God's Sovereignty: Lessons from Nebuchadnezzar's Humbling

"Father what we're about to look at as I meditated on it again this morning is so powerfully encouraging and emboldening in living the Christian Life what you undertake to do on behalf of your people at the level of Nations is stunning and we give you praise for that Lord we praise you and glorify you tonight that you are the god of the Nations that the king's heart is like a stream of water in the hands of the Lord and he moves it wherever he will and you always move it in ways that in the end bring the greatest blessing to the greatest number of people." [00:01:01]

"It is the almighty and everywhere present power of God whereby as it were by his hand he still upholds Heaven and Earth with all creatures and so governs them that herbs and grass rain and drought fruitful and Barren years meat and drink health and sickness riches and poverty yay all things come not by chance but by his fatherly hand." [00:03:31]

"All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king 12 months later he was walking on the roof of the Royal Palace of Babylon the king reflected and said is this not Babylon the great which I myself have built as a royal residence by the Mighty by the might of my power and for the glory of of my Majesty now that's strange I mean you stop and think of this that he had been told by Daniel that in order to learn that that's not true his dream was going to have to be fulfilled in his life and and and only a year later 12 months later he's forgotten he's he's just not in touch it's a scary thing you know if if we think that we can can solve the problem of sin by a single warning or a single confrontation with someone we're kidding ourselves about the power of the deceitfulness of the human heart." [00:07:00]

"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 we all learned in the seventh grade or maybe the fifth grade or that this is a passive verb right past perfect participle very good but passive is what I have in mind right now it's passive which means the subject of the verb is unexpressed who is it who's doing doing this action God that's what this said right here and he bestows it God bestows it on whomever he pleases and he takes it away from whomever he pleases so God is removing the sovereignty from him." [00:08:20]

"At the end of the period I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me a year ago I I took this raised his eyes towards heaven and his reason returned and I put that on my door in my office because what hit me is that reason right thinking depends on directing your mind toward Heaven he turned his eyes to heaven and when he turned his eyes to Heaven his reason returned and there are brilliant people teaching at the University of Minnesota whose eyes are not toward heaven and brilliant people work in the newspaper office and Big Industry and whose Minds have a native Brilliance and they are not reasonable people as long as God is not in their thinking because it is highly unreasonable to leave most important reality out of your life that's highly unreasonable." [00:10:47]

"I blessed the most high praised and honored him who lives forever for his Dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to Generation 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 the earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him what hast thou done 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 now I Nebuchadnezzar exalt and honor the king of Heaven for all his works are true his ways are just and he is able to Humble he's able to to Humble those who walk in Pride." [00:15:27]

"His Dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation that's like saying Jesus can never die how does that relate to Christ or God's ruling the Nations and I think the answer is if your kingdom or your Dominion your kingdom your Dominion is ever lasting endures from generation to generation then um you can't be defeated here's Nebuchadnezzar and he knows he's going to die he know that his kingdom is going to pass over to Cirus or dasas or ardz Xerxes there's another one coming and God declares my kingdom never ends and therefore yours come and go and mine stays and therefore I think a necessary implication is I rule I'm in charge here." [00:16:39]

"All the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing now is that troubling sentence see for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes on him should not perish and have eternal life does that fit here God so love the world all the inhabitants of the the world are counted as nothing you make can you put those together what does this mean here all the inhabitants of the world of the Earth are accounted as nothing what do you think that means let's get it from the context here but he does according to his will see the butt here the contrast here they're accounted as nothing but he does according to his will so the contrast here seems to be this this nothingness here has to do with their will what what force does a human will have in running the world in comparison to God's Will and it seems like he's saying the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing but he does according to his will." [00:17:41]

"God never consults with his creatures as to the wisest way to run the world he never says H I think I better seek some counsel about this situation never we are nothing when it comes to counseling the wisdom of God and among the inhabitants of the earth his will is accomplished no one can stay or ward off his hand there's here's this no one so if you consult everybody on the earth do they have any power to stay or hinder or frustrate his hand when he decrees that hand to move and the answer is no so they are as nothing when it comes to resisting his hand that would be a clear contextual implication they are as nothing when it comes to warding off his hand that's a power thing one more they can't say to him what doest thou now that that's another wisdom thing they can't come into the courtroom and say give an account of yourself now Paul quoted that in Romans 9 you know you know when when you find fault with a God because he's so powerful uh and say well why does he still find fault if nobody can resist his will and Paul says who are you oh man to answer back to God." [00:19:30]

"Nebuchadnezzar had to become like a an ox in the field and like an eagle with his hair long and like fingernails like eagle claws to learn you can't talk like that to God that you can't call call God into account and if you do in a season of Heartache you eventually will come to regret it and repent and we must Shepherd each other through those times because I do not doubt that before this year is out I will hear somebody say how could God do that or why does he act that way or whatever and we will say in silence you will know in due time." [00:21:41]

"She said I saw God in a way I've never seen him before and I cannot describe to you I mean she was she didn't mean an apparition I don't think she meant bigness she used the word Majestic and some others she said he was so big and unbelievably Majestic that I I felt like I had been trifling most of my life and she swam a half a mile in that water and was saved and uh she hadn't been going to church for a long time she said and wanted to get connected and I said well that's one good effect but I I think we shouldn't have to be thrown into water in order to recognize that God is big and not to be trifled with and uh Nebuchadnezzar had to be thrown out in the field for seven weeks or whatever it was and she evidently had to be tossed overboard in order for God to get her attention." [00:22:21]