2013-11-24
Daniel part 4 - God's Solution to Pride
Steve Lane

Review: On God's mission today or our own satisfaction?
God reserves His real work of changing men's hearts to the humble.
Into The Furnace! Daniel 3:9-23
3:13 Rage – you are stopping me from getting fulfillment now! 3:18 Heroic words

The search for satisfaction born out of pride
Nebuchadnezzar's understanding and accepting there was one true God comes in three steps
Dan 2:47 (the statue dream) and Dan 3:28 (fiery furnaces) and Dan 4:34–35 (beast for 7 years)

These guys were in the furnace because they were on God's mission not their own
Our own mission When our hope for satisfaction is in this world
The promised presence of Jesus in His mission

The King's long road to humility
The last verse of the chapter to get our attention... maybe even put the fear of God in you. Dan 4:37

What would you like to do for the Lord? What would you like to do with your life?

So radically God dependent that the Holy Spirit is free to work through them to do His work and they will not try to steal the glory but will receive the joy of being used to change the hearts of men and glorifying God in Heaven.

Dan 4:1–3 This is the King of the Great Babylon... after the worse 7 years of his life
What has happened and what has he learned, how did he get here?!?
Verse 4 The 'Uh Oh' verse.

The Dream and the Interpretation (warning) Dan 4:10–18, 19–26
Verse 18 Recognition that something was different about Daniel.

The solution to the dream (pride) problem – 4:27
The pride of the King Dan 4:28-30

The Real Lesson begins – Dan 4:33
Real repentance - God deals with pride
The King learned humility and God received glory throughout the land.
Daniel learn his humility lessons from a young boy

Do not despise the unseen hand of God in your life – learn humility
Do not despise small things. A thorn in the flesh or the mundane repetition at the hand of God
Jacket on-Jacket off. Sometimes he understood and sometimes he didn't but astonishing results
Do not despise the repeated patterns, the mundane, the difficult set backs, the weakness
“Drink from this water and you will never be defeated” (John 7:37)
He didn't sip at it but very child like dunked his whole head in and drew deeply

Conclusion Dan 4:27 Accept my advice: Repent Dan 4:37 God is able to humble