I did choose thee, Lord. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neidert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Mattawar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now, here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I've entitled the message
for this morning, Who Rules? In Daniel chapter three or chapter
four, we have the story of a man by the name of Nebuchadnezzar.
And in this chapter, God taught him who rules. Perhaps you've heard the term,
the sovereignty of God. All it means is God rules. That He is the cause. That nothing happens without
His will being done. And that covers everything. He
is absolutely sovereign. God rules. Now it is difficult
for us in this country where we have freedom and rights and
protection to imagine what kind of power an absolute monarch
had. Now Nebuchadnezzar was one who
ruled. Now he found out that it was
God who ruled and he thought he ruled and he had unusual power. If he wanted you dead, you were
put to death right now. If he wanted to promote you,
you were promoted. He had absolute power and no
one was allowed to question his authority. Whatever he said had
to take place. He was the king in the land of
Babylon. The children of Israel were in
captivity at this time for 70 years. It was during their 70
years in captivity. They were under three or four
different kings. And Nebuchadnezzar was the first one, and God taught
him something. He taught him who rules. Now, in Daniel chapter 4, verse
1, we have the words of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar, the king unto
all people, nations, and languages that dwell in the earth, peace
be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show the
signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me."
God taught this man a lesson. How great are his signs and how
mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom and his dominion from generation to generation. Now in the story he tells us
three times he makes this statement 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." Now, all the living will know this.
Those who have been made spiritually alive, the dead in sins won't
have any understanding of this. It will just go over their head
and will be meaningless to them. But the living know that the
God of heaven rules in the kingdom of men. Now, who rules in the
kingdom of men? Who rules in the United States?
Who's in control of everything that takes place here? Who's
in control of the economy? Who's in control of everything? Who rules in the Middle East?
Who rules in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia? Who controls what takes place? Now, there are only four possible
answers. No one does. Everything is left
to chance and luck and happenstance and blind fate. There's anarchy. No one rules. The second option
would be men rule. They're the controller of their
own destiny and their own fate. The third option would be the
devil rules. He certainly seems to rule in
many respects. And the fourth answer is God
rules. He is in absolute control. Now, back to Nebuchadnezzar.
In verse 4, he says, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing
in my palace. Everything seemed good. I saw
a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed
and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore, may 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.
Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and
the soothsayers, and I told the dream before them, but they didn't
know. They were unable to make known
unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then Daniel is brought
in. Now, Daniel had interpreted a
dream before. chapter 2 and why Nebuchadnezzar
waited to call upon Daniel I don't understand but Daniel is brought
in and Nebuchadnezzar gives the dream to him and let me give
you what he says regarding his dream in verse 10 he said thus
were the visions of my head in my bed I saw behold a tree in
the midst of the earth and the height thereof was great the
tree grew and was strong and the height thereof reached unto
heaven and the sight thereof to the end of the earth." Now
you think of the vastness of this tree. The leaves thereof
were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and it was meat for all. The beasts of the field had shadow
under it, and the fowls of the heavens dwelt in the boughs thereof,
and all the flesh was fed. I saw in the boughs thereof,
all the flesh was fed. I saw in the vision of my head
upon my bed, and behold, a Watcher and a Holy One came down from
heaven. He cried aloud and said, Thus, yew down the tree, this
tree that covered all the earth. Yew it down, this tree that fed
all the animals. Yew it down, and take 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 the roots in the earth, and
even with a band of iron and brass and the tender grass of
the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and beast
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, or seven years, pass over him. This matters by the decree
of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy One,
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." Now that's his dream
that he lets Daniel know about. And Daniel is very troubled when
he hears this dream. He knows exactly what it means. But the purpose of this dream
is stated that the living may know who rules in the kingdom
of men. The most high ruler. And this
is a statement regarding the sovereignty of God. Now this,
I hesitate to call it a subject because it's just the truth.
It's something that thrills my heart, the absolute sovereignty
of God. To say God is sovereign is to
say God is God. God rules. God does as He pleases. God does only as He pleases. And God does always as He pleases. David said in Psalm 115.3, Our
God is in the heavens. he hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased." God's will is always done. That's what God sovereignly
means. God's will is always done. Somebody
says, I refuse to believe that. I don't believe God's will is
always done. Well, that's God's will for you
to believe that way. Psalm or Proverbs 16.1 says,
the preparation of the heart in a man and the answer of the
tongue is from the Lord. God's will is always done. Well, somebody says, does man
have a will? Yes, man has a will. And man does exactly what he
wants to do all the time. What you do is what you want
to do. Man has a will, but God's will is sovereign over man's
will. And man's will, while he's doing
what he wants to do, he's only doing what God has determined
before for him to do. That's said of the death of Christ. Remember where it says in Acts
chapter 4 that those people who murdered the Lord Jesus Christ,
they were doing what they wanted to do. They hated Christ and
they wanted to kill him. They were doing what they wanted
to do. They were wicked men, but the Scripture says they were
doing whatever God's hand and counsel had determined before
to be done. When that man drove the nails
in the hands and feet of our Lord on the cross, he was doing
what God had purposed for him to do. Now somebody may think,
well if that's the case, how can we be held accountable for
our sin if God purposed that? If it's all a part of His purpose
and plan, if He controls everything, how can we be held accountable
and responsible? Well, the only way I know the
answer to that is, we are. When we like it, we are. I think
of What Paul said in Romans chapter 9, when he's talking about Pharaoh,
he said, talking about Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath
he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. He hardened Pharaoh's heart. That's what the Bible says. He
hardened Pharaoh's heart. Somebody says, well, Pharaoh
also hardened his own heart. I know he did, but it's because
God hardened his heart. Now, Paul anticipated the objection
men would make. Why does he yet find fault for
who has resisted his will? If he can determine everything,
how can he hold me responsible if I do something that was determined
before for me to do? How could I be held responsible
and be judged for that? And listen to the way Paul answers.
Nay, but O man, who are you to reply against God? Since when
do you have the moral authority to sit in judgment over God and
say, I think this is right and I think that is wrong? We're
sinful. We don't have the ability to
sit in judgment on God. Whatever He does is right. Nay,
but old man, who are you to reply against God? Whatever God does
is right. Now, Daniel hears this dream. And he's very troubled by what
the interpretation is. The king says, Nebuchadnezzar
says, tell me what it means. And so he tells him in verse
20. 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 meat for all, under which the beasts of the field
dwelt, and upon which the branches, the fowls of the heaven, had
their habitation, it's thou, O king. You are that great tree. You've grown and become strong
for thy greatness has grown and reaches unto heaven and thy dominion
to the end of the earth. God has made you the ruler of
the world. Verse 23, and whereas the king
saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven and saying,
you 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,
and in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the
dew of heaven, and let its portion be with the beasts of the field,
till seven years pass over him." This is the interpretation. O
King, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come
upon my Lord the King, they shall drive thee from men in all your
high thoughts of yourself. They're going to drive you from
men. Your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and
they shall make thee to eat grass as an oxen, and they shall wet
thee with the dew of heaven, and seven years shall pass over
thee till you know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will." Now, God's made you
this king, and He's going to let you turn into a beast. And
you're going to go seven years without your mind. Now, verse
26, and whereas they commanded to leave the stump of their tree
roots, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. It's going to return
after that thou shall have known that the heavens do rule. You're
going to learn this. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel
be acceptable unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness
and not iniquity, by showing mercy to the poor. It may be
to lengthen thy tranquility. Now Daniel says to him, this
is what's going to happen to you. So here's my advice to you.
Repent. Repent. Don't sit in fatalism
and say, well, there's nothing I can do. I'm going to go ahead
and wait until this takes place. No. Break off thy sins. Repent,
he says to him. That reminds me of Jonah, when
Jonah comes into Nineveh. And he says, in 40 days, God's
going to destroy this place. What did the king of Nineveh
say? Well, let's go ahead and party for 40 days and have a
good time until it's over. No, he had all the people's fast
in sackcloth and ashes. He said, who can tell if the
Lord will change his mind and repent and have mercy on us?
And he did. Now, this statement regarding the sovereignty of
God, he's in complete control of everything. It never gives
me an excuse to be fatalistic. No, I'm always to seek him and
to seek his face and to seek his mercy and to seek his grace.
Well, we read in verse 29 at the end of the 12 months. Remember,
Daniel told him what was going to happen. Twelve months later,
Nebuchadnezzar tells us that he walked in the palace of the
kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, It is
not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom
by the might of my power. What arrogance! What pride! I've built this thing by the
might of my power and for the honor of my majesty. a human
being, a man whose breath is in his nostrils, who's just one
breath away from death, in the hands of God who can crush him
like a moth, speaking with such arrogance? Now while the word
was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying,
O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it's spoken, the kingdom is departed
from thee, And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling
shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make thee to
eat grass as an oxen, and seven years shall pass over thee, until
thou know that the Most High ruleth, is in control of everything
that takes place in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever
he will." Now, the same hour was the thing fulfilled upon
Nebuchadnezzar. And he was driven from men, and
did eat grass as an oxen, and his body was wet with the dew
of heaven, till his hair were grown like eagle's feathers,
and his nails like bird claws. He went seven years without a
bath. His hair became so matted, he
never had his fingernails or toenails trimmed. You can imagine
what they would look like after seven years. He was given a beast's
heart. This king, in all of his great
thoughts of himself, was made to be nothing more than a beast.
Man at his best state is altogether vanity. That's what the scripture
says. Now, verse 34. At the end of the days, after
this seven-year period had taken place, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted
up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned to
me, and I blessed the Most High. That doesn't mean he conferred
upon him a blessing. A blessing means he spoke well
of him. He spoke well of Him. I blessed
the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever,
whose dominion, whose sovereignty, whose rule is an everlasting
dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. David said, Surely men of low
degree are vanity, men of high degree are a lie, to be laid
together in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? All the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing, and he doeth, now this is the one who
rules, this is what the sovereignty of God is, 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? Nobody has the right to do that. He is in absolute control. His will cannot be thwarted. His will is always done because
he has the power to make sure his will comes to pass. His will
is done in heaven, earth, in the sea, and in all deep places. None can stay his hand. None
can stop Him from doing His will, and none can say, what doest
thou? None can say, give an account for what you're doing. He's God.
He's the absolute authority. And His will is always done. His will is impeachable and irresistible. Nobody can say, what are you
doing? His authority is such that He
owes no man an explanation. Now, that's authority, isn't
it? That's authority. Verse 36, at the same time, my
reason returned unto me. Anything short of what I'm saying
is completely unreasonable. At the same time, my reason returned
to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and brightness
returned to me. My counselor, my Lord sought
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 ways are
truth and His works judgment. Absolute justice. Everything
God does is just. Oh, we're so foolish when we
call into question what He does because it's perfect righteousness.
You talk about the cross. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ
is the greatest declaration of the justice of God. All sin is
going to be punished. But God has made a way to punish
sin and yet pardon sinners through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
All His works are judgment, and those that walk in pride He is
able to abase." Pride, the most senseless, stupid thing in the
world. It's groundless. It's groundless. And those that walk in pride,
and pride is against Him, He is able to abase. Now, who rules? God rules. God is absolutely
sovereign. I was talking to a preacher once,
and he said, well, I believe in the sovereignty of God, but
I believe God and His sovereignty sovereignly decided to let men
have a free will. No, that's a denial of God's
sovereignty. If you're sovereign, you're sovereign
over everything. God is absolutely sovereign. Now, that's seen in creation. It's impossible to get hold of
this, but there was a time when there was nothing but God. There
was no matter, there was no universe, there was no sun, stars, all
there was was God. There was nothing else. And God willed it, and the universe
came into existence. That gives us some idea of the
sovereignty of His will. He simply willed it, and there
it was. God is absolutely sovereign in
providence. That's all the things that happen
in time. God is sovereign over. He controls. He controls the weather. He controls
all inanimate matter. He controls everything that takes
place. He is sovereign over plant life. He's sovereign over all men. unbelievers and believers. He's
in control. The Lord said, Thou hast given
Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to
as many as Thou hast given Him. He's sovereign over all men. He's sovereign over angels. They do His will. He's sovereign
over demons. They couldn't make a move without
asking for His permission. He's sovereign over the devil.
Satan is God's devil, and he can't make a move without God's
permission. He's on God's chain, and he's
actually doing God's will. Now, are you saying that God
wills evil things? I'm saying that God's in control,
and God brings good out of evil. He only can do this, but Satan,
every move he makes, ends up glorifying God. Now, Satan doesn't
mean for that to happen. Satan's an evil devil doing what
he can to destroy the name of Christ, but he can't, because
God is sovereign. Everything in providence, all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are called according to His purpose. He's sovereign in providence
and He is sovereign in salvation. That means if you're saved, here's
the one reason you're saved, He decided to save you. He decided to save you. It's not of Him that willeth,
nor of Him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. God the Father is sovereign in
salvation. He hath mercy on whom He will
have mercy. And whom He will, He hardens. God the Son is sovereign in salvation. He said in John 5, verse 21,
the Son quickens, the Son gives life to whom He will. God the
Holy Spirit is sovereign in salvation. Our Lord said, The wind blows
where it wills, you hear the sound thereof, and canst not
tell whence it cometh or whether it goeth. So is every one that
is born of the Spirit. God is sovereign. God rules. God controls everything. Now, what is our response supposed
to be to this? I hope my attitude is the same
attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ for the sovereignty of His Father
when He said, I thank Thee, O Lord. I thank Thee, O Lord. I thank Thee, O Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, that You've hid these things from the wise
and prudent and revealed them unto babes, even so, Father,
for so it seemed good in thy sight." And if it seemed good
in his sight, it's good. Now, what is our response supposed
to be toward the sovereignty of God? First, fear. Fear. Now, I'm not talking about
a slavish fear. that the natural man has. I'm
talking about that fear of the Lord that's the beginning of
wisdom. This is a respect for the living God. Fear. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord,
and glorify Thy name? The fact that He is absolutely
sovereign makes me fear Him. But the second word is trust. He who is sovereign is too wise
to err and too kind to be cruel. And I trust Him. I trust my Heavenly
Father who's controlling all things. Whatever He does is best. The third response is to be obedient. Obedient. That's the child of
fear and trust. obedience to whatever He says
to do. And next, I should have the attitude
of entire resignation. Like when Samuel said to Eli,
the Lord's going to kill your boys. You know how Eli replied? It's the Lord. Let Him do what
seemeth Him good. Whatever he does is right. And
I'm not talking about a sullen resignation. I'm talking about
a resignation that believes that whatever he does is good and
best because he does it. Resignation. And the next response
should be joy and thankfulness. The Lord reigneth. Let the earth
rejoice regarding everything that takes place. Our Lord says,
Be of good cheer. It's I. Be not afraid. Joy and thankfulness at the sovereignty
of God. And last, worship. There came
a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. You'll only worship a sovereign.
If you can control him or manipulate him, if you can get him to respond
to something you do, you'll never worship him. You'll only worship
an absolute sovereign. And salvation is in His sovereign
hands. Therefore, the only wise thing
to do is to say, Lord, have mercy on me. May God give us grace
to do that. To request a copy of the sermon
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