Dreams, Decrees, and the Divine

Have you ever woke up from a nightmare that you was so sure was real?

I mean that sweat inducing, bone shivering nightmare!

Scientist say that nightmares are the product of external and internal stresses that you experience everyday.

They say it is the way the mind copes with these stresses.

I am no expert, but I feel it is our minds way of showing us that we live in uncertain and fearful times.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 CSB

But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

Unfortunately, avoiding these people is a task that you can not complete. We live in a world that showcases these traits as normal, common place and acceptable. And we wonder why we have nightmares.

So how do we as believers handle this, we must trust in God’s sovereignty. We can approach our challenges with assurance that God holds all power and possesses the answers we seek.

Today’s message recounts King Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream, which none of his wise men can interpret, leading to a decree for their execution.

God reveals the dream and its interpretation to Daniel, showcasing God's sovereignty over kingdoms and His ability to unveil mysteries.

In the face of uncertainty, trust in God's sovereignty and His ability to provide clarity and direction in our lives.

Let’s start this message today by getting Lennie to open us up in prayer.

1. Human Limitations

Daniel 2:1–13 CSB

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him. So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.” The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump. But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So make the dream and its interpretation known to me.” They answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.” The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.” The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean. What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.” Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.

Understand that at this time in history, nations are fighting against each other and the political environment is chaos...sounds familiar.

King Nebuchadnezzar is having to watch all of this, and now God gives him a nightmare that he can not comprehend. It is a moment where human limitations curcuma to uncertainty and fear.

There are some in society that feel that human wisdom has no limitations. We lose the fear of the Lord because we feel we can handle it with our own mind, but yet when something we just do not understand presents itself, we see how failiable we really are.

We see here in these verses that the wisest of men are stomped. They are at a loss when it comes to divine mysteries.

Yet this is the point that God sometimes wants us to be. Where we have to humble ourselves and seek God’s sovereignty. Earthly wisdom has its limitation, divine wisdom knows no bounds.

This is why we must always seek Him first. That is why we pray that the Holy Spirit takes control of these services.

Matthew 6:33 CSB

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

There are so many times I am waken up for no reason, but yet I know that this is the time to pray. To seek Him in it all.

I have learned no amount of trying to go back to sleep will help, till I set my mind on Him.

Most of the time, I have no idea what I have to pray for, I have learned that my human limitations are not His barrier. It is mine. So I just give up my mind and thoughts to Him and just pray and worship Him.

And that leads us very well to our next point

2. Turning to Prayer

Daniel 2:14–23 CSB

Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, urging them to ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him. 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. He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my ancestors, because you have given me wisdom and power. And now you have let me know what we asked of you, for you have let us know the king’s mystery.

Daniel's response is a model of faith in the midst of crisis.

Instead of panic, Daniel turns to prayer, embodying trust in God's sovereignty and faithfulness.

This is a beautiful reminder of how prayer opens our eyes to God's mysteries and fortifies our courage in troubled times.

This should encourage you to prioritize prayer in your life, knowing that God is eager to hear us and unveil His wisdom, giving us assurance even when answers seem elusive and so far away

For when we pray....

3. God’s Glory Revealed

Daniel 2:24–30 CSB

Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.” Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation.” The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?” Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these: Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future. The revealer of mysteries has let you know what will happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

Daniel shows humility and confidence as he approaches the king, crediting God for the revelation.

As Daniel gives God the glory, it brings forward how God's sovereignty aims to bring us into greater awe of His plans.

This should give you confidence to share how God works in their lives, turning every revelation and guidance back to Him.

Now the next part so many people read it and want to pull more than what is there. The next point should point to one place only

4. The Eternal Kingdom

Daniel 2:31–49 CSB

“Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of the heavens has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the sky—he has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others. You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay. “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.” Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, worshiped Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him. The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

God's kingdom will outlast all earthly empires.

As Daniel unfolds this vision, it becomes a proclamation of God's ultimate authority through Christ.

Let me explain:

Insert picture of the statue

So many people read into this as a prophecy that ties back to Revelation when it is a proclamation of God's ultimate authority through Christ.

This assurance that God's purposes will prevail should infuse hope and courage.

The reality is that God's kingdom is present and unshakeable.

Right now is the time, let me invite you to place your trust in the eternal King and priest, Jesus, who fulfills and embodies God's sovereign rule.