All right, let's go. I got more text in time. So this Bible's out. We got Daniel, chapter four. If you didn't bring your Bible, get them on the screen. But we want you to see it. Got a great text this morning. Not that any morning we have not a great text, but let's get after it. There's no. I don't think I have to make the case, particularly to this room, that our world is full problems. Like we see this, the chaos and frustration and difficulties and brokenness. And we can identify some specific problems. But sometimes I think we fail to identify the problem beneath the problem and ultimately see that there's a big issue of pride. The pride is kind of a precursor to other sins. That really is the foundation that other acts of rebellion are built on. And maybe this is true not only for our world, but for yourself. That you could look at your own life and feel like, yeah, I struggle with this and I wish I was better at that. But you might fail to diagnose underneath that your own struggle with pride, that pride is the problem. And pride is something that should not be taken lightly. Now, there is a good kind of pride, like it's not sinful to take pride in your kids when they do something. Well, we just got done with 2nd Corinthians and Paul writing them says, I take great pride in you. So there's a good kind of pride. But normally when we talk about pride, it's seen as a bad thing. If someone says, hey, you're a prideful person, you wouldn't take that as a compliment. That's an insult. Because pride is one of the seven deadly sins. And pride comes before what, destruction and then a haughty spirit before the fall. But it's like this bad. Like it's coming before something bad, right? It's like a prerequisite to worse things. And pride is something we have to take serious in our life. It's this arrogance and kind of an over inflated view of ourselves. And often when we think of pride, it's just like somebody who's boasting or bragging. But often our expression of pride is much more covert than that. Like we just kind of want to steer the conversation back to ourselves and we want to slip in our own credentials and we want other people to acknowledge us. Or when we look at a picture, we want to look at us. And we were not happy with the way we look. And like we're just kind of this self obsession and we want the world to revolve around us and we want things to be about us, and we want ease and comfort in our life. Like, things are built for us. Like, we're just kind of wired to fall into that. And pride is extremely dangerous. Like, it can't be taken lightly. It has to be dealt with with some level of severity. Like, if it comes before destruction and before a fall, then I want to, like, deal with something before I fall. So we have to deal with pride. But how do you deal with pride? And if you think, like, well, I'm just gonna in my own strength, resist my own pride, well, how prideful of you to think that. How do we deal with pride? Now, here's what I'm excited about in this text. I think in this text, we see a truth that's key to dealing with pride. That not so much it's something we resist in our own strength, but it's a truth we embrace. And if we embrace this truth, that truth does work on our pride. So we want to see this truth. Daniel, chapter four. Fun fact. It seems like Nebuchadnezzar is the author of Daniel chapter four. So he has something to share with us. And he's like, dan, can I get. Can I get a chapter in your book? He's like, you bet you get a chapter in my book. I don't know how it went down, but it seems like Nebuchadnezzar is the author of this, and he learns something, and he wants us to learn it. And if we're wise, it's always better to learn from someone else's mistakes than our own. And he was taught a lesson by God Almighty, and he wants other people to learn that lesson. So, Daniel, chapter four. You guys ready? All right, here we go. Nebuchadnezzar, King Nebuchadnezzar. To all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me to show you the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me. How great are his signs? How mighty his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Okay, so he caught up with that, right? Cause you remember in chapter two, you got the message from the dream, like, your kingdom's not an everlasting kingdom. God's kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You're just kind of the head of this statue before it gets destroyed. Well, then he makes, in Daniel chapter three, a whole statue of gold, trying to say, like, no, I am going to establish my kingdom forever. He's come to his senses that it's not his kingdom. It's God's kingdom, and that's an everlasting kingdom. And his dominion endures from generation to generation. Okay, that's the setup. Now he gets into sharing what he wants to share. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. And as I lay in bed, the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. So here's what he's saying first. Here's the setup. He's at ease and he's prospering and he can't sleep. Nebuchadnezzar, by anybody that kind of was living at that time, would recognize Nebuchadnezzar as the most powerful man alive. He ruled his kingdom. His kingdom was ruling the earth. He's in his palace. He has the wealth at his fingertips. He's famous, he's adored. Like, he's. He's got it all. Like, Nebuchadnezzar is living the life he. He's in ease and prospering. And that's kind of like our ambition. Like, I wanna get to live at ease. Like, I'll work hard now so I don't have to work later, right? We're pursuing ease, we're pursuing comfort. We're pursuing prosperity. He got it. And yet he can't sleep. There's a troubling in his spirit because all of the wealth and all of the fame and all of the power, it doesn't deliver, it doesn't satisfy. There's still an unrest. And he has this dream that kind of alarms him, and he can't sleep. And now this may be hard for us to grasp because we grew up in the most prosperous nation in human history. So we're a prosperous people. And sometimes you don't really realize that until you travel outside the United States and you come back, just realize how good we have it in our country. But prosperity is a very tough test to pass. And Nebuchadnezzar is realizing this because he has it all and he still can't sleep at night. But God warns us about this prosperity. In fact, this is in the book of Deuteronomy, before the people took the land. He says, take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes. It's like you just rescued us miraculously from slavery. How would we ever forget you? He says, lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, that's the Danger. And when your herds and your flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, you prosper. Then your heart will be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You're gonna get in the land and things are gonna go well for you. And in your prosperity, you will forget about me. You'll get into this thinking that you don't need me anymore, like there's a danger in prosperity. Here's how Jesus put it one of the times. He's mentioned it multiple times. And Jesus said to his disciples, truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. He's like, there's some warnings for some rich people, like this message that I have. It doesn't land well with the wealthy because they don't think they're in need. They think they got all that they have. In fact, he points this out in a church in Laodicea. Let's go to the passage in Revelation. It says, unto the angel of the church of Laodicea, right? The words of the Amen. The faithful and true witness the beginning of God's creation. I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. With that, you are either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. So they have this kind of lukewarm lack of zeal for God. Well, what's underneath that? What's the problem? It's their prosperity. For you say, I'm rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing. Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. Like you don't know your own spiritual condition because you are blinded by your material position. And your material position tells you you have no need. Guys, prosperity is a tough test to pass. In fact, here's a wisdom from a proverb that says this in Proverbs 30, remove far from me falsehood and lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or least I be poor, lest. Lest I be poor. My wife gets on me like you're mispronouncing that. Who says lest anymore? Lest I be poor and steal and profane. The the name of God does Anybody talk like that anymore? I mean, not the less part. Nobody says less, but that kind of, like, has. In your prayer life, Ben, Father, please don't give me any more money than I currently have. No, but seriously, like, in this acknowledgement of, like, I know my own heart, and I could begin to trust in my riches. I could begin to find comfort in the things that I have and all that. Like, God, guard me from that. Like, do we talk like that? No, we don't. Do you know why? Pride. I can handle it. I can pass prosperity. Give me more. God, give me a super yacht. I would have missionaries on it all the time. Like, it would. It would just be a blessing to everybody. Like, we just think, oh, prosperity is something that we can pass, but it's dangerous. And Nebuchadnezzar has prosperity. He is at ease and prospering in his palace, but he doesn't have sleep, he didn't have peace. He has this bad dream, and he wants people to come and help him out. Verse 6. So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, the astrologers came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. At last Daniel came in before me, he who is named Belteshazzar, after the name of my God, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And I told him the dream, saying, oh, Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians. Because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these I saw and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth. And its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached the heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it. And the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed by it. I saw in the visions of my head. And I lay in bed. And behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. And he proclaimed aloud and said this. Chop down the tree and lop off its branches. Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beast flee from under it and the birds from its branches, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with the band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth. Letter. Let his mind be changed from a man's. And let a beast mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time pass over him. The sentence is the decree of the Watchers, the decision by the word of the Holy Ones. Now pause here. Just short. Reptile. Some of you, your alarms went off. Some of you, like, you didn't hear anything. Not in the whole chapter. But there's a mention in here of the Watchers. The Watchers comes up three times in Scripture. All three times are in Daniel, chapter four. We'll get into more of that if you listen to the beyond the Message podcast. Okay. Because I already went like 15 minutes over last sermons. I'm like, what do I cut? That's something we're cutting. We'll get into that. If you want to listen to the beyond the Message podcast and you get your. We'll do it then. Okay. Okay. Some of you are like, oh, the Watchers. We're gonna talk about the Watchers. Not right now, we're not. Okay. But this is where it's mentioned. So here's the dream. My notes are all a mess. Who cares? Okay, here's the dream. There's a big tree. This is a beautiful tree. It's feeding everybody. People are finding shelter in it. The tree is admired. And then the tree gets cut down. And then let's put some iron on it so the tree doesn't grow again for a period of time. And then the tree becomes a he, and the heave goes crazy. Okay, that's the dream. And we don't. We're given the point, but not the interpretation yet. We'll get to the interpretation, but I want us to know that the point of this or the goal of it is clear. In fact, it gets stated multiple times. And anytime you see something repeated in Scripture, pay attention to it. And the goal of all this is repeated often. And you see this in verse 17. The sentence is, by the decree of the Watchers, the decision by the word of the Holy Ones to the end. So that's the goal. To the end. This is the purpose of all this that's going to happen, that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men. So that's the point. Like, this is the Lesson that we got to learn. This is the lesson that kills our pride. This is the lesson that puts us in our place. God is in control of everything. He's in control of kings and kingdoms. He sets up kingdoms, he tears down kingdoms. He does whatever he wants, when he wants, with who he wants, how he wants. He's God. A word that gets used to describe this is God is sovereign. It's the sovereignty of God. He is over everything. And he will do with his creation whatever he wants to do. There's no good news without the sovereignty of God, like His promises will happen. What he set out to accomplish will get accomplished. He's going to do and he's going to be successful in whatever he sets out to do. He's in control of it all. He controls the wind, the waves, the hearts of kings, sets up kingdoms, tears them downs. He's ruling all of creation. And listen, you can know that or you can know it. Like, there's a sense where you can come and kind of give lip service to the size of our God, that He is big, that he is sovereign, that he is in control. And you can kind of say those things or you can know those things in such a depth that it directs your life and your emotions like you. It can guide you in the hospital room and you're getting bad news, it can lead you through difficult marriage, it can walk with you when you lose your job. Like, knowing that God is in control of everything and he can be trusted and he's working all things to the good of those who love him, that are called according to his purposes. And he has purposes, and they will be accomplished. Because we've seen one thing as this book of Daniels unfolded, that Nebuchadnezzar has been a perfect example of saying the right thing but not getting it. Like, how often has he just proclaimed that God is the God of gods, the King of kings, he's the most high God. And you see, like, after, it's like, oh, you get it. The others couldn't interpret the dream. Daniel, can you get it? Oh, God rescues them from the fiery furnace. You get it. And it's like this adventures of like, you say the right thing, you don't do the right thing. Like, you give lip service to truth, but truth doesn't govern your life, is that you like to come to church and amen and be all for it, but then it doesn't impact the way that you live. Let's keep reading. Verse 18. This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar saw and you O Belshazzar, tell me the interpretation. Because 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 gods is in you. Then Daniel, whose name was Belshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, belshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you. So. So a little bit. It's like he. He knows what it means. He's like, oh, you want me to tell you what it means, Right? He's like, this isn't going to be good news. And Nebuchadnezzar is like, don't hold back. Like, just, just give it to me. Don't worry about it. Tell me what it means. So Belshazzar answered and said, my lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies. So buckle up, this isn't good news, but I'm the messenger and you asked for it. So here it goes. The tree you saw, which grew and became strong. So at its top reached the heaven, and. And it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful, and it's full of abundant and fruit abundant, and which was food for all, under which beast of the field found shade, and whose branches the birds of the heavens lived. It is you, oh king, you have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches the heavens, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. So there's the good news. Right? This is representing you. But here we go. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beast of the field till seven periods of time pass over him. This is the interpretation, O king. It is the decree of the Most High which has come upon the Lord the king. Did you see that? Here's my question. Is what's happening to Nebuchadnezzar? Happening because it's the decree of the watchers, which was said in verse 17. Or is it happening because it's the decree of the Lord Most High which was said in verse 23. Which one is it? Yep. Now here's the point, and the point becomes clear as we go on this text, because it's all about God's sovereignty and his sovereign control over Everything. And he's not just sovereign over the activities of the earth. He's not just sovereign over the things that we see. He's sovereign over the things that we don't see. He's sovereign over the ones that we don't see. He's sovereign over the spiritual world. Everything happens because of his decree. He's in charge of all of it. Satan couldn't touch Job without God's permission. Like he is in charge of everything. So let's keep reading. Where'd I stop? Verse 24. This is the interpretation, O King. It is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the King, that you should be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you should be wet with the dew of heaven. And seven periods of time shall pass over you till you know the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you. From the time that you know the heavens rule, that heaven rules. So there's the lesson. We get this lesson repeated twice. You need to know that heaven rules. Like, you need to know that the Lord Most High is in control of everything. Like, you gotta get this through your thick head, right? You didn't get it when Daniel interpreted the dream. You didn't get it when I rescued people out of the furnace. Like, what's it gonna take? You gonna act like a cow for seven years? Like, I'm gonna get through to you. But this is the lesson that you have to get. We gotta get this. We got to get this. Maybe another way of saying, this is Nebuchadnezzar. You're not a big deal. You think you're a big deal. You're not a big deal. You think you're in control. You're not in control. You think you did this. You didn't do this. You think this world is about you. It's not about you. What about saying that same message to us? You are not a big deal. You are not in control. This world and this life is not about you. That seems so counterculture, because everywhere we're, like, you know, thrown this, like, how awesome we are and how special we are and how everything needs to be for you and about you and you be you and you do you and you chase like everything should be wired for you. And Daniel comes to the person who seems to be, like, winning in that Game. And it's like, you ain't a big deal. It isn't about you. You're not in control. And until you recognize that, you're gonna have to go through some stuff. But he doesn't just inform him of this. He calls him out of it. He calls him to repent. Look at verse 27. Therefore, O King, let my counsel be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. So here's what's going to happen. But Nebby, like, turn. This is a warning. Like, heed the warning. Turn from your sins, turn from your iniquities. And he's speaking truth to power. But the key to speaking truth to power is knowing the higher power. Like, I can say hard things to you because I know you aren't in control. I've learned the lesson that you still need to learn. Because what are you going to do to me? Throw me in the furnace? How did that work before? Like, I'm not afraid of you, therefore I can speak truth to you. And he's caring for Nebuchadnezzar. You would think he would just, like, not say anything. He's like, we'll just let this play out. But he's called, like, turn, Repent. And Daniel can say that because he knows the character of God. I know my God is quick to forgive, that he's full of love and mercy and grace. Because Daniel is in no position to be prideful. Because why is Daniel in Babylon? Because the Israelites were disobedient to God. They were prideful. They couldn't keep his laws. They're experiencing the punishment of God, but they're also experiencing the grace of God because this mirrors their situation. God is sovereign over everything. Because he said, hey, you're gonna go Israel. You're gonna go to Babylon. Like, it is my punishment to you. My judgment, my. Maybe a better word, it's my discipline. Because you need to learn a lesson that you need to trust me. And you know what? You're not gonna be there forever. 70 years, and you'll get to turn. I'm putting a timestamp on this. And now Daniel's interpreting this dream is like, this sounds familiar. Because you're gonna get disciplined for a time period of seven years. Because you gotta learn the same lesson. God is God and he is in control. And you need to recognize that and obey him in all circumstances. And he's pleading with him to Understand this. He knows the character of God. He's quick to forgive, he's full of mercy and grace. Now it also shows us something worth pointing out that God being sovereign over everything does not negate human accountability. He says, they're your sins, they're your iniquities. And God is just in holding you accountable to your sins and your iniquities, and you need to turn away from your sins. So there's these two truths that are super clear that are happening in this story. One, God is in control of everything. He does what he wants, how he wants, when he wants, with who he wants. Like everybody is a pawn on the chessboard of God, right? And he moves the pieces. He's in control of everything. You better recognize that, like, you get that, like God is in control of everything. Recognize it, submit to it, surrender to it. But see the sovereignty of God. But this is where the pride comes in. Look at verse 28. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months. He was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. And the king answered and said, is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal resident and for the glory of my majesty? So he's feeling good about himself. He's walking on his palace, observing his kingdom, which is an epic kingdom, one of the eight wonders of the world, the hanging gardens of Babylon. Like, he's taking it in and he's feeling pretty good about himself. Look what I have done. Look what I've accomplished. Look what I've done for my glory. And he's taking credit for things he shouldn't take credit for. There's not an acknowledging of God, there's acknowledging of himself and what he's accomplished, but he's missing it. There's this part of the equation that's left out, that is letting pride grow. And let me push in on this a little bit because it seems like part of the fabric of American thinking. Because we're the land of opportunity. If you work hard and you get after it, you'll be able to make something of yourself. And to a lot of that, amen. Like the Bible rebukes the sluggard. It celebrates hard work. Like you're to go after things. And I would say yes and amen. But there's a dark side to that thinking. There is no such thing as a self made man. There is no such thing as a self made man. And if you're like, no, I worked hard. I got up early every day And I went to work and I went to college, and I got it done, and I got this job and I climbed the ladder, and I did that. Really? Did you have any say in when in history you were born, in, what family you were born and what country you were born, and what personality you have, what traits you've been given, you have work ethic? Where do you think that came from? Right? You recognize or you fail to recognize a creator who has fashioned things. Nebuchadnezzar is just looking at himself and feeling good about himself, and he's ignoring God. And to not acknowledge that is insanity. To think, oh, you did all this by yourself. This is all you, Right? It's all me. That's crazy talk. Or another word for it is pride. And pride thinks, we did this. I did this. But hear me now. That's not the clearest display of pride in this text. It's not Nebuchadnezzar looking at his kingdom, taking it in. There is a section break. You guys notice that? So there's a section break from verse 27, verse 28. And verse 28 is a year later or a year after verse 27. But they're intentionally putting it right next to each other. Because what happens a year later needs to be connected back to what happened to what Daniel said. Because Daniel said, o King, let my counsel be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed that there may perhaps be lengthening of your prosperity. Next sentence. And Nebuchadnezzar, a year later, is walking around like they want you to connect the dots. Because Nebuchadnezzar's greatest expression of pride was not listening to the revelation of God. You were warned, you were called to repent, and you didn't repent. That's pride. It's like, oh, that doesn't apply to me. I don't have to listen to that. That's Nebuchadnezzar's greater expression of pride. It would be like coming to church and just kind of getting in. It's like, oh, yeah, they brought it. Yes. Saying hard things, right? Jake said we dress up our daughters like prostitutes for prom. Whoa. He's really giving it. And then you go and keep doing it, right? They called us out on our idolatry abuse, sports. He really brought it. And then you go and you keep doing it. How Nebuchadnezzar of us, like, we just give lip service. We say chapter after chapter. Oh, Daniel's God. He's the most high God. But it doesn't affect your life, Nebby. Like, you ain't doing it. And he continues to give this lip service, but it doesn't affect how he lives. And Daniel comes right to him and is like, you gotta repent. And he doesn't rep. That's pride. The word of God doesn't apply to me. I don't have to listen to it. My situation's different. I don't have to obey. There. Let's keep reading verse 31. It's getting fun. While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven. O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken. The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men. And your dwelling shall be with the beast of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox. And seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Immediately, the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox. And his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagle feathers. And his nails were like bird claws. So he went full furry. Like, he's just kind of in that. He went crazy. He just. Beside himself. He doesn't like, he's embracing like he's mad. Right? Stay with me now. It was funny, but stay with me. Guys, the reality of God's sovereignty is a humbling thing. Because him being in control means you're not life. Being about his glory means it's not about your glory. And that's a lesson we have to learn. And if we don't learn it, we live life out of place. Right? Because God's sovereignty will put you in your place. And you can be put in your place. Or you could be put in your place like, this is what I was made for. This is where I belong. Nebuchadnezzar gets a timeout. Seven years, buddy. Chew some grass till you get it right. But the Israelites were in the same timeout. You want to worship Babylonian gods? Go live in Babylon 70 years. Figure it out. I'm God and I deserve your worship. It's a lesson we have to learn. And what if the most important lesson of your life had to come through the hardest experience of your life? What's it going to take for you to get it? Nebuchadnezzar. What is it going to take? Seeing me Rescue people out of a fire, interpreting dreams that nobody could do, Going mad, like, what's it gonna take, Israel? What's it gonna take? What's it gonna take for you to be loyal to your Creator? You want the Babylonians? All right, go get them. But seek me. That's what Jeremiah said. Seek me with your whole heart and you will find me church. What's it gonna take? What's it gonna take for you to look up? What's it gonna take for you to fully surrender to the sovereignty of God in your life that he is king of all and he is worthy of all of our worship and life is about him? What's it gon take? Like, how bad does our country have to get for us to stop thinking that the problems we have to solve are all these social problems and not a worship problem we gotta look up? Sometimes the most important lesson of your life comes through the hardest experience of your life. It's like the prodigal son. It's not until you're eating pig slop that you get it. Would you welcome that at the disposition of your heart. God, do whatever you need to do in my life to help me learn that lesson. I mean, how kind is God to Nebuchadnezzar to show him this? How kind is God to all the peoples, nations and languages that would give them such a messenger? Because who's the audience? Who's the audience of this lesson? Is this just a lesson that Nebuchadnezzar needs to learn? Go back to verse 17. This is important to see. Here's the audience. The sentence is, by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones to the end. This is the point. This is the goal. To the end that the what living. That the living may know the most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he wills. This message is for the living. Are you alive? Then it's for us. Like, I'm doing it through Nebuchadnezzar. But this just ain't to Nebuchadnezzar. This is to everyone who is alive. And anybody that was alive at that time would have been like, nebuchadnezzar is the most powerful person in the world. And God's like, oh, that guy act like a cow. Who's most powerful? Like, you gotta get it. You gotta get it. God is control of everything. It's the lesson that we have to learn, guys. To not acknowledge God is insanity. And that's what he got. That's what he got. And There is a lesson in the punishment. Because to be a human being is to be made in the image of God. And it was kind of the peak of God's creation. And we were created to be in fellowship with him, in right fellowship with him. And that right fellowship is he's God. I'm not. I serve Him. I worship Him. I enjoy Him. And guess what's part of that design? You find fulfillment in him. It's how things were supposed to be. But apart from him, Separated from him. Trying to be God yourself. Sound familiar? Genesis 3. There's a separation, and then it just leads to sleepless nights. It's just a mess. Guys, listen. Nebuchadnezzar's real mental illness was not acting like a cow. It was acting like a God. And that kind of mental illness is rampant in our culture. Now, none of us would say that we're God in the sense that we created the world, but we think we're a God because we think the world is created for us, and it's about us and it revolves around us and it's for us, and it's not. To think like that is insanity. We're not God. It's for Him. That's the lesson that needs to be learned. And what happens when we learn that? Look at verse 34. At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to Heaven, and my reason returned to me. And I blessed the Most High and praise and honored him who lives forever. For his dominion is an everlasting dominion. And his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing. And he does according to his will among the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the Earth. That's what I'm saying. He's sovereign over the host of heaven, angelic beings and the Earth. He's sovereign over it all. And none can say to stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? Nobody gets to say that to God. And at the same time, my reason returned to me. And for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and the splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lord sought me, and I was established in my kingdom. And still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of Heaven. For all his works are right and his ways are just. Wait a second. All his works are right, including the one that turned you into a madman for seven years. He's like, yeah, thank God for that. God that was right. Do you think he thought that going through it? But on the other side, he's like, I needed to learn that lesson. Thank God he showed me that he's God and I'm not. Me thinking I'm God was wrecking my life. Sure, I had a palace, but I couldn't sleep. Now I'm at peace because I know who the God is. His ways are just, and those who walk in pride, he's able to humble. Let me draw your attention to a phrase here in verse 36. It says, @ the same time, at the same time, my reason returned to me. At the same time of what? Well, you get that answer if you go back up to verse 34. At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the heavens. So at the same time, I did that. In fact, he goes on to say, I lifted my eyes to the heavens and my reason returned to me. And then verse 36, at the same time, my reason returned to me. So when did your reason return to you? When I lifted my eyes to the heaven. And lifting his eyes to the heavens was not just, okay, God, mercy, I acknowledge it. You're in control, not me. It wasn't just an admitting to God's existence and his sovereignty. It was embracing it. Because it says, I lifted my eyes to the heaven, My reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him. It's, I love your sovereignty. I see it. It's glorious. Like, he embraced it. And then his reason returned. And here's what's clearly being portrayed to us. Not recognizing God and sanity. Recognizing God, sanity, reason returned, not recognizing that God is God and it's all about him. You're crazy. Recognizing that everything is about God. You're in your right mind. So here's what I want you to remember. Surrender to God's sovereignty for your sanity. Surrender to God's sovereignty for your sanity. The key line here is, I lifted my eyes to the heavens. What's it gonna take for you to do that? To understand that this life isn't about you, that it's about God? Because lifting our eyes is the cure to pride. Pride is so focused on ourselves or horizontal things, it never looks up. And when you never look up, it's easy to look down on others. When you never look up, it's easy to look in on yourself and think you're a big deal. When you never look up, it's easy to look out and just be either so anxious about the brokenness of Our world or so proud about the success of our world that you just lost. But when you look up and you acknowledge God, who am I to look down on anybody else? When you look up and you acknowledge the holiness of God, why would I think I'm a big deal at all? When you look up and acknowledge the sovereignty of God, why would I worry about tomorrow? He holds the whole world in his hands. Like he's got this. Like it's the key to faithful living. You have to recognize how big our God is. Guys, look, I know there's a lot of mess in our world. There's a lot of issues, there's a lot of brokenness. But hear me. The Church of Jesus Christ is doing the most important work in our society because we're calling people to look up. And that's the ultimate problem. What do you think is behind all these issues? A failure to acknowledge God. Why are they in Babylon? They're not worshiping God. Why is Nebuchadnezzar acting like a cow? He doesn't worship God. Why is there so much brokenness in our world? Look up. It can't just be about solving all these issues. We gotta get deeper than that. It's gotta be a look up, acknowledge God. It's what all the issues are pointing to. We're in a mess because we don't acknowledge our Maker. And it's calling us to recognize God. You go back and look at his statement. He says, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing. And he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of Earth. And none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? Can you say that? Can you say that? Like, do we embrace this and love it? Are we excited about the size of our God? Are we passionate about his glory? Do we live for his pleasure? David Wells, in his book no Place for Truth, makes this evaluation. He says that God rests lightly on the American church. You know what he means by that? It's like, sure, we want to have a great society, we want to have good marriages. We want to do all these things. But God is not a big deal. God's not a big deal. We take him lightly. We're not captivated by his size, his control, his power, his mercy, his love. It has not wrecked us like it needs to wreck us. May that never be true of this church. Everything is calling us to be so horizontal, focused, or me focused. And we fight to be God focused. It's about God, and it's about his glory. And if we don't learn that lesson, God goes to incredible lengths to try to teach us that it's what we need to learn and what kills our pride. Guys, surrender to God's sovereignty for your sanity. It's crazy. It's crazy to think that this life is for you. It's crazy to think that this life is about you. It's crazy to think that you decide what right and wrong is. It's crazy to think that you determine what the purpose of life is. That's insane. It is not your world. It is God's world. He made it, and it's for him. And once you get that, you get put in your place. But I'm telling you, you can get put in your place or you can get put in your place. It's like where we're made to be, where we find joy and fulfillment and peace and contentment. And Daniel knows this about our God. That's why he says Nebuchadnezzar, as awful as Nebuchadnezzar was, repent. Because here's what I know about our God. He's full of love and mercy and grace. And the proudest person that turns from his pride, he will exalt the humble turn to him. It's not too late. Like you see the heart of God in Daniel's plea for Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar to repent. It's like repentance is possible for you. And repentance is possible for you. It's the heart of our God. And the heart of our God is seen most clearly on the cross of Jesus Christ that God sent his son for prideful people. But there needs to be a surrendering surrender to the sovereignty of God. It's where we find our joy. Amen. Let's pray. Father, I pray that as we are reminded of your sacrifice, we are also reminded of your sovereignty. Jesus came and died on a cross because you said that would happen. And what you said would happen, happens. And as we look at the sacrifice of Christ, his body that was hung on a cross for us, his blood that was shed for us, we would be reminded that you are not just a savior, you are a king. And you are a king worthy to be followed. And I pray that you stir in our hearts a loyalty to you, that we would live our lives for your glory. Pray this in your name. Amen.