Well, I invite you to turn this morning to the book of Daniel. If you're a visitor, we're working through the book of Daniel, and you'll find our chapter that we are on today, chapter 4, on page 879, 879, as we are continuing our study in Daniel. 879 in the Bibles that are in front of you, we will consider the entirety of the chapter. Let's give our attention to the reading of God's Word. King Nebuchadnezzar, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed, the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me, so I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. At last, Daniel came in before me, he who was named Belteshazzar, after the name of my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And I told him the dream, saying, O Belshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw in their interpretation. The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these. I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the ends of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. He proclaimed aloud and said thus, chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches, but leave the stump of the roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts of the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from a man's and let a beast's mind be given to him and let seven periods of time pass over him. The sentence is by the decree of the watchers. The decision is by the word of the holy ones. To the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men. This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able for the spirit of the holy gods is in you. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you. Belteshazzar answered and said, my Lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies. The tree you saw, which grew and became strong so that its top reached to heaven and it was visible to the end of the whole earth whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived. It's you, O King, who've grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven and your dominion to the ends of the earth. and because the king saw a watcher a holy one coming down from heaven and saying chop down the tree and destroy it but leave the stump of its roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field and let him be wet with the dew of heaven and let his portion be with the beasts of the field till seven periods of time pass over him this is the interpretation oh king it is a decree of the most high which has come upon my lord the king that you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven and seven periods of time shall pass over you till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you for the time that you know that heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months. He was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon and the king answered and says, Is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven. O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken. The kingdom has departed from you and you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox and seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws. At the end of days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever. For his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? At the same time, my reason returned to me and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and lords sought me and I was established in my kingdom and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just, and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. And that is the last record of Nebuchadnezzar we have. That ends the reading of God's Word. Well, I want you to hear what measures were just implemented in China in September. One of you passed this to me and I was kind of stunned from World Magazine. Listen to this. The National Religious Affairs Administration enacted new measures on September 1 that further limit religious activities. The updated measures mandate registered religious groups support the Chinese Communist Party, study government documents, and thoroughly implement Chinese President Xi Jinping's ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Groups must have management personnel who love the motherland. The rules prohibit groups from naming their venues after churches or holding authorized religious activities outside their premises. The only correct perspective in the eyes of the communist government is the worship of the state and placing faith in Xi Jinping's thought. did you catch that the worship of the state i could not have written a better script for what we're studying today where we are in the book of daniel extreme patriotism they want there in the worship of the state well this is exactly what nebuchadnezzar did last time he erected a 90 foot remember golden statue that represented babylon in all of its glory and in all of its greatness and what he did as we looked at was take all of the sort of syncretized religious activity and he made and formed a massive idolatry that united it all together in the worship of babylon babylon was to be the center of all their affections the center of all their pursuits The center of everything was Babylon. He fused together religion with the idolatry of devotion and patriotism to the nation. And there always remains a great danger to confuse the politics of this age with our religion, with our faith. as if the preservation of the nation, the preservation of the kingdom of this earth, the preservation of our nation is the most important issue of life right now. That's what the pressure is. And what does it distract us from? The king. His glorious kingdom. The most important message for people that is lost in these times is they need a savior from their sins. well that's what we're studying today nebuchadnezzar still has not learned something he still has not understood something and that is said twice in our text as sort of the central theme with the last verse tying it all together um verse 17 the living should know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will we've been saying that whoever is a leader is given that position from the lord and he sets it over the lowest of men again in verse 25 until nebuchadnezzar you know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he chooses that's the sort of main point ending with that last verse that those who walk in pride he is able to humble so there's the themes that are put together here this morning what dawned on me this morning as we look at this and this is verse 25 that all these themes come together the main point the question is is what did God want his people particularly throughout history to understand I think this is a an important passage that it'd be fun to say this is just interesting this is just interesting stuff to study this is fascinating stuff to study i mean we get to hear about a king whose nails grow that long but that's not really the whole point of it why is god telling us this what is god showing us with this and god was telling ever everyone never put your trust in babylon or any king or kingdom or ruler of this world they have a short shelf life in the big picture every nation every ruler has a very short shelf life and all of it's given from the lord but the point is what dawned on me is that nebuchadnezzar i never thought about this before in this way nebuchadnezzar becomes a sort parable of Israel herself think about this God raises up this king and this great kingdom in the earth but in pride he refuses to acknowledge the God of heaven and earth as the source of his blessing and strength and today what happens in a moment the kingdom is taken from him and then he raises him up again whose story is that whose story is that it's israel's story they were the great nation in the earth that were the lord's nation the holy nation and because of pride and because of rebellion god cut down that branch but then he would raise them up again under a very humble king a very humble king and that's where we're going with this today i trust you'll see that by the time we're done we begin with the emphasis on nebuchadnezzar's glorious kingdom as spoken of in this vision notice in chapter four begins with another of nebuchadnezzar's praise moments to the lord which is fascinating to all peoples nations and languages who dwell on the earth which really captures how much supremacy and power this one king had over every nation on the earth he's speaking to them all that's how lifted up he is how much power he had he again offers lit praise to god most high how great his signs and wonders are how mighty his wonders his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation how mighty are his wonders nebuchadnezzar had seen them but here's the open-ended question did it lead to a true conversion of his life and heart was he sincerely converted i mean i think that's the question everyone wants to know about Nebuchadnezzar and I think it's purposefully challenging well we come to this second vision he says I was resting in my house flourishing in my palace and I saw a dream that made me greatly afraid and as before I called in all the wise men of Babylon and they could not make known the interpretation but then Daniel came before me and I Nebuchadnezzar realized in him is the spirit of god or the gods um that's another i'm not spending a lot of time on that right now but the visions of his head are straightforward he sees a giant tree it's a tall tree notice the language it's its height reached up in his dream to the heavens it's the same language of course as the tower of babel this tree could be seen to the ends of the earth this tree was a mighty tree and this tree fed everyone it gave all shade to all the nations of the earth that's how great this tree was and then he says as i watched a watcher a holy one comes down from heaven and he chops down the tree and he lops off its branches And the whole thing gets cut off, only leaving a stump and the roots in the earth. And verse 16 becomes very crucial. Let his heart be changed from that of a man and let him be given a heart of a beast and let seven times pass over him. All of this was that the living would know that the Most High dwells in the kingdom of men, dwells over and gives it to whomever he chooses. He sets it over the lowest of men. This is my dream, Nebuchadnezzar says. This is my dream. Belteshazzar, I want you to declare the interpretation of the dream. The spirit of the gods is in you. And Daniel is astonished for a moment. He's troubled. because he knew this was not a good dream he knew this was a very bad dream for nebuchadnezzar and he says if only this vision concerned your enemies and those who hate you he knows it didn't nebuchadnezzar says don't worry about it i want you to tell me don't you tell me the truth i want you to tell me what this dream means here's what you saw here's what's going to happen nebuchadnezzar you're the tree you became this great and mighty tree in the earth your greatness has reached up into the heavens and your dominion to the ends of the earth but an angel is going to come down and he's going to chop you down but he's going to leave your stumps and root in the earth oh king you will be driven from among men your kingdom will be taken your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field you're going to eat grass like oxen you the dew of heaven is going to pass over you seven times probably seven years and then just like that when you recognize who is truly sovereign here when you recognize who's ruling on earth who heaven rules everything then in a moment your kingdom will be restored to you verse 27 what does Daniel do with this the heart of this comes in verse 27 here's my advice let it be acceptable to you oh king break off your sins break off your sins be righteous your iniquities and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity this is so important you were given everything you are from the lord now who are we talking about here we're not talking about a righteous king your success your prosperity your blessing your life your kingdom your greatness all of that's from the Lord but you still haven't learned this you think your life is an achievement by your own success and your own making and you are so full of pride you can't even see none of it's from you. Here's the humiliation. You've taken glory for yourself. You've not learned that there is nothing you are body, intellect, mind, will, success. Whatever gift you have in your life that got you ahead whatever wisdom you had that got you ahead all of it was from God you have given no glory to him you think you deserve this because of the greatness of your greatness now this is where the passage gets intensely practical this is a universal principle so crucial to the book what are we looking at here we're looking at everything we're looking at Israel why is Israel in Babylon Israel forgot Israel forgot what God said don't you ever think that I chose you for your own greatness. God did not choose you, O Israel, because you were strong and you were mighty. In fact, God chose Israel when they were small and they were weak and they were in bondage and they were without a land. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today, you shall perish. This gives a lot of context to what we're seeing in the Middle East in some ways. They were the tree. Nebuchadnezzar shouldn't have been the tree. Babylon shouldn't have been the tree. They were the vine. psalm 80 you brought out a vine out of egypt and and you cast out the nations and you planted it and you prepared room for it and caused it to take deep root you prepared room and for it and cause it take deep root and it filled the land and the hills were covered with its ready shadow the nations were under the shadow of israel But you broke down her hedges. Psalm 80. Why, O Lord? Why did Israel fall? Pride. They forgot the Lord. Think of Hosea 5. The pride of Israel testifies to its face. Personally, I think the trouble we see in Israel to this day is a warning on this point. They should have been made the shade for the nations, but to this day, the gospel of their own Messiah cannot be preached there. And look at what's all around them. Nothing but turmoil, nothing but war, nothing but hatred. Always seeking to take back that land, those people around them. They're never at peace. you don't think that's a universal principle here they had received mercy but something shocking any nation anything any nation is let me say this right now anything any nation is is from the lord god raised up nebuchadnezzar and made him like a tree in response to all this and it and that kingdom and nebuchadnezzar gave shade to all the nations it says here think about the united states it's really remarkable the shade the united states still thinks it gives to all the nations one pastor said what has the nation been like what do we universally hear and see do our leaders give glory to god do you ever hear it We always hear in America that we're superior to everyone else. And I think it's just so cliche now, but at every single presidential speech, there is nothing we cannot do if we set our minds to it. There's nothing. Our presidential speeches are exercising, boasting in our greatness. It seems that the greatest of all sins, said James Boyce, in this life is pride. When we take glory to ourselves instead of bowing and giving credit to God. This is what we should see. The surprise is that it's on a national level. It's in nations. Jesus said in his day, Woe to you, Corazon and Bethsaida, if the mighty works that had been done and you had been done in Sodom, they would have repented a long time ago and sat cloth and ashes full of pride. So we are taught here to look at the greatness of a nation in the earth. And we are taught as we look at the greatness of the nation to see that greatness came from the Lord. But we don't. And the pathway is always we begin to take that glory for ourselves like Babel at the beginning. God raises up nations and they boast in their glory and then they fall. This is the history of nations. God judges a nation based on the level of the greatness that had been given to them as much is given to them, much is required. All of that directly applies to us individually. now it gets super personal how did you get here today who do you think you are who do I think I am who do I think I am did I achieve this by my greatness do I see myself as wiser than all of you it's really important to think about. Are you rich today? How do you think you got that and got there? God blessed you. Are you talented? Are you really good at something? Has God raised you up in some kind of unique way in your influence and with your gifts and with your talents? All of you are sitting in church today when the majority of Escondido is not. Great job. How'd you get here? What should be the response to all this blessing? To all your talents? To the fact that you believe the gospel? That you're better than the pagan out here who's smoking crack right now? Or the prostitute down on Escondido Boulevard? How many have truly repented? Here's repentance. Here's the heart of it in someone's life. Do you recognize all that God has done for you, all he's given to you? What is your response? Is it worship from the heart? It's all you, Lord. you did this you saved me you loved me I didn't deserve it and the whole image you hear is he gives everyone time to repent back to Nebuchadnezzar you're the tree you're going to be cut down you should repent you should break off your sins in your life as a nation you know it's interesting daniel says this to the nation daniel says this to the king you should break off your sins you're the leader here you should repent you should show mercy to the poor because you're a leader maybe god will lengthen your prosperity if we saw this happen in our nation today you imagine if joe biden repented in front of everyone Imagine if Donald Trump actually repented in front of everyone, showed humility. None of this was us. What have we been doing? I get down on my knees and I praise the God of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord. You think our course might change? This is Babylon he's speaking to. Here's what happens. Here's what happens. Ready? You expect this? Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon, he said, is this not the great Babylon I've built as the royal residence by my mighty power for the glory of my majesty? Look at this. Look at my house. I built that. I made a great life for myself. look at my kingdom nobody's is like this in the earth as the words were on his lips a voice came from heaven this is what's decreed for you oh king nebuchadnezzar your royal authority has been taken from you taken it's gone just like that just like that and you will be driven from people and live with wild animals and you'll eat grass like ox seven times will pass over you until you acknowledge that the most high is sovereign over all the kingdoms of the earth and gives them to whomever he wishes you didn't do this and that's just what happened he went out into the fields he became a beast boys and girls his hair grew like feathers his nails like claws of bird seven years the imagery of a beast is really important here this is what we become at some point in pride listen this is a really important theme in scripture Psalm 73 I was like a beast before you when I didn't acknowledge your greatness Boyce says if we will not have him and instead turn to our own way we will go down down individually and nationally as well He's so right. It's the principle. Notice how beastly our behavior is as a people and nation. We now follow whatever instinct comes into us like animals. Whatever instinct comes in, that's what we do. We follow it. We have come to the point of erasing all creation norms, blotting out distinctions of male and female, and promoting animal bestiality-like behavior. What do you think this whole agenda is today? I mean, children are being encouraged to identify now as animals. Animals. This is Romans 1. When a nation is and peoples are given over to pursuing whatever are the unnatural now instincts of the human heart. The whole nation's become beastly. The whole nation's become beastly. This is what's happened. I pray we never, and as individuals, become beastly. But there's really good news here. What did this vision show? A stump would remain. The kingdom of, if Nebuchadnezzar repented, would be given back to him. That was an important message to Israel, you see, to Judah. Beloved, we need the Lord to bring sense to us again. Think of how marvelous the gospel is today, you know. God didn't leave us in our sins. If God could restore Nebuchadnezzar and chastise him with this kind of pride and raise him up again, the whole message here is there's hope. There's hope for the greatest of prideful sinners. That's the message here. What was the prayer of Psalm 80? Your vine is cut down and burned with the fire. At your rebuke, your people perish. Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man whom you've raised up for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you. Revive us and we'll call on your name. Restore us, Lord God Almighty. Make your face shine upon us that we may be saved. That's what God did. That's what God did. Psalm 80 was answered. He made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You've put all things under his feet, the sheep and the oxen and the beasts of the field. You made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. It was our King who was humble, who could have said, look at this great world that I formed by my mighty might and my mighty... The world I made. And I as the king came down and humbled myself to the point of death. Becoming no better than a worm, Psalm 22. And he's been raised up today over all. He's reigning in heaven. This is how Israel is restored. Not just one nation in the earth. This is how Israel as a people is restored all of us are called to repent and believe and repent of our pride and recognize in our lives sometimes we take worship and this whole thing everything so lightly and I think that's the kind of pride the Lord hates that could take or leave worship could act like this is no big deal in my life as we go sit in our kingdoms and all these things that we've built this demands and requires humble praise and i praised the most high i raised up my eyes toward heaven and my sanity was returned i went i went insane his dominion dominion is an eternal dominion his kingdom endures from generation to generation all the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing he does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth no one can hold back his hand or say what have you done at the same time my sanity was restored my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom my advisors and nobles sought me out and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven because everything he does is right and all his ways are just and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. That's good news. That's good news. This was the parable before Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar. This is what they needed to do. We too must repent and believe the gospel and live our lives in thanksgiving, acknowledging the king for so great a salvation from a king who was so humble before us. Pride is a deadly sin in people's lives. Our nation, listen, our nation bears that out. Our nation bears out how bad pride is in life and what it creates. And God will chastise. How are we represented here? Are we awake in sanity to praise the Lord? All you have is from Him. And today he's announced love to you in the gospel. He's given you his son. And he says, I've forgiven your sins. Are you awake? Jesus said, without me, you can do nothing. So worship God. Give him glory in your lives. Put away the stupid sins that ensnare you. Live by His grace. Strengthen yourselves in grace. Was Nebuchadnezzar saved? Well, I think so. I just think we'll see Him in heaven. I could be wrong. Who God loves, He chastens. He didn't take Him out like Herod. If Nebuchadnezzar, like Paul, the chief of sinners, could be delivered here and his kingdom restored. He can do the same with us. The question's not about Nebuchadnezzar, though. The question's to us, have you repented and believed the gospel? Have you humbled yourself because of pride to know that Jesus is king over all and he gives salvation to whomever he will? He gives salvation to whomever he will. And he sets it over the lowliest of men. May we respond gladly as the lowest of all people. As those who've received grace when we never deserved it. Give glory to God. Amen. Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful text. Thank you for instructing us in it. Help us, oh Lord, to be a people of praise and humility. We're nothing apart from you. We act often like we are. Thank you for salvation. May we never boast. Let our boast be in Christ, our humble king. May we come to the table now with great joy, recognizing you love us. You gave a table to declare that Christ's blood and righteousness, that you are for us. So may we come believing that through him we have life. May we worship the king with all praise and sincerity. In Jesus' name. Transcription by CastingWords