Click here to download the sermon.
1. Following his ordeal from the hand of God to teach him (and God’s people) of God’s sovereignty over the affairs of mankind, Nebuchadnezzar praises the God of the Hebrews. “Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar was beginning to realize that only by submitting to God’s program and entering into fellowship with Him could his own life find true meaning.” (Gleason Archer)
2. New Testament warnings about pride (especially the Book of James); the one who is proud:
-thinks that they will last forever, that they are in absolute control of their fate
-trusts in their riches, skill, and strength without acknowledging God
-is an angry person, easily slighted, unforgiving of the failings of others
-has contempt for other people, especially not of their standing
-thinks of themselves first (others are in the way)
-boasts about themselves (though pride can exhibit itself in an “I am nothing” attitude)
-is energized by Satan whose sin was pride
-is double-minded
-thinks that they alone are responsible for what they are and have
-doesn’t recognize their own short-comings
3. Belshazzar of Daniel 5 was unknown in secular history and critics denied his existence (and thus Biblical accuracy). But as Edward Young states: “The fifth chapter of Daniel, although it has often been attacked as inaccurate in its statements, is nevertheless noteworthy for its accuracy….However, the name of the king…had been found upon cuneiform tables, and there can be no question about his historicity. The Bible is thus shown to be accurate in its mention of Belshazzar.”
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Oldest Sin
Click here to download the sermon file, about 36 minutes in duration.
Recap of of the May 22nd sermon from Daniel 4:1-33:
1. Chapters 4 and 5 of Daniel both deal with the sin of pride. Each one had different ways it was exhibited, but in both cases God dealt with it to humble King Nebuchadnezzar and King Belshazzar.
2. God was demonstrating to the nation of Israel that, though they were exiled to Babylon, He was still sovereign over the Kings and Kingdoms of the Earth, no matter their greatness or their victories, and that He would one day deliver them.
3. Nebuchadnezzar’s praise for God bookends chapter four. It begins with his proclamation that the God of Heaven was indeed sovereign over all men, proceeds to explain how he came to that conclusion, and ends with his acknowledgment of God.
4. Verse 17 is the heart of the passage in which it is explained that mankind must learn (especially Nebuchadnezzar) that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomever He wishes.
5. Daniel interprets the dream which troubled Nebuchadnezzar and identifies him as a tree which filled the whole earth, whose fruit fed the people of the earth, and whose branches sheltered them. The tree then is cut down, with only the stump left. Nebuchadnezzar himself would be given the mind of an animal and for seven years live as a beast of the field. After that time, when he acknowledged God’s sovereignty, he would be restored to power.
Recap of of the May 22nd sermon from Daniel 4:1-33:
1. Chapters 4 and 5 of Daniel both deal with the sin of pride. Each one had different ways it was exhibited, but in both cases God dealt with it to humble King Nebuchadnezzar and King Belshazzar.
2. God was demonstrating to the nation of Israel that, though they were exiled to Babylon, He was still sovereign over the Kings and Kingdoms of the Earth, no matter their greatness or their victories, and that He would one day deliver them.
3. Nebuchadnezzar’s praise for God bookends chapter four. It begins with his proclamation that the God of Heaven was indeed sovereign over all men, proceeds to explain how he came to that conclusion, and ends with his acknowledgment of God.
4. Verse 17 is the heart of the passage in which it is explained that mankind must learn (especially Nebuchadnezzar) that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomever He wishes.
5. Daniel interprets the dream which troubled Nebuchadnezzar and identifies him as a tree which filled the whole earth, whose fruit fed the people of the earth, and whose branches sheltered them. The tree then is cut down, with only the stump left. Nebuchadnezzar himself would be given the mind of an animal and for seven years live as a beast of the field. After that time, when he acknowledged God’s sovereignty, he would be restored to power.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
If You Can't Stand the Heat...
Click here to download the sermon, which is about 43 minutes in length.
Recap of the sermon from May 15, 2011 (Daniel 3:1-30)
1. Instead of humbling himself before the God of Daniel who gave Daniel the knowledge of the king’s dream as well as the interpretation in Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar exalts himself. As with many others, he turns away from God’s revelation and enlightenment and instead of bowing to the God of Heaven, he builds a golden image to which others must bow in obeisance to him. The image of gold he had made was a response to his dream in which he was the head of gold.
2. Nebuchadnezzar’s purpose in exacting this worship was so that he might be glorifies, that his gods might be honored, and that the peoples of his kingdom would be politically unified under him.
3. When the music was played, under penalty of death, all complied in bowing down to the image except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three Hebrews. As Gleason Archer writes, “For them the will and glory of YHWH [Jehovah] meant more than fame, position, or security. Loving Him with all their heart, they were ready to lay down their lives for Him.” Their enemies among the Babylonians took their action as an occasion to gain political advantage over them. Given an second chance to comply by the King they refuse. They would not sin against God in that way.
4. The three Hebrews express such confidence and faith in God. God could, if He desired, deliver them from the flames, but if not they would trust Him. God could deliver from death or through death. Job 1:21; 2:9,10; 13:15; Isaiah 41:10; 43:2; Hebrews 13:5,6.
5. In the midst of the fire they are joined by the pre-incarnate Christ, even as in our trials God is with us in a special way and reveals Himself in new ways. “As Jesus was with the three Hebrews in the midst of the trial, He is with you and me today as we go through our trials. God is able to keep His children, even in the fiery furnace, and He is able to bring them out of it. We simply do not trust the Lord like we should—we do not have the faith of these three Hebrew children.” (J. Vernon McGee)
Recap of the sermon from May 15, 2011 (Daniel 3:1-30)
1. Instead of humbling himself before the God of Daniel who gave Daniel the knowledge of the king’s dream as well as the interpretation in Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar exalts himself. As with many others, he turns away from God’s revelation and enlightenment and instead of bowing to the God of Heaven, he builds a golden image to which others must bow in obeisance to him. The image of gold he had made was a response to his dream in which he was the head of gold.
2. Nebuchadnezzar’s purpose in exacting this worship was so that he might be glorifies, that his gods might be honored, and that the peoples of his kingdom would be politically unified under him.
3. When the music was played, under penalty of death, all complied in bowing down to the image except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three Hebrews. As Gleason Archer writes, “For them the will and glory of YHWH [Jehovah] meant more than fame, position, or security. Loving Him with all their heart, they were ready to lay down their lives for Him.” Their enemies among the Babylonians took their action as an occasion to gain political advantage over them. Given an second chance to comply by the King they refuse. They would not sin against God in that way.
4. The three Hebrews express such confidence and faith in God. God could, if He desired, deliver them from the flames, but if not they would trust Him. God could deliver from death or through death. Job 1:21; 2:9,10; 13:15; Isaiah 41:10; 43:2; Hebrews 13:5,6.
5. In the midst of the fire they are joined by the pre-incarnate Christ, even as in our trials God is with us in a special way and reveals Himself in new ways. “As Jesus was with the three Hebrews in the midst of the trial, He is with you and me today as we go through our trials. God is able to keep His children, even in the fiery furnace, and He is able to bring them out of it. We simply do not trust the Lord like we should—we do not have the faith of these three Hebrew children.” (J. Vernon McGee)
Monday, May 09, 2011
Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Part 2
Click here to download the sermon, which is about 40 minutes in length.
Recap of the sermon from May 8, 2011 (Daniel 2:24-49)
1. God reveals to Daniel the King’s dream and its’ interpretation. Daniel, throughout chapter two, credits the God of Heaven - not himself - with the revelation. He uses this circumstance as an opportunity to glorify God and witness to His reality and power.
2. “Humans are prone to swell with pride over their growing understanding of nature and its laws, when only by God’s gifts do they achieve anything. Moreover even the cleverest minds will never understand certain areas of mystery and foreknowledge—namely, ‘the deep and hidden things’ and that which ‘lies in darkness.’ The bafflement of the pagan wise men in Nebuchadnezzar’s court illustrates this. All their knowledge could not deliver them from imminent death. So the great existential questions of life and death continue to be insoluble to the worldly wise. Without divine revelation, there is only conjecture and subjective opinion. Only in Yahweh, the God of Scripture, is ultimate truth to be found: light dwells with Him.’” (Willem A. VanGemeren) (cp. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
3. The king’s dream centered around an image with a head of gold (Babylonian Empire); a chest and arms of silver (Medo-Persian Empire); belly and thighs of bronze (Grecian Empire); and legs of iron with feet of iron mixed with baked clay (the Roman Empire).
4. The empires of the world would be crushed by a rock uncut by human hands, which fills the whole earth (the Messiah of Israel, Psalms 2:7-9; 118:22; Isaiah 8:14; 28:16). This rock, the Messiah, would set up an eternal kingdom.
Recap of the sermon from May 8, 2011 (Daniel 2:24-49)
1. God reveals to Daniel the King’s dream and its’ interpretation. Daniel, throughout chapter two, credits the God of Heaven - not himself - with the revelation. He uses this circumstance as an opportunity to glorify God and witness to His reality and power.
2. “Humans are prone to swell with pride over their growing understanding of nature and its laws, when only by God’s gifts do they achieve anything. Moreover even the cleverest minds will never understand certain areas of mystery and foreknowledge—namely, ‘the deep and hidden things’ and that which ‘lies in darkness.’ The bafflement of the pagan wise men in Nebuchadnezzar’s court illustrates this. All their knowledge could not deliver them from imminent death. So the great existential questions of life and death continue to be insoluble to the worldly wise. Without divine revelation, there is only conjecture and subjective opinion. Only in Yahweh, the God of Scripture, is ultimate truth to be found: light dwells with Him.’” (Willem A. VanGemeren) (cp. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
3. The king’s dream centered around an image with a head of gold (Babylonian Empire); a chest and arms of silver (Medo-Persian Empire); belly and thighs of bronze (Grecian Empire); and legs of iron with feet of iron mixed with baked clay (the Roman Empire).
4. The empires of the world would be crushed by a rock uncut by human hands, which fills the whole earth (the Messiah of Israel, Psalms 2:7-9; 118:22; Isaiah 8:14; 28:16). This rock, the Messiah, would set up an eternal kingdom.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Click here to download the sermon, which is about 32 minutes in length.
Recap of the sermon from May 1st (Daniel 2:1-23)
1. “Though we never read of Daniel preaching a sermon, that’s precisely what he did with his life—in the choices he made, the wisdom he demonstrated, the priority that he gave to prayer, and the diligence he demonstrated toward every task set before him.” (Wilkinson)
2. Two things stand out about Daniel in the Bible and are illustrated in Daniel chapter two. Daniel was a man of wisdom (Ezekiel 28:3) and a man of prayer.
3. Daniel’s response to this challenging circumstance in his life is an illustration to us of how to deal with the challenges we face (even life and death challenges)
-He didn’t panic, he knows that God is able to handle the situation, so he responds with wisdom and does what he can humanly do, leaving room for God to work
-He didn’t try to handle the situation alone; he enlisted the aid of other believers (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah)
-He prayed for God to provide a solution for the situation
-He took time to praise God for the answer, to thank Him
-He uses the situation as an opportunity to witness to God’s power
Recap of the sermon from May 1st (Daniel 2:1-23)
1. “Though we never read of Daniel preaching a sermon, that’s precisely what he did with his life—in the choices he made, the wisdom he demonstrated, the priority that he gave to prayer, and the diligence he demonstrated toward every task set before him.” (Wilkinson)
2. Two things stand out about Daniel in the Bible and are illustrated in Daniel chapter two. Daniel was a man of wisdom (Ezekiel 28:3) and a man of prayer.
3. Daniel’s response to this challenging circumstance in his life is an illustration to us of how to deal with the challenges we face (even life and death challenges)
-He didn’t panic, he knows that God is able to handle the situation, so he responds with wisdom and does what he can humanly do, leaving room for God to work
-He didn’t try to handle the situation alone; he enlisted the aid of other believers (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah)
-He prayed for God to provide a solution for the situation
-He took time to praise God for the answer, to thank Him
-He uses the situation as an opportunity to witness to God’s power
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