THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL

Text: Daniel 5:22-29

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this.

23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.

24 Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25 “And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN

26 This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;

27 Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;

28 Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Date: May 24, 2020

Place: Abundant Life International Baptist

Occasion: 4th Sunday Communion

Title: THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL

Introduction: Daniel and the Children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon for seventy years. God allow this captivity because the children of Israel had strayed away from God’s Word. They had turned their backs on God over and over again until God allowed their enemies to take them into bondage. However Daniel always stood firm on his convictions and he never bow down to the idol gods. This put him in a place whereby he could always be used by God to deliver the messages of God to the people of God as well as the unbelieving nations. Today we need a Word from the Lord more than we ever needed it before. There is so much confusion out there in the world today and there is a lack of clarity concerning what we Christians should do. Some are saying that churches and pastors that are not opening up are afraid and lack faith. While those that are opening up are the true people of God. They say that those who won’t open up are not covered by the blood of the lamb and they are powerless to do God’s will. Today,

it is not my job to question anyone’s faith but I tend to believe that those who are slowly and meticulously opening up are the one’s who are being led by the Holy Spirit and they are the one’s who are covered under the blood of the Lamb. There have been many outbreaks documented since this pandemic began because of religious gatherings and services. Wherever people gather within close proximity to one another the virus can be easily transmitted by droplets through singing, preaching and praying. This has been proven and as I stated I would never question anyones faith, but I believe we should use wisdom within our faith. If God has told you to do a certain thing then you do it. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. But, I think it is not faith but foolishness to be cavalier about opening up our churches for religious services without meticulously putting protocols in place and thinking out the whole process to secure the safety of our members. I’m not afraid of the virus, but I am afraid to be cavalier and irresponsibility and think that God is going to cover me with His blood in my foolishness. I tell you the Handwriting is on the wall. We had an opportunity to slow the spread of Covid-19, but now we are moving in the wrong direction and the handwriting is on the wall.

A.

The Bible tell us that King Belshazzar threw a ball for thousands of his lords and rulers and drank wine in front of them. I suppose this was to encourage them to do the same. And thousands fo them were drinking wine getting stoned.

But Belshazzar had to take it a step further and show his arrogance and pride. He commanded that they would bring in the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem. And his rulers, wives, and concubines began to defile the Holy vessels and drank from the holy vessels. And then they began to praise the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. They were using God’s holy vessels while worshipping their idol Gods. Now you know God got upset with them.

The Bible says immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace just opposite of the lamp stand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. The king’s color changed and he probably turned as white as a ghost. He was stunned. He was shocked. And his legs began to buckle. His knees began to knock. And his legs gave way from him.

The king then started hollering for his psychics, astrologers, Chaldeans and so called wise men. And he said, whoever can interpret this saying, I’m going to dress him in purple, put a gold chain around his neck and make him the third ruler in the King.

All of them came in one by one, but none of them could read the saying that had written by the hand on the wall. And the king’s color changed again and this time he became more pale and more perplex than before. Belshazzar was wondering, what in world am I going to do.

So the queen comes into the banqueting saying, “O king, live forever! Don’t become too alarm. There is a man in your kingdom who is gifted by the gods, who is full of wisdom and understand. He’s able to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve problems. His name is Daniel. Call him in and allow him to show you the interpretation.

They brought Daniel in and the king said, So you are that Daniel! I heard about you and what you can do. If you can interpret this thing written on the wall I’ll make you third in the kingdom and I’ll dress you in purple and put a gold chain around your neck. Daniel said keep your gifts for yourself and your promotions for somebody else. I’ll interpret this thing for you…

Before Daniel gave the interpretation he commence to preach a sermon:

He said I knew your daddy Nebuchadnezzar.

The Most High God gave him glory and majesty.

People from all nations feared him and trembled before him.

He killed whom he wanted to kill and he kept alive whom he wanted to keep alive.

He hired whom he wanted to hire.

And he fired whom he wanted to fire.

But when he got lifted up in pride, he was brought down from his throne. And all his glory was taken away from him.

He was driven away from people and his throne and glory was taken away.

He lost his mind, and he acted like a beast, and he live among the wild donkeys, and he was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet from the dew; until he knew who was the Most High God who rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.

But you buddy, Belshazzar have not humbled yourself. Instead you are drinking wine from the holy vessels with all your people. And you have not honored God who holds your breath in his hands.

This is what the writing says, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.

Mene - God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.

Tekel - You have been weighed in he balances and found wanting:

Peres - Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel was made third ruler in the kingdom and was dressed in purple with and gold chain around his neck.

But that same night Belshazzar was Killed and Darius received the Kingdom.

B.

I tell you my brothers and sister we ought not be so anxious to have a ball. We ought not be so anxious to act cavalier like there’s nothing to this pandemic. We saw the devastation it could do to our largest city in America. And it has crept quietly into rural America and we are about to see horrible things. We need to move methodically and meticulously reopening our economy and reopening our churches. The handwriting is on the wall. God is saying you are moving too fast. People outside the ark of safety can’t dictate to the believer what we should do. But we better hear the voice of the Lord.

We better not be so anxious to have the gall to defy common sense and wisdom that God gives us.

James 1.5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Even ants have more sense than some of us who are just living for today and not preparing for this fall and winter. Look at what the text says. Proverbs 6:6-11, “

6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

We better understand that the handwriting is on the wall.

God has numbered our days as a nation.

We have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Our country could be divided and given to our enemies.

The hand writing is on the wall!

But God can turn it all around if we humble ourselves and use Godly wisdom and good old common sense that appears to be so uncommon these days.

God can turn it around now that we see the hand writing on the wall.

Now that we see the handwriting on the wall, we need to turn our faces to the wall and pray.

Isaiah said,

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death.

And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him,

and said unto him,

Thus saith the Lord,

Set thine house in order: f

or thou shalt die, and not live.

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall,

and prayed unto the Lord,

And said, Remember now, O Lord,

I beseech thee,

how I have walked before thee in truth

and with a perfect heart,

and have done that which is good in thy sight

.

And Hezekiah wept sore.

Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,

Go, and say to Hezekiah,

Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father,

I have heard thy prayer,

I have seen thy tears: behold,

I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

And I will deliver thee

and this city out

of the hand of the king of Assyria:

and I will defend this city.

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord,

that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken;

I don’t know how you feel about it?

But I see the hand writing on wall, and today I’m going to turn my face to the wall and cry out Lord have mercy on me.

I believe if we cry out Lord have mercy on me, He turn everything around.

He can heal the sick,

He can raise the dead,

He can give us our jobs back,

He can give us our economy back,

He can give us our lives back,

He can add fifteen more years?

He can do it.

He did it for Hezekiah?

Want He do for you?

Somebody ought to praise Him!

THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL.