Validated, Part 2

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer daughter just make you shine him Babylon to distinguish the truth of his message from account of the goal around those of us not through outboards of power are you experiencing this. Are you juvenile look fourth frenzy is still ready to do this today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. The pastor of the stomach church in Raleigh, North Carolina.

As always, I'm your host Molly made a batch today and the program will learn what was true for Daniel is still true now there is a God in heaven can I kid and amen where human strategies fail, always at work.

Does she want to be a part of what God is up to in your community and your family and in your world. Remember, if you miss any of the previous messages you can listen to them@ourwebsitejeanniedear.com today were looking at Daniel chapter 2. So if you want to turn there now will jump back into where we left off last time. Still points to supernatural power at work in our preaching that validates this message is from God, and that is not account for all set. For example, to the Corinthians were reviewed. Suit is of my preaching of my speech were not with persuasive words of wisdom that a bunch of the grazing on my wall but they came with a demonstration of the Spirit's power because I didn't want your faith be based on how smart I was but on God's power that was in the message. First, review 1425. Paul talks about an unbeliever who comes into a church study like this one. What one of our small groups were believers begin to use the supernatural gift of prophecy to call out and pray for what is going on and some believers are and as they are doing that also first room is 14 the secrets of his heart begin to be revealed, and as a result, he falls down, face down and begins to worship proclaiming God is really among you, because you know things about me that only God could go that was supposed to be happening as we are living out gospel witness in the trial they were us that the searcher now that's something that we gotta be open to us a God. How are you wanted to do this through us still today I will tell you, God often validates the message the supernatural dreams and visions. There is nothing in the Bible that says God has ceased that was so if you have spent any time overseas, especially among Christians you work with Muslims.

You will be inundated with stories of Muslims who come to faith in Christ, dreams and visions, almost spooky, but it is so consistent and so pervasive that it's difficult to dismiss all of it is just made up just for me personally since six Muslims come to faith in Christ personal for up to six came to some kind of drink told about various ones of those me really quick lipids version of just want to suck your taste what I'm talking about.

I was in Southeast Asia was a Muslim virtual muscleman I've never met a friend of a friend who asked to meet with me in that meeting he tells about a dream he's had in which these walking through this field. This expansive field for days like that. The field represented my life because I am a very committed Muslim. I feel lost and alone is suddenly the middle.

This dream a man in radiant white clothing suddenly appears behind me with a face that that shown like the sun. He said he called my name and this man reached inside of his robe and pulled out a copy of the gospel and told me that this was the only message that would get me out of this field of emptiness and loneliness. After tell me about this dream.

He looks at me is my friend here tells me you are expert at the gospel is a can you tell me what my treatments now. As I noted earlier, I was raised in a very conservative Baptist context and dreams and visions and interpretations thereof were not part of our spiritual repertoire. But I'm happy to tell you that in that moment without a lick of seminary training, I knew exactly what to say because I broke your syllable dream interpretation is my spiritual gift I walked them into the gospel for two hours and he got saved he got baptized he corresponded with me several times over the next few years. Talk about growing in faith that makes evangelism easy. By the way, when that kind of stuff happens, it happens out in Babylon. The New Testament writer James tells us that God validates his messengers today through answers to prayer. James five. He points to the example of Elijah. When Elijah never this first Kings 18 when Elijah wanted to prove Israel, who the true God was was a true God, Jehovah, or was it male human what the test was which God answers prayer. He says first Kings 1824 you call them your God now called the name of the Lord in the God who answers which is going agree he is God.

That's one of the reasons we believe prayer ought to define our ministries here at the summit church that will just freight in preparation for the ministry.

What we say prayer is the ministry is not just that I'm the one that's ministering or small group leaders are ministry, the people who are praying there actually doing the ministry because Jesus said, his house was to be a house of prayer for all nations.

It was supposed to validate her messages.

Why don't you, that a lot of times we do up here at the end of the service and having brothers and sisters, ready to break. That's not like you know a saga.

Here's a Q&A group furthers you were too lazy to go to the website.

That's a group of people who here to do what what what arguably is the main ministry the church and that is to take our birds of the Lord is a God, would you move a goblet. You act. That's why say that it's might be the most important thing we do every week whenever church planters share the story with me this week and I don't really have time for this memo sagacious to perfect little. I got this this week we got the message of Richard EEC said hey I got to see him to background Indian men come to faith in South Africa after he lost everything in a bad business deal when I met him, he articulated that this might be happening because God was try to communicate with him over the next couple of days. He struggled with suicidal thoughts, and the idea that God could be all good all powerful and still let this happen to him. Nevertheless, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to share with him the story of Elijah and the prophets a bail, I've been asked if I could take a week to pray that in a similar way that God revealed himself to Israel he would reveal himself to this man that he was the one true God. This Hindu man said I could do that. The next day. I pray that the Lord would meet his tangible need for clothing. I then got an email randomly from a church asking if we had any ministry needs because they had set some money aside for us. I went back to meet this man told him about what God had done in providing clothing for him.

To this church. I took him to the mall to pick out is closed and then we sat and I explained the gospel to him. I was asked of the yet if I could pray for him because I did want to be too pushy with them and I just pray the gospel over him. But what I said amen. He asked me if he could pray also.

He proceeded to pray God over the last week. You know that I have yelled at you and not believe in you and thought about ending my life.

But today, you have proven to me that you are real and that Jesus is your son and I just want to say thank you. That's what supposed to happen as the gospel goes forward about a lot you will more real quick spiritual changes in your life validate that this gospel is God how to pull say that if any man is in Christ is a new creation. All things are passed away behold all things are become new. When you get born again God gives you a new heart, a new heart that that is characterized by things that no no religious resolution no resolve to do better can produce the usual heart that has a genuine love for God is in your emotions you, you begin to desire his word you want to be close to one usual love for his people he serves to give you a hatred for sin that encompassed sermons and going through you resolving to better these are things that can be produced by religion.

It's proof that that what is happening in you is from God the way that change had happened and you really good indication that you never actually experience God, you got fake religion. The point is, God intends to make you shine him Babylon to distinguish the truth of his message from the counterfeits all around you, it does about supernatural outpourings of power are you experiencing this. Are you juvenile look for it.

Francie is still ready to do this today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever, both asking for the limbic morale and music come out of this right now we do not want to bow your heads father before I finish these last few moments hear this message I'm asking God. I know that there are people right now who you will Holy Spirit putting something in their heart that you want them to pray for some relationship to be reconciled semi-to be healed might be brought back. Father I pray that this house of prayer right now you hear these requested you would answer them and you would teach us to be this house of prayer, so that our community could know that there's a God in heaven God in heaven who is as real as active on earth as he was with Daniel in the days of the apostles in our day approach would do this and teach this in a separate Jesus name you grew. That's amen I was usual remaining time which I will was using time to consider the dream itself because it's an important piece of prophecy and reveals the core substance of our message. The Babylon to begin in verse 31 right now is up explains is a gigantic human statue. Every part of such is made out of a different substance. The head is made of gold that is made of gold. This verse 38, says Daniel says is represent the Babylonian empire which lasted from 626 BC to about 539 BC. Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar directly.

Verse 38 you are that head of gold. Babylon was to note the world's first superpower and it was mightier than anything the world had ever seen up to that point. It was impressive even by today's standards. Nebuchadnezzar, for example, build a wall around Babylon, a wall that stretched for 56 miles and places it was over 80 feet wide and 300 feet high and his empire. Historians say was laden with more gold that anybody knew was on earth Herodotus. He was a contemporary historian visited Babylon in the middle of all this road that never in his life had he seen such an abundance of gold was gold on the buildings of gold on the stairs. There was gold on the signs Throne was made of solid gold Neb is that head of gold in the Babylonian empire. After that we have a chest and arms men on a silver that's gonna represent were to find out the Medo Persian Empire, which is going to conquer Babylon in 539 BC Russia to see that Take Pl. in Daniel five here we got we we we got to body parts, the chest of the arms representing the two kingdoms.

Media from the north in Persia from the east that unite over there Babylon again 539 BC.

After that we got the belly and upper thighs made of bronze.

Here you will warning go to venture out just a little bit on our own because the text was really clear, but the first two parts, but they are there not really like is clear about the last ones because it's all in the future, but it's what I want to share with you is the basically way most scholars do, I believe I just want to The point is not who exactly are the various parts of the thing that's not the whole point here.

The point is what God is saying to all human kingdoms everywhere run the same page here. God sees them. You already you dig your charts out your register identifying which politicians of the antichrist don't do that okay that's not what were going here we go. Most scholars believe that this bronze belly and thighs represent Greece superpower that conquered Medo Persia around 220 BC letter course by Alexander the great.

Interestingly, by the way Alexander's armies pioneered the use of bronze and weaponry. Greek soldiers were bronze how much the chariots were made out of bronze shields and even their swords made out of bronze, which might explain bronze being the metal that symbolizes status after that would have the legs of iron, which likely represent Rome, the kingdom that conquered Greece in 63 BC say why iron well iron was considered to be the strongest of all the metals now was supposed to prophesy something about Rome strength.

Sure enough, scholars say the room took military strength to a new level shown by the fact that that there they held their empire for several centuries right and think about a Babylonians rule only last 70 years.

The Medo Persia lasted about 200 in the Greek when lasted another 200 but the Roman Empire lasted for more than 500 years in the West at Rome and more than 1500 years in the east to Constantinople scholars save the link of legs making some indication about that. Finally we got the seat made out of a mixture of iron and clay Roman Empire would eventually be shattered and the different kingdoms and different nations. Now the fullness of this has not happened yet we know that because these same 10 kingdoms were mentioned again in the book of Revelation as a part of a future event and I know that saying that make some of you geek out trying to figure out which nations are going to be and whether or not the code vaccine is the mark of the beast, which by the way, I am not a medical expert, and so I will not speak on the medical ramifications of taking it, but I can 100% assure you that the vaccine is not the mark of the beast and I don't know who needs to hear that you deserted okay talk of prophecy under for people makes you want to geek out and try to figure all the stuff out.

But let me encourage you not to go there, or at least if you do go there will global spend longer that ambiguity in the Bible is intentional. If God had wanted us to know more specifics, he would've given them to us. The point is not the specifics of the statute. The point is is what happens to the statute. What's this I must drink verse 34 there's 40 as you were watching Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, a stone broke off without him touching it stone made without hands. It struck the statue on his feet and across the feet.

Then he iron the fire played the bronze and silver, the gold were shattered and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away and not a trace of them can be found anymore. Go but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth on Nebuchadnezzar, the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. In the days of those kings and those kingdoms, the God of the heavens will set up his own kingdom that will never be destroyed, and it will crush all these other kingdoms and bring them to win in but that kingdom that God establishes will endure forever, so the rock is the kingdom of God. The text directly says that when Jesus shows up. He makes clear. Matthew 2141 deliver reference that this rock coming from heaven was actually a picture of him.

Think about the stone was made without human hands to see the detail means it came about with no human agency. Interestingly, did you know the stones of the Temple. Israel's Temple had to be made without human hands. They couldn't hardenable right out of the spine. The right sizable right out of the rivers that was to demonstrate that no part of God's salvation was going to come about by human agency know him would touch it, God would do it all by himself so like this stone Jesus would be made without human hands. He was born of a virgin. Second, the rock is the least valuable substance in the great not silver is not gold, not bronze rock is the least valuable thing of all beast metals. Yet this rock comes with the power of God.

And so it shatters into God's always more expensive metals. This represented how Jesus would not come with all the bleeding and the shine of the world. He was born poor. He never owned a home. He never raised an army. He was no head of gold. Yet he came was something the golden have and that was the death-defying power of God third in this dream the rock start small and it eventually grows into a gigantic mountain that fills the whole earth no. In that same thing and that the exact same thing just about kingdom in Matthew 13 is my teams will start small and see that you crush and meet your foot, but adventures gonna multiply so that it covers every part of the earth.

You guys realize of Jesus left. We left Earth you can put all his followers into one upper room was it was a poor blue-collar untrained men women fishermen even leave an army evenly. The fortress he did leave a fortune like Nebuchadnezzar Alexander or Mohammed yet. That little tiny movement you could cross underneath your foot has today swelled into the largest religious movement in history. It literally covers the face of the earth. I told you to places the gospel is growing the fastest. Today, the places with the least money, Africa, Asia, Latin America, did you know he has a business of two thirds of all self identified Christians two thirds of all Christians today live in Latin America, Africa, Africa or Asia by 2050. Experts say that numbers going to exceed 80%. Get this today. This morning in church. There are more practicing Christians in Africa were in church this morning than in all European countries combined. More Christians will attend to and will attend church in Kenya this morning than in all of Canada. Uganda has more Anglican Christians in Great Britain, Canada or the United States combine and Anglican literally means English. Donna has more Presbyterians than Scotland and Scotland where Presbyterianism started.

Brazil now sends out more overseas missionaries in either Britain or Canada know we talk about the villager in Africa who's never heard about Jesus, statistically, you're more likely to run into a born-again Christian in a village in Africa. You are in Montr�al going to get me started about Asia in 1970 there were no legally functioning churches in all of China. Yet today it is estimated that the number of practicing Christians in China exceeds that of the United States.

Experts predict that by 2050.

China will be a majority Christian country what's document due to global politics. People say Christianity is a Western thing that Americans should try to impose on everybody else be real Christianity is not a Western thing is never been a Western think if anything is a Middle Eastern thing that graced the West for a while is now headed around the world just like Nebuchadnezzar predicted that leads us to the core substance of our core message to Babylon.

What you and I are here to testify to witness to it are Babylon and that is this God sent rock to earth and not rock was named Jesus and he will destroy every false kingdom erected by man, whether those are large geopolitical kingdoms of the world or that little independent, self-centered kingdom your building on your own. All the irony is that's not why Jesus came income first to destroy what he say John 317. I want to condemn the world to destroy. I came to save it versus save income to judge us with the dime across the safest. He came to be the rock of salvation do not go to lives on as a friend. We will do that with history tells us is that rock will crush us the choice of put in front of you today you see what this dream is telling you is can happen if you oppose Jesus get over our fortress in the Daniel 235, when the kingdom the rock strikes every kingdom, and the statue which will include your little kingdom you build and independence of God. They became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. Windows carried him away a trace of them can be found, but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth that your choice you can receive Jesus build your life on a rock last forever.

All you can be crushed by him. 2500 years ago a pagan king's dream tells you the end of history the end of your life receive Jesus as the rock of salvation or be crushed by him submit to him or tell him is your enemy but you can't do what you won't be able to do is resist you to submit him until July for hammer your crust by him as the only two options. Charles Spurgeon compared to when Matt tried to resist the coming of a locomotive, he would place himself was in this place himself in front of a fast-moving railway car will be crushed would be no more foolish than you who are opposing the gospel you to attempt to stand against you will be crushed.

Let me tell you when the railway car runs over the will will not even be raised an inch by your size for what you timing that a creeping worm which that will will crush to less than nothing, and not leave you even a name as having ever been an opponent of the gospel.

Let every one of the world know assuredly that the gospel will win its way, whatever they may do poor creatures. Their efforts to oppose the gospel are not even worthy of our notice, we need not fear that they could stop the truth though I could not.

He thinks he can quench the side go tiny insect and do it if you can. You will only burn your wings and die.

Likewise, there may be a fly who thinks he could drink.

The ocean drive drink the ocean if you can overfly more likely you will sink in it and it will drink.

And that's the message of this dream but I remind you again that's not why Jesus came came first to save.

Jesus said it was the rock that the builders rejected the became the chief cornerstone for those who put their hope of salvation in him is the choice is yours. You have a life of meaning and purpose built on a rock have a temporary kingdom. This is crushed in the powder you choose John three verse 17 says for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world to save the world through him. We love to talk to you and pray with you. If you have any questions about being saved by Jesus really means. Just give us a call at 866-335-5220. We are in a brand-new teaching series called the book of Daniel shining in Babylon, and our goal in being with you here every day on the radio and on the rad help you dive deeper into the message of the gospel is still great understanding and as our way of thinking you a copy of a new resource created especially for our listeners. It's titled the same as our current theories Daniel shining in Babylon and nine part inductive Bible study ask for your copy when you donate today at the suggested level I $35 or more, please give us a call and expect 335 24 make it more convenient to get an online shady clear.com hi Molly benefits. Be sure to tune in Wednesday when Pastor JD continues our study.

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