Sermon Tone Analysis

Pride, usually considered a virtue, is, under some circumstances, a basic form of sin.

Dr. Karl Menninger, in Whatever Became of Sin?, reminded us that vanity, egocentricity, arrogance, self-adoration, selfishness, and self-love are really synonyms for pride.

Theologically, pride asserts itself into pride of power, knowledge, and virtue.

Writing in Power, A New Social Analysis, Bertrand Russell noted, “Every man would like to be God if it were possible; some few find it difficult to admit the impossibility.”

Every believer wants to experience growth in Christ Jesus, we want to mature Spiritually.

We desire to resemble our Lord and Savior, but we often struggle with ourselves in fully acknowledging the authority God has over our lives.

I want to challenge you to consider that if you are not growing then you are crashing.

You are going in the opposite direction other than the Lord wants you to go.

You are physically displaying a characteristic that contradicts what the kingdom of God represents.

God wants you to be more than what you have demonstrated up to this point in your life.

King Nebuchadnezzar experiences a terrible crash because he displays a selfishness that takes from him, the very thing which he thinks is the bases of his success.

Pride, excessive self-esteem, conceit or arrogance is the sin that denies Nebuchadnezzar the privilege of enjoying life.

I want to challenge you today to avoid this king’s mistake.

Don’t adopt this unhealthy elevated view of yourself, of your abilities, or of your possessions.

For pride leads to a refusal to depend on God, or a submission to the will of God.

Our text, is a historical reference of the people of God in captivity, and God’s presence actively shown managing an experience that says humility is a more viable way of life.

Nebuchadnezzar’s crash, according to the prophet Daniel is imminent.

The king has received a message from God through a dream, that has disturbed him.

A dream of a great tree in the middle of the Land.(v.10)

Its leaves were beautiful, fruit for all, the wild animals found shelter, and birds lived on its branches.(vs.11-12)

But a messenger from Heaven has issued that the tree be cut down: branches trimmed, leaves stripped, and fruit scattered.(vs.13-14)

But, its stump and roots, bound with Iron and bronze will remain in the ground.(v.15)

Then the messenger issues another statement: “ ‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth.

16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.

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According to the prophecy from , Nebuchadnezzar’s crash was imminent.

A Decree from God has been issued, his Denial had been verbalized, and a complete Discarding of sin is required.

His crash is a warning to us that if sin is not repented of, and every effort is not made to walk according to God’s will, then we will also suffer a crash.

A Mental, physical, or spiritual crash, that will leave you outside of the will of God.

Nebuchadnezzar’s witness to us today, is that a crash is imminent.

I.

Your crash has been Decreed.()

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

Daniel, informs Nebuchadnezzar that his dream is no ordinary experience.

The dream has disrupted his sleep, and caused his mind to think about it like never before.

There is nothing normal about this for it won’t shake his consciousness.

So Nebuchadnezzar sought the advice of all those he thought could help him to understand the meaning of this vision that wouldn’t let him sleep.

The Dream is a clear reference of the decision that Heaven has made against this king.

It is a decoration in response to an action that God won’t over look anymore.

It is a distinction which the Lord wants to point out to teach a lesson, that should not be repeated.

This is not an ordinary dream, which Nebuchadnezzar confirms for us that warrants some clarification.

The Most High has issued a decree against the King.

A formal proclamation from God has been issued against him.

An authoritative declaration has come from God, directly to the king.

His willful disregard of the God of the Jewish people, whom He has allowed Nebuchadnezzar to rule over, invokes His immediate response.

He is willfully arrogant of his accomplishments, and does not understand that God has used him in the execution of His will against Israel for their sins.

There is no doubt about the person to whom God is directly talking to whenever a crash is about to occur.

From Nebuchadnezzar we learn that we need to recognize where we are in our relationship with God, and ask, if God has judged our life.

Has He identified those things in our life that are contradictions to our faith?

Has the Holy Spirit convicted us of choices that could have been avoided?

Are we on a collision course with a future of punishment because we won’t obey the Word of God?

Tell somebody, Your Crash is Imminent!

Why?

II.

The Denial has been noted.

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Daniel in verse twenty-seven (27) attempts to warn Nebuchadnezzar, but verse twenty-nine (29) says: 29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 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?” ()

Twelve months later, somehow he forgets the warning.

Twelve months later, he elevates himself to a place where Heaven has to remind him who’s in control.

It doesn’t take long for sin to take its grip upon you, so be on guard for your crash occurring.

Has anyone every allowed life to mislead you into a false sense of accomplishments?

Have you been tempted to think more of yourself than God says of you?

Some pride is needed to confront the obstacles of life, to insure one’s future, but an unhealthy view of one’s self will always lead to destruction.

It is the kings very words that have confirmed the verdict against him before the Lord.

Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?

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e careful, my brothers and sisters, of the words you use, that they don’t describe a reality that you will regret later.Be careful, and don’t position yourself where you stand in opposition to the will of God.The dream, Nebuchadnezzar had, was a warning, the opportunity for the king to respond in a manner of submission, but Nebuchadnezzar does not.His pride leads him to make a false claim about himself.His pride ushers him out front where his arrogance can be verbalized for heaven to testify against him.Understand, my brothers and sisters, just in case you have forgotten, that you are a recipients of the mercy and favor of God.Whatever you have, or have accomplished in life, remember that God deserves the credit for your privilege to enjoy them.Had it not been for the Lord providing for you, then your freedom to live, to take advantage of, or reap the benefits of those things would have never occurred.Never forget that God has blessed you, and you have no right to claim anything without acknowledging Him.Nebuchadnezzar forgot the Lord, but don’t you make the same mistake.Nebuchadnezzar forgot who really had the authority over everything, and everyone.Nebuchadnezzar forgot, that his title was nothing in comparison to that of the Lord.Don’t you make the same mistake, or your crash will soon occur too.

Be careful, my brothers and sisters, of the words you use, that they don’t describe a reality that you will regret later.

Be careful, and don’t position yourself where you stand in opposition to the will of God.

The dream, Nebuchadnezzar had, was a warning, it was the opportunity for the king to respond in a manner of submission, but Nebuchadnezzar does not.

His pride leads him to make a false claim about himself.

His pride ushers him out front where his arrogance can be verbalized for heaven to testify against him.

Understand, my brothers and sisters, just in case you have forgotten, that you are a recipients of the mercy and favor of God.

Whatever you have, or have accomplished in life, remember that God deserves the credit for your privilege to enjoy them.

Had it not been for the Lord providing for you, then your freedom to live, to take advantage of, or reap the benefits of those things would have never occurred.

Never forget that God has blessed you, and you have no right to claim anything without acknowledging Him.

Nebuchadnezzar forgot the Lord, but don’t you make the same mistake.

Nebuchadnezzar forgot who really had the authority over everything, and everyone.

Nebuchadnezzar forgot, that his title was nothing in comparison to that of the Lord.

Don’t you make the same mistake, or your crash will soon occur too.

Nebuchadnezzar’s witness to us today, is that a crash is imminent, and to avoid it you must...

III.Discard your sin.(4:27)

Daniel tells the king after his interpretation of the dream…

27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed.

It may be that then your prosperity will continue.

Sin, according to Daniel brings the judgement of God.

To display His glory before those who have not acknowledged Him.

To punish sin that has rejected His authority.

And to turn a person to God as their only way of redemption.

Sin, denies you of fellowship with God.

Nebuchadnezzar only needed to turn away from a lifestyle that called into question the authority of God.

Then, Daniel says God might continue his prosperity.

Then God might continue his good life.

Then God might lengthen his tranquility.

When your crash occurs, prosperity is at risk, good is at risk, tranquility is sacrificed.

The truth we accept is that Sin requires our individual sorrow, confession of wrong doing, forsaking of a specific sin, and the deliberate effort to make restitution for the sin.

Like, Nebuchadnezzar is told by Daniel, you only need to turn to God in Faith.

Demonstrate obedience to His word and Display a genuine sense of repentance for your sin.

Unfortunately for Nebuchadnezzar, it took him seven years of living like a wild animal to acknowledge God.

This does not have to be your fate today.

This crash of physical lost does not have to be the fate you will experience.

This crash of mental harassment does not have to be your trial.

This crash of Spiritual lost does not have to be your misfortune.