You are here today, and maybe this is your first time to come. We always have lots of guests, although I think most of them are in the first service today. But you're probably wondering what in the world are these little critters you've got down there. It looks like turtles kind of turned over or something. But no, it's not. It's a depiction of people bowing down, and that guy standing over there represents this world, its system, and its culture, and this person standing up over here represents that one who is standing strong even though the world's gone wrong. It's a person that is a stand-up Christian in a bow-down world. It's a person who is willing to confront both king culture. And we've been looking at this. We began in Daniel chapter 1. We're up to Daniel chapter 4. I'll just tell you you need to read Daniel chapter 5 before next week. Read it several times and get it in your heart. We can't really read the whole chapters each Sunday as we come in because they are very long. But we are talking about something that is of tremendous, tremendous importance and pertinence to the time that we are living. We talked about the first week how we must have commitment in our heart and have convictions. We talked about credibility in the world. We talked about having courage. And last week we talked about the three Hebrew children and how they were thrown into the fiery furnace and we did that. And we are going to continue today and we are going to talk about uncommon compassion, uncommon compassion. A Jewish handmaid nervously laced and unlaced her fingers as she determined in her heart to walk up to her mistress and express a concern. She had noticed the worsening condition of her master, the one who had employed her in his home after she and many others were captured and carried away captive to Syria. Though her own family and people were displaced and were serving the occupying nation, still she felt that she should tell the mistress of hope for the healing of her master. She said it this way, If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy. If you know the history at all or if you've read that passage of scripture in 2 Kings chapter 5, you know that the young girl was speaking about her master and his name was Naaman. He was commander of the Syrian army and she was referring to Elisha, the man of God, who was in Samaria and was hoping that Naaman could get to him. You see, she had compassion for her captors. She had compassion for her enemies. You think, well, now that's a switch, isn't it? I mean, there's somebody that is being held captive against their will, serving a foreign government, serving in a situation that's so terrible, yet she still has compassion. That may seem completely out of step with the world in which we're living, but it's not out of step with Scripture. Stephen, the one who was depicted up here this morning as he was being stoned, said, ìPlease donít lay this sin, Father, to their charge.î Jesus, the one He was imitating and emulating, said, ìFather, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing as they crucified Him.î We can listen to Paul the Apostle as he stands before King Agrippa who holds him in chains and he says, Agrippa said to Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become almost and altogether such as I am except for these chains. Imagine that. Imagine having the kind of Christ-like character that returns good for evil, that blesses when we are cursed, and that does good to those who persecute us and who seek redemption for the opposition instead of vengeance. It's completely opposite to the way many of us think in the world. There's nothing going on here other than godly compassion. You say, well now Pastor, I mean this is where we really run into a situation because I've got opposition in my life. I have problems. I have enemies. I have people that are causing me pain. And I could never come to the place where I wish them well and even pray for their well-being. Well, that's exactly what it's going to take to stand up in a world that's gone wrong. It's going to take people that love God more than they love saving face and protecting self. It's going to take people that look at their captors like Paul and Silas did and say, do yourself no harm. We're all here. We're not running away. Though the earthquake has opened the gates, we're staying put because we don't want you to do yourself harm. And he says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved in your house. This is uncommon compassion in this world, but it is exactly what this world needs. So how does one stand strong in a world gone wrong? Well, he has to start off privately, in his heart, with commitment and conviction. We can't have waves of change in our heart. We have to be convicted in our heart, not to contaminate ourselves with what I have called many times the value of a vulture culture, commitment. And then we take our stand publicly. by a credible and visible testimony. We're not supposed to profess with our mouth one thing and then deny it with our life by the way that we live. We need credibility. And then we need to take our stand courageously by faith in God's purposes. And folks, faith is not being blind to the circumstances or the cost. Faith is being bold in spite of the consequences. Courage. It takes courage. And then this week, we look at this fourth element in chapter 4. We take our stand compassionately, seeking divine redemption for our opposition, not hoping for personal retribution. Deuteronomy 32, 35 says, Vengeance is mine and recompense. Their foot shall slip in due time for the day of their calamity is at hand and the things to come hasten upon them. In other words, God is going to take care of the vengeance and retribution. We are to take care of the compassion and the great commission and make sure we tell the good news to those that would even do us harm. He said, now pastor this is going to be a hard pill to swallow because you know when people do me harm I mean it's just automatic you want to just get back at them. Well as long as we're trying to get back at them we're not going to be able to get at them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. uncommon compassion. I want you to notice the rise of Nebuchadnezzar in these stories that we have been reading. He rose. God brought him up. He thought he brought himself up, but God brought him up. Chapter 1, he rose to power. God says in verse 1 and 2 that he gave him that power. In chapter 2, he rose in prominence and he found out that his was to be the greatest of kingdoms. He was that head of gold. And then in chapter 3, he rose in preeminence. He even decided that if he was the greatest, if he had the greatest kingdom, people needed to, they needed to acknowledge that. They needed to bow in allegiance to him. And then in chapter 4, I trust you've read it ahead of time. In chapter 4, he rose in his own estimation to the point that he thought that he was solely responsible for all of his rise. He says later in the chapter, I have done all of this, all of these good things that have happened is because of my own doing. The Bible says clearly in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 12, therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he what? Fall. If anyone thinks he's standing and he's doing it in his own power, watch out because pride goes before a fall. And that's where we find Nebuchadnezzar. There are five great movements in this passage of scripture today. In chapter 4, we're not going to read it all. It's very long verses and there's 37 of them. There are five movements and I want you to see it. And all of this is an autobiography by Nebuchadnezzar himself except verses 31 to 33. I believe in my heart that Nebuchadnezzar was converted at the end and he gives testimony of what God, the great God of heaven, once he learned his lesson, who he was and how that he was ruling in the kingdoms of men. And so just watch these movements. First of all, verses 4 through 18, the king dreamed and he had that tremendous agitation in his dream. In his first dream, the king saw a great metallic image of which he was the head of gold. But in this dream, the second dream, he saw a huge flourishing tree that fed and sheltered a host of animals and birds from everywhere. Then he heard something else. He heard an angel command that the tree be chopped down. that its branches and leaves be totally cut off and its fruit scattered and that its stump would be banded with iron and bronze. In other words, we're going to chop this thing off level with the ground and then we're going to band it, put an iron band around it and we're going to cover it up with bronze so the weather can't ruin it because God still had a plan for the stump. Then a command came from the angel and announced that someone would live like a beast for seven times and then be restored. After that first dream, in chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar said that he was greatly troubled. That was chapter 2, verse 3. After the second dream, in chapter 4, verse 5, it says, not troubled, but terrified. King Nebuchadnezzar knew something was up here. I mean, when he saw the beautiful flourishing tree, he wondered at it, and he looked at it, but when he saw that tree chopped off, and then he saw it changed from a tree to the image of a person becoming a beast, it scared him and terrified him. It was a warning from God. Then the next movement is the king learned the awful interpretation. That was chapter 4 verse 19 to 26 and that's what we're going to focus on as we read this morning. Then after that he heard a compassionate exhortation. That was chapter 4 verse 27. This whole sermon comes from verse 27. this morning, this whole idea of compassion. The king experienced then painful humiliation, the very thing that God said was going to come on him. His heart was changed from the heart of a man to the heart of a beast and he was driven from the presence of men and he lived in the fields and he ate grass like an ox and the dew of heaven fell on him and he lived like an animal for seven years. He was humiliated. And then finally he gives testimony in verses 1 through 3 and 34 through 37 of how the king enjoyed merciful restoration. It all happened because God was compassionate and because He had a messenger that He could give to King Nebuchadnezzar that was likewise compassionate. So what are the elements of real compassion? I say real compassion today because many think that compassion simply ignores evil. or condones evil or denies that evil even exists. Even worse is the idea that seems to be so prevalent today that, well, evil does exist, but since everybody is a little bit evil, nobody's perfect, then nobody can confront evil because that would be judgmental. And the worst thing you can ever be is to point out something somebody else is doing wrong in a matter of judgment. Now, we're going to read together verses 18 to 27. But I want to say this before you open up and read. There's an election in our country on Tuesday of this week. We are going to elect someone that's going to sit at the point of the highest office in the land and many others at various levels, they're going to be elected. I want to say to you that this is a great privilege that we have as citizens of this nation to be able to help choose who the leaders are going to be. It's a tremendous privilege. hope that you will You will educate yourself inform yourself and cast a vote or if you choose not to cast a vote that you'll do everything According to the way that the Holy Spirit leads you in your own heart But here's what I want to say and I want to say is after you cast your vote then hope in God I don't want you to get it in your mind that the world hangs in the balance on Tuesday, because the world doesn't hang in the balance on Tuesday. The world is in our Father's hands every day of the week. God, this is our Father's world and God is in charge. If there's anything you're going to learn from this passage of Scripture, and if you read chapter 4, then you know that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and He sets up over them whoever He wants to. God is large and God is in charge. And I want you to know that. God is in charge of this world. So when the sun comes up on Tuesday morning, I don't want you as a believer in Jesus Christ to fear. Don't fear who got elected or who didn't get elected or whether your man got in or didn't get in. because the kingdoms of this world are nothing but passengers on the stage of history. I want you to know, listen to me, I want you to know that we belong to a different kingdom. We belong, we have another king. He is the king of kings and lord of lords. His is a kingdom that never passes away. I'm a member of that, I'm a citizen of that kingdom. I belong to my King. He has saved me from my sin. I'm safe and secure in Him. And I want you to know that Christianity can operate under any kind of government, at any place, at any time, even if it's in the catacombs, Christians can operate and enjoy the joy of the Lord. Can I get an amen? God's Word is true, folks. Do not fear what happens on Tuesday morning. Don't worry about it. Do not worry about these. Go and vote. Do your best and then carry on. Just carry on your life. Live. Occupy. Serve the Lord until He comes. I don't want you worried about the election because there was another election before the foundation of the world which was put in practice when you called on Jesus to be your Savior. That election is far more sure and there's nobody else running for eternity's king than God. We're safe. We are secure. And I want you to be safe and saved. I want you, if you're not saved this morning, you need to be saved. But if you are a believer in Jesus, then our eternity is. safe. Verse 17 says it this way, The 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, and gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men. God is in charge. God is taking care of this world. Now we're going to read, stand with me if you would, we're going to read verses 18 through 27. Let's read it together. from God's Word, 18 through 27. Let's read together. 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. 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. 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 beast 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 beast 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 beast of the field. And they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with 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. Therefore, O King, let my advice be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. Would you bow your heads for prayer. Father, I pray that you would bless us, bless the preaching and teaching of your word. May we apply our hearts to wisdom. May we receive from you the instruction of your word. If there's one here today that has yet to heed the warning that there is an eternity out there, that there's a hell to shun, there is a heaven to gain, I pray that today would be the day they would call on you, heeding your warning. If there are Christians there, Lord, today, those that are out there that have been silent that have not been faithful to give the message that they have received and have not shown real bonafide compassion for friends, family, and loved ones. I pray today would be the day that they would be committed in their heart to do just exactly that. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So what are these elements of compassion, real compassion? Let me move along so make sure you have your sheet there and you write this down quickly. First I want you to know that this kind of compassion that Daniel had, and boy what bravery he exemplifies here in this passage, what a tremendous courage. As he stands there looking at the king of the whole world, one who could snap his fingers and snuff out his life at any moment, he stands there and says, You're the one, King. This vision that you have is all about you and the news is not good. He gave him this news. Well, he did so because he had real compassion. He said, Well, where do you develop this kind of compassion? Well, it starts with commitment in your heart, real conviction. Here's what I believe and here's what I stand for. I will not move from it. It starts, then it moves to credibility. Is your life such that you say one thing and live another? Or is your life in accordance with your profession? Then courage. Oh, you can never have real compassion. Compassion that is willing to make a difference until you have the courage that comes from the indwelling spirit of God in your heart. Courage. And so it comes down to compassion. First of all, write it down. Compassion is consistent. King Nebuchadnezzar knew this back in chapter 2 verse 24 Daniel had an opportunity to eliminate all of his enemies all of those rival and those rival and competitive other wise men and soothsayers and astrologers and all of those he could have done away with them all at once by just keeping his mouth shut and just saving his own neck he didn't do that he saved all of them and Nebuchadnezzar saw it. Nebuchadnezzar saw that this man was compassionate. He saw that he was different. You know the world knows what your track record is? Number two, write it down. Compassion gains people's confidence. Look at verse number eight of your passage. Now, Nebuchadnezzar's had the dream and he's looking for an interpretation in verse eight, but at last, he'd already tried all the soothsayers again. 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 him the dream before him, saying, Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you and that no secret troubles you. Explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation." You know what? Compassion gains people's confidence. Compassion has a track record. You know, if you're not a person that ever has five minutes to listen to the difficulties of other people, it's doubtful that anybody's going to share anything with you in time of need. You've got to build a track record. That's part of credibility. Compassion gains people's confidence. You have a track record. There was a degree of confidence built up here between Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. He knew Daniel was the one that had interpreted the first dream about the statue and had given credit to God Most High, not to himself. Nebuchadnezzar said, the spirit of the holy gods is in you. He used the word Elohim, which could be God, the one most high God, El Elyon, or it could be the gods that he already worshiped. But here's what he did know. He knew that Daniel was different from all of the other counselors that he had. I can ask you a question this morning, dear believer. Does your world around you know that you're different? Have you identified yourself as being different? I mean, is the way you live and the words you say and the compassion that you exemplify, is the life you live a life that is different enough to know that they can count on you because of your difference? Are you different at all? Are you distinct? And so compassion gains people's confidence, and Nebuchadnezzar knew at least one thing. Daniel wasn't out for himself. He was going to come and tell the king the truth, and he was going to tell him right straight to his face without mincing any words. He knew that he was different. You know, next year around Easter, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, we're going to give you a chance. I'm trying to get the whole of central Iowa to do it. I'm working on it as hard as I can, meeting with pastors, and we're going to have a meeting this next week. But I'm going to give you a chance to take and put a cross. You've probably seen it out there as you come in the building. There's a white cross out there. We're going to give you a chance to put a cross in your yard from Palm Sunday till Easter to do two things. One, just identify yourself as a believer in the one who died on that cross. And two, we're going to give you an opportunity to start a conversation, because somebody's going to ask you about that cross. Somebody's going to say, hey, what's up with all these crosses? I see them everywhere. They're going to come and talk to you about it. Do you know I was talking about this to somebody, and somebody said, oh, I don't know whether Christians are going to want to do that or not. You know, they're just inviting trouble if they do that. I mean, you know, put a cross out in your yard, people are going to say something. And I'm going, are you kidding me? You're actually worried about identifying yourself as a believer by putting a cross out there? Oh, my. Compassion gains people's confidence. Then third, compassion shows genuine concern. It can't be faked. Did you know you can't fake or fool anybody with false concern? Oh, brother, I heard about your trouble. I'll be praying for you as they walk away. People know better. Compassion shows genuine concern. Daniel, once again, could have been thinking like this. He could have been thinking, wow, what a deal. Boy, Nebuchadnezzar is in for it. You know, he had this coming. He ran roughshod over the whole world. He made people and entire nations lick his boots. Well, good enough for him. Now he's going to get his. He is going to grovel before all of us. You know, he could have thought that way. And I dare say that there are a lot of people today, maybe you're even in this room, you just can't wait until the world grovels at our feet. That's not the compassion that the Bible wants us to have. Would we like to see our opposition in pain, in trouble, or would we like to see them repent and come to Christ? That's not what we see in Daniel. He is astonished at the vision. He understood that God had warned Nebuchadnezzar in the first vision that the Most High ruled in the kingdoms of men and that no throne was secure. Nebuchadnezzar had not understood it or at least heeded the warning. What Nebuchadnezzar saw and what Daniel understood in this vision was terrifying. Daniel did not gloat over the demise of Nebuchadnezzar and neither should we. You should never gloat when somebody else falls. Daniel knew that Nebuchadnezzar was headed for a horrible punishment, and he wanted to find a way to save him from it. Do you know that your friends, neighbors, loved ones, people of your circle of influence, maybe you work with them, maybe you live next door to them, maybe they're your husband, your wife, your child, your mother, your father, maybe they're someone extremely close to you. Do you know what the eternity's gonna be for them without Christ? Do we just go through life willy-nilly, just hope, well, I hope somebody talks to them. I just hope it all turns out for the best. I just, that's not compassion. is truly concerned. Daniel knew what Nebuchadnezzar was headed for. And then number four, the most important point of all, compassion practices confrontation. Wow, what a passage. Look at verse number 22. 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. It's you, King. This message is from God to you, and you are the one who has flourished, but you're going to be cut off. You are the one who had the heart of a man, but now the heart of an animal is coming. You are the one that had everyone bowing at your feet. Now you're going to bow and eat like cattle. He wasn't happy saying it. In fact, the word where it says, and he was astonished, some versions say he was speechless for an hour. He didn't say anything because of what he saw was coming on him. Compassion practices confrontation though. You know, last time we talked about courage. If there was ever an example of courage, this is it. In a kingdom of a monarch like Babylon, no one ever dared to give the king bad news. You go into that king's presence and you tell him good news. You tell him that he is good and wise. You tell him that there is nobody like him. You tell him, O King Nebuchadnezzar, all of your plans are working. His people, we want you to know that your people love you and that all of your wars are justified. But whatever you do, don't go in there and tell the king bad news or it could be off with your head. Have you ever been around anybody like that? Do you presently deal with anybody in your own life like that? You know that if you tell them that something is broken or something's not working or that their plans are running awry or maybe their life's going the wrong way, do you find yourself confronted by a person who is explosive and says, well, you know, you just need to get with the program. And the real problem is you just have a negative attitude. You just need to have a more positive outlook and get with what's going on, get with it or get without it, that's all. I mean, do you have people in your life like that? I still want to say to you that Daniel, even though he was facing the king of the world, the one who with a snap of a finger could end his life, he still stood strong and he said, it's you, king. Confrontation. You see, real compassion, real compassion, real compassion confronts people in their sin. Are you going through life? Are you a believer in Jesus and you're just going through life and you watch people around you, people you love and care about, you just watch them? And you just hope things turn out for the best, but you just, you know, it's just mum's the word. You never say anything, especially concerning their eternity without Christ. It's not okay. All we're showing is, is we have no convictions. We're not credible and we're without the courage. That's all we're showing. Compassion. Daniel was awestruck with the dream. He was speechless, but he had to speak. Can I say to you that compassion always tells the truth? Who wants a physician that tells you that you are well when you have a life-threatening disease? What use is he? Who would want a financial counselor that remained quiet while your savings and retirement vanished because he just didn't bother to inform you what was happening? Who would want a neighborhood watch program where the watchman would say and ring out all is well when there was a murderer on the loose? And who would want to have a Christian neighbor or friend or loved one who knows the good news of the gospel and the horrible news of an eternity without Christ and just never says anything about it? Who wants a Christian friend or neighbor that doesn't tell the truth about sin's devastating penalty and God's gracious gift? Who wants a neighbor like that? Who wants a friend like that? God has made a decree to the king. You know, this king had been used to giving other people decrees. He used to be telling other people what for. He's used to telling other people the way it's going to be. But now then Daniel, because of God's own word, Daniel steps up and he tells them, well, let me tell you something. It's going to be different now. Do you know Nebuchadnezzar decreed what everyone had to eat in chapter 1? He decreed the death of all the wise men in chapter 2. He decreed the worship of His statue in chapter 3, and He assigned a death penalty to those people that would not obey His decree. Well, the story is reversed. It's the other end of the stick. And I want to say something parenthetically. Don't you ever abuse a position or authority that you have, because your position or authority that you have now can change at a moment of time, and you can find yourself at the mercy of those to whom you showed no mercy. You know what? Daniel told him, King Nebuchadnezzar, God is the only one who can make unalterable decrees. You know, Nebuchadnezzar has been making decree after decree after decree. You know, we deal with the world like that. They would like to just make one decree right after another about how you have to live and act and what you have to think and the way you have to live and so on and just how you have to, you know, what you even, what you have to think. They can make all the decrees they want to, but there's only one who can make unalterable immutable decrees and his name is God. Nebuchadnezzar, you're going to lose your throne. You're going to lose your power. You're going to lose your position. You're going to lose your mind. You are going to be driven out from your plush existence and you're going to live like an animal, eat like an ox, and you're going to stay that way until El Elyon, the Most High God, finishes teaching you your lesson. That was perhaps the hardest and most dangerous message that Daniel ever had to give as he stood before the king of the world. King, you're going to be driven from the presence of men. King, you're going to eat grass like the oxen of your field. King, you're going to be wet down with the dew of heaven. There's a condition called lycanthropy, which is where you get the word werewolf from. that some people actually think they're animals and they actually, because of going out of their mind, do these kinds of things. Well, whether it was that or not, nobody knows, but here's what we know is that he was driven from the presence of men out of the court. He had no one, everybody scattered from him, all of his power, all of his position, all of his prominence, all of his popularity, gone. And there he was in the gardens of Babylon, perhaps being superintended by those that were around him, maybe even Daniel himself watching out for him. We don't know the whole story, but we know for seven years he stayed that way. This was a hard message to give to Nebuchadnezzar. But you know, Daniel was not there to tell Nebuchadnezzar what he wanted to hear, but he was there to tell Nebuchadnezzar what God had said. Moses confronted Pharaoh, Nathan confronted King David, and he told him, King David, you are the man who has robbed the sheep of another man, speaking of Bathsheba. Elijah boldly confronted wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Isaiah rebuked Hezekiah. And John the Baptist told King Herod to break off his evil relationship with his brother's wife Herodias. Break it off, he said. It's not righteous. It's not permissible that you have your brother's wife. Can I say today that any pastor that tailors his message to please his listeners is not a faithful messenger of God. But let me bring it right down the street where you live, right up your walk, knock on your door, and sit in your living room. Any friend that fails to tell the truth to a friend is no friend at all. Any friend, any husband, any wife, any father, any mother, in all of your relationships, if you fail to tell the truth, you're no friend at all. Now folks, that doesn't mean you badger and beat people on a continuous basis, but you know there comes a moment in time I doubt that Daniel confronted Nebuchadnezzar every time he saw him. But at this moment in time when Nebuchadnezzar was fraught with with this moment of a dream that had scared him to death and the window of opportunity was open, I want you to know that Daniel would have had to have back slid on God Almighty not to speak the truth at that moment. That's what I'm talking about. There comes moments in your life when God opens that door of opportunity and you can either bite your lips or you can speak it. You say, well, Pastor Phil, you know, if I say anything to anybody, I just, you know, I got all these friends at work and I got all the people in the neighborhood, you know, the golf guys and the golf buddies and at the gym and where we do this and that and the bowling team. And if I say anything to them and I confront them about anything, well, they just might not like me. I want everybody to like me. I want to be popular. How popular are you going to be when they die and go off into a Christless eternity and they find out that you knew and didn't tell them? Any friend that fails to tell the truth is not a friend at all. Number five, write it down. Compassion patiently calls for repentance and offers hope. Oh, what a verse. Look at verse 27. Can you fathom this? Therefore, O King, let my advice be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. You know, he's really stepping out now. He's pushing the envelope. Hey, King, you need to repent. Oh my goodness, repent of your sin. Pride was the sin of Nebuchadnezzar. He had accomplished much, but it was all by God's plan, with His permission and by His power. The mixture of courage and compassion here in Daniel is incredible, but it's supposed to be what all Christians are like. We're supposed to be courageous and we're supposed to be compassionate at the same time. I'm not supposed to condemn people continually by just condemning everything they do as a you wicked heathen. Look at this pagan world. That's one thing just to shake our finger at a wicked world. It's another thing to weep while we do it hoping that we can tell them the good news so that they can be converted. Don't ever wish the demise of your enemy. Let vengeance always remain with God. He said to him, stop abusing those that are under you. Daniel knew that Nebuchadnezzar had not been concerned about the poor, shown mercy. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar had exploited the people during his extensive building operations and wealth that should have been helping the poor was used to gratify the selfish appetites of a proud king. After all, he was flourishing in his palace and standing on the roof and saying, you'll read it in a moment, look at this wonderful Babylon that I built by my own power and by my own ingenuity. It's all mine and I did it and it's all for me. As he stepped on everyone in his path to make it happen. Repent! You know, God is gracious, and you've got it on your sheet, I think. Write this down. Always remember it. God relents when men repent. You know, there are those that were very upset. Jonah, to be exact, was upset that God forgave Nineveh and gave him another hundred years. There are Christians that get mad when God's forgiving. Do you want your worst enemy to be forgiven by God? Have we just taken God's place whenever we want to condemn them? We're not God, you can't do it right, better let all vengeance stay with Him. We don't have all the facts, only God does. stop abusing those. You know, there must always be a message of warning, yet it must be accompanied by hope and forgiveness. God's like that. He announces the dreadful consequences of our sin, but He also offers forgiveness, remission of sins, and a complete restoration and reconciliation with Him. Hallelujah for the cross of Christ. Listen to Romans 6.23. He says it so clearly, Paul does, that the wages of sin, our sin, the wages, the penalty is death. Sin when it's finished brings forth death, and death in its ultimate state is separation from God forever in hell. It's a warning that He was giving to Nebuchadnezzar. You're here today and you've been going to church and you've been participating and assimilating and you've been associating and you've been watching and you've been, you know, you've just been, you're all for it. Oh, I just love all those church people over there and I just love what they do and that great youth group and everything. It's a great resource for me, but you've never come to face your own sin. You've never come to the place where you understand that the message of God is to you, that God says sin when it's finished brings forth death, and death in its ultimate state is separation from God forever in hell. Oh, I don't want to run in trouble. I don't want to run into hard times on earth. I don't want to die. I don't want to go through all of these things. Oh, listen, fear not Him. who can only destroy the body, but fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell forever. You say, you are one wild preacher. I'm here to tell you today, it's the truth of the warning of God's word. Repent and believe the gospel and you can be saved from sin and be given an eternity in heaven. Stop playing church. Stop trying to impress God. He's not impressionable. Only repentance and belief in the gospel of Jesus, that he died on the cross for you and he loves you with an immeasurable love, only that message can save your soul. Finally, compassion is constricted. Compassion is constricted. You say, what do you mean by that? Well, verses 28 to 33, compassion can only go so far. Daniel's credible life, his incredible boldness, and his genuine compassion can go no further than give the message and make an appeal. And that's what Daniel did. O King, please repent. Stop this sin. Start doing right. Turn around. Come to the God you know I worship. That's all he could do. He gave the message. But Daniel could not repent for Nebuchadnezzar. No one can respond to God's call for another person, not a mother for a daughter, not a father for his son, not a husband for his wife or a wife for her husband. Folks, not a pastor for his people. I would do anything on planet earth that was feasible to me to see to it that you heard, understood, and received the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins so that you could have an eternity in heaven. Daniel did everything he could, served in every possible way, King Nebuchadnezzar, even as far as to serve him in his kingdom, his pagan kingdom, but he could not go so far as to receive the message and change the life for Nebuchadnezzar. It's all up to you. You see, you must personally receive Jesus as your Savior. God allowed Nebuchadnezzar a full 12 months more to repent, but he would not. Proverbs 16, 18 says, Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. And that kind of pride and haughty spirit is alive and well on planet earth today. People that are too proud to say, I am a sinner, I need a savior, save me Jesus from my sin, I believe. So many, oh my, He took all the credit for his kingdom and its glory. Look at verse number 28, and all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the 12 months, he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke saying, is not this the great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? And 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." 12 months of grace in addition to all those years that he'd already had. He gave him 12 more months. But the pride rose in his heart and he said, I did it all and it's all for me. And while the words were still coming out of his mouth, the watcher said, you have come to the end of yourself. You know that whole concept of a heavenly watcher is kind of scary, isn't it? I mean we know about God and we know about His Son Jesus and we know about the Holy Spirit but these heavenly watchers, who are they? What are they seeing? I'll tell you what they're seeing. Whoever this heavenly watcher was saw right straight through all of the pomp and circumstance of Nebuchadnezzar right to his evil heart. Saw all right into the purposes and intents of his heart. I doubt Nebuchadnezzar said an audible word. I imagine it all happened right in his own heart. And he said, time's up. And he was driven from the presence of men for seven years. You say, well, I could take seven years, you know, as long as there's an end to it. There's no end to hell. Hell is eternal. I want to say to you this morning, compassion does not seek vengeance. Compassion does not serve self. Compassion does not ever spare the truth. If you're here today, I want you to know I'm telling you the truth. Compassion does speak of repentance and compassion does stand up to kings and culture. I want to say today, for all of you that are Christians, that God does expect you to speak for Him. I want you to know that He's called you to confront, kindly, tactfully, but He has called you to the ministry of confrontation. Obviously, you need internal conviction and external testimony and courage in all of these areas, but I want you to know that you, my dear friend, in your circle of influence, in your world of people, you are the best option your particular world has of hearing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You're the best option. Well, Pastor, aren't you the preacher? Aren't you the one? Yes, I am. I'm the preacher. I'm the herald. I'm the one that's supposed to foretell the truth like a prophet of old, but I don't live where you live. I don't know who you know. I don't live at your house. I do not know the people at your workplace. I'm telling you, you are the best hope they have to hear the truth. There's another group here this morning. You're here today and you've yet to heed the warning. Can I ask you, have you believed Jesus for salvation from your sin? You are not a child of God by baptism, by christening, by church membership, by confirmation or by good works. You don't become God's child in any of those ways. Titus 3.5 says, It's not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I want to say to you this morning, if you've never called on Jesus, then hear the warning from someone who is courageous enough to offend you, compassionate enough to go beyond the offense to say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, repent of your sin, call on Jesus, He'll save you, He'll change you, He will give you an eternal inheritance and He will take your sin away. Believe Jesus, receive the truth. fret not, fear not him who destroys the body, but after that can do nothing, but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Those are the words right out of Jesus' own mouth. Would you bow your heads and close your eyes for just a moment?