God Reigns (Part 1 of 2)

The where used God amidst all this question many of us have asked ourselves during the past year. But when life seems like it's out of control. We can rest in knowing that God reigns, he is sovereign over all today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg observes how powerful King came to learn that very lesson study begins in Daniel chapter 4, to all peoples, nations and languages that will in all their right to it seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders of the most high God is done for me. How great are his signs are mighty his wonders.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation by Nebuchadnezzar. Was it easy in my house and prospering in my promise. I started dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies in the visions of my head alarmed me. So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me. They might make known to me the interpretation of the dream then the magicians the enchanters the call. The ends and the astrologers came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me, it's interpretation last.

Daniel came in before me. He who was named Delta Shatzer after the name of my God and in whom is the spirit of the holy garments, and I told him the dream saying about the shares or chief of the magicians because I know that the spirit of the holy God's is in you, and that no mystery is too difficult for you tell me the visions of my dream that I saw on their interpretation. Visions of my head as I lay in bed with these. I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of their and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong and talk reached to heaven and that was visible to the end of the whole earth and leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant and in it was food for all the beasts of the field phone shade under it and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches and all flesh was fed from. I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed and behold a watch or a holy one came down from heaven, he proclaimed aloud and said, thus chopped down the tree and lop off its branches strip off its leaves and scattered its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it in the birds from its branches but leave the stump of its roots in the air, bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field, let them be wet with the dew of heaven let his portion to be with the beasts in the grass of the air that is mine be changed from Amand's and B's mind be given to him and let seven periods of time pass over him, the sentence is by the decree of the waters. The decision by the word of the holy ones to the end that the living may know the most high rules. The kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over the lowliest of men. This dream I King Nebuchadnezzar's all and you will Delta Shatzer 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 God's is in you, then, is really exciting. From that point on, by the leader to read the rest. Father, we come to you at the end of this lovely day in the evening hour we read in the New Testament. However, the wars that Jesus gathered I with his disciples. Oftentimes, on a hillside and there he open to them the mysteries of who you are, your purposes in the world and we pray now that you will give to his minds. The thinking parts that are ready to respond to your truth and wills that are submitted to your authorities so that the things we have song and the vision that is been set before us of a whole world in need of the gospel may be crystallized as we draw our evening to a close, we humbly pray this in Christ's name. Amen. Well, the question that we are always to be asking as we read the Bible is where is God in all of this, or where is Jesus in all of this in so much as the Bible is a book about Jesus.

And when we read in these prophecies here in Daniel so often as I've tried to point out to you in the first three chapters. It's not difficult for us to follow allying that teachers almost directly to Christ. I think too often as we come to the Bible.

Many of us are starting from the wrong point where asking the question.

Where am I in this or where do I fit into this turning our study of the Bible into a kind of self preoccupation and the answer of course is that you're not in this are tall and neither my because you weren't around in the sixth century BC and none of us where this was written in that context to a historical environment to people who live then the fact that there is application beyond that goes without saying, but that's not the same thing is looking for ourselves is aware in the passage and here again in chapter 4. It is God who is the hero of the story, God, who is described as the most high God all the way through. I just look for them in verse two what the most high has done for me again in verse 17 verse 24 verse 25 verse 32 verse 34 and again on the basis of what we've said, the repetition of phraseology is there in order that we, as the readers might get the point.

And if there is a key verse in this chapter and I believe there is and I think it would be verse 17 the sentence of the decree of the water of a holy messenger the angel if you like is in order that people 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. Note the readers are learning an hour we are learning to that despite all appearances and the appearances in their lives are not particularly good beer have been taken away from their home. The Babylonian deities have apparently triumphed. Many of them have lost loved ones in the process and all appearances suggest that they are being beaten down and in actual fact, here they are learning that God is sovereign over all of the earthly kingdoms and he brings to nothing. The proud assertions of man and anyone does one passing application of it. Let's just acknowledge that when our Supreme Court last week due to itself the jurisdiction of God to redefine that which God himself created and many allies may have been distressed and trembled in our bones but we need to remember what we're being told here that even though the battle may seem to be tilting against us. Still, God reigns supreme, and the first verse of chapter 4 Takes Pl. about 20 years after the last verses of chapter 3 the King Nebuchadnezzar begins this letter with a doxology he ends it as we will see with a doxology and in between.

We have the record of the dream. It's interpretation the fulfillment of the dream, and his restoration. There is a lot to cover and will go through it as directly as we can hear he is the king, as it were was in his counting house, counting out his money and the Queen was not necessarily in the parlor. She was probably in the hanging Gardens that her husband had created for. He lived in a palace he had prestige he had power and as a result of his influence.

He is able. If you like to call a press conference that involves the entire world.

If I call the parent press conference. I'm not sure even any of my elders would come. That's the extent of my influence are probably my wife wouldn't come either. There probably would be nobody there at all and be a futile exercise. But what Nebuchadnezzar decided that he was going to mail something out to all of the people on his Facebook page.

All of the people that he'd been tweeting true lately and he was able by means of Instagram to get the news out as directly as he could and quite a contact list. He he writes to all the peoples and all the nations and all the languages that so big and powerful. A fellow he wants his kingdom of the time stretched from the Persian Gulf in the East to the Mediterranean Sea in the West from Egypt in the South to Iran in the north are huge area and he was the big daddy of the whole place. In verses two and three as the people heard the letter read to them, they would've been caught off guard because he says that it is seem good to me to show and if the person coughed. At that point what he was reading about people would've nudge one another and so here we go again is going to tell is about his great military achievements in the architectural triumphs and his horticultural genius, and so on. But no, I'm not nuts nobody's about to say it seemed good to me to show notice the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me what God has done for me. The signs and wonders that are convinced Nebuchadnezzar in an apparently chaotic world that this guard actually ruled when you fast-forward, of course, as God becomes incarnate in Jesus and is he announces the presence of the kingdom.

He then goes out and the manifest the reality of the kingdom. And people say to one another.

The disciple say to one another, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the waves obey him because they knew only God was in charge of the ebb and flow of the moons in the seas and the the shorelines and so here he is able to declare this.

I want to tell you that is, signs are fantastic is wonders are mighty is kingdom last forever, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. While in the world is the Sabbath something change in amazement while he tells us in verse four I Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace lustily nice. He probably had us playing his music.

I've lived a life that's full I've traveled each and every Highway and more, much more than this, I did it my way that Sam sitting out there, just having something nice to drink and asking some of his forms.

The common and surveyed the magnificence of what is done like one of those of whom Jesus spoke later on his success and prosperity became the occasion of foolish self-confidence. The same was to prove true for Nebuchadnezzar I Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in my palace.

I was prospering and I saw a dream that made me afraid to sleep perchance to dream I there's the rub. As he lies down on his bed to run a mattress that had been made. It was better than his mattress was not a higher ceiling and ever anybody's bedroom higher than his doorway must've been magnificent. But as I lay upon my bed. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fantasies and the visions of my head alarmed me. So he is completely destabilized by this he is terrified by what is happened and so he does what he originally does. He issues a decree you can imagine him calling for somebody who does this for him and says I'm completely freaked out. I've had an unbelievable dream.

I want you to issue a degree. Here we go again really want while my usual group. Please if you would just bring the men why still doing this. I don't know because they are reliably consistently magnificently incompetent and they they prove that once again the magicians and they all came in and I told him the dream of the good made known to me, interpretation, at last, Daniel appears where was Daniel. I don't know, don't waste time in a Bible study pondering that kind of thing is none of our business. Otherwise, it would be in the Bible. Going to visit his daughter perhaps are similar that I don't know. At last, Daniel came in before me. He who was named Delta shatter after the name of my grande and so he says I need to tell you this stream and he does which kind of delays the process a little bit, but we need to know what it is this amazing tree that grew up and touched its top which to happen is here there in verse 11. The tree grew and became strong and its top reach to heaven and everything. I'm just repeating myself, but I think there is a definite link it with Genesis 11 where the tower actually of Bible is described in Genesis 11 as having a top that reached to the heavens. This two years of cosmic proportions. As beautiful as fruitful is pretty though the picture is actually very pretty. Indeed, it was able to provide sustenance and shelter, and in many ways. It was a picture of the best of Nebuchadnezzar, insomuch as you build this amazing kingdom which provided sustenance and shelter for those who were under his jurisdiction. So, so far so good was the frightening part.

This is actually quite nice. Why is the king terrified well because there was an angelic visitor. There was a holy one who came down from heaven, a watcher and he proclaimed aloud and said, thus now we find out what's happened. Jot down the tree law office branches strip which leaves graduates route and so on. He proclaims a message of destruction and only a system is left and then you will notice if you have your Bible open that in verse 15. The stump its roots in the air and bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field and then you will notice. New sentence begins, let him be wet with the do so there's a shift in the picture 15 a is a 315 B is a person and so the beginning of week.

Nebuchadnezzar themselves beginning put two and two together and is not sure that he likes the four that comes out is the answer and that is the frightening part.

The image switches from the tree to the person a great and powerful person is about to be taken down and will be left as a mere shadow of his former self's mind will be changed.

He will revert to an animal's existence and the decree of the watcher is the decree of God himself. You read that actually in verse 24 you have to read on and you find that the decree that was given by the watcher. This is the interpretational king. It is a decree of the most high, which has come upon my Lord King. So the dream is told in verse 19 and following interpretation is about to be given. Then Daniel whose name was Delta shatter was dismayed for a while and his thoughts alarmed him in an ironic sort of the juxtaposition the king now is counseling Daniel and telling him I don't want you to be afraid. He says Delta shatter.

Let another dream or the interpretation alarm you felt, such as an answer and said, my Lord made a dream be for those who hate you, and is interpretation for your enemies than he goes on to tell in this tree that you saw that you which you king you are the man. This is a description of God's judgment, you will be driven away from human society. You will live with the wild animals you will eat grass like the oxen you will be made with the dew of heaven in the morning when people come and look out on the field they will see you there and you will be also key. As a result of the do that as as a marriage in the morning hours and your nails will all be grown in upon themselves and you'll be here you like a highland cow and it is a dreadful, dreadful thing. Okay. And this is what will happen to you on to you learn your lesson. It will be seven times, which is an indefinite period, but are complete. He says, but there's a possibility of a reprieve. If you will break off if you will discontinue your sins, you notice how he says, are there any is very very pointed Nebuchadnezzar was a vindictive and merciless oppressor and he says perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged if only you will let my counsel be acceptable to you. Verse 27 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. We have to understand the Bible in light of the Bible who Daniel is not saying there that you can buy your own practicing righteousness. Put yourself in the right positions by God. I think perhaps the cross reference that I scribbled down for myself is when Paul is before I think is Agrippa and he tells him of his preaching and he says I preach that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

So you say Nebuchadnezzar if you really get serious about this, then your life will declare the reality of your change of heart, but he didn't listen. Verse 28. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 months here 12 months and God in his mercy had sent them a dream to disturb and send Daniel to instruct for and gave him an opportunity to turn and enjoy a reprieve.

Remember Paul and the moments to resist.

Would you show disrespect for the kindness of God, not realizing that it is his kindness that leads you to repentance you here tonight with an unrepentant heart would you besmirch the kindness of God that he is called out to you in his word that he is reached you through members of your family that he is been gracious to you and preserve your life and prolong your days by his providence, you're still and understand the gospel and you still can trust in Jesus, God is merciful as he gives us the opportunity to look at him in faith.

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In this book Alister dives deeper into the book of Daniel, he highlights the amazing similarities between the world. Daniel lived in in our world today. Both cultures refused to honor God and his word and like in Daniel state. We need to be people who are willing and able, by the power of God spirit to stand strong in our faith brave by faith follows the story of Daniel and his friends while they were exiled in Babylon, but the focus isn't on Daniel's faith focuses on God's faithfulness to his people. That's what's at the heart of the story would like to invite you to request a copy of the book brave by faith. When you join the team of monthly truth partners today or when you give a gift of any amount. Visit us online at truthforlife.org/donate or call 888-5878 Bob Lapine thanks for listing in our day. A lot of people see themselves as the master of their own destiny.

The captain of their own ship. That's how Nebuchadnezzar thought the book of Daniel is will see tomorrow.

He was about to experience a life-changing breakthrough Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by truth for lying with the learning is for