Hello friends and welcome
back to our study of Daniel
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Chapter 4 and we are
actually in verse 22.
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Where Daniel makes this
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declaration concerning this
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dream and its interpretation
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that Nebuchadnezzar has had.
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"It is thou O King," we have
seen here Ty, Daniel has been
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reluctant to give the
interpretation of this dream to
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Nebuchadnezzar because he
is wanting to reach the heart
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of the King and he knows
that it's going to be difficult
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for the king to receive
this assessment of himself.
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He is going to be this
mighty tree that is cut down by
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his watchers, he is going
to be a mighty kingdom that is
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going to lose all of his
respect and all in his honor for
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seven years, he is going
to be like a wild man eating
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grass in the field.
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So he is reluctant and at
the same time he knows God wants
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him to give the interpretation
to Nebuchadnezzar.
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This is the way that
Nebuchadnezzar's heart and
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life is going to be changed.
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This is God's will
for Nebuchadnezzar.
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Daniel as a man of God
and so Daniel is reluctantly
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wanting to make sure
that he follows through with
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God's will.
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Daniel tells him, reluctantly,
but clearly and directly,
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King Nebuchadnezzar the vision
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you had of this great tree with
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fruit and its branches reaching
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out to shade the earth and
all who are under it is going
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to be cut down.
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This is you, your kingdom
is going to be cut down and
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taken from you, but it is
amazing that there is still,
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here even a word of mercy
and assurance to Nebuchadnezzar.
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He says, but Nebuchadnezzar
listen, God has an objective,
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he has a goal for you.
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He is leading you, you
are a hard nut to crack
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Nebuchadnezzar but God is
reaching into your heart and
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your kingdom will be assured
to you when you come to the
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realization that
the most high God rules
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in the affairs of men.
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God is eager to reach
your heart and He assures you
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the kingdom after you have
gone through this experience.
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It is amazing that
Daniel, then, actually reaches
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further and says,
Nebuchadnezzar listen,
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I have some counsel for you.
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Here's what I want you to do.
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I want you to listen
carefully Nebuchadnezzar,
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this is what you need to do,
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verse 27, "you need to
break off your sins by righteous
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living and break off your
iniquities by showing mercy
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to the poor, perhaps
there may be a lengthening of
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your prosperity. "
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Daniel doesn't want to
Nebuchadnezzar to experience
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this horrific judgment that
the dream says is going to come
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upon him and he is
given good council here.
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Come to your senses.
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In fact he is getting council
that is the exact opposite
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of what it means
to live in pride.
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Pride lives for self.
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Pride glorifies self.
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Pride embellishes self.
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Pride builds up and
strengthens self's kingdom.
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What happens when you live
for self, and you embellished
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self is that you neglect others.
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Specifically, as the
king you neglect the poor.
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He has, in order to embellish
and lift up and exalt himself,
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he has neglected to take
care of the poor and needy
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that are around
him in the world.
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So basically what Daniel is
saying is that Nebuchadnezzar
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is the problem, your
pride has made you selfish.
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Selfishness is
the essence of sin.
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You can break away from
the selfishness by extending
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mercy to those around you.
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And he does, it seems
like it works for awhile.
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Nebuchadnezzar for a year
lives in tranquility and it
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seems like he follows Daniel's
advice, Daniels council.
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To some degree, but then
there is obviously a very clear
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indication that even to
this point, after receiving his
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second vision, clear
interpretations from Daniel,
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God's prophet, but still
Nebuchadnezzar is not converted
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at the depths of his
heart and he says in verse 30.
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He is walking around, it
is like a year later after
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receiving the vision
and the interpretation.
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"The king spoke and he
said is not this great Babylon
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that I have built for a royal
dwelling, by my mighty power,
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and for the
honor of my Majesty?"
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Isn't that what
is going on here?
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Isn't that what he
is thinking in his mind?
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I did this and I am it,
I'm the king and I did all of
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this for my glory.
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This is a clear verification
that God's method is the best
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method to reach Nebuchadnezzar.
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God has given Nebuchadnezzar
every opportunity.
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He has given him dreams.
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He has given him
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interpretations, and been a
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witness to him through his
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faithful followers.
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This is a year transition
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between the time he has
interpreted the dream and the
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time comes upon him is
a perfect confirmation and
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verification that
God's method is the best
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to reach Nebuchadnezzar.
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Nothing else is working.
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So this tells us that the
best thing that can happen to
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Nebuchadnezzar right now,
which Nebuchadnezzar himself
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testifies of in this entire
Chapter, is that God's will
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will be carried out and
that he will lose this kingdom,
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even his sense.
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He will become like a wild
man, actually the psychiatrists
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have a term for
this syndrome that
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happen to Nebuchadnezzar.
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What happened in ancient times
where men and women that would
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live very close to their
wild stock, their animals.
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At times they would have what
was called a Wild Man Syndrome,
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Wild Ox Syndrome.
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They would become like animals.
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They are thinking that this
is probably what God allowed
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to happen to Nebuchadnezzar,
he became like an ox.
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He lost his sense, he
lost his ability to rule.
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Everyone forsook
him, everyone left him,
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he was eating
grass, he was crazy,
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he wasn't
taking care of himself.
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He wasn't cutting his hair,
and wasn't cleaning his nails.
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He wasn't doing
anything, everyone left him Ty,
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except for one person.
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The band around the tree
tells us that when everyone
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else leaves us,
God is still there.
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"God never leaves us," Hebrews
13:5, and He never forsake us.
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God was with Nebuchadnezzar.
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As we pointed out in
previous programs on the book of
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Daniel, even though the
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book of Daniel is generally
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thought of as a book of end
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time prophecies and that's there
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and it is a vital truth.
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There is something else
happening in the book of Daniel.
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That is the story of God
relentlessly pursuing king
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Nebuchadnezzar to
bring him to Himself
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and eternal salvation.
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It is amazing that this
God of heaven has such and eye
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of singular mercy
for Nebuchadnezzar.
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He is focused on this king
and bringing him to Himself.
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I love it because as he
goes through this great trial,
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as all of his lords and
even his family leave him.
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It says at the end of
verse 34, "and at the end of
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the days, I
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my
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eyes unto heaven. "
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It doesn't matter who we
are, it doesn't matter where we
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are, doesn't matter
what we have been through,
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if we lift our eyes up
to heaven, heaven responds.
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God responds and as
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up his
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eyes to heaven, in
that moment it says,
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"his understanding returned
to him and he blessed the"
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"Most High, and he praised
and honored Him that lives"
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"for ever, whose dominion
is an everlasting dominion"
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"and His kingdom is from
generation to generation:"
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Instantaneous here,
Nebuchadnezzar turns to God,
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he lifts his eyes to God
and praises and blesses God
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because God brings a
return of his understanding.
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We see here that
self-centeredness and arrogance,
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and self exaltation is
the precursor to insanity.
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It has really, as you
said, the essence of the sin
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problem, self-centeredness is.
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Then we see that the
moment that Nebuchadnezzar turns
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his heart to the Lord
and exalt the God of heaven,
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his sanity returns to him.
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He is in his right mind
again after seven years,
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seven years of living
in this very low, horrible
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state of mind.
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With no doubt self-incrimination
and guilt driving him
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to insanity, the moment
Nebuchadnezzar lifts up his eyes
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to the God of heaven,
his sanity returns to him and
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this is what
sanity looks like, James.
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Sanity is a recognition of
God's position in our life,
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and in the universe
as the Most High God.
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The one who's kingdom
is eternal and will go on
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and on for ever.
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We are, as it were,
nothing by comparison to God and
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yet when we find refuge
in Him, He lifts us up to all
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that we truly
should be and can be.
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What is really
interesting about this is
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Nebuchadnezzar had
this transformation, he
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recognizes what is significant
and what is secondary.
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What he does in verse 35
is he makes this declaration,
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that is powerful and
important for us today, he says.
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"And all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as
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nothing: and he does according
to his will in the army
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of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and
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none can stop his
hand, or say unto him,
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"What are you doing?"
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Now it is really important
for us to understand what
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is going on here.
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Nebuchadnezzar is
prioritizing what is most
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important and secondary.
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Before this conversion,
what was most important was his
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kingdom, his lords, his
counselors, his position in
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society, his influence
politically, and his kingship.
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Now what is important is
his relationship with God.
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Everything else is secondary.
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Everything else
is reputed is nothing
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in comparison to that.
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Once you have a right
relationship with God,
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Nebuchadnezzar is saying,
once you're understanding
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returns and you recognize
and bless and praise God,
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first and foremost, all
this other stuff is secondary.
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And it comes, verse 36,
"at the same time my reason
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returned to me; and for
the glory of my kingdom,
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mine honor and
brightness returned unto me;
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and my counselors and
my lords sought unto me;
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and I was
established in my kingdom,
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and excellent
Majesty was added unto me. "
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All of that as a place,
but it is all secondary.
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What we do in this life often
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is we make all that first.
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Our influence, our position,
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our economic status all
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comes before God.
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This is what
Nebuchadnezzar was doing.
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Ultimately, when we do
that we neglect the real issues
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of life, taking care of
other people and putting other
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people first, and we become
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first. This is what
Nebuchadnezzar is going through,
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this incredible transformation
in his priorities of
00:10:05.60\00:10:10.94
God and other people.
00:10:10.97\00:10:12.64
I think of what Jesus had
00:10:12.67\00:10:14.48
to say to all of us, in
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Matthew 6:33, putting our
00:10:16.91\00:10:18.75
priorities in order, "seek ye
00:10:18.78\00:10:21.05
first the kingdom of God. "
00:10:21.08\00:10:23.25
That is first in priorities,
first in focus, "seek ye
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first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness and
00:10:26.65\00:10:29.96
all these things
shall be added unto you. "
00:10:29.99\00:10:32.63
All these things, that
Jesus was referring to,
00:10:32.66\00:10:35.33
was the material
blessings of life.
00:10:35.36\00:10:38.37
These material blessings
are secondary, and that's in
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God's power to provide and
we need to leave that to His
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charge and put our focus
on living for God and seeking
00:10:46.44\00:10:50.68
His righteousness.
00:10:50.75\00:10:52.08
That is a faith venture, I
mean that is a faith venture
00:10:52.11\00:10:54.72
to be able to lay aside
because we need these things
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that we have in life
to survive, to sustain us.
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We need these things if
we have a family, if we have
00:11:00.42\00:11:02.66
children, we need
clothes, we need food.
00:11:02.69\00:11:04.79
It is a faith venture to
say I am going to make that
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secondary and I'm
going to put God first.
00:11:07.10\00:11:08.93
What happens if you don't
do that is those things will
00:11:08.96\00:11:11.20
consume you and God
will be nowhere to be found.
00:11:11.27\00:11:14.74
Then he asks this
question, in verse 35.
00:11:14.77\00:11:17.07
"No one can say to
God, What are you doing?"
00:11:17.11\00:11:19.34
Now don't misunderstand
that friends, we can ask God
00:11:19.37\00:11:22.01
what He is doing,
many times we do ask God,
00:11:22.04\00:11:23.91
What are you doing?
Why did this happen to me?
00:11:23.95\00:11:25.75
I don't get it!
00:11:25.78\00:11:27.12
God doesn't mind us
asking the question, but when we
00:11:27.15\00:11:29.28
understand who God is, when
we understand His character,
00:11:29.32\00:11:32.05
when we understand that He
is long-suffering not willing
00:11:32.09\00:11:34.59
that any should perish but
all will come to repentance.
00:11:34.62\00:11:38.86
Then the question is one that
is not necessary, because God's
00:11:38.89\00:11:43.03
reply to that question to us is,
I am moving heaven and earth,
00:11:43.06\00:11:46.63
I am doing
everything I can to save you.
00:11:46.67\00:11:48.64
To get you into
the kingdom and be with
00:11:48.70\00:11:50.64
Me for all eternity.
00:11:50.67\00:11:52.01
Then we come to the same
conclusion that Nebuchadnezzar
00:11:52.04\00:11:55.74
came to and, that is, that
all God's ways are justice,
00:11:55.78\00:11:59.85
His works are truth.
00:11:59.88\00:12:01.78
The context here,
Nebuchadnezzar is realizing that
00:12:01.82\00:12:04.75
even though his experience
has been painful at times,
00:12:04.79\00:12:07.69
that God has had his
best interest at heart.
00:12:07.72\00:12:11.09
Through all that he has
been through, God was doing
00:12:11.13\00:12:14.40
what was right, and best,
and true for Nebuchadnezzar,
00:12:14.46\00:12:17.90
to bring him to the Lord
God of heaven and to worship
00:12:17.93\00:12:21.40
the Creator of heaven and earth,
00:12:21.44\00:12:23.87
and to yield his life to Him.
00:12:23.91\00:12:26.24
That is what God is seeking
to work out in your life,
00:12:26.27\00:12:28.74
my friend, and my life,
through all the experiences
00:12:28.78\00:12:31.21
that we have.
00:12:31.28\00:12:32.61
We are looking forward
to studying with you again.
00:12:32.65\00:12:33.98
Thank you and God bless.
00:12:34.02\00:12:36.62