An Invitation to Sanity

Series: Daniel: In The Fire

1 Sermon Daniel 4-An Invitation to Sanity Jericho Ridge – Aug 9, 2020 SLIDE 1 ---end--- SLIDE 2 ---end SLIDE 3 Hello to all you wonderful people of the Jericho Ridge Church in Langley. Greetings on behalf of our national MB family – we are praying for you and are encouraged by the reports on how your church is thriving in these days. It’s a joy and an honor for me to be able to join you on this Sunday, to come from my living room in Ontario into your living room in BC. And It’s a joy for me to walk-through Daniel chapter 4 with you. Each chapter of Daniel is a gem and chapter 4 is certainly no exception. So let’s invite the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts as we dive right into this unique story. PRAY… Just before we dive in I want to invite anyone who is listening and especially the children to grab some drawing materials – paper and some pencils and draw an aspect of this story. Our chapter contains many elements that would make for exciting visuals. IMAGE It is an account of a powerful king who had a wild dream, then became insane but thankfully recovered his sanity – we have angels and animals - so…lots to draw there J Perhaps you can share your artwork with one another and with me. So let’s walk us through this chapter and draw some implications for us today, as we listen to God’s Spirit speak to us through this wild story. As we come to chapter 4 of Daniel we’re now quite familiar with our for exiled friends who were taken by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC, during the first of the three sieges of Jerusalem, were exiled to Babylon where they were trained to serve in the King’s Court. They were given Babylonian names, Babylonian clothes and taught the Babylonian body of knowledge. In spite of the fact that they now live in a hostile environment they resolve to be faithful to their God. It is noteworthy to me that they remain very politely faithful. We see them politely declining the food that the king offers and politely requesting their own diet. We see Daniel politely offering to resolve the dilemma of the King’s first dream and thus saving the lives of all the advisers and establishing himself as the head of the wise men. We see the three friends politely refusing to bow to the idol of the government system of Babylon and politely allowing themselves to be thrown into the fiery furnace. There is something very Canadian about how these four friends express their faith in a culture that does not know the living God...much like our own culture. We can take some cues and encouragement from them. So by now, as we come to chapter 4 our four friends are well-established as people who are faithful to God and who are wise and who have the ear of the king of the great Babylonian empire. Chapter 4 opens with these words Daniel 4:1–2 (NIV) 1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! 2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. (lit. with me) The first thing to notice is that this chapter is written from the first person point of view of King Nebuchadnezzar. The longest text, the longest speech, in the bible that comes from the mouth of a pagan king. And this long speech – entire Ch.4 of Daniel is the King’s personal testimony 2 SLIDE 4 SLIDE 5 SLIDE 6 SLIDE 7 SLIDE 8 SLIDE 9 SLIDE 10 SLIDE 11 SLIDE 12 SLIDE 13 SLIDE 14 ----end---- Testimony always contains three elements. It can be very short or can be very lengthy but it contains three elements. The three elements are 1. Who I was before 2. What God did – a revelation, new insight 3. Who I am now as a result The second thing to notice is the name of God that Nebuchadnezzar uses – it is the Most High God – in Hebrew El Elyon. This is a rarely used name for God, used only 41 times, ½ (21x) in the Psalms…out of the remaining 20 occurrences 10 are in the book of Daniel and 6 of those are in our chapter. El Elyon – God Most High is a worship name for God…it celebrates God’s strength, sovereignty and supremacy: In Gen 14 where this name for God is first revealed we meet God as El Elyon - Possessor of Heaven and Earth Genesis 14:19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth… King Nebuchadnezzar indeed sees God as the Most High: Daniel 4:3 (NIV) 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. Daniel 4:4–5 (NIV) 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. No apprehension, no fear, he is at ease; until… God steps in and makes himself known. 5 I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So, he has this scary dream, he calls in all the wise men, tells them the dream and asks for the meaning but gets no answers. Finally :8 Daniel comes in and the king tells him his disturbing dream – a dream about a great tree TREE IMAGE That keeps growing until it fills the earth…a tree that is home and food for all kinds of creatures. Then an “angelic watcher” comes from heaven and calls for the tree to be cut down to a stump, bound with a band of bronze and he calls for “him” to become one of the animals for 7 years. KING/ANIMAL IMAGE There is a reason for all this: Daniel 4:17b (NIV) … so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people. The interpretation is not good - the tree is the king – who has grown great and strong, but is about to be cut down to a stump and become like an animal for 7 years. Daniel offers some hope: HOPE…. :26 1. Your kingdom will be restored to you after you recognize that it is heaven that rules… connection to the Most High name and position of God that this king does not at this point acknowledge :27 2. Avoid this dream coming true by turning from all kinds of wrong doing, including the king’s lack of care for poor So the dream is a warning…perhaps you remember receiving a warning from God too. Maybe it was a wild dream, but perhaps something more subtle – a word from a friend, a series of events, of maybe just a feeling that the direction you are taking is not good and you need to turn around. Do you remember that warning? How you responded? Perhaps now? 3 SLIDE 15 SLIDE 16 ----END--- SLIDE 17 SLIDE 18 ---END--- SLIDE 19 ---END--- God is good and merciful and kind and offers us opportunities to step off a path that is ultimately destructive to us and the people in our spheres of influence. Just as he warned this king, he continues to warn ordinary people today. We have the choice to heed or to ignore the warning. King Nebuchadnezzar does not heed – time passed and nothing happened, so the scary dream is pushed out of mind until a year later, as we read in :29-30 as the King reflects on the wonder of his palace – the hanging gardens of Babylon [IMAGE] were among the ancient wonders of the world and pats himself on the back saying: read from :30 Daniel 4:29–30 (NIV) 29 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” Suddenly he is struck with madness that makes him be like an animal – eating grass and living outside, not able to function in human society…for 7 years. ===12 minutes A lot must have happened during that 7 seven years… the king was no longer in the public eye. Imagine if our prime minister disappeared from public view for even just7 months – the speculations and rumours! Someone else had to take over the operation of the empire; Foreign dignitaries would be greeted by NOT the king and so on. All these happenings are left to our imagination as the testimony skips to the resolution of the madness. Vss 34-37 belong among the most powerful verses in the bible for me. I have them memorized and love the depth of truth they contain. Let’s read them together and as we do, I invite you to pay attention to the references to sanity Daniel 4:34–36 (NIV) 34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Sanity è ability to think and behave rationally The great Babylonian king testifies that it is irrational to assume that your accomplishments, your position in life, your security are an outcome of purely your effort. To live as if there was no conscious higher power i.e. God, directing your life, helping, providing is insane, it is sheer madness. In fact to live as if God was not the Most High over all of creation, including our lives, is not only insanity, but is also equates to a sub-human, animalistic existence. You and I were created for an intimate and dependent relationship with God – to live without finding God in this life is to miss the purpose for which you were made. As the Westminster Catechism states - the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. In other words, your ultimate purpose is to reflect the glory, the essence of who God is and to delight in your relationship with him as much as he delights in you. = = = 4 SLIDE 20 ---END SLIDE 21 SLIDE 22 SLIDE 23 SLIDE 24 SLIDE 25 SLIDE 26 SLIDE 27 These days the news are filled with reports that confirm that we have very little control over the future. Bad things are happening all around us, and most likely will continue to happen. The reality of just how very uncertain our future is has hit the whole world at once. Anxiety, stress, fear and the negative health effects that go with them are on a rapid rise. But – the Most High is on the throne and he is faithful to his people.. Mishak, S, Abed & Daniel experienced the complete downfall of their country, yet, they were not lost, God was with them and protected and provided. Later in Daniel we read these words: There will be bad things going on, BUT: Daniel 11:32b (NASB95) 32 … but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. Because God is Most High, and because he is with you and he is for you, we need not fear, indeed we can thrive regardless of the circumstances. Insanity sets in when we forget that there is a good Most High God, whose purposes cannot be thwarted. I’d like to share three invitations to us from our text: Invitations to:………………… 1. Sanity Live a fully human life Perhaps as you go for a walk later today ask God to show you if there are aspects of your life where you live AS IF there was no God = Madness J Be it your work, your family life, your health, your relationships, your finances, your plans for the future - and acknowledge and actively invite the reign of the Most High God into that aspect of your life. 2. A life that consistently moves toward God King Neb. Did not arrive at his all out faith in the God of the bible at once. Describe Neb’s Journey to God: In Ch.2 - Daniel 2:47 (NIV) The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” In Ch.3 Daniel 3:28–29 (NIV) 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Ch 4 -Daniel 4:37 (NIV) 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Encourage you to intentionally direct the course of your life toward God. If you don’t yet know the Most High God – get to know him; if you have given your life to him, keep going, there is more of God for you to have. Invitations to………… 1. Sanity 2. A life that moves toward God 3. A life of testimony Dan 4:2 – it is a delight to me to tell of how the Most High has dealt with me. I could not be easy for a king to talk about his own humbling, about his 7-year long madness. If he can talk about his madness and how right understanding of who God is delivered him, you and I can too. Testimony 1. Who I was before 5 SLIDE 28 SLIDE 29 2. What God did – specifically, how did God make himself known to you…just like this king, you and I came to know that the Most High God lives and rules all of creation. Living on this side of the cross we know that the Most High God is not a God who is far, but a God who became one of us… Jesus is El Elyon Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. His hand cannot be held back and no one can say to him – What have you done! El Elyon is a God who is near and who proved his love for you by dying for you…who values you enough to have suffered in your place, who promises to never leave you or forsake you…and invites you to simply trust your life to him, to let go, and to let him assume kingship over your life and find rest in his good care. 3. Who I am now If you have already given you life to Jesus you know that who you are now is a different person J And the good news is that God continues to reveal himself to us by his daily care and his daily goodness to us…we have daily testimonies of God’s work in our lives, and therefore are always transforming, becoming, more and more fully human. God Most High knows you, loves you, desires you, watches over you –make ever more space for him in your life, watch him do wonders, and then testify to the great things he has done. PRAY

Have you ever had an episode of insanity? Daniel 4 gives testimony of a king who lost and regained his sanity. The message invites us to living in our right minds, worshiping the God Most High and to testify of his activity in our lives. (It would be helpful if families read through the chapter before tuning into the sermon).

Speaker: Ingrid Reichard

August 9, 2020
Daniel 4:1-37

Previous Page