Our help is in the name of the Lord, who has made heaven and earth, who keepeth truth forever, and who never forsaketh the works of his own hands. Amen. Grace be unto you and peace from him which is, and which was, and which is to come. and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Amen. Beloved congregation, let's continue our worship service this evening with the singing together of Psalter 163, 163 verses 1 and 2. Satisfaction in God, taken from Psalm 63. O Lord, my God, most earnestly my heart would seek thy face. I'd ask your attention for the reading of God's Holy Word as we can find it in Daniel 4, Daniel 4. And we'll read together the first 18 verses, Daniel 4 verses 1 through 18. And after that, we will sing together Psalter 84, both verses, entitled Gracious Guidance. Let us hear the word of the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar the King, unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath brought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts of my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and I told the dream before them, but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And behold him, and before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, Master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation thereof. Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed. I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great, The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all. The beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of heaven dwelt in the bowels thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the vision of my head upon my bed, and behold, a Watcher and Unholy One came down from heaven. He cried aloud and said, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter the fruit. Let the beasts get away from under it and the fowls from his branches. Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth. even with the band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass over him. This matter is by the decree of the Watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy Ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. This dream I, Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation of. For as much as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou art able, for the Spirit of the holy gods is in thee. May the Lord bless the reading of his holy and precious word to us through his Spirit's operation. Let's now sing to the Lord, Psalter 84, regarding gracious guidance. you Beloved, let us now make confession with the Church of All Ages from the Apostles' Creed. May each one say in his heart thus before the Lord. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, he descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost. I believe in Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Congregation, let's now turn to the Lord in prayer and seek his blessing and favor. Almighty, all-knowing, all-sufficient, and everywhere present, Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We are in Thy presence at this very moment, and each of us, whether we recognize it or not, are in Thy presence every second of our lives. Thou knowest our hearts and every secret within. We are all like an open book before Thee, and Thou canst read into the deepest recesses of our hearts. Knoweth our lives, recordeth all our ways, our words, our thoughts, O give us a sense of Thy omniscience, of Thy being all-knowing, so that even as we come into Thy presence, we may be humbled by the reality Thou knowest all things. But also, Lord, encouraged that Thou knowest all things, even before we petition Thee and confess what we are before Thee as sinners. And because nothing can be hidden from Thee, let us not hesitate to pour out our hearts before Thee. Oh, we confess, Lord, that we have sinned even on this day, and come short of Thy glory. We've been self-centered. We've exercised our own self-will. We may have been obstinate, rebellious, proud, and yet, Lord, Thou dost command us to draw near to Thee, for Thou art the one only true living God who can minister unto us and hath ministered unto us through giving Thine only begotten Son So that in all our sinfulness and with all our sins, we may still turn to Thee, as Thou hast said in Thy Word, Turned he, turned he, for why will he die? O Thou art the God of mercy and the God of all grace, the God of plenteous redemption, and therefore Thou art ready to forgive. Unite our hearts to fear Thy name, to respect, to regard, to reverence Thee as not only holy and righteous, but full of mercy and grace. Lord, as we gather under this means of grace tonight, both all those who could gather as well as those who may listen via sermon audio or other electronic means, be present with us. As thy word goes forth, crown it with thy blessing, O dear and precious Spirit. Apply to each and every one of our hearts, me as preacher, the congregation as listeners, and those who listen in, so that it may be indeed a service whereby we can worship thee in spirit and in truth, not only through receiving the word, but also in offering our gifts and singing thy word of truth, which has so much to teach us because we have so much to learn. And Lord, by nature, we're slow learners. but make us ready and willing learners, so that we might say unto thee, say unto my soul this night whatever I need to know and hear, and make me a willing subject of the truth imparted this night, so that I may surrender to thee as Almighty, as Sovereign and Gracious Lord, Bless the congregation. We commend every family to Thee. Our children, our young people, the middle-aged, the older ones, grandparents, great-grandparents. Lord, Thou knowest that together we are a bundle of deeds. But because Thou art an all-sufficient God, Thou dost command us in Thy Word that we may come boldly unto Thy throne of grace to obtain mercy and to find grace to help in time of need. And there is not one individual here tonight that doesn't have some particular need. Those not yet born again have the great need to repent and believe on thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And because thy Son, our Lord, is risen from the grave, and is ascended into glory, and is that Prince who giveth repentance and remission of sin. We may therefore come with our empty hands and our empty mouth, open them wide, and ask Thee to fill it. Oh, we pray, save the lost. Save those, Lord, who have no consciousness of Thy holiness and their sinfulness. no understanding of the greatness of Thy mercy, to save rather than to destroy. As Thy word so clearly defines, Thou art not come to destroy the world, but that the world through Thee might be saved. Thou art not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Thee might be saved. And may they recognize, Lord, that Thou art one that stretches forth Thine hand, saying, Come unto me. O sinner, why will you die? Forsake thy way and live. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. And indeed, Lord, Thou art such a God to encourage at the end of Psalm 2. Blessed are all they. Blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee. Remember, Thy dear children, at different levels of spirituality, spiritual life, needing various instructions, Thou knowest most perfectly how to tailor-make thy instruction for each one of thy children. Thou knowest those that may be discouraged, lift them up. Those that may be mourning, comfort them. Those that may be poor in spirit, show them the riches of Christ. Those who are hungering and thirsting, display the righteousness of Christ. Lord, arise and do that blessed, sanctifying work in the hearts of Thy children, so that together we may become more and more conformable unto Him that loved us and gave Himself for us, and calls us in our reasonable service To not be conformed to the ways of this world, but to be transformed. And to bring forth fruits that glorify thee and give evidences of thy grace and mercy within and proof that we are not our own. but belong unto our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Bless all of us, Lord, though we deserve nothing. We command the daily functioning of the congregation to Thee in terms of our dear pastor, our brother in the ministry. Help him in pastoring. from house to house and family to family. Those that have needs, those who are under afflictions, those who have trials, grant, Lord, that he may have words in due season from thy word to minister to each and every one. Remember him in his preparing and preaching of thy word. Blessed richly, Lord, as thou hast done so. And grant that he may ever be, like all thy servants, empty vessels who must continuously say, Lord, help me. Lord, direct me. Lord, guide me. Lord, give me light. Give me insight. Give all I need to be Christ-like in my ministering. Give me compassion for the perishing. Give me faithfulness and steadfastness to those who'd go astray. Give me boldness to proclaim death in Adam and life in Christ. O Lord, go before all thy servants and our dear pastor, members, wife, his children, along with every family of the congregation. Lord, provide for the ancestry, bless them, help them, We give thee thanks for their love and compassion, for the pastor also in the midst of his father's situation. Give him time to be away. Lord, wilt thou minister to his mom and his dad, and give what's needed in their circumstances. Also for Marlise's mom also. and dad, provide in all their family situations. And as each family here also has their particular unique needs and circumstances, Lord, may we come to thee as that fountain is open, not only for sin and for uncleanness, but for a heart of a father that is full of compassion and will minister Lord, do so for each one. Go before us in this night. We give thee thanks, too, for the income of last month. The generosity is evident. And continue to provide for every family, every individual, so that the gifts given may be given and used for thy cause and kingdom and given out of hearts that love thee and long to see thy kingdom flourish. Be with guests who are in our midst tonight. We commend them to thee. Bless them also. Be with those who can't be here tonight but would desire to be because of illness or infirmities. We commend them all to thee. Lord, be with those that have special needs. Graciously provide direct Gladden us, Lord, with Thy doings. And may our worship this night, in song, in preaching, in praying, in giving of our gifts, be to Thy glory. Hear and answer our prayer, O gracious God and Heavenly Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen. After your gifts are received for the service of the Lord, we will sing together from Psalter 425, verses 1, 2, and 3. 425, verses 1, 2, and 3. Entitled, Unto the Lord Lift Thankful Voices. Come worship while your soul rejoices in what follows. And may the Lord bless you and your gifts. you you I'm going to do the same thing on the other side. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, ♪ The Lord is power ♪ ♪ See His presence every hour ♪ ♪ His words so marvelous and great ♪ Beloved congregation, the study of Scripture finds God to be over and over again very patient with His creatures. Very patient with you and me. But you know in Proverbs 29 verse 1 we read, He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. That's quite a verse in Scripture, and yet it's truth. He that being often reproved, and hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. What does that mean for you young people? What does it mean for us? What does it mean for me? God has his ways in our lives of not only intervening, but also reproving us, rebuking us, setting before us through providential acts and ways, dealings, roadblocks, in order to put us in the right direction. They are some of the ways in which God reproves us. A young person going in a worldly direction has an accident. God is saying, consider your ways, oh young man or young woman. That's a way of reproving. And you see, if God comes in our lives, not once, but twice, but many times over with those reprovings, it's a clear indication that God is concerned with our well-being. That he's putting out these roadblocks before us to consider our ways and to turn from what we're doing. and to turn to God, of course. Not to turn to some other wicked way, God-displeasing way. But it is certainly true, as Israel found out, with all the many rebukes and the reprovings and the hardenings over their neck, because the Lord called them a stiff-necked people. He cut them off. He allowed them to be led into captivity. Because you see, they wouldn't listen. And that's so often our own nature. God intervenes in our lives for our good, but we look at it and say, what does this mean? And why does this have to be against me? And why is this against me? And why are these things going as they are? So let's just open your eyes and see what I'm trying to tell you. But you know it's true, as Proverbs 20, Numbers 1 says, he that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed. God will come in the midst of our rebellion and our obstinacy and our self-will and our self-direction. He'll come and cut us off. So that text does not have a very favorable end, not at all. It has an end which tells us of our destroying ourselves because we did not hear and did not heed the rebukes of the Lord. So take inventory, congregation, as I have to do also as we're together here. Are there things at present in your life that are going contrary to what you would really desire and want? Are there things that you're doing in life that you know by your conscience are wrong and displeasing to God, and yet there may be this determination to go on, and God is putting roadblocks before you. He's hedging up your way so that you can go on in that way, and yet you may persist to try to go on in that way. And you may be like Pharaoh who said, who is the Lord that I should obey him? So let's take inventory, each and every one of us, little children too. Do you have your issues as little children? Do you have your struggles? Do you have your problems? Do you have your challenges in school? What is the Lord teaching us? You see, it's so important that we actually do say to the Lord, Lord, teach me in all these things what thou are trying to tell me. And not only teach me, But Lord, give me a willing heart, a receptive spirit to heed what thou art saying. We have that with this man here, a world renowned leader known as Nebuchadnezzar. A man who had conquered the entire existing world at that time. He was King of Babylon. He had conquered the Assyrians. He had conquered the Chaldeans. He had carried the, conquered the Medes and the Persians, the Jews. And when he speaks here in verse four of Daniel four and says, I never can, as it was at rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace, he had just finished conquering Egypt. And his work was basically finished. He had the whole world under his dominion. And he thought he was in charge. You know, it was January 8th of last year, of this year, 2023, that I preached on the first few verses of Daniel 4. And at that time I had mentioned to you that if the Lord opened the door for me to preach again, I would continue preaching from Daniel 4. And that's why we're here tonight by God's directing to bring to you this word. And so let's turn to Daniel 4 and we want to consider together verses 9-17. And we're only going to read verse 17 because that's really the key of the whole portion tonight. This matter is by the decree of the Watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy Ones, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. Now that may not have much significance to you at this point, but Lord willing, as we move through these verses, I trust God will give us to understand His intent, because it says, this matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand by the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth. That's really key. Why is that? Because our introduction has said and has brought out that, you know, we can have this in our life and this in our life and this roadblock and so on. The Lord is telling us, I'm in control of your life. You're not master of your own destiny. And so with God's help, let's consider as our theme, this theme, the issue at heart. And we want to consider three thoughts. First, the revealing address. We have that in verse 9. And then we have as our second thought, the vision seen, verses 10 through 13. And finally, the voice speaking, verses 14 through 17. Let's refresh our memories a little bit, boys and girls. The story of Daniel is a very interesting one. I'm sure you think about Daniel in the lion's den. You think about his three friends in the fiery furnace and delivered out. You think of Daniel how he was tested with his friends as to eating the king's meat and the dainties, or eating just vegetables, having a vegetarian diet. You may know all those things about Daniel, his three friends. You may know also that Nebuchadnezzar was a very powerful man. He was the ruler of the then established world. His military might had conquered every nation, and as a consequence, he was very happy with himself. Self-satisfied. Self-gratified. His achievements were something which thrilled him. But with his achievements came a very dangerous thing. A word that has five letters. And it's a word that every single one of us know about personally. And it's a word that had its birth in our fallen paradise. You know what that word is, boys and girls? Can you tell me what it is? What is that word? It starts with a P. I think you got it now. It's pride. Pride. With all of his achievements, all of his successes, all of his powerful might, pride arose in his heart. You see, pride always goes against such a gracious and holy God. Because we set ourselves up against God as, see what I have done, see what I can do, see what I have achieved, see how strong I am, see how accomplished I am, see how handsome I am, see how beautiful I am. We can have so many things go through our minds which really contradict the teaching of scripture. So where is this Nebuchadnezzar? Well, it was about in his 34th or 35th year of his reign as king that he was finished conquering. And as it says here, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace. He had the world by the tail, if we may say it that way. He was glad with all that he had done. He goes to bed one night, boys and girls, just like you and I do every night. And it's interesting because he said, he was at rest in my house. He was very self-satisfied. He was content. There was nothing that was a problem. Everything was under his dominion, under his control. All the different provinces and all the different nations, they were all subject to him. He would say, here's a man that would have laid in bed, gone off to sleep soundly, and slept without anything to ruffle him awake, to stir him awake, to destabilize him, to make him anxious. He had everything. Why worry? Why be concerned? Why have any troubles? He had everything, and all were subject to him. But he was not subject to God. And in Daniel 1 already, God is pulling at his heartstrings when he puts the men through the test to eat of his meat or eat vegetables. And at the end of Daniel 1, you find that those men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel are much better looking, much healthier, much stronger, much wiser, more understanding than all those others that were put to the test. Here was the first way in which God gently nudged and tugged at Nebuchadnezzar's heart in order to make him realize the God of Daniel, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the God, Nebuchadnezzar, that you must honor and bow down to, but he writes it off. You see, that was the first dealing, as recorded here, the first dealing of God with Nebuchadnezzar, a very gentle way in which he would show himself to Nebuchadnezzar as a God of power, as a God who rules, as a God who does the impossible. Yet he disregarded it. The second time, of course, the Lord rattles his chain even more, and he has a dream. And of course, he wants his magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers to tell him the dream and the interpretation, and they fail. Daniel comes along after he hears about the whole setup of them all being killed. And he, through God's grace and through the blessing of prayer, tells the dream and the interpretation. And that causes Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 verse 47 to say so clearly, The king answered unto Daniel and said, Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. There is an acknowledgment. God had wrought that second work, that second issue in Nebuchadnezzar's life. and put Daniel before him in order to show him more of what he was. And to teach Nebuchadnezzar that you may commit all things to me because I know everything. And that's what God says to us in all of our different circumstances in life. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Commit thy way to him. There is no issue that's impossible for him to deal with. He knows about it anyway. So there's an acknowledgement. In chapter one, we don't read that. In chapter two, we do. So God is nudging and pulling at Nebuchadnezzar's heart, and out of him comes this confession. And then in Daniel 3, it's even a more severe type of experience. And that in light of Nebuchadnezzar's rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who will not bow down to him, to the 90-foot image that he made. And the consequence, boys and girls, you know it. They were cast into the fire furnace. But then he saw And he said, I thought I cast three in, but I see four in the midst of the fire. There, God was revealing to him Jesus Christ as that savior of his people. He was again showing him and displaying him what a merciful God he is to not only save his people, but that Nebuchadnezzar would also respond in a positive way. And indeed he did. Indeed, he did. We read in verse 27 of Daniel 3, and the princes and governors. No, sorry, verse 28. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angels and delivered his servants that trusted in him and have changed the king's word and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any God except their own God. What a confession. But I trust you get the drift. God is showing him more and more of himself. For what purpose? To draw out Nebuchadnezzar after him, to seek mercy and grace from him, to get salvation from him. And that's why I say when God works in our lives in different ways, his goal is not to destroy us, but to show us he is a God of mercy and of grace. And his darling attribute is mercy. And he goes on and says in verse 29, therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language would speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill because there is no other God that can deliver after this sword. What a confession. Here we would say, this man is definitely under the power and influence, not only of God, but it's his grace in him that he's making such confessions. Well, I will say no, not at all. Because the chapter we have bears that out so clearly. He has the dream, the astrologers, The magicians, the Chaldeans, the soothsayers are not able to interpret the dream. It's interesting. In chapter 2, he says, tell me about the dream and the interpretation. In chapter 4, he only asks for the interpretation. He tells them the dream. And they're foiled. They're totally confused. Again, God is trying to reign Nebuchadnezzar in, to make him acknowledge him. In truth, this is the one only true God. But how do we know now that he was still a godless, unregenerate man? Well, he calls in, as I said, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, the soothsayers, the magicians, and they fail him. What was God teaching Nebuchadnezzar here as he teaches us also? Put not thy trusted man, nor thy confidence in princes. And then verse eight tells us something very interesting. Sometimes we pass over little words. But we read, but at the last, Daniel came in. But at the last, Daniel came in before me. Interesting to note, As some commentators say, Daniel was not among the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, or the Chaldeans. It's very well possible that Daniel recognized what we read in 1 Corinthians 6, come out from among and be separate. he may have recognized how dangerous it was to associate with the ungodly, not out of a proud and pompous spirit, but because God had his heart and he recognized to fool around with danger could be detrimental to his own spiritual well-being. But others say that, well, because he was the master of the magicians, he was called on last. And yet others also say that it could be that those magicians and astrologers didn't want him around because he was not a good influence for them. So you see here, in one way or the other, a clash between the seat of the serpent and the seat of the woman. And then we have that telling revelation. which tells us where Nebuchadnezzar is still at. He says, O Belteshazzar, verse 9, master of the magicians, because thou, I know that the spirit of the holy gods, plural, is in thee, and no secret trouble is thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. He doesn't call Daniel the servant of the living God, and yet he had acknowledged that the God of Daniel was the God of gods. You see how hypocritical he was? Here was not genuine conversion, but rather he was still holding to his gods, and he calls him Beldeshazzar. He had named him after the God of Bel, the Dunghill God. we would say, poor Nebuchadnezzar. But he says, master of the magicians, not servant of God. Again indicating that he was still pushing himself as far away from God as he could. Are you doing that, young people? Congregation? Pushing God out of your life? Like Pharaoh, who is the Lord that I should obey him? He's holding on to his idolatry. He's holding on to his gods. He says, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in me. Why did he say holy gods? Because there was a mentality in those days that there were evil gods and there were good gods. Evil gods or holy gods. And because of what Daniel had done already by God's power and grace in the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, he's listed as one of those holy gods, those good gods, who was never ever a detriment to Nebuchadnezzar, but rather one who sought Nebuchadnezzar's welfare. Thus were the visions of my head in my bed. So what do we have in verse 9 before we go to 10? We have a revealing address. We have the evidence that Nebuchadnezzar is still worshipping himself, worshipping his gods, is a man that loves his idols and does not want to part with them. And so Daniel gives him a listening ear. Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed. I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth. And the height thereof was great. See what God did in this dream was revealed to Nebuchadnezzar what he was like. And what was he like? What is meant when it says here, I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth. Remember, he had conquered all the then established world. And it's believed that Nebuchadnezzar was at the center, geographically at the center of all those different kingdoms around him that he had conquered. So when it says here, I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, that tree is his own kingdom. It's a display of his own power. in the midst, Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and government occupied a central position in the world. And it says, the tree grew and was strong and the height thereof reached to heaven and the sight thereof to the end of the earth. Very simply stated, it means it grew higher. it grew wider, it grew taller, it grew thicker, more branches and leaves, it became stronger, more stable, so that no wind or storm could uproot it. All this depicted for Nebuchadnezzar in this dream, his increasing power, the enlargement of his territory, the stability of his government, And the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was now not only world renowned, but all eyes were on him. My wife and I were out for a bit on Friday night after the concert. And we had a waitress help us and she asked why we were so dressed up. He said we had just come from a concert. And we got chatting and said it was a concert at a church. And we invited her to come Saturday night. She said, is Taylor Swift going to be there? And I thought to myself, that lady, that girl, has that image, that idol in her mind. Maybe. I could be judging. But that was the first response. Well, you know, Taylor Swift was made someone famous last week because she made some big splash on the world stage. And that's the big thing. Maybe for you as young people, she's your hero. Or some other hero, hockey star or whatever. But you know, Nebuchadnezzar, was a hero. He was a man of popularity, a man of great power, a man of influence, and yet we often forget what the Bible says. And what does the Bible say about even those who are in such power? We shall all die like men and fall like one of the princes." How many different celebrities, sadly, have gotten success and it has just eroded their personality so that they either took their lives, overdosed or whatever, and died. What's God telling us? Exactly what it says here. We shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Don't turn and don't set your heart on the idols and the heroes of this world. Because you know what? Nebuchadnezzar would die too. With all that he had, he would end up with only a coffin, six feet long, and maybe 30 inches wide, and a portion in the ground. Everything he had, he would have left behind. But then it goes on to say that not only did the tree grow, but that the leaves thereof were fair. The leaves thereof. Referencing to the many different provinces in his empire. And the fact that the leaves were fair teaches us that those provinces were flourishing. What does it say? The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much. Nebuchadnezzar's wealth, when it refers to fruits, has reference to his wealth, his revenue, having increased so that every province not only flourishes, but his bank account, if we could say it that way, just grows and grows and grows. And he has nothing to worry about. And then it says, and in it was meat for all. Because of the success, because his kingdom was fair and flourishing, there was plenty of business, there was plenty of trade, there was sufficient business that brought in great prosperity. It's very possible. There was very little poverty and tremendous affluence and luxury. Oh, how content Nebuchadnezzar was and the people of his kingdom. And yet he was known to be a ruthless leader. Anyone who defied him was done away with. And yet, God blesses so richly. The beasts of the field had shadow under it, depicting Nebuchadnezzar's power being so great that all his subjects, the great people known as beasts, as well as the fowls, the weaker and less significant, were part of his kingdom and had protection and a measure of prosperity. And it's interesting, because just as Nebuchadnezzar is at his pinnacle of success, the vision introduces in our third thought, verse 14, a voice speaking, a voice speaking. But what do we draw out of the second point? You may have success, you may have prosperity, you may have abilities, you may have talents, you may have all kinds of things. So that you can say, my life is really pretty good. With that, is God acknowledged as the giver of all those gifts? With that, have you been humbled to say, these are not my doings or my abilities, but God gives me these talents. He gives me this success. Or is it like Nebuchadnezzar, running away with it, and you're at rest in your house and flourishing in your life, but godless? What a worthless life. But what a thankless life. when God each day directs all of us, and provides for us, and shows His mercy and His goodness towards us, and then we run away with it, and say, this is what my hand has done, this is what my brain has done, this is what my money has bought, look at all I have. Congregation, Not only is it a revealing address, but we have to ask ourselves, what's my address? Am I proud? Am I self-satisfied? Or am I humbled? What's my address? Is God the God of my life? Or is Mammon the God of my life? What's your address? We all have an address that we live at. We have a house number and a street name. And we live at that house. And in that house, there can be different things that go on that God sees and knows and records. So what's your address tonight? And what does this vision say to you? Fat and flourishing? You know, in Deuteronomy 32, verse 4, we read, when Jeshua waxed fat, he forgot the Lord. And so often, that's what happens. When we flourish, when we have luxuries, when we are satisfied, we don't need the Lord. And Nebuchadnezzar didn't need him either. But then there came a voice from heaven. I saw in the vision of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one. A watcher and a holy one came down from heaven. Remember, he's dreaming, boys and girls. This isn't real in terms of exactly being carried out at this point, but he's dreaming and he's seeing in this vision a Watcher and a Holy One come down from heaven. What is God doing? He is again pursuing Nebuchadnezzar. For what purpose? That Nebuchadnezzar would turn to him and forsake his way and live. You see here God is coming in the way of his mercy and yet in the way of his judgment. Mercy and judgment are both here. What are these holy ones? Who are these watchers? Well, they are angels. that do God's bidding. We can read about angels in the Bible. They can protect, they can watch over. Psalm 91 verse 11 says, He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. Angels can carry out God's command. Psalm 103 verse 20, Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto his voice. That's exactly what happened here. They hearken to the voice of the Lord. Angels came to minister to Jesus after he was tempted in the wilderness. Two of these verses tell us very clearly that angels can carry out very positive things. They minister to Jesus in the wilderness. They protect and watch over the church, God's children. But there's also a verse here that tells us that angels can do things that are negative. And what are the things that are negative? We read, I saw in the vision of my head, visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven. He cried aloud. In other words, there was his voice in this dream that startled Nebuchadnezzar. Just like you have a dream, sometimes at night you may wake up sweating, a nightmare, something which causes you boys and girls to go to mom and dad crying because you're so afraid. Here's this Nebuchadnezzar. And the angel cried aloud and with a loud voice and said thus, hew down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves and scatter his fruits, lest the beasts get away from under it and the fowls from his branches. That's judgment. What is the Lord saying here? Because it's Lord who has commanded these angels to come with this message. And they do his bidding willingly and gladly. What are the angels, what is the Lord saying here? Cut this man down. Take away his kingdom. Remove his provinces. Take away his wealth. His power, his influence, his prestige. Break down his pride. You see, this judgment is real. Because Nebuchadnezzar would be told in this dream when it's interpreted, which we'll consider the next time, Lord willing, he's being told that his whole life and all he had achieved would be utterly gone. And this happened one year after he had this dream. Because if you look at the end of Daniel, can't find the verse right now. Yeah, in verse 29, Daniel 4 verse 29, it says, verse 28, it says, came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon and here we have it that he was unconverted yet the king spake and said is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by my might, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty. And then verse 31, while the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O king, nebuchadnezzar. So one year later, this came about. Now we said that this was the angel and the voice of God, the messenger who brought God's message as a message of judgment. And sometimes we pass over little words, but this is a bigger word. And there's one word that tells us about the character of God. And it's the word in verse 15, nevertheless. Nevertheless, oh, that's full of the mercy of God. Why? Though he would take Nebuchadnezzar off the world stage, He did not utterly destroy Nebuchadnezzar. And in that respect, Proverbs 29 verse 1 was not fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar's life. Remember, he that being awful reproved, hardness next, shall suddenly be cut off, and that without remedy. Nebuchadnezzar was being reproved, but there's a nevertheless. And dear congregation, dear young people, Dear parents, this nevertheless shows us the character of God, what he's like towards us as sinners. He would rather show his mercy and his grace than destroy. And why? Because rooted in this nevertheless is the work of Jesus Christ. It says, nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth. In other words, in Job 14, verse 7, we read that if a tree is cut down, there's hope that it will live and little sprouts will come up. And what's being said here is that's also the case. Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and a brass. What does that mean? Well, it was very common if you read Mark 5 verse 4 about the man that was possessed with the devil, he was bound with chains. It was a very common practice that that would be done in order to prevent a person from hurting themselves. So here you have another evidence of God's mercy. Put him in chains, he'll be out in the field, but chain him up so he can't hurt himself. He can't take his own life. That's what God's saying here. What an act of mercy and grace and loving kindness from the Lord. He wouldn't destroy Nebuchadnezzar in the tender grass of the field. Not even the tough straws that are left after the cattle eat all the good stuff, but rather the tender grass. And let it be wet with the dew of heaven, tells us. that he would be there night and day because the dew falls at night and he would be there throughout night and day for seven years. Seven years, we read in verse 16, let his heart be changed from man's and let a beast's heart be given him. Let him be like a brute. Let him not have the ability to reason anymore and yet sufficiently enough that he'll understand exactly what's happening. For what purpose? That God, that he would be humbled before God, and let his heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass over him. Seven years he would be in this situation. And then, this matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the Most High There's who it comes from, a triune God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of God. That's the crux of it all. That's the purpose of God, to reveal that He is sovereign ruler, to reveal that men might know, boys and girls might know, teenagers might know, parents may know, we might all know that God is in control, that God deserves our service, that God deserves our obedience. But we have a problem. We're just like Nebuchadnezzar. But God doesn't have a problem. Because as He could master Nebuchadnezzar by His power, and yet with His judgments still adding to it mercy, so beloved congregation, He can do the same to us. You may be living with trials, difficulties, challenges, backsliding. You may be met by oppositions and difficulties of all sorts. Don't rebel. Ask the Lord, what are you teaching me? And Lord, make me teachable. And don't forget that in the midst of judgment, as verse 14 tells us, there is the nevertheless. Not so that. we can try and test God to his limits. Otherwise, Proverbs 29 verse 1 will become real. He that being often reproved, harneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, not without remedy, but for the purpose that this nevertheless may lead us to see that God is merciful through Jesus Christ and his congregation. He is, Scripture clearly reveals, that this Jesus Christ has not only purchased mercy, he's purchased grace, he's purchased repentance, he's purchased pardon, and he will freely give it out. But to the rebellious and the hard-hearted who persist in their way, you may be cut off without a remedy. And woe unto you if that's the case, because then there will be no hope. And yet as we end tonight, there is hope, because nevertheless, God spoke and left the stump of his roots in the earth. Oh, when God will work in your life, he'll cut you down for sure. He'll cut you down like a stump, but he will not destroy you. Plus, His desire and His delight is to save you rather than destroy you. And I urge you, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ tonight, because He is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God through Him. Amen. Almighty, gracious, and good-doing Lord, Thou art the God of truth, the God of judgment and justice, but also the God of mercy in that little nevertheless. Because, Lord, the furtherance of this vision and its interpretation will reveal again Thy abundant mercy to Nebuchadnezzar, a restoration And Lord, Thou hath given Thy Son to not only reconcile us with Thee, but to restore us into favor and communion with Thee. And Thou hath given Thy Son, who humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross, so that we too might learn the blessedness of true humility. and we might learn to fight against and crucify our sinful pride through the power and person of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying. Lord, bless the congregation as we enter this week. Give what's needed for every family. Bless our children, our young people as they go up to school, universities. But Thou provide. We also remember the situation in the Middle East. Remember Israelite covenant people. O Lord, through these ways reveal unto them that the Messiah is come and that He is a Savior of souls. Remember the Palestinian people, Thy children who may be among them also, those who suffer so much, along with the people of Israel, with the horrible massacre and all that happened on October 7. Lord, turn Thy hand of mercy and grace and cause that many souls may come to repentance and cry out for forgiveness of sin. Lord, thou knowest the situation in Ukraine with Russia. Remember both nations there. Bring that to an end. Lord, thou knowest that there is turmoil all around the world. And these world leaders who exercise such power and authority They too are but men and shall die. But thou art sovereign God and ruler, and grant that our eyes may be fixed on thee, and that faith may be strengthened to commit all these things to thee, because they are destabilizing in our world. And yet may we find and be comforted from those words, the Lord reigneth. Let the people tremble. Hear and answer our prayer. Pardon all our many sins. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's close with singing Psalter 254 verses 4 and 5. 254, 4 and 5. Take heed and harden not your heart. May the words be blessed. 254 verses 4 and 5 in our doxology will be 376, 1 and 5. Let's lift our flattered, stormy vows from God. Taking a deep, broken bond, Blessing your fathers who forgot, With very heart, consoling praise, Amen. Receive now the blessing of the Lord and go in peace. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.