God's Kindness and Rule Over Man's Pride

This past summer, my wife and I, we ended up installing a new driveway, uh third space into our driveway as our family's growing.

And uh as we host Mission Group over at our home, it just things became tight.

You can kind of see up there uh some of the work that's being done.

But something interesting about concrete that I learned about before you pour it, uh they lay these uh metal bars um in the ground.

And these are called rebar rods.

And at first glance, they seem like random pieces of metal that they just kind of chuck in there.

Uh but actually these pieces are methodically placed and engineered for a specific purpose.

You see, when concrete comes under pressure from a load, for example, your car running over the concrete experiences that pressure.

And that pressure comes in two forms.

First is the compression of the car pushing down on the concrete from the top.

Um, and concrete is does a good job of withstanding that.

That's why it's used for things like driveways.

But when that weight pushes down on the concrete, there's a tension that's experienced as well.

Imagine pushing your thumb down on play-doh or cookie dough as it kind of spreads out.

And over time, that concrete doesn't withstand well with that.

And that's where these rebar rods come into play.

They help to add strength and stability, as it's very good at what concrete can't do.

So when that load is applied, the concrete can withstand the pressure.

When we unpack today's text, we will see underneath this grand theme woven throughout the story of God that helps us when we experience the compression and tensions of life.

The sovereignty of God.

And for some of you, this word may be unfamiliar, or maybe you've grown up in the church and heard this thrown around.

But it simply means God's absolute and unrivaled rule over all his creatures and their circumstances.

God's absolute and unrivaled rule over all his creatures and their circumstances.

Simply put, God is Lord over all.

And it's going to be like the spiritual rebars that hold us firm when the pressures of culture compress and apply tension in our lives.

In Daniel chapter 2, God reveals.

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

In Daniel chapter 3, God rescues from the fire.

Daniel 3 · chapter mention

And today, in this chapter 4, we'll see that God rules.

God hammers home the point that God rules the kingdom of men, and human rulers serve only at his pleasure.

So, our main idea this morning as we unpack the text, our gracious God rules and reigns over man's kingdom.

Our gracious God rules and reigns over man's kingdom.

And we're going to see four main points, his gracious acts, that God in his works uses to draw even the hardest hearts to himself for his glory.

Our first point this morning is God is gracious in his revelation.

God is kind and patient through revealing a dream to Nebuchadnezzar.

This is now the second dream that Nebuchadnezzar has received from God.

It's implied now in chapter 4 that Nebuchadnezzar was living his best life, a comfortable life, having all the pleasures before him.

In verse 4, 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.

The language of tranquil, flourishing as he's in his house, prospering in his palace.

But he becomes afraid and anxious.

What he saw had alarmed him.

He knew something was different about this dream.

And as we dig in and start to see Nebuchadnezzar, we see the sins of his security and pride at the foundation of his heart issue.

Nebuchadnezzar had achieved a lot, possessed great power and wealth, finding success and dominating kingdoms little by little, trophying other religions and cultures, extinguishing the fear of divine wrath and judgment that he held on to.

The more comfortable he was, the more easy to attribute his own wealth to his own works.

And this wasn't exclusive to him.

In Deuteronomy, we see Moses as he's talking to the Israelites, take care lest you forget, as they're going into the promised land, the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart will be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Before he knows it, the soul begins to admire and love unhealthy ways and easily forgets the works of God, never thinking that these successes are for God, but regarding them as his own, his own wisdom, his own excellency, his own power.

Right?

In verses one through three in chapter four, he's actually with his mouth praising God.

But so quickly can peace escape a man.

So much so that he calls all of the wise men against him to ease the burden that he felt under.

Verse six so I made a decree using his kingdom power.

We see the authority that he is trying to impose to solve the angst that he is feeling, the fears that are swelling up.

His fear, Nebuchadnezzar's fear, was what was driving his use of power to make known the mysteries of his dream.

He was behaving similarly to how he was in chapter two.

He calls forth all of the interpreters, all of the wise people in the area.

Daniel had just done a remarkable thing, yet he still calls on all of the others.

Nebuchadnezzar is finding strength in his wisdom in this diversity.

He's seeking various pagan worshipers to see if they can solve his issue.

There's no convictional backbone that he actually holds, but it wants to solve his problem, whatever means necessary with whatever religion necessary.

His mental health is shaken.

His anxieties rise because his aim is his own comfort and security.

And people don't operate much differently, right?

We often find wisdom in the world.

When we're filled with anxiousness, when we have fears, when we feel our kingdoms are at jeopardy of what we have built, we want to do all that we can at whatever cost to protect those things.

We'll seek the wisdom of the world even if it's folly from God, if it brings comfort and security of what we are looking for.

Working in schools, I'm sad to say, and you're starting to see these things emerge, this pattern of the mental health crisis.

Recent poll says the rise of cases of anxiety have increased by 61% since 2018.

And I don't want to dismiss real chemical imbalances people deal with.

But sadly, when I watch these students, a lot of them are looking for hope in the world.

They're promised this life through these clickbait streams, and when they compare it to their lone life experiences, they don't match up, leaving them dissatisfied.

Searching for answers, searching for hope, but underneath it a pride, a comfort that they're trying to hold to.

And when those are disrupted, it shakes the child.

It shakes here a man.

You can chalk it up to however you like, but the truth is that if we're searching for our worth and our self in the world, you're going to be dissatisfied, always feeling that you could lose it at any moment.

So we chase the next fad that's going to help us achieve what we need.

It's cyclical.

The counsel of this world is shifting.

I adjunct at Xavier, and uh I constantly get these publishing books sent to me.

And one of them was counseling through maker spaces.

This is the new way that's going to solve our issues by quilting and 3D printing, is going to be the new counseling.

Right?

But we see under this text, this helps us Nebuchadnezzar is ultimately seeking his control and pleasure, which is causing an upwelling in his mind.

And when those are threatened, anxiety spikes.

We would be wise to ask the question when our mind feels restless.

What's causing that?

Rather than jumping to fix it with worldly counsel, maybe God, in his plan, is using something in your life to ask you to pause and to lean in.

Is there something in my life that I'm trying to control?

Do I feel the pleasures I am seeking are escaping me?

Like our nervous system, which lets us know when we're experiencing pain and discomfort, so God uses the things of our life to reorient our eyes back towards Him.

God was gracious in revealing this dream to him.

He could have left him in his pleasures, flourishing, but drawing out his angst, he was able to press in and seek.

Even though he presses in the wrong way, God still ordains another who would providentially be placed to counsel him.

So point two, God is gracious in his counsel.

At last Daniel came in.

Here's God's gift to the pagan king, the conduit of light in the midst of darkness and fears.

Daniel in his kindness of God to Nebuchadnezzar, in giving him truth and clarity in this dilemma that he's facing.

He is the model servant, tense, yet a proper combination of compassion and truthfulness.

Daniel has done this before, and the king knows it.

I know the spirit of the holy God is in you, he says.

This is not too difficult for you, right?

He's almost like trying to puff him up, using God like a vending machine.

Daniel hears out his dream, though, through verses 10 through 18.

Behold a tree, a vast tree like a redwood.

It was great, like the trees on planet Endor.

It reached the heavens, it was described as beautiful, the fruit was abundant, and it was for all.

The tree was an ecosystem in itself.

Beasts found its shade in it, birds found their homes in the branches, all of flesh was nourished from it.

This is a picture of power, strength, majesty, might, beauty.

Then the scene changes as an angel comes down and calls out loudly, Cut down the tree, hack off its branches, stripping it loose of its beauty and worth, the things that provided shade, fruit, and splendor.

It might be in its in its might, its height will be cut and sawed down.

All the beasts will flee, and the birds will migrate elsewhere.

Its roots will even be chained with iron and bronze to hinder the growth from the tree from growing again.

All in a moment.

We f now turn to a man who's being transformed to a beast.

Seven years this curse will follow him.

This is the decree made by God, the Holy One.

Its pronouncement will pass.

But Daniel gives the answer why?

For what purpose?

So that the living may know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men.

So that the living may know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men.

Daniel does not fear for his life, but for the judgment that's going to come upon the king.

A love-driven sadness that cringes to speak the hard words of God, yet a God-honoring obedience that speaks it anyway.

And yet Daniel offers more through compassion and candor, but offer also his counsel.

God did not just give him a dream, but God in his gracious kindness gives a counselor who has the Spirit of God to make known to them this dream.

It's clear that the king is the the tree is the king himself, his kingdom, great and mighty.

The decree to cut it down comes from heaven.

This is you, King, and you shall they banish from men, and you will dwell with the beast.

This will be for seven years, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men, and to whom he chooses, he gives it.

God does not remove the stump, though, of the tree, but leaves it.

Till he know is the language used.

And there's a lingering hope he will be restored in God's time.

But even in Nebuchadnezzar's pride, God reveals to him, Daniel, the meaning of this dream.

That at any moment it can be stripped from him.

This is not some random act, but for God's purpose and his plans.

How does Nebuchadnezzar respond?

He ignores it.

He doesn't want to hear the interpretation of the word.

He doesn't believe the words Daniel that he just claimed from the Most High God.

It's a huge gift when the God of heaven clearly makes known his word, even if it is a severe word to us.

And like Nebuchadnezzar, we often ignore God's counsel.

We make parts of Scripture that we like.

We hold fast to them, right?

We'll make t-shirts, we'll make home signs, but when the word convicts or corrects, we do not like those parts.

We find it easier to over to justify those texts or to make change and not to make changes in our own lives.

We rationalize in our own head why we don't need to be doing the things of God.

We allow our preferences, our upbringing, or traditions to supersede the commands of God.

Where has God been trying to speak into your life that you have been resisting his counsel?

What passages of Scripture are you piecemealing to fit your own framework of God?

Will you be like Nebuchadnezzar and ignore the counsel from the Lord or heed its instructions?

Will you trust that they are good?

Deuteronomy 10, instructions to Israel.

Moses says, And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?

And he gives this long list of things.

But the first thing that he mentions is, but to fear the Lord your God.

To fear the Lord your God.

There's a right understanding of our position before God.

And often comes down to a lack of fear.

Besides this dream that Nebuchadnezzar has, this feeling of anxiousness that was in his mind, it did not see the benefit of what Daniel called him to in the short term.

He had all the wealth, power, status that he needed.

He didn't need to repent and require the change of his ruling in his kingdom.

Daniel instructs him, Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you.

Break off the sins by practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may be perhaps lengthening of your prosperity.

Are there godly people in your life trying to tell you of things you may be deceived of?

God is patient and kind through his word, his people, and his spirit to counsel us, to kill the pride in our life.

And are we ignoring it?

God was gracious in his revelation, he is gracious in his counsel and in interpretation.

He also is gracious in his timing.

Verse 28 through 30.

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of twelve months.

Look at that time.

He was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.

And the king answered and said, Is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?

Not only does he not hear his claim and give counsel, he is given ample time to process.

After he talks with Daniel, it's been a whole year.

How kind God is in our sin and pride to give us the time to repent.

2 Peter 3:9, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but his patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

God is outside of our time, but he is kind in giving us time.

He does not have to do that.

We are mere creatures created and finite, and the infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing Creator has clearly set up expectations that we have fallen short of, yet still loving enough to give us the time to turn back from our wicked ways and run for refuge and redemption.

Oftentimes we think of ourselves as God.

Verse 30 Is this not the great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power for my majesty?

Is this not the family that I have built?

Look at my kids, their giftedness in school, the athleticism that they have displayed.

Is this not the job that I have built?

The ladder that I have climbed?

Is this not the money that I have made and saved?

Is this not the education?

Is this not the ministry that I have built?

I need to remind myself often, no matter how great the things that I think I have built, they are small.

And God's hand was in all of it.

They are like a vapor in the scheme of time.

And we should not be mistaken, though, that his patience is his weakness.

But God is in control.

Because when he promises something, it does come to pass.

And the warnings for those who do not turn from their sins are grave.

Just because there's time doesn't mean that we should wait and respond to the call of God He has called us till.

Nebuchadnezzar brushes it off.

He sees no rush.

Twelve months, besides a dream and a little anxiety and some words from a foreigner, he feels the need to walk away from it.

And often we have a lack of urgency of responding.

Both good and bad.

It's an out-of-sight, out of mind type of scenario, right?

There's a whole year that passes other than this dream.

There's no immediate threat to his kingdom.

And we lack the same urgency.

We might feel the Spirit of God convicting us through his word, preaching it through the preaching of his word and through community, but we fail to heed its instructions.

We remain in our own pride, in our own selfish state.

We see our call to repentance less emergent than it actually is.

And I think the root because of that is we have a low view of sin and a high view of ourself.

We have a low view of sin and a high view of ourself.

And I'm sad to admit this, but oftentimes for me, this happens with the person that I love the most.

My wife is an amazing helper.

And she helps to call out the places gently in my life where there is sin or error.

And rather than initially responding in humility and change, I like to justify or rationalize or dig my heels in and some of the choices that I've made.

It takes time for me to come around and realize the areas of my life that I need to reorient.

But there's an immediacy that needs to be addressed with our sin.

God hates our sin.

And even though you may feel that you can temporarily hide or continue it, as surely as God is kind and patient towards you in repentance, his judgment is also true and timely for those who remain in their pride and sin.

Second Peter 3:10, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

2 Peter 3:10

Everything will be made exposed, and we would be wise to listen when spoken to.

Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar.

Over the past year, Nebuchadnezzar has been thinking about what Daniel said, comes to the conclusion this is his kingdom.

He ignores the counsel.

But what a picture of immediacy that God acts.

The details written here highlights the swiftness of God acting.

He is in control of all of this situation.

And while the words were still in the king's mouth.

From a year of time to process, silence and patience, the kingdom disappearing like a vapor.

The curse has been initiated, he is to go mad, and I don't want to go into all of the details, but what we do know is he went mad mentally and expressed physical changes that led to beastly qualities.

He was driven from among men, ate grass like an ox, his body was wet from the dew, his hair grew like eagles' feathers, and his nails were burnt like birds' claws.

Verse 33 could be one of the most horrifying verses for those who fail to put their trust in the king, who are remaining in their pride immediately.

Immediately.

We should listen.

He's not like a man where he does not follow through.

And this is sadly the state of many of us.

When the God makes a promise, we do not believe the promises of God.

A kingdom fell in mere seconds, prophesied over a year ago, specific in its exact timing and the mechanics of what would happen.

And for the unbeliever, you may believe that the timing is all yours, in your hands.

But what you see in this passage is the unrivaled rule of God over his creation and his circumstances.

God has orchestrated everything up until this point.

For what purpose?

So that the living may know the Most High rules the kingdoms.

Man.

Ultimately, God will have the last say.

Psalm 1, for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

True saving faith recognizes Christ as Savior, but he is also Lord.

Right in chapter 4, the first three verses, he Nebuchadnezzar uses his mouth to praise God.

Right?

He just saw a miraculous thing in the fire.

But his heart was far from him.

There was not a true worship, he was not a true king in his life.

Verse 33, God was clear in his word, and it comes to pass.

God is clear in his word today, and it will also come to pass.

Matthew 24, as in the days before the flood, there were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until a flood came in and swept them all away.

So will the coming of the Son of Man.

Then two men will be left in the field, one will be taken, one left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken, and one left.

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

God was not king in my own heart.

God called me as a high schooler to myself.

There, you can see freshman Tyler, pocket watch and top hat, and all.

I didn't have many friends, but uh I'd grown up in the church.

I professed Christ with my mouth, but my heart did not recognize Christ as king.

He was not the highest in my life.

I thought my destiny was mine to control whatever religious or cultural means necessary to accomplish it.

Hearing the gospel in the early parts of my life, it was something I could just push off, giving it time, passing the buck down the road.

But God was not done with my story.

Through my rebellion, seeking relationships, through parties and pleasures and coming face to face with potential jail time, I felt at a crossroads of my own destruction.

Sitting in my sin, looking at my own beastly heart, I was able to look up.

God used and allowed my circumstances that I had caused for his good purpose and drawing him, drawing me to himself.

Even though I was slow and skeptical of recognizing Christ as Lord, he was patient and kind, and as a 17-year-old receiving Christ and his promises, nothing was random in all of that.

God had used every event in my life, all of my mistakes, to draw me to himself.

He had absolute and unrivaled rule over my life and all of my circumstances.

And now looking back, it was God in work.

And this morning here, you sitting here, this is not a random moment, but a reminder for you to look back at what God has done over your life.

How he has used every event, choice, sin, circumstance, victory for his good purpose.

What's going to sustain you living a sacred life in a secular world?

While those who fail to believe the promises of God is a s that's a scary thing.

But the beauty of the gospel is that God keeps his promises.

God is a promise keeper.

Judgment will fall on those who have unbelief, but those who look up and recognize the Most High as the ruler of the kingdom of men, he will restore.

How does he do this?

Right?

We saw the four gracious acts that he had with Nebuchadnezzar, but those same acts were revealed through the gospel.

While he reveals a dream to Nebuchadnezzar, he reveals himself through his son.

God also, this is the Emmanuel, God dwelling with us.

John 1, 14 says, And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Nebuchadnezzar tries to rise in power, but was humbled like a beast.

Christ, the King, humbled himself like a beast for sinners like you and me, and is now exalted, that you and may me may be lifted up from our beastliness.

This happened in God's timing and in the right time.

He has been patient in your life, giving you the time, and even some of you today hearing this message, needing to respond in faith in Christ.

No longer living a life of false worship from our mouths, but a worship from the heart that recognizes Christ is Lord in your heart.

God is kind in his time, he is kind in revelation, he is kind in his counsel.

Using Daniel, he is able to help him to interpret his dream.

But we see in John 14.

Jesus declares, But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring you to remembrance all that I have said to you.

God gifts us his spirit as his church that we might know the depth and riches and knowledge of God, empowering us to live holy lives, and this is only made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

God gives his spirit as a counsel, but when it's rightly understood through his word.

God speaks to us through his word, and when rightly applied in community of people, we experience the transformative power of conforming more into the glory of God from one degree to another.

Breaking off the chains of sin by practicing righteousness and showing mercy to the oppressed.

His timing was right.

Right?

We see the tree was cut down, but there would be another tree that would bloom and rule the nations.

The chains that tried to hold down the root would be broken by the king of kings, bursting its bonds.

It would be a new ecosystem that would be established for eternity, providing nourishment and life to all who rest in its branches.

This is our gospel promise this morning, church.

God is the most high, and he rules the kingdom of men.

So what sustains you?

Right?

We've been asking this question.

What's going to sustain you living a sacred life in the secular world?

What is the rebar that's going to hold you firm when there are two tons of pressure pushing down on you?

You feel like you take a step forward but four steps back.

How can the Christian have peace in all the trials and the sufferings of this world?

This text gives us an answer.

That beholding and trusting in the sovereignty of God.

Beholding and trusting in the sovereignty of God, his absolute and unrivaled rule over all his creatures and their circumstances.

At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, he lifted his eyes to the heaven in his what?

Reason returned to him.

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.

He beheld the Most High, and his reason returned to him.

Holding fast to the sovereignty of God, recognizing him as king and ruler, the promises of Christ breaking our pride, restores our souls and our minds, setting us free from the bondage of sin.

And for those of you whose minds feel weary this morning, what a beautiful description this text offers.

It's rightly understanding and living this life, serving and worshiping the God of the universe, knowing that his plans, no matter how they appear on the surface, are for our good and his glory.

And while those who fail to believe the promises of God is a scary thing, the beauty of the gospel that God keeps his promises.

And here we see 40 years in the making, right, with Nebuchadnezzar.

This hard-hearted man, this man who thought this kingdom was his.

God breaking that and humbling him, recognizing that even the hardest hearts are not too far from God.

We started chapter 4 with a false sense of praise.

Here we finish with true worship and recognition as God is King.

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.

Jesus is Lord.

And when he reigns in the proper place in your life, there's great joy and peace.