Untitled Sermon (3)

Daniel

More of a verse by verse series.

It is a Book in the section of the O.T. that is in a Prophetic section.

Babylonian Captivity

Daniel arrived there around 16 years old.

They were confronted with a very secular society that confronted what they believed to be true.

It was difficult because everything and everyone around them were telling them they were wrong.

They were imposing a belief system on them.

How can we stand strong on the truth of God’s Word when cultural is shifting further away from The Truth?

Especially when it creates an uncomfortable environment for us.

One thing is for sure.

As culture shifts it will put you and I in a place to decide who or what we will follow.

Culture is attempting to re-identify you to something other than what God has identified you as.

God has a plan for your life.

Culture’s greatest test.

Tough Message!

I get it!

Last week: Culture’s greatest test.

This week: Culture’s greatest sin.

SIN OF PRIDE

GOD WE DON’T REALLY NEED YOU, BUT WE WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THAT CHANGES.

PUT YOU OFF TO THE SIDE.

WE DON’T REALLY NEED YOU RIGHT NOW.

Root of all the other sin.

Adultery

Murder

Theft.

Conversion of Nebuccanezzer

At the end of his life he followed the God of Daniel.

Daniel 4:1-3 “King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.”

This is King Nebuchadnezzar!

He is giving glory to God.

King Nebuchadnezzar

He would not worship God.

He would not bow to God.

He was warned in a dream that if he would not turn and worship God, he would go insane.

Insanity

Deranged thinking.

Created turmoil in the soul.

End Time Insanity

Our thinking turns to this world.

We live in the insanity and chaos of this world.

Our compass is spinning.

We don’t know what is truth and what is lies.

Our earth is groaning right now.

The uncertainty of this world is creating incredible stress in the lives of people.

Signs:

Madness of society

Teenagers acting out violently.

Where does that come from.

It comes from a deranged way of thinking.

Wars

Economy

Social thinking

Relationships

If those things rule your thinking it will lead to insanity.

Prospering Culture can only happen when we heed the word of God.

End-Time Insanity

Insane Thinking!

Listener Beware

This may be a difficult message.

Remember God loves you!

This message gets in my face.

Forms of Pride.

All of them can lead to insanity.

Insanity Happens When we’re self-sufficient instead of God-dependent.

Daniel 4:4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.”

Great Irony

We live in one of the greatest planets on the earth.

We are incredibly blessed.

I personally believe we are blessed because of God.

So that we could be a blessing to the rest of the world.

Every Generation that has experienced Great Prosperity.

As far back as they can study it.

Literally none have figured out how to handle that prosperity.

That prosperity led to a type of contentment that caused them to abandon their awareness of their need of God.

God we go this.

They begin to believe that it is just going to happen.

They begin to trust that nothing will disrupt their prosperity.

They lose respect for who and what it was that blessed them.

AND IT DISAPPEARED.

Can we stay prosperous and still stay close to the Lord.

If we don’t the same thing that happened to Nebuchanezzar is going to happen to us.

Everyone of us can fall into this trap.

Prayerlessness.

Isn’t it interesting that when the sky is falling we tend to pray more.

When everything is going great we think, “It’s all good I don’t need to pray about anything.”

That is because our perception of prayer is for the times we need God’s help.

If that is true, there are times when we don’t believe that we need God’s help.

September 11th Crowd.

CAN WE STAY GOD DEPENDENT WHEN EVERYTHING IS SEEMS OKAY?

Prayer!!!!

It is the act that reminds me that I still need God.

It is an expression of my love for God.

It can be tough.

When you pray it can feel like a one way conversation

Atheism that is Prayerlessness!

Dependent on God’s Power!

I am completely dependent on God’s power in my life.

Prayer!

Prayer!

Prayer!

Prayer!

First Week

Prayer Meeting!

Prayer Meeting during the week

God dependence in place of Self Sufficiency

WE need God

Insanity Happens When we give ourselves the credit instead of thanking God.

Overview

Nebuchadnezzer has a dream.

In the dream there is a tree.

Huge branches

Fruit hanging from it.

Birds are sitting in it.

It was bringing blessing.

Well that tree was cut down

The stump remained.

Nebuchadnezzer was hoping that was what was going to happen to his enemies.

So he came to his advisors to see if they could interpret the dream.

They couldn’t.

So he came to Daniel.

Of Course he could.

This is what he said.

Daniel 4:22 “Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.”

America you have become.

You have become.

Daniel 4:23 “ “Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’”

Daniel 4:24 ““This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king:”

Daniel 4:25 “You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

Give Thanks to God!

Be Thankful to God for everything.

In the Good

In the Bad

In the Craziness

In the Quiet

James your crazy.

No.

Because we know that in the confusion of the world God has a plan.

That plan is for me.

That plan is to bless me.

God Bless America

God bless my family.

Attitude of Gratitude!

Attitude

Half empty or Half full

1 Corinthians 4:7 TLB “What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?”

Even when I am being generous, I am not really giving it.

I am merely just using it as God leads me.

Gratitude prospers the soul.

Insanity happens When we think we know best instead of acknowledging that Heaven rules.

Daniel 4:26 “The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.

WE think We rule; When Heaven Rules

There is a Spiritual Realm

So we determine what is right and wrong.

Sexuality

Marriage

Creation

Godlessness

We are a progressive generation.

Bible isn’t for us.

We now know better.

We will end up like a stump if we think we know more than God knows.

The further we get away from God’s Word being our foundation, the more chaos and insanity we will see in this generation.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

It is a promise!

Notice it says, “If my people.”

First the people of God must pray, because the people who do not recognize God will not pray.

The Stump will grow again.

Definition of Sin

I am going to do my way God, not your way; bless my way!

It rejects obedience

It rejects submission

It rejects discipline

When we think we know best instead of acknowledging that Heaven rules.

We don’t know better than God.

Let’s follow God.

Sandy Hook Illustration

Governor Mike Hucabee

“For fifty years we have systematically attempted to have God removed from our schools and public activities. At the moment of calamity we wonder where is God. It is far more than just taking prayer and Bibles out of schools, it is the fact that people sue a city so they are not confronted with a manger scene or the word Christmas; or to remove a cross from a memorial. Churches and Christian owned businesses are told to surrender their values under the edict government orders to provide tax funded abortions. We are told to abandon bedrock moral truth and we ask where is God. Well I say it as I see it. We escorted him out of our culture, we marched Him off the public square; then we are express our surprise that a culture without him actually reflects what it has become. As soon as the tragedy did occur, I think God did show up. He showed up everywhere where people opened their hearts to Him.

Isaiah 66:2 “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”

I don’t know best God.

You know best.

Your will be done.

God’s ways are higher than our ways.

Sanity Restored

Can Sanity be restored in this Country?

Yes it can.

Do not lose hope church.

It can turn around.

Daniel 4:29-33 “Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.” Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.”

“Look at what I have done!”

Look at me!

I did this.

Daniel 4:34-37 “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 advisers 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.”

God showed him grace.

He was converted.

He experienced God.

I want to encourage you to live by these three things.

So that you don’t need to grow feathers.

#1st—Exalt the King of heaven.

Sanity will be restored after we do this.

God deserves our praise.

When we put God on the throne we do what he says.

There is an arrogance that can occur when we say, “That is not my style of worship.”

When the scriptures say in multiple places, “Lift you hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.”

Psalms 134:2 “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.”

If he says, “Touch your nose and lift one leg” we should do it.

Why?

Because he said so.

Psalms 47:1 “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

Psalms 66:1 “Shout for joy to God, all the earth!”

Psalms 95:1 “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”

Psalms 98:4 “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;”

Illustration — Karate Kid

Wax on then Wax off

Sand in circles

Paint up and than down.

When you do your sanity will be restored.

#2—Acknowledge that God does everything right and all His ways are just.

Stop!

Stop trying to change what the Bible says.

Stop trying to modify God and the Bible to culture.

Stop trying to change God.

God is not changing!

He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Following God!

Accept his word as the final authority in your life, you will see sanity restored.

#3—Walk in humility.

What is humility?

Great question.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking less about yourself.

James 4:10 “ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Wow!

This message truly attacks the prevailing force in our culture.

That forces tells us, IT IS ALL ABOUT ME!