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I Dare You: Submit!
Daniel 4:1-18
Skip Heitzig

Daniel 4 (NKJV™)
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.
2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
3 How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation.
8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:
9 "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
10 "These were the visions of my head while on my bed: "I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, And its height was great.
11 The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
12 Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in 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.
13 "I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
14 He cried aloud and said thus: 'Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches.
15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots 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 beasts On the grass of the earth.
16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him.
17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And 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.'
18 "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since 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 is in you."

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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27 Daniel - I Dare You - 2013

Before us is a remarkable section of Scripture with a remarkable story about a king who makes a remarkable statement. It is the personal journal of an earthly political monarch who recognizes God’s authoritative rule in the human realm. As amazing as the story is, it carries with it implications for us to submit to God by submitting to man’s government.

Skip Heitzig unfolds the book of Daniel verse by verse in the series I Dare You. We'll learn how Daniel lived differently and made a huge impact on his society, and we'll be challenged to do the same.

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Outline

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  1. Remarkable Section (vv. 1-3)


    1. Only Portion of Scripture Written by a Pagan Ruler

    2. Only Person in Scripture with this Condition

    3. Only Psalm of Praise Written by a Gentile King


  2. A Remarkable Story (vv. 4-16)


    1. Another Dream of Prediction

    2. Another Dream with Interpretation


  3. A Remarkable Statement (vv. 17-18)


    1. God Rules in Human Affairs

    2. God Overrules in Political Affairs

    3. We’re Responsible to God and Man

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. Truth is stranger than fiction
      1. Daniel 4 is one of the strangest stories in the Bible
      2. The state of the union message from King Nebuchadnezzar after God got hold of his life
        1. State of the Union is an American tradition
        2. Nebuchadnezzar's was about 12,000 words
        3. Imagine American president addressing the nation and the world, "God has spoken to me"--unusual, unlikely
    2. Timing
      1. 25 - 30 years have passed since Daniel chapter 3
      2. About 45 years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar's first dream and Daniel's interpretation
      3. Nebuchadnezzar's spiritual journey
        1. He was challenged, moved, and impressed by the episodes in chapters two and three
        2. You can be challenged and yet not changed
        3. You can be moved and yet not motivated
        4. You can be impressed and yet not pressed to do anything about it
        5. Alka Seltzer Christians
        6. You can put a pig in a parlor and it won't change the pig, but it will definitely change the parlor
        7. Nebuchadnezzar hasn't been changed until now; remarkably he is now changed
      4. Lessons for us
        1. God can get hold of anyone and utterly change him or her; even a politician
        2. Our roles and responsibilities to the authorities around us; our challenge will be to submit
  2. Remarkable Section—only portion of Scripture written by a pagan king
    1. The king's personal account of what happened
      1. It rattled him
      2. A personal encounter with God changes you, humbles you
      3. A proud person who claims to know God is a liar
      4. Isaiah the prophet, "Woe is me, I am undone" Isaiah 6:5
      5. Peter said, "Depart from me Lord, I am a sinful man" Luke 5:8
      6. "If your religion hasn't changed you, maybe it's time for you to change your religion"
      7. Nebuchadnezzar changes his religion
    2. Few things are more powerful than your personal testimony
      1. At Skip's high school reunion, people were shocked that he was a Christian and a pastor
      2. He was shocked that the school jock John Booth was a Christian
      3. Is there someone that you think will never change, never become a Christian?
      4. Don't you think that Daniel and his friends thought that about King Nebuchadnezzar?
      5. "He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him" Hebrews 7:25
      6. Charles Spurgeon said, "He is able to save to the guttermost..."
    3. King Nebuchadnezzar's condition: a form of insanity, psychotic disorder called insania zoanthropica or zoanthropy
      1. Believes himself to be some animal form
      2. Two places in secular history cite that Nebuchadnezzar had this disorder
        1. Flavius Josephus quotes a Babylonian historian, Baratos
        2. Greek historian Abydenus
    4. Only psalm of praise written by a gentile king, vv. 1-3
      1. Portions of the Bible are written by a gentile; Luke, Acts
      2. This is a pagan king
      3. Written probably eight years after the psychotic episode
    5. God got hold of Nebuchadnezzar in the nick of time
      1. In his older age
      2. Kingdom at peace
      3. He was at rest, he had it made
      4. The thief on the cross; the nick of time
      5. Mike Kohama, a Japanese kamikaze pilot; his mother was a Christian; he didn't fly his mission; he gave his life to Christ in the nick of time
    6. Nebuchadnezzar's dream
      1. Beltashazar is the name he gave to Daniel according to his gods
        1. He now recognized the one true God
        2. If this is a true conversion, we will see Nebuchadnezzar in heaven
      2. At home in his palace; at peace
        1. Hands behind his head
        2. Feet up on a pillow
      3. He fell asleep and had a dream--a dream from God; a dream about his personal future
        1. There was a woman who did not believe in Christ who dreamed of Him and then gave her life to him
        2. Hundreds of Africans and Muslims have come to faith because of dreams from God
        3. Timothy, an Egyptian from the sufi sect of Islam wanted intimacy with God and he had a dream of Christ
        4. A dream doesn't make someone more special
          1. Pharaoh (see Genesis 41:1-37)
          2. Laban (see Genesis 31:24)
          3. Midianites (Judges 7:13)
          4. Pontius Pilate's wife (see Matthew 27:19)
      4. He calls in all the psychics; Why?
        1. Humans are creatures of habit
        2. If you struggled with something in the past, still struggle with it today unless God has done a dramatic work
        3. Psychics don't give him the answer
      5. He calls Daniel
        1. Why didn't he call him first?
        2. Same reason other religions are tolerated and Christianity is not, he doesn't want the guy who will say "You need to repent of your sin"
        3. Nebuchadnezzar had watched Daniel for years
          1. Nothing rattles him
          2. No panic
          3. Eye on God not on the circumstances
      6. A watcher, Nebuchadnezzar's word for angel
        1. There are watchers
        2. Lewis Sperry Chafer said, "Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven"
        3. A great cloud of witnesses (see Hebrews 12:1)
        4. Nothing is secret
        5. Angels are sent by God to minister to us (see Hebrews 1:14)
      7. Nebuchadnezzar states that the purpose of his dream was for Daniel to hear
        1. God rules in the kingdom of men
          1. God is not subject to nor dependant on anyone
          2. God does what He wants (see Isaiah 46:10)
          3. No one can restrain His hand (see Daniel 4:35)
          4. A.W. Tozer gives us an illustration of an ocean liner traveling toward a pre-determined port with passengers on board going about their business unhindered
        2. God overrules in political affairs v. 17
          1. God has appointed human government
          2. God often allows the worst people to rule (i.e. Pharaoh, Herod the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes, Nebuchadnezzar)
          3. No matter the form of government, we have the responsibility to submit; be model citizens
          4. Power belongs to God (see Psalm 62:11)
          5. Jesus told Pontius Pilate that he would have no authority unless it was given him by God (see John 19:11)
  3. Closing: Romans 13:1-7 amplifies the message of submission to governing authorities
    1. What about cruel and unfair governments?
      1. When Paul wrote Romans 13 Caesar Nero was in charge; the man who killed thousands and millions
      2. When David ran from King Saul who wanted to kill him, he said "let the Lord judge between you and me, but my hand shall not be against you" 1 Samuel 24:12
      3. Wicked rulers are sometimes used by God to punish nations (see Daniel 1)
      4. Wicked rulers/nations are sometimes used to purify God's people
        1. The early church flourished under the persecution of the Roman government
        2. In China
          1. There were about 800,000 converts to Christianity when the Chinese government closed the door to western missionaries in the 1940s
          2. The church had to go underground
          3. Many were martyred for their faith
          4. It was illegal to be a Christian or own a Bible
          5. Now there are over 100 million believers in China who grew up under persecution
        3. No matter how bad things get, the gospel will never be hindered
    2. Is there ever a time to violate government authority--not to submit?
      1. Yes, we'll see it in Daniel 6
      2. We already saw it in Daniel 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did not bow
      3. Two midwives disobeyed Pharaoh when he ordered Jewish male babies be killed (see Exodus 1:15-18)
      4. The apostles choose and say, "We must obey God rather than men" Acts 5:29
      5. Yes, whenever a government commands us to do what God forbids or forbids us to do what God commands, we obey a higher law
    3. Our relationship to the government, human authority
      1. Respect it
      2. Submit to it
      3. Support it with taxes
      4. Pray for it
      5. Occasionally disobey it if it violates God's law
    4. Start today
      1. Obey the speed limit
      2. Be honest on your taxes
      3. Pray for the government
      4. First step is to submit to God


Figures referenced: John Booth, Charles Spurgeon, Flavius Josephus, Baratos, Abydenus, Mike Kohama, Timothy, Lewis Sperry Chafer, A.W. Tozer, Pharaoh, Herod the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes, Nebuchadnezzar

Cross references: Genesis 31:24, 41:1-37, Exodus 1:15-18, Judges 7:13, 1 Samuel 24:12, Psalm 62:11, Isaiah 6:5, 46:10, Daniel 1, 3, 6, Matthew 27:19, Luke 5:8, John 19:11, Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-7, Hebrews 1:14, 7:25, 12:1

Transcript

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Welcome to I Dare You a series through the book of Daniel with Skip Heitzig.

Would you turn in your Bibles to Daniel, chapter 4 this morning. It's great to see your, well, somewhat smiling faces, some of you. Some of you need prayer, obviously. [laughter] Let's do that.

Father, we come before you and surrender ourselves to you and the work of your Spirit. We believe, Lord, that you have communicated to mankind through the pages of your Word, some of it being history, other parts poetry, other parts prophecy, other parts narrative, but you have given it all to us to teach, to instruct, to encourage, that we might grow.

So a great part of our worship, Father, is devoting ourselves to the instruction of the teaching of the Bible. We are so grateful, Lord, that we have it, and we're so grateful that your Spirit works in it and speaks to us about your will and your plan. In that plan, Father, we are confident, we take our rest and hope in you, and we pray that you will instruct and inspire today, in Jesus' name, amen.

It's often said that "truth is stranger than fiction," and chapter 4 of the book of Daniel is a good example of that. It is really one of the weirdest episodes in all of the Bible. It is the state of the union message from King Nebuchadnezzar to all of the people under his authority and domain. The State of the Union is an American tradition, goes all the way back to our Constitution where in Article II it says the president of the United States shall from time to time inform Congress of the state of the union. So it's been a tradition since our first president, George Washington.

The average length of the State of the Union message in American history is 5,000 words. George Washington gave the shortest of all; 833 words. Harry Truman gave the longest in 1946; 25,000 words. Nebuchadnezzar's State of the Union in chapter 4 is around 1,200 words of a man who encountered God, and what he writes about this episode in his life; it is monumental.

Can you imagine a president of the United States getting on national television in front of the Congress giving a State of the Union message and beginning something like this: "Distinguished members of Congress, citizens of the United States, and people of the world, God has spoken to me."

A silence would fall over that room. The White House staff would be scrambling of what to do next. "What is he going to say? This is unusual. This is unlikely." And then he would say something like, "The God of heaven has gotten a hold of me and shown me his plan, not only for the world, but for my life." Everybody would be going, "Uh, oh."

Essentially in chapter 4 of Daniel that's what we have, the state of the union as seen by Nebuchadnezzar after God has gotten a hold of his life. It is a remarkable section with a remarkable story about a king who makes a remarkable statement.

A little bit of history: Twenty five to thirty years have passed between chapter 3 of Daniel and chapter 4 where we begin. So this means since there was a gap of sixteen years between chapter 2 and 3 that it's been forty five years since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon received that first dream and the interpretation from Daniel about successive world governing empires.

Now somebody in reading through the book of Daniel might say, "Doesn't this king cop a clue? I mean, God has spoken to him dramatically in a dream in chapter 2. In chapter 3 there was this miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego from the fiery furnace. Why is he even not believing at this point? Why is this all necessary?"

Well, if you were to follow Nebuchadnezzar's journey so far, spiritual journey, he was challenged, he was moved, and he was impressed by the episodes in chapters 2 and 3. But you can be challenged and yet not changed. You can be moved and yet not motivated. You can be impressed and yet not pressed to do anything about it.

We used to call these Alka Seltzer Christians. They bubble up really quickly, but they fizzle out as quickly. Nebuchadnezzar gets all excited in chapter 2, but he quickly forgets about it. And in chapter 3, evidently, he has forgotten the lessons that God was trying to get a hold of him with.

Like the old saying: "You can put a pig in a parlor and it will not change the pig, but it will certainly change the parlor." Up until now Nebuchadnezzar hasn't really been changed. I say, "until now," remarkably he is. And it is such a remarkable story and long one that we're going to cut it in two; part of chapter 4 we look at this week, part of chapter 4 next week.

The great lessons we learn in the words ahead of us are simply that God can get a hold of anyone and utterly change him or her, even a politician. I know that's hard for some of you to believe, but it can happen.

Number two, it shows us our role and responsibility as believers to the authorities around us, and the challenge will be for us to submit. So we're going to look beginning at verse 1 down to verse 18 at a remarkable section, a remarkable story, and a remarkable statement.

Verse 1, "Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in the all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the science and wonders that the Most High God worked for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace."

It's a remarkable section because it's the only portion of Scripture written by a pagan king, or at least a one time pagan king. It's in the first person: I, me, my, this is what I saw, this is what I experienced. It is the king's personal account where he deals with "the Most High God," he says in this verse. The episode that we read this week and next week is an episode that rattled King Nebuchadnezzar to the core of his being.

And I would say that any authentic contact with God must eventually be demonstrated in the life of the person who's made contact. It has to change you somehow; it has to somehow humble you. Find a proud person who claims to know God, and you have found a liar.

When Isaiah the prophet encountered God, he said, "Woe is me, I am undone!" When Peter understood that Jesus was who he understood him to be, he said, "Depart from me, Lord, I'm a sinful man." He saw himself in the light of who Jesus was and it changed him.

Like the old saying: "If your religion hasn't changed you, maybe it's time for you to change your religion." We have, in effect, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon changing his religion from that polytheism that he knew, to believing in the true God; that's how I see it. And this is his testimony, his personal encounter. Few things are more powerful than your own verbal, personal testimony of how God has worked in your life, your spiritual journey.

I'll never forget going to one of my high school reunions, and I think it was the first one, and letting people know that I was a Christian, and seeing the shock written on their faces. "You're kidding!" they said. And then I watched even better when I said, "And I'm a pastor."

But I got the shock of my life when I saw one guy I recognized from my senior high school class—John Booth, football player, partier, Mr. Popular, cynic—come run to me with a smile on his . . . I've never seen him smile. I've seen him grunt. But he smiled, put his arms around me, and said, "God bless you. I'm a Christian too!" I thought, "No way!" [laughter]

Is there somebody that you consider hopeless or beyond reach? Somebody that you wish were with you today and you think, "You know what? I don't think it will ever happen." Don't you think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego might have thought that about Nebuchadnezzar? Hebrews, chapter 7, tells us, "He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to him by Christ." Or as Spurgeon put it, "He is able to save to the guttermost," pull people right out of gutter.

Also this is a remarkable portion of Scripture because Nebuchadnezzar is the only person in the Bible with the condition that will be described in the verses that we're about to read. He exhibits a form of insanity, a psychic, not a psychic, a psychotic disorder known as insania zoanthropica a.k.a. boanthropy or zoanthropy, where a person believes himself or herself to be an ox, or a wolf, some animal form.

In fact, not only does the Bible record this, but there are two places in secular history: One by Flavius Josephus the Jewish historian who quotes a Babylonian historian by the name of Berossus citing that Nebuchadnezzar had this malady. The other by a Greek historian, 268 BC, by the name of Abydenus who mentions that this occurred historically where Nebuchadnezzar—his life is reduced to that of an animal for a period of years.

Also, look at verse 3 once again. Nebuchadnezzar says, "How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, his dominion is from generation to generation." Now, there's going to be more of this praise toward the end of this chapter. This is the only psalm of praise written by a Gentile king.

There are portions of the Bible written by a Gentile. Luke was a Gentile, gave us the gospel of Luke, the book of Acts. But these come from the lips of a pagan king who acknowledges the God of heaven. And his words sound more like King David than King Nebuchadnezzar; written probably eight years after the episode occurred. He is now recovered, he is sane, and he sits down to write this.

God got a hold of Nebuchadnezzar in the nick of time. According to history he was toward his latter years of his reign; the older age had set in. Babylon was now flourishing. He had made his dreams come true. The kingdom was at peace. He was flourishing in his house. He was at rest. He had it made, but God got a hold of his life in the nick of time. Doesn't God do that, the nick of time? The thief on the cross, the nick of time.

I met a man several years ago from Japan, his name is Mike Kohama. Interesting story. He was a pastor in Tokyo, but in early years he was a kamikaze pilot for the Japanese air force. Now obviously he didn't fly his mission because I met him. His mother was a Christian, a devout believer who prayed for her son every day, but Mike hardened his heart against the Lord.

Two weeks before he was to fly his kamikaze suicide mission the war ended, put him in sort of a depression, a tailspin. He went on a search, and weeks later he gave his life to Jesus Christ, and he says, "in the nick of time." And now or after that—he's in heaven now—but he served for many years as a pastor in Tokyo. A remarkable section.

Let's look at verse 4 and see this story, how remarkable it is. "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, flourishing in my palace." The word flourishing means "to grow green," that's important with the story that will be unfolded. "I saw a dream which made me afraid," terrified would be a better translation, "and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

"Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation."

Sound familiar? Sound a lot like chapter 2, an episode forty five years prior to this? "But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told him the dream before him, saying." He calls Daniel "Belteshazzar" because at that time in his life, in his testimony, he was polytheistic. But he says, "In him is the Spirit of the [living] God."

Here's a thought: If this is a true conversion, just think, we're going to see Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon in heaven. That is such a crazy, awesome thought. That's the embracing mercy of God.

Now, look at verse 9, " 'Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. These are the visions of my head while on 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 to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely.' "

Remember Nebuchadnezzar was flourishing or "growing green" in his palace. " 'Its fruit abundant, and in 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, and there was a watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven.

" 'He cried aloud and said thus: "Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots 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 beasts on the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times," ' " most would see that as seven years, " ' "pass over him." ' "

Forty five years prior to chapter 4 Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. This is now the second dream for this king. It says he was in his palace at rest, at ease. I sort of picture hands behind the head, feet up on a pillow, thinking, "Ah, this is the life! Man, I've got it made." And then he just sort of fell asleep and had one of those dreams. And when he woke up, even though the first dream was forty five years ago, he must have thought, "This is going to be a bad day isn't it?"

The dream he had forty five years ago was the dream of successive empires: head of gold, chest of silver, stomach and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay. This dream is different in that it shows the future of King Nebuchadnezzar personally, and God speaks to him through this dream. It rattles him.

I've never had a dream from the Lord, at least one that I'm conscious was from the Lord. I've had plenty of exciting dreams, but usually from a late night pizza with onions, something like that. But this is a dream from God. And I've known people who have had dreams. I know a woman who did not believe in Christ and she had a dream of Jesus one night. She got out of her bed, tears in her eyes, fell to her knees, committed her life to Christ, and she is still walking with the Lord to this day—very dramatic.

I've read the accounts of people in Africa and in the Middle East, especially Muslims, who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, hundreds of them, because of dreams.

The testimony of one man who goes by the name of Timothy was a young man from Egypt. He believed in the Sufi sect of Islam, a very mystical Islamic group. At age fourteen Timothy became an evangelist for this sect, went out to the streets, tried to win people to the Sufi belief system in Islam. But according to Timothy, it wasn't enough; his heart was empty. He wanted, what he said, "intimacy with God," and he was not getting that.

One night he went to sleep and he had a dream. He said, and I'm quoting, "One night Christ appeared to me and said in a tender and sweet voice, 'I love you.' I saw how obstinately I had resisted him all of these years, and said to him in tears, "I love you too. I know you. You are eternal, forever and ever,' " close quote. And young Timothy gave his life to Christ.

Now, when you read of a dream or you hear of a dream that somebody gets, it doesn't mean that person is more special or more spiritual. In fact, he could be the least spiritual, and God has to use strict, stringent means to get a hold of that person.

For example, Pharaoh in the Old Testament had a dream from God. Remember the seven cows that ate the seven fat cows? Laban in the book of Genesis, not a spiritual guy, got a dream from God. The Midianites saw a dream of a loaf of bread tumbling through their camp; a dream about Gideon who would be used by God to overthrow the Midianites. Pilate's wife, Pontius Pilate's wife had a dream about Jesus Christ and warned her husband, "Leave this man alone. I've had dreams about him, troubling dreams."

Look at verse 7, "The magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, soothsayers, came in." He calls in the Babylonian god squad, all the psychics, Miss Cleo and all of her gang. And you wonder why does he do this? I mean, they failed in chapter 2, why does he do it again? Can I just say we are creatures of habit. This is Babylonian protocol. This is what he's always done. This is what he does.

I think some of us are very similar to this. Probably if you were a worrier a year ago, you're a worrier today, unless God has done some dramatic thing in your life. If you struggled with greed and lust in the past, you probably still are; again, unless God has done a dramatic work in your life.

Finally, he calls Daniel in after these guys fail the test. Daniel comes in with the right answer. Why didn't he just call Daniel first? I don't know. Daniel could have been away on business and just showed back up in town, or, perhaps, he was afraid to call Daniel first. Maybe he remembered forty five years ago in chapter 2 when Daniel came in and it wasn't good news. "You, O king," he said, "are the head of gold. After you will arise a kingdom inferior to yours that will take over." So, you know, no news is good news as far as Daniel is concerned.

It's sort of like that today, the same reasons that other religions are tolerated and Christianity is not. Everybody likes sort of the spiritual thing, and let's have the coexist bumper sticker, and just transcendent love and peace, but we don't want the guy who comes in and says, "You need to repent of your sin."

And so Daniel wasn't there, but finally he comes in. And look at verse 9, the king says, " 'Belteshazzar,' " that's Daniel's new Babylonian name, " 'chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God' " singular, " 'is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.' "

You know, believers live in a fish bowl. We are constantly being observed and evaluated by unbelievers. Nebuchadnezzar had watched Daniel for years in his kingdom. He said, "I know that no secret troubles you." The word means baffles or literally, "reduces you to distress." "Daniel, I've watched your life, and I notice that nothing rattles you. You don't get stressed; nothing causes you to panic." Here's a man, Daniel, who's lived with his eyes upon God rather than on the circumstances, and unbelievers notice that. They're watching you.

Speaking about being watched, look at verse 13, " 'I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.' " Now, this watcher is Nebuchadnezzar's word for an angel; interesting thought. You think what you did this morning was in secret? There's watchers. Lewis Sperry Chafer used to say, "Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven," interesting thought. "Nobody saw me," well, there are watchers. There's a great cloud of witnesses. Nothing is hidden.

Now again, this is an angel in his dream. I, I have never seen an angel, at least that I'm aware of—only one, and I married her. I always like to say that. Aw! Gets me points every time I say that.

I do believe in angels. I know the Bible says in Hebrews, chapter 1, that they are sent by God to minister to those of us who are inheriting salvation. I know the Bible says that angels are active in our lives. I believe I've given a few of them ulcers, if that were possible, by the places I've gone, the skateboarding, and motorcycling, and things like that. "Oh, no, Skip is up again! Double up on him."

But the watcher from heaven comes down, and in this dream he is calling all of the shots as Nebuchadnezzar is watching. It's a remarkable section with a remarkable story, and the most remarkable is the statement made by King Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 17, " ' "This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know." ' "

Keep in mind Nebuchadnezzar is writing this to the whole world at that time. " ' "That the Most High rules in the kingdom of the men, gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men." This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. But you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation since 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 is in you.' "

What Nebuchadnezzar is essentially saying in verse 17 is, "The purpose of my episode, the purpose of this dream, and what happened to me as a result of this dream, the purpose of all of that was for you to hear this, what I now have to say." And what he says is, first of all: God rules in human affairs. Or as he puts it, notice, "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men." It's a key verse in chapter 4. It's a phrase mentioned three times in this chapter. "The Most High [God] rules in the kingdom of men."

Now, think about that. Think about what it means: God is absolutely independent, subject to no one, dependent on no one. In philosophical terms we would say God is the only noncontingent being in the universe. All other beings are contingent; they depend upon God for life sustenance. God is absolutely independent. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men.

According to Scripture, God does what he wants. Isaiah 46:10, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Look down at verse 35 of chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar continues. In verse 35 he writes, "He [God] does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can retrain his hand."

Now that doesn't mean that God is responsible for all of the sin that people commit, but that God permits the will of people to be executed within the restraints of the parameters of his sovereign control.

A. W. Tozer gives us this illustration: "An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper authorities. Nothing can change that. This is a faint picture of sovereignty. On board the liner are several scores of passengers. These people are not in chains, neither are their activities determined by decree.

"They are completely free to move about as they will. They eat, and they sleep, and they play, and they lounge about on the deck, they read, they talk, altogether as they please; but all the while the great liner is carrying them steadily onward toward a predetermined port. The ocean liner of God's sovereignty goes over the sea of human history and it moves unhindered toward the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose."

"God rules in the kingdom of men," says King Nebuchadnezzar. The second thing he'd want us to know is that God overrules in political affairs. Listen to this politician, verse 17, "The most high rules in the kingdom of men, he gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men." That's quite a statement.

That the tells me, number one, God has appointed human government; and number two, God often allows the worst people to rule: Pharaoh, not a great guy; Herod the Great, not a great guy; Antiochus Epiphanes, not a great guy; Nebuchadnezzar, he will admit it, not a great guy.

This does not mean that God approves of all of their actions, but that he reserves control of their appointment. So, don't get too excited if your guy or gal gets elected, because it says here he "sets over them the lowest of men." Enough said. [laughter]

I'll tell you what this means to us as Christians: it means that no matter what is the form of government, we have a responsibility—here's the hardest part of this message—to submit to human government, human authority. We are to be of all people model citizens, model citizens. The Christian, the model citizen. Why? Because we believe what we just read.

Psalm 62 verse 11 David writes, "God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: power belongs to God." Jesus Christ stood before Pontius Pilate an earthly ruler, Pontius Pilate who was going to lower the gavel and sentence Jesus to death. And Jesus said to him, "You would have no power at all against me, unless it had been given you from above." "God [my Father], has given you [Pontius Pilate] the authority to execute me for his eternal purpose of salvation as I go to the cross." It's quite a statement.

I want to conclude our study today, not in the book of Daniel, but in the book of Romans. If you quickly turn to Romans, chapter 13, we'll read a few verses and we'll end here. Romans, chapter 13, it's always good to read something in the Old Testament and have it amplified—if indeed it's there—in the New Testament. Romans 13, one of several places that has this same message.

Romans 13 verse 1, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities." Would that include your soul and my soul? I think "every soul" would sort of take care of that. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

"Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers."

Have you ever thought of the IRS as God's ministers? [laughter] "They are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing." Oh, don't they! "Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."

There is no civil government that exists apart from the authority of God. You say, "But what about cruel governments? What about unfair governments?" When Paul wrote Romans 13, you know who was in charge? Caesar Nero, the man who single handedly killed thousands and millions of Christians by his policies.

When David ran from King Saul a government official who wanted to kill him, rather than avenging him, David said, 1 Samuel 24, "Let the Lord judge between you and me, let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you." Wicked rulers are sometimes used by God to punish nations. God used Nebuchadnezzar the punish Judah, God's own people, according to Daniel, chapter 1.

Also, wicked rulers and wicked governments are sometimes used to purify God's people. The early church flourished under the persecution of the Roman government. A more modern example would be China. Listen to this: Hundreds of years of Western missionaries to China yielded about eight hundred thousand converts—was the best count. In the 1940s the government of China closed the doors to Western missionaries, they were ejected, pushed out.

The church had to go underground because of the persecution; many martyred because of their faith in Christ. It was illegal to be a Christian. It was illegal to have a Bible. The church went underground and, finally, when China began to open up again, we in the West were looking to see: "Are there any believers left?"

Only to discover there were now fifty- some estimates one hundred million believers, all who had grown up under the worst, not the best government. All of that to say a God fearing government is ideal but unnecessary for the effective spread of the gospel. No matter how bad things get, the gospel will never be hindered.

Now, is there ever a time to violate a government's rule and not to submit? Yup, hold on to your seat belt, we'll get to chapter 6 of Daniel, and Daniel will do exactly that. We've already seen one instance of that last chapter when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego did not bow to the government authority. Pharaoh gave an order to kill all the Hebrew male children, two midwives disobeyed.

In Acts, chapter 4, there is a legal edict to not preach the gospel or teach anymore in the name of Jesus Christ, and the apostles say, "We must obey God rather than men." So, whenever a government commands us to do what God forbids, or whenever a government forbids us to do what God commands. We obey a higher law, and that is God's law.

So, to sum it all up, our relationship to the government, authority, human authority, is to respect it, to submit to it, to support it with taxes, to pray for it, and occasionally to disobey it—if and only if it violates God's law.

You know, we can start today just by obeying the speed limit when we leave here. "Gasp! I can't believe he said that. He offended me." [laughter] Or it's tax season, make sure you claim everything you need to legally and pay your fair share of taxes. And make sure you pray for the government even if you don't like your elected leaders, you pray for them every single week. It's part of being submissive. Of course, the first step—Nebuchadnezzar, I'm sure, would want me to say, "The first step is make sure your life is submitted and surrendered to God, the Most High God." Let's pray.

Our Father, as we close this section of Scripture for this week, we're impressed with two men. One is King Nebuchadnezzar himself who is rattled by a dream, and then by what happened in the years afterwards as it came to pass in his own life as his own mind went. Also the man Daniel who is seen to be somebody who was unrattled, not given to panic; at ease and calm in the worst of situations. And, Father, I pray that the lessons learned by these two by their own testimony and words would speak volumes to us in the way we live our lives in this world. As people are watching us, I pray that we would be surrendered to the Most High God.

And if anyone is here this morning who has not surrendered their life to Christ, they would say yes him before leaving this building. If you don't know the Lord, you can say to him right now: Lord, I give you my life. I know I'm a sinner and I ask you to forgive me. I believe your Son, Jesus, died on the cross and rose from the dead for me, and I turn from my sin and my past. I turn to you as my Lord and Savior. Help me to live for you, in Jesus' name, amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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1/6/2013
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I Dare You: Be Distinct!
Daniel 1
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Men and women of character will rise to meet a challenge. Our challenge over the next few months will be modeled in the life of Daniel, a man of God who stood out above the rest, honored God, and influenced his world. Each week, our service will be formed around a new challenge—a dare—to rise up, be counted, be different, and above all, be pleasing to God.
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1/13/2013
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I Dare You: Step Up!
Daniel 2:1-23
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Any crisis we face is a test. How will we respond? What actions will we take? What will our faith in God mean to us and to others in that moment of crisis? Daniel and his friends faced their moment of crisis when the King of Babylon’s insomnia became their worst nightmare. As they faced the possibility of their own death, they used the situation to display their life-giving faith. Let’s consider how we can step up to life’s difficulties and use them as spiritual opportunities.
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1/20/2013
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I Dare You: Speak Out!
Daniel 2:24-49
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Words can become jumbled when we feel intimidated by the one we’re speaking to, especially if the one we’re speaking to intends to kill us! That’s why this story is so inspiring: Daniel speaks out clearly, boldly, accurately, and yet humbly to Babylon’s monarch and thereby gives us a model of speaking God’s truth to our world.
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1/27/2013
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I Dare You: Stand Up!
Daniel 3
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Fitting in, blending in, and conforming to the values of the world around you is what is expected. If you dare go against the flow of popular worldly ideologies, you will be a marked person, regarded as a fanatic and relegated to the category of "dangerous individuals." Three of Daniel's friends decided it was better to stand up for God than to bow down to the wishes of the crowd. Their conviction of heart was to refuse to be "conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2).
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2/10/2013
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I Dare You: Be Humble!
Daniel 4:19-37
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A pundit once quipped, "Humility is like underwear—essential, but indecent if it shows!" The opposite of humility is pride, and Daniel 4 reveals it in spades. Nebuchadnezzar will learn (and then tell) about the greatest lesson God showed him in his long career—that He is able to humble those who walk in pride. So why not learn it the easy way? Listen carefully and apply these truths diligently. I dare you!
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2/17/2013
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I Dare You: Wake Up!
Daniel 5
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As a teacher was lecturing his class, he noticed a student sleeping in the back row, so he said to the sleeping student’s neighbor, "Hey, wake that guy up!" The neighbor answered back, "You put him to sleep, you wake him up!" Falling asleep on the job may be harmless in some situations, but not as the ruler of a nation, and certainly not when God’s judgment is impending. This week’s dare is directed to anyone who is not heeding divine warning signals and needs to wake up.
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2/24/2013
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I Dare You: Be Faithful!
Daniel 6:1-15
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Daniel was consistently faithful, both publicly and privately. His diligence and attitude set him apart from his peers and his reputation withstood harsh scrutiny. When his life was on the line, Daniel refused to compromise—he dared to be faithful!
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3/3/2013
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I Dare You: Be Steadfast!
Daniel 6:10-28
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Calvin Miller once wrote, “Security is never the friend of faith. It is peril that produces steadfastness.” Daniel knew this to be true and was willing to sacrifice the security of life and limb because his heart was steadfast and immovable toward his God. Even though he had been faithful to king and country, this aged prophet faced the trial of a lifetime.
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3/10/2013
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I Dare You: Defend!
Daniel 7:1-8
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Daniel did fine when he was thrown into the lions’ den, but how does he fare when thrust into the critics’ den? Daniel is an amazing book of prophecy as well as history, yet it has not escaped the bright white light of antagonistic critics through the ages. Today I dare you to move beyond a shallow faith that depends on personal feelings and subjective experiences and learn to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3).
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3/24/2013
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I Dare You: Decide! - Part 1
Daniel 7:8-28
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The world as we know it won’t last forever. Time will not march on without interruption. Daniel saw a vision of four future kingdoms which can be documented historically. But one final worldwide antagonistic thrust against God is coming. It will be waged by a ruler typically referred to as the Antichrist (but actually there are many more names for him). A fourfold description of this coming dictator’s reign is highlighted before us. Even more basic is the choice we must all make about which kingdom we will be part of.
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4/14/2013
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I Dare You: Decide! - Part 2
Daniel 7
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The time is coming when the world will have to decide between a false messiah and the true Christ. Sadly, some already have. Today, we'll consider the world's fastest growing religion and how it might possibly interact with the Bible's predictions of the end times.
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4/21/2013
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I Dare You: Look Ahead!
Daniel 7:9-14;7:26-27
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Economists, meteorologists, visionaries, and psychics all share one thing in common: They all try to predict the future to announce what's coming. God's prophets never had to; God revealed it to them and they simply wrote it down or spoke it out. The central highlight of Daniel's vision in chapter 7 isn't the coming kingdoms of earthly men nor of the coming Antichrist but rather the coming of Jesus Christ. Let's look ahead and see what's coming.
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4/28/2013
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I Dare You: Be Great!
Daniel 8:1-8;8:20-22
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The New York Life Review posted this: "Great men have but a few hours to be 'great.' Like the rest of us, they must dress, bathe, and eat. And, being human, they must make visits to the dentist, doctor, and barber and have conferences with their wives about domestic matters. What makes men great is their ability to decide what is important, and then focus their attention on that." (I think that goes for great women too!) Let's compare three men who some consider to be great, and then see how we measure up.
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5/19/2013
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I Dare You: Be Shocked!
Daniel 8:8-27
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When was the last time you heard someone respond to an incident or piece of information by saying, “That’s shocking!”? Shock (emotional disgust, offense, and aversion) has been diminished due to a widespread exposure to facts and images. Things get too easily relegated to a file in our brains marked, “I’ve already heard this before.” It’s a sad day (and dangerous) when we become spiritually desensitized to God’s truth and the world’s pain.
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5/26/2013
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I Dare You: Pray!
Daniel 9:1-5
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I have never met a person who's regretted praying too much. I've met plenty who've regretted praying too little. Prayer is the one activity that everybody knows they need, but few actually do. It's preached often, but practiced seldom. Forgive me if I'm dispensing guilt—that's not my intention. I'd rather take a peek into the busy life of an ancient executive (Daniel), and see the role prayer played for him and, in so doing, get fired up about this most powerful of activities!
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6/2/2013
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I Dare You: Pray! - Part 2
Daniel 9:4-19
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Just as a square has four sides and is incomplete without all four sides, so too does effective prayer. Daniel leaves us with a great example (and a simple one at that). Though we can pray anywhere and anytime, these four elements form a great baseline for us to emulate. When you talk to God, make certain the signal is clear, your heart is pure, and your confidence is sure.
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6/9/2013
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I Dare You: Understand!
Daniel 9:20-27
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God wants us to understand! He wants us to understand the truth about life. He wants us to understand the way of salvation. He wants us to understand His plans for the future. Today we come to the scriptural key that unlocks the door to the prophetic future of God’s plan. If you have never known it before, choose to understand it now. I dare you!
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6/30/2013
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I Dare You: Fight!
Daniel 10
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Fighting is never fun, but it's sometimes necessary. Certainly that's the case with the Christian life: It's not a playground but a battleground. Spiritual warfare (the cosmic battle between forces of good and evil) is a reality that none can escape but few really understand. For Daniel, the curtain is pulled back and he is allowed to see past the natural world into the supernatural world. Let's get a firsthand briefing on a heavenly battle that has earthly repercussions.
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7/7/2013
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I Dare You: Remember!
Daniel 11:1-35
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Daniel 11 is packed with prophecies about the history of Israel and the world. In just the first 35 verses of the chapter, we find that 135 of those prophecies have already been fulfilled. As we look at the historical details Daniel received in his visions, God's sovereignty comes to the forefront and prompts us to remember that He will carry out the prophecies yet to be fulfilled.
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7/14/2013
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I Dare You: Rest!
Daniel 11:36-45
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It's hard to be at rest when everything around you is chaos and conflict. But today that is our dare. Peace isn't the absence of a storm but being at rest in the midst of the storm. Daniel is informed about a stormy future in store for his own people and for the whole world. As we look ahead to consider a leader who will come during the most tumultuous time in human history, I dare you to rest in four distinct ways:
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8/4/2013
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I Dare You: Hope!
Daniel 12:1-3
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There is nothing needed more in the world today than hope. Every generation faces the tendency toward despair and hopelessness. Daniel especially did since he was learning of his own people's future suffering that would last for multiplied generations. But at last, God gives him a precious ray of hope: The worst of times will usher in the best of times. Four words describe that future time and become four rungs on the ladder of hope.
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8/11/2013
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I Dare You: Respond!
Daniel 12:4-13
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The Christian life is essentially a response to God: God is the Master and we are His servants; He's the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep; He is the Head and we are members of His body. Even our love for God is a response: "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). In this final section of the book of Daniel, let's consider three things that God does and what our response should be in each case.
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8/18/2013
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I Dare You: Be Balanced!
Daniel 1-12
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One dictionary defines balance this way: "A condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions." That's a fitting word to describe the whole of Daniel's life. In today's final study of the book of Daniel, we consider the man himself and how his life was so outwardly powerful and yet so inwardly stable. Daniel was supremely balanced in at least four areas.
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There are 23 additional messages in this series.
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