12 Months Later

Introduction

Tonight’s sermon is about Nebuchadnezzar. Probably most everybody in this audience tonight has heard of Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t know of anybody of all the people who question the integrity of the Bible that question the historical accuracy of the Bible. I don’t know of anybody who takes their stand on the basis that Nebuchadnezzar was not a real person. That Nebuchadnezzar was somehow fabricated by the Bible story, and that this man didn’t live. I don’t know of anybody anywhere advocating that. If you find somebody, let me know. I’ll research it. But I don’t know of anybody who makes this argument about Nebuchadnezzar. Now we’ve all been talking about Nebuchadnezzar in our Bible studies, right? And what book of the Bible? Daniel, okay, let’s wake up. You had a nap this afternoon.

Come on, you can say that. Daniel. Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar lived from 634 BC to 562. Jerusalem was destroyed in 586. Nebuchadnezzar actually ascended to the throne of his father Nabupellasser at roughly the age of 30, 605 BC is what his reign is generally regarded as having commenced. There are roughly 60 Old Testament references. That is his name is mentioned in 60 places in the Old Testament. Eight of the 39 Old Testament books mention Nebuchadnezzar. Now, the reason why I made the point that I did, why don’t anybody, why doesn’t anybody question the historical truth about the existence of Nebuchadnezzar? Because that’s not a threat to anything. People will question that, which is a threat to the life that they want to live. And that’s what they’ll attack.

Something that might prove that the Bible really is from God, that miracles really did happen, and that we really ought to listen to Jesus. But Nebuchadnezzar is also a big part of the Bible story. Reigning in the late 600s BC into the mid-500s, Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest king of the Babylonian Empire. And if you don’t believe me, just ask him. Is he the greatest king ever? Is that why he’s mentioned so often in the Bible? Were his accomplishments greater than any other ruler or world empire? I’ve been doing some study in recent years on some of these kings, and I might vote for Sennacherib right up there with Nebuchadnezzar as a great king in history. Alexander the Great, though his time was short, he’s also mentioned in the Bible, by the way, in the book of Daniel.

1. Is This Not Babylon the Great?

May I suggest to you, that is not why he’s mentioned so often in the Bible. Even though he did some great things. I would suggest to you instead that he is mentioned so often in the Bible because of his unique relationship, his unique relationship with the history of God’s covenant people. What did he think of himself? Look at Daniel chapter 4 with me and verse 30. The king reflected and said, Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? This is really a good introduction to my sermons next week, because we see something emphasized here, and that is I and my.

And received therein tribute of the kings of all regions from all mankind. That’s his recorded inaugural address from historical sources. According to historian Joshua J. Mark, and I’m going to cut this short because you don’t want me to read this to you. What is one of the great accomplishments that people talk about? I mean, Nebuchadnezzar had as a plan to make his empire great and his kingdom awesome. And a lot of that involved building great projects like Solomon did in regard to his kingdom. And if you could think of one archaeological fact about the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and what he built, what would it be? The Hang Gardens of Babylon. I think Sennacherib did that, but that’s another story. I think it’s attributed to Nebuchadnezzar, but I think actually Sennacher might have done it.

Okay, so that’s not it. The other thing. Remember, I’ve shown you pictures of the Ishtar Gate before we were studying Daniel. That blue entryway, the Ishtar gate, one of the wonders of the world. Anyway, he built that. He had a vast army of slave labor. He had walls so thick. Okay, 56 miles in length. A 56 mile, well like the Great Wall of China. Okay? 56 miles in length. So wide, they could have chariot races on top. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? Encircling an area of 200 square miles, and it was faced with a bright blue rock, as was the Ishtar gate, and bore the, which might have been a part of these walls, I guess. And it bore the inscription, I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.

Oh, that’s all wonderful. But guess what? It’s not there anymore. I’d sort of like to have seen it. Pretty cool. Like people go to see the great wall of China. I’d like to see the wall of Nebuchadnezzar. Not there anymore. Try this little final nugget on for size from Joshua J. Mark. Surviving an apparent seven year bout with insanity. Ring a bell. Surviving an apparent seven-year bout with insanity, the cause of which is still not known today. Oh, really? Nebuchadnezzar created a city which was not only wonders to behold, but a center for the arts and intellectual pursuits. And get this. You’ll like this. Women enjoyed equal rights with men under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. Now not to the extent that we have today, actually. But for the time it was it was pretty unusual.

Schools, temples, and the great king died as he hoped the historian said, in the magnificent city that he had built an old man. Now, back to Daniel 4 and verse 30. Do you know the context of this? Be flipping in your Bible to Daniel 4 really quickly. This is what I like. Somebody referenced this recently, and that led to this sermon. While the word was still in his mouth.

What happened after that? Daniel 4, verse 31. A voice came from heaven. That’s pretty cool. Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared, sovereignty has been removed from you. Boom. You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. Ultimately, in this story, because I’m not going to take the time to read the entire chapter, ultimately, he is restored. And he says in verse 34, At the end of the period, I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason returned to me. It’s interesting. When you raise your eyes toward heaven, that’s when you get your reason. Your reason returns, and I bless the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever. And so I thought about this passage.

2. Twelve Months Later, He Has Forgot

Right? He knows the words on our tongues before they’re ever spoken. The psalmist says in Psalm 139. Remember this morning we talked about operation, salty speech. Remember, by our words we shall be judged. Matthew chapter 12. And so before I ever say a word, God knows it, and he records it. And if he decides to act immediately, he will do it. And he did in the case of Nebuchadnezzar. Well, then I saw this, verse 29. All of this happened. Nebuchadnezzar, this bout with insanity because of this self-glory that he had so bought into. I’m interested in this in verse 29. The previous verse, before this reflection, is 12 months later, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. Okay. A year has passed.

He’s walking on the roof and looking over his kingdom and says, Wow, look at what I’ve built. And while the word was still in his mouth, God says, I’m going to show you who the ruler is. And it’s not you. Twelve months from what?

Oh, that’s the rest of chapter 4. Remember chapter 2? The dream that none of the none of the wise men and diviners and the people in Babylon that could reveal the dream about the statue and the forecaming empires and Nebuchadnezzar’s the head of gold. And only Daniel could reveal not just the meaning of the dream, but the dream itself, because he wouldn’t tell him what the dream was because he wouldn’t know what it meant. Daniel told him not just what the dream meant, but what the dream was because he’s inspired of God. And so when he has another dream in chapter 4 about the very events that unfold at the end of the chapter, again, who’s he going to turn to get the answers? He’s going to turn to Daniel.

And so he says, Daniel, and probably, hey, when he has this inspired dream, don’t you want to know what these inspired dreams were like? He gets this inspired dream and he goes, oh boy, here we go again. Now remember, he’s a polytheist. He’s really impressed with Daniel’s God. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s God. That’s chapter 3, same God. But he’s still a polytheist. And I know that from Daniel chapter 4, polytheist means a believer in many gods, because he says of Daniel, a spirit of the holy God is in you. So he’s not bought in completely to monotheism, that is, that there is one God, and it’s the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Marduk’s still around, okay? But he’s really impressed. He believes in Daniel’s God.

And he’s especially because of the events of chapter 2. And so now he has another inspired dream, and he says, okay, I’m going to go to the same guy who revealed the other dream. And that’s Daniel. He tells Daniel the dream. And then verse 19. Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was a Belteshazzar, that’s his Babylonian name, was appalled for a while. What do you think that was about? Because he knows that this dream is not going to be very good for Nebuchadnezzar. My Lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies. That tree that you saw in your dream that grew strong and reached to the sky and was visible to you all the earth. The foliage was beautiful. That’s you, O King. Because you’ve become great and grown strong.

But I’ll tell you what the rest of that dream is about. It’s about you being brought low. And as Daniel explains this to him, now see this graphic nice and big? Twelve months. Twelve months later, he has forgot.

A year’s not a long time. But it is.

3. Who Is Really in Control

It’s enough time to forget. Look at what I’ve done. Look at what I did. And what Nebuchadnezzar and most others struggle to appreciate is who is really in control. At Nebuchadnezzar, he had done some great stuff, unrivaled in his day. He was probably the greatest, most successful man in the world. In the world of his time. And he got carried away with that. And because, again, he has a unique place, there are captives in Babylon who are the chosen people of God. God has future, a future and a plan for them. Jeremiah 29, verse 11. So God has these dealings with Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus and others who would follow. And so he interacts with this king. And what he gives them, and this gives us a glimpse into how God deals with the Gentiles, he gives him an opportunity to acknowledge that Jehovah is the real God.

Jehovah is the true God. And when he gets all carried away with himself, he humbles him, establishing the truths that Isaiah talked about. You know, God reduces rulers to nothing. The nations are a drop in the bucket to him. When God says, I’m done with you, he’s done with you. This fits very well with our studies of Malachi and Revelation, particularly revelation. When there are all of these ferocious opponents, there’s a harlot, there’s a sea beast, and they’re wielding all of this power, and they’re hurting God’s people, and God’s people are suffering. And the point of the whole story is that when God decides enough is enough, that’s going to be the end of it. And the only reason Nebuchadnezzar is able to be successful as he is because of what Habakkuk is told in Habakkuk chapter 1.

When Habakkuk is looking around and says, God, I don’t see how you can turn and look the other way at the violence and injustice in your people. And God says, Habakkuk, I have not. And man, you can’t believe what I’m about to do. I’m going to raise up the Chaldeans. And they are going to judge this people. And Habakkuk says, Can we try option number two? Can we do anything else? That’s why we’re here. That’s why the Nebuchadnezzar story happens. It’s because of the failings of God’s covenant people. Oh, let me just throw this in. Deuteronomy in the curses. This is why this is happening. Deuteronomy chapter 28. Because you did not serve the Lord, Deuteronomy 28, 47. There’s application here to us. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart for the abundance of all things.

Man, I just noticed that this week. That’s a great verse. Serve God with joy and a glad heart for the abundance of all things. Therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord shall send against you in hunger and thirst in nakedness in the lack of all things. Okay, abundance of all things or lack of all things. Abundance of all things, serve the Lord. Reject the Lord, lack of all things. It’s always going to be that way. And he will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. Verse 49. The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand. Hello, here comes the Babylonians.

4. This Is Why We Sing In His Time

This is God’s punishment. But even then, Nebuchadnezzar needs to understand. If God didn’t want to allow this, he wouldn’t have any Israelite captives in Babylon. If God had wanted to protect them, he couldn’t touch them. God is in control. That’s why we shouldn’t get overwrought about political tragedies. Because they’re going to happen in our world. Because people have their own agendas. Couple of points here. Two lessons, in fact. Number one. This is why we sing in his time. Again, that’s what Malachi and Revelation are all about. Malachi is saying, I know things don’t look great right now. But in the future, great things are going to unfold. You just do what God instructs you to do in your time. Revelation. I know you’re hurting. I see your pain.

I’m going to take care of your adversaries. It may not be as soon as you would wish. That message cannot be more relevant to your circumstances than mine. But instead, we are more prone to say, God, if you love me, I want you to fix it. And I want you to fix it right now. We need to learn from these stories.

God’s ways are past finding out. You ever heard that before? Romans chapter 11. His judgments are unsearchable. His ways are past finding out. God’s activities and purposes are accomplished in his time, not mine. And so when I look around, I’m looking around at the increasing degradation of our world and terrorist attacks right and left, people driving buses into markets. They don’t care about human life. They only care about themselves. And it makes us sick. And we look around and say, why hasn’t God just why isn’t he ended all of this? He’s going to. I just don’t know when. And we may not be here to see the end. Or it could be tonight. We just don’t know. So your job and mine is in our sphere of influence, however small it may be, to live the Lord’s will, imitate Jesus, advance his cause to the best of our ability.

5. Time Does Not Erase Sin

That’s our job, always. That was the job of the people of Malachi. It was the job of the people in the days of Revelation. It is our job. God is not detached. God is not uninvolved. Just because when evil happens, God does not bring immediate retribution. The Bible is a story over and over again. Retribution comes upon evil. But it doesn’t always happen right now. It could be hundreds of years. Every evil act is registered. Rest assured. Nothing escapes his notice. And that should tell us something very important and practical: that time alone doesn’t fix evil. If there is evil in our past, it isn’t removed simply because we stopped doing that thing. That’s only a part of it. The prerequisite to cleansing is repentance. Godly sorrow that works repentance.

Don’t ever forget that. And I talk about that, for example, in relation to young couples who are tempted to commit fornication, they’re planning to get married, and they do that. Ultimately, they get married, and everything is okay then. That’s true. But that doesn’t change the fact that the fornication was a sin.

See what I’m saying? Time does not erase sin. I will say this too. One day, God is going to make a glorious presentation. His church without spot and without blemish unto the Father. Ephesians chapter 5. Sanctified, holy. He’s going to make that presentation. Now, I’ve said many times about that passage, that’s not the local church. That’s not going to say he’s not going to say here’s the Decor Prairie Church, because we’re going to be judged individually. It’s not local churches. It’s the church universal. It is the redeemed, it is the church, those of the true circumcision throughout the whole world. And let me just say that about this morning’s sermon. True circumcision can start right here, right now, today, and you can say, Whatever was in my past, I can be forgiven and cleansed of that and never look back.

Okay.

Blameless, holy, ready to meet the Lord. Now, what that doesn’t mean is that in local churches that there won’t be at times imposters, hypocrites, people who promote evil, and who seemingly get away with it, who tear up churches. And I just want to say, don’t be surprised when you run across people, even among the Lord’s people, who have an ungodly agenda. Don’t let that surprise you. And be ready. Be ready to act if necessary. Be courageous and be strong. And listen to me very carefully. Some good deeds are no substitute for sowing discord and hatred. Do you get it? There’s a lot of people in the Lord’s body who do good things. But if at the same time, gets the bitter the sweet thing of James 3 in regard to the tongue.

At the same time, we are sowing seeds of discord and bitterness and hatred, those good deeds won’t amount to nothing. You can quote me on that.

6. Time Can Erode Knowledge and Faith

But none of that ever goes without ultimate vindication from the hand of God. And I would make this observation about the twelve months tonight. It doesn’t take long to forget. And I tease about my sermons all the time. I know you can’t remember them. I mean, what did I preach last week? You know, I even struggled. I’ve moved on. I’m thinking about other thoughts. I’ve got two more sermons to come up with next week. So I’m teasing about that a lot of times. But seriously, I mean, are you going to go in July? Wow, remember those sermons Tony preached on New Year’s Day? No. I mean, 12 months. But what that says is, and this is what happened. This is what Nebuchadnezzar teaches us. Time can erode knowledge and faith.

Just 12 months. Just 12 months. And that’s why, behold, now is the day of salvation, 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1. Now is the accepted time. Who are you today? What about circumcising your heart today? Let’s start with that. Be reconciled to God. That’s what that whole context is about in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. That’s why, because twelve months happens, that’s why sermon themes have to be repeated. That’s why warnings about destructive thinking and behavior have to be repeated. That’s why I’m constantly talking about self examination. It is why I’m reminding you of ultimate realities versus fleeting allurements. Because that’s what we struggle with. Four keys to successful changes over time. Let’s talk about New Year’s resolutions. Let me tell you four things. Write this down.

Work on this. I’m only going to give you the short version of this anchoring. Anchoring.

You’re not going to experience transformation in a way that pleases God unless you’re anchored in the right things. Anchored in God’s word, anchored among God’s people, anchored in your commitment among God’s people. Okay? Anchoring is essential. If you become unmoored, and so many do. They start getting attached to other things. If you become unmoored, you have taken one big step away from transformation and toward conforming to the world. Number two, assessing. Honesty. Honesty. That’s what I mean. Honesty. Who am I? Who am I? What are my motives? What am I doing? What is my behavior? Is it in line with the will of God? We have to constantly be assessing where we are. And there’s an ebb and flow to life. We are on spiritual highs and lows, and we’ll find ourselves down sometimes.

And we’ve got to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and say, I gotta get back headed in the right direction. Number three. We can’t do this by ourselves. Or as we say at my house, I can’t do this by me lonesome. If there be any hurtful way in me, O God, lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139, 23 and 24. Search me and know my heart, the psalmist said. We need God’s help. And then there’s this there’s attuning.

You’ve got to keep shifting the dial to the right place. And I know this is a little lost on you people, young people, especially, because when I was a kid, when we listened to the radio, you had to turn that dial. And if you didn’t get it just right, there was a lot of static and oh, so exciting when you hit it just right, and boom, you got the clear signal. And it was really cool in high school when I was in radio because we had our own high school radio station, and we would say, W N A S, 81, 88.1 FM on your dial. What was cool about 88.1 is it’s at the very bottom of the dial. So that’s sort of cool. It’s easy to find.

And so you don’t really understand the concept of tuning in, but that’s what we have to do spiritually. We have to keep tuning in to the right channel. Keep doing the next right thing, first things first. Keep your mission in the forefront of your mind. That’s about it. But do you remember last month’s sermon? Where I said it would have been a great New Year’s sermon. How you been doing over the last month? 12 months. That’s a long time. How you been doing over the last month with Romans chapter 12? I know some of you have worked hard on Romans chapter 12. Remember, we talked about not coerced, not forced. Let’s go through this quickly. Talked about all of oh, let’s go back. It went too fast.

Conclusion

Stop. All right. Romans 12. You’ve been working with this? This is what change looks like. This is the new life to which we’re called. This is the true circumcision. This is what it is. It’s not going to happen by accident or osmosis. Imagine the person we are striving to become. Seven steps we talked about. Remember that? I want to focus again on the last step. Today’s victory is faith. Today’s victory. I’m going to trust in God. So where are you going to be in 12 months? Now again, the Lord may not give us 12 more months. But if he does, where are you going to be? I don’t know what the first Sunday of 2018, what day it is, but if I’m standing here and you’re sitting there, are you going to be sitting there?

Are you going to be making? Am I going to be standing here? Maybe time for a new preacher, but is somebody going to be standing here preaching? Where are we going to be in 12 months? I do know this. We need to start right now and make sure we’re on the right path. Can we assist someone in making that start? Let’s stand and see.