Rein

Welcome

Well, good morning friends! If we haven’t met, my name is Dan and I serve as the teaching pastor here for our Worthington Campus.

New to LP

If this is your first time here...

Generosity Moment

Series Introduction

Alright, if you have a bible with you, open up to the Old Testament book of Daniel.

The Old Testament book of Daniel. Chapter 4

We’re continuing in our series called: Exiles which follows the story of God’s people being removed from their homes and learning that faith is more about how you live than where you live. For us, Daniel shows us what it looks like to follow Jesus in a world and culture that doesn’t.

If you’ve missed any of this series, you can catch up online because we’ve been trying to thread a needle through this series…that really starts to address the question: how do we live faithfully here and now? How do we follow Jesus in a world that doesn’t. And so far, like we said in week one, the reason this is so challenging is because we are a wavering people! That’s part of what it means to be human, that we waver back and forth.

We also said that, as followers of Jesus, in a world that doesn’t follow Jesus, we need to be honest with ourselves! We need to be able to point the finger first back to ourselves and show that there are some real heart issues we have!

And last week, we talked about ongoing practice of WORSHIP and IDOLATRY and said that, like Daniel’s three friends, we need to be those who RECOGNIZE, REJECT, and REPLACE idols in our own hearts and imaginations.

Today, we get to a final piece of the puzzle…as we’re asking how do we, like Daniel, live faithfully and follow Jesus in a world that doesn’t.

And I’ll say this from the beginning. This passage is fascinating. There are a thousand different rabbit trails we could chase down today…but I’m going to do my best to keep us laser focused on the main idea of this passage. Because I think when really see and really believe what this passage is talking about changes everything.

So if you’re not there yet, open with me to Daniel 4.

Introduction

And while you’re turning there...

In January of last year, Simone Engles saw what she shouldn’t have seen.

She was a photographer in British Columbia — the far west coast of Canada. And looking out into the bay, she saw an enormous iceberg floating in the distance. If it was an ice-berg, it would have been the biggest, by far, she had ever seen—and would also be a little amazing that the local news stations weren’t there covering the story of this monstrous floating block of ice making through the narrow channels, small islands, and into the bay. So she snapped a picture...and the iceberg vanished.

So, she jumped on social media, posted THIS picture and began looking for answers when finally some figured out what she was seeing.

It was not an iceberg.

What she was seeing was a mountain range—but the odd thing is that the mountain range she saw was 125 miles in the distance. The human eye can only see the about 3 miles on a good day—and that doesn’t take into account the curvature of the earth…even with the best equipment, eventually things are cut off on the horizon....which should have hidden this mountain range from her.

She was seeing what scientists call, A Superior Mirage. A rare phenomena that takes what is not possible to see under ordinary circumstances and makes it visible due to heat pockets that end up bending light and color.

And the reason I bring this up is because I think this idea of a superior mirage…of being able to see what, by any stretch of the imagination, should not be able to be seen is exactly what we need today. We need a superior mirage. We need to see what is actually there but so often hidden from us.

And the thing that Daniel 4 shows…the very reality that Daniel himself sees, understands, and believes is this: The Lord reigns over everyone who rules. The Lord reigns over everyone who rules.

And this is far more than just a nice sentiment, but this is something we desperately need to see — in order to make sense of following Jesus in a world that doesn’t. That’s what we’re exploring this morning. But first, let me pray and then we’ll get started.

PRAY

Tell the Story

Alright, let’s get started. Look with me starting at v. 1 (Daniel 4:1-3)

Daniel 4:1–3 (ESV)

1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

3 How great are his signs,

how mighty his wonders!

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

What’s Strange About the Story

Chapter 4 kicks off with a proclamation from King Nebuchadnezzar to his entire empire about the God of Daniel and his three friends. Remember what we saw last week, Daniel’s three friends are thrown into a furnace Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar as God…he has them thrown into a furnace to kill them and yet God miraculously preserves them. And this is part of Nebuchadnezzar’s response to that. In fact, much of the rest of the chapter is written from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar

Did Nebuchadnezzar Convert?

Now, one of the questions that comes us is about what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. Was he “converted”? Did he become a believer in the One true God of Daniel and his friends?

I could be wrong…but I think what’s likely going on is that Nebuchadnezzar does believe that their god is real…but that he was still just one of many real gods....even if he was more powerful than the other Babylonian gods. I don’t think he has a genuine change of heart of heart here.

Look Who’s Talking

But what’ fascinating about this chapter, as you keep reading, is that it’s largely written from Nebuchadnezzar’s perspective.

Look with me at v. 4 (Daniel 4:4)

Daniel 4:4 ESV

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.

And to me, that’s really odd. In fact, I think it’s more than odd. Imagine for a moment what it would be like for Daniel’s original audience?

I mean they were the one’s who would have experienced some of the most horrific atrocities recorded in the entire bible. Every single one of them would have had family and friends mercilessly slaughtered by the Babylonians under the order of King Nebuchadnezzar. And through the remained of the Biblical storyline, through the end of the book of Revelation, Babylon is consistently talked about as the antiKingdom of God…it is and stands for the opposite of all that God is about.

It’s evil.

It’s unjust.

It’s horrifically cruel.

So why on earth do we have a whole chapter written from Nebuchadnezzar’s perspective? I mean this would be like finding out today that some major US policy was originally articulated and copied from Hitler.

It just doesn’t work, right?

Now, I want you to keep in mind that feeling as we work through the rest of the story here.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Look again t v. 4 (Daniel 4:4). Nebuchadnezzar tells us he has another dream. And just like that one we saw in chapter 2, it’s a dream that he’s sure means something but he just can’t figure out.

So he get’s Daniel to interpret the dream for him again.

Look at v. 10 (Daniel 4:10-12)

Daniel 4:10–12 ESV

10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

Now he doesn’t have an issue with the first part of the dream. That all actually sounds kinds of nice for the king. The issue is with what he sees next.

Look at v. 13 (Daniel 4:13-17

Daniel 4:13–17 ESV

13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

Now, we read that and it’s almost like, how could Nebuchadnezzar be confused by that? It’s obviously talking about him…just like the last dream. It’s talking about his kingdom, him, and what’s going to happen to him.

Interpretation

And even Daniel is a little hesitant to respond to the king…look at v. 19. It uses Daniel’s Babylonian name…he’s at a loss for what to do…which is exactly how any of us would be in that moment. You have the most powerful person on earth at that moment describing a dream that pretty obviously talks about his demise and judgment…and Daniel has to be the one to say, “Um…this dream is about you...”

And the interpretation confirms a few things…that Nebuchadnezzar is in fact at the top of the food chain. There is no other empire on earth like his…in a sense, he has arrived at the top of the later. He’s made it. He’s top dog. He’s the boss.

And yet, it’s all about to be taken away. He’s about to loose it all. That’s what the dream means.

Daniel can only offer a small bit of counsel…you can see it in v. 27. He says the King should turn from his current way of life and take on life the way God created us to live…that he should practice what is righteous…that he should show mercy…and that maybe the fulfillment of this dream would be delayed.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride

And we don’t know how much weight Daniel’s words had with Nebuchadnezzar, but it certainly doesn’t sink in for the long run. Look at v. 28 (Daniel 4:28-30)

Daniel 4:28–30 ESV

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 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?”

I mean look at what he actually says for a moment. Looking over all of this empire, Nebuchadnezzar is enamored with himself and his power. He is so used to being at the top that all he can do now is look down and he’s in love what he sees as His power his glory, and his majesty. I think it’s interesting that he uses the very words that all throughout the Bible are only attributed to God himself and now Nebuchadnezzar takes them on himself. In essence, in this short sentence, he declares himself to be a god.

And before he’s even finished articulating this, everything changes.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

Look at v. 33

Daniel 4:33 ESV

33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Now, there are those who try and figure out exactly what happened to him…and as modern readers, sometimes we try to think about this in terms of a “disorder” or some kind of psychosis Nebuchadnezzar is experiencing…but I think what’s actually happening here is tied to some biblical themes around arrogance and humiliation. Interestingly enough, the Babylonians famously worshiped different kinds of beasts and mythological creatures, and it seems like in his pursuit of being one of the gods, Daniel says it actually happened…He becomes like one of the Babylonian gods…The point being that the most powerful and therefore influential person on the planet is functionally reduced to the personality and intellect of a cow!

The Lord Reigns

Now, I want you to think about for moment about what I said earlier…that we would need to feel how odd and out of place…even wrong…it should feel for this whole section to be recorded from Nebuchadnezzar’s perspective. Like there is just something off about a man who represents so much evil and brokenness to be given the mic for a moment. And if it feels weird to us, how much more would it have felt wrong for Daniel’s original audience.

But here’s what I think is going on here. I think it’s helpful to think about it this way:

This is Nebuchadnezzar’s Jacob Marley moment.

His Jacob Marley moment.

And with that, we have entered into the time of year when I can officially make Christmas references. Everybody talks about the start of Christmas festivities is either when it first snows or after thanksgiving. But the real start of Christmas is whenever your pastor starts talking about it in his sermons.

It is an undeniable and universal truth that the best Christmas story (outside of the bible of course) is Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol…specifically the version told by Jim Henson in A Muppet’s Christmas Carol.

You remember the story. Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by how many ghosts?

People respond with: “Three”

No, Four! Four ghosts. The first is of the old business partner, Jacob Marley. Who as he recounts his life to Scrooge, is beyond help himself. It’s too late for him. But he is speaking so that Scrooge can change…so that he can think, act, and live differently!

And, you see, this is exactly what’s goin on here. Nebuchadnezzar is, in a sense, being used to show to us what he was unable to see and believe himself. That this “king of the universe” was completely and unilaterally dismantled in a matter of moments by the One who is actually in charge. In fact, the entire point of this passage is recorded for us through the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar as he’s recounting his dream! Look again at v. 17.

Daniel 4:17 ESV

17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

Friends, do you see it? Do you see the Superior Mirage, that is so often out of sight for us?!

“That the living may know...”

That you and I, here and now, as we seek live faithfully wherever God has placed us…as we seek to follow Jesus in a world and culture that doesn’t…that WE WOULD KNOW...

The Most Hight rules the Kingdoms of men.

That of all the nations of the earth…of all the power structures in place…over each and every person of power, President, Prime Minister, King, there stands one who is actually the Mayor of mayors, the Governor of governors, the Prime Minister of prime minsters, the President of presidents, the King of kings...Lord of lords.

There is a Creator of All things, who uphold the very Universe by the mere word of His power.

He is the Most High who rules and reigns over the kingdoms and structure that we find ourselves under.

Human Condition

That is something that we can get behind!

But...

There’s a reason why I started this whole message off talking about a superior mirage. Because if we’re honest, I don’t think we don’t always see this…in fact, I think we often fail to believe this to be true…or least we fail to live as if this is true…even those of us who have been following Jesus for years.

You see, I think at the end of the day…we are far more like Nebuchadnezzar than we’d like to admit.

Remember, his actual downfall takes place at his height, when he is on top of proverbial world…and looks down, falling in love with own accomplishments, with is own abilities…with what he’s convinced he’s been able to do for himself. And we can read the story and think, what a fool. But how often do we get caught in our own reflection, laser focused on ourselves…and what we bring to the table.

As a pastor, I struggle with this all the time. One of the great privileges I have as a pastor is to regularly open up the Bible and teach…and it is a joy to do this week in and week out.

But you see, here’s how I’m like Nebuchadnezzar...

Pastors never think they preach “okay” sermons. When I get home from on Sunday afternoon, I generally have one of two responses…in my heart of hearts. I’m either like, “I nailed that. These people are lucky to have me. I just hope I can keep up the creative juices for next week to somehow top that.” And every positive comment I get, as well meaning as it is, can slowly feed something far more sinister inside of me.

The other response is, “Complete embarrassment.” Like, “I can’t believe I said that.” Or, “I probably sounded like such a fool…I completely missed it.” And I’ll check my email and texts needing someone to say SOMETHING positive…so I can finally let myself off the hook. And with every hour going by without some feedback, I’m slowly feeding something sinister inside me.

And do you see what both responses have in common?

They’re both all about me. They’re about MY response to me and YOUR response to me and while they are on opposite sides of the spectrum, I find myself holding YOU hostage to my own ego. Friends, I am Nebuchadnezzar.

But it’s not just me. Every single one of us struggles with this.

How often, if we were to probe the root cause of our frustration at work, or with a spouse, with a parent, or a friendship, how often would we find that the true cause of our anger and angst is someone else’s unwillingness to submit to our way…our plan…our idea…their failure to give us our credit for our fame…for our success.

You see, while we may not say it out loud, at the end of the day, we can look at this idea of Daniel 4 - that The Most High reigns of the kingdoms of men…and whole heartedly agree as long as Daniel is talking about

THOSE kingdoms

Point out words towards the congregation.

And not THIS kingdom...

Point to my own heart.

Gospel - Jesus Reigns Over Us

And yet this is precisely why we need that Superior Mirage. To see what is so often unseen…to believe what is so often unbelieved…to call to mind that Most High reigns even over us!

See our story is just like Nebuchadnezzars. But this is where we are reminded of the hope of the Gospel. [EXPAND]

That He reigns over us for us.

And the King we have conquers not by taking life, but by GIVING his life. [EXPAND]

Conclusion

Pray Philippians 2:9-11 together.

Communion