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 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons Podcast, where you can listen to audio from our most

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 recent sermons and more. Thanks for listening, and be sure to add this show to your library

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 Good morning. Thank you, whoever beat me to it. I appreciate that.

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 Hey, good morning. So whoever, what else am I going to say?

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 If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join us in Daniel chapter 2.

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 I found this funny. A couple years ago, Emma was teaching, doing a lesson with some of our

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 youth who were here at the church, and I had the opportunity to be there and be a part of it. And

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 so she's, you know, it's her first time kind of doing a lesson in front of a group of people,

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 and I forget exactly which passage she did. But I think as like a jab, but an encouragement to her

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 dad, she was like, all right, well, good afternoon, everyone. If you have your Bibles, and I hope you

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 do, I want you to turn to, and then she gave the passage of Scripture. You know, sometimes we just

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 need a good rhythm to kind of help us get going and things like that. And so that's what we have with

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 that. But we are glad that you're here. We are going to be looking in Daniel chapter 2 this morning.

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 If you don't have a Bible with you, that's okay. We want you to have a copy of God's Word. We hold

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 that as a value for us as a congregation. And so at the end of the service, I'll be back here at this

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 black table. We have some free copies of God's Word. We would love for you to stop by and get one. It is

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 the translation that we typically use when I preach on Sunday mornings. And so if you would like a copy of

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 that, whether you're a guest, whether you're a member, whether you're a believer, whether you're

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 not a believer, we want everyone to have a copy of God's Word. And so please come back and grab one of

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 those. And then also for our first-time guest, we do encourage you to scan that QR code. We would

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 love to know that you're here. But also at the end of the service, my wife and I will be in the back of

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 the auditorium at that table. And we'd love for you just to stop by. We'd love to shake your hand and to

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 thank you personally for being here and for worshiping with us. We'd love to learn your name. And if

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 there's any questions you have about us as a church, what we do, about our ministries, we would love to

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 be able to answer those questions for you. And again, thank you so much for being here.

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 It is a new season. College football season has started off. I want to share with you guys yesterday,

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 we went up to Spartanburg, South Carolina for a cross-country race. You know that our family does

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 that with our son and our daughter running. And then we decided to shoot up the mountain or up into

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 the mountains and going to Hendersonville and to get some apples. And so we were sitting there having

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 dinner outside. And I know that the hot temperatures have been around and are there, but fall is coming.

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 Fall is coming. God spoke. And I saw the reminder and the encouragement of that. We're sitting out eating

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 some barbecue in the North Carolina mountains. And I looked out across the road and there was a tree

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 with yellow leaves. So praise the Lord. Cooler temperatures are coming. All right. I want to

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 read to you guys a Bible verse. It's in Daniel 2, 27 and the first part of 28. Daniel answered the king

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 and said, No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that

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 the king has asked. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. Let's go before that God.

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 God, we thank you so much for who you are and for your word. God, as we study your word this morning, I pray

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 that you would do, Lord, what you do. And through the power of your Holy Spirit, Lord, would you reveal

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 the truth of your word to us. God, for those of us who are sons and daughters of the living God, Lord,

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 who continually need to be reminded of what it looks like to draw closer to you, Lord, we pray that you

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 would draw closer, that we would draw closer to you and that you would pull us to you in the power of

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 your spirit. We pray for those who do not know you, that the truth of your word, the truth of the gospel

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 will be revealed and made known. Have an opportunity today to put their hope and their trust in Jesus

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 Christ and in him alone. And it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. I hope if you've been with us,

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 you've been enjoying so far, what we're working through Daniel, the study that we're working

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 through this fall. We're working chapter by chapter, verse by verse, word by word through the book of

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 Daniel. It's a book that I think for most people, you're familiar with if you've been raised in

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 church, you're common with. There's kind of the two big stories that we're going to get to in chapter

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 three and in chapter six when it comes to Daniel. But there's so much that that's leading to those.

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 And that's kind of where we find ourselves this morning at the end of Daniel chapter two.

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 There's been a lot that's been going on, man. God's been working. God's been moving. God's been

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 setting things and establishing things. And what we see is that God's people, Judah, from the southern

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 tribe, have been invaded and conquered by the Babylonians. And they've got this king, King

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 Nebuchadnezzar, who's a pagan, cruel, harsh king. And he draws from the people of Judah some of the best

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 the best so that he can incorporate them and assimilate them into Babylonian culture so that

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 he can use them for his benefit as he seeks to lead and to rule. And that's how Daniel comes on to the

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 scene. Daniel is part of the best of the best, the elite of the elite, the chosen of the chosen.

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 But even as a teenage boy, what we see from Daniel is that he's got a strong resolve and heart for God.

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 That in spite of Judah at this time, extremely rebellious. In fact, that's why God sends the

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 Babylonians to conquer them. And to do this is God's enacting his judgment of what he's told them about

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 through the prophets all the way back to Isaiah of what he's going to do. This shouldn't be a surprise.

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 Over and over and over again, return to me, return to me, repent, repent, repent. And God's people in

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 their rebellion refuse to do that. But we see that that's not all of them, that there are some who

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 are in there who have a heart of loyalty and dedication and obedience and love for the Lord.

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 And this is Daniel. And so kind of become my theme verse through here. We see in Daniel 1.8,

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 but Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself. And so Daniel is a man for the time. He's God's man

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 for the time. He's a chosen man for the time. He is a man who's going to stand coming from a culture

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 who's rebelling against the God who loves them and who has chosen them to be put into a missional

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 culture of a group of people who we're searching for, but God who wants to capture their hearts as

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 well. And Daniel's going to be the man who stands in resolve of who he is. So Nebuchadnezzar, the crazy

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 paranoid king, has this dream, a dream that he is unsure of. I think that's a safe assumption that

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 he's even unsure of what the dream is, much less he has no clue what the interpretation would have

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 been. But it's terrified him. So he's called all of the magicians, the enchanters, all of the wise men,

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 all of the sorcerers to come together to tell him two things. What is the dream that I dreamed?

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 And then secondly, what is the interpretation of it? And if you tell me what it is, I'll promote you

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 and bless you. But if you don't tell me what it is, I'm going to kill you. And they can't come to

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 an understanding of what this is. In fact, they even say that it's impossible to do what the king's

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 asking him to do. So the movement is made to execute all of these men. And Daniel is considered one of

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 them. Daniel, God's chosen. Daniel, God's servant. Daniel, whose God has given the gifts of interpreting

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 visions and dreams. See, Daniel wasn't in the room when Nebuchadnezzar asked. But Daniel is associated.

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 And so Daniel and his three friends, they're also given execution orders. And as Arioch, the executioner,

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 comes to do just that, Daniel appeals with him. And Daniel, a man of the favor of God, Arioch,

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 gives him a day. He gives him a day. And it's what we looked at last week, right? Like in the crisis.

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 Like, can you imagine? I don't know that I've ever been in this level of crisis. But this is the crisis

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 crisis that Daniel finds himself in. And in this crisis, we see the true character and nature of

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 who Daniel is. He trusts God. He prays to God. He seeks God. And because he's at that deep level of

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 trust that even in the midst of the crazy, even in the midst of the chaos, even in the midst of the

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 crisis, Daniel sleeps that night. Can you imagine? Like, you're going to be executed. He's like,

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 now God's got this. Let's sleep. Let's sleep. And God does what God does. And God reveals to Daniel

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 the dream. And God gives Daniel the interpretation. So let's pick up in verse 24 of chapter 2.

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 Verse 25,

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 And the king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, are you able to make known to me the dream that I have

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 seen and its interpretation? And Daniel answered the king and said, no wise men, enchanters, magicians,

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 astrologers, or astrologers, can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked. But there is a God

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 in heaven who reveals mysteries. And he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter

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 days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these. To you, O king, as you lay in bed

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 came thoughts of what would be after this. And he reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.

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 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than

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 all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king and that you may know

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 the thoughts of your mind. So let's look at what's kind of happening here. All, Daniel is a beautiful case

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 study in how the world interacts versus how those who have resolved in their obedience and their faith

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 in the Lord will react. It's like, like, do me the favor and just like read it through this way.

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 We talked about this with Nebuchadnezzar, right? Like Nebuchadnezzar last week in the crisis,

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 he operates in the crazy. He operates in the chaos. He operates in the anxiety. He operates in the worry.

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 That's how the world operates. He operates in feeling. And Daniel is operating in the trust and

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 the surrender to the holy sovereign God who never has nor never will he fail. And when we see this

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 with Daniel, we see this begin to play out. So as you see the different sides, look at him. So Ariok,

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 notice this, Daniel comes to Ariok. He went to him. He says, I've got the answer. Take me to the king.

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 So Ariok brings Daniel to the king as Daniel has requested and Ariok tries to make himself the hero of

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 the story. He says, look, I found the man who can help. He didn't find the man. God found the man. He didn't

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 find him. God did. And then Daniel in his boldness and his confidence. He went and found the man who

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 would execute him. He said, take me to the man who gives the order. So the king looks at Daniel and he

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 says, can you help me? And I want us to notice this. Daniel has a very critical moment in his life right

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 here. I think sometimes we can breeze over these first few verses of this and we can get down to

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 what the dream is in the interpretation and we will here in just a moment. But I think we can breeze past

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 this moment as it continues to show us the character of Daniel. Daniel in this moment has a choice of who to

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 leverage. The enchanters have said, the wise men of Babylon have said, the pagan leaders of Babylon have said,

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 this is impossible. No person can do king what you are asking to do. And then Ariok shows up and says,

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 no, I got a guy who can do it. No, I got a guy who can do it. And Daniel could leverage himself.

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 Daniel could save himself. Daniel could promote himself. Daniel could protect himself. Daniel could focus on

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 himself. Or Daniel could turn this moment into a gospel moment and tell the story of God.

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 God. We were thought about a few weeks ago, we talked about that there's only about 5% in America,

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 there's only about 5% of evangelicals, 5%, 5% who are looking for moments and opportunities to talk to

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 someone who's lost about God. And Daniel has this moment. He's a man for the hour. He's a man for the time

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 to leverage himself. And Daniel leverages. Daniel promotes God. God. The God that Nebuchadnezzar

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 doesn't follow. Not the pagan gods, not to try to blend him in, but the true God of heaven.

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 This is what Daniel does. Daniel says, look at all the wisdom of the world that you seek.

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 All of them are incapable. All of them are incapable to do what you need done. They're incapable.

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 It's not that they don't want to, king. It's that they can't. But there's a God in heaven who will make

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 known all that you desire to know. Here's what Daniel's saying. Daniel's like, look, I'm nothing.

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 Daniel knows about the things of God. Daniel knows about the things of God. Daniel has been gifted

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 with the ways of God. Daniel's been gifted and blessed with the things of God. Why?

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 Why? Why? Because he's got some special inner moral character that is found in him and him alone?

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 Because Daniel has achieved successes of life in his pursuits and in his wisdom and his capabilities?

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 No. Because Daniel knows God. Daniel knows God. This is how in chapter 1, a 13-year-old, a 14-year-old

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 stands confident before the king and says, I choose to obey God. And how now a 16, 17, 18-year-old

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 stands before the king and says, listen, it's not them, it's not me, it's not the gods of your temples,

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 but let me tell you about the God that I know. And I can stand here in confidence about the God that I

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 know. Not that I know about, not that I've studied, but the God that I know. I just want to ask you a

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 question as we look at this chapter, as we look at the ending of this saga, till we turn the page

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 next week in Daniel 3 and ask you this question. Do you know God? Do you know God? And if you say,

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 I know God, then what depth of God do you know? What pursuit of God do you have? What desire for God

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 is in your heart? Is your relationship with God, the casual, the infrequent, the surface level,

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 dependent on circumstances based off the feeling in the moment? Or do you know God

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 in the depth of who he is and the desire to know more and into the submission of a relationship?

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 Daniel's knowledge of God is sufficient both for salvation and maturity. But I find oftentimes in

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 the culture of the church that we've spoken about for several weeks now, when you ask someone that,

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 do you know God? They speak of a God whom they desire to save them, but they don't speak of a God

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 whom they desire to change them. And that's who God is. Do you know the God that Daniel knows?

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 In a relationship of intimacy. In a relationship of intimacy. In a relationship that's deep. In a

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 relationship that's growing. In a relationship that's in all seasons. Do you know God? So let's

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 read verses 31 through 45. If you're here and you've been like, I've been waiting for some of these

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 prophecy moments. Here we go. All right. So it gets a little crazy imagery and we'll try to explain

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 what's happening here. Verse 31, you saw, O king, and behold a great image.

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 This image mighty and of exceeding brightness stood before you. And its appearance was frightening.

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 The head of this image was fine gold.

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 Its chest and arms of silver.

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 Its middle and thighs of bronze.

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 Its legs of iron.

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 Its feet partly of iron

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 and partly of clay.

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 As you looked,

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 a stone

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 was cut out

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 by no human hand

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 and it struck

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 the image

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 on its feet

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 of iron

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 and clay

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 and broke them in pieces.

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 Then the iron,

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 the clay,

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 the bronze,

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 the silver,

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 and the gold

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 all together

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 were broken in pieces

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 and became like the chaff

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 of the summer threshing floors

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 and the wind carried

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 them away

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 so that not a trace

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 of them could be found.

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 But the stone

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 that struck

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 the image

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 became a great mountain

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 and filled

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 the whole earth.

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 That's the dream.

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 In verse 36,

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 Daniel says,

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 this was the dream.

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 Now we will tell

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 the king

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 its interpretation.

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 You,

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 O king,

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 the king of kings,

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 to whom the God of heaven

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 has given

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 the kingdom,

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 the power,

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 and the might,

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 and the glory,

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 and into whose hand

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 he is given

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 wherever they dwell,

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 the children of man,

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 the beast of the field,

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 the birds of the heavens,

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 making you rule

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 over them all.

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 You

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 are the head of gold.

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 Another kingdom

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 inferior to you

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 shall rise

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 after you.

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 And yet,

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 a third kingdom

00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:49.720
 of bronze

00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:52.080
 which shall rule

00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:53.540
 over all the earth.

00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:54.620
 Verse 40.

00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:56.940
 And there shall be

00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:57.980
 a fourth kingdom

00:21:57.980 --> 00:22:00.480
 strong as iron

00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.400
 because iron

00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.440
 breaks into pieces

00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:04.000
 and shatters

00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:04.820
 all things.

00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:08.560
 And like iron

00:22:08.560 --> 00:22:09.280
 that crushes,

00:22:09.320 --> 00:22:09.980
 it shall break

00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:10.460
 and crush

00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:11.260
 all these.

00:22:12.560 --> 00:22:13.340
 And as you saw

00:22:13.340 --> 00:22:13.920
 the feet

00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:14.680
 and the toes

00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:15.940
 partly of potter's clay

00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:17.060
 and partly of iron,

00:22:17.260 --> 00:22:18.220
 it shall be

00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:19.360
 a divided kingdom.

00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:21.420
 But some of the firmness

00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:21.940
 of iron

00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:22.960
 shall be in it

00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:24.100
 just as you saw

00:22:24.100 --> 00:22:24.880
 iron mixed

00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:25.740
 with the soft clay.

00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.020
 And as the toes

00:22:28.020 --> 00:22:28.740
 of the feet

00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:30.040
 were partly iron

00:22:30.040 --> 00:22:30.940
 and partly clay,

00:22:31.100 --> 00:22:31.660
 so the kingdom

00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:33.180
 shall be partly strong

00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:34.720
 and partly brittle.

00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:37.000
 As you saw,

00:22:37.100 --> 00:22:37.880
 the mixed iron

00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:38.720
 was soft clay

00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:39.540
 so they will mix

00:22:39.540 --> 00:22:40.320
 with one another

00:22:40.320 --> 00:22:41.000
 in marriage.

00:22:41.780 --> 00:22:42.420
 They will not

00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:43.140
 hold together

00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:45.120
 just as iron

00:22:45.120 --> 00:22:45.760
 does not mix

00:22:45.760 --> 00:22:46.340
 with clay.

00:22:47.660 --> 00:22:48.520
 And in the days

00:22:48.520 --> 00:22:49.340
 of those kings

00:22:49.340 --> 00:22:50.260
 that the God

00:22:50.260 --> 00:22:50.720
 of heaven

00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:51.160
 will set up

00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:51.680
 a kingdom

00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.340
 that shall never

00:22:53.340 --> 00:22:54.340
 be destroyed

00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:56.580
 nor shall the kingdom

00:22:56.580 --> 00:22:57.840
 be left

00:22:57.840 --> 00:22:58.640
 to another people.

00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:00.700
 It shall break

00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:01.200
 in pieces

00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:02.320
 all these kingdoms

00:23:02.320 --> 00:23:03.260
 and bring them

00:23:03.260 --> 00:23:04.320
 to an end

00:23:04.320 --> 00:23:06.040
 and it

00:23:06.040 --> 00:23:06.860
 shall stand

00:23:06.860 --> 00:23:07.320
 forever.

00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:09.740
 Just as you saw

00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:10.620
 that a stone

00:23:10.620 --> 00:23:12.280
 was cut from a mountain

00:23:12.280 --> 00:23:13.560
 by no human hand

00:23:13.560 --> 00:23:15.180
 and it broke

00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:16.780
 in pieces

00:23:16.780 --> 00:23:17.560
 the iron,

00:23:18.080 --> 00:23:18.680
 the bronze,

00:23:19.080 --> 00:23:19.680
 the clay,

00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:20.780
 the silver,

00:23:21.080 --> 00:23:21.860
 and the gold.

00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:24.160
 A great God

00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:25.880
 has made known

00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:26.740
 to the king

00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:27.940
 what shall be

00:23:27.940 --> 00:23:28.720
 after this.

00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:30.720
 the dream

00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:31.580
 is certain

00:23:31.580 --> 00:23:33.500
 and its

00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:34.260
 interpretation

00:23:34.260 --> 00:23:35.500
 sure.

00:23:37.060 --> 00:23:37.820
 So what

00:23:37.820 --> 00:23:38.600
 in the world

00:23:38.600 --> 00:23:40.320
 is going on here?

00:23:41.060 --> 00:23:41.520
 Let's explain

00:23:41.520 --> 00:23:41.940
 the dream.

00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:43.740
 Daniel tells

00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:44.460
 the king his dream

00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:45.000
 and gives him

00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:45.740
 the interpretation.

00:23:46.020 --> 00:23:46.500
 Here's the dream.

00:23:47.760 --> 00:23:48.780
 He said that

00:23:48.780 --> 00:23:49.360
 you've dreamed

00:23:49.360 --> 00:23:50.140
 about a statue

00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:52.180
 and this statue

00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:52.680
 is going to have

00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:54.600
 four distinct

00:23:54.600 --> 00:23:55.760
 aspects.

00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:58.160
 The first one

00:23:58.160 --> 00:23:58.720
 is a head

00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.200
 of gold.

00:24:00.340 --> 00:24:01.020
 The second

00:24:01.020 --> 00:24:02.220
 is a chest

00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:03.160
 and arms

00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:04.060
 of silver.

00:24:05.280 --> 00:24:06.120
 The third

00:24:06.120 --> 00:24:07.300
 is a midsection

00:24:07.300 --> 00:24:08.280
 or a stomach

00:24:08.280 --> 00:24:08.940
 and thighs

00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:09.640
 of bronze.

00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:11.940
 And then lastly

00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:12.740
 there's legs

00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:13.860
 of iron

00:24:13.860 --> 00:24:14.980
 with feet

00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:16.580
 of iron

00:24:16.580 --> 00:24:17.300
 and clay.

00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:19.420
 Now something

00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:20.080
 will happen

00:24:20.080 --> 00:24:21.140
 in this dream

00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:22.300
 to the statue.

00:24:23.360 --> 00:24:23.940
 And it says

00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:24.900
 that a stone

00:24:24.900 --> 00:24:26.080
 is broken

00:24:26.080 --> 00:24:26.640
 off

00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:28.180
 and breaks

00:24:28.180 --> 00:24:28.900
 off without

00:24:28.900 --> 00:24:29.740
 human hand

00:24:29.740 --> 00:24:30.580
 touching it

00:24:30.580 --> 00:24:31.380
 or causing it.

00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:32.640
 Part of the

00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:32.960
 interpretation

00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:33.720
 that we'll get

00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:34.220
 to here

00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:34.760
 but I want you

00:24:34.760 --> 00:24:35.480
 to understand

00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:35.900
 this.

00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.880
 The language

00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:37.740
 that Daniel

00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:38.640
 is using

00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:39.940
 in the

00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:41.040
 telling

00:24:41.040 --> 00:24:42.280
 Nebuchadnezzar

00:24:42.280 --> 00:24:43.000
 what the dream

00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:43.400
 is,

00:24:43.560 --> 00:24:44.220
 he goes ahead

00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:45.120
 and leads

00:24:45.120 --> 00:24:45.620
 into the

00:24:45.620 --> 00:24:46.300
 interpretation.

00:24:46.840 --> 00:24:47.360
 The words

00:24:47.360 --> 00:24:47.800
 he used

00:24:47.800 --> 00:24:48.420
 says that

00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:48.860
 this is a

00:24:48.860 --> 00:24:49.660
 divine act.

00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:51.920
 This is what

00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:52.560
 God's doing.

00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:54.780
 And it hits

00:24:54.780 --> 00:24:55.460
 the feet

00:24:55.460 --> 00:24:56.180
 of the

00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:56.620
 statue

00:24:56.620 --> 00:24:57.980
 and crushes

00:24:57.980 --> 00:24:58.280
 them

00:24:58.280 --> 00:24:59.080
 and when

00:24:59.080 --> 00:24:59.940
 this happens

00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:00.900
 the entire

00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:01.660
 statue

00:25:01.660 --> 00:25:02.600
 crumbles

00:25:02.600 --> 00:25:04.300
 becomes as dust

00:25:04.300 --> 00:25:05.260
 and disappears.

00:25:07.220 --> 00:25:07.820
 But the

00:25:07.820 --> 00:25:08.540
 stone

00:25:08.540 --> 00:25:10.040
 that struck

00:25:10.040 --> 00:25:11.000
 the statue

00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:13.540
 becomes a

00:25:13.540 --> 00:25:14.520
 great mountain

00:25:14.520 --> 00:25:16.240
 and this

00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:16.800
 mountain

00:25:16.800 --> 00:25:17.580
 fills

00:25:17.580 --> 00:25:19.560
 the entire

00:25:19.560 --> 00:25:20.020
 earth.

00:25:21.260 --> 00:25:21.900
 This is

00:25:21.900 --> 00:25:22.420
 the dream.

00:25:23.080 --> 00:25:23.620
 this is

00:25:23.620 --> 00:25:24.320
 the dream

00:25:24.320 --> 00:25:25.540
 that he

00:25:25.540 --> 00:25:26.000
 said Daniel

00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.280
 said at the

00:25:26.280 --> 00:25:26.740
 very beginning

00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:28.420
 it's a

00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:28.720
 frightening

00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:29.360
 dream and

00:25:29.360 --> 00:25:30.000
 Nebuchadnezzar

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.440
 was scared

00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:30.680
 and he

00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:30.880
 couldn't

00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:31.260
 sleep

00:25:31.260 --> 00:25:32.500
 even though

00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:32.680
 he couldn't

00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:33.100
 remember what

00:25:33.100 --> 00:25:33.420
 the dream

00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:33.760
 was.

00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:34.980
 He couldn't

00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:35.800
 understand it.

00:25:37.320 --> 00:25:37.800
 So here's

00:25:37.800 --> 00:25:38.460
 the interpretation.

00:25:39.760 --> 00:25:40.080
 The four

00:25:40.080 --> 00:25:40.800
 parts of the

00:25:40.800 --> 00:25:41.740
 statue represent

00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:42.480
 four earthly

00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:43.240
 kingdoms.

00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:45.420
 The head

00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:45.940
 of gold

00:25:45.940 --> 00:25:46.580
 will represent

00:25:46.580 --> 00:25:47.080
 Babylon.

00:25:48.360 --> 00:25:49.320
 The Babylon

00:25:49.320 --> 00:25:50.740
 empire will

00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:51.380
 last from

00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:53.640
 605 to

00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:54.480
 539

00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:55.840
 B.C.

00:25:57.120 --> 00:25:58.080
 The next

00:25:58.080 --> 00:25:58.700
 is the chest

00:25:58.700 --> 00:25:59.340
 and the arms

00:25:59.340 --> 00:26:00.140
 of silver

00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:01.180
 will be the

00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:02.240
 Meadow Persia

00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:02.820
 empire

00:26:02.820 --> 00:26:04.760
 that lasts

00:26:04.760 --> 00:26:05.720
 from 539

00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:06.460
 B.C.

00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:07.980
 to 331

00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:09.460
 B.C.

00:26:10.200 --> 00:26:11.220
 The stomach

00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:11.800
 and the thighs

00:26:11.800 --> 00:26:12.420
 of bronze

00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:13.300
 will represent

00:26:13.300 --> 00:26:14.000
 the Greek

00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:14.420
 empire,

00:26:14.580 --> 00:26:14.940
 Greece,

00:26:15.260 --> 00:26:15.740
 that as an

00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:16.120
 empire,

00:26:16.120 --> 00:26:16.760
 we still know

00:26:16.760 --> 00:26:17.240
 that Greece

00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:18.580
 stands as a

00:26:18.580 --> 00:26:18.900
 country,

00:26:19.040 --> 00:26:19.380
 but as the

00:26:19.380 --> 00:26:19.900
 empire that

00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:20.380
 was there

00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:21.160
 will stand

00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:22.100
 from 331

00:26:22.100 --> 00:26:22.480
 B.C.

00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:23.460
 to 146

00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:24.000
 B.C.

00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:25.220
 And I hope

00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:25.900
 you're noticing

00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:26.460
 this, that

00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:27.900
 one leads

00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:28.380
 to another,

00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:28.920
 one leads

00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:29.340
 to another.

00:26:29.520 --> 00:26:30.060
 This is

00:26:30.060 --> 00:26:31.160
 also history

00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:32.780
 reinforcing

00:26:32.780 --> 00:26:33.520
 what the

00:26:33.520 --> 00:26:34.040
 Bible said

00:26:34.040 --> 00:26:34.620
 would happen,

00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:35.800
 so fulfilled

00:26:35.800 --> 00:26:36.340
 prophecy.

00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:38.600
 Legs of

00:26:38.600 --> 00:26:39.160
 iron with

00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:39.920
 feet of

00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:40.340
 iron and

00:26:40.340 --> 00:26:41.300
 clay will

00:26:41.300 --> 00:26:41.580
 be the

00:26:41.580 --> 00:26:41.800
 Roman

00:26:41.800 --> 00:26:42.260
 empire.

00:26:43.100 --> 00:26:43.620
 Roman

00:26:43.620 --> 00:26:44.120
 empire from

00:26:44.120 --> 00:26:45.120
 146

00:26:45.120 --> 00:26:46.320
 B.C.

00:26:47.600 --> 00:26:50.400
 to 1476

00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:51.960
 A.D.

00:26:53.120 --> 00:26:54.280
 This will

00:26:54.280 --> 00:26:55.440
 be what

00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:55.900
 happens.

00:26:56.460 --> 00:26:56.860
 The common

00:26:56.860 --> 00:26:57.700
 theme when we

00:26:57.700 --> 00:26:58.580
 look at the

00:26:58.580 --> 00:26:59.500
 time period of

00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:00.620
 the rule of

00:27:00.620 --> 00:27:01.280
 the world

00:27:01.280 --> 00:27:02.240
 during this

00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:02.560
 time,

00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:03.800
 these are

00:27:03.800 --> 00:27:04.920
 the great

00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:05.660
 powers

00:27:05.660 --> 00:27:08.000
 who stand

00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:09.180
 independent.

00:27:10.340 --> 00:27:10.880
 These are the

00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:11.760
 great powers

00:27:11.760 --> 00:27:13.420
 who rule

00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:14.080
 and who

00:27:14.080 --> 00:27:14.620
 dominate.

00:27:15.820 --> 00:27:16.280
 And so as we

00:27:16.280 --> 00:27:17.040
 see the

00:27:17.040 --> 00:27:18.360
 commonality of

00:27:18.360 --> 00:27:18.880
 these great

00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:19.780
 powers, but

00:27:19.780 --> 00:27:21.120
 they will

00:27:21.120 --> 00:27:22.340
 fall and

00:27:22.340 --> 00:27:23.940
 they did.

00:27:25.540 --> 00:27:26.340
 But then

00:27:26.340 --> 00:27:26.780
 there's this

00:27:26.780 --> 00:27:27.500
 fifth, there's

00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:27.940
 this fifth

00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:28.820
 part, right?

00:27:28.940 --> 00:27:29.660
 And it's the

00:27:29.660 --> 00:27:30.860
 stone that

00:27:30.860 --> 00:27:31.420
 broke away.

00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:33.340
 It's the

00:27:33.340 --> 00:27:34.040
 stone that

00:27:34.040 --> 00:27:34.520
 hit the

00:27:34.520 --> 00:27:34.820
 feet.

00:27:35.580 --> 00:27:36.140
 It's the

00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:37.160
 stone that

00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:38.540
 caused this

00:27:38.540 --> 00:27:39.720
 destruction that

00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:40.200
 will become

00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:40.720
 the great

00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.140
 mountain.

00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:42.880
 And this

00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:43.860
 stone is

00:27:43.860 --> 00:27:44.400
 Christ.

00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:46.200
 And this

00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:47.040
 stone is the

00:27:47.040 --> 00:27:47.540
 kingdom of

00:27:47.540 --> 00:27:47.860
 God.

00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:49.940
 And what's

00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:50.820
 beautiful about

00:27:50.820 --> 00:27:51.360
 this when we

00:27:51.360 --> 00:27:51.980
 see this, when

00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:52.880
 we talk about

00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:53.800
 fulfilled prophecy,

00:27:54.080 --> 00:27:54.680
 is that the

00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:55.520
 picture of this,

00:27:55.600 --> 00:27:56.720
 I believe, of

00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:57.720
 what we see in

00:27:57.720 --> 00:27:58.720
 this dream, I

00:27:58.720 --> 00:27:59.440
 believe in what

00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:00.080
 God is

00:28:00.080 --> 00:28:01.740
 communicating, is

00:28:01.740 --> 00:28:02.680
 it points to

00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:03.580
 the first

00:28:03.580 --> 00:28:04.500
 coming of

00:28:04.500 --> 00:28:05.620
 Christ and

00:28:05.620 --> 00:28:06.520
 the inauguration

00:28:06.520 --> 00:28:07.440
 of the kingdom

00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:08.220
 that we read

00:28:08.220 --> 00:28:08.900
 about in the

00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:10.000
 gospels, and

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:10.540
 the second

00:28:10.540 --> 00:28:11.120
 coming of

00:28:11.120 --> 00:28:11.900
 Christ, and

00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:12.420
 the kingdom

00:28:12.420 --> 00:28:13.040
 that will be

00:28:13.040 --> 00:28:13.820
 fulfilled that

00:28:13.820 --> 00:28:14.300
 we see in

00:28:14.300 --> 00:28:14.780
 Revelation.

00:28:15.840 --> 00:28:16.300
 So see, that

00:28:16.300 --> 00:28:16.800
 in this, when

00:28:16.800 --> 00:28:17.700
 we see what

00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:18.440
 is happening, what

00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:18.800
 has taken

00:28:18.800 --> 00:28:19.640
 place in

00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:20.740
 Daniel 2, we

00:28:20.740 --> 00:28:21.920
 reinforce of

00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:22.540
 what history

00:28:22.540 --> 00:28:23.320
 said, this

00:28:23.320 --> 00:28:24.120
 has happened,

00:28:24.580 --> 00:28:25.100
 and then,

00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:25.840
 praise God, we

00:28:25.840 --> 00:28:27.500
 look forward to

00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:27.980
 the truth of

00:28:27.980 --> 00:28:28.560
 God's word,

00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:29.240
 continuing to

00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:29.620
 say, and

00:28:29.620 --> 00:28:30.160
 this is what

00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:30.820
 will happen.

00:28:32.300 --> 00:28:33.100
 And in this

00:28:33.100 --> 00:28:34.080
 interpretation of

00:28:34.080 --> 00:28:34.780
 what we find,

00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:36.220
 what God is

00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:37.540
 saying in this,

00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:38.200
 and this has

00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:38.780
 been the themes,

00:28:38.860 --> 00:28:38.940
 right?

00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:39.520
 We can go

00:28:39.520 --> 00:28:40.140
 all the way

00:28:40.140 --> 00:28:41.260
 back, and we

00:28:41.260 --> 00:28:42.240
 can look in

00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:42.700
 verse 2 of

00:28:42.700 --> 00:28:43.660
 chapter 1, and

00:28:43.660 --> 00:28:44.600
 Lord gave

00:28:44.600 --> 00:28:46.020
 Jehoiakim, king

00:28:46.020 --> 00:28:47.160
 of Judah, into

00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:47.800
 his hand.

00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:48.460
 Talk about

00:28:48.460 --> 00:28:49.160
 Nebuchadnezzar's

00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:49.480
 hand.

00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:51.780
 The establishment

00:28:51.780 --> 00:28:52.980
 of this Babylonian

00:28:52.980 --> 00:28:54.960
 empire, this pagan

00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:56.020
 empire, here's what

00:28:56.020 --> 00:28:57.160
 God's working, here's

00:28:57.160 --> 00:28:57.860
 what God's doing.

00:28:58.340 --> 00:28:58.880
 And so what God

00:28:58.880 --> 00:28:59.280
 is saying, there

00:28:59.280 --> 00:28:59.900
 will be kingdoms

00:28:59.900 --> 00:29:01.700
 of the world that

00:29:01.700 --> 00:29:02.660
 will come and

00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:03.340
 that they'll go,

00:29:03.520 --> 00:29:04.460
 and they'll come by

00:29:04.460 --> 00:29:05.460
 the hand of God,

00:29:05.560 --> 00:29:06.740
 and they'll fall by

00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:07.600
 the hand of God,

00:29:07.700 --> 00:29:08.480
 because this is

00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:09.500
 who God is, and

00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:10.960
 it happens as God

00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:11.800
 sees fit.

00:29:14.300 --> 00:29:15.340
 But there is one

00:29:15.340 --> 00:29:17.980
 kingdom, there's

00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:21.460
 one kingdom, that's

00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:22.100
 going to endure

00:29:22.100 --> 00:29:22.480
 forever.

00:29:24.120 --> 00:29:25.360
 There's one, one

00:29:25.360 --> 00:29:27.120
 kingdom, and one

00:29:27.120 --> 00:29:30.100
 kingdom alone, that

00:29:30.100 --> 00:29:30.620
 will endure

00:29:30.620 --> 00:29:32.680
 forever, and it's

00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:37.020
 the kingdom of God.

00:29:37.700 --> 00:29:43.840
 Daniel walks into a

00:29:43.840 --> 00:29:45.420
 madman's throne room

00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:49.860
 and says, your

00:29:49.860 --> 00:29:50.640
 kingdom will come

00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:51.160
 to an end.

00:29:54.060 --> 00:29:55.560
 And God will cause

00:29:55.560 --> 00:29:58.760
 it to happen, and

00:29:58.760 --> 00:30:01.040
 it'll happen by an

00:30:01.040 --> 00:30:02.140
 inferior people.

00:30:03.740 --> 00:30:06.560
 And sure enough, that's

00:30:06.560 --> 00:30:07.420
 what takes place.

00:30:09.660 --> 00:30:10.500
 And then in all

00:30:10.500 --> 00:30:11.480
 confidence, look back

00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:12.300
 at verse 45.

00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:15.200
 Daniel says to

00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:17.420
 Nebuchadnezzar, just

00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:17.800
 in case you're

00:30:17.800 --> 00:30:20.320
 wondering, just in

00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:21.000
 case you're curious,

00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:22.560
 just in case you

00:30:22.560 --> 00:30:25.840
 forgot, a great God

00:30:25.840 --> 00:30:27.160
 has made known to the

00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:29.100
 king what shall be

00:30:29.100 --> 00:30:29.920
 after this.

00:30:31.620 --> 00:30:32.800
 This dream is

00:30:32.800 --> 00:30:35.560
 certain, and its

00:30:35.560 --> 00:30:37.840
 interpretation, sure.

00:30:39.460 --> 00:30:40.480
 Daniel looks at that

00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:42.840
 king, and he says,

00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:43.540
 this is what will

00:30:43.540 --> 00:30:43.880
 happen.

00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:46.440
 Whether you believe it

00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:48.640
 or not, whether you

00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:49.920
 agree with it or not,

00:30:50.760 --> 00:30:52.000
 whether you believe in

00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:53.020
 you that this is true

00:30:53.020 --> 00:30:56.540
 or not, this is what

00:30:56.540 --> 00:30:57.640
 will take place.

00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:01.120
 And Daniel stands on

00:31:01.120 --> 00:31:02.860
 the confidence of

00:31:02.860 --> 00:31:03.420
 God's word.

00:31:06.720 --> 00:31:10.140
 17 years old.

00:31:14.940 --> 00:31:19.560
 Daniel trusted God.

00:31:21.700 --> 00:31:22.940
 My question for you,

00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:23.740
 not just do you know

00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:26.780
 God, not just do you

00:31:26.780 --> 00:31:29.160
 know God, but do you

00:31:29.160 --> 00:31:29.680
 trust God?

00:31:31.100 --> 00:31:35.880
 Do you trust God?

00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:42.540
 Can Daniel explain all

00:31:42.540 --> 00:31:43.080
 of this?

00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:45.020
 No.

00:31:46.260 --> 00:31:47.880
 He doesn't explain the

00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:49.780
 battles and the wars and

00:31:49.780 --> 00:31:51.240
 the economic pressures and

00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:52.680
 the famines and the

00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:53.580
 things that will happen

00:31:53.580 --> 00:31:54.540
 of how God will work

00:31:54.540 --> 00:31:55.980
 and move over the

00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:58.840
 course of 2,000 years

00:31:58.840 --> 00:32:01.440
 in order to fulfill

00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:03.520
 what God has said.

00:32:04.420 --> 00:32:06.440
 He can't explain it,

00:32:07.100 --> 00:32:08.840
 but he trusts it.

00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:11.880
 Daniel trusts it.

00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:15.580
 I will never tell you

00:32:15.580 --> 00:32:17.820
 that pursuing the

00:32:17.820 --> 00:32:19.800
 knowledge of God,

00:32:19.860 --> 00:32:20.800
 the knowledge of God's

00:32:20.800 --> 00:32:21.980
 word, to want to know

00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:23.340
 him more, to want to

00:32:23.340 --> 00:32:25.100
 know his ways more is a

00:32:25.100 --> 00:32:25.560
 bad thing.

00:32:25.640 --> 00:32:27.380
 I will never, ever tell

00:32:27.380 --> 00:32:28.740
 you that, but there has

00:32:28.740 --> 00:32:30.500
 to be a point in time in

00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:32.260
 your life and in my life

00:32:32.260 --> 00:32:33.120
 where we come to the

00:32:33.120 --> 00:32:34.840
 realization that my mind

00:32:34.840 --> 00:32:36.320
 can't fathom, but my life

00:32:36.320 --> 00:32:39.320
 needs to trust and to

00:32:39.320 --> 00:32:40.080
 resolve in that.

00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:44.360
 Do you ever sit in a room

00:32:44.360 --> 00:32:47.860
 sometimes and realize I'm not

00:32:47.860 --> 00:32:49.020
 the smartest person in the

00:32:49.020 --> 00:32:49.360
 room?

00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:51.780
 How many of you feel that

00:32:51.780 --> 00:32:52.000
 way?

00:32:52.800 --> 00:32:53.820
 Raise your hand with me.

00:32:54.900 --> 00:32:55.440
 Thank you.

00:32:55.500 --> 00:32:55.860
 Thank you.

00:32:55.900 --> 00:32:56.160
 Thank you.

00:32:56.200 --> 00:32:56.860
 I appreciate that.

00:32:57.240 --> 00:32:58.420
 I'm not alone.

00:32:58.580 --> 00:32:58.940
 All right?

00:33:00.900 --> 00:33:02.060
 I'm going to brag on

00:33:02.060 --> 00:33:04.800
 somebody because he's quiet

00:33:04.800 --> 00:33:05.800
 and he would never say these

00:33:05.800 --> 00:33:08.180
 things about himself, so I'm

00:33:08.180 --> 00:33:09.620
 going to brag about Joel

00:33:09.620 --> 00:33:11.340
 Berger for a second.

00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:14.240
 That guy is smart.

00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:16.160
 Sometimes we'll be in

00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:19.620
 conversations and he'll use

00:33:19.620 --> 00:33:23.040
 a word and I'm like, let me

00:33:23.040 --> 00:33:24.780
 see what Google has to say

00:33:24.780 --> 00:33:26.580
 because either he just

00:33:26.580 --> 00:33:28.300
 encouraged me or critiqued

00:33:28.300 --> 00:33:30.140
 me and I'm not honestly sure

00:33:30.140 --> 00:33:31.320
 what that word even means

00:33:31.320 --> 00:33:32.880
 and I'm not even sure that it

00:33:32.880 --> 00:33:33.660
 is a word, right?

00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:35.400
 And so he's smart.

00:33:35.600 --> 00:33:36.720
 He's brilliant.

00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:37.780
 He can lead worship.

00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:38.420
 He's talented.

00:33:38.540 --> 00:33:39.180
 He's creative.

00:33:39.520 --> 00:33:40.960
 But he has like a mind to

00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:42.120
 just comprehend and

00:33:42.120 --> 00:33:43.720
 understand things that I

00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:44.600
 can't comprehend and

00:33:44.600 --> 00:33:44.900
 understand.

00:33:45.140 --> 00:33:46.740
 And one of those things is

00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:47.540
 technology.

00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:50.880
 One of my favorite comedians

00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:53.580
 is Nate Bargetsy and he

00:33:53.580 --> 00:33:54.760
 talked about one day that he

00:33:54.760 --> 00:33:56.020
 realized like how ignorant

00:33:56.020 --> 00:33:57.520
 he was when he tried to

00:33:57.520 --> 00:33:58.740
 understand how a cell phone

00:33:58.740 --> 00:33:59.160
 worked.

00:34:00.020 --> 00:34:00.880
 He was just like, I mean, I

00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:01.600
 don't know, but it just

00:34:01.600 --> 00:34:01.920
 works.

00:34:02.040 --> 00:34:03.520
 I feel like that's who I am,

00:34:03.600 --> 00:34:03.860
 right?

00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:05.960
 Like I know this iPad talks

00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:07.060
 to something somewhere and

00:34:07.060 --> 00:34:08.080
 things show up on it, but

00:34:08.080 --> 00:34:09.000
 exactly how does that

00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:09.280
 happen?

00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:10.240
 I have no clue.

00:34:10.240 --> 00:34:11.660
 So a few months ago, you

00:34:11.660 --> 00:34:13.360
 know, we've got technology

00:34:13.360 --> 00:34:14.420
 and if your church has

00:34:14.420 --> 00:34:15.340
 technology, you have

00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:17.160
 technology issues and

00:34:17.160 --> 00:34:18.720
 Berger has been put in

00:34:18.720 --> 00:34:20.020
 charge of our technology

00:34:20.020 --> 00:34:20.580
 issues.

00:34:20.740 --> 00:34:22.000
 And so a few months ago, we

00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:23.000
 had some technology issues

00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:24.760
 on a Sunday morning and on

00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:25.840
 our Tuesday morning staff

00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.200
 meeting.

00:34:26.360 --> 00:34:27.240
 I said, hey man, what

00:34:27.240 --> 00:34:28.240
 happened on Sunday?

00:34:29.560 --> 00:34:30.500
 And so he told me what

00:34:30.500 --> 00:34:30.900
 happened.

00:34:31.820 --> 00:34:33.260
 And then I said, are we

00:34:33.260 --> 00:34:33.900
 fixing that?

00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:34.760
 And he said, we're fixing

00:34:34.760 --> 00:34:35.040
 that.

00:34:35.060 --> 00:34:36.180
 And I said, how are we

00:34:36.180 --> 00:34:36.700
 fixing it?

00:34:36.700 --> 00:34:38.260
 And then he told me how

00:34:38.260 --> 00:34:39.160
 we're fixing it.

00:34:40.360 --> 00:34:42.260
 And I'm sitting there and I

00:34:42.260 --> 00:34:43.820
 do not understand anything

00:34:43.820 --> 00:34:45.600
 that he told me.

00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:47.960
 So I said, could you do me a

00:34:47.960 --> 00:34:48.240
 favor?

00:34:48.820 --> 00:34:50.360
 Explain that to me like I'm

00:34:50.360 --> 00:34:50.960
 five.

00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:54.060
 And he looks at me with all

00:34:54.060 --> 00:34:56.260
 sincerity in his face and he

00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:57.980
 says, I just did.

00:35:02.040 --> 00:35:04.000
 So I'm like, man, that's why

00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:05.720
 we got people like you and

00:35:05.720 --> 00:35:07.140
 that's why we got people like

00:35:07.140 --> 00:35:07.720
 me, you know?

00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:08.840
 Like, is it working?

00:35:09.080 --> 00:35:09.960
 And he's like, man, it's

00:35:09.960 --> 00:35:10.220
 working.

00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:10.940
 I got this.

00:35:11.300 --> 00:35:11.920
 But here's the thing.

00:35:12.040 --> 00:35:18.080
 At some point in time, in who

00:35:18.080 --> 00:35:22.100
 I am and what God's called me

00:35:22.100 --> 00:35:25.260
 to do and what God's called

00:35:25.260 --> 00:35:28.080
 me to focus on, that I've

00:35:28.080 --> 00:35:31.960
 just got to trust in what I've

00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:32.460
 been told.

00:35:34.680 --> 00:35:37.600
 So every morning on Sunday, I

00:35:37.600 --> 00:35:39.540
 ask him, how's the internet?

00:35:40.660 --> 00:35:42.380
 And every morning he looks at

00:35:42.380 --> 00:35:43.700
 me and gives me the thumbs up.

00:35:44.700 --> 00:35:45.140
 Right?

00:35:45.520 --> 00:35:46.520
 That's all I need.

00:35:47.320 --> 00:35:49.060
 That is the communication that

00:35:49.060 --> 00:35:49.660
 I'm looking for.

00:35:49.820 --> 00:35:50.020
 Right?

00:35:51.840 --> 00:35:52.760
 Do you trust God?

00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:55.640
 Do you trust God?

00:35:57.060 --> 00:35:59.820
 Or do you only trust God when

00:35:59.820 --> 00:36:01.460
 you get an answer that's

00:36:01.460 --> 00:36:02.880
 sufficient for you for

00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:03.460
 trusting God?

00:36:05.540 --> 00:36:08.300
 Because what we'll see through

00:36:08.300 --> 00:36:11.540
 God's word is God invites us

00:36:11.540 --> 00:36:15.100
 into a relationship to know

00:36:15.100 --> 00:36:17.060
 him that is intimate.

00:36:17.060 --> 00:36:20.240
 and it is beautiful and it is

00:36:20.240 --> 00:36:21.940
 wonderful and it is

00:36:21.940 --> 00:36:23.840
 fulfilling, but there are the

00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:26.400
 things of God on this side of

00:36:26.400 --> 00:36:29.660
 eternity that baffle my mind and

00:36:29.660 --> 00:36:30.640
 I have to trust.

00:36:32.140 --> 00:36:35.220
 And Daniel walks into that throne

00:36:35.220 --> 00:36:38.120
 room and with his statement of

00:36:38.120 --> 00:36:41.380
 what God has revealed to him, he

00:36:41.380 --> 00:36:42.240
 says, I trust God.

00:36:42.380 --> 00:36:43.640
 Church, do you trust God?

00:36:44.640 --> 00:36:45.600
 Do you trust God?

00:36:46.340 --> 00:36:50.360
 Lastly, lastly, verse 46 through 49.

00:36:53.120 --> 00:36:55.720
 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face

00:36:55.720 --> 00:36:59.980
 and paid homage to Daniel and commanded

00:36:59.980 --> 00:37:02.660
 that an offering and incense be offered to him.

00:37:04.160 --> 00:37:06.100
 The king answered and said to Daniel,

00:37:06.100 --> 00:37:10.160
 Daniel, truly your God is God of gods

00:37:10.160 --> 00:37:15.540
 and Lord of kings and the revealer of mysteries.

00:37:16.540 --> 00:37:19.380
 For you have been able to reveal this mystery.

00:37:20.500 --> 00:37:24.840
 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts

00:37:24.840 --> 00:37:30.280
 and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon

00:37:30.280 --> 00:37:36.280
 and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:39.560
 Daniel made a request to the king.

00:37:41.120 --> 00:37:45.420
 He appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

00:37:45.420 --> 00:37:49.220
 over the affairs of the province of Babylon.

00:37:50.220 --> 00:37:55.380
 But Daniel remained at the king's court.

00:37:56.620 --> 00:37:58.800
 So Daniel tells the king, here's your dream.

00:37:59.400 --> 00:38:00.100
 Here's what will happen.

00:38:01.820 --> 00:38:02.720
 Know in God.

00:38:03.260 --> 00:38:04.140
 Trust in God.

00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:07.000
 And then Nebuchadnezzar reacts.

00:38:08.380 --> 00:38:10.720
 I want you to look at Nebuchadnezzar's reaction with me.

00:38:11.980 --> 00:38:13.220
 He does three things.

00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:17.500
 Number one, he falls down and he worships Daniel.

00:38:17.900 --> 00:38:20.980
 Now this would not be typically how a king responds.

00:38:22.160 --> 00:38:24.620
 We see this as a miracle of God.

00:38:24.720 --> 00:38:26.340
 We see this as a working of God.

00:38:26.760 --> 00:38:30.280
 We see this as how God is operating, how God is moving.

00:38:32.240 --> 00:38:34.800
 Nebuchadnezzar will say some things about God,

00:38:34.880 --> 00:38:35.800
 but I don't want you to confuse.

00:38:35.940 --> 00:38:37.320
 He doesn't become a believer here.

00:38:39.580 --> 00:38:41.640
 But he falls down and he worships Daniel.

00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:46.000
 Number two, he orders offering and incense

00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:47.160
 to be offered to Daniel.

00:38:47.900 --> 00:38:50.840
 And just as the king said he would,

00:38:51.700 --> 00:38:53.240
 all the way back at the beginning of this,

00:38:54.100 --> 00:38:57.620
 he promotes and he gifts Daniel.

00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:02.260
 And then Daniel says, well, I got these three buddies.

00:39:03.320 --> 00:39:04.480
 And this is his prayer circle.

00:39:05.160 --> 00:39:06.380
 This is his small group.

00:39:07.200 --> 00:39:09.540
 These are the boys who are living together,

00:39:10.420 --> 00:39:12.180
 seeking to glorify and honor God.

00:39:12.180 --> 00:39:16.140
 He says, you know him as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

00:39:17.120 --> 00:39:18.560
 Would you promote them as well?

00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:19.920
 And he does.

00:39:21.320 --> 00:39:22.600
 And then as we go through this,

00:39:22.640 --> 00:39:24.160
 what we're going to see is that Daniel is a man

00:39:24.160 --> 00:39:27.600
 who has been gifted greatly by God.

00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:37.680
 And Daniel will use his gifts and his profession to serve God.

00:39:42.100 --> 00:39:44.180
 Daniel's not a pastor of the church.

00:39:46.940 --> 00:39:51.260
 Daniel is not an associate pastor.

00:39:51.460 --> 00:39:53.020
 He's not a church director.

00:39:53.180 --> 00:39:54.380
 He's not a missionary.

00:39:54.980 --> 00:39:57.080
 He's not a denominational leader.

00:39:58.640 --> 00:40:00.800
 Daniel is a government worker.

00:40:02.720 --> 00:40:04.900
 Daniel works for the federal government.

00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:08.440
 Daniel works for a federal government

00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:10.580
 who's opposed to the faith of Daniel.

00:40:17.980 --> 00:40:19.300
 You see, some things change,

00:40:19.400 --> 00:40:20.560
 but everything just stays the same.

00:40:27.620 --> 00:40:28.820
 And Daniel says,

00:40:30.880 --> 00:40:35.200
 in all that I am.

00:40:35.300 --> 00:40:38.020
 See, Daniel doesn't separate his gifting from his career.

00:40:40.020 --> 00:40:42.480
 Daniel doesn't separate calling from career.

00:40:43.820 --> 00:40:46.800
 Daniel doesn't separate the gospel from his career.

00:40:47.980 --> 00:40:51.980
 Daniel says,

00:40:52.080 --> 00:40:52.820
 but I'm going to serve God.

00:40:54.200 --> 00:40:55.240
 I'm going to serve God.

00:40:56.660 --> 00:40:57.600
 Do you know God?

00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:00.460
 Do you trust God?

00:41:01.920 --> 00:41:02.920
 Do you serve God?

00:41:04.260 --> 00:41:05.140
 Do you serve God?

00:41:06.100 --> 00:41:07.000
 I thank you.

00:41:07.760 --> 00:41:08.660
 Each and every one of you.

00:41:08.660 --> 00:41:09.720
 So many of you,

00:41:09.800 --> 00:41:11.860
 as I look out over into our congregation,

00:41:12.260 --> 00:41:17.080
 you serve here in our church faithfully and well.

00:41:18.620 --> 00:41:20.560
 You serve on Sunday mornings.

00:41:20.900 --> 00:41:23.440
 Some of you serve on different nights of the week

00:41:23.440 --> 00:41:25.520
 and different acts and different capacities.

00:41:26.520 --> 00:41:27.640
 And you serve.

00:41:28.420 --> 00:41:31.920
 And I want to thank you so much for that.

00:41:32.860 --> 00:41:34.820
 But here's a challenge for all of us.

00:41:36.680 --> 00:41:36.940
 You know,

00:41:36.960 --> 00:41:40.360
 we talk about a lot that worship is not something we just go to do,

00:41:40.580 --> 00:41:42.380
 but that worship is who we are.

00:41:42.380 --> 00:41:45.440
 We are worshipers is what the Bible talks about.

00:41:47.600 --> 00:41:49.580
 So when we're awake,

00:41:49.680 --> 00:41:50.400
 we're a worshiper.

00:41:50.500 --> 00:41:51.360
 When we're asleep,

00:41:51.600 --> 00:41:52.740
 we're a worshiper.

00:41:53.120 --> 00:41:54.080
 When we're at church,

00:41:54.180 --> 00:41:55.360
 we're a worshiper.

00:41:55.960 --> 00:41:57.960
 When we're driving through I-20 traffic,

00:41:58.120 --> 00:41:59.000
 we're a worshiper.

00:42:01.800 --> 00:42:05.020
 Is serving what you come to do

00:42:05.020 --> 00:42:08.780
 or is serving just who you are?

00:42:10.920 --> 00:42:14.680
 We got all of our elementary up through our high school students

00:42:14.680 --> 00:42:15.480
 in here with us this morning.

00:42:15.520 --> 00:42:17.000
 We always have our middle school and high school students,

00:42:17.100 --> 00:42:18.380
 and it's such a blessing

00:42:18.380 --> 00:42:21.240
 when we have our elementary students in with us as well.

00:42:21.580 --> 00:42:24.020
 And so I want to throw out this challenge to you guys.

00:42:24.020 --> 00:42:27.620
 What if that school that you're going to go into,

00:42:28.960 --> 00:42:31.740
 what if that online classroom that you're going to jump into,

00:42:32.740 --> 00:42:35.120
 what if that sports team that you're a part of,

00:42:36.300 --> 00:42:38.100
 that you approached it like Daniel

00:42:38.100 --> 00:42:39.920
 and said,

00:42:40.020 --> 00:42:44.760
 I'm going to go and serve the God of my salvation.

00:42:46.280 --> 00:42:47.020
 And folks,

00:42:47.100 --> 00:42:48.500
 if it's good enough for students,

00:42:49.600 --> 00:42:51.100
 it's good enough for us.

00:42:52.740 --> 00:42:56.180
 What if serving was not the activity

00:42:56.180 --> 00:42:59.480
 that I report and pick up a name badge to do

00:42:59.480 --> 00:43:01.860
 as important and as beautiful as that is?

00:43:04.240 --> 00:43:07.540
 But what if serving was who I am?

00:43:11.080 --> 00:43:11.960
 Who does...

00:43:11.960 --> 00:43:16.040
 Who does Daniel serve?

00:43:17.380 --> 00:43:18.400
 Daniel serves God.

00:43:18.400 --> 00:43:21.540
 And in serving God,

00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:24.640
 who does Daniel minister to?

00:43:26.180 --> 00:43:27.300
 Nebuchadnezzar.

00:43:30.860 --> 00:43:32.140
 What if this week

00:43:32.140 --> 00:43:35.860
 you found your Nebuchadnezzar

00:43:35.860 --> 00:43:39.160
 and you serve God

00:43:39.160 --> 00:43:41.560
 so you ministered to them?

00:43:44.240 --> 00:43:48.300
 This series,

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:51.840
 man, God's been speaking and working

00:43:51.840 --> 00:43:55.500
 in my heart and in my life

00:43:55.500 --> 00:43:57.360
 in a great way.

00:43:59.100 --> 00:44:01.860
 I hope that God is working in your life.

00:44:01.900 --> 00:44:02.840
 I hope you're being receptive

00:44:02.840 --> 00:44:03.940
 to what He's leading.

00:44:04.060 --> 00:44:05.400
 He's doing through the truth of His Word.

00:44:05.480 --> 00:44:07.240
 I hope any part of this that is me,

00:44:07.500 --> 00:44:09.240
 that the Holy Spirit is filtering out

00:44:09.240 --> 00:44:11.300
 so that you're just hearing the truth of God's Word.

00:44:14.180 --> 00:44:15.900
 But when we look at the simplicity

00:44:15.900 --> 00:44:17.580
 of a faithful teenage boy,

00:44:18.860 --> 00:44:19.660
 it begins,

00:44:20.620 --> 00:44:22.580
 do you know God?

00:44:25.060 --> 00:44:26.220
 Do you trust God?

00:44:27.740 --> 00:44:28.700
 Do you serve God?

00:44:29.740 --> 00:44:30.560
 Would you pray with me?

00:44:32.060 --> 00:44:34.080
 God, I thank You for the truth of Your Word.

00:44:35.240 --> 00:44:37.200
 I thank You for the beauty of Your Word.

00:44:38.580 --> 00:44:40.000
 God, may we be a people

00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:43.080
 who are marked

00:44:43.080 --> 00:44:46.660
 by the evidence of our relationship with You.

00:44:48.560 --> 00:44:50.280
 May we seek and may we long

00:44:50.280 --> 00:44:52.260
 and may we desire above all things

00:44:52.260 --> 00:44:55.060
 to see You glorified in our life.

00:44:56.280 --> 00:44:57.900
 May we long and desire

00:44:57.900 --> 00:44:59.640
 to make Your name known

00:44:59.640 --> 00:45:01.920
 and to see You glorified.

00:45:03.360 --> 00:45:05.060
 May we look at our career.

00:45:05.280 --> 00:45:06.380
 May we look at our hobby.

00:45:06.580 --> 00:45:09.600
 May we look at our time at our home.

00:45:09.720 --> 00:45:10.600
 May we look at the time

00:45:10.600 --> 00:45:12.820
 when we're away from this place.

00:45:12.980 --> 00:45:14.980
 Lord, not as now I'm not that,

00:45:15.080 --> 00:45:16.860
 but as more time to press into this

00:45:16.860 --> 00:45:19.160
 is who I really am in Christ.

00:45:22.000 --> 00:45:23.660
 Lord, I thank You for the consistency

00:45:23.660 --> 00:45:24.940
 of the walk of Daniel.

00:45:26.280 --> 00:45:27.780
 I thank You for the resolve

00:45:27.780 --> 00:45:29.860
 of the heart of Daniel.

00:45:31.580 --> 00:45:33.200
 And God, it can seem overwhelming

00:45:33.200 --> 00:45:36.340
 that maybe I could never have that.

00:45:39.380 --> 00:45:42.040
 But that lie of Satan is defeated

00:45:42.040 --> 00:45:46.640
 in the truth of who Daniel is

00:45:46.640 --> 00:45:48.700
 because of the God he serves.

00:45:49.960 --> 00:45:51.880
 In the truth of who we are

00:45:51.880 --> 00:45:55.360
 because of Christ who saves us.

00:45:57.140 --> 00:45:58.380
 God, may our faith

00:45:58.380 --> 00:46:01.480
 not be just a faith

00:46:01.480 --> 00:46:02.380
 that we long for

00:46:02.380 --> 00:46:03.440
 to save us from hell,

00:46:05.060 --> 00:46:06.480
 but may the faith

00:46:06.480 --> 00:46:07.400
 that we long for

00:46:07.400 --> 00:46:10.160
 be the faith that saves us,

00:46:11.060 --> 00:46:13.180
 be the faith that sustains us,

00:46:14.020 --> 00:46:15.780
 to be the faith that keeps us,

00:46:17.180 --> 00:46:19.900
 to be the faith that changes us

00:46:19.900 --> 00:46:20.700
 through the power of God.

00:46:20.700 --> 00:46:25.480
 God, work and move in our hearts

00:46:25.480 --> 00:46:26.380
 as You see fit

00:46:26.380 --> 00:46:28.340
 as we glorify You.

00:46:29.320 --> 00:46:30.440
 And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

00:46:31.180 --> 00:46:31.440
 Amen.

00:46:33.020 --> 00:46:34.800
 That's it for this week's message.

00:46:35.340 --> 00:46:36.780
 Be sure to check back next week

00:46:36.780 --> 00:46:37.600
 for a new episode.

00:46:38.200 --> 00:46:38.940
 And in the meantime,

00:46:39.200 --> 00:46:40.440
 you can visit us online

00:46:40.440 --> 00:46:42.380
 at willowridgechurch.org

00:46:42.380 --> 00:46:43.680
 or by searching for

00:46:43.680 --> 00:46:44.520
 Willow Ridge Church

00:46:44.520 --> 00:46:46.800
 on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

00:46:47.240 --> 00:46:48.200
 Thanks again for listening.

00:46:48.200 --> 00:46:49.060
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00:46:49.060 --> 00:46:51.060
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00:46:51.060 --> 00:46:51.060
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 Willow Ridge Church

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