my service this day,
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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All my possessions and all my...
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Jesus is Lord of all.
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Father, we thank you for this day.
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We thank you for gathering us together so that we may worship you.
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We may give you the glory that you deserve. Thank you for the rain. Thank you for blessing us with these rain showers and cooling off the day.
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We thank you for the provision in our lives, the breakfast we had this morning, the transportation we had to get here, the safety that you have afforded us, the freedom and liberty that we have to gather here and sing hymns and congregate and worship you in boldness without fear.
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I thank you for your word. I thank you for its eternal, unchanging, perfect truth.
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I pray that you would help us this morning as we read your word, as we receive its message, that what you would desire in our lives, that you would bring to pass as we hear your word and respond to it,
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I ask that we would be the amen on earth of your will, which is in heaven.
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We ask all these things for the sake of Jesus, the one with whom you are well pleased. Amen. I invite you to open your
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Bibles and turn with me to Daniel, chapter 4.
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Daniel, chapter 4, and we'll be reading verses 1 through 17 in a moment.
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Last week we surveyed the theme of this chapter, noting that God resists the proud.
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And Nebuchadnezzar, of course, is one of those persons in history that we know through the
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Bible was one of the most arrogant and prideful people who ever lived.
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And you've had this sense reading through Daniel, chapters 1 through 3, that there was a confrontation coming.
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This was not going to be allowed to continue. There was going to be a confrontation between God and the king of Babylon.
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So it is something of a surprise when we move from Daniel, chapter 3, into Daniel 4, and all of a sudden we hear
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Nebuchadnezzar giving praise to God after the fashion of the prophets and the psalmists.
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He suddenly sounds like an apostle closing out a letter. What happened to Nebuchadnezzar?
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And this chapter is spoken in the voice of Nebuchadnezzar.
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This is his personal testimony of how God changed his life.
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And we discover that, yes, indeed, God resists the proud.
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We also see that by his grace, he brings the proud into humility.
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And we can praise God for that. Let's stand together, and I'm going to read for us
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Daniel, chapter 4, verses 1 through 17.
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This is the word of the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied to you.
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I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
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How great are his signs, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
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I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
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Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
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Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream, but they did not make known to me its interpretation.
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But at last Daniel came before me. His name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my God. In him is the spirit of the holy
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God. And I told the dream before him, saying, Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy
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God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation.
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These were the visions of my head while on my bed. I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.
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The tree grew and became strong. Its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
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Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it.
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The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
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I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
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He cried aloud and said thus, Chop down the tree, and cut off its branches.
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Strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches.
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Nevertheless, leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field.
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Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth.
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Let his heart be changed from that of a man. Let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.
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This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men.
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This is the word of the Lord. Praise be to God. You may be seated. This whole chapter is about God's resistance to human pride.
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And scripture is filled with examples of this. And this is one of the chief stories that we can think of.
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Another one would be the disappointments and the doom of Haman.
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You remember him from the book of Esther. Haman, who wanted nothing more than to be elevated.
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If you know the story, you get the joke.
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Remember that he raged at something that would seemingly be trivial.
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He raged at Mordecai's refusal to bow himself in Haman's presence.
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And he, out of his rage, decided to try to murder the entire
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Jewish race. But then we find
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Haman, given many opportunities by a sovereign God, to wake up, to come to himself, to realize that he was being arrogant and prideful.
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And he had opportunity to repent because he was forced to parade Mordecai around and to shout his praises.
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And so Haman, at the very end, Haman, who wanted nothing more than to be elevated, received that reward when he was hung upon his grotesquely high gallows that had been intended for Mordecai.
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And yes, at the end of the day, everyone knew Haman's name. And everyone knew how high up Haman was.
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It's a wonderful book, the book of Esther. But this is what the word means.
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When we read in Proverbs 3 .34, Surely he, meaning God, surely he scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.
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Now, God could have certainly arranged for Nebuchadnezzar's humbling in like manner with Haman, some grand exhibition of his destruction.
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However, we find that God, according to the story we have here in chapter 4 of Daniel, we find that God, for no meritorious reason at all, humbles the
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Babylonian king in a manner that would restore him, in a manner that would bring him into a place where Nebuchadnezzar was singing and proclaiming the praises of the one true
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God. God certainly resists the proud.
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And he gives grace to the humble. And in fact, humility in any of our lives is evidence of God's grace.
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Humility isn't one of those things that we become really proficient in.
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It's not as if somebody can say, my humility knows no bounds. No, that's a grace from God that any of us would know humility.
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And God must humble every one of us. The question is, will we be humbled as those surrounding the throne, giving praise and glory to Christ, or will we be humbled as those who are crushed under his feet?
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In all things, Christ has been given, and he gains, and will have the preeminence.
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Everything is centered on Jesus Christ. And that is why there is such great joy in our lives when we are in orbit around him.
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I don't know about you, but I have known no more grim, bitter, and heavy taskmaster than the insatiable self.
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The leech has two daughters, Proverbs says. And their names are Give and Give.
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And they worm their way in our inner person. We are called to turn our attention to the
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Lord. James 4, 6 says, but he gives more grace. Praise be to God. He gives more grace.
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Therefore, he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. God resists the proud.
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And we see that in his mercy, in his love, in his kindness, in his compassion, his grace makes the proud humble.
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We see evidence of that in verses 1 through 3. We see that God conquers the proud by his grace, as we consider this opening to Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony.
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It is evident that something has changed in the life of Nebuchadnezzar.
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And then he begins to tell on himself. Not only is he singing praises to God, but he begins to tell a story beginning in verse 4, a story that is not flattering about himself at all.
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He shows what a fool he had been. He shows how arrogant and prideful he had been.
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He shows that although he thought he had such great power and strength and wealth, all of that was taken away in an instant, and it was only by the hand of God that he ever knew sanity or service again.
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God confronts the proud by his word. This is what happens early on in Nebuchadnezzar's story, is that God's word confronts him, or rather that God confronts
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Nebuchadnezzar by his word, and does so in three ways.
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First of all, God is present in the proclamation of his word and the giving of his word.
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We find that God is preeminent in the declaration of his word, and that we see that God is powerful in the proclamation of his word.
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Let's start with the reality that God is present in the declaration of his word, verses 4 through 9.
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I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace.
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I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts of my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
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Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
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Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream, but they did not make known to me its interpretation.
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But at last Daniel came before me. His name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my
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God. In him is the spirit of the holy God. And I told the dream before him, saying,
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Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation.
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This reads like a very calm version of what happened in chapter 2 of Daniel.
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The last time that we heard that Nebuchadnezzar was on his bed, and a dream came, and it frightened him terribly.
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In this case, he's not threatening to kill all the wise men, unless they can tell him both the dream and the interpretation, but he is still troubled, and he calls for help.
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And so he wants all of his counselors to come. He wants all the wise men of Babylon to come and help him understand what this dream is.
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Remember that in his pagan context, Nebuchadnezzar thinks of dreams as omens, which are forewarnings, and now you must understand what that warning is, and then take particular action to avert the disaster that is coming.
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And so it is of utmost importance to him to understand the meaning of this dream, because he wants to avert the disaster.
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He's ready to manipulate whatever the supernatural revelation is, so that he will be successful in life.
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And so he calls upon his counselors. Notice how they are described. The magicians, the astrologers, the
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Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Interesting group of people here.
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We're talking a little bit about them on Sunday nights. These purveyors of witchcraft, they whispered and they muttered.
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They searched the arrangement of the stars. They considered the spots on fresh livers.
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They consorted with demons, and they called out to the dead, all to no avail.
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They had no word from God, and so they had no light to offer to Nebuchadnezzar.
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He and they remained in darkness. And so they stand with their enchantments and the multitude of their sorceries.
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There they are, this collection of decades and decades of knowledge, useless knowledge, and Nebuchadnezzar is fed up.
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All the wise men of Babylon are paraded before the king, and among them not one wise man, not one
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God -fearer is found. But at the last, Daniel is called in. Nebuchadnezzar takes the time to clarify his real name.
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In the official record, he's Belteshazzar, and I named him after my God, but his real name is Daniel.
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And here's his real value. In him is the spirit of the holy God. In other words,
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God was present in Daniel confronting the king with his word.
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God resists the proud, and his grace makes them humble. And in this case,
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Nebuchadnezzar's humbling begins with God confronting him with his word, and in such a way that all of his own counselors who are brought in before him are nothing but a parade of failure.
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And it is emphasized to Nebuchadnezzar that he is in darkness. He and all the wise men of his realm, they are in darkness.
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He needs the word of God from the true God. And only at the last is
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God's prophet consulted. Matthew Henry observes, Many make God's word their last refuge.
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Many make God's word their last refuge, and never have recourse to it until they are driven off from all other succors, or comforts.
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What a grace, what a mercy of God to frustrate the experts, to expose them as fools, to demonstrate they have no idea what they're talking about.
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They are in chaos, self -contradictory, can't get the most basic understanding of the world correct.
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Why does God expose the experts in this way? Why does he show us that Bel cannot provide discernment, but only
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Elohim, the Most High God, only He has the truth? To move us away from our human pride, to humble us and make us recognize that there is only one source of truth, and that is
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God himself. And we see that the spirit of Christ is in Daniel, and so we have all sorts of confidence then that light is going to come forth when
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Daniel begins to speak to Nebuchadnezzar. It is important for us to remember that God confronts our pride through his word, because he is present in his spirit through his word confronting us.
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We have Hebrews 4, verses 12 -13. It says, The word of God is living and active, living and powerful, and sharper than any two -edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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We know that verse. Now, listen to the verse connected with it. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
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When we read the scriptures, when we meditate upon the scriptures, when the scriptures are read to us, when we receive teaching and preaching from the word of God, we are not consulting a technical manual about how humans ought to operate.
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We are being confronted with the presence of God, because through his word, he is presently confronting us with his power and his truth.
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When we read the scriptures, we're reading a living and active, sharp, piercing, discerning word, because it is the word of God.
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And we are being opened up before God, and we are in submission to him, recognizing we are being held accountable to him, evaluated by him.
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It is good for us to be confronted with God's presence in the preaching of his word. For we must humble ourselves before God.
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The Father declares to us, the Son, through the Spirit in his word, that we may know and fear and worship.
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And I think this is why many, to many, receiving
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God's word is as attractive as bathing in a dirty river.
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I don't want to be laid open and bare to a sharp, piercing, laying -me -open word.
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Many people would prefer to retain their leprosy than meet with God.
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Yet we have this promise in the word. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.
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Well, God is present in the proclamation of his word, and he is also preeminent. There's nothing so devastating to human pride than when
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God shows up. We read story after story in the scriptures where men of all types, women of all types, when
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God shows up, there is an instant humbling in their life. But also, we see, there is nothing so devastating to human pride than the unqualified declaration of God's preeminence.
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He's more important than you, and he knows it. That, that, oh, ow, let me say that.
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The Bible says it all over the place. God is more powerful, he is more glorious, he is more worthy, he is more important than you, and he knows it, and you should know it.
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That's devastating to human pride, and that is the consistent message of the word of God. Consider the way in which
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God's preeminence is declared to Nebuchadnezzar here in the text. The vision, the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, verses 10 -14.
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These were the visions of my head while on my bed. I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.
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The tree grew and became strong, its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
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Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all.
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The beasts of the field found shade under it. The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
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I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
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He cried aloud and said thus, Chop down the tree, and cut off its branches.
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Strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches.
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Well, that's disturbing to Nebuchadnezzar. He at first sees the image of this tree, begins to hear what heaven has to say about the matter.
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And as he explains it to Daniel, certain features become readily apparent. The image of a tree signifies dominion, and that was a common image in the ancient world.
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And many passages in scripture use that symbolism as well. But it goes all the way back to the
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Garden of Eden, where there was a tree which demonstrated that God alone ruled.
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That God alone determined good and evil.
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There was a tree in the garden that declared that, that demonstrated that, wasn't there?
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And when Adam and Eve attempted to usurp the divine rule of God, this failed, and Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden.
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Why? They tried to flourish on their own terms.
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They tried to be preeminent. They wanted to be on the level with God, or perhaps, because they knew better, a level above God.
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They sought to be preeminent, but God is preeminent, and they were cast out of the garden.
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Here, Nebuchadnezzar is likened to a tree. He and his kingdom, together, are likened as a tree.
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His dominion, you'll notice in the image, is strong enough and fruitful enough to encompass and benefit the entire world.
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Look how good things are going. Here is a very powerful man, and everything seems to be going really, really well.
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The economy is great. The world knows peace.
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Everything looks grand for the future. Nebuchadnezzar is stretching out on his bed that very night.
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He's fat and happy, and he sighs contentedly to himself and says, Soul, you've got it all.
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Take your ease. Eat, drink, be merry. And then a dream comes, and God's angel says,
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You fool. Even now, the axe is laid against the root of the tree.
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I want you to pay close attention to this, because Nebuchadnezzar, he says, He says,
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I was at rest in my house, verse 4, and flourishing in my palace. He's flourishing. He's the definition of human flourishing.
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And notice his entire realm. Because Nebuchadnezzar is flourishing, everybody in his empire is flourishing.
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Look, there's fruit for everyone. There's beauty everywhere. The leaves are lovely.
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The fruit was abundant. There's food for everybody. We have the different nations, the different kingdoms, the different political systems.
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They are all benefiting from Nebuchadnezzar. The beasts of the field have shade under it. The birds of the heavens dwelt in his branches.
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This is imagery from other parts of Scripture that are explained and shown. This is other nations coming in.
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All these different people are benefiting from Nebuchadnezzar's flourishing. He's flourishing.
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They're flourishing. Human flourishing is, as far as you can see, human flourishing has been achieved.
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And what happens? God says, where's my ax?
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What? I thought God wanted us all to flourish and flourish and flourish.
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Right? As I heard on the radio a couple of years ago, God is all about you.
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I thought the radio was going to, like, you know, melt. God confronts the proud with his word.
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And he says, you may think yourself a tree. You may envision yourself as a mighty world tree.
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But what's the truth of the matter? Man is not a mighty world tree. Honestly, man is just a flower of the field, which passes away.
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Man is just grass, which, baked by the sun, is scattered by the wind. That's what man really is.
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And yet consider how different the kingdom of God is. That his kingdom is one which cannot be shaken.
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His kingdom is one which is everlasting and will never be done away with, as Nebuchadnezzar is praising in verse 3.
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Consider that the rule of Christ in this world advances through the preaching of God's word and confronts sinners with his holiness and conforms saints to his goodness.
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And as he says, as Jesus says in Matthew 13, 31, The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds.
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But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs. It becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.
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It's not man's kingdom that is preeminent, but it's God's kingdom that is preeminent. God resists the proud, and his grace makes them humble.
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He confronts us through his word about his preeminence over us. Much is made today of human flourishing, happiness, well -being.
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That's the highest value. Why can people change their pronouns to inanimate objects?
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Because we want them to be happy. Why should anyone do anything or say anything or pursue anything?
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Because whatever will make you happy. That's the supreme value. But God blows all of that up so that Christ will have the preeminence.
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So that Christ will have the preeminence. He confronts our pride with his word. The supreme value in creation is not human flourishing.
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Men are not damned to hell because they fell short of shalom. Because they fell short of promoting and procuring human flourishing for all their neighbors in equitable array.
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Men face hell fire for falling short of the glory of God.
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For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
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The future of the creation is not one described as human flourishing, filling the earth as the waters cover the sea.
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But the universal robust knowledge of the glory of God is the future. And, of course, some will protest, well, there really is no conflict.
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The glory of God is revealed in true human flourishing. But there is a conflict, just like there was in the garden, when human flourishing is placed on the same level and or perhaps above the glory of God.
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God is preeminent. God's will, God's word, and God's glory are greater than, more important than human flourishing.
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We see that in chapter 4 of Daniel, everything going fine. Here comes the axe. Why? Because God is declaring that He is preeminent.
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Forgetting that or obscuring that results in disaster. And Jesus put the matter very pastorally and plainly in Matthew chapter 6.
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Verse 24, He says, No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
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You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot serve God and materialism. You cannot serve
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God and human elevation. And then Jesus is not unconcerned with the physical realities of life, because He addresses all those concerns.
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What are we going to eat? What are we going to wear? What are the basic needs of our life? And Jesus addresses all those concerns of human flourishing, and He urges
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His listeners to pray to and trust their Heavenly Father, rather than living in self -absorption.
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And then Jesus says in verse 31 of Matthew 6, Therefore do not worry, saying,
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What will we eat? What shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For after all these things the
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Gentiles seek. That's the way of paganism. That's the way of worldliness. For your
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Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Verse 33, you know the verse.
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But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
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You see, God is preeminent. Properly ordering these things is of the utmost importance.
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Thirdly, through the proclamation of God's word, God confronts the proud through His power.
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God is powerful. God is powerful. Verses 15 -17 of Daniel 4, Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field.
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Let it be wet with the dew of heaven. And then you'll notice how the image moves from a tree, which you think of in a very impersonal way.
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And all of a sudden you'll notice how the image just changes, right in the middle of the vision. And let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth.
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Let his heart be changed from that of a man. Let him be given the heart of a beast.
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And let seven times pass over him. This decision is by the decree of the watchers and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know the most high rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men.
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So the tree is chopped down, this mighty world tree that is representing
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Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. The tree is chopped down. And then we're allowed to stick around and see what happens next.
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And there it is after being stripped and chopped apart and hauled away. But look, there's the stump.
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The stump remains in the field. Look at its lowly form. It's tied to the ground with its roots there in the midst of a field.
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And to keep it from growing back too soon, iron and bronze are laid upon it, binding any growth in the near future.
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The stump's there, and it's there to stay until further notice.
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But then that image changes on the hinge image of the grass of the field.
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And so suddenly, it's no longer a stump. It's a man, but it's a man who takes upon the thinking and soul of a beast.
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He takes on the whole persona of a beast and begins to graze with the beast on the grass of the earth.
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He has the heart of a beast for seven periods of time, perhaps years, perhaps months.
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But either way, it's a significant amount of time. And God says it's seven times because it is just the right amount to demonstrate to Nebuchadnezzar and to all the watching, wondering world that the
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Most High God is absolutely sovereign. If there was ever a man who ruled on the face of the earth who was self -determined and his will knew no boundaries, that was
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Nebuchadnezzar. He could always decide what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it, and how he wanted to do it until God said no.
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Now, it's a remarkable story. It's one that Daniel's going to explain the meaning of the vision to Nebuchadnezzar, and then we're going to see it actually happen in chapter 4.
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But it's remarkable that in rejecting the Creator and worshiping and serving the creature, this is what
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Nebuchadnezzar has done, by exchanging the truth for the lie, what happens?
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He turns into a beast. Psalm 115 says that those who make idols and worship idols become like them.
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And so he was a beast already, worshiping beasts, and he turned into a beast. By exchanging the truth for the lie, man is emasculated.
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Humans are dehumanized. People lose their souls.
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Those made in the image of God, when they exchange the truth of the Creator for the lie of the creature, they think themselves wise.
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They think this is the way to elevate themselves, to be their own God. But yet, what they actually are doing is embracing bestial degradation.
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And so also all who pridefully war against the God who made them. God is powerful and He is sovereign, and in the folly of human pride,
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God scorns the scornful. What do we see in our world today?
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Not a lot different from the days of Nebuchadnezzar. What do we see in our world today?
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Joe Boot calls it the anthropomorphizing of animals and the zoomorphizing of man.
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In other words, we treat animals like they're people, and we treat human beings like they're just one more species.
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Why is that happening? It's part of the absurdities that are necessary for a sustained resistance to the power of our
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Creator. This word comes from heaven to Nebuchadnezzar and confronts him in his pride.
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But consider that after God's word comes true, after the seven times have their full effect, and Nebuchadnezzar, who was the ruler of the ancient world, no one knew more power, more wealth, more glory than he did, and yet he was humbled like an animal, wandering about in the field like a cow, that when
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God raises Nebuchadnezzar back up afterwards, God will be putting upon the throne one of the most lowly, despised, rejected, sorrowful, and grief -stricken men who had ever lived.
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And why is this to be done? It says so in the text. Why would God do this in this way?
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The second half of verse 17. In order that the living may know, so that everybody will know.
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So everybody who is alive, everybody who's breathing, pay attention to this.
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The most high rules in the kingdom of men gives it to whomever he will and sets over it the lowest of men.
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God does all of this in confronting Nebuchadnezzar in his pride, humbles him, abases him to a horrible degree, but then brings him back up and puts him on the throne so that everybody on planet
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Earth will know. The most high rules in the kingdom of men, and he gives it to whomever he will, and he sets over it the lowest of men.
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All the living must know that God rules and he gives the kingdom to whomever he chooses.
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And he has chosen Christ. He has chosen
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Christ. Ultimately, all rule and authority are given by the
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Father to the Son through the Spirit. And Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was just one of many kingdoms that would be crushed under a stone, heaven -flung stone uncut by human hands, as we've seen from Daniel 2.
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So this is a gospel truth, a principle truth. Everybody alive must know this, that when
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God put his man upon the throne, he put the most lowly, the most despised, one who was rejected, a man of sorrow, one who was the most grief -stricken of all men, he put him upon the throne.
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And this is a confrontation of our pride.
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Philippians 2 verse 5 starts off, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
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Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond -servant and coming in the likeness of men.
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And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
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Therefore, therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
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Lord to the glory of God the Father. All the living must know that God rules and he gives the kingdom to whomever he chooses.
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And he is chosen Christ. So let's pray. Father, we come before you today and we give you praise and honor.
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We ask, Father, that you would deliver us from the folly of pride. We ask that you would confront us thoroughly, deeply, and often with your word, that we would know your presence in the reading and study and preaching of your word.
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We would be humbled before you, the one before whom we are accountable, that you would confront us with your preeminence, that we are not chief, but you are, and that we would be, by your grace, in orbit around Christ, and that you would remind us time and again of your power, of your awesomeness, of your mighty works, and that we would acknowledge that you're the one who is in charge, not us.
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In these ways, we ask that you would not only confront our pride, but give us the grace, give us the grace of humility.
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We pray these things for the sake of Jesus. Amen. Would you stand with me for our song of benediction?
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For the month of August, we're going to start a new song. Page 228, Rejoice, the
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Lord is King. Rejoice together. Rejoice, the
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Lord is King, your Lord and King adored.
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Rejoice, give thanks and sing and triumph evermore.
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Lift up your heart, lift up your voice, rejoice again
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I say, rejoice. The Lord, our
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Savior, your grace, a God of truth and love.
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When He had purged our stains and took His seat above, lift up your voice, rejoice again
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I say, rejoice. His kingdom cannot fail,
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He rules over earth and heaven. The keys of death and hell are to our
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Jesus. Lift up your heart, lift up your voice, rejoice again
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I say, rejoice.
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Rejoice in glory at home. We'll sing verse 4. Rejoice in glory at home, our
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Lord and Judge shall come and take
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His service up to their eternal home.
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Lift up your voice, rejoice again
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I say, rejoice. May the love of the
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Father and the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.