SERMON NOTES

Subject:          “Handwriting on the Wall”

Speaker:         Dr. A. Burge Troxel

Date:               January 28, 2007

Scripture:       Daniel 5:1-31

Introduction:

“Balancing Grace and Truth”

John 1:14

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Matthew 23:23

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you . . . have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; . . .”

I.    God Warns that when Anyone Forgets that Heaven Rules They will be Horribly Humbled. However, If One Repents, He will be Restored. – Dan 4, 5:18-21

Daniel 5:21

“He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.”

Daniel 2:39

“After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, . . .”.

II.  If One Does Not Repent, He will be Ruined. – Dan 5

Daniel 5:1

Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.

Kings of Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar

Daughter – Nabonidus

Belshazzar

Daniel 5:4

“As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.”

A. Belshazzar knew the truth of Neb’s humiliation – Dan 5:22

Daniel 5:22

“Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,”

B. Belshazzar did not repent – Dan 5:23-25

Daniel 5:23

Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.

C. The Meaning of the Handwriting on the Wall – Dan 5:26-28

Daniel 5:5

“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.”

Handwriting on the Wall

מְנֵ֥א מְנֵ֖א תְּקֵ֥ל וּפַרְסִֽין

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN

NSRPU LQT ‘NM ‘NM

P T M M

R Q N N

S  L  ‘  ‘

Meaning

MENE = Numbered

Mene =  Numbered Again

TEKEL = Weighed

PERES = Separated or Divided

The Interpretation

Daniel 5:26-28
26“This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27“ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28“ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”

D. The Fate of the Unrepentant – Dan 5:30-31

Daniel 5:30-31

30That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

III. Receiving God’s Salvation Requires a Humble Spirit - Luke 18:9-14

Luke 13:3

“ . . . But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Repentance

1 Thessalonians 1:9b
“ . . . They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,”

2 Peter 3:9

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Luke 18:9

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:”

Luke 18:10

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

Luke 18:11

“The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.’”

Luke 18:12

“I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”

Luke 18:13

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”

Luke 18:14

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

A Prayer of Faith

“Dear Lord, I now confess that I am a sinner who has sinned against You. I understand and believe that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on the Cross for all of my sins and rose from the dead. I do now receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Thank You, Lord, for forgiving my sin and giving me the gift of Eternal Life. Amen.”

Conclusion:

Luke 13:3b - But unless you repent, you too will all perish.