Our God Reigns

Daniel - A Giant Amongst Giants. • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Introduction

Last week we looked at Daniel Chapter Two. We talked about the dream that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had. It was a grand dream which involved a large image with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron with feet of iron mixed with clay.

We learned that the image represented four world empires; Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. In the dream, the image was destroyed by a small stone made without hands.

We learned that this stone represents the establishment of a kingdom by the God of heaven. A kingdom that would never be destroyed, and would consume the other kingdoms-- Prompting the king to praise the God of Daniel . In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar made a large image of gold...

He required all to worship it, under threat of death - three young men did not, yet survived the fiery furnace - they had fireproof faith. This prompted the king to once again bless the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. You would think that by now, the king would have got it through his thick skull that the God of Daniel was an awesome God, but for some reason he didn’t. I mean, he knew and publically acknowledged that God was Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets. He knew and publically acknowledged that God can deliver His servants. Yet for all of this, the king somehow still hadn’t caught on to what should have been the most obvious fact of all - a fact that is painfully important for any king, prince, governor, president or any political leader to know. One which so few know or at least so few acknowledge. But now it was time for King Nebuchadnezzar to learn that God - the Most High and King of heaven - rules in the kingdoms of men, including his own! In other words, he needed to learn all about the awesomeness of God.

So exactly how would he learn this fact? What would cause him to make such an acknowledgement? Well, would you believe it all started with… you guessed it… a dream.

The Dream, Interpretation and Fulfillment

The Forward

You know how when someone writes a book, there’s usually a part right before the actual book starts where the Author gives a little blurb on their inspiration or the reason behind writing that particular book? That is called the foreward - a raison d’être or reason to be. Let’s read it.

Daniel 4:1–3 NKJV

Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

So he makes this magnificent declaration, but what caused him to do so, and it wasn’t always this way. First let’s look at what he’s saying.

He addresses it to everyone on the face of the earth. At the time, he is the ruler of the world’s absolute super-power. He is the mightiest and most important person in the world, and so when he talks, people listen. So for him to address this to all the inhabitants of the earth, was a huge deal! He wants to declare the great works of God, and then he makes a rather interesting proclamation that with the dream from Daniel 3 in mind, shows that he was fully cognizant of not only the interpretation of the dream as shared by Daniel, but he understood as well who that final kingdom was, he knew that it could not be a kingdom of this world and especially look at this: He declared “God's kingdom to be everlasting, His dominion from generation to generation” Sounds exactly like the final kingdom in his dream doesn’t it?

But Pastor, this isn’t a man of God, this isn’t a prophet, how would he make that connection? How could he know? Well Church, believe it or not, there is a certain privilege that God grants to rulers. It can make them fantastic rulers if they heed God’s instruction, but it can make them dreadfully accountable if they ignore it.

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

The Dream

Daniel 4:4–18 NKJV

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, And its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, And all flesh was fed from it. “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him. ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’ “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”

So King Neb had a dream. You guys don’t mind if I give him a nickname do you? Good! King Neb had a dream, and this dream freaked him out! So then he called for his wise men (because well they have such a good track record for interpreting his dreams right?) Well he calls them and guess what? They couldn’t tell him what the dream meant! I know! I was shocked too, but it’s true, they couldn’t tell him but don’t worry, Daniel comes on the scene and the king tells him the dream.

Look at how he says it. “At last Daniel came before me!” and then look at how he addresses Daniel:

Daniel 4:8–9 NKJV

But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

Church, don’t you know that in the midst of troubling times, we need to be like Daniel. We need to be known for our rock-solid faith, wouldn’t it be great to be known as the person who isnt’ trouble by anything, because well- it’s obvious that you have the Spirit of the Holy God in you? Man! That is a worthy life goal if I ever heard one! But I digress, He continues. At this point he’s just flat out relieved.

Elements of the Dream

Daniel 4:10–17 NKJV

These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, And its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, And all flesh was fed from it. “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him. ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’

The Interpretation

Daniel 4:19 NKJV

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!

Daniel is clearly shocked by what he hears. He instantly knows what the dream means, but by this time, he’s gotten to know the king, and with the exception of trying to bake his best friends, he has been a pretty good boss. And since that whole oven incident he’s been a pretty good advocate for the Jews and a defender of the faith, so Daniel doesn’t want to the dream to be about his buddy Neb.

But the king is not deterred. He wants to know the interpretation, and he reassures Daniel.

Elements of Daniel's interpretation

Daniel 4:20–26 NKJV

“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth. “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.

The Dream’s Fulfillment

So a year goes by since the dream. Whew! What a relief, maybe we’re out of the woods. Maybe all good old Neb needed was a nasty nightmare to scare him straight. Ah but what is in the heart tends to come out of the mouth.

Matthew 15:18–19 NKJV

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

And the stuff came out of Neb’s mouth.

Daniel 4:28–29 NKJV

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.

What came out of his mouth? Well let’s ask him.

Daniel 4:30–32 NKJV

The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

Oh no Neb! You did it, you spoke the forbidden words! But how could you not? They were already in your heart! That very hour scripture says, he was driven from men.

Daniel 4:33 NKJV

That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

But God is true to His word, and the word over Neb was one of restoration. You see, God will not share His glory. He alone is sovereign and it is He alone that gives authority to kings and princes. And so He restores Neb.

Daniel 4:34–35 NKJV

And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”

And as Neb realizes this about God, he lifts his eyes up to heaven and makes a declaration concerning God. That it is God alone who directs the affairs of men. That not even a king is in a position to set himself up against the Almighty.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

Daniel 4:36–37 NKJV

At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

His reason, honor, and splendor returned, his counselor and nobles resorted to him. But now he is a different person. Rather than boasting about his own accomplishments, he praises and honors the King of heaven for His truth and justice, Who is able to humble those who walk in pride

So What’s the Point of All This?

I’m glad you asked, and if you were listening carefuly, you caught it because it is stated several times in this chapter.

Stated in the Dream

Let’s look at the dream itself

Daniel 4:17 NKJV

‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’

Stated In the Interpretation

Did you catch it yet? Ok, let’s keep going. It’s stated by Daniel in his interpretation.

Daniel 4:25–26 NKJV

They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.

Did you catch it yet? Let’s keep going.

Spoken From Heaven

A voice from Heaven declares this when the dream comes to pass let’s look.

Daniel 4:32 NKJV

And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

Spoken by Nebuchadnezzar

And finally, King Neb himself makes the declaration.

Daniel 4:34–35 NKJV

It took seven times - we don’t know if the times were years, months, weeks or days. I tend to think they were years based on the description of good old King Neb at the end. But whatever it was, it took him a while to figure out that

God rules in the Kingdom of Men

The sad thing is, that Daniel had already proclaimed this fact. Remember back in Chapter 2?

Daniel 2:20–21 NKJV

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

And between that and the whole bake a buddy incident with the big stove, the King should have figured that out.

I know some of you will say Pastor, this is simple. We know this stuff! My question to you is this, do you?

I mean, do you understand that with the condition of the World going on today, with some of the shady stuff our government has been up to, do you still know that God rules the kingdoms of men? If you get concerned about what you hear on the news, do you know that God reigns in the kingdoms of men?

When things start go from bad to worse with the economy, as they will because of the disastrous government policies that we’ve been living Under for the past ten months do you still know that God rules in the kingdoms of men? You should! You should, like Daniel be known as that person who is not shaken by the very things that make the king’s hair turn white.

But Pastor how do we do that?

We need to start realizing some things.

Jesus Now Reigns as Sovereign

He Himself declared it right before He ascended.

Matthew 28:18 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

The apostles taught all about it.

Ephesians 1:20–22 NKJV

which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

And they were teaching this in the midst of some very horrifying persecution. Christians being burned alive and sent to the lion’s den! And yet here are the Apostles declaring and teaching that Jesus is far above all principality and power and might and dominion!

Okay, pastor I get it, but is He actually willing to use that authority?

Jesus Reigns Over the Kingdom of Men

Well let’s consider Psalm 2 together where the prophet breaks down how all this would happen.

Psalm 2:1–3 NKJV

Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”

The nations would reject Jesus and rage about it. But He would thwart their efforts and be crowned anyway.

Psalm 2:4–6 NKJV

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

And now He sits on His throne church! He sits on His throne!

Psalm 2:7–9 NKJV

“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

But pastor, the rulers of the world still exercise authority over us and they still cause our lives to be miserable. Well yes, this is true, but they should never cause you despair, because look at what comes next. God is warning the rulers of the world.

Psalm 2:10–12 NKJV

Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

And look at what is said in Acts.

Acts 4:23–28 NKJV

And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

And if that weren’t enough, let’s look at what else the Psalmist has to say about the rule of King Jesus.

Psalm 110:1–2 NKJV

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

So don’t despair that the enemies of God seem to be ruling right now, know that Jesus is still on the throne. And there is a place for you in His kingdom.

Psalm 110:3–4 NKJV

Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

And in the end God’s will, will be done!

Psalm 110:5–7 NKJV

The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries. He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.

Church, throughout history, we have examples of tyrants and despots rising to power, but in the end God raises up an army to depose those leaders. God still rules in the Kingdoms of men. We need not lose faith.

Governing authorities exist and are appointed by God and serve as His ministers.

Romans 13:1–4 NKJV

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

And since they serve Him, they are subject to His discipline. And keep this in mind:

Revelation 1:5 NKJV

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

The very one who rules over all of the kings of the earth loves you! Can you imagine the punishment that awaits the king who abuses his authority by harming one of The Lord’s beloved?

Thing of how he exercised that rule in the destruction of Jerusalem, foretold in Matthew

He executed that rule when He finally eradicated the Roman empire and all its forces. When He Banished Napoleon, when he used a nation of farmers and hunters to overthrow the world’s super-power and a despot named King George. When He brought together a worldwide alliance to rid the world of Hitler and Mussolini. When he toppled the Soviet Union. When he eradicated communism, when He tore down the Berlin wall. Truly Jesus is "King of kings, and Lord of lords"!

Revelation 19:16 - cf. Rev 19:16; 1Ti 6:15We may not always be able to see how it is so

Revelation 19:16 NKJV

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

If Christ rules in the kingdom of men, why do evil men and evil empires exist?This was a problem that perplexed Habakkuk, who bewailed the wickedness in Israel -

Habakkuk 1:2–4 NKJV

O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

His bewilderment was that God would use a nation even more wicked than Israel to punish Israel’s wickedness.

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NKJV

Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?

Yet in spite of this confusion, he placed his trust in God.

Habakkuk 3:17–19 NKJV

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

So Church, this is what we need to keep in mind. Jesus is going about ruling, and even when things don’t make sense right away, He is ruling nevertheless. But let your faith rest in this one sure thing.

1 Corinthians 15:25–26 NKJV

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Until He comes again, Jesus exercises His authority over the nations in ways we may not always comprehend

Putting it All Toether

To know that "the Most High rules" must have been comforting to Daniel, for at that time he and the nation of Israel were in captivity. Their temple was destroyed, the land plundered and filled with transplanted foreigners. Yet Daniel knew the prophecy of Jeremiah, that after seventy years they would return

Knowing that God rules, even when wicked men seem to prevail, gave him hopeWe can take comfort in knowing that "the Most High rules" today...

Daniel 9:1–2 NKJV

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Knowing that God rules, even when wicked men seem to prevail, gave him hope. We can take comfort in knowing that "the Most High rules" today. That He who rules in the kingdom of men is Jesus! Who is our Savior, Priest, and Friend!-- Therefore we can look forward to the future with hope, not apprehension.

But this is true only if we give Jesus sovereign rule in our personal lives. He must be "our" Lord, the King of "our" lives!We must be "volunteers" in the day of His power.

Have we submitted in obedience to Him who is both Lord and Christ? Remember the admonition of the Psalmist...

Psalm 2:11–12 NKJV

Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.