I'm constantly amazed in our day, man's familiarity with Almighty God. And I don't mean that in a good way. clever sayings and signs out in their yards. They put clever, what they think are clever sayings on the church billboard. Big digital flashing signs to catch everybody's attention. And it seems like everybody has something cute to say, something clever. whether it's on a T-shirt or a sign, whatever, a bumper sticker, whatever it might be. Everyone's religious. We were talking about this the other night. We'd watched a commercial. Everybody is religious. Everyone seems to believe that Christ died for sinners. They say that. Very religious, but absolutely no clue of who Almighty God is.

And people look at these things and they seem right. What does Scripture say about that? There's a way. There's a way that seems right unto man. But the end thereof are the ways of death. Two times, two times this is written in the book of Proverbs. A way that seems right unto man. The end thereof are the ways of death. I want to be delivered from that way. I want to be delivered from that way that just seems right.

Peter in Acts 2, he told the people there at Pentecost, he said, save yourselves from this untoward generation. I looked that up, it means crooked. It means perverse. It kind of sounds like the false religion of this world. This generation is just so familiar with God. They call him names, and I hesitate to say these, but I feel like they need to be said. Like, they'll call him names like the good man upstairs. They refer to his son as Jesus. like he were a kid that lived down the street that we play ball with. And I guess we shouldn't be surprised. They did the same in our Lord's day when he walked this earth. They referred to him not as Lord, but they would refer to him as the carpenter's son. Take his name in vain.

In Psalm 50, the Lord spake in Psalm 50, verse 21, just listen to what he said. He said, thou thoughtest. Is this how we think? Thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as yourself. But I'll reprove thee. I'll set thee in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, that you forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver. Only one, only one can deliver.

Man in his vanity and pride has developed such a high opinion of self. We think so much of ourselves and have such a low opinion of who God is. No fear. They have no fear of God. No fear in what they say about Him. No fear in what they say about His Son. No fear.

Turn to Romans chapter 3 with me. Romans chapter 3. Beginning with verse 10. Romans 3 verse 10. As it is written, there's none righteous. No, not one. There is none that understandeth. No knowledge of who God truly is. No knowledge of their sin. No knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's none that seeketh after God. They are all going out of the way. They're all together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good. No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they've used deceit. The poison of asp is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Feet swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their way, and the way of peace they have not known.

In verse 18, this just sums it all up. There is no fear of God before their eyes. No fear of God. I'm convinced that's why people can go around handing out little Lego-sized things they call a little Jesus. And that's what they say. They say everybody needs a little Jesus. My friends, I need a great Savior. A great sinner needs a great Savior. A great God. A sovereign God who is Lord of lords and King of kings. This world offers a... Again, I hate to say this, but they offer a little Jesus. That's convenient, isn't it? I can stick him in my pocket when that's convenient for me. I can put him in my desk, right? A little Jesus allows man to do with Him as they will, rather than God who does with His people what He will.

There's no understanding, there's no fear of God. Not just fear of His wrath, not just fear of hell and condemnation, but no fear of God, no reverence for who He is, for what He has done. How can there be no reverence for that One whose name is holy and reverent? That's his name. Malachi 3.6 says, I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. No fear of God before this generation. So-called preachers that preach a false God, a weak God, a failing God, a disappointed God. A God who wants to, but can't. A God whose hands are tied. My friends, that is no God at all.

They preach a God who says, I have no eyes, but your eyes. No feet. but your feet. I have no hands but your hands." My friends and all who would hear this message, that's a lie. That is nothing but a lie. The God of the Bible is totally and completely independent of His creatures. He doesn't rely on them. The God of the Bible, He is the true and the living God. He has all strength. He has all wisdom. He has all power. We add nothing to Him. He's not dependent on us for anything.

I believe we read this last week in Psalm 50, Psalm 50, verse seven. Hear, O my people, and I'll speak, O Israel. I'll testify against thee. I am God, even thy God. I'll not reprove thee for thy sacrifices and thy burnt offerings to have been continually before me. I'll take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy fold. Why would he do that? Every beast of the forest is his. That's what he said. Every beast of the forest is mine. The cattle upon a thousand hills, they're mine. I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wild beasts in the field. He said, they're mine. He said, if I were hungry, if I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you. The world is mine in the fullness thereof. It's all his. Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows to the Most High. He's to be exalted. above all, the most high, Psalm 46.10. He said, be still and know I'm God. I'll be exalted among the heathen. I'll be exalted in the earth. In all things, God is to be exalted.

But this world, this sinful world, has no fear of God. Turn with me back to Daniel. Daniel chapter four. I'd encourage you to go back and read this. It's just 37, 37 verses. Surely you could find time this afternoon to read through this passage of scripture.

But in this passage, in this passage, we see four great truths. Four great truths that God was pleased to teach Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar, he wasn't a prophet. He wasn't a disciple. Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king, and yet the Lord was pleased to teach him four, at least four great truths. I'm sure there's more than I'm sure there's more than that, but do you have Daniel 4? Look at verse 5.

Here we read that King Nebuchadnezzar, he had a dream. He had a vision, a vision that made him afraid, a vision that troubled him. And in verse 7, he took that dream to his wise men, to his soothsayers, to his astrologers, and he told them the dream. but none of them, none of them could interpret it.

Look down to verse 24 of Daniel 4. Here's Daniel's interpretation of the dream. He says, this is the interpretation, O King, and 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 knowest.

" You're going to know something here, something we all need to know. The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and He giveth it to whomsoever He will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, the kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. 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.

It's revealed here to Nebuchadnezzar what's going to happen, what's going to take place. And 12 months later, Nebuchadnezzar walks into the palace of Babylon, and this is what he says. He said, is not this the great Babylon that I have built? by the might of my power, for the honor, whose honor is this for? Nebuchadnezzar says, for the honor of my majesty. And while those words were in his mouth, he hadn't even, that ever happen to you? You ever say something and think, boy, I wish I could have cut that off about 30 seconds ago? While the words were still in his mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, thy kingdom, is it yours, Nebuchadnezzar? It's departed from thee. And 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 seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the most high ruleth. He rules over all. The Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men, and He, not Nebuchadnezzar, but Almighty God, giveth it to whomsoever He will. And those things that had been revealed to him ahead of time, in a dream, in a vision, they took place.

Look at verse 33. Same hour was this thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men. He ate grass as oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven. His hairs were grown like eagle's feathers, his nails like bird's claw. And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and my understanding returned unto me. What did Nebuchadnezzar learn from all of this? What was he taught? Well, just a few things. First, the greatness of God. Do you see that in verse 34? He says, I blessed. Who was he blessing? He was blessing himself, wasn't he? He said, I blessed the most high, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever and ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion in his kingdom, is from generation to generation. The God of heaven reigns. He reigns over all.

Psalm 47, eight, God reigneth over the heathen. God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness. Turn to Isaiah 52, verse seven. Isaiah 52. Look at verse seven of Isaiah 52. How beautiful, how timely, how appropriate. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth.

God is absolutely and totally sovereign. He rules and He reigns over all. He's sovereign in creation. He's sovereign in providence. He's sovereign in the salvation of His people. Our God is in the heavens and He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. He's holy. He's almighty. He's righteous. He's just in all that He does.

In Isaiah 6-1, Isaiah said, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. How did He seem? He was high. He was lifted up. His train filled the temple and the seraphims cried, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. And when I saw Him, when I saw His greatness, This is what I had to say about myself. Woe, I cried. Woe is me. Woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

What did Isaiah see first? Did he see his sin or did he see God's holiness? God's sovereignty? When he saw something of who God was, then he saw his sin, didn't he? God's greatness and man's sin. God's greatness. He needs nothing. He needs absolutely nothing from man.

Second, what do we learn from this passage? Man is nothing. Man is nothing. Let me ask you, how foolish does that sound that a man could do something for God? Just take a little time to reason that out. God who created the heavens, God that spoke the world into creation, what could He possibly need for man? He created man.

Our text, verse 35 of Daniel 4, he says, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. Nothing. Man is fallen. Man is depraved. Man is sinful. Man is cursed. Man is condemned. Man is helpless. Man is dying flesh. All, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every man at his best state is altogether vanity. That means empty. It means nothing. Men are like, men are like grasshoppers before Almighty God. Men are like the dust of the earth before him, a lump of clay, a puff of smoke, a mist of vapor, that small dust of the balance. He's a drop. He's a drop in the bucket. He's nothing. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.

Third, God's will will be done. Verse 35, He doeth according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest Thou? Almighty God does all things according to His own will. We read that He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.

In Romans 9, just listen to verse 17, Scripture said this concerning Pharaoh, Even for this purpose have I raised you up, Why? Why would a wicked man like Pharaoh be raised up? Why would a wicked man like Pharaoh be allowed to rule? That I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Pharaoh was a wicked man. Pharaoh did exactly what his wicked heart desired to do. But in doing that, he did the will of the Father, that which God determined he would do.

That's true at Calvary. Think about at Calvary, all those people, they did what their wicked hearts desired to do. But in doing it, They did what God determined before to be done.

Thy kingdom come, what's the rest of that? Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Psalm 115, the heathen asked this question, where is now their God? Where is He? What was the reply? What was the reply to that question? Where is he? Our God is in the heavens. And he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. His providence is undisturbed. His throne is unshaken. His purpose is unchanged. None can stay His hand. None can stay unto Him.

What doest thou? What was Nebuchadnezzar taught? He was taught something of the greatness of God, who God is. He learned that man is nothing. That God's will it will be done.

And then fourth, look at verse 37. Those that walk in pride. Self-righteousness is, that's truly what self-righteousness is, it's pride. Those that walk in pride, he is able to abase. Remember what Nebuchadnezzar said there. He said, is this not the great Babylon that I built by the might of my power for the honor of my majesty? Nebuchadnezzar was convinced this was all about him, wasn't he?

Remember Naaman? Remember the leper Naaman? He went to Elijah's house, and he went with his carriage. I bet it was a nice carriage, with his chariots and his horsemen. Probably looked like a parade pulling up to the house. Soldiers in silver and gold and treasures, probably wearing a fine uniform with all of his medals. And he stood. He stood before the door of Elijah, waiting. Who wouldn't want to come out and see him, right? Waiting. Stood there waiting for them to come out. He stood before the door. He should have been stooping. He should have been bowing down.

And he expected the prophet to come out to him and cast his hand over the place. I'm sure that seemed right. That was probably the way that seemed right to Naaman. There's a way that seems right, isn't there? But Elijah didn't appear. Instead, he sent a servant out there. to this great important man. And he said, my master said to tell you, go dip, go dip seven times in the River Jordan and you'll be clean. And scripture says that Naaman turned in a rage. He was furious. How could anybody, how could anybody talk to him like that? He said, I thought, this is what I thought would happen. I thought surely he'd come out and put his hand over to the place and call on his God and say, be clean. And he went away mad.

And one of his servants said to him, he said, Master, he said, if that servant had said to you, if that prophet God had said to you to do some great thing, Wouldn't you have done it? Why don't you just do as you're commanded? Why don't you just go down and wash?" That's what he did, wasn't it? He went down and he washed and he was made perfectly whole.

Naaman learned what Nebuchadnezzar learned, didn't he? Those that walk in pride, he is able to embrace.

All right. Isaac, come lead us in a closing prayer.