Sermon – Daniel 4 – Faith in a Faithless Land: Renounce Your Sins by Doing What Is Right

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Daniel 4 – Faith in a Faithless Land: Renounce Your Sins by Doing What Is Right

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

October 2, 2011

I am continuing with my series entitled “Faith in a Faithless Land.” We are looking at the Book of Daniel and the faith of the Judean nobility in the faithless land called Babylon. In the first chapter we were introduced to Daniel and his three companions who were determined to hold onto their faith in God even while in exile in a faithless land. In the second chapter we saw how God blessed Daniel with the gift of interpreting dreams saving him and companions from death. In the third chapter we saw how Daniel's companions refused to bow down to the King's golden statute and were thrown in a blazing furnace only to be saved by God in the midst of the fire. Today we will see how God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar and finally brought this tyrant to faith.

We are also comparing this to America which seems to be becoming a faithless land. One place where the increasing unfaithlessness of America can clearly be seen is on our college campuses. I recently ran across this story from Vanderbilt University, but similar situations are occurring all over America. Recently a Christian fraternity at Vanderbilt expelled an openly gay member saying that his behavior violated Christian ethics. This prompted the university to review the charters of all campus groups to see if any violated the university's non-discrimination policy. They found that four organizations on campus required their leaders to participate and lead sectarian practices. Included in this group was the Christian Legal Society who required their leaders to lead Bible studies, prayer groups and worship. The University said that this violated their non-discrimination policy and told them to change their charter so that anyone, regardless of belief and religious practice, could lead their group. The Christian Legal Society said that this was absurd because their group engaged in prayer, worship and Bible study and their leader had to lead them.

Colleges and Universities are increasingly becoming hostile to religion. I was engaged in ministry near Occidental College, formerly a Presbyterian college. As soon as the Presbyterians cut off funding the college removed the cross from the chapel and called it an interfaith center. They had no interest in working with area churches, but asked me to reach out to the local Buddhist temple to help them build an interfaith leadership group. Clearly our institutions of higher learning are becoming pluralist, believe every religion is the same, which puts them in the same category with King Nebuchadnezzar. Locally, I heard just this week that Salisbury University is closing it chapel.

As our colleges, universities and governments become less faithful, placing themselves above God, they have to be warned that this is sinful and destructive behavior. Today we will take a look at the warning given to Nebuchadnezzar and the consequences of ignoring God. But first lets pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Daniel 4:19-37 ¹⁹ Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you." Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! ²⁰ The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, ²¹ with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air-- ²² you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. ²³ "You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.' ²⁴ "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: ²⁵ You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. ²⁶ The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue." ²⁸ All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" ³¹ The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. ³² You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." ³³ Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

Once again God communicated with Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, and Nebuchadnezzar sent for Daniel to interpret it. In the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw himself as a tree stretching high into heaven and over the entire world. This was a symbol of pride. Nebuchadnezzar saw himself bigger than God, and this is a sin.

We all want to feel good about ourselves and our friends and families. Feeling good is a blessing we receive from God. We say that we are proud of our accomplishments. We are proud when our children do well in school. We are proud when we get a promotion. Pride counteracts the feeling of low self-esteem. But as with all blessings from God, the blessing of pride can be twisted into sin. This happens when we feel so good about ourselves that we forget all about God. We begin to feel that we are greater than God, and don't need God anymore. So pride become a sin when we begin to think of ourselves as gods.

This was Nebuchadnezzar's problem. He thought he was as great as a god and the tree in his dream seemed to confirm it reaching all the way to heaven and covering all the earth. But the tree was not to last. A holy one, possibly Jesus, came from heaven and chopped it down. So much for thinking of yourself as a god. Nebuchadnezzar was reduced to being an wild animal, scrounging along the desert floor looking for food. God has a way of humbling the proud.

But Nebuchadnezzar was warned. A year before the disaster came upon him God sent a dream and Daniel to interpret it. All Nebuchadnezzar had to do was to confess his pride and repent. This meant he had do declare the God of heaven, the Most High to be the real king of Babylon. And he had to do what God told him to do, to care for the poor and needy of his empire rather than build statues and armies. But he ignored these warnings for a year before all of his power and wealth were taken away. And Nebuchadnezzar experienced what it was like to have nothing, for a long time, until he was ready to confess the sovereignty of God.

How long will people of power in America, in our government and in our colleges and universities ignore God? Is there a limit to God's patience? What will happen when God finally humbles the powerful? When will this happen? We don't know for sure, but we have been warned. And we have hope. Scripture teaches us that even King Nebuchadnezzar, that pagan tyrant who thought he was god, one day repented his pride and confessed his belief in the true God. And this is our hope, that America slide into unfaithfulness will stop, and our leaders will one day return to faith in God. Listen to what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

Dan³⁴ At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" ³⁶ At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

And there is the answer. We need leaders in Pocomoke, Virginia and Maryland, the United States and in our schools and institutions of higher learning who will lift up, praise and glorify our God who was revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Use your votes, use your influence to put people into leadership positions who understand that they serve under the leadership of God. Find leaders who will listen to God's call for justice and righteousness. Support leaders who not only have a personal relationship with Jesus, but will also express their faith publicly and lead others to faith. Use your power to make America a faithful nation once again. Amen.