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May 18, 2018 4:35 pm
Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org can you think of someone right now you know that you cannot in your wildest dreams even imagine ever being a Christian. Or maybe it's a public figure well known antagonist atheist person that supposedly Christian faith. You can even imagine that person ever carrying a Bible and same praise the Lord, by the way, I really struggled with that phrase when I became a Christian as I was wrong about all these believers that would sit constantly. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. This is great food. Praise the Lord, pessimist, potatoes, praise the Lord always praise the Lord business and I thought I wanted say, praise the Lord, but it feels so alien to say it in one day I was feeling like singing it and sorry I just started.
I said you know, praise the Lord's for good. It does feel good.
Let's all see it together. Praise the Lord said again say that you were made to do that, you're wired to worship you created to bring glory to God or back to those people that we think of that you can imagine being a believer listen. No one is beyond the reach of God. It comes under this sometimes the least likely of the most likely to come to Christ. Let me say that again. Sometimes the least likely of the most likely let me explain.
We think they're the least likely because they're argumentative or because there always getting in her face are always creating trouble. What we talk about Jesus Christ, but that maybe because they're closer, not further from the kingdom of God.
Sam makes no sense to me. Listen MIB because we were under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The classic example is Saul of Tarsus.
He was a Christian killer.
Literally he hunted followers of Jesus for sport.
The arrested men and women and took their children and throw them in the jail, and even have a little fun doing it any thought. Ironically, he was doing the work of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. One day Saul of Tarsus, the Christian killer. By the way he presided over the death of the first martyr of the church.
Stephen he was on his way on the Damascus road down some more Christians down and guess who shows up Jesus and he has this sense that he hears the voice of God speak to him and the boys who is the Lord himself says Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me. Then the Lord says it's hard for you to kick against the goads. A goat is just a sharpened stick and so the idea is God's trying to get Saul's attention Saul's kicking against it hard for you to kick against the goat and then Saul says who are you, Lord. I'm sure Saul was thinking don't see Jesus don't see Jesus told to. And Jesus says I am Jesus cells of whom you are persecuting.
So Saul, the Christian killer was transformed into the great apostle Paul the defender of our faith, so no one is beyond the reach of God to bring this up because here sort of an Old Testament version of that not Saul of Tarsus, becoming the apostle Paul, but the most powerful man on the face of the earth. King Nebuchadnezzar telling us how he came to faith. In fact part of this very chapter were going to look at was written by the king himself to understand Nebuchadnezzar had unlimited powers. There was no Congress or Senate door press to try to keep them in check.
There were no checks and balances. He just did whatever he did whenever he wanted. No one was his rival, no one could oppose him.
He had effectively conquered the planet. It was Nebuchadnezzar's world and everybody else just happen to live in it and he was at the top of his game ruling over the magnificent city of Babylon.
The hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The walls of Babylon were 387 feet high. That's by the way, 1/3 of the height of the Empire State building, you could drive for chariots of brass across the walls of Babylon the mighty river Euphrates flowed right through the middle of the city and they had this massive temple erected to their false God of Bell and ruling over it all was the great Nebuchadnezzar, but in all of this he forgot something. Or maybe I should say he forgot someone he forgot God and even worse, he took credit for what God had done. Now he should've known better because he had seen the Lord work. Remember you had that vision that dream of that statue with the head of Golden breast and arms of silver, and in none of his soothsayers, fortunetellers, or astrologers could interpret it, but they called in the prophet Daniel told exactly what it meant and then later on he erected a giant golden image of himself and commanded everyone to worship it in three courageous Jewish teenagers named Shadrach me shack and Abednego refused to bow. There were thrown into the furnace of fire.
The flames are so hot that the very men, the through the mint died from it, but yet as there in the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar says I thought I threw three men in, but yet I see four and the fourth looks like the son of God. Jesus was walking with his voice of the furnace and afterwords Nebuchadnezzar had to admit in his own words. Quote there is never been a God who can pull off a rescue like this, yet he did not believe Nebuchadnezzar knew about God. He had a respect for God, but another problem is he wants to take the place of God, and he commits a sin that is probably committed more than any other sin that is probably at the root of most since I'm talking about the sin of pride. By the way, that was the first sin ever committed not on earth but in heaven by Lucifer, a high-ranking angel what Isaiah 14 loose paraphrase it. I want to be God. I want the top job I want to rule Lord says you're done here and he was cast down to the earth, and then he goes to our first parents, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and temps and with that forbidden fruit which by the way, was not an Apple one of the whole Apple thing come from it said over and over again.
Sometimes even preachers are safe for Apple. There's no: the Bible are not against apples. I'm just trying to be technical just get, you know, get this accurate. It was a special fruit, but it wasn't the fruit that was appealing. That's what was promised. Eight of the fruit Satan said go ahead and take a bite, because in the day you eat thereof, you will be is that God, knowing good and evil, appealing to their pride, and of course you know the rest of that story were still reaping the consequences of it. So now here's Nebuchadnezzar he's filled with pride. So one night he goes to bed yes or dream. It's a troubling dream in his dream he sees a man a massive tree, a magnificent tree, a tree that is so big you can see it anywhere in the world. There's a lot of fruit coming from the street and everyone is eating of the fruit of the tree and then suddenly an angel comes down from heaven and cuts the tree down. The angel says cut down the tree strip its branches, but then the angel says let the stump remain leave the stump in the ground. Nebuchadnezzar woke up and don't ever dream in which over that feeling and that was not good dream and you try to figure out your own dreams while he he calls in the soothsayers and the astrologers in the fortunetellers and who knows why should a call for Daniel. None of them have the answer again Daniels brought in and he gives them the interpretation of the dream and what Daniels says no to the king to me is a case study in evangelism and it's also a case study in how to confront a person about their sin in hopes that they will repent of their sin. Let's read together. Daniel chapter 4 starting the verse 19 he hears a dream, and upon hearing this, Daniel also noticed both the Shah's are was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to a belter says or don't be alarmed by the dream.
Tell me what it means belter shots are that's Daniel replied. I wish the events foreshadowed in the stream. What happened to your enemies and not to you. This brings me to point number one we share God's truth we should do so boldly, lovingly and clearly. Let me say that again when we share God's truth. We must do so boldly, lovingly and clearly that's exactly what Daniel did.
This was not an easy message to deliver.
He's going to have to tell him that King you're the tree and the trees cut down because you're going to be cut down as well. You know it's hard to tell someone that you love the truth sometimes but so we will will will pull our punches and we will see what we really think you know and and then we heard that we end up maybe sometimes enabling them in them and their sin are not warning them of something that could be spiritually destructive in their life.
Proverbs 27 six says open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. In other some people say I love you I love you I love you though tear you down behind your back, but a true friend. Someone who really loves you, will tell you the truth to your face. A true friend stabs you in the front none of the back, but you do it with love because you know sometimes we use the message of truth like it's Thor's hammer. Comes over my weary and happy to have. That's not the way delivered to deliver to you deliver the truth in love, were told in Scripture that if a brother or sister is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual should restore such a person in the spirit of meekness, lest you also be overcome lesson buckaroo one day it may be you snowmobile arrogant, but delivered to you. So shut up you might be the person down one day and you're going to need some help.
So you do with humility. Man I'm really sorry to tell you this. I really care about you. My objective is to get you back in your feet again not to kick you when you're down and so this is the idea Daniel has to deliver a hard message to the king, and this is very important to get the tell them the truth, he couldn't, you know, candy coated MO we are sharing the gospel.
We need to do the same.
You know sometimes we don't want to tell a believer choosing a nonbeliever what will happen if they don't believe will leave those things out with the promise the hope of heaven without warning of the reality of hell is not the true gospel to offer the forgiveness of God without telling a person they need to repent of their sin is not the gospel, and this would not of been an easy thing to deliver this message to someone as powerful as Nebuchadnezzar was one word your head can be separated from your body. Regular viewed torture or your family so your you're walking on eggshells around a guy like this, but I love the boldness of Daniel but also the humility of Daniel. No other people of God spoke boldly as well. Moses spoke boldly to the Pharaoh.
Nathan the prophet spoke boldly to the king when he was in sin.
Elijah courageously confronted Kincaid how King Ahab and John the Baptist. Please talk with Herod, they all told the truth and this is what Daniel does would look at the love he has for the king.
In verse 19. I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies and not to you.
Listen, Daniel took no pleasure in delivering this bad news to the king. I wish this wasn't true.
I wish I was on the one I had to tell you these things would king I care about you even though your pagan even though you change my name and the names of my friends even though you held me here and have held me as a captain for many years of kinda grown to like you.
I have to admit I have an affection for you. I wish this was for your enemies, not you, and always going to have to give me interpretation. Daniel 424 this is what the dream means your Majesty, what the most high is declared will happen to my lord the king, you will be driven from human society you live in the fields with wild animals you will eat grass like a cow and he will be drenched with the dew of heaven, although must of been a lot of fun to tell them accuse me your highness, you're not going to become your aloneness, I got bad news for you King you're good to go on in the field.
Any grass like a cow.
What I'm saying to you is regularly moving out of the palace soon and I'm giving you the other truth, your king, I'm trying to you know like I want to milk this thing. But I gotta say is I could stand accommodate tough audience. I get no respect right you deliver the message. So yes, we need to speak the truth lovingly, boldly and clearly the point number two always point people to the God of second chances always point people to the God of second chances. Despite this ominous warning from Daniel. There is still hope.
Look at verse 27, King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice, stop sending this is another way to say, repent, stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper considering Daniel's perfect track record up to this point you would've thought the king would have listened. Daniel same body. This doesn't have to happen if you repent. But the king was not having it. But here's the thing we tell people the truth, but we always give them all yet sure center gesture separated from God know there is nothing you can do to right this wrong nothing you can do to earn God's approval. That's the bad news I gotta tell them because you know what you're not going to appreciate the good news, if you don't first know the bad news. And so then I give him the good news. But the good news is the good news is there's a God in heaven who sent his son to die on the cross for your sin. If you'll turn from your sin, you can be forgiven on the day of Pentecost.
Simon Peter was preaching the sum of the very people who crucified Christ, I mean literally the people that kneeled into the tree as he speaking to the crowd, he says, and some of you playing a hand on this and I wonder if he pointed his finger to his Centurion over here. The religious leader over there if it was you I saw you mad and the Bible says they were cut to the heart. That's an interesting phrase that means something that happened sudden suddenly and unexpectedly, like a knife going in your heart thought they were cut conviction of the spirit, they somewhat showing to and Peter said you're gonna burn in hell. That's what she'll do not sell what he said is it he says repentance. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In times of refreshment will come from God see there's hope and that's what Daniel was saying to the king. There's hope for you. So yes we tell them the truth, but we always point them to the God of second chances will sadly the king didn't really listen like this is something we have a divine responsibility to share the gospel message. If you agree, say amen if you've done it this week. Say amen not as many immense we should do it every opportunity I will give it this way.
It's like if you were a doctor and you ran some tests on the person and that they were generating on their vacation and he wanted to give you good news, but you found something the concern your faculty from cancer know you responsibility.
You've taken the Hippocratic oath to do no harm. You have to tell them the truth with anything. Tell them that the gratification seal organization.
Everything is good everything is clear. Going vacation. You don't have a problem in the world. Thanks� You did that is not only wrong, that's immoral to not tell them the truth know you have to deliver the bad news is hard as it is, hopefully, have a course of treatment, something they can do to remove this cancer so I have to deliver this message just as uncomfortable as it can be at times but then tell the person what the solution actually is and you have this message and let's use another analogy, let's say you're a medical scientist and you will cancer let's say you spent hours and hours and weeks and days and months trying to find a cure and one day you discover the cure. One pill taken one time in your cancer is gone. So you take it your cancer free, and that is a will, I'm not telling anyone about this because I'm in comfortable talking to strangers skews me, but this is not about you. This became much bigger than you now know you need to share this with others because they need the cure to what we have Christians is even more important than the cure for cancer.
We have the cure to eternal death and separation from God. We've got a sheriff we got a Sheridan Daniel did an Nebuchadnezzar bloom all you know full year to come to his senses with his heart is filled with more pride. Look at what happens next. Daniel 438 Tuesday 28 all these things did happen then to King Nebuchadnezzar. 12 months later in a year to get it together. I year to repent. 12 months later he was taken a walk in the flat roof of the Royal Palace and Babylon got across the city and said look at this giant city of Babylon on my own power I built this beautiful city is my royal residence to display my majestic splendor. All these words are still in the smell of voice called down from heaven old King Nebuchadnezzar. This message is for you. You no longer are the ruler of the kingdom you will be driven from human society. You will live in the field with the wild animals usually grasp like a cow while how the mighty have fallen. You know you see these great powerful individuals strutting the world stage.
Two people come to mind Adolf Hitler. Saddam Hussein at one moment Hitler was a real threat as was Germany. Amassed a military machine unlike any other.
We didn't even know was happening until Hitler began his invasions and Diane things began to escalate in and the only one standing up against him. At this point was England led by Winston Churchill, and they were being bombarded by Nazi planes day and night. London was under siege and then Churchill was asking the Roosevelt our president for the United States to come and help. And there was sentiment in America at that time still in the aftermath of World War I. We don't want to get involved in this.
This is not conflict, and then the Japanese attacked us in Pearl Harbor. It's all America declared war on the Empire of Japan and declared war on Germany. There were allies and so we begin to build up our military forces. We came and ultimately defeated to learn. It's a good thing because his mission was to eradicate all of the Jewish people living in Europe what he called the final solution and so Adolf Hitler with this country unraveling around Tim would not surrender and he built a little concrete bunker there in Berlin and he went down there and ultimately took a gun out and killed himself all how the mighty have fallen Saddam Hussein with all of his threats live dinners, Royal palaces, American forces went in and clean their clock and they found him hiding in a hole you know you can be on top of the world one day and down at the very bottom of the next day. Don't be so proud that breath you drawn your lungs right now is a gift to you from God Almighty that was Nebuchadnezzar's problem. Nebuchadnezzar forgot got even worse in some ways he thought he was God. But God didn't give up on him. God gave him another chance. Jesus told the story was paraphrase no guy had a lot of stuff and he said that I have so much stuff I've to build bigger buildings that house all my stuff so I can go buy more stuff.
So the more buildings and then when I Lord says God spoke and said this night your soul is required of you. Now who gets all your stuff to that guy died without faith. Without faith in God. Their people they need to hear this message and sometimes were going to initiate the conversation and other times they might initiate the conversation but let's just make sure we have the conversation with them to anyone in the did God love them to do there might be some of the Lord is directing you to talk to right now about Jesus here might be your mom. It's Mother's Day and you're here today because maybe your children said would you come to church with us. Mom and here you warrant and you are not really wanting to follow Jesus you don't know what's happened your kid there were once predictably weird rebellious horrible children and then they became Christians and all those God bless you. Praise the Lord stuff and you don't know how to deal with that here you are church trying to figure it all out just what that was. My mother, my mother why always had a difficult relationship with. She married and divorced seven times in was a raging alcoholic and it was a very difficult childhood with her, but some barbecue for Christian. I went to my mom and I wanted her to come to faith and she said I don't want to talk about it every time I bring up Jesus. You say I don't want to talk about it and that went on folks for years. It went on for decades and went on so long.
I wondered if she was ever going to come around one day the Lord prompted me to go have the conversation about Jesus with my mother. It was very hard to talk to her about this and I just came out of the blue that I said to Kathy got them to go talk to my mom today I feel the Lord lead me to talk to her. By the way, left out one thing at this point she's 70 years old all over drinking and smoking imparting is taken it's toll. She's on dialysis three times a week.
Her health is not good so I go over to her house, a high mom want to talk to and she's like are you here going on is set. I want to talk to you today about your soul. She said I don't want to talk about it. I said today were going to talk about it. We have the conversation she was resisted at first. Then she softened up a bit and it resulted in her committing her life to Jesus Christ. I'm glad I listened to the leading of the Spirit. I was hoping that we would make up for lost time. Now have that relationship. We never had. I was I didn't know that. One month later, the Lord would call her to heaven, but I'm thankful I have the conversation sometimes we initiate the conversation sometimes a person is not a believer might ask us for the answers. Now I told you my mom was buried in the were seven times.
Most of the guys my mom married were very similar. There were guys that hung out in bars. They were guys that had their shirt buttons and button the two too many.
But how many is it too many just talk after church.
I'll tell you is just like just just but not one that don't don't know. You know, big drinkers, big smokers, you know, Playboy type guys. She married guy after guy after guy there like the same guy she Married the same driver. They were different times and then lo and behold to meet some guy name Auster Lori wanted me Oscar Lori.
He's not a guy that hangs on bars and Becky work for the Bar Association. He was an attorney and he didn't have too many buttons undone. He was buttoned up.
He was Ivy League he was conservative he was. He didn't drink and he didn't smoke. I don't know what my mom saw him. She said this is your dad something and it is this guy who this guy was. He was a guy that treated me like a father should treat the son starting with adopting me any love to me any tried to help me and he tried to guide me and when my mom left him. I was devastated. This is a long story as I was going to put it in fast-forward. So here's a cause now I become a Christian. I'm a pastor and I decide that I want to share the gospel with him.
I find him in New York City. I found out that you didn't choose me in New Jersey I found out that he had a heart attack only a few weeks before blacked out at the wheel of his car and almost died so I went to his homies remarried. He is a wife named Barbara now very nice lady and so he makes a nice Italian meal for me, Kathy Larson, Christopher Johnson wasn't born yet and up Barbara since Craig tell us how you became a Christian so I'm sharing my story of how I came to faith my dad's on the other end of the table. He says his hands up to his face like this I fell at him in a court and he's the judge and I'm not doing well. He just looks at me doesn't react just looks so after were done we go to bed and uses great we walk with me in the morning you wanted to walk every day because of his art is that your dad so it wakes me up the next morning walk along, says Greg and listen very carefully to what you said last night. Yes, dad and I want to accept Jesus Christ right now. What yes I want to accept Jesus Christ right up.
No way.
Maybe you don't understand what I said.
I went over to get he said yes yes I understand. I want to accept Jesus Christ right now. He says what do I need to do is what we need to pray and he drops down on his knees right there I was to get on my knees. I'll be honest with you, so were praying.
So here's my point. You made the commitment to Christ.
Guess what, he's in heaven now my mother is in heaven now my son that was there is in heaven now, I want to get as many people to heaven as I can while I'm alive on this earth and we also want that and I know it's hard sometimes someone asked me recently in an interview with you a hard time talking to strangers. They cited a poll that says some people would rather text than talk. I said then going to all the world and text of the gospel right going to all the world and Tweet the gospel to people know you're a Christian see Nebuchadnezzar after God forgave him.
Give him his sanity back. Send out a decree saying to all of his kingdom. I am a believer in the Lord God now. He used his platform to get the word out. Have you used your platform to people know that you're a Christian, I went to your Facebook page were there be any indication of your faith.
There not just your political views not just pictures of your cat. I went to your Instagram page. What I what I find anything that indicates faith or would it be 1500, so please review with the trial how you know the dropout rights and it's a slow to get a closer by going to do the truck from Britain. Can any of you come close to his close save this picture you hold the phone up like this. You and I don't know why you do that using it makes you look thinner. You look like a fish that's what I call it the trial don't do that so Hank okay go ahead to your dropout but have a harvest America stick to their home. Whatever, by the way, you know with harvest America coming for all of you that are on social media go to our website harvest America.com there is downloadable social media, graphics, I would encourage you to go grab them and put them out there let people know this event is coming because as you're aware, it's a nationwide event that everyone can participate in.
So Nebuchadnezzar has truly come to faith now is really committed his life to the Lord, and he tells his entire kingdom. You can read about it in Daniel for 34 leasing one last thing about my father Oscar after he became a believer. He pulled out some papers and told me about the history of the family I was adopted into the Lori clan from Scotland and I found it one cool thing William Wallace's in our family tree not know Gibson William Wallace Mel Gibson played William Wallace in the film Braveheart now I've never even heard of William Wallace at this point. This was long before the film came out he told me about William Wallace but then here's what's really interesting to me. We have a family crest as they do in Scotland and I and in our crest. It has a stump of a tree that's been cut down the roots are still there and there's a little bit of growth coming out and there's one word it says will a lot will pull a lot, which means it bonds a fresh I'm thinking of Nebuchadnezzar get a dream of a tree, a mighty tree and it was cut down. But remember, the angel said leave the stump on the ground TV chair.
The stump of the tree can never go back again. But if you leave the stump in the tree can come back to life. So really what was happening as you get to be cut down but there's hope for the future because the stump still in the ground. That's our family crest and buds of Rasmussen.
Maybe you feel like I've messed up everything you here today and you're saying I'm the worst mother of all time. I don't even deserve the little virtue totebag well you know what God give second chances on the worst father of all time. You're thinking I'd fail. Well, there's always today. And there's always tomorrow to make it right to make up for lost. I'm the worst child ever.
You can change. I'm the worst sinner ever God can forgive you listen Nebuchadnezzar they don't come any more wicked than this guy and get God forgave him and God will forgive you because he is the God of second chances will pull a lot but suppress it for everyone that's not just for our family. That's for your family.
That's for all of us. There is always hope. God gave Nebuchadnezzar another chance to give you one to maybe there's some of you today who have never asked Jesus Christ to come of your life and forgive you of your sin. When her to do that today. Maybe there's some moms here.
They came at the urging of your family. I'm so glad you're here moms, but maybe you're a little bit of your honors like my mom was. I don't want to talk about that and we been talking about that and I would love what happened to my mother to happen to you when you get right with God. Maybe you are a person who's been running from God for years and and you just think you can run out the clock and do whatever you want project realize that ultimately you can reap the consequences of your action God might be giving you a warning today. God fired a shot effectively over the bow of Nebuchadnezzar's boat.
He said you've got 12 months. You got time. Any in the Nebuchadnezzar. Just like love so often didn't think about it just become more prideful.
This is a little more a moment right now you can get right with God.
Don't miss this opportunity. You may never have another one like it again. Let's pray father, thank you for your word to us. Thank you for your offer of forgiveness to us now. I pray for every person here every person watching, listening, were ever they are more good to speak to their hearts and help them to see their need for Jesus, help them to come to you and believing you and falling you this day. We pray our heads about their eyes are closed and were praying.
How many of you would say today. Greg pray for me.
I need Jesus. I need a second chance.
I need forgiveness on chart of running from God. I want to know God. I want a relationship with God. I want to know that I go to heaven when I die, I want my sins forgiven adventure desire.
If you want to go to heaven when you die if you want God to forgive you of your sin if you want your guilt taken away if you need this second chance in life, would you raise your hand up wherever you are and I'll pray for you today.
Raise your hand up. Barbara can see it when we pray for you today St. I need Jesus Christ.
I need his forgiveness. Pray for me, bless you wherever you are raising him. The part I can see it please God bless God bless you. I bless you to bless each one of you raising hand. God bless all of you some of your watching the screen right now. And of course I can't see you, but this is really about me at all.
This is about you and the Lord is and that one should just raise your hand saying yes Lord, here I am I'm I need joy want you wherever you are watching. Just let your hand it is a I need Jesus.
All right all of you that are raising your hand I want you to pray this prayer after me right where you are.
Again, as I pray pray this like you could even pray it out loud after me now just pray these words Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner but I know you're the Savior who died for my sin on the cross I turn from that sin.
I ask you to forgive me of it now in Jesus name I pray, amen. God bless you guys