A Stumped King

Amen, and please do have a seat and grab your Bibles to Daniel chapter 4, and let's finish

Daniel 4 · chapter mention

this reading together from verse 34, reading to the end of chapter 4.

From verse 34 of chapter 4.

At the end of that time I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity

was restored.

Then I praised the Most High, I honored and glorified Him who lives forever.

His 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 to Him,

What have you done?

At the same time that 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.

What an incredible chapter.

Just before we dive in, let's pray together.

Our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning, and we still ourselves

in the wonderful truth that you hold our lives and you hold this world in the palm of your

hands.

And Lord, as we come to your word now, would you remind us what we hold in our hands?

This is no ordinary book.

This is your word, and it is life-giving.

Oh, may it come with power to our eyes and ears this morning to change us, to convict us,

to inspire us, to inform us, and to mold us.

And so, Lord, we declare in the words of Samuel,

Speak, O Lord, for your servants are listening.

Amen.

So, put your hand up this morning, if you are a regular reader of a magazine.

Right in the air, okay, right in the air, so I can see them.

Excellent.

Give me some magazines, I'll take two.

Alistair, you've got my eye there.

Time.

Good answers, we'll see you in a second.

Okay, anyone else?

Ruth.

Women's Weekly.

It's good.

Excellent.

Another, Ruth.

Practice nursing.

One more.

Derek.

Top Gear.

Excellent.

Brilliant.

Well, I'm not so confident in this one, but keep your hands up if the magazine that you

read is this one.

O, starring Oprah Winfrey.

Anybody?

No?

Who can tell me who is on the front cover?

This is May's edition of this magazine.

Who's on the front cover?

Come on, somebody.

Oprah.

Good.

Here is April's edition.

Who is on the front cover?

Oprah.

In fact, have a guess this morning at who has been on every single front cover of O magazine

since its launch in 2009.

Oprah.

So just in case we the public were in any doubt as to who the star of the O magazine

is, her face splashed across every single front cover.

Now, we've been working our way through this book of Daniel over the past few weeks.

And we've been introduced to this monster of a city that is Babylon.

And as we've got to know Babylon as a city, we've got to know the king of Babylon, King

Nebuchadnezzar.

Well, let me introduce you to the best-selling magazine in Babylon this morning.

We're just going to call it the Babylonian Time magazine.

The magazine that celebrates everything that is great and is wonderful about this city of

Babylon.

And here's the thing about the Babylonian Time magazine.

The man in the world, the man in the world, the man in the world, the man in the world,

the man in the world, the man in the world, the man in the world, the man in the world,

and this king, Nebuchadnezzar.

And why?

Because he is a man who loves his own glory.

You'll see in verses 29 and 30 of chapter 4, the words that form the subtitle to every single

edition of this magazine.

Hear Nebuchadnezzar proclaim, is this not the great Babylon that I have built as the

royal residence by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?

Do you see the heart of this guy, this king, Nebuchadnezzar?

What is he all about?

He's all about his own glory and he's all about his own fame.

He loves himself big time.

Here's what we're going to hear this morning and it is absolutely stunning.

This is the testimony about how this man came to be a worshipper of the living God.

I think we've got good grounds to understand from this chapter that King Nebuchadnezzar,

one of the most powerful men the world has ever known, in actual fact becomes a Christian.

And because of that, well, the Babylonian Time magazine is going to have to go through a massive

rebranding exercise.

Whereas before there was a big picture of Nebuchadnezzar on the front cover,

now there's a picture of the King of Heaven.

And whereas before it mentioned Nebuchadnezzar's fame and his greatness,

we'll now see what it reads at verse 37.

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's able to humble.

This chapter, bookended with praise, is the testimony of how the most powerful human being on the planet

has an encounter with the living God,

which totally transforms the ways, the way that he understands life.

And what has he learned?

Well, he's learned this about God.

That God is in the business of making low the high,

and making high the low.

This is our God this morning.

Well, King Nebuchadnezzar, he starts this chapter with his conclusion,

verses 1 to 3.

We see him make a quite astonishing admission.

This is the hear ye, hear ye of this chapter.

If you've got it there, notice who Nebuchadnezzar in these verses is writing to.

All nations of all languages.

Do you see that?

This is a universal declaration that all human beings the world over need to hear

and understand for themselves.

And remember this is written in Aramaic, the most common tongue of the day.

Now why does that matter?

Well, that matters because this word is going to get out in Aramaic to as many people as possible,

so that as many people as possible can understand who the true king of the world is,

and they too can turn to this God for themselves and have life.

What does he say?

He says, praise God.

Praise God that he is mighty.

Praise God that he is great.

And praise God that his kingdom, unlike mine, is a kingdom that lasts forever.

That is the song of Nebuchadnezzar's heart.

And really the rest of the chapter in between the sandwich is the story of how he got there.

So verses 4 to 18, not for the first time in this book,

Nebuchadnezzar has a distressing dream.

And what's it a dream about?

It's a dream about a tree.

Has anyone ever had a dream about a tree?

Nope, me neither.

But it's a tree.

It's a beautiful tree.

It's a big tree.

It's a fruitful tree.

It's a lively tree.

But this tree that has everything going for it

is a tree that is ordered to be cut down

and someone is going to be humbled in quite a unique and quite a powerful way.

And why?

We'll see verse 17.

So that whoever this is will come to understand that God is king and he is not.

So you can understand that Nebuchadnezzar, he's terrified about this dream.

And what does he do?

He summons his dream interpretation squad to give that interpretation a shot.

And verse 7, they don't seem to know what it means.

Which I find really interesting.

I find that really interesting.

Remember in Nebuchadnezzar he has a dream at chapter 2.

And when he calls his dream interpretation squad together,

they can't tell him what the dream means.

Why can't they tell him what the dream means?

Because he wouldn't tell them what the dream was.

But here do you notice Nebuchadnezzar tells them exactly what the dream is.

And let's be honest, it's not that difficult to work out, is it?

Really?

I mean, picture the conversation between Nebuchadnezzar and his wise men.

Dear wise men, I've had a dream about a tree.

It's a big tree.

It's a beautiful tree.

It's a lively tree.

It's a tree that's got an awful lot going for it.

And it's about to be cut down.

Any ideas, anyone?

Any ideas what this dream might mean?

I mean, if that came up in your higher English, you'd be delighted, would you not?

Giving that a shot, interpreting that?

You're not honestly telling me.

You're not honestly telling me that all the wise men in this city of Babylon

could not at least have a goal in trying to interpret what that dream means.

Could it be that these men claim to be in the dark because they can't face telling Nebuchadnezzar

the truth of the dream because of what it might mean for them?

Could it be that these wise men are prioritizing saving their own skin ahead of saving their kings?

Now, why do I think that?

Well, look who the king goes to next.

He goes to Daniel.

Cue stage right, verse 8.

Nebuchadnezzar says, Daniel, in you come.

Tell me what it means.

Verses 19 to 27.

We see Daniel offering this king a passionate plea.

Now, how does Daniel feel about this dream?

We'll see what we're told at verse 19.

He is greatly perplexed.

If you've got an ESV translation there, Daniel is said to be alarmed.

He's alarmed.

Is that not interesting?

I mean, picture Daniel in your head.

Here is one of God's own people who is living in exile away from his homeland

in this pagan city of Babylon.

That's bad enough.

But Jerusalem, the capital city, Daniel's home in Judah,

and most importantly for him, the place where his God is honored and worshipped

has been destroyed.

And by whom?

This man and these people.

As the readers here, are we not just a tad surprised

that Daniel isn't dancing with joy?

At the news of Nebuchadnezzar's upcoming destruction.

I mean, might we not be expecting Daniel to be rubbing it in the face of Nebuchadnezzar?

I told you so.

This is my God.

You thought you were bigger than him?

Would we not expect him to be tweeting to all his fellow Israelites?

Team, the moment we've been waiting for is here.

Hashtag Neb for Fel.

Right?

Do we not expect him to be dancing with joy?

He is not delighted with this dream.

He is devastated for the king and this news.

Isn't it just a little bit surprising in this chapter?

Now, why does Daniel feel like that?

Well, could it be that Daniel's heart for God

is expressing itself in love for this outsider who doesn't know God?

Could it be that Daniel wants this man, this king,

to come and to know and to love the God that he knows and loves?

Could it be that Daniel's heart is simply reflecting God's heart for this man?

Do you see how Daniel is deeply concerned

and how he deeply cares for this man, Nebuchadnezzar?

Now, here's the challenge this poses for us this morning.

Do we share Daniel's concern for a lost world?

Do we share Daniel's heart for people in our lives

that do not know this God for themselves?

Do we pray for our lost friends and family

that they too would come to know this God?

Are we fully convinced in our minds

that God wants to reach every human heart

with the good news of Jesus Christ?

Do we make every effort to walk alongside people

and take every opportunity to speak of Jesus Christ to them?

For how does Daniel's loving concern for Nebuchadnezzar,

how does it manifest itself in this chapter?

By telling him the truth.

What does Daniel say at verse 22?

Well, Daniel says what the wise men of Babylon wouldn't say,

you are that tree.

Do you see what he says?

You are that tree.

Dear King, I wish this didn't apply to you.

I really wish this didn't apply to you.

But that axe, it's got your name on it.

This one's for you, King Nebuchadnezzar.

The question is, how are you going to respond?

Is there any hope for this king?

Well, what does Daniel say, verse 27?

Therefore, your majesty,

be pleased to accept my advice.

Renounce your sins by doing what is right

and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed.

It may be then,

your prosperity will continue.

And I think so succinctly summed up by Daniel

in that phrase that he uses at verse 26,

will you acknowledge that heaven rules?

Will you acknowledge that heaven rules

and you don't?

Let me ask you this morning,

where are you at in that question?

Who is it that is king of your life?

You see, that's the question that Daniel places

before Nebuchadnezzar

because Daniel understands,

Daniel understands that the loving thing to do here

is to tell Nebuchadnezzar the truth.

Because it's only by understanding the truth

that Nebuchadnezzar can grasp the truth

and act upon the truth

and turn to this God

and be spared and receive grace and mercy.

Do we understand that connection this morning?

That warning people is loving people?

That the good news of the gospel

is only good news

when we get our heads around the bad news?

That people are heading for the eternal acts

if they continue in their pride

and their rebellion against this God?

Like Daniel, friends,

that should break our hearts.

And we should be so insistent

on telling people

the good news of the gospel

that God sent his son

to take the acts for us

so that we no longer need to face

the acts ourselves.

Are we communicating the truth of the gospel,

the good news and the bad news

to our friends and family

who do not know him?

Nebuchadnezzar, would you see

that you need to turn from your folly and pride?

And you need to see that God warning you

is his grace towards you.

Turn to him and be spared the humiliation

which is coming your way.

Or will you acknowledge that heaven rules?

So Daniel says,

so the question is,

what is Nebuchadnezzar going to do with it?

Well, 12 months later,

verses 28 to 33,

we see a humbled heart.

Why is Nebuchadnezzar humbled?

Well, see verse 30.

Because of his pride.

Why?

Because our God is in the business

of making low the high

and making high the low.

And here's the thing for us

to see this morning.

And I'll be honest with you,

here's probably where this chapter

hit me the hardest this week

in my preparation.

The truth of it is,

you don't have to dress like Nebuchadnezzar

to have a heart like Nebuchadnezzar.

Do we see that pride in our lives

this morning?

As we think about and look at the things

that we have done.

As we think about our achievements.

As we think about our salaries.

As we think about our jobs.

As we think about our abilities.

As we look at the stuff that we have.

It's not just a tiny bit inside of us

that kind of goes with Nebuchadnezzar's heart here.

It's a constant message, isn't it,

that the world is telling us.

What is it that we're always,

the phrase that we're always using

in our culture

to describe people who've made it.

People like Alan Sugar.

People like Deborah Meaden.

Lovely folks.

But what do our media say?

They are self-made men

and self-made women.

Now I must admit,

I don't know about you,

I laugh when I hear that phrase

every time.

Exactly what part of themselves

did they make?

Do you know?

Was it the intricacies

of the human heart?

Was it the sophistication

of the human eyes

that what they made?

Was it the complexities

of the human brain?

Tell me exactly

what part of themselves

did they make?

Now what do we mean

by that phrase?

We just mean that they've got

a lot of stuff.

That's what we mean, isn't it?

But is that your heart

this morning, friends?

Do we not all love our faces

to be splashed across

the front page of a magazine?

Do you have a heart

like Nebuchadnezzar this morning?

Are you really him

to your own glory?

For what happens

to Nebuchadnezzar

as a result of his pride?

Well, as the proverb goes,

a fall.

He's humbled.

Now just reading on it

this week,

the medical term

for this behavior,

boanthropy,

eating dirt,

behaving like an animal,

it's strange reading to us.

But the point,

surely for us to understand,

is that God has deeply

and uniquely

humbled this man,

Nebuchadnezzar.

So what next

for Nebuchadnezzar?

Well, hear him tell us

what he did

at verse 34.

What does he do?

He raises his eyes

to heaven

and he submits

and he finally acknowledged

that heaven rules

and he doesn't.

And what happens?

Well, God restores him

to the glory of his kingdom.

And in fact,

at verse 36,

do you hear him tell us

that it was even better

than it was before?

Now this isn't a prosperity

gospel application.

This isn't turn to God

and he'll make you rich

and make things go well for you.

What I think we're meant

to understand here

is that Nebuchadnezzar,

this man who was so against God,

is now at peace with God.

Whereas before,

his pride had put him

at odds with God.

His repentance

and his surrender,

his white flag to God,

his admission that God is king

and he is not,

has put him at one

with God.

So who is king

in Nebuchadnezzar's life now?

Well, see him re-exclaim

his astonishing admission

in verses 34 to 37.

Look at it with me

if you've got it there.

Verse 37.

What does he exclaim?

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.

And this declaration is going

to every human being possible

so that they would understand

that the allegiances

of the most powerful man

on earth now lie.

It really is the stunning

of the most unlikely

of converts.

But as we move towards

a finish this morning

let me just try and pull

a few of those threads together.

And with me

would you imagine

that you are one of

Daniel's original readers?

You get your hands

on this book of Daniel,

you get to chapter 4

and you're reading it through.

The question is

probably is one

of God's people in exile.

How are you encouraged

or what are you thinking

as you're reading

Daniel chapter 4?

Daniel 4 · chapter mention

Well here's three things

I would be thinking

and I think three big lessons

for God's people

and for everyone

in general.

Here are the three lessons.

Firstly,

how awesome is our God

that there is no human heart

on this planet

that he cannot change.

Isn't that an amazing truth?

In this chapter

do you see how the worshipped

becomes a worshipper?

Do you see how the persecutor

becomes a professor?

There is no human heart

that this God cannot change

and there is no human heart

that this God

does not desire to change.

This is our God.

And as his people

the question for us

is do we reflect

the heart of God

that we see here?

Now just think about it

in your own life

practically

just for a few minutes here.

Think about that friend

who you've been witnessing to

in the office

for years

and years

and years

and nothing.

Think about that girl

in your class

who is the life

and the soul

of every single party.

Think of that boy

in your football team

who womanizes

like there's no tomorrow.

Think of that family member

who will just not budge

from their viewpoint

no matter how graciously

you try

and persuade them

and reason with them

otherwise.

Does this chapter

friends

not give us

incredible confidence

in the power

of our God

to save

and transform

any life?

does this chapter

not give us

incredible confidence

and does it not give us

a real beck and call

to seek our God

in prayer

and ask that

by his grace

he would transform

the lives

of the people

in our lives

who we have deemed

the most unlikely?

Daniel 4 tells us

that there is no human heart

that this God

cannot change.

Praise him.

Second thing

I would be thinking

is that pride

is a serious thing.

Pride is a serious thing

and I need to take

repentance

very seriously.

For what is God

through the prophets

told this generation

in exile?

Is the reason

that they are in exile

in the first place

well it's their pride.

Because they worshipped

other things

apart from God

because they tried

to be just like

all the nations

round about him

them

and because they

did not listen

to this God

when he warned them

and told them

what was going to happen

if they did not

follow and obey him.

Do you see

it's not just

Nebuchadnezzar

who's been humbled

in this chapter.

See in the background

here God's people

have been massively

humbled.

So they need to do

what Nebuchadnezzar did.

They need to turn

back to God.

Now let me ask you

is that some of us

this morning?

Maybe you're here

this morning

and you're not

a believer

in this God

that we're looking at.

What can I just say

we love that you're here.

But you need to understand

from this chapter

that your pride

the fact that

you want to be king

and not God

puts you at massive

odds with him.

And you need to stop

and you need to think

seriously

about what that means

for your life.

But maybe you are

here this morning

and you are a Christian

but you find yourself

drifting into the pride slide.

You're rushing around

your eyes are off of God

and they're very much

on yourself.

You're rushing around

from one thing

to the next.

You're doing life

in your own strength.

You very much rate

your own ability

to navigate your way

through life

and I'll fit God in

if I can spare a few

five minutes this week

but no promises.

Is God

by his spirit

maybe

convicting

some of us

this morning

that we need

to slow

down

and we need

to actively

and purposefully

take our eyes

off ourselves

and fix them

back on him?

Pride is a serious

thing

and I need

to take repentance

seriously.

Well thirdly

and finally

from chapter 4

God's kingdom

and God's king

when he comes

will not be like

Nebuchadnezzar

in Babylon

and this is a

thrilling truth.

Unlike Nebuchadnezzar

what do we learn

in this chapter?

Unlike Nebuchadnezzar

heaven's king

he's going to be

marked by humility

not by pride.

Heaven's king

unlike Nebuchadnezzar

is going to be

marked by compassion

not by indifference

and oppression.

And to

heaven's king's

lordship

every knee

in heaven

and on earth

will bow

and that lordship

will last

forever.

This is

heaven's king.

Isn't it

incredible

that that generation

of God's people

in exile

they didn't know

the face

of heaven's king

but what a joy

and what an honor

it is that we

are a generation

that does.

Jesus Christ

I mean if ever

there was a king

who could look out

and survey

everything

all creation

and exclaim

I made that

that exists

for my glory

surely it was

Jesus.

If ever there was

a king who could

quite justifiably

revel in his own

achievements

his miracles

his teaching

his obedience

to God

surely it was

Jesus.

If ever there was

an individual

who deserved

to have his face

splashed across

the front cover

of a magazine

surely it was

this king

King Jesus

yet

what do we find

as we read about him

in the gospels

instead of

exalting himself

he humbled himself

he left

his heavenly throne

and he took on

our flesh

and he lived

a life

not of

lording it

over people

but by

living a life

to serve

and to save

his people

and instead

of being lifted

up on an

earthly throne

he was lifted

up on a

wooden cross.

Friends

what more

humbling thing

can be fathomed

than for the

creature

to crucify

the creator

this is our

king

John Wesley

famously wrote

and can it

be

that great

hymn

that we

love to

sing

what does

he write

his mystery

all

the immortal

dies

but the grave

could not hold

heaven's king

his humiliation

is now over

and his victory

and his exaltation

is on display

for the world

to see

for our God

is in the business

of making

low the high

and making

high the low

this is heaven's

king this

morning

you know let

me close just

by reading the

words of Paul

who would write

about this

king of heaven

Jesus Christ

he would write

to this church

in Philippi

whose eyes

were on

themselves

and whose

eyes he wanted

to be on

this king

and this is

what Paul

writes

about Jesus

he writes

this

who being in

the very nature

God

did not consider

equality with

God something

to be used

to his own

advantage

rather

he made

himself

nothing

by taking

the very nature

of a servant

being made

in human likeness

and being found

in appearance

as a man

he humbled

himself

by becoming

obedient to

death

even death

on a cross

therefore

God exalted

him

to the highest

place

and gave

him the name

that is above

every name

that at the

name of Jesus

every knee

should bow

in heaven

and on earth

and under

the earth

and every tongue

acknowledge

that Jesus

Christ is Lord

to the glory

of God

the Father

could there

be a king

who is any

different

from the king

that we read

about in this

chapter

this is heaven's

king

Jesus Christ

the question

this morning

and I leave you

with this

is he your

king

will you

acknowledge

that heaven

rules

so I'm going to

close in prayer

in just a few

moments time

but

just as we

leave this

chapter this

morning

why don't we

just still

ourselves

and let me

invite you

to use this

time to

come before

this king

in prayer

and as we

stop and as

we think

about and

contemplate

God's words

this morning

and maybe

even for the

first time

this morning

you would

bow the knee

like Nebuchadnezzar

and acknowledge

that heaven's

king rules

why don't we

do that now

our father

we thank you

for your word

to us this

morning

and we thank

you that we

see in this

chapter that

you're in the

business of

making low

the high

and high

the low

and we thank

you that you're

in the business

of transforming

lives even

today

and our

prayer is that

you would

continue to

transform our

lives and

our hearts

so that they

would beat for

the glory of

heaven's king

Jesus Christ

in whose name

we pray

Amen