Which king do you serve?

Welcome to God's Word for Youth, a ministry of Sharon Arby Church in Southeast Iowa. We want to thank you for listening today, and we pray that you'll be blessed by both hearing God's Word as well as having it applied to your life and your heart. Daniel.

Daniel is after the major prophet, so after Isaiah and after Ezekiel. And this is our last sermon in the biographical preaching series. And Daniel has a special place in my own heart. Daniel is the book that I was saved by. Daniel is the book that my master chief, my boss in the Navy brought the gospel to me with. Daniel is the book that God used to shine the light of his gospel and change my eternity. And I'm really excited to talk to you today about the overarching theme that we find in Daniel's life.

And so we start that story with the very first verse of the book. Daniel chapter one, this is on page 779 of your Pew Bibles. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Sinai to the house of his God, and he brought the articles into the treasure house of God. This gives us the context for the book of Daniel and the life of Daniel. This is at the end of Israel's, specifically the southern kingdom's history, Judah. God has given over Judah into the hand of a foreign, a pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar. And in that foreign nation, the people are left asking the question, is there God still God? Is God just the God of the Jewish people, of the Israelites? Or is he the God of all nations? Is he the king of kings? Is he over everyone? And what we find in Daniel's life is a man who shows us the vastness of God's sovereignty.

But this doesn't sit well with many of the kings of Babylon. See, kings don't like to have any other king in front of them. Kings like to be their own rule. Kings like to be their own master. And that's not too much different from your own heart, is it? Do you like being told what to do? No. We want to be like the people of the book of Judges. We want to do what's right in our own eyes.

And we find that that heart is the same that we find in the kings of Babylon, and how Daniel is used by a prophet to show them that there is one king that must be obeyed. And so your question today will be, will you follow that king? Will you bow to the Lord of the universe?

And so we start this with Daniel as he's taken out of Jerusalem, as he is one of the nobles and he's taken away from his home country, taken at least a one month journey away to Babylon and he's captive. He faces this test right away. See Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, those are their Babylonian names, they're brought into the king's the king's counsel. We talked a few weeks ago, maybe it was last week, about Saul and how he had captured Agag, the foreign king, and he had brought him into kind of a circle of advisors. This is what happens right away with Daniel and his three friends. They're brought in to see, are they going to be good counselors to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon?

But there's an issue, they have to eat the food that the king gives them. But the king that the food gives them is unclean. So who do they follow? Do they follow the rules that the king of the universe set for them? That these are foods you can eat and you can't eat? Or are they in a foreign country and now they just listen to their earthly king and they just eat whatever food he gives in front of them?

And what we find is that Daniel and his men are resolved not to betray their true king. Look with me at verse 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portions of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief eunuchs. And so God has Daniel resolve in his heart that he's not going to defile himself.

But God also turns the heart of this chief official of Nebuchadnezzar to be favorable towards him. But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The guy is worried about his very life. Because if Daniel and his friends don't eat the king's food and they start looking haggard, it's going to be his neck that pays for it. Because the king is going to say to this chief eunuch, why did you let them get all haggard? Why did you let them not eat the food that's supposed to make them strong? But instead, Daniel pleads with him. He says, let us eat vegetables. Give us a set number of days, let us just eat vegetables, and you'll see we're going to be just fine. And after 10 days, they look even better than all the other people in the court.

God has honored his faithfulness that they would not defile themselves, that they would rather obey the king of the universe rather than the king of Babylon. And in verses 17 through 20, We find that God blesses Daniel for this purposing of his heart. Verse 17 of chapter 1.

As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill and all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days when he, or sorry, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, then the king interviewed them, and among them All, none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore, they served before the king, and in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in his realm. God gave them wisdom and understanding that they were 10 times better than all the other counselors and administrators that were in King Nebuchadnezzar's realm.

See, it's the Lord who is blessing them for purposing that they are going to serve him and not their own skin. See, the natural desire you would probably have, the natural temptation that I would probably have is if we were in that situation and we knew that if the king doesn't like us, what do you think the king's gonna do? Get out of here, done. Daniel, Mishael, Azariah, and Hananiah's very necks, their lives are on the line here. And they resolve in their hearts to honor the king, rather than King Nebuchadnezzar. They purpose in their hearts to not defile themselves, but to remain holy to God.

Would you purpose that same way in your heart? In your own life, do you purpose in your heart that you are going to honor the king rather than the culture? Are you going to honor the king in the way you eat? Some of us, like myself, how much you eat or how much you drink. Are you going to honor the Lord in the ways that you choose to live your life? Are you going to live the way the culture, the king of our day, says that we should be living? Does the media dictate what we should believe and how we should live, or do we purpose in our hearts that we're going to follow the king?

That's the question that Daniel came up with. And that's the question that he did the right decision resolving in his heart. But then we find that King Nebuchadnezzar is pretty immediately after that, he's got a problem. He has a dream. In chapter two, it's the substance of this dream and the dream really bothers him. And so he asked the astrologers, he asked those who are wise to tell him what the dream means.

But see, this is similar to, I was on Facebook and there was a little meme the other day and a FedEx guy went to go deliver a package to a fortune teller. And when he knocked on the door, the lady said, who is it? Right, this is a similar situation. These are what these astrologers are like.

And when King Nebuchadnezzar realizes, if I tell them the dream, they're just gonna tell me whatever they wanna say. So he gives him an ultimatum. He says, you tell me the dream and you tell me the interpretation. Then I'll know that this is from God.

And the people, the astrologers, the wise men, no one can do that. Look with me at verses 10 and 11 of chapter two. The Chaldeans, these are the wise men, answered the king and said, there is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter. Therefore, no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing of any magician, astrologers, or Chaldeans.

It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. And for this reason, the king is angry. He sees through them. What's their backup? No other king has ever asked us this before, King Nebuchadnezzar. We can't do that, that's impossible. Only the gods can do that, and they don't live amongst men.

And in walks Daniel after this. And we find out that the king of the universe is the one who gave this dream. And in the rest of the chapter, we find that the king has this dream. And Daniel walks into the room after he has heard that the king is going to kill all the wise men. And he pleads with God that he might have the answer to that. And I want you to look with me at verse 17.

Then Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the impossible happens. The impossible happens. What the Chaldeans said, no one could ever possibly do, not even the gods, because they don't live among men. Verse 19. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever. for wisdom and might are his, and he changes the times and the season.

He removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness and light dwells with him. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might. You have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the King's demand." The secret is revealed to Daniel and he immediately starts praising God. Because it is God who raises up kings. It is God who brings down kings. It is God who gives wisdom. It is God who gives understanding. It is God who deserves all this glory and all this adoration because it is He alone who is able to do what the king said no one else could do.

And Daniel goes in. He goes before the king, verse 27. And the king tells him, tell me the dream and the interpretation. And Daniel answered him in the presence of the king and said, the secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare it to the king.

But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. And He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and your visions of your head upon your bed were these." God's given the interpretation. God's not just the one who dwells in heaven. He's not just some transcendent God who doesn't care about us, but He knows even the dreams that He gives to kings. And he gives this dream with this statue, and a big part of the rest of this chapter is this vision that Daniel tells him.

There's a statue, and its head is of gold. And it's got a torso and arms of bronze, or of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay mixed. And he goes on to say that, and you're the head of gold. but there's going to come after you a series of kingdoms. But I want you to look with me at verse 44.

He's telling him about each of these kingdoms that these different parts of the statue represent. And in verse 44, he says, and in the days of the kings, The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people.

It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. And as much as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces, the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and the interpretation is sure.

Daniel says to the king, there's going to be a rock. And that rock, after all these subsequent kingdoms, is going to be cast down, and it's going to destroy all the other kingdoms, and it's going to grow up into a great mountain, and that kingdom is never going to end. Brothers and sisters, that rock is Jesus Christ. That rock is the one that we looked at when he crushed the Romans, when he shattered the feet of clay and of iron. It is Jesus Christ who has a kingdom that will last forever.

Are you bowing to that kingdom? King Nebuchadnezzar, he was inclined in such a way for a while. Verse 46, and King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face prostrate before Daniel. and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. And the king answered Daniel and said, truly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret. And that sounds pretty good, right? This pagan king has just said that the Lord is the king of all. But then right after this, we get into chapter three, and in chapter three is Daniel's friends in the fiery furnace.

And he sets up a massive statue, a massive idol, 90 cubits by 90 cubits of gold, to Nebu, his own pagan god, and he tells everyone, you have to bow down to this idol, and if you don't, you're dead. When you hear the musical instruments start playing, you must bow down to this God, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are faced with that dilemma again. Will they bow to the king, or will they not defile themselves? Will they resolve in their hearts that it is the Lord alone who they will serve and worship, or will they do the pragmatic thing and save their skin? On verse 16 through 18, we find what goes on. Chapter 3, verses 16 through 18. They're thrown into the fiery furnace. There's an angel that shows up. It keeps them safe. But verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered.

They're in the midst of the fire. said to the king, O King Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. They purpose in the face of the fire that they will not bow down to any foreign god.

See, the Lord is not just the King of Jerusalem. The Lord is not just the King and the Master over just the little area of Judea and Galilee and that general Holy Land area. No. No, even in faraway Babylon, it is the Lord who is God, and there they will worship and serve Him only.

They're thrown into the fire, but they're saved. And in verse 26 through 29 we hear Nebuchadnezzar's response to this. Then Nebuchadnezzar went near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire.

Again, there's a danger we have. You've heard a lot of Bible stories. You've been to a lot of Sunday school. People just walked out of a fire. A fire so hot that when the guards went to go put them in it, the guards died. And they come out and their clothes don't even smell like fire. Do you see the power of the living God that he delivers them from death? And Nebuchadnezzar is dumbstruck. Come out and they come out.

And the satraps, the administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose body the fire had no power, and the hair on their heads was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not even on them. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. who sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and they have frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own god. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks of anything amiss against the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses should be made in ash heap, because there is no other god who can deliver like this.

Nebuchadnezzar gets it. There is a king that is greater than he, and these three wise men of Judah were wiser than he. That there was a God from on high who would protect people even out of the midst of fire. But Nebuchadnezzar still needs humbled. Nebuchadnezzar is still a haughty man. The Lord's going to show Nebuchadnezzar that it's not him. He didn't become king by himself. It's the Lord who put him as king. And he uses Daniel to tell him that.

Again, in chapter 4, we find out that there is a vision that Nebuchadnezzar has. And that vision is of a dream, of a tree. Look with me at chapter 4, verses 10 through 17. He's speaking to Daniel here and he says, these were the visions of my head while on my bed.

I was looking and behold a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, its height reached to the heavens and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all the flesh was fed from it. I saw in the vision of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

And he cried aloud and said thus, Chop down the tree and cut off its branches. Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it and the birds from under its branches. Nevertheless, leave the stump and the roots and the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze.

In the tender grass of the field, let it be wet with the dew of the heavens and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth, let his heart be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him. This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men give it to whomever he will. and sets over it the lowest of men. King Nebuchadnezzar has this dream of a great tree that reaches up into heaven, a great tree that the birds sit in, a great tree that has fruit bearing, a tree that the beasts eat from it. But that tree is told by the messenger of God to be cut down and bound up.

And that the tree is going to go and to have dew fall upon it and act like a wild beast. And Daniel looks at the king And he's afraid to tell him the interpretation, but he still does it. You're the tree. You're the tree. You're going to be cut down, and you're going to go out into the field, and the dew is going to fall upon your back, and you're going to eat the grass that grows in the field like a cow in the pasture.

And 12 months later, Nebuchadnezzar is standing on his roof, and as he stands there, he looks at his kingdom, he looks at Babylon, and he gloats to himself, look at everything I've made and all my kingdom. And just then, the words of this vision rung in his ear, and he becomes mad. He's driven into the field, and he lives as a beast in the field. This is the story that my master chief told me. This is a story Dan came to me and said, Brian, have you ever heard of King Nebuchadnezzar? And I said, Nebuchadnezzar who? He told me about this king who is haughty and who is prideful. A king who wanted everything his own way. A king who gave lip service to God but didn't honor him with his heart. A king who had to be driven into the field and acted like a wild beast chasing his passions as his fingernails grew long like talons.

And in that cold, dimly lit room on the ship, Dan looked at me in the face and he said, Brian, how long will you eat the grass? How long will you give lip service to say that the Lord is most high, but not resolving in your heart that you will love him with every fiber of your being? How long will you bow to the culture and to the desires of your flesh and not long for holiness?

Will you go to the great king and bow to him who is merciful and loving and just and good, who raises up kings and gives knowledge and understanding, or will you be satisfied? Just living like a cow. Whenever you're hungry, you just eat. Whenever you have an earthly desire, you just go and fulfill it.

Or will you resolve in your heart to offer up your body as a living sacrifice unto the Lord, which is acceptable and pleasing in His sight? Will you bow to Jesus Christ as the King of Kings? Will you live your life resolved for Him, determined for His glory? Or will you eat the grass of the field?

On verse 34 through 37, we find King Nebuchadnezzar's response. He's given his right mind again. And in verse 34, he says, and at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lived forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.

No one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you done? And at the same time, my reason returned to me. And for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me and I was restored to my kingdom and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, all of whose works are truth and his ways are justice. And those who walk in pride, he is able to put down.

Are you walking in pride? Are you subjected to the master of the universe? Will you lift up your eyes to heaven and declare the glories of the most excellent, beautiful, eternal God? Or will you fill your heart with a dross of your own works? Will you come to Him who has innumerable riches as the King of all the universe? And will you be a prince and a princess in His kingdom through the work of Jesus Christ, His Son?

There's too much of Daniel's life. That's only half the sermon. But I just want to go to one last place with you. Turn over to Daniel chapter seven. Belshazzar. Belshazzar is given a vision. And in this vision, there are four different beasts who are shown And these four beasts are terrible beasts. And I encourage you to go read that Daniel chapter 7 verses 1 through 8 sometime. But I want to pick up on verse 9. After seeing these beasts, Daniel has this vision, and this is what he says.

I watched till all thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated, his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him, 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The court was seated and the books were opened.

I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking. I watched till the beast was slain and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season of time. I was watching in the night visions and behold, one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed. What was Jesus' favorite title for himself?

He's pointing back here to Daniel chapter 7 when Jesus says that he is the son of man. Jesus refers to himself in the Gospels again, and again, and again, and again as the Son of Man. He is the Son of Man who comes to the ancient of days, who sits on his fiery throne, and the Son of Man comes into his presence, and the Father gives to him a kingdom that will never end, that can never be destroyed. It is Jesus Christ who the book of Daniel points us to. It is Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of all of the book of Daniel. Daniel's entire life, all the visions, all the prophecies are meant to drive us to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That there is a king who sits upon his throne. And that king is no tyrant. But that king paid for his throne with his very own blood. That king lived a righteous, perfect life for his entire life and dwells in righteousness now and gives you his righteousness.

There is an offer to you today. There is an offer before you every time you pick up your Bible. And that's of being a citizen of that kingdom. of sitting at the throne of Jesus Christ and being one of those myriads who worship Him, who serve before His throne, who sit in His court, and who sing His praises, are you? For many of you, you have been sitting before His throne for decades, and the day is soon coming where you will stand before His throne without any sin, without any hindrance, when you will see all of His glory displayed, and you will worship Him in purity and in truth, without any fear, for all eternity. There will come a day for all of His who are resolved for the King of Kings, that you will serve in His court and behold His glorious grace forever. That is the gospel.

Don't minimize God. Don't minimize Jesus Christ. He's not some puppet that we play with. He's not some local deity. He's not someone that we pay lip service to and can enter into his kingdom, but he demands all of you, all of your allegiance, all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength. He demands that you resolve for him.

Closing Prayer

And he does that by renewing your heart, by saving you. And some of you, this is your hope. Cling to that hope. Run to him. This is what the book of Daniel, Daniel's entire life teaches us towards. Cling to Jesus Christ, bow to Jesus Christ, and enjoy eternal peace in his kingdom. Let's pray. God, who are we sinners that you would show such grace to us? Father, humble our hearts and magnify yourself in our eyes. Lord, let us sing to you your praises. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Let us love you. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's sing with joy in our hearts in response, Psalm 47.