Truth Project: Serving The Lord No Matter What

Welcome to truth matters. Saturday Dr. Cheryl Davis begins her room yesterday with penetrating and personal question will you serve the Lord. No matter what they are things that we want God to do that. He has not performed in our life and we think our trials are catastrophes, but what I want to ask. He is are you at the point where you going to serve God even if he does not delivery. Are you at the point where you going to continue to serve God even if those prayers are not answered is really when you think about it enough for us on the cross by sending his son to shed his blood so that we can be saved and have eternal life if he never does anything else for us. We know that he will do more because he is a God that loves us there.

Sometimes that we pray prayers that are against the will of God. We get discouraged when we don't hear him or the answer is even know what I want to ask you is are you willing to serve God even if that answer never comes, or even if your deliverance never comes, the Bible personalities, Shadrach me shack and Abednego find themselves in today's lesson standing before King Nebuchadnezzar and facing a life altering decision dear Dr. Davis and Dr. Cheryl Davis and we have been going through the book of Daniel and today we begin in chapter 4 to but just to summarize chapter 3 we saw the three Hebrew boys delivered through the fiery furnace, and without God manifest in the furnace and we ended our last session talking about God, please give us the faith to make a stand in these last days, said that we can see you manifest yourself in the furnace don't let us be afraid of the furnace because those that compromise and are not obedient to you.

God did not see miracles in chapter 4 we see that King Nebuchadnezzar has a second dream that Daniel comes back on the scene needing to use his God-given abilities to interpret Swiss move on into the Scriptures and read verses one through three. Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth. Peace be multiplied to you.

I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the most high God has worked for me. How great are his signs and how mighty his wonders.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. Really, what we see here is a Babylonian state document that's written by Nebuchadnezzar himself, and it's a different perspective from the last chapter. If you remember in the last chapter, we see him building a graven image to himself commanding those to worship him.

Those that did not worship him. He cast them in the fiery furnace, but here he says very key language, thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the most high God has worked for me is more personal, that the most high God has worked for me not for Daniel or for Shadrach me shack and Abednego his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. That is that Nebuchadnezzar sees God in his position, but also as his ruling as its relative to Nebuchadnezzar being king that his dominion will go on from generation to generation kingdom will go on forever. This is a different level of commitment is a different level of language family see in the previous chapters.

Let's move on to verses four through seven I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace, a solid dream which made me afraid. And the thoughts, bed in the visions of my head troubled me.

Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me.

They might make known to me the interpretation of the dream then the magicians, astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in and I told them the dream but I did not make known to me, it's interpretation carry good Nebuchadnezzar is dreaming again, and this seems very similar to chapter 2 and notice that verses 1 to 3 are the introduction so Nebuchadnezzar is riding this book and hindsight. He's telling the story. In hindsight, that we see as a part of his second dream that he goes about the same path as he did with the first dream knowing that the first time. It was not successful, but still it just has how stubborn he is that he asked for the same people who could not help him. The first time, the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans in the soothsayers and this time even told them the dream the first time he refused, but they could not make the interpretation. So, obviously, who does he call.

Let's find out in verses eight through nine, but at last Daniel came before me. His name is Beth Shatzer. According to the name of my God in him is the spirit of the holy God, and I told the dream before him, saying this as her chief of the magicians because I know the spirit of the holy God is in you and the secret troubles you explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation. Daniel obviously comes to the king's rescue again as he has been made. The chief of the positions he's the most wise person in the land. He's gifted by God but notice how Nebuchadnezzar describes Daniel's name. He still calls both the shadows or his God. Daniel has the spirit of the holy God, which Nebuchadnezzar perceives as being higher than his God and Nebuchadnezzar's dream is explained in 10 to 18 to let's get into the dream. These are the visions of my head while my bed. I was looking and behold a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, its height reached out to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves are lovely as fruit abundant and then it was food for all the beasts of the field found shade under it. The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches and all flesh was fed from it, I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed. There was a water holy one, coming down from heaven, he cried aloud and said, thus chopped down the tree and cut off its branches strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit that the beast get out from under it in the birds from its branches nevertheless leave the stump and rates in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field, let it be wet with the dew of heaven let them graze with the beast on the grass of the earth let his heart beat change from that of a man, let him be given the heart of the beast and that seven times pass over him, this decision is by the decree of the waters in the sentence by the word of the holy ones in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men gives it to whomever he will and sets over it, the lowest of men. This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now you Beth Shatzer declare his interpretation since all the wise men in my kingdom were not able to make known to me the interpretation for you are able, for the spirit of the holy God is any notice we see that this is Nebuchadnezzar second dream and remember I said he's writing the story and hindsight. So what I'm assuming and what it appears in the Scripture is that his commitment in chapter 3 was shallow as God is still speaking to the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, as this is his last warning but technically his second dream is the fourth warning if you look in the first chapter was his first experience with God. When Daniel purposed in his heart. Verse eight to not defile himself with Kings delicacies and he was able to see that God had provision ever. Daniel and Shadrach me shed and Abednego in chapter 1 and chapter 2 is Nebuchadnezzar second experience with God as the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had that Daniel could only interpret and that his magicians could not and Nebuchadnezzar makes the shallow commitment in chapter 2, to God in the third chapter is his third experience with God, seeing the fourth like the son of God in the fiery furnace and witnessing at Christophe any but again that was a shallow commitment and we know that by virtue of the definition because he needed 1/4 warning. This is his fourth experience with God. But his final warning before judgment that will get into what this dream means. As Daniel interprets it in 19 through 27 to let's read verses 19 through 27 then Daniel. His name was built, such as our was astonished for time and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke and said fill the shadows or do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble. You felt the shadows are answered and said, my Lord, and the drain concerned, those who hate you, Ms. interpretation concern your enemies, and here we see where Daniel is compassionate on behalf of Nebuchadnezzar because when he hears the drain from Nebuchadnezzar, his thoughts troubled him. I believe that Daniel respected Nebuchadnezzar boss that he cared for him that believe he had a compassion for his lost heart and tried to help him numerous times, but by seeing this fourth dream and knowing its interpretation in trouble. Daniel the king Nebuchadnezzar told him. Do not let it trouble you just go in and give it to me straight said this is what he does in verse 2227 the tree that you saw which grew and became strong. His height reached to the heavens, which could be seen by all the earth whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant in which was food for all, under which the beast of the field, dwelt in and whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home it is you a king who have grown and become strong for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens and your domain into the end of the earth, and inasmuch as the King Saul, a water holy one, coming down from heaven saying chopped down the tree and destroy it. Believe it stump and rates in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field, let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beast of the field till seven times pass over him. This is the interpretation of King and this is the decree of the most high, which has come upon my lord the king, they shall drive you from man, your dwelling shall be with the beast of the field and they shall make you eat grass like oxen, they shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven-time shall pass over you, too, you know that the most high rules in the kingdom of man and gives it to whomever he chooses.

And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and rates of the tree. Your kingdom shall be assured to you after you come to know the heaven rules there for a king, let my advice be acceptable to you, break off your sins by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. Said interestingly, this is a warning as you say Nebuchadnezzar is that great fast trees.

He was then known as the modern ruler of the known world at that time he has dominion over all of the earth at that time the still his heart was not in the place that it needed to be in God needed him to know him and needed to get his heart where he wanted it and where he wanted his heart was this he wanted him to know in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of man, that he wanted Nebuchadnezzar to realize that God's role is higher than his, and that God is sovereign over him. He gives it to where he will and said over it, the lowest of me and not that he has to have a certain status to be a ruler or to be a that it could be even the lowest of man the lowest of men physically but in the spiritual heart is really the condition of the requirements for being a ruler. There is a beautiful promise in Isaiah 43 verse two that assures us that in times of trouble. God will be with us in their walk through the waters, you will be with you when you perish through the rivers, they will not sweep over when you walk through the fire, Shadrach me shack and Abednego face certain death that day in Babylon as they were tossed into Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace. But instead of dying in the flames were delivered for the purpose of saving the nation. God always has a reason for every season in our life. If you're facing a trial. Perhaps it is God's attempt to redirect your steps. God often closes doors in life, in order to open one's but it's always up to you to follow when you would like to contact matters. You can reach us by emailing Dr. Davis Cheryl Davis project truth matters.com writer, PO Box 159 St. Paul's, North Carolina 2834.

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