This is a part of a sermon series in the book of Daniel. You can watch more here.
How many of us are familiar with Kanye expressing faith in Jesus? What do we do in those moments? We wonder, “Is Kanye’s faith in Jesus sincere? Is it genuine, or is Kanye just mimicking words to be perceived in a particular way?”
It wasn’t that long ago that people thought being a follower of Jesus was in a downward trend. People assumed interest in science was leading people away from the church in Austin. In 2020 we saw the number of bibles being sold plateauing, but in 2024 there was a 22% increase in bible sales, specifically Gen Z.
President Trump has expressed faith in Jesus, Justin Bieber, Russell Brand, and when we see these types of expressions of faith we are filled with a myriad of emotions around excitement but also questions, “What does this mean?” Let’s look at Daniel 4, verses 1-3:
Daniel 4, 1-3, “1 Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: “May your peace abound! 2 It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. 3 “How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.”
Just in case you are new with us this morning…we are studying the book of Daniel. Daniel is in the Old Testament. Daniel is about a period of Israel’s history known as “The Exile.”
Israel has been conquered by Babylon (Modern Day Iraq), so that the best and the brightest of Israel have been deported into the foreign land of Babylon.
In Daniel chapter 3 we see King Nebuchadnezzar builds a 90-foot high golden statue of himself, calls everyone to worship the golden statue but there are these three Israelites who refuse to worship the golden statue, so that they are thrown into a burning furnace. It’s a powerful passage!
As you read Daniel 3 you are expecting these 3 Israelites to combust into flames but it says these 3 Israelites are saved from any harm. In fact, their clothes didn’t even smell like smoke, so that in Daniel chapter 3 we see King Nebuchadnezzar is in awe of God’s power. Look at verses 4-6:
Daniel 4:4-6, “4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. 6 So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.”
If you remember, in Daniel chapter 2 we see Daniel interpret a dream from the king and in verses 4-9 we are going to see King Nebuchadnezzar experience another dream that couldn’t be understood by anyone other than Daniel. Let’s jump to verse 10 to see the description of the dream.
Daniel 4:10-11, “10 ‘Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great. 11 ‘The tree grew large and became strong and its height reached to the sky, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 ‘Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all living creatures fed themselves from it.”
Just as a side note; God still speaks to people through dreams today. We always want to filter our dreams through God’s Word, and we want to remember there’s never going to be a message from God in our dreams that we can’t find in His Word.
In fact, we always want to be skeptical of anyone who says their dreams or their visions are more important than God’s Word.
The whole purpose of the dream is for King Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself and follow the Lord. You don’t need a dream to hear that message from God. It’s a message that is constantly repeated throughout God’s Word but sometimes the Lord will use dreams to reinforce what’s already revealed in God’s Word. Look at verses 13-17:
Daniel 4:13-17, “13 ‘I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven. 14 ‘He shouted out and spoke as follows: Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
15 “Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field; and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 “Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let a beast’s mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time pass over him.
17 “This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers and the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men.”
In verse 17 there are angelic beings, messengers described as “angelic watchers” who are involved in the earthly matters of the day. You need to know that is still true today. There is a physical realm that we see and a spiritual realm that we don’t see so that angelic and demonic activity is taking place around us at all times.
In addition, the primary focus of the dream is that the God of Scripture is involved in all things at all times for His glory. Let that sink for a second. As human beings we have daily responsibilities, we have tasks to do throughout the day, we have city officials and political leaders functioning in those roles and Gods’ Word is teaching us that the God of Scripture is at work in all those layers for His glory.
This is true at the national level, state, city, business, in the church or in the home, so that Daniel 4 is highlighting the power of King Nebuchadnezzar in a foreign land and then reminding us “the Most High is the ruler over the realm of mankind” so that everything takes place because the God of Scripture either causes it or permits it. Does that make sense?
Now, it’s possible you might push back and say to yourself, “If God is in control of all things, then how come horrible things happens?” What we see today isn’t what the God of Scripture wanted.
He creates all of humanity to live under His rule and His reign in Genesis 1-2, that’s what He wanted, but all of humanity rejected that plan in Genesis 3, so that all of creation is in chaos, but the Lord is working through the chaos to either cause it or permit, but over every bit of it for His glory. Does that make sense? That’s Daniel 4.
Look at verse 19:
Daniel 4:19, “19 “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!”
Verse 19 is so beautiful, because Daniel knows he is about to tell the king something he doesn’t want to hear and Daniel loves king Nebuchadnezzar, so that he says, “If only this dream was for someone else” which means buckle up! Look at verses 20-22:
Daniel 4:20-22, “20 The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth 21 and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged— 22 it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth.”
It is important to remember, again, the wisest of Babylon couldn’t interpret the dream. The king went to all his officials and nobody could make any progress, because supernatural activity needs supernatural insight.
There are going to be times we read God’s Word and we don’t understand God’s Word. It’s because the wisdom of God’s Word isn’t on the surface. It’s why Jesus spoke in parables. The intent is to draw us into God’s Word, so that we slow down to hear from Him.
Right now, our groups are going learning to study through 1 Peter in the New Testament and some people are going to get frustrated studying God’s Word. It’s going to feel slow. It’s going to feel methodical. It’s because it takes time to study God’s Word.
It’s something everyone can do, but we need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus, and we need patterns of studying God’s Word over and over, patterns of asking questions, patterns of wrestling with those questions, patterns of sitting with His Word, so that we are training our eyes and our ears to hear from Him.
Sometimes people will come up to me after a sermon and they will say, “How did you get all of that out of God’s Word?” It isn’t because I am smart or because I have a special relationship with God, but it’s because there have been years of slowing down and studying God’s Word, so that you start to see below the surface. Look at verse 23:
Daniel 4:23, “23 In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him,”
Daniel is aware that this dream interpretation isn’t going to be complimentary toward King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel knows the king is about to hear some information that he isn’t going to want to hear.
Sometimes in life we have to tell people things they don’t want to hear. Our culture is confused to think we love people by not saying anything. No, we love people by speaking truth into their life. Look at verse 24:
Daniel 4:24-25, “24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.”
When you read verses 24-25 you are supposed to see the power of this world isn’t very powerful. There’s no person in any position that the Most High doesn’t want in that position.
There’s no political leader that is causing the Lord to wring His hands. The God of Scripture is completely in control of all things at all times for His glory.
Men and women throughout history will give the appearance of having the power, wealth, wisdom, status, but it is all an appearance, because at the flip of switch a person can become like the “beast of the field feeding off the grass of the land.” Did you see that in verse 25?
It means the king is going to go crazy. He’s going to lose his mind. He’s going to start acting like a wild animal eating grass off the land.
Do you think that would get your attention? This is the king who already had Daniel interpret a dream in chapter 2. Same king who saw the friends of Daniel saved in Daniel 3. Look at verses 26-27:
Daniel 4:26-27, “26 And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. 27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.’”
In verse 27 turns to the king and says, “Repent!” Turn from trusting in your thoughts and trust in the Lord. Turn from trusting in your emotions and trust in the Lord. Turn from trusting in your experiences and trust in the Lord. Isn’t this powerful?
How easy it would have been for Daniel to water down the message! How easy it would have been for Daniel to only tell the king the good parts of the dream! But because Daniel actually loves the king, he tells the king what the king needs to hear, “Stop trusting in yourself and trust in the Lord!”
Listen to me, it’s great to build a great empire but if that empire isn’t aligned with the Lord then that empire doesn’t matter. It’s great to build a great business, but if that business isn’t aligned with the Lord then that business doesn’t matter. It’s great to build a great family, but if that family isn’t aligned with the Most High, then we are spinning our wheels, because it is only the power of the Lord, the things of the Lord, the hand of the Lord that matters. Amen? Look at verses 28-30:
Daniel 4:28-30, “28 “All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’”
I love verses 28-30 because you have to remember that the king just heard this ominous interpretation from a trusted advisor and his immediate response is, “Is this not my empire that I built by my power?” Notice the pronouns I and my repeated over and over. That’s honest right?
It’s like the king is thinking to himself, “Daniel that’s a good interpretation, but I am pretty sure I tell people what to do and they make it happen.” At this point the king is genuinely thinking, “Is this something I really need to be concerned about?”
Listen to me, tell me God’s Word doesn’t perfectly describe the heart of man. Every single person in here would have a similar thought. Even as we go through God’s Word on a Sunday morning there is this inner lawyer inside us that pushes back on God’s Word as we say to ourselves, “I am pretty sure I know what’s best for my life.”
Most of us are stubborn. Most of us are foolish. Most of us have to learn the hard way and we get to see King Nebuchadnezzar doing the same thing. Look at verses 31-32:
Daniel 4:31-32, “31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, 32 and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’”
Back in verses 27 there is the warning. There is the call to repentance, there is the call to turn from trusting in ourselves and trust in the Lord, but in verse 30 the king says to himself, “I am pretty sure” and in verse 31 while the words are still in his mouth a voice rings out from heaven!
There are going to be times in life when we want to do what we want to do. Like Israel of old that we just studied in Judges, we are going to do what is right in our own eyes and when we don’t see immediate consequences for turning from the Lord like eating grass off the land we are going to say to ourselves, “I guess it isn’t that big of a deal.” I guess God doesn’t care. I guess I can just do what I want.
Listen to me, especially young people. We all have this little Nebuchadnezzar in us that thinks we know better than God, so that when we turn from the Lord to do what we want to do and we don’t see fire reign down from heaven we are going to say to ourselves, “I guess it’s okay.”
No, in that moment the God of Scripture is being patient. Honestly, He should have dropped the hammer in Genesis chaptered 3 when sin entered into humanity but He doesn’t. He is patient. He’s waiting but at some point, there will be a verse 31 in our life where the Lord will say to us, “That’s enough.”
Listen to me, as a loving pastor I am saying to you, “Don’t test the Lord!” Turn to Him willingly, turn to Him quickly, because there is nothing in this world that escapes His notice. There’s no position, no title, no address, no person, because at some point He will say to all who tarry, “That’s enough.” He will bring discipline. Look at verse 33:
Daniel 4:33, “33 Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.”
Verse 33 reminds me of the life of Howard Hughes involved in aviation until he lost his mind in the 1960’s. He had made all this wealth, built this aviation empire, but in the end was overcome with fear of germs, so that he wouldn’t leave his room.
At one point, he stayed in a darkened film studio for months, rarely wearing clothes and living on a diet of chocolate bars and chicken. He spent hours watching the same films. He would wash his hands till they bled.
When we turn from the Lord we can go crazy. I want to be sensitive here because mental illness is sometimes physical, we need to go to doctors. Sometimes mental illness is emotional and we need to go to a counselor, but sometimes mental illness is spiritual, because when we harden our heart to the Lord we start to lose track of reality.
It’s because our bodies and our brains weren’t made to carry the weight of this world on our shoulders. And when we put that weight on our shoulders there are times when our systems will start to fracture and break, so that we want to get doctors involved, counselors involved but we also want to tend to our soul and turn to the Lord. Look at verse 34:
Daniel 4:34, “34 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.”
What happened in verse 34? The king’s eyes are lifted to heaven. His reason returns. He praises the Most High. It sounds like someone’s heart has been transformed! Look at verse 35:
Daniel 4:35, “35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
All throughout chapter 4 the focus has been about the king’s glory, but now the king is saying, “Look at His glory!” Is it sincere? Is it genuine? Look at verses 36-37:
Daniel 4:36-37, “36 At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
When you read about Daniel 4 you will see different people come to different conclusions. Maybe it’s the same in this room? Maybe there are some of us who feel like it is genuine? Maybe there are some of us who are skeptical?
We don’t know, and I am not sure it matters. When it comes to people like Kanye, Bieber, Russell Brand, Joe Rogan, instead of worrying about others, let us tend to our own soul.
Have we turned from trusting in ourselves and turned to the Lord? Have we turned from trusting in our emotions and our experiences to trust in the Lord? That’s what’s important!
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information.
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.