Turn with me to the book of Daniel
chapter four. Daniel 4. I have truly enjoyed
this study in Daniel so far. I believe everything that our
Lord did with this King Nebuchadnezzar and for Nebuchadnezzar, I believe
it's so beautiful and so amazing, truly so amazing. He is a pattern
just like the Apostle Paul was a pattern of how God saves all
of his people. Nebuchadnezzar had to be broken. He had to be broken. From all of his pride and his
arrogance and self and sin and all of God's people do. We all
do. We all have to be broken. Even though we can't relate to
what it would be like to be pretty much the most powerful man in
the world at that time, there are a lot of things about his
life that are very different from ours. But even so, we can
relate to how God saved him. We can very much relate to that. He's going to tell us in this
chapter just that, how God saved him. and what the Lord taught
him through his dealings with him. And I want to get right
into it because I want to look at the whole account here. So
look with me at verse one, chapter four, verse one. We looked at
these first three verses already, but let's read these again. It
says Nebuchadnezzar, the king unto all people, nations and
languages that dwell in all the earth. Peace be multiplied unto
you. Peace with God. The Lord has
dealt with him. The Lord has broken him. And
now, you know, instead of going to war against everyone and being
a tyrant over his own people, he says, peace, peace with God,
peace through Christ, peace in the blood of the lamb, peace.
Verse two, I thought it good to show the signs and wonders
that the high God hath wrought toward me. He said, the Lord
has laid it on my heart to declare to you all of God's dealings
with me. And I thought about this, all
of us could declare God's dealings with us. You could look back
on your life. I could literally stand here
and just tell you the story of my life. Tell you all of God's
dealings with me. He brought me here. He stopped
me from this. He allowed me to do that. He
And that's what he's saying. I thought it would be good for
me to just tell you exactly how my life went, how God dealt with
me. Verse three, how great are his
signs and how mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation. He said, this is the knowledge
and the understanding and the belief that God has brought me
to. How great are his signs? How
mighty are his wonders? His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom. His dominion is from generation to generation. That's
what he taught me. Nebuchadnezzar said, this is
how he did it. Verse four. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest
in mine house and flourishing in my palace. He said, I was
fine. That's where this whole thing
starts. I was fine. I was at rest in the house that
I had built, slumbering at ease. I was fine. That's where men
and women are in false, self-made, self-righteous religion. That's where people are. That's
where everybody is. And it just kills me for men and women. They're just fine. They're out
there just fine in need of nothing. Man thinks that he's built his
own spiritual house by the deeds of his own works. You know, I
built this house and man is happy in it. He's
happy in his self righteous house in man's eyes, in man's heart.
He thinks he's flourishing in his own works. And people do. They think they're flourishing
in their works. Man, I got so many good works. But all that man has built for
himself is a sandcastle. And the only hope that man has
is if God in his mercy will come and knock it down. That's the
only hope man has. If God will come and knock it
down and leave man in the dust and put man in a position where
all he can do is cry out to God Almighty for mercy and help,
help me. Nebuchadnezzar said, that's what
he did to me. That's the very thing he did
to me. Verse four, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in mine house and
flourishing in my palace I saw a dream which made me afraid
and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my heart troubled
me. He had another dream. The Lord
troubled him. The Lord put fear into him. That is the beginning of wisdom.
I have so many conversations with people who are afraid of
their standing before God, afraid of the fact that they're still
just as sinful as they used to be. And that's the beginning of wisdom. That's the beginning. That's
the beginning evidence of salvation. Fear, trouble, worry over the
condition we see ourselves to be in. Worry. Verse 6. Therefore
made I decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before
me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of
the dream. He did what all men and women
naturally, but wrongly try to do. He sought his own remedy
for his soul's trouble. And that's what people foolishly
try to do. There is trouble in their guilty
conscience and they think, I'm gonna remedy this. I'm gonna
bring relief to my soul. Not realizing that the harder
they try, the more they make it worse. Nebuchadnezzar
is about to find out that remedy from this kind of trouble is
something that only the Lord God of heaven can do. Only God
can do this. Verse seven, then came in the
magicians The astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers,
and I told the dream before them, but they did not make known unto
me the interpretation thereof." They couldn't last time, they
couldn't this time. False religion does not know
what the problem is. Therefore, false religion does
not know what the remedy is. That's so true, isn't it? False religion does not know
what the soul's trouble is. Therefore, false religion doesn't
know what the answer for the soul's trouble is. False religion
is no help to men and women at all, none. Verse eight, but at
the last, Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar,
according to the name of my God and in whom is the spirit of
the holy gods. And before him, I told the dream
saying, isn't it human nature to seek the counsel of God last? Isn't that human nature? Honestly,
we will go to every avenue that we think we have until finally all of that is,
it comes to nothing, and then we realize, why don't I take
my burden to the Lord and leave it there? You'd think we would
learn. But I haven't. I haven't yet. But that's what he did. Verse 8, at the last, Daniel
came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to
the name of my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods,
And before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, master
of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods
is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of
my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof."
Tell me the truth, that's what he said. Tell me the truth. The high and holy God always
puts His people in the place where they say, tell me the truth. Tell me the truth. God's people
want the truth. They love the truth. I'm done
with all these lies. Just tell me the truth. Verse
10. Thus were the visions of mine
head in my bed, I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth
and the height thereof was great. He said, I dreamed about this
great tree. Verse 11, the tree grew and was
strong and the height thereof reached unto heaven and the site
thereof to the end of all the earth. He said it covered all the earth.
Verse 12, the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof
much, and in it was meat for all. The beast of the field had
shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the bowels
thereof, and all the flesh was fed of it. It was a provider
for all. It was over all. In verse 13,
he said, I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold,
a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven. He didn't realize
it at this moment, but God showed him a messenger who God's Holy
Spirit was with. A messenger that God's Spirit
was with. Verse 13, I saw in the visions
of my head upon my bed and behold a watcher and in holy one came
down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus,
you down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves
and scatter his fruit. Let the beast get away from under
it and the fowls from his branches. Nevertheless, leave the stump
of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass
in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew
of heaven, and let his portion be with the beast in the grass
of the earth. Let his heart be changed from
man's and let a beast's heart be given unto him and let seven
times, and most of the commentators say that's years, seven years
pass over him. He said, my heart is troubled
because I had a dream of this great provider, great provider
for the people and things of this earth. And a messenger who
God's spirit was with came and said, cut it down. Level it with the grass and empty
it of all of its strength, all of its knowledge, all of its
so-called power and provision. Empty it and cut it down. Now this is mercy. That's what
this is. This is grace. God's mercy and
grace. He said, cut the whole thing
down and let nothing of it remain except the root. the root of
the matter. Any idea what the root is? That
root of Jesse? That root out of dry ground?
That's Jesus Christ. That's what happened on the cross
of Calvary. We were cut down. We were cut down by the judgment
and wrath of God to the point that now, thank God, all that
remains in God's people is the root. That's all that remains. Verse 17, the watcher said, this
matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand by the
word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth
it to whomsoever he will. and setteth up over it the basest
of men. He said, all this will happen
to the intent for the purpose of declaring and revealing and
proving that there is only one ruler in the kingdom of man. It's the most high, the most
high God. And he gives that kingdom to
whoever he will. He sets up and He tears down
whoever He will. Even those who think they are
great mighty trees, He will prove to them they're the basest of
men. He said, all this is going to happen to the intent for the
purpose of showing God's absolute sovereignty over all things,
including you and me. Verse 18. this dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare
the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom
are not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou
art able, for the Spirit of the holy gods is in thee." Then Daniel,
whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished. for one hour,
and his thoughts troubled him. He was in this just state of
astonishment for one hour, and he was troubled by what he saw,
and he was troubled to tell this king the truth of the matter. This thing of declaring the truth
to people, this is a troubling matter. This is a troubling matter. This is troubling business. This
really is. It's so serious. It is so serious. It's so critical. I was thinking
today on this and on this subject and I was thinking about how
things come up in our life that worry us. All right, I'm up here
right now giving a speech. What if you had to give a speech
tonight? How would you prepare for it? How would you think about
it and worry about it? Or whatever the case may be.
We put so much focus and attention and preparation into the things
of this earth, but man gives no thought and no worry and no
preparation and no effort into eternity. Eternity is coming. And God has ordained this means
of someone telling himself and everybody else the truth of eternal
matters. And it's weighty. I thought about
Daniel here. For one hour, he was astonished
by what he saw. Astonished by what the end was. And it troubled him. And this
is troubling. It's so serious. It's so critical.
And people don't care. And this was troubling. Men and
women don't care. Men and women are not burdened
by it, and that makes us burdened for them. It makes us so burdened
for them. We know, but for the grace of
God, a very crushing end is coming to people. You know, we all have
people in this world we live with and work with, and a crushing
end is coming to people. One that no man or woman is ever
going to recover from. Never. And it's so burdening,
it's just so troubling. Verse 19, Daniel, whose name
was Belteshazzar, he was astonished for one hour and his thoughts
troubled him. The king spake and said, Belteshazzar,
let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble thee. What he's
saying is, just tell me, what is it? Belteshazzar answered
and said, My Lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and
the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. The tree that
thou sawest, which grew and was strong, whose height reached
unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth, whose
leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, And in it was meet
for all under which the beast of the field dwelt and upon whose
branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation. It is thou,
O King. Thou art the man. That's the
message of the true messenger to every man and woman on this
earth. Thou art the man. Thou art the
woman. You're the sinner against God.
I'm the sinner against God. Verse 22, it is thou, O King,
thou art grown and become strong for thy greatness is grown and
reacheth unto heaven and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from
heaven and saying, Hew the tree down and destroy it, yet leave
the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band
of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field, and let it
be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the
beast of the field till seven times pass over it. This is the
interpretation, O King, and this is the decree of the Most High
which is come upon my Lord the King, that they shall drive thee
from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field,
And they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall
wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over
thee, till thou know how that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom
of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. He said, God is going
to bring you down. And I'm gonna tell you this,
I'm gonna tell me this. I'm gonna tell everybody here
this. It's troubling, it's burdening to tell it, but it has to be
told. God is going to bring you down. God is going to bring us down,
either in judgment or mercy. Either in judgment or mercy.
I don't want us to sit under the gospel for 50 years and miss
Christ and end up in judgment. We need mercy. We need mercy
from a sovereign God. Every soul is coming down before
this God. This is the most high God. Every
soul will be bowed down. Every knee is going to bow. Every knee in this room, every
knee in this city, every knee in this world is going to bow,
either in judgment or mercy. Either in judgment or mercy. There is one Sovereign. There's
only one Most High God. Jesus Christ is His name. Beside
Him, there's no other. Either in judgment or mercy,
we're all gonna bow to Him. I pray it's mercy. I'm praying
for you in me that it's mercy. I pray it's mercy. I pray it's
mercy for our children. I have a child sitting right
here. I want mercy on that child. And I want mercy on your children. I pray it's mercy. I pray God
in mercy will break us and bring us down to bow to Him, to praise
Him, to glorify Him, to honor Him for who He is and for what
He's done for sinners like us, but for who He is. The Most High. Verse 24 says, This is the interpretation, O
King, this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon
my Lord the King, that they shall drive thee from men, and thy
dwelling shall be with the beast of the field, and they shall
make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with
the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till
thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded
to leave the stump of the tree roots, Thy kingdom shall be sure
unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do
rule. He said, after God brings you
down and humbles you and teaches you and reveals to you the truth
of the absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ over everything
concerning you. After God reveals to you that
you're in His hands, you're not your own, you're bought
with a price, His price, the payment of His price. He said,
once God tears you down and causes you to see that, He's going to
build you back up. But this time you won't be built
up on yourself. You'll be built up on Christ.
You'll be built up on the knowledge and the wisdom of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Built up on the substitution
and the satisfaction of the Lord Jesus Christ. Built up on the
solid foundation of the solid rock of Christ. Verse 27 says,
Wherefore, O King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and
break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing
mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. He said, Wherefore, believe this
declaration, turn from all your idolatry, and worship and serve
the true and living God. This is the only hope we have.
It's the only hope we have. I say that to every soul here,
turning from ourselves to Jesus Christ, denying self, pleading
Christ, faith in who he is. Faith in what he's done, that's
the only hope we have. Lord, turn us and we'll be turned. If you will turn us, we will
be turned. Now look at verse 28, it says,
all this came upon the King Nebuchadnezzar. God's word always stands, always. Sometimes because it's not executed
speedily, our sinful flesh begins to doubt it. And it starts to
think that it's forgotten or lost. It's not. Not one word
of his will ever return void. God's Word always stands. Verse
28, all this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar at the end of
12 months, one year later. From the time Daniel said this,
one year later, at the end of 12 months, he walked in the palace
of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, is not
this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom
By the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty.
Amazing, isn't it? Oh, we of little faith. Oh, how we forget God's word to us. How ignorant
we are to God's word to us. How soon we forget what he has
to say. How often pride and arrogancy,
it just consumes us. It pours out of us. How often we think we're something
when we're nothing. Verse 30, the king spake and
said, is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house
of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of
my majesty? While the word was in the king's
mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar,
to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. And they
shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the
beast of the field. They shall make thee to eat grass
as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth
it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled
upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men, and did eat
grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till
his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like
birds' claws." God's Word is certain. This man was driven
out into the field to live in a field. And everything about
him just became matted. He became a lunatic. God's word
is certain. He said, if I have spoken it,
I'll do it. But that's where our assurance
comes from. The certainty of his promise. His judgment is certain. Nebuchadnezzar
is finding that out right here. But thank God, he is also about
to find out that his mercy is certain. His mercy is certain. You cry out for mercy? You cry
out for mercy in the blood of Jesus Christ, and you will have
it. It's certain. I tell every person
here, I tell our children, I tell every soul here, you cry out
to Jesus Christ for mercy in his sin-cleansing blood, and
you'll have it from the depths of your soul. You'll have it. His mercy is certain, His grace
is certain, His salvation is certain. He said, if I've spoken
it, I'll do it. He will bring down who He has
promised to bring down. But thank God, He will lift up
who He has promised to lift up. He will raise up at the last
day who He has promised to raise up. And right here in verse 34,
Nebuchadnezzar said, He did exactly what He said He would do to me,
and then He did exactly what He said He would do for me. Verse
34, at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine
eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed
the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever. whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. He said, at the end of the days,
I lifted up mine eyes unto heaven. God is going to bring all of
his people to a place where they say, I will lift up mine eyes
unto the hills from whence cometh my help. Who's in the hills? Who is our
help? Jesus Christ is. My help cometh from the Lord. He said, at the end of the days,
I lifted up mine eyes to heaven. My understanding returned to
me. He said, God taught me something.
And this is what I learned. Through everything God brought
me through, everything He taught me, my understanding returned
to me and I blessed the Most High. And I praised and honored
Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion. and His kingdom is from generation
to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And He doeth according to His
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest
Thou? At the same time, my reason returned
unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom mine honor and brightness
returned unto me, and my counselors and my lords sought unto me,
and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added
unto me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are
truth, and his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride
he's able to abase." You know that we can't just read over
those verses and leave it there. That's the culmination of the
story. That's the part that I wait to
get to and the part that I quote all the time. But you also know
we're out of time. So we're going to look at this
Sunday morning. We're going to spend some time seeing what God
taught Nebuchadnezzar and everything that he did to him. everything
that he did for him, what he saw when he had Christ revealed
to him, what he saw when he had the truth revealed to him. He
learned the same thing that all of God's people learn, and it's
this right here. God is God. Man is nothing. Christ is all. And Lord willing,
that's what we'll look at on Sunday. All right, let's all
stand together.