Daniel Ch.4: Where Pride Dies

I don't know about you, but Mike's usually work better when they're turned on.

I also don't know about you, but I love hearing stories like that,

just what God's doing in people's lives in our church and just so cool

to hear those. It's great to see you guys this morning. How's everybody

doing doing good? All right, let's go. If I haven't met you

yet, my name is Morgan Butcher blessed me one of the pastors here on

a Mill Creek campus. Thank you to Pastor Brandon and Die for giving me

the opportunity to speak this morning as we continue our series titled Surviving Babylon And

then this series, we've been working our way through the Book of Daniel,

which has just been awesome. How many of you guys have enjoyed it so

far? Yeah, just been awesome and hopefully I don't screw it all up

this morning. But so far in the Book of Daniel, we've been following

Daniel's life as he has gained favor after being taken captive by the Babylonian Kingdom.

The Babylonians overtook Israel and as a part of that, king Nebuconez are

the powerful king of Babylon. He took a side some of the brightest and

the most smart Jewish Men and began to seek to indoctrinate them into the Babylonian

belief, the Babylonian culture, the Babylonian way of life, to further separate

them from their God. And we saw last week that Nebuconezzer created this false

god made out of gold and required everyone, thousands and thousands and thousands and

thousands of people to bow down at the statue. But Daniel's three friends,

three Jewish Men, Shadrack, Nishak, and Abenego, we found would not

bend, They would not bow, and ultimately they did not burn, even

after being thrown into a furnace. God met them in the fire, and

Nebukanezer witnessed as these men walked out unharmed. Hair on their body was even

singed. And after witnessing all of this, the power of these men's god,

Neba Canezer's eyes are beginning to open, right, They're beginning to open

to see who these men's Jewish God really is. Making this statement in Daniel

chapter three, verse twenty nine, Neba Canezer says, as they come out

of the fire. There is no other god who can rescue like this god.

He's beginning to acknowledge that there's something different about the God of Daniel,

about the God of Shadrack, Mishak and Amendigo. But how many of you

know that it's one thing to say you believe something. It's one thing to

say that you believe. It's a whole other thing to live that truth out

for yourself. It's there comes a point when you actually have to live out

the words you speak out right. It's one thing to say there is no

other god like this god. It's a whole different thing to live your life

based off that truth, and that can often be a hard lesson to learn.

I want to ask you a question this morning, as we get going,

how many of you find yourself having to learn the hard way often in

life? Yeah? Yeah, me too. It's okay. It's a support

group that we have here. If my mom and dad were here, they

would literally say, yes, that man on the stage, the bald guy,

Yes, he learns the hard way right, always has, probably always

will, and growing up I definitely learned the hard way. I think I

had a distaste for warnings and advice gentle direction instructions. Ain't nobody got time

for that, right. I remember specifically, when I was in junior high

getting ready for my birthday, the thing that I wanted more than anything.

All of my friends were starting to get them. I don't know if you

remember these or if you had these, but airsoft guns were kind of like

the big thing. And you know these for those of you that grew up

on BB guns, I'm just saying you got one upped, Okay, just

accept it. These things were legendary. You could attach like little co two

cartridges and just and then I'm like, ah, but I wanted so badly

for my birthday this air soft sniper rifle. And I saw it. It

was down at one of the greatest shopping stores in the world, Big five

Sporting Goods, and I pointed to it on the shelf and I said,

Dad, that's the one I want. Right, And my birthday comes and

wouldn't you know, and I'm opening up presents and I see one that is

shaped. It almost sounds like the Christmas Story, right, if you're familiar

with that movie. You see the box in the corner that shaped like it

could be. And I open it up and sure enough, my parents have

delivered the sniper rifle airsoft gun. And I'm just overjoyed and with it attached

to it, you know how like your parents will oftentimes like tape another gift

to It's like a it's a partnership, right, And I open this smaller

one up, and it is, without a doubt, the ugliest, most

heinous criminal injustice to any child to ever put on a airsoft safety mask,

something only a mother could appreciate, right and literally with it. My mom

says, now you'll be safe, right, yes, whatevery junior higher is

thinking as he opens up an airsoft gun, right, Oh, at least

I'll be safe. And my mom says, hey, you can have this,

It'll keep you safe. YadA, YadA, YadA, YadA YadA.

And the next day comes and all my friends we would go out into the

woods and we would have these airsoft battles. We'd go between the trees and

just have fun. And I remember running into my room as we're getting ready

to go. And I go into my room and I've got like tactical gear.

I'm not even kidding. I like I had like all like the cartridges,

and like I have this little thing on my leg right here. It

was like it was like a secondary weapon, right, And I was really

set up well. And I go to my airsoft, my brand new airsoft

rifle, and onn't you know that sitting right next to it. The only

way that I can describe this mask is like if you've watched Friday the thirteenth,

the Jason mask, right, Like, that's exactly what it looked like.

And I look down and right next to the sniper rifle is my Jason

mask. And I have that moment where I hear my mom. She's not

even in the room, but it's like her presence is there, and she's

like, you'll be safer wear the mask, right. And then I'm thinking

of my friends who will say you're a loser, right, And so I'm

looking at it and I look at the gun. I look at the mask,

and I grab the gun and I leave. Right The Jason mask stays

at home, and I get out to the woods and we're running around.

I'm diving between trees and we're just having fun. And wouldn't you know it,

as if my mother's hand was at work the entire time. I peek

over the top of a fallen tree, and this dumb, grinning junior higher

sees a babie thing straight for his face, hits me in the tooth and

chips my tooth. Long story short, I go home, I have to

tell my parents, we have to schedule a dentist appointment. There is punishment.

I lose my airsoft guns all because I didn't wear the Jason mask.

But why is it that we have to learn the hard way? Right?

Why does it always seem that we have to learn the hard way. We

can know exactly what we're supposed to do, we can be told exactly what

will happen, and yet it's like we just have to push the envelope.

We struggle to accept the warning signs that are out there, and we end

up learning the hard way. And it seems as though King Neba Canezar,

even after witnessing everything that he had seen, everything that we just read about

for the last three weeks, what God has done in his midst through Daniel

interpreting dreams and through Shadrack Mishak, and I bend to go walking out of

a furnace unharmed. It seems as even though King Nebah Canzer would have to

learn the hard way, when we get to Daniel chapter four, it's important

to note that ten to twenty years have gone by since the Son of God

showed up in the furnace. In Daniel chapter three, and we find King

King Wow, that's King neb Canzer. We find King Neba Caanzer, even

after experiencing what God did that day, still on a little bit of an

ego trip, still maybe remembering the words that he spoke about how there is

no other God that can protect like this God, but yet living a life

promoting himself. And he's about to get humbled. He's about to get a

lesson in what pride can do to you. And now in Daniel chapter four

we get some insight on what has been happening these last ten to twenty years

in King Nebakanezer's life. Are you guys with me this morning? Let's dive

in verse one, it says this King Neba Canzer send this message to the

people of every race and nation and language throughout the world. Peace and prosperity

to you. I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders

the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs?

How powerful are his wonders, His kingdom will last forever, his rule through

all generations, and we should just hold up right there, because what I

thought was that this was the pagan king of Babylon speaking. And what is

critical for us to understand about Daniel chapter four. It is unlike any other

chapter in the Book of Daniel because this chapter is written by Nebuchonezzer himself.

This is his words, This is his experience of what happened. This is

his account of what has taken place these last ten to twenty years since we

last read about him in Daniel chapter three. And now he is writing out

and sending this message throughout the Babylonian kingdom to all the pagan people that they

would know what has been going on in his life. This is King Canezer's

testimony that we're reading. Imagine troops going out and I just imagine them posting

this message on telephone polls and putting it into newspaper bins and up in grocery

stores and posting them everywhere so that everyone can hear the message of King nebican

Azer. Verse two, it says, I want you all to know who

wants them to know nebe can Ezer himself is writing this to the people.

This pagan king is making this public declaration. And what does he declare in

the first three verses? His kingdom, Whose kingdom, the god of Daniel,

His kingdom will last forever. That should cause you to pause and ask

the question, what in the heck has happened in this guy's life that would

cause him not only to send this message out, but to record what has

happened in his life and descend it send it out to a people of a

different god. We're about to find out. Neb Caanezer begins to describe this

dream that he's had. Now, this is a second dream. Don't get

confused. There's a lot of dreams going on, right, Okay, don't

get lost in the dreams. There was a dream in Daniel chapter two that

Daniel first interpreted, and now again in Daniel chapter four. King nebuckin Azzer

has had a second dream. Apparently he is a very strong sleeper and he

likes to have dreams. Okay, except this dream straight up scared him.

He said that as he saw the dream, it frightened him. And it

says that after the dream he called for his advisors to interpret his dream,

which I just think is hilarious because these guys are the same guys that he

called on in Daniel chapter two that absolutely failed. It's like we're watching a

train wreck here. People. Nevigan has gone back to the same astrologers and

magicians and all these people who he called on the first time he had a

dream and asked them please interpret this, and they're all like, I don't

know how to do that. And these are the people he's called again,

And so these guys come in and to absolutely literally no one's surprised. None

of these advisors can tell what the dream meant. Nobody saw that coming right.

And finally, in verse eight, it says Neberkenezer says this. He

says, at last, Daniel came in before me and I told him the

dream. Here is why I think this is important, and it keys into

what God has been doing in Nebukenezer's life these last ten to twenty years.

Did you notice that King Neba Caonezer doesn't refer to Daniel in this message to

the Pagan world, to the Babylonian world by his Babylonian name. His Babylonian

name Belta Shazzar, but in this message to the known world, he communicates

him by his Jewish god name Daniel. It implies, and what it references

is that Nebekanezzer seems to have preference to use his Jewish name over his Babylonian

name. And then he clarifies to people that this is the same man.

This is Beltishazzar that you know, but it is Daniel, the man who

serves the One True God. And Daniel enters the scene, and Nebekonezer begins

to describe the scene right here in chapter ten follow along with or in verse

ten following with me, it says, while I was laying in bed,

this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of

the earth. The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the

heavens for all the world to see. It had fresh green leaves, and

it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its

shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from

this tree. Now, Brandon's been having fun with Ai and getting us some

cool images, and so I thought I'd tap into this guy Ai and have

him whip up a little picture of this tree. Okay, it's beautiful.

Well done, AI, well done. I think the tree would have been

a little bigger personally. That's personally, but Bob Ross would be proud of

this tree. I think that's a nice tree. I mean, look at

it. It's beautiful. Everything that's within its care. The birds are nesting

in it, the animals are flourishing, the fruit is coming from it and

giving life and purpose and resource to everything that's under the tree. So far,

this dream sounds awesome, but then it takes a turn. Look at

what it says next says Then, as I lay there dreaming, I saw

a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. And the messenger

shouted, cut down the tree and lop off its branches, shake off its

leaves, and scatter its fruit, chase the wild animals from its shade,

and the birds from its branches. This giant tree that is so much health

and so much resources to the land and all that has been living within its

shade, has now been ordered by this messenger from Heaven to be cut down.

It's a frightening image as literally everything that was once goods scatters. And

then the messenger goes on and he says in verse fifteen, but leave the

stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and

bronze, and surround by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the

dew of heaven, and let him live with the wild animals among the plants

of the field for seven periods of time. Let him have the mind of

a wild animal instead of the mind of a human. For this has been

decreed by the messengers. It is commanded by the Holy Ones, so that

everyone may know that the most High rules over the kingdoms of the world.

He gives them to anyone he chooses, even the lowliest of people. This

messenger says, once this tree is cut down and all the wildlife has scattered,

to leave the stumps in the roots in the ground. I want you

to notice something, though. There's something interesting about that scripture that I just

read that really stood out to me. It's how personal the messenger got.

At first he's talking about this tree, and then all of a sudden,

it seems to be that he's talking about a person. It gets really personal.

I don't know if you caught how many times it references him. In

verse fifteen, it says, now let him be drenched with the dew of

heaven, and let him live with the wild animals. Let him have the

mind of a wild animal. Friends, This dream isn't about a tree,

It's about a person, and it says that this will all happen for seven

periods of time, and other translations. That says let seven times pass over

him. It's simply translated to mean that this will take place in this person's

life for seven years. And Daniel hears this dream, he interprets this dream,

and what happens next is interesting because we kind of get the sense that

Daniel's heart is beginning to hurt that the king is going to have to hear

this from him. Neber even recounts that Daniel goes as far to say that

he wishes the news that he was about to give the king was for his

enemies and not for him. And Daniel takes time before explaining the dream to

the king, and then Daniel explains it. He says, neb can Ezer,

you are the tree. You are strong, your empire and your power

has grown beyond comparison. Your kingdom has become the provider of everyone and everything's

everything in its influence, everything that your kingdom touches is better. Your power

is greater than anything. We can imagine the entire image of the tree king.

It's you, it's you, and it's your power over the world.

But then Daniel says, but your power and your influence is about to be

cut down by God not dead. Notice, it says, leave the stump

and let the dew of heaven drench him. It implies that there's a possibility

that this may this tree may grow again in time. But Daniel says,

your power will be cut down. You will live for seven years decommissioned from

the throne. Your life will be preserved, but you will lose all influence,

You will lose your ability to lead, You will lose your kingship.

And Daniel says that this will take place for seven years until you understand who

the Most High God is. What is the purpose of this dream? What

does it say there so that he will know who the Most High God is?

The intent of the dream is pretty clear. It is to communicate that

someone is in control, that someone is in charge, that someone has been

in charge, that someone has been in control. And guess what it is

not King Nebukanezzer. It is not the person who thought that they were in

control Church. I got this sense as I was getting ready for this morning

that this message that many people may need to be confronted with is the reality

that you are not in charge. You're not in control. You're not as

in control as you maybe believe that you are. Can I tell you you

cannot control the past, and some of you try to change it, but

you can't. And let me just tell you you can't control what has happened.

You may feel like you have no control of what was happening in the

present, and ultimately, friends, you and I cannot control what tomorrow will

bring. But hear me say this, someone can. You may not be

able to control it. It may be out of your work, but let

me tell your friends, someone can. And maybe you feel like you have

it all under control, or maybe you feel like life has just hit you

in the face and you are realizing two things really quickly. One this is

not a dream and two this is clearly not in my control anymore. But

friends, let me change your perspective on control for a second, because I

believe that you may be more in control the moment you realize that you don't

have to be in control. That maybe the most control you will ever experience,

the most peace you will ever experience, is the moment that you release

control and realize that you don't have to be in control. Can I just

say this? This is a hard message to receive. You can't control your

past, but friends, can I tell you God can free you from it?

You may not be able to control what has already happened, but can

I tell you God, God can free you from that. He not only

knows it, but He can free you from it. You may feel like

you have no control over what life is throwing at you right now, but

can I just remind you God can handle it. You may feel like it

is overwhelming, you may feel like it is too much for you. But

can I remind you God can handle it. You might be here in this

place and you are so fearful because you do not know what tomorrow will bring.

It is causing you anxiety. It is making you fear and worry about

waking up in the morning and moving forward. But listen to me, because

your God is looking at you today and he is saying you may not have

control, but you don't have to. Because I am the God Most High

I am the God who reigns over your life. And where you fail to

have control, I have all control. I am in charge. Can I

just say this takes a lot of character on Daniel's part to communicate something as

difficult to this as this to the King, knowing full well that if nebagan

Azer doesn't like what he's about to hear, he could just kill this guy

off. You know what, it made me realize. It made me.

It reminded me of how important it is to find people in your life that

will tell you the hard truth. It seems as though nebekan Azer respects Daniel

in the fact that he just gave it to him straight. He didn't try

to just be appeased, right, He didn't try to just appease the king.

And can I can I just this might hit a little hard. We

live in an appeasing culture. I don't know who needs to hear this word

this morning, but the last thing that you need is to be appeased with

your life. The last thing that you need is to seek out mentorship and

accountability and direction and growth, and for the person to sit across the table

from you and say everything's good, Your life is perfect, everything is gonna

be fine. No no, no, no. Friends, We seek out

accountability, we seek out growth, We seek out mentorship to not build up

our image of falsehood. We seek these things out to straighten our life out

so that God might be able to speak to us and that we might be

able to move forward down a path that God has in store for us.

Daniel tells him that you will experience this life for seven years, and then,

neb caan Ezer, then you will truly understand who reigns. So Daniel

explains the dream, and then he makes this appeal to the king in verse

twenty seven, he says, King nebkin Ezer, please accept my advice.

Stop sinning and do what is right. Break away from your wicked past and

be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper man.

All this happens, Neber has the dream, Daniel interprets it, he tells

the king, and you would think that as Nebekanzer hears this, it would

literally be like, Okay, I've got to change my life. Right,

You think, surely this dream would get a hold of King Nebucnezer's heart,

right, it would get his attention that he would turn away from his old

ways of living, and finally Nebecanezer would acknowledge that there is one true God.

Surely this is the moment. And then literally the next verse you read,

do you know what it says? It says, the twelve months have

gone by? How relatable is King Nebacanezer. Right, come on, now,

you know what I'm talking about. Because we will stand in this place,

we will experience God do incredible things in our life. We will see

people get healed at revival nights, we will experience God speak to us in

completely unique and individual ways. And then we will forget about it, and

twelve months will go by and we're the same person we were before. I

know, I may have just struck a chord, but this is relatable.

And as he's walking on his rooftop now, twelve months after he's experienced this

dream overlooking the Kingdom of Babylon, you can tell he still thinks he's in

control. Look at what he says, and look at what it says.

In verse thirty, it says, as he looked out across the city,

Nebukanezer said, look at this great city of Babylon. By my own mighty

power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my

majestic splendor, I me, my, my friends. This is the danger

we face, especially those in leadership. Look at what I accomplished, Look

at what I did, Look at who I am, look at what I've

built, Look at the life that I've built before myself. It is easy

to begin taking ourselves a little too seriously, isn't it. We aren't talking

about the kind of pride that wants to do the job good. No,

no, no, friends, We are talking about the kind of pride that

wants to seek attention for everything that it's worth. We are talking about the

kind of pride that is used to boast our name above somebody else's. We're

talking about the kind of pride that boasts our image above everyone else's. This

is the kind of pride that can begin to eat away and take over a

person's life. And the truth is, friends, is that pride keeps us

from acknowledging who God is in our life. Pride literally separates us from acknowledging

the very person that God is in our life. Pride keeps us from being

taught by others. It keeps us from being taught by God, and we

are convinced that we have all the knowledge, we have, all the wisdom,

we have, all the discernment, we have, all the experience that

we could ever need. And know, I'm not just talking to the young

people in the room. Pride is something that we all have to guard our

hearts against because it can creep in subtly. Don't get me wrong, though,

I mean who doesn't like to be recognized or praised to a certain extent

for friends. The truth that we need to hear is that when we seek

praise that isn't due to us, it could become a cancer within us.

It eats us away, it takes over. No doubt, Nebe Canezer did

a lot of great things. We can't deny that. Maybe you have done

a lot of great things in your life. Congratulations, But can I tell

you the Lord's been behind it all. God's been behind it all it was.

It was through Nebeconezzer that he built a great empire. It was through

Nebeconezer that he conquered multiple nations, Israel included. It was through Nebeconezer that

the great city of Babylon was built, and the wall that surrounded it was

constructed one of the seven Wonders of the world. Babylon would have been an

impressive city for anyone who traveled there and had witnessed what had happened through the

hands of Nebacanezer. But even though it was through Neba Canzer's hand that these

things were accomplished, God was behind it all. You don't believe me,

just go back to Daniel chapter one. Look at the first two verses in

Daniel chapter one. What does it say about Nebeconezzer taking over Jerusalem? Daniel

Chapter one, Verse one and two. King nebucan Azer of Babylon came to

Jerusalem to besiege it, and who gave them victory? The Lord. It

may have been the hands of Nebeconezzer, but can I tell you somebody was

behind it all? Even before that, in Jeremiah chapter twenty seven, it

was prophesied that the Lord would hand over eat onm and Moab and am An

entire inside on to the hands of Nebeconezer. It was prophesied that God would

do this through Nebucanezer's hands. God is the one who raised up Nebeconezer and

used Nebeconezer. But Nebe Canezzer failed to acknowledge that God was actually in control.

Listen, we need the kind of perspective in our life, who of

who God is in our lives that recognize that it may have been my hands,

but friends, it wasn't my plans. It may have been my hands

that accomplished it, but it wasn't by my plans. God was in charge

the whole time. God was working behind the scenes, carving away. And

this is the danger we so often come that so often comes when we fill

our lives with pride, when we stand on pride, when we stand and

promote ourself and our accomplishments, we fail to recognize that God has been directing

our lives the whole time. And the result of pride robbing God's glory is

that often it takes a fall for God to really use you. If you

go back and you look through scripture, it's kind of amazing how many leaders

in scripture had to go through a desert season, had to go through a

wilderness season. We just got done with the Jonas series, who had to

go through a belly of a whale season, right, a season of difficulty

before they could actually be used the way that God was desiring to use them,

And can I just say, plainly, God hates self pride. He

hates self pride. Proverb sixteen five says the Lord detest the proud, they

will surely be punished. Proverbs sixteen eighteen says pride goes before destruction and haughtiness

before the fall. Proverbs twenty six twelve says there is more hope for fools

than for people who think they are wise. One Corinthians four Paul uses himself

to illustrate his point. He says, what do you have that God hasn't

given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as

if it were not a gift? Friends? Why does God hate pride?

I think it's very simple, and it's very foundational to what we believe.

It's because pride is what ultimately led Satan to fall. When you study Isaiah

fourteen, when you study Ezekiel twenty eight main scriptures on the origin of Satan,

you will describe versus like Isaiah fourteen thirteen that say I will ascend to

heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain

of the gods far away in the north I will climb to the highest heavens

and be like the most High friends. God despises self pride because he's seen

the destruction that can come from it. And as Neba Canzar is standing above

his kingdom boasting about everything that he has accomplished. Verse thirty one says that

while the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice called down from

heaven. Remember this is Neba Canzer's own words. And the voice called down

from heaven and said, O, King nebecon Ezer, this message is for

you. You no longer rule in this kingdom. You will be driven from

human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and

you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while

you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the

kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. It says that

same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Neba Caonezer was driven from human society.

He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew

of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles

feathers, and his nails were like bird cloths. We created another ai image

for you. I'm just kidding, we didn't. This is the same warning.

It's the same exact thing that God had warned him about twelve months earlier

when Daniel in interpreted this dream, and now the king is going to have

to learn the hard way. Scholars believe that this description of King Nebucnezer is

a form of like and threat. It comes from the Greek words lycos,

which means wolf, and anthropos, which means man wolf man, And it's

actually where we get the mythological belief of Werewolve's. Look, it's almost it's

almost Halloween, right, we can I feel like this fits a little bit.

But licanthropy was a mental disorder where the patient would literally believe that they

were an animal. And there's actually records of this recent records of these same

types of symptoms. In nineteen forty six in a British mental institute, there

was a man who was hospitalized for five years with the same exact conditions that

we just read about in Daniel chapter four Versus thirty three. The same exact

thing Nebukanezer would learn the hard way. His pride, his false sense of

control, would have to die before he could truly understand who is in control

of his life. Nebicz ends this message being published to the world with this,

says, after this time, after the seven years had passed, I

nebecon Ezer, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned, and I

praised and worship the most high and honored the one who lives forever. He

said. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the

people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases

among the angels of heavens, and among the people of the earth. No

one can stop him or say to him, what do you mean by doing

these things? Says When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor

and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I

was restored as the head of my kingdom with even greater honor than before.

The stump that had been cut down and left, and the dew of heaven

that fell on it, began to grow again. He says. Now,

I, nebucan Azer, praise and glorify and honor the King of Heaven.

All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the

proud. There's an interesting prayer that was discovered on a scroll in the Cumran

Caves years ago, and scholars have come to believe that, through much debate

over the broken writing found on the scroll, that this prayer that they believe

was titled the Prayer of Nabonitis Nabonitis was the last king of Babylon, that

this prayer actually may be a prayer of Nebeconezzer in Hebrew. The spelling of

the two names, Nabonitis and Nebconezer is only different by one letter that's missing

on the scroll. And the prayer says this. Let's see if it sounds

familiar to you. The prayer says, I, the King of Babylon was

afflicted for seven years and far from men. I was put away, But

when I confessed my sins and my faults, he God allowed me to have

a soothsayer. A soothsayer was a term used to describe a Jewish man during

the exiles in Babylon. And the soothsayer explained it and wrote to me to

give great honor and glory to the name of the Most High God. This

is my personal belief. Friends, you can disagree with me, and we'll

see who's right when we get upstairs. But I believe we may see King

nevacan Azer in heaven one day. Why because even after failing to acknowledge God

so many times in his life, after the first time Daniel interpreted his dream,

after failing to acknowledge God, after watching Shadrack Mishak and have been to

go walk out of a furnace, after ignoring God's dream and learning the hard

way, after twelve months of knowing it, King Nebaconezzer finally heeds the advice

of Daniel and issues the statement from himself to the pagan world. Now,

I Nevkanuzzer, praise and glorify and honor the King of Heaven. You know

what the story is really about, friends, It's a story about living a

halfway faith, knowing about God, seeing God's miracles, hearing and seeing what

He's done in other people's lives, literally witnessing it right before your eyes,

and choosing not to place him in that spot in yours. And I want

to go back to verse twenty seven Daniel's advice to the King really quickly,

because Daniel's advice to the King is this, accept my advice. Stop sinning,

stop going back to the old ways of living, lay down your pride,

step away from the things that are constantly pulling you away from God,

and do what is right. Look to God is the most high in your

life. Release and submit control to Him for calling you to worship him.

And that same invitation that Daniels extended to Nebekanezzer is extended for you two this

morning. Would you just bow your head and close your eyes with me this

morning. I want to give you an opportunity to respond, And here is

your opportunity to respond, And it's simply this. Maybe you're here this morning

and you acknowledge that you and this king nebucan Azer may have a lot in

common. Maybe you're here this morning and you've never had a relationship with Jesus,

you've never invited him into your life to have authority and have control in

your life. And maybe you're here this morning and you just say, Morgan,

I want to make that decision today. I want to release and surrender

control to him today. And maybe you're here and you would just say,

man, there's been some pride that's been getting in the way of me making

that decision, and maybe you're here and you've made that decision before, but

you recognize that it's time to come back to that place where you put God

in his rightful place in your life. And if that's you here this morning,

I just want you to have the opportunity to begin that relationship with him

or come back to that relationship. And if that's you, on the count

of three, I just want you to lift your hand up one, two,

three. If that's you, yeah, thank you, thank you,

thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

You can put your hands down. I want you. I want everyone to

stand in this room with me and to close. I want us to repeat

this prayer together. Some of you just made that decision for the first time

in your life. And when we do this, we do this as a

family. And maybe you're here this morning and you wish that you would have

raised your hand. Can I tell you that as you say this prayer,

you are making that decision as well. Would you bow your head, close

your eyes and repeat this prayer for me? Everybody say, Dear Jesus,

I know I've messed up. I've made mistakes, and I asked for your

forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead.

But today I turned from my sins and I invite you to come into my

life. I want to trust you and I want to follow you as my

Lord and savior. In Jesus' name, Amen,