The following message was given at Emanuel Baptist Church, Coconut Creek, Florida. Now if you would please take your Bibles and turn with me to Daniel chapter 3 and we'll pick up with our reading today at verse 26. I'm going to be reading a large section of scripture today. We're going to read from verse 26 of chapter 3 all the way to the end of chapter four. But before we do, let's go to the Lord in prayer once again. Our Father, as we come before you this morning, we are so thankful for the privilege that we have to gather in your name and to worship you, to sing your praises and to open up your holy word. And we remember this morning all those around our land and at various times throughout the world of your true people who will be gathering to worship you And we pray that you'd pour out your spirit upon the churches today. We pray, Father, that you would send your grace, your power, your spirit, that you would revive your church. We pray, Father, that many sinners will be converted to you, that Jesus Christ will be honored, and we pray that his kingdom will be extended throughout the world. And we pray that that would be the case in this room today, that Christ would have preeminence and that your power through the gospel would be effective in the hearts of many to renew the faith of your people and to work faith in those who have yet to believe. And we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Follow as I read now, picking up at verse 26. The Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men, on whose bodies the fire had no power. The hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. And they have frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own god. And therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made in ash heap, because there is no other God who can deliver like this." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the most high God has worked for me. How great are his signs and how mighty his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in. And I told them the dream, but they did not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me. His name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my God." And I think when he's saying that there, he's saying in terms of at that point that was his God, and that that's the reason he's given the explanation for why Daniel was named Belteshazzar. In him is the Spirit of the Holy God. And I told the dream before him, saying, About the Chazar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you. Explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. These were the visions of my head while on my bed. I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong. Its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it. The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a Watcher, a Holy One, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus, Chop down the tree and cut off its branches. Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless, leave the 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 beasts on the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man. Let him be given the heart of the beast, and let seven times pass over him. 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, gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men. "'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. Balthazar 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, and which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens 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 beasts 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 is 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 the 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 then, as much 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. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months, he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for my royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? 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. And they shall drive you from men and your dwelling shall be with the beast of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he chooses. That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men and ate grass like oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever. For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you done? At the same time, my reason returned to me. and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me. I was restored to my kingdom and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, all of whose works are truth and his ways justice, and those who walk in pride he is able to put down. Our Father, we thank you for your holy word that we have had the privilege to read this morning, and now we ask that you would grant us understanding of it and its relevance to our lives. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen. On May 30th, 1735, Jonathan Edwards, many of you have heard of Jonathan Edwards, he wrote a letter of eight pages to Dr. Benjamin Coleman, pastor of Brattle Street Church in Boston at the time. And in that letter he described the amazing work of the Spirit of God in his own congregation that he was seeing in his own church and in the neighboring churches there in that area of New England. Coleman sent much of the letter to a friend in London where news quickly spread about what was happening in the colonies. And Edwards was then asked to write a more detailed account, which he did. And here's the full original title. Now, back in those days, they didn't just give little kind of title hints. The title usually described basically what the whole book was going to be about. So here was the original title of the work. It was called, A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton and the Neighboring Towns and Villages of the County of Hampshire in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. That was the title. Now, you'll often hear it referred to now today as a narrative of surprising conversions. And if you've never read it, I really encourage you to read it. It's a good introduction to Jonathan Edwards to read The Narrative of Surprising Conversions. In fact, I think there is published a little book that has some of his revival writings in it. It has The Narrative of Surprising Conversions, Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England, and The Distinguishing Marks of the Work of the Spirit of God all in one volume. We used to have that in the bookstore. I don't know if we do today, but I still remember when I first read A Narrative of Surprising Conversions when I was a seminary student many years ago. Well, the passage we just read this morning could be entitled, A Narrative of a Surprising Conversion. A Narrative of a Surprising Conversion. As we return to our study of the book of Daniel, You will have noticed that the focus of the book now shifts from Daniel and his three friends to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the literary camera now turns to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon himself, the Babylonian monarch who had conquered Israel carrying away many of the Jews into captivity, including Daniel and his three friends. And we've arrived in our study to the conclusion of chapter 3, and this then leads into the remarkable events of chapter 4, which again focus on Nebuchadnezzar himself. So, what I want to do today is something a little bit different, rather than open up just a few verses, I'm going to give an overview today of God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar. More specifically, first a review of Nebuchadnezzar before chapter 4, then a preview of Nebuchadnezzar after chapter 4, and then also an overview of Nebuchadnezzar's experience in between, or in Now, God willing, we may come back and open up some more of the details of chapter 4 in future messages, but I'm basically going to cover this whole passage in one sermon today. And there are many lessons for us here that we can consider as we consider God's dealings with this man. And I do want to credit Stuart Elliott, all the different things I read on the book of Daniel. His little, simple, little commentary on the book of Daniel in the chapter four, this is the approach that he takes. And so I'm drawing from that approach because I thought it was very helpful and I'll be drawing from him in some other parts of the message from time to time as well. So I really highly recommend that book, by the way, if you want a simple, easy to read commentary on the book of Daniel, Stuart Elliott's little commentary. So let's begin with a review of Nebuchadnezzar before the events of chapter 4. And we'll begin with what we learned about him back in chapter 1. There we saw his policy of taking the cream of the crop of the Jewish youth from among those taken captive and giving them a Babylonian education. And he was doing that with a view of preparing them for positions of civil service within the empire. And we saw how, as a matter of conscience toward God, four of those Hebrew youths, those teenagers, they refused to partake of the diet the king prescribed for them. And the outcome was that God honored these young men as they had honored Him. And at the end of the training period, they proved to be fitter, and intellectually superior to all of their fellow students, and even better than those who were already among the king's counselors." So Nebuchadnezzar, in that context, he met these remarkable young men, unlike any young men he had ever met. Four teenagers, now about 17 years old, who were wiser than all of his counselors, and who showed such an unusual and sincere devotion to their God. And certainly, that had to have made quite an impression on the mind of the king. But of course, a mere contact with believers, being impressed by their lives and character, is not conversion. And when we got into the events of chapter 2, make it clear that Nebuchadnezzar was still a pagan. You remember in chapter 2, we find the king troubled and distressed by a dream. And he calls all of these wise men together, his astrologers and sorcerers and magicians and the Chaldeans. And when these men could neither tell him the dream nor its interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar became furious and he rashly ordered the execution of the entire faculty of his advisors in the realm. Nebuchadnezzar was still a godless man. Then you remember what happened. Daniel finds out about the dilemma and he and his three friends take it to God in prayer and God reveals to Daniel the dream and its meaning and while giving all of the credit to God, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation. Now you remember that. He shows Nebuchadnezzar. that his kingdom will give way to another, and the next will give way to another, and so on, and that during the time of the fourth great world empire, a kingdom of supernatural and divine origin will be set up, the messianic kingdom of God, a kingdom that will crush the kingdoms of men, and from its small and feeble beginnings will grow and increase until it eventually fills the whole earth and it will never pass away." So the bankruptcy of Nebuchadnezzar's own religion was highlighted in that event by the failure of his pagan counselors to see what was, by contrast, revealed to God's servant, Daniel. And what kind of an effect did that have upon Nebuchadnezzar? Well, beginning in verse 47 of chapter 2, we read that, "...the king answered Daniel and said, Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets." And he also went on to promote Daniel and his three friends. And once again we find, that the king was deeply impressed, and even more impressed this time, by the reality and the greatness of Daniel's God. So at the end of chapter 2, we have great hopes for King Nebuchadnezzar. We might even be tempted to think that he's now truly a changed man. But not so, as the events we just recently considered in chapter 3 go on to reveal. When we come to chapter 3, we find him still as ungodly and full of pride and self-glory and idolatry as ever. He sets up a great image on the plain of Dura, I think in part to represent himself and his kingdom, and he commands all of his officials from across the empire to bow down and to worship it with the threat of being thrown into a burning fiery furnace if they refuse to do so. Now again, this is the same man who at the end of chapter 2 showed such reverence and respect for God and gave praise to God, the same man who bestowed all of these honors upon the servants of God by promoting them to positions of prominence within his kingdom. But here in chapter 3 we've seen him commanding men to worship an idol and persecuting these very same servants of the God he had honored before. And this tells us that Doane of Nebuchadnezzar's heart was greatly moved and shaken in chapter 2, it had not been renewed. He was moved, he was convicted, he was caused to do many things, and to say a number of what we might call nice things about God. But underneath, instead of having a new, believing, and repentant heart, he still had the same old heart, unrenewed by the Spirit. However, God in His great mercy and patience continues to deal with this man. As we've been working our way through chapter 3, I remind you of what happened. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were among those who were made to gather on the plain of Dura. And when the music began to play, and everyone else caved in, and everyone else bowed to the image, they refused to do so. And as a result of their firm stand and their refusal to bow, even after being given a second chance, Nebuchadnezzar is livid with them and he orders that the furnace is to be heated seven times hotter and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are bound in their clothes and cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar witnessed an astounding miracle. As he peered into the furnace, he saw these men, not screaming in pain and consumed in the flames, but walking about in the fire totally unharmed. And the most astonishing thing of all was that as he looked in, he saw not three men in the fire, but there was a fourth man. And the appearance of the fourth was like the Son of God." Now what effect did this amazing event, coupled with his own sight of this divine being, have upon the king? Well, again, We see him deeply impressed, even more than ever. Once again, his conscience is awakened and his heart is moved to consider spiritual realities. He calls these three Hebrews to come out of the furnace. And then in verse 28, he gives praise to the God of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And at the end of verse 29 he says, there is no other God who can deliver like this. And he also applauds the courage and faithfulness of these three Hebrews. They trusted in their God and he commends them for doing that in contradiction to his own decree. He's not angry with them now for doing that. He praises them for doing that and then he commands them commends them for doing this at the risk of their own lives and they have yielded their bodies that they should not serve nor worship any God except their own God and then he issues a royal edict by which, in effect, he gives official sanction and protection to the worship of Jehovah. Not that he made the worship of Jehovah the state religion, but he issues what we might call an edict of toleration or protection. Verse 29, Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap, because there is no other God who can deliver like this." And then finally, he shows preference to these young servants of God by giving them another promotion in his kingdom. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. So this is how chapter 3 ends. Now, if this were where the book of Daniel ended at this point, we might be tempted to believe, once again, that Nebuchadnezzar is now really and truly and finally and genuinely converted, a converted man. Surely he has seen the light. But as we get to chapter 4, we discover that fundamentally Nebuchadnezzar is still unchanged. He is a man who shows, even after these events in chapter 3, that he is still enslaved to pride and self-rule and self-glory. Self-autonomy is still there in place in his heart. Now, there are several practical lessons we can learn from this before we move on. First of all, in Nebuchadnezzar we have a striking proof that even fallen unregenerate human nature is capable of being deeply moved by spiritual and eternal realities. Nebuchadnezzar was moved by these things at times, but Nebuchadnezzar was still an unconverted man. You see, men and women can be greatly affected. They can even respond in very positive ways to God's truth and still be unsaved. And how we need to realize this, be aware of this in this day and age in which you and I are living. A day in which the common understanding of what it means to be a Christian in many evangelical churches has become so watered down that men are very quick to pass off as the real thing what amounts to nothing more than a passing religious emotion and temporary conviction. The prevailing influence of Arminianism in the American church for the last 150, 175 years, with its superficial view, first of all, of the nature and the depth of human depravity and bondage to sin, it has resulted in a superficial view of conversion, which corresponds with that. Faith in Christ and repentance are reduced merely to some act. A man in his lost state has the will and the power to do. Therefore it's no longer understood to be the result, to necessitate and to be the result of a supernatural inward transformation of the heart by the power of God. Men can regenerate themselves whenever they please by simply raising a hand. or walking down the aisle, during an altar call, repeating some canned prayer that some well-meaning person puts into their mouth. Go through the ritual, and all is well, and nothing more is expected. If a person evidences that the truth has moved them in some way, and they make some kind of positive response, we are to assure them that they are now saved and should never question it. And it's this superficial approach. that's sending thousands to hell with a lie in their hands who have no more grace than Nebuchadnezzar did. And that becomes very soon and very quickly demonstrated in their lives. We have this huge multitude of professing Christians in our land who give no evidence of having a heart of ongoing believing attachment to Jesus Christ and submission to his rule over their lives. And then secondly, In Nebuchadnezzar we also have a sobering reminder of the natural tendency of the human heart to lose good impressions. Nebuchadnezzar is impressed, he's convicted, but all too soon those good impressions cool off, they pass away, he's right back where he was before because his nature is still the same. There's been no fundamental change. Good impressions come again, but again how soon they pass away. And we see that in this man several times, more times than once in the language of the prophet Isaiah, his goodness was like the morning cloud, and like the early dew, that quickly passes away. And we shouldn't think that Nebuchadnezzar is unusual in this. This is very common. Many there are, like Nebuchadnezzar, who maybe get moved for a time and all heated up and impressed by the gospel, but it cools off and they're right back where they were again. And some can have this experience, like Nebuchadnezzar did, of being partially awakened to spiritual things for a while, even several times in their lives with the same result. Because it's never followed through with. They never strive to enter in the gate. They just have a few passing feelings and they're right back where they were. They go right back to the same. And listen, there is a great danger if you're a person like that, that the time will come when God will no longer deal with you. And He will give you up to a hardened heart that can be moved no longer and will no longer care. And I have seen that in my ministry. I've been a pastor for 30-something years, and I've sadly seen that happen many times. I've seen people who seem to be really interested for a while, really concerned and asking questions, but then soon they're right back where they were. And sometimes I've seen that happen numbers of times, and now those people are hardened to the gospel. They don't care about church anymore, or the Word, and they're back in the world. Seen it happen. Let me borrow an illustration from the 18th century Welsh preacher John Elias. I think I've, I'm sure I've used this before, and some of you may recognize it. In illustrating this danger, He recalls the time when the local blacksmith had bought a new dog. Shortly afterward, when Elias visited the blacksmith's shop, the dog could be heard barking fiercely whenever the blacksmith's hammer beat on the metal of the horseshoes. However, as time went on, the barking became quieter and less frequent, until one day Elias looked into the smith to catch the black smith hammering away at the anvil and saw the dog sound asleep by the fire, silent at last." It's like some of us who grew up in the country. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, way out in the middle of nowhere, literally. And when I went to bed at night, you didn't hear anything. You were completely quiet. You didn't see lights. Nothing. You might hear the crickets and things like that. And so, you know, when I first time I ever lived in a city and your cars are driving by and there's street lights, it takes, you know, a little getting used to. Well, I don't even notice it anymore, right? Because I'm used to it. Well, that's the picture. This can happen to your conscience, you see. That's the point. Good impressions and convictions keep being pushed aside, pushed down, resisted, slighted. until they finally lose all their force, and the conscience becomes so accustomed to the hammering of truth, the sound of the Word of God, that eventually it's given over to hardness. What a dreadful thought. And I fear there are some here today who are in great danger of that happening to you. And I think about, you know, you hear my voice week after week, and perhaps for some of you, it's nothing, it's just like the ceiling fan over your head in the bedroom at night. You don't even, it's the same old thing. You don't even think about it. It just goes in one ear, out the other. Your heart has become hardened. But thirdly, In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, we also have a wonderful example of the patience and the long-suffering of God. God has spoken to this man indirectly in chapter 1 through the godly testimony of Daniel and his friends. He has spoken to him more directly in chapter 2 through the dream and Daniel's giving of the interpretation in chapter 2. And in chapter 3, God speaks to him very dramatically and powerfully and shakes him to the core of his being by what he saw in the furnace. But still Nebuchadnezzar is unrepentant and unchanged. God has knocked and knocked and knocked again. But still he's refused to yield his heart without conditions to God. He still retains his own self autonomy. Now after all of this, we might think that God has had enough. and that he's going to leave Nebuchadnezzar alone to his own devices and to a hardened heart as he did with Pharaoh during the time of Moses. And God would be justified if he did so, but he doesn't do it. And I think probably, partly so is because I believe Daniel was praying for this man. You see when you read the narrative that he had compassion for Nebuchadnezzar. And instead of Nebuchadnezzar being given up to final and complete hardness, God in His kindness is long-suffering with this man as He was with some of us in our unconverted days, and as He has been up to this point with some of you here this morning. And in chapter 4, God is going to knock again. Isn't it amazing to think that in all of the tragedy of the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem that we were even learning about this morning from the book of Lamentations, that in all of that God had purposes of mercy. He had purposes of love and mercy for this wicked, arrogant, pagan king who was the one who destroyed Jerusalem. And he has determined to bring him to repentance that he might pour out his mercy upon him. And this is what he does. So much for a review of Nebuchadnezzar before the events of chapter 4. Now, more briefly, let's focus our attention, secondly, upon a preview of Nebuchadnezzar after the events. You think of a before and after picture. We've seen before a review, now a preview of Nebuchadnezzar after the events of Chapter 4. Now, obviously, Chapter 4 was written sometime after the events that are recorded in it. And by looking at the beginning of the chapter and the end of the chapter, we see that what happens in between had profoundly changed this Babylonian monarch. Now again, this is just a preview. God willing, we may look at some of this in more detail in the days ahead. I haven't decided. The chapter itself is a letter. It is an open letter to the nations, written by Nebuchadnezzar himself. And it begins with a proclamation in verses 1 to 3. In verse 1, he identifies himself, Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth. Peace be multiplied to you. Then he says something very startling. He gives what we can call, there's no stretch to call it a public confession of his faith. and of what God has done for him. Verse 2, I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. In other words, what Nebuchadnezzar is here publicly confessing is that God has done a wonderful work in my life, and I want to tell you what God has done for me. Then he goes on in verse 3 to praise God. He praises Him for His doings, how great are His signs and how mighty His wonders. And He acknowledges His sovereign majesty and supremacy and everlasting dominion. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion from generation to generation. Now immediately we begin to notice something new and different in this confession. He wants the whole world to know what God has done for him, even though, as we're going to see, he's not the hero of the story. Even though it involves some very shameful, embarrassing things, it involves publicly confessing his former and shameful arrogance and sin. And he not only acknowledges God's rule, he underscores its unchanging and everlasting duration, evidently meaning by this to contrast it with the passing and perishing nature of his own kingdom. And he seems to do this with delight, not just in the heat of the moment, constrained by fear. Now this open letter is written sometime well after these events recorded in it happened. Furthermore, he's no longer speaking of God merely as the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or the God of Daniel, or as a God, or as a God of gods, or in comparison with other gods as he did in the previous instances. So it seems that indeed here a great change has come over Nebuchadnezzar. And he goes on to explain why. And then at the end of the chapter this change is seen perhaps even more clearly. Look at verse 34. At the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. His dominion is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom is from generation to generation. But then there's more. In verse 35, from Nebuchadnezzar himself, we have perhaps the most powerful and comprehensive statement of the universal sovereignty of God in all of Scripture. Verse 35, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you done? So here is a man who has been brought to rejoice in the reality that God is king. that God is in control of the world and in control of my life and Nebuchadnezzar is glad of this and he's praising God for this and he's rejoicing in the fact of his own utter nothingness in comparison to God and his own utter dependence upon this God. What an amazing transformation has taken place in this man's heart. And then in verse 37 we have Nebuchadnezzar's deliberate public personal confession of faith. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth and His ways justice, and those who walk in pride He is able to put down." So what has happened? It seems pretty clear to me. The Nebuchadnezzar after the events of chapter 4 is not the same man he was before the events of chapter 4. Excuse me just a minute, I spilled water all over myself and I need to wipe my hands here. Sorry about that. He's a different man. And I believe that he was truly converted. Now I know that commentators, they debate that. There are some who question that. Because the text doesn't actually say, Nebuchadnezzar was converted. But the Old Testament rarely speaks in those terms. Usually when someone is converted, we learn that from the description of what happened to them, not that there's some statement that says, he was born again, or he was converted. But the fact is, that Daniel 4 begins and ends with a worshiping king, worshiping the one and only true God as he really is, and not merely in a fit of momentary passion or fear, but in a deliberate, self-humiliating, self-humbling manner, sometime well after the fact of his experience. We see him worshiping God as both true and just, gladly bowing to his sovereign rule over him, and gladly acknowledging his own unworthiness before this God. His worship is suffused with both humility and enthusiasm and gladness that God has abased him and exalted himself and has shown him mercy. Now his faith may still have been weak, his knowledge may still have been somewhat limited, yet the indications are there, as I see it, that his faith was a real faith, and his knowledge true, and it produced real and saving fruit. And this is his public testimony. to the world of what God had done for him. In the language of Paul's description of the conversion of the Thessalonians, he has turned to God from idols to serve the living and the true God. This is Nebuchadnezzar after the events of chapter 4. Now, what happened that resulted in this change? I've given you a review of Nebuchadnezzar before chapter 4, a preview of Nebuchadnezzar after the events of chapter 4. And now thirdly, let's consider briefly an overview of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4. I emphasize an overview. It's a lot of territory. I'm just going to go over it briefly. First of all, Nebuchadnezzar tells us that God visited him with another alarming dream. Verses 4 and 5. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. And then again, as before in the other situations, his first recourse is to turn to his worldly wise men, his pagan counselors, who were again unable to interpret the dream. But then last of all, he says, Daniel came in before me. Verse 8. And in verses 9 to 17, Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel the dream. In the dream he saw a tree that was growing, and it grew until it reached up into heaven, and it could be seen to all the ends of the earth. And then he saw what he calls a Watcher, a Holy One, coming down from heaven, probably an angel. And the watcher, as he describes him, demanded that the tree be cut down to the stump and is to stay out in the field bound with iron and bronze and with the dew upon it. And then the dream hints that the stump represents a person as the angel says, let his heart be changed from that of a man. Let him be given the heart of a beast and let seven times pass over him. So this is the terrifying dream that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar. And then secondly, the dream is opened up and interpreted by Daniel in verses 19 to 27. And notice Daniel's compassion for this man, verses 19 to 20. The text says that when Daniel heard the dream, he wasn't saying, oh man, Nebuchadnezzar's finally gonna get his. That wasn't his attitude, was it? It says he was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. He was overcome, he didn't even want to say it. The king's looking and he can see the anguish upon the face and the compassion upon the face of Daniel. He has to even coax Daniel to speak. And then with grief and compassion, Daniel expresses how he sincerely desires and wishes that this dream was not about the king. And you can't help but wonder how that must have affected Nebuchadnezzar. I mean, all of his life as king, people had feared him. They had flattered him. But here's a man that really cared about him, that had compassion upon him. Even a man that he himself had drug away from his family and had brought into captivity, and yet he's looking at this man full of compassion toward him. Must have had a profound effect upon him. But then, Daniel faithfully proclaims the message. So Daniel's a great example of a faithful messenger. There was compassion, but there's also candor and courage to speak the truth. But then Daniel faithfully proclaims God's unpleasant and painful message. He tells Nebuchadnezzar that the tree he saw represents him, the king, and that God is going to cut him down and humble him, that he will be driven from men, his dwelling will be with the beasts, and he will eat grass like oxen and be wet with the dew of heaven until seven times pass over him, or seven periods of time. And Daniel declares the purpose for which God is going to do this at the end of verse 25, And this is repeated, I think, three times in this chapter, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He chooses. And then Daniel interprets the dream. After he interprets the dream, we have, thirdly, Daniel's faithful call to repentance. So there's not only compassion in Daniel, there's not only courage to speak the truth, there's also exhortation and counsel. He calls him to repentance in verse 27. He boldly, compassionately exhorts the king to repent of his sins in the hope that God might show mercy to him. But once again, Nebuchadnezzar did not repent. 12 months go by. A year-long grace period given to him by God, but still no repentance. And what happened? Well, everything happened just as God said it would, and the moment of the king's humiliation from the hand of God was at the very moment that his pride was at its highest point. It had reached its zenith. In verses 28 to 31, we have the record of it. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months, he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? 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, and they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he chooses. And then we read in verse 33 that what God said would happen did happen. That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men and ate grass like oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagle's feathers and his nails like bird's claws. God took away Nebuchadnezzar's sanity. and he gave him the mind of a beast. His hair grew until it was like matted strands and looking like eagles' feathers. His nails grew until they looked like claws and he lived out in the fields, acting like a beast, eating grass and soaked with dew." Apparently, God struck the king with a form of insanity called lycanthropy. And it's a disease in which a person imagines himself to be an animal. He identifies as an animal. I think we've got people with that disease today. I was thinking about this when I was reading this. You've got people all over the country identifying as something other than what they actually are. There's a sense of which is a form of moral insanity. Not that it's exactly the same thing we see here. But anyway, he imagined himself to be an animal. and to a certain extent acts like the animal that he imagines himself to be. There's a particular form of lycanthropy called bowanthropy when a person thinks he's a cow or a bull and he acts accordingly. And there have been many examples of this that have been recorded. And apparently one of the most interesting things about this extreme form of insanity is that while the person is thinking of himself as an animal, at the same time there still remains this inner consciousness in the sufferer of who he really is. He doesn't forget his true identity. Well, it was to this kind of humiliating condition that the Lord reduced the most powerful man in the world at that time as a punishment for his pride and also as a means of teaching him a lesson with a gracious purpose. that by the grace of God this would result in his conversion. And the results of this we've already seen. When God restored Nebuchadnezzar's reason, he was a changed man. As the seven times go over him, however long that was, probably seven years, Though he was insane and behaving like an animal, he apparently still had sufficient inner consciousness to come to grips with the truths that he should have grasped many years before. Things which he had heard, things which he had assented to in the past chapters began coming into his mind. Not suddenly, perhaps, but surely, he begins to realize that Jehovah is not just a god. but He is the only God and that He is the King of heaven and earth. He's sure now that this is true and He lays aside all resistance and surrenders Himself to this God and to the truth of which He has been convinced. Never again will He think and act and live as though He is the boss of His life. No longer will He live as though the world revolves around Him. or as if he or any other man or thing were the center of the universe, or as if any other thing in this world could ever truly satisfy his heart. From now on, he will worship God and live as a glad subject of the King of Heaven." So this is how Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was converted. How did God do it? Well, I'll tell you one thing, He didn't do it by building him up. He didn't do it by boosting his so-called self-esteem. He did it by knocking him down and humbling him and causing him to see what a fool and what a wretch he had been. And let me say that that's always the way God converts sinners. Of course, not always, and very rarely, of course, by such drastic measures, and not always in the same way, but when God brings a sinner to Christ, He brings him to the end of himself. He knocks him down in his own estimation of himself, that he might raise him up in Christ to walk in newness of life. And so there you have an overview of the events of chapter 4. I've given us a review of Nebuchadnezzar before the events, a preview of Nebuchadnezzar after the events of chapter four, and an overview of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter four. Now I want to draw all of this together by focusing on some lessons that can be drawn from this. First of all, by way of encouragement, let us be reminded by this, brothers and sisters, that we should never despair of the conversion of anyone. Right? You should never despair of the conversion of anybody. Who would have ever thought that this pagan monarch, the very king who overthrew Israel and ransacked the temple and carried God's people into captivity, the very king who tried to brainwash all of these young Hebrews with his educational policy in Babylon and to conform them to ungodly Babylonian thinking and ways, the king who persecuted them, trying to pressure them into joining into the idolatrous practices of Babylon, who would have ever thought that God would have purposes of love and kindness and mercy toward that man? Who would have ever thought that such a man would one day be converted and become one of God's children? Think about it. This arrogant, quick-tempered, angry, irrational man who commanded the execution even of his own counselors. Back in chapter 2, who would have thought that one day he would be a humble, adoring worshiper of the God of the Bible? Especially in light of all the opportunities for repentance he had already squandered. All the truth he had already neglected and had heard and had seen, all to no avail. After repeatedly hardening his heart against so much light, we might have thought there was no hope for such a man. But there was hope. As long as there is still breath, there is hope. As another has put it, while Nebuchadnezzar's God remains God, we should never despair of the conversion of anybody. You see, because of what Christ would one day do on the cross for sinners, God could save and forgive and renew even a man as wicked as this king. And because of what Christ has now done upon the cross, there is no sinner who still has breath, who is without hope. And that should encourage those of us here today who have lost loved ones to keep praying for them. Keep praying for them. When you're tempted to despair of their salvation, remember Nebuchadnezzar. This should encourage all of us in the work of evangelism. People around us today, in our culture, are becoming so hardened to the gospel, and antagonistic to it, and so apathetic. Everywhere we look around us, in our community, and in our society, it's just abounding wickedness, and folly, When you're tempted to despair and to say, it's no use preaching the gospel, it's no use witnessing to people. Remember Nebuchadnezzar. God is sovereign in salvation, and He is omnipotent. There is no heart so hard that He can't break it. There's no community or society so hardened and perverted that He can't transform it. Now, if it were all up to us and our feeble efforts alone, there would indeed be cause for despair, but salvation is of the Lord. It is our duty to keep praying and to keep working for the kingdom. And as we do so, we are to trust that ultimately God's power cannot be finally resisted by anyone God is determined to save. And my dear lost friend here this morning, don't despair. Don't think that you have gone so far, that there is no hope for you, that God can't save you, or that he's not willing to save you, or that he will not save you if you come to him in repentance, trusting in Christ. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter where you've been. You may have been to the very brink of hell itself. I mean, you may have committed sins that would make the devil blush. And you may have spurned the gospel many times, hardened your heart against it times without number, but my friend, as long as you have breath, there is hope. God has spared your life to hear this message this morning. Christ has died on the cross for sinners, real sinners. He has taken upon himself the punishment and the wrath that you deserve in the sinner's place. on that cross so that God can remain holy and just and yet freely forgive and justify any sinner who repents and puts his trust in Jesus Christ. So if there's anyone here this morning who is tempted to despair, to think there is no hope for you, remember Nebuchadnezzar. Secondly, let us also learn that the reason why It may be that some of you here this morning are still unconverted. You know what the reason is? Because you're not low enough. You're not low enough. What do I mean by that? I mean you're too proud. Too proud to take the place before God as nothing but a helpless beggar for mercy. You're still too proud Too confident in yourself. Too confident in your own plans and your own ability to run your life. You're too proud to confess yourself a wretched sinner who can do nothing to save yourself. A sinner who deserves nothing from God but hell. And it's your own stupid pride. that keeps you from bowing in submission before God's sovereign throne with a noose around your own neck with no hope but that God would be merciful to you through the shed blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You're too concerned about maintaining your reputation and keeping your cool Too concerned about saving face. But listen, my friend, God cannot save you without a loss of face on your part. Those who come to God through Christ and find mercy must come in the same way all others have come. In the same way Nebuchadnezzar came. As a lost, self-condemned sinner, owning what you are with no conditions, no demands, Like the tax collector in our Lord's parable, who would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, and he cried, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. That's the way you must come. That's the place that you must take before God. Before God lifts the sinner up, he brings him down. My friend, don't be afraid to be broken before God. He only breaks that he might remake, and a broken and a contrite heart he will not despise. Psalm 51, 17. And then thirdly and finally this morning, let us learn from God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar how true it really is, how true it is that God holds the life and well-being of every person in his hand. You are in his hands. The sovereign God to do with as he pleases. And I would lovingly press this upon those of you who are still refusing or still reluctant to yield yourself up to Christ. Do you realize that you are in God's hands? Just as Nebuchadnezzar was in his unconverted state. You are in God's hands to spare or to destroy. he chooses because of your sins you have no claims upon God you have no arguments to make with God you forfeited that we've all forfeited that because of our sins in fact learn from Nebuchadnezzar that God has the right and he has the power to take away your sanity if he so pleases and the only reason you're able to put two rational thoughts together this morning is because God allows and enables you to do so. And if He so chooses, He could take away your sanity, and tomorrow you might be out in your backyard barking like a dog, or eating grass, or you might have a stroke and lose your memory. and your ability to speak, or lose your ability to think clearly. God has you in His hand this morning. And though He is long-suffering, as we've seen, His long-suffering has a limit. Proverbs 29, 1 speaks of those who having been often reproved, harden their neck and are suddenly cast off. There is a line unseen that crosses every path. It is the line between God's mercy and His wrath. And there may be someone here this morning in this congregation and unknown to you, you are tottering on the very edge of that line. And if you harden your heart, again, against God's call, this may be the last call that He ever gives you. You may be dead tomorrow. Your ability to reason may be taken from you or something else. And I'm not exaggerating, you're just trying to scare me. I'm not just exaggerating to try to scare you. This is the sober truth. This is reality. It's a fact. You may be dead tomorrow. And as the scripture says, boast not of tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. My friend, tomorrow, you may be in hell. Tomorrow. But today, you still have life. You still have breath. You still have a sound mind. So why not use it and act upon what you've heard today? Before it's too late, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He might lift you up. Confess your sins and your helplessness to save yourself. Cast yourself upon Christ for mercy as your only hope, and He will receive you. He will have mercy upon you. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Well, may God bless His Word to our souls. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you for your word today. Please, we pray that this word spoken today, may it bring forth fruit. May it not just go up into the air or bounce off our ears and be forgotten. We pray especially for any among us today who do not know Christ. Lord, we would look upon them, we pray, with the same compassion that Daniel had for Nebuchadnezzar. We do not wish them harm. We long for them to be saved and to know the joy that we have in the forgiveness of our sins, in fellowship with you, and being in our right mind because you have saved us and you have showed us your truth. Lord, may that be the case with every person here today. Have mercy, oh God. And we pray it in Christ's name, amen. We hope you were edified by this message. For additional sermons, as well as information on giving to the ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church, and on our current building project, you can visit us online at ebcfl.org. That's ebcfl.org.