Taken Away
Daniel 4:31 “*ppWhile the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, qsaying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee qqit is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.” [1]
I. Recounted
A. Pride
B. Possession
II. Reminded
A. Person
B. Pronounced
III. Removed
A. Power
B. Purpose
Introduction: On Old Fashioned Day we remembered things that were once lost. The wonderful truth of salvation is that all things do not stay lost. We often talk about our departed loved ones as if they are lost but it they were ever saved then they will never be lost.
Often things and people are taken away from us for a time to remind us what precious means. We look at some things as if we could care less whether we have them or not. Let something happen so that you need what it is which you have discarded as trash and it is amazing how much time and energy you will give to find it again.
That is exactly what God did when He received you. God didn’t discard us, we discarded God. But God could not leave where He was to find you. God is in heaven and if you are in sin He cannot and will not leave where He is even though He is everywhere all of the time. He will not come to sin. So instead He sent His only begotten Son to redeem or receive you if and when you are ready to be found.
Before you are ready to be found though you must understand that you were lost. Otherwise you will be complacent about being found. That is how salvation works. You are lost. God cannot come to you. Jesus does come and then you decide that you need to be found. When you are ready Jesus finds you and leaves you with a new Spirit that will not leave you.
The children of Israel have felt lost many times through history. We have studied about them leaving Canaan to journey down to Egypt where Joseph would save them from famine. After many years the Egyptians treated them unfairly and they were persecuted until Moses was used to deliver them. They became a great kingdom until after Solomon died and the kingdom was divided into two. Both nations were each taken into captivity where they were used and abused until some were allowed to return. During the Second World War six million were killed. Had that tyrant lived the Jews would have been annihilated. God would not allow that.
God will never let that happen. The Jews have always lived as a people persecuted and yet God chose them to bring Jesus into this world to save anyone who will come.
Merry Oaks Baptist Church is a congregation that can empathize with loss of loved ones. Local churches feel loss for those who have not departed this life. Many people leave their local church for reasons unknown by their congregations. We all have people even in our own families who for one reason or another do not have the relationship that we would like to have with our loved ones.
God knows how we feel. He will not force himself on us but will allow us to know how it feels when we reject and refuse Him. He will not leave where He is but stands firm so that we will one day have that firm place to stand with Him when we are ready.
Who is it that He is getting ready? Is it that loved one that you didn’t see at Thanksgiving or is it you? If God loves you; and He can’t not love you, then He will do whatever it takes to get you to the place where you will allow yourself to be found by Him. He allows all sorts of things in your life so that you will know how He feels. He wants you to know Him that much.
Scripture: The focal scripture today is Daniel 4:31. Please stand if you’re able.
Prayer: Let us pray. Be seated.
Message: What was the word that was recounted to the king? Look back one verse from our vocal verse to Daniel 4:30,”mThe king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for nthe house of the kingdom by othe might of omy power, and for opthe honour of pmy majesty?” [2]
There is no giving God any credit here. It has been said that God shares with those He loves and He shares His love more than He shares anything else. The one thing that God will not share is His glory. If you try to take God’s glory away from Him and assign it to yourself you will lose.
Nebuchadnezzar plainly and stupidly said that the house of the kingdom had been created by his power. He was proud of what he viewed as his accomplishment. He took it as his possession. He foolishly decided that it was his because he alone was responsible for its existence.
Have you met anyone like that? You might think of a few politicians or maybe some corporate CEOs that feel that way and say things like Nebuchadnezzar said. How about normal everyday people? When you have finished paying off that house and have a mortgage burning party, do you take credit for a job well done? You need to lose weight so you lose seventy or eighty pounds; who gets the credit for that?
When we recount the times that we have accomplished a difficult task if we are truthful we might find our self in the same place as that king. It is human nature to be prideful over something we feel we have done. We thank God for assisting us when we feel He has answered prayer in the way we asked Him to. What many never consider is we could not breathe or have a heart beat without God. He does not share His glory because only God is worthy of glory. We are simply the recipients of His giving.
The story of the rich young ruler is in three of the four gospel accounts. What kept that young man from following Jesus and why did Jesus let him go? His first question to Jesus was the answer to that young man's failure. What must I do? He wanted to inherit eternal life. At least he got that right. To inherit means that someone else had to die for you to receive it free of charge. So he got that right. But he asked what he must do! It can’t be both ways! Otherwise it would be a payment for services rendered and not a gift.
Jesus reminded him of the commandments dealing with human to human which must be kept. Jesus already knew that the young man had failed in his relationship from human to God so Jesus didn’t mention those commandments. The guy stepped further in the hole when he said, "this I have done." Still no mention of God’s leading him.
Nebuchadnezzar might have been worse because when he surveyed what he saw he took credit for it all and spoke about it. Then there was that voice from heaven that spoke and reminded him that he was only a person. When a person speaks it might mean something but when God speaks it is so. When a man speaks it is only so if it falls within God’s will. Otherwise there is a surprise pronouncement spoken whether you hear it or not. God will do what God says. When God speaks it is done. It is spoken; case closed! So what was Nebuchadnezzar’s sentence? His kingdom was taken away. It was departed from him.
In the beginning of Daniel chapter four Nebuchadnezzar made a proclamation that is worth remembering. Daniel 4:1, “*Nebuchadnezzar the king, abunto all people, nations, and languages, bcthat dwell in all the earth; bdPeace be multiplied unto you. 2 †I thought it good to shew ethe signs and wonders that fthe high God hath wrought toward me. 3 How great are ehis signs! and how mighty are ehis wonders! ghis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, gand his dominion is from generation to generation.” [3]
He was even warned of what would happen in the future in a dream. It is important that we go back and remember that Daniel was a man like Joseph who we have been studying in our evening services. They could receive interpretations of dreams from God. Like Pharaoh before him, Nebuchadnezzar called all of the magicians who might have interpreted the dreams but they couldn’t help him. He called Daniel and here is what Daniel said about the dream.
Daniel 4:19 "Then Daniel, mwhose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied ofor one hour, and oohis thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, pthe dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. 20 ppThe tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; 21 qWhose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; qrunder which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: 22 rIt is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and sthy dominion tto the end of the earth. 23 And whereas uthe king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, vHew the tree down, and destroy it; wyet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, dtill seven times pass over him; 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is ethe decree of jthe most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 25 That xthey shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and xthey shall make thee yto eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and dseven times shall pass over thee, xztill thou know ithat jthe most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and igiveth it to whomsoever he will. 26 And whereas they commanded wto leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that athe heavens do rule. 27 bWherefore, O king, let my counsel cbe acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by drighteousness, and ethine iniquities by fshewing mercy to the poor; gif it may be ||a klengthening of thy ltranquillity." [4] We know the story. In verse twenty-eight, “All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.” [5]
The king started off believing that God was responsible for all the success that he had been given. Somewhere along the way he started thinking that he was a pretty worthy guy after all. That was his downfall. He not only lost the power that was given to him to rule that which God had given him, he lost his mind as well. For a time he was alone in the wilderness with no purpose. When we lose sight of God we have no purpose. When that happens God will get our attention and sometimes He will bring us back to serve Him again.
Prayer:
Invitation: We here who are Merry Oaks Baptist Church have a wonderful opportunity. Our local church is under attack and we know the attacker. Many times when we face personal trials of loss of loved ones or financial means we can put a name on that loss. We find ourselves in need of physical healing and we pray that God will intercede and give us physical healing. Sometimes we can put a name on those things.
We here at Merry Oaks are blessed because we know our attacker wants to change what God has allowed us to have here so that there will be something else here. We don’t know what the final result will be so we pray. That is a blessing. Being able to pray for God’s will when we are unsure of what that means is a great blessing.
The church at large is under attack. The universal church has come through a time when we were singled out to close our doors and separate from each other. There are many who have not yet come back to trust God even though He is the only One to be trusted. We knew that; but do we know that? Nebuchadnezzar knew that but he forgot that. He not only thought that man could make whatever he wanted, he thought that he was that man. He forgot. Have you? Consider as we sing…
* About B.C. 569.
pp Comp. ch. 5:5. Luke 12:20.
q ver. 8. See Ex. 18:4.
qq ch. 3:4. marg.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Da 4:31). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
m So ch. 5:20.
n Amos 7:13. See Jer. 51:41.
o ch. 2:37 (Chald.).
o ch. 2:37 (Chald.).
o ch. 2:37 (Chald.).
p ver. 36 (Chald.).
p ver. 36 (Chald.).
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Da 4:30). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
* About B.C. 570.
a See ch. 3:4.
b ch. 6:25.
b ch. 6:25.
c ver. 35 (Chald.).
b ch. 6:25.
d 1 Pet. 1:2. 2 Pet. 1:2.
† Chald. It was seemly before me. ch. 6:1. So ver. 27 (Chald.).
e ch. 6:27. See John 4:48.
f See ch. 3:26.
e ch. 6:27. See John 4:48.
e ch. 6:27. See John 4:48.
g ver. 34. See ch. 2:44.
g ver. 34. See ch. 2:44.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Da 4). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
m See ver. 8.
o 2 Cor. 7:8. Gal. 2:5. Comp. ver. 33. ch. 5:5.
oo ch. 5:6.
p Comp. 1 Sam. 25:26. 2 Sam. 18:32.
pp ver. 10, 11.
q ver. 12.
q ver. 12.
r Comp. ch. 2:38.
r Comp. ch. 2:38.
s Comp. Jer. 27:6–8.
t ver. 11.
u ver. 13.
v ver. 14.
w ver. 15, 26.
d ver. 23, 25, 32. Comp. 1 Chr. 29:30. ch. 7:25. & 11:13. & 12:7.
e ver. 24.
j ver. 24, 25, 32, 34. ch. 7:25. See ch. 3:26.
x ver. 32. ch. 5:21.
x ver. 32. ch. 5:21.
y So Ps. 106:20.
d ver. 23, 25, 32. Comp. 1 Chr. 29:30. ch. 7:25. & 11:13. & 12:7.
x ver. 32. ch. 5:21.
z Comp. 2 Chr. 33:13.
i ver. 25, 32. ch. 5:21.
j ver. 24, 25, 32, 34. ch. 7:25. See ch. 3:26.
i ver. 25, 32. ch. 5:21.
w ver. 15, 26.
a Comp. Luke 15:18, 21.
b See ch. 2:6.
c So ver. 2 (Chald.).
d See Matt. 6:1 [marg.].
e See Prov. 16:6. & Ecclus. 3:30.
f Ps. 41:1. So Ecclus. 29:11. Matt. 25:35. See Luke 3:11 & 16:9.
g So Acts 8:22. 2 Tim. 2:25. Comp. Jer. 18:7, 8. Jonah 3:5.
|| Or, h a healing of thine i error.
k ch. 7:12. Comp. 1 Kin. 21:29.
l So ver. 4 (Chald.).
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Da 4:19–27). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Da 4:28). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
