Daniel 2:31-49

Daniel 2:31–49 ESV

“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

INTRO

Who am I?

Ascend

Recap:

Exiles in Babylon (586 BC) (2 Kings 24)

2 Parts to the book of Daniel:

1-6 Stories about Daniels and his friends

7-on Visions God provides Daniel of the future.

The People of God find themselves in a community that does not…

Worship their God.

Value the things they value

does not ultimately share their worldview.

Forced to to make hard decisions on do I obey God or the king every day.

Sound familiar…

Tonight:

Look at this dream.

Help us understand what is happening.

What does God have for us tonight with this dream.

Read & Pray

Big Idea: Earthly kingdoms: God establishes, is in control, has the power to take away.

What is the image

Display the image on the screen and break it down.

4 KINGDOMS (The Image)

A. Gold Daniel 2:32

Neb

The Head (the strongest)

the most valuable

B. Silver (Persians)

Weaker

Chest and arms

C. Bronze (Alexander the Great)

Middle and thighs

D. Iron & Clay (Fall of Roman empire)

legs and feet

Outside of image

Giant Rock Comes

not made by human hands..

Transiiton:

Okay now its your job to write the sermon and apply it to this room… but seriously its not that hard once we have a picture of this powerful narrative. This is a dream for Neb, but it is also a dream that is applicable to every person in this room.

We are all at risk of building up kingdoms that do not matter.

We are all at risk in serving kingdoms with our primary allegiance that will have an end.

The Message for the king

Daniel 2:44–45 ESV

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

God establishes.

God is in control.

God has the power to take away.

The kingdom of God is the only kingdom that will have no end.

The message for us today?

Do you believe God?

Chill out

Rest in Gods sovereignty

Trust that God will do what he says.

Daniel, Pauls letters to the church in Corinth, Revelation. These are there to strengthen our faith not leave us fearful.

2. What kingdom are you serving?

Citizenship in the kingdom of God.

Exiles in Babylon.

Application:

American Citizenship.

Your work.

your relationships.

4. your kingdoms.