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So, we arrive at Daniel today and if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Daniel 4 and chapter 4, as we continue our studies through this Old Testament book.

I was driving with my son two weeks ago and I was trying to take a new route or this new road back home. My son, immediately recognized, this is not the familiar way, the usual way and he asked me, "Daddy, what are you doing?" I said, " I am trying a new road." "But, daddy, what if you are wrong." Then I said, “Well, then daddy is stupid.” Then, I asked him, “What about if daddy is right,” he didn’t say anything. “Well, if daddy is right, then daddy is the best.” Then Shawn said with a kind of amazing, amazed, kind of a cheeky tone, “No, Daddy, you are not the best, only God is the best! Who do you think you are hah?”

00:01:08

And I remember the little phrase, who do you think you are? And that's the question, we want to ask when we come to Daniel, Chapter 4.

We read of a marvelous story, a story of about a grand and pompous king. A man who is at the top of life. He is at the top of his game, He is the most powerful man on planet Earth, He is king Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. And here, we see him at the prime of his life, he has conquered all lands, there is absolute peace, there's absolute prosperity, he's at the penthouse rooftop of his palace and he began to say these things to himself.

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

Who, do you think you are, Nebuchadnezzar?

Daniel, chapter 4, is a wonderful insight into Nebuchadnezzar's life, is like his secret, most intimate confession to all the world. Historians, all agreed that there is a man in times past, call Nebuchadnezzar. They sort of record his triumphs, his conquests, his kingdom. But this chapter, in the Bible, tells us, the innermost secrets and workings of this man's life.

So, today, we're looking at a very privileged view of the great man of history, Nebuchadnezzar. And we read of him at the prime of his life, top of the games and something amazing happens. Like any good story, there is a sudden crisis, there is something unexpected, because, the Bible tells us, King Nebuchadnezzar, from the top of the world, he came crashing down, he was absolutely devastated.

00:02:55

Because, the Bible tells us he becomes, somewhat like an animal. In that, his mind was totally changed, he went crazy, he went insane, he went mad. He ran out of the palace of Babylon, he went into the jungle, dew rained upon him or he was totally moist and wet from the dew of heavens. The bible tell us that he ate the grass like an ox, his mind went away from him, his nails became like that of animal, his hair was long. This man is totally unrecognizable from who he was, he went crazy.

00:03:12
00:03:40

But what is even more amazing, is that King Nebuchadnezzar, was proud or happy of his fate. He was glad he became like this. I suspect, if there was an iPhone in those days, he would have taken the iPhone and taken a selfie of himself and then put this picture, exact picture onto his Facebook profile and say this is my profile picture. He would start sending SMSes, tweets and Instagrams to all around and say, "This is me and I am happy, I became like this."

00:04:16

You say, why? Why would you be happy, that King of Babylon would become an animal like this? He would tell you, “Because it is during this time that I was really blessed, it was during this time I was healed. You see, I was struggling with a spiritual disease that was eating me up, and I didn't even know it. But it is good that I went through this phase of my life, maybe seven months, or seven years, we are not sure but I'm glad I went through this because I am healed of this spiritual cancer.”

00:04:51

You say, “What is the spiritual cancer?” Pride. It is during these days, that God healed me and delivered me from my pride.

I think this is such a relevant story for us Singaporeans. Because, Singapore is so used to be number one, everything also got to be number one. Airport, number 1, toilet, number one, everything must be number one.

We pride ourselves to be the top of the world and many of you here today are at the top of your games. You are at the top. You're the best banker there is, you are the best doctor there is, you are the best lawyer that is, you have earned your bucks, you have riches and wealth and maybe, you have a penthouse unit somewhere and you're walking along your penthouse and you say, “Look at all that I have done, I have arrived!”

00:05:48

Maybe, some of you have not yet arrived, you are younger, you have not been able to have worked so hard and you have not been able to climb the ladder of success as yet, but there is where you want to be, you long to be like king Nebuchadnezzar, so that at the prime of your life you would be able to strut around and say, “Look at what I have achieved.”

And maybe, some of you are foreigners, you're not a naturally born Singaporeans, you came from overseas, you came to this land of dreams, so that you could somehow be number one as well and you dream also of being Nebuchadnezzar.

00:06:22

So, today, I think this is a very relevant story. It's a very relevant portrait for each and every single one of us. Is there a Nebuchadnezzar in our lives that may come crashing down?

00:06:35

So, let me share with you about spiritual pride. In this passage, we see in Daniel 4, the heartbeat of pride.

1. Heartbeat of pride

What is pride like? How does pride sound like? How does pride operates? What is the heartbeat, the "lupdup lupdup' (sound) of pride.

Very simple, in verse 13, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power, as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty.

In this one verse, you hear the heartbeat of pride, the “lupdup” of pride. You say, “Where is it? It is found in two words, in two phrases and is this, “by My mighty power and "for the glory of my Majesty".

00:07:21

Pride is saying, “I have achieved this,” and pride is saying, “Now, I can enjoy this.” Or, if I may put it this way, pride is saying, “I did it and now, I deserve it.” That's pride!

Nebuchadnezzar says to himself, “I did it, it’s by the power of my hands.”

Some of you here, would probably say, “I did it, it's by my hard work that I became CEO. It's by my intelligence that I was able to be the top banker, it's because, I did it!” And there are many, self-made man in Singapore. What do you mean by self-made man?

00:08:03

You start off from a poor family, I mean, your family is bad. My father, is someone like that, he always say, “白手起家” [ba3 shou3 qi3 jia1, start from scratch in Chinese.] “I did this, I had nothing in my hands and now all that I have, is because I did it.” And maybe, you feel this way, “I did it!”
Nebuchadnezzar, could look at his palace, he could look at the ziggurats, he could look at the hanging gardens, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, he says, “Look at all that I have achieved, there's prosperity, there's peace and by my power. “ That's the first heartbeat of pride, “I did it!”

By the way, you might, as I have mentioned, you might not have achieved that as yet, but you still can be very proud, because you say to yourself, “I can do it, I will do it.” Is that self-confidence? That's the first heartbeat of pride.
2. I deserve it.
The second, “dup or lupdup” of it, is that you think you deserve it. I think, Nebuchadnezzar probably wakes up every morning and looks at the mirror and say, “Wow, man, you are really the hot guy, man. You look hot, Nebuchadnezzar.” And he combs his mustache, his hair, and he must be dreaming and fantasizing that all the women in the Babylon would admire him and wish their children, their daughters would marry him. He probably thought to himself, “I am the hottest thing, the best thing to happen to the Babylon, since hamburgers.” He probably thought to himself, “I should sing the song, "How Great Thou Art. "

And he would be patting himself on the back and say to himself, "I deserve it, I am worth it, I deserve all the glory, the honor, the majesty that people can accord to me, in fact, I have built the statue, that golden statue, so that people may worship me and they should worship me because I did it, I deserve it."

00:10:02

Now, pride looks at life, with this mindset, with this lenses, “I deserve it, I am worth it.” It looks at life with this deep sense, if I may say, of owedness. People owe me, they should do this for me, they should praise me, they should kowtow [bow in Hokkien] to me, they should serve me. That's what pride is, that’s why pride is very demanding. That's why, pride demands a lot from the wife, pride demands a lot from the husband, demands a lot from the colleagues, from subordinates, from friends, from church. “I am deserving of this,” you say - that's pride.

00:10:38

Whilst, you may be demanding, the paradox of it is that pride is very miserable, because you are never really happy. You always feel people owe you something, so you feel owed, and you never really truly satisfied. Contrast that with humility.

Humility is the opposite of pride. Humility says, “I don't deserve this, I don't, all that I have is free, is grace, is mercy, God gave it to me.” And a humble man is not a demanding man. He doesn't walk around with a deep sense of owedness. He looks at life, he celebrates life because he realizes, it's all given to him, out of God's grace, he's able to enjoy all that God gives. So, this is the heartbeat of pride, “lupdup, I did it, I deserve it.”
00:11:35
You say, “What's wrong, then, with pride? What's wrong with saying, I did it, I deserve it.” What’s wrong with it? It is wrong, because the reality is that you did not do it, the reality is that you did not deserve it. Because, the reality is that God gave it to you and God deserves it. You say, “Are you sure?” Yes. But, didn't Nebuchadnezzar conquered lands and build great architectural structures and really have a powerful army. It's true, he did all that. But, it's not that he did it, but that God used him to do it.

00:12:09

You see, the secret behind Nebuchadnezzar's success is not Nebuchadnezzar. Scriptures, tells us in Jeremiah 27, this is God's perspective, this is the divine deal.

5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him.

Now, Nebuchadnezzar, you have all these things, success, kingdoms, peace, not because you are great, but because I give it to you.
00:12:46

So, when any man says, “I did it!” It is absolute pride, because you did not recognize, all blessings flow from Him above.

00:13:01

You see, this is the very same question Christians need to think about. Paul, was dealing with the church at Corinth, when they were bickering, arguing, who is the best? Who is better? It was all very carnal, it was all very proud and then Paul says, “This is the problem, you did not realize that all that you have was received or were received of the Lord.”

1Corithians 4:7

“You boast, as if you did not receive it, what makes you to defer from one another? What makes you different? What makes you superior? You? No! God. So, why do you boast?”

Pride, absolutely takes God out of the equation because, you say, “We did it and therefore now, I deserve it.”

00:13:45
Billy Graham, was once asked, why are you such a successful evangelist? And he gave, a very, very good answer. He says, "When you see a turtle on the fence post, you know, it didn't get there all by itself." That's a great answer. I am used of the Lord, not because I am great. I am at the top of this post, not because I climbed there, I could never climb there. No turtle, tell me, no turtle will be able to get up there, right?

Some of us, are at the top of our careers and say, “I got there.” “No, you didn't get there. God placed you there.” You say, “No, but I worked very hard.” Let me tell you, who gave you life? Who gave you health? Who gave you opportunities? Who gave you skills? Who gave you intellect? Who gave you such an environment to thrive in?

00:14:41

My friends, you didn't even determined that gender with which you are born, you didn't determined the race you are born, you didn't determined the nation you are born, you didn't even determined the era you are born in, you have no control. It is God who gave us all these things. And here, man come to God and say, “I did it, I deserve it, I have the glory and majesty that is due unto me.”

00:15:06

You see, it is absolutely, repugnant, it is absolutely hateful to God, because He says, “My glory I will not give to another.” God hates pride. I think, it is at the top of His hate list, for He says, “Thou shall have no other gods before Me,” and here we are saying, “I did it, I deserve it, I am God.”

00:15:30

In essence, that's what Nebuchadnezzar is saying. That's what Satan said when he fell from heaven. That's what Adam and Eve fell into, they wanted to be like God. And man, and ever since, plunge into sinful waters, struggling and drowning with pride. And we do not want God, because, pride says, “I can do it, I can deserve it.”

Therefore, we would have nothing to do with God, and we want to run away from Him, we don't want to be accountable to this God, who gave us all. We don't want to recognize that we received it all; we want to rule our own lives. We don't want to lose control of our own lives and therefore we say, “Me, myself and I,” that's pride heartbeat.

Therefore, it is no wonder, when God says, “My glory I would not give to another.” He would then oppose the proud and give grace to the humble.

00:16:28

So, in this story, we would see a crisis, we see a crash; we see a humiliation of pride.

A story is told, of a lady who came to church and she says to the pastor, “I am really struggling with this problem, can you help me? I am struggling, because every time I come and look around and I think, I am the prettiest girl in this room and pastor, can you help me, because I am struggling with pride?” The pastor, then takes her aside and says, "Ma'am, I don't think you are struggling with the sin of pride, you have just made a terrible mistake, that's all."

You either humble yourself, or you will be humbled. You may be humiliated. And another story, all right, just before I go on to Nebuchadnezzar.

A football coach, and an American football coach, quite well known coach, Pittsburgh, Steeler and other teams. He was going out of his office to go on to the pitch for training session, when his secretary, then shouted out to him, "Hey, there's a call for you."

He was somewhat irritated and he said, "You just take the call, and I will call him back later." "But it's from Sports Illustrated." And, it's a famous magazine in the States. And he says, "Oh, Okay, I will take the call then." He was thinking to himself, what kind of interview to give to the staff there? He was thinking of getting more publicity for his team, he was thinking of how the article should go, maybe three pages, have a beautiful shot of him in action coaching and so on and so he had all these thoughts.

As he walked into the office and picked up the phone and he says "Hi, this is coach so and so." And the person on the other line, says, "Oh yeah, good to hear from you, I am from Sports [Illustrated] Illustration, and I like to just tell you, your subscription has expired and I want to ask you, whether you would like to renew it."

00:18:15
This coach, then shared the story in a dinner and he says, "Be humble or you will be humbled."

Now, the humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar is not lighthearted as you have heard in the two examples, it was a severe one, because, while the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven,

“O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.
Dan 4:31-33

00:19:21

So, this is a picture of what Nebuchadnezzar might have looked like. This is a scary picture isn't it? When my son look at it, he says, “Wow, what is this?” He can't, figure out what this is, neither can I. What happened to Nebuchadnezzar? Some people, commentators, doctors, believe that Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with a disease called, “Boanthropy.” Bo is the word bovine, which is cow, anthropy is man, anthropology. So, Boanthropy is to say, he has become a cow-man. Some people call this “lyconthropy.” Lyco is wolf, like an animal.

00:20:03

So, he has become like a wolf-man. Whatever it is, whether it needs a psychosis, which is a psychiatric disorder, some people have said, this is documented or whether is a direct supernatural work of God, we do not know. But, what we do know, is he became crazy - mad, insane. He lost his mind, he behaved like an animal, he ran away from his palace, he lived in the jungle, he did not care about his appearance, his hair went long, he nails went long, he ate grass like a cow. Someone here told me that this is where the Hokkien word "Jiak Chow" [eat grass in Hokkien, can also be used to mean cheating or playing foul] came from.

I'm not sure, this is "Jiak Chow" or not, but he did "Jiak Chow", he did eat grass. It lasted for seven periods of time, again, we're not sure whether it is seven months or seven years, but it was definitely a prolong period for the nails, and the hair and for everything to grow.
00:20:53
So, this is his fate. As Spurgeon says, "Pride makes the boaster a beast as once before it made an angel a devil."

Pride makes us beast-like. Pride makes us lose our minds. We lose touch with reality, we lose touch with who God is and we lose touch with who we really are. We think we are God, that's beast-like. You, you have no reason, you have no idea, you have no perspective.

Pride makes us like a beast, because we run away from man.

Do you know, a proud man cannot empathize with others? He is not bothered or concerned with others. A proud man runs away from men, because he is obnoxious, he is shunned of men. A proud man destroys himself, ruins his life. A proud man has absolutely no joy, because he has the deep sense of owedness, he always feels miserable.
00:21:54
God gave Nebuchadnezzar a snapshot of who he really is. Nebuchadnezzar, you feel that you are the greatest man on earth. Nebuchadnezzar says, “I am the great king, in fact, he might go on to say, “I am the great god.” “No, Nebuchadnezzar, you are a beast, you are nothing.”

The story, however, is not as immediate as it seems, because, actually, some twelve months before this, God had already warned Nebuchadnezzar. God is so merciful before he struck Nebuchadnezzar down with this, he had already warned Nebuchadnezzar in a dream.

Now, this dream, I want to let you know is a different dream from the dream of statute. The dream of statute occurred, some twenty-five, thirty years before the second dream. The second dream is a dream about the tree, a tree that grew and grew and grew until it was so large. It is said that the top reaches the heavens; the birds come and find lodging in the leaves and branches. The beasts would seek shelter under the branches and all the earth shall see this great tree.

00:23:05

But this tree is not going on forever, because, there is an angel that came down according to the dream, the angel that came down and chopped off the tree, leaving a stump behind and wrapping the stump with a kind of a band or fencing of bronze and iron. But the tree is chopped down, the branches are lopped off, the leaves are scattered, the fruits are scattered and all the beast and the birds are chased away and then there is this man, who became like a beast, driven into the fields, eating grass like an ox and the dew of heaven was upon him. This is the dream, this is the dream that artists have tried to draw and figure out and it took Daniel to interpret to Nebuchadnezzar.

00:23:51

Daniel said to him, twelve months earlier, "This tree is you, O king, I wish this is not you. I wish the person spoken up about in this dream is not you, is someone else, but this is the interpretation, you are the tree, you are a great tree, you are the great king and birds and beasts and everyone, seek shelter under your wings, but because of your pride, you will be chopped down, you will be driven to be like a beast in the field, so, king, oh, king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, break off your sin by practicing righteousness, your iniquity by showing mercy to the oppressed, that they may be perhaps, be a lengthening of your prosperity."

00:24:37

But of course, pride is so stubborn, it will not bow. So twelve months later, Nebuchadnezzar, strolling and strutting on his penthouse rooftop, he says, “I am so great.” And God humbled this man.

00:24:54

Maybe, some of us today, have had dreams, have an encounter, warnings, Daniels coming into our lives, and telling us and allowing us to check ourselves. Is there pride in my lives? Am I full of pride? Some of you are troubled, you have insomnia, you can't sleep, maybe is God trying to reach you, just like he did for Nebuchadnezzar.

00:25:21

But the story, doesn't end on a negative note, this is the great thing of the story, it ends so positively, because, this dealing with Nebuchadnezzar was not final. There is a healing that God is going to bring about, there is a beautiful deliverance and recovery for this man and by the way, it is all actually hinted already if you were to listen carefully because God says, “There is going to be a stump left behind. This is not a total uprooting, there is a stump, there is a possibility, there is a hope, that is a preparation for this to prosper once more.” In fact, when Nebuchadnezzar was spoken[of], spoken to, these were the exact words.

"You shall like be a beast for seven periods of time until you know that the Most High rules"

So, this is not a permanent state, this is a necessary phase for you to learn something, for you to know something, that you are not the most high, but Jehovah is the most high and He rules and He gives it to whom ever He wills.

00:26:29

So, at the end of days, at the end of seven months or seven years, the Bible tells us, I Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, for the first time.

He is crazy, he is mad, but apparently there is sufficient thinking ability, reasoning, still left behind for him to finally come to the end of his ways and for the very first time, look up with a look that seeks out God's mercy. He looks up with a kind of desperation, he looks up with a kind of brokenness and he is almost saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” He so used to looking down at others, that it is so remarkable that he would now lift up his eyes and the moment he did that, normalcy returned, sanity came back to him, reason returned to me and now he understands.

00:27:30

Now, he is awaken up to his prideful dreams, and now I see myself and now I see the great God, and I blessed, I praised the Most High and praised him and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

Nebuchadnezzar felt that he could create an everlasting dominion for himself, he didn't want to be the head of gold, he wanted to be the statute of gold. And now, he says, “No, I am not the everlasting king, He is, to whom I lifted up my eyes.” And he says, “I am a nobody.”

In fact, all the inhabitants of the earth, added together, we are nothing, when we face the great and awesome and powerful God and this God, does according to His will, among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, none can say to Him, “What have you done,” He is absolutely sovereign.

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, (Added by Pastor: all his officials came back to him) and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
00:29:09

In fact, this whole story begins with a song of praise, this whole story in Daniel 4. You notice, verses 1-3, starts with a declaration from Nebuchadnezzar, it's like his testimony. If you go to his Facebook - About me. This is what he writes. About me, he puts a picture of himself, like an ox, like an animal, like a beast and he says, “This is my story!”

2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

Not to me, but for me.

00:29:51

So, this would be his signature picture, you go to his hand phone, this would be the picture on his phone, this would be the picture on his tweets, on his Instagram, his postcards. As he sends you New Year greetings, this is me, this is my story, this is what the Most High God has done for me, a proud man, who has always said, “I did it, I deserve it.”
00:30:20

The story is ended, but let me close, with a few applications:

1. The insanity of pride

Very simple ones and I hope it causes you to think about yourself, because this story is not really just about Nebuchadnezzar, but it's about you and I. I thought it is good for us to consider the insanity of pride. We are crazy people when we are proud, we are out of touch with reality.

The proud man is crazy, the man who says to himself, “I have gotten this all by my power.” The man who says to himself, “I deserve all the honor, all the glory this world has to give,” is crazy. He is, he is ugly, he is not happy, he is driven from men, he would destroy himself and this is a picture of pride, is crazy.

00:31:08

You say pastor, “I am not proud, I'm not a proud man,” maybe that's the first sign that you are proud.

But let me tell you another sign, that is quite interesting in this text, you may not think of it directly, but I think, it is seen in Daniel 4, where Daniel, says to him, “Now your problem is pride, O king.” He didn't just say, “Humble yourself.” He could have said that. He didn't just say, “Bow down.” He could have said that, but he says, “This is what humility practically looks like.” And he is therefore saying, “Pride is the opposite of this.“

He's saying, “Break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed.”

You see, a proud man, practice unrighteousness. I mean, a proud man thinks he is god, why does he bother about God and his laws? So, he does whatever he wants. He feels he is on top of the world, he is the supreme man. So “无法无天” [wu2 fa3 wu2 tian1, regardless of the law and of natural morality in Chinese]

00:32:12

So, without law, without heaven, I am the law. So, a proud man lives sinfully with no regard. That’s maybe, a picture of you and I before we came to Jesus Christ.

But, another sign of a proud man is that he doesn't show mercy to the oppressed. You say, “How does this link?” I believe it works this way. A man, who is proud, thinks, “I have done it, therefore, I deserve it, everything is for me.”

So, why would I even care for the oppressed? Why would I even care for the poor? But the humble man who realizes, everything he has, whether it is through his hard work or not. He realizes, because it is a gift from God, it is a blessing from God; it is not for his own aggrandizement. It is not for his own selfish lust, it is so that he may bless others.

He recognizes himself as a steward, therefore, Daniel says, “humble yourself” How? Recognize that He is a God who is supreme, practice righteousness. Recognize God has given you everything, as a king, you're not there to use the people for yourself; you're there to serve the people.

00:33:31

How do you know you're proud today? Look at the way you live your life, look at your lack of concern and empathy to those around you. A proud man has no regard for those around you. It is an insane situation to be in, you absolutely have forgotten why God has made you, why God has blessed you and you would be accountable one day.

But a second reality we can see, in Nebuchadnezzar's life is the compassion of God. All that has happened to Nebuchadnezzar was not out of cruelty but really out of compassion, isn't it?

I mean, Nebuchadnezzar is the last man on planet earth you might want to save. It's very interesting, just off-line, right. When I search for Nebuchadnezzar on Google images, it shows Saddam Hussein. I mean, that's the kind of thinking people, wow, you think of Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, wah, these kind of people who kills lots of people, aiyoh, deserve to die.

That's the way human being thinks. Nebuchadnezzar is far worse. He’s an absolute despot; he's an absolute tyrant. Remember, in chapter 2, when the advisors, astrologers, magicians came and couldn't give him an answer, what did he say to them? You can't give me an answer, I would tear you limb by limb, that's worse than “五马分尸” [wu3 ma3 fen1 shi1, dismemberment by 5 horses-dividing up in Chinese] in China where five horses tear your limbs at one go.

But this is tear limb by limb and not only will tear you off limb by limb, but I am going to kill your entire family, so, you better tell me the dream. And he was serious about it, because Daniel was about to be the next one to be killed, if Daniel couldn't tell him the answer.

00:35:23

Here was a man, who has absolutely no reservation about throwing three young men into the fiery furnace. In fact, to make things difficult for them, he says, “Heat it up seven times.” This is a diabolical king, he is a wicked man.

In 2 King 25, I read of him, taking his army, his army has just conquered Judah, captured king Zedekiah, and his army, took the son of king Zedekiah, before Zedekiah and killed the son, right before his eyes. And after that, he took out and gouged out the eyes of Zedekiah, it's almost saying, the last thing I want to you is that your son has died. Babylon has done it.

00:36:12

This is a wicked man and this is the man who shame God's name. He goes to the temple of Judah, destroys it, blunders all the vessels and receptacles and uses it to serve his own idols and gods. He doesn't love, he doesn't want; he hates the God of Israel. And here is a man who sets up a statute, I am to be worshipped.

This is the kind of a man, a man, God reached out to. God reached out to him. You say, “How?” You know how patient God is with Nebuchadnezzar. For a course of some 25 to 30 years, God never gave up on him. God sent Daniel into his palace, God gave him the dream of the statute to warn him, God gave him the dream of the trees to warn him and when he still wouldn't listen, God made him like an animal and this is not out of cruelty, it is out of compassion, so that Nebuchadnezzar would learn. ??

C S Lewis, says,
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speak in our consciences, but shouts in our pains.

It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. And God, is shouting to Nebuchadnezzar, “Wake up! You are not God! Don't destroy your life, I am reaching out to you through your pain.”

00:37:43

The last man, anyone would want to save, is the man God wanted to save. Amazing, compassion of God, and in order, for God to save Nebuchadnezzar, there is a price to be paid and we know the price, right, nothing, but the blood of Jesus Christ - God's Son.

For the pride, for the glory that has been stolen from God, from the cosmic plagiarism, someone had to pay for that sin, and those sins, and Jesus, the Son of God was sent to pay for these sins.

For God, in His compassion to reach out to this wicked undeserving man, God gave His only Son. My friends, forgot to say to you, God gave His Son and he humiliated His own Son on the Cross, He was beaten, He was spat upon, He was punched, He was mocked, He was ridiculed as the King of the Jews, because we were proud and Jesus was humiliated for you and for me.

00:39:01

Herein, is the amazing compassion of God. He loves you. You may think of yourself impossible to be saved. But here it is, the love of God reaches out to hardened hearts like Nebuchadnezzar.

Can I say a thing also about Daniel? I tried to picture Daniel as we read these four chapters. When he first arrived at Babylon, he must be a very discouraged, and maybe a disillusioned man. He says, “Wow, what happened? Why am I now in the palace with this wicked, idolatrous, unreasonable, crazy king? He worships other gods, there is no chance in a million, he would ever come to the God that I worship, who I worship. It's a no hope situation.” Maybe, those thoughts may have come to his mind.

00:39:57

But Daniel, stuck to his task. Fascinating young man, and grew up to be a great man. He stuck to his task. Whenever, I read Daniel in the Bible, I never read of him complaining. I never read of him hating his leaders. He was absolutely respectful and loving to even a terrible man like Nebuchadnezzar. Even in the story, "O, King Nebuchadnezzar, I wish this wouldn't happen to you." Genuine - from this man. Who knows, one day, God intervenes in such a miraculous way that King Nebuchadnezzar, for a season would become crazy and when he returned, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar’s relationship, totally changed. No more king and servant but brothers of the same faith.

00:40:51

You know, I can imagine, how happy Daniel would be. We worship the same God, we know the God of the heavens. “Hey, Nebuchadnezzar, let's do Bible studies together, let me tell you about David, let me tell you about Moses, let me tell you, let's, let's sing together.” And he takes out songs and sings the Psalms. Let's read the Hebrew Bible, let's do dg, let’s do discipleship, how about that? Let's pray, let's pray for our kingdom, let's pray for Babylon to also come to know God. “ And I think today, as we are speaking, Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel are right up there in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:41:38

I say to you, “Daniels, don't give up.” Because, you may be right before someone you feel could never be saved. My mom could never be saved. My dad could never be saved; my boss can never be saved.

Daniel, don't give up. Be a witness, be respectful, serve them, love them. One day, God will break through and He may use you to reach him, to reach her, for Jesus’ sake. What a day it would be! Doing Bible studies together, discipleship group together. One day, God may bring that about.

Haven't you seen in your life, it doesn't always occur immediately? Sometimes, you go to the office, and the first day at work, I go and share the gospel with everyone and after that, you have no more friends, you know Seriously, you go around, “If you die today, what would happen to you, huh, you want to die, is it?” And you come across as … “Wahl, what's this weird guy?”

00:42:40

Now, by all means, share the word of witness for Jesus, but be sensitive. Build relationship, be patient and maybe, years down the road, God brings that person, back to your life. I don't know, but Daniel … don't give up, don't give up, for your mom, for your dad, who worships other gods maybe, idolatrous, wicked, there is a hope; there is a stump, for them maybe.

00:43:09

But, let me end by saying to all of us, let us learn, in the story to humble ourselves before God. Such a simple story. Never say to ourselves, “I did it, I deserve it.” I tell you what, we have applied this a lot to career and to financial achievements, but I say this, this mindset of I did it, I deserve it, can be the church mindset. We trumpet this, “We did it, oh, we were great, oh, we were.” And we celebrate ourselves.

Now, we all know, subtlely, we all know at the back of our minds, that God is the One who gives successes. But, it we will not careful, we keep trumpeting our own success. Success, and its temptations, can get to our heads and we can be stricken with the insanity of pride. I think, it is always helpful for us to remember to humble ourselves before God.

00:44:04

The only posture I think which is appropriate, is that we would lift up our eyes to heaven. God has blessed us, Amen, let's thank God for it. Let's not say, “We did it.” Let's say, “God did it. God is merciful to use us, we are nothing.”

I mean, I know these words don’t sit well in our modern generation because the modern generation likes to think, “We done it, we can do it. Impossible is nothing, just do it. “ It celebrates the human spirit. But the Bible celebrates the Holy Spirit. Celebrate what God has done through His church, through us, through every individual. So, let us learn to lift up our eyes. It's amazing, the only, I don't know what, I do not know what Nebuchadnezzar must be thinking for those seven years. I mean, he is happy, Jiak Chow. I don't know what, but he was happy doing it. This is what he knows to do, but there is sufficient ability to lift up his eyes to heaven, cry out to God and I think, it is not an impossible thing. It's not a difficult thing for us to say, “God, You are sovereign,” not just say but mean it. A mad man can do it, we can do it, you can do it.

00:45:21

You see, at the end of life, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Do you know what it means to repent and believe in Jesus? It is not just saying, “I accept Jesus as Savior, and that I continue thinking I am God.”

I tell you, this is very real. When we share the gospel, and we are not clear, people walk away thinking, “Oh! I just need to say a few words, I believe in Jesus and he would now serve me. “ Because, his mindset has never changed. He still sees himself as “I did it, I can do it, I deserve it.”

00:46:00

But no, true repentance and faith, is saying, “I am no God, He is God, I am a sinner and I need to bow and look up to His mercy for forgiveness.” That's repentance. Seeing myself for who I am and seeing God for who He is, and believing that the provision for forgiveness is already given through His Son’s sacrifice on the Cross.

If you don't know that God is sovereign and supreme, you have not really trusted in Jesus. Simple as that.

When I was younger, before I came to know Christ, that was some eighteen, nineteen years ago, I think. I had this mindset, “I am god, you are not.” Really, I really … I think I have shared this so many times in church, almost embarrassed to say it again. But my mindset, my worldview is, “I am the reason why you exist.” Simply put, if there is no Jason Lim, there is no need for anyone of you.

I mean, if I'm not here, why does the world exists, that's my reasoning. I am the center of the world, I am god. If I'm not here, you don't have to be here, it is not about you, it's about me. I never felt I really needed any religion, I can do it. But, when I read the Scriptures, heard it preached, I recognized I'm not God, He is God. There is a total change in my mindset.

If He is God and He says, “I have sinned, then, I need forgiveness.” Is not that I want Jesus to give me some more boost in my life. Is that without Jesus, I will be damned.

00:47:48

My friends, there will come a day where every knee will bow. How about you? You say, “How can I become a Christian? How can I be a child of God? How can I be saved, pastor? “

If God is supreme, He is holy, and I have sinned, how can I be saved? Is it very complicated? No, just a look up, a cry of the heart, “God, have mercy on me.” Is that simple, Jesus said, "I say to you, unless you turn, and become like children, you would never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

What does it mean to enter the kingdom of heaven? How can I enter? Say a few words? The Bible says, “Humble himself.”
00:48:47

The reason why many people don't want to come to Jesus Christ, is because, you are not willing to humble yourselves. You see, a proud man says, “I can do it, I don't need Jesus.” A proud man says, “I am fine, I don't need to be saved.”

But, you need to humble yourselves, to say, “I am a sinner and I need Jesus to save me.” Yes, coming to Jesus is that easy - humbling yourself. Believing in what He has done for your sins. But, it is also a choice that is difficult to make, because it means humbling yourself like a little one. But the Bible tells us, “God opposes the proud, He gives grace to the humble. And if you humble yourself before Him, He will exalt you.”

00:49:35

Are you holding up against God today? You say, “I have come to church for a long time, but I still won't believe in Jesus, almost glad that you have not. “ Well, come to Him, come to Him, because He is reaching out to you, out of compassion, He loves you.

I close, with a story of Charlotte Elliot, you say, “Who is this?” Well, it's a lady, a singer in times past, who sang in a concert in London. And after singing, a preacher came up to her and said, “Ma'am, Lady, you have a great talent in singing and if you were to be able to channel your talent of singing to serve the Lord, it would be so wonderful. I have something to tell you, you are a sinner in the eyes of a Holy God, but I'm glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ, cleanses you from all sins.”

When she heard that, she was angry, she was furious. I mean, who is this guy who walked up to me and told me. He's a very bold preacher, don't you think? It's almost like after a concert today, you walked up to some pop stars and say to 张惠妹[zhang1 hui4 mei4, a famous Taiwanese pop singer], “You are sinner, you need to believe in Jesus.”

Well, he did that and she was offended, and she stamped her feet and was about to walk off when the preacher again said, “Sorry ma’am, if I have offended you, but I do pray that the Holy Spirit would convict your heart and I will pray for you.”

00:50:51

When she got home that very night, she wanted to fall asleep, but she couldn't. She kept thinking about what the preacher said, she kept seeing his face in her mind. She tossed and turned, tossed and turned and she couldn't sleep and she eventually got up at 2 AM in the morning, sat at her desk, took out a pencil, a pen and started to write these words, with tears flowing down, she said,

"Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou biddest me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come."

What is salvation? Humbling yourself. Though you're mad, you are angry, that anyone would say that you are sinner, would anyone say that you need forgiveness, but this is what it is. When you humble yourselves when you finally say that, “I surrender to God, I surrender to His Word, I surrender to His Lordship, I surrender to who He is and what He says about me.” And then, you see that God has provided salvation through His Son, the Lamb of God, who shed His blood to wash away your sins, and that is what it means to come to Jesus Christ.

Would you today, humble yourselves, would you?

Let's bow for a word of prayer together, Father, we thank You for Your Word, bless it to all our hearts. I believe as a message like this go forth, there are different ways You could speak to us. Allow us not to be hearers but to be doers, be pleased today to bring many to a true saving relationship with Jesus Christ. We pray that Your Spirit will do that work, today, henceforth. O, love that will not let me go, please don’t let us go. We pray all these now in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

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