A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Introduction

As we look around our world, we see people, organizations, and entire countries vying for power. During an election year, this will be broadcasted on the airways more in the coming months as people will spend billions of dollars and thousands of hours trying to gain power. We look around our world at countries trying to better position themselves economically to gain more power. In our own individual lives, we can fall victim to this temptation as well as we buy into the lie that says that if we can just have another thing, then we’ll finally have what we need. Just another job. Just another relationship. Just another zero on my bank account. Just one more thing and then I’ll finally be content because I’ll have the power that I need. This is nothing new - humans have struggled with power for thousands of years. We can go back to Genesis 11 and we see people gathering together in order to “make a name for ourselves.” They proceeded to build the tower of Babylon. They did this to defy God who had commanded humanity to go out into all the earth and subdue it. Yet, here people gathered together to build a kingdom for themselves. In this life, people often live for the Kingdom of Man. For things that we can see. For temporary praise. For things that are here one minute and gone the next. Augustine once shared that this Kingdom is fundamentally built on human pride. It is a kingdom centered on self. It is a kingdom that shouts the praise of its own accomplishments. As we look around this city of man - these empires and people who try to collect power - we see hopelessness, emptiness, purposelessness, and lots and lots of problems. Maybe you’re here and this has been your experience! You’ve succeeded in life. You’ve been platformed, promoted, and praised, but you look at all that you have and it just doesn’t add up. There are things that money can’t buy. There are things that fame cannot afford. There are things that power cannot purchase. What if, though, there was a better option? What if there was a better kingdom to be apart of? What if there was hope, satisfaction, joy, love, and purpose each day of your life?

This morning as we continue working through the book of Daniel, we come to Daniel 4. This is a long chapter that takes place some 30+ years after the events of Daniel 3 with the fiery furnace… This is an old king Nebuchadnezzar who for years lived his life in this kingdom of man. For years he was the most powerful man in the world. But this man came to understand that there is something special about the God of the Bible. While he had seen God do some remarkable things like answer dreams and save his servants from the fiery furnace, the king still doesn’t fully know this God. He knows about him, but he doesn’t know him. We know many in our world in this same boat, and maybe today this is you! Let’s dive into the first 3 verses of Daniel 4 and see the power of God’s Kingdom.

Daniel 4:1–3 CSB

1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and language, who live on the whole earth: May your prosperity increase. 2 I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me. 3 How great are his miracles, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

Our God is good! He is faithful! He is all powerful, all good, and all knowing. He rules and He reigns. He is in control. Is your trust placed in this covenant keeping God? Let’s pray and ask Him to guide us this morning.

The Kingdoms of Man Are Local, God’s Kingdom is Universal

Daniel 4 takes place years after chapter 3 as the king has become old and he issues a proclamation we read to people of every nation and language on the whole earth. At this point in time, Babylon ruled as far west as Egypt and as far east as India. Nebuchadnezzar ruled over much of the known world at this time and over millions of subjects. This chapter serves as a letter of sorts from the king to his people. We can think of this in our world as a presidential address as the president every now and then will address the entire nation and share some breaking news or update a situation that has been going on. This is what the king is doing in this chapter and it’s hard to break this chapter up - but it’s so important to see the distinctions between this powerful king and the King of Kings. The Kingdoms of man, and the Kingdom of God. We’ll dive into this more next Sunday in the rest of this chapter, but we see clearly that the king has something remarkable happen to him and he wants to tell the world about the power of this God.

Remember who this is, this is the most powerful man in the whole world. A man whose kingdom has conquered major world powers like Assyria and Egypt. A military that destroyed Jerusalem. From the outside looking in, this man has it all. Yet he finally understands something in this chapter that Daniel shared with him many decades before in Daniel 2:21

Daniel 2:21 CSB

21 He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

Every major power and every leader is only given authority from God. God changes times and leaders and nations. He gives them power and then He removes them from power. In other words, the kingdoms of man are localized kingdoms. God’s kingdom alone is universal. Think about how this flies in the face of those seeking power. We live in a global world with a global economy. You can drive to Lambert Airport in STL and either directly or by taking a connecting flight or two, you can essentially go wherever you want to in the world within a day or two. Our world is connected by air travel, through social media, through economic ties. In this globalized world, many want universal fame. Think of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 3. What did he do? He built a massive statue of either himself or one of his gods and commanded people to bow down and worship it. This was a man who craved fame. He desired devotion. He prioritized praise. Isn’t this what many in our world do as well? We build up localized kingdoms in communities, counties, states, possibly even countries where people know us and like us and even praise us. But the praise of people comes and goes. It’s here one minute and gone the next. So many people chase applause, tradition, convenience, and platforms that in order to get to that point they compromise left and right. They receive praise one minute and as soon as they do, they have to do whatever it takes to continue receiving that same praise. It’s addictive. It’s contagious. Whenever you start letting the crowd tell you what you have to do, you’re nothing more than a puppet. Sadly, we have leaders both inside and outside the walls of churches all around the world who crave spotlights and traditions and applause more than they do simply being obedient to the Word of God and the God of the Word, and friends, whenever that happens there will always come a reckoning. Nations rise, nations fall. Leaders come, leaders go. We can even think of the most powerful kingdom or nation in our world today and throughout history, these kingdoms are local. Leaders just aren’t as powerful as they think that they are. This is the way that God set things up.

Do you remember the scene in the Lion King where Mufasa brings Simba to a cliff that allows them to look over all the land that their Pride of Lions ruled over. He says that everything the light touches is ours… but what does Simba immediately say? What about the dark area over there? A place they didn’t own. A few centuries ago there was an expression that said that the sun never set on the British Empire because of all the territory that they owned around the world from Southeast Asia to North America… yet there was much land and territory that they did not own. The might of the Babylonian Empire under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar stretched a long ways, but even it was a local kingdom. There is but one kingdom that includes all of the earth and that is Gods. The King shares that God is the “Most High God.” This man went from threatening to make his wisemen’s homes into garbage dumps and throwing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace to now asking God to bless people from every nation in his empire. What has changed? Nebuchadnezzar has grown in his understanding of who exactly this God is. He is the most high God. He has done miracles and wonders. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar is not interested in using this public decree to talk about himself, he simply wants to talk about God. As Alan Redpath once shared, “Before we can say Thy Kingdom Come, we must be willing to say, My Kingdom Go.”

Church, whenever the lights shines on you and people are listening, will you take the credit or will you give it to the One who deserves it? The king has been changed, and we’ll get into that change next week in the rest of this chapter, and he wants other people to see the power of the God of the Bible. Near the end of his life, he wanted to set the record straight. God’s Kingdom is universal. God is the one with all power. God has done miracles and wonders. God is sovereign. We know this is still true today. Rev 7:9-10

Revelation 7:9–10 CSB

9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!

This is the anthem of the redeemed! God’s Kingdom includes people of every nation, tribe, and tongue. God’s Kingdom isn’t just something that impacts this region or this country or Dent County. God’s Kingdom impacts the whole world because this is our Father’s world. Our prayer must be that God would humble us when we get things out of order. That He would help us see things the way that He does. That we would worship Him as He deserves.

The Kingdom of Man is Temporary, God’s Kingdom is Eternal

In verse 3 of our text, Nebuchadnezzar says that God’s Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation. In other words, God’s kingdom is unique compared to existing worldly kingdoms not only because God’s Kingdom encompasses the whole world but also because God’s kingdom knows no end. It has always existed and it will always exist. Isn’t this the dream of rulers in our world? We read stories and watch movies or people trying to figure out how to live forever. Used to it was how can we find the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden… now it’s how can science help us achieve immortality? The idea of living forever isn’t new, but it’s still an impossibility. In the city of man, we face a common opponent and that opponent is death. We read in the Bible that all have sinned and that the wages of sin is death. In our world, life leads to death. This means that this life is by definition temporary. It might last 60, 70, 80 years, but it is still temporary. Even though many people eventually come to grips with this reality, they struggle with their legacy and doing things that truly matter. Think of Nebuchadnezzar back in chapter 3 as he constructed this gold statue. He wanted this built so that he would be worshipped. As we look around our world, regardless of the amount of power and time we have, this is a temptation that we all fight. Yet, there is only one person who deserves to be praised and worshipped and platformed and that is our God and His Kingdom is eternal unlike every other kingdom in our world.

Think of some of the leaders God uses in the Bible - Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon. Some good qualities here! God used these men in great ways… but they were all flawed as kings and leaders. They failed - just as every human leader in the kingdom of man does because of our fallen, sinful nature. Just as Nebuchadnezzar did. So what does God do? He gives a promise to His servant David in 2 Samuel 7

2 Samuel 7:12 CSB

12 When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

2 Samuel 7:16 CSB

16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.’ ”

God makes a promise that a descendant from David will rule and that his kingdom will be established forever. This is what the kingdom of man craves! Eternal power. Eternal authority. Eternal purpose. An eternal throne. There’s just one problem with this, it’s an impossibility because of sin. How does God intend to accomplish this promise? He’s not talking about the Kingdom of Man… that’s a temporary kingdom that will be destroyed. He’s talking about the Kingdom of God. What descendant do we know comes from the line of David that establishes the Kingdom of God? That’s exactly what Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel

Mark 1:15 NASB95

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Whenever Jesus came, He came bringing good news of the Kingdom of God. For there to be a kingdom, what must you have? A king. Jesus is this promised king from hundreds of years before His birth. Where other earthly kings went wrong, Jesus stayed true. Where earthly kingdoms fail and are overtaken, the Kingdom of God is eternal and true. How does Jesus bring about this Kingdom according to Mark 1:15? Through His presence, for one, but through His purpose. What was Jesus’ purpose? Mark 10:45

Mark 10:45 CSB

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus came to seek, save, and suffer. The Kingdom of God is at hand because Jesus arrived with His eyes fixed not on a golden statue but on a wooden cross. Let’s look at the cost of our redemption and how we are given access into God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus Christ had to die. We know that our actions have consequences. As a child, if you disobey mom or dad, you get a punishment. If you disobey your boss who is in a position of authority over you, you get in trouble. If you go over the speed limit, you might get a ticket. Because of our sin, there has to be a consequence. In the Old Testament we read of the Passover in Egypt as Daniel’s great, great, great, great, great grandparents were in exile just as he currently is. God told the Israelites to take the blood of this sacrificial lamb and put it on the doorpost of their house. The blood covered the wood and God’s judgment was not poured out on those inside. We sang a song last week and it’s one that is incredibly appropriate during the Easter season, “It Was Finished Upon That Cross” - don’t we celebrate the same truth? The blood of the sacrifice covered the wood, drop by drop. On Calvary, Jesus Christ as this King suffers and dies. He was even crowned with a crown of thorns. But what is the result? The salvation of God’s people. To have a kingdom you have to have a king and you have to have a people - my question for you today is simply this: Are you a member of God’s eternal kingdom? Have you accepted Christ as Savior? Or, are you trying to build your own temporary kingdom in this world?

Think about how we view things differently as members of these different kingdoms.

This week I read a story of several workers at a construction site talking to their foreman about the task at hand. The first said that he’s just breaking rocks. The second looked at the foreman and said that he’s earning money to provide for his family. The third looked to the sky above the construction site and said, “I’m building a cathedral.” There are times in this life where we are doing something that feels like we’re just breaking rocks. We’re just doing something because we’ve been told that we have to do something in this temporary world. If we take a step back, though, doing this task helps to provide for our family. Doing this job helps put food on the table. Working well at our job is a good thing! Ultimately, though, as a believer we know that our work in this world is about something so much more than just a job or providing for our family, our work is Kingdom work because this is our Father’s world. God’s Kingdom is eternal. As members of God’s Kingdom, whatever we do for God’s Kingdom is worthy work! Maybe you’re the mom who is at home with kids day after day after day and it’s the same thing Monday-Friday and you’re like the first builder at the construction site - I’m breaking rocks (I mean, raising kids). Some days it feels like that… but that is your Kingdom purpose in this season as you raise children who know the Lord. Maybe you’re the person working a job and it’s a grind day after day and you’re exhausted but you’re doing what you’re doing just to provide. That’s a noble endeavor in and of itself… But you’re not just providing for yourself and your family. You’re a Kingdom representative where God has planted you in this world. Regardless of where you’re at, what your day looks like, this world is temporary - God’s Kingdom lasts forever. What you and I do in this life is we bring glory and honor to our God as we serve as Kingdom Workers and Kingdom Witnesses.

Nebuchadnezzar shares that God’s miracles are great and His wonders are mighty. If you have experienced this to be true in your walk with the Lord and in studying God’s Word, you know that we are to live with a Kingdom mindset. This means that our view of success changes. In this temporary world people measure success by dollars, friends, likes, views, traditions, inventions, degrees, possessions, and popularity. But true success is measured by faithfulness to Jesus Christ. His Kingdom outlasts them all. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. FBC Salem family, this should encourage us to remain faithful to Jesus, but it must also be our motivation to witness to those around us who are living in this culture of death and walking in darkness and who are separated from God. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free, for God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me. Is this your story? If it is, you have a proclamation to share to all you come in contact with - you belong to Jesus.

The Kings of Man Are Stewards, God Alone is Sovereign

Nebuchadnezzar began in Daniel boasting in himself. Last chapter we see that he boasts in his power, his furnace, his soldiers. Isn’t this a temptation for all of us? To think that we are all that in a bag of potato chips? Possibly to be like Paul and look at our trophy list, “Pharisee of Pharisees, blameless before the law, did everything right, had the right lineage and background and education.” Our trophy list looks a little different usually: “Solid job, kind person, smart, generous heart, successful, and a solid background.” There’s a temptation for all of us to boast in our accomplishments. But the problem with this is that those things aren’t ours in the first place! We are stewards of all that we have been given. God is the One who is sovereign. True power is not found through connections or traditions but through being adopted into God’s forever family by faith in Jesus!

We are given what we have for a reason and that reason is to glorify God - who is the true owner of everything! Nebuchadnezzar, as much wealth and power as he had accumulated, came to understand at the end of his life that God alone is the one whose dominion lasts. Sadly this happens at the end of life all too often as people look back with regret wishing they had done more for God’s Kingdom earlier in their lives and not waited until the very end. If you are saved, every breath you draw is by divine mercy as God has given you a breath that you did not deserve and God has given you that breath in order to praise His name. In order to be a good steward with what He has given you. In order to be a trail of stardust that points people to the Sun. Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13–16 CSB

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Everyone starts out living in the Kingdom of Man. We are all born in sin and we are separated from God. Aren’t you thankful for someone in your life who loved you enough to tell you truth of what Jesus has done for sinners? A parent, grandparent, leader, teacher, coworker, classmate, whoever it was who loved you enough to tell you what the Bible says about sin and grace and salvation. That person was a good steward who helped point you to Jesus and Jesus brings you into the Kingdom of God and He saves your soul. His miracles are great and He still performs miracles to this day and the greatest miracle that God performs today is in saving rebellious sinners and changing us and making us adoptive sons. If this is your story, you can attest like Nebuchadnezzar did of God’s miracles and wonders. We must be faithful to share what God has done, is doing, and will do – He is faithful! You can share a message of eternal hope with people walking in brokenness and darkness. You can share the truth that Jesus Christ Still Saves Sinners! We are simply stewards - God alone is sovereign. He is our King and He commands us to use what He has given us for His glory and the good of those around us.

So, which Kingdom are you living for? Only you can answer this question. On one hand there is the city of man with its grand promises of happiness, satisfaction, popularity, and wealth. We can think of this as the Magic Kingdom Castle - it looks awesome and lots and lots of people are walking towards it and posing for pictures because it’s the ideal dream in our world! We can live for this Kingdom - in fact, we all start out living for it. Or we can live for the city of God. We can deny ourselves. Pick up our cross. Follow our Christ. Live for the things of eternal value. We can store up for ourselves treasures in heaven that can’t be touched or taken and they can’t lose their value. There are just 2 choices and it all comes down to our view of God’s Kingdom!

How Can I Tell Which Kingdom I’m Living For?

Time

Talent

Treasure

Do I spend more time investing in the Kingdom of Man or investing in the Kingdom of God?

Am I a better steward of my God-given talents with the Kingdom of Man or the Kingdom of God?

Do I delight in investing my treasure more with temporary things in the Kingdom of Man or do I have a greater joy and excitement in investing in the Kingdom of God?

Church, there is ministry work ahead of us that will only get done if we rally together and take seriously our charge to be citizens of heaven while living on earth. If we take seriously our call to use our time, talent, and treasure for God’s purposes in our church, community, and world. His miracles are great. His wonders are mighty. His Kingdom is eternal. His rule is universal.

My Hope and Joy Must Be in the Kingdom of God

If you are here and you have not repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are not a member of God’s Kingdom. You are in the Kingdom of Man. We’ve all been there! Friend, there’s something better for you today. There’s a better hope. There’s a better peace. There’s a better purpose in life than breaking rocks, punching a time card, adding a zero to your bank account, doing nice things. Hope and Joy have names and we find them in the person of Jesus Christ. Trust in His sacrifice and enter His Kingdom today - I’d love to talk with you about the King of Kings after we pray.