No One Is Too Far Gone - Identity In Exile | A Study in Daniel - Week 4 | Tim Birdwell

Oct 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Tree That Reached Heaven

A towering tree once filled a king’s vision, its branches stretching skyward as if to claim divine glory. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream revealed a heart convinced of its own self-sufficiency, a pride that blinded him to the God who gives growth. Like roots hidden beneath soil, pride often goes unnoticed until its fruit—exploitation, arrogance, destruction—breaks the surface. Yet even the mightiest tree can be felled by a single word from heaven. Humility begins when we recognize every breath, every success, as gifts from the One who holds the axe. [07:53]

“I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful, and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all.” Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” … The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the whole earth… it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. (Daniel 4:10–12, 20–22, ESV)

Reflection: Where has pride quietly taken root in your life—in your achievements, relationships, or self-reliance? How might acknowledging God’s hand in your growth change the way you view your “success”?

Day 2: When Words Still Hang in the Air

The king stood on his palace roof, boasting over a kingdom he believed he built alone. His words hadn’t even faded before heaven’s verdict came: pride’s currency holds no value in God’s economy. Nebuchadnezzar’s seven years of grazing like cattle weren’t punishment but rescue—a severe mercy to save him from himself. God humbles not to humiliate but to restore, cutting down what we idolize to make room for what lasts. The question isn’t if we’ll be humbled, but whether we’ll humble ourselves first. [19:30]

“The king answered and said, ‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you…’” (Daniel 4:30–32, ESV)

Reflection: What “rooftop moments” have you experienced where self-congratulation overshadowed gratitude? How could daily practices of confession and thanksgiving guard your heart from pride’s grip?

Day 3: Lifting Eyes to Heaven

Seven years of eating grass stripped Nebuchadnezzar of everything—except the capacity to look up. When his reason returned, he didn’t glance at his restored kingdom but fixed his gaze on the true King. Grace thrives in the ruins of human ambition, rewriting stories of rebellion into hymns of worship. The same scandal that saved a pagan king saves us: not because we climb high enough, but because God stoops low enough to lift our eyes. [34:50]

“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to 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.” (Daniel 4:34–35, ESV)

Reflection: When has God used failure or brokenness to redirect your gaze toward Him? How might your current struggles be an invitation to depend more deeply on His everlasting dominion?

Day 4: From Starting Line to Finish Line

Discipleship isn’t a trophy case for the spiritually elite but a relay race where every runner circles back to grab another hand. The same grace that rescued us compels us to return to the starting line—to the coworker, neighbor, or prodigal child still gasping in the dust. Maturity isn’t measured by how far we’ve come but by how often we turn back, remembering we were once the ones needing someone to say, “Keep going—He’s worth it.” [02:31]

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels “stuck at the starting line,” and how could you walk beside them this week? What fears or excuses keep you from reentering the messiness of their journey?

Day 5: The Rescue Boat Never Docks

The church isn’t a monument to our piety but a rescue boat crewed by the drowning saved. Nebuchadnezzar’s story reminds us that no one drifts too far for grace’s reach—not the politician we despise, the relative who scoffs, or the version of ourselves we’ve buried in shame. To withhold truth is cruelty; to withhold love is hypocrisy. But when both flow from scars of grace, even the hardest heart may yet beat for Christ. [44:43]

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: Which relationship feels “beyond rescue,” and what practical step—a prayer, a conversation, an act of kindness—could you take this week to reflect Christ’s relentless love?

Sermon Summary

Daniel 4 puts a mature believer in front of a man who looks way too far gone. Jesus equips the saints and engages the lost, and those are not competing things. Discipleship starts before somebody knows Christ, then keeps moving as believers go back to the starting line and grab others with the same scandalous grace that found them. God makes dead people alive. God takes murderers and makes missionaries. God can take a pagan king like Nebuchadnezzar and turn his eyes to heaven.

Nebuchadnezzar starts out at ease in his house and prospering in his palace. The tree in his dream is huge, visible to the ends of the earth, fruitful, beautiful, feeding and sheltering everybody. Daniel identifies the tree as the king and his massive empire. Pride tells Nebuchadnezzar that he grew himself, built Babylon himself, and holds his own kingdom together. The lie of pride says success comes by climbing higher, grabbing tighter, and making everything about “the glory of my majesty.”

God exposes that lie when Nebuchadnezzar runs first to magicians, astrologers, and the same old human answers for a divine problem. Pride keeps prayer as a last resort and community for the moment after everything has already blown up. God warns the king through Daniel, then gives him twelve months of mercy. Daniel tells an enemy king to break off sin, practice righteousness, and show mercy to the oppressed. Daniel speaks truth without cowering, yet Daniel also grieves because he does not want judgment for this king.

God humbles Nebuchadnezzar while the proud words are still in his mouth. The king who wanted to reach heaven ends up in a field eating grass like an ox. God’s discipline is not pointless destruction. God brings Nebuchadnezzar down to size so that he will know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Pride is not a small respectable sin because pride grows ugly fruit, using people as tools for personal advancement and leaving destruction everywhere.

Nebuchadnezzar finally lifts his eyes to heaven, and his reason returns. The king who praised himself now praises, extols, and honors the King of heaven. God restores the kingdom, but Nebuchadnezzar no longer treats the kingdom as his own glory. The scandal of grace means no person with breath in their lungs is beyond Christ’s reach. Christ walked out of the tomb, so the spouse, adult child, roommate, neighbor, enemy, or politician who seems impossible is not too far gone. God’s grace produces awe, worship, and a life that keeps going back to the starting line for the lost.

Key Takeaways

1. Pride builds kingdoms that cannot last. Pride is not merely feeling good about success. Pride claims ownership over gifts, breath, ability, and fruit that God has supplied. Nebuchadnezzar’s empire was historically impressive, but his heart treated God’s gifts as personal glory. God opposes that lie because every false kingdom eventually falls. [15:00]
2. Humility should come before collapse. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a warning and twelve months to respond. Humility looks like confession, gratitude, prayer, and asking for help before sin becomes a crisis. God’s humbling work can hurt, but it aims at restoration rather than empty destruction. The wise response is to come down willingly before God has to cut the tree down. [20:22]
3. Truth and love belong together. Daniel does not soften the king’s sin, hide the consequences, or cower before power. Daniel also does not celebrate Nebuchadnezzar’s coming downfall, because love refuses to enjoy another person’s destruction. Christlike faithfulness speaks clearly and grieves deeply. Grace and truth together can bring real transformation. [26:24]
4. No one is too far gone. Nebuchadnezzar represents the kind of person many would rather write off. God turns the king who exalted himself into a man who honors the King of heaven. Christ’s resurrection means dead things can live, hard hearts can break, and enemies can become worshipers. Scandalous grace calls believers to pray again, invite again, and hope again.

## [39:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - Equipping Saints and Engaging the Lost
[02:10] - Discipleship Starts at the Starting Line
[04:33] - Who Seems Too Far Gone?
[07:05] - Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of the Tree
[08:33] - The Lie of Pride
[18:36] - The Necessity of Humility
[23:34] - Daniel Speaks Truth in Love
[31:02] - Pride as the Root of Destruction
[34:50] - Nebuchadnezzar Lifts His Eyes to Heaven
[36:01] - The Scandal of Grace
[40:32] - Remembering Grace and Rejoining the Mission

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Daniel 4
“The entire text of Daniel 4 from the ESV translation is too long to include here, but it is the primary chapter detailing Nebuchadnezzar's dream, his pride, his humbling, and his eventual restoration and praise to God.” [07:05]

Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” [15:21]

Philippians 2:3-8
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” [21:58]

Observation questions

What details in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream show the tree’s size, beauty, influence, and usefulness to others? [10:50]
When Nebuchadnezzar is troubled by his dream, whom does he seek first, and what does that reveal about where he looks for answers?
What specific changes does Daniel call Nebuchadnezzar to make in Daniel 4:27, especially regarding his sin and the oppressed? [18:46]
What does Nebuchadnezzar do after he lifts his eyes to heaven, and how is his language different from his earlier claim about “the glory of my majesty”? [34:50]

Interpretation questions

Why is pride more than simply being pleased with a job well done? How does Nebuchadnezzar’s claim to have built Babylon show that pride takes credit for what God has given? [18:08]
God gives Nebuchadnezzar twelve months after Daniel’s warning. What does that delay show about God’s character, and why should a warning from God be treated as mercy rather than something to ignore? [20:08]
Daniel speaks plainly to a powerful and dangerous king, yet he is distressed by the judgment coming on him. What does Daniel’s response show about holding truth and love together? [26:00]
Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling is painful, but it leads him to recognize that the Most High rules. In what ways can God’s discipline be aimed at restoration rather than simply punishment? [22:49]

Application questions

Where are you most tempted to say, “I built this by my power”—perhaps in work, finances, parenting, abilities, ministry, or reputation? What would it look like to give God credit in that specific area? [19:19]
When stress, confusion, or temptation first shows up, what is usually your first response: self-reliance, distraction, advice, prayer, or reaching out to Christian community? What is one practical way to go to God and others before the situation becomes a crisis? [12:10]
Philippians 2 points to Jesus’ humility. What regular practice could help you humble yourself this week—confession, gratitude, prayer, journaling, asking for help, or serving someone without recognition? [21:58]
Is there a person you have quietly decided is too far gone, whether someone you love or someone who has hurt or frustrated you? What would it look like to begin hoping, praying, or engaging again with that person? [40:32]
When you need to address sin or disagreement with someone, do you tend to avoid hard truth or deliver it without tenderness? What could help you speak more like Daniel—clearly, courageously, and with genuine grief over the other person’s harm? [28:00]
How does remembering that you also were rescued by grace change the way you look at unbelieving neighbors, coworkers, family members, and enemies? [41:21]
What is one tangible step you can take this week to “go back to the starting line” with someone who does not know Christ—an invitation, a meal, a conversation, practical help, or consistent prayer? [41:56]

Sermon Clips

44s

#NoOneTooFarGone

“This story in Daniel four is meant to remind you, no one's too far gone. If they still have breath in their lungs. By the way, did you know we have Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life, who died at death, but that wasn't the end of his story. Did you know he walked out of a tomb? He beat death. If that's true and it is, anything's possible. Anything's possible. And your kid can be transformed. And your neighbor can be transformed. Do you believe it? And that politician who you don't like can be transformed. And this is what God does. He is in the business of making dead people come alive.”

50s

#ScandalousGrace

“do you remember what it feels like to be that person? Do you know at one point that was your story? We always say like, you're, whether you're born in a pew. None of y'all were born in a pew. Literally or figuratively. You're like, well, Tim, I grew up going to church and sword drills and awanas. In your self righteous pride, you were lost and dying and going to hell without Christ. And then some of you on the other side, you're like, Tim, I know I know I was like hell, I could feel it from Phoenix. Like the flames. You should've seen me in college and you know that. But how many of you thought about that in a while when we're singing worship songs? How many of you thought about the scandalous grace of God? Not just to save somebody else, that other person, but it saved you. That's why you're here today.”

29s

#RememberYourGrace

“You're scandal of grace too. Do you remember? Do you think about that? When you're worshiping and Braden's inviting you to raise your hands? Do you think about that? When you say, get out your journal, like, actually take notes. Like, you need this. Do you do you think, well, no, Tim, I crossed the finish line. I'm good. Do you still have that desperation remembering where you once were? You were once too far gone, and so was I, and God saved you. He made the dead alive, the lost found in Jesus' name.”

25s

#HumbleYourself

“In his pride, the lie of pride, he doesn't humble himself. He has twelve months. Did you catch that detail? Daniel gives the warning, twelve months go by. That's God's grace. Some of you today is God's grace to you. You're hearing a warning about your pride. Is it gonna be twelve months? Is it gonna be twelve hours? I don't know. But you should respond now. That's God's grace and mercy to you and your pride.”

32s

#GraceAndTruth

“Let let me just tell you, if that were to happen in your life, if that were to happen in our church, in our communities, if that were to happen in our world, there would be revival like you have never seen. Because that does not happen. Right? That the stereotype exists because it exists. We have people who are all about love, only love. What they think is love. All about truth, only truth. And when Jesus comes along full of grace and full of truth, he changed the world. There was revival. And may it be so again.”

36s

#RestorationNotDestruction

“This is for his restoration. Pride leads to destruction. God humbling him even though painful. The whole point is, so that you will know. So you'll finally repent. Does it take does it take that for you? Eating grass in a field for seven years. Does it take your marriage being stripped away because of that sin that you thought was just a small thing? And you treated it like you just pet that lion, and that lion ate you whole. Because that's what sin does, and that's what Satan does. What is it gonna take for you? Friends, I love you.”

34s

#NeedGod

“It's a big deal in this day, it's a big deal in our day. And you wanna humble yourself before God has to humble you. And he wants, listen, I know this is hard. He wants to bring restoration. He doesn't want your destruction. But you have to come to a place where you admit, God, I I need to be brought down to size in my marriage, in my vocation, in my social media. Hello. And, would you would you humble me? God, I need you.”

46s

#RootOfPride

“It's because pride is the root of so many evil fruits in our culture. What you see with Nebuchadnezzar is pride starts to destroy him, makes him crazy, and it destroys other people everywhere you go in his wake. As we look today, you know what the root of racism is? Pride. You know what the root of sexism is? Pride. You know what the root of violence? Sex trafficking? Slander? Pride. It says, desires are ultimate over and above your dignity. I'm not gonna love you as God has called me to do. I'm gonna use you as tools for my advancement. Pride, it's a big, big deal.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Phoenix Bible Church This sermon · AI assistant

How does pride destroy individuals and communities?

Why does God humble people instead of abandoning them?

How can Christians speak truth with genuine love?